THE DERVISH IN THE FLOWER POT... and his Lord of beguiling beauty and riddles

The Dervish in the Flower Pot

I found him entangled among the branches and leaves,

The little dervish caught in a flower pot,

 Upon his head rested a yellow turban,

Upon his lips rested praises of God,

And teardrops glistened like jewels

On his flowing robe of white.

The mark in remembrance 

of the Prophet and His Lord.

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

No Mundane Day. I saw this flower at a florist right next to the mini market where I normally buy groceries. It is some atonement for my sins that I notice such things. I do not know why, but it gladdens my heart. Giving a beautiful gloss over my otherwise mundane day.

We all have our work to do. Our  daily schedule of chores, appointments and datelines. But I think, if we step over the threshold of our house into a brand new day, there is always some divine garnish that awaits us out there in the world. And often it is in the most unlikely and surprising of places and times. 

"If you look for good, you will find God. And if you look for God, you will find Good.", so an old friend of mine says. But sometimes, you may be looking for neither, distracted as you are by the imposing realities of being mortal and very much human, with all our faults and forgetfulness. 

God does not forget. So I guess it is our blessing to be made by a Maker Most Loving of His creatures that He does not wait for us to turn to Him. He will intervene, as He does... daily, to remind us of Him. Through beguiling beauty, riddles and nuances which is all His own. Drawing us to Him like a cat to milk. Like a mureed to the mursheed.

"...meow... meow..."

Have a lovely day, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way 

Love God, Love Muhammad. Love Muhammad, Love God - Veneration of the Prophet Muhammad

Love God, Love Muhammad

Love Muhammad, Love God

Love God,

And surely He will acquaint you

With His Most Beloved,

Muhammad, Mercy to all the worlds.

Love Muhammad,

And surely he will acquaint you

With his most Beloved,

God, the Creator of all the worlds.

I used to wonder about the veneration of Muhammad which many Muslims have. And I used to wonder if their devotion to the Prophet somehow or rather surpasses their love for God, and indeed if they have fallen into the Muslim heresy of likening God to His creation, even if that particular person is His Most Beloved Prophet.

This question did not particular bother me too much, but it was there, hanging over me like some hanging-over-me thingy. Then one day an old friend dropped by and shared this with me. "My dear fellow, love and devotion is a fleeting emotion which rises and falls with the tide of human emotion and passion. It is not something readily quantifiable in the sense of 'less' or 'more' love.

But even assuming that you can be said to somehow love God the most (which is rather presumptuous of you, to begin with), who would God wish to acquaint you with more than with His Most Beloved Muhammad? And even if we say that you somehow love Muhammad the most, really, to whom would Muhammad direct your love and devotion to if not to God Himself? One way or the other, you do not lose. So quit worrying and do not place so much emphasis on 'your' love. For compared to God and the Prophet's love for you... ah, what are we but little rain drops of love from the cosmic love storm that is the creation-wide manifestation of the neverending love story between God and His Habibullah. And not even your highest praise can come close to God's and His Angels' praises for Muhammad."

Pax Taufiqa

God Makes a Point in a Big Way. Careful!

13. God making a point
People always see God making a point,
But they always try to come closer
To study the point.
Forgetting that when God makes a point,
It is like the tip of an iceberg,
Or the twinkle of a faraway star.

Approach at the peril of your mortality.

...........

.

Pax Taufiqa

The Three Phases of a Real Moon

I AM REAL...
As real as the fluttering
Wings of a butterfly,
And at night, when
The Moon is bright
And clear, you can see me, my dear.

.

I AM REAL...
As real as the song in your heart,
I am real,
As real as the blood that
Spills from your cut,
I am the wine,
I am the honey,
The sugar in your soul,
The perfect icing
Of your favourite party cake,
I am unique and I have no peer,
And at night, when
The Moon is hidden,
You can still feel me, my dear.

I AM REAL...
I am the breath of you lover,
I am your birth and your death,
I am unique and I have no fear,
And at night, when
The Moon is crescent and silent,
You can still hear me, my dear.

Absent in the Past, Present and Future

When I think of the past, I visit it,
And when I return to the present
I leave a little of myself behind
To contemplate the past further.

When I think of the future, I visit it,
And when I return to the present
I leave a little of myself behind
To contemplate the future further.

When I contemplate Love, I visit Him,
But Love refuses to grant leave of me,
So I am ever in contemplation of Him,
And am in truth now
Absent from my past, present and future.

So who is typing all these words now?

Ooh… I don’t know!

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

No.14, from the chapter entitled "Just Between You and Me", completed on 25th February 2009. Just another one of those riddles that I am fond of confounding myself with...

.

Its been a rainy, rainy day today, and waking up on this wet, wet Friday morning was really, really difficult. But it has been a good day overall, peacefully Taufiq, or as the Romans may have put it, Pax Taufiqa.