I was pondering over this one verse from the holy Quran (S34, Ayat 46) with the translation and commentary by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, that would be refreshing for some.
Say: "I do admonish you
On one point: that ye
Do stand up before Allah,-
(It may be) in pairs, (*1)
Or (it may be) singly,-
And reflect (within yourselves):
Your Companion is not
Possessed: he is no less
Than a Warner to you,
In face of a terribe
Chastisement".
--- Commentary by Yusuf Ali
(*1) : A crowd mentality is not the best for the perception of the final spiritual truths. For these, it is necessary that each soul should commune within itself with earnest sincerity as before Allah: if it requires a Teacher, let it seek out one, or it may be that it wants the strengthening of inner convictions that dawn on it, by support of a sympathiser or friend. But careful and heart-felt reflection is necessary to appraise the higher Truths.
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Monday, April 25, 2005
Choosing to Love
I lift this section from 'My Heart Speaks' Blog. Do visit that blog if you are hungry!
Choosing to Love
You don't choose whom you love.
He chooses them.
If you had that choice to choose;
then the road would be simple.
Whom he puts in your life, is part of your test:
to bear with them, to accept them and most of all to love them
despite all that they may agitate you with.
After all, they come from Him and they return to Him,
just like you did and will do.
"...And We have made some of you as a trial for others: will you have patience?
And your Lord is Ever All-Seer" (Surah al-Furqan:20)
Choosing to Love
You don't choose whom you love.
He chooses them.
If you had that choice to choose;
then the road would be simple.
Whom he puts in your life, is part of your test:
to bear with them, to accept them and most of all to love them
despite all that they may agitate you with.
After all, they come from Him and they return to Him,
just like you did and will do.
"...And We have made some of you as a trial for others: will you have patience?
And your Lord is Ever All-Seer" (Surah al-Furqan:20)
Good food for the soul
I am always hungry and I love to eat.
When I visits The heart speaks and The Light of Eminence & Sufism blogs, I get even hungrier.
When I visits The heart speaks and The Light of Eminence & Sufism blogs, I get even hungrier.
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Anger
When a seeker says :" Oh Nafs, from today on, I declare Jihad on you!"
Nafs will blow the trumpet of war and put on their battle gear.
Surely they will launch their attack with much fervor and tenacity,
that without the support of his Lord, he will surely be defeated.
One of the most powerful in the Nafs army is the Field Marshal Anger!
Be careful of him for if he has many tricks to overcome you.
Mash'Allah. May Allah save you.
If Anger overwhelms you, you are gone. Finished!
But a seeker has ample defensive tactics he can used if he remembers..
When we feel the presence of anger (no matter how small), ask ourselves this 1 second question - Is this anger for myself or for Allah?
If it is not for Allah, or if you are angry because someone just insulted your intelligence..
then remind yourselves of the countless sins you did and imagine how forgiving God is to you that He said in the holy Quran :
"Say: O Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful" (Quran 39:53)
Then look at ourselves and be shameful coz if Allah, the Most High and Mighty can forgive, why cant we? Are we higher than God? So forgive and thank Allah who has reminded you and given you the power to control of the powerful field marshal of the nafs : Anger!
But remember that a seeker's jihad of his nafs is not to kill but to subdue! If you have control of Anger, you can effectively direct it to earn Allah's pleasure and love.
Consider this :
"Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good,
enjoining ‘al Ma’roof,’ the doing of what is right and forbidding ‘al Munkar,’
the doing of what is wrong.” Qur’an, 3:104.
and also consider this hadith :
It is reported by Abu Sa'eed Khudri (Radhiyallaho anho) that the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said:
"Whoever sees a forbidden thing being done, he must prevent it by the use of his hand; and if he has no power for this action, then he should prevent it with his tongue; and if he cannot do this even, then he should at least consider it a vice in his heart, and this is a very low level of Iman."
All these are possible when we subdue anger ,with Allah's Love and Mercy, and direct it to earn our Lord's pleasure.
Shaikh Nazim had spoken on the subject "Anger" and here is the link to it :
http://www.uksufi.co.uk/Newcomers/swallow_your_anger.htm
Nafs will blow the trumpet of war and put on their battle gear.
Surely they will launch their attack with much fervor and tenacity,
that without the support of his Lord, he will surely be defeated.
One of the most powerful in the Nafs army is the Field Marshal Anger!
