[smokeberly]

"Du'aa is like a weapon, and a weapon is only as good as the person using it;
it is not merely the matter of how sharp it is.
If the weapon is perfect and free of faults, and
the arm of the person using it is strong,
and there is nothing stopping him,
then he can lay waste the enemy.
But if any of these three features is lacking, then the effect will be lacking accordingly."
- Ibn Qayyim

[Cerilopasei]

''For everything that a slave loses there is a substitute,
but the one who loses Allah will never find anything to replace Him.''
- Ibn al-Qayyim

[Heopretg2006]

Imaam Ash-Shaafi'ee (rahimahullaah) said:
"When one desires to talk, then it is upon him to think before he speaks.
If there is beneficial good in what he will say, then he should speak.
And if he has doubt about that, then he must not speak until he clears that doubt (by making his speech good)."

[golfmenorca]

Abu Hurayrah, radhiallahu `anhu said,

"If anyone has five things then he will not be deprived of five others.

1. He who is enabled to show gratitude will never be deprived of increase of blessings.

2. He who is guided to persevere will not be deprived of reward.

3. One who is inspired to repent will not be deprived of its acceptance,

4. One who is enabled to seek forgiveness will not be deprived of receiving pardon.

5. He who is spurred to make supplication is not deprived of an answer."

[HenriRow]

Only a true believer fears hypocrisy
whereas the hypocrite himself feels safe from it.
- Hasan al-Basri

[boanuatiguali]

A very good article I found in the other thread. The 1st point itself is enough to give us a big reality check!

Hatim Al-Asamm and Shaqiq Al-Balkhi from "Oh My Dear Son"-Imam Al-Ghazali

If you understand this tradition, there is no need for too much knowledge. Hatim al-Asam was among the friends of Shaqiq al-Balkhi (may Allah have mercy on them both). One day Shaqiq asked Hatim: "You have kept my company for thirty years; what have you gained in the course of these years?" Hatim replied: "I have gained eight benefits from the knowledge which is sufficient for me. I hope my salvation and safety are embodied in them." Shaqiq asked Hatim to mention them. Hatim al-Asam said:

"The first benefit is that I observed the creation and saw that everyone had loved one and one passionately desired whom he loved and longed for. Some of the beloved accompany the lover up to the brink of sickness and death and others to the gate of the graveyard. All of them return and leave him there alone. No one goes into the tomb with him. I looked into the matter and said to myself: 'The best beloved is that which would enter the tomb with the lover to console him'; I found it to be nothing else than good works, so I took this as my beloved, to illuminate my grave for me and to comfort me in it and not leave me alone.

"The second benefit is that I saw that the people were following their lusts and hastening towards the desires of the souls; and I meditated on the saying of Allah the Exalted: But as for whoever has feared the majesty of his Lord and has refrained his soul from lust, truly the Garden shall be his dwelling place (Quran, 79:40-41). Convinced that the Quran was true and right, I began to deny my soul [its pleasures] and hurried to combat it and refuse it its passionate desires, until I enjoyed real satisfaction in obedience to Allah the Exalted.

"The third benefit is that I saw that every human being is striving to accumulate as much as he can from the wreckage of this world and then holding on strongly to it. I meditated on the Quranic verse: What is with you must vanish; what is with Allah must endure (Quran, 19:96). So I gave freely my wordly possessions for His sake by distributing them among the poor so that it would be my provision in the future with Him the Exalted.

"The fourth benefit is that some people whom I observed think that their dignity and honour lie in the multitude of their family and large clans. They were fascinated by these things. Others claimed honour and dignity in abundance of wealth and children, and they were proud of it. Some believed honour and power abide in appropriating the wealth of others, doing injustice to them and shedding their blood. Others considered dignity to consist of extravagance and spending wealth in a foolish manner. I meditated upon the saying of the Exalted: The most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you (Quran, 49:13). I chose righteousness for myself, convinced that the Quran is right and true and those claims and opinions of the people are all false and temporal.

"The fifth benefit is that I found people slandering each other and speaking ill of one another out of envy of fortune, power and knowledge. I meditated upon the saying of Allah: It is We who divide their livelihood among them in the life of this world (Quran, 43:32). I realised that the process of dividing livelihood is entirely in the hands of Allah since the beginning of time. Therefore I never envied anyone and was satisfied with the distribution of Allah the Exalted.

"The sixth benefit is that I saw people becoming enemies of each other for difference reasons. I meditated upon the saying of Allah: Verily, Satan is an enemy to you; so treat him as an enemy (Quran, 35:6). I became aware that enmity with anyone except Satan was not permissible.

