HIJRA AND A NEW BEGINNING

Salams, sunshine. the sinner has migrated (digitally) to a new website. Visit me at Notrumi. It has been awhile, I know.  I have in fact been planning this hijra (pilgrimage) for some time now since last year. And now it begins. No more hesitation, no more procrastination.

May this be a good beginning for us all, insyaAllah.

(Dear God... I am gonna miss writing here.)

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Eid Celebrations, Family and a Greedy Little Pig - oink! oink!

Coming to the end of Ramadhan and the Eidul Fitri celebrations on 1st of Syawal to mark one month of fasting by the Muslims, it is common for us to receive festive greetings via snail mail, Facebook, sms-es and WhatsApp (well, for us Android users at least). I have been a bit busy yesterday as we had a drove of wonderful, bright-eyed, brilliant and good-looking relatives come visit us on the first day (well, I have to be complimentary if I want them to come again next year... Or am I spreading the butter too thick?).

So I am finally able to catch my breath today, and have been typing my late replies. If you did not receive my reply because you never sent me an Eid Mubarak greetings (And by the way, why didn't you? *sad*), well here is my best reply sent out today -

Salams sunshine,... If you but knew me a bit better perhaps you would not like me, but if I knew a bit more of you I am sure to grow fonder of you. So my Salam and prayer for us this Eid is for God and His Prophet to veil my wickedness and to unveil your goodness that I might continue to be blessed with your love and companionship... alhamdulillah, God be praised! Madad ya Saideena Muhammad, madadul Haqq!

For those who came yesterday, thank you kindly for your company and smiles... It was wonderful. A note of thanks for my brother, Zahurein, for cooking up a mouth-watering Mee Rebus (a local noodle dish in beef, oxtail, shrimp, chilli and sweet potato broth). I am ashamed to confess here that I, a greedy little pig, had 4 servings.

He was THE host, but he had 4 servings! Shameless...

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The Lexicon of Love and the Journey in the Meaning of Words - I met a nun once...

Life is...

A Journey in the meaning of words.

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

The Power of Words. Thus was a prose recorded a couple of years back. It is a simple idea with both beautiful and terrible consequences. People have been saved by words, inspired to do good by words, to help his fellowmen, to preserve the environment and treat all of creation with the respect and love that it deserves. On the other hand, words have led to assaults, murders, thievery, rape and bloody wars ranged between mighty nations on earth. So it is important to have a clear idea as to the meaning of words. For they can bring you both goodness and evil.

Happy meaning. I am happy when I come across happy souls who can teach me the meaning of words. Because contented people have an outlook towards life that glimmers with the light of love. They may be not-well-to-do, living in an desolate ghetto, or they may be staying in a suburban paradise, but their optimistic, never-say-die attitude enlivens the very words that they use. The word 'God' becomes this mind-bendingly awesome Divine Personality of incredible Wisdom, Mercy and Compassion. And for Muslims, the word 'Love' and 'Muhammad'(pbuh) becomes this wonderful avenue through which God approaches mankind, and by which we are called to approach His Divine Presence.

We are all heretics. In a 2010 posting, Katherine, who writes the Nun Tuck's Almanac wrote an interesting piece entitled 'TEN RELIGIOUS WORDS THAT THE SPINDOCTORS DOCTORED.' She is a Christian and I often found her writing admirable and worthy of praise. Here is one of the ten words...

"9. HERETIC- The Roman Catholic church has, over the centuries, given this word a new definition. Its current definition means those who hold unorthodox or controversial beliefs or opinions which differ from that of the official dogma of the Roman Catholic Church. However, in its original form, the word, from its Greek roots “hairetikos” to its Latin and early English and French derivations, simply means ”able to choose”. SO, A HERETIC, IS ONE WHO IS ABLE TO CHOOSE WHAT HE OR SHE BELIEVES. A wonderfully democratic term turned slander."

.............. (Click Here to go to the blog post)

If we were to apply the original meaning of 'heretic' I guess we can then say that all of mankind (and Djinn) are therefore heretics. For that is the distinctive nature that God has imbued into Adam and Eve... the ability to choose - To elect whether to do good or bad. A power (for it is a power, actually) and a trust that no one and nothing else in creation were willing to accept. This was the divine offer and promise transacted between God and each soul in the Day of Promises.

When it comes to religion and spirituality, the wise always says that it is the inside that counts, not the form or appearance. I think if we can practice and nurture this simple ideal, there is no challenge we cannot face down even in this often troubled and divisive times. Together, you and I, sunshine, we can continue this journey in the meaning of words, and complete our Lexicon of Love.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Two Languages and Two Personalities - trashing out a new blog and the startling discovery of another personality...

It's you! It's no one else. He just sounds a little different, that's all...

I have been busy this weekend, sunshine. I am trying to concoct a blog in my native Bahasa Melayu (Malay) language. It is funny how we appear to have different personalities in one body, and think and write in different languages. It is not as unusual as some people may think, and I have an impressive royal personage from the past who said something along a similar vein...

I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men and German to my horse

(Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, 1500-1558 a.d.)

If you can understand Malay, you might want to read it. It's entitled 'Chembul' and can be accessed by Clicking Here.

My posting in my native Malay is very different from the Almanac. The language is err... how shall I say it...  replete with marketplace language (bahasa pasar), informal and often crass. It is very crude with little subtlety, almost non-existent prose and even my late sainted mother would be reluctant to consider it a fine piece of writing. And to top off this strange menagerie of language, I have adopted a different personality too, for I am known as 'Gue' in this new blog. Let me tell you that this is a startling surprise even to myself.

I am not sure whether I can keep up two blogs in my life. As it is, I am stealing time between chores and work to handle the Almanac, so perhaps I won't be maintaining Chembul. We will see...

Nothing to report today, sunshine. Just the strange thoughts that writers think in their tiresome search to find their voice... In whatever and however many languages they are 'fluent' in. 

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Hateless Life, Blogs and the Utility of Angels in Marketing

HOW TO USE ANGELS FOR MARKETING
First you need an Angel. Then you need a friend who can distract the Angel with
some chit-chat. With a can of paint and a quick hand you can accessorize
the Angel's wings with your slogan.

I used to sign off this blog with 'Pax Taufiqa' or later with 'wa min Allah at-taufiq'. But now I am pleased to have come across the phrase 'Hate has no place in Islam'. It is my flavour of the month, for I believe the sentence captures an essential part of the sinners' story.

It is difficult to live a hateless life. On a daily basis, I go through the tsunami of emotions from affection to surliness to anger to envy to understanding to spitefulness to forgiveness to bitterness to revenge to acceptance to tolerance and on and on and on. Ergo, I am a sinner. But sinful as I am, I do understand that any words, thoughts or action impelled by hate is a BAD thing. No matter I THINK that it is in the name of love or God or religion. Hate, like its father the Ego, spoils everything. And above all, for those of you who claim to follow the religion of Muhammad, there is simply no place in the faith of the Most Beloved to cater to our intemperate whims and fancies of hate. The Prophet never taught anyone to hate anything.

If you want to promote a tagline, there are few ways better than Angels. However, Angels are often busy with their Angelic tasks and have little time for extra-curricular activities. But with a good friend to help you, you can daub your slogan on their wings while they are distracted. It is best to do this with one of the minor league angels, and not the Arch-Angels or Angels of the Throne. For those guys have eyes everywhere and are unlikely to be caught inattentive while their wings are being vandalized. 

Alternatively, you can start a blog of dubious repute, call it 'The Sinners Almanac' and end all your postings with the tagline. Like what I am about to do right now, sunshine...

Hate has no place in Islam.

When We are United in Worship to God, Even the Most Impossible Hopes of Mankind Become Not only Probable, But Certain

“We can discover the wisdom to open the doors and windows of the Spirit. It begins, always, with a loving kindness towards ourselves. It is after all, almost impossible to truly love others…until we know, love, and accept ourselves. From this touchstone, we can spread our ability to love towards those in our inner circle, and then out into the wider world.

Begin with the breath of mindfulness, it is the breath that calls us to this moment. It is life’s breath. It is the breath that breathes through you, that you do not have to control, that you do not ultimately control.”

Not the same but same. So wrote Nun Tuck, my friend in her posting today entitled 'Love Kindness Meditation'. Much earlier in October 2004, I recorded the prose below…

1. On the Scale of al-Amin

Allah,

We dream in eternity,

Unconfined by time and space,

But we count each breath,

Letting no moment go to waste.

Giving the great its due,

Giving the small its due,

In perfect balance,

Between what is Merciful,

And what is True.

Amin.

