ar- Raqâ’iq - The Heart Softening Narrations

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

:sl:

The delights of Paradise surpass the imagination and defy description. They are like nothing known to the people of this world; no matter how advanced we may become, what we achieve is as nothing in comparison with the joys of the Hereafter. As is mentioned in several reports, there is nothing like Paradise:

"It is sparkling light, aromatic plants, a lofty palace, a flowing river, ripe fruit, a beautiful wife and abundant clothing, in an eternal abode of radiant joy, in beautiful soundly-constructed high houses".
[Ibn Majah, as-Sunan, Kitab az-Zuhd, Bab Sifat al-Jannah, 2/1448, no. 4332. Ibn Hibban narrated it in his sahîh]

The Sahabah asked the Prophet about the buildings of Paradise and he replied with a wonderful description:

"Bricks of gold and silver, and mortar of fragrant musk, pebbles of pearl and sapphire, and soil of saffron. Whoever enters it is filled with joy and will never feel miserable; he will live there forever and never die; their clothes will never wear out and their youth will never fade." [Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi, ad-Darimî, Mishkat al-Masabîh, 3/29, sahih].

Allah indeed spoke the truth when He said:

"And when you look there [in Paradise] you will see a delight [that cannot be imagined]. And a great dominion" [76:20]

What Allah has kept hidden from us the delights of Paradise is beyond our ability to comprehend: al-Bukhari reported from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said that Allah said

"I have prepared for My slaves what no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no human heart can imagine". Recite if you wish, "No person know what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do." (32:17).

In the version reported by Muslim from Abu Hurayrah, there is the addition,

"Never mind what Allah has told you; what He has not told you is EVEN greater".

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

An-Nawwaas ibn Sam'aan (ra) said, "I heard the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) say, 'On the Day of Resurrection the Qur'aan and those who acted according to it will be brought with Surah al-Baqarah and Aal 'Imraan preceding it.'

The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) gave three similes which I did not forget afterwards. He said, "It is as if they are two clouds, or two black canopies with light between them, or two flocks of birds in ranks pleading for the one who recited them" [Sahih Muslim]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

The Dwellers of Al-Ghuraf

Narrated Abu Saeed Al-Khudri: the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi was sallam, said:

“The people of Paradise will look at the dwellers of Al-Ghuraf (the lofty mansions i.e. a superior place in Paradise) in the same way as one looks at a brilliant star far away in the east or in the west on the horizon; all that is because of their superiority over one another (in rewards).”

On that the people said, “O Allah’s Messenger! Are these residences (lofty mansions) for the Prophets which nobody can reach?”

The Prophet sallallaahu alayhi was sallam, replied, “No! By Him (Allah) in Whose Hand my soul is, these are for men who believed in Allah and also believed in the Messengers.”

Sahih al Bukhari

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

"The doors of success have been closed upon the creation because of six things:

1. Their busying themselves with the blessings of Allah instead of thanking Allah for them,
2. their desire for knowledge while they abandon actions,
3. the hastiness to sin and delaying repentance,
4. the deception of having righteous companions and not taking them as examples,
5. the turning away of the dunya from them while they chase it,
6. and the approach of the afterlife towards them while they turn away from it."

Taken from al-Fawai'd by Ibn Al Qayyim

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[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

1 - The Messenger of Allah said:

"None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself."

[Reported by al-Bukhari (13), Muslim (45), Ahmad (3/176), at-Tirmidhi (5215), Ibn Majah (66), an-Nasa'i (8/115), and Ibn Hibban (234)]


2 - Ibn Rajab narrated:

"Muhammad bin Wasi' was selling a donkey to a man, so, the man asked him: "Are you pleased with this donkey?"

Ibn Wasi' replied: "If I was not pleased with this donkey, then I would not be selling it to you.""

['Jami' al-'Ulum wal-Hikam'; 1/305]


3 - 'Ali bin Abi Talib said:

"A man who desires that even the straps of his shoes are better than those of his friend enters into those mentioned in this verse: {"And this is the abode of the Hereafter: We prepare it for those who do not seek high status or mischief in the land."} [al-Qasas; 83]."

[Reported by at-Tabari in 'Jami' al-Bayan'; 20/122]


4 - al-Fudayl bin 'Iyad said:

"If you love for the people to have exactly what you have (and nothing more), then you have not been true to your Lord. So, how is it when you secretly wish for them to have less than what you have?"

['Jami' al-'Ulum wal-Hikam'; 1/309]


5 - Ibn 'Abbas said:

"Verily, I come across a verse of the Book of Allah, and I wish that all of the people had the knowledge of it that I have."

['Hilyat al-Awliya''; 9/119]


6 - Ibn 'Abbas also said:

"Verily, I become happy when I hear that a land inhabited by the Muslims has received some rainfall, even if I personally have nothing to gain from that rainfall."

['Hayat as-Sahabah'; 2/743]


7 - Abu Nu'aym reported:

"When 'Utbah would provide the people with food to break their fast, he would say to some of those present: "Bring me some of your water and dates to break my fast with, so that you would have the same reward as me.""

['Hilyat al-Awliya''; 6/235]


8 - ash-Shafi'i said:

"I wish that all of the people would learn this knowledge, without any credit being given to me for that."

['Siyar al-A'lam an-Nubala''; 10/55]


9 - Abu 'Abdullah bin al-Khatib narrated:

"Abu Hamdun (one of the Tabi'in) had a scroll on which was written the names of three hundred of his close friends, and he used to supplicate for them - one by one - every single night."

['Sifat as-Safwah'; 1/492]


10 - Ja'far bin Muhammad said:

"What a terrible friend one is: he whose brother does not feel comfortable opening up his bag of belongings in his absence and taking what he needs without asking his permission."

['Min Akhlaq as-Salaf'; p. 70]


11 - Abu Sulayman ad-Darani said:

"If I were to give the world and all that is in it to a brother of mine, then I would wish that I could give him more."

['Ihya' 'Ulum ad-Din'; 2/211]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Hasan Al Basri said, "When a young man is devout, we do not recognise him by his speech. We recognise him by his actions. That is beneficial knowledge."
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Hasan Al Basri said, "Guard against having a bad opinion of people."
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al-Hasan al-Basree on the authority of Anas Ibn Malek is the following. He said: "The Messenger of God peace be upon him used to give the Friday sermon while standing near a piece of wood against which he would lean his back. When the number of people increased in the mosque he said: Make a pulpit of two steps for me, which they did. When the Prophet stood up to give the sermon on Friday the said piece of wood moaned as if it expressed its feeling of missing the Messenger of God peace be upon him. Anas comments: I was in the mosque and heard the piece moan. It continued to moan until the Prophet descended to it and embraced it. Then it was silent. As a matter of fact, whenever al-Hasan narrated this tradition he would cry and say: O slaves of God! A piece of wood misses the Messenger of God! It is you who should do so."
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Once al-Hasan described the effect of the Quran on the believer. He said: "Son of Adam! By God if you recite the Quran then believe in it then your sadness will be long in this life, so will be your fear and your weeping." That is why one contemporary of al-Hasan says: "I never saw anyone who had such a long time of sadness as al-Hasan al-Basree. Everytime I met him I thought he had a new misfortune."
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al-Hasan al-Basree once swore by God that he will be humiliated by God who honours money. That is why he said: "Two bad comrades are the dinar and the dirham. They are useful to you only when they leave you."
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Saleh Al Murri says, al-Hasan said: "Son of Adam! You are nothing but a number of days, whenever each day passes then part of you has gone."
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Mubarak Ibn Faddalah says: "I heard al-Hasan say the following: Death has shown the reality of this worldly life. It did not leave any happiness for those who are wise."
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Thabet quotes al-Hasan as saying: "The laughter of a believer is a sign of the inadvertence of his heart."
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Talha Ibn Sabeeh says: al-Hasan said: "A believer believes in what God has said. He is the best of men in his deeds, but he fears God most, so that if he spends the size of a mountain of money, he would not be sure of his reward until he sees this with his own eyes. The more righteous and charitable the believer is, the more afraid of God he becomes. While the hypocirte says: Men are too many, I shall be forgiven. There is no harm on me. Thus he acts badly, but wishes many things from God."
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Younus says: When death approached al-Hasan he began to say: "We are for God and to Him we will return."

When he repeated this his son said: "My father you make us sad for your sake. Have you seen anything around you which you don't like?"

al-Hasan said: "It is only myself nothing is more heavy for me than it is."

Hassan Ibn Hisham says: "We were with Muhammad Ibn Seereen on Thursday evening when a man told him about the death of al-Hasan al-Basree. He was so sad that he kept silent and the colour of his face was changed. He lived after al-Hasan for one hundred days only. May God be pleased with both.

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

The Prophet (salalLahu 'alayhi wasalLam) said...

"A Believer does not become motivated except on three occassions: making provision for the Hereafter, seeking livelihood, or pursuing a pleasure which is not prohibited."


"Live for as long as you may, you are a mortal; love whomsoever you may, you shall separate from them; and do whatever you will, you shall be repaid in the same coin and questioned over it." [reported by At-Tabarani and Ash-Shirazi]

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Ahmad Bin Hanbal Raheemahullah said

"A little sufices , but much of it does not suffice."

He also said ; " I cannot compare youth with aught except something that was in my sleeve and then it fell out."

And he said :" whatever is lacking in the life of this world will be less for the Reckoning ."

from Al-Manaqib by ibn Jawzi & Tabakat al Hanabilah

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Abu Hafs al-Nisaburi was sitting with his companions one day at the outskirts of the city. While he was lecturing them - enthralling them with discourse - a wild goat suddenly descended from the mountain and knelt down before him. Al-Nisaburi was visibly shaken and started to weep. His students asked him about his reaction, and he said:

I saw you gathered around me and how enthralled you were. I thought to myself, "If only I had a sheep to slaughter and could invite you all to a feast." As soon as this thought occurred, this goat came and knelt down in front of me. Thus I thought, "Am I like Pharaoh who asked his Lord to make the Nile flow for him, and it was made to do so?" I then said to myself, "What can possibly protect me from Allah giving me every material good in the world, while I remain bankrupt in the Hereafter, possessing nothing?" This is what disturbed me.

- in Ibn Rajab's The Heirs of the Prophets.

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The contemplative believer who remembers God will begin to enjoy solitude and places of seclusion where voices and movements are hushed... There he will find strength of heart and will, and he will no longer be worried or depressed... Then he will begin to taste the sweetness of worship, of which he cannot have enough. In it, he will find abundance of pleasure and comfort - more than what he used to find in diversion and play, or in the satisfaction of wordly desires...When he experiences this state, many of the wordly concerns will disappear, as he is in a completely different world from the rest of humanity.

-Ibn Al Qayyim, Madaarij As_Salikeen

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‘I wish I could live unknown in the mountain-passes of Makkah. I have been tested with fame. indeed I wish for death day and night.' Ahmed ibn Hanbal

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[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

If a person starts telling you, whether in private or public, something that you already knew very well, you should pretend as if you do not know it. Do not rush to reveal your knowledge or to interfere with the speech. Instead, show your attention and concentration.

The honorable tab'i Imam Ata ibn Abi Rabah said: "A young man would tell me something that I may have heard before he was born. Nevertheless, I would listen to him as if I had never heard it before."

Khalid ibn Safwan al-Tamimi, who frequented the courts of two Khalifahs: Umar ibn Abdul Aziz and Hisham ibn Abdul Malik, said: "If a person tells you something you have heard before, or news that you already learned, do not interrupt him to exhibit your knowledge to those present. This is rude and ill mannered."

The honorable Imam Abdullah ibn Wahab al-Qurashi al-Masri, a companion of Imam Malik, Al-Laith ibn Sad and Al-Thawri, said: "Sometimes a person would tell me a story that I have heard before his parents had wed. Yet, I listened as if I have never heard it before."

Ibrahim ibn al-Junaid said: "A wise man said to his son: 'Learn the art of listening as you learn the art of speaking.'"

Listening well means maintaining eye contact, allowing the speaker to finish the spech, and restraining your urge to interrupt his speech.

Al-Hafiz al-Khatib al-Baghdadi said in a poem:

Never interrupt a talk
Though you know it inside out

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

{" Verily, there has come to you a Messenger from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should experience any injury or difficulty. He is anxious over you; for the believers, he is full of pity, kind, and merciful."} [at-Tawbah; 128]

'A'ishah narrated:

"Once, when I saw the Prophet in a good mood, I said to him: "O Messenger of Allah! Supplicate to Allah for me!"

So, he said: "O Allah! Forgive 'A'ishah her past and future sins, what she has hidden, as well as what she has made apparent."

So, I began smiling, to the point that my head fell into my lap out of joy.

The Messenger of Allah said to me: "Does my supplication make you happy?"

I replied: "And how can your supplication not make me happy?"

He then said: "By Allah, it is the supplication that I make for my Ummah in every prayer.""

[Reported in 'Sahih Mawarid adh-Dhaman' (# 1875), and it is in 'as-Silsilah as-Sahihah' (# 2254)]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

“And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put Love and mercy between your (hearts), verily in that are signs for those who reflect.”
- Ar Rum 30:21


The Messenger of Allah salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam speaking about his wife Khadijah said: “Verily, I was filled with love for her.”

Anas ibn Malik narrates, "I saw the Prophet (salla Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam), making for her (Safiya) a kind of cushion with his cloak behind him (on his camel). He then sat beside his camel and put his knee for Safiya to put her foot on, in order to ride (on the camel)."

[Sahih Al-Bukhari]



Narrated al-Qasim: Aisha said that whenever the Prophet intended to go on a journey, he drew lots among his wives (so as to take one of them along with him). During one of his journeys the lot fell on 'Aisha and Hafsa. When night fell the Prophet would ride beside 'Aisha and talk with her. One night Hafsa said to 'Aisha, "Won't you ride my camel tonight and I ride yours, so that you may see (me) and I see (you) (in new situation)?" 'Aisha said, "Yes, (I agree.)" So 'Aisha rode, and then the Prophet came towards 'Aisha's camel on which Hafsa was riding. He greeted Hafsa and then proceeded (beside her) till they dismounted (on the way). 'Aisha missed him, and so, when they dismounted, she put her legs in the Idhkhir and said, "O Lord (Allah)! Send a scorpion or a snake to bite me for I am not to blame him (the Prophet ).

[Sahih Al-Bukhari]

"Of Love--may God exalt you!--the first part is jesting, and the last part is right earnestness. So majestic are its diverse aspects, they are too subtle to be described; their reality can only be apprehended by personal experience. Love is neither disapproved by Religion, nor prohibited by the Law; for every heart is in God's hands."

- Ibn Hazm


"Sometimes, it is true, Love comes as a result of a definite cause outside the soul, but then it passes away when the cause itself disappears: one who is fond of you because of a certain circumstance will turn his back on you when that motive no longer exists."

- Ibn Hazm


Love is characterized by longing for the loved one, horror of separation, hope of having one’s love reciprocated. It has been suggested that the sentiment varies according to its object. But the object varies only according to the lover’s desires, according to whether they are on the increase, the decrease, or are vanishing altogether. Thus, love felt for God Almighty is perfect love; that which unites beings in the quest for the same ideal, the love of a father, a son, parents, a friend, a sovereign, a wife, a benefactor, a person in whom one has placed one’s hopes, a lover, all is generally the same, all is love, but there are different species as I have just listed, differing by the amount of love inspired by what the loved one is able to give of itself. Thus love can take different forms: we have seen men die broken-hearted because of their sons exactly as a lover might have his heart broken by his loved one. We have heard of a man who burnt with such fear of God, with such love, that he died of it. We know that a man can be as jealous of them as a lover is of his mistress.

-Ibn Hazm in [Al-Akhlâq wa’l-Siyar (Morals and Behaviour)]


و من الشَقاوة أن تحبَ

و من تحبُ يحبُ غيرك
أو أن تريد الخير للأن
سان و هو يريد ضيرك

"And from misery is that you love,
and (the one) who you love, loves other than you,
or that you want good for a person,
and he wants to hurt you".

[Imam Ash-Shafiee]

"And among the accidents of love is the violent anxiety and silencing intensity of feeling which overcome the lover when he sees the beloved avoiding him and eschewing him; and the sign of that is sighing, and lack of vivacity, and sobbing, and having deep sighs: and on that subject I have made a poem, from which I quote:

The beautiful patience is imprisoned,
And tears are bursting forth from the eyes! "

[Tawq Al-Hamamah - Ring of the Dove by Ibn Hazm]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

“Sin may be more beneficial for a person, if it leads him to repent, than doing a lot of acts of worship. This is what is meant by the words of one of the salaf: ‘A person may commit a sin and enter Paradise because of it, or he may do an act of worship and enter Hell because of it.’ They said: ‘How is that?’ He said: ‘He may commit a sin and continues to think about it, and when he stands or sits or walks he remembers his sin, so he feels ashamed and repents and seeks forgiveness and regrets it, so that will be the means of his salvation. And he may do a good deed and continue to think about it, and when he stands or sits or walks he remembers it and it fills him with self-admiration and pride, so it is the cause of his doom. So the sin may be the factor that leads him to do acts of worship and good deeds and to change his attitude so that he fears Allaah and feels shy before Him and feels humiliated before Him, hanging his head in shame and weeping with regret, seeking he forgiveness of his Lord. Each of these effects is better for a person than an act of worship that makes him feel proud and show off and look down on people. Undoubtedly this sin is better before Allaah and is more likely to bring salvation than one who admires himself and looks down on others, and who thinks that he is doing Allaah a favour. Even if he says words that indicate something other than that, Allaah is the Witness over what is in his heart. Such a person may feel hatred towards people if they do not hold him in high esteem and humiliate themselves before him. If he were to examine himself honestly, he would see that clearly."

-Madaarij al-Saalikeen, 1/299

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

al Mu’taman from Abū Ismā’īl al Harawī al Ansārī (d. 418 AH) on the subject of Studying Hadith:

“This affair is an affair for one who has no affair but this affair”

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

And if you ask about the Day of Increase (in reward) and the visit of the all-Mighty, all-Wise, and the sight of His Face - free from any resemblance or likeness to anything - as you see the Sun in the middle of the day and the full Moon on a cloudless night, then listen on the day that the caller will call: 'O People of Paradise! Your Lord - Blessed and Exalted - requests you to visit Him, so come to visit Him!' So they will say: 'We hear and obey!' Until, when they finally reach the wide valley where they will all meet - and none of them will turn down the request of the caller - the Lord - Blessed and Exalted - will order His Chair to be brought there.

Then, pulpits of light will emerge, as well as pulpits of pearls, gemstone, gold, and silver. The lowest of them in rank will sit on sheets of musk, and will not see what those who are on the chairs above them are given. When they are comfortable where they are sitting and are secure in their places, and the caller calls: 'O People of Paradise! You have an appointment with Allaah in which He wishes to reward you!' So they will say: 'And what is that reward? Has He not already made our faces bright, made our scales heavy, entered us into Paradise, and pushed us away from the Fire?'

And when they are like that, all of a sudden a light shines that encompasses all of Paradise. So, they raise their heads, and, behold: the Compeller - Exalted is He, and Holy are His Names - has come to them from above them and majestified them and said: 'O People of Paradise! Peace be upon you!' So, this greeting will not be responded to with anything better than: 'O Allaah! You are Peace, and from You is Peace! Blessed are You, O possessor of Majesty and Honor!' So the Lord - Blessed and Exalted - will laugh to them and say: 'O People of Paradise! Where are those who used to obey Me without having ever seen Me? This is the Day of Increase!' So, they will all give the same response: 'We are pleased, so be pleased with us!' So, He will say: 'O People of Paradise! If I were not pleased with you, I would not have made you inhabitants of My Paradise! So, ask of Me!' So, they will all give the same response: 'Show us your Face so that we may look at it!'So, the Lord - Mighty and Majestic - will remove his covering and will majestify them and will cover them with His Light, which, if Allaah - the Exalted - had not Willed not to burn them, would have burned them.

And there will not remain a single person in this gathering except that his Lord - the Exalted - will speak to him and say: 'Do you remember the day that you did this and that?'and He will remind him of some of his bad deeds in the Worldy life, so he will say: 'O Lord! Will you not forgive me?' So, He will say: 'Of course! You have not reached this position of yours (in Paradise) except by my forgiveness.'

So, how sweet is this speech to the ears, and how cooled are the righteous eyes by the glance at His Noble Face in the Afterlife...

{Some faces that Day will be shining and radiant, l ooking at their Lord...} (al-Qiyaamah:22-3)

[from the amazing and beautiful book Haadi al-Arwaah ilaa Bilaad il-Afraah by Ibn al-Qayyim, pg. 193]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

On the authority of Thawbaan , the Prophet said:

“The People will soon summon one another to attack you as people when eating invite others to share their food.” Someone asked, “Will that be because of our small numbers at that time?” He replied, “No, you will be numerous at that time: but you will be froth and scum like that carried down by a torrent (of water), and Allah will take the fear of you from the breasts (hearts) of your enemy and cast al-wahn into your hearts.” Someone asked, “O Messenger of Allah, what is al-wahn?” He replied, “Love of the world and dislike of death.”
[An authentic hadith recorded by Abu Dawud and Ahmad]

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Imam Ahmad records from Abu Dardaa as saying:

“If only you knew what you will certainly see upon your death, you would never eat again a single bite out of a craving appetite, and you would never again drink an extra sip of water for the pleasure of unquenchable and insatiable thirst.”

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The Prophet (SAAS) used to pray

“O Allâh, I have surrendered my soul to You, and turned my face to You. My (own) affair I commit to Allâh and I seek Your protection, in hope of You and in fear of You”
(al-Bukhârî).

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“By (the Token of) Time (through the Ages), verily Man is in loss, except such as have Faith, and do right actions, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of the Truth, and of Patience and Constancy”
(al-‘Asr 103:1-3)

Commenting on this sûrah, Imâm ash-Shâfi‘î said:

“If people thought deeply on this sûrah, it would provide enough guidance, as man cannot attain perfection without perfecting these two things, his knowledge and his actions, i.e. his faith and right actions. As he is required to perfect himself, so he is required to perfect others, which is joining together in mutual teaching of the truth. The foundation of all this is patience.”

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn Abee Haatim Rahimahullah- said:

"I entered Damascus and came upon the students of hadeeth, and I passed by the circle of Qaasim al-Joo'ee . I found a group sitting around him and he was speaking. Their appearance amazed me; and I heard him saying: "Seize the benefit of five things from the people of your time: when you are present, you are not known; when you are absent, you are not missed; when you are seen, your advice is not sought; when you say something, your saying is not accepted; and when you have some knowledge, you are not given anything for it. I advise you with five matters: when you are treated unjustly, do not behave unjustly; when you are praised do not become happy; when you are criticised, do not become upset; when you are not believed, do not become angry; and if the people act deceitfully towards you, do not act deceitfully towards them." Ibn Abee Haatim said: So I took this as my benefit from Damascus"

Related by Ibn al-Jawzee (RH) in Sifatus-Safwaa (2/200)

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

"When a person spends his entire day with no other concern but Allaah alone, Allaah, may He be glorified, will take care of all his needs and take care of all that is worrying him; He will empty his heart so that it will be filled only with love for Him, free his tongue so that it will speak only in remembrance of Him (dhikr) and cause all his faculties to work only in obedience to Him. But if a person spends his entire day with no other concern but this world, Allaah will make him bear its distress, anxiety and pain; He will leave him to sort himself out, and cause his heart to be distracted from the love of Allaah towards the love of some created being, cause his tongue to speak only in remembering people instead of remembering Allaah, and cause him to use his talents and energy in obeying and serving them. So he will strive hard, labouring like some work-animal, to serve something other than Allaah… Everyone who turns away from being a true slave of Allaah and obeying Him and loving Him will be burdened with servitude, love and obedience to some created being. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 'And whosoever turns away (blinds himself) from the remembrance of the Most Beneficent (Allaah), We appoint for him a shaytaan (devil) to be a qareen (intimate companion) to him.' [al-Zukhruf 43:36"]
- Al-Fawaa'id, p. 159

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Part from the days where you used to do as you wish
And restrain your soul when the decree of Allah is ordained
And don’t despair over the events of the past
Fore none of the events of the dunya were ever meant to remain
And be a man who is firm upon his affairs
And whose character is that of pardoning and nobility
And there is sadness or happiness that is continuous
Just as there is there is no comfort or pain
If you are a person who is satisfied with what he has
Then you and the owner of all possessions are equal
And upon he who’s open valley death descends upon
Then there is no earth or sky to protect you from it
And the earth of Allah is vast but
When the ordainment of Allah descends even the open valley congests


~Imaam Ash-Shafee’

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Al-Musayyib Ibn Ra'fi' reported that Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud said

" A memoriser of the Quraan should be known for his long night prayers when people are asleep, his fasting when people are eating, his saddness when people are happy, his slience when people are talking nonsense, and his humbleness when people are not. He should be wise, gentle and not talk to much: he should not be rude, negligent, clamorous, nor hot tempered. "
~ Ibn Al Jawzee, Sifaat As-Safwa: 1/413

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Mu'adh ibn Jabal Radi Allaahu Ta'ala 'anhu who stated that the Messenger of Allaah Salla Allaahu 'alahi wa Sallam said in a Khutbah:

"Learn Al-Ilm (knowledge), for learning it is a type of khashyah (Fear) of Allaah, seeking it is an act of worship, studying it is a type of Tasbih, searching for it is a struggle, teaching it to those who do not know is a charity and delivering it to those worthy of it is an act of drawing closer to Allaah.... it is a weapon to use against the enemies....
Allaah elevates some people by knowledge to the rank of leaders in righteousness who are followed, their actions imitated and their opinions referred to.... with knowledge the slave reaches the ranks of the righteous and the elevated grades in this dunya and the Hereafter. Thinking about knowledge is equivalent to Siyam (fasting), and studying it is equivalent to Qiyam (praying at night voluntarily).... Only the happy ones are endowed with knowledge while the miserable ones are deprived of it."

