ISLAM

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He is the One GOD; the Creator, the Initiator, the Designer. To Him belong the most beautiful names. Glorifying Him is everything in the heavens and the earth. He is the Almighty, Most Wise. [59:24]Those who believed and led a righteous life are the best creatures. [98:7]Their reward at their Lord is the gardens of Eden with flowing streams, wherein they abide forever. GOD is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him. Such is the reward for those who reverence their Lord. [98:8] O children of Adam, we have provided you with garments to cover your bodies, as well as for luxury. But the best garment is the garment of righteousness. These are some of GOD's signs, that they may take heed. [7:26]Your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him, and be kind to parents. If either or both of them reach old age with you, do not rebuke them, but speak to them in terms of honor and kindness. Treat them with humility, and say, 'My Lord! Have mercy on them, for they did care for me when I was little'. [17:23-4]. Fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but do not transgress limits. God does not love transgressors. [2:190].If they seek peace, then seek you peace. And trust in God for He is the One that heareth and knoweth all things. [8:61]O mankind! We created you from a single soul, male and female, and made you into nations and ribes, so that you may come to know one another. Truly, the most honored of you in Gods sight is the greatest of you in piety. God is All-Knowing, All-Aware. [49:13] "There shall be no compulsion in religion: the right way is now distinct from the wrong way. Anyone who denounces the devil and believes in GOD has grasped the strongest bond; one that never breaks. GOD is Hearer, Omniscient.". [2:256] Hold to forgiveness, command what is right; but turn away from the ignorant." [7:199]"Have patience with what they say, and leaves them with noble (dignity)." [73:10]"And the servants of Allah . . . are those who walked on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say 'Peace'" [25:63]"Allah is with those who restrain themselves." [16: 128]"And if you punished, let your punishment be proportionate to the wrong that has been done to you; but if you show patience, that is indeed the best course. [16:126]"The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto: but if a person forgets and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah." [62:40]Whoever kills another one without justifiable cause, surely he is killing all of humanity. And whoever saves the life of another one, surely he saves the lives of all of humanity. [Sura Al Ma'aidah: Ayah 32]Balaghal ula be kamaalihi. Kashafad duja be jamaalihi. Hasanat jami'u khisaalihi. Sallu 'alayhi wa aalihi.He taught people with his best way. He showed his beauty. He was all good so peace be on him and his family. - Saadi al-Shiraz commenting on the ways of the Blessed Prophet Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) When the world pushes you to your knees, your are in the perfect position to pray.If Allah brings you to it, He will bring you through it. Twakkul: Make Du'a, Do your best, And leave the Rest To Allah. Be yourself beautiful, and you will find the world full of beauty. Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (rahimullah) was asked about the correct meaning of this hadith:'When you hear something form or about your brother, ascribe to it the best interpretation until you can no longer do so.'He replied, Find an excuse for him by saying, "Maybe he said this, or maybe he meant such and such." If the first inward thought is not warded off, it will generate a desire, then the desire will generate a wish, and the wish will generate an intention, and the intention will generate the action, and the action will result in ruin and divine wrath. So evil must be cut off at its root, which is when it is simply a thought that crosses the mind, from which all the other things follow on. - Imam abu Hamid al-Ghazzali[Ihyaa Uloom al-Deen, 6/17]The World is three days: As for yesterday, it has vanished, along with all that was in it. As for tomorrow, you may never see it. As for today, it is yours, so work in it. - Hassan al-BasriWhoever follows patience, success will follow him.As there is no darkness in the moonlight. So is Mustafa (Muhammad), the well wisher, bright. - Abu Bakr as-Sideeq (radiAllahu anhu) Suffering is a gift. In it is hidden mercy. - Jalaluddin al-Rumi A friend cannot be considered a friend until he is tested in three occasions: in time of need, behind your back, and after your death. - Ali ibn abi Talib (radiAllah anhu)Stingyness has nothing to do with how much money you have. Neither does generosity. Its about how much heart you've got. Better to avoid the poison altogether than to try to heal from the damage it causes.When someone criticises or disagrees with you, a small ant of hatred and antagonism is born in your heart. If you do not squash that ant at once, it might grow into a snake, or even a dragon. - Jalaluddin al-Rumi[Mathnavi]Whoever is offered an apology from a fellow Muslim should accept it unless he knows that the person apologizing is being dishonest.- Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [Mishkat al Tabrizi, Vol III Hadith no. 5052]. Verily those people that make fun of people � for them a gate of Jannah will be opened. It will be said to them: Come (and enter). That person will come with all their anguish and depression � but when he gets close, the gate will be closed in his face. Then another gate (to Jannah) will be opened and it will be said: Come (and enter). So that person comes with all his anguish and depression. But when he gets close, the gate will be closed in his face. This will keep happening to him until it gets to the point where it will be said: Come (and enter), and he will not come from the despair of ever entering paradise.- Hadith - Al-BayhaqiCease to sin, because you will not meet Allah with anything [as valuable] as few sins. - A'isha (radiAllahu anha) The Muslim ummah is an unique ummah among the whole of mankind: Their Land is One, their War is One, their Peace is One, theirHonor is One and their Trust is One. - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [narrated by Ahmad] If you are aware of your humility, then you are arrogant. - Ibn Ata'illahTo admonish your brother in private is to advise him and improve him. But to admonish him publicly is to disgrace and shame him. - Imam Shafi (rahimullah)Knowledge is understanding that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. The root meaning of Taqwa is to avoid what one dislikes. It was reported that Umar bin Al-Khattab asked Ubayy bin Ka`b about Taqwa. Ubayy said, "Have you ever walked on a path that has thorns on it'' 'Umar said, "Yes." Ubayy said, "What did you do then" He said, "I rolled up my sleeves and struggled." Ubayy said, "That is Taqwa." Nobody Can Remove Hurt Except Allah. Even if someone tries to cause you any hurt, stay firm in your belief and remember that no one can cause you any pain if Allah does not desire it for you "And if Allah touches you with hurt, there is none who can remove it but He; and if He intends any good for you, there is none who can keep back His favour; He brings it to whom He pleases of His servants; And He is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.&quot - Qur'an, surah Yunus; 10:107God made the illusion look real and the real an illusion.He concealed the sea and made the foam visible, the wind invisible, and the dust manifest.you see the dust whirling,but how can the dust rise by itself? you see the foam,but not the ocean.invoke Him with deeds, not words; for deeds are real and will save you in the infinite-life.- Rumi[Mathnawi] If you make intense supplication and the timing of the answer is delayed, do not despair of it. His reply to you is guaranteed; but in the way He chooses, not the way you choose, and at the moment He desires, not the moment you desire. - Ibn Ata'illah Iskandari [Al-hikam al-'Ata'iyyah] Allah doesn't like unjustice. He loveth not those who do wrong. If you end up suffering injustice, we do not know what Allah has planned in the bigger picture of things. Allah is The Just; and will bring justice. If not now, then in the hereafter. Knowledge is of two kinds: that which is absorbed and that which is heard. And that which is heard does not profit if it is not absorbed. - Ali ibn abi Talib (radiAllah anhu) Whoever passes forty without his virtue overpowering his vice, let him get ready for hellfire!� This advice contains enough for people of knowledge. - abu Hamid al-Ghazali ['Letter to a Disciple' Ayyuha�l-walad] Innumerable changes of moods are yours, and they are uncontrolled by you. If you knew their origin, you would be able to dominate them. If you cannot localize your own changes, how can you localize that which formed you? - Jalaluddin al-Rumi [Fihi Ma Fihi] Love all, with sincere love and concern. The eye of the heart, though closed in fallen man, is able to take in a glimmering of light and this is faith. But anway of living causes a covering like rust to accumulate over the heart so that it cannot sense the Divine origin of God's message. - Martin Lings (Abu Bakr Sirajuddin) Reflect on the work of art and you may attain to the artist. - Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani [The sublime revelation, p32] Joy and sorrow are the light and shade of life; without light and shade no picture is clear. - Inayat Khan Being married forces you to fine tune those not-so-great-aspects of yourself and strive to be better. Love comes in here too; when you are in a loving relationship (and in love and loved); you have this amazing reservoir of energy within you that allows you to flourish and nurture. It brings out the best in you and makes you strive to be better because someone cares and loves you; and vice versa. It is kind of like how we instinctively react to another's perception of us, when they think well of us and believe in us, we want to do even better; but when they disparage us we will get defensive. Is it any wonder that our beloved prophet (saw) said that marriage is half of faith? I will not serve God like a labourer, in expectation of my wages. - Rabia al-Adawiya Some people make their goals the stars, They may live and die never reaching them, but in the darkness of the night, those stars will guide them to their destination, because they put them in their sights. How long will you keep pounding on an open door Begging for someone to open it? - Rabia al-Adawiyyah Sins. It wouldn't achieve anything, except points in your book of deeds. The only lasting beauty is the beauty of the heart - Jalaluddin al-Rumi Listen to your heart and not your ego. Your ego prompts you to boast of vain assertions to obtain the glory of this world. Turn away from vanity and seek Him in the recesses of your heart and soul -Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani [Fayuz E Yazdani] If it is not truthful and not helpful, don't say it. If it is truthful and not helpful, don't say it. If it is not truthful and helpful, don't say it. If it is truthful and helpful, wait for the right time. The one who admonishes his brother secretly, he has advised sincerely and has honored him. If he does it outwardly (among others) then he has dishonored and shamed him. - Imam ash-Shafi (rahimullah) A man lost his way in the desert, and wandered aimlessly for several days. He ran out of food, and thought he would die. Then he saw a bag lying in the sand. He opened it, and at first he thought it was filled with grains of barley. He was overjoyed. But when he tried to eat them, he discovered they were pearls�and he plunged into despair. - Saadi ash-Shiraz, "Gulistan" Imam al-Shafi' in his final sickness said: When my heart was hardened and my courses constrained I made my hope a stairway to Your forgiveness My sin burdened me heavily, but when I measured it by Your forgiveness Lord, Your forgiveness was the greater. If you make demands on Him, you doubt Him. If you seek Him, you are absent from Him. If you seek other-than-Him, you are shameless before Him. If you make demands on other-than-Him, you are distant from Him. - Ibn Ata'illah Iskandari [Al-hikam al-'Ata'iyyah] 'Work for your terrestrial life in proportion to your location in it, and work for your afterlife in proportion to your eternity in it. - abu Hamid al-Ghazali [part of the advice that the great theologian and mystic put down in his Letter to a Disciple] Stay close by the door, if you desire all beauty And leave aside sleep, if you wish to arrive And make of the spirit your first place of account To the beloved, whose lights shine as from gold All of them worship out of fear of the fire � And consider deliverance abundant good fortune - Or, so they may dwell in the gardens, and reach To the meadows of paradise, and there drink from its rivers Of gardens or fire I have no opinion I seek no exchange for my dearest love - Rabia Al-Adawiyya It is mentioned that a person once came to Ali ibn abi Talib (radiAllahu anhu) and questioned him regarding fate. He replied, "raise one foot", and after doing as he was told, Ali ibn abi Talib (radiAllahu anhu) said, "now raise the other", which he was obviously not able to do so. The lesson was that some things we have control over, although Allah has knowledge of that also, but some things we have no control over. Taqdeer (destiny). Similarly, we can say that our partners are written for us but we have some level of choice. The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken. Maa ki du'a, jannat ki hawa mother's dua, [brings] Jannah's air - Urdu proverb Try to dissolve out of selfishness into a voice beyond those limits. Your own soul is nourished when you are kind; it is destroyed when you are cruel. My son, when you pray, do it like a person who is bidding farewell to this world, and don�t assume you will have another chance to pray again. My son, know that a believer dies in between two deeds, one he offers for