(1) Abu Nu‘aym, Al-Hilya, vol. 4, p. 43. (2) Wahb was asked about two men who pray: one prolongs the qunūt (supplicatory standing) and silence, the other prolongs prostration. Which of them is better? He replied, “The one who is most sincere toward God.” (ibid.) (3) He said, “Among the attributes of a hypocrite is his love for praise and his aversion to reproach—that is, he loves to be praised for what he has not done and hates to be blamed for what he has.” (4) Quoting Luqman advising his son: “My son, exercise reason concerning God, for the most reasonable of people is he who reasons about God. Indeed, Satan flees from the reasonable person as much as he can to plot against him.” (Abu Nu‘aym, Al-Hilya, vol. 4, p. 35) (5) He said to a companion, “Shall I teach you a medicine that physicians never tire of, a fiqh that legal scholars never exhaust, and forbearance that the wise never outgrow?” The man answered, “Yes, O Abū ‘Abdallah.” He said, “As for the medicine: do not eat anything without saying bismillah (in the name of God) at its beginning and praising Him at its end. As for fiqh: if you are asked about something of which you have knowledge, speak what you know; otherwise say, ‘I do not know.’ And as for forbearance: remain silent most of the time unless you are questioned.” (Abu Nu‘aym, Al-Hilya, vol. 4, p. 35) (6) He said, “If a boy possesses two qualities—haya’ (modesty) and rahba (reverential fear)—there is hope for his maturity.” (Abu Nu‘aym, Al-Hilya, vol. 4, p. 36) (7) He said, “When Dhū’l-Qarnayn reached the place of sunrise, a king there asked him, ‘Describe to me mankind.’ He replied: ‘Conversing with someone who lacks reason is like singing to the dead; speaking to one who does not grasp is like pouring water over solid rock to soften it or heating iron to make it red; engaging with one who does not listen is like setting a banquet for the dwellers of graves. It is easier even to move stones from mountain peaks than to converse with someone who lacks reason.’ ” (Abu Nu‘aym, Al-Hilya, vol. 4, p. 36) (8) He said, “I read in some books that every morning a crier calls from the fourth heaven: ‘O people of forty, your sowing is ripe for harvest; O people of fifty, what have you presented? O people of sixty, you have no excuse. Would that mankind had not been created, or, if they had been created, that they had known why! Has the Hour come? Therefore, take heed.’ ” (Abu Nu‘aym, Al-Hilya, vol. 4, p. 33; Ibn al-Jawzī, Sifat al-Safwa, vol. 2, p. 293) (9) He said, “Daniel lamented, ‘Alas for a time when the righteous are sought and none can be found; they are like a single ear of grain in the path of the reaper or like a lone strand of hair in the wake of the gleaner. Even the lamenters and mourners for such a generation are soon overwhelmed by grief.’ ” (Abu Nu‘aym, Al-Hilya, vol. 4, p. 33) (10) ‘Abd al-Razzaq narrated from ‘Abd al-Samad ibn Ma‘qil that he heard Wahb comment on the verse “And We set up the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection” (Qur’an 21:47): “Only the endings of actions are weighed. If God wills good for a servant, He seals his deed with a good ending; if He wills evil, He seals it with an evil ending.” (Abu Nu‘aym, Al-Hilya, vol. 4, p. 33) (11) Wahb said, “When God finished creation and saw His creatures walking on the earth, He declared, ‘I am God; there is no deity but Me. I have created you and will annihilate you by My judgment—My decree is just and My command prevails. I will recreate you as I first created you and then annihilate you, so that only I remain—sovereignty and eternity belong to Me alone. I will call My creation and gather them on the Day I assemble My enemies; hearts will tremble at My Majesty, and the false deities will disown those who worshipped them instead of Me.’ ” (Abu Nu‘aym, Al-Hilya, vol. 4, p. 34) (12) He also related that when God completed His creation on Friday and Saturday dawned, He praised Himself in terms befitting His attributes and proclaimed His greatness.