Imam Quotes

Allah, Most High, has truly blessed us. He has created just for us the mysterious spirit that He has breathed into us and by so doing distinguished us from all other physical creation. He has adorned us with our incomparable intellect, which further distinguishes us from all else in this creation. What other creature on this planet -another gift He has blessed us with- can even begin to create the likes of this Internet? Will we not stop, give thanks to our Merciful and Generous Lord? Will we not stop and realize how precious our lives are and begin to show each other more love, mercy, kindness and empathy? Will we not stop, take time, and reflect? ~ Imam Zaid Shakir

Practice makes knowledge perfect. ~ Imam Ali

Deep thinking will present the clearest picture of every problem. ~ Imam Hussain

Imam Ibn Taymiyya has also stated clearly that a person who does not have the tools of ijtihād, that is, has not spent the many years learning Arabic, mastering Usul-al-Fiqh and Uloom al-Hadith, encompassing the Quranic and Hadithic texts, has no
right to assert an opinion and that rather, he must do taqlīd. ~ Muhammad Sajaad

Imam Hussein Ibn Ali al-Shaheed said: Death with dignity is better than life with humility. ~ Allama Majlisi Biharol Anwar Vol. 44 P. 192

If you ask a Saudi Imam why women in Saudi Arabia can't drive, he'll say, 'Because Islam demands it.' But that's absurd, because - first of all - Islam demands no such thing; and secondly, the only country in the world in which women can't drive is Saudi Arabia. The inability to understand the difference between a cultural practice and religious belief is shocking among self-described intellectuals. ~ Reza Aslan

To fight against ones own desires is highest wisdom. ~ Imam Ali (Derived From Du'a Kumayl)

The leaders of the Pahlavi regime, in an attempt to forestall the rising tide of the Islamic revolutionary movement, were hard at work to cast doubt on the question of the Imam Khomeini's position as a Marja'a (a top religious authority) and in this way, undermine public faith in his academic, political and religious competence. ~ Yousef Saanei

Imam Rauf and his backers have every legal right to build their extravagant Islamic center within the lethal radius of Ground Zero. But the rest of us have the right to question why they insist on doing so. ~ Ralph Peters

Justice is better than courage as if everyone is fair to others, then there will be no need for courage. ~ Ali Ibn Abi Talib

As he continued to talk to me, I realized one of the fundamental points about Islamism that so many people fail to understand. The way Osman was speaking wasn't in the orthodox, religious way of the imam with a stick; he was talking about politics, about events that were happening now. That's crucial to understanding what Islamism is all about: it isn't a religious movement with political consequences, it is a political movement with religious consequences. ~ Maajid Nawaz

God is my best friend. I talk to God every day. And no one can tell me how to talk to God - not no imam, not no priest, not no rabbi, no pastor. ~ Eve

Indeed, Robert Jordan, the U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, noted in 2003: "We have noticed lately in influential mosques the imam has condemned terrorism and preached in favor of tolerance, then closed the sermon with 'O God, please destroy the Jews, the infidels, and all who support them.' "53 And while it was true that the Saudis managed to get Sheikh Ali bin al-Khudair, in late November 2003, to renounce his radical jihadi stance on prime-time Saudi television, 54 al-Khudair actually dealt largely with the doctrine of takfir - proclaiming Muslims to be infidels. His renunciation might help stop militant Muslim violence against other Muslims, but it simply did not address the problem of jihadi violence against Americans or others outside of Saudi Arabia. His statement seemed designed primarily to preclude attacks against the Saudi government and foreigners inside Saudi Arabia. ~ Dore Gold

We are hearing the imams that are preaching in places like the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. The imam preached there to the migrants go in to Western Europe, build your enclaves there, breed their women and do not associate or assimilate into the broader society. ~ Steve King

Praise belongs to God who appointed among those roads His month, the month of Ramadan, the month of fasting, the month of submission, the month of purity, the month of putting to test, the month of standing in prayer, in which the Quran was sent down as guidance to the people, and as clear signs of the Guidance and the Separator. ~ Imam Zayn Al 'Abidin Al-Sahifat Al-Sajjadiyya

