"Zikr, the basis of which is righteous works, and the fruit of which is illumination. 

  Meditation, the basis of which is perseverance, and the fruit of which is knowledge. 

  Poverty, the basis of which is thankfulness, and the fruit of which is an increase of it. 

  Love, the basis of which is dislike of the world and its people, and the fruit of which is Union with the beloved. "

                   Abu Hasan Shadhili.

" There are 3 (people) who will enter Paradise without accounting : a man who, when he is washing his garment, has no other one, a man who has no more than one pot on his fireplace, and a man who, when he asks for a drink, is not asked 'what kind of drink do you want'? " - - Abu Najib

What is this world? To be forgetful of God, it is not merchandise and silver and weighing scales and women. 

As regards the wealth that you carry for religious sake, "How good is righteous wealth (for the righteous man)"! as the Prophet recited. 

Since he cast out from his heart (the desire for) wealth and possessions, on that account Soloman did not call himself (by any name) but "poor". 

Although the whole of this world is his Kingdom, in the eye of his heart the Kingdom is nothing. "

After Jalaluddin Rumi in his 'Mathnawi, Trans. by Prof R. A Nicholson. 

-- Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali. 

"If you are aware of your humility, then you are arrogant" (Ibn Atta'illah) 

"Suffering is a gift. In it is hidden mercy" (Jalaluddin Rumi) 

"Joy and sorrow are the light and shade of life, without light and shade no picture is clear" (Inyat Khan). 

"Allah kept 3 things secret in 3 things: His Pleasure in Divine services, so don't neglect anything of the Divine service.. perhaps there lies His pleasure therein. 

(2) His wrath in sins,so don't neglect a trifling thing, as there may be His wrath therein. 

(3) His friendship among His servants. So don't disregard any of them, as he may be Wali.. a friend of Allah. He added another thing - His hidden answer in invocation. So don't give up invocation (Du'a).. often a reply may come therein. "

And Abu Hassan Shadhili, may Allah be pleased with him, also says:

" Zikr, the basis of which is righteous works, and the fruit of which is illumination is one of the ways to be on course toward Allah Ta'ala... (so) is Love, as the Sheikh observes.. as love is the basis of which is dislike of the world and its people, and the fruit of which is Union with the Beloved. "

And Abu Najib-Suhrawardi, may Allah Merciful to him, says that :" Silence is praiseworthy because it is a cover for the ignorant and adornment for the intelligent ". 

  (Shams - i-Tabriz). 

 It is my pleasure to share with you the following great, inspiring words from Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazzali, may Allah be Merciful to him:--

         "If you want to get the benefits of medicine, first purge your bowels and clear it from

            congested stools. Similarly, clear your soul first from passion and greed and then take

         the medicine of Zikr. When Zikr enters such a heart which is free from thoughts other than

        God, the devil flees away from it, as disease goes away if medicine falls in a stomach free of food."

        "The devil moves in man like the circulation of blood. Make his circulation narrow by hunger.

         The reason is that hunger cures sexual passion, which is the weapon of the devil."

       "The Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said: 'Allah says:  'Poverty is my prison and disease is my

      chain. I inflict a servant whom I love with these.'  When there is prevention of sin in disease, what greater

      good can there be than this?

      There is peace of mind in giving up sins. A certain religious man asked someone: 'How are you? He said:

     I am in peace of mind. He said if you have not committed sins, you are then in peace of mind. If you commit

    sins, then what disease is greater than sins?  He who commits sins is deprived of good."

SOURCE: 'Ihya Ulumiddin, Vol. 3 and 4

               translated by Maulana Fazlul Karim (1986)

  In response to his students spiritual and intellectual questions, Sheikh 'Ayn al-Qudat responded to them as in  sample responses below, from which I believe we can still [today] benefit:--

    (1)  "O Friend!  Should you have major sins (kaba'ir) which fill the heavens and the earth,

              Allah's mercy is more than them. And should you have acts of obedience which fills

            the heavens and the earth, next to His justice, they are but specks of grain.. keep your

          hearing and sight pure from what is inappropriate...keep your tongue pure from sins until

         you can read the Qur'an.

        Do not be heedless of your duty; "Invoke Allah with frequent invocation" (33:41)

   (2)  "O Friend!  I have written a piece of advice, namely that you give something in charity everyday,

             and not merely by way of habit.

           Obey Allah, however much you can. And charity is the best form of your obedience: 'and they spend

          from that which We have provided them' (2:3; 8:3)

         You have wealth, fame, power, the pen and speech. 'Show mercy to those below you, and the One above

         you will show mercy to you'. Spend whatever you have so that what you do not have will spent upon you."

       SOURCE: 'Ayn al-Qudat Between Divine Jealousy and Political Intrigue', by

                      Muhammad Rustom, in Journal of Sufi Studies 7 (2018).

                                                     prison and let yourself out!

                                                   What is this world? To be forgetful of God; it is not merchandise and silver

                                                  and weighing-scales and women.

                                                 As regards the wealth that you carry for religion's sake, 'How good is righteous wealth

                                              (for the righteous man)'! as the Prophet recited.

                                              Since he cast out from his heart (the desire for) wealth and possessions, on that account

                                             Soloman did not call himself (by any name) but ''poor''.

                                           Although the whole of this world is his kingdom, in the eye of his heart the kingdom is nothing."

                                                                                    (Jalaluddin Rumi in his Mathnawi, Vol 1, Book 1, Trans. R.A Nicholson).

 In itself, worldly wealth is good, the worldliness from which we have to seek deliverance is in desiring riches and becoming attached to them.... because more often than not, love of wealth enters the heart and destroys its purity.

According to Qisasu-l-ambiya (Tha'alabi), the humility of Prophet Suleiman, peace be upon him, was so great that he would often consort with the lowly, saying, "A lowly man sits beside one who is lowly."  A believer whose heart is closed against worldly desires can never sink and perish; his spiritual poverty enables him to surmount every temptation and live in perfect peace with God, scorning the kingdom of this world which belongs to him as God's vicegerent. 

                                            "Choice is the salt of worship- the spheres turn, but not because they want to.

                                            Their turning is neither rewarded nor punished, for, at the time of reckoning,

                                           choice bestows excellence."

                                                    Jalaluddin Rumi in his Mathnawi (Nicholson edition), Book 3.

 In Islam, it is a common notion that the Divine motivation for creating the Universe is love. What makes human beings special, among all God's creatures, is that they have the capacity to worship and love God Almighty freely in response to His love for them. All other things simply serve God as they were created to serve Him, with no free choice on their parts.

Theologically, this distinction is seen in God's 2 Commands: He issues the command 'KUN' (Be!) to all things, and they can do nothing but obey; this is the creative command...the engendering command-- al-amr takwini. To us human beings and jinn, He also issues the Command, 'Do this and don't do that', and they accept or reject it on the basis of their own free choice... this is the prescriptive command-- al-amr taklifi.

Only those who choose freely to love and worship God (Allah Ta'ala) can love Him with worthy love. If love were to be coerced, it would not be love. This is one reason why the Holy Qur'an states: "THERE IS NO COMPULSION IN THE RELIGION" (2:256)

 Someone asked Sayyadi Ibraahim Ibn Adham, may Allah be Merciful to him: "How do you spend your time"?  He replied:--

  "I have 3 vehicles. When I acquired Ni'mat (bounty), I ride the vehicle of Shukr and go to Him.

  When I worship, I ride the vehicle of Ikhlas to Him.

When I commit a sin, I ride the vehicle of Istighfar and go to Him [Allah Ta'ala]".

 Sayyadi Fuzail Ibn Iyaaz, may Allah be Merciful to him, said:--

"All things fear a man who fears Allah, and a man who does not fear Allah fears all things." He also said:-

"A man's zuhud on earth is proportionate to his love for the Aakhirah." (The greater his love for Aakhirah, the more will he abstain from the world and its pleasures).

SOURCE: 'SCATTERED PEARLS-SAYINGS AND ANECTODES OF THE ILLUSTRIOUS AWLIYAA', by 

                  Mujlisu Ulama of South Africa.

              "There is security in solitude, freedom in the absence of desire, friendship

                 in lack of envy, joy in patience. There is no glory for the greedy person, nor

               is there humiliation for the person who is content. The freeman becomes a

              slave because of his immoderate desires, and the slave is freed through contentment."  (Shams Tabriz).

 "The person who reaches the spiritual station of Islam (outward submission) never tires from performing good actions, while the person who reaches the spiritual station of Imaan (inner surrender) no longer sees his actions, and the person who reaches the spiritual station of Ihsan (beauty of soul) no longer sees himself. " - - Sheikh Ahmad Ibn Ajiba, in his 'The Divine Openings - al-Futuhat al-ilahiyyah'. 

 It is my pleasure to share with you some of the sayings of Shaykh al-arifin, Master of Knowers, Imam Sahl al-Tustari (d. 283 A.H/896 C.E) as follows:--

1. '' We have 6 principles: Holding fast to the Qur'an; taking the Sunnah as a guide; eating what is licit;

      quitting from harm and avoiding sin; Repentance; Fulfillment of obligations.''

2. '' Among the manners of the most truthful and trustful Saints (al-Siddiqin) is

      that they never swear by Allah, nor commit backbiting, nor does backbiting take place

    around them, nor do they eat to satiation. If they promise, they are true to their word,

   and they never speak in jest.''

3. ''Allah does not open the heart of a servant if it still contains 3 things: Loving to remain

   [in the world]; love of wealth; and concern about tomorrow.''

4. '' When the servant abides in a specific sin, all his good deeds are admixed with his

     egotism (hawa). His good deeds are not purified as long as he abides in a single sin.

   He will not deliver himself from his egotism until he outs from himself all that he knows to be abhorred by Allah.''

Culled from: 'Sahl Al-Tustari, may Allah be Merciful to him', by G.F Haddad

Some of the valuable Islamic quotes :

✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿

1) Charity averts impending calamities.✿

2) Wish not for death before its time comes.✿

3) Paradise lies at the feet of your mother.✿

4) He who wishes to enter paradise must please his parents.✿

5) Kindness is a mark of faith and whoever has not kindness has no faith.✿

6) Speak well of your dead and refrain from speaking ill of them.✿

7) It is not worthy of a speaker of truth to curse people.✿

8) Trust in Allah but tie your camel.اعقلها و توكل ✿

9) He who travels in search of knowledge,to him Allah shows the way to paradise.✿

            ''If you want to get the benefits of medicine, first purge your bowels and clear it from

              congested stools. Similarly, clear your soul first from passion and greed and then take

             the medicine of Zikr. When Zikr enteres such a heart which is free from thoughts other

            than Allah, the devil flees away from it, as disease goes away if medicine falls in a stomach

           free from food''.   -- Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali.

    Find below some highly inspiring quotes from some fine minds of the Ummah:---

                 "Allah Ta'ala also has Paradise and Hell on earth. Paradise is safety and Hell is unsafety.

                    Paradise is to assign all affairs to Allah. Hell is to assign all affairs to the Nafs-e-Ammaarah".- Sayyadi Abu Muhammad Ja'far Saadiq

             "Safety is in solitude. True solitude is that there is no room in the heart for thinking of others [besides Allah].

            Solitude in which the mind is occupied with the thoughts of others is defective." - Sayyadi Uwais Qarni

           Once,  Sayyadi Ibrahim Ibn Adham, may Allah be Merciful to him, asked a man: "Do you wish to enter the assembly of the Awliyaa of Allah? Have no

        care for either this world or the next. Become absorbed in Allah. Consume halal food even if you do not spend the night in prayer and the day in fasting."

         "No one has attained Sainthood by [only] Sallat, Hajj and Jihad. But he who knows what he is eating, attains Sainthood.."  - Ibrahim Ibn Adham

                              (We should be mindful of the food and drink we consume...avoiding haraam food and beverages)

 Culled from: "Scattered Perals-Selected Sayings and Anecdotes of Illustrious Auliya", by

                       Mujlis Ulama of South Africa.

In his book titled 'Ameer-ul-Kaunain (The Master of Worlds)', Sayyadi Sultan Bahoo, reminded us that Imaan (faith) lies between fear and hope. How do we mean? The Sheikh explains that "fear means that one should keep his attention towards the Doomsday, rather, view it before him with open eyes, and should separate himself from lustful wishes of the nafs. You will understand this if you recall ayat 40/41 of Sura Nazi'aat of the Holy Qur'an:--

             "He who prevented his nafs from lustful wishes. Then indeed, Heaven will be (his) abode." (79:40-41)

So, it is evident that only those will enter the Heaven (Paradise) who have the right faith."

Abu Fayd Thawban Ibn Ibrahim Dhu'l Nun al-Misri, may Allah be Merciful to him, was asked about love. He responded:--

     "It is to love that which Allah loves, to hate that which Allah hates, to perform all good,

   to reject anything that busies you from Allah, and not to fear any blame for the sake of

 Allah, while being gentle with believers, stern with disbelievers, and to follow the Messenger

of Allah in matters of religion."  ( Abu Nu'aym in Hilyatul-Awliya, 9/394)