Hearts Turn: Sinners, Seekers, Saints and the Road to Redemption
Michael Sugich
Top 10 Best Quotes
“In Fez Yasmin had another dream. „I saw myself in a shower. Water poured over me, washing and purifying me and I was told ‚All your sins have been washed away by that water. You‘ve been cleansed. Your sins have been washed away and you‘re blessed.‘ „I feel that Allah has been knocking on my door for some time now, perhaps all my life. ‚But you just haven‘t recognized Me‘, He says, ‚You haven‘t recognized Me. You keep waiting but I have been there all along.‘“ (p.195)”
“If you did not sin, God would destroy you and replace you by another people who would commit sins, ask for God’s forgiveness and He would forgive them.[25] THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD”
“When I read al-Ghazali, I thought, „Oh my God, this is true“. Al Ghazali wrote: „I am on a crumbling bank. My soul is crying „Up, up and away. If not now, when?“ I was about twenty-three years old and I thought, „My God, I am on a crumbling bank! If I don‘t do it – up, up and away – I‘ve blown it! I knew that if I didn‘t do it now, I would have blown it.“ Gray had been looking for a spiritual path all along and was drawn to Sufism. She embraced the religion of Islam and took the name Aisha. (p. 213)”
“The imagery of intoxication pervades the mystical poetry of Islam, from Attar to Hafiz to Rumi to Ibn al-Arabi and Ibn al-Farid, to Sidi Ahmed al-Alawi and Ibn al-Habib. „The Tavern“, „Wine“, „the Cup“, „Drunkenness“ are powerful mystical symbols that indicate the deep rapture and illumination experienced by the lovers of God. Those who deny the intoxication that comes from worship and remembrance are those who have never experienced it […] hearts overflowing with remembrance of God, filled with Light. Through worship and self-abnegation, they share a taste of the intoxication experienced by those who have entered the Tavern of the Presence and drunk the wine of Light. To deny the possibility of spiritual intoxication is to remove a powerful incentive for purification and worship: an intoxication that removes confusion, a drunkenness with no hangover. What a difference between effulgent rapture and the darkness of an alcoholic stupor! (p. 273)”
“It is recounted that a man asked Ibn Mas’ud about a sin he had committed: did he have a chance of repentance? Ibn Mas’ud turned away from him, then turned back and saw tears flowing from his eyes. Ibn Mas’ud said to the man: ‘Indeed Paradise has eight gates which open and close, but the gate of repentance, guarded by a special Angel, does not close; do [repent], and do not despair.’[23] IMAM AL-GHAZALI”
“In „The Secret of Secrets“, al-Jilani refers to the Hadith Qudsi, where God speaks through His Messenger, peace be upon him: „Man is My secret and I am his secret. The inner knowledge of the spiritual essence (ilm al-batin) is a secret of My secrets. Only I put this into the heart of My good servant, and none may know his state other than Me.“ (p. 192)”
“In my experience an insane person (and I have met a few) is someone who believes that the entire universe and everything in it is conspiring against him. The sane person, on the other hand, is the one who believes that the entire universe and everything in it is conspiring for him. I, fortunately, am a denizen of the latter category. (p. 283)”
“If you do not believe that God can take you at this moment and make you one of His friends (Awliya) then you are ignorant of His power. - Ibn Ata‘illah Al-Iskandari (p. 334)”
“I have a second chance. I would not be Muslim, I would not be Muslim, I would not be Muslim had I not taken the path I took. I became a Muslim in prison. If I hadn’t gone to prison I probably would have been a wannabe thug or maybe something else, but I wouldn’t have become a Muslim. I think sometimes you need to sin because that’s what’s going to make you repent.”
“I always liked living. I never went into a big depression. ‘How could this have happened to me? Why?’ It never happened. If you perceive that life is good then it is good. Your life is what you feel about it. Happiness doesn’t really depend on material things. It is how you see it and how you accept it.”
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Book Keywords:
sufi-wisdom, islam, spiritual-awakening, iman, the-secret-of-secrets, awakening, hadith-qudsi, godconsciousness, spiritual-transformation, friends-of-god, spirituality, enlightenment, awliya, abd-al-qadir-al-jilani, change-of-heart, sufism
