What is the reason for Muslim citing the report: “Knowledge cannot be attained with bodily ease” in the chapter on the times of prayer?
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The questioner : Knowledge cannot be attained with bodily ease...
The Shaykh : It appears that he said it to his student to encourage him to seek knowledge.
The questioner : Al-Nawawi has a discussion on this.
The Shaykh : And what does he say?
The reader: His statement: “It was narrated from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir that he said, ‘Knowledge cannot be attained with bodily ease.’ It has become the custom of the scholars to ask about Muslim’s inclusion of this report from Yahya, given that he does not mention in his book anything other than pure hadiths of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and this report does not relate to the hadiths regarding the times of prayer. So how did he include it among them? Al-Qadi Iyad (may Allah have mercy on him) reported from some of the imams that he said, ‘The reason is that Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him) was pleased with the good arrangement of these chains of narration that he mentioned for the hadith of Abdullah ibn Umar, and the abundance of its benefits, the summarization of its objectives, and the benefits it contains in rulings and other matters. We do not know of anyone who matched him in this. So when he saw that, he wanted to indicate to those who desire to attain the rank by which one gains knowledge of such matters that the path to it is to increase one’s engagement and weary one’s body in caring for the acquisition of knowledge. This is an explanation of what al-Qadi reported.’”
The Shaykh : Only? I have a marginal note that says: "His statement that 'knowledge cannot be attained with bodily comfort' has no relevance to the hadiths concerning the times of prayer, and whoever excuses it has not brought forth anything. Refer to it if you know." In any case, what he mentioned regarding Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him) narrating this hadith with different chains and wordings indicates his concern for it and that he labored over it. This may be the meaning, or perhaps Yahya ibn Abi Kathir told us, saying, "I heard my father say that perhaps al-Tamimi, from whom he took it, intended to encourage him to seek knowledge." Yes.
The Shaykh : It appears that he said it to his student to encourage him to seek knowledge.
The questioner : Al-Nawawi has a discussion on this.
The Shaykh : And what does he say?
The reader: His statement: “It was narrated from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir that he said, ‘Knowledge cannot be attained with bodily ease.’ It has become the custom of the scholars to ask about Muslim’s inclusion of this report from Yahya, given that he does not mention in his book anything other than pure hadiths of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and this report does not relate to the hadiths regarding the times of prayer. So how did he include it among them? Al-Qadi Iyad (may Allah have mercy on him) reported from some of the imams that he said, ‘The reason is that Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him) was pleased with the good arrangement of these chains of narration that he mentioned for the hadith of Abdullah ibn Umar, and the abundance of its benefits, the summarization of its objectives, and the benefits it contains in rulings and other matters. We do not know of anyone who matched him in this. So when he saw that, he wanted to indicate to those who desire to attain the rank by which one gains knowledge of such matters that the path to it is to increase one’s engagement and weary one’s body in caring for the acquisition of knowledge. This is an explanation of what al-Qadi reported.’”
The Shaykh : Only? I have a marginal note that says: "His statement that 'knowledge cannot be attained with bodily comfort' has no relevance to the hadiths concerning the times of prayer, and whoever excuses it has not brought forth anything. Refer to it if you know." In any case, what he mentioned regarding Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him) narrating this hadith with different chains and wordings indicates his concern for it and that he labored over it. This may be the meaning, or perhaps Yahya ibn Abi Kathir told us, saying, "I heard my father say that perhaps al-Tamimi, from whom he took it, intended to encourage him to seek knowledge." Yes.