black.spot.in.your.white.establishment.comThursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Hazrat Inayat Khan ...
Your divine compassion radiates in fullness ...
Through the heart of the mother ...
Jami ...
If love manifests itself within you, it has its origins in beauty ...
You are nothing but a mirror in which beauty is reflected ...
Because beauty and its reflection are both from one source ...
It is both treasure and treasure-home ...
Monday, January 26, 2009
Captain Corelli's Mandolin ... Louis de Bernieres
Love is a temporary madness ...
It erupts like volcanoes and then subsides ...
And when it subsides you have to make a decision ...
You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together
That it is inconceivable that you should ever part ...
Because this is what love is ...
Love is not breathlessness ...
It is not excitement ...
It is not the promulgation of eternal passion ...
That is just being "in love" which any fool can do ...
Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away ...
And this is both an art and a fortunate accident ...
Those that truly love, have roots that grow towards each other underground ...
And when all the pretty blossom have fallen from their branches
They find that they are one tree and not two ...
Hafiz ...
How
Did the rose
Ever open its heart
And give to this world
All its
Beauty ???
It felt the encouragement of light
Against its
Being
Otherwise
We all remain
Too
Frightened
Rumi ... The Ruby ...
At breakfast tea a beloved asked her lover,
"Who do you love more, yourself or me ???"
"From my head to my foot I have become you ...
Nothing remains of me but my name ...
You have your wish ...
Only you exist ...
I've disappeared like a drop of vinegar in the ocean of honey"
A stone has become a ruby ...
Is filled with the qualities of the sun ...
And if it loves the sun, it loves itself ...
There is no difference between these two loves ...
Before the stone becomes the ruby, it is its own enemy ...
Not one but two exist ...
The stone is dark and blind to daylight ...
If it says "I," it is all darkness ...
A pharaoh claims divinity and is brought down ...
Hallaj says the same and is saved ...
One I is cursed, another I is blessed ...
One I is a stone, another a crystal ...
One an enemy of the light, the other a reflector of it ...
In its inmost consciousness, not through a doctrine
It is one with the light ...
Work on your stony qualities
And become resplendent like the ruby ...
Practice self-denial and accept difficulty ...
Always see infinite life in letting the self die ...
Your stoniness will decrease, your ruby nature will grow ...
The signs of self-existence will leave your body ...
And ecstasy will take you over ...
Become all hearing like an ear and gain a ruby earring ...
Dig a well in the earth of this body
Or even before the well is dug
Let Allah draw the water up ...
Be always at work scraping the dirt from the well ...
To everyone who suffers
Perseverance brings good fortune ...
The Prophet has said that each prostration of prayer
Is a knock on heaven's door ...
When anyone continues to knock
Felicity shows its smiling face ...
"Verily, this world is a house of truth for those who look into it deeply and carefully, an abode of peace and rest for those who understand its ways and moods, and it is the best working ground for those who want to procure rewards for the Hereafter. It is a place of acquiring knowledge and wisdom for those who want to acquire them, a place of worship for the friends of God and for angels. It is a place where prophets receive revelations of the Lord. It is the place for virtuous people and saints to do good deeds and to be given rewards for the same. Only in this world could they trade with God's favors and blessings and only while living here they could barter their good deeds, with His blessings and rewards."
(Nahj al-Balaghah, short maxims No. 130)
(Nahj al-Balaghah, short maxims No. 130)
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Jalaluddin al-Rumi ... Mathnawi, 3:2924-25 ...
Hardship may dishearten at first,
but every hardship passes away.
All despair is followed by hope;
all darkness is followed by sunshine.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
“He who practices Tasawwuf without learning Sacred Law corrupts his faith, while he who learns Sacred Law without practicing Tasawwuf corrupts himself. Only he who combines the two proves true.”
Tariqa's are branches within Tasawwuf
Tasawwuf is the concept, which embodies the purification of the heart by sincerely, and obediently practising the lifestyle of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) in all spheres of his life.
Tasawwuf is nothing but shari'at
A problem that arises in the final couplet of "What is Tasawwuf ?" is that in equating Tasawwuf and shari'a, the poet brings up and then resolves an apparent tension between Tasawwuf and shari'a. Such a tension, however, exists only to the degree that one defines these two terms as being mutually exclusive. While various extremists persist in excluding one from the other, we do have many inclusive statements - such as that of the poet of "What is Tasawwuf ?" - in which Tasawwuf and shari'a are interwoven, similarly defined, or equated. Qushayri (d. 465/1074), for example, defined "shari'a" as "assiduous observance of servanthood." Defining Tasawwuf in a comparable fashion, Abu al-Hasan al-Shudhili (d. 656/1258) stated: "Tasawwuf is training the self (nafs) through servanthood and subjecting it to the commands (ahkam) of Lordship."
Supporting the close relationship between Tasawwuf and shari'a, the Sufi Abu Yazid al-Bistami (d. 260/874) asserted that observing the shari'a was a touchstone for judging a person's spiritual degree: "Were you to see a man who performs miracles such that he ascends into the air, do not be deceived by him. Instead, observe how well he is following the Divine commands, abstaining from what is prohibited, keeping within the limits set by God, and observing the shari'a."Similarly, Abu al-Husayn al-Warraq (d. before 320/932), asserted the futility of trying to reach God without conforming one's actions to shari'a and the sunna: "A servant will only reach Allah through Allah and by being in harmony with his loved one [the Beloved Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah Almighty upon him)] through his laws (shari'a). And whoever believes that he can follow a path without emulating (al-iqtida) [the Beloved Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah Almighty upon him)] will become lost, on account of imagining that he is being guided."Undoubtedly, for all but a minority of Sufis throughout history, carefully observing the shari'a has been a crucial and on-going component of their spiritual practice.
One way of understanding the interrelationship of Tasawwuf and shari'a was expressed by the Kubrawi Sufi, Najm al-Din Razi (d. 654/1256). Using the term tariqa (path) to denote Tasawwuf - as Sufis commonly do - he clarified its relationship to shari'a: "The shari'at has an outer (zahiri) and an inner (batini) aspect. Its outer aspect consists of bodily deeds... The inner aspect of the shari'at consists of deeds of the heart (qalbi), of the inner mystery (sirri), and of the spirit (ruhi) and is called the tariqat. "Hence, for Razi, the tariqa (or Tasawwuf) is not separate from shari'a, it is, rather, its inner dimension.
- Shaykh GFH Haddad
Tariqa's are branches within Tasawwuf
Tasawwuf is the concept, which embodies the purification of the heart by sincerely, and obediently practising the lifestyle of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) in all spheres of his life.
Tasawwuf is nothing but shari'at
A problem that arises in the final couplet of "What is Tasawwuf ?" is that in equating Tasawwuf and shari'a, the poet brings up and then resolves an apparent tension between Tasawwuf and shari'a. Such a tension, however, exists only to the degree that one defines these two terms as being mutually exclusive. While various extremists persist in excluding one from the other, we do have many inclusive statements - such as that of the poet of "What is Tasawwuf ?" - in which Tasawwuf and shari'a are interwoven, similarly defined, or equated. Qushayri (d. 465/1074), for example, defined "shari'a" as "assiduous observance of servanthood." Defining Tasawwuf in a comparable fashion, Abu al-Hasan al-Shudhili (d. 656/1258) stated: "Tasawwuf is training the self (nafs) through servanthood and subjecting it to the commands (ahkam) of Lordship."
