IN THE WINDOW-SHOP OF THE WORLD, THE ONLY ITEM FOR SALE IS MADNESS - MH17, rejecting despair, embracing hope and the real struggle within us all...

Our Struggle

Today I declare my struggle against hubris,

Against hatred and bigotry,

Against the warmongers and the war profiteers,

Against the hidden hands and their well-dressed murderers,

Today I declare my struggle against the ignorance of Man and their arrogance,

Against their petty quarrels and pious slights,

Against the venom of the backbiters,

Against the whispers of the whisperers in the night

Taunting Man to fight and kill for his 'rights',

Today I declare my struggle against all these vices,

But above all else, I declare my struggle against these vices in me,

Shadowing my waking and sleeping hour

Giving my heart no rest till

My very soul tremble and cower,

Today I seek the Light upon Light, to guide and save me

Lest I be yet another slave to 

The One-eyed King in 

His Golden Tower.

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

Don't despair, sunshine. Do not be too worried about the theatre playing in the world stage. Attend to the present, to yourself and to those closest to you.

The world may attempt to bring its conflicts, its wars, its greed, inhumanity and hate to our very doorsteps. But it is forbidden to enter. Not unless you permit it to enter.

MH17. Yesterday, being a Friday, the whole nation of Malaysia mourned for the loss of innocent lives onboard MH17. A day of mourning was declared as the remains of our fellow citizens were brought home with honour and solemnity. But the question remains - someone shot it down, and I used to wonder aloud, "If we found out who really did it, whom should we invade? Russia or Ukraine?"

Russia or Ukraine? But truth be told, I am not wanting to declare jihad (struggle) on anyone really. For at the moment they are like little dusts messing the threshold of my soul. And I want nothing of the madness that appears to be the only item for sale in the window-shop of this world.

The real struggle. You and I, we are concerned with the inestimable infinity. What is a few days, years or centuries in our heart? For we are busy making our heart presentable for the Light of Muhammad (saws), and everything else are false and worthless distractions, pretentious facsimile to the True Reality of God Almighty. That is the struggle we are endeavouring to win, a struggle from the moment our conscience understands right and wrong, until we are returned to the bosom of the earth, back to Allah (swt).

So I will see you there, yes? In the antechamber of the heart, where secrets are revealed again and again and again. Hold my hand, sunshine. For I am always in need of guidance and encouragement. And that fact, alas, is no secret at all!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Notrumi Embun, 23rd August 2014

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

THE FIRST STRUGGLE ... illusion and the self-delusion of humble glory

The Greater Struggle

Every breath is a struggle,

Every blink of your eye,

Every thought that passes

Through your mind,

Every passion stirs

In your heart.

Do you need for arms,

Armours and wages of war

Before your struggle starts?

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

Muslims often say, "Jihad is not just war. The Jihad ul-Akbar (the Greater Struggle) is the personal struggle against our own ego and nafs (base desires)." Yeah... we say a lot of stuff. But we don't actually mean it, for time and time again, I observe than we are often overwrought and impressed by military history, weapons of destruction and violent sentiments. Of course we couch it in the name of God and His Beloved Muhammad (saws). 

So I say now that...

The First Struggle

The first struggle for you

Is to overcome your self-delusion

That you truly understand 

What is the Greater Struggle,

And for you to mind your manners with

The ant under your feet,

The woman that you claim to love,

The air that you breathe but do not own,

The God that you claim to worship but Whom you keep distant

And the Prophet that you claim to love but do not follow.

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

I read someone who decries why Muslims are not "jihad-ing" like how we used to in the past. The struggle, right from the moment of the prophet of Muhammad Habibullah (saws) continues. Look with your heart and see our struggle! Not one moment passes that we are not walking upon the path between right and wrong!

Mika completed his first khatam quran yesterday at his mummy's house.
And it was a struggle. How beautiful it was
because it was indeed a struggle!

wa min Allah at-taufiq.

- Notrumi Embun, 28th May 2014

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

IF THIS WORLD IS A DISH, ALLAH IS THE PLEASURE - war, conflict, politics... what of such trivial things?

...And Win

Lay to rest thy weary mind,

Ever in conflict with this world unkind,

Brothers fighting shouting aloud,

"This is not thine! This is mine!"

Lay to rest your sword of right,

Forget the glories that might have been, 

Say to the rabble, "This is not my fight,"

Turn to God, turn to the Prophet 

Know thyself 

And win.

