- Pride
The proud will not enter Paradise, nor a violent speaker.
He will not enter hell, who hath faith equal to a single grain of mustard seed in his heart; and he will not enter Paradise, who hath pride equal to a single grain of mustard seed, in his heart.
Muhammad said, "That person will not enter Paradise who hath one atom of pride in his heart." And a man present said, "Verily, a man is fond of having good clothes and good shoes." Lord Muhammad said, "God is Beauty and delighteth in the beautiful; but pride is holding man incontempt."
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- Progress
Everyone is divinely furthered in accordance with his character.
It is your own conduct which will lead you to reward or punishment, as if you had been destined therefor.
Every human being hath two inclinations - one prompting him to good and impelling him thereto, and the other prompting him to evil and thereto impelling him; but Divine assistance is nigh, and he who asketh the help of God in contending with the evil promptings of his own heart obtaineth it.
The best of good acts in God's sight is that which is constantly attended to although in a small degree.
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- Prophecies
Verily ye are in an age in which if ye neglect one-tenth of what is ordered, ye will be doomed. After this a time will come, when he who shall observe one-tenth of what is now ordered will be redeemed.
Men will be liars towards the end of the world; and will relate such stories as neither you nor your fathers ever heard. Then avoid them, that they may not lead you astray and throw you into contention and strife.
The time is near in which nothing will remain of Islam but its name, and of the Kuran but its mere appearance, and the mosques of Muslims will be destitute of of knowledge and worship; and the learned will be the worst people under the heavens; and contention and strife will issue from them, and it will return upon themselves.
Ye follower of Muhammad, I swear by the Lord, if ye did but know what I know of the future state, verily ye would laugh little and cry much.
Verily, of things which I fear for you, after my departure from the world, is this: that the ornaments and goods of the world may be pleasing to you. Then a man said, "O Messenger of God! Doth good bring harm?" Lord Muhammad said, "Verily good doth not bring harm: I mean if there be much wealth it is a blessing; and there is no harm in it, unless from stinginess and extravagance; like the spring, which causeth nothing to grow but what is good: and harm and destruction are from abuse thereof."
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- Punishment
God doth not remove anyone out of the world, but that he wisheth to pardon him; and by the diseases of his body and distress for food, He exacteth the punishment of every fault that lieth on his shoulder.
Verily the reward is as great as the misfortune; that is, the more unfortunate and calamitous one is, the greater and more perfect his reward. And verrily, when God loveth a people, He entangleth it in misfortune; therefore, he who is resigned to the plesure of God, in misfortune, for him is God's favor.
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- Purity
They will enter the Garden of Bliss who have a true, pure, and merciful heart.
Religion is admonition, and it means being pure.
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- Reason
God hath not created anything better than Reason, or anything more perfect, or more beautiful than Reason; the benefits which God giveth are on its account; and understanding is by it, and God's wrath is caused by disregard of it.
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- Relatives
The best of you, before God and His creation, are those who are best in their own families, and I am the best to my family.
He is the most perfect of Muslims, whose disposition is most liked by his own family.
The favor of God doth not descend upon that family in which is one who deserts his relations.
He is not a perfect performer of the duties of relationship who doeth good to his relatives as they do good to him. He is perfect who doeth good to his relatives when they do not do good to him.
O Messenger of God! Verily I have done a great crime; is there any act by which I may repent? He said, "Have you a mother?" "No," said the questioner. "Have you an aunt?" asked Muhammad. He said, "Yes, I have." Lord Muhammad said, "Go, do good to her, and your crime will be pardoned."
The duty of a junior to a senior brother is as that of a child to its father.
Giving alms to the poor hath the reward of one alms; but that given to kindred hath two rewards; one, the reward of alms, the other, the reward of helping relations.
A man's first charity should be to his own family, if poor.
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- Repentance
A sincere repenter of faults is like him who hath committed none.
