A summary of the life of the Salaf between words and deeds | Episode (65)

0:00 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

0:04 The life of the salaf between speech and action.

0:12 Self-reckoning.

0:14 The importance and virtue of self-reckoning.

0:21 Umar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

0:24 "Weigh your souls before you are weighed."

0:28 "And take yourselves to account before you are taken to account."

0:31 "For it is easier for you in the reckoning of tomorrow,"

0:35 "That you take yourselves to account,"

0:38 "And adorn yourselves for the Great Presentation."

0:41 “On that day ye will be exposed; not a secret of you will be hidden.” (69:18)

0:48 Al-Sari al-Saqati, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

0:51 "Whoever takes himself to account,"

0:53 "Allah will be too shy to take him to account."

0:57 And from al-Hasan al-Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, who said:

1:01 "The believer is a guardian over his own soul,"

1:04 "Taking himself to account for the sake of Allah, the Almighty and Majestic."

1:07 "The reckoning on the Day of Resurrection will only be light,"

1:10 "For a people who took themselves to account in this world."

1:14 "And the reckoning on the Day of Resurrection will only be difficult,"

1:17 "For a people who took this matter lightly, without self-reckoning."

1:22 "When something that pleases the believer suddenly comes to him,"

1:25 "He says, 'By Allah, I desire you,'"

1:29 "'And you are indeed a need of mine,'"

1:31 "'But by Allah, there is no way to attain you.'"

1:35 "'Far, far away; a barrier has been placed between me and you.'"

1:40 "And if something slips from him,"

1:42 "He returns to his soul and says,"

1:45 "'What did I intend by this?'"

1:48 "'What have I to do with this?'"

1:50 "'By Allah, I shall never return to this, if Allah wills.'"

1:55 "The believers are a people whom the Qur'an has bound,"

1:59 "And it has stood between them and their destruction."

2:02 "The believer is a captive in this world,"

2:06 "Striving to ransom his own neck,"

2:09 "Feeling secure of nothing until he meets Allah, the Almighty and Majestic."

2:13 "He knows that he will be held accountable for his hearing, his sight,"

2:18 "His tongue, and his limbs."

2:21 And he (al-Hasan al-Basri), may Allah have mercy on him, said:

2:23 "A man would be pricked by a thorn,"

2:26 "And he would say,"

2:28 "'I know that you are here because of a sin,'"

2:31 "'And my Lord, the Almighty and Majestic, has not wronged me.'"

2:34 Guidance and advice on self-reckoning.

2:40 Al-Rabi' Ibn Khuthaym, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

2:46 "When you speak,"

2:48 "Remember Allah's hearing of you."

2:50 "When you intend something,"

2:52 "Remember His knowledge of you."

2:54 "When you look,"

2:56 "Remember His gaze upon you."

2:58 "When you reflect,"

3:00 "Remember His awareness of you."

3:03 "For He, the Exalted, says:"

3:06 “(O man), follow not that whereof thou hast no knowledge. Lo! the hearing and the sight and the heart - of each of these it will be asked.” (17:36)

3:09 “(O man), follow not that whereof thou hast no knowledge. Lo! the hearing and the sight and the heart - of each of these it will be asked.” (17:36)

3:13 And from Maymun Ibn Mihran, may Allah have mercy on him, who said:

3:17 "A man will not be truly pious,"

3:19 "Until he is stricter in taking his soul to account,"

3:23 "Than a business partner is with his partner."

3:25 "And until he knows the source of his clothing, his food, and his drink."

3:30 Ibn al-Muqaffa', may Allah have mercy on him, said:

3:34 "It is upon the wise person to keep an inventory of his soul,"

3:37 "Its faults in religion, character, and manners."

3:41 "He should gather all of that in his heart or in a book,"

3:46 "Then frequently present it to his soul,"

3:49 "And task it with correcting them."

3:52 "He should assign this as a duty,"

3:55 "To correct one or two traits,"

3:59 "In a day, a week, or a month."

4:02 "Whenever he corrects something, he erases it."

4:05 "Whenever he looks at what is erased, he rejoices."

4:09 "And whenever he looks at what remains, he feels distressed."

4:15 Stories and incidents regarding self-reckoning.

4:21 Umar saw Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with them both,"

4:24 "Pulling on his tongue."

4:26 He took him by the hand,"

4:28 "And said,"

4:29 "'What are you doing, O Caliph of the Messenger of Allah?'"

4:32 "He replied,"

4:34 "'Is it not this that has led me to the brink?'"

4:38 And from Anas Ibn Malik, who said:

4:41 "I heard Umar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, one day,"

4:45 "And I went out with him until he entered a garden."

4:49 "I heard him saying, while there was a wall between me and him,"

4:53 "While he was inside the garden,"

4:56 "'Umar, Commander of the Faithful! Well done, well done!'"

5:00 "'By Allah, O son of al-Khattab,'"

5:03 "'You shall fear Allah, or He will surely punish you!'"

5:07 And from Salamah Ibn Mansur,"

5:11 "From a freedman of theirs who used to accompany al-Ahnaf Ibn Qays, may Allah have mercy on him, who said:"

5:16 "I used to accompany him,"

5:18 "And most of his night prayer was supplication."

5:22 "He would come to the lamp,"

5:25 "Place his finger in it, then say,"

5:28 "'O Ahnaf!'"

5:30 "'What drove you to do what you did on such-and-such a day?'"

5:34 "'What drove you to do what you did on such-and-such a day?'"

5:38 A man once spoke harshly to Abu Mu'awiyah al-Aswad, may Allah have mercy on him,"

5:43 "And he said,"

5:44 "'I seek Allah's forgiveness for the sin by which you were empowered over me.'"

5:49 Hassan Ibn Abi Sinan, may Allah have mercy on him, passed by a room,"

5:55 "And said,"

5:56 "'When was this built?'"

5:59 "Then he said,"

6:00 "Returning to his soul, he said,"

6:03 "'What is it to you when it was built?'"

6:06 "'You are asking about what does not concern you!'"

6:09 A man used to follow Sufyan al-Thawri, may Allah have mercy on him,"

6:14 "And he always found him taking a scrap of paper from his garment to look at it."

6:19 "He wanted to know what was on it,"

6:22 "So the scrap fell into his hand,"

6:25 "And behold, written on it was:"

6:27 "'Sufyan,'"

6:29 "'Remember your standing before Allah, the Almighty and Majestic.'"

6:33 And from Abu Sulayman al-Darani, may Allah have mercy on him, that he said:

6:39 "I heard Abu Ja'far al-Mansur weeping during his sermon on Friday,"

6:45 "And anger stirred within me."

6:47 "I intended to stand up and speak to him about what I heard him say,"

6:53 "And what I knew of his actions once he descended."

6:57 "Then I reflected on the fact that I wanted to stand before the Caliph to admonish him,"

7:02 "While the people were sitting, and they would stare at me,"

7:06 "And vanity would enter my heart,"

7:09 "So he would order me to be killed,"

7:12 "And I would be killed without sincerity."

7:15 "So I sat down and calmed myself."

7:17 Al-Sari al-Saqati, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

7:22 "A hidden ailment remained with me for thirty years."

7:25 "This is because we were a group that would go early to the Friday prayer,"

7:30 "And we had places known to be ours,"

7:33 "Which we would almost never miss."

7:36 "A man from our neighbors died on a Friday,"

7:40 "So I wanted to follow his funeral procession,"

7:43 "I followed it and was late for my usual time."

7:46 "Then I came, intending to attend the Friday prayer,"

7:49 "When I approached the mosque,"

7:52 "My soul said to me,"

7:54 "'Now they see you, having arrived late,'"

7:57 "'And having missed your usual time.'"

7:59 "That weighed heavily upon me,"

8:02 "So I said to my soul,"

8:04 "'I see you have been showing off for thirty years,'"

8:07 "'And I did not know!'"

8:09 "So I abandoned that place I used to go to,"

8:13 "And I began praying in different places,"

8:17 "So that my place would not be known, or anything of that sort."

