Saifur Rahman Al Afghani
10th October 2008, 07:19 PM
Bismillaah,
I read the book, and masha'Allaah! It's a very nice book.
May Allaah reward the author and those who made it available to the online world. While I was reading, I took some written notes from the book:
"An act of charity is like perfume - it benefits the user, the seller, and the buyer".
"The pen has dried, the pages have been lifted: all events that shall come to pass have already been written. Do not think that you could have prevented the fence from falling, the water from flowing, the wind from blowing, or the glass from breaking. You could not have prevented these things, whether you wanted to or not. All that has been preordained shall come to pass".
"Eating follows hunger, drinking follows thirst, sleep comes after restlessness, and health takes the place of sickness. The lost will find their way, the one in difficulty will find relief, and the day will follow the night. If you see that the desert extends for miles and miles, then know that beyond that distance are green meadows with plentiful shade. If you see the rope tighten and tighten, know that it will snap".
"If you are afflicted with a misfortune, look on the bright side. If someone were to hand you a glass of full squeezed lemons, add to it a handful of sugar. And if someone gives you a snake as a gift, keep its precious skin and leave the rest".
"When you remember Allaah, clouds of worry and fear are driven away, and the mountains that make up your problems are blown away".
"How like a disease is jealousy, yet unlike other diseases - the one afflicted by it receives no reward in the hereafter".
"After having read biographies of some successful people from the past, I became amazed at the amount of patience they displayed, at their ability to bear heavy burdens only to emerge as stronger human beings. Hardship fell upon their heads like the lashing of freezing rain and yet they were as firm as mountains. And then, after a short time had passed, they were rewarded for their patience with success".
"Do not carry the weight of the globe on your shoulders. Let the ground carry the burden of those things that happen. Some people have a heart that is like a sponge, absorbing all kind of fallacies and misconceptions. It is troubled by the most insignificant of matters; it is the kind f heart that is sure to destroy its possessor".
"There are those souls that are able to turn everything into misery, whilst there are those that are able to derive happiness from the most difficult of circumstances".
"Don't be sad! When you experienced sadness yesterday, your situation didn't get any better by you being sad. Your son failed in school, and you became depressed, yet did your depression change the fact that he failed? Your father passed away, and you became downhearted, yet did that bring him back to life?"
"Knowledge is a light that leads to wisdom. It is life for one's soul and fuel for one's character".
"Do not be sad. If you are poor, then someone else is immersed in debt. If you do not own your own means of transportation, then someone else has been deprived of his legs".
"A Chinese proverb reads: "Do not cross the bridge until you reach it".
"Do not be sad, because, with your sadness, you desire for time's suspension: for the sun to stop in its place, for the hands of the clock to stand still, for the steps of your feet to move backwards, and for the river to flow back to its source".
"The one who is sad is like a person who pours water into a bucket that has a hole in it. He is like a writer who uses his finger to write on paper".
"One hardship cannot overcome two reliefs".
"Martyrs were killed in Qandahar, and Umar asked the companions: "Who was killed?" They mentioned some names to him and then they said: "And people whom you do not know". Umar's eyes filled with tears and he said: "But Allaah knows them".
"A pious person fed the best and finest of food to a blind man. His family said to him: "This blind man does not know what he is eating (so give him something of lower quality)". He replied: "But Allaah knows!"
"Do not be sad, for do you not see how the black clouds disperse and the violent winds subside?"
"A wise person once said: "The one who has found Allaah has found everything and the one who has lost Him has lost everything".
"The poet says: "The first night in the grave causes one to forget,
The castles of Khusrau and the treasures of Caesar".
"Ibn Mubarak's neighbour was a Jew. He would always feed him before feeding his own children and would provide clothing for him first and then for his children. Some people said to the Jew: "Sell us your house". He answered: "My house is for two thousand dinars, One thousand is for the price of the house and one thousand is for having Ibn Mubarak as a neighbour!" Ibn Mubarak heard of this and he explained: "O Allaah! Guide him to Islaam". Then by the permission of Allaah, he accepted Islaam".
"No one regrets having done well even if he was extravagant in doing so. Regret is only for the mistake or for the wrong done, even when that wrong is a minor one".
"The coward dies many deaths and the brave man dies one".
