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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

The Prophet & the Apple Tree

THE APPLE TREE

Will they remember me, my friend?
When I am long buried in
The earth of my world,

Will they know that once
Walked a man in love with Muhammad?

Will the walls upon which
I cast my shadows remember
How I venerated the Prophet?

Will the sky bear witness to
My endless wandering seeking him?

Will the trees remember me
Touching their rough bark, 
Pleasantly Remembering Muhammad, 
Mercy to all the Worlds?

Will songwriters know how I stole
Their words and melodies to make
A whole new world in praise of the Prophet?

Will my son recall my words of praise,
Each trying to best the other in
Describing his sublime delicacy?

Will the night remember me falling tired,
Wearied by this world, and wishing another day
To manifest a greater love for Muhammad?

Will the earth speak of my aching feet
That carried my heart which was too infatuated
With the Universal Song for Muhammad,
Praised high by God Himself?

Will I be known as wise or foolish,
When all this while I desired neither,
Save only to be recalled home
To the feet of Muhammad?
- To the ocean and high mountain of Ahmad,
To the resonance of a truth witnessed
By every apple falling off an apple tree,
By every atom whirling in mystery.

A seeker permitted me to eavesdrop on his (typically) melancholic longing for Muhammad. It is almost painful to read the prose, as the seeker poured his heart out like melted butter. But the Lord and all His Angels praise the Prophet, thus however high you extol Muhammad's virtues, you will not come close to his essence, for the truth of his essence is something beyond words. So praise him, Muslims, something that even a Hindu poet encouraged in Annemarie Schimmel's book ' AND MUHAMMAD IS HIS MESSENGER - The Veneration of the Prophet in Islamic Piety'. This was what Shivprasad Dohi observed - 

"How should not men, angels, and djinn praise him
Since God Most High Himself has praised him?"

To which Annemarie adds that this same poet claimed that his soul was "a moth around the candle of meeting with Mustafa (another name of the Prophet, meaning the Chosen)"

Do not fear the true lovers of Muhammad, my brethren of another faith. For if someone is truly a lover of Muhammad, he is a lover of Mercy. And he would not do or say anything out of turn, and certainly not to harm any one. The religion of Muhammad is not defined in the terror, hateful action and propaganda of the bigoted and violent. Find a true lover of the Prophet, and verily, you will find in him/her a true friend. For those touched by the love of Muhammad extols the same love for all humanity. For you cannot be someone from the Nation of Muhammad if you are not a servant to humanity. That is the beautiful obligation you must carry if you desire to know God's Most Beloved. It is a heavy responsibility, yes? Are the Muslims ready to bear this?

wa min Allah at-taufiq

4 comments:

  1. How blessed that today, the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal 1433, that I should stumble on this, while looking trying to google & find out more about Shivprasad Dohi. SubhanaLlah.

    And "The Apple Tree"--how eloquently it speaks of a familiar longing. Thank you for sharing it. May Allah grace us with the company of the beloved,♥صلى الله عليه وسلم‎✿⊹⊱╮.

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  2. Thank you, Surya. No doubt God answers the call of those longing for the company of the Beloved.

    And if you learn more of Shivprasad Dohi, please share it with the world and give me a head's up! For I would love to learn too...

    wa min Allah at-taufiq

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  3. Salam MT. Aside from what Ms. Schimmel had in her book on Dohi, I couldn't find anything else on the WWW.
    Anyways, if you haven't seen the following blogs, do check them out. A balm for yearning hearts!

    http://almiskeenah.com/?p=13246
    http://healing-hearts-blog.com/

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  4. Thank you for the head's up! The sinner shall certainly drop by the sites. Thank you again and have a thoroughly beautiful day.

    ReplyDelete