Is the Hadith about the ink of the scholar being holier than the blood of the martyr authentic?

Question

The ink of the scholar is holier than the blood of the martyr.

Is this hadith authentic??

I learn it's from jami al sagheer

Answer 1

The hadith you are inquiring about is:

مداد حبر العالم أقدس من دم الشهيد

The ink of the scholar is holier than the blood of the martyr.

I could not find the hadith in Al-Jāmi' as Saghīr, nor in any other book of hadith. However, there is a hadith with a similar meaning in Al-Jāmi' as Saghīr, which says:

يوزن يوم القيامة مداد العلماء ودم الشهداء فيرجح مداد العلماء على دم الشهداء

_{NOTE. My own translation, so treat with care.}

The ink of the scholars is weighed on Judgment Day and the blood of the martyrs, and the ink of the scholars outweighs the blood of the martyrs.

_{— Al-Jāmi' as Saghīr, Hadith 14582}

Even this second hadith was graded as madū' (fabricated) by Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani in his book Da'īf al-Jāmi' as Saghīr 2/937 (Arabic only). This hadith, too, has no known origin.

Answer 2

To my knowledge, this came from the prophet but was made famous by Persian philosopher Avicenna, who provided new interpretations to many philosophical religious teachings to the people of his time. This could be why it does not appear directly as a Hadith. There is a good podcast on Avicenna in the series 'Philosophize This' - this is where I heard this.

Answer 3

This is not an authentic hadith. As-Suyooti has graded it as weak.

Answer 4

Regarding the hadith quoted by III-AK-III:

يوزن يوم القيامة مداد العلماء ودم الشهداء فيرجح مداد العلماء على دم الشهداء

The ink of the scholars is weighed on Judgment Day and the blood of the martyrs, and the ink of the scholars outweighs the blood of the martyrs.

_{— Al-Jāmi' as Saghīr, Hadith 14582}

Al-Suyuti graded this hadith as weak, but did not discard it in toto. Weak hadiths, whilst having no validity in doctrinal or legal/liturgical considerations, were encouraged in matters concerning general moral behaviour and ethics [fadaa’il-ul-a’maal] and there is nothing in this hadith that contradicts the Prophet’s dislike of war and preference for peaceable discourse [may Allah elevate and grant him wellbeing]. The thirteen century grand-theologian An-Nawawi expresses the orthodox position this way:

The scholars among the hadith specialists and jurists have said that it is permissible and recommended in matters concerning good conduct and virtues, as well as encouraging virtues and discouraging moral ills, to use weak hadiths, so long as they are not forged.

_{— Kitabul Adhkar, ‘Introduction’}