“Know that the greatest of losses is for you to be preoccupied with one who will bring you nothing but a loss in your time with Allah – the Mighty and Majestic – and being cut off from Him; wasting your time with the person, a weakening of your energy, and the dispersing of your resolve. So, if you are tested with this – and you must be tested with this – deal with him according to how Allah would wish, and be patient with him as much as possible. Get closer to Allah and His Pleasure by way of this person, and make your getting together with him something to benefit from, not something to incur a loss from. Be with him as if you are a man who is on a road who was stopped by another man, who then asks you to take him on your journey. Make sure that you are the one who gives him a ride, and that he is not the one giving you the ride. If he refuses, and there is nothing to gain from travelling with him, do not stop for him, bid him farewell, and do not even turn back to look at him, as he is a highway robber, regardless of who he really is. So, save your heart, be wary of how you spend your days and nights, and do not let the Sun set before you arrive at your destination.”

Ibn al-Qayyim; ‘al-Wabil as-Sayyib‘

The life of this world has announced its departure and is quickly turning away, and nothing remains of it save the likes of the last drop of water in a vessel as its possessor tries to catch it. You are moving on to an abode that has no end, so move on with the best [deeds] that you have. For it has been said to us that a rock can be dropped from the edge of Hell and fall for seventy years without reaching the bottom. Yet, by Allâh, it will be filled. Do you not then wonder? And it has been said to us that a single entrance to Paradise is as wide as a journey of forty years, yet there will come a day when it will be crowded.

I have seen myself as the seventh of seven [followers of] Allâh’s Messenger – Allâh’s peace and blessings be upon him; we had no food save the leaves of trees which put sores round our mouths. I once got a cloak which I tore in half to share with Sa’d b. Mâlik: I used half as my waist-wrap and he used the other. And yet today, there is not one of us except he has become a governor over some city – and I seek refuge with Allâh that I consider myself great and important when I am small in front of Allâh. Verily there was never prophet-hood except that it gradually changed until it ended up being a kingship, and verily you will see what the governors after us are like.

Sahîh Muslim no. 7624

Yahyâ b. Yahyâ Al-NaysâbûrÎ reports:

I was once with Sufyân b. ‘Uyainah – Allah have mercy on him, when a man came to him and said, “O Abû Muhammad, I complain to you of so-and-so”, meaning his wife, “I am the lowest and most despicable thing to her.” [Sufyân] lowered his head for a few moments, then said, “Perhaps you wanted her in order to better your status.” The man said, “Indeed, o Abû Muhammad.” Sufyân said, “Whoever goes for glory will be tried with ignominy, whoever goes for wealth will be tried with poverty, but whoever goes for religiousness, Allah will bring together for him glory and wealth with the religion.” He then started to narrate to him:

We were four brothers: Muhammad, ‘Umrân, IbrâhÎm and I. Muhammad was the eldest, ‘Umrân was the youngest, and I was in the middle. When Muhammad wanted to marry, he desired status and married a woman of higher standing, so Allah tried him with ignominy. ‘Umrân desired wealth, so he married a richer woman and Allah tried him with poverty: [her family] took everything from him and gave him nothing.

I pondered their situation. Mu’ammar b. Râshid once came to us so I consulted him on the situation and told him the story of my brothers. He reminded me of the hadÎth of Yahyâ b. Ja’dah and the hadÎth of ‘Â`ishah. The hadÎth of Yahyâ b. Ja’dah states that the Prophet – Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – said, “A woman is married for four things: her religion, her status (lineage), her wealth or her beauty; so take the religious one and be successful.” The hadÎth of ‘Â`ishah states that the Prophet – Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – said, “The most blessed woman is she who is easiest to maintain.”

Thus, I chose [to marry a woman of] religion and modest dowry, in accordance with the Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger – Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, and Allah gave me status and wealth along with the religion.

Abû Nu’aym, Hilyatu Al-Awliyâ` 7:289, 290.

Note
The first hadÎth is recorded by Al-BukhârÎ and Muslim. The second is found in Al-Nasâ`Î and other collections but has been graded weak by scholars including Shaykh Al-AlbânÎ. However, scholars point out there is another narration that supports and adds to its meaning. This hadÎth states:
It is from the blessing in a woman that she has an easy dowry, an easy proposal [via her guardian] and an easy womb (i.e. she is fertile and bares children without difficulty). One of the reporters of this narration, ‘Urwah, said “And I say from myself, one of the first signs of evil from a woman is for her to have a high dowry.”
This hadÎth is recorded by Imâm Ahmad and others and is graded hasan by Shaykh Al-AlbânÎ.

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Verily Man is in a State of Loss
Author: Shaikh Abdur Rahman As-Sa’dee
(may Allah have mercy upon him)
Source: Tafseer As Sa’dee
Translator: Abu Yahya Eesa Starling
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Allâh The Most High says in Surah Al-`Asr which was revealed in
Makkah,
“By Al-’Asr (the time). Verily! Man is in loss, Except those
who believe (in Islâmic Monotheism) and do righteous
good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth (i.e.
order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (Al-
Ma’rûf) which Allâh has ordained, and abstain from all
kinds of sins and evil deeds (Al-Munkar) which Allâh has
forbidden), and recommend one another to patience (for the
sufferings, harms, and injuries which one may encounter in
Allâh’s Cause during preaching His religion of Islâmic
Monotheism or Jihâd, etc.).” [Suratul Asr: 1-3]

The Most High has sworn by Al-`Asr (time), which is the night
and the day, the place of the servants actions and deeds, that
every person is a loser (or is in loss), and the state of loss is the
Verily Man is in a State of Loss
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opposite of gaining. The loss is of various differing degrees. It
could be absolute (unrestricted) loss, like the one who loses this
life and the next, losing the bliss of paradise and deserving the
hell fire. It could also be loss from one direction without the
others (restricted), and because of this Allâh has generalized this
state of loss for every individual person except the one who is
characterized with four attributes.

1) Imaan (Faith) in what Allâh has ordered to have Imaan in and
Imaan does not exist without knowledge, consequently it
(knowledge) is a branch from it (Imaan) which is not completed
except with it (knowledge).

2) Righteous actions: this is inclusive of all good deeds; the
apparent, the hidden, those connected to the right of Allâh and
the right of the servants, the obligatory (wâjib) and the
commendable (mustahab).

3) Recommending or advising with the truth, which is Imaan
(faith) and righteous actions: meaning advising one another with
that, inciting towards and arousing interest in it.

4) Recommending or advising with patience with the obedience
of Allâh and with (abstaining from) disobedience of Him, and
with His painful decrees.

With the first two affairs the person completes his/herself; and
with the last two affairs he/she completes others. And with the
completion of all four affairs the individual person has escaped
loss and achieved a great gain.

Imam al-Qurtubi narrates the following incident in his tafsir:

It is related that the Sahabah, may Allah be pleased with them all, were once reminding each other of the Qur’an.

Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, radiyallahu ‘anhu, said, “I recited the Qur’an from its beginning to its end and I did not see any ayah more beautiful and full of hope than His Saying, exalted be He:

Say, ‘Each acts according to his disposition.’

(al-Isra’: 84)

For indeed, the slave is disposed towards nothing but disobedience ['isyaan]; and the Lord is disposed towards nothing but forgiveness [ghufraan].

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‘Umar, radiyallahu ‘anhu, said, “I recited the Qur’an from its beginning to its end and I did not see any ayah more beautiful and full of hope than His Saying, exalted be He:

“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. Haa Meem. The revelation of the Book is from Allah, the Almighty, the All-Knowing. The Forgiver of sins, the Acceptor of repentance, the Severe in retribution, the Possessor of abundance.”

(al-Mu’min: 1 – 3)

He mentioned the forgiving of sins before the acceptance of repentance; in this there is a sign [ishaarah] for the believers.

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‘Uthman bin ‘Affan, radiyallahu ‘anhu, said, “I recited the Qur’an from its beginning to its end and I did not see any ayah more beautiful and full of hope than His Saying, exalted be He:

“Inform my slaves that I, I am the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.”

(al-Hijr: 49)

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‘Ali ibn Abu Talib, radiyallahu ‘anhu, said, “I recited the Qur’an from its beginning to its end and I did not see any ayah more beautiful and full of hope than His Saying, exalted be He:

“Say, ‘O My slaves who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the Mercy of Allah; indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.’”
(al-Zumar: 53)

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I (al-Qurtubi) say: “I recited the Qur’an from its beginning to its end and I did not see any ayah more beautiful and full of hope than His Saying, exalted be He:

“Those who believe and do not mix their faith with wrongdoing, they are the ones who are safe and it is they are guided.”

(al-An’am: 82)

(al-Jami’ li Ahkam al-Qur’an)

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I say: “I recited the Qur’an from its beginning to its end and I did not see any ayah more beautiful and full of hope than His Saying, exalted be He:

“Your Lord says, ‘Call on me; I will respond to you.’”

(al-Mu’min: 60)

And ‘Abdullaah Ibn Mas’ood radiAllaahu ‘anhu said:“Do not babble like the babbling of poetry when reciting the Qur’aan and do not let the words tumble out the way dry dates fall from the bunch when it is shaken; and stop at its miracles and move the hearts thereby and do not let the object of anyone of you be the end of the surah.” And he said: “If you heard Allah’s Words “Oh you who believe!” , then listen to it, for it is some act of goodness which you are being commanded to do or some evil deed from which you are being turned away.” ‘Abdur-Rahman Ibn Abi Laila said: “A woman came to me while I was reciting Surah Hud and she said to me: “Oh ‘Abdur-Rahman! Is this the way you recite Surah Hud? By Allaah, I have been reciting it for six months and I have not yet completed the recitation of it.

‘Transcribed from: Provisions for the Hereafter (Abridged) | Mukhtasar Zad Al-Ma’ad | By: Imam Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah | Summarized by: Imam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab At-Tamimi