Articles
"If you can be unknown, do so."
It is reported from Al-Fudayl ibn ‘Ayyaad that he said:"If you can be unknown, do so. It doesn’t matter if you are not known and it doesn’t matter if you are not praised. It doesn’t matter if you are blameworthy according to people if you are praiseworthy with Allaah, Mighty and Majestic."
Al-Bayhaqi, Az-Zuhd Al-Kabeer p100
"for sure, this young man was more intelligent than me"
It is reported from ‘Abdullaah bin ‘Abbaas – may Allaah be pleased with them – that he said:"After Allaah’s Messenger – Allaah’s peace and blessings be upon him - passed away, I said to a man from the Ansaar, “Come, let us ask [and learn from] the Prophet’s Companions, Allaah’s peace and blessings be upon him, for they are many in number today.”
He replied, “I am surprised at you Ibn ‘Abbaas – do you really think people need you when there are so many Companions of the Prophet?”
So he did not involve himself in this endeavor, but I busied myself asking [the Companions about issues]. If I heard of a hadeeth being reported by a man, I would come to him and if he was taking his midday nap I would lay down my garment and lie outside waiting for him, with the wind blowing dust in my face. The man would come out [for Dhuhr] and see me in that state, and he would exclaim, “O nephew of Allaah’s Messenger! What has brought you here? You should have sent for me and I would have come to you!” I would say, “Rather I should come to you [to seek knowledge].” I would then ask him about the hadeeth I heard.
The man [who I originally invited to seek knowledge with me] remained as he was, and when he saw how people would gather around me [to seek knowledge] he said, “For sure, this young man was more intelligent than me.”
- Ad-Daarimi, As-Sunan 2/129.
"...the one without Ghayrah is one without Religion"
Ibn Al-Qayyim, Rahimahullaah, said:“And the Dayyouth is the most vile of Allah’s creation, and Jannah is forbidden for him, (because of his lack of Ghayrah - jealousy).
The foundation of the Religion is Ghayrah, and the one without Ghayrah is one without Religion, for Ghayrah protects the heart and enlivens the limbs, and shields one from evil and lewdness, and lack of Ghayrah kills the heart so that the limbs die, so that there remains not even shielding from [the minor things].
And the example of Ghayrah in the heart is the example of the strength that shields one from sickness and fights it off, so if the strength leaves, he will be faced with the sickness, and will not find any thing to protect himself from it, so it will establish itself [within him] and destroy him.”
Ad-Daa’ Wad-Dawaa’, p.77
"...the one without Ghayrah is one without Religion"
Ibn Al-Qayyim, Rahimahullaah, said:“And the Dayyouth is the most vile of Allah’s creation, and Jannah is forbidden for him, (because of his lack of Ghayrah - jealousy).
The foundation of the Religion is Ghayrah, and the one without Ghayrah is one without Religion, for Ghayrah protects the heart and enlivens the limbs, and shields one from evil and lewdness, and lack of Ghayrah kills the heart so that the limbs die, so that there remains not even shielding from [the minor things].
And the example of Ghayrah in the heart is the example of the strength that shields one from sickness and fights it off, so if the strength leaves, he will be faced with the sickness, and will not find any thing to protect himself from it, so it will establish itself [within him] and destroy him.”
Ad-Daa’ Wad-Dawaa’, p.77
“Now I don’t approve of you for her”
A man came to Maymoon bin Mahraan – may Allah be please with him – to ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage.Maymoon said, “I do not approve of her for you.”
The man asked, “Why?”
He replied, “Because she loves jewelry and garments.”
To this the man said, “Well I have as much of those as she desires.”
Maymoon said, “Now I don’t approve of you for her.”
Adh-Dhahabi , Siyar A’laam Al-Nubalaa' in his biography of Maymoon bin Mahraan.
Umar's exile of the Jews
Narrated Ibn Umar:When the people of Khaibar dislocated Abdullah bin Umar’s hands and feet, Umar got up delivering a sermon saying,
“No doubt, God’s Apostle made a contract with the Jews concerning their properties, and said to them, ‘We allow you (to stand in your land) as long as God allows you.’ Now Abdullah bin Umar went to his land and was attacked at night, and his hands and feet were dislocated, and as we have no enemies there except those Jews, they are our enemies and the only people whom we suspect, I have made up my mind to exile them.”
When Umar decided to carry out his decision, a son of Abu Al-Haqiq’s came and addressed ‘Umar,
“O chief of the believers, will you exile us although Muhammad allowed us to stay at our places, and made a contract with us about our properties, and accepted the condition of our residence in our land?” ‘
Umar said, “Do you think that I have forgotten the statement of God’s Apostle, i.e.: What will your condition be when you are expelled from Khaibar and your camel will be carrying you night after night?”
The Jew replied, “That was joke from Abul Qasim (the Prophet).”
‘Umar said, “O the enemy of God! You are telling a lie.”
‘Umar then drove them out and paid them the price of their properties in the form of fruits, money, camel saddles and ropes, etc.”
- Bukhaari, vol 3 #890
An-Nifaaq
It is reported from Al-Hasan Al-Basri – may Allaah have mercy on him – that he said:"It used to be said: it is part of an-Nifaaq (hypocrisy) to be inwardly different from what you are on the outside, to say one thing and do another and to be different in how you enter and how you leave. And the root of an-Nifaaq is lying."
Abu Bakr Al-Kharaa'iti, Masaawee Al-Akhlaaq wa Madhmoomihaa, p62.
Abu Hurayrah's favorite illness
Abu Hurayrah – may Allah be pleased with him – said:"There is no illness that afflicts me more beloved to me than fever: it enters every part of me and [because of it] Allah the Mighty and Sublime gives every part of me its share of reward."
Shaykh Al-Albaani’s Saheeh Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 1/198.
"To Him ascends the good word, and the righteous deed raises it"
Al-Hasan Al-Basri – may Allah have mercy on him – said:"Faith is not by embellishment or wishful thinking, but it is what settles in the heart and is verified through your actions. 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 Jall said:
To Him ascends the good word, and the righteous deed raises it. [Surat Faatir: 10]"
- Ibn Battah in Al-Ibaanah Al-Kubraa 3/120, and Al-Khateeb Al-Baghdaadi in Iqtidaa' Al-'Ilm Al-'Amal #56.
Shall I not tell you who the real faqeeh is?
'Ali bin Abi Taalib – may Allah be pleased with him – said:"Shall I not tell you who the real faqeeh is? He is one who does not make people despair of Allah's mercy, yet he does not give them concessions to disobey Allah. He does not make them feel safe from Allah's plan and he does not leave the Qur'aan.
There is no good in worship that involves no efforts to gain fiqh, and there is no good in seeking fiqh without seeking a thorough understanding. And there is no good in reading without contemplating."
- Al-Aajurri in Akhlaaq Al-'Ulamaa' #45, Al-Khateeb in Al-Faqeeh wa Al-Mutafaqqih 2/338-339.
"I am alone? I am with the Prophet and his companions."
It is reported from Nu’aym bin Hammaad:‘Abdullah bin Al-Mubaarak used to often stay at home, so he was asked, “Don’t you get lonely?” He replied, “How could I get lonely when I am with the Prophet – Allaah’s peace and blessings be upon him (i.e. I read his hadeeth)?”
Also on the authority of Nu’aym bin Hammaad:
It was once said to ‘Abdullah bin Al-Mubaarak, “O Abu ‘Abd Al-Rahmaan, you often sit alone at home.” He said, “I am alone? I am with the Prophet - Allaah’s peace and blessings be upon him – and his Companions.” Meaning: reading hadeeth.
Ibn ‘Asaakir, Taareekh Dimashq 32/458.
Shaqeeq bin Ibraaheem reports:
It was once said to ‘Abdullah bin Al-Mubaarak, “After you have prayed with us you don’t sit with us?” He replied, “I go and sit with the Sahaabah and the Taabi’een.” We said, “And how can you sit with the Sahaabah and Taabi’een (when they have all passed away)?” He replied, “I go and read the knowledge I have collected, I find their narrations and deeds. What would I do with you? You sit around backbiting people.”
Adh-Dhahabee, Siyar A’laam Al-Nubalaa' in his biography of ‘Abdullah bin Al-Mubaarak.
"this is the way of the Muslim.."
Abdullaah bin Mas'ood – may Allah be pleased with him – said:"The believer sees his sins as if he is sitting at the foot of a mountain fearing that it might fall on him, while the sinner sees his sins as a fly that lands on his nose, he just waves it away."
Al-Bukhaari, As-Saheeh, The Book of Supplications, Chapter on Tawbah.