Be careful of him for if he has many tricks to overcome you.
Mash'Allah. May Allah save you.
If Anger overwhelms you, you are gone. Finished!
But a seeker has ample defensive tactics he can used if he remembers..
When we feel the presence of anger (no matter how small), ask ourselves this 1 second question - Is this anger for myself or for Allah?
If it is not for Allah, or if you are angry because someone just insulted your intelligence..
then remind yourselves of the countless sins you did and imagine how forgiving God is to you that He said in the holy Quran :
"Say: O Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful" (Quran 39:53)
Then look at ourselves and be shameful coz if Allah, the Most High and Mighty can forgive, why cant we? Are we higher than God? So forgive and thank Allah who has reminded you and given you the power to control of the powerful field marshal of the nafs : Anger!
But remember that a seeker's jihad of his nafs is not to kill but to subdue! If you have control of Anger, you can effectively direct it to earn Allah's pleasure and love.
Consider this :
"Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good,
enjoining ‘al Ma’roof,’ the doing of what is right and forbidding ‘al Munkar,’
the doing of what is wrong.” Qur’an, 3:104.
and also consider this hadith :
It is reported by Abu Sa'eed Khudri (Radhiyallaho anho) that the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said:
"Whoever sees a forbidden thing being done, he must prevent it by the use of his hand; and if he has no power for this action, then he should prevent it with his tongue; and if he cannot do this even, then he should at least consider it a vice in his heart, and this is a very low level of Iman."
All these are possible when we subdue anger ,with Allah's Love and Mercy, and direct it to earn our Lord's pleasure.
Shaikh Nazim had spoken on the subject "Anger" and here is the link to it :
http://www.uksufi.co.uk/Newcomers/swallow_your_anger.htm
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Rumi :: Hidden Music
Shall I tell you our secret?
We are charming thieves who steal hearts
and never fail because we are
the friends of the One.
The time for old preaching is over
we aim straight at the heart.
If the mind tries to sneak in and take over
we will string it up without delay.
We turn poison into medicine
and our sorrows into blessings.
All that was familiar,
our loved ones and ourselves
we had to leave behind.
Blessed is the poem that comes through me
but not of me because the sound of my own music
will drown the song of Love.
We are charming thieves who steal hearts
and never fail because we are
the friends of the One.
The time for old preaching is over
we aim straight at the heart.
If the mind tries to sneak in and take over
we will string it up without delay.
We turn poison into medicine
and our sorrows into blessings.
All that was familiar,
our loved ones and ourselves
we had to leave behind.
Blessed is the poem that comes through me
but not of me because the sound of my own music
will drown the song of Love.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Rabi'a al 'Adawiyya : Love
I love You with two loves-a selfish love
And a Love that You are worthy of.
As for the selfish love, it is that I think of You,
To the exclusion of everything else.
And as for the Love that You are worthy of,
Ah! That I no longer see any creature, but I see only You!
There is no praise for me in either of these loves,
But the praise in both is for You
And a Love that You are worthy of.
As for the selfish love, it is that I think of You,
To the exclusion of everything else.
And as for the Love that You are worthy of,
Ah! That I no longer see any creature, but I see only You!
There is no praise for me in either of these loves,
But the praise in both is for You
Rumi : Art as Flirtation and surrender
In your light I learn how to love.
In your beauty, how to make poems.
You dance inside my chest,
where no one sees you,
but sometimes I do,
and that sight becomes this art.
In your beauty, how to make poems.
You dance inside my chest,
where no one sees you,
but sometimes I do,
and that sight becomes this art.
Nasrudin Mullah :: Assumptions
What is the meaning of fate, Mulla?'
'Assumptions.' the mullah replied,'In what way?
''You assume things are going to go well, and they don't - that you call bad luck.
You assume things are going to go badly and they don't - that you call good luck.
You assume that certain things are going to happen or not happen - and you so lack intuition that you don't know what is going to happen.
You assume that the future is unknown.'What you are caught out - you call that Fate.'
'Assumptions.' the mullah replied,'In what way?
''You assume things are going to go well, and they don't - that you call bad luck.
You assume things are going to go badly and they don't - that you call good luck.
You assume that certain things are going to happen or not happen - and you so lack intuition that you don't know what is going to happen.
You assume that the future is unknown.'What you are caught out - you call that Fate.'
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