Hu Hu Hu Allah!

Peace, one and all…

Sometimes, all I want to do is put aside all the stresses of the day melt into warm human fellowship, in remembrance of the Beloved.  This video really does it for me.  There is a real warmth and joy here…

Put Aside Created Things

Peace, one and all…

‘It is related that someone said, ‘Give me counsel’.  Ibrahim ibn Adham said, ‘Remember the Lord and put aside created things”

Taken from Attar’s Tadhkirat al-Awliya (Memorials of the Saints)

Spiritual Courage

Peace, one and all…

Here are some beautiful reflections on spiritual courage, by Shaykh Kabir…

All our work prepares us for moments in our lives when we can choose to act, to give, to love. Consider these words from the Mathnawi (4.2917-19):

In battle, the cowardly
have chosen the means of retreat
out of fear for their lives,
while the courageous, also from fear for their lives,
have charged towards the ranks of the enemy.
Heroes are borne onward by their fear and pain;
from fear, too, the human being of weak spirit dies within.

And these words from Signs of the Unseen (Fihi ma fihi):

‘The fame of a certain lion had spread throughout the world. A certain man so wondered at this lion that he set out from afar for the jungle where the lion was in order to see it. When he reached the jungle, having endured hardship for a year and having traversed many leagues, he saw the lion at a distance and stopped, unable to go any farther. “You have come so far for love of this lion,” he was told, “and this lion has the peculiar characteristic of not harming anyone who approaches him bravely and pets him lovingly. The lion only grows angry at those who are afraid of him. He attacks those whom he suspects of harboring an evil opinion of him. Now that you have traveled for a year and come so close to the lion, why have you stopped? Step forward!” But the man did not have the courage to take even one step forward. “All those steps I took,” he said, “were easy. But now this one step I cannot take.”

What Ali meant by faith was that one step toward the lion in the lion’s presence. That one step is very rare — it pertains to only the elect and the chosen few. Indeed, this is what a step is; anything else is a mere footprint. Such faith comes only to the prophets, who have washed their hands of their lives.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Happiness and the Pursuit of Happiness

Peace, one and all…

I wanted to share a series of fascinating lectures, held at Emory University, on the topic of Happiness.

Syed Hosein Nasr

Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori

Venerable Matthieu Ricard

Patrick Allitt, Cahoon Family Professor of American History at Emory

Reflections

Ibn Arabi Symposium 1

Peace, one and all…

I recently found a large collection of videos from an academic conference in Istanbul on Ibn Arabi.  You can find the complete collection by following the link: You Tube.  Insha Allah, I will post them all here, as time allows.

Dr. Pilar Garrido Clemente: ‘The Ladder of Interpretation: Reason and Revelation in Ibn Masarra, the Predecessor of Ibn Arabi’

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

The Brand New Heavies on a Friday Afternoon

Peace, one and all…

Here is a small selection of the music of one of my all-time favourite bands, the Brand New Heavies.  Music has been important to me throughout my entire life (as the Soundtrack series of posts illustrates: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).  As I draw inexorably nearer to my 40th year, I’m increasingly convinced of the need to explore and engage with positive music much more fully.

At any rate, I hope you enjoy these songs as much as I do.  May all who pass be blessed with goodness.

Sometimes (Ummah Remix)

Never Stop

Stay This Way (Remix)

Wake Me When I’m Dead (Feat. Masta Ace)

B N H

Put the Funk Back in it

O-Fa-Fu

Have a Good Time

Why are there all these Shouts?

Peace, one and all…

‘Why is love for You such a wise one and a teacher?
[And] why is affection for You such a subtle foundation?
Why do I tremble [with fear] at love if it is not pleasant?
And if love is pleasant, why are there all these shouts [for help]?’
Mevlana, Quatrain 145

Joyously Drunk

Peace, one and all…

‘In love for You, I will be [like] a flag in the world [honouring You],
And from passion for You, I will be on [my] head like a [reed] pen [praising You]
From love for You, I have entered existence joyously drunk,
And with love for You, I will be joyously drunk with non-existence’
Attar, Mukhtar-nama

O Spirit of My Spirit

Peace, one and all…

Tonight, hope emerges from despair
and the spirit of my spirit
dances freely,
calling out to You
from every mountain and valley.

Tonight, the clouds part
for the briefest of moments,
revealing the full moon
of some higher heaven,
in all its eldritch beauty.

Tonight, standing upon the shore
of this new moment,
a fleeting fragrance teases the wind,
the merest gasp of breath,
from the Source of All Mercy.

Tomorrow, the world shall turn once more
and some new thing
shall come to pass.
But, for now my Beloved,
may this night last a thousand years

Abdur Rahman, 20th October 2011

Hope Emerges from Despair

Peace, one and all…

A story told of Ibrahim ibn Adham, a famous early Sufi.  In it, he reports a dream of his.

‘One night I dreamt that I saw the angel Gabriel (alaihi al-salam).  He came to earth from heaven with a piece of paper in his hand.  I asked him, ‘What do you want?’  ‘I am writing down the names of he friends of the Real,’ he said.  ‘Will you write my name down too?’ I asked.  ‘You are not one of them’.  ‘But I love the friends of the Real’. Gabriel thought for a moment.  Then he said, ‘I have been commanded, “Record Ibrahim’s name first”‘.  On this path, hope emerges from despair.’

