Hate Need Not Be Their Fate - the encounter between the World of Hate and the World of Love

A verse of Rumi

Sings from the book,

Reminding me, once again,

That Love was here

Before me,

A smiley drawn

On a sandy shore,

Tells me, once again,

That Love was

Here before,

The peddlers of hate

Often tell us that

Their hate was here

Before they were born,

But beneath the rainy sky,

And across the fields of corn,

Walking through a lavender field,

I cannot but wonder why...

Why do they live their life for hate,

When theirs were a home

That Love built?

And for whatever stories

That they might hear...

Hate need not be

Their fate.

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Mawlana Abul Kalam Azad

History and Present Hate. Pundits, the dogs of war and the hyenas of the mainstream like to portray the conflicts in the world today as a generational inheritance. An age-old dispute and blood feud passed down from father to son. Whether they are spouting generalizations about the so-called East-West conflict, the so-called Clash of Civilizations between Islam and Judeo-Christianity, the Sunni and the Shia, or the Sinhalese and  the Tamils, at the end of the day, for an age-old hatred to find expression, someone in the present, not in the past, must take up arms to inflict harm on his neighbour. So we should stop blaming the past for the past, as if we are dogs collared and destined to perpetuate the hate, bigotry and hubris of our forefathers. 

Mahatma  Gandhi

Another Planet. What do you feel when you watch the television news or read the media coverage? For myself, I find that the hatemongers and patronizing opinions of the so-called impartial pundits to be a broadcast or a news article from some strange and hideous world that is not mine, and nor do I think, it is yours. 

For hating and hate-filled people live in a separate planet entirely on their own, whether they call themselves Buddhist, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Agnostics or Atheists. Oh, they may be walking on the same Earth as we do... but their Earth, their world is very, very different. The brewers of hate and the warlocks of war tread in a world contrary to the world of Mahatma Gandhi and his friend and counsel, Mawlana Abul Kalam Azad... and of course, our dear old bleeding heart, Rumi the Fluent.

A Footnote in History. To them, let it be their way, for us, ours. For in the inevitable encounter between the World of Hate and the World of Love, hate becomes nothing but a footnote in the unveiling of Divine Power, of which, we sinners and believers, may play some small part in. 

May you have a lovely day, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

A Man from Sweden and the Saints of India

Yesterday evening, I attended a meeting in a nearby hotel with an old client. Literally, he was old apart from having been with my firm since its inception in 2004. I was happy to see that his old Swede business partner was there. A man I have had the pleasure of making acquaintance a couple of times over the years. Shall we call him Ericsson?

Eric looked a little tired after traveling over 27 hours by car, train and plane to reach Kuala Lumpur from his hometown in Sweden. He too must be around my client’s age (about 67 perhaps), and was quietly working with his mobile office in the business lounge of the hotel. My client was late, so we chatted a bit.

I asked him about Sweden (“The economy is good. It is one of the strongest in the EU…”, pausing thoughtfully, “… for today. Tomorrow, who knows?”) and the sick states of Greece, Spain and Portugal. I do not know how, but our conversation drifted to his travels (he is a world traveler), and in one part he made this rather innocuous remark, “India is full of very rich and very, very poor people. The poor people live in the streets, and when I pass by them, I know that God do not exist”. He paused and looked at me, and I was wondering whether he expected me to reply or make some comment. But I didn’t. Instead I returned to our original topic and asked about Iceland. Later my client arrived and I left Eric to attend my client in a cosy private corner of the place.

After work I was exhausted, so I fell asleep early. 6 hours on, here I am - Awake and bright-eyed in the early hours of Saturday in a Mamak restaurant near my house. I was surrounded by foreign Chinese students having a late supper, and denizens of the night clubs drinking hot milky tea and eating roti canai before returning to their beds. I cannot go back to sleep because I keep recalling what Eric said. And what answer, if any, I could have given.

On the way here, I saw a sight which struck me. On the road was the lifeless body of a beautiful black kitten. It was probably run down a couple of hours earlier, perhaps when I was safe asleep in my bed. Does this also mean that God doesn’t exist?

It is easy to despair. It is a door that is always open for us to walk through. And witnessing the easy death of a beautiful cat, or the teeming hungry masses of humanity of India, despair appears the easiest path to accept. I can almost hear Despair inviting me. “Come in, Taufiq.” I hear it speaking to me. “There is no God. Otherwise I, Despair, would not exist.”

But I cannot. Not because I am a superman with some profound understanding of life. But I have seen with my own eyes the dogged determination of mankind to persevere no matter the hardship. To wake up in the morning, praising God, alhamdulillah, and to fall asleep, again thanking Him, alhamdulillah. And I have also heard the whispered oath of the caregivers – the Mother Theresas, the Gandhis, and the Mawlana Abul Kalam Azads of India… all who live for the sake of others, finding fulfillment and God Himself in caring for the sick, the needy and the homeless –

THE SELFISH SAINTS
I am a selfish person,
I cook for the hungry,
Because if I do not,
Then to me,
God ceases to exist.

