1 - To earn the pleasure of Allah SWT.
“Whoever Allaah SWT wants good for, He gives him fiqh (understanding) of the Deen.” [Bukhari]
2 - To gain entry into Jannah.
“Whoever traverses a path in order to gain knowledge, then Allaah SWT will make the path to Jannah easy for him.” [Tirmidhi]
3 - To gain higher ranks.
“Allaah will exalt in degree those of you who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge…” [Al-Quran 58:11]
“Say: ‘Are those who know equal to those who know not?’ It is only men of understanding who will remember (i.e. get a lesson from Allaah’s Signs and Verses).” [Al-Quran 39:9]
4 - To gain forgiveness of Allah SWT.
“Allaah SWT would say at the end of the gathering of those who gathered to gain knowledge, ‘Get up! You have been forgiven.’ The angels would say ‘O Allaah SWT there was a servant of yours who only came to that gathering because of a need – he only wanted a person in that gathering.’ Allaah SWT would respond ‘I have forgiven him as well.’” [Bukhari]
5 - To gain true fear of Allah SWT.
“…It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allaah…” [Al-Quran 35:28]
6 - To gain great reward.
Whoever comes to a masjid and he did not come to the masjid except with the intention that he would learn something good or teach something good, he will be given the reward of someone who performed hajj.” [At-Tabrani]
“By Allah, if a single person is guided by Allah through you, it will be better for you than a whole lot of red camels.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
7 - To gain Allah’s mercy and peace in one’s life.
“There is not a people who gather in a house from the houses of Allaah SWT (a masjid) to recite the Book of Allaah SWT or study it except that calmness will descend upon them and mercy would cover them and they would be surrounded by the angels and Allaah SWT will mention them with good to those near to Him.” [Muslim]
8 - To gain the inheritance of Rasulullah (upon him blessings and peace).
“The learned are the heirs of the Prophets who bequeath neither dinar nor dirham but only that of knowledge; and he who acquires it, has in fact acquired an abundant portion.” [Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi]
“Young men will come to you seeking knowledge, and comprehending religion, and learning from you: if they come to you teach them, and be kind to them, and make space for them in your circles, an explain Hadith to them.” Therefore, Abu Sa’id used to say to us: “Greetings to the Messenger of Allah’s recommendation, the Messenger of Allah (SAAW) ordered us to make a space for you in our circles, and explain Hadith to you.” [Jami’]
9 - To earn a special and lofty position in the eyes of Allah SWT and in Islam.
“Say: ‘Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know?’ It is those who are endued with understanding that receive admonition.” [Al Quran 39:9]
“The superiority of the learned man over the devout worshipper is like that of the full moon to the rest of the stars (i.e., in brightness).” [Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi]
A learned one is as much above an (ordinary) worshiper as I am above the least of you; and he added: Allah, His angels and all those in the heavens and in the earth, even the ants in their holes and the fish in the water, call down blessings on those who instruct people in beneficent knowledge.” [Tirmidhi]
“Envy is permitted only in two cases: A man whom Allah gives wealth, and he disposes of it rightfully, and a man to whom Allah gives knowledge which he applies and teaches it.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
“He who does not respect our elders, and does not have mercy on our children, and does not honor our scholars, is not of my Ummah.” [Ahmad, Tabarani, Hakim, Mukhtasarat-Targhib, Jami’]
“You should be a scholar, or a student, or a listener, or a lover of ‘Ilm and scholars, and you should not be the fifth which makes you perish. ‘Ata’ said, Mis’ar said to me: You added a fifth point which we do not have. The fifth point is: To hate ‘Ilm and its people.” [Tabarani, Bazzar]
10 - To be a source of guidance for other and to convey the message of Islam to others.
“Envy is permitted only in two cases: A man whom Allah gives wealth, and he disposes of it rightfully, and a man to whom Allah gives knowledge which he applies and teaches it.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
“Convey from me even an Ayah [of the Qur'an].” [Bukhari]
“May Allah brighten [the face of] a person who hears a hadith from us, and reports it as he heard it, because many people which the hadith is reported to, perceive it better than the one who reported it to them.” [Ibn Hibban]
11 - To know the commandments of Allah SWT.
