COFFEE, COMPANY AND A HAPPY ROUND OF ARCHERY - 4 observations on traditional archery

"Dammit... Papa is taking another picture!"

Struggling with Father. I found it absolutely confounding why my 10 year old son, Mika, is so disturbed if I am better than him in archery. Given that we are both novices, perhaps my (temporary) ascendancy is contributed by the simple fact that I train more (there is no place for archery at his mom's place). Yet he seems positively insulted if I were to suggest ways to improve his posture and shooting. So I backed down, and let him find his way, and during moments of his exhilaration during archery, I would (very nonchalantly and without seeming to be 'instructing') throw in a word or two of useful observations.  

I reckon this son-father rivalry is partly because Mika is the only son from my former marriage with his mother. And with only a 6-month old half brother (Ian Emir) to contend with, I guess he finds me to be the only real challenge worthy of his steel. Oh dear.   

Surrender. I wanted to write about the archer's struggle to accept fate, wherever his/her arrow lands. But having started talking about my son, I am drawn to continue along the same line about surrender... For I can see now that Mikhail's willingness or otherwise to accept my suggestions are akin to him surrendering - i.e., submitting to the words of his father. And in a manner of speaking, 'freewill' should be adjusted here, because submission should come as natural as breathing. For that is the only way that I interpret Islam which of course, also means Submission or To Submit, to the will of God Almighty. For unlike me, there is no way God would be unfair and require submission from His servants, if such submission was not fitrah (natural) to our soul. That is the truth of our struggle to follow our heart and soul in love with Allah (swt), rather than the exhortations and persuasions of our ego and nafs (our base desires). 

Stopping the Noise. In archery I am also taught to quiet down and shut up. To silence (or at least to turn the volume down of) the noisy debate in our head, between our many headed ego (just like the hydra). You can hear their din because every miss or hit on the bulls eye draws a response - a sigh of disappointment or a gasp of hubris or simple mute indifference. I cannot deny that this is the most difficult thing to do. To treat success or failure as the illusions that they are, and to learn to surrender to the simple contentment and joy of being alive and doing the sunnah (traditions) archery of Nabi Muhammad Habibullah, the Beloved of God (saws). 

Win? Lose? Whaddaaat?? He he he. 

Blessing in Association. The way of Sunnah Archery is the way of blessing in an association. And I am saying this because I am naturally diffident. Not humble, mind you. I think it is a different personality trait because diffidence can (and in my case, is!) be attributed to some form of inferiority complex. On top of that, I also have a superiority complex (strange and contradictory, but true!), so I often find it hard to make and keep friends. My ego-spine is rigid and is excruciatingly painful for me to bend or unbend for someone.

But even with such character defects (which shouldn't be a surprise to you because, after all, this is the sinners' almanac), more people are coming by, sharing coffee and company, with a round of archery. Not just friends, but my own kin are pleased to join in the very visceral but deeply spiritual joy of traditional archery. I have come to meet and know very kind and generous people, skilled in the art of sunnah archery, tolerant and chivalrous. And strangely, some of them, I have in fact known for years.

I am grateful to my archery-mad friends, especially uberdervish Din Mahidin and Sheik Fuad Bajrai for handing me and Mika a pair of bow and arrows and saying, "Fancy a try?" It has been a compelling journey of a mere one and a half months, but most enlightening. Why, you get to even learn a bit about archery.

So, sunshine, how about it?... Fancy a try?

He he he.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

FORMLESS, FORMED, FORMLESS - a little reflection on traditional sunnah archery

The Form of Archery and Life 

(or Formless, Formed, Formless)

Formless, the intention is sparked

Like a light within a light,

The intention is formed 

As you pick the arrow

And set it upon the bowstring,

You raise the bow

Drawing the bowstring,

Then you aim and release the arrow,

Thus completing your intention,

Your intention returns to its formless state, 

The arrow is flying, whirling through the air

Landing at a place pre-destined an eternity ago,

Landing at a place only God will know where...

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

An old friend said to me, "You know, it is pointless to be disappointed when the arrow misses the target. And it is as pointless to rejoice when the arrows hits the bulls eye."

Eh?

"Why be torn between two polar extremes of emotions, when you can have a constant state of calm happiness?" He continued. "After all, the form of archery, the physical aspects of the sport, and the formless state being your intention to follow the sunnah archery of our beloved Prophet (saws) is already a blessing in itself!"

Really?

