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

FROM MORTAL TO IMMORTAL REALITY - the complete soul, the bridge and Adam's exile

I Have Come

I have come to lay to rest the lie,

I have come to bury the deception,

That there is any truth to you or I,

Nor any weight to this creation,

I have come to fish out pearls of heaven,

Deep in this infinite Mercy Ocean,

Trawling for signs of the Unique One,

More secret than a love potion,

More apparent than the rising Sun,

I have come bearing missives from heaven,

To you, to me, to anyone who would listen,

To remind us all of our final destination,

And why, in truth, 

Perhaps we have

Never left His 

Presence?

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

The Complete Soul. It is good to recall an interesting Hadith (oral tradition) of the Prophet Muhammad (saws), when he said words to the effect that... "When I die, I shall ask God to return to me my complete soul." It is also good to recall that learned scholars have acknowledged this important message, that the soul we hold directly in our earthly experience in our body that we wear, is not our complete soul. Only a smattering of rays of the light of our soul animates our mortal vessel. Substantially, we still remain in His Presence, no doubt besotted by God the all-Besotting One! No doubt so utterly captivated and devoted to God the all-Attractive One, the all-Captivating One, the all-Beautiful One and the One Whom we cannot bear to be separated from.

Adam's Exile. Of course, all this high-fallutin' transcendental reflection does not mean that we should all simply let waste our life here and wait to die and rejoin God and our complete soul. For we are still experiencing our journey through the hardship and happiness of this world, the sweet and sour fruit of Adam (as)'s exile. Reflection upon our immortal spirit, its connection to God Almighty, and the spiritual bridge between us and Allah (swt) that is the Prophet Muhammad (saws) makes this life all too precious to ignore. 

The Song of the Habibullah. So let us tread the earth of this world firmly and with great resolution. But let us be guided by the moral and spiritual compass that Allah the all-Loving has left in all of us... our heart and conscience. And in our heart, have no doubt that there is no music more enlightening, no song more true than the words and wisdom of God's own mercy to all the worlds, our beloved Nabi Muhammad Habibullah (saws).

Have a lovely Friday, sunshine...

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

GIVE YOUR SALAM (GREETINGS OF PEACE) EVEN TO YOUR ENEMY...

Dear You,

You have hurt me,

In your words and deeds,

So my mind turns to you,

To dig deep into you and

Find out why you say what you said

And do what you did...

Some dark past, a bitter history

To make you thus unkind to me?

And what did I uncover instead?

I peered into your diary

And saw you had your good days,

And you had your bad days,

And on some days, you wondered why God 

Even bothered waking you in the morning,

I saw your petty crimes and pretty lies,

And in between I saw your kindness 

And forgiveness residing still in your eyes,

So neither precious stones, silver nor gold

Did I find in the depth of your earth,

Rather, I found you had a soul...

Still recognizably human

Though tired and old,

And it is thus how I found you...

Not altogether good,

Not altogether a bad, 

And in finding a little of your soul,

I recognised in you, a little of me,

Just another wanderer

 Walking in from the cold...

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

The Veil of Separation Between Us. We have personal identities, separate and distinct from one another. There is the 'me' and the 'you', not to mention the 'us' and the 'them'. But this distinction is only true at the very most shallow end of our ocean of understanding. The truth is that human beings are much more porous and absorbent than we care to admit. We are like a sponge, absorbing our surroundings and the people we interact with.

Understanding Through Prosperity and Adversity. So we are asking Allah (swt) and His Prophet (saws) to bring us to favourable circumstances and in the company of favoured souls. But we are also asking God the Illuminating One to teach us humility and understanding if life in testing company and circumstances is to be our fate. For in both conditions of 'prosperity' and 'adversity' there is much to learn of our soul, and the mettle of our courage and patience.

Peace. So give salam (greetings of peace) even to your enemy(assuming you have one), for he holds within him an understanding of your own self. And truth be told, how you act with someone you disagree with can reveal more of you than the manner you act with someone you adore...

Do you not agree, sunshine?

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

SAILING THE SEA OF MATRIMONY - all roads and all knowledge inevitably leads to Hu... and to you.

1. Universe Within

Galaxies swim within my veins,

Stars make home in each cell of my body,

Cosmic winds rise from my lips,

As creation mingle sweetly in my eyes.

