Came across this on another forum. Alhamdulillah ! May it inspire us to strive with renewed vigour towards that crucial goal of the soul: sincerity. Aameen.
1 - Bishr al-Haafi said: "That I seek the world with a wind instrument is more beloved to me than that I seek it with my Deen."
2 - Ibraaheem an-Nakha'i said: "When Shaytaan comes to you while youare in prayer and says: 'You are showing off,' make it longer."
3 - One of the Salaf said: "Direct me to an action by which I willnever cease to be performing for Allaah the Exalted." It was said tohim: "Always intend good, because you will never cease to be performingeven if you do not perform any actions. The intention is made even inthe absence of any actions. Whoever intended to pray at night and thenslept, the reward for what he intended will be written for him."
4 - One of them said: "I love that I have an intention for every single thing; even my eat, drink and sleep."
5 - It was said to Sahl: "What is the hardest thing for the soul (toachieve)?" He said: "Sincerity, when there is no other desire in it."
6 - Ya'qoob al-Makfoof said: "The sincere person is the one who hides his good deeds just like he hides his evil deeds."
7 - One of them wrote to his brother: "Make your intention sincere in all of your actions, and little action will suffice you."
8 - Ayyoob as-Sakhtiyaani said: "Purifying the intention is harder than all other actions for those who act."
9 - Yahyaa bin Mu'aadh said: "Sincerity separates good actions from faults like the separation of milk from dung and blood."
10 - as-Soosi said: "What Allaah desires from the actions of His creation is sincerity and nothing else."
11 - al-Junayd said: "To Allaah belong servants who understand, andwhen they understand they act, and when they act they make theiractions sincere. Their recalling of sincerity at the time of doingrighteousness is what accumulates the greatest good for them."
12 - Hawshab used to cry and say: "My name has reached the large Mosque (meaning, the people will know who I am)!"
13 - as-Soosi said: "Sincerity is to lose the vision of sincerity in oneself."
14 - One of them said: "Whoever sees sincerity in his sincerity, hissincerity is itself in need of sincerity. The destruction of everysincere person lies in his sincerity to the extent that he seessincerity in himself. When he abandons seeing sincerity in himself hewill be sincere and purified."
15 - Abu 'Uthmaan said: "Sincerity is to forget about the creation byconstantly looking at the Creator (in terms of gaining admiration foryour deeds)."
16 - Ibraaheem bin Adham said: "The one who loves fame is not truthful to Allaah."
17 - Sufyaan ath-Thawri said: "They (the Salaf) used to hate fame andreputation due to wearing nice garments because eyes would stretchtowards them."
18 - Na'eem bin Hammaad said: "'Abdullaah ibn al-Mubaarak frequentlyused to sit in his house for long periods of time, so it was said tohim: 'Don't you feel lonely and isolated?' He said: 'How can I feelisolated while I am with the Prophet
?'." 19 - Ja'far bin Hayyaan said: "The foundations of these actions are theintentions. Indeed a man reaches with his intentions a position he doesnot reach with his actions."
20 - One of the people of wisdom used to say: "When a man is speakingin a gathering and his speech amazes him, let be silent. When he keepssilent and his silence amazes, him let him speak."
21 - Mutraf bin 'Abdullaah ash-Shakheer said: "That I spend the nightsleeping and wake up remorseful is more loved to me than that I spendthe night standing in prayer and wake up in admiration."
22 - an-Nu'maan bin Qays said: "I never saw 'Abeedah performing any voluntary prayers in the mosque of al-Hayy."
23 - 'Ali said: "The one who shows off has three charactersistics: heis lazy when by himself, he is lively and energetic when with othersand he increases in his actions when he is praised and decreases inthem when he is criticised."
24 - al-Hasan said: "The one who shows off desires to overcome whatAllaah has decreed for him. He is an evil person who desires to informthe people that he is righteous in order to hear what they would say.He has obtained a position of vileness and wickedness from his Lord. Itis therefore essential for the hearts of the believers to recognisehim."
25 - Sahl bin 'Abdullaah said: "There is nothing which is tougher uponthe soul than acheiving sincerity. How many times have I tried toremove the inclination to show off from my heart except that itsprouted in a different colour?"
26 - Ibn Mas'ood said: "Do not learn knowledge for three reasons: toamaze and confound the foolish, to argue with the learned and to makepeople's faces turn towards you. Rather, seek what is with Allaah withyour hearts and actions, since only that will remain and whatever isbesides it will go."
27 - Abu Sulaymaan ad-Daarini said: "Glad tidings for the one who tooka single step desiring nothing but the face of Allaah by it."
28 - Some of the Salaf said: "Whoever had a single instance in hislifetime which was purely and sincerely for the sake of Allaah - theExalted - will be saved, and this is due to the greatness of sincerity."
29 - Abu Sulaymaan ad-Daarini said: "When the servant is sincere, theinclination to show off and the many whisperings (of the Devils) arecut off from him."
30 - It has also been said: "Sincerity is that the servants inward andoutward actions are equal. Riyaa' is when the outward appearance isbetter than the inner self and truthfulness in one's sincerity is whenthe inner self is better cultivated and more flourishing than theoutward appearance."
31 - Some of the Salaf have said: "Sincerity is that you do not seek awitness over your action besides Allaah or one who gives reward besidesHim."
32 - Makhool said: "Never does a servant maintain sincerity for fortydays in succession except that the streams of wisdom from his heartappear on his tongue."
33 - 'Adiyy ibn Haatim said: "The people destined for the Fire will beordered towards Paradise until they come close to it and smell itsfragrance, see its palaces and what Allaah has prepared in it for itspeople. Then an announcement will be made that they be turned away fromit. There will be no portion for them in it. They will return in lossand ruin just like the ones before them. Then they will say: 'O ourLord! If you had entered us into the Fire before You showed us what Youhave shown us from Your reward and what You have prepared for yourfriends and allies, it would have been easier upon us.' Then theExalted will say: 'This is what I intended with you. When you used tobe alone you would combat me (or show boldness to Me) with grave sinsand when you used to meet people you would meet them with humility. Youwould show to the people other than that which you used to give Me fromyour hearts. You feared people but you did not fear Me. You honored thepeople but you did not honor Me, you abandoned actions for the peoplebut you did not abandon them for Me. This day, will I make you taste atormenting punishment as well as prevent you from receiving thatreward."
34 - It has been said: "The damage caused to every servant lies in hisbeing pleased with himself. Whoever looks at his soul and seessomething in it which he deems to be good has caused its destruction.And whoever does not suspect his soul at every single moment is one whois deceived."
35 - Ibn al-Qayyim said: "Sincerity is the unification of one's wish and intent."
[Collected by Shaykh Husayn al-'Awaa'ishah from 'Ihyaa' 'Uloom ud-Deen'of al-Ghazaali, 'Mukhtasar Minhaaj ul-Qaasideen' of Ibn Qudaamah and'az-Zuhd' of 'Abdullaah Ibn al-Mubaarak]
Fee amaanillah
Wassalaam
