Sayings of Ibn al-Jawzi

Here we present a collection of profound sayings by Ibn al-Jawzi:

The wise must prepare for their departure, for no one knows when they will be called back by their Lord. I have observed many individuals misled by youthful carelessness, forgetting the reality of losing companions and getting distracted by the allure of prolonged hopes. Some learned individuals say to themselves: “I will study today and implement what I’ve learned tomorrow,” thus making excuses for their slips by seeking comfort, postponing genuine repentance, and neglecting both rumors and involvement in doubtful matters. They forget that death might come unexpectedly. The wise individual is the one who gives each moment its due diligence; if death should surprise them, they will be ready, and if life grants them longevity, they will accumulate more goodness.
Woe to you! There can be no jihad without parallels, which is why killing women and children is forbidden. What worth does this world have that your heart desires to battle it? Don’t you realize that its pleasures are nothing more than putrid carcasses? Would it be fitting for a royal falcon to leave its perch to chase after carrion?
I have seen many who are cautious about the droplets of impurity but disregard backbiting; they are eager to give charity yet are untroubled by usury, and they pray at night while postponing obligatory prayers.
He who reflects upon the consequences of sin will find them to be repugnant.
A certain wealthy person was very grateful, but as time passed, he became arrogant and disobedient. Despite this, his blessings did not change, leading him to say: “O Lord, my obedience has changed, yet Your blessings remain.” A voice then called out: “O you, we had preserved the sanctity of proximity for you, and now you have squandered it.”
Be aware that time does not remain fixed. As God Almighty says: “And those days We alternate among the people.” Therefore, sometimes one faces poverty and at other times wealth; some experience honor while others endure humiliation; sometimes friends rejoice while foes gloat. The wise are those who cling to a single principle in every situation: the fear of God, for the pleasure gained through dishonor without piety will eventually fade and leave them in loss.
When the heart is heedless of the remembrance of death, the enemy sneaks in through the doors of negligence.
Know that the path leading to God is traversed not by the feet but by the hearts.
The truth is unlike falsehood; it is only mingled with it in the eyes of those lacking understanding.
Sin begets the punishment of sin, while virtue after virtue reaps the rewards of goodness.
Indeed, the devil opens for the servant ninety-nine doors to goodness, hoping to lead him through one door of evil.
The hardship of obedience will pass, but its reward remains; the pleasure of sinful acts will fade, but their punishment lingers.
A person must follow the evidence, not merely walk down a path and seek its proof.
Furthermore, knowledge has guided me to recognize the object of worship.
Beware of a word spoken lightly, for it might lead a person to ruin.

Words of Ibn al-Jawzi

We have selected a collection of Ibn al-Jawzi’s most remarkable words:

O you, if you have been granted awareness, preserve it in a secluded space, for the hands of companionship are greedy. Beware of associating with the ignorant, for nature itself is deceitful.
An Arab bought a slave, who was then told that the boy urinates in bed. The Arab replied, “If he finds a bed, then let him urinate in it.”
The wretched is truly the one whose life is wasted on knowledge he does not act upon, thereby missing out on the pleasures of this world and the blessings of the hereafter, only to face the day of judgment empty-handed despite having solid arguments against him.
One must follow the evidence rather than blindly seek validation for a chosen path.
Beware of words lightly spoken, for they can lead to a person’s destruction.
The blubbering of unfulfilled desires is pallor and the drink of aspirations is but a mirage; the pleasures of this world are mere dreams and fantasies, while its wars amount to violence without battle.
One of the predecessors relayed that he encountered the devil, who told him: “I used to meet people, instructing them, but now I meet them merely to learn from them.”
Do not befriend the wicked, for he who betrays the first benefactor will not remain loyal to you.
Only those who have attached their hearts to God and renounced all else can truly enjoy life.
He who reflects on the consequences of this world will take heed; he who is certain of the long journey must prepare for travel.
If one is endowed with a good heart and enjoys the sweetness of supplication, they should guard their state and remain vigilant against change. For a state of virtue endures only through consistent piety.
It has been stated by some wise individuals: The punishment of sin follows sin, and the reward of virtue follows virtue.
Woe to you, fragrance yourself with repentance, for the stench of sin has exposed you.

Phrases by Ibn al-Jawzi

We present a selection of phrases from Ibn al-Jawzi:

Indeed, he has failed who favors fleeting desires over the forbidden, for its consequences lead to bitter suffering.
The truth is distinct from falsehood; falsehood cloaks itself only to those who lack understanding.
O you, if you are granted awareness, shelter it in isolation as the greed of companionship is a thief. Be cautious in associating with the ignorant, whose nature is deceitful.
Sin invites further sin, while virtue begets virtue.
Do not forge friendships with the corrupt, for those who betray their first benefactor will not honor you.
There is no true pleasure in this world; merely respite from pain.
For those who wish to purify their conditions, they must strive to purify their deeds.
The blubbering of unfulfilled desires is pallor, and the drink of aspirations is a mirage; the pleasures of this world are merely transient dreams, punctuated by warfare that results in bloodshed without combat.
Moses, peace be upon him, spent ten years of his noble life in the service of Shu’ayb’s daughter; had marriage not been among the best of acts, such valuable time would not have been granted to it by many prophets.
When you intend to do good, act swiftly lest you be thwarted; but if you intend to do evil, procrastinate your desire, for perhaps you will prevail.
If you find yourself sitting in darkness before the All-Knowing Terrifier, bear the demeanor of a child. For, like a child who, when denied a wish, will weep until it is granted.
How can a person revel in this world when each day demolishes a month, a month dismantles a year, and a year erodes life? How can one find joy when their existence leads inexorably toward death?
Your words are recorded, your claims are noted, and this life of yours—unrepentant and full of sins—is drawing to a close as the sun sets. How heartless is your heart among hearts?
One must recognize the value of their time and the significance of each moment, avoiding distractions and prioritizing the best of actions and words.
The soul is created to love desires; hence, it becomes reliant on struggle and defiance against them. If it does not restrain itself from desires, it will succumb to flawed thoughts, becoming acquainted with baseless ideas and extraordinary wishes.

