Religious leaders from Iran

"He whose intellect overcomes his desire is higher than the angels; he whose desire overcomes his intellect is less than an animal."

"The fault is in the one who blames. Spirit sees nothing to criticize."

"This discipline and rough treatment are a furnace to extract the silver from the dross. This testing purifies the gold by boiling the scum away."

"Fortunate is he who does not carry envy as a companion."

"The idol of your self is the mother of all idols. To regard the self as easy to subdue is a mistake."

"If you wish mercy, show mercy to the weak."

"If you dig a pit for others to fall into, you will fall into it yourself."

"Many of the faults you see in others, dear reader, are your own nature reflected in them."

"The lion who breaks the enemy's ranks is a minor hero compared to the lion who overcomes himself."

"Whoever gives reverence receives reverence."

"Were there no men of vision, all who are blind would be dead."

"If you are wholly perplexed and in straits, have patience, for patience is the key to joy."

"If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?"

"Anyone in whom the troublemaking self has died, sun and cloud obey. As his heart is afire with knowledge and love, the sun cannot burn him."

"If you wish to shine like day, burn up the night of self-existence. Dissolve in the Being who is everything."

"There is no worse sickness for the soul, O you who are proud, than this pretense of perfection. The heart and eyes must bleed a lot before self-complacency falls away."

"God turns you from one feeling to another and teaches by means of opposites, so that you will have two wings to fly, not one."

"When the remedy you have offered only increases the disease, then leave him who will not be cured, and tell your story to someone who seeks the truth."

"Whoever enters the Way without a guide will take a hundred years to travel a two-day journey."

"Whoever undertakes a profession without a master becomes the laughingstock of city and town."

"Even though you're not equipped, keep searching: equipment isn't necessary on the way to the Lord."

"If an ant seeks the rank of Solomon, don't smile contemptuously upon its quest. Everything you possess of skill, and wealth and handicraft, wasn't it first merely a thought and a quest?"

"Come, seek, for search is the foundation of fortune: Every success depends upon focusing the heart."

"That which God said to the rose, and caused it to laugh in full-blown beauty, He said to my heart, and made it a hundred times more beautiful."

"Many have been led astray by the Qur'an: by clinging to that rope many have fallen into the well. There is no fault in the rope, O perverse man, for it was you who had no desire to reach the top."

"Some Hindoos were exhibiting an elephant in a dark room, and many people collected to see it. But as the place was too dark to permit them to see the elephant, they all felt it with their hands, to gain an idea of what it was like. One felt its trunk, and declared that the beast resembled a water-pipe; another felt its ear, and said it must be a large fan; another its leg, and thought it must be a pillar; another felt its back, and declared the beast must be like a great throne. According to the part which each felt, he gave a different description of the animal. One, as it were, called it "Dal," and another "Alif.""

"The eye of outward sense is as the palm of a hand, The whole of the object is not grasped in the palm. The sea itself is one thing, the foam another; Neglect the foam, and regard the sea with your eyes."

"When you see anyone complaining of such and such a person's ill-nature and bad temper, know that the complainant is bad-tempered, forasmuch as he speaks ill of that bad-tempered person, because he alone is good-tempered who is quietly forbearing towards the bad-tempered and ill-natured."

"Everyone sees the unseen in proportion to the clarity of his heart, and that depends upon how much he has polished it. Whoever has polished it more sees more — more unseen forms become manifest to him."

"Love is the ark appointed for the righteous, Which annuls the danger and provides a way of escape. Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment. Cleverness is mere opinion, bewilderment intuition."

"Reason is like an officer when the King appears; The officer then loses his power and hides himself. Reason is the shadow cast by God; God is the sun."

"How can these works and this earning in the way of righteousness be accomplished without a master, O father? Can you practice the meanest profession in the world without a master's guidance?"

"Are you fleeing from Love because of a single humiliation? What do you know of Love except the name? Love has a hundred forms of pride and disdain, and is gained by a hundred means of persuasion. Since Love is loyal, it purchases one who is loyal: it has no interest in a disloyal companion. The human being resembles a tree; its root is a covenant with God: that root must be cherished with all one's might."

"If in thirst you drink water from a cup, you see God in it. Those who are not in love with God will see only their own faces in it."

"The lower self does not want anyone to receive anything from anybody else, and if it is aware of something receiving a special boon, it seeks to destroy it."

"Whatever possessions and objects of its desires the lower self may obtain, it hangs on to them, refusing to let them go out of greed for more, or out of fear of poverty and need."

"I died as a mineral and became a plant, I died as plant and rose to animal, I died as animal and I was Man. Why should I fear? When was I less by dying? Yet once more I shall die as Man, to soar With angels blest; but even from angelhood I must pass on: all except God doth perish. When I have sacrificed my angel-soul, I shall become what no mind e'er conceived. Oh, let me not exist! for Non-existence Proclaims in organ tones, 'To Him we shall return.'"

"This is what is signified by the words Anā l-Ḥaqq, "I am God." People imagine that it is a presumptuous claim, whereas it is really a presumptuous claim to say Ana 'l-'abd, "I am the slave of God"; and Anā l-Ḥaqq, "I am God" is an expression of great humility. The man who says Ana 'l-'abd, "I am the servant of God" affirms two existences, his own and God's, but he that says Anā l-Ḥaqq, "I am God" has made himself non-existent and has given himself up and says "I am God", that is, "I am naught, He is all; there is no being but God's." This is the extreme of humility and self-abasement."

"The branch might seem like the fruit's origin: In fact, the branch exists because of the fruit."

""There's no courage", The Prophet said, "before the war has begun." Drunkards vaunt their bravery when you speak of war. But in the blaze of battle they scatter like mice. I'm astonished by the man who wants purity And yet trembles when the harshness of polishing begin... When a man beats a carpet again and again It's not the carpet he's attacking, but the dirt in it."

"Love is the path and road of our Prophet We were born from Love and Love was our mother. O you who are our mother, you are hidden within veils, Concealed from our disbelieving natures"

"The fire of Love cooks me Every night it drags me to the Tavern. It seats me with the People of the Tavern So that no one except the People of the Tavern will know me."

"By eating meagerly, you become clever and aware. And by eating gluttonously, you become foolish and idle. Your being full of misery is entirely from your gluttony. You will become less miserable if you become a sparse eater."

"If you dwell with unaware people, you will be cold, But if you dwell with aware ones, you will be a true man Go, and build your hermit cell inside a furnace, like gold If you go out of the furnace, you will be frozen solid"

"Dwell in the place where your companions are spiritual heroes, So that they may wash the foul soot from your [heart] Don't think about their faults, for they Will know about it before you think."

"I am so happy, I cannot be contained in the world; But like a spirit, I am hidden from the eyes of the world. If the foot of the trees were not tied to earth, they would be pursuing me; For I have blossomed so much, I am the envy of the gardens."

"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."

"We have a way from this visible world to the Unseen, for we are the companions of religion's messenger. We have a way from the house to the garden, we are the neighbor of the cypress and jasmine. Every day we come to the garden and see a hundred blossoms. In order to scatter them among the lovers, we will our robes to overflowing... Behold our words! They are the fragrance of those roses--we are the rosebush of certainty's rosegarden."

"Little by little, wean yourself. This is the gist of what I have to say. From an embryo, whose nourishment comes in the blood, move to an infant drinking milk, to a child on solid food, to a searcher after wisdom, to a hunter of more invisible game. Think how it is to have a conversation with an embryo. You might say, "The world outside is vast and intricate. There are wheatfields and mountain passes, and orchards in bloom. At night there are millions of galaxies, and in sunlight the beauty of friends dancing at a wedding." You ask the embryo why he, or she, stays cooped up in the dark with eyes closed. Listen to the answer. There is no "other world." I only know what I've experienced. You must be hallucinating."

"Our caravan leader is the pride of the world, Mustafa [Muhammad]."

"Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart."

"The men of God are like fishes in the ocean; they pop up into view on the surface here and there and everywhere, as they please."

"Let the beauty of what you love be what you do."

"I want a heart which is split, part by part, because of the pain of separation from God, so that I might explain my longing and complaint to it."

"The Sufi is hanging on to Muhammad, like Abu Bakr."

"I am the servant of the Qur'an as long as I have life. I am the dust on the path of [Muhammad], the Chosen one. If anyone quotes anything except this from my sayings, I am quit of him and outraged by these words"

"You were born with wings. Why prefer to crawl through life?"

"I have endowed everyone with a temperament of his own, given everyone an idiom of his own; so that what is praise for him is blame for thee, what is honey for him is poison for thee, what is light for him is fire for thee, what is rose for him is thorn for thee, what is good for him is evil for thee, what is beautiful for him is ugly for thee. In the people of Hindustan the idiom of Hindustan is praiseworthy; in the people of Sind, the idiom of Sind is praiseworthy. I do not see the outward and the speech; I see the inward and the state [of feeling]. For the heart is the substance and speech an accident. So, the accident is subservient, the substance is the [real] object. The religion of love stands apart from all religions. For lovers the [only] religion and creed is God."

"Wherever you stand, be the soul of that place."

"Seek truth from thought, not in mouldy books. Look in the sky to find the moon, not in the pool."

"Ah, me! so poor, can I declare that friend, who never had another friend his like,—none, therefore, who could know his soul?"

"Supreme Being soars above thought and imagination. We are lost when we would comprehend or even suspect that which he is. How vain, then, to seek words worthy of that Being! Let it suffice us to adore in reverent silence!"

"Thou, nearer to me than I to myself."

"O heart! weak follower of the weak, That thou shouldst traverse land and sea, In this far place that God to seek Who long ago had come to thee!"

"The prophets hear in their mind voices that others never perceive, as the voices of the Peris, which, although they sound out clearly, are never apprehended by our ears."

"This universe is a drop from the ocean of his beauty, unable from its fulness to find place in the parent bosom."

""Tell me, gentle traveller, thou Who hast wandered far and wide, Seen the sweetest roses blow And the brightest rivers glide,— Say, of all thine eyes have seen, Which the fairest land has been.""Lady, shall I tell thee where Nature seems most blest and fair, Far above all climes beside?— ’Tis where those we love abide; And that little spot is best Which the loved one’s foot hath pressed."Though it be a fairy space, Wide and spreading is the place; Though ’twere but a barren mound, ’Twould become enchanted ground. With thee, yon sandy waste would seem The margin of Al Cawthar's stream; And thou canst make a dungeon’s gloom A bower where new-born roses bloom."

"When rises the sun and chases the night, What need have we then of the lamp for a light? When the friend all beloved appears to the eye, What want dost thou feel that the post bring him nigh? But when the rose-time is past, and the rose-bloom gone by, Then gladly the eye seeks the water of roses to spy. Is the Master within to thy soul not revealed? Well then may’st thou turn to the Volume of message unsealed."

"As water from the glasses is all poured into one vessel, so all the praises are mingled together. Since He that is celebrated is wholly one, all religions form but one religion."

"The compass only serves to direct the prayers of those who are outside of the Caaba, whilst within it no one knows the use of it."

"I was, ere a name had been named upon earth, Ere one trace yet existed of aught that has birth; When the locks of the Loved One streamed forth for a sign, And being was none save the Presence Divine. Ere the veil of the flesh for Messiah was wrought, To the godhead I bowed in prostration of thought. I measured intently, I pondered with heed (But, ah, fruitless my labor!) the cross and its creed. To the pagod I rushed and the magian's shrine, But my eye caught no glimpse of a glory divine. The reins of research to the Caaba I bent, Whither, hopefully thronging, the old and young went. Candahár and Herát searched I wistfully through, Nor above nor beneath came the Loved One to view. I toiled to the summit, wild, pathless, and lone, Of the globe-girding Kâf, but the phœnix had flown. The seventh earth I traversed, the seventh heaven explored, But in neither discerned I the court of the Lord. I questioned the pen and the tablet of fate, But they whispered not where He pavilions his state. My vision I strained, but my God-scanning eye No trace that to godhead belongs could descry. But when I my glance turned within my own breast, Lo, the vainly sought Loved One, the godhead confessed! In the whirl of its transport my spirit was tossed, Till each atom of separate being I lost; And the bright sun of Tauriz, a madder than me, Or a wilder, hath never yet seen, nor shall see."

"If this world were our abiding place, we might complain that it makes our bed so hard: But it is only our night-quarters on a journey; and who can expect home comforts?"

"The reed bewailed departed bliss and present woe: "Plucked untimely from my native banks, my heart is torn, that through me may sound the notes that charm the grave and gay. Who that hears my strains knows the secret of my bleeding heart?" Not fruitless was the pain of the reed that made it melodious. And thou, brave heart, arise. Be free of every chain, though blazing with gold. Be nobly bold. Follow the true bride of thy life, though her name be Sorrow. Let the shell perish, that the pearl may appear. Men may not know the secret of thy sad life, but through a bruised heart must be breathed the strain of love and hope which shall enrapture human souls."

"As the stranger, far distant in foreign climes, draws towards home, so the soul, from midst of this world of multiplicity, pants and soars upward to the Unity."

"Rabia, sick upon her bed, By two saints was visited, Holy Malik, Hassan wise,— Men of mark in Moslem eyes. Hassan says, "Whose prayer is pure Will God's chastisements endure." Malik, from a deeper sense, Uttered his experience: "He who hears his Master's voice Will in chastisement rejoice."Rabia saw some selfish will In their maxims lingering still, And replied, "O men of grace! He who sees his Master's face, Will not in his prayer recall That he is chastised at all.""

"I once journeyed long, said Dakiki, seeking the souls wherein my friend had mirrored himself,—in the drop of the: bucket to find the sea and its wealth, in the atoms, in the sunbeam, to know the great sun.I came in my wanderings to the shore of ocean, where time and space disappeared from my thought. Seven lights I saw, whose flames lapped the heavens. Again the lights flowed together, the lights joined in one whose splendor cleft the bosom of the skies. Amazed, overcome, I sank to the ground; but when I awoke, instead of the flame, seven persons I see walking on shore. I could not trust my eyes, since; instead of seven men, seven trees come to view. Their peaks transcend the throne-dwelling of God, their roots pierce the inmost recesses of earth and the deeps.But, wonder of wonders over all! to no eyes but mine was the vision revealed. Hundred thousands pass along there, but never one sees the trees and their fruits. A strange spell is upon their organs: they see the mote in the sunbeam, but never the sun.I shout to them, Hither: come here, eat this fruit, living bread you shall find. They laugh at me, call me foolish, giddy, and demented. But I know I don’t dream. Yet never could I hold my senses sound, were it not that every instant the fruits refresh and inspire me.Then of a sudden again the fruits and trees evanish, and seven persons appear before me. Seven blend in one, one flows out and divides into seven."

"Allah!" was all night long the cry of one oppressed with care, Till softened was his heart, and sweet became his lips with prayer. Then near the subtle tempter stole, and spake: "Fond babbler, cease! For not an 'Here am I' has God e'er sent to give thee peace." With sorrow sank the suppliant's soul, and all his senses fled; But, lo! at midnight the good angel Chiser came and said: "What ails thee now, my child, and why art thou afraid to pray? And why thy former love dost thou repent? declare and say." "Ah!" cries he, "never once spake God to me, 'Here am I, son.' Cast off, methinks I am, and warned far from his gracious throne." To whom the angel answered: "Hear the word from God I bear: 'Go tell,' he said, 'yon mourner, sunk in sorrow and despair, Each "Lord, appear!" thy lips pronounce, contains my "Here am I!" A special messenger I send beneath thine every sigh, And, sleeping in thy "Come, O Lord!" there lies "Here, son!" from me.'"

"Love is the water of life; receive it in thy heart and soul."

"None but the sun can display the sun."

"Pants thy spirit to be gifted With a deathless life, Let it seek to be uplifted O’er earth’s storm and strife. Spurn its joys,—its ties dissever, Hopes and fears divest; Thus, aspire to live for ever, Be for ever blest."

"'Tis marvellous by what way thou wentest from the world Thou didst strongly shake thy wings and feathers and having broken thy cage Didst ae to the air and journey towards the world of soul. Thou wert a favourite falcon kept in captivity by an old woman When thou heard’st the falcon-drum, thou didst fly away into the void."

"After all soul is linked to body Though it in nowise resembles the body The power of the light of the eye is mated with fat The light of the heart is hidden in a drop of blood Joy harbours in the kidneys and pain in the liver The lamp of reason in the brains of the head. These connections are not without a why and how But reason is at a loss to understand the how."

"For this cause, O son, the Prince of men declared 'The majority of those in Paradise are the foolish'. Cleverness is as a wind raising storms of pride Be foolish, so that your heart may he at peace."

"This world of illusions, fancies, desires and fears Is a mighty obstacle in the traveller's path. Thus when these forms of delusive imaginations Misled Abraham, who was a very mountain of wisdom. He said of the star 'This is my Lord'. Having fallen into the midst of the world of illusion Seeing then that this world of eye-fascinating illusion Seduced from the right path such a mountain as Abraham. So that he said of the star 'This is my Lord', What will not its illusions effect on a stupid ass?"

"First he appeared in the class of inorganic things, Next he passed therefrom into that of plants, For years he lived as one of the plants, Remembering naught of his inorganic state so different, And when he passed from the vegetive to the animal state He had no remembrance of his state as a plant."

"The prophets chose the better part, futurity. The foolish chose the worst, the world's fatuity. Each bird will flock with birds of its own feather still The cock well knows his mate and follows where she will."

"The lover is a monarch; two worlds lie at his feet; The king pays no heed to what lies at his feet; 'Tis love and the lover that live to all eternity Set not thy heart on aught else; 'tis only borrowed."

"The root of hatred is hell and that hate of yours Is a part of that whole and is the foe of your religion Since you are a part of hell, beware! For the part ever tends towards its whole But if you are a portion of heaven, O renowned one, Your joy will be as lasting as heaven itself."

"Let us seek refuge with Allah from Satan; Alas! we are perishing from his insolence. The dog is one yet he enters a thousand forms; Whatever he enters, straight becomes himself; Whatever makes you shiver, know he is in it, The Devil is hidden beneath its outward form. When he finds no form at hand, he enters your thoughts To cause them to draw you into sin."

"For love of our Almighty God, the Lord of all, Who would not die; a stock, a block, we needs must call."

"Imitate the water-wheel that groans and weeps; By prayers and groans and tears a man his heart pure keeps; Wouldst thou shed tears? Feel pity when thou meetest woe, Wouldst mercy find? Show mercy, when men bow them low."

"How many sparks of fire from flint and steel have flown How many hearts like tinder, make those sparks their own. But in the dark some thief his finger presses there And every train puts out that has been lighted here. Extinguished if those sparks were not, a flame would rise A burning light be kindled, flashing beyond the skies A thousand snares are laid to catch our tripping feet But Lord, if thou us shield, harm never shall us meet. If but Thy grace will guide us, lead us on our way, No thief can steal our peace of mind, our light of day."

"Our celestial spirit is free to eternity, Although for a short time we are imprisoned in forms of flesh."

"With thee hell would he a mansion of delight With thee a prison would be a rose garden."

"With thee how should we be afraid of loss O thou, who turnest every loss to gain."

"Why, when God’s earth is so wide, have you fallen asleep in prison?"

"The majority of those in Paradise are the simple Who have escaped the snares of philosophy. Strip yourself bare of overweening intellect That grace may ever be shed upon you from above."

"Whereas want of fidelity is shameful even in dogs, How can it be right in men? God Almighty himself makes boast of fidelity Saying 'Who is more faithful to his promise than we?'"

"Open your arms if you desire an embrace, Break the idol of clay that you may behold the face of the fair."

"Earth receives the seed and guards it, Trustfully it dies: Then what teeming life rewards it, For self-sacrifice. With green leaf and clustering blossom Clad, or golden fruit, See it from earth’s cheerless bosom Ever sunward shoot."

"Hearken to the reed-flute, how it discourses When complaining of the pains of separation; 'Ever since they tore me from my osier-bed, My plaintive notes have moved men and women to tears. I burst my breast striving to give vent to sighs, And to express the pangs of yearning for my home; He who abides far away from his home, Is ever longing for the day he shall return.'"

"Come, come for you will not find another friend like Me, Where indeed is a Beloved like Me in all the world? Come, come, and do not spend your life in wandering to and fro, Since there is no market elsewhere for your money."

"Come, and think of Me, Who gave you the faculty of thought, Since from my mine you may purchase an ass-load of rubies; Come, advance towards Him Who gave you a foot, Look with all your eyes upon Him Who gave you an eye."

"That spiritual garden accompanies them everywhere Yet it is never revealed to the eyes of the people, Its fruits ever asking to be gathered, Its fount of life welling up to be drunk."

"We used to be on the earth, ignorant of the earth, Ignorant of the treasure buried within it."

"Thou wert a love-lorn nightingale among owls, The scent of the rose-garden reached thee, and thou didst go to the rose-garden. Thou didst suffer sore headache from this bitter ferment, At last thou wentest to the tavern of eternity."

"'Tis slave-caressing thy love has practised, Else, where is the heart worthy of that love? Every heart that has slept one night in thine air Is like radiant day; thereby the air is illuminated."

"How many letters thou writest with Thy Almighty pen Through marvelling thereat stones become as wax; These letters exercise and perplex reason, Write on, O skilful Fair-writer, Imprinting every moment on Not-being the fair forms Of the world of ideals to confound all thought."

"Mine eye is from that source, and from another universe Here a world and there a world: I am seated on the threshold; On the threshold are they alone, whose eloquence is mute, 'Tis enough to utter this intimation: say no more, draw back thy tongue."

"What pearl art thou that none possesseth the price of thee? What does the world possess that is not thy gift?"

"Why does not the soul take wing when from the glorious presence A speech of sweet favour comes to it saying, 'Aloft!'"

"Why should a falcon not fly from the quarry towards the King When it hears by drum and drum-stick the notice of 'Return?' Why should not every Sufi begin to dance like a mote, In the sun of eternity that it may deliver him from decay."

"When the sun goeth up, where stayeth night? When the joy of bounty came, where lagged affliction?"

"Weave no more with soot, like the spider, a web of care, Wherein both woof and warp are rotten. While thou art silent, His speech is thy speech, While thou weavest not, God is the weaver."

