A Muslim Convert Once More

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Imam Ja’far ibn Muhammad asw-Swadiq ( q.s ) said, as recorded in Kitab al-Mu’min , “If a believer knew what Reward lies for him in suffering tribulations, he would wish he could be cut into pieces with scissors.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam al-Mugits Husayn ibn Manswur al-Hallaj ( q.s. ) said, “I do not cease swimming in the oceans of love, rising with the wave, then descending; now the wave sustains me, and then I sink beneath it.   Love bears me away where there is no longer any shore.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Ustadz Adam Daniel Kelwick advises the Muslim convert, “After you join the global Muslim community, you might be introduced to 1,001 different political causes, many of which will be good, and worthy of concern.   Do not, however, let those issues distract you from the priority of learning the basics of your new faith, and how to interact with those closest to you.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Ustadz Adam Daniel Kelwick advises the Muslim converts., “Try not to be overwhelmed by the vast amounts of knowledge of Islam that you have not yet learned.   Even scholars, who have devoted years of their lives learning, realise there is so much yet to study.   As long as you are continuously learning, step by step, even if in small amounts, then you are on the right path.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn ‘Arabi ( q.s. ) wrote, in his Fuswusw al-Hikam , “Allah ( s.w.t. ) is your mirror in which you see yourself, and you are His Mirror in which He Sees His Names.  His Names are none other than Himself, as you know.  The matter is confusing.  This is the highest level of those who have knowledge of Allah ( s.w.t. ).  This knowledge only belongs to the Seal of the Messengers, and the Seal of the Saints.  The saints can only see it from the niche of the Seal of the Saints.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Taqi’ ad-Din Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Halim ibn Taymiyyah  ( r.a. ) wrote, in Risalat al-‘Amr bi al-Ma’ruf , “The affairs of the people of this world are indeed better managed by just rule, even if mixed with some sin, than by unjust rule, even if it was without any sin.  That is why it was said Allah   ( s.w.t. )  Gives victory to a just nation, even if it is of the unbelievers; and does not give victory to an unjust nation, even if it is of the believers.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Shams ad-Din Muhammad at-Tabriz ( q.s. ) said, “Fret not where the road will take you.   Instead, concentrate on the first step.   That is the hardest part and that is what you are responsible for.   Once you take that step, let everything do what it naturally does, and the rest will follow.   Do not go with the flow.   Be the flow.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi ( q.s. ) said,   “There is a way between voice and presence where information flows. In disciplined silence, it opens.   With wandering, talk it closes.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Khwaja Mu’in ad-Din Hasan Shishty ( q.s. ) said, “According to those well-versed in the doctrines of the seeker of true path, penitence assumes shape in the combination of three things: moderation in food with the resolve of fasting; moderation in speech in order to save time for singing the praises of the Beloved; and moderation in sleep in the interest of reserving more time and energy for his devotion.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Khwaja Mu’in ad-Din Hasan Shishty ( q.s. ) said, “By attaining perfection in the observation of shari’ah through a pious conduct, one reaches the stage of the path leading to thariqa’ , and then onward he passes on to ma’rifat , and lastly to the attainment of haqiqat .”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi ( q.s. ) said, “Search for your shaykh , for without a shaykh , this journey is full of tribulation, fear and dangers.   Without the shade of the shaykh , one cannot annihilate the self.   Thus, hold firm to the sleeve of a perfect shaykh if you seek annihilation of the inner base self.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Khwaja Mu’in ad-Din Hasan Shishty ( q.s. ) said, “There are four cardinal virtues of the individual self; firstly, refraining from begging in the state of penury; secondly, showing the attitude of the well-fed when feeling hungry; thirdly, maintaining cheerfulness in the time of sorrow; and fourthly, befriending the enemy.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Khwaja Mu’in ad-Din Hasan Shishty ( q.s. ) said, “When the ‘arif meditates over a thing, he attains a state of absorption in which even if thousands of angels assuming wonderful forms try to attract him, he would remain entirely undisturbed for the time being.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Abu ‘Ali Fudhayl ibn ‘Iyadh ( q.s. ) said, “If anyone asks you whether you love Allah ( s.w.t. ), keep silent; for if you say, ‘I do not love Him’, you are a disbeliever; and if you say, ‘I do’, your deeds may contradict your claim.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Khwaja Mu’in ad-Din Hasan Shishty ( q.s. ) said, “It is a pious act to look at God’s Scripture, greater is the piety in reciting it even if it be but one letter.   It will banish ten vices and enable ten virtues being Recorded in lieu.   It improves the eyesight and will impart immunity to the eyes against all mishaps.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Khwaja Mu’in ad-Din Hasan Shishty ( q.s. ) said, “Three things are dearer than all other things in the world: Firstly, the savant who says according to what he has digested; secondly, the person who does not succumb to avarice; and thirdly, the gnostic who is always singing the Praises and Glory of his Beloved.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Dr. Alan A. Godlas said, “If I had a dime for every time I heard someone say, ‘So and so is speaking from his heart’, I would be a rich man.   Here is William Blake’s perspective: ‘No man can think write or speak from his heart, but he must intend truth.’”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Sayyidina Abu ‘Amr ‘Utsman ibn ‘Affan ( r.a. ) said, “Do not mix with an arrogant person lest he influences you with his arrogance.   Never trust such a person with your secret, and solicit advice only from those who recognise Allah ( s.w.t. ).”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh  Muswlih ad-Din   Abu Muhammad Sa’adi ibn ‘Abdullah ash-Shirazi ( q.s. ) said, “Roam abroad in the world, and take your fill of its enjoyments before the day shall come when you must quit it for good.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Shams ad-Din Muhammad at-Tabriz ( q.s. ) said, “You can be everything in life, but the important thing is to be a good person.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Aeschylus said, “Search well and be wise, and never believe that self-willed pride is better than good counsel.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Taj ad-Din Abu al-Fadhl Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Atha’illah as-Sakandari ( q.s. ) wrote, in his al-Hikam , “He has Given you three Gifts: He has Allowed you to remember Him; if it were not for His Bounty, you would not be worthy to engage in His remembrance; He Made you Mentioned along with Him as He has Affirmed your relation to Him; and He Made you Remembered by Him, and thus He has Perfected His Blessing upon you.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Muhammad Sa’id al-Jamal ar-Rifa’i ( q.s. ) said, “God Gives you the Love.  He Loves, and He Sends Mercy, to everyone because He is Mercy.  He does not make a difference between religions, people or anything.  There is no religion, only His Religion, the religion of love, the religion of the truth, the religion of the peace and mercy.  This is the right religion.  God is Love.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( k.w. ) said, “A free man is free even when stricken with harm, and a slave remains a slave even if circumstances help him.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Khwaja Mu’in ad-Din Hasan Shishty ( q.s. ) said, “Knowledge is comprised unto an unfathomable ocean, and enlightenment is like a wave in it; then what is the relation of God, and man?   While the ocean of knowledge is Sustained by God Alone, the enlightenment pertains to man.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi ( q.s. ) said: “There is a candle in your heart, ready to be kindled. There is a void in your soul, ready to be filled. You feel it, do you not?”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( k.w. ) said, “Whoever wants to be a leader should educate himself before educating others.   Before preaching to others, he should first practice himself.   Whoever educates himself and improves his own morals is superior to the man who tries to teach and train others.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali ( r.a. ) said, “Whoever knows all things, without knowing Allah ( s.w.t. ), is not worthy to be called wise, because he does not know the Most Sublime and Most High of all things.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Shaykh Taj ad-Din Abu al-Fadhl Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Atha’illah as-Sakandari ( q.s. ) wrote:   “Outwardly, creatures are an illusion; But, inwardly, they are an admonition. Thus, the soul looks at the illusory exterior, While the heart looks at the admonitory interior.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi ( q.s. ) wrote,   “Keep walking though there is no place to get to. Do not try to see through the distances. That is not for human beings. Move within, but do not move the way that fear makes you move.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi ( q.s. ) said, “ Taswawwuf , in itself, is the best, and most honourable knowledge.   It explains how to follow the sunnah of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ), and to put aside innovation.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi ( q.s. ) said:   “Love is cure.   Love is power. Love is the magic of changes. Love is the mirror of Divine Beauty.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Shams ad-Din Muhammad at-Tabriz ( q.s. ), the teacher of Mawlana Jalal a-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi ( q.s. ), said “The universe is a complete unique entity.  Everything, and everyone, is bound together with some invisible strings.  Do not break anyone’s heart; do not look down on anyone weaker than you.  One’s sorrow at the other side of the world can make the entire world suffer; one’s happiness can make the entire world smile.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Imam Abu ʿAbdullah Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi’i ( r.a. ) wrote, in his Diwan :   “No sadness lasts forever, nor any felicity, Nor any state of poverty, or one of luxury. If you are the owner of a heart that is content, Then you and the Owner of the world, are equivalent.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Mawlay Abu ‘Abdullah al-‘Arabi ibn Ahmad ad-Darqawi ( q.s. ) said, “The self is an immense business.   It is the whole cosmos since it is a reflection of existence.   All that is in the cosmos is in it, and all that is in it is the cosmos.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh  Muswlih ad-Din  Abu Muhammad Sa’adi ibn ‘Abdullah ash-Shirazi ( q.s. ) said:   “He who is intoxicated with wine, Will be sober again in the course of the night; But he who is intoxicated by the Cup Bearer, Will not recover his senses until the Day of Judgement.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi ( q.s. ) wrote:   “Listen to the reed, and the tale it tells, How it sings of separation: ‘Ever since they cut me from the reed bed, My wail has caused men, and women, to weep.’”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Shaykh Abu Sa’id Fadhlullah ibn Abu al-Khayr Ahmad Mayhani ( q.s. ) wrote:   “Love came, and flew as blood in my veins, Emptied me of myself, and Filled me with the Beloved. Each part of my being, She Conquered; Now, a mere name is left to me, and the rest is She.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Khwaja Mu’in ad-Din Hasan Shishty ( q.s. ) said, “It is incumbent on the follower of thariqa’ that he must first renounce dunya , then akhirah , and ultimately, his own self, failing which, he should abandon the enterprise of Sufism.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Qurthubi ( q.s. ) said, “The Prophet’s ( s.a.w. ) complete beauty has not been fully manifested, for if it was disclosed to us in full, our eyes would be unable to behold him.  The similes, therefore, that are used to describe him are only for the sake of approximating, and drawing similitudes, for the Prophet's ( s.a.w. ) essence is far too exquisite, and his honour is far loftier.”