Supporting the close relationship between Tasawwuf and shari'a, the Sufi Abu Yazid al-Bistami (d. 260/874) asserted that observing the shari'a was a touchstone for judging a person's spiritual degree: "Were you to see a man who performs miracles such that he ascends into the air, do not be deceived by him. Instead, observe how well he is following the Divine commands, abstaining from what is prohibited, keeping within the limits set by God, and observing the shari'a."Similarly, Abu al-Husayn al-Warraq (d. before 320/932), asserted the futility of trying to reach God without conforming one's actions to shari'a and the sunna: "A servant will only reach Allah through Allah and by being in harmony with his loved one [the Beloved Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah Almighty upon him)] through his laws (shari'a). And whoever believes that he can follow a path without emulating (al-iqtida) [the Beloved Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah Almighty upon him)] will become lost, on account of imagining that he is being guided."Undoubtedly, for all but a minority of Sufis throughout history, carefully observing the shari'a has been a crucial and on-going component of their spiritual practice.
One way of understanding the interrelationship of Tasawwuf and shari'a was expressed by the Kubrawi Sufi, Najm al-Din Razi (d. 654/1256). Using the term tariqa (path) to denote Tasawwuf - as Sufis commonly do - he clarified its relationship to shari'a: "The shari'at has an outer (zahiri) and an inner (batini) aspect. Its outer aspect consists of bodily deeds... The inner aspect of the shari'at consists of deeds of the heart (qalbi), of the inner mystery (sirri), and of the spirit (ruhi) and is called the tariqat. "Hence, for Razi, the tariqa (or Tasawwuf) is not separate from shari'a, it is, rather, its inner dimension.
- Shaykh GFH Haddad
If you never searched for truth
come with us
and you will become a seeker.
If you were never a musician
come with usand you will find your voice.
You may posses immense wealth
come with us
and you will become love's beggar.
You may think yourself a master
come with usand love will turn you into a slave.
If you've lost your spirit,
come with us
take off your silk coverings,
put on our rough cloak
and we will bring you back to life.
-- Ghazal (Ode) 74
Rumi: Hidden Music
come with us
and you will become a seeker.
If you were never a musician
come with usand you will find your voice.
You may posses immense wealth
come with us
and you will become love's beggar.
You may think yourself a master
come with usand love will turn you into a slave.
If you've lost your spirit,
come with us
take off your silk coverings,
put on our rough cloak
and we will bring you back to life.
-- Ghazal (Ode) 74
Rumi: Hidden Music
Monday, January 19, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Mirza Ghalib ...
When there was nothing, there was God;
had there been nothing,
God would still have been.
Drowned because I existed,
how would it have mattered if I
did not exist?
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Handala (Poem) ... By Jafar Alam ...
"What is it about silence
That causes the soul to sing ???
Resonance and wide open spaces
That echo the voices within ...
One sound following the other
Each note a brother ...
Lyrics and rhythms akin"
In a land not far away
An olive tree waits ...
Branches pointing up
Offering their echos to the heavens ...
By an olive tree, a little boy waits ...
Memories of a distant past he forgot once existed
Open like flood gates and resonate through his being ...
"A man is not defeated when he loses, he is defeated when he quits"
It's hard to beat something that never gives up ...
And so a little boy, hopes, dreams, prays for a better day ...
Tomorrows another day ...
The world's flattery and hypocricy is a sweet morsel
And we need to eat less of it ...
The way we compel ourselves to "invite people to our way",
Before we have even internalized the lessons of that particular way ...
Adding toxins to an already polluted environment ...
There is a place he touches, a silence so complete ...
This great silence that comes in the moment after the wind dies ...
By an olive tree, a little boy waits ...
Bodies raped and pillaged ...
Decapitated and mutilated ...
The ugliness of this world
They will soon leave behind ...
A genocide in Palestine ...
An open air prison ...
Ethnic cleansing at its worst ...
Humans caged like animals ...
The smell of rotting flesh is in the air ...
And a check point is to the point
Depending on their mood ...
Soldiers getting full authority
With infantile education ...
Little children screaming "Allaah !!!"
Death and Change ...
The two constances in the world ...
By an olive tree, a little boy waits ...
He wants to fill what's empty ...
And empty what's full ...
He doesn't want to be among those people engaging in futile discussions ...
With no depth, no substance to them ...
Preoccupied with their own dreams and emersed in their own fantasies ...
A deep love, for the ephemiral beauty of a fleeting world ...
And people don't understand the reality of the world
Until they are tested with a loss ...
And then they come back to God ...
Cause the world gives and then takes back ...
It builds for you, then ruins it ...
People are too comfortable to care ...
And even if they do care
They carry the burden of caring ...
A moment of silence, won't bring a life back ...
So this little boy,
Wants to follow the ones who can see ...
Not the ones that are blind ...
By an olive tree, a little boy waits ...
Zionists hijacked Judaism
Created a new golden calf in Israel
Exploited the Holocaust to justify Israel's existance
And adopted their terror techniques directly from the Nazi's ...
And so, by an olive tree, a little boy waits ...
Sick of bandwagon REVOLUTIONISTS
Diseased hearts impregnated the world
Evil is what it bore ...
They're not pro peace
They're just anti-war ...
Telling those afflicted to get it together
And pull up their boots ...
Yeah, very well put ...
Failing to realize,that the oppressed have been waiting for a while now
Standing bare foot ...
And the truth will never change ...
Only your perception of it ...
You feeling social ??? ... You feeling just ???
By an olive tree, a little boy waits ...
And where he walks, bitter steps follow ...
But in his struggle, he finds his hope ...
Anything that has a beginning, has an end ...
And so he prays
To wake up to a sunrise ...
To watch the sun splash colour onto the world before his eyes ...
He wants to colour the world beautiful ...
So that his people are no longer occupied, subjegated and oppressed ...
So that life is no longer cheaper than a barrel of oil ...
So,
By an olive tree, a little boy waits ...
And for his people, the price was too high ...
So they payed in blood, to avoid the goodbye ...
And the truth is the most powerful ally ...
So he can wait ...
He can wait, without getting tired of waiting ...
For every star has its sky ...
Dawn is just breaking, and the incense is burning ...
And by an olive tree, a little boy waits ...
And Palestine is the David in this epic event
Of Biblical proportions ...
And peace remains a distant hope ...
And we've upped our standards,
So UP YOURS !!!
War is the unfolding of miscalculations ...
And old soldiers never die ...
Just the young ones ...
By and olive tree, a little boy waits ...
He wants to be taken back to a place in time where he hasn't been ...
Turn your ear to the volume of real life ...
Because a story
Makes up the majority
Of HISTORY
And ignorance is not bliss ...
So it's time to get right ... Or get left ...
The truth hurts ...
But lies can kill ...
By an olive tree, a little boy waits ...
As he oversee's the world's largest concentration camp
He knows that the truth is on the side of the oppressed ...
Children with stones in their hands, will re-invent the world ...
And they will remain precious in his heart ...
This land will never die ...
It always revives ...
This land will always strive ...
Those hills will always grow
Olive tree's ... Pure honey ... And natural cheese ...
This land is not used to strange concrete
And seperation walls ...
And Handala waits ...
And we wait ...
People with hearts of gold and intellects of mercury ...
To see Handala turn around and finally smile ...
A smile on his face ...
His scars and tattered clothes replaced with something greater ...
But until then ...