8:23 The importance of knowing the faults and defects of the soul.

8:27 And leading the people in prayer.

8:32 Umar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

8:35 "Do not occupy yourselves with mentioning the people,"

8:38 "For it is a trial."

8:40 "And occupy yourselves with the remembrance of Allah,"

8:43 "For it is a mercy."

8:45 And he also said, may Allah be pleased with him:

8:48 "The most beloved of people to me,"

8:50 "Is the one who gifts me my faults."

8:53 Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

8:56 "One of you sees the speck in his brother's eye,"

9:00 "While forgetting the log in his own eye."

9:04 Bilal Ibn Sa'd, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

9:07 "Your remembering your good deeds and forgetting your bad deeds is a delusion."

9:12 Al-Hasan al-Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

9:15 "O son of Adam,"

9:17 "You will not attain the reality of faith,"

9:20 "Until you do not blame people for a fault that is in you,"

9:24 "And until you begin by correcting that fault in yourself,"

9:28 "And you rectify it."

9:30 "When you do that,"

9:32 "You will not correct one fault,"

9:34 "Except that you will find another fault you have not corrected."

9:37 "When you do that,"

9:40 "Your concern will be with your own soul,"

9:43 "And the most beloved of servants to Allah, the Exalted, is the one who is like that."

9:48 'Awn Ibn 'Abdullah, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

9:51 "I do not think anyone becomes preoccupied with the faults of people,"

9:55 "Except out of a heedlessness he has fallen into regarding his own soul."

10:00 It is narrated from some of the salaf that he said:

10:03 "I met a people who had no faults,"

10:06 "So they mentioned the faults of people,"

10:09 "And the people mentioned faults for them."

10:12 "And I met a people who had faults,"

10:15 "So they refrained from mentioning the faults of people,"

10:18 "And their faults were forgotten."

10:20 Or as he said.

10:22 Umar Ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

10:25 To a jester of his:

10:27 "The rulers have appointed spies over the common people,"

10:31 "And I am appointing you as my spy over myself."

10:35 "If you hear a word from me that you find inappropriate for me,"

10:39 "Or an action you do not like,"

10:42 "Then admonish me for it and forbid me from it."

10:46 Al-Fudayl Ibn 'Iyad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

10:49 "Let your concern be with your own soul,"

10:52 "And let not your concern be with others."

10:55 "For whoever is concerned with others,"

10:58 "Has been deceived."

11:00 Al-Sari al-Saqati, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

11:03 "Among the signs of gradual ruin (istidraj),"

11:05 "Is blindness to the faults of the soul."

11:08 And he also said, may Allah have mercy on him:

11:11 "No one pries into the slips of the creation except an ignorant person,"

11:15 And he who violates the privacy of those he comes upon is cursed.

11:20 The struggle against the self (mujahadat al-nafs).

11:25 Abu Muslim al-Khawlani, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

11:30 "Do you see that if I were to honor and indulge my self,

11:34 it would blame me before Allah tomorrow?

11:37 But if I were to humble it, exhaust it, and keep it busy,

11:41 it would praise me before Allah tomorrow."

11:44 It was asked, "Who is that, O Abu Muslim?"

11:48 He replied, "That, by Allah, is my own self."

11:52 Qatadah, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

11:56 "O son of Adam,

11:58 if you only intend to perform good deeds when you feel energetic,

12:02 then your self will surely incline toward weariness and boredom.

12:07 Rather, the believer is one who perseveres,

12:10 and the believer is one who strengthens himself."

12:13 The believers continued to call out, "Our Lord, our Lord,"

12:17 in private and in public,

12:19 until He answered them.

12:22 Muhammad Ibn al-Munkadir, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

12:25 "I struggled against my self for forty years,

12:28 until it became upright."

12:31 Abu Yazid al-Bastami, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

12:34 "I called my self toward Allah,

12:37 but it resisted me and became difficult.

12:40 So I abandoned it and proceeded toward Allah."

12:43 A life of peace.

12:48 Between speech and action.

A summary of the life of the Salaf between words and deeds | Episode (65) | Self-accountability

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