Inner Archery - where the arrow lands is already written by God Almighty even before we drew the bowstring and released the arrow

Inner Archery
I found myself at the archery field
Sending arrows on their way,
I found myself standing on the grass
Still wet with morning dew,
As the slumbering Earth
Awakes with power
For a new day,
Oh my friend, I wondered...
Where oh where are you!?

I found myself in the shaft,
In a quiver of arrows,
In their uncertain flight
To Hu knows where,
For once my part is done
And I have set the arrow free,
Wherever it lands 
Is where my Lord
Wants it to be,

I found myself in the company of a mad man,

Who insists that we were there that day,

Remaining steadfast on the Hill of Uhud,

And thus, I found myself and I found God,

Faithful to the last, standing amongst the good.

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

The Mystery of the Missing Toilet. After archery yesterday morning, I rushed into my house, leaving the bow and arrows in the car, distracted as I was by an urgent need to relieve my bladder. So much so that I did not even take off my sunglasses. I sped past my father still having breakfast at the dining area and entered the bathroom, not even pausing to turn on the bathroom lights. "Damn, it is dark!", I remember thinking to myself, "So dark that I could not even see the toilet!" And with that I deposited myself on a non-existent toilet and painfully onto the hard tiled floor. My coccyx (the tail end of the spine) is still sore, and thus you find me in my bedroom this morning and not shooting arrows. Still resting after the unfortunate accident.

It appears that my dad is having the toilet replaced, and the contractor has removed the toilet earlier yesterday morning. Of course, I don't blame anyone. No one could have imagined anyone so dumb so as to not notice a missing toilet. He he he.

But at least I am finally going to finish this posting (although sitting slightly awkwardly), thus you will know that I am still very much alive after days and days of no new postings in the almanac. There is always a silver lining in any grey cloud, yes?

Meant to be. I wish I did not fall in the bathroom yesterday. But it was meant to happen. Just like where the arrow lands is already written by Allah (swt) before we even drew the bowstring and released the arrow. And I hope I am accepting both fates with a light heart and loving acceptance of His plan. I am saying this because it is always a struggle when you have to sit with a sore buttocks and type this out. *Ouch!*

He he he.

Have a lovely day, sunshine. May Allah (swt) bless you and may the Prophet Muhammad (saws) support you in all your endeavours in life and love.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

ONE SEA ONE GOD - the whens, the wheres, the hows and the whys of our world...

The Universe Speaking

I am waiting for the Universe to speak,

And past me, a couple walked by,

The lady wearing bright red heels.

I am waiting for the Universe to speak,

And beneath me, a little kitty curled

Around my feet, looking hungry.

I am waiting for the Universe to speak,

And across the street I see

Two old pensioners talking,

I am waiting for the Universe to speak,

Until finally the Universe replied impatiently,

"Well... what are you waiting for?

Say something.

.

What you speak I speak."

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

One Sea. We are all here together on the Ocean of God. Some call it the Mercy Ocean, others call it the Ocean of Knowledge. But to me it is the Sea. And you may be swimming close to me, or far on some distant horizon. 

One Lord. According to where we are in the Sea, our perception of the Universe is coloured by when, where, how and why we take knowledge from the Sea. So for some, they become scientists and teachers. Others become firemen, lawyers, doctors and street-cleaners. For the aesthetic gang, they become singers, dancers, writers and poets. The Sea of God is rich beyond count, varied beyond measure, to serve the many fancies and passions of humanity. So whether you become knowledgeable in mathematics and quantum mechanics, so whether you have found the perfect swing and motion to sweep with a broom. Whether you have learned the art of persuasion as a politician or a preacher... in all these knowledge and endeavour... it all comes from the Sea. Thus is His infinite generosity, the Lord of the high and the low, the rich and the poor, the wise and the ignorant, the believers and the unbelievers... being the only One, being Allah (swt).

Set Adrift

Set adrift in the Sea of Mercy,

Some sail fast and smooth,

Others swim according to their own pace,

A few struggle, unconvinced by the Sea,

While others, give up the fight and surrender,

But regardless, here is all of humanity,

In all its beauty, wonder and infamy.

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

One Sea. One God. We are all here. It is our choice that colours our world. So let us make this world beautiful, vivid and exciting. Something to remember, sunshine, on  this blessed Friday.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

THE HAND OF FATE - take the hand and make your fate

Love Regardless

If love didn't wake you up this morning,

Let love put you to sleep in the evening,

If love did not begin your conversation,

Let love still be its conclusion,

And if you began everything with love,

In prayer, leisure, work or play,

Then by God, let love end them all the same way!

With love, through love, in the Name of Love,

That is God and no one else 

To whom you turn and pray!

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

God has created the world with love, and filled it with infinite means and causes by which love may be displayed. This is very, very good. But this also means that this world is filled with many, many trials and tribulations, doubts, errors and corruption that will test your love. As this sinner recorded almost 10 years ago in a prose about our Beloved God Almighty...

55. Love Test

I am He who heals all wounds

I am He who cherishes the afflicted

I am He whom you claim to love

What is love if it is not tested?

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

So don't worry if you start something with love, only for it falls over the side into unlove and regret. You are still alive after all, and it is still in your hands to determine the contents of your destiny.

Love Test 2

O' My servants...

In My hand is the fate of all things,

So take My hand and have no fear

To lose everything that you hold dear!

For am I not the one you must hold dearest...?

Above and beyond any other?

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

We need not face up to the conniving enemy, our ego and hubris all alone. We need not be looking for God by our own little knowledge and caprice. For in the Hand of God are all His Prophets and Saints... So wherever you will find these holy souls, verily you will find Him. 

We seek support always in this and all our undertaking, from the Seal of the Prophets himself, Muhammad Sayyidina Safiyullah (s.a.w.s.) (the Intimate of God).

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

GOD ASKS TO BE ASKED, SO ASK! - life-vocation, work and the Lord of Surprises, the All-Hearing (al-Sami), the Compeller (al-Jabbar)

Say... in the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, then ask.

Give Me Forever

If the words of my language are not enough

To extol Your Beauty, Mercy and Magnificence,

Teach me another language that I might try!

If the charity of my deeds lie so low 

Compared to the charity of others,

Give me the means to do charity

Until I forget what my hands have given away

In Your Name!

If my work is transient until 

My real purpose is revealed,

Please do not delay disclosure

And share Your purpose for me!

If I am meant to be Your mathematician,

Oh Lord, teach me mathematics,

If I am meant to be a teacher,

Teach me patience and give me knowledge,

If I am meant to be a student,

Send me the righteous Imam,

If I am meant to build bridges,

Teach me physics and engineering,

If I am meant to praise You forever,

Give me words worthy for Your praise,

And give me forever!

Oh Lord, Oh Allah the Beautiful,

The Fountain of Unimaginable Source

Of Love, Compassion and Mercy!

Your generosity is bigger than the night sky

And bigger than my contemplation of what

Is bigger than the night sky!

You asked to be asked,

You asked to be sought,

You asked to be loved and praised,

So here am I,

Your weak, weak servant...

Asking You,

Seeking You,

Loving You,

Praising You...

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

Work and the Lord of Surprises. We are what we are now because it is fated. You are perhaps an engineer. Or a lawyer. Or a government servant. Or a banker. Or a stay-at-home philosopher. Or a trader. Or a soldier guarding the kitchen store against all comers. But whatever you may be right now, your job might not last forever. And perhaps it is a temporary-while-you-get-yourself-sorted-out career. Your true work, your divinely favoured purpose, specific for your natural talents and inclinations may be something totally different. God does these things for us... and I think it is good to always consider what He has planned for you in the future. As I said, it may be something totally surprising. 

For I have always contemplated God as the Lord of Surprises. And the surprises are always good ones, insyaAllah.

Beneath this Monday morning's overcast sky, strange incoherent thoughts assail me. It is not because of some spiritual-mystical reason. I am simply tired and sleepy. He he he. We humans are still caged in our mortal bodies, and susceptible to the weather, tiredness and lethargy, however lofty our sufi pretensions. Don't you agree?

Al-Sami, Al-Jabbar. I was contemplating the evening sky last night, in the hour of Maghrib (sunset prayers), and I said to God (after all, he always listens... being al-Sami - the all-Hearing), "You distract me to distraction, my Beloved God... with Your endless repertoire of Loveliness and Beauty that You manifest in the natural world. Every day, I feel compelled by Your work of utter Beauty (after all, he is the Compeller - al-Jabbar) and every day I find myself challenged to put into words what cannot be put into words - the Beauty of Creation that is all Your Own..."

I have such conversations with our One God. For He always listens. Like I said. 

May this Monday bring Beauty into your life. After all, Beauty closest to Allah (s.w.t.) came on a Monday many years ago when the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) was born.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

THE SUPERNOVA OF OPTIMISM - from the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) to His Nation

What are the Muslims frantic about? They are doing just fine
from where I am looking... it is the Quraish that are in trouble!

13. Siege? What Siege? (With Poon)

Someone said to someone else during the siege of Medina,

“O’ brother! We are trapped, we are trapped by the Quraish!”

The someone else replied quietly,

“Trapped? We are not trapped, it is they who are trapped.”

“Whatever do you mean?!

How can they be trapped?

It is we who are encircled!” retorted the someone.

The someone else sighed and nodded.

“O’ my excitable brother, do listen.

Yes, the city of Medina is encircled, I agree.

But it is the Quraish who are trapped.

Trapped between us and the rest of the world!”

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

Win! A winning disposition. A positive reinforcement. A bright look towards life in the face of great adversity. It is all about perspectives. So try to keep up a good and optimistic look towards everything that you are enduring, it will make for a better read in your biography later. After all, "He endured and he overcame" sounds far more riveting than "He wilted, capitulated and laid down to wait for death's bitter kiss..." He he he. 

Muslims! What people are entitled to have this optimism? It is the Muslims, for if they believe what they preach, verily, Allah (s.w.t.) has favoured them to have success not only in the afterlife, but also in the here and now. All they have to do is to follow His edicts and the traditions (Sunnah) of His Beloved, Muhammad Sayyidinna Alamul Huda s.a.w. (the Flag of Guidance). And this is no brash optimism. This is a Divine Warranty that cannot be unmade or unwritten... If the Muslims actually believe and do what they preach.

So take stock of your actions and hidden desires. Make them as close as possible to the ways of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.). For to try to imitate somone is the best form of flattery, and it is the clearest evidence of that intangible force that drives all of Creation - Divine Love.

A Divine Supernova. The Companions of the Prophet did this with the direct physical support and presence of the Prophet, while we are bereft of such blessings. But our days are part of the End of Time, and if we look into our hearts we can see God's own bright lamp, the divine lantern that shines like the Piercing Star through the darkest of our night sky - Muhammad, Sayyidina al-Najm ath-Thaqib (s.a.w.s). In that divine supernova is born all our hopes and optimism. InsyaAllah (Godwilling), take it for it is your inheritance.

From here onward, despair, hopelessness and all its anxieties are forbidden for you, my friend.

Have a bright beautiful day.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

MEN AND WOMEN, CHILDREN & KITTENS - our reflective reality to the Absolute Reality

For the Longest Time

For the longest time

I have searched for You,

I looked to the Moon

And the blinding Sun,

I looked in the Waters of Life

And beneath the Rock at the Dome,

I have witnessed the whirling dervishes

And the rapture of hermits,

I have searched high and low

Down to  the smallest thing...

From the largest galaxy in the night sky

To the dancing, meandering photons

That has beguiled our physicists' eye...

In everything that I have witnessed

I have found beauty, truth, mercy,

Order, justice and a determined

Path for all created things,

O' Lord, O' Love!

You have created me,

What path have You determined for me?

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

We cannot actually determine what happens. Even this simple act of writing is an action replete with an enormous possibility of failures, successes, delays and unexpected endings. But we can determine our intention. And with the Grace of God and the Lessons of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), we can even determine our emotions. 

Between our intention and emotion is the determination of our reflective reality to the Absolute Reality of Allah (s.w.t.) - God Almighty, Creator of all men and women, children and little kittens.

And that is wonderful news for all humanity, for it assures us of God and His Utter Loveliness and Absolute Compassion for His creation. In the unexpected endings and pauses in our life - in our smiles, laughter and cries, He is there. 

