WHEN A STORY BECOMES YOUR HISTORY... how belief transmutes a mere tale into your own personal past

They Found Me
I found them that night,

Nightingales without wings,

Oh how they sang for their king!

I found them that night,

Weaving love in the night air

With their enchanted words!

I found them that night,

Swaying to and fro in a conference of birds,

Swaying to and fro, all perched in many rows,

I found them that night,

Me, the beggarly crow,

An unfit, uninvited shadow in the assembly,

Or so my reason did quell me,

Until came this ancient whisper,

Assuring the broken sinner,

“You did not find us,

We found you,

Tired and torn

Weary and worn,

We found you unspoken for,

So we said unto the Prophet…

We will take him.

This was the trade we made,

Long, long, ago…

This was the oath we took from you,

Long, long ago…

This was the love promised,

Long, long ago…

As the nightingales sang and dance,

Whirling and swaying to and fro..."

These words were spoken long, long ago
How I wish I could remember...

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

When you think about it (and why not?), your past antecedents and your personal history make who you are now. The things you have done (or not done), the words you have spoken (or omitted to speak) in your past, these direct personal experiences have all conditioned your attitude towards God, mankind and the world. But there is also another contributor to your personality... 

Your belief.

In the Sufi school whose zawiya resides not far from my home, is the belief that its mureeds (pupils) were all chosen in some distant event before time began. In that story, all the Saints and Masters of the different tarikats (Sufi schools) were  invited by the Prophet Muhammad (saws) to lay claim upon their (future) mureeds. But from the multitude, some souls were left behind. A Saint and Master  (and in whose name the Sufi order takes after) stepped up, and basically said... "I will take these souls left behind. As none will take them, I shall."

I reckon that my friends who often frequents the zawiya, not only knows this story - rather they actually believe the story. And once you believe such a tale, it no longer remains merely a story. It becomes your own history. And the grace and gratitude, the humility and generosity that such history inspires would benefit your present thoughts, words and action. How fortunate are such people!

So let your own good stories become your history and illuminate your life. 

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The Ego and the Sea - how to captain a ship manned by a mutinous crew

Angel of the Sea: Uh Oh. Taufiq has struck the rocks again. Stranded on a
deserted island. Again. 

10. Not That Drunk

You say you are drunk in His Ocean

Besotted in His Love,

But yea, still sober enough to request for intermissions,

While treading the Path.

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

Hehehe. Mystics like to talk about traversing The Ocean of Mercy, sailing upon the Sea of Love. But for all the mercy and loveliness of God's oceans, we often find ourselves stranded on a deserted island, our sails torn because we were caught by a raging storm in the middle of the sea. Perhaps we sailed just too close to the storm of life? Did we intentionally sail into the tempest, or did God's wind and tide inadvertently bring us to the end of this journey? I think it can happen both ways.

Yes, I am afraid the prose is often too true. We would like to think we know and that we are aware of the truth and reality of God, life, love, hate, good and evil. After all, knowing is one thing, but evading dangers in the deep blue sea of life is a whole different matter... Especially when the captain of our ship, a.k.a. our Heart and Conscience is forever facing the risk of mutiny by our Ego. Our good conscience wants to sail to the sea of kindness and tolerance, patience and understanding, but our ego is forever trying to usurp control of  our life and lead us towards the black waters of hate and hubris, anger and impatience.

And yet we cannot sail this life without our ego. For this world in its artificial edifice and transient nature is a world created perfectly for the ego. And so long as we are in our physical ship, a.k.a. our bodies, we need our ego to man the sails and swab the decks. So you are in effect a captain in charge of a rebellious crew... Good luck with that. 

He he he. 

Alone we would be putty in the hands of the ego. That is why we are advised to seek for the Captain of captains, the Master of the Seas and the conqueror over mutinies. God, has not forgotten us, sailing precariously upon the ocean of His creation. That is why, through the ages of Mankind, He has sent Prophets and Saints to guide us safely through the stunningly beautiful, yet horribly dangerous waters of the Sea that we call Life. So why not ask for help?

Help!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Being Nothing and Doing Nothing - the ego and the selfless ones...

1.      Be Nothing

To be nothing

Is not to do nothing.

