Tuesday, May 31, 2011

School of Truth

O fool, do something, so you won't just stand there looking dumb.

If you are not traveling and on the road, how can you call yourself a guide?



In the School of Truth, one sits at the feet of the Master of Love.

So listen, son, so that one day you may be an old father, too!



All this eating and sleeping has made you ignorant and fat;

By denying yourself food and sleep, you may still have a chance.



Know this: If God should shine His lovelight on your heart,

I promise you'll shine brighter than a dozen suns.



And I say: wash the tarnished copper of your life from your hands;

To be Love's alchemist, you should be working with gold.



Don't sit there thinking; go out and immerse yourself in God's sea.

Having only one hair wet with water will not put knowledge in that head.



For those who see only God, their vision

Is pure, and not a doubt remains.



Even if our world is turned upside down and blown over by the wind,

If you are doubtless, you won't lose a thing.



O Hafiz, if it is union with the Beloved that you seek,

Be the dust at the Wise One's door, and speak!



From: 'Drunk On the Wind of the Beloved'

Translated by Thomas Rain Crowe

Friday, March 4, 2011

✦ Secret Devotion ✦

It is reported that Shurayh the Judge used to have a house in... which he would spend time alone on Fridays; no one knew what he did in it. [Al-Dhahabî, Siyar A’lâm Al-Nubalâ` Vol.4 p105.]

It is reported that Abû Al-‘Âliyah said, “I learned writing and the Qur`ân without my family noticing, and not a drop of ink was ever seen on my garment.” [Abû Nu’aym, Hilyatu Al-Awliyâ` Vol. 2 p217.]

It is reported that when Ibn Abî Laylâ prayed [at night], if someone entered [his house], he would lie down on his bed [as if he was sleeping]. [Ibid. Vol. 4 p351.]

It is reported that Ayyûb Al-Sakhtiyânî used to pray all night and hide it. In the morning, he would raise his voice as if he had just woken up. [Al-Dhahabî, op. cit. Vol. 6 p17.]

It is reported that Dâwûd b. Abî Hind fasted for forty years without his family knowing, he would take his lunch out with him and donate it in the street. [Ibid. Vol. 6 p378.]

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Do not question He who is beyond reason, for you will not be content with the answer.
Saadi in his book "Rose Garden":

Last night a bird cried out till dawn, ravishing my mind,
my patience, my strength, my thoughts.
The sound of my voice must have reached the ear
of a sincere friend.
He said, "I can't believe that a bird's call could drive you so mad.
I said, "It is contrary to human nature
that a bird sings God's praises
while I remain silent."

Monday, February 14, 2011

“Every day we slaughter our finest impulses. That is why we get a heartache when we read those lines written by the hand of a master and recognize them as our own, as the tender shoots which we stifled because we lacked the faith to believe in our own powers, our own criterion of truth and beauty. Every man, when he gets quiet, when he becomes desperately honest with himself, is capable of uttering profound truths. We all derive from the same source. there is no mystery about the origin of things. We are all part of creation, all kings, all poets, all musicians; we have only to open up, only to discover what is already there.”



— Henry Miller, Sexus

Advice..

My Dear Son,



If you understand this tradition, there is no need for too much knowledge. There is also another story to meditate and reflect over.



Hatim Al-Asam was among the friends of Shaqiq Al-Balkhi (may Allah have mercy on them both). One day Shaqiq asked Hatim: "You have kept my company for thirty years; what have you gained in the course of these years?" Hatim replied: "I have gained eight benefits from the knowledge which is sufficient for me. I hope my salvation and safety are embodied in them." Shaqiq asked Hatim to mention them. Hatim Al-Asam said:



'The first benefit is that I observed the creation and saw that everyone had a loved one and one passionately desired whom he loved and longed for. Some of the beloved accompany the lover up to the brink of sickness and death and others to the gate of the graveyard. All of them return and leave him there alone. No one goes into the tomb with him. I looked into the matter and said to myself: 'The best beloved is that which would enter the tomb with the lover to console him'; I found it to be nothing else than good works, so I took this as my beloved, to illuminate my grave for me and to comfort me in it and not leave me alone.





The second benefit is that I saw that people were following their lusts and hastening towards the desires of the souls; and I meditated on the saying of the Exalted: "But as for whoever has feared the majesty of his Lord and has refrained his soul from lust, truly the Garden shall be his dwelling place." (Surah Al Naziyat 79: v40-41) I Convinced that the Qur'an was true and right, I began to deny my soul [its pleasures] and hurried to combat it and refuse it its passionate desires, until it enjoyed real satisfaction in obedience to Allah the Exalted.





The third benefit is that I saw that every human being trying his best to accumulate as much as he can from the wreckage of this world and then holding on strongly to it. I meditated on the Qur'anic verse: "What is with you must vanish; what is with Allah must endure." (Surah Al Nahl 16: v96) So I gave freely my worldly possessions for His sake by distributing them among the poor so that it would be my provision in the future with Him the Exalted.





The fourth benefit is that some people whom I observed think that their dignity and honour lie in the multitude of their family and large clans. They were fascinated by these things. Others claimed honour and dignity in abundance of wealth and children and they were proud of it. Some believed honour and power abide in appropriating the wealth of others, doing injustice to them and shedding their blood. Others considered dignity to consist of extravagance and spending wealth in a foolish manner. I meditated upon the saying of the Exalted: "The most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is he who is the most righteous of you." (Surah Al Hujurat 49: v13) I chose righteousness for myself, convinced that the Qur'an is right and true and those claims and opinions of the people are all false and temporal.





The fifth benefit is that I found the people slandering each other and speaking ill of one another out of envy of fortune, power and knowledge. I meditated upon the saying of Allah: "It is We who divide their livelihood among them in the life of this world." (Surah Al Zukhruf 43: v32) I realised that the process of dividing livelihood is entirely in the hands of Allah since the beginning of time. Therefore I never envied anyone and was satisfied with the distribution of Allah the Exalted.





The sixth benefit is that I saw people becoming enemies of each other for different reasons. I meditated upon the saying of the Exalted: "Verily Satan is an enemy to you, so treat him as an enemy." (Surah Fatir 35: v6) I became aware that enmity with anyone but Satan was not permissible.





The seventh benefit is that I saw everyone working very hard, exhausting himself to obtain food and sustenance, tempted by doubts and forbidden things. They degrade themselves in humiliation. I pondered over the saying of the Exalted: "There is no moving creature on earth but its sustenance dependent on Allah." (Surah Hud 11: v6) I knew that my livelihood is guaranteed by Allah the Exalted so I engaged myself in worship and cut off my covetousness of all else, other than He.





The eight benefit is that I saw that everyone relied on some created thing, some on the dinar and dirham, some on wealth and property, some on trade and craft and some on creatures like themselves. I meditated upon the saying of the Exalted: "And whosoever places his reliance on Allah, sufficient is [Allah] for him. For Allah will surely accomplish His purpose. Verily for all things has Allah appointed a due proportions." (Surah Al Talaq 65: v3) I therefore placed full trust in Allah the Exalted. He is sufficient for me and He is the best Disposer of affairs.'





At this point Shagiq said: "May Allah bless you and grant you success. I looked into the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Zabur and the Qur'an and have found that the four books revolve around these eight benefits. Whoever works according to them is working according to these four books."



(Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali - Dear Beloved Son)

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Dua

O Allåh! O You who are the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, In You I establish my protection: shelter me with the shielding, protective sufficiency and safeguarding, the reality and proof, the stronghold and security of In the Name of Allåh.

Admit me, O You who are the First and Last, to the hidden domain of the unknowable, secret and encompassing treasure of As Allåh wills! There is no power save in Allåh.

Unfurl over me, O You who choose Clemency [over censure], who Veil in Protection,66 the sheltering wing, the covering veil, the preservation and deliverance of Hold fast to the bond of Allåh.

Build around me, O You who are the All-Encompassing,the All-Powerful, the secure, encircling wall, the glorious canopy, the might and majesty of That is better, that is of the signs of Allåh.

Place me under Your protection, O You who are Observant [of all needs] and Responsive [to all requests]: preserve my soul and faith, my family and children, my home and estate, through the watchfulness, protectiveness and timely relief and
assistance of But [Satan] will not hurt them anything, save by the leave of Allåh.

Shield me, O You who Protect [from corruption] and Repel [all evil], by Your Names, Verses and Words, from the evil of Satan and of the powerful, such that if an oppressor or tyrant treats me unjustly, he will be taken by An enveloping chastisement of Allåh.

Deliver me, O You who Abase [those who would set themselves above You] and who Avenge [without pardon], from Your iniquitous slaves who wrong me and from their minions, such that if one of them intends me ill, Allåh will forsake him,
Setting a seal upon his hearing and his heart, and laying a cover on his seeing. Who then will guide him, after Allåh?

