It is reported that Muhammad b. Al-Hanafīyah – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
Whoever has self respect does not give any value to the worldly life (dunyā).
Ibn Al-Jawzī, Sifatu Al-Safwah 2:77.
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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.
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Following Hadith Exactly
Abū Ja’far reports:
Whenever Ibn ‘Umar – Allāh be pleased with him – heard a ḥadīth from Allāh’s Messenger – Allāh’s praise and peace be upon him – he never went beyond it, and he never fell short of it.
Ibn Mājah, Al-Sunan, ḥadīth #4. Shaykh Al-Albānī graded this narration ṣaḥīḥ in his edition of the Sunan.
Shaykh Al-Albānī explained that ‘he never went beyond it’ means: he never added anything to what was in the ḥadīth or overstepped the bounds of the ḥadīth; and ‘he never fell short of it’ means: he never neglected what was in the ḥadīth.
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See No Evil
It is reported on the authority of Al-Walīd b. Mazyad that he said:
I heard Al-Awzāʿī say, when I asked him, “Who is a fool?” He replied, “One who is blind to what is wrong (evil), [though] he has insight into what is good.”
Al-Dhahabī, Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā` 7:116.
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The Just Mufti
It is reported that Masrūq – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
To (be guaranteed) one day in which I issue correct and just verdicts (fatwā) is more beloved to me than fighting in battle (ghazwah, jihād) for a year.Al-Dhahabī, Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā` 4:66.
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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.
It is reported that Al-Ḥasan Al-Baṣrī – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
The dunyā, from its beginning to its end, is only like a man who takes a nap, sees in his dream what pleases him, and then wakes up.
Abū Bakr Al-Daynūrī, Al-Mujālasah wa Jawāhir Al-ʿIlm article 2056.
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Love for the Sincere
It is reported that Harim b. Ḥayyān – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
Never does the servant turn wholeheartedly to Allāh except that Allāh turns the hearts of the believers to him, providing him their love.
Al-Dhahabī, Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā` 4:49.
Harim b. Ḥayyān was one of the Successors, deputized by ‘Umar, and known for his devoutness.
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When Living with those You Cannot Avoid
Muhammad Ibn Al-Hanafīyah – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
He is not wise who does not live in a good way with the person he has no choice but to live with, until Allāh gives him relief from that [situation].
Al-Dhahabī, Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā` 4:117 et al. Shaykh Al-Albānī graded it Sahīh in Silsilatu Al-Da’īfah 6:172, after explaining that it is not authentic as a hadīth from the Prophet – Allāh’s praise and peace be upon him.
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Calamities that Afflict Knowledge
Imām Al-Zuhrī said:
Verily, knowledge has calamities [that afflict it]. One of its calamities is when the scholar is left, until he goes away with his knowledge. Another calamity is forgetting [knowledge]. Yet another calamity is lying about [knowledge], and this is the worst type.
Ibn ‘Abd Al-Barr, Jāmi’ Bayān Al-‘Ilm article 684.
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The Economic Crisis [Dunya]
It is reported that Ibrāhīm Al-Taymī – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
What a great difference there is between you and those people [of the past, the Salaf]! Worldly wealth came to them but they fled from it, whereas the world turns its back on you and you go after it.
Ibn Al-Mubārak, Al-Zuhd wa Al-Raqā`iq article 538.It is reported that Al-Hasan Al-Basrī – Allāh have mercy on him – said:
By Allāh, never was a person given an abundance of worldy wealth and then not feared this might be a plot against him [for his wrongdoing] except a person lacking intelligence and sound opinion. And never has Allāh held back worldy wealth from a person and that person has not thought that a good choice has been made for him except a person who [also] lacks intelligence and sound opinion.
Ibn Abī Al-Dunyā, Dham Al-Dunyā article 42.