For complete Khutbah read Jami'u Bayani Al-'Ilm vol.1 p. 66

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Imam Shafi' said,

"All humans are dead except those who have knowledge ... and all those who have knowledge are asleep, except those who do good deeds ... and those who do good deeds are deceived, except those who are sincere ... and those who are sincere are always in a state of worry."

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn Mas'ud, radhiyallahu anhu said,

"Taqwa is to obey Allah, so that He is not disobeyed, to remember Allah, so that He is not forgotten, and to thank Allah, so that no ingratitude is shown to Him"
- Tafseer of Ibn Abee Hatim (3:102)

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn al-Qayyim - rahimahullaah- said:

"There are six stages to knowledge:

Firstly: Asking questions in a good manner.

Secondly: Remaining quiet and listening attentively.

Thirdly: Understanding well.

Fourthly: Memorising.

Fifthly: Teaching.

Sixthly: and it is its fruit: Acting upon the knowledge and keeping to its limits.

Miftaah Daarus-Sa 'aadah ( p.283).

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Knowledge is the tool of action. So if a person spends his whole life gaining knowledge, when will he act?! § Regardless of what knowledge passes you, do not let acting upon what you already know pass you. § Whoever does not look into Allah's right upon him with regards to his knowledge, that knowledge is a proof against you and its result is evil.

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

“As for seeking to memorise the Qur‘aan, then this is to be given preference over many of the things that the people consider to be knowledge, but are - in reality - either totally useless, or having little benefit. It is also to be given precedence in learning especially by those who wish to acquire knowledge of the Deen, its principles and its particulars. Since what is prescribed for such a person at this time is that he should begin by memorising the Qur‘aan, as it is the foundation of the branches of the knowledge of the Deen. This is contrary to what is done by many of the people of innovation from the non-Arabs and other than them, in that one of them will pre-occupy himself with superfluous parts of knowledge; such as kalaam (rhetorical speech) and argumentation; or very rare matters of differences; and blind-following; which there is no need for; or very strange and rare ahaadeeth, which are not established, nor of benefit; and many discussions which do not establish proofs. And he abandons memorising the Qur‘aan which is more important than all of this.”

-Shaykh ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, al-Fataawaa al-Kubraa (2/54-55)

“I heard my grandfather say: I asked my father for permission to study under Qutaybah so he said: “First learn the Qur‘aan and then I will give you permission.” So I memorised the Qur‘aan by heart. So he said to me: “Remain until you have led the people in prayer with it (i.e for Taraaweeh Prayer).” So I did so, then after the 'Eed he gave me permission, so I left for Marw.”

-Muhammad Ibn al-Fadl, reported by adh-Dhahabi in Tadhkirat ul-Huffaadh (2/722)

“So the first thing he should begin with is memorisation of the mighty Qur‘aan, which is the most important branches of knowledge. And the Salaf did not use to teach Hadeeth or Fiqh, except to one who memorised the Qur‘aan. So when he has memorised it, then let him beware of pre-occupying himself from it with Hadeeth, Fiqh or other things, to the extent that it leads him to forget anything of the Qur‘aan, or makes that likely.”

-al-Imaam an-Nawawi, from the introduction to al-Majmoo’ Sharh ul-Muhadhhab (1/38)

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

He who allows the people to hear of his good deeds intentionally to win their praise, Allah will allow the people to know his real intention. And he who does good things in public to show off and win the praise of people, Allah will disclose his real intention and humiliate him [on the Day of Judgment]

[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

* "know that every individual who falls under the category of being responsible for his actions must guard his tongue from all types of speech, except for that speech which consists predominantly of some benefit. So in a situation where speaking and refraining from speech are both found to contain the same amount of benefit with them, then the sunnah is to refrain from it altogether. This is because the allowable speech paves the way towards that which is forbidden, as well as that which is disliked. Rather, in most cases, this WILL be the result, and applying safety at that point will not be able to help in the least."


* "From the types of backbiting we see today: the backbiting of the devoutly pious and knowledgeable individuals, for indeed they turn towards committing backbiting by doing it in a manner by which they cause others to understand [who they are talking about] just as something that is quite clear is understood. So, for example, when it is said to one of them 'how is so and so?', he responds, 'may Allah rectify us!,' or 'may Allah forgive us!,' or 'may Allah rectify him!,' or 'we ask Allah for his pardon!' or 'all praise to Allah who has not tested us with entering into darkness!!' or 'we seek refuge in Allah from evil!' or 'may Allah save us from having little modesty!' or 'O Allah! accept our repentance!' and what is similar to that, by which one will come to realize that person's defects. All of this is from the forbidden types of backbiting."


* Abu Sa'eed al Khudree reported that the Prophet said, "When the son of Adam wakes from his sleep, all of his body parts seek refuge from his tongue, saying, ' Fear Allah in us, for indeed, we are a part of you. So if you are upright, then we will be upright. And if you are corrupt, then we will be corrupt." [Hasan; at-Tirmidhee in at-Tuhfah #2518; Ahmad 3/95-96, Ibn al Mubaarak in az-Zuhd #1012 and others.]


* It is also reported from Sa'eed bin Zayd that the Prophet said, "Verily, one of the worst forms of ribaa is being condescending with regard to a Muslim's honor without due right " [Saheeh; Ahmad 3/224, Abu Dawood #4876, and al-Haytham bin Kulaib in al-Musnad 2/30]


* Anas reported that Allah's Messenger said, "When I ascended, I came across a people that had nails made of brass with which they were scratching their faces and their chests. So I said, 'Who are these people, O Jibreel?' He said, ' They are the ones who eat the flesh of people and dishonor them.'" [Saheeh; Ahmad 3/224, ibn Abid-Dunyaa in as-Samat #165 + 572, Abu Dawood #4878 + 4879].


* It has reached us that Qass bin Sa'aadah and Aktham bin Sayfi once met and one of them said to the other, "How many faults were you able to find in the son of Adam?" The other responded, " They are too numerous to count, however, the faults that I was able to account for numbered eight thousand. I also discovered one thing which if put into practice, all of these faults would be kept hidden." He asked, "What is it?" He responded, "Guarding the tongue."


* Abul Qaasim al-Qushayri said in his famous Risaalah, "Remaining silent is salvation, and that is a fundamental principle. And staying quiet at the proper time is a characteristic of manhood, just as speaking when it is proper to speak is from the most honorable of matters ."

[From Imaam An-Nawawi's - al-Adhkaar]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

ولما قسا قلبي وضاقت مذاهبي *** جعلت الرجا مني لعفوك سلما

تعاظمني ذنبي فلما قرنته *** بعفوك ربي كان عفوك أعظما

فما زلت ذا عفو عن الذنب لم تزل *** تجود وتعفو منة وتكرمــا

"When my heart became constricted and my paths became narrow
I took my hope in Your pardon and forgiveness as an opening and
an escape
My sins seemed very great to me but when I compared them to
Your forgiveness
I found Your forgiveness to be greater"

[Imam Ash-Shafiee]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Sufyan ath-Thawri said: "Man's love for the life of this world is shown in the way he greets people."

[Look at a chaste poor man ... nobody talks to him. People greet him so warily as if fearing that he may pass poverty to them. But see how the people welcome a rich man, even if he does not perform prayer. They stand up with smiling faces, and each one hopes to greet him first. Note the difference between a man who is so great as seen by Allah and another who does not even weigh a mosquito's wing - but this is life.]


Narrated Muhammad ibn Abi Imran, "I heard a man asking Hatim al-Asamm: 'On what have you based your dependence on Allah?' He said: 'On four points: I knew that my sustenance cannot be eaten by someone else and I am assured, I knew that my duty cannot be done by anyone else, so I kept myself busy with that. I knew that death will come suddenly to me, so I prepared myself for it. I knew that wherever I go I am under Allah's Eye, so I am always shy of Him.'"


`Abdullah ibn Mubarak said, "O man! Prepare yourself for the Hereafter, obey Allah to the extent of your need for Him and anger Him to the extent of your patience in Hell."


Abu Safwan ar-Ru`wini was asked: "What is that life dispraised by Allah in the Qur'an and that the sensible man should avoid?" He said: "Whatever you love in this life seeking worldly benefits is dispraised, and whatever you love seeking benefits in the Hereafter is praised."


Yahya ibn Mu`adh said, "O how poor is man, if he fears Hell in the same degree of his fearing poverty, then he will enter Paradise."


Ali ibn Al-Fudayl said: "I heard my father saying to Ibn Al-Mubarak: You order us to renounce the worldly pleasures and to be satisfied with the minimum, whereas you are buying goods, so what is that?" He said: "I do that to protect my face and my honour, and this helps me obey my Rabb." My father said: "How good is that if realised."


An ascetic said: "I know none who has heard of Paradise and Hell, then spends an hour of his life without praying, remembering Allah or doing a good deed." A man said: "I weep so much." He said to him: "To laugh and admit your sins is better than to weep and feel proud of your deeds." The man said: "I need your advice." He said: "Abandon the life of this world to its people as they have abandoned the Hereafter to its people."


Shumait ibn `Ajlan used to say: "Two persons are tormented in the life of this world: a rich man who is given a great wealth that keeps him so busy with worldly pleasures, and a poor man who is deprived of such pleasures for which he is longing with a heartbreak."


Al-Hasan said: "How good is life in this world for a believer because he uses it to prepare his provisions for Paradise. And how evil it is for a disbeliever who uses it to prepare his provisions for Hell."


Yahya ibn Mu`adh said: "The life of this world is a house of deeds and the Hereafter is a house of horrors. Man remains between deeds and horrors until he settles either in Paradise or in Hell."


One of the salaf said: "Beware of the life of this world because its magic is more effective than that of Harut and Marut. The two latter's separate a man from his wife whereas the life of this world separates a man from his Rabb."


Abu Dardaa' said: "Everyone has an imperfection of knowledge and wisdom, if his wealth increases, he becomes so happy though day and night are working hard on destroying his life-span. So what is good of a wealth that increases and a life-span that decreases."


Al-Hasan al-Basri said: "I am astonished about those people who are ordered to prepare their provisions, then the start of the journey is announced, however they remain unmindful in their vain discussions and fruitless deeds."


A man came to Sufyan ath-Thawree seeking his advice, and he said to the man: "Work for the sake of this life within the extent of your stay in it, and for the Hereafter within the extent of your stay therein."


Al-Fudayl ibn `Ayyad said: "Man's fear of Allah is equal to his knowledge of Him and his renunciation of worldly pleasures is equal to his desire in the Hereafter."


Salman ibn Dinar said: "What you love to have with you in the Hereafter you should advance today, and what you hate to have with you, you should abandon today."


A poet said: "Don't seek anything other than contentment, because therein is the bliss and the comfort of your body. Then consider the case of a person who possesses the whole world, can he take with him in the grave more than cotton and a shroud?"

[Excerpted from "The Life of This World Is a Transient Shade" - Abdul Malik Al Qasim]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

People who have memorised the Qur'aan should be known by the night when people are sleeping and he is awake, and by the morning when people are not fasting but he is, by his sadness when they are happy, by his crying when they are laughing, by his silence when they are slandering, and by his piety and humility when they are arrogant. He who has memorised the Qur'aan should be tearful, sad, wise, patient and calm. He should not be rude, inattentive, loud or cruel.

- Ibn al-Qayyim rahimahullaah.

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

The Messenger Muhammad (saw) said:

"Some peoples will come on the Day of Judgement and their Imaan will be outstanding, it's light will shine from their chests and from their right hands. So it will be said to them, 'Glad tidings for you today, Assalaamu alaykum and goodness for you, enter into it (Jannah) forever!' So the angels and the Prophets will be jealous of the love of Allah for them."

So the Sahabah asked, ' Who are they O Messenger of Allah?' He (saw) replied, "They are not from us and they are not from you. You are my companions but they are my beloved. They will come after you and will find the book (the Qur'an) made redundant by the people, and a Sunnah which has been killed by them. So they will grab hold of the book and the Sunnah and revive them.

So they will read them and teach them (the Qur'an and the Sunnah) to the people and they will experience in that path a punishment more severe and more ugly than what you (O Sahabah) have experienced. Indeed, the Imaan of one of them is equivalent to the Imaan of forty of you. The Shaheed of one of them is equivalent to forty of your Shuhadaa'. Because you found a helper towards the truth (the Prophet [saw]) and they will find no helper towards the truth. So they will be surrounded by tyrant rulers in every place, and they will be in the surroundings of Bayt ul-Maqdis (al-Quds). The Nussrah (victorious material support) of Allah will come to them, and they will have the honour of it on their hands."

Then he (saw) said "O Allah give them the Nussrah and make them my close friends in Jannah."

[Musnad of Imam Ahmad - Chain No. 77, Hadith No. 17561]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

إن في القلب شعث لا يلمه إلا الإقبال على الله ، وفيه وحشة لا يزيلها إلا الأنس بالله ، وفيه حزن لا يذهبه إلا السرور بمعرفته وصدق معاملته ، وفيه قلق لا يسكنه إلا الاجتماع إليه والفرار منه إليه ، وفيه نيران حسرات لا يطفئها إلا الرضا بأمره ونهيه وقضائه ، وفيه طلب شديد لا يقف دون أن يكون هو وحده مطلوب ، وفيه فاقة لا يسدها إلا محبته ودوام ذكره والإخلاص له ، ولو أعطي الدنيا وما فيها لم تسد تلك الفاقة أبداً .

"Truly in the heart there is a void that can not be removed except with the company of Allah. And in it there is a sadness that can not be removed except with the happiness of knowing Allah and being true to Him. And in it there is an emptiness that can not be filled except with love from him and by turning to Him and always remembering Him and if a person were given all of the world and what is in it, it would not fill this emptiness."

-Ibn Al-Qayyim

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

"Allah [swt] has created men and women from each other. He placed in between them a wall which segregated the two genders. Behind this wall is 'mercy" whereas the front portion of this wall is torment. In between the wall there is a door. So whoever wishes happiness, comfort, benevolence, and mercy from the opposite side of this wall, then he/she has to go through the door, and the door is marriage. And whoever tries to go to the other side through another way by knocking out the wall or breaking it, or by stealing some of pleasures of the opposite side, then he/she will have pain,worry, illness, and disagrace as his/her companions in this worldly life, and will have Hell fire awaiting him in the Hereafter."

[ Tawq al Hamamah of Ibn Hazm al Andalusi]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Jâbir radiallâhu ’anhu related that the Prophet sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam said:

“Indeed the most beloved to me and seated nearest to me on the Day of Resurrection are those with the best manners and character. And indeed the most hateful to me and sitting furthest away from me on the Day of Resurrection are the Tharthârûn (those who speak too much), the Mutashaddiqûn (those who are overbearing in their speech) and the Mutafayhiqûn.” We said: “We know who the Tharthârûn and Mutashaddiqûn are. But who are the Mutafayhiqûn? He said: “The arrogant ones.”

Sahîh: Related by at-Tirmidhî (no.2104) and al-Khatîb in at-Târîkh (4/63). It was authenticated in as-Sahîhah (no.791).

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

None in this age will amass wealth except those having five traits of character. High hopes; abnormal greediness; excessive miserliness, lack of fearing Allaah; and forgetfulness of the coming world.

- Sufyaan ath-Thawree

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

"The heart will rest and feel relief if it is settled with Allaah and it will worry and be anxious if it is settled with people."

- Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullaah).

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

"The remembrance of death deprived us from enjoying our families and wealth."

- Yunus Ibn ‘Ubayd

--------------------------------


"O son of Aadam! Fear Allaah, and let two things not happen to you at the same time: the hardships and agony of death, plus sorrow and regret. Beware of agonies and regrets, for death will come to you suddenly and no one can describe to you what you will face and see. Beware, so as not to die while in a state of disobedience, otherwise you will meet Allaah with no excuse."

- Al Hasan

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

"Loving Allaah resembles a brook in a desert with no millstone, and that is why there are few water-drawers. The lover usually wants to be isolated with his lover in privacy in order to find delight, the same as the whale resorts to water, and a child seeks his mother."

-Ibn al-Qayyim rahimahullaah.

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Narrated Anas bin Malik:

Allah's Apostle said, "Do not hate one another, nor be jealous of one another; and do not desert one another, but O Allah's worshipers! Be Brothers! And it is unlawful for a Muslim to desert his brother Muslim (and not to talk to him) for more than three nights."
[Bukhari]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, "Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the worst of false tales; and do not look for the others' faults and do not spy, and do not be jealous of one another, and do not desert (cut your relation with) one another, and do not hate one another; and O Allah's worshipers! Be Brothers (as Allah has ordered you!)."
[Bukhari]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

al-Awzâ'î wrote to one of his brothers,

"As to what follows: You have been encompassed from every side. Know that you are moving forward with each day and night. So beware of Allâh and of the standing between His hands. And your final promise will be with Him. Was-Salâm."

Some of the wise people said,

"Whoever made the days and nights his riding animal, then they will take him (to his destination) even if he doesn't move."

Abû Hâzim said,

"The merchandise of the hereafter is in little demand. It is about to be spent with no one obtaining it except a few, not many."

So when a person is prevented from deeds, nothing remains for him except regret and sorrow. He will wish to return to the previous situation in which he was be able to perform deeds, yet wishing at that time will not benefit him in anything.


[Extracted from Ibn Rajab's 'Be in this life as if you were a stranger or a traveller on a path']

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

It is reported from Abu Sulaymaan ad-Daarini (rahimahullah) that he said:

"Tooba (the tree in paradise) is for the one who took a single step desiring nothing but the face of Allaah by it".

One of the people of wisdom used to say:

"When a man is speaking in a gathering and his speech amazes him, let him be silent. And when he keeps silent and his silence amazes him, let him speak."

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

The father of Abee Aasim said: I heard my son narrate from Abu Abdullaah al-Kasaa`ee; I heard ibn Abee Aasim say:

When the affair of al-Alawee occurred in Basrah all of my books were lost, so I re-wrote fifty thousand ahaadeeth from memory. I used to go to the greengrocers’ shop and write using the light of his lamp. Then I realised that I had not asked the permission of the owner of the lamp [to sit in its light] so I went to the sea and washed away all I had written and wrote it again.

[Ibn Katheer, ‘al-Bidaayah wan Nihaayah’ (11/96); adh-Dhahabee, ‘Siyar’ (13/430-439); Ibn Hajr, ‘Lisaan al-Meezaan’ (7/298)]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Your life in the present moment is in between the past and the future. So what has preceded can be rectified by tawbah (repentance), nadam (regret) and istighfar (seeking Allaah’s forgiveness). And this is something that will neither tire you, nor cause you to toil as you would with strenuous labour. Rather it is an action of the heart. Then as regards the future (then it can be corrected) by withholding yourself from sins. And this abandonment is merely the leaving of something and to be at ease from it. This also is not action of the limbs, which requires you to strive and toil. Rather this is a firm resolve and intention of the heart – which will give rest to your body, heart and thoughts. So as for what has preceded, then you rectify it with repentance. And as for the future – then you rectify it with firm resolve and intention. Neither of these involves any hardship or exertion of the limbs. But then your attention must be directed to your life in the present - the time between two times. If you waste it, then you have wasted the opportunity to be of the fortunate and saved ones. If you look after it, having rectified the two times – what is before and after it, as we have said – then you will be successful and achieve rest, delight and ever-lasting bliss. However, looking after it is harder than that which comes before and after it, since guarding it involves keeping to that which is most befitting and beneficial for your soul, and that which will bring it success and well-being.

[Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah - al-Fawaa’id, pp 151-152]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

He who wishes that people always remember him with goodness is neither God-fearing nor sincere.

[Shaykh Ibrāhīm Ibn Adham]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Yoonus Ibn 'ubayd (d.139H)-rahimahullaah-said:

"With good manners you understand the knowledge. With the knowledge, your actions are corrected. With actions, wisdom is obtained. With wisdom you understand zuhd (abstinence) and are granted its benefits. With zuhd comes abandoning the world. With abandoning the world comes desire for the Hereafter. With desire for the Hereafter the pleasure of Allaah-Mighty and Majestic-is obtained.

: Iqtidaa'ul'Illmil'Amal(no.31).

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

“From the Sunnah of Allah, is that when He decides to champion His religion, He gives rise to those who oppose it; thereby establishing the Truth with His Words, and dashing the Truth upon falsehood, smashing its brains, and behold, it vanishes! (21:18)”

(Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya, during his last imprisonment, a few months before his demise, writes these lines using coal)

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Never do I argue with a man with a desire to hear him say what is wrong, or to expose him and win victory over him. Whenever I face an opponent in debate I silently pray - O Lord, help him so that truth may flow from his heart and on his tongue, and so that if truth is on my side, he may follow me; and if truth be on his side, I may follow him.

[Imam Ash-Shafi’i]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

'Unlawful desires are usually associated with ugliness. They leave behind a lingering sensation of pain and guilt. Hence, whenever you are tempted, think about liberating yourself. Think about all the remorse that would accompany the realisation of those desires, and then make up your mind. Struggling your way through obedience is not an easy task. It is, however, associated with goodness and soothing pleasures. Whenever you overburden yourself (with unlawful desires) think about how nice it would be to repent and set yourself free. Think about the pleasures that lawful desires will provide and try to make the correct choice. The dilemma you will experience should be reduced by remembering the sweet pleasure and the ultimate happiness that your obedience (to Allah) will provide. Also make your struggle less of one by picturing the punishment that follows disobedience to Allah. Logically your mind should opt for the more rewarding option and help you to endure the pain of denying yourself the realisation of such desires.'

[On Following Desires - Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah - Al-Fawaaid] [May Allah reward the unknown translator]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

A righteous man was given the news that on of his companions had died, and so he went to the family of the deceased to console them. When he arrived there, there were screaming and crying in very loud voices. He said:

“Indeed the one we lost was not your provider; the One Who provides for you is Ever-lasting and never dies. The one you lost did not block off the holes in the ground that belonged to you, for all he did was fill his own hole (i.e., fill his own grave). Indeed, each of you, by Allah, will fill his hole. Indeed when Allah (the Exalted) created the world, He decreed destruction for it, and death for its inhabitants. No experience permeates a household except that that household then becomes filled with a lesson. And no group gathers among themselves except that they will soon be parted, and then it is Allah (the Exalted) Who will be the One Who inherits the earth and all that is on it. Whoever from you is crying, then let him cry over himself, for the destination of your companion (i.e., the deceased) is the destination of all people tomorrow.”

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn Al-Jowzee said:

"If this Dunya was not a station of tests it would not be filled with sicknesses and filth. If life were not about hardship, then the Prophets and the pious would have lived the most comfortable of lives. Nay, Adam suffered test after test until he left the Dunya. Nuh cried for 300 years. Ibrahim was thrown into a pit of fire and later told to slaughter his son. Ya'qub cried until he became blind. Musa challenged Fir'own and was tested by his people. Eeasa had no provision except the morsels his disciples provided him with. And Muhammad (SAW) met poverty with patience, his uncle - one of the most beloved relatives to him - was slain and mutilated and his people disbelieved in him ... and the list of Prophets and the pious goes on and on."

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ya Allah!
Make the best of my deeds my last deeds,
and make the best of my life my last moments,
and make the best day of my life the Day I meet You!

[A Bedouin]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

"If you guarantee me six things on your part I shall guarantee you Paradise : Speak the truth when you talk, keep a promise when you make it, when you are trusted with something fulfill your trust, avoid sexual immorality, lower your gaze (in modesty), and restrain your hands from injustice."

[Al Tirmidhi, Hadith 1260]


Ibn Umar reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said: "Do not indulge in empty useless talk without the remembrance of Allah, for excessive talk without Allah's remembrance hardens the heart; and the person farthest from Allah is the one who has a hard heart"

[Reported by at-Tirmidhi]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

If your heart is enslaved by someone who is forbidden for him: One of the main causes for this miserable situation is turning away from Allah, for once the heart has tasted worship of Allah and sincerity towards Him, nothing will be sweeter to it than that, nothing will be more delightful or more precious. No one leaves his beloved except for another one he loves more, or for fear of something else. The heart will give up corrupt love in favour of true love, or for fear of harm.

[Ibn Taymiyyah. Being a True Slave of Allah]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Al-Hasan Al-Basri said,

“Every day the sun rises it calls upon us, “Oh people! I am a new day; I am an observer of your actions. Take advantage of me for I will not return until the Day of Judgment.” “Oh, son of Adam you are nothing but a few breaths. Once one breath goes out, part of you goes with it. In the same way that part of you has gone, soon all of you will go.”

Ibn Al-Qayyim said,

“Every gulp of air that goes out in a cause other than the cause of Allah (SWT) will turn to sorrow and regret on the Day of Judgment.” He also said, “A sign that Allah (SWT) despises you is when you find yourself wasting your time with trivial matters; in this way you miss your chance of going to heaven. And a sign that Allah (SWT) likes you is when you find yourself fulfilling more duties than you have time for.” A saying goes, ‘The devil makes work for idle thumbs.’ If you want to know whether Allah (SWT) is pleased with you, then think: Are you busy or idle?"

Al-Muhasiby said,

“I wish that time could be acquired with money. If so I would buy time from wasteful and ungrateful people so that I could spend it serving Allah (SWT).”

Ibn Masoud said,

“I never regretted anything except a day that passed by without having increased my deeds.”

