Words That Touch the Heart from Ibn Khaldun
The wisdoms of Ibn Khaldun are a selection of brief sayings that touch the human heart, character, and inner discipline. Although each saying may appear as a simple note on its own, behind it lie fundamental issues such as the discipline of the nafs (the lower self), awareness of mortality, knowledge, adab (proper conduct), and the maturity of the qalb (the heart).
01
"Reasoning was abandoned by Muslims, and for this reason they fell into a state of humiliation."
02
"The past resembles the future more than water resembles water."
03
"Oppression is a harbinger of the destruction of civilization."
04
"City dwellers have abandoned themselves to the bed of comfort and carefreeness, have immersed themselves in happiness and abundance, and have left the task of protecting their wealth and themselves to their rulers, governors, judges, and constant guards. And they have fallen asleep with the assurance provided by the fortress walls surrounding them, and the guards and sentinels patrolling before them. No concern or warning excites them. They have no prey that might escape from their hands. They are extremely optimistic and find themselves in security. For this reason, they have laid down their arms."
05
"The human mind is like a millstone. If you do not put something new into it, it grinds itself."
06
"It is Allah (God) who decrees everything, and there is no Lord but Him."
07
"Cities also have a ruh (spirit). Over time, the people living in a city become identified in character with the spirit of the city in which they live."
08
"Even prophets, in order to overcome others, must find companions who think like themselves."
09
"Those who prohibit knowledge or occupy people with falsehood are the greatest enemies of reason and humanity."
10
"Barbarians conquer by war, but civilization conquers the conqueror by peace."
11
"Do not interfere in anyone's inner world, nor let anyone interfere in yours. Do not reveal your inner world to anyone. Keep it secret. Burn, but do not smoke."
12
"For it is a very rare situation for people to accept the perfection of others and that they are superior to themselves."
13
"The vanquished imitate the victors."
14
"A human is the child of his habits."
15
"The minds of those whose qalb (heart) are scattered cannot be united."
16
"Know that the basis of the science of logic is to prove."
17
"It is not hunger that kills a person, but the satiety to which he is accustomed."
18
"Teachers, on the path to acquiring knowledge, make their students memorize their books. However, they forget that it can only be achieved by establishing topics and issues in the mind through scientific discussions and debates."
19
"Geography is destiny."
20
"States, just like humans, are born, grow, age, and die."
21
"Mercy does not visit every heart, for it is innocent."
22
"Injustice destroys civilization."
23
"The discontented cannot establish civilization."
24
"Every mind denies what it cannot comprehend and what is beyond its power."
25
"In times of famine, what kills people is not hunger, but the satiety to which they have become overly accustomed."
26
"There are many levels of reason. First is the perception of the external world, which is called taʿaqqul (rational perception). Taʿaqqul means conception; it is also called 'discriminative reason' (ʿaql al-tamyīz). With this faculty, a person distinguishes the beneficial from the harmful."
27
"Know that to distance oneself from bad and blameworthy character and to possess superior character and personality is only possible when a person imagines in himself a perfection and sufficiency, and feels that people are in need of his knowledge and art."