Is it true that the best deed by which a person can draw closer to Allah is seeking religious knowledge and jurisprudence in Allah’s religion, and that a gathering for knowledge is better than seventy years of worship, its nights spent in prayer and its days in fasting, without knowledge, and that seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim?

Seeking religious knowledge is better than voluntary acts of worship such as prayer and fasting, because its benefit extends to the seeker and to Muslims. It corrects acts of worship and is indispensable. Scholars are the inheritors of the prophets, and knowledge endures after its possessor. It is an attribute of Allah Almighty and a communal obligation (fard kifayah). The most emphasized sciences are the science of Tawhid (monotheism) and the pillars of faith, followed by the science of worship. The phrase "La ilaha illa Allah" (There is no god but Allah) is the best remembrance and the greatest verse in the Qur’an. The science of Usul al-Din (fundamentals of religion) is the noblest of sciences, and the need of people for it is essential for the life and tranquility of hearts, by knowing their Lord through His names, attributes, and actions, making Him more beloved to them than anything else, and striving in what brings them closer to Him.