From the chapter of 'Sincerity'

 It was said: "The likeness of the one who performs good deeds in order to show off and have a good
reputation is like the one who goes out to the marketplace and fills his bags with stones, and as a
result, the people say:"Look at how stuffed this man's bags are!" So, he gains nothing except what the
people say about him, and if he wishes to trade these stones for something, he will get nothing in
return for them. Similarly, the one who performs good deeds for show-off and reputation; there is no
benefit for him in his actions other than what the people say about him, and no reward awaits him in
the Hereafter, as Allah - the Exalted - says: {"And We shall turn to whatever deeds they did, and We
shall make them as scattered floating particles of dust."} [al-Furqan;23]

 It was once asked: "Who is the sincere one? It was answered: "The sincere one is the one who hides
his good deeds the same way he hides his bad deeds."

 It was said: "Preserving an act of obedience is more difficult than performing it, because it is like a
glass lamp that is easily broken and cannot withstand rough treatment. Likewise, the good action, if it
is exposed to show-off, it breaks. And if it is exposed to its performer being pleased with himself,
then it breaks. If a person wants to perform an action and fears that he will show-off with it, then if he
is able to throw out this riya' from his heart, then he should exert all efforts in doing so. If he is unable
to do so, then he should not abandon performing this act because of the possibility of showing off;
rather, he should perform it, then seek Allah's forgiveness for what he might have had of riya'. It
might be that Allah will guide him to having sincerity in other actions of his."

 It was narrated that a man asked: "The people say that I am a righteous person, so how can I tell
whether or not I am righteous?" So, it was said to him: "First, expose your secrets in front of the
righteous. If they are pleased with you, then know that you are righteous. If they are not, then you are
not righteous. Second, offer the dunya to your heart. If it rejects it, then know that you are righteous.
If it accepts it, then you are not. Third: offer the possibility of death to your soul. If it longs for death,
then know that you are righteous. If not, then you are not. If these three characteristics are combined
in you, then ask Allah to prevent any show-off from entering upon your actions so that they would
not become ruined.
 From the chapter on 'Death'
 It was said: "Death is like a thorny plant entered into the throat of the Son of Adam - each thorn
pulling with it one of his veins - which is then pulled out suddenly by a man of great strength, cutting
up what it cuts up, and sparing what it spares."

 It was also said: "There are four things that none know the value of except for four types of people:
nobody knows the value of the youth except the elderly, nobody knows the value of relief except
those who are being tried, nobody knows the value of health except the sick, and nobody knows the
value of life except the dead."

 A man would say to his son: "I am amazed at the one upon whom death descends while he has his
sanity and his tongue, yet he is still unable to describe death." So, when this man had death descend
upon him, his son asked him why he did not describe death for him even though he had his sanity and
his tongue. The man answered: "O son! Verily, death is greater than could be described, but I will
attempt to describe it for you somewhat. By Allah, it is as if I have a mountain upon my shoulders,
and it is as if my soul is being extracted from the tip of a needle, and it is as if I have a thorny plant in
my throat, and it is as if the heavens have smashed into the earth and I am in between them."

 It was reportedly said to 'Isa the son of Maryam, by some of the disbelievers of his time: "Verily, you
bring the dead back to life, but you only do so to those living in our times. How do we know that
these people really died in the first place? Revive for us someone who has died in the past." So, 'Isa
said to them: "Choose whomever you wish." So, they said: "Revive for us Sam the son of Nuh." So,
'Isa went to his grave, prayed two rak'ahs, made supplication to Allah, and then Allah brought Sam
the son of Nuh back to life. The people noticed that Sam's hair and beard were white, and asked him
how long he had been dead. He replied: "I have been dead for four thousand years, and I am still
suffering from the stupors of death."

