The best of actions [are those that] oppose personal desire.
Category: Words of Wisdom
O Allaah, if you forgive me
O Allaah, if you forgive me, then you are qualified to do so, and if you punish me, then I am qualified to be so.
Dirty clothing is more in need of soap than it is of a pleasant scent
Which of the two is best: [that] I glorify Allaah ( سبحان الله ), or [that] I seek forgiveness from Allaah ( أستغفر الله )?
The mere sight of him would awaken sadness in my heart
Whenever I looked at al-Fudhayl [ibn ’Iyaadh], [the mere sight of him] would awaken sadness [in my heart], [causing me to] despise myself, and then weep.
A man whose heart fills with emotion at the remembrance of the dead
They are all his family, and his brothers; he is a man whose heart fills with emotion at the remembrance of the dead, whenever he feels hardness [in his heart].
Too much talking and too much eating
Two characteristics harden the heart: too much talking and too much eating.
Washing the bodies of the dead in preparation for burial
[In preparation for their burial], al-Muzanee would wash the dead as an act of worship, and he would say…
My father would extol praise upon him
I heard my father extol praise upon Ahmad ibn Abil-Hawaaree, and magnify his mention.
If the remembrance of death departed my heart
If the remembrance of death departed my heart, I would certainly fear my heart[‘s pursuit of desires] will corrupt me.
He was the most humblest of all the people
He would teach the people and have them read the Qur.aan to him. And when they would finish, he would [turn to] occupy himself in prayer.