Quotes From the SALAF

    A man from Khalid ibn Asid’s family asked `Abdullah ibn `Umar, "Abu `Abdu’r-Rahman! We find the Fear Prayer and the prayer at home in the Qur’an, but we do not find the travelling prayer." Ibn `Umar said, "My nephew, Allah sent Muhammad to us when we did not know anything. We do as we saw him doing."

    `Umar ibn `Abdu’l-`Aziz said, "The Messenger of Allah made a Sunnah and the people in command after him made sunnas. To adopt them is to confirm the Book of Allah and to act on them is to obey Allah and strengthen the Deen of Allah. It is not for anyone to change the Sunnah or alter it or to look into the opinion of those who oppose it. Whoever follows it is guided. Whoever seeks help by it will have victory. Whoever opposes it and follows other than the path of the believers, Allah will entrust him to what he turns to and will roast him in Jahannam, which is a bad ending." [See Qur’an, 4:115]

    Al-Hasan ibn Abi’l-Hasan said, "A little action following a Sunnah is better than a lot of action following an innovation."

    Ibn Shihab said, "It has reached us that some of the people of knowledge said, ‘Holding fast to the Sunnah is salvation.’"

    `Umar ibn al-Khattab wrote to his governors telling them to learn the Sunnah, the shares of inheritance and the dialects, saying, "People will try to argue with you (i.e. by using the Qur’an) so overcome them with the Sunnah. The people of the Sunnah have the greatest knowledge of the Book of Allah."

    When `Umar prayed two rak’ats at Dhu’l-Hulayfa [the miqat for the people of Madeenah on their way to Hajj], he said, "I do as I saw the Messenger of Allah doing."

    When `Ali joined the hajj and `umrah together, `Uthman said to him, "Why do you do this, when you know that I have forbidden the people to do it?" He replied, "I do not abandon a Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah for the statement of anyone."

    `Ali said, "I am not a Prophet nor have I received revelation, but I act according to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad as much as I can."

    Ibn Mas`ud used to say, "Doing a little of the Sunnah is better than striving hard in innovation."

     Ataa al Khurasani said: "I don't advise you to mind your life's affairs because I know that you are covetous to do so, but I advise you to mind the affairs of the Hereafter. Take from this temporary home to the eternal one. Consider this life as something that you have left, I swear by Allah you will leave it. Consider death as something that you have tasted, I swear by Allah you will taste it. And consider the Hereafter as a home that you have visited, I swear by Allah you will be there."

    Dhu'n-Noon al-Misri said: "The ailment of the body is in sickness and that of the heart is in sins. A delicious meal cannot benefit the body when the person is sick and likewise, the heart cannot taste the sweetness of worship if it is full of sins."

    Ash-Shaa'fee said: "The greatest of deeds are three: To give generously out of the few that you have, to be devoted to Allah in loneliness and to say the truth in the face of someone who is hoped and feared."

    `Ali ibn Abi Talib said: "Whoever has the following six characteristics does all that is required to make him enter Paradise and avoid Hell: to know Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala and obey him, to know Satan and disobey him, to know the truth and follow it, to know the falsehood and avoid it, to know the life of this world and renounce it, and to know the Hereafter and seek it."

    Ibrahim al-Ash`ath said: I heard al-Fudayl saying: "Man's fear of Allah is equal to his knowledge of Him, and his renunciation of the life of this world is equal to his desire of the Hereafter. Whoever acts according to what he knows, Allah will make him successful in what he doesn't know. And whoever is ill-tempered disgraces his honour, religion and generosity."

    Narrated Dirar ibn Murrah: Iblis said: "If I am successful in persuading man to do three things, then that will be all I need: to make forget his sins, to regard his good deeds as too many, and to be proud of his opinion."

    Wahib ibn al-Ward said: "Do not insult Satan explicitly whereas you take him clandestinely as a friend."

    Narrated Anas Ibn `Ayyad, "I saw Safwan Ibn Salim, and had it been said to him: 'Tomorrow is the Day of Resurrection', he would have not needed to perform an additional act of worship."

    Ibrahim ibn Adham was asked: "How are you?" He said: "We patch the life of this world by tearing from our religion, so neither our religion remains nor what we patch. Blessed is he who prefers Allah, his Rabb and renounces the life of this world for what he expects as reward in the Hereafter."

    Abu Bakr al-Maruthi said: I visited Ahmad ibn Hanbal one morning and said to him: "How are you?" He answered: "How is the one whose Rabb requires to perform his duties, whose Prophet requires to flow the Sunnah, the two angels require that he rectifies his deeds, his human self requires him to follow its desires, Satan requires him to commit evil deeds, the angel of death requires him to give his life and his children require him to satisfy their needs."

    A man said to Al Fudayl ibn `Ayyad: "How are you?" He replied: "If you are asking about the life of this world, it has diverted us from the right path and sent us in many directions."

    Imaam Abu Haneefah (Rahimahullaah) d. 769 C. E. (150 A. H.) said:  "Adhere to the Athaar (narrations) and the Tareeqah (way) of the Salaf (Pious Predecessors) and beware of newly invented matters, for all of it is innovation."  [Reported by As-Suyootee in Sawn al-Mantaq Wal -Kalaam, p. 32.]

