The Wisdom of Not Knowing - When Nothing is More than Everything

The Wisdom of Not Knowing -

When Nothing is More than Everything

Do not let your knowledge

Get in the way of your learning, my son.

Do not let your understanding

Get in the way of your experimenting, my son.

Do not let your opinions

Get in the way of your inspirations!

Never say “I know.”, my son.

Say “I don’t know

And I am here to learn

And to be guided."

Never say “I will lead,”

Say instead, “I am here to listen

And to obey.”

This is an important lesson, my son;

Once you know nothing, you are nothing -

Then see how the Sun and the Rain comes and goes

At your beck and call.

For you have given yourself to nothingness and

Into the embrace of our One Lord, God,

You have given your all…

You have given your all…

Then,

Give more of your all…

Give more of your all…

For don’t you know?

Once you are nothing,

You become bigger than everything.

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

I try not to give knowledge to my son. Who am I after all? Am I so knowledgeable that I can condescend to pour knowledge into my son's mind? My school grades were pretty average, and my spiritual grades? Oh dear. I am too embarrassed to share with you!

We parents are not treasure troves of knowledge after all. We are merely stores of happy and painful lessons from our own lives. We cannot teach our children True Knowledge, but hopefully, we may yet be a lesson for them to the Path of True Knowledge - 

Parent to Child

When it comes to True Knowledge, my child,

I cannot dictate, I can only share. 

And I cannot command you, I can only advise...

Seek the Path!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

I have died a million times over. We all have - the sanctity of life and the madness of men

THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO

I have died a million times over,

I have mourned my own passing more times

Than there are grains of sand by the sea.

I have died a million times over,

I have drawn the shroud over my lifeless body

And as the mourners shuffle around my burial plot

I could hear myself mutter, “Goodbye Mummy.”

I have died a million times over,

In my house, in my village, in the lonely desert,

In the forest, in the hills and gentle valleys,

Wherever Man have settled

I have died there.

I have died a million times over,

I have been killed over pride and money,

Over land and bigotry,

Over lies and jealousy,

Alone or in a phalanx of soldiers

Or standing with my back against the wall,

They killed me.

I have died a million times over,

And my Lord has mourned over my passing,

And I have laid my broken heart into His embrace

As He asked, “How could have they done this to you…?”

I have died a million times over, you see,

And each time I answer God,

“Forgive them, for they know not what they do…”

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

This posting is written on the weary back of this sinner, who sometimes despairs at the madness of man and their terrible ways - Our destructiveness on this Earth and our spite that we lash out towards our own brothers and sisters for all sorts of reasons. The Angels were aware of our inner dark fires. They forgot themselves when they deigned to question God in the Holy Quran 2:30...

Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: "I will create a vicegerent on earth." They said: "Wilt Thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood?- whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy (name)?" He said: "I know what ye know not." (Yusuf Ali translation)

Of the act of unlawfully taking another person's life, this is said in the Quran 5:32

On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people. Then although there came to them Our messengers with clear signs, yet, even after that, many of them continued to commit excesses in the land. (Yusuf Ali translation)

So I am not far wrong, you see. When a 5 year old girl was kidnapped and murdered in cold blood recently here in Malaysia, we all died. When a Rabbi and the three children were killed by a so-called Jihadist in France recently, we all died. When that so-called Christian crusader went on a bomb and shooting spree and killing almost 80 people in Oslo last year, we all died.

With each murder on this planet, we diminish as a nation of humanity. Because murder is the rejection of our very humanity. It is the Divine Answer, 'I know what ye know not' that holds us together like a thread, despite the murderers in our midst. And it is the life-savers and care-givers of this world - the doctors and nurses, the paramedics and volunteers, the charities and donors, the kind Samaritans and rescuers, who put back our faith in our own humanity. For to quote God again "...And if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people..."

Thank you for allowing me to share my little sorrow and hope with you, sunshine. May God bless you always and may God forgive me. And may we always learn something new to make tomorrow a better day, God-willing. 

Pax Taufiqa

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The West and the Irrationality in Rationalism - get a grip, will you?

