Sufyan al-Thawri R: On Subsistence…

Sufyan al-Thawri R said, “Live moderately. Beware of imitating arrogant people. And in your food, drink, clothing, and means of conveyance, seek out that which is not specifically purchased by profligate and extravagant spenders. And when you seek out advice, let the people you go for advice be the people of piety – people who fear Allah (the Possessor of might and majesty) and who are trustworthy.”

Sufyan said, “In our view, a person does not have an understanding of the religion until he thinks of a hardship as a blessing, and comfort and luxury as being a hardship.”

Sufyan said, “Zuhd (abstinence from the dunya) means not having long-term hopes for this world, and it does not mean eating coarse food and wearing a tattered robe.”
A man said to Sufyan, “Advise me.” Sufyan said, “Work for this world in proportion to the time you will stay in it. And work for the Hereafter in proportion to the time you will stay in it (for eternity)- and peace (be upon you).”

Sufyan said, “If you want to know the true value of this world, look at the value (and character) of those people who have it (i.e., of those people who are rich and prosperous).”

When Sufyan was asked whether or not a person in debt should eat meat, he replied, “No,” meaning that having a debt can be great burden upon a person in the Hereafter and that a person in debt should therefore forsake certain life’s luxuries so that he can repay his debt.

Source: The Biography of Sufya al-Thawri, Compiled by Salahuddin Ibn Ali ibn Abdul Mawjood.

Sufyan al-Thawri R: Partners in Sins of Extravagance

One day Sufyan al-Thawri R, with a friend, was passing the door of a notable. The friend gazed at the portico (porch/entrance to a building). Sufyan rebuked him, "If you and your like did not gaze so at their palaces, they would not commit such extravagance. By gazing you become partners in the sin of this extravagance."

Source: Tadhkirat al-Awliya

Sufyan ath-Thawri ibn Said  (716–778) was a tabi’i Islamic scholar, Hafiz and jurist, founder of the Thawri madhhab.

Shah Waliullah R: The Basis of the Quranic Sciences

[Regarding the Islamic reformation of the intellect...]

The most important thing that Allah SWT revealed to Ibrahim AS was reminding people of the clear signs of Allah, His exalted attributes, and His cosmic and personal blessings, until it was confirmed in a way to which nothing could be added that He is worthy of having them sacrifice all their comforts for Him, that they should prefer remembering Him over thinking of anything else, should love Him greatly, and worship Him to the furthest extent of their efforts. Allah added to this for Musa AS reminding people of the "Days of Allah," that is, the explanation of Allah’s requital of the obedient and the disobedient in this world, [Especially the punishment of the previous nations who turned away from the teachings of their prophets] and His transposing of blessings for adversities, so that fearing sins and a strong inclination to acts of obedience were represented in their hearts.

For our Prophet SAWS, He included along with these two things the warnings and good tidings about the events of the grave, and what follows it, and an explanation of the properties of piety and sin. Simply knowing about these things is not sufficient; rather they must be repeated and reiterated frequently and observed at all times, and kept in view until the intellectual faculties are filled with them and the limbs are guided by them.

These three things (recalling the Days of Allah, giving warning and good tidings, and explaining the properties of piety and sin) along with two other ones, one of them the explanation of the rules of compulsory and forbidden, and so on, and the second of them how to dispute with the unbelievers, are five arts which are the basis of the sciences of the great Quran.

Shah Waliullah, Hujjat Allah al-Baligha (The Conclusive Argument from God), Translation by M. Hermansen

About Shah Waliullah R
Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dehlvi (February 21, 1703 – August 20, 1762) was an Islamic scholar and reformer. He was born during the reign of Aurangzeb Alamgir in India and worked for the revival of Muslim rule and intellectual learning in South Asia. He despised the divisions and deviations within Islam and its practice in India and hoped to "purify" the religion and unify all Indian Muslims under the "banner of truth". He is considered by many to be the most important thinker of pre-modern South Asia.

Sh. Abdul Qadir Jilani R: Advice to his son…

Shaikh ‘Abd ar-Razzaq R asked his father, Sh. Abdul Qadir Jilani R for advice, and he R responding by saying:

"O my son, may Allah (Exalted is He) bestow His enabling grace upon us, and upon you and all the Muslims. Āmīn.

"This you must know and understand: I am advising you to practice true devotion [taqwā] to Allah, and obedience to Him, and adherence to the Sacred Law [Shar’], and careful observance of the limits [hudūd] set by Him.

