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

There is no Prefixes to the word 'Muslim' - a journey in the meaning of words...

Are You a Muslim?

Who are you to say I am a Muslim?

Who am I to say I am a Muslim?

I want such declaration to come from

No one but Hu, no one but Hu, no one but Hu...

If you meet my soul, perhaps you may believe him,

But I want to hear it from Hu Himself, from Hu Himself, from Hu Himself...

I find it most amusing to hear people speak,

"Oh... I am Muslim!" and "Oh... he is not a Muslim!"

When the light of their knowledge is barely a flicker

In the cosmic chasm of their manners,

Go on... name your country Islamic!

Name your company Islamic!

Name your trade and your title Islamic!

Name your book Islamic...

For Allah Almighty loves a challenge!

Oh Lord! I am cowering in my sickness,

I am hiding in a mousehole in the plain of my soul,

For I am not worthy to be there, to be here, to be anywhere

Where the where is without You!

Oh Allah the Just! Oh Allah the Wise!

You have given humanity Islam,

And now they think they deserve Islam!?

I am prepared to laugh now,

But all I do every day is cry

And I don't even know why...

Oh God

I don't even know why...

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

Well, I know that I am a sinner.
Let us start from there.

There is no prefixes to 'Muslim'. In the dictionary of life that I often leaf through there is no word or phrase such as an Islamist. Or modern Muslim. Or progressive / liberal Muslim. Or a fundamentalist Muslim. Or a political Muslim. Or a traditional Muslim. And certainly no reformist Muslim, no neo-Muslim, no revolutionary Muslim, no conservative Muslim, no lipstick Muslim, no secular Muslim and no hardcore Muslim. To the word 'Muslim' there is no prefixes to redefine the meaning of a Muslim. A Muslim is simply a Muslim.

Right. Moving on...

Am I a Muslim? Muslim is a noun, as in a Muslim. But it is also an adjective in the sense that it describes the 'Muslim' as a human being professing to practice the religion of Islam. And that is where most people stop. And in the name of Allah, the Most Nuanced One, the Most Subtle in His ways, I rather think it is a woefully inadequate meaning to give to the word Muslim.

For to say, "I am a Muslim" is to actually mean, "I am undertaking a journey which began even before I was born and one that shall continue after I have passed on. And it is a journey of self-discovery, through which I hope to find the meaning of God as how God intended me to understand Him. And I cannot say with any certainty at which point of the journey towards Muslimhood I am at, only that with each step I find myself sadly inept and negligent and am barely able to carry the little knowledge that I have of myself, and therefore, of God Himself. It is a journey whose caravan head is none other than the Master himself, Saydeena Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), in train with his Companions and the Saints. The light shines somewhere in the far distant, and I can hear the music in their voices, laughter and weary tears. I can smell the perfume of their presence though they have longed died (as far as we understand what life and death mean). My ragged soul, much tested and found to be wanting by this world's trials and tribulations, is glowing not with my own piety, not my own poor facsimile of faith, but with the reflected glorious spirit of my ancestors who came before me, and my descendants who shall soon come after me. I am unfit to be called a Muslim. I am a soul set adrift in the Sea of Temptation and am still searching for my true harbour. Once I am there, only then I will know that I am a Muslim, if it pleases my God to welcome me home."

It is Friday, sunshine. With the rising Sun comes a rising contemplation of who I am ...of who we all are.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

What is in a name? ar-Rahman, ar-Rahim and err..... Papa.

Fathers get to experiment on their children. 

What is in a name? My name is Taufiq. It appears that I was named after an Indonesian singer-song writer. So I did not actually choose my name.

Call me Papa. But when Mikhail was about to be born, I chose how I would like him to call me. I chose 'Papa' because to me (at least) it is the gentlest way to call me as a father and one that would most illicit an affectionate and patient response. For I know myself - and being patient and keeping my temper is the hardest thing for me sometimes.

Now my son is at that stage in his life when it is all 'Papa this...' and 'Papa that...' to him. So one evening on the way home from dinner I wanted to test him again (I have done this earlier, see 'Mikhail & Papa-ism..'). I must take some secret delight in mentally torturing my son. So I told him that he must try not to say 'Papa' for the 3 minutes drive home. He agreed and the gauntlet was thrown.

Unlike the last time, on this occasion Mika succeeded! But he only won the bet because he absolutely refused to say anything, refusing to respond to my attempts to tease out some words out of him. He was literally squirming on the car seat, as if running out of breath. He appeared to me as an 8 year old boy that is about to explode. So I took the long route home, accidentally missing a turning. "Arrrgh! You missed our street!" screamed my son.

But at the end of the challenge, Mika won as we finally arrived home. As he jaunted in, clearly pleased with himself, he said, "I have created another name for you, 'Double Pa'!"

Divine Names. Like many things that I experience with my son, this reminds me of God. In Islam, God invited the believers to call on Him 24/7, and to do so by calling Him with His Beautiful Names, especially Names like ar-Rahman (Most Compassionate) and ar-Rahim (Most Merciful)... names that call unto God's infinite attributes for compassion, mercy, love, intimacy and affection. And unlike me, God doesn't illicit any enjoyment in seeing us squirm in life, purposely delaying the long-sought union in His Divine Presence. We will all return home to Him and His Beloved Muhammad (pbuh), at the exact time appointed by Him, not a second too soon nor a second too late.  

Thank God that I am just me. And that God is God.

I like this thought. I will bring this to sleep tonight. Take care, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The Insane, the Liar, the Stupid, the Rich, the Dull and the Sinner - this is you, this is me, this is all of us...

The Insane, the Liar, the Stupid, the Rich, the Dull and the Sinner.

A crazy man came to me

And wanted to be my friend,

For the longest time I said no

Until one day I accepted him.

A liar and a crook approached me

And he said, “Please be my friend.”

I was worried for my wealth and property

So I said no. But as I grew older,

Of my riches I grew weary,

So finally I said, “Okay, come with me.”

Then I stumbled upon the stupidest man alive,

Such was his ignorance that I recoiled

At being associated with him, So when he said

“I like you. I want to be your friend.”

It was easy for me to say no.

But yet again, here I am now...

Friends with this stupid little fellow.

A rich man living in a rich palace

Once had dinner with me.

And he said, “You know,

You make a fine company,

Be friends with me!”

I deigned not to hear his questions,

Because the truth is that I cannot bear

Looking at his prosperous life

Compared to my daily poverty.

But dammit, I am tired of saying no

All the time... So this afternoon at

A quarter past two, I will be joining

Him for afternoon tea, and this time

It shall be me who will ask him, “
Look here, can I be friends with you?”

A boring little trader bored the pants of me

When one day I was stuck in a bus with him,

But before I got down at my stop he

Pushed his card into my hand and said,

“Call me, you are interesting!”

I only smiled wearily, relieved as I was

From of his dull company,

But weeks past and now I feel a little guilty,

So I am going to call him also and ask him over for tea.

But before I could reach the telephone,

The Master appeared before me,

And he said, “O’ Seeker! Long have I waited

And longer have I prayed for you, and now that

You have arrived at this spiritual station

Let us begin your real education!”

I was delighted and happy, and I asked

“O’ Master! Is it because I have deigned to befriended all these people -

The insane, the liar, the stupid, the rich and the dull?”

To which the Master said to me,

“Wrong, and let this be your first lesson –

I am here because you have finally

Befriended yourself.”

…………………………….

Me: Silly me.
Me: Yes... silly you.

This is the 1st day of September and the 1st day of the rest of your life, sunshine. Take a step forward in friendly grasp of your friend-for-life - your own self. Verily, 'tis better than being in a life long journey with an enemy!

Clown or sinner, with yourself be happy.

ya Huuu, alhamdulillah (God be praised).

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

I FELL FROM THE SKY. WHO AM I?

Who am I?

I am sitting and writing

Facing the Sunrise

As it bathed me in its

Gentle morning luster.

When I noticed on my laptop screen

The Morning Moon, peeking over my shoulder...

Thus it was between God and the Prophet,

Between Ahad and Ahmad

Did I find a consolation for

My wandering heart…

… I fell from the sky, you see

Countless years ago.

And I cannot say with certainty

What I was before.