These are all good and religious people. But the rationalist-agnostic-atheist will have
you believe that Abul Kalam Azad, Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Theresa were good
in spite of their religious beliefs. Oh come on... And they accuse religious people of
being bigoted and condescending?

The West and The Conflict

We are not heirs to the Western conflict,

We are not participants in this debate

Between those who believe in God

And those who disbelieve…

We are not in their history,

We are not involved in their story,

We have no problems adapting,

We have no problems changing,

We have no problems tolerating

The many passions and strange obsessions of man,

Whether he is in secular study,

Or praying in religious robes…

For in their arguments

The agnostics and preachers,

The conservatives and liberals,

The Traditionalists and Progressives

All forget good manners and

Taint both rationalism and spiritualism.

May God save us from the earnest ones!

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

I am an avid follower of American politics. And I guess I have become familiar and much acquainted with liberal progressive views propagated by the likes of Bill Maher and The Young Turks. And I am the first to admit that some of the brightest and sparkling intellectual stars do populate the agnostic atheistic constellation. I agree with a lot of what they say. They are smart, they are sexy and they are very persuasive. Just like me. Hehehe.

But I have discerned an air of smugness in the representations of their ideas against believers of God in the US. And they are starting the bad habit of pontificating, just like the Evangelicals that they abhor. This is not a good trend.

It doesn't matter what you believe to be the truth. Nobody wants to drink wine, however sweet and pure it may be, if it is served in a dirty glass. Bad manners = dirty glass.

I hope the rationalists will maintain their rationalism in their challenge against what they think to be the irrationality of religious people. "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind", said Mahatma Gandhi.

Don't you agree, sunshine?

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way.

You are here again. Is it because you love Me?

The Meaning of Praying

Ho seeker! Said the Lord,

What are you doing here?

You are not obliged to talk to Me

Until the next cycle…

Do you miss talking to Me?

Do you miss My nearness?

Do you miss being free with your feelings?

Do you miss the intimacy you share with Me

Which you cannot share with any other?

Do you miss the hymn, the meaningful pauses

And gentle silences?

Oh, you noticed, did you?...

The carpet and curtain of flowers

That I drew for you when you stepped

Out of My mosque?

Oh, you saw, did you? ...
The yellow blooms falling gently

And you wondered, “Is this a farewell for me?”

You were obliged to come to My House,

But no obligation is compelling you now,

So why are you here?

Is it because you think you Love me?

…………………

The meaning of Sembahyang / Solat

It is difficult to talk without pretense. For our multi-layered personality manifests itself in what we speak. It is not that we wish to talk falsely, but as human beings we are quite good at misguiding ourselves. So even if we speak the truth, it may not be the whole truth.

Manifestation of the Complete Truth is only before The Truth

It is only before Truth Himself that the whole truth of what we say and the whole truth of who we are, manifest itself. For one of the known attributes and names of God is al-Haqq, meaning The Truth. Yes, we do confide our happiness and sadness, our problems and successes with a beloved, be it a mother, a father, a BFF (best-friends-forever), mate or spouse. But he or she will not read the complete truth, for he or she is not God. 

Natural as Breathing

Perhaps that is why people of any religion, when they bow, kneel or prostrate themselves before God, hold praying in the highest of regards. For them, it is not a chore nor a ritual. It is as natural as breathing. And that, I think, is the essence of the perfected faith.

Umar al-Khattab Mosque, Bukit Damansara

The Perfect Host of the Spiritual Feast

As a Muslim, a sembahyang / solat (sembahyang is the Malay word for prayers, in Arabic it is solat, we use them interchangeably) is like accepting a keen invitation – obligatory because there is nothing finer that you can do for those brief minutes you spend in prayers to God. It is an invitation to an intimate soiree, and sometimes, when you are praying in a group, God as the Perfect Host has even designated a singer, the Imam (leader) in front of the congregation, to recite in melodious harmony the poetry in perfection that is the Quran. At this feast, spiritual food has been prepared and perfected for anyone to partake. And there is no end to the dishes for your delicate tastebuds – Dishes refined in Divine Love, Beauty, Poetry, Compassion, Tolerance, Friendship and Servanthood. A compelling spiritual menu for any human being hungry for spiritual succor. That is the meaning of Sembahyang / Solat to me. Alas, how can it be any other way when your Host is God Himself?

Well, this is my understanding of prayers at this point anyway. Tomorrow, who knows? Perhaps it will get better and better. I hope so too...

God bless you, sunshine. May you find solace and joy in your pious rituals, however you may pray to the One God that we all share.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

All Muslims must be Environmentalists - little children and little khalifahs..

The word 'Khalifah' is a commonly used term referring to the caliphs of the Muslim Caliphate that stretched for close to 1400 years ending only in 1923 with the abdication of the last Ottoman caliph.

Its actual meaning, after extensive 2-minutes search on Google, encompasses 'a civil or religious leader of a Muslim state considered a representative of God on earth'. It can also mean a lieutenant or regent of God, ie mankind as a whole.

I often see the bumper sticker 'Little Khalifah' on cars here in Malaysia. No doubt, placed there by proud Muslim parents. I don't mind, I think it is kinda tacky but it's cute. Nevertheless, I also believe that like most forms, names, words and labels, the meaning must be understood.

For me, the word Khalifah attracts obligations. It does not attract dominion or authority. For in the words of a prose posted earlier -

Khalifah...

The Best Master is the Best Servant

The Best Servant is the Best Master

So the term Khalifah is a spiritual designation weighed with responsibility and accountability. It encompasses our obligations to our family, our neighbours, our people, our country and humanity. It encompasses how well we treat the environment, the animals and crop that we have domesticated and cultivated, as well as the wild animals and fauna in the forest and desert, and the fishes and mammals that swim in the seas and rivers. We are responsible for the air that we breath and the water that we use. Every drop of water wasted, every pollutant spilled into the stream, every smoke, smog and pollution our factories spit into the clean air - all these we are responsible for.

Perhaps it is better that our little Khalifah children all remain little, if they but knew the breadth of their responsibilities to mankind and mother nature when they grow older and becomes accountable for their actions and omissions.

I do think that all Muslims should be, by their own definitions, environmentalists... And I do believe that everyone else, by reason, should be environmentalists too. After all, it is not as if we have another Earth to migrate to if we destroy this one...

Something to think about this Friday, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

No loss, No win... just Truth

No Loss, No Win

Truth is come,

Will the heart withstand?

In the fastness of its hallowed pasture

Truth is here as a storm of hailstones,

As a dry and bitter drought,

Assailing your home,

Or whether Truth is here

As the teardrop of angels

In the morning rain?

Do we not always struggle in vain?

Looking to Truth as

Boon or bane?

When in truth, Truth is Truth

In whatever guise Truth

May come in,

And to surrender is to accept

That there is, in truth,

No loss, no win.

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

Pax Taufiqa

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

Let Love Finish Your Sentence, the Prophet said

1. To change the way you feel

The Prophet said,

I am here to change

The way you feel.

To end your penance.

And to teach you to

Let Love finish your sentence.

To give your life meaning,

To answer your yearning.

We are not perfect. We are creatures subservient to our oppressive ego, our emotions changing with the ebb and tide of our passions. One day we can be very good, on another day not so good. One moment we are like Mother Theresa, on another day we are like the Scrooge.

Sometimes, especially in the heat of the moment, in the tremors of our anger or indignation we start off by saying the wrong things. But I hope, however far we may err, we can still let Love finish our sentence. If we start this morning miserable and bitter, I hope when we rest our head on the pillow tonight, we can do so with contentment and peace. So long as you are still breathing there is still time to let Love finish our sentence, and end our day well.

If you see me drifting into a storm, reel me back to calmer waters.

People often say that imagination is the map to invention, art and beauty. It is true. But it should be anchored to love. For imagination is a powerful force, and one that can have a good or bad ending. I cannot say that I am anchored to love, being the miserable sinner. But I am anchored to you, sunshine. So if you see me drifting into a storm, reel me back to calmer waters. If you see me despairing, gather me in your arms. If you see me angry and hateful, tell me that I am not worthy of such tempers. I think God made many of us humans so that we might look out for each other, yes?

Have a good Thursday, pet.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way