Learning to Talk

Peace, one and all…

 

In a very famous hadith, the Messenger of God (alayhi al-salatu wa al-salam) is reported to have made the following profound statement:

‘Fear Allah wherever you may be; follow up a bad deed with a good one, and it will erase it; and treat people with good character’ (recorded by Tirmidhi, Ahmad and Darami).

When I first heard this hadith, I was struck by its eloquent and profound simplicity.  The words of a prophet indeed.

It is, perhaps, a truism to say that, as a Muslim, I should carry the Prophet’s words and example with me wherever I go, but of late, I’ve found myself thinking about these words more and more often.

In particular, I find it comes to mind when I’m surfing the Islamosphere.  When doing this, I’m immediately struck by two things.  Firstly, the dramatic rise in the number, volume and intensity of Muslim/Islamic blogs, etc.  This is a good thing, and insha Allah, a hopeful sign of progress to come. 

However, my second observation is that many of our debating practices are found wanting, when judged by the Prophet’s (alayhi al-salatu wa al-salam) standards.  As is obvious to all, we are living in important and dramatic times: 9-11, 7-7, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Muslims in Britain, Islamophobia, etc, etc, etc.  These issues have rightly grabbed the attention of all concerned Muslims (and non-Muslims).  In many ways, the Muslim community is under pressure, as it attempts to find its feet in the 21st century world.  We have an important role to play in that world.  The real question before us, though, is: how are we going to meet these challenges?  That is, how can we utilise the rich, profound, and deeply humane tradition that is Islam, in addressing these issues? 

I don’t have the answers to such grand, and urgent questions.  I don’t even have all the right questions.  I do know one thing, though.  We have to answer these questions with Islam.  That is, we have to reach down inside ourselves and our faith and use its potential to the full.  I’m not offering any slogans, nor am I offering a pie-in-the-sky utopia.  Rather, I’m talking about the nuts and bolts of such an approach, built with Islam, from the ground up.

Here, in this specific context, we need to learn how to talk to one another, without falling into the same old tired rhetoric of nifaq (hypocrisy) and kufr (accusations of apostasy).  This starts from the ground up in the way that we talk to others.  Insha Allah, in the next few reflective posts, I aim to explore Islamic ideas of ethical approaches to dialogue.

The first step is to listen to the words of revelation, and the teachings of our Prophet (alayhi al-salatu wa al-salam).  So, I’ll end this first post with the following advice from our beloved Master (alayhi al-salatu wa al-salam):

 ’Whoever guards his tongue, Allah will conceal his faults.  Whoever restrains his anger, Allah will withhold His punishment from him on the Day of Judgement.  And whoever apologises to Allah [beseeching His forgiveness], Allah will accept that apology’ (recorded by Baihaqi)

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Muharram and Ashura

Peace, one and all…

As most of you are probably aware, we’re now in the first ten days of the Islamic month of Muharram.  For those unfamiliar, Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar.  The first 10 days are particularly important for a number of reasons.

For Sunni Muslims, the first 10 days marks the run up to the Day of Ashura.  Muslims fast on this day to commemorate Moses leading the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt.  In the Islamic tradition, it’s a time of reflection and fasting.

For Shi’a Muslims, apart from Yaum al-Ashura, the first 10 days of Muharram mark the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (may God be pleased with him).  Imam Hussein (who was the grandson of the Prophet, alaihi salatu wa salam), with a small band of family and followers, was massacred by the Umayyad forces of the caliph Yazid ibn Muawiyah.  This important event is marked with mourning throughout the Shi’a community.  The excellent Al-Islam.org has a wide range of useful resources on this event and its wider impact.

Given that I taught a course on Umayyad history during the summer, I suppose I should upload the relevant notes.  Well, follow the link here for some powerpoint slides on Imam Hussein and Yazid.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Ascension

Peace, one and all…

I’ve just posted some new poetic reflections over at The Corner Reloaded.  This evening’s offerings all explore different aspects of ascension. 

So, if you have a little time, why not visit this particular room of my virtual home.  I can promise virtual tea and biscuits!

Here’s a sneak preview….

I Don’t Mind

I don’t mind if you laugh.
For ridicule is merely the lightest of rains
upon this thickened skin.
Instead, let me speak a word of hope
into the narrow bitternesses of your mouth.
You can reach a place beyond,
you can become more
than the years have made of you.
The first step is to realise
that beyond all these petty squabbles
is an Ocean of starlit waters,
whose liquid grace
can wash us all clean once more.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

5 Things About Me

Peace, one and all…

Given the recent spate of tagging, I thought I’d contribute with a bit of self-tagging (hopefully, not the sort that can send you blind)!  At any rate, here are 5 things about me that are not widely known.