Ibn Hajar quotes in his commentary, Fath Al-Baari:
Ibn Abi Jumrah said, “The reason for this [fear] is that the heart of a believer is illuminated; so when he sees from himself something that goes against what he illuminates his heart with, it is very distressing to him. The wisdom behind giving the example of a mountain is that a person might find some way to escape from other dangers, but if a mountain falls on a person he does not survive. In short, the believer is dominated by fear (of Allah) due to the strength of imaan he has; he does not therefore feel falsely secure about being punished because of his sins. This is the way of the Muslim: he always fears and checks on himself, his good deeds are little to him and he fears even the small bad deeds he has done.”
How to speak with wisdom
Abu ‘Uthmaan Sa’eed bin Ismaa’eel An-Naysaaburi said:“Whoever governs himself by the Sunnah – in word and deed – will speak with wisdom. But whoever governs himself according to his own desires will speak heresies, because Allah Tabaaraka wa Ta’aalaa said:
“And if you obey him (the Messenger) you will be guided” [Surat An-Noor: 54]
- Abu Nu’aym in Al-Hilyah 10/244, and others.
After mentioning this and other similar narrations, Shaykh Al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah said:
“It is as they said, for if a person does not follow what the Messenger came with he will act according to his own wishes. Thus he will be one who follows his desires without guidance from Allaah.”
- Minhaaj As-Sunnah 5/117
Imaam Maalik: four not to take knowledge from
Imaam Maalik – may Allah have mercy upon him – said:"Knowledge is not to be taken from four types of people:
- a foolish person who openly acts foolish, even if he reports the most narrations;
- an adherent of bid’ah who calls to his desires;
- a person who lies, even if I don’t accuse him of lying in hadith;
- and a righteous pious worshipper who does not accurately retain what he narrates."
..the cause of heresy is ignorance of the Arabic language
‘Abdullaah bin Zayd An-Numayri reports that Al-Hasan Al-Basri said:"They (the heretics) were destroyed by their inability in Arabic."
Al-Bukhaari, At-Taareekh Al-Kabeer 5/99.
And al-Imaam Ash-Shaafi’i said:
"People didn’t become ignorant and didn’t differ amongst themselves except because they left Arabic and leaned towards the language of Aristotle."
Quoted by As-Suyuti in Sawn Al-Mantiq p15.
As-Suyuti said on p22 of the same book:
"I have found that the Salaf before Ash-Shaafi’i indicate what he did: that the cause of heresy is ignorance of the Arabic language."
How knowledge is recognized in the student
Al-Hasan Al-Basri – may 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-Mubaarak in Az-Zuhd wa ar-Raqaa'iq 1/156.
what is the good of this world? what is the good of the hereafter?
Commenting on 2:201 of the Qur'aan which states:"Our Lord! Give us the good of this world and the good of the hereafter…"
Al-Hasan Al-Basri – may Allah have mercy on him – said: "The good of this world is knowledge and worship, and the good of the hereafter is Paradise."
- Al-Aajurri in Akhlaaq Al-'Ulamaa' #30; Ibn Jareer in his Tafseer of this verse.
Scholars of tafseer like Ibn Jareer and Ibn Katheer point out that 'the good of this world' is general and includes all those things which have been allowed for us to enjoy and which are considered useful by people for day-to-day living. And they point out that above this; the good of this world includes those things which will lead to success in the hereafter. This narration reminds us of these loftier things we should ask Allah for, and that the good of this life embraces what is required or recommended for a worshipper of Allah to acquire on this Earth, like knowledge of his religion and good deeds.
Umar Bin Abdil Aziz: 'Stop where the people have stopped!'
‘Umar Ibn ‘Abdil ‘Azeez said:“Stop where the people have stopped! For indeed, they stopped upon receiving knowledge. The clear evidences would suffice them, and they were the strongest at manifesting them. If there were any merit in something, then they would be the most deserving of it. So if you say: ‘It was introduced after them’ , then no one introduces something into it except that he has opposed their guidance, and desired other than their example. They have described it from what was sufficient, and they have spoken concerning it - what sufficed. What is above them is excessiveness, and what is below them is inadequacy. Some people have fallen short of them, and so they have drawn away. And others have transgressed them, so they have become extreme. But indeed they were between these two (extremes), upon a straight path.”
[Reported by Ibn Qudaamah in Al Burhaan li Bayaanil Qur’aan (p. 88-89). Also reported by al Haafidh Ibnul Jawzee in Manaqib Umar Ibn Abdil Azeez (p. 83-84), and by al Haafidh Ibn Rajab in Fadl Ilm as-Salaf (p. 36)]
Articles in this section have been translated by nasrullahiqareeb and Abu Sabaayaa