WEBVTT 00:00:00.850 --> 00:00:04.799 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:04.799 --> 00:00:11.880 The life of the salaf between speech and action. 00:00:11.880 --> 00:00:15.480 Preserving time. 00:00:15.480 --> 00:00:19.480 It is narrated that al-Awza'i, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 00:00:19.480 --> 00:00:22.480 There is not a single hour of the hours of this world 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:26.980 but that it will be presented to the servant on the Day of Resurrection, 00:00:26.980 --> 00:00:28.980 day by day, 00:00:28.980 --> 00:00:31.570 and hour by hour. 00:00:31.570 --> 00:00:36.070 So, no hour passes him in which he did not remember Allah 00:00:36.070 --> 00:00:40.299 but that his soul will be torn apart by regrets over it. 00:00:40.299 --> 00:00:44.299 How then, if hour upon hour passes him by, 00:00:44.299 --> 00:00:46.299 and day upon day? 00:00:46.299 --> 00:00:50.810 Fudayl ibn al-Raqqashi, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 00:00:50.810 --> 00:00:54.310 Do not let the multitude of people distract you from your own self, 00:00:54.310 --> 00:00:57.810 for the matter will be settled with you, not them. 00:00:58.310 --> 00:01:03.310 And beware of spending your day wandering here and there, 00:01:03.310 --> 00:01:06.719 for it is being recorded against you. 00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:10.760 Abu Sulayman al-Darani, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 00:01:10.760 --> 00:01:16.760 Everything that distracts you from Allah, the Almighty and Majestic—whether family, wealth, or children— 00:01:16.760 --> 00:01:19.609 is a calamity for you. 00:01:19.609 --> 00:01:23.109 It was said to al-Mu'afa ibn 'Imran, may Allah have mercy on him: 00:01:23.109 --> 00:01:27.109 What is your opinion of a man who composes and recites poetry? 00:01:27.640 --> 00:01:33.090 He replied: It is your life, so spend it on whatever you wish. 00:01:33.090 --> 00:01:36.090 Yahya ibn Mu'adh, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 00:01:36.090 --> 00:01:39.590 The greatest misfortune for a wise person in a day 00:01:39.590 --> 00:01:45.090 is that it passes him by without a gift from his Lord coming to him in it, 00:01:45.090 --> 00:01:50.459 meaning a new piece of wisdom. 00:01:50.459 --> 00:01:54.090 Condemning envy. 00:01:54.090 --> 00:01:57.090 Mu'awiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: 00:01:57.090 --> 00:02:00.090 I can please all people, 00:02:00.090 --> 00:02:02.090 except the one who envies the blessings I have, 00:02:02.090 --> 00:02:06.150 for nothing will satisfy him but their disappearance. 00:02:06.150 --> 00:02:09.650 It was said to al-Hasan al-Basri, may Allah have mercy on him: 00:02:09.650 --> 00:02:11.650 Does a believer envy? 00:02:11.650 --> 00:02:15.650 He replied: Have you forgotten the brothers of Yusuf? 00:02:15.650 --> 00:02:18.650 But keep it hidden in your chest, 00:02:18.650 --> 00:02:24.469 for it will not harm you as long as you do not act upon it with your hand or tongue. 00:02:24.469 --> 00:02:26.469 Some have said: 00:02:26.469 --> 00:02:30.969 Envy is the first sin by which Allah was disobeyed in the heavens, 00:02:30.969 --> 00:02:34.469 meaning Iblis’s envy of Adam. 00:02:34.469 --> 00:02:38.469 And it is the first sin by which Allah was disobeyed on earth, 00:02:38.469 --> 00:02:43.759 meaning the son of Adam’s envy of his brother until he killed him. 00:02:43.759 --> 00:02:47.259 Fudayl ibn 'Iyad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 00:02:47.259 --> 00:02:49.759 Emulation (ghibta) is from faith, 00:02:49.759 --> 00:02:52.259 while envy is from hypocrisy. 00:02:52.259 --> 00:02:55.259 The believer emulates but does not envy, 00:02:55.259 --> 00:02:58.259 and the hypocrite envies but does not emulate. 00:02:58.259 --> 00:03:05.039 Justice and condemning injustice. 