The words of Ibn Munabbih

It is narrated from Wahb bin Munabbih that he said: A man passed by a monk and asked: O monk, how is your remembrance of death? The monk said: Every step I put down or lift up, I consider myself a dead man. The man asked: How is the state of your vigor? The monk said: I do not think that any man could hear mention of Paradise and Hell and then have even one hour pass over him in which he does not pray. At this the man said: I pray and I weep until vegetation grows from my tears. The monk said: That you should laugh while acknowledging your sins before Allah is better than that you should weep while being vain about your deed. Indeed, the prayer of the vain man does not rise above his head. Then the man said: Give me some advice. The monk said: Adopt detachment from the world, do not snatch the world away from its people, and be like the bee: if it eats, it eats what is pure; if it brings forth, it brings forth what is pure; and if it lands on something, it neither harms it nor breaks it. And be sincere toward Allah as a dog is sincere toward its owners: they keep it hungry and beat it, yet it does nothing but show them goodwill and guard them.

It is narrated from Ja'far bin Burqan that he said: It reached me that Ibn Munabbih used to say: Of all traits of character, the greatest help to religion is detachment from the world, and the most ruinous thing for religion is following desires. From following desires comes longing for the world; from longing for the world comes love of wealth and rank; from love of wealth and rank comes regarding the forbidden as lawful; and from regarding the forbidden as lawful comes the displeasure of Allah Almighty. The wrath of Allah is a disease for which there is no remedy except the pleasure of Allah; it is a remedy with which no disease does harm. Whoever wishes to please his Lord, let him displease his own self; and whoever does not displease his own self is not able to please his Lord. If a person abandons whatever part of religion feels burdensome to him, he will soon have nothing left with him.

It is narrated from Qasim bin Abi Bazzah that he said: I heard Ibn Munabbih saying: We have found in the (earlier) scriptures that Allah Almighty says: O son of Adam, as long as you worship Me and place your hope in Me, I will forgive you, whatever may have been. And it is a duty upon Me not to misguide that servant of Mine who is eager for guidance. I am the Judge.

It is narrated from Ibn Munabbih that he said: The likeness of the man who supplicates without deeds is that of the man who shoots an arrow without a bowstring.

It is narrated from Ibn Munabbih that he said: Allah Almighty revealed to Uzayr: O Uzayr, do not swear falsely by Me, for I am not pleased with one who swears falsely by Me. O Uzayr, be dutiful to your parents, for I am pleased with the one who is dutiful to his parents; when I am pleased, I bless; and when I bless, it reaches the fourth generation. O Uzayr, do not disobey your parents, for I am angered by the one who disobeys his parents; when I am angered, I curse; and when I curse, it reaches the fourth generation.

It is narrated from Wahb bin Munabbih that he said: Dawud said: O Lord, beneath every hair of the son of Adam is a blessing from You, and above it too is a blessing. So from where will he repay You for what You have given? The narrator said: At this Allah Almighty revealed to Dawud: Indeed, I give much and am pleased with little. Giving thanks for these blessings of Mine means knowing that every blessing there is comes from Me.

It is narrated from Wahb bin Munabbih that he said: Allah Almighty gave Musa a light that was fire for others. The narrator said: Then Musa called Harun and said: Allah Almighty has given me a light that is fire for others. And Musa (peace be upon him) gifted it to me, and I gift it to you two. The narrator said: So the two sons of Harun used to offer sacrifices for the Children of Israel. The narrator said: Then those two introduced something new, and fire came down and burned them. The narrator said: Then it was said to them: O Musa and Harun, this is what I do to one of My obedient people who disobeys Me. So how will I treat the disobedient one among those who disobey Me?

It is narrated from Ibn Munabbih that he said: Among those before you there was a man who worshipped Allah for a long time. Then he asked Allah Almighty for something he needed, and he fasted for Allah for seventy weeks, eating eleven times each week. The narrator said: He asked Allah for what he needed, and Allah Almighty did not give it to him. So he turned to his own self and said: O self, it is because of you that this has come upon me. If there were any good in you, your need would have been granted, but there is no good in you. The narrator said: At that very moment an angel descended and said to the man: O son of Adam, this hour of yours in which you reproached yourself is better than all your past worship, and Allah Almighty has granted you your need.

It is narrated about Ibn Munabbih that he, Tawus and others like them of the people of that time were sitting together. They began discussing which command of Allah was the swiftest. Some of them said: The saying of Allah: "Like the twinkling of an eye" [Al-Nahl: 77]. Others said: The throne, when it was brought to Sulayman. At this Ibn Munabbih said: The swiftest of the commands of Allah Almighty was that Yunus was on the edge of the ship when Allah Almighty commanded the fish in the Nile of Egypt. Ibn Munabbih said: So he fell from the edge of the ship into the belly of the fish.

It is narrated from Wahb bin Munabbih that he said: On the day Musa (peace be upon him) conversed intimately with his Lord beside the tree, he was wearing a woollen cloak, woollen breeches and a woollen cap.

It is narrated from Awf that he said: Ibn Munabbih said: Among the traits of the hypocrite is that he loves praise and hates censure.