The Book of the Great Quotes (Excerpt)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 CLARITAS BOOKS Bernard Street, Swansea, United Kingdom Milpitas, California, United States © CLARITAS BOOKS 2018 This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Claritas Books. First Published in December 2018 Typeset in Minion Pro 14/11 Printed by Mega Printing in Turkey The Book of Great Quotes Compiled and introduced by Flamur Vehapi A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978-1-905837-64-9 Flamur Vehapi is a researcher, poet, literary translator, academic and a leadership and success coach. He received his A.A. and B.S. in psychology with a minor in history, and in 2013, he received his M.A. from Portland State University in Conflict Resolution. Currently, he is a Education and Leadership PhD candidate at Pacific University. Flamur taught social sciences at Rogue Community College and Southern Oregon University, and more recently he taught at various institutions in the Middle East. His works include The Alchemy of Mind and A Cup with Rumi, both collections of spiritual poems, and his most recent books are Peace and Conflict Resolution in Islam, and The Book of Albanian Sayings. Flamur and his family currently live in Oregon, USA. Contents A Brief Timeline of the Early Caliphate 13 Introduction 15 The Caliphs and the Caliphate 17 A Note from the Editor 25 On the Divine 27 On Time and the Life of this World 31 On Self-Control and Vain Desires 37 On Truthfulness, Honesty and Intention 41 On Wrongdoing and Sin 47 On Justice and Integrity 53 On the Hereafter and Preparing for It 57 On Trials, Hope and Self-Improvement 61 On Matters of Faith 65 On Character and Manners 71 On Knowledge 75 On Patience, Gratitude and Happiness 81 On Pride, Arrogance and Being Humble 85 On Seeking and Giving Advice 89 On Leadership 93 On Spouses and the Rights of Women 97 On Wealth, Excessiveness and Extravagance 99 On Giving and Forgiving 103 Kinship, Friendship and Social Interactions 107 Repentance, Personal Growth and Health 111 On Helping and Treating Others Well 119 On Peace and Conflict 123 Miscellaneous 127 APPENDICES A: List of Caliphs and Sultans 129 B: Timeline of the History of Islam 135 Glossary of Terms 141 Acknowledgments 147 Bibliography 149 Notes 155 A Brief Timeline of the Early Caliphatea a 610 Prophet Muhammad receives the first revelation of the Quran 622 The Hijrah takes place – Prophet Muhammad and his followers flee the Quraysh persecutions and migrate to Madinah; the Islamic calendar begins 628 The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah is signed by the Prophet and the Quraysh, and peace is established in the region between Muslims and non-Muslims 630 Makkans violate the peace treaty. In return the Prophet goes to capture Makkah and the city surrendered voluntarily; the Makkans are forgiven 632 Prophet Muhammad passes away; Abu Bakr as-Siddiq is chosen as his representative (i.e. caliph) See Appendix B for a detailed timeline of the history of Islam. 13 T H E B O O K O F T H E G R E AT Q U O T E S 634 Abu Bakr passes away; Umar bin al-Khattab is put in charge by the Muslim leadership as the next caliph 638 Jerusalem is captured (the city is considered to be Islam’s third holiest site after Makkah and Madinah) 644 Umar bin al-Khattab is assassinated; Uthman bin Affan becomes the next caliph 656 Uthman is assassinated and many, but not all, accept Ali ibn Abi Talib as the fourth caliph; later on two opposing camps of Muslims are formed 661 Ali is assassinated; Muawiyah I takes control of the caliphate and founds the Umayyad dynasty, moving his capital to Damascus 14 Introduction Through the centuries, the world has come to know some great leaders as shapers and makers of civilisations. Many of them are recognised and honoured to this day, others have been forgotten, and some for one reason or another have often been deliberately ignored in western writings. The wise leaders discussed and quoted in the following pages are unfortunately from the last category. Although these exceptional personalities did not build palaces or compose volumes of books, they left behind a legacy that is unmatched in human history. Inspired by the message of their teacher, Prophet Muhammad, to this day they continue to touch hearts and inspire lives throughout the globe. These great polymaths are known as the first four caliphs of Islam, which include Abu Bakr as-Siddiq æ, Umar bin al-Khattab æ, Uthman bin Affan æ and Ali ibn Abi Talib æ The caliphs explored here, and many others that followed them, were remarkable figures in every sense of the word. They embodied all characteristics of true leadership that we can think of today, and much more, which we will look at in 15 this book. To