A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Imam Abu Muhammad Sahl ibn ‘Abdullah at-Tustari ( q.s. ) said, “The person who does not love the world is given the like of the reward of the scholars and worshipers together; then, the rest of the believers have the likes of only a portion of what he got.   No one on Resurrection Day will be in a better state than the scrupulous scholar who did not love the world.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Imam Abu Muhammad Sahl ibn ‘Abdullah at-Tustari ( q.s. ) said, “Beware of the company of three sorts of people: heedless tyrants, reciters who flatter, and ignorant false Sufis.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   Imam Abu al-Qasim ‘Abd al-Karim ibn Huzan al-Qushayri ( r.a. ) recorded, in his Risalah al-Qushayriyyah , Imam Abu Muhammad Sahl ibn ‘Abdullah at-Tustari ( r.a. ) was one of the greatest Sufi masters.   He had no peers in his age in regard to devotional acts and pious scrupulosity.   He performed many miracles.   He met Shaykh Dzu an-Nun Abu al-Faydh Tsawban ibn Ibrahim al-Miswri ( q.s. ) during the year when he came to Makkah on a pilgrimage.   It is said that he died in the year 283 AH, although some say that it was in 273 AH.   Imam at-Tustari ( r.a. ) said, “When I was three years old, I used to stay awake during the night watching my uncle Muhammad ibn Sawwar perform his prayers.   He kept vigil during the night.   He used to tell me, ‘Go away, Sahl, and sleep.   You are distracting me!’”   Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Husayn ( r.a. ) said, that he heard from Shaykh Abu al-Fath Yusuf ibn ‘Umar...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Muhammad Sahl ibn ‘Abdullah at-Tustari ( q.s. ) said, “There are three types of eaters: one eats light and faith from the start of his food to the end; one eats nothing but food; and one eats garbage.  The first one names Allah ( s.w.t. ) at the beginning, remembers Him with every bite, and thanks Him at the end; the second one names Him at the beginning and thanks Him at the end; the third one neither names Him nor thanks Him nor remembers Him.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Muhammad Sahl ibn ‘Abdullah at-Tustari ( q.s. ) said, “There is no helper but God, no guide but the Messenger of God ( s.a.w. ), no provision but God-consciousness, and no work but to have fortitude in things.”

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 Imam Abu Muhammad Sahl ibn ‘Abdullah at-Tustari ( q.s. ) said, “Only the sincere one knows hypocrisy intimately.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Muhammad Sahl ibn ‘Abdullah at-Tustari ( q.s. ) said, “Life is of four kinds: the life of angels consists of obedience; the life of prophets consists of knowledge and the anticipation of Revelation; the life of the swiddiqin consists of following guidance; and the life of the remainder of the people – whether knowledgeable, ignorant, ascetic, or devoted to worship – consists of eating and drinking.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Muhammad Sahl ibn ‘Abdullah at-Tustari ( r.a. ) said, “A true lover of God is one who emulates the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) in all his states, actions and words.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is adapted Imam Abu Muhammad Sahl ibn ‘Abdullah at-Tustari’s ( q.s. ) Tafsir at-Tustari .   سُوۡرَةُ محَمَّد أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ أَمۡ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبٍ أَقۡفَالُهَآ (٢٤)   Do they not then earnestly seek to understand the Qur’an, or are their hearts locked up by them? (Surah Muhammad:24)   When Allah ( s.w.t. ) Created the hearts, He Secured them with locks.   The keys to those locks were the realities of faith, and the only ones who could open their hearts through those realities were the rusul , the awliya’ and the swiddiqun .   Other people leave this world without the locks on their hearts being opened.   The zuhhad , devout worshippers, and ‘ulama will leave this world with locked hearts because they sought the keys to them with the ‘aql , and thus strayed from the Path.   If only they had sought them by having help of Divinely-Bestowed tawfiq , and fadhl , they...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is extracted from Tafsir at-Tustari by Imam Abu Muhammad Sahl ibn ‘Abdullah at-Tustari ( r.a. ).   سُوۡرَةُ الطُّور وَٱلۡبَيۡتِ ٱلۡمَعۡمُورِ (٤)   By the much-frequented fane; (Surah ath-Thur:4)   The “fane” here, refers to the Bayt al-Ma’mur.   In its inner meaning, it refers to the heart: the hearts of mystics, are frequented by His Ma’rifat , Gnosis; His Mahabbah , Love; and uns , intimacy; with Him.   It is to this, the mystic’s heart, that the angels make pilgrimage, for it is the Bayt at-Tawhid , House of the Realisation of His Oneness.   He Created the heart “for Himself”; the heart of a mu’min is His Throne, His House, the Ka’bah.   Now consider this ayat :   سُوۡرَةُ الحَجّ ... وَطَهِّرۡ بَيۡتِىَ لِلطَّآٮِٕفِينَ وَٱلۡقَآٮِٕمِينَ وَٱلرُّڪَّعِ ٱلسُّجُودِ (٢٦)   “… and sanctify My House for those who compass it round, or stand up or bow or prostrate themsel...