1. I’m a genuine, 100% authentic, born in the sound of Bow Bells (well, ahem … nearly) East End Cockney.  Although I’ve now lost the accent (after living away from London for the best part of a decade), I’m from the East End of London (Hackney to be exact).  I grew up on the Clapton Park Estate (here’s some history), which is in the urban heart of Hackney. 

That means I can ‘eff and jeff with the best of ‘em, and I know my Cockney Rhyming Slang:  Cor Blimey Guv’nor!  Strike a light!  Apples ‘n Pears!  Dog ‘n Bone!  (That’s quite enough of that)!

2. I come from a very large extended family.  My mother was 1 of 12 children!  This means that I have almost one hundred closely related maternal relatives.  My father’s family is much smaller, but still reasonably large.  Our summer holiday last year was spent amidst some 40-odd relatives!  My father’s family are all native Hackney-ites, whilst my mother’s family come from North London, Tottenham to be exact.  I’m putting a family history together (very, very lazily) and my family’s size make it a herculean task.  

Football was a large part of my family ‘culture’ growing up.  My extended maternal family are all supporters of Tottenham Hotspurs FC (a Premier League team, for those unfamiliar).  As I was growing up, I wasn’t allowed to wear red and white (the colours of our local arch rivals, Arsenal) to my nan’s house, as my uncles would have a go at me.  Nowadays though, this has faded to a kind of armchair support for Spurs.

3. I’m a big music lover.  Though I play no musical instruments, in a previous incarnation I was a DJ.  I still own several thousand records (most of which need to go to the local charity shop, it’s true).  I used to play a lot of parties, etc all over East London and Essex in the early to mid-90s.  My musical tastes are mostly soul, jazz, rap, funk, reggae, rock, etc.  Music was actually a big influence in my Islam, through listening to hip hop groups like Public Enemy, Brand Nubians, etc.

4. When I’m not reading, writing, working, looking after my 2 (soon to be 3) children, my favourite pastime is cooking.  I love cooking (mostly because I love eating)!  My favourites include Indian (given that my wife is Asian, this is our staple food; dal chawal anyone?), Italian, Chinese, African (I particularly enjoy Nigerian food) and just about anything else.

5. I was married in a Nigerian masjid in South London (the Nigerian Muslim Community masjid on the Old Kent Road) by Professer Shaykh Dawud Noibi (may God preserve him).  This has to be one of the liveliest and friendliest masajid I’ve ever had the good fortune to enter.  When they say amin, they literally raise the roof!  As it’s now (unfortunately) too far off the beaten track for me, I rarely get to visit.  I still remember it with fondness though (hence my love of Jolof rice).

Well that’s all folks…

I suppose I should tag someone, so how about our worthy brother Sadiq Ibn Ziad, of  Qisas fame?  Here’s another link to his blog.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Flying Across Worlds: Advice from Master Jami

Peace, one and all…

I’ve been reading a fair bit of Jami’s poetry recently and it’s blowing me away (ma sha Allah)!  As such, I couldn’t resist another helping.

Enjoy, and may God bless all who pass by.

you are destined to fly across worlds
do not soil your royal wings in this mud pit

trapped in this body and pulled by its weight
sould from body you can’t tell and your essence you neglect

you busy yourself looking for happiness in this dust bin
and your true home in the highest skies you can’t imagine

you seek refuge in wealth and glory in steadfast illusion
what perfect ignorance, what baffling delusion

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Another Poem of Jami

Peace, one and all…

Here’s another poem of Nur al-Din Abdur Rahman Jami, one of the most important and influential Sufi poets, and a member of Naqshbandi tariqa (may God sanctify his secret).  In this cold world, we all need to feel the warmth of God’s mercy.  Enjoy…

lucky is the one who realises the secret of being nobody
for no one gets anywhere by being somebody

whatever is not about desirelessness and detachment
is a delusion and will but lead to delusion

there is a light on your face
which whispers of the Divine Flame
as God is my witness you have issued from the same

for the caged bird to reach the perfumed garden
it has to pass through the realm of imagination

you have to rise above that
which you think is human destiny
to fulfill your destiny
for your covenant is not with man
but with God

should you be not allowed yet
to join the Beloved’s caravan
be content if you hear its bells from a distance

in the realm of hearts none but our King rules
the One who by day is its Ruler
and by night the Life bestowing Thief!

Ya Allah!  Let me join Your caravan.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

The Valleys Faith Forum

Peace, one and all…

I’ve been away from my computer for a while.  This has largely been due to work, and to being too tired to blog by the end of the day.  I’ve been busy with a number of things, most of which are work-related and thus, inherently and incurably dull.

