As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaah

Imaam Ahmad (rahimahullaah) used to say:

ุฅุฐุง ู…ูŽุง ุฎูŽู„ูŽูˆุชูŽ ุงู„ุฏู‘ูŽู‡ู’ุฑูŽ ูŠูˆู…ู‹ุง ูู„ุง ุชูŽู‚ูู„ู’ *** ุฎูŽู„ูˆุชู ูˆู„ูƒู† ู‚ูู„ู’ ุนู„ูŠู‘ูŽ ุฑูŽู‚ููŠุจู
ูˆู„ุง ุชุญู’ุณูŽู€ุจู†ู‘ูŽ ุงู„ู„ู€ู‡ูŽ ูŠูŽุบู’ููู€ู„ ุณุงุนูŽู€ุฉู‹ *** ูˆู„ุง ุฃู†ู‘ ู…ูŽุง ุชุฎููŽูŠ ุนูŽู„ูŠู‡ ูŠูŽุบููŠุจู
ุฃู„ู… ุชุฑ ุฃู†ู‘ ุงู„ูŠูˆู…ูŽ ุฃุณู’ุฑุนู ุฐุงู‡ูุจู *** ูˆ ุฃู†ู‘ ุบุฏุงู‹ ู„ู„ู†ุงุธูุฑูŠู† ู‚ูŽุฑูŠุจู

โ€œIf you spend a day in solitude, do not say
I spent it in solitude, but say over me is a Watcher

And do not think that Allaah is oblivious for even an hour
or that what you try to hide from Him is unseen

Do you not see that today is leaving fast
And that tomorrow for the onlooker is indeed near?

____________________________________

It is said that Maalik ibn Dinaar (rahimahullaah) once went to the graveyards and said:

ุฃุชูŠุชู ุงู„ู‚ุจูˆุฑ ูู†ุงุฏูŠุชู‡ุง *** ุฃูŠู† ุงู„ู…ุนูŽุธู‘ูŽู…ู ูˆ ุฃูŠู† ุงู„ู…ูุญู’ุชูŽู‚ูุฑู
ูˆ ุฃูŠู† ุงู„ู…ูู„ูŽุจู‘ูู‰ ุฅุฐุง ู…ุง ุฏูŽุนุง *** ูˆ ุฃูŠู† ุงู„ุนูŽุฒููŠุฒ ุฅุฐุง ู…ุง ุงูุชูŽุฎูุฑู
ูˆ ุฃูŠู† ุงู„ู…ูุฏูŽู„ู‘ ุจูุณูู„ู’ุทูŽุงู†ูู‡ *** ูˆ ุฃูŠู† ุงู„ู‚ูˆู‘ููู‰ู‘ู ุฃุฐุง ู…ุง ู‚ุฏูŽุฑู

โ€œI approached the graves and called out to it
โ€˜Where is the exalted one and where is the debased?

Where is the caller when he did call out
And where is the powerful when he did boast

Where is the one who was arrogant in his reign
And where is the strong one when he did gain power?โ€™

ูุณู…ุน ุตูˆุชุงู‹ ูŠู‚ูˆู„ ู„ู‡

ุชููŽุงู†ูˆุง ุฌูŽู…ููŠุนุงู‹ ูู…ุง ู…ูุฎู’ุจุฑ *** ูˆ ู…ูŽุงุชูˆุง ุฌูŽู…ูŠุนุงู‹ ูˆ ู…ุงุชูŽ ุงู„ุฎุจุฑู
ุชุฑูˆุญ ูˆ ุชุบุฏูˆ ุจู†ุงุช ุงู„ุซุฑู‰ *** ููŽุชูŽู…ู’ุญููˆ ู…ูŽุญุงุณูู†ูŽ ุชู„ูƒ ุงู„ุตููˆูŽุฑ
ููŠุง ุณุงุฆูู„ู‰ ุนู† ุฃู†ุงุณู ู‚ุฏ ู…ูŽุถูŽูˆุง *** ุฃู…ู‘ูŽุง ู„ูƒ ูููŠู…ุง ุชูŽุฑู‰ ู…ูุนู’ุชูŽุจูุฑ

So he heard a voice say:

All have fleeted, so there is no informer
And all have died and so did the news

The daughters of the rich come and go
So they wipe away the beauty of such a picture

So O questioner of a people who have gone by
Is there not in what you see, a lesson indeed?

____________________________________

ย 

Al-Abrash said (and this is also attributed to โ€˜Abdullaah ibn al-Mubaarak and ash-Shaafiโ€™ee, rahimahumullah):

ุชุนู„ู‘ูŽู… ูู„ูŠุณ ุงู„ู…ุฑุกู ูŠูˆู„ูŽุฏ ุนุงู„ูŽู…ุงู‹ *** ูˆ ู„ูŠุณ ุฃุฎูˆ ุนูู„ู…ู ูƒูŽู…ูŽู† ู‡ูˆ ุฌุงู‡ูู„ู
ูˆ ุฃู†ู‘ ูƒุจูŠุฑูŽ ุงู„ู‚ูˆู…ู ู„ุง ุนูู„ู… ุนู†ุฏูŽู‡ *** ุตุบูŠุฑูŒ ุฅุฐุง ุงู„ุชูู‘ูŽุช ุนู„ูŠู‡ ุงู„ู…ูŽุญุงููู„ู

Learn! For a person is not born a scholar
And the companion of knowledge is not like the ignorant

And no knowledge is insignificant for the noble oneย of a nation
If the masses themselves turn towards it

____________________________________

ย 

Al-Muntasir ibn Bilaal al-Ansaari:

ูˆ ู„ู† ูŠูŽู‡ู„ููƒูŽ ุงู„ุฅู†ุณุงู†ูŽ ุฅู„ุง ุฅุฐุง ุฃุชู‰ *** ู…ูู† ุงู„ุฃู…ุฑ ู…ุง ู„ู… ูŠุฑุถู‡ู ู†ุตุญุงุคู‡
ูˆ ุฃู‚ู„ู„ ุฅุฐุง ู…ุง ู‚ู„ุชูŽ ู‚ูˆู„ุงู‹, ูุฅู†ู‡ *** ุฅุฐุง ู‚ู„ู‘ูŽ ู‚ูˆู„ ุงู„ู…ุฑุก ู‚ู„ู‘ูŽ ุฎุทู€ุงุคู‡

A person can never be ruined unless he approaches
A matter which is not pleasing to his sincere advisors

And lessen your speech when you do speak,
For when the speech of a person is lessened, their mistakes are lessened
_______________________________

[Most of these abyaat have been taken from the book โ€˜Rawdhatul-โ€˜Uqalaa wa Nuzhat al-Fudhalaaโ€™ by Ibn Hibbaan]