Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله said:

"The one who bears in mind the fact that Allāh is watching his thoughts and his heart, Allāh will protect him from falling short in what he does both in secret and openly."

[Madarij as-Salikeen | 2/4192]

Shaykh ul-Islām ibn Taymiyyah [may Allāh have mercy on him] said:

“Truthfulness is the key to all goodness, just as lying is the key to all evil.”

Al-Istiqāmah, 1/467 | Shaykh ul-Islām ibn Taymiyyah [may Allāh have mercy on him]

Translation: Authentic Quotes

Hadith : The wealth of a slave of Allah shall not be decreased by charity

‌‌‌‏ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ثَلَاثَةٌ أُقْسِمُ عَلَيْهِنَّ وَأُحَدِّثُكُمْ حَدِيثًا فَاحْفَظُوهُ، ‌‌‌‌‌‏قَالَ مَا نَقَصَ مَالُ عَبْدٍ مِنْ صَدَقَةٍ، ‌‌‌‌‌‏وَلَا ظُلِمَ عَبْدٌ مَظْلَمَةً فَصَبَرَ عَلَيْهَا إِلَّا زَادَهُ اللَّهُ عِزًّا، ‌‌‌‌‌‏وَلَا فَتَحَ عَبْدٌ بَابَ مَسْأَلَةٍ إِلَّا فَتَحَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ بَابَ فَقْرٍ أَوْ كَلِمَةً نَحْوَهَا

Rasool-Allah Sal-Allahu Alaihi Wasallam said There are three things for which I swear and narrate to you about, so remember it. He said, The wealth of a slave (of Allah) shall not be decreased by charity, no slave (of Allah) suffers injustice and is patient with it except that Allah adds to his honor; no slave (of Allah) opens up a door to begging except that Allah opens a door for him to poverty
Jame Tirmizi 2325-Sahih

Be happy by being with Allah

“Whoever places his heart with his Lord, (will be in) tranquility and relaxation. And whoever sends (his heart) to the people will be struck (by calamities) and will increase in anxiety and sadness.”

Ibn al Qayyum رحمه الله
Al Fawaid 1/98

Avoid adding stress to someone who’s already distressed

Shaykh Abū ʿAmmār Yāsir Ad-Duba’i ḥafidhahullāh said:

A person in a state of distress cannot bear additional harm on top of what he is already suffering.

Yet some people do not behave properly when their brothers are in distress. For example, someone might visit his sick brother and say, “Subḥān Allāh, so-and-so had the same illness you have, and he died after a week.” You did not relieve his distress you added distress on top of distress.

So behave well and speak well.

Some people’s joking is inappropriate.

Your brother is distressed, and this is one of the mistakes you find: he says, “No, my brother, stop this pampering what we call dalla [spoiling]. There’s nothing wrong with you,” thinking that this will reassure him. But his brother is distressed and needs a comforting word.

There is a difference between seriousness and joking.

Some people might utter a word while the other is distressed, and they do not care.

The simplest definition of Taqwa:

An old man was asked:" How do you define 'Taqwa'?"

He replied in the language of the common man:" O child, its meaning is: 'How do you behave when you are alone?'"

(or What is your state when you are alone?)

*‏سُئل رجل كبير السن:*
*ما معنى.التقوى؟*
*فقال باللهجة العامية:*
يا ولدي معناها:
كيف حالك يوم تكون لحالك"!

One of the most common complaints people have today is the absence of support, the harm caused by others, and the anxieties and evil whispers of the soul and the devil.

The Sunnah of reciting Surah Al-Ikhlas and the Mu’awwidhatayn (Al-Falaq and An-Nas), 3 times each, in the morning and evening comes to emphasize, day and night:

In Surah Al-Ikhlas, we are reminded that Allah is As-Samad (The Self-Sufficient, The Eternal Refuge), who never abandons us. If we lose human support, Allah’s support is endless and everlasting!

In Surah Al-Falaq, we are taught that people’s harm is under Allah’s control. So, seek refuge in Allah from their evil and trust that Allah is your Protector and your Safe Haven.

Then in Surah An-Nas, we are shown that anxiety and whispers come from the devils among both humans and jinn. With Allah, and by being close to Him, we gain strength, rise above these whispers, and repel all harm by the permission of our Lord ﷻ.

How to protect oneself from evil
Ibn ‘Uthaymeen mentions:

“… Salvation lies in connecting one’s heart with his Lord, entrusting his affairs to Him, and achieving complete reliance upon Allaah.

He uses the authentically reported and legislated means with which he protects himself from such harms. These issues of magic, envy and jealousy, and similar evils are prevalent among people only due to the negligence and lack of consciousness of Allaah, the weakness of one’s reliance upon Him, and not learning about the reported means and supplications of protecting oneself.

If the people did use these authentically reported means of protecting oneself, we know for sure they will prevent such evils and block them stringer than the barrier blocks the Yajooj and Majooj!

But, unfortunately, most people know nothing of these reported supplications and means.

Even those who do know of them often forget and neglect them or recite them with their hearts inattentive. This is a major deficiency. If people were to use the legislated means as intended they would be saved from many evils. We ask Allaah for success and safety.”

[Usool At-Tafseer, by Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, Pp. 194-195]

You have no job? *Pray Tahajjud*
You are stressed? *Pray Tahajjud*
You want to get married? *Pray Tahajjud*
You have health problems? *Pray Tahajjud*
You want something? *Pray Tahajjud*

Sometimes you pray Tahajjud for something you think you want, and later you forget about it completely, because the sweetness of giving up sleep for Allah becomes better than anything you wanted in the first place.

*The dua made during Tahajjud is like an arrow that does not miss its target.*🤍
*When:* In the last third of the night, before the Fajr prayer.
*How to pray Tahajjud:* Wake up approximately 20 minutes before Fajr, then perform at least two rak‘ahs. You can pray as many rak‘ahs as you like, and make du‘ā in sujood and after the prayer.

*The Reward for Sabr*

✍🏼Sheikh Uthaimeen رحمه الله تعالى said:

Verily, the one who is afflicted with an affliction and is patient, Allaah سبحانه و تعالى will guide his heart, cause it to be opened to acceptance and make the affliction easy for him because of the hope he has in Allaah's reward.

Then when he is resurrected on the Last Day, he will be very much in need of those rewards which he had gained from his patience and persevering during the times of tribulations. He would have found them preserved for him with Allaah سبحانه و تعالى.

{Verily, the Patient will be given their reward}.

*إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ اجرهم بغير حساب*

*Only those who are patient shall receive their rewards in full, without reckoning*."
(Az-Zumar, 39:10)

▪الضياء للامم من الخطب الحوامع 《٧٩》

✒ Translated by:
Umm Hyatt al-Amerikiyyah حفظها الله

The Quran is for ourselves, not for our Shelves

Adh-Dhahāk رحمه الله said:

‎“A time will come when people will store the Qur'ān (on a shelf etc) until a spider would build its web on it without anyone benefiting from it.”

‎[Jami' Bayan al-'Ilm wa Fadlih]

Shaykhul Islaam Ibnul Qayyim
I'laam al Muwaqi'een Vol 3, P.4


Forbidding Evil has four levels:

The first: That the evil is removed and the opposite (good) takes its place.[1]

The second: The evil is lessened but is not removed completely.[2]

The third: The evil is replaced with what is similar/equal to it.[3]

The fourth: The evil is replaced with something worse than it.[4]

The first two levels are legislated (permitted), the third is an area of Ijtihaad and the fourth is prohibited.

________

The following is only an example to clarify the meaning.

[1] A person is encouraged to abandon smoking cigarettes and burns incense in his home or drinks coffee in its place or just simply abandons smoking cigarettes.
[2] A person is encouraged to abandon smoking cigarettes and responds by smoking less often.
[3] A person is encouraged to abandon smoking cigarettes and consequently abandons it and replaces it with smoking Shihah (sometimes called hubbly bubbly).
[4] A person is encouraged to abandon smoking cigarettes and consequently abandons it and replaces it with smoking weed or other such substances.

This scenario can be visualized if a person were to be encouraged to abandon smoking by only citing its harmful effects on the body such as its effect on the lungs or the risk of cancer, he then figures that smoking weed which carries a more sever prohibition or Shisha which carries a similar prohibition are fine since they may not have those particular harmful effects on the body while he was unaware that they are prohibited from different angles.

There are many other examples that do not necessarily have to have a relation with each other such as the example used.

Oppressors and those who help them are all one and the same:

He ﷺ said: “Whoever helps against an adversary through means of oppression will remain under the wrath of Allāh until he pulls out [of that].”

Ibn Mājah, 2320; Al-Albānī rated it ṣaḥīḥ [authentic] (Ṣaḥīḥ Al-Jāmiʿ, 6049)

And it’s been established from Imām Maimūn ibn Mihrān [that he said]: “Oppressors, those who help in oppression, and those who like it [being done] are [all one and] the same.”

[Al-Kharāʾiṭī in Masāwiʾ Al-Akhlāq, no. 595]

Prophet ﷺ said,

‎“A time will soon come when the best property of a Muslim will be sheep which he will take on the top of mountains and the places of rainfall so as to flee with his religion from afflictions."

‎📚 Bukhari 19

Abul-Minhāl said:

"Nothing accompanies the servant to his grave better than frequently asking for forgiveness."

[كتاب الزهد للإمام أحمد بن حنبل ]

✒ Seek Allāh's Refuge From Adhāb al-Qabr

Prophet Muḥammad Ṣallallāhu-ʿAlaihi Wa Sallam said:

فلولا أن تدافنوا لدعوت الله أن يسمعكم من عذاب القبر الذي أسمع منه

“If it were not that you would stop burying (your dead ones); I would have asked Allāh to let you hear from the punishment of grave that I hear!!”

