Go to China to seek knowledge - fake hadith?

[Ummah]

Asalaamualaikum

is it true that the hadith about going to china to seek knowledge is unauthentic, and stolen from another religion?

That's what someone said to me the other day and I have no idea how to find out?

obviously we can't deny that Islam promotes seeking knowledge but i need to know if this specific hadith is authentic or not, because is it widely used!

 

[Uthman]

:wasalamex

With regard to the hadeeth mentioned, “Seek knowledge even if you have to go as far as China, for seeking knowledge is a duty on every Muslim,” Shaykh al-Albaani said in Da’eef al-Jaami’: “(It is) fabricated.” (no. 906).

The proven hadeeth is that which was narrated by Ibn Maajah from the hadeeth of Anas ibn Maalik, who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim.’” (220. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan Ibn Maajah. What is meant by knowledge here is knowledge of sharee’ah (Islamic knowledge). Al-Thawri said: “It is the knowledge for which no person has any excuse for not knowing.”

And Allaah knows best.

Source: IslamQA