There Is No Compulsion In Religion, the Carpet Salesman said... in 1300 A.D.

Sometime in 1300 AD (or earlier perhaps), a group of Muslim traders travelled to the Malay Archipelago. These men brought incense, carpets, spices, jewelleries, trinkets, dates, other dried fruits, as well as their belief in one God. It was no plain sailing. To get here they had to resort to desperate measures... especially when there is a storm at sea and a sail is lost. Fortunately they always had one fat Sufi and his baggy pants. So I dreamt, and this was what I drew some years back...

I have no doubt that the travellers were a motley bunch. Some were young and impetuous, others elderly and learned. There were undoubtedly also a smattering of no-gooders, conmen and sinners amongst the crew and traders. On the whole, these intrepid guys found the natives - my ancestors, very charming and not terribly savage. To put it succinctly as one Englishman who came much later observed, 'The people are nature's gentlemen' (kinda vague, I know... but it sounds like a compliment).

The newcomers didn't hardsell their religion which they called Islam. They didn't stand on a barrell and started admonishing and scolding my ancestors for drinking... for pirating... for having almost no sense of punctuality... for dressing less modestly... Well, generally for being themselves. After all, according to these Muslim merchants, there is no compulsion in religion. These Muslims were tolerant and understanding, you see. They are not the judgmental busybodies we have now maligning our society. In Fonzie's term, these guys are what he would call "Cool".

But slowly and surely, they started to become familiar to the natives until finally, they were accepted as a part of the community. Things were coasting along fine this way, until one fateful day, a village elder, chieftan or Raja must have approached the smarter looking of the traders and asked, "Now... Tell me about your religion."

And the rest, as they say, is history.

This is my posting of appreciation to these galant merchants, these lovable rogues and learned saints that sailed into this region and brought with them the Love of the Prophet and the Light of God. They are not like some Muslims these days who cannot even stand the sight of an uncovered woman in the compound of the mosque. For these people, these saints... the world is a mosque, so how can you choose who to prohibit from entering a divine commune with God? They remember and live by the ethos of Muhammad, who was once heard to say...

“This (whole) world was given unto me as a mosque, holy and pure.”

Have a beautiful day, sunshine, and thank you for dropping by my little almanac.

Pax Taufiqa.

Women, you know not how you affect us...

42. Molten Love Bell
You come into my life,
And do this and speak that,
Thinking perhaps,
What little effect
I have on him!

Now, truly know that
Sometimes you are pulling
Bells of a cathedral raised
High in the hidden realm,

The bells are cast
In molten love,
From a fountain
That runs from
The lake of Ahmad
To the sea of Ahad.

And my heart is shaken
By the reverberations
From bone to thin skin,
And I cower in awe,
Wondering what does
This all mean.

Love, for me is a tiring thing. It is just like life when the Prophet once said, "You can rest, Taufiq, ... when you are dead." Well, he didn't put it that way, but the gist is there. And it is doubly so when Love, that intangible element finds its form in a woman - in her face, in her form and in her little gestures that was especially designed by the All-Greatest Designer (aka Mr.God) to attract your attention. She may be totally oblivious of your change of heart, she may be ignorant of your constant contemplation, but there you are. You are stuck, sunshine - An Adam neck deep in the morass of clueless infatuation with Eve (as most men find themselves in), blinking and pondering what to do next. Such is the beautiful tribulation that Love manifests in our hearts.

For Men - Good luck in riding the wave of love sprung from the Ocean of Unalloyed Joy. It is as beautiful, grand and lovely as God promised you... but boy, expect to fall into the ocean a couple of times at least (once a day, is a good ratio) Hehehe.

For Women - You know not how you affect us men!

To the lovers of Love, to the students of affection, to the custodians of responsibility, have a beautiful and Loveful Day.

Pax Taufiqa.

The Siths to the Sufis - The Bombing of Sufi Shrines

GOOGLING. Just from a 3 minutes googling about 'Sufi Shrine Bombing Pakistan', the following news were found...