 Know that you were created to die, and there is no way around this, as Allah says: {"...you will die
and they will die..."} [az-Zumar; 30], and He says: {"Say: running away will not save you if you
attempt to escape from death or killing."} [al-Ahzab; 16].
 From the chapter on 'The Day of Judgement'
 It was said: "Verily, a father will cling to his son on the Day of Resurrection and say to him: "O son!
What kind of a father was I to you during your life?" The son will then speak verily highly and
greatly of his father. The man will then say to his son: "My son! Verily, I am in need of just an atom's
weight of your good deeds. It might be that I am saved from what you are witnessing!" His son will
then say to him: "I fear for myself the same thing that you fear for yourself! I do not have the luxury
of giving you anything!" The man will then go and cling to his wife and say to her: "O such-and-such,
what kind of a husband was I to you during your life?" The wife will then speak very highly and
greatly of her husband. The man will then say to her: "I am asking you for just one good deed
(hasanah) to donate to me. It might be that I am saved from what you are witnessing!" So, she will
say: "I cannot do this! I fear for myself the same thing that you fear for yourself!"

 brothers and sisters! Prepare for a day like this with righteous and good actions! Prepare by
abandoning sins and acts of disobedience, for you will very soon witness the Day of Ressurection
first-hand and you will regret every second that passed of your life! And know that as soon as you
die, then your judgement day begins! So, it is upon you - O possessor of intelligence - to have
patience upon the hardships of a life of obedience to Allah - the Exalted - in order that you may
lighten the hardships of the Day of Resurrection, and Allah is the One who Guides.
 From the chapter on 'The Fire and Its People'
 There was a man whose tears would not stop rolling from his eyes. He would keep weeping until he
was finally asked why he was in this state, so he answered: "If Allah - the Exalted - had promised me
that if I commit a sin, he would imprison me in a bathroom forever, then it would be appropriate for
me to never stop crying. So, how should it be considering that He has promised that He would
imprison me in a fire that has been burning for over three thousand years?"

 It was said: "Verily, Hell has a pathway filled with snakes that are as thick as the trunks of trees and
scorpions that are like blackened beasts. The peope of Hell will escape from the Fire to these snakes,
so these snakes will grab them by their lips and peel away everything from their hair to their
fingernails, and nothing can save them from this except to jump back into the Fire."

 It was said: "Verily, the people of Hell will call out to one of the angels guarding it, and he will not
answer them for forty years. Then, he will say to them: {"Verily, you shall abide forever."} [az-
Zukhruf; 77] Then, they will call upon their Lord: {"Our Lord! Take us out of it (Hell), and if we
were to return, then we would indeed be wrong-doers!"} [al-Mu'minun; 107], and the amount of time
that He will wait without answering them will be equal to twice the amount of time that the World
existed. Then, He will say to them: {"Remain in it forever, and do not speak to Me."} [al-Mu'minun;
108] By Allah, after this, the people will not speak a single word, and there will not be except the
inhalation and exhalation of the Hell-Fire, and their voices will be like those of screaming donkeys
inbetween the inhalations and exhalations of the Fire." The narrator of this athar (who was one of the
Tabi'in) commented by saying: "O people! Do you have the capacity to withstand this? Are you
patient enough to withstand this? O people! Obedience to Allah is easier upon you than this, so obey
Him!"

 It was narrated: "Verily, the people of the Fire will be tortured for one thousand years, then they will
say: "During our lives, if we were patient, we were eventually given a way out of our troubles." So,
they will be patient for one thousand more years without their punishment being lightened for them.
Then, they will say: {"It does not matter whether we rage or patiently endure; we have no place of
refuge."} [Ibrahim; 21] Then, they will call upon Allah - the Exalted - for one thousand years to send
some rain upon them out of their extreme thirst and intense torture so that they would be relieved of
the intense temperatures and extreme thirst. So, after they supplicate for one thousand years, Allah -
the Exalted - will say to Jibril: "What do they ask for?" Jibril will answer: "O Lord, You are more
Knowing of them. They ask for rain." So, red clouds will appear above them, and they will think that
rain will pour from these clouds. Instead, blackened scorpions will pour down upon them, one sting
of which throbs with pain for over one thousand years. Then, they will again ask Allah - the Exalted -
for one thousand years to provide them with rain, and then black clouds will appear above them. They
will say: "These are rain clouds!" But instead, snakes like the necks of camels will pour out of the
clouds, one bite of which throbs with pain for over one thousand years, and this is the meaning of the
saying of the Exalted: {"We will add torment upon torment for them because of the corruption that
they used to perform."} [an-Nahl; 88]."
 From the chapter on 'Paradise and Its People'

 It was said: "Verily, in Paradise there is a huri named Lu'bah. If she were to spit into the ocean, it
would purify all of its water. On her chest, there is written: 'Whoever desires to have someone like
me, then let him busy himself with obeying my Lord.'"

 It was said: "The ground in Paradise is made of silver, its dust is made of musk, the trunks of its trees
are made of gold and silver, the branches of its trees are made of pearls and gems, with its leaves and
fruits growing out from them. So, whoever eats standing will not be harmed, whoever eats sitting will
not be harmed, and whoever eats laying down will not be harmed, as Allah says: {"...and the bunches
of fruit thereof will hang low within their reach."} [al-Insan; 14] That is, these fruits will be within
their reach whether they are standing, sitting, or laying down."

 It was said: "By the One who revealed the Book upon Muhammad (peace be upon him), the people of
Paradise will increase in beauty and goodness everyday, just as they used to increase in old age and
weakness in the world everyday."

 It was said: "In Paradise, if anyone desires the meat of a bird, he simply calls out for one and it comes
down and lands on its side. He eats smoked meat from one side of it and roasted meat from the other,
then it comes back to life again and flies away."

 It was narrated from one of those who would abstain from the worldly pleasures that he would eat
herbs and salt without any bread, so it was said to him: "You limit yourself to this?!" The man
replied: "Yes, because I live my life for Paradise, and you live your life for the bathroom (meaning,
you eat the best of foods and end up in the bathroom, while I eat simple foods in order to sustain my
ability to worship, hoping to end up in Paradise)."

 It was narrated that a man desired to enter the bathroom, so his companion prevented him from doing
so and said to him: "You cannot enter without paying a fee." So, the man cried out and said: "O
Allah! He has prevented me from entering the abode of the devils without a price, so how can I
expect to enter the abode of the prophets and the truthful without a price?"

 It was said: "If Paradise could not be attained by anyone except if they abandoned all that they loved
from this worldly life, then this would be nothing in comparison to Paradise. If one could not be
saved from Hell except by experiencing every hardship possible, then this would be nothing in
comparison to Hell. So, how is it when you can enter Paradise by abandoning one fraction of a
thousand of the things you like, and you can be saved from Hell by experiencing one fraction of a
thousand of hardship?"

 It was narrated: "Verily, a woman of this world - if she makes it to Paradise - will be more virtuous
and preferred over the Hur al-'Ayn because of her actions in this world."
 From the chapter on 'Hoping for Allah's Mercy'

 It was said: "When the following verse was revealed: {"...My Mercy embraces all things..."} [al-
A'raf; 156], Satan - may Allah curse him - became hopeful and said: "I am a thing of those things, so I
will have a portion of Allah's Mercy!" And the Jews and Christians became hopeful and said: "We are
a thing of those things, so we will have a portion of it." So, when the saying of Allah {"...I shall
reserve it for those who are pious, give charity, and believe in Our signs..."} was revealed, then Satan
lost hope of recieving any of His Mercy. But, the Jews and Christians said: "We are pious, we give
charity, and we believe in the signs of our Lord, so we are still eligible for Allah's Mercy!" Then, the
saying of Allah {"Those who follow the unlettered Prophet and Messenger..."} [al-A'raf; 157] was
revealed - meaning, those who believe in Muhammad (peace be upon him). So, the Jews and
Christians then lost all hope, and the Mercy remained exclusively for the believers."

 It was said: "O Lord! You have given us one mercy, and have honored us with it, and it is Islam.So, if
you give us one hundred portions of Your Mercy, then how can we not be hopeful for Your
forgiveness?"

 It was said: "As long as the person is in good health, then fear of Allah is preferred. Once he becomes
sick and is unable to perform many more good deeds, then hope in His Mercy is preferred."

