Part 8

Abu Darda (vats sn Said, "From the completion of taqwa is that the slave fears from his Lord even with regards to things the

weight of an atom."

Abu Hurairah pmaiussany Was asked about taqwa. He said, “It is a road full of thorns. One who walks it needs to have extreme

Sufyaan ath-Thawri (noun Said, "We met a people who loved it when it was said to them - Fear Allaah the Most High. Today you find that people only become annoyed at this.”

A person asked Fudhayl ibn Tyaad (atimnauy, "Which country would you like me to live in?" Fudhayl replied, "There is no connection between you and any nation. The best country for you is

the country which helps you to acquire taqwa.” O brother! Search your soul. Have you feared Allaah as our

Salaf feared? Or have you fallen short of that. Seek the forgiveness of Allaah as all praise is to Him the Lord of the worlds.

Hiding the mistakes of others:

From the morals and manners of the Salaf was that they would constantly conceal the mistakes of their brothers and. their severe dialogue with their own souls concerning the station of

So they would hate embarrassing anyone remembering their own mistakes in their words, actions, food and drink. They would search their bodies so they did not find themselves trespassing into the forbidden especially with regards to the tongue,

stomach, private parts and the eye.

The Messenger of Allaah (anmiw usvwuumy Said, "Abstain from the forbidden and you will be the most devout worshippers amongst the people. Be content with what Allaah allocates for you from provision and you will be the richest of people. Be good to your neighbour and you will be a believer. Love for the people what you love for yourself and you will be a Muslim and do not increase in laughter because too much laughter kills the heart."!

Yoonus ibn ‘Ubaid jammy Said, "True carefulness in religion

1. Reported by Al-Tirmidhi (9/183, 184) in az-Zuhd, Ahmad (2/310), Ibn Maajah (4217) in az~Zuhd with this meaning - Al-Albaani makes it Hasan.

is to depart from all doubtfulness and to account the soul with every step. So whoever is not like that cannot be said to be cau-

One of the Salaf said, "Do not undermine cautiousness in tiny things since that is a ladder leading to degrading cautiousness in larger things.”

Dahhaak used to say, "We met a certain people who would travel for three months or more to learn caution in religious matters. Today people do not seek this and do not practise it even if

their attention is brought to it.”

If the Salaf dropped some money in a place and they returned to that place, on realisirig their money was missing they would not take it on seeing it saying, "It is possible that this money fell

from someone elses pocket and someone took my money.

Complete intelligence: From the morals and manners of the Salaf was that they would have. affection, calmness, solemnity, lack of speech from

their total intelligence and ...

From the statements of Ameerul-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (ausnans ‘ans, “The tallness of a slave ends at the age of twenty-two. His intelligence teaches its peak at twenty-eight. What is after that until the

end of his life is just test and affliction.”

Qataadah jahmnxsy WOuld say, "Men are of three types: A man, half a man and no man. The man is the one from whose opinion and intelligence there is benefit. The half man is the one who questions the intelligent and practices according to their opinion. The no man is the one who has no intelligence nor opinion nor

does he ask anyone else.”

Sufyaan ibn Uyainah (asm Said, "The most nimble of creatures still have need of a voice. The cleverest women still need to have a husband, and the cleverest man still needs to consult wise

Wahb ibn Munabbih (aimiuun, said, "Whoever claims to be in-

telligent but his attention is not geared towards the Afterlife,

then he is a liar."

So realise that brother, follow your pure ancestors and you will find rest. Praise be to Allaah the Lord of the Worlds.

Abundant silence and speaking wisely: From the morals and manners of the Salaf was that they would practice abundant silence and spoke with wisdom mak-

ing things éasy for the student.

One of the Salafsaid, "Wisdom is kindled by four things: sorrow after sins, readiness for death, emptiness of the stomach, and

accompanying the forsakers of this world." Here are some examples of the wise sayings:

Ash-Shafi’ee (arutsan uum) Said, "The people who have the least

relaxation are the hateful and the envious."

Abu Mu’aawiyyah al-Aswad (imma said, "Whoever sought frorn Allaah good in plentifulness, then.in the night and day little does he sleep." He also said, "Whoever seeks merit from the vile then he has no.one to blame but himself if he is insulted.”

Ash-Shafi’ee (aimuiun'uny Said, "Whoever spread gossip for you spreads gossip against you. Whoever relates tales to you will tell tales about you. Whoever when you please him says about you

what is not in you, when you anger him will say about you what

is not in you."

Abu Umaimah aiminman Said, "Whoever brings no good to you in your life, let not your eyes weep over his death." He also said,

“Recognition (of sins) destroys committing...”

