Sayings: Abstinence -- Conscience

• Abstinence

  Remember the lord in retirement from the people and make prayer thy sleep, and hunger thy food.

  Kill not your hearts with excess of eating and drinking.

  Illumine your hearts with hunger, and strive to conquer yourself with hunger and thirst; continue to knock on the gates of paradise by hunger.

  The world is sweet in the heart, and green to the eye; and verily God hath brought you, after those who went before you: then look to your action, and abstain from the world of wickedness.

  The nearest to me are the abstinent, whoever they are, wherever they are.

  A keeper of the fast, who doth not abandon lying and detraction, God careth not about his leaving off eating and drinking.

  A man once said to Muhammad, "O Messenger of God, permit me to become a Eunuch." He said, "That person is not of me who maketh another a eunuch, or becometh so himself; because the manner in which my followers become eunuchs is by fasting and abstinence." The man said permit me to retire from society, and to abandon the delights of the world." He said, "The retirement that becometh my followers is to live in the world and yet to sit in the corner of a mosque in expectation of prayers."

  A man while fasting must abstain from all bad expressions and must not even resent an injury.

  Torment not yourselves, lest God punish you.

  There is no monasticism in Islam.

  S'ad b. Abi Wakkas said: The apostle forbade Uthman b. Mazun from avoiding marriage: and if he had permitted that to him, we would have become eunuchs."

  The man I most emulate is a Muslim unencumbered; a man of small family, and little money, a performer of prayers and a perfect worshipper of God in private, one who is unknown, and hath enough to supply his wants, and when he dieth, he will leave few women to cry for him, and few legacies.

  Keep fast and eat also, stay awake at night and sleep also, for verily there is a duty on you to your body, not to labor overmuch, so that ye may not get ill and destroy yourselves; and verily there is a duty on you to your eyes, ye must sometimes sleep and give them rest; and verily there is a duty on you to your wife, and to your visitors and guests that come to see you; ye must talk to them; and nobody hath kept fast who fasted always; the fast of three days in every month is equal to constant fasting: then keep three days' fast in every month.

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• Adultery

  When a man committeth adultery, Iman (Faith) leaveth him; but when he leaveth such evil ways, Iman wil return to him.

  The adultery of the eye is to look with desire on the wife of another; and the adultery of the tongue is to utter what is forbidden.

  Ye followers of Muhammad, I swear of God, there is not anything which God so abhors, as adultery.

  Every eye is an adulterer; and every woman perfumeth herself, and goeth to an assembly where men are, wishing to show herself to them, with a look of lasciviousness, is an adultress.

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• Aged Persons

  To every young person who honors the old, on account of their age, may god apoint those who shall honor him in his years.

  Verily, to honor an old man is showing respect to God.

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• Alms-giving

  The best of alms is that which the right hand giveth, and the left hand knoweth not of.

  The best of almsgiving is that which springeth from the heart, and is uttered by the lips to soften the wounds of the injured.

  Almsgiving is duty unto you. Alms should be taken from the rich and returned to the poor.

  There are seven people whom God will draw under His own shadow, on the day when there will be no other shadow; one of them a man who hath given alms and concealed it, so that his left hand knew not what his right hand did.

  Muhammad said, "It is indispensable for every Muslim to give alms." The companions asked, "But if he hath not anything to give?" He said, "If he hath nothing, he must do a work with his hand, by which to obtain something and benefit himself; and give alms with the remainder." They said, "But if he is not able to do that work, to benefit himself and give alms to others?" The Rasul (Muhammad) said, "Then he should assist the needy and the oppressed." They asked, "What if he is not able to assist the oppressed?" He said, "Then he should exhort people to do good." They asked, "And if he cannot?" He said, "Then let him withold himself from doing harm to people; for verily that is as alms and charity for him."

  The people of the Rasul's house killed a goat, and the Rasul enquired, "What remaineth of it?" Aishah said, "Nothing but its shoulder; for we have sent the rest to the poor and neighbors." The Rasul said, "The whole goat remaineth except its shoulder; that is, that remaineth which ye have given away, and what ye have kept in the house is frail."

