Islamic Quotes

O students at the madrasa,
Everything you learn is mere misgivings.
If your concern is in other than the Beloved,
You shall have no share of the Next Life.
- One of the righteous poets of the spiritual path The world is darkness; knowledge is light; but knowledge without truth is a mere shadow.
- Ali ibn Abu Talib (radiAllahu anhu)

Patience which is in remembrance of Him is not bitter;
For bitterness from a friend's hand is sugar.
- Bustan

It is impossible to begin to learn that which one thinks one already knows.

Make the remembrance of Allah, my garment, my Lord
Every utterance from my mouth be Your dhikr, my Lord.
Instead of breath, It should be Your dhikr from my throat, my Lord
Let this Dhikr never leave me
And be the last thing on my tongue O Creator.
La Ilaha Illallah.
La Ilaha Illallah.

If the Seven heavens and Seven earths were put together on one side of a scale and the words "La ilaha ilalah" were placed on the other side of the scale, the later would outweigh the former.
- Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)
[Sahih al-Bukhari]

Among the signs of true success (tawfiq) is witnessing one's shortcomings, while having high resolve; remaining lowly and needy; being characterized by slavehood to Allah, with true following of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in his actions, states, words, and character; yet not beholding any of this nor relying on it nor being tricked by it or stopping with it.
- Imam Abd Allah Ba-Sudan al-Hadrami
(in his al-Anwar al-Lami`a, a commentary on al-Risala al-Jami`a, (p. 120))

Oh writer! An Angel watches over all you write. Make your writing meaningful for it will eventually return to you and you will be questioned about what you wrote.
- Ali ibn Abu Talib (radiAllahu anhu)

There will never be enough darkness in the world to extinguish the light of Islam.

I believe if there is any place left where the humanity is still visible, it can not be anywhere else than in an Islamic society. Time would come when the world would be obliged to accept this reality.

When He opens a way for you and makes Himself known to you, then do not worry about your lack of deeds.
He only opened the way for you because He desired to make Himself known to you.
Do you not see that while He grants gnosis of Himself to you,
you have only deeds to offer Him?
What He brings you -
What you bring Him -
What a difference there is between them!
- Hikam of Ibn Ata'illa

If you remember the creation (gossip about such and such a person), then remember Allah the Most High. Remembering Him is the medicine for remembering His creation.
- Fudayl ibn 'Iyad (rahimahullah)

The heartbrokenness of the sinner is better than the forcefulness of the obedient
- Abu Madyan
[Diwan, 50]

The ambition of the spiritual traveller never wants to stop with what it has been shown save that the voices of reality call to him, "what you seek is ahead of you.
- Ibn 'Ata'illah Iskandari

The beloved of Allah are the perfume of Allah upon this world, but only the true, sincere believers have noses to smell them. They smell that beautiful perfume; they follow that smell. That perfume creates a yearning in their hearts for their Lord, and as a result the sincere believers increase their pace, efforts and devotions. - Yahya ibn Muadh al Razi (rahimullah)
[The Secrets of Secrets, p16, by Sk. Abdul Qadir Jilani]

If someone's state does not lift you up,
and his words do not lead you to Allah.
Then do not keep his company.

It may well be that you are in a bad state,
But to keep company with someone worse than you
would allow to see good in yourself.
- Ibn Ata'illah Iskandari

If someone remarks "What an excellent man you are!" and this pleases you more than his saying, "What a bad man you are!" know that you are still a bad man.
- Sufyan ath-Thawri

To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires to do

When there is an original sound in the world, it makes a hundred echoes.

O my people! Prove the sincerity of your respect for the Qur'an by putting its teachings into practice, not by arguing about it.
- Mohyuddin, Abdul Qadir al Jilani
from 'The Sublime Revelation', Trans. Muhtar Holland

One who is mild rather than forceful
has greater capcity for outreach.
- Ali ibn Abu Talib (radiAllahu anhu)

Tala'al badru 'alaynaa, Min thanee yatil Wadaa. Wajabash shukru 'alaynaa maa da'aa lil lahidaa. Ayyuhal mab'oothu feenaa. Ji-ta bil amril mutaa. Ji-ta shar raftal Madinah. Marhaban yaa khayra daa.

The full moon rose over us from the vally in the south. Now we owe it to show thankfulness every time we call on Allah. O you who were raised among us, coming with a word to be obeyed. You have brought to this city nobleness so welcome! best caller to Allah's way.
- Sang by the girls of Madinah when the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)entered the city on the Hijrah

Practice what you have learned, for theory without practice is like a spirit without a body. One who is content with learning alone is not learned, for the truly learned seek more than mere words. Divine guidance entails self-mortification, without which contemplation is unattainable.
- Imam Al-Hujwiri [Kashf al-Mahjub]

Life's most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

If you are dependable, honest, virtuous, and content in Allah�s will, no harm shall come your way.
- Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [as reported by Abd�Allah bin Amr]

The need to be loved is childish, immature. The need to love is mature.

Eat what you want and dress up as you desire, as long as extravagance and pride do not mislead you.
- Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) [as reported by Abd�Allah ibn Abbas]

A garden in al-Andalus has
unveiled beauty and a lush scent.

The morning glistens from its teeth
and the night is overshadowed by its scarlet lips.

When the wind blows from the East
I cry: O how I long for al-Andalus!
- Abu Ishaq ibn Khafaja (d. 1139), excerpt from a poem 'The literature of al-Andalus'

He who clings to my Sunnah when my Ummah is corrupt, will receive the Reward of a hundred martyrs.
- Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)

And those who believe are overflowing in their love of God - Qur'an, 2: 165 Have you fully Realized what Islam is? It is indeed a religion founded on truth. It is such a fountain-head of learning that several streams of wisdom and knowledge flow from it.It is such a lamp that several lamps will be lighted from it. It is a lofty beacon of light illumining the path of Allah. It is such a set of principles and beliefs that it will fully satisfy every seeker of truth and reality.

Know you that Allah has made Islam the most sublime path for attainment of His supreme pleasure and the highest standards of his worship and obedience. He has favoured it with noble precepts, exalted principles, undoubtable arguments, unchallengeable supremacy and undeniable wisdom. It is up to you to maintain the eminence and dignity granted to it by the Lord, to follow it sincerly, to do justice to its articles of faith and belief, to obey implicity its tenets and orders and to give it the proper place in your lives.
- Ali ibn Abu Talib (radiAllahu anhu)