HAPPINESS & THE SWEETNESS OF SERVANTHOOD -being a slave to God all-Eternal vs being a slave to logos

Happiness & the Sweetness of Servanthood
Why pursue happiness,
When happiness itself will pursue you
If you devote yourself to
The sweetness of servanthood?
.......................

Slave to the Logos. I have been selling myself short, sunshine. The fool that I am, to be hoodwinked by this world, and by the wasteful consumer society that we have become. To become a slave to the logos, brands, trends, fads, and the illusion of human progress. 

A very, very smart lady who has written a best-selling book on
advertising and consumerism. Worth a read, I reckon.

The Meaning of Happiness. So we seek happiness by buying whatever Madison Avenue advertising companies are selling, and by voting whatever faddish trends are being promoted by politicians. But what is the happiness we find? Is the happiness being sold by the corporations and politicians permanent and completely fulfilling? Or is it really a temporary form of self gratification?

As one servant to another, help me...

Transient Nature. By the nature of everything conceived in Creation, it is all transient. So your feeling of joy at getting the latest iPhone, or satisfaction by voting in the most attractive candidate into office are both transient, temporary emotions. 

In this World and in the Hereafter. If we seek contentment (as opposed to gratification), it is useless to try and plant our hopes on our turbulent emotions and feelings. For they rise and ebb according to our circumstances at any given moment. That is why, our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (saws) has brought the ideal of servanthood into our central core of living - servanthood to humanity, animals, the natural world and ultimately, to our One Creator, God.

As a typical consumer, I am greatly distracted from servanthood by my own selfish need for gratification. But then, I am not the sort to leave 'civilization' and bunker down in some cave up some lonely mountain. So a sense of proportions and balance must be achieved. This, I cannot do alone...

Help me and pray for me always, sunshine. I am in need of your good wishes and good examples.

I ask this of you, as one servant to another...

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

5 PROSE TO MUHAMMAD, SAYYIDINA SA'DULLAH (S.A.W.S), THE JOY OF ALLAH! - The Ramadan Story, Part 20

1. Despair

Tell despair that I shan't drink the wine from its cellar,

For I am happy with what God has bestowed,

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

Because we only despair when we are dissatisfied. So be happy!

2. Doubt

Tell the troll of doubt that it shan't grab me from under its bridge,

For my God has given me wings to fly high in the sky,

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

Because you need a pair of them, the wing of ilm (knowledge) and the wing of adab (good manners) to fly. And as a bonus, an ancient friend just shared with me that a lot of salawat (greetings of peace and invocations of praise for Muhammad s.a.w.s.) will bring a nice breeze to help you in your flight to Hu knows where! Rejoice!

3. Hubris 

Tell the minions of hubris that they will not confound me again,

For I have seen the errors of my ways, in the past, 

In the present

And in the future,

............'

Because hubris comes from certainty. And awareness of our mistakes reminds us that certainty is only with God, not us. Be a mureed (follower/student) always!

4. Usury

Tell the warlocks of usury in their towers of greed

That I see through their deceit,

For my God has forbidden to us usury,

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

Because one of the worse apparent blackmagic is the sorcery of usury. And God Almighty and His Prophet (s.a.w.s.) has declared war on usury. Join the winning team!

5. Deceit

Tell the spin-witches of public relations that I will not be distracted,

For there is no brand, no name, no glamour I desire more

Than the presence of God and His pleasure! 

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

Because Allah (s.w.t.) is utterly wonderful beyond words, and His Pleasure is none other than the Prophet Muhammad, Sayyidina Sa'dullah (The Joy of Allah). So be joyful with the most joyful of all mankind! The most joyful of all Creation!

May you have a wonderful (and divinely joyous) last day of Ramadan the Blessed, sunshine.

This read, is a Joyful Book.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

A DOG'S TALE

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

Going, Coming and Waiting

I would not be wandering

If God did not put the wanderlust in me,

I would not be asking

If God did not put the question in me,

I would not be thirsty for understanding,

If God did not send a thirst in my heart,

I would not be me, 

I would be something totally different,

Had God not touched my life

Through ever changing conditions...

Like the ebb of the tide of the ocean

Like the barking of my companion,

Like the stars in its countless constellations,

I am moved and I am stayed,

Going when I am told to go,

Coming when I am told to come,

Waiting when I am told to wait.

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

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

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

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

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

Have a lovely day, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

MOMENTS & THE SAYYIDINA MUBASHIR (s.a.w.s.) - moments of clarity, miracles and homecoming

A moment captured - Clarity, the smile of your child.

One Moment of Clarity

Not a million words,

Not a billion essays,

Not a trillion books

Will equal one moment of creation,

One moment of experience,

One moment of charity,

One moment of clarity,

One moment of praise and worship.

So stop all that writing for awhile,

And savour your son's innocent smile,

So rest your eyes for awhile,

And pick up that shovel,

Close that book for awhile,

And pick up the phone,

Place the book back on the shelf,

You can read it later

And put on your walking shoes,

Turn off the internet

And turn to God.

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

We (meaning I) live such a docile life. I think I think too much, I read and I write. But sometimes, there comes a point when reading and writing, although wonderful in itself is not enough. Sometimes we need the moment to ourselves, to do physical things and attend to dunya (worldly) matters.

For dunya may be a distraction - from your work to your bills, from your health to your wealth, But dunya is also the mirror by which we may look into ourselves (and others) and see God's resplendent creation and recreation. In each and every precious moment. 

A moment experienced - Miracles, there is no need for Taufiq to divide the Red Sea,
For Moses (a.s.) has done it before. Other, countless miracles are there already,
potent and very much real.

We do not need magic and miracles. For the magic and miracles of God is in this world already. And this is the message of Muhammad Prophet of God(s.a.w.s.), to spread the good news to all Mankind, whatever your race or colour or creed. And this entire world, this entire dunya is his mission.

Muhammad, Sayyidina Mubashir ( The Spreader of Good News) (s.a.w.s.)

Have a beautiful Monday, sunshine. And may your day be filled with countless moments of clarity.

A moment cherished - Homecoming, lo Paradise is not far away, it is only 20 minutes
drive from my house. And this is only a foretaste of God's promised land
for His servants for whom His Compassion is without measure,
for whom His Love is beyond compare,
For whom His Presence is the
long-sought homecoming.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

REASON BEHIND RELIGION & SAYYIDINA AYNUN NA'IM (s.a.w.s.) - the vocabulary of love, knowledge and good manners, and the hidden secularism of wahhabism

Poorer Richer

It is Sunday,

And I am poorer by one day,

For another day of my life has passed,

But I am also richer by one day,

For it is another day less of waiting 

For my fated reunion...

That long-anticipated meeting,

That long-yearned homecoming,

That long-sought peace and contentment,

For this world and this life,

This magnificent tapestry of colours, textures and tastes,

We live and breath God's creation and recreation,

But one day, we shall all run the last lap of this race,

So let no moment go to waste!

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

Don't waste. Every time we are sad, angry, despondent, bitter, envious, despairing or mournful... that is a moment wasted. Every time we are torn or overthrown by some negativity, that is a moment lost. Every time we feel hopeless, that there is no cure to our sorrow, that is another moment lost. In this way, I fear that I have lost many moments in my life. Perhaps years...

Trinity of SDS. I find it strange that educated Muslims often seek happiness, balance and contentment through meditation, travel, exploration and holidays, when the best form of meditation is the SDS... solat (prayers), dzikr (remembrance of Allah s.w.t.) and salawat (praise and veneration of the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.s.). The best travel is living your life to the fullest in contemplation of God's wonderous creation which we call our home, the best exploration is tassawuf (contemplation and learning of yourself to learn of God) and the best holiday possible is the haj and the umrah, the pilgrimage and minor pilgrimage beholden and privileged upon all Muslims.

Fountain of Goodness. Muslims often talk of love, beauty, restful contemplation, reflection and intimacy, but all too often their approach is that there is one form of pleasure for the temporal world, and another form of pleasure for the spiritual world. Indeed, this is true but it is also true that pleasure is still pleasure. Knowledge is knowledge, Love is Love and Beauty is Beauty, and whether worldly or spiritual, all such Goodness comes ultimately from the Fountain of Goodness, that is Allah (s.w.t.).

Many Muslims are not to be blamed though. Because they have often been educated and brought up in a Wahhabi-influenced education syllabus and political system, which is in truth a very secular-centric approach to religion -thus to many Muslims, Islam appears to be rigid, dogmatic, illiberal, extreme and just so pack full of rules and strict regulations. Where is the pleasure there? Where is the restfulness there?

Syariat. When some Muslims think of Islam, do they think Islam  is a chore, a pain, a necessary difficulty, a mandatory requirement that they must go through in this life? That the Syaria (Muslim Law) is some difficult burden imposed upon the Muslims by God? But isn't Islam supposed to be the ultimate flowering of Man's regency on this Earth in the name of the King of Humanity that is Allah (s.w.t.)? That eternally sought-for dream, that ancient human quest for happiness, knowledge and good manners? The preservation of the beauty and natural balance of this world, and the entrusting of authority to those who would care for the weak, the poor and the oppressed? The Syaria is not the placing of burden, but its relief, it is not the imposing of difficulties, but the removal of difficulties. Together with the tenets of the Tariqat, Haqiqat and Maqrifat, the Syaria is and has always been the best path.

The Vocabulary of Love. God's own favourite names are ar-Rahman (Most Compassionate) and ar-Rahim (Most Merciful). And there is no flower ever created in the garden of creation, more beautiful, more resonant in its perfume and more yielding in its stewardship of Man than the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) -  Muslims like to say that God is Good, and the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) is Good. But often, they do not comprehend what they are saying and end up spouting sound bites. But in Islam there are no sound bites, artificial protocols or party political broadcasts. There is however the Vocabulary of Love, Ilmu and Adab (Knowledge and good manners), and that is something Muslims must attend to, lest they forget the reason behind their religion.

So today is as good a day to learn the Vocabulary. And one of my firm favourite is learning the beautiful names of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) Here is one, ...Sayyidina Aynun Na'im s.a.w.s. Meaning 'The Spring of Bliss'. 

Have a blissful Sunday, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

NOISY CREATURES IN A NOISY WORLD - death before dying and the silence of the grave

Noise and the Silence of the Grave

I am a noisy man,

I need not speak for you to know that,

You can see it in the expression of my face,

In my colour, in the clothes I wear,

In how I walk, sit or stand

Any where, any place.

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

Noisy Creatures. Mankind tend to be noisy. Within ourselves, even in silence, we are confronted with our hopes and dreams, our fears, ambitions and guilt, our uncertainty and our passion, our worry for tomorrow, and our regrets for yesterday - Amid this relentless internal din we let the present go by unattended by our focus and attention.  

Noisy World. To make matters worse, this personal cacophony of emotion throws a veil across our perception of the world, making the world also a right hellish racket to bear sometimes.

Silence of the Grave. So I am on a quest for a quieter world. I am not going to change the world itself, but I will try to do what I can with myself. The Sufis and other mystics of the world have elucidated about the concept of death before dying. And I wanna try that and receive the benefit that comes with death without actually being buried. What benefit, you ask? Why, the silence of the grave of course.

Grace and Grave. For I reckon that once you are along this path, you will get to hear and see the more important things in life - the Grace of God in everything that we are granted, the Wisdom of God in every tribulation that we may face, and the Beauty of God in the smiles, the laughter and the gentleness of our family and friends, and even from the acts and words of strangers. And of course, the Power of God in the thunder storms at sea, the high mountains in the clouds and the vastness of the oceans.

So I am intent on reducing the noise in my life. And as a Muslim, I am asking God for the intercession of the Prophet Muhammad's (s.a.w.s.) hand to reach into me, and turn down the volume dial within me.

Ahh. Lovely. Outside I can already hear the birds singing their hearts out on this peaceful overcast Wednesday morning.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Envy, History and the New You

Envy and the 'New You'

Don't ask for a 'new you',

Ask God to help you reveal

Yourself as you truly are,

As God meant you to be,

Each morning, each day and night

This words come again and again to me, 

Harassed as I am in my despondency and envy.

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

Envy. I don't talk much about it, much less write it. I guess you can call it a sister or brother to pride / the ego. It is certainly a close relation, because just like our ego, it comes from an overwhelming sense of entitlement. Envy is the poison in the well, the hemlock in Socrates's cup, the overcast cloud that ever threatens your daily happiness.

Envy makes prayers dull and dry, and knowledge a burden. It has the ability to change your best of intentions into a warped hateful thing. What can I do??

History and His Mercy

Grab your envy,

Hold it tightly to yourself,

Then... in the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Leap off the cliff of your hurt pride

Into God's Mercy Ocean.

And surrender to history.

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

There is some solace, some balm for this poison. And I think you may find it reading and contemplating the history of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and his Companions and Saints. For in their history, we can reflect upon our own still-to-be-finished story and why that as long as we still have breath, we have opportunity. Well, it works for me... So I am going to read a good book today. 

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate and Envy has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

God and Goodness in the Little Things

183. The Little Things

If I am not your distraction,

Shall I ever be your devotion?

If you do not remember Me in the little things,

Will any miracle persuade you into believing?

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

"This world is a distraction!", the mystics often warned. Indeed, they are not wrong. But sometimes it is the little things in this world that sway your thoughts to God and goodness. Like little flowers waving in the breeze. Like an unexpected hug from a nephew. Like a late night sms saying "Sayang, I love u!!!"

Traditional Malay warrior costume, meant really for the tropics
and not the desert. But still looking good. Hehehe

When it comes to the big things, I am not worried. For I have friends, small in stature, but with a big, big heart. They are on their final day in Jordan after participating in the Al Faris International Horseback Archery Competition. And soon, they will be flying home together with my brother, Poone.

Smiling... but this pair packs a punch!

Awesome, awesome pictures from the Videographerz

I have seen the pictures, loyally recorded by The Videographerz (click here to their Facebook page). Now I cannot wait to hear the stories!

A band of brothers...

Another band of brothers... (Poone is siting on the floor, second from the right
and wearing the traditional black Malay songkok)

Hope you are having a sunny Sunday, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

God, I am here! May I come in? I can? Oh dear... - Prose of Ramadhan Part 55

54. God, I am here!

If you knock on the door,

Saying, “God, I am here!”

What shall you do if He answers?

Shall you enter happily?

Or shall you pause nervously,

Muttering, “Oh dear...”

But perhaps God will answer

Only when you are ready to enter?

But then again, we can never be too sure.

He is, after all, God,

Doing whatever He wants to do,

And quite unlike me and you.

Everyone is hoping to find God's door and to get in. Invited in or pushed in... really, does it matter? For God is All-Loving and All-Compassionate, so we need not worry about Him. What is perhaps worthy for us to contemplate nervously is what is God actually gonna do with us. For He is the Absolutely Unique One, like the saying goes (well... a saying that I am making up right now)... 'There is no odd but God.'

And if the stout fellow in the cartoon above is allowed in, enticed in or shoved in through the Door of the Divine Presence, what shall he find? Divine Pleasure undoubtedly, but if our experiences of love in the mortal plain is some indication, well...

Have a wonderful Sunday, sunshine. Be careful which door you are knocking on! Oh, never mind... I know you are gonna knock on that door regardless of what I write here. I do it all the freakin' time too.

Hehehe.

wa min Allah at-taufiq.

Some 'Truths' Are More Poisonous Than Ignorance

1. Scattering truths
A man was in the marketplace
And he had the insight to
See into people’s errors and sins,
He was creating a great chaos
And trouble revealing people’s
Secrets and scandals, until
Finally, a dervish appeared
Amongst the crowd
And inquired,
“And just who are you?
And by what right do you
Scatter scandals about like
Some largess?”

“Because I am a servant of Truth,”
He replied.

“Nay, you are mistaken.
The task of real servants are
To reveal the nature of their Lord
To mankind.
But what are these secrets that
You disclose but mere weaknesses
And follies of men? These are
Ugly facts you reveal here!
Are you saying the Lord is ugly?
It is not Truth you serve,
It is calamity.
You lie.”

Whereupon, the man immediately perished.

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

I am not particularly fond of tabloids and scandal sheets. In fact I try to avoid them. Yet it appears to me that there is a considerable number of people out there who like them, since tabloid newspaper sales have always been pretty stable while serious broadsheets have seen their sales decline. The sad thing is when serious newspapers pander to the titillating scandals which populate the scandal mags. I guess it is purely a commercial reason as it generally boosts up circulation and thereby help preserve the editor in his position.

In the delicate lore of Islam there is a not-so delicate perspective in the holy scriptures which says that when you talk bad about someone behind his/her back, it's like eating the flesh of your kin. *Urghh...* That is definitely disgusting, and I guess that is the way the Divine wants people to carefully weigh what they say and share with people. Yet that is the most common error which people fall into, and it is ironic that some Muslims can fast and pray five times a day without fail but become a veritable gutter-mouth, repeating the sin and scandal of others for the titillating pleasure of the listener / reader.

As a sinner, you might say that I have a vested interest in propagating the belief that the mankind habit of spreading the stories of sin (especially personal vices) of another person is dead wrong. And you are right, I do. But, hey, this is not what I am saying. The Most Compassionate and the Most Merciful is the one expressing it. And when I think of the distraught and shame felt by not only the sinner, but his family and close friends when they read about their son/brother/daughter/niece/cousin or friend in the scandal pages..., well it doesn't leave a nice feeling in your gut, does it?

We cannot stop the newspapers from being sold, but I think we can stop buying them. Let us rest our soul from reading about Mr.X bonking his live-in maid. It is of no concern to us directly, and our life doesn't improve by us knowing such facts, assuming they are true to begin with. And really, some 'truths' are more poisonous than ignorance.

Well, if you do need one scandal today, then I will volunteer one - I am scandalously late for work... so I must run for now.

God bless you, sunshine.

Pax Taufiqa.

Ask God for God - From the Sinners' Guide to Shortcuts and Cheat Codes

If you happen to bump into Sufis, you will notice a certain habit that they have - They are not satisfied to pursue heaven in the afterlife. Oh no, such things are not good enough for them. They desire the Divine Presence Itself with God and His Beloved (Muhammad). Heavenly angels, rivers of milk and honey, trees that light up like Christmas Trees are not good enough for the likes of them. They see it all as distractions - divine and blessed, but distractions nonetheless.

I think they are right in their presumptuous claims. After all, why be reticent when it is God Himself asking you to ask Him? Why be shy with your ambition? Why dither and waver before True Love's Beauty? If your heart is trembling and quaking thinking of God, then ask Him to sooth your yearning. Right or wrong, you (we all) belong to Him. So ask God rightfully for God Himself. Do not waste your time like the villagers who scramble to carry away the Sultan's riches and treasures but forget about the Sultan Himself. ("The Sultan & His Gift, Worldly & Spiritual Distractions - Love Bites on your Soul" Click here on earlier posting)

Its a lovely Sunday evening, and the afternoon thunderstorm that has been uprooting trees in my city has gone away. All that is left now is me writing this, and you, sunshine, reading my blog. Thank you for dropping by.

Pax Taufiqa.

Once Upon a Time in America

12. It is ok
It is good to be lost sometimes,
For otherwise,
You would not be found.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, a handsome white-bearded Shaykh was giving a talk at a community centre (if I recall correctly). In his talk (it’s never a speech, you know) he said he noticed outside the hall a ‘Lost & Found’ board on the wall. He commented that your life is a journey (nothing new here), and here you strive to find your bearings, to read the maps properly, and where possible (and fated), you will receive direct guidance from such people who have been appointed for your welfare.

OUR LORD, THE SAVIOR. But despite the best of efforts we often find ourselves lost. You made a mistake but this is okay says the Shaykh. For it is okay to be lost, to become the innocent babe in the woods once again, to be marooned in an unchartered island in the Bermuda Triangle. Because in this perfect storm, God and the Good will come to our rescue. Otherwise how will God be known as The Savior? Yes… it is good to be lost sometimes. If only to find that our God has not, and has never actually forgotten us.

SPIRITUAL TRAUMA CENTER. We also come to hurt because we get distracted desiring something other than the Lord’s pleasure. We want a new car, we want a new wife, we want to win the lottery, we want to be promoted… but even in our spiritual journey we can lose focus – we get mesmerized by magic-laser light shows, we are fooled by people’s praise, we forget our aim, and become fixated with the view along the sacred highway… we don’t see the Deer of God crossing the road and a moment later… *BANG!* The deer goes flying through your windshield and you are in a Saint John’s ambulance heading for the Spiritual Trauma Center. And there… lying on the operating table, suddenly a bright light appears and a voice asks you…”Dear boy, what have you done with yourself?”

“Master… is that You?” I replied.

“Well, I am not Colonel Sanders, old chum.” Then he continued, “You are hurt.”

“I know…*Ouch*… but it’s worth it.” I answered, wincing through the pain.

“Really? How so?”

I cannot but smile, “Because you came for me.”

Then the Master smiled an even wider grin, “Oh no, you silly-billy. It was I who called for you.”

…………….

Have a lovely day, sunshine. May we be lost and rescued by our Lord, the Savior.

Pax Taufiqa.

The Sultan & His Gift, Worldly and Spiritual Distractions - Love Bites on Your Soul

Once upon a time, there was a Sultan in a kingdom far, far away. He was a benevolent Sultan, very generous and most unique in his charity. One day, the town crier declared before the assembled townspeople, “Oh hear this! By the generosity of our beloved Sultan, His Majesty has declared that tomorrow, upon the rise of the morning sun, you are all invited to His Majesty’s palace, and there in, each of you may take whatever you may be able to carry away. You can only do this once, so choose wisely!”

By early next day, the news has spread far and wide. The entire kingdom congregated before the Palace gates, and as promised, upon the first glint of sunlight upon the golden dome of the Palace, the royal guards opened the gates, and the mob rushed in. Overjoyed, the mass of people started to carry away carpets, jewels, chairs, lamps, lanterns, even food and drink, really whatever they can get their hands on amidst the frenzy and chaos.

Through all this commotion, in his royal court sat the Sultan on his throne, looking serenely over the pandemonium. But then, suddenly two gentlemen appeared out of the crowd and made their way to His Majesty, and without even a ‘by your leave’, they lifted the throne, along with the Sultan, and started to carry it off.

The Sultan, instead of being angry or at least annoyed, simply continued smiling, inquiring politely of the two men, “What do you think you are doing?” The fat one, holding the back of the throne gasped a reply, “Phew! O’ Your Majesty, do you think we will be satisfied with Your Majesty’s gifts?!” Then the less fat one continued, “Let others play and be amused by your trinkets and furniture, o’ Sultan. We want you!”

WORLDLY DISTRACTIONS. This is a common little sufi tale, the obvious analogy being that the Sultan is God himself, the Palace is this world, and the people of the Kingdom are you and I. The common lesson from this story is that however much (or little) God grants us in this world, from the house that you live in, the car that you drive and the money that you are hoarding in that offshore bank a/c in the Caymans, such things are essentially distractions and whimsical trinkets for our enjoyment. Yet a wise man (and woman) would not be so easily distracted – he/she would always keep their beady eyes on the Numero Uno, the Finality of all Pleasure, the Fountain of all Affection, that being of course, God.

SPIRITUAL DISTRACTIONS. You are too smart though just to be satisfied with the first lesson. So here is the second moral – that even in the course of your spiritual journey, God would litter spiritual gems and sprinkle fairydusts along your path. It may appear to be spiritually significant (it probably is), and it is evidence of His affection for you and your dedication, but really, when you think about it – even spiritual gifts are not God Himself. So do not be distracted by either temporal or spiritual rewards, always keep your eye on the Main Prize - the Giver of Gifts, the Treasury of Love, the Beloved of Lovers, Healer of the Broken-hearted, the Friend of Friends whom we call God.

LOVE BITES. I am sharing this with you because I don’t expect to achieve much. I am quite contented and am barely sentient. But you, ahh… the Universe will not be enough for you, sweeties, once you are bitten by the Love. Oooh… I see those love bites all over your soul!

Shameless!!!

Hehehe. Have a great Friday, sunshine.

Pax Taufiqa.