"My
advice to you, O Possessor of virtue and courtesy: if you desire to
reside in an exalted place amongst the ranks of people, a place where
you are high and exalted of virtue and courtesy..." Thus opens the poem
of the great scholar, Ibn al Haddad as translated and commented upon by
Hamza Yusuf.
Though short, this poem of council contains an immense amount of
knowledge and wisdom.
In
his poem, Shaykh Ibn al Haddad gives the seeker of knowledge the keys
to both success in both this world and the next. Hamza Yusuf's
commentary contains his usual style of putting the obvious before us in
a way we will never forget. He reminds us of such things as, "Islam is
the only religion where you will find a king at the door of beggars
asking for their prayers!" This is an inspiring talk that will help us
to establish our own priorities for this world and the next, insh Allah.