The Sunday Guardian

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan I The Sunday Guardian I March 15, 2015

The literal meaning of sabr, the Arabic word for patience, is "to stop". A life of faith is a principled one. A believer lives for a certain purpose. He does not take any step as an emotionally-driven reaction. When faced with any situation, he stops and thinks about what response he should make that is in accordance with his principles and purpose in life, distinguishing this clearly from responses that militate against his principles and purpose. In this way, he exercises sabr or patience.

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan I The Sunday Guardian I March 8, 2015

Who is a complete person? He is someone in whom the human attributes are found in the fullest possible manner.

He embodies these attributes to the maximum possible extent, attributes that God has given in potential form to every single human being. Such a person has a balanced character. He is free from psychological complexes. He lets his conscience prevail over his ego in every situation, until he becomes an emblem of a soul at peace.

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan I The Sunday Guardian I March 1, 2015

A scholar very rightly says, "If there is a collection of hadith in a person's house, it is as though there were in his house the Prophet, speaking to him." This means that if you open, with earnestness, a book of Hadith and read the sayings of the Prophet, you will feel that the Prophet is directly talking to you and giving you guidance.

The same is true about the companionship of the Prophet.

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan I The Sunday Guardian I February 22, 2015

There are two distinct ways of addressing people. One way is to address their minds, so that this helps engender in them new thinking.

The other way is to pander to their emotions — to deliver what people might think to be "fine" speeches, but which cause no positive transformation at all in their lives.