"When thou seest in the pathway a severed head, Which is rolling toward our field, Ask of it, ask of it the secrets of the heart, For of it thou wilt learn our hidden mystery."

"How long shall we, like children in the earthly sphere Fill our lap with dust and stones and sherds? Let us give up the earth and fly heavenwards, Let us flee from childhood to the banquet of men."

"Were there no hostility, war would be impossible, Hadst thou no lust, obedience to the law could not be Hadst thou no concupiscence there could be no abstinence Where no antagonist exists, what need is there of armies?"

"Such grace and beauty and loveliness and bestowal of life, O misery and error, if anyone dispense with Him! Fly, fly O bird, to thy native home, For thou hast escaped from the cage, and thy pinions are outspread. Travel away from the bitter stream towards the water of life, Return from the vestibule to the high seat of the soul."

"Whereas the springhead is undying, its branch gives water continually; Since neither can cease, why are you lamenting? Conceive the Soul as a fountain and these created things as rivers; While the fountain flows, the rivers run from it Put grief out of your head, and keep quaffing this river water, Do not think of the water failing; for this water is without end."

"When you have seen the millstone turning round, Then, prithee, go and see the stream that turns it. When you have seen the dust rising up into the air, Go and mark the air in the midst of the dust. You see the kettles of thought boiling over, Look with intelligence at the fire beneath them. God said to Job "Out of my clemency I have given a grain of patience to every hair of thine" Look not then, so much at your own patience, After seeing patience, look to the giver of patience."

"Our wakefulness fetters our spirits, Then our souls are a prey to various whims, Thoughts of loss and gain and fears of misery. They retain not purity nor dignity nor lustre, Nor aspiration to soar heavenwards. That one is really sleeping who hankers after each whim And holds parley with each fancy."

"As there are many demons with men’s faces, It is wrong to join hands with every one."

"Since the latter of your states were better than the former, Seek annihilation and adore change of state; You have already seen hundreds of resurrections Occur every moment from your origin till now; One from the inorganic state to the vegetive state, From the vegetive state to the animal state of trial; Thence again to rationality and good discernment, Again you will rise from this world of sense and form."

"Since you are properly a clod you will not rise into the air; You will rise into the air if you break and become dust, If you break not, He who moulded you will break you."

"Having chosen thy Director, be not weak of heart Nor yet sluggish and lax like water and mud; But if thou takest umbrage at every rub How wilt thou become a polished mirror?"

"When God decides to humble any sinner proud A demon stirs this last to insult some man of God And he whom God elects to cloak where 'tis he halts Has grace bestowed on him to cover others' faults."

"Since all things are dependent on probability, Religion is so first of all, for thereby you find release. In this world no knocking at the door is possible Save hope, and God knows what is best."

"When the preacher himself has no light or life, How can his words yield leaves and fruit? He impudently preaches to others to walk aright, While himself he is unsteady as a reed shaken by wind. Thus though his preaching is very eloquent, It hides within it unsteadiness in the faith."

"When thou endurest not the pains of abstinence, And fulfillest not the terms, thou gainest no reward; How easy those terms! how abundant that reward! A reward that enchants the heart and charms the soul."

"Should envy fill thy breast ’gainst one that envies not Foul stains ensue; thy heart’s impure; all good’s forgot Prostrate thyself then at the feet of holy men, Cast dust upon thy head, God’s pardon to obtain."

"When the discourse touched on the matter of love, Pen was broken and paper torn; None but the sun can display the sun. If you would see it displayed, turn not away from it."

"Traditional knowledge when inspiration is available Is like making ablutions with sand when water is near Make yourself ignorant, be submissive, and then You will obtain release from your ignorance."

"When, O spiritual one, thou hast become thy own fortune Then, being thyself thy fortune, thou wilt never lose it How, O fortunate one, cans't thou ever lose thyself When thy real self is thy treasure and thy kingdom."

"When the drop departed from its native home and returned It found a shell and became a pearl. Did not Joseph go on a journey from his father weeping? Did he not in the journey come to fortune and kingdom and victory?"

"As the arrow speeds from the bow, like the bird of your imagination Know that the Absolute will certainly flee from the imaginary; His name will flee when it sees an attempt at speech; He will flee from you so that if you limn his picture The picture will fly from the tablet, the impression will flee from the soul."

"Thou wilt never more endure without the flame, when thou hast known the rapture of burning. If the water of life should come to thee, it would not stir thee from the flame."

"O brave friend, grasp His skirt, Who is removed alike from the world above and below; Who will abide with thee in the house and abroad When thou lackest house and home He will bring forth peace out of perturbations And when thou art afflicted, will keep His promise."

"The seed of the spirit sown beneath this water and clay (the body) Becomes not a tree until it reach Thy spring."

"Pass over names and look to qualities So that qualities may lead thee to essence; The differences of sects arise from His names When they pierce to His essence, they find His peace."

"There is a tradition ‘The heart is like a feather In the desert, which is borne captive by the winds; The wind drives it everywhere at random, Now to right and now to left in opposite directions.’"

"David said ‘O Lord, since Thou hast no need of us, Say then, what wisdom was there in creating the two worlds?’ God said to him ‘O temporal man, I was a hidden treasure; I sought that that treasure of loving kindness and bounty should be revealed.’"

"One must have king-recognising eyes To recognise the king in each disguise."

"Let others grow pale from fear of misfortune, Do thou smile like the rose at loss and gain. For the rose, though its petals be torn asunder Still smiles on, and it is never cast down. It says ‘Why should I fall into grief in disgrace? I gather beauty even from the thorn of disgrace.’ What is Sufism? ’Tis to find joy in the heart Whensoever distress and care assail it."

"O heart, why art thou a captive in the earth that is passing away? Fly forth from this enclosure, since thou art a bird of the spiritual world; Thou art a darling bosom-friend, thou art always behind the secret veil; Why dost thou make thy dwelling-place in this perishable abode?"

"The spirit ever leads to haunts of holy men, The flesh would cast thee in the pit of sin again. Beware! Feed thou thy soul with love from holy ground; Make haste! seek means of grace from one who grace hath found."

"Yesterday the Master with a lantern was roaming about the city, Crying ‘I am tired of devil and beast, I desire a man.’"

"It behoves not, son, to beat a drum under a quilt, Plant like brave men, thy banner in the midst of the desert."

"This world which is only a dream Seems to the sleeper as a thing enduring for ever But when the morn of the last day shall dawn, The sleeper will escape from the cloud of illusion."

"Makers of base coin hate the daylight Coins of pure gold love the daylight, Because daylight is the mirror that reflects them So that they see their own perfect beauty. God has named the resurrection ‘that day,’ Day shows off the beauty of red and yellow."

"O lovers, O lovers, it is time to abandon the world, The drum of departure reaches my spiritual ear from heaven Behold, the driver has risen and made ready the files of camels And begged us to acquit him of blame; why, O travellers are you asleep? These sounds before and behind are the din of departure and of the camel-bells; With each moment a soul and a spirit is setting off into the void."

"O the many pure heads scattered beneath the clay, That thou mayest know the head depends on that other head; That original head hidden, and this derived head manifest, Forasmuch as behind this world lies the infinite universe."

"O Brother, you are essentially thought, All the rest of you is bone and sinew, If your thoughts are rose-like, you are a rose-garden If they are thorn-like, you are fuel for the furnace."

"Ah! many are the conditions which at first are hard, But are afterwards relieved and lose their harshness Oftentimes hope succeeds to hopelessness Many times does sunlight succeed to darkness."

"Thou who dost blame injustice in mankind 'Tis but the image of thine own dark mind; In them reflected all thy nature is With all its angles and obliquities; Around thyself thyself the noose hast thrown And dost a self-inflicted wound bemoan; ‘Back to each other we reflections throw’ So spoke the holy Prophet long ago: And he who gazes through a glass that’s dim What wonder if the world look dark to him?"

"O indestructible Love! O divine minstrel Thou art both stay and refuge; a name equal to thee I have not found."

"Whence did this breath come to thee, O my soul; Whence this throbbing, O my heart? O bird, speak the language of birds I can understand thy hidden meaning. The soul answered ‘I was in the divine factory While the house of water-and-clay was a-baking I was flying away from the material workshop While the workshop was being created When I could resist no more, they dragged me To mould me into shape like a ball.’"

"How blessed are the eyes that smart with sorrow’s brine, How blessed is the heart inflamed with love divine! Contrition’s tears are ever hallowed by heaven’s smile, The latter end of all things man should scan awhile."

"Lo! a besotted fool like thee to scorn, The votaries of love! God’s wine has drowned Thy wits and bidden thee wrestle with thy Lord, As when a bird his airy flight resumes Exultingly, nor dreads the distant lure, Fate to his bosom speeds the shaft of woe."

"O Thou, who art my soul’s comfort in the season of sorrow, O Thou, who art my spirit’s treasure in the bitterness of dearth, That which the imagination has not conceived, that which the understanding has not seen, Visiteth my soul from thee; hence in worship I turn towards Thee."

"O Thou, Who art exempt from ‘us’ and ‘we’ Who pervadest the spirits of all men and women; When man and woman become one, thou art that one. When their union is dissolved, lo Thou abidest. Thou hast made these ‘us’ and ‘we’ for that purpose To wit, to play chess with them by thyself."

"O chosen cup-bearer, O apple of mine eyes, the like of thee, Ne’er appeared in Persia, nor in Arabia have I found it; Pour out wine till I become a wanderer from myself, For in self-hood and existence I have felt only fatigue."

"Thee to thy goal wit-sharpening will not bring, Only the broken-hearted find the favour of the king."

"The philosopher denies the existence of the Devil At the same time he is the Devil’s laughing-stock. If thou hast not seen the Devil, look at thyself, Without demon’s aid how came that blue turban on thy brow."

"Alas for this life so light, beware of this slumber so heavy, O soul seek the Beloved, O friend seek the Friend O watchman be wakeful; it behoves not a watchman to sleep."

"Thought is an arrow shot by God into the air How can it stay in the air? It returns to God."

"The angel grew with knowledge, the beast with ignorance, Man remained in dispute between them. Sometimes knowledge draws him to the seventh heaven, Sometimes ignorance drags him down, so that (he says) 'Come what will!'"

"The ice that remains in the shade is frozen It saw not the brilliance of my glowing sun. All ice that has seen the smile of the sun’s face Grows itself again, and says ‘I am the water of life.’"

"In man’s esteem the world is vast without an end With Power Infinite compared, a grain of sand The world’s around the soul a dismal prison den Arise! Escape! Regain the fields at large! Be men!"

"If wheat were not valued as sweet and good for food, The cheat who shows wheat and sells barley would make no profit. Say not then that all these creeds are false The false ones ensnare hearts by the scent of truth. Say not that they are all erroneous fancies There is no fancy in the universe without some truth. In the crowd of rag-wearers there is one faqir, Search well and find out that true one."

"If there were no bitter things, And no opposition of fair and foul, stone and pearl, And no lust or Satan or concupiscence, And no wounds or war or fraud, Pray, O destroyer of virtue, by what name and title Could the King of kings address his slaves? How could He say ‘O temperate’ or ‘O meek one,’ Or ‘O courageous one’ or ‘O wise one.’"

"If you desire that God may be pleasing to you, Then look at Him with the eyes of those that love Him. Look not at that Beauty with your own eyes, Look at that Object of desire with His votaries’ eyes."

"Though thy nurse may frighten thee away from water Do thou fear not, but haste on into the ocean; Thou art a duck, and flourishest on land and water, And dost not like a domestic fowl dig up the house."

"The soul of the prophet cares for nought but God, It has nothing to do with approving or disapproving His works."

"Human reason is drowned like the high mountains In the flood of illusion and vain imaginations. The very mountains are overwhelmed by this flood, Where is safety to be found save in Noah's ark? By illusions that plunder the road of faith The faithful have been split into seventy-two sects; But the man of conviction escapes illusion, He does not mistake his eye-brow for the new moon."

"Why should setting be injurious to the sun and moon? To thee it seems a setting, but ’tis a rising; Tho’ the vault seems a prison, ’tis the release of the soul."

"Weep that at length thou may’st be of a smiling countenance, For this lamentation hath great value with God; And the value which sorrow hath there, where else has it such? Happy the eye that thus weeps, Noble the heart that thus burns, In the end all our weeping shall be turned to smiles, The man who considers the end is a blessed servant."

"You say 'Although the fear of loss is before me, Yet I feel greater fear in remaining idle. I have a better hope through exerting myself My fear is increased by remaining idle.' Why then, O faint-hearted one in the matter of religion, Are you paralysed by the fear of loss? See you not how the traders in this market of ours Make large profits, both apostles and saints?"

"O man of double vision, hearken with attention, Seek a cure for your defective sight by listening Many are the holy words that find no entrance Into blind hearts but they enter hearts full of light. But the deceits of Satan enter crooked hearts Even as crooked shoes fit crooked feet."

"They say ‘What is love?’ Say ‘renunciation of will’ Whoso has not escaped from will, no will has he."

"He said ‘Who is at the door?’ Said I ‘Thy humble servant.’ He said ‘What business have you?’ Said I ‘Lord, to greet thee.’ He said ‘How long will you push?’ Said I ‘Till thou call.’ He said ‘How long will you glow?’ Said I ‘Till resurrection.’"

"‘Qh heart,’ said I, ‘may it bless thee To have entered the circle of lovers, To look beyond the range of the eye To penetrate the windings of the bosom.’"

"He saith ‘These saints are My children Though remote and alone and away from their Lord. For their trial they are orphans and wretched Yet in love I am ever holding communion with them. Thou art backed by all My protection, My children are as it were parts of Me."

"He speaks to the rose’s ear and causes it to bloom, (He speaks to the stone and it becomes a jewel of the mine), He speaks a spell to body and it becomes soul, He speaks to the sun and it becomes a fount of light Again in its ear He whispers a word of power And its face is darkened as by a hundred eclipses."

"He said ‘O friends, God has given me inspiration Oftentimes strong counsel is suggested to the weak. The wit taught by God to the bee Is withheld from the lion and the wild ass. It fills its cells with liquid sweets, For God opens the door of this knowledge to it. The skill taught by God to the silkworm Is a learning beyond the reach of the elephant."

"The khalifa said to Laila ‘Art thou really she For whom Majnun lost his head and went distracted? Thou art not fairer than many other fair ones.’ She replied, ‘Be silent; thou art not Majnun! If thou hadst Majnun’s eyes, The two world’s would be within thy view."

"The Prophet said to Ali ‘O Ali Thou art the Lion of God, a hero most valiant; Yet confide not in thy lion-like valour But seek refuge under the palm-trees of the truth Come under the shadow of the Man of Reason, Thou canst not find it in the road of the traditionists. His shadow on earth is as that of Mount Qaf, His spirit is as a Simurgh soaring on high. Were I to tell his praises till the last day My words would not be too many nor admit of curtailment; That sun is hidden in the form of a man Understand me. Allah knows the truth."

"The Prophet said that God has declared, ‘I am not contained in aught above or below, I am not contained in earth or sky or even In highest heaven, know this for a surety, O beloved, Yet am I contained in the believer’s heart, If ye seek Me, search in such hearts.’"

"Cease to behave as wolves and dogs that you may experience the Shepherd’s love."

"As a stone which is changed into a pure ruby Is filled with the bright light of the sun, In that stone its own properties abide not It is filled with the sun’s properties altogether."

"You wish to have both God and the base world together, This is impossible, ridiculous and mad."

"God sent the prophets for this purpose Namely to sever infidelity from faith, Infidel and faithful, Mussalman and Jew, Before the prophets came, seemed all as one."

"All the four elements are seething in this cauldron (the world) None is at rest, neither earth nor fire nor water nor air Now earth takes the form of grass on account of desire Now water becomes air for the sake of this affinity, By way of unity water becomes fire Fire also becomes air in this expanse by reason of love."

"Both sorts of bee (i.e. bee and wasp) draw nourishment from one place but from this comes the sting and from that other the honey. Both sort of deer feed on the same grass and water; by this only dung is produced, by that pure musk. Both reeds (the common reed and the sugar-cane) are fed from one source; this one is hollow, while that one is full of sugar."

"He, the door of whose breast has been opened, sees the sun reflected in every atom."

"Impossibities are possible to Him, The stubbornest is docile when His will curbs whim, The blind from birth, the leper, e’en the dead arise Whole, sound, whene’er the Omnipotent ‘Come forth!’ but cries. His smallest daily toil, a work-like pleasure still, Is to send forth three armies, bound to work His will."

"Every moment the voice of Love is coming from left and right We are bound for heaven; who has a mind to sight-seeing?"

"Every form you see has its archetype in the placeless world, If the form perished, no matter, since its original is everlasting, Every fair shape you have seen, every deep saying you have heard, Be not cast down that it perished, for that is not so."

"Sensual desire is a bridle and men are as camels Do not suppose there is any bridle except that for the senseless camel."

"The noise of clapping of hands is never heard From one of thy hands unaided by the other hand The man athirst cries, ‘Where is delicious water?’ Water too cries ‘Where is the water-drinker?’ This thirst in my soul is the attraction of the water I am the water’s and the water is mine."

"Know you a name without a thing answering to it? Have you ever plucked a rose (Gul) from Gaf and Lam? You name His name; go seek the reality named by it. Look for the moon in heaven, not in the water. If you desire to rise above mere names and letters Make yourself free from self at one stroke."

"Ah! O crow, give up this life and live anew! In view of God’s changes cast away your life! Choose the new, give up the old, For each single present year is better than three past."

"Ah! make not thyself a eunuch, become not a monk, Because chastity is mortgaged to lust. Without lust, denial of lust is impossible, No man can display bravery against the dead."

"His argument is this; he says again and again ‘If there were aught beyond this life, we should see it.’ But if the child sees not the state of reason, Does the man of reason therefore forsake reason? And if the man of reason sees not the state of love Is the blessed moon of love thereby eclipsed?"

"Jesus, thy spirit, is present beside thee, Ask aid of Him for He is a sufficient helper."

"Jesus, son of Mary, went to heaven and his ass remained below, I remain on the earth but my spirit has flown to the sky."

"Love is that flame which, when it is kindled, Devours everything except the Beloved."

"This is Love; to fly heavenward To rend every instant a hundred veils."

"Love of God cuts short reasonings, O beloved, For it is a present refuge from perplexities. Through love bewilderment befalls the power of speech It no longer dares to utter what passes; Therefore it closes lips from saying good or bad So that its treasure may not escape it."

"Love and mistress are both veiled and hidden Impute it not as a fault if I call Him ‘Bride.’ I would have kept silence from fear of my Beloved If He had granted me but a moment’s respite. But He said, ‘Speak on, ’tis no fault, ’Tis naught but the necessary result of the hidden decree ’Tis a fault only to him who only sees faults How can the Pure Hidden Spirit notice faults.’"

"Union exists beyond all thought and speech Between great Allah and the soul of each."

"The world without that king is like a headless body; Fold yourself turban-wise, round such a head. Unless you are black, do not let the mirror go from your hand The soul is your mirror, while the body is rust."

"Although a fool may show you sympathy At the end he will wound you with his folly."

"The souls of our first parents, even before their hands, Flew away from fidelity after vain pleasure."

"My soul is grown weary of Pharaoh and his tyranny, I desire the light of the countenance of Moses, son of ʿImran."

"When thou seest my hearse, cry not, ‘parted! parted!’ Union and meeting are mine in that hour. If thou commit to the grave, say not ‘farewell! farewell!’ For the grave is a curtain hiding the communion of Paradise."

"The soul resembles a clear mirror, the body is dust upon it, Our beauty is invisible since we are under the dust."

"The soul resembles day and the body night and we in the middle Are like the dawn between oar own day and night."

"The bough’s attraction drew the sap from root to summit, Even as attraction draws the soul upward without a ladder."

"Exert thyself, O man; put shoulder to the wheel The prophets and the saints to imitate in zeal. Exertion’s not a struggle against Providence, ’Twas Providence enjoined it; made it our defence Blasphemer may I be, if ever single man Bestowed in vain one effort to fulfil God’s plan."

"Love exalts our earthly bodies to heaven, And makes the very hills to dance with joy! O Lover, ’twas love that gave life to Mount Sinai When it quaked and Moses fell down in a swoon. Did my Beloved only touch me with his lips I too, like the flute would burst out in melody."

"Pleasures of the flesh are as nuts and raisins, O son, If you are a man dispense with these two things; And if you dispense with them the goodness of God Will set you above the nine heavens."

"The bodies of the righteous are as pure souls Their words, their actions, their praises Are all as a pure soul without spot or blemish."

"Can eye now behold Thee as truly Thou art? Can heart Thy love picture and smiles e’en in part? The heart that’s a slave to a love or a smile Can never be worthy to see thee awhile. Engrossed he that’s now with pleasure and pain Can he by these accidents live o’er again? Green pastures of love in their infinitude More fruits yield than care and than beatitude."

"The motion of every atom is towards its origin A man comes to be the thing on which he is bent; By the attraction of yearning and fondness the soul and the heart Assume the qualities of the Beloved and the soul of souls."

"Men are moved by God’s decree and fixed ordinance, As sharp-set teeth are caused by heat of belly, 'Tis Primal Soul that dominates the Second Soul."

"Our every motion every moment testifies For it proves the presence of the everlasting God, So the revolution of the millstone so violent Testifies to the existence of a stream of water. O Thou who art above our conception and descriptions, Dust be upon our heads and upon our similitudes of Thee."

"Every moment the world and we are renewed Yet we are ignorant of this renewing for ever and aye. Life like a stream of water is renewed and renewed Though it wears the appearance of continuity in form, That seeming continuity arises from its swift renewal As when a single spark of fire is whirled round swiftly."

"The whole world is jealous for this cause That God surpasseth the world in jealousy. God is as a soul and the world is as a body And bodies derive their good and evil from souls."

"All the seventy and two heresies lurk in you, Have a care lest one day they prevail over you; He in whose breast the leaf of true faith is grown Must tremble as a leaf from fear of such a catastrophe."

"All creatures are enslaved to thought, For this cause are they sad at heart and sorrowful."

"If all dissolute men were shut up in prison They would all be temperate and devout and pious. When power of choice is absent, actions are worthless But beware lest death snatch away your capital, Your power of choice is a capital yielding profit Remember well the day of final account."

"Except in the house of communion with God there is no peace."

"Only in the night the moon shines, Only in pain of heart seek the Beloved."

"Opposites can only he know by opposites, Only through a wound is a caress understood; Certainly this world first comes into view, That we may understand the value of that eternal world; When you are released from this, you go to that; In that eternal home of delight, you are grateful."

"Nuts in plenty but no kernel in any of them, Relish is needed for devotions to bear fruit, Kernels are needed that seeds may yield trees, How can seeds without kernels become trees? Form without life is only a dream."

"Our earthly passions are a part of hell And the parts always share the nature of the whole."

"Infidels when enjoying prosperity do wrong When they are in hell, they cry ‘O our Lord!’ The prison is the hermitage of the wicked thief For when he is there, he is ever crying to God. Whereas the object of man’s being is to worship God, Hell is ordained as a place of worship for the proud."

"He was not chaff which flew on the wind, He was not water which froze in winter, He was not a comb which was broken with a hair, He was not a seed with the earth crushed, He was a treasure of gold in this dust-pit, For he valued the two worlds at a barley corn, The earthly frame he flung to the earth, Soul and intellect he bore to heaven, The pure elixir mingled with the wine-dregs, Came to the jar’s surface, and the lees settled apart. The second soul, which the vulgar know not, I protest by God that he surrendered to the Beloved."

"What need were there of stars, O humble one, To one who was guided by the light of the sun, Neither moon nor planets would be needed, By one who saw directly the sun of the truth."

"If a saint handles earth, it becomes gold If a sinner handles gold, it turns to dust, Whereas the saint is well-pleasing to God, In his actions his hand is the hand of God. But the sinner’s hand is the hand of Satan and demons, Because he is ensnared in falsity and fraud."

"Thy business is changing things and bestowing favours, My business is mistakes and forgetfulness and error, Change my mistakes and forgetlulness to knowledge I am altogether vile; make me temperate and meek. O thou that convertest salt earth into bread And bread again into the life of men, Thou makest some earth-born men as heaven And multipliest heaven-born saints on earth."

"The Worker is hidden in the workshop, Enter the workshop and behold him face to face; Since a veil is drawn over the Worker by his work, Apart from His work you cannot see Him."

"Mankind like waterfowl are sprung from the sea, the sea of soul Risen from that sea, why should the bird make here his home? Nay, we are pearls in that sea, therein we all abide, Else why does wave follow wave from the sea of soul."

"Men are as demons and lust of wealth their chain, Which drags them forth to toil in shop and field; This chain is made of their fears and anxieties, Deem not that these men have no chains upon them. It causes them to engage in labour and the chase, It forces them to toil in mines and on the sea."

"All hearts are the abodes of devils Be not deceived by devil-men."

"Your heart is as Solomon’s signet; take care That it falls not a prey to demons."

"Why does the formation of an infant take nine months, Because God’s method is to work by slow degrees. Not hurrying on like you, O raw one, Who claim to be a Shaikh whilst yet only a child."

"In the world there is nought so wondrous as the sun, But the Sun of the soul sets not and has no yesterday."

"’Tis blasphemy to praise Him: I proclaim Myself extant and ‘self’ is mortal shame."

"Who is he in my ear that hearkens to my voice, Or who is he that utters words in my mouth? Who is he in mine eye that looks out of mine eye Or what is the soul—wilt thou not say—of which I am the garment?"

"You have seen the mountain, not the mine within the mountain."

"What seed went down into the earth but it grew, Why this doubt of thine as regards the seed of man?"

"Read ‘I was a hidden treasure and desired to be known;’ Hide not the hidden treasure but disclose it; Your true treasure is hidden under a false one, Just as butter is hidden within the substance of milk, The false one is this transitory body of yours, The true one your divine soul. Long time this milk is exposed to view And the soul’s butter is hidden and of no account."

"Though the ruby has no stamp, what matters it? Love is fearless in the midst of the sea of fear."

"No favour was left which that winsome beauty did not bestow, What fault of ours if he failed in bounty towards you? Thou art reviling because that charmer wrought tyranny, Whoever saw in the two worlds a fair one that played not the tyrant? When the spirit became lost in contemplation, it said this ‘None but God has contemplated the beauty of God;’ This eye and that lamp are two lights, each individual, When they came together, no-one distinguished them."

"We are the family of the Lord and His sucking babes, The Prophet said ‘The people are God’s family,’ He who sends forth the rain from heaven, Can He not also provide our daily bread?"

"We have been in heaven, we have been friends of the angels Thither, sire, let us return for that is our country, How different a source have the world of dust and the pure substance, Though we came down, let us haste back—what place is this?"

"I regard not the outside and the words, I regard the inside and the state of heart; I look at the heart if it be humble, Though the words may be the reverse of humble; Because the heart is substance and words accidents, Accidents are only a means, substance is the final cause, How long wilt thou dwell on words and superficialities, A burning heart is what I want; consort with burning."

"Then think not lowly of thy heart, though lowly, For holy is it and there dwells the holy, God’s presence-chamber is the human breast, Ah! happy spirit with such Inmate blest."

"As we are all members of Adam We have heard these melodies in Paradise; Though earth and water have cast their veil upon us We retain faint reminiscences of those earthly songs; But while we are thus shrouded by gross earthly veils How can the tones of the dancing spheres reach us?"

"The moon sheds her light and the dogs howl; Everyone acts according to his nature, To each his office is allotted by the divine decree."

"The body loves green pastures and running water, For this cause that its origin is from them. The love of the soul is for wisdom and knowledge, That of the body for houses, gardens, and vineyards; The love of the soul is for things exalted on high, That of the body for acquisition of goods and food."

"Look not in the world for bliss and fortune, since thou wilt not find them, Seek bliss in both worlds by serving Him."

"Read the text ‘I have not created Jinns and men but to worship me,’ The only object of the world is to worship God. Though the object of a book is to teach an art, If you make a pillow of it, it serves that purpose too, Yet its main object is not to serve as a pillow But to impart knowledge and useful instruction."

"If for the Faith thou bear’st thy wealth, it then The Prophet says, is pure to righteous men."

"I am sweet-smiling Jesus by whom the world is revived, But my lineage is from God: I know nought of Mary."

"I was, ere a name had been named upon earth, Ere one trace yet existed of aught that has birth: When the locks of the Loved One streamed forth for a sign, And Being was none save the Presence Divine! Named and name were alike emanations from Me, Ere aught that was ‘I’ yet existed, or ‘We’; Ere the veil of the flesh for Messiah was wrought, To the Godhead I bowed in prostration of thought."

"I extracted the marrow of the Koran, and threw the bone to the dogs."

"I am thy lute, on every vein (chord) of mine Thou strikest the quill, and I vibrate."

"I’ll be the very slave of him who at each stage Will not suppose the goal ’tis of his pilgrimage; Before the traveller reach the home he bears in mind How many stages are there must be left behind!"

"Repentance lights on him who tests one tested already."

"I am ever in concord with this father of ours, And earth ever appears to me as a Paradise; Each moment a fresh form, a new beauty, So that weariness vanishes at these ever-fresh sights; I see the world filled with blessings, Fresh waters ever welling up from new fountains."

"Thou and I individuals no more shall be mingled in ecstasy, Joyful and secure from foolish babble, thou and I. All the bright plumed birds of heaven will devour their hearts with envy In the place where we shall laugh in such a fashion thou and I."

"Death of the body is a benefaction to the spiritual, What damage has pure gold to dread from the shears."

"If death be a human being say to him ‘Draw near That I may closely fold him in a fond embrace, From him I extort by force eternal life, Whilst he but snatches from me the dervish’s party-coloured dress.’"

"Those drunk with God though they be thousands, yet are one, Those drunk with lust, though it be a single one, he is a double."

"The billow of largesse hath appeared, the thunder of the sea hath arrived, The morn of blessedness hath dawned. Morn? No, ’tis the light of God."

"Then love the saints; their love plant deeply in thy heart, The pure of mind alone deserve a pure love’s part, Court not despair; hope ever springs in human breast, Seek not the dark; the sun of light shines full confest."

"The sect of lovers is distinct from all others, Lovers have a religion and a faith of their own."

"Every night spirits are released from this cage (the body) And set free, neither lording it nor lorded over, At night prisoners are unaware of their prison, At night kings are unaware of their majesty, Then there is no thought or care for loss or gain, No regard to such an one or such an one, The state of the ‘knower’ is such as this even when awake God says ‘Thou would’st deem him awake though asleep,’ Sleeping to the affairs of the world day and night Like a pen in the directing hand of the writer."

"Has not the copper of your existence been changed, like Moses, to gold by his alchemy? What matter though you have no gold in a sack, like Qarun? Within you is an Egypt, and you are its garden of sugar-canes; What matter though you have no supply of sugar from without?"

"The lover shineth among his fellows as in heaven The brilliant moon among the host of stars."

"An ant who saw a pen writing on paper Delivered himself to another ant in this way: ‘That pen is making very wonderful figures Like hyacinths and lillies and roses,’ The other said ‘The finger is the real worker, The pen is only the instrument of its working;’ A third ant said, ‘No! the action proceeds from the arm, The weak finger writes with the arm’s might;’ So it went on upwards, till at last A prince of the ants who had some wit Said, ‘Ye regard only the outward form of this marvel, It is only from reason and mind that these figures proceed."

"The ant of lust becomes by habit like a snake, Slay first of all the snake of your lust, Else this snake of yours will become a dragon; But every one regards his own snake as an ant, Go inquire of your true state from a man of heart."

"A pauper may amused be with counterfeited coin, But take this to the mint; defaced ’twill be in fine; Then be not thou misled with gilded counterfeit, Delusion will thee plunge headlong into hell’s pit."

"The generous die but their kindness remains, O happy he who drove this chariot (of kindness), The unjust die and their injustice remains, Alas for the soul that commits deceit and fraud."

"Victory falls to the believers at last, The hypocrites have death in the next world. Although both parties are engaged in one game, Yet, as regards one another, they are inhabitants of Merv and Rai (i.e., far asunder), Each goes to his own place, Each fares according to his name."

"T am a bird of the heavenly garden; I belong not to the earthly sphere, They have made for two or three days a cage of my body."

"A bird flies with its wings towards its nest, The wings of a man are his aspiration and aim. If a lover be befouled with good and evil Yet regard not these; regard rather his aspiration, Though a falcon be all white and unmatched in form, If he hunts mice, he is contemptible and worthless, And if an owl fixes his affection on the king, He is a falcon in reality; regard not his outward form."

"He is only scented with musk, he is not himself musk, He smells of musk, but is really naught but dung, For his dung to become musk, O disciple, He must graze year after year in the divine pasture."

"Seek ye a purchaser who will pay you gold, Where will you find one more liberal than God? He buys the worthless rubbish which is your wealth, He pays you the light that illumines your heart, He accepts these frozen and lifeless bodies of yours And gives you a kingdom beyond what you dream of, He takes a few drops of your tears And gives you the divine fount sweeter than sugar."

"O Moses! the lovers of fair rites are one class, They whose hearts and souls burn with love are another, If they speak amiss, call them not sinners, If a martyr be stained with blood, wash it not away, Blood is better than water for martyrs, This fault is better than a thousand correct forms."

"Good news! Good news! Lo! the spring is at hand, If the blossoms did not shine as bright helmets, How could the fruits display their globes? When the blossoms are shed, the fruits come to a head, When the body is destroyed, the soul lifts up its head."

"The blast of the last trump will be God’s command To every atom to lift its head from the earth, The souls also of each will return to their bodies, Even as sense returns to bodies awaking from sleep, On that morn each soul will recognise its own body And return to its own ruin like hidden treasure."

"Thou takest on thyself the shame of hemp and wine, In order that thou mayest for one moment escape from thyself."

"None but God hath contemplated the beauty of God."

"The strange thing is, not that winged fowl Fall into the deadly snare without seeing it, But that they see the snare and the limed twig, And yet fall into it, whether they will or no."

"Become nought, nought from self-hood, because There is no crime worse than thy being."

"Mere fancy’s pictures ever objects mar, Things non-existent often frenzy paints, We see mankind deluded over feints; Their peace, their war not seldom for a sham, Their pride, their shame some sorry epigram."

"Thou hadst not seen a single blind man seated on the moat-edge, Had they sought God instead of morsel and pittance."

"Defects are the mirrors of the attributes of beauty The base is the mirror of the High and Glorious One, Because one contrary shows forth its contrary As honey’s sweetness is shown by vinegar’s sourness, Who recognises and confesses his own defects Is hastening in the way that leads to perfection."

"I am the sunlight falling from above, Yet never severed from the sun I love."

"Thy light is at once joined with all things and apart from all."

"This soul is a measure; how should the measure know That it is receiving of spirit and conveying to dust? Its task is to measure in restless love, Taking from heaven above, scattering o’er earth below."

"Woman is a ray of God, not a mere mistress, The Creator’s self as it were, not a mere creature!"

"What rays of wisdom poured on water and on land Ere earth could nourish seed, yield corn to our demand! The earth, a faithful trustee, gives back what we sow, No fraud, embezzlement, in its trust do we know."

"Where should the ignoble lament and pray, If Thou didst only accept the good, O merciful One? Go, do not commit sin, for even our good deeds Appear as sin in the sight of our Beloved."

"In outward form thou art the microcosm But in reality the macrocosm, Seemingly the bough is the cause of the fruit, But really the bough exists because of the fruit."

"The mind’s ear becomes the sensorium of inspiration, For what is this Divine voice but the inward voice? The spirit’s eye and ear possess this sense, The eye and ear of reason and sense lack it. The word ‘compulsion’ makes me impatient for love’s sake, ’Tis he who loves not, who is fettered by compulsion, This is close communion with God, not compulsion, The shining of the sun, and not a dark cloud."

"As soul became pregnant by the Soul of souls, So by the former soul did the world become pregnant; Then the world brought forth another world, And of this last are brought forth other worlds."

"In presence of Joseph no coquetries use But humble thyself; soft entreaties infuse; From Jesus a breath then may blow upon thee, Transform thee to what he was, what thou mayest be: A stone will not blossom because it is spring, As earth make thyself; flowers around thee may cling."

"Before they (the prophets) came, we were all alike, No one knew whether he was right or wrong, Genuine coin and base coin were current alike, The world was a night and we travellers in the dark, Till the sun of the prophets arose and cried ‘Begone, O slumber! welcome, O pure light!’ Now the eye sees how to distinguish colours, It sees the difference between rubies and pebbles."

"All elephants, wolves and lions of the forest, All dragons and snakes and even little ants, Yea, even air, water, earth and fire, Draw their sustenance from Him both winter and summer, Every moment the Heaven cries to Him, saying ‘O Lord, guilt not Thy hold of me for a moment! The pillar of my being is Thy aid and protection.’"

"When words deceitful are employed as wraps for guile, They’re bubbles on the water, only last awhile, Such words are merely shell; the intent their kernel is, Or coloured portraiture of man; no life is his, A shell may often cover kernel of foul smell, A kernel sound can well afford to lose its shell."

"We are pieces of steel, and Thy love is the magnet, Thou art the source of all inspiration, in myself I have seen none."

"Take the cotton of evil suggestions from the mind’s ear, That the heavenly voice from above may enter it, That you may understand that riddle of His, That you may be cognisant of that open secret."

"Love is a perfect muzzle of evil suggestions; Without love who ever succeeded in stopping them? Be a lover and seek that fair beauty, Haunt for that waterfowl in every Stream! How can you get water from that which cuts it off, How gain understanding from what destroys understanding, Apart from principles of reason are other principles Of light and great price to be gained by love of God, Besides this reason of yours God has other reasons Which will procure for you heavenly nourishment."

"Accept His command and you will be able to execute it, Seek union with Him and you will find yourselves united, Exertion is giving thanks for Gad’s blessings, Think ye that your fatalism gives such thanks?"

"We’ve done with outer warfare, lesser as it is, And as the Prophet, wage the greater warfare, his; We put our trust in God, from Him we ask for aid, With His assistance faith can move a mountain staid."

"Of rhymes do I dream? ’Tis my love orders me Of love still to dream; swain devoted to be, ‘Thyself make thou happy. Rhymes leave now alone The rhyme I seek thou art. I love thee my own. What’s rhyme that thou turnest thy thoughts thitherward, Mere bramble on wall, hedging round our vineyard, I care not for words, for asseverations, My time if I pass in these sweet delusions.’"

"The base coin says to me with pride every moment, ‘O pure gold, how am I inferior to you?’ The gold replies, ‘Even so, O comrade; But the touchstone is at hand; be ready to meet it!’"

"The moon has revealed her face, and opened her radiant wings, Borrow a soul and eyes from some one, if you have them not."

"God drops into the heart a single pearl-drop Which is not bestowed on oceans or skies."

"The warden of a castle on the marches laid, Far from his sovereign, distant from much-needed aid, Defends his post with valour from beleaguering foe, Disdains to be bought over, scorns the tempter’s foe, His station’s on a frontier, no eye sees him act To duty true, he honestly fulfils his pact. Then in his monarch’s presence honours due he gains, Above the brave men fighting in the royal trains, Man’s faith and piety on earth are prized of God, But after death professed, less value have than clod."

"The day of judgment is the day of the great review, Whoso is fair and enlightened longs for that review; Whoso like a Hindoo is black with sin, The day of review will sound the knell of his disgrace, If his thorn puts not forth a single rose-bud The spring in disclosing him is his foe."

"Argue not from the condition of common men, Stumble not at severity and mercy; For mercy and severity, joy and sorrow are transient And transient things die; God is heir of all."

"Place a padlock on your throat and hide the key."

"The nearness of the voice proves to such an one That the voice proceeds from a friend who is near, The sweetness of the kinsman’s voice too, O beloved, Proves the veracity of that kinsman, To the wise whose hearts are enlightened The mere sound of that voice proves its truth."

"In this prison the food of true faith is scarce, And by the tricks of this dog what there is, is lost, In spite of prayers and fasts and endless pains Our food is altogether devoured by him, Let us seek refuge with Allah from Satan, Alas! we are perishing from his insolence."

"Ah, how many diverse roads are pointed out And each followed by some sect for dear life, If the right road were easily obtainable Every Jew and Gueber would have hit on it."

"Pity keep for Jesus, pity not the ass (i.e., the body), Let not fleshly impulse intellect surpass; If an ass could somewhat catch of Jesus’ mind, Ranked among the sages he his place would find, Though because of Jesus you may walk in woe, Still from Him comes healing; never let Him go."

"Love carried off as plunder the chattels which we possessed, We are independent of profit and loss and market."

"God created pain and grief for this purpose, To wit, to manifest happiness by its opposites. Hidden things are manifested by their opposites, But as God has no opposite, He remains hidden, God’s light has no opposite in the range of creation Whereby it may be manifested to view, Perforce ‘Our eyes see Him not, though He sees us,’ Behold this in the case of Moses and Mount Sinai."

"Night and day comes a winged arrow from the hidden bow, Yield up your sweet life; what can you do? you have no shield."

"If the sleeping spirit knew itself to be asleep, Whatever it might see, it would feel neither joy nor sorrow."

"Mysteries are not communicable save to those who know, Mystery in the ear of infidels is no mystery."

"The thread and the needle are related to one another; but a camel is not fitted to pass through the eye of a needle; how should the body of a camel become slender except by abstinence and exertion?"

"When the spirit lovingly embraces Thee, In Thy presence all images become spirit."

"'Twere better that the spirit which wears not true love as a garment Had not been; its being is but shame."

"Spirit is very subtle and love is very jealous, What room for form, if the felt is hundredfold?"

"With muffled heads you cannot see, You’ve wrapped your cloaks in folds about your heads and eyes, Your sense of sight cannot see what before you lies. The world’s eye man is; all the rest’s mere skin and shell, A real eye’s he who strives his Friend to see right well."

"One day I was filled with longing To behold in human form the splendours of the Friend, To witness the ocean gathered up into a drop, The sun compressed into a single atom."

"When my bier moveth on the day of death, Think not my heart is in this world, Do not weep for me, and cry, ‘Woe! Woe!’ Thou wilt fall in the devil’s snare; that is woe."

"On the resurrection day all secrets will be disclosed, Yea, every guilty one will be convicted by himself, Hand and foot will bear testimony openly Before the Almighty concerning their owner’s sins. Hand will say, ‘I stole such and such things,’ Lip will say, ‘I asked for such and such things,’ Foot will say, ‘I went after my own desires,’ Arm will say, ‘I embraced the harlot,’ Eye will say, ‘I looked after forbidden things,’ Ear will say, ‘I listened to evil talk.’ Thus the man will be shown to be a liar from head to foot Since his own members will prove him to be a liar."

"Day and night you are eagerly asking for news, Whilst every member of your body is telling you news, Since each member of your body issued from Not-being, How much pleasure has it seen and how much pain? For no member grows and flourishes without pleasure, And each member is weakened by every pain."

"Though the mere imitator quotes a hundred proofs, They are all based on opinion, not on conviction, He is only scented with musk, he is not himself musk, He smells of musk but is really naught but dung."

"O God there are hundreds of snares and baits And we are even as greedy and foolish birds; Every moment our feet are caught in a fresh snare, Yea, each one of us though he be a falcon or Simurgh, Thou dost release us every moment and straightway We again fly into the snare, O Almighty one."

"The million spears of Pharaoh vaunting in his might, By Moses’ wand were broken in the appointed night: And many sons of skill, for healing science famed By Jesu’s curing halt, lame, blind, deaf, mad, were shamed; How many poets, orators, great men of note, By word of the Illiterate One were shown to dote."

"The Word is become foul with mingled earth, The water is become muddy; close the mouth of the well, Till God makes it again pure and sweet, Yea, till He purifies what He has made foul; Patience will accomplish thy desire, not haste, Be patient, God knows what is best."

"I journeyed years and months for love of that moon, Heedless of the way, absorbed in God, With bare feet I trod upon thorns and flints, Seeing I was bewildered, and beside myself and senseless; What knows the heart of road and stages, What of distant and near, while it is drunk with love."

"The head whose reason has fled is a tail."

"When the day dawns from heaven, night flees away What then can its darkness know of the nature of light? The gnat scuds away before the blast of the winds, What then knows the gnat of the savour of the winds? When the Eternal appears, the transitory is annulled, What then knows the transitory of the Eternal?"

"Though the material sun is unique and single, We can conceive similar suns like to it, But the Sun of the soul beyond this firmament, No like thereof is seen in concrete or abstract."

"The wine of God’s grace hath no brim, If it appear to have a brim, ’tis the fault of the cup."

"Giving thanks for blessing increases blessings But fatalism snatches those blessings from your hands, Your fatalism is to sleep on the road; sleep not Till ye behold the gate of the king’s palace."

"Look to your hearts! I whatever betide, O Moslems, Am so mingled with Him, that no heart is mingled with me, I was born of His love at the first, I gave Him my love at the last, When the fruit springs from the bough, on that bough it hangs."

"Nor gold nor silver seek I but above All gifts, the heart, and buy it with my love, Yea! one sad contrite heart which men despise, More than my throne and fixed decree I prize."

"O base one, behold a hundred thousand souls Dancing towards the deadly sword of his love, Behold water in a pitcher; pour it out; Will that water run away from the stream? When that water joins the water of the stream It is lost therein and becomes itself the stream."

"The Sufi is as it were, the ‘son of the season’ But the pure is exalted above season and state, Religious raptures depend on feelings and will But the pure one is regenerated by the breath of Jesus, You are a lover of your own raptures, not of me, You turn to me only in hope of experiencing raptures."

"The life of this world is a truce between opposites."

"Form is born of that which is without form, Wherefore to thee every moment comes death and ‘return,’ Mustafa saith ‘The world endureth only a moment,’ So thought is an arrow shot by God into the air, How can it stay in the air? It returns to God."

"I am a painter, a maker of pictures; every moment I shape a beauteous form, And then in thy presence I melt them all away. I call up a hundred phantoms and endue them with a spirit When I behold thy phantom, I cast them in the fire, Art thou the vintner’s cup-bearer or the enemy of him who is sober, Or is it thou who mak’st a ruin of every house I build? In thee the soul is dissolved, with thee it is mingled, So I will cherish the soul, because it has a perfume of thee."

"The lamp of the heart that is a timid trader Acquires neither loss nor gain by its ventures, Nay it acquires loss, for it is precluded from gain, ’Tis the lamp that takes fire that acquires light."

"Till the corn be ground with the mill, how can our table be furnished with bread?"

"Body is not veiled from soul, neither soul from body, Yet no man hath ever seen a soul."

"Our breathings are lifted up in fear of God, Offerings from us to the throne of Eternity, Then come down to us rewards for our praises The double thereof yea mercies from the king of glory, Therefore are we constrained to utter these praises That slaves may attain the height of God’s gifts, And so this rising and descent go on evermore, And cease not for ever and aye."

"Beats there a heart within that breast of thine, Then compass rev’rently its sacred shrine; For the true spiritual K‘aba is the heart And no proud pile of perishable art, When God ordained the pilgrim rite, that sign Was meant to lead thy heart to things divine, A thousand times he treads that round in vain, Who e’en one human heart would idly pain."

"Through ignorance, sloth and folly, Though He stands by us, we are shut off from Him, The noise of thunder makes the head of the thirsty ache, When he knows not that it unlocks the blessed showers, His eyes are fixed on the running stream Unwitting of the sweetness of the rain from heaven; He urges the steed of his desire towards the caused, And perforce remains shut off from the causer."

"So long as a babe cannot grasp or run, It takes its father’s back for its carriage, But when it becomes independent and uses its hands It falls into grievous troubles and disgrace."

"Better to arm a drunken negro than To lavish learning on a wicked man."

"Place a sword in his hand and remove his impotence To see if he turns out a warrior or a robber; Because freewill is that with which ‘We honour Adam,’ Half the swarm become bees, and half wasps."

"Our life’s our quiver. When our years are vainly spent In chasing phantoms, grief one day will have its vent. Let God’s protection mercifully on us rest, All fancies and all phantoms stand at once confessed, God’s servants are His shadows here below on earth To this world dead, but living in a second birth."

"On the day that you entered upon existence You were first fire, or earth, or air, If you had continued in that your original state, How could you have arrived at this dignity of humanity."

"If you have not gone to the Kaaba, fortune will draw you thither, Do not flee, O babbler, for you have no refuge from God."

"Thou hast come to draw men to union with Me, Not to drive them far away from Me, So far as possible, engage not in dissevering; ‘The thing most repugnant to Me is divorce.’"

"Thou wert first and last thou shalt be, Make my last better than my first, When Thou art hidden, I am of the infidels, When Thou art manifest, I am of the faithful."

"You are in the bonds of (absorbed in) the arrangement of beard and turban, How will you gain him who quaffs the mighty flagon (of love)?"

"Thou wert dust and art spirit, thou wert ignorant and art wise, He who has led thee thus far, will lead thee further also, How pleasant are the pains He makes thee suffer while He gently draws thee to Himself, His flames are as water, do not frown upon Him."

"Set thy whole desire on that whereof thou hast no hope, For thou hast come thus far from original hopelessness."

"You are as a dry valley and I as the rain, You are as a ruined city and I as the architect, Except my service which is joy’s sunrise Man has never felt and never will feel an impression of joy."

"Thou didst sow the seed of deceit, thou didst indulge in derision, Thou didst regard God as nothing: see now, O miscreant!"

"O honoured guest in love’s high feast, O bird of the angel sphere, ’Tis cause to weep if thou wilt keep thy habitation here. A voice at morn to thee is borne—God whispers to the soul, ‘If on the way the dust thou’llt lay, thou soon wilt gain the goal, That road be thine toward the shrine; and lo! in bush and briar The many slain by love and pain in flower of young desire, Who on the track fell wounded back and saw not ere the end A ray of bliss, a touch, a kiss, a token of the Friend."

"Seek earnestly for deliverance from the uncongenial, The society of the uncongenial is like the grave."

"It is on account of their sweet voices That choice parrots and nightingales are prisoned in cages; Ugly owls and crows are never prisoned in cages, Such a thing was never heard of in history."

"Thou fanciest thyself near to God, Saying ‘The maker of the dish is not far from the dish,’ Knowest thou not that the nearness of saints to God Involves the power to do mighty works and signs? Iron was as wax in the hands of David, Wax in thy hands is as iron."

"Thou art a darling bosom friend, thou art always behind the secret veil, Why dost thou make thy dwelling-place in this perishable abode, Regard thine own state, go forth and journey From the prison of the Formal world to the meadow of Ideas."

"God has enjoined this servitude upon us, We say not this merely on our own authority; We enjoy life on condition of doing His will; If He bids us, we sow our seed upon the sand."

"He is like Pharaoh and his body like Moses, He runs abroad crying ‘Where is my foe?’ While lust is in his house, which is his body, He bites his finger in spite against strangers."

"Enter the hearts of my servants To gain the paradise of beholding me, O fearer of God."

"Enter houses by the doors And trace effects to their causes."

"He is the perfect world, yet He is single, He holds in hand the writing of the whole of existence, Wherefore all forms and colours of beauty cry out, ‘Good news! good news! lo! the spring is at hand!’"

"Whoever may put off to sow seed in spring Ignores the true value of time’s swiftest wing, Let each one take refuge in mercy of God Who grace manifold on our souls has bestowed, Then shalt thou find shelter, when shelter thou needest, Fire’s, water’s protection thou’lt have as thou heedest."

"Prize not at all life that has passed without love, Love is the water of life: receive it in thy heart and soul."

"The people of love are hidden among the peoples As a liberal encompassed by the contumely of the base."

"No mountain-pass as this life’s progress is so steep, Let envy not increase thy load; thou canst but creep, The flesh a hot-bed is of envy and of strife These soil the soil; for envy’s bane of mortal life."

"Thorn-eating camel truly is this world of ours, Ahmed then came and mounted; him that camel bears. O camel, on thy back thou bear’st a vase of rose, On thee from thence have sprouted rose-buds as God knows, Thy tastes lead thee to camel-thorn and wastes of sand, To thee the thorn’s a rose; the wilderness, rich land."

"Seek the pearl, O brother, in the shell, And seek for skill among the learned."

"Though you have no feet, choose to journey in yourself, Like the ruby-mine receive a print from the sunbeams, Make a journey out of self into self, O master, For by such a journey earth becomes a quarry of gold."

"If the sun did not fare by foot and wing every night, How would the world be illuminated at morning tide? And if the salt water did not go up from the sea to the sky Whence would the garden be quickened by river and rain?"

"O Ali! out of all forms of religious service Choose thou the shadow of that dear friend of God! Do thou seek refuge in the shadow of the wise man That thou mayest escape thy fierce secret foes, Of all forms of service this is fittest for thee Thou shalt surpass all who were before thee."

"That person one night was crying ‘O Allah!’ That his mouth might be sweetened thereby, And Satan said to him ‘Be quiet, O austere one! How long wilt thou babble O man of many words? No answer comes to thee from nigh the throne, How long wilt thou cry “Allah!” with harsh face?’ That person was sad at heart and hung his head And then beheld Khizr present before him in a vision Who said to him ‘Ah! thou hast ceased to call upon God, Wherefore repentest thou of calling upon Him?’ The man said ‘The answer “Here am I” came not, Wherefore I fear that I am repulsed from the door.’ Khizr replied to him ‘God has given me this command Go to him and say “O much tried one! That calling ‘Allah’ of thine was my ‘Here am I;’ And that pain and longing and ardour of thine was my messenger; Thy struggles and strivings for assistance Were My attractions and originated thy prayer. Thy fear and thy love are the covert of My mercy, Each ‘O Lord!’ of thine contains many ‘Here am I’s’.’"

"One I seek, one I know, one I see, one I call. He is the first, He is the last, He is the outward, He is the inward."

"One said ‘The world would be a pleasant place, If death never set foot within it’; Another answered ‘If there were no death, The complicated world would not be worth a jot. It would be a crop raised in the desert Left neglected and never threshed out.’"

"One impulse from God is better than a hundred efforts."

"Society with saints no doubt’s of great avail To piety it leads; ‘God’s fear shall never fail.’ Thou wast a very rock, a worthless pebble-stone, By saints’ communion fined, a pearl of price thou’st shone."

"Seek sweet syrup in the garden of love, For nature is a seller of vinegar and a crusher of unripened grapes."

"From thy good thoughts are born the boys of Paradise and the houris, From thy evil thoughts is born the great demon (Iblis), See how the secret thought of the geometrician has become a castle or a palace, See how the hidden Providence without beginning has become this mighty universe."

"Apparently thou art the ruler of thy wife like water over fire, In reality thou art ruled by and suppliant to her."

"Serpents’ poison is life to serpents, In relation to mankind it is death."

"From the moment you came into the world of being A ladder was placed before you that you might escape, First you were mineral, later you turned to plant, Then you became animal: how should this be a secret to you? Afterwards you were made man, with knowledge, reason, faith, Behold the body which is a portion of the dust-pit, how perfect it has grown! When you have travelled on from man, you will doubtless become an angel, After that you are done with this earth; your station is in heaven."

"Thou mouldest of foul and fair the form of a man That he may flee two leagues from the odour of foulness; Thou mak’st him a morsel of dust that he may become pure herbage, He is free from filth when Thou hast breathed into him a soul."

"I will not shun thy blow, for very crude Is the heart that ne’er burned in the fire of thine affliction, To thy praise and praisers there is no end, What atom but is reeling with thy praise?"

"Let not a weakling like you censure me; What seems night to you is broad day to me, What seems a prison to you is a garden to me, Busiest occupation is rest to me, Your feet are in the mire, to me mire is rose, What to you is funeral wailing is marriage drum to me."

"Opposite shows up opposite as a Frank a negro."

"Welcome soul-producing sun! when a single ray of thine hath appeared, Thousands of human souls shoot forth from black (barren) clay."

"My heart is weary of these weak-spirited companions, I desire the Lion of God (Ali) and Rustam son of Zal, Filings of beauty are in the possession of every one that exists, I desire that quarry and that mine of exquisite loveliness."

"I still am dark compared to the sun Though I am light compared to the dark souls of men, Therefore is my light weak that you may bear it, For you are not strong enough to bear the dazzling sun, I have, as it were, mixed honey with vinegar, To succour the sweetness of your hearts."

"The strength of strongest man can merely split a stone, The power that informs man’s soul can cleave the moon."

"Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving — it doesn't matter, Ours is not a caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vow a hundred times, Come, come again, come."

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."

"Whenever we manage to love without expectations, calculations, negotiations, we are indeed in heaven."

"We carry inside us the wonders we seek outside us."

"I once saw in an office a plaque that suggested that before we open our mouths to speak, we should make our words pass through three gates: Is it true, is it kind, and is it necessary?"

"Strange as it may seem to our Western egoism, the prospect of sharing in the general, impersonal immortality of the human soul kindles in the Sufi an enthusiasm as deep and triumphant as that of the most ardent believer in a personal life continuing beyond the grave. Jalaluddin, after describing the evolution of man in the material world and anticipating his further growth in the spiritual universe, utters a heartfelt prayer — for what? — for self-annihilation in the ocean of the Godhead."

"The idea that eroticism and spirituality should be separated is a travesty of both...Or read the great Persian poet Rumi...All mystical poetry is erotic, uses erotic language, because it desires fusion with God...all lovers see the beloved’s face and body as divine."

"Reynold A. Nicholson, Selected Poems from the Divani Shamsi Tabriz (Cambridge UP, 1898)"

"William Falconer, in The Asiatic Journal (1840) p. 32, (1841) p. 238, (1842) p. 102 · Fraser's Magazine (April 1855) pp. 374–5"

"Edward Henry Whinfield, Masnavi I Ma'navi: The Spiritual Couplets of Maulána Jalálu-'d-Dín Muhammad Rúmí (1898)"

"Reynold A. Nicholson, The Mystics of Islam (1914)"

"Reynold A. Nicholson, Rumi: Poet And Mystic (George Allen and Unwin, 1950)"

"William C. Chittick, The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi (1983)"

"Camille and Kabir Helminski, Rumi Daylight: A Daybook of Spiritual Guidance (1990)"

"Camille and Kabir Helminski, Jewels of Remembrance: A Daybook of Spiritual Guidance (1996)"

"Coleman Barks, The Essential Rumi (HarperCollins, 1995)"

"James Fadiman and Robert Frager, Essential Sufism (HarperSanFrancisco, 1997)"

"Fatemeh Keshavarz, Reading Mystical Lyric: The Case of Jalal al-Din Rumi (1998)"

"Shahram Shiva, Hush, Don't Say Anything to God: Passionate Poems of Rumi (Jain Publishing, 1999)"

"Andrew Harvey, Teachings of Rumi (Shambhala, 1999)"

"John Baldock, The Essence of Rumi (London: Arcturus, 2005)"

"Ibrahim Gamard and Rawan Farhadi, The Quatrains of Rumi (2008)"

"All the papers in Europe and America belong to the capitalists. The newspapers enjoy freedom, but it is the freedom of capitalists to push through their agenda. … If someone does not belong to this circle of capitalists, their views and opinions will not be published or made known. No one will hear them. … They claim newspapers are free in America and Britain. I ask, which newspaper belongs to the middle or lower classes of the society so that they could freely express their views, and we could witness such freedoms?"

"The arrogant powers intend to turn our nation into a third-world country and return it to its pre-revolutionary state."

"The Islamic Republic still has a long way to go to achieve the social justice mandated by Islam. We still have not reached that stage and have a long way to go to get there."

"Western democracy is based on liberalism. Freedom exists but has no limits, even if it is against the rights and freedoms of the rest of their society. … The West desires one thing from liberalism, and that is its own absolute freedom to do whatever it desires within the global community and to occupy any part of the world."

"We have no intentions of domination or becoming a superpower in the common and ordinary sense. Our fundamental goal is that the oppressed in the world are able to find the power to decide their own faith. The oppressed people should not be indifferent about this. Instead, we seek amicable relations. When we say peaceful relations, we do not mean relations with every nation. Exceptions include the racist South Africa and the Zionist regime of Israel. They are illegitimate regimes. The nature of these two regimes and their existence is illegal. The other exception is the United States."

"Who are the enemies of Islam? All the bullying oil customers. Oil for them is an existential matter. If they do not have oil, their homes will freeze and their air and ground transportation will stop. This is the only reason the enemy tries to create conflict among Muslims, for they know this reality. The globally hegemonic powers know and see that if this enormous Muslim world comes together in unity and creates a superpower—economically, politically, and militarily—none of the existing military powers could stand against such a force."

"What Iraq has done is treacherous and disloyal toward not only Iran, but the entire Muslim world, simply by subjecting themselves to the temptations of colonizers."

"If we define freedom in its true and broad meaning based on the Divine Scriptures, it is the freedom of the human spirit from corruption, lust, temptations, whims, and material bondage. This definition has not been discussed in Western or European books. The freedom that was discussed during the great French Revolution in the late 18th century and later debated in the Western world is less valuable and more limited than the freedom discussed by the Divine Prophets and Scriptures."

"Freedom in Islam is freedom from slavery, servitude, and domination. It calls upon ascribing value to human will. Those who believe that the concept of freedom, in this sense, has existed in the world only for the past two or three centuries are wrong. The concept of the freedom of human beings was discussed in Islam centuries prior to Europe's formulations of freedom as a universal right of humanity, and centuries prior to debates among European scholars, intellectuals, revolutionaries, and political leaders."

"Imam Khomeini explained on numerous occasions that exporting the revolution is the culture of the revolution and the true spirit of the revolution. That Cultural Revolution recognizes no borders, no color, and no race. No wall or gate can stand in its way or prevent its progress. … The difference with Iran's Islamic Revolution is that it influences without the slightest interference in the domestic affairs of other countries. Iran's exporting of its revolution is not by a military threat, but a cultural influence."

"We created an Islamic government in one of the most strategic locations in the world: Iran connects the East and the West. Now the only thing left is our battle against false propaganda that attempts to cloud the image of this revolution. … They present our republic as a reactionary and cruel regime. They do not hesitate to use superficial Muslims and scholars to accomplish their goals. The response of the Islamic Republic is to show its innocence to the world—to show that it is progressive and not reactionary, seeks justice and advocates justice, and is not oppressive and cruel."

"We have been delivered from the Shah's regime that was one hundred percent dependent upon the West. We became victims of aggression because of his policies that produced dependency. Henceforth, we have no desire for dependency upon the powers from either side. … Internally, today all Iranians know that the Islamic Republic has a strict policy of "Neither East, Nor West." … Externally, Iran has spread this policy to other nations, specifically to smaller third-world countries and independent non-third-world countries, who feel they have no choice but to rely on the two superpowers. … As long as a nation is not under the influence of, or subjected to, the power of the East, West, or the Soviet Union, our goal has been accomplished."

"Cutting relations with America is one hundred percent to the advantage of Iranians. It is a deceitful misrepresentation to say that nations who have good relations with the U.S. have no economic or financial problems. If the Iranian nation wishes to turn its economic and financial standing around, which it will certainly do, all it needs is a strong will, decisiveness, and cooperation among the different sectors of society. It also needs to avoid being impacted by Western media and the West’s propaganda machines. These measures and values will build the nation, not relations with America."

"Do not let go of your hatred for the enemy. When animosity and hatred toward the enemy decreases in your hearts, it is a dangerous sign. That means your faith is diminishing. Everyone, young and old, must maintain their hate and abhorrence for the enemy in their hearts."

"From the very beginning of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, global arrogant powers realized that if Muslim unity is attained, the attention of Muslims will turn to the Command Center of Muslim Unity, Iran. Reactionary governments and those affiliated with domination have spent a lot of money to provoke conflict among Muslims, including Arab nations, those who speak Urdu, and even within the Iranian Muslim nation."

"If we want the revolution to continue with the same speed, steadfastness, and in the path of Islam without wavering to the left or to the right, we have to set the goals of our nation and also of the Islamic nations around us. We have to make efforts to bring these goals to fruition and not stop trying. The greatest danger is not that we become tired or exhausted, but that we lose sight of the revolutionary goals and ideals."

"It is because of Islam that we are firmly standing against oppression. The world of oppression is ruled by America as the leader of a system that works to realize its interests. There is no other issue between America and Islamic Iran other than Islam. We are fighting for humankind. We have proven that Islam can save humanity. Islam is able to confront the world powers and disrupt their ruthless world order."

"The global arrogant powers make the Islamic Revolution sound like a Shi'ite revolution. They make every effort to stop the Muslim world from calling the Islamic Republic of Iran's revolution, a revolution in the name of Islam, and Iran's government, an Islamic Republic. Iran does not distinguish between Shi'ites and Sunnis, but sees all Muslims as one, under the same banner of Islam."

"Without safeguarding social justice, our society will not be an Islamic society. Social justice means eradication of major gaps between different social classes, between the unjustified wealth of the affluent and the poor who have always been the most loyal defenders of the revolution."

"When Khomeini talked about capitalism and the impunity of American advisors, he explained these things in a way that his audience understood. He made his followers understand that his movement was truly an Iranian movement. Therefore, the Pahlavi regime and America's entire apparatus of power realized that Imam Khomeini's leadership and his revolutionary movement represented a struggle against global domination."

"When our nation struggled and fought against the Shah's regime, in actuality it was a revolt against America. … The imposed Iran–Iraq War is an example of America's attempted meddling against this revolution. We do not doubt that this war occurred at America's behest. As long as America's policies are based on domination and aggression, there will be no relations with America."

"In Islam, if one operates against the interests of the country, one's freedom will be limited. This is both logical and spiritual."

"The basic needs of human beings today have not changed from those of people who lived thousands, or even tens of thousands of years ago. The basic needs of human beings are security, freedom, knowledge, and a life free from discrimination and oppression. The needs that have sprung up today can be satisfied within the framework and under the umbrella of these basic needs. These needs can be met only through the blessings of God's religion."

"What is unacceptable is for publications to operate through the support of the people, yet act against their interests by spreading lies and casting false and malicious accusations. These publications are not expressing their views, but have become the propaganda machines for Israeli and American media. Those who violate Islamic principles and act against the security of the nation forfeit the right to exercise that freedom [i.e. of expression]."

"[There is only one possible solution to unrest in the Middle East], "namely the annihilation and destruction of the Zionist state.""

"Today the world has far more potential than in the past to understand the message of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a). The more human knowledge increases, the more likely it becomes that the message of Islam will gain ground. The more powerful people in different parts of the world use brutal tools in order to suppress human feelings and to bring them under their yoke, the more the ground will be prepared for identifying the light of Islam and the more thirsty human beings will become for Islam. Today we see the signs of this thirst for the message of Islam, which is the message of monotheism, the message of spirituality, the message of justice, the message of human dignity. Human beings are enthusiastic about the message of Islam."

"Iran's stance has always been clear on this ugly phenomenon (Israel). We have repeatedly said that this cancerous tumor of a state should be removed from the region… No one will allow a bunch of thugs, lechers and outcasts from London, America and Moscow to rule over the Palestinians."

"Freedom that exists in the Islamic Republic today does not exist anywhere else. People are free to express their views and opinions. From the very beginning a group of people in the Islamic Republic claimed that we do not have freedom. They even bluntly broadcast it in the media—on radio, on television, in the newspapers. In the Islamic Republic everything is based on the will of the people. … A system that is based on the loyalty of its people is a strong system, and the enemy cannot hurt it. It is because of this freedom that the sciences, industry, education, and knowledge grow in this nation."

"Insulting the Constitution or the politics of the country are not small matters. These newspapers, without knowing whom to blame, insult the system, the Sepah, the Basij, and the clerics. What are their intentions? Why are they opposing Basij to this extent? Imam Khomeini invented the Basij. There is no better organization than Basij to employ the spirit and energy of youth in a healthy way. Where is their animosity toward the Basij coming from? Why are they questioning Basij so much?"

"Furthermore, all the Western politicians, intellectuals and journalists are obliged to pay homage and bow to the monument that commemorates those allegedly killed in the Nazi concentration camps. In other words, all should acknowledge the veracity of something that has not been proven! This is also one of the propaganda means being applied by the Zionists to portray themselves as the victims of persecution!"

"In an Islamic system, meaning a religious democracy, the people choose and decide the future of the governance of the country and select their leaders. But this choice and their decision are under the shadow of the divine guidance and never leave that protection. This is the main point in religious democracy. This is the Islamic Revolution's gift to the people of Iran."

"It is the mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to erase Israel from the map of the region."

"There are documents showing close collaboration of the Zionists with the Nazi Germany, and exaggerated numbers relating to the Jewish holocaust were fabricated to solicit sympathy of the world public opinion, lay the ground for the occupation of Palestine and to justify the atrocities of the Zionists. There is even evidence on hand that a large number of non-Jewish hooligans and thugs of Eastern Europe were forced to migrate to Palestine as Jews. The purpose was to install in the heart of the Islamic world an anti-Islamic state under the guise of supporting the victims of racism and to create a rift between the East and the West of the Islamic world after 1400 years of unity between those two parts."

"The purchase of any item which helps strengthen Zionism is not permissible."

"The U.S. officials are now revealing their true nature. In his recent speech, the U.S. president spoke like a person who is thirsty for the blood of human beings! He threatened and leveled baseless accusations against other governments and nations. Considering the existing realities on the ground, most of the nations in the world have now come to the conclusion that the U.S. is really the Great Satan. This belief is also substantiated by concrete evidence."

"Our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) managed to restore our dignity and eliminate the long-standing hegemony of autocracy and colonialism by returning to Islam, by adhering to Islam. He managed to give our people a sense of identity and made them feel that they can stand on their own feet, that they can say "yes" or "no" in the case of essential matters. Our people had been deprived of such things for centuries. It was Islam that gave these things to our people. In any country in any part of the world where the waves of Islamic Awakening are strengthened or started and the people and youth of that country feel that they are moving closer to Islam, there will be this renewed sense of identity and dignity."

"When the world criticizes Iran for making a bomb, doing so is a sign of Iran's progress. It shows how far Iran has come from the pre-revolutionary era to a post-revolutionary era. Prior to the revolution, 70 percent of the population was uneducated, in comparison to now when Iran is producing nuclear energy independent from reliance on foreign powers. Iran is one of the ten countries that have been able to produce nuclear energy. … All these accomplishments Iran has made have sprung from an infant regime in the aftermath of an eight-year war."

"The Americans are stuck in Iraq and have no way out. They are like a wolf whose tail has been caught in a trap."

"The Iraqi people will hate any government established in Iraq that will be recognized as appointed by the Americans, just as the Americans are hated. The Americans' coming to Iraq was a mistake. Their staying was a mistake. Their behavior with the population was a mistake... They must know that certainly, the Islamic world and chiefly the Shiite world will not stay silent in face of this."

"Western countries allow no freedom of expression, which they claim to advocate, with regard to the myth of the massacre of Jews known as the holocaust, and nobody in the West enjoys the freedom of expression to deny it or raise doubts about it. But affronting the sanctities of about 1.5 billion Muslims is permissible in the West."

"Our people say "Death to America," and this is like saying "I seek God's refuge from the accursed Satan," which is recited before any chapter of the Koran, even before "In the name of Allah the Compassionate, the Merciful." Why is this? So the believer will never forget, even for a moment, the presence of Satan. So he will never forget, even for a moment, that Satan is ready to attack him and to destroy his spiritual shield and is faith... The saying "Death to America" is for this purpose."

"Today, America poses a threat to peace and security in the world. Therefore, the slogan "Death to America" is no longer used only by our people. Today, you see throughout the world people setting fire to the effigy of the American president and chanting the slogan "Death to America." This is because of the American regime's exaggerated demands, its arrogance, its vanity, and its desire to control, and because it is a pawn in the hands of the Zionists.""

"Should the Iranian nation beg for the right of exploitation of nuclear energy from the bullying world powers until they accept that the nation has a nuclear right?... No. This is not the way of a free and independent nation... Rights cannot be achieved by entreating. If you supplicate, withdraw and show flexibility, arrogant powers will make their threat more serious."

"Being culturally dominated is even more perilous than being economically and politically dominated. Why? The reason is that when a nation culturally dominates another nation, the national identity of the nation that is held under domination is lost. … Cultural interchange is a good thing. Cultural invasion is something horrific. Cultural interchange usually happens when a nation is prosperous. Cultural invasion takes place when a nation is feeble."

"Freedom is the gift of God and the Revolution. Freedom belongs to the people and is their fundamental need."

"Let's say they bombed Natanz or Isfahan's facilities, how can they bomb knowledge? You see, knowledge brings immunity and power. … Those who threaten to bomb Iran, even if they bomb the nuclear facilities, they cannot achieve their goals."

"Preventing women from acquiring education and improving their knowledge is an injustice not only to them but to society as a whole, because when women enter an arena, their families do the same. This is not true of men. Furthermore, it is injustice if women are not given the opportunity to exercise their scientific, creative, political, and social talents. Therefore, it is unjust and against Islamic principles if women are not allowed to exercise their rights by choosing their own profession, their own spouse—or choose to divorce and have the right to continue having a healthy relationship with their children."

"Today, you are hated throughout the world. If you don't know this, you should. The peoples burn your flag. The Islamic peoples all over the world chant: "Death to America!""

"The European races are barbaric. They wear freshly pressed suits and ties, and they smell of eau de cologne, but deep down, they still have the same barbaric nature known from history. They kill with ease. They murder people without any problem. Therefore, beating women in their homes is of no consequence to the Europeans and Americans, whereas in an Islamic environment, it is unimaginable."

"Israel Is A Hideous Entity In the Middle East Which Will Undoubtedly Be Annihilated."

"If people get into the habit of using their free time for reading books, our society will greatly advance and the country's culture will progress."

"From now on, in any place, if any nation or any group confronts the Zionist regime, we will endorse and we will help. We have no fear expressing this… The Zionist regime is a cancerous tumor that must be removed, and God willing it will be."

"Pakistan has nuclear weapons, but it does not have security. On the other hand, we do not have nuclear weapons but we are a secure country and we have the power to defend ourselves and protect our security. Therefore, the production of nuclear weapons is considered ḥarām based on Ayatollah Khamenei's fatwā and it is not subject to change."

"The great powers have dominated the destiny of the Islamic countries for years and… installed the Zionist cancerous tumor in the heart of the Islamic world… Many of the problems facing the Muslim world are due to the existence of the Zionist regime."

"The wave of Islamic Awakening has reached numerous countries in the region, including Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Lebanon, Yemen, Bahrain, and Palestine. The fall of dictators in these nations and the victories in the Middle East and North Africa are a result of the might and power of God and not men. Therefore the Zionists, the Great Satan, and the Western powers were powerless in the face of the Islamic Awakening."

"Today in many western countries, nobody dares question the Holocaust whose nature is questionable. According to the reports I have received, in America if people decide to write something against homosexuality on the basis of psychological and sociological principles, they will be prevented from publishing their work. How is it that these people feel obligated to respect freedom of expression?"

"Despite using chemical weapons against the people of Sardasht, and before that the people of Halabja [in Iraq], America and Europe supported the Ba'athist regime for many years. As long as they could use Saddam, they did not oppose him. This is another standard for clarifying the truth of Western claims."

"What western media describe as "romance", is not true love. It’s a fleeting sexual excitement with no sense of responsibility involved."

"Don’t allow the colonialists to introduce their terrorists as representatives of Islam (January 21, 2015)"

"To the Youth in Europe and North America, The recent events in France and similar ones in some other Western countries have convinced me to directly talk to you about them. I am addressing you, [the youth], not because I overlook your parents, rather it is because the future of your nations and countries will be in your hands; and also I find that the sense of quest for truth is more vigorous and attentive in your hearts. I don’t address your politicians and statesmen either in this writing because I believe that they have consciously separated the route of politics from the path of righteousness and truth. I would like to talk to you about Islam, particularly the image that is presented to you as Islam. Many attempts have been made over the past two decades, almost since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, to place this great religion in the seat of a horrifying enemy. The provocation of a feeling of horror and hatred and its utilization has unfortunately a long record in the political history of the West. Here, I don’t want to deal with the different phobias with which the Western nations have thus far been indoctrinated. A cursory review of recent critical studies of history would bring home to you the fact that the Western governments’ insincere and hypocritical treatment of other nations and cultures has been censured in new historiographies. The histories of the United States and Europe are ashamed of slavery, embarrassed by the colonial period and chagrined at the oppression of people of color and non-Christians. Your researchers and historians are deeply ashamed of the bloodsheds wrought in the name of religion between the Catholics and Protestants or in the name of nationality and ethnicity during the First and Second World Wars. This approach is admirable. By mentioning a fraction of this long list, I don’t want to reproach history; rather I would like you to ask your intellectuals as to why the public conscience in the West awakens and comes to its senses after a delay of several decades or centuries. Why should the revision of collective conscience apply to the distant past and not to the current problems? Why is it that attempts are made to prevent public awareness regarding an important issue such as the treatment of Islamic culture and thought? You know well that humiliation and spreading hatred and illusionary fear of the “other” have been the common base of all those oppressive profiteers. Now, I would like you to ask yourself why the old policy of spreading “phobia” and hatred has targeted Islam and Muslims with an unprecedented intensity. Why does the power structure in the world want Islamic thought to be marginalized and remain latent? What concepts and values in Islam disturb the programs of the super powers and what interests are safeguarded in the shadow of distorting the image of Islam? Hence, my first request is: Study and research the incentives behind this widespread tarnishing of the image of Islam. My second request is that in reaction to the flood of prejudgments and disinformation campaigns, try to gain a direct and firsthand knowledge of this religion. The right logic requires that you understand the nature and essence of what they are frightening you about and want you to keep away from."

"It goes without saying that the slogan does not mean death to the American nation; this slogan means death to the US’s policies, death to arrogance."

"For Muslims, the season of is the season of pride and glory in the eyes of God’s servants, the season of enlightening hearts, the season of humility before the Creator and of solemn prayer. Hajj is a heavenly, earthly, divine and communal obligation. ... During this unparalleled obligation, temporal and spatial security bestows tranquility on the hearts of human beings like a clear sign and a brilliant star and draws hajj pilgrims out of the siege of insecurity by domineering oppressors that constantly threatens humanity and it helps humanity taste the pleasure of security during a particular period of time. ... Abrahamic hajj, which Islam has presented to Muslims as a gift, is the manifestation of pride, spirituality, unity and glory. It demonstrates to ill-wishers and enemies the greatness of the Islamic and its reliance on God’s eternal power. It highlights the distance between Muslims and the cesspool of corruption, humiliation and tyranny that international oppressors and bullies impose on human communities. ... Those who have reduced hajj to a religious-tourist trip and have hidden their enmity and malevolence towards the faithful and revolutionary people of Iran under the name of “politicizing hajj”, are themselves small and puny satans who tremble for fear of jeopardizing the interests of the Great Satan, the U.S."

"Saudi rulers, who have obstructed the path of Allah and this year and who have blocked the proud and faithful Iranian pilgrims’ path to the Beloved’s House, are disgraced and misguided people who think their survival on the throne of oppression is dependent on defending the arrogant powers of the world, on alliances with Zionism and the U.S. and on fulfilling their demands. And on this path, they do not shy away from any treason."

"Almost one year has now passed since the horrifying events in Mina, as a result of which several thousand people tragically lost their lives- under the hot sun with thirsty lips- and this happened on the day of Eid while they were in the clothes of ihram. Shortly before that, another group of people were crushed to death in Masjid ul-Haraam while they were worshiping and performing and . Saudi rulers were at fault in both cases. This is what all those present, observers and technical analysts agree upon. Some experts maintain that the events were premeditated. The hesitation and failure to rescue the half-dead and injured people, whose enthusiastic souls and enthralled hearts were accompanying their praying tongues on , is also obvious and incontrovertible. The heartless and murderous Saudis locked up the injured with the dead in containers- instead of providing medical treatment and helping them or at least quenching their thirst. They murdered them."

"The hearts of their families are still broken and bereaved and our people remain grief-stricken and angry. Instead of apology and remorse and judicial prosecution of those who were directly at fault in that horrifying event, Saudi rulers- with utmost shamelessness and insolence- refused to allow the formation of an international Islamic fact-finding committee."

"Instead of being tried as the accused, they acted like the plaintiff and with increased malice and vileness, they revealed their long-standing enmity towards the Islamic Republic and towards any flag of Islam raised to confront kufr and arrogance."

"Their propaganda mouthpieces- from the politicians whose behavior towards the Zionists and the U.S. is a source of disgrace for the world of Islam, to impious and haraam-eating muftis who blatantly issue fatwas against the Book and Sunnah, and to media minions who are not even deterred by codes of professional conduct from spreading and telling lies- are making futile efforts to show that the Islamic Republic is at fault for depriving Iranian pilgrims of this year’s hajj pilgrimage."

"The fitna-promoting rulers who by forming and arming wicked takfiri groups, have plunged the world of Islam into civil wars, murdering and injuring the innocent and shed blood in Yemen, Iraq, the Levant, Libya and other countries- the godless politicians who have extended the hand of friendship towards the Zionist regime, have closed their eyes on the Palestinians’ sufferings and heartrending tragedies and have spread their oppression and betrayal to the cities and villages of ."

"They have made the divine sanctuary unsafe for everybody."

"Because of these rulers’ oppressive behavior towards God’s guests, the world of Islam must fundamentally reconsider the management of the two holy places and the issue of hajj. Negligence in this regard will confront the Islamic Ummah with more serious problems in the future."

"I extend my congratulations to the brave men of the 86th flotilla of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy on their grand and successful naval mission."

"The presence of even one single American in Iraq is too much"

"Of course, today’s Mongols, that is, the West, have different appearances and forms of the onslaught. In addition to the dark history of their crimes during the colonial period, they have also been invasive during our era, by equipping rabid dogs like Saddam with all kinds of weapons."

"Silence of the Muslim governments in the face of such an invasion, which is an invasion on them and on the Islamic ummah, and even supporting it, as some did recently, has weakened those countries and has subjugated them."

"The [Israel] regime has only two scenarios in front of it, namely the bad scenario and the worse scenario."

"Even though there are physical differences between men and women in their appearance – one is taller and has a deeper voice – they both possess infinite potential in terms of their intellectual and spiritual capabilities and aren’t different from each other in this."

"Today, many of us picked up our newspapers, and we were horrified to see the sight of 10 American sailors on their knees, with their hands on their heads. In that State of the Union, President Obama didn't so much as mention the 10 sailors that had been captured by Iran. President Obama's preparing to send $100 billion or more to the Ayatollah Khamenei. And I'll tell you, it was heartbreaking. But the good news is the next commander-in-chief is standing on this stage. And I give you my word, if I am elected president, no service man or service woman will be forced to be on their knees, and any nation that captures our fighting men will feel the full force and fury of the United States of America."

"I tell the Iranians that if they hear from people here or there that pictures of Ayatollah Khamenei are hung in Iraqi homes, it is a lie."

"Hizbullah chose to be loyal to the regime in Iran, to the rule of the Jurisprudent, Hizbullah made a religious choice – and it is free to make such a choice... It chose to consider Ali Khamenei in Iran as their source of emulation. They turn to him to ask what is permitted and what is forbidden."

"Khamenei & Co. do not think we will respond, do not fear Western action, and believe this is a historic movement for the advance of their vision of clerical fascism."

"Khomeini was succeeded as Supreme Leader by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who stymied a weak 1990s 'reform' movement and backed the 2005 election of Iran's current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a radical demagogue and rabid anti-Semite who has denied the Holocaust, declared he wishes to exterminate Israel, and whose pursuit of an Iranian nuclear arsenal, in defiance of the West, may yet bring the world to nuclear catastrophe."

"When Khomeini died in 1989, his nominated successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was duly chosen as supreme leader, though he lacked Khomeini’s unique authority. Nonetheless, the Iranian Islamic Republic has been highly successful in projecting Shiite and Iranian power, seeking nuclear weapons, using militias such as Hezbollah and Hamas, and involving itself in the wars in Iraq and Syria. It is an aggressive, oppressive theocracy yet its hybrid semi-democracy, with elected presidents and parliaments, has given it the flexibility to survive and to build power unprecedented since the days of the Persian empire."

"[O]ne of God's great graces, alongside the Islamic Republic, is the presence of the leader – this great leader who enjoys the grace of God. I say this out of experience, not as a gesture of politeness. They should be aware of the value of this great leader, and know how to make the most of this grace, and thank God for this. They should preserve this. With God's help, they should benefit the most from this great personality."

"We find ourselves in front of a great and exceptional personality who is criticized - even in Iran. Our responsibility is to introduce this great Imam to the nation, This is the very important and sensitive mission of this conference."

"US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on June 13, 2019, blamed Iran for attacks on ships in the Gulf of Oman. Iran had no motive for the recent attack on civilian vessels in the Gulf of Oman, but the US has motives to falsely blame Iran for it. It appears that Mike Pompeo has a hard time kicking his old habits. He appears to be as smug about lying as a CIA operative as he is as Secretary of State. Categorically blaming the Iranians for the recent oil attack tankers has left allies scratching their heads; and perhaps leaving foes thinking: “Thank God my enemy is so stupid”! On June 13, 2019, as Ayatollah Khamenei was holding talks in Tehran with Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, two oil tankers carrying oil to Japan were attacked. As investigations into the incident were just beginning, Pompeo had already concluded his assessment and had it ready for the press. Much to the audible surprise of the world, and without any proof or supporting documents, he laid the blame firmly at Iran’s feet citing “intelligence”..."

"Despite efforts to disguise his hatred of Israel in Islamic terms... Khamenei is more influenced by Western-style anti-Semitism than by classical Islam's checkered relations with Jews. His argument about territories becoming "irrevocably Islamic" does not wash, if only because of its inconsistency. He has nothing to say about vast chunks of former Islamic territory, including some that belonged to Iran for millennia, now under Russian rule. Nor is he ready to embark on Jihad to drive the Chinese out of Xinjiang, a Muslim khanate until the late 1940s. Israel, which in terms of territory accounts for one per cent of Saudi Arabia, is a very small fry. Khamenei's shedding of tears for "the sufferings of Palestinian Muslims" are also unconvincing. To start with, not all Palestinians are Muslims. And, if it were only Muslim sufferers who deserved sympathy, why doesn't the "Supreme Guide" beat his chest about the Burmese Rohingya and the Chechens massacred and enchained by Vladimir Putin, not to mention Muslims daily killed by fellow-Muslims across the globe?"

"Khamenei is certainly better educated than the late Khomeini. At least he can speak and write correct Persian and Arabic, something the late Ayatollah never managed. From available evidence Khamenei also has a better knowledge of Islam and its history than Khomeini did. Nevertheless, Khamenei has never been accepted as a theologian or Islamic scholar, but as a political leader, bestowing on him a degree of dangerous ambiguity. That ambiguity enables him to hit much higher than his weight by using his political position as long as the going is good. However, the slightest sign that his political power may be on the wane or seriously challenged could expose him as a prophet without armor. And that, in the context of Iran’s violent politics, created of the same substance as angels or not, is a dicey situation to be in, to say the least."

"Want a trip into bizarroland? Take a look at the Twitter feed for Iran's 'Supreme Guide' Ayatollah Khamenei. No, his Twitter feed hasn't been hacked by Al Sharpton. Nor is this a spoof site. It's the real online megaphone for the Iranian dictator. This pasty old man doesn't give a flying fork about black people, especially those who live in the United States. When he and his underlings chant 'Death to America', they don't mean death to white America. They're talking about the whole country, from our black president at the top to undocumented immigrants on the bottom and everyone in between."

"Since his election as president of Iran in June 2005, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has caused something of a sensation by, among other things, questioning the reality of the Holocaust and suggesting that Israel be moved in Europe or Alaska. His outrageous speeches have been good theatre for both his supporters and for foreign opponents who want to demonize him. However, his power is actually quite limited. For example, even with the support of the Iranian legislature, he cannot make law, and he is not the commander-in-chief of the Iranian armed forces. Above the elected government in Iran is an unelected twelve-man Guardian Council of mullahs, headed by Ayatollah Khamenei, who has ruled the nation since the death of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989. Khamenei is the leader of the military, and the Guardian Council has the right to veto any law passed by the elected government. Since 2001, Khamenei has undone the reforms that had been gradually changing the face of Iran."

"This is an epistle from this lowly servant to the All-Glorious Lord — He Who hath been aforetime and will be hereafter made manifest. Verily He is the Most Manifest, the Almighty."

"Glorified is He before Whom all the dwellers of earth and heaven bow down in adoration and unto Whom all men turn in supplication. He is the One Who holdeth in His grasp the mighty kingdom of all created things and unto Him shall all return. He is the One Who revealeth whatsoever He willeth and by His injunction ‘Be Thou’ all things have come into being."

"This is an epistle from the letter ‘Thá’ unto Him Who will be made manifest through the power of Truth — He Who is the All-Glorious, the Best Beloved — to affirm that all created things as well as myself bear witness for all time that there is none other God but Thee, the Omnipotent, the Self-Subsisting; that Thou art God, there is no God besides Thee and that all men shall be raised up to life through Thee."

"From all eternity I have indeed recognized Thee and unto all eternity will ever do so through Thine Own Self and not through any one else besides Thee. Verily Thou art the Source of all knowledge, the Omniscient. From everlasting I have besought and unto everlasting will beseech forgiveness for my limited understanding of Thee, aware as I am that there is no God but Thee, the All-Glorious, the Almighty."

"I beg of Thee, O my Best Beloved, to pardon me and those who earnestly seek to promote Thy Cause; Thou art indeed the One Who forgiveth the sins of all mankind."

"I bear witness that Thou art the Most Manifest, the Omnipotent, the Ever-Abiding; that of all things that exist on earth and in the heavens nothing whatsoever can frustrate Thy purpose and that Thou art the Knower of all things and the Lord of might and majesty."

"Every Manifestation is but a revelation of Thine Own Self, with each of Whom we have truly appeared and we bow down in adoration before Thee. Thou hast been, O my Best Beloved, and shalt ever be my witness throughout bygone times and in the days to come. Verily, Thou art the All-Powerful, the Ever-Faithful, the Omnipotent."

"I have testified to Thy oneness through Thine Own Self before the dwellers of the heavens and the earth, bearing witness that, verily, Thou art the All-Glorious, the Best Beloved. I have attained the recognition of Thee through Thine Own Self before the dwellers of the heavens and the earth, bearing witness that Thou art in truth the Almighty, the All-Praised."

"I have extolled Thine overpowering majesty through Thine Own Self before the dwellers of the heavens and the earth, bearing witness that, verily, Thou and Thou alone art the Lord of might, the Eternal One, the Ancient of Days. Hallowed and glorified art Thou; there is none other God but Thee and in truth unto Thee do we all return."

"He is God, no God is there but Him, the Almighty, the Best Beloved. All that are in the heavens and on the earth and whatever lieth between them are His. Verily He is the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting."

"This is a letter from God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting, unto God, the Almighty, the Best Beloved, to affirm that the Bayán and such as bear allegiance to it are but a present from me unto Thee and to express my undoubting faith that there is no God but Thee, that the kingdoms of Creation and Revelation are Thine, that no one can attain anything save by Thy power and that He Whom Thou hast raised up is but Thy servant and Thy Testimony."

"Thou art verily the Lord of grace abounding. Thou dost indeed suffice every created thing and causest it to be independent of all things, while nothing in the heavens or on the earth or that which lieth between them can ever suffice Thee. Verily Thou art the Self-Sufficient, the All-Knowing; Thou art indeed potent over all things."

"This is that which We have revealed for the First Believer in Him Whom God shall make manifest, that it may serve as an admonition from Our presence unto all mankind."

"In the Name of the Almighty, the Best Beloved. Lauded and glorified is He Who is the sovereign Lord of the kingdoms of heaven and earth and whatever is between them. Say, verily unto Him shall all return, and He is the One Who guideth at His Own behest whomsoever He pleaseth. Say, all men beseech His blessings and He is supreme over all created things. He is indeed the All-Glorious, the Mighty, the Well-Beloved."

"God hath in truth testified in His Book and so also have testified the company of His angels, His Messengers and those endued with divine knowledge, that thou hast believed in God and in His signs and that everyone is guided aright by virtue of thy guidance. This is indeed a boundless grace which God, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, hath graciously conferred upon thee aforetime and will confer hereafter. And since thou didst believe in God before the creation, He hath in truth, at His own behest, raised thee up in every Revelation. There is no God but Him, the Sovereign Protector, the All-Glorious."

"It behooveth you to proclaim the Cause of God unto all created things as a token of grace from His presence; no God is there but Him, the Most Generous, the All-Compelling."

"Say: All matters must be referred to the Book of God; I am indeed the First to believe in God and in His signs; I am the One Who divulgeth and proclaimeth the Truth and I have been invested with every excellent title of God, the Mighty, the Incomparable. Verily I have attained the Day of the First Manifestation and by the bidding of the Lord and as a token of His grace, I shall attain the Day of the Latter Manifestation"

"I render thanks and yield praise unto God for having been chosen by Him as the Exponent of His Cause in bygone days and in the days to come; there is none other God save Him, the Glorified, the All-Praised, the Ever-Abiding. Whatever is in the heavens and on the earth is His and through Him are we guided aright."

"I am one of the sustaining pillars of the Primal Word of God. Whosoever hath recognized Me, hath known all that is true and right, and hath attained all that is good and seemly; and whosoever hath failed to recognize Me, hath turned away from all that is true and right and hath succumbed to everything evil and unseemly."

"By My life! But for the obligation to acknowledge the Cause of Him Who is the Testimony of God … I would not have announced this unto thee... All the keys of heaven God hath chosen to place on My right hand, and all the keys of hell on My left..."

"I swear by God, the Peerless, the Incomparable, the True One: for no other reason hath He — the supreme Testimony of God — invested Me with clear signs and tokens than that all men may be enabled to submit to His Cause."

"God beareth Me witness, I was not a man of learning, for I was trained as a merchant. In the year sixty God graciously infused my soul with the conclusive evidences and weighty knowledge which characterize Him Who is the Testimony of God — may peace be upon Him — until finally in that year I proclaimed God’s hidden Cause and unveiled its well-guarded Pillar, in such wise that no one could refute it. ‘That he who should perish might perish with a clear proof before him and he who should live might live by clear proof.’"

"He who doeth good unto Me, it is as if he doeth good unto God, His angels and the entire company of His loved ones. He who doeth evil unto Me, it is as if he doeth evil unto God and His chosen ones. Nay, too exalted is the station of God and of His loved ones for any person’s good or evil deed to reach their holy threshold. Whatever reacheth Me is ordained to reach Me; and that which hath come unto Me, to him who giveth will it revert. By the One in Whose hand is My soul, he hath cast no one but himself into prison. For assuredly whatsoever God hath decreed for Me shall come to pass and naught else save that which God hath ordained for us shall ever touch us. Woe betide him from whose hands floweth evil, and blessed the man from whose hands floweth good. Unto no one do I take My plaint save to God; for He is the best of judges. Every state of adversity or bliss is from Him alone, and He is the All-Powerful, the Almighty."

"Were I to remove the veil, all would recognize Me as their Best Beloved, and no one would deny Me. Let not this assertion astound Your Majesty; inasmuch as a true believer in the unity of God who keepeth his eyes directed towards Him alone, will regard aught else but Him as utter nothingness. I swear by God! I seek no earthly goods from thee, be it as much as a mustard seed. Indeed, to possess anything of this world or of the next would, in My estimation, be tantamount to open blasphemy. For it ill beseemeth the believer in the unity of God to turn his gaze to aught else, much less to hold it in his possession. I know of a certainty that since I have God, the Ever-Living, the Adored One, I am the possessor of all things, visible and invisible..."

"In the Name of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Holy. All praise and glory befitteth the sacred and glorious court of the sovereign Lord, Who from everlasting hath dwelt, and unto everlasting will continue to dwell within the mystery of His Own divine Essence, Who from time immemorial hath abided and will forever continue to abide within His transcendent eternity, exalted above the reach and ken of all created beings. The sign of His matchless Revelation as created by Him and imprinted upon the realities of all beings, is none other but their powerlessness to know Him. The light He hath shed upon all things is none but the splendour of His Own Self. He Himself hath at all times been immeasurably exalted above any association with His creatures. He hath fashioned the entire creation in such wise that all beings may, by virtue of their innate powers, bear witness before God on the Day of Resurrection that He hath no peer or equal and is sanctified from any likeness, similitude or comparison. He hath been and will ever be one and incomparable in the transcendent glory of His divine being and He hath ever been indescribably mighty in the sublimity of His sovereign Lordship. No one hath ever been able befittingly to recognize Him nor will any man succeed at any time in comprehending Him as is truly meet and seemly, for any reality to which the term ‘being’ is applicable hath been created by the sovereign Will of the Almighty, Who hath shed upon it the radiance of His Own Self, shining forth from His most august station. He hath moreover deposited within the realities of all created things the emblem of His recognition, that everyone may know of a certainty that He is the Beginning and the End, the Manifest and the Hidden, the Maker and the Sustainer, the Omnipotent and the All-Knowing, the One Who heareth and perceiveth all things, He Who is invincible in His power and standeth supreme in His Own identity, He Who quickeneth and causeth to die, the All-Powerful, the Inaccessible, the Most Exalted, the Most High. Every revelation of His divine Essence betokens the sublimity of His glory, the loftiness of His sanctity, the inaccessible height of His oneness and the exaltation of His majesty and power. His beginning hath had no beginning other than His Own firstness and His end knoweth no end save His Own lastness."

"No doubt is there that the verses of God are verses that shine forth from this Tree, for the Eternal Essence has ever existed in His state of singleness, whereas the verses are a matter for creativity, which is the work of the Primal Will, in whom none can be seen save God alone. Although, in this day men do not look upon the verses of God, yet before long these same verses shall be recited in the most exalted manner and Bayans worth one thousand mithqals of gold shall be written; men shall pride themselves thereon and regard themselves as related to God."

"The revelation of the Divine Reality hath everlastingly been identical with its concealment and its concealment identical with its revelation. That which is intended by ‘Revelation of God’ is the Tree of divine Truth that betokeneth none but Him, and it is this divine Tree that hath raised and will raise up Messengers, and hath revealed and will ever reveal Scriptures. From eternity unto eternity this Tree of divine Truth hath served and will ever serve as the throne of the revelation and concealment of God among His creatures, and in every age is made manifest through whomsoever He pleaseth. At the time of the revelation of the Qur’án He asserted His transcendent power through the advent of Muḥammad, and on the occasion of the revelation of the Bayán He demonstrated His sovereign might through the appearance of the Point of the Bayán, and when He Whom God shall make manifest will shine forth, it will be through Him that He will vindicate the truth of His Faith, as He pleaseth, with whatsoever He pleaseth and for whatsoever He pleaseth. He is with all things, yet nothing is with Him. He is not within a thing nor above it nor beside it. Any reference to His being established upon the throne implieth that the Exponent of His Revelation is established upon the seat of transcendent authority... He hath everlastingly existed and will everlastingly continue to exist. He hath been and will ever remain inscrutable unto all men, inasmuch as all else besides Him have been and shall ever be created through the potency of His command. He is exalted above every mention or praise and is sanctified beyond every word of commendation or every comparison. No created thing comprehendeth Him, while He in truth comprehendeth all things. Even when it is said ‘no created thing comprehendeth Him’, this refers to the Mirror of His Revelation, that is Him Whom God shall make manifest. Indeed too high and exalted is He for anyone to allude unto Him."

"In these different worlds his (the disbeliever's) clothes are fire, even if they are of silk, and the place of his sojourn is fire, even if he is on the highest throne on the Earth, and his food is likewise fire. The clothes of others (of the believers) are made of what is created in Paradise, their seat is the highest seat of Paradise, and their food is the most succulent fruits of Paradise, even if they are clothed only with cotton, if they associate only on the bare soil, if they feed only on leaves of lettuce"

"It is better to guide one soul than to possess all that is on earth, for as long as that guided soul is under the shadow of the Tree of Divine Unity, he and the one who hath guided him will both be recipients of God’s tender mercy, whereas possession of earthly things will cease at the time of death. The path to guidance is one of love and compassion, not of force and coercion. This hath been God’s method in the past, and shall continue to be in the future!"

"There is no paradise more wondrous for any soul than to be exposed to God’s Manifestation in His Day, to hear His verses and believe in them, to attain His presence, which is naught but the presence of God, to sail upon the sea of the heavenly kingdom of His good-pleasure, and to partake of the choice fruits of the paradise of His divine Oneness."

"If He [whom God shall manifest] shall appear in the number of Ghiyath and all shall enter in, not one shall remain in the Fire. If He tarry until [the number of] Mustaghath, all shall enter in, not one shall remain in the Fire, but all shall be transformed into His light."

"I swear by the most sacred Essence of God that but one line of the Words uttered by Him is more sublime than the words uttered by all that dwell on earth. Nay, I beg forgiveness for making this comparison. How could the reflections of the sun in the mirror compare with the wondrous rays of the sun in the visible heaven? The station of one is that of nothingness, while the station of the other, by the righteousness of God — hallowed and magnified be His Name — is that of the Reality of things..."

"If in the Day of His manifestation a king were to make mention of his own sovereignty, this would be like unto a mirror challenging the sun, saying: ‘The light is in me’. It would be likewise, if a man of learning in His Day were to claim to be an exponent of knowledge, or if he who is possessed of riches were to display his affluence, or if a man wielding power were to assert his own authority, or if one invested with grandeur were to show forth his glory. Nay, such men would become the object of the derision of their peers, and how would they be judged by Him Who is the Sun of Truth!"

"On the Day of Resurrection God will ask everyone of his understanding and not of his following in the footsteps of others. How often a person, having inclined his ears to the holy verses, would bow down in humility and would embrace the Truth, while his leader would not do so. Thus every individual must bear his own responsibility, rather than someone else bearing it for him."

"I swear by the most holy Essence of God — exalted and glorified be He — that in the Day of the appearance of Him Whom God shall make manifest a thousand perusals of the Bayán cannot equal the perusal of a single verse to be revealed by Him Whom God shall make manifest."

"Know thou of a certainty that every letter revealed in the Bayán is solely intended to evoke submission unto Him Whom God shall make manifest, for it is He Who hath revealed the Bayán prior to His Own manifestation."

"God desireth not to see, in the Dispensation of the Bayán, any soul deprived of joy and radiance. He indeed desireth that under all conditions, all may be adorned with such purity, both inwardly and outwardly, that no repugnance may be caused even to themselves, how much less unto others."

"There is no paradise, in the estimation of the believers in the Divine Unity, more exalted than to obey God’s commandments, and there is no fire in the eyes of those who have known God and His signs, fiercer than to transgress His laws and to oppress another soul, even to the extent of a mustard seed. On the Day of Resurrection God will, in truth, judge all men, and we all verily plead for His grace."

"The One true God may be compared unto the sun and the believer unto a mirror. No sooner is the mirror placed before the sun than it reflects its light. The unbeliever may be likened unto a stone. No matter how long it is exposed to the sunshine, it cannot reflect the sun."

"On that Day whatever cause prompteth the believer to believe in Him, the same will also be available to the unbeliever. But when the latter suffereth himself to be wrapt in veils, the same cause shutteth him out as by a veil. Thus, as is clearly evident today, those who have set their faces toward God, the True One, have believed in Him because of the Bayán, while such as are veiled have been deprived because of it."

"God hath, at all times and under all conditions, been wholly independent of His creatures. He hath cherished and will ever cherish the desire that all men may attain His gardens of Paradise with utmost love, that no one should sadden another, not even for a moment, and that all should dwell within His cradle of protection and security until the Day of Resurrection which marketh the dayspring of the Revelation of Him Whom God will make manifest."

"Worship thou God in such wise that if thy worship lead thee to the fire, no alteration in thine adoration would be produced, and so likewise if thy recompense should be paradise. Thus and thus alone should be the worship which befitteth the one True God. Shouldst thou worship Him because of fear, this would be unseemly in the sanctified Court of His presence, and could not be regarded as an act by thee dedicated to the Oneness of His Being. Or if thy gaze should be on paradise, and thou shouldst worship Him while cherishing such a hope, thou wouldst make God’s creation a partner with Him, notwithstanding the fact that paradise is desired by men. Fire and paradise both bow down and prostrate themselves before God. That which is worthy of His Essence is to worship Him for His sake, without fear of fire, or hope of paradise."

"The most acceptable prayer is the one offered with the utmost spirituality and radiance; its prolongation hath not been and is not beloved by God. The more detached and the purer the prayer, the more acceptable is it in the presence of God."

"The acts of Him Whom God shall make manifest are like unto the sun, while the works of men, provided they conform to the good-pleasure of God, resemble the stars or the moon... Thus, should the followers of the Bayán observe the precepts of Him Whom God shall make manifest at the time of His appearance, and regard themselves and their own works as stars exposed to the light of the sun, then they will have gathered the fruits of their existence; otherwise the title of ‘starship’ will not apply to them. Rather it will apply to such as truly believe in Him, to those who pale into insignificance in the day-time and gleam forth with light in the night season. Such indeed is the fruit of this precept, should anyone observe it on the Day of Resurrection. This is the essence of all learning and of all righteous deeds, should anyone but attain unto it. Had the peoples of the world fixed their gaze upon this principle, no Exponent of divine Revelation would ever have, at the inception of any Dispensation, regarded them as things of naught. However, the fact is that during the night season everyone perceiveth the light which he himself, according to his own capacity, giveth out, oblivious that at the break of day this light shall fade away and be reduced to utter nothingness before the dazzling splendour of the sun."

"The light of the people of the world is their knowledge and utterance; while the splendours shed from the glorious acts of Him Whom God shall make manifest are His Words, through whose potency He rolleth up the whole world of existence, sets it under His Own authority by relating it unto Himself, then as the Mouthpiece of God, the Source of His divine light — exalted and glorified be He — proclaimeth: ‘Verily, verily, I am God, no God is there but Me; in truth all others except Me are My creatures. Say, O My creatures! Me alone, therefore, should ye fear’."

"The Day of Resurrection is a day on which the sun riseth and setteth like unto any other day. How oft hath the Day of Resurrection dawned, and the people of the land where it occurred did not learn of the event. Had they heard, they would not have believed, and thus they were not told!"

"When the Apostle of God appeared, He did not announce unto the unbelievers that the Resurrection had come, for they could not bear the news. That Day is indeed an infinitely mighty Day, for in it the Divine Tree proclaimeth from eternity unto eternity, ‘Verily, I am God. No God is there but Me’. Yet those who are veiled believe that He is one like unto them, and they refuse even to call Him a believer, although such a title in the realm of His heavenly Kingdom is conferred everlastingly upon the most insignificant follower of His previous Dispensation."

"Consider with due attention, for the path is very strait, even while it is more spacious than the heavens and the earth and what is between them."

"Thou hast asked concerning the fundamentals of religion and its ordinances: Know thou that first and foremost in religion is the knowledge of God. This attaineth its consummation in the recognition of His divine unity, which in turn reacheth its fulfilment in acclaiming that His hallowed and exalted Sanctuary, the Seat of His transcendent majesty, is sanctified from all attributes. And know thou that in this world of being the knowledge of God can never be attained save through the knowledge of Him Who is the Dayspring of divine Reality."

"In every nation thou beholdest unnumbered spiritual leaders who are bereft of true discernment, and among every people thou dost encounter myriads of adherents who are devoid of the same characteristic. Ponder for a while in thy heart, have pity on thyself and turn not aside thine attention from proofs and evidences. However, seek not proofs and evidences after thine idle fancy; but rather base thy proofs upon what God hath appointed. Moreover, know thou that neither being a man of learning nor being a follower is in itself a source of glory. If thou art a man of learning, thy knowledge becometh an honour, and if thou art a follower, thine adherence unto leadership becometh an honour, only when these conform to the good-pleasure of God."

"Thy letter hath been perused. Were the truth of this Revelation to be fully demonstrated with elaborate proofs, all the scrolls that exist in the heaven and on the earth would be insufficient to contain them. However, the substance and essence of the subject is this, that there can be no doubt that from everlasting God hath been invested with the independent sovereignty of His exalted Being, and unto everlasting He will remain inaccessible in the transcendent majesty of His holy Essence. No creature hath ever recognized Him as befitteth His recognition, nor hath any created being ever praised Him as is worthy of His praise. He is exalted above every name, and is sanctified from every comparison. Through Him all things are made known, while too lofty is His reality to be known through anyone but Him. The process of His creation hath had no beginning and can have no end, otherwise it would necessitate the cessation of His celestial grace. God hath raised up Prophets and revealed Books as numerous as the creatures of the world, and will continue to do so to everlasting."

"If thou art sailing upon the sea of God’s Names, which are reflected in all things, know thou that He is exalted and sanctified from being known through His creatures, or being described by His servants. Everything thou beholdest hath been called into being through the operation of His Will. How can such a created thing, therefore, be indicative of His essential oneness? God’s existence in itself testifieth to His Own oneness, while every created thing, by its very nature, beareth evidence that it hath been fashioned by God. Such is the proof of consummate wisdom in the estimation of those who sail the ocean of divine Truth."

"If, however, thou art sailing upon the sea of creation, know thou that the First Remembrance, which is the Primal Will of God, may be likened unto the sun. God hath created Him through the potency of His might, and He hath, from the beginning that hath no beginning, caused Him to be manifested in every Dispensation through the compelling power of His behest, and God will, to the end that knoweth no end, continue to manifest Him according to the good-pleasure of His invincible Purpose."

"In the time of the First Manifestation the Primal Will appeared in Adam; in the day of Noah It became known in Noah; in the day of Abraham in Him; and so in the day of Moses; the day of Jesus; the day of Muḥammad, the Apostle of God; the day of the ‘Point of the Bayán’; the day of Him Whom God shall make manifest; and the day of the One Who will appear after Him Whom God shall make manifest. Hence the inner meaning of the words uttered by the Apostle of God, ‘I am all the Prophets’, inasmuch as what shineth resplendent in each one of Them hath been and will ever remain the one and the same sun."

"Say, He Whom God shall make manifest is indeed the Primal Veil of God. Above this Veil ye can find nothing other than God, while beneath it ye can discern all things emanating from God. He is the Unseen, the Inaccessible, the Most Exalted, the Best Beloved."

"O ye that are invested with the Bayán! Denounce ye not one another, ere the Day-Star of ancient eternity shineth forth above the horizon of His sublimity. We have created you from one tree and have caused you to be as the leaves and fruit of the same tree, that haply ye may become a source of comfort to one another. Regard ye not others save as ye regard your own selves, that no feeling of aversion may prevail amongst you so as to shut you out from Him Whom God shall make manifest on the Day of Resurrection. It behooveth you all to be one indivisible people; thus should ye return unto Him Whom God shall make manifest."

"Those who have deprived themselves of this Resurrection by reason of their mutual hatreds or by regarding themselves to be in the right and others in the wrong, were chastised on the Day of Resurrection by reason of such hatreds evinced during their night. Thus they deprived themselves of beholding the countenance of God, and this for no other reason than mutual denunciations."

"O ye that are invested with the Bayán! Ye should perform such deeds as would please God, your Lord, earning thereby the good-pleasure of Him Whom God shall make manifest. Turn not your religion into a means of material gain, spending your life on vanities, and inheriting thereby on the Day of Resurrection that which would displease Him Whom God shall make manifest, while ye deem that what ye do is right. If, however, ye observe piety in your Faith, God will surely nourish you from the treasuries of His heavenly grace."

"Beware lest ye suffer one another to be wrapt in veils by reason of the disputes which may, during your night, arise among you as a result of the problems ye encounter or in consideration of such matters as your loftiness or lowliness, your nearness or remoteness. Thus have We firmly exhorted you — a befitting exhortation indeed — that haply ye may cleave tenaciously unto it and attain thereby salvation on the Day of Resurrection."

"Should a person lay claim to a cause and produce his proofs, then those who seek to repudiate him are required to produce proofs like unto his. If they succeed in doing so, his words will prove vain and they will prevail; otherwise neither his words will cease nor the proofs he hath set forth will become void. I admonish you, O ye who are invested with the Bayán, if ye would fain assert your ascendancy, confront not any soul unless ye give proofs similar to that which he hath adduced; for Truth shall be firmly established, while aught else besides it is sure to perish."

"Wert thou to open the heart of a single soul by helping him to embrace the Cause of Him Whom God shall make manifest, thine inmost being would be filled with the inspirations of that august Name. It devolveth upon you, therefore, to perform this task in the Days of Resurrection, inasmuch as most people are helpless, and wert thou to open their hearts and dispel their doubts, they would gain admittance into the Faith of God."

"Take heed to carefully consider the words of every soul, then hold fast to the proofs which attest the truth. If ye fail to discover truth in a person’s words, make them not the object of contention, inasmuch as ye have been forbidden in the Bayán to enter into idle disputation and controversy, that perchance on the Day of Resurrection ye may not engage in argumentation, and dispute with Him Whom God shall make manifest."

"On the Day of Resurrection when He Whom God will make manifest cometh unto you, invested with conclusive proofs, ye shall hold His Cause as being devoid of truth, whereas God hath apprised you in the Bayán that no similarity existeth between the Cause of Him Whom God will make manifest and the cause of others. How can anyone besides God reveal a verse such as to overwhelm all mankind? Say, great is God! Who else but Him Whom God will make manifest can spontaneously recite verses which proceed from His Lord — a feat that no mortal man can ever hope to accomplish?"

"How great hath been the number of those who have falsely laid claim to a cause within Islám, and ye followed in their footsteps without having witnessed a single proof. What evidence can ye then produce in the presence of your Lord, if ye do but meditate a while? Take ye good heed in your night lest ye be a cause of sadness to any soul, whether ye be able to discover proofs in him or not, that haply on the Day of Resurrection ye may not grieve Him within Whose grasp lieth every proof. And when ye do not discern God’s testimony in a person, he will verily fail in manifesting the power of Truth; and God is sufficient to deal with him. Indeed on no account should ye sadden any person; surely God will put him to the proof and bring him to account. It behooveth you to cling to the testimony of your own Faith and to observe the ordinances laid down in the Bayán."

"O ye unto whom the Bayán is given! Be ye vigilant lest in the days of Him Whom God shall make manifest, while ye consider yourselves as seeking God’s pleasure, in reality ye persist in that which would only displease Him, even as did those who lived in the days of the Primal Point, to whom it never occurred that they were seeking things which ran counter to that which God had purposed."

"O ye who are invested with the Bayán! Regard not yourselves as being like unto the people to whom the Qur’án or the Gospel or other Scriptures of old were given, since at the time of His manifestation ye shall stray farther from God than did they. If ye happen to shut yourselves out it would never cross your minds that ye were shut out from Him. It behooveth you to consider how the people unto whom the Qur’án was given were debarred from the Truth, for indeed ye will act in a like manner, thinking that ye are doers of good. If ye perceive the degree of your deprivation of God, ye will wish to have perished from the face of the earth and to have sunk into oblivion. The day will come when ye will earnestly desire to know that which would meet with the good-pleasure of God but, alas, ye shall find no path unto Him. Ye, even as camels that wander aimlessly, will not find a pasture wherein ye may gather and unite upon a Cause in which ye can assuredly believe. At that time God shall cause the Sun of Truth to shine forth and the oceans of His bounty and grace to surge, while ye will have chosen droplets of water as the object of your desire, and will have deprived yourselves of the plenteous waters in His oceans."

"Let no one among you say that God hath withheld the outpouring of His bounty unto you, for assuredly God’s mercy unto those to whom the Bayán is given hath been fulfilled and completed until the Day of Resurrection. Would that ye might believe in the signs of God."

"Since thou hast faithfully obeyed the true religion of God in the past, it behooveth thee to follow His true religion hereafter, inasmuch as every religion proceedeth from God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting."

"I swear by the life of Him Whom God shall make manifest! My Revelation is indeed far more bewildering than that of Muḥammad, the Apostle of God, if thou dost but pause to reflect upon the days of God. Behold, how strange that a person brought up amongst the people of Persia should be empowered by God to proclaim such irrefutable utterances as to silence every man of learning, and be enabled to spontaneously reveal verses far more rapidly than anyone could possibly set down in writing. Verily, no God is there but Him, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting."

"As to those who have debarred themselves from the Revelation of God, they have indeed failed to understand the significance of a single letter of the Qur’án, nor have they obtained the slightest notion of the Faith of Islám, otherwise they would not have turned away from God, Who hath brought them into being, Who hath nurtured them, hath caused them to die and hath proffered life unto them, by clinging to parts of their religion, thinking that they are doing righteous work for the sake of God."

"Ye spend all your days contriving forms and rules for the principles of your Faith, while that which profiteth you in all this is to comprehend the good-pleasure of your Lord and unitedly to become well-acquainted with His supreme Purpose."

"On that Day ye will continue to rove distraught, even as camels, seeking a drop of the water of life. God will cause oceans of living water to stream forth from the presence of Him Whom God shall make manifest, while ye will refuse to quench your thirst therefrom, notwithstanding that ye regard yourselves as the God-fearing witnesses of your Faith. Nay, and yet again, nay! Ye will go astray far beyond the peoples unto whom the Gospel, or the Qur’án or any other Scripture was given. Take good heed to yourselves, inasmuch as the Cause of God will come upon you at a time when you will all be entreating and tearfully imploring God for the advent of the Day of His Manifestation; yet when He cometh ye will tarry and will fail to be of those who are well-assured in His Faith. Beware lest ye grieve Him Who is the Supreme Manifestation of your Lord; verily, He can well afford to dispense with your allegiance unto Him. Be ye careful and bring not despondency upon any soul, for surely ye shall be put to proof."

"Say, He Whom God shall make manifest will surely redeem the rights of those who truly believe in God and in His signs, for they are the ones who merit reward from His presence. Say, it is far from the glory of Him Whom God shall make manifest that anyone should in this wise make mention of His name, if ye ponder the Cause of God in your hearts. Say, He shall vindicate the Cause through the potency of His command and shall bring to naught all perversion of truth by virtue of His behest. Verily God is potent over all things."

"Fear ye God that ye may not identify yourselves with aught but the truth, inasmuch as ye have been exalted in the Bayán for being recognized as the bearers of the name of Him Who is the eternal Truth."

"Verily God is able to convert light into fire whenever He pleaseth; surely He is potent over all things. And were He to declare a person whom ye regard alien to the truth as being akin thereto, err not by questioning His decision in your fancies, for He Who is the Sovereign Truth createth things through the power of His behest. Verily God transmuteth fire into light as He willeth, and indeed potent is He over all things. Consider ye how the truth shone forth as truth in the First Day and how error became manifest as error; so likewise shall ye distinguish them from each other on the Day of Resurrection."

"You should make the world understand that Israel is the oppressor and that Israel must be destroyed."

"The people of Afghanistan should know that America is not their friend and that America's war and peace with all other countries are based on its own interests."

"Islam is a religion that wants to run the world. It has done so before and eventually, will run it (again)....Islam came and abrogated all (other religions)....Its high time Iraq established a Just Islamic regime under the supervision of the Grand Ayatollah Sistani and God willing, they will get somewhere."

"Bush has said something new. He said, "If I will be president again, I will be a man of peace and serenity." May the Lord curse the liars, wherever they may be."

"I recommend that the pilgrims [to Mecca and Al-Medina] pray there, that they be persistent in their prayer. Prayer is a very good way of worshiping God. They should not forget to pray. But for every prayer there should also be a curse. Your prayers should also include curses. Pray for the good and curse the evil. Say: "My Lord, end the lives of three people shortly – Bush, Sharon, and Blair. End their lives and the lives of their followers. Ask the Lord."

"Following World War II, the Jews... The Zionists tried to present themselves as oppressed, and to have opportunities in the world. They invented a false claim. They said that Hitler, the Germans, and the Austrians burned six million Jews in crematoria - six million Jews. They tried very hard to convince the world that this issue, this lie, was true, and they succeeded."

"A hardliner, Meshkini was among the proponents of the theory that the legitimacy of Iran's clerics to rule the country is derived from God."

"Although he had a top position in the Islamic Republic as the head of the Leadership Assembly of Experts, he always lived a humble life."

"The thing we tell of can never be found by seeking, yet only seekers find it."

"By using power, money, fraud, the enemy is interested in gaining control over the world of Islam."

"I say to the American people: What is this life you are living? Why do you keep silent? What situation are you in? I say to you the American people, according to the Koran: "They drive their people into the house of perdition." Your lives are lost, you will collapse, America will collapse."

"If you [Americans] behave with disrespect – even just a little bit – [the Iranian people] will punch you in the mouth so hard that all your devouring teeth will fall off."

"The West pays money and piles up pressure to cause a strife between Islamic countries so that Muslims would kill each other and the West can obtain its desirable outcome thereby."

"Al-Qaeda means Bush and Blair. Who established Al-Qaeda? You are the ones who should be put on trial. You were the mother of Al-Qaeda."

"May Allah, by the virtue of the Hidden Imam, God will remove the evil of America and Israel from humanity....I say to those dear people: Oh Iraqi brothers and sisters, America and Israel don't want your heads to remain attached to your bodies."

"(The Americans) advanced to within 500 meters from the Holy Mosque (in Najaf). On this occasion, I must thank and praise those in that complex who resist these bloodthirsty wolves."

"You have made homosexuality official and legal. I spit in your face."

"They must not have security. If Muslims have no security, neither must they. When there is no security for a Muslim's life, land, honor, and property, why should they have security? They are the people of “Dar Al-Harb,” so why should they have security?...Another thing, set aside the disagreements. They do not like the Kurds, nor the Arabs, the Sunnis, nor the Shiites. They have come to fight the people of Iraq. Basically, they have come to fight Islam. There is no need for wars between the Kurds and Arabs and the Sunni and Shiites. All of you gather under one flag."

"Unfortunately, some of our officials believe that we cannot manage the country without America’s help. May such wrong thoughts be damned!"

"How do they allow themselves to commit so many crimes? Is this the same democracy that Bush, Blair, and Sharon want to bring the Iraqi people as a gift? Death to this democracy. Is this how you want to present this democracy to the world? Shame on this democracy. Are you humans? Animals? What are you?...Why do they commit so many crimes? Stop it. Enough with the treachery. Enough with the crimes. The Iraqi people must know that they will steadfast. Even if half of them will be killed, they will not give up"

"It is my interpretation from the Koran that all people have equal rights. That means men and women, Muslims and non-Muslims too, and in a society where all people have equal rights, that means all people should make decisions equally. … This doesn't mean that we're changing God's law, It just means we're reinterpreting laws according to the development of science — and the realities of the times."

"There is complete consensus on this issue. It is self-evident in Islam that it is prohibited to have nuclear bombs. It is eternal law, because the basic function of these weapons is to kill innocent people. This cannot be reversed … You cannot deliberately kill innocent people."

"Undue enmity with enemies does not serve the interests of the system. Enemies must be dealt with wisely and prudently."

"Unfortunately, the source of all this conflict between the Sunnis and Shia is some major powers that do not want religious unity amongst Muslims."

"If Iran is exploiting the ‘Shia factor’ in its foreign policy then it is wrong. But I believe this to be untrue. I visited Lebanon five or six years ago when I was parliamentary speaker during Khatami’s era and we exerted all efforts in preserving the unity between the Sunnis and Shia."

"The enemy's new strategy is to finance and organize various groups under the cover of women's or student movements."

"Our main enemy is the Great Satan—America and the Zionists."

"Instead of negotiating with the Israeli regime, the Arab states should talk to the Palestinian nation so as to garner divine consent and national popularity."

"The Palestinian cause is the cause of the entire Islamic world, and we cannot stay indifferent to it."

"The US has always taken velvet revolution into consideration by promoting Western culture in the society and by causing strife between people and the government through propaganda, organizing certain individuals, psychological warfare and making intentional use of media, intellectual circles, university student's establishments and feminism movements in order to implement its interfering policies."

"Our noblest duty is to strive to reduce oppression, to be more [stringent] in our implementation of Islamic law... and to weaken the control of oppressive and tyrannical regimes over the oppressed. These [actions] can [hasten] the return of the Hidden Imam..."

"Do not be worried about the events and earthquakes that have occurred. Know that God created this world as a test ... The supreme leader holds a great many of the blessings God has given us and at a time of such uncertainties our eyes must turn to him."

"We should know that 1,400 years ago the Koran said that the enemies of Islam will always fight while chanting peace-seeking slogans."

"Islam cannot accept that a group of people congregate and decide to initiate laws for themselves"

"...when protecting Islam and the Muslim `Ummah depends on martyrdom operations, it not only is allowed, but even is an obligation..."

"Imam warned that disunity undermines Islam and causes to interrupt Divine blessings. He always reminded that only through unity can the Muslim Ummah achieve progress."

"Truth is best (of all that is) good. As desired, what is being desired is truth for him who (represents) the best truth."

"Unto Thee, O Lord, the Soul of Creation cried: "For whom didst Thou create me, and who so fashioned me? Feuds and fury, violence and the insolence of might have oppressed me; None have I to protect me save Thee; Command for me then the blessings of a settled, peaceful life.""

"Thus to the Lord doth Asha, the Truth, reply: "No guide is known who can shelter the world from woe, None who knows what moves and works Thy lofty plans.""

"Hearken with your ears to these best counsels, Reflect upon them with illumined judgment. Let each one choose his creed with that freedom of choice each must have at great events."

"In the beginning there were two primal spirits, Twins spontaneously active, These are the Good and the Evil, in thought, and in word, and in deed."

"For a thinking man is where Wisdom is at home."

"By Thy perfect Intelligence, O Mazda Thou didst first create us having bodies and spiritual consciences, And by Thy Thought gave our selves the power of thought, word, and deed. Thus leaving us free to choose our faith at our own will."

"He who upholds Truth with all the might of his power, He who upholds Truth the utmost in his word and deed, He, indeed, is Thy most valued helper, O Mazda Ahura!"

"He who abhors and shuns the light of the Sun, He who refuses to behold with respect the living creation of God, He who leads the good to wickedness, He who makes the meadows waterless and the pastures desolate, He who lets fly his weapon against the innocent, An enemy of my faith, a destroyer of Thy principles is he, O Lord!"

"A reflective, contented mind is the best possession."

"The resolute one who moved by the principles of Thy Faith Extends the prosperity of order to his neighbors And works the land the evil now hold desolate, Earns through Righteousness, the Blessed Recompense Thy Good Mind has promised in Thy Kingdom of Heaven."

"A righteous government is of all the most to be wished for, Bearing of blessing and good fortune in the highest. Guided by the law of Truth, supported by dedication and zeal, It blossoms into the Best of Order, a Kingdom of Heaven! To effect this I shall work now and ever more."

"Satisfaction linked with dishonor or with harm to others is a prison for the seeker."

"May we be those who shall heal this world"

"I will now tell you who are assembled here the wise sayings of Mazda, the praises of Ahura and the hymns of the Good Spirit, the sublime truth which I see rising out of these flames. You shall therefore harken to the Soul of Nature. Contemplate the beams of fire with a most pious mind. Every one, both men and women, ought to-day to choose his creed. Ye offspring of renowned ancestors, awake to agree with us."

"Purity is for man, next to life, the greatest good that parity is procured by the Law of Mazda to him who cleanses his own self with Good Thoughts, Words, and Deeds. (Extracts, p. 57)"

"Make thyself pure, 0 righteous man! Anyone in the world here below can win purity for himself, namely, when he cleanses himself with Good Thoughts, Good Words, and Good Deeds."

"Commit no slander; so that infamy and wickedness may not happen unto thee. (p. 59)"

"Form no covetous desire, so that the demon of greediness may not deceive thee, and the treasure of the world may not be tasteless to thee."

"Indulge in no wrathfulness, for a man when he indulges in wrath becomes then forgetful of his duty and good works . . . and sin and crime of every kind occur unto his mind, and until the subsiding of the wrath he is said to be just like Ahareman."

"Suffer no anxiety, for he who is a sufferer of anxiety becomes regardless of enjoyment of the world and the spirit, and contraction happens to his body and soul."

"Commit no lustfulness, so that harm and regret may not reach thee from thine own actions."

"Bear no improper envy, so that thy life may not become tasteless."

"Practice no sloth, so that the duty and good work, which it is necessary for thee to do, may not remain undone. (p. 59)"

"Choose a wife who is of character, because that one is good who in the end is more respected. (p. 60)"

"With a malicious man carry on no conflict, and do not molest him in any way whatever."

"With a greedy man thou shouldst not be a partner, and do not trust him with the leadership."

"With an ill-famed man form no connection."

"With an ignorant man thou shouldst not become a confederate and associate."

"With a foolish man make no dispute."

"With a drunken man do not walk on the road."

"From an ill-natured man take no loan."

"In forming a store of good works thou shouldst be diligent, so that it may come to thy assistance among the spirits."

"Thou shouldst not become presumptuous through much treasure and wealth; for in the end it is necessary for thee to leave all."

"Thou shouldst not become presumptuous through great connections and race; for in the end thy trust is on thine own deeds.(p. 60)"

"Thou shouldst not become presumptuous through life; for death comes upon thee at last, and the perishable part falls to the ground."

"News arrived from Estakhan that the fire of the chief temple of Persia, which had burned for a thousand years, had become extinguished [at the time of the birth of Muhammad]."

"If we carefully trace the terms nazar, and nazaret, throughout the best known works of ancient writers, we will meet them in connection with “Pagan” as well as Jewish adepts. Thus, Alexander Polyhistor says of Pythagoras that he was a disciple of the Assyrian Nazarrt, whom some suppose to be Ezekiel. Diogenes Laertius states most positively that Pythagoras, after being initiated into all the Mysteries of the Greeks and barbarians, “went into Egypt and afterward visited the Chaldeans and Magi;” and Apuleius maintains that it was Zoroaster who instructed Pythagoras. (p. 140)"

"Zoroaster, Pythagoras, Epicharmus, Empedocles, Kebes, Euripides, Plato, Euclid, Philo, Boethius, Virgil, Marcus Cicero, Plotinus, Iamblichus, Proclus, Psellus, Synesius, Origen, and, finally, Aristotle himself, far 'from denying our immortality, support it most emphatically. (p. 251)"

"The laws of Manu are the doctrines of Plato, Philo, Zoroaster, Pythagoras, and of the Kabala. The esoterism of every religion may be solved by the latter. The kabalistic doctrine of the allegorical Father and Son, or Xlarrjp and Aoyos is identical with the groundwork of Buddhism. Moses could not reveal to the multitude the sublime secrets of religious speculation, nor the cosmogony of the universe ; the whole resting upon the Hindu Illusion, a clever mask veiling the Sanctum Sanctorum, and which has misled so many theological commentators. (p. 271)"

"Zarathustra (Zend). The great lawgiver, and the founder of the religion variously called Mazdaism, Magism, Parseeїsm, Fire-Worship, and Zoroastrianism. The age of the last Zoroaster (for it is a generic name) is not known, and perhaps for that very reason. Xanthus of Lydia, the earliest Greek writer who mentions this great lawgiver and religious reformer, places him about six hundred years before the Trojan War. But where is the historian who can now tell when the latter took place? Aristotle and also Eudoxus assign him a date of no less than 6,000 years before the days of Plato, and Aristotle was not one to make a statement without a good reason for it. Berosus makes him a king of Babylon some 2,200 years B.C.; but then, how can one tell what were the original figures of Berosus, before his MSS. passed through the hands of Eusebius, whose fingers were so deft at altering figures, whether in Egyptian synchronistic tables or in Chaldean chronology? Haug refers Zoroaster to at least 1,000 years B.C.; and Bunsen (God in History, Vol. I., Book iii., ch. vi., p. 276) finds that Zarathustra Spitama lived under the King Vistaspa about 3,000 years B.C., and describes him as “one of the mightiest intellects and one of the greatest men of all time”."

"It is with such exact dates in hand, and with the utterly extinct language of the Zend, whose teachings are rendered, probably in the most desultory manner, by the Pahlavi translation—a tongue, as shown by Darmsteter, which was itself growing obsolete so far back as the Sassanides— that our scholars and Orientalists have presumed to monopolise to themselves the right of assigning hypothetical dates for the age of the holy prophet Zurthust. But the Occult records claim to have the correct dates of each of the thirteen Zoroasters mentioned in the Dabistan. Their doctrines, and especially those of the last (divine) Zoroaster, spread from Bactria to the Medes; thence, under the name of Magism, incorporated by the Adept-Astronomers in Chaldea, they greatly influenced the mystic teachings of the Mosaic doctrines, even before, perhaps, they had culminated into what is now known as the modern religion of the Parsis."

"Like Manu and Vyâsa in India, Zarathustra is a generic name for great reformers and law-givers. The hierarchy began with the divine Zarathustra in the Vendîdâd, and ended with the great, but mortal man, bearing that title, and now lost to history. There were, as shown by the Dabistan, many Zoroasters or Zarathustras. As related in the Secret Doctrine, Vol. II., the last Zoroaster was the founder of the Fire-temple of Azareksh, many ages before the historical era. Had not Alexander destroyed so many sacred and precious works of the Mazdeans, truth and philosophy would have been more inclined to agree with history, in bestowing upon that Greek Vandal the title of “the Great”."

"“there is no evidence for thinking that the Zoroastrian message was meant for the Iranians alone. On the-contrary, history suggests that the exact opposite is likely, and there are also indisputable facts … which show clearly that Zoroaster’s teaching was addressed, earlier on at least to all men ... whether they were Iranians or not, Proto-Indoaryans or otherwise…”"

"Among the Chaldeans the most famous name is that of Zoroaster, who is held to have been the author of their religion, their civil policy, their sciences, and their magic. He taught the doctrine of two great principles, the one the author of good, the other of evil. He prohibited the use of images in the ceremonies of religion, and pronounced that nothing deserved homage but fire, and the sun, the centre and the source of fire, and these perhaps to be venerated not for themselves, but as emblematical of the principle of all good things. He taught astronomy and astrology. We may with sufficient probability infer his doctrines from those of the Magi, who were his followers. He practised enchantments, by means of which he would send a panic among the forces that were brought to make war against him, rendering the conflict by force of arms unnecessary. He prescribed the use of certain herbs as all−powerful for the production of supernatural effects. He pretended to the faculty of working miracles, and of superseding and altering the ordinary course of nature.—There was, beside the Chaldean Zoroaster, a Persian known by the same name, who is said to have been a contemporary of Darius Hystaspes."

"Dualistic religions flourished for more than a thousand years. Sometime between 1500 BC and 1000 BC a prophet named Zoroaster (Zarathustra) was active somewhere in Central Asia. His creed passed from generation to generation until it became the most important of dualistic religions - Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrians saw the world as a cosmic battle between the good god Ahura Mazda and the evil god Angra Mainyu."

"But Zarathustra made it clear in which direction the answer lay; it is towards the artist-psychologist, the intuitional thinker. There are very few such men in the world's literature; the great artists are not thinkers, the great thinkers are seldom artists."

"Zarathustra was the first to see in the struggle between good and evil the essential cycle in the working of things. The translation of morality into the realm of metaphysics, as force, cause, as end in itself, is his work. But the very question presents its own answer. Zarathustra created this most fateful of all errors—morality; therefore he must be the first to recognize it."

"Since the classical Greeks already, it has been common to date Zarathuštra to the 6th century BC, hardly a few generations before the Persian wars. In popular literature, this date is still given, but scholars have now settled for an earlier date: “The archaism of the Gāthās would incline us to situate Zarathuštra in the very beginning of the first millennium BCE, if not even earlier.” (Varenne 2006) But how much earlier? According to leading scholar SkjaervØ, “Zoroastrianism (…) originated some four millennia ago”."

"I am astonished about those people who are ordered to prepare their provisions, then the start of the journey is announced, however they remain unmindful in their vain discussions and fruitless deeds."

"The dunyâ distracts and preoccupies the heart and body, but al-zuhd (asceticism, not giving importance to worldly things) gives rest to the heart and body. Verily, Allâh will ask us about the halâl things we enjoyed, so what about the harâm!"

"The life of this world is made up of three days: yesterday has gone with all that was done; tomorrow, you may never reach; but today is for you so do what you should do today."

"When a man sought knowledge, it would not be long before it could be seen in his humbleness, his sight, upon his tongue and his hands, in his prayer, in his speech and in his disinterest (zuhd) in worldly allurements. And a man would acquire a portion of knowledge and put it into practice, and it would be better for him than the world and all it contains – if he owned it he would give it in exchange for the hereafter."

"Live lovingly in the divine presence."

"Perceive the Lord within your soul."

"Live according to the one and only truth and surrender to the trend of truth."

"Perceive the divine presence and be freed."

"Return to the divine presence and make others return to it."

"Be one and unify."

"Do not violate anybody’s right."

"Show your love for the Creator by loving His creatures."

"See, hear and perceive."

"Be awakened. Accept the reality and eliminate delusions."

"Try to find out the answer to, “Who am I?” and drink from the cup of union."

"Do not kill your ego and do not let your ego to kill you. Control your ego and rule over it."

"It is so sweet to hear His voice in silence, so sweet indeed."

"Be ready for the revelation of the truth."

"Humankind is a lonely creature looking for connections and associations from childhood to the end of his life. This intention to join with the others can also be found in human societies. Stories, legends and most of human efforts tend to a joint and union, the same direction towards which the humankind is heading. The definition of a human being in this theory is not considered to be a good or a devil self. Man is defined as a social creature craving for establishing relationships and connections, without which he will be unable to survive. Linking up with another thing, establishing connections with God, relating to different points of view, associating with dreams and in its most general form sharing life with a spouse are all examples of this instinct in human beings. In a similar pattern, civilizations of the world are following, and will be following, the same path. This is the era of Collaboration of Civilizations, Union of Cultures, and Joining of Religions."

"This union and connection has been started centuries before the theory of Clash of Civilizations, or Dialogue Among Civilizations. Today, there exists no single civilizations except for the ones which are about to extinct or join the legends."

"Each and every civilization in the world is in complete concordance with its people and their condition of living. If a civilization loses this equilibrium it will be lost itself. The inharmonious civilizations die because of their lack of harmony and those who survive are in complete harmony with the changing conditions. The best way of coping with these ever-increasing changes is to come together with the other civilizations."

"If you don’t say ‘yes’ to the world, it will say ‘no’ to you; if you reject the world you will be rejected because you have brought it upon yourself. Linking with the world is the best way of living in it. If you could not relate to the Universe it will turn against you."

"The theory of Union of Civilizations can be discussed along with the theory of The Clash of Civilizations by Huntington or the idea of Dialogue Among Civilizations. This theory concerns the future of civilizations and the solutions to the cultural and religious problems of the world today, and considers this union the foundation of a universal comprehensive civilization. Due to this theory, the selfishness of the governments is destructive; on the other hand, avoiding the separation of cultures and focusing on globalization and universality are emphasized. In this proposal, the way to achieve this globalization and universality is not the clash or negotiation of different civilizations, but their unification as well as their cultural and religious interaction."

"Union of civilizations, joining of cultures, and conjugation of religions are the universal concerns of the cosmic man. Eight existing civilizations of the world are not enough for the ever-changing taste of man who is in favor of varieties. Therefore, new human civilizations need to be born and developed and they surely will."

"The great civilizations have to join together and result in new civilizations. The current civilizations will be cast away and they finally die like the disabled aged while they pave the way for the fresh newly born replacements. Similarly, the descendants of these new civilizations will do their best to fill the gap between the internal and external heritages and rescue the long forgotten spirituality; they will bring the past into the future."

"Union of civilizations of the East and the West is a good example of the mentioned fact; this union has brought a new civilization into the world which is distinct from its original resources. It is a tangible example of distinction of the antique and appearance of the novel."

"There are a lot to learn in both Eastern and western civilizations. If we summarize the Western civilization to American civilization and take it as an example, we can better understand the vast area of knowledge that the East can pick up and learn from it. Likewise, the Westerners have to look up to the Eastern civilizations to get new and more inner or spiritual ideas in every dimension of life."

"In fact, the Eastern civilization is mostly concerned with the inner and spiritual aspects of living while the Western civilization includes the outer and external features of life. Therefore, the connection of these two, which results in looking up to one another in order to learn and improve, complements each of them in a different way. It is necessary to point out that the Eastern and Western civilizations are just taken as examples to explain the unification of cultures. This fact extends to the Northern, Southern, or any of the current civilization of the world."

"Union of civilizations and conjugation of cultures and religions is a must which has occurred and will continue to happen in several dimensions. The quality of this union will bring about the fate of our world."

"Before starting, finish it, and before having your first step, reach your destination. Therefore, before making decision on something, try to be foresight, look at the probabilities to the possible extent and analyse them."

"To manage, learn your management skills from the greatest managers and those who were perfectionist by reading their failures."

"Solve the big problems inside the small ones. And it is from the small issues that a pattern can be shaped in solving the big ones."

"Never start from zero. Always start from where the greatest have finished. Your starting point should be the finishing point of the others."

"The majority of humans solve their issues by relying on dead methods because those majorities are dead. Attempts and errors, blindly imitations, putting into practice the first idea that comes to mind, reactions based on conditioning and dealing with problems in a linear pattern or by using fragile methods are some instances. Most of the people are not aware that these dead methods will end up to dead results."

"Humans brain function and it s learning capacity can reform from the simplest abacus and calculators to super and gigantic computers. Based on such example, the brains functionality and ability of most humans has stalled at the level of abacus. This condition has made the brain to stay in that level like a rusted metal. Start improving your brain ability based on what I have taught you about “Thinking”, then the rustiness of your brain will begin to reduce and your brain functionality will increase so it can reach higher levels. You can plough your land, plant wheat and wait for months, then you take care of it and harvest your land and then using mill to produce flour and by that you make bread. With so much effort you can end up in making bread but with so much easier paths without spending energy, you can get the bread or any other food. Unfortunately most of humans are like those who spend their life time to make bread in worst ways possible, the longest and hardest. Don’t be one of them, and if you are try to leave them. Use the best and easiest methods for solving your issues."

"To ignite whatever you do and solve your simple (linear) problems use two different easy methods, revolutionary and impacting methods so as the systematic and consolidating ones. Same as the example of a building, first base the foundation and the skeleton of your building and then finish and modify your design."

"Circulate your ideas and thoughts in the brain. Don’t release your thought as soon as you receive them and do not share it with other people straight away. Put all your thoughts in comparison and choose the most suitable and reliable ones. Bring out your best and richest thoughts rather than those raw one which only cover the surface of the ideas (depends on the situation)."

"Don’t do whatever you are able of, however try to do whatever you are capable of, the best you can; your boundaries are flexible try to move to upper levels."

"Figure out the priorities so you wouldn’t fall into the trap of untimely priorities."

"Write and bulletin your thoughts on paper so it would be like bulletins in your brain too."

"Try to solve the issues from their root. Leaves and branches are not as necessary and important."

"To withstand in front of danger, close the chances of growth of the risks, first stop the flow of the danger and then analyse the risks that have occurred and the ones that have not taken place yet."

"Do not limit yourself between black and white, there are thousands of colours in between of them, same process for the yes and no answers, or able and not able."

"Look at the problems such as they are issues, and see those issues as they are opportunities and you have to step into them."

"Do not forget that others won’t see the problems the way you look at or vice versa."

"Never use needle for shoveling. Needle is for sewing and shovel is for harvesting. Therefore, when you leave a job to your hands, look at their capabilities and scales and so keep in mind that shovel can be used for many different things, but its main usage is to feed the air into the land."

"Start from where the others have finished, those whom where successful and their results were acceptable. Useless repeating of a task is not suggested."

"Successful role models in any path have travelled a distance in which you might go through it. Therefore use the best paths that are similar to those ones who were successful in it."

"To pass through different situations, different types of questioning may be useful. So many doors have been opened by asking a correct and useful question and so many issues can be solved only using this method."

"Think about whatever you want to say in the first place. Do not talk only with your lips. Use your eyes, ears and body language to talk as well. If you see what you are talking about, audience can also visualize and feel it."

"Before you want to teach someone, try to find his character and know him, without knowing someone how it is possible to flow with his thoughts and put yourself in his position."

"If you see what you say, then whatever heard from you, can be seen and visualized by your audience."

"The recognition of God is easier through the nature. Find the presence of God by apprehending the nature, and comprehend the Divine allusions through the nature"

"Everyone holds an intuition and hidden dream which is so specific to that person. This particular unknown and hidden intuition would be awakening if it gets involved with the most harmonious part of nature related to it."

"Abstain rigorously from eating the flesh of cows and all beneficent animals, lest you be made to face a strict reckoning in this world and the next; for by eating the flesh of cows and other domestic animals, you involve your hand in sin, and thereby think, speak, and do what is sinful; for though you may eat but a mouthful, you involve your hand in sin, and though a camel be slain by another person in another place, it is as if you who eat its flesh had slain it with your own hand."

"The man who makes his religion a means to the gaining of this world, will lose both worlds alike; whereas the man who gives up this world for the sake of religion, will get both worlds alike."

"There is no denying existence itself. Something must exist and anyone who says nothing exists at all makes a mockery of sense and necessity. The proposition that there is no denying being itself, then, is a necessary premise. Now this Being which has been admitted in principle is either necessary or contingent… What this means is that a being must be self-sufficient or dependent… From here we argue: If the being the existence of which is conceded be necessary, then the existence of a necessary Being is established. If, on the other hand, its existence is contingent, every contingent being depends on a necessary Being; for the meaning of its contingency is that its existence and non-existence are equally possible. Whatever has such a characteristic cannot have its existence selected for without a determining or selecting agent. This too is necessary. So from these necessary premises the existence of a necessary Being is established."

"How can even the lowest mind, if he reflects at all the marvels of this earth and sky, the brilliant fashioning of plants and animals, remain blind to the fact that this wonderful world with its settled order must have a maker to design, determine and direct it?"

"We attest that He is the Willer of all things that are, the ruler of all originated phenomena; there does not come into the visible or invisible world anything meager or plenteous, small or great, good or evil, or any advantage or disadvantage, belief or unbelief, knowledge or ignorance, success or failure, increase or decrease, obedience or disobedience, except by His will. What He wills is, and what He does not, will not; there is not a glance of the eye, nor a stray thought of the heart that is not subject to His will. He is the Creator, the Restorer, the Doer of whatsoever He wills. There is none that rescinds His command, none that supplements His decrees, none that dissuades a servant from disobeying Him, except by His help and mercy, and none has power to obey Him except by His will."

"For those endowed with insight there is in reality no object of love but God, nor does anyone but He deserve love"

"if man’s love for himself be necessary, then his love for Him through whom, first his coming-to-be, and second, his continuance in his essential being with all his inward and outward traits, his substance and his accidents, occur must also be necessary. Whoever is so besotted by his fleshy appetites as to lack this love neglects his Lord and Creator. He possesses no authentic knowledge of Him; his gaze is limited to his cravings and to things of sense."

"There is the world for you. Beauty, true beauty, is intangible. It is in the eye of the beholder. Something that we can lose at any moment, and the more you examine it, the more illusive it becomes. True happiness is virtue, and virtue is predicated on knowledge and righteous conduct."

"From my early youth, since I attained the age of puberty before I was twenty, until the present time when I am over fifty, I have ever recklessly launched out into the midst of these ocean depths, I have ever bravely embarked on this open sea, throwing aside all craven caution; I have poked into every dark recess, I have made an assault on every problem, I have plunged into every abyss, I have scrutinized the creed of every sect, I have tried to lay bare the inmost doctrines of every community. All this have I done that I might 68 distinguish between true and false, between sound tradition and heretical innovation. Whenever I meet one of the Bātiniyyah, I like to study his creed; whenever I meet one of the Zāhiriyyah, I want to know the essentials of his belief. If it is a philosopher, I try to become acquainted with the essence of his philosophy; if a scholastic theologian I busy myself in examining his theological reasoning; if a Sufi, I yearn to fathom the secret of his mysticism; if an ascetic (muta'abbīd) , I investigate the basis of his ascetic practices; if one of the Zānadiqah or Mu'ațțilah, I look beneath the surface to discover the reasons for his bold adoption of such a creed."

"[K]nowledge that is not Infallible is not certain knowledge."

"A grievous crime indeed against religion has been committed by the man who imagines that Islam is defended by the denial of the mathematical sciences."

"Do not know the truth by the men, but know the truth, and then you will know who are truthful."

"The lowest degree of education is to distinguish oneself from the ignorant ordinary man. The educated man does not loathe honey even if he finds it in the surgeon's cupping-glass; he realizes that the cupping glass does not essentially alter the honey. The natural aversion from it in such a case rests on popular ignorance, arising from the fact that the cupping-glass is made only for impure blood. Men imagine that the blood is impure because it is in the cupping-glass, and are not aware that the impurity is due to a property."

"The proximity between the counterfeit and the good coin does not make the good coin counterfeit nor the counterfeit good. In the same way the proximity between truth and falsehood does not make truth falsehood nor falsehood truth."

"Indeed, the drunken man while in that condition does not know the definition of drunkenness nor the scientific account of it; he has not the very least scientific knowledge of it. The sober man, on the other hand, knows the definition of drunkenness and its basis, yet he is not drunk in the very least. Again the doctor, when he is himself ill, knows the definition and causes of health and the remedies which restore it, and yet is lacking in health. Similarly there is a difference between knowing the true nature and causes and conditions of the ascetic life and actually leading such a life and forsaking the world."

"If you believe in the future life and, instead of preparing for it, sell it in order to buy this world, then that is folly! You do not normally sell two things for one; how can you give up an endless life for a limited number of days."

"If an orthodox author like al-Ghazali wrote a treatise against the Batinis, he was attacking their theological and propaedeutic doctrines but not all of their sciences"

"Islam is now wrestling with Western thought as it once wrestled with Greek philosophy, and is as much in need as it was then of a 'revival of the religious sciences'. Deep study of al-Ghazālī may suggest to Muslims steps to be taken if they are to deal successfully with the contemporary situation. Christians, too, now that the world is in a cultural melting-pot, must be prepared to learn from Islam, and are unlikely to find a more sympathetic guide than al-Ghazālī."

"Al-Ghazālī has sometimes been acclaimed in both East and West as the greatest Muslim after Muhammad."

"Yet perhaps the greatest thing about al-Ghazālī was his personality, and it may yet again be a source of inspiration."

"Such is al-Ghazali’s prestige that none dare criticize him. But even al-Ghazali is not above criticism—I believe that historically his negative influence prevailed and far outweighs his positive contributions. First, he led Muslims back to an unquestioning faith in the Koran that was to be accepted literally—thus all the gains made by the rationalist Mu’tazilites were squandered as Muslims were enjoined to bend their knees in total and abject submission to revelation. All the crass anthropomorphic passages of the Koran, and all the Koranic descriptions of heaven with its voluptuous houris and hell with its pathological imagery of torments were to be accepted as literally true. Worst of all, al-Ghazali reintroduced the element of fear into Islam; in his preaching, he emphasized the “wrath to come” and the punishments of hell."

"The Law refines the behavior at the door, whereas Knowledge refines the behavior inside."

"Be constant in fear of Allah and his worship. Do not fear anyone else nor expect anything from any one. Save yourself - Fear Allah, fear Allah and fear Allah."

"Tasawwuf is based on eight qualities: Generosity like that of Prophet Abraham (as), Cheerful submission like that of Prophet Ishaque (as), Patience like that of Yaqoob (as), Prayer like that of Prophet Zachariah (as), Poverty like that of Prophet Yahya (as), Wearing of woollen dress like that of Prophet Musa (as), Travelling about like that of Prophet Issa and (as), Religious poverty like that of Prophet Muhammad."

"Do not will anything which is not the will of Allah."

"Each time I felt a desire to go and play with other children, I would hear a voice saying, "Come to me instead, O blessed one, come to me." In terror I would go and seek the comfort of my mother's arms. Now even in my most intense devotions and long devotions, I cannot hear that voice as clearly."

"He has been glorified by all glorious qualities; he was granted all words. By his noble nature the props of the tent of the whole of existence stay firmly placed; he is the secret of the word of the book of the angel, the meaning of the letters "creation of the world and the heavens"; he is the pen of the Writer Who has written the growing of created things; he is the pupil in the eye of the world, the master who has smithed the seal of existence. He is the one that suckles at the teats of revelation, and carries the eternal mystery; he is the translator of the tongue of eternity. He carries the banner of honor and keeps the reins of praise; he is the central pearl in the necklace of prophethood and the gem in the diadem of messengers. He is the first according to the cause, and the last in existence. He was sent with the Greatest namus to tear the veil of sorrow, to make the difficult easy, to push away the temptation of the hearts, to console the sadness of the spirit, to polish the mirror of the souls, to illuminate the darkness of the hearts, to make rich those who are poor in heart and to loosen the fetters of the souls."

"My foot is on the neck of every saint"

"Both the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic are dead."

"Khamenei is not our leader but the leader of the Yemenis and the Palestinians... He has not said that our people are a red line; our people must not confront such a crisis and the prices should not rise... I am not a priority for Khamenei. His priority is Yemen and Palestine."

"Oh, isn't there anything for the benefit of our nation in Quran the Great, in the Nahj al-Balaghah, in the movement of Imam Hussein, in the peace of Imam Hassan, in the 250-year history of the Ahl al-Bayt? And anything that has no benefit for the people, even Islam, I am a disbeliever in it!"

"You (Iranian authorities) are not garrison (commanders), (but) you are responsible for the livelihood of a country of 80 million people."

"Iranian Revolution is the symbol of the denial of freedom and republic."

"Gaza has become the priority of the state... the government does not want to solve the domestic problems... with this order, the downfall of the regime will be certain... Iranian's priority is not shawls and scarves but corruption and poverty."