MUHAMMED (PBUH) SAYINGS OF WISDOM

Fear Allah wherever you are and follow up a bad deed with a good one as it will wipe it out and behave well towards people. (Related by at-Tabari according to Abu Dharr).

Fear Allah and treat your children equally. (Related by an-Nu’an).

Beware of the invocation of the oppressed as there is no barrier between it and Allah. (Related by at-Tirmithi).

Beware of oppression, for it will turn into darkness on the Day of Resurrection. And beware of miserliness for it ruined those who preceded you as it led them to bloodshed as well as be cautious in treating lawfully the forbidden acts. (Related Imam Ahmad according to Abu Huraira)

To talk about Allah’s blessing is an expression of gratitude, and not doing so is an act of disbelief. The one who is not thankful for the few blessings will not be thankful for the many. And the one who is not thankful to the people will not be thankful to Allah. Unity is a blessing and division is a punishment. (Related by al-Bayhaqi).

A hypocrite has three distinguishing signs, when he talks he lies, when he promises he breaks it and when he is entrusted with something, he betrays such trust. (Related by the two Sheiks according to Abu Huraira).

Avoid the seven great destructive sins. These are to join partners in worship with Allah, to practice sorcery, to kill without justification a living being whose life has been declared sacred by Allah, to practice usury, to misappropriate the property of an orphan, to flee from the battlefield at the time of fighting and to slander chaste and innocent believing women. (Related by the two Sheikhs).

Allah likes most perpetual deeds however minimal. (Related by the two Sheiks according to ‘Aisha).

Wish for others what you wish for yourself. (Related by al-Bukhari).

Allah Most High loves a servant of His who is lenient when he sells, lenient when he buys, lenient when he pays his debt and lenient when he demands the payment of a debt due to him. (Related by al-Bayhaqi according to Abu Huraira).

Whenever you go to bed, perform your ablution the way you do it for prayer, then lie down on your right side and say “O Allah! I have surrendered my fate to You, I have entrusted all my affairs to You and I have depended on You. There is no refuge and no asylum from You except with You. O Allah! I believe in Your Book which You have revealed and in Your Prophet whom You have sent." (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim).

When one of you suffers a calamity, he should say, “To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return. O Allah, I seek reward from you for my affliction, so compensate me for it and grant me something better than that as its substitute”. (Related by Ibn Majah according to Umm Salama).

When any of you starts eating, let him mention the name of Allah Most High. If he forgot to do so at the beginning of the meal, when he remembers, he should say, “In the name of Allah at its beginning and at its end.”

When any of you leads the people in prayer, he should shorten it, for among them are the young, the old, the weak, the sick, and the one preoccupied with his affairs. But when he prays alone, he may prolong his prayer as much as he wishes. (Related by at-Tirmithi according to Abu Huraira).

When a woman gives in charity from her husband’s house, reasonably and without waste, she receives the reward of what she has spent and her husband receives his reward for having earned it and the storekeeper will have a similar reward. The reward of one does not decrease those of the others. (Related by the Two Sheiks).

When one of you enters a mosque, let him pray two rak’ats before sitting. (Related by the Group).

When one of you gets invited to a wedding banquet, he should accept the invitation. (Related by the al-Bukhari and Muslim).

When one of you sees a pleasant dream, then it is from Allah, and he should thank Allah for it and tell it to others. But when he sees something else (an unpleasant dream) which he dislikes, then it is from Satan and he should seek refuge with Allah from its evil and should not mention it to anyone, for then it would not harm him. (Related by al-Bukhari according to Abu Sa’id).

When one of you sees a bad dream, he should spit thrice towards his left then seek refuge with Allah from Satan three times. He should then turn over to the side other than the one he was lying on. (Related by Muslim according to Jaber)

The woman who renders her five daily prayers, fasts her month of Ramadan, guards her chastity and obeys her husband, enters Paradise. (Related by al-Bazza according to Anas)

When the trust is betrayed, wait for the Hour of Judgement. The questioner asked: “O Messenger of Allah, how is the trust betrayed? He said, “When authority is entrusted to those unworthy of it, then wait for the Hour." (Related by al-Bukhari)

When one of you beats someone, let him avoid the face. (Related by al-Bukhari).

When one of you sneezes, he should say, “Alhamdullillah Rabbi-il-‘Aalameen” (Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds). And whoever muslim brother or companion is with him at such a time should reply to him, “Yarhamuka-Allah” (may Allah bestow His mercy on you). When the latter says, “Yarhamuka-Allah”, the former should respond by saying, “Yahdeekumu-Allah wa yuslihu balakum” (May Allah give you guidance and improve your condition). (Related by Abu Daoud and an-Nassai)

When the son of Adam recites the Sura of Sajda (prostration) then prostrates, Satan steps aside crying and saying, “Woe to him (satan), the son of Adam was ordered to prostrate and he did and will therefore enter Paradise. And I was ordered, I disobeyed and I will enter the Fire (of Hell)”. (Related by Muslim according to Abu Huraira).

When the prayer has started, do not rush for it, but come to it walking calmly. Join in the prayer at the stage at which you arrived and complete afterwards whatever you have missed. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim).

When the child of a servant of Allah dies, Allah most High asks His angels: “Have you taken the soul of my servant’s child?” “Yes”, they reply. Allah will say, what did my servant say? The angels answer: He praised You and said: To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.” On this, Allah Most High will say: “Build for My servant a house in Paradise and name it the house of Praising (Allah).” (Related by at-Tirmithi according to Abu Musa).

When a person dies, all his deeds cease except for these three: Perpetual charity, a beneficial knowledge, and a child who invokes Allah for him. (Related by Muslim).

When any of you sees someone who is superior to him in riches and beauty, then he should look at another one who is inferior to him. (Related by the two Sheikhs according to Abu Huraira).

When one of you intends to do something, he should offer a two Rak’at prayer (Nafl), other than the compulsory prayers and after finishing it, he should say: “O Allah! I consult Your infinite knowledge, and appeal to Your infinite power, and ask You to favor me with Your great compassion, for You have power and I have none, and You have knowledge and I have none. And You are Knower of the unseen. O Allah! If You know that this matter is good for me as regards my religion, my subsistence and my future life (in the Hereafter), then fulfill it for me and make it easy for me and then bestow Your blessings on me in that matter. But, if You know that this matter is not good for me as regards my Religion, my subsistence and my future life, then divert it away from me. And keep me away from it and destine for me what is good wherever it may be, and let me be contented with it." He said, then he should mention his need or concern. (Related by al-Bukhari).

Talk about the good deeds of your dead and refrain from citing their bad deeds. (Related by at-Tirmithi according to Ibn ‘Omar).

Performing ablution perfectly constitutes one half of faith. “Praise be to Allah” fills the scale, Glorification (of Allah) and Takbir (saying Allah is most High) fill the heavens and the earth. Prayer is light, obligatory charity is proof (of faith), patience is brightness, and the Qur’an is an argument for or against you. And evemorning, each person goes oselling his soul, selling it (to Allah or to Satan) so he will either set it free or will enslave it. (Related by Ibn habban according to Abu Malek al-Ash’ari)

Treat women kindly, for a woman is created from a rib and the most curved portion of the rib is its upper part. So if you try to straighten it, you will break it. But if you leave it as it is, it will remain curved. So treat women kindly. (Related by the two Sheikhs according to Abu Huraira).

The people most prone to trials with afflictions are the prophets and then the most pious and then the next in piety and so on. A man is tried according to the strength of his belief. If his belief is firm, his trial will be harder, and if his belief is weak, he is tried accordingly. A servant of Allah will go on being tried with afflictions until he walks on earth free of sins. (Related by al-Bukhari according to Sa’id).

Utter good words, spread the greeting of peace, be kind to your blood relations and pray at night while others sleep then enter Paradise in peace.

Take advantage of five things before five others happen. These are your life before your death, your health before your illness, your leisure before pre-occupation, your youth before your old age, and your wealth before your poverty. (Related by al-Bayhaqi according to Ibn ‘Abbas).

The best Muslim among the believers is the one who does not harm the Muslims with either his tongue or his hand. The one with best belief among the believers is the one who has the best characters. The Muhajir (emigrant) is the one who abandons all that Allah has forbidden. And the best jihad (struggle for the sake of Allah) is to struggle against oneself for the sake of gaining the pleasure of Allah, to whom belongs might and majesty. z.

The biggest of the major sins are: to join others in worship with Allah, to kill someone (unlawfully), to be undutiful to one’s parents, and to bear false witness. (Related by al-Bukhari).

Allah! I seek refuge with You from helplessness, laziness, cowardice, miserliness, and feeble old age. I seek refuge with You from the torture of the grave. I seek refuge with You from the punishment of the Fire (of Hell) and I seek refuge with You from the trial of life and death. (Related by al-Bukhari).

Allah! Forgive my sins, my ignorance and my exceeding the boundaries or righteousness, and forgive those of my sins which You know better than I, O Allah! Forgive those of my sins of the past and those which I have committed thereafter, the ones I committed openly and those I committed secretly; You are the One who makes the things go before, and You are the One Who delays them, and You are the Omnipotent. (Related by al-Bukhari).

Allah! Set right for me my religion which is the safeguard of my affairs, set right for me my life in this world where I earn my livelihood, set right for me my life in the Hereafter where I have to return ultimately, make life for me a source of abundance for every virtue and make my death a source of comfort against all evils. (Related by Muslim according to Abu Huraira).

Allah Most High has chosen this religion and the only things fitting for your religion are generosity and a good character. If such is true, then try to adorn your religion with these two. (Related by At-Tabarani accoridng to ‘Umran Ibn Hussayn).

Allah Most High will ask each guardian about his charge. Did he guard or waste this trust? A man will even be asked about his family.

Allah Most High has no better reward than Paradise for believing servants of His who is patient and resigned when He takes away his most beloved in this world. (Related by an-Nassai according to Ibn ‘Omar).

On the Day of Resurrection, the man who, in the sight of Allah, occupies the worst position is the one who after having had intercourse with his wife, goes out and makes public her secret.

Allah loves that one should be kind and lenient in all matters.

Allah had forbidden you to be undutiful to your mothers, to bury your female infants alive, parsimony and usurpation of the property of others. And he disapproved for you three things: vain talk and gossip, excessive questioning and wasting wealth. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to al-Maghira Ibn Shu’ba).

Allah Most High says: I am the third of two partners as long as they do not betray each other, for if one of them betrayed the other, I withdraw from their partnership. (Related by Abu Dawood according to Abu Huraira).

Allah Most High has forbidden the Fire (of Hell) on those who testify that there is no God but Allah, seeking thereby only Allah’s pleasure. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim).

On the Day of Resurrection, Allah Most High says: “Where are those who love each other for the sake of My Majesty, today I shall provide them with My shade which is the day when there is no shade but Mine. (Related by Muslim according to Abu Huraira).

