Inspiration from Past & Present

December 5, 2013

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

 

Sifat al-Safwah (2/131)

(Read on pg 38, Ibn al-Jawzi, Disturber of the Hearts. Dar As-Sunnah Publishers. Birmingham:2012.)

December 5, 2013

Foolish Hopes

Hoping to receive the Mercy of the One who you insist on being disobedient to is a kind of betrayal and foolishness.

—Ma’ruf al-Karkhi

 

Hilyah al-Awliya’ (8/367)

(Read on pg 21, Ibn al-Jawzi, Disturber of the Hearts. Dar As-Sunnah Publishers. Birmingham:2012.)

November 11, 2013

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 #92.

October 22, 2013

Knowledge Brings Happiness

Knowledge is a light that leads to wisdom. It is life for one’s soul and fuel for one’s character…Happiness and high spiritedness come with enlightenment, because through knowledge, one may fulfill his goals and discover what was previously hidden from him…

If you desire happiness, then seek out knowledge and enlightenment, and you will find that anxiety, depression, and grief will leave you.

—Shaykh ‘Aidh al-Qarni

 

al-Qarni, ‘Aidh ibn ‘Abdullah, Don’t Be Sad, Riyadh: International Islamic Publishing House, 2003, p. 83

(Read on pg 39, Umm Abdurrahman Sakina Hirschfelder, Who Is Allah? His Names and Attributes and their Significance to the Individual. International Islamic Publishing House. Riyadh:2010.)