Ramblings I head from a Dervish
Be in this world as if you are a traveler a passer-by with your
clothes and shoes full of dust. Sometimes you sit under the shade of
a tree sometimes you walk-in the desert. Be always a passer-by for
this is not your home.
Nabi [peace and blessings be upon him]

We made pathways in our lives and follow them blindly till death.
Pride lifts our heads blinding us to all but the stones we stumble
upon till fate brings us down with a single blow.
Rumi

The rose has gone from the garden what shall we do with the thorns,
The king is not in the city what shall we do with his court,
The fair are the cage
Beauty and goodness the bird
When the bird has flown what shall we do with the cage.
Rumi
  "Know that the realty is that which man dose not make a habit, and
the Shari'a is that which man makes a habit. Because of this
meaning, you find change always melts the Gnostics of Allah, may
Allah be pleased with them, because they find the element of
increase in it. It is also understood from that, that their desire
is that in constant travel so their compulsion continues. It is said
that the Gnostics of Allah is always compelled and is not settled
with other then Allah."
  The Meaning of Man
Written more then 200 years ago by
  Sheikh Sidi al-Jamal of Fez

A long time ago in Afghanistan, there lived a man named Aziz. People
called him sheikh. A sheikh is a Sufi teacher. Sheikh Aziz was very
worried about the fact that the country was in a drought and no one
could find oil. Oil at that time came not from an oil well but from
plant and animal sources. The highest grade of oil had not been seen
in the market for many months. The Sheikh prayed. "Oh, Allah, I
always thanked you for all the good and bad in life, but this time
so many people are freezing. The winter has been cold and very long.
Please, Allah, help the suffering."
Several weeks passed, and the Sheikh was busy in his small shop when
a stranger walked in. "Would you like to buy some oil?" the
stranger said very abruptly. "You have oil?" asked the
Sheikh. "Yes," said the stranger, "The finest oil that can be
had." The stranger took the goatskin oil bag off of his back and
drew out some oil. "This is the finest oil I have ever seen," said
the Sheikh. "How much is it? For I have very little money, and this
oil must be very expensive." The stranger said, "It is only 10
Afghani's." "Why, I have never heard of oil so cheap," said the
Sheikh, "I paid a lot more for the lowest grade of oil last fall.
Do you have any more? There are a lot of people in great need of
oil." The stranger said, "As much as you want." "From where?"
asked the Sheikh, but the stranger had unloaded the oil and was
gone.
Day after day, the mysterious stranger filled oil container after
oil container. Even the poorest people received oil, and money was
found lying under numerous oil containers. One day Sheikh Aziz
decided to find out where this oil came from, so he followed the
stranger all over Kabul. In Kabul there is a place that is filled
with water in the summer; but in the fall, it is drained; and by
winter, the water that remains is stagnant and smelly. It is to this
place that Sheikh Aziz followed this stranger and saw him fill his
oilskin with water. "Peace be with you," said Sheikh Aziz. The
stranger jumped and said, "Please do not tell anyone what you have
seen." Sheikh Aziz replied, "I will never say a word; please just
tell me your story."
"Ah yes, my story…" began the stranger. "I was a general in an
army. I was cruel and heartless in battle. When I was discharged, I
took a job as governor of a western province. I was just as cruel as
when I was a general. All the people were suffering, and I was
happy. One day a dervish came to my door and said, `You will die
this day or serve Allah.' `I serve no one but myself,' I replied
and went to kick the dervish. Suddenly the dervish was smiling down
at me as I lay on my back on the floor. I have no idea what had just
happed, but I could not move. I started to cry like a little baby
and begged the dervish not to kill me. The dervish said, `Only
Allah can give and take life,' and asked if I was ready to serve
Allah. `Yes!' I cried, `Oh Allah, I wish to be forgiven!' The
dervish spoke to me, `I was told in a dream by the prophet Muhammad
to tell you to go to Kabul and fill this goatskin bag with water.
When you have done so, take the goatskin bag to someone in need of
oil. When you reopen the bag, you will find the finest grade of oil.
Sell oil to those who can afford it. Provide the money and the oil
for those who cannot. Do this until all who need oil are provided
for.' I am now doing as the dervish asked. That is my story."
Sheikh Aziz went back to his store and kept the oil seller's
secret. At the end of winter, the oil seller disappeared, and Sheikh
Aziz had a dream and was told that he could tell the story as a
lesson. And so it comes to you.
Live in the world as a wayfarer /stranger the Nabi Muhammad may
peace and blessings be upon him said.
Isk Ma'bub lailala

