Knowledge about Allah is the better of the two types of knowledge
الْعِلْمُ بِاللَّهِ أَفْضَلُ الْعِلْمَيْنِ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
Whoever knows Allah, his cognizance is complete
مَنْ عَرَفَ اللَّهَ كَمُلَتْ مَعْرِفَتُهُ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
Cognizance of Allah, the Glorified, is the highest cognizance
مَعْرِفَةُ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ أَعْلَى الْمَعَارِفِ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
Cognizance is perplexity and being devoid of it is dim-sightedness
الْمَعْرِفَةُ دَهَشٌ وَالْخُلُوُّ [الخلق] مِنْهَا غَطَشٌ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
By the intelligence of the messenger and his etiquette, the intelligence of the sender [of the message] is gauged.
بِعَقْلِ الرَّسُولِ وَأَدَبِهِ يُسْتَدَلُّ عَلَى عَقْلِ الْمُرْسِلِ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
Allah is known by the revocation of resolutions, the undoing of binds and the relieving of hardship and affliction from the one whose intention is sincere
عُرِفَ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ بِفَسْخِ الْعَزَائِمِ وَحَلِّ الْعُقُودِ وَكَشْفِ الضُّرِّ وَالْبَلِيَّةِ عَمَّنْ أَخْلَصَ لَهُ النِّيَّةَ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
For everything there is a cause
لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ سَبَبٌ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
Allah, the Glorified, did not give the intellect knowledge about the limits of His qualities, yet He did not prevent it from gaining the necessary understanding of Him
لَمْ يُطْلِعِ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ الْعُقُولَ عَلَى تَحْدِيدِ صِفَتِهِ وَلَمْ يَحْجُبْهَا عَنْ وَاجِبِ مَعْرِفَتِهِ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
He, the Glorified, can neither be confined in the intellect, thereby changing through the process of thought [or imagination], nor in the shackles of the mind, thereby becoming limited and the object of alteration
لَمْ يَتَنَاهَ سُبْحَانَهُ فِي الْعُقُولِ فَيَكُونَ فِي مَهَبِّ فِكْرِهَا مُكَيَّفاً وَلَا فِي رَوِيَّاتِ خَوَاطِرِهَا مُحَدَّداً مُصَرَّفاً
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
One who relies on personal opinion and analogy in trying to know Allah goes astray and matters become confusing for him
مَنِ اعْتَمَدَ عَلَى الرَّأْيِ وَالْقِيَاسِ فِي مَعْرِفَةِ اللَّهِ ضَلَّ وَتَشَعَّبَتْ عَلَيْهِ الْأُمُورُ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
He is Allah, the One for whom all signs of existence stand witness over the denying heart
هُوَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي تَشْهَدُ لَهُ أَعْلَامُ الْوُجُودِ عَلَى قَلْبِ ذِي الْجُحُودِ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
Allah, Great is His Majesty, is not perceived by the eyes through the sense of sight, rather He is perceived by the hearts though the realities of faith
لَا تُدْرِكُ اللَّهَ جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ الْعُيُونُ بِمُشَاهَدَةِ الْأَعْيَانِ لَكِنْ تُدْرِكُهُ الْقُلُوبُ بِحَقَائِقِ الْإِيمَانِ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
About the unity of Allah, the Exalted, he said: The depths of understanding cannot perceive Him and the heights of [intellectual] endeavors cannot reach Him
غَوْصُ الْفِطَنِ لَا يُدْرِكُهُ وَبُعْدُ الْهِمَمِ لَا يَبْلُغُهُ [لَا تَبْلُغُهُ]
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
He (‘a) said about the oneness of Allah: He is near everything but not attached, far from everything but not separate
قَرِيبٌ مِنَ الْأَشْيَاءِ غَيْرُ مَلَابِسٍ بَعِيدٌ مِنْهَا غَيْرُ مُبَايِنٍ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
He (‘a) said about the oneness of Allah, the Glorified: He is neither inside things nor outside them
لَيْسَ فِي الْأَشْيَاءِ بِوَالِجٍ وَلَا عَنْهَا بِخَارِجٍ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
Allah has not settled in anything so that it be said He exists therein, nor is He separated from anything so that it is said He is detached from it
لَمْ يَحْلُلِ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ فِي الْأَشْيَاءِ فَيَكُونَ فِيهَا كَائِناً وَلَمْ يَنْأَ عَنْهَا فَيُقَالَ هُوَ عَنْهَا بَائِنٌ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
Whoever contemplates about the essence of Allah, apostatizes
مَنْ تَفَكَّرَ فِي ذَاتِ اللَّهِ أَلْحَدَ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
One who reflects on the essence of Allah apostatizes
مَنْ تَفَكَّرَ فِي ذَاتِ اللَّهِ تَزَنْدَقَ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
One who reflects on the majesty of Allah loses hope
مَنْ تَفَكَّرَ فِي عَظَمَةِ اللَّهِ أَبْلَسَ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
He, the Glorified, was not perceived by the intellects and thus described, rather, He, the Exalted, described himself before the describers [attempted to describe Him]
لَمْ تَرَهُ سُبْحَانَهُ الْعُقُولُ فَتُخْبِرَ عَنْهُ بَلْ كَانَ تَعَالَى قَبْلَ الْوَاصِفِينَ بِهِ لَهُ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
Whoever keeps knowledge about Allah in his heart has accommodated independence from the creation of Allah in it
مَنْ سَكَنَ قَلْبَهُ الْعِلْمُ بِاللَّهِ سَكَنَهُ الْغِنَى عَنْ خَلْقِ اللَّهِ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
One who is not granted understanding by Allah, the Glorified, does not benefit from the advice of any adviser
مَنْ عَدِمَ الْفَهْمَ عَنِ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ لَمْ يَنْتَفِعْ بِمَوْعِظَةِ وَاعِظٍ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
One who is cognizant of Allah, the Glorified, will never become wretched
مَنْ عَرَفَ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ لَمْ يَشْقَ أَبَداً
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
One who believes in Allah [and attests to His oneness] is saved
مَنْ صَدَّقَ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ نَجَا
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
It behoves the one who knows Allah, the Glorified, to desire that which is with Him
يَنْبَغِي لِمَنْ عَرَفَ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ أَنْ يَرْغَبَ فِيمَا لَدَيْهِ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
Longing [for Allah and the Hereafter] is from the qualities of those who have certitude
الشَّوْقُ شِيمَةُ الْمُوقِنِينَ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech
Longing [for Allah] is the intimate companion of the Gnostics
الشَّوْقُ خُلْصَانُ الْعَارِفِينَ
Source : Ghurar Al-Hikam Wa Durar Al-Kalim, Exalted Aphorisms And Pearls Of Speech