Hi Snakelegs,
Yes, learning is highy valued in Islam. But the statement you quoted on China happens to be falsely attributed to the Prophet pbuh. The other hadith you quoted is authentic and there are many others like it which extol the virtues of those who seek knowledge. See my userpage for some prophetic statements on knowledge,
Quote:
Originally Posted by snakelegs  so, isn't it a good thing that people get information from a wide variety of sources and then come to their own conclusions? i don't see how any learning can be harmful. |
Of course, one aspect of education is exploring and familiarizing onself with divergent views and perspectives. However, at the same time, an integral part of education is being able to crtically assess the reliability, authenticity and factuality of those sources. For insance, in medical research, the conclusions of studies published in journals are generally taken into account over the opinions of Mr. Smith on the street who dropped out of school. Likewise, in Islam we learn from those with a solid understanding of the religion and the ones who have studied its sciences in detail. The famous early scholar, Muhammad Ibn Sirīn (d. 110H) said, "This matter is your religion, so be careful as to whom you take your religion from."
Peace.