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!
The Veil of Separation Between Us. We have personal identities, separate and distinct from one another. There is the 'me' and the 'you', not to mention the 'us' and the 'them'. But this distinction is only true at the very most shallow end of our ocean of understanding. The truth is that human beings are much more porous and absorbent than we care to admit. We are like a sponge, absorbing our surroundings and the people we interact with.
Understanding Through Prosperity and Adversity. So we are asking Allah (swt) and His Prophet (saws) to bring us to favourable circumstances and in the company of favoured souls. But we are also asking God the Illuminating One to teach us humility and understanding if life in testing company and circumstances is to be our fate. For in both conditions of 'prosperity' and 'adversity' there is much to learn of our soul, and the mettle of our courage and patience.
Peace. So give salam (greetings of peace) even to your enemy(assuming you have one), for he holds within him an understanding of your own self. And truth be told, how you act with someone you disagree with can reveal more of you than the manner you act with someone you adore...
The confusion, the hubris and the ignorance of mankind,
Seeding in our society envy and anarchy,
But most of all, I hate what he does
Because he makes me hate me...
And makes me despair of my own humanity.
So this begs another question...
Why do I listen to him?
...................
The Devil is real. I think we should be very clear about this. He is not some intangible malevolent force in the human consciousness, like a typhoon blazing destruction across the plains of your soul. Mr. D has a personality, he is intelligent, belligerent and has amassed countless years of experience to hone his skill in his job description - which is to morally corrupt all children of Adam and Eve, and lead them to utter spiritual and physical annihilation.
But we are also not stupid. God All Wise, in His wisdom has given us akal, the cerebral faculty to reason things out, to weigh the pros and cons of our actions (or inactions), to judge which is the best path to take, and to learn from our own history, the History of Man that is often bloodied with wars, oppression, xenophobia, hubris, ignorance and hate, but are also shining with beautiful examples of messengers, prophets, saints and everyday simple people who were hardworking and intelligent, grateful and worshipful to their Maker, aka God Almighty. Surely, with such knowledge of our shared past, we would not fall to the deceit and dark whispering of Beelzebub.
Old Tricks New Suckers. But we do fall for his tricks, again and again. On a daily basis. Perhaps not murdering, pillaging or robbing a bank... but small 'white sins' that this sinner himself must admit to. I leave it to your imagination to contemplate this.
The Power of Remembrance. Which goes back to our enemy. If only we can always remember... remember God, remember our beloved Prophet, remember the kindness of our parents and siblings, the tolerance of our friends... remember the common history shared by all humanity... and learn from the lessons that our past can teach us... how would the Devil fool us?
He won't be able to.
But this would not fit God's plan for us.
The Gift of Forgetfulness. So I guess that is why we are also built with the capacity to forget. To give the Devil the opportunity to fool us and to corrupt us. So you see, God has leveled the playing field between Adam's Children and the Devil to give the Devil an even chance defeat mankind. Which goes without saying that Allah (swt), aka God Almighty is the fairest of them all... fair even unto the Devil himself.
And this also speaks of another thing... God's belief in us and in our inherent courage and goodness, that mercy-rich fitra (essence) of Muhammad (saws) that is in all humanity (not just them Muslims).
So perhaps we should remember all this and believe in God too.
I am trying. In my inevitably bumbling and clownish way.
Some Shaykh: "O' Taufiq. If you clown around too much, you will always risk dropping and shattering your heart. I am here to help you, but what if I am not? What then? The Clown: You will always be here, wherever you may be...
The ancient ones value Adab (courtly courtesy and manners) above all else, even knowledge. For Adab is the inner and outer expression of our understanding or lack of understanding.
Adab tells us when to keep silent and be discreet, and Adab also teaches us when to speak up and also be discreet. Adab is the highest form of human action through which we conduct our affairs with discretion.
Scandal! Do you like knowledge? For knowledge is a two-edged sword whose edges are very sharp indeed! How do you like being told of a dark secret of someone else? Such knowledge (let's be honest here) is titillating, true. But after the brief moment of dark pleasure at someone's unfortunate contratemp or mistake (for it is a misfortune), we are suddenly weighed with the burden of knowing. And our ego is whispering ever so urgently to us, "Go on... tell it to him. Share this with someone... !"
Like a steak, a scandal is often juicy. But it is bad for you.
And even worse if you share it with someone.
