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

Beware of the Shallows (or the Seven Pearls)

Do not stray to close to the shallows,

Keep to the deep waters

Where all goodness and God is hallowed,

Beware of straying to close to the water's edge

Where water snakes and alligators gather,

Keep to the deep waters of His Mercy

Where He keeps the seven pearls;

The seven secret names

For you and for me.

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

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

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

The Shallow Norms

Come! Come into the waters!

Come as you are,

No matter what they call you,

Believer, unbeliever, sinner

Or the foolish one!

Leave the shallows and the water's edge

For those still distracted 

By the norms of their

Religion and Age!

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

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

wa min Allah at-taufiq

-Notrumi Embun, 30th June 2014

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

THE JOURNEY & THE HOMECOMING.... so good... so God

The Beginning of Your Homecoming

That thing that makes you think...

You are not wrong

To think that way.

That thing that makes you feel...

You are not wrong

To feel that way.

When doubt and alarm make you question

Your men and women garbed in religion...

You are not wrong.

Come here, for here is where you belong...

The religion of love is

The religion of your conscience,

The religion of your compassion,

The religion of your science.

For God has never left you,

It is for you to find you.

And your journey

Begins

Here.

And your homecoming

Begins

Here.

And all meaning worth

Knowing... it all

Begins

Here. 

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

Like you, I was disturbed by my religion, Islam. But later, I am to discover that Islam is not as how I thought Islam was. Islam is not that deranged, insular, bigoted, materialistic, xenophobic, irrational belief that it is portrayed to be, not just by the non-Muslims, but perhaps more sadly, by us Muslims.

Like you, I found it difficult to console my conscience with some aspects of my religion. But later, I am to discover that things are often not as how they seem to be. And that it serves the intentions of some people that Islam is practised and portrayed in a way that is unconscionable, and lacking in empathy. Now, it appears to me that Islam is also the religion and the path of empathy. Empathy not just for our fellow Muslims... but for all humans and djinns, for all created things, living and sentient or otherwise. Thus it is revealed, that Islam is the natural way of the Universe. Not a pebble in the sea, not a star in the furthest cosmos is forgotten in the faith and the perfected way of Muhammad Habibullah (saws).

Like you, I am lost. And like you, I continue my wandering in this world, with tentative nervous steps. For this world is not for us. We seek the Divine Presence, and it is to this, that all Masters of the Path calls on us. 

So you see, like you, I too have not found what I am looking for... but there is a beautiful scent coming down this road we have been guided to, we can hear brief incantations of heavenly music, and sense a light upon light too beautiful and brilliant for careless human words to describe. But try we must.

... ya Ahad ... ya Samad ... Solli ala Muhammad...

Have a beautiful Sunday, sunshine. We are on this journey together, and alhamdulillah... we pray and hope that our homecoming has, in truth, begun. Because even now, it already feels so good... So God.

- notrumi, 21st day of April, 2014

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

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

Let's Talk About Something Worth Our Time

O' Love, O' my Lord,

I am not persuaded,

Neither by distraction

Nor by passion,

Not by the possession

Of any knowledge,

That there is anything

Worth talking of,

Better than You,

And of Your 

Prophet.

No political debates,

No scientific discourses,

No gossip about ghouls or djinns,

No tattletale stories about friends or kin,

No condemnation of people or nations

However persuasive or strong,

Nor any dissertation on right and wrong.

What is the ebb and tide of this world

When in your mind's eye is 

The vision of the Luminous Pearl?

Oh Love! Oh Lord! 

Oh the Beloved of Love!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way 

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

For Your Sake

Tell Me that I am the One,

And that you shall love Me forever,

Tell me that I am the One,

And that you shall leave Me never,

Tell Me this,

And do as I tell you to do,

Not for My sake,

But in truth, 

For you.

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

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

I

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

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

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

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

Surely, God shall not reject you.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

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

Forgive me, o' Lord

Forgive me, o' Patience

For not knowing your better,

Forgive me, o' Wisdom

For thinking I have already attained you,

Forgive me, o' Hope

For abandoning you again and again,

Forgive me, o' Beauty

For failing to distinguish you from Vanity,

Forgive me, o' Mercy

For putting limits to your vastness,

Forgive me, o' Love

For putting a lie to you

And accepting a mere facsimile,

Forgive me, o' Me

For wavering in my quest

To understand You.

Forgive me, o' Forgiveness

By the Light of the Moon

And the Ocean that washes upon my shore,

I am standing here beneath the crying seagulls,

Counting my daily errors and unspoken curses,

Realising that more than ever before,

I am in need of Your Attention,

Your Conciliation,

Your Forgiveness...

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

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

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

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

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

39. Taqwa (With Poon)

Fear of God is not paranoia,

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

Since nothing exists but Him.

It is therefore not the affirmation of your fears,

But the affirmation of His Oneness.

It is not the negation of His Mercy,

But the negation of all that is illusory.

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

Nice... but mind the mountain goat.

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

O' mighty kings! Fear God!

O' religious preachers! Fear God!

O' presidents and prime ministers! Fear God!

O' generals and leaders of men! Fear God!

Fear God and obey His Prophet!

