Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 52
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْعَلاَءِ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ إِدْرِيسَ، وَعَبْدَةُ، وَأَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ نُمَيْرٍ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بِشْرٍ ح وَحَدَّثَنَا سُوَيْدُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُسْهِرٍ، وَمَالِكُ بْنُ أَنَسٍ، وَحَفْصُ بْنُ مَيْسَرَةَ، وَشُعَيْبُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَالَ " إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ انْتِزَاعًا يَنْتَزِعُهُ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَلَكِنْ يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ بِقَبْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ فَإِذَا لَمْ يُبْقِ عَالِمًا اتَّخَذَ النَّاسُ رُءُوسًا جُهَّالاً فَسُئِلُوا فَأَفْتَوْا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ فَضَلُّوا وَأَضَلُّوا " .
Abu Kurayb, Muhammad ibn al-Ala, narrated to us: Abdullah ibn Idris, Abdah, Abu Muawiyah, Abdullah ibn Numayr, and Muhammad ibn Bishr narrated to us. (Another chain:) Suwayd ibn Said narrated to us: Ali ibn Mushir, Malik ibn Anas, Hafs ibn Maysarah, and Shuaib ibn Ishaq narrated to us. They all narrated from Hisham ibn Urwah, from his father, from Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Allah does not take knowledge away by snatching it from the people. Rather, He takes knowledge away by taking the scholars. When He leaves no scholar, people take ignorant leaders; they are asked, and they give legal opinions without knowledge. Thus they go astray and lead others astray.
Translation notes
The Arabic lists several narrators on each of two routes before converging at Hisham ibn Urwah. The report distinguishes knowledge being removed from peoples hearts from its removal through the death of scholars, and describes the resulting uninformed leadership and legal opinions.