Gifts of Knowledge

Az-Zubairī said, “[Imām] Mālik used to have a daughter who had memorized his knowledge, ‘his knowledge’ referring to the Muwaṭaʾ. She would stand behind the door and so when the person reading it [to Imām Mālik] would make a mistake she would knock the door and Mālik would take note and correct him.”
Tartīb al-Madārik, 1/48, and Ad-Dībāj al-Madhhab, p. 18.

Aḥmad ibn ʿĀsim said, “Fix what’s left, you’ll be forgiven what has passed.”
Siyar Aʿlām an-Nubalā, vol. 10, p. 488.

“Al-Ḥasan used to say, ‘Son of Adam, the day is your guest, and a guest either leaves praising or criticising you. The same goes for your night.’”
Mowsūʿah Ibn Abid-Dunyā, vol. 5, p. 181.

Ḥabīb al-Fārisī said, “It is pure bliss for a man who, upon dying, has his sins die with him too.”
Ḥilyatul-Awliyā, vol. 6, p. 152.

Ibn Abid-Dunya mentioned, “A wise man wrote to one of his friends, ‘Brother, beware of death in this abode before you go to one where you will wish for it but won’t find it.’”

Dhikrul-Mawt, p. 66.

Abu Mijlaz said, “The servant continues to be in a state of repentance as long as he doesn’t see the Angels.”

Dhikrul-Mawt, p. 63.

Al-Fuḍail ibn ʿIyāḍ said, “If Allaah put me in the Fire and so I ended up there, I wouldn’t lose hope in Him.”
Ḥusnuẓ-Ẓann billāh of Ibn Abid-Dunyā, no. 81.

“And we used to enter into vain discourse with those who engaged
[in it].” [Muddathir:45]

Qatādah said, “Every time some astray person went astray we went with him.” Tabarī.

The Tābiʿī Abū Ḥāzim Salamah ibn Dīnār said, “The thing that you’d like to have with you in the Hereafter, do it today, and the thing you’d hate to have, leave it today.”

Al-Maʿrifah wat-Tārīkh, 1/381.

Ibn al-Jawzee, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “You there! Sort your religion out like you sorted your dunyaa out—if your garment got caught on a nail you’d take a few steps back to free yourself from it. Here is the nail of continuous sin stuck to your heart, if you took two steps back in regret you’d free yourself from it.

[But] how farfetched! A child given to heedlessness, every time he’s moved he falls asleep.”

Al-Mudhish p. 223.

“Sayyaaraa ash-Shaami said, ‘They will come out of their graves, all of them terror-stricken. Then a caller will announce, ‘My worshippers! No fear shall be on you this Day, nor shall you grieve!’ [Zukhruf 43:68]—and so all of creation will ardently hope on account of it, then it will be followed by, ‘Those who believed in Our verses and were Muslims!’ [Zukhruf 43:69]—and so the entire creation will lose all hope, apart from the Muslims.’”

Mowsoo’ah Ibn Abid-Dunyaa, vol. 1, p. 567.

Haatim al-Asamm said, “Don’t be deceived by a virtuous place, for there is no place more virtuous than Paradise and yet Aadam faced what he faced there.

And don’t be deceived by an abundance of worship because Iblees met what he met with after lengthy worship.

And don’t be deceived by a wealth of knowledge because Bul’aam Ibn Ba’ura faced what he faced even though he knew Allaah’s Greatest Name [al-Ism al-A’dham].

And don’t be deceived by meeting the righteous or seeing them for there was no one more righteous than the Prophet ﷺ yet his enemies or the hypocrites didn’t benefit from meeting him.”

Madaarijus-Saalikeen, vol. 1, p. 510.

Khalaf ibn Hishaam, one of the reciters of the ten dialects, said, “I went to Sulaim ibn Isa to recite to him. One day when reciting I reached Surah Ghaafir and when I got to the Most High’s Statement:

“Those [angels] who carry the Throne and those around it exalt [Allah] with praise of their Lord and believe in Him and ask forgiveness for those who have believed, [saying], “Our Lord! You have encompassed all things in mercy and knowledge! So forgive those who have repented and followed Your way and protect them from the punishment of Hellfire!” [Ghaafir 40:7]

He started crying severely, and then said to me, ‘O Khalaf! Don’t you see how great the right of a believer is? You will see him sleeping on his bed and the Angels are seeking forgiveness for him.’”

Wafayaatul-A’yaan, 2/142.