THE HOBBIT, A MOVIE REVIEW - of dragons and gold, of God, the Sufis and the human ego

The Hobbit. Last Thursday evening, I grabbed hold of Mikhail to head for the first-day screening of The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey. Mikhail enjoyed himself, despite two toilet intermissions during the 3-hours plus film by Peter Jackson. But for his father (a.k.a. me), as a Tolkien geek, it was just as close to cinema nirvana as I could hope to achieve, reveling in Peter Jackson's expansive and sensitive adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's first ever book of the Lord of the Ring world. The Hobbit was written for his son, Christopher, you see. And from this humble literary effort by an Oxford Don (for Tolkien was indeed a Professor of English in Oxford - after he left my alma mater, University of Leeds), the LoTR franchise came forth and conquered the global box office with tales of Wizards and Balrogs, Rangers and the Riders of Rohan, the Hobbit Halflings, Elves, the Dwarfs, the Orcs and of course, Sauron, the Dark Lord sitting on his dark throne in Mordor... where the shadow lies.

The Book(s). Being written for a young readership, The Hobbit story is light and easy to read, and does not come near to exploring Middle Earth's history, characters and concepts later developed in Tolkien's trilogy of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. There is one more important book in his later works, and that is The Silmarillion, an even more ambitious effort which encompasses the creation of Middle Earth universe which resonates with the idea of Eru (being God), and the fallen divine favourite, Morgoth (as the Devil) who is revealed to be Sauron's master. This close resemblance to Judeo-Christian (and might I add, Muslim) lore is not unexpected, as Tolkien was a believer and a practicing Catholic. 

The Movie. Being also the shortest book of all four volumes of the Lord of the Ring world, it took us by surprise that Peter the Kiwi has managed to extend the film adaptation into a nine-butt-aching hours of three movies, the first now being The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey. What this means is that Peter Jackson has a greater cinematic canvas to bring to life the story of the dwarf kingdom of Erebor and their golden horde, the priceless Arkenstone, Smaug the Dragon, his attack and capture of the Lonely Mountain and the expulsion of the dwarfs as ragged exiles, a humiliated and overthrown race. On top of this enthralling story, the director has also managed to better capture the emotion and characters of the book, the two key personalities being Thorin Oakenshield, the leader of the defeated dwarf tribe of Ererbor, and of course the reluctant 'burglar' himself - Bilbo Baggins the Hobbit.

Helping the Dwarfs to return home. For myself, one of the best moments in the movie was when having escaped the Goblins, Thorin (who has always held great doubt as to the suitability of Mr. Baggins to survive the dangers and tribulation of the wild quest) confronted Bilbo and asked him why did he continue to stick with the ragtag band of dwarfs, on a foolish mission to regain their home and expel the dragon squatter currently occupying their fortress mountain of Erebor. After all, Bilbo has a cozy life and a beautiful little home for himself already in the Shire and has no need to assist the dwarfs in this foolhardy quest. To which Bilbo replied that it IS because he enjoys a home for himself that he is moved by empathy to help the Dwarfs return to their own home, far away in the Desolation of Smaug, in the place called the Lonely Mountain. For the little hobbit, having faced so many dangers and difficulties with the dwarfs, now truly understands the lonely pangs of a traveler in the wild, dreaming and yearning to return home. A sentiment that is shared by all of us, the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, as we too, make our bitter sweet journey through this life, to one day return to the Divine Presence... insyaAllah...

The Hobbit & The Sufi

Each of us, Men, Elf or Hobbit,

Has a Smaug to conquer,

A Dragon to call our own

And to tame,

That is our Ego.

And each of us, of high or common birth,

Has a horde of gold to regain,

A gold without the 'L',

That is our One God by any

Other name.

In a journey to a homecoming

Blessed in the Divine Presence,

To return and to rest,

and end our tearful wandering. 

In every kernel of human thought, in every tinkering of the tireless human imagination, there is a spark of truth. In every book ever written, there is a secret door to God. And I think I found one in the Hobbit.    

I hope you have enjoyed this little review. It was unexpected!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

THE STORY OF THE ONE RING IS NOT ABOUT THE RING AT ALL - Tolkien, story devices, miracles, saints and the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.)

Hearts & Clouds

Clouds turn into hearts,

When you recite,

BismiLlahiRahmaniRahim,

And if they don't, 

Will you now turn on your heel

And walk away from 

Allah and His Prophet?

You can heal the sick,

And you can fly

When you say

BismiLlahiRahmaniRahim,

But if you are not able to,

Will you now turn on your heel

And walk away from

Allah and His Prophet?

Among the wisest of the wisest,

The Universe is in their hands,

But they see it as bad manners

To ask God to use such story devices,

Seeing the miracles already in themselves

And in Creation and the Flawed Splendour that is Mortal Man.

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

(bismiLlahiRahmaniRahim - in the name of God, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful)

Story Devices. I have read somewhere that J.R.R. Tolkien, when he wrote his magnum opus, The Lord of the Rings, were not too keen on 'story devices'. These literary devices are magical events or creatures that are used by him to  turn the plot in a direction that he desired - such as the giant eagles, and of course the One Ring itself, that is able to turn the wearer invisible. Ironic when you think about it. 

The best fellows. The best of fellows are those who rarely if ever use 'miraculous' powers. Because the role of such teachers is to guide mankind unto the path of the Prophet (s.a.w.s) and His Companions (r.a.). There is of course an avenue for the use of some magic to turn people's hearts, but to be quite honest here, I don't believe that the saints like doing such miracles. For they do not desire to alienate their own person from that of their mureeds (students). "Well, of course he is a saint! I once saw him fly!" Saints do not desire to differentiate based on these story devices. Rather, they are calling us to the very human and yet very spiritual journey of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.). And the greatest miracle of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) are not such things as the splitting of the moon, but the change he made in the heart, the conscience and the life of Man, for the better - learning a good habit, leaving a bad habit, healthy living, caring and kindness, forgiveness and empathy, friendship, courage and forbearance.

Sentiments. This may not make for grand cinematic scenes, but as Tolkien himself was aware of, the story of the One Ring is not about the Ring at all, but the sentiments, good and bad that drove the plot and the lives of the Hobbits, Men and the Elves. The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) would have understood this.

Have a lovely day, sunshine. Be useful, be happy and forget about the One Ring and the parlour tricks of the Devil. The unadorned finger pointing to the Oneness of God is the best accessory your soul can ever wear...

Galadriel rejected the Ring. You should too. Stay mortal and simple.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way   

A Cup of Truth with Bono, U2 and Tolkien - Prose of Ramadhan Part 41

Bono and gang, probably in the mid 1980s.

U2 - FOUR YOUNG IRISH LADS. Bono is a bit old now. He cannot sing as well, his voice less sharp, his breath shorter. He cannot prance on stage as well as he used to, and given a choice between a world concert tour and staying home with his family, he would probably choose to laze about at home. 

An older unshaved Bono.

So if you have a song for God, if you have a poem for the Prophet, if you have written a chapter about humanity and the Lord’s mercy, then by God, sing it now, recite the poem and publish the book. Do not wait!

In 19/20th December 1987 U2 played at Sun Devil Stadium, Arizona their seminal song ‘Where the Streets have no Name” filled with gospel inspiration and passion (Click Here). I often watch the video, again and again. For although Bono is now contemplating mortality, and the Edge is admiring his guitar collection rather than playing them, back then… they rocked the world.

Do you think they rocked it alone and without help?

Tolkien in the Western Front, 1916.

TOLKIEN. I am an avid Tolkien fan, and I remember reading a book containing his letters, mostly to his publishers Unwin. If my memory is fine, Tolkien wrote one letter in which he recalled the difficulty he faced in finishing the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In the letter he said he spoke to his uncle (If I am not mistaken) about the hardship of authorship, to which the uncle poignantly commented, “John, do you think you did it all by yourself?”

Tolkien was a Roman Catholic. I am not sure what Bono's or the Edge's beliefs are. But whoever they may be in the cloak of religion, they, and you, are my brothers and sisters, united in the worship of the One God.

A CUP OF TRUTH. Dispel the confusion wrought by preachers and demagogues who are only concerned with dividing the Lord’s sheep. Look to your conscience and heart, for therein lies the truth. Dip your life in the Sea of Mercy, and take a cup of truth from whence all directors, writers, songwriters, singers, poets and all artistic performers take their own manifestation of Love, Truth and Compassion. If my writing is not to your taste, find your own but remember whence all mortal beauty comes from – the All Infinite Sea of Divine Beauty.

It is something to think about, yes? But don’t take too long. You have a life to live and to compose a beautiful harmony in tune to God’s harmonies of love. And no, you don’t need to be able to read musical sheets to do so. Just learn to interpret your conscience and live by it. I have tried in my own way, but I often falter. I know you can do better...

Have a lovely Sunday, sunshine.

Pax Taufiqa.

Sleep of the Trees / We are the Garden of our Fathers and Mothers / The Rose of Conscience

27. HoHum HoHum, Me Sleep
Me sleep in winter,
Me bloom in spring and summer,
And when the angels of autumn dither,
Me know me shan’t stay awake much longer,

And how me fall for their sleeping songs,
These angels who make me doze in ease;
“To bed”, They sing,
“ To sleep you belong,
Beneath your blanket of golden leaves.”
……………
From Chapter 15 ‘The Red Baron’, 27th July 2005

Hmm... I am resting beneath a whimsical prose of wood spirits and angels today. Just don’t mention Tolkien or Treebeard.

I am also thinking that our mater and pater - they are all consumate gardeners and greenthumbs. Because, however stubborn we may be as saplings, no matter that our soil holds little promise - somehow, bit by bit, their garden yield the most beautiful of roses - Our conscience. I may follow it reluctantly, I may at times refuse to listen to my conscience. But it is there already, in full bloom. And for that I owe it all to my mum and dad.

.

And if you share the same sentiments, dear friend... really, how can we not be brothers and sisters?

Pax Taufiqa.