You Are Never Too Old To Make Friends - intimacy with the Friend of Friends, aka God

...or too young or too dead. Here is Mikhail making friends with my grand aunt
on my late mother's side of the family. al fatiha

172. Layla II

Grey skies and smiles,

Bent boughs and swaying willows,

Falling leaves and morning showers,

Wile away my happy hours,

And leave me in no doubt,

That He made them all, friends and foes…

Just for me.

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

We never know how things will end up, do we? Oh, we may surmise and contemplate according to our wisdom (or stupidity), but it's really up to fate and ultimately God.

Some of the most unexpected friends can show up with
a halo above their heads...

I am happy that I have not come across nor made many foes / enemies in my life. Certainly not the nemesis or great conspirator of biblical proportions.

Of friends, I can only wonder how God disposes and disperses them across the world. For in my life I reckon that I have been given more than my fair share of sparkling souls masked in the mortal skin of 'a friend'.

Freshly minted husband and wife -
Syed Khaled and Sherry Fifi

When I started going out with Heche, I was a little apprehensive of clicking into her clique of friends, for they are all a good 13 years younger than me. And while I always try to be friendly, I never truly considered the chance that I can actually be friends with them, such is the divide between our two generations that I perceived. And to make a confession here, I think although I have always been kind, the kindness is layered with a tinge of condescending overtone on my part - "These bucks and nubile young things! Ah... so much yet for them to learn and go through!"

But experience teaches us and make us unlearn our stupidity. For the truth is the young sometimes have a lot to teach us. And there are those amongst them who have gone through much more than we have and have something to offer and share with us, if we would only stop riding on our so-called wisdom earned through our age.

For at this juncture, I am STILL learning. And one of the most important lesson I have gained this year is this - We are never too old to make friends. I am not gonna let my age stand in the way of God's generosity towards me... For now I know that The Lord of Muhammad(pbuh) and God the Friend of Friends still have many, many more friends to bless my life with now and further down the road.

Alhamdulillah...(God be praised!)

Ah... the impertinent energy of youth!
How wonderful God made us, sunshine... do you recall?

Have a restful Sunday, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

3 Short Stories – The 3F Approach, The good thing about being wrong and my strange brother’s gifts

The 3F Approach

The fuel in my car is running low. Must get to a pump station soon. During my student days, my modus operandi when it comes to fuel usage is called The 3F Approach. The first “F” stands for fuel. Once that runs out, we rely on the second “F” which is the fumes. And when both fuel and fumes have been thoroughly exhausted we simply rely on the third and final “F” beyond which there is no other recourse – Faith. So the 3F stands for Fuel – Fumes – Faith in that order.

I think my car stopped running only once in my life due to an utter absence of carbon fuel. I remember bitterly commenting, “This is probably because someone in this car is lacking in faith.” A friend in the back seat replied, “I don’t know about that, but it is obvious to me that your car is lacking in fuel, you Scrooge! Do you really have to wait until the very last drop of oil before you refuel?”

The Good Thing About Being Wrong

Yup, I like being wrong. Especially when it comes to feeling angry or bitter. I have a short fuse and I sometimes explode. But I don’t explode in front of the person who allegedly hurt me, but mumble curses and expletives under my breath, just loud enough for Heche to hear. Poor girl. But sometimes (many times, actually), I find out very soon after that I misjudged the person whom only moments ago I was fuming mad with. I do feel a little sheepish and embarrassed by my sotto voce outburst. But in such cases, I prefer to be in the wrong than right. I prefer to find myself the villain, than to be under the impression that someone else was wrong and somehow hurt and treated me unfairly.

Of course it would be even better if I did not lose my temper to begin with. Hehehe. 

My Strange Brother’s Gifts

Well, my brother is back from Jordan with many interesting stories and insights into the Jordanians, the Horseback Archery competition (hands down the Hungarians were the best), and of course King Abdullah II of Jordan, The Caliph of Islam. But that is for another time, now I just wanna talk about the stuffs that my brother brought back from his trip.

First, Abang Cik (for that is what I call him, his name is Saiful) said he bought me an old hard cover book (printed in the 70s) about the infamous Beria – the sinister, mad, murderous, political apparatchik of Stalin. When he told me that, an unuttered thought crossed my mind, “You went all the way to Jordan, The legendary land of the Prophets, Saints and Companions and you bought a book about a malevolent psychopath of the Stalinist regime?”

Don’t get me wrong. I was looking forward to reading the book. But later that night there was a furtive knock on the door, and my brother came in and in his hand was a brass pocket watch. He said, “This is for you. Thank you for everything.” Whereupon he suddenly hugged and kissed me.

What a strange fellow my brother is. But I am the one who should be thankful. Because I know that he bought the pocket watch for himself, but decided to give it to me.

Have a lovely day, sunshine. A lovely, brotherly day.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Instant Noodles & Lentil Soup, McIslam & Faux Faith

Stuck at home with no food yesterday, I resorted to an old time-honoured dish during my younger student days. It is a staple food for many, many Malaysians in a hurry for a quick (cheap) meal. It is not very healthy, but the nutritional count can be ramped up by add ons. I am of course talking about instant noodles. It is not Sufi-food. It is a blazing dish and comfort food all at the same time. And this is how you do it right and proper...

Have a packet of instant noodles ready. Find small fiery green chilies and cabbages. If you can find them,
have a couple of those Bangladeshi small red chilies. I am lucky because I also found white ones which
are a rarity around here. Cut them up finely, making sure to remove the stalk. The stalk will reduce the
hotness of the chili, and we don't want that. We want the chili to be blazing a trail down
your gullet. 1. Boil water together with the noodles and chili. Do not add the cabbages or noodle's
powdered  flavoring yet. 2. When up to boil and the noodle is soft, put in the cabbages now.  You want
the cabbages to maintain its structural integrity and crunchiness, plus you don't want to much of its water
seeping out into the gravy, for this will dilute the taste. 3. At the last minute you put in the
flavorings making  sure that the gravy is not too watery. This will make it too bland.
If need be, you pour out the surplus water.

Serve with ice-cold water, because you are gonna need it to quench the flames
you will imagine burning your tongue and lips. Other add-ons which alas, was not
available to me is fried shallots and one hard-boiled egg. Lovely.

My chef friend, Zulfikar serves a rather more thoughtful dish of lentil soup, which is considered the high-end of Sufi-esque cuisine. Based on the original recipe from the Naqshbandi dergah in Lefke, Cyprus, he has mofidied it a little to suit our Malaysian taste, which I suspect (because I have not tasted it yet!) to be more savoury. In this region of the world, we are big on flavour and spiciness, a by-product of being the crossroads between India and China. 

Islam is a spiritual dish of subtle flavours and delicate nuances, which is the ingredient that makes up that complex creature known as Man. If you find yourself taking away fast-faith from the soulless establishment of McIslam (insular, one-flavour fit all, without much spice and frankly, bland), do yourself some good and stop eating that junk food.

Click Here for McIslam & Faux Faith, a little nugget fried earlier in this almanac.

Have a wonderful Monday, sunshine. And happy eatin'!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Youth, Aberystwyth, the Welsh and the Never-ending Adventure of Life

Aberystwyth esplanade, 1993.

4. Rehearsals & Auditions

Ho! Young men!

Ho! Peelers of the divine onion!

You have not tasted annihilation,

That which you experienced thus far

Were naught but a rehearsal,

An audition of tears and fears

Before a Mercy Ocean,

Infinite in Its Breadth,

Breath-taking in its similitude!

How to get there.

Sheep or Man? In 1993 I paid a visit to my friends studying in Aberystwyth, Wales. The fact of the matter was I was planning to join my friends there for my 2nd and Final year law degree. But Moses, who found himself in Leeds wrote after visiting the Welsh university town, that "Aber is a good place to stay and study in, IF you prefer the company of sheep to man." So that was how I ended up studying in Leeds University instead. In hindsight, I would have undoubtedly been happier in Aberystwyth. After all, the Welsh are famously known for their ability to sing and play rugby. Leeds, being in Yorkshire, is a cricket-mad town, with the famous Headingley Cricket Ground next door. Alas, I am not much for cricket. And I think I do prefer the company of sheep to man.

You cannot be Welsh if you cannot sing.

Retirement Town. The visit was occasioned by the production of the Annual Malaysian Night, a yearly event for almost all British universities which has a sizable Malaysian presence. I recall that for Aber, one of the sponsors for the festival was the local Jewish butcher, since he had a monopoly being the only kosher meat seller to the large Malaysian Muslim diaspora. Aber is known as a retirees' town, but I was enamoured by the pretty little place, as I watched doddering old couples walk the esplanade, with the Atlantic Ocean relentlessly beating against the sea walls. 

40s. Now me and my friends are all in our 40s. Looking back, I think none of us imagined how life would turn out for us. Certainly, many of my peers didn't end up being lawyers. Many are businessmen, bankers, journalists, producers, gold traders and one (Amirul) even ended up hiring elephants out for events and functions.