"Yes... really. And if you do not believe me, then ask the regiment of angel archers that is shooting arrows with you because you are honouring the traditions of the Habibullah (saws)..."

I am obsessed by an obsession. I don't know how long it will last, but I am so happy to see my brother, my son and all my nephews similarly captivated. 

So do be careful, sunshine. Don't pick up that bow and arrow if you do not want to spend hours and hours shooting arrows, fixing arrows, repairing and installing targets. And to be thrown into a circle of friends who are kind, generous, hilarious and exceedingly good-looking. May Allah bless their big hearts!

He he he.

Have a lovely day, sunshine. 

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

THE SILENCE OF THE SPIRIT... the quivering bow, the trembling draw and the flying arrow.

At a Lost for Words. My archery-mad friend, Enda says that my prose will be inspired by traditional archery, particularly the Sunnah archery of the Prophet Muhammad (saws). But to be honest with you, I am at a lost for words.

For how can you write when you are in the midst of consummating a love? You do not hold your lover in your arms, and then tell her in between kisses and moans, "Wait... wait a second, let me just jot down my feelings and observation.", to then continue passionately making love to her. 

Life, and love simply does not work that way.

The Intermissions. No, life and love is enjoyed and endured in between the draw of the arrow and the release with praise and salutations to God Almighty and His Prophet Muhammad (saws). It is the intermission between sets, drinking my coffee and looking around the empty field near my house, as the first ray of the sun touches upon the seven arrows borrowed from Enda and the bow called Aslan resting beside me.

Sweet, complete happiness.

Distractions. Oh, yes. And this I may share with you. To miss the target is a distraction, and to hit the target too is a distraction. The sigh of disappointment or the squeal of triumph, both are distractions to whatever I am  endeavouring this early Monday morning.

Simply because they spoil the silence of the spirit, in which I hope to hear Allah (swt) and His Beloved Habibullah (saws) resonate in the quivering bow, the trembling draw and the flying arrow.

Have a wonderful Monday, sunshine...

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way 

SACRED ARCHERY (AND MY ACTUAL REALITY)

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

Sacred Archery. Traditional archery of the Prophet Muhammad Habibullah (saws) is a sunnah (tradition) highly recommended by the spiritual Masters. Consequently, my archery ambition for my self and Mikhail is celestial... cosmic... heavenly even. But my reality is very much down to earth. He he he. I don't mind, so long as I don't accidentally hurt any of God's creatures (which would include the brown squirrels and birdies that populate my garden and backyard, my next door neighbour's German Shepherd, and any unlucky cat or jogger that may stray too close to my home).

Actually it is quite impossible, because we don't have any arrows, you see... But such deficiencies are only technical issues. We can still practice archery, if we put our heart into it.

He he he.  

Have a lovely day, sunshine. Gonna catch a nap before lunch.

I love Sundays.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

ISLAM & THE HEART OF MUHAMMAD - The Ramadan Story, Part 21

For Your Sake

Tell Me that I am the One,

And that you shall love Me forever,

Tell me that I am the One,

And that you shall leave Me never,

Tell Me this,

And do as I tell you to do,

Not for My sake,

But in truth, 

For you.

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

Allah (s.w.t.) is asking us to avoid certain things, because He knows best of all what is bad for us. And Allah (s.w.t.) encourages us to do certain things, because there is no one better who knows what is good for us and pleasing to Him.

I

Islam & the Heart of Muhammad. And because He loves us so, Allah (s.w.t.) does not allow us to wander into danger without clear and apparent warning and cautions. This is true in how we treat our body, how we treat our family, our friends and our neighbours. And such is the completeness of the Islam that God has bestowed upon humanity, that Allah (s.w.t.) even posts danger signs along the neglectful or abusive way in which we order our society, our economy and the natural world. All this He does through His Love for His Beloved, Muhammad Habibullah Sayyidina Sa'dullah (s.a.w.s). 

And if you wonder how vast is the expanse of the Heart of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), look up to the night sky and ask its billion stars, for they will testify the truth that even this entire Universe cannot encompass the Heart of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), for only God knows the true reality of His Beloved. 

His Pleasure. This morning, being the 1st of Syawal, I wish all my readers a wonderful Eid and pray that Allah (s.w.t.) bestows upon you such blessings and grace as is His pleasure to give from His Infinite Ocean of Mercy.

Ask. For if you do not know that Allah (s.w.t.) derives His pleasure in bestowing His gifts to you, then sadly, you do not know Him at all. You need only turn to Him, following the shadowless path of His Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) the best that you can, and ask - Asking for forgiveness, hope, salvation and love in this world and in the hereafter. 

Surely, God shall not reject you.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

FORGIVENESS, FEAR OF GOD - The Ramadan Story, Part 18

Forgive me, o' Lord

Forgive me, o' Patience

For not knowing your better,

Forgive me, o' Wisdom

For thinking I have already attained you,

Forgive me, o' Hope

For abandoning you again and again,

Forgive me, o' Beauty

For failing to distinguish you from Vanity,

Forgive me, o' Mercy

For putting limits to your vastness,

Forgive me, o' Love

For putting a lie to you

And accepting a mere facsimile,

Forgive me, o' Me

For wavering in my quest

To understand You.

Forgive me, o' Forgiveness

By the Light of the Moon

And the Ocean that washes upon my shore,

I am standing here beneath the crying seagulls,

Counting my daily errors and unspoken curses,

Realising that more than ever before,

I am in need of Your Attention,

Your Conciliation,

Your Forgiveness...

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

Ramadan is the time not only to restrain
our hunger, but perhaps more importantly,
our wayward ego.

The Ego Sickness. Every single day, there is always something that happens to send me scurrying like a frightened mouse back to God. And what 'happens' is actually me, driven by some angry thought, bitter recriminations and hubris, motivated by my wayward ego. And it happens so often that I am led to realise that at this juncture of my life, I am more comfortable with my ego, allowing it to become my habit, which of course means that my ego has become me. This is not good news.

Good and Bad Days. Well, awareness of our own sickness is a beginning, I guess. And there is no better month than the month of Ramadan to try to bring our ego under containment and control. For the obligatory fasting is intended to also help quell our ego and nafs (base-desires). This requires some practice, because I have witnessed even the most gentle souls breaking into anger and impatience during fasting, as it occurred today just minutes before iftar (breaking of the fast at sunset) between a newly married couple who are otherwise contented and happy on any other day. But they soon get over it, and were back to their lovey-dovey default mode.

Fear only God. I guess we all have our peaks and valleys, and though we always try to put a brave happy face, we are in fact constantly being pulled and pushed by some anxiety or subconscious fear of something - money, health, marriage and relationships, work, tax, debt and career failures. To this, the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s) has said and exemplified the important and very fundamental tenet of the Muslim faith, which is - fear only God, so that you need not fear anything else.

39. Taqwa (With Poon)

Fear of God is not paranoia,

It is the certainty that you need not fear anything but Him,

Since nothing exists but Him.

It is therefore not the affirmation of your fears,

But the affirmation of His Oneness.

It is not the negation of His Mercy,

But the negation of all that is illusory.

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

Nice... but mind the mountain goat.

Muhammad's Faith. The Islam of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) isn't and has never been the hermetic, lets-leave-the-world-and-find-a-lonely-mountain-top-to-occupy. After all, not many mountain tops are lonely, and you would probably be unfairly evicting a mountain goat or a golden eagle who has lived there for generations. No, your life belongs here, amidst the crowd of humanity, striving and working for a honest living. Being born, growing up, learning and working, getting married and having children, before withering gently into contented, forgetful dotage. In this sense, what the Faith of Muhammad has to offer are the tools and instruments that we need (if we only knew better!) to face such a life, with a good heart and a healthy active conscience. And to leave this world one day, if not better, at least not making it any worse, for our children and grandchildren. And one of the greatest sunnah (Prophetic tradition) is to fear Allah (s.w.t.). For that is the equalising factor between people, whether you are rich or poor, old or young, a king or a beggar in the gutter...

O' mighty kings! Fear God!

O' religious preachers! Fear God!

O' presidents and prime ministers! Fear God!

O' generals and leaders of men! Fear God!

Fear God and obey His Prophet!

And how worthy is God to be the only centre of your fear and anxiety to please! For no one, nothing created or uncreated, past, present or future, known or unknown, will ever love you more or know you better than your Maker, who coincidentally, is also my Maker... a.k.a. God Almighty, Allah (s.w.t.) - the One God and most Beloved of His Beloved, Muhammad Habibullah (s.a.w.s.).

And that is the happy conclusion of our travel through this form of 'fear'... into the all-welcoming arms of God - the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful, Lord of Mercy, Giver of Mercy, that being none other than Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), the Mercy to all the Worlds...

Fear of God is the balloon by which you can float above
the valley of illusory fears that has plagued not just
you, but all of humanity since time immemorial.

So are we not blessed in infinite ways, sunshine? 

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

TRUE FOR ME, TRUE FOR YOU - the Way of the Prophet and the Way with the Prophet

True For Me, True For You

You think I am looking for death?

Truth is I am looking for Muhammad.

You think I am looking for wealth?

Truth is I am looking for Muhammad.

You think I am looking for knowledge?

Truth is I am looking for Muhammad.

You think I am looking for love?

Truth is I am looking for Muhammad.

You think it is light that you perceive?

Truth is what you see is Muhammad.

You think it is goodness that you receive?

Truth is it is Muhammad that you receive.

No books will tell you this. No spoken words.

It is the reverberations in your heart

By which you know this to be true...

True for me, true for you,

True for all.

Verily, my friend...
Does your heart not recall?

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

I was driving early this morning, while the sky was still dark and the Sun has not risen yet over the East. And while on the road I was listening to the radio. It was a local forum where people would write in for the ustaz (religious teacher) to answer. So this morning someone asked the question, "Are we permitted to pray for death?" And this was his answer.

"It is prohibited generally because death is in the power and sole authority of God to determine. However there is a way for someone to pray for death. And it is in the Hadis (oral traditions) of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.). The prescribed prayer is thus - 'O' God, if living is better for me, then give me life. If death is better for me, then give me death.' After all, are we entirely aware of our state at any point in time in our life? We may be doing Qiamullail every night (extended supererogatory prayers to be done in the early hours of the morning) and fasting every other day, but we cannot know for certain of our state. And it is not for Man to (try to) run from the destiny that God has determined for him."

The Way of Muhammad. We do not know what God has in store for us today. Who does? Nor are we merely asking or even waiting for death in some sleepy dervish daze. Our Masters are teaching us to forever ask for Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), and not to ask for life or death, save for a life with Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) and death with Muhammad (s.a.w.s.). And what of work, play, love, marriage, ambition, food, companionship, dreams, fun, recreation, money, health, wealth, you might ask? What of these things which we (or our ego) desire? Such things, I am told, are best with Muhammad(s.a.w.s.). 

The Way with Muhammad. You know, sunshine, you can choose to live life in ignorance of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.). But why would you desire that way? Even to fully enjoy a simple apple (or orange), there is no better way than to eat it in the Way of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) (also known as the Prophet's Sunnah), and in the Way with Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) which can be your own Sunnah.

At the final resting place of almarhum Sultanul Qulb Shaykh Raja Ashman Shah ibn Sultan Raja Azlan
Shah. These simple things I write today I learnt from him, but I cannot recall much of what he said.
For me at least he spoke little, but his adab (good manners) spoke volumes.
And indeed, even to this day his adab still speaks with beautiful clarity.
al fatiha

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The Most Impertinent Gift of All - life, love, children and the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.)

1.      A Clear blue sky, Qasidah Burdah!

I am standing beneath

A clear blue sky,

As the night clouds part

To reveal stars that twinkle

And wink at me,

Trying to winkle from me

A little sigh, a little tear,

A little chuckle,

As I, Taufiq,

Take delight in God’s apparentness,

In the burning fire of stars countless

Light years away from me,

And in the delight of God’s covertness,

In the burning heart of the Prophet’s Companions

So near to me, that I can feel

Their breath upon my cheek,

Their hand upon my hand,

And they are saying,

“O’ Taufiq! What do you desire?”

And I am replying now,

“O’ Stars of my Twilight Sky,

It is your Master that I covet!

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

Really I do declare that I am the most greedy person I know. Not happy enough with the delights of this world and the birth of my son some 8 years ago, I still want more. I want the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), of all the most impertinent desires that mortal men can hide in the folds of their hearts. 

But the point about divine gifts is that it comes with a qualification, for each thing which we receive, whether it is money and wealth, breath and health, land and friends, has a flip side. With great gifts come great responsibility - For what are we spending our money on? With each breath are we making this world better or worse? If we have health, what are doing with our bodies? And what are we allowing to be built on our lands? And do we take care of our friends, or do we neglect them?

And when it comes to the gift of children, come on... let's face it. We have never been properly trained and educated to fulfill our responsibilities towards them. For Muslims, they would therefore ask for the most impertinent divine gift to help them manage their responsibilities in this life, and that boon is the gift of access and intimacy with the best guide to all Mankind - God's anointed Mercy to the world(s), the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.).

Of course, he has passed away a long, long time ago. But if you really wanna know, the nature of death and the reality of the after life makes this a wholly technical issue which can be dealt with easily...

Attending to the Prophet(s.a.w.s.)

Attend to the Prophet

And the Prophet will attend to you

Direct your attention to the Prophet

And the Prophet will direct his attention to you

Listen to the Prophet, for he is already speaking to you,

Turn to the Prophet, for he is already gazing to you,

From a place far,  far away

But very, very near.

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

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The Undying Promise of the Prophet, Wahhabism and the Fall of the Lies of the End of Time

198. After The Prophet

Both brethren and foes

Declare, “Damn you

For fathering innovations

After the Prophet.”

How can we explain

That there is no ‘after the Prophet’,

A notion which we instead read

As being most mischievous

Of innovations?

...........

I recall an old interview where a Sufi Shaykh quoted his beloved Master, that 'There is no innovation in worship.' If I remember correctly, it was in a television show on an Indonesian channel.

The Nine Saints of God of our blessed Neighbour. Recently in a local newspaper in Malaysia, a prominent Muslim scholar said that we must go save our Muslim Indonesians from the conversion efforts of Christian missionaries there. Millions have been converted he alleges. I don't know whether it is true or not. But I reckon we should pay attention to our own local problems. Not about conversions, but about the very meaning of Islam. For it is my observation that in Indonesia, the traditional teachings of the old shaykhs and scholars still resonates strongly in the heart of a lot of our brethren out there. I think it is because most of their Pesantren ( independent local religious schools, mostly small but some very big ones) retained the essence of their faith distilled for centuries, through the spiritual sultans of Java - the Wali Songo (The Nine Saints), may God sanctify their secrets.

No such thing as a free lunch. In Malaysia, we have been perhaps too relaxed in accepting favours and monies from a rich Middle Eastern Kingdom, which came with a proviso - send us your young and pious and we shall teach them in our Universities. This offer we readily accepted, because we were a young country and needed money for development, and after all, how many countries are out there willing to teach our students for free? And of course, being Malays, we were rather innocent and impressionable, and look to the Arabs as the true inheritors and protectors of the Prophet Muhammad's message (pbuh). How were we to know back then that there was a thriving and bitter debate between the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah (followers of the Ways of the Prophet, which accounts for the majority of Muslims in the world) and a strange, rude offshoot of Islam known as Wahhabism. Some people say we should not say "Wahhabism" or 'Wahabis' because it is one of the Divine Names of God, meaning 'the All-Giver' of unimaginable mercy, grace and generosity. Well, all I can say is that I bet there must be a couple of thieves, murderers or even rapists alive or dead who rejoiced under the name of Abdul Wahhab, so does calling them by their given name tarnish God's Divine Name? It doesn't make sense at all. God is above mortal ridicule. They just want to convince the Muslims that they don't exist.

Malaysia and Wahhabism. But I am deviating (no pun intended). What is suggested is that in some aspects, Indonesia is more open to host strange old Sufis coming around and talking on national television. Sadly, Malaysia is the opposite. Our experience are replete with our country's official and non-official religious bodies not just permitting, but indeed welcoming the purveyors of Wahhabism. A couple of years back, a fairly well-known Wahhabi from the USA arrived to give a talk, sponsored by one of the country's biggest GLC(Government-linked companies). And again, in a northern state in Malaysia, a senior politician once even went on air to defend Wahhabism. I wonder what scholarly credentials he had to make such a broadcast... 

They hate almost everyone else. Especially Muslims who disagree with them. Wahhabis like to argue that there is no such thing as Wahhabism. And they pour scorn upon the teachings of even such luminaries in the Islamic World as Imam Ghazali. Of course they would have no time for the more mystical scholars like Ibn Arabi and Jelaludin Rumi. "Western Philosophy tainted and poetic scholars!" the Wahhabis would grumble. Of the Sufi Tariqas, they have nothing but utter contempt. Sadly, the Wahhabi poison has infected the Well of Islam, that many drink from the poisoned well thinking such lessons to be true... so much so that when such things are exposed as Wahhabism, there would be many amongst us who would protest, "Yea, we are like that! But we are not Wahhabis. That is just good sense."

Reason for the Schism.The clear defining line between a Wahhabi and a member of the Sunnah wal Jamaah is simple really. One group believes in the Undying Message of the Al-Quran and the (very) active participation and intercessions in this world and the hereafter by Muhammad the Prophet of God(pbuh). The Wahhabis however has this world view, worded in prose as a reply to their terrible schism -

119. The 'inheritors' (a reply)

Oh, my inheritors, reflect!

What have you made me to be?

A malignant messenger-boy?

Cursing, cursory and desultory?

Dropping the Criterion on your laps,

Saying, “Well, okay then, must hurry!”?

What foul impressions have you wrought?

Why have my story you cut short?

Cease your endless prattle,

And lay not your salutary wreath on Muhammad’s tomb.

I am sent by my Lord

As a herald of Mercy, not doom.

And yet strangely, this pleases you not!

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

We pray to God, and they pray to God. We follow the teachings of Muhammad and they follow the teachings of Muhammad. But our Masters are schooled in the ways of the Prophet, His Companions and the Living Saints. Their Masters are lost in the rigid dogmas of positivism, 'reformation', humanism and strangely for a religious group, materialism. The Wahhabis also have much in common with the extreme Communists with their ideas of Year Zero and wiping the slate of humanity free of history, traditions and Adab (good manners) - Oh, everything that happened before us are bad. So only listen to our views and interpretations. They are not the Khmer Rouge, but their overbearing hubris has created for Muslims our very own Re-education Camps and Killing Fields, where Love, Knowledge, Mercy, Truth, Reason and Beauty are the first casualties.

That is why they shall never agree that...

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Wheels are in motion. But thank God (and the Prophet) that the Malays and Indian-Muslim community here are (generally) even-handed and not particularly thrown to bouts of self-righteousness and hubris, the hallmark of the dyed-in-the-wool Wahhabi. As we speak we are aware of the inner struggle within the State-sanctioned religious bureaucracy between the Ulamas (religious scholars) of the Sunnah wal Jamaah and the Wahhabi preachers. And this backlash against the tide of Wahhabism is happening even in its very birthplace, Saudi Arabia. And now in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the news come that the Caliph of Islam has been announced... Hmm. Wheels are in motion, sunshine. Wheels are in motion... Mercy, is ordained. And Truth is declared. The deception of Wahhabism and many, many Lies of the End of Time is exposed for those who would pause from their mindless and heartless obeisance to the 'regular' and the 'accepted norms' that has caged their hearts in an invisible prison for far too long already. That is the Prophet's undying promise to God for the benefit of all humanity whom the Prophet loves... 

122. Not Dead 

Oh, my Lord!

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.

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

Pax Taufiqa

Merdeka Poem 2012 - An Olympian Independence

Believe it or not, Olympians live in this small kampung house surrounded
by acres and acres of paddy fields.

An Olympic Independence

For the farmers in the paddy fields

Toiling under the burning Sun,

You are the Olympians,

For the constables doing your duty

With no thoughts of bribery,

You are the Olympians,

For the mothers bringing up

Your children with no husbands,

You are the Olympians,

For the salaried men commuting

3 hours a day to feed your family,

You are the Olympians,

For the leaders trying to make a change

In a political party diseased with hubris.

You are the Olympians,

For the inspiring teachers

Working on a paltry salary,

You are the Olympians,

For the civil servants who burn

The midnight oil while others leave early,

You are the Olympians,

For those who stand for what is right

And honour the old ways and traditions,

You are the Olympians,

For those who fight each day to

Protect our sovereignty,

You are the Olympians,

For those, right or wrong, left or right,

Who says, “This country deserves better!”

You are the Olympians,

For the Sultans of Adab,

For the Masters of Servanthood,

You are the Olympians.

……………………….

The London 2012 Olympics is here, and I guess many Malaysians kept awake into the wee hours of the morning to watch the opening ceremony which only started at 3.30am our time. Heche was one and sms-ed me commenting that the Queen 'looked cute'. Right. 

For Malaysia, or at least West Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak joined later), we too shall be celebrating something this month - our 55th Independence Day on the 31st August.

The newspaper and social medias are clogged up with the country's aspiration for gold medal(s) in the London Games. Well, all the of best luck to our athletes.

For me, I would like to congratulate the Malaysian Olympians who are in our midst already. The unsung and unheralded ordinary folks, who make life in Malaysia not only bearable but hopeful. I say this because if we were to believe everything we read in the media and social networks, whether pro-government or pro-opposition, things are, to put it bluntly, appalling. And with the muck-raking and dirty campaigns soon to come with the approaching General Election, Malaysians would be hard put to believe that we are actually 'okay'.

Of course, there is a lot to be done. And a lot to be improved. But don't worry too much. For I believe that you are not alone. As in all things, whether you are fighting to change or to preserve the same, it is Adab (good manners) that defines your agenda and who you truly are. And this is important whether we are independent or still a colony of the British Empire.

Thank you old chum. We will continue from here on. Now... where was I?
Oh yes... Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

Cheers, sunshine. Thank you for dropping in!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Patience, Servanthood and Adab - a Divine Manna-back guarantee

Psst... Do not despair in the rude manners of your fellow creatures.
God Himself sent me to keep you company.

INSULTS AND ANGELS. An old friend shared this on his FB wall earlier this morning. It is an oral tradition of the Prophet(pbuh), as narrated by Abu Dawud. It involves the Prophet and Abu Bakar, his bestest ever friend-cum-companion in this life and in the next. It went something like this -

Once the Prophet s.a.w. was sitting with his Companions, and one person used insulting words against Abu Bakr r.a. causing him pain. But Abu Bakr r.a. remained silent. The person again used bitter words against Abu Bakr r.a., and still Abu Bakr r.a. did not respond. The third time when this ignorant person hurt Abu Bakr r.a. with his tongue, Abu Bakr r.a. tried answering back.

At this point the Prophet s.a.w. got up. Abu Bakr r.a. asked him, “Are you displeased with me, O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet s.a.w. replied, “No, but (when you remained silent) an angel came down from the heaven responding to this man’s talk. But the moment you started replying to that man, the angel went away and the devil sat down. And I cannot sit where the devil is sitting.” (Abu Dawud)

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

I wonder what was the insulting words used to have caused hurt to Abu Bakar. I don't do Arabic, so I don't know any of the curses and insults available to them. Was it something like "You son of a cross-eyed camel!" Or maybe something along the line of "If I was a camel dying of thirst in the desert and found my way to an oasis and YOU were there, I would look for the next oasis..." We can only conjecture. Abu Bakar (ra) is well known but little is known of him. He is the silent one, compared to the towering personalities of the other uber-Companions of the Prophet, Umar and Ali. Usman however is also known to be shy and reticent, a soul of modesty.

When I think Arab and I think insults, somehow or rather, Camels always
come into the picture. I am predictable that way, I guess. 

And when the angel came down 'responding to this man's talk', what does that mean? Did the angel talk back? And obviously even if the angel responded on behalf of Abu Bakar, it is clear that the guy didn't hear it, because he went on haranguing dear Abu Bakar. Imagine if you were insulting someone and suddenly a disembodied voice from nowhere spoke with angelic gravity, "Hey, mortal! Stop it, thou art a bully!" I think you would have fainted out of fright. But it didn't happen in this case. I wonder why...

And when did the devil come into the picture? Was he a quiet witness all along, observing the tirade? And why did he sit down?

PATIENCE. I guess the morale of the story, at this level (which is not very high, mind you) at least, is that you do not allow your ego to respond to the provocation of another's ego. You just take it. You sit down, you smile and you ignore. As the Christians like to say, you turn the other cheek. And you have faith in God that He will not leave you alone in the face of unwarranted rebuke or insult. Thus, you avoid giving the devil the evil enjoyment to savour success in inducing conflict between man and man.

I AM SURROUNDED BY IDIOTS! It is not easy - this patience exercise which the Prophet(pbuh) likes to stress upon his followers. Patience, patience, patience. Servanthood, servanthood, servanthood. And Adab, Adab, Adab (good manners). None of this virtuous troika is easy. Not when we KNOW that there are fools and bad people we must contend and tolerate on a daily basis.

It's population is small because it is not easy to get in.
...But you can.

BUT THEN AGAIN... I myself have been a fool many(MANY) times in my life. And I have erred and done bad things too. Yet my family tolerates me. And so do my friends and co-workers. Hmm... but I have not done much insulting of people though (my brother Poon might debate this claim). Maybe I should, and bring an angel down from heaven... (I am just kidding here).

Patience. Servanthood. Adab. Words to live by, sunshine. It works fine more than 1,300 years ago, it will work fine now. Manna-back guarantee from God Himself. 

God bless you!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way