start with, unlike many leaders around the world today, especially heads of state, the caliphs did not beg people for their votes or election, nor did they make the empty promises typical of modern politics. The caliphs were carefully selected and appointed by the council of elders and the heads of their communities, and then were given the pledge of allegiance by the people, men and women, young and old. In fact, unlike many leaders of our nations, the caliphs in point refused to take such positions of leadership, fearing that they would not be able to bear such a burden of responsibility or carry out such a task successfully, and asked that someone better than them be appointed for such a post. This was the first reaction of Abu Bakr, for example; however everyone in the community knew that there was no person on the face of the earth who could have been more experienced and qualified than Abu Bakr for the position of caliph.1 After accepting the position, he humbly said, “If you find what I say and do to be true, then assist me, and if you find what I say and do to be false, then advise me and set me straight.”2 And how many of our leaders take into consideration the words of the people, or who would dare try and correct them? This work is very brief and a modest one, and it’s aim is to simply give the reader a glimpse of the lives and wisdom of these great personalities of Islam. Those interested in a more in-depth study of the lives and contributions of the Caliphs should check out the resources listed in the bibliography section of this book. The Caliphs and the Caliphate A caliph, or khalifah in Arabic, is a successor of Prophet Muhammad and a spiritual leader of the Muslim community. This means that after the passing away of the Prophet, the leaders of the Muslim world were to be the successors of the Prophet.3 The dominion of the caliph is called a Caliphate, a term greatly misused and abused today.4 There have been a number of caliphs throughout Islamic history, but the most commonly known are the Rightly- Guided Caliphs, also known as al-khulafa al-rashideen.a These outstanding personalities, close companions of the Prophet, include Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r. 632-634), Umar bin al- Khattab (r. 634-644), Uthman bin Affan (r. 644-656), and the son-inlaw of the Prophet, Ali ibn Abi Talib (r. 656-661). During the reign of these Rightly-Guided Caliphs, the Caliphate grew well beyond the known Arabian territories; all of this occurred within thirty years of their rule. After the assassination of Ali, however, and the civil war that came with it, the governor of a Also known as the Rashidun Caliphs. See Appendix A for a list of caliphs and sultans. 17 T H E B O O K O F T H E G R E AT Q U O T E S Syria, Muawiyah ibn Sufyan, took over the Caliphate and gradually it turned into a family dynasty.5 The dynasty that originated with the rise of Muawiya I is known in history as the Umayyad dynasty. The dynasty reigned from 661 to 750 CE, and during this period the seat of the Muslim caliphate was moved from Madinah, where it had originally started with the Prophet, to Damascus in Syria. Even during this time, the new dynasty vastly expanded, including lands from Spain to western India. This progress, however, came at a price when it was challenged from within. As the Sunni-Shia split occurred, and sectarian tensions began to grow, many of the Shia rejected the authority and legitimacy of the Umayyads, and called for the descendants of Ali to rule the ummah. The great deal of trials and tribulations from within slowly brought down the dynasty. Soon after the revolts in the Caliphate, the rebels declared their own dynasty, known as the Abbasid dynasty, named after Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, the uncle of the Prophet. The new dynasty, like the Ummayyads, quickly rose to power, reigning from 750 to 1258 CE. The dynasty moved even farther away from traditional Arab lands and established its capital in the newly founded city of Baghdad, present-day Iraq. It was during this time, the Abbasid period, a millennium before the European Enlightenment, that the Muslim world experienced its own scientific revolution and age of enlightenment. Muslim students and scholars, with strong encouragement from the caliphs themselves, excelled in their achievements in fields like science, mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, medicine and many other realms of knowledge. Although not much credit is given to Muslims today, such great achievements and developments impact our lives to this day.6 The early stages of the Caliphate were a driving force behind these new advancements and growth. 