Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Deeds ...

A man asked the Prophet, "What sort of deeds or (what qualities of) Islam are good?" The Prophet replied, "To feed (the poor) and greet those whom you know and those whom you do not know."

- Hadith narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr, as related by Al-Bukhari

Children ...

Once Abu Umamah asked the Prophet about the rights of parents over their children. The Prophet replied, "They are your Paradise and they are your Hell."

- Reported by Abu Umamah

Fear Oppression ...

Fear oppression, because oppression will be intense darkness on the Day of the Resurrection.

- The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), as reported by Ibn Umar

Monday, July 27, 2009

The Key to Paradise ...

There is a key for everything, and the key to Paradise is to love the poor.

- The Prophet Mohamed (pbuh), as reported by Ibn Umar

Monday, April 27, 2009

True Friendship ...

The sign of the friend of God is that he has three qualities: a generosity like that of the ocean, a compassion like that of the sun, and a humility like that of the earth.

- Bayazid in 'Attar, "Tadhkirat"

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Only He ...

Bereft of life, bereft of knowledge, bereft of power and will, how shall I describe my state? For I do not exist, only He exists.

I am deaf; the bearer is He.
I am blind; the seer is He.
I am mute; the orator is He.
I do not exist; only He exists.

-Shah Kamal, "Islamic Sufism"

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Addressing a Comment ...

Comment:
I would appreciate this quote more if he'd said "an obligation laid on every person." There is no need to be exclusive.
February 3, 2009 12:13

I understand what you mean, but he was speaking to his followers, so it is understandable. There are several verses in the Qur'an that talk about knowledge and it addresses "believers" which is not exclusive to Muslims. It is a term that, when translated, eludes to all those who believe in a God.

If you every have a moment and research the Prophet Mohamed's (pbuh) life, you will see he was far from "exclusive." Actually, if you research the lives of ANY of the prophets (pbut) you'll find that they spoke with the sick, the poor, the uneducated, and even criminals in order to get out their message.

We all have choices to make - we can be good or bad - good v. evil - educated v. uneducated - nice v. mean, etc. We, as human beings, tend to make better choices when we are better informed allowing us to maintain perception and therefore balance. Reason and logic = "higher brain function" which essentially is the only thing that seperates ourselves from the remainder of the animal kingdom. Yet viewing reality TV these days will really make you wonder if we're all that much better than fluffy the housecat. :)

Thank you for your comment; I hope the circumstances help convey that it is not meant to be divisive.

The Seal of the Prophethood ...

God now said to Muhammad(pbuh): 'I gave my past messengers many wise words to convey to the people; and these words were written down to guide future generations. Each of these messengers knew that I would send a further messenger to confirm the message I had given them. Do you accept this? Will you take up this burden?'

Muhammad (pbuh) answered: 'I accept.'

-Ibn Ishaq, "The Life of Muhammad"

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

How important is knowledge?

The search of knowledge is an obligation laid on every Muslim.

-The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Love the Poor ...

There is a key for everything, and the key to Paradise is to love the poor.

-The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), as reported by Ibn Umar

Monday, January 5, 2009

Suffering ...

When Allah desires the redemption of His People, He causes them to suffer in this world. But when He is averse, He leaves them to transgress until death overtakes.

-The Prophet Mohamed (pbuh), as reported by Anas bin Malik