Allah will say to the people of Paradise: “O People of Paradise! They will respond: “Here we are, Our Lord, and all the good is in Your Hands.” Allah will say: “Are you satisfied? They will answer: “Why shouldn’t we be satisfied when You have bestowed on us what You have bestowed on any of Your other creation.” He will say “Shall I not bestow upon you something even better than that? They will say: “O Our Lord! What could be better than that? Allah will say: “I bestow upon you My pleasure and I shall never hereafter be angry with you.” (Related by the two Sheikhs according to Abu Sa’id).

Allah forgives my followers whatever (evil deeds) they may whisper to themselves as long as they do not act upon it or speak of it. Allah forgives my followers whatever their souls suggest to them as long as they do not act upon it or speak of it. (Related by the group).

Allah gives respite to an oppressor, but when He takes him to task, he never lets him escape. (Related by al-Bukhari).

Allah Most High says: “O Son of Adam! I was sick but you did not visit me.” He says: “O My Lord! How could I have visited You when You are the Lord of the worlds? Allah will say: “Did you know that My servant so and so was sick and you did not visit him. Did you know that if you had visited him you would have found Me there? O Son of Adam! I asked you for food but you did not give Me any.” “O My Lord! How could I have fed You when You are the Lord of the worlds? Allah will say: Did you not know that My servant so and so asked you for food but you did not give him any. Did you know that if you had fed him, you would have found (reward) with Me? “ O son of Adam! I asked you for water and you did not give me any. He says: “O My Lord! How could I have given You drink when You are the Lord of the worlds? Allah will say: Did you not know that My servant so and so asked you for a drink and you did not give him any? Did you not know that if you had given him something to drink you would have found (your reward) with Me? (Related by Muslim according to Abu Huraira)

Allah Most High has Ghira (anxiousness over you) and so has the believer. And Allah’s Ghira is provoked when a person does something, which Allah has forbidden. And only a Muslim soul will enter Paradise. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to Abu Huraira).

The practice of religion is easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will be overpowered by it. Therefore, be moderate, try to be near perfection but within your capacity and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded. And seek Allah’s help by worshipping in the mornings, afternoons and during the last hour of the nights. (Related by al-Bukhari).

Allah has written down the good and the bad deeds, then He explained it (saying that): He who has intended a good deed and has not done it, Allah writes it down with Himself for him as full good deed. But if he has intended and has done it, Allah writes it down with Himself for him as ten good deeds to seven hundred times and to many more times. And if someone has intended a bad deed and has not done it, Allah writes it down with Himself for him as a full good deed. But if he has inteit and has done it, Allah writes it down for him as one bad deed. (Related by Muslim and al-Bukhari according to Ibn ‘Abbas).

A man may be denied sustenance because of a sin he had committed. Only supplication can ward off predestination, and only righteousness prolongs a life span. (Related by Ibn habban according to Thawban).

A servant (of Allah) may utter a word, which pleases Allah without giving it much importance for which Allah will raise him degrees (in reward). And a servant (of Allah) may utter a word, which displeases Allah without thinking of its gravity for which he will be thrown into Hell. (Related by Ahmad).

A man may do deeds that to people seem to be the deeds of the dwellers of Paradise while in fact he is destined to be among the dwellers of the Fire (of Hell). And a man may do deeds that to people seem to be the deeds of the dwellers of the Fire, while in fact he is destined to be among the dwellers of Paradise. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim).

For every prophet there was one (special) invocation by which he appealed to Allah while he was among his followers, and that invocation was granted. As for me, I have kept my invocation until the Day of Resurrection to intercede with it on behalf of my followers. (Related by the two sheiks according to Anas).

The best word is the “Book of Allah” and the best guidance is the “Guidance of Muhammad”, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. And the worst things are heresies (those new elements introduced into the religion) and whatever you have been promised will surely come to pass, and you cannot frustrate it. (Related by al-Bukhari).

Allah Most High has prescribed excellence in everything. So if you kill, kill well and if you slaughter, slaughter well. And let the one concerned sharpen his blade and let him spare suffering to the animal he slaughters. (Related by Muslim).

One of the greatest sins that a man may commit is cursing his parent. The people asked: O Allah’s Messenger, how may a man curse his parents? The Prophet replied: the man abuses the father of another man and the latter answers by abusing the father and the mother of the former. (Related by al-Bukhari).

The one who occupies the worst place before Allah on the Day of Resurrection, is the one whom people avoid for fear of his indecent language. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to ‘Aisha).

Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. A man keeps on telling the truth ‘till, in the sight of Allah, he is named truthful. Lying leads to depravity and depravity leads to the Fire (of Hell), and man keeps on telling lies ‘till, in the sight of Allah, he is named a liar. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to Ibn Mas’oud).

The manifestation of being dutiful to one’s parents is for one to be benevolent towards his father’s friend after his death. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to al-Mughira).

Lying in my name is unlike lying in the name of any other. So whoever purposely lies in my name, let him occupy his place in the Fire (of Hell). (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to al-Mughira).

Some of the eloquent speech has the effect of magic, and in some poetry, you can find wisdom. (Related by al-Bukhari).

One of the sayings that the people retained from the early prophets: “If you have no feeling of shame then do as you wish.” (Related by al-Bukhari)

To Allah belongs that which He takes, and to Him belongs that which He bestows, and everything has its term fixed by Him. (Related by the two Sheikhs according to Usama Ibn Zaid).

Look at those who are inferior to you and do not look at those who are superior to you, for this will keep you from scorning what Allah has bestowed upon you. (Related by ibn Majah).

Help your brother whether he is an oppressor or an oppressed. It was said: how am I to help him if he is the oppressor? The Prophet replied, you stop him and prevent him from oppressing others. That is how you help him. (Related by al-Bukhari).

