DON'T BE SHALLOW. LEARN HOW TO SWIM INTO HIS EMBRACE... and other useful tips

Beware of the Shallows (or the Seven Pearls)

Do not stray to close to the shallows,

Keep to the deep waters

Where all goodness and God is hallowed,

Beware of straying to close to the water's edge

Where water snakes and alligators gather,

Keep to the deep waters of His Mercy

Where He keeps the seven pearls;

The seven secret names

For you and for me.

...............

The devil cannot hurt us here. Not our overbearing nafs (lower desires) nor our ego is dominant here. Here in the Ocean of His Mercy, it is His Love that is the Sultan. Far from the shallows where the terrible tripartite hold sway, the water here is clean and pure. The deep sea of His Compassion is the treasure trove of the Prophets and the Saints, and they come here like fishermen, taking what is afforded to each one of them according to His Will... in the safety of His intimacy.

For you see, the devil, the nafs and our ego can only hurt us when we stray into the shallows, and become ourselves shallow. For how can the devil and all our enemies even curse us properly, when they don't even know our secret names? So don't be shallow and petty. Learn to be a servant and swim into His Embrace and be happy and free of these evils.

The Shallow Norms

Come! Come into the waters!

Come as you are,

No matter what they call you,

Believer, unbeliever, sinner

Or the foolish one!

Leave the shallows and the water's edge

For those still distracted 

By the norms of their

Religion and Age!

...............

At the dawn of this second day of Ramadan, may Allah (swt) bless you, may Nabi Muhammad (saws) guide you, and may you love and live like a diver in His Mercy Ocean. And if you see me in the shallows (as inevitably I am), struggling like a dimwit with my pretensions of evil and piety, pull me away and take me with you to His Mercy Ocean!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

-Notrumi Embun, 30th June 2014

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

WHEN IGNORANCE IS A MERCY... grappling with death in prose

Grappling with Death
I saw Death walked through the door.
Did the nurses not see him?
As he came close to my friend
I grabbed him and held him tight.

"Do not hinder me." Death said.
"Were I come to you tonight, would you fight me?
Would you struggle to remain imprisoned in this world?"

I shook my head.

"Thus why do you stand between me and my duty?

"I have plans for us, he and I." I answered.

"But if you trade places now, would you want him 
To obstruct me in my duty?
Knowing that I am but a gatekeeper?
Knowing that I am only a servant at the threshold of the Lord?
That I am the necessary path to your Lord and His Beloved?"

"No."

Death came close to a smile as he can, and said.
"So be it. Now, let go of me. For I am not attending to him tonight.
My engagement is with the gentleman in the next bed.

You really ought not to be so emotional, Notrumi."

..................

When Ignorance is a Mercy. Who knows when Death will come? People sometimes think it is a sword of doom, ever hanging over our heads, waiting to slice off our tenuous grip to life. It can be a car accident. It can be death in the battlefield, or perhaps choking on a peanut. From the profound, to the profane to the mundane, death comes to us in all sorts of guises.

But God desires to be known as the God of Mercy, not Doom. Certainly not for us human beings, after He has taken such trouble (though it is of course, no trouble at all for Him...) to create us in our skins, flesh and bones. How would it be for you, were you to know your exact moment of death? Let me tell you that for me it would be an oppressive knowledge to carry. I suspect it will drive many of us mad with paranoia and fear.

So do not fret nor fear your ignorance of your impending date with Azrail (as). Death is mercy, and the fact that you do not know when your lease on life expires is also a mercy.

And of course, the truth is not even the pen of Notrumi can hold back for even one nano-second his own time of death, much less that of his friend, however exalted or dear.  

Yet, such treasonous thoughts entered his mind last night. May Allah (swt) forgive me for even contemplating them. Happiness is only with you, ya Rabbi! Intimacy is only through Your Muhammad Habibullah (saws), Your own Sea of Intimacy for the poor humanity!

Hu Hu Hu.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

-Notrumi Embun, 6th June 2014

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

THE OWNER OF GODLY GRACE - and the passing of a good servant

The Owner of the Godly Grace

I know there is a life after death,

Because our conversation has not ended,

Day in and day out, it is still the same,

I know there is love after death,

Because I can feel you looking to me,

Day in and day out, it is still the same,

I know there is a Prophethood after death,

Day in and day out, it is still the same,
This has been the Mawlana's constant refrain to me, 

I know there is a God after death,

For this true love cannot be contained in one short life,

Day in and day out, eternity rolls out,

And you are still the same to me,

Only that you look much, much better

And wherever you may be, it is a good place to be.

