A Path In Conversation With God - our happiness and sadness

Happiness and Sadness

If you take happiness in its full measure,

You must take responsibility for

The full draught of sorrow.

This is not a question

Of punishment or reward,

But of smoothing the creases

In our conversations with God.

Faith is the sum of all our sentiments of love, affection, trust, hope, courage, compassion, empathy, tolerance, humility and all those other divine ingredients that the Creator has mixed with your soul to create us. This makes me happy.

But the underlying basis of all these worthy attributes is to be challenged by the opposite forces – hate, contempt, mistrust, despair, cowardice, indifference, cruelty, intolerance, pride and hubris. This makes me very, very nervous.

But according to Muslim lore, no man or woman is tested beyond her innate virtue and strength to overcome. So if we fail (as we sometimes do) to hold unto our principles, we have failed no one but ourselves. This makes me sad.

But happy or sad, this is the journey for us. And when I mean 'us' I am not talking about any mystic, dervish, Sufi or New-Age acolytes. I think it is a road for everyone. A path in conversation with God, as we walk, run and sometimes stumble while pleading, praying, smiling, sulking, laughing, crying and talking with the Creator Who always listens, and Who never turns away.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way