"O my son, may Allah (Exalted is He) bestow His enabling grace upon us, and upon you and all the Muslims. You must also know that this Spiritual Path [Tarīqa] of ours is founded upon the Book and the Sunna, and integrity of [the feelings within] the breasts, the generosity of the hand, the giving of liberal donation, abstinence from crudity, endurance of injury, and readiness to pardon the mistakes of our spiritual brethren [ikhwān].

"I am also advising you, O my son, to make a practice of spiritual poverty [faqr], which means preserving the ordinances of the Shaikhs, maintaining good relations with spiritual brethren, giving sincere counsel to juniors and seniors alike, and refraining from argument, except where matters of religion are at stake.

"O my son, may Allah (Exalted is He) bestow His enabling grace upon us, and upon you. You must also know that the true significance of spiritual poverty [faqr] is that you are not in need of anyone like yourself, while the true significance of spiritual affluence [ghinā] is that you are independent of anyone like yourself. As for spiritual culture [tasawwuf], it is a state that does not belong to anyone who indulges in idle talk and gossip. When you have an opinion to offer, you should not begin by expressing it in terms of knowledgeability. You should rather present it initially as an expression of sympathetic friendliness. This is because knowledgeability tends to alienate the listener, whereas friendliness makes him feel comfortably at ease.

"O my son, may Allah (Exalted is He) bestow His enabling grace upon us, and upon you and all the Muslims. You must also know that spiritual culture [tasawwuf] is built on eight fundamental qualities, namely:

1. Liberal generosity [sakhā’]
2. Contentment [ridā’]
3. Patience [sabr]
4. Symbolic instruction [ishāra]
5. Living away from home [ghurba]
6. The wearing of wool [sūf]
7. Wandering travel [siyāha]
8. Spiritual poverty [faqr]

· Liberal generosity [sakhā’] is the special virtue of Allah’s Prophet Ibrahim (AS).

· Contentment [ridā’] is the special virtue of Allah’s Prophet Ishaq (AS).

· Patience [sabr] is the special virtue of Allah’s Prophet Ayyub  (AS).

· Symbolic instruction [ishāra] is the special talent of Allah’s Prophet Zakariyya (AS).

· Life in exile [ghurba] is the special characteristic of Allah’s Prophet Yusuf (AS).

· The wearing of wool [sūf] is the special property of Allah’s Prophet Yahya (AS).

· Wandering travel [siyāha] is the special feature of Allah’s Prophet Isa (AS).

· Spiritual poverty[faqr] is the special characteristic of Allah’s Prophet  and Messenger, our dear friend, our chieftain and our intercessor [shafī’] the owner of vast respect, Muhammad the Chosen [al-Mustafā] (may Allah bless him and give him peace, and may He ennoble, honor, glorify and exalt him).

"You must also regard it as your duty, O my son, to maintain a dignified detachment in the company of the rich, and an attitude of humble self-effacement in the company of the poor. You must practice sincere devotion [ikhlās], which means forgetting about the impression you may be making on your fellow creatures [khalq], and paying constant attention to the view of the Creator [Khāliq].

“You must not entertain suspicious doubts about Allah, where the material means (asbāb) are concerned. You must rely on him with confidence in all circumstances and conditions. You must not entrust your needs to anyone else, on the basis of some connection between you and him, such as kinship, affection and friendship.

"It is incumbent upon you to provide the spiritually needy (fuqara) with three forms of service. The first of these is modest humility. The second is good moral conduct. The third is a complete lack of selfishness. You must put your lower self [nafs] to death, so that you may come to life. The nearest of all creatures [khalq] to Allah (Exalted is He) is the one who is richest in good character [khuluq], and the most meritorious of all deeds is the preservation of the innermost being [sirr] from paying attention to anything apart from Allah.

"It is also incumbent upon you, when you are together with fuqara, to engage in the mutual counseling of patience [sabr] and the mutual counseling of truth [haqq]. As far as this world is concerned, two things should be enough for you: the fellowship of faqir and the respect of a wali.

"You must also know, O my son, that the faqir has absolutely no need of anything apart from Allah (Exalted is He).

"You must also know, O my son, that aggressive behavior toward someone below you is actually a form of weakness, while such behavior toward someone superior to you is a form of boastful pride. Spiritual poverty [faqr] and spiritual culture are two very serious matters, so you must not mix them with any kind of frivolity.

"This is my advice to you, and to anyone else among the seekers who is capable of heeding it. May Allah (Exalted is He) cause them to multiply, and may He enable you, and us, to succeed in fulfilling all that we have mentioned and explained. May He include us among those who follow in the footsteps of the righteous forebears [salaf], and who follow in their footsteps in honor of our master, our Prophet and our intercessor [shafī’] Muhammad. May Allah bless him, his family and his Companions, and may He grant them abundant peace, until the Day of Judgment [Yawm ad-Dīn]. Praise be to Allah, Lord of All the Worlds."

Source: Edited from As-Sayyid Ismā’īl Muhammad Sa’īd al-Qādirī, Al-Fuyūdāt ar-Rabbāniyya (Emanations of Lordly Grace)

Caliph of Cordoba’s Conclusion on Life…

Abdul-Rahman III
During much of the 10th century AD, Abdul Rahman III reigned as the most powerful prince of the Ummayad dynasty in Spain. He was known as the Emir of Cordoba from 912 to 929, and later as the Caliph of Cordoba from 929 to 961.

Abdul Rahman was a mighty ruler who unified a people plagued by tribal warfare and outside influence. First, he successfully established a centralized government in Spain and built a powerful army and navy. Then, through military action, he successfully broke ties with the aristocracy of the Arab world, the Fatimids of Egypt and North Africa, and the Christian kings of León.

After nearly 20 years of dramatic success, he declared himself as caliph in Spain. Although rejected by some, this title gave Abdul-Rahman tremendous power and prestige throughout much of the Muslim world. He spent the next 32 years as a revered ruler of a peaceful and prosperous region.

His Conclusion on Life

When all was said and done, Abdul Rahman reflected on his life like other rulers before him and came to the following conclusion:

“I have now reigned above fifty years in victory or peace; beloved by my subjects, dreaded by my enemies, and respected by my allies. Riches and honors, power and pleasure, have waited on my call, nor does any earthly blessing appear to have been wanting to my felicity. In this situation, I have diligently numbered the days of pure and genuine happiness which have fallen to my lot: they amount to fourteen: – O man! place not thy confidence in this present world!”

al-Hasan b. Ali R: Hoping from the Creator and not the creation…

Imam Suyuti R mentions the following story of Hasan b. Ali in his History of the Caliphs:

Al-Hasan R was constricted (in his provision) and his stipend was 100k a year. Muawiya R withheld it from him one year, and he was extremely constricted. He said, ‘I called for an inkwell so that I might write to Muawiya to remind him about myself, and then I controlled (myself). I saw the Messenger of Allah S (in a dream) and he said, ‘How are you, Hasan?’ I said, ‘Well, father.’ and I complained to him about the withholding of the property from me. He said, ‘Did you call for an inkwell to write to a creature like yourself to remind him of that?’ I said, ‘Yes, Messenger of Allah. What should I do?’ He said, ‘Say: O Allah, cast into my heart hope in You, and cut off my hope in everything other than You, until I don’t hope for anyone other than You. O Allah, that for which my strength is too weak, and my action falls short of, my desire does not attain, my supplication does not reach, and what does not flow upon my tongue, of that certainty which You have given anyone of the ancients and the later peoples, then single me out for it, Lord of the Worlds.”‘ He said, ‘Then, by Allah, I had not persisted in it for a week before Muawiya sent me one million and five hundred thousand, and I said ‘Praise be to Allah Who does not forget whoever remembers Him and doesn’t’ disappoint whoever supplicates Him.’ I saw the Prophet S, may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace, in sleep and he S said, ‘Hasan, how are you?’ I said, ‘Well, Messenger of Allah.’ and I told him my story. He said, ‘My son, that is how it is for whoever hopes for (something) from the Creator and does not hope for from the creation.’

Anas R said that no one resembled the Prophet S more than al-Hasan and when he S was asked, ‘Who of the people of your house are most beloved to you?’ He S said, Al-Hasan and al-Hussein.

