Will you not love Me? - asked God persistently

First day at school. Still very dark though it is in fact past 7am. 

Mika is back home. And brought a gigantic poster of Star Wars 'Clone Wars' play cards.
The poster is almost as tall as the little blighter.

If you live in Malaysia, you will know that the Chinese New Year is just around the corner.
This means that the hot weather has begun and the year's end rainy season has ended.
And let me tell you that (to me) there is no greater thirst quencher than a glass
of rippling wet ice water. Ahhhh.

I woke up very, very early on Saturday. I found the Moon lying very low to Earth,
just peeping over the nearby hills of Bukit Kiara. I found her nearness haunting and
her luminous beauty beguiling. I took out my cellphone and took a picture, but I
forgot to say thanks to the Maker. So I will do it right now - "Thank You , God!"

The Persistent God 

"Will you not love Me?" Asked God persistently...

Your mother loves you the way I deign best,

Your father loves you at My encouragement,

Your siblings love you at My own behest,

Your lover loves you at My blandishment,

Everything and everyone,

From friends, aunties and uncles,

Nephews, nieces and cousins

All love you by My will.

Thus, will you not love Me in return?

Loving Me best of all,

Loving Me above anything else,

Takes nothing away from

Your love for anyone else,

If you but understood what Love means...

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

Have a perfectly well-rounded day, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The nature of this world as a fact & a metaphor

1. Alone with You

Alone with You,

Without memories,

With no history,

No tales to distract me,

No thoughts to consume me,

No regrets nor unconsummated promises

To bind me.

Only You.

Beautiful You,

Unforgettable, Undeniable You.

How shall my heart ever be worthy?

Sufism. There is an important discord within the Muslim body. Betweeen those who believe that Sufism is Islam and has always been Islam, and not merely just a part or microcosm of the Faith. And there are those who say that Sufism is an innovation (bida'ah), a heresy and travesty of man's own invention. Ah well. You can't please everybody.

Fact and Metaphor. The Sufis look at the world in both sense of fact and metaphor. They accept this world as a fact because they acknowledge that they are mere mortals, servants of God, but most significantly, born in the physical realm, and bound to all the necessities that confine mankind to mortality, like birth, age, death, food, water and fire. But on another level, they also look at this world as mere metaphors. Like little reflections on the Ocean of God. Tangible but insignificant, save that such reflection is a physical manifestation of the greater and greatest Reality and Absolute Being of God, which is in itself incomprehensible and lies beyond both the physical and metaphysical realms. 

Have a beautiful Sunday, sunshine. And I mean it in the factual sense of the word, and in the metaphorical sense. For men (and women) cannot live by bread alone.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Amrita from the Churning of the Cosmic Ocean of Milk - Man is Forgetful and God Owns All of us!

Sufis whirling. Or as the Hindus may say, churning the cosmic Ocean of Milk.
Bless them!

My brother was describing to me the fascinating story about the Churning of the Ocean of Milk motif at Angkor Wat and other temples. The story came from the Bhagavada-Purana, it pertains to the origin of creation and how the 'good' (as represented by the gods, the devas) were reacting with 'evil' (proxied by the demons, the asuras) and churning the Ocean of Milk by pulling to and fro the serpent / dragon Vasuki whose coils were wrapped around this Mount Mandara which is situated in the centre of the cosmic Ocean of Milk to produce amrita, the elixir of immortality.

No, not Angkor Wat. But the depiction is clearer here.

I found this analogy about the purpose of good and evil as both beautiful and epic. For my brother is suggesting that this story embodies the constant struggle, the constant pull between our heavenly 'good' spirit and our baser 'evil' desires. We have inside us the serpent, and the ocean of divine knowledge, but just like milk to butter, in order to attain some spiritual wisdom, our selves must face the constant churning of good and evil as it is reflected in our daily words and action.

"How I wish I found this story in the mystical lore of Islam and not Hinduism..." I mused in one unguarded moment. It is after all, a very beautiful story (I think I mentioned that already). But then someone tapped me on my head and said, "Oy! You forgetful one. All that is good and beautiful comes from God. You can drink from the fountain of knowledge, but God owns it. If He chooses to pour His blessings indiscriminately across all of humanity, who are you to oppose Him? Did you not earlier write this... "

1. Indiscriminate Mercy

They come with the clouds

And ride the falling raindrops,

Each sparkling pearl,

That feed the earth

And fill the sea,

Heralds of a Lord

Whose Bounty falls

On the heads of the Muslims,

Jews, Christians, Atheists,

Agnostics, Buddhists and Hindus alike.

Ah. He is right and I am wrong. I was right when I wrote this prose some 8 years ago, but then I forgot and I became wrong again, albeit temporarily. Is this the butter churned from my own tug of war between good and evil, between knowledge and ignorance? I guess it must be so! And lo, we have found a nugget of amrita in this little corner of the cosmic Ocean of Milk... And one that is simple really - that mankind are often forgetful. 

Why do we forget? Because we would LIKE to own God, and say that our perception of God is the only right one, and everyone else can suck candy. Well, that is just bad manners, I think, bad manners for a Christian, a Hindu, a Jew, a Buddhist or a Muslim. But happily, we are not without guidance. And sometimes it just needs a nudge from someone for us to recall Love and the Truth of the Divine State - that we do not 'own' God or His infinite Attributes. That God owns us. All of us, all of our good and bad, all our guidance and misguidance, however deep our reflection, however shallow our introspection. This is one of the most obvious of truths, but a truth often forgotten. 

May God bless the Hindus, may God bless the Muslims. May God bless everyone! And may God bless you too, my sunshine. And finally, may God forgive me for my indiscriminate forgetfulness to His Indiscriminate Blessings.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way.

All Gypsies under the Mercy Moon, All Sheep under the Shepherd Sun

All Gypsies under the Mercy Moon, All Sheep under the Shepherd Sun

I do not know of your God,

Nor do I know of my God,

I only know of God,

Neither yours nor mine,

Just God.

I do not know of you,

Nor do I know of me,

I only know of we,

Neither you nor I,

Only we.

Are we not all Trespassers under the His Sky...?

I do not know of the Guide

Who would leave those

In utter need of guidance

Without someone to bring

Them to safety.

Are we not all Gypsies under the Mercy Moon...?

I do not know of the love

I feel in my breast,

For it is not knowledge,

It was never written

Save as a spell

In the heart of

The unwary.

Are we not all Spellbound under the Sky Unmade...?

I do not know of Him

Though He knows fully

And truly of me.

I tried to capture a little

Of His vision, smiling in grace

Upon the most magnificent sky,

But my thieving hand trembled

As my atoms whirled in His praise...

For how can a fish

Catch the fisherman?

How can a deer

Catch the hunter?

And how can the sheep

Catch the shepherd?

Are we not all Sheep under the Shepherd Sun...?

I could not sleep, taken ill because I neglected my medication today. So I surfed the internet sea and I came across this interesting little concert, played and sung by men garbed in strange attire. The music that they played were beautiful and hypnotic. I do believe that this was recorded live in Germany. I wrote the prose listening to their haunting harmonies.

May God bless you always in your wandering and in your staying. Take care, sunshine.

Pax Taufiqa

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Wake up! Wake up, darling soul!

Wake Up

Wake up and tell me that you love me,

Wake up and tell me that there is no other,

Wake up and tell me that you need me,

For I am yours, your only Master.

Wake up and tell me that you love me,

That all the hurt you felt last night,

All the hate that became your bed,

All the sorrow that became your pillow

Will have withered in the morning light.

Wake up and confess your love for me,

For while you lay in restless slumber,

It was I who cared for your every hour,

Awake or sleeping, you belong to me

So love Me truly like no other.

Is it me reading something in a book, or did someone say something to me? It was a hadis (saying) of the Prophet Muhammad, when he said; "People are sleeping. When they die they will wake up ( or 'come to their senses', according to another narration)."

I often fall asleep tired out by the world. And often enough it is because I was beset by problems, sorrow, hurt, envy and pain of my own making. I do not want to forget the Lord. I do not intend to swim through so much unhappiness. After all, it would be crazy to want that. But why then do I always do it?

I have not built a monument, no building, no towering edifice in this world to mark my short existence here. I only have words, so tonight I wish to be dressed and garbed by my words. Words of hope.

Come, sunshine, into the garden of my words. And take the rose for yourself. Just mind the thorns!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Footnote on the sketch: My thanks to Heche for stopping me from chucking the sketch away. In the beginning, I just wanted to get rid of the drawing, thinking it unpretty. I guess she saw how much better it could be with a little more effort. Perhaps that is why she is still with me. Seeing more in me than I myself could imagine.

Humility is not adornment but the Beautiful House of the Human Soul

A young aspirant upon the Path desires enlightenment. But he makes a great show of his humility, speaking  his mind, "I do want to give everything up. I do want to serve mankind, I do want to prostrate before God, baring my self, outside the skin of my deceit. But I want to make a show of it. An operatic display."

A mature gentleman was sitting with the kid. The older veteran of soul's war with the ego smiled at the fresh passion of his young companion. Then he said to the aspirant, "Read this..", passing a raggedy piece of note paper, with spells written in untidy script -

The Fashion of Humility

It is not everything to wear a beard,

A turban, a hijab or a nun’s habit,

For enlightened humility

Is in the discernment you wear on your lips

Not to speak with malice,

The veil you cast over your eyes

Not to see with avarice,

The wisdom that you grow in your heart

Not to entertain hubris,

The constant of your patience,

Not the whim of your caprice,

The kindness of your hands

Not to be raised in anger,

The radiance of your soul

As a sinner, servant and believer,

A fashion that shall never grow old

Whatever knowledge you deign

To cherish in your breast

Or display as an adornment.

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

Humility is not an adornment, it is that which is adorned. Humility is not a dress, a garb, a perfume or piece of clothing. It is that which is dressed or perfumed. Everything else are fixtures and fittings to an already Beautiful House of the Human Soul, be it a man or a woman.

If you find one such person, do tell me about him/her. I myself have found a few, but I am always looking...

Have a beautiful day, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Pictures - From student days in Leeds, circa 1993.

A Fork on the Road - Our mistakes and God's Compassion

Where is the sign? How do I know which road to take?

4. A Fork on the Road

While strolling on the Path as if all time is yours, you meet a fork in the road, and a sign which says,"This way, o' Wanderer", but you take the other road.

As you wander further, you come across yet another fork, and yet another sign, but this time pleading, "This way,o' wayward one!" Again you choose the opposite path.

And you repeat this folly again and again.

Until you finally reach another fork, and lo, there is no sign to guide you. Bemused, you stand there wondering, "Eh? Someone removed the sign?" To be answered by a painful whack on the back of your head.

Rubbing your throbbing skull, you turned warily to see your assailant, and you see your Master, holding the sign. And he addresses you, "Enough!" Impatiently He grabs you by your collar and drags you to the right road (Which is always the right turning, by the way).

In an exasperated tone, the Master asks, "Why do you always make it difficult for yourself?"

With a glint in your eye, you looked up and replied, "O, Master, had I not erred for so long and for so many times and in so many ways, you would not have come for me..."

"But I have taught you already!" exclaimed the Master, "You should be following my teaching and serving me. But time and time again it is I who have to come to YOUR rescue. So, tell me, who is serving who here, and who is actually the Master?"

Without skipping a beat you answered, "The best servant is the best Master, and the best Master is the best servant."

The Master pondered at his young student, and then sighed, "Do you always have an answer for everything?"

Whereupon you replied, "So far. For you taught me very well, o' Master!"

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

Everyone wants to hurry it up - Change the channel, where's the tv remote?! Where's the car keys? I gotta run! What time do you have? Oh, God, I am late already! But the truth is, somethings we just cannot rush. Not the coming of the tide, nor the rising of the Sun. For each change in nature, and for each change in human nature there is an appropriate time and place.

For change in human nature, especially for the better, is not actually change at all. It is in truth the revelation of who you truly are and where you lie in the greater scheme of things. You may think you are a whole lot of something, God's gift to mankind, or you may think you are a barrel full of nothing. This emotion changes with time, and it often affects which path you choose to take - the low road of the ego, or the high spiritual path of the soul.

I guess what I am trying to say is, don't give up. If you have taken the wrong path a hundred times, or even a thousand times over, there is still another fork lying in wait for you at the end of the road. If you have erred before, you need not err now, you can choose the right path.

And if you are in doubt and there is no clear sign, just abide by the last words of the sinner - Love will show the Way.

Thank you for dropping in today, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way