THE SYARIA AND HUDUD, The Prose (Part 1)

The Syaria (The Journey, the Garden and the Fruit)

I saw a journey,

Where I saw you, and I saw myself,

And along the path there were

Beautiful places to rest,

Restful places to ponder God,

As Love, as Life, as the Sustainer

And the Only Nourisher,

I saw goodness and kindness,

Compassion for humanity,

For the birds and the animals,

For even the rocks and water

That filled the mountains and valleys,

And above us in the journey,

Is a constant sky of guiding stars,

As we discover along the many stations,

More and more knowledge of the universe,

But always, subservient in its synchronicity

With the Universal Truth of God...

Thou Most Beautiful, Most Lovely!

And the road on which the journey

Begins and ends...

It was known as the Syaria.

I saw a garden, a paradise,

Wonderous in its colours,

Glorious in its breadth,

As if the Creator Himself

Has taken the trouble 

To paint each petal of flower,

Each pebble in a glistening stream,

With His own beauty and wisdom,
Each creature and creation,
Competing in fierce rivalry,
To best praise God...
Thou Most Compassionate, Utmost in Mercy!

And around the garden stood fences,

White as light, bright as a thousand suns,

And the fences were also known

As the Syaria,

I saw in the blessed garden a fruit,

And the fruit was nourishing,

It was delightful and tasteful

Whatever your taste may be,

It was good for you,

And it was good for me,

The inside of the fruit changes in colour

According to your needs and fancy,

Its texture can be hard or soft,

And according to your need, crumbly or fleshy,
Nourishing you from the beginning to the end,
An assurance from garden of the Almighty...
Thou Most Companionable, Thou Best of Hosts,
Thou Friend of Friends!

And the protective skin of the fruit,
Keeping the flesh pure and pristine,
Shining in the garden like a beacon
Guiding our wavering, floundering conscience,

That too was known as the Syaria.

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

This is a longish tale, so forgive the sinner if he spreads his wings over a couple of postings. But I think it is worthwhile expanding our contemplation a little... Hope you are all having an awesome Ramadan Kareem...

wa min Allah at-taufiq

-Notrumi Embun, 14th July 2014

Hate has no place in Islam
Love will show the Way

LEARNING FROM HAPPY DOGS - don't be a postman-chasing, vet-biting malevolent cur. Be a servant and be happy!

Let us be like happy dogs!

Human beings are more like dogs

Than some are willing to accept,

Just like dogs, we are happiest

When we have a master to serve.

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

In one of James Herriot's dog stories, he recounts how, as a Yorkshire veterinarian he had to deal with a pair of small dogs owned by a couple. The problem is that the dogs are an absolute menace, out of control, bossy and always looking to give a nasty nip at the ankles or hands of unsuspecting postmen or veterinarians. 

While attending to them, the vet noticed how the husband and wife molly-coddled the two dogs in the most saccharine and sentimental manner. That is fine, but when the dogs misbehaved, they appear to take no notice and allowed the animals to think that they can misbehave and act as they please. So the dogs became the masters of the house. 

But just because the dogs ruled the home, it does not mean that they are happy, observed the good vet. In fact, these dogs were much more natural and happier when they first arrived in the household, but the 'tolerant' and 'openminded' nature of their owners turned them from nice, good dogs to malicious, postmen-chasing curs. 

We humans are like that, I think. We need some centre, some focus of service and duty to align our life to the best that we can be. And perhaps there is no more natural essence of a soul than to be a blessed servant of the Soul-maker, the Creator, a.k.a. God Almighty. That we might be of some service to mankind, to animals, and to all of Creation. But when we lose our  bearing, when we forget that we are meant to be servants and not bosses, we open humanity's door to oppression, tyranny, exploitation and violence. Just like those damn dogs. And just like the dogs, we are actually not even happy being so mean.

So my friend says, "Seek happiness, seek servanthood!" And I cannot agree more with him.

