حياة السلف بين القول والعمل

Condemning desires and praising those who oppose them: Malik bin Dinar, may God have mercy on him, said: How difficult it is to wean an adult. [Al-Kamil fi al-Lughah wa al-Adab /187].

Condemnation of desire and praise for those who oppose it: On the authority of Yazid bin Maysarah, may God have mercy on him, he said: God Almighty says: O young man who abandons his desire for My sake, who sacrifices his youth for My sake, you are to Me like some of My angels. [Al-Hilya (its abridgment) 2/194].

Condemnation of desires and praise for those who oppose them: Al-Hasan Al-Basri, may God have mercy on him, used to say: The worst disease that has afflicted the heart - meaning desires. [Al-Zuhd by Imam Ahmad /451].

Condemnation of desire and the virtue of opposing it: Shaykh Abdullah al-Armani, may Allah have mercy on him, said: Once during my travels I passed a monk in a hermitage. He said: Muslim, what is the nearest path to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, according to you? I replied: Opposing the self. He drew his head back into his hermitage. When I was in Mecca during the Hajj season, a man greeted me at the Kaaba. I asked: Who are you? He replied: I am the monk. I asked: How did you reach here? He replied: Through what you said. In another narration: I presented Islam to my soul, but it refused. I knew then that it was the truth, so I embraced Islam and opposed it. Thus he prospered and succeeded. [al-Bidayah wa-al-Nihayah 13/222].

Condemning desires and praising those who oppose them: Abu Hazim, may God have mercy on him, said: Fight your desires more than you fight your enemy. [Al-Hilya (its abridgment) 1/519].