Protect me, O You who Seize and Vanquish, from their treacherous deception: repel them from me censured, driven away in blame and routed, through the damaging, corrupting and destruction in And there was no host to help him, apart from Allåh.

Let me taste, O You who are Ever Glorified and Praised,Ever Sanctified and Holy, the sweet delight and intimate converse of Come forward and fear not; for surely you are among those who are secure in the shelter of Allåh.

And let them taste, O You who inflict Harm and take away Life, the exemplary punishment, the evil consequences and annihilation in So the last remnant of the people who did evil was cut off. Praise belongs to Allåh.

Make me safe, O You who are Peace of Perfection, the Giver of Security, from the sudden sorties of the enemy forces, through the aim of the beginning of the verse For them are good tidings in the life of this world and in the hereafter. There is no changing the words of Allåh.

Crown me, O You who are the Sublimely Magnificent, the One who Raises in Honour, with the crown of the awesome grandeur, the majestic dominion, the sovereignty, might and magnificence of And do not let their saying grieve you. Indeed the honour and glory belong to Allåh.

Clothe me, O You who are Solicitous in Benevolent Majesty, the Incomparably Great, in the robe that renders the august majesty, complete perfection and attentive solicitude in And when they saw him, they so admired him that they cut their hands,
saying ‘May we be saved by Allåh!’.

Bring down upon me, O You who are the Eminent in Affection, the Constant in Love, love [extended] from You, so that through it the hearts of Your servants will be guided to me, yielding to me with love, affectionate and unwavering, from the filling with love, the softening of hearts and the coming into loving union in They love them as if it were love for Allåh, but those who believe are more ardent in love for Allåh.

Show upon me, O You who are the Manifest and Hidden, traces of the luminous mysteries of He loves them and they love Him: [they are] soft towards the believers, hard on the unbelievers, striving in the path of Allåh.

Turn my face, O Allåh, O You who are the Eternal Refuge, the Essential Light, with the sheer purity, beauty, intimacy and illumination of So if they dispute with you, say, ‘I have surrendered myself to Allåh’.

Amin.
Mad Hatter: Have I gone mad? Alice: I am afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are.
-Alice In Wonderland (Movie)

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Ibn Umar: Rasoolullah (SAW) turned to me and said:

“Be in this life like a stranger or a traveler.”

Whenever Ibn Umar narrated this to his students he added:


“If you reach the evening, do not await (to be alive) by dawn, And if you reach dawn, do not await (to be alive) by evening. Take advantage of your Health before you fall sick. And take advantage of your life, before you die.”

-[Bukhari]

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Dare to catch fire; Become a believer in spontaneous combustion; Stop caring whether 'they' notice, or applaud or turn their backs. Befriend the negative within you; Gently harmonising light and shadow onto the canvass of your every day; Let defiant, bold, uncommon kindess orchestrate your universe; Burn through the night.


- Dr. Maithr...i Goonetilleke
أنا محمّدي ما حييت فإن أمت

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

"There is neither happiness nor unhappiness in this world;

there is only the comparison of one state with another.

Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss.

It is necessary to have wished for death in order to know how good it is to live.....

the sum of all human wisdom will be contained in these two words: Wait and Hope."

Non- Mahram

Imam Muslim narrates from Jarir ibn Abdullah (Allah be pleased with him) who says:

”Iasked Allah's Messenger about the sudden glance on a Non - Mahram. He commanded me that I should turn away my eyes.

Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim narrate in their Sahih from Uqba ibn Amir (Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah said:

“Do not go near [non-Mahram] women.” A person inquired: “What about in-laws?” The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) responded, “The in-laws are death.”
The least likely of your sincere falsehoods is your words: ‘I am a Sufi!’

Contention - Sheikh Abdul Hakim Murad :)

Sunday, December 26, 2010

"A tree lives for thousands of years by maintaining a very simple and inexpensive yet totally inspiring existence."

A small seed, which has neither force not arms, accepts conditions of darkness, pressure, cold and dampness. Instead of complaining or blaming others, it uses these conditions as sources of energy. In the same way, man can lead a free life and be at peace with himself.

~ George Ohsawa
I try and I try and I try. But I can't get no satisfaction.
Bumbled he, the humble bee,
Over roses very thorny,
With sweet cargo upon his knee,
...In a poem oh so corny.

-- A. Powette
‎'Ask in order to understand, and do not ask in order to find fault, for surely the ignorant man who wants to learn resembles a man of knowledge, and surely a man of knowledge who wants to be difficult resembles an ignorant man who wants to find fault.'

Saturday, December 25, 2010

"What's really unbearable is the eternal mediocre shame of some people;
and the lack of bravery which marks them; their prudence; their pretension to live in a reasonable and well-planned way."

My soul is tempered now for good, and now is indestructible, resolute even through the worst storms, devastations or loss. My knowledge of life and the human heart is now so keen that I know the two months ahead will bring me more sorrow, largely because I will not pander to mundanities nor to anything alien to the dreams, thoughts, a...nd feelings of my true personality.


Isabelle Eberhardt
Trust in Allah, but tie your camel -Hazrat Muhammad S.A.W
" Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state. Mohammed Ali Jinnah did all three"

- Stanely Wolpert
wisdom beyond widom:


think like an adult and feel like a child..
Luqman al Hakeem said to his son:

“O my son! I have never regretted because of keeping silent. If words are silver, silence is golden.”

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

“God is with the broken-hearted. When your heart breaks, it’s a good thing – the breaking of the heart is what opens it up to the light of Allah. The dunya is designed to break your heart, to crush it.” [Shaykh Hamza Yusuf]
Ruin is the road to transformation.


From the movie 'Eat Pray Love'
Only a true believer fears hypocrisy whereas the hypocrite himself feels safe from it.

- Hasan al-Basri

Monday, December 20, 2010

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

"A person is on the religion of their close friends, so be careful of whose close company you keep." [Ahmad]

Ibn Ata'illah said:

"Only seek the company of those whose state uplifts you, or whose words guide you to Allah."

This is the core of one's company. Other company is sought to fulfill rights, spreading good, or seeking benefit, worldly or religious--without waste or harm.
“Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.”

"Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.”

- Albert Einstein
‎'Tell me, friend, which place you want me to take you to - I want to go to the city of the Messenger, in search of the Station of Radiance and the Red Sulphur.'


- Ibn Arabi (The Book of the Journey by Night)
"And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere. Who, when a misfortune befalls them, say: 'Truly, to Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return'. They are those on whom the blessings, forgiveness and mercy of Allah descend upon, and it is they who are the guided ones." [2:155-157}
All the languages you know have their source in Allah. A yearning to be with those who speak your tongue/s is just a shadow, not a soul necessity. Those who don't 'understand you' are simply there to help you understand that you cannot define yourself by the things you love or find important. Accepting such relations feels like death simply because it is.
Ha-Ya-Ya = (a doubly imperfect verb) To live, be alive, be ashamed, spend (the night) awake, fertilize the earth, keep anyone alive; spare any one, let anyone alive, remove prudency, modesty and shamefulness, make immodest, To be in good condition, have the means of subsistence, to be apparent or distinct, have prolonged or preserved life, free from evil or harm, have dominion, be honored,receive benefit, to salute, to enliven/revive/give life to, to nourish, vivify/re-vivify/revive/resuscitate, endue/quicken with life, (said of land) to be tilled and made productive, to remain awake, to shrink from a thing, to forbear, to feel or have a sense of or be moved or affected with shame/shyness/bashfulness, be ashamed/shy of doing a thing, disdain or scorn a thing, abstain from a thing/refuse to do it.
Bayazid Bistami (ra): I shed my self as a snake sheds its skin.

Bayazid Bistami (ra) had seen Allah (swt) in a vision (Kashf) and said to Him

"O Allah (swt) what is the way to You?"

Allah (swt) responded

"Leave yourself and come to Me".

Saturday, December 18, 2010

"Fall down seven times,stand up eight!"

(Japanese Saying)
"O fools awake! The rites ye sacred hold
Are but a cheat contrived by men of old
Who listed after wealth and gained their lust
And died in baseness and their law is dust"


- Al Ma'arri
"Moses said to his people, ‘Turn to God for help and be patient. The earth belongs to God. He gives it to those of His servants whom He chooses, and the future belongs to the God-fearing." -


- The Quran (7:128)

Rumi..

‘Why do you sit there with your own thoughts?
If you are a man, go to the Beloved!

Do not say, ‘Perhaps He does not want me’.
What business has a thirsty man with such words?

Does the moth think about the flames?
For Love’s spirit, thinking is a disgrace.

When the warrior hears the sound of the drum
at once he is worth ten thousand men!

You have heard the drum, so draw your sword without delay!
Your spirit is the sheath of the all-conquering Dhu al-Fiqar!

You are Husayn at Karbala, think not of water!
The only ‘water’ you will see today is the sheath of the first water!
(Mevlana Rumi, Kulliyyat 3656-62, trans. W.C. Chittick)

Friday, December 17, 2010

در نوای زندگی سوز از حسین ۔۔۔ اہل حق حریت آموز از حسین ~ اقبال

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Ghalib..

جز قیس اور کوئی نہ آیا بہ روۓ کار
صحرا مگر بہ تنگیِ چشمِ حسود تھا

آشفتگی نے نقشِ سویدا کیا درست
ظاہر ہوا کہ داغ کا سرمایہ دود تھا

تھا خواب میں خیال کو تجھ سے معاملہ
جب آنکھ کھل گئی نہ زیاں تھا نہ سود تھا

لیتا ہوں مکتبِ غمِ دل میں سبق ہنوز
لیکن یہی کہ رفت گیا اور بود تھا

ڈھانپا کفن نے داغِ عیوبِ برہنگی
میں ورنہ ہر لباس میں ننگِ وجود تھا

تیشے بغیر مر نہ سکا کوہکن اسد
سرگشتۂ خمارِ رسوم و قیود تھا
..yun kehye k shaair ka kaam mehz mushahida he nahin, mujahida bhi us per farz he-gardo pesh k muztarib qatron main zindagi k dajla ka mushahida us ki benai per he, use dosron ko dekhana us ki funi dastras par, us k bahao main dakhal andaz hona us k

" shouq ki salabat aur lahu ki hararat per"................



..........................aur ye teno kaam masalsal kaawish aur jedojehd chahte hain........

--Faiz. Dast e saba





kahan se ayee nigar e saba, kidher gayee

Abhi chiraghe sar e rah ko kuch khabar nahi
"What I have lived for"



Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course, over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair. I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy—ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness—that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what—at last—I have found. With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine. And I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flux. A little of this, but not much, I have achieved. Love and knowledge, so far as they were possible, led upward toward the heavens. But always pity brought me back to earth. Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people a hated burden to their sons, and the whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should be. I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer. This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and would gladly live it again if the chance were offered to me.



Bertrand Russel (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970)

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertrand_russel
The heart's home, first to last, is thy city of union

Thursday, October 21, 2010

The disciples of Isa ibn Mariyam (AS) came to him and asked;

“O spirit of Allah, is there anyone else like you alive in our time?” He replied: “Yes indeed, Whoever has the dhikr of Allah in his heart,and is silent in thought, and who learns from what is given, surely that one is like me.”


- translated and authenticated by Hazrat Muhammad al-Ghazali

Thursday, October 14, 2010

.

i.

can you hear me talking?
can you hear me
screaming, in this
silence that’s pounding inside my
head, pulsing inside my
blood and weakening me,
slowly? can you hear me?
can you
hear

me?


ii.

being around you
only makes the loneliness worse
when you leave.


iii.

‘calm down’,
they tell me.
‘just calm down.’
how?
‘deep breaths.
just take a deep breath.’

except i don’t really
want to breathe
anymore.


iv.

make it go away.
please. just make it go
away.

Amidst the shadows
In the silence of night
The sum of our fears
Materialize…

No sun to warm the skin,
No smile to soothe the soul,
Just shadows of darkness,
The unconscious self wakened…

The façade of confidence,
Slowly fades into the night.
Loneliness the reality,
The mind lost in self doubt.

It weaves insidiously,
Relentless is its power.
In silence our souls hunger,
Fears shrouded in the night.

Tormented by a self portrait,
Exposing flaws and imperfections…
Alone cloaked in shadows,
Battling against self despair…

Vanity yearns for perfection,
The ego craves validation,
The heart aches for love,
And the soul seeks peace…

Our greatest fear,
Loneliness…
The greatest sadness,
We have all known it.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

"He who truly knows is the one in whom sound actions, pure supplications, truthfulness and precaution speak out; not his tongue, his debates, his comparisons, assertions or claims"


Imam Jafar Sadiq - Lantern of the Path
Now when I read words, no matter how well conscructed or beautiful, they are still words, there's a discord between recognition of meaning and image that has them dried out and stale by the time my mind has developed a reality that corresponds with their message. I am worded out. I need to be revived by the natural world.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Be Lost

Be Lost in the Call
Lord, said David, since you do not need us,
why did you create these two worlds?

Reality replied: O prisoner of time,
I was a secret treasure of kindness and generosity,
and I wished this treasure to be known,
so I created a mirror: its shining face, the heart;
its darkened back, the world;
The back would please you if you've never seen the face.

Has anyone ever produced a mirror out of mud and straw?
Yet clean away the mud and straw,
and a mirror might be revealed.

Until the juice ferments a while in the cask,
it isn't wine. If you wish your heart to be bright,
you must do a little work.

My King addressed the soul of my flesh:
You return just as you left.
Where are the traces of my gifts?

We know that alchemy transforms copper into gold.
This Sun doesn't want a crown or robe from God's grace.
He is a hat to a hundred bald men,
a covering for ten who were naked.

Jesus sat humbly on the back of an ass, my child!
How could a zephyr ride an ass?
Spirit, find your way, in seeking lowness like a stream.
Reason, tread the path of selflessness into eternity.

Remember God so much that you are forgotten.
Let the caller and the called disappear;
be lost in the Call.

-
"Love is a Stranger", Kabir Helminski
Threshold Books, 1993

Monday, October 4, 2010

Holistic wisdom of Rumi

Whoever is loved is beautiful, but the opposite is not true, that whoever is beautiful is loved. Real beauty is part of loved-ness, and that loved-ness is primary. If a being is loved, he or she has beauty, because a part cannot be separate from the whole. Many girls were more beautiful than Laila, but Majnun did not love them. "Let us bring some of these to meet you," they used to say to Majnun, and he would reply, "It's not the form of Laila that I love. Laila is not the form. You're looking at the cup, whereas I think only of the wine I drink from that cup. If you gave me a chalice studded with gemstones, but filled with vinegar or something other than wine, what use would that be? An old broken dipper-gourd with Laila-wine in it is better than a hundred precious goblets full of other liquid."


Passion is present when a man can distinguish between the wine and the container. Two men see a loaf of bread. One hasn't eaten anything for ten days. The other has eaten five times a day, every day. He sees the shape of the loaf. The other man with his urgent need sees inside into the taste, and into the nourishment the bread could give. Be that hungry, to see within all beings the Friend.


Creatures are cups. The sciences and the arts and all branches of knowledge are inscriptions around the outside of the cups. When a cup shatters, the writing can no longer be read. The wine's the thing! The wine that's held in the mold of these physical cups. Drink the wine and know what lasts and what to love. The man who truly asks must be sure of two things: One, that he's mistaken in what he's doing or thinking now. And two, that there is a wisdom he doesn't know yet. Asking is half of knowing.


Everyone turns toward someone. Look for one scarred by the King's polo stick.


A man or a woman is said to be absorbed when the water has total control of him, and he no control of the water. A swimmer moves around willfully. An absorbed being has no will but the water's going. Any word or act is not really personal, but the way the water has of speaking or doing. As when you hear a voice coming out of a wall, and you know that it's not the wall talking, but someone inside, or perhaps someone outside echoing off the wall. Saints are like that. They've achieved the condition of a wall, or a door.



-Translated by Coleman Barks with A.J. Arberry

Saturday, October 2, 2010

"If you come across the gardens of Paradise, then graze therein."

They asked, and what are the gardens of Paradise?

He said

"the groups of dhikr."
Come!

Without You,
I've given up on everyone else.

...

Come!

If I was asleep back then,
I'm staying sleepless right now.
Come O My Soul,
I've become a resident of the Tavern,
Till the Day of Judgment.
I've estranged myself so much
From everyone else,
That I've become a stranger to myself.

Come!

O Seeker of the World's mysteries.
Look at me:
I've become the mysteries myself.

Come!

I've already gone insane for Your Love.
If I was a flourishing town back then,
I'm nothing but ruins right now.
For Your Love,
I've even given up
On my family and households.
Out of pain of Your Love,
I've even moved in with the pain itself.
When I saw my soul
Becoming One with Your Soul,
I even became a stranger
To my very own loved ones.
I used to talk days and nights
About how Love being
simply a Myth.
Now out of Your Love,
I've become a Myth myself.


Rumi.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Firaq

Last as first the question rings

Of the Wills long travailings;

Why the All-movers,

Why the All-provers

Ever urges on and measures out the Droning time of things.

- Hardy



Ab tak khul na saka ye raaz,

kyun hay aalam soz-o-gudaz,

Kyun qudrat ne,

Kyun fitrat ne

Har ik se chhed diya hay naghma-e-saz.

- Firaq



Her pure and eloquent blood

Spoke in her cheeks and so

Distinctly wrought

That one might say

Her body thought.

-John Donne



Hari bhari rago.n mein wo chahakta bolta lahoo,

Wo sochta hua badan xud ik jaha.n liye hue.

- Firaq



And blossom by blossom the spring arrives

- Swinburne



Bahar ghuncha ba ghuncha chaman mein aati hay.

- Firaq



And beauty born of murmuring sound

Shall pass into her face.

- Wordsworth



Mauj-e-darya ka tarannum bas gaya ruxsar mein.

- Firaq



Source: Rooh-e-kaynaat, ed. Dr Rizwan Ahmad, Pub. Ramnarainlal ArunKumar, Allahabad, 1996)
Recently, while councelling, a friend and I, discussed the often destructive power of personal stories. We saw how debilitating it can be to see the events in our lives as reward and punishment. If I get this job it means I've finally healed my mistakes of past. If the tests reveal a maglignant or terminal dis-ease then it must mean I haven't been doing enough spiritual work.


You get the picture.


Trouble is, these stories seem to hold such a powerful grip on us. They feel hardwired in our brains and bodies. They trap us inside a vision of our lives that's painful and contracting. So - how do you shift out of such a story into the peace and possiblity of the present moment? That's where the lets Etch-A-Sketch comes in.


Once you're aware that a story is in play, think of that gray screen from childhood. Remember how you could create the most elaborate image on the screen and then just shake-shake-shake it away? Well, you can do the very same thing with an unhelpful story. It only seems hardwired, but isn't really.


The next time one shows up, make sure not to align with it, or fight it. Instead, take a big sighing breath and literally shake-shake-shake. Just as a gazelle in the wild shakes all the trauma out of its system after being chased by a lion, we, too, can cleanse and reset our body-mind.


Once the grip of the story releases, we're left in a state of gratitude, freeness, expansion and flow. From there, all good things happen!!
Zehaal-e-miskeen makun taghaful, Duraye naina banaye batiyan.

Do not overlook my misery, by blandishing your eyes and weaving tales,

Ke taab-e-hijran nadaram ay jaan, Na leho kahe lagaye chatiyan.

My patience has over-brimmed, O sweetheart! why do you not take me to your bosom.

Shaban-e-hijran daraz chun zulf, Wa roz-e-waslat cho umer kotah.

Long like curls in the night of separation short like life on the day of our union.

Sakhi piya ko jo main na dekhun, To kaise kaTun andheri ratiyan.

My dear, how will I pass the dark dungeon night without your face before.

Yakayak az dil do chashm-e-jadu, Basad farebam baburd taskin.

Suddenly, using a thousand tricks the enchanting eyes robbed me of my tranquil mind.

Kisay pari hai jo ja sunave, Piyare pi ko hamari batiyan,

Who would care to go and report this matter to my darling.

Cho shama sozan cho zaraa hairan, Hamesha giryan be ishq an meh.

Tossed and bewildered, like a flickering candle, I roam about in the fire of love.

Na nind naina na ang chaina, Na aap aaven na bhejen patiyan,

Sleepless eyes, restless body, neither comes she, nor any message.

Bahaq-e-roz-e-visaal-e-dilbar, Ke daad mara gharib Khusro.

In honour of the day I meet my beloved who has lured me so long, O Khusro!

Sapet man ke varaye rakhun, Jo jaye pauN piya ke khatiyan.

I shall keep my heart suppressed if ever I get a chance to get to her trick.



~ Amir Khusro
Khabaram raseed imshab ki nigaar khuahi aamad;

Sar-e man fidaa-e raah-e ki sawaar khuahi aamad.

Ham-e aahwan-e sehra sar-e khud nihada bar kaf;

Ba-umeed aanki rozi bashikaar khuahi aamad.

Kashishi ki ishq daarad naguzaradat badinsaa;

Ba-janazah gar nayai ba-mazaar khuahi aamad.

Balabam raseed jaanam fabiya ki zindah maanam;

Pas azan ki man na-maanam bacha kar khuahi aaamad.



English Translation.



Tonight there came a news that you, oh beloved, would come – Be my head sacrificed to the road along which you will come riding! All the gazelles of the desert have put their heads on their hands In the hope that one day you will come to hunt them…. The attraction of love won’t leave you unmoved; Should you not come to my funeral, you’ll definitely come to my grave. My soul has come on my lips (e.g. I am on the point of expiring); Come so that I may remain alive - After I am no longer – for what purpose will you come?

Saturday, September 25, 2010




‎'the Kalima was inscribed in such a way that all the wows connecting the clauses formed the oars of a boat - the boat of salvation which carries the faithful safely to the shore of the Beyond.'

Friday, September 24, 2010

"Meaning is not in things but in between; in the iridescence, the interplay: in the interconnections; at the intersections, at the crossroads. Meaning is transitional as it is transitory, in the puns or bridges, the correspondence."

—Mallarmé
How much does a man live, after all?
Does he live a thousand days, or only one?
For a week, or for several centuries?
How long does a man spend dying?
What does it mean to say,

"for ever"?

- Pablo Neruda
Though they go mad they shall be sane,
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.

-- Dylan Thomas

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Releasing self

into Greater Self

I become subtle

and

Ascent in love

and

go with the flow,

calling all hearts to Joy.

Opening heart into Great Heart

I cry out,

and

change and evolve,

calling all hearts

to

The One.

Deepening peace into Great Peace

I surrender

and

free

and free my boundless self,

calling all Hearts to The Source ( Allah )


...

Monday, September 20, 2010

"O people, spread peace, feed people, and pray at night when others are asleep"



- The Beloved Messenger, Sall Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam.
Guard your tongue from praise as you have guarded it from blame.


- Shaykh Maruf al-Karkhi
All of life is play-acting if we don't connect with our Source. We may think we are being sincere or 'real', but actually we are just being the limit of what we know how to be because this is all we can be if He doesn't show us otherwise. You can't use a veil to break a veil! That is why poverty is the only approach. Every moment is a small hypocrisy if we don't surrender it to Him in complete poverty, knowing our innate inability to be anything other than an imposter. We are only as sincere as our edges. We start off firmy boxed, self-assured, maintaining boundaries of persona and belonging, we think we know what we are, we think we know sincerity.



If he loves you, he starts to murder your attachment to anything other than Him, this includes conceptions of self, your edges shift, your sincerity expands but it is still not true. This is why grief is sweet, because when you rage against your edges and long to break into anything that is other than you, you realise the only way out is in total surrender. Don't be angry with Him for your State if you are still trying to manage your own outcomes. Be as real as you can, according to your edges, but never assume that this is anything more than a conception of honesty related to your level of clarity.


A person can only understand a word in accordance with their grasp of a language. A person can only express a word in accordance with their state. The reason why silence is our fitra/natural pre-disposition is because a word not expressed with poverty is kufr/covering. With our words, we build our persona's, we build our small realities. Intent can expand boundaries, aspiration keeps them firmly in place.

Yesterday I thought that I was real,/honest/sincere today I know that I am only as real/honest/sincere as my boundaries.


May Allah grant us the poverty to expand our boundaries.

Saturday, September 18, 2010


"During prayer,
I am accustomed to turn to God
and recall the meaning of the words of the Tradition,
“The delight felt in the ritual prayer.”*
The window of my soul opens,
and from the purity of the unseen world,
the Book of God comes to me straight.
The Book, the rain of Divine Grace, and the Light
are falling into my house through a window
from my Real and Original Source.
The house without a window is hell;
to make a window is the essence of true religion.
Don't thrust your ax upon every thicket;
come, use your ax to cut open a window!"


Rumi

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Hizb ul Bahr - Litany of the Sea in English



In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Blessings of God and peace be upon our master Muhammad and his family. O God, O Exalted One, O Gentle One,

O AII-Knowing One, Thou art my Lord, and Thy knowledge is sufficient for me. What an excellent Lord is my Lord! What a wonderful sufficiency is my sufficiency! Thou plea to Thee is for protection, in movements and moments of rest, in words, desires, and passing thoughts, from doubts, suppositions and fancies-veilings, they, over hearts, occluding sight of the unseen. The faithful were tried; They were severely shaken. Then the hypocrites would say, with those of disease-ridden hearts, "God and His Messenger promised us only delusion. (Q. 33:11-12)

Even so, make us firm, aid US, and subject to us this sea, as Thou did subject the sea to Moses, and the fire to Ibrahim, and the mountains and iron to David, and the wind, the Satans, and the jinn to Solomon.



Put in subjection to us every sea of thine in earth and heaven, in this domain and the celestial, the sea of this world and the sea of the next. Render subservient to us every thing, "0 Thou, whose hand holds sovereignty over every thing" (Q. 23:88).



Kaf ha' ya' 'ayn sad Kaf ha' ya' 'ayn sad Kaf ha' ya' 'ayn sad

Help us, for Thou art the best of helpers. Open to us the hand of mercy, for Thou art the best of openers. Pardon us, for Thou art the best of pardoners.

Be compassionate toward us, for Thou art the best of those who show compassion.

Sustain us, for Thou art the best of sustainers. Guide us and rescue us from the unjust people.

Send us a gentle breeze, as Thou dost know how to do, and let it blow on us from the storehouses of Thy mercy. Let it bear us along as it by miraculous intervention, with security and well-being, in religion, worldly affairs, and the hereafter.

