Stand firm against evil thoughts

Enjoying health, this worldly life, status, a wife or children, then surely those feelings are temporary and will eventually dissipate.
(AL-FAWA'ID A COLLECTION OF WISE SAYINGS Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim)


There are three kinds of passive feelings, which affect the heart and they are either related to the past, which causes sorrow, or related to the future so as to cause grief, of finally related to the present so as to cause distress.
(AL-FAWA'ID A COLLECTION OF WISE SAYINGS Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim)



If the heart is not pure or honourable enough, and distance from every evil and malice, then it is unworthy to love, know and aspire to Allah. On the contrary, the lowest description of man's heart is that he loves and aspires to this worldly life instead to Allah, the Almighty.

When man's love, knowledge and aspiration is directed in this worldly way, the heart becomes narrow and gloomy as it is distant from the source of its revival and life.
(AL-FAWA'ID A COLLECTION OF WISE SAYINGS Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim)


Subsequently, the hearts of man can be divided into two kinds, the first of which is the heart of those, who incline to the Beneficent, which is the source of brightness, life, happiness, pleasure, delight and blessings.

The second one is the throne of the devil where narrowness, darkness, death, sorrow, distress and grief are settled therein. This heart is obsessed by sorrow for the past, and grief and distress for the present.
(AL-FAWA'ID A COLLECTION OF WISE SAYINGS Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim)



In order for a place to contain something, it must be free from whatever contradicts it. This principle applies to mankind and all creation as well as to belief and desires.

So, if the hearts is obsessed by belief in falsehood, there will be no place for truth.

Accordingly, if the tongue is involved in trivial discourse, one shall be incapable of useful speech, unless falsehood is abandoned.

(AL-FAWA'ID A COLLECTION OF WISE SAYINGS Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim)


Hence, if the body is busy doing wrong actions, then acts of worship will be inapplicable unless these contradictory actions are abandoned.
(AL-FAWA'ID A COLLECTION OF WISE SAYINGS Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim)


Stand firm against evil thoughts, for if you fail to do so, they will become ideas, if you do not, they will become desires, so fight against them. If you do not, they will become a form of determination and intention, if you do not resist, they will become actions, and if you do not follow them up with their opposite, they will become habits that will be hard to quit.

(AL-FAWA'ID A COLLECTION OF WISE SAYINGS Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim)