Quotes of the Salaf Regarding Sincerity

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

1. It is reported about Bishr al-Hafi that he said: "That I seek the world with a wind instrument is more loved by me than that I seek it with the din."
2. It is reported from Ibrahim an-Nakha'i that he said: "When Shaytan comes to you whilst you are engaged in prayer and says: You are showing off, increase it in length."
3. One of the salaf said: "Direct me to an action by which I will never cease to be performing for Allah, the Exalted." It was said to him: "Always intend good because you will never cease to be performing even if you do not do any actions. The intention performs even in the absence of any actions. Whoever intended to pray at night and then slept, the reward for what he intended will be written for him."
4. One of them said: "I love that I have an intention for every single thing until my food, drink and sleep."
5. It was said to Sahl: "What is the hardest thing for the soul (to achieve)?" He said: "Sincerity, when there is no other desire in it."
6. It is reported from Ya'qub al-Makfuf that he said: "The sincere person is the one who hides his good deeds just like he hides his evil deeds."
7. One of them wrote to his brother: "Make your intention sincere in all of your actions and little action will suffice you."
8. It is reported from Ayyub as-Sakhtiyani that he said: "Purifying the intention is harder than all other actions for those who act."
9. It is reported from Yahya ibn Mu'adh that he said: "Ikhlasseparates (good) actions from faults like the separation of milk from dung and blood."
10. It is reported from As-Susi that he said: "What Allah desires from the actions of His creation is ikhlas and nothing else."
11. It is reported from Al-Junayd that he said: "To Allah belong servants who understand, and when they understand they act and when they act they make (their action) sincere. Their recalling ofikhlas at the time of doing righteousness is what accumulates the greatest (good for them)."
12. It is reported about Hawshab that he used to cry and say: "My name has reached the large mosque." {qluetip title=[1]}i.e. he disliked to be known out of humility and that people should mention him for fear of fame and repute.{/qluetip}
13. It is reported from As-Susi that he said: "Ikhlas is to lose the vision of ikhlas (in oneself)."
14. One of them said: "Whoever sees sincerity in his sincerity, his sincerity is itself in need of sincerity. The destruction of every sincere person lies in his sincerity, (he is destroyed) to the extent that he sees sincerity in himself. When he abandons seeing sincerity in himself he will be sincere and purified."
15. It is reported from Abu 'Uthman that he said: "Ikhlas is to forget the vision of creation by constantly looking at the Creator."
16. It is reported from Ibrahim ibn Adham that he said: "He is not truthful to Allah who loves fame."
17. It is reported from Ath-Thawri that he said: "They used to hate fame and reputation due to wearing nice garments so that eyes would stretch towards them."
18. Ibn Al-Jawzi reports from Al-Hasan that he said: "I was with Ibn Al-Mubarak one day and we came to a watering place. The people were drinking from it and Ibn Al-Mubarak came closer in order to get a drink. The people did not know him and shoved and pushed him. When he came out he said: 'Life is but this,' meaning we are not known nor are we respected."
19. It is reported from Na'im ibn Hammad that he said: "'Abdullah ibn Al-Mubarak frequently used to sit in his house for long periods of time so it was said to him: 'Do you not feel lonely and isolated?' He said: 'How can I feel isolated while I am with the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam).' "
20. It is reported from Ibn Al-Mubarak that he said: I heard Ja'far ibn Hayyan say: "The foundations of these actions are the intentions. Indeed a man reaches with his intentions a position he does not reach with his actions."
21. One of the people of wisdom used to say: When a man is speaking in a gathering and his speech amazes him let be silent and when he keeps silent and his silence amazes him let him speak.
22. It is reported from Mutraf ibn 'Abdullah ash-Shakhir that he said: "That I spend the night sleeping and wake up remorseful is more loved to me than that I spend the night standing (in prayer) and wake up in admiration."
