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.
Category: Words of Wisdom
A man whose heart fills with emotion at the remembrance of the dead
Safwaan ibn Sulaym would visit [the graveyard of] al-Baqee' over a number of days - and [in doing so] he would pass by me.
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 رحمه الله 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 remain in the main masjid of the city from [the time of] Fajr until [the time of] 'Ishaa, not leaving other than for a need. He would teach the people and have them read the Qur.aan to him.
Good character and minimal speech
Abul-Qaasim was of sound 'aqeedah, good character, and minimal speech; [in fact] there was no-one of his time comparable to him.
More beloved to me than this world and all that is in it
For me to know that Allaah has accepted from me [a good deed equivalent to] the weight of a grain, is more beloved to me than this world and all that is in it. That is because He تعالى says
How are you this morning?
al-Marwathee said, I said to Ahmad ibn Hanbal رحمه الله:
'How are you this morning?' He [Ahmad ibn Hanbal رحمه الله] replied