Thou art powerful over all things. God, facilitate for us our affairs, with ease of mind and body, with security and well-being in religious and worldly matters. Be a companion for us on our journey, and a substitute for our households.

Blot out the countenances of our enemies, and transform them where they stand, disabling them from leaving or coming to US. If We willed, We would blot out their eyes. Yet, they would race forward to the path. But how would they see? If We willed, We should transform them where they stand. Thus, they would be unable to leave or return (Q 36:66-67).

Ya' sin! By the Wise Qur' an! Surely thou art one of those sent on a straight path! A revelation sent down by the Mighty, the Merciful, that thou mightest warn a people whose fathers had not been warned. Yet, they do not take heed.

The declaration has been confirmed against the greater part of them. Yet they do not believe. We have circled their necks with chains up to the chin, but they hold their heads high. Before them have We placed a barrier, and behind them a barrier, and We have obscured their vision; so they see not (Q 36:1-8).

May their faces be deformed! May their faces be deformed! May their faces be deformed!

Let their faces be submissive before the Living, the Self-Subsistent, For he who is laden with wrong has already met frustration. Ta' sin, ha' mim, 'ayn sin qaf. (Q 27:1)

He has released the two seas that meet; Yet between them is a barrier [barzakh] that they do not overpass. ...(Q 55:19-20)



Ha' mim, ha' mim, ha' mim, ha' mim, ha' mim, ha' mim, ha' mim! (Q 40:1)


The affair has been decreed. The triumph has come. Over us they shall not triumph. Ha' mim!


[It is] the sending down of the Scripture from God, The Mighty, the AII-Knowing, Forgiver of sin,

Receiver of penitence, Severe in punishing, Forbearing. No god is there except Him. To Him is the returning. (Q 40:1-3)

In the name of God (bismillah) is our door. May [God] bless our walls. Ya' sin (Q 36:1) is our ceiling.

Kaf ha' ya' 'ayn sad (Q 19:1) is our sufficiency. Ha' mim 'ayn sin qaf (Q 42:1) is our shelter.

So God is sufficient for thee against them, for He hears all, knows all. [Repeat this thrice]

The veil of the throne has been dropped over us, and the eye of God is gazing at us. God is behind them, round about. Indeed, it is a glorious recital [Qur'an], inscribed on a guarded tablet [lawh mahfuz] (Q. 85:20-21). [Repeat this thrice]

My Protector is God, Who revealed the Book (from time to time), and He will choose and befriend the righteous. (Q. 7:196) [Repeat this thrice]

M y sufficiency is God. No god is there except Him. In Him have I put my trust, For He is Lord of the majestic throne (Q. 9:129). [Repeat this thrice]




In the name of God, with whose Name nothing in the earth or sky can do harm, for He is the All-Hearer, All-Knower. [Repeat this thrice] There is no force and no power except with God, the High, the Mighty.

-------------

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg6suVsXmQ8&feature=player_embedded#!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

O Allah!

O Light!

O TRUTH!

O Clarifier!

Infuse our hearts with Thy LIGHT

Grant us knowledge from Thy Knowledge

Guard us by Thy Guarding

Cause us to Listen to THEE

Give us understanding from THEE

Provide for us a livlihood out of Thy bounty wherewith

Thou wilt relieve us from Poverty and raise us from abasement.



O Allah!

Dispose fittingly for us this world and the next, and enable us to attain to the vision of Thy FACE in the Garden of Firdaus(Paradise).



Over All things THOU ARE Powerful. Q-(2;20)



O how excellent is the MASTER, and how wonderful the HELPER. Q-(8:40)



Amin



And



Most Important : Eid Mubarak to All.



- Atif Hussain

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

O Allah, how may i call unto YOU, when i am but a sinner,

Yet how may i not call unto THEE, when YOU are Most Gracious?

Monday, September 6, 2010

"the most difficult of veils is the vision of the self"

Friday, September 3, 2010

Once the great Imam Al-Ghazali posed 6 questions to his students as follows;-





Q1 – “What is very close to us in this world?”





The students gave all kind of answers such as our parents, spouse, close friends, our children and etc.



Al-Ghazali replied:-“ Yes, those answers are quite correct but the perfect answer is ‘death’ because Allah SWT has promised us that those who lives will definitely die” (refer Sura Ali Imran 185)



"..Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the object (of Life): For the life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception...-----[Quran 3 : 185]





Q2 – What is the furthest from us in this world?”





The students gave all kind of answers such as the country of China, the moon, the sun and etc.



Al-Ghazali replied:“ Yes, those answers are quite correct but the perfect answer is ‘our past’ because in whatever the circumstances , whoever we are and whatever vehicle we use we cannot go back into the past. So we have to always take care of today and the coming days with righteous deeds that is taught by Islam”





Q3 – “What is the biggest in this world?”





The students gave all kind of answers such as the mountain, the earth, the sun and etc.



Al-Ghazali replied:-“ Yes, those answers are quite correct but the perfect answer is ‘temptation (Nafs)’. So we must always be cautious with our temptation so as not to allow it to drive us to hell (Jahannam)” Refer Sura Al A’raf 179)





"Many are the Jinns and men we have made for Hellfire: They have hearts wherewith they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears wherewith they hear not. They are like cattle,- nay more misguided: for they are heedless (of warning).-------------[Quran 7 :179]






Q4 - “What is the heaviest in this world?”



The students gave all kind of answers such as iron, steel, the elephant and etc...



Al-Ghazali replied:-“ Yes, those answers are quite correct but the perfect answer is [b]‘being trustworthy [/B](Amanah)’ Al Ghazali explain “ The plants, trees, animals and the mountain could not accept the task of being the caliph of this world but human, with arrogance and conceit accepted the task and so much so many human beings are being thrown into hell (Jahannam) by Allah SWt because they have breached the trust others place on them. Refer Sura Al Ahzab 72)





We did indeed offer the Trust to the Heavens and the Earth and the Mountains; but they refused to undertake it, being afraid thereof: but man undertook it;- He was indeed unjust and foolish;----------[Quran 33: 72]





Q5 - “What is the lightest in this world?”




The students gave all kind of answers such as cotton, dust, the wind and etc...



Al-Ghazali replied:-“ Yes, those answers are quite correct but the perfect answer is ‘neglecting the salat (daily prayer’. Al Ghazali explain this is especially true as people are known to simply neglect the salat because they are having a business meeting , having to work etc





Q6 - “What is the sharpest in this world?”





The students gave all kind of answers such as the sword, knife and etc...



Al-Ghazali replied:-“ Yes, those answers are quite correct but the perfect answer is ‘human tongue’. Al Ghazali explains that with their tongues human arrogantly will offend and hurt the feeling of others.





The life of the heart is knowledge; so preserve it, The death of the heart is ignorance; so avoid it. Your best provision is true devotion; so provide it. This advice of mine is enough for you; so heed it. ------[ Imam al-Ghazâlî ]
Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi (May Allah have mercy upon him) said,

"Anyone who believes himself safe from criticism and reproach is out of his mind."

-In pursuit of virtue p.125
Ibn Ata'llah said,

“People praise you for what they suppose is in you, but you must blame your soul for what you know is in you.”

Hikam number 142

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Salman Al-Farsi (May Allah be pleased with him) said,

"If a slave abstains from the world, his heart becomes illuminated with wisdom and his limbs reciprocate in worship."


Minhaj Al-abideen by Imam Ghazali.
In an Hadith Qudsi, Allah Subhau wa ta'ala said,

"I am with those whose hearts are broken for my sake."
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,

"A person who teaches others while neglecting his own soul is like an oil lamp, which illimates others while burning itself out."


- At-Tabarani
Ibn Ata'llah said,

"No one is a companion of yours except the one who knowing your defects, is your companion and that is only the generous Lord.”

-Hikam number 135.
" The true lover finds the light only if, like a candle, he be with own fuel, consuming himself. "
A Sufi was in seclusion, praying and saying supplications, suddenly he was immersed in an intense ecstatic feeling, and there shined a brilliant light, where a beautiful, deep, mesmerizing voice spoke to him: “O my servant! I have come to love you, and bring you close to my presence. I will permit to you that what I have forbidden for others….”



At this point, according to The Revelations, knowing that Allaah wouldn't favor one servant over the other, his heart illuminated that which his senses has darkened, and the sufi answered, “May Allaah damn you, enemy of Allaah!”



Instantly, the voice changed into an ugly, deafening roar and screamed, “You win this time, but we will meet again”
ملتفت فى الطريق لا يصل



“He who glances off shall not find”.



Dr. Ali Jomaa says, “If you are walking a road full of lights, colors, and attractive shopping displays, and then you stop at this shop and wander inside the other, a life maybe spent in this wandering, while age is uncertain. Al Imam A’ Shafey said: I’ve walked with the Sufis and learned from them that time is like a sword, if you don’t cut it, it cuts you.

He who glances off shall not find; an essential of good manners with Allaah, signifying the necessity that, whatever is done has to be out of pure devotion and direction to Allaah.



It is limiting to get stalled by observing the glamour of spiritual lights or secrets, the apparent realm or the hidden, the inspirations or any other, which are fruits of The Path - not the destination, not the goal. The True Destination, Allaah, has to always be in focus” ~


- Dr. Jomaa's

Friday, August 27, 2010

Love is here; it is the blood in my veins, my skin. I am destroyed; He has filled me with Passion. His fire has flooded the nerves of my body. Who am I ? Just my name; the rest is Him.



[Rumi]
"I will walk a thousand leagues in falsehood, that one step of the journey may be true." – Junayd Bagdadi

Thursday, August 26, 2010

The stakes are high for real prayer.
You must gamble your self
and be willing to lose.
When you have done this,
and your self shakes off
what you belived your self to be,
then no prayer remains,
only a sparkle of the eyes.
Knower and known are one.

Mahmud Shabistari

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Feed the poor, spread salam, and pray when no one is praying...you shall enter heaven easily...(hadith)
Regarding the two brothers who were lynched in Sialkot. Then know that it is a great event the likes of which cannot be found anywhere except the days of ignorance, or in the persecution of Sahaba (RA).



Through this event, know that the evidence of Allah has been set against us where we have proven to be unaware of the laws of Quran. For Allah says;



“O you who believe! If a wicked person comes to you with any news, ascertain the truth, lest you harm people unwittingly, and afterwards become full of repentance for what you have done.” Surah Hujjurat, Ayat 6.




Then why didn’t we ascertain the guilt of those who were killed without a trial? Why upon the words of few obscure men we launched ourselves against the two brothers without giving them a chance to plead innocent or guilt? Why did we decide to punish them for an alleged offense in a manner that can only be ascribed as barbaric and that is not supported by Quran? Why did our law enforcement feel no need to verify the truth or contain the situation?



Also know that with this event we have lost our right to cry out against the mushrikeens who persecute our brothers and sisters in occupied lands. It seems that a Muslim is now sufficient to persecute another Muslim in his own homeland. Clearly we have forgot the following verse;



“And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide therein; and the wrath and the curse of Allah are upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for him.” Surah Nisa Ayat 93.



and the hadith of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) where he says;



“The sanctity of Muslim blood is greater for Allah than the sanctity of the Kaaba, as is his honour and his property, and thinks only good of him.”



Know that in the gravity of the sin committed, justice must prevail for us to be saved from punishment in this world or the next. That justice must be followed by true repentance on behalf of all individuals of this ummah and a promise to submit fully to the teachings of Islam.



Let this not be the time in which, when overcome by emotions, we pray to Allah against our own selves. Know that making dua against our selves will only result in increase of such events. Realize that this is, rather, a time when we are in dire need of sincere dua. Know that our only hope to rise to the pinnacle from these ashes is based on our repentance, dua and brotherhood.



We each must play the roles assigned to us by Allah. For only when we will fulfill our roles, our condition will truly change. Know that goodness from each and every member of this ummah is not a pre-requisite for the establishment of islam in this world, or the success of our nation. The requirement of perfection (or striving for it) is only demanded by some of us but the rewards thereof are shared with the masses.



Forget the old adage of; what good will it brings If I change my ways. Instead follow the lead of the companions who, in spite of less numbers, were able to inspire huge nations because of the change they brought in themselves. Look at the way Allah described the Mominon in the following verse and aim for nothing else.



“They believe in Allah and the Last Day; they enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong; and they hasten (in emulation) in (all) good works: They are in the ranks of the righteous.” Al-Imran Ayat 114



Know that in the end, it would not matter if your nation entered jannah but it would matter if you entered jannah or not. Let us blame none but ourselves for this event and take heed from the verses of Quran. Verily it is our collective and individual sins for which we are punished in this world or the next. Let us pray for those who have been unjustly killed. Let us strive for justice to their families. And, Let us hold ourselves accountable before we are held accountable by Allah.



Never give up hope and know from the depth of your heart that this nation of Pakistan is destined for great things. Come back to Islam my brothers and sisters and know that the pleasure in obedience of Allah is greater than the pleasure in his disobedience. And finally know that strength and mercy are a promise Allah has given in exchange for Taqwa.



“Verily, in this there is a plain Message for people who worship Allah” [Surah Al-Anbiyyah, Ayat 106]
I lost all arguments what i argue with ignorants'


by Imam Abu Hanifa

Monday, August 23, 2010

Kalam Moalana Ahmed Jaami
___________________________________________

Tanam Farsooda jaa para
Ze Hijra Ya Rasulullah
Dillam Paz Murda Aawara
Ze Isyaa. Ya Rasulullah!

My body is dissolving in your separation
And my soul is breaking into pieces. Ya Rasulullah!
Due to my sins, My heart is weak and becoming enticed. Ya Rasulullah!
______________________________________________

Choon Soo’e Mun Guzar Aari
Manne Miskeen Zanaa Daari
Fida-E-Naqsh-E-Nalainat
Kunam Ja. Ya Rasulullah!

When you pass by me
Then even in my immense poverty, ecstatically,
I must sacrifice my soul on your blessed sandal. Ya Rasulullah!
______________________________________________

Ze Jaame Hubb To Mustam
Ba Zanjeere To Dil Bustam
Nu’mi Goyam Ke Mun Bustum
Sukun Daa. Ya Rasulullah!

I am drowned in the taste of your love
And the chain of your love binds my heart.
Yet I don’t say that I know this language (of love). Ya Rasulullah!
______________________________________________

Ze Kharda Khaish Hairaanam
Siyaa Shud Roze Isyaanam
Pashemaanam, Pashemaanam, Pashemaanam. Ya Rasulullah!

I am worried due to my misdeeds;
And I feel that my sins have blackened my heart. Ya Rasulullah!
I am in distress! I am in distress! I am in distress! Ya Rasulullah!
______________________________________________

Choon Baazoo’e Shafaa’at Raa
Khushaa’I Bar Gunaagara
Makun Mahruume Jaami Raa
Daraa Aan. Ya Rasulullah!

Ya Rasulullah! When you spread your hands to intercede for the sinners,
Then do not deprive Jaami of your exalted intercession.


______________________________________________

bless us with your noor ya Rasul Allah. amin
There is some kiss we want with our whole lives, the touch of Spirit on the body.



~Rumi

lost heart

Why has the humanity been placed upon a tiny planet, in a large galaxy, and that galaxy placed within millions of others?



Answer:

Because each human being carries within the most precious instrument every engineered by Allah i.e. the human heart! There are no records of where we have come from, the only record is kept within the sea of Ishq and it only grows from the mud of Adam. This marvel of Divine Engineering had to be hidden, like a treasure in depth of cosmos, away from snatching of the thieves. 







*every engineered / please read as: ever engineered

....

Sunday, August 22, 2010

when i prostrate upon the earth it cried out,

O you who prostrate only for show!

You have ruined even me!



When i prostrate upon the earth it cried out,

Oh you of false heart filled with idols,

what value can your bowing possibly have?



Prostrate that would make the earth shake,

Are what pulpits ache for.



Faces that would shine with marks of prostration,

Where they have gone?

Hearts that would tremble in fear of Allah?

Where have they gone?



The gathering have dispered,

Those seeking You have left.

The cries of the night and dawn are no more,

Find them with a lamp in a daylight, you will not.





indeed todays life and priorities have changed as things other then Allah seems important to people. Muslims can never savor the delicious taste of worship when their hearts are devoted to a thousand other things rather than being solely devoted to Allah.



Do remember this faqir in your prayers

Jazak Allah
A mouse was in constant distress because of its fear of the cat. A magician took pity on it and turned it into a cat. But then it became afraid of the dog.

So the magician turned it into a dog. Then it began to fear the panther, so the magician turned it into a panther. Whereupon it was full of fear for the hunter.

At this point, the magician gave up. He turned it into a mouse again saying, "Nothing I do for you is going to be of any help because you have the heart of a mouse."



~ From Heart of the Enlightened By Anthony De Mello

Saturday, August 21, 2010

The Meeting of Love and Intellect

A person is either compelled to obey a master because of intense love toward the master or because that person understands the wisdom behind the master’s commands on an intellectual level. The same holds true for the relationship between a servant and Allah. One’s obedience to the Creator is either rooted in deep love or in intellectual understanding of the shariah, and the difference between the two is that of night and day.
The intellect is handicapped in the spiritual path of tasawwuf because the destination is only reachable on the wings of love. Intellect is cunning and therefore can appear in a thousand disguises whereas love is pure and simple and therefore does not deceive. The person who attains the blessed gift of love for Allah is indeed fortunate.


Do Remember this Faqir in your prayer.

