حياة السلف بين القول والعمل

The stance of the Salaf regarding the construction of houses and palaces: On the authority of Zayd ibn Abi al-Zarqa, may God have mercy on him, that he mentioned that a prominent man saw a man building a structure for himself, and said to him: O you, you have settled where people have departed. [Ibn Abi al-Dunya Encyclopedia 3/360].

The stance of the early Muslims regarding the building of houses and palaces: Masruq, may God have mercy on him, said: “The believer is rewarded for everything except what is in the ground.” [Ibn Abi Al-Dunya Encyclopedia 3/365].

The stance of the early Muslims regarding the construction of houses and palaces: On the authority of Salamah ibn Khalid, may God have mercy on him: A king built a palace and said: Look for anyone who finds fault with it and fix it, and give him two dirhams. Among those who came to them was a man who said: This palace has two faults. They said: What are they? He said: I would not tell anyone about them except the king. He said: So he was brought before him and he said: What are these two faults? He said: The king will die, and the palace will be ruined! He said: You are right, then he turned to himself. [Ibn Abi al-Dunya Encyclopedia 3/368].

Balancing worldly and religious matters: On the authority of Umar ibn Qays, he said: When I looked at Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, may God be pleased with him, in his worldly affairs, I would say: This is a man who has not desired God for even a moment. And when I looked at him in his religious affairs, I would say: This is a man who has not desired the world for even a moment. [Al-Hila (its abridgment) 1/253]

Balancing worldly and religious matters: Ka’b al-Ahbar, may God have mercy on him, used to say: “Act like a servant who does not think he will die except in old age, and be cautious like a person who thinks he will die tomorrow.” [Al-Hilya (its abridgment) 2/253].