Katherine aka Nun Tuck is a Christian writer. Ever since our paths crossed last year we have been bouncing thoughts and ideas across the thousands of parsecs that separate us. But it is merely physical distance, so it troubles us little.

Brethren in Conscience. When Katherine writes, she writes with biting honesty but also with a sense of common kinship with the rest of mankind - married to an impossible hope in a Love that would surmount humanity's most bitter divisions. She is my brethren in the theology of the conscience and I pray that God shall always lighten her burden and brighten her day with beautiful sights and souls. Otherwise, I am afraid that she might stop writing (hehehe). Click Here to read the rest of her soulful posting.

The Connection. Sometimes late at night, I would listen to a song and hope springs eternal. We are writing truths and we will not leave this world undefended against our eternal foes – the egos of those haters, bigots and hubris-mad men who would seek to destroy our unity in the worship of our One Beloved God. Whether clothed as a Christian, Jew or Muslim, I recognize my brethren, because I feel a connection.

The Song. Earlier this afternoon Heche shared with me this song – somehow I think it is apt to end this posting and I do hope you will like it too. It is Adele and she is singing “Make You Feel My Love”. For you see, when anything is possible in the Ministration of the Most Beloved, do we not feel His Love in each breath that we take and exhale?

Certainty in Hope. You know, sunshine, it is okay if you do not feel the love 24 hours a day. Life is after all a journey and we are not perfect. But at least you and I, we are assured by what lies ahead – The All Loving God Who is Most Compassionate and Most Merciful to all His servants. And that makes the most impossible hope not only probable, but certain.

Pax Taufiqa.

A Cup of Storm - My First Book

Foreword
If there is truth in these pages
It is yours, ya Saidi.
If there is deceit
It is my own conceit.

There was once a Sufi boss. And he had a sinner as a neighbour. This neighbour used to constantly trouble the Sufi boss by sending him a collection of prose on irregular intervals. The above quoted Foreword was the beginning of it all. As years passed, the collection grew to over 2,000 prose and short stories. and coming into the 5th year, the sinner asked the Sufi, "I would like to publish the poems, what do you think, ya Saidi?" To which he gave a simple and short reply, "Go global, don't go local." Err. Okay.

The sinner left pondering the reply and thinking to himself, "Yea, man... but easier said than done." Forward 3 years and on 22nd April this year, an American named Russell Streur (Editor and Barkeep of the Poetry Website 'The Camel Saloon' - Click Here for Link) wrote to me and said that he was forming a publishing house for poets, and this was what he said... "In the past few years, I have seen my poetry published in numerous spaces, electronic and print. That experience directly led to my establishment of the Camel Saloon, because I wanted to give to others what others gave to me: a voice in the world, and a place to make a difference in the world. Approaching the first anniversay of the Saloon, I am now taking the next step in my commitment to poetic self-expression bye establishing a publishing company under the name of Poets Democracy. This enterprise will involve the creation of paper books to be available to the friends and familes of poets on a global basis." So together with Christi Kochifos Caceres, Poets Democracy was established - Click Here for Link.

In the same email, Mr. Streur said that he would like to publish a book of my poetry, and whether I would be interested. Would I?! In reply I said yes, of course I would love to work with him. So after a month and a half of frantic emails, first copy print, first revision print, changes to illustrations, grammatical and spelling corrections, second revision print and a third final revision, the book entitled "A Cup of Storm" is now available - Click Here. Whew!

'A Cup of Storm' is a collection of 111 poems with 32 sketches, extracted from my writings and drawings over the course of 8 years, some of which you may have read in this blog. It is uncommented prose, so the poems are naked and interpretation is left entirely to the reader.

When you consider that both Mr. Streur and myself are doing this on the side, you must admit that the quick work from idea to completion is some achievement. And it is one which I must wholly acknowledge Mr. Streur and Ms. Christi for their eye for detail and amazing dedication. Words cannot express my gratitude. I never planned this to happen, though I had my (typically) unreasonable and overly-optimistic hope that the Sufi's advice would manifest itself, somehow, someway and by someone. As it turned out that someone was Russell and Christi.

May your days be graced with the company of friends you never thought you had, who would help fulfill the dream which you thought would never happen. And I mean you too, sunshine... because had you not been reading this strange almanac, I would not have continued writing. Then Russell would not have come across the Sinners Almanac, and alas, 'A Cup of Storm' would still remain in the world of what-ifs and maybes. But it is here, real and now. And just like Love, it simply was meant to be.

