The worst of guardians is a cruel ruler. Beware of becoming one of them.
MuhammadRead
There are many doors to goodness. (Saying) 'glory to God,' 'praise be to God,' 'there is no deity but God,' enjoining good, forbidding evil, removing harm from the road, listening to the deaf (until you understand them), leading the blind, guiding one to the object of his need, hurrying with the strength of one's legs to one in sorrow who is asking for help, and supporting the weak with the strength of one's arms - all of these are (forms of) charity prescribed for you.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the diverse ways in which one can practice goodness and charity, revealing that kindness takes many forms.
This quote highlights the multitude of paths one can take towards goodness, illustrating that charitable acts are not limited to a single definition. It encourages individuals to engage in various forms of altruism and compassion, whether through spiritual expressions, aiding the needy, or supporting those in distress, reinforcing the idea that every act of kindness contributes to a greater good.
In practice
In a speech about community service, one could quote this to highlight the importance of helping others.
The worst of guardians is a cruel ruler. Beware of becoming one of them.
It is better to sit alone than in company with the bad, and it is better still to sit with the good than alone. It is better to speak to a seeker of knowledge than to remain silent, but silence is better than idle words.
In Paradise there are things which no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has thought of.
It is not within the character of a believer to curse, to damn, to speak or act improperly.
There will be no hatred or resentment among them, their hearts will be as one, and they will glorify God, morning and evening.
The best jihad is to speak a word of justice to an oppressive ruler.
I like to change liquor stores frequently because the clerks got to know your habits if you went in night and day and bought huge quantities. I could feel them wondering why I wasn't dead yet and it made me uncomfortable. They probably weren't thinking any such thing, but then a man gets paranoid when he has 300 hangovers a year.
Every individual matters and has a role to play in this life on Earth.
Everything in life is a metaphor.
Every single one of us is a little civilization built on the ruins of any number of preceding civilizations, but with our own variant notions of what is beautiful and what is acceptable - which, I haste to add, we generally do not satisfy and by which we struggle to live.
Watch, O Lord, with those who wake, or watch or weep tonight, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend your sick ones, O Lord Jesus Christ; rest your weary ones; bless your dying ones; soothe your suffering ones; pity your afflicted ones; shield your joyous ones; and all for your love's sake. Amen.
In Kabbalah, as in the Hassidic tradition, you cure the body, but you fix the soul. Curing takes time, but fixing, if you know how to do it, is immediate.
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