Excellence of Learning

The rank of the learned in Islam is just below that of God and His Angels. (Q 3:18) Elsewhere in the Qur’an, God says, that He will increase the rank of the learned. (Q 58:12) ibn Abbas, whilst commenting on the verse, said that the difference in the rank of a believer and a learned believer is equivalent to the distance traveled in 500 years. The same theme is repeated time and again, throughout the Qur’an. For example, as is often the case in the Qur’an, a rhetorical question is asked: Are the learned equal to the illiterate? (Q 39:9).

The learned possess the quality of God-consciousness (Q 35:28), and the understanding that goodness leads to rewards (Q 28:80). The learned are also able to infer from the various parables in the Qur’an (Q 29:42), and apply it in their daily lives.

In addition, just like our garments cover our nakedness and act as adornments (Q 7:25), knowledge covers darkness and increases piety. True knowledge breeds humility, and expands our hearts (Q 29:41).