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

Every spoken word, written or heard, if it does not meander its way ultimately to the only true worthy thing that you can gain in this world, why say such a word? And why bother to write or read it?

Beautiful Garnish. It is this driving love, that propels the dervish, the sufis, the mystics to disdain wasted words, and wasted breaths. For the shining beacon on the shore of this world is Allah (swt) and His Muhammad (saws), the only true absolute discovery that you may ever find through this transient and illusory world. Everything else are only beautiful garnish and signposts to mark your way to God Almighty and His Messenger (saws).

This is not my war. The newspaper, today, yesterday and tomorrow will be full of hateful things, hateful people and hateful conflict. But this is not your war. This is not your conflict. The very definition of words and names for which people are killing or killed does not resonate in your heart. Money, power, religious authority, political gain, global domination, usurious profit and exploitation of the world are words meaningless to you.

Allah the Most Compassionate and Most Merciful has already picked you, and your eyes are forever drawn to the unseen and unknowable behind the curtain.  

This divine love does not make you an alien to this world. It does not leave you loveless with no affection for this world and its inhabitants. It will make you and those you touch better...

How blessed you are, sunshine!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Extremism and Moderation, the Syrian Crisis and King Abdullah II, the Caliph of Islam - in the Land of Shams the Saints are Marching in

1. Arabi's Arrows and Darts

Do we not have All Eternity?

And from our heart,

Do we not shoot

Volleys of Ibn Arabi’s arrows?

And rain on the enemy whistling darts?

For it is we who are besieging doubt,

Our Master has taken to the field, you see

And He is saying unto the enemy,

Come out! Come out!

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

Faith is not a numbers game. If you were to trawl the cyber ocean of the Internet, you would grow despondent and sad at the countless millions of websites, blogs, forums, commentaries, tweets and postings that appear to exhibit humanity at our very worse - all the hate, hubris, anger, bias, despair and that unending cacophony baying for war, war, war. And that is only in English. Heaven knows what other malevolence are expressed in the other languages of Man.

Neither Christianity, Islam, Democracy, Sharia or very smart... this is simply hubris, ignorance and despair.

I would think that Christians, with the teaching of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, would be the first to preach love and understanding. And I would have thought that Muslims, with the Sunnah (traditions) of Muhammad (s.a.w.) would have promoted moderation, compassion and mercy. And wouldn't you think that the unbelieving Atheists themselves would be a big force for openness and understanding? 

Atheism - not very open-minded

But alas, not. For many Christians, many Muslims, many Atheists and many believers of other religions and ideologies have forgotten the singular factor that affects the human politic - manners and courtesies. Instead of exhibiting humility as human beings, a little sparse dot of life in the great cosmos, people are wont to be swaggering bullies. And when they should show magnanimity, they show instead condescension. Patience is replaced with impatience, and understanding is replaced with intolerance. 

The truth of the matter is that the extreme forces of hate is arrayed against each other according to their different banners and flags that they follow. Yes, you may be a Muslim or a Christian, or even an Atheist. But by your rude manners, you are following the Religion of Hubris and your fight, your revolution, your great crusade or jihad has nothing to do with us. Indeed, you are just bandits, mercenaries and pirates - Neo-conservative chicken hawks, old mad clerics, despotic tyrants, the neo-Young Turks, Salafis, closed-minded academicians, reformist political Islamists, arms-dealers, warmongers and crooked politicians. They dress differently and perform different rituals and prayers... but all are united in the Religion of Hate.

Well, this cannot continue forever. The Era of the Lost Caliphate has ended, King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is the new Caliph of Islam and the Commander of the Faithful. Next door in Syria, violent forces are gripped in a proxy battle. But the word is for the faithful of Shams (the old name for Syria) to stay indoors, to keep their family close, to pray upon their sajadah (prayer mat) for peace and understanding. And not to lay hand on a single weapon. 

Ignore those who seek to define their faith with AK47s, grenades, bombs, drones, missiles, jet fighters and destruction. It is not faith nor certainty that adorn their actions, but doubt and despair, masked in hubris. Have faith, sunshine... for in the holy land of Shams, the Saints are marching in. Lo... they have never forsaken her! For they remember the Prophet's promise!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Mankind is Surplus Requirement to this World, time to Go Green - Atheism, Love, Humanity, God and the Natural World.

Physical World, Metaphysical Understanding

The world, physical in nature,

But its interpretation is wholly metaphysical!

