Shaykhul Islaam Ahmad ibn Taymeeyah 728AH said: الذكر للقلب مثل الماء للسمك, فكيف يكون حال السمك اذا فارق الماء “Remembrance of Allah as it relates to the heart is equivalent to water for fish. Therefore how is the fish’s conditoon when it is separated from water?” Source: Al-Waabilus Sayyib- Ibn Qayyim p.85
Fudayl ibn ‘Iyaad 187 AH (May Allah have mercy on him) said, انما أنزل القران ليعمل به فاتخذ الناس قراءته عملا “The Quran was only sent in order to be acted upon, but the people took its recitation as action.”* *Meaning, they did not ponder over the verses nor did they act upon what was recited.
Abu ʿAbdillah Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi’ee 204 AH (May Allah have mercy on him) said, ما جادلت عالما الا غلبته ، وما جادلت جاهلا الا غلبني “I have never debated with a knowledgeable person, except that I won the debate, and I have never debated with an ignorant person, except that I lost.”
Al-Khaleel bin Ahmad (May Allah have mercy on him) said, “ما سمعت شيئًا إلا كتبته ، ولا كتبت شيئا إلا حفظته ، ولا حفظت شيئا إلا انتفعت به” “I did not hear anything except that I wrote it down, and I did not write anything down except that I memorized it, and there was not…
Trying to Follow the Salaf 