I am a selfish person,
I build homes for orphans,
Because if I do not,
Then to me,
God ceases to exist.

I am a selfish person,
I give all my wealth away,
Because if I do not,
Then to me,
God ceases to exist.

I am a selfish person,
I attend to the lepers
And the dispossessed,
Because if I do not,
Then to me,
God ceases to exist.

And to be absent
From His Presence
Is to me,
The most painful lesson
That this life can offer.

God doesn’t exist in words, whether written or uttered. God is manifest in His Most Compassionate and Merciful attributes in the tireless working hands of the caregivers of this world. God bless Ericsson and all caregivers of this world. We owe them our humanity.

Have a charitable Sabbath, sunshine.

Pax Taufiqa.

The Prophet & Sir Kishan Prasad Shad (1864-1940)

"Peace Be Upon Him"

PBUH is the term of loving reverence utilized for the Prophet Muhammad, so it would be "Muhammad (PBUH)". In arabic the complete affectionate terminology following the Prophet Muhammad's name is 'Sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam', meaning "May the blessings and the peace of God be upon him (Muhammad).

Sir Kishan Prasad Shad (1864-1940) was twice the Prime Minister of the Hyderabad State, India. He was a Hindu but he had this love and fascination for the Prophet that would shame some Muslim nowadays (me included). In her seminal book, "AND MUHAMMAD IS HIS MESSENGER - The Veneration of the Prophet in Islamic Piety", Annemarie Schimmel quoted the noble knight's prose...

Be I infidel or true believer-
God Alone knows, what I am!
But I know: I am the Prophet's servant,
Who Medina's ruler is.

Years after his death, the sinner recorded in his own ham-fisted stumbling way, a limited ideal of the Prophet and the special connection between Muhammad and the Nation of Muhammad. Although now you must ask yourself, who is from the Nation of Muhammad?

12. Walk behind me (A response)
Walk behind me, my people,
For the dangers which lie ahead
You cannot imagine.

Walk behind me, my people,
For you are not armed to face
Such tribulations alone.

Walk behind me, my people,
For each dust which falls from my sandal,
And the perfume which trails behind me,
Is a blessing for you.

Walk behind me, my people,
For I was created to be followed,

Walk behind me, my people,
For I am the Inspired Breath,
And the Guided and Guiding Hand.

Walk behind me, my people,
For in my shadow
No darkness can exist,
No evil can withstand,
No doubt can persist.

Have a lovely Wednesday, sunshine.

Pax Taufiqa.

Al-Rahman & Al-Rahim, Mawlana Abul Kalam Azad & the Beautiful You

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'On earth are signs for men of firm belief,

and also in your own selves :

will ye not then notice them?'

(Q : 51 : 20-1)

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WHO IS THE LORD HERE? There is nothing to hide the hidden praises of the Universe from our perception, save where we think ourselves masterly. For such praises are raised in the clouds above our heads, upon the earth that we walk and in our very own mind, body and soul. But if we think ourselves lordly, we only turn ourselves blind and deaf to the endless praise sprung for another Lord, the One and True Lord, God Most Most Compassionate (Al-Rahman) Most Merciful (Al-Rahim).

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THE MEANING OF AL-RAHMAN AL-RAHIM. What does Al-Rahman and Al-Rahim mean anyway? There are countless exposition on these names and attributes of God, but I shall turn to the boon companion of Mahatma Gandi and India's first Minister of Education, Mawlana Abul Kalam Azad’s belief in his seminal book, ‘The Opening Chapter of the Quran’, where he wrote (in page 47)…

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”The terms Al-Rahman and Al-Rahim are derived from Rahmat. The term Rahmat in Arabic is used to denote the type of tenderness which stimulates in one the urge to show kindness to others. Its connotation is wide enough to cover the qualities of love, compassion, benevolence and generosity…The two term Al-Rahman and Al-Rahim, though both are derived from the same root of Rahmat, denote two separate aspects of it. Al-Rahman means the being who possesses Rahmat ; and Al-Rahim means the being who not merely possesses Rahmat but gives perennial expression of it, and from whom everything in the universe derives goodness every moment…The purpose of the Quran in bringing to mind the aspects together is to emphasize the all-embracing character of the Rahmat of God…

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'And my Rahmat encompasseth everything in the universe.' (Q : 7 :155)"

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THE AMAZING MAN. I am quite enchanted with Mawlana Azad, but I fear he would find me a poor pathetic fool (if we are ever to meet in the future). I am not beneath being fond of his rugged good looks (see right), but before I ever saw any picture of him, it was his telling sincerity of his writing which bound my heart to his. How can I resist the good Mawlana, when in the name of God and the Prophet thus he inscribed in the pages of his book (in page 53)…”…The very nature of this universe is constituted of beauty. Even as elements were created to give form to the universe, even so was it invested with the qualities of colour, light and shade, and of rhythm and melody in order to lend beauty to it…

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’This is He who knoweth what is out of our knowledge an what is within it, the Mighty, the Merciful, who hath made everything which He hath created most perfect.’

