Inscribed on the hilt of the Prophet's sword:
'Forgive him who wrongs you;
join him who cuts you off;
do good to him who does evil to you,
and speak the truth although it be against yourself.'
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
What's Inside the Kaaba?
Is it perfect blackness? It is light? Is it a mirror? Is it full?
Is it empty? Is it ancient? Is it new? Is it flashing? Is it fullness?
Is it need? Is it love? Is it awe? Is it deafening? Is it silent?
Is it motionless? Is it resonating? Is it a doorway? Is it a point?
Is it a home? Is it directionless? Is it final? Is it rebirth?
Is it in the soil Or is it in the heart?
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Hazrat Sultan Bahu poem "I knew God well..."
I knew God well when love flashed before me.
It gives me strength by night and day, and shows what lies ahead.
In me are flames, in me is fuel, in me is smoke.
I only found my Beloved, Bahu, when love made me aware.
-Hazrat Sultan Bahu
trans. from Punjabi by Jamal Elias
God consciousness (Taqwa) is the light that illumines all that exists, transforming it through love. The Prophet (saw) prayed for God to "show him things as they truly are". In the same way, Hazrat Sultan Bahu says he "found God", meaning he found the Truth (al Haq) through that light of awareness/mindfulness.
Love is a lightning bolt that strikes the limited self, transforming it into a conduit of the Divine. The "self" becomes transparent to Allah when love reverberates through the heart. A psycho-spiritual, alchemical transformation then occurs, where as the hadith qudsi (divine saying) mentions, God "comes to us running".
When this happens we have the strength to endure anything in this dunya (world). We simply say Alhumdulillah (Praise to the One) whether life goes up or down, whether we receive praise or blame. We then see the past, present and future are all contained in a tiny dot along with all the Universes.
When the gaze peers inwardly (batin), all causation occurs within the heart (qalb). The stages of searching, finding and experiencing Allah in this life are all happening at once, not in some far place to be journeyed to, not at some distant point, but constantly in the present moment.
Then, one finds that it is not you who are searching. It is God who has found you, and brought you to the Divine court.
Love is the light which guides the way.
It gives me strength by night and day, and shows what lies ahead.
In me are flames, in me is fuel, in me is smoke.
I only found my Beloved, Bahu, when love made me aware.
-Hazrat Sultan Bahu
trans. from Punjabi by Jamal Elias
God consciousness (Taqwa) is the light that illumines all that exists, transforming it through love. The Prophet (saw) prayed for God to "show him things as they truly are". In the same way, Hazrat Sultan Bahu says he "found God", meaning he found the Truth (al Haq) through that light of awareness/mindfulness.
Love is a lightning bolt that strikes the limited self, transforming it into a conduit of the Divine. The "self" becomes transparent to Allah when love reverberates through the heart. A psycho-spiritual, alchemical transformation then occurs, where as the hadith qudsi (divine saying) mentions, God "comes to us running".
When this happens we have the strength to endure anything in this dunya (world). We simply say Alhumdulillah (Praise to the One) whether life goes up or down, whether we receive praise or blame. We then see the past, present and future are all contained in a tiny dot along with all the Universes.
When the gaze peers inwardly (batin), all causation occurs within the heart (qalb). The stages of searching, finding and experiencing Allah in this life are all happening at once, not in some far place to be journeyed to, not at some distant point, but constantly in the present moment.
Then, one finds that it is not you who are searching. It is God who has found you, and brought you to the Divine court.
Love is the light which guides the way.
Bari Imam: The Two Armies of Pakistan
When I was in Pakistan a few weeks ago I visited the mazar of Bari Imam (Shaykh Abdul Shah Latif Kazmi), one of the patron "saints" of Islamabad.
Visiting this holy site was a great blessing. My cousin and I went to make a Fatiha and spread a chadar (cloth) over the tomb.
We also went into a tiny cave-like room with a fire in the center next to the tomb. This is where Bari Imam came to do his chillah (retreat). It is customary to take a tiny bit of the ash and put it in your mouth as a blessing (Baraka). I did this though I think my cousin refrained.
In the room one slightly malang looking man looked at me and said in english, "You must be visiting, right? Where are you visiting from?"
I told him that I came from Los Angeles to see my family in Pakistan.
"Ooh I see. Do you know about the two armies of Pakistan? The government here, they have an army. The second army is the army of Bari Imam."
He continued to make a long dua with those present (which my cousin at one point told him to speed up), ending with loud voices saying "Amin" and calls of "Yaaaa Aliiiiiii!".
At the time I shrugged off his comments about Pakistan's "two armies", but later I realized there was wisdom in what he said, no matter how strange it sounded at the time.
The world (dunya) thinks they control and influence everything, but there is something to be said for the subtle influence of those of the spirit on our reality. They say that there are always realized ones (Awliya) and spiritual poles (Qutb), without which the worlds upon worlds would cease to exist.
Perhaps there is a Bari Imam army, made up of pious old men and women, wild malang, students, professionals and the throngs of poor people that frequent this mazar. Only God knows.
Noor Jehan singing "Bari Bari Imam Bari"
Visiting this holy site was a great blessing. My cousin and I went to make a Fatiha and spread a chadar (cloth) over the tomb.
We also went into a tiny cave-like room with a fire in the center next to the tomb. This is where Bari Imam came to do his chillah (retreat). It is customary to take a tiny bit of the ash and put it in your mouth as a blessing (Baraka). I did this though I think my cousin refrained.
In the room one slightly malang looking man looked at me and said in english, "You must be visiting, right? Where are you visiting from?"
I told him that I came from Los Angeles to see my family in Pakistan.
"Ooh I see. Do you know about the two armies of Pakistan? The government here, they have an army. The second army is the army of Bari Imam."
He continued to make a long dua with those present (which my cousin at one point told him to speed up), ending with loud voices saying "Amin" and calls of "Yaaaa Aliiiiiii!".
At the time I shrugged off his comments about Pakistan's "two armies", but later I realized there was wisdom in what he said, no matter how strange it sounded at the time.
The world (dunya) thinks they control and influence everything, but there is something to be said for the subtle influence of those of the spirit on our reality. They say that there are always realized ones (Awliya) and spiritual poles (Qutb), without which the worlds upon worlds would cease to exist.
Perhaps there is a Bari Imam army, made up of pious old men and women, wild malang, students, professionals and the throngs of poor people that frequent this mazar. Only God knows.
Noor Jehan singing "Bari Bari Imam Bari"
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