Trapped
  Trapped by time trapped by judgment trapped by options. We wander
trapped by senses and time. Until we find the darkness we are trapped
in is a shadow  we cast upon our own path. When we turn and face the
light it all becomes clear.
La Ill la Ha Ill La La is the key to understanding what cannot be
understood. It shows us the way with its illumination. The light of all
lights. The darkness of all darkness cracks and falls away and yet we
still remain in darkness until we realize we are in so much light it
appears black, illuminus black. Pressing on we find our divine goal Isk
Ma'bub la ill la la. Ziker is the way, la Ila ha Ill la la is the
light to pass beyond the 10,000 vales and Isk is the divine love we
find at the end and start of our journey
Found on a scrap of paper in a field of flowers on the other side of
dreams
Malang
Copyrighted 03

Remember always that you are just a visitor here, a traveler passing
through. your stay is but short and the moment of your departure
unknown.
None can live without toil and a craft that provides your needs is a
blessing indeed. But if you toil without rest, fatigue and wearness
will overtake you, and you will denied the joy that comes from
labour's end.
Speak quietly and kindly and be not forward with either opinions or
advice. If you talk much, this will make you deaf to what others
say, and you should know that there are few so wise that they cannot
learn from others.
Be near when help is needed, but far when praise and thanks are
being offered.
Take small account of might, wealth and fame, for they soon pass and
are forgotten. Instead, nurture love within you and and strive to be
a friend to all. Truly, compassion is a balm for many wounds.
Treasure silence when you find it, and while being mindful of your
duties, set time aside, to be alone with yourself.
Cast off pretense and self-deception and see yourself as you really
are.
Despite all appearances, no one is really evil. They are led astray
by ignorance. If you ponder this truth always you will offer more
light, rather then blame and condemnation.
You, no less than all beings have Buddha Nature within. Your
essential Mind is pure. Therefore, when defilements cause you to
stumble and fall, let not remose nor dark foreboding cast you down.
Be of good cheer and with this understanding, summon strength and
walk on.
Faith is like a lamp and wisdom makes the flame burn bright. Carry
this lamp always and in good time the darkness will yield and you
will abide in the Light.
Dhammavadaka

Strangeness and the Strangers
Imām Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyyah
      [Adopted by Ammar ibn Abdullah al-Hindi Based on a booklet by
ibn Qayyim
entitled "al-Ghurbathu wa al-Ghuraba" Some modifications and
additions have
been made, (c) 1994 Basheer Publications]
"Islām began as something strange, and it shall return to being
something
strange, so give glad tidings to the strangers."
The Meaning of "Strangeness"
Many times in many situations the people that follow the religion of
Allāh
feel a sense of not belonging, of being out of place, of not fitting
in,
and, in other words, of being strange. This feeling could occur in a
gathering of non-Muslims, but, unfortunately, this feeling sometimes
also
occurs when one is with his fellow Muslims. A person sees his
brothers and
sisters doing acts that are contrary to Islām, or taking part in
innovations
that sometimes even border on kufr (apostasy), yet he feels that he
does not
have enough power or courage to stop them in these acts. Some
brothers and
sisters, especially if they do not have enough taqwā or Islamic
knowledge,
sometimes buckle under the pressure of their peers and join in these
acts,
knowing that this is not what Allāh wants them to do. However,
feeling
helpless, since it seems that they are alone in their ideas and
without any
support to help them do what is right, they succumb to such
pressures.
These brothers and sisters, may Allāh have mercy on them, should take
consolation in the verses of the Qur'ān and the many statements of
the
Prophet (peace be upon him) describing this very situation of
strangeness
that they feel.

Why Have They Been Called "Strangers"?
Allāh says in the Qur'ān, "If only there had been, in the generations
preceding you, people having wisdom, prohibiting others from evil in
the
earth; except a few of those whom we have saved from among them."
(Hūd:
116).
This verse speaks of the few people on earth, the "strangers", who
prohibit
mankind from evil. These are the same people the Prophet (peace be
upon him)
spoke about when he said, "Islām began as something strange, and it
shall
return to being something strange, so give glad tidings [Ar. Tūba.
This is a
tree in Paradise. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) is giving the
good news
of Paradise to these strangers.] to the strangers." It was
asked, "Who are
those strangers, O Messenger of Allāh?" He replied, "Those that
correct the
people when they become corrupt." [Reported by Abū Amr al-Dani, from
the
hadīth of ibn Masūd. It is authentic according to al-Albānī. Another
narration says, "Those that correct my sunnah which has been
corrupted by
the people after me."] In another narration he said in response to
the same
question, "They are a small group of people among a large evil
population.
Those who oppose them are more than those who follow them."
[Reported by ibn
Asākir. It is authentic according to al-Albānī.]
These praiseworthy people are called strangers since they are a small
minority among mankind. Thus, Muslims are strangers among mankind;
the true
believers are strangers among Muslims; and the scholars are
strangers among
the true believers. And the followers of the Sunnah, those that clear
themselves from all peoples of innovation, are likewise strangers.
In reality, however, their strangeness is only because they are the
minority
and it is not because their actions and beliefs are strange. This is
what
Allah says in sūrah al-An'ām, "And if you obey most of the people on
Earth,
they will lead you astray" (al-An'ām:116). Allāh also says, "And
most of
mankind will not believe, even if you (O Muhammad) desire it eagerly"
(Yūsuf: 103); "And truly, most of mankind are rebellious and
disobedient (to
Allāh)." (al-Mā'idah 49); "But nay, most of mankind are ungrateful"
(Yūsuf
38). Therefore, Allāh, the all-Knowing Creator, knows the most of
mankind
will not follow the truth. Instead, only a small group of people
will be set
apart that truly and correctly believe in Him, the strangers from
among
mankind.
The strangers in belief, however, and the strangers in character and
actions
are in reality the majority of mankind, for they are strange to
Islam and to
the laws that Allāh has revealed. Thus we see that there are various
types
of strangeness, of which some are praiseworthy, some are blameworthy
and
some are neither praiseworthy or blameworthy. We will discuss these
various
categories separately below.

The Various Types of Strangeness
You should know, may Allāh have mercy upon you, that strangeness is
of three
types:
The first type of strangeness is the strangeness of the "People of
Allāh and
the People of His Messenger" (peace be upon him), which we mentioned
previously. This strangeness is a praiseworthy strangeness, as it
has been
praised by Allāh and His Messenger (peace be upon him). Therefore,
this kind
of strangeness should be sought and its people must be supported.
This
strangeness occurs in different times, in different places, and among
different peoples. These strangers, then, are the true "People of
Allāh" for
they do not worship ought save Him, and they do not take support
from any
path except the path of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and they do
not
call to anything except that which has been brought by the Prophet
(peace be
upon him). These are the people who left mankind when they (the
strangers)
were in need of them the most.
For, on the Day of Judgment, when all other groups will go with that
which
they used to worship, they will stay in their places. It will be
said to
them, "Will you not go as the other people have gone?" They will
answer, "We
had abandoned the people (in this life), and we were more in need of
them
then we are today, and we will wait for our Lord whom we used to
worship."
[Recorded by al-Bukhārī and Muslim]
Thus it is apparent that this strangeness does not cause its bearer
any
discontent. Rather it is a comforting strangeness, a solace to the
believers. This is because he knows that his helpers are Allāh, His
Messenger and those who believe [This is a reference to verse 55 of
sūrah
al-Mā'idah], even if all of mankind left and abandoned him. These
strangers
are again described in a hādīth narrated by Anas ibn Mālik, in which
the
Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "It is possible that a disheveled,
dusty
person, with not many belongings [Literally, "with two
headdresses"], who is
not noticed among the people, if he asks of Allāh, Allāh will
fulfill his
prayer." [Reported by at-Tirmidhī and al-Hākim. Al-Albānī said it is
authentic.] Al-Hasan al-Basrī [a very famous Follower - tābī` -
known for
his piety, asceticism and knowledge] said, "A believer is a stranger
in this
world, he is never afraid of its humiliation, and he never competes
for its
glory. The people are in one situation and he is in a different
situation.
The people are content with him, yet he is in turmoil
[Literally, "tired"]
with himself."
From the characteristics of these strangers that the Prophet (peace
be upon
him) described is the holding on to the sunnah of the Messenger
(peace be
upon him), even if the people abandon it. They, the strangers, leave
all the
innovations that their people invent, even if such practices should
be
common among them. They also stick to tawheed, even if the people
corrupt it
with shirk. They do not ascribe themselves to anything besides Allah
and His
Prophet (peace be upon him); they do not, that is, ascribe
themselves to a
shaikh, tarīqah, particular madhhab or a group of people. They are
dedicated
only to Allāh, with their sincere worship of Him and Him alone, and
to His
Prophet (peace be upon him), by following the path that he followed.
These
are the people who grasp the glowing hot embers [A reference to the
hadīth
that is to follow], even though most of mankind - nay, all of them -
blame
them for this. This is the meaning of the statements of the Prophet
(peace
be upon him) alluding to the fact that they stick to his sunnah,
even if the
people corrupt it.
Allāh, all praise be to Him, sent His Prophet (peace be upon him)
when
mankind followed different religions, for there were those who
worshipped
rivers and trees, and there were those who worshipped idols, and
there were
Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians. Islām, when it first appeared
among these
people, was strange to them. If a person from among them accepted
Islām and
followed the call of Allāh and His Prophet (peace be upon him), he
would be
shunned by his family and his tribe. He would live the life of a
stranger
among his people. Eventually, however, Islām spread far and wide. The
Muslims became stronger and stronger, so much so that the strangers
were
those that did not accept the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad
(peace be
upon him).
But, alas, Satan deceived mankind again. People took to the ways
that their
forefathers, who had accepted Islām, had abandoned until, finally,
Islām
became strange again, just like it had started and just like the
Prophet
(peace be upon him) had foretold. Nay, indeed, rather the true
Islām - that
which the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions were
following
[this is a reference to the reply that the Prophet (peace be upon
him) gave
when asked what the characteristics of the "Saved Group" were] has
become
even stranger to the people then when it initially appeared, even
though its
outward signs and external relics are well known and widespread.
[This is
what ibn al-Qayyim, wrote in the 8th Century of the Hijrah, wrote.
Imagine
our situations six centuries after him. May Allah protect us.]
How can it not be so, when these strangers are only one group among
seventy-two others [the Prophet (peace be upon him) said in an
authentic
hadīth that this Ummah would divide into seventy-three groups, all
of which
would go to Hell except the one Saved Group.], each of which follows
its own
desires and takes its passions as gods? Those are the groups that
base their
teachings on doubts and innovations and whose sole purpose is the
gratification of their own desires. Thus, the group whose goal is to
achieve
the pleasure of Allāh by following the path of
His Messenger (peace be upon him) will be the strange one among all
of the
other groups.
This is why the true Muslims - those that adamantly cling to the
Sunnah -
will have the reward of fifty Companions. When the Prophet (peace be
upon
him) was asked about the verse, "O you who believe! Take care of
your own
selves. If you follow right guidance, no harm can come to you from
those who
err" (al-Mā'idah 105), he said, "Nay indeed, order good and forbid
evil
until you see stinginess being obeyed, and desires being followed,
and this
world preferred [over the next], and each person being deluded by
his own
opinions. Then take care of yourself and leave the common people. For
indeed, after you there will be days of patience, where patience
will be
like holding on to glowing embers. Whoever is able to do this will
have the
reward of fifty people that do like him." They asked, "O Messenger
of Allāh,
the reward of fifty of them?" He replied, "The reward of fifty of
you"
[Recorded by al-Tirmidhī and Abū Dāwūd with a weak chain but it has
supporting evidence. Al-Albānī calls it sāhīh. See al-Sahīhah,
#957]. This
reward is due to his strangeness among the people.
So, if the believer whom Allāh has blessed with wisdom and knowledge
wants
to tread upon this path, the path of Allāh, then let him be prepared
to
resign himself to the life of a stranger among his people, just like
his
predecessors who accepted Islam were treated by the people. For
indeed, he
will be a stranger in his beliefs, because his people have corrupted
their
beliefs. He will be a stranger in his religion, due to what the
people have
done to it. He will be a stranger in his manner of praying, because
the
people are ignorant of the prayer of the Prophet (peace be upon
him). He
will be a stranger in his ordering of good and prohibiting evil, for
the
people have taken what is evil as good and they have abandoned what
is good
as evil. In short, then, he will be a stranger in all his matters of
this
world and the Hereafter, calling to the path of Allāh and
withstanding the
harm of all those that go against him.
As for the second type of strangeness, then know, O reader, that this
strangeness is the blameworthy strangeness, for its people are the
evil
sinners, the ignorant and the arrogant of mankind. Their strangeness
is due
to their refusal to follow the correct and straight path of Allāh.
This strangeness is the strangeness of not conforming to the
religion of
Islam and, as such, it will remain strange even if its followers are
numerous, its power is strong and its existence is widespread. These
are the
strangers to Allāh. May Allāh keep us from becoming one of them.
The third category of strangeness is, in essence, neither
praiseworthy or
blameworthy. It is the strangeness that a traveler experiences when
he
travels to a different country, like a person who lives in a place
for a
short period of time, knowing that he has to move on. One aspect of
this
strangeness is that all of us, whether we realize it or not, are
strangers
in this world, for we will all go one day to our permanent abode in
the
Hereafter. This is the meaning of the hadīth of the Prophet (peace
be upon
him) when he told Abdullah ibn Umar, "Live in this world as though
you are a
stranger or a wayfarer." Thus, this category of strangeness has the
potential to become a praiseworthy strangeness if we realize the
meaning of
this statement of Allāh's Messenger (peace be upon him).
We pray that Allāh bless us to be Muslims, knowledgeable and pious,
and that
He forgive us our sins and bless us with His Mercy.
Glorified be your Lord, the Lord of Honor and Power! (He is free)
from what
they attribute to Him And Peace be on the Messengers. And all Praise
and
thanks be to the Allāh, the Lord of the Worlds.

The Journey
By Huma Ahmad at http://www.jannah.org/search/

Imagine yourself at the moment of your death.
What thoughts cross your mind? Memories of family and friends?
Panic? Regrets? Remembrance of Allah? What is death? What happens to
us after we die? What is life in the Hereafter like, this new and
strange world after death? Do we lose consciousness of this life?
Where does our soul go? Do we feel and think the same?

The ineffable feeling of crossing the boundary between this world
and the next cannot be described in words, nor imagined in the mind,
but can be understood only through divine revealation and
inspiration.Let us for the next few moments seek an understanding of
this, death, the only certainty in life.

Sometimes we may not want to know about the processes that occur
after we die because we are afraid or don't want to think about it.
However, this is not the attitude of a Muslim. We should be foremost
in learning and understanding death, so we can live our! lives
accordingly. The prophet (saw) said, "Live in this world as though
you are a stranger or a traveler (passing through it)." [Muslim] We
are on a journey and should know about the whole journey's
itinerary,not just one part.

Death is inevitable. It is the one thing that we can be certain
about in life. We are born to die. Every soul shall have a taste of
death no matter who they are. This is confirmed for us many times in
the Quran:

"Every soul shall have a taste of death: and only on the Day of
Judgement shall you be paid your full recompense." (Quran 3:185)

"Every soul shall have a taste of death: and We test you by evil and
by good, by way of trial. To Us must you return." (21:35)

"Every soul shall have a taste of death: In the end to Us shall you
be brought back." (29:57)

Death is not pure annihilation, but rather both the living and dead
are aware, but there is a difference that can't ! be compared. Death
is merely movement from one world to another. It can be described as
a journey through a wormhole to a separate dimension of existence.

We begin this journey in our mother's wombs. 120 days after
conception the soul is blown into the fetus. Narrated 'Abdullah bin
Mus'ud: "Allah's Apostle, the true and truly inspired said, '(The
matter of the Creation of) a human being is put together in the womb
of the mother in forty days, and then he becomes a clot of thick
blood for a similar period, and then a piece of flesh for a similar
period. Then Allah sends an angel who is ordered to write four
things. He is ordered to write down his (i.e. the new creature's)
deeds, his livelihood, his (date of) death, and whether he will be
blessed or wretched (in religion). Then the soul is breathed into
him'"[Bukhari]

We have no choice in who our parents are, our race, color or
nationality. "He it is ! Who shapes you in the wombs as He pleases.
There is no god but He, The Exalted in Might, The Wise." (3:6) Allah
knows all of this before our birth even, but we still continue our
journey to fulfill our destiny.

The next part of our trip begins after we are born. This is the life
of this world, in which we now reside and are familiar with. We may
stay at this station for a few seconds or as long as 100 years or
more. Here we grow up and acquire the means to happiness or misery.
We are given the ability to make choices after the age of puberty
and we will later be punished or rewarded based upon them. Allah
gives each of us the natural Fitrah, knowledge of good and bad as
well as
right and wrong. The rest is up to us. As the Quran says, "By the
Soul, and the proportion and order given to it, and its
enlightenment as to its wrong and its right--Truly he succeeds that
purifies it, and he fails that corrupts it!" (91:7-10)
In this life, the soul and the body are together except during sleep
when the soul may leave the body and come back in the morning or
Allah may take the soul at that time. "It is Allah that takes the
souls at death; and those that die not (He takes) during their
sleep: those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He keeps
back (from returning to life), but the rest He sends (to their
bodies) for a term appointed. Verily in this are Signs for those who
reflect." (39:42) It is indeed something to be pondered; that we die
each night and Allah gives us another chance at life when we wake up
the nextday.

We also find continuous biological processes of life and death
during this time. In every cell, organ or system of organs, life and
death is occuring. There are several hundreds of thousands of
enzymatic reactions that take place in the body every fraction of a
second. Some of these biochemical reactions are used to! synthesize
livingmaterials while others are either used to synthesize dead
materials or to get rid of living materials. "You (Allah) bring the
Living out of the Dead, and You bring the Dead out of the Living"
(3:27)

This part of our journey ends as our death begins.

No one knows where, how and when he or she will die. "Verily, the
knowledge of the hour is with Allah (alone). It is He who sends down
rain, and He who knows what is in the wombs, nor does anyone know
what it is that he will earn on the morrow. Nor does anyone know in
what land he is to die. Verily, with Allah is full knowledge and He
is acquainted (with all things.)" (31:34) Nor does anyone have the
right to take his or her own life. If they do they will
automatically go to Hell. The One who gave life is the only one who
has the right to take life.