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

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

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

So are we not blessed in infinite ways, sunshine? 

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

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  

TOUGH BUT TRUE - Love and Discourses of Love with the Great Shaykh Abdul Qader Geylani

Actual excerpts from the Jila' al-Khatir

Nothing happens by chance, and everything happens for a reason. How many years ago was it, when I first came across the discourses of Shaykh Abdul Qader Geylani, the great Shaykh and Sufi Master? Maybe 17 years ago? ...all those many moons ago when I was still a paid-up member of a bachelor pad in Bandar Utama that was full, not surprisingly, of bachelors.

Now all of those bachelors are happily married, with their own little brood. None of them are rolling in the riches, but they appear to me to be happy and contented with their lot. But I bet that however they have matured as men and husbands and fathers, when they begin to furtively open their old books of the Great Shaykh Abdul Qader, they are prepared to be criticised, lambasted and generally made aware of their terrible shortcomings.

He he he. It is called tough love. 

For me at least, the discourses of the Great Shaykh is always a direct conversation, as his sincerity and love for Allah (s.w.t.) and the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) resonates through his words. And this is true even though they have been translated by different people. I say it is a conversation, but I guess it is almost always a divine monologue, with me cringing, and mumbling my acceptance of my poor state as Shaykh Abdul Qader dissects through the many layers of my ego, "...yes, yes, Shaykh... yes, yes... yes, Shaykh..."

If you have not read any of his discourses, why haven't you? Step up and  take it like a man (or woman). It will make your day.

He he he. God bless you, sunshine.  

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

THE DAUGHTERS OF EVE - Allah through their light, beauty and love...

The Daughters of Eve

First I knew the Daughters of Eve

As the ones of great love, mercy and benevolence, 

Tireless in love, unconquerable in adversity.

Later I knew the Daughters of Eve

As great youthful beauties,

Unapproachable and only to be

Admired from a distance.

Older, I came to know the Daughters of Eve

As wholly human just like me,

But unlike in so many ways,

Captivating in their loveliness,

Their voices and curves.

As I grew foolish, I came to see the Daughters of Eve

As a vessel of both beauty and vanity,

Foolish and wise, safe and dangerous,

And I blamed the Daughters for making

Too much noise, distracting me from

My pursuit of God.

In this foolishness, long did I prevail...

Until a saint took pity and threw an apple at my head,

And I realised, "Oh dear... all the noise created

Was in my head, and I am to be blamed after all!"

So I sat quietly, sullen and a little ashamed.

Finally, one day an anonymous soul wrote

On the walls of my thoughts...

"For the one who knows, there is no noise, no distraction

For in the pursuit of Allah, even the distractions are all Allah..."

So now... when I see the Daughters of Eve,

In all their manifestations of grace and mortality,

In all their divine beauty and inflections, 

I say to myself, "Allah... Allah... Allah..."

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

God has anointed for the Sons of Adam a partner of amazing conditions and abilities - Our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, aunties, cousins and nieces, our wives, friends and lovers. 

Woman. Lo, that we do not presume to know her completely. For the secret of her creation is unknown, when Adam (a.s.) was sent into a sleep which only God knows is long or short. Lo, that we do not presume to encompass  the knowledge of Mary Mother of Jesus, of Aminah the Mother of the Prophet Muhammad, of Khadijah, of Aishah, of any of the wives of the Prophet. Nor should we presume to understand the maqam (spiritual station) of Fatima az-Zahra, the blessed Daughter of the Prophet Muhammad... not when her marriage dowry to Saydeena Ali was salvation for the entire Nation of Muhammad(s.a.w.s).

We men do not try to presume knowledge of thee, o' Daughter of Eve. We seek only to show thee the beautiful adab (good manners) deserving of thee. So if we err (which is our wont), forgive us and do not mark us too harshly with thy judgment. Show us the mercy that is within you, just as God Almighty has dressed you with great beauty and attraction flowing from thy mother Eve.

And what of Eve (a.s.) herself? She was the fount and vessel of
all beauty that will after her be born of women. So although artists will
depict her beauty as is the taste of beauty prevalent in their time, the truth is
simply that the depiction of the Beauty of Eve is unapproachable by the human hand,
not unless that hand can depict all womanly beauty manifested through all the ages.
May Allah bless Eve always. Had she not been created, we would not be here today.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Grapes of Wrath - sometimes, for your sake, God plays deaf

164. Noble Fruit

From ill-intent, nobility may yet blossom

As sometimes, contrary to the owner’s worst intention

That the Grapes of Wrath are plucked before they ripen.

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

Given our nature, full of passion and disproportionate reaction, how many times have God waylaid our bad intentions and guided our path, often against our will, to the one best for us?

Answer: All the time.

Rumi once said, "God, in His mercy, sometimes refuse our prayers." I think there is a lot of truths in that. Like God refusing to open all manner of hell on that damn driver who just jumped the queue in front of you. You know it has happened.

He he he.

Have a wonderful Friday, sunshine. Drive safe, and thank God that God sometimes plays deaf and answers you with a "Say what?"

