WE WANT TO BE NIGHTINGALES, SO WHY DO WE CROW? ... contemplation of a spiritual amoeba.

The Nightingale in the Night

Sing to the Lord, about the Lord,

Sing to the Lord, about His Prophet, 

That is enough for you and me,

To be nightingales singing in the night,

Whether alone or in

A happy company... 

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

There is good and bad in the social network. But sometimes I feel like giving up the ghost in Facebook. Were it not for like-hearted souls, long would I have abandoned FB.

Crowing. Sometimes we are more like crows than nightingales. All too often I read public comments in postings and tweets, about some celebrity or public personality, changing their lifestyle, changing their dressing, growing a beard and now wearing a hijab (for women that is, he he he). "Good... good!" People are saying, "Good! Finally, he/she has received the inspiration..." I guess such comments are sincere but I cannot but taste a little bit of crowing in the comments. A little bit of 'Ah, I told you so!" in the tone. Because you see, if these are the thoughts that we entertain, then how are we not at least a trifle patronising or condescending? 

What do we know of the trials and tribulations that another soul faces? What do we truly know of their strengths and weaknesses? 

Sadly it is too common that in our commentaries we disclose our prejudices and hidden pride. So quick to claim our rightness, not directly, but by insinuations and innuendoes. 

I am sure that I myself have revealed many of my own biases and prejudices. But I am just taking baby steps... so when I falter, help me, sunshine! Pray for this spiritual amoeba!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

-Notrumi Embun, 11th June 2014.

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

God Willing and Chinese Gold - a little Malay habit and investing in gold to hedge against inflation

Malay Boy

GodWilling

I have a plan to write this,

But God knows if I will finish this,

I have a plan to return to the office,

But God knows if I will get back,

I plan to have a nap now,

But God knows if I ever will,

Each breath I take,

Each glance I give,

Each smile that is drawn,

Each whimsical thought

That crosses the plain of my mind,

Albeit even for the briefest moment,

Is just my plan, and nothing more

Not when everything that happens,

And everything that does not happen,

Happens or doesn't happen

As God's Wills it.

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

InsyaAllah (Godwilling) is a commonly used phrase by the Malays. We use it sincerely and also less sincerely when the occasion requires. Like when an excitable friend wants you to join their multi-level marketing scheme. So you will hear politely and reply, "Of course, I will come over to your weekly meeting this Saturday, Godwilling!" He he he. You see, us Malays sometimes find it very hard to say no. 

And unfortunately, our mind is not quick enough to scramble around for an excuse to avoid the dreaded appointment. So we say, InsyaAllah! What the excitable friend doesn't hear is our secret prayer to God - "InsyaAllah, over my dead body...".

Golden Ponzi Schemes. I guess there is a purpose in an economy for genuine multi-level marketing schemes. But there are also other less-than-kosher 'business' such as the Ponzi schemes. Presently the flavour going around locally is based upon gold investments. Investing in gold is perfectly fine (indeed I would encourage it as a hedge against the volatility and inflationary nature of fiat paper money), but if you do not get your gold almost immediately, then something smells fishy. Personally I do not encourage the purchase of gold certificates which entitles you to a certain weight of gold. If you want to buy gold, then get physical possession of it. 

Where is the Chinese Gold? An interesting story is making its round among the goldbugs in the social media and newsites. Although China (as in the People's Republic) is one of the largest producer of gold, gold officials of the HSBC (the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) as one of the global conduits of the gold trade have not seen a single gold bullion marking it as originating from China. Conclusion - the Chinese are keeping their gold to themselves as a hedge against the possible collapse of the trillion dollars of U.S. government bonds that the Chinese have purchased.

The Chinese have a long memory, you know.

Something to think about this Sabbath, sunshine. God bless you always. 

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way 

Change, Jihad-ul Akbar, and the Dream that Lasts Forever

We are living in too much fear. We open the newspapers and what do we find? People are protesting and dying all over the world, the price of oil is going up, international bankers are lending to each other to prop up the price propaganda of the equity and debt markets, movie stars betraying each other and going to jail, floods, earthquakes, landslides and typhoons destroying lives and property, the unemployment rates are rising, riots in cities, wars and civil unrests, terrorists are everywhere, analysts forecast a weaker global economy, recession, double dip recession, institutionalised and ad-hoc corruption, and there is not even a good program on tv.