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Concerning the Imaam, the Shaykh - Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen (rahima-hullaah), it has been narrated:

“Once, King Khaalid (rahima hullaah) visited the Shaykh at his house, as was the habit of the rulers in their high regard and respect for the scholars. And when the King saw the humble home of the Shaykh he offered to have a new house built for him, (at which) the Shaykh thanked him saying:

“I am building a house in (the district of) as-Saalihiyyah (a district in ‘Unayzah, Qaseem), however, the masjid and the charitable trust are in need of (financial) assistance. So, after the King left, some of those sitting in the gathering said: O Shaykh, we did not know that you were building a home in as-Saalihiyyah, (to which) the Shaykh replied:

“Isn’t the graveyard in as-Saalihiyyah!?”

[ad-Durr ath-Thameen fee Tarjamti Faqeehil-Ummah al-‘Allaamah ibn ‘Uthaymeen – Page 218]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Concerning the Imaam, the Shaykh - Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen (rahima-hullaah), it has been narrated by Shaykh Badar ibn Naadir al-Mashaaree:

"When he returned from America after (medical) treatment, he was asked as to his health and condition. So the Shaykh said some words worthy of being written in gold:

"Know that both illness and good health do not come before or after their (decreed) time. Indeed my time has been written and your time has been written (even) before Allaah created the heavens and the earth. So believe in this, for certainly I have believed in this."

[Safahaat Mushriqah min Hayaat al-Imaam Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen - Page 111 - Ref: Audio cassette entitled: "Ahabba Liqaa.a Rabbihi"]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

:sl:

الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الإِسْلاَمَ دِي


This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islâm as your religion. (5:3)

Narrated Tariq bin Shihab:

A Jew said to 'Umar, "O Chief of the Believers, if this verse: 'This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favors upon you, and have chosen for you, Islam as your religion.' (5.3) had been revealed upon us, we would have taken that day as an 'Id (festival) day." 'Umar said,

"I know definitely on what day this Verse was revealed; it was revealed on the day of 'Arafat, on a Friday."

[Bukhari]

Narrated Al-Bara':

I heard the Prophet (p.b.u.h) delivering a Khutba saying, "The first thing to be done on this day (first day of 'Id ul Adha) is to pray; and after returning from the prayer we slaughter our sacrifices (in the name of Allah) and whoever does so, he acted according to our Sunna (traditions)."

[Bukhari]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

It is reported from Adiyya ibn Haatim that he said:

"The people destined for the Fire will be ordered (to come) towards Paradise until they come close to it and smell its fragrance, see its palaces and what Allaah has prepared in it for its people. Then an announcement will be made for them to be turned away from it. There will be no portion for them in it. They will return in loss and ruin just like the ones before them (who were also commanded likewise). Then they will say: "O Our Lord! If You had entered us into the Fire before You showed us what You have shown us from Your reward and what You have prepared for Your friends and allies, it would have been easier upon us". Then the Exalted will say: "This is what I intended for you. When you used to be alone, you would combat Me (or show boldness to Me) with grave sins and when you used to meet people, you would meet them with humility. You would show to the people other than that which you used to give Me from your hearts. You feared people but you did not fear Me. You honoured the people but you did not honour Me. You abandoned (actions) for the people but you did not abandon for Me. This day (therefore) will I make you taste a tormenting punishment along with your prevention from receiving that reward"

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

It is reported from Ibn Mas'ood (ra) that he said,

"Do not learn knowledge for three (things): to amaze and confound the foolish, to argue with the learned, and to make people's faces turn towards you. (But) seek what is with Allaah with your hearts and actions, since only that will remain and whatever is besides it will go".

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn ‘Abbas reported, the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said [to a group of companions]:

“When you pass by the gardens of Paradise indulge freely in it! They said: O Messenger of Allaah! What are the gardens of Paradise? He said: The circles of ‘Ilm.”

(At-Tabarani, Al-Mu’jam Al-Kabir)

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Sins have a tendency of creating restlessness in one's heart in one form or the other.

[Uthman r.a.]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

In Muslim, Abu Hurayrah said:

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said:

"Whoever relieves a believer of distress in this world, Allah will relieve him of some of the distress of the Day of Resurrection. Whoever makes things easy for those who are in difficulty, Allah will make things easy for him in this world and in the next. Whoever conceals (the faults of) a Muslim in this world, Allah will conceal him (his faults) in this world and in the Hereafter. Allah will help the slave so long as the slave helps his brother."
[Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 1/71, hadith no. 204.]

Narrated from 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said:

"The Muslim is the brother of his fellow-Muslim; he should not mistreat him or let him down. Whoever meets the needs of his brother, Allah will meet his needs, and whoever relieves a Muslim of some distress, Allah will relieve him of some of the distress of the Day of Resurrection. Whoever conceals (the faults of) a Muslim, Allah will conceal him (his faults) in this world and the next."
[Bukhari: Kitaab al-Mazaalim, Baab laa Yazlim al-Muslim al-Muslim, Fath al-Baari, 5/97.]

Ad-Deenoori narrated in Al-Mujaalisah, Al-Bayhaqi narrated in Al-Shu'ab and Ad-Diyaa' narrated in Al-Mukhtaarah from Anas that the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said:

"Whoever helps his brother in secret, Allah will help him in this world and the next."

[Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth as-Saheehah, 3/218, hadith no. 1217.]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Abu Dharr (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) told what Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, had said:

O' My servants, you commit error night and day, and I am there to pardon your sins, so beg pardon from Me so that I should grant you pardon.

[Muslim]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

It was narrated that Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“Whoever is mainly concerned about the Hereafter, Allaah will make him feel independent of others and will make him focused and content, and his worldly affairs will fall into place. But whoever is mainly concerned with this world, Allaah will make him feel in constant need of others and will make him distracted and unfocused, and he will get nothing of this world except what is decreed for him.”

(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2389; classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 6510)

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Yunus bin Abdullah said,

"What is the matter with me? When I lose a chicken I feel concerned, but when I miss the prayer in congregation, it does not grieve me."

[Hilyat al Awliya, 3/19]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin al-'As narrated that the Messenger of Allah said:

"There are two characteristics that no servant possesses except that he will enter Paradise. They are both very easy, but those who act upon them are quite few:

The first is that one of you says 'Subhan Allah' ten times, 'al-Hamdu lillah' ten times, and 'Allahu Akbar' ten times after each prayer. This is 150 (30 X five prayers) with the tongue, and 1,500 in the Scale.

The second is that if he goes to bed, he says 'Subhan Allah' thirty-three times, 'al-Hamdu lillah' thirty-three times, and 'Allahu Akbar' thirty-four times. This is 100 with the tongue, and 1,000 in the Scale.

So, which of you performs 2,500 sins in the course of a day and night?!"

'Abdullah said:

"I saw the Messenger of Allah counting them on his fingers."

It was asked:

"O, Messenger of Allah! Why is it that those who do this are few?"

The Prophet replied:

"Satan comes to one of you in his prayer and says to him: 'Remember such-and-such that you have to attend to after the prayer!' Likewise, he comes to one of you when he goes to bed and causes him to fall asleep (without making these adhkar)."

[Reported by at-Tabrizi in 'Mishkat al-Masabih' (2406), and it is in 'Sahih Mawarid ath-Thaman' (449)]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

How amazing it is then that we perceive the foolish man as a gentle person, and the feeble minded person as one who is Intelligent!

They (the misled) are the ones who reap the bounties of this unlasting despicable place and hold it higher in regard than the priceless bounties which are everlasting (Aakhirah). He sold a Paradise whose width is the distance of the Heavens and the Earth in return for a narrow prison infested with diseases and trials. He traded the luxurious homes placed in Jannah with rivers flowing beneath for narrow hovels which will one day be diminished to ruins and destruction. He exchanged the Companiable Virgins who resemble pearls and rubies for women who have impurities and are of evil traits. He traded the Hoor of Jannah who are guarded in pavilions for the foulmouthed filthy women of human race. He exchanged the flowing rivers of Wine delicious to those who drink for a Drink which is Najis (filthy); it does away with the senses and destructs ones Dunya and Deen. He traded the delight of seeing the face of the Most Exalted, the Most Merciful in favor of seeing the blamed and abhorrent faces of mankind. He traded the delight of listening to the speech of the All-Gracious in place of listening to stringed instruments and songs and melodious tunes. Similarly he traded sitting on thrones of Pearls and chrysolite and rubies on the Day of bounty, in favor of attending the gatherings of the hypocrites, of being in the company of Every Rebellious Devil. He forgoes the calling of the caller: “O inhabitants of Jannah! Verily today you will live in luxury and you will never despair. You will live forever more and never die and you will inhabit (Jannah) and will never be made to leave. You will stay young and never grow old”, In favor of listening to the songs of the singers.

[Ibn Qayyim - Haadi al-Arwaah ilaa Bilaad il-Afraah]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Al-Shaafa’i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

"When people go to sleep, I let my tears flow, and I recite a verse of the most eloquent poetry

Is it not a waste that nights go by and I do not increase in knowledge, yet this time is counted as part of my life?"

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

It was narrated that Al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

"If a man who met the early Salaf were to be brought back to life today, he would not recognize anything of Islam" - and he put his hand on his cheek, then said, "apart from this prayer - By Allah, anyone who lives in these strange times and did not meet the righteous salaf, and sees the innovator promoting his bid'ah and the one whose main concern is wordly gains calling others to join him; but Allah protects him from that and causes him to long for the righteous salaf, asking about their path and following their footsteps, and he follows their path, he will be compensated with a great reward. Be like that, in sha' Allah."

[Al-Khateeb in Al-Faqeeh wal-Mutafaqqih.]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

How beautiful are the words of the scholar Al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyaad (may Allah have mercy on him) who said:

"Follow the path of guidance, and do not worry about how few are the people who follow it. Beware of the paths of misguidance, and do not be decieved by the large numbers of those who doomed."

[Miftaah al-Jannah fil-I'tisaam bis-Sunnah by As-Suyooti.]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Sufyaan ath-Thawri (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

"If you hear that a man in the east is a follower of the Sunnah, then send salaams to him, for Ahl as-Sunnah are becoming very few."

[Al-Laalkaa'i in Sharh Usool Ahl as-Sunnah.]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Al-Hasan Al-Basrï (r) used to say to his companions:

“O Ahl-us-Sunnah! Be gentle with one another and may Allàh have mercy on you. For indeed, you are from amongst the fewest of people.”

Yunus Ibn ‘Ubaid (r) said:

“There is not a thing more stranger than the Sunnah. And what is more stranger than it, is the one who knows it.”

Sufyàn Ath-Thawrï (r) said:

“Treat the Ahl-us-Sunnah kindly, for verily, they are strangers.”

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn al Qayyim said in Zaad al Ma'aad:

"As for the weeping of the Prophet (saw) it was in the same degree as his laughter. He wouldn't sob loudly and raise his voice, just like his laughter wasn't loud. However his eyes would fill up with tears, until they flowed out, and you would hear the sound like that of a whistling kettle coming from his chest. He would weep out of mercy for the dead, out of fear and compassion for his ummah, out of deep fear of Allah, upon listening to the Qur'an. And it was a weeping of longing, love and exaltation, accompanied by fear and khashyah".

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

One of the righteous people used to weep night and day, and something was said to him about that. He said: “I am afraid that Allaah will see me committing sin and will say: ‘Go away from Me for I am angry with you." Hence Sufyaan used to weep and say: “I am afraid that my faith will be taken away at the moment of death.”


Ismaa’eel ibn Zakariya described Habeeb ibn Muhammad, who was a neighbour of his. He said: “Every evening I heard him weeping and every morning I heard him weeping, so I went to his wife and said: ‘What is the matter with him? He weeps in the evening and he weeps in the morning!’ She said to me: ‘By Allaah, when evening comes he fears that he will not live till morning and when morning comes he fears that he will not live till evening.’”


When Yazeed al-Raqaashi was criticised for weeping a great deal and it was said to him, “If the Fire had been created exclusively for you, you would not weep more than this,” he said: “Has the Fire been created for anyone other than me and my companions and brothers among the jinn and mankind?”


When ‘Ata’ al-Sulaymi was asked: “What is this grief?” he said: “Woe to you! Death is close at hand, the grave is my house, on the Day of Resurrection I will stand and my path is over a bridge across Hell, and I do not know what will become of me.”


Faddalah ibn Sayfi used to weep a great deal. A man entered upon him when he was weeping and said to his wife: “What is the matter with him?” She said: “He says that he wants to undertake a long journey and he does not have proper provision for it.”


One night al-Hasan woke up weeping, and he disturbed the other people in the house with his weeping. They asked him what was the matter and he said: “I remembered a sin that I committed and I wept.”


It was narrated that Tameem al-Daari (may Allaah be pleased with him) recited this verse interpretation of the meaning): “Or do those who earn evil deeds think that We shall hold them equal with those who believe (in the Oneness of Allaah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds” [Surah al-Jaathiyah 45:21] and he started repeating it and weeping until morning came.


Hudhayfah (may Allaah be pleased with him) used to weep intensely, and it was said to him: “Why are you weeping?” He said: “I do not know what is ahead of me – Divine pleasure or divine wrath.”


Sa’d ibn al-Akhram said: I was walking with Ibn Mas’ood and he passed by the blacksmiths, who had brought a piece of iron out of the fire. He stood and looked at the molten iron and wept.

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

On the authority of Haani, the freed slave of 'Uthman, who said

"When 'Uthman ibn 'Affan stood at a grave he would weep until his beard was wet. So it was said to him: "Indeed you make mention of Paradise and Hellfire and you do not weep, and you are weeping at this?". He replied, "Indeed the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "Verily the grave is the first abode of the Hereafter, if one is saved from it then what follows is made easier for him. And if one is not saved from it, then what follows is more severe". He also (saw) said, "I have never seen a sight more horrid than the grave""

(at-Tirmidhi -ghareeb, Ibn Majah)

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

On the authority on Sa'd ibn Ibrahim, that his father said,

"'Abdur Rahman ibn 'Auf was brought some food when he had been fasting, and he remarked: "Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr has been martyred, and he was better than me. His shroud was so short, that if his head was covered (with it) then his legs showed, and if his legs were covered, then his head showed, and I witnessed this." He also said, "Hamzah was martyred and he was better than me. And now the world has been spread out for us." Or he said: "We have been given the abundance of the world, and we fear that we have been rewarded for our good deeds here (quickly in this world only)". Then he began to cry, such that he left his food"

(al Bukhari)

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

On the authority of Anas (ra) who said,

"Salman was suffering from illness, so Sa'd visited him and saw him crying, so he said to him, "What is it that makes you weep, O my brother? Did you not accompany the Messenger of Allah (saw)? Is that not so, is that not so?!" Salman replied, "I am not weeping for either of the following reasons: I am not weeping for the sake of the world nor out of hate of the Hereafter. Rather the Messenger of Allah (saw) entrusted me with a pledge, and I can only see myself as having transgressed." So he asked, "What were you entrusted with?" He replied, "He entrusted me with a pledge that the provision of a traveller should suffice anyone of us, and I see myself as only having transgressed. And as for you, O Sa'd! Fear Allah with your ruling when you make a judgement, and fear Him with your distribution when you distribute, and fear Him with your intention when you intend to do something.""
(Ibn Majah and others)

Thaabit said:

"I heard that he only left twenty dirhams from the money that he had (after his death)"
(Saheeh Sunan Ibn Majah)

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Description of Paradise

by Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim, Rahimahullaah

Ibn al-Qayyim said, in regards to the description of the Paradise and the delights that it contains:

And if you ask about its ground and its soil, then it is of musk and saffron.

And if you ask about its roof, then it is the Throne of the Most Merciful.

And if you ask about its rocks,then they are pearls and jewels.

And if you ask about its buildings, then they are made of bricks of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its trees, then it does not contain a single tree except that its trunk is made of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its fruits, then they are softer than butter and sweeter than honey.

And if you ask about its leaves, then they are softer than the softest cloth.

And if you ask about its rivers, then there are rivers of milk who's taste does not change, and rivers of wine that is delicious to those who drink it, and rivers of honey that is pure, and rivers of water that is fresh.

And if you ask about their food, then it is fruits from whatever they will choose, and the meat of whatever birds they desire.

And if you ask about their drink, then it is Tasneem, ginger, and Kaafoor.

And if you ask about their drinking cups, then they are crystal-clear and made of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its shade, then a fast rider would ride in the shade of one of its trees for a hundred years and not escape it.

And if you ask about its vastness, then the lowest of its people would have within his kingdom and walls and palaces and gardens the distance that would be travelled in a thousand years.

And if you ask about its tents and encampments, then one tent is like a concealed pearl that is sixty miles long.

And if you ask about its towers, then they are rooms above rooms in buildings that have rivers running underneath them.

And if you ask about how far it reaches into the sky, then look at the shining star that is visible, as well as those that are far in the heavens that the eyesight cannot possibly reach.

And if you ask about the clothing of its inhabitants, then they are of silk and gold.

And if you ask about its beds, then its blankets are of the finest silk laid out in the highest of its levels.

And if you ask about the faces of its inhabitants and their beauty, then they are like the image of the Moon.

And if you ask about their age, then they are young ones of 33 years in the image of Adam, the father of humanity.

And if you ask about what they will be hearing, then it is the singing of their wives from among the Hoor al-'Ayn, and better than that are the voices of the Angels and the Prophets, and better than that is the Speech of the Lord of the Worlds.

And if you ask about their servants, then they are young boys of everlasting youth who resemble scattered pearls.

And if you ask about their brides and wives, then they are young and full-breasted and have had the liquid of youth flow through their limbs; the Sun runs along the beauty of her face if she shows it, light shines from between her teeth if she smiles; if you meet her love, then say whatever you want regarding the joining of two lights; he sees his face in the roundness of her cheek as if he is looking into a polished mirror, and he sees the brightness from behind her muscles and bones; if she were to be unleashed upon the World, she would fill what is between the Heavens and the Earth with a beautiful wind, and the mouths of the creation would glorifiy, praise, and exclaim greatness, and everything between the East and the West would be adorned for her, and every eye would be shut from everthing but her, and the light of the Sun would be outshone just as the light of the Sun outshines the light of the stars, and everyone on the face of the Earth would believe in the Ever-Living, the One who Sustains and Protects all the exists.

And the covering on her head is better than the World and all that is in it, and she does not increase with age except in beauty; free from an umbilical cord, childbirth and menses, and pure of mucous, saliva, urine and other filthy things; her youth never fades, her clothing is never worn out, no garment can be created that matches her beauty, and no one who is with her can ever become bored; her attention is restricted to her husband, so she desires none but him, just as his attention is restricted to her so she is the sole object of his desire, and he is with her in utmost safety and security, as none has touched her before of either humans or Jinn.

And if you ask about the Day of Increase (in reward) and the visit of the all-Mighty, all-Wise, and the sight of His Face - free from any resemblance or likeness to anything - as you see the Sun in the middle of the day and the full Moon on a cloudless night, then listen on the day that the caller will call: 'O People of Paradise! Your Lord - Blessed and Exalted - requests you to visit Him, so come to visit Him!' So they will say: 'We hear and obey!' Until, when they finally reach the wide valley where they will all meet - and none of them will turn down the request of the caller - the Lord - Blessed and Exalted - will order His Chair to be brought there.

Then, pulpits of light will emerge, as well as pulpits of pearls, gemstone, gold, and silver. The lowest of them in rank will sit on sheets of musk, and will not see what those who are on the chairs above them are given. When they are comfortable where they are sitting and are secure in their places, and the caller calls: 'O People of Paradise! You have an appointment with Allaah in which He wishes to reward you!' So they will say: 'And what is that reward? Has He not already made our faces bright, made our scales heavy, entered us into Paradise, and pushed us away from the Fire?'

And when they are like that, all of a sudden a light shines that encompasses all of Paradise. So, they raise their heads, and, behold: the Compeller - Exalted is He, and Holy are His Names - has come to them from above them and majestified them and said: 'O People of Paradise! Peace be upon you!' So, this greeting will not be responded to with anything better than: 'O Allaah! You are Peace, and from You is Peace! Blessed are You, O possessor of Majesty and Honor!' So the Lord - Blessed and Exalted - will laugh to them and say: 'O People of Paradise! Where are those who used to obey Me without having ever seen Me? This is the Day of Increase!' So, they will all give the same response: 'We are pleased, so be pleased with us!' So, He will say: 'O People of Paradise! If I were not pleased with you, I would not have made you inhabitants of My Paradise! So, ask of Me!' So, they will all give the same response: 'Show us your Face so that we may look at it!'So, the Lord - Mighty and Majestic - will remove his covering and will majestify them and will cover them with His Light, which, if Allaah - the Exalted - had not Willed not to burn them, would have burned them.

And there will not remain a single person in this gathering except that his Lord - the Exalted - will speak to him and say: 'Do you remember the day that you did this and that?'and He will remind him of some of his bad deeds in the Worldy life, so he will say: 'O Lord! Will you not forgive me?' So, He will say: 'Of course! You have not reached this position of yours (in Paradise) except by my forgiveness.'

So, how sweet is this speech to the ears, and how cooled are the righteous eyes by the glance at His Noble Face in the Afterlife...

{Some faces that Day will be shining and radiant, l ooking at their Lord...} (al-Qiyaamah:22-3)

[from the amazing and beautiful book Haadi al-Arwaah ilaa Bilaad il-Afraah by Ibn al-Qayyim, pg. 193]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

'Abd-Allah ibn Mas'ood (R) said:

"Whoever wants to follow an example, let him follow the example of those who have passed away, the Companions of Muhammad (S). They were the best of this ummah, the purest in heart, the deepest in knowledge, the least in sophistication. They were people whom Allah chose to be the Companions of His Prophet (S) and to convey His religion, so imitate their ways and behaviour, for they were following the Straight Path."

[Al-Baghawi in Sharh as-Sunnah]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn al-Qayyim said:

"Every time you feel the loneliness of isolation, remember your companions who have preceded you and be eager to join them; and do not be concerned with others, for they will not avail you at all before Allâh . And if they call out to you during your journey, do not turn to them, for whenever you respond to them, they will take you and set you in another direction."

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

A believer is a stranger in this world, he is never afraid of its humiliation, and he never competes for its glory. The people are in one situation and he is in a different situation. The people are content with him, yet he is in turmoil [Literally, "tired"] with himself."

[Al Hasan Al Basri]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

“The slave is not afflicted with a punishment greater in severity then the hardening of the heart and being distant from Allah. For the Fire was created to melt the hardened heart. The most distant heart from Allah is the heart which is hardened. If the heart becomes hardened, the eye becomes dry.

If four matters are exceeded in quantity, beyond what is necessary, the heart shall become hardened:

Food, sleep, speech and sexual intercourse. A body afflicted by disease does not derive nourishment from food or water, similarly a heart diseased by desire does not benefit from admonishment and exhortation.

Whosoever desires to purify his heart, then let him prefer Allah to his desires.

The heart which is clinging to its desires is veiled from Allah, commensurate to the degree that it is attached to them, the hearts are the vessels of Allah upon his earth, hence the most beloved of them to him, are the ones most compassionate, pure and resistant to deviation.

They (the transgressors) preoccupied their hearts [in the pursuance] of the Dunya, would that they preoccupied them with Allah and the hereafter, then surely they would have reflected upon the intended meaning of his poignant words and verses. Their hearts would have returned to their masters with wisdom, marvelously curious and [in possession] of the rarest of precious gems.

If the heart is nourished with remembrance, its thirst quenched with contemplation and cleansed from corruption, it shall witness remarkable and wondrous matters, inspiring wisdom.

Not every individual who is endowed with knowledge and wisdom, and assumes its character is form amongst its people. Rather the people of knowledge and wisdom are those who infused life into their hearts by slaying their desires. As for the one who slays his heart and vitalized his desires, then knowledge and wisdom is naked upon his tongue.

The destruction of the heart occurs by security [in this Dunya] and negligence, its fortification occurs by fear and remembrance. If the heart renounces the pleasures of the Dunya, it settles upon the [pursuance of] pleasures of the Hereafter, and amongst those who call towards it.

Should the heart become content with the pleasures of the Dunya, those pleasures [of the hereafter] cease [to continue].

Yearning for Allah and his meeting is like the gentle breeze blowing upon the heart, extinguishing the blaze of the Dunya. Whosoever caused his heart to settle with his Lord shall be in a state, clam and tranquil, and whosoever sent it amongst the people shall be disturbed and excessively perturbed.

For the love of Allah shall not enter a heart, which contains the love of this world, except as a camel, which passes through the eye of a needle.

Hence, the most beloved servant before Allah is the one whom He places in His servitude, whom He selects for His love, whom He causes to purify his worship for Him, dedicates his objectives for Him, his tongue for His remembrance, and his limbs for His service.

The heart becomes sick, as the body becomes sick, and its remedy is al-Tawbah and protection [from transgression].

It becomes rusty as a mirror becomes rusty, and its clarity is obtained by remembrance. It becomes naked as the body becomes naked, and its beautification is at-Taqwa. It becomes hungry and thirsty as the body becomes hungry and thirst, and its food and drink are knowledge, love, dependence, repentance and servitude.”

[Ibn al Qayyim al Jawziyyah’s al Fawaaid (p111-112)]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

"Woe be on one who speaks and lies in order to make people laugh, woe be on him."

[Abu Dawood vol: 3, no. 4972.]

"Sometimes, a person says a thing which pleases Allah, and in return Allah raises his status (rewards him), and sometimes a persons says something which displeases Allah, and it takes him to Hell."

[Al Bukhari]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Al Hasan, may Allaah have mercy on him, said:

“Death has exposed the reality of life and left no reason for one with a sound mind to be happy in it."

