---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Tear down the mosque, the temple…"
description: "\"Tear down the mosque, the temple, everything in sight. But don't break a human heart. For that is where God resides.\" — Bulleh Shah"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/bulleh-shah-60374_break_tear-down-the-mosque-the-temple-everythi_2602904.jpg"
---

#  Tear down the mosque, the temple, everything in sight. But…

![“Tear down the mosque, the temple, everything in sight. But don't break a human heart. For that is where God resides.” quote by Bulleh Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/bulleh-shah-60374_break_tear-down-the-mosque-the-temple-everythi_2602904.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/bulleh-shah-60374_break_tear-down-the-mosque-the-temple-everythi_2602904.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/bulleh-shah-60374_break_tear-down-the-mosque-the-temple-everythi_2602904.jpg)

> “Tear down the mosque, the temple, everything in sight. But don't break a human heart. For that is where God resides.”

[Bulleh Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bulleh-shah/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Destruction of religious symbols is permissible, but harming human compassion is forbidden, as divinity resides in the heart.

**In simple terms:** Destroy buildings, not hearts.

Key Takeaway

Protect human kindness.

Themes

spirituality humanity violence

Mood

reflective serious

Type

poetic spiritual

When to use this quote

- conflict zones
- cultural heritage debates
- personal relationships

Key Concepts

sacredness of love ethical limits social cohesion

Questions to Reflect On

- How do we value intangible over material?
- What actions preserve human dignity?

A Different Perspective

Physical destruction can still harm souls.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Destroying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destroying/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [God Resides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-resides-592852/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heart God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-god/) [Human heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-heart/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Mosque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mosque/) [Mosque Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mosque-temple-1960754/) [Mosques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mosques/) [Sight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sight/) [Sufism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sufism/) [Tear Mosque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tear-mosque-1960753/) [Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/) [Temples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temples/)

## Related quotes

> [I am in love with every church And mosque And temple And any kind of shrine Because I know it is there That people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hafez/i-am-in-love-with-every-church-and-mosque-and-temple-and-any-kind-of/)

[Hafez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hafez/)

> [Prayer must emanate from the heart, where God resides, and not from the head where doctrines and doubts clash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/prayer-must-emanate-from-the-heart-where-god-resides-and-not-from-the/)

[Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/)

> [I found that a whole series of people opposed me simply on the grounds that I was a woman. The clerics took to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benazir-bhutto/i-found-that-a-whole-series-of-people-opposed-me-simply-on-the/)

[Benazir Bhutto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benazir-bhutto/)

> [I, as a Muslim woman living in 1993, I want to have two things - the mosque and the satellite, both at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatema-mernissi/i-as-a-muslim-woman-living-in-1993-i-want-to-have-two-things-the/)

[Fatema Mernissi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatema-mernissi/)

> [My first memory as a child growing up is of playing in the gardens, the mosque is really a gigantic garden, probably the biggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rula-jebreal/my-first-memory-as-a-child-growing-up-is-of-playing-in-the-gardens/)

[Rula Jebreal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rula-jebreal/)

> [I'd love to go and visit the Mosque in Mecca again, just for the sheer beauty of it, not for God - much the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/i-d-love-to-go-and-visit-the-mosque-in-mecca-again-just-for-the-sheer/)

[Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/)

> [Every mosque that is tied to jihad-related activity should be shut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-geller/every-mosque-that-is-tied-to-jihad-related-activity-should-be-shut/)

[Pamela Geller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-geller/)

> [Here's the Middle East. Here's the mosque, here's the church, open the temple, everybody's MAD!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bamford/here-s-the-middle-east-here-s-the-mosque-here-s-the-church-open-the/)

[Maria Bamford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bamford/)

> [Ground Zero mosque supporters, doesn't it stab you in the heart, as it does ours, throughout the heartland? Peaceful Muslims, please refudiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/ground-zero-mosque-supporters-doesn-t-it-stab-you-in-the-heart-as-it/)

[Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/)

> [There should be no mosque near Ground Zero in New York so long as there are no churches or synagogues in Saudi Arabia,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/there-should-be-no-mosque-near-ground-zero-in-new-york-so-long-as/)

[Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/)

> [When "I" and "You" are absent, I've no idea if this is a mosque, synagogue, church or temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmud-shabistari/when-i-and-you-are-absent-i-ve-no-idea-if-this-is-a-mosque-synagogue/)

[Mahmud Shabistari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmud-shabistari/)

> [To allow the construction of places of worship other than Islamic ones in Saudi Arabia, it would be like asking the Vatican to build…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdullah-of-saudi-arabia/to-allow-the-construction-of-places-of-worship-other-than-islamic/)

[Abdullah of Saudi Arabia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdullah-of-saudi-arabia/)

> [There's more than one mosque in the world that used to be a church and before that was a temple. Because it's a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/there-s-more-than-one-mosque-in-the-world-that-used-to-be-a-church/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [The World Trade Center site will forever hold a special place in our city, in our hearts. But we would be untrue to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bloomberg/the-world-trade-center-site-will-forever-hold-a-special-place-in-our/)

[Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bloomberg/)

> [The Muslims have, as everyone else says, the right to practice their religion and they have the right to construct a mosque at ground…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-muslims-have-as-everyone-else-says-the-right-to-practice-their/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Bulleh Shah

> [God is found by those, With kind hearts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bulleh-shah/god-is-found-by-those-with-kind-hearts/)

[Bulleh Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bulleh-shah/)

> [Yes, yes; you’ve read thousands of books but you’ve never tried to read your own self; you rush into your temples, into your mosques,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bulleh-shah/yes-yes-you-ve-read-thousands-of-books-but-you-ve-never-tried-to-read/)

[Bulleh Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bulleh-shah/)

> [Repeating the name of the Beloved I have become the Beloved myself. Whom shall I call the Beloved now?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bulleh-shah/repeating-the-name-of-the-beloved-i-have-become-the-beloved-myself/)

[Bulleh Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bulleh-shah/)

> [EDUCATION IS VITAL TO DISCERN BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bulleh-shah/education-is-vital-to-discern-between-knowledge-and-learning/)

[Bulleh Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bulleh-shah/)

[Explore all 5 Bulleh Shah quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bulleh-shah/)

## More Break quotes

> [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/)

[Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/)

> [Things are going well in Germany because the economy is booming and as an export-driven nation, we are profiting from the fact that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/things-are-going-well-in-germany-because-the-economy-is-booming-and/)

[Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/)

> [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/)

[Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/)

> [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/)

[Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/)

> [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/)

[Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/)

> [Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/your-pain-is-the-breaking-of-the-shell-that-encloses-your/)

[Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/)

> [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I hadn't worked for a year when I had my Prison Break audition and it was the easiest audition I've ever had. I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/i-hadn-t-worked-for-a-year-when-i-had-my-prison-break-audition-and-it/)

[Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/)

> [If you strike upon a thought that baffles you, break off from that entanglement and try another, so shall your wits be fresh to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/if-you-strike-upon-a-thought-that-baffles-you-break-off-from-that/)

[Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/)

> [“A hole ain’t nothing either, but you can still break your neck in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-donati/a-hole-ain-t-nothing-either-but-you-can-still-break-your-neck-in-it/)

[Sara Donati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-donati/)

> [“I break things, a lot of things, but I don’t want one of them to be you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-break-things-a-lot-of-things-but-i-don-t-want-one-of-them-to-be-you/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [Motor racing's less of a sport these days than a commercial break doing 150 mph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dunne/motor-racing-s-less-of-a-sport-these-days-than-a-commercial-break/)

[Peter Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dunne/)

> [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. Live with applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, flood you with it. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-is-to-be-in-gratitude-forever-live-with-applied/)

[Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/)

> [Never break another man's rice bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akio-morita/never-break-another-man-s-rice-bowl/)

[Akio Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akio-morita/)

[Browse all 8,188 Break quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Tear down the mosque, the temple, everything in sight. But don't break a human heart. For that is where God resides.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bulleh Shah"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bulleh-shah/tear-down-the-mosque-the-temple-everything-in-sight-but-don-t-break-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Break"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bulleh-shah/tear-down-the-mosque-the-temple-everything-in-sight-but-don-t-break-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/bulleh-shah-60374_break_tear-down-the-mosque-the-temple-everythi_2602904.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/bulleh-shah-60374_break_tear-down-the-mosque-the-temple-everythi_2602904.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e7/bulleh-shah-60374_break_tear-down-the-mosque-the-temple-everythi_2602904.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Tear down the mosque, the temple, everything in sight. But don't break a human heart. For that is where God…” — Bulleh Shah",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Bulleh Shah",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bulleh-shah/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Tear down the mosque, the temple,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bulleh-shah/tear-down-the-mosque-the-temple-everything-in-sight-but-don-t-break-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bulleh-shah/tear-down-the-mosque-the-temple-everything-in-sight-but-don-t-break-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