On the Day of resurrection, the first cases to be decided among the people will be the blood claim. (Related by two Sheikhs).

The first group of people who will enter Paradise have glittering faces like full moon, and those who will follow will have faces like the most brilliant star in the sky. Their hearts will be as if the heart of a single man, for they will have neither discord, enmity nor jealousy amongst themselves. (Related by the two Sheikhs according to Abu Huraira).

Would you not like me to talk to you about what helps you enter Paradise? Striking with the sword, honoring one’s guest, observing the times of prayers, ablution done thoroughly on a cold night, and giving food out of the love for Him (Allah). (Related by Ibn ‘Asaaker).

Shall I not inform you of the biggest of the major sins? To join others in worship with Allah, to be undutiful to one’s parents, and to bear false witness. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to Abu Bakra).

Any muslim who gives another a garment to wear with which to cover his nakedness, Allah Most High will cover him with the green (clothes) of Paradise. Any muslim who feeds a hungry muslim, Allah will feed him on the Day of Resurrection from the fruits of Paradise. And any muslim who gives a thirsty muslim a drink, Allah Most High will give him to drink on the Day of Resurrection from the pure wine sealed with musk. (Related by Muslim according to Abu Sa’id).

Any woman whom death deprives of three of her children would be screened from the Fire (of Hell) by them. (Related by al-Bukhari according to Abu Sa’id).

Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the worst falsehood. Do not spy on others, do not look at others faults, do not hanker after a thing which others have. Do not envy one another, do not entertain ill-will towards one another, and do not stop talking to one another. And O Allah’s servants! Be like brethren to each other. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to Abu Huraira).

Modesty results in good alone. (Related by al-Bukhari).

Avoid sitting in the public roads. They said: “but we have no alternative, these are the places where we get together and discuss matters.” The Prophet said: “If you refuse but to sit, then pay the road its due.” What is the right of the road, they asked? “Lowering your gaze, refraining from harming others, returning the greetings of others, enjoining virtuous deeds, and forbidding what is evil. (Related by al-Bukhari).

Actions are but by intention, and every man shall have but that which he intended. Thus, he whose migration was for Allah and His Messenger, his migration was for Allah and His Messenger. And he whose migration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his migration was for that for which he had migrated. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to ‘Omar ibn al-Khattab).

As a dog was circling round the brink of well, nearly dying of thirst, one of the prostitutes of the Children of Israel saw him, she took off her overboot, drew up some water and gave the dog to drink. On account of that she was forgiven (her sin). (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to Abu Huraira).

A man passing along a road found a thorny branch on it and pushed it away. Allah appreciated his action and forgave him his sins. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to ‘Omar).

While a man was walking along a path, he became very thirsty. He found a well and descended into it. He drank from it, then came out only to find a dog panting and licking the mud to quench his thirst as he did. So he descended once again into the well and filled his shoe with water, held it in his mouth, climbed up and gave the dog to drink. Allah appreciated that deed from the man and forgave him (his sins). When Allah’s Messenger, may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him, was asked about that, he said, “There is reward for kindness to every living creature." (Related by Muslims).

The sale agreement between the seller and the buyer is revocable so long as they have not parted. Aif both parties spoke the truth and described the defects and qualities of the goods then their transaction would be blessed. But if they hid something or told lies, then the bof their transaction would be wiped out. (Related by al-Bukhari).

The worst food is that of a wedding banquet to which the rich are invited while the poor are not. And he who turns down an invitation to the same disobeys Allah and His Messenger. (Related by the two Sheikhs).

Righteousness is good morality, and wrongdoing is that which wavers your soul and which you hate people finding out about. (Related by Muslim).

Smiling to your Muslim brother is counted for you as a charity. Enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong is counted for you as a charity. Pointing out the way to a lost man is counted for you as a charity, and removing a stone, thorns, and bones from the road is counted for you as a charity. (Related by al-Bukhari).

You see the believers in their mercy, affection and kindness towards one another, resembling one body, so that whenever a part of this body is in pain, the rest of the body shares the sleeplessness and the fever with it. (Related by al-Bukhari).

Get to know Allah in prosperity and He will know you in adversity. Know that what passed you by was not going to befall you and what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. And know that victory comes with patience, relief with affliction, and with hardship. (Agreed upon).

Whoever possesses the following three qualities tastes the sweetness of faith. These are to love Allah and His Messenger above all else, to love a person and to love him purely for Allah’s sake and to hate reverting to disbelief as he hates to be thrown into the Fire of Hell. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to Anas).

There are rights of a Muslim on his Muslim brother. These are, when you meet him greet him, when he invites you accept his invitation, when he solicits your advice, advice him, when he sneezes and praises Allah say to him “May Allah have mercy on you”. When he gets sick visit him, and when he dies follow his funeral procession. (Related by al-Bukhari according to Abu Huraira).

That which is lawful is evident and that which is unlawful is evident and between the two of them is doubtful matters unknown to many people. So whoever avoids doubtful matters save his religion and his honor. And whoever indulges in these doubtful matters falls into that which is unlawful, like a shepherd who grazes his animals around a sanctuary, and at any moment he is liable to graze therein. Truly, every king has a sanctuary, and Allah’s sanctuary on the earth is His prohibition. Truly, there is a piece of flesh in the body, that if it is sound, the whole body is sound but if is it diseased the whole body is diseased, and that is the heart. (Related by the two Sheikhs).

Do good deeds which are within your capacity, for Allah Most High does not get tired of giving rewards but surely, you will.(Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to ‘Aisha).

Two traits are never found together in a believer, miserliness and bad character. (Related by al-Bukahri).

The best amongst you are those who have the best character. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslims).