today, where he will get immediate blessings, and the second deed is what he offers towards the day of resurrection, and that is where he will gain the ultimate benefits - Muadh Ibn Jabal (radiAllahu anhu) All are stricken and you are safe? All got it wrong and you got it right? All are blameworthy, and you have excuses? The candle is not there to illuminate itself - Nawab Jan-Fishan Khan O Lord! If I worship You from fear of Hell, cast me into Hell. If I worship You from desire for Paradise, deny me Paradise but if I worship You for Your own sake, then withhold not from me Your Eternal Beauty - Rabia al-Adawiya The Righteous Salaf were as fearful of their good deeds being squandered, or not being accepted, as the present generation is certain that their neglect would be forgiven. - Hasan al-Basri True devotion is to loose the faculty of being conscious of your devotion; for someone who identifies devotion in his devotion is a person whose devotion is in need of devotion. - as Sousi Put aside your pride, Set down your arrogance, And remember your grave. - Ali ibn Abu Talib (radiAllahu anhu) One of the signs of relying on deeds is loss of hope when a misstep occurs. - Ibn Ata'illah Iskandari That which God said to the rose, and caused it to laugh in full-blown beauty, he said to my heart, and made it a hundred times more beautiful. - Jalaluddin al-Rumi [Mathnawi, III, 4129] I have been so naughted in Thy Love's existence that my nonexistence is a thousand times sweeter than my existence - Jalaluddin al-Rumi Does money upset the hearts of learned men? He answered, "men whose hearts are changed by money are not learned" - abu Hamid al Ghazali The spiritual warrior is he who breaks an idol; and the idol of each person is his Ego. - Imam Abul Qasim al-Qushayri [from al-Risala al-Qushayrriya] Do to me, O Allah, what is worthy of Thee; And not what is worthy of me. - Saadi al-Shiraz [Gulistan] People choose the path of their own lives: victor or victim. You claim your role by the choices you make along the way. To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person. Aim at perfection in everything, though in most things it is unattainable. However, they who aim at it, and persevere, will come much nearer to it than those whose laziness and despondency make them give it up as unattainable. We should think of those who were famous for their good deeds or their bad deeds; did their fame raise them one single degree in the sight of Allah. Did it win them a reward that they had not already won by their actions during their life? - Ibn Hazm [Kitab Al-Akhlaq wa al-Siyar fi Mudawat al-Nufus] A man not progressing is not standing still. He is stagnating. Never break a Muslim�s heart by refusing what he offers you, when you know that anything that comes to you through him is in reality from God, and he is only His powerless and compelled means. Imam al Haddad [from 'Book of Assistance'] Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right. Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice. - Baruch Spinoza (1632�77) Whoever gives advice to a heedless man is himself in need of advice. - Saadi al-Shiraz While you are alive, your worldy self is like a collector of benefits from Allah's bounties, which come to you from myriads of hands. - Ibn 'Arabi Every drop of sweat and every breath we take in life, if not taken for the sake of Allah, will lead to regret and sorrow on the Day of Judgment - Ibn Al-Qayyim Intelligence is the shadow of objective truth. How can the shadow vie with sunshine? - Jalaluddin al-Rumi If a gem falls into mud it is still valuable. If dust ascends to heaven, it remains valueless. - Saadi al-Shiraz Repel the thought, for if you don�t, it becomes an idea. So repel the idea, for if you don�t it will become a desire. So fight against that (desire), for if you don�t, it will become a determination and a passion. And if you don�t repel that, it will become an action. And if you don�t replace it with its opposite, it will become a constant habit. So at that point, it will be difficult for you to change it. - Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah [from al-Fawaa'id] Truthfulness is composed of justice and courage. - Ibn Hazm [Kitab al-Akhlaq wa al-Siyar fi Mudawat al-Nufus] Remembrance of Allah is certain knowledge of one's belief ('ilm al-iman), immunity from hypocrisy (baraa'at min al-nifaaq), a fortress against Shaytan (Husn min al-shaytaan), and a guarded refuge from the fire (Hirz min al-naar). - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) Ikhlaas is to forget the vision of creation by constantly looking at the Creator. - Abu Uthman In the sea there are countless treasures, But if you desire safety, it is on the shore. - Sa'di The creative spirit demands persistence. Seeking knowledge at an Young age is like engraving on a stone. - Hasan al-Basri Like us many have spoken over this spring, but they were gone in the twinkling of an eye. We conquered the world with bravery and might, but we did not take it with us to the grave. - Zahiruddin Muhammad (Babur) People need comfort. Some people find it in this, some find it in that and some don't find it at all. Allah in His infinite Wisdom has designed everything on this planet earth, the universe around and within it to ultimately point to Him. The signs are everywhere. Everything points to Him. You just have to look. The lower self is greedy, teach it to be content. "And We shall try you until We test those among you who strive their utmost and persevere in patience" - Qur'an, 47:31 We should be thankful. One of the greatest parts of our spiritual path should be thankfulness. No matter what happens. No matter what happens. Your destiny is Allah. The best provision is piety. Knowledge is not what is memorised. Knowledge is what benefits. - Imam Shafi' (In other words, that which has results) By the mercy of God Paradise has eight doors � one of those is the door of repentance, child. All the others are sometimes open, sometimes shut, but the door of repentance is never closed. Come seize the opportunity: the door is open; carry your baggage there at once. - Jalaluddin al-Rumi [Mathnawi IV: 2506-2508, 'Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance'] Not wishy-washy, not up and down, don't zig and zag. Be firm. Walk straight. The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) was then taken into Paradise and he reported that he saw in it domes of pearls and it's soil was made of musk - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [reported by Anas ibn Malik in Sahih al-Bukhari] Strain not your eyes toward that which We have given for some pairs among them to enjoy�the flower of this world�s life, that We may thereby put them to the test. Your Lord�s provision is better and more lasting. - Qur'an 20:131 Shaitan is always looking for an opening to get you. Drive him away with Dhikr. What hand do you think you will get your book, on the Day of Judgement? When we look for strength in ourselves, we will be weak. When we look for strength in Allah, we will be invincible. How can you Despair? Despair is when you are not getting anywhere. Allah has said that He will never let any of our good deeds be lost. Ali ibn abi Talib (radiAllahu anhu) in his letter to malik e Ashtar, when sending him to a town which was half muslim and half non muslim: "O Malik, remember they are either your brothers in faith or your equals in humanity" There are distinctions among people. People are like metal in the earth. Gold, silver, aluminium, iron... The hypocrite looks for faults; the believer looks for excuses. - Abu Hamid al-Ghazali Never do I argue with a man with a desire to hear him say what is wrong, or to expose him and win victory over him. Whenever I face an opponent in debate I silently pray - O Lord, help him so that truth may flow from his heart and on his tongue, and so that if truth is on my side, he may follow me; and if truth be on his side, I may follow him. - Imam Ash-Shafi (rahimullah) If you wish to know which sciences and acts are the most important and beneficial for you, imagine that you are to die the next day and return to God to stand before Him and be asked to account for your knowledge, behaviour, and all your affairs and states, subsequently to be taken either to the Garden or the Fire. What you see there as most important and useful to you is precisely what you must now give priority and attachment to; whereas what you find useless, unimportant, frivolous, or simply of no great necessity is what you must neither pursue nor occupy yourself with in this life. Meditate on this matter and reflect well; it is of tremendous benefit to those who have discernment and are concerned about their appointed time, their return to God, their salvation, and their success in the Hereafter, which is better and more enduring (Quran 87:17). Success is in the Hand of God, to whom belong all graces, for He bestows them on whomever He wills; and God�s graces are immense! - Imam al-Haddad [from 'Knowledge and Wisdom' translated by Mostafa Badawi, Starlatch Press, 2001] The need of the hour is that your life should be revolutionised. The revolution should not be an individual one but a collective one. The change should be concerning your belief, your morals, your actions, your dealings, your decisions, and your efforts. Your life in every way should become a beacon of guidance and it should become a means for Dawah. -- Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi Those who Know they do not Know that to Know is to Know what they do not Know! - (Aveccina) Ali Sina A feeling of discouragement when you slip up is a sure sign that you put your faith in deeds - ibn 'Ajiba History is a signpost for the future... The 'best awareness [ma'rifa] is for a man to have self-awareness. And the best knowledge ['ilm] is for a man to stop at the limit of his knowledge.' - Shaykh Abdullah Adhami Who does greater evil than he who is reminded of the signs of the Lord, then turns away from them? - Qur'an, 32:22 The Qur'an guides you to the recognition of your illnesses and to their remedies. Your illness are your sins, and your medicine is seeking Allah's Forgiveness. - Qatadah "We need spirited, energetic and strong young people whose hearts are filled with life, enthusiasm, zeal and dynamism; whose souls are full of ambition, aspiration and vigor and have great goals, rising and aspiring to reach them until they eventually arrive at their destination." - Hasan al-Banna "The word "shams" (sun) is feminine, and "qamar" (moon) is masculine. The sun burns itself out to give light and life to everything around, and the moon is muneer, meaning it reflects the light. Within itself it has no light; it radiates the brilliance of the sun. So when we shine as men, the implication is that we are reflecting the glorious light of our women. May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'aala be pleased with them." - Shaykh Abdullah Adhami If you do not think well of Him because His qualities are beautiful then think well of Him because of the way He treats you. - ibn Ata'llah Avoid the crowd. Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece. I know of nothing more useful to you than four matters: surrender to Allah, to humbly entreat Him, to think the best of Him, and to perpetually renew your repentance to Him, even if you should repeat a sin seventy times in a day. - ibn Ata'illah Your loud voice is not proof of the depth of your knowledge, for an empty utensil makes more noise than a full one And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. If you ask, ask Allah and if you seek help, seek help from Allah. Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [at-Tirmidhi, Ahmad] Abu Suhayb Sinaan (radiAllahu anhu) narrated that Rasulullah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: "How amazing is the case of a believer;there is good for him in everything,and this charactristic is exclusively for him alone. If he experiences something good he is thankful and that is good for him; and if he comes across some diversity,he is patient and that is good for him." [Muslim] Whoever makes a show of his good deeds so that people will respect him, Allah Ta'ala will show what is truly in his heart. - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim] "There are two kinds of action in this world: the successful and the unsuccessful. Now unconsidered, hasty action, driven by passion rather than wisdom, tends to be unsuccessful, and the more emotionally involved one is in a particular action, the more likely one is to fail. To put this in its simplest terms, action must be rooted in contemplation. Contemplation in its turn demands detachment, that detachment which every Muslim should have at his disposal if he is fully aware of life’s brevity, aware of Divine Judgment, aware of the overwhelming presence of Allah (SWT). Here, it seems to me, virtue and practical necessity come together. The more we act as we should, the more likely we are to succeed" - Gai Eaton [from Muslims Today] A leading scholar of Basra visited Rabi'a al-Adawiyya while she was ill. ting beside her pillow, the scholar spoke about how terrible the world was. In reply, Rabi`a told him: "You love the world very dearly. If you did not love the world, you would not mention it so much. It is always the purchaser who first disparages what he wants to buy. If you were done with the world, you would not mention it either for good or evil. As it is, you keep mentioning it because, as the proverb says, whoever loves a thing mentions it frequently." - Rabi'a al-Adawiyya And God wants to turn unto you in His mercy, whereas those who follow [only] their own lusts want you to drift far away from the right path. God wants to lighten your burdens: for man has been created weak. - Qur'an, surah an-Nisa, 4:27-28 Dont fret about your affairs, leave it in His hands. Do you think if He wants it for you, anyone can stop it? Or ir He doesnt want it for you anyone can Grant it? Dont look to anyone for your needs, for the One who created you, knows you. Advice from Dawud Wharnsby