By an olive tree, a little boy waits (c)
WHO IS HANDALA ???
[From approximately 1975 through 1987 Naji Al-Ali created cartoons that depict
the complexities of the plight of Palestinian refugees. These cartoons are still relevant today and Handala, the refugee child who is present in every cartoon, remains a potent symbol of the struggle of the Palestinian people for justice and self-determination.At first, he was a Palestinian child, but his consciousness developed to have a national and then a global and human horizon. He is a simple yet tough child, and this is why people adopted him and felt that he represents their consciousness." His hair is like the hair of a hedgehog who uses his thorns as a weapon. Handala is not a fat, happy, relaxed, or pampered child. He is barefooted like the refugee camp children. Even though he is rough, he smells of amber. His hands are clasped behind his back as a sign of rejection at a time when solutions are presented to us the American way" ]
*Dedicated to the people of Gaza and the late Ahmed Hussain*
Monday, January 12, 2009
The self and its states ...
As-Salātu was-Salāmu alayka Yā RasūlAllāh
As-Salātu was-Salāmu alayka Yā HabībAllāh
As-Salātu was-Salāmu alayka Yā Nūran min Nūrillāh
The Shaikh (may Allah be well pleased with him, and grant him contentment) said:
There is Allah, and there is your own self [nafsuka], and you must address the situation. The self is the opponent and enemy of Allah. All things are subordinate to Allah, and the self really belongs to Him as a creature and a possession, but the self entertains presumptions and aspirations bound up with carnal appetite and sensual desire. So if you ally yourself with the divine Truth in opposition and hostility toward the self, you will be for Allah's sake an adversary to your own self. As Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) said to David (peace be upon him): "O David, I am your indispensable support, so hold fast to your support. True servitude means being an adversary to your own self."
It is then that your friendship and servitude to Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) will be confirmed in reality. All that is allotted to you will then come to you for your enjoyment and pleasure. You will be held in honor and esteem, and all things will be ready to serve you with dignity and respect, for they are all subordinate to their Lord and in conformity with Him, since He is their Creator and Originator and they acknowledge their servitude to Him. Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
There is not a thing that does not celebrate His praise, and yet you do not understand their celebration. (17:44)
[Then He turned to the heaven when it was smoke] and said to it and to the earth: "Come both of you, willingly or unwillingly." They said: "We come, obedient." (41:11)
Thus servitude-all servitude-consists in opposing your own self. Allah (Exalted is He) says:
Follow not desire, lest it lead you astray from Allah's path. (38:26)
To David (on him be peace) He said:
Renounce your passionate desire, for it is vexatious.
There is also the well-known story of Abu Yazid al-Bistamii (may Allah have mercy upon him). When he saw the Almighty Lord in a dream, he asked Him: "How can I find the way to You?" The Lord said: "Abandon your self and come here!" In response, the Saint tells us: "I shed my self as a snake sloughs off its skin."
Thus all good lies in waging total war against the self under all circumstances. If you are in a state of true devotion, therefore, you must oppose the self by not getting involved with people, whether their behavior be unlawful, merely dubious or even well-intentioned, not depending or relying on them, neither fearing them nor pinning any hopes on them, and not coveting any worldly advantages they may enjoy. Do not solicit gifts from them in the form of presents, of alms or charity, or of votive offerings. Get rid of all interest in them and in material concerns to the point where, if you had a wealthy relative, you would not want him to die so that you could inherit his wealth. Separate yourself from creatures in all earnestness. Regard them as a door that swings open and shut, or as a tree that sometimes bears fruit and at other times is barren, all in accordance with the action of a Doer and the management of a Planner, namely Allah (Glorious and Exalted is He), so that you may be one who affirms the Unity of the Lord.
At the same time, however, we must not forget the proper role of human endeavor, to avoid subscribing to the fatalistic doctrine of the Jabariyya. Believe that no human action is accomplished without Allah. Do not worship His creatures and forget Allah, and do not maintain that our actions are independent of Allah, for that will make you an unbeliever, a subscriber to the [extreme free-will doctrine of the] Qadariyya.* You should rather assert that our actions belong to Allah in point of creation, and to His servants in point of 'acquisition' [kasb], this being the traditional Islamic statement on the subject of requital by reward or punishment.
Obey Allah's command in dealing with your fellow creatures. Keep from them what is your allotted share by His command, but do not go beyond this limit. Allah's verdict in this matter will be imposed on you and on them, so do not be the judge yourself. Your being with them is a decree of destiny, and destiny is shrouded in darkness, so expose that darkness to the Lamp, meaning the Book of Allah and the exemplary practice [Sunna] of His Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace). Do not step outside these two. If some idea occurs to you, or if you receive an inspiration, check it against the Book and Sunna.
By this criterion, you may find that your idea or inspired notion is declared unlawful. Suppose, for instance, you have received an indication to commit fornication, to practice usury, to consort with dissolute and immoral characters, or to behave in some other sinful manner. This you must repudiate, renounce, refuse to accept and refrain from acting out. Be convinced that it is from Satan the accursed.
Perhaps what you find there will be a license, such as that granted to normal appetites for food, drink, clothing or matrimony. This you should also refuse and decline to accept, recognizing that the suggestion stems from the lower self and its animal cravings, which you are under orders to oppose and combat.
It may also happen that you find nothing in Book and Sunna to show that what has occurred to you is under either prohibition or license. Maybe it is something you are at a loss to understand, like an urge prompting you to go to such-and-such a place to meet a certain good man, although you have nothing to gain there or from the good person concerned, since your needs are already taken care of through the knowledge and wisdom Allah has graciously bestowed on you. In a case like this, you should pause and not react immediately. Instead of saying, "This is an inspiration from the Truth [al-Haqq] (Glorious and Exalted is He) so I shall act upon it," prefer to wait for the full potential benefit. The divine Truth works in such a way that the inspiration [ilham] will be clarified through repetition, and you will be told what steps to take. To people with knowledge ['ilm] of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), a sign will be revealed, intelligible only to saints of mature understanding and confirmed Abdal.
The reason for not being in great haste to act is that you do not know the consequences and the ultimate purpose of the affair, nor the snares and pitfalls it contains, with cunning tests devised by Allah. So be patient until He is the one at work within you. When the action is absolutely stripped of self, and you are borne toward that destination, you will be carried safely through any trial that may still confront you, because Allah (Exalted is He) will not chastise you for His own doing; no penalty can apply to you unless you get personally involved.
If you are in the state of reality [Haqiqa], which is the state of sainthood [wilaya], you must oppose your passions and obey the commandments in their entirety. Obedience to the commandments is of two kinds:
One kind means taking just enough from this world to supply your genuine personal needs, forsaking extravagant indulgence, performing your religious duties, and making efforts to get rid of your sins, both outwardly and inwardly.
The second kind is obedience to an inner command, one by which the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) orders or forbids His servant to do something. Such commands apply only in the sphere of 'neutral' matters, which are not covered by any positive injunction in Islamic law, in the sense that they belong neither to the category of prohibited things, nor to the category of things that are obligatory; since they are legally indifferent, the servant being at liberty to handle them according to his own discretion, they are called mubah [neutral/indifferent/permissible]. Rather than taking any initiative in this area, the servant should wait to receive instructions, then obey the order when it comes. He will thus be with Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) in all his doings, whether in movement or at rest, through his respect for the rules of sacred law where they apply, and that inner commandment in other cases. At this stage he genuinely belongs among the People of Reality [ahl al-Haqiqa].
In the absence even of this inner commandment, there is nothing for it but spontaneous action in a state of surrender. If you are in touch with the truth of truth, this is the state of obliteration [mahw] and annihilation [fana'], the state of the Abdal who are broken-hearted on account of Him, the state of pure monotheists, men of enlightened wisdom, endowed with knowledge and power of understanding, the commanders-in-chief, the wardens and guardians of mankind, the vicegerents of the All-Merciful, and His intimates and helpers and friends, peace be upon them.
To obey the commandment in such matters means going against your own self, emptied of any power or strength, utterly devoid of all will and ambition for anything of this world or the hereafter. You come to be the servant of the King, not of the Kingdom, of His commandment and not of whim and passion. You come to resemble a babe at his nurse's breast, a corpse receiving its ritual wash, a patient lying sprawled for treatment by the doctor, in all that is not subject to the injunctions and prohibitions [specified by the sacred law].
Only Allah is All-Knowing!
As-Salātu was-Salāmu alayka Yā HabībAllāh
As-Salātu was-Salāmu alayka Yā Nūran min Nūrillāh
The Shaikh (may Allah be well pleased with him, and grant him contentment) said:
There is Allah, and there is your own self [nafsuka], and you must address the situation. The self is the opponent and enemy of Allah. All things are subordinate to Allah, and the self really belongs to Him as a creature and a possession, but the self entertains presumptions and aspirations bound up with carnal appetite and sensual desire. So if you ally yourself with the divine Truth in opposition and hostility toward the self, you will be for Allah's sake an adversary to your own self. As Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) said to David (peace be upon him): "O David, I am your indispensable support, so hold fast to your support. True servitude means being an adversary to your own self."
It is then that your friendship and servitude to Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) will be confirmed in reality. All that is allotted to you will then come to you for your enjoyment and pleasure. You will be held in honor and esteem, and all things will be ready to serve you with dignity and respect, for they are all subordinate to their Lord and in conformity with Him, since He is their Creator and Originator and they acknowledge their servitude to Him. Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
There is not a thing that does not celebrate His praise, and yet you do not understand their celebration. (17:44)
[Then He turned to the heaven when it was smoke] and said to it and to the earth: "Come both of you, willingly or unwillingly." They said: "We come, obedient." (41:11)
Thus servitude-all servitude-consists in opposing your own self. Allah (Exalted is He) says:
Follow not desire, lest it lead you astray from Allah's path. (38:26)
To David (on him be peace) He said:
Renounce your passionate desire, for it is vexatious.
There is also the well-known story of Abu Yazid al-Bistamii (may Allah have mercy upon him). When he saw the Almighty Lord in a dream, he asked Him: "How can I find the way to You?" The Lord said: "Abandon your self and come here!" In response, the Saint tells us: "I shed my self as a snake sloughs off its skin."
Thus all good lies in waging total war against the self under all circumstances. If you are in a state of true devotion, therefore, you must oppose the self by not getting involved with people, whether their behavior be unlawful, merely dubious or even well-intentioned, not depending or relying on them, neither fearing them nor pinning any hopes on them, and not coveting any worldly advantages they may enjoy. Do not solicit gifts from them in the form of presents, of alms or charity, or of votive offerings. Get rid of all interest in them and in material concerns to the point where, if you had a wealthy relative, you would not want him to die so that you could inherit his wealth. Separate yourself from creatures in all earnestness. Regard them as a door that swings open and shut, or as a tree that sometimes bears fruit and at other times is barren, all in accordance with the action of a Doer and the management of a Planner, namely Allah (Glorious and Exalted is He), so that you may be one who affirms the Unity of the Lord.
At the same time, however, we must not forget the proper role of human endeavor, to avoid subscribing to the fatalistic doctrine of the Jabariyya. Believe that no human action is accomplished without Allah. Do not worship His creatures and forget Allah, and do not maintain that our actions are independent of Allah, for that will make you an unbeliever, a subscriber to the [extreme free-will doctrine of the] Qadariyya.* You should rather assert that our actions belong to Allah in point of creation, and to His servants in point of 'acquisition' [kasb], this being the traditional Islamic statement on the subject of requital by reward or punishment.
Obey Allah's command in dealing with your fellow creatures. Keep from them what is your allotted share by His command, but do not go beyond this limit. Allah's verdict in this matter will be imposed on you and on them, so do not be the judge yourself. Your being with them is a decree of destiny, and destiny is shrouded in darkness, so expose that darkness to the Lamp, meaning the Book of Allah and the exemplary practice [Sunna] of His Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace). Do not step outside these two. If some idea occurs to you, or if you receive an inspiration, check it against the Book and Sunna.
By this criterion, you may find that your idea or inspired notion is declared unlawful. Suppose, for instance, you have received an indication to commit fornication, to practice usury, to consort with dissolute and immoral characters, or to behave in some other sinful manner. This you must repudiate, renounce, refuse to accept and refrain from acting out. Be convinced that it is from Satan the accursed.
Perhaps what you find there will be a license, such as that granted to normal appetites for food, drink, clothing or matrimony. This you should also refuse and decline to accept, recognizing that the suggestion stems from the lower self and its animal cravings, which you are under orders to oppose and combat.
It may also happen that you find nothing in Book and Sunna to show that what has occurred to you is under either prohibition or license. Maybe it is something you are at a loss to understand, like an urge prompting you to go to such-and-such a place to meet a certain good man, although you have nothing to gain there or from the good person concerned, since your needs are already taken care of through the knowledge and wisdom Allah has graciously bestowed on you. In a case like this, you should pause and not react immediately. Instead of saying, "This is an inspiration from the Truth [al-Haqq] (Glorious and Exalted is He) so I shall act upon it," prefer to wait for the full potential benefit. The divine Truth works in such a way that the inspiration [ilham] will be clarified through repetition, and you will be told what steps to take. To people with knowledge ['ilm] of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), a sign will be revealed, intelligible only to saints of mature understanding and confirmed Abdal.
The reason for not being in great haste to act is that you do not know the consequences and the ultimate purpose of the affair, nor the snares and pitfalls it contains, with cunning tests devised by Allah. So be patient until He is the one at work within you. When the action is absolutely stripped of self, and you are borne toward that destination, you will be carried safely through any trial that may still confront you, because Allah (Exalted is He) will not chastise you for His own doing; no penalty can apply to you unless you get personally involved.
If you are in the state of reality [Haqiqa], which is the state of sainthood [wilaya], you must oppose your passions and obey the commandments in their entirety. Obedience to the commandments is of two kinds:
One kind means taking just enough from this world to supply your genuine personal needs, forsaking extravagant indulgence, performing your religious duties, and making efforts to get rid of your sins, both outwardly and inwardly.
The second kind is obedience to an inner command, one by which the Lord of Truth (Almighty and Glorious is He) orders or forbids His servant to do something. Such commands apply only in the sphere of 'neutral' matters, which are not covered by any positive injunction in Islamic law, in the sense that they belong neither to the category of prohibited things, nor to the category of things that are obligatory; since they are legally indifferent, the servant being at liberty to handle them according to his own discretion, they are called mubah [neutral/indifferent/permissible]. Rather than taking any initiative in this area, the servant should wait to receive instructions, then obey the order when it comes. He will thus be with Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) in all his doings, whether in movement or at rest, through his respect for the rules of sacred law where they apply, and that inner commandment in other cases. At this stage he genuinely belongs among the People of Reality [ahl al-Haqiqa].
In the absence even of this inner commandment, there is nothing for it but spontaneous action in a state of surrender. If you are in touch with the truth of truth, this is the state of obliteration [mahw] and annihilation [fana'], the state of the Abdal who are broken-hearted on account of Him, the state of pure monotheists, men of enlightened wisdom, endowed with knowledge and power of understanding, the commanders-in-chief, the wardens and guardians of mankind, the vicegerents of the All-Merciful, and His intimates and helpers and friends, peace be upon them.
To obey the commandment in such matters means going against your own self, emptied of any power or strength, utterly devoid of all will and ambition for anything of this world or the hereafter. You come to be the servant of the King, not of the Kingdom, of His commandment and not of whim and passion. You come to resemble a babe at his nurse's breast, a corpse receiving its ritual wash, a patient lying sprawled for treatment by the doctor, in all that is not subject to the injunctions and prohibitions [specified by the sacred law].
Only Allah is All-Knowing!
Two Wolves ...
Good story ...
An old Cherokee chief is teaching his grandson about life:
"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
"One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.
"The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old chief simply replied, "The one you feed."
An old Cherokee chief is teaching his grandson about life:
"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
"One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.
"The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old chief simply replied, "The one you feed."
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The Soldiers of the Heart ... Imam Ghazzali ...
God has armed soldiers which He has placed in the hearts and the souls and others of His worlds, and none knows their true nature and actual number except He...
Know that the two soldiers of anger and sexual passion can be guided by the heart completely... or on the other hand disobey and rebel against it completely, until they enslave it. Therein lies the death of the heart and the termination of its journey towards eternal happiness.
The heart has other soldiers: knowledge (`ilm), wisdom (hikma) and reflection (tafakkur) whose help it seeks by right, for they are the Party of God against the other two who belong to the party of shaytan... Imam Ghazali
"Concerning the Murid (seeker) and What Helps or Hurts Him in His Journey to God Most High, and What His First Step Ought to Be
There are two types of murid:
Those that seek God's Grace by worshipping Him, fulfilling His commands and avoiding His prohibitions, then turning to perform as many voluntary good works as they can, seeking through them salvation from the fire and attainment of the rewards He has prepared for His workers.
Others approach God in worship, fulfill His commands and avoid His prohibitions, then turn to examine their inner self, and they find in their hearts many diseases, such as love of the world (dunya), lust for power, honor, and greatness, greed, the furnace of desires (shahawat), the chatter of vain passions (hawa), ambition, envy, love of praise and compliments--all of them worldly bonds blinding the heart.
Such a heart can never find the way to God bearing those stains, because in loving the world he parts with His Lord. He is in love with something God has removed far from Himself and despised. To ask for greatness is to compare oneself with God Most High; in the furnace of desires one faces the greatest seductions; and in the chatter of vain passions lies tyranny itself and aversion to the rights of God the Lord of Might and Majesty. That heart is veiled from wisdom and from the understanding of how God disposes His affairs.
Such a person is a prisoner of his ego (asir an-nafs). He performs obligations while attached to the world, he avoids prohibitions while attached to the world, and he generally worships God at his own convenience. This is a servant who must try to found upon sincerity every matter, every action, and every moment, by working on his ego.
Whoso desires the reward of God the Lord of Might and Majesty, let him keep to this battle, and let him be sincere in every matter in order to purify his worship.."
Hakeem Tirmidhi -Aadaab al -muridin-
Know that the two soldiers of anger and sexual passion can be guided by the heart completely... or on the other hand disobey and rebel against it completely, until they enslave it. Therein lies the death of the heart and the termination of its journey towards eternal happiness.
The heart has other soldiers: knowledge (`ilm), wisdom (hikma) and reflection (tafakkur) whose help it seeks by right, for they are the Party of God against the other two who belong to the party of shaytan... Imam Ghazali
"Concerning the Murid (seeker) and What Helps or Hurts Him in His Journey to God Most High, and What His First Step Ought to Be
There are two types of murid:
Those that seek God's Grace by worshipping Him, fulfilling His commands and avoiding His prohibitions, then turning to perform as many voluntary good works as they can, seeking through them salvation from the fire and attainment of the rewards He has prepared for His workers.
Others approach God in worship, fulfill His commands and avoid His prohibitions, then turn to examine their inner self, and they find in their hearts many diseases, such as love of the world (dunya), lust for power, honor, and greatness, greed, the furnace of desires (shahawat), the chatter of vain passions (hawa), ambition, envy, love of praise and compliments--all of them worldly bonds blinding the heart.
Such a heart can never find the way to God bearing those stains, because in loving the world he parts with His Lord. He is in love with something God has removed far from Himself and despised. To ask for greatness is to compare oneself with God Most High; in the furnace of desires one faces the greatest seductions; and in the chatter of vain passions lies tyranny itself and aversion to the rights of God the Lord of Might and Majesty. That heart is veiled from wisdom and from the understanding of how God disposes His affairs.
Such a person is a prisoner of his ego (asir an-nafs). He performs obligations while attached to the world, he avoids prohibitions while attached to the world, and he generally worships God at his own convenience. This is a servant who must try to found upon sincerity every matter, every action, and every moment, by working on his ego.
Whoso desires the reward of God the Lord of Might and Majesty, let him keep to this battle, and let him be sincere in every matter in order to purify his worship.."
Hakeem Tirmidhi -Aadaab al -muridin-
Maulana Rumi ...
Jihad al-Nafs and the honest persistent striving for truth . . . "Whether you are fast or slow, eventually you will find what you are seeking. Always devote yourself whole heartedly to your search. Even though you may limp or be bent double, do not abandon your search, but drag yourself towards it"
The great Sufi Shaykh Al-Junayd al Baghdadi (May Allah be pleased with him) said:
"Those who have striven against their desires and repented for God's sake, shall be guided to the ways of sincerity. One cannot struggle against his enemy outwardly (i.e. with the sword) except he who struggles against these enemies inwardly. Then whoever is given victory over them will be victorious over his enemy, and whoever is defeated by them, his enemy defeats him."
"Those who have striven against their desires and repented for God's sake, shall be guided to the ways of sincerity. One cannot struggle against his enemy outwardly (i.e. with the sword) except he who struggles against these enemies inwardly. Then whoever is given victory over them will be victorious over his enemy, and whoever is defeated by them, his enemy defeats him."
Rumi ... The Heart ...
The deliciousness of milk and honey is the reflection of the pure heart:
from that heart the sweetness of every sweet thing is derived.
The heart is the substance, and the world the accident:
how should the heart's shadow be the object of the heart's desire?
Is that pure heart the heart that is enamored of riches or power,
or is submissive to this black earth and water of the body,
or to vain fancies it worships in the darkness for the sake of fame?
The heart is nothing but the Sea of Light:
is the heart the place of vision of God--and then blind?
[III, 2265-9]
On Resurrection Day God will ask,
"During this reprieve I gave you,
what have you produced for Me?
Through what work have you reached your life's end?
Your food and your strength, for what have they been consumed?
Where have you dimmed the luster of your eye?
Where have you dissipated your five senses?
You have expended eyes and ears and intellect
and the pure celestial substances;
what have you purchased from the earth?
I gave you hands and feet as spade and mattock
for tilling the soil of good works;
when did they by themselves become existent?
