Ibn al_Qayyim said:

''Know that the greatest of losses is for you to be preoccupied with one who will bring you nothing but a loss in your time with Allah – the Mighty and Majestic – and being cut off from Him, a wasting your time with the person, a weakening of your energy, and the dispersing of your resolve. So, if you are tested with this – and you must be tested with this – deal with him according to how Allah would wish, and be patient with him as much as possible. Get closer to Allah and His Pleasure by way of this person, and make your getting together with him something to benefit from, not something to incur a loss from.

Be with him as if you are a man who is on a road who was stopped by another man, who then asks you to take him on your journey. Make sure that you are the one who gives him a ride, and that he is not the one giving you the ride. If he refuses, and there is nothing to gain from travelling with him, do not stop for him, bid him farewell, and do not even turn back to look at him, as he is a highway robber, regardless of who he really is. So, save your heart, be wary of how you spend your days and nights, and do not let the Sun set before you arrive at your destination.''.”

['al-Wabil as-Sayyib'; p. 45]

Abdullah bin Mubarak related that it was said to Hamdun bin Ahmad, "Why is the speech of our pious predecessors more beneficial than our speech ?

He replied, "Because they spoke for the honor of Islam, for the salvation of the soul, and for the pleasure of the Most Merciful, However we speak to honor ourselves, to seek out the world, and to please creation".

Asma'i said that Abdul Malik once delivered a very profound sermon, during which he began to weep while begging Allah : "O Lord, my sins are great but a small amount of Your forgiveness is greater than them. O Allah, forgive the greatness of my sins with a little of Your mercy. "

Asma'i said that when these words reached Hasan Basri, he too began to cry, stating that if ever words were uttered that should be inscribed in gold, these would be those words.

Stand firm against evil thoughts, for if you fail to do so, they will become ideas,
if you do not, they will become desires, so fight against them.

If you do, they will become a form of determination and intention,
if you do not resist, they will become actions,
and if you do not follow them up with their opposite,
they will become habits that will be hard to quit." -

Ibn al-Qayyim rahimullah

Ibn Mas`ood, radiallahu `anhu, said:

"True knowledge is not measured in relationship to how much you memorize and then narrate, but rather, true knowledge is an expression of piety [protecting oneself from what Allah prohibited and acting upon what He mandated]." Also, "Study and act upon what you learn."

[Related by Abu Na`eem]

If you can be unknown, be 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 Allâh the Mighty and Majestic.

Reported by Al-Fudayl b. ‘Ayyâd

If I am afflicted with a calamity, I praise Allah 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-istirjâa (‘To Allah 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

-Shurayh –May Allah have mercy on him

Salman Farsi (radhiya Allaahu anh) said: "I laugh at the person who hopes for this world and at the same time death is seeking him, the person who neglects the death but the death does not neglect him, and the person who laughs with his mouth full of laughter without knowing if his Lord is angry or satisfied with him."

(az-Zuhd, p. 225, by Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal)

"Be content with what you have, be satisfied with your dwelling place to accommodate your enterprise, restrain your tongue, and shed tears of regret regarding past sins you committed knowingly, and those you do not recognize."

-Abdullaah bin Mas'ud

The salafs concerning knowledge

As Salamu Alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

Below is a compilation of a few beneficial pieces of advice from the Salaf, may Allah have mercy on them, from the book “Knowledge Mandates Action” :

Abu Abdillah Ar-Rudhabaari,

Whoever goes out towards knowledge, intending (just to obtain) the knowledge, knowledge does not benefit him. And whoever goes out towards knowledge, intending to act upon the knowledge, knowledge benefits him - even if it’s a little.

Habeeb ibn Ubayd ar-Rahbi,

Acquire knowledge, comprehend it and use it. And do not acquire it in order to adorn yourselves with it, for indeed, it is imminent - should your life-spans be prolonged for you - that knowledge will be used as a means for adorning oneself, just as a man adorns himself with his garment.

Abdullah ibn Al-Mu’taz,

The knowledge of a hypocrite is in his speech, while the knowledge of a believer is in his actions.

Al Fudayl ibn Iyyadh,

It is upon the people to acquire knowledge. So when they attain knowledge, it is upon them to act (on it).

Yahya ibn Ma’een would recite the verse of poetry,

If you are lacking provisions, you will not find any provision quite like that of righteous actions.

Lastly, an incident with Imam Awzaa’ee rahimahullah perfectly states the condition of most of our students today.

One day a group of students of hadeeth set out early to see Imam Al Awzaa’ee, who then turned to them and recited,
كم من حريص جامع جاشع ٭ ليس بمنتفع و لا نافع
“How many dedicated (students of knowledge) there are,
seeking to gather it and desirous of obtaining it,
yet they do not gain benefit from it nor do they give benefit out to others.”

May Allah ta’ala grant us beneficial knowledge and protect us from knowledge that does not benefit. Ameen.

And verily for everything that a slave loses there is a substitute, but the one who loses Allaah will never find anything to replace Him.”

[Related by Ibn al-Qayyim in ad-Dâ' wad-Dawâ Fasl 49]

I complained to Waki' about the weakness of my memorisation ; So he instructed me to abandon disobedience; He informed me that knowledge is a light. And the light of Allah is not given to a sinner.

Imam As-Shafi Rahimullah

How can you Despair ?

Despair is when you are not getting anywhere. Allah has said that He will never let any of our good deeds be lost.