                                                     

                                  I am the intangible vessel,                                 

The wandering soul,

Tasked to find and record,

The Speech of the One.

I am the broken vessel,

Holed below my waterline,

Sailing an unbroken sea,

With a smile and verily, a fool’s hope!

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

If you are reading this, know that you are reading the memoirs of a fool. But alhamdulillah you are with a smiling fool. 

I don't know about anyone else, but I am contented to be a fool than a morose scholar, forever crying "Oh woe! Oh sadness! Oh, the things that I know!!" . Instead I am happy to constantly be amused, astonished and struck speechless by this life, on a course set by Him., until the day that it pleases Him to take me back.

But as I am still alive and writing, I guess there are still secrets and surprises left to be uncovered. And in the entwined limbs of lovers in rapture there are secrets to know, for there is nothing of value if that thing does not take you closer in your understanding of God Almighty.

Whether you are sailing across an ocean or the stormy waters of the matrimonial bed, seek God!

Consummated passion and more importantly, safety, is there. 

He he he. And to grease the machinery of your impending marriage (assuming you are getting wed) do remember this fine line spoken by a friend of mine to his betrothed...

Dear Love,

Our contract of marriage is a strange thing,
For the definitions are waiting to be explored,
The meaning of words and names are waiting to be written...

So write me, and who I am,

For I am without meaning until you tell me

What I mean to you...  

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

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

AT THE COURT OF THE KING, IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD EVERLASTING... someone is waiting.

If I knew me, I would envy me

Weeping widows would envy my sorrow,

Smiling babies would envy my joy,

Beggars would envy my poverty,

Kings would envy my riches,

Thinkers would envy my knowledge,

Lovers would envy my sadness

Pharaohs would envy my pride,

But above all. I would definitely envy me, 

If only God would lead me to me and tell me... 

" Here. Here you are.

With Me.

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

It is a tiring journey, don't you reckon? This never-ending search for yourself. Yet, there you are, sitting comfortably in your sofa. Lying in bed. Eating, living, drinking, breathing. But however happy you may be in this life, however contented you may feel, the truth is that there is an emptiness inside you. And life is all about finding meaning to fill that emptiness. To give meaning to who you are, where you came from, where you are heading to. For the answers to all these questions will lead you to some realisation of who you truly are. And the man (or woman) who knows himself, ultimately, will know of God.

But this little quest does not seem to have an ending, does it? You travel, from one horizon of your life to the next. And when you have scaled one hill, you find another, then another... and another. From birth to the cradle, childhood to the teenage years, through schools, colleges and universities, work to marriage to children to grandchildren, to grey bearded dotage.

This morning someone told me of the wisdom of this endless journey, this timeless quest, is because something is purposely delayed by your Maker. And the only reason why some good thing is postponed, is directly in relation to the worth of that something. So do not fret (too much) in your discontent. For that is a sign that God is keeping something that will satisfy you only when you arrive in the Divine Presence. And it is not something that this world and universe is worthy of holding. It awaits you across the threshold.

So live life well, and let go of it in good spirit. Something sovereign in value awaits you at the Court of the King, in the Kingdom of God Everlasting - Muhammad Habibullah (saws)... and you. 

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

GOD HIDES. YOU HIDE. WE ALL HIDE. - mortal faith, love and hope in the promises of an unseen God.

Hiding

Lovers embracing, hiding in an old chestnut tree,

Children playing, hiding under stairs and in broom closets,

Thunder rumbling, hiding in an overcast sky,

My soul is praying, hiding in unspoken gestures,

My spirit is with my Lord, hiding far from you and I,

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

Hiding Humans. We all hide. Such is the nature of things. We hide in our clothes, in our makeup. We hide in our wallets, we hide in our credit card accounts. We hide behind our beard and our veils. We hide behind our academic qualifications and in our office title. We hide behind our smiles and charity. Sometimes the form betrays the true reality of our inner selves. But often they are disguises. I am not saying hiding is necessarily a bad thing. It is just how we are wired.

God Hides Too. Indeed, He is the best player in hide and seek. He is perhaps comparable to Time and Sound. For both natural events, like God, cannot be seen, but can be indirectly observed through the movement of the hand on a clock, and experienced by our sense of hearing. And God? Well it is that good feeling you have when you find your lost wallet. The descending calmness of acceptance in the demise of a brother. The smile from a stranger. The encouraging word from a colleague at work. So God is hidden, but He is also felt in our heart. For what other reason would He have made Man with a heart? 