 It was said: "O Lord! You have Created Paradise and made it a meeting place for your allies, and the
disbelievers have lost all hope of entering it, and the Angels were created without being in need of it,
and You are also not in need of it. So, if you will not give me Paradise, then who will You give it to?"
 From the chapter on 'Repentance'

 It was said: "Verily, our repentance is itself in need of much repentance." Meaning, that it is often the
case that one simply repents with his tongue with the inner intention of eventually returning to the sin.

 It was narrated that there was a king among the Children of Israel. He was told about a devout
worshipper, so he called this man and convinced him to become his companion and doorkeeper. The
worshipper said to the king: "You speak well to me, King. However, if you entered your home one
day and found me playing with your slave-girl, what would you do?" The king then became angry
and said: "You sinner! You dare to speak in such a manner to me?" So, the worshipper said to him:
"Verily, I have a Noble Lord who, if He saw from me seventy sins in a single day, He would not
become angry with me or expell me from His door, or prevent me from His provision. So, how can I
part with His door and guard the door of one who becomes angry with me before I even disobey him?
How much angrier would you be if you actually saw me carry out what I spoke of?" And then the
worshipper left.

 It was said: "Verily, the sinner sins then continues to be regretful and repenting until he enters
Paradise. Satan then spitefully says: "If only I had never caused him to commit this sin in the first
place!"

 It was said: "When the repenters enter Paradise, they will say: "Did our Lord not promise that
everyone would see the Fire before they enter Paradise?" It will then be said to them: "You did see it,
but you passed over it while it was calm."

 It was said: "Verily, the believer does not mean to fall into sin, nor persist in it, since Allah - the
Exalted - has said: {"...and He has made disbelief, sin and disobedience hated to you."} [al-Hujurat;
7] So, Allah has informed us that He has made the believers to hate disobedience, so the believer will
never persist in it. Rather, he may fall into it out of heedlessness. Therefore, it is not conceivable that
he could be taken to account for it if he repents."

 It was said: "If the servant repents, then Allah forgives him and causes the Scribes to forget what they
recorded of his evil actions, and causes his limbs to forget what he performed of sins, and causes the
ground that was under his feet and the sky that was over his head where he committed the sin to
forget that he committed it, so that he would come on the Day of Resurrection without any of the
Creation bearing witness against him regarding that."
 From the chapter on 'The Rights of the Parents'

 It was said: "There is not a single believer who has two parents and wakes up while he is good to
them, except that Allah opens up for him two gates to Paradise, and if he makes one of them angry,
then Allah will not become pleased with him until that parent becomes pleased with him again." It
was asked: "Even if that parent was oppressive and in the wrong?" It was replied: "Yes, even so. And
he never wakes up while he is bad to them except that Allah opens up for him two gates to Hell."

 It was said: "If Allah - the Exalted - had not mentioned the position and sacredness of the parents in
His Book, and did not admonish regarding it, then it would have been realized by simple logic. So, it
is obligatory upon the one with logic and intelligence to realize their sacredness and to fulfill their
rights. How is it, then, when Allah - the Exalted - has mentioned this in all of His Books: the Torah,
the Gospels, the Psalms and the Qur'an, has commanded this in all of His Books, and revealed this to
all of His Prophets and advised them regarding the honorable position of the parents and their rights,
and has made His pleasure dependent on their pleasure, and His anger dependent on their anger?"

 It was said by an early scholar: "I have read in many books that it is not for the son (or daughter) to
speak in the presence of their parents except with their permission, or to walk in front of them, or to
their right or left, unless they call him to walk next to them. Rather, he should walk behind them as a
slave walks behind his master."

 It was said by a group of the Tabi'in: "Whoever makes du'a' for his parents five times in a day has
fulfilled their rights, since Allah has said: {"...to thank Me and your parents. To Me is the final
return."} [Luqman; 14], and you thanks Allah - the Exalted - by praying five times in a day, so
likewise, you would thank your parents by praying for them five times in a day."

