Daily quote !

hivizman

Abū ʿAbdullāh Muhammad ibn Idrīs al-Shafiʿī (769-820 CE) is well-known to Muslims as the original source of one of the four schools of Sunni jurisprudence, the Shafiʿī Madhhab. The saying attributed to him sums up his approach as a teacher. Imam al-Shafiʿī was known for his eloquence with language, and the saying suggests that he was particularly eloquent when being challenged by his students.

whydoc

Narrated by Abdullah bin Amr bin Al Aas radi allahu anhu


I heard Allah's Apostle saying,

"Allah does not take away the knowledge, by taking it away from (the hearts of) the people, but takes it away by the death of the religious learned men till when none of the (religious learned men) remains, people will take as their leaders ignorant persons who when consulted will give their verdict without knowledge. So they will go astray and will lead the people astray."

Bukhari

hivizman

Here's a link to a biography of Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-Aas. When you get to the page, click on his name in the list of Companions.

Abdullah was an interesting man - he was actually criticised in a gentle way by Muhammad for overdoing his piety. Abdullah fasted every day and recited the Qur'an every night, but Muhammad told him: "I fast and eat. I pray and sleep. I marry women. Whoever abstains from following my path, indeed, is not of me."

The hadith provides a contrast with the view that I have seen attributed to Max Planck: "A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it." This quote assumes that science is basically progressive, so that new and better ideas ultimately push out older and inferior ideas.

However, the hadith implies almost the opposite for religions. First, religions do triumph by converting opponents into adherents, but there is the risk that religious ideas become corrupted over time. This hadith has had some influence on the thinking of the Salafi, who argue that Muslims need to go back to the Prophet and his Companions and Successors in order to strip away subsequent "innovations".

whydoc

whydoc

Abu Darda said: "Three make me laugh. (out of sorrow)

Those that make me laugh are
a person who puts his hopes in this worldly life while death pursues him,

a person who is heedless of God while God is not heedless of him,

and a person who always laughs while he does not know whether he has pleased God or angered Him."

(Collected by Ibn Al Mubarak)

whydoc

''If a man's patience is stronger than his whims and desires, then he is like an angel,

but if his whims and desires are stronger than his patience, then he is like a devil.

If his desire for food, drink and sex is stronger than his patience, then he is no better than an animal."

- Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

hivizman

For a brief note, and a link to further material, on Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, see here.

whydoc

'Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (RA) asked 'Ubayy Ibn Ka'b (RA) about piety. He said to him, "Have you ever gone along a thorny road?" He said, "Yes". He asked, "What did you do?" He replied, I got ready and did my best." He said, "That is piety."

hivizman

whydoc wrote: »

'Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (RA) asked 'Ubayy Ibn Ka'b (RA) about piety. He said to him, "Have you ever gone along a thorny road?" He said, "Yes". He asked, "What did you do?" He replied, I got ready and did my best." He said, "That is piety."

Interesting - but the pronouns make this hard to follow in English. Did Umar ask Ubayy about piety, and then Ubayy replied "Have you ever gone along a thorny road?", or was it Umar who asked this question?

Umar ibn al-Khattab is well known as the second of the rightly guided Caliphs. Ubayy ibn Ka'b was one of the Ansar, converts to Islam from Medina. Ubayy was one of the first of the Ansar, having converted before the hijra. He was a scribe for Muhammad, and he was one of the group of Muslims at the time of Muhammad's death who knew the Qur'an by heart. Ubayy was a member of the consultative group formed by Abu Bakr, the first of the rightly guided Caliphs, and Umar is recorded as having consulted him when Umar succeeded Abu Bakr.

So both interpretations (that Umar was advising Ubayy on what is meant by piety, and that Ubayy was advising Umar) seem possible.

whydoc

بقَدْرِ الكدِّ تُكتَسَبُ المَعَالي *** ومَنْ طَلبَ العُلا سَهِرَ اللّيالي
ومَنْ رامَ العُلى مِن غَيرِ كَدٍّ *** أضَاعَ العُمرَ في طَلَبِ المُحَالِ
تَرُومُ العِزَّ ثم تَنامُ لَيلاً *** يَغُوصُ البَحْرَ مَن طَلَبَ اللآلي

From Diwan al-Shafi’i

Loftiness is attained in accordance to one’s struggles
And whoever seeks nobility, remains vigilant by night

Whoever wishes to achieve, without due effort
Will waste their life in seeking the impossible

You search for glory and yet you sleep at night
It is only the seeker of pearls who dives deep into the sea

hivizman

This comes from a collection of "wisdom poems" attributed to the eminent jurist Abū ʿAbdullāh Muhammad ibn Idrīs al-Shāfi‘ī (767-820 CE), the founder of one of the four leading Sunni schools of jurisprudence.

Here's another verse from the same collection:

وما أحد من ألسن الناس سالماً *** ولو أنه ذاك النبي المطهرُ
وإن كان سكيتاً يقولون أبكم *** وإن كان منطيقاً يقولون أهدرُ
وإن كان صواماً وبالليل قائماً *** يقولون زرَاقٌ يرائي و يمكرُ

Nobody is safe from the tongues of people
Even if he were to be the Prophet so pure
If one is silent, they say he is voiceless
And if he speaks, they say he talks much
Were he to fast and stand to pray at night
They say he’s blind, he shows off, he deceives.

