Inspiration from Past & Present
When they assaulted you from every side,
When eyes with fear were petrified,
And hearts were leaping unto throats,
And you began entertaining some thoughts,
Vainly diverse concerning God.
And there it was that the believers,
Who had been horribly shaken, were tried.
[The Holy Qur’an, A Poetic Translation 33:10-11]
لستُ إلا طُوَيلب علم
I am but a small student of knowledge.
—Shaykh Nāṣiruddīn al-Albāni [d. 1420/1999]
فنوم على القفا وهو نوم الأنبـياء عليهم السلام يتفكرون في خلق السموات والأرض، ونوم على اليمين وهو نوم العلماء والعباد، ونوم على الشمال وهو نوم الملوك لهضمهم طعامهم، ونوم على الوجه وهو نوم الشياطين
Sleep on the back is that of the prophets, reflecting on the heavens and the earth; sleep on the right side is the sleep of the scholars and worshipers; sleep on the left side is that of the kings—who need to digest their food; and sleep on the stomachs is that of the devils.
—Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī [d 505H/1111CE]
Iḥyā ‘Ulūm al-Dīn
حاسبوا أنفسكم قبل أن تحاسبوا ، وزنوا أنفسكم قبل أن توزنوا، فإنه أهون عليكم فى الحساب غدا أن تحاسبوا أنفسكم اليوم، وَتَزَيَّنوا للعرض الأكبر، يومئذ تعرضون لا تخفى منكم خافية
Take account of yourself before you are taken to account, and weigh yourself before you are weighed, for it would be easier on your Accounting tomorrow if you do so today. Adorn yourself for the great exposure, the day you shall be exposed and not a secret of yours will remain hidden.
—‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb [d. 23H/644CE] in his inaugural address upon becoming Caliph
[Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, Kanz al-‘Ummāl]