Is the Hadith: "He who teaches me a letter, I become his slave" authentic, and is its meaning sound?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The saying, "Whoever teaches me a letter, I become his slave," is not a prophetic . And the hadith, "Whoever teaches a servant an ayah from the Book of Allah, he is his master; it is not fitting for him to abandon him or to give precedence over him," is weak and not authentic. Nevertheless, humility towards the scholar and acknowledging his merit are among the noble virtues. It has been narrated from Shu'bah ibn al-Hajjaj that he said, "Whoever I have written four hadiths from: I am his slave until I die." This expresses good manners, reverence, and gratitude towards the teacher.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- 190769
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