The greatest of deeds are three

Aa’isha (radiyAllaahu anha) said:

"The first calamity to befall this Ummah after the demise of Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) is overeating,because when a nation fills their bellies too much,their bodies become obese,their hearts become weak and their carnal passions get out of control."

[Targheeb wat Tarheeb]

"The battlefield is the heart of man" - Ibn Qayyim Al- Jawziyyah
Uddat as-Sabireen wa Dhakirat ash-Shakireen

"Blessed is he whose own faults keep him from seeing the faults of others."
Ali Ibn abi Talib (r.a)

Dunnun Al Misri said: " The ailment of the body is in sickness and that of the heart is in sins. A delicious meal can not benefit the body when the person is sick and likewise, the heart can not taste the sweetness of worship if it is full of sins."

Hatim Bin Al-A’sim said:

“If a respectable good man sits with you, you would be watching every word you utter so that you do not say something wrong. Yet, you know that your words are watched by Allah but you still do not watch the words you utter!” 
[Al'Daa Wa Al Dawaa, by Ibn Al-Qayyim]

Al- Shafie rahimahullah said:
'The greatest of deeds are three:"To give generously out of the few what you have , to be devoted to Allah in loneliness and to say the truth in the face of someone who is hoped and feared"'

Taken from " Don't be sad" by Aidh Al Qarni

I swear by Allaah (jalla wa a'la), and His Name I swear and I swear, that if even if your eyes were to melt down from crying in fear of Him and in yearning for Him, and even if you were to live in this world as long as it will last, making constant offering combined with every type of worship in thankfulness towards His Magnificent and countless blessing upon you, it would not be sufficient as a demonstration of gratitude for His guiding you to Islaam!'

– Ali ibn Abi Talib (radiAllaahu anhu)

Maymoon bin Mihran:

"Remembering Allah by your tongue is good, but the best remembrance of Allah is when one remembers Allah when he is doing a sin so he leaves it."

(Jaami' All-'Uloom Wa Al-Hikam 1/252-254)

Ibn Hibban: 

"Where kindness does not benefit, neither does violence."

(ar-Rawdhah, p. 216)

Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya: 

"There is no doubt that enabling women to mix with men is the basis of all calamities and evils, and it is one of the greatest causes of calamity that affects everybody, as well as being one of the causes of corruption in public and private affairs. Mixing of men with women is the cause of a great deal of immoral actions and zina, and it is one of the causes of widespread death and ongoing plagues."

(Al-Turuq al-Hukmiyyah p. 407)

Khalid ibn Ma’dan:

"Whoever seeks praise by going against the truth, Allah will throw it back upon him as blame, and whoever faces blame in order to conform to the truth, Allah will return it as praise for him."

(Al-Dhahabi, Siyar A’lam Al-Nubala' 4/540)

Ibn Taymiyyah (ra) said:" Believer doesn't seek quarrel or revenge, nor does he find blame or fault in others."

Isa Ibn Maryam passed by gathering of Jews who spoke evil words to him to which he responded with kindness. It was said to him, "Why do you reply to their evil with good?" And he answered, "Each person spends from that which he has."


Ibraaheem at Tamimi said: "When a man wrongs me, I pay him back with an act of mercy."


“When people help one another in sin and transgression, they finish by hating each other.”
-Ibn Taymiyyah


A man said to Hasan Al Basri : "Does Ibless sleep?" He said: "If he slept we would have a break !"

Source: Ibn Al Jawzi 'Talbisu Iblees' page 52


'Oh writer! An Angel watches over all you write. Make your writing meaningful for it will eventually return to you and you will be questioned about what you wrote.'
- Ali ibn Abu Talib (radiAllahu anhu)


Imam al-Shafi':

"Seek the response to your du'as when the armies meet, and the prayer is called, and when rain falls"

(al-Umm, al-Sahihah #1469)


'One, who adopts patience, will never be deprived of success though it may take a long time to reach him.'
-Ali ibn Abi Talib


Eesa Ibn Maryam:
"Piety is in three: in speech, in in sight, and in silence. Whoever's speech is not in the remembrance (of Allah) has spoken nonsense. Whoever looks without trying to learn a lesson has forgotten (his true purpose). And whoever's silence is not accompanied with reflection has been heedless" .


Abu Darda (ra) said:
" To reproach your brother for something is better than to lose him altogether"


Umar Ibn al-Khattaab:

"Whoever tries to claim something that is not theirs in order to impress others, Allah will disgrace them"

('Ilaam v2 p 432)


Imam ash-Shaafi'ee (rahimahullah) said:
" Increase in worship before your responsibilities increase. Then you won't have time to worship as much. " [Siyar v. 10 p. 49]



"There is no laughter except that it is eventually followed up with weeping." - Ibn Sirin (ra)


Imaam Ash-Shafi’ee said to Yoonus bin Abdil-A‘laa:

“O Aboo Moosa, know that pleasing all people is an unattainable goal and there is no way to be completely safe from them. Therefore, see where your righteous benefit lies, and adhere by it; and leave people and all they indulge in.”