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn al-Qayyim said:

"One day, Ibn Taymiyyah said to me, regarding an action that is permissible: "This goes against what those who are of the higher levels should be doing, even if its abandonment is not a condition for being from the successful.""

['Madarij as-Salikin'; 2/26]

al-Hafidh Abu al-Hasan 'Ali bin Ahmad az-Zaydi said:

"Deal with optional acts of worship (nawafil) as if they are obligatory, and acts of disobedience as if they are kufr, and your desires as if they are poison, and socializing with the people as if it were fire, and nurturing of your soul as if it were medicine."

['Khilasat al-Athar'; 3/401]

It was narrated, regarding Yahya bin Yahya:

"...that when he was a young boy, he travelled from al-Andalus to Madinah in order to study with al-Imam Malik. One day, he was attending a lesson, along with Malik's students. Suddenly, someone called out: "The elephants are here!" So, the companions of Malik all went out to look at the elephants that were passing by, except for Yahya, who stayed in his place.

al-Imam Malik then said to him: "Why did you not come out to see the elephants? I'm sure you've never seen one in al-Andalus."

Yahya replied: "I came from my homeland to look at you, and to learn from your guidance and knowledge. I did not come here to look at elephants."

So, Malik became impressed at this boy's seriousness, and called him 'The Wisest of al-Andalus.'"

[''Uluww al-Himmah'; p. 78]

It was narrated, regarding 'Abd ar-Rahman ad-Dakhil:

"...that he was from the 'Abbasids. When he set out for al-Andalus, he was given a beautiful slavegirl as a gift. So, he looked at her, and said: "Verily, she has a great status with my eyes and heart, and if I were to be distracted from her by the tasks I aspire to accomplish on this journey, I would have wronged her. And if I were to be distracted by her from the tasks I aspire to accomplish on this journey, I would have wronged my aspirations. Therefore, I have no need for her at this time," and he returned her to her owner."

['Nafh at-Tib'; 4/43]

Ash-Shafi'i said:

إن لله عبادا فطنا * تركوا الدنيا وخافوا الفتنا
نظروا فيها فلما علموا * أنها ليست لحي وطنا
جعلوها لجة واتخذوا * صالح الأعمال فيها سفنا

Verily, Allah has intelligent slaves * They abandoned the dunya, and were cautious of its tribulations;

They looked to it, and when they realized * That it is not an abode for those who are truly alive;

They made it a transitory station, and took * Righteous actions as a vehicle.

['Diywan ash-Shafi'i']

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

"Ahlul-Hadeeth are the people of the Prophet, although;

They accompany him not, they are with his every movement."

[From the poetry of Hasan ibn Muhammad an-Nasawee, as is quoted by al-Haafidh Diyaa'ud-Deen al-Maqdisee in his booklet Fadlul-Hadeeth wa Ahlihi.]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Al-Khateeb al-Baghdaadee (d.463H) said:

"And if only the people of blameworthy opinion busied themselves with beneficial knowledge, and seeking the Sunnah of the Messenger of the Lord of Creation, and followed the way of the fuqahaa and muhadditheen - then they would find that this would be sufficient for them. And the narration would take the place of his opinion which he used to hold; since the Hadeeth comprehends the fundamentals of Tawheed, the reported Threats and the Promises, the Attributes of the Lord of Creation - who is High above the saying of the apostates, it also contains information about Paradise and Hell-Fire, and what Allaah has prepared therein for the pious and the wicked, and what Allaah has created in the earths and the heavens, and the remarkable things and great signs, and a mention of the nearest Angels - those drawn up in ranks and those who recite tasbeeh.

And the Hadeeth comprehends stories of the about the pious ascetics and Awliyaa, wonderful admonition and sayings of the Scholars. It contains histories of the kings of the 'Arabs and non-'Arabs, and the accounts of past nations, and descriptions of the battles of the Messenger sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam; his expeditions, rulings, judgements, sermons, warnings, predictions and miracles. It also contains information about the number of his Wives and Children, his Relatives and Companions, and a mention of their excellence and merit, and a mention of their lives, their actions and their ancestry. And the Hadeeth contains tafseer of the Qur'aan, information and the wise remembrance contained in it. It contains the sayings of the Companions about its preserved rulings, the different sayings they held, as well as those of the Scholars and mujtahids.

And Allaah made Ahlul-Hadeeth (the People of Hadeeth) the pillar of the Sharee'ah and the destroyer of every despicable innovation. So they are Allaah's wardens amongst His creation, and the link between the Prophet sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam and his Ummah, and the strivers to preserve His Deen. So their light shines brightly, their excellence remains, their signs are clear, their positions evident and their proofs are over-powering. And all the sects coil themselves around vain desires and prefer opinion which they cling to - except for Ahlul-Hadeeth, since the Book is their provision, the Sunnah is their proof, the Messenger their leader and to him is their ascription. They do not deviate upon vain desires, nor turn to mere conjecture. They accept what is reported from the Prophet sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam and they are the trustworthy and reliable ones, who memorise the Deen and are its treasurers, its storehouses of knowledge and its bearers. If anyone differs about a hadeeth, then it is referred back to them. Thus, their judgement is accepted and listened to. From them is every Scholar and Imaam, and every true ascetic, and one of excellence, and precise reciter and righteous Khateeb. They are the Saved-Sect and their way is the straight one ..."

[Related by Ibn Abee Haatim in Aadaabush-Shaafi'ee (pp.94-95), Abu Nu'aym in Hilyatul-Awliyaa (9/106) and al-Khateeb in Ihtijaaj bish-Shaafi'ee (8/1). It was declared to be Saheeh by Ibn al-Qayyim in al-I'laam (2/325).]

-------------------------


May Allaah make us from amongst Ahlul-Hadeeth, and provide us with the ability to act upon it, love its people and to act in accordance with it. Aameen

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

The Prophet sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam said:

"There will not cease to be a group from my Ummah victorious upon the truth, not being harmed by those who oppose them until the command of Allaah comes about, and they are like that."

[Related by Muslim (6/52-53) and Abu Daawood (2/202) from Thawbaan radi-Allaahu 'anhu.]

He sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam said:

"When the people of Shaam (Syria, Jordan, Palestine) become corrupt then there will be no good in you. And there will not cease to be a group from my Ummah being helped; those that oppose them will not harm them, until the hour is established."

[Saheeh: Related by at-Tirmidhee (2/30) who said:

"The hadeeth is Hasan Saheeh." It was also related by Ibn Maajah (1/6-7) and Ahmad (3/463), from Qurrah al-Muzanee radi-Allaahu 'anhu.]

Ibn al-Mubaarak (d.151H) - rahimahullaah - said:

"According to me, they are Ashaabul-Hadeeth (the Scholars of Hadeeth)."

[Sharafu Ashaabul-Hadeeth (p.26) of al-Khateeb al-Baghdaadee.]

Al-Bukhaaree (d.256H) - rahimahullaah - said:

"It means: Ahlul-Hadeeth (the People of Hadeeth)."

[Sharafu Ashaabul-Hadeeth (p.27).]

Imaam Ahmad (d.241H) - rahimahullaah - said:

"If this Taa'ifatul-Mansoorah (Victorious and Aided Group) is not Ashaabul-Hadeeth, then I do not know who they are."

[Related by al-Haakim in Ma'rifatu 'Uloomul-Hadeeth (p.3), and al-Haafidh Ibn Hajr declared its isnaad to be Saheeh in Fathul-Baaree (13/293).]


Qaadee 'lyaad said:

"What Imaam Ahmad meant by that was Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah and whosoever holds the 'aqeedah (belief) of Ahlul-Hadeeth."

I say:

"It is possible that this group could be scattered amongst the various categories of Believers, from them:- the brave warriors, the Scholars of Hadeeth, the zaahids (those who abstain from the world in a praiseworthy manner), those that enjoin the good and forbid the evil, and other categories of people who do good."

[Sharh Saheeh Muslim (13/67).]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

"Every Ayah of the Qur'an is a rank you are raised in paradise, every ayah a lantern of light in your homes."

- 'Amr ibn Al'Aas, radi Allahu 'anhu

"Then the cities of Islam grew, and illiteracy disappeared from amongst the Arabs because of their constant occupation with the Qur'an."

- Ibn Khaldun: Al-Muqaddima

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

"I debated a scholar and beat him. Then I debated a layman and that layman beat me - he had no knowledge of the principles and texts. I had nothing to say."

- Imam Shaafi'ee

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Sufyan ath-Thawri said:

"ًWere it not for the fact that it would lead to my humiliation, I would have moved to live amongst a people who do not know me."

['Siyar A'lam an-Nubala''; 7/208]

[Translator's note: The point here is that Sufyan's severe caution from and hatred of being in a state of humiliation and lowliness caused him to prefer to live with the people who knew him well, in order that they give him the respect he deserved, rather than live with people who would deal with him while not knowing his status.]

Abu Sa'id Bakr bin Munir said, in regards to al-Bukhari:

"The Amir Khalid bin Ahmad adh-Dhuhali sent to Bukhara, for Muhammad bin Isma'il al-Bukhari: "Bring to me your books 'al-Jami' as-Sahih' and 'at-Tarikh,' so that I can learn them from you."

So, Muhammad bin Isma'il al-Bukhari said to the messenger:

"I will not humiliate this knowledge, nor will I carry it to the gates of the ruler. So, if you desire something from it, come and attend my lessons in my mosque, or come to my home. If this is not good enough for you, you are the ruler: you can prevent me from giving lessons, so that I can have an excuse before Allah on the Day of Resurrection, for I will not conceal this knowledge, as the Prophet said:
"Whoever is asked about knowledge and conceals it, shall come on the Day of Resurrection wearing a bridle of fire.""

And this was the reason for the friction between al-Bukhari and the ruler."


['Hadi as-Sari' (the introduction to 'Fath al-Bari'); p. 493]

A student of al-Khatib al-Baghdadi narrated:

"One day, some wealthy men entered the mosque of al-Khatib, carrying some money in his sleeve, and said to al-Khatib: "Fulan sends his greetings to you, and tells you to spend these dinars on your needs."

al-Khatib replied: "I have no need for this money," and straightened his face.

The man replied: "Do you pretend that you are not in need of this?" and he emptied the sleeve full of coins on al-Khatib's carpet, saying: "This is three hundred dinars."

al-Khatib's face then became red with anger, and he took hold of the carpet, shook the coins off of it, and stormed out of the mosque.

I wil never forget the honor with which al-Khatib left that mosque, and the humiliation in which he left that man, sitting on the floor, collecting his scattered coins from here and there."

['Tabaqat ash-Shafi'iyyah'; 3/14]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

'Umar bin al-Khattab said:

"If one of you is blessed with affection from his brother, he should hold onto that as tightly as possible, as it is quite rare for one to be blessed with this."

'Umar also said:

"Nobody is given anything, besides his Islam, better than a righteous friend."

'Ali bin Abi Talib said:

"Tend to your brothers, as they are your sustenance in this world and the next. Do you not hear the saying of the people of Hell:

{"Now, we have neither intercessors nor close friends to help us!"} [ash-Shu'ara'; 100-1]?"

'Abdullah bin 'Umar said:

"By Allah, if I fasted all day without eating, prayed all night without sleeping, spent all of my wealth in the Path of Allah, died the day I died, but, had no love in my heart for those who obey Allah, and no hatred in my heart for those who disobey Allah, none of this would benefit me in the least."

'Abdullah bin Mas'ud said:

"If a man were to stand for seventy years, worshipping Allah between the Yemeni Corner and the Maqam of Ibrahim (at the Ka'bah), he would still be resurrected on the Day of Judgement with those whom he loved."

Ibn as-Sammak said, on his deathbed:

"O Allah! You Know that, even if I had disobeyed You, I loved those who obeyed You! So, make this for me a means of nearness to You!"

Mujahid said:

"Those who love each other for Allah's Sake, when they smile at each other, their sins fall from each other, just as the leaves fall from a tree before the winter."

al-Ghazali said, commenting on the hadith

"The strongest bond of faith is to love for Allah and to hate for Allah":

"Because of this, it is a must that a person have enemies that he hates for Allah's Sake, just as he has friends and brothers that he loves for Allah's Sake."

[Collected in al-Ghazali's 'Ihya' 'Ulum ad-Din' (2/195 onwards)]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn Jad'an reported:

"'Umar heard a man supplicating: "O Allah! Make me from the few!"

So, 'Umar asked him: "O slave of Allah! And who are the few?"

The man answered: "I heard Allah Say: {"...and none believed with him except a few..."} and {"...and few of My slaves are thankful..."}."

So, 'Umar said: "Everyone is more knowledgeable than 'Umar!"

[''Uluww al-Himmah'; p. 41]

Sufyan bin 'Uyaynah said:

"Traverse the paths of the truth, and do not be discouraged by the small number of people who do the same."

[''Uluww al-Himmah'; p. 41]

al-Fudayl bin 'Iyad said:

"Stick to the path of guidance, and do not be hurt by the small number of people who take this path, and beware of the path of misguidance, and do not be fooled by the large number of people who destroy themselves on this path."

[''Uluww al-Himmah'; p. 41]

Sulayman ad-Darani said:

"If every single person began to have doubt in the truth, I would remain certain in it by myself."

[''Uluww al-Himmah'; p. 42]

Some of the righteous people said:

"Your being alone on the path to what you seek is a proof of your sincerity in seeking that thing."

[''Uluww al-Himmah'; p. 42]

Ibn Taymiyyah said:

...in regards to the verse: {"Verily, Ibrahim was a nation unto himself, obedient and pure."} [an-Nahl; 120] "Meaning, he was the only believer, and the rest of the people were all disbelievers."

['Majmu' al-Fatawa'; 11/436]

Dr. Muhammad Ahmad ar-Rashid said:

"As for the strangeness of the strangers mentioned in the hadith: "...glad tidings for the strangers," then this is a strangeness in relation to the reality around a person. Meaning, glad tidings to them because of the rarity of such people, and their small number within the ocean of misguidance. As for the world of emotions and feelings, then the single believer has, in his belief, a close friend and companion that relieves the feeling of strangeness."

['al-Muntalaq'; p. 236]

Ibn al-Qayyim said:

"[Such a person] does not become disheartened by those who differ from and oppose him, as they are lesser in importance and significance, even if they might be greater in number, as some of the Salaf said: "Traverse the paths of the truth, and do not be discouraged by the small number of people who do the same." Every time you feel disheartened by your being alone on this path, then look to those who came before you and strive to catch up with them, and turn away from everyone else, as they will not benefit you in the least with Allah. If you happen to see them somewhere along the path that you are upon, then do not turn to look at them, for if you do so, they will distract you and simply delay your progress."

['Madarij as-Salikin'; 1/21]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

The Messenger of Allah said:

"Whoever wants to to love Allah and His Messenger, then let him read the Mushaf."

['Sahih al-Jami''; # 6289]


Ibn 'Abbas narrated:

"al-Walid bin al-Mughirah (a polytheist) came to the Messenger of Allah. The Messenger of Allah recited the Qur'an to him, and al-Walid seemed to become affected and softened by it. Abu Jahl came to know of this, so, he came to al-Walid and said: "Don't you see that your people are collecting charity for you?"

He said: "And why is that?"

Abu Jahl replied: "So that they can give it to you, as they see that you went to Muhammad to get some of his food."

al-Walid said: "Quraysh knows that I am of the wealthiest of its sons."

Abu Jahl said: "So, say to Muhammad something that would convince your people that you oppose him."

al-Walid replied: "And what can I possibly say? There is not a single man who is more knowledgable of poetry or prose than I, or even that of the Jinn, and by Allah, what he says bears no resemblance to these things. By Allah, what he says has a sweetness to it, and a charm upon it; the highest part of it is fruitful and the lowest part of it is gushing forth with bounty; it dominates and cannot be dominated, and it crushes all that is under it.""

[Reported by al-Hakim in 'al-Mustadrak' (2/506-507) and at-Tabari in 'Jami' al-Bayan' (29/156), and it is authentic]


Jubayr bin Mut'im said:

"I heard the Messeger of Allah recite 'at-Tur' in the Maghrib prayer, and when he got to the verses {"Were they created by nothing, or were they themselves the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? No, but they have no firm Belief. Or are with them the treasures of your Lord? Or are they the tyrants with the authority to do as they like?"} [at-Tur; 35-37], my heart wanted to fly from my body out of awe."

['Tafsir Ibn Kathir'; 4/309]


'Uthman bin 'Affan said:

"If our hearts were truly pure, we would never get enough of the Words of our Lord, and I hate that one day passes with me not looking in the Mushaf."

['al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah'; 7/215]


Ibn Abi Mulaykah narrated:

"'Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl used to press the Mushaf to his face and cry, saying: "The Book of my Lord! The Words of my Lord!""

[Reported by 'Abdullah bin al-Mubarak in 'al-Jihad'; # 56]


Bishr bin as-Sirri said:

"Verily, each verse is like a date: the more you chew it, the more of its sweetness is released." Abu Sulayman heard this and commented: "True. It is the case with one of you that if he begins one chapter of it, he wants to read it to the end."

['al-Hadith fi 'Ulum al-Qur'an'; p. 70]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

'Abdullah bin Mas'ud said, in describing the way of the Companions:

"Whoever amongst you wishes to follow someone, then let him follow those who have died, as you cannot be sure to protect yourself from the fitnah of those who are alive. These are the Companions of Muhammad: they were the best of this Ummah, were the purest of it in heart, the deepest of it in knowledge, and were the least of it in burdening themselves. Allah chose them to accompany His Prophet and to establish His Religion, so realize their virtue and follow in their footsteps, as they were upon the upright guidance."

[Ibn al-Qayyim's 'Ighathat al-Lahfan'; 1/159]


Ibn Mas'ud also said:

"Beware of exagguration and digging too deeply into matters, and follow the original path."

[Ibn Rajab's 'Jami' al-'Ulum wal-Hikam'; 1/270]


Anas bin Malik narrated:

"We were with 'Umar, so I heard him say: "We were forbidden from burdening ourselves.""

['Ighathat al-Lahfan'; 1/159]


'Amr bin al-'As narrated:

"I had a wet dream on a cold night on the expedition of Dhat as-Salasil, so, I feared that I would die if I took a bath. So, I performed tayammum, then prayed the morning prayer with my companions. They mentioned this to the Prophet, so he said: "O 'Amr! You led your companions in prayer while you were in a state of impurity?" So, I informed him of what had prevented me from taking a bath, and said that I heard Allah's Saying: {"And do not kill yourselves; verily, Allah is Merciful to you."} [an-Nisa'; 29]

So, the Messenger of Allah smiled and did not say anything."

[Reported by Abu Dawud (334), and it is authentic]


'Abdullah bin Shafiq narrated:

"Ibn 'Abbas once was preaching to the people from after the time of 'Asr until the Sun had set and the stars appeared, and the people began to cry: "The prayer! The prayer!" Then, a man from Banu Tamim came to Ibn 'Abbas and said: "The prayer! The prayer!" So, Ibn 'Abbas said to him: "Are you going to teach me the Sunnah, may you be deprived of your mother? I saw the Messenger of Allah combine between the Dhuhr and 'Asr, and between the Maghrib and 'Isha' without being on a journey or in a state of fear. This was because he did not want to put his Ummah to hardship." This statement of his did not sit well with me, so, I went to Abu Hurayrah and asked him about it, and he confirmed it."

['Sahih Muslim'; # 705]


It was also narrated:

"One time it rained, so, Ibn 'Abbas said to the one calling to the prayer: "When you say "I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah," then say after it: "Pray in your homes."" The people were uneasy with this, so, he said: "One who was better than me (meaning, the Prophet) did this. Verily, the Friday prayer requires effort, and I did not want to make you come out in the mud.""

['Sahih al-Bukhari'; # 901]


It was narrated of 'Abdullah bin 'Umar:

"One time, 'Abdullah bin 'Umar was asked about a type of cheese that was produced by the Magians, so, he said: "Whatever I find in the marketplace of the Muslims, I buy and do not ask about.""

['Jami' al-'Ulum wal-Hikam'; 1/269]


It was narrated:

"'Umar bin al-Khattab was out riding with 'Amr bin al-'As when they came across a water fountain. 'Amr said to the owner of the fount: "O owner of this fount! Does your fountain attract any beasts?" So, 'Umar said: "O owner of the fount! Do not tell us, as we come across beasts and they come across us.""

[az-Zarqani's explanation of Malik's 'Muwatta''; 1/70]


al-Imam ash-Sha'bi said:

"If you are faced with two (permissible) choices, then the easiest of the two is the closest of them to the truth, due to Allah's Saying: {"Allah desires ease for you, and He does not desire hardship for you."} [al-Baqarah; 185]

[al-Qasimi's 'Mahasin at-Ta'wil'; 1/427]


Sufyan ath-Thawri said:

"Verily, knowledge is to accept an allowance of ease from one you trust. As for extreme strictness, then anyone can be good at this."

['Jami' Bayan al-'Ilm wa Fadlih'; p. 255]


Ibrahim an-Nakha'i said:

"If you are faced with two (permissible) choices, then assume that the most beloved of them to Allah is the easiest."

[Ibn Qudamah's 'al-Mughni'; 3/150]


'Umar bin 'Abd al-'Aziz, Mujahid, and Qatadah said:

"The best of two options is the easiest of them, due to His Saying: {"Allah desires ease for you..."}."

['al-Mughni'; 3/150]


It was narrated:

"Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal was asked about wearing clothing made by the disbelievers and the People of the Book without first washing them, so, he answered: "Why do you ask something that you have no reason to ask? The people - since we have been living amongst them - have had no problems with this (wearing the clothes without washing them).""

['Jami al-'Ulum wal-Hikam'; 1/269]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

When Ahmad bin Hambal was imprisoned, one of the prison guards came to him and asked him:

"O Abu 'Abdillah! The hadith that is narrated regarding the oppressors and those that aid them - is it authentic?"

He said: "Yes."

The prison guard then said: "So, I am considered to be an aide of the oppressors?"

Imam Ahmad replied: "No. The aides of the oppressors are those that comb your hair, and wash your clothes, and prepare your meals, and buy and sell from you. As for you, then you are one of the oppressors themselves."

['Manaqib al-Imam Ahmad' by Ibn al-Jawzi; p.397]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

al-Imâm ash-Shâfi'î said:

"When one desires to talk, then it is upon him to think before he speaks. If there is beneficial good in what he will say, then he should speak. If he has doubt about that, then he must not speak until he clears that doubt."

Qass bin Sâ'adah and Aktham bin Sayfî once met and one of them said to the other:

"How many defects were you able to find in the son of Adam?" The other responded: "They are too numerous to count. However, the defects that I was able to account for numbered eight thousand. I also discovered one thing which, if put into practice, would hide all of these defects." He asked: "What is it?" He responded: "Guarding the tongue."

al-Fudayl bin 'Iyâd said:

"Whoever limits his speech to be in accordance with his actions will minimize his speech on that which doesn't concern him."

al-Imâm ash-Shâfi'î said to one of his students:

"Do not speak about things that do not concern you, for indeed, every time that you speak a word, it takes control of you and you do not have control of it!"

'Abdullâh bin Mas'ûd said:

"There is nothing that deserves to be imprisoned more than the tongue."

Others have stated:

"The tongue is like a savage beast; if you do not lock it up, it will set out against you."

Abul-Qâsim al-Qushayrî said:

"Remaining silent is salvation and that is a fundamental principle. Staying quiet at the proper time is a characteristic of manhood, just as speaking when it is proper to do so is from the most honorable of manners."

He also said:

"Whoever remains silent concerning the truth, then he is a silent devil."

Guard your tongue, O mankind

And do not let it bite you, for indeed it is a snake.

How many people in the graveyards are there who were killed by their tongues?

Whoever fears meeting Allâh is truly the brave one...

[Translated from 'Kitâb al-Adhkâr' of al-Imâm an-Nawawî]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

al-Imaam Maalik (may Allaah have Mercy on him) said:

"I have seen Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir - and he was the leader of the Reciters of the Qur'aan - that he would never be asked about a hadeeth except that he would weep, until we had calmed him down.

And I have seen Ja'far ibn Muhammad who used to smile alot, yet whenever the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam was mentioned to him, he would turn pale. I have never seen him narrating the hadeeth of Allaah's Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam except in a state of purification. And when times deteriorated, I never saw him except in one of three conditions: either praying, observing silence, or reciting the Qur'aan. He never uttered a word having no significance, and he was one of the scholars and worshippers who had great fear of Allaah.

Whenever 'Abdur-Rahmaan ibn al-Qaasim mentioned the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, he turned pale as if the blood had been drained from his face, and his tongue dried-up due to reverence for Allaah's Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam.

I went to 'Aamir ibn 'Abdullaah ibn az-Zubayr, and whenever the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam was mentioned to him, he would weep so much, until he was unable to weep any longer.

I saw az-Zuhree - and he was from the kindest of people, and closest to them - that when the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam was mentioned to him, he would not be able to recognise you, nor would you be able to recognise him (from his intense weeping).

I came to Safwaan ibn Sulaym - and he was one of the mujtahid scholars and worshippers - that whenever he mentioned the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam he would weep, and he would not stop weeping, to the extent that the people would have to get up and leave him."

[Narrated by Ibn Taymiyyah in 'Kitaab al-Waseelah' , pg. 92]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

“The sincere one is he who hides his good deeds in the same way that he would hide his bad.”

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

The believer is not one who performs the ordained religious duties superficially and avoids what is forbidden only, but he is one whose faith is absolute, with no objection whatsoever arising in his heart and no obsession dwelling in his soul. The more hardships he faces, the more his faith grows and the more his submission strengthens.

