Imam Ghazali's last word

Imam Ghazali woke up one early morning and as usual offered his prayers and then enquired what day it was, his younger brother, Ahmad Ghazali replied,"Monday." He asked him to bring his white shroud, kissed it, stretched himself full length and saying "Lord, I obey willingly," breathed his last.

And underneath his head rest they found the following verses; composed by him, probably, during the night.

        "Say to my friends, when they look upon me, dead
        Weeping for me and mourning me in sorrow
        Do not believe that this corpse you see is myself
        In the name of God, I tell you, it is not I,
        I am a spirit, and this is naught but flesh
        It was my abode and my garment for a time.
        I am a treasure, by a talisman kept hid,
        Fashioned of dust, which served me as a shrine,
        I am a pearl, which has left it's shell deserted,
        I am a bird, and this body was my cage
        Whence I have now floron forth and it is left as a token
        Praise to God, who hath now set me free
        And prepared for me my place in the highest of the heaven,
        Until today I was dead, though alive in your midst.
        Now I live in truth, with the grave - clothes discarded.
        Today I hold converse with the saints above,
        With no veil between, I see God face to face.
        I look upon "Loh-i-Mahfuz" and there in I read
        Whatever was and is and all that is to be.
        Let my house fall in ruins, lay my cage in the ground,
        Cast away the talisman, it is a token, no more
        Lay aside my cloak, it was but my outer garment.
        Place them all in the grave, let them be forgotten,
        I have passed on my way and you are left behind
        Your place of abode was no deweling place for me.
        Think not that death is death, nay, it is life,
        A life that surpasses all we could dream of here,
        While in this world, here we are granted sleep,
        Death is but sleep, sleep that shall be prolonged
        Be not frightened when death draweth night,
        It is but the departure for this blessed home
        Think of the mercy and love of your Lord,
        Give thanks for His Grace and come without fear.
        What I am now, even so shall you be
        For I know that you are even as I am
        The souls of all men come forth from God
        The bodies of all are compounded alike
        Good and evil, alike it was ours
        I give you now a message of good cheer
        May God's peace and joy for evermore be yours."

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Hazrat Rabi'a al-Adawiyya al-Qaysiyya (ra) - Quotations

Hazrat Rabi'a al-Adawiyya al-Qaysiyya (ra) -Quotes

 Indeed your days are numbered, for when one day passes, a significant portion of your life has passed away. And when that portion has fled, soon it will come to pass that your whole life has disappeared. As you know this, strive always towards the performance of good deeds.

Repentance is attained by the saints with the Divine grace and it comes from the side of God who enlightens the hearts of those whom He loves. Seeking a formal forgiveness is the sin for lying. If I seek repentance of myself, I shall have need of repentance again. 

 Seclusion is the soul's ideal preparation for reaching God. It is in the state of solitude that the soul contemplates on the attributes of God. 

The best thing for a servant who desires to be near his Lord, is to possess nothing in this world or the next save Him. 

I have not served God for fear of Hell, for I should be like a wretched hireling, if I did it for fear; nor for love of Paradise, for I should be a bad servant if I served for the sake of what was given, but I have served Him only for the love of Him and out of desire for Him. 

'O God, You are aware that the sole longing of my heart is to be totally surrendered to your command. The very light of my eyes is service to Your court. If it were up to me, I would never cease serving you, even for an hour. Yet you have caused me to be subject to a creature. For this, I come late to your service.'

Hazrat Malik bin Dinar (ra) has described Hazrat Rabia (ra)'s life-style as follows:


I visited the saint. She possessed a pitcher with a crack in it which she employed both for ablutions and drinking; instead of a pillow, she used a brick. There was also an old straw mat. My heart was anguished at the sight, and I pleaded with her, 'I have wealthy friends; only indicate it and I’ll see that they regard you favourably.' 'You are wrong Malik,' she replied, 'my Provider is their Provider too, isn't He?' 'Of course,' I replied. 'Do you imagine,' she rejoined, that He has forgotten the poor because of their poverty, while assisting the rich because they are wealthy?' 'No,' I answered. 'Since He is aware of my state then,' she went on, 'what need is there to remind Him? If this is how He likes it, my, wish is one with His.'




Hazrat Rabi'a al-Adawiyya al-Qaysiyya (ra) was a Mystic Sufi saint from Iraq. She lived during the 8th Century and was born in Basra, a seaport in southern Iraq where she spent the vast majority of her life. Much of her early life is narrated by Hazrat Fariduddin Attar (ra), a later Sufi saint and poet, who used earlier sources. She did not leave any written works herself.

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