The best things that a man leaves behind after his death are a virtuous child who invokes Allah for him, a perpetual charity, the reward of which reaches him, and a beneficial knowledge which remains useful after him. (Related by Abu Katada).

The best among you is the one who treats his wives best, and I treat my wives best.

The best charity is the one given from a surplus of wealth. And start by giving to your dependants. (Related by al-Bukhari)

A woman entered the Fire because of a cat which she had tied up, neither giving it food nor setting it free to eat from the vermin of the earth until she died. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to Abu Huraira).

Set aside that which leaves you in doubt for that which does not. For truth is reassuring and falsehood is disturbing. (Related by Ahmad and an-Nussai and others).

The supplication of a Muslim for his brother in his absence is granted. There is a certain angel who remains present with him, such that whenever he supplicates for something good for his brother, the attendant angel says “Amen” and the same for you. (Related by Ahmad according to Abu ad-Darda’a).

Religion is very easy, and whoever burdens himself in the practices of religion will be overcome by it. (Related by Abu Huraira).

He savors the taste of faith, he who is satisfied to have Allah as God, Islam as religion, and Muhammad as a Messenger of Allah. (Related by at-Tirmithi according to al-Abbas Ibn al-Muttaleb).

The Most Beneficent sends His mercy on the merciful. The Most High and Exalted said, have mercy on those who are on earth, and the One in heaven will have mercy on you. (Related by Imam Ahmad).

A man set out to visit a brother of his in Islam in a village. Allah sent him an angel to lie in waiting for him and ask him: “Where are you heading?” To visit a brother of mine in this village, replied the man. The angel asked, does he owe you a favor which you wish to guard for him? “No” said the man, it is only that I love him for the sake of Allah. The Angel said, then know that I am Allah’s messenger to you to tell you that Allah loves you as you love him for His sake.” (Related by the two Sheikhs).

Abusing a Muslim is evil, and fighting him is disbelief. z.

Allah will shelter seven under His shade on the Day when there will be no shade but His. A just ruler (imam), a youth who has been brought up in worship of Allah. A man whose heart is attached to the mosque from the time he leaves it until he returns to it. Two persons who love each other, come together and part only for Allah’s sake. A person whose eyes are flooded with tears when in solitude, he remembers Allah. A man who refuses the approaches of a beautiful woman of noble birth saying, I fear Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and a man who gives charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given. (Related by the two Sheikhs).

Follow the right path closely and moderately, and know that your good deeds will not make you enter Paradise, they said, “not even you, o Messenger of Allah? He replied, not even I unless Allah bestows His constant forgiveness and mercy on me. And the most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular and constant no matter how little it may be. (Related by the two Sheikhs and an-Nassai).

The Most superior appeal for Allah’s forgiveness is for you to say, o Allah, you are my Lord, and there is no God but You. You created me and I am Your servant and I am faithful to my covenant and my promise to you to the best of my ability. I seek refuge with You from all the evil I have committed. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed on me, and I acknowledge before you all my sins. So I entreat You to forgive me, for none has the power to forgive sins except You alone. (Related by Ahmad).

The one who looks after a widow or a poor person is like a Mujahid (warrior) in the cause of Allah, or like him who performs prayers all the night and fast all the day. (Related by the two Sheikhs according to Abu Huraira).

It is obligatory for a Muslim to listen and obey the ruler’s orders whether he like it or not, unless he is ordered to do something sinful. Thus if he is ordered to carry out an act of disobedience, he should neither listen nor obey. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to Ibn ‘Omar).

Doing good deeds protects one from calamities, charity given secretly extinguishes the wrath of the Lord, keeping good relations with one’s relative increases one’s life span. Every good deed is a form of charity. Those who do right in this world are those who do right in the Hereafter; whereas those who do wrong in this world are those who do wrong in the Hereafter, and the first to enter Paradise are those who do right. (Related by at-Tabarani according to Umm Salama).

Verily, composure and resignation are essential at the first stroke of calamity. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to Anas).

Well done to the one who is humble without lack of respect, who depreciates himself without being submissive, who spends frothe money he gathers lawfully, who associates with the religiously learned and the wise and is merciful to the meek and the humble. Well done to the one who humbles himself, earns his living legally, is good in his hidden thoughts, honorable in public, and does not harm others. Well done to the one who practices what he learned, who spends the surplus of his wealth, and keeps to himself what is unnecessary to say. (Related by al-Bukhari).

Purity is half of faith. “Praise be to Allah” fills the scale, “Glory be to Allah and praise be to Allah” fills the space between heaven and earth. Prayer is light, charity is a proof, patience is illumination, and the Qur’an is an argument in or against your favor. Everyone starts his day and is a vendor of his soul, either freeing it or bringing about its ruin.

Oppression will be darkness on the Day of Resurrection. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslims according to Ibn ‘Omar).

How wonderful is the believer’s case, for there is good for him in everything, and this is exclusive only for believers. If something good happens to him, he is thankful and that is good for him, and if an adversity comes his way, he is patient, and that too is good for him. “

I am surprised at the believer, as whatever Allah Most High decrees for him, turns out to be good for him. (Related by Ibn Habban according to Anas).

Be truthful, for truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man keeps on telling the truth and striving for it until, in the sight Allah, he is named truthful. So beware of lying, for lying leads to depravity, and depravity leads to the Fire. On the other hand, another man keeps on telling lies and striving for it until, in the sight of Allah, he is named a liar. (Related by al-Bukhari)

The one who reclaims his gift is like the one who reclaims his vomitus. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to Ibn ‘Abbas)

Charity is enjoined on every Muslim. They said, “o Allah’s Prophet! What if one has nothing?” He should work with his hands so that he may be benefited himself and give charity, he replied. They said, “what if he cannot.” He said, “then he should help the unfortunate person in need.” What if again, he cannot, they asked. He replied, “then he should enjoin what is good or charitable. “What if he does not do that, they asked. The prophet said, then he should refrain from doing evil, and that would be considered for him as charity.” (Related by al-Bukhari).

