Quotes Of The Salaf

This blog is created to share you with the beautiful words and wise sayings of the Salaf!

[quotesofthesalaf]

THE SAHĀBAH AND THEIR CONTEMPLATION OF THE QUR`AN! The companions of the prophet ﷺ recited the Qur’an and pondered its meaning and were moved by it. Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه was a gentle, soft-hearted man, and when he led the people in prayer and recited the words of Allāh, he could not stop himself from weeping. ‘Umar became ill after reciting the words of Allāh interpretation of the meaning: “Verily, the Torment of your Lord will surely come to pass, – there is none that can avert it” [al-Tūr 52:7-8]. This report and its isnād are in “Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr, 7/406”. His sobs could be heard from the back of the congregation when he recited Allāh’s words about Ya’qūb عليه السلام (interpretation of the meaning): “He said, ‘I only complain of my grief and my sorrow to Allāh…’” [Yusūf 12:86]. [Manaaqib ‘Umar by Ibn al-Jawzi, 167]

[quotesofthesalaf]

SEEK KNOWLEDGE FOR THE SAKE OF ALLĀH AND NOT FOR THE SAKE OF SOMEONE ELSE! The Prophet ﷺ “Whoever acquires knowledge to compete with the scholars, or to argue with the fools, or to win the attention of people, is in the fire.” [Recorded by Tirmidhī, #2654, and Ibn Mājah #253 on the authority of Ibn 'Umar; it was declared sahīh by Albānī, sahih al-Targhīb #109]

[quotesofthesalaf]

THE SALĀF AND THEIR LOVE FOR JANNĀH! Mālik Ibn Dinar may Allāh have mercy on him would spend all night tugging his beard saying, “O my Lord, you know the inhabitants of Paradise from the inhabitants of the [Hell] Fire. From which of these two dwellings is Mālik?” [جامع العلوم والحكم، ٨١]

[quotesofthesalaf]

WANNA BE THE BEST OF ALL? `Abdullah Ibn Mas`ud may Allāh be pleased with him said: “Fulfil that which Allah has made obligatory upon you and you will be the best of worshippers; refrain from the prohibition of Allah and you will be the best of ascetics; and be pleased with what Allah has allotted for you and you will be the richest of people.” [Preparing For The Day Of Judgment, p.13]

[quotesofthesalaf]

PRESERVE ALLĀH AT YOUR YOUTH, SO THAT HE CAN PRESERVE YOU AT YOUR OLD AGE! Abū al-Tayyīb al-Tabâri may Allāh have mercy on him exceeded the age of one hundred yet his intellect remained very much intact as did his strength. One day he leapt off a large ship he was on onto the ground. When reprimanded for this he said, ‘‘We safeguarded these limbs from sins in our youth, so Allāh has safeguarded them for us in our old age.’’ [Ibn Kathīr in al-Bidayâh Wan-Nihāyah, 12/80]

[quotesofthesalaf]

THE GOODNESS OF THIS WORLD AND THE GOODNESS OF THE HEREAFTER! وقال الحسن البصري رحمه الله تعالي في قوله تعالي: ”رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ“ [البقره: ٢٠١]. ان الحسنة في الدنيا هي العلم والعبادة، وفي الآخرة هي الجنة.“ [الإمام الغزالي في إحياء علوم الدين، ١٥] Al-Hassān Al-Bāsri may Allāh have mercy on him commenting on Allāh's statement “Our Lord grant us the goodness of this world, and the goodness of the hereafter, and safeguard us from the fire” [al-Baqarah: 201] said: “The goodness of this world is knowledge and worship, and the goodness of the hereafter is paradise.” [Imām Al-Ghazāli in Ihyā’ ‘Ulūm Ad-Dīn, 15]

[quotesofthesalaf]

HAPPINESS SHOULD BE MODERATE! Ibn Al-Jawzī may Allāh have mercy on him said: “Happiness should be moderate, so that it equals to sorrow. If it exceeds the limits, then this is a sign of heedlessness. For happiness is unreasonable with a sane person, who is rejoiced by anything that brings joy, but then when he remembers his destiny and the fear of where he will end up, then that joy disappears. If the heedlessness of happiness intensifies it makes a person exultant and reckless. This is why Allāh said: “إن الله لا يحب الفرحين” meaning — “Surely Allāh does not love the exultant” These refers to those who exceeded the limits of happiness and become exultant.” [Ibn Al-Jawzī in Discipling The Soul, p. 84-85]

