"Be careful lest in fighting a monster, you become one"
-Sheikh Hamza Yusuf quoting a German philosopher

Don't dwell on your failures in the past
Or long for your hopes in the future
Just do what's most just for this moment

Make sure the good deeds add up
And that will be enough

Whether rain or shine
In the presence of the Divine
That will be enough

If getting married will cause you to stray from the path, forgo this sunna. If your marriage is not facilitating your islam, perform the makruh (divorce). If having children will keep you away from Allah, abstain. For nothing is more important then worshipping Allah, this is an obligation to engage in the sunna and bypass the obligatory is a flaw. Everything is a means towards Allah. And if it is not helping you, you should let it go.

God will try you in ways you cannot imagine, the only way to be prepared is to call Him in ease so he'll hear you in difficulty

It's only when you die that you realize all you had in life was your relationship with God, it's the only one that lasts through all life spans -whether good or bad

The believers should be extremist -extreme in their love for God, extreme in adherence to their obligations and extreme in their moving towards him... until they have no concern but Him

Do whatever you want, say whatever you want, be whoever you want, just follow the law of God and you'll be successful

Imam Ghazālī woke up one early morning and as usual offered his prayers and then inquired what day it was, his younger brother, Ahmad Ghazālī replied, ”Monday.” He asked him to bring his white shroud, kissed it, stretched himself full length and saying “Lord, I obey willingly,” breathed his last.

And underneath his head rest they found the following verses; composed by him, probably, during the night:

“Say to my friends, when they look upon me, dead
Weeping for me and mourning me in sorrow
Do not believe that this corpse you see is myself
In the name of God, I tell you, it is not I,
I am a spirit, and this is naught but flesh
It was my abode and my garment for a time.
I am a treasure, by a talisman kept hid,
Fashioned of dust, which served me as a shrine,
I am a pearl, which has left it’s shell deserted,
I am a bird, and this body was my cage
Whence I have now floron forth and it is left as a token
Praise to God, who hath now set me free
And prepared for me my place in the highest of the heaven,
Until today I was dead, though alive in your midst.
Now I live in truth, with the grave – clothes discarded.
Today I hold converse with the saints above,
With no veil between, I see God face to face.
I look upon “Loh-i-Mahfuz” and there in I read
Whatever was and is and all that is to be.
Let my house fall in ruins, lay my cage in the ground,
Cast away the talisman, it is a token, no more
Lay aside my cloak, it was but my outer garment.
Place them all in the grave, let them be forgotten,
I have passed on my way and you are left behind
Your place of abode was no deweling place for me.
Think not that death is death, nay, it is life,
A life that surpasses all we could dream of here,
While in this world, here we are granted sleep,
Death is but sleep, sleep that shall be prolonged
Be not frightened when death draweth night,
It is but the departure for this blessed home
Think of the mercy and love of your Lord,
Give thanks for His Grace and come without fear.
What I am now, even so shall you be
For I know that you are even as I am
The souls of all men come forth from God
The bodies of all are compounded alike
Good and evil, alike it was ours
I give you now a message of good cheer
May God’s peace and joy for evermore be yours.”

Oh Uman, Knowledge is better then wealth.Knowledge will protect you while you have to protect your wealth. Knowledge is a ruler over other things while wealth is ruled over. Knowledge grows as you spread it while wealth decreases as you spend it." -Ali ibn Abi Talib advising a student.

It's nice to know...

It's nice to know that when I look up at the moon its the same moon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, looked towards. Its the same that shadowed over him. The same one that split for his birth. And the same moon that a companion declared could not compete with the beauty of our beloved, peace and blessings be upon him.

Cast down your bucket

A ship lost at sea for many days suddenly sighted a friendly vessel. From the mast of the unfortunate vessel was seen a signal: “Water, water. We die of thirst.” The answer from the friendly vessel at once came back: “Cast down your bucket where you are.” A second time, the signal, “Water, send us water!” went up from the distressed vessel. And was answered: “Cast down your bucket where you are.” A third and fourth signal for water was answered: “Cast down your bucket where you are.” The captain of the distressed vessel, at last heeding the injunction, cast down his bucket and it came up full of fresh, sparkling water from the mouth of the Amazon River.

Travels

No matter how much you learn, no matter how far you go, you gotta bring it all back with you 

Parting words

Have high hymaa

Marriage and trusting in Allah

Narrated 'Aisha:

Allah's Apostle said (to me), "You have been shown to me twice in (my) dreams. A man was carrying you in a silken cloth and said to me, 'This is your wife.' I uncovered it; and behold, it was you. I said to myself, 'If this dream is from Allah, He will cause it to come true.' "

A good book

God you are the author so please write for me a good ending

You never owe love

Even after all this time the sun never says to the earth, “you owe me.” Look what happens with a love like that. It lights the whole sky.
~Hafez 

What a great ecstasy!

Sayidna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) was on his death bed and as he was dying his wife said, “How horrible this is...” to which Sayidna Bilal said, “Rather say what a great ecstasy... tomorrow we shall meet the loved ones, Muhammad and his companions."

Path to Allah

I often have to remind myself that on the path to Allah there are many obstacles, All of which can be faced with patience.

A Gaze

"There is no companion of obedience except that he has the gaze of a wali of Allah upon him, either from the living or the deceased among them."  

~Imam Amin Muhammad