The words of Rabi bin Khuthaym

It is narrated from Abu Ya'la that he said: When al-Rabi' bin Khuthaym passed by a gathering he would say: Speak what is good and do what is good. Persist in good deeds. Let not your hearts grow hard, and let not your respite grow long, and do not be like those who said, "We have heard," while they did not hear.

It is narrated from Abu Ya'la that he said: When it was said to al-Rabi', "How did you reach the morning?" he would say: We reached the morning in a state of weakness and sinfulness, eating our provisions and waiting for our deaths.

It is narrated from al-Rabi' that he said: I do not like the servant to make this supplication to his Lord, saying: O Allah, You have decreed mercy upon Yourself; You have decreed such-and-such upon Yourself, (saying this while) the servant regards the response as slow. And I have not seen anyone saying: O my Lord, I have fulfilled what was binding on me, so fulfil what is binding on You.

It is narrated from al-Rabi' bin Khuthaym that he said: There is nothing absent for which a believer waits that is better than death.

It is narrated concerning al-Rabi' bin Khuthaym that he made a bequest at the time of his death. He said: These are the things that al-Rabi' bin Khuthaym acknowledges concerning himself and testifies to, and Allah is sufficient as a witness, and sufficient to recompense His righteous servants, and sufficient to grant reward. I am pleased with Allah as Lord, with Islam as religion, and with Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as Prophet. And I am pleased, for myself and for whoever obeys me, that I worship Allah among those who worship, praise Allah among those who praise, and act in sincere goodwill toward the community of the Muslims.

Abu Hayyan narrates from his father that he said: I never heard al-Rabi' bin Khuthaym mention anything of the affairs of this world, except that once I heard him say: How many mosques the tribe of Taym has!

It is narrated from Bakr bin Ma'iz that he said: Al-Rabi' bin Khuthaym said to me: O Bakr, keep your tongue guarded, except for what is to your benefit and not against you. For I have found people suspect regarding my religion. Obey Allah in what you know, and whatever is not within your knowledge, entrust it to the One who knows it. I fear for you what is done deliberately more than what is done by mistake. The best of you today is not truly good; rather, he is better than another who is worse than him. You do not follow good completely, and you do not flee from evil as it should be fled from. You have not attained all that Allah Almighty sent down upon Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), nor do you know what all that you recite is. Those secret things that are hidden from people are manifest to Allah. Seek their remedy. Then he said to himself: What is their remedy? It is that you repent and then do not return to it.

It is narrated from the freed slave of al-Rabi' that al-Rabi' was praying at night when he reached this verse: "Or do those who commit evil deeds think" [Al-Jathiyah: 21], and he kept repeating it until morning.

It is narrated from Ibrahim that he said: Al-Rabi' used to come to Alqamah. There was a pathway through his mosque, and beside it were women who used to pass through the mosque, but he would not say this or that.

It is narrated from al-Rabi' bin Khuthaym concerning "And then you will be allowed to enjoy only a little" [Al-Ahzab: 16] that he said: The "little" means the respite between them and their death.

It is narrated from al-Rabi' bin Khuthaym concerning "Yes, whoever earns an evil deed and is encompassed by his sin" [Al-Baqarah: 81] that he said: Those who died upon their disbelief. And sometimes he would say: Those who died in a state of disobedience.

It is narrated concerning al-Rabi' bin Khuthaym that he used to clean the latrine himself. The narrator said: It was said to him: You are spared this. He said: I love to take my share of the toil.

It is narrated from al-Rabi' bin Khuthaym that he said: Reduce (other) talk except for nine things: glorifying Allah (tasbih), declaring His oneness (tahlil), declaring His greatness (takbir), praising Him (tahmid), your asking for good, your seeking refuge from evil, your enjoining what is right, your forbidding what is wrong, and recitation of the Qur'an.

It is narrated concerning al-Rabi' that he said to his family: Make a sweet pudding for me. So the pudding was cooked, and he then called a man who was insane. Al-Rabi' began feeding him morsels while his saliva was running. When he had eaten and left, the family said to al-Rabi': We went to trouble and prepared it, and then you fed it to a man who does not even know what he has eaten. Al-Rabi' said: But Allah knows.

It is narrated from al-Sha'bi that he said: Al-Rabi' bin Khuthaym has not sat in any gathering since he came of age. He said: I fear that a man may be wronged and I would not help him, or that a man may tell a lie against another and I would be called upon to bear witness to it, and that I would not be able to lower my gaze or show the way, or that a load-carrying animal may fall and I would not load it back up.

It is narrated from Abu Wa'il that he said: My brother and I went to al-Rabi' bin Khuthaym, and he was sitting in the mosque. He said: What purpose has brought you? We answered: We have come so that you may remember Allah and we may remember Allah with you, and so that you may praise Allah and we may praise Allah with you. At that he raised both his hands and said: All praise is for Allah, who did not make you say: We have come to you so that you may drink wine and we may drink with you, nor: We have come to you so that you may commit adultery and we may commit adultery with you.

Al-Rabi' said: The Angel of Death and his coming to three men is a cause for wonder. (One is) a king shut up in his fortresses: the angel comes to him, takes out his soul, and leaves his kingdom behind him. And a skilled physician who treats people: the angel comes to him and takes out his soul.

It is narrated concerning al-Rabi' bin Khuthaym that a horse of his worth thirty thousand was stolen at night while he was praying, but he did not leave his prayer. When morning came, al-Rabi' began riding its foal. Then, when morning came, he said: O Allah, he stole from me, though I had not stolen from him. The narrator said: Al-Rabi' used to recite aloud, and when he heard the sound of footsteps he would recite quietly.

It is narrated from Abd al-Malik bin Umayr that he said: It was said to al-Rabi': Shall we not call a physician for you? He said: Give me some time. Then he reflected and said: "And Ad and Thamud and the companions of al-Rass, and many generations between them. And for each We set forth examples, and each We destroyed with utter destruction" [Al-Furqan: 38-39]. Then he mentioned their greed for the life of this world and their desire for it. He said: These people fell ill, and there were physicians among them, but neither the one who took the medicine remained nor the one who gave it. The one who describes and the one described both perished. By Allah, you shall not call a physician for me.

It is narrated from al-Sha'bi that he said: We went to al-Rabi' bin Khuthaym and he made this supplication: O Allah, all praise belongs to You, and all affairs return to You, and You are the God of every kind of praise. All good is in Your hand. We ask You alone for every good, and we seek refuge in You alone from every evil.

It is narrated from the concubine of al-Rabi' that she said: When the time of al-Rabi's death drew near, his daughter wept. He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: O my daughter, why do you weep? Say: O good news! My father is meeting goodness.

It is narrated from Ibrahim that he said: A man who had stayed with al-Rabi' bin Khuthaym for twenty years told me that he never heard from him a word deserving of reproach.

It is narrated from al-Rabi' bin Khuthaym concerning the statement of Allah: "Then if he is of those brought near, then rest and fragrance and a garden of bliss" [Al-Waqi'ah: 88-89]. He said: These are stored up for them. "But if he is of the deniers, the astray, then a welcome of scalding water" [Al-Waqi'ah: 92-93]. He said: It is with him. "And burning in Hellfire" [Al-Waqi'ah: 94]. He said: It is stored up for him.

It is narrated from Nusayr that he said: Whenever a beggar came to al-Rabi', he (may Allah have mercy on him) would say: "Feed this beggar sugar, for al-Rabi' loves sugar."

It is narrated from al-Rabi' bin Khuthaym concerning the saying of Allah, "O man, what has deceived you concerning your Lord, the Generous?" [Al-Infitar: 6], that he said: Ignorance.