Quotes
“I was searching for God all my life, and as I moved from one spiritual teaching to another, I came to see them as circles, so I decided to look at what it was at the center of each of these circles; I saw Christianity as a circle, and at the center of it was Christ. I saw Judaism as a circle, and at the center of it was the Jewish identity. I saw Buddhism as a circle, and at the center of it was the Self and overcoming it. When I came to Islam, I saw it as a circle, but at its center I found only God, and God was Whom I was looking for all my life”.
The Messenger of God is an excellent model for those of you who put your hope in God and the Last Day and remember Him often.
The Qur’an that our young pupils learn at Islamia is full of stories and lessons from the history of humanity as a whole. The Gospels and the Torah are referred to; Jesus and Abraham are mentioned.
“9/11… The manic attempt to cause maximum suffering and death in the name of Islam now became the greatest opportunity to blacken the name of Muslims you could ever dream of…”
My mercy embraces all things.
And your Lord inspired the bee, saying, ‘Build yourselves houses in the mountains and trees and what people construct. Then feed on all kinds of fruit and follow the ways made easy for you by your Lord.’ From their bellies comes a drink of different colours in which there is healing for people. There truly is a sign in this for those who think.
On that Day, people will come forward in separate groups to be shown their deeds: whoever has done an atom’s-weight of good will see it, but whoever has done an atom’s-weight of evil will see that.
It is He who made the sun a shining radiance and the moon a light, determining phases for it so that you might know the number of years and how to calculate time. God did not create all these without a true purpose; He explains His signs to those who understand.
For the soul of nobody knows, how a flower grows – how does a flower grow?
We have commanded people to be good to their parents: their mothers carried them, with strain upon strain, and it takes two years to wean them. Give thanks to Me and to your parents- all will return to Me.
God is the ally of those who believe: He brings them out of the depths of darkness and into the light. As for the disbelievers, their allies are false gods who take them from the light into the depths of darkness.
Violence is almost an everyday occurrence in some Muslim lands: it should not be exacerbated by revenge attacks on more innocent families and communities.
He is the All Hearing, the All Seeing.
“With the rocks and mountains high,
Let me call, my Lord, on Thee.
At the dawn with birds that fly,
Let me call, my Lord, on Thee.”
There is no compulsion in religion: true guidance has become distinct from error, so whoever rejects false gods and believes in God has grasped the firmest hand-hold, one that will never break. God is All-hearing and All-knowing.
He is God: there is no god other than Him, the Controller, the Holy One, Source of Peace, Granter of Security, Guardian over all, the Almighty, the Compeller, the Truly Great; God is far above anything they consider to be His partner.
And be moderate in your walking, and lower your voice.
“There are three types of people: Those building Bridges; those bent on destroying them; and those waiting to cross”
“The wound is the place
where the Light
enters you.”
“Come, see what Love did to me.”
“Study me as much as you like, you will not know me, for I differ in a hundred ways from what you see me to be. Put yourself behind my eyes and see me as I see myself, for I have chosen to dwell in a place you cannot see.”
By [the passing of] Time
Verily mankind is in loss
Except such as believe
and do good works,
and enjoin on one another Truth,
and enjoin on one another, patience.
“If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astonishing results are the three criteria of a human genius, who could dare compare any great man in history with Muhammad?”
We hear, and we obey. Grant us Your forgiveness, our Lord. To You we all return!
“I don’t think that God sent us prophets and books to fight about these books and these prophets. But they were telling us, actually, how to live together. If we ignore those teachings…whichever faith you belong to, you profess, I think we’ll be finding ourselves in an even deeper mess.”
“Declare your jihad on thirteen enemies you cannot see -egoism, arrogance, conceit, selfishness, greed, lust, intolerance, anger, lying, cheating, gossiping and slandering. If you can master and destroy them, then you will be ready to fight the enemy you can see.”
“It is the nature of the self to manifest itself, In every atom slumbers the might of the self.”
“Art itself is an aesthetic crossroad, where cultures and civilization freely mix peacefully without borders or passports. It is the way in which we can trade with each other the fruits of our beliefs and ideas, in symbols and through prose, the mysterious sentiments and beauty of our faith and eternal hopes.”