………………………….

Metaphysics basically mean ‘beyond’ physics, and is the science of understanding the Universe beyond its physical manifestations. It is thus a little sister to spirituality and religion.

For the Atheists, this world is wholly physical, and so too is its understanding. They will not countenance one single thought upon metaphysics, for they believe that it is a back-door to religion and God. They dislike God and His religion so much, blaming God for humanity’s own folly and weaknesses. But in their daily protestations of disbelief, they only bring God closer to us. And indeed inevitably to themselves, for how can you wrestle with an idea if you do not get your hands and mind in close?

He he he.

Life is about love. But of course for Atheists this would be difficult to accept. But the funny thing is that most of them do. No doubt they would provide some socio-biological necessity for the continuation of the human race as a reason why we keep falling in love. But why there be continuity at all? It is self-evident that this world does not need the human race to prosper, for if all of humanity were to suddenly disappear, would the Earth crumble and fall into a lifeless and barren planet?

Let’s face it. Mankind is surplus requirement to the existence of Earth. Earth would get on just fine without us. At least in the physical sense of things...

But we are still here. And alas, still reducing this Earth into a wretched slave to our destructive impulses and greedy consumption. How I fear the time of reckoning when God looks unto His creation and asks Mankind, “Oh what have you done with the world I have created?”

Something to ponder over, sunshine.

It is time to Go Green.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The Devil's Domino and the Salvation in Servanthood - America, Christians, Muslims, the Middle-east, Iraq, Afghanistan and the War on Terror

10. Armour

People grow armour,

When they should grow flowers,

And they think themselves protected,

Hiding beneath the hard exterior

Of their adopted personality.

Unable to drink

When they have found the river,

Dying and burning in their thousands

Under a radiant morning Sun,

As they walk in their armour,

Cast from molten fire,

In moulds made of hate and fear.

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

Dehumanizing War. The War on Terror is a dehumanizing term because it suggests that it is not a human being behind the bombs and the murders. That terrorism exists in our time because it simply is and there is no point studying the root causes - as if people or a religion (or at least the 'other' people and the 'other religions) are by their nature, evil. I don't know whether this is planned or merely an unintended consequence behind the resurgence in patriotism, wars and defense spending in the U.S. But intentional or otherwise, I think we have read and watched enough news report of 'incidents' where innocent men, women and children in Iraq and Afghanistan have died for no reason whatsoever save that they were in the wrong place and at the wrong time. And I also believe in my heart that they were also guilty of being of the wrong colour, ethnicity and religion. Because I  cannot imagine that the American government would be so cavalier with the extent of 'collateral damage' (yet another dehumanizing term introduced since the First Gulf War) if they had to invade a predominantly white country.

Terrorists? Or simply a case of wrong time, wrong place,
wrong ethnicity and wrong religion?

What Mission? After President Bush declared 'Mission Accomplished!', it is patently clear that the U.S. led coalition has not. Unless of course it was the mission objective to destroy completely the national infrastructure of Iraq, unhinge the fine balance between the Sunni and Shia populace, create a lawless free-for-all state of mayhem, set in motion the undeclared civil war between Sunnis and Shias, promote the influence of Iran amongst the Shia majority in Iraq, help cultivate the al-Qaeda support in the Sunni communities where previously none existed, give billions of Dollars in infra and oil work to American crony corporations, issue contracts to mercenary defense-contractors (Blackwater, now renamed a more respectable "The Academy") - an unhinged collection of war profiteers unregulated even by the U.S. Army handbook... Where do I stop? My litany of woe can go on and on and on.

War on 'the others'. The U.S. government insists that the War on Terror is not a war on Islam or Muslim Arabs. And I agree, because firstly, I do not think that the U.S. government understands what Islam is. So at a contextual basis, Islam as taught by the Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) is not in the picture. But such is the influence and penetration of Islamophobia into the national psyche and Western mainstream media, that despite this official line, the lives of many, many innocent Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan have been cut short... in the hundreds of thousands. The U.S. military may not have pulled the trigger on each of these deaths and undoubtedly many were killed due to sectarian strife, but as a famous Chinese proverb says, "If you save someone's life, you are responsible for it." So if the U.S. government wanted to save Iraq and Afghanistan and went in to topple the dastardly Saddam and Talibans and bring democracy, freedom and progress... well the smarty-pants must take responsibility.

