My Quotes

By Wael Abdelgawad, Hanan Bilal, Imam Zaid Shakir and Others

1 The Prophet Muhammad (s) said: “Be kind, for whenever kindness becomes part of something, it beautifies it. Whenever it is taken from something, it leaves it tarnished.” – Imam Bukhari‟s Book of Muslim Manners.

2 Abdullah bin Al-Haarith said, “I didn‟t see anyone who smiled more than the Messenger of Allah (s).” – (At-Tirmithee, 3641).

3 “Allah. It all starts with Him – the universe, humanity, and our own conception – and it all comes back to Him in the end. There‟s no victory without Him, no progress, no peace. Strengthen your relationship with Him in the easy times, and you will find Him beside you in the hard times.” – Wael Abdelgawad

4 “Allah (God) is an exponential word.” – Imam Zaid Shakir

5 “Keep your head up, forge forward fee-sabeel-illah, keep praying, learning, thinking, following your dreams, and loving the people in your life. It‟s all worth it, it all matters and makes a difference. Every single thing you do is meaningful, even when you don‟t see it. You are my brothers, my sisters, my heroes.” – Wael Abdelgawad

6 “When you‟re out of ideas, that‟s when faith comes in. Let Allah show you the way.” – Wael Abdelgawad

7 “No one should ever be depressed by his or her worldly situation as long as he or she is walking on the path leading to Paradise. Attaining Paradise is the great objective of this life, and the person who gains it is victorious, regardless of what he achieved in the world.” – Imam Zaid Shakir

8 Allah has a beautiful plan for every woman and man. Trust Allah and pray and He will light the way. - Wael Abdelgawad

9 “When I am feeling low and downtrodden I just find a quiet place and sit alone with my favorite book (the Quran)! When I turn each of its miraculous pages my heart begins to feel lighter and the world around me brighter! The love, warmth and security of each word sets in and it is in these very moments that I know for sure in my heart how much Allah really loves me! Alhamdulillah! Subhanallah! Allahu Akbar!” – Asmaa Deanna-Dee

10 “„Oh, but what‟s the use of trying to be a good Muslim when I end up sinning again and again?‟… Well, what‟s the use of bathing when you get dirty again and again? Salat (prayer) is a purifier. Though you sin again and again, keep returning to Allah for purification. Fasting is a purifier, Zakat is a purifier, Hajj is a purifier… We can use the same analogy for hope and motivation. We have to keep finding them again and again. That‟s the nature of life.” – Wael Abdelgawad

11 “Try to become an embodiment of compassion and mercy in your daily life. Do not wait for a situation to occur that will call out these virtues in you. Rather, seek out opportunities where you can manifest them along with all of the other prophetic virtues. Do not live your life passively waiting to be used, roused or stimulated into action by events. Live an active life wherein you become the one who is initiating acts of goodness and kindness in all that you do. Be an embodiment of the truth you represent. Let your words and comportment convey the dignity of the believer to all that you meet.” – Imam Zaid Shakir

12 “Wash your heart every morning with salat, then warm it up with dhikr. Approach life with hope and faith. Every day do your best, Allah will do the rest.” – Wael Abdelgawad

13

“God is truly AWESOME! I see the POWER of GOD moving in MY LIFE, in my families‟ lives, in the world….GOD has GREAT things in store for us. All we have to do is submit and accept GOD‟s direction for our lives. I accept!” – Hanan K. Bilal

14 “I believe in Allah because He believes in me… and in you too. He made us Muslim, didn‟t He? That is a gift and a blessing. So believe in His plan for you, because He believes in you, He has faith in you, He has a purpose for you.” – Wael Abdelgawad

15 “Is not the help of God close by? Certainly it is. God says “Call upon Me and I will respond.” Don‟t tire on calling on Him. Don‟t despair from receiving His Mercy. Despair is a sign of disbelief.” – Imam Zaid Shakir

16 “It‟s okay to feel sad, anxious, lonely, frustrated, and confused. Feeling these emotions doesn‟t make you less of a believer. The difference between the believer and non-believer is that the believer remains patient and turns to Allah for help.” – Wael Abdelgawad

17 “Sharpen the mind, harden the body, soften the heart, and be of service to others.” – a motto for the believer, by AbdelMalik Ali.

