The seeker of knowledge walks with the angels.
Narrated by Abū al-Dardāʾ (أبو الدرداء)
مَنْ سَلَكَ طَرِيقًا يَطْلُبُ فِيهِ عِلْمًا سَهَّلَ اللَّهُ لَهُ بِهِ طَرِيقًا إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ، وَإِنَّ الْمَلاَئِكَةَ لَتَضَعُ أَجْنِحَتَهَا لِطَالِبِ الْعِلْمِ
"Whoever treads a path in search of knowledge, Allah makes easy for him a path to Paradise. The angels lower their wings out of pleasure for the seeker of knowledge."
The hadith is al-Ghazali's epigraph for the entire Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn. The scholars said it was not merely encouragement — it was a promise. The effort of seeking is itself a worship. The angels, classical commentators wrote, are said to literally spread their wings beneath the feet of the student, shading and supporting them.
Passages that draw on this hadith
-
"Regarding the hadith the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said whoever travels a path to seek knowledge therein Allah will make a path to paradise easy for him He also said indeed the angels lower their wings for the seeker of knowledge"
-
"with the deeds? The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, replied, When Allah created a servant for Paradise, he utilizes him with deeds of the people of Paradise, until he dies doing an act from the deeds of the people of Paradise, by which he enters Paradise. And when he created"
-
"his way, death overtook him. The angels of mercy and the angels of punishment disputed over him. The angels of mercy argued, he came repentantly, wholeheartedly returning to Allah. The angels of punishment said, he never performed any good deed. An angel in"
-
"is on the path of Allah until he returns. In another hadith, whoever follows a path in search of knowledge, Allah makes a path to paradise easy for him. Sayyid ibn al-Musayyib would travel for days in search of a single hadith."
-
"devil are numerous, while the path of the angels is just one. This single path is obscured by many doors, like a traveler in a vast expanse with many ambiguous paths on a dark night. The traveler cannot discern the path unless"
-
"According to the report, when the angels ascend with the servant's record, and it contains mention of Allah in the morning and evening and goodness, Allah forgives what is between them of evil deeds. It is related that the angels of the night and the angels of the day meet at dawn and at the"
-
"his messenger, peace be upon him. Two paths lead to the foot of the mountain, one known as the Path of Baba, and the other as the Path of Mama, referring to Adam and Eve, peace be upon them. The Path of Mama is easier, allowing visitors to return along it, and those who do so are"
-
"Then, finding a little strength, I arose and followed a path marked by cattle tracks, finding a bull with a saddle blanket and sickle, realizing this path led to villages of unbelievers. I took another path, leading to another ruined village, where I saw two naked black men."