Amina M > Amina's Quotes

“Mi smo ničiji. Uvijek smo na nekoj međi, uvijek nečiji miraz. Vjekovima mi se tražimo i prepoznajemo, uskoro nećemo znati ko smo. Živimo na razmeđu svjetova, na granici naroda, uvijek krivi nekome. Na nama se lome talasi istorije kao na grebenu. Otrgnuti smo, a neprihvaćeni. Ko rukavac što ga je bujica odvojila od majke pa nema više ni toka, ni ušća, suviše malen da bude jezero, suviše velik da ga zemlja upije. Drugi nam čine čast da idemo pod njihovom zastavom jer svoju nemamo. Mame nas kad smo potrebni, a odbacuju kad odslužimo. Nesreća je što smo zavoljeli ovu svoju mrtvaju i nećemo iz nje, a sve se plaća pa i ova ljubav. Svako misli da će nadmudriti sve ostale i u tome je naša nesreća. Kakvi su ljudi Bosanci? To su najzamršeniji ljudi na svijetu, ni s kim se istorija nije tako pošalila kao sa Bosnom. Juče smo bili ono što danas želimo da zaboravimo, a nismo postali ni nešto drugo. S nejasnim osjećajem stida zbog krivice i otpadništva, nećemo da gledamo unazad, a nemamo kad da gledamo unaprijed. Zar smo mi slučajno tako pretjerano meki i surovi, raznježeni i tvrdi. Zar se slučajno zaklanjamo za ljubav kao jedinu izvjesnost u ovoj neodređenosti, zašto? Zato što nam nije svejedno. A kad nam nije svejedno znači da smo pošteni. A kad smo pošteni, svaka čast našoj ludosti !”
― Mesa Selimovic, Tvrđava

“I’ve had thousands of problems in my life. Most of which never actually happened.”
― Hamza Yusuf, Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart

“The heart also needs to breathe, and the breath of the heart is none other than the remembrance of God.”
― Hamza Yusuf, Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart

“None of you has achieved faith until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”
― Hamza Yusuf, Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart

“Meanwhile, life passes on and time runs out. The culture of wanting more simply for the sake of more can occupy a person for an entire lifetime. But in the end, life is over. It terminates for the beggar and the affluent just the same, whether one is old or young, rich or poor, happy or sad.”
― Hamza Yusuf, Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart

“The Prophet once said to his Companions, “Do you want to see a man of Paradise?” A man then passed by, and the Prophet said, “That man is of the people of Paradise.” One of Companion of the Prophet wanted to find out what it was about this man that earned him such a commendation from the Messenger of God , so he decided to spend some time with this man and observe him closely. He noticed that this man did not perform the night prayer vigil (tahajjud) or do anything extraordinary. He appeared to be an average man of Medina. The Companion finally told the man what the Prophet had said about him and asked if he did anything special. The man replied, “The only thing that I can think of, other than what everybody else does, is that I make sure that I never sleep with any rancor in my heart towards another.” That was his secret.”
― Hamza Yusuf, Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart

“It is a privilege to be in a position to offer charity and an honor to fulfill a divine obligation.”
― Hamza Yusuf, Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart

“It is interesting to observe in traditional cultures, especially in the Muslim world, that the marketplaces are comprised of rows of businesses dealing with the same product. In America, many would consider it foolish to open a business in proximity to another business already selling the same product. In Damascus, everyone knows where the marketplace for clothing is. There are dozens of stores strung together selling virtually the same material and fashions. Not only are the stores together, but when the time for prayer comes, the merchants pray together. They often attend the same study circles, have the same teachers, and are the best of friends. It used to be that when one person sold enough for the day, he would shut down, go home, and allow other merchants to get what they need. This is not make-believe or part of a utopian world. It actually happened. It is hard to believe that there were people like that on the planet. They exist to this day, but to a lesser extent. They are now old, and many of their sons have not embraced the beauty of that way of doing business.”
― Hamza Yusuf, Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart

“Everybody wants to change the world yet no one wants to change themselves.”
― Hamza Yusuf

“anything that we see in creation is due to reflected light. And all light comes from God.”
― Hamza Yusuf, Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart

“The Prophet said:        Be mindful of God, and God will protect you. Be mindful of God, and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask of God. If you seek help, seek help from God. Know that if the whole world were to gather together to benefit you with anything, it would benefit you only with something that God had already prescribed for you. And if the whole world were to gather together to harm you, it would harm you only with something that God had already prescribed for you. The pens have been lifted, and the ink has dried.”
― Hamza Yusuf, Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart

“But he was also known for being a lion. Once the Prophet was teaching a group of Qurayshī women. When they noticed that ʿUmar was coming, the women fled into another room. This was before the commandment for ḥijāb was revealed. ʿUmar came to the Prophet and saw that he was amused. ʿUmar asked the Prophet about what had amused him. The Prophet said, “It is these Qurayshī women: when they see you, they flee.” The Prophet called back the women, whereupon ʿUmar asked them, “How is it that you flee from me and you are not shy in front of the Messenger of God? He is more worthy of your shyness!” And they said, “You are harsher than the Messenger of God. He does not become angry.” And the Prophet laughed and said, “If you, ʿUmar, went down one path, Satan would take another.”
― Hamza Yusuf, Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart

“It is no coincidence that those very people who do good and who hope to do more of it are, in fact, those who reflect on death and work for the Hereafter the most, so that the Day of Judgment will be a moment of joy and light for them. It is wise to meditate on death— its throes and the various states after it. For example, one should imagine—while he or she has life and is safe—the trial of the Traverse (al-ṣirāṭ) that every soul must pass over in the Hereafter, beneath which is the awesome inferno and the screams and anguish of those evildoers who already have been cast therein.”
― Hamza Yusuf, Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart

“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”
― Kahlil Gibran

“It takes a minute to have a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone... but it takes a lifetime to forget someone.”
― Kahlil Gibran

“I think most of humankind would agree, the hard part of high school is the people.”
― Barbara Kingsolver, Demon Copperhead

“Never be mean in anything. Never be false. Never be cruel. I can always be hopeful of you.”
― Barbara Kingsolver, Demon Copperhead

“The most dangerous heart disease:
strong memory”
― Nizar Qabbani

“Svijet je jedno veliko tkanje, i u njemu je sve slučajno. Ne postoje zakonitosti, ne postoje pravila. U tom tkanju mi smo niti i čvorići, linije koje se neshvatljivom logikom, u kojoj možda ima i reda, ali je on više od vrste, linije koje se, dakle, stalno susreću i razilaze, upliću i raspliću. Ponekad u tom stalnom izatkavanju bude ravnoteže. Jer, ni jedna se nit ne može zategnuti i uplesti dok se neka druga ne rasplete i opusti. Ali, kao što smo rekli, slučaj je ono što određuje takve stvari.”
― Karim Zaimović, Tajna džema od malina

“Koliko puta ste poželjeli da vas nema, da izmaknete tuđim pogledima, da bar za tren budete skriveni od tuđih razmišljanja i sudova? Koliko ste puta, dakle, poželjeli da budete nevidljivi, dostupni i spoznatljivi samo sebi? Nevidljivost, fantazija rasplamtjele mašte, nevidljivost kao jeftina dosjetka iz starih naučno-fantastičnih i horor filmova. I tu se stvar završava. Svijet, i mi u njemu, uvijek će ostati vidljiv, možda i previše vidljiv, i dok se probijamo kroz njegovu iritirajuću očitost, samo ponekad pomislit ćemo kako bi dobro bilo biti nevidljiv.”
― Karim Zaimović, Tajna džema od malina

“Arabs, for example, are thought of as camel-riding, terroristic, hook-nosed, venal lechers whose undeserved wealth is an affront to real civilization. Always there lurks the assumption that although the Western consumer belongs to a numerical minority, he is entitled either to own or to expend (or both) the majority of the world resources. Why? Because he, unlike the Oriental, is a true human being.”
― Edward W. Said, Orientalism

“It's not about where you belong, it's about what belongs to you," I told her...I was twenty-seven (and a half) and Sarajevo belonged to me.”
― Aleksandar Hemon, The Book of My Lives

“We often wait for kindness...but being kind to yourself can start now.”
― Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

“I think everyone is just trying to get home.”
― Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

“D’you know what happens when you hurt people?’ Ammu said. ‘When you hurt people, they begin to love you less. That’s what careless words do. They make people love you a little less.”
― Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things

“Books change us. Books save us. I know this because it happened to me.”
― Elif Shafak

“Books, it seems to me, do not end, even when we are finished reading them.”
― Elif Shafak, There Are Rivers in the Sky

“...one should be kind to every living being, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, for you can never know in what shape or form you or a loved one will be reborn.”
― Shafak Elif, There Are Rivers in the Sky

“Trebalo bi dati
Nobela
onome
koji je izmislio
trešnju”
― Semezdin Mehmedinović, Knjiga prozora

“Humanism is the only - I would go so far as saying the final- resistance we have against the inhuman practices and injustices that disfigure human history.”
― Edward W. Said