The man who was deceived by two dinars

Hasan al-Basri narrated that there was a tree that was worshipped instead of Allah. One man decided to chop down that tree. He was going to chop down the tree out of anger for the sake of Allah. On the way to the tree he met Iblees (Satan) who was in the form of a man. Iblees asked him “What do you plan on doing?”  The man answered, “I am going to chop down that tree that is worshipped instead of Allah”. Satan said, “If you do not worship it, why should it harm you if others do so?”  The man replied, “I will chop it down”. Satan then told him, “Would you like something better than that? Do not cut it and you will get two dinars every morning under your pillow”. “From where will I get that?” The man asked. “I will give it to you”, said Iblees. The man returned and the next morning he found two dinars under his pillow. The following morning he again found two dinars under his pillow. 


On the following morning he did not find anything. He got upset and went to chop down the tree again. Satan again appeared to him in the shape of the same man. Satan asked him, “What do you want to do?”  The man answered,” I plan on cutting down that tree that is worshipped instead of Allah!”  Iblees said, “You have lied. There is no way you will be able to do it” The man left to chop it down. The earth swallowed him and choked him until it almost killed him. Iblees asked, “Do you know who I. I am Satan. I met you for the first time when you were angry for the sake of Allah and I had no power over you. I deceived you by two dinars and you stopped what you had intended to do [for the sake of Allah]. Now you have come because you are angry about the two dinars, and I have gotten mastery over you”


Source: The world of Jinn and Devils by Dr. Umar S. Al-Ashqar

Some quotes of Hasan Al-Basri regarding death

Dear brothers and sisters, it is very important that we reflect and take admonitions from these statements made by Hasan al-Basri regarding death so as to prepare ourselves for the inevitable death ahead of us that we soon going to encounter.  One of the greatest figure of his time, the eminent scholar and the great Imam, Hasan al-Basri was a taabi’ee famous for his wisdom, eloquence, asceticism, and fear of Allah which signifies why his words appear like pearls and why Muslims still loves him.(May Allah have Mercy on him)

Some of his sayings regarding death 

“The soul of the son of Adam will depart this life with three sorrows: for not having his fill, for not reaching what he hoped for and for not preparing well for what he is going to face.”

 “I have never seen a certainty closer to being doubted than people versus death. (They are certain it will strike them)  yet, they ignore its immanence. I have never seen truth that is closer to falsehood than that demonstrated by their statement, “We seek Paradise”, yet, they ignore seeking its path.’”

“O son of Adam! Sell your current life for your latter life, and you will win both. Do not sell your latter life for this life, and you will lose them both. The period of stay is short, and the righteous ones went away before you, so what are you waiting for? Do you wait your turn? By Allah, it is about to come, and then the latter ones will join the former one among you.”

“If it were not for three son of Adam would not have lowered his head: death, illness and poverty. Other than that, however he is proud.”

“Death has exposed the reality of its life and did not leave delight to be felt by those who have sound minds. “

 “Those who were before you, used to often consider the nearness of death. One of them would often take water for purity, fulfill the call of nature and perform Ablution, fearing that Allah’s Command (death) might come to him while he is not in a state of purity.”

“If son of Adam knew death carries comfort and relief for him, it will still be hard for him to die, because of the agonies, hardships and afflictions that accompany death. So what about when he knows nothing about what death is carrying for him, whether eternal delight or everlasting torment”

 “He, who did not die all of a sudden, will get ill all of a sudden. Therefore, fear Allah and beware of His surprises for you.”

Hasan Al-Basri was asked: O Abu Said! How are you “Like he who awaits death when night falls, and in the morning, he does not know if he will live through the night or in which state (or condition) he will die”.

Hasan Al-Basri was asked, “O Abu Said! What should we do? We sit with people who make us afraid (from death) that makes our hearts fly away.”  He said, “By Allah! If you associate with someone who makes you afraid, so that you earn safety, is better than associating with someone who makes you feel safe, for in this case, un-safety might touch you.”

While Hasan Al-Basri was in the mosque, he took a deep breath and then said, “Had the hearts had life or righteousness in them, they would have made you weep of a night the day in its aftermath is the day of Resurrection, during which the creations will see more naked bodies and weeping eyes than before.”

Hasan Al-Basri asked his mother, “O my mother! Do you like to meet Allah the Exalted now?” She said, “No, for I have disobeyed Him.”

Once, Hasan Al-Basri passed by a man who was laughing and asked him, “O my nephew! Have you safely passed over the Sirat?” He said, “No.” Hasan Al-Basri asked, “Have you received news that you will end up in Paradise or Hell?” He said, “No Hasan Al-Basri asked him, “Why do you laugh then, May Allah save you, while the matter ahead is horrifying?” That man was never seen laughing until he died.

