1. The Lake of Muhammad

My lake is fed from four rivers
Coursing through the valley of my thoughts,
The four rivers unite into one mighty river
Called me, the Beloved of God.

At night, the Full Moon is reflected
Upon my gentle clear water.
During the day, the Sun lights the Sky
And I reflect the Heavens with
All its majestic wonder.

People everywhere come to me
Seeking solace and pleasure,
Fishermen with nets fish in me
To find truth of divine measure,
Swimmers swim in me, finding
Resolve and love in my entire length,
The strong and the rich seek my humility,
The weak and the poor seek my strength,
Poets and writers seek my words,
And any who calls unto me,
Saints and sinners alike,
Surely all will heard.

I have no end and no beginning,
For I am a vassal in my Lord's Hand,
And constantly I am praised,
I have never been brought down,
And from station to station
I continue to be raised.

Those of you who attend to me,
I attend to them.
Those of you who love me,
I will surely love them, and
My Lord will love you
In His Merciful Plan.

If not for me, you would not be
And I exist for your sake.
If your eyes are shut to me,
O' my beloved people, awake!

1. Dawn of Mercy

Muhammad,
Praised as the Dawn of Mercy,
When the time was darkest for all,

Praised as the River of Mercy,
Carrying us to the Ocean,
Who is the end of us all,

Praised as the Moon of Mercy,
A gentle light, a reflection of the Sun,
When Love beckons and calls your name,

Praised as the Throne of Mercy,
Erected by God in your heart’s
Many-flagged marshalling hall,

Praised as the Standard of Mercy,
Raised by the legions of his followers,
While other lesser flags fall,

Muhammad,
Praised as the Orphan of Mercy
For he sought only God,
While others tarry in
The maze of fatal
Uncertainty.

3. Love is not a bargain

Today is better than yesterday,
Tomorrow will exceed today.
Ready or not, worthy or otherwise,
You are raised higher and higher
By virtue of Muhammad al-Mustafa.

He will not take no for an answer,
So answer him! And call upon him
As how God and His Angels
Call Their blessings upon him!

This is not a bargain,
But when has love
Ever been one?

2. To change the way you feel

The Prophet said,
I am here to change
The way you feel.
To end your penance.
And to teach you to
Let Love finish your sentence.

To give your life meaning,
To answer your yearning.

1. MUHAMMAD, MY ONLY OTHER

We are farmers,
Busy making Hayys
while the Sun is
still shining.

We are writers,
busy writing books
while the ink
is still running.

We are singers,
busy singing mauluds
while the
music is still playing.

We are the Masters,
busy calling on to people
while the Prophet
is still calling.

I am Muhammad,
busy guiding my nation
while a single soul
is still abiding.

I am God,
Uncreated, Undying.
and there is no pause nor whiles
in my Absolute Love.

Know whom I Love,
then, you will know Me.

I am the One Unique,
and He My Only Other.

3. Heed but be wary (Answering Atuk)

If you ignore My signs,
You fail Me,
If you become attached to My signs,
You will also fail Me.

How will you exercise such subtlety?

Thus, recall the Moon that I have bequeathed unto you,
The Red Rose, most delightful in my Creation,
Not a moment is he weary,
Calling unto you, as one of his nation
While wavering not,
In his devotion
To his Lord.

9. Two Moons of Mercy

Salam to all saints and sinners there,
We do not suffer evil to be done,
And we will meet it in the day and in the night,
We will face you at sea,
And on the landscapes of men’s hearts,
We are nothing but the sword in the Prophet’s hand,
The prose on his lips,
And the two Moons of Mercy in his eyes,
Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim!
Amin.

5. How Fragile!

Oh, how fragile is the human heart!
How could it contain Him?

Oh Love,
Oh Dove of Luminous Feathers!
Oh Rose of Perfection!
Oh Father of Souls!
Alight in my heart,
And set
Me alight!