(Q : 32 : 6-7)

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YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. Disbelieve the form reflected in the mirror if it is ugly. How can you be ugly, pet? How can you be in a form that is less than most perfect. It is not I that says this, it is my Lord, your Lord, our Lord that is ever giving succor to our endless need for assurance. And when God affirms your beauty, who are we to deny? How blessed are we to have God as God!

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Have a fine day, beautiful... for today, tomorrow and forever more.

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Pax Taufiqa

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P/S. Earlier postings on or with reference to Mawlana Abul Kalam Azad -

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Mawlana Abul Kalam Azad Part 2

No.9 Wonderful
Beauty made the world a canvas,
To paint His Names
In cosmic colour and hue.

And in between the First suns and the Last moons,
Beauty found time to create you.

MECCA, 1888. Mawlana Abul Kalam Azad was born to a migrant Indian family in Mecca in the year 1888. This boon companion of Mahatma Gandhi was described by the Mahatma himself as ‘The Emperor of Learning” and “a person of the calibre of Plato, Aristotle and Pythagorus”.

His father was reputed to be Sufi pir of the Qadiri and Naqshbandi Sufi Orders. Yet Mawlana Abul, although educated in the Islamic classic traditions, had a willful heart to explore beyond the books and sermons of the madrasah. His proficiency in Arabic, English, Urdu, Hindi, Persian and Bengali permitted him to study many knowledge and lore which would otherwise be locked away from him. When married with a highly astute mind and a compassionate heart, is it any wonder that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's referred to him as “a very brave and gallant gentleman, a finished product of the culture that, in these days, pertains to few”. When you consider the giant personalities of Gandhi and Nehru, you would know that such personal accolades are not something to take lightly.

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MY FIRST ENCOUNTER with Mawlana Abul’s book “THE OPENING CHAPTER OF THE QURAN” (Mawlana Abul Kalam Azad, Edited & rendered into English by Dr. Syed Abdul Latiff) was some 10 years ago while I was collecting notes and insights on the idea of Islam and the Environment for my book (grandly) entitled "THIS WORLD IS MY MOSQUE - A Walk Through a Twilight Forest under a Crescent Moon". Perhaps one day I should post some readable parts of my unfinished book.

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Anyways, while searching through my old notes last night, I came across this following extract from Maulana Abul’s book – “To visualize God as Rabbul’-Alamin or the Rabb (Lord) of all creation is to conceive Him as not only the Creator of everything in the universe but its nourisher and sustainer as well. The provision that He has made for the sustenance and growth of everything is made under a plan, so marvelous that every being is furnished with all that its particular nature demands for its existence, and at the same time, it is furnished in a manner that takes cognizance of every changing situation and need.”

GOD THE PAINTER. I remember thinking about Mawlana’s words and how if I consider God as the Ultimate Artist and Painter, God would not be any ordinary sort of painter. Such is the vacuum of meanings and substance before Creation that God’s canvas would be made of unimaginable nothingness. A canvas empty even of emptiness and devoid of even voidness. And upon this divine canvas, God found the time to paint each ant, each zebra, the forest and mountains, the lakes and the seas, the sky and the vast expanse of outer space and beyond. And while working on His Masterpiece, He found the inspiration to create you. Little ol’ you.

But as the Rabbul’-Alamin, the Painter of this vast Creation doesn’t stop painting. Indeed not a moment past from Untime to this moment when you are reading this post, that God has ever stopped painting. And were He like us, to grow tired and bored – and turns away from His Creation, all of Creation would cease to be nourished and sustained by His Grace and we, together with everything else would simply slip back into the unimaginable emptiness. All the colours of the worlds, each infinitesimal dot and speck of paint would fall from the canvas. A ripple of creation blinked away into a sea of absolute zero, where even memories would cease to exist.

RUBUBIYAT. But (thankfully) God is not like us. He loves all of Creation with a Love and Power which humbles our mind, thus wrote the Mawlana – “Indeed there are countless varieties of creation infinitesimally small in form that our naked eye cannot perceive them. For them, also, the Rububiyat of God has made the requisite provision for sustenance and growth with as much care as for the bulk elephant or the intelligent man. All this man can observe in his external world. Should he look into himself, he will notice that his life, at every moment of its existence, discloses a world of activity propelled by the Rububiyat* of God.”