There's a rather depressing sense of "damned if you do, damned if you don't" about this, when taken with the previous quote. On the one hand, we are encouraged to be awake and vigilant at night, and there are many encouragements in the Hadith to pray at night. But if we do pray at night, we are likely to be accused of showing off and hypocrisy, and there are Hadiths that warn us that praying at night in order to impress others not only invalidates the prayer but could lead to punishment on the Day of Judgement.

skoomi

2:6 As for the Disbelievers, Whether thou warn them or thou warn them not it is all one for them; they believe not.

2:7 Allah hath sealed their hearing and their hearts, and on their eyes there is a covering. Theirs will be an awful doom.

whydoc

al-Fudayl bin ‘Iyad said:
“Stick to the path of guidance, and do not be hurt by the small number of people who take this path,

and beware of the path of misguidance, and do not be fooled by the large number of people who destroy themselves on this path.”

hivizman

Al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyad (his name is sometimes transliterated as Al-Fozail ibn 'Iyaz or Al-Fudhayl ibn 'Iyadh - he is sometimes known as Al-Talaqani) is an interesting character who lived in the 2nd century AH. He was originally a thief and bandit who repented after hearing a verse from the Qur'an that brought home to him that he could not claim to be a Muslim while at the same time committing major sins. In his early life, he was certainly on the path of misguidance, but after he repented, he sought out his earlier victims to recompense them and seek their forgiveness.

There's a summary of his life, including some amusing stories and other remarks that he is recorded to have said, here.

whydoc

“I have never seen two women more generous than ‘Â`ishah and Asmâ`. They had different ways of being generous.
As for ‘Â`ishah, she used to gather things, until she had a collection, then she would distribute it.
As for Asmâ`, she would never keep anything until the next day.”

Abdullâh ebn Al-Zubayr

Sahîh Al-Adab Al-Mufrad Vol.1 p123.

whydoc

By Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah ……….

1. Knowledge: Wasted when not taking action with it.
2. Actions: Wasted when we do anything without sincerity. Intentions count.
3. Wealth: Wasted when used on things that will not bring us âjr (reward). We waste our money, our status, our authority, on things that have no benefit in this life or in âkhirah (the Hereafter).
4. Hearts: Wasted when empty from the love of Allah, and the longing for Him/Her/it, and devoid of peace and contentment.
5. Bodies: Wasted when we don’t use them in ibâdah (worship) and service of Allah in serving humankind.
6. Love: Wasted when our emotional love is misdirected, not towards Allah, but towards something/someone else.
7. Time: Wasted when not used properly, by not doing what is righteous.
8. Intellect: Wasted on things that are detrimental to society and the individual, not in contemplation or reflection.
9. Service: Wasted when in service of someone who will not bring us closer to Allah.
10. Dhikr: Wasted when it does not affect our hearts

whydoc

whydoc

"A moment of patience in a moment of anger prevents a thousand moments of regret."

Ali ibn Abi Talib (radhiAllahu anhu)

whydoc

Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy on him, said,
“No servant has been struck with a punishment greater than the hardness of the heart and being distant from Allaah.”

Al-Fawaaid, p. 262.

whydoc

A Bedouin became ill so it was said to him, “You’re going to die.” He replied, “Where will I be taken?” He said, “To Allaah.” He replied, “So why should I hate going to the One from whom I have not seen good to have come except from Him?”

Mowsu’atu Ibn Abid-Dunya, 5/309

whydoc

whydoc

whydoc

Four things are exceedingly difficult
- to forgive while angry,
to give alms during want,
to abstain from sins in solitude,
and to speak the truth before the person from whom may come fear or favour."
B]'Ali - radhiAllaahu 'anhu[/B

Asiaprod

LostInDharma
I have moved your last Daily Quote to the new thread on "Islam's attitude to women".
Please keep any new quotes you intend to post on women in this new thread
Thank you.
Asia (Admin)

whydoc

" A sin that leads to humility is more beloved to Him than an act of obedience which fills a person with conceit.
If you sleep all night then wake up feeling regret (for not having prayed qiyaam al-layl), that may be better for you than if you were to pray all night and wake up in the morning filled with self-admiration.

For the deeds of the one who admires himself are not accepted. Perhaps your laughing whilst admitting to shortcomings is better than your weeping with piety but being filled with conceit. The groaning of the sinners is more beloved to Allaah than the tasbeeh of the conceited.

It may be that by means of this sin, Allaah has caused him to drink the medicine that will cure a fatal disease which you also have, but you do not realize it. Allaah has reason for what He does to both those who are obedient and those who sin, which are known to no-one except Him"

Ibn Al Qayyim

whydoc

إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ

we are for God, and for Him shall we return.

McMuffin

Sahih Bukhary 9/57

Whoever changes his Islamic religion, kill him

Grim_Reaper12

McMuffin wrote: »

Sahih Bukhary 9/57

Whoever changes his Islamic religion, kill him

First, the hadith is weak because it has just a single isnad (this means there is only one chain of transmission or narration) and thus according to the rules of Islamic jurisprudence, it is not enough to validate the death penalty.
:cool:

Robert G. Ingersoll - "Any doctrine that will not bear investigation is not a fit tenant for the mind of an honest man."

whydoc

whydoc