[III, 2147-2153]
You know the value of every article of merchandise,
but if you don't know the value of your own soul,
it's all foolishness.
You've come to know the fortunate and the inauspicious stars;
but you don't know whether you yourself are fortunate or unclean.
This, this is the essence of all sciences -
that you should know who you will be when Judgment Day arrives.
[III, 2652-4]
Surely there is a window from heart to heart:
they are not separate and far from each other.
Two earthenware lamps are not joined,
but their light is mingled as it moves.
No lover seeks union without the beloved seeking;
but the love of lovers makes the body thin as a bowstring,
while the love of loved ones makes them comely and plump.
When the lightning of love for the beloved
has shot into this heart, know that there is love in that heart.
When love for God has been doubled in your heart,
there is no doubt that God has love for you.
[III, 4391-6]
Know that between the Faithful is an ancient union.
The Faithful are numerous, but the Faith is one:
their bodies are numerous, but their soul is one.
Besides the understanding which is in the ox and the ass,
the human being has another intelligence and soul;
Again, in the saint, the owner of Divine breath,
there is a soul and intelligence other than human.
The souls of wolves and dogs are separate, every one,
but the souls of the Lions of God are in union.
[IV, 407-10;414]
There are two kinds of intelligence.
One is like that acquired by a child at school,
from books and teachers, new ideas and memorization.
Your intelligence may become superior to others,
but retaining all that knowledge is a heavy load.
You who are occupied in searching for knowledge
are a preserving tablet,
but the preserved tablet is the one who has gone beyond all this.
For the other kind of intelligence is the gift of God:
its fountain is in the midst of the soul.
When the water of God-given knowledge gushes from the breast,
it doesn't become fetid or impure.
And if its way to the outside is blocked, what harm is there?
For it gushes continually from the house of the heart.
The acquired intelligence is like the conduits
which run into the house from the streets:
If those pipes become blocked, the house is bereft of water.
Seek the fountain from within yourself.
[IV, 1960-68]
In the orchard a Sufi inclined his face Sufi fashion upon his knee,
and sank deeply into mystical absorption.
An rude man nearby became annoyed:
"Why are you sleeping?" he exclaimed.
Look at the vines, behold the trees and the signs of God's mercy.
Pay attention to the Lord's command:
Look ye and turn your face toward these signs of His mercy."
The Sufi replied, "O heedless one, the true signs are within the heart:
that which is external is only the sign of the signs."
The real orchard and vineyards are within the very essence of the soul:
the reflection upon that which is external
is like a reflection in running water.
In the water only a reflected image of the orchard
quivers with the water's subtle movement.
The real orchards and fruit flourish within the heart:
the reflection of their beauty
falls upon the water and earth of this world.
If this world were not merely the reflection
of that delectable cypress, the heart of the saint,
then God would not have called it the abode of deception.
Oh happy is the one who has died before death,
for he has become acquainted with the origin of this vineyard.
[IV, 1358-66;72]
from that heart the sweetness of every sweet thing is derived.
The heart is the substance, and the world the accident:
how should the heart's shadow be the object of the heart's desire?
Is that pure heart the heart that is enamored of riches or power,
or is submissive to this black earth and water of the body,
or to vain fancies it worships in the darkness for the sake of fame?
The heart is nothing but the Sea of Light:
is the heart the place of vision of God--and then blind?
[III, 2265-9]
On Resurrection Day God will ask,
"During this reprieve I gave you,
what have you produced for Me?
Through what work have you reached your life's end?
Your food and your strength, for what have they been consumed?
Where have you dimmed the luster of your eye?
Where have you dissipated your five senses?
You have expended eyes and ears and intellect
and the pure celestial substances;
what have you purchased from the earth?
I gave you hands and feet as spade and mattock
for tilling the soil of good works;
when did they by themselves become existent?
[III, 2147-2153]
You know the value of every article of merchandise,
but if you don't know the value of your own soul,
it's all foolishness.
You've come to know the fortunate and the inauspicious stars;
but you don't know whether you yourself are fortunate or unclean.
This, this is the essence of all sciences -
that you should know who you will be when Judgment Day arrives.
[III, 2652-4]
Surely there is a window from heart to heart:
they are not separate and far from each other.
Two earthenware lamps are not joined,
but their light is mingled as it moves.
No lover seeks union without the beloved seeking;
but the love of lovers makes the body thin as a bowstring,
while the love of loved ones makes them comely and plump.
When the lightning of love for the beloved
has shot into this heart, know that there is love in that heart.
When love for God has been doubled in your heart,
there is no doubt that God has love for you.
[III, 4391-6]
Know that between the Faithful is an ancient union.
The Faithful are numerous, but the Faith is one:
their bodies are numerous, but their soul is one.
Besides the understanding which is in the ox and the ass,
the human being has another intelligence and soul;
Again, in the saint, the owner of Divine breath,
there is a soul and intelligence other than human.
The souls of wolves and dogs are separate, every one,
but the souls of the Lions of God are in union.
[IV, 407-10;414]
There are two kinds of intelligence.
One is like that acquired by a child at school,
from books and teachers, new ideas and memorization.
Your intelligence may become superior to others,
but retaining all that knowledge is a heavy load.
You who are occupied in searching for knowledge
are a preserving tablet,
but the preserved tablet is the one who has gone beyond all this.
For the other kind of intelligence is the gift of God:
its fountain is in the midst of the soul.
When the water of God-given knowledge gushes from the breast,
it doesn't become fetid or impure.
And if its way to the outside is blocked, what harm is there?
For it gushes continually from the house of the heart.
The acquired intelligence is like the conduits
which run into the house from the streets:
If those pipes become blocked, the house is bereft of water.
Seek the fountain from within yourself.
[IV, 1960-68]
In the orchard a Sufi inclined his face Sufi fashion upon his knee,
and sank deeply into mystical absorption.
An rude man nearby became annoyed:
"Why are you sleeping?" he exclaimed.
Look at the vines, behold the trees and the signs of God's mercy.
Pay attention to the Lord's command:
Look ye and turn your face toward these signs of His mercy."
The Sufi replied, "O heedless one, the true signs are within the heart:
that which is external is only the sign of the signs."
The real orchard and vineyards are within the very essence of the soul:
the reflection upon that which is external
is like a reflection in running water.
In the water only a reflected image of the orchard
quivers with the water's subtle movement.
The real orchards and fruit flourish within the heart:
the reflection of their beauty
falls upon the water and earth of this world.
If this world were not merely the reflection
of that delectable cypress, the heart of the saint,
then God would not have called it the abode of deception.
Oh happy is the one who has died before death,
for he has become acquainted with the origin of this vineyard.
[IV, 1358-66;72]
Shaykh Shihabuddin Yahya Suhrawardi (ra) ...
The word 'ishq ('love') is derived from 'ashiqa, a type of garden vine that grows at the base of trees. First of all it secures its roots in the ground, then it rises up and clings to the tree. It keeps going until it has taken over the whole tree and chokes it until no moisture is left in the veins of the tree. All the nurishment that reaches the tree through water and air it plunders until the tree withers.
Likewise, in the world of humanity, which is a microcosm of creation, there is a tree that stands erect and is connected to the seed of the heart, which grows in the ground of the celestial kingdom. Everything that is therein possesses soul, as is said:
Everything that is situated in that place stands on the rock and soil of the soul.
The heart-seed is a seed planted by the gardener of Pre- and Post-Eternity from the storehouse of the 'souls arrayed in ranks' in the garden of the celestial kingdom of the 'spirit at my Lord's command.'. (Qur'an, 17:85) He tends it himself.
The hearts of men are between two of the Merciful's fingers: He turns them however He wills.
When the water of knowing that 'everything lives through water' (Qur'an, 21:30), along with the breeze of 'blasts of God's breath in the days of you time' from the felicity of God's right hand, reaches this heart-seed, hundreds of thousands of spiritual branches spread from it. And that freshness and verdure is contained in the words, 'I perceive the breath of the Merciful from the direction of the Yemen.' Therefore, the heart-seed, which is called the 'good word,' is a reflection of this tree in the world of generation and corruption, which is called 'shade' and 'body' and 'the tree of erect stature.' When this good tree begins to grow tall and reach perfection, love pops out from a corner and curls around it until it reaches the point that none of the moisture of humanity is left. The more love twines around this tree, the more the reflection, which is the tree of erect stature, grows weak and pale, until all at once the connection is severed. Then the tree becomes absolute soul and is worthy to take its place in the divine garden.
Enter among my servants; and enter my paradise. (Qur'an, 89:30)
Since this worthiness is to be had through love, love is a pious work in that it causes one to attain the rank where unto him ascendeth the good speech; and the righteous work will he exalt. (Qur'an, 35:10)
Piety means receptivity to this stage. When it is said that So-and-So is 'pious', what is meant is that he is receptive. Then, even though it takes the soul to the world of everlastingness, love brings the body back to the world of annihilation because, in the world of generation and corruption there is nothing that can endure the burden of love. A great master has said in this regard:
May the enemy whose desire has fallen in with union with you have access to joy for not one instant.
No, no, I do not curse him after this: even if the enemy is made of iron, love for you is sufficient [to break him].
Likewise, in the world of humanity, which is a microcosm of creation, there is a tree that stands erect and is connected to the seed of the heart, which grows in the ground of the celestial kingdom. Everything that is therein possesses soul, as is said:
Everything that is situated in that place stands on the rock and soil of the soul.
The heart-seed is a seed planted by the gardener of Pre- and Post-Eternity from the storehouse of the 'souls arrayed in ranks' in the garden of the celestial kingdom of the 'spirit at my Lord's command.'. (Qur'an, 17:85) He tends it himself.
The hearts of men are between two of the Merciful's fingers: He turns them however He wills.
When the water of knowing that 'everything lives through water' (Qur'an, 21:30), along with the breeze of 'blasts of God's breath in the days of you time' from the felicity of God's right hand, reaches this heart-seed, hundreds of thousands of spiritual branches spread from it. And that freshness and verdure is contained in the words, 'I perceive the breath of the Merciful from the direction of the Yemen.' Therefore, the heart-seed, which is called the 'good word,' is a reflection of this tree in the world of generation and corruption, which is called 'shade' and 'body' and 'the tree of erect stature.' When this good tree begins to grow tall and reach perfection, love pops out from a corner and curls around it until it reaches the point that none of the moisture of humanity is left. The more love twines around this tree, the more the reflection, which is the tree of erect stature, grows weak and pale, until all at once the connection is severed. Then the tree becomes absolute soul and is worthy to take its place in the divine garden.
Enter among my servants; and enter my paradise. (Qur'an, 89:30)
Since this worthiness is to be had through love, love is a pious work in that it causes one to attain the rank where unto him ascendeth the good speech; and the righteous work will he exalt. (Qur'an, 35:10)
Piety means receptivity to this stage. When it is said that So-and-So is 'pious', what is meant is that he is receptive. Then, even though it takes the soul to the world of everlastingness, love brings the body back to the world of annihilation because, in the world of generation and corruption there is nothing that can endure the burden of love. A great master has said in this regard:
May the enemy whose desire has fallen in with union with you have access to joy for not one instant.
No, no, I do not curse him after this: even if the enemy is made of iron, love for you is sufficient [to break him].
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Some of my favourite quotes from Hamza Yusuf ...
-"I think the danger for people with an absolutist interpretation of scripture is that they are blinded as opposed to guided by the light of God!"
( BBC Interview)
-"I think we need a Muslim stillness rather than a Muslim movement"
(Shaykh Hamza Aljazeera english interview )
- "One pre-Islamic Christian called John of the Ladder said about spiritual teaching: 'If you have some knowledge dont let the fact that your not practising it yourself stop you from teaching it', because people will still be in benefit of it, the hope is that you will be so ashamed of yourself, that maybe you will start practicing on it when you teach something"
- [When somebody spills tea on your carpet] "Don't be like 'Do you know how much that cost me? Look at what you just did', you should be like 'Oh, no-no-no don't worry about it, I love tea on my carpet' (This quote comes from "Purification of The Heart" )
- "Why do we need to justify Gods existence? He exists, we need to justify our own existence"
-"The Jews are being Jews. The Christians are being Christians. The dog is a dog, the cat a cat, the bear a bear. It is only the Muslims who are not being Muslims."
And from the same khutba (I think) he criticizes those Muslims whose behavior is an obstacle to the truth for non-Muslims:
"We should be asking forgiveness from these people, for being such pathetic examples of the truth."
- "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent "
- ''The adab to look at the creation is to see the Creator behind the creation''
(from RIS 06 'the neglected sunnah)
- Three blessings in Tribulation: 'first, the tribulation could have been worse; second, it was in worldly matters and not in the spiritual ones; and third it came in the finite world and not the infinite one. All three are reasons to thank Allah even for tribulations.
- "If you do not have a sound heart then you better get one"
- "we are in a deep sleep"
( BBC Interview)
-"I think we need a Muslim stillness rather than a Muslim movement"
(Shaykh Hamza Aljazeera english interview )
- "One pre-Islamic Christian called John of the Ladder said about spiritual teaching: 'If you have some knowledge dont let the fact that your not practising it yourself stop you from teaching it', because people will still be in benefit of it, the hope is that you will be so ashamed of yourself, that maybe you will start practicing on it when you teach something"
- [When somebody spills tea on your carpet] "Don't be like 'Do you know how much that cost me? Look at what you just did', you should be like 'Oh, no-no-no don't worry about it, I love tea on my carpet' (This quote comes from "Purification of The Heart" )
- "Why do we need to justify Gods existence? He exists, we need to justify our own existence"
-"The Jews are being Jews. The Christians are being Christians. The dog is a dog, the cat a cat, the bear a bear. It is only the Muslims who are not being Muslims."
And from the same khutba (I think) he criticizes those Muslims whose behavior is an obstacle to the truth for non-Muslims:
"We should be asking forgiveness from these people, for being such pathetic examples of the truth."
- "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent "
- ''The adab to look at the creation is to see the Creator behind the creation''
(from RIS 06 'the neglected sunnah)
- Three blessings in Tribulation: 'first, the tribulation could have been worse; second, it was in worldly matters and not in the spiritual ones; and third it came in the finite world and not the infinite one. All three are reasons to thank Allah even for tribulations.
- "If you do not have a sound heart then you better get one"
- "we are in a deep sleep"
Rumi ...
I asked the wiseman to tell me the secret of life,
the wiseman answered it can not be told its wraped in silence
Tasawwuf ...
