Saturday, May 31, 2014

AL FATIHA, AL FATIHA, AL-FATIHA - death and my guilty pleasures

The almarhum Sultan, at his son's zawiya in 2012, a month of two
after the passing of almarhum Shaykh Raja Ashman Shah.

Learning to Become Unlettered
I am a man of letters,
But when Love found me
Bereft of joy at the loss of a beloved,
I learn to become unlettered.

I learn to let Love write my life for me,
First, a little name was written...
"...Muhammad..."


Then a little phrase,
Next a sentence,
Then Love wrote for me
A whole paragraph...
Before the paragraph turned 
Into pages of paragraphs,
And finally concluding in
One small chapter of my life
That Angels call "One moment in
The life of Notrumi."
.................

Seconds of Love in a Day. actually thought of ending the prose with "... One day in the life of Notrumi". But I felt embarrassed to do so. Because the truth is, sunshine, I cannot recall any whole day that I have lived allowing Love to write me and finish my sentences and actions. I am afraid that in the 24 hours of my average day, there are only minutes, or perhaps only seconds when Love furnished complete my thoughts, my words and my deeds. And the rest 99% of my day? Well... no doubt I was motivated more by my hunger, my tiredness, my search for recognition, my submission to the aimless distractions that God has filled this world with.

Oh dear.

Guilty Pleasures. I was editing this post when my friend Moses and his wife came by to join me. I felt terribly shy that they might notice my unfinished writing. I felt like a bride in the bridal chamber, and someone had left the door ajar. So I minimised the page, lest Moses might see the guilty pleasure that I am taking with you...

His Joyous Light!
I have no true pleasure in this world,
All that I have felt, all that I can conceive,
All happiness, all joy, all such things that men like to treasure,
To me, they are all guilty pleasures...

For they were not created for me,
But in truth, true Love was written for him,
Muhammad Habibullah.

And I await my real happiness,
My real joy and delight
To be in his presence...
In His Joyous Light!
...............

And I conclude this writing contemplating those whom Allah (swt) has given me the honour and pleasure to know and to know of - The Master, my Master and my Sultan, Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah ibni al-Marhum Sultan Yussuf Izzuddin Shah Ghafarullahu-Lah, Sultan of the royal state of Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia... who left his physical body after a life well-lived just three days ago to return to the Almighty Sultan of sultans... 

al-fatiha al-fatiha al-fatiha

Oh sunshine, of all my guilty pleasures, perhaps they are my most guilty pleasure of all.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Notrumi Embun, 31st May 2014

Hate has no place in Islam
Love will show the Way  

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