Also, Hasan Al-Basri wept very hard, and he was asked why he wept. He replied, “For fear that Allah might throw me in the Fire and care less about me.”

Hasan Al-Basri visited an ill person and found him suffering in the agonies of death. When Hasan Al-Basri witnessed the hardship and stupor of death that man was experiencing, he went back to his family with a different color or attitude than the one he left with. They said, come eat, May Allah grant you Mercy. He said O my family! Take away your food and drink. By Allah! I witnessed such a difficult death that I will keep preparing for until I meet”

When a funeral passed by Hasan Al-Basri, he said, “What an eloquent lesson that is soon forgotten! What an eloquent lesson if it is brought to a living heart. He then said” what an encompassing headlines that overcame people, as if they are seeing a dream: The dead of tomorrow is burying the dead of today”.

Hasan Al-Basri said to a man who attended a funeral, “if this dead man came back to life, do you think he would perform good deeds” he said “yes” Hasan Al-Basri said, “he won’t come back, but you can still perform good deeds.”

Hasan Al-Basri once participated in a funeral, sat next to the empty grave hole and said,” A matter (life) that ends like this deserves to feel disinterest about its beginning. A matter that starts life this (death) deserves that its end is feared (Hearafter)”

Hasan Al-Basri saw someone eating in the grave yard and commented” this is hypocrite, he sees death before his eyes, but his stomach craves for food!”

Hasan Al-Basri used to say” O son of Adam! You will die alone, be resurrected alone and be recompensed alone. O son of Adam! If all people obey Allah and you disobey Him, their obedience will not benefit you, if they disobey Allah and you obey Him, their disobedience will not harm you, O son of Adam, beware of your sins, for it is your flesh and blood at stake. If you are saved from the evil repercussions of your sins, your flesh and blood will be saved for you. If it is the other destination, then it is a fire that will never be extinguished, a body that will never perish (eternal in torment) and a soul that will never die.”

The sayings are taken from the book "Silent moments" by Abdul-Malik Al-Qasim , translated by Jalal Abualrulb

A sermon of Hasan al Basri

Habib al-’Abid reports: Once, when I arrived in al-Basrah, I was surprised to see that the markets were closed, and the streets empty.

I called out, “O people of Basrah, is this some kind of holiday of yours that I am unaware of?”

Someone answered, “No, but al-Hasan al-Basri is in the main gathering place (of basrah), giving a khutbah to the people.”

I hurried to his gathering , and when I arrived there, I saw him sitting down on some high ground .

He was saying:

“O people, prepare for departure, for very little time remains from this world.

Prepare to move (to the akhirah), for there is no way to stay here.

Do you not know that you will soon be surrendered to the place of trial?

Do you not know that each one of you will soon be alone with his deeds and that you will be presented (with your deeds) to Allah on the day of judgment?

He forbade you from sinning, but you have not stopped sinning.

He (threatened) you with the hell-fire, but you are neither afraid nor terrified of it.

He has encouraged you to seek our Jannah, but you do not (seem to) desire it or long for it.

Your white hairs are warning you of approaching death, so what are you waiting for?

O white-haired one, you are able to perform good deeds , so what is your excuse.

O one who obeys his mouth and his desires, who wastes his share of the akhirah by taking his entire share in this world, who persists in committing sins and evil deeds , if only I knew : what your excuse will be before him?

What argument will you put forth when you go to him? You are lost and misguided, so ask Allah, the All-Mighty, to forgive both me and you.”

(al-Mawa’idh wal-Majalis’ , pg 181)

Taken from istighfar.wordpress.com

Miscellaneous accounts about death

When al-Hasan ibn Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) was dying, he asked people to take him out to the hall. Then he said: “O Lord, I trust myself in you”.

On his death Muadh ibn Jabal (May Allah be pleased with him) said: “Look if the day has broken? “They looked and answered negative. Later on, he was informed that it was morning. Then he remarked: “I seek refuge in Allah from a night whose morning leads to Hell-fire. Welcome to death, an absent visitor and a beloved returning while we are defected. O Lord, I used to fear you, but now I expect good from you. You know that I never loved this world or long stay in it. I used to observe fasting on extremely hot days, praying at long nights of winter, and joining scholars in their circles of knowledge”.

Abu Muslim said:”I visited Abu Ad-Darda(May Allah be pleased with him) on his death. He said, “Would you get prepared for this day and for this hour? “Then he breathed his last”.

Salman al-Farisi(May Allah be pleased with him) wept on his death. Asked about this, he said: “The Prophet (Peace be upon him) commanded us to have sufficient provisions for the hereafter”.