How I wish I will be there with you

When the Owner of Godly Grace

Sends His invitation,

To your side

Be my

Place.

.................

On 7th of May 2014, as I was driving home from work, I received a WhatsApp message from my friend, Sheik Munim Bajrai. Although always praying for the best, I would lie if I said I did not anticipate the possibility. After all, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim was 92 years old, and has been in the ICU for ten days.

This would be a good place to explain who and what the Mawlana was and is. But where do I begin? For I am pretty sure I don't know him enough to say what ought to be said, nor describe what is often times, an indescribable feeling when you are drawn to his presence, whether physically or otherwise.

If you think I am confounded because to talk of the Mawlana is to enter some existentialist transcendental discourse about cosmic consciousness, then may I be permitted to correct you.

All that the Mawlana has ever showed to me and his many followers was love. Love, kindness, mercy and a guidance towards the best master of such love, kindness, mercy and guidance - that being the Seal of the Prophets, Sayyidina Muhammad (saws). And through the miraculous love and obedience of the Prophet (saws), towards the Endless Oceans of Mercy of Allah (swt).

Mawlana's teaching has not ended. Nor his loving concern for his naughty, mischievous mureeds (students). Death, just like when we were born from the womb of our beloved mother, is only the beginning...

And in particular, I came from the womb of this woman, my late mother.
And just as it happens, today marks the 12th year of her passing.
al fatiha...

And thank God, it is!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

- Notrumi , 20th  May 2014.

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY, POONE! ...The World of the Heart, Sibling Love and the Eternal Debt

When alive, Poone used to confide in his nephews that he shan't live to reach 50.
But to me, he has.

Happy Birthday, Poone! Today is my late brother Abang Chik's (Saiful Bahri, or Poone to his friends) birthday. I was reminded of this yesterday evening when my only living brother, Abang Ein (Mohamed Zahurein) mentioned it to me. Poone is 50 years old today. 

I guess the normal wording would be is Poone would be 50 years old today, if only he is still alive. For you see, my brother passed away one rainy evening on 14th September 2013. But I cannot bring myself to write the normal way about Poone. Because to me, he is still living. If not alive in this physical world, he is very much alive in my heart. And in God's beautiful way, the world of the heart trumps the physical world all the time. No contest, really.

Don't you agree, sunshine?

Formed, Formless in the Dictionary of Love

He was formless,

Then he was born and given form,

Then God wanted him back and

He became formless again...

But lo, I can feel him in my heart

And upon my lips and in my eyes,

Formed or formless he is my brother,

And there is no past tense

In the Dictionary of Love

.......................

Poone & Ein. My two brothers never really got on when Poone was alive. They had some similar tastes in music, but I think I would do neither of them any disservice if I said that both brothers had different passion and essence lighting their own separate destinies. Yesterday, Adam our nephew said, "You know... I wish my dad and Pak Poone was closer before..." I thought for awhile before replying, "But Adam, you and your dad washed his naked body before we prayed jenazah (funeral prayers) for Pak Poone. How much more intimate do you want your father to be with Pak Poone?" I think my nephew saw the logic of my reply. 

My brother, Abang Ein stepped up when Poone died and performed his brotherly duties. Which made me very happy. Because I am learning now that we often get frustrated, angry, annoyed and irritated by our close kin because they are our close kin. Had we not loved them so, we would not have cared and been so disturbed! He he he.

Don't you agree, sunshine?

A Sibling Love

May God bless our brothers and sisters,

No matter how we may feel about them,

For it is through love that we feel the sorrow today,

And it is through love that we will find happiness tomorrow!

...............................

I cannot tell you how much debt I owe to my brother Poone. He influenced and taught me so many things.

A Debt to a Brother

When I was stupid,

He brought me  good books,

When I was deaf,

He taught me beautiful music,

When I was impatient and angry

He showed me patience and mercy,

And when I was lost and needed guidance,

He took me to a Murshid,

To whom I swore the Bay'ah.

I shall be indebted to him

In so many ways

Till the day that I die,

On which day I hope to see him,

To say "I am sorry, I love you..."

And to rest my weary head on his shoulders and cry.

..............................

Sigh. Story of my life. And perhaps it is a story of your life too? Dearly departed(s) leaving us with a debt that we will never be able to repay. 

It is a good thing, it is a beautiful thing, but it also brings tears to your eyes sometimes. 

Don't you agree, sunshine?

Saiful Bahri bin Abdul Khalid aka Poone
al fatiha

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

THE SILENCE OF THE SPIRIT... the quivering bow, the trembling draw and the flying arrow.

At a Lost for Words. My archery-mad friend, Enda says that my prose will be inspired by traditional archery, particularly the Sunnah archery of the Prophet Muhammad (saws). But to be honest with you, I am at a lost for words.

For how can you write when you are in the midst of consummating a love? You do not hold your lover in your arms, and then tell her in between kisses and moans, "Wait... wait a second, let me just jot down my feelings and observation.", to then continue passionately making love to her. 

Life, and love simply does not work that way.

The Intermissions. No, life and love is enjoyed and endured in between the draw of the arrow and the release with praise and salutations to God Almighty and His Prophet Muhammad (saws). It is the intermission between sets, drinking my coffee and looking around the empty field near my house, as the first ray of the sun touches upon the seven arrows borrowed from Enda and the bow called Aslan resting beside me.

Sweet, complete happiness.

Distractions. Oh, yes. And this I may share with you. To miss the target is a distraction, and to hit the target too is a distraction. The sigh of disappointment or the squeal of triumph, both are distractions to whatever I am  endeavouring this early Monday morning.

Simply because they spoil the silence of the spirit, in which I hope to hear Allah (swt) and His Beloved Habibullah (saws) resonate in the quivering bow, the trembling draw and the flying arrow.

Have a wonderful Monday, sunshine...

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way 

THE CANVAS OF LOVE UPON WHICH GOD PAINTS AND PAINTS AND PAINTS...

You Cannot
You cannot find me here,
I am a lost soul, drowning
In the Sea of His Mercy,

You cannot speak to me here,
I am deaf to everything that speaks
Save for those who extol His Majesty
And the virtues of His Prophet of Mercy,

You cannot hold me here,
My spirit is ever seeking to free itself
From this worldly body,

You cannot understand me,
For I am bereft of understanding,
Knowledge of my true self being
With my One King,

You cannot see me,
For I am the veiled light,
I am the forgotten wanderer,
And I am veiled from myself
Lest my mind becomes my teacher,

You cannot make me despair,
For I am neither here nor there,
I am in a place without time or space,
And I wear many secret names 
And faces.
......................

Beginnings and Endings. This is not the end of a conversation, and neither is this a beginning. Whether it is yesterday, today or tomorrow, we are all part of a story devised by God Almighty for His pleasure. Thank God for God, that in whatever He may have planned for us, He plans with a love beyond mortal words to utter, with the certainty of a goodly beginning and ending, though God's divine plans are not encompassed by mere human concepts of beginnings and endings as we think them to be.

The Assurance of Muhammad. The assurance for humanity is that His own Beloved, Muhammad Habibullah (saws) is the epicentre and catalyst of His creation... the canvas of love upon which God paints and paints with unimaginable mercy, kindness and utter beauty.

And happily, despite what the news, world history or your weighing scale may suggest... you are a beautiful part of it, sunshine! 

alhamdulillah!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

THE SPRING OF BLISS & THE HAPPY, JOYOUS STATE - the Maulidur Rasul and why we need not fear...

Beguiled by beauty? Fear not, for your Prophet is beauty personified! 

46. The Turban and the Nightingales

There are folds in the Prophet’s turban

Like unto petals of a fragrant rose

Before any nightingale sang in heaven

Muhammad was Allah’s first prose.

...........................

This evening marks the 12th day of Rabi' al-Awwal, coinciding in the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad (saws). It also coincides in a flu-fever for the sinner. But I cannot permit this day to end without something for the Almanac, and I have taken the judicious solution of digging from my stash of old prose about our beloved Prophet (saws). Three of which is reanimated here... I hope you like them all.

207. The Waiting II

Muhammad is waiting under the Lote Tree,

Sitting under the shade of My Mercy,

Resting his back on the trunk of My Support,

Tasting the fruits of My Generosity,

Taking delight in the manifestation of My Beauty.

Attended to by the Best of Hosts,

He is already in the Best of Company,

Yet his gaze returns to thee,

Asking, “Join me! Join me!”

........................

Doggone day? Fear not, for your Prophet is calling you out of the storm!

18. Love and Servanthood

Nothing is taught here,

But the Art of Love;

How to love,

And how to be loved.

Nothing is taught here,

But the Art of Servanthood;

How to serve,

And how to be served.

From perfect love comes perfect servanthood,

And from perfect servanthood comes perfect love.

