Honouring Imam Ali

Peace, one and all…

I wanted to share two beautiful qawwals in praise of Imam Ali (God ennoble his countenance), both sung by the inimitable Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Ali Mawla, Ali Mawla, Ali Dam Dam

Haq Ali Ali, Mawla Ali Ali

Ali Da Malang

When a Word comes from the Heart

Peace, one and all…

It is reported that Imam Ali said:

‘When a word comes from the heart, it falls onto the heart; but when it comes from the tongue, it will go no farther than the ears’
The Scale of Wisdom, 877

To Give Away One’s Head

Peace, one and all…

‘A true lover is one who accepts death for the Beloved.
He doesn’t desert love, nor turns his face, even if wounded by
many swords.
He halts and stands wherever he sees the Beloved’s mysteries.
Bahu, true love is that of Husayn and Ali: to give away one’s head
but never give away the secret’
Sultan Bahu, trans. Jamal Elias

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

Imam Ali on Remembrance of God

Peace, one and all…

I wanted to share some beautiful sayings of Imam Ali (may God ennoble his countenance) on the theme of remembrance.

‘Remembrance is sitting in the company of the Beloved One’

‘Remembrance is a source of great pleasure for the lovers’

‘Remembrance is the key to intimacy’

‘Remembrance expands the breasts’

‘Whoever loves something is engaged in remembrance of it’

These beautiful sayings enhance and deepen our engangement with other both the words of the Quran, the words of the Prophet (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam) and the words of the Awliya:

• Remembrance
• Ya Wadud!
• After La Ilaha

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Perfection and Possession

Peace, one and all…

‘The intelligent person seeks perfection whilst the ignorant person seeks possession’
(Imam Ali, may God ennoble his countenance)

The Garment of Dignity

Peace, one and all…

‘Silence that puts the garment of dignity on you is better than words that bring you remorse’
(Imam Ali, may God ennoble his countenance)

Where Do We Go in the Face of Horror?

Peace, one and all…

On my way to work this morning, I read with horror the account of a 13 year old boy guilty of the vicious assault and rape of a 20 year old woman.  The boy, who is now 14, has received a sentence of three years in a young offender’s institute (source).  My first thoughts and prayers go to the victim.  May all her wounds be healed.  I am also deeply shocked that someone so young could do such a thing.  Three years seems such a desultory sentence for such a heinous crime (even though the offender is technically still a minor). 

Where do such crimes leave us as a society?  What do they say about the state of manhood in 21st century Britain?  Where do we go in the face of such horror? 

I don’t have the answers….nor am I probably asking all of the right questions.  At any rate, as I was thinking about these issues, I caught a line in the qawwali song I happened to be listening to.  Just as I was feeling overwhelmed by the awfulness of this crime, and the serious challenges it poses to men and maleness in today’s world, I came to the line ‘tere murshid Ali, Ali‘ (loosely, ‘your guide/teacher is Ali, Ali’).  I suddenly realised the truth of this lyric: to respond as a Muslim, I must learn masculinity from someone like Imam Ali (may God ennoble his countenance); injustice must be challenged wherever it is found – internally or externally; strength is only given to men that we might use it in accordance with the highest truth, that we might protect others; the struggle for truth is always ongoing, there can be no easy answers or quick fixes.  As I felt this truth wash over me, I felt inspired to write a small poem in response.  And so, I share it here.  It is not an answer to the awfulness of this boy’s crime.  But, for me, it is where new beginnings must emerge from: the ever-present and ever-fresh mercy of God.  Huuu….

‘You have closed my mouth,
and poured sorrow upon my head.

That one so young could do such a thing
has left me feeling raw and numb.

And, in the midst of this bitter moment,
healing truth descends like rain upon my aching heart:

Son of the Way, speak truth, do what is right,
listen with opened ears:

Tere murshid Ali, Ali
Did that lion ever fight for anything other than truth?’

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Put Off Your Old Nature

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

Imam Zain al-Abideen’s Dua for Friday

Peace, one and all…

Imam Ali ibn Hussein Zain al-Abidin (may Allah bless him) wrote a collection of beautiful and profound prayers, known as Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya.  Within that collection (which you can find online) are a number of duas (supplications) for each day of the week.  Here is the dua for friday (yaum al-jumuah), which has been beautifully recited.

Here is the text.