"Abu Bakr said: "Seek out death and you shall be granted life".
"You sometimes learn from the pages of a book in a month, that which you do not learn from the tongues of men in a century".
"Abu Ubaydah said: "Al-Muhallab gave his son the following advice: "O son! Do not linger in the marketplace unless you are visiting the maker of armour or the book vendor".
"The wise person is like water, for water does not crash into a rock, trying to pass through it. Instead, it comes to it from the left and from the right, from above and from below".
"The eminent preacher Ibn Sammack once visited Haroon ar-Rasheed. The latter felt thirsty and asked for water to drink. Ibn Sammack said: "O Ruler of the faithful, if you were refused this drink, would you bargain for it with half of your empire?" He said: "Yes". When he finished drinking it, Ibn Sammack followed up with another question: "If due to some sickness, you were unable to discharge this drink (through urine), would you pay half of your empire's wealth to be able to remove it from your body?" He answered: "Yes". Ibn Sammack then said: "Therefore, there is no good in a kingdom that is not even equal to a drink of water".
"A righteous person was once thrown into a lion's cage, and Allaah saved him from its claws. He was later asked: "What were you thinking about at the time?" He said: "I was considering the saliva of a lion - whether it is considered by scholars to be pure or impure (i.e. whether, when i die, i will be in a state of purity or not)".
"A vessel capsized at sea, and a worshipper was hurled into the water. He began to make ablution, one limb at a time. He managed to get to shore and was saved. He was asked about the ablution and why he made it, to which he replied: "I wanted to make ablution so that I would die in a state of purity".
"Imaam Ahmad during the pangs of death was pointing to his beard while others were making his ablution for him, reminding them not to miss a spot".
"Shakespeare said: "Don't light the oven too much for your enemy in order not to burn yourself by the flame".
"Someone said to Saalim Ibn Abdullaah Ibn Umar, a scholar from the early generations of Islam: "You are an evil man!" He quickly replied: "None knows me save you".
"The mosquito said to the tree: "Remain firm, for I wish to fly away and leave you". The tree answered: "By Allaah, I felt not your landing on me! Then how will I feel you when you fly away?"
"A mariner once became lost at sea, and remained lost for twenty one days. When he was saved, someone asked him what the greatest lesson was that he took away with him from the experience. He answered: "The biggest lesson that I learned from it was that if you have fresh water and sufficient food, you should never complain!"
"Abu ar-Rayhaan al-Bayrooni was a prolific thinker and writer whose pen rarely left his hand. He lived to the ripe age of seventy eight and throughout his life he never unnecessarily took a break from reading, writing or teaching. Abul Hasan Ali Ibn Isa said: "I visited Abu ar-Rayhaan when he was on his deathbed. Upon entering, I immediately recognized that he was on the verge of leaving his life. While in that state, he said to me that there was in issue in (Islamic) inheritance law that we had discussed the last time we met and that I had said something that he now realized was a mistake. I felt compassion for him, and asked him if it was proper for him to discuss something like that, with him being so ill. He answered: "I know that I am leaving this world, but don't you think it is better for me to understand the issue in question than to be ignorant of it?" I then repeated to him the issue, and he started to explain it to me. After we finished our conversation, I left, and upon exiting, I heard a scream and I knew that he had died. It is only lofty souls like his that remain strong right until the end".
"A famous caller to Islam settled in Munich, Germany some years ago. Upon reaching the entrance of this city, he noticed a large placard. Upon it was written: "You don't know Yokohama Tires". He later put up a sign beside it and it was just as large. He wrote on it: "You don't know Islam. If you wish to know about it, call us at this number". There was an inundation of calls from native Germans.
"You are worthier than a worm, bird or fish, so don't worry about sustenance".
"An Arab poet said: "The soul desires more if you encourage it, but it returns to contentment when it is disciplined".
"An Arab poet said: "One can reach nobility even if his clothes are tattered and his pocket is patched".
"Death is the end of us all; the oppressor and the oppressed, the mighty and the feeble, the rich and the poor. Your death is no novelty. Nations before you have gone and nations after will perish".
"Ibn Batoota related that in the North there is a graveyard with one thousand kings buried in it. At the entrance of this graveyard is a sign that reads: "The kings; ask the dirt about them, and about the gread leaders, they are all bones now".
