7th-century-arabs

"I have grown weary of the troubles of life. I know what has happened to-day and yesterday, before it, but verily, of the knowledge of what will happen to-morrow. I see death is like the blundering of a blind camel;—him whom he meets he kills, and he whom he misses lives and will become old. He who does not act with kindness in many affairs will be torn by teeth and trampled under foot. And he, who makes benevolent acts intervene before honor, increases his honor; and he, who does not avoid abuse, will be abused. He who keeps his word, will not be reviled; and he whose heart is guided to self-satisfying benevolence will not stammer. He who dreads the causes of death, they will reach him, even if he ascends the tracts of the heavens with a ladder. He, who is always seeking to bear the burdens of other people, and does not excuse himself from it, will one day by reason of his abasement, repent. Many silent ones you see, pleasing to you, but their excess in wisdom or deficiency will appear at the time of talking. The tongue of a man is one half, and the other half is his mind, and here is nothing besides these two, except the shape of the blood and the flesh. Verily, as to the folly of an old man there is no wisdom after it, but the young man after his folly may become wise."

"I have not been ordered to fight you. I have only been ordered not to leave you until I bring you to al-Kufah. If you refuse to do that, then take any road that will neither brng you into al-Kufah nor take you back to Madina, and let that be a compromise between us; I shall write to Ibn Ziyad. You write to Yazīd ibn Mu‘āwiya if you wish to write to him, or to ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Ziyād if you wish. Perhaps God will cause something to happen that will relieve me from beingtroubled in any way by your affair. Therefore, take this road here and bear to the left of the road to al-ʿUdhayb and al-Qādīsiyyāh."

"By God! If any of the Arabs other than you were to say that to me, while he was in the same situation as you, I would not leave him without mentioning his mother's being deprived of him. I would say it whoever he might be. But, by God, there is no way for me to mention your mother except by saying the best things possible."

"If our hearts were truly pure, we would never have our fill of the words of your Lord."

"Everything has something to undermine it, and every blessing has something to diminish it. The thing that undermines this religion and diminishes this blessing is those who criticize a great deal and those who stab in the back; they show you what you want to see and they conceal that which you dislike. They are wicked like ostiches."

"Allah has commanded rulers to be shepherds; He did not command them to be money-collectors. The attitude of the earliest leaders of this Ummah was that of shepherds, not money-collectors. Soon you will find your leaders becoming money-collectors, not shepherds. Once that happens, there will be no more modesty, trustworthiness or honesty. The best way of running the people's affairs is to examine the Muslims' situation, find out what their dues are and give them to them, and take from them what is due from them. Then go to ahl al-dhimmah and give them what is due to them and take from them what is due from them. Then confront the enemy and seek to defeat them by means of sincerity."

"No one does a good deed but Allah will make it show on him."

"No one conceals something in his heart, but Allah causes it to be seen on his face or in a slip of the tongue."

"It is sufficient for you that the one who envies you is distressed at the time of your joy."

"Things may be achieved by means of authority that cannot be achieved by means of the Quran."

"O people, the first day is difficult but if I live I shall deliver a proper speech."

"Concern with this world is darkness in the heart, but concern with the Hereafter is light in the heart."

"Enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil. No believer should subject himself to humiliation, for I will be with the weak against the strong so long as he has been wronged, Insha'Allah"

"You are the guardians of the Muslims and their shield. Umar gave you a particular mission which is not hidden from us, rather it is known to everyone. I do not want to hear that any one of you has changed the deal, lest Allah replace you with someone else. So watch what you do and I shall try my best to fulfill the mission that Allah has enjoyed on me."

"I have been given a responsibility and I have accepted it. Verily I am a follower (of the Sunnah and not an innovator. I promise you that in addition to following the Book of Allah (Quran) and the Sunnah of His Prophet (Muhammad), I will do three other things: following the example of those who came before me with regard to what you have agreed upon and decided, and what is decided by good people openly, and not interfering with you except when a hadd punishment is required. This world is tempting and it makes itself attractive to people, so that many people, so that many people are inclined towards it. Do not be content with this world and do not put your trust in it, for it is not trustworthy. Understand that these worldly temptations will not go away unless you ignore them."

"He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say: 'There will come to you Uways ibn ‘Aamir with the reinforcements from Yemen, from Muraad then from Qaran. He had leprosy but he recovered from it except for a spot the size of a dirham. He has a mother and he honours her. If he were to swear in the name of Allah that something should happen, Allah would cause it to happen. If you can ask him to pray for forgiveness for you then do so."

"When the people in Qarn began revering him and considering him a saint, on account of his status in Islam, he left Qarn for Kufa where he engaged in imparting Islamic education. Later, he took part in the unfortunate Battle of Siffin (37AH) where he was fatally wounded, subsequently dying at the age of 63. He was buried at Al-Raqqah, Syria. A grand Aal-Zaria Mosque as Jaame Owais Qarni stands at Qarn in Asir region and another Owais Qarni Mosque in Ilford UK. The love of the Holy Prophet is the boon that can be achieved without meeting him. This opens the door for millions of Muslims living in different areas and eras of the world."

"As-salaamu alaikum wa Rahmutullahi wa Barakatuh, for I will not see you after this day. May Allah have mercy upon you, but I do not like to be known, and I love to be solitary, for I am in deep anxiety when I am with people. So do not ask about me, and do not call upon me, but know that you are in my heart even if I do not see you nor you see me. Mention me and pray for me, for I will mention you and pray for you, if Allah, Exalted is He, so wishes. So go away from here."

"I began in the morning by loving Allah, and I finished the evening in praising Him."

"Uwais Qarni (known also as Saint Uwais Qarni, Oways b. Anis al-Qarni, Oveys Gharani and Veysel Karani) was a Muslim mystic, martyr and philosopher of Saudi Arabia who lived during the lifetime of Muhammad, but never met the prophet personally."

"I pray for the forgiveness of everyone at the end of every prayer. If you keep your faith in Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him), you will receive my prayers in your graves."

"In Allah's Eyes, Exalted is He, what a Muslim possesses does not gather any silver or gold, for one should only be doing what is permitted and avoiding what is forbidden, and whatever does not have leave a believer with a single friend. When we ask them to do what is permitted they insult us, and in that they are helped by the unbelievers and sinful people. By Allah they have thrown terrible things at me, but O Allah I will not leave them until I show them the right way."

"Allah, You created me when I was not worthy of mention; And You provided for me when I had nothing; And I wronged my soul and sinned, and I confess my guilt. If You forgive me, that will in no way reduce Your sovereignty; And if You punish me, that will in no way augment Your authority. You can find others to punish besides me, But I can find no one to forgive me but You. Truly, You are the most Merciful of those who show mercy. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said 'Owais will come to Madinah to meet me, but he will not find me physically, for I shall then be united with my Lord."

"I love to live among the poor people."

"The Uwaisi form of spiritual transmission in the vocabulary of Islamic mysticism was named after Uwais Qarni, as it refers to the transmission of spiritual knowledge between two individuals without the need for physical interaction between them."

"O Allah, I offer my apology to You for every hungry stomach and unclothed body, but I own nothing in this world except what is on my back and in my stomach."

"I have collected the Qur’an (jama’tul-Qur’ana)."

"Spare me four things– and say after that what thou pleasest– do not lie to me for liars have no judgment, and do not answer me regarding what I don not ask thee for it is a distraction from what I do ask thee, and do not be extravagant in my praise for I know myself better then thou, and do not incite me against my subjects for verily clemency unto them is more needful for me."

"You were better than a million men, When the faces of men were downcast, Brave? You were braver than the tiger, Generous? You were more generous than The unstoppable deluge flowing between mountains."

"Have women ever stopped mourning for anyone like Khalid?"

"I have not dismissed Khalid because of my anger or because of any dishonesty on his part, but because people glorified him and were misled. I feared that people would rely on him. I want them to know that it is Allah who does all things; and there should be no mischief in the land."

"Let the women say what they will about Abu Sulaiman (Khalid), for they do not lie, Over the likes of Abu Sulaiman weep those who weep."

"Khalid is truly the commander. May Allah have mercy upon Abu Bakr, He was a better judge of men than I have been."

"I know more about Khalid than anyone else, no man is luckier than he. No man is his equal in war. No people face Khalid in battle, be they strong or weak, but are defeated. Take my advice and make peace with him."

"Women will no longer be able to give birth to the likes of Khalid bin Al-Waleed."

"By Allah, I shall destroy the Romans and the friends of Satan with Khalid bin Al Walid."

"Is the standard of this army a black one? Is the commander of this army a tall, powerfully built, broad shouldered man with a large beard and a few pock marks on his face? Then beware of fighting this army."

"He neither slept nor let others sleep, and nothing was concealed from him."

"You have done; And no man has done as you have done. But it is not people who do; It is Allah who does"

"He is a master of war; a friend of death. He has the dash of a lion and the patience of a cat"

"What an excellent servant of God: Khalid ibn Walid, one of the swords of Allah, unleashed against the unbelievers."

"The fiercest and most successful of the Arabian warriors."

"O Umar, keep your tongue off Khalid. I shall not sheathe the sword that God has drawn against the infidels."

"In the name of Allah, the compassionate, the merciful. This is what Khalid ibn-al-Walid would grant to the inhabitants of Damascus if he enters therein: he promises to give them security for their lives, property and churches. Their city wall shall not be demolished, neither shall any Moslem be quartered in their houses. Thereunto we give to them the pact of Allah and the protection of His Prophet, the caliphs and the believers. So long as they pay the poll tax, nothing but good shall befall them."

"Submit to Islam and be safe. Or agree to the payment of the Jizya (tax), and you and your people will be under our protection, else you will have only yourself to blame for the consequences, for I bring the men who desire death as ardently as you desire life."

"Khalid is the Sword of God."

"O People of Madinah ! Your lion has attacked another lion and overpowered him. Women can no longer bear sons like Khalid."

"O Khalid! By Allah, you are honorable in my eyes, and you are dear to me. You will not have cause to complain of me after this day."

"Maalik! You must create in your mind kindness, compassion and love for your subjects. Do not behave towards them as if you are a voracious and ravenous beast and as if your success lies in devouring them. Remember, Maalik, that amongst your subjects there are two kinds of people: those who have the same religion as you have; they are brothers to you, and those who have religions other than that of yours, they are human beings like you. Men of either category suffer from the same weaknesses and disabilities that human beings are inclined to, they commit sins, indulge in vices either intentionally or foolishly and unintentionally without realizing the enormity of their deeds. Let your mercy and compassion come to their rescue and help in the same way and to the same extent that you expect Allah to show mercy and forgiveness to you."

"If you ever feel any pride or vanity on account of your sway and rule over your subjects then think of the supreme sway and rule of the Lord over the Universe, the extent of His creations, the supremacy of His Might and Glory, His Power to do things which you cannot even dream of doing and His control over you which is more dominating than that which you can ever achieve over anything around you. Such thoughts will cure your mental weakness, will keep you away from vanity and rebellion (against Allah), will reduce your arrogance and haughtiness and will take you back to the sanity which you had foolishly deserted... Try carefully to realize that a ruler can create goodwill in the minds of his subjects and can make them faithful and sincere to him only when he is kind and considerate to them, when he reduces their troubles, when he does not oppress them and when he never asks for things which are beyond their power. These are the principles which you should keep in mind and act upon"."