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."