The Excellence of Knowledge

Say: “Are they ever equal, those who know and those who do not know?” (az-Zumar 39:9)

Allah will raise (in degree) those of you who truly believe (and act accordingly), and in degrees, those who have been granted the knowledge (especially of religious matters). (al-Mujadilah 58:11)
Of all His servants, only those possessed of true knowledge stand in awe of Allah. (Fatir 35:28)

668. Mu’awiya, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “When Allah desires good for someone, He gives him correct understanding in the religion.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Ilm, 10; Sahih Muslim, Imara, 175).

671. Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Allah will make the path to Paradise easy for anyone who travels a path in search of knowledge.” (Sahih Muslim, Dhikr, 39).

673. Ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say, ‘May Allah bless a man who hears something from me and transmits it as he heard it. Many a person to whom something is transmitted retains more than the person who first heard it.’” (Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Ilm, 7).

Nawawi, Imam. Riyad As-Salihin; The Gardens of the Righteous: A collection of authentic hadiths. Tughra Books Press, Inc. 2014