“Despair is an obstacle to every kind of perfection.” (That is, hopelessness blocks growth and keeps a person from rising above shortcomings.)¹⁾

“Hardship is the teacher of dissipation; despair is the teacher of misguiding thought; and inner darkness is the source of spiritual distress.”²⁾

“One of Satan’s most dangerous tricks is this: he makes certain sensitive, pure-hearted people confuse the imagining of disbelief with actually affirming disbelief. He presents merely conceiving misguidance as though it were endorsing misguidance. He puts ugly thoughts into their minds about sacred and pure things. He also presents mere ‘theoretical possibility’ as though it were a ‘rational probability,’ giving it a form that seems to contradict the certainty of faith. Then that poor, sensitive person imagines he has fallen into disbelief and misguidance, thinks his certainty has vanished, falls into despair—and, through that despair, becomes a plaything of Satan. Satan then exploits his despair, that weak point in him, and that confusion again and again—until the person either loses his mind, or says, ‘Let whatever happens happen,’ and slips into misguidance.”³⁾

“Since the time of death is not fixed and known to us, God—by His wisdom—has hidden it, so as to rescue a person from absolute despair and absolute heedlessness, and to keep them between fear and hope, guarding both this world and the next.”⁴⁾

“My friend! Someone who cannot succeed in good deeds and obedience fears punishment and falls into despair. To such a despairing person, the weakest and most trivial sign—something that actually conflicts with religious truths—can look like a massive proof. And as soon as he gathers a few such ‘signs,’ driven by them he declares rebellion, leaves the circle of Islam, and joins Satan’s ranks.”⁵⁾

“Expectation or hope (raja), built on the principle of attributing faults and sins to oneself while attributing good deeds to God’s mercy, is described as this: the traveler keeps from being caught in the net of wrongdoing, and also avoids becoming spoiled or arrogant because of good works. With the ‘wings’ of repentance and prayer, he keeps journeying toward God, fleeing evil and taking refuge in good; and with the language of turning back and humble pleading, he keeps knocking at the door of the Real—living in the climate of ‘with God.’ If such balance is established, there is neither collapse and despair in fear, nor slackness and reckless overconfidence in hope.”⁶⁾

“A true leader is a person of will who never slackens. It is unthinkable that he would retreat from his decision or compromise his faith. Hope is his inseparable companion; despair is his arch-enemy—one he would not allow even into his dreams.”⁷⁾

“As in every matter, a person must be measured and balanced in self-accounting as well. Self-accounting must never be dominated by despair.”⁸⁾

Türkçe