Entrapment by Love is the Sweetest Servitude - Umrah Pilgrimage Part 4

I arrived late (what’s new?) at the Tabung Haji (The Malaysian Haj Fund) Complex for my short seminar on the manners and guide to performing the Umrah (lesser pilgrimage). There was a 15 minutes recess and I left the compound for a nicotine break.

I made way to a small park across the road, and there was an event. It appears that the local community organized a sepak takraw event. From the crowd, I can see that most of the participants were the local boys. They were all sitting and listening to the pre-game talk by a motivational speaker.

The speaker must be in his late 40s or early 50s. In the beginning he talked about Japan, but not about the tsunami, rather the people. He has previously volunteered in disaster areas like Acheh and Pakistan. He recounted how the aid volunteers sometimes had to flee from the mass of desperate refugees when they arrived at the camps bearing food and medical supplies. Hungry, battered and angry, people simply forget themselves and their everyday manners. Clamoring for aid, the situation often deteriorated into a free-for-all. No wonder the police and army had to be on hand to keep chaos at bay.

“How different it was for the Japanese”, he recounted. "The Japanese, instead of falling into a melee, queued orderly and when it is his turn, the man would tell the aid worker his name and current predicament, then asks, 'Am I entitled to the medicine?'" In the super-high stress conditions of post-tsunami, the traditional Japanese way of respect and politeness are, you must admit, truly praiseworthy.

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Coming back to the main topic, the speaker continued to say that it is important for you to be disciplined. To wake up early and catch the morning sun. To work and play according to what is beneficial. “There is a good way to have fun. There is a good way to lepak (relax) or play sports.” Then he continued. “All these are not forbidden. But you must find a way how to do these things beneficially.”

The last thing which he touched on was one that is dear to me. He spoke of the Prophet. Obviously he left the best for last. He spoke how in the final moments of the Prophet’s passing, Muhammad Habibullah counseled his nation never to forget solat (prayers). Then the speaker said these words, “Upon the last instance when God’s Beloved breathed his last on earth, what did he utter, and what or whom was his last thoughts? Was it about his favourite camel? Was it about Aisha, his beautiful wife? Was it about his Mosque in Medina? Was it about his daughter, Fatima az-Zahra? Nooo… my friends! He was thinking about you, you and you! You, you and you! All of us here right up to the end of time. He said ‘umati, umati, umati’ (oh my people, my people, my people).”

SIGH.

Entrapment by Love is the sweetest servitude. I try to run from one congregation, and another ambushes me in the park. I have no where to run. Maybe I don't wanna run...

66. Love That Has No Reasons
Ya WADUD!
Lock my heart in love for Thee
With love that has no reasons
So my mind can never sway me
With words all wise but treason.

Lock my heart in love for Thee
With love that has no seasons
So neither snow nor sun in spring
Will steal me from my Loving King.

Lock my heart in love for Thee
And chain me to Your Ocean
Throw away the prison key
And take away my freedom.

Lock my heart in love for Thee
And make my soul Your Garden
Plant in me Your Jasmine Tree
With roots that reach Your Ocean.

Lock my heart in love for Thee
With love to awe this heathen
Make AHAD my beating heart
And make Ahmad my passion.

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Have a wonderful Sabbath, pet. This morning I said that I feel the Love. Now I do not see anything but Love. I know this vision shall not last forever, but I don’t care. I am happy.

Pax Taufiqa.

Footnote: The poem above has been posted earlier. But it just suits this posting, so I hope you don’t mind.

Japanese Tsunami, Democratic Tsunami, Education & the Informed Voter

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DEMOCRACY. You may notice from my previous postings (Click Here) that I am not an unconditional admirer of democracy. Democracy, like any system by which you run your country, and indeed your life, is subject to the quality and integrity of the operators of the system.

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COMMUNISM AND OTHER RELIGION. After all, if you were to read the Constitution of the former Soviet Union, the freedom of religion is protected in the document. But that didn't stop the government oppression of all religious practices in the country, especially the Russian Orthodox Church, and Islam in the Central Asian states (you know, all those '...stans').

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ISLAM & OTHER RELIGION. It is also my belief that Islam respects and accepts the mix of religions of this world which venerate our One Single God. This 'Unity of Religion' is mentioned by Mawlana Abul Kalam Azad in his brilliant book (Click Here), and here too he finds it strange why such an integral and core belief of the Prophet has been intentionally or unwittingly ignored or even suppressed. This is the unfortunate result of a disconnect between the faith and those who practise it. This human illness is a common disease in all forms of belief systems.

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THE DEMOCRATIC TSUNAMI. Unless you have been sitting under a coconut shell like a frog, you will know of the tidal wave of democractic protests crashing into the countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The media calls the demonstrations and rallies as an expresson of pro-democratic movements. And I guess they are right in the sense that people are fighting for some pretty basic demoractic rights from rulers who have perhaps been in power waaay too long. But the question is what plans do they have once they have toppled their autocratic leaders? This crucial issue must be resolved by the people. If they don't do it, two things may happen - the country will descend into further chaos OR someone else will decide for them. They need a plan.

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This is not a plan.

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THE PLAN? We have been hearing almost nothing about the specific ideas and objectives of these pro-democracy movements. In fact, there appears to be no clear leadership. And that is worrying..

THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION. In whatever system you choose for your country, there must be some process or tradition by which people are educated. Because, lets face it, voting is a highly emotive choice and such decision-making must be made in context of long-term benefits for the country, a healthy knowledge of the origin and history of its people, a respect for the often conflicting interests of different communities, races and religion, and a broad if not specific understanding of technology and sciences, geo-politics and the economy. You are not born with this information already downloaded in your brain. This basic general knowledge must be learnt. And a liberal advance tradition of education is the key to make what I call the Informed Voter...

The devastating wave

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JAPANESE TSUNAMI. I am not a card-carrying Nipponophile (is there such a word?). But we must accept that these Japanese have arisen like the phoenix from the traumatic years and ashes of World War II. There are much in the habits and traditions of the Japanese that deserves to be applauded and emulated. And I believe that the Japanese in their calm and canny ability to sort our problems will be able to save the most lives, compared to many other countries around the world. To put it simply, their high quality education system will bear fruit in these times of national tragedy and emergency, when everyone needs to now to roll up their sleeves and get digging.

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Saved! Ya Huuuu!

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HIGH QUALITY EDUCATION is the seed for any human enterprise, whether it is voting for the mayor of your town, planning to topple a dictator, saving people stuck on rooftops or trying to figure out how to repair a broken nuclear reactor.

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Thank you for reading my blog today, sunshine. May we all learn something new every day till the day we finally graduate from the University of Life. And may the Chancellor-God Almighty be pleased with our performance. Amen!

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Pax Taufiqa

God is the Anticipation of All that is Beautiful, Good and Wonderous!

36. Soul’s Winter
O’ ye who have strayed and lost thyself!
God has plucked the Good in thee
And deposited it into the care of another.
If thee wishes to find it,
Look for a man in whose heart enters no winter.

With him shall thou recall
The gentler seasons and good
That is in us all.
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EVERYBODY DESERVES A MASTER. The above poem, from the chapter 2 entitled 'the Dam.Munir.Ana' was written 7 years ago. It is not talking just about any person, but about a spiritual master. Before I fell into the rabbit-hole that is mysticism, I was taught that Islam is easy, and that by my own rationality I would be able to be a good Muslim.

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ISLAM IS EASY but human beings are complex (and often confused) creatures. How will I ever be a good Muslim if I am not a good human being to begin with? We have to start somewhere, and where else could we start but with our own selves. Who we are, what we are, and how we relate to other people and ultimately our Creator. Directly or indirectly, I found this inquiry answered by the Master and the Masters, who are able to stand apart from me and tell me, "O' Taufiq, this is what you are!" Then they would continue, "You can be so much better!"

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I HAVE NOT CHANGED ONE BIT. GOD HAS. More than a decade on, have I changed at all? No, I am still me... the despicable sinner. But God? Ahh... God, He has changed in my eyes - what I thought I knew, how little did I know... and now I know absolutely nothing of Him! Every day He is a Wonderous Sight, Unseen but Felt. So I can never say what God truly is presently save that God is the Anticipation of All that is Beautiful, Good and Wonderous. That has changed for me, but not me. And that is the best lesson that the Masters have taught (so far). Ya Huuuu!

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Have a lovely Sunday, sunshine. May God save the Japanese. And speed the rescue of the living and grace for those who have already return unto Him. Amen.

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Pax Taufiqa

Japanese Tsunami and the Apparent Arbitrariness of Life

TWEETER : TSUNAMI IN JAPAN. In Malaysia, thousands of twitters expressing support, condolences and prayers for the Japanese people shot into the cyberspace, within minutes of the news of the tsunami went online. And across the globe, I am sure millions of tweets shared the same feeling of empathy and worry. With about 4,000 Malaysians registered with our embassy in Tokyo, there are probably now hundreds or perhaps thousands of families here, still worrying about their relatives or friends still as yet uncontactable. The main problem is that it is currently the universities semester break in Japan now. So some students and their families are out of town, possibly in other prefectures. In such stressful circumstances the tweets of sympathy keeps me faithful in the inate goodness of mankind.

But some tweets are also saying that the Tsunami is an Act of God.

ARBITRARY GOD? What are they suggesting when they tweet such words? Are they suggesting that God is arbitrary and He doesn’t care at all how many people die and suffer in every natural tragedy that has struck mankind? I cannot accept that.

GOD'S JUDGMENT? Or are they implying that for some reason, the people pummeled by the waves somehow deserves it? A holy judgment enforced by sea water? It is not God that is judging.. it is them. So that too I cannot accept.

I too find myself pondering over why some countries appear to be hit again and again by nature while climates in other countries are relatively docile.

I guess I cannot stop people from saying it is an act of God, since really nothing happens without the Will of God. I actually object the context in which it was said / tweeted. For me, in reference to God’s Will… only those actually involved in rescuing and consoling the victims can say such words…

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It is the Will of God that it happened.
It is also the Will of God that I am here.
Let me help you.

For the rest of mankind who are not directly involved in the emergency efforts - We should just pray to the Almighty for the succor and rescue of the Japanese people in this tsunami and hold back all other unnecessary comments.

May God save the Japanese people.

Pax Taufiqa.