Stand firm against evil thoughts!

"Stand firm against evil thoughts... for if you fail to do so, they will become ideas, if you do not, they will become desires, so fight against them. If you do not, they will become a form of determination and intention. If you do not resist, they will become actions, and if you do not follow them up with their opposite, they will become habits that will be hard to quit."

(Imaam Ibnul-Qayyim – Al-Fawa’id: A collection of wise sayings pg.54)

The complaint of the ignorant person

[From ‘al-Fawaa·id’ (p.114) of Imaam Ibnul-Qayyim رحمه الله]

“The ignorant person complains about Allaah to the people, and this is the limit of  ignorance of the One complained about and the one complained to; for if he had known his Lord he would not have complained concerning Him, and if knew the people he would not  complain to them.

One of the Salaf saw a man complaining to another man about his poverty and need, so he said: ‘O person! By Allaah! You have not done anything more than complain about One Who is Merciful to you, to one who is not merciful to you.’