The Quran
“And He taught Adam all the names, then presented them to the angels; He said : Tell Me the names of those if you are right.” [Qur’an; 2:31]
“Who taught by the pen, Taught man what he knew not” [Qur’an: 96:4-5]
Hadith
Ibn Mas`ud (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Envy is permitted only in two cases: A man whom Allah gives wealth, and he disposes of it rightfully, and a man to whom Allah gives knowledge which he applies and teaches it.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr: that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Convey from me, even if it be an Ayah, and narrate from the Children of Isra’il, and there is no harm, And whoever lies upon me purposely, then let him take his seat in the Fire.” [Tirmidhi]
Sahl bin Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), “By Allah, if a single person is guided by Allah through you, it will be better for you than a whole lot of red camels.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
In the 55th surah of the Qur’an, Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) refers to Himself as “Ar-Rahman” (the Most Compassionate, The Most Gracious) and follows it up with “Allam al-Qur’an” (He taught the Qur’an).
Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) teaches us with compassion and grace. He sent us the best of creation–the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)–to teach us how to live in this world. Our life manual–the Qur’an–begins almost every chapter with a reminder that Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) is The Most Gracious and The Most Merciful. Likewise, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is of the best character.
Compassion and excellent disposition are therefore the default approach to teaching and sharing knowledge. The teacher must have genuine concern for the student, even if it is only the temporary role of a teacher when we try to advice each other on good matters. The role of the doctor, in other words, is to kill the sickness and not to kill the patieint (with harshness).
One learns first to change one’s own self and only then to serve others. Happiness in seeking knowledge comes from using it to help others, rather than keeping it to one’s self.
Further Resources
Revival of the Religious Sciences (Ihya ulum al-din)
Education and Upbringing (Tarbiya)