Woof Woof!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

- Notrumi Embun, 22nd June 2014

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

THE ENEMY, THE DOG, THE PIG AND THE RELIGION ... ending the illusion of 'religion'

What is Religion?

Things took a turn for the bad

When the Muslims took what they had,

The faith and the way that Muhammad brought,

And shoehorned Islam into their limited conception of

Religion and God.

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

Think about it, sunshine. There is no comparable religious study program of Islam and any other religion. For the truth is Islam encompasses everything. It is the tea that you drink, the charity that you do, the sin that you commit, the trust that you keep, the friendship that you have betrayed, the life that you live, and the love that you have faithfully kept or lost. For God has said that He knows your all, your past and future deeds, your black and white and grey. Islam of the Prophet Muhammad (saws) is a key to the infinite, and as such cannot be judged in finite empirical methods. 

Often, we repeat similar sentiments when we say, "Oh... Islam is not merely a religion. It is our way of life!". But the truth is we are merely parroting some preacher man. For in our conduct, in our prejudices and delusions of humility and obedience, we have still far, far, far to go in understanding and keeping to the Islam and Sunnah (traditions) of Nabi Muhammad (saws). Sad that many of us still cling to the intoxication that we somehow deserve Islam and the Prophet of Islam - that we have better rights than the pig in the sty, than the dog in the gutter... may Allah (swt) save us from this foolish 'piety'!

The Islamic Pig

You have not completed your faith 

Until you can look at the lowly dog, 

The dirty, stinky pig, 

The Devil and your worst enemy,

And perceive the Islam

In their action and purpose

Of their creation.

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

Dwell on this, my love. For one day, you may find me reprehensible, a liar and a wretched fool. And I hope that on that day, you will still perceive the Islam in me.

Have a hopeful beautiful Sunday.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

- Notrumi Embun, 25th May 2014.

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

THE DESERT IS COMING UNLESS WE CHANGE. BEGINNING WITH THE MOSQUE - The Ramadan Story, Part 10

My Paradise is My Mosque

There is no desert in my heart. 

For my land is a rainforest, full of tropical trees, flower and fauna. 

Green rivers and streams meander across my heart from the hills that dot my land. 

Valleys and ravines follow the water, clean and pure like the rain 

That showers regularly on the emerald roof of the jungle. 

Birds and mousedeers, tigers and elephants co-habitat, flowers, leaves 

And fruits of wondrous variety, colour and benefit hang from the branches 

Waiting for my eye and ministration. 

For I am not only the master of my heart and my land,

I am also its custodian and servant. 

My eyes takes rest and pleasure gazing on this Earth, 

Its riches spilling over into the tenuous civilization raised by Man. 

And were I to build a mosque here, a House of God, 

I would not build high walls to separate the mosque from the forest, 

Nor find the need to decorate it with the pictures of paradise. 

For my land is both my paradise and my mosque 

And wherever I am praying, 

I want to see heaven all around me.

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

God...?

From the Desert I Came. The religion of Islam is often associated with the desert. For it was in the desert dunes of Arabia that the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) completed the message and deen of Islam, thereby completing the comprehensive beliefs and rites that make up the faith. There is an old saying, which I cannot remember who said it, that God created the forest for Man, but created the desert for Himself. And I guess when you are thinking of setting the atmosphere for contemplation of Man's vulnerability and insignificance, nothing beats a night in the desert, alone with a billion stars twinkling in the heavens above. Questions like "Who am I?'', "Why am I here?" and "Who is out there?" will come to your heart as naturally as breathing.

The Arabian Heaven. The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus is not one of the three Great Mosques of Islam (the Masijidil Haram in Mecca, the Masjid Nabi in Medina and the al-Aqsa in Jerusalem), but in context of the End of Time sequence, it will play a significant role because it is here that Muslims anticipate the Second Coming of Jesus (Isa a.s.). But my interest in the Umayyad Mosque is not about its prophetic relevance, but the design. In particular, the interior walls on which is engraved with green and gold depictions of Paradise, of palm trees overflowing with dates, clear blue rivers of Jannah running through the gardens, and mansions and palaces on the hills for the believers. It is a religious propaganda (and I mean this well) and a spiritual assurance for the believers, as they pray, rest and learn beneath the pillars of the Mosque, a visual persuasion playing upon the Arab's ideal of paradise... "Ah, lovely, beautiful, inspiring..." they must be thinking.

