Yasmin Mogahed Quotes

Beauty attracts beauty. If you want to know what you are, look at what you are drawn to.

We should not weep for the arriving soul - It isn't dead. We should weep instead for the one whose body is alive, but whose soul is dead because of its alienation from that which gives it life: God.

If you study your own struggles, the struggles of others, even in movies or novels you'll see the root of all their suffering is always attachments

Yes, the heart breaks. But, it also heals.

Tawakkul is having complete trust that Allah's plan is the best plan.

Compassion is to look beyond your own pain, to see the pain of others.

Be the moon in somebody's night. Be the yusr (ease), in somebody's usr (hardship).

Your beauty is in your sensitivity. Don't let anyone take it from you

Never think you can choose better for yourself than He can.

Maybe the brokenness comes to teach you how to kneel. Stop trying to 'be strong'. We cry, to heal. We feel, to stay human.

Some feel lonely because they haven't found that perfect 'companion' yet. Sometimes Allah sends everyone else away so you can find that only in Him.

With my veil I put my faith on display - rather than my beauty. My value as a human is defined by my relationship with God, not by my looks. I cover the irrelevant. And when you look at me, you don't see a body. You view me only for what I am: a servant of my Creator.
You see, as a Muslim woman, I've been liberated from a silent kind of bondage. I don't answer to the slaves of God on earth. I answer to their King.

Give. Even when you know you can get nothing back.

The one who knows himself isn't deceived by either praise or criticism.

What we so often forget is that God has honored the woman by giving her value in relation to God - not in relation to men. But as Western feminism erases God from the scene, there is no standard left - except men. As a result, the Western feminist is forced to find her value in relation to a man. And in so doing, she has accepted a faulty assumption. She has accepted that man is the standard, and thus a woman can never be a full human being until she becomes just like a man.

When a man cut his hair short, she wanted to cut her hair short. When a man joined the army, she wanted to join the army. She wanted these things for no other reason than because the "standard" had it.

And it is in that which you love most that you find the greatest test.

Be grateful for every single person who was part of your story.The ones that hurt you. The ones that helped you. Because they all taught you.

The worst part of getting close to someone is the part when you have to miss them.

Being both soft and strong is a combination very few have mastered.

When we miss a plane, lose a job, or find ourselves unable to marry the person we want, have we ever stopped to consider the possibility that it may have been for our own good? Allah tells us in the Qur'an: " ... But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not." (Qur'an, 2:216)

This world isn't perfect. That means it isn't perfectly good; but it isn't perfectly bad, either. The ease comes with the hardship. Shift the focus of what you see, and your experience of this life will change.

When you love something so much, protect what you love, and the bond between you, by making the love about Allah.

T]here is no other purpose of my existence except to know, love and get closer to God. This is the one and only reason why I was created. And this is the most essential realization, as it defines everything else I do or believe. It defines all things around me, and everything I experience in life.

When you fall in love with a work of art, you'd die to meet the artist. I am a student of the galleries of Pacific sunsets, full moon rises on the ocean, the clouds from an airplane, autumn forests in Raleigh, first fallen snows.
And I'm dying to meet the artist.

If you worshipped Muhammad, know that Muhammad is dead. But if you worshipped Allah, know that Allah never dies.

The people will come and go. Sometimes they'll be there for you. Sometimes they wont. Some will love you, some will not. This tide was never meant to be still. Step away from time to time. And know that only a heart fixed on the unmoving spot can ride the waves of this ever-changing, ever-fading life.

Growth never comes without pain and success is only a product of struggle.

When someone shows you their heart, their past, their wounds, they have entrusted you with the deepest part of themselves. It is the part of themselves that makes them uniquely beautiful. To be trusted in this way is a great honor. Guard that trust with your life.

Some people may complicate it for you, but the formula is simple: Love God more than anything else. More than your ego. More than your money. More than your desires ... More than your sleep at dawn. Love God more than anything else, and submission comes natural.
Love God more than anything else, and all goodness will follow.

