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Every moment of a Muslim’s life should be spent in

The well-being and salvation of mankind lies in the
the light of the Qur’an’s teachings, and in following
belief in God and humanism.
the example (sunnah) of the Holy Prophet.
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In the teachings of Islam, love is not a slogan but

Peace is a great blessing and love is a great force.
Faith itself. It is not a pretence but a prayer.
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When greatness incorporates the beauty of Whenever a famine of respect for humanity and
humility, it finds home in people’s hearts. love occurs, peace is in a state of turmoil.
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It is hardly a thing to go on eating without setting a

To keep the flame of knowledge alight is a
proper limit, and then crying out for weight reduction.
Muslim’s duty.
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The secret of energy and strength lies not in

eating and nutrition but rather in a bent of
mind. One’s ideas, beliefs, depth of thought and Man’s enslavement of man is an insult to humanity.
remaining alert to the call of conscience are the
real source of one’s strength and energy.
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The external face is the mirror of the internal. My Love is the truest reality of life. Love is hope and
deeds are the mirror of my conscience. hope gives energy and strength.
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Bragging about one’s honesty and goodness Life is but another name for action and
belittles and de-values it. constant endeavour.
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Education without upbringing is the negation

Retaliation of an evil with evil is itself an evil.
of education.
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A sweet tongue has always captured the hearts It is love, service, effort and honesty which make
of people. an individual and a nation great.
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To live solely for eating and drinking cannot

assuage the spirit. I have emphasized the principle
Good conduct is great power.
of one breakfast and one dinner. Eating less is a
guarantee for physical and mental health.
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A person who habituates himself to hearing lies, Telling and listening to lies undermines justice and
ends up at last telling lies himself. encourages tyranny.
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If it was necessary to struggle to gain Pakistan,

A peaceful life lies in balance and moderation,
then it is also necessary to struggle to make it
mutual tolerance, and a spirit of service.
strong and stable.
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One of the prerequisites for keeping one’s mind Uncertainty is a mire in which, if the mind gets
strong is to use it. bogged down, it loses its speed and agility.
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Knowledge, health, good conduct: Whoever possesses

Lies weaken a man while truth strengthens him.
these three treasures needs no other wealth.
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The pen is sacred. Nothing but the truth The root cause of all wrongs is escapism
should be written with it. from education. Education is mandatory in Islam.
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If a prayer-offerer does not come up to the mark

Those who light lamps for others are themselves
in good, Islamic conduct, then it means there is
rewarded with resplendent light.
something wrong in his or her worship.
 38 39

Honesty demands that if one is not sincere in

Conformity does not render any person great.
one’s dealings with the country where one is living,
It is the opposite of creativity.
one should not live in it.
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Attentiveness is the foremost condition for the

Books are orchards of fruit-laden trees of knowledge.
acquisition of knowledge.
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It is easy to acquire wealth; to spend it Reading endows us with new insights

appropriately is difficult. every moment.
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The highest source of the soul’s strength and

One who does not keep his or her tongue in check,
satisfaction is the Tahajjud prayer. It provides
ultimately has to face shame and embarrassment.
a sense of nearness to Allah. This prayer is the
Courteous talk saves one from countless enemies.
hallmark of Allah’s true worshippers.
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Pakistan’s children are our asset. Help them When one’s thought and perception are enslaved,
achieve growth and greatness and Pakistan will the whole process of constructive endeavours
also achieve growth and greatness. comes to a halt.
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One who is burning himself with the fire of hatred Without knowing one’s true self, life is without
and vengeance, can never remain healthy. meaning or purpose.
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Love for one’s country is not worship of it nor mere Hard work is the essential requisite of success, and
patriotism, but a tenet of Islam. the destiny of a man is linked with his hard work.
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To be visited and inquired about is the basic A person is known by his conversation. Polite
human right of a patient. speech is the touchstone of a person.
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Extravagance is the precursor of poverty, and

Honesty is the key to peace and well-being.
reflects a lack of thought for the future.
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Be as flowing water, which always finds a way

A slip of the tongue is always more dangerous
to move forward. Don’t be like a stone, which
than a slip of a foot.
becomes an obstacle in every path.
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It is relatively easier to reach the moon than to However small the lamp, even the cumulative
penetrate the depths of one’s being. darkness of the whole world cannot snuff it out.
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To sacrifice one’s desires for the happiness of

The right of one is the duty of another.
others is the hallmark of humanity.
Without taking action, desire does not lead to
happiness, but sorrow.
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Being healthy is a precious gift for any person, and Respect for the teacher is the first condition for
health depends on our day-to-day habits. the acquisition of knowledge.
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Arrogance is the prelude to hatred and a No one is more pitiable and helpless than one who
sign of ignorance. has no friend.
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Truth is born only when one’s heart is in unison Islam’s greatest message to mankind is the belief
with one’s tongue. in or acceptance of the oneness of God.
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Craving for knowledge is a characteristic of being

In personal life, it is the desire to progress from
human. Gold and silver are not wealth.
‘good’ to ‘better’ which raises a man to sublimity.
The real wealth is knowledge.
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Good conduct covers a wide area. Sincerity and love, good

character and good morals, propriety and modesty, honesty
and integrity, justice and fairness, compassion and generosity,
Like a balanced diet, balanced feelings are also
humility and an unassuming attitude, truthfulness and
necessary for a healthy life.
steadfastness, a sense of sacrifice, sympathy and kindness,
contentment and simplicity, soft–spokenness and
seriousness – all are encompassed within it.
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To swallow one’s anger shows courage. One who

Deep sleep is beneficial for health, and walking
lets anger get the better of him cannot be called
is excellent exercise.
an intelligent man.
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To help one another is a great virtue. A life which

Allah loves those who love His creatures.
does not help and serve others is useless.
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People have confused the word Jihad with

Only those rise to heights who are not proud ordinary warfare, whereas Jihad refers only to
and supercilious. fighting for truth and right. And this is the battle
which you should first of all fight against yourself.
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Greatness lies in self-respect and the preservation of I believe in the healing power of medicinal plants
the self is a sublime act. We should take care of both, and I have both belief and faith that they can
and protect these delicate virtues from any harm. serve to cure human ailments.
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For the mind reading, and for the body

Sycophants are not sincere.
exercise, are necessary.
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Time has been entrusted to us by Allah and its Character is a form of human beauty which
correct use is worship. will not decline.
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There is no bigger enemy than hatred, there is no

The main reason for disorder and turbulence in the
better friend than love, and there is no greater
world is the lack of law and justice.
strength than good conduct.
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To solve health problems, it is not as important to

Is it possible for a human being to be fully aware of
build hospitals and go on increasing their numbers,
the complete meaning of life without good health?
as to awaken public health consciousness and a
sense of preservation of health.
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Only slave nations indulge in grandiose

I have regarded ‘Tibb-e-Islami’ as a science, and to
celebrations; free nations are busy with research,
this day that is my way of thinking.
hoping for discoveries and progress.
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It is important to have freedom complemented

A cardinal truth does not go to waste.
by wisdom.
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The best society is one which keeps a human The rich should remember that the shroud has
being ready to serve humanity at all times. no pocket.
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Ibn-e-Khaldun’s saying holds absolutely true for

A system of education which does not help in character
us, that a society which does not give due respect
building and creating a consciousness of fellow feeling,
to knowledge and men of knowledge, can never
is flawed, purposeless, and, in fact, harmful.
achieve progress.
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When a sense of mutual respect among humans

An evil is an evil, whether it originates from a erodes, it makes way for a general disrespect of
friend or a foe. Similarly, a good action deserves humanity. As a result of that, people fall victim
praise, from whichever quarter it comes. to the disease of – metaphorically – devouring
one another.
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A book is the best companion and guide of a

I have never sought revenge from anyone. I don’t
human being. I say: Open a book and see
know how to hate anybody. I love; I respect. And
for yourself that every door to success will open
consequently, I remain happy.
of itself for you.
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I am of the opinion that even today a mosque

In human existence, the meaning and goal of life
occupies a very important place and status. If the
occupies the highest position. No one can move
mosque is imbued and activated with the entire
ahead on the highway of life without determining
spirit of Islam, we can get rid of sectarianism and
their goal.
all forms of hostility and prejudice.
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I serve humanity as a servant of health. This mission