The Tropical Paradise. But it is a little different here. For in Malaysia, as in most tropical and equatorial regions, there is no desert. There is no sand dunes or far-off desert horizons to inspire us. The forest and the jungle is right next door. And some of us ethnic aboriginals even live in the jungle. Tall rain forest trees of hundred years old tower over dense undergrowth. And through them run gentle streams and rivers full of fish, turtles and even alligators. Is this not paradise (well, sans the mosquitoes, alligators, tigers and leeches!) already? So even if you are expelled from your village, in days of yore, you would not starve to death. You will undoubtedly be inconvenienced, but you will live. (My little caveat here is that this might not be the case now for soft, fleshy city folks like me... I would probably misstep and fall into a ravine within hours. And get eaten by tigers. But you get the picture)

An Architectural Proposition for the Mosque. I am not an architect, so all I can venture is a proposition for an open concept Mosque which sits in sympathy with its tropical surroundings. It can be of any size, but the surroundings must be a tropical garden and a running stream drifting around the mosque and perhaps even through it. And the view from inside the mosque must rest upon the bountiful brilliance of the rain forest however far the congregation can see. The mosque must be built with wood and stone, with river pebbles shining darkly from the lower part of the walls while timbered pillars rise up to the wooden beamed roof. But from within the mosque, one ought to be able to see and hear the surrounding garden with its crickets and frogs. Especially at night. After all, the sound of nature is the sound of dzikr (recitation and remembrance of God's Names)

Shutting out Paradise. One of the reason why the proposition encompasses the outside surroundings of the mosque is because the truth is Muslims have been too lazy in caring and nurturing the environment. The mosque should not be a building to shut out the world and dream for paradise. Especially not in this tropical country. Not when just outside most mosques and suraus (small mosques), we find litter, pollution, environmental destruction and ecological disasters staring in the face of the Ummah (the Muslim nation). 

The Desert is Coming. So in reality are we shutting out the outside world because we cannot now bear to look upon the handiwork of our modern society on this paradise garden that we have been given? Are we turning our beautiful forests and jungles into deserts? If so, then we need not wait too long. The desert is coming if we do not change our ways.

Beginning with the Mosque. I reckon we can begin to accept our responsibility for the Earth this way - From the mosque, and if we believe in Allah (s.w.t.) and the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), from our conscience which must always be in sympathy for all of creation and all of God's creatures that we share this planet with. 

I think that this makes more sense than all the political and often violent upheavals that are presently besieging the Ummah. After all, what is the point of Islam in a world already despoiled and destroyed..? 

Don't you agree, sunshine?

Wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way  

THE SPARROW-ALHAMDULILLAH! - Friday the Blessed, the Sabbath for contemplation

It was Friday the Blessed yesterday, and you would find a sinner loitering outside the Mosque, finishing his cigarette before making his way in, a sinner amongst the pious, into the Mosque for ablutions and prayers.  

A Young Man Without Any Arms. Cars were parking illegally all over the place, as like on all Fridays, ordinary traffic regulations are not enforced so long as you do not actually block a road. A space opened by the pavement right in front of me and a small car slipped in. A Chinese lady came out of the driver seat and I was thinking to myself, "Huh, even the Chinese take advantage of Friday!" when suddenly from the front passenger seat, out jumped a young man and I literally jumped out of my skin, because he had no arms at all. He walked pass me with a spring in his step, as I continued to stare at him. He looked well-pleased with himself and I wanted to smile at him. He noticed me watching and we smiled at each other shyly. Dammit. He looked happy. He looked contented. How could he be, when he didn't have any arms?

So I knew, you see... that this Friday, the last Friday of the Holy Month of Sya'ban would be an extraordinarily good Friday.

The sparrow-Alhamdulillah

Alhamdulillah... Praise be unto God,

Alhamdulillah... Praise be unto God,

Alhamdulillah... Praise be unto God,

I recited, my voice spoke, my heart ignited,

Alhamdulillah... my soul sang and sent

All my Alhamdulillah to the spirits of the dearly departed,

To my Beloved Prophet and His beloved Family,

To His Companions and His Saints, alive and living,

Alhamdulillah... my spirit sang and sent

All my Alhamdulillah like a flock of sparrows in their thousands

Flying towards the beloved faces of my mother and father,

Towards my brothers, my uncles and aunties and all my cousins,

To all my nieces and nephews and all my friends and their children,

And as the flock arrived, they descended toward my beloveds,

And they begin to whirl round and round my beloveds,

The flock of sparrow-Alhamdulillah continued to encircle them,

A circumambulation of love around my beloveds,

Until a desire sparked in me and I found that I myself

Have become one of my own sparrow-Alhamdulillah,

...I could feel the wind rushing over my feathered wings

As I flew with scriptural speed around these familiar faces...
Whirling and spiraling like blue lightning,

...Oh mother! Oh father! Oh brothers! Oh my loves!

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

Have a wonderful Sabbath, sunshine. Keep your light on, remember Allah (s.w.t.) always and devote your life and love to His Beloved Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), His Anointed Mercy to all the Worlds.

From the strangest places and avenues do mercy come, and yesterday it began with a disarming smile from a young man with no arms. May Allah bless him always... for the journey ended in the flight of the sparrow-Alhamdulillah!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way 

A DOG'S TALE

"And where did you wander off to just now?"
The dervish asked me.

Going, Coming and Waiting

I would not be wandering

If God did not put the wanderlust in me,

I would not be asking

If God did not put the question in me,

I would not be thirsty for understanding,

If God did not send a thirst in my heart,

I would not be me, 

I would be something totally different,

Had God not touched my life

Through ever changing conditions...

Like the ebb of the tide of the ocean

Like the barking of my companion,

Like the stars in its countless constellations,

I am moved and I am stayed,

Going when I am told to go,

Coming when I am told to come,

Waiting when I am told to wait.

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

A Dog's Tale, I often sketch the picture of a wandering dervish. And nowadays he is often accompanied by a dog. If you ask me whether the pictures are in fact autobiographical, I must confess that it is. For I am the dog in the picture.

Sometimes I wish the dervish would put a leash on me, but he wouldn't. "For you must be with me because you want to be with me..."

I do, I really do, but sometimes I just get distracted and wander off, smelling a cat nearby or chasing after butterflies and squirrels.

I do that a lot, even at my age. But I am still with the dervish, after all these years...

Have a lovely day, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Distant Cathay and Nourishing your Soul - about knowledge, stars, and introducing Aaron the Dog.

There is often a cat and a dog in my sketches. The cat's name is Moses. So I find
it strange that only after the longest time that the name of the dog is apparent.
Of course, it has to be Aaron. He he he.

The Prophet (May Allah raise his station, increase his peace and contentment!) has famously admonished his followers to search for knowledge, be it to distant Cathay. With our space telescope floating precariously some 559 kilometres above our heads, our sights are trained much further than China. Far into the distant galaxies, our astronomers are gazing into the depth of space, and into the deepness of time, as star lights originating millions of years ago are observed and captured for the very first time in beautiful pictures by the Hubble telescope...

The Veil Nebula. 

The Orion Nebula

The Spiral Galaxy M74. Amazing photos from the official website, you can go there by
clicking here The Hubble Site.

God is challenging us. With flirtatious glimpses behind the veil, which may only be an echo of an echo of His Beauty, so we, like Majnun, would go mad in love. But God is also the instructing God, the Guiding One. And He cautions us to remain sober, and to obey those who have authority over us, and to love and care for those who we have authority over. Like our pets. That is the perfect adab (good manners) of a seeker.

So, search for knowledge and discover the world, and discover your God. Set your gaze further than Cathay, and even further than the furthest galaxies that can be observed by the Hubble telescope. But please, in your quest for knowledge, don't forget to feed your dog. Or cat. Or budgerigar.

And before I forget, in the name of The Piercing Star, Sayyidina An Najmus Saqib (s.a.w.s.), please don't neglect to feed your soul. For above all, your soul is in need of nourishment. Even more so than your pets.

Have a beautiful sabbath, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Mr. Ikhlas and the Tiger - when only a small fallen twig stands between you and death

"So there we were, walking through the virgin jungle, three friends", began Mr. Ikhlas - Young, foolish and unarmed in the jungles of Pahang, when suddenly I felt a great ominous presence. In fact all of us did. I looked at my friends and saw their faces wincing under the weight of some unseen power. Then one of my friends said, "Hey. The jungle is all quiet..." At that moment I saw, not very far from us, moving with feline grace through the sparse undergrowth, a large tiger. Then another. And finally a third. Three tigers were stalking us.

We were far from the nearest jungle road, so we had no choice but to walk on. As we trudge our frightened souls through the path, the palpable aura of three great cats stalking us made the air feel heavy with violent potential, as if at any moment there would be a flash of claws and fangs from the thickets. But nothing happened until we reached a small river. Then we decided to rest and pray. We could not see the tigers anymore and hoped that they were gone. The river itself was beautiful, with the green canopies of the tall trees by the riverbank spreading its green roof over the water, like a cathedral. We began our ritual ablution, washing ourselves prior to prayers. Then just like before, the crickets, frogs, birds and all living creatures fell deathly silent. Even the wind ceased to disturb the trees and branches. "Oh no. Not again." I remember thinking to myself. I was in the midst of washing my hands when I looked up and saw, just yards away across the shallow river, a tiger with its massive head crowned on top its muscular shoulder, crouching at the riverbank as it drank." 

 A refreshing little drink before lunch.
Saay... that fat one looks like mighty good eatin'...

But we carried on anyway, and at the nearby clearing began to pray. Perhaps this time with a little more earnestness and intensity, asking God to prevent us from becoming lunch for a big cat. For it was actually around lunch time that we were performing the Zuhur (noon prayers). Praying and beseeching for divine intervention done, we quickly gathered our stuff and resumed our walk. 

Our Walk. It is not too far now to the nearest kongsi (chinese settlement that often sprout at the forest's edge), but let me tell you that it felt like it was hundreds of miles away. "Why did we go into the jungle unarmed?" I asked myself, but I knew the answer. We were young. We were strong and sure-footed. We felt invincible. Well, all that sense of invincibility quickly evaporated as I noticed the very same tiger gaining ground to our rear, a bit to the right. Moving stealthily through the undergrowth, looking determined to get into action soon. Very, very soon. So it was with some relief when we saw the kongsi not too far away. But this time the many dogs kept by the Chinese men were quiet. Normally they would be yapping and barking like hell is about to break loose the moment they saw strangers. But this time, they were missing. No doubt skulking inside the nooks and corners of the kongsi as they sensed the coming presence of a hungry, hunting tiger.

"This cannot go on much further," my friend whispered. "The tiger's gonna jump us soon, otherwise it would be too near the kongsi." Then he furtively picked a fallen branch of the ground and continued, "I am going to break this branch in two. The moment I do that, we run like hell, okay?" Me and my other friend nodded nervously.

*Snap!* and we shot down the path like shit off a shovel. I glanced back just for a second, anticipating the yawning maw of the tiger, but instead saw it running in the opposite direction. We ran and ran until we reached a road that serviced the nearby palm oil plantation and quickly flagged it down. The driver gave us permission to hop on, and we immediately jumped into the back which was full of palm oil fruit bunches. It was uncomfortable sitting on the spiky bunches of palm kernels, but I could not have been happier if I was lazing on a luxurious Italian leather sofa.

