THE RANSOM OF CREATION

The Ransom for Creation

Every time you inhale

With the intention of reciting

Salutations and praise 

For the Prophet,

Lo, that lungful of air 

Is worth more

Than all of Creation... 

So let your salawat 

For the Prophet 

Be heard,

Release the ransom of creation

And let your salawat 

For the Prophet

Be heard,

Let it be known

The reason for Creation,

And let your salawat

For the Prophet

Be heard...

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

Fossils, not Faith. One day I will not be here anymore to write this almanac. But I will be happy to receive the ending credits, that final curtain call of Allah (swt) that all creatures face, if I but know that these words will continue to float in your consciousness, sunshine. And for this, I would be eternally grateful.

Fossils, Not Faith

Lo, seek for the crier of tears!

The yearning ones,

The ones overcome with passion

At the mere recollection of the Prophet,

For their river of tears

Waters the field of real knowledge

And prevents the lore of God

From ossifying, drying up

And hardening into 

Fossils of faith,

Dead bones

Only fit to be

Exhibited in

The museum. 

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

Just Words. It is hard speaking, but how will we find God Almighty without the Prophet of God (saws)? Is it faith we have, or have we collected some old bones, dug from the earth of the holy Quran? Fossils really, dead lifeless prose, undoubtedly beautiful, full of knowledge and hypnotic, but at the end just words. And this we think suffices us to face this world, our willful ego, the accursed Satan and his minions?

Truth is choking them. Neither by our strength, nor by our greatest intellectual grasp of religion will we be safe. Oh how easy it is to say, "O' Prophet (saws), you have been sent to us and we are in need of you. So be alive in our hearts and our conscience, do not leave us for one moment to our fickle self. We are your nation, and we are undone without your love and mercy! For have you not been sent to all worlds and nations as God's Own mercy?" How strange then that some believers in the holy Quran find such words choking in their throat, unable to spit it out, crying out instead, "Bida'ah! Bida'ah (innovations and heresy)!"

Sigh.

But then again, love can never be completely explained. So I will stop here and ask God to show us His Love - Nabi Muhammad (saws), the Seal of the Messengers, the completion of mercy and generosity of the Merciful and Generous One to all His creation.

That's you and me, kiddo! So never despair, and smile always... 

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

THE WIND TREE, THE FAKE FAKIR AND THE SOLE REASON FOR HISTORY

The Wind Tree
If you wish to fly like the wind,
You must have roots like the tree.
..........................................

A Hullo. Hullo there, sunshine. I must admit that it has been some time since I last wrote here in the almanac. I do not know if I will continue writing regularly henceforth, but let us not worry about that...

Reality of History. You know, it is no good to desire some transcendental ascent, without good solid grounding in reality, and in particular, how our own history shapes it.

For history tells us how we come to be here today. Through the daily lives of our fathers and mothers, and our forefathers before them, through their fate we are led to this point in our life, and our own fate, insignificant as it may seem in the greater cosmos.

Importance and Self-importance. Yet, you are not insignificant. Whether you are a beggar in the street, a reveler in the nightclub or a dervish in the mosque, you are certainly important. Most importantly because you are beloved and cared by your Creator.

The risk is how our own hubris and pride takes that divine importance and turn it into damnable self-importance. 

The True Self is... Perhaps this is why I have been writing less nowadays. Repelled by my own horrible sense of self-importance. I guess I am tired of feeling like a fake faker, Ooh, Taufiq you fool, so full of your 'self'! I know this because an ancient friend tells me this - 'your true self is in your actions, actions motivated by selflessness. Any other reason for conduct is an illusion and a trap.'  

The Sole Reason for History. If only I could just let go and disappear. For I can sense the roots that entwine us all in the clay of our fragile humanity. There, in our shared history is all the nourishment we need for a better future. All the lessons and examples, the parables and wisdom of the Prophets of God. 

But knowing something is not the same as living something. So please, pray for me, sunshine! May Allah (swt) bless your kindness with the attention and guidance of Nabi Muhammad (saws), for he is the epitome of selflessness and generosity, and the entire cause and reason for our creation and history.

