I owe God some money for late-return of His book. But I am not worried.

Borrowing The Book from The Lord’s Library

The rain came to ease the oppressive heat of the tropical sun,

But more cooling to me is Muhammad, created as Mercy to the Worlds,

Love came in the guise of a comely maiden and her inviting smile,

But more beloved to me is Muhammad, from whom I learn to love and to be loved,

The wind came to knock leaves of the trees and fall upon me like a heavenly curtain,

But more heavenly to me is Muhammad, the dictionary of Love from the Lord’s own library,

...And I am borrowing the book, and I do not care how much

The Lord will charge me for late-return,

For the truth is, o’ Lord…

I shall never return

The book!

……………………………………

ADAB. There is good manners (adab), and then there is GOOD MANNERS (ADAB). If you borrow something then come on... it is simple good manners that you must return it, whether it is money, a car, a camel, an umbrella, a house or case in point, someone's book.

WHEN CAN I HAVE MY BOOK BACK!? I have a decent sized library. My literary taste is what some would call eclectic. I like to read about history, economics, wars, business, travel and spiritual stuffs. For fiction, I am fond of PG Wodehouse (humour), JRR Tolkien (fantasy) and Stephen King (horror). It sometimes irritates me that people borrow and don't return books (you know who you are). I am saddened because some of the books, especially the spiritual stuffs, are precious. And if I don't get the book back, I am unable to share the book with someone else. I think most people do not get pleasure in 'owning' the books. Rows and rows of books doesn't give anyone a 'high', it is reading and sharing them that is important.

CONFESSION. But then again I too am guilty of not returning books. And, may God forgive me, because it is the worst thing ever... I am guilty of borrowing a book from God's Own Library and not returning it. No, it is not the holy Quran, since anyone can pick a copy of the book for less than 2 USD. It is the Book of Muhammad, the one-size-fit-all guide and indispensable dictionary for interpreting the Universe, as well as the Book of the Universe (aka the Holy Quran itself).

That cretin Taufiq is still holding on to the book! I cannot find it anywhere here!

BUT I HAVE A CUNNING PLAN - We should not be too worried about the Godly late-return charges and penalty. Because, ha ha ha... I am never going to return the book. And even if we are banned from the Holy Book's Club, so what? Because if we have the Book of Muhammad(pbuh) already, why would we crave (or need) any thing else?

GOOD ADAB! And I think God would consider this bad Adab, the very best of Adab. Of course, you don't have to take my word for it. Together, when that day of finality arrives, we can stand before the Divine Throne and confirm what is written here.

There he goes again, writing! I do think, my brethren,
that he is either very brave or very stupid. 

Bless you, sunshine. Thank you for keeping me company.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Love is a Mystery to Me, So I Sought Her in the Library

Love Among the Books

Love is a mystery to me,

So I sought her in the library,

Under the section of Fiction,

I found all of her anger,

Sorrow and despair

Were but a temporary state.

“I am not always this way,” she said.

Under the section of Current Affairs,

I found books and books about me,

And often it is about love and hope,

But sometimes the story is very sad,

To which I must answer her

And say, “I am sorry.

My bad".

Under the section of History,

I read about her birth, her childhood,

Her family and friends,

Thus she found me there, and said,

“May our own history never end.”

Under the section of Humour,

I found her funnier

Than Karl Marx,

Her slapsticks more hilarious

Than Spinoza,

And her laughter more musical

Than Gershwin.

Under the section of Literature

I found her as Lizzie

In Pride and Prejudice,

As Marianne to tame willful Willoughby,

As Layla being courted by Majnun,

Wracked by love, overwrought by jealousy.

To which she fussed, “Jealous… ME?”

Under the section of Poetry

She found my soul there,

Hard at work, scribbling prose

Of God, Prophet and Love,

And she demanded,

“Where am I in all of this?”

To which I said,

“Why, love, in the kiss…”

She paused for a bit, biting her lip

Before firmly summing up,

“Damn the kiss, write something about ME!”

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

Heche says I don’t write much about her. That even when I do, it is in the passing, a minor point before I tear away into the stratosphere.

So I will stop here before I go any further.

For those celebrating love on Valentine’s, I wish you many happy kisses. For those celebrating love each and every day, you have my utter admiration....

Wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

BOOKS WRITE US - you and I, at the Fountain of Authors

BOOKS WRITE US
Read with your mind,
But contemplate with your heart,
For in as much as you think
You are reading a book,
The book is reading you too.
So read, and let beauty grow
Where you plant the seed
Of what is written
In the many gardens
Of your soul.

We are not slaves to books,
We are nothing but reflections
On the fountain of authors...
And with each word,
Each phrase and sentence we read,
We too are written.

Knowledge is power, some say. Well I say that knowledge is a damn good way to avoid looking stupid and silly. I guess some people may want to leverage their knowledge to get their way. But for me, I will use whatever little store of knowledge I have to AVOID such people and get out of their way. Hehehe.

I am still nursing about 4 books, although I think I shall soon finish Cory Doctorow's book entitled 'Content - Selected Essays on Technology, Creativity, Copyright, and the Future of the Future' soon enough.

You might think that such a book is not spiritual at all. But by my eye, I think it is very spiritual. You know the feeling... you cannot explain how you know, but when you read you know.

Have a bookish Sunday, sunshine. The day is coming to an end here in Malaysia, but elsewhere it is just about to begin. There are a cartload of documentaries, articles, columns and commentaries on 9/11. You can watch and read them, but do not despair, pet. You and I, we are still alive and there is still much to do for the betterment of humanity. For the sake of those who have lost their dearest in the calamity, we start here and now at the Door of Tolerance and Understanding. Choose unity, reject division.

wa min Allah at-taufiq.

The Angelic Librarian & The Great Library of Heaven

The Book Read…
“I was once part of
A milky white ocean,
Then I saw a crescent moon
Dip its cusp into my sea
And take a small part of me.

I was once part of
A milky white ocean,
And today I am in your tea,
As for tomorrow I do not know
Where I will be,
So while in my pen there is ink,
While my mind can still think,
And while your eyes can still blink,
Read! And drink
A cup of me.”

So read a Seraph-like angel (seconded to The Great Library) as he sneaked a peek into my book, sunshine. He was on his way to bring the book down to the library’s basement, it seems. Continue reading below…

THE ANGELIC LIBRARIAN & THE GREAT LIBRARY

In my idea of heaven, I would like to think that there would be The Great Library. And in the library would contain all the best books I have ever read and will read one day in the future. The outer wall of the library will be built of red bricks. Inside it will all be in dark mahogany wood with a fine dark luster. It will be cosy, warm and friendly. And a piping hot cup of cocoa constantly served to your reading table.

The shelves will be designed in two types. One will be a fixed shelf, whereby we could browse to our heart’s content, from theology to quantum physics, from astrology to comics. The other type of shelves will be moving. And whenever our hand rests upon a book, it will be the exact book that our hearts desire at that point in time. Though sometimes, I expect the book would be one that our hearts ought to have desired. Either way, we will be contented bookworms in The Great Library of Heaven.

If you have ever written anything, surely you will find it in the Great Library. The first thing I may do in heaven (if I get there) would be to look for my book. And now I am imagining my annoyance when the Angelic librarian answers my query, “Oh YOU. Your book is in the basement. In the Never-Ever-Read section.”

Angels have no real wit. And they do not laugh. But when they find something is funny (in their childish sense of humour), their wings glitter. And this particular fellow’s appendages were glittering brightly indeed.

No great exposition of truth or wisdom here, sorry. No explanation nor claim of some great mystical insight. But I kinda enjoyed this whimsical little story. And I hope you enjoyed reading it too.

Have a fine Friday, pet.

Pax Taufiqa.