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A man asked Dhu l-Nun al-Misri: When will seclusion become right for me? He answered: When you are able to seclude yourself from your own self! Ibn al-Mubarak45 was asked about the cure of the heart. He answered: [It is] to avoid mixing with people! It is said that when God wants to take his servant from the ignominy of disobedience to the glory of obedience, He graces him with the intimacy of solitude, enriches him with contentment, and allows him to see his faults. Whoever has been given all this, has been given the best of the two worlds!
Fear of God (taqwa)

God Most High said: Surely the noblest among you in the sight of God is the most Godfearing of you.46 Abu l-Hasan Ali b. Ahmad b. Abdan informed us: Ahmad b. Ubayd al-Saffar informed us: Muhammad b. al-Fadl b. Jabir informed us: Abd al-Ala al-Qurashi47 related to us: Yaqub al-Ammi told us on the authority of Layth, on the authority of Mujahid, on the authority of Abu Said al-Khudri, who said that a man came to the Prophet may God bless and greet him and said: O Prophet of God, advise me! He answered: Hold onto fear of God, for it is the quintessence of all good! Perform jihad; it is the monasticism//173 of the Muslim! Practice the remembrance of God, for it is a light for you! Ali b. Ahmad b. Abdan said: Ahmad b. Ubayd said: Abbas b. al-Fadl al-Asqati related to us: Ahmad b. Yunus related to us: Abu Hurmuz Nafi b. Hurmuz related to us: I heard Anas [b. Malik] say that someone asked [the Prophet]: Prophet of God, who are the family of Muhammad? He answered: Everyone who fears God! Fear of God is the quintessence of all good things. The True Reality of fear of God consists of protecting oneself from Gods punishment through obedience to Him. It is said: So-and-so protected himself with his shield. The root of fear of God is to protect oneself from associating anything or anyone with God; this is to be followed by protecting oneself from acts of disobedience and offenses; this is followed by protecting oneself from dubious things; this is followed by protecting oneself from unnecessary things. I heard the master Abu Ali al-Daqqaq may God have mercy on him say: For each of these divisions there is a special chapter. Some [scholars] have interpreted the Quranic phrase [O believers,] fear God as He should be feared48 as meaning that God is to be obeyed and not disobeyed, remembered and not forgotten, thanked and not unrequited. I heard Shaykh Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami say: I heard Ahmad b. Ali b. Jafar say: I heard Ahmad b. Asim say: I heard Sahl b. Abdallah say: There
45 46 47 48 An early Muslim ascetic and fighter for religion, who died in 181/797. See IM, pp. 2122. Q. 49:13. In another reading al-Narsi. Q. 3:102; 3:97 according to Arberrys translation.

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is no helper but God, no guide but the Messenger of God, no provisions but fear of God, no deed but one that is graced by patience [in worship]. I heard Abu Bakr al-Razi say: I heard al-Kattani say: This world is apportioned according to affliction and the next according to fear of God. I also heard him [al-Sulami] say: I heard Abu Bakr al-Razi say: I heard al-Jurayri say: No one who has not appointed fear of God as an arbiter between himself and God will ever attain unveiling and contemplation [of divine mysteries]. Al-Nasrabadhi said: Fear of God means that the servant of God fears everything except God may He be great and exalted! Sahl [al-Tustari] said: Whoever desires to achieve perfection in fear of God must abandon all sins. Al-Nasrabadhi said: He who practices fear of God aspires to separate himself from this world, because God glory to Him said: The next world is better for those who are Godfearing. Will you not understand? 49 A Sufi said: When someones fear of God is perfect, God makes turning away from this world easy for him. Abu Abdallah al-Rudhbari said: Fear of God is to shun anything that distances you from God.//174 Dhu l-Nun said: The Godfearing person is one who does not defile his exterior with acts of opposition [to Gods will] nor his interior with diversions [from God] and occupies the station of complete agreement with God. I heard Muhammad b. al-Husayn may God have mercy on him say: I heard Abu l-Husayn al-Farisi say: I heard Ibn Ata say: Fear of God has two sides: outward and inward. Its outward side is the observance of [Gods] boundaries. Its inward side is [pure] intention and sincerity. Dhu l-Nun [al-Misri] said: There is no living except with men whose hearts long for fear of God and Whose repose is in the remembrance [of Gods name] [Their] contentment is in the spirit of certainty and its sweetness As the nursing infant is content with [its mothers] lap. They say that a mans fear of God is evident in three things: full trust in God with respect to what has not been granted to him; full satisfaction with what has been granted to him; and full patience with respect to what has eluded him. Talq b. Habib said: Fear of God is to act in obedience to God, illuminated by His light, and to fear His punishment. I heard Shaykh Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami say: I heard Muhammad al-Farra relate from Abu Hafs the following saying: Fear of God can only be achieved by [eating] that which is lawful. There is no other way. I also heard him say; I heard Abu Bakr al-Razi say: I heard Abu l-Husayn al-Zanjani say: He whose capital is fear of God gains a profit that tongues are unable to describe. Al-Wasiti said: Fear of God is to be wary of ones fear of God, meaning to take no notice of it.
49 Q. 6:32.

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The one who fears God [should be] like Ibn Sirin.50 Once he bought forty jars of butter. His servant found a [dead] mouse in one of them. Ibn Sirin asked him: What jar did you find it in?51 The servant said that he did not remember, whereupon Ibn Sirin dumped all of the jars onto the ground. Or one should be like Abu Yazid [al-Bistami], who once purchased a measure of saffron in Hamadan.52 A little of it was left over and when he returned to Bistam53 he found two ants in it. He then returned to Hamadan and laid down these two ants. It is related that Abu Hanifa54 used to avoid sitting in the shade of his neighbors tree. He would explain this [behavior] by referring to a report from the Prophet that says: Any loan that brings interest is usury. It is told that Abu Yazid was washing his robe in the desert [outside the city] with a companion of his. The companion said to him: Lets hang our robes on the wall of this vineyard. Abu Yazid responded: No, one cannot drive a nail into other peoples wall. The companion said: Lets hang them on this tree. He answered: No, for they may break the branches. Then lets spread them out on the grass! No, responded Abu Yazid. No, the grass is fodder for the animals. We cannot block them off from it! He turned his back to the sun, with his robe on his back, and waited until one side was dry. He then turned it around and waited until the other side was dry.//175 It is told that once Abu Yazid went to the congregational mosque and drove his staff into the ground. It fell upon the staff of an old man next to it and knocked it down. The old man had to lean over in order to pick up his staff. Abu Yazid followed the old man to his house and asked for his forgiveness. He said: The reason for your leaning over was my negligence in driving my staff into the ground, for this caused you to do so. Once Utba al-Ghulam was seen breaking into a sweat in wintertime. When asked why, he responded: This is the place where I disobeyed my Lord! On being asked for an explanation, he said: I scraped off a chunk of clay from this wall and had a guest of mine cleanse his hands with it. However, I neglected to ask the owner of the wall for permission. Ibrahim b. Adham said: Once I was spending the night in the desert near Jerusalem. After some time two angels descended. One of them asked the other: Who is this? He answered: Ibrahim b. Adham. That is the one whom God glory to Him lowered by one degree! Why? inquired the other angel. Because he bought some dates in Basra and one of the dates belonging to the grocer fell in among his dates and he did not return it to its owner. Ibrahim
50 An early Muslim scholar who was renowned for his piety and scrupulousness. He died in 110/728. 51 According to the sharia, any food that came in contact with a dead animal was considered impure. 52 A city in Iran. 53 His native city. 54 A renowned jurist, who founded a school of law named after him. He died in150/767.

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continued: I returned to Basra and purchased dates from that man, and [while doing this] dropped one date into his dates. I then returned to Jerusalem and spent the night in the desert [again]. After some time, I saw two angels descend from the sky. One said to the other: Who is here? He answered: Ibrahim b. Adham. He then added: His rank is raised. It is said that fear of God has several degrees: the common people shun associating anything with God (shirk); the elect shun sins; the prophets shun attributing acts [to anyone other than Him] in other words, their fear comes to them from Him and is [directed] to Him. The Commander of the Faithful, Ali may God be pleased with him said: The most noble of mankind in this world are the generous and the best of mankind in the Hereafter are those who fear God. Ali b. Ahmad al-Ahwazi informed us: Abu l-Husayn al-Basri informed us: Bishr b. Musa informed us: Muhammad b. Abdallah b. al-Mubarak related to us on the authority of Yahya b. Ayyub, on the authority of Ubaydallah b. Zuhr, on the authority of Ali b. Yazid, on the authority of al-Qasim, on the authority of Abu Umama from the Prophet may Gods peace and blessing be upon him that he said: If someone has looked at the beauty of a woman and lowered his sight with the first look, God will make for him an act of worship whose sweetness will reside in his heart [forever]. I heard Muhammad b. al-Husayn say: I heard Abu l-Abbas Muhammad b. al-Husayn say: I heard Muhammad b. Abdallah al-Farghani say: Once al-Junayd was sitting with Ruwaym [b. Ahmad], al-Jurayri, and Ibn Ata [al-Adami].55//176 Al-Junayd said: One cannot be saved unless one is sincere in taking refuge with God, for God Most High said: And to the three who were left behind, until the earth, for all its breadth, became narrow for them. 56 Ruwaym may God have mercy upon him said: One cannot be saved unless one is sincere in the fear of God, for God Most High said: But God shall deliver those who were Godfearing to their security. Al-Jurayri said: One cannot be saved unless one keeps trust, for God Most High said: Those who fulfill Gods covenant and break not the compact. 57 Ibn Ata said: One cannot be saved unless one has become ashamed of oneself in truth, for God Most High said: Does not he know that God sees [everything]? 58 The master and imam59 said: One can be saved only by divine order and decree, for God Most High said: As for those unto whom the ample reward has

55 They were members of al-Junayds inner circle; the last named was also a partisan of al-Hallaj. 56 Q. 9:118; according to most exegetes, this verse refers to three Companions of the Prophet, who refused to participate in his military campaign. Later on they repented and were tormented by the feeling of uncertainty as to their status in the eyes of God namely, whether He had pardoned them. 57 Q. 13:20. 58 Q. 96:4. 59 That is, al-Qushayri.

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gone forth from us, [they shall be kept far from it60]. 61 He also said: One can be saved only by pre-determined choice [of God], for God Most High said: We chose them and guided them to a straight path. 62
Scrupulousness (wara)

Abu l-Husayn63 Abd al-Rahman b. Ibrahim b. Muhammad b. Yahya alMuzakki informed us: Muhammad b. Dawud b. Sulayman al-Zahid informed us: Muhammad b. al-Hasan b. Qutayba informed us: Ahmad b. Abu Tahir al-Khurasani told us: Yahya b. al-Ayzar said: Muhammad b. Yusuf al-Firyabi told us on the authority of Sufyan on the authority of al-Ajlah on the authority of Abdallah b. Burayda on the authority of Abu l-Aswad al-Duali on the authority of Abu Dharr that the Messenger of God may Gods blessing and peace be upon him said: One of the best features of a mans Islam is his giving up that which does not concern him. The imam and master [al-Qushayri] may God be pleased with him said: Scrupulousness is giving up dubious things. Likewise, Ibrahim b. Adham said: Scrupulousness is giving up whatever is dubious and whatever does not concern you, which means giving up that which is superfluous.//177 Abu Bakr al-Siddiq64 may God be pleased with him said: We used to abandon seventy kinds of permitted things out of fear of stepping into only one thing that is forbidden. The Prophet may Gods peace and blessing be upon him told Abu Hurayra: Be scrupulous and you will be among Gods greatest servants! I heard Shaykh Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami say: I heard Abu l-Abbas al-Baghdadi say: I heard Jafar b. Muhammad say: I heard al-Junayd say: I heard al-Sari [al-Saqati] say: The most scrupulous men of their times were: Hudhayfa b. al-Marashi,65 Yusuf b. Asbat, Ibrahim b. Adham and Sulayman al-Khawwas. They stuck to scrupulousness under any circumstances, and when acquisition of that which is lawful became difficult to them, they took recourse in the absolute minimum. I also heard him [al-Sulami] say: I heard Abu l-Qasim al-Dimashqi say: I heard al-Shibli say: Scrupulousness is to refrain from everything other than God Most High. I also heard him [al-Sulami] say: Abu Jafar al-Razi informed us: al-Abbas b. Hamza told us: Ahmad b. Abi l-Hawari told us: Ishaq b. Khalaf told us: To be scrupulous in speech is harder than being scrupulous in [dealing] with gold and silver. Likewise, to abstain from worldly authority (riasa) is harder than to abstain from gold and silver, since one expends them freely in ones quest for worldly authority.
60 61 62 63 64 65 That is, the hellfire. Q. 21:101. Q. 6:87. An alternative reading has Abu l-Hasan. The first successor of the prophet Muhammad (caliph), who died in 11/634. According to an alternative reading, al-Murtaish.