"The intelligent person is not he who is able to increase his profits, but he who transforms his losses into profits".
"An Arab poet said: "O companion of the bed! You have slept excessively! Don't you know that after death is a long sleep?"
"One of our pious predecessors once said: "The one who is satisfied with dry bread and water will be free from slavery except the slavery to Allah".
"During the pilgrimage season, Sufyan ath-Thawri wanted to rest for the night, so he placed his cheek on a tiny mound of dirt. The people said to him: "You rest your head on dirt, yet you are the greatest scholar of hadith in the world?" He answered: "This pillow of mine is indeed better than that of the Caliph".
"When Ibraheem was placed where the fire was to be set, the angel Jibreel came to him and asked: "Do you need anything from me?" Ibraheem confidently responded: "From you, no. But from Allaah, yes!"
"A wise man warned his son: "Do not seek to be the head, for the head is constantly aching". In other words, do not always aspire to be the leader or the one in charge".
"A poet said: "Don't take people to account for all of their mistakes, so as not to stay companionless throughout your life".
"Umar was steadfast in working day and night and he would sleep but a little. His family asked: "Do you not sleep?" He replied: "If I sleep at night, my soul will be lost (meaning that he spent his nights in worship) and if I sleep during the day, my people (citizens) will be lost (as Caliph, he spent his days taking care of the people's affairs)".
"Though it might seem to be a paradox, many people are dead despite the fact that they are alive. They have no clue as to the purpose of life, and they do nothing for themselves or for others".
"The likeness between the truth and the disbeliever's aversion to it is as follows: The water is pure and sweet, however the person drinking it feels a bitter taste".
"Ar-Rabee Ibn Khuthaym would write everything that he said from one Friday to the next. If he found that he had spoken well and truthfully, he praised Allaah. And if he found error in his speech, he repented to Allaah".
"Gather the honey, but don't break the hive".
"Ibn al-Jawzi mentioned something he witnessed that was wonderful yet strange. A blind snake lived on a branch at the top of a tree. A bird would come to it with food in its mouth. It would chirp a signal to the snake, which in return would open its mouth and allow the bird to insert the food. All praise and glory belongs to Allaah, Who made this one to help the other".
"Among the characteristics of the believer is that he is thankful and resolute: he sharpens the arrow before releasing it from the bow, and he turns to Allaah before he is afflicted".
"Ahmad Ibn Hanbal was a venerable scholar and a prolific compiler of hadith. He lived a productive life, yet he was not rich. His garment was patched in many places and every time it tore again, he would sew it himself. He lived in a three-room structure made of mud. Often, all that he could find to eat was a piece of bread. And his biographers mention that he had the same shoes for seventeen years and he would often patch them up or sew them if there was a tear. Meat would find its way to his plate only once a month, and on most days he fasted. He journeyed throughout the lands seeking out ahaadith. Yet, despite all of the hardships he had to bear, he was contented, comfortable, serene and unworried, qualities that can be attributed to his fortitude, to his knowing his goal and final destination, to his seeking reward from Allaah, and to his striving after the Hereafter and Paradise".
"Happiness is not in the castle of Abdul Malik Ibn Marwan, in the army of Haroon ar-Rasheed, in the mansions of Ibn Jassas, in the treasures of Qaroen, or in the gardens of roses. Bliss and happiness were the lot of the Prophet's companions even though they were poor and led harsh lives. Happiness was with Imaam bukhari in his collection of ahaadith, with al-Hassan al-Basri in his truthfulness, with ash-Shafe'ie in his deductions, with Malik and Ahmad in their introspection and self-denial and with Thaabit al-Bannaani in his worship".
"When some money was stolen from a righteous man who lived in Khurassaan, he began to weep. Fudayl, who saw him in that state, asked: "Why do you cry?" He answered: "I remembered that Allaah shall gather me and the thief together on the Day of Judgement, and I cried, feeling pity for him".
"After being stabbed, and while his blood was gushing out, Umar said to a young man who was dragging his lower garment on the ground: "O son of my brother, lift up your garment, for to do so is more righteous and purer for your clothes!" Even during the pangs of death he invited other to do good".