18 “When we‟re out of ideas, surrounded by problems, and feeling totally alone… we‟re not alone. Allah is with us. If we pray sincerely and strive to the best of our capacity, He will put light in our minds and hearts and help us from directions we did not expect.” – Wael Abdelgawad

19 “We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly. Let‟s all practice having a lot more love for self and others… LOVE is a verb… it‟s an action in constant motion…. we are either loving or unloving… love starts at home with our family.” – Hanan Bilal

20 “If Allah brings you to it, He will bring you through it.” – Unknown author

21 “If we let Taqwa – Allah-consciousness – become our guide then it leads us to self-awareness and sincerity. A person who cultivates Taqwa can never be a terrorist, an oppressor, or a hypocrite. A person with true Taqwa must shed compassion as the sun sheds light.” – Wael Abdelgawad

22 “You will not believe until you are merciful to each other. Your faith is not complete until you are merciful to each other.” – Imam Zaid Shakir

23 “Even when we think we have nothing, we have Allah, and Allah is everything.” – Wael Abdelgawad

24 Let love be selfless and truth fearless; Let our breasts be flooded with light Make our hearts clear as crystal. – Muhammad Iqbal

25 “One of Allah‟s names is Al-Wadood, The Most Loving, and this is appropriate because a Creator must have love in order to create works of beauty and power. Allah created you out of love. He created you with intent. He created you to succeed, not to fail, and He gave you all the tools that you need to thrive. Open your eyes and see what a miracle you are, what a thing of beauty, what a gift to the world. I see that in every person I know. Do you see it in yourself?” – Wael Abdelgawad

26 “True religion shines from the face of the believer and impresses itself on others without words. It is subsequently followed by words that are uplifting and beneficial.” – Imam Zaid Shakir

27

It‟s okay if you‟re not free from sin; Allah will forgive you, and let you in. Just turn to Him, and from your soul ask forgiveness, and make Him your goal. - Wael Abdelgawad

28 “I asked Allah for strength and Allah gave me difficulties to make me strong. I asked Allah for wisdom and Allah gave me problems to solve. I asked Allah for courage and Allah gave me obstacles to overcome. I asked Allah for love and Allah gave me troubled people to help. I asked Allah for favors and Allah gave me opportunities. Maybe I received nothing I wanted, but I received everything I needed – Alhamdulillah.” – Anonymous

29 “Forgiveness is not for the weak. Being able to forgive those who have wronged you is a mark of spiritual strength and confidence. When you forgive, you grow, your heart begins to heal, your back straightens up, your eyes clear so that you can see the road ahead. Anger is a spiritual sickness; but when you forgive you live.” – Wael Abdelgawad

30 “You are all my family. I know that you are human and imperfect. Some are confused, some struggling, some tired, needing a moment‟s rest. Tired of the rain and needing the rainbow. I love you all fee-sabeel-illah. Have no fear. Allah is with you and will not abandon you for a single heartbeat. The rainbow is coming, or maybe it‟s already here and all you need to do is look up. ” – Wael Abdelgawad “Just know, when you truly want success, you‟ll never give up on it. No matter how bad the situation may get.” - Unknown

“Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.” – Les Brown

“I don‟t regret the things I‟ve done, I regret the things I didn‟t do when I had the chance.” – Unknown

“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” - Joshua J. Marine

“Its hard to wait around for something you know might never happen; but its harder to give up when you know its everything you want.” – Unknown

“One of the most important keys to Success is having the discipline to do what you know you should do, even when you dont feel like doing it.” - Unknown

“Good things come to those who wait… greater things come to those who get off their ass and do anything to make it happen.” - Unknown

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, or worn. It is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace & gratitude.” - Denis Waitley

“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.” – Bill Cosby

“Go where you are celebrated – not tolerated. If they can‟t see the real value of you, it‟s time for a new start.” – Unknown

Dont be afraid to stand for what you believe in, even if that means standing alone.. - Unknown

“The best revenge is massive success.” – Frank Sinatra

“Forget all the reasons it won‟t work and believe the one reason that it will.” - Unknown

“I am thankful for all of those who said NO to me. Its because of them I‟m doing it myself.” – Albert Einstein

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven‟t found it yet, keep looking. Don‟t settle.” – Steve Jobs

“Life is short, live it. Love is rare, grab it. Anger is bad, dump it. Fear is awful, face it. Memories are sweet, cherish it.” – Unknown

“When you say “It‟s hard”, it actually means “I‟m not strong enough to fight for it”. Stop saying its hard. Think positive!” - Unknown

“Life is like photography. You need the negatives to develop.” - Unknown

“Don‟t worry about failures, worry about the chances you miss when you don‟t even try.” – Jack Canfield

“The pain you feel today is the strength you feel tomorrow. For every challenge encountered there is opportunity for growth.” - Unknown

“Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.” – Farrah Gray

“The only thing that stands between you and your dream is the will to try and the belief that it is actually possible.” – Joel Brown

“Self confidence is the most attractive quality a person can have. how can anyone see how awesome you are if you can‟t see it yourself?” – Unknown

“We learn something from everyone who passes through our lives.. Some lessons are painful, some are painless.. but, all are priceless.” - Unknown

“Being happy doesn‟t mean that everything is perfect. it means that you‟ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.” - Unknown

“Nobody ever wrote down a plan to be broke, fat, lazy, or stupid. Those things are what happen when you don‟t have a plan.” – Larry Winget

“Three things you cannot recover in life: the WORD after it‟s said, the MOMENT after it‟s missed and the TIME after it‟s gone. Be Careful!” – Unknown

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” – Carl Bard

“When the past calls, let it go to voicemail, believe me, it has nothing new to say.” - Unknown

“Rule #1 of life. Do what makes YOU happy.” - Unknown

“Walk away from anything or anyone who takes away from your joy. Life is too short to put up with fools.” – Unknown

“Love what you have. Need what you want. Accept what you receive. Give what you can. Always remember, what goes around, comes around…” – Unknwon

“Just remember there is someone out there that is more than happy with less than what you have.” – Unknown

“The biggest failure you can have in life is making the mistake of never trying at all.” – Unknown

“Life has two rules: #1 Never quit #2 Always remember rule # 1.” - Unknown

“No one is going to hand me success. I must go out & get it myself. That‟s why I‟m here. To dominate. To conquer. Both the world, and myself.” - Unknown

Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out? - From the movie "what a girl wants"

I love you. I am who I am because of you. You are every reason, every hope, and every dream I've ever had, and no matter what happens to us in the future, everyday we are together is the greatest day of my life. I will always be yours. - From The Notebook

 can either run from it, or learn from it." - Rafiki, from The Lion King

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends." - –Dumbledore, Harry Potter

The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings

peace to our minds. And that's what you've given me. That's what I'd hoped to give you forever. - Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return. - From Moulin Rouge

Do, or do not. There is no "try". - Yoda (from The Empire Strikes Back)

Love cannot be found where it doesn't exist, nor can it be hidden where it truly does. - David Schwimmer, in the movie "Kissing a Fool"

"I'm scared of everything. I'm scared of what I saw. I'm scared of what I did, of who I am.... and most of all, I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I'm with you." - "Baby" in Dirty Dancing

His Blessings & Your sins Which one is greater? Fear not Repent & return to Him And He will always accept you..