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The Magic in Words - of saints and wizards and Islam

The Magic in Words

There is enough magic for me

In a cup of tea, in a teaspoon of wild honey,

In a bunch of blueberries

Picked early this morning.

There is no need for miracles for me

When asleep my soul is taken from me

Only to be returned with the rise of the Sun

And the choir of birds singing in the trees.

My Lord's sustenance of me is already miraculous,

And His compassion more enchanting than 

All the spells of a witches' coven.

And if I look like a wizard,

Nay, I am not one, I am just me,

And my magic is only in my deeds

And in my words.

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

The true nature of a saint of the highest order is not magic tricks and divine sleights of hand. It is in his ministration to the human heart - through good deeds, and with cautionary and compassionate words for his students. And for himself, he asks not from God special dispensation from the ordinary human trials of poverty or sickness. For he has to face such things himself, and be an example of submission and surrender (Islam) to God for all humanity to observe and hopefully, to follow.

The weekend is over, and suddenly Monday morning is upon me. I am gathering my thoughts and my words for the work week ahead. No doubt you are also going to be doing the same. Have a lovely day, sunshine. May God bless you always.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

You Cannot Force Forgiveness - forgiveness and the gathering of virtues

Forgiveness and the Gathering of Virtues

Forgiveness is a feeling,

A state of emotion more

Than mere statement of intent,

And try as we wish, to forgive,

Whether we will or not is almost

Beyond our control, just like falling in love...

So while you intend to forgive,

And you have not yet,

You need only arrange your life

To be in the constant company of love and mercy,

For sooner or later, I have no doubt that forgiveness will hear

The merriment and compassion singing in your heart,

And ask to enter the fine assembly...

Spellbound and drawn as it is

To the gathering of virtues within you.

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

If we have to be absolutely honest with ourselves, how many times have we wanted to forgive, but couldn't. When pressed to forgive, I think we often do try to forgive. But we know that in our hearts, the feeling of forgiveness has not come yet, no matter how we dress our behaviour outside. For true forgiveness cannot be forced.

In such a situation, you can only move on and carry on - being that great guy you have always been, being that wonderful woman that we all know you to be. In time, you will rise higher and I have no doubt, you will forgive, as the most natural thing in the world. In a single breath, in one a momentous sigh, you would be able to let out all your sadness, hurt and pain... to finally forgive and to let go of the bitter past.

Don't you agree, sunshine?

wa min Allah at-taufiq

p/s : My cousin, Abang Shem and his wife, Che Yong just celebrated their 25th Wedding Anniversary. It is amazing that I can still recall the first time he brought his girlfriend Che Yong to our old house, all those many years ago. I remember thinking of Che Yong, "Say, here is a bubbly bundle of cheer.". May Allah and the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) continue to bless their hearts, hearth and home with the glow of heavenly lights. I know that the path has not been easy, but when things were tough, they showed great courage, and of course, great love. 

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Truth, God and the Bridle of Adab - the best virtue is good manners (adab), and real truth only manifests itself in the Divine Presence of Truth

Speaking the truth to power

I spoke truth to power

When I said good morning to my father,

I spoke truth to power

When I said goodbye upon my mother’s passing,

I spoke truth to power

When I said my marriage vows,

I spoke truth to power

When I spoke at the divorce proceedings,

I spoke truth to power

When I raised my voice at my son,

I spoke truth to power

When finally I said that I was sorry,

I spoke truth to power

When I orated in a crowded hall,

I spoke truth to power

In my prayer and its private intimacy

I spoke truth to power

Every second of my life,

But to Love, to the Power behind the power

I spoke the truth to the Truth

When I promised Him that

I shall adore Him and no other.

 ……………………………………….

Over a couple of days, an old friend has been trying to share with me the lessons of truth, the Truth, and Love. It took him some time because I am kinda thick and slow with the uptake. But this was the outcome of our secret liaison...

Speaking the truth (in its proper sequence). We should always speak the truth. That is virtue. But there is always many different truths that we can choose to share with our listener at a single given time. So the sequence of truths that we disclose to our listener is our choice. And it is Adab (good manners) that we choose to say the truth that does not grate the listener, that does not belittle or anger the listener. Instead, speak the truths that soothes the listener and encourages him towards hope, knowledge, humanity, compassion and mercy. And this is better, because the best virtue is Adab.

Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), the Bridle of Adab.

Real truth is with Truth. Real truth and openness is only in the Divine Presence, that is why in the third last line of the prose, truth is being spoken to Truth (Haq), which is one of the mighty names and attributes of God. This happens when our senses and our limbs, our past, present and future antecedents admit to our own failings and weaknesses... our confessions of guilt and impropriety before God, who is happily(for us) also known as the Most Compassionate (ar-Rahman) and Most Merciful (ar-Rahim). So do not be discouraged by our very human failures and follies. He who created us, verily, knows us best. Better even than our own timid selves. 

Why argue? So unless it is a fundamentally life and death situation, why argue with someone? Even if truth is on your side (or so you think), let the conflict pass you by... after all, it takes two people to make a fight. Restrain your argumentative ego to the Bridle of Adab. I do not think there is a better way, insyaAllah.

Have a happy, care-free, argument-free day, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way