Lesson of Grave

People need to detach themselves from this life’s false and misleading attractions because all is reduced to the same dust in the end. The greatest and most prominent people who have walked the earth have all met with the same end where, upon their death, they were lowered into a cramped earthen tomb for insects to devour their bodies.
Those yet living must take heed and learn a valuable lesson from this while there is still time. They must be firm and willing in their desire to seek forgiveness for their past mistakes and start anew.

- Atif Hussain

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Whenever the hearts come together
they usually affect each other in a positive way,
and
when they depart they are always richer.

Monday, August 16, 2010

تو نے ديکھا سطوت رفتار دريا کا عروج | موج مضطر کس طرح بنتي ہے اب زنجير ديکھ

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Perfection of the state of intoxicated man is sobriety..!!
Oh Allah, show us things as they are, because whoever thus sees them find rest..!!
May Allah keep our conduct above suspicion..!!


Amin

Friday, August 13, 2010

Speaking tongues are the destruction of Silent Heart..!!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Open your eyes

Open your eyes. What do you see? Do you see the crowds of people walking around? Look at their faces. Curious looks, snobs, anger, expressionless looks, looks of concentration. Did you notice the person that was smiling at you? Look again. See the trees waving to you in greetings?

Concentrate now on your hearing. What do you hear? Traffic? Discussions on the latest gossip? People on the cellular phones that are trying to compete with the noise? Cursing and swearing? Or the radio / television of your neighbors? But do you hear the songs of praises the birds in the day sings for you, or the lullaby the insects orchestrate for you in the night?

Now smell the air. Exhausts? Odors you feel repulsive? Smell again. Concentrate this time. You will find the fragrance of the perfect blossom.

Focus your senses to your skin. Feel the heat? The humidity? But did you not also notice the breeze that is gently trying to cool you? Feel the frost of the winter, biting through all your insulation. Again feel the warmth that the sun is wrapping around you in a warm embrace. And the warmth that is already within you that your heart is circulating.

There is always comfort around us if you know where to look. There is too much distractions in this society. Focus your senses in the correct way and you will find a release.


Jazak Allah
Company of the poor, eating simple and small amounts, and speaking when spoken to are good starting points to heal the defect of the Self (Nafs)..!!

triple filter test

A scholar in middle ages, was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem.
One day an acquaintance met the great scholar and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"
"Hold on a minute," the scholar replied. "Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
"Triple filter?"
"That's right," the scholar continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say.
That's why I call it the triple filter test.
The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and.."
"All right," said the scholar. "So you don't really know if it's true or not.
Now let's try the second filter, the filter of goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"
"No, on the contrary..."
"So," the scholar continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of usefulness.
Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"
"No, not really."
"Well," concluded the scholar, "if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"

"O ye who believe! Let not some men among you laugh at others: It may be that the (latter) are better than the (former)"

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

the shepherd

Once upon a time, there lived an old man whose only occupation was caring for and loving his only son who was a handsome young man. The old man invested all his money on his son's education. The young man went away for a few years and acquired an education at a well known university under the great scholars of that age.


The day had arrived for the son to return from his studies and the old man waited at the door for his son. When the son came and met his father, the old man looked into his eyes and felt great disappointment. "What have you learnt my son?" he asked, "I have learnt everything there was to be learnt, father", he said. "But have you learnt what cannot be taught?" asked the father. "Go, my son and learn what cannot be taught", said the old man.


The young man went back to his master and asked him to teach him what cannot be taught.

"Go away to the mountains with these four hundred sheep and come back when they are one thousand", said the master.


The young man went to the mountains and became a shepherd. There for the first time he encountered a silence. He had no one to talk to. The sheep did not understand his language. In his desperation, he would talk to them but they would look back at him as if to say he was stupid. Slowly but surely he began to forget all his worldly knowledge, his ego, his pride and he became quiet like the sheep and great wisdom and humility came to him.


At the end of two years when the number of sheep had grown to one thousand,he returned to his master and fell on his feet.


"Now you have learnt whatcannot be taught," said the master.


( May Allah bless us with such knowledge. Ameen )
May Allah The Sublime grant you success—Know that regular fasting amongst the ones who fast is that of their corporeal form (i.e. abstaining from eating and drinking) while the specialized fasting of the Muqinin (The People of Certainty) is the fasting of:

1. The Qalb (Heart) in abstaining from the preoccupations & musings of the world

2. The ears, the eyes and the tongue in abstaining from transgression of the Hadd (Divine Limits)

3. The hands and feet in abstaining from exerting force upon, and striving towards the causes and instruments of the Nahy (Divine Prohibitions)

Do remember this sinner in your prayers.

Jazak Allah
O my God, I have reached this month in a state in which I cannot remove from myself the things that I dislike, nor can I achieve that to which I aspire. These matters are not in my hands but in Yours. . . O my God! I ask for faith that will bring enthusiasm to my heart and an unshakable certitude free from doubt so that I may know that nothing will come to me other than that which You have intended for me, and make me content with what You have given me as my portion.

Peace be upon you Oh Ramdhan Kareem :)

Ameen

Sunday, August 8, 2010

‎'Don't sell your religion for your desires,
Don't sell this golden treasure so cheap'


- Simeen Behbahani (Persian poet)

Saturday, August 7, 2010

As much as you can for as many as you can...





and try to keep your ego out of it:)
You choose to be angry for what was held back,
I choose to be grateful for what was given...
"Qurratu Aini bika Ya Rasoolallah" (Ya Rasoolallah! You are the coolness of my eyes).


Once, the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) entered the Masjid and sat down near a pillar. Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (radi Allahu anhu) was seated beside him. Hazrat Bilal (radi Allahu anhu) then stood up and commenced with the Azaan. When he said: "Ash hadu Ana Muhammadur Rasoolullah", Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (radi Allahu anhu) placed both the thumb nails on to his eyes and said "Qurratu Aini bika Ya Rasoolallah" (Ya Rasoolallah! You are the coolness of my eyes). When Hazrat Bilal (radi Allahu anhu) completed the Azaan, the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) said, "O Abu Bakr! Whosoever does like you have done, Almighty Allah will forgive all his sins."


(Tafseer Roohul Bayaan)

Thursday, July 8, 2010


I give you my thoughts at the entrance to this travern of intoxication.
Taste them as a first sip of spiritua wine.
by
Hafiz

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Imam Shafi'i ( may God's mercy on him) said,

" the world is but a moment; so make it (a moment) of obedience"

Al- Busti says in his famous poem:

Increase in worldly things is to a man but diminishment.
And his profits in other than sheer goodness
are nothing but loss.

Imam Ismail al Maqqari says in a poem counseling his son:

Till when will you dwell in illusion and distraction?
How long will you sleep and not awake?
Will you spend all that you have in the love of that
Which God set lower than the wing of gnat?
If Qarun's fortune from it you should obtain,
it would still be but a morsel on your mouth
and a cloth on your body.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

the happiness of the drop is to die in the river.
by
Imam Ghazali

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Religion is love and love is religion.

by
Imam al- Baqir.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Zikr
.
..
Remembrance of Lord!
.
..
that in which hearts find true satisfaction.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Hu's He THEN?
He Who (Hu) loves you
And has scent you to a copious garden
A garden within
Where roses
Flower kings and
Prostrating flowers
Sway with love
To and from the Rose maker.
Their labour of love
A fragrance so pure...
That even ants
Move upon the dust
Of compassionate footprints...
Within this universal garden of love
So Hu's He THEN?...
I cannot describe,
I cannot describe...
Huuuuuuu.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

take night as your camel; with it you shall attain your hope.
Great souls have wills; feeble ones have only wishes” (Chinese proverb)
When your legs are tired, walk with your heart

Sunday, May 2, 2010

The scars you can't see are the hardest to heal

- (Astrid Alauda)
Who is more foolish, the child afraid of the dark or the man afraid of the light?

-(Maurice Freehill)
However many holy words you read,
however many you speak,
what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?
-
buddha

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

If I were to be told to pack up today and leave this world, I will not have many regrets. I'd just make a silent wish that someone else carry on and finish my work, blow a kiss in the general direction of the ever-spinning Earth, and leave, laughing at my usual flustered hurry.

Coming, God!


Hold that train! Oh no, I left my watch behind! Haha. Can I go back, and come back at a later moment? Your one moment and my lifetime, God?!



(there's nothin other then this comes in mind)

Monday, April 19, 2010

the true love to hurt the enemy (shaitan, satan) is to be occupied with the love of friend; on the other hand, if you engage in war with the enemy, he will have obtained what he wanted from you, and at the same time you will have lost the opportunity to love a friend.

( Mulay Ali al-Jamal)

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Honor..

Practicing honor is one's ability to withhold oneself from behaving in any way that harms another, that takes from another.

only i can truly withhold myself from the desire to take what rightfully belongs to another, for even my body is chained, my heart can keep an evil intact. And if i put to death, i would have died in a state of holding that desire.

this is what i felt that what honor to mean as yet..

