When Faith becomes Knowledge. Yesterday morning I had a late breakfast with my friend Moses. And he made an observation which I wish to share with you - "To the Mawlana (Master of the Sufi Tariqah)..." said Moses, "... the little faith which we ostensibly have is to him already (certain) knowledge. So what is his faith? It must be something greater. And the faith which the Mawlana and all the Saints have is already knowledge encompassed by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)... so can you even imagine what the Prophet's faith is?" With dramatic pause he concluded, "For someone who was brought within two bow's length to God, closer to God than anyone has or shall come to, what is the vast expanse and horizons of the Prophet's faith?
Moses has an engineer's mind, a tinkerer and a cook. So I found his musing a departure from his more pragmatic approach to spirituality and his often commanding rebukes. He he he.
Faith in Muhammad. To follow Moses's lead, then there is no end in our journey, sunshine. No end to the path which God calls upon all humanity to follow, to Love, to Goodness to Mercy and Compassion. And ultimately, to faith. And once you have internalised one aspect of faith (say... belief in God), and you have accepted this not on faith but certain knowledge, God will reveal another layer of faith (say... submission to Fate, whether 'good' or 'bad) for you to explore and (hopefully) internalise as knowledge. And the list goes on... faith in humanity, faith in the Angels, and of course, faith in the guiding spirit of Muhammad Habibullah, Prophet of God and Mercy to the Worlds, succour to all creatures and all things animate or otherwise.
Adab (Courtesy and Good Manners) At this stage where are we, sunshine? Have we found certain knowledge, or are we still barely clinging to faith as we try to accept the trials and tribulations of this world, often torn between doubt, certainty, belief and disbelief? My five penny's worth is that whether we have found faith or knowledge, nothing matters if we do not exhibit courtesy and good manners (the Adab) as the Prophet desires from us. And if we fall back to our prickly, selfish, antagonistic and intolerant manners... then alas, we still have far to come to understand of faith and knowledge of God. For if there is nothing else I can take from today's writing, at least I can say that faith in God revolves around His Divine Attributes, His Love, Mercy, Compassion, Affection, Intimacy and Gentle Ministration towards mankind, however foolish, impatient and greedy we sometimes are.
Lo, how foolish have I been in my angry tempers! Snapping my claws like an over-sensitive crab...
Yup... still a looooong way for me.
Keep me company, sunshine. And even if I would fail, I could bear witness to your bloom as a Rose in the Garden of God, compassionate and kind...
wa min Allah at-taufiq
Hate has no place in Islam
Love will show the Way
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