[Al-‘Uzlah, Page 79]

The intelligent one must avoid envy

Abū Ḥātim (Ibn Ḥibbān) said,
”The intelligent one must avoid envy in every circumstance, for indeed the least of jealousy is being displeased with the Decree and wishing for the opposite of what Allāh, the Most High, has decreed for His slaves, and thereafter the heart being wrapped in wanting to see the blessing removed from the Muslim. The soul of the envier never finds rest and his body never finds relaxation unless he sees the blessing removed from his brother. But how impossible is that! How impossible that the Decree should aid the envier and what is in his inner self.”
(Rawḍat al-ʻUqalāʾ)

Whoever seeks a brother without faults..

Fudayl Ibn ‘Iyaad:

“Whoever seeks a brother without faults would never have a brother to be his friend.”

(Rawdatul ‘Uqaalaa, p. 169)

"..do not cast a gaze towards me again.”

Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān al-Qurashi says that he was once walking on the road to Yemen when he came across a young boy who was standing on the road. He was singing some couplets in the praise of Allāh. Muḥammad continues, 
“I went up to him and greeted.”
He replied, “I will not return your greeting until you fulfil the right I have upon you.”
I replied, “What right are you talking about?”
He replied, “I follow the teachings of the friend of Allāh, Ibrāhīm (ʻalayhis salām). I do not have breakfast nor supper every day until I walk a mile or two in search of a guest.”
I accepted his invitation for a meal. He was exceedingly pleased and I followed him. We continued walking until we came to a tent made of animal hair. As we walked up to it he called out, “O my sister!”
From inside the tent a young girl replied, “Yes. I am present.”
He exclaimed, “Our guest has arrived.”
She replied, “Can you please wait a while so that I can express gratitude to Allāh for sending a guest to us.” 
She then proceeded to perform two rakʻah of ṣalāh expressing her appreciation to Allāh. The young boy then ushered me towards the tent. I entered and he made me sit down. He took a knife and proceeded to slaughter a goat. As I was sitting in the tent my gaze fell upon the young girl. She was exceedingly beautiful. I continued staring at her stealthily. 
She noticed my glances and said, “Please stop! Do you not know that the Master of Yathrib, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), has mentioned that a lustful gaze is adultery of the eyes. I do not wish to rebuke you, but I would like to teach you some etiquette so that you do not cast a gaze towards me again.” 
When it was time to sleep, my young host and I slept outside while the young girl slept in the tent. But, the entire night I could hear somebody reciting Qurʾān in a melodious and sweet voice. 
When morning dawned upon us I asked the young boy, “Whose voice was that?”
He answered, “That was my sister. She remains awake the entire night.”
I remarked, “Young boy, you should have remained awake the entire night instead of her. Being a woman she is naturally weaker than you.”
He smiled and said, “Do you not know that Allāh has blessed her with doing so and has not granted me the same blessing.”

(Rawḍat al-ʻUqalāʾ)

Don't search for the faults of others...

Al-Imaam Abu Haatim Ibn Hibbaan Al-Bustee said in his book entitled Rawdat-ul-‘Uqalaa wa Nuzhat-ul-Fudalaa: 

“It is obligatory upon the intelligent person not to search for the faults of others, and to busy himself with trying to correct his own faults. Verily, he who busies himself with his own faults rather than the faults of others will have peace of body and mind. Every time he realizes one of his own faults, the similar faults of his brother have less importance to him. However, he who busies himself with the faults of others instead of his own, tires himself out, and his heart becomes blind (to his own faults), and he begins to make excuses for not correcting his own faults.”


Rawdat-ul-‘Uqalaa wa Nuzhat-ul-Fudalaa (Page 131).


Al-Imaam Ibn Hibbaan also said: 

“Spying is one of the branches of hypocrisy, and thinking the best (of others) is one of the branches of faith. The intelligent person thinks the best of his brothers, and is personally concerned about the grievances and sorrows of his brother. However the ignorant person assumes the worst about his brothers and is unconcerned about the grievances and sorrows of his brother.”

Rawdat-ul-‘Uqalaa wa Nuzhat-ul-Fudalaa (Page 131).

today they are thorns without any leaves."

Abu Darr said;

"The people used to be like leaves without any thorns. but today they are thorns without any leaves."

[Garden of the wise-Rawdat al 'Uqala by Abu Hatem Al Basty]

nothing can make bad treatment worse ..

