Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair was a prominent Persian Sufi poet, mystic, and philosopher who lived during the 10th and 11th centuries in present-day Iran. Renowned for his profound poetry, he explored themes of love, mysticism, and spiritual enlightenment in his works, primarily written in Persian. Abu Saeed Abul Khair’s verses are characterized by their simplicity, depth, and universal appeal, reflecting his deep understanding of Sufi principles and Islamic spirituality.

Throughout his life, he traveled extensively in search of spiritual knowledge and enlightenment, becoming associated with the Khwajagan Sufi tradition. Although specific details about his life are limited, his poetry continues to inspire spiritual seekers across cultures and generations. Abu Saeed Abul Khair’s works remain integral to Persian literature and Sufi poetry, serving as a timeless expression of the human quest for union with the Divine and inner spiritual realization.

Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair Quotes

01. “Whatever you have in your mind – forget it; whatever you have in your hand – give it; whatever is to be your fate – face it!”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

02. “Pir asked Abu Sa’id whether he wanted to talk to God? Of course, I want to. Then discover you are by yourself, recite, without thee, o beloved, I cannot rest; thy goodness towards me I cannot reckon. Though every hair on my body becomes a tongue, a thousandth part of the thanks due to thee I cannot tell.”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

03. “Realize that you know nothing and you are nobody. It is no easy thing to attain this realization. It doesn’t come with teaching and instruction, nor can it be sewn on with a needle, or tied with a thread. This is a gift from God and a question of whom he bestows it and whom he causes to experience it.”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

04. “The Sufi is he who is pleased with all that God does, in order that God may be pleased with all that he does.”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

05. “Innumerable are the ways to God, yet the way is but a single step: ‘take one step out of thyself, that thou mayst arrive at God.'”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

06. “A dervish was sweeping the courtyard, Abu Sa’id saw him and said – be like the dust ball that rolls before the broom and not like the rock left behind. One must be like the dust, which has no will of its own but goes wherever the broom (spiritual master) commands – not like the rock, which asserts its own and resists the direction of the guide.”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

07. “Sufism is glory in wretchedness and riches in poverty and lordship in servitude and satiety in hunger and clothedness in nakedness and freedom in slavery and life in death and sweetness in bitterness.”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

08. “Hell is where you are and Paradise where you are not.”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

09. “There is nothing inside this coat except Allah.”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

10. “Evil is thou’, and the worst evil is thou’, which thou knowest it not.”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

11. “The behavior of a true saint of God towards His creation always remains friendly and affectionate. A spiritual recluse, who ignores mankind and remains involved merely in the ascetic practices, is not a true friend of God.”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

12. “Take one step out of yourself that you may arrive at God.”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

13. “So you wish that God should dwell in your heart, purify your heart from all save Him for the king will not enter a house filled with stores and furniture. He will only enter a heart which is empty of all save Himself.”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

14. “To bring joy to a single heart is better than to build many shrines for worship, and to enslave one soul by kindness is worth more than the setting free of a thousand slaves.”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

15. “The true man of God is that who sits in the midst of his fellowmen and rises up and eats and sleeps and buys and sells and gives and takes in the bazaars amongst other people, and who marries and has social dealings with other folk and yet is never for one moment forgetful of God.”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

16. “Freedom from lower qualities is an essential qualification required for spiritual progress.”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

17. “Knowledge of the Unity of God (Tauhid) is revealed in the illuminated hearts of the saints.”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

18. “The carnal self is unreal since it believes in polytheism and remains skeptical about the existence of One God. The negation of this unreal self is necessary for knowing Divine Unity.”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

19. “The first step in Sufism is the breaking of inkpot and the tearing up of books and the forgetting of all kinds of intellectual knowledge.”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

20. “God in His purity looks upon the inmost self (sir) of man and help is given to it from that pure Divine contemplation. This Divine assistance is the guardian of that inmost self, and he who acknowledges the Divine Unity is enabled to do so by that inmost self.”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

21. “At first God implanted in man’s heart a sense of need and a longing desire and sorrow. Then he looked upon that need and sorrow with Favor and pity and placed His gift within the heart and that gift is called the mystic shrine -(sir) of God. It is immortal and cannot be destroyed, for it is continually contemplated by God and belongs to Him.”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

22. “God bestows purity of self upon him who earnestly desires it and is eternally nourished by Him through His contemplation.”
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair

23. “If men wish to draw near to God, they must seek Him in the hearts of men.
— Sheikh Abu Saeed Abul Khair