Abū Hurayrah – Allah be pleased with him – said:
There is no illness that afflicts me more beloved to me than fever: it enters every part of me and [because of it] Allah the Mighty and Sublime gives every part of me its share of reward.
Al-Bukhārī, Al-Adab Al-Mufrad. See Shaykh Al-Albānī’s Sahīh Al-Adab Al-Mufrad Vol.1 p198.
It is reported from ‘Alī b. Abī Tālib –Allah be pleased with him – that he said:
The thing I fear for you most is following desires and having extensive hopes (about this worldly life). Following one’s desires blocks you from the truth, and having extensive hopes makes you forget the hereafter. Verily, this worldly life is departing and the hereafter is approaching and each of them has its children. So be children of the hereafter, not children of this world, for today there are (opportunities to do) deeds and there is no reckoning, but tomorrow there will be reckoning and no deeds.
Quoted by Al-Bukhārī, Al-Sahīh, The Book of Raqā`iq without the first sentence. Reported in its entirety by Abū Nu’aym, Hilyah Al-Awliyā` Vol.1 p40, and others.
Al-Hāfidh Ibn Hajr states in Fath Al-Bārī:
Extensive hopes (about this worldly life) give rise to lethargy when it comes to acts of obedience, procrastinating with repentance, desire for worldly things, forgetfulness of the hereafter and hardness of the heart; because the softness of the heart and its purity only comes about by remembering death, the grave, reward and punishment, and the horrors of the hereafter…for if one remembers death, he strives to do acts of obedience, his worries decrease and he is satisfied with less.
Whenever asked about a matter, Zayd b. Thābit – Allah be pleased with him – would himself ask, “Has this happened?” If they told him that the matter had not yet occurred he would not inform them of an answer, but if they told him it had happened he would answer them.
Al-Ājurrī, Akhlāq Al-‘Ulamā` no.81; Al-Khatīb, Al-Faqīh wa Al-Mutafaqqih Vol2. P13.
Abū ʿUmar Al-Shaybānī reports:
I would sit with Ibn Mas’ūd a whole year without him saying “Allah’s Messenger – Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – said…” When he did actually say “Allah’s Messenger – Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – said…” he would tremble and add, “…or something similar to this” or “words to that effect.”
Al-Dhahabī, Tadhkirah Al-Huffādh Vol.1 p15.
Imām Al-Dhahabī said:
[Ibn Mas’ūd] was one of those who were very careful and conscientious in the delivery of narrations and he was very strict in reporting; he used to reprimand his students for any negligence in precisely narrating the wordings of narrations.
During his Caliphate, ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib – Allah be pleased with him – saw some armor of his with a Christian. He decided to take the matter up legally, so he took the dispute to Shurayḥ (the Judge).
ʿAlī said, “This is my armor, and I have not sold it nor given it away.” Shurayḥ said to the Christian, “What have you to say about what the Amīr of the Believers claims?” The Christian replied, “It is my armor, although I do not regard the Amīr of the Believers to be a liar.” Shurayḥ then turned to ʿAlī, “O Amīr of the Believers, do you have any proof (of ownership)?” ʿAlī laughed and said, “Shurayḥ is correct, I have no proof.” So Shurayḥ judged that the armor was the Christian’s. The Christian took it and began to walk away but then returned. He proclaimed, “As for me, I testify that this is the judgment of the Prophets – the Amīr of the Believers himself takes me to his judge and the judge rules against him! I bear witness that there is no deity deserving worship but Allāh and I bear witness that Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allāh. By Allāh, the armor is yours o Amīr of the Believers. I followed the army when you were on your way to the Battle of Ṣiffīn and the armor came out of your equipment.” ‘Alī said, “If you have accepted Islām the armor is yours.” And then he put him on his horse. Al-Shaʿbī (the reporter of this incident) said, “I was later informed by those who saw this man that he fought the Khawārij (alongside ʿAlī) at the battle of Nahrawān.”
Ibn Kathīr, Al-Bidāyah wa Al-Nihāyah Vol.8 p5.
Sufyān b. ‘Uyainah – Allah have mercy on him – said:
The first step in knowledge is to listen, then to be quiet and attentive, then to preserve it, then to put it into practice and then to spread it.
Abū Nu’aym, Hilyah Al-Awliyā` Vol.3 p283.
A man came to Maymūn b. Mahrān – Allah be please with him – to ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Maymūn said, “I do not approve of her for you.” The man asked, “Why?” He replied, “Because she loves jewelry and garments.” To this the man said, “Well I have as much of those as she desires.” Maymūn said, “Now I don’t approve of you for her.”
Al-Dhahabī , Siyar A’lām Al-Nubalā` in his biography of Maymūn b. Mahrān.
It is reported from Maymūn b. Mahrān – Allah be please with him – that he said:
A person cannot be a taqīy (pious man of taqwā) until he takes account of himself like he would with his business partner; and until he knows where he gets his clothing and food and drink.
Wakī’ b. Al-Jarrāh, Al-Zuhd Vol.1 p270.
Maymūn b. Mahrān was a great scholar amongst the Successors. He narrated hadīth from Abū Hurayrah, ‘Ā`ishah and Ibn ʿUmar – amongst others. He died in 116 or 117H, Allah have mercy on him.
It is reported from Sufyān Al-Thawrī – Allah have mercy on him – that he said:
A person who sits with a heretic (an adherent of bid’ah) will not escape one of three things:
Either he will become a trial (fitnah) for others, or some deviation will occur in his heart and he will slip and be cast into the Fire by Allah, or he will say to himself, ‘By Allah, I don’t care what they say, I am confident about myself;’ but whoever feels secure from Allah about his religion even for the blinking of an eye, Allah will take his religion away from him.
Ibn Waddāḥ, Al-Bida’ p125.
Al-Hasan Al-Basrī – Allah have mercy on him – said:
Do not sit with an adherent of bid’ah for he will cause a disease in your heart.
Ibn Waddāh, Al-Bida’ p124.