It is to do something

With your life

In the pursuit of

Being nothing.

And accepting

That whatever effort

That you expend,

At the end,

It is entirely up to Him.

Yes, it is a little

Like God having the cake

And eating it too.

But, you see,

That is God.

And I would accept

Him regardless of

The  infinite ways

That He may breach

Our petty human norms.

Indeed, it makes

God to me,

God the Most Interesting,

God the Utterly Unique!

But don't believe me.

For I am in love, you see.

And I would say the most

Foolish of things now,

To keep Him

Interested

In me.

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

Doing Nothing. And when you are doing nothing, you are also doing something. For the human ego has to two contradictory abilities, it can motivate you to do the baddest thing in the world, and like a giant donkey, it can simply sit on you and stop you from doing the best thing you can do, for yourself, and the world. As a sinner who has graduated with both majors, I can assure you that the ego can ruin your life either way.

The Ego. Whether you are rich or poor, the ego as the selfish, proud, a genuine mr-know-it-all with a middle-age spread of hubris can make life unbearable. Whether you are sick or healthy, the ego will either make the path of recovery appear so unlikely that it will convince you to do nothing at all, or it will tell you that you will always be healthy and live forever. Both are of course, damn lies, but it is difficult sometimes to sieve through the truth and lies, facts and illusions, especially if you are inclined to believe the insidious mutterings of your ego most of the time...

The Selfless Ones. I admire the selfless and the generous, who thinks of nothing to lend their last penny to their brothers and sisters in need. They have trained their ego to heel, to sit, to stand up, to trot and to gallop according to their conscience, and not the other way around. God bless them!

Thank you for sharing the loft of your mind with me, sunshine. It is Monday and the Sun is shining obscenely bright outside. And I can almost hear the cackle and noise of humanity knocking on the door of my contemplation, requiring my attention. In my line of business, worrying and doing something about other people's problems is my vocation. My donkey is tethered outside and impatiently braying for me to come. Thankfully, I like what I do very much... May we all be guided to do in life what is natural to our fitrah (individual essence), whether as a doctor, a mechanic, a farmer, a writer, a singer or a nurse. Love what you do and do what you love... as the old adage goes.

Whatever you are working as, may you have a wonderful day ahead.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Khidr and the Seal of the Prophets - in the Muhammadan Glow

' ilVerde / Alkhidr ' by Cristina Colombo

The Prophet Khidr & The Seal of the Prophets

He is a man unlike any other,

He is a world changer,

And while I attend to matters

That is beyond normal men's

Ability to comprehend in the beginning,

He is the Master in the beginning and the end,

And nothing is hidden from him...

He is a Prophet unlike any other,

And lo now I do remember

My little time with Moses the firebrand,

Who stayed by me till my deeds

His heart could not withstand...

But this man? This Muhammad Habibullah?

His many layers of good manners

Would confound even me

Who is wont to confound others...

He is a world changer

By changing the state of a man's heart,

And even I, Khidr will be exposed

And melting like the morning snow

Before the Ahmad of Ahad

In his Muhammadan Glow..

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

Khidr (a.s.) is a Prophet of God and he appears in many pages in the history of mankind. Famously he had a brief interlude with Moses, who accompanied him until Moses Kalimullah could not stand Khidr's deeds which appeared to be against the Law (sharia) and just plain wrong. Against his own promise, Moses  (a.s.)ultimately ended up questioning Khidr (a.s.) too many times, and there ends the short commune of two illustrious Prophets of God. 

Khidr (a.s.) also made a showing in the Hikayat Hang Tuah, an ancient fable of the mighty Admiral Hang Tuah of the old Melakan sultanate. Hang Tuah was on a mission to the Caliph of Islam and resolved along the way to perform pilgrimage to Mecca. Just before arriving in Mecca, he met someone among the Arabian sand dunes...

"Thereupon, the Laksamana walked towards a secluded place to relieve himself. And along the way he saw an old man sitting upon a white rock ( that is as white) like washed cotton. And when the old man saw the Laksamana coming near, immediately the old man came down and walked towards the Laksamana, with greetings of salam (peace) upon the Laksamana. And verily did the Laksamana return the courteous salutations of the old man. "O' Laksamana (said the old man), please lend me a silver tale, for I am a hungry poor dervish (darwish) unable to buy even bread.

Looking at the old man closer, the Laksamana felt, "This is no dervish, to my mind, this is either a Prophet or a Saint of God." The Laksamana then took two to three silver riyal from his pocket and offered them to the old man. But the old man only took one riyal and thereafter he embraced the Laksamana and kissed his head while saying, "My son Laksamana, please take this chembul (a pot or small receptacle to keep liquid) and when you are unable to speak the language of the people (that you will meet), pour out some of the water in this chembul and wipe it on your lips and your ears, that you may converse with them." Then just before the old man suddenly disappeared into thin air he said this to the Laksmana, "(oh, by the way) I am the Prophet Khidr".

I do not recall an encounter between the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) and the Prophet Khidr(a.s.). If someone has any such tale, I would love to hear about it. But it is my reckoning that what had astonished Moses (a.s.) would probably not have the same effect upon Muhammad (s.a.w.). In all probability it would be Khidr (a.s.) who would come away from a meeting with Muhammad, Seal of the Prophets somehow changed.

Because love changes people, you see. Especially Prophets...

Maybe yes. Maybe no. Whatever the case may be, thank God for God, and thank God for his Prophets Moses and Khidr, and the Master of the Prophets, Muhammad Habibullah... 

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Have a beautiful day...

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Driving In Neutral - The Path, The Journey and the Drivers

I was thinking aloud one day... "What is the most spiritual gear for driving if our car is our soul?" This is not such a weird question to ask, you know. Especially with some men and their undying passion for their cars.

Someone told me that it must be the neutral gear. Because it is the ultimate state of submission. Neutral. Neither going forward, neither going reverse, nor is it immovable as in parking mode. Because after all, if life is a spiritual journey, you have to be able to move.

But then another question arises. How the heck do you move along the mystical road if there is no acceleration? My friend said, "Easy. Just tilt the Earth in whatever direction you want, so you will be able to move forwards or backwards, as if you are on a slope."

Right.... I must collect a better quality of friends. Some that might actually make sense.

If my soul was a car, I would choose this as my body. The stupendously
good-looking but totally impractical Alfa Romeo 8C. 

But the truth of the matter is that we engage into all gears in our meandering through this highway of life. We drive forward, accelerating past the speedtraps. We slow down as we see the traffic jam up ahead. And sometimes we even reverse. Especially if we made a wrong turning at some point in our life. And boy, have I made some wrong turnings in MY life! I kid you not.

So I am actually quite far from the state of submission, that surrender mode which appears to be the hallmark of all good soul-drivers. I am always finding myself in tight corners, tunnels, and even road accidents as I try to make my way in this life. I struggle with the steering, I sometimes honk at other drivers, and God forbid if you cut me in a queue. I turn redder and angrier than Bezelbub's most impressive Formula 1 driver.

But we get by, don't we? For along the way, God has guided us to take the scenic route. Some views appalling and despairing, but some vistas are simply breath-taking. I am not sure really, where I am. All i know is that I am on a highway. But happily, I sometimes come to rest at a lay-by and bump into kind souls, also travelling. Also making their way home to our Most Beloved God. People just like you.

Drive safe, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The Whirlpool of Light - we all whirl, we just do not realize it...

The Whirlpool of Light

The besotted dervish is whirling,

Whirling in whirlpools of light,

Turning in circles of light,

Changing, gliding, the undressed soul,

Pulling the world into

A whirlpool of love,

Whirling, whirling, whirling,

Turning day from night,

Nightingale of the Lord!

Nightingale of the Lord!
Burning, blazing bright!

Whirling, praying, turning

From the Lord to the world,

From the world back to the Lord,

Straying far from here,

Wherever this here maybe!

Nightingale of the Lord

Whirling, singing, praising,

Most Merciful is He!

Most Merciful is He!

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

The world is turning still, I see, whirling on its axis, encircling the Sun. We know this because night is over, and the Sun is shining bright on this beautiful morning.

We all whirl whether we realize it or not, creating whirlpools of light, love and mercy around us. So welcome, sunshine! Welcome to the most distinguished order of the whirling dervishes! If you are here, you are one of them! I am Taufiq and I am no dervish! I am the gatekeeper, the dog at the door, the malcontent peering in through the window, Welcome! Welcome! Welcome and please enter! But take off your shoes before you walk through this threshold, for the soles of your tired feet needs to feel the earth beneath it, lest you whirl,  take flight and forget to return! You must come back, you see, and share with me what you saw in the Lord's Garden of Delight... 

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The Boy Scouts and the Sufi Orders - the good reasons to join are all with God

Boy Scouts, Essex, England. circa 1919

60. Associations

If you are looking for a uniform,

If you want to form a gang,

Join the Boy Scouts.

At least you will learn how to make fire,

And other useful skills.

Once you have exhausted your need

For peer approval,

Come and look for us!

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

People join the Sufi orders through a myriad of circumstances and for differing personal reasons. And for some people, it is to fill a desire for association with a particular group of persons. To attain that deep and very human instinct to 'belong'. But as things never happen by sheer coincidence, often those personal reasons are mere disguises hiding the true reason, which is held by God and the Prophet.

For instance, some people are greatly attracted and motivated by the magical views and vistas often offered in not just the Sufi path, but all other mystical path of mainstream religions. But that too is not the real reason to join a Sufi order...

174. Hiking

Malcontents!

If you are wont for beautiful sceneries,

Book yourself on a hiking tour.

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

Because after all, if God had wanted Man to fly, He would have given him wings, and if God had wanted Man to swim under the sea, He would have given Man gills. No, as God has offered Man the most sublime gift ever offered... the opportunity to be a servant of God, He has given the one thing which differs Man (and Djinn too) from the rest of creation... the ability to reason and to choose. That is the greatest miracle of them all, and not some silly sport of flying... As the famous female saint Rabia al-Adawiyya once commented to Hasan al Basri (a famous contemporary male saint) as he came swooping down from the skies to visit her, "O' Hasan... even birds can fly!"

I thought Rabia already told these Saints to stay put on the ground!

Yes, indeed. Even birds can fly. But Mankind... we can choose. May patience and your best virtues guide your choice always, sunshine. And when you have mastered that, call me. Because I am still learning. 

(And truth be told, I am less judgmental about the reasons people join the Sufis. These 2 poems were written some 8 years ago when I was a lot more naive. Now my personal view is much more free market and who cares what reason propelled people to the Sufi path. For now that you are here... Welcome! Welcome!)

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

In life as in death, there is no Reality, only Experiences

What is death? Reality or experience?

There is no reality,

Only experiences,

Because we are all tiny little universes of our own accord. By our antecedents and habits, we create the world. If we look for beauty, we will find beauty. If we love, we shall find love. But alas, if we are hateful, we shall find hate, and if we are ignorant, lo, the World is created in ignorance! I guess that is why the Christians often say, let ye not cast the first stone. Because after all, how do you judge and cast a stone at an entire universe? But Man are impetuous creatures, so we often judge.

There is no knowledge,

Only courtesies,

Because however true your knowledge may be, however exalted are the truths that you think you have found… nobody will listen to you if you are serving your truths in a dirty cup of manners. And what is the best cup for serving truths? Why, sincere courtesies of course. Because there is also something called assumed courtesies. I wish I could reassure myself that sincere courtesies can be cultivated. But how can you cultivate sincerity? You either have it or you don’t. It is not something we can engineer in our mind. It is something that God plants in your heart. And He does as He wishes.

There is no god

But God,

So, the Muslims say. Meaning that there is no reality but Reality (God), there is no truth but Truth (God), there is no knowledge but Knowledge (God), there is no beauty but Beauty (God)… Hehehe. I think we get the picture. So what do we have? - Nothing really, just experiences. Like I said.

And Muhammad

Is the Messenger of God.

If left to my own accord, I think I would go mad. I may be very noble (good luck with that)- I don’t lie (I do), I don’t cheat (I do), I don’t envy (I do) nor do I covet what is not mine (Oh boy, do I do that). In other words, I could really be a decent specimen of humanity. But however decent we may be, let’s face it, we need SOME structure. And that structure is the rituals and forms of the religions. And the rituals and forms have been done fine and perfectly for us through Muhammad (pbuh) the Messenger of God. So I don’t worry about when to pray, how many cycles I need to pray, in which direction do I need to pray and how do I cleanse myself for prayers. Can you imagine the tiring and endless experimenting you need to do to find something as lovely and natural as the prayers of the Prophet? And the wonderful thing is that there is no end in the perfection of your prayers - as each holy scripture you recite, each posture you take, and each praise you sing out is nothing but one more step on a ladder to the Divine Presence.

