Tag: sayd al-khatir

The Wages of Youth I STUDIED THE conditions of people who attain glory or wealth. That’s just when the downfall of most comes. Behold the youthful among them: How excessive grows their sinful behavior; how neglectful they are of their chance for…

I HAVE SEEN that the inclination of the ‘self’ toward what it desires tends to grow in intensity, until it leans forward to so great an extent that it pulls with it the heart, the rationality, and the mind of a person,…

A THOUGHT OCCURRED to me in a religious gathering—when the sitting became pleasurable, and the hearts were present, and the eyes were flowing, and the heads were bowed, and the souls felt remorse for their negligence, and the resolution to fix their…

THE MOST IDIOTIC of people is the one who acts according to the present situation and neither envisions change nor anticipates possible scenarios. Take, for example, one who is deluded by political power. He acts according to his desires relying on his…

THE STRUGGLE WITH one’s nafs, or self, is the strangest of things. This is because it requires a surprising talent. Now, some people give free reign to their nufûs, that is, they “let themselves go” to whatever they love. This yields the…

I NEVER CEASE to marvel at those who think that the angels are better than the prophets and friends of Allah (awliyâ’, sing. walî). If they claim that the angels are better based on their appearance, then the appearance of man is…

TRUTH IS NEVER confused with falsehood. It is only that falsehood plays a trick on the minds of those who have no understanding. The same applies to those who claim prophethood or miracles. As for prophethood, the fact is, many lay claim…

ONE DAY, WE attended the burial of a young man. He had died when life was at its best for him. As we were waiting for the grave to be prepared I beheld the funeral goers engaged in much denouncement of the…

WHAT MADE ME esteem knowledge so? Here’s one experience. I beheld a group of people who distracted themselves from learning on the pretext that they had instead dedicated themselves to Allah’s worship. The result? They failed to attain to the practical realities…

IN MY EXPERIENCE, avidity in acquiring something tends to rob one of the benefit for which one so avidly sought to obtain it in the first place. So, for example, we see that one who covetously gathers wealth and acquires it in…