Advice from Sufyaan Ath-Thauree - Rahima-hullaah

[Umm Mohammad]

Sufyaan once wrote to one of his Muslim brothers

May Allaah, with His Mercy; protect both me and you from the Hellfire.

I advise both you and myself to fear Allaah.

And I warn you not to turn to ignorance after you have learned, not to turn to destruction after you have seen and recognized the truth, and not to leave the (Straight) Path after it has been made clear to you.

Do not become deceived by worldly people, and do not become unduly impressed by the way they strive for and greedily gather worldly things, for the terror (that will envelop them on the Day of Resurrection) is indeed SEVERE.

The danger (of the Day of Resurrection) is grave indeed, but what is more, is that it is near at hand.

So occupy yourself exclusively with the Hereafter, and empty your heart of all other thoughts; once you have done that, work hard! Do not waste time! And flee from the world and its temptations! Travel to the Hereafter (with your worship) before you are taken there… I have indeed given you the same advice that I gave myself.

And understand that success comes from Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta’aala). The key to gaining His help is supplication, prayer, feeling remorse for past negligence, and complete submission to Him.

Your days and nights are numbered, so use the time you have left wisely, and do not be negligent in fulfilling the rights of your Lord.

I ask Allaah, Who has blessed us to know Him, not to entrust us and you to our own selves; and I ask Allaah to be our Guardian and Helper, just as He is the Guardian and Helper of His beloved, righteous slaves.

Beware of doing that which will spoil your deeds, and know that it is showing off that spoils a person’s deeds; and if it is not showing off, then it is conceitedness – for you to imagine that you are better than one of your Muslim brothers, when in reality he performs more good deeds than you do; or perhaps he performs his deeds with a purer intention than you do.

And even if you are not conceited, beware of developing a love for praise.

Be ever so careful not to come to love other people’s praise of your good deeds, or the respect they feel for you and bestow upon you because of your good deeds.

And beware of desiring that others should help you in your personal affairs just because they have become impressed with your good deeds.

You surely claim (as does everyone else), after all, that you are doing good deeds only for the sake of Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta’aala); well, then turn that claim into a reality.

If you want to be less desirous of this world – its things, wealth, and pleasures – and more desirous of the Hereafter — Paradise and its bliss – then remember death frequently.

And know that you have long term hopes for this world – which one should not have — if you fear Allaah only a little or if you recklessly perpetrate sins.

And one will be sufficiently regretful and wretched on the Day of Resurrection if he has knowledge but does not apply it.

* Transcribed from: The Biography of Sufyaan Ath-Thauree, (Rahima-hullaah), page 181-183

[Umm Mohammad]

My brother, use the time you have between dawn and sunrise to contemplate the previous day: Remain steadfast on the good deeds you performed the previous day, and abandon anything you did out of disobedience to Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta’aala). Do not repeat the same mistakes, for you do not know whether or not you will live for the rest of your day! As long as you are alive, the option of repentance is available to you, but refraining from sinning is easier for you than trying to perform a sincere repentance. A sincere repentance involves regret and a firm resolve never to repeat the same sin again

Wherever you are, fear Allaah. If you perpetrated a sin in secret, then repent to Allaah in secret. And if you perpetrated a sin out in the open, then repent to Allaah out in the open. Do not let one sin lead to another (so that they pile up onto one another). Cry frequently and as much as you are able to, and do not laugh (frequently), for you were not created without purpose. Join ties with and be kind to your family, your relatives, your neighbors, and your brothers

When you intend to show mercy, show mercy to the poor, to orphans, and to the weak. If you intend to give charity…or to perform a good deed, then do it right away, before the Shaytaan (Devil) positions himself between you and the execution of what you intended to do. Act always on a good intention: eat with a good intention and drink with a good intention

Do not be miserly, for miserliness corrupts a person’s religion. Do not promise someone something and refrain from fulfilling your promise, for in that case, the love you will have gained through your promise will be replaced by hate. Do not feel rancor in your heart towards your Muslim brother, for Allaah does not accept repentance from a person if there is rancor and malice between him and his Muslim brother. Do not be angry, for anger is like a shaver – just as a shaver shaves off hair, anger shaves off good deeds - unless one becomes angry for the sake of Allaah - subhaanahu wa ta’aala

Make it a practice to extend greetings of peace to every Muslim, for if you do so, hatred, deception, and rancor will all be purged from your heart. Shake hands with your Muslim brothers and you will, as a result, become loved by the people. Remain in a constant state of purity (by performing ablution whenever you pass wind or empty your bowels) and, as a result, you will be loved by the Al-Hafazah (the angels who record your deeds). Love only for the sake of Allaah, and hate only for the sake of Allaah: If you do not possess these two qualities, it means that you have on you the mark of a hypocrite

Abridged from: The Biography of Sufyaan ath-Thauree (rahimahullaah), p175-176