Imam Zayn al 'Abideen & Hisham ibn 'Abd al Malik.

Al Salamu 'Alaykum.

The person most respected and loved during the Ummayyad period was 'Ali ibn Husayn (Zayn al 'Abideen). In the simple, pure and saintly life led by him, he had no peer. Once Hisham ibn 'Abd al Malik came to the Ka'ba for Tawaaf but owing to the huge gathering he could not reach the Hajr-e-Aswad. Therefore, he sat down to wait till he could get a chance to kiss it. In the meantime 'Ali ibn Husayn arrived and the people at once cleared the way for him to make the Tawaaf and kiss the Black Stone. Everyone present in the Ka'ba received him with the utmost deference. At last Hisham, pretending as if he did not know 'Ali ibn Husayn asked who he was. The poet, Farazdaq who happened to be present immediately composed an introductory ode for Hadrat Zayn al 'Abideen. It has been reported that certain additions were made to this famous ode later on but it is still regarded as a masterpiece of Arabic poetry. It opened with the following verse:

The pebbles and paths of Makka affirm his virtues;

The House of Allah knows him as well as the surroundings do.

Other highly reputed scholars of outstanding piety during this period were Hasan al Muthanna, his son, 'Abdullah al Mahad, Saalim ibn 'Abdullah ibn `Umar, Qaasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr, Sa'eed ibn al Musayyib and 'Urwa ibn Zubair.
Taken from Saviours of Islamic Spirit by 'Ali Miyan Nadwi, Chapter on 'Umar ibn 'Abd al 'Aziz. (with some linguistic corrections)

Hasan al Basri On Hypocrites.

Al Salamu 'Alaykum.

Someone asked Hasan al Basri if hypocrites were still to be found amongst the Muslims of those days. His reply was: "If hypocrites desert the streets of Basra, you will find it hard to live in the city."
On another occasion he remarked, "Subhanallah! What hypocrites and self-seekers have gained an upper hand in this Ummah."
Faryaabi, pg 68.

Hadrat Rabi' ibn 'Amir & The Persians.

 

Salamun 'Alaykum.

Hadrat Rabi' bin `Amir entered upon Rustam, the leader of Persia, who had 280,000 soldiers under him. 

Rustum addressed him with arrogance of one who has power,

 "What brings you here?

Rabi' was wearing a torn robe and had with him a spear and an old horse.
Rustam told him laughingly, while his ministers and companions were sitting with him:

"You came to conquer the world with this spear, an old horse and a torn robe?"

So Rabi` ibn `Amir responded to him, confident in Allah's help:

"Allah has sent us to take (his) slaves from the servitude of (other) slaves to the servitude of the Lord of slaves, and from the narrowness of this world to the vastness of the hereafter, and from the tyranny of religions to the justice of Islam."

So the wretched one responded to him after the reply of Rabi` bin `Amir baffled him:

"Do not exit my palace or hall until you carry soil on your head". So Rabi` bin `Amir carried soil and said to his companions, "This is a glad tiding that Allah will let us own their land."
Later, Sayyiduna Sa`d bin Abi Waqqas entered this land victoriously and entered the hall of misguidance and smashed the den of the Persian idolatry, and said, what was related in the Qur'an, "How much they left behind of gardens and springs and crops and noble sites and comfort wherein they were amused. And we caused it to be inherited by another people." [Ad-Dukhaan, 44:25-28].
"These are two adversaries who have disputed over their Lord." [Hajj, 22:19]

Such an end befell those who did not know Allah, who did not obey his orders, nor shunned what He forbade.

‘Alaykum Salam.

Despair not, O Heart of mine.

 

Maayoos mat ho aye dil, dast-e-dua' utha kar,

Pherega na woh khali, dar se tujhe utha kar.

Tham ja, zara theher ja, abr-e-karam hai chhaya,

aayega tham thama kar, barsega jam jamakar.

'Alaykum Salam.

Shaykh 'Abdul Qadir Gilani.

Al Salamu 'Alaykum.

A contemporary of Shaykh 'Abdul Qadir reports: "His prayers were readily answered. Being extremely tender-hearted, he would burst into tears (if anything sorrowful or touching was mentioned to him). More often he was to be found immersed in meditation and recollection of Allah. He was softhearted, courteous, cheerful, generous and compassionate. Being the offspring of a noble family, he was also highly reputed for his profound knowledge and piety." (Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad ibn Yusuf al Barzali in Tabaqat al Kubra)
The testimony of another scholar of those times runs as follows: "Always disposed to avoid things unseemly and indecorous, he only pressed for the desirable and befitting. He would boil with indignation if the Divine commandments were overstepped but remained listless to the wrongs and ill-treatments to his own person. He would never seek revenge save for the sake of Allah nor send back a beggar without giving him something. If he had nothing to give, he would part with the clothes he had been putting on."
(Muhyiuddin Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad ibn Haamid al Baghdadi in Qalaa'id al Jawaahir)
Taken from Shaykh Sayyid Abu`l Hasan 'Ali Nadwi's "Saviours of Islamic Spirit - vol 1" with minor modifications.
'Alaykum Salam.

Al-Rahm & Al-Rahman.

Al Salamu 'Alaykum.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayra رضي الله عنه reported: The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “(The word) Ar-Rahm* (womb) is derived from Ar-Rahman (the Most Merciful), and Allah said: ‘I will keep good relations with one who keeps good relations with you (i.e. family), and I will sever relations with one who severs relations with you.’”

[Hadith Qudsi from Sahih al Bukhari]

* which is why blood relations are known as "rahmi rishtey" in Urdu.

'Alaykum Salam.

Beware Of Giving Fatwas.

Al Salamu 'Alaykum.

Imam Malik ibn Anas (rah) said:

“The people of knowledge and understanding that I have met in our country, when one of them was asked a question on an issue, he would feel like one about to die. But the people of our own time love giving fatwa (without hesitation). Had they known what they are going to face tomorrow (in the Day of Judgement) they would not have done that. Umar, `Ali and ‘Alqama are some of the best Companions of the Prophet , yet when anyone of them was asked a question, he would consult his fellow companions before giving an answer. But it is unfortunate that fatwa has become the pride for the people of our time”.

The Best Of People.

Narrated Ibn 'Umar: We used to compare the people as to who was better during the lifetime of Allah's Apostle . We used to regard Abu Bakr as the best, then 'Umar, and then 'Uthman.

Sahih al Bukhari.