The Words of The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him)
Compiled and edited by Kabir Helminski
from the reliable sources offered by Dr. M. Hafiz Syed.
Inscribed on the hilt of the Prophet’s sword: ‘Forgive him who wrongs you; join him who cuts you off; do good to him who does evil to you, and speak the truth although it be against yourself.’
Islam
Every religion has a distinctive virtue, and the distinctive virtue of Islam is modesty.
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Anyone who walks with a wrong doer in order to strengthen him knowing all the while that he is a wrong doer, has departed from Islam.
A Perfect Muslim
A perfect Muslim is one from whose tongue and hands mankind is safe, and a true emigrant [muhajir] is one who flees from what God has forbidden.
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The messenger of God said to me (Anas), Son, if you are able, keep your heart from morning till night and from night till morning free from malice towards anyone; then he said, Oh! My son, this is one of my laws, and he who loves my laws loves me.
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The best of Gods servants are those who, when seen, remind one of God; and the worst of Gods servants are those who carry tales about to do mischief and separate friends, and seek for the defects of the good.
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Whoever believes in one God and the hereafter, should speak what is good or remain silent.
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That person is nearest to God, who pardons, when he has someone in his power, one who would have injured him.
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It is unworthy of a Mu’min [a person with faith] to injure people’s reputations; and it is unworthy to curse any one; and it is unworthy to abuse any one; and it is unworthy of a Mu’min to talk arrogantly.
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All Muslims are as one person. If one complains of a pain in the head, the whole body complains; and if the eye complains, the whole body complains.
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All Muslims are like one foundation, some parts strengthening others; in such a way they must support each other.
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Assist your brother or sister Muslim, whether he be an oppressor or an oppressed. ‘But how shall we do it when someone is an oppressor?’ Muhammad said, ‘Assisting an oppressor is by forbidding and withholding that person from oppression.’
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The exercise of religious duties will not atone for the fault of an abusive tongue. A person cannot be a Muslim till his heart and tongue are so.
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Certainly, people will follow you, and certainly people will come to you from all quarters of the earth to understand religion; when they come to you, guide them toward goodness.
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The best jihad (lit. striving) is a just word before a tyrannical authority.
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I came to Medinah, and saw a man whose counsels men obeyed, and he never said anything but they obeyed him. I said, ‘Who is this man?’ They said, ‘This is the Rasul of God.’ Then I went to him and said, ‘Give me advice.’ Prophet Muhammad said, ‘Abuse nobody.’ And I never did abuse anybody after than, neither freeman nor slave, nor camel nor goat. And he added, ‘And if a man abuse you, and reveal a vice which he knew in you then do not disclose one which you know in him.’
God
God’s kindness towards His creatures is more than a mother’s towards her babe.
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Truly, God is mild, and is fond of mildness, and He gives to the mild what he does not give to the harsh.
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Truly God instructs me to be humble and lowly and not proud, and no one should oppress others.
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One who humbles himself for the sake of God, God will exalt; such a person is small in their own mind, and great in the eyes of the people. And one who is proud and haughty, God will render that one contemptible, and such a person is small in the eyes of the people and great in his own mind, so that he or she becomes more contemptible to them than a dog or a swine.
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God is gentle and loves gentleness.
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God is a unity, and likes unity.
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We were with the Prophet on a journey, and some men stood up repeating aloud, ‘God is most great;’ and the Prophet said, ‘O men, be easy on yourselves and do not distress yourselves by raising your voices; truly, you do not call to one deaf or absent, but truly to one who hears and sees; and He is with you; and He to whom you pray is nearer to you than the neck of your camel.
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The most beloved in the sight of God, on the day of resurrection, and the nearest to Him, in regard to position, shall be the just leader; and the most hateful of men in the sight of God on the day of resurrection, and the farthest removed form Him, shall be the tyrannical leader.
Faith
You will not enter paradise until you have faith; and you will not complete your faith, till you love one another.
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A man asked, ‘O Prophet of God! What is faith?’ The Prophet said, ‘When your good work gives you pleasure, and your evil work grieves you, and you are a person of faith.’ The man said, ‘And what is sin?’ he said, ‘When anything disturbs you within yourself, forsake it.’
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Faith is a restraint against all violence, let no Mu’min commit violence.
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Anyone of you who sees wrong, let him undo it with his hand; and if he cannot, then let him speak against it with his tongue, and if he cannot do this either, then (let him abhor it) with his heart, and this is the least of faith.
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If you rely upon God as He ought to be relied upon, He will provide you as He provides the birds; they go out empty and hungry in the morning and come back big-bellied at eventide.
Service to Humanity
He is true who protects his brother or sister both present and absent.
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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.
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Whoever who tries to remove the want of his brother or sister, whether successfully or not, God will forgive their sins.
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The best of people is one from whom good accrues to humanity.
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All God’s creatures are His family; and he or she is the most beloved of God who tries to do most good to God’s creatures.
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Someone said to the Prophet, ‘Pray to God against the idolators and curse them.’ The Prophet replied, ‘I have been sent to show mercy and have not been sent to curse.’
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Truly my heart is veiled with melancholy and sadness for my followers and verily I ask pardon of God one hundred times daily.
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Words to Remember
The proud will not enter paradise, nor a violent speaker.
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God is not merciful to him who is not so to mankind.
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Kindness is a mark of faith, and whoever has not kindness has not faith.
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Anyone who kills a sparrow for nothing, it will cry aloud to God on the day of resurrection, saying, ‘O My Lord! such and such a man killed me for nothing, he never killed me for any good.’
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An adulteress was pardoned, who passed by a dog at a well holding out his tongue from thirst which was nearly killing him; for she took off her short boot and tied it to her wrapper, and pulled water for him; so was she pardoned for that. It was asked, ‘Shall we then have any reward for (our behavior to) the animals?’ ‘There are rewards’ said the Prophet, ‘for all endowed with fresh and tender hearts.’
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We were on a journey with the prophet when we saw a finch with two young ones. We took away the two young ones and the mother bird fluttered around. Then the Prophet came and said, ‘Who has distressed her by taking away her young ones? Return her young ones to her.’ The Prophet also saw the abode of ants which we had burnt, and said, ‘Who has burnt this?’ We said, ‘We (have done this).’ The Prophet said, ‘It is not proper that any one should punish another by fire unless it be the Lord of fire himself.’
General Advice
The best of your leaders are those whom you love and who love you, for whom you pray, and who pray for you; and the worst of your leaders are those whom you hate, and who hate you, whom you curse, and who curse you.
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The Prophet Muhammad said, ‘My Cherisher has ordered me nine things: (1) To reverence Him, externally and internally; (2) to speak true, and with propriety, in prosperity and adversity; (3) moderation in affluence and poverty; (4) to benefit my relations and kindred who do not benefit me; (5) to give alms to him who refuses me; (6) to forgive him who injures me; (7) that my silence should be in attaining knowledge of God; (8) that when I speak, I should mention Him; (9) that when I look on God’s creatures, it should be as an example for them.’
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Deal gently with the people, and be not harsh; cheer them and condemn them not.
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Do not exceed bounds in praising me; I am only the Lord’s servant; then call me the servant of God and His messenger.
Copyright Threshold Productions 2001