[Al Hujwiri]

There are two kinds of speeches and two kinds of silences. Speech is either truth or falsification, and silence is either fruition or heedlessness. If one speaks the truth, his words are better than his silence, but the one who invents falsifications, his silence is better than his speech. [Al Hujwiri]

Hazrat Hasan Basri

Hazrat Hasan Basri said: An essential requisite for humility is that when an individual steps out of his home, whomever he sees he considers him to be superior to his own self.

Sayyiduna Mu’adh ibn Jabal

Sayyiduna Mu’adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Learn whatever you wish to learn, but you will never be rewarded until you act upon your knowledge.”

Abdullah Ansari of Herat

Great shame it is to deem of high degree Thyself, or over others recon thee: Strive to be like the pupil of thine eye— To see all else, but not thyself to see. Shaykh al-Islam Abdullah Ansari of Herat

A leading scholar of Basra visited Rabe’a on her sickbed. Sitting beside her pillow, he reviled the world.

“You love the world very dearly,” Rabe’a commented. “If you did not love the world, you would not make mention of it so much. It is always the purchaser who disparages the wares 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.” -Hadhrat Rabe’a al-Adawiya (rahmatullah alayhi)

The Taabi’ee ‘Ataa bin Abee Rabah رحمة الله عليه advised the king of his time Hishâm bin abd al-Malik with the following jewels..

…أتق الله في نفسك
…وأعلم أنك خلقت وحدك
…وتموت وحدك
…وتحشر وحدك
وتحاسب وحدك

Fear Allâh in regards to yourself,
Know that you were created alone…
…And that you will die alone,
Be resurrected alone….
…..And taken into account alone

[Shaykh Hamza Yusuf]

We forget that this Deen was once given Divine signs from Allah that were so clear as to inspire the soldiers of Islam to fight with a vigor and certainty that led a British prime minister to admit, “We cannot defeat a people who see the gates of Paradise down the barrel of our cannons.” [Shaykh Hamza Yusuf]

[Ali radi Allah anhu]

Love your friend with some reserve, for he might become inimical to you someday. Despise your enemy with some reserve, For he might become your friend someday. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

[Abu’l Qasim Al Qushayri]

Hope and fear are like the two wings of a bird, when it is flying straight to its destination: if one wing fails, and if both fail, it dies. [Abu’l Qasim Al Qushayri]

[Ibn ‘Ata-Illah]

“God is not veiled from you by some reality existing apart from Him, since there is no reality outside of Him: what veils Him from you is but the illusion that there can be a reality apart from Him.” [Ibn ‘Ata-Illah]

A Sufi once said: “Sit with those of this world, and you become a speck in its sea. Sit with those of Allah, and the world becomes a speck in your sea.”

Walk on Water The Wisdom of Jesus

Once Jesus (alayhi salam) met IblÏs [Satan] and IblÏs

said, “Is it not true that only what has been

decreed will happen?”

Jesus replied, “That is true.”

Then IblÏs said, “So throw yourself down

from the top of this mountain, and let us

see if you live or not!”

Jesus answered, “The servant does not

test his master; rather, it is the master who

tests his servant.”

(Abu Naim)

From “Walk on Water The Wisdom of Jesus” by Hamza Yusuf

Junayd al-Bagdadi

O Allah, I shelter behind you from all deeds that will displease you. O Allah, I ask for the most essential, the most clean, and the honor You bestow. O Allah, do not make me so busy that I fall into the forgetfulness of those who forget You. May I be worthy of Your approval. O Allah, make me a servant remembered only for loving You, hoping for nothing from his worship! O Allah, fill my heart with joy from You, purify my tongue with Your Names, let my limbs labor on tasks You will find good and of which You will approve. O Allah, eliminate all traces, memories, recollections, and feelings that are not of You!
Junayd al-Bagdadi

Sufi Master Abu al-Hasan Kharaqani.

“He who has spent a complete day without causing harm to anyone else, has spent his day with the Prophet (pbuh); were he to do harm to one person, Allah (swt) will not accept any of the prayers he has offered that day”.- Attributed to Sufi Master Abu al-Hasan Kharaqani.

Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim

Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

“duas and ta’awwudhaat [prayers seeking refuge with Allaah] are like a weapon, and a weapon is only as good as the person who is using it; it is not merely the matter of how sharp it is. If the weapon is perfect and free of faults, and the arm of the person using it is strong, and there is nothing stopping him, then he can lay waste the enemy. But if any of these three features is lacking, then the effect will be lacking accordingly.”
(al-Daa’ wa’l-Dawaa’, p. 35).

Maulana Rumi

Maulana Rumi says;
“I cry and weep before my Beloved, for that appears well pleaseing to Him
And in both worlds our crying and sorrowful sighs are loved byHim.
Blessed is that eye that cries in the remembrance of the Beloved
And blessed is the heart that is embroiled in His love.
For as long as the babe does not cry,
milk does not flow forth from mother breasts
And as long as the clouds don’t shed raindrops,
the garden does not become green.
From the ‘crying’ of the clouds, the garden becomes green and fertile.
And as much as the candle cries, so much it increases its light.
And where tears flow, mercy prevails.
Allah equates the tears of the sinner in grief
To the blood flowing from a martyr.
Crying and weeping is a great wealth.
And the Mercy of Allah is a great blessing.
The wealth of this world consists of gold and silver.
The capital in Allah’s sight is Love and two crying eyes.”
[From: Ma-aarif - e - Mathnavi : of Maulana Hakim Mohammad Akhtar]

Kahlil Gibran

“But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love. Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your soul” Kahlil Gibran

[Umm Zahra’s Blog]

“Look at life as if you’re in the hereafter. Think of Jahanam as if you’re at its gates. Think of janat as if you’re close to it. Think of death as real as if you were dead. Think of the day you will meet Allah Ta’ala as you stand there now. Look at your present through your future, so you can use your present to be ready for your future. Be smart & walk for what is after death where no friend or family will be of any use & you will only have Allah.” [Umm Zahra’s Blog]

Al-Hasan al-Basri

Al-Hasan al-Basri said: People are all the same in health and ease, but when hardship befalls them, true distinction is shown.

Umar ibn Abdil-’Aziz (rahimahullah)

Umar ibn Abdil-’Aziz (rahimahullah):
Become a scholar, if you are able.
If you are not able, then be a student.
If you can not, then show love for them.
If you are unable to do that, then (at least) do not hate them.

[Saadi, translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut - ‘Perfume of the Desert’ ]

How could I ever thank my Friend?
No thanks could ever begin to be worthy.
Every hair of my body is a gift from Him;
How could I thank Him for each hair?
Praise that lavish Lord forever
Who from nothing conjures all living beings!
Who could ever describe His goodness?
His infinite glory lays all praise waste.
Look, He has graced you a robe of splendor>
From childhood’s first cries to old age!
He made you pure in His own image; stay pure.
It is horrible to die blackened by sin.
Never let dust settle on your mirror’s shining;
Let it once grow dull and it will never polish.
When you work in the world to earn your living
Do not, for one moment, rely on your own strength.
Self-worshiper, don’t you understand anything yet?
It is God alone that gives your arms their power.
If, by your striving, you achieve something good,
Don’t claim the credit all for yourself;
It is fate that decides who wins and who loses
And all success streams only from the grace of God.
In this world you never stand by your own strength;
It is the Invisible that sustains you every moment.

[Saadi, translation by Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut - ‘Perfume of the Desert’ ]

upon him], and meeting him did not benefit [some of] his relatives and enemies.” - Risalah Qushayriyyah, Imam Abu-l-Qasim al-Qushayri

Hatim Al-Asamm asserted, “Do not be deceived by righteous places, for there is no place more righteous than Paradise, and consider what Adam [peace be upon him] met with in a righteous place! And do not be deceived by abundant acts of worship, for consider what Iblis came to after so much worship. And do not be deceived by large quantities of knowledge, for Balaam knew the Greatest Name of God, and consider what he met with! And do not be deceived by meeting the pious, for there is no person with a greater destiny than Mustafa [may God’s blessing and peace be upon him], and meeting him did not benefit [some of] his relatives and enemies.”