Ibn Hibbaan al-Basti (Abu Hatim) {rahimahullah} mentioned:

“What the wise person must do is train himself to adhere to the quality of forgiveness towards all people, and try to forget about waiting for an opportunity to retaliate for bad treatment, because nothing can cancel out the bad effects of bad treatment apart from good treatment, and nothing can make bad treatment worse and increase its bad effects but responding in like manner.”

[Rawdat al-‘Uqala’ wa Nuzhat al-Fudala’ (pg. 166)]

The noble does not hurt the wise

Ibn Hibban: 

"The noble does not hurt the wise, he does not joke with the stupid and he does not mingle with the sinner."

(ar-Rawdhah, p. 173)

The most beautiful beauty is fine behaviour

Ibn Hibban: 'The most beautiful beauty is fine behaviour. The one who does not have it has no beauty.' (ar-Rawdhah, p. 222)

He has to have an excuse I do not know of."

Abu Qulabah: 

"If you find out that your brother has done something you despise, you should then look for excuses for him. If you do not find any excuse for him, you say: He has to have an excuse I do not know of."

(ar-Rawdhah, p. 184)

secrets are revealed when one asks others for advice

Ibn Hibban: 

"The wise one has to know that secrets are revealed when one asks others for advice. He should therefore only consult the smart one, the sincere adviser, the loving and the religious."

(ar-Rawdhah, p. 192)

Allah sees your concerns and worries

Malik ibn Dinar once said, "Allah sees your concerns and worries, so look to what your concerns and worries are, may Allah have mercy on you." [Rawdhat al-'Uqala']

How many calamities have there been

'How many calamities have there been which were so severe and impossible to remove, yet within less than a single moment, they were lifted.' -Ibn Hibban

Probing and seeking the faults of others is from the branches of hypocrisy

Abu Hatim: ‘Probing and seeking the faults of others is from the branches of hypocrisy just like thinking good of others is from the branches of faith. The intelligent one always has a good opinion of his brothers, and keeps his grief and sadness to himself. As for the ignorant one, he has evil opinion of his brothers and does not think about his crimes and distress.’

Befriend Righteous People

 Imaam Abu Hatim said:

“The honorable person appreciates whoever favors him, gives excuse when his friends decline to help him, keeps ties with those who sever them, draws closer to whoever keeps relation with him, grants and favors those who seek his help, and feels pity and kindness for whoever he thinks is weak. As for those who mistakenly perceive him as being weak, death would be dearer to them than the consequences of their error(1). As for the wicked, his are the opposite of these qualities.”

Rawdhaat ul-’Uqalaa’, p174

____________
(1) It means honorable persons are not weak and able to defend themselves sufficiently. Those who seek weakness in the forbearing and calmness of honorable persons will thus regret it if they seek to exploit this perceived weakness, for the response will be fierce and swift.

Conceal your inability as much as you can with silence

A poet once said:

Conceal your inability as much as you can with silence
In silence there is indeed a respite
And if you’re unable (of answering), then make silence your answer
Perhaps the answer to a statement is in the silence

- Rawdat ul uqalaa

Righteous Predecessor Advises his Son Al Khataab

Righteous Predecessor Advises his Son Al Khataab ibn al Ma’laa al Makhzumee

Al-HaafidhAbu Haatim Muhammad ibn Hibbaan
Reference:Rawdat al ‘Uqalaa, Al Hakim an Naysaburee
Mohammad ibn al Mundhir ibn sa’eed related to me that Abu Hatim Muhammad ibn Idrees al Hanthalee said…that al Khataab ibn al Ma’laa al Makhzumee al Qurashee advised his son saying:

My son, fear Allaah and be obedient to Him. Avoid sinning by following His Sunnahand teachings in order to rectify your faults and attain bliss, indeed nothing whatsoever is hidden from Allaah. I put some directions together and drew out a plan for you. If you memorize, understand and act upon them, you would fill the eyes of kings and even the vagabond would be obedient to you.

You would continue to be needed and honoured, people would continue to be in need of what you posses.

So obey your father, suffice yourself with his advice and open your mind and heart to it.

Beware of excessive talking, joking, laughing and fooling around with brothers, indeed this removes respect / esteem and causes disputes. It is upon you to be tranquil and calm without having pride, which may be attributed to you, and without being arrogant, which may be said about you.

Treat both friends and enemies pleasantly, prevent their harms without belittling them or holding them in high regard.

Take the middle path in all your affairs, for indeed the best affairs are the intermediary ones [i.e. between extremism and excessive lenience].

Speak little, spread the Salaam, and walk firmly and purposefully. Do not stamp your feet, drag your tail [i.e: Isbaal], raise your neck, robes or be conceited. Do not look around too much, stop at crowds or linger in the market.

Do not debate a lot and do not get into arguments with the foolish. When you speak, keep it short and limit joking. If you sit, cross your legs and avoid interlocking your fingers, playing with your beard, ring or sword handle. Do not clean between your teeth [while sitting in public], pick your nose or busy yourself with chasing flies away. Do not spy on others and so forth, which would cause people to belittle or insult you.

Sit calmly in gatherings and speak proportionately. Listen attentively to those who speak about good without displaying amazement or asking them to repeat themselves and refrain from telling jokes or funny stories.

Do not speak about how impressed you are of your children, servants, means of transportation or weapons. Beware of drawing ‘The Eye’ upon yourself, for if you display your admiration for these things, the foolish would desire them. They would then make up stories about you and question your intellect.

Do not behave like women, and do not be as subservient as a servant. Do not puff up your beard or pat it down to hide it. Refrain from trimming it and pulling out grey hairs. Do not excessively use Kuhl and oils/lotion, use Kuhl occasionally.

Do not plead for your needs, and do not be demanding of your requests.

Do not tell your family how much wealth you have, let alone others. For if they perceive it to be little, you would be trivial in their eyes, and if it were a lot, you wouldn’t gain their satisfaction through it anyway. Discipline them without using force and be lenient to them without being weak and do not mock your servants.

If you were to ever argue, be respectful and safeguard yourself from your own ignorance. Avoid being hasty and contemplate over your argument. Show the judge your forbearance, refrain from pointing a lot, shuffling your feet, reddening your face and sweating. If you are insulted by your adversary, be forbearing and only speak when calm.

When you make a promise, abide by it, and when you speak be truthful. Do not raise your voice when arguing, as if you were debating with a deaf person, but at the same time do not be hushed like a mute, and select the best of speech, saying things that are accepted.

If you relate something that you have heard, refer it to the initial speaker. Beware of telling atrocious tales that are disliked by the hearts and cause the skin to tremble, and refrain from being repetitive such as saying ‘yes, yes’, ‘no, no’, ‘hurry up, hurry up’ and so on.

When you practice ablution, scrub your palms well and place glasswort (a strong-pleasant smelling succulent shrub) in your mouth as you would when using Siwaak (brushing your teeth). Do not clear your throat into the wash basin. Remove water from your mouth gently, do not spit it so as not to accidentally spray the closest person to you.

Do not take a bite from a meal and then replace the rest [when eating with others from the same dish], indeed this is disliked. Do not frequently as for drinks at the kings table, and do not fiddle with bones. Do not fault anything that is offered to you at the table by saying things such as there is not enough seasoning, vegetables or honey and so on.

Do not grasp onto your money like a miser, and do not spend it like a foolish deluded spendthrift. Know what obligatory rights others have over your wealth, the sacredness of friends, do not be dependant on people and they would be in need of you. Know that greed leads to an attribute [i.e would lead it be one of your attributes], and desire, as is it said, knocks at the door of slavery/servitude [i.e would lead you to be subservient to others]. Tasting it may prevent you from tasting a lot of other meals.

Being self-sufficient is an immense treasure/wealth and an honorable mannerism. A man knowing himself/his standing…

“My son, indeed a man’s wife is his home/livelihood, he has no life with other than her, so when you decide to take a wife, inquire about her family, for indeed good roots yield sweet fruits. Know that women differ greatly, more so than the fingers of your hand, so shield yourself from those amongst them who are naturally prone to cause harm. Amongst them are those who are self conceited…”

The intelligent person must never be deluded by this world and its dazzles

‎"The intelligent person must never be deluded by this world and its dazzles, its beauty and splendors, such that he occupies himself with it as opposed to occupying himself with the eternal Hereafter and the everlasting delight (of Paradise). Rather, he should place the world where Allah has placed it because its end will no doubt perish. Its civilizations shall become ruins, its inhabitants shall die, its magnificence will depart and its greenery will be destroyed. There will remain no arrogant leader in command and no poor and humiliated one, except that the glass of death shall pass over them. Then they will depart to the dust where they will become worn out until they return to what they were in the beginning: ruins (i.e. dust). Then the Knower of the Unseen (Allah) shall inherit the earth and all that is upon it."

- Abu Hatim (Ibn Hibban - rahimahullah)

Having a balance when speaking up on your friend's errors:

Having a balance when speaking up on your friend's errors:

"... Rebuking someone too much is from bad etiquettes, just as abandoning the reminders/reprimand is from the major causes of dryness (in a relationship). Censuring too much will sever the love and lead to resistance/turning away."

- Abu Hatim

Speaking up when your friend slips into error:-

Speaking up when your friend slips into error:-

"A person should not hold back from rebuking his brother if he falls into error. This is because whoever does not rebuke his brother over his sins has not preserved the friendship. And whoever rebukes is not sinful just as the one who grants pardon should not be rebuked. To openly reprimand someone is better than to hold hatred within, and perhaps censuring turns out to be better than disregarding..."

- Abu Hatim