A series of beneficial points from various classes each written in two hundred words or less.

Two Hundred Word Tidbits: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V

The Benefits of Hearing Stories of the Scholars and the Righteous:

1. To be inspired by others who have struggled to get close to Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He). Imam Abu Hanifa radi allahu `anhu (may God be pleased with him) said, “The stories of the scholars are more beloved to me than much of jurisprudential knowledge (fiqh).”
2. To bring freshness to one’s heart and increase one in faith. Imam Junayd said, “Such a story is like a warrior from the warriors of God; through it, God makes firm and steadfast the hearts of the righteous.”
3. To help one get in touch with the history and scholarly tradition (hadara) of Islam.
4. To show adab (proper etiquette) to the great people who came before us whose knowledge, sacrifices, and efforts we benefit from, by mentioning them and praying for them.  Imam ibn Muhammad at-Taymiy said, “It is detestable that you benefit from us but do not ask for mercy on us—in so doing you are stingy.”
5. To increase in love for the righteous and to be with them in Paradise. A hadith (prophetic narration) teaches that in the hereafter you will be with whom you love, but how can you love whom you don’t know?  Hearing about righteous people helps us to get to know them, increase in love for them, and is, God willing, a means for us to be with them in Paradise.

From a class on Risalat al-Mustarshideen by Imam Suhaib Webb