HU AM I? ,... I am Notrumi

Please Tell Me

Behind closed doors,

Hidden in the veil that we all wear,

What are we?

Father? Mother? Friend or enemy?

Righteous man or riddled with hypocrisy?

If you know me, please tell me...

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

Everyone and his auntie has
written of Rumi and his poetry.
I am Notrumi, and you shan't find
any Rumi here.

Hu Am I? Sufis, artists, lawyers and doctors, beggars and farmers, chairman of the board and the security guard smartly saluting you as you pass him by, all of humanity faces the same question that has dogged our species for eons - what am I? Who am I?

Though we would like to believe that we are what we believe in, it can get a little tiring to be defined by what you think you believe in and nothing beyond that. The truth is our inner consciousness is a turbulent sea, a veritable ocean of disparate thoughts, biases, passions and confusions. A constant storm of contradictions, confusions, perceptions and misconceptions. So my old friend tells me - "Do not let your inner self remain inner. You are what you do, so do! Leave the exhausting inner debate and let your actions define who you are." 

May God dress you with goodness, inside and outside. For the opposite of goodness is a lie, and we don't want to continue living a lie of a life.

Pray for me, sunshine! 

I am a beggar, the acute sinner,

The drunk derelict,

I am Notrumi.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

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.

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

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

Making the Prose of Rumi more Beautiful and the Discourses of Geylani more Meaningful - honest toil and the virtues of household chores

Prose does not put food on the table, the kitchen stocked
nor the pathways and bathrooms clean...
For that we need the honest toil of workers and domesticity
of the home-makers. Blessed be the Prose of God in action!

(Prologue: This write-up is inspired by the exhaustion of the sinner after only two days' prep and household chores for yesterday's Eid open house. I plonked dead on my bed at 10pm, waking up 12 hours later...)

Kids... Mikhail and Imran.
You want them not to make the mistakes
you have made, and the easiest way is for you
to nag them. But the best way is by example.
You know it, I know it and
they know it too! (dammit)

Secrets. So what? There are secrets, and there are secrets of secrets. On the spiritual path, you will be pleased to know that many veils of such secrets are lifted,... and hey! Kudos to you because you now know! But so what?

For what is the point of knowledge if it is not manifested in your every day life? And as a registered sinner, I am the first to admit that this is not easy. But there are some very basic things which is important and we must at least try to do.

Self Improvement. The path (tarikat) does not enjoin the seekers to give up on the world, for there is much to do and improve, if we would only realise this. And of course it all begins with our own selves, first and last. For the journey to improving our habits and life style does not end until we exhale our last. So for acolytes of the mystic ways to espouse great transcendental knowledge about God and humanity, about the ordering and corruption of society... they must ask first what they are doing (or trying to do) to remedy their own faults - Their own personal health and eating habits. Their own exercise and concern for the household and their neighbours. After all, if nothing is attempted, nothing is gained. 

With Knowledge comes Responsibility. But for those blessed with secret knowledge, the responsibility is heavier. For as Imam Shafi'e said - Knowledge without practice is arrogance. In other words, you are principled in words and thoughts, but unprincipled in actions. This is not a good place to be in. In fact, it would be better to know less or nothing at all.

Honest Living. If you toil every day for an honest living, you gain money and wealth. With that prosperity, you can share it with your family and friends, your neighbours and needful charities, and there are a great number of people needing help out there. If you do not work, what are you contributing to the world? Whether you are trading, working for people, there is always room to work. 

Mikhail is a grandson of a great and efficient home-maker.
Though he never got the opportunity to meet my mum,
I hope to instill a little of my mum's domesticity in him.
(And in my own lazy self, come to think of it.)

The Prose of Rumi, the Discourses of Geylani. Even if you have no job whatsoever, you can at least be helpful about the house. For me, fixing the toilet, changing the light bulbs, sweeping the garden and throwing away the rubbish properly, are all a necessary and distinguished part of life. For it makes life for ourselves and everyone around us better. Menial though these chores may be, but the truth is they make the prose of Rumi and the discourses of Geylani even more beautiful, poignant and moving. Otherwise, are we not merely pandering to our spiritual ego?

Household Chores. Such things must be taught when young. And we must take the effort and be patient with our children. Otherwise, they will grow up dismissive of domestic chores, giving little credit to the little wives, mothers and sisters without whom a house can turn into a dung heap really, really fast.

So God bless all house-makers, and may we always be reminded to help them in their virtuous work!

