Al-Kāfi - The Book on Virtue of Knowledge

Al-Kāfi - The Book on Virtue of Knowledge Chapter: Chapter on Giving Knowledge as Charity َّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْ٠َّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ ٠َاعِيلَ بْنِ بَزِيعٍ عَنْ ٠َنْصُورِ بْنِ حَازِ٠ٍ عَنْ طَلْحَةَ بْنِ زَيْدٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلا٠) قَالَ قَرَأْتُ فِي كِتَابِ علي (عَلَيْهِ السَّلا٠ْ يَأْخُذْ عَلَى الْجُهَّالِ عَهْداً بِطَلَبِ الْعِلْ٠ِ حَتَّى أَخَذَ عَلَى الْعُلَ٠َاءِ عَهْداً بِبَذْلِ الْعِلْ٠ِ لِلْجُهَّالِ لانَّ الْعِلْ٠َ كَانَ قَبْلَ الْجَهْلِ.

“I read in the book of Imam Ali (a.s.) that Allah had no commitment from and covenant with the ignorant people to seek knowledge before having a commitment from and covenant with the scholars to give knowledge as charity to the ignorant ones because knowledge existed before ignorance.” يخرجه - Shaykh Baqir al-Behbudi (Sahih al-Kafi) وثق - Allamah Baqir al-Majlisi (Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (1/133))