Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Flames are created only to be extinguished - Our Personal Hell

93. Calling on rain, mercy and the Ocean of the Lord
I am calling on rain,
I am asking for mercy,
To put out the fires
In my garden of flames,

They talk of Hell
As a place far off,
Do they not see
That it is here and now?

Why are they not
Calling for rainstorms?
Why do they remain silent
When there is an ocean
Waiting to wash away the
Fiery blooms and weeds
Of Hell’s garden?

They talk of God
As a far-off Lord,
Do they not see
That He is here already?

In their blindness
They despair,
And in their despair
They overcompensate,
Mixing regret with
Sorrow, envy and hate.

They talk of Religion
As a far-off idol,
Cold and indifferent,
Unseeing the glittering pearl,
Refusing their inheritance.

We? We are not worried,
For if we misstep into
A field of fire, we just
Scream, "Ouch!" And
Step out.

It is the conviction of some mystics that Hell, if you wish to give it a name, is something that is not delayed. Unlike in the past, when karmic retribution is withheld until after you pass away, there is some indication that the spiritual and physical penalties are all arriving at our threshold on a daily basis, delivered by that not-to-be-denied postman known as Fate.

This is not bad news, actually. It is good news. For God knows how we can deal with Hell after we have died. But if Hell is already making its appearances now, then there is always something we can do to reverse our bad inclinations and encourage our better selves. It is simple, really. Difficult yes, but simple...

So if you yourself are living through your own personal Hell, take solace that you are not alone. We are all in it. So let us help each other by calling on the Rain of Mercy and the Ocean of God. Don't you know that flames are created only to be extinguished?

Think about it, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam
Love will show the Way

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