Good Tears. But even at out age, I think that most of us have not stopped discovering life and the world. Although many of us have turned into Ayah, Dad, Papa, Abah or Bapak, I can still see the gleam of excitement in their eyes and a keen gaze for adventure and knowledge. Those that have turned 'Sufi' are still waiting for more and more - Peeling the divine onion as Love and Truth slowly unfold in our daily lives. Laughing a lot, but also crying tears. But as I have noticed, not all of our tears are tears of sadness...

Moses in Leeds, 1993. Evidently he prefers
the company of man to sheep.

18. So Fill it!

O’ Lord,

I sit beneath this Weeping Willow

With my lips upon my flute,

And in my fondness for You,

The flute bursts into song,

And my eyes burst into tears,

You make my heart expand

And the Universe

Flows in.

But nothing

Shall fill it

Save You.

So fill my heart, please!

Have a good life, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

It is Love who dares and wins - God and His Divine Courtship

112. Love Dares and Wins

Today, a voice whispered

In gentle reprimand,

"The pages are for you to write,

The dreams are for you to dream,

The promises are for you to keep,

So all that Love desires and demands;

The smiles of laughter to share,

And such tears of disappointment

That you hide within.

For when nothing else dares,

It is Love who dares and wins."

Divine Guarantee. We do not know what lies ahead. Love, solemnly promised may yet face the tribulations of life and we fall apart. There is no guarantee for love except ourselves, and no guarantee of our existence except God Almighty. We are not perfect and we make mistakes, but God is perfect and no mistakes does He make.

Ah... Young Love.

Youthful Courtship and Divine Courtship. I am fearful of my actions, error prone as I am. So I rest my endeavour on the pillars of heaven and hope that God keeps an eye on me. Young love often rides on youthful passions, but none is more passionate for us than our Maker. So, if you are in love, choose what you do or do not do well. For before you ever felt the first spark of youthful affection and intimacy, verily God was already there, loving you perfectly. Perhaps you cannot see Him, but certainly He sees you and is concerned over you always. And however stupid you may be, and if your young love is not reciprocated and if your courtship of the maiden rejected, if you love God you are simply reciprocating His love for you and accepting His courtship of you.

Ambassador Muhammad. He has laid out jewels beneath the earth, He has raised the sky in blue splendour and He has carpeted the world with mountains of riches and forests of goodness for you. And from birth, He has ensured that you are attended by your loyal family and friends. But most gracious of all, God has anointed His Most Beloved, Muhammad Mercy to All the Worlds as His Ambassador to you, to speak words of Divine love and promise.

Surely we will not reject the Magnificence and Richness of God's courtship...

Have a beautiful Wednesday, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

The Rose, Self-Discipline and the Divine Promise of Youth

9. Discipline of Roses (with Shamsul)

Though Love is the bloom

Of the rose,

Mercy its perfume,

The Sun its nourisher,

The Rain its sustainer,

It is self-discipline

That first raises the rose

Above the crowd

Of lesser flowers.

SELF-DISCIPLINE. If you persist in following this sinner's rambling, I can only assure you that the journey will have its ups and downs, its peaks and valleys. But surely you must come to a point when you are tired of walking two steps forwards, then taking three steps back. To move forward, I must alas, release you from this prose-ridden journal to seek discipline from someone more able, and certainly more inclined towards self-discipline and control.

This is no ordinary man. The
Kaiso and Osensei of Aikido.

A GUIDE. Who? Oh, I don't know. Perhaps yourself? Your dad? Your parson? Or maybe an Aikido sensei? A Jedi Master perhaps? But somewhere in the Universe there is a guide for you. Someone of spiritual and physical mettle to take your ego on, and help you develop and sustain that self-discipline. Because from self-discipline comes self-belief. And once you have acquired that, why... it is only a saint's prayer away from belief in God. Which is the long-yearned homecoming for us all.

YOUTHFUL FUTURE. I spent today with Heche and her young friends. Like many young people, they are boisterous, confident and beautiful. I sometimes worry about the future, but at other times, I glance into their eyes and I suspect that there is a glittering secret, a treasure of potential inside their soul, waiting to awaken. To bloom and ripen like a rose. I believe it is only a matter of time that God's Plan unfolds in its perfect symmetry, like unto the Prophet himself. And even if we cannot see the symmetry, we can still sense it, yes?

Have faith in God, sunshine, and despair not. For surely He has faith in you.

wa min Allah at-taufiq.

PS: Oh, before I forget... Happy Deepavali, mon ami!