Thabit bin qais, The man of Jannah

O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet (SAW), nor speak aloud to him in talk as you speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds may be rendered fruitless while you perceive not. (Holy Qur'an 49:2)

When this Ayah was revealed, the Sahaba Thabit bin Qais who have a strong voice and used to be in the Majalis of Prophet sallallahu alihi wasllam stayed in his house crying day and night.

Prophet sallallahu alihi wasallam missed him and asked the companions about Thabit. The Sahaba replied: Oh prophet sallallahu alihi wasllam.  He from the time the Ayah was revealed, he is in his crying day and night. Prophet called Thabit and asked him about the reason and thabit replied that he fears that the Ayah was revealed about him. And he feared all his deeds would go waste.

Prophet sallallahu alihi wasallam gave him the good news that he will live a praise worthy life and will die a martyr and his abode is Jannah.

Anas bin Malik commented : We used to see Thabit walking among us knowing he was a man of paradise.

After praiseworthy life Thabit was martyred in the Battle against Musaylama al Kazzab.

Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Yahya ibn Mu'een and the Hadith fabricator

On one occasion, Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Yahya ibn Mu'een prayed in the Ar-Rassafah Mosque. A storyteller stood among the people gathered in the Mosque and said,

"Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Yahya ibn Mu'een related to me from 'Abdur-Razzaq from Qatadah from Anas that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alahi Wasallam) said…..”

He continued to relate twenty or so pages worth of narrations, while Ahmad stared in amazement at Yahya and Yahya stared in amazement at Ahmad. Each asked the other, "Did you relate this?"

And each of them answered, "By Allah, until this hour, I had not heard this." When the storyteller was finished, Yahya asked, "And who related this to you?" He said,"Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Yahya ibn Mu'een."

Yahya said, "I am Yahya and this is Ahmad, and we have never heard of this to be among the sayings of the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alahi Wasallam)"

The storyteller said, "I used to always hear that Yahya ibn Mu'een was an imbecile, but that fact has not dawned upon me until now." Yahya asked, "And how is that?" He said, "Is there not any Yahya ibn Mu'een and Ahmad ibn Hanbal in the world other than you two? I have indeed written from seventeen Ahmad ibn Hanbals and Yahya ibn Mu'eens”.

Tahdheer al-Khawas min Akadheeb al-Qussas by As-Suyootee

Source: The Sunnah and its role in Islamic legislation by Dr. Mustafa as-Siba'ee / Translated by Faisal ibn Muhammad Shafeeq / P122

A Glimpse at Imam an-Nawawi

By Sheikh Abdullah Azzam

“…It is known that he is from the most knowledgeable of scholars in the history of Islam. I mean, if you were to take the ten most notable scholars of the Muslims throughout history, an-Nawawi would be one of them. He wrote a commentary on ‘Sahih Muslim,’ and he wrote his book ‘al-Majmu” in Fiqh, regarding which Ibn Kathir said: “Nothing was ever written to match its brilliance.” And yes, nothing was ever written like this book.

When you read anything by an-Nawawi, you feel as if you are a plant that is being watered, as he delves deeply into meanings and concepts. Add to this that he abstained from the worldly pleasures, he was a devout worshipper, he would enjoin what was good, and he would forbid what was wrong. He would stand up to the rulers in the peak of their power. One time, the lamp he was using went out, and he lit it with his hand – he continued writing using light that was emanating from his hand!

He came into conflict with Dhahir Baybras, the ruler of Sham and Egypt. Dhahir Baybras requested a fatwa from the scholars that money should be collected in order to prepare an army to fight the Tatars in 658 H. When the Tatars occupied Baghdad and advanced upon Palestine and turned towards Sham, he requested a fatwa while the Tatars were in Palestine that money should be collected to purchase weapons.

Every single scholar issued the fatwa except for an-Nawawi. He said: “I will not provide you with such a fatwa.”

Dhahir asked: “Why not? I want to purchase arms for this struggle, and you refuse to issue a fatwa for it? The entire Ummah and Religion will be exposed to loss.”

He replied: “Because you came to us as a slave who owned nothing, and I see that you now own gardens, servants, slave girls, silver, and gold. So, if you sell all of these things and still need money after that, I will issue the fatwa you seek.”

He said: “Leave Sham.”

And he left and went to a small village in Nawa (his hometown). The scholars came to Dhahir Baybras and said to him: “The scholars of Sham are nothing without Muhi ad-Din an-Nawawi.” He replied: “Bring him back.” They then went to an-Nawawi and said: “Come back, O Muhi ad-Din.” an-Nawawi said: “By Allah, I will not go back while Dhahir is in it,” and Allah fulfilled his oath: Dhahir died a month later, and an-Nawawi returned to Sham.

This is an-Nawawi, the devout worshipper, the scholar, the zahid, the scholar of Usul, Fiqh, and Hadith. Look at the blessing that is in his books…ya Salam! Look at the barakah: his book ‘al-Majmu” has provided much benefit, his book ‘Riyad as-Salihin,’ his book of fortyHadith, his book ‘al-Adhkar’ – you can feel the barakah in his books. No books have been so widely distributed as the books of an-Nawawi…”

['Fi Dhilal Surat at-Tawbah'; p. 67-68]

Source

The Pious predecessors and their love for Jihad

Uthman (ra) stood on the pulpit and said: “I heard from the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) a hadith that I didn’t tell you about previously because I feared you would all leave from Madinah. I heard him say: ‘Being stationed in the path of Allah for a day is better than 1000 days anywhere else. So let everyone choose what they like.”

Abu Bakr as Sideeq (ra) escorted an army and walked with them and then said, “Praise be to Allah for having dust on our feet in his cause.” A man said: “But we just escorted them and gave them farewell?” Abu Bakr said: “We prepared them, gave them farewell and made prayers for them.”

Abu Bakr bin Abi Musa said I heard my father say: “Paradise is beneath the shadow of swords.” A man dressed in poor clothes stood up and said: “O Abu Musa! Did you hear that from the Messenger of Allah(Peace be upon him)?” He said “yes” The man went back to his companions and gave them his salaams, then he drew out his sword, broke his sheath and went on to fight until he was killed.”

Urwah bin al Zubair said: “Al Zubair had three scars from sword wounds. One was on his shoulder. It was so large I would stick my fingers in it. Two of them were from Badr and one in the battle of Yarmuk”

Anas bin Malik (ra) said: ‘Abu al Dujanah threw himself behind the walls in Yamamah and his leg broke. He kept on fighting with a broken leg until he was killed.’

Muadh bin Amr bin al Jamooh said: ‘I made Abu Jahl my target on the day of Badr. When I found him, I charged at him and hit him with my sword and cut his leg in two. Then his son Ikrimah hit me on my shoulder until he cut off my arm. It only remained hanging to my body by the skin of my side. But because fighting distracted me I remained dragging it behind me for most of the day. Dragging my arm behind me annoyed me so I placed my foot over it and pulled it off.’

Khalid bin al Waleed (ra) said: “That I were to marry a beautiful woman whom I love, or that I were given the good news of having a newborn son, it is less beloved and dear to my heart then to be, in a cold icy night, in an army waiting to meet the enemy the next morning. I advise you to go on Jihad”

These were the words of Khalid before his death. He also said, “I was prevented a lot of reciting of Quran because of my preoccupation with Jihad.”

Abdullah bin Amr said, “Shall I tell you about the best martyr on the Day of Judgment? That is the one who stands in the ranks on the battlefield and when they face the enemy he does not turn left or right. Rather he carries his sword and says: “O Allah! Today I hand over to you my soul to make up for my past days!” and then he is killed. That person is among the martyrs who now lie down in the high rooms of Paradise wherever they wish!”

Ibn Umar (ra) said, “One trip on Jihad is better than 50 Hajjs.”

Abu al Hassan al Muradi narrated that Ali bin Bakar said: “I’ve seen a Muslim in a battle against the Romans with his intestines spilled in front of him over his saddle. He stuck them back to his stomach and tied his turban around it. He carried on fighting and ended up killed over ten Roman soldiers before falling dead!”

Al Khateeb mentions in “The history of Baghdad” and Ibn Asakir in “The history of Damascus”, that Muhammad bin Fadhail bin Iyad said: “I saw Ibn al Mubarak in my dream so I asked him “What did you find your best deeds to be?” He said: “The deed that I preoccupied myself with.” I asked “Jihad and Ribaat?” He said: “Yes.” I told him “So what did Allah Almighty do to you?” He said, “He forgave me.”

Al Fadhl bin Ziyad said: I heard Abu Abdullah (Imam Ahmad) when Qazw was mentioned to him he started to cry and then said, “There is no act of worship greater than it”

(Ibn Qudamah records) in al Mugni it states that Imam Ahmad said: “There is nothing comparable in rewards to meeting the enemy. And for one to involve in the actual fighting is the best of deeds (compared to supportive roles.) The ones who are fighting the enemy are the ones defending Islam, so what can be greater than that? People feel save while they feel fear. They have given up their souls for Allah.”

Uthman is one of the Imams of the Tabi’een and one of their fighters. He was asked, “Are you going out to fight this year?” He said, “Yes, I wouldn’t want to miss fighting even if I were to make 100,000 dinars.”

Saad bin Abdul Aziz said Abu Muslim al Khawlani died in the territory of the Romans during the reign of Mu’awyah. He told Bisr bin Arta’ah (a companion who was the leader of their army): “Appoint me as the Amir (commander) over the dead and hand me the banner of war and make my grave the closest of all the graves of the martyrs to the enemy. I want to be resurrected on the Day of Judgment carrying the banner of war leading the martyrs.”

Yazeed bin Abi Ubayd said: “I asked Salamah bin al Akwa: “What was your pledge to the Messenger of Allah on the day of Hudaybiah?” He said: “We pledged to die.”

Al Qurtubi writes in his Tafseer, “As long as the enemy is more than twice the number of Muslims they can retreat but being steadfast and fighting is better. In the battle of Mutah the Muslims with only 3000 faced the Roman army of 200,000 Roman soldiers and 100,000 Arab soldiers. It is also mentioned that when Tariq was opening al Andalusia he had only 1700 soldiers while his enemy was 70,000 strong.”

Source: ‘Mashari al-Ashwaq ila Masari al-Ushaaq’ by Imam Ibn Nuhaas Translated by Imam Anwar Awlaki

The extreme coldness of Hell fire

It was said Zubayd al-Yami woke up one night to pray. So, he walked towards the bowl of water that he would wash up from and put his hand it to find the water so cold that it was almost frozen. This reminded him of the extreme cold in Hell, and he did not remove his hand from the bowl until he later awoke and his servant came to find him like this. His servant said: “What are you doing, sir? Why didn’t you pray at night as you usually do? Why are you sitting here like this?” He replied: “I put my hand in this bowl and touched the cold water, and was reminded of the extreme cold of Hell. By Allah, I did not feel the severity of its coolness until you came just now. So, go and don’t tell anyone about this until I die.” And nobody knew of this incident until he had died, may Allah have Mercy on him.

It is mentioned in an authentic hadith: “Hell complained to its Lord, saying: “Parts of me have consumed the other parts.” So, He allowed it two breaths of exhalation: one in winter and one in summer. As for its breath in winter, that is the bitter cold, and its breath in the summer is the extreme heat.”

Source

Life & Duaa of Baqy Ibn Makhlad - Shiekh Ahmad Musa Jibril

The Salaf and their prayer

Mujaahid (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “When one of them stood in prayer, he would be too fearful of his Lord to allow his eyes to be drawn to anything, or to turn aside or to fidget by playing with pebbles or anything else or to think of any worldly matter, unless he forgot, during prayer.”

When Ibn al-Zubayr stood up to pray, he would be like a stick (i.e., immobile) with khushoo’. Once he was prostrating when a missile from a catapult was launched at him, when Makkah was being besieged, and part of his garment was torn away whilst he was praying, and he did not even raise his head.

Muslimah ibn Bashshaar was praying in the mosque when part of it collapsed, and the people got up [and fled], but he was praying and did not even notice.

When the time for prayer came, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib would be visibly shaken, and the color of his face would change. It was said to him, “what is the matter with you?’ He said, “By Allah, there has come the time of the amaanah (trust) which Allah offered to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they declined to bear it and were afraid of it, but I bore it (referring to ayah of Surah Al-Ahzaab 33:72).”

When Sa’eed al-Tanookhi prayed, there would be tears rolling down his cheeks onto his beard.

One of the Taabi’een, when he stood up to pray, his color would change, and he would say, “Do you know before Whom I am going to stand and with Whom I am going to talk?”

They said to ‘Aamir ibn ‘Abd al-Qays, “Do you think to yourself during prayer?” He said, “Is there anything I like to think about more than the prayer?” They said, “We think to ourselves during prayer.” He said, “About Paradise and al-hooralin and so on?” They said, “No; about our families and our wealth.” He said, “If I were to be run through with spears, it would be dearer to me than thinking to myself about worldly matters during prayer.”

Sa’d ibn Mu’aadh said: “I have three qualities, which I wish I could keep up all the time, then I would really be something. When I am praying, I do not think about anything except the prayer I am doing; if I hear any hadeeth from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), I do not have any doubts about it; and when I attend a janaazah (funeral), I do not think about anything except what the janaazah says and what is said to it.”

Haatim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “I carry out what I am commanded; I walk with fear of Allah in my heart; I start with the [correct] intention; I magnify and glorify Allah; I recite at a slow and measured pace, thinking about the meaning; I bow with khushoo’; I prostrate with humility; I sit and recite the complete tashahhud; I say salaam with the [correct] intention; I finish with sincerity towards Allah; and I come back fearing lest [my prayer] has not been accepted from me, so I continue to strive until I die.”

Abu Bakr al-Subghi said: “I lived through the time of two imaams (leaders) although I was not fortunate enough to hear them in person: Abu Haatim al-Raazi and Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi. As for Ibn Nasr, I do not know of any prayer better than his. I heard that a hornet stung him on his forehead and blood started flowing down his face, but he did not move.” Muhammad ibn Ya’qoob al-Akhram said: “I have never seen any prayer better than that of Muhammad ibn Nasr. Flies used to land on his ears, and he did not shoo them away. We used to marvel at how good his prayer and khushoo’ were. His fear [of Allah] in prayer was so great that he would put his chin on his chest as if he were a piece of wood standing up.”

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him), when he started to pray, used to tremble so much that he would lean right and left. 

Source: 33 Ways of developing Khushoo’ in Salaah By Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Countering hypocrisy

From the morals and manners of the Salaf was their hard labor in countering hypocrisy so that their good nature remained the same whether in public or private. This way they would have no action left for their realities to be exposed tomorrow in the Afterlife.

Once ‘Umar ibn Abdul Azeez (rahimahullaah) was advised, “O ‘Umar, beware of being the ally of Allah in open, while being his enemy in secret. If one’s nature in open and secret not equate, then he is a hypocrite, and the hypocrites occupy the lowest level in Hellfire.”

It was said by one of the Salaf, “Beware of hypocritical fear!” On being asked, “What is hypocritical fear?” he replied, “When your body is seen to be fearing whereas your heart is not fearing.”

So search yourself. Does your open and secret (self) equate? Increase in seeking forgiveness knowing that whoever displays to the people beyond what is in his heart is a hypocrite.

The following are some of the characteristics which Allah the Most High ascribes to the hypocrites:

1) A lazy attitude towards prayer (salah) and little remembrance of Allah whilst in prayer. 

When they stand for prayer, they stand lazily; to be seen by the people, but little do they hold Allah in remembrance. (Holy Qur’an 4: 142)

 2) They enjoin what is bad and forbid what is good.

The hypocrites both men and women, proceed one from another. They enjoin the wrong and forbid the right and they withhold their hands (from spending in the cause of Allah). They forget Allah so Allah has forgotten them. Lo! The hypocrites, they are the transgressors. (Holy Qur’an 9:67)

3) Their alignment and befriending the disbelievers (kuffaar) as the Most High has said:

Bear unto the hypocrites the tidings that for them are painful doom. Those who choose disbelievers as their friends instead of the believers, is it honor they seek with them? Lo! All honor is with Allah. (Holy Qur’an 4: 138-139) 

4) Their disapproval of Allah’s decision.

When it is said to them, come to what has been revealed and come to the Messenger, you see the hypocrites turn from you with disgust. (Holy Qur’an 4: 61)

5) Their lying, treachery and deception and insult during quarrels.

The Messenger of Allaah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said, “Whoever has the following four characteristics will be a pure hypocrite, and whoever has one of them will possess a characteristic of hypocrisy until he gives it up. Whenever he speaks he lies. Whenever he promises he betrays. Whenever he makes a covenant he proves treacherous. Whenever he quarrels he is insulting. (Collected by al-Bukhaari (1/81) and Muslim (2/46) in the chapter of Al-Imaan, and an-Nasaai (8/116) also in the chapter of Al-Imaan).

Source: From the characteristics of the Salaf

Some miracles that happened to righteous people

With regard to karaamaat (miracles) of the righteous among this ummah, such as the scholars, devoted worshippers and ascetics, there are many such stories. We will quote a few examples of such incidents that were narrated by the scholars in their books. However we should point out that many of the stories that have been narrated in this regard may not be sound, so it is essential to verify reports of this nature before taking them seriously or quoting them. 

It was narrated that Qays ibn Abi Haazim said: I saw Khaalid ibn al-Waleed (may Allah be pleased with him) in Heerah. Some poison was brought to him and he said: What is this? They said: Poison that kills in a very short time. He said: Bismillah (in the name of Allah), then he swallowed it and nothing bad happened to him. 

(Sharh Usool I‘tiqaad Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah, 6/498; al-Bidaayah wa’n-Nihaayah, 6/382)

It was narrated that Thaabit al-Bunaani said: I was with Anas when his steward came to him and said: O Abu Hamzah, our land is very dry. Anas got up and did wudoo’, then he went out to the desert and prayed two rak‘ahs, then he offered supplication (du‘aa’). And I saw the clouds gathering, then it rained until everything was full. When the rain stopped, Anas sent one of his family members to look and said: See how far the rain reached. So he looked and it had not reached beyond his land except a short distance.

(End quote from Sharh Usool I‘tiqaad Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah, 7/11; al-Bidaayah wa’n-Nihaayah, 9/107) 

It was narrated that Ja‘far ibn Zayd al-‘Abdi said: We went out on campaign to Kabul and among the army was Silah ibn Ashyam. When we got close to the land of the enemy, the commander said: No one among the troops should wander off away from the army. A mule of Silah’s strayed, carrying its load, and he started to pray. It was said: The people (i.e. the army) have started moving on. He said: It is only two brief rak‘ahs. Then he offered supplication (du‘aa’) and said: O Allah, I urge You to return my mule and its load to me. Then it came and stood in front of him.

(End quote from Sharh Usool I‘tiqaad Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah, 7/142) 

It was narrated that Naafi‘ ibn Abi Nu‘aym said: When Abu Ja‘far Yazeed ibn al-Qa‘qaa‘ al-Qaari’ was washed (ghusl) after he died, they looked at the area between his throat and chest and saw that it looked like a page of the Mushaf. He said: None of those who were present doubted that it was the light of the Qur’aan.

(End quote from Tahdheeb al-Kamaal, 33/201) 

It was narrated from Muhammad ibn Ziyaad al-Alhaani, from Abu Muslim al-Khawlaani, that a woman turned his wife against him, so he prayed against her and she lost her sight. Then she came to him and said: O Abu Muslim, I did such and such, but I shall not do it again. He said: O Allah, if she is telling the truth then restore her sight to her. And she regained her sight. 

(End quote from Hilyat al-Awliya’, 5/121) 

It was narrated that Bilaal ibn Ka‘b al-‘Akki said: Some boys said to Abu Muslim al-Khawlaani when a gazelle passed by: Pray to Allah to detain this gazelle for us. He prayed to Allah (du‘aa’) and He detained it until they caught it with their hands. 

(End quote from Tareekh Dimashq, 27/215) 

It was narrated that Shaqeeq said: I was in some farmland of mine when a cloud came, and I heard from it a voice saying: Rain on the land of So and so. So I went to the man and said: What do you do with your crops? He said: I plant one third (i.e., save the seeds for planting), I eat one third and I give one third in charity.

(End quote from Sharh Usool I‘tiqaad Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah, 7/94) 

It was narrated from Abu’l-‘Alaa’ ibn ‘Abdillah ibn ash-Shakhkheer that ‘Aamir ibn ‘Abd Qays used to take his stipend and carry it in the hem of his rida’ (upper garment), and he would not meet any of the poor who asked him for something but he would give him something. Then when he entered upon his family, he gave it to them and they counted it, and it was the same as what he had been given (i.e., it had not decreased at all).

(End quote from Tareekh Dumashq, 26/29; al-Isaabah, 5/77) 

It was narrated that Yoonus said: When Mutarrif ibn ‘Abdillah entered his house, the vessels in his house would glorify Allah.

(End quote from Tareekh Dimashq, 58/323; Hilyat al-Awliya’, 2/206) 

It was narrated that Qataadah said: Mutarrif ibn ‘Abdillah and a companion of his were walking on a dark night, and at the end of the whip of one of them there was a light. He said to his companion: If we tell people about this they will say that we are lying. Mutarrif said: The one who says we are lying is more of a liar.

(End quote from Hilyat al-Awliya’, 2/205; Siyar A‘laam an-Nubala’, 4/193) 

It was narrated that al-Jurayri said: ‘Abdullah ibn Shaqeeq was a man whose du‘aa’s were answered. Clouds would pass by him and he would say: O Allah, do not let them go beyond such and such a place before it rains, and they would not go beyond that place before it rained.

(End quote from Tareekh Dimashq, 29/161) 

It was narrated that al-Haarith ibn an-Nu‘maan said: Ibraaheem ibn Adham used to pick fresh dates from oak trees.

(End quote from Tareekh Dimashq, 6/326; Siyar A‘laam an-Nubala’, 7/393) 

It was narrated that Yahya ibn Katheer al-Basri said: Kahmas ibn al-Hasan bought some flour for one dirham and ate some of it, then after a long time he weighed it and found that it was the same weight as when he bought it.

(End quote from Siyar A‘laam an-Nubala’, 6/317) 

Source

God-consciousness of Sufyan ath-thawri

Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhàb said: "I never saw princes and rich men sit more meekly than in the gathering of Sufyàn al-Thawrï."

 Qabïsa said that no-one sat with Sufyàn except they remembered death.

Yusuf ibn Asbat. narrates that he once handed Sufyàn the ablution-pot in the evening and left him holding it pensively. At dawn, he had not moved and said: "I am still thinking about the next life." 

Ibn Mahdï said: "Night after night I would catch sight of Sufyàn sitting up and calling out: 'The Fire! The Fire! I cannot sleep nor feel pleasure anymore because I think of the Fire."

 Abu Nu'aym said that Sufyàn would be useless for days whenever this state overtook him.

Shuja' bin Walid said: "I performed the Hajj with Sufyan, and he would come and go with his tongue never ceasing to command the good and forbid the evil."

 When al-Mahdi came into power, he sent for Sufyan. When Sufyan entered, al-Mahdi removed his ring and threw it at Sufyan and said: "O Aba 'Abdillah, this is my ring. Work for this nation according to the Qur'an and the Sunnah." So, Sufyan took the ring and said: "Do you permit me to speak, O Commander of the Believers? Can I speak with your promise not to harm me?" He said: "Yes." So, Sufyan said: "Do not send for me again until I come to you myself, and do not give me anything unless I ask you for something." So, al-Mahdi become enraged and wanted to kill him, but his assistant reminded him that he had promised not to harm Sufyan. So, Sufyan was kicked out of the palace and his companions asked him: "What made you refuse? He only asked you to work according to the Qur'an and Sunnah!" So, Sufyan belittled their intellects due to their missing the point and he ran away as a fugitive to al-Basrah.

al-Mahdi later said : "I was unable to look at Sufyan out of haya' and intimidation from him."

Sufyan would reach states of anxiety about the Day of Judgment in which he urinated blood. He said: "I may see something against which I ought to speak out but I do not, then I urinate blood." 

Sufyan also said: "I felt the fear of God to a point I wondered how I could still be alive, then I would say to myself: I have a fixed term of life, but I wish it were made lighter for me. My fear is such that I fear losing my mind."

Sufyan once went to Abu Ja'far when they were at Mina and said to him: "Fear Allah! You are in this position and have this power due to the swords of the Muhajirin and Ansar, and their sons are dying of hunger! 'Umar made the Hajj and spent only fifteen dinars, and he used to shade himself under the trees!" So, Abu Ja'far said: "Do you want me to be like you?" Sufyan said: "No. Just be below what you are and above what I am." Abu Ja'far said: "Get out."

It was also related from Ibn Abi Hatim that there was a blind man who used to sit with Sufyan. When it was Ramadan, the man would go lead the people in prayer, and they would give him clothes and gifts as a reward for this. So, Sufyan said: "On the Day of Resurrection, the people of the Qur'an will come with their Qur'an, and it will be said to the likes of this person: 'You have already received your reward previously.'" So, the man said to him: "O Aba 'Abdillah, you say this while I am sitting right next to you?" Sufyan replied: "I fear that it will be said to me on the Day of Resurrection that you were sitting next to me and I did not advise you."

The salaf fear of hypocrisy

Ibn Sireen said: There is nothing I fear more than this verse (interpretation of the meaning): “And of mankind, there are some (hypocrites) who say: ‘We believe in Allaah and the Last Day,’ while in fact they believe not” [al-Baqarah 2:8].

Ayyoob said: Every verse in the Qur’aan which mentions hypocrisy I fear lest it apply to me.

Mu’aawiyah ibn Qurrah said: ‘Umar used to fear it, so how I can feel safe from it?

Imam Ahmad was asked: What do you say about one who does not fear hypocrisy for himself? He said: Who can feel safe from hypocrisy? 

It was narrated that Hanzalah al-Usaydi said: Abu Bakr met me and said: How are you, O Hanzalah? I said: Hanzalah has become a hypocrite. He said: Subhaan Allaah! What are you saying? I said: When we are with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) he reminds us of the Fire and the Garden until it is as if we are seeing them with our own eyes, but when we depart from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), we attend to our wives and children and businesses, and we forget a great deal. Abu Bakr said: By Allaah, we experience something similar. Abu Bakr and I went and entered upon the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and I said: Hanzalah has become a hypocrite, O Messenger of Allaah. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Why is that?” I said: O Messenger of Allaah, when we are with you, you remind us of the Fire and the Garden until it is as if we are seeing them with our own eyes, but when we depart from you, we attend to our wives and children and businesses, and we forget a great deal. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, if you continued as you are when you are with me, and continued to remember (Paradise and Hell), the angels would shake hands with you in your homes and on the streets. But, O Hanzalah, there is a time for this and a time for that” (he said it) three times.

Narrated by Muslim (2750). 

Ibn Abi Mulaykah said: I met thirty of the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), all of whom feared being hypocrites, and none of them ever said that he had faith equivalent to that of Jibreel and Mikaa’eel. 

al-Ja’d Abu ‘Uthmaan said: I said to Abu Raja’ al-‘Attaaridi: Did you meet anyone whom I met of the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who feared falling into hypocrisy? He said: Yes. Praise be to Allaah I met some of the prominent ones among them, and they used to fear it a great deal.

Examples of Taqwa in the Lives of Early Muslims

The early Muslim community was par excellence in terms of integrity, nobility of character, and engaging in commendable competition to earn the Satisfaction of Allah The Exalted. Taqwa (consciousness of Allah The Almighty) was a prominent and distinguished feature of the lives of the early Muslim community. This great Muslim generation dominated and subdued the whole world due to their courage and striving in the cause of Allah. Their noble morals and manners and virtues spread in the east and west. The Prophet, , the leader of the pious believers and the epitome of Taqwa, used to pray at night until his feet would crack. He used to cry out of his fear of Allah The Exalted and a sound would come from his breast like the rumbling of a mill owing to weeping, although his past and future sins were forgiven. 

Abu Bakr the successor and best friend of the Prophet, , used to say, “I wish I were a tree that is eaten from and then truncated!"

Once, a servant of Abu Bakr, , came to him with some food, and he, , ate some of it. Abu Bakr, , used to ask the servant each time about the origin of the food before eating, but this time he forgot to do so. The servant then asked him, "Why did you not ask me where this food came from?" Abu Bakr, , returned, "From where?" The servant responded, "I practiced fortune telling in the times of Jaahiliyyah (the Period of Ignorance before Islam) for some people and they paid me for it (today)." On hearing this, Abu Bakr, , put his finger into his mouth and forced himself to vomit up the food, until there was nothing left in his stomach. Then, he said, “By Allah, if getting this piece of bread out of my body meant my death, I would have got it out.”

This reflects his Taqwa and fear of Allah The Exalted. ‘Umar, , feared Allah The Almighty and his heart abounded with Taqwa beyond words. He once heard someone reciting the verse that reads (what means): {The Day they are thrust toward the fire of Hell with a [violent] thrust…} [Quran 52:13] On pondering over this verse, ‘Umar, , fell ill for three days and people visited him. Moreover, he once read the verse that reads (what means): {And stop them; indeed, they are to be questioned.} [Quran 37:24] This time he fell ill for a whole month and people visited him.

‘Ali, , used to grab his beard in the darkness of the night and say, “O, vicious world! Do you want to allure me? Go and try your allurements on somebody else. I do not desire to own you and do not want to have you. I have divorced you thrice, an irrevocable divorce. The life of pleasures that you offer is of a very little duration.”

Ibn Mas‘ood, , once went out with some people. He asked them, “Do you need anything from me?” They said, “No, but we love walking with you.” Ibn Mas‘ood, , said, “Go away! This is a humiliation for the follower and a trial for the one who is being followed.”

The great Abbasid Caliph Haaroon Ar-Rasheed, was a great Muslim Caliph who subdued the emperors of the Roman and Persian empires and whose kingdom reached the furthest countries east and west. He went out one day in his luxurious procession. A Jew said to him, “O Commander of the Believers, fear Allah!" Haaroon Ar-Rasheed descended from his mount and prostrated to Allah The Exalted in utter modesty and humility. Then, he talked to the Jew and commanded his men to fulfill his need. Haaroon Ar-Rasheed was then asked about his reaction, he said, “When I heard his words, I remembered the verse that reads (what means): {And when it is said to him, "Fear Allah," pride in the sin takes hold of him. Sufficient for him is Hellfire, and how wretched is the resting place.} [Quran 2:206] I feared that I would be meant by this verse.”

These days many people when they are told to fear Allah The Almighty would feel proud and angry, their eyes would become red with anger and their veins would pop out of their forehead! Ibn Mas‘ood, , said, “Enough is the sin of a man to whom people say, 'Fear Allah', and he would reply, 'Mind your own business, how can a man like you advise a man like me!’”

When the hearts of our predecessors were filled with Taqwa, Allah The Exalted united them, granted them glory and might after being humiliated, and enabled them to conquer countries in the course of fulfilling His promise to them. Allah The Exalted Says (what means): {And if only the people of the cities had believed and feared Allah, We would have opened upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth; but they denied [the messengers], so We seized them for what they were earning.} [Quran 7:96]

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