Don't you agree?  

wa min Allah at-taufiq

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 CANVAS OF LOVE UPON WHICH GOD PAINTS AND PAINTS AND PAINTS...

You Cannot
You cannot find me here,
I am a lost soul, drowning
In the Sea of His Mercy,

You cannot speak to me here,
I am deaf to everything that speaks
Save for those who extol His Majesty
And the virtues of His Prophet of Mercy,

You cannot hold me here,
My spirit is ever seeking to free itself
From this worldly body,

You cannot understand me,
For I am bereft of understanding,
Knowledge of my true self being
With my One King,

You cannot see me,
For I am the veiled light,
I am the forgotten wanderer,
And I am veiled from myself
Lest my mind becomes my teacher,

You cannot make me despair,
For I am neither here nor there,
I am in a place without time or space,
And I wear many secret names 
And faces.
......................

Beginnings and Endings. This is not the end of a conversation, and neither is this a beginning. Whether it is yesterday, today or tomorrow, we are all part of a story devised by God Almighty for His pleasure. Thank God for God, that in whatever He may have planned for us, He plans with a love beyond mortal words to utter, with the certainty of a goodly beginning and ending, though God's divine plans are not encompassed by mere human concepts of beginnings and endings as we think them to be.

The Assurance of Muhammad. The assurance for humanity is that His own Beloved, Muhammad Habibullah (saws) is the epicentre and catalyst of His creation... the canvas of love upon which God paints and paints with unimaginable mercy, kindness and utter beauty.

And happily, despite what the news, world history or your weighing scale may suggest... you are a beautiful part of it, sunshine! 

alhamdulillah!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

WHEN WE FORGET, WE FALTER - remembering God and His Goodness

When the One

How happy am I to be sad,

When the One to make me happy is You.

How healthy am I to be ill,

When the One to heal me is You.

How joyful is my broken heart,

When the One to mend it is You.

How wise am I to be foolish,

When the One to teach me is You.

How contented am I to be lost,

When the One looking for me is You.

How victorious am I to be defeated,

When the One to conquer me is You.

How unworried am I to be broken,

When the One to pick up my broken pieces is You.

How beautiful am I in my plainness,

When the One to blush my cheeks,

To comb my hair, to hold my hand

And lift my veil Is You 

And none but You...

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

When we forget, we falter. Someone told me a little while back that we make mistakes, we commit sin unto ourselves and others, simply when we forget. We forget that behind every sadness and happiness, success and failures, calamities and joyous surprises, behind the veil of our supposed knowledge and certain ignorance, there is none there but God Almighty. So we overreact. We lose our balance. We do an 'oopsie'.

The Beautiful Symmetry. When the truth of it all is that there is only Hu (meaning He), who is none other than God Himself planning the ebb and rise of our fortunes, our birth, marriage, work, illness, children and death. If we remember this, surely there is nothing to despair for us, once we realise we are nothing in His Loving Embrace... so that we might finally see the beautiful symmetry of His Works, the infinite beauty of His Creation, and the unimaginable mercy of His Compassion.

Have a wonderful Eidil Adha, sunshine. Don't forget. Try to remember. And if you see me falter (as I surely will!), help me and remind me of His Goodness.

Our greeting of peace unto the Prophet Muhammad (saws), his noble family and companions ,and unto the saints for the sinners... alive and living in the grave.

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  

SAYYIDINA MIFTAH (saws) in the SHAHR AL-MIFTAH - The Ramadan Story, Part 4

The Further Prophet

Oh Prophet of God,

Oh Muhammad, the Flag of Guidance,

Oh Muhammad, the Key to the Garden,

Verily, the further in history you are,

The more there is to know of you,

Like a glittering star,

The more distant you appear to be,

The more fascinating your story,

The more immense your personality,

The more complete your mercy.

The Greatest Master

And the Greatest Servant,

The One who is named after the Only One,

The Reason for Creation,

God's Mercy to all the Worlds!

............................ 

End of Time. The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s) departed this world in the year 632 A.D. But unlike any other person before him and since, his story has not ended with his demise. Indeed, his story continues to flourish with greater vigour and spirit, despite the best efforts of those who would cut short his prophethood. 

