In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The lives of the salaf between speech and action.
Hope.
What has been said regarding hope, and that it is an instinct in man.
Mutarrif Ibn 'Abdullah, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"If I knew when my appointed time was, I would fear for the loss of my sanity."
"But Allah has favored His servants by making them oblivious to death."
"Were it not for this obliviousness, they would find no joy in life, nor would markets be established among them."
The exhortation to shorten one's hopes.
'Ali Ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"The two things I fear most for you are:"
"Following desires and having long-term hopes."
"As for following desires, it turns one away from the truth."
"And as for long-term hopes, it makes one forget the Hereafter."
"Verily, the Hereafter is approaching, moving forward."
"Verily, the world is departing, moving backward."
"Each of them has its own children."
"So be children of the Hereafter."
"And do not be children of the world."
"For today there is action without reckoning."
"And tomorrow there is reckoning without action."
Al-Fudayl Ibn 'Iyad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"Yesterday is a lesson."
"Today is for action."
"And tomorrow is for hope."
One of the salaf, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"I have never slept a sleep,"
"without telling myself that I might wake up from it."
Muhammad Ibn Wasi', may Allah have mercy on him, used to:
When he wanted to sleep, say to his family:
"I entrust you to Allah,"
"for this might be the death from which I do not rise."
This was his habit whenever he wanted to sleep.
A devout woman in Makkah, when evening came, would say:
"O soul, this night is your night,"
"you have no other night besides it."
Then she would strive in worship.
And when morning came, she would say:
"O soul, this day is your day,"
"you have no other day besides it."
Then she would strive in worship.
Bakr al-Muzani, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"If you want your prayer to benefit you, say:"
"Perhaps I will not pray another one after this."
One of the salaf, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
It is said:
"Whoever shortens his hopes finds his life easy."
Sufyan said:
"Meaning regarding food and clothing."
And from Shumayt Ibn 'Ajlan, may Allah have mercy on him, who said:
"The believer says to his soul:"
"It is only three days."
"Yesterday has passed with what was in it."
"Tomorrow is a hope you may not reach."
"If you are among those who will see tomorrow,"
"then tomorrow will come with its own provision."
"Between you and tomorrow is a day and a night,"
"in which many souls are taken."
"You might be the one whose soul is taken."
"Each day has its own worries."
"Yet you have burdened your weak heart,"
"with the worries of years and ages,"
"the worries of high prices and low prices,"
"the worries of winter before winter arrives,"
"and the worries of summer before summer arrives."
"So what have you left of your weak heart for its Hereafter?"
"Every day, your lifespan decreases,"
"your lifespan decreases, yet you do not grieve."
"Every day, your provision is fulfilled,"
"yet you do not grieve."
"You have been given what suffices you,"
"yet you seek what makes you transgress."
"You are not satisfied with a little,"
"nor are you sated by a lot."
"How can a learned person not perceive his own ignorance,"
"when he is unable to be grateful for what he already has?"
"Or how can one work for the Hereafter,"
"whose desires for the world never cease,"
"and whose greed for it never ends?"
"It is truly strange, most strange, for someone to believe,"
"in the Abode of Eternal Life,"
"while he strives for the Abode of Deception."
And from Ibrahim Ibn Nashit, who said:
Abu Zur'ah, may Allah have mercy on him, said to me:
"I will tell you something I have not told,"
"to anyone else."
"I have not left the mosque for 20 years,"
"without telling myself that I might return to it."
One of the salaf, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"We all have certainty about death,"
"yet we see no one preparing for it."
"We all have certainty about Paradise,"
"yet we see no one working for it."
"We all have certainty about the Fire,"
"yet we see no one fearing it."
"So what is this confusion?"
"And what are you waiting for?"
"Death is the first thing that will come to you,"
"from Allah, either with good or with evil."
"O my brothers,"
"journey to your Lord with a beautiful journey."
Condemning greed and stinginess.
Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"What disease is more painful than stinginess?"
And 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, used to:"
Say from the pulpit:
"O people, greed is poverty,"
"and despair [of what others have] is wealth."
"For when a human despairs of something,"
"he becomes independent of it."
Yahya Ibn Mu'adh, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"Two calamities, the likes of which the first and last generations have never heard:"
"Regarding his wealth at the time of his death,"
"It was asked: 'What are they?'"
"He said: 'It is all taken from him,'"
"'and he is questioned about all of it.'"
One of the salaf, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"If you have what Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, gave to,"
"Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, and 'Isa,"
"and Muhammad, may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon them,"
"and you do not consider it enough,"
"then consider what Allah gave to Nimrod, Pharaoh, and Haman."
"So when will you succeed?"
Banan al-Hammal, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"The free man is a slave as long as he is greedy,"
"and the slave is free as long as he is content."
The lives of the salaf,
between speech and action.