Seconds later, the American gunship tore through feeble human flesh.
"The good Iraqis stayed indoors. If they were out they were up to something." was the
feeble reasons given. Would this happen in a white country?

Unprepared for war or peace. The U.S. Army and Marine cultural preparation of their soldiers for the war on Iraq was woefully inadequate and at times misguided. Saddam was a ruthless dictator who gassed his own people, true, and certainly deserved to be toppled. But for many of these young men (and women), their Iraq tour was their first trip abroad, and certainly their first encounter with the Middle East, the Arabs and their religion and culture. Sadly, the leaked pictures (and videos) of the 'Ugly American' became just all too common during and after the Iraq War. Donald Rumsfeld was asked about the American troops trashing the Baghdad museums and Saddam's palaces during the capture of Baghdad, and he basically said that it was not a big deal, just a case of the 'boys' letting off steam. For the U.S. Secretary of Defense to utter such a cavalier remark is astonishing. During the U.S. entry into Baghdad and Nazariah, there were many innocent lives lost in the fire-fight. A senior ranking U.S. military officer said that all the innocent good people were in their homes, and those out on the streets were obviously up to no good... Really? And this comment did not come during the heat of the war, but many, many years later in a television documentary about the tactical and strategic mistakes of the Iraq invasion. Even in hindsight, some soldiers still want to defend the indefensible. This is sad because by comparison, there has been many other fellow American soldiers and marines who have come out to complain and confess their own participation in some of the mindless slaughter of unarmed civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, to prick the conscience of a nation deluded by politicians and mainstream propaganda.

The politicians and generals must take responsibility. But President Obama is
not interested in 'looking back'. Thus the architects of one of the most ill-conceived
U.S. invasion of a foreign country, and criminals who authorized torture and
water-boarding walks freely on the streets of America, without fear of prosecution.

The core issues. As the almanac has mentioned before, there is a need to address all problems at its inner core. Why are the Arabs becoming terrorists? Why are the Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan? Why is there so much hate being spouted from both sides of the no-man's land? Who is an Arab? What does it mean to be a Muslim or a Christian? What is our common shared heritage? What can we learn from our past conflicts?

The Devil's Domino. As human beings we are taught to control our egos, nafs (base human desires) and reject the wicked promptings of the Devil. If we say that the West is corrupt, are we so perfect? For the West has gain ascendancy since colonial times, and for that reason the Devil has also focused his attention on the western civilization. He will first corrupt the West and with its dominance spread his cruel lies and tricks the world over. In a manner of speaking, the Western society is one of the first domino to fall in the Devil's plan to corrupt and enslave all of humanity to our ego and nafs. The other domino is the fall of the last Ottoman Caliphate, an event that would not have occurred without the connivance of Muslims themselves, especially in the Middle East.

War is a special condition of the human state. And it must be governed
by rules of engagement. For Muslims this would mean no civilians must
be harmed or placed in harm's way. Even as we condemn the U.S. attitude towards
the Geneva Convention, so too we must condemn the cruel tactics of suicide bombings
and killings of innocent civilians perpetrated by the so-called jihadis.

So while the conservative war hawks in Washington and Moscow (yes, the Russians are simply biding their time) are focusing their hatred on Islam and Muslims, and the misguided 'jihadis' are pouring all their hate and bile against 'the grand western conspiracy', somewhere in his laboratory of fear and hate, the Devil is smiling and laughing, musing to himself, "Ah... the fools! They NEVER learn..." 

Salvation is in Servanthood. Things are happening as it is written. Lines have been drawn on the sand of human conflict. But it is the Devil who is actually holding the stick and drawing the lines. O' Muslims, do not be deceived! O' Christians, do not be deceived! O' Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs... do not be deceived! If there is a noble conflict worthy for the children of Adam, this is it - who amongst us is the kindest, most generous, intelligent, wise and compassionate towards his fellowmen? Who amongst us best reflects the benevolent and divine attributes of our One beloved God? Who is willing to be a servant of God and of all humanity?

Despite all this, I am hopeful. For this is what
the Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) is teaching
his nation and all of humanity.
Salvation through servanthood.

Have a thoughtful Thursday, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The Djinn Battles above Kuala Lumpur, circa early 1970s - the Djinns, the Caliph and the coming melee

The sky seems empty but for the gorgeous sunset. But what is
going on up there that we do not see?

