Qais bin Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, says: A man came from Madinah Munawwarah to Syedna Abu Darda, may Allah be pleased with him, who was in Damascus. He asked him: "My brother! What has brought you here?" He replied: "I have come for the sake of a hadith; I have learned that you narrate it from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him." He asked: "Have you not come for trade?" He replied: "No." He asked: "Have you not come for any other need?" He replied: "No." He asked: "So you have come only to obtain this hadith?" He replied: "Yes." He said: "Indeed, I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: Whoever sets out on a path to seek knowledge, Allah makes the path to Paradise easy for him. And indeed, the angels lower their wings in approval of the seeker of knowledge, and all the creatures in the heavens and the earth seek forgiveness for the scholar, even the fish in the water. And the superiority of the scholar over the worshipper is like the superiority of the moon over the rest of the stars. Indeed, the people of knowledge are the heirs of the Prophets. The Prophets did not leave behind dinars or dirhams as inheritance, but they left only knowledge. Whoever acquires it, has taken a great share (from the inheritance of the Prophets)."

Zirr bin Hubaish (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I went to Sayyiduna Safwan bin Assal Muradi (may Allah be pleased with him) to ask about wiping over the socks. He said: "Why have you come?" I said: "For the acquisition of knowledge." He said: "Then shall I not give you glad tidings?" Then he narrated this hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): "Indeed, the angels spread their wings for the seeker of knowledge, being pleased with what he seeks."

It is narrated from Abdullah bin Buraidah (may Allah have mercy on him) that a companion went to Sayyiduna Fadala bin Ubaid (may Allah be pleased with him) while he was in Egypt. When he reached him, he was feeding his she-camel. The visitor said: "I have not come to meet you, I have only come for a hadith which has reached me from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and I hope that you also know something about it." When he saw him with disheveled hair, he asked: "What is the reason that I see you with disheveled hair, even though you are the governor of this city?" He replied: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to forbid us from too much luxury and comfort." He also saw him in a state where he was not wearing shoes, and he explained the reason for this: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sometimes ordered us to take off our shoes."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Whoever sets out on a path to seek knowledge, Allah Almighty makes the path to Paradise easy for him."