Poetic Verses by Ibn al-Jawzi

Here is a selection of poetic verses from Ibn al-Jawzi:

They said, ‘The acknowledgment of the servants is that He is their Creator,

And the culmination of faith is to recognize this truth.

People in faith are but a singular identity,

Like the teeth in a comb, lined up in unity.

Ask Abu Jahl and his followers, and those around him,

The foremost of idolaters, abandoned in their worship.

Question the Jews and every arrogant idolater,

The one who worships the Messiah while kissing the crosses.

Ask Thamud and ‘Ad, or inquire before them,

About the enemies of Noah, the tribes of the Great Flood.

Ask even the devil himself: Do you recognize the Creator,

The Almighty, the origin of existence?

And ask the worst of creation, I mean the nation,

Who commit acts unfit for divinity, indulging in heinous acts.

Moreover, ask each misled leader,

Whether it is Pharaoh or Qarun or Haman—

Was there among them any denial of the majestic Creator,

The Lord of all that exists?

They shall be forsaken, even if among them are deniers,

For at the judgment, they shall be complete in their belief.

And thus, God decreed that He was becoming irrelevant,

While the actions remained preventively non-existent.

Then it became impossible to be plotted against Him,

Without His command, standing before His judge.

Indeed, Glory be to Him before creation,

His essence remains unchanging, and thus timeless.

He decreed that hell has not been created, nor have

The gardens of Eden; they remain nonexistent.

But if they are created for the Day of Resurrection,

Then they fade over duration, consistently.

And the myriad devils belched out their mockery,

With the laughter of a fool lingering.

They said: ‘Annihilation arises in movement, but not

In essence—ah, how bewildered is this rambling.

How can the denizens of eternity, in their paradises,

And their hells, be compared to the stones of the structures?

What is the state of the one who neglects his family,

Once the movements of creatures come to an end?

Moreover, what about the one whose hands rose,

From a plate filled with goodness and treachery?

Actions ceased to exist before their arrival,

To the mouth, with the opening of teeth.

So too, what of the one whose hand reached

Towards a bunch of palms without grains?

Actions ceased before taking hold—for eternity,

Do they remain unchanged for certain ages?

Damn those minds, for they have succumbed

To the material dimensions of being.

Damn those who have chosen the latter over the

Fruits of knowledge, stories, and the Qur’an.

Almighty God decreed the annihilation of His creations

And transforms existence into totality once again.

The Throne, the Chair, the souls, and the

Angels, alongside the celestial bodies and the two moons.

The earth, the encompassing sea, and all other

Entities, both substantial and material.

All shall consume the relentless end, with no

Trace left behind, like shadows that vanish.

And He will restore the annihilated again,

Bringing existence out of nothingness to times of being.

This resurrection, and that genesis hold with

Jahm and their claims to the Book.

This is the man who led Ibn Sina and those who

Spoke words that lead to disbelief.

Yet, the intellects did not accept this, nor grasped,

Believing the Messenger aimed at faith.

This is the Book of God, irrespective of the context,

Or whether it pertains to His Messenger with clear proof.

Or his companions after him, or those who follow,

Entrusted to faith and goodness.

In truth, the divine revelation echoed that it was

Indeed binding for faith and charity.

Moreover, his followers after him, or their successors,

Entrusted to faith and virtue.

Indeed, the revelation made it clear that it was

Absolutely transformative in the fabric of existence.

Thus, God will alter the lofty heavens’ spheres

And the earth itself, with her changes.

They are like a transformation of skins for the residents of

Nirvana at the moment of ripening, free from fire.

Just as He grasps His earth and heaven,

Both of which are subject to annihilation by His hands.

And the earth will reveal her tales to the Merciful,

In the Day of Resurrection as they witness.

And she shall continue to bear testimony, aligning with what

Is above her, having raised weights.

Will the annihilation which is rightly named

Be inexistent? This holds no real possibility.

However, it will align, be subjected, and transitional,

Then transformed while possessing the function of being.

It will also extend like our time’s extension,

Absent valleys and fading hills.

On the Day of presentation, it will regurgitate its core,

Like a monstrous snake spewing precious losses.

Each shall witness it with their eyes and understand,

What none can grasp with their own hands.

Furthermore, the mountains will crumble into fine dust,

Returning like grains of sand in their heaps.

And it will be like colorful wool, fashioned

With pigments of every hue and shade.