Sunday ended beautifully with a dimming sunset in red and golden hue. But it was under this same sky, some 40 years ago that a young Mr. Ikhlas (see below on my earlier postings about Mr.Ikhlas) was driving to Kuala Lumpur one auspicious night. He was travelling along one of the main tributaries into the capital city, Jalan Kuching, which was then a single lane trunk road winding its way through a quiet and very much rural scene when he suddenly notice something very strange overhead. Very strange indeed. He stopped the car by the side of the road and came out to have a better look.

The Djinns were in a pitch battle with each other above the skies of Kuala Lumpur. "It was a pitiless fight, a very bloody battle. No quarter was given and none was expected...", said Mr. Ikhlas.

It is funny that coincidentally I am informed that there is a right ruckus now in the Djinn nations. With the advent of the new Caliph of Islam, King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the ancient veteran Djinn soldiers of the Caliphs are mobilising in battle orders for yet another upcoming melee against their old adversaries, the evil Djinns.

Fascinating stuffs. These are interesting times that we live in, sunshine. And just when you think that the sinner is only writing about love, mercy and beauty. But such events are occurring even as I am writing this. Just as the saints and angels go about their business often unseen, so too do the Djinns, and belief in their existence is an implicit part of our faith. Not many people are given (I shall not say blessed, because it is a burden) the third eye to see the Djinns, but for some, like Mr.Ikhlas and others, it is already a part of their life.

It is only with the grace of God and the guidance of the Prophet(pbuh) and the saints that such men are able to carry the weight of their responsibility with a light heart but a determined will. For contacts between mankind and djinnkind is always fraught with dangers, both physical and spiritual. And some men and djinns, alas, have fallen very low indeed. May God have mercy on them.

Contacts with Djinns is like climbing a mountain.
You get to see interesting things but lo, if you misstep
and lose your foothold and slip!

My prayers and thoughts today go to Mr.Ikhlas and such men who unbeknownst to the rest of mankind have toiled hard in the dark spaces between our reality and the Djinn's world to keep at bay the hounds of hate that ever seek to possess and misguide the human spirit.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Earlier Postings on Mr.Ikhlas -
*The Holy Quran, Mr. Ikhlas and Katmir the Dog - Man's Best Friend
*Mr. Ikhlas, Black Magic and The Divine Shyness in the Presence of Villainy

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The Heavenly Dragon, The Heart Shield and Zulfiqar the Renowned!

In Islam, in the name of Ali, the Cousin and Companion of the Prophet, Consort to our Lady Fatima az-Zahra, the 4th Rightly-guided Caliph, and He who wields the two-bladed sword Zulfiqar, there is no hate. Not even in times of war. In times of war, a high banner of chivalry is raised - it is named The Futuwat.

The shield is shaped like the spiritual heart for therein God has established the Throne for He Who Shall Sit On It. And it is also shaped thus because the enemy of hate is Love. And we take shelter in God and the Prophet(pbuh), The Loving and the Beloved from the whispers of hate, envy, pride and hubris fashioned from the black fires and furnaces of the Enemy, the Devil himself. As we also take shelter from his legions of Djinn armies and the traitorous Ego that works within us. Amen.

The wielder of the sword and the shield is symbolized in the form of the dragon, which in the deeper lore of Islam is a heavenly creature, before he was tricked by the Devil. And the dragon is crowned with the pointed hat of the Naqshbandis and turban cloth of royal purple, the tail of which is fluttering in the wind. There is always a breeze, you see, because wherever this particular dragon goes, so does the salawat (hymns and songs of praise for the Prophet). And the salawat calls the wind, which in the deeper lore of Islam is also a creature and creation of God. Blessed be all of God's heavenly creatures.

The sword shaped like the renowned Zulfiqar is held downwards in the dragon’s claws as a token of peace to Man, but it is unsheathed because iron and particularly sharpened iron is a semboyan (signal) to the Djinns that are ever lurking near to beware and to not trespass upon us. It works. Sometimes.

I like to explain things. I like things when they are just so... at their proper places, and properly named, properly posed. Like ending this posting in the very same way I have done for many, many moons…

Have a lovely day, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The Tweeter Ego and the Nuclear Ego.... go KABOOM!

182. Body Language

The ego does not need words

To express itself;

Gesticulations, shrugs

And miniscule eye movements

Are enough to express

A compendium of emotion

That your mouth keeps secret.

So guard your limbs and eyes

As well as your lips and tongue!

…………………………….

