Question Summary:
The status of a narration on the virtue of acquiring knowledge

Question Detail:

Is the following hadith authentic and can it be quoted :Abdullah ibn Abbas (radhiallahu anhu) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Acquiring knowledge in company for an hour in the night is better than spending the whole night in prayer.” (Tirmidhi 256)

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Hadith 256 of Tirmidhi does not refer to the Hadith in question.. However, al-Dārīmī narrates on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbās (Allāh be pleased with him) that he said:
تَدَارُسُ الْعِلْمِ سَاعَةً مِنَ اللَّيْلِ، خَيْرٌ مِنْ إِحْيَائِهَا
Acquiring knowledge for one hour of the night in company is better than spending the entire night in worship[1]
Al-Bayhaqī transmits a similar narration from Ibn ‘Abbās through different chains of transmission.[2] Al-Khatīb al-Baghdādī relates the above report with a slight variation from Abū al-Dardā’ (Allāh be pleased with him).[3] Although some of these routes are weak, collectively they are suitable to be quoted as a statement of the Companions.
 
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Muntasir Zaman
Student, Darul Iftaa
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net