18 The Caliphs and the Caliphate Abu Bakr as-Siddiq æ Abu Bakr’s conviction and belief in Islam and his support for his closest friend, Muhammad, was so great that it earned him the title as-Siddiq, the upright (also translated as “truthfulness” and “true friend”). Later he was given the glad tidings of paradise by none other than the Prophet himself.a According to tradition, Abu Bakr was born in the year 573 CE in the ancient city of Makkah, present-day Saudi Arabia. Abu Bakr’s family belonged to the clan of Bani Taym, a branch of the ruling tribe of Quraysh. His real name was Abdullah ibn Abi Quhafah, but as a child, like many children of his time, he developed a fondness for camels, so he was given the nickname of Abu Bakr, meaning the father of a camel’s foal (nicknames are very common in the Arab culture to this day).7 Abu Bakr seems to have enjoyed a well-mannered upbringing, and like the rest of his noble family, he was widely respected even as a young man among his tribesman. As he grew older, he was widely admired for his exemplary and wholesome nature and as a result he later held high ranking positions within the leadership of the tribe. As the tradition holds, everyone spoke highly of him and loved him for his assistance of the poor, generosity, and his hospitality. Abu Bakr was also a very successful businessman. Because of his fairness in dealing with people, charitable giving, and also large investments and trade in the region, going as far as Syria and the surrounding areas, he quickly became one of the wealthiest people in Makkah.8 He would later of course spend most of this wealth in the cause of Islam. After the passing a In a hadith in Jami at-Tirmidhi, the Prophet specified by name that the following ten of his companions were guaranteed Paradise. He said “Abu Bakr is in Paradise, Umar is in Paradise, Uthman is in Paradise, Ali is in Paradise, Talhah is in Paradise, AzZubair is in Paradise, Abdur Rahman bin Awf is in Paradise, Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas is in Paradise, Sa’id ibn Zayd is in Paradise, and Abu Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah is in Paradise.” 19 T H E B O O K O F T H E G R E AT Q U O T E S away of the Prophet, in 632 CE, community leaders chose Abu Bakr as the successor to the Prophet. As a leader, Abu Bakr was remarkable, fair and humble. Sir William Muir (1819– 1905) described him as “simple, diligent, wise and impartial.”9 His achievements as a caliph are too many to recount here, but one of note was his compilation of the text of the Quran into one complete book.10 Abu Bakr’s life came to an end in August 634 CE of old age, in his beloved city of Madinah. Shortly before his death, however, he urged the Muslim community to accept Umar as his successor.11 Umar bin al-Khattab æ The second caliph of Islam, Umar bin al-Khattab, was born in 586 CE, also in Makkah. Umar came from the clan of Adiy of the Makkan tribe of Quraysh. Like most of his tribesmen, Umar originally opposed Prophet Muhammad and his message of Islam, and went as far as wanting to take the Prophet’s life in order to preserve the old ways of his tribe. Having come in direct contact with the new message around 615 CE, however, Umar then accepted Islam and, like Abu Bakr, became one of the staunchest supporters of the Prophet and his message. Having enjoyed such a great status in the company of the Prophet himself, Umar also served as the Prophet’s chief adviser, and was by his side until the final days of the Messenger of God. Moreover, because of his uncompromising justice and fairness, Umar was also referred to as al-Faruq, the discerner between truth and falsehood. He was also the first of the caliphs to be given the title “Commander of the Faithful.”12 The wise person that he was, Umar played a great role in encouraging the community to accept Abu Bakr as their caliph. For the time of his reign (632 – 634 CE), Abu Bakr relied heavily on Umar for support and advice in matters of religion and state; analogously, Umar also depended on Abu Bakr, who 20 The Caliphs and the Caliphate was his senior both in age and in Islam.13 On his deathbed, it was Abu Bakr himself who appointed Umar to take his place as the next caliph. Such a decision, of course, was unanimously approved by the Muslim council at the time. As a caliph, the ‘Commander of the Faithful’ completely transformed the Arabian-based Muslim state. Under his reign, the new Muslim empire not only expanded quickly and vastly, it also developed remarkable administrative and legal principles to rule such ample lands and diverse communities; a challenge never before faced by any Arab leader at the time. Umar himself was widely respected for his just rule and devotion to his faith, as well as the well-being of his community and the ummah at large. Ten years into his reign, however, in 644 CE Umar was treacherously assassinated. He was buried next to his beloved Prophet and Abu Bakr as- Siddiq in his treasured city of Madinah (his desire had been to die there as a martyr).14 Uthman bin Affan æ The son of a wealthy merchant from the powerful Banu Umayya clan of the tribe of Quraysh, Uthman was born in 576 CE in the city of Taif, present-day Saudi Arabia.a Although his clan had opposed the message and the Prophet Muhammad with great hostility, after a brief discussion with Abu Bakr, Uthman requested to be sent to the house of the Prophet where he accepted Islam on the spot. As a convert to the new faith, Uthman was a force to be reckoned with; he benefited the new community tremendously with his deep wisdom and his wealth. Being a close companion of the Prophet, later Uthman had also served as an adviser to both Abu Bakr and Umar. Uthman was a scribe of the Quran, and one who had memorised the noble book cover to cover.15 a There are accounts that Uthman was born in 577 CE instead, however the exact year remains unknown. 21 T H E B O O K O F T H E G R E AT Q U O T E S It was after the assassination of Umar that the Muslim council was faced with the question whether Uthman or Ali was to succeed the late caliph. Since Uthman was Ali’s senior by over two decades, the selection committee naturally chose Uthman as the ummah’s third caliph. Ali, of course, the wise person that he was, even after this decision was always by Uthman’s side as an adviser and a close friend. During the reign of Uthman, the empire witnessed not only a phase of continued expansion and development, but also great economic prosperity. Uthman not only improved the welfare of the people, he also raised people’s fixed allowances put in place by his predecessors. The caliph himself, however, with all the wealth in the public treasury, never took a salary for himself, as he was able to sustain himself and his family through his own resources as a successful businessman. As civil strife began to spread in different parts of the caliphate, however, a group of outsider rebels, dissatisfied with the election of Uthman, successfully penetrated the caliph’s house and assassinated him. Thus, the reign of Uthman ibn Affan ended in 656 CE. Undoubtedly, the death of Uthman was a great loss to the faithful.16 Ali ibn Abi Talib æ The fourth of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs was Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and later son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. Ali, the son of Abu Talib from the prominent tribe of Quraysh, was born in 600 CE in the sacred city of Makkah. Having been raised in the household of the Prophet himself, Ali was the first child to accept Islam. The young convert to the faith was by the Prophet’s side from his childhood to the time of the Prophet’s passing in 632. Ali was an exceptionally devout person, wise beyond his years, and one of the bravest in the battlefield. Because of his 22 The Caliphs and the Caliphate many great personal qualities and commitment to Islam, he was known by names like the “lion of God,” “father of dust,” “the gate of knowledge,” and so on. Ali had the special blessing of marrying the daughter of the Prophet, Fatimah al-Zahra, and it was their offspring who carried on the lineage of the Prophet Muhammad.17 After the passing of the Prophet, Ali focused mainly on his devotion to God and serving his family, although he was also a trusted adviser to all the caliphs discussed previously. When the assassination of Uthman took place, however, the Muslim council chose Ali as the fourth caliph of Islam. Ali reigned from 656 to 661 CE, ruling a vast empire. Unfortunately, during his reign he also witnessed a great deal of turmoil and civil unrest. In 661, a group of the Kawarij18 rebels attacked Ali while he was performing his morning prayers at the Grand Mosque of Kufah. The civil unrest went on as Ali was leaving this world in the month of Ramadan, the holiest month in Islam. Ali died in the same year in the city of Kufah, present-day Iraq, and with this the great Rashidun Caliphate period came to an end.19 23 A Note from the Editor The process of collecting these sayings from such a vast body of literature was not an easy feat. The most challenging section in this book, however, was the collection and verification of the sayings of Ali ibn Abi Talib. Many of the quotes I found have been, intentionally or not, attributed to him. It seems that some think that by doing so, they will elevate the status of Ali, not realising that only a few in human history have reached Ali’s level, status and grandeur. All of sayings in this collection have been carefully selected and cross-examined for authenticity and accuracy. A great number of reliable books, articles, websites, and apps have been consulted in order to accurately convey the meanings of these maxims. Many of them are found with different wording, and I have selected the most commonly used wording (often found online). Although tempting, those quotes with questionable sources and authenticity or found only in a few online sites have been left out. As far as the introductory commentaries of this work are concerned, they are derived from the Quran commentaries, the vast hadith literature, as well as the referenced works found 25 T H E B O O K O F T H E G R E AT Q U O T E S at the end of this book. The Quran translations are mainly from Abdel Haleem’s The Quran, and Sahih International’s The Quran, but other translations have also been consulted occasionally. As for the hadith literature utilised here, the most commonly cited works are the collections of Imam al-Bukhari and that of Imam Muslim, Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim respectively. Other collections include Sunan Abu Dawud, Sunan Ibn Majah, Jami at- Tirmidhi, Sunan Bayhaqi, ibn Kathir’s al-Bidaya wal Nihaya, and others as indicated in the footnotes, endnotes and bibliography. 26 On the Divine Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam is a monotheistic faith, and as such, oneness of God is at the core of its teachings. In Islam, however, God “is unique and exalted above everything He creates, and His greatness cannot be compared to His creation...He is the only one deserving of any worship and the ultimate purpose of all creation is to submit to Him.”20 This concept is best described in the Quran itself: Say, “He is God, [who is] One, God, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, Nor is there to Him any equivalent.”a In another verse the Creator revealed: Indeed, I am God. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance.b In these Quranic injunctions, and in many other cases, the All-Mighty describes Himself plainly to people without leaving any room for confusion or doubt; it clearly states that God a b Quran 112: 1-4. Quran 20:14. 27 T H E B O O K O F T H E G R E AT Q U O T E S (Allah)a is One and exalted over all things, the Everlasting, and only Heb is all-capable, and as such only He deserves to be worshiped. Consequently, from an Islamic point of view, Fully accepting the oneness of God is to accept that He is distinct from everything else. It would not suit God’s majesty and glory to associate the limited attributes of His creation to Him because He is not restricted in any way, while His creation is. He is the First with no beginning and the Last with no end. Everything in the universe was created by His will. He is not confined by space or time and He is the only One who is in control and provides for His creation.21 Furthermore, since the first days of Islam in Arabia, Muslims have stayed away from making any depictions of God, or ascribing any human attributes to Him, as people of some other faiths have done through the ages with their prophet and/or sages. Such acts are considered blasphemous in Islam since God is beyond what a human can imagine of Him. As a result, knowing that God’s characteristics cannot be conceptualized by human reason, to this day Muslims speak of God, His nature and attributes only to the extent of what God has revealed about Himself in the Quran and what Prophet Muhammad has said about Him in the hadith. The Quran describes: There is no god but He, the Living, the Everlasting. Slumber seizes Him not, nor sleep. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Who is there that shall intercede with Him save by His leave? He knows a Note here that even non-Muslim Arabic speakers refer to God as Allah, which clearly goes to show that, despite their theological differences, Muslims worship the same one Deity as Jews and Christians, among others. b The pronoun He used here, and in other cases and forms, is a limitation of languages, like English, without a gender-neutral third-person singular pronoun. God ascribes to no gender since that is a humanly quality, therefore using gender-specific pronouns like He or Him to refer to the Divine is not technically correct, and such limitation is not the case with Arabic, the language of the Quran. 28 On the Divine what lies before them, and what is after them, and they comprehend not anything of His knowledge save such as He wills. His throne comprises the heavens and earth. The preserving of them oppresses Him not; He is the All-High, the All-Glorious.”a And this is how the caliphs discussed here seem to have approached the question of the Divine.b He who has a taste for the love of God can have no taste for the love of the world.22 – Abu Bakr as-Siddiq æ Praise God, for through praise, His blessings multiply.23 – Umar bin al-Khattab æ Fear only God, for He alone lives; all other things are liable to perish.24 – Umar bin al-Khattab æ Mention what you will of the greatness of God, but God is greater than anything you say.25 – Ali ibn Abi Talib æ The word of God is the medicine of the heart.26 – Ali ibn Abi Talib æ a Quran 2:255. Although the word “fear” is used for taqwah here and in other instances, what it almost always implies is God-consciousness, piousness, virtue, being cognizant of God, among other things. b 29 On Time and the Life of this World From an Islamic perspective, as is the case with some other belief systems, the life of this world is a transient one full of tests, while the real and everlasting life is that of the Afterlife. With regard to this, the Quran says: Truly, the life of this world is nothing but a (quick passing) enjoyment, and verily, the Hereafter that is the home that will remain forever.a On this point Prophet Muhammad said, “What do I have to do with this life? Verily, my example in this life is the example of a traveler who went on a journey during a summer day, took shelter under a tree during a part of a day, then went on and left it.” In another instance he advised, “Be in this world as though you were a stranger or a wayfarer.”b However, being “as though you were a stranger or of wayfarer” in this world does a b Quran 40:39 Hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari. 31 T H E B O O K O F T H E G R E AT Q U O T E S not necessarily mean that we are to renounce the world and everything in it, as some have interpreted this to mean; if that were the case, the Prophet himself and his honourable Companions would have been among the first to follow such a practice. In actuality, the Prophet was a man of both worlds; in addition to being a prophet of God, he was also a merchant and earned his living through hard work. Moreover, two of his closest Companions, Abu Bakr and Uthman, as a point in case, were two of the wealthiest men in their region at the time. These men, among hundreds of others, were certainly devout, and spent a great deal of their time in prayer and remembrance of God, but they also did physical work and earned their living through business dealings. In fact, the Prophet instructed the Muslims to often ask God for bounty and good in this world and in the Hereafter.27 What we learn from these righteous people is that, yes, they had money and wealth, but money was in their hands and not in their hearts, as seen from their constant giving to those in need. What all this means for us today is that one should certainly live this life to the fullest, within the bounds of what is permissible, but always keep in mind that this is not all there is to it, and that what we do here, in this world, we will find in the Hereafter, or as it has been said “what you have planted here, you will harvest there.” Moreover, we have to continuously remember that this world is a temporary one, and that we are not to get attached to it. We are to live a balanced life where there is room for family, work and enjoyment, but at the same time we should always prioritise faith, and not lose focus in life. Nowadays, losing focus in life seems to be the case with many people because of all the distractions we face from all directions. These heedless individuals seem to be living life as if they are going to live in this world forever, but that is merely a self-deception. This life, like everything else, 32 On Time and the Life of this World will come to an end, and there is nothing we can take with us to our graves except for our deeds. This is why a companion of the Prophet used to say, “In the evening do not expect [to live until] the morning, and in the morning do not expect [to live until] the evening. Take [advantage of] your health before times of sickness, and [take advantage of] your life before your death.”28 Examining their words, actions and lifestyle, the caliphs mentioned here understood this concept clearly. Our abode in this world is transitory; our life therein is but a loan. Our breaths are numbered, and our indolence is manifest.29 – Abu Bakr as-Siddiq æ O man, you are busy working for the world, while the world is busy trying to turn you out.30 – Abu Bakr as-Siddiq æ Have earnestness for death, and you will have life.31 – Abu Bakr as-Siddiq æ This world is the marketplace of the faithful. Day and night are their capital; good deeds are their commodity; Paradise is their profit; and Hellfire is their loss.32 – Abu Bakr as-Siddiq æ We were the lowliest of people, but God gave us might and glory through Islam. If we seek glory through other than what God gave us glory through, 33