… thus I walked out of the sea,

While proud Atlantis was sinking,

… thus I fished in Mother Nile,

While warlocks ruled over her kings.

And I saw the green man! The green man!

Who said, “You are not meant to see me,

But ah… I remember now. You are the one

That fell from the sky, the wandering heart,

Ever asking – who am I? Who am I?”

………………………………………………………

Willy (Shakespeare) got it right when he said that life was a stage and we are all actors. But I will go a step further and say that it is a rehearsal, or shall we call it an audition to be part of a show before the Divine Presence? Not surprisingly, most of us want to be the heroes or heroines. Nobody wants to be the villain of the piece. But as mankind are such fickle creatures we sometimes mix up our roles, and one moment you are Snow White and the next the Wicked Queen. On one day you may be playing the role of the wisest professor on campus, before becoming an old fool in love with his student.

All this is part of our journey, I guess, of self-discovery. Because you will not know your Lord if you do not know yourself. So we try all sorts of parts, hoping to find the role that best suits our character... For me, the greatest gift that God gives us, is that God has never pulled us aside during these 'live' auditions and whisper into our ears, "Look, son. Maybe the role of a human being is not for you. Why don't you try to be a rock, a tree perhaps or a butterfly..."

I have written quite a bit around Shaykh Raja Ashman
Shah (Ku Ash). Oh no. I never write of him, for I really
don't know him at all. One day, if God permit me,
I shall ask the Prophet. 
al-fatihah

But God has not. For some reason only known to God, He keeps on watching and listening as we fumble our lines and bump into the furniture. In a way, each day, as He sends us to sleep, He is assuring us, "Go on back, luvvie. Learn the lines better and we will try again tomorrow. And for goodness sake, try to find the best role you can carry..."

So don't worry too much if you are like that strange one who fell from the sky and who keeps on asking, "Who am I? Who am I?" Because even if God one day asks you, "Who are you?" You can still reply even if you do not know the answer... "I am whoever you say I am, o' Lord."

Have a beautiful day, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way.

The Iron Lady and the Water of our Soul - Movie Review, 8 out of 10

AN OSCAR! Well, kudos to Meryl Streep for her Oscar win recently. I viewed the Iron Lady over last weekend, and I think she nailed the portrayal of Margaret Thatcher spot on. I should know because over the past months I have been viewing hours upon hours of documentary about the First Woman Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. And I have read, and re-read John Campbell's biography of Maggie entitled Volume 1: The Grocer's Daughter and followed by Volume 2: The Iron Lady.

THE BEGINNING. Firstly, I think it is a pretty awesome movie, and it is hard to critic any part of Streep's performance as the dogged and determined Maggie. She was the first of the conservative brand of 'conviction politician', unafraid to face down the unions and topple any sacred cows inherited from the earlier brand of paternal conservatism. There was not much paternalism (or maternalism) coming with her victorious entry into No.10 Downing Street.

OVERVIEW. The movie covered all the major turning points in Maggie's political life. From her adoption as a candidate for Finchley as the pretty (but modest) uber frau. To her surprising victory over Edward Heath to take over leadership of the Tory party, and of course her General Election win to bring B&NE its first woman Prime Minister. The movie moved pretty fast to the Falklands War, the IRA bombing of the Brighton Hotel, the defeat of the striking coalminers, her external problems with Britain's European allies, the Poll Tax and finally, the successful conspiracy of 'the men in grey' to topple one of their strongest but most divisive Prime Minister in the Twentieth century.

Having watched numerous news items and documentary on British politics, and especially the Thatcher years, I find little to fault Streep's rendition of Margaret Thatcher. And if you think that Maggie was quite pretty, especially in her younger days, you are not wrong. 

Critique. I am not a fan of a lot of what Margaret Thatcher did. I certainly do not like her conversion to the Capitalism of Hayek and the Monetarism of Milton Friedman. I find both symbiotic ideologies repugnant and as a dogma they fail to address the humanist and social responsibility which binds us all together into a community. The assumptions about human nature made in these socio-economic theories are breathtakingly short-sighted. But then again, who am I to question her convictions? She did by her lights what she thought right for her country, fair enough.

