Idries Shah Quotes

Saying of the ProphetHelping othersI order you to assist any oppressed person, whether he is a Muslim or not.

Teaching:One hour's teaching is better than a whole night of prayer.Saying of the Prophet

Saying of the ProphetMonkishnessNo monkery in Islam.

Saying of the ProphetObligation to LearnThe pursuit of knowledge is obligatory on every Muslim.

Saying of the ProphetTruthSpeaking the truth to the unjust is the best of holy wars.

Saying of the ProphetTHE PEOPLEIt is the people who are God's family.(Muhammad the Prophet)

Saying of the ProphetSome behaviourI am like a man who has lighted a fire, and all the creeping things have rushed to burn themselves in it.

Saying of the ProphetThe BequestI have nothing to leave you except my family.

Saying of the ProphetFoodNobody has eaten better food than that won by his own labour.

Saying of the ProphetAccusationsAnyone reviling a brother for a sin will not himself die before committing it.

Saying of the Prophet.Lies, promises, trustHe is not of mine who lies, breaks a promise or fails in his trust.

Saying of the ProphetTasksWhoever makes all his tasks one task, God will help him in his other concerns.

Saying of the ProphetPracticeWho are the learned? Those who put into practice what they know.

Saying of the ProphetOppressionWhen oppression exists, even the bird dies in its nest.

Helping othersI order you to assist any oppressed person, whether he is a Moslem or not.

Saying of the ProphetDistributionGod it is who gives: I am only a distributor.

Saying of the ProphetWomenWomen are the twin-halves of men.

Saying of the ProphetReflectionThe Faithful are mirrors, one to the other.

Saying of the ProphetPrivacyWhoever invades people´s privacy corrupts them.

Saying of the ProphetLoveDo you think you love your Creator? Love your fellow-creature first.

Saying of the ProphetObjectsIt is your attachment to objects which make you blind and deaf.

It is not 'Have I got a chance?' It is more often: 'Have I seen my chance?

If you will not reprove yourself, ’ Saadi says, ‘you will not welcome reproof from another.

Whoever is to be wise despises himself. Only the ignorant trust their own judgement.

Great men are great until they know it. Saints are holy until they know it.

The major barrier to understanding is wishful thinking and following that which pleases one.

A Sufi has a right to be served, but he has no right to demand. Maruf Karkhi of Khorasan

Form is useful, but it is secondary.

That which is capable of perceiving objective reality is, in Sufism, the human soul (ruh).

All forms are limited. Some of the limitations are time, place, culture, language.

Careful preparation is necessary before people can perceive something which is there all the time.

Sandals. The Sufi teacher Ghulam-Shah was asked what pattern he used in formulating his courses for disciples. He said: 'Barefoot until you can get sandals, sandals until you can manage boots.

Angels are the powers hidden in the faculties and organs of man

He who sleeps on the Road will lose either his hat or his head.

Before the antidote arrives from Iraq The man with snake-bite will be dead.

The bowl is warmer than the soup.

There are as many paths to Truth as there are souls of men.

Sufism is the essence of all religions.

SOVEREIGNTYSovereignty is a wind of change. (Hariri)

The hearts of the noble are the graves of confidences.

He who is fortunately enlightened [the Sufi]Knows that sophistry is from the devil and love from Adam.

Satisfaction is a treasure which does not decay.Proverb

Nothing can defile the Sufi, and he in fact purifies everything.” Abu-Turab al-Nakhsabi.

Rumi himself once said that counterfeit gold is only to be found because there is such a thing as real gold to be copied.

Hariri says, in his Maqamat: ‘Safety is on the river’s BANK.

The skilled artisan uses the same iron to make a horseshoeAs he does for a polished mirror for the King.

The great poet Hafiz says that you should dye your prayer-carpet with wine if your teacher tells you to do so.

Everything man needs is in the world.

God provides the food, men provide the cooks.

Q: How can I help myself?A: By remembering the proverb: ‘The Path is not to be found anywhere except in human service’, from Saadi.