Most Virtuous Actions Vary by Time and Circumstance

The best deed to achieve the pleasure of your Lord in every moment is that which is required and dictated by that time

​. - ​

Ibn al-Qayyim, Madarij al-Salikin

Peace

If you are DEPRESSED, you are living in the PAST
If you are ANXIOUS, you are living in FUTURE
If you are at PEACE, you are living in the PRESENT 
Choice is yours

Actions For The Sake Of Allah​

‘He who gets himself in the habit of doing actions just for the sake of Allaah, there is nothing harder upon him than to do an action for other than Allaah. And he who gets himself in the habit of doing actions based upon his desires, or [an ulterior motive, such as praise from the people, or status, or position, or wealth] then there is nothing harder upon him than to try to do an action sincerely to Allaah.' - Ibn ul Qayyim​

For the sake of Allah

Whatever is not done by the permission of Allaah will not happen, and what’s not done for the sake of Allaah will not benefit or remain. - Imam ibn Taymiyyah 

​Quran: Can Be A Testimony For You Or Against you​

Abu Musa al-Ash’ari gathered those who had recited [ie. memorized] the Qur’an, and they were close to three hundred in number.  He emphasized the magnificence of the Qur’an, and then said,

“Truly this Qur’an can be an asset for you, or it can be a burden upon you.  So follow the Qur’an, and let it not follow you: for he who follows the Qur’an, it lands him in the Gardens of Paradise; and he whom the Qur’an follows, it smites him in the back of the head and hurls him into the Fire.”

Intention

A small deed may become great due to the intention behind it, and a great deed may become small, due the intention behind it.” “Siyar a’laam anNubalaa’”, 

by Imam ath-Dhahabi)

Traveling in the Way of Allah

“When Musa travelled to meet with Khizar, he got tired and hungry on the journey, and said to his servant, "Bring me my dinner, for this journey has made us very tired” [Kahf: 62]. For in this journey, he was traveling to another created being. 

But then, when his Lord promised him a meeting for thirty full days, and He blessed him with ten more to complete forty, on Mt. Sinai, he did not eat during this meeting, nor did he feel hungry or tired. For in that journey, he was traveling to his Lord. 

And so from this we learn that when the heart is on its journey to its Lord, it shall not find any pain, or tiredness, or suffering, yet when it is on a journey to another created being, it shall suffer from all of these.“ 
From Ibn al-Qayyim's book Bada'i al-Fawāid, vol. 1, p. 72.

Busy Tongue

As long as the tongue is occupied in dhikr, it will be safe from unbecoming speech and lies, because it never keeps quiet.  Alike it is with the heart,  if it is not occupied in love of Allah then it will love a creature.—Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyah

​Seeking Admiration From People​

Forsaking action for the sake of other people is to seek their admiration. To act for the sake of their admiration is to associate others with Allah. Devotion is when Allah frees you from both of these states.—al-Fuḍayl b. ‘Iyāḍ 

Good character

Good character is not what you show to those around you while you are calm, happy and being well treated. The real measure of noble character is that you always remain yourself … firm on your good demeanor, patience, goodness and generosity. This will keep you above any degenerate behaviour even when you find yourself in difficult situations and those which weigh on your soul. 
The qualities of the best among the creation do not change, even if their circumstances and places change. 
So the generous one remains generous even if he becomes poor, 
The noble one remains noble even if he is defeated,
The good one remains good even if he is treated unfairly,
They all show servitude to Allah through this good character. Rather, their hearts long to be close to the Prophet (s.a.w), for whoever is best in character will be closer to the Prophet (s.a.w) than others. 

