Gems Pearls of Wisdom of the Salaf

Asalamu alaikum rahmatulah wa barakatu


Ibn Shihâb reports:

‘Umar b. ‘Abd Al-‘Azîz – Allah have mercy on him, said, “The Messenger of Allâh – Allâh’s peace and blessings be upon him – and the authorities (leaders of the Muslims, the Caliphs ) after him set certain ways and practices. To follow those ways is to believe in Allâh’s Book and to complete [ones] obedience of Him, and to be strong upon the religion of Allâh. It is not for anyone to alter those ways or change them for something else, and it is not for anyone to consider the views and opinions of those who contradict them. Whoever follows what [the Prophet and his Caliphs] laid down will be guided, whoever seeks enlightenment through it will be enlightened. But whoever contradicts those ways and follows a way other than the way of the Believers, Allâh the Mighty and Majestic will leave him in the path he has chosen and land him in Jahannam (Hell); and what an evil destination that is.'”

Al-Lâlakâ`î, Sharh Usûl I’tiqâd Ahl Al-Sunnah 1:94.
 
Asalamu alaikum rahmatulah wa barakatu


Abû Bakr Al-Siddîq – Allâh be pleased with him – said:

I will not leave anything Allâh’s Messenger – Allâh’s peace and blessings be upon him – did, except that I will also do it; for I fear that if I were to leave any of his commands and ways I would deviate.

Al-Bukhârî, Al-Sahîh 2:386 hadîth no. 3093; Ibn Battah, Al-Ibânah article 77, and others.

Notes

After recording this narration, Ibn Battah states:

This, my brothers, is the greatest Siddîq (true believer i.e. Abû Bakr), fearing that he would fall into deviation if he were to leave any of the commandments of his Prophet – Allâh’s peace and blessings be upon him. What then is to happen in a time in which people deride their Prophet and his commandments, and compete with each other and show off in contradicting him and mock his Sunnah? We ask Allâh to protect us from slipping and to save us from evil deeds.
 
Asalamu alaikum rahmatulah wa barakatu

Abû Al-Dardâ` once wrote to Salmân Al-Fârsî:

Come to the Holy Land. [Salmân] wrote back, “Verily, the land does not make anyone holy; it is the deeds of a man that make him pure.”

Al-Dhahabî, SIyar A’lâm Al-Nubalâ 1:549.
 
Asalamu alaikum rahmatulah wa barakatu


It is narrated that ‘Uthmān b. ʿAffān – Allāh be pleased with him – said in a sermon:

Son of Adam! Know that the angel of death who has been assigned to you has not ceased to pass you and move on to others, ever since you have been in this world. But it is as if he is about to pass someone else and move on to target you, so be careful and prepare for him (by correcting your deeds). And do not forget him, for he does not forget you. And know o son of Adam, if you are heedless about yourself and do not prepare, no one else will prepare for you. You must meet Allah the Mighty and Majestic, so take for yourself and do not leave it to someone else. Peace be on you.

Abū Bakr Al-Daynūrî, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-ʿIlm 2: 73, 74.
 
:salams


The Integrity of a Man and his Prayer

It is reported that Abû Al-‘Âliyah – Allâh have mercy on him – said:

I would travel for days to a man to hear [knowledge/hadîth ] from him, and the first thing I would check about him is his prayer: if he performed it properly I would stay and hear [knowledge] from him, but if he neglected it, I would return without hearing from him, and I would say, ‘He will be even more neglectful of other matters.’

Al-Khatîb Al-Baghdâdî, Al-Rihlah fî Talab Al-Hadîth article 22; Al-Dhahabî, Siyar A’lâm Al-Nubalâ` 4:209.
 
Asalamu alaikum rahmatulah wa barakatu


It is reported that ‘Abdullâh b. ‘Umar – Allâh be pleased with him – was asked:

Did the Companions of Allâh’s Messenger – Allâh’s peace and blessings be upon him – used to laugh? He replied, “Yes, and the îmân (faith) in their hearts was greater than the mountains.”

‘Abd Al-Razzâq Al-San’ânî, Al-Musannaf 11:327.
 
Asalamu alaikum rahmatulah wa barakatu


It is reported that Ayyûb Al-Sakhtiyânî was asked:

Is knowledge today greater or lesser [in amount]? He replied, “There is more speech today, but there was more knowledge in the past.”

Al-Fasawî, Al-Ma’rifah wa Al-Târîkh 2:136.
 
Asalamu alaikum rahmatulah wa barakatu


Imam Al-Awzai’s Letter of Warning against Heresy and Heretics

It is reported that Imâm Al-Awzâ’î (d157H) wrote:

O Muslims, fear Allâh and obey Him, and accept the advice of the sincere advisers and the exhortation of the exhorters, and know that this knowledge is religion, so be careful about what you do [in it] and from whom you take [it] and who you follow and who you trust your religion to. For verily, the followers of Bid’ah are all falsifiers and liars, neither are they careful nor do they fear and protect [against wrongdoing], and nor are they to be trusted to not distort what you hear. They say what they know not when criticizing and decrying or when affirming their lies. But Allâh encompasses what they do. So be on guard against them, suspect them, reject them and distance yourselves from them, for this was what your earlier scholars and the righteous latter ones did and instructed others to do.

Beware of rising against Allâh and becoming instruments in the destruction of His religion and undoing its handholds by respecting the innovators, for you know what has come down to us about respecting them. And what stronger respect and veneration can there be than taking your religion from them, following them, believing them, being close to them and helping them in alluring those they allure and attracting those they attract of the weak Muslims towards their ideas and the religion they practice? This is enough to be considered a partnership and contribution to what they do.

Ibn ‘Asâkir, Târîkh Dimishq 6:361, 362.
 
:salams


It is reported that Al-Hasan Al-Basrî – Allâh have mercy on him – said when asked ‘what is îmân (faith)?’:

It is perseverance (al-sabr) from the things that are forbidden by Allâh the Mighty and Majestic and acceptance. He was asked, “What is perseverance and acceptance?” He replied, “al-sabr is to persevere in holding back from what Allâh has forbidden, and [acceptance is] acceptance of what Allâh the Mighty and Majestic has commanded.”

Abû Bakr Al-Daynûrî, Al-Mujâlasah wa Jawâhir Al-‘Ilm 3:535.
 
Asalamu alaikum rahmatulah wa barakatu


No poverty after Paradise and no wealth in the Fire

It is reported that Jundub b. ‘Abdillâh Al-Bajalî – Allah be pleased with him – was once asked for advice and instruction. He said:

I advise you to fear Allâh and obey Him (taqwâ) and I advise you to adhere to the Quran, for it is a light in the dark night and a guidance during the day, so implement it no matter how much struggle and poverty you have to face. If a calamity befalls you, put your wealth forward to protect your religion, and if the calamity continues, put forward your wealth and your life to save your religion [but never risk your religion], for the ruined is he whose religion is ruined, and the looted is he whose religion is taken. And know that there is no poverty after Paradise, and no riches after the Fire.

Al-Dhahabî, Siyar A’lâm Al-Nubalâ` 3:174.
 
Asalamu alaikum rahmatulah wa barakatu


The likeness [of the munâfiq] is as the likeness of one who kindled a fire; then, when it lighted all around him, Allâh took away their light and left them in darkness. So they could not see. They are deaf, dumb and blind, so they return not [to the Right Path]. (Quran 2:17)

Qatâdah – Allâh’s mercy be upon him – said:

This is the likeness Allâh has given of the Hypocrite (munâfiq); he says lâ ilâha illallâh and with it marries into the Muslims, inherits from the Muslims, fights alongside the Muslims, and protects his blood and wealth. But when death comes, [the testimony of faith] has no basis in his heart, and no reality in his actions, so the munâfiq is stripped of it at death and left in darkness and blindness wondering therein, just as he was blind about the right of Allâh and obedience to Him in his worldly life and deaf to the truth.

