Why...? Love asks

Some gathering of roses in the shape of a heart... by Cristina Colombo

Why...? Love asks.

Why are you standing?

I was anticipating  your arrival, love.

Why are you praying?

I knew you would be listening, love.

Why are you forgetful?

I knew you would still remember, love.

Why are you flying?

I am not flying, love.

It is this world that is falling away beneath my feet.

Why is the world falling away?

For this world cannot bear the reality

Of your love for me and my love for you, love.

…………………………..

And why was I unwell? I caught a sickness from my son, Mikhail. But he is better already and I am back, alhamdulillah. Thank you for waiting, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

"STAY...", Love said to me

1.      I have seen You!

I have seen You, Love!

Reflected upon the waters

Of your creation!

I have heard You, Love!

In the sweet muttering

Of your creation!

You will not let me sleep,

You will goad and flirt,

You will be selfish

With me,

Again and again.

How You love me

I do not care,

For here You are,

With me,

In any time,

Anywhere.

I cannot walk away,

Not when you look

At me that way,

Telling me,

“Stay.”

Love never said, "Go away." Love never said, "Leave me be." Love never said, "You are excused, you may go." Which is really fortunate for us, for how will we leave Love's presence, sustained as we are in our spirit and our very being by Love's loving gaze?

100. The Minnow

O’ Little Minnow

Swimming in the shallow.

No where could you go

That His River does not flow.

God is Love Manifest beyond the wildest dreams of poets and lovers, and from there comes His Attribute as your nourisher and sustainer. And though He could compel the smallest minnow or the mightiest king to be in His divine presence, He does not - He asks you, as how befits the Lover to the Beloved, "Stay."

So if one day you find yourself standing at the corner, waiting for a cab to take you away from Love, turn off the bitterness and come back inside, where there is love, warmth and you. For where would the real you be if not with love?

"Stay."

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way 

The Ego and the Sea - how to captain a ship manned by a mutinous crew

Angel of the Sea: Uh Oh. Taufiq has struck the rocks again. Stranded on a
deserted island. Again. 

10. Not That Drunk

You say you are drunk in His Ocean

Besotted in His Love,

But yea, still sober enough to request for intermissions,

While treading the Path.

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

Hehehe. Mystics like to talk about traversing The Ocean of Mercy, sailing upon the Sea of Love. But for all the mercy and loveliness of God's oceans, we often find ourselves stranded on a deserted island, our sails torn because we were caught by a raging storm in the middle of the sea. Perhaps we sailed just too close to the storm of life? Did we intentionally sail into the tempest, or did God's wind and tide inadvertently bring us to the end of this journey? I think it can happen both ways.

Yes, I am afraid the prose is often too true. We would like to think we know and that we are aware of the truth and reality of God, life, love, hate, good and evil. After all, knowing is one thing, but evading dangers in the deep blue sea of life is a whole different matter... Especially when the captain of our ship, a.k.a. our Heart and Conscience is forever facing the risk of mutiny by our Ego. Our good conscience wants to sail to the sea of kindness and tolerance, patience and understanding, but our ego is forever trying to usurp control of  our life and lead us towards the black waters of hate and hubris, anger and impatience.

And yet we cannot sail this life without our ego. For this world in its artificial edifice and transient nature is a world created perfectly for the ego. And so long as we are in our physical ship, a.k.a. our bodies, we need our ego to man the sails and swab the decks. So you are in effect a captain in charge of a rebellious crew... Good luck with that. 

He he he. 

Alone we would be putty in the hands of the ego. That is why we are advised to seek for the Captain of captains, the Master of the Seas and the conqueror over mutinies. God, has not forgotten us, sailing precariously upon the ocean of His creation. That is why, through the ages of Mankind, He has sent Prophets and Saints to guide us safely through the stunningly beautiful, yet horribly dangerous waters of the Sea that we call Life. So why not ask for help?

Help!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

A Distant Thunder and a Little Teasing - Sunday rainy thoughts...

52. Distant thunder

I hear the rumblings of a distant thunder

Light is veiled behind a plume of cloud.

But rain is come

The seeker is now the sought

The lover is now the loved

Woe that I was ever in doubt!

 118. Teasing

What is love without a little teasing,

A little sorrow, a little pain,

A little drought before the rain,

A little sting, a little bleeding,

A little snowfall before spring.

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

It is rainy weather here, the end of the year monsoon season. It comes to my country regular as clockwork. Fishermen avoid going to sea these days. The sea is just too rough and unpredictable.

For city-rats like myself, there is no such foreboding doom. Our only pain is the little inconvenience of waiting out the rain. But rain makes good company for prose-writing. The two prose above are actually from my old collection of the DamSunSunAna... written around mid 2004. It rained hard in my heart that year.

