Most of all, we must never be deceived. We must never allow ourselves to think that anything in this world succeeds, fails, is given, taken, done, or undone without Allah. It is only by our connection to our Creator that we rise or fall in life, in our relationship with our world—and with all of humanity.

Can not the One who gives life to dead land, give life to dead hearts?

Embrace life and all that God gives you-but never let it contain you. This world is too small to contain you.

Don’t you think there’s a problem when we live in a society that considers a woman’s greatest accomplishment being pretty for a man?

If there is one recipe for unhappiness it is that: expectations.

There’s something amazing about this life. The very same worldly attribute that causes us pain is also what gives us relief: Nothing here lasts. What does that mean? It means that the breathtakingly beautiful rose in my vase will wither tomorrow. It means that my youth will neglect me. But it also means that the sadness I feel today will change tomorrow. My pain will die. My laughter won’t last forever but neither will my tears. We say this life isn’t perfect. And it isn’t. It isn’t perfectly good. But, it also isn’t perfectly bad, either.

Compassion is to look beyond your own pain, to see the pain of others.