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
-
-
Real Men
It is reported that ‘Umar b. Al-Khattāb – Allāh be pleased with him – said:
Do not be impressed by the twitter of an individual. But one who fulfils his duty and trust, and refrains from [transgressing against] the honor of people is the real man.Al-Bayhaqī, Al-Sunan Al-Kubrā article 12345.
-
The Influence of Companionship
It is reported that Sufyān Al-Thawrī – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
There is nothing that corrupts a person or rectifies him more than [his] companion.
Ibn Battah, Al-Ibānah Al-Kubrā article 504.
-
How Imam Al-Shafi Spent his Nights
Al-Rabī’ b. Sulaymān reports:
Al-Shāfi’ī used to divide the night into three parts: he would write (knowledge) for the first third, pray during the second third and sleep during the last third.
It is reported from Ḥusayn Al-Karābīsī that he said:
I spent the night with Al-Shāfi’ī. He would pray for about a third of the night. I hardly ever saw him recite more than fifty verses (in the prayer), one hundred at most. Whenever he came to a verse about mercy, he would ask Allāh for His Mercy, for himself and for the believers; and whenever he came to a verse about punishment, he would seek Allāh’s refuge from it, and ask salvation for himself and for all the believers. So it is as if both hope and fear were brought together for him.
Al-Bayhaqī, Ma’rifatu Al-Sunan articles 362, 365.
-
Rubbish Opinions
Mālik b. Mighwal said:
Al-Sha’bī once said to me, “When these [people] report to you from Allāh’s Messenger – praise and peace of Allāh be upon him, adhere to it; but when they merely opine, throw it in the trash.”
Al-Dārimī, Al-Sunan 1:78.
-
Humble Beginnings
It is reported that Al-Ahnaf b. Qays – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
I find it amazing how anyone who passed through the urinary tract twice could ever be arrogant and haughty!
Al-Dhahabī, Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā` 4:92.
-
From whom does Knowledge Come?
It is reported that ‘Abdullāh b. Masʿūd – Allāh be pleased with him – said:
The people will remain upon goodness as long as knowledge comes to them from the Companions of Allāh’s Messenger – Allāh’s praise and peace be upon him, and from their seniors. But when knowledge comes to them from their minors, that is when they will be destroyed.
Ibn ‘Abd Al-Barr, Jāmi’ Bayān Al-‘Ilm wa Fadlihi article 1060.
Note
Being upon a good and right path is based on following the knowledge of the Companions and seniors: scholars and people who adhere to the Sunnah, whereas taking knowledge from minors like ignorants and heretics is a sign of destruction. -
Definition of Asceticism – The Three Types of Zuhd
It is reported that Ibrāhīm b. Ad-ham – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
Zuhd (abstinence from materialism, asceticism) is of three types: (i) obligatory zuhd, (ii) virtuous zuhd and (iii) zuhd for safety. Obligatory zuhd is to abstain from what is forbidden (harām); virtuous zuhd is to be disinterested in what is allowed (of this world); and zuhd for safety is to stay away from doubtful matters.
Abū Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-‘Ilm article 905.
-
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.
-
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.