I found the film's portrayal of her doddering old age, with the absence of her loyal husband, Denis, both sweet and touching. I like movies that show people to be human, vulnerable and weak. For no matter how much you may disagree with another person's views, we are still human beings in need of each other always. To feel, to empathize and to understand. I am giving this movie an 8 out of 10.

If you would like to know more about Thatcher's political history, you cannot do much better than watch these BBC documentaries; Portillo on Thatcher (Click Here) and Thatcher: The Downing Street Years (Click Here). They will flesh out some of the stories barely covered in the film due to time constraint.

But before I finally leave the Iron Lady with you, I would like to quote a line of Maggie's from the film, which I think would be an ornate gem in any Sufi tale. I will take this as a parting gift, a final caveat - be careful what we let into the well of our mind, less it spoil the waters of our soul...

Watch your thoughts, for they become words,

Watch your words, for they become actions,

Watch your actions, for they become habits,

Watch your habits, for they become your character,

And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

Have a thoughtful Sunday, sunshine.

Pax Taufiqa

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

NONE BUT ONE - mankind, our labels, pride and petty squabbles

They Say
They may say…
I am Westernized,
I am Orthodox,

Kiara Cemetery.

I am a Liberal,
I am a Libertine,

They may say…
I am a Fundamentalist,
I am a Progressive,
I am an Extremist,
I am a Moderate,

They may say…
I am political,
I am immoral,
I am a Mason,
I have no scruples,

They may say…
I am an Idealist,
I am a Socialist,
I am Spiritual,
I am a Realist,

They may say…
I am an Anarchist,
I am a Hedonist,
I am a Humanist,
I am a Pacifist.

They may say…
I am a Believer,
I am a Heretic,
I am an Innovator,
I am a fake.

They can call me by any name they want,
For that is their way...

The way of men and their labels,
Their pride and petty squabbles,
When their God is none but One.

When I hear people talk about defending the faith, upholding the spirit of the religion, protecting the sanctity of the scriptures, fighting back against the tide of hedonism and immorality... well, I turn to another TV channel.

Those godly people of religion always proclaim that God is One, that there is no god but God, One, True and Absolute. Now that is very wonderful, but when they imply (they always imply, they dare not say it) that God is their God and no one else's? Where does it leave us poor sinners and suckers, who are neither very pious, very good or very religious? The horde of humanity living smack in mid-town, Faithville?

God is God. Straight and simple. And He is God of both the Believers and Unbelievers. As a Believer, Sinner or Unbeliever, please don't take God away from me... I need Him as much as you do.

Have a thoughtful day, sunshine. We will stick together, yes?

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

My Bad, Your Good - finding happy answers about life, love and God

1. The nature of knowledge

All knowledge is contained

In the Ocean of the Lord,

And if perchance, I appear

To name different types of knowledge,

Know that it is merely because

I have taken a cup from the Ocean,

And man, in their foolishness,

Keep asking me,

“What are you talking about?!”

My Bad. The cloud of labels at the bottom right column has grown awfully untidy, don't you think? I really must do something about it, simplifying it to a few broad headings. But for the life of me I find it a troublesome chore. It is time-consuming enough to write and sketch, but to endure reading and organizing the postings and prose? You are of course, correct. I should have organised my method properly before I even began recording this almanac. My bad.

Your Good. If you intend to continue your visitation to this almanac, I can only assure you more of my bad. Bad poems, bad grammar, bad spelling, and generally bad, bad, bad all over the place. So you see, I am ever happy to have you here. Your goodness with my badness. And perhaps somewhere in between we shall find some happy answers about life, love and God.

8. Promise me

Oh Lord,

Let not the rivers run dry,

Let not the sea turn to cinder,

And the air to ash,

Let not the voices be silenced,

Let not the songs stand mute,

However fierce the questions,

However troubling the riddle,

We can only try.

But take not the voices and the songs

Away from me.

Have a lovely day, sunshine. You are my voices and songs.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Islam is Good. Too Good for Muslims...

9. Islam is Good

Islam is good.

Too good for Muslims,

They don’t deserve it.

...Thus rang an ancient denunciation. Someone shared this thought with me, a long, long time ago. Something to think about, o' ye Muslims. Is this true? Or is it a damn lie?