THE TWITTER EGO. Anger, annoyance, irritation, despair and all the other off-springs of our ego, need not our mouths to express them. Sometimes it is the slightest shrug or the smallest rolling of the eyes that can speak volumes on behalf of our ego. This prose was written back in 2004, before Facebook (unless of course you were then in an Ivy League University) and Tweeter. Now with the advent of the online social networks, our rampant ego has found fresh ground to conquer and spread its dismay. We have read the most shocking rants and tirades on Twitter and Facebook already, so it is now nothing new. People are shooting out flaming Tweets and posting angry comments on Facebook walls… and for what? It serves nothing but to feed the human ego that tells us we are always right, and someone else is the wrong one.

THE NUCLEAR EGO. A couple of days back in the posting entitled God, Adab, Ego and the Nuclear Reactor of Love (Click Here), I wrote – “Don’t let our ego into the nuclear reactor of love. It can start a chain reaction that will annihilate our most cherished hopes…” I am full of this blinding-flash-of-the-obvious sort of wisdom. But recently I found an amazing video (by Japanese artist, Isao Hashimoto) which faithfully recorded via time-lapse animation ALL nuclear explosions from the first experimental atomic bomb in Los Alamos, followed by the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, right to Pakistan’s first bomb in 1998. The entry of countries into the Nuclear Club is seen in the flags depicted and each atomic flash is coloured according to the country doing the exploding. It starts slowly from the 1940s into the 1950s, but from the 1960s onwards things start to get exhilarating (in a morbid kinda way), as colourful explosions start to flash all around the globe. After a while it starts to look and sound like a deranged pinball machine. Here’s the video… Play it with the volume loud. 

May God protect all mankind from the worst excesses of the human ego- by politicians and military leaders acting under some misguided sense of patriotism and national self interests. They know not what they are doing, and what they are risking... May God guide them to the right path to abolish and destroy all nuclear and bio-chemical WMDs.

Thank you for dropping in, sunshine. Let’s have a thoughtful day.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Mankind, the Devil, Civil Wars and the Bitter Sweet Chalice of Choice

21. It is the much alike (The Devil and Man)

It is the much alike,

Not the wholly different,

Who are bound to

Bear grudges between

Each other.

It is ironic.

Almost funny, save that

It can bear a sea of pain

Stretching from the young

To the death bed.

I wonder if

The Devil

And man

Has considered this.

MAN AND DJINN. According to conventional lore in Islam, the Devil is of the race of Djinn (not Angels although he was raised to an arch angel-like rank). Like a family secret nobody wants to admit, we are actually similar to Djinns, us mankind. Otherwise God would not have said that He created Mankind and Djinn to praise and worship Him. What's the point of putting two entirely different species of creation in one sentence, if not to imply some comparison between the two. And indeed we are similar, the most significant common ground being that both humanity and Djinn have been given the bitter sweet chalice of choice - Our choice to do what is right or wrong, our choice to be patient or impatient, our choice to do charity or be greedy, our choice to contemplate the reflected glory of God in our worlds or to be borne by our egos to some poor end.

CIVIL WARS. Civil wars are the worst sort of conflict. And the irony is that it is most often fought by those very, very similar to one another. Civil wars are fought between a group of people who tend to look the same, eat the same type of food, wear the same type of clothes, dance the same type of dance and probably even worship in the same faith. But for one reason or the other we fall out, then once we stop talking we start fighting. A horrible precedence from the days of Cain and Abel, the very first civil discord in recorded history. Unless of course you want to count Adam, Eve and the Devil.

Mankind is blessed but he ought to remember that the Devil was blessed too, with great knowledge, with great victories over the rebellious Djinns, and with great piety, for nay an inch of the world exists where the Devil did not prostrate in worship and praise of God. The Devil was the poster-boy, a Hero of the Ancient Wars of the Djinns, and he made only ONE mistake in refusing to bow before Adam, and looked what happened to the poor fellow. That is the Devil, but how many mistakes have we made? How many times have we ourselves erred?

No conclusions, today. Just something to think about, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Man and Mother Nature. War and Natural Calamities.

7. Man vs Mother Nature

Nothing of nature or her terrible tempest

Would ever equal the terrible malevolence

Of man and his ill temper.