However, I have been involved in the setting up of a new inter-faith forum in my local area.  Given that I live in the South Wales valleys, it is perhaps unsurprisingly known as the Valleys Faith Forum.  It’s stated aim is to offer a space in which local faith communities can promote mutual understanding.  We’ve only had a couple of meetings thus far, but I think it’s going to be an interesting group.  So far, we have a number of Muslims, quite a few Christians (of different denominations), some Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and others.  The biggest group by far seem to he Baha’is, which given their overall size, I found rather interesting.

Our most recent meeting took place at the hillside farm of a local Sikh man, whose home even boasts its own gurdwara!  In this meeting, which was really just to set up the forum and its constitution, we touched on the issue of what constitutes a faith.  There were some very interesting opinions, ranging from a very open and expansive view, to a much more tightly focused definition (which essentially narrowed the debate to the major world religions).  As such, I thought it would be a good idea to discuss this issue at our first meeting proper.

Insha Allah, myself and a colleague are going to be setting up a group blog.  So, once it’s up and running, I’ll post the address and those interested can come along and check out the debates. 

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Blessings

Peace, one and all…

Al hamdu lillah, at the outset.  Al hamdu lillah, at the end.  Al hamdu lillahi rabbil alameen, with every breath I take.  With God’s aid, all things are possible; without God’s aid, all things are beyond us.  Praise be to God, in every condition and in every state.

I’ve recently finished reading Paulo Coelho’s excellent book The Alchemist.  All I can say is that I enjoyed it immensely.  Considering that much of the book is about following the omens by which God guides us all, the book itself read like an omen.  Ya Allah!  Insha Allah, I’ll post a more constructive review when I’ve got a spare moment or two.

For now, here’s an extract from Paulo Coelho’s Maktub work (which you can get a free online copy of).  Enjoy…

The master says: “Make use of every blessing that God gave you today.  A blessing cannot be saved. There is no bank where we can deposit blessings received, to use them when we see fit.  If you do not use them, they will be irretrievably lost. ”God knows that we are creative artists when it comes to our lives.  On one day, he gives us clay for sculpting, on another, brushes and canvas, or a pen.  But we can never use clay on our canvas, nor pens in sculpture. ”Each day has its own miracle.  Accept the blessings, work, and create your minor works of art today.  “Tomorrow you will receive others.”

Make use of every blessing, and thank God for each moment of life.  As our wise Nimatullahi brothers and sisters say: ’silence, for breath is a Godsend’.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Speak, O Heart, Speak…

Peace, one and all…

I’ve just posted some poetic reflections over at The Corner Reloaded, on the broad theme of listening to the heart.  Enjoy, and may God forgive me.

Carry Me Away

Carry me away, Beloved,
carry me away.

Carry me away
amidst the surging Tide
and the roaring wave.

Carry me away
in the Ocean’s embrace,
in the Sea’s great hand of water.

Let it dissolve me,
resolve me!

Carry this ‘me’ away
and let a new self stand unveiled,
in a communion of hearts,
upon this hither shore.

This poem was inspired by a line from a poem of Jami: ‘pray release me for a spell from me’.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Absence

Peace, one and all…

I’ve been a bit too busy of late to blog.  Subhan Allah!  I think this is the longest break for a while!  Normal service will be resumed soon, insha Allah!

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Poems on Iraq and Guantanamo Bay

Peace, one and all…

I’ve just written a couple of more contemporary poems and because I wanted them to reach a wider audience, I’ve decided to post them here (rather than on my poetry blog, The Corner Reloaded).  Enjoy, and may Allah make them useful in some way.

They Walk With Determination
(inspired by the cover of today’s Independent newspaper)

They walk with determination,
into deserts of sand,
and streets
of deserted faces.
Their passage makes the very ground shake,
and yet,
when the battle-fog of
gun and bomb and rocket
clears,
how many will walk home once more?
How many will survive,
to caress wife and child,
to renew friendships,
to continue lives?
They have been sold into death and danger,
a sacrifice for another man’s ambition.
What of those they fight?
Defenders of home and hearth,
or deranged terrorists?
How many of these men
have likewise been sold into an early grave?
And, as always,
war’s only sad but certain truth:
it is the ordinary people in between
who will suffer most.

X-Ray

Five years now,
of injustice and shame.
For half a decade,
these men and boys
have been held
in inhumane oppression
in the name of freedom
and civilised values.
This rank hypocrisy
pollutes the cause
it was meant to defend,
and poisons the words
of all who would
seek to condone it.
X-Ray is a name most fitting,
for like an x-ray,
this camp reveals disturbing shadows,
at the very core of our souls.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

A Poem of Nasir Khusraw

Peace, one and all…

The following poem was written by Nasir-i Khusraw, a prominent Shi`i thinker.  Enjoy and may God make it beneficial.

The Momentum of Time

O you who have been
sleeping at night!
If you have rested,
do not think that time
too has been resting.

Consider that your
personality is always
on the move – do not
think it eats or sleeps
even for a moment!

The momentum of time
and the turning sphere
draws all animals,
by night and day,
to ceaseless motion.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Reflecting Upon Identity

Peace, one and all…

In my latest poetic reflections over at The Corner Reloaded, I’ve been exploring the essential issue of Muslim identity.

Here’s a sample.  Enjoy, and may God make them useful and accept them as ibadah for His sake alone.

Questions of Belonging

Since being a Muslim,
in these Isles,
in these days of ours,
is so much a question of belonging,
let us speak now of identity.
Who am I?
Going beyond image
and the hazy perceptions of others,
who am I?
To provide an answer,
at once easy and awkward:
this ‘I’ is a mask for another unknown Self.
Whilst this is an honest response,
I sense it will leave some unsatisfied.
Let me answer more plainly
by means of my own questions:
does my Islam,
such as it is,
render my place in the bloodline of this land
null and void?
Does a heart turning eastward
place me beyond the borders
of this western realm?
Does birthright dissolve
in the water of an ‘alien’ belief?
I was named for the Lionheart
and though now I play for Saladin,
does this mean I am no longer
a son of this earth,
of this land, green and pleasant? 

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

This Play of Words

Peace, one and all…

I’ve just posted some poetic reflections on words and their games, over at The Corner Reloaded.  May Allah make them beneficial.

Here’s a sample!

Words Between Us

O Beloved, let there be naught between us
but words of Truth.

Let my heart confess itself to You each day
and let all my confessions be True.

Let there be no lies between us,
or rather, let me not lie to You.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

The Tears of God

Peace, one and all…

I’ve just posted some reflections on repentance, written amidst the rain of South Wales, over at The Corner Reloaded.

Enjoy, and may Allah make them beneficial.

Does God Cry?

Does God cry,
at all our wasted humanity?
Does God feel our sadness,
and know the depth of our worried pain?
The answer lies before us all.
God’s tears are the rain,
falling upon a selfish man’s weary head,
and on every step we take
away from Presence.
God’s tears fall upon me
and their secret waters
refresh my barren soul,
bringing the promise of new life
after the scorching fire of sin.
From these healing waters
emerge shoots of repentance,
fresh and full of hope.
Grief and shame are like axe and plough,
churning the arid soil of my soul,
removing all that is dead and gone,
in preparation for the coming of new life,
as the Sower of Seed passes by.
Let my soul cry out:
‘Here I am, grant me seed
that my heart may grow anew:
let me not be a harvester out of season.
Let me grow, give fruit and pass on
in a time most becoming’.
If you can do this, O Soul,
then your tears will flow into God’s healing rain
and you will not have lived in vain.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

New Beginnings, Old Failures

Peace, one and all…

I’ve posted some new poetic reflections on New Beginnings, Old Failures over at The Corner Reloaded (my poetry blog).  May God make them beneficial.

Here’s a sample: enjoy!

Complicity

We spend so much time saying,
‘Lord, save me’
when we should say:
‘God, save me from heedlessness
and help me towards purity,
through the Gate of Blessed Work’.
You cannot fix an internal state
whilst you consider it a merely external thing.
All things begin in the heart;
they also end there.
So look within
and understand the nature and scope
of your complicity
in your evil deeds.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

The African Emperor?

Peace, one and all…

In response to a recent comment, I’ve decided to re-post my on Septimius Severus (a 2nd century Roman emperor) as a word document.  Enjoy and may God make it beneficial.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

A Poem of Jami

Peace, one and all…

As promised, here’s a poem of Jami for our enjoyment and education.  May God make it beneficial.

O Saqhi pass the cup of Wine
and be generous with mine
I am hopelessly stuck with me
pray release me for a spell from me

I wish to be seen by no eyes
glory to the moment when
in Love’s glorious mist
I am covered even from my own eyes

between You and me
there is no veil but me
come
be generous and let this veil be undone

reveal that Glory my Friend
which ushers one to that Nonexistence
where existence finds Life

there can be no sign of eternal life for you
until Love has erased all your signs
and cleansed you of all yous

Love’s domain is not in places and regions
come Jami, show us a way out of regions and places.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman