“Whoever travels a path in search of knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise.”
Saʿīd b. Jubayr – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
Tawakkul (reliance and trust in Allah) comprehends all of Īmān.
Hunād b. Al-Sarī, Al-Zuhd #534.
It is reported that Abū Bakr Al-Ṣiddīq – Allāh be pleased with him – said:
Beware of lying, for lying is far removed from īmān.
Abū Bakr Al-Ḵallāl, Al-Sunnah no. 1467, 1470; Al-Bayhaqī, Shuʿab Al-Īmān no. 4463.
It is reported that Imām Mālik – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
Whatever you fool around with, don’t fool around with your dīn (religion).
Al-Lālakāʾī, Sharḥ ʾUṣūl ʾIʿtiqād Ahl Al-Sunnah 1:163
Allah knows the fraud of the eyes, and all that the breasts conceal [Quran, Ghāfir (40):19]
يَعْلَمُ خَآئِنَةَ ٱلْأَعْيُنِ وَمَا تُخْفِى ٱلصُّدُورُ
Hunād b. Al-Sarī, Al-Zuhd article 1428.
It is reported that Imām Al-Awzāʿī – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
Learn what is not to be taken, like you learn what is to be taken.
Ibn ʿAbd Al-Barr, Jāmiʿu Bayyān Al-ʿIlm article 435.
It is reported that Ibrāhīm b. Adham – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
A person has not been true to Allāh, the mighty and sublime, if he loves recognition (fame).
Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal, Al-Zuhd article 2240.
Topic index
All topicsName index
All namesRecent entries
‘Ikrimah, Sumay’ and Kurayb report that Ibn ‘Abbās – Allah be pleased with them – said to them:
Marry, for if the servant of Allah commits fornication Allah snatches the light of īmān from him, and may or may not return it to him.
Ibn Sa’d, Al-Ṭabaqāt Al-Kubrā (Dār Ṣādir ed.), Vol.5 p287.
It is reported that there used to be poor people in Al-Madīnah who didn’t know where they were getting their food from. When ‘Alī b. Ḥusayn passed away, they started missing what they used to be given at night.
Abū Ḥamzah Al-Thumālī narrates that ‘Alī b. Ḥusayn used to carry bread on his back in the darkness of the night and follow the poor people (to give it to them). He used to say, “Charity in the darkness of the night extinguishes the Lords anger.” ‘Amr b. Thābit reports that when ‘Alī b. Ḥusayn died, they found marks on his back from the sacks of provisions he used to carry at night to the houses of the widows. Shaybah b. Nu’āmah narrates that when ‘Alī b. Ḥusayn died they found out that he used to provide for a hundred (poor) families. Al-Dhahabī in Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā’ under the biography of ‘Alī b. Ḥusayn Zayn Al-‘Ābidīn.
Al-Dhahabī in Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā’ under the biography of ‘Alī b. Ḥusayn Zayn Al-‘Ābidīn.
A fire once broke out in a house where ‘Alī b. Husayn – Allah have mercy on him – was prostrate in prayer. He didn’t raise his head until the fire went out. When asked about this he said:
The other Fire kept my mind busy. Al-Dhahabī in Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā’ under the biography of ‘Alī b. Husayn Zayn Al-‘Ābidīn. ‘Alī b. Husayn, known as Zayn Al-‘Ābidīn for his devout worship, was the great-grandson of the Prophet – Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. He was the only surviving son of Husayn, son of ʿAli b. Abī Tālib – Allah be please with them.
‘Alī b. Husayn, known as Zayn Al-‘Ābidīn for his devout worship, was the great-grandson of the Prophet – Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. He was the only surviving son of Husayn, son of ʿAli b. Abī Tālib – Allah be please with them.
It is from a person’s knowledge and understanding that he sees to his needs first in order to turn to his prayer with a heart free of distractions. Ibn Al-Mubārak in Al-Zuhd wa Al-Raqā’iq Vol.2 p726
Ibn Al-Mubārak in Al-Zuhd wa Al-Raqā’iq Vol.2 p726
Whenever any people of desires (heretics) came to Mālik he would say to them, “As for me, I am upon clarity as regards my religion. As for you, you are a doubter, go and argue with another doubter like yourself.” Al-Dhahbī in Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā’ under the biography of Imām Mālik.
Al-Dhahbī in Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā’ under the biography of Imām Mālik.
When intending to do something good, do not delay it until tomorrow. When involved in something to do with the hereafter, keep yourself involved as long as you can. When involved in some worldly matter, put your mind to it (so as to get it done). And if you are praying and Shaytān whispers, ‘You are showing off,’ then make your prayer even longer. Ibn Al-Mubārak in Al-Zuhd wa Al-Rqā’iq Vol.1 p126 Al-Hārith b. Qays was a student of the Companions ‘Alī and Ibn Mas’ūd – Allah be pleased with them. He was a scholar and devout worshipper. The last bit of advice about prayer serves to repel one of Shaytān’s plots, which is to turn people away from worshipping Allah by making them feel they are showing off if they try to perfect their worship.
The last bit of advice about prayer serves to repel one of Shaytān’s plots, which is to turn people away from worshipping Allah by making them feel they are showing off if they try to perfect their worship.
Abu Al-‘Āliyah reports that a man once asked ‘Ubay b. Ka’b – Allah be pleased with him – for advice. He said:
Take the Book of Allah as your leader (imām) and be pleased with it as a judge and ruler. It is what your Messenger left amongst you. It will be an intercessor for you. It is to be obeyed. It is a witness never doubted. In it is a mention of you and those before you, and judgment for whatever happens amongst you. And in it is news about you and whatever will come after you. Al-Dhahabī in Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā’, in the biography of ‘Ubay b. Ka’b
Al-Dhahabī in Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā’, in the biography of ‘Ubay b. Ka’b
‘Aṭā’ narrates that there used to be a young man who used to go to Mother of the Believers ‘Ā’ishah to ask her questions and she would narrate to him. One day, he came to her to ask her some questions. She said, “Son, have you put into practice what you hear from me yet?” He replied, “No mother, I have not.” So she said, “Son, why do you then seek to increase Allah’s proof against us and you?!”
Al-Khatīb Al-Baghdādī in Iqtidā’ Al-‘Ilm Al-‘Amal no. 92.
A man once asked Ka’b, “Which illness cannot be treated?” “Death”, he replied. The son of Zayd b. Aslam [d136H] said:
My father said, “There is one treatment for death: gaining the pleasure of Allah ‘azza wa jall.” Ibn Abī Al-Dunyā in Dhikr Al-Mawt no. 418.
Ibn Abī Al-Dunyā in Dhikr Al-Mawt no. 418.
Faith (īmān) is not by embellishment or wishful thinking, but it is what settles in the heart and is verified through your works. Whoever says good but does not do good will have his words compared to his deeds by Allah. Whoever says good and does good will have his words raised by his deeds. This is because Allah ‘azza wa jalla said: To Him ascends the good word, and the righteous deed raises it. [Sūrah Fāṭir: 10]
Ibn Battah in Al-Ibānah Al-Kubrā Vol. 3 p120, and Al-Khaṭīb Al-Baghdādī in Iqtiḍā’ Al-‘Ilm Al-‘Amal no. 56.