Pearls of Wisdom 326

1. I never saw anyone as just as the world. As long as you pursue the world it will pursue you, but when you turn away from it and seek God, it will leave you alone and its glamour shall no longer fascinate you.

2. Prayer is an instrument through which novices find their path to God. Thus ablution symbolizes repentance; the Qibla, a spiritual guide; standing in prayer becomes self-mortification; the recitation of the Qur'an, inner meditation; bowing the head, humility; prostration, self knowledge; profession of faith, intimacy; and salutation becomes detachment from the world and bondage of stations.

3. When reason reaches its peak and the souls of His lovers feel helplessness and disabled, they grow restless and stretch their hands in supplication, seeking comfort for their burning souls. When every manner of search within their power has been consumed, the doorway to Him is opened.

4. The miraculous quality of the Qur'an is that one never grows weary of reading or listening to it. The Quresh used to come secretly by night and listen in awe to the Prophet recite. One night Utba bin Rabi'a, an eloquent poet of the time, swooned upon hearing a chapter from the Qur'an. He later swore, "I am positive those are not the words of a mortal."

5. God created the hearts of men to be the homes of His praise, but they have become the homes of lust; nothing but fear and desire  for goodness can purify them. When faith establishes itself within the heart, praise and contentment follow.

6. When a lover of God turns his eyes away from the temptations of this world, he sees the Lord with the eyes of his heart. [Shaykh Ali al Hujwiri]