Ibn Al Qayyim Quotes & Sayings

The heart is like a bird: love as its head and its two wings are hope and fear. — Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawzziya

Losing time is harder than death, as losing time keeps you away from Allah and the Hereafter, while death keeps you away from the worldly life and people. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Love of Allah is the power of the heart, the sustenance of the heart, the light of the heart. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

From the perfection of Allah's ihsan is that He allows His slave to taste the bitterness of the break before the sweetness of the mend. So He does not break his believing slave, except to mend him. And He does not withhold from him, except to give him. And He does not test him (with hardship), except to cure him. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

A tear that runs down a believer's cheek is more beneficial than a thousand raindrops on the earth — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Speech remains as a slave to you, but the moment it leaves your mouth, you become its slave. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Yearning for Allah and His meeting is like the gentle breeze blowing upon the heart, extinguishing the blaze of the Dunya. Whosoever caused his heart to settle with his Lord shall be in a state, calm and tranquility, and whosoever sent it amongst the people shall be disturbed and excessively perturbed. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

If a man's patience is stronger than his whims and desires, then he is like an angel, but if his whims and desires are stronger than his patience, then he is like a devil. If his desire for food, drink and sex is stronger than his patience, then he is no better than an animal. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Doom comes about because of neglecting to evaluate one's self and because of just following one's whims. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

A person's tongue can give you the taste of his heart. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

And if a person were given all of the world and what is in it, it would not fill his emptiness. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

We should know that Allah has created us to live an eternal life with no death, a life of pride and ease with no humiliation, a life of security with no fear, a life of richness with no poverty, a life of joy with no pain, a life of perfection with no flaws. Allah is testing us in this world with a life that will end in death, a life of pride that is accompanied by humiliation and degradation, a life that is tainted by fear, where joy and ease are mixed with sorrow and pain. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

The sinner does not feel any remorse over his sins, that is because his heart is already dead — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Sins have many side-effects. One of them is that they steal knowledge from you. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Patience is that the heart does not feel anger towards that which is destined and that the mouth does not complain. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Beware of every hour and how it passes, and only spend it in the best possible way, do not neglect yourself, but render it accustomed to the noblest and best of actions, and send to your grave that which will please you when you arrive to it. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Imaan is of two halves; half is patience (Sabr) and half is being thankful (Shukr). — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

The ibtilaa' (testing) of the believer is like medicine for him. It cures him from illness. Had the illness remained it would destroy him or diminish his reward and level (in the hereafter). The tests and the trials extract these illnesses from him and prepare him for the perfect reward and the highest of degrees (in the life to come). — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

The perfection of Tawheed is found when there remains nothing in the heart except Allaah — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

As long as you are performing prayer, you are knocking at the door of Allah, and whoever is knocking at the door of Allah, Allah will open it for him. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

The heart will rest and feel relief if it is settled with Allah. And it will worry and feel anxious if it is settled with the people. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Beware of preoccupying your heart with what it has not been created for. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Satan rejoiced when Adam (peace be upon him) came out of Paradise, but he did not know that when a diver sinks into the sea, he collects pearls and then rises again. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

When Allah tests you it is never to destroy you. When He removes something in your possession it is only in order to empty your hands for an even greater gift. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

If you knew the true value of yourself, you will never allow yourself to be humiliated by committing sins. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

How strange! You lose a little from you and you cry. And your whole life is wasting and you're laughing — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Allah will never humiliate the one who takes his Lord as friend and patron. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

If the heart becomes hardened, the eye becomes dry. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Repel the thought, for if you don't, it becomes an idea. So repel the idea, for if you don't it will become a desire. So fight against that(desire), for if you don't, it will become a determination and a passion. And if you don't repel that, it will become an action. And if you don't replace it with its opposite, it will become a constant habit. So at that point, it will be difficult for you to change it. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

There is no joy for the one who does not bear sadness, there is no sweetness for the one who does not have patience, there is no delight for the one who does not suffer, and there is no relaxation for the one who does not endure fatigue. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

O you who sold yourself for the sake of something that will cause you suffering and pain, and which will also lose its beauty, you sold the most precious item for the cheapest price, as if you neither knew the value of the goods nor the meanness of the prize. Wait until you come on the Day of Mutual Loss and Gain and you will discover the injustice of this contract. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

As you can taste a pot full of food with a spoon likewise someone's tounge can tell you about his heart. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Every drop of sweat and every breath we take in life, if not taken for the sake of Allah, will lead to regret and sorrow on the Day of Judgment — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Happiness is attained by three things: being patient when tested, being thankful when receiving a blessing, and being repentant upon sinning. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

There are six stages to knowledge: Firstly: Asking questions in a good manner. Secondly: Remaining quiet and listening attentively. Thirdly: Understanding well. Fourthly: Memorising. Fifthly: Teaching. Sixthly- and it is its fruit: Acting upon the knowledge and keeping to its limits. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

If a heart becomes attached to anything other than Allah, Allah makes him dependent on what he is attached to. And he will be betrayed by it. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Everything that is loved, if it is not loved for His sake then this love is nothing but distress and punishment. Every action that is not performed for His sake then it is wasted and severed. Every heart that does not reach Him is wretched; veiled from achieving its success and happiness. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

There is no captive in a worse state than the one who is captivated by his worst enemy (Shaytan) and there is no prison which is tighter than the prison of hawa (desire) and there is no bond/fetter more strong than the bond of desire. How, then, will a heart which is captivated, imprisoned and fettered travel unto Allah and the Home of the Hereafter? — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