23. It is reported from An-Nu'man ibn Qays that he said: "I never saw Abidah (rahimahullah) performing any voluntary prayers in the mosque of Al-Hayy."
24. It is reported from 'Ali (radhiallahu 'anhu) that he said: "The one who shows off has three characteristics: He is lazy when by himself, he is lively and energetic when with others and he increases in his actions when he is praised and decreases in them when he is criticised."
25. It is reported from Al-Hasan (radhiallahu 'anhu) that he said: "The one who shows off desires to overcome what Allah has decreed for him. He is an evil person who desires to inform the people that he is righteous in order to hear what they would say. He has obtained a position of vileness and wickedness from his Lord. It is therefore essential for the hearts of the believers to recognise him."
26. It is reported from Sahl ibn 'Abdullah (rahimahullah) that he said: "There is nothing which is tougher upon the soul than (achieving)ikhlas. How many times have I tried to remove riya' from my heart except that it sprouted in a different colour (i.e. in a different form)."
27. It is reported from Ibn Mas'ud (radhiallahu 'anhu) that he said: "Do not learn knowledge for three (things): To amaze and confound the foolish, to argue with the learned and to make peoples faces turn towards you. (But) seek what is with Allah with your hearts and actions, since only that will remain and whatever is besides it will go."
28. It is reported from Abu Sulayman ad-Darini (rahimahullah) that he said: "Tuba (the tree in Paradise) for the one who took a single step desiring nothing but the face of Allah by it."
29. Some of the salaf said: "Whoever had a single instance in his lifetime which was purely and sincerely for the sake of Allah, the Exalted, will be saved, and this is due to the greatness of ikhlas."
30. It is reported from Abu Sulayman ad-Darini (rahimahullah) that he said: "When the servant is sincere, riya' and the many whisperings (of the shayatin) are cut off from him."
31. It has also been said: "Ikhlas is that the servants inward and outward actions are equal. Riya' is when the outward appearance is better than the inner self and truthfulness in one's sincerity is when the inner self is better cultivated and more flourishing than the outward appearance.".
32. Some of the salaf have said: "Ikhlas is that you do not seek a witness over your action besides Allah and nor one who gives reward besides Him."
33. It is reported from Makhul (rahimahullah) that he said: "Never does a servant maintain sincerity for forty days in succession except that the streams of wisdom from his heart appear on his tongue."
34. It is reported from Adiyy ibn Hatim that he said: "The people destined for the Fire will be ordered (to come) towards Paradise until they come close to it and smell its fragrance, see its palaces and what Allah has prepared in it for its people. Then an announcement will be made (to the angels) that they be turned away from it. There will be no portion for them in it. They will return in loss and ruin just like the ones before them (who were also commanded likewise). Then they will say: 'O our Lord. If you had entered us into the Fire before You showed us what You have shown us from Your reward and what You have prepared for you friends and allies it would have been easier upon us.' Then the Exalted will say: 'This is what I intended with you. When you used to be alone you would combat me (or show boldness to Me) with grave sins and when you used to meet people you would meet them with humility. You would show to the people other than that which you used to give Me from your hearts. You feared people but you did not fear Me. You honoured the people but you did not honour Me, you abandoned (actions) for the people but you did not abandon for Me. This day (therefore), will I make you taste a tormenting punishment along with your prevention from receiving that reward.' "
35. It has been said: "The damage (caused) to every servant lies in his being pleased with himself. Whoever looks at his soul and sees something in it which he deems to be good has caused its destruction. And whoever does not suspect his soul at every single moment is one who is deceived."
36. Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullah) said: "Ikhlas is the tawhid of one's wish/intent."

