Driving In Neutral - The Path, The Journey and the Drivers

I was thinking aloud one day... "What is the most spiritual gear for driving if our car is our soul?" This is not such a weird question to ask, you know. Especially with some men and their undying passion for their cars.

Someone told me that it must be the neutral gear. Because it is the ultimate state of submission. Neutral. Neither going forward, neither going reverse, nor is it immovable as in parking mode. Because after all, if life is a spiritual journey, you have to be able to move.

But then another question arises. How the heck do you move along the mystical road if there is no acceleration? My friend said, "Easy. Just tilt the Earth in whatever direction you want, so you will be able to move forwards or backwards, as if you are on a slope."

Right.... I must collect a better quality of friends. Some that might actually make sense.

If my soul was a car, I would choose this as my body. The stupendously
good-looking but totally impractical Alfa Romeo 8C. 

But the truth of the matter is that we engage into all gears in our meandering through this highway of life. We drive forward, accelerating past the speedtraps. We slow down as we see the traffic jam up ahead. And sometimes we even reverse. Especially if we made a wrong turning at some point in our life. And boy, have I made some wrong turnings in MY life! I kid you not.

So I am actually quite far from the state of submission, that surrender mode which appears to be the hallmark of all good soul-drivers. I am always finding myself in tight corners, tunnels, and even road accidents as I try to make my way in this life. I struggle with the steering, I sometimes honk at other drivers, and God forbid if you cut me in a queue. I turn redder and angrier than Bezelbub's most impressive Formula 1 driver.

But we get by, don't we? For along the way, God has guided us to take the scenic route. Some views appalling and despairing, but some vistas are simply breath-taking. I am not sure really, where I am. All i know is that I am on a highway. But happily, I sometimes come to rest at a lay-by and bump into kind souls, also travelling. Also making their way home to our Most Beloved God. People just like you.

Drive safe, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Someone Has Gone To Great Trouble Building the House of Worship. We Need Just Walk In - history and reality, grace and gratitude,

My mother and eldest brother. 

Someone Left This For Me Already

I am fishing the Sea for pearls,

But someone left the pearls here already,

I am harvesting barley and wheat,

But someone planted them here already,

I am walking a path,

And it was laid by someone with great care already,

I am reaching to pluck stars from the night sky,

But someone left it hanging there for me already,

I am drinking water from a well,

But someone had dug the well already,

I am riding a donkey,

But someone harnessed 

The saddle to the donkey already,

I am singing a song,

But someone had already written the song,

I am writing a poem,

But someone had left me the paper, the ink and the pen,

I am living my life,

But the Lord has already written my life, from the beginning to the end.

……………………………….

Today is the child of yesterday, as we are the children of our fathers and mothers. And what we have now, someone else has already prepared and laid the ground works and foundation for our benefit. At the family scale, we owe so much already to our parents and grandparents, and looking further to our ancestors beyond record.

At another level, who are we but inheritors of the house of worship that has been built with single-minded focus, love and skill by the Prophets and Messengers of God, then lovingly cared for by the Saints? We did not build this house of worship, it was there and we just entered. No real hard work needed, for the Prophet Muhammad(pbuh), His Companions and the Saints have all done the difficult and onerous tasks for us already. It is the Prophet(pbuh) who overcame the tyrants, it is he who cast down the savage traditions of the desert, it is he who conquered the hearts and minds of the Arab nation, and it is he who raised the banners of Truth, Compassion and Mercy as God's Messenger and Herald to the other nations and worlds.

Yes, of course, we have our personal battles to contend with, most immediate being our cunning and clever egos. But at the cosmic level, the Prophet(pbuh) has already won. And I think we should remember this and be grateful, for gratitude is a key to motivate us in our own lives and trials. Gratitude to our kin and forefathers. Gratitude to the Saints. Gratitude to the Companions. Gratitude to the Prophet(pbuh), and of course, to God Almighty.

Grace and Gratitude. Lovely. Works all the time.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Apakah Agama Tanpa Nabi? What is religion without the Prophet? - Our Hari Raya cards....

Our office is finalizing our Eidul Fitri greeting cards to be sent to our friends and clientele to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan and the 1st day of Syawal. Here in Malaysia such cards are commonly known as 'Hari Raya' cards, meaning 'Day of Festivities / Celebration' in Malay. Our girls have chosen the design and I was asked to do the inlay text, but this time in Malay. I initially had an idea and the first line of the prose to be printed in the greeting card went like this -

Apakah hidup tanpa mati?

(What is life without death?)

I emailed out the suggestion to Aeenzy, who is organizing the printing of the cards. Immediately I got a call from our latest (and youngest) addition to our office, who asked me earnestly, "TK? Are you SURE you want this in the Raya card?" I answered in the affirmative. Why not? After all, isn't death also an event worthy to be celebrated? When we are united with our Maker? But I guess it depends on how you die. He he he.

But sometimes there is no need to share ALL truths. And I think most people are less keen to be reminded of their mortality when they open a greeting card, especially a Hari Raya greeting card. So after some thought, I amended the prose, and the poem inside of our card will now read thus...

Apakah...?

Apakah jasad tanpa hati?

Apakah jantung tanpa nadi?

Apakah iman tanpa erti?

Apakah agama tanpa Nabi?

What is...?

What is a body without a heart?

What is a heart without a pulse?

What is faith without understanding?

What is religion with the Prophet?

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

It sounds better in my native Malay, I guess. It rolls off the tongue quite well, don't you agree? But then again, I am biased. He he he.

I like bringing the Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) into the picture. I think he is a one-Prophet-fit-for-all-occasion-kinda-divine-emissary. It is not protocol or spiritual etiquette. It just feels good. Like breathing.

I guess we all have our own way of breathing. But whatever creed you may be holding, may your own breath that you exhale glorify the Lord, and may the next breath that you inhale give thanks to His all-encompassing Mercy and Compassion.

Have a lovely night, sunshine. For it is night here and the fast is over for today.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The Arab King and the Arab Spring - The Caliph of Islam and the River of Time

24. For freedom or for the King?

Historians are prone

To garnish history

With the trends

Of today.

Imputing alien ideas

And foreign motivation

To those who cannot,

Alas, respond.

We too,

Could be labeled the same,

Save that the subjects

Of our constant study,

Do react,

Most passionately.

Hahaha!

Our predecessors are reacting now.

And they are telling us,

"We studied you

Before you studied us."

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

History is not passive. So recorded the sinner in the month of Ramadhan, 2008. And this is the thing, for my friends who are avid students of history and its personalities, the past is not a passive thing to be studied. In Islam, in particular in the mystic's path of Sufism, the past is a reactive thing that reacts to our study. And to the sufis, there is no personality more alive and more reactive and active than that of Muhammad, the Prophet of God(pbuh). And the same goes, in smaller doses of awesomeness, in the spirits of all Prophets, the Companions of the Prophet(pbuh) and the Saints. And that is how the prose ends with this beguiling reply to all mureeds (students of the Path) - "We studied you before you studied us."

Upstream or downstream in the River of Time. In the mystical path, time is not linear, moving in a single direction. Time is essentially a river, and though its preponderance is to make its way to the Ocean, you can actually swim upstream or downstream. Really, it is up to you. The only limitation is your stamina and swimming skills. Some people are gifted by birth, but most people can study and practice under the guidance of the Masters of the Sufi Orders.

The Caliph.