Revelation is a created thing too, an expression of the Divine Will. God is hidden in this world and also in the hereafter. It is only by His choosing that He elects to reveal Himself. But what is true revelation when He is the Creator of revelations and the divine presence? Can the Uncreated One manifest His desire and will in a created thing? A created event? He can of course. It is up to Him. He sets the rules of Creation, He sets the script and the music. He can unbend anything and unmake anything. So in such circumstances are we constantly made aware of His presence and His Goodness. But what direct evidence do we have of His existence? 

Only in our hope upon His assurances... that He is Most Loving, Most Powerful, Most Compassionate and Merciful to us. The All-Knowing, All-Seeing and All-Hearing One. Such is the form He deigns to wear for our sake. What is the Essence of the form? It is beyond our conjecture, for such question is an existential rabbit hole that will break our mind and may possibly drive us blinking mad. I am not going speculating in that direction, for I see only emptiness and madness.

So all we have is in truth, Hope in His Promises. And I guess this is what is called faith (iman) that dwells in the heart of a believer. No one will understand this logic if he or she is not A Student of Love.

Thank God we all are!

Have a beautiful evening, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

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

FRIENDSHIP OF THE COLLECTOR & THE COMPANION - The Ramadan Story, Part 19

The Collector & the Companion

Mr. A: Who are you?

Mr. B: I am a collector.

Mr. A: What do you collect?

Mr. B: I collect stories and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad.

Mr. A: Where did you come from?

Mr. B: I am from the future.

Mr. A: How did you get here?

Mr. B: I neither walked nor strayed here,

It is you who have come to me from the past.

Mr. A: I have? Well, Alhamdulillah!

Mr. B: Indeed... Alhamdulillah!

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

A Rose of Infinite Petals. I spent some time after iftar this evening with an old, old friend. He isn't actually very old, but whenever I talk to him, he makes me feel young again, because almost inevitably without fail, he would trot out a story of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) that I have not heard before. I would just sit there contented as his words fall over me like a refreshing spring water, as the story of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) unfolds yet again like a rose of infinite petals, told with the passion of an enthusiastic storyteller...

46. The Turban and the Nightingales

There are folds in the Prophet’s turban

Like unto petals of a fragrant rose

Before any nightingale sang in heaven

Muhammad was Allah’s first prose.

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

Falling for a Friend (again). It has been perhaps more than one decade since I first met my old friend. And even then, I found him brilliant, beautiful and with a wonderful sense of irony. Not for him was the same old script of theology and religion. He is one who has helped to shape my life with love and companionship, enriching my understanding of Muhammad and His Islam. and the serious and often hilarious tales of the Companions and the Saints, making them more human and approachable, yet even more divine and lovely. It would not be overestimating our chance meet tonight to say that I have fallen in love with my friend all over again, and with his Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.). Of course, my friend did not time-travel from the past, but his words are weighed with centuries of contemplation of Muhammad. Perhaps, it is not his centuries we are talking about, but then again, there is nothing really new under the Sun, and there is nothing wrong in borrowed wisdom.

207. The Waiting II

Muhammad is waiting under the Lote Tree,

Sitting under the shade of My Mercy,

Resting his back on the trunk of My Support,

Tasting the fruits of My Generosity,

Taking delight in the manifestation of My Beauty.

Attended to by the Best of Hosts,

He is already in the Best of Company,

Yet his gaze returns to thee,

Asking, “Join me! Join me!”

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

And yes, it is his Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), as I have my Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), our idea and concept of the Beloved of God being absolutely personal and distinct to ourselves, according to our milestone in our individual lives. What ties us in common is our love for the Prophet (s.a.w.s.), and the only difference being the eagerness by which we race to learn more about Muhammad's (s.a.w.s.) Prophetic mission, and how better to please the Prophet (s.a.w.s.). And by 'eagerness' I mean his eagerness and my woeful blundering journey.

24. For you, For Muhammad.

I have given you the most beautiful dress that is your skin

For you to wear,

I have placed in you two revolving sapphire moons,

So that you might see,

I have plucked from My Garden two rose petals as your lips,

For you to kiss your lover with.

But for Muhammad, and no one else,

I have erected My Throne in your heart.

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

My friend though is a class act all by himself, and as I watched his retreating back after our all too short meeting, I hope and pray for the next encounter with him to come real soon. 

For I know my Muhammadan muse has many, many more stories to share.

May God bless his furry little heart (He is furry, Shahzad is. He is my friend, but I shan't lie). I guess I shall never be like him, for I have made myself to be a mistake that needs constant reference to His Mercy and His Compassion. Nonetheless I am happy to bask (however intermittently) in the warmth of his knowledge, and most importantly, sincere friendship.

In this world, what more can one ask, sunshine?

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way 

IGNORANCE IS BAD, BUT AWARENESS OF IGNORANCE IS SOMETHING ELSE - The Ramadan Story, Part 11

Pleasing to Thee

Make me pleasing to Thee,

Make my thoughts inviting to Thee,

Make my words speak of Thee,

Awake, asleep or drifting in a dream!

Make me pleasing to Thee,

Make my gestures thoughtful of Thee,

Make my longing only for Thee,

Make me regret each moment

I am away from Thee! 

Make me pleasing to Thee,

Make my heart Thy abode,

Make my eyes Thy lantern,

Make me Thy grateful servant!

Make me pleasing to Thee,

Make my smiles Thy laughter,

Make my solitude Thy intimacy

And a secret consummation

My tears, the river

Streaming through the heaven

Of Thy Divine Presence!

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

Love. When people read love prose, they assume that the poet is 'there', and they say, "Oh, how I wish I am there too."

Ignorance is bad. But Awareness of Ignorance is Something Else. But true love is neither here nor there. It is not confined to time or space. And that is why the very best lovers of this world love the Infinite and Beyond the Infinite. They are loved and fall in love with Knowledge and what is beyond Knowledge. It would be madness for our reason had not Allah (s.w.t.) assure us that beyond understanding is Adab (good manners and courtesy). Adab for the Guider and the guided. Adab for the Best Guide, who is none other than Muhammad Sayyidina Alamul Huda s.a.w.s. (Flag of Guidance) and for his beloved Nation, those who are forever seeking his guidance. But this 'forever seeking' also means a certain degree of ignorance. After all, if you know what you are doing, where is the faith in that? Where is the love? What would you seek?

The Knowledge of Ignorance. This is the knowledge of one's ignorance, and an important step towards abasing our ego and hubris of 'knowing stuff' and 'knowing it all'. In truth, we hardly even know 'knowing' at all. Such is our dire state and need for Allah (s.w.t.) and His Habibullah (s.a.w.s.).

Half-Life at 43. We do not want to die. But we do not want to live a half-life. A life bereft of God Almighty and His Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.). And as I countdown my 43rd year today, I hope to let go and let God in. Pray for me, sunshine? For by God, I am in need of your kind thoughts and wishes always...

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

IF YOU HURT, AT LEAST YOU KNOW YOU ARE NOT HEARTLESS! the benefits and advantages of pain and hurt

A mureed was attending the discourses of a mighty Shaykh, a well-known master of the spiritual path of Islam. The Shaykh was not the sort to mince his words, and as he spoke, barbed darts and barbed arrows issued forth from his lips and pierced the conscience of all the mureeds in attendance. Each one felt it, in his or her own way. Ouchie.

One particular mureed actually winced as if hurt by physical pain and the Shaykh noticed. He turned to him and addressed the mureed and by that way he addressed all the mureeds. "Oh foolish one! You winced, did you? You felt the heat of my white words, did you? Well, take that as a good sign from Your Creator, for He has left you now, even after years of your neglect, forgetfulness and sinning, with a heart that could still feel!"  

Hurt Heart

It is better to have feelings,

And with that, the ability to feel hurt,

Than to be heartless

And be known to your God

As someone without feelings.

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

And here we are today, sunshine. And I reckon just like me, you still have a heart that Allah (s.w.t.) has bestowed that you might feel and find your way through the maze of this dunya (physical world). Yes, I know... sometimes we stumble and fall, and often enough falling foul of God's commandments. But alhamdulillah (God be praised!), that when we fall we feel the hurt. 

Other wise, how long do you think we would still be falling into the abyss, unknowing of our errors and mistakes?

Greetings of peace and blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), and His inheritors through whom we may learn a little about who we are. They are like mirrors into our own souls.

Have a lovely Sunday.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

NOT LOST, MERELY A LONGER LEASH - of happiness and its many veils

Merely a Longer Leash

Tell me not your happiness is best

While mine is a veil,

Who is to judge which of our happiness is true?

Would that person be you?

Tell me not that I need guiding

Because I am lost,

For my Lord has merely given me

A leash longer than yours!

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

It is tempting to bath in the sunshine of our spiritual happiness. To shower under the glazed rain of our inchoate joy. And for those seekers, it is also a common habit to see others and wonder, "Why are they taking their happiness from that which is other than God Almighty or the most sought company of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.)? They are partying like its New Years Eve, when they could be attending a gracious Mawlud (congregational dzikr and salawat)."

I made the mistake of sharing my observation with an old friend.

"Do not stray there, my friend..." my old buddy-buddy interjected, "Who are you to say that your happiness is true and his happiness is a hijab (veil)? For truth be told (and as painful as it is), by you questioning his happiness, you have thrown a hijab over your own happiness and closeness to Goodness." 

I have?

"Yes. This is an important lesson. Do not forget." He concluded.

Poor foolish me. Always being reprimanded and admonished.

Oh well. Maybe the middle is the best place to be. He he he.

May Allah (s.w.t.) bless you always. And if ever, I have doubted your happiness (or sadness, now that I think about it further)... please do forgive me.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way 

I AM LOOKING FOR 'I' - a sinner in a hermitage in the sky

I looking for 'I'

I am looking for 'I',

Leaving my home to look for home,

I am looking for 'I',

Leaving myself to find myself,

I am looking for 'I',

So God shan't sigh,

"My dear old chum, 

You never even tried."

I am looking for 'I'

And leaving my 'I'ness behind,

So look for me, my friend,

At the Hermitage in the Sky.

Hermitage in the Sky. Over the past couple of weeks, the sinner (that is me, a regular old sinner, nothing extraordinary) was considering taking an apartment in the area of Damansara Damai which is, I reckon about 1 hour plus drive (during rush hour) or a mere 15 minutes away (at any other time) from my lifelong neighbourhood of Bukit Damansara. So after much thought, I have decided to take the place for one month trial period. Most landlords would balk at such a proposal, but I have no landlord, for it is a she, and the landlady is my good friend, Rina.

Early this morning I went over to sweep and mop the first floor before going to the office. Let me tell you that mopping is no joke. Mop, rinse, mop, rinse, mop, rinse. And it was initially annoying because the floor was dusty and wet, so wherever I mopped I would leave a trail of mucky foot prints all over the place. So I would wipe the foot prints, again and again and again until there was no more trail of dirt on the marbled floor.

Adab of the Mop. And this mop story is important to me because it is a reflection of life. Often we look at other people and see dirt and stains on their character, and we are resolved to rehabilitate these poor sinners, without noticing the trail of debris and muck we ourselves leave behind in 'helping' them. Because we are not helping actually, but in truth, judging. When you are alone with a mop your mind wanders. He he he.

I brought Mak Ndak, my late mum's elder sister to see the place last weekend. She said it was kinda far, but she thinks it is pretty. That is good enough for me. As my mother is not around anymore, it is important that I have her blessings, albeit my stay may only be a while...

About this transition, I am both happy and sad. Which, when you think of the state of the world, ain't really too bad.

See you at the hermitage, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Missing you, remembering you - under a sky rent asunder by the light of love

Missing you, Remember you

When I cry,

It is not me alone crying,

But the Earth, the Sky and the Moon,

Missing you.

When I remember you,

It is not me alone remembering,

But the Earth, the Sky and the Moon,

Remembering you.

When I collect beautiful memories,

It is in reality Truth that I collect,

And the most beautiful memory

That I possess is you.

Love, what be the reasons

For our separation?

Save that I might yearn for you.

And from a distance 

That I might remember you.

Knowing that

You would never forsake me.

No matter how far my sins or piety may take me. 

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

It is May Day today, a public holiday celebrating the contribution of workers the world over. I reckon that most workers are taking the opportunity to sleep in this morning. But for me my real passion continues - remembering and writing - Taking ink from the velvet blue sky, rent asunder by the light of love that touches the nib of my pen.

Have a lovely holiday, sunshine. And remember me in your prayers please, for the sake of Him that we adore above all else.  

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way