Ali to a young sister wondering what to be when she grows up: Don�t grow up my friend..... Just grow BETTER with time and grow more experienced with age. Keep being passionate about whatever you do.... keep trying new things.... keep patient and keep trying your best. When your passion starts to fade.... stop and re-assess who you are, what you are doing and where your path is leading. The path to God is straight through willful surrender to God... we know that from Quran....but the paths of life we walk are adventurous and twisty....if, that is we WANT them to be. Seek the fellowship of those who enjoy fellowship with the Lord - Abd al-Qadir Jilani (rahimullah) ['The Sublime Revelation (Al-Fath ar-Rabbani)' trans by Muhtar Holland (Al-Baz Publishing, Houston, 1992), p. 426-8] We must begin looking at each other as brothers and sisters...and not walking brochures. We must see each other�s strengths and encourage those strengths....We must see each others weaknesses and be patient with those weaknesses... sometimes even look beyond what we see as "weaknesses" and move on with compassion and love and respect. That takes true faith. - Dawud Wharnsby Ali He who knows himself, knows His Lord. - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) It is far better to live like a lion for a day then to live like a jackal for hundred years. - Tipu Sultan Our problem is one of spirituality. If a man comes to speak to me about the reforms to be undertaken in the Muslim world, about political strategies and of great geo-strategic plans, my first question to him would be whether he performed the dawn prayer in its time - Said Ramadan, son of Hassan al Banna True knowledge is not mentioned in relation to how much you memorise and then narrate, but rather, true knowledge is an expression of piety (protecting oneself from what Allah (awj) prohibited and acting upon what He mandated - Ibn Mas'ud (radiAllahu anhu) A pirate was captured and brought before Alexander the Great. Alexander asked the pirate: 'How dare you molest the people?' The pirate replied: 'And how dare you molest the entire world? I am called a thief because I do it with a little ship only. You do it with a great navy and you are called an Emperor!' Don't look down on anyone uless you are helping them up. Seven days without prayers makes one WEAK. The essence of knowledge is to know what obedience and worship are - abu Hamid al-Ghazali Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today - El-Malik el-Shabbaz (Malcolm X) Never forget that turning a blind eye to oppression and watching from the sidelines is itself opression - Harun Yahya Whatever the situation may be, in the recollection of death there is reward and merit. For even the man engrossed in the world benefits from it by acquiring an aversion to this world, since it spoils his contentment and the fullness of his pleasure; and everything which spoils for man his pleasures and his appetites is one of the means of deliverance. - abu Hamid al-Ghazali ['The Remembrance of Death & the Afterlife' Ihya Ilum Ud Din] It is indeed surprising that a man inspite of his belief in the Fire of Jahannum is still able to laugh, and inspite of his belief in Maut he is able to be happy. Inspite of believing in the Reckoning, he commits evil deeds. Inspite of believing in Taqdeer, he grieves. Inspite of observing the world with its changes, he feels contented with it. Inspite of believing in Jannat, he refrains from righteous deeds. - Nabi Musa (alayhis salam) [the majlis] Meet people in such a manner that if you die, they should weep for you, and if you live, they should long for you - Ali (radi Allahu anhu) The person I like most is the one who points out my defects - Umar (radiAllahu anhu) O people who take pleasure in a life that will vanish, falling in love with a fading shadow is sheer stupidity - Ibn al-Qayyim Once Rabia al-Basri was sitting in company with some people who were talking of the world reproachfully. She said, 'Do not talk of the world. Do not talk of it even disparagingly. For, your talking of it shows that you consider it to be worth talking about, and something of consequence. If it were of no consequence in your sight, you would never have liked to make a mention of it. (For, who would talk about the filth that men excrete?)' - from Fazaile Sadaqaat, Ch6 - Virtues of Spending in the Way of Allah Knowledge is taken from breath, not lives in a book - Sahykh Hamza Yusuf Only that which was effective for the first of this community will be effective for the last of it - Imam Malik (rahimullah) Intention is the measure for rendering actions true, so that, where intention is sound, action is sound, and where it is corrupt, then action is corrupt - Imam an-Nawawi (rahimullah) When the inward is good the outward is also inevitably so, for the outward always follows the inward, whether good or evil. - Imam Abdullah ibn Alawi al Haddad Whoever desires to purify his heart, then let him prefer Allah to his desires - Ibn al-Qayyim A tree, freshly rooted, may be pulled up by one man on his own. Give it time, and it will not be moved, even with a crane - Saadi al-Shiraz Make no friendship with an elephant keeper If you have no room to entertain an elephant - Saadi al-Shiraz Do not fix hopes on your health, and do not laugh away life. Remember how they walked and now all their joints lie separately, and the tongue with which they talked lightly is eaten away by the worms - Abu Hamid al Ghazali To prove that it is not men who make religion true, we must prove that religion can make men true If someone wants to know what position he enjoys in the eyes of God, he has only to look at what place he gives to God (in his heart and life) - Hakim He who wishes that people always remember him with goodness is neither God-fearing nor sincere. - Shaykh Ibrahim ibn Adham Being married forces you to fine tune those not-so-great-aspects of yourself and to strive to be better. Love comes in here too; when you are in a loving relationship (and in love and loved); you have this amazing reservoir of energy within you that allows you to flourish, nurture and improve. It brings out the best in you and makes you strive to be better because someone cares and loves you; and vice versa. It is a little like how we instinctively react to another's perception of us, when they think well of us and believe in us, we want to do even better; but when they disparage us we will get defensive and withdraw. Do not sit idle, for indeed death is seeking you - Hasan al-Basri Why do you seek more knowledge when you pay no heed to what you already know? The righteous salaf were as fearful of their good deeds being squandered, or not being accepted, as the present generation is certain that their neglect will be forgiven - Hasan al-Basri Whoever does not thank people, does not thank God. - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 897] All of them worship out of fear of the Fire and see salvation as a generous portion, Or seek to dwell in the Garden and to relax in meadows and drink of Salsabil. I have no opinion of Gardens or Fire. I do not seek any recompense for my love. - a sufi Islam teaches that God is one and only reality. Not just that there is only one God but that nothing else really exists! We have made �gods� of money, status, name, fame and many other concerns that are only transient, temporal and incapable of giving us the lasting peace that we all seek. I know that societies often have killed people who have helped to change those societies. And if I can die having brought any light, having exposed any meaningful truth that will help destroy the racist cancer that is malignant in the body of America, then, all credit is due to Allah. Only the mistakes have been mine. - El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X), (last words of his autobiography) People count with self-satisfaction the number of times they have recited the name of God on their prayer beads, but they keep no beads for reckoning the number of idle words they speak. - Abu Hamid al-Ghazali When you notice in a person some manifest act of obedience to Allah, and some secret act of disobedience, you might regard the act of obedience as showing off or hypocrisy, and the disobedience as the genuine trait of that person. Justice demands from you otherwise. Your desire to withdraw from everything when Allah has involved you in the world of means is a hidden appetite. Your desire for involvement with the world of means when Allah has withdrawn you from it is a fall from high aspiration. - ibn 'Ajiba An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind - Mahatma Gandhi Remember your contemporaries who have passed away and were your age. Remember the honors and fame they earned, the high posts they held, and the beautiful bodies they possessed. Today all of them are turned to dust. They have left orphans and widows behind them, their wealth is being wasted, and their houses turned into ruins. No sign of them is left today, and they lie in dark holes underneath the earth. Picture their faces before your mind's eye and ponder. - abu Hamid al-Ghazali You possess only whatever will not be lost in a ship wreck. - abu Hamid al-Ghazali Till man destroys "self" he is no true friend of God. - Jalaluddin al-Rumi For those who realize that everything is from God, everything is the same. - Jalaluddin al-Rumi I went to Yale, and I didn't even know they had a library. I was there seven years. I never saw a library. - George 'Dubya' Bush [As quoted in the book 'Living History' by Hilary Clinton] If any religion had the chance of ruling over England, nay Europe within the next hundred years, it could be Islam - George Bernard Shaw The realization of 'La ilaha illa Allah' is one of the states of the heart that can be neither expressed by the tongue nor thought out by the mind. - Ibn Ata'ala God places the heaviest burden on those who can carry its weight. Eventhough you are not equipped, keep searching: equipment isn't necessary on the way to the Lord. Whoever you see engaged in search, become her friend and cast your head in front of her, for choosing to be a neighbour of seekers, you become one yourself; protected by conquerors, you will yourself learn to conquer. If an ant seeks the rank of Solomon, don't smile contemptuously upon its quest. And of all your skills, and wealth and handicraft, Weren't they first merely a thought and a quest? - Jalaluddin al-Rumi [Mathnawi] I am a bird of God's garden and I do not belong to this dusty world For a day or two they have put me here in this cage of my own body I did not come here of my own I will not return of my own to my own country. - Jalaluddin al-Rumi [A Bird In God's Garden] How should we not put our trust in Allah when He hath shown us our ways? We surely will endure the hurt ye do us. In Allah let the trusting put their trust - Qur'an, 14:12 All humans are dead except those who have knowledge; and all those who have knowledge are asleep, except those who do good deeds; and those who do good deeds are deceived, except those who are sincere; and those who are sincere are always in a state of worry. - Imam Shafi (rahimullah) May Allah steal from you All that steals you from Him. - Rabi'a al-Adawiyya This life is not real. I conquered the world and it did not bring me satisfaction. -- Muhammad Ali (Boxing champion) Allah guards the justice loving government, even if it is the government of non-Muslims, and destroys the tyrant government, even if it is the government of Muslims. - Ibn Taymiyyah What you love to have with you in the Hereafter you should advance today, and what you hate to have with you, you should abandon today. - Salman ibn Dinar (radiAllahu anhu) Actions are merely propped-up shapes. Their life-breath is the presence of the secret of sincerity in them. - Shaykh Zarruq The morning wind spreads its fresh smell. We must get up and take that in, that wind that lets us live. Breathe before it's gone. - Jalaluddin Rumi [from 'The Essential Rumi' - Coleman Barks] Beauty is a King that needs to be obeyed - Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller We ought not to be embarrassed of appreciating the truth and of obtaining it wherever it comes from, even if it comes from races distant and nations different from us. Nothing should be dearer to the seeker of truth than the truth itself, and there is no deterioration of the truth, nor belittling either of one who speaks it or conveys it - Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Ishaq Al-Kindi If your busy with yourself now, you will be busy with yourself then. If you are busy with God now, you will be with Him then. - Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali I looked at all friends, and did not find a better friend than safeguarding the tongue. I thought about all dresses, but did not find a better dress than piety. I thought about all types of wealth, but did not find a better wealth than contentment in little. I thought of all types of good deeds, but did not find a better deed than offering good advice. I looked at all types of sustenance, but did not find a better sustenance than patience. - Umar (radiAllahu anhu) If you knew what I know, you would go out to the jungle, weeping and crying and leave your property unguarded. But your hearts are heedless of the requirements of the Hereafter and you have, before you, worldly hopes and aspirations. That is why the world has become your master and all your activities are directed towards it; you have reduced yourself to a condition of stark ignorance. - Abu Darda (radiAllahu anhu [from Fazaile Sadaqaat, Ch6] Dear friend, Your heart is a polished mirror. You must wipe it dean of the veil of dust that has gathered upon it, because it is destined to reflect the light of divine secrets. - abu Hamid al-Ghazali What can my enemies do to me? My paradise is in my heart, it is with me wherever I go. To imprison me is to provide me with seclusion. To send me into exile is to send me away in the Path of Allah. And to kill me is to make me a martyr. - Ibn Taymeeyah Whoever is not made glorified by taqwa can find no glory. - Imam Shafi' (rahimullah) O God, You know that the only thing I want in this life Is to be obedient to Your command. Even the living sight of my eyes Is service at your court - Rabia al-Adawiyya All we have to decide is what to do with the time we are given. Your Lord creates and chooses whatever He wills. The choice is not theirs - Qur'an, 28:68 Give up what appears to be doubtful for what is certain. Truth brings peace of mind, and deception doubt. - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [as reported by Hasan ibn 'Ali ibn Abu Talib (radiAllahu anhu)] I seek forgiveness from Allah for the lack of my sincerity when I say I seek the forgiveness of Allah - Rabia al-Adawiyyah If those who do not possess knowledge avoid the scholarly discussions, disagreement will end. - Abu Hamid al-Ghazali Islam is not just a religion. Islam is everything. - Yusuf Islam The sign of God�s love is to bestow three attributes on His lover: A generosity like that of the sea, a kindness like that of the sun, and, a humility like that of the earth. - Bayazid O Lord... Once I wanted You so much I didn't even dare walk past Your house-- And now I am not even worthy to be let in - Rabia al-Adawiyya Shall I tell you who is kept away from Hell and from whom Hell is kept away? From everyone who is gentle and kindly, approachable and of an easy disposition - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1315] My request is not for bliss of the Garden. I only desire to see You. - ibn al-Farid When people have despaired of reaping a harvest, God sends down rain. He spreads his blessing across the world; he is the glorious guardian. Look at how he created the heavens and the earth, and all the creatures that he has spread across the earth. The creation is merely one among many of his signs. If he wanted, he could gather the heavens and the earth and all the creatures into one place. - Qur'an, Surah Ash-Shura, 42:27-29 The real work is in the Heart: Wake up your Heart! Because when the heart is completely awake, Then it needs no Friend. - Rabia al-Adawiyya Our hearts are filled with such ease and contentment that if kings came to know of it they would come with armies to rob us of this wealth. The proposition that Muslims are welcome in Britain if, and only if, they stop behaving like Muslims is a doctrine which is incompatible with the principles that guide a free society. - Roy Hattersley This Qur'an guides you to the recognition of your illnesses and to their remedies. Your illnesses are your sins, and your medicine is seeking Allah's forgiveness. - Qatadah (radiAllahu anhu) Of all the follies the greatest is to love the world. - Ali ibn Abu Talib (radiAllahu anhu) You are not aware of the consequences that would result (if you were granted what you desire) because what you seek might be to your detriment. (O soul) be conscious that your Master is more aware about your well-being than you are. - Ibn Al-Jawzi Amongst the signs of success at the end is the turning to God at the beginning. In the intricate paths of life when difficulties and hardships confront a man, and the darkness of difficulty and suffering becomes long, it is patience only that acts like a light for a Muslim, that keeps him safe from wandering here and there, and saves him from the muddy marsh of disappointment, desperation and frustration. - abu Hamid al-Ghazali [Muslim's Character] A muslim must treat his brother [and sisters too] in a good way, he should do good things for him and keep him away from harm. When he meets him, he should have a smiling face. He should accept the good things from his brother and forgive his evil deeds. He should not bear on his brother with more than that which he is capable. - Al Jazairy [Minhaj Al Muslim, Chapter on etiquette] Imam Bukhari (rahimullah) was so pious that he could truthfully say "I have never told a lie" When the time for prayer is at hand, I make a proper ablution, go to the spot where I attend to pray and sit there until all my limbs and organs are in a collected state. Then I stand up to perform my prayer, placing the Ka'bah between my brows, the bridge over Hell beneath my feet, Paradise to my right and Hell to my left, and the Angel of Death behind me, thinking all the while that this is my final prayer. Then I stand between hope and fear. I carefully pronounce "Allahu Akbar!" Then I recite the Qur'an harmoniously, bow in humility and prostrate myself submissively. I then sit back on my left haunch, spreading out the left foot, raising my right foot on the toes. I follow this with sincerity. Then I wonder whether or not my prayer has been accepted. - Hatim bin Al-Asam (from 'Inner Dimensions of Islamic Worship' - by Al Ghazali) A man without any history is like a tree without roots - El-Malik el-Shabbaz (Malcolm X) Poverty is not for the sake of hardship. No, it is there because nothing exists but God� Poverty unlocks the door -- what a blessed key! - Jalaluddin al-Rumi Live for this life as though you live in it forever and live for the life to come as though you die tomorrow - 'Amr ibn al 'Aas The death of the self lies in the life of the heart - Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (rahimullah) Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way. If you are proud of your descent from virtuous ancestors, how empty their virtue will leave your hands if you yourself are not virtuous. How little pride your ancestors will have in you in this world and the next if you do no good! All men are children of Adam whom Allah created by His own Hands, giving him paradise for a dwelling place and letting His angels bow down before him. But how little is the advantage from this since all the vices dwell in mankind and all the wicked impious people are among their number. - Ibn Hazm [Kitab al-Akhlaq wa al-Siyar fi Mudawat al-Nufus] Historically whoever advocates truth always suffers. I am just a fighter for the truth. Our truths are universal - Merve Kavaci (former Turkish Parliamentarian - who was prevented from taking oath in Parliament because of her hijab) When you want to mention your companion's faults, remember your own faults - Ibn Abbas (radiAllahu anhu) Everything in this world happens for a reason yet nothing in this world comes free�Hard work, endurance, determination, persistence, and strong will are key� But without faith you can only go so far before you lose yourself� We are all hearts, minds, bodies, and souls searching for something - you are not the only one� So search, and you shall discover, look, and you shall certainly find, read and you shall only behold that the most logical of all answers was always right there before your very eyes� - Moez Masoud (TV presenter of 'Parables in the Qur�an' and 'Stairway to Paradise') I once saw a Christian monk gaunt through self-sacrifice and doubled over by the fear of God. I asked him to show me the path of God. He replied, "If you knew God you would know the way to Him. I worship Him although I do not know Him; you disobey Him though you know Him. With knowledge comes fear, yet you are self-assured; with heresy ignorance, yet I feel fear within me." His words moved me so deeply that since then I have refrained from wrongdoing. - Abd'Allah bin Mubarak al-Marwazi, "The Kashf al-Mahjub" Man who is created alone should be aware that he will also die alone. Yet during his life, he lives almost addicted to posessions... the only assest one can take with him when one dies is one's belief or disbelief - Harun Yahya (famous Turkish author) Whoever travels without a guide, needs two hundred years for a two-day journey. - Jalaluddin Rumi Astride a horse I am not, nor camel-like carry a load, Subjects I have none, nor follow any sultan's code; I worry not for what exists, nor fret for what is lost, I breathe with extreme ease, and live at very little cost. - Saadi al-Shiraz How many lessons there are and how little they are taken - Ali ibn abu Talib (radiAllahu anhu) Who are we to wish for Paradise? It will be enough if God spares us his wrath. - Imam Abu Hanifah (rahimullah) When offended always consider the source..... Patience is a virtue that few have earned... The life of this world and the hereafter, in the heart of a person are like the two scales of a balance, when one becomes heavier, the other becomes lighter - 'Amr ibn Abdullah Your souls are precious and can only be equal to the price of Paradise, therefore sell them only at that price - Ali ibn abu-Talib (radiAllahu anhu) Experience is not what happens to a man. It is what a man does with what happens to him. In the time of the Rasulullah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), tasawwuf was a reality without a name. Today tasawwuf is a name, but few know its reality. No one who possesses snow would find any hardship in exchanging it for jewels and pearls. This world is like snow exposed to sun, which continues to melt until it disappears altogether, while the next life is like a precious stone that never passes away. - abu Hamid al-Ghazali Fight against your ego with the four swords of training: eat little, sleep little, speak little, and be patient when people harm you... Then the ego will walk the paths of obedience, like a fleeing horseman in the field of battle. - Yahya ibn Mu'adh al-Razi A human-being is not a human-being while his tendencies include self-indulgence, covetousness, temper and attacking other people - Abu Hamid al-Ghazali On Being thankful It is said that once Hasan al-Basri had a very sharp headache, so he tied a bandana over his head. Rabia Basri saw him and inquired the cause for the bandana, to which Hasan al-Basri told her of the headache. Rabia Basri asked him if this headache is something he gets often. Hasan al-Basri replied that Allah has blessed him with good health and it is after many years that he had a headache this severe. "Is it not strange that Allah gave you good health for years, and then when He afflicts you with some pain, you wear a banner on your head to advertise your pain?" Hasan al-Basri says that after that day he never ever complained of any harship he faced. Prayer is that which enables the soul to realize its divinity. Through prayer human beings worship absolute truth, and seek an eternal reward. Prayer is the foundation-stone of religion; and religion is the means by which the soul is purified of all that pollutes it. Prayer is the worship of the first cause of all things, the supreme ruler of all the world, the source of all strength. Prayer is the adoration of the one whose being is necessary. - Ibn Sina, �Kitab al-Najat� [ from "366 Readings From Islam," trans. Robert Van der Weyer] I am a burning candle; You are the morning light, If I do not see You, I burn; if I see You, I vanish. This is my condition in separation and closeness. I can bear neither separation nor proximity. - Sufi poem If something is meant to go elsewhere, it will never come your way, but if it is yours by destiny, from you it cannot flee. Your children are not your children: They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which You cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, But seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. - Khalil Jibran Understand that the right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege. Use it. Dwell in possiblity. Beware of this world, for it is sweet and tempting - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) When you resolve to become pious, the devil in your nature cries out at you, "Tread not those paths, O confused one; distress and poverty will overcome you. You will be despised, let down by friends, you will regret it." Dread of the devil has bound their souls; the cries of the devil are the drover of the damned; the call of the Lord is a guardian of the saints. - Jalaluddin Rumi [Mathnawi] So many Muslims are concerned about 'iman' (faith) as a conception and as a point of argument in debates, but few Muslims even comprehend the depth of 'iman' which is total conviction (yaqeen). It is the latter which the Sahabahs sought, attained, and through which, gained victory. - Shaykh Hasan Ali The Muslims have got Islam as a legacy, hence they fail to recognise its value - Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall How should Spring bring forth a garden on hard stone? Become earth, you may grow flowers of many colours. For you have been a heart-breaking rock. Once, for the sake of experiment, be earth! - Jalaluddin Rumi Soften your heart [I, 1911-2] O my son, let not the cock be more clever than you - it calls at the early hours of dawn while you are asleep - Prophet Luqman (alayhis salam), advising his son Sincerity is not achieved until people do not see and until he fails to think of people. - a sufi Your Nafs is just like a suckling child. If you do not take the pains to wean him, he will yearn for his mother's breast even when he's grown up. Therefore you should not try to satisfy your lust by indulging in sins. This will only increase the desire for more sins. The same is the case with the disease of gluttony. The more a person eats, the more his hunger increases. - Imam Busairi (Offer greetings to each other) and rancor will disappear. Give gifts to each other and love each other, and hatred will disappear. - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [Al-Muwatta Vol 47, Hadith 16] Your nafs (soul/desires) is your first battlefield. If you are victorious over it, then you will find the other battlefields easier. - Imam Hasan al Banna Anyone who rises above the things of this world, to wich you kneel, is mightier than you. - Ibn Hazm If there is someone in need whom you wish to help, whether the initiative came from him or from you, do no more than he expects of you, not what you might personally wish to do. If you overstep the mark, you will not deserve thanks, but blame from him and others and you will attract hostility, not friendship. - Ibn Hazm [Kitab al-Akhlaaq wa al-Siyar] It is striking that today, we Muslims read so many books and still have no result of any revival; yet the sahabahs revived a great portion of the world by reading only ONE book in their time: the Holy Qur'an. The fact is that they did not just read it but practiced every bit of it. It was enough then - and is still enough today. - Shaykh Hasan Ali Every man dies, but not every man truly lives If someone devotes himself entirely to Allah (awj), He will provide him with everything he needs, and if a person devotes himself entirely to this world, Allah will leave him in its core - Muhyuddin, Abdul-Qadir Jilani Among the principles of the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'ah lie the attitude of peace and purity of their heart and tongue towards the Sahaba (Companions) of the Prophet (saw). - ibn Taymiyyah ['Fundamental Beliefs of Islam' Sharh al-Aqeedat-il-Wasitiyah] Islam is a way of life which opens the heart to the meaning of existence. Thus any increase of outward splendor is usually a sign of a decrease in inward illumination - Ahmad Thompson [from 'Islam in Andalus'] You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom - El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X) If you want to talk to Allah, perform Salah. If you want Allah to talk to you, read Qur'an. Verily, the next life is better for you than this life - Qur'an, 93:4 Action is the biggest measurement of knowledge All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen Dont despair. Allah is there. - Mutma'inaa There is only what He wills. So leave your cares and abandon them. Leave your preoccupations which distract you and you will have rest. - Yaqut al-'Arishi 'If you see my Ummah afraid of telling the oppressor: You are an oppressor, it is farewell to the ummah' - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [Ahmad, Tabarani, Al-Hakim and Al-Baihaqi] I was harsh on you, but for your sake. Whoever determines the truth from people alone will remain lost in the plains of bewilderment. Rather, know the truth, and you will know its people. - Imam abu Hamid al-Ghazali Ihya Ulum al-Din, 'The Book of Knowledge' Be hard on yourself, easy on others. - Imam Shafi' (rahimullah) I believe in the religion of Islam. I believe in Allah and peace. - Muhammad Ali (World Boxing Champion) The Ulema are the successors of the Prophets (as). The Prophets did not leave dirhams. They only left knowledge; and that is a great fortune for those who grasp it. - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) Two kinds of people live a life without care: one kind are extremely worthy of praise, the other kind are extremely worthy of criticism. The first are those who care nothing for the pleasures of the world and the second (i.e. those who are deserving of criticism) care nothing for haya or modesty. - Ibn Hazm [Kitab al-Akhlaq wa al-Siyar fi Mudawat al-Nufus] The rise of Islam offers perhaps the most impressive example in world history of the power of words to alter human behavior in sudden, surprising ways. - William H. McNeill If you are not of the righteous, then at least do which the righteous do, and you'll become one of them - From those who know Anas (radiAllahu anhu) said: The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: "None of you Truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his child and all the people." Some other reports add: "his life, his wealth and his family." [Sahih Al-Bukhari and Muslim] Ali ibn Abi Talib (radiAllahu anhu) once said: "The Holy Prophet is dearer to us than our wealth, our children, our fathers, our forefathers, our mothers and cool water at the time of severe thirst." Hardship may dishearten at first, but every hardship passes away. All despair is followed by hope; all darkness is followed by sunshine. - Jalaluddin al-Rumi [Mathnawi, 3:2924-25] If you make dhikr you won't become stressed If you are getting stressed youre not doing enough dhikr - Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson Eyes are at rest, the stars are setting. Hushed are the stirrings of birds in their nests, Of monsters in the ocean. You are the Just who knows no change, The Balance that can never swerve, The Eternal which never passes away. The doors of Kings are bolted now and guarded by soldiers. Your Door is open to all who call upon You. My Lord, Each love is now alone with his beloved. And I am alone with You. -Rabia al-Basri To completely trust in God is to be like a child who knows deeply that even if he does not call for the mother, the mother is totally aware of his condition and is looking after him. - abu Hamid al-Ghazali Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth. - Muhammad Ali [World Boxing Champion] Do not wrong [others] and you will not be wronged. - Qur'an [2:279] Sombody asked Imam Abu Hanifah one day what he thought of the battles between 'Ali and Mu'awiyah. "My mind," replied the Imam, "is always full of fear about things on which I shall be questioned on the Judgement Day. I am sure this is not one of them. So I do not think much about it." Dear Friend, Your heart is a polished mirror. You must wipe it clean of the veil of dust which has gathered upon it, because it is destined to reflect the light of divine secrets. - Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani [The Secrets of Secrets, p. XLIVII] Do not allow the fear of people to prevent you from proclaiming the Haqq (the truth of Allah's Deen) - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) If sins had an odour, then nobody would be able to sit with me. - Muhammad ibn Wasi If sins had an odour, would you be sitting alone? The True Ascetic abandons the three 'I's. He does not say "for me," "with me," or "my property." He must not attribute anything to himself. - Ibn al-Arabi There is no change away from sin, nor power to remain firm on good, except through Allah Most High and Almighty - Imam Al-Tahawi Whether your destiny is glory or disgrace, Purify yourself of hatred and love of self. Polish your mirror; and that sublime Beauty From the regions of mystery Will flame out in your heart As it did for the saints and prophets. Then, with your heart on fire with that Splendor, The secret of the Beloved will no longer be hidden. - Nur al-Din al-Jami [from 'Perfume of the Desert'] A person is truly a human if he or she learns, and teaches, and inspires others. It is difficult to regard as truly human someone who is ignorant and has no desire to learn. - Fethullah Gulen In Allah�s eyes, a knowledgeable person is as superior to any ordinary worshipper as the moon is superior in brilliance to the other heavenly bodies. - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) When light engages the heart, it causes an illumation of the path,a purification of the consciousness, an enlightenment of the intellect and an establishment of the foundations of dhikr and shukr and of beautiful worship... - Habib Umar Bin Hafiz Rabiah al-Adwiyyah�s servant narrates: Rabiah�s permanent, life-long practice was to perform Salat the entire night. After sunrise she would lay for a short while on her musalla. When her eyes opened, she would be in a state of fear. Reprimanding herself, she would say: �How long will you sleep and refrain from ibadat. Soon you will be overtaken by such sleep from which only the Trumpet (soor) will awaken you.� This remained her condition until her death. When her time of maut was imminent she instructed me not to publicise her death. (Only those directly involved in her burial were informed). She further instructed me to prepare her Kafan from her simple cloak which she used to wear at the time of Tahajjud. Thus she was buried in that cloak and another cloak which she used to wear. The night after her burial, I saw Rabiah in a dream clad in the most beautiful silken garments. I asked what had happened to her old cloaks which were used as Kafan. She said: �It was removed from me, sealed and delivered to the loftiest heavenly realm (A`la Il-liyyeen). It will be added to my deeds on the Day of Qiyamah. In place of it I have been dressed with the garments you are seeing now.� I said: �Tell me of something by which I can gain Divine Proximity.� She said: �Thikr in abundance. In the grave (Aalam-e-Barzakh) you will be envied.� [from 'Orchards of Love' - stories of the Auliyah] Learn the wisdom of compromise, for it is better to bend a little then to break - Jane Wells The tolerance within the body of Islam was, and is, something without parallel in history; class and race and color ceasing altogether to be barriers. - Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall Whoever builds his faith exclusively on demonstrative proofs and deductive arguments, builds a faith on which it is impossible to rely. For he is affected by the negativities of constant objections. Certainty (al-yaqin) does not derive from the evidences of the mind but pours out from the depths of the heart. - Ibn Arabi Let not the vicissitude (of the success) of those who disbelieve, in the land, deceive thee (O Mohammad). It is but a brief comfort. And afterward their habitation will be hell, an ill abode. - Qur'an, Al-Imran: 196-7 O you who reproach me, regarding my love, excuse me. From me to you if you do justice, you would not reproach me. My state (of love) has been expressed to you, (now) my secret is no longer concealed. - From the Burda of Imam al Busiri Do not try to run away from trials and tribulations, but endure them with patience. They cannot be avioded, and there is nothing for it but to endure them with patience, How can you expect the whole of this world, and all that has been created therein, to undergo change and transformation just to suit your convenience? The Prophets are the best of all creatures, yet they have always had to suffer afflication and so it is for their followers, those who tread in their footsteps as they walk along their highway, emulating their example. - Muhyuddin Abdul Qadir Jilani Ikhlas is to forget the vision of creation by constantly looking at the Creator. - Abu Uthman I strike with chastisement whom I will, but my mercy embraces all things - Al Qur'an, 7: 156 And love your Lord by serving Him For lovers are but servants of the Beloved - a poet Ease and hardship are the feathers that give strength to the wings of your faith so that your heart and your innermost being can use them to fly to the door of your Lord, Almighty and Glorious is He. How can you lay claim to faith, when you have no patience at all. Surely you must have heard the saying of the prophet, peace and blessings be upon him "patience is to faith, as the head is to the body". - Sheikh Abdul Qadir al Jilani [Jala' Al Khawatir (Removal of Cares)] Allah's Generosity is connected to gratitude, and gratitude is linked to increase in His generosity. The generosity of Allah will not stop increasing unless the gratitude of the servant ceases - Ali ibn Abu Talib (radiAllahu anhu) Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting the bull not to attack you because you're a vegetarian. The death of the self lies in the life of the heart. - Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (rahimullah) Actions are but lifeless forms whose soul is the secret of sincerity in them - ibn Ata'illah Whoever is sitting with friends is in the midst of a flower garden, though he may be in the fire. Whoever sits with an enemy is in the fire, even though he is in the midst of a garden. - Jalaluddin Rumi "Mathnawi" [IV, 1976-1978] This world in comparison with the world to come, is the same as if one of you were to put his finger in the ocean. Consider how much you would have when you pulled it out - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) How can a sane man be conceited about his spiritual works, when his works are but a gift from Allah and a blessing from Him that he should thank Him for. - Abu Sulayman al-Darani [Nata'ij al-afkar, 1.114] The soul constantly cries out, tears constantly flow and the heart constantly breaks into pieces to be united with the Almighty and His Messenger, but the mind says who are you anyway your body is weak and you are full of fear. In my 39 years on this earth, the Holy city of Makkah had been the first time I had ever stood before the Creator of all and felt like a complete human being - El Hajj el Malik al-Shabbaz (Malcolm X) Peace of heart comes from a heart free of anxiety. Anxiety is caused by the weight of all that is material. Material weigh the heart down and prevent it from soaring. Soaring of the heart comes from remembering Allah (Ta'ala) The relation of patience to iman is like the relation of the head to the body. If the head is chopped off, the body becomes useless.� Then he raised his voice and said: �Certainly, the one who has no patience has no iman, and patience is like a riding-beast that nevers gets tired - Ali ibn Abu Talib from 'Patience and Gratitude' By Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah Arguing is a harsh way of dealing with differences. You will hardly ever find it mentioned in the Qur`an or Sunnah except that it is either censured, or qualified by the phrase, "except in the best way". Nothing is difficult, if you seek it through your Lord; nothing is easy, if you seek it through your self. - Ibn Ata'illah What you love to have with you in the hereafter, you should advance today, and what you hate to have with you, you should abandon today - Salman ibn Dinar Do not dispute with anyone in any matter as far as possible. For in argumentation lies much harm and its evil is greater than its benefit. -Imam al- Ghazali It is related that Abu 'Uthman was once riding in the street when a pot of ashes was thrown down upon him. He dismounted, and prostrated himself to God in gratitude, and then brushed the ashes from his clothes without saying a word. 'Shall you not rebuke them?' he was asked, but he replied, 'A man who deserves hellfire but receives only ashes cannot fairly be angry'. [Signs of good character] Do not ask, 'Where is God?', but ask, 'where am I?' Get used to a rough life, for luxury does not last forever. - Umar ibn al-Khattab (radiAllahu anhu) To blame others for our misfortunes is always a victory for the nafs. - Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad Whoever sees sincerity in his sincerity, his sincerity is itself in need of sincerity. The destruction of every sincere person lies in his sincerity, (he is destroyed) to the extent that he sees sincerity in himself. When he abandons seeing sincerity in himself he will be sincere and purified. - a Salaf There are four types of oceans. Passions are the ocean of sins, the self (nafs) is the ocean of lust, death is the ocean of life, and the grave is the ocean of distress - Umar (radiAllahu anhu) When my heart became constricted and my paths became narrow I took my hope in Your pardon and forgiveness as an opening and an escape My sins seemed very great to me but when I compared them to Your forgiveness I found Your forgiveness to be greater - Imam Shafi' (rahimullah) The highest person is he who is of most use to humankind. - Ali bin Abi Talib, "Masters of the Path" Four things come not back -- the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, and the neglected opportunity. - Arab proverb O Allah! How can I ask you for any favours knowing how disobedient I am, but how can I not ask you for anything knowing how Generous You are? Truth is Timeless, and returning to Truth is better than continuing in Falsehood - Umar ibn Al-Khattab (radiAllahu anhu) If you devote yourself to God in this world, He will admit you among His chosen servants in the hereafter. Such devotion, however, demands sacrifice and self-denial, the two instruments that make union with God possible. Compared to the best you're a nobody; think of yourself as such. My heart is so small it's almost invisible. How can You place such big sorrows in it? "Look," He answered, "your eyes are even smaller, yet they behold the world." - Jalaluddin al-Rumi [from 'Whispers of the Beloved'] "Say: 'Come close, I will recite what your Lord has forbidden you: i. Do not associate anything with Him; ii. And [show] kindness towards both [your] parents. iii. Do not kill your children because of poverty; We shall provide for you as well as for them. iv. Do no indulge in shocking acts which you may practice either openly or keep in secret. v. Do not kill any person whom God has forbidden, except through [due process of] law. He has instructed you in this so that you may use your reason. vi. Do not approach an orphan's estate before he comes of age, except to improve it. vii. Grant full measure and weight in all fairness. We do not assign any person to do more than he can cope with. viii. Whenever you speak, be just even though it concerns a close relative. ix. Fulfill God's agreement. Thus has He instructed you so that you may bear it in mind. x. This is My straight Road, so follow it and do not follow [other] paths which will separate you from His path. Thus has He instructed you so that you may do your duty." - Qur'an [6: 151-153] The Ten Commandments The Orphan is not he who has lost his father, an orphan is he who lacks knowledge and adab Glory is for none but the learned, Guided are they - and proofs for seekers of guidance. Every person is measured based on how much of it (knowledge) he mastered, The ignorant are to the learned their enemies, Succeed with knowledge and live energetically forever, Men are all dead, only the possessors of knowledge are truly alive - Ali ibn Abu Talib (radiAllahu anhu) Real knowledge, like everything else of value, is not to be obtained easily. It must be worked for, studied for, thought for, and, more that all, must be prayed for. Be aware of your own worth, use all of your power to achieve it. Create an ocean from a dewdrop. Do not beg for light from the moon, obtain it from the spark within you. - Muhammad Iqbal A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship HIM than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell - C.S.Lewis (author) O my Lord, whatever share of this world You have bestowed on me, bestow it to my enemies, and whatever share of the next world You have for me, give it to my friends. You are enough for me. - Rabia al-Adawiyya We often mix between what is for Allah's sake and what is for our own sake. Upon Allah is the bayan (explaining), upon the Messenger is Balagh (conveying) and upon us is tasleem (willingly accepting). - Imam az-Zuhri Sometimes in order to help He makes us cry Happy the eye that sheds tears for His sake Fortunate the heart that burns for His sake Laughter always follow tears Blessed are those who understand Life blossoms wherever water flows Where tears are shed divine mercy is shown - Jalaluddin Rumi In eloquence there is magic, in knowledge ignorance, in poetry wisdom, and in speech heaviness - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [abu Dawud 41 #4994 - narrated Buraydah ibn al-Hasib] If knowledge had no other merit than to make the ignorant fear and respect you, and scholars love and honour you, this would be good enough reason to seek after it. Let alone all its other merits in this world and the next. - Ibn Hizam O Beloved of Hearts, I beseech only You. Have pity this day on those who turn to You. My Hope, my Rest, my Delight, this heart can love none other but You. - Rabi'a, "Rabia the Mystic" "Islam teaches that God is one and only reality. Not just that there is only one God but that nothing else really exists! We have made �gods� of money, status, name, fame and many other concerns that are only transient, temporal and incapable of giving us the lasting peace that we all seek." Patience is of two kinds: patience over what pains you, and patience against what you covet. - Ali ibn Abu Talib If you dont wake up for Fajr, then dont wake up at all - Hamza Yusuf Allah�s Generosity is connected to gratitude, and gratitude is linked to increase in His generosity. The generosity of Allah will not stop increasing unless the gratitude of the servant ceases. - Ali ibn Abu Talib (radiAllahu anhu) All creatures, day and night, make manifestation of God. Some of them know what they are doing and are aware of their manifesting, while others are unaware. However it may be, God's manifestation is confirmed. - Jalaluddin Rumi You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late. The world is full of people looking for spectacular happiness while they snub contentment. Every utterance that comes forth does so with the vestment of the heart from which it emerged. - Hikam of Ibn Ibn Ata'illah [Commentry] It is said, that the tongue translates what is in the heart. If the heart is confused or sick, so are the utterances. If the heart is wholesome and pure, then the utterances are real and appropriate. If you contemplate deeply what is being said, you will come to know the state of the speaker and the extent of his connectedness to the Truth and his position with Allah. Never be without rememberance of Him, for His rememberance gives strength and wings to the bird of the Spirit. - Jalaluddin Rumi Put aside your pride, Set down your arrogance, And remember your grave. - Ali ibn Abu Talib Today we have the same Qur�an with us. Millions of copies of it are in circulation. Day and night, it is ceaselessly recited. In homes, in mosques, and from pulpits. Voluminous exegetical works exist expounding its meaning. Words pour out incessantly to explain its teachings and to exhort us to live by it. Yet eyes remain dry, hearts remain unmoved, minds remain untouched, lives remain unchanged. Ignominy and degradation appear to have become the lot of the followers of the Qur�an. Why? Because we no longer read the Qur�an as a living reality. It is a sacred book, but it tells us something of the past only, concerning Muslims and Kafirs, Jews and Christians, the faithful and the hypocrites, who �once upon a time used to be.� Khurram Murad, in [Way to the Qur�an] Hadhrat Ahnaf bin Qais (radiAllahu anhu)said, "I compared our actions to that of the people of Jannah and I discovered that they by far excelled us; our actions do not compare with theirs. They slept less at night and laboured more in their devotions to Allah. I then compared our actions to that of the people of Jahannum and I discovered that they refuted Allah, His Rasul (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) and Qiyamah. I realised that our actions are not of the standard of the people of Jannah, and [Allah be praised] not like that of the people of Jahannum. I therefore conclude that we are among those about whom Allah Ta'ala says, "Those who mixed a good act with another that was evil.� [Ibn Kahir, 'Ma'ariful Quran' vol.8] Beware of the flight of Blessings, For nothing that runs away is returned. - Ali ibn Abu Talib People who fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes. All women are pearls of great value, but some of us have been deceived into doubting the value of our purity. Pearls are priceless and should be protected and guarded from unworthy eyes. The highest degree of love is Tatayyum (total enthrallment). The lowest degree is �alaqah (attachment), when the heart is attached to the beloved: then comes sabahah (infatuation), when the heart is poured out: then gharam (passion), when love never leaves the heart: then ashaq (ardent love), and finally tatayyum. - ibn Taymiyyah [Al-Uboodiyyah] He does not refuse sustenance to the one who speaks ill of Him. How then could He refuse sustenance to the one whose soul is overflowing with love for Him? - Rabi'a al-adawiyya [Rabi'a the Mystic] O you who complain to people about your misfortunes, what good will it do you to complain to creatures? They can bring you neither benefit nor harm. If you rely on them and associate partners with the Lord of the Truth, they will make you distant from Him, cause you to fall into His displeasure. - Abdul Qadir Jilani I swear that ever since the first day You brought me back to life, The day You became my Friend, I have not slept - And even if You drive me from your door, I swear again that we will never be separated - Because You are alive in my heart - Rabia al-Adawiyya Wisdom is like the rain. Its source is unlimited, but it comes down according to the season. Grocers put sugar in a bag, but their supply of sugar is not the amount in the bag. When you come to a grocer, he has sugar in abundance. But he sees how much money you have brought and gives accordingly. Your currency on this Path is resolution and faith, and you are taught according to your resolution and faith. When you come seeking sugar, they examine your bag to see what its capacity is; then they measure out accordingly. - Jalaluddin Rumi Many a spoken word is more peircing than an attack. - Ali ibn Abu Talib He who practices Tasawwuf without learning Sacred Law corrupts his faith, while he who learns Sacred Law without practicing Tasawwuf corrupts himself. Only he who combines the two proves true. Imam Malik (rahimullah) Actions are merely propped-up shapes. Their life-breath is the presence of the secret of sincerity in them. - Ibn Ata'illah Iskandari [Al-hikam al-'Ata'iyyah] Jaffer asked Rabia when a devotee might become content with God. She replied, "When his joy in affliciton equals his joy in blessing." - Abu Makki Everything that hearts find of worries and sadness is because of what they have been denied of beholding Allah. - One of the Salaf Man's fear of Allah is equal to his knowledge of Him, and his renunciation of the life of this world is equal to his desire of the Hereafter. Whoever acts according to what he knows, Allah will make him successful in what he doesn't know. And whoever is ill-tempered disgraces his honour, religion and generosity. - Ibrahim al-Ash'ath Weep like the waterwheel, that green herbs may spiring up from the courtyard of your soul. If you wish for tears, have mercy on one who sheds tears; if you wish mercy, show mercy to the weak. - Jalaluddin Rumi Soften your heart [I, 821-2] The soul should take care of the body, just as the pilgrim on his way to Makkah takes care of his camel; but if the pilgrim spends his whole time in feeding and adorning his camel, the caravan will leave him behind, and he will perish in the desert. - abu Hamid al-Ghazali For the larger interest of humanity, Islamic society presents the safest place on this planet. - Jermaine Jackson Money doesnt change people, it only exposes them. Whoever does not hold his tongue cannot understand his deen. - Al Hasan al-Basri And make provision for yourselves; the best provision is taqwa - Quran, 2:197 I don't advise you to mind your life's affairs because I know that you are covetous to do so, but I advise you to mind the affairs of the Hereafter. Take from this temporary home to the eternal one. Consider this life as something that you have left, I swear by Allah you will leave it. Consider death as something that you have tasted, I swear by Allah you will taste it. And consider the Hereafter as a home that you have visited, I swear by Allah you will be there. - Ata al Khurasani Purification of the heart was once described by a scholar. He gave the analogy of a man who didn�t have a bath for a whole year. So to make himself look clean and presentable, the dirty man decided to put on perfume and wear expensive clothes. Obviously his actions would be futile. He would still reek and smell, right? Similarly, if we have dirty hearts and we focus on external actions (e.g Salah, fasting etc) our actions would be futile. Hence, tasawwuf and purification of the heart. If we do not focus on the importance of purifying our hearts, all our external good deeds will be in vain. Knowledge is proud that it knows so much; Wisdom is humble that it knows no more. There are two kinds of speeches and two kinds of silences. Speech is either truth or a falsification, and silence is either fruition or heedlessness. If one speaks the truth, his words are better than his silence, but he who invents falsifications, his silence is better than his speech. People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within. In the heavens there is calmness and on the earth there is beauty. In the gardens there is freshness and in you there is a sign. In the sea there is might and in the air there is nourishment. Take from all this comfort for your soul and recovery for your mind. And do not waste your time by being unmindful, this will shield you from good and lead you to evil. - Hasan al-Banna A bad attitude spoils a good deed just as vinegar spoils honey - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) Reputation is what men and women think of us; Character is what God and Angels know of us. There is only one virtue and one sin for a soul on the path: virtue when he is conscious of God and sin when he is not. - Abu Hashim Madani Iman is to believe, even when an overpowering tide of evil surrounds you. � Imam Anwar al-Awlaki Tasawwuf: The weakening of the negative aspects of the human soul and the strengthening of its positive aspects. Do a lot of remembrance of Allah until they say, 'He is mad.' - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [Reported by Abu Sa'id al-Khudri in Ahmad, Abu Ya'la and Ibn Hibban] If your pride leads you to boast, you will be doubly guilty, because your intelligence will have shown that it is incapable of controlling your pride. - Ibn Hazm Some people drink deeply from the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle. He whose sin is due to desires, then have hope for him. And he whose sin is due to pride, then fear for him - because Nabi Adam disobeyed due to desire and was forgiven, and Iblis sinned due to pride and was cursed - Sufyan ibn Uyainah You say that you are just a body, but inside of you is something greater than the Universe. - Imam Shafi (rahimullah) Everyone projects the image of friendship, but true friendship is that friendship which is established for the Pleasure of Allah. A true friend is one who takes no offence when a weakness of his is pointed out. And he too does not hesitate to point out the friend�s weakness and assist him in rectifying it. - Moulana Yunus Patel saheb O students at the madrasa, Everything you learn is mere misgivings. If your concern is in other than the Beloved, You shall have no share of the Next Life. - One of the righteous poets of the spiritual path The world is darkness; knowledge is light; but knowledge without truth is a mere shadow. - Ali ibn Abu Talib (radiAllahu anhu) Patience which is in remembrance of Him is not bitter; For bitterness from a friend's hand is sugar. - Bustan It is impossible to begin to learn that which one thinks one already knows. Make the remembrance of Allah, my garment, my Lord Every utterance from my mouth be Your dhikr, my Lord. Instead of breath, It should be Your dhikr from my throat, my Lord Let this Dhikr never leave me And be the last thing on my tongue O Creator. La Ilaha Illallah. La Ilaha Illallah. If the Seven heavens and Seven earths were put together on one side of a scale and the words "La ilaha ilalah" were placed on the other side of the scale, the later would outweigh the former. - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [Sahih al-Bukhari] Among the signs of true success (tawfiq) is witnessing one's shortcomings, while having high resolve; remaining lowly and needy; being characterized by slavehood to Allah, with true following of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in his actions, states, words, and character; yet not beholding any of this nor relying on it nor being tricked by it or stopping with it. - Imam Abd Allah Ba-Sudan al-Hadrami (in his al-Anwar al-Lami`a, a commentary on al-Risala al-Jami`a, (p. 120)) Oh writer! An Angel watches over all you write. Make your writing meaningful for it will eventually return to you and you will be questioned about what you wrote. - Ali ibn Abu Talib (radiAllahu anhu) There will never be enough darkness in the world to extinguish the light of Islam. I believe if there is any place left where the humanity is still visible, it can not be anywhere else than in an Islamic society. Time would come when the world would be obliged to accept this reality. When He opens a way for you and makes Himself known to you, then do not worry about your lack of deeds. He only opened the way for you because He desired to make Himself known to you. Do you not see that while He grants gnosis of Himself to you, you have only deeds to offer Him? What He brings you - What you bring Him - What a difference there is between them! - Hikam of Ibn Ata'illa If you remember the creation (gossip about such and such a person), then remember Allah the Most High. Remembering Him is the medicine for remembering His creation. - Fudayl ibn 'Iyad (rahimahullah) The heartbrokenness of the sinner is better than the forcefulness of the obedient - Abu Madyan [Diwan, 50] The ambition of the spiritual traveller never wants to stop with what it has been shown save that the voices of reality call to him, "what you seek is ahead of you. - Ibn 'Ata'illah Iskandari The beloved of Allah are the perfume of Allah upon this world, but only the true, sincere believers have noses to smell them. They smell that beautiful perfume; they follow that smell. That perfume creates a yearning in their hearts for their Lord, and as a result the sincere believers increase their pace, efforts and devotions. - Yahya ibn Muadh al Razi (rahimullah) [The Secrets of Secrets, p16, by Sk. Abdul Qadir Jilani] If someone's state does not lift you up, and his words do not lead you to Allah. Then do not keep his company. It may well be that you are in a bad state, But to keep company with someone worse than you would allow to see good in yourself. - Ibn Ata'illah Iskandari If someone remarks "What an excellent man you are!" and this pleases you more than his saying, "What a bad man you are!" know that you are still a bad man. - Sufyan ath-Thawri To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires to do When there is an original sound in the world, it makes a hundred echoes. O my people! Prove the sincerity of your respect for the Qur'an by putting its teachings into practice, not by arguing about it. - Mohyuddin, Abdul Qadir al Jilani from 'The Sublime Revelation', Trans. Muhtar Holland One who is mild rather than forceful has greater capcity for outreach. - Ali ibn Abu Talib (radiAllahu anhu) Tala'al badru 'alaynaa, Min thanee yatil Wadaa. Wajabash shukru 'alaynaa maa da'aa lil lahidaa. Ayyuhal mab'oothu feenaa. Ji-ta bil amril mutaa. Ji-ta shar raftal Madinah. Marhaban yaa khayra daa. The full moon rose over us from the vally in the south. Now we owe it to show thankfulness every time we call on Allah. O you who were raised among us, coming with a word to be obeyed. You have brought to this city nobleness so welcome! best caller to Allah's way. - Sang by the girls of Madinah when the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)entered the city on the Hijrah Practice what you have learned, for theory without practice is like a spirit without a body. One who is content with learning alone is not learned, for the truly learned seek more than mere words. Divine guidance entails self-mortification, without which contemplation is unattainable. - Imam Al-Hujwiri [Kashf al-Mahjub] Life's most urgent question is: what are you doing for others? - Martin Luther King, Jr. If you are dependable, honest, virtuous, and content in Allah�s will, no harm shall come your way. - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [as reported by Abd�Allah bin Amr] The need to be loved is childish, immature. The need to love is mature. Eat what you want and dress up as you desire, as long as extravagance and pride do not mislead you. - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [as reported by Abd�Allah ibn Abbas] A garden in al-Andalus has unveiled beauty and a lush scent. The morning glistens from its teeth and the night is overshadowed by its scarlet lips. When the wind blows from the East I cry: O how I long for al-Andalus! - Abu Ishaq ibn Khafaja (d. 1139), excerpt from a poem 'The literature of al-Andalus' He who clings to my Sunnah when my Ummah is corrupt, will receive the Reward of a hundred martyrs. - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) And those who believe are overflowing in their love of God - Qur'an, 2: 165 Have you fully Realized what Islam is? It is indeed a religion founded on truth. It is such a fountain-head of learning that several streams of wisdom and knowledge flow from it.It is such a lamp that several lamps will be lighted from it. It is a lofty beacon of light illumining the path of Allah. It is such a set of principles and beliefs that it will fully satisfy every seeker of truth and reality. Know you that Allah has made Islam the most sublime path for attainment of His supreme pleasure and the highest standards of his worship and obedience. He has favoured it with noble precepts, exalted principles, undoubtable arguments, unchallengeable supremacy and undeniable wisdom. It is up to you to maintain the eminence and dignity granted to it by the Lord, to follow it sincerly, to do justice to its articles of faith and belief, to obey implicity its tenets and orders and to give it the proper place in your lives. - Ali ibn Abu Talib (radiAllahu anhu) Knowledge no longer exists if one has ignored the attributes of the Almighty Great Creator. - Ibn Hazm If you have knowledge or something, let others light their candles with it. Many things in life will catch your eye but few will catch your heart. Pursue those. Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love. - Jalaluddin al-Rumi We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. - Martin Luther King, Jr. Both a swimmer and a drowned man are in the water; the latter is borne by the water and controlled by it, while the swimmer is borne along by his own power and of his own volition. Every movement made by the drowned man -- indeed, every act and word that issue from him -- comes from the water, not from him... The saints are like this. They have died before death. - Jalaluddin al-Rumi [from 'Signs of the Unseen: The Discourses of Jalaluddin Rumi'] The glance is a poisoned arrow of shaytan. Whoever lowers his gaze for Allah, He will bestow upon him a refreshing sweetness which he will find in his heart on the day that he meets Him. - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) The heart, in its journey to Allah, Majestic is He, is like that of a bird;Love is its head, and fear and hope are its two wings. When the head and two wings are sound, the bird flies gracefully; if the head is severed, the bird dies; if the bird loses one of its wings, it then becomes a target for every hunter or predator. - Ibn al Qayyim I was once like you, enlightened and "rational", I too scoffed at lovers, Now I am drunk, crazed, thin with misery. No one is safe! Watch out. - Jalaluddin al-Rumi I love God: I have no time left In which to hate the devil. - Rabia al Basri [From: Doorkeeper of the heart: versions of Rabia / [translated by] Charles Upton. Putney, Vt.: Threshold Books, c1988] Truly in the heart there is a void that can not be removed except with the company of Allah. And in it there is a sadness that can not be removed except with the happiness of knowing Allah and being true to Him. And in it thereis an emptiness that can not be filled except with love for Him and by turning to Him and always remembering Him And if a person were given all of the world and what is in it, it would not fill this emptiness. Those that follow a religion that cannot create a civilisation, will create a civilisation that cannot follow a religion. Iman is not something that I just "perform" in a place of worship. Iman is life. Iman is how I interact with Allah during all the breaths that I take. - Shaykh Habib 'Ali al Jifri Someone told Imam Abu Hanifah, "In the mosque there is a circle (Halaqah) in which the people are looking at fiqh." He asked, "Do they have a head (i.e. a teacher)?" The man replied, "No." The Imam said, "These will never gain knowledge of fiqh." [Reported by al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi, through his isnad, in 'al-Faqeeh wal-Mutafaqqih'] Imam Malik was asked, "Can knowledge be taken from a man who has not ([to his credit any) seeking (of knowledge) nor sitting (with scholars)?" He said, "No." [Reported by as-Suyuti in 'Is'af al-Mubatta'] Imam al-Shafi' said, "Whoever takes knowledge from books loses the regulations." (man akhadha al-'ilma min al-kutubi Dayya'a al-aHkaama). [Reported by al-Nawawi in the introduction to 'al-Majmu'] 'Abdullah, the son of Imam Ahmad, said, "My father said : 'Knowledge is only that in which one says : So-and-so told us . . . . And, al-Mansur asked my father to discuss [something] with Ibn Abi Du'ad, but he turned his face away, saying, 'How can I discuss with someone whom I have not seen at the door of a single scholar?!'" [Reported by Qadi 'Iyad in 'al-Ilma'] Were you to put your complete trust in Allah, He would provide for you as He provides for the birds. They issue forth hungry in the morning and return filled in the evening. - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [Reported by Umar in at-Tirmidhi] Behold and see as you pass by As you are now so once was I As I am now so you must be Perpare for death and follow me. - A tombstone inscription from a cemetery in New-York Narrated Abdullah bin Amr (radiAllahu anhu), a man asked the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) 'Whose Islam is good or what sort of deeds of Islam are good.' The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) replied, 'To feed others and to greet those whom you know and those whom you do not know.' Everyone who is taken by death asks for more time, while everyone who still has time makes excuses for procrastination. - Ali ibn Abu Talib (radiAllah anhu) Greed takes a person to the watering place but gets him back without letting him drink. It undertakes resposibility but does not fulfill it. Often the drinker gets choked before quenching his thirst. The greater the worth of a thing yearned for, the greater is the grief for its loss. Desires blind the eyes of understanding. The destined share would reach him who does not approach it. - Ali ibn Abu Talib (radiAllahu anhu) There is no joy for someone who has no sorrow. There is no pleasure for the one who has no patience No bliss for someone with no misery and no rest for the one with no fatigue. When someone is a little tired, he has long rest. When he endures the difficulty of steadfastness for a time, that leads him to eternal life. All that the people of eternal bliss are in is steadfastness for a time. - Ibn al-Qayyim I am amazed at the people who take care of themselves by eating food out of fear of dying, yet do not protect themselves from sins out of fear of the Fire. - Ibn Shubrumah [Siyar A'lam an-Nubala. - Vol 6, Page 348] The heart, in its journey to Allah, Majestic is He, is like that of a bird; Love is its head, and fear and hope are its two wings. When the head and two wings are sound, the bird flies gracefully; if the head is severed, the bird dies; if the bird loses one of its wings, it then becomes a target for every hunter or predator. - Ibn al-Qayyim Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. - Martin Luther King A'isha (radiAllahu anha) narrated two verses (couplets) 'if the friends of Zulaikha could see the blessed face of Rasulullah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), they would have cut their hearts instead of their hands' [Sham'il at-Tirmidhi] Habeebah al-'Adawiyyah prayed Isha then she would stand on the roof of her house and would say, "O my Lord, the stars have come out, people have gone to sleep, and kings have closed their doors, but Your door is open. Every lover is alone with his lover, but here I am standing before You." Then she would start to pray and talk to her Lord until the time of suhoor. When the time of suhoor would come she would say, "O Allah, this night is ending, the day is coming, and I wish I knew whether You have accepted the night of worship from me, so that I could congratulate myself, or if it has been rejected, so that I might console myself." Your Remedy is within you, but you do not sense it. Your Sickness is from you, but you do not percieve it. You Presume you are a small entity, But within you is enfolded the entire universe. You are indeed the evident book, By whose alphabet the hidden becomes the manifest. Therefore, you have no need to look beyond yourself, What you seek is within you, if only you reflect. - Ali ibn abu Talib (radiAllahu anhu) The world is held up by Four pillars: The Wisdom of the Learned; the Justice of the Great; the Prayers of The Righteous; and the Valour of the Brave. - Inscription at entrance of University of Granada in Muslim Spain. There is nothing in our book, the Koran, that teaches us to suffer peacefully. Our religion teaches us to be intelligent. Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery. That�s a good religion. - Malcolm X [from 'Message to the Grass Roots', speech, Nov. 1963, Detroit (published in Malcolm X Speaks, ch. 1, 1965)]. There are many challenges, and every challenge is an opportunity, not a shackle! - Professor Khurshid Ahmed Indeed this discipline of ours is from cradle to grave. Whoever intends to leave this knowledge of ours for one moment, let him leave it now! - Muhammad Ibn al-Hassan ash-Shaybani "When you come upon the meadows of the Garden, graze in them." He was asked, "What are the meadows of the Garden?" "Circles of dhikr," he replied. - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [reported by Anas - at-Tirmidhi] Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said; Leave me to my companions, for by the One in whose hands is my soul, if you were to spend in charity the like of the mount of Uhud in gold you would not match their actions. - Ahmed and considered to be Sahih Allah! Allah! My companions! Allah! Allah! My companions! Do not take them as targets, for whoever loves them, by my love for them I will love them and whoever hates them, I will hate them and whoever harms them has harmed me and who harms me has harmed Allah and whoever harms Allah I fear He will take him. - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [at-Tirmidhi] If Allah wishes for good for a man of my nation he throws love of my companions into his heart. - Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [al-Daylami] My companions are like stars, you will be guided by whichever one you follow.- Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [Musnad of Imam Abu Hanifa, al-Baihaqi and al-Daylami] I am amazed concerning the Hellfire - how does the one who could flee from it sleep? And I am amazed concerning the Jannah - how does the one who desires it sleep? For by Allah! If you neither desire Paradise, nor fear the Hellfire, then you are destroyed and grievous will be your sorrow, interminable your sadness and without limit your tears; you will be amongst the wretched, the punished ones. So if you claim that you are amongst those who seek refuge from the Fire and desire Paradise, then strive for that which you seek and do not be misled by your worldly desires. - a pious slave Fight your tongue. The tongue is quick to kill a man. The tongue is the posting of the heart. It shows man his intellect. - Imam Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak [from Tartib al-Madarik by Qadi 'Iyad al-Yahsubi, trans. 'A'isha Bewley] Upon your life! On the day that I carried the standard So that the calvary of al-Lat could overcome the calvary of Muhammad Like an uncertain person who sets out at night, This was the time that I was offered guidance and was guided. I was guided by someone other than myself; I was guided to Allah by the very one I had striven so hard to drive away. No camel has there been who ever bore upon its back Anyone more righteous or more faithful in his pledge than Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) - Sufyan ibn al-Harith (radiAllahu anhu) We used to say that those amongst us with the most sins are those who spend their time talking about the sins of others. - Muhammad ibn Sireen We have come to free the slaves of Allah from the slavery of the creation. Purifying the heart, is equally if not more important then external ritualistic worship. It is something that we should not neglect. Abu Bakr al-Katani said: A discussion about mahabbah took place in Makkah, during pilgrimage season. The Shaykhs who were present spoke about this topic, and al-Junayd being the youngest of them. They said to him: What do you say, O Iraqi? So al-Junayd lowered his head and tears were gushing from his eyes, then he said: "A servant should overcome his soul, And be continuous in the remembrance of his Lord, Establishing the rights of his Lord, Focusing upon Him with his heart, The light of fear setting ablaze his heart, Whilst drinking from the vessel of pure love, And certain hidden realities being unveiled for him. So when he talks, it is due to Allah, When he speaks, it is from Allah, When he moves, it is by the Command of Allah, And when he is serene, then it is from Allah, He belongs to Allah, is for Allaah and is with Allah." Upon hearing, the Shaykhs all started weeping, and they said: There is nothing left to add to that, may Allah reward you O Crown of the Knowledgeable Ones. Say Bismillah, In the name of God, as the shaykh does with a knife when he offers an animal. Bismillah your old self to find your real name. - Jalaluddin al-Rumi [from 'The Essential Rumi'] Expressing spiritual faith in physical practice is the key to life. We did not acquire this level of tasawwuf just by talking about it; but rather, we acquired it through spending the nights awake in prayer, experiencing hunger from fasting the days, and going against our worldly desires. - Imam Al Junayd There are five signs of righteousness: a gentle disposition and a soft heart, shedding tears of regret, ascetism and not caring about the world, being unambitious, and having a conscience. - Shaqiq al Balkhi (rahimullah) [The secrets of secrets, p 62 by Sh. Abdul Qadir Jilani] Whenever Allah gives a blessing to a servant, and then takes it back from him, and the servant patiently endures his loss, then He rewards him with a blessing which is better than the one which He took back. - Umar ibn Abdal-Aziz While holding the door of the Ka'bah, Abu Dharr told that he had heard the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) say, My family among you are like Noah's ark. He who sails on it will be safe, but he who holds back from it will perish. [at-Tirmidhi Hadith #6174, Musnad Ahmad bin Hambal] A man with wisdom as soon as adversity appears does that which a foolish man does after a month (i.e. he resorts to patience) - a wise man The eye of contentment is blind to every blemish, But the eye of rancor ferrets out mistakes. - Abdullah ibn Mu�awiya ibn Abdullah ibn Ja�far ibn Abi Talib It was not Muslims that had made Islam great; it was Islam that had made the Muslims great. - Muhammad Asad We came to liberate you from the submission and worship of people to the worship of the Lord of all people, and from the injustice of other deens to the justice of Islam, and from the anguish of this life to the bliss of this life and the hereafter. - Ribay ibn Amir addressing the Persian Emperor If you are looking for a friend who is faultless, you will be friendless. - Jalaluddin Rumi I saw myself in a wide green garden, more beautiful than I could begin to understand. In this garden was a young girl. I said to her, "How wonderful this place is!" "Would you like to see a place even more wonderful than this?" she asked. "Oh yes," I answered. Then taking me by the hand, she led me on until we came to a magnificent palace, like nothing that was ever seen by human eyes. The young girl knocked on the door, and someone opened it. Immediately both of us were flooded with light. Only Allah knows the inner meaning of the maidens we saw living there. Each one carried in her hand a serving-tray filled with light. The young girl asked the maidens where they were going, and they answered her, "We are looking for someone who was drowned in the sea, and so became a martyr. She never slept at night, not one wink! We are going to rub funeral spices on her body." "Then rub some on my friend here," the young girl said. "Once upon a time," said the maidens, "part of this spice and the fragrance of it clung to her body -- but then she shied away." Quickly the young girl let go of my hand, turned, and said to me: "Your prayers are your light; Your devotion is your strength; Sleep is the enemy of both. Your life is the only opportunity that life can give you. If you ignore it, if you waste it, You will only turn to dust." Then the young girl disappeared -Rabia al-Basri Be with Allah, You will find Allah with you. - Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi Learn silence as you have learned speech. Speech will guide you, and silence will protect you. - One of the scholars of Ihsan If I had known of any science greater than tasawwuf I would have gone to it, even on my hands and knees. - Imam Junayd Uthman (radiAllahu anhu), during the time of his Khilafah, came to visit Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (radiAllahu anhu) on his deathbed. He asked, "What is your ailment?" "My sins", Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (ra) replied. "And what do you desire?", Uthman asked. "The mercy of my Lord" For no single thing exists that does not have its source with Us; and naught do We bestow from on high unless it be in accordance with a measure well-defined - Qur'an, Surah al-Hijr, 21 Beware of luxury, for the slaves of Allah are not luxurious. - Ibn Masu'd Neglect not your time, nor use it haphazardly; on the contrary you should bring yourself to account. Structure your litanies and other practices during each day and night. This is how to bring about the spiritual blessing (baraka) in each period. If each of your breaths is a priceless jewel, Be not like the deceived fools who are joyous because each day their wealth increases while their life grows ever shorter. - abu Hamid al-Ghazali [in 'Bidayat ul-Hidaya'] You have not abandoned ignorance at all if you want something to take place in any moment other than what Allah has manifested it in. - Shaykh Ibn Ata'illah Whoever desires Paradise, proceeds towards goodness; whoever fears Hell, refrains from the impulses of passions; whoever believes firmly in death, detests wordly life; and whoever recognises the worldly life, the trials and tribulations (of life) become slight for him. - Ali ibn Abu Talib (radiAllahu anhu) Do not despair when in spite of intense supplication, there is a delay in receiving the expected gift. He has guaranteed that he will respond in what He chooses for you, and not what you choose for yourself, and at the time He chooses � not the time you desire. - Ibn Ata'illah You have not abandoned ignorance at all if you want something to take place in any moment other than what Allah has manifested in it. - Ibn Ata'illah [Hikam of Ibn Ata'illah, Trans. by A'isha Bewley] Better to look at the defects hidden within you than to look for the unseen worlds that are veiled from you. - Shaykh Ibn Ata'illah Whoever builds his faith exclusively on demonstrative proofs and deductive arguments, builds a faith on which it is impossible to rely. For he is affected by the negativities of constant objections. Certainty (al-yaqin) does not derive from the evidences of the mind but pours out from the depths of the heart. - Ibn Arabi Hope and fear are like the two wings of a bird, when its flying straight to its destination: if one wings fails, and if both fail, it dies. Ab'ul Qasim Al Quraiyshi Knowledge for us means knowledge of the allowance/dispensation (rukhsa). As for strictness, anyone can show strictness. - Sufyan ath-Thawri Allah guards the justice loving government, even if it is the government of non-Muslims, and destroys the tyrant government, even if it is the government of Muslims. - Ibn Taymeeyah If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But train yourself not to worry. Worry never fixes anything. To my view, the women in an Islamic society is just like a well-protected flower which is safe from the stray penetrating looks of the viewers. Whereas western society is devoid of the vision to appreciate this wisdom and philosophy. -