Believer is Always Blessed: In Ease & Difficulty

The Divine Decree related to the believer is always a bounty, even if it is in the form of withholding (something that is desired), and it is a blessing, even if it appears to be a trial, and an affliction that has befallen him is in reality a cure, even though it appears to be a disease! Unfortunately, due to the ignorance of the worshiper, and his transgressions, he does not consider anything to be a gift or a blessing or a cure unless he can enjoy it immediately, and it is in accordance with his nature. If he were only given a little bit of understanding, then he would have counted being withheld from as a blessing, and the sickness as a mercy, and he would relish the trouble that befalls him more than he relishes his ease, and he would enjoy poverty more than he enjoys richness, and he would be more thankful when he is blessed with little than he is when he is blessed with a lot.—Ibn al-Qayyim 

Trials and Tribulations

Trials and tribulation are like feeling the heat and cold, when one knows that they cannot be avoided, he will not feel anger at their onset, nor will he be distressed or disheartened. 

Ibn Taymiyyah.

Love

The more the servant loves his Master, the less will he love other objects and they will decrease in number. The less the servant loves his Master, the more will he love other objects and they will increase in number.

Ibn Taymiyyah

​Morning and Evening Adhkar

"The morning and evening adhkar play the role of a shield; the thicker it is the more its owner will not be affected. Rather, its strength can reach to such an extent that the arrow shot at it will bounce back to affect the one who shot it."-​ Ibn Al Qayyim​

​Purifying The Heart​

​​"There is no doubt that the heart becomes covered with rust, just as metal dishes - silver, and their like - become rusty. So the rust of the heart is polished with dhikr (remembrance of Allah), for dhikr polishes the heart until it becomes like a shiny mirror. However, when dhikr is abandoned, the rust returns; and when it commences then the heart again begins to be cleansed. Thus the heart becoming rusty is due to two matters: sins and ghaflah (neglecting remembrance of Allah. Likewise, it is cleansed and polished by two things: istighfaar (seeking Allah's forgiveness) and dhikr." - 

​Ibn Al Qayyim​

Do Not Mock The Supplication​

"Do you mock the supplication and belittle it? While you do not know what it has the power to do! The arrows of the night (du’a) do not miss target But they have a set limit, which shall come to end. So if my Lord wishes, He holds it back. And if the decree is to be fulfilled, He sets it forth."

Fear of Being Proud

If you fear being proud of the good deed you have done, then remind yourself

​w​

hose pleasure you are seeking, and what bliss (Paradise) you wish for, and what punishment you want to avoid. If you think thoroughly of any one of these, your deed will become small in your eyes.--

​Imam Shafi'e​

Fault Is In Us

نعيب زماننا والعيب فينا *** وما لزماننا عيب سوانا ونهجوا ذا الزمان بغير ذنب *** ولو نطق لنا الزمان لهجانا
We fault our time when the fault is in us And what fault does our time have besides us? We scold what's in our time though it has done no wrong And had time been able to talk it would have scolded us. Imam al-Shafi

​ People Of The Night​

​H​ow excellent are the people who have abandoned sweet dreams, withdrawing from that for which they erected their feet for. Standing up to fatigue themselves in the dark, seeking a portion of the blessing. When the night comes they stand up, and when the day arrives they derive lessons from it. When they look at their faults they seek forgiveness, and when they think about their sins they cry and feel dejected.  ~Imaam Ibn Jawzee

Ten Matters That Bring Destruction​

Ibn al-Qayyim writes, "Ten are the matters that bring about destruction, and have no benefit:

1) Knowledge that is not acted upon
2) Action without sincerity, or following the Sunnah
3) Money that is not spent properly [for the sake of Allah and in accordance with His Shariah]
4) A heart that is empty of Allah's love, and a desire to meet Him
5) A body that is not busied with His worship and service
6) Love that is not restricted by the pleasure of Allah and obeying Him
7) Time that is wasted, and not used to make up for sins or accumulate righteous deeds
8) Thoughts that wander in areas that are of no value
9) Being in the service of one whose service will not bring you closer to Allah, or [at least] benefit your sustenance in this world
10) Placing your hope, or fear, in a being who himself is utterly dependent on Allah and like a prisoner in His grasp - someone who cannot help himself, much less you, with any pleasure or pain or life or death.
And the worst of all of these, and the basis of them all, are two: the wastage of the heart, and the wastage of time. The heart is wasted when it prefers this world over the next, and time is wasted in yearning for that which has no true benefit."