Al-Mazini said that he visited Ash-Shafi’i on his deathbed. He said, “I asked him, how are you?” He replied,” I am leaving this world, leaving my brothers, meeting my sins, drinking the cup of death, and returning to the Almighty. But I do not know to Hell or Paradise my spirit will be admitted”.

Abu Ad- Darda (May Allah be pleased with him) was once asked about his visit to grave. He said “I visit people who remind me of death. They never back bite me when I depart”.

Maymun ibn Mahran said, “I joined Umar ibn Abdul Azeez in his visit to graves. Beholding them he wept and told me, “Maymun , these are the tombs of the predecessors from the Banu Umayyah. Look, as if they never shared this world’s delight. Do you not see them lying being exemplary to others. They have decayed”. Then he shed tears and said, By Allah I know non better that the dead who have been saved from Almighty’s torture”.

Al-Hasan al-Basri said, “Death has exposed this world, leaving no delight for sensible people therein”

When Ibn Umar remembered death, he trembled like birds. He used to convene with the jurists every night talking about death and the hereafter. Then they shed tears as if they were in funerals.

Hamid al-Qasyrasi said: “Though we know death is certain, we have not prepared ourselves for it. Though we know paradise is definite, we have not worked for it. Though we know the hell fire is sure, we have not feared it. So why are you delighted? What are you waiting for? Death is the first visitor from the Almighty bringing good or evil tidings. Brothers get closer to your Lord”.

Habib Ibn Muhammad’s wife said that Habib used to tell me,”If I die today get so-and-so to bath me”. She was asked if he had seen a dream of his death. She replied that he used to tell her likewise every day.

Source: Mukhtasar Minhaj Al-Qadisin (towars the hereafter) by Ibn Qudamah Al-Maqdisi Translated by Wa'il 'A.Shihab

How some of the pious feared Allah

Abu Bakr Siddiq RadiyAllah Anhu said, “ I wish I were no more than a hair on the side of a believing servant”. Whenever he got up to do the prayer he would be trembling like a leaf out of fear of Allah.

Umar bin Khattab RadiyAllah anhu was once reading Surat-Tur and when he came to the verse
Surely the doom of your Lord will surely come to pass (52: 7)
And he wept so intensely that he fell ill so that people came to see how he was.

When Umar radiyAllah anhu was on his death bed he told his son, “Put my cheek next to the earth so that Allah may forgive me.” Then he said, “ I am doomed if Allah does not forgive me” he repeated the same words three times and then he died.

When Umar used to read the Quran at night and read an Ayah that filled him with fear, he would stay indoors for days on end so that people come to visit him, thinking that he was ill. His frequent weeping etched two dark lines on his face.

Ibn Abbas once told Umar ,”Allah has brought many countries into the Muslim Ummah through you, And through you many victories has been won. Umar replied, “All I desire is to be saved, I desire neither reward nor punishment”.

Uthman bin Affan RadiyAllah anhu used to cry until his beard was soaked each time that he stood at a grave. He used to say , “ If I were standing between the garden and the Fire, not knowing in which one of the two I would end up I would rather be turned into ashes before I learned my fate.”

Abu Darda RadiyAllhu anhu used to say “If you knew what you will encounter after your death you would never eat with any appetite, nor drink thirstily, nor enter houses to shelter but you would go to open spaces and beat your breast and weep at your lot. I wish I were a tree to be cut up and destroyed.

Ibn Abbas RadiyAllah anhu had skin under his eyes which looked like worn out sandal leather , due to his frequent weeping.

Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah honor him, was once overwhelmed with sadness after completing the dawn prayer; He said, " Never did i see anything like the companions of the Messenger of Allah. Their hair was disheveled. Their faces were pale, they were covered in dust, and the space between their eyes looked like the knees of goats. They had spent their night in prayer and in recitation of the Quran either on their feet or in prostration. When the dawn came they would spend it in remembrance of Allah,swaying like a tree on a stormy day, with tears flowing from their eyes till their clothes soaked. By Allah it seem to me the people around me now have passed the night in fast asleep." Then he got up and was never seen laughing until he was stabbed to death by Ibn Muljim.

Musa ibn Mas'ud said: "Whenever we sat in the company of Sufyaan at Tawri, we would feel as if the Fire had surrounded us because of the fear and panic we could see in his eyes."

Al Hasan al Basri was once described as follows "Whenever he aproached us it would seem as if he has only just returned from the burial of his best friend, and when he sat in a company , it was as if he was a prisoner sentenced to death by having his head cut off. And when ever the Fire was mentioned it would be as it had been created especially for him".

It has been related that Zurarah ibn Abu awfa led some people in dawn prayer and recited surah Al-Mudhathir from the Quran. When he reached the words
For when the trumpet sound that will be that day-a Day of distress (74:8-9)
He gasped and fell dead.

Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al- As is reported to have said, “Weep , and if you cannot weep then pretend to weep, I swear by Him in Whose Hand my life is, that if any of you really knew you would plead until your voice went, and pray until your back is broken".


Source : The purification of the soul by Ahmed Farid

Striving in Worship of Salaf

The Salaf have understood the Deen of Allah as well as the essence of this life and its inescapable leading to the Hereafter, so they felt aversion for the distractions and the tribulations of the world. They found no sleep and their heart kept away from desires. They kept above the insignificant concerns of life. Their biographies abound with stories that show their striving in righteousness, repentance and their strong will in worship and humbleness.

Al-Hasan al-Basri said, "Whoever competes with you in the Deen then try to surpass him, and whoever competes with you in the matters of this life then throw it back at him." Whenever he missed a Salah in congregation, ibn `Umar radhiallahu `anhu used to fast one day, pray for one whole night and free a slave.

Abu Musa al-Ash`ari used to apply himself so much in worship at the end of his life that he was told, "Why don't you slow down and be gentle with yourself?" He replied, "When the horses are released for a race and are close to the finish line, they give all the strength they have. What is left of my life is less than that." He maintained the same level of devotion and worship until he died.

Mawriq al-`Ajli said, "I did not find an example, for the believer in this life, better than a man on a plank in the sea, imploring, 'O Lord, O Lord', hoping that Allah would save him."

Usamah said, "Whenever you see Sufyan ath-Thawri, it is as if you see someone in a ship fearing to drown. One would often hear him say, 'O Lord save me, save me!" Fatimah bint Abdil Malik, the wife of the Khalifah `Umar ibn `Abdil-Aziz said, "I have never seen a person offering a salah or fasting more than he did, or a person fearing the Lord more than him. After offering Salat-ul-Isha, he would sit down and cry until he becomes sleepy, then he would wake up again and continue crying until sleep overtakes him."

Amir ibn Abdullah was once asked, "How can you tolerate being awake all night, and thirsty in the intense heat of the day?" He replied, "Is it anything more than postponing the food of the day to nighttime, and the sleep of the night to daytime? This is not a big matter." When the night came, he would say, "Remembrance of the heat of hellfire has taken sleepiness from me." And he would not sleep until dawn.

Ahmad ibn Harb said, "I wonder how the one who knows that above him, paradise is being embellished, and below him, the hell-fire is being kindled, and yet sleeps between them!" Waqi` said, "Al Amash was almost seventy years old and he never missed the first takbirah (for salah in the masjid). I used to visit him frequently for more than two years and never saw him make up for even one rakah."

Abu Hayan related that his father said, "Ar-Rabi` ibn Khuthaym was crippled and used to be carried to the congregational salah. So people told him, "You have an excuse (for not coming)." He said, "I hear 'hayya `alas-salah', the call to salah; so if you can come to it even by crawling, do so", paraphrasing a hadith.

Abull-Mawahib ibn Sarsari said concerning Imam Abul-Qasim ibn Asakir, "I have never seen the like of him, and none had encompassed as many good characteristics as he did concerning his adherence to one way for forty years, making salah in the first row unless he had an excuse, i`tikaf during Ramadan and the ten days of Thul-Hijjah, and the lack of desire to accumulate properties and build houses, as he forbade himself these. He turned away any position of imam or speaker, though they were offered to him, and he devoted himself to enjoin good and forbid evil, and he would not fear anyone in that."

Source: Al-jumu'ah Magazine

Some narrations regarding the terrors of the grave

It is narrated from Anas (radhiallahu `anhu) that the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, 'Were it not for the fear that you would stop burying your dead, I would have asked Allah to make you hear the punishment of the grave.'

In the hadith of Jabir ibn 'Abdullah (radhiallahu `anhu), it is narrated from the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) that he said, 'Do not wish for death, for the terrors from the onset are more severe.'

It is narrated from Hani' the servant of 'Uthman (radhiallahu `anhu) that he said,

"Whenever 'Uthman stood at a grave, he would weep until his beard became wet so it was said to him, 'You remember Paradise and Hell but you do not cry. Yet you cry over this?!' He said, 'Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said,

'The grave is the first step of the Hereafter so if one is saved from it, then what comes after is easier to bear. And if one is not saved from it, then what comes after is more difficult.' Then he said, 'The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, 'I have not seen a sight except that the grave is more horrific.'