Over the past century humanity has been besieged by what appears to be mother nature's anger. Droughts, floods, landslides, wildfires, tsunamis, earthquakes and hurricanes kill, maim and scatter thousands upon thousands of people across the globe. From Japan, Turkey, USA, Africa to Australia and even New Zealand, mankind has rekindled its forgotten fear of the unknown and nature's seemingly arbitrary violent upheavals...

1. 1931 Yellow River flood Yellow River, China in Summer 1931 - 850,000-4,000,000
2. 1887 Yellow River flood Yellow River, China in September-October 1887 - 900,000-2,000,000
3. 1970 Bhola cyclone Ganges Delta, East Pakistan in November 13, 1970 - 500,000- 1,000,000
4. 1201 Earthquake Eastern Mediterranean in 1201 - 1,000,000
5. 1938 Yellow River flood Yellow River, China in June 9th, 1938 - 500,000 - 900,000
6. Shaanxi Earthquake Shaanxi Province, China in January 23, 1556 - 830,000
7. 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake/tsunami in Indian Ocean December 26,2004 - 225,000-275,000
8. 1881 Haiphong Cyclone in Haiphong, Vietnam in 1881 - 300,000
9. 1642 Kaifeng Flood Kaifeng, Henan Province, China in 1642 - 300,000
10.Tangshan Earthquake Tangshan, China July 28, in 1976 - 242,000

Hard numbers to swallow but comparatively small in comparison to war fatalities. Deaths in war is hard to count, but even by the lowest estimates, boy... has mankind been busy at killing each other in the last century... And this is not the full account -

1. World War II (1939-1945) - 40,000,000 - 65,000,000
2. World War I (1914 - 1918) - 15,000,000 - 36,000,000
3. Vietnam War (1955 - 1975) - 2,500,000 - 6,020,000
4. Korean War (1950 - 1953) - 2,500,000 - 3,500,000
5. Russian Civil War (1917 - 1921) - 5,000,000 - 9,000,000
6. Second Congo War (1998 - 2003) - 3,800,000 - 5,400,000
7. Sudanese 2nd Civil War (1983 - 2005) - 1,000,000 - 2,000,000
8. Iran-Iraq War (1980 - 1988) - 500,000 - 2,000,000
9. Mexican Revolution (1911 - 1920) - 500,000 - 2,000,000
10. Cambodian Civil War (1970 - 1975) - 500,000 - 1,000,000

What depressing statistics. But beneath the almost despairing figures, we gotta admit some positive facts. One that comes to mind is that by some strange fortune, your grandparents managed to survive both natural and man-made calamities in the last century, and got around to conceive your parents who in turn found time to make you.

So now there you are, sitting at home or reading this on a train heading to work. We can choose to imagine the tragedy of war and despair. Or we can choose to accept the trust that our Maker has laid upon us - to make the world better, if at least a little bit, for our future generations. And since God does everything intentionally, He must have foreseen that spark of goodness in you, a promising soul, one reflecting His most beautiful attributes of the Most Gracious and Most Merciful.

Perhaps we shall not be able to change the world. Perhaps we shall not be able to avert wars. But so long as we stand here, we must believe and do what is right, and to temper the adverse and violent passions which humans often entertain at the behest of their vile egos. Every little bit helps, I think. And God shall always be on the side of the do-gooders, howsoever they may call upon Him in their diverse faiths and rites. I know this to be true because it is what my mother believes in. 

Have a good day, sunshine. May God bless our sainted mothers.

wa min Allah at-taufiq.

Hate has no place in Islam

THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF HOPE, AND NOT HATE - God, religion and humanity

14. The Sun & The Moon II (Epilogue)

Allah!

By the Sun shall you see the Moon,

And by the Sun shall you see the Sun.

Allah!

And blessed and oft-forgiven are those

Who share the Light with his neighbours,

Returning scowls with a smile,

Returning hate with love,

Returning weakness with strength,

And ignorance with the sweetness of understanding.

13. Muhammad is Here!

Do you have the fear?

Do not fear!

Do you have the hate?

Do not hate!

Believe and be reprieved,

For wherever you may turn,

He is here, Muhammad is here!

The Glory of Creation!

The Gladness of all God’s creatures!

These are two old prose recorded against the dominion of hate, the crusade of bigotry, the war of hubris now fought in our names by politicians and preachers who think they speak and act on our behalf. We are not one of their meek sheep, to be led blindly into the abyss of darkness. 

Though we may be clothed in different faiths, are we not brothers and sisters, you and I? Thank you, sunshine for being a part of humanity... For being a part of hope, and not hate.

Hate has no place in Islam. Hate has no place in any religion.

The Coming of the Mahdi and the 2nd Coming of Jesus - Mercy and Power from the Crucible of Love

Things are often not as they appear to be in this world, are they? And (I am told)
that things are even more curious in the Sufi Tariqa Orders. It is really no
good to carry any pretense of holiness. Better really to be yourself.
Or who you think you are. Hehehe. It gets a little confusing,
but this confusion is beautiful.

It is (I am told) one of the core beliefs of the Sufi Tariqa Orders, that at the end of time,
apart from the 2nd coming of Jesus, there shall also come the Imam Mahdi. Being
representatives of God and the very best of humanity, they will do a lot of
good deeds, one of which alas, is prophesied to involve fighting and wars.
I don't like to fight. I don't have the waistline for it. I will opt to be in
the music section. But who's to say that the drummers will not head
the army front in the cusp of battle? With only drums and
drumsticks to defend themselves with.  

In Iraq I have heard of a group calling themselves the Mahdi's Army. They do not, as far as I am aware, represent the idea or prophecy of the Imam Mahdi as believed by my friends. But like so much that is beautiful and good in Islam, we are not able to control people from using names and symbols of our religion and spirituality. And sometimes, mad people use them for bad reasons. Let's face it, things are an absolute mess now in Iraq (still).

The lore of the Imam Mahdi is growing. Perhaps one day, if I live long enough, I might share with you whatever that I am informed.

God bless the 2nd Coming of Jesus, and God bless the Coming of the Mahdi! They shall come from the Cruxible of Love and Divine Power, and their Mercy, Justice and Compassion shall surprise and awe the followers of all religion, including Islam and Christianity. Especially Islam and Christianity,

Pax Taufiqa. 

Suicide Bombers do not Defy Death, They Simply Give Up - Prose of Ramadhan Part 51

Hubris and its followers
(Ramadhan Verses #27)

Suicide bombers do not defy death,

How can they, when they cannot even defy life?

They do not realize this, guided as they are

By the misguided - Those foolish men

In their Religion of Hubris,
Their Creed of Despair.

Bombs do not kill the innocent victims,

It is the false words and evil encouragement

Of these false men of a false religion that kill.

Terrible is the woe wrought

By their black words

And black hearts!

Reject these madmen!

The Lord of Discord and the Meaning of War - Sinners' Dictionary

14. Lord of Discord
We resist the lord of discord,
Who rules over those
Who let their anger hold sway.

In their mad utterance,
He shapes their clay.
And in their violence
Is his to play.

To no fleeting shadow,
Will we bow,

To no whispers spun in the dark,
Do we bend.

For we serve the Lord of Accord,
And under His flag
We fear no discord.

I woke up this morning early, before the first ray of the sun spreads its glorious light upon this earth. And I expected something in the breeze to tell me a story. Something to say for this overcast Sunday. But nothing came to me. No verse, no prose no story. So I returned to my old poetry collection and found this old prose written perhaps two years ago.

The Lord of Discord has no name, unless it is our name. He has no form unless it is our form. He can do nothing to this world, and even the smallest ant is safe from him. Alas, through history we become his abject slave... setting swords, arrows and bullets upon our brothers and sisters. And all over words. Because in the Sinners' Dictionary war is defined thus...

War is...
A Series of Battles
Over the Meaning
Of Words.

When we stop talking and perhaps more importantly, when we stop listening, we become a ghost of our true selves. Another pawn in the momentum of a false history. Because the truth is, Love has always been king. From the looking glass of Glorious Love, there was never a Crusade, the Cold War never happened, and this thing which the media and leaders like to refer to as the jihad, the great clash between civilisations and faiths is a great big lie. Civilisations and Faiths must essentially be the same one thing - if we obey the Lord of Accord, whose counsel to be patient and understanding rises again and again in our Conscience...

The world has two histories you can choose from to inspire your life. The history of hate and the history of love. The power, and the responsibility to choose wisely is yours.

We must listen, sunshine. So we can be the true repository of Truth and Love in a world blinded by the illusory power of hate. Hate, like evil - exists in the absence of Love. And I know you are not like that at all...

Hehehe. Well it appears the breeze has spoken. The Sun is shining now and the wind has blown the overcast clouds away... I have my story.

I love you, sunshine. Have a perfect Sunday contemplating this joyous world...

Pax Taufiqa.