كان عمر بن عبد العزيز يقول: «ما رأيت يقيناً أشبه بالشك من يقين الناس بالموت، ثم لا يستعدون له»؛ يعني كأنهم فيه شاكون. [القرطبي:١٢/٢٦٥]

'Umar b. 'Abd al 'Azız (رحمه الله) used to say, "I have not seen certainty that resembles doubt more than people's certainty about death, despite which they do not prepare for it"; meaning that it is as if they are in doubt about it. [al Qurtubi: 12/265]

Ibn Umar -رضي الله عنهما- once said to a man:

أدب ‌ابنك ‌فإنك ‌مسئول عن ولدك ماذا أدبته وماذا علمته؟ وإنه مسئول عن برك وطواعيته لك.

‎"Discipline your son to be well-mannered, for you are responsible for what you have taught and how you have disciplined him. And he is responsible for his dutifulness and cooperativeness with you."

‎(graded as hasan)
‎Al-Nafaqa ‘alal ‘Ayāl 334
‎Al-Bayhaqi 5

Read a sample of “The Miracle of the Qur’ān & Its Amazing Effect on the Heart” here: https://read.amazon.com/sample/B0C2J398YQ?f=4&l=en_US&rid=MR1HN6BGJ3RZ393QHNWZ&sid=136-0231278-3158279&cid=A2XO8YH1IXGACJ&ref_=litb_m

‎[Taking children to good & righteous people so that they make du’ā for them]

عن عائشة -رضي الله عنها- أنها كانت تؤتى بالصّبيان ‌إذا ‌ولدوا ‌لكي ‌تدعو الله لهم بالبركة.

‎It has come from ‘Ā’ishah - رضي الله عنها - that the newborns used to be brought to her so that she could supplicate to Allah that they be blessed.

‎(graded hasan)
‎Al-Jami' by Ibn Wahb 669
‎Al Adab Al Mufrad by Al Bukhari 912

https://x.com/aboosuhailah/status/1753058764763132242?s=46

Knowing Allah is the sweetest thing on earth & lacking sound belief about Allah is an unimaginable loss:

(Excepted from “Fleeing to Allah: The Salaf and the Journey of Inner Growth”) a.co/d/etqlbiu

Sālih b. Janāh al-Dimashqi (رحمه الله) said to his son:
"يا بني ، إذا مر بك يوم وليلة قد سلم فيها دينك ، وجسمك ، ومالك ، وعيالك ، فأكثر الشكر لله تعالى ،

"My son, if a day and night pass by you in which your religion, body, wealth, and family are safe, then give abundant thanks to Allah, the Most High.

فكم من مسلوب دينه ، ومنزوع ملكه ، ومهتوك ستره ، ومقصوم ظهره في ذلك اليوم ، وأنت في عافية؟"

For how many there are whose religion is taken away, whose authority is stripped, whose honor (by way of the concealment of their flaws) is torn away, and whose back is broken on that day, while you are in well-being."

The historian, Ibn ‘Asākir (رحمه الله) comments with the following poetry:
لو أنني أعطيت سؤلي لما ... سالتُ إلا العفوَ والعافية
"If I were granted any request of mine, I would not ask for anything but pardon and well-being.
فكم فتى قد بات في نعمةٍ ... فسلَّ منها الليلة الثانية
For how many a youth has spent the night in blessings, only to be stripped of them the next night."

[Tarīkh Dimashq by Ibn Asakir (23/325), report number: 23018; Siyar A'lam al-Nubala' by Al-Dhahabi (3/222)]

Ibn ‘Awn (رحمه الله) said:
"ذكر الناس داء،وذكر الله دواء"
"Speaking of people is a disease, and remembering Allah is the cure."

Imam Al-Dhahabi (رحمه الله) said:

"إي والله،فالعجب منَّا ومن جهلنا كيف ندع الدواء ونقتحم الداء قال تعالى : (الذين آمنوا وتطمئن قلوبهم بذكر الله ألا بذكر الله تطمئن القلوب)
"Yes, by Allah, it is astonishing and ignorant on our part how we neglect the cure and plunge into the disease. Allah, Exalted and Most High, says: 'Those who believe and their hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah. Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.'
ولكن لا يتهيأ ذلك إلا بتوفيق الله؛ ومن أدمن الدعاء ولازم قَرْع الباب فُتح له"
But that is only made possible by the gracious guidance of Allah; and for those who persist in supplication and continuously knock on the door, it will be opened to them."