Backbiting is to tell things about your Muslim brother which he hates to be told. A man asked, what if my brother has such defects? The Prophet answered, “if your brother has such defects, you backbited him, if not, you slandered him.”

May Allah’s curse be on the Jews for they made graves of their prophet as places of worship. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim).

Allah Most High said, I will be the opponent of three persons on the Day of Resurrection. They are the one who makes a covenant in My name and then prove treacherous. Or the one who sells a free person as a slave and appropriates his price for himself. And the one who hires a laborer and having taken full work from him, fails to pay him his wages. (Related by al-Bukhari according to Abu Huraira).

Allah Most High said, the son of Adam slights Me, and he should not slight Me. And he disbelieves in Me, and he should not disbelieve in Me. As for his slighting Me, it is because he says that I have a son, while I am Allah, the One and Only, the eternal, Absolute. I beget not, nor am I begotten, and there is none like unto Me. As for his disbelief in Me, it is in his statement that I shall not recreate him as I have created him before, while creating the creation is not easier than recreating it. (Related by an-Nassai according to Abu Huraira).

My servants! I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another. O My servants! All of you are astray except for those I have guided. So seek guidance of Me and I shall guide you. O my servants! All of you are hungry except for those I have fed, so seek food of Me and I shall feed you. O My servants! All of you are naked except for those that I have clothed, so seek clothing of Me and I shall clothe you. O My servants! You commit error night and day, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness of Me and I shall forgive you. O My servants! You will not attain harming Me so as to harm Me, and you will not attain benefiting Me so as to benefit Me. O My servants! Were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease my kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise up in one place and make request of Me. And were I to give everyone what he requested, that would not decrease what I have, any more than a needle decreases the ocean if put into it. O My servants! It is but your needs that I am recording for you and then I shall reward you for them, so let him who finds good praise Allah and let him who finds other than that blame no one but himself. (Related by Muslim).

Allah Most high said, O Son of Adam! Spend in the way of Allah and I shall spend on you. (Related by al-Bukhari).

Allah Most High said, My mercy has preceded My anger. (Related by Muslim).

Allah Most High said, a servant who advances towards Me by a hand’s breadth, I advance towards him by an arm’s length. And if he advances towards Me by an arm’s length, I advance towards him by the span of outstretched arms. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running. (Related by al-Bukhari according to Anas).

Say, O Allah! Creator of heavens and the earth, knower of both the hidden and the seen, the Lord and sovereign of everything, I bear witness that there is no god but You, I seek refuge with You from the evil of my self, and the evil and trap of Satan. Say it in the morning and in the evening and when you retire to bed. (Related by Ibn Habban according to Abu Huraira).

Say, O Allah! I have wronged myself very much, and none can forgive sins but You. Then bestow Your forgiveness upon me, and have mercy on me, indeed You are the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim).

It is a grievous treachery on your part to carry a conversation with your brother in Islam in which you tell him lies and he believes you. (Related by Abu Daoud).

A man used to give loan to people and used to say to his servant that if a debtor in difficult circumstances overlook his debt, it is so that Allah may overlook our sins. So when he met Allah after his death, Allah overlooked his sins. (Related by the two Sheikhs according to Abu Huraira).

It is sufficient for a man to be branded a sinner if he tells everything he has heard. (Related by Muslim).

Every good deed is a charity. The one who points out the way to do a good deed is rewarded the same as the one who does it, and Allah likes coming to the aid of the distressed. (Related by al-Bayhaqi according to Ibn ‘Abbas).

Eat, drink put on clothes, and give charity without squandering or conceit. (Related by Imam Ahmad).

There are two expressions which are easy for the tongue, heavy in the balance and dear to the Beneficent---Glory be to Allah and gratitude be to Him, glory be to Allah, the most exalted. (Related by the two Sheikhs).

All of you are guardians and responsible for your own charges. The ruler is a guardian and he is responsible for his subjects. A man is a guardian of his family and is responsible for his charges. A woman is a guardian in her husband’s house and is responsible for her charges. A servant is a guardian of the property of his master and is responsible for his charges and a son is a guardian of the property of his father and is responsible for his charges. For all of you are guardians, and all of yoare responsible for your charges. (Agreed upon according to Ibn ‘Omar)

All the sins of my followers will be forgiven except to those who commit them openly. It is really thoughtless of a man to commit a sin at night which Allah conceafrom public knowledge, then comes out in the morning and says, o so and so! I did such and such thing yesterday. He spent the night concealed by his Lord and in the morning he reveals what Allah has kept from the knowledge of others. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim).

The Major sins are, to join others in worship with Allah, to be undutiful to one’s parents, to kill someone, to take a false oath. Would you like me to tell you what is the biggest of the major sins? Yes, O Allah’s Messenger, they replied. He said, to make a false statement. (Related according to Anas).

On going to bed at night, he would place his hand under his cheek and then say, with Your Name, O Allah, I live, and with Your Name I die. When he awoke, he would say, All praises belong to Allah Who has brought us back to life after He had caused us to die and Unto Him is the Resurrection. (Related by al-Bukhari).

It is better for the one of you take a rope, go to the mountain, bring back a load of wood and sell it, and thereby Allah will save his face, rather than to ask people for handouts whether they give him or not. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim).

