“There is no king who has not had a slave among his ancestors, and no slave who has not had a king among his.”

“He had never dreamed that the country of which she would make him king (king in name but really a slave) was his own country.”

“To say to the slave who has not been emancipated 'Do not behave as a slave' is to mock his enslavement. But to say the same to the slave who has been set free is the necessary appeal to put into effect the privileges and rights of his liberation.”

“The man who has no inner life is the slave of his surroundings.”

“I am the slave of the Master of ProphetsAnd my fealty to him has no beginning.I am a slave of his slave, and of his slave’s slave,And so forth endlessly,For I do not cease to approach the doorOf his good pleasure among the beginners.I proclaim among people the teaching of his high attributes,And sing his praises among the poets.Perhaps he shall tell me: “You are a noted friendOf mine, a truly excellent beautifier of my tribute.”Yes, I would sacrifice my soul for the dust of his sanctuary.His favor should be that he accept my sacrifice.He has triumphed who ascribes himself to him!- Not that he needs such following,For he is not in need of creation at all,While they all need him without exception.He belongs to Allah alone, Whose purified servant he is,As his attributes and names have made manifest;And every single favor in creation comes from AllahTo him, and from him to everything else.”

“Kings are the slaves of history.”