"When he entered the house of the Prophet, Umar saw marks on the Prophet's side, which resulted from always lying down on straw, and he also noticed the bareness of the room. His eyes swelled with tears after seeing such a moving sight. The messenger of Allaah, de example and leader of all, in such a situation? It was too much for him. He said: "You know, O messenger of Allaah, of the lifestyles of Khosrau and Caesar!" The Prophet replied: "O son of Khattaab! Are you in doubt? Are you not pleased that for us is the Hereafter and for them is this world?"
"Hassan al-Basri said: "O son of Adam! When Prophet Musa objected to Khidr on three occasions, the latter said: "This is the parting between you and me!" Then how will it be with you who disobey your Lord many times in a single day? Do you feel secure that He will not say to you: "This is the parting between you and me?"
"Ibrahim Ibn Adham said: "If the kings knew our quality of life, they would fight us over it with swords".
"When Abu Ja'far was a child, his mother used to place a piece of bread beneath his pillow. On the following morning, she would give it to a needy person on her son's behalf. Later on in life, Abu Ja'far went to Ibn al-Furaat for some purpose or another. Ibn al-Furaat immediately said: "Is there a matter between you and your mother concerning bread?" He answered: "No". "You must be truthful with me", Ibn al-Furaat insisted. Abu Ja'far, perhaps somewhat embarrassed, recounted the story of his mother in a manner that poled fun at her and at womanhood in general. Ibn al-Furaat said: "Do not speak in such a (joking) tone, for before sleeping last night; I prepared a plan that, if it had succeeded, it would have destroyed you. When I fell asleep, I saw a vision: it was as if my hands were raised with an insheathed sword and I rushed towards you to kill you. Your mother blocked my way and in her hand was a piece of bread that she used as a shield to protect you from me As a result, I couldn't reach you. And then I woke up".
"It is said that if you add enough drops of water, a flood will be the result".
"Ahmad Ibn Hanbal said after the death of his wife: "She has been my companion for forty years, and in that span of time, I never had a disagreement with her".
"One morning, Imam Ali entered Masjid al-Koofa to pray two voluntary units of prayer. Before entering, he found a boy standing at the door. He said to him: "O boy, restrain for me my mule until I finish praying". As Ali was entering the mosque, he made an intention to reward the boy with a dirham for his services. Meanwhile, the boy removed the noseband from the mule and rushed off the marketplace to sell it. When Ali came out of the masjid, he found no boy, but only his mule without its noseband. He commissioned a man to go after the boy and ordered him to go to the marketplace since it was more than likely that the boy would go there to sell the noseband. The man found the boy auctioning it in the market and he bought it from him for a dirham. He returned to Ali and informed him of what happened. After hearing what occurred, Ali said: "How perfect Allaah is! By Allaah, I intended to give him a lawful dirham, but he refused to take it other than in an unlawful way".
In Al-Qaseem, a newspaper printed in Syria, an article was written about a young man who booked a flight to travel abroad. He informed his mother of the flight time and asked her to wake hum up a short time before departure. After he fell asleep, his mother heard on the radio that the weather conditions were awful and that the wind was blowing violently. The compassion that she felt for her only child caused her to not wake him up in the hope that he would miss the flight. When she was sure that the flight had taken off, she went to wake up her son. Upon entering his room, she found that he was lying dead on his bed".
"Imam Ali said: "Today is action without reckoning (judgement) and tomorrow is reckoning without action".
"At-Tantawi related another story that equally illustrates the unexpectedness of death. A bus full of people was moving when the driver suddenly pressed on the brakes. The passengers asked him what was wrong. He said: "I am stopping for this old man who is waving so that he can get on the bus". They all said in wonder: "We do not see anyone". He said: "Loot at him over there". They repeated that there was no one to be seen. He said confidently: "Now look, he is coming to get in". Now the situation was beyond wonder, and they explained: "By Allaah! We don't see anyone!" Then, in an instant, the driver died in his seat".
"It is authentically established that Sulayman was taught the language of the birds. One day, he sat out to pray with the people for rain, and on his way to the masjid, he saw an ant lift its legs: it was praying to Allaah. Sulayman said: "O people return, for another's prayer was enough and sufficient for you". The rain started to pout because of the ant's prayer; Sulayman had understood its speech".
Wasalaamu Alaykom Warahmatullaah,
vBulletin® v3.7.1, Copyright ©2000-2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.