(s) The sayings have been taken from Ihya' Ulum ad-Din of Al-Ghazali,Mukhtasir Minhaj al-Qasidin of Ibn Qudamah and Kitab az-Zuhd of Ibn Al-Mubarak. 

Translator's note: The author said, "I have quoted these statements without knowing their authenticity and it is allowable for a Muslim to take from what has been narrated from theSalaf without verification if the particular statement is in agreement with the Book and the Sunnah."

Source: SunnahOnline

  Has not the time yet come for those who believe that 

their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah 

and what has come down of the truth? 

[Surah Al Hadid 57:16]

Allaah is the Light of the heavens and the earth...

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Tafsir of Chapter 024 Verse 35: The Verse of Light

IBN QAYYIM AL-JAWZIYYAH

God strikes a parable about His light within the heart of His servant, which only the learned understand:

"God is the light of the heavens and the earth. The similitude of His light is a niche in which there is a lamp. The lamp is in a Glass, the Glass, like a glistening star, kindled from a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil well nigh glows though no fire has touched it: light upon light. God guides to His light whom He wills, and God strikes parables for human beings, and God knows all things."

Al-Qur'an 24:35

Ubayy ibn Ka'ab said, "The similitude of His light [takes place in] the Muslim's heart." [Ibn Kathir, 3:464] This light, which He has placed in the heart, comes from gnosis, love, faith and the remembrance of God. It is the light that He has sent down to His servants, by which He gives them life, and by which they walk among people. Its origin is in their hearts, but then He strengthens and increases it until it appears upon their faces, limbs, bodies, even their clothes and dwellings. People of this nature perceive it, while others deny it. On the Day of Judgement, however, it will come forth by their faith, and hasten before them in the darkness of the Bridge, that they might cross it. They will proceed in proportion to either its strength or its weakness in their hearts during their life in the world.

Light upon light

For one person, it will be like the sun, for another like the moon, the stars or a lamp. For yet another, this light will be only at the tips of his toes; it will shine, then go out [then shine, then go out]. For just as his light had been in this world, so he shall be given when crossing the Bridge. In fact, it is the selfsame light that had appeared to him before. However, just as the hypocrite has no real light in this world, or has only an outward light but none within, so shall he be given [on that Day] an outward light which will vanish in the darkness and be lost.

It is about this light-its abode, its bearer and its fuel-that God has coined the parable of the niche, which is like the breast. In this niche lies a globe made of purest glass, like a glistening planet in whiteness and purity-a similitude for the heart, likened to glass inasmuch as it possesses the qualities of the believer's heart: clarity, fineness and firmness. By its clarity [the believer] sees truth and direction; by its fineness he acquires kindness and mercy; by its firmness he combats God's enemies, and stands firm in his resistance to them and upholds the truth.

None of these qualities negate another or oppose it. They strengthen and complement each other.

"[The faithful are] strict against the unbelievers, merciful to each other."

Al-Qur'an 48:29

"By the mercy of God, you were gentle to them. For had you been harsh, or hard of heart, they would have fled from your presence."

Al-Qur'an 3:159 - the expression translated as 'hard of heart' (ghaliz al-qalb) literally means 'thick-hearted'

"O Prophet, strive against the non-believers and the hypocrites and be firm against them."

Al-Qur'an 9:73 

According to a saying that has been passed down, "Hearts are God's vessels on earth, and most beloved unto Him are the finest, firmest and clearest of them." [Al-Hakim, At-Tirmidhi ... It also appears in Ahmad ibn Hanbal's Kitab az-Zuhd, 1414/1993, and Isfahani (Hilya, 6:97), with the wording "God, blessed be He, has vessels on earth ... "]

In contrast to this heart, there are two other reprehensible types. One is the heart that is hard like stone, devoid of compassion, generosity or social good; devoid, too, of the clarity by which God may be seen-a heart dominated by ignorance, with neither knowledge of the truth, nor compassion for fellow creatures.

The other is the heart that is as weak as water. It is devoid of strength and firmness, accepts any idea, but lacks the strength to stand by what it accepts. It is devoid of the power to affect anyone, but is itself affected by everything it mingles with-be it strong or weak, wholesome or tainted.

In the glass there is a lamp which bears the light. The fuel for this light is oil pressed from an olive tree, [which grows] in a place so medial that the sun reaches it at both the beginning and the end of the day, making its oil the purest and least opaque-so clear it almost glows by itself, without fire.

Such is the fuel for this lamp's light, and such is the fuel of the lamp in the believer's heart which comes from the tree of revelation, the greatest in blessing and the farthest removed from extremes. Indeed, it is the most central of all things, the most balanced, the most excellent. It reaches neither the extreme of the Christians nor that of the Jews, but rather seeks a middle way in all things. Such is the fuel for the Lamp of Faith which burns in the believer's heart.

Because this oil is so limpid that it almost glows by itself, when it is mingled with fire its glow becomes even more intense, its substance is strengthened and there is "light upon light". Similarly, the heart of the believer is so illumined that he could almost know God solely by way of his own God-given nature [fitra] and his own intelligence, though he had no fuel. Then the fuel of revelation reaches him, gives glad tidings to his heart and mixes with his own radiance. The light of revelation is added to the light of his own God-given nature, and the two combine to become "light upon light".

