Keys to the Life of The Heart​

The keys to the life of the heart lie in reflecting upon the Qur’an, being humble before Allah in secret, and leaving sins.

—Ibn al-Qayyim [d. 751H/1350CE]

Hadiyyul-Arwah ila Biladil-Afrah [p.45] of Ibn ul-Qayyim

​Work Towards True Joy​

O Son of Adam! Your mother gave birth to you while you were crying, while those around you were laughing in joy.Work for a day, the day you die, so that you will be laughing in joy, while they will be crying for you. - Saidul Khatir, page 203

​He Breaks to Mend​

"From the perfection of Allah's ihsan is that He allows His slave to taste the bitterness of the break before the sweetness of the mend. So He does not break his believing

​ slave​

, except to mend him. And He does not withhold from him, except to give him. And He does not test him (with hardship), except to cure him." -

​Ibn al Qayyim

Nothing Should Own You​

'Detachment from this world is not that you should own nothing. But that nothing should own you.' Ali bin Abi Talib (R.A)

​Hate the Sin Not the Sinner

Actions are speculative and equivocal matters, not definitive proofs. Therefore, we should not be excessive in praising those doing overtly righteous deeds, nor excessive in disparaging those doing overtly evil deeds. Rather, we should disparage and blame the sin and not the sinner.

—Imām al-Qurṭubī [d. 671H/1272CE]

Crippling Imperfections​

If one has no manners, one has no knowledge, if one has no patience, one has no deen, and if one has no piety, one cannot come near to Allah.—Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī 

Misfortune Could Be Your Greatest Blessing​

It could be that our Lord tests the slave with misfortune in order to save him from destruction; in that case, his misfortune would be the greatest of blessings upon him.—Ishaq al-’Abid

Sound Aspiration

The signs of sound aspiration are that the aspirant’s main concern lies in pleasing his Lord, preparing to meet Him, being grieved at the times he spent in other than his Lord’s pleasure, and regretting the missed opportunities to be close and intimate with Him.  The summary of this is that day-in and day-out he has no concern other than this.—Ibn al-Qayyim (Al-Fawa’id, p. 171)