حياة السلف بين القول والعمل

Ibn al-Mubarak said: I have seen no one rise in standing like Malik ibn Anas, may Allah have mercy on him. He does not have much prayer or fasting, unless he has a hidden inward quality. Al-Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, said: His knowledge and spreading it are better than voluntary fasting and prayer for one who seeks Allah through it. [Siyar (abridged edition) 2/733].

On the authority of Yunus ibn Abd al-A’la, he said: Al-Shafi’i, may God have mercy on him, used to speak to us according to what we could understand from him, and if he had spoken to us according to his understanding, we would not have comprehended him. [Al-Hilya (its abridgment) 3/132].

On the authority of Al-Fudayl ibn Ziyad, on the authority of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may God have mercy on him, he said: All or most of what you see is from Al-Shafi’i, and I have not gone to sleep for thirty years without praying for Al-Shafi’i. [Al-Hilya (its abridgment) 3/121].

Acting upon knowledge and conveying it: Salman al-Farisi, may God be pleased with him, said: Knowledge that is not spoken of is like a treasure that is not spent. [Uyun al-Akhbar 2/525].

Acting upon knowledge and conveying it: On the authority of Abdullah bin Masoud, may God be pleased with him, he said: “People have spoken well, so whoever’s actions match his words, that is the one who has attained his share, and whoever’s actions do not match his words, that is the one who reproaches himself.” [Sifat al-Safwa 1/189].