​Suffering Is Inevitable​

Whoever wants to have everlasting peace and well-being with no affliction does not understand the meaning of Allah’s commandments, nor does he perceive the meaning of submission to Allah. Every soul (neither believing or disbelieving) shall inevitably taste suffering in this world, for this life is based on hardships. Man lives between comfort and suffering.

​ ​The Person With Envy or Bad Manners​

There is no rest for the person who has envy and there is no love for the person who has bad manners. - Ali ibn Abi Taalib 

​Belif

Belief is not by wishful thinking but by what settles in the heart, and what the actions prove.--Al-Hasan al-Basri

Heart ​C​orrupters

The heart becomes corrupt through six means:

​1. ​

Committing a sin in the hope of repenting

2

​.​

 ​ ​

Seeking knowledge and not applying it

3

 ​.​

​ ​

Practice without sincerity

4

 ​.​

​ ​

Eating

​ ​

the sustenance of Allah without appreciating Him

5

​.​

​ ​

Not being pleased with Allah’s allocation (destiny)

6

​.​

 ​ ​

Burying the dead without learning from them”

Hasan al Basri

​You Must Be Willing​

You must be willing to change. 

You must be willing to break the deal you made with the devils within. 

You must be willing to leave the past and not be tempted to rebound when times are tough. 

You must be willing to let go of everything and anyone that takes you back to your sins. 

You must be willing to have hope. 

You must be willing to have hope that you can change and that you will and that you will be better. You must believe you are worthy of change and you are worthy of improvement and you are worthy of being the best. 

You must be willing to set aside your negative notions about life, about hardships, about people, about things, about yourself. 

You must be willing to stop feeling sorry for yourself while looking at the world move around you. Get up and make something of yourself.----

​Ibn Al Qayyim​

Fix three things...

1. Whoever fixes his secret affairs (at night), Allah will fix his public affairs

2. Whoever fixes that which is between him and Allah, Allah will fix what is between him and people. 

3. Whoever works for his akhirah, Allah will be enough for his dunya.

- Sufyan ibn 'Uyayna

​The Worst Of Our Faults​

​The worst of our faults is our interest in other people's faults. ---Ali Ibn Abi Talib​

Do Not Underestimate ​Doing Good

"Perhaps you might be asleep while the doors of Heaven are knocking with tens of supplications for you, by a poor person you aided or a sad person you cheered up or a distressed person you brought relief to. Therefore, do not underestimate doing good at all.”--Ibn Al-Qayyim

​The Undefeated Armies​

“A sincere heart and the dua of one who’s righteous are two armies which can never be defeated.” - Ibn Taymiyyah

​Beware​

“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.”

​ Imam Ash-Shafi'i​

 ​

​Righteousness and Sinfulness​

`Indeed righteousness illuminates the heart, radiates the face, strengthens the body, increases provision, and produces a love in the hearts of the creation for that person. Whereas sinfulness darkens the heart, greys the face, weakens the body, and produces hatred in the hearts of the creation for that person.'

​--Ibn Abbas​

Ikhlas

Ikhlaas (sincerity) is when the servants internal and external actions are the same. 

 And Riyaa is when the external actions are better than the internal actions (of the heart). And truthfulness in one’s sincerity is when the internal is better (developed) than the external. Madaarij us-Saalikeen 2/91

​Get Involved ​

Whosoever gets involved in the work of Al​lah​ S.W.T​ then Al​lah S.W.T ​gets involved in his work.​--Abu Bakr

​Attain Knowledge And Be Patient​

Guidance is not attained except with knowledge and correct direction is not attained except with patience.

-- Ibn Taymiyyah​

​Character Flaw

If you see someone as being small (in character), you are either looking at them from far or in pride.

