ورقــات

"People, We have created you from a man and a woman, and made you into races and tribes so that you may get to know one another. Surely, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah are the most mindful of Him" (49:13) The scholars of genealogy have identified seven degrees of kinship through which Arab society was organized: shuʿūb (peoples), then qabāʾil (tribes), then ʿamāʾir (clans), then buṭūn (sub-clans), then afkhādh (branches), then faṣāʾil (family clusters), and finally ʿashāʾir (kindreds). The ʿashīrah represents those bound closest to a man by blood, and beyond it no further division is recognized. — Ibn Kathīr, Al-Sīrah al-nabawiyyah, i. 6

يُقضَى على المرءِ في أَيَّامِ محنتِه = حتى يرى حسنًا ما ليسَ بالحسنِ

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. ʿAbd Rabb al-Kaʿbah said, "I entered the mosque and found ʿAbd Allah b. ʿAmr b. al-ʿĀṣ sitting in the shade of the Kaʿbah, with people gathered around him. I came and sat near him, and he said, 'We were with the Messenger of Allah ʿalayhi al-salam on a journey, and we stopped to rest. Some of us were setting up their tents, some were competing in archery, and some were tending to their livestock, when the caller of the Messenger of Allah ʿalayhi al-salam called the people to gather for the prayer. We gathered around the Messenger of Allah ʿalayhi al-salam and he said, 'There was no prophet before me except that it was his duty to guide his people toward the best of what he knew for them, and to warn them against the worst of what he knew for them. As for this community of yours, its wellbeing has been placed in its early generations, and its later generations will be struck by trials and matters you will find objectionable. Tribulations will come, one making the next seem insignificant by comparison. A tribulation will come and the believer will say: this will destroy me. Then it will pass. Another will come and he will say: this is it, this is it. Whoever wishes to be delivered from the Fire and admitted into Paradise should die while he believes in Allah and the Last Day, and should treat people the way he would wish to be treated. And whoever pledges allegiance to a leader, should give him the handshake of his hand and the sincerity of his heart, and obey him as best he can. And if another comes to challenge that leader, strike the neck of the other.' I drew close to him and said, 'I ask you by Allah, did you hear this from the Messenger of Allah ʿalayhi al-salam?' He pointed to his ears and his heart with both hands and said, 'These ears heard it and this heart retained it.' I then said to him, 'This cousin of yours, Muʿāwiyah, is commanding us to consume each other's wealth unjustly and to kill one another, while Allah says, ‘You who believe, do not consume each other's wealth unjustly, but trade by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves, indeed Allah is merciful to you.' He was silent for a moment, then said. 'Obey him in obedience to Allah, and disobey him in disobedience to Allah.'" — Muslim no. 1844

O Allah, the one who knows the unseen, who raises the dead, who hears every voice, who answers every supplication, who fulfills every need, who created the heavens and the earth. You are Allah, none has the right to be worshipped but You: the Generous who never withholds, the forbearing who never hastens. No one can prevent what You command, and no one can overturn what You decree. Lord of all things, Creator of all things, Owner of all things, Ordainer of all things. Grant me beneficial knowledge, abundant provision, a humble heart, a truthful tongue, pure deeds, and sincere faith. Grant me the repentance of the sincere, the humility of the devout, the deeds of the righteous, the certainty of the truthful, the happiness of the pious, and the ranks of the successful. اللَّهُمَّ يَا عَالِمَ الْخَفِيَّاتِ، وَيَا بَاعِثَ الْأَمْوَاتِ، وَيَا سَامِعَ الْأَصْوَاتِ، وَيَا مُجِيبَ الدَّعَوَاتِ، وَيَا قَاضِيَ الْحَاجَاتِ، وَيَا خَالِقَ الْأَرْضِ وَالسَّمَاوَاتِ؛ أَنْتَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، الْجَوَادُ الَّذِي لَا يَبْخَلُ، وَالْحَلِيمُ الَّذِي لَا يَعْجَلُ. لَا رَادَّ لِأَمْرِكَ، وَلَا مُعَقِّبَ لِحُكْمِكَ، رَبَّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، وَخَالِقَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، وَمَالِكَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، وَمُقَدِّرَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ؛ نَسْأَلُكَ أَنْ تَرْزُقَنِي عِلْمًا نَافِعًا، وَرِزْقًا وَاسِعًا، وَقَلْبًا خَاشِعًا، وَلِسَانًا صَادِقًا، وَعَمَلًا زَاكِيًا، وَإِيمَانًا خَالِصًا، وَأَنْ تَهَبَ لِي إِنَابَةَ الْمُخْلِصِينَ، وَخُشُوعَ الْمُخْبِتِينَ، وَأَعْمَالَ الصَّالِحِينَ، وَيَقِينَ الصَّادِقِينَ، وَسَعَادَةَ الْمُتَّقِينَ، وَدَرَجَاتِ الْفَائِزِينَ. — Al-Bājī, Sunan al-ʿābidīn, i. 45

