It is reported from Ibn Sīrīn – Allāh have mercy on him – that a man once said to Ibn ‘Umar – Allāh be pleased with him: Can we offer you some Jawārish? He inquired, “And what is Jawārish?” The man replied, “It is something that will help you digest your food if you get […]
It is reported that Wahb b. Munabbih – Allāh have mercy on him – said: A scholar once asked another greater than him in knowledge, “How much should I build?” He replied, “As much as shelters you from the sun and the rain.” He asked, “How much food should I eat?” He replied, “More than […]
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, […]
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 […]
Mālik b. Dīnār – Allāh have mercy on him – once said: Verily you are in greatly troubled times. Only one with true insight knows the times you live in. Verily you are in a time of [people] boasting and being proud. [1] Their tongues are swollen in their mouths, and they seek worldly gain […]
‘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 […]
It is reported that Ḥafṣah – Allāh be pleased with her – once said to her father (‘Umar, during his Caliphate): Allāh has increased the provisions; if only you would eat better food than the food you eat now and wear softer clothes then those you wear now?! He said, “I will argue [against] you […]
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 […]
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.
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, […]