​The First Confounding Of Iblis​

​T​he first confounding of Iblis [Satan] on people: He prevented them from knowledge, because knowledge is a light, if their lights go out he [Iblis] would strike them in the darkness however he wishes. - Ibn al Jawzi

​The Nourishment Of The Heart​

“When the heart is nourished with dhikr, its thirst quenched with contemplation and cleansed from corruption, it shall witness remarkable and wondrous matters and be inspired with wisdom.” 

​Ibn al Qayyim ​- 

The Hardness of The Heart

Sins Steal Knowledge From Us​

❝ Sins have many side-effects. One of them is that they steal knowledge from you. ❞— Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah 

​When Allah Wants Well For A Slave​

"If Allah wants well for a slave, He strips away from his heart the ability to see his own good deeds and speaking about them with his tongue,and preoccupies him with seeing his own sin, and it continues to remain in front of his eyes until he enters 

​J​annah." - 

Ibn Al-Qayyim

TRUE GOODNESS​

Goodness is not in your wealth and offspring being plentiful; true goodness is when your [good] deeds are plenty and you have great understanding and forbearance, and when you compete to worship your Lord. If you do good you praise Allah and thank Him, and if you sin you beg Allah’s forgiveness. There is no good in this life except with two types of men: A man who sins but then corrects himself through repentance, and a man who strives and hastens to get [the good] of the hereafter.

​ ---Ali Ibn Abi talib​

The Most Virtuous Actions Vary By time and Circumstance​

 إِنَّ أَفضَلَ العَمَل عَلَى مَرضَاةِ الرَّبِّ فِي كُلِّ وَقت بِمَا هُوَ مُقتَضَى ذَلِكَ الوَقت وَ وَظِيفَتُهُ

The best deed to achieve the pleasure of your Lord in every moment is that which is required and dictated by that time --​ Ibn al-Qayyim, Madarij al-Salikin

Two Kinds Of Knowledge​

Knowledge is of two kinds: that which is absorbed and that which is heard. And that which is heard does not profit if it is not absorbed. - Ali ibn Abi Talib

The Veil Between Allah and the Servant​

The servant has a veil between him and Allah and another one between him and people. Whoever tore this veil between him and Allah, Allah will tear the veil between him and people. -

Ibn Al Qayyim ​

Delight Comes After Suffering​

“There is no joy for the one who does not bear sadness, there is no sweetness for the one who does not have patience, there is no delight for the one who does not suffer, and there is no relaxation for the one who does not endure fatigue.”

Five pillars of Gratitude

“Gratitude is built upon five pillars: Submissiveness to Allah from the one expressing gratitude; lov­ing Him for it; acknowledging His favor; praising Him for it; and not utilizing it in a way that displeases Him.” Ibn al-Qayyim

​Shield Yourself​

Beware of enabling Shaytaan to establish himself in the very home of your thoughts and intentions, as he will corrupt them in such a manner that will make difficult its correction thereafter. He will cast all sorts of whisperings and harmful thoughts at you and he will prevent you from thinking about what may benefit you. And it is you who have aided him against yourself by empowering him over your heart and thoughts, and he then placed you in possession of such thoughts.

​ Ibn Al Qayyim, Al Fawaaid​

​Virtue of Knowledge​

“When Allah granted Prophet Yoosuf (`alayhi-Salaam) physical beauty it caused him to be locked up in the prison. But when Allah granted him knowledge (when he interpreted the dream of the king) it not only took him out of prison, but elevated his rank in society, clearly showing us the virtue of knowledge and that physical beauty does not mean anything.”[Ibn al Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah]

​Correct Perception​

​​“The intelligent person perceives forbidden things like a delicious food, which contain fatal poison. Whenever its pleasure arouses his interest, the reality of the poison would push him away from it. Also, he perceives the orders of Allah as bitter medicine that leads to good health and recovery.”

​ Ibn Al Qayyim​

​, ​

Al Fawaaid 

Reciprocate Evil with Goodness​

“Whoever would love that Allah reciprocates his evil with goodness, let him reciprocate the evil people do towards him with goodness.”

