November 5, 2009
Peace, one and all…
‘When Satan said, ‘You led me into sin’,
the vicious demon hid his shameful deed.
But Adam said, ‘O Lord we’ve wronged ourselves’.
He was not blind, as we are, to God’s action.
Respectfully he hid it in the sin;
with sin upon his head he ate the fruit.
When he repented, God addressed him: ‘Adam!
Have I created sin and toil in you?
Was that not My decree and My command?
Why did you hide it at the time of pardon?’
‘I was reluctant to forgo respect’.
He said, ‘I’ve shown the same regard for you’.
For he who shows respect shall have it shown him,
and he who brings the sugar eats sweet cake.
For whom are ‘the good women’ meant? For
‘good men’.
Be good to friends; annoy them at your peril!
Dear heart, imagine this for your instruction:
know how compulsion differs from free will’.
(Mevlana, Masnavi 1.1498-1506, trans. A. Williams)
Posted in Adab, Chivalry, Sufism/Tasawwuf, The Teachings of the Awliya, The Wisdom of Mevlana | 1 Comment »
November 3, 2009
Peace, one and all…
I recently found myself watching the Catholic TV channel, EWTN, and as Allah willed, I tuned in to a discussion of the book of Ephesians. In particular, the presenter (an elderly priest) was discussing Ephesians 4:22-25:
‘Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness’.
This passage hit me like a thunderbolt, as if it were speaking directly to me, as though were in all truth the very voice of God moving in the deep waters of my soul. ‘I hear and obey’ is the only possible response in such situations, ‘Here I am at Your service’ (labbayk Allahumma labbayk).
A number of sayings of Imam Ali (may God ennoble his countenance) that I had then been reading feel relevant, and hence I wanted to share them here. The Imam is reported to have said:
‘He who is lowly in poverty is great in God’s sight’
And again:
‘He who is without knowledge [literally adab] is without merit’
And finally:
‘With sincerity, a man can reach the stations of the great’
May God always open me, and may all who pass by be blessed.
Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman
Posted in Adab, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Chivalry, Flashes, In Search of God's Forgiveness, Jesus son of Mary, Kindred Spirituality, Learning to Talk, Learning to Listen, Moments from My Life, Our Spiritual Heritage, Shia Islam, Sufism/Tasawwuf, Sunni Islam, The Sayings of the Imams, gratitude and patience | Leave a Comment »
November 1, 2009
Peace, one and all…
Imam Ja`far al-Sadiq (may God sanctify his noble soul) is reported to have said:
‘Every sin that begins in fear and ends in repentance brings God’s servant to Him. Every devotion that begins in faith and ends in conceit drives God’s servant away from Him. To be devout with conceit is to sin, and to sin with repentance is to be devout’
Posted in In Search of God's Forgiveness, Our Spiritual Heritage, Shia Islam, Sunni Islam, The Sayings of the Imams, gratitude and patience | 2 Comments »
October 21, 2009
Peace, one and all…
Trees standing row by row before an early autumn sun,
as worshippers behind a heavenly imam,
as disciples of a beloved teacher and friend.
They stand beneath both rain and sun,
taking nourishment in each new moment,
from every source and from every direction.
Unafraid, they partake of the oneness of growth,
complaining neither of burning heat
nor of bitter cold.
The wisdom of a tree is profundly simple:
a guide is only that which leads us forth;
a silsila* is all that connects us to God once more.
Abdur Rahman, 21st October 2009
* – the iniatic chain of teachers in a Sufi order
Posted in Abdur Rahman's Poetry | 2 Comments »
October 20, 2009
Peace, one and all…
A few months ago I purchased a copy of Suha Taji-Farouki’s translation of Ibn Arabi’s prayer al-Dawr al-A`la (also known as the Hizb al-Wiqaya). It is a beautiful prayer for spiritual growth and protection. As such, in the coming weeks and months, I wanted to share it with you.
Enjoy and may all who pass by be blessed, now and always…
In the Name of Allah, the All-Compassionate, the Most Merciful
O Allah! 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 Allah‘
(al-Dawr al-A`la 1)
Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman
Posted in Our Spiritual Heritage, Prayers of Beauty, Sufism/Tasawwuf, The Teachings of the Awliya | 3 Comments »
October 10, 2009
Peace, one and all…
Life exists beyond us, out there in the world, just waiting to be seen and felt and tasted. Life exists beyond description, beyond our ability to capture and define through words. And though we might name the stars, glorying in their light, still they exist beyond us. They have their own life; they have their own purpose.
As above, so below. Thus, we are our own stars of life and meaning. Others might, for a time, glory in the light we send forth but we too have our own meanings, our own destinies, our own lives. As I am slowly discovering, a truly human being participates in that life, adding to it the unique joy of their living soul.
Life thus exists within us. The same force that moves the stars, moves within us. The same song that causes leaves to dance upon the wind, calls out to us too, inviting us to life’s strange and wonderful dance once more.
Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman
Posted in Flashes, Love, Moments from My Life, Thnking out loud | 2 Comments »
October 7, 2009
Posted in Qawwali | 4 Comments »
October 5, 2009
Peace, one and all…
Abu Sa`id ibn Abi al-Khayr relates a profound saying from Junayd al-Baghdadi (may God sanctify both their souls):
‘You will not catch a whiff of God’s Oneness, as long as He has some right over you which you have not fulfilled. For this affair demands its full right’
Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman
Posted in Our Spiritual Heritage, Sufism/Tasawwuf, The Teachings of the Awliya | 2 Comments »
October 2, 2009
Peace, one and all…
Except that which Binds
Beloved, let me forget every tie
except that which binds me
to Your door.
Dissolve my every bond
except those which hold me
before the light of Your face.
Untie every knot
and lift every anchor.
Cast me adrift on the seas of Your love.
You are the light
and the Ocean wide.
Your door is my connection, my guidance, my hope.
Abdur Rahman, September 2009
Posted in Abdur Rahman's Poetry | Leave a Comment »
October 2, 2009
Peace, one and all…
Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim. In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Today marks the beginning of my teaching for this academic year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my new students for their interest in the course. May God bless our class and your learning. I ask for your forgiveness at the outset for the mistakes I am sure I will make along the way.
The Rose Prayer of the Mevlevi Sufi Order captures exactly what I would like to say:
‘May this moment be blessed. May goodness be opened and may evil be dispelled. May our humble plea be accepted in the Court of Honour; May the Most Glorious God purify and fill our hearts with the Light of His Greatest Name. May the hearts of the lovers be opened. By the breath of our master Mevlana, by the secret of Shams and Weled, by the holy light of Muhammad, by the generosity of Imam Ali, and the intercession of Muhammad, the unlettered prophet, mercy to all the worlds. May we say Hu, Huuu…’
Wa akhiru da’wana an il hamdu lillahi rabbil alameen.
Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman
Posted in Academic/Teaching, Learning to Talk, Learning to Listen, Mevlevi, Moments from My Life | Leave a Comment »
October 2, 2009
Peace, one and all…
Water & Air, Day & Night
You are the thrill of water
on a day of fiery heat,
and You are the taste of air,
dancing joyfully upon the morning breeze.
You are the warmth of the sun,
after a night of cold anxiety
and yet, You are the night itself,
covering the world with veils of intimacy.
You are all these things,
and yet none of them.
O You Who are Gentle beyond all understanding
embrace us with Your mercy once more.
Abdur Rahman September 2009
Posted in Abdur Rahman's Poetry | Leave a Comment »
October 1, 2009
Peace, one and all…
Eastern Skies
Eastern skies dissolving
into gathering clouds of rain.
A storm wanders across the hills
above land hushed into silence.
A single cloud-parting remains,
a lingering hand of light
amidst the gloom,
like the last taste of summer.
Read the signs aright ibn al-sabil.
See the moment and know,
know the moment and live:
you yourself are those eastern skies.
Abdur Rahman, September 2009
Posted in Abdur Rahman's Poetry | 2 Comments »
October 1, 2009
Peace, one and all…
Who are You?
Who are You,
Whose hands turn all who reach forth
into new hands
of love and goodness?
Who are You,
that builds mansions above the clouds,
and things more wondrous still
as yet unknown?
Who are You
that stirs this small heart of mine
O You Who are subtle
beyond all understanding?
Who are You,
O Beloved Wonder!
O Beautiful Mystery!
O Secret Thief of Hearts?
Abdur Rahman, September 2009
Posted in Abdur Rahman's Poetry | 2 Comments »
September 19, 2009
Peace, one and all…
‘It has needed centuries and legions of seekers for the science of men to appear in the world, but it needs only a moment and only an inspired one to recall the science and the love of God in the heart of believers. Shall we not realise the thing, and shall we not be surprised and moved by the recall of the Lord?’
(Louis Cattiaux, The Message Rediscovered)
‘The breath that rendered Adam thunderstruck
struck dumb the minds of heaven’s occupants’
(Mevlana, Masnavi 1.1999)
Posted in Kindred Spirituality, The Wisdom of Mevlana | 2 Comments »
September 6, 2009
Peace, one and all…
Al hamdu lillah. My wife and I have returned to the UK after our recent trip. I will post pictures of our visit in a few days insha Allah.
Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman
Posted in Moments from My Life, Travelling | 2 Comments »
September 2, 2009
Peace one and all,
My wife and I are currently in Istanbul, where are celebrating 10 years of marriage. Al hamdu lillah.
Posted in Miscellaneous | 14 Comments »