Al-Tabarî, Al-Tafsîr.
 
Asalamu alaikum rahmatulah wa barakatu


Al-Bukhârî reports that ‘Umar – Allâh be pleased with him – came to the Black Stone (performing tawâf, circumambulation), kissed it, and said, “I know that you are a stone, you do not cause benefit or harm; and if it were not that I had seen Allâh’s Messenger – peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him – kiss you, I would never have kissed you.”

Al-Bukhârî, Al-Sahîh, Chapter on what has been said about the Black Stone.

Points to note

· The illustrious Companion and Caliph ‘Umar reminded us in this narration of the pure belief that benefit and harm are not caused by created objects and thus should not be sought from them. Only Allâh has control over these things.

· We are reminded that acts of worship are taken from Allâh’s Messenger, and a person is not supposed to make up his own way of worship, he must follow the manner of worship that the Prophet taught and practiced.

· We also learn that once an action is confirmed in the Sunnah, the believer submits and complies and practices it because it is confirmed that Allâh’s Messenger did it, even if we don’t know the wisdom behind it.

· This narration is also an example of how a responsible person tries to clarify and do away with any misunderstandings that people may have about matters of faith. The people had recently left their unbelief and polytheism, so ‘Umar wanted to make it clear that kissing the Black Stone is by no means done as an act of devotion to it, as people used to do with their stone idols.

Adapted from Ibn Hajr, Fath Al-Bârî, and other hadîth commentaries.
 
Asalamu alaikum rahmatulah wa barakatu It is reported that ‘Alî b. Abî Tâlib – Allâh be pleased with him – said, “The servant [of Allâh] should not fear except his sins, and should not hope except in his Lord. The ignorant should not be ashamed to ask, and the knowledgeable should not be ashamed to say – if he does not know something – ‘Allâh knows best.’ Patience (al-sabr) to faith (Al-Îmân) is like the head to the rest of the body: if the head is cut off, the body will rot. And one who has no patience, has no faith.”Al-Baihaqî, Shu’ab Al-Îmân, Vol.12 p195.
 
Asalamu alaikum rahmatulah wa barakatu

It is reported that Shurayh – Allâh have mercy on him – said, “If I am afflicted with a calamity, I praise Allâh for it four times: I praise Him because it wasn’t worse than it was, I praise Him when He gives me the patience to bear it, I praise Him for enabling me to say al-istirjâ’ (‘To Allâh we belong and to him we will return’; see Al-Baqarah: 154-156 ) in hope of a great reward, and I praise Him for not making it a calamity in my religion.”

Al-Dhahabî, Siyar A’lâm Al-Nubalâ`, in his biography of Shurayh Al-Qâdî.
 
Asalamu alaikum rahmatulah wa barakatu


‘Âsim b. ‘Umar b. Qatâdah [Al-Ansârî] reports from some men amongst his people, “One of the things that called us to accept Islam – with the mercy of Allâh and His guidance – is what we used to hear from some Jewish men. We were polytheists who worshipped idols. They (the Jews) were people of scripture and had knowledge that we did not possess. There was always some badness between us; if we did to them something they hated, they would say to us, ‘The time is nigh when a Prophet will be sent, with whom we will fight and kill you like ‘Âd and Iram.’ We would often hear this from them. When Allâh sent His Messenger- Allâh’s peace and blessings be upon him – we answered him when he called us to Allâh the Exalted, and we recognized what they used to warn us about. So we preceded them to him; we believed in him and they disbelieved. And it is about us and them that these verses of Al-Baqarah were revealed:

And when there came to them (the Jews), a Book (this Qur’ân) from Allâh confirming what is with them (Torah) and the Gospel, although aforetime they had invoked Allâh (for coming of the Prophet), in order to gain victory over those who disbelieved. Then when there came to them that which they recognized, they disbelieved in it. So let the curse of Allâh be on the disbelievers.” [Al-Baqarah: 89]

Ibn Hishâm, Al-Sîrah Vol.1 p211, and others. Shaykh Muqbil Al-Wâdi’î graded this narrations chain of transmission hasan. See Al-Sahîh Al-Musnad min Dalâ`il Al-Nubûwah p93.
 
