How fast these days are in doing away with our lifespans, and how fast this year is in doing away with its months, and how fast this month is in doing away with its days.
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The Hereafter
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The Companion that Stays
It is reported that Al-Nuʿmān b. Bashīr – Allāh be pleased with him – said:
The example of the son of Adam and death is that of a man who has three friends. He says to one of them: “What do you have?” [The first friend] replies, “I have your wealth, take from it what you wish, and whatever you do not take, you will no longer possess.” Then he asks the second, “What do you have?” He replies, “I will look after you, and when you die, I will bury you and then leave you.” The man then asks the third, “What do you have?” He replies, “I will be with you wherever you go.” [Al-Nuʿmān] said, “As for the first one, it is the wealth of a person: whatever he uses is his, and whatever he does not use is not. As for the second, it is a man’s family and kin: when he dies they take care of him, then they leave him. As for the third, it is a man’s actions: wherever he goes (before and after death), they go with him.”
Ibn Abī Shaybah, Al-Muṣannaf ḥadīth 34723.
If You Want Your Prayer to Benefit You
It is reported that Bakr b. ʿAbdillāh Al-Muzanī – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
If you want your ṣalāh to benefit you, say (to yourself): perhaps I will never pray another (my life will end before the next prayer).
Ibn Abī Al-Dunyā, Qaṣr Al-ʾAmal article 104.
Sermon of Uthman on Guidance before Death
It is reported that ʿUthmān b. ʿAffān – Allāh be pleased with him – once addressed the people in a sermon. He praised Allāh, then said:
O people! Fear Allāh and obey Him, for piety is a valuable prize. Verily the most intelligent person is he who takes account of himself and works for what comes after death, and acquires through the light (guidance) of Allāh a light for the darkness of the grave. The servant of Allāh should fear lest Allāh the Mighty and Sublime resurrects him blind though he used to see. A few comprehensive words can be enough for a wise man, whereas the deaf (who does not listen to guidance) is being called from afar. And know that whoever Allāh the Mighty and Sublime is with has nothing to fear; but whoever Allāh the Mighty and Sublime is against, then in whom can he hope after Allāh?!
Abū Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-ʿIlm 4:116,117.
The Comfortable Home
It is reported that Masrūq – Allāh have mercy him – said: There is no house better for the believer than the niche of his grave, for then he will rest from the worries of this world, and be secured from the punishment of Allāh.
It is reported that ʿAbdullāh b. Masʿūd – Allāh be pleased with him – said: There is no comfort or rest for the believer until he meets Allāh.
Wakīʿ b. Al-Jarrāḥ, Al-Zuhd #86
Speech Therapy [Exhortation]
It is reported that a man saw Ibn ʿAbbās – Allāh be pleased with them – holding the tip of his tongue saying:
Woe to you, say what is good and you will reap gain, and be silent from speaking evil and you will be safe.
Imām Aḥmad, Al-Zuhd p236
Try to Meet Allah with This
It is reported that a man once wrote to Ibn ʿUmar – Allāh be pleased with them:
Please write down all knowledge for me. Ibn ʿUmar replied: Knowledge is vast, but if you can meet Allāh having kept your back light of the burden of people’s blood, your stomach void of people’s wealth and having kept your tongue from [disparaging] their honour, then do so.
Al-Dhahabī, Siyar ʾAʿlām Al-Nubalāʾ 3:222
Your Saved Chat History
It is reported that Ya’lā b. ‘Ubayd said, “We entered upon Ibn Sūqah, who said: ‘O nephew, let me relate to you something that will hopefully benefit you; for it benefited me. ‘Atā b. Abī Rabāh once said to us:'”
Those before you used to consider idle talk to be anything other than the Book of Allāh, or the enjoining of good, or the forbidding of evil, or speaking for the sake of your basic living needs. Do you deny that there are recording angels appointed over you? Sitting on your right and your left? Never is a word said except there is an observer prepared to record? Are you not afraid (ashamed) that your record of words and deeds be spread open only to discover that there is nothing of the hereafter in it?
Al-Dhahabī, Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā` 5:86
The Most to Answer For
Those who will be taken to account most on the Day of Resurrection are those who were healthy and unoccupied.