"So what happened just then?" I asked my friend as I finally managed to catch my breath. He replied,"Oh, that little trick. You see, the tiger's sense of hearing is superb. And as it stalked us, its senses heighten even further, as every sinew and muscle of its body is coiling for the fatal spring on its prey, which just so happens to be us today. So if we timed the breaking of the branch just at the right time, the sudden explosion of noise (for it would appear that way to the tiger) would catch the tiger by surprise and it would take evasive measures, which would give us a short time to sprint away. Luckily the lorry came by just in the nick of time also."

"Wow. Does the trick work all the time?"

My friend ruefully smiled and said, "No, not all the time. We have a lot to be thankful for..." The three of us then broke into spontaneous (and nervous) laughter. 

Alhamdulillah.

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

I met Mr.Ikhlas over breakfast yesterday. There are other stories to share with you. But I loved the story about the tigers, so I thought it best to write about this first. I might add though that not all encounters with tigers can have such frightening consequences. Mr. Ikhlas recalls another occasion when he was walking down a jungle road, when suddenly a Papa tiger, a Mama tiger and little boy tiger strolled across, with nay a glance at Mr. Ikhlas. "They looked happy and full. They just ate." Said Mr. Ikhlas. So you see, sometimes life or death is simply about chancing someone before or after its mealtime. 

He he he.

Have a lovely Friday, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The Hamsters of God - in the wheel of a Constant Presence...

A Hamster of God

I wake up early

To wait for the rising dawn

And the crisp fresh air

And greet my Lord,

For I know, verily,

He waits for me!

In the beginning of every day,

I am so happy I could just

Lie down and die,

For me this is no heaven,

But some inscrutable

Constant Presence.

If only you could feel what I feel,

You would not think me proud,

You would be happy, just like me

A hamster running with God,

Wheels within wheels within wheels!

Wheeeee!

…………………………

I was happy, having an early cup of coffee below my office and suddenly wondering, "Where is the sky?" I raised my head and there it was… between the back of the cooking school, above the equestrian shop and a back alley sign of the failed little pub. Somehow, this assures me more and I smile to one one in particular...

Where is the sky... where is the sky??

In the history of Islam we have had the Lion of God, the Sword of God and all other blessed and innumerable titles, marking the steadfast and true faith of many men and women of Islam. As I doubt that I have the bearing to carry any great or courageous adjectives, I have chosen something perhaps more amenable... the humble, rodent-family but nonetheless cute little hamster. I am not claiming this exclusively for myself, you know, you too can be part of this elite group of wheel turning, food chomping, energetic band of Animalia Chordata Vertebrata Mammalia Rodentia Myomorpha Muroidea Cricetidae Cricetinae (to give our full scientific name).

So today, as you trudge into your office, perhaps feeling like a tired little rodent in a wheel and cog of a large cold machine, do not despair for you are not alone. We are with you. And if you ever feel threatened by such despondency, look out of the nearest window and remember that however small you may feel you are, you are still under the same glorious blue and white sky of God, the One Creator who loves His highest and lowest servants with infinite Love and limitless compassion. I am saying this, from one hamster to another...

Ahh... there is the sky... alhamdulillah

Have a good working week, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

True Love and the Faithfulness of Dogs

True Love

True love is casting aside,

All pretense and all preconception,

Discarding all your mask and deception,

Throwing away all your thoughts of wisdom,

Setting aside all desire for wealth or station,

And to be instead the dog at the master’s door,

Loyal and attentive, quick to obey,

Thus Katmir stayed true to

The Sleepers of the Cave,

Day after day after

Many, many 

Doggy

Days.

………………………..

I wanted to begin this posting with a cautious advice – “So, choose your true love well!” But the simple truth of things is that in this Reality it is not we who choose true love, but True Love Who chooses us. True Love being God Almighty.

Reference to Katmir the Dog is in reference to the Biblical / Quranic story of the Sleepers of the Cave and the faithful hound. His story was covered previously in 'The Holy Quran, Mr. Ikhlas and Katmir the Dog - Man's Best Friend '(Click Here to read).

True Love has chosen to create and honour mankind. So truth be told, we are ALL loved. It is often our own foolishness and very human nature to err that builds obstacles and walls to our perception of True Love.

So our job today is to set aside the walls and obstacles between our perception and God. And to do so with patience and fortitude. And to sometimes set aside our own preconceptions of what religion is, what God is and the role the Prophet(pbuh) plays in our personal lives. This is not necessarily easy, especially for sinners like me. But if Katmir can be good, why can’t we?

And he is just a dog! Perhaps we should learn more from dogs... Click Here to read 'Seven Reasons why Dogs are like Saints - Near Sibu 2011 Part 2.'

"Learn from dogs? Never have I heard such a preposterous idea!" comments Moses the Cat.
But he is bias. Like all creatures and animals, there is much to learn from dogs.

Have a lovely Monday, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Abraham, the Inferno & The Hummingbird - every little bit helps...

Every little bit helps...

When the Prophet Abraham was flung into the burning inferno, many animals took pity and wanted to save him, especially itsy-bitsy ones like ants and small birds like the hummingbird. One little hummingbird hurried to the nearest stream and brought with its beak a tiny bead of water. It then flew over the inferno and let the water drop fall. But even before it reached the highest flickering flames, the water evaporated.

Bigger birds nearby laughed and scoffed at the hummingbird, saying, "See what good your efforts did!? The water vanished before it could douse the smallest flame of the mighty inferno!" But the hummingbird was undaunted and it said, "Perhaps. But when I die, and verily we shall all one day die, from the smallest bird to the mightiest condors and eagles, and when our Lord questions me, for surely He shall do so -"O' little hummingbird! When My Prophet Abraham was in the scorching fire, what did you do?" Then I shall be able to reply, "O' Lord and Creator of birds and Your winged angels, within my little ability, I did what I could to save Your Prophet!" And verily, my reward will be in His Giving. What shall your reward be for ignoring the plight of a Prophet of God?"

Tough talk for a hummingbird.

So be nice to ants and birds. Especially little birds like hummingbirds and nightingales. And do not let the daunting problems of this world (hunger, poverty, environment, economic crisis, war, ... to name but a few)  discourage you from trying to help. Every little bit helps, you know... especially to God.

Oh, and about the Prophet Abraham's fiery problem... he was ultimately saved from the inferno. But that is a story for another posting.

Have a lovely day, sunshine. May you see a nightingale soon. (It is difficult to find them nowadays...)

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Shepherds of God, Proxies of the Prophet - of saints, shepherds, sheepdogs and sheep (that's us, sunshine)

Monologue of the Lost Sheep

Lovely heather! Lovely berries!

See where my tastes take me!

Up, and up, and up,

Higher and higher

And higher still, until... oh dear!

Where is the shepherd

and were is the sheepdog

To protect me?!

Oh dear, now do I hear

The howling of wolves!

Mercy! Mercy! Mercy!

Lovely heather! Lovely berries!

Perhaps there is a way down from here!

But wait, what is that I hear?

Katmir the dog is near!

And if Katmir is coming

Surely my shepherd

Is not far behind

And following!

He has no fear!

He has no

Fear!

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

When Moses visited Jordan recently he saw sheep high up in the highlands, and some were prancing up sheer cliff faces, while the sheepdogs barked and the shepherd looked on protectively. "Wow... this must be how shepherding was like in the olden days of the prophets..."

The days of the prophets are over (well, mysterious Khidr is still doing his thing, I am told), but with the birth and passing of the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (pbuh), no more prophets shall be born to Earth.