● [مختصر صحيح الجامع الصغير برقم ٢٢٦٢ ، صححه الألباني]

💎 Benefit 💎

Sh. Ibn ʿUthaymeen Raḥimahullāh explained in its Sharḥ that the wisdom behind not hearing punishment of grave is as following:

• What the Ḥadeeth mentioned (i.e we would stop burying our loved ones).

• It conceals dead person's sins and his suffering due to them.

• Saves the family of dead from pain and discomfort.

• Saves the family from being embarrassed by people when they say: this is your father or son or brother being punished.

• The screams of torture would have killed us.

• Eemān in it as unseen (Ghayb) is a test for humans and people would believe in that due to witnessing it rather than having belief in it by the way of reports from Messenger of Allāh (Ṣallallāhu-ʿAlaihi Wa Sallam).

● [مجموع فتاوى الشيخ العثيمين ٨/٤٨٢]

Beautiful advise from the Shaykh Al ‘Allaamah 'Abdul 'Azeez Ibn Baaz (rahimullah):

It was said to the shaykh,

“Oh shaykh, so and so has become misguided”. The Shaykh replied:

“Perhaps his deviation was due to two things:
1. He didn’t ask Allâh for Ath-thabaat (firmness).
2. He didn’t thank Allâh for Al-Istiqaamah (steadfastness)

So when Allâh chose for you the path of guidance, it was not because you are special, nor was it because of your obedience. But rather, it was a mercy from Him that enveloped you. He can remove it from you at any time.

Therefore, do not be deceived by your actions nor by your worship. And do not look down upon the one who has deviated from His path. For had it not been due to His mercy, you would have been in his position.

Repeat the recitation of this verse while pondering:

﴿ ولوﻵ أن ثبتناك لقد كدت تركن إليهم شيئا قليلا ﴾

"Had We not made you firm (Oh Muhammed صلى الله عيه وسلم) then you would have inclined towards them slightly.”

So upon is to not to think that thabaat (firmness) upon Al-Istiqaamah (steadfastness) is due to your own personal achievements. Ponder over His statement (Ta'aalaa) to the best of mankind: “Had We not made you firm (Oh Muhammad صلى الله عيه وسلم).”

So how about you?!

We are greatly mistaken when we disregard and pay no attention to our athkaar (supplications of remembrance). We believe it to be something that is not important and we forget that Allâh preserves us with it. And perhaps the decree will change…

Ibnul-Qayyim says:
“The need of the servant in his supplications by which he seeks refuge [in Allah], is more severe than his need for food, drink and clothes!”

Be consistent in your athkaar (supplications of remembrance), so that you can encompass the meaning:
“Preserve Allâh, He will preserve you.”

Fortify [yourselves] every morning and evening [with your athkaar (supplications of remembrance)]. For the dunya (life of this world) is horrifying and full of surprises and Allâh is the protector of His servants.

Shaykh Abdul ‘Aziz bin Baaz

Majmoo al Fatawa (297\4)

Whenever grief weighs heavily upon you, and matters become overwhelming,
then flee to your Master and place your trust in Him.

Ibn Rajab, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

“Among the subtle secrets behind relief being coupled with the intensification of distress is that when anguish grows severe and immense, and reaches its utmost limit, despair arises of its removal from the direction of created beings, and one’s attachment falls solely upon the Creator.

Whoever severs himself from reliance upon creation and attaches himself to the Creator alone—Allah responds to him and removes his affliction.

For true reliance consists of cutting off all forward-looking expectation of others by despairing of created beings altogether.”

⸻

📚Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī. Majmūʿ Rasāʾil Ibn Rajab. Vol. 3., p. 173.

Sufyan al-Thawri (may Allah have mercy upon him):

رضا الناس غاية لا تُدْرَك، فأحمقُ الناسِ من طلب ما لا يُدْرَك

“People’s pleasure is a goal that can never be attained. The most foolish of people is the one who seeks that which can never be attained.”

Qūt al-Qulūb: 2/389

Shaykh Sulaymaan ar-Ruhayli, may Allah preserve him, said:

"Taqwa, if it is mentioned by itself then it means the deen, all of it. And if it is mentioned with prohibited actions or commandments then the intended meaning is: Fear the punishment of Allah."

Source: Sharh al-Waseeyah as-Sughraa

التقوى إذا ذُكرَت مفرَدة؛ فهي تعني الدِّين كلّه وإذا ذُكِرَ معها المنهيات أو الأَوامِر؛ فيكون المقصود بها: اتِّقاء عذاب الله.

شرح الوصية الصغرى للشيخ سليمان الرحيلي -حفظه الله-

The dunya will make you think that every blessing has to be financial, so you underrate the gift of life, family, imaan, health and peace of mind.