His Eminence

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

This is a poem attributed to Sheikh Abdul Haq Muhaddith Dehlawi  ( المحدث شيخ عبدالحق الدهلوي‎‎) which he uttered upon visiting the masjid of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), which is often recited in the Indian Sub-continent:

 یا صاحب الجمال و یا سیدالبشر

O master of beauty, O leader of mankind
 

من وجہک المنیر لقد نور القمر

Verily your blessed countenance lit up the moon

لا یمکن الثناء کما کان حقہ

It being impossible to praise you as you truly deserve,

 بعد از خدا بزرگ توئی قصہ مختصر

(I only can state that) after God, you are the greatest and the matter ends there.

Six things a seeker must possess

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Hazrat Shaikh Abu Ismaïl Abdullah al-Herawi al-Ansari or Khajah Abdullah Ansari of Herat   خواجه عبدالله انصاری‎, the  Peer-e Herat wrote in one of his earlier treatises, the صد میدان   (One Hundred Fields), that to attain spiritual stations, it is imperative that the seeker possesses the following six invaluable traits:

تعظیم امر
  بیم مكر
 لزوم عذر
    خدمت بسنت
  زیستن برفاقت
برخلق بشفقت

For English speakers, it is roughly translated as:

1. Great respect for the (Divine) commandment ('amr)
2. Fear of the ruse/deception (makr) 
3. Necessity of excuse or apology for others('uzr)
4. Serving others, in accordance with the Prophetic tradition
5. Living in (spiritual) company
6. Love and kindness towards creation

His Beauty

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

There is a poem by Hassan Ibn Thabit (رضي الله عنه‎), praising the beauty of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), which is considered to be one of the best pieces of poetry in his praise, referenced (here):

وأَحسنُ منكَ لم ترَ قطُّ عيني

More excellent than you, my eye has never seen, 

وَأجْمَلُ مِنْكَ لَمْ تَلِدِ النّسَاءُ

Never been born, one handsomer than you 

خلقتَ مبرأً منْ كلّ عيبٍ

You were created free from any flaw whatsoever,

كأنكَ قدْ خلقتَ كما تشاءُ

As though you were created just the way you wanted

You can listen to it here:

Invest in the everlasting

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

There is a poem by Imam al-Sajjad (عليه السلا), referenced in Al-Bidāya wa-n-nihāya (البداية والنهاية) by Ismail ibn Kathir (here):

تُخَـرِّبُ مَـا يَبْقَى، وَتعْمُرُ فَانِياً 

Destroying what is everlasting you are building the perishing

 فَلاَ ذَاكَ مَوْفُورٌ، وَلاَ ذَاكَ عَامرُ 

Neither will the former be intact, nor will the latter flourish

 وَهَلْ لَكَ إِنْ وَافَاكَ حَتْفُكَ بَغْتَةً 

And when your fate catches up to you all of a sudden

 وَلَمْ تَكْتَسِبْ خَيْرَاً لَدَى اللهِ عَاذِرُ؟ 

What excuse will you have before your Lord? 

 أَتَرْضَى بِأَنْ تُقْضَى الحَياةُ وَتَنْقَضِي 

How will you be content when your life is over

 وَدِينُـكَ مَنْقُوصٌ وَمَالكَ وَافِرُ؟

 If your deen is deficient, but (only) your wealth abundant? 



A rendering with slightly different rendering can be watched below:

Learning from a Dog

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Al-Hasan ibn Abi-l-Hasan al-Basri popularly known as Hasan of Basrah (حسن البصري) has reportedly prescribed to his disciples the following:


A dog possesses ten praiseworthy traits, that should be present in a seeker:

الأولى
أنه لا يزال جائعا، وذلك من آداب الصالحين

It stays in a state of hunger, and that is the etiquette of the righteous.

الثانية
أنه لايكون له موضع يعرف به، وذلك من علامات المتوكلين

The second is that he does not have a fixed place to sleep. This is the condition of wanderers who rely on God

الثالثة

أنه لا ينام من الليل إلا قليل، وذلك من صفات المحسنين

The third is that it does not sleep at night, except a little. This is the trait of the excellent ones.

الرابعة

أنه إذا مات لا يكون له ميراث، وذلك من اخلاق الزاهدين

The fourth is that it leaves behind absolutely nothing when it dies. This is the characteristic of the pious.

الخامسة

أنه لا يهجر أخاه وإن جفاه وطرده، وذلك من شيم المريدين

The fifth is that it does not forsake its master. Even if he beats it, it does not abandon him. This is a sign of the seekers.

السادسة

أنه يرضى من الدنيا بأدنى يسير، وذلك من إشارات المتواضعين

The sixth is that he accepts a humble place and remains there. This is a sign of the humble.

السابعة

أنه إذا غلب عن مكانه تركه وانصرف إلى غيره، وذلك من علامات الراضي

The seventh is that if his residence is taken over, he leaves it for another place, and this is an indicator of those pleased with their Lord

الثامنة

أنه إذا طرد ثم دعي أجاب، وذلك من اخلاق الخاشعين

The eighth is that even if its master  shoos it away, it returns happily without delay as soon as its summoned back. This is the character of the devout.

التاسعة

أنه إذا حضر شيء من الأكل وقف ينظر من بعد، وذلك من أخلاق المساكين

The ninth is that it remains at a distance and does not approach when food is being prepared. This is the attitude of the impoverished.

العاشرة

أنه إذا رحل من مكانه لا يرحل بشيء، وذلك من علامات المجردين

The tenth is that, when it moves, it does not carry any belongings. This is a symbol of the ascetics