 It was said by a group of the Sahabah: "To leave off du'a' for one's parents results in a tight and
constricted life for the son."
 And let's not forget about the 'Rights Upon the Parents '

 It was narrated from one of the scholars of Uzbekistan that a man came to him and said: "My son has
hit me and hurt me!" The scholar said: "Subhan-Allah! A son hitting his father? Have you taught him
manners and knowledge?" The man said: "No." "Have you taught him the Qur'an?" The man replied:
"No." "So what does he know how to do?" The man replied: "Farming." "Do you know why he hit
you?" The man replied: "No." The scholar then said: "It might have been that when he woke up in the
morning, he went to the fields, was riding on a donkey, had a stick between his hands, had a dog
behind him, did not have any knowledge of the Qur'an (because you failed to teach him any of it) so
he started singing, and you came out to him at that moment, so he thought you were a cow and hit
you with the stick. So, thank Allah that your skull was not fractured."

 It was narrated by one of the early salihin that he would not order his son with something, and if he
needed something, he would ask someone else for it. When he was asked about this, he said: "Verily,
I fear that if I were to command my son with something that he would not be able to bear, he would
not carry it out and would therefore be disobedient to me and would deserve Hell as a result, and I do
not want to be the cause of my son burning in Hell."
 From the chapter on 'Laughter'
 It was said: "I am amazed at one who laughs while he has the Fire to look forward to, and one who is
happy while he has death to look forward to!"

 It was narrated that a man passed by a boy on the street while he was laughing, so he said to him:
"My son, have you passed the bridge over Hell?" The boy said: "No." The man said: "Has it been
made clear to you whether you will end up in Paradise or in Hell?" The boy said: "No." The man said:
"So what is all of this laughter for?" So, the boy was never see laughing after that moment, because
the words of this man seeped into his heart, so he repented from laughter. And this was the way of the
scholars back then: if they spoke with a word of guidance, their words were actualized by those who
listened to them because they used to act upon their knowledge, so their knowledge would benefit
others. As for the scholars of our time, then they do not act upon their knowledge, so their knowledge
does not benefit anyone.

 It was said: "Whoever commits a sin while he is laughing will enter the Fire while he is weeping."

 It was narrated regarding one of the old scholars of Iraq that whenever he was seen, it was as if he had
just returned from burying his mother.

 It was said: "If you knew what I knew, you would laugh less and weep more. If you knew what I
knew, you would prostrate in prayer until your back broke, and you would scream until your vocal
cords snapped. Cry to Allah - the Exalted - and if you are not able to cry to Allah, then force yourself
to cry!"

 It was narrated regarding one of the old scholars of Iraq that he said: "I laughed once, and I have
regretted doing that ever since. This is because I once debated with a leader of the Mu'tazilites of my
time, and when I sensed that I had won the debate, I laughed. So, he said to me: "You are speaking
regarding knowledge, and you laugh? I will never speak to you again!" So, I regret this greatly,
because were it not for my laughing, I would have convinced him to go along with my opinion.
Verily, in this was a rectification of a scholar."

 It was said: "Seek a happiness in which there is no sadness by means of a sadness in which there is no
happiness." Meaning: If you wish to acheive the happiness of Paradise, then be sad in this World -
and do not constantly be in a state of laughter and joy - in order to experience the happiness of
Paradise, and it is the happiness in which there is no sadness.
 From the chapter on 'Guarding the Tongue'

 It was said: "Verily, those who came before you hated to speak unnecessarily, and they would count
and take account of every single word they spoke other than the recitation of the Book of Allah - the
Exalted, or enjoining of some good, or forbidding of some evil, or speaking regarding some need of
theirs that they had no choice but to speak of."

 It was said: "There were four kings who spoke words that were as if they were an arrow thrown from
a single bow: the king of Persia said: "I do not regret what I have not said. I only regret what I have
said." The king of China said: "As for any word that I do not speak, I have control over it. But as for
any word that I do speak, it has control over me." The king of the Romans said: "I am more able to
prevent the consequences of what I have not said than what I have said." The king of India said:
"What is strange is that there are people who speak words that, if they were to be spoken, would harm
them and do not benefit them.""

 It was narrated that one of the early righteous people would wake up and pull out paper and a pen,
and he would not speak a word except that he would write it down, then he would go over what he
had written and take himself to account at night.

It was said by a companion of one of the early Muslims that he had accompanied this man for over
twenty years, and during this time, he did not hear a single word come out of his mouth that he could
be blamed for.

 It was narrated that when al-Husayn was killed, a close companion of his simply looked to the sky
and said: {"O Allah! Creator of the heavens and the earth! All-Knower of the unseen and the seen!
You will judge between your slaves about that wherein they used to differ."} [az-Zumar; 46], and he
did not say a single word in addition to this.

 It was said: "The believer speaks little and acts much, while the hypocrite speaks much and acts
little."

 It was said: "Verily, the wise man has his tongue behind his heart, so if he wishes to speak, he refers
to his heart first; if what he wants to say is good to say, then he says it. If it is not good, then he
refrains from saying it. Likewise, the ignorant one has his heart on the tip of his tongue, so he never is
able to refer his speech to his heart; whatever he wishes to say, he says."

 It was said: "Whoever speaks a lot, will only increase himself in embarassment."

 It was said: "I would rather attack a man with an arrow than attack him with my tongue, because it is
possible that the arrow can miss its target, while the tongue never misses its target."
 From the chapter on 'The Virtues of the Poor'

 It was said: "Whoever enters the marketplace and sees something that he desires but remains patient
from having it, then this is better for him than spending one hundred thousand dinars for the sake of
Allah."

 It was said: "The poor are the doctors of the wealthy, because if the wealthy one becomes sick, then
he spends of his wealth on the poor, and as a result is relieved of his illness"

 It was said: "Cursed is the one who considers himself to be something because of his wealth, and the
one who considers himself to be nothing because of his poverty."

 It was said: "The poor have chosen three things, and the wealthy have chosen three things: the poor
have chosen a relaxed soul, a spacious heart and a light account. The wealthy have chosen a tired
soul, a preoccupied heart and heavy account."

 It was narrated that Iblis took hold of the first dinar that was made, held it in front of his eyes and
said: "Whoever loves you, then he is my slave."
 From the chapter on 'Rejection of the Worldly
Pleasures'

 It was said: "When Allah banished Adam and Eve to the earth, and they first encountered the scent of
the Dunya and had been deprived of the scent of Paradise, they were overwhelmed by the stink of the
Dunya for over forty days."

 It was said: "Wisdom descends from the heavens to the hearts, and it does not occupy a heart that has
any of these four traits: leaning towards the worldly life, concern for what will come tomorrow, envy
of a brother and love of a good reputation."

 It was said: "Verily, this World is a deep ocean in which many have drowned, so make your boat be
the awareness of Allah. Your righteous actions are the logs that carry you, your firmness upon these
actions are the ropes that hold these logs together, the days that go by are the waves, your reliance on
Allah is your shade, the Book of Allah is your map, death is the seashore, the Day of Resurrection is
the land that you finally reach, and Allah is the owner of that land."

 It was narrated: "It has been related to us that the Dunya will be brought on the Day of Resurrection -
in all of its glamor and glory - and it will say: "O Lord! Make me an abode for the best of Your
servants!" So, Allah - the Mighty and Majestic - will say: "I am not pleased with you as an abode for
them. You are nothing. Become scattered dust." So, it will become scattered dust."
 It was narrated: "The Dunya will be brought on the Day of Resurrection in the image of an old
blackened bedouin woman, with her limbs disfigured. Nobody will see it except that they hate it. It
will go around to the Creation, and it will be said to them: "Do you know what this is?" They will
reply: "We seek refuge with Allah from knowing it." It will be said to them: "This is the Dunya, that
you competed for and fought one another over.""

In another narration, it is stated that the Dunya will be taken and thrown into Hell, so it will say: "O
Lord! Where are my followers and companions?" So, they will be thrown right behind it.

 It was said: "Strange! You work for this World while you are provided for in it without any effort,
while you do not work for the Hereafter, and you are not provided for in it without any effort!"

 It was said: "All evil was taken and placed in one house, and the key to that house is the love of this
World. All good was placed in a single house, and the key to that house is the abstinence from this
World."
 From the chapter on 'Prayer'

 It was said: "Verily, the likeness of the prayer is like that of a king who had just gotten married, so he
held a banquet in celebration of his marriage, preparing for it all kinds of food and drink, each dish of
a different variety, and each dish containing a different benefit. Likewise, the Lord called the people
to the prayer, prepared for them in it all different types of actions and forms of remembrance, and had
them worship Him through it so that they would taste all of the different types of servitude. So, the
actions are like the food, and the forms of remembrance are like the drink."

 It was said: "The nation of Muhammad prays a prayer that - had they prayed it - the people of Nuh
would not have drowned, and the people of 'Ad would not have had the deadly wind blown upon
them. Pray, for it is from the beautiful characteristics of the believers."

 It was said: "The greatness of the servant's prayer is in accordance with how much attention he directs
towards Allah in it. If he is distracted in it by inner whisperings, then he is like a one who comes to
the door of the king's quarters in order to apologize to him for something wrong that he did, but when
he came into the king's presence, he began looking left and right and not paying attention to the king.
In such a case, the king would never fulfill his request; rather, the attention he pays to this man will
be in accordance to the attention that this man pays to him. Likewise, if the servant of Allah gets up to
pray, but does not focus and direct his attention to Allah in it, then it will not be accepted of him."

 It was said: "If I were made to choose between two rak'ahs of prayer and Paradise, then I would
choose the two rak'ahs over Paradise, since in those two rak'ahs is the Pleasure of Allah, and in
Paradise is my own pleasure."
 From the chapter on 'Sins'
 It was said: "Worship Allah - the Exalted - as if you can see Him, and prepare yourself for death, and
know that it is better for you to not have much and to be satisfied with that than for you to have much
and to be destroyed by that, and know that righteousness does not bring about distress, and that sins
are not forgotten (by Allah)."

 It was said: "The repentance of Adam was accepted for five reasons, and the repentance of Iblis was
not accepted for five reasons. As for the repentance of Adam, then it was accepted because he
admitted his sin, regretted it, blamed himself, was quick to repent, and did not lose hope of attaining
Allah's Mercy. As for Iblis, then his repentence was not accepted because he refused to admit that he
had committed a sin, he did not regret it, did not blame himself, was not quick to repent, and lost hope
in attaining the Mercy of Allah. Therefore, whoever's situation is similar to that of Adam, then his
repentance will be accepted. Likewise, whoever's situation is similar to that of Iblis, then his
repentence will not be accepted."

 It was said: "For me to enter Hell while I have obeyed Allah is more beloved to me than that I enter
Paradise while I have disobeyed Allah."

 It was narrated that one of the Salaf that he passed by a young boy wearing a worn-out shirt standing
outside in the severe cold. The boy was standing and appeared lost in thought, and he was sweating
profusely. So, the man said to the boy: "Why are you standing here like this?" The boy said: "O
teacher of mine! This is a place where I had committed an act of disobedience to Allah - the Exalted."
Meaning: he was thinking a lot about his sin, and was sweating out of shyness and embarrassment in
front of Allah.

 It was said: "When one goes to bed, they should think deeply about what he had done during his day.
If he did well, then he should praise Allah, and if he sinned, then he should seek the Forgiveness of
Allah - the Mighty and Exalted. If he does not do this, then he is like the businessman who spends his
money and does not review his accounts, resulting in him becoming bankrupt without even realizing
it."

 It was said: "If you are able to prevent yourself from harming the one you love, then do so." It was
asked: "And does a person ever intend to harm the one that he loves?" So, he responed: "You are the
most beloved person to yourself who is alive, and your soul is the most precious to you. When you
sin, you have harmed yourself."

 It was narrated from one of the Salaf that he said: "I committed a sin, and I have been weeping over it
for over forty years." It was asked of him: "And what was this sin, O slave of Allah?" He replied: "A
brother visited me, so I bought some fish for him and he ate it. Afterwards, I went to a wall of my
neighbor's house, took a small amount of dirt from it, and cleaned my hands with it."

 It was said: "Anybody can carry out acts of obedience. The noble one is he who leaves off sins."

 It was said:

Are you pleased to weep while your tears are of water? * Verily, the tears of the sinners are of blood
For sins are the disease * And weeping is the cure
Beware of your desires, and you will find pleasure * For the basis of all misguidance is the desire