00:03:05.039 --> 00:03:09.039 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, bought a horse from a man, 00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:11.039 on the condition that he would inspect it. 00:03:11.039 --> 00:03:15.039 He took the horse and rode it, but it became injured. 00:03:15.039 --> 00:03:19.039 He said to the owner of the horse: Take your horse back. 00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:21.069 The man replied: No. 00:03:21.069 --> 00:03:25.099 'Umar said: Then appoint a judge between you and me. 00:03:25.099 --> 00:03:28.099 The man said: Shurayh. 00:03:28.099 --> 00:03:30.099 'Umar asked: And who is Shurayh? 00:03:30.099 --> 00:03:34.199 He replied: Shurayh al-'Iraqi. 00:03:34.199 --> 00:03:39.199 'Umar said: Then go to him, and he recounted the story to him. 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:43.199 Shurayh said: O Commander of the Faithful, 00:03:43.199 --> 00:03:48.259 return it as you took it, or keep it as you bought it. 00:03:48.259 --> 00:03:52.259 'Umar said: Is there any judgment other than this? 00:03:52.259 --> 00:03:55.360 Go to Kufa. 00:03:55.360 --> 00:04:00.030 It was the first day he had ever known him. 00:04:00.030 --> 00:04:04.030 He said to Muhammad ibn Maslamah, may Allah be pleased with them both: 00:04:04.030 --> 00:04:07.030 How do you see me, O Muhammad? 00:04:07.030 --> 00:04:11.030 He replied: By Allah, I see you as I love, 00:04:11.030 --> 00:04:15.030 and as anyone who wishes you well would love. 00:04:15.030 --> 00:04:19.029 I see you strong in collecting wealth, yet chaste regarding it, 00:04:19.029 --> 00:04:22.029 and just in distributing it. 00:04:22.029 --> 00:04:24.029 If you were to deviate, we would straighten you, 00:04:24.029 --> 00:04:27.060 just as an arrow is straightened in the tool for straightening arrows. 00:04:27.060 --> 00:04:32.060 'Umar said: Praise be to Allah who has placed me among a people 00:04:32.060 --> 00:04:35.379 who, if I deviate, straighten me. 00:04:35.379 --> 00:04:38.379 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, entered 00:04:38.379 --> 00:04:41.379 upon a servant of his who was feeding his camel, 00:04:41.379 --> 00:04:45.379 and he saw something in the fodder that he disliked. 00:04:45.379 --> 00:04:48.379 He took his servant by the ear and twisted it. 00:04:48.379 --> 00:04:51.379 Then he felt remorse and said to him: 00:04:51.379 --> 00:04:53.379 Take my ear and twist it. 00:04:53.379 --> 00:04:55.379 The servant refused. 00:04:55.379 --> 00:04:58.379 But he did not let him be until he took his ear. 00:04:58.379 --> 00:05:01.379 'Uthman began saying to him: 00:05:01.379 --> 00:05:03.379 Pull, pull! 00:05:03.379 --> 00:05:08.410 Until he thought he had exacted from him as much as he had exacted from him. 00:05:08.410 --> 00:05:10.410 'Uthman said: 00:05:10.410 --> 00:05:14.410 Woe to me for the retribution of this world before the retribution of the Hereafter. 00:05:14.410 --> 00:05:18.829 Abu al-Darda', may Allah be pleased with him, said: 00:05:18.829 --> 00:05:22.829 The person I most hate to treat unjustly 00:05:22.829 --> 00:05:27.829 is the one who has no helper against me except Allah, the Almighty and Majestic. 00:05:27.829 --> 00:05:32.019 Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: 00:05:32.019 --> 00:05:35.019 If a mountain were to act unjustly toward another mountain, 00:05:35.019 --> 00:05:37.019 the aggressor would be crushed. 00:05:37.019 --> 00:05:43.470 Ibn Sirin, may Allah have mercy on him, heard a man invoking against someone who had wronged him, 00:05:43.470 --> 00:05:46.470 and he said: Stop, O man. 00:05:46.470 --> 00:05:49.980 Do not let your oppressor profit at your expense. 00:05:49.980 --> 00:05:54.980 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote to one of his governors: 00:05:54.980 --> 00:05:56.980 To proceed: 00:05:56.980 --> 00:06:00.980 If your power over people invites you to treat them unjustly, 00:06:00.980 --> 00:06:03.980 then remember Allah’s power over you, 00:06:03.980 --> 00:06:06.980 and the passing of what you do to them, 00:06:06.980 --> 00:06:09.980 and the remaining of what they do to you. 00:06:09.980 --> 00:06:15.360 Whenever he, may Allah have mercy on him, wanted to punish a man, 00:06:15.360 --> 00:06:17.360 he would imprison him for three days, 00:06:17.360 --> 00:06:19.360 then punish him, 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:22.360 fearing that he might act in haste while still angry. 