Reports on weeping out of fear of Allah

Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) sent a letter to Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him): "I counsel you to fear Allah. For if you fear Allah, He will suffice you against people, and if you fear people, they will not be able to suffice you against Allah. So it is incumbent upon you to fear Allah. 'Amma ba'd' (To proceed)."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: No person has drunk a draught better in reward with Allah than the one who swallowed his anger solely for the sake of Allah and to gain His pleasure.

Sulayman bin Musa (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Do not seek learning for the sake of the world, and do not acquire fiqh for show. Never laugh without something to wonder at, and do not travel without need.

Ibn Abi Mulaykah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I traveled with Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) from Makkah to Madinah and from Madinah to Makkah. Whenever Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) halted at a place, he would stand in prayer for half of the night, weeping a great deal during it. I asked: "What was this sound like?" He answered: "It was the sound of crying and wailing," and he would recite the verse of the Noble Qur'an: "And the stupor of death comes with the truth; that is what you were trying to avoid." [Qaf: 19]

Khaythamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Isa bin Maryam (peace be upon him) and Yahya (peace be upon him) were maternal cousins. Isa (peace be upon him) wore garments of wool and Yahya (peace be upon him) wore garments of camel hair. Neither of them had a dirham or a dinar, nor a slave or a slave woman, nor any abode where they could take shelter. Wherever night fell, there they stayed. When they intended to part, Yahya (peace be upon him) said to Isa (peace be upon him): "Give me some counsel." He said: "Do not become angry." Yahya (peace be upon him) said: "I cannot control becoming angry." Isa (peace be upon him) said: "Do not accumulate wealth." Yahya (peace be upon him) answered: "As for this, perhaps it can be done."

It is reported from Qatadah, in the explanation of the Qur'anic verse "with a cup from a flowing spring" [Al-Saffat: 45], that these cups will be full of flowing wine.

Abu al-Ala (may Allah have mercy on him) said: When death drew near to one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he began to say: "Alas! Alas!" He was asked: "What are you grieving over?" He answered: "I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) what would suffice me in this world, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) answered: 'A servant and a mount.' So I neither kept silent and refrained from asking, nor did I act on it when I asked. I acquired worldly goods, I own such and such wealth, and death has now overtaken me."

Mujahid (may Allah have mercy on him) said: This verse was revealed about this Ummah: "Say: Shall I inform you of something better than that?" [Al Imran: 15]. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Allah, at this time.

Muhammad bin Wasi' said: I came from Makkah, and there was a bridge over the trench. I was seized there and taken to Marwan bin al-Muhallab, who was the governor of Basrah. He welcomed me and said: "O Abu Abdullah, do you have any need?" I said: "My need is that, if you are able, you be as the brother of Banu Adi said." He asked: "Who is the brother of Banu Adi?" I answered: "Al-Ala bin Ziyad. A friend of his was once appointed to an office, so he wrote to him: 'Amma ba'd (to proceed): If you are able to spend the night with your back light, your stomach empty and your palms clean of the blood and wealth of the Muslims, then, if you do this, there will be no way against you. The way is only against those who wrong people and transgress on the earth [Al-Shura: 42].'" Marwan said: "By Allah, he spoke entirely the truth and gave good counsel." Then Marwan asked: "Do you have any need, O Abu Abdullah?" I said: "My need is that you send me on to my family." He answered: "Certainly."

Ibn Sabit (may Allah have mercy on him) said: In Paradise there is a tree such that Allah has created all beautiful sounds from its root, which will delight the people of Paradise and give them comfort.

Al-Hasan said: Three scholars gathered and said to one another: "How much hope do you have?" One answered: "I think that I may live for one month and then I will die." They said: "This is indeed great hope." Then they asked the second: "How much hope do you have?" He answered: "I think that I may remain for one week and then I will die." They asked the third: "What is your hope?" He answered: "What hope can there be for one whose very life is in the hands of another?"

Al-Hasan said: It used to be given as a parable that the son of Adam is like a man whose time of death drew near. His family, his wealth and his deeds came to him. He said to his family: "Keep this death away from me." They answered: "We can only protect you in worldly matters; we cannot stop this death." Then he said to his wealth: "Keep this away from me." It answered: "I was only your adornment in the world; I cannot keep this matter away from you." Then his deeds sprang forward and said: "I am that companion of yours who will enter the grave with you, and wherever you go I will be with you." The man said: "By Allah, had I realized, you would have been the most preferred of the three to me." The narrator said: Al-Hasan said: So from now on, prefer it over all others.

Kurdus al-Tha'labi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It is written in the Torah: Fear Allah and you will be saved, for salvation lies only in piety. Show mercy and mercy will be shown to you. Repent and your repentance will be accepted.

It is narrated from Abu Nadrah (may Allah have mercy on him) that a man entered Paradise and saw his slave above him like a star. He asked: "By Allah, O my Lord, this man was my slave in the world; who has brought him to this rank?" Allah answered: "His deeds were better than yours."

Abu Husayn (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If you were to see what I have seen, your liver would burn to ashes over them.

Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The night would grow long for me until I reached the morning, while I kept watching it.

Abu Musa al-Tamimi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Al-Nawar, the wife of al-Farazdaq, died, and the notables of Basrah walked in her funeral, among them al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him). Al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) asked al-Farazdaq: "O Abu Firas, what have you prepared for this day?" He answered: "The testimony that there is no god but Allah, for 80 years now." The narrator said: When his wife was buried in the grave, al-Farazdaq stood at her grave and recited these verses: 1. If I am not dealt with through pardon, then beyond the grave I fear what is greater than the grave in fire and narrowness. 2. When, on the Day of Resurrection, a harsh driver and a leader will be driving al-Farazdaq. 3. He has been ruined, of the children of Darim, who is blinded, collared and led to Hell.