It is reported that Mu’āwiyah b. Qurrah – Allāh have mercy on him – said: Those who will be taken to account most on the Day of Resurrection are those who were healthy and unoccupied. Abū Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-‘Ilm 4:152
Abū Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-‘Ilm 4:152
Followers of Dajjal
It is reported that Muhammad b. Sīrīn – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
If the Dajjāl appears, I believe the heretics (People of Desires, Bid’ah) will follow him. Al-Lālakā`ī, Sharh Usūl I’tiqād Ahl Al-Sunnah 1:131
Al-Lālakā`ī, Sharh Usūl I’tiqād Ahl Al-Sunnah 1:131
Beyond Words
It is reported that ‘Alī b. Abī Tālib – Allāh be pleased with him – said:
Mention what you will of the greatness of Allāh, but Allāh is greater than anything you say. And mention what you will of the Fire, but it is more severe than anything you say. And mention what you will of Paradise, but it is better than anything you say. Abū Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-‘Ilm article 853.
Abū Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-‘Ilm article 853.
A Dangerous Game
It is reported that Al-Hasan Al-Basrī – Allāh have mercy on him – said: How strange it is that a people whose departure (from this world to the next) has been announced, and whose predecessors have already departed, still play around!
Abū Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-‘Ilm article 843.
Between You and the One in the Grave
It is reported that Al-Hasan Al-Basrī – Allāh have mercy on him – once said during the funeral of a man:
May Allāh have mercy on the man who works for the likes of this day; for today you are able to do what these brothers of yours, the residents of these graves, cannot do. So make full use of your health and free time before the day of distress and accounts comes upon you. Ibn Abī Al-Dunyā, Dhamm Al-Dunyā article 53.
Ibn Abī Al-Dunyā, Dhamm Al-Dunyā article 53.
Living the Dream
It is reported that Yūnus b. ‘Ubayd (d. 139H) – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
I only liken the worldly life (dunyā) to a man who, whilst sleeping, sees in his dream things he likes and things he does not like. Then he wakes up (the world ends and the next life starts).
Ibn Abī Al-Dunyā, Dham Al-Dunyā article 21.
Checking from where the Sun Rises
It is reported that Al-Dahhāk said: How surprising it is that the companions of ʿAbdulāh (ibn Mas’ūd) are looking now to see where the sun rises from. Do they not know that when Fajr comes from a direction, the sun rises from the same?
It is reported that Jundub b. ʿAbdillāh Al-Bajalī said: I once sought permission to see Ḥudhayfah three times without being given permission. So I left, but his messenger caught up with me. [When I spoke to Ḥudhayfah] he asked, “What made you leave?” I replied, “I thought you were sleeping (after Fajr).” He said, “I do not sleep until I see where the sun rises from.” [The narrator] said, “I related this to Muḥammad (another narrator), to which he said, ‘More than one of the Companions of Muḥammad – Allāh’s praise and peace be upon him – did this.’” Ibn Abī Shaybah, Kitāb Al-Adab articles 156 and 157.
Ibn Abī Shaybah, Kitāb Al-Adab articles 156 and 157.
Homeless & Senseless
It is reported that ‘Abdullāh b. Masʿūd – Allāh be pleased with him – said:
This world (the dunyā) is [only taken as] a home by those who will have no real home [in Jannah], and it is the wealth of those who will have no real wealth, and it is gathered and collected for by those who have no real intelligence. Ibn Abī Al-Dunyā, Dhamm Al-Dunyā article 16.
Ibn Abī Al-Dunyā, Dhamm Al-Dunyā article 16.
The Four Eyes
It is reported that Khālid b. Ma’dān – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
There is not a person except he has four eyes: two in his head with which he sees the matters of this worldly life, and two in his heart with which he looks to the matters of the hereafter. So if Allāh wants good for his servant, He opens his heart’s eyes, and so he perceives what he has been promised in the unseen world. Thus he is saved from the unseen [punishment] through the unseen [reward for the obedient]. Al-Dhahabī, Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā` 4: 543
Al-Dhahabī, Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā` 4: 543
A Trivial Pursuit
It is reported that ‘Awn b. ‘Abdillāh – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
Those before you used to give to their worldly affairs what was left over from their pursuit of the hereafter. But today, you give to the matters of the hereafter the left-overs from your pursuit of worldly affairs. Abū Nu’aym, Ḥilyat Al-Awliyā` 10:242.
Abū Nu’aym, Ḥilyat Al-Awliyā` 10:242.
A Morning with the Salaf
It is reported that Imām Al-Awzā’ī – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
At the time of Fajr, or a while before it, the Salaf would be as if birds were sitting on their heads: (still ) concentrating on themselves [and their worship], so much so that even if one of their closest friends came to them after having been parted from them, they would not notice him. They would remain in this state until just before sunrise. Then, they would meet each other and sit in the circles. The first thing they would discuss is the matter of their afterlife and what would become of them in the hereafter. Then they would begin the circles of Quran and Fiqh study. Ibn ‘Asākir, Tārīkh Dimishq 35:184, 185.
Ibn ‘Asākir, Tārīkh Dimishq 35:184, 185.
Two Days and Two Nights like no others
It is reported that Anas b. Mālik – Allāh be pleased with him – said:
There are two days and two nights the likes of which no one has ever heard of before: the Day on which you will receive the news about Allāh the Exalted: whether you will receive His punishment or His mercy, the Day you will be given your book (of deeds): either in your right hand or your left, that [first] night you will spend alone in your grave, a night like no other you have spent, and that night on the morning of which will be the Day of Resurrection, after which there will be no more night. Abū Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-‘Ilm article 19.
Abū Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-‘Ilm article 19.
Hardship and prosperity, obedience and sin
It is reported that Wuhayb b. Al-Ward – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
Verily, when Allāh the Exalted wants to honor a servant of His (for his righteousness), He afflicts him with a reduced means of living, illness in his body and a fearful life (all of which expiate his sins). Until death comes upon him, and he still has some sins, death is made hard upon him because of them, causing him to meet Allāh with no sins against him. And when a person is of little value to Allāh (because of his disobedience), He makes his body healthy, broadens his means of living and makes him feel safe (the rewards for any good deeds he did are exhausted). Until death comes upon him, and he still has some good deeds, the experience of death is lightened for him because of them, and he meets Allāh with nothing. Abu Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-‘Ilm article 2865.
Abu Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-‘Ilm article 2865.
Fearing that Wealth is your only Reward
‘Abd Al-Raḥmān b. ‘Awf – Allāh be pleased with him – was once brought some food, and he had been fasting. He said:
Muṣ’ab b. ‘Umayr was killed, and he was better than me and he was buried with a cloak as a shroud: if his head was covered with it his legs would be uncovered and if his legs were covered with it his head would be uncovered. And Ḥamzah was killed and he was better than me. Then, after that time, we were given what we were given of worldly wealth, and we fear that [the reward of] our good deeds has been quickened for us [in this life]. He then began to cry so much that he left his food. Al-Bukhārī, Al-Ṣaḥīḥ hadith 1275 and other places.
Al-Bukhārī, Al-Ṣaḥīḥ hadith 1275 and other places.
Soft Poison
It is reported that ‘Alī b. Abī Tālib wrote to Salmām Al-Farsī – Allāh be pleased with them both – saying:
The likeness of this worldly life (dunyā) is that of a snake: soft to the touch, it will kill you with its poison. So turn away from what impresses you of it, since what stays with you is so little. And do not be concerned about it, since you are certain about its parting. And be most happy in it when you are most heedful of it; for every time its companion takes solace in one of its delights, it gives way to one of its woes. Was-Salām. Ibn Abī Al-Dunyā, Kitāb Al-Zuhd article 164.
Ibn Abī Al-Dunyā, Kitāb Al-Zuhd article 164.
Four Signs of the Wretched
It is reported that Al-Hasan Al-Basrī – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
Four signs of wretchedness are: [having] a hard heart, dry eyes [that never cry], extended hopes [about this life], and greed and keenness to amass worldly things (the dunyā). Ibn Abī Al-Dunyā, Kitāb Al-Zuhd article 36.
Ibn Abī Al-Dunyā, Kitāb Al-Zuhd article 36.