Al-Sa'di (رحمه الله) warned:
"وليحذر من الاشتغال بالناس والتفتيش عن أحوالهم والعيب لهم فإن ذلك إثم حاضر
"One should beware of being preoccupied with people, prying into their affairs, and finding fault with them. For doing so is an immediate sin.
والمعصية من أهل العلم أعظم منها من غيرهم ولأن غيرهم يقتدي بهم. ولأن الاشتغال بالناس يضيع المصالح النافعة والوقت النفيس ويذهب بهجة العلم ونوره"
And the sin is greater for those of knowledge than others because others take them as examples. And because being preoccupied with people wastes beneficial interests, precious time, and diminishes the joy and light of knowledge."

⬆️ Classes 1️⃣ and 2️⃣

So far, in the *Medicine of the Hearts* series, we have published “Winning the War Within” and “Fleeing to Allah”. Fleeing to Allah is a primer to the broader subject matter of the entire series, and if I were to number the books I would number it as the first of the series, because it serves as a madkhal, an entry point, to the broader subject.

The next in the series, which is nearly completed, is called “Wake up and Repent.” The subject matter of it is the preliminary stages of the spiritual journey, which Ibn al Qayyim outlines in the following sequence: (1.) waking up and being vigilant; (2.) being contemplative and thinking deeply; (3.) gaining insight and inner-vision; (4.) fixing ones intent and ambition; (5.) self-accountability (al muhāsabah); and finally, (6.) repentance (al-tawbah) which is the beginning, middle and end of the journey.

Most of its core content was removed from the “Fleeing to Allah” project as it proved to be better suited for a stand alone publication.

Additionally, well over 100 pages were removed about the history of Sufism and how it collapsed from exaggerated zuhd (disinterest and disillusionment with worldly matters) to zandaqah (pure disbelief, grave worship, occultism and inverted asceticism). It was removed to keep the book at a medium length. It will likely be used in a subsequent publication بإذن الله تعالى.

I have also nearly completed another volume on self-restraint.

These books are so much more than heart softeners, as many people think them to be, as they discuss matters at the core of Islamic creed and methodology. May Allah aid me in its continuation & reward you all for your kind support and encouragement.

Additionally, we are releasing another volume of “Contemplating Over the Qur’ān” for Ramadan this year. Allah willing. Its focus will be on the main insights of every page of the Quran and how to practically implement what one reads inside and outside of Ramadan. This aids tremendously in testing one’s comprehension and encouraging us all to embody Quranic guidelines with immediately actionable suggestions. I hope to personally conduct some short daily talks from the manual. Every year we challenge ourselves to prepare something enriching to renew our connection with Allah’s Magnificent Book. Again, thank you all for your support, on behalf of myself and my family. وفقنا الله واياكم

[نحن قوم أعزنا الله بالإسلام فإذا ابتغينا العزة بغيره أذلنا الله]
"We are a people whom Allah has honored with Islam, and if we seek honor through anything else, Allah will humiliate us."

أخرج ابن المبارك في الزهد (584) من طريق طارق بن شهاب قال:

Ibn Al-Mubarak narrated in Az-Zuhd (584) from the route of Tariq ibn Shihab, who said:

لما قَدِم عمر أرضَ الشام أُتي ببرذون فركبه، فهزَّه فكرهه فنزل عنه وركب بعيره، فعرضت له مخاضة فنزل عن بعيره ونزع موقيه، فأخذهما بيده، وخاض الماء وهو ممسك بعيره بخطامه أو قال: بزمامه

When Umar arrived in the land of Sham, a bardhun (which is a rare prized breed of Arabian stallion) was brought to him, so he rode it. It jolted, so he disliked it, dismounted it, and mounted his camel. Then, he encountered an area of shallow water, dismounted his camel, removed his footwear, held them in his hand, and waded through the water while holding his camel by its halter or, he said, its bridle.

فقال له أبو عبيدة بن الجراح: لقد صنعت اليوم صنيعًا عظيمًا عند أهل الأرض!

Abu Ubaidah ibn Al-Jarrah said to him: "Today, you have committed a great action (i.e., against the customs of nobility) in the eyes of the people!"

قال: - فصكَّ في صدره - ثم قال: أوَّه -يمد بها صوته- لو غيرُك يقول هذا يا أبا عبيدة!

Umar then struck his chest and said, "Oh"—prolonging his voice—"If (only) someone other than you said this, O Abu Ubaidah!

إنكم كنتم أذلَّ الناس، وأقلَّ الناس، وأحقر الناس، فأعزكم الله بالإسلام فمهما تطلبوا العزَّ بغيره يذلكم الله. 

You were the most humiliated of people, the fewest in number, and the most contemptible of people, and Allah honored you with Islam. So, whenever you seek honor through anything else, Allah will humiliate you."

I say: Its chain of narration is authentic.

- Arafat Al-Mohammadi