"25th October 2010 (BBC). Six killed in the bombing of a Sufi shrine in Punjab province of Pakistan.
3rd April 2011 (CNN). A suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine in central Pakistan's Punjab province on Sunday killed at least 41 people and wounded more than 100 others, police said.
July 2 2010 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan’s death toll in yesterday’s twin suicide attacks on the shrine of a Sufi saint in the eastern city of Lahore rose to 41. At least 175 people were injured. The first bombing took place at 11:20 p.m. in the basement of the tomb, an area reserved for ablutions, and the second bomb exploded minutes later in the main prayer area which was crowded with worshippers who gather every Thursday for special rituals, Khusro Pervez, Lahore’s commissioner, told reporters. The shrine of Persian Sufi saint Syed Abul Hassan Bin Usman Bin Ali Al- Hajweri is also known as Data Gunj Baksh."

WHY ARE YOU SILENT? When these Muslim bandits killed hundreds of Muslims in these shrine bombings where were the protests and condemnations from the elders and some so-called Ulamaks (Islamic scholars) and politicians? But when one lunatic (Osama ben Laden) is killed, the hue and cry from the bearded brigade were overwhelming. This behaviour and silence (which is of course equivalent to tacit approval) disgusts me to the core. And I am a sinner. A stupid know-nothing ignoramus. These people are smart with degrees from Universities. Why are they doing nothing?

26. Dissipated and Embarrassed II
The deniers and naysayers
Are herding the people
To a corner of reality
Meant only for animals!

As animals have no cemeteries,
And no thought for their passed kin,
So too are these despicable teachers
Teaching people to behave
Like animals,
And forget their ties
To their ancestors,
And to cut the chain of love
That binds those who appear alive
To those who appear dead!

In their way from
The single point of singularity,
They are exhibiting gross manners!

Stop thine ears and
Heed not their siren calls!
For they will tell thee that
They are calling thee to God,
But you will want to have nothing to do
With their conception of God!

DEATH AND DESTRUCTION FOLLOWS THEM. They have forgotten Muhammad ibn Abdullah, Beloved of God, Greatest of Creation - and for this error, wherever these Muslim bandits go, death and destruction follows. It is just right that all sensible people, both Muslims and non-Muslims treat such people with caution. For their heart is rusty from judging people, and their conscience is empty because they use God as the one-size-fit-all excuse for all their mayhem.

I am a sinner, so I don't matter. But you, sunshine. You are the breath of reasonableness and compassion, whether you are a Sufi, Kabbalist, Muslim, Christian, Jew, Buddhist, Hindu or Wiccan. You must reject these bloodthirsty idiots parading as so-called Jihadis. They are no Jihadis. They have no inkling what the word 'Jihad' means. They can grow their beards long enough to trip their legs, but there is no wisdom in their lore. There is only hate and hubris. They are the opposite to the good guys, they are the Siths to the Sufis.

Thank God, I have you. My very own Jedi Knights of the Futuwat.

Pax Taufiqa.

Door after Door... Secret after Secret... only to undertand who you truly are

22. Excite and Entice
If this path appears unending,
If one door leads to another,
It is only because the Lord
Keeps one secret after another
To excite and entice
You closer.

Life is about cause and consequences. If you don't eat, you get hungry. If you don't work, you won't earn a living. If you hit someone, chances are, he will hit you back. If you smile at a girl, she might smile back at you. Or perhaps, she will start to finger the pepper-spray in her handbag and thinking, "Uh oh. Weirdo".

But Life is also sometimes just 'is'. And one of the biggest 'just is' is that God loves you. This 'is' should be on top of all the other 'is-es' there is. Err... get it? Because there are also a lot of tribulation in what is fated to you. A car drives over the pavement and runs down your dog. Your house is robbed. You get mugged. You get audited by the IRS. A bird flying overhead poops on your head. How do we rationalize and reason out the random occurences in our lives? Especially when it is a 'bad' thing. In such things, we simply have to have faith in God. It is not blind faith, for when God called on man to see the Divine signs without and within him, it is a call not only to faith, but to reason.