Thank you from the bottom of my happy sinning heart.

Pax Taufiqa.

The Nun & the Taliban

No, no. Not 'Friar'... its Nun Tuck.

I have had the pleasure of reading Nun Tuck's Almanac today in an article entitled 'Who are the Taliban?-CLICK HERE' She is a Christian fellow blogger and someone whose writing resonates closely to my better heart.

In a world where Islam and the Prophet is often savagely mishandled by writers and journalists, I always find her articles on Islam refreshing. She has a delicate touch and is well-informed, so kudos to her teachers and abbot. In fact, this is another one of her writings which I secretly wish I had written. I am envious that way.

Well, you shouldn't be surprised with my jealousy. I am after all just a sinner.

On a celebratory note, Its Mother's Day!, sunshine.

Pax Taufiqa.

The Sinner and the Devil's Henchman called Auto-Formatting

7. Patience, that Beautiful Steed!
Patience! O’ Lord,
Of such things that will help me,
Help me attain this!
Patience in happiness and sorrow,
Patience in wealth and poverty,

Patience,
Graceful and most loved,
That beautiful steed ridden
By Your Prophet and Friends!

IRONY OF LIFE. I have been taking too much iron tablets, I think. I write a lot about the virtues of Patience. Be patient, I say. Do not get angry, I counsel my betters. The truth is it would be difficult for you to find someone more impatient than me.

THE HATEFUL WORLD OF AUTO-FORMAT. And this is especially evident when I am writing. Oh, I start well, my friends, feeling 'the love' for my fellow humans, contented and at peace with the world. So evident of sweet sentiment, I would commence my writing on this blog. Then, for some inexplicable reason (Oh, I am sure anyone acquainted with HTML, can explain. But I am a lawyer, you see) blogspot's autoformating starts to interpret my writing differently from how I write and commences to auto-format my paragraphs.

I AM NOT WYSIWYG - Now the tragedy unfolds as the blog editing engine insists on saying that I have set a paragraph and 5 line spacing between the paragraphs, when it is patently not my intention. And when I click on the 'preview' button, it changes my text from a tidy 20 liner, into a 60 liner with huge empty spaces between the paragraphs and pictures - making my blog look ugly and unprofessional. Just like me, the blogspot engine is not 'What You See Is What You Get".

"L!O!V!E!", he typed FURIOUSLY. And after spending maybe just 30 minutes to write, I would end up wasting another 40 minutes trying to get the blog formatting right. Then the cursing and swearing under my breath would begin... I will be typing words like "L.O.V.E.", "Patience" "God's Divine Grace" and "Peace..." and hitting my poor laptop's keyboard with the opposite sentiment, impatience, anger and my frustration with this blog's editing engine boiling over.

So every blog I write becomes a test of my ego and anger. Hehehe. And boy, how often I fail! But today the editing engine appears to be feeling contented and friendly. Thank God!

Have a patient day, sunshine. Don't be like me.

Pax Taufiqa.

A Silly Little Man With Too Much To Say

THIS BLOG CONSISTS OF ONE SINGLE WRITTEN DOCUMENT BUT BROKEN UP INTO POSTINGS. I have noticed that in all the prose recorded by the sinner over almost 8 years (and they are a lot!), I have often had to fight the impulse to continue writing a poem. This is simply, from where I am writing, one story crosses into another story, and on and on and on. You might say that I have written up to now (since July 2010, when I really started getting serious about this blog) only 1 single writing - its just that it has been divided into 299 as of now.

BUT HONESTLY AND TRULY - I am writing about the same thing again and again, it's just that the perspectives are always different… I am describing an apple, but this apple is unimaginably beautiful and forms layer upon layer of infinite meanings. This singular apple is our Maker (aka God) in all His beautiful Attributes. In this picturesque apple is also mankind, resting between the Lord's and the Messenger's Hand, a constellation of stars adorning the night sky between the rising sun of Ahad and the setting Moon of Ahmad. This is how I see you. And this is how I see the world really.