Thank you for coming by today. How was Sunday for you?

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

God Willing and Chinese Gold - a little Malay habit and investing in gold to hedge against inflation

Malay Boy

GodWilling

I have a plan to write this,

But God knows if I will finish this,

I have a plan to return to the office,

But God knows if I will get back,

I plan to have a nap now,

But God knows if I ever will,

Each breath I take,

Each glance I give,

Each smile that is drawn,

Each whimsical thought

That crosses the plain of my mind,

Albeit even for the briefest moment,

Is just my plan, and nothing more

Not when everything that happens,

And everything that does not happen,

Happens or doesn't happen

As God's Wills it.

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

InsyaAllah (Godwilling) is a commonly used phrase by the Malays. We use it sincerely and also less sincerely when the occasion requires. Like when an excitable friend wants you to join their multi-level marketing scheme. So you will hear politely and reply, "Of course, I will come over to your weekly meeting this Saturday, Godwilling!" He he he. You see, us Malays sometimes find it very hard to say no. 

And unfortunately, our mind is not quick enough to scramble around for an excuse to avoid the dreaded appointment. So we say, InsyaAllah! What the excitable friend doesn't hear is our secret prayer to God - "InsyaAllah, over my dead body...".

Golden Ponzi Schemes. I guess there is a purpose in an economy for genuine multi-level marketing schemes. But there are also other less-than-kosher 'business' such as the Ponzi schemes. Presently the flavour going around locally is based upon gold investments. Investing in gold is perfectly fine (indeed I would encourage it as a hedge against the volatility and inflationary nature of fiat paper money), but if you do not get your gold almost immediately, then something smells fishy. Personally I do not encourage the purchase of gold certificates which entitles you to a certain weight of gold. If you want to buy gold, then get physical possession of it. 

Where is the Chinese Gold? An interesting story is making its round among the goldbugs in the social media and newsites. Although China (as in the People's Republic) is one of the largest producer of gold, gold officials of the HSBC (the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) as one of the global conduits of the gold trade have not seen a single gold bullion marking it as originating from China. Conclusion - the Chinese are keeping their gold to themselves as a hedge against the possible collapse of the trillion dollars of U.S. government bonds that the Chinese have purchased.

The Chinese have a long memory, you know.

Something to think about this Sabbath, sunshine. God bless you always. 

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way 

The Tree of Love - Subhanim Allah Sultanim Allah Nabim Muhammad alayhi salam

To Set This Love Free

I have waited for you for so long,

I have patiently bided my time

Under this tree,

Until my shadow is the tree’s shadow,

Until my skin is the tree’s bark,

My feet, its roots,

My hands, its limb and branch

Reaching up to the sky

For you…

Oh my sweet,

Oh my love,

Oh my gentle star,

Shining on me

From your abode above,

Praising you and waiting

Till I am no more,

My branches withered and broken,

My feet uprooted from the earth,

My leaf dry and dying on the ground,

As nations rise and fall,

Towers are built and broken down, 

I shall always be waiting for you,

To return to you once again,

As a man, or as a tree,

To my Maker, My Love,

My Beloved,

My God… and

To set this love finally,

And completely

Free.

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

Prose Post Script - I have set my love, infinite in its breadth for He who is infinite in His breadth. I have set my root and lonely branches for He who has an infinity to assure me of His love. I have set my hopes and my highest praise upon He who shall never wither in winter, in Whose name the flowers of the worlds bloom in spring, in Whose glory the Sun shines the brightest in summer, and in Whose silent praises that my golden, yellow and red leaves fall to the earth in autumn, prostrating before His infinite Mercy for the trees.

Thank you for dropping by, sunshine. Have a lovely day, sharing this world with the love that even the trees themselves recognise. Subhanim Allah, Sultanim Allah, Nabim Muhammad alayhi salam.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way 

Junk Mail, Forward Address To The Life Here After - mothers, children and poignant reminders

Yesterday a mail arrived for my mother. It's an invitation from some very keen real estate agents for my mother to purchase properties in London. It is very kind of them but alas, the junk mail is ten years too late, for my dear mum passed away in May 2002. 

I just shared this on Instagram, and an old friend advised me to unsubscribe from the sales mailing list. But of course, that mailing list is floating and being circulated with God-knows-who-else and I think to attempt to stop further junk mails to my late mother would be like trying to plug a rainy sky with a cork.

Saying that however, I don't mind reading my mother's name anywhere I may find it, or as in this case, anywhere it may find me. Above the epithet of her gravestone, in the wisdom of my aunties, playing upon the smile of my son or simply printed on a junkmail postcard... it is still a reminder of her.

Have a lovely thoughtful day, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way