Joy descends gently upon us like the evening dew and does not patter down like a hailstorm.

To Adam Paradise was home. To the good among his descendants home is paradise.

Those in the west who dismiss the repressiveness of laws against women in countries like Iran no matter how benign their intentions present a condescending view not just of the religion but also of women living in Muslim majority countries as if the desire for choice and happiness is the monopoly of women in the west.

The wise man must remember that while he is a descendant of the past he is a parent of the future.

I've never really understood that. It's a funny thing people sometimes accuse us of condescending to our characters somehow-that to me is kind of inexplicable.

It is even harder for the average ape to believe that he has descended from man.

For our part we shall continue to work for the new dawn when all the Children of Abraham and their descendants are living together in the birthplace of their three great monotheistic religions a life free from fear a life free from want - a life in peace.

Fear not we are of the nature of the lion and cannot descend to the destruction of mice and such small beasts.

It's a tremendous responsibility to be direct descendants of the prophet Muhammad. This family has had the burden of leadership on its shoulders for 1 400 years. I'm not going to drop the ball on my shift.

I have often noticed that ancestors never boast of the descendants who boast of ancestors. I would rather start a family than finish one. Blood will tell but often it tells too much.