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

This road-not-taken is pretty damn strange.

There are no milestones, and no indications.

The best hope is that it leads to a destination no one’s ever been to before.
Wherever.
I have this moment to forget the past, and be not anxious about the future.
From this world to another
I go this second!
Think.
Think!
With great pain comes great realization.
Nothing around me had changed.

Except my state of mind.
Power is when you have something that someone else wants from you, but cannot take unless you give.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

lie puts a human in another world intentionally or knowingly..!!
ugliness is the form of beauty, for those who see.
i have decided that time has come in my life where i start living out my knowledge. After all, wise men such as Hazart Ali(r.a) say that knowledge without practice consumes a person. what is the point of knowledge, truly, if we dont use it or pass it on - through demonstration???

May Allah bless us and guide us to truth and reality :)

Ameen

Friday, April 9, 2010

Honestly,

I'm dead.

I feel greatly torn between two worlds.

The Old and The New.

I am split in to two and two.

Oh dear life!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

O my love, do not forget your beloved,
come back from your life in the wilderness
The birds have flown home, why do you not do the same?
Love overwhelms me again and again,
I am yours and you are... mine
O Farid,
I will sacrifice myself, just to see him one more time
The spinning wheel of love, the unspun balls of grief
The more I spin them, they more they seem to double
My spinning wheel is priceless, as I spin, so my love grows stronger,
And at every turn of the wheel,
I remember you
What good is my life, without you, my dear love
The heart strings of my memory resound in every pore, every vein of my being
This is the time to return, my love and leave your independence
My eyes are longing for you and asking every traveller where you might be
My useless eyes are exhausted, looking out for you, my love
O independent one, come back now, my eyes are weak from looking for you
Come O crow,
I will feed you fancies if you come and sit on my roof
Give me news of my beloved and
I will honour you
Come and sit on my roof my beloved may come
O Farid,
I strain night and day to see the path you have taken,
Eid has come, but my beloved has not, may
God look after him
Adornments do not seem right, nothing is pleasing to my sight
The happy ones sleep peacefully while
I spend my nights in grief
I will celebrate Eid when my love comes back, without him
Eid is empty
Pierced by the arrow of loss, people call me mad
For God’s sake,
Come back,
or else this life is over.
Everyone taunts me, ‘where is your love?’
‘ He has left you and taken to the road’
What can I answer?
I weep alone
At every turn of the spinning wheel,
I remember you
Come back to the courtyard, to this one who longs for you
My spinning wheel is colourful, it is the vehicle of your remembrance
You are far from my eyes, but close to my heart and
I yearn for you
The strands of sorrow seem to have no end,
and
as I spin, they double Who will put an end to my sorrow?
I long for you.
I am bound to Ranjha, but my father is pressing me (to marry a Khera)
The Kheras are spreading lies,
I take on myself these accusations against Ranjha
People say he is just a buffalo herdsman, but for me,
he is my Mecca People say that love is easy,
but love spares nothing and no-one
Bulleh Shah bears witness to the truth, that
Shah Inayat is the perfect teacher...
...
..
.
.
.

by Farid.

I pray today that I don't lose heart in staying alive.

Amen!
there are matters that do not even need our actions. they appear to us, and then they dissolve. We do nothing more than observe them. let them come, and let them go. do not think that you are the lord of every bit of your life.

there are other people in this space where we co-exist. let them be. That is your freedom. Do not choose the version of freedom that enslaved minds envision: a situation where they face nothing. That is the vision of freedom of one who is essentially a captive of their own entity.

Monday, April 5, 2010

day draw near another one, do what you can for saving yourself ..!!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

If the shaykh says to you
"O my son take this cup and empty the ocean."
What is your job?
To take the cup and empty the ocean.

That means don't let your ego to give you wrong information.

If your shaykh says to you that your trust, that
diamond of Sayyidina Jibreel, is in far east and you are in far west. Don't say "I cannot" you duty is to go. Find a way.

don't fight; don't argue' don't criticize. Keep patient and peaceful, tranquility, contentment.

Jazak Allah

Tuesday, March 30, 2010


An unspeakable restlessness has gripped me.

And within it, the slightest shimmers of comfort.

I feel as though I am walking alone in a wilderness... in an utter aloneness... bewildered, but not quite. Sad, but not deeply. Moved - and yes that I am!
Sometimes I doubt if I am really grounded in reality. The world does something else, and I see something else. What I see then eventually comes true. The distance between my seeing and its realization, though, sometimes seems to stretch.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Listen to your heart
EXACTLY
at the moment when it speaks! :)
Do exactly as it says!
You missed again, man!
How unlearned!

You did not pay heed again, right? None of your signs shall come from the outside. You *must* live your principles NOW and in entirety.

DO. NOT. BE. FOOLED. BY. THE. RELAXATION. THAT. IS. GRANTED. TO. YOU.

You will end up amongst blind fools, banging their heads against walls within which they shall find themselves confined! Do not be fooled at all. This time calls upon your highest ethic, your sacrifice of self-interest, your avoidance of that which is convenient and tempting. Do not be fooled at all. All lies are to come to an end. Very soon, you shall see.

there are matters that do not even need our actions.
they appear to us, and then they dissolve.
we do nothing more than observe them.

Let them come, and let them go.

Do not think that you are the lord of every bit of your life.
There are other people in this space where we co-exist.

Let them be.
That is your freedom.

Do not choose the version of freedom that enslaved minds envision: a situation where they face nothing.
there is no mastery of the future.
there is no way that the past can be erased such that it is not a living part of one's self.
One comes only as far as the Present.



remember, real magic is hidden, hidden in the quiet moments...!!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Iqbal says
"Tukhum-e-Iqbal az Rumi ast"
(that is, Iqbal is an offshoot of Rumi's [ideology]).
but Rumi himself says,
Why are you so afraid of silence?
Silence is the root of everything.
If you spiral into its void,...
A hundred voices will thunder messages you long to hear.

Monday, March 22, 2010

the best first thing a human mind can do is to observe, to follow closely by wonder - and then question. In questions are theiranswers, and they reveal over Space when Time so intends.

a mind which wonders is a mind that wanders, in a beatific idleness. the beauty of a blue, blue night cannot be caught, much less the secret feelings it arises in the hearts and minds of the amused young.

"Where has this world come from?"
"Am I part of this, or is this in some way separate from me?"
"How many stars are there in this constellation?"
"What if I die, do I go up there?"

And then the occasional childlike: "Do fairies really descend in the night, and put that toffee under my head? Why not ice-cream? Fairies can do everything!"

Saturday, March 20, 2010

I am so madly uncertain, and afraid. But continue to love I do in the most uncertain of times. Fearing the process is foolish of me, eh, because didn't I just say I *have* seen the Architect's Design?

The point of love is: to aid us into the vast Unknown! The point of that is The Point.
I was put in the midst of this chaotic construction, and as ever, my task is to remember the origin. Look at this word again!
Re-member:
Re: Again
Member: Part
Remember: Join the parts again.
Become Whole again.
Return to the Original One!

Nebulous..

I am like a palace under construction that is opening its eyes, becoming gradually conscious... and is astounded and awed at once to observe at what's going on: The massive work at hand, the design, the beauty, the gestalt of the whole process of construction overwhelms my awakening consciousness. Here I see a beautiful window, and I am captured by the beauty of what I am looking like and at. There I see a loose pile of bricks, and am horrified at what seems to be a disorderly incompletion.

My being swerves between a love and fear of myself - and by extension, for the Architect. I have moments of absolute certainty about my beauty, and instances of utter doubts of the project.

The benevolence of the Universe that was so clearly visible to me had suddenly hidden, leaving my heart with an inexplicable feeling of contraction. I was wondering what happened? What wrong have I done - for, thanks to my culture, I indulge in the self blame-game more often than I'd like?

Then occurred to me a new analogy, a word: Nebulous.

Thursday, March 18, 2010


Book 9, Number 9.4.18:


Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Salim ibn Abdullah that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say,


"I pray the prayer of a traveler as long as I am undecided whether to remain somewhere or not, even if I am detained for twelve nights."
Do not keep the company of anyone whose state does not awaken yours, or words direct you to Allah. You might be doing badly, and be shown your goodness by keeping the company of someone even worse. - Ibn ‘Ata’ Illah’s

“The Hikam,” taught in Sunnipath’s.

Islamic Spirituality:

In other words, one may mistakenly believe that he is righteous while sitting among those who are worse than him. Hence, one should spend time with those who are more pious and refrain from the company of the heedless.
A thief entered the house of a Sufi and found nothing there to steal. As he was leaving, the dervish, sensing his disappoitment, threw him the blanket on which he had been lying.

Sa'di
I asked a child who was carrying a lighted candle,
"Where does this light come from?"
The child blew out
the candle and asked me,
"Tell me where it has gone and
I will tell you where it came from"
--
Sufi Wisdom