Fare thee well in thy journey, sunshine! For thou art a favoured servant of The Kindest Lord, God.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The Tree of Love - Subhanim Allah Sultanim Allah Nabim Muhammad alayhi salam

To Set This Love Free

I have waited for you for so long,

I have patiently bided my time

Under this tree,

Until my shadow is the tree’s shadow,

Until my skin is the tree’s bark,

My feet, its roots,

My hands, its limb and branch

Reaching up to the sky

For you…

Oh my sweet,

Oh my love,

Oh my gentle star,

Shining on me

From your abode above,

Praising you and waiting

Till I am no more,

My branches withered and broken,

My feet uprooted from the earth,

My leaf dry and dying on the ground,

As nations rise and fall,

Towers are built and broken down, 

I shall always be waiting for you,

To return to you once again,

As a man, or as a tree,

To my Maker, My Love,

My Beloved,

My God… and

To set this love finally,

And completely

Free.

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

Prose Post Script - I have set my love, infinite in its breadth for He who is infinite in His breadth. I have set my root and lonely branches for He who has an infinity to assure me of His love. I have set my hopes and my highest praise upon He who shall never wither in winter, in Whose name the flowers of the worlds bloom in spring, in Whose glory the Sun shines the brightest in summer, and in Whose silent praises that my golden, yellow and red leaves fall to the earth in autumn, prostrating before His infinite Mercy for the trees.

Thank you for dropping by, sunshine. Have a lovely day, sharing this world with the love that even the trees themselves recognise. Subhanim Allah, Sultanim Allah, Nabim Muhammad alayhi salam.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way 

Good or Bad... Whatever! Thank You nonetheless for Everything!

1. Gee… thanks!

You remember, Me?

And you are giving thanks to Me?

Gee, that is so sweet of you.

For I am the one who Created you,

And I have been here all along.

Had I turned away from you,

Long would you have

Perished into a nothingness

More absolute than you

Can imagine. No one would

Remember you to write love songs

More sorrowful than any

Written by poets and the love-sick.

But the moment I created you,

Oh, how precious you seem to Me!

And it is from this single point

In a moment before time

That your history and life

Was already written

By your Consumate Love,

That is Me!

I am touched, really...

By your sincerity,

And your little appreciation

Of what you are able

To comprehend

Of the countless gifts

I have granted unto you

Makes Me... the All-Pleased

To be your Lord,

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

Someone once said to me, "Whenever you are moved to give thanks to the Lord, do it. For let's face it. We don't do it often enough. For the inspiration of gratitude is heaven sent, to bring the servant's attention to the loving presence of God." 

If you win a lottery, give thanks. If it looks like a beautiful day outside, give thanks. If your customer pays you early, give thanks. If you stumble down a staircase, give thanks. Because you could have fallen down an open manhole instead. If you stepped on cat poo, give thanks. For you could have stepped on a landmine. So even if life serves you a whopper of a problem, give thanks. Because an even BIGGER whopper was avoided, and that God (Bless Him) thinks you well able to deal with your present crisis.

For 'good' or 'bad' incidents, and the illusory nature of 'luck' hides a secret intimacy that God is calling unto you. But saying all this, I am the last person on Earth to ask God to send me 'bad luck' as means of conversing with Him. It is just sometimes, I know I can be forgetful, negligent and a down right scoundrel. So He sends me a curve-ball to knock me back to my senses. And even that... is a manifest example of His Love, to not leave this erring and foolish sinner forever the erring and foolish sinner.. So thank You.

No specifics today, sunshine. Just thanking God generally for everything and everyone. And of course, thanking Him for your company.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Love is Trouble... but it is a Beautiful Trouble - love and marriage in Perlis part 2

Love is like the rumbling thunder in the overcast skies of your heart.
"Uh Oh... sounds like trouble." your heart confides. And yes, it is
trouble, but it is a beautiful trouble.

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

1. While sipping coffee
While sipping coffee,
I was distracted by 
The veil of angels
That man call rainfall.

The curtain fall of
A billion angels
Plummeting earthbound,
As they cry out,
“Mercy is coming down!
Mercy is coming down!”

A few noticed me,
And they smiled
As they greeted me,
“Hi, Taufiq! Hi, Taufiq!
Do not listen to the whispering one!”
.............

Update - The Wedding Prep in Perlis. The above prose was recorded in early 2009. I am pretty sure I was sitting somewhere and it was raining, as it is right now here in Kangar, Perlis. Heche and Efa is at the bride's house, no doubt keeping the lovely girl's emotion steady and calm amidst the hustle and bustle of the wedding prep. Fifi is the eldest daughter, you see, and this wedding is the very first for her family. Nervous hearts all around. And now it is RAINING! Oh no... what will happen to the just-raised canopies and tents? But the rain is not too heavy (which by Malaysian standards means that it is not in the risk of uprooting 120 years old tropical trees), so we are hoping for the best.

As you have read in the earlier post this morning (and if you haven't, why haven't you?? Click Here), the marriage is of Fifi (Malay-Malay) with Syed Khaled (Arab Malay), and things are just getting interesting. I am here also with Kamarul, and it has been made clear to us that although we are friends with both bride and groom, that for today and tomorrow, we are with the bride's host and should, under no circumstances, 'act' as if we are with the groom's entourage... He he he. Boy, people sure get competitive at weddings! Not that Khaled will miss us, as he has about 100 strong already here or arriving soon. With the open invitation to the whole kampung (village), family and friends of Fifi, they anticipate more than 300 guests for today's Aqad (Muslim wedding ceremony), and about 700 tomorrow afternoon's official reception.

Love & Marriage. As we are in the topic of rain, love and marriage (which goes together like a horse and carriage, as the song aptly says), here is another prose recorded around the same time in 2009. It was written in the throes of passion for a human being called Heche. We have been to many, many weddings since, a few of my friends' but mostly hers. And as the rain falls more heavily today, I am wondering to myself, "When will our turn come?"

16. Like the rain

Whenever I look at you,

I am blessed by God,

Whenever I sit beside you,

I am blessed by God,

Whenever you smile,

And whenever you frown,

In that and all, I am blessed.

Whatever you say,

Whatever you don’t say,

Whatever you do, and

Whatever you don’t do,

I am blessed by God.

Like the rain,

You simply happened.

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

Good things ought not to be delayed, people say. So I am asking the Angels of the Rain to tender my application to God and His Prophet(pbuh) to hurry things up up there. Pray for us, sunshine.

I think there is a traffic jam of marriages destined to happen up there
in heaven. I hope the Angels will sort out the bottle neck and unclog
the matrimonial congestion. 

And to conclude, this is the ending of the collection of prose entitled 'Just between You and Me', more than 3 long years ago...

wa min Allah at-Taufiq

25th February 2009

There is only God, and naught but God,

And by my skin that hides my soul,

And by the bones that bear my body,

And by the fire of my ego, and the crowning throne

That is the heart to be possessed by my Him,

Muhammad Habibullah al-Mustafa,

Abu Arwah, the most perfect Rose

In the Garden of my Lord’s creation, it is He! It is He

That is the Messenger of God!

All Glory to God!

All Praise!

All Thought!

All Love!

All Life!

All me!

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

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Truth of Haqq (Truth) and the Heart - our steady, stumbling, slow progress...

75. One

One.

And I am undone,

Unmade, unwritten, unread.

Unraveling, my brother! I am unraveling!

Fading but not dying,

Dreaming but not sleeping.

One.

And I am undone,

Lost to you,

Lost to me,

Blinded by the Sun.

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

The Path is about learning the Truth of the Heart and Love, manifested in this world by the ascendancy of Muhammad, Prophet of Truth (Haqq, also the name of God).

We begin by comparing notes about our past and present habits with the teachings of the Prophet(pbuh) - Hmm. Alright, I shan't do this anymore. Okay... I will do less of this. Alright... I will do it this way to avoid being such a pain... and thus through these personal adjustments our daily lives changes, little by little. And sometimes the change is so microscopic that anyone else but God would not even notice the change. So thank God for God!

Angel: O' Lord, do you need this? We look at this man and see no change at all!
God: No... no. No need. I created Mankind. I know them well. 

Hehehe.

But sometimes we come to a threshold in our lives where we will finally give up the game and resolve, "What the heck! I am chucking away everything wrong that I do and starting tomorrow with everything that is right and beloved by God!"

Then you wake up next morning. Umm. Err... Ummm... maybe not today. I will do it tomorrow.

Angel: Blessed morning, mortal! Today you promised to start exercising
and eating right! I have already designed a program for you...