"The seventh benefit is that I saw everyone working very hard, exhausting themselves to obtain food and sustenance, tempted by doubts and forbidden things. They degraded themselves in humiliation. I pondered over the saying of Allah the Exalted: There is no moving creature on earth but that its sustenance is dependant on Allah (Quran, 11:6). I knew that my livelihood is guaranteed by Allah the Exalted, so I engaged myself in worship and cut off my covetousness of all else, other than Him.

"The eighth benefit is that I saw that everyone relied on some created thing, some on the dinar and dirham, some on wealth and property, some on trade and craft and some on creatures like themselves. I meditated on the saying of Allah the Exalted: "And whosoever places his reliance on Allah, sufficient is [Allah] for him. For Allah will surely accomplish His purpose. Verily, for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion (Quran, 65:3). I therefore placed full trust in Allah the Exalted. He is sufficient for me and He is the best Disposer of affairs."

At this point Shaqiq said: "May Allah bless you and grant you success. I looked into the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Zabur and the Quran and have found that the four books revolve around these eight benefits. Whoever works according to them is working according to these four books."

[Dynasty]

Ibn Mas`ood, radiallaahu `anhu, said:

"True knowledge is not measured in relationship to how much you memorize and then narrate, but rather,
true knowledge is an expression of piety [protecting oneself from what Allaah prohibited and acting upon what He mandated].
"Also, "Study and act upon what you learn."
[Related by Abu Na`eem]

[Hokimjers]

"If you are irritated at every rub, then how will your mirror get polished?" Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi.

[SasV7ReJ]

“Whosoever does not endure a difficult beginning, does not have a bright ending”.
Ibn 'Ataillah Iskandari - Al Hikam.

[Doctorpills]

‘Exceeding the limits in beliefs (aqaid) and worship (a’amal) is innovation (bida’t) similarly exaggeration in spiritual states (ahwal) is also an innovation.’
Ashraf 'Ali Thanwi: Basair e Hakim al-Ummat.

[cafeviahe]

If you ever have time and find yourself in ease, then take advantage of prayer, to draw near to Allah; If you ever wish to speak ill a word of falsehood, then instead put in its place, a word of glorification; Because taking advantage of silence is better than speaking frequently, even if you are eloquent in speech.
'Abdullah ibn Mubarak.

[Ervins Dervish]

Don't let a day pass without:
1. Thanking and remembering ALLAH
2. Asking for forgiveness and rectifying bad deeds
3. Fulfilling your salah on time
4. Doing any type of charity [even a smile]
5. Reading & understanding ayat from the Qur'aan
6. Practicing Islam and making dua for the Ummah
7. Remembering death, fearing hellfire and striving for jannah
Insha ALLAH

[Terinalo]

Narrated Ibn Umar:

The Prophet Muhammad(SAWS)said, "The keys of the unseen are five and none knows them but Allah:
(1) None knows what is in the womb, but Allah:\
(2) None knows what will happen tomorrow, but Allah;
(3) None knows when it will rain, but Allah;
(4) None knows where he will die, but Allah (knows that);
(5) and none knows when the Hour will be established, but Allah
SAHIH MUSLIM
Volume 9, Book 93, Number 476:

[GrileVege]

Hadith - Bukhari's Book of Manners #330
Ibn 'Abbas said on the following verse of the Qur'an, "Nor defame one another" (49:11),
"Do not spend your time finding fault with one another."

[gDGwm8BC]

The ibtilaa’ (testing) of the believer is like medicine for him. It cures him from illness. Had the illness remained it would destroy him or diminish his reward and level (in the hereafter). The tests and the trials extract these illnesses from him and prepare him for the perfect reward and the highest of degrees (in the life to come).”

-Ibn Qayyim

[brorwargy]

It is reported that, The Messenger of Allah(saw) said,
"He who, in order to find fault, says something about a person that was not there, Allah will throw such a person in HELL till he tastes fully what he had fabricated."

(Tibrani)

[mussmicky]

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying:
"The world is a prison-house for a believer and
Paradise for a non-believer."

[Muslim Book 42 No. 7058]

[ëàìèíàò]

Shaykh al-Islam Mawlana Husayn Ahmad Madani (ra) advised:
‘‘Be mindful of following the sunnah at all times. This is [the real form of] excellence, the objective, and the cause of divine pleasure.’’ (Malfuzat Hadrat Madani)

[Adwetyren]

“Deeds without sincerity are like adding dirt to water then carrying it. It weighs it down and does not benefit the carrier!”
Imam Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyya.

[DagoIgnog]

"The believers are continually tested [by trials] to purify their imaan and to expiate their sins. This is because the believer performs his actions for the sake of Allah, so it is [incumbent] upon Allah to reward him for that harm which he endured."
Imam Ibn Taymiyya.