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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]
“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)]
"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]
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 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.It was narrated, regarding 'Abd ar-Rahman ad-Dakhil:
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]
"...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']
"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.]
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).]
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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
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."He sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam said:
[Related by Muslim (6/52-53) and Abu Daawood (2/202) from Thawbaan radi-Allaahu 'anhu.]
"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."Ibn al-Mubaarak (d.151H) - rahimahullaah - said:
[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.]
"According to me, they are Ashaabul-Hadeeth (the Scholars of Hadeeth)."Al-Bukhaaree (d.256H) - rahimahullaah - said:
[Sharafu Ashaabul-Hadeeth (p.26) of al-Khateeb al-Baghdaadee.]"It means: Ahlul-Hadeeth (the People of Hadeeth)."Imaam Ahmad (d.241H) - rahimahullaah - said:
[Sharafu Ashaabul-Hadeeth (p.27).]"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).]
"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
"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
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."A student of al-Khatib al-Baghdadi narrated:
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]
"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]
'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:'Abdullah bin 'Umar said:
{"Now, we have neither intercessors nor close friends to help us!"} [ash-Shu'ara'; 100-1]?"
"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 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."al-Fudayl bin 'Iyad said:[''Uluww al-Himmah'; p. 41]
"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."Some of the righteous people said:[''Uluww al-Himmah'; p. 42]
"Your being alone on the path to what you seek is a proof of your sincerity in seeking that thing."Ibn Taymiyyah said:[''Uluww al-Himmah'; p. 42]
...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]
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?"[Reported by al-Hakim in 'al-Mustadrak' (2/506-507) and at-Tabari in 'Jami' al-Bayan' (29/156), and it is authentic]
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.""
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]
'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][Reported by Abu Dawud (334), and it is authentic]
So, the Messenger of Allah smiled and did not say anything."
'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:['Sahih al-Bukhari'; # 901]
"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.""
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]
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]
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]
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]
“The sincere one is he who hides his good deeds in the same way that he would hide his bad.”
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}