A light [Muhammad] has now come to you from God, and a Scripture [The Qur’an] making things clear, with which God guides to the ways of peace those who follow what pleases Him, bringing them from darkness out into light, by His will, and guiding them to a straight path.
[How] prosperous are the believers! Those who pray humbly and who shun idle talk.
And indeed, you [Muhammad] stand on an exalted standard of character.
We showed Abraham the site of the House, saying, ‘Do not assign partners to Me. Purify My House for those who circle around it, those who stand to pray, and those who bow and prostrate themselves. “And proclaim the Pilgrimage among men: they will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways; to attain benefits and celebrate God’s name, on specified days, over the livestock He has provided for them- feed yourselves and the poor and unfortunate-so let the pilgrims perform their acts of cleansing, fulfil their vows, and circle around the Ancient House.’
When the Quran is recited, listen to it, and pay attention, so that you may experience mercy.
And remember your Lord within yourself, humbly and fearfully, and quietly, in the morning and the evening, and do not be of the neglectful.
Those who are in the presence of your Lord are not too proud to worship Him. They recite His praises, and to Him they bow down.
“There is only what He wills.
So leave your cares and abandon them.
Leave your preoccupations
which distract you and you will have rest.”
“I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.”
The truth is from your Lord, so do not be one of those who doubt.
It was only as a mercy that We sent you [Muhammad] to all people.
Verily! God orders justice and kindness and giving
to relatives, and forbids lewdness, bad conduct and oppression.
God instructs you that perhaps you may be reminded.
Can’t those who disbelieve see that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, and We separated them and made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe?
Those who spend their wealth in the way of God, and then do not follow up what they spent with reminders of their generosity or with insults, will have their reward with their Lord—they have nothing to fear, nor shall they grieve.
Do they not travel through the land, so that their hearts (and minds) may thus learn wisdom and their ears may thus learn to hear? Truly it is not their eyes that are blind, but their hearts which are in their breasts.
The Messenger of God is an excellent model for those of you who put your hope in God and the Last Day and remember Him often.
“The verses of the Qur’an talked about other Prophets as brothers preaching the same unifying script of mankind, showing every man and woman the way to Paradise. I saw the names of Jesus, of Moses, of Abraham, of Jacob, of Noah and of course, crucially, the name of this last messenger, the last Messenger of God, Muhammad.”
He is God: there is no god other than Him. It is He who knows what is hidden as well as what is in the open, He is the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy.
We have adorned the earth with attractive things so that We may test people to find out which of them do best, but We shall reduce all this to barren dust.
Read! In the name of your Lord who created: He created man from a clinging form.
He is God: the Creator, the Originator, the Shaper. The best names belong to Him. Everything in the heavens and earth glorifies Him: He is the Almighty, the Wise.
“Your God and our God is one God. I mean what could be clearer? But then if you ask what the headlines say they would not imagine that that is what muslims believe.”
Say, ‘If you love God, follow me, and God will love you and forgive you your sins; God is most forgiving, most merciful.’
Say, ‘[God says], My servants who have harmed yourselves by your own excess, do not despair of God’s mercy. God forgives all sins: He is truly the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
Do they not see the birds above them spreading and closing their wings? It is only the Lord of Mercy who holds them up: He watches over everything.
The reward of goodness is nothing but goodness.
The only one who will be saved is the one who comes before God with a heart devoted to Him.
They give food to the poor, the orphan, and the captive, though they love it themselves, saying, ‘We feed you for the sake of God alone. We seek neither recompense nor thanks from you. We fear the Day of our Lord-a woefully grim Day.’
“My songs are a kind of narrative to my life and if you look at them listen to them you’ll hear all the explanations of where I was and where I was going”
Mention in the Quran the story of Mary. She withdrew from her family to a place to the east and secluded herself away; We sent Our Spirit to appear before her in the form of a perfected man. She said, ‘I seek the Lord of Mercy’s protection against you: if you have any fear of Him [do not approach]!’ but he said, ‘I am but a Messenger from your Lord, [come] to announce to you the gift of a pure son.’ She said, ‘How can I have a son when no man has touched me? I have not been unchaste,’ and he said, ‘This is what your Lord said: “It is easy for Me- We shall make him a sign to all people, a blessing from Us.
And in their (the earlier prophets) footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the law that had come before him. We sent him the Gospel, therein was guidance and light and confirmation of the law that had come before him, a guidance and an admonition to those who fear God.
“To us pattern-designers, Persia has become a holy land, for there in the process of time our art was perfected.”
Corruption has flourished on land and sea as a result of people’s actions and He will make them taste the consequences of some of their own actions so that they may turn back.
“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”
“Whenever a person feels sorry for the poor victims of (Palestinian) occupation such as orphans, the disabled, widows and medical cases, if you try to help give charity to them – be warned, you may be considered a terrorist.”
So where are you going?
O Children of Adam! Dress properly at every place of worship, and eat and drink, but do not be excessive. He does not love the excessive.
“Perhaps I was particularly blessed to have discovered Islam in 1977, before the Iranian Revolution, when Muslims where less visible and Islam’s spiritual message less smothered by political events and violent headlines. But given the opportunity to study the Revelation and not the Revolution, the result – God willing – would have been the same.”
“The three most important things are giving charity during times of need; being impeccably mindful of God in private; and speaking the truth in the face of one you hope to benefit from, or one you fear.”
It is to God that everything in the heavens and earth belongs: God is fully aware of all things.
To God belong the East and the West; whithersoever you turn, there is the Face of God; God is All-embracing, All-knowing.
O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you, as it has been prescribed for those before you so that you may be mindful of God.
“The words of my songs speak for themselves.”
“Anyone who seeks God, will surely find Him. “
“You can argue with a philosopher, but you can’t argue with a good song. And I think I’ve got a few good songs.”
Say, ‘My Lord has guided me to a straight path, an upright religion, the faith of Abraham, a man of pure faith. He was not a polytheist.’ Say, ‘My prayers and sacrifice, my life and death, are all for God, Lord of all the Worlds; He has no partner. This is what I am commanded, and I am the first to devote myself to Him.’
“I always knew looking back on my tears would bring me laughter, but I never knew looking back on my laughter would make me cry.”
“Light will someday split you open,
Even if your life is now a cage.
Little by little, you will turn into stars.
Little by little, you will turn into
the whole sweet, amorous universe.”
Each community has its own direction to which it turns: race to do good deeds and wherever you are, God will bring you together. God has power to do everything.
A light [Muhammad] has now come to you from God, and a Scripture [The Qur’an] making things clear, with which God guides to the ways of peace those who follow what pleases Him, bringing them from darkness out into light, by His will, and guiding them to a straight path.
Say, ‘O mankind, the truth has come to you from your Lord, so whoever is guided is only guided for [the benefit of] his soul, and whoever goes astray only goes astray [in violation] against it. And I am not a warder over you.’
[Muhammad], have you heard the story of the honoured guests of Abraham? They went in to see him and said, ‘Peace.’ ‘Peace,’ he said, [adding to himself] ‘These people are strangers.’ He turned quickly to his household, brought out a fat calf, and placed it before them. ‘Will you not eat?’
‘Call on Me and I will answer you’
Muhammad is not the father of any one of you men; he is God’s Messenger and the seal of the prophets: God knows everything.
“Knock, And He’ll open the door
Vanish, And He’ll make you shine like the sun
Fall, And He’ll raise you to the heavens
Become nothing, And He’ll turn you into everything.”
Remember Me, and I will remember you. Be thankful to Me, and never ungrateful.
Man will only have what he has worked towards.
The worshippers of the All-Merciful are they who tread gently upon the earth, and when the ignorant address them, they reply, “Peace!”
“Allah, Most High, has truly blessed us. He has created just for us the mysterious spirit that He has breathed into us and by so doing distinguished us from all other physical creation. He has adorned us with our incomparable intellect, which further distinguishes us from all else in this creation. What other creature on this planet – another gift He has blessed us with – can even begin to create the likes of this Internet? Will we not stop, give thanks to our Merciful and Generous Lord? Will we not stop and realize how precious our lives are and begin to show each other more love, mercy, kindness and empathy? Will we not stop, take time, and reflect?”
Exalted is He who holds all control in His hands; who has power over all things; who created death and life to test you [people] and reveal which of you does best–He is the Mighty, the Forgiving.
Those who distort the meaning of Our message are not hidden from Us.
“The fact that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) cared for every human being and tried his best to ensure their security in the hereafter must be the most telling of his compassionate and merciful characteristics.”
“Ashura, The 10th of Muharram, is a day for the Victorious. God gave victory to Moses over his enemy, and made him a symbol of victory for the oppressed; and He gave victory to Hussain over his enemy, and made him a symbol of steadfastness upon truth. So be like Moses and be like Hussain, and do not be content except in being of the victorious.”
“Law is the sum of conditions under which the wishes of one person can be united with the wishes of another in accordance with the universal law of freedom.”
In the name of God, The Supremely Merciful, The Most Kind
Say: I seek refuge with The Lord and Cherisher of Mankind. The King of Mankind. The God of Mankind. From the mischief of the sneaking whisperer. Who whispers into the hearts of Mankind. From among Jinn and Mankind.
It is God who is your protector, he is the best of protectors.
Say, ‘He is God the One, God the eternal. He begot no one nor was He begotten. No one is comparable to Him.’
All the creatures on earth, and all the birds that fly with wings, are communities like you. We did not leave anything out of this book. To their Lord, all these creatures will be summoned.
“Those who refuse to listen should not expect to be heard.”
And when they hear vain talk, they turn away from it and say: “To us our deeds, and to you yours; peace be to you: we do not seek out the ignorant.
Worship none but God; be good to your parents and kinsfolk, to orphans and the poor; speak good words to all people; keep up the prayer and pay the prescribed alms.
On the Day when you see the believers, both men and women, with their light streaming out ahead of them and to their right, [they will be told], ‘The good news for you today is that there are Gardens graced with flowing streams where you will stay: that is truly the supreme triumph!’
There truly are signs in the creation of the heavens and earth, and in the alternation of night and day, for those with understanding, who remember God standing, sitting, and lying down, who reflect on the creation of the heavens and earth: ‘Our Lord! You have not created all this without purpose- You are far above that!
“Faith is not faith unless it seeks understanding.”
“I have always been particularly attached to the Muslim greeting – I thus greet you in the name of Peace.”
Not a messenger did we send before thee without this inspiration sent by us to him: that there is no god but I; therefore worship and serve Me.
I once went through a stage where I turned my back on everything that I’d done before, but of course that was a radical and over zealous reaction to the spiritual happiness that I’d felt in Islam.
By the sun in its morning brightness and by the moon as it follows it, by the day as it displays the sun’s glory and by the night as it conceals it, by the sky and how He built it and by the earth and how He spread it, by the soul and how He formed it and inspired it [to know] its own rebellion and piety! The one who purifies his soul succeeds and the one who corrupts it fails.
Verily, for those who have believed and done righteous deeds, the Most Merciful will appoint for them affection.
“The days of life pass away like clouds, so do good while you are alive.”
Striving for more distracts you until you go into your graves.
“I discovered something beyond the facade of what we are taught to believe about others particularly the muslim world and I had my misconceptions so I had to break through that”
So ask the people of the message if you do not know.
[Prophet], if My servants ask you about Me, I am near. I respond to those who call Me, so let them respond to Me, and believe in Me, so that they may be guided.
“Joy and sorrow are the light and shade of life;
without light and shade no picture is clear.”
Thus, We have made you a justly balanced community that you will be witnesses over the people and the Messenger will be a witness over you.
We tested them with blessings and misfortunes, so that they might all return [to righteousness].
“I started reflecting on my thoughts and those questions which were knocking at my conscious. I started writing those kind of lyrics in my songs”
Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has faith, verily, to them will We give a new Life, a life that is good and pure, and We will bestow on such their reward according to the best of their actions.
Alif, Lam, Meem.
This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guide for the righteous.
Those who believe in the unseen, and perform the prayers, and give from what We have provided for them.
And those who believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter.
These are upon guidance from their Lord. These are the successful.
The servants of the Lord of Mercy are those who walk humbly on the earth, and who, when the foolish address them, reply, ‘Peace’.
We sent thee not [Muhammad], but as a Mercy for all creatures.
“Music is universally present in this world, even in the jungles, oceans and deserts; birds sing, seas crash and the wind howls. Nature has its own magnificent song in praise of the Creator.”
The believer said, ‘My people, follow me! I will guide you to the right path. My people, the life of this world is only a brief enjoyment; it is the Hereafter that is the lasting home. Whoever does evil will be repaid with its like; whoever does good and believes, be it a man or a woman, will enter Paradise and be provided for without measure.
God will find a way out for those who are mindful of Him, and will provide for them from an unexpected source; God will be enough for those who put their trust in Him. God achieves His purpose; God has set a due measure for everything.
“You’ll find that a lot of songs were seeking answers. Now I didn’t have the answers. I was looking for answers. As a poet I’d be expressing myself. As a songwriter I would be expressing myself through my music, through my words but I wasn’t really providing any answers I was looking. So there was a gap, music in a way fills a certain need, Fulfils a certain need mainly when people are living in the kind of pressure of this modern life they need some relief.”
“I suppose that the media and their portrayal of Islam and the almost tribal separations and divisions of the Muslims are the greatest issues confronting Muslims in the United Kingdom.”
We shall certainly test you with fear and hunger, and loss of property, lives and crops. But [Prophet], give good news to those who are steadfast, those who say, when afflicted with a calamity, ‘We belong to God and to Him we shall return.’ These will be given blessings and mercy from their Lord, and it is they who are rightly guided.
“You must be such an ardent lover of truthfulness that every statement you make assumes the quality of a solemn oath.”
In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy!
“There is a God
You can know Him if you try
You can approach Him if you try…”
It is He who made the night a garment for you, and sleep a rest, and made the day like a resurrection.
“People who rush to judge others simply because of a difference in fiqh (understanding) are more in danger than anyone to fall into error and should remember the dangers to themselves”
You who believe, be steadfast in your devotion to God and bear witness impartially: do not let hatred of others lead you away from justice, but adhere to justice, for that is closer to awareness of God. Be mindful of God: God is well aware of all that you do.
Exalted is He who put the constellations in the heavens, a radiant light, and an illuminating moon-it is He who made the night and day follow each other-so anyone who wishes may be mindful or show gratitude.
“If you want to sing out, sing out, and if you want to be free, be free, cause there’s a million ways to be, you know that there are.”
‘We feed you for the sake of God alone: We seek neither recompense nor thanks from you. We fear the Day of our Lord––a woefully grim Day.’
“The media has played a rather non-positive role in creating my image and I think that its time that people listen to my words and what comes from my heart rather than what other people say about me”
“There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and non-white.”
“Picking up the guitar made me feel just like I did when I first began to learn chords back in the sixties, like being an amateur again with nothing to lose; a flood of new music poured out…”
God is the Light of the heavens and earth. His Light is like this: there is a niche, and in it a lamp, the lamp inside a glass, a glass like a glittering star, fuelled from a blessed olive tree from neither east nor west, whose oil almost gives light even when no fire touches it- light upon light- God guides whoever He will to his Light; God draws such comparisons for people; God has full knowledge of everything.
Indeed, God will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.
God does not love corruption.
“I found a religion that blended scientific reason with spiritual reality in a unifying faith far removed from the headlines of violence, destruction and terrorism.”
It was He who created [you] in the first place, and He will do so again, so that He may justly reward those who believe and do good deeds.
“You know its a mysterious thing about how music is so powerful. I believe its something to do with the longing that human beings have for unification with something higher and more harmonious than their existence and their mundane lives. Wanting to grasp that somehow becomes possible through the vehicle of music”
He is the First and the Last; the Outer and the Inner; He has knowledge of all things.
“Come, let’s get to know each other
and make our work easier.
Let’s love, let’s be loved.
No one inherits this world.”
“Criticisms came from some small sections of the Muslim Community who quite incredibly assumed that because I was making music I had left Islam – God forbid!”
(From ‘Why I Still Carry a Guitar’)
“I always stood for the elimination of conflict and wars, and any of those causes that ignite them.”
Children of Adam, dress well whenever you are at worship, and eat and drink [as We have permitted] but do not be extravagant: God does not like extravagant people.
“It appeared to me that the propaganda invented about the religion of Islam was one of the biggest theological cover-ups in history – or else we all simply had our eyes and ears closed.”
Has he not been told what was written in the Scriptures of Moses and of Abraham, who fulfilled his duty: that no soul shall bear the burden of another; that man will only have what he has worked towards; that his labour will be seen and that in the end he will be repaid in full for it; that the final goal is your Lord.
“You must accept the truth from whatever source it comes.”
