As-salamu `alaykum wa rahmatullah
Shaykh Sayyid al-‘Affani: “Whoever seeks Allah and desires nobility and great honour, let him not sell his soul for a lowly price when in front of him lies Paradise and eternity. Indeed, we have only been created to live with our Creator in a Home the garden of which Allah the Most High has cultivated with His Hands.”
‘Aamir ibn ‘Abd: “I have not looked towards anything except that I saw Allah the Most High was closer to it than myself.”
Al-Junayd: “Know that He `azza wa jall, draws close to the hearts of His slaves according to how close they draw to Him, so look to what is drawing close to your heart.”
Al-‘Affani: “Knowing the greatness of Allah, the King of Kings, will make it easier for a person to gain sincerity. Likewise it’s made easier knowing that the hearts and forelocks of the slaves of Allah lie in His Hands, and that He runs their affairs; He commands and prohibits, honours and disgraces. He turns the hearts of the creation, so the heart of him whom you wish to show off to in is the Hands of Him Whom you are disobeying… It is incredible that you should know Him and yet not be sincere to Him, incredible that you should hear His call and yet delay in responding. Indeed, everything has a replacement, but Allah cannot be replaced.”
One of the salaf said, “Fight your soul and prevent it from the causes of Riya’ (showing off), and try to imagine the people around you as being like cattle or children so that you do not differ in your ‘Ibadah (worship) when they are present or absent, when they see you or not, and be content with the fact that Allah sees you.”
Abu al-Darda’ (radhiallahu `anhu) said, “O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the humbleness of the hypocrites.” It was said, “And what is the humbleness of the hypocrites?” He said, “That you should see the body being humble, but the heart refuses to be humble.”
Dhul-Nun: “When the wise one feels comfort in solitude, then he has attained sincerity, and at that point, his wisdom will move him to the truth and correctness in matters.”
لا تركنن لمخلوق على طمع *** فإن ذلك نقص منك في الدين
Do not rely upon the creation to grant you your wishes
Indeed that’s only a shortcoming on part of your religion
لن يقدر العبد أن يعطيك خردلة *** إلا بإذن الذي سواك من طين
A slave has no power to grant you, not even an atom’s weight
Except with the Permission of He who made you from clay
فلا تصاحب قوياً تستعز به *** و كن عفيفاً و عظِّم حرمة الدين
So do not walk with the mighty in order to boast with them
Rather be modest and virtuous and exalt the sanctity of this Deen
واسترزق الله مما في خزائنه *** فإن رزقك بين الكاف والنون
Seek provision from Allah; from the treasures that are with Him
For indeed your provision only lies between Kaf and Nun*
* i.e. between the letters Kaf and Nun – in Arabic this spells out كن (‘Be,’ or ‘to become’) which is a reference to the verse “Verily, His Command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, “Be! (kun)” and it is.” [Ya-Sin: 82].
– Taken from ‘Ta’tir al-Anfas min Hadith al-Ikhlas’ by Shaykh Sayyid Husayn al-’Affani
Al Muqarraboon 