Some people may reason, "But fate has disclosed his/her indiscretions to me! So the general prohibition against talking bad about someone must surely now not apply in this scandalous case! Anyways, it is the truth about him/her!" Hmm, persuasive but...
Gossip
O' foolish traveler!
O' wayward listener to gossips and scandals!
Draw the veil that someone has saw fit to lift
Over the indiscretions of someone else,
That perhaps Allah may keep the veil
Over your own errors!
............................
When you think about all the preachers and evangelical politicians in this world, when you think about all the news, postings, comments, blogs, websites and portals covering Islam, it is ironic that in most instances, what Adab in Islam demands is silent contemplation.
He he he. So it appears that I have written myself into a corner. So I better stay here for awhile and speak no more.
Have a lovely Monday, sunshine. May Allah (s.w.t.) and His Beloved Nabi Muhammad Sayyidina Alamul Huda (s.a.w.s.), guide you towards the perfection of your Adab. There is no purpose more beautiful than this single purpose!
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'.
Saying, "His mother knew not her child was destined
To be the Seal of the Prophets long awaited,"
Saying, "Why celebrate the Prophet's birthday?"
They have found Islam,
And it is an empty hollow shell.
They think they are authorised to interpret God's words,
But it is their own words speaking to them from hell,
Making the most gentle Prophet appear hard,
As the ego-voice in the empty hollow chamber
Distill history and make mischief
In their unfortunate hearts.
..............................
It is election season here in Malaysia. And word in the street (and cyber-street) is that the political party in Malaysia that is championing Islam will do very well (again) in this 13th General Election since our independence in 1957.
For myself and my friends, whom do not believe in this thing called Democracy, we can understand how people have spiritual aspirations. But when you mix religion within the context of a populist electoral process, what you essentially get is a spiritual leader with the most followers. And you get the most followers by saying things people want to hear. This is one problem, but the biggest problem is when it is you who wants to be the leader. It is you who wants to become the Prime Minister or (God forbid!) work to bring down the Sultanates of Malaysia, so that you can also become the first President of the Islamic Republic of Malaysia. And may Allah s.w.t. protect us from that spiritual reformation. For despite all your protestation of loving akhira (the world Hereafter) and despising dunya (this world), you are in fact chasing power in this world after all.
The Muslim is the one who loves and appreciates this world, as a mirror to the other world, and the True Reality of Allah s.w.t. and the Beloved One, being Muhammad s.a.w.s. Nothing else matters. The Muslim who has not found love - visceral, real and passionate love and veneration for Muhammad bin Abdullah s.a.w.s. and His Family and Companions and Saints, has not completed his faith. God has made it clear in His Holy Quran...
Lo! Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.
(Quran 33:56, translation by Marmaduke Pickthall)
The Election Day is this coming 5th May 2013. I pray that Allah s.w.t. shall continue to bless and protect this country. For it is my country, and despite everything, I love my people.
What can a Muslim build if the Prophet's name is not spoken
and his person venerated and blessed with high praise?
Nothing, but a false edifice of the human ego.
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.
Will you be the Firaun or
will you be worse than the Firaun?
At least the Firaun was a
generous leader, are you as generous
With the pennies that you have?
Or are you deluding yourself
That when you get rich you
will get kinder?
If you complain about your
neighbour’s noise,
How many times have you
yourself disturbed their peace?
If you question someone’s
sincerity,
Why should you not question your own sincerity?
If you look down upon
someone’s fall into disrepute,
How far will you yourself
fall into disrepute?
If you sneer at a woman’s
dress or impropriety,
Why do you not avert your
eyes instead?
If you possess an envy for
so-called jihad-crusade wars,
Why are you not thankful for
the peace in your own land?
If you question the love a
Mureed (student) has for his Murshid (master),
Is it because you possess
none for anyone else but yourself?
If you think you can yourself
perfectly interpret the Holy Quran,
Why did God even bother
sending a Messenger when
He could have simply sent the Holy Quran?
If you think that democracy
is the way forward for Muslims,
Why do you think the
Messenger stressed so much on adab (good manners)
Above personal hak (rights)?
If you think Islam is the
best religion,
Why do you feel oppressed?
Who is oppressing you but
yourself?
Who is humiliating you but
yourself?
The nation will receive unto
it the leaders it deserves,
The nation will receive unto
it the religion it deserves,
You preach insularity and
introvertness,
But when the Messenger
(s.a.w.s.) looked within himself
He saw God, and outside he
saw the vast ocean of humanity.
What do you see when you look
within yourself?