He had almost been able to speak of God without ever hearing anything about Him. When he hears utterances which his own nature has already perceived, it becomes "light upon light". Such is the case of the believer who first experiences the truth in a general way through his God-given nature, and then hears the words brought by [the Prophet] which explain the details. His faith is thus founded on the testimony of revelation and the testimony of his God-given nature.

Let a person of insight reflect on this great verse and on how it can be applied according to this noble meaning. God mentions His light in the heavens and on earth, and His light in the hearts of His believing servants. There is intelligible light, perceived by insight, illuminating inner visions and hearts [an-nur al-ma'qul al-mashhud bi'l-basa'ir wa'l-qulub]. And there is the physical light [an-nur al-mahsus], perceived by the faculty of sight, illuminating the upper and the lower regions of the world: two sublime lights, one more sublime than the other. When physical light is absent from some place, no human being or animal can live there. Animal life is engendered only where there is light. It cannot thrive in dark places where no light shines. And so, a people for whom the light of revelation and faith has gone out, and a heart in which this light has gone out, must be dead, no more alive than the most lifeless place on earth.

In His words, God connects life with light: "Or is one who was dead, and whom We gave life and made for him a light by which to walk among people, like one who is in a darkness from which he cannot emerge?" [Al-Qur'an 6:122] Or His words, "Thus have We inspired you with a spirit from Our command; you had known neither the Book nor faith, but We made it a light by which We guide those of Our servants whom We Will." [Al-Qur'an 42:52]

About this second verse, it has been said that the pronoun "it" refers to command, or to faith, but the correct reading is that it refers to spirit. Thus, "We made that spirit with which We inspired you a light." In other words, we say spirit when life is brought forth, and light when radiance and illumination are brought together. But the two are inseparable. If life exists through the Spirit, so does light; and where there is light, there is also light. So the heart of one who does not accept this Spirit is dead and benighted, as dead as one whose soul has separated from his body.

From The Invocation of God - Al-Wabil al-Sayyib min al-Kalim al-Tayyib, © 2000, Michael Abdurrahman Fitzgerald & Moulay Youssef Slitine (Translators), Islamic Texts Society, UK

Source: SunnahOnline

  Has not the time yet come for those who believe that 

their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah 

and what has come down of the truth? 

[Surah Al Hadid 57:16]

Sit for a short while before you sleep and do this …

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Ibn al-Qayyim said, ‘Avoid those things that necessitate the punishment of the grave. 

And from the most beneficial of them is that when a man wants to sleep, he sits for an hour, for the Sake of Allaah, calling himself to account over the things that he has lost and gained during that day of his. Then, between him and his Lord, he renews his sincere repentance over those things that he lost, and sleeps on that repentance, firmly resolving not to return to the sin when he wakes up–and he does this every night.

So if he dies on that night of his, he would have died upon repentance and if he wakes up, he will wake up going towards action, pleased with the postponement of his appointed time so that he can turn to his Lord and set right what he missed out on.

And there is nothing more beneficial for the servant than this sleep, especially when he follows that [i.e., his resolve to renew his repentance] up with the remembrance of Allaah, performing those sunnahs which have been reported from the Prophet of Allaah when going to bed, [doing so] until sleep overtakes him.

So whoever Allaah wishes good for, He will grant him the success to do that. And there is neither movement, nor power except through Allaah.”

Ar-Rooh, p. 79

Copied from here

  Has not the time yet come for those who believe that 

their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah 

and what has come down of the truth? 

[Surah Al Hadid 57:16]

The Heaven of this World,

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

The Heaven of this World

I heard the Shaykh of Islam, Ibn Taymiyyah - may Allah sanctify his soul - say, "Truly, there is a Heaven in this world, [and] whoever does not enter it, will not enter the Heaven of the next world." And once he said to me, "What can my enemies do to me? I have in my breast both my Heaven and my garden. If I travel they are with me, and they never leave me. Imprisonment for me is a religious retreat (khalwa). To be slain for me is martyrdom (shahadah) and to be exiled from my land is a spiritual journey (siyaha)."