But that does not mean that we are without shepherds. Because just like the sheep we like to eat, we too like to wander according to our own devices, we get lost and we get stuck on some high mountain side and finding ourselves helpless, we also bleat like sheep... "Help us, God! Help us, God!"

Then the shepherd will come trailing in our wake, locate our trembling form, frightened for dear life at the cries and howling of the wolves, and rescue us from doom. That is what saints do, you see. And although no new prophets have been born, saints are very much kicking around and playing an important role in this world - as Shepherds of God, and Proxies of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Have a jolly day, sunshine. And if you fear the wolves, call for a saint. He will find you, however lost you are and whither your indiscretions have led you.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

For God Lovers and Dog Lovers - the inseparable history of mankind and dogkind

For the Sake of Katmir and my Ancient Ancestor...

For days I sat here by the well,

For days and nights no man came,

I can almost smell the water

Down in the well, and yet unable

To get to it!

For days, this dog of God

Sat here by the well.

Oh Lord, was I dying of thirst?

Oh Lord, was I going deranged...

Thinking things that is strange

For a dog to think?

Then she came.

She looked upon me

And I saw pity and mercy in her eyes.

She took water from the well

And offered me its life-giving sustenance.

Oh Lord! She looked upon me

With pity and mercy

And saved me!

Oh Lord, look upon her

With pity and mercy

And save her too -

For the sake of Katmir

Of the Seven Sleepers,

And my Ancient Ancestor

Who stood by your

Prophet Adam

When all the other animals

Of the World were

Ranged against him!

……………..........................

Prose References -

Reference # 1 - The prose is in reference to the story of the courtesan and the dog that she saved by giving him water, in consequence of which God forgave her all her previous sins and opened the gates of paradise to her. This story was actually covered in a previous posting entitled The Courtesan, the Dog and God's Infinite Forest of Mercy - Prose of Ramadhan Part 56. 

Reference #2 – Katmir the dog is the lucky canine who slept with the seven sleepers in the well-known biblical quranic story. This too was already written in a posting entitled The Holy Quran, Mr. Ikhlas and Katmir the Dog – Man’s Best Friend. 

Reference #3 – “…my Ancient Ancestor…” is about the boss dog who protected Adam when he first landed on earth, alone and without protection. The Devil whispered to all the animals about this human Adam whose progenies will rule the earth and gain mastery over all animal kind. This boss dog defended Adam when he was utterly alone, and fought off all the other animals.

...dear Katmir.

With so many previous writings on this point, you might wonder why I have decided to post up this prose. It is because the story was retold to me by someone so delicate and kind, that he did not find it in him to call the woman in the story a courtesan or prostitute or even a bad woman. He simply referred to her as ‘the other things woman’. Hehehe. I found it sweet... and discreet in the very gentlest traditions of the Sufis.

Shaykh Bahauddin Adil was sharing the story to highlight one of the important gist of his coffee-less coffee-talk yesterday - and that God is forever looking for the smallest excuse, the most inane, every day, itsy-bitsy good deed as His reason to pour His mercy and forgiveness on us. “…God is not like us!” He concluded, stressing on the boundless horizon of His Mercy which is beyond our measure… because, let’s face it, sunshine - human 'mercies' are often constrained by our petty thinking, petty prejudices and petty pride. (You may like to watch the coffee-talk yourself... Just Click Here.)

I think it is good to remind each other every day. We are not perfect, and it is always wonderful to recall beautiful stories from history that dot the night sky like stars – as navigation points to guide us safely through this worldly sea to the heavenly harbour and the Divine Presence of God and His Most Beloved.

Alhamdulillah!

Thank you for dropping in, sunshine.

Wa min Allah at-taufiq

These are the doggy postings mentioned above plus one more -
Seven Reasons why Dogs are like Saints - Near Sibu 2011 Part 2
The Courtesan, the Dog and God's Infinite Forest of Mercy - Prose of Ramadhan Part 56
The Holy Quran, Mr. Ikhlas and Katmir the Dog -  Man's Best Friend

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way