You know, God and His Beloved Habibullah(pbuh) has all the time in the world (and more). The question is do we have time to continue suffering our constant sadness and despair, our sense of helplessness and wretchedness? Because truth be told, we ourselves are our worst critics, whipping ourselves into states of despondency by our contratemps and errors. We may be doing good, making that change, improving our selves in the Name of God, but it is also to benefit us, in this life and in the next. For God wants worldly and heavenly happiness and success for us.

As a born procrastinator, I am not going to come down hard on anyone in our delaying tactics. It is just an observation... that God is waiting, and the Prophet is waiting...

MasyaAllah.

Have a lovely day, sunshine. And you know... if tomorrow does not bring the change, it's okay. Try again the day after tomorrow. I just don't want anyone to have that stupefied look on their faces if tomorrow does not come for them. It would be kinda awkward.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Maybe I Won't Sleep Just Yet... - the sleep and dreams of humanity and God's assurance

193. Sleepwalkers II
O’ sleepwalker,
The eclipse of your consciousness,
Exposes in the fastness of sleep,
The false gods and idols
That your mind,
In broad daylight,
Blindly worships.
.............

I am so sleepy I could break down into tears right this very moment. I wonder where my subconsciousness would take me now if I were to doze off... Would it lead me to a hell full of demons or into a sunlit meadow full of saints? But awake or asleep, it is during the day and our waking hours that we misstep into error - Simply because when we are awake we are in complete control of our thoughts and actions, and with control comes responsibility, and when it comes to responsibility, whether it is to God or to our fellowman or woman, we sometimes fail to fulfill them. Sad but true.

I think if we truly comprehend the magnitude of our deeds and consequences, we would not dare budge and inch from our bed for fear of harming someone or something. We would just lie in bed, waiting for the Angel of Death to take us to The Other Side in our pyjamas. But then God did not intend us to just laze about like a Bohemian poet-cum-activist. He intended us to go out there into the world to earn our living, to contribute our bit of effort for the common good, and essentially to be an all-round productive sort of human being. And God is not unfair. He must have seeded in us some iron will, some perceptive wisdom and a reservoir of patience that we may tread this world happily and safely.

That is a happy thought. Maybe I won't sleep just yet.

Have a lovely night, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

In this Epic you are not an Extra - God the Greatest Writer and His creation that is you

In this picture, the believers are seen besieging the towers of the One Eyed King,
aka the Dajjal aka the AntiChrist. But we reckon the malevolent spirit at
the end of time will give special attention to each and every child
of Adam and Eve. So don't worry about missing the action.
He will come to you.

Like all good epic story, however big the scope of events, World Wars, Famine, Civil Wars, Aliens invading Earth... a good writer would devolve the fundamental issues to a very micro and personal level of the characters in the story, however humble or nondescript they may be - A janitor caught in a firefight with alien monsters from Planet Zorg. A shoe-salesmen saving his daughter from a burning house. Ultimately, the writer draws the audience's attention to the personal and often profound inner struggle of the characters of the piece.

 

The Caliph. 

In these heady days of Middle East crisis (has there ever been a day in the Middle East without some crisis?), the announcement of the new Caliph of Islam, His Majesty King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the bitter violent civil war in Sham (Syria) and the Arab Spring, many earnest hearts are looking towards the End of Time sequence, with the coming of the Imam Mahdi and second coming of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. All sorts of fascinating, and often frightening things are prophesied to occur.

Ancestor of the Caliph on a walkabout in Jerusalem some years back.
Shadowed by a Saint.

But much like the writer of epics, God (and let's face it... who is a better writer than He?) has it planned for all of us to play a significant part in the ensuing struggle of Hope vs Despair, Love vs Hate, Truth vs Lies and Humility vs Hubris. No one will be left a bystander in the cosmic movement of events. For however big the stake is, we will all face our own personal Dajjal, our very own personal AntiChrist... and this is how he will come to us -

97. Do I Look Familiar?

Do you think the anti-Christ shall come garbed in black,

With black crows on his shoulders,

And a robe of black on his back?

No.

He shall descend as a man of God,

Calling himself Christ,

And come to you,

As you,

Offering paradise.

O’ self-indulgent one,

Will you be able resist yourself?

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

So, you have been informed. Follow your conscience, subdue your Ego and your Nafs (base desires), and seek God's protection always. InsyaAllah you will be alright. We wish this for all believers, whatever your faith and however you worship our One Creator.

Amen, sunshine!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way