Tbn Mas’00d ¢axanau sm Said, “Humbleness raise the vile and arrogarice lowers the fine. Whoever seeks leadership it will tire him but whoever fled from leadership, he is followed by it.”

Fudayl ibn ‘Iyaad jasmnum Said, "Whoever’s admonition is much, his friends will be few."

Yahya ibn Mu’aadh eussuinn Said, "Whoever is forbearing rises above all his colleagues and whoever implemented his anger

is plunged into the sea of his humiliation."

Realise this brother and clear your inner self from the love of this world and running after it. Increase in the remembrance of Allaah the Most High. When the purification of your inside is completed then Allaah the Most High will make you speak with wisdom and you will become the wise man of your time.

From the morals and manners of the Salaf was that they would fast and speak little as is the state of the scholars who practise their knowledge.

Muhammad ar-Raahiby atm Said, "Whoever entered into

his belly extra food then out of his mouth will come extra words."

Ibtaheem an-Nakhaa’i janmnun Said, “Whoever reflects will find that the noblest and most dignified person of every gathering is the one who is most silent, because silence beautifies the

scholar and conceals the faults:of the ignorant.”

Ma’roof al-Kirakhee iunamin =m) said, "A person speaking about unnecessary things is (indication) from Allaah abandoning

Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq (misuse) sed to place a little stone in his mouth and he did this for several years to get in the habit of speaking little. He would only take out the stone before eating and praying. All this was out of fear of speaking unnecessarily. When death came to him he would take hold of his tongue saying, “This is what produces calamities.”

The Messenger of Allaah auton anvannm Said, "Out of a person being a good Muslim is his leaving alone what does not benefit him."!

Shigny ibn Maati’ al-Asbahee mmm said, "Whoever’s

speech increased, his mistakes (also) increased."

1. Reported by at-Timmidhee (9/196), ibn Maajah (3976), Made hasan by anNawawi and ibn ’ Abdul-Barr. Al-Albaani declares it to be sahih.

From the morals and manners of. the Salaf was that they would block the road to backbiting in their gatherings so that their gathering did not become a gathering of sin. They would fear that perhaps their righteous actions would not be able to counter-balance even one act of backbiting on the Day of Judgement. One of them used to increase in doing good deeds so that he would have sufficient reward on the Day of Judgement to pay back to his disputants who would have some qualm with him

concerning possession or integrity. Allaah the Most High says," "?

The. Messenger Of Allaah (attistu asi auum Said, "Do you know what is backbiting?” They said, "Allaah and His Messenger knows best." He said, "Backbiting is to mention about your brother something he dislikes." He was asked, "O Messenger of Allaah! What if I find in my brother what I mentioned?" The Messenger of Allaah (.tmtu stanton Sid, “If what you say isin him (is true about him) then this is backbiting, but if what you say is not in him (not true about him) then you have slandered

Sufyaan ath-Thawri ¢aimiuus Said, "When your brother is out of your sight, mention him as you would like him to mention you

when you are out of his sight."

Maalik ibn Deenar jumnuimn WOuld say, “It is enough of.a sin that one is not righteous, but then to sit in a gathering and disre-

Muhammad ibn Sireen (amon Would say, “Of the backbiting which is prohibited, which most people does not realise, is their saying : This person is more knowledgeable than that person. This is because the one who is made superior would be annoyed at this, and it is well known that backbiting is for a person to

speak about another concerning what he (the latter) dislikes."

O brother present these facts to your soul and check whether you have freed yourself from this so that you can thank Allaah, or have you slipped into this so that you should seek His forgive-

2. Narrated by Abu Dawood in al-Adab (4853), at-Tinmidhi (8/120) in alBirr... Muslim reports close to it in al-Birr.,, (16/142) and ad-Daarimi (2/ 299).

Purity and concentration in prayer:

From the morals and manners of the Salaf was that their ablution and prayer (salah) would not contain distracting whispers of shaitaan, even though they would reach the litnits of cautious-

This is simply because these whispers are from shaitaan and from a dark heart and.a dark heart comes from dark actions. This in turn comes from eating haraam and doubtful food. Thus whoever perfected the eating of halaal then Iblees can never find a way to him. Some people who eat too much foods of darkness tried to.achieve nearness to Allaah and submissivenéss in their

worship without any success.

The most extreme thing that would happen to such people was their tiresome attempts to achieve the correct intention for beginning the prayer as if they were hunting something which had fallen out of their hands.

You will see him during the Opening Takbeer saying, "aak... aak... aak... baar ...baar ...baar ” Some scholars have come to the conclusion that such action nullifies the prayer because it is not.a