I spent the night [at the house of] Ibn ‘Ulayyah, [during which] he read a third of the Qur.aan.
Tag: wisdom
He would weep whilst standing in prayer at night
Sa’eed ibn Jubayr would weep [whilst standing in prayer] at night until his eyes became bleary and he was unable to see clearly.
Knowledge which is not spoken with
Knowledge which is not spoken with, is like treasure which is not spent.
Exerting yourself in much prayer
I saw Yazeed ibn Zuray’ in a dream; So I said to him what did Allaah do with you? He replied: He entered me into Paradise. I said to him: With what (meaning, what did you do to earn that)? He said: For [exerting myself in] much prayer.
Due to their wicked character
If Allaah intends evil for the people [due to their wicked character], He opens for them [the door to] argumentation and denies them [righteous] action[s].
I do not know
I accompanied Ibn ‘Umar (radhi-yAllaahu ‘anhumaa) for 34 months, and [during this time] whenever he was asked a question, he would respond with: I do not know. He then turned to me and said: Do you know what these [people] wanted, they wanted to use our backs as a bridge for themselves to Hell.
A secretive man
And I never saw him openly glorifying Allaah, nor [openly doing] any acts of charity.
Humility even in front of his family
It was reported regarding ar-Rabee’ ib Kuthaym that when a family member would enter his room, he would [hasten to] cover his Qur.aan.
Essential attributes of the Scholar
The scholar is not he who [just] knows about the good and the bad, rather, the scholar is he who knows about the good and adheres to it, [just as he] knows of the bad and refrains from it.
Act according to what you have learnt
Learn, learn, and when you have learnt, then act [according to what you have learnt].