120. The Wounded Shepherd (With our own mason)

I hurt, I bleed.

But not a drop

Of my blood must fall

On the soil of Ta’if.

Am I not the prophet for the end of time?

And the end of time is not here yet, O’ Gibrail.

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

A Dynamic Life. And flowing from this understanding of the Messenger's (s.a.w.s.) unique station that transcends time and space, comes the supporting life tales of the holy host of Messengers, Prophets and Saints before him and of Saints after him, that are sent by our One Loving God to guide all of humanity towards adab (good manners) and ilm (knowledge), and to forsake our hubris, hate, bigotry, pride and selfishness. This dynamic nature of spiritual lore that both transcends and governs physical knowledge is the particular hallmark of Islam, which is manifested by the Criterion, the Book of the Universe called the Holy Quran, and the traditions of the Chosen One, Muhammad Habibullah, known as the Sunnah.

The Guide and the Key. But I cannot say anything anymore on this. For beyond this is the path of experience and love. And for this, you need to find your guide. So for heaven's sake, don't forget to ask God for your guide, who will lead you, on a direct course for the Key. The Key to Creation, the Key to Mercy and Compassion, the Key to knowing best the person that you call "me" or "I", that being none other than Muhammad Sayyidina Miftah, Most Beloved of God (s.a.w.s.).

And since this month of Ramadan is also known as Shahr al-Miftah (the Month of the Key), I think this is most apt. Don't you agree, sunshine?

Wake Up!

Do not despair in this world and its nightmares!

Wake up to Him! Wake up to Love! Wake up to Truth!

Wake up to Beauty, Mercy and the real you!

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

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way  

AM I NOT YOUR LORD? - life is the act of remembering our answer to the question

And (remember) when thy Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their reins, their seed, and made them testify of themselves, (saying): Am I not your Lord? They said: Yea, verily. We testify. (That was) lest ye should say at the Day of Resurrection: Lo! of this we were unaware; (Quran 7:172, Marmaduke Pickthall)

How shall we answer Him? When the Lord asks all of mankind, yet to be born from Adam and Eve, "Am I not your Lord"? (Alastu bi Rabbikum?) It is a matter of greatest significance, but not as how we mortal deign to interpret. When the Lord says something, it is not for that one particular moment, but for all moments from the beginning of time to the furthest reaches of eternity. Thus, it is not a past matter, but a present and real question to all of us today, to you and me and the cat named Moses... "Am I not our Lord?" How shall we answer him?

In the holy Quran, all the souls replied, "Yea, verily. We testify!" So we have indeed all replied thus, affirming the Oneness of God, and the Oneness of our One Creator. 

What is He saying in His asking? When the Lord asks the question, "Am I not your Lord?" it is not merely to unequivocally confirm His Eternal sovereignty over all creation, His unparalleled dominance over all things, His unimaginable power and righteousness over all thoughts, deeds and words of humanity. Above all, it is the Divine Confirmation of His Mercy, Love and Compassion...

Alastu bi Rabbikum?

Am I not your Lord?

Will you not accept what gifts

I have planned and stored for your future?

Lo, you have no capacity to imagine My gifts!

Am I not your Lord?

Will you not accept My embrace

Within which no harm can come to you,

Through which you may find all cures for your illnesses,

All knowledge to amend your ignorance,

All good and beautiful manners to correct

The feral purpose and selfishness of your ego?

Am I not your Lord?

Will you not see Me as the Perfection of all perfections,

The unreachable beauty surpassing all beauties created,

The Truth all-high and all-forgiving above all truths,

The One, Most worthy to be sought after?

Am I not your Lord?

And did I not create you and know you best?

Why would you turn to anything less than Me?

When I am the end of all your thoughts and actions,

I am the settler of all plans and conjecture,

And I am the Happiness surpassing all happiness

Ever experienced through the passing of time.

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

All my life, I am trying to give the best answer, that which my soul has already given. For I wish to confirm my servanthood to Him, for the Gate of His Divine Pleasure to open, through which oceans upon oceans of endless knowledge, forgiveness, love and mercy awaits us all. So life is simply the act of remembrance - Remembering our answer to our Lord.