Rabi' ibn Khuthaym used to prepare himself for this night. It is narrated that he dug a hole in his house and whenever he felt hardness in his heart, he would enter this hole. He would imagine himself to have died and regretted, asking to be returned to the world! He would say,

"… 'My Lord! Send me back So that I may do good in that which I have left behind!'… "

[al-Mu'minun: 99-100]

Then he would answer himself saying: 'You have now been returned, O' Rabi'!' The effects of this would be seen from him for days, i.e. it would be seen in his 'ibadah (worship), struggle in doing good and in his fear (of Allah).

Yazid al-Raqqashi used to say to himself, 'Woe to you O' Yazid! Who will pray on your behalf after death? Who will fast on your behalf after death? Who will seek the Pleasure of Allah on your behalf after death?'

Then he would say, 'O people! Won't you weep and lament over yourselves for what remains of your lives? How will it be for a person for whom death is promised, for whom the grave is his home, the dust his bed, the worms his companion, and yet with all this he still awaits the greatest of terrors. How will such a person be?'

Wahb ibn al-Wird: It reached us that a knowledgeable man went to 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz and said, 'Subhan Allah! – as if he was surprised by 'Umar's state. He said, 'You've changed after us!' 'Umar said, 'Can you really see that?' He said, 'More than you think!' So 'Umar said to him, 'Then what if you were to see me after three days, when I've been buried in my grave… when the two eyes come out and pour onto the two cheeks, when the lips draw together over the teeth, when the mouth gapes open, when the stomach protrudes over the chest and matter exits from behind?!'

Then he would cry, rahimahullah.

'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz gave an admonishing reminder to his companions one day and some of what he said was,

'If you pass by them (i.e. the dwellers of the grave), then call out to them if you can! And pass by their troops and leaders and see how close their ranks are now! Ask their rich what has remained of his riches, and ask their poor, what became of his poverty. Ask them about their tongues with which they spoke and their eyes with which they used to view the delights and pleasures. Ask them about their soft skins, beautiful faces and fine bodies, what have the worms done to them underneath the shrouds?! It has indeed eaten away their tongues and dirtied their faces, it has wiped away their beauty and broke their spines, it has exposed their limbs and tore up their corpses. So where are their protective coverings and domed shrines? Where are their maids and slaves? Where are their wealth and treasures? Are they now not at the stations of loneliness? Is not day and night the same to them? Are they not in a gloomy place of darkness? It has come in between them and their doing good deeds, they have indeed left behind their beloved ones, wealth and families.

O' you who will reside in the grave tomorrow! What has caused you to become heedless in this world? Where is your vast home and river continuously flowing? Where are your ripe fruits and where has the softness of your clothes gone? Where is your perfume and fragrance, and where are your garments set aside for summer and winter? O if only I knew, which of your two cheeks has the punishment began with… O you who resides next to destruction, you've come to the station of death.

If only I knew, how will the Angel of Death meet me upon my departure from this world? And what message will he give me from my Lord?

Then he ('Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz) left but he did not live after that except for one week.

Al-Hasan once accompanied a Janaza (funeral prayer) and sat at the edge of the grave. He said, 'If this is the end stage of a matter (i.e. the life of this world), then it is only befitting that one should be ascetic at its beginning stages. And if this is the beginning stage of a matter (the hereafter), then it is only befitting that one should fear its end stage.'

It is narrated from 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (radhiallahu `anhu) that he said in his Khutbah (sermon),

'O slaves of Allah! Be cautious of death; be cautious of death, for there is no escaping it. If you stand up to it, it will take you and if you flee from it then it will only catch up with you. Death is tied to your forelocks so seek salvation, seek salvation. Indeed there is behind you an ardent seeker and that is the grave. Surely, the grave is either a garden from the gardens of Paradise or a ditch from the ditches of Hell. It speaks everyday saying 'I am the home of darkness, I am the home of loneliness, I am the home of the worms.' Indeed after that will be a Day more severe than that day, a Day in which a child will become grey-haired and an adult will be in a drunken state,

"… and you shall see mankind as in a drunken state, yet they will not be drunk, but severe will be the Torment of Allah." [al-Hajj: 2]

Source: The Grave is our Appointed Place (Dar al-Watan, Riyadh) Translated by Farhia Yahya

Hasan al basri and Rabi‘a al-‘Adawiyyah

It is related that when the husband of Rabi‘a al-‘Adawiyyah died, al-Hasan al-Basrî ( رحمه لله)and his companions asked for permission to visit her. She gave them permission to come in and let down a curtain and sat behind it. Al-Hasan and his companions said,

“Your husband has died. You should have someone to replace him.”
“All right,” she said, “but which of you has the most knowledge, so that I may marry him?”
“Al-Hasan al-Basrî,” they replied.
“If you can answer me four questions, I am yours,” she said to al-Hasan.
“What do you say to this,” she asked, “when I die and leave this world, will leave with belief or not?”
“That is a matter of the Unseen and none knows the Unseen except Allâh.”
“What about this, then? When I am put into the grave and Munkar and Nakîr question me, will I be able to answer them or not?”
“That is a matter of the Unseen and none knows the Unseen except Allâh,” replied al-Hasan a second time.
“When people are gathered together on the Day of Rising and the books are distributed, will I be given my book in my right hand or my left hand?”
“That too is a matter of the Unseen and none knows the Unseen except Allâh,” came the reply again.
“When people are called: ‘One group in the Garden and one group in Blaze!’ which of the two groups will I be in?”
“That is a matter of the Unseen and none knows the Unseen except Allâh,” responded al-Hasan for the fourth and last time.
“How is it possible,” she retorted, “for someone who is suffering the grief of ignorance about these four things to think of marriage?”
“O Hasan,” she continued, “in how many parts did Allâh create the intellect?”
“In ten parts,” he replied, “nine for men and one for women.”
“O Hasan, in how many parts did Allâh create appetite?”
“In ten parts: nine for women and one for men.”
“O Hasan,” she concluded, “I am able to contain nine part of appetite with one part of intellect whereas you cannot even guard one part of appetite with nine parts of intellect!” Thereupon al-Hasan wept and left her.

Source: “Dealing With Lust and Greed according to Islam”(P:42) By Shaykh ‘Abd al-Hamid Kishk

Temptation

It is related that a group of people were once seated in the company of Al-Hasan Al-Basri, when some men passed by, dragging along with them a body of a dead man. When Al-Hasan saw the dead man, a glint of instant recognition could be discerned in his eyes, and he fell unconscious from the shock of some memory that had just been rekindled.When he regained consciousness, his companions asked him what was wrong with him. He said; This man – referring to the dead man being dragged along on the ground – used to be one of the best worshippers and one of the most renowned ascetics (in the world) (here, ascetic specifically refers to a person who forgoes many of the pleasures of the world, because he is too busy and devoted to worship).

One day he left his home, intending to go to the masjid to pray; but on the way, he saw a beautiful young Christian woman, who became an immediate temptation to him.When he proposed to her, she refused, saying, 'I will not marry you until you become an adherent of my religion.' He went on his way, but as time went on, he yearning for her continued to increase. He then succumbed to her wish and exited from the fold of (Islam) – the religion of pure, unadulterated Monotheism. After he became a Christian and some time passed, the woman came out to him from behind the curtain and said, “You are a man who is bereft of goodness. You have forsaken your religion, which was important to you for your entire life, simply for the sake of a lust that is of no value. Indeed, I too am forsaking my religion, but not for the same reason. I am doing so in order to achieve a blissful existence that never comes to an end, an eternal existence under the care of the One, the As-Samad (i.e., Allaah; The Self Sufficient Master, Whom all creature need, He neither eats nor drinks).'

She then recited (the entire Chapter of Al-Ikhlas):

(4)قُلْ هُوَ اللَّـهُ أَحَدٌ ﴿1﴾ اللَّـهُ الصَّمَدُ ﴿2﴾ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ ﴿3﴾ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ

“Say (O Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)): “He is Allah, (the) One. Allah-us-Samad (The Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, He neither eats nor drinks). He begets not, nor was He begotten; And there is none coequal or comparable unto Him.” (Qur'an 112:1-4)

When the people heard about what she had said, they approached her and asked, 'All along, you had this Chapter memorized?' 'No,' she answered. 'By Allaah, I had never known it before. But after this man continued to insist upon having me, I saw a dream; I saw the Hellfire, and my place in it was shown to me. I became terrified and panic-stricken. Malik – the Custodian of the Hellfire – said to me : Do not be afraid or sad, for Allaah has ransomed (i.e., saved) you with this man (i.e., he will take the place in Hellfire that you would have taken had not Allaah saved you). He then took me by the hand and admitted me into Paradise. Seeing a line written inside of it, I read it; among what was written were these Words:

(39) يَمْحُو اللَّـهُ مَا يَشَاءُ وَيُثْبِتُ ۖ وَعِندَهُ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ


“Allaah blots out what He wills and confirms (what He wills). And with Him is the Mother of the Book (Al-Lauh Al-Mahfuz)“. [Qur'an 13:39]

He then recited the Al-Ikhlaas Chapter to me, and I began to repeat it. Then I woke up and had it (the Al-Ikhlas Chapter) memorized.'