He whose sin is due to desires, then have hope for him. And he whose sin is due to pride, then fear for him- because Nabi Adam disobeyed due to desire and was forgiven, and Iblis sinned due to pride and was cursed.

Sufyan ibn Unaiah

Get used to tough life, for luxury does not last forever

Umar ibn al-Khattab RA

The wise man knows the only fitting price for his soul is a place in paradise.

Ibn Hazm

When you want to mention your companion's fault, remember your own faults - Ibn Abbas

The death of self lies in the life of heart

Jafar as- Sadidiq,rahimullah

Knowledge is of two kinds: that which is absorbed and that which is heard. And that which is heard does not profit if it is not absorbed. - Ali ibn abi Talib (radiAllah anhu)

Rumi said :

When someone criticises or disagrees with you, a small ant of hatred and antagonism is born in your heart. If you do not squash that ant at once, it might grow into a snake, or even a dragon.

-Jalaluddin al-Rumi
[Mathnavi]

Ibn Tammiyah said ;

Guidance is not attained except with knowledge and correct direction is not attained except with patience. (Majmoo-ul-Fataawaa, 10/40)

Fill in the emptiness of heart

Truly in heart there is void that cannot be removed except with the company of Allah swt. And in it there is a sadness that cannot be removed except with the happiness of knowing Allah swt and being true to Him.

And in it there is an emptiness that cannot be filled except with love for Him and by turning to Him and always remembering him. And if a person were given all the world and what is in it, it would not fill this emptiness.

-Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawaziyya

Hasan Basri said :

Al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

Whoever competes with you in religious commitment, compete with him, and whoever competes with you in worldly matters, give it up to him.

Imam Malik said :

Imam Malik, said: “The Sunnah is like the ark of Noah. Whoever embarks upon it achieves salvation and whoever rejects it, is drowned”.

Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah
There are ten useless matters:

Knowledge that is not acted on

The deed that has neither sincerity nor is based on following the righteous examples of others

Money that is hoarded, as the owner neither enjoys it during this life nor obtains any reward for it in the Hereafter

The heart that is empty of love and longing for Allah, and of seeking closeness to Him

A body that does not obey and serve Allah

Loving Allah without following His orders or seeking His pleasure

Time that is not spent in expiating sins or seizing opportunities to do good

A mind that thinks about useless matters

Serving those who do not bring you close to Allah, nor benefit you in your life

Hoping and fearing whoever is under the authority of Allah and in His hand; while he cannot bring any benefit or harm to himself, nor death, nor life; nor can he resurrect himself.

However the greater of these matters are wasting the heart and wasting time. Wasting the heart is done by preferring this worldly life over the Hereafter, and wasting time is done by having incessant hope. Destruction occurs by following one's desires and having incessant hope, while all goodness is found in following the right path and preparing oneself to meet Allah.

How strange it is that when a servant of Allah has a [worldly] problem, he seeks help of Allah, but he never asks Allah to cure his heart before it dies of ignorance, neglect, fulfilling one's desires and being involved in innovations. Indeed, when the heart dies, he will never feel the significance or impact of his sins.

"The wealth of Fuqara".

Saying of Rumi

Whenever you are inclined to undertake some particular work, you recognize your own freedom to do so. But when you are not inclined to undertake some particular work, you are fatalistic, saying : "God requires me to do this."

Prophets are fatalists regarding the works of this world; unbelievers are fatalists regarding the works of the next world. The prophets proclaim that we can choose freely what we shall do in the next world; unbelievers choose freely what they will do in this world.

- Rumi : Mathnawi 1

Ibn Sina said :

If we accept the propositions concerning predestination as valid, we need to add that God does not intend evil. The apparent evil which occurs in this world do not conform to God's purpose for the world. The purpose for which the world exists, is the triumph of good ; Evil is the frustration of that purpose.

- Ibn Sina - Kitab-al-Najat

Ali RA said

Ali RA said , "Among deeds, there are four that are most difficult to adorn oneself with :

1. Forgiveness when angry
2. Generosity in hard times
3. Chastity when alone and
4. Speaking the truth to the one that fears it.

Razi said :

Learned people who fail to restrain their passions, are like blind people carrying torches, they guide others, but not themselves

Umar RA said,

It is attributed to Umar ibn al khattab radhiAllah anhu that he said, 'Take account of your deeds before the account is taken from you'.

Another saying of Umar radhiAllah anhu that i like is, he said that best reply/retaliation to an injustice done to you and a disobedience to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's command regarding you is, you sticking with the laws of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and obeying Him to best of your capacity.

Sayings of Umar RA

Umar Ibn Al Khattab {RA} said to Al-Ahnaf bin Qais:


"Oh Ahnaf, the more one laughs, the less dignity will he possess.

Whoever jokes (excessively or indecently) is a person who will be taken lightly.

Whoever does something frequently will be come known by that thing.

Whoever speaks often, errs often;
the more one errs, the less modesty will he possess;

whoever has a low level of modesty will also have a low level of piety;

and when one has a low level of piety then his heart dies

Sayings of Hassan Basri

As Salamu Alaikum

HASAN BASRI advised some of his students admonishing them about the state of being proud. He said :

1. Do not deceive yourself into becoming too proud because you are in a good or righteous environment , for there is no place that is better than Paradise, and our father, Adam experienced there what is known to all.

2. Do not become proud merely because you worship often, for consider what happened to iblis { satan} after he spent a great deal of time worshipping.

3. Do not think yourself great because you have met with righteous people, for there is no man more righteous than the Prophet, yet the disbelievers and hypocrites did not benefit by simply knowing him.