A Muslim Convert Once More

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ahmad adz-Dzahabi ( r.a. ) had at least twenty female teachers.   He noted that amongst the female narrators of hadits , there were none found to be fabricators.   The integrity and independence of female scholars in Islam was unimpeachable.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( k.w. ) said, “The most blessed of people in this livelihood are those whom Allah ( s.w.t. ) has Granted contentment to, and those who were Given a righteous spouse.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Khwaja Mu’in ad-Din Hasan Shishty ( q.s. ) said, “The mouth of a human being is regarded as sanctified, irrespective of his personality, be it that of a mu’min , or a kafir , be he purified or impure.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Ustadz  Sa’id  Ukur Nursi ( r.a. ) said, “Worry is itself an illness, since worry is an accusation against Divine Wisdom, and a criticism of Divine Mercy.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi ( q.s. ) wrote:   “Listen, O drop, give yourself up without regret, And, in exchange, gain the ocean. Listen, O drop, bestow upon yourself this honour, And, in the arms of the sea, be secure. Who indeed should be so fortunate? An ocean wooing a drop! In God’s Name, in God’s Name, sell and buy at once! Give a drop, and take this sea full of pearls.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Swalih ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani ( q.s. ) said, “The person who backbites, and speaks ill of us, are actually our success, because they pay homage to us, by writing their good deeds into our books of deeds.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi ( q.s. ) said, “Repentance is a strange mount - it jumps towards Heaven in a single moment from the lowest place.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Swalih ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani ( q.s. ) said, “You are busy in fulfilling the desires and wishes of the nafs , while the nafs is busy in destroying you.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Hakim an-Nishaburi ( r.a. ) said, “Do not become so overwhelmed by your wrong action, that it stops you thinking well of Allah ( s.w.t. ).   Whoever has gnosis of his Lord, finds that his wrong action is insignificant beside His Generosity.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Manswur Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Maturidi ( r.a. ) said, “Our Prophet ( s.a.w. ) will intercede for those people who belong to his community, even for those who have committed serious sins.   This is a Grace from Allah ( s.w.t. ).”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Ahmad ibn ‘Ali ar-Rifa’i ( q.s. ) said, “Always speak of awliya’ with respect, stay in their swuhbah and do their khidmat .  Never say a saint is superior to the other; you have no idea about it."

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi ( q.s. ) said, “Do not worry that your life is turning upside down.   How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Muhammad Nazhim Adil al-Haqqani ( q.s. ) said, “The door of Paradise is very wide.   Do not put an embargo on Allah’s ( s.w.t. ) Mercy.   Leave it open; it is enough for everyone.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Sayyidina Husayn ibn ‘Ali ( r.a. ) said, “Some people worship Allah ( s.w.t. ) for the purpose of gaining His Gifts.   This is the worship of the merchants.   Some worship Him for the purpose of avoiding His Punishment.   This is the worship of the slaves.   Some worship Him as gratitude to Him.   This is the worship of the genuine.   It is the best worship.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi ( q.s. ) said: “Do not long for loneliness; Do not creep into some deserted house. Come forth and be a forerunner; It is time for the lovers to present themselves.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Ahmad ibn Harb an-Nisaburi ( q.s. ) said, “There is nothing more beneficial to a Muslim’s heart than to mix with the righteous, and to watch their actions, while nothing is more harmful to the heart than mixing with the sinners, and watching their actions.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The late Shaykh Ahmad Husayn Diydat ( r.a. ) said, “The biggest enemy of Islam is the ignorant Muslim, whose ignorance leads him to intolerance, whose actions destroy the true image of Islam, and when people look at him, they think Islam is what he is.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Taj ad-Din Abu al-Fadhl Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Atha’illah as-Sakandari ( q.s. ) said, “Good conduct means that you practice proper conduct with Allah ( s.w.t. ), in private and in public.   If you do this, you will become well-mannered, even if you do not speak Arabic.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Muhammad Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah ( r.a. ) said, “The intelligent man is not the one who knows the good from the evil.   Rather, the intelligent man is the one who knows the good, so he follows it; and he knows the evil, so he avoids it.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Muhammad Sahl ibn ‘Abdullah at-Tustari ( q.s. ) said: “The hearts of knowers have eyes, That see what onlookers cannot see.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Farid ad-Din ‘Aththar Abu Hamid ibn Abu Bakr Ibrahim ( q.s. ) wrote: “If you are not a lover of fire, Then leave, Because a true lover is one with fire, A true lover ignites, Sizzles and chars like fire.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Taj ad-Din Abu al-Fadhl Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Atha’illah as-Sakandari ( q.s. ) said, “Do not be so amazed with yourself, that you begin to look down upon people because of who you studied with or what you think you have obtained.  Perhaps, He Opened for you the door of worship, but did not open for you the door of Acceptance; and perhaps, He Decreed for you a sin, and it became a reason for your reaching Him.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali ( r.a. ) said, “Whoever is unable to become a wali , may still be one who loves, and believes in them; perhaps then, he, too, will be Raised up with those he loves.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi’i ( r.a. ) said, “All men 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.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal ( r.a. ) said, “Turn to your heart to find out what is evil.   Good rejoices the heart, and your heart will call upon you to pursue it.   Sin creates anxiety and unease in the heart, even if other people call upon you to pursue it.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Speaking about the companions of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ), Imam Zayn ad-Din Abu al-Faraj ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Ahmad ibn Rajab al-Hanbali ( r.a. ) said, “Their hearts were empty of the world, and filled with the Hereafter.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Khwaja Mu’in ad-Din Hasan Shishty ( q.s. ) said, “When the ‘arif becomes silent, it means that he is talking to God; and when he closes his eyes, it means that he is knocking at God’s Door.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Khwaja Shams ad-Din Muhammad Hafizh ash-Shirazi ( q.s. ) said, “The majesty of love lies far beyond the reach of intellect; only one who has his life up his sleeve dares kiss the threshold of love.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Muhammad Nazhim Adil al-Haqqani ( q.s. ) said, “A person on a path will change forty times in a day, whereas those who do not have a path stay in the same state for forty years.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Sayyidina Abu ‘Amr ‘Utsman ibn ‘Affan ( r.a. ) said, “Do not invest your hopes in anyone but Allah ( s.w.t. ), and do not fear anything but the consequences and repercussions of your sins.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Muhammad Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah ( r.a. ) said, “He who speaks a single word against the companions of Allah’s Messenger ( s.a.w. ), then he is an innovator.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi ( q.s. ) said, “This world’s existence is one night long.   There is a great, lively gathering that night, but some people sleep through it.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi ( q.s. ) said, “God’s Wisdom Made us lovers of one another.   In fact, all the particles of the world are in love and looking for lovers.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Ustadz Adam Daniel Kelwick said, “When you find yourself the subject of gossip, backbiting, and false accusations; know that it is the howling wolves who have issues, and not the full Moon.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Sayyidina Abu Bakr ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Utsman asw-Swiddiq ( r.a. ) said, “Maybe a thing that you do not like is really in your interest.   It is possible that a thing that you may desire may be against your interest.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Sufyan ibn Sa’id ats-Tsawri ( r.a. ) said, “The excellence of knowledge is due only to the fact that it causes a person to recognise and obey Allah ( s.w.t. ); otherwise, it is just like anything else.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi ( q.s. ) said, “When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.   When action come from another section, the feeling disappears.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Dzu an-Nun Abu al-Faydh Tsawban ibn Ibrahim al-Miswri ( q.s. ) 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.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( k.w. ) said, “Be sure, there is something waiting for you, after much patience, to astonish you to a degree that you forget the bitterness of the pain.”