Al-Hasan then said, “The woman then embraced Islam, and the man – whose corpse you just saw being dragged away – was killed for having apostatized. And I ask Allah to make us firm and steadfast (upon correct guidance) and to grant us safety and success.“

Source : Glimpses of righteous people by Majdi Muhammed Ash-Shahawi

Some quotes of Hasan Al-Basri regarding life of this world

Abu `Ubaidah An-Naji said: "We visited AI-Hasan AlBasri on the day he died. He said: "You are welcome, may Allah's Peace be upon you, and accommodate us all in the Home of settlement.This is a good sign if you are true and patient. Your share of this religion should not be to heard with your ears and say what you hear from your mouths. May Allah's Mercy be upon him who eats cheap bread, wears rags, sits on the ground, works
hard in worship, weeps for his sins, avoids Allah's punishment, and asks His Mercy till death comes to him in this state."

Al-Hasan said: "How good is life in this world for a believer because he uses it to prepare his provisions for Paradise. And how evil it is for a disbeliever who uses it to prepare his provisions for Hell."

Al-Hasan said: "In the life of this world the believer is like a captive, doing his best to free himself, and not feeling any security until he meets the All-Mighty Allah."

Describing the pious people, Al-Hasan said: "May Allah have Mercy on those who considered the life of this world as a trust, gave it back to the one who deposited it with them then left so light."

Al-Hasan said: "The one whose wealth increases, his sins increase likewise, and who talks much, lies much, and the ill tempered man torments himself."

Al-Hasan Al-Basri said: "I am astonished about those people who are ordered to prepare their provisions, then the start of the journey is announced, however they remain unmindful in their vain discussions and fruitless deeds."

Al-Hasan said: "I swear by Him in whose Hands my life is, I know some people for whom the life of this world is lower than the dust they walk on."

Al-Hasan said: "How astonishing is the one who laughs whereas he is sure about Hell, and the one who feels happy whereas he is sure about death."

Al-Hasan said: "The people who will have the easiest reckoning on the Day of Resurrection are those who have done the reckoning of themselves in the life of this world, who have considered well their deeds and intentions, completed what is for Allah's sake and abstained from what is not. And the reckoning will be heavy for those who jeopardise their religious duties in the life of this world and make no reckoning of themselves, because they will discover that the All-Mighty Allah
has recorded even the weight of an atom of their deeds, the All-Mighty Allah says: (...They will say: "Woe to us! What sort of Book is this that leaves neither a small thing nor a big thing, but has recorded it with numbers!" And they will find all that they did, placed before them, and your Rabb treats no one with injustice.) (Qur' an 18:49)

About the one who seeks the pleasures of the life of this world, Al-Hasan said: "I swear by Allah they will not last for him nor will he last in this life. He will not be safe from its evils, burden and reckoning, then he will be taken out of it in a shroud."

Al-Hasan Al-Basri said: "The jurisprudent is the one who renounces worldly pleasures, seeks the Hereafter, knows well his religion, worships his Rabb regularly, protects the Muslim's honour, saves their wealth and advises them."

Al-Hasan Al-Basra was asked: "Who is going to cry more than the others on the Day of Resurrection?" He answered: "A man on whom Allah has bestowed His Grace and who uses that for Allah's disobedience."

Al-Hasan (radiyallahu anhu) said: "I know some people who do neither feel happy for obtaining any of the worldly pleasures, nor feel sorry for missing any of them."

Al-Hasan said: "Beware of the diversions of this world, which are many. If a man opens a door for diversions, then that door may open ten others."

Source: From the book "The Life of This World Is a Transient Shade" by Abdul Malik Al-Qasim

Some sayings of Al-Hasan Al-Basree

Abu Hilal said, "When al-Hasan finished his hadith, he would say, 'O Allah, you see our hearts full of idolatry, pride, hypocrisy, showing-off, reputation, doubt and uncertainty in your deen. 0 Turner of hearts, make our hearts firm in Your deen and make our deen Straight Islam!"'

'Umara ibn Mihran said that al-Hasan was asked, "Why do you not visit the rulers and command them to the correct and forbid them the incorrect?" He replied, "'Thee believer should not waste himself. Their swords precede our tongues when we speak. They speak thus with their swords." And he made a striking gesture with his hand.

'Umara said, "I did not see anyone whose words are in harmony with his actions except al-Hasan."

It is related that al-Hasan said, "When a young man is devout, we do not recognise him by his speech. We recognise him by his actions. That is beneficial knowledge."

'Umara said that al-Hasan told him that he disliked voices trilling when reciting the Qur'an.

Al-Hasan said, "Guard against having a bad opinion of people."

Ar-Rabi' ibn Subayh said, "Al-Hasan disliked being praised to his face. If invocation was made for him, that delighted him."

Ghalib al-Qattan said, "I brought al-Hasan a letter from 'Abdu'l-Malik ibn Abi Bashir and he said, 'Read it.' So I read it and there was a supplication in it. Al-Hasan said, 'Many a true brother of yours was not actually born of your mother."'