He could pray and not see a trace of an answer to his prayers, yet he does not change because he knows that he is owned by One who deals with him in whatever way He chooses. For if an objection was to arise in his heart, he then forsakes the role of the slave and takes on the role of a protester such as that of Iblees (the Devil).

A strong faith unveils itself in strong hardships.

A believer sees in Yahyaa, son of Zakariyyaa, a fine example. He was killed by a tyrant who confronted him, yet He (Glorified and Exalted), who made him a prophet, did not intervene nor defend him.

Similarly all the tyranny that befell the prophets and the believers was not held back from them. If one goes to think that Divinity cannot answer for them then one is an disbeliever. However if one believes that Divinity can answer for them but chooses not to, and that Allaah (Glorified and Exalted) can make the believers go hungry while disbelievers are full and inflict the believers with sickness and grant the disbelievers health, then one is only left with submission to the Owner even when tormented or scorched.

Ya'qoob cried for eighty years when Yoosuf, the son of Ya'qoob (peace be upon him) was gone, he never gave up; all he said when his other son was gone too is “May Allaah bring all of them back to me”.

Moosaa (peace be upon him) prayed against Fir'awn, who killed children and crucified magicians and cut their hands, for 40 years before he was answered.

In such submission the intensity of one’s strong faith is manifested not in mere bowings in prayer.

So many of those who glorify Allaah's Will were afflicted with tribulations and this did not increase them except in submission and pleasure with their Lord, and therein lies an explanation of the meaning of His words: "Allaah is pleased with them." (5:119 and elsewhere)

Al-Hasan al-Basri said: people are all the same in health and ease, but when hardship befalls them, true distinction is shown.

{Translated from Sayd al-Khaatir of Ibn al-Jawzi, pg. 364}

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

From Rabee'ah al-Aslami who reported:

I used to serve the Messenger of Allaah, so he gave me a piece of land and gave Abu Bakr a piece of land. Then, the worldly life came and and we argued over a bunch of palm trees, so Abu Bakr said: 'It is in my piece of land!' and I said:'It is in my piece of land!' Then there was an exchange of words between Abu Bakr and myself, so Abu Bakr said something to me that I disliked, and he regretted that.

So he said to me: 'O Rabee'ah! Say back to me what I said to you so that we would be equal.'

I said: 'I will not do so!'

Abu Bakr said: 'Say it, or I will call the Messenger of Allaah on you!'

I said: 'I will not do so.'

So Abu Bakr - may Allaah be pleased with him - went to the Prophet and I followed him, so the people from (the tribe of) Aslam came and said: 'May Allaah have mercy on Abu Bakr! Why would he call the Messenger of Allaah on you when he (the Prophet) has said to you what he has said?'

So I said:'Do you know who that is? That is Abu Bakr the Truthful (as-Siddeeq)! He is the one who was in the Cave with the Prophet, and he is the elder of the Muslims! So you had better not cause him to turn around and see you helping me against him, making him angry, causing the Messenger of Allaah to come and become angry because of Abu Bakr's anger, thereby causing Allaah to become angry for both of their anger, thereby causing me to be destroyed!'

So they said: 'So what do you want us to do?'

I said: 'Go back to where you came from.'

So Abu Bakr went to the Messenger of Allaah and I followed him by myself and continued until he got to the Prophet and informed him of our conversation as it happened.

So he (the Prophet) raised his head to me and said: 'O Rabee'ah! What is going on between you and as-Siddeeq?'

So I said: 'O Messenger of Allaah, this happened and that happened, so he said something to me that I disliked, and he told me to say the same thing back to him so that we would be equal.'

So the Messenger of Allaah said: 'Do not return his comment to him, rather say 'May Allaah forgive you O Abu Bakr! May Allaah forgive you O Abu Bakr!'

So Abu Bakr - may Allaah have mercy on him - turned his face and began to cry.

[From as-Silsilah as-Saheehah; #3258]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

"...They were youths, yet mature youths, their eyes fresh and free of evil, their feet refrained from approaching falsehood and futility.

They sacrificed and expended themselves in worship and in withholding themselves from sleep. They sold their souls which were to pass away for souls which would never die.

Allaah saw them in the latter part of the night, bending their backs, reciting the Qur'aan. Whenever one of them came to an Aayah mentioning Paradise, he would weep, longing for it. Whenever he came upon an Aayah mentioning the fire he would groan out of fear, as if the Hell-fire were directly in front of him.

The earth devoured their knees their hands and their foreheads (out of their constant prostration). They joined exhaustion in the night with exhaustion in the day. Their colour becoming yellowed and their bodies emaciated through standing long in prayer and frequent fasting - whilst they regarded their own actions to be negligible before Allaah.

They fulfilled their covenant with Allaah and attained Allaah's promise."

So let us hasten to be like them and to resemble them, since, as it was said: We are not in comparison to those who came before except like small herbs growing beside the trunks of tall palm trees.

And as 'Abdullaah Ibn al-Mubaarak said: Do not mention us whilst mentioning them, the fit and healthy when he walks is not like the crippled.

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Abû ad-Dardâ' said:

"Worship Allâh as if you see Him, and count yourselves from amongst the dead, and know that a small amount to suffice you is better than abundance that will destroy you, and know that righteousness does not bring about harm and that sins are not forgotten (by Allâh)."

[Wakee' bin al-Jarraah's 'Kitaab az-Zuhd']

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Muhammad bin Ka'b said:

"If Allâh desires good for a servant, he makes him abstain from the worldly pleasures, gives him understanding of the religion, and allows him to see his own mistakes. Whoever is given these qualities is given all the good that is in this World and the next."

[Wakee' bin al-Jarraah's 'Kitaab az-Zuhd']

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

'Umar wrote to Abû Mûsâ:

"Verily, understanding and wisdom are not attained by old age; rather, they are provisions from Allâh."

[Wakee' bin al-Jarraah's 'Kitaab az-Zuhd']

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Abu az-Zahiriyyah narrated:

"I went to Tarsus, so I entered upon Abu Mu'awiyah al-Aswad after he had become blind. In his house, I saw a Mushaf hanging from the wall, so said to him: "May Allah have Mercy upon you! A Mushaf while you cannot even see?"

He replied: "My brother, will you keep a secret for me until the day I die?"

I said: "Yes." Then, he said to me: "Verily, when I want to read from the Qur'an, my eyesight comes back to me."

[Imam Ibn Al Jawzi's Sifat us-Safwah]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

al-Fudayl bin 'Iyad narrated:

'Abdul-Wahid bin Zayd said: "I asked Allah - the Mighty and Majestic - for three nights in a row to show me my future companion in Paradise in a dream, so in my dream, I heard a caller saying: "O 'Abdul-Wahid! Your companion in Paradise is Maymunah as-Sawda'." So, I asked: "And where is she now?" The voice replied: "She is among such-and-such a tribe in Kufah."

So, I went out to Kufah and asked about her, so I was told: "She is among us, and she takes care of the livestock." So, I said: "I wish to see her." I was taken to the place where she was, and found her standing in prayer with a walking stick to support her. She was wearing a wool cloak, with a sign written on it that said: "Not to be bought or sold." ِAlso, the sheep that she was supposed to be caring for were surrounded by wolves. However, the wolves were not trying to attack the sheep, and the sheep were not afraid of the wolves.

When she saw me, she ended her prayer and said to me: "Go back, Ibn Zayd. Our meeting place is not here. Rather, it is later on (in the Hereafter)."

I said to her: "May Allah have Mercy upon you! Who told you that I am Ibn Zayd?"

She said: "I know that the souls are like a unified army, so the souls that go together are one, and the souls that differ from each other are divided."

I said to her: "Advise me."

She said: "Strange! An admonisher who wishes to be admonished? O Ibn Zayd, it has been related to me that a servant is not given anything of this worldly life and wished for more of it, except that Allah ceases to allow that servant to love Him and desire Him, and He exchanges the closeness that he had with Him for distance..." Then she recited:

O admonisher! The accounting has begun * To drive the people away from sin

You forbid others while you are the one who is truly ill * This is indeed a strange evil

If you had rectified yourself beforehand * Your mistakes and repented recently

Then - my dear - what you you said * Would have had a position of truth in the heart

You warn against temptation and excess * While you yourself are in a state of doubt"

I then said to her: "I see these wolves with the sheep, but the sheep do not run away from the wolves, and the wolves do not try to eat the sheep! What is this?"

She said: "This is a sign to you from me: since I made peace between my Master and I, He made peace between the wolves and the sheep.""

[Ibn Al Jawzi's Sifat us-Safwah]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Qutaybah said,

"If you ever see someone that loves Imam Ahmad, know that they are a follower of the Sunnah."

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn Al-Qayyim described Allah's Greatness, saying,

He governs the affairs of the various kingdoms and He commands and forbids, creates, sustains, gives death, gives life, gives power, strips power (to and from whom He wills) and alternates the night and day. He gives varying fortunes to people and alternates governments (and states), destroying some and bringing some into existence. His Command and Power are dominant in the heavens and their zones, the earth and all that which is on and in it, in the seas and in the air. His Knowledge has encompassed everything and He counted everything. He hears all types of voices and they do not confuse Him. Rather, He hears each voice in its distinct language and need, and no voice will make Him busy from fulfilling the need of another, and no need will ever escape His Perfect Knowledge (and His Power to deliver). He does not become bored because of the many needs of those who need. His Sight encompasses all that which there is. He sees the movement of a black ant on a barren rock during a dark night. To Him, the Unseen is uncovered end the secret is secret no more, "Whosoever is in the heavens and on Earth begs of Him (its needs from Him). Every day He has a matter to bring Forth (such as giving honor to some, disgrace to some, life to (some, death to some, etc.)." [55:29] He forgives an evil deed, makes depression vanish and brings reprieve from disasters, relief for whoever needs it, wealth for the poor, guidance for the misguided, light for the lost, help for he who is desperate, fullness for the hungry, cover for the barely clothed, cure for the ill and ease for he who suffers. He accepts he who repents, gives reward for he who does good, gives aid for he who was dealt with injustice, destroys an arrogant person, covers mistakes, gives safety after fear end elevates some people and humiliates others. If those who inhabit His heavens and His earth and all those whom He created, whether mankind or the Jinns, had hearts similar to the most pious heart, His Kingdom will not increase. If all His creation, whether mankind or the Jinns, had hearts similar to the heart of the most wicked heart, this will not decrease from His Kingdom. Also, if all those who inhabit His heavens and His earth, all mankind and all the Jinns, the dead and the living, stand up on one strip of land and each asks Him for his need, and He then fulfils their needs, this will not decrease from what He has a bit. He is the First, nothing is before Him, the Last, nothing is after Him, the Most High, nothing is above Him, and the Most Near, nothing is nearer than Him. He, Exalted and Ever High as He is, is the Best Whom one can and should remember, the only One Who deserves to be worshiped and thanked, the Kindest of all those who own and the Most generous of all those who are asked to give. He is the King Who has no partner, the One Who has no competitor, the Samad (Self-Sufficient) Who has no offspring, and the Ever High, none like unto Him. Everything perishes save His Face and every kingship is bound to perish except His. He will only be obeyed by His Leave, and His Knowledge uncovers all disobedience to Him. When He is obeyed, He thanks for it, and when He is disobeyed, He grants forgiveness (for those who truly repent to Him). Every punishment from Him is just and every bounty is a grace. He is the Closest Witness and the Nearest One with His Perfect Care. He controls the forelocks of everything and has the full records of all deeds end the books of all ages. The hearts are unmasked to Him and the secret is unveiled. His giving and punishing is merely a Command, "Verily, His Command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, ‘Be, and it is!’" [36:82].

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn al-Qayyim wrote in Madarij as-Salikeen:

وفرحك بالذنب أشد عند الله من الذنب

"The happiness one feels with their sin is worse in sight of Allah than the sin itself"

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

[This is a treatise written by our teacher, the learned Imam Shams al-Din Abu ‘Abd Allah, Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr ibn Ayyub ibn Sa’id, better known as Ibn al-Qayyim (may God sanctify his soul, illumine his grave and unite us in the Abode of God’s Generosity). He said:]

There is neither strength nor power save in God Almighty. It is God we implore—and whose answer we await—to watch over you in this world and the next, to shower you with His graces, outwardly and inwardly, and to make you among those who, when blessed, give thanks; when tried, persevere; and when sinful, seek forgiveness. For these three conditions are tokens of the servant’s happiness [sa’adat al-abd], and the signs of his success in this world and the next. No servant is without them, but is always shifting from one to the other.

The first condition is the blessings which come to the servant from God (Most High), one after another. What secures them is gratitude [shukr], based on three supports: inward recognition of the blessing; outward mention and thanks for it; and its use in a way that pleases the One to whom it truly belongs and who truly bestows it. Acting thus, the servant shows his gratitude for the blessing—however brief.

The second is the trials from God (Most High) which test the Servant, whose duty therein is patience [sabr]and forbearance: to restrain himself from anger with what is decreed; to restrain his tongue from complaint; to restrain his limbs from offences, such as striking one’s face in grief, rending one’s clothes, tearing one’s hair and like acts. Patience, then, rests on these three supports, and if the servant maintains them as he should, affliction will become benefaction, trial will change to bounty and what he disliked will become what he loves. For God (Exalted and Sublime) does not try the servant in order to destroy him. Rather, He tries him to put his patience and devotion [al-ubudiyya] to the test. For the servant owes devotion to God in affliction as in ease. He must have as much devotion in what he hates as in what he loves. And while most people offer devotion in what they love, it is important to do so in the things they hate. It is by this that servants’ ranks are distinguished and their stations determined.

Ablution with cold water in searing heat is devotion. Sexual relations with one’s beautiful and beloved spouse is devotion. Spending money for her, for one’s children and for oneself is devotion. It is devotion no less than ablution with cold water in the bitter cold; giving up vice to which one’s soul is driven without fear of people; and giving charity in hardship. But there is a great difference between the [two kinds] of devotion.

He who is God’s servant in both states, maintaining his duty in both comfort and adversity, is the one to whom His words refer, ‘Is not God sufficient for His servant?’ With complete devotion comes complete sufficiency, and with less comes what is less. Let him who discerns some good give praise to God, but let whoever finds something other than this blame no one but himself.

These are the servants over whom God’s Foe has no control. God said [to the Devil], ‘Lo! As for My servants, you have no power over them.” And when His Foe Iblis learned that He would not let His devoted servants yield to him or give him control over them, he proclaimed, ‘Then by Your Might, I will surely beguile them all save for Your sincere servants among them. And God (Most High) said, ‘And Iblis found his calculation true, for they [all] followed him save a group of true believers. And he had no warrant whatsoever over [any of] them save that We might know the ones who believe in the hereafter from those who doubt it.’ God will not yield to His Foe control over His faithful servants. They are in His protection and His care. If the Devil robs any of them, as the thief robs the heedless man, this cannot be avoided, because by heedlessness, passion and anger is the servant tried. It is by these same three doors that the Devil comes to him. Try as he may to protect himself, the servant is bound to be heedless and given to passion and anger.

Adam, the father of all humanity, was the most discerning of creatures, their superior in wisdom, and the most steadfast. Yet the Foe kept after him until he made him fall into that which he fell. What then of someone with the reason of a moth, whose intelligence compared to that of his father [Adam] is like a spittle in the ocean? Still, the Foe of God obtains nothing from a faithful person except by robbing him in [a moment on inattention and carelessness. And when he causes him to fall, the servant may think that he can never again face his Lord, that this fall has carried him away and destroyed him. Yet behind it all is God’s grace, mercy, clemency and forgiveness.

For if God intends what is good for His servant, He will then open for him the doors of repentance [al-tawba]and remorse, abasement and humility, dependence and need; the doors of the request for God’s help and protection; the doors of perpetual humility, supplication and the approach towards Him by means of whatever good works he can manage—so that his wrong may become a means to God’s mercy. For the Foe says, ‘Alas, I left him without causing him to fall!’

This is what one of the early believers [salaf]meant when he said, ‘A person may commit a sin by which he goes to heaven and a good deed by which he goes to hell.’ ‘How?’ someone asked. He replied, ‘Having committed the sin, he is ever watchful in fear, regretful, timorous, lamenting, shamed before his Lord, his head in his hands and his heart rent. The sin that brings him all that we have mentioned, wherein lie his happiness and salvation, is more beneficial to him than numerous devotional acts. Indeed, it becomes the means by which he enters Heaven.

[On the other hand], he may perform a goodly deed and constantly laud it before his Lord, wax proud, boast, become vain and haughty with it, as he says, ‘I did this, I did that.’ His self-importance, pride and arrogance provide him only with the means to his own ruin. If God intends then what is good for this miserable person, He will try him through something that breaks [his pride], abases him and reduces his self-importance. But if He intends otherwise, He will leave him to his self-importance and pride, and this misfortune is what leads to his ruin.’

[From: The Invocation of God]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn Qayyim's Description of a Migrator to the Messenger :

Migration to the Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam is a knowledge that has been [mostly] lost [from among people]; only its name continues to exist. It is a practice that has been abandoned; only its outline remains. It is a road whose milestones have been obliterated by wild animals, and whose water sources have been dried up by the enemies.

Thus the person who takes this road is a stranger among people, unique in his surroundings, distant [from others] despite his physical closeness, lonely despite numerous neighbours. He is unhappy with what pleases [the common] people, and [often] satisfied with what depresses them. He resides when they travel, and travels when they reside. He is alone in the Way that he chose for seeking his goal, feeling no satisfaction until he achieves it. He is with the people in his body, but away from them by virtue of his goal. Their eyes sleep indifferently, neglecting to seek the Guidance; but he spends his nights awake. They are too lazy for migration to the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, while he is totally engrossed in its pursuit. They scorn his indifference to their ideas; and they blame him for criticizing their ignorance and inconsistencies. They cast their doubts on him, and they keep close watch over him.

They wait hopefully for death to rid them of him. He responds to them with what Allah says:

"Say [Muhammad]: "Do you await for us anything except one of the two best things (martyrdom or victory), while we await for you that Allah will afflict you with a punishment from Himself or at our hands. So wait, we too are waiting with you." [at-Tawba 9:52]

And

"He (Muhammad) said: "My Lord! Judge You in truth! Our Lord is ar-Rahman (the Most Merciful), whose help is to be sought against that which you attribute unto Him [of falsehoods]." [al-Anbiya 21:112]

He further reminds them [with what an Arab poet once said]:
"Both we and you will die, And the true loser at the time of reckoning is he who will then feel sorry."

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

One of the salaf said:

"A just person is one whose anger does not cause him to do wrong, and whose pleasure does not prevent him from doing right."

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ash-Shafi'ee (r) reported a consensus among the scholars of the Sahaabah, the Tabi'een, and their followers, that:

"If a sunnah of Allah's Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam becomes manifest to a person, he does not have any choice but to follow it, regardless of what other people say."

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Thus the human excellence is confined to four matters:

First, knowing the Message of Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam.

Second, acting in accordance with this knowledge.

Third, spreading this knowledge among people and inviting them to it.

Fourth, persevering and striving in accomplishing all this.

One who seeks to learn how the Sahaabah (R) lived and who want to follow them should know that this was indeed their way [so let him follow it). A poet once said:

"If you want to reach those folk, follow their way: It is quite manifest for those who aspire to it."

[Ibn Qayyim Al Jawziyyah]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Attributed to Imam Ash-Shafiee:

“Let the days bring what they may, and be contented when a decree has come to pass, when the execution of it comes in a land of some nation, neither earth nor sky can prevent it.”

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn Abu Talib said to Ammar, when he found him deeply sighing,

"Oh Ammar, why do you sigh? Do you sigh for the hereafter or for this world? By Allah I swear that this world is not worth sighing for, because its pleasures are of five kinds, food, drink, sexual intercourse, clothes and perfumes. The best of all foods is honey and it comes from a bee, an insect. The best of all drinks is water, and it is the most freely available. The best of all clothing is silk, and it comes from the mouth of a worm. And the best of all perfumes of is musk, which comes from a rat. And the best experience of sexual intercourse is the union of two urine-making areas."

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

"We used to say that those amongst us with the most sins, are those who spend their time talking about the sins of others."

- Muhammad ibn Sireen

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

“I have known people and kept company with groups who neither rejoiced when the things of this world came to them, nor grieved when they lost anything in this world. The life of this world was more insignificant to them than dust. One of them might live for a year or for sixty years without ever having a garment that would entirely cover him, and without ever having anything that would come between him and the ground, and without ever having any food that he could ask to be prepared for him in his own home. When night came, they would be on their feet, with their foreheads flat against the earth, tears rolling down their cheeks, secretly calling on Allah to save them on the Day of Judgement. If they did something good, they never stopped being grateful for it, and they were always asking Allah to forgive them for it. By Allah, they were not safe from wrong actions, and were saved only by their constant turning in repentance. May Allah be pleased with them and grant them His mercy...”

[al-Hasan al-Basree]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Al-Hasan said:

“أدركت سبعين من أصحاب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كلهم يريد درأ الفتوى عن نفسه”

“I witnessed 70 of the companions of the Messenger sallallahu alaihi wasallam and they all liked if someone else gave the fatwa.”

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

The Messenger :arabic5:

said,

"Whoever calls for guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of those who follow him, without diminishing any of their reward. And whoever calls for misguidence will have a burden similar to the burdens of those who follow him, without diminshing any of their reward."

[Muslim]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Stated Imaam al-Barbahaaree,

"May Allaah have mercy upon you! Examine carefully the speech of everyone you hear from in your time particularly. So do not act in haste and do not enter into anything from it until you ask and see: Did any of the Companions of the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) speak about it or any of the scholars? So if you find a narration from them about it, cling to it, do not go beyond it for anything and do not give precedence to anything over it and thus fall into the Fire."

[Sharh us-Sunnah]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

And `Umar bin Salamah al-Hamdaanee said:

"We were sitting in the circle of Ibn Mas'ood in the mosque, which had been plain land after it had been covered with gravel. `Ubaidullaah bin Umar ibn al-Khattaab, who had just returned from an expedition, said to him: `

What is the straight path O Abu `Abdur-Rahmaan?'

He replied: `By the Lord of the Ka'bah, it is that which your father was firmly established upon until he entered Paradise' and then he swore firmly upon that three times,

Then he drew a line in the ground with his hand and also drew lines to either side of it and said:

`Your Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) left you upon this end and its other end is in Paradise. So whoever remains steadily upon it will enter Paradise and whoever takes any of these lines will be destroyed."

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn Abbas said (with a sahih chain of narration):

“For me to step forward and have my head cut off is dearer to me than for me to be in the front of a group which contains Abu Bakr.”

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

From Ahmad (with an authenticity of sahih):

The Prophet (sas) said to Abu Bakr and Ali:

“With one of you is Jibreel and with the other is Mikail and Israfil and another great angel who participates in battle.”

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

من ذا الذي قد نال راحة سره * في عسره إن كان أو في يسره
فأخو التجارة خـائف مترقب * مما يلاقي من خسارة أمره
وأخو الوزارة حـائر متفـكر * مما يقاسي من نوائب دهره
وكذلك السلطـان في أحكامه * رهن الهموم على جلالة قدره
ولقد حسدت الطير في أوكاره * فوجدت أكثر ما يصاد بوكره
تالله لو عـاش الفتى من دهره * ألفا من الأعوام مالك أمره
متلـذذا فيهـا بكل مليـحة * متنعما فيها بنعمى عصره
لا يعتريـه السقـم فيها مرة * أبدا ولا تطرا الهموم بفكره
وصفت له الأيـام حتى إنـه * لا تنطق الأصوات عند مقره
ما كان ذلك كلـه ممـا يفي * بمبيت أول ليلة في قبره

Who has found true peace of mind * In better, or perhaps in worse?
The businessman is worn with fear * Of loss in his commerce
The statesman lives in fretful dread * Of times and tides adverse
The potentate, for all his power * In thrall to angst and fears
For after every glad report * Comes news that rocks his piers
I’d envy the birds, but the nest, I found * Is oft where the kill occurs
By Allah, if a man had to live, in control * Of his life, for a thousand years
Indulging in every beauty’s delight * In a bliss that for life endures
With never an illness obstructing his way * And he never a worry incurs
And tranquility reigns, and his days are serene * And no noise ever reaches is ears—
None of that would avail him the first night spent* In the grave, when he ends his years.

[Imam Shafiee - Translated by Abu Muhammad]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn Qudamah (rahimahumullah) once said that...

...when one slanders you, you should be thankful that he spoke something about you which was untrue, for there are many blemishes on your account which are true which Allah hid from the world.

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

“The people of Qur’aan, they are the people of Allaah and His specialties.”

[Ahmad, Nisaa’ee, Ibn Maajah]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah said,

There are various types of ‘abandonment’ of the Qur’aan:

1) To abandon listening to it and believing in it.

2) To abandon acting upon it, and ignoring its lawful and prohibited ordinances (Halaal and haraam), even if one believes in it and recites it.

3) To abandon judging by it, and resorting to it as a judge when there are differences in the essence of the religion or other matters.

4) To abandon pondering over it, and understanding it, and seeking the explanation of it.

5) To abandon using it as a cure in all types of diseases of the heart, and instead to seek to cure these diseases by other means.

And all of these categories are included in the statement of Allaah,

'And the Messenger (will) say: “0 My Lord, indeed my people took this Qur’aan as something worthy of being abandoned!’' [25:30]

even though some of these types of abandonment are worse than others.

[Quoted in 'An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur'aan' - Shaykh Yasir Qadhi]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

“Indeed, Allaah will honour people (i.e., in this world and the Hereafter) by this Book, and He will debase others by it.”
[Muslim]

“Whoever puts (the Qur’aan) ahead of him, it will lead him to Paradise; and whoever throws it behind him, it will drag him into Hell.”
[at-Tabaraani]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

There are ten useless matters:

1. Knowledge that is not acted on
2. The deed that has neither sincerity nor is based on following the righteous examples of others
3. Money that is hoarded, as the owner neither enjoys it during this life nor obtains any reward for it in the Hereafter
4. The heart that is empty of love and longing for Allah, and of seeking closeness to Him
5. A body that does not obey and serve Allah
6. Loving Allah without following His orders or seeking His pleasure
7. Time that is not spent in expiating sins or seizing opportunities to do good
8. A mind that thinks about useless matters
9. Serving those who do not bring you close to Allah, nor benefit you in your life
10. Hoping and fearing whoever is under the authority of Allah and in His hand; while he cannot bring any benefit or harm to himself, nor death, nor life; nor can he resurrect himself.

However the greater of these matters are wasting the heart and wasting time. Wasting the heart is done by preferring this worldly life over the Hereafter, and wasting time is done by having incessant hope. Destruction occurs by following one’s desires and having incessant hope, while all goodness is found in following the right path and preparing oneself to meet Allah.

How strange it is that when a servant of Allah has a [worldly] problem, he seeks help of Allah, but he never asks Allah to cure his heart before it dies of ignorance, neglect, fulfilling one’s desires and being involved in innovations. Indeed, when the heart dies, he will never feel the significance or impact of his sins.

[Ibn Qayyim Al Jawziyyah - Al-Fawa'id]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

“Give good news to this Ummah of ease of life, exalted stature, establishment of their religion, victory and leadership on earth. Whoever does acts of the Hereafter for this world, he will have no portion of the Hereafter.”

[Saheeh: Related by Ahmad (4/134) and al-Haakim (4/311) and it was authenticated by al-Albaanee in Ahkaamul-Janaa’iz (p.52).]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

And Allaah’s statement:

“They worship Me alone and do not associate anything with Me.”

Ahmad reports upon Mu’aadh who said;

I was sitting behind the Prophet, sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam, on a donkey. There was nothing between the Prophet, sal-Allaahu ’alayhe wa sallam, and I except the end of his saddle.

The Prophet said to me:

“O Mu’aadh ibn Jabal!”

I said: “Here I am O Messenger of Allaah in your service.”

The Prophet continued to ride on for some time and then he said to me: “O Mu’aadh ibn Jabal!”

I said: “Here I am O Messenger fo Allaah in your service.”

The Prophet said: “Do you know what is the right of Allaah upon His slave?”

I said: “Allaah and His Messenger know best.”

He said: “The right of Allaah upon the slaves is that they worship Him and do not associate anything with Him.”

The Prophet continued to ride on for some time and then he said to me: “O Mu’aadh ibn Jabal!”

I said: “Here I am O Messenger of Allaah, at your service.”

The Prophet said: “Do you know what is the right of the slaves upon Allaah if they (worship Him alone)?”

I said: “Allaah and His Messenger know best.”

He said: “The right of the slaves upon Allaah is that He does not punish whosoever does not associate anything with Him.”

[This narration is also reported in the two Saheehs. [Related by al-Bukhaaree (6/58) and Muslim (1/232)]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Imaam ash-Shaafi`ee - rahimahullaah - said:

"O my soul! It is not, except a few days of patience;
As if the extent were but a few dreams.
O my soul! Pass quickly on through this world;
And leave it, for indeed life lies ahead of it."

[Related by Ibn Rajab in Fadl `Ilmus-Salaf (p.63)]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

"The gates of Paradise will be opened on Monday and on Thursdays, and every servant [of Allah] who associates nothing with Allah will be forgiven, except for the man who has a grudge against his brother. [About them] it will be said, 'Delay these two until they are reconciled. Delay these two until they are reconciled. Delay these two until they are reconciled.'"

[Muslim, Maalik, Abu Dawood]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Abdullah Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

"O, you perpetrator of sin! Do not feel safe from the end result of it, when what follows the sin is greater than the sin which you committed, for to feel little or no embarrassment towards those on the right and the left of you when you committed the sin is greater than the sin which you committed. Your laughter, when you know not what Allah will do to you is greater than the sin. Your happiness with the sin if you succeeded in doing it is greater than the sin, and your unhappiness at being unable to commit the sin is greater than the sin if you had succeeded in committing it. Your fear of the wind if it moved the curtain covering your door while you were committing the sin and your heart is not disturbed by Allah seeing you is greater than the sin which you committed. Woe to you!

Do you know what was the sin of Ayyub ('alayhis salam) and why Allah, the Most High tested him in his body and by the loss of his wealth? The sin of Ayyub was only that a poor man sought his help in alleviating injustice that had befallen him, but he did not help him and he did not enjoin the good or forbid the oppressor from commiting injustice against this poor man and so Allah, the all Mighty, the all Powerful put him to trial."

Hilyatul Awliya'

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Abu Sa'id al Khudri reported Allah's Messenger (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) as saying:

"When the believers pass safely over (the bridge across) Hell, they will be stopped at a bridge between Hell and Paradise where they will retaliate against one another for the injustices done among them in the world, and when they are purified of all their sins, they will be admitted to Paradise. By Him in Whose hands the life of Muhammad is, everybody will recognize his dwelling in Paradise better than he recognizes his dwelling in this world."

[Sahih al-Bukhari, Fath Al-Bari]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn al-Qayyim, rahimahullah said:

“So O reader, for you is to benefit from this book, and upon the author is the penalty. You have the fruit, and upon him is arduous labour. So whatever you find it in harmonious with the truth and accurate - then accept it. And focus not to the author. Rather focus to what is being said, not to who is saying it. For Allah has admonished those who reject the truth if it comes from one whom he hates, and accepts it if it comes from one he loves, for these are characteristics of a wretched ummah. Some of the companions said: “Accept the truth from the one who says it, even if you dislike him, and reject falsehood from whoever it comes, even if he is beloved”, and whatever mistakes you find, then its author did not exerted effort to bring it about purposely, and truly Allah refuses to grant perfection to any save Himself. However, the one whose mistakes are counted is closer to the truth, than the one who has his goodness counted. It is upon the one who speaks to take as a source for his speech authentic knowledge, to aim to make his advice for the sake of Allah, His Book, His Messenger and to his fellow Muslim brothers. For if he makes the truth in accordance with his desires, then his heart, actions, condition and path will become corrupt. Allah says: “If the Truth had been in accord with their desires, truly the heavens and the earth, and all beings therein would have been in confusion and corruption! [23:71]”

[From Madaarij as-Saalikeen and Miftaah Daar as-Sa’aadah]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

al-Haafith ath-Thahabi, rahimahullah, says:

“Is seeking knowledge better than voluntary prayers, recitation of the Quraan and rememberance of Allah?

“Whoever is sincere to Allah in his search for knowledge, and his mind is astute, then knowledge is better for him, with some aspects of prayer and worship, for if you see him serious in knowledge yet has no share in (acts) that bring one closer to Allah, then this (one) is lazy, careless, and is not truthful in his intention.

“As for the ones who seek hadeeth, fiqh, due to personal whim and selfishness, than worship for this person is better, and this is a general categorisation, for few, by Allah, are those that I have seen sincere in their search for knowledge.”

[Siyar A’laam an-Nubalaa`, 7/167]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

'Abdurahmaan bin Mahdi, rahimahullah said of ar-Risaalah for ash-Shafi'ee:

"When I looked to ar-Risaalah for ash-Shafi'ee, I was stunned; for I saw words of an intelligent, eloquent, and advice-giving (man). And verily, I supplicate much for him"

[Cover of ar-Risaalah]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibnul-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said:

“The keys to the life of the heart lie in reflecting upon the Qur‘aan , being humble before Allaah in secret, and leaving sins.”

[Haadiyyul-’Arwaah ilaa Bilaadil-Afraah (p. 45)]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Abû Ja'far reported that the Messenger of Allâh (peace be upon him) recited: {"Is the one whose heart Allâh has opened to Islâm - so that he is upon a light from his Lord – as the one who isn't?"} [az-Zumar; 22] and then said: "Verily, this light, when it descends into the heart, it accommodates it and opens up to it." He (peace be upon him) was asked: "O Messenger of Allâh! Does this have signs by which we can know of it?" He (peace be upon him) said: "Yes - to turn away from the abode of deception (the Dunyâ), to incline towards the abode of eternity (Paradise), and to prepare for death before it arrives."

[Wakee' bin al-Jarraah's 'Kitaab az-Zuhd]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

A man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allâh! Verily, Allâh has blessed all of the Muslims with you, so single me out for some good that you have not given anyone else." He (peace be upon him) said: "Will you accept the advice that I give you?" He said: "Yes." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "If you intend to do something, then consider its consequences. If they are good, then carry it out. If they are doubtful, then do not. Get up, and let us go."

[Wakee' bin al-Jarraah's 'Kitaab az-Zuhd]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

It was said: "The likeness of the one who performs good deeds in order to show off and have a good reputation is like the one who goes out to the marketplace and fills his bags with stones, and as a result, the people say: "Look at how stuffed this man's bags are!" So, he gains nothing except what the people say about him, and if he wishes to trade these stones for something, he will get nothing in return for them. Similarly, the one who performs good deeds for show-off and reputation; there is no benefit for him in his actions other than what the people say about him, and no reward awaits him in the Hereafter, as Allah - the Exalted - says: {"And We shall turn to whatever deeds they did, and We shall make them as scattered floating particles of dust."} [al-Furqan;23]

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

It was narrated that a man asked: "The people say that I am a righteous person, so how can I tell whether or not I am righteous?" So, it was said to him: "First, expose your secrets in front of the righteous. If they are pleased with you, then know that you are righteous. If they are not, then you are not righteous. Second, offer the dunya to your heart. If it rejects it, then know that you are righteous. If it accepts it, then you are not. Third: offer the possibility of death to your soul. If it longs for death, then know that you are righteous. If not, then you are not. If these three characteristics are combined in you, then ask Allah to prevent any show-off from entering upon your actions so that they would not become ruined.

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

A man would say to his son: "I am amazed at the one upon whom death descends while he has his sanity and his tongue, yet he is still unable to describe death." So, when this man had death descend upon him, his son asked him why he did not describe death for him even though he had his sanity and his tongue. The man answered: "O son! Verily, death is greater than could be described, but I will attempt to describe it for you somewhat. By Allah, it is as if I have a mountain upon my shoulders, and it is as if my soul is being extracted from the tip of a needle, and it is as if I have a thorny plant in my throat, and it is as if the heavens have smashed into the earth and I am in between them."

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

It was said: "Verily, the people of Hell will call out to one of the angels guarding it, and he will not answer them for forty years. Then, he will say to them: {"Verily, you shall abide forever."} [az-Zukhruf; 77] Then, they will call upon their Lord: {"Our Lord! Take us out of it (Hell), and if we were to return, then we would indeed be wrong-doers!"} [al-Mu'minun; 107], and the amount of time that He will wait without answering them will be equal to twice the amount of time that the World existed. Then, He will say to them: {"Remain in it forever, and do not speak to Me."} [al-Mu'minun; 108] By Allah, after this, the people will not speak a single word, and there will not be except the inhalation and exhalation of the Hell-Fire, and their voices will be like those of screaming donkeys inbetween the inhalations and exhalations of the Fire." The narrator of this athar (who was one of the Tabi'in) commented by saying: "O people! Do you have the capacity to withstand this? Are you patient enough to withstand this? O people! Obedience to Allah is easier upon you than this, so obey Him!"

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

It was narrated: "Verily, a woman of this world - if she makes it to Paradise - will be more virtuous and preferred over the Hur al-'Ayn because of her actions in this world."

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

It was said: "When Allah banished Adam and Eve to the earth, and they first encountered the scent of the Dunya and had been deprived of the scent of Paradise, they were overwhelmed by the stink of the Dunya for over forty days."

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

It was said: "The nation of Muhammad prays a prayer that - had they prayed it - the people of Nuh would not have drowned, and the people of 'Ad would not have had the deadly wind blown upon them. Pray, for it is from the beautiful characteristics of the believers."

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

It was said: "The repentance of Adam was accepted for five reasons, and the repentance of Iblis was not accepted for five reasons. As for the repentance of Adam, then it was accepted because he admitted his sin, regretted it, blamed himself, was quick to repent, and did not lose hope of attaining Allah's Mercy. As for Iblis, then his repentence was not accepted because he refused to admit that he had committed a sin, he did not regret it, did not blame himself, was not quick to repent, and lost hope in attaining the Mercy of Allah. Therefore, whoever's situation is similar to that of Adam, then his repentance will be accepted. Likewise, whoever's situation is similar to that of Iblis, then his repentence will not be accepted."

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

It was said:

Are you pleased to weep while your tears are of water? * Verily, the tears of the sinners are of blood

For sins are the disease * And weeping is the cure

Beware of your desires, and you will find pleasure * For the basis of all misguidance is the desire

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Imaam al-Awzaa’ee (rahimahullaah) said,

“Knowledge is what comes from the Companions of Muhammad (sal-Allaahu ‘alayhe wa sallam) and that which does not come from a single one of them is not knowledge.

[Jaami Bayaan al-Ilm (2/36)]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

It was once asked: "Who is the sincere one?" It was answered: "The sincere one is the one who hides his good deeds the same way he hides his bad deeds."

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

It was said: "Preserving an act of obedience is more difficult than performing it, because it is like a glass lamp that is easily broken and cannot withstand rough treatment. Likewise, the good action, if it is exposed to show-off, it breaks. And if it is exposed to its performer being pleased with himself, then it breaks. If a person wants to perform an action and fears that he will show-off with it, then if he is able to throw out this riya' from his heart, then he should exert all efforts in doing so. If he is unable to do so, then he should not abandon performing this act because of the possibility of showing off; rather, he should perform it, then seek Allah's forgiveness for what he might have had of riya'. It might be that Allah will guide him to having sincerity in other actions of his."

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Know that you were created to die, and there is no way around this, as Allah says: {"...you will die and they will die..."} [az-Zumar; 30], and He says: {"Say: running away will not save you if you attempt to escape from death or killing."} [al-Ahzab; 16].

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

It was narrated: "Verily, the people of the Fire will be tortured for one thousand years, then they will say: "During our lives, if we were patient, we were eventually given a way out of our troubles." So, they will be patient for one thousand more years without their punishment being lightened for them. Then, they will say: {"It does not matter whether we rage or patiently endure; we have no place of refuge."} [Ibrahim; 21] Then, they will call upon Allah - the Exalted - for one thousand years to send some rain upon them out of their extreme thirst and intense torture so that they would be relieved of the intense temperatures and extreme thirst. So, after they supplicate for one thousand years, Allah - the Exalted - will say to Jibril: "What do they ask for?" Jibril will answer: "O Lord, You are more Knowing of them. They ask for rain." So, red clouds will appear above them, and they will think that rain will pour from these clouds. Instead, blackened scorpions will pour down upon them, one sting of which throbs with pain for over one thousand years. Then, they will again ask Allah - the Exalted - for one thousand years to provide them with rain, and then black clouds will appear above them. They will say: "These are rain clouds!" But instead, snakes like the necks of camels will pour out of the clouds, one bite of which throbs with pain for over one thousand years, and this is the meaning of the saying of the Exalted: {"We will add torment upon torment for them because of the corruption that they used to perform."} [an-Nahl; 88]."

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

It was said: "The ground in Paradise is made of silver, its dust is made of musk, the trunks of its trees are made of gold and silver, the branches of its trees are made of pearls and gems, with its leaves and fruits growing out from them. So, whoever eats standing will not be harmed, whoever eats sitting will not be harmed, and whoever eats laying down will not be harmed, as Allah says: {"...and the bunches of fruit thereof will hang low within their reach."} [al-Insan; 14] That is, these fruits will be within their reach whether they are standing, sitting, or laying down."

['Tanbih ul-Ghafilin' (Informing the Heedless) - Imam Abul-Layth Nasr as-Samarqandi]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Abu Khaithama narrated to us, saying: Jareer reported to us from Al-A'amash from Abu Waa’il that he said: 'Abdullaah [Ibn Mas’ood] (radyAllaahu ‘anhu) said:

"If the knowledge of 'Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab (radyAllaahu ‘anhu) were to be placed on one scale of a balance and the knowledge of all the inhabitants of the world (at that time) were to be placed on the other scale, the knowledge of 'Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab (radyAllaahu ‘anhu) would surely outweigh it."

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Abu Khaithama narrated to us, saying: ‘Abd-ur-Rahmaan Ibn Mahdee reported to us, saying: Moosaa Ibn ‘Ullay reported to us from his father that he said:

"Whenever a man would ask Zayd Ibn Thaabit (radyAllaahu ‘anhu) concerning a matter, he would say: ‘Is this for the sake of Allaah?’ So if the person would say: ‘Yes’, then he would speak about it. And if not, then he would not speak."

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Abu Khaithama narrated to us, saying: Jareer reported to us from Qaaboos Ibn Abee Dhibyaan that he said:

"We prayed behind Abu Dhibyaan one day during the morning Fajr prayer. We were all young except for the mu'adhdhin who was an older man. So after making the tasleem, he drew near us and began asking the youth:

'Who are you?' 'Who are you?'

When he finished asking them, he said:

'Indeed, there was no prophet sent except that he was a young man. And the knowledge was not given to anyone better than a young man.'"

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Abu Khaithama narrated to us, saying: Al-Fadl Ibn Dukain reported to us, saying: Sufyaan informed us from Yahyaa Ibn Sa'eed that he said: I heard Al-Qaasim Ibn Muhammad say:

"That a man spend his entire life in ignorance is better for him than to issue rulings (fataawaa) without knowledge."

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Abu Khaithama narrated to us, saying: Yazeed Ibn Haaroon reported to us, saying: Al-Mas'oodee reported to us from Al-Qaasim Ibn 'Abd-ir-Rahmaan that he said: 'Abdullaah [Ibn Mas'ood] said:

"I truly believe that a man forgets some knowledge that he used to know due to some sin he committed."

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Abu Khaithama narrated to us, saying: Jareer reported to us from Laith from Yahyaa that ‘Alee (radyAllaahu ‘anhu) said:

“Shall I not inform you of the true faqeeh (one with understanding of the Religion)? (He is) the one who doesn’t cause the people to despair from the mercy of Allaah nor does he allow an individual to commit disobedience to Allaah nor does he leave off the Qur’aan, turning toward something other than it. Indeed, there is no good in any act of worship that has no knowledge in it. Nor is there any good in knowledge that does not have understanding to it. Nor is there any good in reciting the Qur’aan if there is no tadabbur (reflecting on its meaning) to go along with it.”

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

The grave calls out:

O dwellers of the earth, you have focused on building a realm that will soon pass away, and you have neglected the realm to which you are moving quickly. You have built houses in which others will live and enjoy them, and you have neglected houses for which there are no other inhabitants but you.

This is the place where you will abide and bid farewell to work and toil. This is what matters, one of the gardens of Paradise or one of the chambers of Hell…

[Ibn AlQayyim's Al-Rooh]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn Al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said regarding Love of Allaah:

There are four kinds of love, which we must differentiate between, and those who go astray do so because they do not make this distinction. The first of them is love of Allaah, but this alone is not sufficient to save a person from the punishment of Allaah and to earn him His reward. The Mushrikeen, worshippers of the cross, Jews and others all love Allaah. The second is love of that which Allaah loves. This is what brings a person into Islam and out of Kufr. The most beloved of people to Allaah is the one who is most correct and most devoted in this kind of love. The third kind is love for the sake of Allaah, which is one of the essentials of loving that which Allaah loves. A person's love of that which Allaah loves cannot be complete until he also loves for the sake of Allaah. The fourth is love for something alongside Allaah, and this love has to do with shirk. Everyone who loves things alongside Allaah but not for the sake of Allaah has taken that thing as a rival to Allaah. This is the love of the Mushrikeen. There remains a fifth kind of love which has nothing to do with our topic; this is the natural love which is a person's inclination towards that which suits his nature, such as the love of a thirsty person for water or of a hungry person for food, or the love of sleep, or of one's wife and children. There is nothing wrong with this unless it distracts a person from remembering Allaah and keeps him from loving Him. Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings):

"O you who believe! Let not your properties or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allaah"
[al-Munaafiqoon 63:9]

"Men whom neither trade nor sale (business) diverts from the remembrance of Allaah"
[al-Noor 24:37]

[Al-Jawaab al-Kaafi, 1/134]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

And he, Ibn Qayyim, said (may Allaah have mercy on him):

The difference between loving for the sake of Allaah and loving something alongside Allaah is one of the most important distinctions. Everyone needs to make this distinction and is indeed obliged to do so. Loving for the sake of Allaah is a sign of the perfection of faith, but loving something alongside Allaah is the essence of shirk. The difference between them is that a person's love for the sake of Allaah is connected to his love of Allaah; if this love becomes strong in his heart, this love dictates that he will love that which Allaah loves. If he loves that which his Lord loves and he loves those who are the friends of Allaah, this is love for the sake of Allaah. So he loves His Messengers, Prophets, angels and close friends because Allaah loves them, and he hates those who hate them because Allaah hates those people. The sign of the love and hatred for the sake of Allaah is that his hatred for the one whom Allaah hates will not turn into love merely because that person treats him kindly, does him a service or meets some need he has; and his love for those whom Allaah loves will not turn to hatred simply because that person does something that upsets or hurts him, whether it is done by mistake or deliberately, in obedience to Allaah or because the person feels that he has a duty to do it for some reason, or because the person is a wrongdoer who may yet give up his wrongdoing and repent. The entire religion revolves around four principles: love and hatred, and stemming from them, action and abstinence. The person whose love and hatred, action and abstinence, are all for the sake of Allaah, has perfected his faith so that when he loves, he loves for the sake of Allaah, when he hates, he hates for the sake of Allaah, when he does something, he does it for the sake of Allaah, and when he abstains from something, he abstains for the sake of Allaah. To the extent that he is lacking in these four categories, he is lacking in faith and commitment to religion. This is in contrast to the love of things alongside Allaah, which is of two types. One is diametrically opposed to the principle of Tawheed and is shirk; the other is opposed to perfection of sincerity and love towards Allaah, but does not put a person beyond the pale of Islam.

The first kind is like the love of the Mushrikeen for their idols and gods. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And of mankind are some who take (for worship) others besides Allaah as rivals (to Allaah). They love them as they love Allaah" [al-Baqarah 2:165]

These Mushrikeen love their idols and gods alongside Allaah as they love Allaah. This love and devotion is accompanied by fear, hope, worship and supplication. This love is pure Shirk which Allaah does not forgive. Faith cannot be perfected unless a person regards these idols as enemies and hates them intensely, and hates the people who worship them, and regards them as enemies and strives against them. This is the message with which Allaah sent all His Messengers and revealed all His Books. He created Hell for the people of shirk who love these rivals, and He created Paradise for those who strive against them and take them as enemies for His sake and to earn His Pleasure. Anybody who worships anything from the vicinity of the Throne to the lowest depths of the earth and takes a god and a supporter besides Allaah and associates another beings in worship with Him, will be disowned by the object of his worship when he is most in need of it [i.e., on the Day of Judgement].

The second kind is love for the things which Allaah has made attractive to people, such as women, children, gold, silver, branded beautiful horses, cattle and well-tilled land. People love them with a kind of desire, like the love of the hungry person for food and the thirsty person for water. This love is of three kinds. If a person loves them for the sake of Allaah and as a means of obeying Allaah, he will be rewarded for that; it will be counted as a part of love for the sake of Allaah and a means of reaching Him, and he will still find enjoyment in them. This is how the best of creation [i.e. the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] was, to whom women and perfume were made dear in this world, and his love for them helped him to love Allaah more and to convey His Message and fulfil His commands. If a person loves them because they suit his nature and his own desires, but he does not give them preference over that which Allaah loves and is pleased with, and he gets them because of his natural inclination, then they come under the heading of things which are permissible, and he will not be punished for that, but his love of Allaah and for the sake of Allaah will be lacking somewhat. If his sole purpose in life is to get these things, and he gives priority to that over that which Allaah loves and is pleased with, then he is wronging himself and following his own desires.

The first is the love of al-Saabiqoon (those who are foremost in Islam); the second is the love of al-muqtasidoon (those who are average) and the third is the love of al-zaalimoon (the wrongdoers).

[Al-Rooh by Ibn al-Qayyim, 1/254]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn Qayyim in al-Jawaab al-Kaafi says:

As for loving women, there is no blame on a person who has love for them. On the contrary, it is part of his perfection (as a human being) for Allah says,

{And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy.} [30/21]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

When we speak of rulings of love, we must describe two things. One is optional and one is not. The optional love is what leads to love (eyesight, association, etc.) and this is the love that you have to beware of (for it may lead to unlawful acts.) The non optional love, if it happens by the sudden look, or natural passions that develop, you cannot be blamed for it, but it's how you react to it that Allah will hold you to accountable for.

[Ibn Qayyim]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Al Bousseeri said in his poetry:

"Does not the lover think that his love can be concealed? While his eyes are shedding tears and his heart is glowing, Had it not been for love, you would not have shed tears at the ruins (of your beloved), Nor would you become restless at the remembrance of the cypress (tree) at the high mountain, How do you deny love after the testimony, Borne against you by (such) reliable witnesses as your tears and your illness."

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Imam Az-zhuri said:

"The first love story ever known in the history of Islam was the love of RasulAllah salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam for A'isha, and Masrouq used to call her "The love of Rasullah salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam."

[Ibnul Qayyim ~ Raudatul Muhibbeen]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (Salalahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said,

"Seven (people) will be shaded by Allah by His Shade on the Day of Resurrection when there will be no shade except His Shade. (They will be), a just ruler, a young man who has been brought up in the worship of Allah, a man who remembers Allah in seclusion and his eyes are then flooded with tears, a man whose heart is attached to mosques (offers his compulsory congregational prayers in the mosque), two men who love each other for Allah's Sake, a man who is called by a charming lady of noble birth to commit illegal sexual intercourse with her, and he says, 'I am afraid of Allah,' and (finally), a man who gives in charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given."

[Al Bukhari]

If you contemplate about the seven whom Allaah will shade in the shade of His 'Arsh wherein there is no shade but His, you will find that they deserved that shade because of their opposition to al-Hawaa. Indeed the Imaam having authority and power will not be able to establish justice except by opposing his Hawaa. And with respect to the youth who prefers the sincere worship of Allaah over the urge of his youthfulness, had it not been for the opposition of his Hawaa, he would not be able to accomplish this state of worship. As to the person whose heart is attached to the mosques, the thing that drove him to this condition is the opposition of al-Hawaa which invites him to the places of lusts. Concerning the person who gives charitable gifts secretly so that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given, had it not been for his subduing of his Hawaa, he would have not been able to attain this state. And the person who was invited by a charming woman of noble birth [to have illegal sexual intercourse with her], feared Allaah and opposed his Hawaa. As to the one who remembers Allaah in seclusion and his eyes become flooded with tears for fearing Him, the thing that made him reach this state is the opposing of his Hawaa. Consequently, they were saved from being affected by the intense heat of al-Mawqif on the Day of Resurrection and the sweating therein. The people [adhering to] al-Hawaa will experience the utmost degree of intense heat and sweating while they are still waiting to enter the "prison of al-Hawaa". Allaah subhaanahu wa ta'ala is the One to be petitioned to grant us protection from the Ahwaa of ourselves which are inclined to evil, and that He makes our Hawaa in accordance with what He loves and is acceptable to Him. He has power over all things, and He is most worthy of answering our petition.

[Ibn Qayyim Al Jawziyyah - Rawdatul-Muhibeen wa Nuzhatul-Mushtaaqeen]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

‘Amrah, the wife of Habeeb al-‘Ajami, prayed qiyaam al-layl one night whilst her husband was asleep. When the time for suhoor came, and her husband was still asleep, she woke him up and said to him,

“Get up, my master, for the night has gone, the day has come and ahead of you lies a long road with little provision, and a small group of righteous people who have gone before us, and we are still here.”

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Worship and obedience illuminate the heart and make it strong and steadfast, until it becomes like a clear mirror, shining with light. When the Shaytaan draws close, he is struck by its light like those who try to eavesdrop (in the heavens) are struck by the shooting stars, and the Shaytaan flees from this heart with more terror than a wolf fleeing from a lion.

[Al-Jawaab al-Kaafi, p. 64]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

The righteous slave Shu'ayb (Rahimahullaah) wanted to get married. When he saw her he liked what he saw and she agreed on him aswell.

But he feared she wouldnt be patient on his temper and 'akhlaaq, so he said to her: "Know that I am of bad Akhlaaq (temper)".

She replied to him as a wise, mature and patient wife and said:

"Worse than you in Akhlaaq, is the one who causes you to be bad tempered"

(Meaning: If I make you angry, then I have worse Akhlaaq)

He liked her reply and told her immedietly, "Your my wife"

[al-Athkiyaa' by Ibn al-Jawzee]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

On the authority of Abdullah bin Abbas who said: One day I was behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and he said to me,

“Young man, I shall teach you some words [of advice]: Be mindful of Allah, and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask of Allah; if you seek help, seek help of Allah. Know that if the Nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, it would benefit you only with something that Allah had already prescribed for you, and that if they gather together to harm you with anything, they would harm you only with something Allah had already prescribed for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.”

[At-Tirmidhi]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

بدأ الإسلام غـريباً، وسيعـود كما بدأ غـريـبا، فطــوبى للغرباء‏

Islam initiated as something strange, and it would revert to its (old position) of being strange, so good tidings for the stranger.

(Muslim 1:720)

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

"And they (women) have rights (over their husbands) similar (to those over their husbands) over them to what is reasonable, but men have a degree (of responsibility) over them"

[al Baqarah 2:228]

Explaining this verse, Ibn Abbas said, "I verily adorn myself for my wife the same as she adorns herself for me. Also I would not ask her to fulfill all the rights which she owes me, so that it would become binding upon me to fulfill all the rights which I owe her"

[Tafsir Ibn Kathir - Hasan]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

"And live with them (ie your wives) honourably"
[an-Nisa 4:19]


al-Haafidh Ibn Kathir, explained that living with them honourably included "using soft speech to them (i.e. not speaking to them harshly) and ameliorating your deeds and appearances as much as you can". He then said, "As you would like that FROM her, so do the same FOR her".

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

`Umar became unconscious after he was stabbed, and according to Al Miswar bin Makhramah, it was said: "Nothing would wake him up except the call to prayer, if he is still alive." They said to him, "The prayer has finished, O Chief of the Faithful!" He woke up and said, "The prayer, by Allah! Verily, there is no share in Islam for whoever abandons the prayer." He performed the prayer while his wound was bleeding.

[Sifat as Safwah 2/131, As Siyar 5/220]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Hammad bin Salamah said, "I have never stood up for prayer without imagining that Jahannam is before my eyes."

[Tadhkirat al Huffadh 1/219]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Mu`adh bin Jabal advised his son, "My son! Pray the prayer of he who is just about to leave and imagine that you might not be able to prayever again. Know that the believer dies between two good deeds, one that he performed and one that he intended to perform later on."

[Sifat as Safwah 1/496]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Al Qasim bin Muhammad said, "Whenever I went out in the morning, I used to visit `Aishah radhiallahu `anha (his aunt and the wife of the Prophet, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) and greet her. One day I found her performing Ad Duha prayer, reciting this Ayah repeatedly, crying and invoking Allah: 'So Allah has been gracious to us, and has saved us from the torment of the Fire.' (52:27) I stood there until I felt bored, so I left and went to the market to do something and said to myself that when I finish what I have to do, I will go back (to`Aishah radhiallahu `anha). When I finished and went back to her, I found her still standing in prayer, reciting the same Ayah, crying and invoking Allah.'"

[Al Ihya 4/436]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Maymun bin Hayyan said, "I never saw Muslim bin Yasar turning his head while praying, whether the prayer was short or long. Once, a part of the mosque came down and the noise caused fear to the people who were in the market, while he was in the mosque, did not fear nor even turn his head and kept praying."

[Az Zuhd by Imam Ahmad p 359]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

"I accompanied `Ata bin Rabah for eighteen yers. When he became old and weak, he used to stand in prayer and read close to two hundred Ayat from Surat al Baqarah while standing in such firmness that no part of him would move."

[As Siyar 5/87, Sifat as Safwah 2/213]

Abu Bakr bin Aiyash said, "If you saw Habib bin Abu Thabit while in Sujud, you would think that he had died because of his long prostration."

[As Siyar 5/291]

Ali bin Al Fudayl said, "I saw ath-Thawri went into Sujud while praying, and I performed Tawaf around the House seven times before he raised his head from Sujud."

[As Siyar 7/277]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Uthman bin Abi Dahrash said, "I never performed a prayer without invoking Allah afterwards to forgive me for falling into shortcomings in the way I performed it."

[Tarikhu Baghdad 13/207]

Mu`awiyah bin Murrah, "I lived during the time of seventy of the Companions of Muhammad, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, and had they lived among you today, they would not recognize any of your acts except the Adhan!"

[Hilyat al Awliya 2/299]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

When Hatim al Asamm was asked about his prayer, he said, "When it is near the time of prayer, I perform a perfect Wudu and go to where I am going to pray and sit down there until I become fully attentive to what I am about to do. I then stand up and pray, imagining that the Ka`bah is in front of my eyes, Paradise to my right, Hellfire to my left and the Angel of Death behind me. I imagine that it is the last prayer I am about to perform, stand up in hope (in Allah, His Paradise and rewards) and fear (from Allah's torment in Hellfire) and recite the Takbir while having full attention. I recite the Qur'an calmly, make Ruku` humbly, go into Sujud with Khushu and then sit on my left leg, with the left food laid on the floor and the right food raised up, all the while praying with sincerity. Afterwards, I do not know (nor feel certain) if that prayer was accepted from me!"

[Al Ihya 1/179]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

One of the Salaf said, "O son of Adam! You need your share in this life, but need your share in the Hereafter even more. If you took care of your share in this life, then you will lose your share in the Hereafter and are soon bound to lose your share in this life too. If you took care of your share in the Hereafter, you will also win your full share in this life with ease."

[Fada'il adh Dhikr by ibn al Jawzi p. 19]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Talq bin Habib said, "Allah's Rights are greater than the slave's capacity and ability to fulfill them. Therefore, reach the morning in a state of repentance and reach the night in a state of repentance."

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn Mas'ud used to say:

`If I had but ten days left to live, I would like to marry, so as not to meet God as a celibate.'

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Narrated Anas:

While the Prophet was in the house of one of his wives, one of the mothers of the believers sent a meal in a dish. The wife at whose house the Prophet was, struck the hand of the servant, causing the dish to fall and break. The Prophet gathered the broken pieces of the dish and then started collecting on them the food which had been in the dish and said, "Your mother (my wife) felt jealous."
Then he detained the servant till a (sound) dish was brought from the wife at whose house he was. He gave the sound dish to the wife whose dish had been broken and kept the broken one at the house where it had been broken.

[Bukhari]

This was the person that the Messenger :arabic5: loved the most:
Narrated Abu Uthman:

Allah's Apostle sent 'Amr bin Al As as the commander of the troops of Dhat-us-Salasil. 'Amr bin Al-'As said, "(On my return) I came to the Prophet and said, 'Which people do you love most?' He replied, 'Aisha.' I said, 'From amongst the men?' He replied, 'Her father (Abu Bakr)'.

[Bukhari]

She destroyed food in front of the guests of her husband, the Messenger of Allah :arabic5:. How many men would have taken that as an act of disrespect worthy of at least one divorce? Not all actions that women do are intended to disrespect the husband as much as they are to express their emotions. So if it isn't an act of war don't take it as such.

[Gem from Love Notes Seminar - Taught by Shaykh Yaser Birjas]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

I heard the Sheikh of Islam, Ibn Taymiyyah - may Allah sanctify his soul - say,

'Truly, there is a Heaven in this world,
[And] whoever does not enter it,
Will not enter the Heaven of the next world.'

And once he said to me,

'What can my enemies do to me?
I have in my breast both my Heaven and my Garden.
If I travel they are with me, and they never leave me.
Imprisonment for me is a religious retreat [khalwa].
To be slain for me is martyrdom [shahada]
And to be exiled from my land is a spiritual journey [siyaha].'

During his imprisonment in the fortress, he would say, 'I could not be more grateful for this blessing were I to have this entire fortress in gold'; or, 'I could never repay them for the good that has come to me in [this prison].'


And in prostration he would say, whilst in a state of imprisonment 'O Allah, help me in my gratitude to You, remembrance of You and the most comely worship of You' as much as Allah willed.


Once he said to me, 'The real prisoner is someone whose heart is imprisoned from his Lord; the true captive is someone captured by his passions.' And when he entered the fortress and was inside its walls, he gazed upon them and recited the verse, 'And a wall between them is struck which has a gate. On the inside there is a mercy, on the outside punishment.' [57:13]


Allah knows, I have never seen anyone who had a better life than his. Despite the difficulties and all that expunges comfort and luxury, nay, things completely opposite to them; despite intimidation and oppression, Ibn Taymiyyah had a purer life than anyone could. He was the most generous, the strongest of heart and the most joyful of soul, with 'the radiance of bliss' on his face. When we were seized with fear and our thoughts [about Allah's decree] turned negative, and the earth grew narrow for us, we would go to him. No sooner did we look at him and hear his words than all these [feelings] would leave us, to be replaced by relief, strength, certainty and tranquility.


So glory be to the One who lets His servants witness His Heaven well before they meet Him, who opens its doors to them in this world of deeds and who gives them something of its refreshment, its breeze and its perfume - that they might seek it and hasten towards it with all their strength. A gnostic once said, 'If kings and the sons of kings knew what we had, they would try to take it from us by the sword!' Another said:'How pitiful, the wordly people! They leave this life without ever having tasted the sweetest thing in it.'When asked what that was, he replied, 'The love of Allah, the knowledge of Allah and the remembrance of Allah,' or words to that effect. Another said: 'There are times when the heart dances in joy.'And another said, 'There are times when I say, If the people of Heaven have anything like this, how truly sweet their lives!'To love Allah, to know Him intimately, to remember Him constantly, to find peace and rest in Him, to make Him alone the [ultimate] object of love, fear, hope and trust; to base one's act on His control of His servant's cares, aspirations and will - such is the world's Heaven, and such is a blessing with which no other blessing can compare.


It is by this that the hearts of those who love Allah are gladdened and that the gnostics find life. As their hearts are gladdened by Allah, so others are gladdened by them. For whoever finds his source of gladdness in Allah, gladdens all hearts; whoever does not, finds nothing in this world but restlessness. Anyone with life in his heart will confirm this. But someone whose heart is dead will only estrange you from Allah; and so seek intimacy [with Allah] without him, when you can, for his mere presence will estrange you. If you are tested by him, show him only your outer aspect, but leave him behind in your heart. Depart from him with your soul and do not let him distract you from the one who is most important to you. Know that the greatest of all losses is the involvement with someone who weakens your relationship and standing with Allah, cutting you off from Him, wasting your time, dispersing your heart, weakening your resolve and dividing your aspirations. Therefore, if you are tested with this [kind of situation] - and it is inevitable that you will be - then bear up for the sake of Allah, and acknowledge Him as much as you are able. Draw near to Allah by whatever of it pleases Him. Make your association [with wordly people] a profit not a loss. Be like the man travelling along, whom another invites to stop: seek to take him along with you. When he comes along, lead him but be not lead by him. And if he refuses, and you have no hope that he will journey, then [at least] do not let him detain you. Rather, hasten on, pay him no heed. Do not [even] turn in his direction, for he is a highway robber regardless.


Protect your heart and be careful of how you spend your day and your night.


Let not the sun set on you before you reach camp, 'lest you be carried off'.


Nor let the dawn find you abandoned in the camp after the caravan has moved on, and the time is nigh for you to reach them.

[The Heaven of this World - al-Waabil as-Sayyib - Ibn Qayyim Al Jawziyyah - When he accompanied Ibn Taymiyyah in prison]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ataa al Khurasani said:

"I don't advise you to mind your life's affairs because I know that you are covetous to do so, but I advise you to mind the affairs of the Hereafter. Take from this temporary home to the eternal one. Consider this life as something that you have left, I swear by Allah you will leave it. Consider death as something that you have tasted, I swear by Allah you will taste it. And consider the Hereafter as a home that you have visited, I swear by Allah you will be there."

Dhu'n-Noon al-Misri said:

"The ailment of the body is in sickness and that of the heart is in sins. A delicious meal cannot benefit the body when the person is sick and likewise, the heart cannot taste the sweetness of worship if it is full of sins."

Ash-Shafi`i said:

"The greatest of deeds are three: To give generously out of the few that you have, to be devoted to Allah in loneliness and to say the truth in the face of someone who is hoped and feared."

`Ali ibn Abi Talib said:

"Whoever has the following six characteristics does all that is required to make him enter Paradise and avoid Hell: to know Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala and obey him, to know Satan and disobey him, to know the truth and follow it, to know the falsehood and avoid it, to know the life of this world and renounce it, and to know the Hereafter and seek it."

Ibrahim al-Ash`ath said: I heard al-Fudayl saying:

"Man's fear of Allah is equal to his knowledge of Him, and his renunciation of the life of this world is equal to his desire of the Hereafter. Whoever acts according to what he knows, Allah will make him successful in what he doesn't know. And whoever is [ill-tempered disgraces his honour, religion and generosity."

Narrated Dirar ibn Murrah: Iblis said:

"If I am successful in persuading man to do three things, then that will be all I need: to make forget his sins, to regard his good deeds as too many, and to be proud of his opinion."

Wahib ibn al-Ward said:

"Do not insult Satan explicitly whereas you take him clandestinely as a friend."

Narrated Anas Ibn `Ayyad,

"I saw Safwan Ibn Salim, and had it been said to him: 'Tomorrow is the Day of Resurrection', he would have not needed to perform an additional act of worship."

Ibrahim ibn Adham was asked: "How are you?" He said:

"We patch the life of this world by tearing from our religion, so neither our religion remains nor what we patch. Blessed is he who prefers Allah, his Rabb and renounces the life of this world for what he expects as reward in the Hereafter."

Abu Bakr al-Maruthi said: I visited Ahmad ibn Hanbal one morning and said to him: "How are you?" He answered:

"How is the one whose Rabb requires to perform his duties, whose Prophet requires to flow the Sunnah, the two angels require that he rectifies his deeds, his human self requires him to follow its desires, Satan requires him to commit evil deeds, the angel of death requires him to give his life and his children require him to satisfy their needs."

A man said to Al Fudayl ibn `Ayyad: "How are you?" He replied:

"If you are asking about the life of this world, it has diverted us from the right path and sent us in many directions."

[Excerpted from "The Life of This World Is a Transient Shade"]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Abu Bakr ibn Abi Dawood narrated that Abu-d-Dardaa, radhiallaahu `anhu, once saw a man walking in the marketplace holding the hand of his child, whom he adorned and dressed up beautifully, and the man seemed to take great pride in his son. Abu-d-Dardaa' then made an audible comment, saying:

"Adorn them as you please, and this will surely help boost their ego and self deception!"

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Abu Musa Al Ashari (r.a.) said:

"What destroyed earlier nations and lead to their annihilation was nothing but their love for the Dinar and Dirham, and it will unfailingly do the same to you."

[Narrated in Hilyat ul Awliyaa of Abu Nu`aim]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam said about Mu`aadh ibn Jabal:

"Verily, when the people of knowledge will be present before their Lord, the Mighty and Sublime, Mu`aadh will be one step ahead of them."

[Saheeh, Ibn Sa`d, Aboo Nu`aim, at-Tabaraanee]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Muhammad ibn Waasi` used to say,

"If sins had an odour then nobody would be able to sit with me."

[From 'The Evil of Craving for Wealth and Status' - Imam Ibn Rajab Al Hanbali]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

`Umar ibn `Abdul-`Azeez once wrote in a letter:

"And do not praise anyone for this except Allaah, since if He abandoned me to my own devices I would be just like the others."

[From 'The Evil of Craving for Wealth and Status' - Imam Ibn Rajab Al Hanbali]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

«إِذَا سَأَلْتُمُ اللهَ الْجَنَّةَ، فَاسْأَلُوهُ الْفِرْدَوْسَ فَإِنَّهُ أَعْلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَأَوْسَطُ الْجَنَّةِ، وَمِنْهُ تَفَجَّرُ أَنْهَارُ الْجَنَّة»


If you ask Allah for Paradise, then ask Him for Al-Firdaws, for it is the highest part of Paradise, in the middle of Paradise, and from it spring the rivers of Paradise.

[Bukhari]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

«إِنَّ اللهَ يَتَجَلَّى لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَضْحَك»

(Verily, Allah will appear before the believers while He is laughing.)

[Narrated in Muslim (1/367) on the authority of Jabir. This will take place on the open plains of the Resurrection place.]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

It is narrated on the authority of Ubadah b. Samit that the messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed:

He who said: "There is no god but Allah, He is One and there is no associate with Him, that Muhammad is his servant and His messenger, that Christ is servant and the son of His slave-girl and he (Christ) His word which He communicated to Mary and is His Spirit, that Paradise is a fact and Hell is a fact," Allah would make him (he who affirms these truths) enter Paradise through any one of its eight doors which he would like.

[Muslim 1/43]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

:sl:

The Messenger of Allah said:

"Whoever enters the marketplace* and says:

'There is none worthy of worship except Allah who has no partners, for Him is the Dominion, and for Him is all Praise, He brings life and He causes death, and He is Alive and does not die, in His Hand is all good, and He is able to do all things'

[La ilaha ill Allah, Wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-Mulk, wa lahul-Hamd, yuhyiy wa yumit, wa Huwa Hayyun la yamut, bi Yadih al-khayr, wa Huwa 'ala kull shay'in Qadir]**

... then Allah will write one million good deeds for him, will wipe away one million of his bad deeds, will raise him one million levels, and will build a home for him in Paradise."

['Sahih al-Jami''; # 6231]

[*] So, in our times, this would apply to shoping centres the supermarket, clothing stores, etc., and Allah Knows best.

[**] Here is the dhikr in the original Arabic:

لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له له الملك و له الحمد يحيي و يميت و هو حي لا يموت بيده الخير و هو على كل شيء قدير


Apply. Alot.

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Abu Musa (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said to me, "Shall I not guide you to a treasure from the treasures of Jannah?'' I said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah!'' Thereupon he (PBUH) said, "(Recite) `La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah' (There is no change of a condition nor power except by Allah).''

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, "For him who says: `Subhan-Allahi wa bi hamdihi (Allah is free from imperfection, and I begin with praising Him, and to Him),' a palm-tree will be planted in Jannah.''

[At-Tirmidhi].

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "He who utters a hundred times in a day these words: `La ilaha illallahu, wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu, wa Huwa `ala kulli sha'in Qadir (there is no true god except Allah. He is One and He has no partner with Him; His is the sovereignty and His is the praise, and He is Omnipotent),' he will have a reward equivalent to that for emancipating ten slaves, a hundred good deeds will be recorded to his credit, hundred of his sins will be blotted out from his scroll, and he will be safeguarded against the devil on that day till the evening; and no one will exceed him in doing more excellent good deeds except someone who has recited these words more often than him. And he who utters: `Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi (Allah is free from imperfection and His is the praise)' one hundred times a day, his sins will be obliterated even if they are equal to the extent of the foam of the ocean.''

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Mus'ab ibn Sa'd said: My father told me that he was with Allah's Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) when he remarked, "Does any one of you not have the ability to attain 1000 good deeds (hasanaat) every day?
Let him do tasbeeh (Subhan Allah!) 100 times, it will be written for him 1000 hasanat or 1000 sins will be wiped from his record."

[Muslim]

He (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, "Whoever prays for me once, Allah blesses that person 10 times (because of that prayer)."

[Muslim]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Abu Ad-Dardaa’, may Allaah be pleased with him, said:

“Allaah likes that His slave is content with whatever He decrees upon him.”

Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with him, said:

“Allaah is just and fair and Has thus made happiness lie in contentment and certainty in Allaah, (while He) made grief and sorrow lie in doubt and discontentment.”

‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allaah be pleased with him, wrote to Abu Moosaa, may Allaah be pleased with him, saying:

“All good lies in contentment, so if you can achieve this state then do so. Otherwise, persevere.”

Maymoon ibn Mahraan, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said:

“He who is discontent with the Decree of Allaah has no cure for his stupidity.”

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn Mas`ûd relates that he was with some people when the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked them:

“Would you like to be one quarter of the population of Paradise?” When they replied that they would indeed like that, the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked them: “Would you like to be one third of the population of Paradise?” When they replied that they would indeed like that, the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked them: “Would you like to be one half of the population of Paradise?” When they replied that they would indeed like that, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “I swear by Him in whose hand is Muhammad’s soul. Indeed, I hope that you will be half the population of Paradise. This is because none shall enter Paradise except a soul that has surrendered to Allah, and you are to the polytheists like a single white hair on the hide of a black bull or a single black hair on the hide of a red bull.”

[Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

A man came to al-Hasan al-Basree, rahimahullah, and said, "I wish to debate with you about religion." Al-Hasan replied, "I know my Religion. If you have lost your religion, go out and look for it."

[al-'Aajurri in ash-Sharee'ah, p. 57]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn Sama`ah said,

"For forty years, I only missed Takbir Tahrimah (initial takbeer) when my mother died."

[As Siyar 10/646]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Hamdûn al-Qassâr said,

“If one of your brothers commits an error, then seek ninety excuses for him, and if not, then you are the blameworthy one.”

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Narrated Abû Hurayrah radhiAllâhu `anhu: Allâh's Apostle sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam said:

When a bondsman - a Muslim or a believer - washes his face (in course of ablution), every sin he contemplated with his eyes will be washed away from his face along with water, or with the last drop of water ; when he washes his hands, every sin they wrought will be effaced from his hands with the water, or with the last drop of water; and when he washes his feet, every sin towards which his feet have walked will be washed away with the water, or with the last drop of water, with the result that he comes out pure from all sins.

[Sahîh Muslim]

Narrated Uthmân ibn AffânradhiAllâhu `anhu:

The Messenger of Allâh sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam said:
He who performed ablution well, his sins would come out from his body, even coming out from under his nails.

[Sahîh Muslim]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Imâm al-Awzâ’î (d.157H) - rahimahullâh - said:

“Patiently restrict yourself to the Sunnah and pause where the people paused, say what they said and avoid what they avoided. Take to the path of your Salafus-Sâlih, for indeed, what was sufficient for them, is sufficient for you.”