To spread pessimism about the stability and
is not confined to Pakistan. My services are on offer
prosperity of Pakistan is our biggest crime.
to all human beings who inhabit this world.
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A true traveller is one who journeys with his

Those who do not struggle and work hard, rebel
eyes open, and does not exaggerate when he sits
against the laws of nature.
down to write an account of his journey.
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Knowledge and wisdom can grow only in a

When one hears the truth, one has the courage to
free atmosphere. Enslaved, every branch of
speak it as well.
knowledge withers.
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To dispel ignorance is one of the edicts Wherever there was unalloyed justice and a real
and examples of the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) sense of law, even tyrants could not trample on
How can a true Muslim ignore this Sunnah? the rights of the common people.
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Our sense of honour and freedom demands of us The spirit of democracy lies in mutual counselling
that we follow the path of self-reliance. and consensus.
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Islam had come to break the shackles of useless The philosophy of the Islamic art of healing (Tibb)
rituals and obscurantist customs, but these very is that the human body has a corporal as well as a
rituals and customs have been taken as Islam itself. spiritual existence. Hence, it gives due emphasis to
the laws of Nature in its scheme of things.
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The use of medicines is on the rise. This is in itself The apex of service, in my eyes, is that the one
a problem. If we can, with complete honesty, who serves should be unassuming and negate his
arrange for the supply of clean, potable water, the ego. Without this negation the status and position
health budget could be reduced. of service cannot be determined and is as nothing.
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History bears witness that a nation which Pakistan needs an intellectual revolution ------
becomes steeped in immoral ways is soon wiped a revolution which accords prime position to
off from the face of the earth. education and upbringing.
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What is Islam? It is to be religious in the daily chores

of life, to observe human rights, to follow the spirit and
The only way to pull the country out of the mire
true precepts of Islam, to consider service to humanity
of difficulties is that honest, duty-conscious and
the golden rule of Islam, to spread knowledge and
hard-working people participate in government.
wisdom, to raise the status of teachers, and to respect
knowledge and men of knowledge.
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Enlightenment does not merely serve an individual Whenever a person desires greater personal
human being alone; it provides light to the whole comfort and luxury, he will have to sacrifice his self
of humanity. and self-respect.
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Television should undoubtedly be a means of

An overwhelming love of wealth is a proof of vice entertainment but what is the harm if education,
because it always leads one towards evil. development, training and high-thinking is also
inculcated through entertainment?
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Dreams come true if the spirit to translate them Service of humanity can reach no appreciable
into reality is based on sincere feelings. height without self-negation.
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The definition of good conduct, in my lexicon, is The rise and fall of nations is directly proportional
that if someone is suffering, first priority is given to that of knowledge and wisdom. An ignorant
to alleviating his suffering. nation can never stand with its head held high.
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One must abandon pride of ancestry because it is One cannot achieve a bright and glorious future
like selling the bones of one’s forefathers. without maintaining a positive link with the past.
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Criticism means taking honest stock of both the

When desires become too intense, calamities are born.
good and the bad.
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When history is alloyed with prejudice or Every creed and religion has tried to keep ethics
partisanship, it does not remain history but and good conduct alive but, alas, ethics and conduct
becomes fiction. bear still the likeness of a flame in a wind storm.
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In the absence of love for human beings in one’s Nature does not allow any unevenness in its
heart, the sense of service can never be born. Love scales. Anyone who tries to tilt its balance will
for humanity is indispensable for social service. himself bend and break.
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Without deliberation on the genesis of existence,

The best way of completion and complement of one cannot know the truth about life. And the first
intentions and wishes is will power. phase of this is self-awareness which requires
reason and intellect.
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The remedy of poverty is to adopt it. Love Pakistan. Build Pakistan.

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*Translated into English (by Khaula Yasmin Qureshi) from

the original Urdu sayings/quotations of Shaheed Hakim
Mohammed Said. This may not be the most perfect
translation of the original text. The purpose nevertheless is
to transmit the author’s views and ideas and not to produce
a literary replica of the original.

*Published by Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Pakistan