Words of wisdom
There are thoughts, ideas, and information in this age but hardly any wisdom.
Let's find something which is real and would provide some guiding principles on how to traverse this journey of life; without falling into deceptions set around us.
Constantly Improving — Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah said: “Verily, I constantly renew my Islam until this very day, as up to now, I do not consider myself to have ever been a good Muslim.”
To Not Being Arrogant — “Do not strut arrogantly about the earth: you cannot break it open, nor match the mountains in height.” [Quran 17:37
On Dying — Ali said: “The Hereafter is traveling towards us, and this life is traveling away from us, so be from the children of the Hereafter and not from the children of this world. For today is action without reckoning, and tomorrow is reckoning without action.
Living as a Stranger — Umar said, “Allah’s Messenger PBUH took hold of my shoulder and said, ‘Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler.’” The sub-narrator added: Ibn Umar used to say, “If you survive till the evening, do not expect to be alive in the morning, and if you survive till the morning, do not expect to be alive in the evening, and take from your health for your sickness, and (take) from your life for your death.”
“Allah the Almighty said: I am as My servant thinks I am, I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a cubit, and if he draws near to Me a cubit, I draw near to him a fathom. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.”
On Hereafter — “And the hereafter is better for you than the first (life).” [Quran 93:4]
Uthman bin Affan said: “Do not forget the angel of death, for he does not forget you…”26 “If you knew what you are facing after death, you would not eat your meal nor drink with any appetite… I wish I were a tree to be bitten (by insects) and then eaten.
Repentance — Luqman said to his son: “O my beloved son, do not delay repentance for indeed punishment can come unexpectedly.” 35 Ibn al-Qayyim said: “Do not belittle a small sin, for the biggest of fires can be caused by the smallest of sparks
Remembrance — Ibn Taymiyyah said: “Remembrance of Allah for the heart is like water for the fish; and what will be the state of the fish when it is separated from water?”
Richness — Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah PBUH said: “Richness does not lie in the abundance of (worldly) goods, but richness is the richness of the soul (heart, self).”
Knowledge — Imam al-Sahafi said: “All humans are dead except those who have knowledge; and all those who know are asleep, except those who do good deeds; and those who do deeds are deceived, except those who are sincere; and those who are sincere are always in a state of worry.”
The Quran mentions the wise man Luqman’s advice to his son: “We endowed Luqman with wisdom: ‘Be thankful to God: whoever gives thanks benefits his soul, and as for those who are thankless — God is self-sufficient, worthy of all praise. Luqman counseled his son, ‘My son, do not attribute any partners to God: attributing partners to Him is a terrible wrong.’ We have commanded people to be good to their parents: their mothers carried them, with strain upon strain, and it takes two years to wean them. Give thanks to Me and to your parents– all will return to Me. If they strive to make you associate with Me anything about which you have no knowledge, then do not obey them. Yet keep their company in this life according to what is right, and follow the path of those who turn to Me. You will all return to Me in the end, and I will tell you everything that you have done. [And Luqman continued], ‘My son, if even the weight of mustard seed were hidden in a rock or anywhere in the heavens or earth, God would bring it [to light], for He is all subtle and all aware. Keep up the prayer, my son; command what is right; forbid what is wrong; bear anything that happens to you steadfastly: these are things to be aspired to. Do not turn your nose up at people, nor walk about the place arrogantly, for God does not love arrogant or boastful people. Go at a moderate pace and lower your voice, for the ugliest of all voices is the braying of asses.’” [Quran 31:12–19]
The whole world — The light of guidance Muhammad PBUH said: “Whoever among you wakes up physically healthy, feeling safe and secure within himself, with food for the day, it is as if he has acquired the whole world.”