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Light in the Heavens: Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad
Humanitarian lessons and practical insights from the prophet of Islam
The words of Muhammad, messenger of God and prophet of Islam, have a special place in the hearts of his followers. Wielding an authority second only to the Qur'an, they are cited by scholars in a vast array of disciplines--including law, theology, metaphysics, poetry, grammar, history, and medicine--and are quoted by Muslims to one another in their daily lives.
Light in the Heavens by al-Qadi al-Quda'i, a Sunni judge in the Fatimid court in Egypt, is an outstanding example of a compilation of these sayings, known as hadiths, that circulated orally and were later assembled and written down. From North Africa to India, generations have used Light in the Heavens as a teaching text for children as well as adults, and many of its 1,200 sayings are familiar to individuals of diverse denominations and ethnicities. For Muslims--who consider Muhammad's teachings the fount of wisdom and the beacon of guidance in all things, mundane and sublime--these sayings provide a direct window into the inspired vision of one of the most influential humans to have walked the Earth.
The words of Muhammad, messenger of God and prophet of Islam, have a special place in the hearts of his followers. Wielding an authority second only to the Qur'an, they are cited by scholars in a vast array of disciplines--including law, theology, metaphysics, poetry, grammar, history, and medicine--and are quoted by Muslims to one another in their daily lives.
Light in the Heavens by al-Qadi al-Quda'i, a Sunni judge in the Fatimid court in Egypt, is an outstanding example of a compilation of these sayings, known as hadiths, that circulated orally and were later assembled and written down. From North Africa to India, generations have used Light in the Heavens as a teaching text for children as well as adults, and many of its 1,200 sayings are familiar to individuals of diverse denominations and ethnicities. For Muslims--who consider Muhammad's teachings the fount of wisdom and the beacon of guidance in all things, mundane and sublime--these sayings provide a direct window into the inspired vision of one of the most influential humans to have walked the Earth.
- GenresIslam
192 pages, Paperback
Published November 5, 2019
About the author
Al-Qadi al-Qudaʿi
3 books1 followerAl-Qadi al-Qudaʿi (d. 454 H/1062 AD) was a Sunni jurist, a scholar of hadith and history, and a senior government official of the Fatimid dynasty in Cairo.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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March 3, 2017"How excellent a condiment is vinegar." --Mohammad [9.64]
If you ever get around to actually encountering Islam it won't be long until you encounter the hadith, traditions or reports of Muhammad's words, deeds, gestures, etc. Second only in Islamic authority to the Quran itself. Light in the Heavens is one of the more popular collections of these hadith. For those anticipating being blown away by wisdom in the manner of Jesus' sayings or Adorno's aphorisms, you'll be sorely disappointed. These are pithy old folk=wisdom chestnuts ; the kind your infallible grandfather/mother would have been in the habit of living by. And since a billion people on the face of this planet live by the words of Mohammad and the Quran, maybe it'd be good for us non-Muslims to have at least a working acquaintance with this stuff. Because THE MEDIA and the entire State Apparatus is pretty much lying to you about Islam.
This LAL edition is excellent.
On a personal note, my reading of Islam took a rather rough body blow back a month or so ago with a long commentary section on flogging/stoning adulterers in the Quran [al-Nur 24:2]. You just have to get past that stuff. Now I'm rather eager to get on to my next round which will be The Expeditions: An Early Biography of Muhammad. I flipped through its ToC yesterday and it is becoming quite clear that The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary really does offer a substantial grounding/familiarity in/with the history of early Islam.
And on a final political note, I think our War on Islam could be won (I mean, settled) if for every two USofa citizens who practice yoga or some other calisthenics inspired by the Far East, one such USofa citizen were to take up a one year's study of Islam and the Near East, we might be less tempted by the Fascist Solution.
If you ever get around to actually encountering Islam it won't be long until you encounter the hadith, traditions or reports of Muhammad's words, deeds, gestures, etc. Second only in Islamic authority to the Quran itself. Light in the Heavens is one of the more popular collections of these hadith. For those anticipating being blown away by wisdom in the manner of Jesus' sayings or Adorno's aphorisms, you'll be sorely disappointed. These are pithy old folk=wisdom chestnuts ; the kind your infallible grandfather/mother would have been in the habit of living by. And since a billion people on the face of this planet live by the words of Mohammad and the Quran, maybe it'd be good for us non-Muslims to have at least a working acquaintance with this stuff. Because THE MEDIA and the entire State Apparatus is pretty much lying to you about Islam.
This LAL edition is excellent.
On a personal note, my reading of Islam took a rather rough body blow back a month or so ago with a long commentary section on flogging/stoning adulterers in the Quran [al-Nur 24:2]. You just have to get past that stuff. Now I'm rather eager to get on to my next round which will be The Expeditions: An Early Biography of Muhammad. I flipped through its ToC yesterday and it is becoming quite clear that The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary really does offer a substantial grounding/familiarity in/with the history of early Islam.
And on a final political note, I think our War on Islam could be won (I mean, settled) if for every two USofa citizens who practice yoga or some other calisthenics inspired by the Far East, one such USofa citizen were to take up a one year's study of Islam and the Near East, we might be less tempted by the Fascist Solution.
February 15, 2018
I chose these for you to read:
Regret is a form of repentance.
The Qur'an is the real cure.
One's nature is influenced by the milk one has suckled.
Honor the book by reading it in full.
The sage should seek out wise words wherever they may roam.
Forgetfulness is the bane of learning.
Knowledge must not be withheld.
Charity protects against a bad death.
Knowledge is the friend of the believer, maturity his advisor, intelligence his guide, deeds his shepherd, gentleness his father, kindness his brother, and patience the commander of his armies.
It is the duty of all Muslims to seek knowledge.
Silence shows wisdom, but few oblige.
Knowledge that brings no benefit is like hoarded treasure.
Looking at greenery improves your eyesight, as does looking at a beautiful woman.
Ungrateful for a little, ungrateful for a lot.
God provides sustenance for those who seek knowledge.
Those who seek and find knowledge get two rewards; those who seek but do not find it get one.
To wake up safe and sound in your home, with enough food for the day, is as good as owning the world.
I was sent with profound words.
On judgement day, people will be ranked according to the worth of their intentions.
Knowing a lot of people is toilsome, not knowing so many means a life of peace.
Give each other gifts- gifts remove rancor from the heart.
Take advantage of five things before the arrival of five others; youth before old age, health before illness, wealth before poverty, leisure before occupation, and life before death.
Show compassion to three persons: a wealthy man who has been ruined, a powerful man who has been humbled, and a learned man mocked by fools and dullards.
Love your friend with some restraint, for the day may come when he is your enemy. Hate your enemy with some restraint, for the day may come when he is your friend.
Keep silent when roused to anger.
Even after seventy lapses a day, a penitent is still not a sinner.
God never sends an illness without sending its cure.
Whenever hunger, fatigue, illness, injury, grief or even anxiety strike a believer, God erases his sins.
There is no poverty more intense than ignorance.
There is no wealth more useful than intelligence.
There is no worship better than reflection.
The man of learning only has his fill of learning when it is time for paradise.
Jesus, the son of Mary, is the only Messiah.
Do not curse fate- God is fate.
No man will be ruined if he seeks counsel.
From eloquence comes magic.
From poetry comes wisdom.
From speech comes distress.
The learned are the heirs of the prophets.
A letter- like a greeting - deserves an answer.
Every religion has its own ethic- our religions's primary ethic is modesty.
God will accept your repentance right up to the death rattle.
Give alms, and God will protect you from seventy brutal forms of death.
I fear three things for my community when I am gone; a scholar's lapse, a tyrant's rule, and a capricious whim.
The cure for ignorance is inquiry.
The lightest worship is best.
Four is the best number for traveling.
Solitude is better than evil company, but virtuous company is better than solitude.
The learned are the best in my community, and the levelheaded are the best of the learned.
The best in my community are those that reign in their anger.
The virtues of knowledge are superior to worship.
We are all children of God, and God loves best those who most benefit his children.
What an excellent gift is sound advice!
How excellent a condiment is vinegar!
Salt is your principal condiment.
A believer is like a stalk of wheat constantly buffeted by the wind, now upright, now blown to the ground. A disbeliever is like a pine tree, upright until it comes crashing down.
If you placed complete trust in God, he would sustain you as he sustains the birds- in the morning their stomachs are empty, by evening their stomachs are full.
Regret is a form of repentance.
The Qur'an is the real cure.
One's nature is influenced by the milk one has suckled.