Inter spaced between these bad news are advertisements quietly unsettling your contentment - I already have a pair of shoes. But there is a new style/colour out. Buy! Buy! Buy! I already have a handphone, But now there is one that can talk back to me. Buy! Buy! Buy! I already have a car. But now there is a better model and it looks awesome. Buy! Buy! Buy!

Squeezed between the fear generated by both mainstream/alternate media and the discontentment which is the product of consumerism's marketing, I am really surprised as to the number of sane people I come across every day. Sensible, thoughtful and prudent. It is from them that I take my lessons of life and not from the news organisation nor the marketers of dreams with expiry dates. For I want my dreams to last forever.

While we can opt out of the mainstream media and surf the internet for alternative points of view, it is not good enough. For even alternative news sites have their agendas. Change is an organic thing, like quitting smoking, better diet, and more exercise. And change is a fundamentally spiritually thing, like praying and fasting, doing charity work, dzikr (remembrance of God) and salawat (praising the Prophet) and just being nice to everyone. We have to stop blaming other people for the troubles of this world and start changing ourselves. This is the Jihad-ul Akbar, the Great(est) Struggle. It sounds holy fancy and operatic, but the truth is, success in the Great Struggle is built upon small personal changes.

Go on... try to make that change. The operative word here being 'try', because after all, if it was easy it would not be called a struggle. God will not judge you for failing, He will love you for trying. Have a beautiful day, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Hackers, Reverse-Anonymity and Bragging Rights - A Study of the Recent Denial-of-Service attack on Govt Sites from the Perspectives of the Human Ego

This was the headlines in our local newspaper, The Sun on 21st June 2011. For you see, a group of hackers had recently launched a cyber attack on the Malaysian Government sites.

Yesterday, 23rd June 2011, another local newspaper, The Star had this report…

“A hacker group known as Anonymous had threatened the government websites and on June 16, the sites were hit by a distributed denial-of-service attack, causing them to crash.
Some 200 websites, both government and others, were affected.
Since then, another threat has been posted online and this time the website of the Prime Minister's Office is the target”

And it was also reported that the government had taken steps to ensure that its sites would be "resilient to any kind of cyber attacks, even if the attack is announced in advance or a surprise attack."

Hmm. I am just thinking...

Firstly, the objectives of the hackers are never clear. And their real motivation is a secret known only to themselves. Ironically calling themselves ‘Anonymous’, they can be anyone and organized by any person. They work in the peripherals of the cyberworld. But I fear that they are not afraid of losing their anonymity. Like other reactionary subcultures(and let’s face it - men generally), hackers often thrive on publicity and ‘street’ credibility - the much sought bragging rights and being part of a gang. The alternative, being a mundane and anonymous is arsenic to the ego…

190. Mundane
The thought of finding pleasure in the mundane,
The thought that you might be mundane,
Is almost too much for your ego to bear.

In a world where everyone craves a name,
Anonymity is arsenic.


When you have been attacked by hackers, especially on an ostensibly political / ideological reasons, then you react publicly saying, “Oh yeah?! Try that again if you dare!” Well, aren’t you waving a red flag at the bull?

This reminds me of an old prose…

185. Poor Company
The wounded ego and the gloating ego
Make a terrible pair at your dinner table,
All they do is talk about themselves
Unaware you are even there.

I do not know if the hackers will take the bait. But no doubt, even if they don’t bite now, they will keep the cyber challenge in the back of their mind, waiting, at any moment in the near or far future to test their skills against the Malaysian government claims of invulnerability.


Dear Hackers… Well, maybe you have leveled whatever you are doing with your conscience. Maybe there is very strong reasons which impel you to hack the Government websites. But really, why bother? And that 'V for Vendetta' facemask? You must really design your own logo if you want to impress me with your anarchist credentials.

Dear Cyber Security dudes… I am not suggesting you should ignore the threat. Indeed as the security custodian of the websites you should enhance your security system. But to respond publicly in this way… I think you are just walking into another fight. And for the hackers, they live by this single proven belief – What is made by man, can be unmade by man. And they are right. No matter how amazing is your multi layer defenses, no matter how perfect your secured zones, false trails and digital firewalls may be, it will never last.