Allah damned the one who practices usury and the one who pays him as well as its two witnesses and the one who writes it down. They are equally guilty of committing that sin. (Related by Muslim).

None of you have true faith until he wishes for his Muslim brother what he wishes for himself. (Related al-Bukhari and Muslim).

It is not lawful for a man to desert his Muslim brother for more than three days, so that when they meet, each turns his face away from the other. But the better of the two is the one who greets his brother first. (Related by Abu Daoud).

The one who is not thankful to people is not thankful to Allah. (Related by Ahmad).

A believer is not stung twice from the same hole (i.e. he is not deceived twice). (Related by al-Bukhari).

Allah condemns the one who gives and accepts a bribe or who acts as a go-between in the realization of such. (Related by Ahmad according to Thawban).

Allah has cursed those women who imitate or assume the manners of men, and those men who imitate women. (Related by at-Tirmithi).

For every Prophet there is a single invocation which is surely fulfilled by Allah. Each Prophet was in a hurry to have his fulfilled, but I saved mine for my followers until the Day of Resurrection, and it will reach, if Allah wills, everyone of my followers who dies while not joining others in the worship of Allah. (Related by the two Sheikhs).

A Muslim has six obligations within reason towards his Muslim brother. These are to greet him when he meets one, or to accept his invitation and to respond to him such supplication as “may Allah have mercy on you” when he sneezes. Furthermore, he has to visit his fellow muslim brother when he gets sick, follow his funeral procession when he dies and should wish for him what he wishes for himself. (Related by Ahmad).

The deeds of any of you will not save him from Hell. “Not even you, O Allah’s Messenger, they asked? He responded, not even I unless Allah bestows His mercy on me. Therefore, do good deeds properly and moderately and do not wish for death. For one is either doing good deeds and may add more, or doing bad deeds and may ask for forgiveness. (Related by the two Sheikhs).

Anyone who comes on the Day of Resurrection saying, “There is no god but Allah”, seeking with it Allah’s countenance, Allah will save him from the Fire. (Related by al-Bukhari).

Had a believer known what is the full extent of Allah’s punishment, none would hope to gain His Paradise. And had a disbeliever known what is the full extent of Allah’s mercy, none would despair of entering His Paradise. (Related by the two Sheikhs).

If the son of Adam had two valleys full of Gold, he would wish for a third, for nothing can fill the belly of the son of Adam except dust when he dies. And Allah forgives the one who repents to Him. (Related by al-Bayhaqi).

The one who gets his fill of food while his neighbor is hungry by his side is not considered as a believer. (Related by al-Bukhari).

No one of my Ummah (the Muslims) supports three daughters or three sisters and treats well, except that they will be a shield for him from the Fire. (Related by al-Bayhaqi).

Nothing weighs more in the balance of accounts on the Day of Resurrection than having a good character. (Related by Ahmad according to Abu ad-Darda).

Being rich does not mean having a great amount of property, but rather that of having self-contentment. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to Abu Huraira),

He is not one of us who, when confronted with a calamity, slaps his face, tears the front of his clothes or utters the calls of the Times of Ignorance. (Agreed upon according to Ibn Mas’oud).

A strong man is not the one who uses his strength to overcome others, but rather the one who controls himself while in the feat of anger. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to Abu Huraira).

He who commits suicide by throttling himself shall keep on throttling himself in the Fire forever, and the one who commits suicide by stabbing himself shall keep on stabbing himself in the fire. (Related by al-Bukhari according to Abu Huraira).

No one has ever eaten a better food than that which he has obtained by working with his own hands. The Prophet of Allah, David, used to eat from what he earns through his own labour. (Related by al-Bukhari according to al-Miqdam).

Whatever a man spends on his house, family, children and servants, is considered in his account as a charity. (Related by at-Tabarani according to Abu Umama).

For any fatigue, illness, fear, grief, hurt or distress which befalls a Muslim, even the pricking of a thorn, Allah expiates some of his sins. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslims according to Abu Sa’id al-Khudri and Abu Huraira).

What do I care about this world, for I am in this world like a rider who sat for a while under the shade of a tree, then got up and left behind. (Related by at-Tirmithi according to Ibn Mass’oud).

If a ruler who has the authority to rule Muslim subjects dies while he is deceiving them, Allah will forbid Paradise for him. (Related by the two Sheikhs according to Ma’qil Ibn Yasar al-Muzani).

The example of guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is like abundant rain falling on the earth. Some of this earth are fertile soil that absorbed the rainwater which brought forth vegetation and grass in abundance. Another part of it is hard land which stored up the water and Allah made it beneficial for the people, so they drank from it, watered their animals and irrigated the cultivated land with it. And a portion of it is barren and can neither hold the water nor bring forth vegetation. The first is the example of the person who comprehends Allah’s religion and benefited from the knowledge which Allah has revealed through me (the Prophet), learned and taught others. The last example is that of a person who did not raise his head and accept Allah’s guidance revealed through me. (Related by the two Sheikhs and an-Nassai according to Abu Musa).

Whenever a Muslim invokes Allah for his Muslim brother in his absence, the angels retort and the same to you. (Related by Muslim and Abu Daoud).

Any group of people who celebrates the praise of Allah will have the angels spread their wings over them, Allah’s mercy covers them, tranquility descends on them, and Allah mentions them to those around Him. (Related by Ibn Majah according to Abu Sa’id).

Every child is born to the true faith which is Islam, but his parents convert him to Judaism, Christianity or Magianism, as an animal delivers perfect baby animal, though you find it mutilated. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to Abu Huraira).

