“To know oneself is the equivalent of knowing God. But in order to acquire this knowledge, the disciple must submit to long and painful process of self-discipline. He must pass though all the test of the severest asceticism. Only after he has prepared himself, will the spiritual master open his heart and render him capable of perceiving the mysteries of the spiritual world.”

— Shah Badakhshi

Source: The Sayings and Teachings of the Great Mystics of Islam (2004), p. 202

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Shah Badakhshi 5

Indian poet

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