That is the reality of things. And as always, people forget about the powerful influence that the ego has, and do not bother to address the problem from the ego perspective. So we fall into the ego vs ego trap, and we waste our time fighting an unnecessary battle.

Who says you cannot apply the ego-soul study in mysticism into real life events? This is so, because often man’s action confounds common sense. Don’t you see?

Have a thoughtful day, sunshine.

Pax Taufiqa.

Let the Mounts of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse Starve. Facing the One True Conspiracy - The Human Ego

Quite a few people bump into this almanac because they googled up ‘sword ali zulfiqar’. And it is good because the Muslims (and non-Muslims, come to think about it) should always learn more about Muslim lore. There are also quite a few hits arising from search words like ‘dajjal’, ‘antichrist’, ‘Obama’ and of course, the inevitable favourite - ‘jihad’.

CONSPIRACIES. This obsession however, with the so-called conspiracies and grand designs of 'the Bad Guys' in coming to the end of time is worrying. Simply because a large chunk of what is out here in the worldwideweb is rubbish. The internet casts the illusion of knowledge. It builds a façade of information in the absence of real life experience. Like the television, and religion to a big segment of humanity, the cyberworld has become an opium of the masses. A disinformation superhighway, and the car crashes and wrecks are piling up, my friends.

THE HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE. If you want to look for anti-Christian sites, they are all here. If you want to drown in a sea of hate for the Muslims, they are here. If you desire to read about the anti-Israeli sites, you need only press a button. If you want to bask in the glory of your faith, ideology or country – it is all here, splendid in their sanctimonious and arrogant postures. Hate, fear, despair, envy and hubris – all these Horsemen of the Apocalypse, they are all here. And the tragic thing is these websites or Facebook pages all portray themselves as being the saviour. The warner. The superhero that is warning humanity of the impending doom and how the problem is never ever ‘us’ but always ‘them’ and ‘the others’. THE EGO. Things never change. From the year dot, mankind has been troubled by the most cunning and wily adversary. And no, I am not talking about Azazil the Accursed (you can call him Satan or Bezelbub or Iblis or Mephisto). My prying mind is addressing that thing which all of mankind carries in their pocket. Our ego. And I do not wish to talk to your ego. I wish to talk to you. Can you tell the difference?

192. An Egologue II
Ego! These words are not for you.
They are meant for that poor fool
You have bound and trampled
Under your cloven hooves.

THE ENEMY OF ALL. It is through the human ego that the very worst of our nature arises. Ego is the fodder that fuels the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It is from the ego that all our hate, fear, despair, envy and hubris manifests itself – in all things. Each second of the day, each moment of your life is an ego-moment, unless you are rightly guided and have the conviction of your conscience to overcome it. Even in Sufism, even in your highest aspiration to goodness and servanthood to God, whether you are a Hindu priest, a Jewish Rabbi or a Christian Pastor – your ego will seek to misguide you. For a Muslim, especially those dutiful aspirants of the Tariqah order, shelter under the protection of the Master is no guarantee of safety from the ego.

13. Beware
Even the ego
Will love the Shaykh,
But for its own
Selfish reasons.

THE CUNNING OF THE EGO. It is easy for us to grasp upon the big conspiracies to validate our smallness in the face of the vast cosmos. The bigger the Masonic conspiracy, the bigger the Illuminati plans, the bigger our egos grow to meet our so-called enemies. Such is the delicate test which this life has to offer us. Even when we think we are learning, when we are acquiring knowledge, we are in truth only feeding the human ego – whose appetite has no limits. For the Masters of the Tariqah, what is more important? Is it the so-called devious establishment of the New World Order? Or is it about how you brush your teeth or button up your shirt? You will be surprised by the answer.

THE HUMAN CONSCIENCE. The only hope that mankind has rests within them too, it is the human conscience. Just like the ego. But our ego, encouraged by the what’s-in-it-for-me generation and mass consumerism has grown to such proportions that we have become confused where we begin and our egos end. Instead of our ego being submissive to our conscience, it is our conscience that has adapted to fight a guerrilla war against our dominant ego. But thank God – the Conscience is winning. Indeed, the Conscience must win. Otherwise, the future will be black for our children and grandchildren.

157. Dear Man-Ego
You think you are on your own,
You think you will have it all your way.
But your soul, your secret name
That common man call conscience,
Is already planning his next trespass.

So do not be fooled, sunshine. Do not take part in the mass hysteria of despair, crusade and jihad which is being fanned by the extreme religious and economic zealots on one hand, and the mass media on the other hand. It is all lies. It is all a pack of lies.

Today, the Sun is still shining. And I have just sent my son to school. Shortly I will be going to work. And it is my prayer, that I will be guided in all that I do by my conscience. For this is what my Prophet Muhammad is teaching. Religion of the Conscience, of which Love is the Highest Law.
LET THEIR HORSES STARVE. I offer my hand, though it is sinful. I offer my eyes, though it has seen many bad things. I offer my heart though it is unpolished, to you. You must make a difference in this world. You are the hope on which all Creation rests. So do good in the name of Love, God, Beauty, and in the very best etiquette of Servanthood. Even if it is simply brushing your teeth or buttoning up your shirt. Your ego will hate you for being concerned and taking pleasure in such mundane things. And that is the best way to take away the fodder from the black stallions of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Let them starve, I say.

Have a conscionable day, pet.

Pax Taufiqa.

The Information Tsunami Part 2 - Between Kings & Eunachs

WE ARE ALL KINGS? The Information Tsunami is threatening to turn everyone with a computer, blackberry or iPad into Kings. In the ancient times before the electric socket, the only person in the kingdom receiving information about everything that happens in the land is the King. It is his privilege to listen to the good news brought to him by his advisors and courtiers, and it is his burden to listen to all the bad news communicated into the royal ear. Having heard all these, he had to come up with a plan to remedy whatever problems that may be faced by his subjects. It’s not easy but it’s his job. Born unto the throne.

THE INFORMATION TSUNAMI. With the information superhighway now coming into your bedroom and pocket, we too are priviliged like kings to receive information which probably has no direct bearing whatsoever to our daily lives. And we get them from the entire world. So we commiserate with parents of the Chilean miners when they were stuck under ground, we watched as cars, buildings and boats get swept inland in Japan, and we shake our heads in disgusts at mindless acts of savagery against women and children all over the globe.

FLOOD OF BAD NEWS. Oh yes, there are a few ‘happy’ endings out there, but it is the unfortunate habit of the mass media to highlight what titillates, disgusts or horrifies us. I guess the mantra for the news network is ‘If they want happy endings they can watch the Disney Channel’. This invasion of bad news comes in daily, and just as we are moping up the debris of the Tsunami from our mind, another earthquake, another volcanic explosion, or another serial murder occurs somewhere and is tweeted into our iPhone…

ACTUALLY, WE ARE ALL LIKE EUNACHS. Yes, this is true. Because Kings actually have the power to do something about the problems they hear. We don’t. Not really. We are just like eunachs of the Forbidden City – ergo, we have the responsibility but not the power. Yes, I am sure we can donate some money to the Tsunami Fund, and undoubtedly we can pack up our things and head of to Acheh / Japan / Ivory Coast to do some good, but how many of us can actually do it?

So we become distracted by tragedies on the other side of the planet, while next door, the little old lady living on her own is miserable. We complain about government brutality in other countries, but we stand by and ignore the brutality of our own governments. If we become this way, acting like kings, who has the time now for servanthood? The Prophet Muhammad prophesied this…

194. The Brethren

When buildings stand tall as mountains,

Where stand all my brethren? When all men are kings,

Who will be servants?

ALL TRUE KINGS ARE TRUSTEES. There are many, many good ways we can harness the Information Tsunami. Of this I am sure. Like all asset, we simply have to put it to good use, that’s all - Because not all Kings were corrupt, degenerate and brutal, in truth, all true Kings are trustees…

5. Put to Use

Property is to be put to use,

Not left to your ego

To gloat over. Fear not poverty,

For it is mine to dispense

To whomever I please.,

And will you be

One of those displeased

With what I have given? You are but trustees,

But you act like kings. Nay, worse than kings.

For all true Kings are trustees. .

May you be a fine trustee, sunshine. And may we learn the true art of servanthood and trusteeship from the best of servants and trustees – to learn how to make the change first and last only to ourselves, for the benefit of our family, friends and neighbourhood.

Pax Taufiqa.