Your ego? Dressed in a
religious cloth?
You speak of defending the
faith.
You say speak in the Name of God,
But the truth is you do not
Even understand the
Nature of Words,
And how Words
Can be sorcery
And how Words
Can be
Mercy.
You throw your day away contemplating
over the Devil’s deception,
Until you yourself become
part of his deception,
You wring your heart and beat
on your chest,
In righteous anger at the
Devil, at the unbelievers,
At the Jews, at the
Christians, at the Hindus,
But I see you there alone,
standing in front of the mirror,
And the only person I see you
harassing and haranguing
Is you and no one but
you...
There is no evil but evil,
And you have become the messenger of evil, o’ Man.
O’ Humanity, O’ Muslims, O' Sincerity, wake
up! Wake up!
.......................................
The Dajjal (Antichrist) is only One-eyed because, in truth, it cares for no one but itself...
The Spring of Democracy in the Middle East and North Africa has become the Spring of the Self, in an Age of the Self. Insufferably selfish, we-have-all-the-answers, down-with-the-old-and-up-with-the-new political movement with a million-headed hydra of individual fears, desires and hubris.
There are no real leaders because such leaders that they have follows the selfish self-centred whims and fancies of 'the people'. But they are not following the people, because the desires of the people are not the people themselves. But none understands this because the people sees their egos and themselves as one.
And that is the greatest tragedy in the Century of Self (which is coincidentally the title of this amazing BBC documentary. Just like the prose, the documentary is too long, 235 minutes. But worth every second, I think.).
May we all have a conscious day today, aware of ourselves and cautious of our ego, always.
And whispering into his ears these words of caution,
"Remember, you are only a man..."
...............................
See. Even those ancient Romans understood well the dangers of over-weening pride and hubris. It would have paid Mankind well if we remember and follow the advice of the slave. Because when we take stock of the recent century of human 'progress' there has been many times when a little humility and humanity would have gone a long way in avoiding the pitfalls and cons of our less than perfect achievements. After all...
Triumphalism of Man
The Triumphalism of Architecture
Herald in the era of concrete monstrosity,
The Triumphalism of Brotherly Fraternity
Herald in the era of tyranny by the many,
The Triumphalism of Medicine
Herald in the era of over-drugged citizenry,
The Triumphalism of Psychology
Herald in the era of newer types of insanity,
The Triumphalism of Physics
Herald in the era of the Atom Bomb,
The Triumphalism of Modern Technology
Herald in the era of remote murders and killings,
The Triumphalism of Agro and Bio sciences
Herald in the era of global pharma-food companies,
The Triumphalism of Capitalism
Herald in the era of ostentatious consumerism,
The Triumphalism of Political Clerics
Herald in the era of the 'Islamic' republics,
The Triumphalism of Finance and the Economics
Herald in the era of thieves, blackmailers and sociopaths
Dressed in well-tailored suits and good intentions.
And lastly, the Triumphalism of the Information Age
Herald in the era of ignorance, anarchy and hate,
.................................
I am not against progress, but like all things in this world, anything can be exaggerated and abused, until its end product becomes a corruption of the original intent.
We all have a slave, just like the mighty Roman commanders, standing behind us, ever whispering into our soul... 'Remember, you are only a man...' It is called our conscience.
And it is the best among us, who turns around to the slave, and says... 'No, you stand in front. Where you lead, I shall follow.'
A True Story. Joseph (my friend) was tending sheep and goats under the care of his master. One late night, Joseph was caught by the night watchmen of the city in possession of contraband (Hashish). Early morning at 1.00 am the master arrived at the city hall to post bail and got Joseph out. The master said not one word in anger or condemnation through the quiet drive home.
After a restless night of guilty contemplation, Joseph woke up and the day's chore of tending to the animals began as any other ordinary day. He met the master at the goat house and they started to clear and clean the feed trough. Finally, unable to bear his emotions, Joseph blurted out, "You know, I am really sorry about what happen last night!"
The master paused in mid-scoop, straightened his back and turned to Joseph. Then he said, "There is nothing to be sorry about. Today is a new day, yesterday was yesterday and tomorrow will be tomorrow. Let us leave what happened yesterday to yesterday." He then smiled and returned to his labour.
I wonder how people get away from judging other people, especially when circumstances makes it so natural for us to judge! But I guess that is difference between me and Joseph's master. It is not natural to him because he has not permitted his ego to be his natural state.
God bless him. God bless Joseph. And God bless you, sunshine.
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