قال الامام الشافعي رحمه الله:

من نال مني, أو علقت بذمته, أبرأته لله راجي منته, كي لا أعوق مؤمنا يوم الجزاء, أو لا أسوء محمداً في أمته

If any believer offends me or is indebted to me then I absolve them of that offense or debt seeking Allahs mercy so that I'm not an obstacle for any believer on the day of judgement and so I don't cause anxiety for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ with respect to his Ummah. ~ Imam Ash-Shafi`i

The freedom-lovers of the world mourn the sad demise of Imam Khomeini. ~ Ruhollah Khomeini

When [Imam] Samudra was tried, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, 'His lawyer, Qaidar Faisal, later delivered an official defence submission.' The defense summation praised the Taliban and its version of Islam and concluded with this telling detail: 'Mr. Faisal also quoted from American satirist Michael Moore's book Stupid White Men and other anti-western texts.' ~ David T. Hardy

شكوت إلى وكيع سوء حفظي
فأرشدني إلى ترك المعاصي
وأخبرَني بأَنّ العلمَ نورٌ
و نور الله لا يؤتاه عاصي

I complained to Waki' about my poor memory
"Give up your sins!" was his advice to me;
"For knowledge is a light from Divinity,
and the Light of God is veiled by iniquity. ~ Imam Shafi’i

To teach is to learn ~ Imam Ali

My name is Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, the former H. Rap Brown. I am a devoted servant of Allah, and an unwavering devotee to His cause. For more than 30 years, I have been tormented and persecuted by my enemies for reasons of race and belief. ~ H. Rap Brown

Deprivation or overstimulation, combined with fear and peer pressure, are the conversion tools of many religions. A loud Pentecostal service, an Evangelical revival, a fear-mongering sermon by an imam or a dark campfire service during a week of church camp are all designed to overwhelm the senses, confuse the mind and alter perceptions of reality. ~ Darrel Ray

One's obedience to God is proportionate to one's wisdom. ~ Imam Ali (Derived From Du'a Kumayl)

Just now at Magrib Salah, a very old man was standing next 2 me, he was exactly behind the imam so he must b the 1st one in the masjid, it was difficult for him to stand but he stood with shivering hands and feet using the support of a stick, while saying takbir he only raised 1 hand coz the other hand was on the stick, supporting him in standing, while in ruku, he placed the handle of the stick near his shoulder and supported his whole body on the stick, if he coming to masjid to offer salah in my time, what excuse will I give to Allah? ~ Nauman Khan

What is stupidity? "Hostility to one's powerful and efficient commander, or to someone who can harm you or benefit you ~ Imam Hussein Ibn Ali Al-Shaheed

Even the infamous 2002 Bali bombing mastermind, Imam Samudra from the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group Jamaah Islamiyah, funded his attack in which more than 200 people were murdered with the $150,000 he obtained by hacking into Western bank accounts and credit lines. Samudra was technologically savvy and while in prison wrote an autobiographical manifesto containing a chapter titled "Hacking, Why Not?" In the book, Samudra shared his hacking and "carding" techniques with his disciples, encouraging them "to take the holy war into cyberspace by attacking U.S. computers, with the particular aim of committing credit card fraud, called 'carding,' " to fund operations. ~ Marc Goodman

If you neither believe in religion nor fear the hereafter , then atleast be free from Tyranny and Arrogance". ~ Imam Hussain

The Imam posits that the treatment of wantonness is to intentionally experience hunger and to reflect seriously on death and the Hereafter. ~ Hamza Yusuf

The foolish aim at wealth ~ Imam Ali (Derived From Du'a Kumayl)

Honesty is divine language. ~ Imam Ali

I have spent more than 20 years in prison, then on one night I decided to surrender by signing all the terms and conditions of government. But suddenly I thought about Imam Hussain (as) and Karbala movement and Imam Hussain (as) gave me strength to stand for right of freedom and liberation and I did. ~ Nelson Mandela

My beloved,
I write to you from Rawalpindi, with the help of a Turkic-speaking imam, a kind man with a twinkle in his eyes and a soft spot for lovers. Now two years after I left Chinese Turkestan, I am about to embark on a solo journey there to find you, and my heart shakes with both hope and dread.
If I do not find you, then I will leave this letter in our cave, and pray that God willing, someday, as you ride by, you will be moved by an inexplicable urge to see the place where we had been so happy.
I was a fool to leave. If you can forgive me, please come and find me in Rawalpindi. Ask for Arvand the gem dealer at the British garrison, and they will know where to direct you.
I enclose a bar of chocolate, a packet of tea from Darjeeling, and all my fervent wishes for your well-being and happiness.
The one who loves you, always ~ Sherry Thomas

There is no imam but the mind, who guides by day and night. ~ Abū Al-ʿAlāʾ Al-Maʿarrī

In the year of the sun was sun eclipse,
the sun of piety,
knowledge and divinity.
The establisher of the path of Tijaniyya,
the reviver of the traditions of the chocest of Adnan.
The servant of Allah,
the Imam of the Maliki law,
and affairs are for Allah for he is the possessor. He added that Sufism is a spritual clinic with doctors who have knowledge of attending to ailments of the soul. For a sick patient who requires cure and dosses of medicine from the clinic, there is the need for him to make declaration of his sickness and acceptance of patienthood. ~ Sheikh Ibrahim Niasse Ra

O Alaah, i haven't worshiped you because of lusting of heaven or fearing of hill. I've worshiped you because you deserve to be worshiped. ~ Ali Ibn Abi Talib

The Imam throughout his life called America 'the Great Satan'. He believed that all the Muslims' problems were caused by America. ~ Ruhollah Khomeini

Many times I heard Imam Ahmad saying (when asked to give his opinion) on controversial scholarly issues 'I do not know.' ~ Abu Dawood

I had a long conversation with the imam, the Grand Imam of the Al-Azhar University, and I know how they think ... They seek peace, encounter. ~ Pope Francis

There's always this problem in society where people know they need these places for social peace, but the fundamentalists want to shut them down. Sometimes that's for economic reasons, because they want to build a supermarket there. The imam will hold a prayer and say let's get rid of the girls, but on the other hand they're all going there. ~ Michael Glawogger

Man of trust always stays in safety. ~ Imam Hussain

People are either scholars or learners, everyone else are mobs. ~ Imam Ali Bin Abi Taleb

Self conceit poisons the mind ~ Imam Ali (Derived From Du'a Kumayl)

No woman deserves to be disrespected; to be beaten up, to be called bitches or sluts. Assaulted or insulted. Even if she's a hooker. ~ Imam Shah

Praise be to Allah, who revealed the Book, controls the clouds, defeats factionalism, and says in His Book: 'But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war)'; and peace be upon our Prophet, Muhammad Bin-'Abdallah, who said: I have been sent with the sword between my hands to ensure that no one but Allah is worshipped, Allah who put my livelihood under the shadow of my spear and who inflicts humiliation and scorn on those who disobey my orders.

...All these crimes and sins committed by the Americans are a clear declaration of war on Allah, his messenger, and Muslims. And ulema have throughout Islamic history unanimously agreed that the jihad is an individual duty if the enemy destroys the Muslim countries. This was revealed by Imam Bin-Qadamah in 'Al- Mughni,' Imam al-Kisa'i in 'Al-Bada'i,' al-Qurtubi in his interpretation, and the shaykh of al-Islam in his books, where he said: 'As for the fighting to repulse [an enemy], it is aimed at defending sanctity and religion, and it is a duty as agreed [by the ulema]. Nothing is more sacred than belief except repulsing an enemy who is attacking religion and life.'