- Risalah Qushayriyyah, Imam Abu-l-Qasim al-Qushayri

Analogy of Fiqh

Analogy of Fiqh

al-fiqhu zarú bni masúūdin; wa álqamah
ĥaşşaduhu thumma ibrāhimu dawwāsu
númānu ťaĥinuhu, yáqūbu áājinuhu
muĥammadun khābizu, wa’l ākilu’n nāsu

Fiqh is from the field, whose soil was turned [zar’á] by Ábdullāh ibn Masúūd and Álqamah –
irrigated which; Ibrahim an-Nakhaýī pounded it;
Abū Ĥanifah Númān grounded it to fine flour; Abū Yūsuf kneaded it,
Muĥammad baked the bread and people eat this bread.

Durr al-Mukhtār

[Mufti Muhammad Shafi]

O oppressor, there is still time for repentance, do not delay, the one who fell and got up has not fallen. [Mufti Muhammad Shafi]

Ash-Shâfi‘î (rahimahullâh)

Ash-Shâfi‘î (rahimahullâh) said, “Whoever spread gossip for you spreads gossip against you. Whoever relates tales to you will tell tales about you. Whoever when you please him says about you what is not in you, when you anger him will say about you what is not in you.”

[Rabi’ah al-Adawiyya]

My Greatest Need is You
Your hope in my heart is the rarest treasure
Your Name on my tongue is the sweetest word
My choicest hours
Are the hours I spend with You –O Allah, I can’t live in this world
Without remembering You–How can I endure the next world
Without seeing Your face?
I am a stranger in Your country
And lonely among Your worshippers:
This is the substance of my complaint.
[Rabi’ah al-Adawiyya]

[Abu Sulayman al-Darani]

“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]

A Poet said:

A Poet said:

ترجو النجاة ولم تسلك مسالكهاYou hope for salvation but do not traverse the paths of salvation

إن السفينة لا تجري على اليبسIndeed, the boat does not float on dry land

Shaykhul Hadith Moulana M Zakariyyah Saheb

“The concept of the actual purpose of tasawwuf is the sincerity of desiring Allah’s pleasure, be it reformation of character, honest dealings, development of a moderate nature, self control, giving preference to others, submission, recitations, strivings, staying in the company of a shaikh and even bai’at. If these are not achieved then all this effort is synonymous to a person who works all day long trying to move a mountain with a piece of straw” Shaykhul Hadith Moulana M Zakariyyah Saheb

Rashīd Ahmad Gangohi]

Do not take upon your self more hardships than what you can tolerate. [Shaykh Rashīd Ahmad Gangohi]

[From Contentions of Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad]

It is better to appreciate what you do not have than to have what you do not appreciate. [From Contentions of Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad]

Imam Ali

“Islam is surrender, and surrender is certitude; certitude is authentication, and authentication is assurance; assurance is realization, and realization is work.” - Imam Ali

Shaykh Ibrāhīm Ibn Adham

Shaykh Ibrāhīm Ibn Adham—may Allāh protect his secret—said: He who wishes that people always remember him with goodness is neither God-fearing nor sincere

Imam al-Shafi’i

“Whoever recites Qur’an, his value is amplified. Whoever records hadith, his proof is strengthened. Whoever learns jurisprudence, his status is ennobled. Whoever learns Arabic, his disposition becomes gentle. Whoever learns mathematics, his opinion will be copious. And whoever fails to defend his honor will not benefit from his knowledge.” Imam al-Shafi’i

al-Imâm ash-Shâfi’î

al-Imâm ash-Shâfi’î said to one of his students: “Do not speak about things that do not concern you, for indeed, every time that you speak a word, it takes control of you and you do not have control of it!”

[Yahya bin Mu’adh]

Wonder of wonders! How is it that the same people who leave food out of fear of sickness cannot leave sin out of fear of the Hereafter. [Yahya bin Mu’adh]

[Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi (Mathnawī VI, 4276)]

The heart is comforted by true words,just as a thirsty man is comforted by water. [Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi (Mathnawī VI, 4276)]

[Shaykh Ahmad al Zarruq]

Repentance, awareness of God, and uprightness are the foundations of all that is beneficial. Know that repentance is a key, God consciousness (taqwa) is vast, and uprightness is the source of rectification. [Shaykh Ahmad al Zarruq]

Rumi

They say the wheat cannot grow
In the desert or amidst snow
Will the clouds bring their rain?
Will the snow melt once again?
In the meantime will wheat survive?
Will this grain become alive?

I seem to be that lone grain
In my desert silent remain
Endure the draught and sandy pain
Till the clouds wash me again.
They say clouds will only rain
When they decide. We wish in vain.

No matter how brilliant a mind
A soul that’s wise, a heart that’s kind
When lost in this endless space
Walking the desert pace after pace
When of grace there’s no trace
It is futile for us to chase
The spirit we try to embrace;
God in God’s time reveals God’s face.

Rumi

[Imam Zayn al-Abedin (RA)]

If you are aware of any of your actions, that is a proof that it has not been accepted (by God). For that which is accepted is elevated and hidden from you; your not noticing it is a sign of its acceptance. [Imam Zayn al-Abedin (RA)]

[Imam Ghazali ]

Each of your breaths is a priceless jewel, since each of them is irreplaceable and, once gone, can never be retrieved. Do not be like the deceived fools who are joyous because each day their wealth increases while their life shortens. What good is an increase in wealth when life grows ever shorter? Therefore be joyous only for an increase in knowledge or in good works, for they are your two companions who will accompany you in your grave when your family, wealth, children and friends stay behind. [Imam Ghazali ]

humility

“You leave the best of worship: humility.” - A’isha (May Allah be pleased with her)

[`Umar bin `Abd al-Azeez]

“In contentment there is abundance, substinence, and sufficiency.” [`Umar bin `Abd al-Azeez]

Ibn al-’Arabi(ra) (1165-1240)

“The Lord to his devotee: Love me, love me alone. Love yourself in me, in me alone. Attach yourself to me, No one is more inward than I. Others love you for their own sakes, I love you for yourself. And you, you flee from me. Dearly beloved! … if you approach me, It is because I have approached you. I am nearer to you than yourself, Than your soul, than your breath. Who among creatures Would treat you as I do? I am jealous of you over you, I want you to belong to no other, Not even to yourself. Be mine, be for me as you are in me, Though you are not even aware of it.” Ibn al-’Arabi(ra) (1165-1240)

Am Not Cryin Because …

A man reached 70 years of age and he faced a disease; he could not urinate. The doctors informed him that he was in need of an operation to cure this disease. He agreed to have the operation done as the problem was giving him much pain for days. When the operation was completed, his doctor gave him the bill which covered all the costs. The old man looked at the bill and started to cry. Upon seeing this the doctor told him that if the cost was too high then they could make some other arrangements. The old man said “I am not crying because of the money but I am crying because Allah let me urinate for 70 years and He never sent me a bill.”

…and if you try to count the blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them… Surah Ibrahim

Allah states that the servants are never able to count His blessings, let alone thank Him duly for them. In Sahih Al-Bukhari it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah( Peace and blessings be upon him) used to supplicate;

«اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ غَيْرَ مَكْفِيَ وَلَا مُوَدَّعٍ وَلَا مُسْتَغْنًى عَنْهُ رَبَّنَا»

O Allah ! All praise is due to You, without being able to sufficiently thank You, nor ever wish to be cutoff from You, nor ever feeling rich from relying on You; our Lord!

It was reported that Prophet Dawud peace be upon him, used to say in his supplication, “O Lord! How can I ever duly thank You, when my thanking You is also a favor from You to me’’
Allah the Exalted answered him, “Now, you have thanked Me sufficiently, O Dawud,’’ meaning, `when you admitted that you will never be able to duly thank Me.’

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Rabi’a al-’Adawiyya

” O God, Whenever I listen to the voice of anything
You have made -
The rustling of the trees
The trickling of water
The cries of birds
The flickering of shadow
The roar of the wind
The song of the thunder, I hear it saying:
“God is One!
Nothing can be compared with God!”

Rabi’a al-’Adawiyya.

Kahlil Gibran

“But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love. Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your soul” Kahlil Gibran

[Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani]

Observe how the life of this world deceives those around you. It lures them into the traps of vanity, wealth, and fame, and exalts them above others. This splendor blinds them, and they are lost forever in illusion. But then in one instant, life deals the blow of death, and all is gone, and with the Beguiler it stands laughing at their sad end. So overcome your egos that you may be saved from the snares that devoured kings and paupers alike. [Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani]

Knowledge

Knowledge is not what is memorised; knowledge is what benefits. [Imam Shafi]

happiness

“Happiness is not in the castle of Abdul Malik ibn Marwan, in the army of Haroon Ar-Rasheed, in the mansions of Ibn Jassas, in the treasures of Qaroon (Korah), or in gardens of roses.

Bliss and happiness were the lot of the Prophet’s (pbuh) companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) even though they were poor and lead harsh lives. Happiness was with Imam Bukhari in his collection of ahadeeth (hadiths), with Hasan Al-Basri in his truthfulness, with Ash-Shafi’ee in his deductions, with Malik and Ahmad in their introspection and self-denial, and with Thaabit Al-Bannani in his worship”

‘Aaidh ibn AbdAllah Al-Qarni in his book ‘Laa Tahzen’.

wise men

Wise Men

inna li’llāhi íbādan fuţanā
ţallaqu’d dunya wa khāfu’l fitanā
nažaru fīhā falammā álimū
annahā laysat li ĥayyin waţanā
jaálūhā lujjatan wa’t-takhadhū
şāliha’l aámāli fīhā sufunā

Truly there are bondsmen of Allah who are very wise
They have renounced the world, fearing fitna [temptation, turmoil]
They have looked long at it, and they have realized
That this is no place for the living to dwell
They have abandoned the world [and its pleasures] at the shore,
And have sailed away in ships carved of good deeds.

In the preface of An-Nawawi’s Riyāđu’s Şāliĥīn and usually attributed to Imām Shāfiýī.

seekers

Seekers of this world are very numerous. Seekers of the hereafter are comparatively few. Seekers of the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He), who are honest about their wish for Him, are the fewest of the few. [Shaykh Abdal Qadir al Jilani; The Sublime Revelation, Tr. Muhtar Holland]

[Shaykh Abdullah Adhami]

“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]

remembrance

Ibn ‘Ataa’ Illaah (rahimahullaah) wrote in his hikam:

Do not leave the remembrance because of your lack of presence of heart with Allah therein, because your heedlessness of the remembrance of Allah is more harmful than your heedlessness during the remembrance of Allah. It may well be that He take you from remembrance in which there is heedlessness (ghaflah) to remembrance in which there is consciousness (yaqadhah); and from remembrance in which there is consciousness to remembrance in which there is presence of heart (hudoor); and from remembrance in which there is presence of heart to remembrance in which there is obliviousness to all but the One Remembered, “And that is not difficult for Allah.”

يقول سيدي ابن عطاء الله السكندري : لا تترك الذكر لعدم حضورك مع الله فيه فغفلتك عن وجود ذكره أشد من غفلتك مع وجود ذكره . فعسى أن ينقلك من ذكر مع وجود غفلة إلى ذكر مع وجود يقظة ومن ذكر مع وجود يقظة إلى ذكر مع وجود حضور ومن ذكر مع وجود حضور إلى ذكر مع غيبة عما سوى المذكور وما ذلك على الله بعزيز

Rumi

I melt as sugar in water in boundless ocean of mystical devotion
Lo, I am with you always, means when you look for God,
God is in the look of your eyes,
In the thought of looking nearer to you than yourself,
Or things that have happened to you.
There’s no need to go outside.
Be melting snow.
Wash yourself of yourself.
A white flower grows in the quietness.
Let your tongue become that flower. - Rumi

gratitude

Gratitude

Qazwini says: ‘These verses were narrated to us by someone other than Al-Bayhaqi:

idhā kāna shukrī niýmatu’llāhi niýmatan
álayya lahū fī mithlihā yajibu’sh shukru
fa mā liya údhrun ghayra anni muqaşşirun
wa údhri iqrārī bi an laysa lī údhru

My gratitude is in itself a great gift, a boon
Which makes it obligatory for me to thank for it
I do not have any excuse, other than being derelict
And my excuse is that I accept that I have none

[Al-Qazwīnī, Mukhtaşar Shuáb Al-Īmān / ‘Branches of Faith’ Abridged; f.33]

Sayyidunā Álī rađiyallāhu ánhū.

These verses are attributed to Sayyidunā Álī rađiyallāhu ánhū.

la naqlu’s şakhri min qulali’l jibāli
aĥabbu ilayya min minani’r rijāli
yaqūlu’n nāsu lī fi’l kasabi áārun
fa qultu’l áāru fī dhulli’s su’āli

Moving stones from a hill to another -
I find it dear, than beseech a favor.
Some say, ‘it is, a shame to toil’
But shame, i say, is begging another.

watch your eye

Watch your eye, should it ever reveal to you the faults of others, say to it: “O my eye, other people have eyes too.” [Ahmad al Zarruq]

actions

If you are aware of any of your actions, that is a proof that it has not been accepted (by God). For that which is accepted is elevated and hidden from you; your not noticing it is a sign of its acceptance. [Imam Zayn al-Abedin (RA)]

Hazrat Inayat Khan

Let Thy wish become my desire,
Let Thy will become my deed,
Let Thy word become my speech, Beloved,
And Thy love become my creed.
Let my plant bring forth Thy flowers,
Let my fruits produce Thy seed,
Let my heart become Thy lute, Beloved,
And my body Thy flute of reed.
from the Vadan, or Divine Symphony
by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Shaykh Ibn Ajiba

Shaykh Ibn Ajiba said, “If you seek something by yourself, relying on your own strength and power, eager to achieve it and striving to obtain it, that is a sign of lack of achieving it and the disappointment of hope in that whose end is unsuccessful, even if it is achieved in the sensory.”

death

Whoever is frequent in remembering death is content with but a little of this world. And whoever counts his speech from his actions speaks little except in that which benefits him. - Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz

abu Hamid al-Ghazali

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

intention

Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) would advise his students, “If your intention is one of the following three, do not seek knowledge: to shame the ignorant, to argue with the people of knowledge, or to cause people to turn their faces in your direction. Intend with your actions and words that which is with Allah, for indeed that which is with Allah shall remain and everything else shall perish.”

I do not see myself worthy of preaching

‎' I do not see myself worthy of preaching; because, a sermon is charity and its capital is practice, heeding the sermon oneself. How can one who does not have enough for himself , give charity? How can one who has not enough clothes on himself , try to hide the nakedness of others?' [[It’ĥāf as-Sādah, vol.1/pg.16]

If you cannot be of benefit to the Muslims...

If you cannot be of benefit to the Muslims, then do not harm them; if you cannot make them happy, then do not make them sorrowful; if you cannot please them, then do not abuse them; and if you cannot praise them, then do not disparage them. [Yahya ibn Mu’adh]

Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi

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

[Umm Zahra’s Blog]

“Look at life as if you’re in the hereafter. Think of Jahanam as if you’re at its gates. Think of janat as if you’re close to it. Think of death as real as if you were dead. Think of the day you will meet Allah Ta’ala as you stand there now. Look at your present through your future, so you can use your present to be ready for your future. Be smart & walk for what is after death where no friend or family will be of any use & you will only have Allah.” [Umm Zahra’s Blog]

hope

If you want the door of hope be opened for you,
then consider what comes to you from your Lord,

but if you want the door of sadness be opened for you,
then consider what goes to Him from you.

- “The Hikam” Sufi Aphorisms
by Ibn Ata’Allah al Iskandari
Late 13th Century C.E.

sincerity

Abu Ya’qub as-Susi observed, ‘When they perceive sincerity in their sincerity, their sincerity is in need of sincerity.’ Dhu’un-Nun explained, ‘There are three signs of sincerity: one sees praise and blame from men as being equal, one loses the awareness of doing good works while doing them, and one forgets the claim to reward in the afterlife for good works

desire

“Although your desire tastes sweet,
doesn’t the Beloved desire you
to be desireless?
The life of lovers is in death:
you’ll not win the Beloved’s heart
unless you lose your own.”

[Jalaal ud-Deen Rumi]

Imam Al-Ghazzali in ‘Ihyaa Uloom al-Deen’, 6/17)

“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 Al-Ghazzali in ‘Ihyaa Uloom al-Deen’, 6/17)

beware

One of the salaf said: “Beware of the life of this world because its magic is more effective than that of Harut and Marut. The two latter’s separate a man from his wife whereas the life of this world separates a man from his Rabb.”

Life

Life, be it long or short, is composed of few breaths. Whoever is born must also die. You were nourished for death; and you were brought into the world in order to be taken away from it. [Fariduddin Attar]