Al Hasan رحمـــه الله recited one day:
Saying: "These are the Muslims who are never rude, and when others are rude to them, they are patient and not hasty [to respond].'
وَعِبَادُ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ هَوْنًۭا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ ٱلْجَـٰهِلُونَ قَالُوا۟ سَلَـٰمًۭا
"And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth with composure, and when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say [words of] peace."
Al Furqān 25:63
Saying: "These are the Muslims who are never rude, and when others are rude to them, they are patient and not hasty [to respond].'
The Beacon of Basra • p103
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Al Hasan رحمـــه الله used to say:
'Judge people by their actions and leave their words, for Allah the Exalted, did not leave a speech except made for it evidence either to confirm or deny it.
Whenever you hear a good speech, observe its speaker carefully. If his actions conform to his words, that is the best, and if they contradict one another, do not be fooled by him, for his words are nothing but tricks for the passersby.'
'Judge people by their actions and leave their words, for Allah the Exalted, did not leave a speech except made for it evidence either to confirm or deny it.
Whenever you hear a good speech, observe its speaker carefully. If his actions conform to his words, that is the best, and if they contradict one another, do not be fooled by him, for his words are nothing but tricks for the passersby.'
The Beacon of Basra • p143
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Al Hasan رحمـــه الله used to say:
'How poor is the son of Adam! How weak he is!
Hidden (from him) are his defects and concealed (from him) is his lifespan.
He can be harmed by a bug and killed by a choke. Every day he takes a step closer to the Hereafter and traverses a stage of the worldly life.
Yet, he is prone to transgression, showing off, oppressing and becoming a tyrant.'
'How poor is the son of Adam! How weak he is!
Hidden (from him) are his defects and concealed (from him) is his lifespan.
He can be harmed by a bug and killed by a choke. Every day he takes a step closer to the Hereafter and traverses a stage of the worldly life.
Yet, he is prone to transgression, showing off, oppressing and becoming a tyrant.'
The Beacon of Basra • Page 145
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Al Hasan رحمـــه الله said:
"O son of Adam! You hate people based on your assumption, and yet you ignore certain (defects] in yourself."
"O son of Adam! You hate people based on your assumption, and yet you ignore certain (defects] in yourself."
The Beacon of Basra • P151
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Al Hasan رحمـــه الله said:
'I was told that Abū Hazim used to say: "We do not want to die until we repent, and [yet] we do not want to repent until we die.
Whoever of us meets Allah as an unrepentant criminal will enter Hellfire, and wretched is the destination.'
'I was told that Abū Hazim used to say: "We do not want to die until we repent, and [yet] we do not want to repent until we die.
Whoever of us meets Allah as an unrepentant criminal will enter Hellfire, and wretched is the destination.'
The Beacon of Basra • p152
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Al Hasan رحمـــه الله said:
"A person's grief over his sin is a motive to give it up,
and his regret over it is a motive to repent from it.
A man may keep grieving over his sin until it is more beneficial to him than some of his good deeds."
"A person's grief over his sin is a motive to give it up,
and his regret over it is a motive to repent from it.
A man may keep grieving over his sin until it is more beneficial to him than some of his good deeds."
The Beacon of Basra • p153
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Al Hasan رحمـــه الله said:
"If you prayed during the night until your back bends,
and fasted during the day until your body becomes ill,
it will not benefit you except if you had sincere devoutness."
"If you prayed during the night until your back bends,
and fasted during the day until your body becomes ill,
it will not benefit you except if you had sincere devoutness."
The Beacon of Basra • p154
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Al Hasan al-Basri رحمـــه الله said:
"None of the voluntary good deeds outweighs kindness to the parents, not even pilgrimage (hajj)."
"None of the voluntary good deeds outweighs kindness to the parents, not even pilgrimage (hajj)."
The Beacon of Basra, p154
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Concluding the book with this powerful admonition, which Al-Hasan رحمـــه الله delivered while in tears.
He said:
How far! How far!
Wishful thinking ruined people; words without deeds, knowledge without perseverance and belief without certainty.
The faith of one of you is a spoonful on his tongue; when he is asked:
'Do you believe in the Day of Judgement?"
He says: Yes!'
He is a liar, by the Sovereign of the Day of Recompense!
Imām Ibn al-Jawzī رحــمه الله ends the book with a 2-page exhortation from al-Hasan al-Basrī رحــمه الله on a believer's characteristics.
He said:
How far! How far!
Wishful thinking ruined people; words without deeds, knowledge without perseverance and belief without certainty.
The faith of one of you is a spoonful on his tongue; when he is asked:
'Do you believe in the Day of Judgement?"
He says: Yes!'
He is a liar, by the Sovereign of the Day of Recompense!
The Beacon of Basra, p154
Imām Ibn al-Jawzī رحــمه الله ends the book with a 2-page exhortation from al-Hasan al-Basrī رحــمه الله on a believer's characteristics.
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About the Book:
Original Title: روضــة العقــلاء ونــزهــة الفــضلاء
English Title: Selections from The Garden of the Wise and the Meadow of the Virtuous
Author: Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥibbān رحمــه الله [d. 354 AH]
Publication: Authentic Statements
About the Author:
The renowned muḥaddith, Abū Ḥātim Ibn Ḥibbān رحمــه الله, is widely known for his masterpiece, Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān (originally titled Al-Taqāsīm wa al-Anwāʿ).
His teachers include:
Imām al-Nasāʾī, al-Dārimī, Ibn Khuzaymah
Among his students were:
al-Ḥākim, al-Dāraquṭnī
All of these were eminent muḥaddithūn, رحــمهـم اللــه.
Note: The book title is long, so I will mention only the page numbers in the references. The names of the books are listed in the pinned message.
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Knowledge
Ibn Hibbān رحمـــه الله said:
"The purpose sought in all things is their benefit , not the thing itself, and knowledge and the benefit of knowledge are two separate things.
The wise person does not sell his portion of the Hereafter by seeking knowledge for what it may obtain for him of the vanities of this world,
because the intention for seeking knowledge is not for the knowledge in and of itself."
Ibn Hibbān رحمـــه الله said:
"The purpose sought in all things is their benefit , not the thing itself, and knowledge and the benefit of knowledge are two separate things.
The wise person does not sell his portion of the Hereafter by seeking knowledge for what it may obtain for him of the vanities of this world,
because the intention for seeking knowledge is not for the knowledge in and of itself."
Page 22
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Guarding the tongue
Ibn Hibbān رحمـــه الله said:
"Regret from silence is better than regret from speech.
Efforts must turn to guarding the tongue until it becomes correct, as the tongue is a source of destruction for a person.
Silence earns a person love and dignity and whoever guards his tongue brings himself peace."
Page 26
Ibn Hibbān رحمـــه الله said:
"Regret from silence is better than regret from speech.
Efforts must turn to guarding the tongue until it becomes correct, as the tongue is a source of destruction for a person.
Silence earns a person love and dignity and whoever guards his tongue brings himself peace."
Page 26
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Ibn Ḥibbān رحمـــه الله said:
"Modesty (hayā') is evidence of intellect, just as its absence is evidence of ignorance.
Haya' acts as an obstacle between a person and every impermissible act ."
"Modesty (hayā') is evidence of intellect, just as its absence is evidence of ignorance.
Haya' acts as an obstacle between a person and every impermissible act ."
Page 32/33
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Ibn Ḥibbān رحمـــه الله said:
Humility from a noble person increases his nobility, while arrogance from a lowly person increases him in lowliness.
And how can someone who is created from a drop of sperm and ends up as a rotting corpse and, berween these two stages, carries feces within himself, be arrogant?
Humility from a noble person increases his nobility, while arrogance from a lowly person increases him in lowliness.
And how can someone who is created from a drop of sperm and ends up as a rotting corpse and, berween these two stages, carries feces within himself, be arrogant?
Page 37
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Ibn Ḥibbān رحمـــه الله said:
"Mankind possesses differing desires and natures...
Therefore, It is not possible to sincerely have love for the people except by living with them and accepting them as they are, and by sometimes overlooking their transgressions."
"Mankind possesses differing desires and natures...
Therefore, It is not possible to sincerely have love for the people except by living with them and accepting them as they are, and by sometimes overlooking their transgressions."
Page 41
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Ibn Hibbān رحمـــه الله said:
"The spreading of the salam is one of those things that removes hidden enmity, bad temper, and hatred, stops abandonment, and develops brotherhood."
Habib bin Abi Thabit said, "A form of good manners is for a man to smile while talking to his friend."
"The spreading of the salam is one of those things that removes hidden enmity, bad temper, and hatred, stops abandonment, and develops brotherhood."
The Prophet ﷺ said:
If a Muslim man passes by a group of people and greets them with salam and they return the greeting, then he has a degree of superiority over them due to his mentioning the salam first. [Tabrāni: Hasan]
Habib bin Abi Thabit said, "A form of good manners is for a man to smile while talking to his friend."
Page 42-44
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Ibn Hibbān رحمـــه الله said:
"Joking is of two types: praiseworthy and blameworthy.
And how many times have brothers differed and loved ones abandoned one another due to something that started out as a joke?
"Joking is of two types: praiseworthy and blameworthy.
And how many times have brothers differed and loved ones abandoned one another due to something that started out as a joke?
Umar رضي الله عنـــه said:
'Whoever laughs a lot lacks reverence, and whoever jokes a lot is not taken seriously. Whoever does something a lot becomes known for it.'"
Page 45-47
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Malik bin Dinar رحمـــه الله said:
"It's better to move rocks with good people than to eat dessert with wicked people."
Abdul-Wahid bin Zayd said, "Sit with the people of religion of this world, as they do not indulge in foul speech in gatherings."
"It's better to move rocks with good people than to eat dessert with wicked people."
The Prophet ﷺ said:
The example of a good companion is like that of the musk seller: even if you do not receive his good scent, you at least can smell it.
The example of a bad companion is like that of a blacksmith: even if you are not burnt by his fire, the sparks will get you.
Abdul-Wahid bin Zayd said, "Sit with the people of religion of this world, as they do not indulge in foul speech in gatherings."
Page 56-58