Oh, and thank you to all who came yesterday. Most of all, I did the open house in loving memory of my late mother, Arbayah binti Haji Hashim, who made us a loving and generous home. May Allah (s.w.t.) bless her in the company of His friends.

My late-mum, the efficient home-maker. She only rested when she died.
But I wonder if she is now just as efficient in the Hereafter as she was here,
...watering the roses and weeding the Eternal Garden of the eternal weeds. He he he
al fatiha

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Between Rumi and Avatar - poetic divinity and over-design

The Wings of My Soul

I would spread the wings of my soul

But even the vast expanse of this universe

Will not be able to contain them,

I would wear the crown of my soul

But the light would blind the rest of creation

And leave them stumbling in a formless world,

I would walk around with the slippers of my soul

But I am not used to walking on air,

Accustomed as I am to the earth

Of my being.

I would unmask my soul

But the mirror of this world

Is held up by my own hands,

And the contradiction of my existence

And my non-existence

Would annihilate my world,

And I would come to be to myself

An unknown, anonymous thing,

To be drawn and written and composed

As God deems fit, as the Prophet instructs.

And even this is not the complete truth!

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

AVATAR. I don't have time for spiritual poetry. For I find this physical world manifest already with the poetic symmetry of creation that can come from God alone. If you do not believe me, look at man's own attempt at creature design... from 'scientific' television documentaries which depict animals and plants dug up from the imagination and tenuous rationalization of scientists (who really ought to know better than go for this 'pop' pseudo-scientific fiction) to mega gazillion movies like Avatar and Prometheus. Not one or two, but all the man-designed creatures somehow appear to be contrived and fictional, lacking the symmetry and asymmetrical cohesiveness of this real world and real creation, registered and copyrighted by our one God. 

Oh my God... you are ugly. I would now normally say,
"Prepare to meet your Maker..." but I know for certain God didn't make you.

And almost all fictional creatures end up with
this one singular fault - over design.

RUMI. Err... I appear to have deviated somewhat from today's topic. So back to poetry and poets. I have assiduously avoided reading poetry, because I don't really enjoy language for language's sake. And even that most celebrated poets such as Rumi and Hafez I evade from reading. But sometimes life moves in its twists and turn and you cannot avoid bumping into these spiritual luminaries. As in a little book Heche acquired for me entitled Rumi - The Fire of Love. This book turns out to be a biography of sorts covering Jelaludin Rumi and his muse, Shams of Tabriz. The book is the creation of Nahal Tajadod, a Teheran born scholar and sufi now residing in France. What makes this book very accessible is that it is written from the point of view of a Rumi mureed (student), but composed in a modern novel language. Nicely done.

I am still reading the book, and slowly devouring the stories and history of Rumi, his family, companions and mureeds, all living in that age under the shadow of the rapacious Mongol hordes from the east. Of the many books I have acquired or been given over this past one year, I think this will be one of my favourites! I will share with you my conclusions upon finishing the book later.

But before I leave you (and leave I must), I recall a prose I recorded many years back. It is kinda funny...

1.      Rumi Freak

A friend once said that

I am a Rumi freak.

But the truth is

I don’t read Rumi.

I am holding his beard

And he has his hands

On my head.

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

Have a thoughtful day, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The History of Happiness - lifting the veil and seeing happiness that is already there...

If you bring the mark of happiness, the veil of happiness is lifted wherever you may be.
Whether you are at work, at play or visiting the Garden of Stone in the final
resting place of the dead.

The History of Happiness

I write the History of Happiness,

I write it from the Life of my Prophet,

I write it from the Life of His Family,

I write it from the Life of His Companions,

I write it from the Life of His Saints,

I write it before the beginning of time

And I write that same old refrain...

Oh God, Oh Prophet! Oh God, Oh Prophet! Oh God, Oh Prophet!

I write it from the Life of my father and mother,

I write if from the Life of all my ancestors,

I write it from the life of my siblings,

And the life of my children that the future will bring,

And sometimes, I write the History of Happiness

From the life that is mine, all the good and the bad,

All the highs and the lows that is all my own,

Through this life that I win and fall 

Like a rolling stone.

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

"Do not look for happiness..." says Rumi, "Look instead to lift the veil between you and happiness." And I think he is right. For his Lord who is my Lord and your Lord God is the source of all happiness... the fountain from which flows all good feelings, in the contentment of a morning cup of milky chai, in the warm embrace of an old friend, in the smile of a mother.