Well, I think it is 100% true. As a Divine Favour, what have we accomplished in our times to deserve it? However much we may try and strain the very fibre of our being, we shall never deserve the Gift of the Prophet Muhammad and His Religion. And I think that is fine, for to think otherwise would not make us good Muslims.

Have a wonderful day, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

I was born a Pristine Nothing, then I became Something - the path to egoism and back to servanthood

I was born a Pristine Nothing

I was born a pristine nothing,

Though my mother and father

Undoubtedly thought me

Quite a something.

God bless their

saintly souls!

But as I grew old

I began to disobey,

Refusing to listen

And simply following

My nasty little ways.

So day by day,

I began to accumulate

Labels and stickers

Upon my pristine nothing,

Till nothing was left of my nothing.

I became something,

Defined, labelled and named

By the stickers and labels

Of my own making.

I am to be blamed...

I am no more that pristine nothing

That my mother gave birth to,

Sadly, this is me,

The sinner, the something,

The fool that you see now

Standing before you.

Do not worry, sunshine. I guess the prose is a little sad, but when you think about it, the beginning of a journey requires a reason. And this is the reason - for me to scratch and peel away at all the ugly labels and stickers which I, by my own failings, have stuck onto my pristine nothing. This is after all the Sinners' Almanac.

I have not come across the mirror of servanthood, so I have not seen the reflection of my spiritual form. But I know without even needing to look, my friend. I know that my spiritual form, with all the labels and stickers now upon it, is misshapen, deformed with weird sharp edges, sharp enough to cut anyone who comes too close to me. Otherwise, how is it that I often hurt people who are close and who love me? A biting remark, a scathing look... I can do all that very well.

So this is me, sunshine. And this is where I stand. I know you are a beautiful soul. But do not judge me too kindly simply because I can weave a beautiful yarn about God, Prophet, Humanity, Love and Compassion. I need all the prayers you can offer me, and all the kind thoughts and encouragement you can spare. I shall never be able to repay you, but for any kindness you show to this sinner, your recompense shall be with God. And I do believe, in spite of all my weaknesses in my faith, that God is Most Generous and Most Rewarding.

'Tis Thursday, have a blessed day.

wa min Allah at-taufiq.

Al-Qaeda can shove it. Taliban can stuff it. Osama is a nutjob - Putting the Joy back in Jihad, Putting the Fun in Fana!

17. Putting the Fun in Fana
Do not blame us for feeling happy
Being at the side of our Saidi
Swimming we are, in a sea of manna
Leaving footprints, on the shore of fana.

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

(From Chapter 1, ‘The Dam.SunSun.Ana’) Fanaa (فناء) is the Sufi term for extinction. It means to annihilate the self, while remaining physically alive. Persons having entered this state are said to have no existence outside of, and be in complete unity with God. Fanaa is similar to the concepts of nirvana in Buddhism and Hinduism or moksha in Hinduism which also aim for annihilation of the self. Fanaa may be attained by constant meditation and by contemplation on the attributes of God, coupled with the denunciation of human attributes. (from Wikipedia - I do not agree entirely with this definition, but it's not too bad)

Some seven years ago, I wrote this poem. A happy, happy verse reflecting my happiness in finding a compass in my sea of doubt, a ranger to lead me through the witch’s forest, a friend, a guide, a Jedi Knight, a Saidi.

In March 17 2010, a friend published an article called ‘Putting the Joy back in Jihad’ in her blog. I found it to be some kind of wonderful. Do read it. I have mentioned Nun Tuck already in my previous postings. If I were to judge my religious convictions on whether I agree with the merits of her words, then I too am a Christian. But I am tired of labels and labeling.

While others use religion to stick labels on people, bloggers like Nun Tuck applies religion to peel away our prejudices of ‘the other people’. Only when you remove your misconceptions of other people, only then, will you be able to break through your own misconception of who you are. Once, you know what you are not, you are on your way to knowing who you really are, and hey, that’s only a wink away from knowing God. *Wink* *Wink* *Wink*

I hope that one day, I may be accepted as those who establish Lordly worship. I hope that one day, people will remember me and say, “Taufiq? He was neither here nor there, but how he loved the Prophet!” As for now? Now I am just a sinner.

But despite that, you are still my friend. I would say that God will thank you for befriending a sinner, but I know you. You are already happy befriending a sinner. You already know what others know not.

Have a goodish Tuesday, sunshine!

Pax Taufiqa.

Sufi Stories and AntiChrist, the One-Eyed King (Dajjal)

30. Caravan
Blessed is the journey, Love
Blessed is the companionship,
Had there been no separation,
How shall I ever know you?

Blessed is the birth, Love
Blessed is the kiss of death,
Had there been no promise of union,
How shall I ever know you?

We have traveled far, you and I,
Our caravan has fallen prey to bandits,
But you are still here with me,
And at night, beneath the Companion's stars
You hold me spellbound with your stories.

200. The Secluded Pond
To sleep, to sleep,
The sun curls beneath
A blanket of drifting clouds…

Come to me,
My Sleepy head!
And let me tell you
Of shooting stars,
And lazy streams,
Of the moon reflected
In a secluded pond,
And the willow trees
That line its bank.

Of minstrels
And storytellers
That gather there,
Talking and singing
Tales of an orphan
Born in the dunes
Of a Kingdom faraway.

Together,
They are weaving lore
Stronger than the mightiest
Towers of the one-eyed king.

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

Sufi stories and lore are all part of the journey. It is often written, but many are also oral traditions, passed on from one wanderer to another. The stories often say different things to you, depending on when and where you are. Sometimes the same account may even have two different endings. When I queried this, my brother simply said that both endings are true and real. Okaaay.

Sufi tales appear to achieve two distinct and seemingly divergent results (for me at least) – They make prophets and saints appear human and real, yet at the same time, the stories often carry transcendental divine meaning. Sufi tales are like drinking the Universe in a tea cup.

Often, these anectodes share many common parables with mystical stories from other religions like Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism.

I think I have had my fair share of Sufi and mystic stories, but I am hopeful for more in future. Some I expect to read in a book, while other oral tales are waiting to be told to me. Perhaps next time, the narrator will be you.

Sufi lore of Prophets, Saints, Angels and all creation are not whimsical add-ons to the mainstream core of religious teaching. What Sufis perform is essential, because like the poem concludes...

They are weaving lore
Stronger than the mightiest
Towers of the one-eyed king.

Have a good day, sunshine.

Pax Taufiqa

You are still trying to be something!

One day, a murid was traveling through Christian lands
with his Master when he saw a Muslim standing under a tree.
He gestured to the man and said to his Master,
"Look, Master. A Muslim!"

"No.", replied the Master, patiently.
"He is merely a something trying to be a human being.

Once he has succeeded in becoming a human being,
He can try to be a decent man.

And if he has achieved that, He may try to be a believer.

When he has attained that station, At last, he can then try to be a Muslim."

"Oh.", the boy said.

The two continued walking, until finally,
Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, the murid asked,
"And what about me, Master?"

"You, Taufiq? Why, you are none of the above.

You are still trying to be something."

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

Story is extracted from current and untitled chapter. By the way, I think I shouldn't sketch on rough paper anymore. Hehehe. Salams, and Happy Ramadan!

Labels Can Be Misleading

Islamic courses and Islamic rules,
Islamic books and Islamic schools,
Islamic shops and Islamic banks,
Islamic bombs and Islamic tanks.
This is what my Islam is made of.

Islamic shoes and Islamic sandals,
Islamic tales and Islamic fables,
Islamic labels and Islamic rebels,
Islamic banging on Islamic tables.
This is what my Islam is made of.

Islamic banner and Islamic country,
Islamic state and Islamic party,
Islamic bread with Islamic buns,
Islamic hate with Islamic guns.
This is what my Islam is made of.

O’ Lord, we are spreading the word of “Islam”,
We have succeeded where the caliphs have failed,
All and sundry we have labeled “Islam”,
So what was once the humble bucket,
Is now the Great Islamic Pail.

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

(No.65, from the 'Dam.SunSun.Ana')

When you use the name of a religion with adherents numbering more than 1.2 billion, I think it is only fair that your labeling is judged by the highest standards possible.

.

And if it is not your standards? Tough luck. Nobody is forcing you to use the label "Islam".