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" could not accept the fact that Muḥammad was a true prophet because he was not one of the elite of “the two cities,” that is, Mecca and Ta’if. In their view, Muḥammad was too ordinary for them, too much like them, to have been chosen for such a lofty station. They felt, “How can he be a prophet, while he is like us, and we are not prophets? "
― Hamza Yusuf , Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart
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" God divides the provision of people into two kinds: inner (bāṭinī) and outer (ẓāhirī). The outward provision includes such things as food, shelter, and wellbeing. Inner provision includes knowledge, good character, contentment, and similar qualities. Even the people in one’s life (friends, teachers, family, etc.) are considered provision. "
― Hamza Yusuf , Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart
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" Haya', in Arabic, conveys the meaning of shame, though the root word of haya ’ is closely associated with life and living. The Prophet stated, “Every religion has a quality that is characteristic of that religion. And the characteristic of my religion is haya, an internal sense of shame, which includes bashfulness and modesty.
Most adults alive today have heard it said when they were children, “Shame on you!” Unfortunately, shame has come to be viewed as a negative word, as if it were a pejorative. Parents are now advised never to “shame a child,” never correct a child’s behavior by causing an emotional response. Instead, the current wisdom suggests that people always make the child feel good regardless of his or her behavior. Eventually, what this does is disable
naturally occurring deterrents to misbehavior.
Some anthropologists divide cultures into shame and guilt cultures. They say that guilt is an inward
mechanism and shame an outward one. With regard to this discussion, guilt alludes to a human mechanism that produces strong feelings of remorse when someone has done something wrong, to the point that he or she needs to rectify the matter.
Most primitive cultures are not guilt-based, but shame-based, which is rooted in the fear of bringing shame upon oneself and the larger family. What Islam does is honor the concept of shame and take it to another level altogether—to a rank in which one feels a sense of shame before God. When a person acknowledges and realizes that God is fully aware of all that one does, says, or thinks, shame is elevated to a higher plane, to the unseen world
from which there is no cover. In fact, one feels a sense of shame even before the angels. So while Muslims comprise a shame-based culture, this notion transcends shame before one’s family—whether one’s elders or parents— and
admits a mechanism that is not subject to the changing norms of human cultures. It is associated with the knowledge and active awareness that God is all-seeing of what one does—a reality that is permanent. The nurturing of this realization deters one from engaging in acts that are displeasing and vulgar. This is the essence of the noble prophetic teachings. "
― Hamza Yusuf , Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart
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" According to a hadith, the Prophet said to Ibn’ Abbas,
Be mindful of God, and God will protect you. Be mindful of God, and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask of God. If you seek help, seek help from God. Know that if the whole nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, it would benefit you only with something that God had prescribed for you. And if [the whole nation] were to gather together to harm you, it would harm you only with something that God had already prescribed for you. The pens have been lifted and the ink has been dried.
This does not mean that one should be reckless with his or her safety, nor does it mean that one should not take precautions. In the Battle of Ubud, the Prophet wore two coats of chainmail, and no one knew more of God’s power and authority than he.
Having awareness of God’s attributes does not imply that people should stop using their intellects, for we live in a world of causes. There is room for diplomacy and discretion, particularly if knowing when it is best to say the truth. This discretion, however, is not informed by the fear of blame but rather by the clarity of regarding one’s objectives. Having wisdom is completely different from seeking the approbation of others. The Prophet said that the highest form of struggle (jihad) is to speak the truth in the face of a tyrant. "
― Hamza Yusuf , Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart
115
" A popular saying (often erroneously identified as a hadith of the Prophet ) is, “Act for your world as if you will live forever, and act for your Hereafter as if you are going to die tomorrow.” Shaykh Bashīr ʿUthmān Bashīr, a contemporary scholar, said that people frequently misunderstand this saying and use it as a justification for working very hard for the world. However, the tradition states that we have forever to take care of our worldly affairs, but we must tend to the Hereafter as if death awaits tomorrow. This implies making even our worldly affairs for the sake of God. The point is not to suggest that a person neglect his work; rather, it speaks to one’s intentions, such that one’s work in the world does not detract from the Hereafter. The Qur’an says, “Do not forget your portion of this world” (QUR’AN, 28:77). There are two ways this can be interpreted. First, do not neglect what God has given you to expend for the Hereafter. Second, do not forget or neglect this world, even though the more important concern is the Hereafter. Both understandings are acceptable. Believers are not anti-worldly in a sense propagated by some Christian theologies. The world is a place God made for us to enjoy but not to the point that we forget our purpose and ultimate destiny. "
― Hamza Yusuf , Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart
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" One can observe, for example, greed, jealousy, hatred, and the like in children, though the diseases do not necessarily endure. But how does this compare with “Original Sin,” the Christian concept which states that people are corrupt by nature? In short, though Muslim scholars of the caliber of Imam al-Ghazālī do say that diseases of the heart are related to human nature, they would also say that this manifests itself as human inclination. However, Muslims do not believe that this inclination is a result of Adam’s wrongdoing or that Adam brought upon himself, and transferred to his descendants, a permanent state of sin that can only be lifted by sacrificial blood. Adam and Eve erred, no doubt, but they then turned in penitence to God, and God accepted their repentance and forgave them both. This is the nature of God’s forgiveness. There was no blemish passed on to their progeny. The Qur’an declares that no soul bears the burden of sin of another soul (QUR’AN, 6:164). However, this fact does not negate the existence of base instincts among humans. "
― Hamza Yusuf , Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart
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" Muslim scholars have identified four essential qualities in human beings, which have been identified in earlier traditions as well. Imam al-Ghazālī and Fakhruddīn al-Rāzī adopted them, as did Imam Rāghib al-Isfahānī in his book on ethics. According to Imam al-Ghazālī, the first of them is quwwat al-ʿilm, known in Western tradition as the rational soul, which is human capacity to learn. The next one, quwwat al-ghaḍab, which may be called the irascible soul, is the capacity that relates to human emotion and anger. The third element, quwwat alshahwah, known as the concupiscent soul, is related to appetite and desire. The fourth power, quwwat al-ʿadl, harmonizes the previous three powers and keeps them in balance so that no one capacity overtakes and suppresses the others. "
― Hamza Yusuf , Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart
