SECRET DUTIES - the Adab of secrets

Secret Duties

If God gives you a secret, keep it,

Tempted though you may be

To share it with your company,

Then you will find in Him the best of intimate,

The source of more secrets and surprises

Beyond your wildest estimate!

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

We don't want to know your scandals. But how many times have we inadvertently learn something not so good about one another? And how many times were we tempted to share it with another? And may Allah forgive us, to post it, to tweet it out into cyberspace? 

My old friend says - Keep your mouth shut, Notrumi. Instead invite Allah (swt) into your secret parlour for discourse over the ancient weakness of men (that means, you). You will learn more about human nature, and more importantly, far more about yourself, then were you to share it with your closest advisor. 

It is laughable, is it not? That a blogger can still keep secrets? But I do try. And when I do I notice God Almighty stringing a path of events that shows us just how much He loves us, and just how important is our love-link to Him through His Beloved Muhammad (saws).

I cannot explain any further. After all... it's a secret!

He he he.

Secret Duties II
Allah is the Source of all Secrets,

And we are lost without Him

In the maze of our human confusion,

But it is no secret that

Nabi Muhammad is His Beloved,

And we, the Nation of the Beloved!

Oh, the Banner of Muhammad is made of Light!

Light upon Light!

Run, shadows... run!
The secrets I have is not for you!

 wa min Allah at-taufiq

- Notrumi Embun, 3rd June 2014.

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

THE FIRST STRUGGLE ... illusion and the self-delusion of humble glory

The Greater Struggle

Every breath is a struggle,

Every blink of your eye,

Every thought that passes

Through your mind,

Every passion stirs

In your heart.

Do you need for arms,

Armours and wages of war

Before your struggle starts?

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

Muslims often say, "Jihad is not just war. The Jihad ul-Akbar (the Greater Struggle) is the personal struggle against our own ego and nafs (base desires)." Yeah... we say a lot of stuff. But we don't actually mean it, for time and time again, I observe than we are often overwrought and impressed by military history, weapons of destruction and violent sentiments. Of course we couch it in the name of God and His Beloved Muhammad (saws). 

So I say now that...

The First Struggle

The first struggle for you

Is to overcome your self-delusion

That you truly understand 

What is the Greater Struggle,

And for you to mind your manners with

The ant under your feet,

The woman that you claim to love,

The air that you breathe but do not own,

The God that you claim to worship but Whom you keep distant

And the Prophet that you claim to love but do not follow.

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

I read someone who decries why Muslims are not "jihad-ing" like how we used to in the past. The struggle, right from the moment of the prophet of Muhammad Habibullah (saws) continues. Look with your heart and see our struggle! Not one moment passes that we are not walking upon the path between right and wrong!

Mika completed his first khatam quran yesterday at his mummy's house.
And it was a struggle. How beautiful it was
because it was indeed a struggle!

wa min Allah at-taufiq.

- Notrumi Embun, 28th May 2014

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

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

The Beginning of Your Homecoming

That thing that makes you think...

You are not wrong

To think that way.

That thing that makes you feel...

You are not wrong

To feel that way.

When doubt and alarm make you question

Your men and women garbed in religion...

You are not wrong.

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

The religion of love is

The religion of your conscience,

The religion of your compassion,

The religion of your science.

For God has never left you,

It is for you to find you.

And your journey

Begins

Here.

And your homecoming

Begins

Here.

And all meaning worth

Knowing... it all

Begins

Here. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- notrumi, 21st day of April, 2014

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

THE CONSTANT LOVE - prophethood, master and servant in the practice of Truth, Patience and Constancy.

A Red Rose Heart, by Cristina Colombo, Milan, Italy

The Constant Prophet

He is one Prophet,

But in constant servanthood,

With one vision constantly upon the Divine Presence

And one vision constantly upon Creation,

He is the Master appointed for all Creation,

But in servanthood he is without parallel!

He looks constantly upon all of Creation

With incomparable empathy, mercy and compassion,

For is he not God's own anointed Mercy to all of us?

And is it any wonder that God loves him best of all?

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

A Love that is Constant. There is no love more sublime than a love that is practiced with truth, patience and constancy. And there is no practitioner of truth, patience and constancy more exalted and worthy of praise and imitation than our Most Beloved Muhammad Habibullah (saws).

The Master and the Servant. Often, I have heard (and read) the Prophet (saws) being referred to as 'The Master of Creation' - God's appointed representative to all His creation, through whom God weighs and determines the merit (or demerit) of men and djinn. But like all things about our Messenger (saws), the word 'master' needs to be studied a bit closer. After all, if I was a 'master', you know what I would do? I would probably be bossing all of creation for my own selfish desires. And I would allow my ego to gain ascendancy over my better self, until ultimately, like many fallen kings and pharaohs before, I would become a slave to my own ego... and lose mastery even over my own self.

But such is the nature of our beloved Habibullah (saws), his 'masterhood' is inextricably connected to his noble station of servanthood. And not just any ordinary servanthood, but the servant most beloved to God Almighty. For undoubtedly, in the personality of Nabi Muhammad (saws), the love, kindness and mercy is so refined in its emphatic manifestation to all of creation... that he cannot but be the most beloved of Allah (swt), in God's own favourite reference to Himself as ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim (the Most Compassionate and Most Merciful).

May we find the best path towards refining our own understanding and application of the Prophet Muhammad's (saws) manifold personality, especially in the noble pursuit of truth, patience and constancy.

By (the token of) Time (through the ages),
Verily Man is in loss,
Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds,
and (join together) in the mutual teaching of
Truth, Patience and Constancy.
(al Quran 103, Yusuf Ali)

Have a beautiful day, sunshine!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

MY LOVE, MY GOD, MY LONELIEST - of God, the beggars and the destitute, and the circle of empathy that binds us all

My Love, My God, My Loneliest

I rejoice at the happiness of people,

Smiling like a fool,

Then God interjected and said,

"I want happiness for you too."

"But God..." I answered

"Forgive me, for my happiness is with You,

Many have betrayed their sense of loneliness,

But You stand out as the loneliest of all."

So here I am.

Let them enjoy their happiness...

In their marriages, trades, births and kisses,

My happiest time is my time with You,

My Love, My God, My Loneliest.

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

The Odd One Out. God is the odd one out. He says He is the One and Only. And there is nothing, nothing comparable or can be associated with Him. And He once said, "I was a hidden jewel and I wanted to be known."

I don't know if God can make it more plain and simple for us. He wants our company. Indeed, He created us that we might delight in His infinite facets as the hidden jewel. A jewel utterly unique and unlike any other on earth... That's God for you.

Our Community. But God also created us to be communal. And has created us to be a creature needing companionship. So we seek our family and friends, our lovers and spouses to share our life with. And this is our life.

If God wanted, He could have maintained a humanity of one race, creed and colour. But He has permitted the evolution of many races and creed, many nationalities and cultures. For what? To create conflict, bigotry and hubris? No... so that we might learn to understand one another, tolerate and love the things that makes us different, and the things that we all still share as humans... the need for love, security and prosperity.

And in the course of our life, if we do bump into a solitary figure, a lonely hermit living in the fringes of respectable society, I hope we will remember that he too shares a longing. A desire to be known and to not feel lonely. And in this way, God the Loneliest and Loveliest completes the circle of empathy that joins all of mankind together.

So do not turn away in disdain at the beggar, the alcoholic drifter, the street-walker peddling their weary wares. For somewhere in their hearts, there is God.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

MY MASTER AND MY BOOK - adab (good manners) and knowledge, a human and a computer...

My Master and My Book

I was walking with my master when suddenly, my book of Sufi stories fell from my grasp. My spirit groaned but I kept on walking beside him. For my master cautioned me before we began our journey, "If you wish to follow me, you must stick by me whatever happens." I cannot deny a little pang of loss, as I looked back to see my poor book, still lying there by the lonely path. And as the skies loomed grey with rain clouds, I had no doubt it will soon get soaked and ruined. I gazed wonderingly at my master, thinking perhaps that he may have noticed my discomfort. But no such luck. He appeared quite distant and thoughtful, as if busy in some unseen conversation.

We arrived at our first rest stop, beside a little wooden bridge. My master bid me to sit next to him on a broken tree trunk. He then asked, "Hey. Where is your book?" To which I answered, "I dropped it, master, some miles back."  

"Then why did you not stop to pick it up?" He interjected.

"What can I learn from the book, that I cannot learn better from you? Anyways, you said I had to stick by you. So here I am, with you."

The master smiled and ruffled my hair gently. "Yes, and here's your book. Do be careful with it from now on, okay?"

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

This story was sprung from last night's supper with my friend, Moses. I did not know how it would conclude, but with the last dying rays of the Sun hiding behind the overcast sky, I think it is a good end and a milestone for the mureed (spiritual aspirant) in the story. And for myself.

An ancient friend (but schooled in this modern age) is restless to lay the final words for this moral tale...

The Book Collector

Adab(good manners) comes before knowledge,

For the first signs of ignorance

Is the lack of Adab!

Be a practitioner of Adab,

Don't be a mere collector of information.

Otherwise, what is the difference 

Between a human being

and a computer?

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

Have a lovely day, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way 

THE SAD SUFI CLOWN - The Ramadan Story, Part 2

Action-Figure. Not a Doll. My partner, Alex, is a collector of dolls. Oops, sorry, my bad, I mean action-figures. And in the pursuit of this hobby he has spent thousands for Iron Man, the Joker, Batman, the Predator and other assortment of American and Manga characters. On a smaller scale, he also buys small mini-Lego figures for his four-year old son. The only problem is you don't actually know what you would get when you buy a Lego packet, because the packet is not transparent. So what the 40-year old property and banking lawyer would do is spend some time standing in front of the Toys'r'Us counter, softly massaging the packaging to try and guess what figurine is inside. "Wait.. wait!" Alex would breathe excitedly, "I think I can feel the trident / sword / roman helmet!" Yes. Yes. This is the sort of lawyers working with me. Awesome.

Sad Clown. Anyways, perusing the current catalog (Lego comes out with different series of mini-figures), I found one which caught my fancy - a sad-clown figurine with a pointy hat. I have a thing for pointy-hats. The wizards in the Lord of the Ring wears them, and the Shaykhs of the Naqshbandi Sufi Order wears them. So I challenged Alex if he could find me the clown. And last Monday, he didn't fail me and triumphantly brought a small mini-Lego package for me to open. And God bless his heart, for it was indeed the sad-clown!

Clownish Obsession. I have always been fond of clowns, and have sketched a couple in the past for this almanac. I guess I have empathy for the vocation of clownship, for in my life I have often found my face splattered by custard pie, feeling both foolish and embarrassed. And just like my own clown, the Lego clown also has a tear running down his face.

Coincidence? I think not. After all, it is Ramadan! 

Alhamdulillah. Is there any seriousity at all in this meandering story about clowns and Lego? He he he. I am not sure really. Perhaps I am writing this because I never expected anyone to give me, a crusty, life-worn 42-year old man, a Lego toy. Me and Alex joked about it later. And our conclusion is that we are fortunate to be one of those who can be made happy by the simple, whimsical things in life. Like a little toy figurine. Like afternoon rain... Like a smile playing on our children's faces. Like the assuring handshake between two friends. Alhamdulillah (Praise unto God!).

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?

Something to think about on this second day of Ramadan, sunshine, in a month when I reckon that goodness and mercy are like little divine dominoes simply waiting to fall into your life. Like rain... like falling in love... like a life as how Allah (s.w.t.) and His Habibullah (s.a.w.s.) would like you to live yours - A life lit with adab (good manners) and ilm (knowledge). Don't you agree?

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

A Cup Full - the importance of not knowing, to be desired by the Knower and He Who is Ever-Aware!

Knowing Nothing

I don't know,

I don't know,

I don't know,

That should be your constant refrain,

Your continuing recitation,

In your every waking moment,

And as you fall asleep.

So that the Lord might take pity on you,

O' empty vessel, o' hollow shell...

This is Who I am,

This is who you are,

This is Who I am,

This is who you are...

O' you who knew nothing

Until I came and filled your cup of life

With meaning!

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

Labels. My dear friends. Do not be deceived by the classification and labeling of knowledge. For however that knowledge is clothed, it comes from the single source of all knowledge, the Creator and Knower of all things, that being Allah (s.w.t.). It may be dressed in the physical sciences, it may be dressed in the art of beauty and form, it may be mathematical, it may be astronomy, music or the economy. But however and whatever you may have experienced in life, to the Ocean of God do all human knowledge and experiences flow to and from.

A Cup Full. To know nothing is all about adab (good manners). If your cup is full, who will fill it? Oh no, you have already seen and read it all. What is there left to teach you, when your ego has taught you well already? Oh Allah the Most Compassionate, may You support us to reject the hubris of our own thoughts and ego.

For some people, there is no need for the presence of anyone else to illicit and provoke their ego. Even alone, humility is hard to grasp as they struggle and wrestle with their ego. And their ego is laughing, "Ha ha ha! You fight me as if I am tangible and real!"

Alone or in a crowd, we seek shelter in the Love and Compelling Power of Allah (s.w.t.), and we seek support from those who love us more than we can ever love ourselves... our Beloved Prophet, Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), His Companions and His Saints. In truth, if there is any real substance, they are our substance, our guide and our meaning, the dictionary and the grammar by which we seek to speak the Language of the Soul, the Language of Love of Allah (s.w.t.), a Love Compelling and Certain beyond human reckoning.

God bless you, sunshine.

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

NOT LOST, MERELY A LONGER LEASH - of happiness and its many veils

Merely a Longer Leash

Tell me not your happiness is best

While mine is a veil,

Who is to judge which of our happiness is true?

Would that person be you?

Tell me not that I need guiding

Because I am lost,

For my Lord has merely given me

A leash longer than yours!

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

It is tempting to bath in the sunshine of our spiritual happiness. To shower under the glazed rain of our inchoate joy. And for those seekers, it is also a common habit to see others and wonder, "Why are they taking their happiness from that which is other than God Almighty or the most sought company of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.)? They are partying like its New Years Eve, when they could be attending a gracious Mawlud (congregational dzikr and salawat)."

I made the mistake of sharing my observation with an old friend.

"Do not stray there, my friend..." my old buddy-buddy interjected, "Who are you to say that your happiness is true and his happiness is a hijab (veil)? For truth be told (and as painful as it is), by you questioning his happiness, you have thrown a hijab over your own happiness and closeness to Goodness." 

I have?

"Yes. This is an important lesson. Do not forget." He concluded.

Poor foolish me. Always being reprimanded and admonished.

Oh well. Maybe the middle is the best place to be. He he he.

May Allah (s.w.t.) bless you always. And if ever, I have doubted your happiness (or sadness, now that I think about it further)... please do forgive me.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way 

THE ANGEL OF ADAB - life's little ironies and God Almighty

The Angel of Adab

(or The Exhilaration of Ascent and Descent)

One evening, I met the Angel of Adab,

And he gathered me in his arms,

Spread his wings far to the East

And further to the West,

Before carrying me up,

High above the mountains,

High above the clouds,

High above the meaning

Of mountains and clouds,

To places whose names

Are not recorded in 

Any earthly 

Book.

"Look here, Mr. Angel" I said,

"It is all very well for you to

Bear me up so high,

But why?"

The Angel said,

"To experience the exhilaration 

Of the ascent, of course!"

"And what if I was to fall

From the sky?"

To which the Angel replied,

"Then you shall experience the exhilaration

Of the descent, of course!"

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

(adab means manners, or good manner)

Angels. What a humourless lot they are. We were keeping company with books in the Hermitage in the Sky, when above us, clouds and sunlight formed to create a beautiful tapestry. He watched my face brighten with gladness looking at the stunning vista, before he interrupted my thoughts thus, "Aah... no doubt that so high above the earth you would feel so close to God and to goodly thoughts, do you not?"

I nodded my agreement.

Then he continued. "Yet to take that final step towards the Divine Presence, you need to be met by the Brethren Angel of Death and your inert body lowered into a freshly dug grave, into the Earth itself. Is this not true?"

"Yes, true and very ironic." I noted.

 "You will find many ironies on this journey." He concluded, before once again, we fell silent in awe of Allah's manifest beauty and recreation.

Humourless, angels might be, but by God they are truthful.
He he he.

wa min Allah at-taufiq, madad ya Saydeena Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), madad ya Shah e Mardan, Saydeena Ali Ibn Abu Talib (r.a.)

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The Candle, The Utter Loveliness and the All-encompassing Kindness - you, God, life and love

3. Burn Slow

Burn slow, o’ lighted candle

And fear not the dark that lie outside.

Burn slow, o’ lighted lantern

And see the shadow flee your burning bright.

The sword upon the anvil,

The hammer upon the sword,

The whirling moth that spins and sings

Oh God, oh God, oh God!

23. Annihilation Is…

The unusual pursuit of extinguishing your flame

Through realizing that no candle exists

Separate from the Sun.

And that all numbers are in truth nothing

But aggregates of One.

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

Candles. The burning of the candle is an oft used parable and metaphor in the spiritual path, and I do not think that it is the sole remit of the Sufis. In other faiths, the burning of the candle, the flame flickering in the darkness and the life and truth-giving light that emanates from it is an observation infinite in its symbolism. 

Little Joys. As a sinner, I often lose my flame and my light. And there on my face you can see my sadness as I stumble in the darkness of my own making, a black shroud drawn over the day by my own mistakes of my anger, pride and insecurities. But happily, it takes only a little spark to light up my day - a smile from my  father, a short chat with my auntie, waking up early to greet the morning sun, a cup of teh-o halia (tea sans milk with sugar and infused with garlic), a teaspoon of wild honey from the jungles of country, getting a good parking space near my office, or just discussing work with my clients in the morning. It is nothing perhaps to some, but these little joys mean everything to me.

For through this little pools of work and pleasure, family and friends, I see Him and His Prophet's handiwork. Allah (s.w.t.) and His Beloved Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) who knowing fully well my faults and mistakes (both past, present and future), nevertheless will not allow me to stray too long in the gloom of my fatal follies.

I cry sometimes. For I am constantly reminded how undeserving I am, a lowly and weak servant that I am. So thank you, sunshine. For you too are a constant source of wonderment to me of His utter Loveliness and His all-encompassing Kindness. You have come here to read my stumbling prose, and you also mean everything to me.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way 

The Hypocrite and the Sheep of the Sufis - The Prophet and his Saints are hard on your trail, o' seeker!

A Candle in the Cold Cosmos

You are the rider without a horse,

You have a guide but you are lost,

You are the bitter cold of a winter frost,

Love shows the way but you often pause...

You are a candle burning bright

In a dark and cold cosmos.

…………………………

I sometimes think that my friends are too hard on themselves. "I don't pray enough." they say. "I want to be nothing but just a mureed (student) to the Shaykh but I cannot." they confess. "I am ashamed to call myself a mureed..." And on and on and on The Sheep of the Sufis bleat and cry. He he he.

Umar and the Hypocrite. Once upon a time, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was talking (I say talk because my scent of the Prophet is that 'preaching' or 'sermonizing' is simply not his credo) to a congregation of his Companions about the characteristics of a hypocrite, that damnable and cowardly class of snakes in  society. Then suddenly, a Companion trembling, rose amongst the crowd, and said with great anguish, "O' Prophet of God, if that is so then I am a hypocrite!"

Umar, the great warrior and Companion looked up and asked permission from the Prophet (pbuh) to perform an urgent surgery to separate the head from the torso of the self-confessed hypocrite, "O' Prophet, permission to cut off this hypocrite's head!"

The Prophet (who I like to think smiled at this point) answered his fiery friend, "No, Umar. Someone who confesses to being a hypocrite is not a hypocrite.."

So you see, when I listen to the little story of woe and regret from my friends, I cannot but smile too, thinking... Oh you poor fool. You doth protest too much. We are all sheep needing guidance, and it is sometimes good to be lost. For that is when you attract the attention of the Beloved Prophet and his Saints.

The real problem is when people who are lost do not know they are lost. Now that is a different kettle of fish altogether. But if you have confessed to your own self of your utter ineptitude and stupidity, and yea, even your hypocritical allegiances to God, regretting bitterly how weak and undeserving you are... how can you be lost?

I know this kinda doesn't make sense, but there is an old saying that speaks volumes of the life-long journey to enlightenment and the beautiful path that God and His Prophet (pbuh) is calling unto all humanity - 

If you know you are weak, 

You are not weak, 

If you know you are lost, 

You are not lost.

Have a lovely day, sunshine. And if you are a weak and lost sheep like my friend and myself, do not worry too much. For hard on the scent of your trail is the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), his Companions and Saints - the Master of Mercy and Shepherds of God. And they are determined with divine earnestness never to lose any of their flock. 

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Droplets of Beauty - pictures tell stories

My Maker is more beautiful than me...

Droplets of Beauty

My mind is restless,

And my heart is waiting impatiently

For some word, some vision to come my way

And strike me down as a lonely tree atop a lonely hill

Assailed by wind and thunder on a stormy day,

But sometimes love is no opera, no grand vista

But little droplets of beauty, that if you look hard enough

Will tell you of your Lord God, and His Love...

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

My Maker is more interesting and inspiring than me...

I went for a walk this morning. But I woke up late, and so my plan to scurry about in the cold morning air has gone astray. Outside, the day already looked hot and bright. So I planned my walk along the most shady avenues. And the walk must end at the neighborhood cafe where they serve a decent cup of coffee. This is exercise sinner-style.

He he he.

Even in death, my Maker leaves me to be beautiful...

I have nothing more interesting to share than these pictures I took while walking. It broke my walking rhythm, but that's all right. I think I was meant to notice such things. So I guess this means that I am meant to share them with you.

Man made me from inspiration of the Maker and His works...

Have a lovely Sunday, sunshine. God bless you.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way