LOVE THAT HAS NO LIMITATION. Such is the love that God has for you. Someone once commented about this blog. “Surely it isn’t as simple as that. Surely it is not just about love, kindness and mercy”. To my friend I reply here – It is. And the eternal sadness of mankind is that however we talk of love, singing and praising love in poems and novels, we fail to understand His Love. We refuse to believe that such Love as His Love could possibly exist. And we don’t even try. We put limitations on God when He Himself says He has none.

IMAM GHAZALI. Oh my dear friends, believe. And set yourself free of your mortal cage. Your body is imprisoned for awhile here in this world. But your heart, as Imam Ghazali once noted – is not of this world. Believe in His love and let your heart be the wings to fly you to Him…

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On this wonderful Wednesday, when I am sharing thoughts with Maulana Azad and Imam Ghazali (not to mention Nehru and the Mahatma), I bid you peace and love. Not of a sinner, but from these elevated souls to whom I owe so much.

Pax Taufiqa.

Footnotes:
Earlier posting - Mawlana Abul Kalam Azad Part 1 - Click Here.

* Rububiyat means, as quoted from Maulana Azad’s book, “…in Arabic, Rububiyat means nourishing. But the term is to be conceived here in its widest sense, for in the opinion of some of the leading lexicographers, the terms means, “to develop a thing from a stage to stage in accordance with its inherent aptitudes, needs and its different aspects of existence, and also in a manner affording the requisite freedom to attain its full stature”.

The poem ‘Wonderful’ is from chapter 8 ‘Dawn Came, the Song’ circa October 2004.

Mawlana Abul Kalam Azad Part 1

THE BOOK. About 7 or eight years back I came across this book. I was amazed by the beauty of the Author’s words, and found great love and solace in his compassionate exposition on the Al Fatihah. This is the first chapter of the Al Quran, and the name of the writer is Mawlana Abul Kalam Azad.

From the Movie 'Gandhi', Mawlana's character is wearing sunglasses, sitting next to Viscount Mountbatten

INDIA. If you happen to have a dvd copy of Richard Attenborough’s epic movie, Gandhi, you would have seen Mawlana Abul, as acted by Virendra Razdan, a famous Indian actor. For you see, Mawlana Abul was a boon companion of the Mahatma, and he broke ranks with his Muslim political allies, when he chose for a united India instead of a separate state for the Muslims. This was what he had to say …

“I am Muslim and profoundly conscious of the fact that I have inherited Islam’s glorious tradition of the last thirteen hundred years. I am not prepared to lose even a small part of that legacy. The history and teachings of Islam, its art and letters, its culture and civilization are part of my wealth and it is my duty to guard and cherish them. But, with all these feelings, I have another equally deep realization, born out of my life’s experience, which is strengthened and not hindered by the Islamic spirit. I am equally proud of the fact that I am Indian, an essential part of the indivisible unity of the Indian nationhood, a vital factor in its total makeup, without which this noble edifice will remain incomplete. I can never give up this sincere claim. (Presidential Address I.N.C Ramgarth, 1940)”

GANDHI. The breadth of his vision is difficult for me to put down to words, so there is nothing better than to quote the Mahatma himself who said, “Maulana Azad is the most forceful, truthful, and fearless satyagrahi and fighter against oppression and injustice that I have come across”.

He was a leader of great stature, and as a fighter for the freedom and independence of India, he was jailed together with Gandhi, Nehru, Patel and others for six years. In 1993, Mawlana Abul Kalam Azad was posthumously awarded India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna.

The Mawlana is a man after your own heart – He stood for the unity of man, when politics were causing division between Muslims and Hindus, he stood for hope, when all were despairing to find any peace in post-British India, and above all, he was a man of God, his words and action reflecting his deep and profound understanding of the Most Beloved God, Lord of all Mankind…

“In all that a Muslim does, it should be a rule of action that he help whoever that may be doing good, even if a non-Muslim or an opponent, and avoid helping whoever may be doing evil, even if a Muslim and a companion… even if an idolater honour and worship God in his own way, he should not be shown disrespect, for the honour and worship of God, is, in any event, the honour and worship of God.”

When he passed away in 22nd February 1958, India and the world lost a shining beacon of Truth, Love and humanity. But he is still speaking, you see. His words ring with such compassion and humanity that the Lord of Words shall not allow such a man, such a voice to be still merely by the happenstance of death. He is often in my thoughts, and I hope that he is now in yours too. Oh, by the way, ‘Azad’ is his adopted pen name. It means Free.

So, go forth, sunshine! Exercise your freedom as the Mawlana once did, and just like he, remember… always choose love, charity, unity and compassion. Your example will lead sinners like me to some good, Godwilling.

Pax Taufiqa.

Footnote: As and when I shall continue writing about him, because really, a single posting does him no justice whatsoever. Here are some news / blogs links on the Mawlana that you may wish to read, Ummid, pilot-pooja, and 4to40.