And when will all this climbing to the Divine Presence end? Will we ever reach it in this lifetime? Gee, I don’t know the answer to that. But I think God is not holding back for no good reason – He does it because He loves to see us chasing Him. And I suspect that if we actually know what He has in store – The Hidden Jewel, the holy grail, the face behind the veil, the princess in the tower… we would not regret one moment in the quest. For it is indeed like a quest in a fairy tale.

Unlike Shaykh Raja Ashman ibni Sultan Azlan Shah (Ku Ash), we may not all be princes or princesses. But we are all knights, squires and ladies-in-waiting to the spiritual court of Fatima az-Zahra(ra), beloved daughter of the Prophet. And in a royal court, we have to keep our adab (courtly courtesies and good manners)…

And in adab, Ku Ash, as they say, is a natural.

Thank you for dropping in, sunshine. I love it when you do.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Ibnu Arabi's Dreamer and something totally whimsical about cousins

Kiara Cemetery

35. The Dreamer's Dream

I read that Ibn Arabi

Encouraged us

To learn the ability to

Control our thoughts

In our dreams,

I pondered how,

Until I heard a voice;

"And who is to say that

Awake, you are still

Not dreaming?

And in truth, you are

Only alive in the Dreamers's dream?"

Ibnu Arabi. At first glance, Ibn Arabi appears to be advising us to learn to behave in our dreams. But then how will we learn good manners (adab) in our dreams when awake we behave badly. So in a roundabout way, he is also telling us to control our thoughts (and behaviour) while conscious. Because our conscious reality is nothing but a Divine whim within a dream of God. But of course, this is just my conjecture.

And what is a good way to good manners? A friend offered this advice - speak less and listen more. Right ho.

Cousins. On a less somber topic, Me and Heche had a lovely afternoon in the company of my awesome possum cousins, Kak Nani and Kak Lah who fed us too much. Kak Nani had a birthday party for her granddaughter last Saturday which we were unable to attend because of a wedding. Anyways, there were still a lot of delicious leftovers, so she called me early this morning to come help empty her pantry. "More. More. Some more. Please take some more. Surely 4 is not enough. You can rest then eat again. Just a bit. Come on..." We had Mee Bandung (a noodle in prawn chilli based broth with eggs and veggies), popiah basah (a steamed vegetable in a heavy chilli -fried shallots - dried prawns - dates gravy in a thin Chinese roll), ABC (a dessert of shaved ice with corn syrup, peanuts, evaporated milk, creamer, broadbeans and assortment of other garnishes) and finally a couple of sweet mangoes. After 2 hours we had to beg leave and slowly waddled our way back to the car.

Have a lovely sunday, Sunshine. God bless our cousins (however determined they are to make this sinner even fatter).

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Mankind is a Natural Construct, so Religion Must be the Most Natural Thing to You

7. Oh Simplicity!

When the book is not a book anymore,

When the man is not a man anymore,

When the heart is not a heart anymore,

And you are not you anymore

But a vagabond knocking and begging entry,

O, man! Behind the closed door,

See now who will answer thee!

I am told that if you seek Truth, you must discard all pretensions, and all pretensions of no pretensions. I am told that only then, will your spiritual path open a vast expanse of reality hidden from the human eye. A horizon of endless possibilities, but determined by one sole vision and aim, to reach the Divine Presence. If you follow a religion, it should guide you to this through the most natural inclination of a man (or a woman), for we are all natural constructs in both the physical and metaphysical sense. For Nature, which is the reflection of God on this world, encompasses both what is seen and unseen, what is known and unknown.

I am told many things, and they are no secrets. You can find them in books and oral stories of the Sufis and other mystics. Such information has given me solace and structure in my untidy life. I am sure you can do better than me. Perhaps it may even transform you...