“Seeking ‘Ilm (knowledge) is incumbant on every Muslim.” [Ibn Majah]
12 - To earn the reward of those who are guided by you.
He who calls others to follow the Right Guidance will have a reward equal to the reward of those who follow him, without their reward being diminished in any respect on that account.” [Bukhari]
13 - To gain tremendous benefit.
“Allah, His angels, the dwellers of the heaven and the earth, and even the ant in its hole and the fish (in water) supplicate in favour of those who teach people knowledge.” [Tirmidhi]
The angels lower their wings over the seeker of knowledge, being pleased with what he does. The inhabitants of the heavens and the earth and even the fish in the depth of the oceans seek forgiveness for him. [Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi]
“Anyone who comes to this mosque of ours in order to learn a good thing, or to teach it, is equal to the Mujahid in the path of Allah, and whoever comes for anything else, he is like a man who looks at other people’s belongings.” [Ibn Majah, Mawariduz-Zam’an]
“O Abu Dharr! If you learn one verse from The Book of Allah (The Quran), it is better for you than to voluntarily pray one hundred rak’as (units of prayer), and if you learn a category of knowledge (religion), regardless if it is applied or not, it is better for you than to voluntarily pray one thousand rak’as.” [Ibn Majah, Mukhtasarut-Targhib wattarhib, Ihya ‘Ulumidden]
“When you pass by the meadows of Paradise indulge freely in it! They said: O Messenger of Allah! What are the meadows of Paradise? He said: The circles of ‘Ilm.” [Tabarani, Al-Mu’jamal Kabir]
“People are of substances like the substance of gold and silver: the best among them in the Jahiliyah , are the best in Islam, if they gain knowledge, and the souls are hosts which are sent around, the similar ones get acquainted, and from the different ones depart from each other.” [Muslim, Riyadhus-Salihin]
14 - Because the Ummah needs you!
“Verily, Allah does not take away knowledge by snatching it from the people, but He takes it away by taking away (the lives of) the religious scholars till none of the scholars stays alive. Then the people will take ignorant ones as their leaders, who, when asked to deliver religious verdicts, will issue them without knowledge, the result being that they will go astray and will lead others astray.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
15 - It is Fard Kifaayah.
“And the believers should not all go out to fight. Of every troop of them, a party only should go forth, that they (who are left behind) may gain sound knowledge in religion, and that they may warn their folk when they return to them, so that they may guard themselves against evil.”[Al-Quran 9:122]
16 - To serve the Deen of Allah SWT.
“He who leaves his home in order to seek knowledge, he is in Allah’s path until he returns [to his home].” [Tirmidhi, Riyadhus-Salaheen]
17 - To protect and defend the Deen of Allah SWT.
“The most honest men of future generations will carry this ‘Ilm (i.e. Hadith), they will purify it from the falsification of the extremists, and the assumptions of the liars, and the misinterpretation of the fools.” [Sharaf Ashabul-Hadith, Tabrizi, Mishkat Al-Masabih]
18 - To protect oneself from the tricks of Shaytan.
“One Faqih (Someone learned in Religious matters) is stronger against Shaytan than a thousand worshippers.” [Tirmidhi]
19 - To be amongst those who truly attest to Allah SWT’s Oneness.
“There is no god but He: That is the witness of Allah, His angels, and those endued with knowledge, standing firm on justice. There is no god but He, the Exalted in Power, the Wise.” [Al-Quran 3:18]
20 - To gain reward even after death.
“When a man dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: Sadaqah Jariyah (ceaseless charity); a knowledge which is beneficial, or a virtuous decendant who prays for him (for the deceased).” [Muslim]
(by Shaykh Dr. Omar Hussaini, taken from his website pureway.org- May Allah reward him.)
Imam Ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi said in his dictionary of terms from the introduction to his tafsir:
