حياة السلف بين القول والعمل

Acting upon and conveying knowledge: On the authority of Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak. He said: Sufyan al-Thawri, may God have mercy on him, was asked: Is seeking knowledge more beloved to you, Abu Abdullah, or acting upon it? He said: Knowledge is only sought for the sake of acting upon it. Do not abandon seeking knowledge for the sake of acting upon it, and do not abandon acting upon it for the sake of seeking knowledge. [Al-Hilya (its abridgment) 2/378].

Acting upon and conveying knowledge: On the authority of Al-Awza’i, he said: Ata’ Al-Khorasani came to Hisham and stayed with Makhul. He said to Makhul: Is there anyone here who can motivate us? He said: Yes! Yazid ibn Maysarah, may God have mercy on him. So they went to him and Ata’ said: Motivate us, may God have mercy on you. He said: Yes! When scholars acquired knowledge, they acted upon it. When they acted upon it, they became preoccupied. When they became preoccupied, they were missed. When they were missed, they were sought. When they were sought, they fled. He said: Repeat it to me. So he repeated it to him, and Ata’ returned and did not meet Hisham!! [Al-Hilya (its abridgment) 2/193].

Acting upon knowledge and conveying it: Abu Wa'il reported that Alqamah, may Allah have mercy on him, was asked: Will you not preach to us? He replied: I dislike commanding you to do what I do not do. [al-Zuhd by Imam Ahmad /372].

Acting upon knowledge and conveying it: On the authority of Al-Sha’bi, may God have mercy on him, he said: The people of Paradise will look down upon some people in Hell and say: Why are you in Hell? We only acted upon what you taught us. They will say: We taught you but we did not act upon it. [Al-Zuhd by Imam Ahmad / 612].

Acting upon knowledge and conveying it: On the authority of Al-Sha’bi, may God have mercy on him, he said: There is no preacher who gives a sermon except that his sermon will be presented to him on the Day of Resurrection. [Ibn Abi Al-Dunya Encyclopedia 7/79].