Gems from the Salaf

[lotfilms]

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
اللهم صل على محمد وآل محمد
السلام عليكم
In the thread, i would like to add from time to time gems that i find from al-Dhahabi's "Siyar 'alaam al-Nubalaa'" which highlight some of the beautiful gems from the Salaf.  The goal of this to first improve myself (akhlaaq, deen, relationship with Allah(swt)) and secondly so that my brothers and sisters may also benefit and improve themselves insha'Allah.

The first is some gems taken from the biography of Bishr bin Mansoor Abu Muhammad al-Azdi al-Zaahid (the Aesthetic):
قال علي بن المديني: ما رأيت أخوف لله منه، كان يصلي كل يوم خمس مائة ركعة.
وقال القواريري: هو أفضل من رأيت من المشايخ.
وقال الإمام أحمد: هو ثقة وزيادة.
قال ابن المديني: حفر قبره، وختم فيه القرآن، وكان ورده ثلث القرآن.
قال غسان الغلابي: كنت إذا رأيت وجه بشر بن منصور ذكرت الآخرة، رجل منبسط، ليس بمتماوت، فقيه، ذكي.
قال غسان: حدثني ابن أخي بشر، قال:
ما رأيت عمي فاتته التكبيرة الأولى، وأوصاني في كتبه أن أغسلها، أو أدفنها..
قال: وحدثنا سهل بن منصور، قال:
كان بشر يصلي فيطول، ورجل وراءه ينظر، ففطن له، فلما انصرف، قال:
لا يعجبك ما رأيت مني، فإن إبليس قد عبد الله دهرا مع الملائكة.
وعن بشر بن منصور، قال: ما جلست إلى أحد فتفرقنا، إلا علمت أني لو لم أقعد معه، كان خيرا لي.
سيار بن حاتم: حدثنا بشر بن المفضل، قال:
رأيت بشر بن منصور في المنام، فقلت: ما صنع الله بك؟
قال: وجدت الأمر أهون مما كنت أحمل على نفسي.
Ali bin al-Madini said (describing him): I never saw anyone more God-fearing than him.  He used to pray 500 rak'ats every day.
al-Qawariri said: He is the best Shaykh I saw. 
Imam Ahmad said: He is trustworthy and more. 
ibn al-Madinisaid: He dug his grave and read the whole Quran in it.  And he used to read 1/3 of the Quran daily.
Ghassan al-Ghalabi said: Whenever I would look at the face of Bishr bin Mansoor, I would remember the hereafter.  (He was a) cheery man, not one who seems on the verge of dying (?).  Faqih, intelligent.
Ghassan said: My nephew Bishr narrated to me.  He asid "I never saw my uncle ever miss the first takbeer (ie he would always come to the congregational prayers on time)...
Sahl bin Mansoor said: "Bishr would pray and would take a long time.  So a man was impressed by him.  So as he was leaving (after the prayer), (Bishr) said to him: "Don't let what you saw from me impress you, for verily Iblees worshiped Allah for a lifetime with the angels (before going astray, may Allah protect us).  Bishr bin Mansoor said: "I never sat with anyone except that after we had parted our ways did I realize that had I not sat with him, it would have been better for me."

SubhanAllah, may Allah(swt) increase us in guidance and beneficial knowledge and action.  amen

[Suleiman]

 Narrated `Abdullah bin `Amr bin Al-`As:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) told me, "The most beloved prayer to Allah is that of David and the most beloved fasts to Allah are those of David. He used to sleep for half of the night and then pray for one third of the night and again sleep for its sixth part and used to fast on alternate days."

Sahih al-Bukhari 1131
----------------------------
 Narrated Ibn `Abbas:

The prayer of the Prophet (ﷺ) used to be of thirteen rak`at, i.e. of the night prayer.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1138
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 Narrated Anas bin Malik

Once the Prophet (p.b.u.h) entered the Mosque and saw a rope hanging in between its two pillars. He said, "What is this rope?" The people said, "This rope is for Zainab who, when she feels tired, holds it (to keep standing for the prayer.)" The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Don't use it. Remove the rope. You should pray as long as you feel active, and when you get tired, sit down."

-----------------------------------

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr:
Once Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to me, "I have been informed that you offer Salat (prayer) all the night and observe Saum (fast) during the day." I said, "(Yes) I do so." He said, "If you do so, your eye sight will become weak and you will become weak. No doubt, your body has right on you, and your family has right on you, so observe Saum (for some days) and do not observe it (for some days), offer Salat (for sometime) and then sleep."

[Hani]

Great wisdom and benefits from both of these posts.

[Furkan]

Ali Ibn Abi Talib said:

قال علي بن أبي طالب رضي الله عنه: ليس الزهد ألا تملك شيئًا، ولكن الزهد ألا يملكك شيء

“Asceticism [zuhd] is not that you should own nothing, but that nothing should own you”.
["Hadhihi Hiya Zawjati", 57].

[Suleiman]

Ali Ibn Abi Talib said:

قال علي بن أبي طالب رضي الله عنه: ليس الزهد ألا تملك شيئًا، ولكن الزهد ألا يملكك شيء

“Asceticism [zuhd] is not that you should own nothing, but that nothing should own you”.
["Hadhihi Hiya Zawjati", 57].

Well said.

[lotfilms]

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
Story of a Mujahid who returned home: