Showing posts with label saints. Show all posts
Showing posts with label saints. Show all posts

Sunday, November 30, 2014

THE TREE OF MUHAMMAD


The Tree of Muhammad
I am a tree,
And I have been created
Complete in my perfection,
You may take sustenance from 
My deepest roots to the highest
Leaf or flower that bloom from me,
You may pick my low lying fruits,
You may take shelter beneath me 
From the heat of the sun
From the wetness of the rain,
And from the hubris of men,

You may approach me from 
Any direction, and along any path,
For I am created to endure 
And for as long as the forest remains
I shall always be here, waiting for you,

Indeed, by my Most Merciful Lord,
I was created that you may be created,
And If you think your desire and longing for me is great,
Lo, You will not bear to know my desire
And longing for you!

Who will come to me?
Who will sit under my shade?
Who will rest his weary troubles on me?
Who will share my fruits and my nectar?
Who will take delight in my company?
........................ 

What is a tree? It is a living breathing organism without whom we would perish and this world would be a dead soulless planet. Yesterday morning Heche and me were buying breakfast from a street pedlar who was selling his nasi lemak under a tree by a busy suburban street. As I was waiting for Heche to complete our transaction I stood next to the tree and wondered in my wandering whim, "How many countless people have passed you by, o' Tree, barely noticing your existence, yet taking shelter beneath your rich green foliage?"

As we rush through our daily life, filled with distractions and illusions of this world, we often forget what truly matters. I thanked the tree for giving me a shade, and gently pressed my palm against its brittle grey bark. In the name of God that made you, thank you! In the name of the Prophet, thank you for your beauty!

Sarawak. When I was away in Sarawak, I was often close to tears. Not out of sadness, but joy. And a sense of overwhelming thankfulness for being surrounded by my beautiful friends, and beautiful trees. Arriving early in the town of Kuching I was brought to a cemetery near my friend's house to visit his late father, grandparents and great grandfather.

There, nestled among the shrubbery and trees, I found his ancestors's graves and the historical link to a beautiful history.  And I, Taufiq the recalcitrant sinner, playing an unlikely part in my friend's own story.  Winding through history like a path through the spiritual station of honoured ones, we find ourselves here today - somewhere in the most beautiful lore of the Prophet Muhammad (saws). Thus, our sincere prayers is that Allah (swt) shall allow us to contribute a chapter to His Habibullah's (saws) story, whether as a beautiful rose or even a fern or a humble blade of grass or moss... That is enough already.

Don't you agree, sunshine?

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam
Love will show the Way

Thursday, November 27, 2014

THE WIND TREE, THE FAKE FAKIR AND THE SOLE REASON FOR HISTORY


The Wind Tree
If you wish to fly like the wind,
You must have roots like the tree.
..........................................

A Hullo. Hullo there, sunshine. I must admit that it has been some time since I last wrote here in the almanac. I do not know if I will continue writing regularly henceforth, but let us not worry about that...

Reality of History. You know, it is no good to desire some transcendental ascent, without good solid grounding in reality, and in particular, how our own history shapes it.

For history tells us how we come to be here today. Through the daily lives of our fathers and mothers, and our forefathers before them, through their fate we are led to this point in our life, and our own fate, insignificant as it may seem in the greater cosmos.

Importance and Self-importance. Yet, you are not insignificant. Whether you are a beggar in the street, a reveler in the nightclub or a dervish in the mosque, you are certainly important. Most importantly because you are beloved and cared by your Creator.

The risk is how our own hubris and pride takes that divine importance and turn it into damnable self-importance. 

The True Self is... Perhaps this is why I have been writing less nowadays. Repelled by my own horrible sense of self-importance. I guess I am tired of feeling like a fake faker, Ooh, Taufiq you fool, so full of your 'self'! I know this because an ancient friend tells me this - 'your true self is in your actions, actions motivated by selflessness. Any other reason for conduct is an illusion and a trap.'  


The Sole Reason for History. If only I could just let go and disappear. For I can sense the roots that entwine us all in the clay of our fragile humanity. There, in our shared history is all the nourishment we need for a better future. All the lessons and examples, the parables and wisdom of the Prophets of God. 

But knowing something is not the same as living something. So please, pray for me, sunshine! May Allah (swt) bless your kindness with the attention and guidance of Nabi Muhammad (saws), for he is the epitome of selflessness and generosity, and the entire cause and reason for our creation and history.

Don't you agree?  

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam
Love will show the Way

Sunday, September 7, 2014

PINCHED AND SO CLOSE... and yet so far


All Pinched
The love of the Prophet is a garden in my heart. 
And it is so beautiful, so wondrous that at times 
I pinch myself that it is indeed here at all. 

By Allah the Generous, 
That is why you find me in this state... 
So bruised by so many pinching. 



So Close Yet So Far
I take these words and passing thoughts of you to present to you, o' Beloved,
But they are never enough. for I see and can barely comprehend 
Your beauty and magnificent mercy, 
Only for Allah to raise your noble station higher and more honoured. 
Yet you say you care for my soul far better than I myself?... 

By Allah the Tender, 
That makes me feel so close to you
And yet so far from you.
........................................

The worth of man or a woman is measured by how close he or she brings us nearer to you, o' Prophet, O' Most Beautiful Rose in Allah's Secret Garden of Roses, ya Muhammad the Veiled Moon shining upon the forest of incoherent reflection of your blessed eminence and light... so guide the guide to us, and leave us not to our own caprice!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Notrumi Embun, 7th September 2014

Hate has no place in Islam
Love will show the Way

Monday, September 1, 2014

A BONFIRE OF WHITE FIRE


A Bonfire of White Fire
You are my wonder
You are my mystery
You are my forever
And I would lay waste
All my world for You
In a bonfire of white fire,
If it was Your pleasure,

You are my perfection
You are my redeemer
My Guide and my Master
And how I regret each breath
That I steal when of You
I fail to remember,

For it is theft that I commit,
It is a fraud that I abet,
It is a lie that I aid to fulfill,
The vainglory of my capricious will...

When oh Lord, oh Master,
I forget myself for even a moment.
By forgetting my God, Allah, and Muhammad, my Master,
........................


The seconds are endless... the days countless... the years, shamefully many in which I, your writer, has constantly failed to remember God Almighty, and His Habibullah, Nabi Muhammad (saws).

For I fear that for far too long, I, your sinner, was easily persuaded by the temporary distractions of this world, by the poison honey, the chemical happiness, the cheap tawdry gratification so well presented in the window shop of this reality. 

But not you, sunshine. You who are my betters, saw through the deception of this ego-world, and learned well the lessons. At the knees of the wise, you learned to discern the true sweetness of love, the honey of submission, the wine of exaltation in the praise of Allah swt and the wonder that is the Holy al-Quran and the sunnah (traditions) of His Beloved Muhammad (saws).

If you can spare a cup of knowledge, a drop of compassion, a hint of hope, pour your love in my direction, and keep me in your prayers, please. You may consider yourself ordinary, my readers. But I see you very differently. You are my hope for my humanity. So grip tight the robes of the saints and the saintly!  

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Notrumi Embun, 1st September 2014

Hate has no place in Islam
Love will show the Way   

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

SUBTLY, ESSENTIALLY, PAINFULLY BEAUTIFUL


A Pen Full of Raindrops
My Love is in the falling rain,
He tells me to stay awake 
And to come out into the night,

My Love is in the sleepless twilight,
Beneath starlight eaves with
Columns of white light
From the prayers of men, 

My Love is filling my pen
With raindrops as countless
As my sins...
.............

I am a rainy fellow. I love the rain, and when I heard the heavy patter of rain on the roof, I know that I cannot stay in. Not when the black night outside is suddenly alive with His Merciful rain. So much for my plans for an early night. He he he. I am sure God plans best of all.


Earlier tonight I asked myself if I know Islam. And I am quite sure I do not know anything much, if anything at all. In fact, I am beginning to suspect that Islam is much, much more vast than even my wildest imaginings can imagine. Islam is far, far more wondrous than any wonder that man has ever built. And it is beautiful. It is subtly, essentially, painfully beautiful. For it hurts your heart's eye even to glance but for awhile into Islam's forge of love, where words and deeds are hone in the white fire of Divine Love... syariat... tariqat, hakikat... makrifat...

What do these words even mean? I am stealing words from the library of the saints, knowing nothing of their meanings. 

What has meaning to me is the rain. Little pools of mercy and blessings on the ground now that the rain has left. Many people will be asleep not even realising this. God's blessing whether we are good or bad, whether we are awake or asleep. So what do we have to complain about? Nothing. And what do we have to be grateful for? Everything.


Let us discard the garbs of knowledge, thinking ourselves as 'knowing' our religion. There is no knowing or owning of anything in this world. There is only God Almighty, and there is His Beloved Habibullah (saws). Everything, and anything else are just shadows on the wall, transient ripples in the ocean. 

Don't you agree, sunshine?

wa min Allah at-taufiq

-Notrumi Embun, 8th July 2014

Hate has no place in Islam
Love will show the Way




Tuesday, January 21, 2014

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

Saturday, December 28, 2013

A LIFE IN ETERNITY


Life in Eternity
Time, ticking slowly on the wall is an illusion
For those who have awaken to the realisation
That eternity has already begun...
And thus they are already living a life in eternity,

So what ails thee that 
they may wear this garb or that garb?
.......................

You! Here?! I think we best overcome the test of this life when we know that each and every single person that we meet, we shall meet in the afterlife. Imagine that! Having to spend an eternity with the neighbour you hate, or the mother-in-law you dislike, or the love rival you detest. Thus, it would be good to keep our report book clean and unblemished, no secret hatred, no malice, no condemnation on another fellow human being. It is hard... but we must try, yes?

Alhamdulillah! And it is also good to remember that we shall also be reunited with our dearly departed - our mothers and fathers who cared for us. Our sisters and brother... friends, cousins, aunts and uncles. And our masters, to whom we have sworn love and devotion. We only ask that we are blessed with mercy (for we have done so many sins and forgotten ourselves), so that we are brought to the company of the saints and the saintly, and into the Divine Presence of Allah (swt) and His Beloved Muhammad (saws).

al-fatiha...

Goodnight, sunshine. Have a beautiful eternity tomorrow and everlasting...

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam
Love will show the Way

Sunday, November 24, 2013

BEING NOT WORTHY, AND BEING HAPPY WITH THAT...

My arwah brother Saiful (Poone) with saintly friends in Jordan

Not Worthy
You may think I am too praiseworthy of you,
But I saw the goodness in you that you try so hard to hide,
You may think I am too forgiving of you,
But I saw the humanity in you
And saw instead the errors in me,
You may think I am too helpful to you,
But I saw in you a light, and the light said, "Aid me to light him."

You may think all these of me,
But truth be told, 
I will never be worthy of you,
And it is this tale 
That will keep me company
As I grow old.
.......................... 

Cousins, Mika and Imran
I reckon there is always someone in our life who would fit the acclaim of "he / she of whom we are not worthy of". It could be your mother, your father, your sister, your school friend, your wife, your teacher, your minister or even your butcher. It is a humbling thought for me. And by God, do I have a lot to be humble about.

He he he.

All praises to God, alhamdulillah. But there is no harm, indeed I think it is a necessary avenue that we come to the all-praise worthy One, a.k.a God, through our estimation of people, simple everyday folks or giants of history, that are praiseworthy themselves. And of course that brings us knocking on the door of Muhammad Sayyidina Miftahur Rahmati (The Key of Mercy), His noble family, companions and saints that is to this day still peddling their wares, knocking in turn upon our hearts, and asking... "Let the Light in, turn on the Light..."

Beneath the quilt of my life, I am warmed by the people who have come into my life and left me, and those who are still here. I am a little tired, but I am not sleeping forever yet. Who knows when... but for now I am happy to share this Earth with you, sunshine. 


And I know I am blessed, for I will never be worthy of you. So the only way left for me is up, up, up! It is these thoughts that makes me feel so good of God, ya Ahad, ya Samad...

He he he.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam
Love will show the Way

Thursday, September 5, 2013

THE HAND OF FATE - take the hand and make your fate


Love Regardless
If love didn't wake you up this morning,
Let love put you to sleep in the evening,

If love did not begin your conversation,
Let love still be its conclusion,

And if you began everything with love,
In prayer, leisure, work or play,
Then by God, let love end them all the same way!

With love, through love, in the Name of Love,
That is God and no one else 
To whom you turn and pray!
..........................


God has created the world with love, and filled it with infinite means and causes by which love may be displayed. This is very, very good. But this also means that this world is filled with many, many trials and tribulations, doubts, errors and corruption that will test your love. As this sinner recorded almost 10 years ago in a prose about our Beloved God Almighty...

55. Love Test
I am He who heals all wounds
I am He who cherishes the afflicted
I am He whom you claim to love
What is love if it is not tested?
..............................

So don't worry if you start something with love, only for it falls over the side into unlove and regret. You are still alive after all, and it is still in your hands to determine the contents of your destiny.

Love Test 2
O' My servants...
In My hand is the fate of all things,
So take My hand and have no fear
To lose everything that you hold dear!

For am I not the one you must hold dearest...?
Above and beyond any other?
..........................

We need not face up to the conniving enemy, our ego and hubris all alone. We need not be looking for God by our own little knowledge and caprice. For in the Hand of God are all His Prophets and Saints... So wherever you will find these holy souls, verily you will find Him. 


We seek support always in this and all our undertaking, from the Seal of the Prophets himself, Muhammad Sayyidina Safiyullah (s.a.w.s.) (the Intimate of God).

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam
Love will show the Way

Thursday, August 15, 2013

THE CENTRE OF THE CENTRE -

How wide the centre white line appear to be when you get smaller!
Here is the manifestation of an ego under control.
(someone else's ego, that is. Not mine!)

Where is the Centre of the Centre?
You and I,
We are walking the Path,
And the best and the safest line
Is straight down the middle,

But the middle way,
The centre of the Path
Is a strange place indeed.

Because the smaller we get,
The more we can adjust our line
To a better middle,
A more centre err... centre.

And since there is no end as to how small we can be,
Then there is in truth no end as to how centre we can be
As we walk along the Path,

So be not like those who have judge themselves as 
Being perfectly centred!
For they are likely to judge and condemn those
Who are not along their line of
Walking, thinking, praying and living.
...........................

The Secrets of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) After all, sunshine, true perfection (that is beyond the comprehension of us mere mortals) is the remit of Allah (s.w.t.) alone, and if there is created perfection to be reflected upon, then I reckon the owner of such perfection is the Beloved of Allah (s.w.t.), our Prophet Muhammad Habibullah (s.a.w.s.). And even such prophetic perfection we are only just beginning to understand. For such is the completeness and continuity of His blessings and powers granted unto his blessed person by the Almighty God that they increase with each measure, as if there is any man or angel created who is capable of measuring the gifts of Allah (s.w.t.) to His Chosen One... 

Ya Rabbi, the secrets of Your Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) is 
Yours to keep secret and disclose as You will!

Standing on the Edge of the Precipice. Let us leave the crazy loony murdering fanatics to the madness of their dogma, whether they call themselves Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists or Atheists. For they have taken a bit of knowledge, but have lost control of their ego, growing bigger and bigger until the Path appears so small, tight and narrow that they are standing upon the edge of the Path...

71. One Path, But Wide II (Or Angels In Hardhats)
You say the Path is straight and lo, so narrow!

But perhaps it is simply because you are standing on its edge?
 ..........................

And this is why, I guess, that the Saints and Shaykhs have time and time again admonished the mureeds (students), "Try to be nothing!". 

He he he. Easier said than done, of course. But what is life without a challenge? What is life without a journey? If anything, God the All-Loving doesn't want His creation to get bored with easy quests and easy-peasy tests...

55. Love Test
I am He who heals all wounds
I am He who cherishes the afflicted
I am He whom you claim to love
What is love if it is not tested?

I am writing this as a sinner, still wandering about the X and Y axis, looking for the centre of the graph, the Sublime Zero where naught occurs but by the Will of Allah the One. But I am thankful that at least I know our centre... our own beloved Prophet, Muhammad (s.a.w.s.). The way is there along the path of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah (traditions) of the Habibullah (s.a.w.s.). Can you see it in the horizons of your soul?

May you be safe in your journey, sunshine. Please leave some clues and signs in your wake and I will follow your breadcrumbs out of the witch's forest. 

The same old story for me. All over the X and Y planes...
Help! 

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam
Love will show the Way

Monday, August 12, 2013

SHAYKHS SIGHTED AT MERCY OCEANS! - swimming at the risk of your ego...


The world, our world, is built on perception. So I reckon it is good that we perceive the world through the best lens available. And the best is the lens of the heart, for when you see with your heart, in which is enthroned the virtues of love, compassion, understanding, empathy and wisdom, you will see not a world of chaos. Instead, you will realise a world that is ringed by oceans upon oceans of the Most Merciful and Most Compassionate One, which you may call the Mercy Oceans. Indeed, that is the title of a book which goes highly recommended for the aspirants of the heart.

Who is the Master of the Mercy Oceans? Why, it is none other than the Most Beloved of Allah (s.w.t.) Himself, being our Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.). And who are the dwellers of the Mercy Oceans? It is the Prophets of God, the blessed family of Muhammad Habibullah (s.a.w.s.), his Companions (r.a.) and the Saints, being the souls of the blessed Friends of God, who are conveniently referred to as the Shaykhs or Mursheeds

Wow... The Mercy Oceans sounds really crowded! But the truth is the number of Shaykhs in residence, although more than commonly known, is actually rather small in comparison to the vast billions of humanity that have been born (and will be born). And yet, if you would but dip a tentative toe into its waters, I have no doubt that there is a true Shaykh swimming in the vicinity. It is not coincidental at all, in fact, it is a miracle of sorts... A fated meeting between the mureed (student) and the Mursheed / Shaykh (Master) long planned in the Divine Scheme of things.

Where is everybody, little Nemo?

There is nothing to fear in the Mercy Oceans, no sharks, barracudas or anything like that. But  as I said, there are Shaykhs loitering about, but they will only pose danger to your ego, not you. 

So why wait any longer, sunshine? The beach at the Mercy Oceans is open 24/7, 365 days of the year. And sinners are especially welcomed. And no prior swimming ability required.

Trust me. He he he.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam
Love will show the Way 

Saturday, August 10, 2013

From the Transient Artifice to the Prose of God: True Love - of life, death, grandparents and the divine nexus of Allah (s.w.t.) and His Muhammad (s.a.w.s.)


Jasad & Pertemuan
Jasad bersemadi didalam bumi, 
Namun jasa baktimu kekal di hati, 
Pemergianmu bagaikan baru sehari, 
Seorang ibu, seorang isteri, 
Kita menanti pertemuan 
Yang diberkati Ilahi...

Your body is resting in the earth,
But your charity and deeds live on in the heart,
Your passing seems only like yesterday,
A mother, a wife,
We await a meeting
Blessed by God.
.......................................

A Grandma He Never Met. Over the Eid festivities, myself and Mikhail visited the graves of our kin. And the nearest cemetery is one near my house, where resides the final resting place (in this mortal plane) of my mother, Arbayah binti Haji Hashim. Mika, who always enjoys our visit to the garden of stones, told me that we must visit his grandmother's grave more often. He is right, of course. The funny thing is my mum passed away in May 2002, almost 2 years before he was born, so he has never in fact actually met his grandmother. But Mika is fortunate that my father is still alive, and so is his grandmother on his mother's side. So in a way he kinda has the full grandparent team, something which I myself missed. 

The Home that Arbayah and Khalid Built. But just as how my mum and dad related to me stories of my grandparents whom I never met, so I too often regal my son with tales and escapades of my mother. I keep telling him how generous she was, with so many friends, both in the family and outside (For you should not take for granted that your kin is necessarily your friend... for like all friendships, it takes effort, love and much caring). I would tell Mika of his grandmother's quiet travels into the hinterlands, donating and doing charitable works, whether as part of some women's organization or really just on her own and only with a couple of close friends. I also shared with Mika how my mother made my house a home, with rich abundance and a refuge for anyone who would care to come by for an understanding heart and a ready ear to listen. And boy, did we have a lot of visitors, almost every day of the year...

Mika and His Tok. One night last year, I was sitting with Mikhail outside my father's room, when my father passed by and entered his room. Mika suddenly whispered to me, "Papa, I think Tok Wan (he calls my dad that) must be sad. He must miss Tok (my mum) a lot." I replied, "But why are you talking so softly?" And he answered, "Because I am sure Tok Wan would feel more sad if he heard us talking about Tok and him."

On the second day of Eid, while we were arranging red roses (dammit, those roses are really full of thorns) for his grandmother's grave, Mika said, "You know, Papa... I hope to meet Tok in heaven." I glanced up from my bleeding fingers as he continued, somewhat more circumspectly... "Well, I hope I get to heaven!"

Connection with the Hereafter. This connection with someone who predeceased you before you were even born is not merely the habit of a deranged man (a.k.a. yours truly), it is, I guess, a seminal pillar of faith in Islam (including Judaism and Christianity), since the passing of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) as the Seal and Last of the Prophets. And just as a poor old Papa is trying to keep the sweet memory of his mother alive for his own son, so does the living Saints, both hidden and open, continue to maintain the golden connection between us doddering sinners and believers, with the prophetic presence of Muhammad Habibullah (s.a.w.s.), his blessed family, the Companions and the Saints.


122. Not Dead
Oh, my Mighty King!
I have not left my flock unattended,
I have not left any fences unmended,
I have left stars that any, if lost, may follow home.

But a cold wind is blowing,
Carrying my memories far away,
Blackness is creeping in,
And though they know how to pray,
They have left my way.

Save for my heirs and heralds,
The fulcrum of this Age,
Still toiling in their mortal cage,
Long-bearded, the white, the black and the grey,

In their hearts, evil holds no sway,
In their hearts, Your Name resonates,
In their hearts, I still live,
Not dead.         
......................

Connection from the Transient Artifice to the Eternal Real. And based on authoritative sources, I am told that this connection is more powerful than the fastest internet connection known to Man, and more real than you, me and the entire world combined. For in the eyes of Allah (s.w.t.), nothing comes first before His Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), and nothing comes through without the Prophet's (s.a.w.s.) intercessions. This quintillion terrabyte connection is working around the clock, over the clock, up and under the clock, 24/7 365 days a year. All for the Prophet's love and mercy for not just the Muslims, but for all humanity, all creatures, all sentient and non-sentient inhabitants of the worlds. Phew!

The Divine Nexus. In this context, the story of my mother and my immediate family appears to be such a small and insignificant thing. But I know this is not true. Not for me, not for you and your family. For the love exemplified and promised to us comes from the spark of divine nexus between God Almighty and the Prophet (s.a.w.s.). And truth be told, beyond this is more than even my most love-sick conjecture of Divine Love can spell out for you... 

A glittering remnants of a super nova in outer space as caught by the
Hubble space telescope. God's Love is even more beautiful,
more audacious, and more real.

So have a happy one, sunshine. And I leave you with this afterthought - I am defeated in trying to describe the Love Divine and the Divinely Loved. I cannot win in this battle. But I am happy to be continually defeated by every dot, comma, word and phrase that I write by God's own Prose... For love, True Love... which is the Prose of God cannot be explained, it can only be experienced.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam
Love will show the Way