It is related that 'Imran ibn Khalid al-Khuza'i said that a man told him, "Matar asked al-Hasan about a question and said, 'The fuqaha' oppose you.' He said, 'May your mother be bereaved, Matar! Do you see a faqih at all? Do you know what a faqih is? The scrupulous ascetic faqih is the one who does not care about who is above him nor mock the one below him, and who does not accept ephemeral rubbish in exchange for the knowledge which Allah has taught him."'

It is related that when al-Hasan saw a funeral, he would say, "Praise belongs to Allah who has not made me part of that which is snatched away." He said, "He would not relate anything that day."

Muhammad ibn 'Umar said, "Al-Hasan died in 110." Isma'il ibn 'Ulayya said that it was in Rajab. There were a hundred days between the deaths of Muhammad ibn Sirin and him, al-Hasan dying first.

Hammad ibn Zayd said that al-Hasan died on Friday night. He said that Ayyub and Humayd at-Tawil washed him. He was brought out when the people left. He said, "My father took me with him," and Mu'adh ibn Mu'adh said, "Al-Hasan was ten years older than Muhammad."

Source:http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=242

The Advice of al-Hasan

Al-Hasan once wrote the following short letter to Umar bin Abdul Azeez:

"Fear what Allah told you to fear. Take what is in your hands, and use it for what is to come. At the moment of death, sure news will come to you and peace."


Umar wrote back, asking al-Hasan to advise him some more. Al-Hasan wrote back:

"Indeed the terror of the Day of Resurrection is greater than you might think. Indeed, frightful matters are near at hand. You will have to face all of that, either by facing it all and being saved, or by facing it all and being destroyed. Know that he who takes account of his own deeds will succeed, and that he who is negligent in this regard will fail. Whoever looks at the outcomes of his actions will be saved, while he who obeys his desires will be misguided. Whoever is patient and forbearing will gain profits. Whoever remains awake and vigilant regarding his deeds will be safe, whoever is safe reflects, whoever reflects sees, whoever sees understands, and whoever understands knows. Then if you slip, return and repent. And when you are remorseful, then refrain [from sins]. When you are ignorant, ask. And when you are angry, restrain your anger."

Source: from the book "Stories of repentance"

A description of pious people by Al- Hasan

Al-Hasan Al-Basri once said "I have known people and kept company with groups who neither rejoiced when the things of the world came to them, nor grieved when they lost anything in the world. The life of this world was more insignificant than dust. One of them might live for a year or for sixty years without having a garment that would cover him, and without ever having anything to come between him and the ground, and without having any food that he could ask to be prepared for him in his own home.

When night came, they would be on their feet,with their foreheads flat against the earth, tears rolling down their cheeks, secretly calling to Allah to save them on the day of judgment. If they did some thing good they never stopped being grateful for it,and were always asking Allah to accept it.If they did something bad they would be saddened by it, and would keep on asking Allah to forgive them for it. By Allah they were not safe from wrong actions, and were only saved by their constant turning in repentance. May Allah be pleased with them and grant them His Mercy.

Source: From the book "Purification of the soul" by Ahmed Farid

The young man and the physician

Al-Hasan al-Basri said, “One day I was walking with a young pious man in
the narrow streets of Basra and its markets until we reached a physician sitting
on a chair and around him were many men, women, and children who had
bottles of water in their hands. Each one of them was seeking a cure for his
illness. The young man moved closer to the physician and asked him, ‘O
physician! Do you have a medicine that cleans away sins and cures the [spiritual]
diseases of the heart? He replied ‘Yes!’ The young man said, ‘Give it to me!” The
physician said, “Take ten things from me – take the roots of the tree of poverty
with the roots of the tree of humility, and pour in it the milk of repentance, then
place it in the mortar of acceptance [of whatever is predestined for one], crush it
with the pestle of contentment, then place it in the pot of piety, pour over it the
water of shame, then boil it with the fire of love, then place it in the cup of
gratitude and cool it down with the fan of hope, then drink it with the spoon of
praise. If you do all of this then it will cure you of every illness and trial in this world and in the Hereafter.’”

Source: From the book "Preparing for the day of judgement" by Imaam Ibn Hajar Al-‘Asqalani/p.42

A small description of Hasan al Basri (RA)

Hasan al Basri (RA), one of the most pious thaabieen was described by some as follows, "By Allah! If he arrived, it was as if he had returned from a beloved's burial, and if he withdraw it was as if the fire was above his head. When he sat, it was as if he was a convict waiting for his head to be toppled.In the morning it was as if he had arrived from his Afterlife, and in the evening it was as if sickness had worn him away".

From the book: "From the characteristics of the Salaf"