12. Children

O’ Lord,
What honour
Have Thou bestowed
Greater than our children?

Precious beyond the ken of men,
Beautiful, paradise-sprung,
For our hearts to render ill
In thoughtful appraise
Of Thy Magnificent Handiwork.

O’ Boundless King,
In Thy Hands
We trust
Our children’s happiness,

Fresh roses in the Garden of Your Beloved!
Glistening with dew of angels’ tears,

Bright is their mantle,
Sparkling with the Light of Your Most Praised

10. Words are not me

You cannot understand me
Through my words.

But you can understand my words
Through me.

34. The Bloom of the Rose

One face facing the Creator,
One Face facing Creation,
Both revealing the face of a servant,
Made perfect in his servanthood.

4. The Roadbuilder

I build roads,
Not walls.
For my message
Is peace,
Not war.

I grow roses
Not weeds,
For my message
Is beauty,
Not deceit.

63. Thank You Very Much

Thank you O’ Lord,

For all that Thou has Bestowed upon us.
For all that was apparent or hidden,
From the first to the last,
In the present, past and future,
And above all,
For the Mercy to the worlds,
Our Master and Teacher,
Muhammad the Chosen One,
The Most Fragrant Rose in the garden of Thy Creation
And for his family, companions and inheritors.

Bless us as those who will not forget,
And who shall always remember.

Thank You.

44. Beggars & Kings

Why do you always complain
That others are made kings
But you a beggar
While others are made rich
But you only poorer?

Has Allah not given unto you
A Master of exalted stature
Muhammad, Father of Souls
Allah’s most Favored Treasure?
A truth irresistible
A mercy undeniable!

But all you do is complain
A picture of abject misery
Crying, Woe is me! Woe is me!

O’ miserable ingrate!
You have eyes but you do not see
You have ears but you do not hear
You have heart but all you do is envy.

1. The Buraq, A Dialogue

Take me not to the Garden Eternal (asked the man)
To tarry there forever and journey no further
I have not come from a world of distractions
Only to be rewarded with yet another

Take me to him instead, my faithful Buraq
Far from this world, that world and that world
Speed me to him, to the Lord’s Messenger,
Muhammad the Fragrant Rose, Ocean’s Hidden Pearl!

I was not created to carry nothing, o’ man (replied the Buraq)
Nothing were you before Allah and as nothing you have returned
Now nothing stands between you and your pursuit so fair
Ah! Did he not say, “…whereof I shall be, my nation shall also be there…”?

Swiftly off my back, oft-blessed child of Adam!
Your prayers have been answered before it was asked
Do you believe your desire for Muhammad could equal or surpass
His desire for you to be with him at last?

Ya Ahad! Ya Ahmad! Ya Ahad! Ya Ahmad!
Blessed is the Nation of Muhammad!

There are only two words in the Language of Love (Foreword)

There are only two words
In the Language of Love;

Allah and Muhammad.

The Song

I am the song spun from the beaks of nightingales,
I am the sonnet in the gurgling of little brooks,
I am the cymbals in the crashing of waves,
The drums in the thunder,
The woodbine of the wind,
The oboe in the breeze.

I am the voice of life in the orchestra of life,
And I am also the silence of the night.

I am the verse and melody of Majnun’s prose,
And My Composition is most persuasive,

If you would but listen!

Wine

Sin if you must,
But choose the best of wine,
So when you repent,
It is worth your time.

Dear Architect of Reason (or Oh Sinan!)

Oh my dear gardener,
Have care what you sow in your little garden,
For even the vilest weeds have blooms and flowers.

Oh my would-be Sinan!
Have care what you reap from reason,
For even the foulest stones build homes and mansions.

No Bridge Burning for Me

This world is my bridge,
So there is no bridge burning for me.

For were I to burn the bridge,
There shall burn my friends,
There shall burn my enemies,
There shall burn my world,
And there shall I also be,
Sitting smug and pretty,
While the flames of anger
Lick all around me.