Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Manners

"Verily one's external manner is the mark of one's inner manner, and the movements of the productive members of the body are the results of passing thoughts. Morever, actions are the result of character, and fine breeding is the distillate of knowlege. Indeed, actions are rooted and originate in the innermost thoughts of the heart. [Verily] the innermost lights of the heart shine upon one's external behaviour, adorning and embellishing it, and subsitute good qualities for disliked and evil ones.
Furthermore, he whose heart is not humbled, his external members are not humbled; and he whose chest is not the niche of the divine lights, there does not spread over his external features the beauty of the prophetic manner."

- Abu Hamid Al Ghazali, Ihya Uloom Ud Din

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