God Most Enticing. It is also through this pull between reason and faith, between what you can change in your fate, and what is ultimately destined for you that our God is the Best at. For He is the Lord Never Boring. The One God Most Enticing and Captivating. The Best Writer Ever, the Best Director Ever in this film called Creation... and He has casted you, sunshine, to play your role. A role which is not superfluous. Your character in Creation is not to play a two-bit extra. Your appearance in His Divine Production is absolutely necessary to complete this film. There are heroes and villians, temptress and princesses, the village idiot and the captain of the guards, but there is also a you-shaped hole in the casting that only YOU can fill.

He Listens. I think God simply wants us to be the best that we can be. So say, for me, it is to be the best Taufiq that I can be. Now, to be honest, it is not so straight forward, because I need to understand my script and get into character. And for that I talk to God a lot. Does He listen? He listen to all sinners, sunshine. And boy has He been Incredibly Patient with this one.

It is Wesak Day today here in Malaysia and it is a public holiday for all. God bless all Buddhists.

Pax Taufiqa.

Truth, served in a Saloon far, far away.

Once in a while, the sinner feels the need to unwind in a place where everybody knows his name. It is not called Cheers, it is called the Camel Saloon. And today the worthy Barkeep, Mr. Streur is kind enough to host one of my prose entitled "Truth is in a Pitcher". It is one of those stream-of-consciousness poems which you must read and come to your own conclusion. If you like that kinda riddle, if you are keen to befuddle your mind and challenge your understanding, CLICK HERE to enter the saloon. This is a kinda celebratory posting for myself and Mr. Streur, the subject matter of which I hope to share with you real soon.

But until that day comes, please drink a toast for life, love, saints, angels and camels!

Salut, kitty cat!

Pax Taufiqa.

In the Spiritual Tsunami the Best Miracle is YOU.

MIRACLE MOSQUE? My brother shared something with me the other day. You know that thing about the miracle mosque in Banda Aceh still let standing post-tsunami? Well, maybe it isn’t so miraculous after all. He said that perhaps (let me stress here perhaps) it’s simply because (i) the mosque had a lot of openings that allowed the water to pass through it, and (ii) the mosque was essentially better built compared to the houses surrounding it.

DOES IT MATTER? And my conclusion? Frankly, I don’t know. But if the alternative suggestion carries at least some weight, than perhaps it is unwise for the Muslims to place too much emphasis on the miracle-story. I am not saying it isn't a miracle. I mean, please believe it if you feel it is true, but for me it is not so significant. And this is why...

MIRACLE SHIMACLE! The Prophet Muhammad is extremely reluctant to use miracles to persuade people. He was kinda saying, “Look here, kiddo. Don’t steal. Don’t lie. Don’t kill your baby daughters. Don’t covet the property of others. Keep your promises. Don’t burden your animals unnecessarily. Take care of your health. Don’t eat and drink too much. There is only One God, so why are you messing about with idols of your own creation? And generally be nice to others, because sunshine, let’s face it – wouldn’t you want others to treat you that way too?” So he thought that this was so fundamentally true for anyone that surely, SURELY, the Quraish (the dominant tribe of Mecca then) would have no problems with his message, and that the necessity of having to perform miracles would not persist. Alas, people are stubborn. Stubborn in their old ways and habits. So he did perform a couple of miracles, most famously by splitting the Moon in two.

SO WHAT? But did that change people’s attitude towards his message of mercy? Well, for some it did. But for those who were adamant in their ways, Muhammad could have split the Sun and the Earth in two, but they would never have followed him. Thereafter, his enemies branded him a sorcerer, - a mage with the ability to hoodwink. That is how the coin drops sometimes, I guess.

For me the important lesson to be gained from the miracle mosque story is this – Islam is suppose to be an open religion. It has many doors, gateways and entrances, so that more and more people will stumble through and find the contentment and peace which is what the Prophet promised. The problem is nowadays, the idea of Islam has changed for some people. I think I posted this following poem before, but I would like to repeat it again to describe what I mean…

1. Islam Was Once A Splendid Garden
Islam was once a splendid garden,
Filled with rose, tulip and jasmine blooms.

The garden was protected
By a wall of stone
Upon which was inscribed
“All ye who seek shelter,
All ye who seek safety,
Come hither.”

Outside the garden wall
Ran a moat of clear sweet water,
From which travelers drink
And are feted with the words;
“If ye think the water is sweet,
Enter ye into the garden and drink
Thy fill from the fountain!”

That was then.

Now the free fountain
Has been replaced with
A coin-operated dispenser.
The walls have been torn down
And in its place
A fence of fire has been erected,
With gates and toll booths
Occupied by surly operators.

Alas! We find
The moat has dried up,
The trees and flowers
Are crying,
And into the garden
The fire sends plumes
Of damnable smoke
And noxious fumes,
Blocking out the stars and the moons
That once gazed brightly
Down upon us.

BE LIKE WATER. A grandmaster of a Sufi Order who once said, “The believers must be like water. If there is an obstacle, they must flow around or through it.” So I am sharing this with you. But before you begin to flow around or through any external obstacles, I am told that we must first flow around and through our internal obstacle – that fiery volcano in ourselves which mankind calls the Ego. I do think that even the mightiest Mountain of Fire can be subdued if only we could be like water… and flow around and through our ego and ultimately extinguish its flames. A steam will rise from our tamed ego, and from the heavens, the angels will see a heart-shaped soul and exclaim…”Look, one more has bridled his/her ego! Rejoice, brethren!”

THE BEST MIRACLE. There is an Ocean of Mercy within you, sunshine. Turn the tap, and let Love course through your Soul. For I believe with all my sinful heart that the Best Miracle of all is actually YOU (…you Jews, you Muslims, you Buddhists, you Christians, you Hindus, you Wiccans, you Atheists, you Sikhs, Trekkies, you Boy Scouts, you Girl Guides, you Volvo drivers… etc).

Wouldn't you agree?

Pax Taufiqa.

Some 'Truths' Are More Poisonous Than Ignorance

1. Scattering truths
A man was in the marketplace
And he had the insight to
See into people’s errors and sins,
He was creating a great chaos
And trouble revealing people’s
Secrets and scandals, until
Finally, a dervish appeared
Amongst the crowd
And inquired,
“And just who are you?
And by what right do you
Scatter scandals about like
Some largess?”

“Because I am a servant of Truth,”
He replied.

“Nay, you are mistaken.
The task of real servants are
To reveal the nature of their Lord
To mankind.
But what are these secrets that
You disclose but mere weaknesses
And follies of men? These are
Ugly facts you reveal here!
Are you saying the Lord is ugly?
It is not Truth you serve,
It is calamity.
You lie.”

Whereupon, the man immediately perished.

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

I am not particularly fond of tabloids and scandal sheets. In fact I try to avoid them. Yet it appears to me that there is a considerable number of people out there who like them, since tabloid newspaper sales have always been pretty stable while serious broadsheets have seen their sales decline. The sad thing is when serious newspapers pander to the titillating scandals which populate the scandal mags. I guess it is purely a commercial reason as it generally boosts up circulation and thereby help preserve the editor in his position.

In the delicate lore of Islam there is a not-so delicate perspective in the holy scriptures which says that when you talk bad about someone behind his/her back, it's like eating the flesh of your kin. *Urghh...* That is definitely disgusting, and I guess that is the way the Divine wants people to carefully weigh what they say and share with people. Yet that is the most common error which people fall into, and it is ironic that some Muslims can fast and pray five times a day without fail but become a veritable gutter-mouth, repeating the sin and scandal of others for the titillating pleasure of the listener / reader.

As a sinner, you might say that I have a vested interest in propagating the belief that the mankind habit of spreading the stories of sin (especially personal vices) of another person is dead wrong. And you are right, I do. But, hey, this is not what I am saying. The Most Compassionate and the Most Merciful is the one expressing it. And when I think of the distraught and shame felt by not only the sinner, but his family and close friends when they read about their son/brother/daughter/niece/cousin or friend in the scandal pages..., well it doesn't leave a nice feeling in your gut, does it?

We cannot stop the newspapers from being sold, but I think we can stop buying them. Let us rest our soul from reading about Mr.X bonking his live-in maid. It is of no concern to us directly, and our life doesn't improve by us knowing such facts, assuming they are true to begin with. And really, some 'truths' are more poisonous than ignorance.

Well, if you do need one scandal today, then I will volunteer one - I am scandalously late for work... so I must run for now.

God bless you, sunshine.

Pax Taufiqa.