[Related by Imâm al-آjurrî in ash-Sharî’ah (p.58) and also al-Bayhaqî in Madhkal ilas-Sunan (no.233).]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn al-Jawzî (d.597H) - rahimahullâh - said:

“I feel that occupying oneself with jurisprudence and acquiring the narrations is hardly enough to correct the heart, unless he adds to that the study of raqâ’iq (heart-melting narrations) and the study of the lives of the Salafus-Sâlihîn. Since they attained what is desirous from the narrations and took from the outer actions that which is ordered and required. And I do not inform you of this except after personal trial and experience. Since I have found that the majority of the narrators and the students of Hadîth are concerned chiefly with obtaining the briefest isnâd (chain of narration) and increase in the number of narrations. And the majority of the jurisprudents are concerned with dialects and how to win arguments. So how can the hearts be softened with these things? Previously a group of the Salaf would visit a pious servant to see his conduct and manners, not to take from his knowledge. This was because the fruits of his knowledge were his manners and conduct, so understand this. Thus, along with the study of fiqh and Hadeeth, study the lives of the Salaf and those who abstained with regards to the world, so that this may be a cause of softness in your hearts.”

[Sayid ul-Khâtir (p.216).]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Abû Qilâbah (d.104H) - rahimahullâh - said:

“If Allâh gives you knowledge, then give Him worship; and do not let your desire be just to narrate it to the people.”

[Related by al-Khattîb in Iqtidâ’ul-’Ilmil-’Aml (no.37).]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

إِذَا الْمَرْءُ أَفْشَى سِرِّهُ بِلِسَانِهِ
وَلاَمَ عَلَيْهِ غَيْرَهُ فَهُوَ أَحْمَقُ

إِذَا ضَاقَ صَدْرُ المَرْءِ عَنْ سِرِّ نَفْسِهِ
فَصَدْرُ الَّذِي يُسْتَودْعُ السِّرَّ أَضْيَقُ
~
If a man spreads his secret with his own tongue
and blames another… then he is a fool.

If his own breast is too narrow to conceal his own secret,
Then the breast of the one in whom he places it is even narrower.

-Imaam ash-Shafiee

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

In this life of poverty, hardship and trials, Abdullah asked his father [Imam Ahmad] one day, “Abi when will we ever relax?”

His father, one of the greatest revivers of the Sunnah, a role model for all Muslims, looked him in the eye and said, “With the first step we take into Jannah.”

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Imaam ibn al-Jawzee (d.597H) said:

I sat one day and found sitting around me more than ten thousand (10,000) persons (listening to my sermon) – all of whom had felt their heart soften (and hearken to the words of Allah) or their eyes overflowed with tears. I reflected upon this within myself and said to myself: “What would your condition be like if they attained salvation and you were destroyed (in the fire)?”

Within myself I cried out:

“O Allah! You are my Master! If you judge me fit for punishment in the morrow (hereafter) do not inform them (the audience) of my punishment. I pray this to honour You and not for my benefit, lest one of them say: ‘The One (Allah) he called us to (worship and obey) punished him’.”

[Sayyd al-Khaatir, P. 321]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

On the Day of Judgment, Allah, the most High, will announce: "Where are those persons who love each other for the sake of My pleasure? This day I will shelter them in the shade provided by Me. Today there is no shade except My shade".

[Muslim]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn al-Qayyim says in Madarij al-Salikin (1/332):

“From the forms (of Shirk): Requesting the dead for needs, seeking their aid and turning to them.

This is the basis for Shirk in the world. This is because the actions of the dead have ceased. He is not able to harm or benefit himself, let alone the one who seeks his aid, or asks him to fulfil his need, or asks him to intercede for him with Allah, for this is from his ignorance with respect to the intercessor and the one interceded for, as has preceded. This is because he (the intercessor) is not able to intercede for him with Allah, except with His permission. Allah did not make his ‘seeking aid’ and petitioning, a cause for Allah’s permission to be granted. The only cause that grants Allah’s permission (for intercession) is the perfection of Tawheed. Yet, this Mushrik comes along, with a cause that only prevents Allah’s permission (for intercession)!”

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

It was narrated that 'Abd-Allah ibn al-Mubaarak (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

"Know that death nowadays is an honour for every Muslim who meets Allah adhering to the Sunnah. Verily, to Allah we belong and unto Him is our return. It is to Allah that we complain of our Alienation, the passing away of our brothers, the lack of support and the emergence of bid'ah. It is to Allah that we complain of the great calamity that has befallen this ummah because of the passing away of the scholars and Ahl as-Sunnah, and the emergence of bid'ah."

[ Al-Bia'h wan-Nahy 'anha by Ibn Waddaah.]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

The Mother of the Belivers, Sayyida `A'isha said (Allah be pleased with her):

"Whoever of you is able to have something hidden of good works should do so."

[Musannaf [8.192-194]of Imam Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shayba]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

'Amr ibn Yahya said:

"I heard my father narrating from his father who said: 'We were at the door of 'Abd-Allaah ibn Mas'ood before the early morning prayer. When he came out we walked with him to the mosque. Abu Moosa al-Ash'ari came up to us and said, "Did Abu 'Abd al-Rahmaan come out to you yet?" We said, "No." He sat down with us until [Abu 'Abd al-Rahmaan] came out.

When he came out, we all stood up to greet him, and Abu Moosa said to him: "O Abu 'Abd al-Rahmaan, earlier I saw in the mosque something that I have never seen before, but it seems good, al-hamdu Lillaah." He said, "And what was it?" He said, "If you live, you will see it. I saw people in the mosque sitting in circles waiting for the prayer. In every circle there was a man, and they had pebbles in their hands. He would say, 'Say Allaahu akbar one hundred times,' and they would say Allaahu akbar one hundred times; then he would say, 'Say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah one hundred times,' and they would say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah one hundred times; then he would say, 'Say Subhaan Allaah one hundred times,' and they would say Subhaan Allaah one hundred times."

He asked, 'What did you say to them?' He said, 'I did not say anything to them; I was waiting to see what your opinion would be and what you would tell me to do.' He said, 'Why did you not tell them to count their bad deeds and guarantee them that nothing of their good deeds would be wasted?'

Then he left, and we went with him, until he reached one of those circles. He stood over them and said, 'What is this I see you doing?' They said, 'O Abu 'Abd al-Rahmaan, these are pebbles we are using to count our takbeer, tahleel and tasbeeh.' He said, 'Count your bad deeds, and I guarantee that nothing of your good deeds will be wasted. Woe to you, O ummah of Muhammad, how quickly you are getting destroyed! The Companions of your Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) are still alive, his garment is not yet worn out and his vessels are not yet broken. By the One in Whose hand is my soul, either you are following a way that is more guided than that of Muhammad or you have opened the door of misguidance!'

They said, 'By Allaah, O Abu 'Abd al-Rahmaan, we only wanted to do good.' He said, 'How many of those who wanted to do good failed to achieve it! The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that people recite Qur'aan and it does not go any further than their throats. By Allaah, I do not know, maybe most of them are people like you.'

Then he turned away from them. 'Amr ibn Salamah said, 'I saw most of the members of those circles fighting alongside the Khawaarij on the day of Nahrawaan.'"

[Reported by al-Daarimi, al-Sunan, no. 210, ed. by 'Abd-Allaah Haashim al-Yamaani. Al-Albaani classed its isnaad as saheeh in al-Silsilat al-Saheehah under hadeeth no. 2005. See Majma' al-Zawaa'id by al-Haythami, 1/181]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee said:

"Whosoever considers an innovation to be good has corrected the Prophet :arabic5:."

[Bulghul Maraam of Ibn Hajar (available in English) p190 footnote 2]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Abu Yusuf said, "I asked Abu Hanifah about the Tarawih and what 'Umar did and he said,

'The Tarawih is a stressed Sunnah, and 'Umar did not do that from his own opinion, nor was there in his action any innovation, and he did not enjoin it except that there was a foundation for it with him and authorisation from the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam.'"

[Sharh Mukhtaar as quoted from him in al- Ibdaa of Shaykh Ali Mahfooz p80]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Nothing is more feeble than a scholar whose knowledge the people abandoned due to the corruption of his way [adab] and an ignorant [person] whose ignorance the people accepted due to their looking to his worship.

al-Khatîb al-Baghdâdî
Iqtidâ’ al-’Ilm al-’Amal, pg. 14.

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

“With regard to congratulating others with the congratulations used by the kuffaar on such occasions, it is haraam by scholarly consensus, such as congratulating them on the occasion of their festivals or fasts, wishing them a blessed festival, etc. Even if the one who says this is free of kufr, it is still haraam. It is like congratulating someone for prostrating to the cross. It is even worse with Allah and more hated by Him than congratulating someone for drinking alcohol, or committing murder or adultery, etc. Many of those who have no respect for religion do that, and they do not realize the abhorrence of their actions. Whoever congratulates a person for sin, innovation (bid’ah) or kufr exposes himself to the hatred and wrath of Allah.”

(Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah, 1/441- 442)

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

فِتنة عَظِيمَة
فَسَادٌ كَبِيرٌ عَالِمٌ مُتَهتّكٌ *** و أكبر مِنه جَاهِلٌ مُتَنَسِّكُ
هُما فِتْنَةٌ في العالمِينَ عَظِيمَة *** لِمَنْ بِهِمَا في دِيْنِهِ يَتَمَسَّكُ

A Great Fitnah

A great corruption is an insolent scholar
And worse than him is a devout ignorant
***
They are two great tribulations in the world
For the one who adheres to them in his Deen

[Diwaan Ash Shafiee]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

إذا مَا خَلَوتَ الدَّهْرَ يومًا فلا تَقُلْ *** خَلوتُ ولكن قُلْ عليَّ رَقِيبُ
ولا تحْسَـبنَّ اللـهَ يَغْفِـل ساعَـةً *** ولا أنّ مَا تخفَي عَليه يَغِيبُ
ألم تر أنّ اليومَ أسْرعُ ذاهِبٍ *** و أنّ غداً للناظِرين قَريبُ

“If you spend a day in solitude, do not say
I spent it in solitude, but say over me is a Watcher

And do not think that Allaah is oblivious for even an moment
or that what you try to hide from Him is unseen

Do you not see that today is leaving fast
And that tomorrow for the onlooker is indeed near?"

[Imam Ahmad]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

قال الشافِعي رَحِمَه الله:
مَن وَاعَظَ أخَاهُ سِرّا, فقدْ نَصَحَهُ وزَانَهُ, ومَن وَعَظَه عَلانِيَة, فقد فضحه وخَانه.

“Whoever advised his brother secretly has advised him well and whoever advised his brother openly (in public) has indeed exposed him and betrayed him.”

[Imam Ash Shafiee]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn Taymiyyah said,

"Verily, I constantly renew my Islam until this very day, as up to now, I do not consider myself to have ever been a good Muslim."

[Narrated by Ibn al-Qayyim in 'Madarij as-Salikin'; 1/218]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn Mas`ud said,

“The love of the Quran and the love of music cannot combine in the heart of a believer.”

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Allaah’s Messenger (salAllahu 'alaihee wa sallam) said,

“Indeed I see what you do not and I hear what you do not. The Heaven cries and is justified in doing so. There is no space equal to the space of four fingers except there is an angel which places its forehead in prostration to Allaah the Exalted. By Allaah! If you knew what I knew you would have laughed little and wept in abundance and you would not (even) have sought pleasure with your wives in the bed. You would come out and run into the wilderness beseeching Allaah!”

[at-Tirmidhi, hasan]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Al-Haafiz ibn Rajab said in Sharh al-Arba’een:

“The words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), ‘every innovation is a going astray’ is a concise but comprehensive comment which includes everything; it is one of the most important principles of religion.

It is like his words ‘Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), that is not part of it will have it rejected.’ (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3/167, no. 2697; al-Fath, 5/355).

Whoever innovates anything and attributes it to Islam when it has no basis in the religion, this is a going astray and is nothing to do with Islam, whether that has to do with matters of belief (‘aqeedah) or outward and inward words and deeds.”

(Jaami’ al-‘Uloom wa’l-Hakam, p. 233)

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

The first type of strangeness is the strangeness of the "People of Allah and the People of His Messenger" (peace be upon him), which we mentioned previously. This strangeness is a praiseworthy strangeness, as it has been praised by Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him). Therefore, this kind of strangeness should be sought and its people must be supported. This strangeness occurs in different times, in different places, and among different peoples. These strangers, then, are the true "People of Allah" for they do not worship ought save Him, and they do not take support from any path except the path of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and they do not call to anything except that which has been brought by the Prophet (peace be upon him). These are the people who left mankind when they (the strangers) were in need of them the most. For, on the Day of Judgment, when all other groups will go with that which they used to worship, they will stay in their places. It will be said to them, "Will you not go as the other people have gone?" They will answer, "We had abandoned the people (in this life), and we were more in need of them then we are today, and we will wait for our Lord whom we used to worship." [Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Thus it is apparent that this strangeness does not cause its bearer any discontent. Rather it is a comforting strangeness, a solace to the believers. This is because he knows that his helpers are Allah, His Messenger and those who believe [This is a reference to verse 55 of surah al-Maidah], even if all of mankind left and abandoned him. These strangers are again described in a hadith narrated by Anas ibn Malik, in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "It is possible that a disheveled, dusty person, with not many belongings [Literally, "with two headdresses"], who is not noticed among the people, if he asks of Allah, Allah will fulfill his prayer." [at-Tirmidhi and al-Hakim Sahih] Al-Hasan al-Basri said, "A believer is a stranger in this world, he is never afraid of its humiliation, and he never competes for its glory. The people are in one situation and he is in a different situation. The people are content with him, yet he is tired with himself."

From the characteristics of these strangers that the Prophet (peace be upon him) described is the holding on to the sunnah of the Messenger (peace be upon him), even if the people abandon it. They, the strangers, leave all the innovations that their people invent, even if such practices should be common among them. They also stick to tawheed, even if the people corrupt it with shirk. They do not ascribe themselves to anything besides Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him); they do not, that is, ascribe themselves to a shaikh, tariqah, particular madhhab or a group of people. They are dedicated only to Allah, with their sincere worship of Him and Him alone, and to His Prophet (peace be upon him), by following the path that he followed. These are the people who grasp the glowing hot embers, even though most of mankind - nay, all of them - blame them for this. This is the meaning of the statements of the Prophet (peace be upon him) alluding to the fact that they stick to his sunnah, even if the people corrupt it.

Allah, all praise be to Him, sent His Prophet (peace be upon him) when mankind followed different religions, for there were those who worshipped rivers and trees, and there were those who worshipped idols, and there were Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians. Islam, when it first appeared among these people, was strange to them. If a person from among them accepted Islam and followed the call of Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him), he would be shunned by his family and his tribe. He would live the life of a stranger among his people. Eventually, however, Islam spread far and wide. The Muslims became stronger and stronger, so much so that the strangers were those that did not accept the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

But, alas, Satan deceived mankind again. People took to the ways that their forefathers, who had accepted Islam, had abandoned until, finally, Islam became strange again, just like it had started and just like the Prophet (peace be upon him) had foretold. Nay, indeed, rather the true Islam - that which the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions were following [this is a reference to the reply that the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave when asked what the characteristics of the "Saved Group" were] has become even stranger to the people then when it initially appeared, even though its outward signs and external relics are well known and widespread. [This is what ibn al-Qayyim, wrote in the 8th Century of the Hijrah, wrote. Imagine our situations six centuries after him. May Allah protect us.]

How can it not be so, when these strangers are only one group among seventy-two others, each of which follows its own desires and takes its passions as gods? Those are the groups that base their teachings on doubts and innovations and whose sole purpose is the gratification of their own desires. Thus, the group whose goal is to achieve the pleasure of Allah by following the path of His Messenger (peace be upon him) will be the strange one among all of the other groups.

This is why the true Muslims - those that adamantly cling to the Sunnah - will have the reward of fifty Companions. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked about the verse, "O you who believe! Take care of your own selves. If you follow right guidance, no harm can come to you from those who err" (al-Maidah 105), he said, "Nay indeed, order good and forbid evil until you see stinginess being obeyed, and desires being followed, and this world preferred [over the next], and each person being deluded by his own opinions. Then take care of yourself and leave the common people. For indeed, after you there will be days of patience, where patience will be like holding on to glowing embers. Whoever is able to do this will have the reward of fifty people that do like him." They asked, "O Messenger of Allah, the reward of fifty of them?" He replied, "The reward of fifty of you" [al-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud with a weak chain but it has supporting evidence. Al-Albani calls it sahih. See al-Sahiha, #957]. This reward is due to his strangeness among the people.

So, if the believer whom Allah has blessed with wisdom and knowledge wants to tread upon this path, the path of Allah, then let him be prepared to resign himself to the life of a stranger among his people, just like his predecessors who accepted Islam were treated by the people. For indeed, he will be a stranger in his beliefs, because his people have corrupted their beliefs. He will be a stranger in his religion, due to what the people have done to it. He will be a stranger in his manner of praying, because the people are ignorant of the prayer of the Prophet (peace be upon him). He will be a stranger in his ordering of good and prohibiting evil, for the people have taken what is evil as good and they have abandoned what is good as evil. In short, then, he will be a stranger in all his matters of this world and the Hereafter, calling to the path of Allah and withstanding the harm of all those that go against him.

As for the second type of strangeness, then know, O reader, that this strangeness is the blameworthy strangeness, for its people are the evil sinners, the ignorant and the arrogant of mankind. Their strangeness is due to their refusal to follow the correct and straight path of Allah. This strangeness is the strangeness of not conforming to the religion of Islam and, as such, it will remain strange even if its followers are numerous, its power is strong and its existence is widespread. These are the strangers to Allah. May Allah keep us from becoming one of them.

[Ibn Qayyim - al-Ghurbathu wa al-Ghuraba]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Sufyân ath-Thawrî - rahimahullâh - wrote to ’Abbâd ibn ’Abbâd al-Khawwâs al-Arsûfî - rahimahullâh - saying:

To proceed:

You are in a time which the Companions of the Prophet sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam used to seek refuge from reaching, and they had the knowledge that we do not have, and they had precedence which we do not. So how is it for us, when we reach that, having little knowledge, little patience, few helpers upon what is good, corruption of the people and pollution of this world?! So take to the original state of affairs and cling to it. I advise you to remain unknown, since this is the age for remaining anonymous (khumûl). And remain aloof and mix little with the people, since before, when the people met, they would benefit from each other. But today that has gone and your safety - in our view - lies in abandoning them.

Beware of the Rulers. Beware of coming near to them and of mixing with them in any of the affairs. Beware of being deceived, so that it said to you: Intercede [for me], so that you help one oppressed, or repel an act of oppression - because that is from the deception of Iblîs, which the wicked reciters have taken as a means to attain a favorable position. It used to be said: Beware of the fitnah (trial) of the ignorant worshipper and the wicked scholar, because the trial of these two is indeed a trial for everyone put to trial.

If you find questions and need for fatwâ, then take take advantage of it - but do not compete desirously for it. And beware of being like the one who loves that his saying is acted upon, or that his saying is publicised or listened to, and if that is abandoned, the effects of that are seen upon him.

And beware of the love of leadership, since leadership may be more beloved to a man than gold and silver - but it is something difficult and obscure; and this will not be understood except by wise Scholars. So seek after your lost soul and work with correct intention and know that there has come near to the people a matter which a person would be desirous of death.

Was-salâm.

[Reported by Abû Nu’aym in Hilyah (6/376-377) and Ibn Rajab mentioned a portion of it in Sharh Hadîth Mâ Dhi’bân (pp.53-54) and adh-Dhahabî reported it in the biography of Sufyân in Siyâr A’lâmun-Nubalâ, and it is a famous testament possessed by the Scholars.]

[Al-Hâfidh al-Mizzî - rahimahullâh - says in Tahdbîbul-Kamâl (14/143) in his biography of ‘Abbâd ibn ‘Abbâd: “And he was one of the noble ones of Shâm and their worshippers, and Sufyân ath-Thawrî wrote the famous letter to him, being a testament, and mention of manners, wisdoms, examples and admonitions.”]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Mâlik (d.179H) said to ash-Shâfi’î when they first met:

“Indeed I see that Allaah has placed a light upon your heart, so do not extinguish it with the darkness of disobedience and sin.”

[A’lâmul-Muwaqqi’în (4/258) of Ibn al Qayyim.]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Imâm ashShâfi’î (d.204H) - rahimahullâh - said:

“Whosoever loves that Allâh should open-up his heart for him and grant light to him, then let him abandon speech about that which does not concern him, and abandon sins and turn away from acts of disobedience. Then there will be between him and Allâh a hidden treasure of good actions. So if this is done, then Allâh will open up such knowledge for him, that will preoccupy him. And indeed in death is the greatest pre-occupation."

[Related by al*Bayhaqî in Manâqiush-Shâfi’î (2/171)]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

’Ubâdah ibn as-Sâmit radiallâhu ’anhu related that the Prophet sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam said:

“Whosoever seeks forgiveness for the believing men and the believing women, Allâh will record for that person - equivalent to every believing man and believing woman - a good deed.”

[Hasan: Related by al-Haythamî in Majma’az-Zuwâ‘id (l/210)]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullah) said:

"The Religion of the Muslims is built upon following the Book of Allaah, the Sunnah of His Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and that which the Ummah has agreed upon. So these are the three infallible usool (fundamentals).So whatever the Ummah differs in, then it is referred back to Allaah and His Messenger. Thus, it is not for anyone to set up a person for the Ummah, and to call to his way and form walaa’ (love, loyalty and allegiance) and ‘adaa (enmity and hatred) based upon that, except for the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). Nor is any speech set up for them based upon which they form walaa’ and ‘adaa except for the Speech of Allaah, and that of His Messenger, and that which the Ummah has agreed upon. Rather, this is that practice of the people of innovation, who set up a person or a saying, with which they cause splits in the Ummah; forming walaa‘ and ‘adaa based upon that saying or ascription."

[Majmoo‘ul Fataawaa (20/164)]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

The saying of the Messenger :arabic5:,

"His Veil is made of light and if He was to uncover it, the splendors/radiances (subuhaat) of His Face, would destroy everything of His creation that His Sight would reach."

[Muslim, from Abu Moosa al-Ash’aree]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn `Uyaynah related a hadeeth of the Prophet, peace be on him:

"People might travel to the farthest corners of the earth in search of knowledge, but they will not find anyone more knowledgeable than the learned man of Madinah."

When asked who was alluded to in this hadeeth, Ibn Sufyaan said it was Maalik ibn Anas and added:

He [Maalik] never reported any unreliable hadeeth; he never accepted any hadeeth from anyone whose trustworthiness and reliability were not beyond question. I have a feeling that Madinah will come to ruin after the death of Maalik ibn Anas.

[Al Intiqaa']

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Abu Darda said:

"To say: "I do not know” is half of knowledge."

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn al-Mubarak said:

When the night is completely dark,
it finds them staying up in the night.
Fear has chased away their sleep so they stand up,
while those who feel secure in this life quietly sleep on.

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

“Remembrance of Allah is to the heart what water is to fish. What happens to a fish when it is taken out of water?”

- Ibn Taymiyyah

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

“Some people make their goals, the stars. They may live and die, but never reach the stars. But in the darkness of the night, because they looked to the stars, they were there to provide direction.”

[Muhammed AlShareef - “Under the Shade of the Scrolls”]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ayoob As-Sakhtiyaanee, as well as 'Abdullaah Ibn Mubaarak, may Allaah have mercy on them, used to say to their companions,

"You people are in need of learning a little bit of manners more than you need to learn a lot of knowledge."

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah said:

"The Five Heart Corrupters are : Excessive socializing, wishful thinking, attachment to others besides Allaah, eating to one’s fill, and sleep. These five factors are the greatest corrupters of the heart."

[Madaarij as-Saalikeen, vol. 1, pp. 443]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:

"A person may hope for some matter of trade or position of authority, until he is close to attaining it, then Allaah looks at him and says to His angels: ‘Divert it from him, for if he attains it I will send him to Hell.’
So Allaah diverts it from him and he keeps regarding that as something bad, saying ‘So and so beat me to it, So and so outwitted me,’ when in fact it is a blessing from Allaah."

[Quoted by Ibn Rajab in Jaami’ al-‘Uloom wa’l-Hukam (2/470)]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Sahl ibn Sa’d (may Allaah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was brought a cup and he drank from it. There was a boy, the youngest of all the people, on his right and some elders on his left.

He said, “O young boy, will you allow me to give this to these elders?” The boy said, “I will not give away my share of your blessings to anyone, O Messenger of Allah,” so he gave the cup to him.

[Reported by al-Bukhaari, 2180]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

al-Haafith ath-Thahabi, rahimahullah, says:

“Is seeking knowledge better than voluntary prayers, recitation of the Quraan and rememberance of Allah?”

“Whoever is sincere to Allah in his search for knowledge, and his mind is astute, then knowledge is better for him, with some aspects of prayer and worship, for if you see him serious in knowledge yet has no share in (acts) that bring one closer to Allah, then this (one) is lazy, careless, and is not truthful in his intention.

As for the ones who seek hadeeth, fiqh, due to personal whim and selfishness, than worship for this person is better, and this is a general categorisation, for few, by Allah, are those that I have seen sincere in their search for knowledge.”

[Siyar A’laam an-Nubalaa`, 7/167]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

The saying of Imaam Malik:

“Everyone’s speech can be accepted or rejected, except the speech of he who occupies that grave [Reffering to the Messenger of Allaah :arabic5: ].”

[Reported by Ibn 'Abd al-Barr and Ibn Hazm. Also in Al-Yawaqeet wa Al-Jawahir 2:96]

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

The statement of Imam Malik:

"Ahl al-Sunnah do not have a title by which they are known by: not Jahmi nor Qadari nor Rafidi"

[Ibn 'Abd al-Barr in al-Intiqa' p.35 and Qadi 'Iyad in Tartib 1:176, as quoted from another book]