Servanthood of a King. Modern pop culture likes to paint the struggle, civil wars, rebellions and conflicts of the past in simple black and white. Liberty vs Oppression. Enlightenment vs Ignorance. They are not wrong, but they are not wholly correct. For it is often in the past that liberty and enlightenment is manifested in a single personage - a King, a Sultan, an Emperor, an Emir, a Prince or a Khalifah. And in this world of individualism and consumerism, it goes against the grain of this times to talk about servanthood. For servanthood was an important aspect of traditional life, for even a King or a Sultan is ultimately a servant of God, and one who is responsible for the spiritual and physical well-being of his subjects. It is no easy burden. 

The Arab King and the Arab Spring. That is why the Arab Spring of 2012 does not fill us with hopeful anticipation. Sober hearts are reading the changes in the Arab countries as one form of tyranny being replaced with another form - Change happening for the sake of change, and not fostered by culture, Adab or education. Change that is 'managed'. And to hoist the crude politics of socialism, liberalism, conservatism or even populism upon the most noble mantle of Muhammad Habibullah(pbuh) is to insinuate a dogmatic approach that is alien to the nature of the Prophet, Mercy to the Worlds(pbuh). Perhaps that is why our friends are earnestly looking to King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Caliph of Islam of this epoch, Commander of the Believers, Lion of God.  

If you ask me how this event will play out, I shall have to confess that I don't know. How can I, when the principle actors of this Divine Stage are still acting out their roles and reacting to the congress of the wise, however long they have been laid to rest in the bosom of the welcoming Earth?

But look to Shams (Syria), and look to Jordan and Turkey. And Russia too.

Have a thoughtful day, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

History, Atheists and the Cosmic Sulk

87. Beautiful Discord II (Lord of History and Right)

I have heard both versions of the story,

And both are right.

I have heard both sides of the disagreement,

And both are right.

For I serve

The Lord of History

And the Lord of Right,

And the expanse of His Dominions,

Is lo, wide!

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

The reason why we learn history is to learn the curve and momentum of past events. For what transpired yesterday is the seed of both present and future occurrences.

If this is what you see, you have already missed the ball.
To hit the ball you must anticipate. And to anticipate
you must understand history.

If you learn the throw of a baseball pitcher, after the one hundred thousandth pitch, you can make a very good estimate as to how fast the ball is flying and its trajectory just by observing the stance of the player.

Bums in the air, brows on the ground,
in prostration before God... alhamdulillah.

The future is a lot like that too. Indeed, according to the Mawlana of the little town of Lefke, Cyprus, our Lord God has not hidden anything, and nothing is veiled from us. For how would He be known as God Most Fair and Just, if He has not bestowed upon us the means to understand Him and unlock the workings of the Universe? "I have hidden nothing." God says. "I have veiled nothing."

Alas, it is we who are often veiled. And because we cannot comprehend God and Creation, some people are inclined to blame God. Then it is only a bus stop away from disbelief. So it is not disbelief that Atheists feel, but dissatisfaction. I guess you can call it a Cosmic Sulk.

I must shower now. I am not sulking, I am waiting for the sky to rain celestial pearl drops to wrest the dirt from my body, and the sins from my spirit.

Have a lovely shower, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

True Love and the Faithfulness of Dogs

True Love

True love is casting aside,

All pretense and all preconception,

Discarding all your mask and deception,

Throwing away all your thoughts of wisdom,

Setting aside all desire for wealth or station,

And to be instead the dog at the master’s door,

Loyal and attentive, quick to obey,

Thus Katmir stayed true to

The Sleepers of the Cave,

Day after day after

Many, many 

Doggy

Days.

………………………..

I wanted to begin this posting with a cautious advice – “So, choose your true love well!” But the simple truth of things is that in this Reality it is not we who choose true love, but True Love Who chooses us. True Love being God Almighty.

Reference to Katmir the Dog is in reference to the Biblical / Quranic story of the Sleepers of the Cave and the faithful hound. His story was covered previously in 'The Holy Quran, Mr. Ikhlas and Katmir the Dog - Man's Best Friend '(Click Here to read).

True Love has chosen to create and honour mankind. So truth be told, we are ALL loved. It is often our own foolishness and very human nature to err that builds obstacles and walls to our perception of True Love.

So our job today is to set aside the walls and obstacles between our perception and God. And to do so with patience and fortitude. And to sometimes set aside our own preconceptions of what religion is, what God is and the role the Prophet(pbuh) plays in our personal lives. This is not necessarily easy, especially for sinners like me. But if Katmir can be good, why can’t we?

And he is just a dog! Perhaps we should learn more from dogs... Click Here to read 'Seven Reasons why Dogs are like Saints - Near Sibu 2011 Part 2.'

"Learn from dogs? Never have I heard such a preposterous idea!" comments Moses the Cat.
But he is bias. Like all creatures and animals, there is much to learn from dogs.

Have a lovely Monday, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Verily We Have Honoured the Children of Adam - High Adab of the al-Quran 17:70

Heedless to the Sign, I became lost as stars in the night sky
turn into blackholes and could not guide me any longer.

UNHAPPINESS. I think unhappiness comes from forgetfulness. Or perhaps forgetfulness is not the right word here, I think heedlessness is better. Yup. That's right.

As Muslims, ostensibly we are suppose to follow God's Words manifest in the holy scriptures of the al-Quran and the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad(pbuh). And living in a Muslim majority country as is Malaysia, I see the faithful crowd, flocking to the mosques and suraus (small mosques) for prayers, sermons and the breaking of fast. Particularly, this month being the holy month of Ramadhan.

HEEDLESS. But sometimes I think we are heedless. Heedless to the very basic truths proclaimed in the al-Quran. I am not suggesting that Malaysians are particularly heedless, nor indeed Muslims. I think the illness is global. A particular verse comes to mind and this is it -

Verily we have honoured the Children of Adam. We carry them on the land and the sea, and have made provision of good things for them, and have preferred them above many of those whom We created with a marked preferment. (Quran 17:70, Marmaduke Pickthall)

GOD MOST AWESOME. God has made it clear that is is not my kind alone He has honoured and given special preferment. It is not merely the Muslims and the Believers amongst mankind. Oh no. He has honoured the Children of Adam, and therefore the entire nation of humanity is honoured. Honoured in a manner which we cannot comprehend. Honoured in a degree that we shall never understand. Becomes when God honours and grants preferment to anything or anyone, God does not do it in halves. He does it His way, completely unique and far better than the most secret and ambitious hopes that we entertain in the well of our soul.

Among the reeds of the riverbank I found a turtle, and the turtle
said, "O' mortal, how honoured are you!"

THE PATH LESS EASY. It is easy to see honour in those familiar and dear to us. But the honour granted by God is not only to such people. God has also honoured those whom we distrust or are at least 'strange' to us. Those whom we think 'different' from us. Whether it is because of a different religion, a different skin colour or perhaps nationality and ideology. Such people are also blessed. Yet, when we think that 'those others' have stolen our rights, have trampled upon our sensitive morality, or done 'no good', we forget that they too are the Children of Adam. We are thinking in our heads, "What a dishonorable lot! Useless and stupid. Really an evil horde." 

How easy it is to be heedless. It is sad, because when God says that He has honoured the Children of Adam, it is also an invitation for us to honour 'the others'. And in doing so, we honour God's own oath, and not merely to honour those who according to our perception deserves such honours, but ESPECIALLY those who appear less honourable to us. The weak, the sinners, the impoverished and the foolish. After all, who are we to say who deserves to be honoured and who doesn't in the eyes of God?

HIGH ADAB. Admittedly, this is not an easy task. This is not just Adab (courtly courtesies), this is High Adab. May we be guided by those best authorised to teach High Adab... Because, come on... let's face it. We are so utterly hopeless, only the best guide will do to get us out of this spiritual rut. Hehehe.

Have a good fasting day, sunshine. Otherwise, have a lovely day, nonetheless.

One Mawlana, three Shaykhs and a streetfighter.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way