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- Reverence
Muhammad said one day to His companions, "Reverence God as becommeth you." They said, "Verily, O Apostle of God, we do reverence Him, and praise be to God who hath imbued us with it." Then Muhammad said, "It is not so; but whoever reverenceth God as it is suitable for him to do must guard his head from humbling itself to others, and from pride and arrogance towards God and God's creatures; he must guard his senses from whatever is wrong, and must guard his mouth from eating forbidden things, and his heart from receiving what is prohibited; and he must keep his death in mind, and the rotting of his bones. And whoever wisheth for future rewards must abandon the ornaments of the world. Therefore, anyone attending to the aforementioned points has verily reverenced God as it his duty to do.
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- Riches
Riches are not from an abundance of wordly goods but from a contented mind.
It is difficult for a man laden with riches to climb the steep path which leads to bliss.
Whoever desireth the world and its riches, in a lawful manner, in order to withold himself from begging, and for a livelihood for his family, and for being kind to his neighbor, will come to God with his face bright as the full moon on the fourteenth night of the lunar month.
Wealth, properly employed, is a blessing; and a man may lawfully endeavor to increase it by honest means.
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- Seemliness
A Bedouin was standing in the mosque of the Prophet, and defiled it; when he was immediately taken hold of; and Muhammad said, "Let him alone, and throw a skin of water upon the spot; because ye were not created but of comforters and not sent to create hardships." And they let him alone till he had done, and then Muhammad called the Bedouin to him, and said, "This mosque is not a proper place for that, or any kind of filth; mosques are only for the mention of God, saying prayers, and reading the Kuran."
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- Self-Indulgence
Muhammad asked His companions, "What are your opinions of the merits of that person, who drinketh liquor, committeth adultery, and stealeth? What should his punishment be?" They said, "God and His Messenge know best." He said, "These are great sins, and the punishment for them very dire." Index
- Servants
To those of your servants who please you give to eat what you eat yourself; and clothe them as yourself; but those who do not please you, part with them; and punish not God's creatures.
He will not enter Paradise who behaveth ill to his slaves. The companions said, "O Apostle of God! have you not told us, that there will be a great many slaves and orphans amongst your disciples?" He said, "Yes; then be kind to them as to your own children, and give them to eat what you eat yourselves. The slaves that say their prayers are your brothers.
Zaid, Muhammad's servant, said, "I served Lord Muhammad ten years, and he never said 'Uff,' to me; and never said, 'Why did you do so?' and never said, 'Why did you not do so?'"
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- Sick
There is not any Muslim who visiteth another in sickness, in the forenoon, but that seventy thousand angels send blessings upon him till the evening; and there is no one who visiteth the sick, in the afternoon, but that seventy thousand angels send blessings upon him till daybreak, and there will be a pardon for him in Paradise.
Feed the hungry and visit a sick person, and free the captive, if he be unjustly confined. Assist any person oppressed, whether Muslim or non-Muslim.
Whoever visiteth a sick person, an angel calleth from heaven, "Be happy in the world, and happy be your walking, and take you a habitation in Paradise." Whoever visiteth a sick person always entereth into and swims in a sea of mercy until he sitteth doen; and when he sitteth, he is drowned therein.
When you go to visit the sick, comfort his grief and say, "You will get well and live long," because although this saying will not prevent what is predestined, it will solace his soul.
Verily God will say on the Day of Judgement, O children of Adam! I was sick and ye did not visit Me." And the sons of Adam will say, "O our defender, how could we visit Thee? For thou art the Lord of the Universe, and art free from sickness." And God will say, "O men! Such a one was sick and you did not visit him." And God will say, "O children of Adam, I asked you for food, and ye gave it me not?" And the children of Adam will say, "O our patron, how could we give Thee food, seeing Thou art the cherisher of the Universe, and art free from hunger and eating?" And God will say, "Such a one asked you for bread and you did not give it him.
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- Silence
Much silence and a good disposition, there are no two works better than those.
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- Sin
Can anyone walk through water without wetting his feet? The companions replied, "No;" Muhammad said, "Such is the condition of those of the world; they are not safe from sins."
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- Truth
He is not of me who, when he speaketh, speaketh falsely; who, when he promiseth, breaketh his promises; and who, when trust is reposed in him, faileth in his trust.
No man is true in the truest sense of the word but he who is true in work, in deed, and in thought.
Strive always to excel in virtue and truth.
It is not worthy of a speaker of truth to curse people.
Appropriate to yourselves the truth. Avoid lying.
Say what is true, although it may be bitter and displeasing to people.
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- Understanding
It is not a sixth or a tenth of a man's devotion which is acceptable to God, but only such portions thereof as he offereth with understanding and true devotional spirit.
Verily, a man hath performed prayers, fasts, charity, pilgrimage and all other good works; but he will not be rewarded except by the proportion of his understanding.
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- Usury
The taker of usury and the giver of it, and the writer of its papers and the witness to it, are equal in crime.
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- Widows
A giver of maintenance to widows and the poor, is lke a bestower in the way of God, an utterer of prayers all the night, and a keeper of constant fast.
I and a woman whose color and cheeks shall have become black from toiling in the sun shall be near to one another in the next world as my two fingers; and that is a handsome widow, whose color and cheeks shall have become black in bringing up her family.
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- Wives
Admonish your wives with kindness.
A Muslim must not hate his wife; and if he be displeased with one bad quality in her, then let him be pleased with another that is good.
Do you beat your own wife as you would a slave? That must you not do.
I (Muaviyah b. Haidah) said, "O Apostle of God! What is my duty to my wife?" He said, "That you give her to eat as you eat yourself, and clothe her as you clothe yourself; and do not slap her in the face nor abuse her, nor separate yourself from her in displeasure.
Give your wife good counsel; and if she has goodness in her, she will soon take it, and leave off idle talking; and do not beat your noble wife like a slave.
Muhammad said, "Beat not your wives." Then Omar came to the Rasul (Muhammad) and said, "Wives have got the upper hand from hearing this."
He is the most perfect Muslim whose disposition is best; and the best of you are they who behave best to their wives.
A virtuous wife is a man's best treasure.
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- Women
Women are the twin halves of men.
The world and all things in it are valuable; but the most valuable thing in the world is a virtuous woman.
The best women are the virtuous; they are the most affectionate to infants, and the most careful of their husband's property.
When a woman performeth the five times of prayer, and fasteth the month of Ramadan, and is chaste, and is not disobedient to her husband, then tell her to enter Paradise by whichever door she liketh.
Verily a great number of women are assembled near my family, complaining of their hubands; and those men who ill-treat their wives do not behave well. He is not of my way who teacheth a woman to stray.
Asma, daughter of Yazid, said, "Victuals were brought to Muhammad, and he put them before some of us women who were present, and said, 'Eat ye.' But notwithstanding we were hungry we said, 'We have no inclination.' Muhammad said, 'O woman! Do not mix hunger with lies.'"
Whoever doeth good to girls, it will be a curtain to him from hell-fire.
Whoever befriendeth two girls till they come of age, will be in the next world along with me, like my two fingers joining each other.
Whoever befriendeth three daughters, or three sisters, and teacheth them manners, and is affectionate to them, till they come of age, may God apportion Paradise for him.
Whoever hath a daughter, and doth not bury her alive or scold her, or prefer his male children to her, may God bring him into Paradise.
Shall I not point out to you the best of virtues? It is your doing good to your daughter when she is returned to you having been divorced by her husband.
God enjoins you to treat women well, for they are your mothers, daughters, aunts.
The rights of women are sacred. See that women are maintained in the rights assigned to them.
Do not prevent your women from coming to the mosque.
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- World
The love of the world is the root of all evil.
This world is a prison for the Faithful, but a Paradise for unbelievers.
The world is a magician greater than Harut and Marut, and you should avoid it.
The world is sweet in the heart, and green to the eye; and verily God hath brought you, after those that went before you: then look to your actions, and abstain from the world and its wickedness.
The world is as a prison and as a famine to Muslims; and when they leave it you may say they leave famine and a prison.
Be in the world like a traveller, or like a passer on, and reckon yourself as of the dead.
Cursed is this world and cursed is all that is in this world, except the rememberance of God and that which aideth thereto.
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