During his imprisonment in the fortress, he would say, "I could not be more grateful for this blessing were I to have this entire fortress in gold"; or, "I could never repay them for the good that has come to me in [this prison]." [Ibn al-Qayyim accompanied Ibn Taymiyyah to prison (cf. Introduction).] And in prostration he would say, whilst in a state of imprisonment "O Allah, help me in my gratitude to You, remembrance of You and the most comely worship of You" as much as Allah willed. [A prayer recommended by the Prophet to Mu'adh. Nisa'i, Sahw, 1286; Abu Dawud, Salat, 1301]

Once he said to me, "The real prisoner is someone whose heart is imprisoned from his Lord; the true captive is someone captured by his passions." And when he entered the fortress and was inside its walls, he gazed upon them and recited the verse, "And a wall between them is struck which has a gate. On the inside there is a mercy, on the outside punishment." [Al-Qur'an 57:13]

Allah knows, I have never seen anyone who had a better life than his. Despite the difficulties and all that expunges comfort and luxury, nay, things completely opposite to them; despite intimidation and oppression, Ibn Taymiyyah had a purer life than anyone could. He was the most generous, the strongest of heart and the most joyful of soul, with "the radiance of bliss" on his face. ["Nadratun al-na'im".Al-Qur'an 83:24]

When we were seized with fear and our thoughts [about Allah's decree] turned negative, and the earth grew narrow for us, we would go to him. No sooner did we look at him and hear his words than all these [feelings] would leave us, to be replaced by relief, strength, certainty and tranquillity. So glory be to the One who lets His servants witness His Heaven well before they meet Him, who opens its doors to them in this world of deeds and who gives them something of its refreshment, its breeze and its perfume - that they might seek it and hasten towards it with all their strength.

A gnostic once said, "If kings and the sons of kings knew what we had, they would try to take it from us by the sword!" Another said: "How pitiful, the worldly people! They leave this life without ever having tasted the sweetest thing in it." When asked what that was, he replied, "The love of Allah, the knowledge of Allah and the remembrance of Allah," or words to that effect. [Possibly referring to the saying by 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak: "Worldly people leave the world before having feasted on the sweetest thing in it." They asked him what that was and he answered, "The knowledge of Almighty Allah." Isfahani, Hilya, 8:167] Another said: "There are times when the heart dances in joy." And another said, "There are times when I say, If the people of Heaven have anything like this, how truly sweet their lives!"

To love Allah, to know Him intimately, to remember Him constantly, to find peace and rest in Him, to make Him alone the [ultimate] object of love, fear, hope and trust; to base one's act on His control of His servant's cares, aspirations and will - such is the world's Heaven, and such is a blessing with which no other blessing can compare. It is by this that the hearts of those who love Allah are gladdened and that the gnostics find life. As their hearts are gladdened by Allah, so others are gladdened by them. For whoever finds his source of gladness in Allah, gladdens all hearts; whoever does not, finds nothing in this world but restlessness.

Anyone with life in his heart will confirm this. But someone whose heart is dead will only estrange you from Allah; and so seek intimacy [with Allah] without him, when you can, for his mere presence will estrange you. If you are tested by him, show him only your outer aspect, but leave him behind in your heart. Depart from him with your soul and do not let him distract you from the one who is most important to you. Know that the greatest of all losses is the involvement with someone who weakens your relationship and standing with Allah, cutting you off from Him, wasting your time, dispersing your heart, weakening your resolve and dividing your aspirations. Therefore, if you are tested with this [kind of situation] - and it is inevitable that you will be - then bear up for the sake of Allah, and acknowledge Him as much as you are able.

Draw near to Allah by whatever of it pleases Him. Make your association [with worldly people] a profit not a loss. Be like the man travelling along, whom another invites to stop: seek to take him along with you. When he comes along, lead him but be not lead by him. And if he refuses, and you have no hope that he will journey, then [at least] do not let him detain you. Rather, hasten on, pay him no heed. Do not [even] turn in his direction, for he is a highway robber regardless.

Protect your heart and be careful of how you spend your day and your night. Let not the sun set on you before you reach camp, "lest you be carried off". Nor let the dawn find you abandoned in the camp after the caravan has moved on, and the time is nigh for you to reach them. [There are some omissions in the arabic editions here. The sense of the last sentence is not at all together clear.]

(s) Al-Wabil as-Sayyib min al-Kalim at-Tayyib
(t) Micheal Abdur-Rahman Fitzgerald and Moulay Youssef Slitine

http://sunnahonline.com/library/purification-of-the-soul/218-heaven-of-this-world-the

  Has not the time yet come for those who believe that 

their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah 

and what has come down of the truth? 

[Surah Al Hadid 57:16]