From the perfection of both characters,

Comes the perfection that He looks for,

And that only He may Bestow.

Allah!

By any other name, such perfection is he, Muhammad,

Best of Creation,

The Chosen Intercessor,

Lover and Servant,

Most Beloved of God.

Allah!

What happy, joyous state is he!

.......................................

Salam Maulidur Rasul, sunshine. May we all enter the Divine Presence and the Happy Joyous State that is with Muhammad Sayyidina Aynun Na'im (The Spring of Bliss) (saws), Prophet of Allah Almighty and Mercy to all the Worlds.

Blinded by the world? Fear not, for your Prophet is bringing you the Light of Knowledge!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way 

THE HADRA, THE BEAUTIFUL INHERITANCE - love is forever attracted to Love

92. Whatever, Whomever You are Looking For

I am your Home and your Homecoming,

I am your Beginning and your Ending.

If love is what you are looking for, love is with Me,

If light is what you are looking for, light is with Me,

If truth is what you are looking for, truth is with Me,

If safety is what you are looking for, safety is with Me,

If friends are what you are looking for, they are with Me,

If Muhammad is who you are looking for, he is with Me,

Whatever, whomever you are looking for, they are all with Me.

And if you are looking for your self?

You too are with Me.

So why look else where?

...................

The Hadra. Some sit, some stand, some whirl, some jump, some walk, trot then run in a circle. A little bird perched near my ear tells me that the Hadra, a supererogatory ritual of remembrance, veneration and praise of God Almighty and His Beloved Muhammad (saws), often performed by the Sufi Orders are returning to the shores of the Malayan Peninsular and elsewhere in the South East Asian archipelago. The Hadra is performed on many religious occasions as well as important events like birthdays, weddings and even tahlils (supererogatory prayers for the deceased).

This is good news for the seekers looking for the understanding of the self, which leads directly to a knowledge of Allah (swt). And to undertake this worshipful search with hope, joy and happiness. 

It is something new for some people, but for some elderly friends, they look on a recent Hadra performed at a wedding reception and exclaim with surprise... "Why, we used to do this when I was young!"

As I said, this is indeed a wonderful missive for those looking towards Allah (swt) with hope and joy. After decades of Wahhabi-centric propaganda, it appears that people are returning to their beautiful inheritance, their original roots which stretches through centuries of the great Companions and Saints of the Prophet Muhammad Habibullah (saws)...

Surely, o' deniers, you do not think you shall always have your way here?

And this is naturally so because I believe that most people are lovely. And love is forever attracted to Love, beyond the forms and formalities of blind ritualism of religion.

Have a wonderful day, sunshine. 

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

TALKING GOD AND DOING GOOD - something worth talking about...

Let's Talk About Something Worth Our Time

O' Love, O' my Lord,

I am not persuaded,

Neither by distraction

Nor by passion,

Not by the possession

Of any knowledge,

That there is anything

Worth talking of,

Better than You,

And of Your 

Prophet.

No political debates,

No scientific discourses,

No gossip about ghouls or djinns,

No tattletale stories about friends or kin,

No condemnation of people or nations

However persuasive or strong,

Nor any dissertation on right and wrong.

What is the ebb and tide of this world

When in your mind's eye is 

The vision of the Luminous Pearl?

Oh Love! Oh Lord! 

Oh the Beloved of Love!

........................

Three Ifs. If you are given the opportunity (and who has withheld this from you?), is there anything better to reflect upon than God Almighty and His Beloved Prophet (saws)?

If you are given friends (and certainly you have them!), what is more worthy of your time to discuss than the Divine Attributes of Allah (swt) and the Prophetic Attributes of Muhammad Habibulah (saws)?

If you are given a mind to think with and a heart to love with (and who hasn't?), is there any subject more compelling than the discourses upon your own place in the divine plan of God the Best Planner? And how everything that happens to you, must by its occurrence, necessarily bring you closer and closer to God the Most Compassionate and Most Merciful?

This is all good. But truth be told, you must be patient with people and their dialogues. And you must let people unburden their troubles on you, and if you are able to, you must help them. Help them with their financial problems, their relationship issues, their angst and complaints about people and society. At the very least we can give encouragement.

For even if you then cannot talk about Allah (swt) and Nabi Muhammad (saws), your ready ear, your consoling words and generous charity will be spoken of in a divine congregation more noble than any convened in this world.

For God Himself, and His Seal of the Prophets, Prophet Muhammad (saws) shall speak your name... 

So speak of God and His Goodness whenever you can. And do good whenever God sends you the opportunity to lend aid to the weary. Do this so that God in His Goodness will mention you in a celestial company at the head of whom is His Own anointed Mercy to all the Worlds... our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws).

Remember me. This is the easy formula for you, and insyaAllah, you will be raised higher and higher. But however lofty the station where you will be, do not forget me. This poor, poor sinner. Ask God to bring me, to you. For I cannot get anywhere without your prayers, nor will I ever be saved without the unimaginable mercy and compassion of Allah (swt).

I am the broken dervish, sunshine. And I am knocking on the door of your heart.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way 

I AM NOT A SUFI or "Oh, don't try to be so humble. You are not that great."

Rumi: "Sufi, proto-Sufi, neo-Sufi... Oh, come on. You doth protest too much of
your aversion to arrogance. Give me a freakin' break, dude."

30. Cows’ Manure = (humility)0

You are not a Sufi, you say,

Talking about Sufism doesn’t make you a Sufi, you say,

But all knowledge comes with a purpose.

So what is the purpose of this knowledge for you?

Please don’t offer me the same cows’ manure in reply.

Denying who you are or what you can be is not humility,

It is bad habits, laziness and your reluctance to change.

...............................

Oh, I wonder what loathsome experience I underwent to record the prose above. A prose which is undeniably true for me today as it was when I first wrote it many years ago. For despite the decade that has gone by, I reckon I am still very much the same. Perhaps even worse!

I wonder when I will ever have the chance to change this almanac's name to The Believers' Almanac, or perhaps even The Saints' Almanac. By the look of things I am afraid this will never come true. At least not for me. He he he. But my fate need not be shared by you, sunshine. You are already good, and you can be better still, simply because you have the virtue of self-discipline. As another prose observes...

9. Discipline of Roses (with Shamsul)

Though Love is the bloom

Of the rose,

Mercy its perfume,

The Sun its nourisher,

The Rain its sustainer,

It is self-discipline

That first raises the rose

Above the crowd

Of lesser flowers.

........................

So don't be a lesser flower, my friend. God has made you to be a rose, imbued with remembrance of God Almighty and His Beloved Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), the Greatest of Flowers in His Garden of Creation.

And yeah... I guess I am hard on myself sometimes. But it is only because I believe that any change for the better is not change at all, but the unveiling of the true nature of our spirit, rising above the corrupting influence of our ego and nafs (base desires). Not a conversion, but a reversion to our fundamental inclination towards love, truth, justice, mercy and beauty. It appears to be so easy and natural to drop a bad habit, but for someone like me, it is so difficult.

*sigh*

It is frustrating sometimes, I must confess. But it can also be very inspiring, sunshine. And I guess that is why I keep writing. 

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

ISLAM & THE HEART OF MUHAMMAD - The Ramadan Story, Part 21

For Your Sake

Tell Me that I am the One,

And that you shall love Me forever,

Tell me that I am the One,

And that you shall leave Me never,

Tell Me this,

And do as I tell you to do,

Not for My sake,

But in truth, 

For you.

......................

Allah (s.w.t.) is asking us to avoid certain things, because He knows best of all what is bad for us. And Allah (s.w.t.) encourages us to do certain things, because there is no one better who knows what is good for us and pleasing to Him.

I

Islam & the Heart of Muhammad. And because He loves us so, Allah (s.w.t.) does not allow us to wander into danger without clear and apparent warning and cautions. This is true in how we treat our body, how we treat our family, our friends and our neighbours. And such is the completeness of the Islam that God has bestowed upon humanity, that Allah (s.w.t.) even posts danger signs along the neglectful or abusive way in which we order our society, our economy and the natural world. All this He does through His Love for His Beloved, Muhammad Habibullah Sayyidina Sa'dullah (s.a.w.s). 

And if you wonder how vast is the expanse of the Heart of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), look up to the night sky and ask its billion stars, for they will testify the truth that even this entire Universe cannot encompass the Heart of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), for only God knows the true reality of His Beloved. 

His Pleasure. This morning, being the 1st of Syawal, I wish all my readers a wonderful Eid and pray that Allah (s.w.t.) bestows upon you such blessings and grace as is His pleasure to give from His Infinite Ocean of Mercy.

Ask. For if you do not know that Allah (s.w.t.) derives His pleasure in bestowing His gifts to you, then sadly, you do not know Him at all. You need only turn to Him, following the shadowless path of His Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) the best that you can, and ask - Asking for forgiveness, hope, salvation and love in this world and in the hereafter. 

Surely, God shall not reject you.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

FORGIVENESS, FEAR OF GOD - The Ramadan Story, Part 18

Forgive me, o' Lord

Forgive me, o' Patience

For not knowing your better,

Forgive me, o' Wisdom

For thinking I have already attained you,

Forgive me, o' Hope

For abandoning you again and again,

Forgive me, o' Beauty

For failing to distinguish you from Vanity,

Forgive me, o' Mercy

For putting limits to your vastness,

Forgive me, o' Love

For putting a lie to you

And accepting a mere facsimile,

Forgive me, o' Me

For wavering in my quest

To understand You.

Forgive me, o' Forgiveness

By the Light of the Moon

And the Ocean that washes upon my shore,

I am standing here beneath the crying seagulls,

Counting my daily errors and unspoken curses,

Realising that more than ever before,

I am in need of Your Attention,

Your Conciliation,

Your Forgiveness...

...........................

Ramadan is the time not only to restrain
our hunger, but perhaps more importantly,
our wayward ego.

The Ego Sickness. Every single day, there is always something that happens to send me scurrying like a frightened mouse back to God. And what 'happens' is actually me, driven by some angry thought, bitter recriminations and hubris, motivated by my wayward ego. And it happens so often that I am led to realise that at this juncture of my life, I am more comfortable with my ego, allowing it to become my habit, which of course means that my ego has become me. This is not good news.

Good and Bad Days. Well, awareness of our own sickness is a beginning, I guess. And there is no better month than the month of Ramadan to try to bring our ego under containment and control. For the obligatory fasting is intended to also help quell our ego and nafs (base-desires). This requires some practice, because I have witnessed even the most gentle souls breaking into anger and impatience during fasting, as it occurred today just minutes before iftar (breaking of the fast at sunset) between a newly married couple who are otherwise contented and happy on any other day. But they soon get over it, and were back to their lovey-dovey default mode.

Fear only God. I guess we all have our peaks and valleys, and though we always try to put a brave happy face, we are in fact constantly being pulled and pushed by some anxiety or subconscious fear of something - money, health, marriage and relationships, work, tax, debt and career failures. To this, the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s) has said and exemplified the important and very fundamental tenet of the Muslim faith, which is - fear only God, so that you need not fear anything else.

39. Taqwa (With Poon)

Fear of God is not paranoia,

It is the certainty that you need not fear anything but Him,

Since nothing exists but Him.

It is therefore not the affirmation of your fears,

But the affirmation of His Oneness.

It is not the negation of His Mercy,

But the negation of all that is illusory.

...................

Nice... but mind the mountain goat.

Muhammad's Faith. The Islam of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) isn't and has never been the hermetic, lets-leave-the-world-and-find-a-lonely-mountain-top-to-occupy. After all, not many mountain tops are lonely, and you would probably be unfairly evicting a mountain goat or a golden eagle who has lived there for generations. No, your life belongs here, amidst the crowd of humanity, striving and working for a honest living. Being born, growing up, learning and working, getting married and having children, before withering gently into contented, forgetful dotage. In this sense, what the Faith of Muhammad has to offer are the tools and instruments that we need (if we only knew better!) to face such a life, with a good heart and a healthy active conscience. And to leave this world one day, if not better, at least not making it any worse, for our children and grandchildren. And one of the greatest sunnah (Prophetic tradition) is to fear Allah (s.w.t.). For that is the equalising factor between people, whether you are rich or poor, old or young, a king or a beggar in the gutter...

O' mighty kings! Fear God!

O' religious preachers! Fear God!

O' presidents and prime ministers! Fear God!

O' generals and leaders of men! Fear God!

Fear God and obey His Prophet!

And how worthy is God to be the only centre of your fear and anxiety to please! For no one, nothing created or uncreated, past, present or future, known or unknown, will ever love you more or know you better than your Maker, who coincidentally, is also my Maker... a.k.a. God Almighty, Allah (s.w.t.) - the One God and most Beloved of His Beloved, Muhammad Habibullah (s.a.w.s.).

And that is the happy conclusion of our travel through this form of 'fear'... into the all-welcoming arms of God - the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful, Lord of Mercy, Giver of Mercy, that being none other than Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), the Mercy to all the Worlds...

Fear of God is the balloon by which you can float above
the valley of illusory fears that has plagued not just
you, but all of humanity since time immemorial.

So are we not blessed in infinite ways, sunshine? 

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way