كتاب العلم
47  
The Book of Knowledge
(5)
Chapter: The Taking Away Of Knowledge And The Spread Of Ignorance At The End Of Time
(5)
باب رَفْعِ الْعِلْمِ وَقَبْضِهِ وَظُهُورِ الْجَهْلِ وَالْفِتَنِ فِي آخِرِ الزَّمَانِ
Sahih Muslim 2673 a

'Abdullah b. 'Amr b. al-'As reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

Verily, Allah does not take away knowledge by snatching it from the people but He takes away knowledge by taking away the scholars, so that when He leaves no learned person, people turn to the ignorant as their leaders; then they are asked to deliver religious verdicts and they deliver them without knowledge, they go astray, and lead others astray.
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ، اللَّهِ بْنَ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ انْتِزَاعًا يَنْتَزِعُهُ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَلَكِنْ يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ بِقَبْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ حَتَّى إِذَا لَمْ يَتْرُكْ عَالِمًا اتَّخَذَ النَّاسُ رُءُوسًا جُهَّالاً فَسُئِلُوا فَأَفْتَوْا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ فَضَلُّوا وَأَضَلُّوا ‏"‏ ‏.‏
Reference : Sahih Muslim 2673a
In-book reference : Book 47, Hadith 22
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 34, Hadith 6462
  (deprecated numbering scheme)