Have a constructive day, sunshine!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Astral Projection at the Office

I used to meditate a lot in my old office. My former boss, being the uneducated son of a cross-eyed camel never understood it at all. He said I was sleeping. When I told him that I was astral-projecting and having an out-of-body experience, he countered back, "Funny how that involves snoring!"

I replied that I was reciting dzikr (spiritual invocations of God's names) at a very high speed. It MAY have sounded like snoring. He refused to believe me. 

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

But you do, right sunshine?

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

A Smile is Enough - My Glory is God, My King is God, My Prophet is Muhammad

Bedeviled by chickenpox, but still smiling. Mikhail at 5 years old.

1. 6th December 2004

Face fate with faith and wink at the devil,

Though saddled with woe and trouble.

If thy faith is weak, a smile is enough,

To face the lonely road ahead,

Though long and rough.

Heche tells me to listen to my own advice, and that I have to be as I write in this almanac. Things have been a little rough these past couple of weeks, and I am a little weak. So I will do as she says and follow my own precepts. I will start with a smile, which is the least we can do.

Talking about the devil, the Grandmaster of a Sufi Order is recovering from sickness, and recently shared this with his disciples. He said that the Devil was tired of his own evil, and soon the Devil will wake from his own drunkenness. He also said that he has been given a new mantra to recite, invocation of God and the Prophet to bring life unto those who are crushed, to end the heaviness and violence that bear upon some of us like rusted chains around our necks... recite!

Subhanim Allah 

(My Glory is God)

Sultanim Allah 

(My King is God)

Nabim Muhammad, Alayhi Salam 

(My Prophet is Muhammad, Upon Him Be Peace)

We say what we say, and pray for peace for all humanity. May this day bring good fortune wherever you are and whoever you may be. For in truth, you are me, as I am you.

Take care, sunshine.

Pax Taufiqa

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

A Path In Conversation With God - our happiness and sadness

Happiness and Sadness

If you take happiness in its full measure,

You must take responsibility for

The full draught of sorrow.

This is not a question

Of punishment or reward,

But of smoothing the creases

In our conversations with God.

Faith is the sum of all our sentiments of love, affection, trust, hope, courage, compassion, empathy, tolerance, humility and all those other divine ingredients that the Creator has mixed with your soul to create us. This makes me happy.

But the underlying basis of all these worthy attributes is to be challenged by the opposite forces – hate, contempt, mistrust, despair, cowardice, indifference, cruelty, intolerance, pride and hubris. This makes me very, very nervous.

But according to Muslim lore, no man or woman is tested beyond her innate virtue and strength to overcome. So if we fail (as we sometimes do) to hold unto our principles, we have failed no one but ourselves. This makes me sad.

But happy or sad, this is the journey for us. And when I mean 'us' I am not talking about any mystic, dervish, Sufi or New-Age acolytes. I think it is a road for everyone. A path in conversation with God, as we walk, run and sometimes stumble while pleading, praying, smiling, sulking, laughing, crying and talking with the Creator Who always listens, and Who never turns away.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Pearls on Fire, the Water Aflame - Disappointment and the Riddle of Detachment and Indifference

Pearls on Fire, the Water Aflame

Pearls on fire,

The water aflame at sunset,

Labourers walking home to rest,

Mothers calling their children home,

But it is at night that I come alive

To find my Love all mine, all alone.

Pearls on fire,

The water aflame at sunset,

Tired father drinks his tea

Mother puts her daughter to bed,

But it is at night that I come alive,

Passing by angels and heralds

Loitering for orders at heaven’s gate.

Pearls on fire,

The water aflame at sunset,

The mourners for the fallen promises,

All laid aglitter by the sunlit day,

Collect the smashed and broken peace,

And turn to our Love and murmur our regrets

For desiring another company other than His.

Pearls of fire,

The water aflame at sunset,

The peacekeepers of God hails

The wardens, their wards and the nightingales.

Sometimes we return home, tired and dispirited. The world, full of such promise, turns up today to be a little disappointing. I don’t blame you, sunshine, if you are a little sad. Mystics and Sufis talk of detachment, but it does not mean being indifferent. There is no challenge in being detached to something if you are actually indifferent to it. It could be losing a job, not getting a job, being dumped by your boyfriend, stood up by a blind date, losing your wallet, losing your house … anything, really. But it has to matter. If it doesn't, then there is nothing to be detached about, right?   

The Riddle

Experience says - If you seek detachment of the world and closeness to God, you must first lose your indifference to the world, and see how it truly matters. Then you shall understand the meaning of detachment. Everything in between is simply your journey.

This sounds like a riddle, yes?

Good luck solving it, sunshine. If you find the answer, share it with me, for I am still searching.

Wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Humility is not adornment but the Beautiful House of the Human Soul

A young aspirant upon the Path desires enlightenment. But he makes a great show of his humility, speaking  his mind, "I do want to give everything up. I do want to serve mankind, I do want to prostrate before God, baring my self, outside the skin of my deceit. But I want to make a show of it. An operatic display."

A mature gentleman was sitting with the kid. The older veteran of soul's war with the ego smiled at the fresh passion of his young companion. Then he said to the aspirant, "Read this..", passing a raggedy piece of note paper, with spells written in untidy script -

The Fashion of Humility

It is not everything to wear a beard,

A turban, a hijab or a nun’s habit,

For enlightened humility

Is in the discernment you wear on your lips

Not to speak with malice,

The veil you cast over your eyes

Not to see with avarice,

The wisdom that you grow in your heart

Not to entertain hubris,

The constant of your patience,

Not the whim of your caprice,

The kindness of your hands

Not to be raised in anger,

The radiance of your soul

As a sinner, servant and believer,

A fashion that shall never grow old

Whatever knowledge you deign

To cherish in your breast

Or display as an adornment.

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

Humility is not an adornment, it is that which is adorned. Humility is not a dress, a garb, a perfume or piece of clothing. It is that which is dressed or perfumed. Everything else are fixtures and fittings to an already Beautiful House of the Human Soul, be it a man or a woman.

If you find one such person, do tell me about him/her. I myself have found a few, but I am always looking...

Have a beautiful day, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Pictures - From student days in Leeds, circa 1993.

We are nothing without God, We are nothing with God

Imagine a Sufi Order of great significance. Imagine the wisdom and enlightenment being taught to the mureeds (students) of the Order. Imagine the chain of authority going back more than 1400 years to the time of the Prophet. Imagine the prayers, recitations, dzikrs and whirling mystics of the Sufi Orders, then imagine you, or your good buddy inside one. And imagine the common hilarity and human errors and pratfalls that make this life interesting, and very often, funny.

These old sketches are what I phrase as technical cartoons because they interpolate with some Sufi Islam ideas and dogmas. All of them have spiritual significance of course, but they are only significant if you are immersed in the meaning... Ergo the glossary. I hope you enjoy them, sunshine!

Muraqaba - is a Sufi term meaning Muraqaba meditation. It is also understood to mean "to watch over", "to take care of", or "to keep an eye". It suggests that the mystical aspirant is taking care of his spirituality and his soul, as part of his path towards self-knowledge, knowledge of the world, and ultimately the Creator.

Taweez - is a prayer written on a piece of paper, praising and praying for the Prophet Muhammad and his Family, the Imam Mahdi and his 12 Companions. It is normally worn in a leather or silver amulet.

Awliya - is a Saint.

Fana - is the state or station of annihilation of selfhood in the higher manifestation of sainthood, then prophethood, and ultimately God. But the highest station is the return to mortality and to deal and serve mankind and God, which is the station of perfect servanthood. Well, that is what I have read...

Hehehe. No glossary needed here. I think the mureeds of the Sufi Order sometimes take themselves too seriously. A little levity is needed in life, I think. A little humour and self-deprecation goes a long way to make us companionable. After all, if our friends and family cannot stand us, how will God?

The path, according to my friends, are about self-knowledge and understanding. But it is not a self-centered dogma. It is to come to the realization that we are nothing without God, and we are nothing with God. To finally understand that 'we' do not matter at all, and it is 'the others' to whom we serve that actually matters; Brothers and sisters united serving God and all His Creation - humanity, the animals and the natural environment that is this blessed globe that we call Earth.

Is this not the best aim for all of us, sunshine? God bless you!

wa min Allah at-taufiq