No Muslim is afflicted with any harm, like a sickness or some other, but that Allah sheds his sins because of it as a treesheds its leaves. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to Abdallah Ibn Mass’oud).

A father cannot give his son anything better than refined manners and fine education. (Related by al-Hakem).

Anything I have, I will not withhold from you. And know that he who refof begging from others or doing prohibited deeds Allah will help him do that. The one who is contented with what he has, Allah will make him self-sufficient, while he who tries to be patient, Allah will bestow patience upon him. And none is given a gift better and more ample than patience itself. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim according to Sa’id al-Khudri).

A man passed by a tree on a road and said to himself, by Allah, I will push this branch aside so it will not hurt the Muslims. By virtue of such, he will be admitted into Paradise. (Related by Muslim).

Whoever wishes to be granted more wealth and an extended lease of life, should keep good relations with his blood relatives. (Related by al-Bukhari).

Whoever is able to benefit from his Muslim brother, let him benefit from him. (Related by Muslim).

Part of someone’s being a good Muslim, is his leaving alone that which does not concern him. (Related by at-Tirmithi according to Abu Huraira).

Whoever throws himself purposely from a mountain and kills himself will be in the Fire of Hell falling down into it and abiding therein eternally forever. Whereas, whoever drinks a poison and kills himself, will be carrying his poison in his hand and drinking it in the Fire of Hell wherein he will abide forever. And whoever kills himself with an iron weapon, will be carrying that weapon in his hand and stabbing his abdomen with it in the Fire of Hell wherein he will abide eternally. (Related by al-Bukhari according to Abu Huraira).

The one who points out the way to do a good deed is rewarded the same as the one who does it. (Related by Muslim).

Whoever invites others to guidance will be rewarded the same as the ones who follow him without their rewards being diminished. And whoever invites others to an aberration will bear the punishment of a sin equal to the sins committed by those who follow him without theirs diminishing in any way. (Taysir al-Wusul).

Whoever plants a tree which then bears fruit, whatever a human or any of Allah’s creation eats from it will be considered as a charity for him. (Related by Ahmad according to Abu ad-Darda’s).

Let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day treat his neighbor kindly, be generous to his guest and either speak well or keep silent. (Related by the two Sheikhs).

The one who has wronged his brother should seek for his pardon before his death, as in the Hereafter, there will be neither dinar nor dirham to compensate with it. Thus some of his good deeds will be taken from him and given to his brother. If he has no good deeds, some of the bad deeds of his brother are taken from him, and added to his account. (Related al-Bukhari).

Whoever comes to you when you are united, wanting to break your unity, kill him. (Related by Muslim).

When Allah desires good for a person, he bestows on him religious knowledge. (Related by Mu’awiyah).

A faithful believer is to a faithful believer like the parts of a building, reinforcing one another. (Related by two Sheikhs according to Abu Musa).

A person will be with those whom he loves. (Related by the two Sheikhs according to ‘Ali).

A Muslim is one who does not harm Muslims with his tongue or his hands. The believer is the one whom people can entrust with their lives and their goods and a Muhajir (an immigrant who emigrates to safeguard his faith) is the one who abandons all that Allah has forbidden. (Related by Ahmad according to Abu Huraira).

A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim, he does not oppress him nor does he hand him over to his enemy. Whoever fulfills the needs of his brother, Allah will also fulfill his needs. Whoever brings a muslim out of a difficulty, Allah will save him from one of the difficulties on the Day of Resurrection. And whoever screens a Muslim, Allah will shield him on the Day of Resurrection. (Agreed upon).

May Allah brighten the face of someone who has heard something I said and has conveyed it as he heard it, for sometimes a person to whom something is conveyed may comprehend it better than the one who has heard it. (Related by Ahmad according to Ibn Mass’oud).

Many people are losers with respect to health and free time for doing well. (Related by al-Bukhari).

All the people are children of Adam, and Adam was created of dust. (Related by Ibn Sa’ad according to Abu Huraira).

Are you not granted victory and provided sustenance except because of the weak among you? (Related by Sa’d Ibn abi Waqqas).

By Allah, this life is to the Hereafter, the same as what your finger gathers if dipped into the sea. (Related by Ahmad according to al-Mustawrad).

Do not hate or envy or turn away from one another, but be you, O servants of Allah, brothers. It is not permissible for any Muslim to desert his fellow Muslim brother for more than three days. (Related by Anas).

Tenderness is that which is taken out from the heart of a wretched man. (Related by Ibn Habban according to Abu Huraira).

None of you should wish for death because of any calamity that befalls him. If one must wish for death, then he should say, o Allah, let me live so long as life is good for me and take my life if death is better for me. (Related by the group).

None of you will have faith ‘till he loves Me more than his children, father and all of mankind. (Related by the two Sheikhs according to Anas).

None of you have true faith until he wishes for his Muslim brother what he wishes for himself. (Related by al-Bukhari).

A believer is not stung twice from the same hole (i.e. he is not deceived twice). (Related by al-Bukhari.)

None of you should urinate in stagnant water, which is not flowing, then wash in it. (Related by al-Bukhari).

A believer is not a slanderer, a curser, an abuser, nor an impudent man. (Related by Muslim).

Make easy to people things concerning religious matters and do not make them hard for humanity, give glad tidings and do not let them reject Islam. (Related by al-Bukhari).

Young man! Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask of Allah Most High and if you seek help, seek of Allah, to whom belongs all might and majesty. (Related by at-Tirmithi).

The upper hand is better than lower hand, for the upper hand is that of the giver and the lower hand is that of the beggar. (Related by Ibn ‘Omar).