If you wish to check how much you love Allah, then see how much your heart loves the Quran, and you will know the answer. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Had Allah lifted the veil for his slave and shown him how He handles his affairs for him, and how Allah is more keen for the benefit of the slave than his own self, his heart would have melted out of the love for Allah and would have been torn to pieces out of thankfulness to Allah. Therefore if the pains of this world tire you, do not grieve. For it may be that Allah wishes to hear your voice by way of Dua'a. So pour out your desires in prostration and forget about it and know; that verily Allah does not forget it. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

How is it possible for one's heart to be certain that one is going to meet Allah, that Allah sees and hears all that he does, and knows his secret open affairs, and that he will be made to stand before Allah, answerable for all his deeds - how can one be certain and aware of all of this, and yet persist upon things which displease Allah; persist upon abandoning Allah's orders, neglecting His rights, and yet claim that he has good expectation of Allah? — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Whoever prefers Allah to all others, Allah will prefer him to others. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

The hijrah to Allah includes abandoning what He hates and doing what He loves and accepts. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Be sincere in your aim and you will find the support of Allaah surrounding you. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Every gulp of air that goes out in a cause other than the cause of Allah will turn to sorrow and regret on the Day of Judgement. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

The soul will never become pious and purified except through undergoing afflictions. It is the same as gold that can never be pure except after removing all the base metals in it. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Wasting time is worse than death, because death separates you from this world whereas wasting time separates you from Allah — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Whoever desires to purify his heart, then let him prefer Allah to his desires — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

And to have spent the night sleeping and awoken regretful, is better than to have spent the night standing (in prayer) and awaken impressed with oneself! — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Truly in the heart there is a void that can not be removed except with the company of Allah. And in it there is a sadness that can not be removed except with the happiness of knowing Allah and being true to Him. And in it there is an emptiness that can not be filled except with love for Him and by turning to Him and always remembering Him. And if a person were given all of the world and what is in it, it would not fill this emptiness. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

He who keeps his heart near God will find peace and tranquility, whilst he who gives his heart to the people will find restlessness and apprehension. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Every love that leads away from His love is in fact a punishment; only a love that leads to His love is a heartfelt and pure love. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Women are one half of society which gives birth to the other half so it is as if they are the entire society. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

A real man is one who fears the death of his heart, not of his body. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

There is no joy for someone who has no sorrow.
There is no pleasure for the one who has no patience
No bliss for someone with no misery
and no rest for the one with no fatigue.
When someone is a little tired,
he has long rest.
When he endures the difficulty of steadfastness for a time,
that leads him to eternal life.
All that the people of eternal bliss
are in is steadfastness for a time. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

O you, who spends his lifetime disobeying his Lord, no one amongst your enemies is wicked to you more than you are to yourself — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

When there is money in your hand and not in your heart, it will not harm you even if it is a lot; and when it is in your heart, it will harm you even if there is none in your hands. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Whoever mocks his brother for a sin they repented from will not die till he himself falls into the same sin. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

This wordly life is like a shadow. If you try to catch it, you will never be able to do so. If you turn your back towards it, it has no choice but to follow you. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

A true believer does not fear physical death, rather he fears the death of his heart — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

One of the most beneficial of remedies is persisting in du'a. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Be to Allah as He wishes, and He will be to you more than you can wish for. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Ibn Taymiyyah lived poorly. He was imprisoned and threatened. But I have never seen anyone as happy as him. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, a thirteenth century scholar, said that it is possible for anyone to have sincerity in what one does and in what one believes, irrespective of creed. — Hamza Yusuf

The sea of pleasures may drown its owner and the swimmer fears to open his eyes under the water. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

The heart, in its journey to Allah, Majestic is He, is like that of a bird; Love is its head, and fear and hope are its two wings. When the head and two wings are sound, the bird flies gracefully; if the head is severed, the bird dies; if the bird loses one of its wings, it then becomes a target for every hunter or predator. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

The heart becomes sick, as the body becomes sick, and its remedy is al-Tawbah (repentance) and protection [from transgression]. It becomes rusty as a mirror becomes rusty, and its clarity is obtained by remembrance. It becomes naked as the body becomes naked, and its beautification is al-Taqwa. It becomes hungry and thirsty as the body becomes hungry, and its food and drink are knowledge, love, dependence, repentance and servitude. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

As long as one is following the right way, one should never be concerned about the reproaches of those who like to find faults. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

And verily for everything that a slave loses there is a substitute, but the one who loses Allah will never find anything to replace Him. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

If the heart is fed by love, the greed for pleasure would disappear. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

A slave stands infront of Allah on two occasions. The first during salah, and secondly on the Day of Judgment. Whoseover stands correctly in the first, the second standing will be made easier for him. And whosoever, disregards the first standing, the second standing will be extremely difficult. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

There are no means of attaining faith and certainty except through the Qur'an. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

The keys to the life of the heart lie in reflecting upon the Quran, being humble before Allah in secret, and leaving sins. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

When a person spends his entire day with no concern but Allah alone, Allah will take care of all his needs and take care of all that is worrying him; He will empty his heart so that it will be filled only with love for Him. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

O people who take pleasure in a life that will vanish, falling in love with a fading shadow is sheer stupidity — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Sitting with the poor and less fortunate people removes the ego and pride from your heart. — Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya