Be Prepared!

O my Son! Provide yourself an alternative for everything. Be prepared for every matter so that you do not have to request others—or you will be debased and humiliated. And take advantage of every opportunity because the opportunities which come now might never come again! - Ume Hakimah

Honesty!

I have discovered, o my son, that the greatest virtue in life is honesty! And never lying—even if it saves (you) for honesty is more behooving for a person like you. - Ume Hakimah

Be Grateful!

Make it your habit, o my son, to thank Allah. Be grateful to Allah! It is sufficient (blessing) that you can walk and hear and see! Be grateful to Allah! For Allah provides even more to the grateful ones. And thank people… People love the person who is appreciative when shown generosity.- Ume Hakimah

chameleon

O my son! I shall take you to the chameleon until you can witness yourself its stratagem! For it dyes its skin with the color of its surroundings…so that you can know that amongst mankind there are those similar to it who behave the same way! And that there are hypocrites… and those who cover themselves in every guise and hide behind claims of goodness and well-wishing. - Ume Hakimah

Trust

O my son! I shall relate to you the story of the sheep and the wolf so that you do not trust the one who plots and conspires. And when anyone places his trust in you, beware—beware indeed—of betrayal! I shall take you to the lion’s den and teach you that the lion did not become king of the jungle because it can roar but rather because it has self-respect! He does not settle down upon the prey of others no matter how hungry he is—even if he is starving to death! Don’t steal the hard work of others for then you shall have acted unjustly. - Ume Hakimah

Sleep Early!

Sleep early, o my son. For blessing in provision is in the morning. And I fear that the provision of al-Rahman will pass you by because you spent the night awake! - Ume Hakimah

Honeybee Not Fly

O my son! When you criticize anyone, then it is the glance of the honeybee which you must cast in order to see. And do not look at people with the eye of a fly for you will then land only on what is filthy. - Ume Hakimah