"We hear and we obey. Forgive us, our Lord!
To You is the journey's end." (2:285)
Ameen.

"Every soul shall ha! ve a taste of death: and only on the Day of
Judgement shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is
savefar from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained
the object (of Life): For the life of this world is but goods
andchattels of deception" (3:185)


Sources: "The Soul's Journey after Death" by Layla Mabrouk
"Death and Dying" by Dr. Ahmad Sakr
"The World of the Angels" by Sh. Abdul Hamid Kishk
"A Treasury of Ahadith"by Dr. Mazhar U. Kazi
Quran Al-Kareem trans. Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The moth flies in to the candle lantern it has no choice the longing
is too great.
Birth is the first step toward death
Die before you die is whispered to us and
yet we ignore the longing until the fire is too great
I saw a child carrying a light,
I asked her were she brought it from'
She put it out and said
"Now tell me were has it gone."
The wayfarer asks how and it is said `la ill la ha ill la la hu as
much as you can
I cannot for my way is different
Then it is said how can one be different from the other for all lead
to the same place
Rumi said, "I did not show up for prayer and in the afternoon my
brothers came looking for me. They found me in my room, my beard
frozen to the floor. I had left my window open and in my love for
the beloved. I wept so much my beard froze."
Rumi writes:
"When you are with everyone but me you are with no one
When you are with me you are with everyone
Instead of being so bound up with everyone be everyone
When you become that many you are nothing empty"

How can you fill the wine glass when it is full of illusion?
Sneak out very late and wash your cup and have the source fill it.
For the sake of one Rose a gardener is a slave to a thousand thorns
As these words fall I try to catch them and yet this too is a dream
Mehdi

Find a true friend -- Ghazal 994

find yourself a friend
who is willing to
tolerate you with patience

put to the test the essence
of the best incense
by putting it in fire

drink a cup of poison
if handed to you by a friend
when filled with love and grace

step into the fire
like the chosen prophet
the secret love will change
hot flames to a garden
covered with blossoms
roses and hyacinths and willow

spinning and throwing you
a true friend can hold you
like God and His universe

            -- Ghazal 994
                Translation by Nader Khalili
                Rumi, Fountain of Fire
                Cal-Earth Press, 1994

COFFEE
SHEIKH ANSARI DIERZERI HANBALL ABD AL-QADIR
TENTH CENTURY

YOU DISPEL THE WORRIES OF THE GREAT;
YOU ARE THE DRINK OF THE FRIENDS OF ALLAH;
YOU ARE THE COMMON MAN'S GOLD, AND LIKE GOLD,
YOU BRING TO EVERYONE THE FEELING OF LUXURY AND NOBILITY.
WHERE COFFEE IS SERVED THERE IS GRACE, SPLENDOR, FRIENDSHIP, AND
HAPPINESS.
YOU FLOW THROUGH THE BODY AS FREELY AS LIFE'S BLOOD, REFRESHING ALL
THAT YOU TOUCH.

True Warrior


In the wind
One shattered night
The hope for peace
Came down to one fight

The raging enemy
As powerful as could be
Intimidating and fearless
Standing before me

Young child, scared and unaware
The night held a secret
No fortune-teller could tell
Tonight a boy would die
To give life to a butterfly

In the end my story is not rare
For every true warrior
The fight is always fair
Live or die
There are no other rules
Live or die
No warrior dies a fool


Rafay Mustafa Seyal

Smiling Body


When the smiling body lay dead
The hands of the people trembled
Turning and twisting it
Until they could not stand it

Why is he smiling?
Why he's dead! How can he smile?
It's so sad
Mothers fathers sisters brothers are crying
And you lay there smiling. . .
Why oh why?

I knew it was my time to die
I saw a flash of light
A window into the journey ahead
And I had to smile
Because I saw the light of His face
Smiling back at me


Rafay Mustafa Seyal

When I was alone


With my self
I knew death was coming
To get me
And take me home
So I sat down
Smiled and waited
Excited about the journey ahead
Then death came and said:
I made a mistake.
It was not your time.

I said I must go! I must go back to my maker!
No. It's not your time
My God, what will I do?

My soul lived life happy playing ukulele but one day death come back
He said you are being requested, now you must come

There was no time for words

Now the glory of the stars seem small

How little the earth was, here is much better. . .


Rafay Mustafa Seyal

Is he gone


Where did he go?

He was just here

I saw him

He was sitting there

He was singing a song

Something beautiful

About rainbows and dreams

I thought I would see him in a few minutes

But he disappeared forever

Never to be seen by my eyes again

God how sweet his voice was

Is he really gone?

He was just here



Rafay Mustafa Seyal

Oh!  What a glorious day!
                                  I awoke,and seemingly you had gone.
                              ....after a tryst like that,of course i am
happy
                                      And after bathing I had a good cry
for an hour or so
                         And for all my wailing and gnashing of teeth at
your disapearance
                                   none of it could convince me you
weren't still there...


                         ~isham

peace be with you

the love and longing speaks thought your heart, my brother

love mehdi 

---

Yahoo! Mail
Bring photos to life! New PhotoMail makes sharing a breeze.

While the Prophet was saying something in a gathering, a Bedouin came
and asked him, "When would the Hour (Doomsday) take place?" Allah's
Apostle continued his talk, so some people said that Allah's Apostle
had heard the question, but did not like what that Bedouin had asked.
Some of them said that Allah's Apostle had not heard it. When the
Prophet finished his speech, he said, "Where is the questioner, who
inquired about the Hour (Doomsday)?" The Bedouin said, "I am here, O
Allah's Apostle ." Then the Prophet said, "When honesty is lost, then
wait for the Hour (Doomsday)." The Bedouin said, "How will that be
lost?" The Prophet said, "When the power or authority comes in the
hands of unfit persons, then wait for the Hour (Doomsday.)"

The Dervish said,
"It is good to be thankful to Allah that you are so well provided
for."

The Shakir said
  "Don't be fooled by appearances, by all the external things and
ideas of man, for this too shall pass."

hey,what's a shakir? Is that a fakir who is also a sheik?...  also here is
some food for thought.so many people mistake simple words like the antedote
between the shakir and the dervish.

         Isn't everything around us is not the work of man,but of god? and
even the human twists we apply to gods creation is still the will of god. So
refusing to create separation between god,or god's will and what is given us
to experience from day to day seems like just a higher dimensional
perspective than the more common view that dunya is bad etc.
    it seems to me that what is leaving thru the process of spiritual
purification is all the falsity that one has accrued from a lifestyle that
is frozen in a definition of lack and fear,which is something that has been
taught us by the other limited beings we are surrounded with.
    Seeing Allahs will in what we are given, and being thankful for it... for
the earth and all her blessings,for a beautiful day, seems like common sense
to me.  how will allah give more if we can't even be thankful for what we
have?
    Being greatful for the gifts in my life has definitely opened the door
wider for god's love and my experience of it. praise leads to
gratitude,which leads to  more love between people,and all the places there
is a lack will be filled. eventually this leads to compassion which is more
evolved than unconditional love......it's the love plus the wisdom to know
how to really help someone.And that wisdom comes from being focused on god.
       And yes that gives the experience that all this is creation,a
dream.....but for all the sham and dissapointment and pain,it is still also
full of beauty and love and pleasure. this creation is very real for us
untill true knowledge dawns,so why not treat it as god's body with love and
gratitude,never forgetting for a moment our creator,and never forgetting our
experiences are given to us as a gift ...and yes they will pass,it all
will....even more of a reason why we should cherish this moment, It is our
divine gift from god~  Isham



>From: "Sheikh Mehdi abd al Qadir Malang" <mehdimalang@...>
>Reply-To: Sufi_Poetry@yahoogroups.com
>To: Sufi_Poetry@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [Sufi_Poetry] fill a hole in to escape not dig it deeper
>Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2006 06:15:02 -0000
>
>
>The Dervish said,
>"It is good to be thankful to Allah that you are so well provided
>for."
>
>The Shakir said
>  "Don't be fooled by appearances, by all the external things and
>ideas of man, for this too shall pass."
>
>
>
>

Shakir \/ fakir same word different countries. If we look to deeply
at something, do we see the water at the bottom of the well or do we
just see the darkness Mehdi
------------------------------------------------------
These spiritual window shoppers, who idly ask,
How much is that? Oh, I am just looking.
They handle a hundred items and put them down,
shadows with no capital.

What is spent on love and two eyes wet with weeping.
But these walk into a shop, and their whole lives pass suddenly in
that moment, in that shop.

Where did you go?  "Nowhere."
What did you have to eat? "Nothing much."

Even if you don't know what you want,
buy something, to be part of the exchanging flow.

Start a huge, foolish, project like Noah.

It makes absolutely no difference what people think of you.

Jalaluddin Rumi
Mathnawi, VI, 831-845

Are we a rose or the thorns? Do we spend years asking for a light and
when it comes put it out because it is to bright?  When the teacher
comes are we to busy and send the teacher away only to spend years
looking for a teacher. Do we really seek the truth or the truth we are
comfortable with? Do we stand in the shadow of our own light and
complain about the darkness? Do we question every question? Do we ask
for knowledge only to dismiss it if it makes us uncomfortable? Let go
of words set out to seek the inner light the inner love. Let that be
your guide it is in this way the love and beloved become one.  The
tongue has no bone and yet it crushes.
Mehdi

(the mother of the faithful believers) Al-Harith bin Hisham asked
Allah's Apostle "O Allah's Apostle! How is the Divine Inspiration
revealed to you?" Allah's Apostle replied, "Sometimes it is
(revealed) like the ringing of a bell, this form of Inspiration is
the hardest of all and then this state passes  off after I have
grasped what is inspired. Sometimes the Angel comes in the form of a
man and talks to me and I grasp whatever he says." 'Aisha added:
Verily I saw the Prophet being inspired Divinely on a very cold day
and noticed the sweat dropping from his forehead (as the Inspiration
was over).
---------------------------------
the Quran) to make haste therewith." (75.16) said "Allah's Apostle
used to bear the revelation with great trouble and used to move his
lips (quickly) with the Inspiration." Ibn 'Abbas moved his lips
saying, "I am moving my lips in front of you as Allah's Apostle used
to move his." Said moved his lips saying: "I am moving my lips, as I
saw Ibn 'Abbas moving his." Ibn 'Abbas added, "So Allah
revealed 'Move not your tongue concerning (the Qur'an) to make haste
therewith. It is for us to collect it and to give you (O Muhammad)
the ability to recite it (the Qur'an)' (75.16-17) which means that
Allah will make him (the Prophet ) remember the portion of the
Qur'an which was revealed at that time by heart and recite it. The
Statement of Allah: 'And 'when we have recited it to you (O Muhammad
through Gabriel) then you follow its (Qur'an) recital' (75.18)
means 'listen to it and be silent. Then it is for Us (Allah) to make
it clear to you' (75.19) means 'Then it is (for Allah) to make you
recite it (and its meaning will be clear by itself through your
tongue). Afterwards, Allah's Apostle used to listen to Gabriel
whenever he came and after his departure he used to recite it as
Gabriel had recited it."

we are both the rose and the thorns and neither! and all questions point
back to the one who asks!


>From: "Sheikh Mehdi abd al Qadir Malang" <mehdimalang@...>
>Reply-To: Sufi_Poetry@yahoogroups.com
>To: Sufi_Poetry@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [Sufi_Poetry] pathways
>Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2006 23:06:36 -0000
>
>Are we a rose or the thorns? Do we spend years asking for a light and
>when it comes put it out because it is to bright?  When the teacher
>comes are we to busy and send the teacher away only to spend years
>looking for a teacher. Do we really seek the truth or the truth we are
>comfortable with? Do we stand in the shadow of our own light and
>complain about the darkness? Do we question every question? Do we ask
>for knowledge only to dismiss it if it makes us uncomfortable? Let go
>of words set out to seek the inner light the inner love. Let that be
>your guide it is in this way the love and beloved become one.  The
>tongue has no bone and yet it crushes.
>Mehdi
>
>
>
>

Allah's Apostle said, "The Hour will not be established till two (huge)
groups fight against each other, their claim being one and the same."

Ameen Sheik, an  APT WORD for these TIMES!

Thank you for being a vangaurd of the faith and for the faithful, muchlov for the sake of Allah(  sr. tal)

There is 1 message in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

1. hadith
From: "Sheikh Mehdi abd al Qadir Malang"


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 11:29:50 -0000
From: "Sheikh Mehdi abd al Qadir Malang"
Subject: hadith

Allah's Apostle said, "The Hour will not be established till two (huge)
groups fight against each other, their claim being one and the same."





________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________



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Sincerely, Tal

http://www.ya-mohammed.com/

In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

"Each of us who came here with wisdom must learn from this school.
Heaven does not come from building beautiful churches, mosques, and
temples. Man must build his church, mosque, and temple within
himself. The house of God must be built within. The place of worship
must be seen within. The completeness of God must be built within
the self. If man can understand his story and the story of God and
then build a church within himself, that is victory."

The Wisdom of Man
by M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
Muhaiyaddeen upcoming Events
Thursday, March 30
Flag raising after 'Asr
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Mosque of Shaikh M. R. Bawa
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Recital of Maulidun-Nabi (Sal.) after 'Asr in celebration of the
birthday of
Prophet Muhammad (Sal.)
Mosque of Shaikh M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen
Philadelphia, PA

Tuesday, April 11
Birthday of Prophet Muhammad (Sal.)
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