This life in brief
It is reported that some people asked ‘Alī b. Abī Ṭālib – Allāh be pleased with him – to describe this worldly life (the dunyā). He said:
Do you want a long description or a brief one? They replied, “a brief one.” He said, “Its permissible things (ḥalāl) [lead to] accounts being taken from you, and its forbidden things (ḥarām) [lead to the] Fire. Ibn Abī Al-Dunyā, Dham Al-Dunyā article 17.
Ibn Abī Al-Dunyā, Dham Al-Dunyā article 17.
The scholar, the ruler, and your brother
It is reported that ‘Abdullāh b. Al-Mubārak – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
It is right that an intelligent person does not undervalue three [types of people]: the scholars, the rulers, and [his Muslim] brothers. Whoever undervalues the scholars will lose his afterlife, whoever undervalues the rulers will lose his worldly life, and whoever undervalues his brothers loses his good character and conduct. Al-Dhahabī, Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā`17:251.
Al-Dhahabī, Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā`17:251.
The Provision of a Traveler [this world to the next]
Anas reports that when Salmān [Al-Fārsī] – Allāh be pleased with him – was ill, Sa’d visited him and found him crying, so he asked him:
O my brother, what makes you cry? Did you not accompany the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ ? Did you not do such-and-such [good deeds]? He replied, “I am not crying over any one of two things: I am not crying out of love and yearning for this world nor out of dislike for the hereafter, but I am crying because Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ took a covenant from me about something I think I have only transgressed. He made me promise that it is enough for anyone only to have enough [of this world] as would suffice as the provisions of a traveler, but I think I have only gone too far. As for you o Sa’d, fear Allāh when you judge, and when you distribute anything and when you think about doing anything.” Thābit (one of the reporters) said, “And it reached me that [when he died] he left only about twenty dirham of spending he had.”
Ibn Mājah, Al-Sunan. Shaykh Al-Albānī graded this narration ṣaḥīḥ. See ṣaḥīḥ wa Ḍaʿīf Sunan Ibn Mājah no. 4104.
The Last Drops of this World
Khālid b. ‘Umayr Al-‘Adawī reports, ‘Utbah b. Ghazwān – Allāh be pleased with him – once gave us a sermon. He praised Allāh, then said:
The life of this world has announced its departure and is quickly turning away, and nothing remains of it save the likes of the last drop of water in a vessel as its possessor tries to catch it. You are moving on to an abode that has no end, so move on with the best [deeds] that you have. For it has been said to us that a rock can be dropped from the edge of Hell and fall for seventy years without reaching the bottom. Yet, by Allāh, it will be filled. Do you not then wonder? And it has been said to us that a single entrance to Paradise is as wide as a journey of forty years, yet there will come a day when it will be crowded. I have seen myself as the seventh of seven [followers of] Allāh’s Messenger – Allāh’s peace and blessings be upon him; we had no food save the leaves of trees which put sores round our mouths. I once got a cloak which I tore in half to share with Sa’d b. Mālik: I used half as my waist-wrap and he used the other. And yet today, there is not one of us except he has become a governor over some city – and I seek refuge with Allāh that I consider myself great and important when I am small in front of Allāh. Verily there was never prophet-hood except that it gradually changed until it ended up being a kingship, and verily you will see what the governors after us are like. Sahīh Muslim no. 7624
Sahīh Muslim no. 7624
Prepare for death yourself [khutbah of Uthman]
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-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-ʿIlm 2: 73, 74.
Abū Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-ʿIlm 2: 73, 74.
No poverty after Paradise and no wealth in the Fire
It is reported that Jundub b. ‘Abdillāh Al-Bajalī – Allah be pleased with him – was once asked for advice and instruction. He said:
I advise you to fear Allāh and obey Him (taqwā) 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-Dhahabī, Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā` 3:174.
Al-Dhahabī, Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā` 3:174.
An Insult with a Gift [Backbiting]
It is reported that ‘Abd Al-Rahmān b. Mahdī – Allāh have mercy on him – said, “If it were not for the fact I hate that Allah is disobeyed, I would have wished that no one remain in this city except that he had spoken ill of me and backbitten me; for what is nicer than a good deed a man finds in his records on the Day of Resurrection without having done a thing or even having known?”