On that basis, and in compliance with Allah's order, we issue the following fatwa to all Muslims:

The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies -- civilians and military -- is an individual duty for every Muslim ~ Osama Bin Laden

To the gnarled old imam, sending his daughters out of the home - to walk in the streets, even if veiled, to sit among strangers, even if all girls - was wicked. His ~ Geraldine Brooks

Be gentle with human hearts, for when they are forced into something, they go blind. ~ Imam Ali

Love is an illness which doesn't have good nor recompense. ~ Ali Ibn Abi Talib

Imam Shatibi, amongst other jurists, has explained extensively the dangers in leaving Fiqh unregulated, saying ; ultimately, the very purpose of the Shariah - which is Takleef, (that is charging people with duties and responsibilities) would become defunct as lay people, through caprice and moral corruption, created their own desirable opinions. ~ Muhammad Sajaad

Knowledge without action is arrogance. ~ Imam Shafi’i

Imam Hussain's sacrifice is for all groups and communities, an example of the path of rightousness. ~ Edward Gibbon

Allah in the name of The Most Affectionate, the Merciful. ~ Imam Ahmed Raza Khan

To separate oneself from things of time and to connect oneself with things of eternity is highest wisdom ~ Imam Ali (Derived From Du'a Kumayl)

Make no choice upon your own authority in anything, and choose not to choose. Flee from that choice, from your flight, and from everything to Allah." Imam Shadhili ~ Ibn ʻAta' Allah Al-Iskandari

The learned man understands the ignorant for he was once ignorant himself ~ Imam Ali

My father(Imam Al-Baqir (as)) refined my manners by three statements. He said to me 'O son! A man who befriends a vile person cannot escape blame, a man who does not restrain his words will live in regret and a man who enters suspicious places will become subject to accusations. ~ Imam Al-Saqid

Someone who can not find a good friend is weak. and someone who looses a good friend is even weaker. ~ Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib

But when a faithful Muslim is alone by himself, he is not lonely. As a matter of fact being alone is prized by faithful Muslims. There is a Hadith from Imam Sajjad (A.S.) in which the Imam is quoted as saying: 'If all between the East and West were to die, I would not feel lonely as long as the Qur'an was with me. ~ Mohammad Ali Shomali

Humility is one of the nets spread by real greatness ~ Imam Ali (Derived From Du'a Kumayl)

Absorption in Imam Husayn's affairs (his life and his person, etc.), away from his missionary side is backwardness. ~ Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah

Whoever acknowledges all the Imams (PBUT), but denies the existence of the Mahdi, is like the one who acknowledges all the prophets but denies the prophet-hood of Muhammad (PBUH&HP) ~ Imam Saadeq PBUH

To me , death is nothing but happiness, and living under tyrants nothing but living in a hell. ~ Imam Hussein Ibn Ali Al-Shaheed Tohaf-al- Uqoul

As we Know we have to Die Tomorrow than its better to die in right way ~ Hazrat Imam Hussain

Imam Hussein Ibn Ali al-Shaheed was once asked: what is affluence? He said : Decreasing your wishes , and being satisfied with what is enough for you. ~ Allama Majlisi Biharol Anwar Vol. 78 P. 102

Though Afghans are renowned fighters, Colonel Imam, the officer heading the program, complained that trying to organize them was 'like weighing frogs ~ Malala Yousafzai

Once, at the end of a field trip to the Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam, the imam ended his meeting with students by saying, 'Our deepest desire is not that you become Muslim, but that you become the best Christian, the best Jew, the best person you can be. In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Thank you for coming.' Then he was gone, leaving me with a fresh case of holy envy. ~ Barbara Brown Taylor

Lecturing the assembled publicists and stylists, my mom says that if any aboriginal peoples or primitive tribe still does not celebrate her acting, that's only because those subjugated native cultures find themselves oppressed by an evil, fundamentalist form of religion. Their budding appreciation of her films is obviously being quashed by some devilish imam or patriarchal ayatollah or witch doctor. ~ Chuck Palahniuk

If a man spreads his secret with his own tongue and blames another... then he is a fool. If his own breast is too narrow to conceal his own secret, then the breast of the one in whom he places it is even narrower. ~ Imam Ash-Shafi`i

Cracking India by Bapsi Sidhwa reveals the upheaval of partition through the eyes of a child, "Lame Lenny," a young Parsi girl crippled from polio. Lenny's world is her beloved and beautiful Hindu ayah and her ayah's many Muslim admirers, the cook Imam Din, and the Untouchable gardener. ~ Nancy Pearl

Whether you are a man or woman, make sure that you see the person that you are considering to build a relationship with for who they are, not what you want them to be. ~ Imam Khalid Latif

A fatwa is a religious edict. Such edicts bind only those who seek to follow the Imam issuing them but can be regarded as an option for others seeking an alternative view. ~ Maajid Nawaz

I am an international leader, the dean of the Arab rulers, the king of kings of Africa and the imam of Muslims, and my international status does not allow me to descend to a lower level. ~ Muammar Al-Gaddafi

Get to know the right, then you would know the people of right. Right Is not measured by its men, but men are measured by their right. ~ Ali Ibn Abi Talib

I got a imam, I got a rabbi, I got a priest, I got a reverend - I got 'em all. But I don't want to be holier-than-thou. I want to help everybody and still get some (sex). ~ Mike Tyson

Never be saddened by what you lose in this world,
When you have Islam and good health with you.

If you lose something that you were rushing towards,
Then the fact that you lost it is sufficient.

لا تأس في الدنيا على فائت *** وعندك الإسلام والعافية
إن فات أمر كنت تسعى له *** ففيهما من فائت كافيه ~ Imam Al Shafi'i

This is the difference between someone whose heart is purified and sound and one whose heart is impure and corrupt. Impure people oppress, and the pure-hearted not only forgive their oppressors, but elevate them in status and character. In order to purify ourselves, we must begin to recognize this truth. This is what this book is all about - a book of self-purification and a manual of liberation. If we work on our hearts, if we actually implement what is suggested here, we'll begin to see changes in our lives, our condition, our society, and even within our own family dynamics. It is a blessing that we have this science of purification, a blessing that this teaching exists in the world today. What remains is for us to take these teachings seriously.
Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart. Translation and Commentary of Imam Mawlud's Matharat al-Qulub. Schaykh Hamza Yusuf. E-Book S. 10 ~ Hamza Yusuf

Look beyond your self-importance and pain. You will know yourself better. ~ Neamat Imam

Does the imam have a legal right to build the mosque at Ground Zero? The answer is yes. But is it the right thing to do? The answer is no. And most Americans, and most moderate Muslims, join with me in that call. ~ K. A. Paul

Words have power, which is why Imam Ali says, "Speak only when your words are more beautiful than the silence." After all, everything in existence sprouted from the vibration of the divinely uttered word "Be! And it is" (36:82). So remember, your tongue is like a knife; it can either kill like the sword of a samurai or save like the scalpel of a surgeon. ~ A. Helwa

Humility is a product of knowledge ~ Imam Ali (Derived From Du'a Kumayl)

I don't believe in 'good exposure'. It is not how I was programmed. ~ Imam Shah

Knowledge creates fear of God ~ Imam Ali

Unfortunately a religious group defines itself foremost by its creation story, the supernatural narrative that explains how humans came into existence. And this story is also the heart of tribalism. No matter how gentle and high-minded, or subtly explained, the core belief assures its members that God favors them above all others. It teaches that members of other religions worship the wrong gods, use wrong rituals, follow false prophets, and believe fantastic creation stories. There is no way around the soul-satisfying but cruel discrimination that organized religions by definition must practice among themselves. I doubt there ever has been an imam who suggested that his followers try Roman Catholicism or a priest who urged the reverse. ~ Edward O. Wilson

The ignorant man does not understand the learned for he has never been learned himself. ~ Imam Ali

Knowledge gives life to the soul ~ Imam Ali

And be aware that people fall under one of two categories: they are either your brother and sister in faith, or they are your counterpart in humanity. ~ Imam Ali Bin Abi Taleb

Priesthood, Imamhood, Pundithood often come hand in hand with tyranny. ~ Abhijit Naskar

I read, read enormously on all different fields of Islamic thought, from philosophy to Islamic literature, poetry, exegeses, knowledge of the Hadith, the teachings of the prophet. That's how I trained myself. And then I was appointed imam by a Sufi master from Istanbul, Turkey. ~ Feisal Abdul Rauf