    Al-Awzaa'ee (rahimahullaah) said Follow the footsteps of the SALAF . . .
"By clinging to their way, holding on to their beliefs and understanding the Deen (religion) as they did, worshipping Allaah in His Oneness, upon the Authentic Sunnah of the Messenger Muhammad (sallallaahu`alaihiwasallam) in the manner of the Companions one is guaranteed success in this  life and security from the Fire in the next life". 

    When questioned by his Companions about those who will be saved from the Fire, the Messenger Muhammad (sallallaahu`alaihiwasallam) replied: "They are those who are upon what I and my companions are upon." [Reported by at-Tirmidhee from Amr ibn al-Aas - classified as Hasan.] All the great scholars from the earliest to the later times have advised clinging to the way and methodology (Manhaj) of the SALAF and adherence to it as it is the only means of deliverance. 

    Ibn Taymiyyah (Rahimahullaah) says: "There is no blame on the one who manifests, proclaims the way of the Salaf, who attaches himself to it and refers to it. Rather, it is obligatory to accept that from him by unanimous agreement (Ittifaaq), because the way of the Salaf is nothing but the Truth" (HAQQ) [From Majmoo al-Fataawaa, 4:149.]

    Imaam adh-Dhahabee (d.748H) - rahimahullaah - said:  "It is authentically related from ad- Daaraqutnee that he said: There is nothing more despised by me than 'irnul-kalaam (innovated speech and rhetorics). I say: No person should ever enter into 'ilmul-kalaam, nor argumentation. Rather, he should be Salafee (a follower of the Salaf)."[Siyar 16/457]

Quotes about the life of this world

    Sufyan ath-Thawri said: "Man's love for the life of this world is shown in the way he greets people." [Look at a chaste poor man ... nobody talks to him. People greet him so warily as if fearing that he may pass poverty to them. But see how the people welcome a rich man, even if he does not perform prayer. They stand up with smiling faces, and each one hopes to greet him first. Note the difference between a man who is so great as seen by Allah and another who does not even weigh a mosquito's wing - but this is life.]

    Narrated Muhammad ibn Abi Imran, "I heard a man asking Hatim al-Asamm: 'On what have you based your dependence on Allah?' He said: 'On four points: I knew that my sustenance cannot be eaten by someone else and I am assured, I knew that my duty cannot be done by anyone else, so I kept myself busy with that. I knew that death will come suddenly to me, so I prepared myself for it. I knew that wherever I go I am under Allah's Eye, so I am always shy of Him.'"

    `Abdullah ibn Mubarak said, "O man! Prepare yourself for the Hereafter, obey Allah to the extent of your need for Him and anger Him to the extent of your patience in Hell."

    Abu Safwan ar-Ru`wini was asked: "What is that life dispraised by Allah in the Qur'ân and that the sensible man should avoid?" He said: "Whatever you love in this life seeking worldly benefits is dispraised, and whatever you love seeking benefits in the Hereafter is praised."

    Yahya ibn Mu`adh said, "O how poor is man, if he fears Hell in the same degree of his fearing poverty, then he will enter Paradise."

    Ali ibn Al-Fudayl said: "I heard my father saying to Ibn Al-Mubarak: You order us to renounce the worldly pleasures and to be satisfied with the minimum, whereas you are buying goods, so what is that?" He said: "I do that to protect my face and my honour, and this helps me obey my Rabb." My father said: "How good is that if realised."

    An ascetic said: "I know none who has heard of Paradise and Hell, then spends an hour of his life without praying, remembering Allah or doing a good deed." A man said: "I weep so much." He said to him: "To laugh and admit your sins is better than to weep and feel proud of your deeds." The man said: "I need your advice." He said: "Abandon the life of this world to its people as they have abandoned the Hereafter to its people."

    Shumait ibn `Ajlan used to say: "Two persons are tormented in the life of this world: a rich man who is given a great wealth that keeps him so busy with worldly pleasures, and a poor man who is deprived of such pleasures for which he is longing with a heartbreak."

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

    Yahya ibn Mu`adh said: "The life of this world is a house of deeds and the Hereafter is a house of horrors. Man remains between deeds and horrors until he settles either in Paradise or in Hell."

    One of the SALAF said: "Beware of the life of this world because its magic is more effective than that of Harut and Marut. The two latter's separate a man from his wife whereas the life of this world separates a man from his Rabb."

    Abu Dardaa' said: "Everyone has an imperfection of knowledge and wisdom, if his wealth increases, he becomes so happy though day and night are working hard on destroying his life-span. So what is good of a wealth that increases and a life-span that decreases."

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

    A man came to Sufyan ath-Thawree seeking his advice, and he said to the man: "Work for the sake of this life within the extent of your stay in it, and for the Hereafter within the extent of your stay therein."

    Al-Fudayl ibn `Ayyad said: "Man's fear of Allah is equal to his knowledge of Him and his renunciation of worldly pleasures is equal to his desire in the Hereafter."

    Salman ibn Dinar said: "What you love to have with you in the Hereafter you should advance today, and what you hate to have with you, you should abandon today."

    A poet said: "Don't seek anything other than contentment, because therein is the bliss and the comfort of your body. Then consider the case of a person who possesses the whole world, can he take with him in the grave more than cotton and a shroud?"