In his well-known book, Al-Hikam (Words of Wisdom), sheikh Ahmad Ibn `Ataa'illah As-Sakandari says: Allah diversified the acts of worship for you because He knows how quickly you get bored. And He did not permit you certain acts of worship at certain times so you do not go to extremes. The objective is to perfect your prayers not to merely perform them. Not every performer of prayers perfects them.
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In his well-known book, Al-Hikam (Words of Wisdom), sheikh Ahmad Ibn `Ataa'illah As-Sakandari says: You might think that He is giving you, while in reality He is depriving you! And you might think that He is depriving you, while in reality He is giving you! If through your deprivation, He opens the doors of understanding for you, then this deprivation is exactly a gift.
Read MoreIn his well-known book, Al-Hikam (Words of Wisdom), sheikh Ahmad Ibn `Ataa'illah As-Sakandari says: The tree of humiliation stems from a seed of neediness. Nothing deceives you as your illusion. You are free from what you gave up on, and you are a slave to what you are in need of.
Read MoreIn his well-known book, Al-Hikam (Words of Wisdom), sheikh Ahmad Ibn `Ataa'illah As-Sakandari says: How can the mirror of the heart shine if the material images are covering it? How can the heart journey to God if it is chained by its desires? How can the heart ever hope to enter the Divine Presence if it has not purified itself from its forgetfulness?
Read MoreIn his well-known book, Al-Hikam (Words of Wisdom), sheikh Ahmad Ibn `Ataa'illah As-Sakandari says: “Actions are like statues that only come to life with the spirit of sincerity”. Sincerity to Allah is more fundamental than relying on Allah, since it has to do with a deeper level of faith in Him, Most High. Yet, it was important to affirm our relying on Allah and hope in His Mercy, before discussing sincerity. This is because pure sincerity to Allah is so subtle and so hard to achieve without much hope in Allah's Grace and strong reliance on Him.
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