Kristiane Backer Quotes

#1. But I comforted myself with the thought that the reward for every discomfort I suffered for God was a spiritual blessing.

Kristiane Backer

#2. God was inviting me to go on Hajj, but before that I needed to settle my debts. Muslims may only embark on their pilgrimage if they are debt-free or at least have made an arrangement for repayment.

Kristiane Backer

#3. Prayer will carry you to Judgment Day; it is your nourishment and your protection. In prayer you are closest to God. It is then that you develop your own personal relationship with God.

Kristiane Backer

#4. It takes time,patience and endurance to become a devout Muslim. No one, not even God, expects anyone to become an angel overnight. That's fortunate, I thought, because I sensed that the road ahead might be a long one

Kristiane Backer

#5. The way we experience the pilgrimage is a reflection of our inner state,' the imam said. 'To some of us it will be a strenuous trial, whereas to others every step of the way is a joy, despite the privations and discomfort.

Kristiane Backer

#6. Nothing happens without God's will, and life doesn't always go according to plan. Man proposes, God disposes. And it is God's will that we need to surrender to. In retrospect it usually all makes sense.

Kristiane Backer

#7. Among the lessons I learned on Hajj was that I needed to be mindful and keep the inner connection with God at all times and that self-improvement is definitely a never-ending struggle.

Kristiane Backer

#8. God does not expect of us what we cannot do, but He does expect what we can do.

Kristiane Backer

#9. As pilgrims we effectively slip into the role of our spiritual ancestress and run back and forth between the hills seven times. This symbolises our own quest in this world for whatever we are seeking and God's Mercy which fulfils our quest even beyond our expectations.

Kristiane Backer

#10. When you see that earthly powers are not listening to you, that you are under siege in this city for four years and shot at without the international community doing anything to help, what should you do? Die?' he asked me in the course of our conversation. 'No, you pray to Heaven for help.

Kristiane Backer

#11. You may have lost someone, but you've found something immeasurably more valuable: God,' she told me. 'And God's love lasts forever.

Kristiane Backer