If you are aware of your humility, then you are arrogant.
- Ibn Ata'illah
To 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."
- Qur'an, surah Yunus; 10:107
God 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]
Let Go of Your Worries Let go of your worries and be completely clear-hearted, like the face of a mirror that contains no images. If you want a clear mirror, behold yourself and see the shameless truth, which the mirror reflects. If metal can be polished to a mirror-like finish, what polishing might the mirror of the heart require? Between the mirror and the heart is this single difference: the heart conceals secrets, while the mirror does not.
- Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi
[The Divani Shamsi Tabriz, XIII]
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