Abū Nu’aym, Hilyatu Al-Awliyā` 4:45. Notes This is a reference to a person who has been backbitten receiving good deeds on the Day of Judgment from the person who backbit him and didn’t repent and make amends, as mentioned in some narrations from the Prophet – Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. The narration reminds us of the dire consequences of backbiting others: your good deeds may go to them if you don’t repent and make up for what you have done. It also provides assurance for those who have been backbitten: if left wronged in this life, they will be given good deeds in the hereafter as compensation and justice will be done.
This is a reference to a person who has been backbitten receiving good deeds on the Day of Judgment from the person who backbit him and didn’t repent and make amends, as mentioned in some narrations from the Prophet – Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. The narration reminds us of the dire consequences of backbiting others: your good deeds may go to them if you don’t repent and make up for what you have done. It also provides assurance for those who have been backbitten: if left wronged in this life, they will be given good deeds in the hereafter as compensation and justice will be done.
Accounts for Accounts
Ibrāhīm Al-Taymī reports from his father that Abū Dharr [Al-Ghifārī] – Allāh 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-Mubārak, Al-Zuhd wa Al-Raqā`iq article 555. Shaykh Al-Albānī graded this narration’s chain of transmission ṣaḥīḥ is Al-Ḍa’īfah Vol. 8 p117.
The Last Sermon of Caliph Umar b. Abd Al-Aziz
It is reported that the last sermon ʿUmar b. ʿAbd Al-‘Aziz – Allāh have mercy on him – delivered was as follows:
He praised Allāh and said, “You were not created in vain, nor will you be left without purpose. Verily, you have an appointed time in which Allāh – the Most High – will come down to judge you. Wretched and ruined will he be who leaves the mercy of Allāh 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 Allāh 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 Allāh 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. Abū Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-‘Ilm Vol. 3 p343.
Abū Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-‘Ilm Vol. 3 p343.
The Unfair Teacher
It is reported that Mujāhid – Allāh have mercy on him – said, “The teacher of the kuttāb (where the children would be taught, the madrasah) will be brought on the Day of Resurrection, and if he was not fair and just with the boys, he will be grouped with the tyrants.”
Abū Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-‘Ilm article 619.
Afraid of the Dark
It is reported that if Hishām Al-Dustawā`ī – Allāh have mercy on him – didn’t have a torch on at home, he would toss and turn in bed until his wife would come with a torch. She asked him about this once, to which he replied, “If I don’t have a torch, I think about the darkness of the grave.”
Al-Dhahabī, Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā`, in his biography of Hishām Al-Dustawā`ī.
Beneficial Brotherhood and Love
It is reported that ʿAbdullāh b. ‘Abbās – Allāh be pleased with him – said, “Love for Allāh and hate for Allāh, make your enmity because of Allāh and your allegiance because of Allāh; for indeed, the love and support of Allāh is not achieved save through this. And a man will never taste true faith (īmān) – though he may pray and fast much – except when he is like that. Today, the people’s brotherhood is based upon worldly considerations (dunyā), but this will not do anything for them on the Day of Resurrection.”
Ibn Al-Mubārak, Al-Zuhd wa Al-Raqā`iq article 353.
Three Laughs and Three Tears
It is reported form Abū Al-Dardā – Allāh be pleased with him – that he said, “Three make me laugh, and three make me cry.
Those that make me laugh are a person who puts his hopes in this worldly life while death pursues him, a person who is heedless [of his Lord] while [his Lord] is not heedless of him, and a person who always laughs while he does not know whether he has pleased Allāh or angered Him. What makes me cry is being separated from my beloved: Muhammad and his party (the Companions), the horrors of the time of death, and standing in front of Allāh ‘azza wa jall on the Day when the secrets will be revealed and I do not know will I then go to Paradise or Hell?” Ibn Al-Mubārak, Al-Zuhd wa Al-Raqā`iq article 250.
Ibn Al-Mubārak, Al-Zuhd wa Al-Raqā`iq article 250.
Relying on some deeds, forgetting others
It is reported that Abū Ayyūb Al-Anṣārī – Allāh be pleased with him – said, “A person might do a single good deed, rely on it and forget sins that he regards insignificant, but then meet Allāh (on the Day of Judgment) with those sins surrounding him. And a man might commit a sin, but never stop fearing its consequences, until he meets Allāh safe and sound.”
Al-Ḥāfidh Ibn Ḥajr, Fatḥ Al-Bārī, references this narration to Asad b. Mūsā’s Al-Zuhd. A slightly different wording is reported by Ibn Al-Mubārak in Al-Zuhd wa Al-Raqā`iq Vol.1 p170.
A Comfortable Life
It is reported that ʿUmar b. ʿAbd Al-‘Azīz once wrote to Al-Ḥasan Al-Baṣrī to get a brief exhortation from him, so Al-Ḥasan wrote back , “The dunyā distracts and preoccupies the heart and body, but al-zuhd (asceticism, not giving importance to worldly things) gives rest to the heart and body. Verily, Allāh will ask us about the ḥalāl things we enjoyed, so what about the ḥarām!”
Al-Bayhaqī, Al-Zuhd Al-Kabīr, article 26.
Which life to Pursue?
It is reported that Al-Ḥasan Al-Baṣrī often used to say, “O youth! Seek the hereafter, for we often see people pursuing the hereafter and finding it as well as the dunyā (worldly wellbeing), but we have never seen anyone pursue the dunyā and gain the hereafter as well as the dunyā.”
Al-Bayhaqī, Al-Zuhd Al-Kabīr, article 12.
From the Benefits of Winter
It is reported from Abû Hurayrah – Allâh be pleased with him – that he said:
Shall I not point you to comfortable proceeds? People responded, “And what is that o Abû Hurayrah?” He replied, “Fasting in winter.” The Arabs used to refer to matters which were relatively easy to gain as being cool. In this narration, the relative ease of fasting in winter and its consequent reward is likened to acquiring war proceeds without the heat of violence. It is reported from ‘Umar – Allâh be pleased with him – that he said: Winter is booty for the devout worshippers. This is further explained in the following narration: It is reported from ‘Ubayd b. ‘Umayr – Allâh have mercy on him – that he said: It used to be said when winter came: O people of the Qur`ân, the night has become long so you can pray (more) and the day has become short for you to fast. Abû Nu’aym, Hilyah Al-Awliyâ`. As with other experiences in this world, the Salaf used to be reminded of the hereafter when experiencing cold weather: It is reported from the famous worshipper Râbi’ah – Allâh have mercy on her – that she said: I have never heard the adhân except that I remember the caller who will announce the Day of Resurrection, and I never see the falling snow except that I imagine the flying pages of the records of peoples deeds (on that day), and I never see swarms of locusts except that I think about the Great Gathering on the Last Day. Ibn Al-Jawzî, Sifah Al-Safwah Vol. 2 p433.
Ibn Al-Jawzî, Sifah Al-Safwah Vol. 2 p433.
Children of the Hereafter
It is reported from ‘Alī b. Abī Tālib –Allah be pleased with him – that he said:
The thing I fear for you most is following desires and having extensive hopes (about this worldly life). Following one’s desires blocks you from the truth, and having extensive hopes makes you forget the hereafter. Verily, this worldly life is departing and the hereafter is approaching and each of them has its children. So be children of the hereafter, not children of this world, for today there are (opportunities to do) deeds and there is no reckoning, but tomorrow there will be reckoning and no deeds. Quoted by Al-Bukhārī, Al-Sahīh, The Book of Raqā`iq without the first sentence. Reported in its entirety by Abū Nu’aym, Hilyah Al-Awliyā` Vol.1 p40, and others. Al-Hāfidh Ibn Hajr states in Fath Al-Bārī: Extensive hopes (about this worldly life) give rise to lethargy when it comes to acts of obedience, procrastinating with repentance, desire for worldly things, forgetfulness of the hereafter and hardness of the heart; because the softness of the heart and its purity only comes about by remembering death, the grave, reward and punishment, and the horrors of the hereafter…for if one remembers death, he strives to do acts of obedience, his worries decrease and he is satisfied with less.
Extensive hopes (about this worldly life) give rise to lethargy when it comes to acts of obedience, procrastinating with repentance, desire for worldly things, forgetfulness of the hereafter and hardness of the heart; because the softness of the heart and its purity only comes about by remembering death, the grave, reward and punishment, and the horrors of the hereafter…for if one remembers death, he strives to do acts of obedience, his worries decrease and he is satisfied with less.
Knowledge transforms the student
Al-Hasan Al-Basrī – Allah have mercy on him – said:
When a man sought knowledge, it would not be long before it could be seen in his humbleness, his sight, upon his tongue and his hands, in his prayer, in his speech and in his disinterest (zuhd) in worldly allurements. And a man would acquire a portion of knowledge and put it into practice, and it would be better for him than the world and all it contains – if he owned it he would give it in exchange for the hereafter. Ibn Al-Mubārak, Al-Zuhd wa Al-Raqā`iq Vol.1 p.156.
Ibn Al-Mubārak, Al-Zuhd wa Al-Raqā`iq Vol.1 p.156.
Abū Bakr to ʿUmar on his Deathbed
When Abū Bakr Al-Ṣiddīq was on his deathbed he called ʿUmar – Allah be pleased with them – and said:
Fear Allah o ʿUmar, and know that Allah has deeds to be done for Him in the day which He will not accept if done at night, and He has deeds to be done for Him at night which He will not accept if done during the day. He will not accept extra (nāfilah) deeds unless you fulfill the obligatory deeds. The scales of those whose scales will be weighty on the Day of Resurrection will only be weighty because they followed the truth in this life and it was weighty to them. And scales in which the truth will be placed tomorrow truly deserve to be heavy. And the scales of those whose scales will be light on the Day of Resurrection will only be light because they followed falsehood in this life and it was a light matter to them. And scales in which falsehood will be placed tomorrow truly deserve to be light. Allah the Exalted has mentioned the people of Paradise and mentioned them in the context of their best deeds, and overlooked their evil deeds, so when I remember them I say to myself: I fear that I will not be included with them. And Allah the Exalted has mentioned the people of Hell and mentioned them in the context of their worst deeds and rejected their best deeds, so when I remember them I say: I hope I won’t be amongst them. Allah’s worshippers should always be in a state of hope and fear, they shouldn’t wish flimsy wishes about Allah and neither should they despair of Allah’s mercy. If you keep to this advice of mine, no one who is not with you now should be more beloved to you than death – and it is sure to come to you. But if you disregard this advice, no one who is not with you now should be more hated to you than death – and you cannot escape it. Abū Nu’aym, Ḥilyah Al-Awliyā` Vol.1 p18; and Ibn Al-Jawzī, Ṣifah Al-Ṣafwah.
Abū Nu’aym, Ḥilyah Al-Awliyā` Vol.1 p18; and Ibn Al-Jawzī, Ṣifah Al-Ṣafwah.
The Hematuria of Imām Sufyān Al-Thawrī [97-161H]
Yūsuf b. Asbāt – Allah have mercy on him – reports that whenever Sufyān remembered the hereafter he would urinate blood.
It is also reported that Sufyān – Allah have mercy on him – said: I sometimes see something I feel I am obliged to speak out about, but when I don’t say anything I urinate blood. And in another report: I sometimes see an evil being done, but if I don’t speak out about it I urinate blood. Al-Dhahabī , Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā` in his biography of Imām Sufyān Al-Thawrī .
Al-Dhahabī , Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā` in his biography of Imām Sufyān Al-Thawrī .
Imām Al-Shāfi’ī: Evidence that the Believers will see their Lord
Abū Ibrāhīm Al-Muzanī, the companion of Imām Al-Shāfi’ī reports:
I heard Al-Shāfi’ī comment on the statement of Allah: Nay, they (the unbelievers) will be on that day veiled from their Lord. [Al-Muṭaffifīn: 15] He said, “In this verse there is evidence that the awliyā` of Allah (His beloved righteous worshippers) will see their Lord on the Day of Resurrection.” Al-Lālakā`ī in Sharḥ Usūl I’tiqād Ahl Al-Sunnah wa Al-Jamā’ah Vol.2 p309.
Al-Lālakā`ī in Sharḥ Usūl I’tiqād Ahl Al-Sunnah wa Al-Jamā’ah Vol.2 p309.