Great Throughts Treasury

"A Muslim has five duties towards another Muslim; to return a salutation, visit the sick, follow funerals, accept an invitation and say 'God have mercy on you' when one sneezes."

"He who leaves home in search of knowledge, walk in the path of God."

"The best of the houses is the house where an orphan gets love and kindness."

"All actions are judged by the motive prompting them."

"Happy is the person who finds fault with himself instead of finding fault with others."

"Every religion has a distinctive virtue and the distinctive virtue of Islam is modesty."

"Power consists not in being able to strike another, but in being able to control oneself when anger arises."

"A perfect Muslim is one from whose tongue and hands mankind is safe."

"The best of God's servants are those who when seen remind you of God; and the worst of God's servants are those who spread tales to do mischief and separate friends, and look for the faults of the good."

"From morning until night and from night until morning keep your heart free from malice towards anyone."

"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."

"What actions are most excellent? To gladden the heart of a human being, to feed the hungry, to help the afflicted, to lighten the sorrow of the sorrowful, and to remove the wrongs of the injured."

"O ye who believe! Do not squander one another’s wealth in vanities, but let there be amongst you traffic and trade by mutual good will."

"A man giving in alms one piece of silver in his lifetime is better for him than giving one hundred when about to die."

"That which is lawful is clear, and that which is unlawful is also quite clear. Between these two is that which is ambiguous, which most people do not know. One who avoids the doubtful safeguards his faith and his honor."

"Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately and know that your deeds will not make you enter Paradise, and that the most beloved deed to Allah’s is the most regular and constant even though it were little."

"Do not turn away a poor man…even if all you can give is half a date. If you love the poor and bring them near you…God will bring you near Him on the Day of Resurrection."

"You will not attain righteousness till you spend in charity of the things you love."

"When we contemplate the duration of the universe, we see it limited to the present moment, which is nothing more but the point which separates two infinities of time. The past and the future are as meaningless as if they did not exist. Is anyone more misguided than the man who barters an eternal future for a moment which passes quicker than the blink of an eye?"

"The actions which the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, loved most were those which were done most constantly."

"Indeed, an ignorant man who is generous is dearer to God than a worshipper who is miserly."

"Be kind, for whenever kindness becomes part of something, it beautifies it. Whenever it is taken from something, it leaves it tarnished."

"There is reward for kindness to every living thing."

"There are many doors to goodness. (Saying) ‘glory to God,’ ‘praise be to God,’ ‘there is no deity but God,’ enjoining good, forbidding evil, removing harm from the road, listening to the deaf (until you understand them), leading the blind, guiding one to the object of his need, hurrying with the strength of one’s legs to one in sorrow who is asking for help, and supporting the weak with the strength of one’s arms – all of these are (forms of) charity prescribed for you."

"Anyone who has property that exceed his needs, let him support someone whose property does not (meet his or her needs), and anyone whose food exceeds his needs, let him share it with someone who does not have food."

"Blessed are they who endure with patience."

"They are the losers, those who make the religion hard and tough. They imperil themselves who enforce tough practices of Islam. They destroy themselves, those who are extremes."

"Do not be people without minds of your own, saying that if others treat you well you will treat them well and that if they do wrong you will do wrong. But (instead) accustom yourselves to do good if people do good and not to do wrong if they do evil."

"Blessed is he who hath clean hands and a pure heart, who preserveth his soul from evil."

"The (true) servants of (God) the Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, reply with (words of) peace."

"Endure evil with patience and forgive, for therein is great and true wisdom."

"Do good unto others, as God has done good unto thee."

"Divide not yourselves into sects."

"God changes not what is in a people, until they change what is in themselves."

"He who keeps pure his soul shall attain to happiness."

"He who slayeth one man is as guilty as if he killed the whole human race. And he who saveth a soul accomplisheth a deed as meritorious as if he had saved all humanity."

"God helps those who persevere."

"Patience is the key of content."

"Should one tell you that a mountain has changed its place, you are at liberty to doubt it; but if any one tells you that a man has changed his character, do not believe it."

"Every good act is charity. Your smiling in your brother's face, is charity; an exhortation of your fellow-man to virtuous deeds, is equal to alms-giving; your putting a wanderer in the right road, is charity; your removing stones, and thorns, and other obstructions from the road, is charity; your giving water to the thirsty, is charity. A man's true wealth hereafter, is the good he does in this world to his fellow-man. When he dies, people will say, "What property has he left behind him?" but the angels will ask, "What good deeds has he sent before him.""

"A good deed is one that brings a smile of joy to the face of another."

"Do not despise the world, for the world too is God."

"True religion is surrender."

"Whoever knows himself knows God."

"A hopeful sinner is closer to the mercy of Allah than a hopeless worshipper."

"A man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: I have found a woman of rank and beauty, but she does not give birth to children. Should I marry her? He said: No. He came again to him, but he prohibited him. He came to him third time, and he (the Prophet) said: Marry women who are loving and very prolific, for I shall outnumber the peoples by you."

"A Muslim has to listen to and obey (the order of his ruler) whether he likes it or not, as long as his orders involve not one in disobedience (to Allah), but if an act of disobedience (to Allah) is imposed one should not listen to it or obey it."

"A person seeing (visiting) my grave deserves my intercession. And a person who visits me after my death is like a person who visited me during my lifetime."

"A person who circumambulates this House (the Ka?bah) seven times and performs the two Rak?at Salat (of Tawaaf) in the best form possible will have his sins forgiven."

"A person shall arrive on the Day of Judgment and shall be in possession of good deeds in the measure of vastly accumulated clouds or towering mountains. (Witnessing them) he shall ask: ?Oh My Lord! How can these be for me when I have not performed them?? God shall reply: ?This is your knowledge that you had taught and conveyed to the people, and which was acted upon after you had died.?"