  The angels asked, "O God! Is there anything of Thy creation stronger than rocks?" God said, "Yes; iron is stronger than rocks, for it breaketh them." The angels said, "O Lord! Is there anything of Thy creation stornger than iron?" God said, "Yes; fire is stronger than iron, for it melteth it." And the angels said, O defender! Is there anything of Thy creation stronger than fire?" God said, "Yes; water overcometh fire; it killeth it and maketh it cold." Then the angels said, "O Lord! Is there anything of Thy creation stronger than water?" God said, "Yes; wind overcometh water: it agitateth it and putteth it in motion." They said, "O our cherisher! Is there anything in Thy creation stronger than wind?" God said, "Yes, the children of Adam, giving alms; that is, those who give with their right hands and conceal if from their left, they overcome all."

  The most excellent of alms is that of a man of small property, which he has earned by labor, and from which he giveth as much as he is able.

  Giving alms to the poor hath the reward of one alms; but that given to kindred hath two rewards; one, the reward of alms, the other the reward of helping relations.

  A man's first duty should be to his own family, if poor.

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• Animals

  Fear God, in treating dumb animals and ride them when they are fit to be ridden and get off them when they are tired.

  An adultress passed by a dog at a well; and the dog was holding out his tongue from thirst, which was near killing him, and the woman drew off her boot, and tied it to the end of her garment, and drew water for the dog, and gave him to drink; and she was forgiven for that act.

  A woman was punished for a cat which she tied till it died from hunger. She gave the cat nothing to eat, nor did she set it at liberty so that it might find some food.

  "Are there rewards for doing good to quadrupeds, and givng them water to drink?" Muhammad said, "Verily there are heavenly rewards for any act of kindness to a live animal."

  Verily God hath one hundred loving kindnesses; one of which he hath sent down amongst man, quadrupeds, and every moving thing upon the face of the earth: by it they are kind to each other, and forgive one another; and by it the animals of the wilds are kind to their young; and God hath reserved ninety-nine loving kindnesses by which he will be gracious to His creatures on the last day.

  A young man came before the Rasul with a carpet and said, "O Rasul! I passed through a wood and heard the voices of young birds; and I took and put them into my carpet; and their mother came fluttering around my head, and I uncovered the young, and the mother fell down upon them, then I wrapped them up in my carpet; and there are the young which I have." Then the Rasul said, "Put them down." And when he did so, their mother joined them: and Muhammad said, "Do you wonder at the affection of the mother towards her young? I swear by Him who hath sent me, verily God is more loving to His creatures than the mother to these young birds. Return them to the place from which ye took them, and let their mother be with them."

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• Backbiting

  Backbiting vitiates ablution and fasting.

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• Beauty

  Muhammad said, "That person will not enter Paradise who hath one atom of pride in his heart." And a man present said, "Verily, a man is fond of having good clothes, and good shoes." Muhammad said, "God is Beauty and delighteth in the beautiful; but pride is holding man in contempt."

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• Begging

  Every man who shall beg, in order to increase his property, God will diminish it.

  Verily God loveth a Muslim with a family, who is poor, and witholdeth himself from the unlawful and from begging.

  Whoso openeth unto himself the door of begging, God will open unto him the door of poverty.

  Verily it is better for any of you to take your rope and bring a bundle of wood upon your back and sell it, in which case God guardeth your honor than to beg of people, whether they give or not; if they do not give, your reputation suffereth, and you return disappointed; and if they give, it is worse than that, for it layeth you under obligation.

  Whoever hath food for a day and a night, it is prohibited for him to beg.

  Verily it is not right for the rich to ask, nor for a strong, robust person; but it is allowed for the indigent and the infirm.

  "May I beg from people, O Messenger of God, when necessitous?" Muhammad said, "Do not beg unless absolutely compelled, then only from the virtuous."

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• Benefits

  There are two benefits, of which the generality of men are the losers, and of which they do not know the value.

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• Charity

  Charity that is concealeth appeaseth the wrath of God.

  Prayers lighten the heart, and charity is proof of Iman (Faith), and abstinence from sin is perfect splendor; the Kuran is a proof of gain to you, if you do good, and it is a detriment to you if you do wrong; and every man who riseth in the morning either doeth that which will be the means of his redemption or his ruin.

  Charity is a duty unto every Muslim. He who hath not the means thereto, let him do a good act or abstain from an evil one. That is his charity.

  When you speak, speak the truth; perform when you promise; discharge your trust; commit not fornication; be chaste; have no impure desires; withold your hands from striking, and from taking that which is unlawful and bad. The best of God's servants are those who when seen, remind of God; and the worst of God's servants are those who carry tales about, and do mischief and separate friends, and seek for the defects of the good.

  Whoso hath left debt and children, let him come to me; I am their patron, I will discharge his debt and befriend his children.

  Every good act is charity.

  Doing justice between two people is charity; and asisting a man upon his beast, and lifting his baggage is charity; and pure, comforting words are charity; and answering a questioner with mildness, is charity; and removing that which is an inconvenience to wayfarers, such as thorns and stones, is a charity.

  Every good act is charity; and verily it is a good act to meet your brother with and open countenance, and to por water from your own water-bag into his vessel.

  Your smiling in your brother's face is charity; and your exhorting man to virtuous deeds is charity; and your prohibiting the forbidden is charity; and your showing men the road, in the land in which they lose it, is charity; and your assisting the blind is charity.

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• Chastity

  Modesty and chastity are part of the faith.

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• Christians and Jews

  Muhammad once referred to strife, and said, "It will appear at the time of knowledge leaving the world." Ziad said, "O Messenger of God, how will knowledge go from the world, since we read the Kuran, and teach it to our children, and our children to theirs; and so on till the last day?" Then Muhammad said, "O Ziad, I supposed you the most learned man of Medinah. Do the Jews and Christians who read the Bible and the Evangel act on them?"

  Do not exceed bounds in praising me, as the Christians do in praising Jesus, the son of Mary, by calling Him God, and the Son of God; I am only the Lord's servant; then call me the servant of God and His messenger.

  When the bier of anyone passeth by thee, whether Jew, Christian or Muslim, rise to thy feet.

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• Cleanliness

  Were it not for fear of troubling my disciples, verily I would order them to clean their teeth before every prayer.

  God is pure and loveth purity and cleanliness.

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• Compassion

  When the child (of Zainab) was brought to Muhammad, dying; its body trembling and moving; the eyes of the Apostle of God shed many tears. And Sad said, "O Messenger of God! What is the weeping and shedding of tears?" Muhammad replied, "This is an expression of the tenderness and compassion, which the Lord hath put into the hearts of His servants; the Lord doth not have compassion on and commiserate with His servants, except such as are tender and full of feeling."

  The Apostle of God wept over Sad b. Ubadah. And he said, "Have not you heard that the Lord doth not punish on account of shedding tears, not from sobs of the heart from the afflicted?" He is not of the people of our way who slappeth his cheeks and teareth his collar, and mourneth like the mournings of Ignorance.

  There is no reward but Paradise for a Muslim who suffereth with patience when the soul of his affectionate friend is taken

  Once Muhammad went together with some of his companions to Abu Yusuf, a blacksmith who was the husband of the nurse of Muhammad's son Ibrahim. And the Apostle of God took Ibrahim and kissed him and embraced him. On another occasion they went to see Ibrahim, when he was in his dying moments. The eyes of Muhammad were fixed, and flowed with tears; and Abd-al-Rahman, son of Auf, said to the Messenger of God, "Do you weepand shed tears, O Apostle of God?" He said, "O son of Auf, these are tears of compassion, and feeling due to the dead." After that he shed tears again, and said, "Verily my eyes shed tears and my heart is afflicted, and I say nothing but what is pleasing to my Benefactor; for verily, O Ibrahim, I am melancholy at being separated from thee."

  Muhammad said, "Do you think this woman will cast her own child into the fire?" Those present said, "No." Muhammad said, "Verily God is more compassionate on His creatures, than this woman on her own child."

  When one of the family of Muhammad died, and the women assemnled, crying over the corpse, Omar stood up to prevent them from crying, and drive them away: but Muhammad said, "Let them alone, O Omar, because eyes are shedding tears; and the heart is stricken with calamity and sorrowful; and the time of misfortune near and fresh; and the crying of women is without wailing."

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• Conscience

  A man asked Muhammad what was the mark whereby he might know the reality of his faith. Muhammad said, "If thou derive pleasure from the good which thou hast performed and thou be grieved for the evil which thou hast committed, thou art a true believer." The man said. "In what doth a fault really consist?" Muhammad said, "when action pricketh thy conscience, forsake it."

  All actions are judged by the motive prompting them.

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