Actions of the Heart
The actions of the heart are the
foundation (of belief), and the actions of the limbs follow and complete
them. Intention is like the soul, and actions like the body: if the
soul leaves the body, the body dies. Therefore, knowledge of the
affairs of the heart is more important than knowledge of the affairs of
the limbs… How else is a hypocrite distinguished from a believer except
by deeds of the heart? The worship and submission of the heart is
greater than the worship and submission of the limbs, they are more in
number and more continuous since it (worship by the heart) is obligatory
at every instances.
Ibn al-Qayyim
The Best Worship are the Obligations
أفضل العبادات أداء الفرائض واجتناب المحارم
The best acts of worship are the performance of the obligatory deeds and the avoidance of the prohibited ones.
Umar b. ‘Abd al-‘Azīz
Freeing Slaves Seeking the Hereafter
‘Abdul Rahman b. Abban used to buy slaves then he
would order his servants to clothe them and then to present them before
him. He would then say: “You are all free for the sake of Allah as I seek
your assistance [i.e. the reward I receive from freeing you for the sake of
Allah] when undergoing the anguish of death.”
Related by Mus’ab b. ‘Uthman
Predecessor Who Prepared for Hereafter
Whenever Amir b. ‘Abdullah b. al-Zubayr b. aI-Awwam
witnessed a funeral he would stand next to the grave and say [to the
grave]: ‘I see you are very narrow! And I see you are made of dust! And I
see you are so dark! Truly, I shall prepare well until the day I am placed
in you.’
Whenever he left a grave he left a grave he would
donate the first thing he saw from his wealth, seeking nearness of his
Lord. For this reason, whenever he left a funeral, his slaves used to
race to make themselves the first thing seen him, so that he would
free them.
Related by Ayyash b. al-Mughirah
Learn to
Act
عَن عَطَاء ، قَالَ : « كَانَ فَتىً يَخْتَلِفُ إِلَى أُمِّ
المُؤْمِنِينَ عَائِشَةَ ، فَيَسْأَلُهَا وَتُحَدِّثُهُ ، فَجَاءَهَا ذَاتَ يَومٍ
يَسْأَلُهَا فَقَالَتْ : يَا بُنَيَّ هَلْ عَمِلتَ بَعْدَ مَا سَمِعتَ مِنِّي ؟
فَقَالَ : لَا وَاللهِ يَا أُمَّه ، فَقَاَلَتْ : يَا بُنَيَّ فَبِمَا
تَسْتَكْثِرُ مِنْ حُجَجِ اللهِ عَلَينَا وَعَلَيكَ »
Our mother ʿĀʾishah was a loving teacher. Her
student ʿAṭāʾ relates that a young man would come to her frequently to ask
questions. One day, she said to him in response to one of his questions, “My
dear son, did you act upon what I told you earlier?” “Not yet, dear mother.” he
replied. She said to him:
“My
dear son, the why do seek to gain more of Allah’s proofs against myself and
yourself?”
Al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī, Iqtiḍāʾ al-ʿIlm
al-ʿAmal
Value of A Person
The (true) value of every person is weighed according to the good that he does.
Ali b. Abi Tālib
Knowledge Precedes Action
Knowledge precedes expression and
action. This is confirmed in the divine verse ‘Know therefore that there
is no God but Allah, and then repent your sin.’ (47:19). God requires of
us first knowledge and then action.
Muhammad b. Ismaa’eel al-Bukhaaree
Fasting Hot Days to Prepare
Abu Musa al-Ash’ari (rah) used to
fast in hot weather so it as said to him, “You are an old man.”
He said, “I’m preparing it for a long day
Increase Planting in Paradise
The land of Paradise is flat and
angels keep planting on it. When they slacken, they are asked “Why did you
slacken?” They [the angels] say, ‘Our fellow has slackened.’ Do not make angels
feel slackened, may Allah bestow His Mercy on all of you.
Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī
Reap Maximal Profit
O youth! You are like a person
traveling in the desert while possessing priceless jewels that he intends to
sell in the land of reward, so beware of falling into the trap of your
treacherous desire so you do not end up selling what you have for less than of what
it is worth. Otherwise, when you reach your destination and see those who made
great profits, you will cry for your loss and say, ‘Oh how great is my regret
over what I neglected in regard to Allah. However, regret shall never restore
what has been missed.
Ibn al-Jawzī
A Moment of Heedlessness
If a man worships Allah for one thousand
years, and then he turns away from him for one moment, then what he missed in
this moment is more than what he gained [in the one thousand years of worship].
al-Junaid al-Baghdādī
Best Honor is Obedience, Worst Humiliation is Disobedience
The servants never honor themselves with
anything better than acts of obedience to Allah, and they never humiliate
themselves with anything worse than disobeying Allah. It is enough
victory for a believer to see his enemy disobeying Allah.
Sa’eed bin Al-Musayyab
Intend Allah With Recitation & Deeds
There passed by us a time when we did
not think that anyone learned the Qur’an except intending Allah, Mighty and
Majestic. Now lately, I fear that men learn it for the sake of people and
what they have. Therefore, intend Allah with your recitation and your
deeds, for we used to recognize you because the Messenger of Allah (S) was
amongst us, and revelation used to descend and Allah used to inform us of your
news. As for today, the Messenger of Allah (S) has passed and revelation
has been discontinued, so I only recognize you by the following: whoever does
good outwardly, we love him for it and think good of him; whoever does evil
outwardly, we hate him for it and think evil of him; your secrets are between
you and Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
’Umar b. al-Khattab
Use Spare Time for Good Deeds
Earn virtues in your spare time,
because,
Your death might come upon a sudden,
Many healthy people I have seen who were free of
disease,
But then their soul parted upon a sudden.
Muhammad b. Ismaa’eel al-Bukhari
Improve Matters Between You & Allah
Some jurists would perform ablution
after backbiting, just as they would perform ablution after they released
impurities from their bodies. Improve your secret and private life, and
Allah will improve your public and social life. Make matters well between
you and Allah, and Allah will make matters well between you and people.
Work for the Hereafter, and Allah will be enough for you in your worldly
concerns. Purchase the Hereafter, and use this worldly life as a method
of payment for your purchase, and as a result, you will gain profit both in
this world and in the Hereafter. But do not purchase this world at the
cost of the Hereafter, for if you do so, you will lose out on both worlds.
Sufyān al-Thawrī
Qur’an to be Acted Upon
The Qur’an was only revealed to be acted
upon, but the people treated its recitation as action.
(ie. it’s lawful should be treated as lawful,
and its prohibitions as prohibited)
al-Fuḍayl b. ‘Iyāḍ
Character of Bearers of Qur’an
The bearer of the Qur’an is the bearer
of the banner of Islam. It does not befit him to indulge in idle talk or
activity with those who do so, or to be heedless with those who are so, or to
indulge in frivolity with those who do so.
al-Fuḍayl b. ‘Iyāḍ
Resurrected & Recompensed Alone
O son of Adam! You will die alone, be
resurrected alone and be recompensed alone. O son of Adam! If all people obey
Allah and you disobey him, their obedience will not benefit you. If they all
disobey Allah and you obey him, their disobedience will not harm you. O son of
Adam! Beware of your sins, for it is your flesh and blood at stake. If you are
saved from the evil repercussions of your sins, you are flesh and blood will be
saved for you. If it is the other destination, then it is a Fire that will
never be extinguished, a body that will never perish [eternal torment] and a
soul that will never die.
Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī
Guarded My Heart
When al-Kināni was dying, he was asked:
“What type of actions were you doing?”
He replied, “If I was not dying, I would not have
told you. I stood at the door of my heart for forty years, and whenever
anything other than Allah passed by its door, I kept it away.”
(al-’Ihya, vol. 4, p. 513)
Hate the Sin, not the Sinner
فالأعمال أمارات ظنية لا أدلة قطعية. ويترتب
عليها عدم الغلوّ في تعظيم من رأينا عليه أفعالاً صالحة، وعدم الاحتقار لمسلم
رأينا عليه أفعالاً سيئة. بل تُحتقر وتُذم تلك الحالة السيئة، لا تلك الذات
المسيئة. فتدبر هذا، فإنه نظر دقيق
Actions are speculative and equivocal matters,
not definitive proofs. Therefore, we should not be excessive in praising those
doing overtly righteous deeds, nor excessive in disparaging those doing overtly
evil deeds. Rather, we should disparage and blame the sin and not the sinner.
al-Qurṭubī
Pray a Farewell Prayer
O my son, if you ever pray, then pray a
farewell prayer. Do not think that you shall return to it ever
again. Know O my son that the believer dies between two good deeds; a
good deed that he put forth, and a good deed that he kept back.
Mu’adh b. Jabal to his son
Qualities for Bearers of the Qur’an
It befits the bearer of the Qur’an to be
known by his night when the people are asleep; by his day when the people are
feasting; by his caution when the people mix [the lawful and the unlawful]; by
his humility when the people are proud; by his grief when the people are happy;
by his weeping when the people are laughing; and by his silence when the people
chatter.
’Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd
Obedience is Dhikr
Dhikr is obedience to Allah.
Whoever obeys Allah has in fact remembered Him. Whoever does not obey Him
is not one who remembers Him, even if he says tasbeeh, and recites the Qur’an a
lot.
Sa’eed b. Jubayr
Free Time & Health for Obedience
A person may be healthy but not free due
to being busy with earning a living, or he could be without need [for earning a
living] and not be healthy. If the two factors come together and laziness
from acts of obedience overcomes him, he is deceived. The full [picture]
is that this world is a farm of the next world. In it is business whose
profits will appear in the next life. So whoever uses his free time and
health in doing acts of obedience is in an enviable position, fortunate, and
blessed, and whoever uses them in acts of disobedience is deceived.
Because free time is followed by business, and health by sickness, even if it
is only old age.
Ibn al-Jawzī
Allah Gives Greatest Reward
When a man goes to the king of the kings
of this world, he receives the treasures of this world. What about the
man who goes to the King of all the Worlds, will Allah not give him a greater
reward?
Abd al-Aziz b. Umayra
Loving What Your Beloved Loves
It is not one of the signs of love that
you hate what your beloved loves!
Bishr b. al-Sarri
Du’as Are Raised Up By Good Deeds
Once Anas b. Malik was asked by someone
to make du’a for him.
He replied, “Verily, du’a is raised up (to Allah)
by good deeds.”
(ie. one should strive to do good deeds if he
wants his du’as answered)
Good Expectations of Allah Lead to Good Deeds
Whoever reflects upon this issue deeply
will realize that having the best expectations from Allah is equivalent to
having good deeds, and doing good with one’s soul. For only when a person
expects the best from Allah will he perform good deeds, since he will expect
that Allah will reward him for his deeds and accept them. Therefore, the reason
that he performed these good deeds was because of his good expectations from
Allah; so the more a person betters his expectations from Allah, the more good
deeds he does!
Ibn al-Qayyim
Dunya for Fasting, Praying, Striving & Learning
O Allah! You know that I did not love
this life or prolonged stay in it to own springs or to plant trees, but rather
to fast for long hot days, stand in prayer during cold nights, strive (in Your
cause) for hours at a time, and sit knee to knee with scholars during religious
gatherings.
Mu’adh b. Jabal on his deathbed
Humble in Doing Good, Defiant Against Sins
Love people in proportion to the (good)
deeds they perform. Become humble and flexible when you are invited to
perform a good deed, and become rigid and defiant when you are invited to
commit a sin.
Sufyān al-Thawrī
Live As If Back from Death
One of you should consider that death
has come to him, that he asked Allah for respite and He gave him respite.
So, let him use this time working in Allah’s obedience.
al-’Ala’ b. Ziyad
Death: Benefits of Remembering, Harms of Forgetting
He who often remembers death will be
endowed with three characteristics: repenting soon afterwards, having a
contented heart and being active performing acts of worship. He who forgets
death will earn, as way of recompense, three characteristics: delaying
repentance, discontent with sufficient provisions and being lazy performing the
acts of worship.
ad-Daqqaq
Benefits of this World
How can I not love a life in which I
have my provision, earn my livelihood and live to perform acts of obedience on
account of which I earn Paradise?
Yahya b. Mu’adh
Difference Between True Hope & Wishful Thinking
The difference between it [hope] and
merely wishful thinking is that mere wishful thinking involves laziness wherein
the person neither exerts himself, nor strives [to achieve what he wishes
for]. Hope, however, entails striving, exertion and beautiful
reliance. The first is like the one who wishes that the earth would plant
and sow it’s own seeds for him. The second is like the one who [actually] tills
the soil, plants the seed and then hopes that crops will grow. This is why the
Gnostics (‘arifun) are agreed that hope is not correct, except if
accompanied by action. Shah al-Kirmani said: ‘The sign of sound hope is
good obedience. And hope is of three types; two are praiseworthy and one
type is blameworthy and mere delusion. The first are the hope of a person
who does an act of obedience for Allah, upon a light from Allah, hoping it’s
reward; and like someone who commits a sin, then repent from it, hoping for
Allah’s forgiveness, pardon, kindness, magnanimity, clemency and
generosity. The third type is the person persists in sinning and
transgressing limits, yet hopes for Allah’s mercy without doing any action
toward it. This is delusion, mere wishful thinking and false hope.
Ibn al-Qayyim
A Busy Tongue
As long as the tongue is occupied in
dhikr, it will be safe from unbecoming speech and lies, because it
never keeps quiet. Alike it is with the heart, if it is not occupied
in love of Allah then it will love a creature.It’s Not The Land That Makes Anyone Holy . . .
The Companion Abu’l-Dardā’ who was
living in the land of al-Shām (present day Syria/Palestine)
once invited his colleague Salmān al-Farsī to come and live with him in
the Holy Land. Salmān wrote back to him:
Salmān al-Farsī
إِنَّ الأَرْضَ لا تُقَدِّسُ أَحَدًا ، وَإِنَّمَا يُقَدِّسُ الإِنْسَانَ عَمَلُهُ
It is not the land that makes anyone holy, but one’s deeds.Salmān al-Farsī
Than Some Good Deeds
A sin causing submission is preferable in the Sight of Allāh, than a good deed that causes pride.
Ibn al-Qayyim
Ibn al-Qayyim
Who Will Guarantee Tomorrow?
Some people invited a man to eat with them who in turn said, “I am fasting.”
They said to him, “Break your fast today and instead fast tomorrow.”
So he said, “And who will guarantee my living tomorrow?”
(Iqtidaa’ ul-’Ilm il-’Amal [The Need Knowledge has of Action] by al-Khateeb al-Baghdaadee)
They said to him, “Break your fast today and instead fast tomorrow.”
So he said, “And who will guarantee my living tomorrow?”
(Iqtidaa’ ul-’Ilm il-’Amal [The Need Knowledge has of Action] by al-Khateeb al-Baghdaadee)
Giving Shaytan Hope
When shaytān looks at you and sees
you persistent in your obedience to Allah (SWT), he will do his utmost
to deceive you; if he still sees you persistent, he will give up on you
and leave. However, if he sees you alternating between this and that,
he will have hope in you.
Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī
Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī
