Nov 23, 2009

Concept of Animal Sacrifice in Islam

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.


All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Actually, there are many misconceptions filling the mind of many non-Muslims who fail to perceive the significance and wisdom behind acts of worship in Islam. That is why addressing those misconceptions becomes obligatory in order to erase distortions about Islam. Thus, on the case in point, we find it relevant to cite for you the following:

Sacrifice is not a pillar of Islam. We must look at the occurrences in a contextual manner, understanding not only the pre-Islamic institution of sacrifice, the Qur'anic reforms concerning this practice, and the continuance of sacrifice in the Muslim world, but also the context in which the Qur'anic revelations occurred. For it seems that with many people, both non-Muslims and Muslims alike, context is the key that they are missing.

With this in mind, let us start with the situation as it was in pre-IslamicArabia with regard to animal sacrifice. Not only did the pagan Arabs sacrifice to a variety of gods in hopes of attaining protection or some favor or material gain, but so, too, did the Jews of that day seek to appease the One True God by blood sacrifice and burnt offerings. Even the Christian community felt Jesus to be the last sacrifice, the final lamb, so to speak, in an otherwise valid tradition of animal sacrifice (where one's sins are absolved by the blood of another).

Islam, however, broke away from this longstanding tradition of appeasing an "angry god" and instead demanded personal sacrifice and submission as the only way to die before death and reach "fana’" or "extinction in Allah." The notion of "vicarious atonement of sin" (absolving one's sins through the blood of another) is nowhere to be found in the Qur'an. Neither is the idea of gaining favor by offering the life of another to Allah. In Islam, all that is demanded as a sacrifice is one's personal willingness to submit one's ego and individual will to Allah.

One only has to look at how the Qur'an treats this subject, to see a marked difference regarding sacrifice and whether or not Allah is appeased by blood. The Qur'anic account of the sacrifice of Isma`il ultimately speaks against blood atonement. Allah says: (Then when (the son) reached (the age of) (serious) work with him, he said: "Oh my son! I see in vision that I offer thee in sacrifice: Now see what is thy view!" (The son) said: "Oh my father! Do As thou art commanded: Thou wilt find me, if Allah so wills one practicing patience and constancy!" So when they had both submitted their wills (to Allah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (for sacrifice), We called out to him, "Oh Ibrahim! Thou hast already fulfilled the vision!" Thus indeed do We reward those who do right. For this was obviously a trial and We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice.} (As-Safat 37:102-107)

Notice that the Qur'an never says that Allah told Ibrahim to kill (sacrifice) his son. Though subtle, this is very important, for the moral lesson is very different from that which appears in the Bible. Here, it teaches us that Ibrahim had a dream in which he saw himself slaughtering his son. Ibrahim believed the dream and thought that the dream was from Allah, but the Qur'an never says that the dream was from Allah. However, in Ibrahim and Isma`il's willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice—Ibrahim of his son, Isma`il of his own life—they are able to transcend notions of self and false attachment to the material realm, thus removing a veil between themselves and Allah, enabling Allah's mercy to descend upon them as the Spirit of Truth and illuminate them with divine wisdom (thus preventing a miscarriage of justice and once and for all correcting the false notion of vicarious atonement of sin).

For, certainly, Allah, the Ever Merciful, Most Compassionate, would never ask a father to go against His command of "thou shall not kill" and kill his own son in order to be accepted by Him. For the Qur'an teaches us that Allah never advocates evil (see Al-A`raaf 7:28 and An-Nahl 16:90) and that only Satan advocates evil and vice (An-Nur 24:21). The notion that Allah would want us to do an immoral act runs counter to Allah's justice.

As far as the yearly tradition that has followed this event (that is, the sacrificing of a ram to commemorate Ibrahim and Isma`il's great self sacrifice), we must understand it and the Qur'anic verses that pertain to animal sacrifice, in relation to the time and place circumstances under which these revelations were received and how people were trying to make a personal sacrifice by sharing their limited means of survival with the poorer members of their community.

That is to say, the underlying implication of Islam's attitude toward ritual slaughter is not that of blood atonement, or seeking favor with Allah through another's death, but rather, the act of thanking Allah for one's sustenance and the personal sacrifice of sharing one's possessions and valuable food with one's fellow humans. The ritual itself is NOT the sacrifice. It is merely a method of killing where the individuals kill as quickly as possible and acknowledge that only Allah has the right to take a life and that they do so as a humble member of Allah's creation in need of sustenance just like every other species in Allah's creation.

So let us examine some of the appropriate verses in the Qur'an to see what it has to say about sacrifice and how it related to life in 500 C .E. Arabia. (Also included is commentary by Yusuf `Ali to show that even someone who was pro-sacrifice with an understanding of animals as subject to humans, did not champion wanton cruelty or notions of blood atonement.) Allah says: (In them ye have benefits for a term appointed: In the end their place of sacrifice is near the Ancient House} (Al-Hajj 22:33)

“The word ‘In them’ refers to cattle or animals offered for sacrifice. It is quite true that they are useful in many ways to humans, e.g., camels in desert countries are useful as mounts or for carrying burdens or for giving milk, and so, for horses and oxen; and camels are also good for meat, and camel's hair can be woven into cloth; goats and sheep also yield milk and meat, and hair or wool. But if they are used for sacrifice, they become symbols by which people show that they are willing to give up some of their own benefits for the sake of satisfying the needs of their poorer brethren." (Yusuf `Ali commentary)

Allah also says: (To every people did We appoint rites (of sacrifice) that they might celebrate the name of Allah over the sustenance He gave them from animals (fit for food). But your God is One God: Submit then your wills to Him (In Islam): and give thou the good news to those who humble themselves} (Al-Hajj 22:34).

“This is the true end of sacrifice, not propitiation of higher powers, for Allah is One, and He does not delight in flesh and blood, but a symbol of thanksgiving to Allah by sharing meat with fellow humans. The solemn pronouncement of Allah's name over the sacrifice is an essential part of the rite." (Yusuf `Ali commentary)

Allah says further: (It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah: it is your piety that reaches Him: He has thus made them subject to you, that ye may glorify Allah for His guidance to you: And proclaim the Good News to all who do right} (Al-Hajj 22:37).

“No one should suppose that meat or blood is acceptable to the One True God. It was a pagan fancy that Allah could be appeased by blood sacrifice. But Allah does accept the offering of our hearts, and as a symbol of such offer, some visible institution is necessary. He has given us power over the brute creation, and permitted us to eat meat, but only if we pronounce His name at the solemn act of taking life, for without this solemn invocation, we are apt to forget the sacredness of life. By this invocation we are reminded that wanton cruelty is not in our thoughts, but only the need for food …" (Yusuf `Ali commentary)

It is quite clear from the Qur'anic passages above that the issue of animal sacrifice is in relation to the role animals played in Arabian society at that place and time (as well as other societies with similar climates and culture), in that humans are commanded to give thanks to Allah and praise Allah for the sustenance He has given them and that they should sacrifice something of value to themselves to demonstrate their appreciation for what they have been given (which in their case was the very animals on which their survival was based).

Excerpted, with slight modifications, from

Islamonline.net

Nov 14, 2009

Islamic Quotes

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

Nov 8, 2009

Islamic Quotes

'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.

Nov 3, 2009

Islamic Quotes

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
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