Teaching people good
Ar-Tabarani and at-Tirmidhi transmitted with a sound isnad from Abu Umama that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
"Allah and His angels, and even the ant in its stone and the fish in the sea, pray for the one who teaches the people good." In another variant, "A man of knowledge has those in the heavens and the earth, even the fish in the sea, ask for his forgiveness."
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali said, "Some scholars have mentioned that the secret of the animals of the earth asking for forgiveness for men of knowledge is that the men of knowledge command people to treat all creatures well and to kill those animals it is permitted to kill or slaughter properly. Therefore their good influence extends to all animals and that is why they ask forgiveness for them.
Another meaning is also evident from it, and that is that all ani- mals obey Allah willingly, and glorify Him without disobeying. Therefore all creation which obeys Allah also loves the people who obey Him. So how much more so it is in the case of someone who truly knows Allah, His rights and the obedience due to Him! If anyone has this quality, Allah loves him and purifies him and praises him and commands His slaves among the people of the heavens and the earth and all creatures to love him and pray for him. That is their prayer on him, and He placed love for him in the hearts of His believing slaves."
The seeker of useful knowledge
Ahmad transmitted in his Musnad as did the people of the Sunan that Abu'd-Darda' said:
"I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'Allah will make the path to the Garden easy for anyone who travels a path in search of knowledge. Angels spread their wings for the seeker of knowledge out of pleasure for what he is doing. Everyone in the heavens and everyone in the earth asks forgiveness for a man of knowledge, even the fish in the water. The superiority of the man of knowledge to the man of wor- ship is like the superiority of the moon to all the planets. The men of knowledge are the heirs of the Prophets. The Prophets bequeathe neither dinar nor dirham; they bequeathe knowledge. Whoever takes it has taken an ample portion."
Ibn Rajab said, "People disagree about the interpretation of the angels spreading their wings. Some of them apply its literal mean- ing, and say that what is meant is unfurling the wings and extend- ing them to the seekers of knowledge in order to carry them on their wings to the places in the earth in which they are seeking knowledge, to help them in their quest and to make it easy for them. Some of them explain the spreading of the wings as mean- ing humility on their part and humbleness before the seeker of knowledge."
Ibn Rajab continued, "The meaning of the expression is open to question because the angels really have wings whereas humans do not. Some of them explain it as meaning the angels spreading their wings over the gatherings of dhikr up to the heaven as has come clearly in the hadith of Abu Hurayra. Something similar is related in some versions of the marfu hadith of Safwan: 'The angels spread their wings over the seeker of knowledge and then one on top of the other until they reach the lowest heaven out of their love for what he seeks. Perhaps this statement is the nearest to it, and Allah knows best."