‘The Sufi’s book is not of ink and letters; it is nothing but a heart white as snow’ (Mevlana Rumi, Mathnawi II.159)
Peace, one and all…
Tears from the Sea of Love
Tears from the sea of love
fall against the gloomy window pane,
as the earth lifts itself
to receive new grace.
These small tears of longing seek unity
and thus they become a river,
seeking always
the life-giving oneness of the great Ocean.
I am love’s tear,
a small tear of longing
falling from the Beloved’s eye:
I too seek love’s wide seas.
(Abdur Rahman, 11th January 2008)
Image Credit: UNSW Photography Club
Although concepts of a life after death and a final judgement are, in some sense, as old as humanity itself, one of the earliest (and most important) examples of such thought is that found amongst the ancient Egyptians. The Egyptians had a very strong conception of an afterlife, and a very detailed geography of the other world.
The earliest records, it seems, spoke of the ascent of the newly deceased Pharaoh to a heavenly abode beyond the stars (source one; source two). During the course of time, this idea developed beyond strictly royal circles. By the mid-second millenium BCE, a number of texts had emerged which offered a more ‘democratic’ vision of the afterlife. The earliest example of these texts where the so-called Pyramid texts. From approximately 1240BCE onwards, the Book of the Dead (also known as The Prayer of Ani) began to be widely used.
These texts offer a description of the world beyond this one and offer a method of navigation. This journey concluded with a final judgement in the Hall of Maat, where the heart of the deceased would be weighed against a feather. If the heart proved heavier than the feather (through sin), then the soul of the deceased would be devoured by Ammit, a ferocious beast of the underworld. Those whose hearts proved to be lighter than a feather were then admitted into the ‘Land of Reeds’ (also known as the ‘Land of Offerings’), wherein they would dwell in bliss forever.
This image of a ‘land of reeds’ calls to my mind an image very similar to the Quranic description of Paradise as a ‘garden beneath which rivers flow’. Both are very beautiful images of the afterlife indeed.
For the ancient Egyptians, the central element of judgement was morality. That is, it was a person’s deeds (as an expression of ma`at) that determined their final destination. To me, although it is expressed in very different theological/mythic language, there is much in this description that speaks to me as a Muslim. That is, how I act is an expression of how I understand/actualise truth; how I act morally and ethically has great spiritual consequence and will ultimately shape my future destiny.
Peace, one and all…
The Heart is an Eye
The heart is an eye
that sees beyond flesh
to the very essence of things.
The heart is a ship
for carrying us forth
to the blessed shores of eternity.
The heart is a cup,
made to contain
the wine of love.
So may this eye guide our steps,
and this ship carry us forth
and this cup be always overflowing.
(Abdur Rahman, 11th January 2008)