Anas b. Malik narrated, "When Yunus ʿalayhi al-salam lay in the darkness] of the whale's belly, he called upon Allah saying, 'O Allah, there is no god worthy of worship except You. Glory be to You. Indeed, I have been among the wrongdoers.' The supplication ascended towards the throne, and the angels said, 'Lord, this is a faint and familiar voice coming from a far and distant land.' Allah the Most High said, 'Do you not recognize it?' They said, 'Lord, who is it?' He replied, 'That is My servant Yunus.' They said, 'The one whose righteous deeds are accepted and whose prayers are answered? Lord, will You not have mercy on him for what he used to do in times of ease, and deliver him from his affliction?' Allah said, 'Yes.' So He commanded the whale, and it cast him out onto the open shore." Abū Hurayrah said, "He was cast onto the open shore, and Allah caused a gourd vine to grow over him." Those around him asked, "Abū Hurayrah, what is a gourd vine?" He replied, "The tree of al-dubbāʾ." He continued, "Allah sent him a wild mountain goat that grazed on the vegetation of the earth. It would come to him every evening and morning, nourishing him with its milk until he had fully recovered." ﴿لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَالِمِينَ﴾. — Ibn Abī al-Dunya, Al-Faraj, p. 45-6

O Allah, we ask You for the causes that bring about Your mercy and forgiveness, the share of every good deed, safety from every sin, success in attaining Paradise, and salvation from the Fire. اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ مُوجِبَاتِ رَحْمَتِكَ، وَعَزَائِمَ مَغْفِرَتِكَ، وَالْغَنِيمَةَ مِنْ كُلِّ بِرٍّ، وَالسَّلَامَةَ مِنْ كُلِّ إِثْمٍ، وَالْفَوْزَ بِالْجَنَّةِ، وَالنَّجَاةَ مِنَ النَّارِ. — Al-Bājī, Sunan al-ʿābidīn, i. 45

I command you with three things and forbid you from three. I command you to worship Allah and not associate any partners with Him, to hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and not become divided, and to listen and obey whoever Allah has placed in charge over your affairs. And I forbid you from idle talk and gossip, excessive questioning, and the wasting of wealth. — Muslim no. 1715 / Ṣaḥīḥ al-jāmiʿ no. 12

I command you with four things and forbid you from four. Worship Allah and do not associate any partners with Him, establish prayer, give zakah, fast Ramadan, and render one-fifth of whatever spoils you acquire. And I forbid you from four: al-dubbāʾ, al-ḥantam, al-muzaffat, and al-naqīr. — Muslim no. 18 / Ṣaḥīḥ al-jāmiʿ no. 11

A man once came to Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Warrāq requesting him to intercede with someone on his behalf. Al-Warrāq replied, "Let us pray two rakʿahs together and ask Allah, for I will not turn away from an open door to go knocking on a closed one." — Ibn Rajab, Ḏẖayl ṭabaqāt al-ḥanābilah, ii. 49

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀‏ أَخي وأُختي، نصيحةٌ بعد أَن قضيتُ ستِّينَ عامًا في هذه الدُّنيا، وأَفنيتُ معظمَها في رحابِ العلمِ، وهذه النَّصيحة خلاصةُ ما تعلَّمته من العلمِ، ومن تجاربِ الدُّنيا، وإِذا عملت بهذه النَّصيحةِ فلا عليك بما فاتك من الدُّنيا: اهتم بمن أَنت عند الله، واحرص على أَن تكونَ كما يريد الله أَن تكون. الشَّيخ أ.د. سليمان الرُّحيلي حفظه الله تعالى

I command you with four things and forbid you from four. I command you to have faith in Allah alone. Do you know what it means to have faith in Allah alone? It is to testify that there is no god worthy of worship but Allah alone and that Muḥammad is His Messenger, to establish prayer, to give zakah, to fast Ramadan, and to render one-fifth of whatever spoils you acquire. And I forbid you from al-dubbāʾ, al-naqīr, al-ḥantam, and al-muzaffat. Memorize these well and convey them to those who come after you. — Bukhārī no. 53 / Ṣaḥīḥ al-jāmiʿ no. 10

Al-Bukhārī said, "Al-Fātiḥah was named Umm al-Kitāb because it is the first to be written in the mushaf and the first to be recited in prayer." — Shawkānī, Fatḥ al-qadīr, i. 72