Explanation of the Hadith: "Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim male and female"

Question:
and female. Is this a hadith? And is it authentic?

Answer:
Yes, , this is a hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). What is meant by it is what every Muslim needs from the matters of his religion, without which his religion does not stand correctly. So seeking knowledge is of two types: some of it is an individual obligation (fard 'ayn) upon every Muslim, and some of it is a collective obligation (fard kifayah). As for the first type, which is an individual obligation upon every Muslim, it is that without which a person's religion does not stand correctly, such as his creed, his prayer, his zakah, his fasting, and his Hajj. It is obligatory for him to learn these fundamentals and these pillars, the pillars of Islam. He learns them and learns their rulings, because they are the pillars of Islam. This is obligatory upon every Muslim.
As for the second type, which is a collective obligation (fard kifayah), it is what exceeds that, such as the rulings of transactions, the rulings of marriage, the rulings of crimes, the rulings of hudud and qisas, and other types of knowledge that the community as a whole needs, but which a specific individual may not need. So this type is a collective obligation (fard kifayah). If those who are sufficient perform it, the sin falls off the rest. And if they all leave it, they all sin. Yes.