A perfect Muslim is one from whose tongue and hands mankind is safe, and a true emigrant [muhajir] is one who flees from what God has forbidden.

The messenger of God said to me (Anas), "Son, if you are able, keep your heart from morning till night and from night till morning free from malice towards anyone"; then he said, "Oh! My son, this is one of my laws, and the one who loves my laws verily loves me."

Anyone who walks with a wrong doer in order to strengthen him knowing all the while that he is a wrong doer, has departed from Islam.

That person is nearest to God, who pardons, when he has someone in his power, one who would have injured him.

Assist your brother or sister Muslim, whether he or she be an oppressor or an oppressed. "But how shall we do it when that person is an oppressor?" Muhammad said, "Assisting an oppressor is by forbidding and withholding that person from oppression."

Certainly, people will follow you, and certainly people will come to you from all quarters of the earth to understand religion; when they come to you, guide them toward goodness.

Truly, God is mild, and is fond of mildness, and He gives to the mild what he does not give to the harsh.

Truly God instructs me to be humble and lowly and not proud and no one should oppress others.

God is gentle and loves gentleness.

God is a unity, and likes unity.

You will not enter paradise until you have faith; and you will not complete your faith, till you love one another.

Faith is a restraint against all violence, let no Mu'min commit violence.

Anyone of you who sees wrong, let him undo it with his hand; and if he cannot, then let him speak against it with his tongue, and if he cannot do this either, then (let him abhor it) with his heart, and this is the least of faith.

He is true who protects his brother or sister both present and absent.

The proud will not enter paradise, nor a violent speaker.

What actions are most excellent? To gladden the heart of a human being, to feed the hungry, to help the afflicted, to lighten the sorrow of the sorrowful, and to remove the wrongs of the injured.

We were on a journey with the prophet when we saw a finch with two young ones. We took away the two young ones and the mother bird fluttered around. Then the Prophet came and said, "Who has distressed her by taking away her young ones? Return her young ones to her." The Prophet also saw the abode of ants which we had burnt, and said, "Who has burnt this?" We said, "We (have done this)." The Prophet said, "It is not proper that any one should punish another by fire unless it be the Lord of fire himself."

Truly my heart is veiled with melancholy and sadness for my followers and verily I ask pardon of God one hundred times daily.

Someone said to the Prophet, "Pray to God against the idolators and curse them." The Prophet replied, "I have been sent to show mercy and have not been sent to curse."

I found this inscribed on the hilt of the Prophet's sword: "Forgive him who wrongs you; join him who cuts you off; do good to him who does evil to you, and speak the truth although it be against yourself."

*Copyright 2001 Threshold Productions

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