​ Ibn al Qayyim , ​Miftaah Daaris-Sa’aadah 

​Corruption of Children by Parents​

“How many people have caused misery to their own children, the apples of their eyes, in this world and in the Hereafter, by neglecting them, not disciplining them, encouraging them to follow their whims and desires, thinking that they were honoring them when they were in fact humiliating them, that they were being merciful to them when in fact they were wronging them. They have not benefited from having a child, and they have made the child lose his share in this world and in the Hereafter. If you think about the corruption of children you will see that in most cases it is because of the parents.” (Ibn al-Qayyim: Tuhfat al-Mawlood, p. 146)

patience

“Be sure that there is something waiting for you after much patience, to astonish you to a degree that you forget the bitterness of the pain.”

​The Best Worship

أفضل العبادات أداء الفرائض واجتناب المحارم

The best acts of worship are the performance of the obligatory deeds and the avoidance of the prohibited ones.—‘Umar b. ‘Abd al-‘Azīz [d. 101H/719CE]

Love for the Sincere

Never does the servant turn wholeheartedly to Allāh except that Allāh turns the hearts of the believers to him, providing him their love.

​ Harim b. hayyan​. Al-Dhahabī, Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā` 4:49.

The Believer...

The believer mixes with others in order to learn, keeps quiet to keep safe (from sinning), speaks in order to understand, and secludes himself for the attainment (of good).- 

​

​Wahb b. Munabbih​

​No Time For Procrastination​

“Everyone who is taken by death asks for more time, while everyone who still has time makes excuses for procrastination.” – Ali ibn Abu Talib

Your Saved Chat History

It is reported that Ya’lā b. ‘Ubayd said, “We entered upon Ibn Sūqah, who said: ‘O nephew, let me relate to you something that will hopefully benefit you; for it benefited me. ‘Atā b. Abī Rabāh once said to us:’”Those before you used to consider idle talk to be anything other than the Book of Allāh, or the enjoining of good, or the forbidding of evil, or speaking for the sake of your basic living needs. Do you deny that there are recording angels appointed over you? Sitting on your right and your left? Never is a word said except there is an observer prepared to record? Are you not afraid (ashamed) that your record of words and deeds be spread open only to discover that there is nothing of the hereafter in it? Al-Dhahabī, Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā` 5:86

​The True Miskeen

The true miskeen (impoverished person) is the one whose lifetime is lost in knowledge that he does not act upon. So he has missed out on the delights of the dunyaa and the treasures of the Hereafter.

​ ​

Thus he will come (on the Last Day) as a bankrupt person, along with having a strong proof against himself. Ibn Al Jawzee​

No Concern Except Allah​

When a person spends his entire day with no concern but Allah alone, Allah will take care of all his needs and take care of all that is worrying him; He will empty his heart so that it will be filled only with love for Him.

 ​ Ibn Al Qayyim​

Good or Bitter fruits​

“The year is like a tree, months are its branches, days are the branch sticks, hours are its leaves, and the breaths are its fruits. Therefore, if one’s breaths are in obedience [to Allah and His Messenger], the fruits of his tree are good. If they are in disobedience, his fruits are bitter. The harvest is on the Appointed Day, when one’s fruits are found out to be either good or bitter.”

​ Ibn Al Qayyim​

 

Illness and Remedy

The Qur’an guides you to the recognition of your illnesses

 ​ ​

and to their remedies.

 ​ ​

Your illness are your sins,and your medicine is seeking Allah’

 ​s ​

Forgiveness

.

 Qatadah

Everything for and by will of Allah​

قال شيخ الإسلام بن تيمية رحمه الله: ما لا يكون بالله لا يكون وما لا يكون لله لا ينفع ولا يدوم

 "Whatever is not by the will of 

​Allah​

 will not come to pass, and whatever is not done for 

​Allah​

 will not cause benefit nor will come to last." Ibn Taymiyyah




والسلام