Tasawwuf has been explained by various aulia (friends of Allah) in varied ways. All have, however, expounded the one and the only reality, which is Allah. Knowledge of Allah, His worship, Our relationship as His servants and He as our Lord and Master. Tasawwuf is the essence of the message of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu alaihi wasallam) as well as all other prophets of Allah. It is the core of Islam and the goal of our existence. The Holy Quran and the sunnah are essential in Tasawwuf. Hereunder, are a few verses from the Holy Quran which formulate the mentality and attitude of a sincere seeker of Allah:
I have not created Jinn and men but that they worship me (S.51 V.56 )
And those who believe are overflowing in their love for Allah (S.2 V.165 )
O man, verily you are toiling on towards your Lord-strenuously toiling, but you will certainly meet Him (S. 84 V. 6)
That to your Lord is your final goal (S.53 V. 42 )
One who Cleansed his ego achieved salvation (S.91 V. 9)
One who spoilt his nafs became mislead (S.91 V. 10)
For Believers are those who when God is mentioned, feel tremor in their hearts, and when the hear his signs rehearsed, find their faith strengthened, and put their trust in their Lord; who establish regular prayers and spend (freely) out of the gifts We have given them for sustenance. Such in truth are the Believers; the have grades of dignity with their Lord, and forgiveness, and generous sustenance (S. 8 V.2, 3,4)
Those who spend the night in adoration of their Lord prostrate and standing (S.25 V64.)
Those whom God wills to guide, He opens their breast to Islam (submission to His will) (S.6 V.125)
The Holy Prophet (sallalahu alaihi wasallam) speaking of this level and station has called it the station of Al-Ihsaan. To worship Allah as if you are seeing him, and if you cannot imagine that certainly know that Allah is watching you. (Bukhari) Sufis have defined Tasawwuf in various ways.
Junaid Baghdaadi (radiallahu anhu) states: Tasawwuf is derived from the Arabic word Istafa (selection). A sufi is one who has been selected by Allah.
A sufi is one who achieves the Khullat (Allah's friendship) of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (alaihi salaam), the submission of Sayyiduna Ismail(alaihi salaam)the grief of Sayyiduna Dawood(alaihi salaam) the patience of Sayyiduna Ayoob (alaihi salaam)the yearning of Sayyiduna Moosa (alaihi salaam)and the sincerity of Sayyiduna Muhammad(sallahu alaihi wasallam).
Perhaps the most apt is "To abandon/cancel/negate everything other than Allah and then to annihilate one's self in Allah is Tasawwuf.
The greatest of gifts is to keep the mind and heart clear of the existence of anything but Allah and not to allow the thought of any beloved but Allah to enter the heart. May we point out that love for the Holy Prophet (sallalahu alaihi wasallam), other prophets sahaaba, aulia is also love for Allah, since we love them for the sake of Allah, as they are the beloveds of Allah.
Compulsory is My (Allah's) love for those who love one another for My sake, who sit together for My sake, who visit one another for My sake, who spend for one another for My sake (Muwatta Imam Maalik)
Without the knowledge of the laws of Allah (Al-Shariah) deeds are impossible and knowledge without actions is futile. Deeds without God consciousness (Taqwa), sincerity, and deep concentration are useless. Imam Malik (radiallahu anhu) states: One who indulged in Tasawwuf without Ilm is a Zindeeq (heretic) and one who indulged in Ilm without Tasawwuf is a faasiq (major sinner) and one who indulged in both has reached Tahqeeq (researched truth).
Sufis don't belong to a club, clique or cult. A sufi must necessarily posses the Sifaat (attributes) of a thoroughly cleansed human being who has freed himself from the chains of his carnal soul and ego; who is the bestowed with wilayah (sainthood) by Allah. Miracles are not an integral part of Tasawwuf. "Steadfastness (on Taqwa etc.) is greater than miracles. This, in brief, is an introduction to Tasawwuf and the spiritual dimension of Islam
Yaa Hayyu Yaa Hayyu Yaa Qayyum
Yaa Hayyu Yaa Hayyu Yaa Qayyum
I have not created Jinn and men but that they worship me (S.51 V.56 )
And those who believe are overflowing in their love for Allah (S.2 V.165 )
O man, verily you are toiling on towards your Lord-strenuously toiling, but you will certainly meet Him (S. 84 V. 6)
That to your Lord is your final goal (S.53 V. 42 )
One who Cleansed his ego achieved salvation (S.91 V. 9)
One who spoilt his nafs became mislead (S.91 V. 10)
For Believers are those who when God is mentioned, feel tremor in their hearts, and when the hear his signs rehearsed, find their faith strengthened, and put their trust in their Lord; who establish regular prayers and spend (freely) out of the gifts We have given them for sustenance. Such in truth are the Believers; the have grades of dignity with their Lord, and forgiveness, and generous sustenance (S. 8 V.2, 3,4)
Those who spend the night in adoration of their Lord prostrate and standing (S.25 V64.)
Those whom God wills to guide, He opens their breast to Islam (submission to His will) (S.6 V.125)
The Holy Prophet (sallalahu alaihi wasallam) speaking of this level and station has called it the station of Al-Ihsaan. To worship Allah as if you are seeing him, and if you cannot imagine that certainly know that Allah is watching you. (Bukhari) Sufis have defined Tasawwuf in various ways.
Junaid Baghdaadi (radiallahu anhu) states: Tasawwuf is derived from the Arabic word Istafa (selection). A sufi is one who has been selected by Allah.
A sufi is one who achieves the Khullat (Allah's friendship) of Sayyiduna Ibrahim (alaihi salaam), the submission of Sayyiduna Ismail(alaihi salaam)the grief of Sayyiduna Dawood(alaihi salaam) the patience of Sayyiduna Ayoob (alaihi salaam)the yearning of Sayyiduna Moosa (alaihi salaam)and the sincerity of Sayyiduna Muhammad(sallahu alaihi wasallam).
Perhaps the most apt is "To abandon/cancel/negate everything other than Allah and then to annihilate one's self in Allah is Tasawwuf.
The greatest of gifts is to keep the mind and heart clear of the existence of anything but Allah and not to allow the thought of any beloved but Allah to enter the heart. May we point out that love for the Holy Prophet (sallalahu alaihi wasallam), other prophets sahaaba, aulia is also love for Allah, since we love them for the sake of Allah, as they are the beloveds of Allah.
Compulsory is My (Allah's) love for those who love one another for My sake, who sit together for My sake, who visit one another for My sake, who spend for one another for My sake (Muwatta Imam Maalik)
Without the knowledge of the laws of Allah (Al-Shariah) deeds are impossible and knowledge without actions is futile. Deeds without God consciousness (Taqwa), sincerity, and deep concentration are useless. Imam Malik (radiallahu anhu) states: One who indulged in Tasawwuf without Ilm is a Zindeeq (heretic) and one who indulged in Ilm without Tasawwuf is a faasiq (major sinner) and one who indulged in both has reached Tahqeeq (researched truth).
Sufis don't belong to a club, clique or cult. A sufi must necessarily posses the Sifaat (attributes) of a thoroughly cleansed human being who has freed himself from the chains of his carnal soul and ego; who is the bestowed with wilayah (sainthood) by Allah. Miracles are not an integral part of Tasawwuf. "Steadfastness (on Taqwa etc.) is greater than miracles. This, in brief, is an introduction to Tasawwuf and the spiritual dimension of Islam
Yaa Hayyu Yaa Hayyu Yaa Qayyum
Yaa Hayyu Yaa Hayyu Yaa Qayyum
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