BUT I AM NO HIPPY. You know, this doesn’t mean I am a hippy. I do not have a rose-tinted view of the world. My work itself (I am a solicitor doing mostly corporate work) means that I am daily dealing with rights, privileges, obligations and promises made for money. From my experience there is no such thing as a free lunch in the reality of any commercial enterprises, whether you are running a children’s television show, a fish farm, a design house or a public listed construction company. At the end of the day, it is all about fulfilling our responsibility and differing roles – which in my case would be as a friend, lover, a service provider, boss, father, son, brother and nephew. And I know, it is not the easiest thing in the world for you too.

SO A TOAST TO YOU - For your own present and future success in fulfilling your responsibilities. Responsibilities are not obstacles or even diversions in your search for the meaning of life, love and God. It is the path by which all lovers come to fully comprehend the meaning of love… for isn’t God Ultimately Responsible for us too? So rest your responsibility upon His responsibility for you. And open your heart to those around you who are there to ease your burden and share your every day worries, riddles, exasperation and tears – our beloved family and friends.

Today I open my heart to you, sunshine. It is dusty, cluttered and needs tidying up, but it’s all I have for you. So I hope you can accept me as I am. Just a silly little man with too much to say!

Hehehe,

Pax Taufiqa.

Writer's Block, Dead Poets, a Nun and a the Association of Pointy-Hatted Dudes

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WRITER'S BLOCK. Sometimes I just don't know what to write. This happens when the day has been particularly busy, and I had no chance for any thought or feeling to mature in the oak cask of my soul. Busy with work, busy with life generally. So my posting today may lack symmetry and a continuous theme. For that I beg your forgiveness, pet.

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NUN ON THE RUN. My fellow blogger, Nun Tuck is back with a vengeance. I guess she too were suffering from some form of writer's block. I am glad to see her writing regularly now. I bumped into what I believe to be her happiest posting (Click Here). It is noteworthy that the posting begins with a Rumi prose. This is purely coincidental. Or is it? It is a lovely turn of event that many of my blogmates all share the same weakness for this dead old poet (including Ruzbihan Baqli, Hafiz and the other usual suspects). I guess we are all members of the Dead Poets Society...

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THANKS. My friend Shamsul aka Atuk (also known as Moses in this blog) gave thanks to my brother indirectly through my earlier posting entitled A Little Note on my Brother's 47th Birthday. For you see, way back in 1988, my brother was already a pointy-hatted-turban-wearing curiousity in my house. With the mandatory walking stick and robe, my brother was in full regalia as a Sufi aspirant. Happily, my parents were tolerant of this wizard-like phantasm loitering about in our house. I just thought "Weird", and never gave it any further reflection. As my friend said, we were then too clueless to even know that we should seek 'something'. Well, fret not my friend, I replied. Even if we were not seeking 'something', we were still sought by 'something'. God bless God, the Giver of Gifts Undeserved.

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W.I.P. I am planning to write something about Mawlana Abul Kalam Azad. Hopefully I can get the reading done soon.

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Take care, sunshine.

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Pax Taufiqa

Dave's Caravan of Dream

I have been following a Caravan of Dreams over the past couple of months. The blogger is Dave. And I shall have Dave himself say who and what he is...

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I love people hands down. Everyone has a story to tell and I would like to hear them all. I really feel if you cannot connect with you fellow man than you are not worth your salt. It is with great humility that I approach each and every person. I feel that nothing is random and that each of our lives is wonderful evolving story. Each of us or rather each of our stories are part of a wonderful tapestry of creation. I am very simple person. I love helping others and service is what makes me happy. I would say that going out of my way to see people happy is a great fault a well as maybe hopefully a future means of attainment. So I blog to get my ideas out of my head, and also to share my journey with whoever reads this as a dervish. Living in one of the busiest cities on earth, one can still be lonely. So indulge me leave a message...
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His website entitled (My)Caravan of Dreams(Click Here) is an oasis for the weary, full of wholesome goodness for any wanderer, and a gentle path with beautiful visions captured in words. Like most of his kind, he appears to be a Rumi fan (aren't you all). One of my most rewarding experiences in the cyberworld is to find lovers of humanity, and students of saints spreading a little angel dust and divine stars spread across the night sky of our soul... to share, to animate our lives and to remind us just how blessed we are, despite the most adept trickery of this world of forms. He will say that I am too fulsome in my praise. But you don't have to take my word for it. Find out for yourselves. His website is now in the blogroll of this website.

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He writes a lot, so drop in on Dave and see where his caravan may take you...
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Have a nice day, sunshine!

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Pax Taufiqa.

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Picture is from a Mr. Vincent Van Gogh.