within the vast corpus of prophetic sayings there are forty which are called "sacred sayings' (Hadith qudsi) which are not a part of the Quran but in which God speaks in the first person through the Prophet. These sayings although small in number are of extreme importance in that they are, along with certain verses of the Quran, the basis of the spiritual life in Islam. Sufism is based on these sayings and many a Sufi knows them by heart and lives in constant remembrance of their message. These sayings all concern the spiritual life rather than social or political matters.

Ideals and realities of Islam On page 88 Saturday, January 5, 2013 @ 4:45pm