Taken from the Tadhkirat al-Awliya (Memorials of the Saints) by Farid al-Din Attar.

‘Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah . Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful”‘ (39:53)

But Also the Carpet-Spreader

Peace, one and all…

‘Once the mirror of your heart becomes pure and clear,
you will see pictures from beyond the domain of water and clay,
Not only pictures, but also the Painter, not only
the carpet of good fortune, but also the Carpet-spreader’
Mevlana, Quatrains

Love and Gentleness are Human Traits

Peace, one and all…

 

‘For love and gentleness are human traits,
and lust and anger marks of beastliness’
(Masnavi 1.1447)

There is no Fault in the Rope, O Man!

Peace, one and all…

Many have been led astray by the Qur’an:
by clinging to that rope many have fallen into the well.
There is no fault in the rope, O perverse man,
for it was you who had no desire to reach the top.
(Masnavi 3.4210-11)

‘The interpretation of a sacred text is true
if it stirs you to hope, activity and awe;
and if it makes you slacken your service,
know the real truth to be this:
it’s a distortion of the sense of the saying,
not a true interpretation.
This saying has come down
to inspire you to serve -
that God may take the hands
of those who have lost hope’
(Masnavi 5.3125-3130)

The Story of the Grammatist and the Boatman

Peace, one and all…

The Story of What Happened between the Grammatist and the Boatman

‘A grammatist once got into a boat.
That self-regarding man looked at the boatman

And said, ‘Do you know grammar?’ ‘No,’ he said.
‘And half your life has gone!’ he chided him.

The boatman’s heart was broken by the pain,
but for the moment made his answer silence.

The wind then blew the boat into a whirpool.
The boatman hollered to the grammatist,

‘Do you know how to swim at all, please tell me?’
He said, ‘I don’t, you shrewd and handsome man!’

‘Then all your life has gone, dear grammatist,’
he said.  ‘Our boat is sinking in these whirlpools’.

Absorption’s needed here, not grammar, see!
If you’re absorbed, jump in.  There’s no danger.

The ocean wave will raise the dead aloft.
How can the living man escape the sea?

And if you’ve died to human qualities,
the sea of secrets sets you at its summit.

And you who’ve called the people asinine,
now you’re the one who’s like an ass on ice.

World’s greatest scholar of your time you may be,
but note this world is passing – watch the time!

Now we stitched up the grammatist in order
to tell you of the grammar of absorption.

The heart of all the learned sciences,
my learned friend, you’ll learn in self-effacement.

That pitcher is our learned sciences,
that caliph is the Tigris of God’s knowledge.

Full jars we’re carrying to the river Tigris,
and we’re an ass, though we don’t know it yet.

At least the Bedouin man could be excused -
from distant parts, he didn’t know the Tigris.

If he, like us, had known about the Tigris
would he have lugged his jar from place to place?

No, surely, if he’d known about the Tigris,
he would have smashed his jar upon a rock’.

Masnavi 1.2847-2864, trans. A. Williams

Pablo Beneito: Sufi Contemplation of Letters & Numbers

Peace, one and all…

Here are two fascinating videos by Pablo Beneito, a scholar of Sufism, on Sufi contemplation of letters and numbers.

Part 1

Part 2

You’ll Earn Your Bread…

Peace, one and all…

 

‘You’ll earn your bread if you give bread for God;
you’ll earn your soul if you give soul for God’
(Masnavi 1.2247)

Man Atkeya Beparwah De Naal

Peace, one and all…

Here is a beautiful qawwal, sung by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.  Entitled ‘Man Atkeya Beparwah De Naal’, it was written by the famous Sufi poet of Indian,  Shah Hussein.  The lyrics and a translation are also offered.  I found them here.  Enjoy, and may all who pass be blessed with goodness.  The original Punjabi lyrics are given in italics.

Man Atkeya Beparwah De Nal
Us Deen Duni De Shah De Nal

My soul is entangled with the indifferent one
Lord of all things visible and invisible

Wasdi Hardam Mann Mere Vich, Soorat Yaar Pyare Di
Apne Shah Nu Ap Rajawan, Hajat Nai Pasaray Di
Kahe Husain Faqeer Numanha, Theewan Khaak Daware Di

The image of the precious beloved lives constantly within my soul
I can please my love alone, I need no display
Says Hussain the worthless faqir, I am the dust on your doorstep

Man Atkeya Beparwah De Nal
Us Deen Duni De Shah De Nal

My soul is entangled with the indifferent one
Lord of all things visible and invisible

Qazi Mullah Matti Dainde
Kharay Siyyane Rah Dasende
Ishq Kee Lagay Rah De Nal

Judges and clerics are full of advice,
The righteous and wise show you the path,
But love itself needs no guidance

Man Atkeya Beparwah De Nal

My soul is entangled with the indifferent one

Nadiyon Paar Ranjhan Da Thana
Keetay Qol Zaroori Jana
Mintaan Karran Mallah De Nal

Ranjha’s dwelling is across the stream,
Having given my word, I must go
I will beseech the boatman

Man Atkeya Beparwah De Nal
Us Deen Duni De Shah De Nal

My soul is entangled with the indifferent one
Lord of all things visible and invisible

Sajan Bin Raatan Hoian Waddiyan
Ranjha Jogi Mein Jogiani
Kamli Kar Kar Saddyan
Sajan Bin Raatan Hoian Waddiyan
Mein Han Ayani Nooh Kee Jana
Birhon Tanawan Gaddiyan

Without my beloved the nights are long,
Ranjha is a saint and I am his follower
He has driven me senseless

Kahe Husain Faqeer Sayein Da
Darr Te Cholian Addiyan Mein
Uss Deen Duni De Shah De Nal

I am a novice, what do I know of committed love?
The separation pulls at my sinews
Says Hussain, Gods faqir, I spread my robe before you
Lord of all things visible and invisible

Man Atkeya Beparwah De Nal

My soul is entangled with the indifferent one

Kahe Husain Faqeer Numanrha
Sache Sahib Nu Mein Jana
Aurhak Kam Allah De Nal

Says Hussain, the worthless faqir,
I know the true Lord
In the end I will meet my Creator

Man Atkeya Beparwah De Nal
Us Deen Duni De Shah De Nal

My soul is entangled with the indifferent one
Lord of all things visible and invisible

Claim Nothing, Let the Divine Do…

Peace, one and all…

Each month, the Threshold Society gives a key theme for reflection.  During August (or Ramadan), that theme was: claim nothing, let the Divine do.  Shaykh Kabir offers some thought-provoking reflections on that theme.  May they be beneficial to all who pass by!

Claim Nothing, Let the Divine Do

This theme is an advanced teaching. It presumes that we have to some extent developed a healthy capacity for will. By will we mean the capacity to choose consciously; and will power is the capacity to follow through on what we have consciously chosen. Only then can we glimpse the meaning of “Claim nothing, let the Divine do.”

Someone who rarely makes a conscious decision, but follows this or that impulse, has little will. Such a person is only following the impulses, desires, and tendencies arising in the lower self. You may even justify or glorify those impulses with a spiritual rationale, but the reality is that you are under the command of your ego. That’s why every real spiritual teaching begins with a long apprenticeship going against certain impulses of the self, applying a discipline to the soul, being faithful to a spiritual practice that at first seems to involve some sacrifice. In the end, however, that spiritual practice is what frees us from an inner tyranny we may not have even recognized.

The Dog of Ego

‘O heart, stay with the pain that is a remedy.
No groaning; endure longing without complaint.
Stamp your foot upon your own desires.
Train the dog of ego. Let this be your sacrifice’
Rumi, Quatrain 311

A healthy will is a will that more often than not chooses what is good for the soul and is independent of the whims and desires of the lower self. It is at this stage that this theme becomes applicable. To “claim nothing” is to be scrupulous about not asserting your will, not identifying with your ego, not attributing the power of your own will to your lower self. As the Qur’an says: “There is no power nor strength except with the One” [a translation of the central Islamic phrase - La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah]

If the spiritual path is about remembering Allah in every moment and living your life accordingly, then there are boundless opportunities to “claim nothing.” In fact, as we observe our awakening into remembrance we may see that we are not actually doing it, and yet it does not happen without our strengthening our intention to be in remembrance and being consistent in practices of remembrance. As a result of a faithful practice we may find that we have more and more moments of remembrance, and our spontaneous, natural response could be real gratitude and humility. “Claim nothing, let the Divine do.”

This is very different from following the path of least resistance that is the ego’s way, a way of yielding to any impulse that arises. Following the path of least resistance can actually be the path of dissipation and gradual loss of will. While following the Straight Path is to be aware of choice and naturally choosing what is in alignment with our highest purpose and intention.

To Be Erased

‘Unless the seeker is absolutely erased,
In truth, he will not come into union.
Union is not penetrable. It is your destruction.
Otherwise any worthless person would become the Truth’
Rumi, Quatrain 800

Our sense and understanding of our highest purpose is informed by the exemplars of the Path—the prophets, masters, and saints whose lives and words inspire us.

This Path of Love is a direct path, merciful toward our human nature, yet calling us to a discipline that spiritualizes the body, the emotions, and even our thoughts. Claim nothing, let the Divine do becomes even more important as we begin to sense the inflow of a spiritual energy that lifts us up and radiates into the world. The danger at this stage is that we (no matter how subtly) appropriate that power to ourselves. While being in the flow of grace is more likely to be given to someone who has overcome the dissipating impulses of the nafs, that flow is not an act of our own will. While the stages of the spiritual path require an inner mastery over ourselves, there is no way to attain that mastery except through humbleness, gratitude, and love.

Yourself without Yourself

‘If you go on the Way, they will open the Way to you.
And if you become nothing, you’ll be led to real being.
And if you will be humble, the universe will not contain you,
And you will be shown yourself, without yourself’
Rumi, Quatrain 742

• The Threshold Society: Collected Articles