Honor the book by reading it in full.
The sage should seek out wise words wherever they may roam.
Forgetfulness is the bane of learning.
Knowledge must not be withheld.
Charity protects against a bad death.
Knowledge is the friend of the believer, maturity his advisor, intelligence his guide, deeds his shepherd, gentleness his father, kindness his brother, and patience the commander of his armies.
It is the duty of all Muslims to seek knowledge.
Silence shows wisdom, but few oblige.
Knowledge that brings no benefit is like hoarded treasure.
Looking at greenery improves your eyesight, as does looking at a beautiful woman.
Ungrateful for a little, ungrateful for a lot.
God provides sustenance for those who seek knowledge.
Those who seek and find knowledge get two rewards; those who seek but do not find it get one.
To wake up safe and sound in your home, with enough food for the day, is as good as owning the world.
I was sent with profound words.
On judgement day, people will be ranked according to the worth of their intentions.
Knowing a lot of people is toilsome, not knowing so many means a life of peace.
Give each other gifts- gifts remove rancor from the heart.
Take advantage of five things before the arrival of five others; youth before old age, health before illness, wealth before poverty, leisure before occupation, and life before death.
Show compassion to three persons: a wealthy man who has been ruined, a powerful man who has been humbled, and a learned man mocked by fools and dullards.
Love your friend with some restraint, for the day may come when he is your enemy. Hate your enemy with some restraint, for the day may come when he is your friend.
Keep silent when roused to anger.
Even after seventy lapses a day, a penitent is still not a sinner.
God never sends an illness without sending its cure.
Whenever hunger, fatigue, illness, injury, grief or even anxiety strike a believer, God erases his sins.
There is no poverty more intense than ignorance.
There is no wealth more useful than intelligence.
There is no worship better than reflection.
The man of learning only has his fill of learning when it is time for paradise.
Jesus, the son of Mary, is the only Messiah.
Do not curse fate- God is fate.
No man will be ruined if he seeks counsel.
From eloquence comes magic.
From poetry comes wisdom.
From speech comes distress.
The learned are the heirs of the prophets.
A letter- like a greeting - deserves an answer.
Every religion has its own ethic- our religions's primary ethic is modesty.
God will accept your repentance right up to the death rattle.
Give alms, and God will protect you from seventy brutal forms of death.
I fear three things for my community when I am gone; a scholar's lapse, a tyrant's rule, and a capricious whim.
The cure for ignorance is inquiry.
The lightest worship is best.
Four is the best number for traveling.
Solitude is better than evil company, but virtuous company is better than solitude.
The learned are the best in my community, and the levelheaded are the best of the learned.
The best in my community are those that reign in their anger.
The virtues of knowledge are superior to worship.
We are all children of God, and God loves best those who most benefit his children.
What an excellent gift is sound advice!
How excellent a condiment is vinegar!
Salt is your principal condiment.
A believer is like a stalk of wheat constantly buffeted by the wind, now upright, now blown to the ground. A disbeliever is like a pine tree, upright until it comes crashing down.
If you placed complete trust in God, he would sustain you as he sustains the birds- in the morning their stomachs are empty, by evening their stomachs are full.
May 23, 2020
A lovely book - but some translations need context
September 21, 2021
A really beautiful translation. Though I can only rate it from its beauty because I can't judge on its accuracy.
I have heard so many of the hadiths written in this book (I heard them in Indonesian translation by the way), but reading them in English gave me a different feeling of them.
This book is originally meant to be memorized, and many of the seekers of knowledge in the past had done that in their initial years as students. Every education institutions in the present should command their students to study this book, because it provides a moral guide so that we can be free of today's moral confusions.
I have heard so many of the hadiths written in this book (I heard them in Indonesian translation by the way), but reading them in English gave me a different feeling of them.
This book is originally meant to be memorized, and many of the seekers of knowledge in the past had done that in their initial years as students. Every education institutions in the present should command their students to study this book, because it provides a moral guide so that we can be free of today's moral confusions.
January 1, 2020
I'm a controversial Muslim because I don't take Hadith as a part of the religion (they aren't the words of God so why do I need to follow them). Overall it was interesting and wise. This book reinforced my belief of just taking the Quran as holy scripture though.
April 28, 2021
a much needed read. maybe just a preference but would love if they are catagorized by themes.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews