The Lamb, The Lion and The Eagle

There are lambs, lions and eagles in our lives. And here in this picture.
How they may be so also depends on who you are. And really, who are you?

Plain & Simple

Though I sleep with lambs, I am no lamb,

Though I hunt with lions, I am no lion,

Though I fly with eagles, I am no eagle,

I am me, a weak servant, a donkey…

Plain and simple.

……………………….

I may appear fluffy and innocent, but alas, I am no lamb. I may sound menacing and courageous, but I am no lion and although the prose I write presume to ascend some lofty peak, I am no eagle. I am a just scribe, taking down notes and hurling them into the inner space of the internet.

Not me.

I am just fortunate to meet and know some true lambs, lions and eagles. I have people who work with me, who blink with innocent surprise and shock at my indiscretions. I have friends who are true warriors, followers of the Futuwat, the knightly code of chivalry of Ali, the Fourth Caliph of Islam. And then, I am in the company of some truly insightful people, who carries knowledge that shames me with its breadth and horizon. But none of these fellas (and females) feel the drive (or vanity) to write a blog. Hehehe. Decent and awfully nice Joes and Janes you would not mind spending an afternoon with.

Not me.

And this is generally most people I know. Of course they are not angels, but on the cosmic scale of human decency, I must confess my admiration for their principled stand towards whatever life offers them in terms of trials and tribulations. I am honoured (and not a little bit surprised) that God permits me to be with such folks. Sometimes though we are tested when our close friend or kin displays an action which makes us doubt our initial good assessment of their character. But from my experience, judgment must always be suspended since after all, who are we to judge? Often with time, fate reveals the reason behind their error which makes us reflect. As in the case of a friend who has been an absolute pain and we do not know the reasons why – only to find out much later that he has been carrying a secret sorrow for his father who may have contracted a terminal disease. Poor guy. Inevitably time reveals the truth and makes us empathize... and realize that we are in the company of real lambs, lions and eagles.

Not me.

But if you force my hand to choose an animal that best exudes my character... hmm. This requires some thinking. After all, postings online may potentially last forever so I gotta be careful not to make the wrong choice. Hmm. Ah yes. Here it is... the fitting totem for me.

Me.

Take care, sunshine. Talk to you tomorrow!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The Heavenly Dragon, The Heart Shield and Zulfiqar the Renowned!

In Islam, in the name of Ali, the Cousin and Companion of the Prophet, Consort to our Lady Fatima az-Zahra, the 4th Rightly-guided Caliph, and He who wields the two-bladed sword Zulfiqar, there is no hate. Not even in times of war. In times of war, a high banner of chivalry is raised - it is named The Futuwat.

The shield is shaped like the spiritual heart for therein God has established the Throne for He Who Shall Sit On It. And it is also shaped thus because the enemy of hate is Love. And we take shelter in God and the Prophet(pbuh), The Loving and the Beloved from the whispers of hate, envy, pride and hubris fashioned from the black fires and furnaces of the Enemy, the Devil himself. As we also take shelter from his legions of Djinn armies and the traitorous Ego that works within us. Amen.

The wielder of the sword and the shield is symbolized in the form of the dragon, which in the deeper lore of Islam is a heavenly creature, before he was tricked by the Devil. And the dragon is crowned with the pointed hat of the Naqshbandis and turban cloth of royal purple, the tail of which is fluttering in the wind. There is always a breeze, you see, because wherever this particular dragon goes, so does the salawat (hymns and songs of praise for the Prophet). And the salawat calls the wind, which in the deeper lore of Islam is also a creature and creation of God. Blessed be all of God's heavenly creatures.

The sword shaped like the renowned Zulfiqar is held downwards in the dragon’s claws as a token of peace to Man, but it is unsheathed because iron and particularly sharpened iron is a semboyan (signal) to the Djinns that are ever lurking near to beware and to not trespass upon us. It works. Sometimes.

I like to explain things. I like things when they are just so... at their proper places, and properly named, properly posed. Like ending this posting in the very same way I have done for many, many moons…

Have a lovely day, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The Dragon, the Damsel and the Knight

67. Dragon’s Lair

Really, if you are about

To rescue the damsel in distress

From the dragon’s lair, just a

Few words of advice;

Make sure that the damsel

Wants to be rescued by you,

Bring your own light,

And if your light grows dim

Inside the cave, get out!

Oh don’t worry, there are

Other dragons to brave,

And other damsels

Chained inside caves.

WOMEN. Cannot live with them. Cannot live without them. And just how many times have some innocent knight or chevalier said, "What? A DID(Damsel-in-Distress)? And a dragon to slay?! Quick, show me where!"

MEN. We are guilty of pretensions. We say women are vain, but we can be narcissistic. We say women waste money on luxuries, but we too can spend a lot on toys. Oh, we say we need the new super-blaster drill, the mega-super water pump and a motorcycle (at least 900cc) so we can scooter around the traffic... but truth be told, we love our toys.

So it has always been a dream for men to brave the dragon and save the damsel. But all too often it is we ourselves that need salvation. Especially from the very real dragon that all men (and women too, come to think of it) nurse in the secret dungeon of their personality - the human ego.

DRAGON OR DAMSEL? I was spending some time with a soul tonight. He read my poem and commented, "You know, you can make fun of us knights (for he was a bona fide one), but for myself, I did face down a dragon and saved the damsel-in-distress. And we were married soon after." But then he looked rueful and continued. "I am still married to her. Sometimes I wished I slayed her and brought the dragon back instead..."

So, men, this is the advice for today. Be careful what you wish for. God might just grant your wish! Hehehe.

wa min Allah at-taufiq.

Another observation about men and women - Click Here  for 'If only Adam was awake when God created Eve - The Creation of Women & the Bewilderment of Men.' 

The Siths to the Sufis - The Bombing of Sufi Shrines

GOOGLING. Just from a 3 minutes googling about 'Sufi Shrine Bombing Pakistan', the following news were found...

"25th October 2010 (BBC). Six killed in the bombing of a Sufi shrine in Punjab province of Pakistan.
3rd April 2011 (CNN). A suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine in central Pakistan's Punjab province on Sunday killed at least 41 people and wounded more than 100 others, police said.
July 2 2010 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan’s death toll in yesterday’s twin suicide attacks on the shrine of a Sufi saint in the eastern city of Lahore rose to 41. At least 175 people were injured. The first bombing took place at 11:20 p.m. in the basement of the tomb, an area reserved for ablutions, and the second bomb exploded minutes later in the main prayer area which was crowded with worshippers who gather every Thursday for special rituals, Khusro Pervez, Lahore’s commissioner, told reporters. The shrine of Persian Sufi saint Syed Abul Hassan Bin Usman Bin Ali Al- Hajweri is also known as Data Gunj Baksh."

WHY ARE YOU SILENT? When these Muslim bandits killed hundreds of Muslims in these shrine bombings where were the protests and condemnations from the elders and some so-called Ulamaks (Islamic scholars) and politicians? But when one lunatic (Osama ben Laden) is killed, the hue and cry from the bearded brigade were overwhelming. This behaviour and silence (which is of course equivalent to tacit approval) disgusts me to the core. And I am a sinner. A stupid know-nothing ignoramus. These people are smart with degrees from Universities. Why are they doing nothing?

26. Dissipated and Embarrassed II
The deniers and naysayers
Are herding the people
To a corner of reality
Meant only for animals!

As animals have no cemeteries,
And no thought for their passed kin,
So too are these despicable teachers
Teaching people to behave
Like animals,
And forget their ties
To their ancestors,
And to cut the chain of love
That binds those who appear alive
To those who appear dead!

In their way from
The single point of singularity,
They are exhibiting gross manners!

Stop thine ears and
Heed not their siren calls!
For they will tell thee that
They are calling thee to God,
But you will want to have nothing to do
With their conception of God!

DEATH AND DESTRUCTION FOLLOWS THEM. They have forgotten Muhammad ibn Abdullah, Beloved of God, Greatest of Creation - and for this error, wherever these Muslim bandits go, death and destruction follows. It is just right that all sensible people, both Muslims and non-Muslims treat such people with caution. For their heart is rusty from judging people, and their conscience is empty because they use God as the one-size-fit-all excuse for all their mayhem.

I am a sinner, so I don't matter. But you, sunshine. You are the breath of reasonableness and compassion, whether you are a Sufi, Kabbalist, Muslim, Christian, Jew, Buddhist, Hindu or Wiccan. You must reject these bloodthirsty idiots parading as so-called Jihadis. They are no Jihadis. They have no inkling what the word 'Jihad' means. They can grow their beards long enough to trip their legs, but there is no wisdom in their lore. There is only hate and hubris. They are the opposite to the good guys, they are the Siths to the Sufis.

Thank God, I have you. My very own Jedi Knights of the Futuwat.

Pax Taufiqa.

Crusade & Chivalry, Jihad & Futuwat - United in Love against the Hemlock of Hubris Unholy

The Christians must recall history through the path of love, for surely they will continue to fight a battle different to the battles that the Muslims have fought and continue to fight, though in the past

they fought each other in the same plains and valleys of war.

For the Muslims, they too must revisit history through the path of love, for surely they will persist to fight a battle far different from the battles that the Muslims in the past have fought,

for so long as they think that glory in arms is the enlightened end.

The irony of these days is that it is not a Holy War that is consuming

the Christians and Muslims, it is the Hemlock of Hubris Unholy

– offered in a cup held by deceitful hands

while proclaiming themselves as heirs of Crusaders and Jihadis.

The way of glory is easy - It is the vain path of all would-be heroes,

martyrs and historians.

The Path of Love - ‘tis the hardest and most bitterly fought.

Here is the true Crusade and Chivalry. Here is the true Jihad and Futuwat.

And if anyone contests what you say, then tell them that it is I, Zulfiqar who says this!

And if they disbelieve you, so what!
………

Glory to God this wonderful Sabbath, pet. In this silent and bracing morning, I do not hear the Universe disagreeing with me at all.

Pax Taufiqa.