There were people who abandoned knowledge and sitting with the scholars, and [instead] took to their chambers and prayed until their skin dried [from exertion in worship]. Thereafter they began to contradict the Sunnah and thus were destroyed. By Allâh, never does a person act without knowledge, except that he spoils and corrupts more than he fixes and rectifies.

Al-Asbahânî, Al-Targhîb wa Al-Tarhîb 3:98

More:

1. Ibn Mas’ud on the Companions [with notes on Bid'ah Hasanah]
2. A Sign of Knowledge and a Sign of Ignorance
3. Taqwa, Knowledge and Beauty
4. Responsibility in Knowledge and Da’wah
5. Two Requirements for Knowledge

This is from Sayings of the Salaf - English translations of narrations from the Salaf - the earliest believers, our righteous predecessors, and true scholars of Islam. Selected and translated by Owais Al-Hashimi

I was once with Arta’ah b. Al-Mundhir when one of the people in the gathering said, “What do you say about a man who sits with the followers of the Sunnah and mixes with them, but when the followers of Bid’ah are mentioned he says, ‘Spare us from mentioning them, do not talk about them?’” Arta’ah said, “He is one of them, do not let him confuse you about his condition.” I felt this was strange, so I went to Al-Awzâ’î – and he used to clarify these matters when they came to him. He said, “Arta’ah is right, the matter is as he said; this person forbids talking about [Ahl Al-Bid'ah], so how can [people] be on guard against them if they are not exposed?”

Ibn ‘Asâkir, Târîkh Dimishq 8:15.

More:

1. Opinionated Enemies of the Sunnah
2. Falsehood that leads to Falsehood [Al-Kalam, dialectical, speculative theology]
3. Be with the Carriers of Books
4. Ibn Mas’ud on the Companions [with notes on Bid'ah Hasanah]
5. Characterless

This is from Sayings of the Salaf - English translations of narrations from the Salaf - the earliest believers, our righteous predecessors, and true scholars of Islam. Selected and translated by Owais Al-Hashimi

Verily, the followers of opinion are the enemies of the Sunan (the teachings of Allâh’s Messenger as passed down in hadith): they were unable to preserve them and their meanings escaped them, and when asked [questions] they were too embarrassed to say ‘We don’t know,’ so they opposed the Sunan with their opinions.

Ibn Abî Zamanîn, Usûl Al-Sunnah article 8; Al-Lâlakâ`î, Sharh Usûl I’tiqâd Ahl Al-Sunnah article 201 et al.

More:

1. Losing Ahl Al-Sunnah
2. Son, have you put it into practice?
3. The Narrations are the Religion
4. Guilty by Association
5. The Heretic Miracle Worker

This is from Sayings of the Salaf - English translations of narrations from the Salaf - the earliest believers, our righteous predecessors, and true scholars of Islam. Selected and translated by Owais Al-Hashimi

I was once with Sufyân b. ‘Uyainah – Allah have mercy on him, when a man came to him and said, “O Abû Muhammad, I complain to you of so-and-so”, meaning his wife, “I am the lowest and most despicable thing to her.” [Sufyân] lowered his head for a few moments, then said, “Perhaps you wanted her in order to better your status.” The man said, “Indeed, o Abû Muhammad.” Sufyân said, “Whoever goes for glory will be tried with ignominy, whoever goes for wealth will be tried with poverty, but whoever goes for religiousness, Allah will bring together for him glory and wealth with the religion.” He then started to narrate to him:

We were four brothers: Muhammad, ‘Umrân, IbrâhÎm and I. Muhammad was the eldest, ‘Umrân was the youngest, and I was in the middle. When Muhammad wanted to marry, he desired status and married a woman of higher standing, so Allah tried him with ignominy. ‘Umrân desired wealth, so he married a richer woman and Allah tried him with poverty: [her family] took everything from him and gave him nothing.

I pondered their situation. Mu’ammar b. Râshid once came to us so I consulted him on the situation and told him the story of my brothers. He reminded me of the hadÎth of Yahyâ b. Ja’dah and the hadÎth of ‘Â`ishah. The hadÎth of Yahyâ b. Ja’dah states that the Prophet – Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – said, “A woman is married for four things: her religion, her status (lineage), her wealth or her beauty; so take the religious one and be successful.” The hadÎth of ‘Â`ishah states that the Prophet – Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – said, “The most blessed woman is she who is easiest to maintain.”

Thus, I chose [to marry a woman of] religion and modest dowry, in accordance with the Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger – Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, and Allah gave me status and wealth along with the religion.

Abû Nu’aym, Hilyatu Al-Awliyâ` 7:289, 290.

Note
The first hadÎth is recorded by Al-BukhârÎ and Muslim. The second is found in Al-Nasâ`Î and other collections but has been graded weak by scholars including Shaykh Al-AlbânÎ. However, scholars point out there is another narration that supports and adds to its meaning. This hadÎth states:
It is from the blessing in a woman that she has an easy dowry, an easy proposal [via her guardian] and an easy womb (i.e. she is fertile and bares children without difficulty). One of the reporters of this narration, ‘Urwah, said “And I say from myself, one of the first signs of evil from a woman is for her to have a high dowry.”
This hadÎth is recorded by Imâm Ahmad and others and is graded hasan by Shaykh Al-AlbânÎ.

More:

1. Women are ‘Awrah – Explained
2. The Crown and the Weight [wives]
3. The best thing after Iman and the worst thing after Kufr [women]
4. The Braying Drunkard
5. Beautiful Cursed Women

This is from Sayings of the Salaf - English translations of narrations from the Salaf - the earliest believers, our righteous predecessors, and true scholars of Islam. Selected and translated by Owais Al-Hashimi

Al-Khatîb Al-Baghdâdî, Al-Faqîh wa Al-Mutafaqqih article 384

More:

1. Praying for the Muslim Ruler
2. The Real Faqîh
3. Umar b. Abd Al-Aziz on the Way of the Believers
4. Losing Ahl Al-Sunnah
5. The Madhab of Imam Malik

This is from Sayings of the Salaf - English translations of narrations from the Salaf - the earliest believers, our righteous predecessors, and true scholars of Islam. Selected and translated by Owais Al-Hashimi