Light Upon Light

‘Every moment Allah presents something and we are to give its due courtesy.’

—Shaykh Ebrahim Schuitema

‘Thus the process of maturation of our intent is the movement from one extreme to another—from getting it all, to giving it all.’

When we are born, we are here to get it all from another. But when we die, there is nothing left to get; we give it all, unconditionally.’

‘If you are in love with Allah, you know that Allah will never do anything to upset you.’

—Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

is not about what you want for yourself. It is about accepting and being grateful of what Allah wants for you,’

‘Your today must be better than yesterday, or else you have deteriorated’.

we have to realize that our du‘a’s for ourselves today will shape who we are tomorrow. Our du‘a’s will shape the kind of person we will become, the relationships we will have, and the lives we will one day lead. What then, will our du‘a’s be? What then, will your du‘a’s be?

We often forget that ‘Umar did not have to be like ‘Uthman in order to get the love of the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and neither did ‘Uthman have to be like ‘Umar.

Whatever the outcome of the feelings of envy we feel, in actuality the root of envy is discontentment with ourselves, and the feeling that we can only be complete if we have … (insert whatever ideal).

‘But your definition of who you are is based on others’ definition of you; In this case it’s (her) description of you. Because you have not taken the time and effort to define who you are and what you believe of yourself, everything else in your life—the people you meet and the situations you find yourself in—will always define you. Why are you allowing others to define you and determine the course of your life?’