Broken Heart

“God breaks the heart again and again and again until it stays open.”
— Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Kahn

4 Gates Before Speaking/ Right Speech

An old Sufi tradition advises us to speak only after our words have managed to pass through four gates. 

 

At the first gate, we ask ourselves, "Are these words true?" 

If so, we let them pass on; if not, back they go. 

At the second gate we ask; "Are they necessary?" 

At the third gate we ask; "Are they beneficial?" 

and at the fourth gate, we ask, "Are they kind?" 

If the answer to any of these is no, then what you are about to say should be left unsaid.

Compassion from Sufi

Sufi philosopher Muid ad-Din ibn al-Arabi, which I have found personally inspiring:

Do not attach yourself in an exclusive manner to any one creed, so that you disbelieve all the rest: if you do this, you will miss much good; nay, you will fail to realize the real truth of the matter. God, the omnipresent and omnipotent, is not limited by any one creed, for He says, "Wheresoever ye turn, there is the face of Allah" (Quran 2.109). Everyone praises what he believes; his god is his own creature, and in praising it he praises himself. Consequently he blames the beliefs of others, which he would not do if he were just but his dislike is based on ignorance.