From amongst the most amazing of those who memorised [knowledge] in our time was Ibn Taymiyyah. He would read a book only once and it would be etched in his mind.
Category: Words of Wisdom
Whoever stands the night in prayer
Whoever stands the night in prayer, Allaah will make easy for him his standing on the Day of Judgment.
Out of fear that it may rest upon my heart
My ears have never heard anything of knowledge except that it has rested upon my heart (i.e. I have memorised it).
I am amazed at the people who take care of themselves
I am amazed at the people who take care of themselves by eating food out of fear of dying, yet do not protect themselves from sins out of fear of the Fire.
Nothing I have ever memorised
There is nothing I have [ever] memorised and then [later] forgotten.
I yearn to remain standing until my body aches
Talq ibn Habeeb would not go into rukoo’ once he started Soorah al-Baqarah (p2) until he reached [Soorah] al-‘Ankaboot (p396), and he would say
Take from your life for your death
If you live until the evening, then do not expect to live until the following morning. And if you live until the morning, then do not expect to see the evening.
The sign of repentance is
The sign of repentance [is]: weeping at what has preceded, fear of falling into sin, leaving evil company, and maintaining the company of the good.
He would only sleep a little at night
al-Haafiz ‘Abdul-Ghanee was coming to visit me in Asfahaan, and he would only sleep a little at night, instead [choosing to] pray, read [Qur.aan] and weep.
He is a liar
Eesaa ibn Maryam used to say: ‘Indeed whoever prays and fasts, but does not leave off sinning, then it is written that he is a liar.’