CHAPTER SIX
BUILDING A FAMILY Section Three Matchmaking In old times matchmakers used to say: “We have come to sweep your threshold,” “We have come to serve you.” Saying, “She who has a…
Essays
Essays by Akrom Malik on ethics, language, literature and life.
Depending on one's life experience and wealth of knowledge, classic texts reveal different facets at…
I finished Kafka's “The Trial.” For some reason, the preface calls the style of the work sluggish and long-winded. On the contrary, I liked it. I looked at the English version. I…
It is better never to try to form any groups. Betrayal lives inside every group. If a person trusts his…
The idea of uniting two people's heads on the basis of an idea is naive. It is not an idea but an empty stomach and food that unite. An idea exists only in a single person. He is…
The thought “I will become famous” comes from a disease in the heart. To be famous, fame and glory — means…
We had started talking about being famous. According to our books written a thousand years ago — for example, as is known from Hazrat Rabghuzi's “History of the Prophets” — God…
CHAPTER SIX
Section Two Choosing a Groom Choosing a groom differs seriously from choosing a bride, naturally. While in choosing a bride the family is the first thing considered, what matters…
It is better not to break off relations with people. It is good to maintain long-standing ties with people,…
A mature person does not run after new friends, nor is he keen to cut ties with old acquaintances. A wise person knows the worth of dear old friends. The whole point lies in…
The affairs of our life consist of two parts: affairs within our choice, and affairs beyond our choice. In…
What time a person goes to sleep and wakes up; whether he says good words or chooses bad ones; whether he works honestly or eats and drinks what is unlawful; whether he worships…
CHAPTER SIX
BUILDING A FAMILY Section Two Choosing a Bride Let us repeat the words said in earlier pages: choosing a lawful spouse for a son and getting her for him is the duty of the…
Most people believe what they want to believe. They look for evidence for what they consider right. They…
More such examples can be given: in all the creatures of the world one can find fire, air, water and so on. What I want to say is that it is natural for the outward appearance of…
Truth stands above everything.
Recently, at a school, a student raised his hand against a teacher, and this caused a huge uproar. Then the question of how students had come to this point made me think. And I…
The people of the world — the opposite of the people of the world is the people of the Truth (al-Haqq). That…
The people of the Truth are not those who abandon this world. They are those who imagine the world as a mount, a cart or a ship. Just as each of these things serves a person in…
Look into your heart: does it long for a friend? Does it say, “If only there were someone with whom I could…
Then these words are for you: please, do not rush! First of all, know that such a friend can be only one person. Second, do not forget that such a friend must be a friend for the…
The people of the world are those who prefer the world above everything else. It is told in “Qisas-i…
The author says that those who remained on the face of the earth were the people of the world who loved the world — the unbelievers. Those who remained in Paradise were the people…
A secret is the greatest strength, the firmest power. When a man gives away his secret, he becomes as…
What are a man's secrets? The first secret is power, strength and capability. Never let anyone know the limits of your power. Hide your strength. Let no one be able to gauge it.…
CHAPTER SIX
FOUNDING A FAMILY Section One Necessity We have now come to the main part of our treatise. Founding a family is a bargain for a lifetime. Every young man and young woman must…
Forgetting is a great blessing. If a person could not forget, certain memories would destroy him.
It is said that the longer you keep vinegar in a dark place, the stronger it becomes and the more its potency grows. Certain memories that remain in the human heart are like…
One of the attributes of Iblis is despondency. That is, Iblis is despondent and sorrowful. He is a creature…
A despondent person sees no light in tomorrow. In every event he looks only for tragedy and suffering. An optimistic person, on the other hand, is always in a state of ease and…
Every person who cares about his own character, who examines his own manners and fairness, and who strives…
The good are tormented by sin and disobedience and never remain in the clutches of baseness. They are moved by admonition, and they weep and beg God in secret, asking for the…
The ways of this world are strange.
It is said that the listed signs of hypocrisy number four: 1. When he speaks, he lies. 2. When he promises, he does not fulfill it. 3. He betrays a trust. 4. When he disagrees, he…
Have you backbitten your close friend even once? Then you have betrayed him…
Please, do not backbite those closest to you, nor those far from you. Do not teach your heart betrayal.
It turns out that certain human illnesses have a latent period — the disease sits hidden inside the body and…
In particular, ignorance — the lack of knowledge — is the most serious illness, perhaps the mother of all vices. The most curious thing is that people do not consider ignorance an…
Signs that love of the world has taken possession of hearts:
1. The heart's fondness for various travels under the pretext of rest, its yearning for foreign countries, mountains and seas, and the desire to let everyone know about it as much…
CHAPTER FIVE
KIN OF ONE LIVER “Jigar” (liver) is what we call our brothers and sisters. The function of the liver is to purify the blood; if the liver stops working, the body fills with…
Being a writer is a rare talent. A great many people may take up the pen, but true talent and aptitude are…
What a writer needs is, first of all, innate ability; second, deep knowledge (literary and theoretical disciplines); third, life experience; and, of course, a heart that is pure…