00:06:22.360 --> 00:06:25.750 Some of the wise said: 00:06:25.750 --> 00:06:27.750 Security is the most pleasant life, 00:06:27.750 --> 00:06:30.879 and justice is the strongest army. 00:06:30.879 --> 00:06:34.879 Fudayl ibn 'Iyad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:40.879 By Allah, it is not lawful for you to harm even a dog or a pig without right, 00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:44.319 so how can you harm a Muslim? 00:06:44.319 --> 00:06:49.319 Muslim ibn Yasar, may Allah have mercy on him, heard a man invoking against another man, 00:06:49.319 --> 00:06:51.319 and he said: 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:53.319 Leave the oppressor to his oppression, 00:06:53.319 --> 00:06:57.319 for it will reach him faster than your invocation against him, 00:06:57.319 --> 00:07:00.319 unless he repents through a good deed, 00:07:00.319 --> 00:07:03.550 though it is unlikely he will do so. 00:07:03.550 --> 00:07:08.550 A man came to Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him, and said to him: 00:07:08.550 --> 00:07:12.579 Should we write hadiths from Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Tusi? 00:07:12.579 --> 00:07:14.579 He replied: 00:07:14.579 --> 00:07:17.579 If you do not write from Muhammad ibn Mansur, 00:07:17.579 --> 00:07:19.579 then who would you write from? 00:07:19.579 --> 00:07:21.579 He repeated this several times. 00:07:21.579 --> 00:07:23.579 The man said to him: 00:07:23.579 --> 00:07:25.579 But he speaks ill of you. 00:07:25.579 --> 00:07:27.579 Ahmad replied: 00:07:27.579 --> 00:07:30.579 A righteous man who has been tested regarding us; 00:07:30.579 --> 00:07:32.839 what are we to do? 00:07:32.839 --> 00:07:34.870 A poet said: 00:07:34.870 --> 00:07:37.870 By Allah, injustice is a calamity, 00:07:37.870 --> 00:07:41.870 and the wrongdoer is always the one who is truly oppressed. 00:07:41.870 --> 00:07:44.870 To the Judge of the Day of Judgment we shall go, 00:07:44.870 --> 00:07:47.870 and before Allah, the adversaries will gather. 00:07:47.870 --> 00:07:51.870 You will know in the Hereafter when we meet, 00:07:51.870 --> 00:07:56.160 tomorrow before the King, who is the true oppressor. 00:07:56.160 --> 00:08:01.160 Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, used to practice fairness and say: 00:08:01.160 --> 00:08:04.160 There is nothing less common among people than this, 00:08:04.160 --> 00:08:07.350 so I wanted to persist in it. 00:08:07.350 --> 00:08:10.350 Al-Shafi'i, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 00:08:10.350 --> 00:08:12.350 How wretched is the provision for the Hereafter: 00:08:12.350 --> 00:08:17.300 aggression against the servants of Allah. 00:08:17.300 --> 00:08:20.300 The snares of Satan and his whispers, 00:08:20.300 --> 00:08:23.639 and being cautious of him. 00:08:23.639 --> 00:08:27.639 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: 00:08:27.639 --> 00:08:30.769 The believer’s devil is emaciated. 00:08:30.769 --> 00:08:32.769 And he, may Allah be pleased with him, said: 00:08:32.769 --> 00:08:35.769 The example of minor sins 00:08:35.769 --> 00:08:39.769 is like a group of people who stopped at a place where there was no firewood, 00:08:39.769 --> 00:08:41.769 and they had meat with them. 00:08:41.769 --> 00:08:47.769 They kept picking up sticks until they gathered enough to cook their meat. 00:08:47.769 --> 00:08:53.090 Salman al-Farisi, may Allah be pleased with him, said about the marketplace: 00:08:53.090 --> 00:08:56.090 Do not be the first of its people to enter, 00:08:56.090 --> 00:08:59.090 nor the last of them to leave, 00:08:59.090 --> 00:09:03.090 for it is where Satan lays his eggs and hatches his brood. 00:09:03.090 --> 00:09:07.350 Mutarrif ibn al-Shikhkhir, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 00:09:07.350 --> 00:09:10.350 If a man saw prey, 00:09:10.350 --> 00:09:12.350 and the prey did not see him stalking it, 00:09:12.350 --> 00:09:15.350 is it not likely that he will catch it? 00:09:15.350 --> 00:09:17.350 They said: Yes. 00:09:17.350 --> 00:09:20.350 He said: Well, Satan sees us, 00:09:20.350 --> 00:09:22.350 while we do not see him, 00:09:22.350 --> 00:09:24.350 so he strikes at us. 00:09:24.350 --> 00:09:27.379 He also said, may Allah have mercy on him: 00:09:27.379 --> 00:09:32.379 I found the servant caught between his Lord, the Almighty, and Satan; 00:09:32.379 --> 00:09:35.379 if He saves him, he is successful, 00:09:35.379 --> 00:09:38.379 and if He leaves him to Satan, he will take him away. 00:09:38.379 --> 00:09:41.700 Some of the salaf said: 00:09:41.700 --> 00:09:45.700 I found procrastination to be one of the armies of Iblis, 00:09:45.700 --> 00:09:49.700 which has destroyed many of Allah’s creation. 00:09:49.700 --> 00:09:53.860 Al-Hasan ibn Salih, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 00:09:53.860 --> 00:09:59.860 Satan opens ninety-nine doors of good for the servant, 00:09:59.860 --> 00:10:02.860 desiring by them one door of evil. 00:10:02.860 --> 00:10:07.179 Abu Hazim, may Allah have mercy on him, entered the mosque, 00:10:07.179 --> 00:10:10.179 and Satan whispered to him: 00:10:10.179 --> 00:10:13.179 You have broken your ablution. 00:10:13.179 --> 00:10:15.240 He replied: 00:10:15.240 --> 00:10:18.529 Has your advice reached such a point? 00:10:18.529 --> 00:10:20.529 Some of the salaf said: 00:10:20.529 --> 00:10:25.529 If Satan looks at you and sees you constant in the obedience of Allah, 00:10:25.529 --> 00:10:27.529 he will despair and abandon you. 00:10:27.529 --> 00:10:33.529 But if you are sometimes like this and sometimes like that, he will covet you. 00:10:33.529 --> 00:10:38.080 Abu Sulayman al-Darani, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:43.080 Whispers only come to a heart that is inhabited. 00:10:43.080 --> 00:10:47.080 Have you seen a thief come to a ruin to dig into it? 00:10:47.080 --> 00:10:51.080 He enters through whichever door he wishes. 00:10:51.080 --> 00:10:55.490 A man complained to him about whispers, and he said: 00:10:55.490 --> 00:10:58.490 If you want them to stop, 00:10:58.490 --> 00:11:01.490 then whenever you feel them, rejoice. 00:11:01.490 --> 00:11:03.490 For if you rejoice at them, 00:11:03.490 --> 00:11:05.490 they will stop, 00:11:05.490 --> 00:11:10.490 because there is nothing more hateful to Satan than the joy of a believer. 00:11:10.490 --> 00:11:13.490 But if you become distressed by them, he will increase them. 00:11:13.490 --> 00:11:17.840 Ishaq ibn Rahwayh, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 00:11:17.840 --> 00:11:21.879 I saw Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him, praying, 00:11:21.879 --> 00:11:24.879 and he gestured with his hand like this, 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:26.879 pointing with his fingers. 00:11:26.879 --> 00:11:28.879 When he finished the prayer, I said: 00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:30.879 O Abu 'Abdullah, 00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:32.879 What did you say in your prayer? 00:11:32.879 --> 00:11:34.970 He replied, 00:11:34.970 --> 00:11:36.970 I was in a state of ritual purity, 00:11:36.970 --> 00:11:38.970 then Iblis came and said, 00:11:38.970 --> 00:11:41.970 "You are not in a state of ritual purity." 00:11:41.970 --> 00:11:46.450 So I said, "I have two just witnesses [to the contrary]." 00:11:46.450 --> 00:11:48.450 Some have said, 00:11:48.450 --> 00:11:51.450 "Indeed, Satan is satisfied with a person 00:11:51.450 --> 00:11:54.450 if he can move him from one act of obedience to another, 00:11:54.450 --> 00:11:57.450 in order to undermine his resolve through that." 00:11:57.450 --> 00:12:01.019 The life of the pious, 00:12:01.019 --> 00:12:04.340 between speech and action.