When you're faced with a choice, remember this: Everything else will pass away. Your family. Your friends. Your material possessions. Your beauty. Your youth. Your life. And there is only one thing that remains. Ask yourself: Which are you chasing?

Some hearts understand each other, even in silence.

Today, we're no longer just 'Muslim'. We're 'progressives', 'Islamists', 'traditionalists', 'salafis', 'indigenous', and 'immigrants'. And each group has become so alienated from the other, that we've almost forgotten that we share a common creed.

If you want this life to stop breaking your heart, stop giving your heart to this life.

Don't get attached to moments. Good or bad, they all pass.

Beware of what you let enter your heart. There will come a day when you'd give anything to remove it.

Sometimes you search so hard for words. You look for a way to interpret the language of this heart and the unspoken bond you feel. But in the end you are left with nothing but silence. And deep down you hope it's understood.

After years of falling into the same pattern of disappointments and heartbreak, I finally began to realize something profound. I had always thought that love of dunya meant being attached to material things. And I was not attached to material things. I was attached to people. I was attached to moments. I was attached to emotions. So I thought that the love of dunya just did not apply to me. What I didn't realize was that people, moments, emotions are all a part of dunya. What I didn't realize is that all the pain I had experienced in life was due to one thing, and one thing only: love of dunya.

Sometimes this world comes between us and what we love. But if we are patient, when this world passes away, there will be no more separation.

She stood up. Something inside her had changed. "It was finally time," she thought.
It was finally time to leave the past in the past. And move on.
She took her first step. It felt like walking for the first time. It was strange to not be chained anymore.
It felt like life. Like hope. Like happiness.

In dunya, the image is always better than the reality. In Jennah, the Reality is better than any image ever could be.

Embrace life and all that God gives you-but never let it contain you. This world is too small to contain you.

Do you struggle with confusion? Not knowing which way to go? Here's why: We turn to means (help of creation, our own mind) before turning to God.

Be careful about wanting what others have. There is always a price. Perhaps God didn't give it to you, because He knew you wouldn't be able to pay it.

Never lose hope. Stay close to Allah and when you mess up, go back to Him. Never, ever stop going back to Him. Repent often. Cry to Allah. And hold on tight-with your life-to His remembrance and to prayer. If you do this, you may get wet, but insha Allah never drown in this ocean of dunya.

Everything in this life is only a glimpse of the real thing. Love, beauty, pleasure, even pain in its true essence is only in the next.

Any beauty you see in me is only a reflection of Him, any ugliness, a reflection of my self.

Your heart is sacred land. Don't let just anything enter it. Guard it with your life.

Sometimes the gifts of God aren't wrapped as we expect.

In His infinite mercy, Allah has
sent the light of Ramadan to erase the night. He has sent the month of the Qur'an so that He might
elevate us and bring us from our isolation to His nearness.

Speak your heart. If they don't understand, the message was never meant for them anyway.

There's a special place in my heart for the ones who were with me at my lowest and still loved me when I wasn't very loveable.

God tells me to cover myself, to hide my beauty and to tell the world that I'm not here to please men with my body; I'm here to please God. God elevates the dignity of a woman's body by commanding that it be respected and covered, shown only to the deserving - only to the man I marry.

I know you feel worn and tired. I know you're tired of failing. Rest, but don't stop. You can do this. You got this.
Not because you're strong, but because He's your strength.

If you want to kill something, neglect it. It happens in both good and bad. Neglect a relationship, it dies. Neglect your iman, it dies. But the same principal applies when you want to kill something like a thought or a desire. Neglect it, it dies.

Sometimes I think life's only mission is to bring us to our knees ... the perfect position to seek God.

Ignoring a Reality doesn't make it less Real. It's still going to happen. Being unprepared for something doesn't stop it from happening.

People think it's the mind that drives us. It is the heart. The mind is a slave to the heart. So check the condition of the heart.

What kind of Muslim are you? The question seems odd, but for those who seek to divide and conquer Islam, the answer has become increasingly important. Even more disturbing are the labels we assign ourselves.

As a result, we create our own camps, attend only our own gatherings and conferences; soon enough, we're talking only to those who agree with us. Dialogue within the ummah disappears, our differences become only more polarized and our views become more extreme.

But, once in a while, people enter your life that you love - not for what they give you - but for what they are. The beauty you see in them is a reflection of the Creator, so you love them. Now suddenly it isn't about what you're getting, but rather what you can give. This is unselfish love.

Real love brings about calm - not inner torment. True love allows you to be at peace with yourself and with God. That is why Allah says: "that you may dwell in tranquility." Hawa is the opposite. Hawa will make you miserable. And just like a drug, you will crave it always, but never be satisfied. You will chase it to your own detriment, but never reach it.

Ya Allah, envelop our hearts with a shield of your light and mercy, so the pain doesn't penetrate.

Once in a while, people enter our lives and lessen the loneliness of being away from Home.

But, this dark place is not the end. Remember that the darkness of night precedes the dawn. And as long as your heart still beats, this is not the death of it. You don't have to die here. Sometimes, the ocean floor is only a stop on the journey. And it is when you are at this lowest point, that you are faced with a choice. You can stay there at the bottom, until you drown. Or you can gather pearls and rise back up - stronger from the swim, and richer from the jewels.

The human currency of praise is Monopoly money. It feels great for a moment to collect, but when the game is over, it's worthless.

When you Rectify your Relationship with the Creator, He Rectifies your relationship with All of the Creation.

There is meaning in all things. But are you paying attention?

I get it. Allah put me through it first so I could rise back up and help those around me. He trains you first. Then He sends the people to you and you to the people.

Salah is the first thing we will be asked about on the Day of Judgment, and yet it is the last thing that is on our mind.

Let go of your grudges. Let the bitterness die tonight. Make a decision today that it's time to move on. And begin again. New, this time. Never forget that what has passed you by was never meant to befall you. And what has befallen you, was never meant to pass you by. Know that sometimes Allah withholds from you, in order to give you something better. Keep your heart focused on Him, and He will take care of the rest. And remember: you will stumble, but that's part of the path. Keep going. Keep rising, and refuse to give up.

It's easy to minimize a person's hurt without understanding the nature of pain. People often like to categorize how much a person should or shouldn't hurt about things. For example, when someone is upset about something, they say, "At least you're not paralyzed, or starving in Africa." While it's imperative to be grateful for what we have, I think people often mistaken the nature of pain, when they 'categorize' in this way. The criteria for how much something hurts is not dependent on the thing itself. It is dependent on 2 things:
1. The strength of the attachment.
2. The level of Divine help.
Therefore to minimize the devastation of pain:
1. Don't be attached to (dependent on) temporary things.
2. Seek Divine help.
And don't assign judgement for people's pain.

You can't run in more than one direction at a time. And you will only run in the direction you are facing. So if your heart is facing anything other than Allah, it isn't Him you're running towards.

We die as we lived. Whatever was most important in life, will consume us at death. Whatever attachments we had will become evident then.

If you seek Him, God can raise you up, and replace the darkness of the ocean, with the light of His Sun.

What's given to dunya is lost forever. What's
given to Allah is never lost. If you give what
you love, for the sake of what He loves, you'll
have what you love forever.

Tear your heart out of your chest. And hand it to God. There is no other healing. I swear, there is no other healing.

Before anything can break your heart, it must first own your heart. Stop handing your heart to dunya-it'll stop breaking it.

Be grateful for the wound that pushes you towards God.

They say you don't get over someone until you find someone or something better. As humans, we don't deal well with emptiness. Any empty space must be filled. Immediately. The pain of emptiness is too strong. It compels the victim to fill that place. A single moment with that empty spot causes excruciating pain. That's why we run from distraction to distraction - and from attachment to attachment.

I think we all carry within us different versions of ourselves. Our true, greatest, most honest versions of ourselves can either be developed and nourished, or it can remain dead from neglect. Most people opt for the easiest version rather than the best.
But in the end which version lives, which version thrives and which version dies, depends on the choices we make and the people in our lives.

This world cannot break you - unless you give it permission. And it cannot own you unless you hand it the keys - unless you give it your heart. And so, if you have handed those keys to dunya for a while - take them back. This isn't the End. You don't have to die here. Reclaim your heart and place it with its rightful owner:
God.

There are internal chains and external chains. All the external chains in the world won't enslave you, if you are free inside. And all the external 'freedom' in the world won't liberate you, if you are chained inside.
Let go. And you'll know Freedom.

And while it's nice of you to want to call us 'modern' or 'moderate,' we'll do without the redundancy. Islam is by definition moderate, so the more strictly we adhere to its fundamentals - the more moderate we'll be. And Islam is by nature timeless and universal, so if we're truly Islamic - we'll always be modern.
We're not 'Progressives'; we're not 'Conservatives'. We're not 'neo-Salafi'; we're not 'Islamists'. We're not 'Traditionalists'; we're not 'Wahabis'. We're not 'Immigrants' and we're not 'Indigenous'. Thanks, but we'll do without your prefix.
We're just Muslim.

Your worship is not a gift from you to God. It is
a gift from God to you.

Stop trying to make this life into what it cannot and never was intended to be: jennah. Only then will it stop breaking your heart.

Don't think being 'religious' means becoming harsh or hard. When Allah enters a heart, He softens it
He doesn't harden it.

Do your part, but stop trying to steer your destiny. You're not in charge.

There's something amazing about this life. The very same worldly attribute that causes us pain is also what gives us relief: Nothing here lasts. What does that mean? It means that the breathtakingly beautiful rose in my vase will wither tomorrow. It means that my youth will neglect me. But it also means that the sadness I feel today will change tomorrow. My pain will die. My laughter won't last forever but neither will my tears. We say this life isn't perfect. And it isn't. It isn't perfectly good. But, it also isn't perfectly bad, either.

With the withering of the rose, and with each fallen petal, Allah is reminding us that everything here is passing away. He is reminding us that nothing in this world will remain, except for Allah.

So often we think that Allah only tests us with hardships, but this isn't true. Allah also tests with ease. He tests us with na`im (blessings) and with the things we love, and it is often in these tests that so many of us fail. We fail because when Allah gives us these blessings, we unwittingly turn them into false idols of the heart.

We often wonder why God gives and takes, constricts and expands. What we forget is that human beings understand things by their opposites. Without dark, we can't understand light. Without hardship, we wouldn't *experience* ease. Without the existence of deprivation and loss, we couldn't grasp the need for gratitude or the virtue of patience. And without separation, we wouldn't taste the sweetness of reunion. Glory be to the one who gives - even when He takes.

Just as storms change the landscape of the earth, our hardships change the landscape of the heart.

If it's a slip or even a fall in your deen (religion), don't let shaytan (satan) deceive you. Let the slip make you witness His mercy in a more experiential and deep way. And then seek that mercy to save you from your sins and your own transgression against yourself.

When the pain overtakes you, reach inside. Gather the broken pieces, and hand them to God. Ask Him to remake your heart. Different, this time. Stronger. More beautiful. This is how we are made, and remade by the Maker.

Everything you have is on loan. Foolish is the one who gets attached to a loan.

Sometimes people have nothing to say because they're too empty.
And sometimes people have nothing to say because they're too full.

You've been given status today, but never forget where you came from. You came from dirt and will return to dirt. You will be on that day as you began: just you and Him.

My sisters, let's tell 'fashion' we love Allah more!

I tell you to keep going, not because it's easy. Not because it doesn't hurt. I tell you to keep going because there's no other way. To stop is to die. Life is in motion. In growth. In change. Life is in seeking and in finding. Life is in redemption. Each moment is a new birth. A new chance to come back, to get it right.
A new chance to make it better.

Time of difficulty test our faith, our fortitude and our strenght. During these times, the level of our imaan becomes manifest