Asalamu alaikum rahmatulah wa barakatu

Ibrâhîm Al-Taymî reports from his father that Abû Dharr [Al-Ghifârî] – Allâh be pleased with him – said, “A person possessing two dirhams will have a harsher reckoning (on the Day of Judgment) than a person who possesses just one dirham, and a person who possesses two dinars will have a harsher reckoning than someone who possesses only one.”

Ibn Al-Mubârak, Al-Zuhd wa Al-Raqâ`iq article 555. Shaykh Al-Albânî graded this narration’s chain of transmission sahîh is Al-Da’îfah Vol. 8 p117.
 
Asalamu alaikum rahmatulah wa barakatu


It is reported that the last sermon ‘Umar b. ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz – Allâh have mercy on him – delivered was as follows:

He praised Allâh and said, “You were not created in vain, nor will you be left without purpose. Verily, you have an appointed time in which Allâh – the Most High – will come down to judge you. Wretched and ruined will he be who leaves the mercy of Allâh and is denied a Garden whose width is that of the heavens and Earth. Know you not that no one will be safe tomorrow save one who is wary of today and fears it; and sells the transitory for what will remain, and the little for the plenty, and fear in exchange for security [in the hereafter]? See you not that you are in the loins of the dead, to be taken by those who remain after you, until all matters return to the Best of Inheritors? Every day, [in the funerals] you accompany those returning to Allâh the Mighty and Sublime, having spent their time, until you hide them in a crevice in the ground, in the belly of a bare and unfurnished hole, having parted from their loved ones, stroking the dirt and facing their accounts. Now, they are dependent on their deeds, free of what they left behind, in need of [the deeds] they put before them. So fear Allâh before the time He appointed is up and death descends upon you. This is what I have to say.” He then lifted the edge of his garment over his face and wept profusely, and made everyone around him weep.

Abû Bakr Al-Daynûrî, Al-Mujâlasah wa Jawâhir Al-‘Ilm Vol. 3 p343.
 
Asalamu alaikum rahmatulah wa barakatu


It is reported that Imâm Layth b. Sa’d – Allâh have mercy on him – said, “Even if I saw a heretic (follower of bid’ah) walk on water, I would not accept him.” This was reported to Imâm Al-Shâfi’î – Allâh have mercy on him, to which he replied, “He didn’t go far enough. Rather, if I saw one walk in the air, I would not accept him.”

Al-Lâlakâ`î, Sharh Usûl ‘I’tiqâd Ahl Al-Sunnah Vol.1 p228; Ibn Battah, Al-Ibânah Al-Kubrâ Vol2. P175; Ibn Al-Jawzî, Talbîs Iblîs p14 – with slightly variant wordings.
 
Asalamu alaikum rahmatulah wa barakatu


It is reported on the authority of Ibrâhîm b. Al-Ash’ath that he said, “I asked Al-Fudayl b. ‘Ayyâd – Allâh have mercy on him – about patience (al-sabr) in the face of adversity and he said, ‘It is to not broadcast it.’ I asked him about asceticism (al-zuhd) and he said, ‘Al-zuhd is to be content with what you have, and that is what it means to be rich.’ I asked him about prudence (al-wara’) and he said, ‘It is to stay away from what is forbidden.’ And I asked him about humbleness (al-tawâdu’) and he said, ‘It is when you submit to the truth and comply no matter who you hear it from; even if it was from the most ignorant of people, you would be required to accept it from him.’”

Ibn ‘Abd Al-Barr, Jâmi’ Bayân Al-‘Ilm wa Fadlihi Vol. 1 p498.
 

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