And when we do remember? Then, all our burden becomes the Lord's burden,
All our hopes become the Lord's hope, and there is naught greater
than He, our One Lord, our One Love. He who settles the
measure of all goodness for all humanity.

And verily, there is not greater guide to the Door of Remembrance that Saydeena Muhammad Habbibullah s.a.w.s.

May our Lord bless us, and keep us always, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Between Rumi and Avatar - poetic divinity and over-design

The Wings of My Soul

I would spread the wings of my soul

But even the vast expanse of this universe

Will not be able to contain them,

I would wear the crown of my soul

But the light would blind the rest of creation

And leave them stumbling in a formless world,

I would walk around with the slippers of my soul

But I am not used to walking on air,

Accustomed as I am to the earth

Of my being.

I would unmask my soul

But the mirror of this world

Is held up by my own hands,

And the contradiction of my existence

And my non-existence

Would annihilate my world,

And I would come to be to myself

An unknown, anonymous thing,

To be drawn and written and composed

As God deems fit, as the Prophet instructs.

And even this is not the complete truth!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1.      Rumi Freak

A friend once said that

I am a Rumi freak.

But the truth is

I don’t read Rumi.

I am holding his beard

And he has his hands

On my head.

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

Have a thoughtful day, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The truth about The Truth - Haqq and the Light of Muhammad

Truth hurts?

Truth hurts they say,

But it is not truth they meet,

But facsimiles of truths,

The walking untruths raised from

The burning pyre of Man’s ego…

So in ignorance, they embrace the flaming untruth

Burning as they hold the fiery corpse in their embrace,

Hollering, “Ow! Ow! Ow! How painful is truth!”

…………………………………..

There is no path better and no journey more fulfilling than the walk your spirit takes as you begin your life as a little baby jettisoned from God’s heaven through the blessed union of your beloved father and mother.  And there is no better destination, no homecoming more excellent than what awaits you in the Divine Presence of Haqq, God the Truth. How fortunate you are...

Thus says the wise who deign to live and teach amongst us sinners.

So if we wish to follow their knowledge (and why should you not?), then the truth that we think is the truth, but hurts us, is not truth at all. For how can we ever think that God, the Truth, desires any hurt upon a single atom of our being, upon a single light of our light that comes from the NurMuhammad (Light of Muhammad ) (s.a.w.)?

This is the truth about The Truth.

Coming from a hopeless sinner, to find a home in the only place in all of Creation that God made as fitting for His Knowledge, His Love, His Beauty, His Mercy and Compassion…

Your heart.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The Pearl of the Universe and the Sufi Deep Sea Divers

"Good to go, Master!"

1. Deep Sea-Divers

We are the Master’s deep sea divers.

We have been given a life line,

Short and long, depending.

“Look for pearls!, they say,

…Look for pearls!”

I have been given one so long

That I can sometimes barely

Discern the sunlight above,

So deep have I gone,

Into the black depths

Of my sea.

But nay that I stray too long

That suddenly, I could feel the Master

Tugging hard on my line, saying

“Those things are not for you, enough!

Come up, come up!”

Unable to resist, I am pulled up,

A failure and a fool! Not even

A crummy pearl to show

For all my troubles!

“ I failed, o’ Master.” I said,

Looking distinctively disappointed.

But the Master only smiled,

Then he said these words,

“You have not failed me.

Do you think I am interested

In such worldly pearls that

Irritated oysters spit out?

Oh, no, my son.

The pearl I sent you

To look for, is you

Yourself.

Do you now see?"

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

The world, as a mirror of God's infinite wisdom, craft, beauty and compassion is a thing worthy of contemplation. But however wonderous this world may be, it is of a lower rung. A far second place to the life hear after that awaits us in the Divine Presence.

But in this world, there is yet great value, and indeed a thing of such immense worth that this world is a mere lay-by, a short stop for this thing in its journey from God to God. For God loves this thing and soon wants it back. Of course, this 'thing' is you.

That is why Sufi masters and other spiritual seekers always return to the same ancient message for all humanity - find yourself. find God.

And sometimes, you may be looking for pearls...
but you find yourself a bride instead!
alhamdulillah...

Have a lovely day, sunshine. I plan to.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way