When you oppose the shaykh, it's like the slave who kills himself over a quarrel with his master. 'Hey, why are you killing yourself over a quarrel?' He says, 'So my master will suffer loss.'
Shams TabriziThe salat can be made up for, but there is no making up for false show or outward worship without presence.
Shams TabriziBeing the companion of the folk of this world is fire. There must be an Abraham if the fire is not going to burn [you].
Shams TabriziNothing kills the soul that commands to evil (Nafs al Ammarra) like seeing the beauty of the heart.
Shams TabriziIf you want to change the way others treat you, you should first change the way you treat yourself. Unless you learn to love yourself, fully and sincerely, there is no way you can be loved. Once you achieve that stage, however, be thankful for every thorn that others might throw at you. It is a sign that you will soon be showered in roses.
Shams TabriziIf a person claims that he really loves someone, evidence is asked from him. And that evidence is the giving away of possessions, the granting of favors. Just as when Mevlana claimed that he loved me, when I came he granted me thousands of favors and protected me. I regard these all as a grace from God.
Shams Tabrizi