I have not eaten my fill for 16 years, except on one occasion; and [on that occasion] I placed my hand in my mouth and induced myself to vomit.
Category: Knowledge
The benefits of hunger
Hunger cleanses the mind and kills the desires, and it is a cause for attaining deeper knowledge.
Reading the Qur.aan with understanding
O son of Aadam, by Allaah, if you were to read the Qur.aan [with understanding] and then believed in [what] it [contains], your sadness [at what comes to pass] in this world will be lengthened, and your fear [of Allaah] in this world will intensify, and your weeping in this world will increase.
In pursuit of humility
He was self-deprecating, and would not deem himself [to be much].
The best of actions
The best of actions [are those that] oppose personal desire.
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.
How are you this morning?
How can one be in the morning when his Lord demands he fulfill [his] religious obligations, and…
The perishers
The ignorant one is dead, and the forgetful one is asleep, and the sinner is intoxicated, and the one who insists [upon remaining so] will perish.
A believer will never be complete until…
A believer will never be complete until he prefers his religion over his desires, and he will never perish until he prefers his desires over his religion.