Sh. Abdul Qadir Jilani R: Regarding the Months of Rajab, Shaban, & Ramadan

“It  is  said  that  the month  of Rajab  is  for  abandoning  of  repulsive  deeds, Sha`baan  is  for  good  deeds  and  fulfilling  trust,  and  Ramadan  is  for truthfulness  and  purification.  Rajab  is  the month  of  repentance  to  Allah, Sha`baan  is  the month of garnering  the love of Allah, and Ramadan  is  the month  of  drawing  near  to  Allah.  Rajab  is  the  month  of  recognizing  the sanctity of Allah, Sha`baan  is  the month  of diligent  service  to Allah,  and Ramadan  is  the  month  of  gathering  blessings  from  Allah.  Rajab  is  the month  of worship  of Allah,  Sha`baan  is  the month  of  asceticism  for  the sake of Allah, and Ramadan  is  the month of spiritual  increase  from Allah.Rajab  is  the month  of  in which Allah multiplies  good deeds, Sha`baan  is the month in which Allah accepts atonement for evils, and Ramadan is  the month  in which Allah advances noble miracles. Rajab  is  the month of  the foremost,  Sha`baan  is  the month  of  thrift,  and  Ramadan  is  the month  of those who are disobedient.

Dhu’n-Nuun al-Misri, may Allah be merciful to him  said:  ‘Rajab  is  for  abandoning  destructive  things,  Sha`baan  is  for performing much acts of obedience, and Ramadan is for the expectation of noble  miracles.  Whoever  does  not  abandon  destructive  things,  does  not perform acts of obedience, and does not expect noble miracles,  then he  is among  the  charlatans  worse  than  rubbish.’  He may  Allah  be merciful  to him, also  said:  ‘Rajab  is  the month of planting  the seeds, Sha`baan  is  the month of watering them, and Ramadan is the month of harvesting. One can only  harvest  what  has  been  planted  as  one  can  only  reap  what  is  sown. Whoever forfeits the planting of seeds and tending to them will regret when the day comes for harvesting. His conjectures will fall far below the evils of
his ending’.”

Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani R in  his  al-Ghunyat Talibi Tariq Haq

The Prophet S: "Many Muslim Children will go to Hell because of their fathers…"

The Prophet S said, “All of you are like shepherds of flocks. As a shepherd protects his flock, so you should protect those under your command from Hell! You should teach them Islam! If you don’t, you will be held responsible.”

And he S said, “Many Muslim children will go to the Hell named Wayl because of their fathers, for their fathers, being seized by the ambition of earning money and making merry and running after worldly affairs only, did not teach their children Islam and the Quran. I am far removed from such fathers. And they are away from me. Those who do not teach their children their religion will go to Hell.”

Allah declares,“Protect yourselves and those in your homes and under your command from the fire!” (Surah Tahrim, Ayat 6)

It is more important for a father to protect his children against the fire of Hell than against worldly fire. And protecting them against the fire of Hell is to teach them iman, the fard and haram to accustom them to worshipping, and to protect them against irreligious and immoral friends. The source of all kinds of immoral deeds is an evil friend.

Source: Endless Bliss

"… even a single date was sufficient."

Abu Bakr Ibn Hafs narrated from ‘Abdullah that his father, ‘Aamir Ibn Rabi’a (رضي الله عنه) said: “Sometimes, Allah’s messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) would send us on a mission, and the entire detachment will have a mere small bag of dried dates as its provisions. We used to divide the contents of the bags between us, a handful of dried dates for each person until we had nothing but a single dried date which we kept in the bag for later.”

‘Abdullah became puzzled and asked his father, “And what would a single date do for an entire detachment?”

‘Aamir replied, “My dear son, dont say that! Sometimes when we were struck by extreme hunger, we even had to divide the last date among ourselves and by Allah’s grace, even a single date was sufficient”.

Hilyatul awliya and Ibn Katheer said the chain is good

The Mention and Significance of Gray Hair in the Quran…

Allah SWT says:

أَوَلَمۡ نُعَمِّرۡكُم مَّا يَتَذَڪَّرُ فِيهِ مَن تَذَكَّرَ وَجَآءَكُمُ ٱلنَّذِيرُۖ فَذُوقُواْ فَمَا لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ مِن نَّصِيرٍ

“Did We not give you lives long enough, so that whosoever would receive admonition, – could receive it? And the warner came to you”. [Surah Fatir, V. 37]

(And the warner came to you.) It was reported that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, `Ikrimah, Abu Ja`far Al-Baqir, may Allah be pleased with him, Qatadah and Sufyan bin `Uyaynah said, “This means grey hair.”  [Source: Ibn Kathir]

Iyaas bin Qataadah saw white hair in his beard and he said: “I see that the death is looking for me”.  ["Bahjat Al-Majalis", 1/219].

Source