And sometimes, indeed happiness is hidden, tucked away like an overcast sky. In such moments we do our dzikr (remembrance of God) and our salawat (salutations and praise for the Prophet) and what happens is that either rain starts to fall like mercy on Earth, or the clouds drift away and the Sun is revealed in its power and life-giving glory. Either way, we lose nothing, we gain everything.

So do not be to disturbed, sunshine, if life appears dull and sorrowful. Happiness is always there for you, guaranteed by God Himself. We need only bring a little patience and faith to the table.

Bon apetit!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Rumi, Soul Teasers and a Deck of Cards...

These are called Rumi-spectacles. Wear them to change your perspective of the world,
which of course, changes the world itself....

Ah. Jelaluddin Rumi. Poet Extraordinaire, best-selling poet in the Western Hemisphere since sliced white bread was invented. Inventor of the dustbin hat. The man who spouted tolerance and inclusiveness before the advent of Hippy-ism, One Love, Flower Power and the Ungrateful Dead. A Game Changer, a Muslim Sufi Saint of unparalleled reach who popularized the whirling ritual and founded the Mehlevi Order.

I don't read Rumi. I don't go looking for him, but every now and then someone would quote him on Facebook and there we would meet... two brick on the wall of a friend. 

To change the topic entirely, as a habit, I do go looking for clouds. Especially when I am driving, which is of course appallingly dangerous. I would be driving up the road and be looking up to the sky. I cannot help myself, you see, drawn as I am to the clouds. They are such shameless flirts... The little soul teasers.

There they are. Teasing me with their God-given beauty.

Getting back to Rumi, about a month ago a stranger named Sean popped up out of the etherness  of the Internet and asked if I wouldn't mind too badly if he could reproduce one of my Rumi-esque Sufi-esque sketches. They are going to produce a 40-deck card set entitled 'Rules of Love of Shams of Tabriz'. Shams of Tabriz is Rumi's famous muse, a wandering dervish who wandered (as wandering dervishes have a habit of doing) into Rumi's hometown and sparked his passionate love and fealty. Shams was the Master of the Master then. This is the picture that Sean wants to use...

...which coincidentally contains the two phrases by which I normally close a posting. I guess this means that I should probably stop here now and leave you to your day, your love, your work and play.

God blesses you always, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Mr. Ikhlas Prayer - Waiting outside the Gate of Knowledge and walking through...

49. What is your God like?

One day someone asked me,

“O’ stranger, what is your God like?”

And this was what I wished

I was able to reply,

“My God is kind, like me.

My God is generous, like me.

My God is truthful, like me.

My God is patient, like me.

My God is understanding, like me.

My God is loving, like me.

My God is merciful, like me.

“He is all that?”, he asked.

“Yes. And so much more.

For He is not my God.

He is our God.”

And thus would I conclude,

“So if you wish

To know Him,

Then know me.”

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

The above prose does not make sense perhaps, unless the stranger is one of the Prophets of God, and even more so if he is the Seal of the Prophets himself, Muhammad ibn Abdullah (pbuh), born in Mecca, passing on in Medina but a Mercy to all the world(s).

And if it is not the Prophet Muhammad, then the stranger could very well be one of his Companions (Umar perchance?), and in that context God is taken out of the equation, and in His absence the Prophet becomes the best guide to God.

And if it is not a Companion, then it may be one of the Saints of Islam, say perhaps Shaykh Abdul Qader Geylani, and the other person he is referring to would be a Companion, Salman al Farsi, for instance.

You can guess where this is heading. He he he. The stranger is you.

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

I had a long chat with my friend, Mr. Ikhlas this morning. Many fascinating things we covered (which I hope to share with you here one day) but this is one nugget of advice he gave me. "You must have the best of ambitions. Do not allow the Prophet, the Companions or the Saints to become a veil between you and success in this world and in the next. The holy ones are meant to be gates of knowledge, not veils of knowledge."

"I am a little afraid, Ikhlas." I confessed. "Who am I, and who are they? I am worse than nothing, I am a bad sinner."

"No, my friend." He admonished me. "Why are you sitting out here by the gate of knowledge, pussy-footing at the peripherals? Are you waiting for the holy ones to invite you in? There is the gate. There is the door. Walk through!"

(Easy for him to say, I thought)"Walk through? How?"

Mr.Ikhlas then chuckled, "He he he. The easiest thing in the world - just ask. Ask God - o' Lord, however you have made Shaykh Abdul Qader to be, make me like him! However You have made Shaykh Jelaluddin Rumi to be, make me like him! However You have made Khalid al Walid to be, make me like him! However you have made my Mawlana to be, make me like him!"

Then he paused, before giving me the clinching reason. "After all, Taufiq, if you ask for something good from God. Would He deny you? If you asked your mother for something, if it was in her powers to give, would she have not granted you your wish? Are you telling me God does not love you as much and even better than your own mother? Or are you suggesting that God's power to grant His servants their most impassioned desire is limited or somehow constricted?

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

The story of Mr. Ikhlas is an interesting and continuing tale that traverse across decades of his long life, and crisscrosses between the world of Man, the world of the Unseen beings and the world of the Djinns. But essentially, at this point in his life, it is to the world of Man that Mr. Ikhlas belongs. Contented at home and happy to be in his skin... perhaps that is why he can come up with some poignant and wonderful prayers.

I just thought I would share this prayer with you today, on the eve of Malaysia's Hari Merdeka. So be not reticent in your congress with your God, sunshine. Ask! Ask! Ask and never stop asking! 

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

We are not seeking knowledge, we are seeking to remove the barriers to knowledge - dear old Rumi

"Is that the Quran you are reading, little boy?" asked the Angel.

The Holy Quran is also known as the Holy Furqan, meaning the Criterion or the Standard by which one judges right and wrong, and what deeds that God prohibits, discourages, recommends or makes compulsory upon Muslims .

In the old days, when I used to think about the hukums (rules / laws), I get blurry-eyed and bored, thinking, “Rules, rules and more rules! Is God only God of Rules?!” Well, God is still the God of Rules (the Sharia), and obedience is frankly, the best and straightest path to happiness and grace. But, as others have informed me much to my happy delight, God is also the God of the Tariqa (the spiritual path/journey), a God of the Haqiqa (the Absolute Reality), and God of the Maqrifa (gnosis or direct spiritual knowledge of God).

Rumi always had a lot of things to
share with us. He was like a stream,
pouring forth love and wisdom.

All these technical terms sound terribly complicated, but as dear old Rumi once said, “We are not seeking knowledge, we are seeking to remove the barriers to knowledge.” And really that makes all the sense in the world, for God is not putting an ardous quest for you. For where is knowledge if it is not with God in the divine presence, and where is God if He is not closer to you that your jugular(vein)? - there is a veil cast over your eyes that you do not see Him. So to paraphrase Rumi, “We are not seeking God. We are seeking to remove the barriers to God.” And indeed as one Indonesian analogy once described, the sought end that is the Maqrifa is the ability to see the true God from the false gods manufactured by our own egos, Nafs (base desires) and the whisperings of the Devil. Perhaps you may think that all these fine subtle differences are a waste of time, but God is not anything if not God the Most Fine and the Most Subtle One. For verily, the meaning of al-Furqan goes deeper than only 'the Criterion' or 'the Standard' by which we may evaluate and improve our individual lives. At a more intricate and intimate level, al-Furqan suggests discernment. 

I would like to end this posting on this lovely Sunday morning in reference to the Godly bit about the jugular vein as mentioned in the Holy Quran (50:16) –

We verily created man and We know what his soul whispereth to him, 

and We are nearer to him than his jugular vein. (Marmaduke Pickthall)

Have a lovely day, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Who Are You In History? - the deniers and nay-sayers

Even these little flowers know their history. It is embedded in their DNA.
But too few Muslims understand their own past.

A History Lesson

They have not been to the Library of Baghdad,

They have not seen the singers and dancers

In the market place of Damascus,

They have not looked as Ibn Arabi

Walked across the town square,

They have not eaten in the taverns of Cordoba,

They have not seen the sun rise over

The Dome of the Blue Mosque,

They have not eaten the dates

From the plantations of Medina,

They have never seen the golden glory of the Ottomans,

The delicate royal flourishes of the Andalusian Umayads,

The Sword, The Lion and the Gentle Sultan,

Love-torn Rumi, Mighty Abdul Qader Geylani,

Wise and Crazy Nasruddin...

... are all their history

If only they would inquire and ask,

If only they would open a book to learn,

And as we bear witness of the most misguided

Claiming leadership over our community,

Claiming jihad on behalf of our community,

We pose a question, "If you are a leader,

Whereof is your knowledge of 1,433 years

Of your own history?"

If you are not crying for the loss of our Lord's glory

Dressed in the society of good people,

If you harbour hate and bitterness in your heart

And bear the standards of hubris into battle,

Who are you in your faith's history?

My dear Muslims, we will all play our part in history. So find out how you got to where you are now and learn of your roots. Close your ears to those Deniers and Nay-Sayers among the Muslims who will tell you that 1,400 years of Muslim history never happened. Those preachers who will tell you that only they have the perfect absolutist faith. They are often called Wahhabis, though they will deny it. It is not for the disagreement in the protocols of religion that their falsehood begets the evil, but their trenchant denial of the true state and nature of Muhammad, the Prophet of God, that is corrupting their lessons. 

Have a sweet Sabbath, sunshine. Do not let my little rant spoil your breakfast. You yourself are part of the beautiful history, so don't worry...

Pax Taufiqa

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

It is only 8 in the morning and I am already tired - Rumi & Unity

We are the refuge.

The mosque of the heart,

The temple of mercy,

The church of love,

The synagogue of truth,

A prayer wheel always turning,

A candle always alight,

A fast unbroken,

A sermon burning bright…

In the tolling of the church bells,

In the calling of the muezzin.

It has been a most tiring day, and it is only 8 in the morning! I will see you, sunshine, at the threshold of Rumi's zawiya. Everyone loves Rumi and his poetry, and if they don't then they are not speaking from the State of Unity, and should thus remain silent.

But they are not gonna keep silent. These politicians and preachers of hate and hubris will always have their say. It is all over in the mass media and the internet. Be careful, my friends, of the thoughts and words that you let into your mind. Let your heart and conscience always be the gatekeeper of your inner contemplation!

Have a perfectly wonderful day, pet. Thank you for dropping by.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Greetings from the Dead - Garden of Stones Part 2

Greetings from the Dead

Come to rest with us, my love and friend,

Discard the world and all its baubles,

Lay your weary head and rest by us

From all your toil and

Worldly troubles.

Beneath the grass and the Jasmine trees,

Marked by stone and marble heads,

Mask the beauty and the reason

That most men learn

When they are dead.

By Predicting Human Behaviourial Trends, 

You Yourself Become Part of the Experiment

I am curious why people can be so dead certain (excuse the pun), especially when they are not dead but very much alive. Mankind, who have zero control over what happens to themselves one second from the next, are awfully keen to commit themselves on ideologies and philosophies. They like to forecast public trends and societal changes based upon their knowledge. Such people would lead us to believe that they are objective. That somehow their knowledge and their academic (or political) pedigree somehow insulates them from their grand experimentation in behavourial human sciences. But this is what I believe - when it comes to predicting what mankind will or will not do, no one can be an objective bystander. By predicting human behaviourial trends, you yourself become part of the experiment. This is true whether you are a capitalist, a monetarist, a Keynesian, a communist, a socialist or any other -ist there is (oh, excuse the pun again).

Religion

I think religion, in its most pure form does not dabble in such fiction. For religion is essentially about the development and transformation of the individual. It is from the betterment of our own selves that we may have a positive impact on society. And really, it does not matter if we don't have such a wide effect, because for God, He is already very happy that you are feeling better about yourself. Such simple gratification is not enough for those who are earnest in changing the world.

An Old Sufi Tale

Once upon a time, a grand old Sufi master was dying. He called his followers to inform them that he is appointing a very young mureed to succeed him when he passes away. There was great disquiet especially among the elders, of which two were especially doubtful of his decision. He called upon the two men to attend to him. To both he posed the same question, "There is great unrest among our people, and religious duties are being neglected. What do you propose to do about it?" To which both of them replied that efforts must be made to educate the public, and enforce the laws on religious observance. Then he called his successor to come, and the young lad sat next to the old master. "Now, laddie." said the master. "The people are troubled, and they are not being good Muslims. What will you do about it?" The lad replied, "I will do nothing." The master then keenly gazed at the two rebels and said, "See? This is why he will be my successor."

And Rumi Said Something Too

And of course, Rumi had to have his own say when he told his disciples, "This world is absolutely fantabulous and peachy-keen perfect. If you find anything wrong, it is because you are looking at it through your tainted mirror."

And Those Malays

So the lesson is simple really. We need to change ourselves first... And last. The Malays have an old saying, "Jaga kubur sendiri." (literally meaning 'Take care of your own grave', but essentially to mean that you must be responsible for your own destiny and do not think yourself so wise as to determine the fate of anyone else. After all, you are not God. Are you?). 

See? Here lie the rebels...

See? Here lie the rebels...

Thus end all their seasons

And experiments in mind and reason,

To be buried with all their logic,

Their sleights of hands

And dabbling in magic.

Have a wonderful day, sunshine. Believe and it will be.

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

A Cup of Religion Poured into the Sea of Life - Rumi and the Veneration of the Prophet

A Cup of Religion Poured into the Sea of Life

When we whirl we forget our names,

We forget our past, our history and our story,

We are pulling strands of creation

And with our right hand raised

We receive the Lord's attention

And with our left hand lowered

We become nothing but a channel,

A river of strings, flowing into

The ocean of love, attended by

The remembrance of God,

Praises for the Prophet.

People talk of unity

But we are not,

Being only mirrors of mirrors,

Raised by the bar above the dot,

Mortal creatures

And servants of God.

A little elucidation is perhaps useful for the phrase '...the bar above the dot'. It is in reference to the Arabic alphabet 'ب' ('ba'). The symbolism is significant because the bar lying horizontal reflects the essence of the Prophet being in prostration while the dot signifies God. Above the bar is all of Creation. The lesson here is that God chooses to look at all of Creation through the sight of Muhammad Habibullah. It is one of many lessons that manifests Muslims' great reverence to the person that is known as Muhammad. Is it any wonder that Orientalists in the past often refers to Muslims as Mohamadens? They were far from wrong.

The concept of Muhammad is however not an easy idea to grasp. For you can read thousands upon thousands of books, hear sermons and sohbets recounting the magnificent and delicate natures of the Prophet, but you won't be near to encompassing the knowledge of Muhammad. For the Secrets of Muhammad is with his Lord. And it is not a fixed sum, for it grows with each second that passes through Creation, rising as the Prophet's station rises in the Divine Presence. The whirling dervishes do not add to or augment religion nor the knowledge pertaining to the Prophet- Simply because their understanding of religion has crossed many oceans of contemplation, following the sails of their Grandmaster, Mevlana Jelaludin Rumi, who himself, maddened  with love, continues to pursue the Prophet. Rumi has taken a cup of religion and poured its contents into the sea of life.

Are you ready, sunshine? It is a good day to sail.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Mr. Gullible & the Devil - The Journey is the End, the Seeker is the Sought

Mr. Gullible & the Devil

All night, a man called “Allah”

Until his lips were bleeding.

Then the Devil said, “Hey! Mr Gullible!

How comes you’ve been calling all night

And never once heard Allah say, “Here, I am”?

You call out so earnestly and, in reply, what?

I’ll tell you what. Nothing!”

The man suddenly felt empty and abandoned.

Depressed, he threw himself on the ground

And fell into a deep sleep.

In a dream, he met Abraham, who asked,

“Why are you regretting praising Allah?”

The man said, “ I called and called

But Allah never replied, “Here I am.”

Abraham explained, “Allah has said,

“Your calling my name is My reply.

Your longing for Me is My message to you.

All your attempts to reach Me

Are in reality My attempts to reach you.

Your fear and love are a noose to catch Me.

In the silence surrounding every call of “Allah”

Waits a thousand replies of “Here I am.”

Oh no. Not mine. And dammit how I wished that I actually wrote this. The story is from Mevlana Jelaludin Rumi, the great Sufi Master. I am glad to have bumped into this little nugget posted on Facebook by Longhair, my friend. I don't go out of my way looking for Rumi and his magical prose and stories. But when it is this good, well, I cannot very well ignore it, can I?

The Journey is the End, the Seeker is the Sought

Rumi's perception of God, is endearing in all its loving and affectionate aspects of the Maker. And in return, Rumi tears away our own misconception of who we are, and what in fact we are doing, when we are seeking solace with the Lord - for in the path towards the Divine Love, when we are walking along the well-trodden lane towards the Shore of God's infinite similitude of Mercy, when we become disciples and apostles of the Saints, when we decide to submit as a traveler to the straight roads, corners, dead ends and winding highways of a Seeker, then really... 

the Journey is the End, and the Seeker becomes the Sought.

The stories of Rumi and the parables of Sufism is not escapism. It is the jewel of innermost reflection when you turn away from the distractions without and within you, and finally find God in your heart and in the world that surrounds you. And by the Prophets, there is no better way and no more fulfilling life you can lead until you have found this self-evident truth within you, and you become yourself, a self-evident truth - When people look at you, as a believer, and see you dispensing truth, kindness, understanding, tolerance, charity, courage and strength.

Have a brilliant day, sunshine. Go on... shine some love in the lives of people.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way