[quotesofthesalaf]

BENEFITING FROM TIME AND OPPORTUNITIES! Ibn Al-Jawzī رحمه الله while advising his son said: “Know, my son, that days consist of hours and hours are made of the breaths you take. Every breath is a treasure chest, so beware of letting a breath pass by with no benefit. You do not want to find an empty treasure chest on the day of judgment and regret. Indeed, a man once said to ‘Amir Ibn ‘Abd Qaīs: “Stop, I want to talk to you”, so he said to him: “Hold the sun in your hands (i.e. stop time), so I can talk to you.” [Sincere Counsel To The Seeker Of Sacred Knowledge, p. 49]

[quotesofthesalaf]

THE ATTITUDE OF A BELIEVER! قيل للحسن البصري: يا أبا سعيد الرجل يذنب ثم يتوب ثم يذنب ثم يتوب ثم يذنب ثم يتوب حتى متى قال: ما أعلم هذا إلا أخلاق المؤمنين [حلية الأولياء ٢\٣١٥] It said to Al-Hassan Al-Bāsri may Allāh have mercy on him: “O Abā Sa’īd a man sins, then repents, then sins, then repents, then sins, then repents, until when? He said: “I do not know except that this is the attitude of a believer.” [Abu Nu’āym in Hilyat Al-Awliyā’, 2/310]

[quotesofthesalaf]

THE SHYNESS OF IMĀM AL-BUKHARĪ! Muhammad Ibn Abi Hatim narrated: “Some of my companions said to me: “We were at the house of Muhammad bin Salam, and Muhammad bin Isma’il al-Bukharī entered upon his return from Iraq. So, he began to inform us of the tribulation that the people were being put through, as well as what had happened to Ahmad bin Hambal, etc. When al-Imām al-Bukharī exited the house, Muhammad bin Salam said to those present: “Have you ever seen a virgin with as much shyness as this man?” [Siyar A'lam an-Nubala,12/418]

[quotesofthesalaf]

IF ‘UMAR IBN AL-KHATTĀB WAS AFRAID FOR THAT PEOPLE WHO RECITED THE QUR’AN AT THAT TIME THAT THEY MAY INCLINE TOWARDS THE WORLD, THEN WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THEM TODAY? قال محمد بن الحسين رحمه الله: ”فإذا كان عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه قد خاف علي قوم قرأوا القرآن في ذالك الوقت ميلهم الي الدنيا فما ظنك بهم اليوم. وقد أخبرنا النبي ﷺ أنه يكون أقوام يقرآون القرآن يقيمونه كما تقيمون القدح يتعجلونه ولا يتأجلونه يطلبون به عاجلة الدنيا ولا يطلبون به الآخرة.“ [أخلاق أهل القرآن، ص. ٩٢] Muhammad Ibn Al-Husayn said: So if ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb رضي الله عنه was afraid for people who recited the Qur’an at that time that they may incline towards the world, then what do you think of them today, especially as the prophet ﷺ has informed us that “there will be people who recite the Qur’an, establishing it the way an arrow is stood upright; they will seek the hasty matters with it and not the deferred matters,” meaning that they will seek by it the hasty matters of the world and will not seek the hereafter.” [Akhlāq Ahl Al-Qur’ān, p. 92]

[quotesofthesalaf]

SEEING ALLĀH ON THE DAY OF THE JUDGMENT! وقيل لإمام مالك رحمه الله: ”أيُري الله يوم القيامة؟ فقال: ”نعم، يقول الله ﷻ: وُجُوهٌ يٓوْمٓئِذٍ نٓاضِرٓةٌ — إِلي رٓبّٓهٓا نٓاظِرٓةٌ.“ [القيامة:٢٢/٢٣] [الإنتقاء: ٣٦؛ فتح الودود في شرح حائية إبن أبي داود: ٣١] It was said to Imām Malik may Allāh have mercy on him said: “Shall we see Allāh on the day of the judgment?”, he said: “yes, Allāh ﷻ says: “[some] faces, that day, will be radiant — looking at their Lord.” [Al-Qiyāmah: 22/23] [Al-Intiqā’: 36; Fâth Al-Wudûd Fē Shārh Haa’īyat Ibn Abī Dawūd: 31]

[quotesofthesalaf]

ONE OF THE BIGGEST SINS! قال إبن مسعود رضي الله عنه: ”من أكبر الذنوب أن يقول الرجل لأخيه: ”إتق الله“، فيقول ”عليك بنفسك.“ [الدعاء لإبن فضيل، ص. ١٠٧؛ المجالسة وجواهر العلم لأبي بكر الديروني، ٢٦١٩] ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas’ūd may Allāh be pleased with him said: “From one of the biggest sins is when a man says to his brother, “Fear Allāh,” and he replies, “Worry about yourself.” [Ad-Du’ā by Ibn Fudhâyl, p.107; Al-Mujaalasâh wa Jawahīr Al-‘Ilm by Abu Bakr Al-Dayrūnī, 2619]

[quotesofthesalaf]

THE DEVIL'S DECEPTION! Al-Hassan Al-Bāsri may Allāh have mercy on him said: “There used to be a tree that was be­ ing worshipped instead of Allah. A man went to the tree with the intention of cutting it down. The devil came to him in human form and asked: ‘What are you aiming to do?’ The man replied: ‘I wish to cut down this tree that is being wor­ shipped in place of Allah.’ The devil said: ‘You are not worshipping it. So what harms if others are worshiping it?’ The man responded: I will cut it down. The devil said: ‘Let me suggest something better for you. Do not cut it down and you shall find two dinars every morning under your pillow.’ The man replied: ‘Who would guarantee me this?’ The devil said: ‘I would.’ On the following day the man saw two dinars under his pillow. But on the following day, he did not see the money again as expected, so he again went to cut down the tree. The devil came to him in his (true) shape and asked him: ‘What do you wish to do?’ He replied: ‘I want to cut down that tree because it is being worshiped in place of Allah.’ The devil responded: ‘You lie. You have no power to do so.’ The man continued walking but the devil threw him down and began chocking him and said: ‘do you know who I am? I am the devil.’ Initially you were angry for Allāh's sake, so I had no power over you. I deceived you with the two dinar prom­ise. Later you became angry for the sake of the two dinars, so I was able to over power you.” [Ibn Abī Al-Dūnya in Makā’id Ash-Shaytān, 79/60, and Ibn Al-Jawzī in Talbīs Iblīs, 77]

[quotesofthesalaf]

‘Abdullah Ibn Mas’ūd (رضي الله عنه) said: Allāh's Messen­ger (ﷺ) drew a line with his hand, then said: “This is Allāh's path.” Then he drew lines to its right and left and said: “These are the (other) paths. On each path there is a devil calling to­ wards it.” Then he recited: ”وَأَنَّ هَٰذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَن سَبِيلِهِ...“ [الأنعام: ١٥٣] “And this is my straight path, so follow it, and do not follow the (other) paths...” [Al-An’ām: 153] [Imam Ahmad in al-Musnād, 1/465]

[quotesofthesalaf]

LOOK HOW IMPORTANT THE QIYĀM WAS TO THE SALAF! Imām Abū ‘Abd Allāh (and it is said — meaning that he's also known as Abū ‘Amr) Al-Tamīmī Al-‘Anbarī ‘Amir Ibn ‘Abd Qaīs Al-Basrī. Imam Ad-Dhahabī رحمه الله described him as: The example, the walī, the ascetic. He is one of the eight leading Tabi‘īn in asceticism. Ka‘âb Al-Ahbār once saw him and said: “This is the devotee of this nation.” Qātada said: “when ‘Amir was on the verge of death he cried.” He was asked: “why are you crying?” so he said: “I'm not crying because I fear death or crave this world. It is the thirst of the midday heat and the standing at night that I cry for.” He is said to have died in the time of Mu‘āwiyah رضي الله عنه.” [Refer to his biography: Ibn Sa‘ād in Al-Tabaqāt, 7/103, Imām Ahmād in Al-Zuhd, 218, Abū Nu‘āym in Hilyat Al-Awliyā’, 2/87, Imām Ad-Dhahabī in Siyar Al-A’lām An-Nubūla’, 4/15, ‘Alqama Ibn Murthid in Zûhd Al-Thamāniya Min Al-Tabi‘īn, 37-40]

[quotesofthesalaf]

GRIEVING FOR THIS WORLD! Malik Ibn Dinār (رحمه الله) said: “As much as you grieve for this world, the fear of the Day of Judgment leaves your heart.” [Discipling The Soul, p.70]