Dropping Love Pearls

Peace, one and all…

‘Love has taught my days the ways of the night
brought my hart patience and my sould warmth

do not blame my eyes for shedding tears
dropping Love pearls they learned from your mouth

I know no religion higher or happier than Love
blessed is the wayfarer who finds his way to this Grove

O Keeper of Records wash away Lovers’ records
for Love was long before tablets and records

since the day he heard Love’s whisper in his Essence
Jami has cared for nothing but that pure Presence
(Nur al-Din Abdur Rahman Jami, Divan)

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

When A Wise Man is Visited By Afflction

Peace, one and all…

 

‘When a wise man is visited by an afflicion, he is not enveloped by grief.  Rather, with forbearance and farsightedness he removes the rust of sorrow from his heart and makes use of his intellect to find a solution’
(Imam Husayn ibn Ali, quoted in Sayyid Mujtaba Musawi Lari, Ethics and Spiritual Growth, 173)

Ma’s salama,
Abdur Rahman

For the Sight of You

Peace, one and all…

For The Sight of You

My friend, how my eyes have hungered
for the sight of you,
and how my ears have thirsted
for the familiar caress of your voice.

And now, my friend, you are here.

So let my eyes ease their hunger
and my ears slake their thirst.

Long nights have I thought of you,
till anticipation almost became sight itself.

And now you are here.

So, before this fleeting moment passes,
and you leave once more,
let us renew these bonds of friendship,
these bonds of Love.

Ishk olsun, my friend,
Ishk olsun.
(Abdur Rahman, May 2007)

For Ismail

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

At The Book Sale

Peace, one and all…

Today was both busy and enoyable.  My day was taken up with student presentations, essays and queries of a more general nature, as well as with the Teaching and Learning Committee.  For those unfamiliar with the demands of UK Higher Education, this committee is responsible for overseeing all teaching and learning issues with the department.  As you might expect, such meetings are often long and convoluted, and often run over.  So today I was especially pleased when the meeting finished 10 whole minutes ahead of schedule (rather than 1 hour behind)!

This fortunate occurence meant that I was able to discuss my forthcoming module proposal with a senior colleague.  The end result of this discussion was that I’ll be submitting a proposal for a new module to be taught in the 2008-2009 academic year, entitled Sufism Through Its Literature.  Although this is still some 18 months away, I’m already quite excited by the prospect.  Insha Allah it’ll come to fruition.

Today was also the annual SCM Press book fair.  SCM Press is an important publisher of books on Christianity, from both faith-based and academic perspectives.  The fair offers second-hand and remaindered books to students and staff at very low prices, so I couldn’t resist popping along.  As it turns out, I spent £15 on numerous biblical commentaries and such things.  Here are the titles:

• William E. Phipps, Muhammad and Jesus
• Don Cupitt, The Revelation of Being
• Hagen Berndt, Non-Violent Protest in the World Religions
• Charles Biggs, Ezekiel (Commentary)
• Clare Amos, The Book of Genesis
• Adrian Curtis, The Psalms
• Harry Mowvley, The Books of Amos and Hosea
• David Petersen, Zechariah 9-14 and Malachi
• Richard Coggins, The Book of Exodus
• Jack Sanders, Schismatics, Sectarians, Dissidents, Deviants
• Gerd Ludemann and Martina Janssen, Suppressed Prayers

Ya Rabb!  I enjoy reading and buying books.  Thank You for Your bounty.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman