حياة السلف بين القول والعمل

Concealing and keeping good deeds secret: Muhammad bin Wasi’, may God have mercy on him, said: I knew men who would have their heads on the same pillow as their wives, and the place beneath their cheeks would be soaked with tears, but their wives would not notice. I knew men who would stand in prayer, and their tears would flow down their cheeks, but the person next to them would not notice. [Al-Hilya (its abridgment) 1/412].

Concealing and keeping good deeds secret: On the authority of the concubine of al-Rabi‘ ibn Khuthaym, may God have mercy on him, she said: All of Al-Rabi’ bin Khuthaym’s deeds were done in secret. A man would come and he had opened the Qur’an, and he would cover it with his garment. [Al-Muntazam 6/8, 9].

Concealing and keeping good deeds secret: On the authority of Thabit bin Uqba bin Abdul Ghafir, may God have mercy on him, he said: A supplication in secret is better than seventy in public. And if a servant does a good deed in public and does the same in secret, God says to His angels: This is truly a servant. [Al-Hilya (its abridgment) 1/385].

Concealing and keeping good deeds secret: Abu Abdullah, the servant of Abu al-Hasan al-Tusi, said: I heard Abu al-Hasan, may God have mercy on him, swear so many times: If I could do voluntary acts of worship where my two angels could not see me, I would do so, but I cannot do that—out of fear of showing off. [Sifat al-Safwa 4/366].

Concealing and keeping good deeds secret: On the authority of Al-A’mash, he said: Abd Al-Rahman bin Abi Layla, may God have mercy on him, used to pray, and if someone entered, he would sleep on his bed. [Al-Siyar (its abridgment) 1/494].