In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-compassionate

’1. All Praise belongs to God, the First before the bringing forth and the giving of life, and the Last after the annihilation of all things, the All-knowing who forgets not him who remembers Him,  decreases not him who thanks Him, disappoints not him who supplicates Him,  and cuts not off the hope of him who hopes in Him! 2  O God,  I call Thee to witness  – and Thou art sufficient witness – and I call to witness all Thy angels, the inhabitants of Thy heavens, the bearers of Thy Throne, Thy prophets and Thy messengers whom Thou hast sent out, and the various kinds of creatures Thou hast brought forth, that I bear witness that Thou art God; there is no god but Thou, Thou alone, who hast no associate nor any equal, and Thy word has no failing, nor any change; and that Muhammad (God bless him and his Household) is Thy servant and Thy messenger; he delivered to the servants that with which Thou charged him, he struggled for God as is His due, he gave the good news of the truth of reward, and he warned of the veracity of punishment.  3  O God, make me firm in Thy religion as long as Thou keepest me alive, make not my heart to swerve after Thou hast guided me, and give me mercy from Thee, surely Thou art the Giver. Bless Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,  make me one of his followers and his partisans, muster me in his band, and give me the success of accomplishing the obligatory observance of Friday, performing the acts of obedience which Thou has made incumbent upon me within it,  and [receiving] the bestowal which Thou hast apportioned for its people on the Day of Recompense!  Surely Thou art Mighty, All-wise!’

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Two Kinds of Laughter

Peace, one and all…

There are two kinds of laughter.  The first kind heals and restores.  It brings joy and eases all the painful tensions of life.  This healing laughter lifts us up when we have fallen, all overburdened, to our knees.  Such laughter is like the coming of sunshine after a storm: it refreshes the houses of our souls and sweeps away the gathering gloom.  And when, as sometimes happens, we lose our way and become, for a time, vain and selfish, this laughter reminds us of just how very small we all are.

This is the laughter of re-connection, of restoration, and of earnest repentance.  May we all be blessed by such pure laughter:

A man came to the Apostle of Allah (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam) and said: I came to you to take the oath of allegiance to you on emigration, and I left my parents weeping. He (the Prophet) said: Return to them and make them laugh as you made them weep’. (Abu Dawud, Book 14, Number 2522)

‘Ali ibn Rabi’ah said: I was present with Ali (karram Allahi wajha) while a beast was brought to him to ride. When he put his foot in the stirrup, he said: “In the name of Allah.” Then when he sat on its back, he said: “Praise be to Allah.” He then said: “Glory be to Him Who has made this subservient to us, for we had not the strength, and to our Lord do we return.” He then said: “Praise be to Allah (thrice); Allah is Most Great (thrice): glory be to Thee, I have wronged myself, so forgive me, for only Thou forgivest sins.” He then laughed. He was asked: At what did you laugh? He replied: I saw the Apostle of Allah (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam) do as I have done, and laugh after that. I asked: Apostle of Allah , at what are you laughing? He replied: Your Lord, Most High, is pleased with His servant when he says: “Forgive me my sins.” He know that no one forgives sins except Him.’
(Abu Dawud, Book 14, Number 2596)

By contrast, the second kind of laughter does not heal nor does it restore, bringing only sadness and misery in its wake.  This laughter, if that be its right name, seeks only scornful mastery of others, and delights only in humiliation.  Such laughter casts down what should be lifted up, and despises what should be brought near.  May God save us all from such injustice:

‘The Apostle of Allah (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam) said: Woe to him who tells things, speaking falsely, to make people laugh thereby. Woe to him! Woe to him!’ (Abu Dawud, Book 41, Number 4972)

Wa akhiru da’wana an il hamdu lillahi rabbil alameen

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

The Wisdom of Imam Ali

Peace, one and all…

It is reported that Imam Ali (may God ennoble his countenance) said:

‘The most dreadful of man’s shortcomings is that he is unaware of his own faults’

And elsewhere:

‘It is preferable to me that I reconcile two people than I give away (much money) in charity’

And yet elsewhere:

‘There is no good in worship without pondering upon its meaning, and no good in reading the Quran without reflection’

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Your Remedy is Within You

Peace, one and all…

‘Your remedy is within you — but you do not sense it.
Your sickness is within you — but you do not perceive it.
You presume that you are a small entity –
whereas within you is concealed the vast world.
You are indeed that magnificent book –
by whose alphabet the hidden becomes evident.
Therefore you have no needs beyond yourself
Your essence and secrets are in you — if only you can reflect’
(Imam Ali, May God ennoble his countenance)

Source

The Beautiful Words of Mevlana

Peace, one and all…

In the Name of God, the Infinitely Compassionate, the Infinitely Merciful

Praise be to God for His infinite compassion.  Praise be to God for His infinite tenderness.  Praise be to God for His infinite mercy.  Praise be to God in every time and in every place.  Praise be to God in every thought and in every deed.  Praise be to God in every condition and in every state.

I wanted to share some beautiful prayers of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi (God sanctify his noble soul) and of the Mevlevi order (as gathered in the book published by the Threshold Society, The Mevlevi Wird).  May Allah pour out his mercy upon the noble soul of Hazrat-i-Pir Mevlana, and upon all those who pass by.

‘The shelter within which I take refuge, the words I will say, and that which I think at each moment of fear, are the words and thoughts of ‘There is no God but God’; against all griefs and troubles, I say, ‘Whatever Allah wishes, occurs’; ‘Praise be to God’ for each blessing that comes to me; I say, ‘Thanks be to Allah’ for each comfort and abundance; ‘Allah is pure from incomplete attributes,’ I say for each astonishing thing I see.  For each mistake, O ask from Allah that He might hide the guilt and forgive me.  Each time I find myself in difficulty, I say: ‘Allah is enough for me’; against each accident of destiny, I say, ‘God is my support and in Him I trust’.  Each time a catastrophe occurs, I say, ‘Truly!  We belong to Allah and to Him we return’.  Each time I obey servanthood or a command of His, and each time I make a mistake or each time I violate a command, all of my chanting and my ideas are formed by the thoughts: ‘All work and turning around of things belongs to Allah, who is Most High and Most Great; and all power belongs only to Him’

‘My Allah! Illuminate my heart; illuminate my ear; illuminate my eye; illuminate my hair; illuminate my skin; illuminate my flesh; illuminate my blood; illuminate in front of me; illuminate behind me; illuminate under me; illuminate above me; illuminate my right; illuminate my left; My Allah! Increase my light; give me light; O Divine Light of the Divine Light!  O Most Merciful of the ones who are merciful!  With Your mercy, turn me into divine light!’

‘My Allah!  I inhale my breath only for You and with Your power; I exhale my breath again only for You and with Your power.  My Allah!  I have a longing for Mevlana who has become a means for my reaching You; I also have a longing to be liberated and purified from difficulties, so that I may declare repeatedly that You are free of from incomplete attributes, and so that I may remember You often.  My Allah!  Don’t give me a disease that may make me forget You, that might weaken the longing I feel for You, that might take away the taste of declaring that You are free from incomplete attributes.  But, with Your Compassion, neither give me health that may corrupt me, which might increase my egotism and wrong-doing, O Most Merciful of the merciful ones’

And in closing, this beautiful prayer is called the Rose Prayer (Gulbank):

‘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…’

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in Concert

Peace, one and all…

It’s9.30-ish and before I leave for the weekend early tomorrow morning, I wanted to leave a parting gift.  Enjoy.

The first six videos come from a single Qawwali concert (in 1995 I believe). As I understand things, the order follows the traditional Qawwali format. At any rate, the music is beautiful, the poetry profound and the lead singer (Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) is superb! So, enjoy and may Allah bless you for passing by. I’ve also included four bonus tracks.

Section 1: Allah Hoo

Section 2: Allah Hoo

Section 3: Allah Hoo and beginning of Sare Nabian Da Nabi

Section 4: Sare Nabian Da Nabi

Section 5: Sare Nabian Da Nabi

Section 6: End of Sare Nabian Da Nabi and first half of Ali Dha Malang

Bonus Tracks

Yaad-e-Nabi (Part 1)

Yaad-e-Nabi (Part 2)

Yadan Vichre Sajan Diyan Aiya 1 of 2

Yadan Vichre Sajan Diyan Aiya 2 of 2

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Infuse Your Heart With Mercy

Peace, one and all…

When writing to one of his provincial governors, Imam Ali (may God ennoble his countenance) said:

‘Infuse your heart with mercy for the subjects, love for them and kindness towards them.  Be not like a ravenous beast of prey above them, seeking to devour them.  For they are of two types: either your brother in religion or your like in creation.  Mistakes slip from them, defects emerge from them, deliberately or accidentally.  So bestow upon them your forgiveness and your pardon, just as you would have God bestow upon you His forgiveness and pardon; for you are above them, and the one who has authority over you is above you, and God is above him who appointed you … and through them He tests you’
(Taken from Nahj al-Balaghah)

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

And True Life Will Acquire You

Peace, one and all…

‘In fact, it is not the individual who ‘assimilates’ knowledge to himself, but knowledge  – or the reality of being expressed by true knowledge – that assimilates to itself the individual: ‘Acquire knowledge, and [true] life will acquire you’ [attributed to Imam Ali, may God ennoble his countenance]‘
(R. Shah-Kazemi, Justice and Remembrance: Introducing the Spirituality of Imam Ali)

Illuminate Me!

Peace, one and all…

Imam Ali (may God ennoble his countenance) offered this beautiful prayer:

‘O God, illuminate my outward with [the light] of obedience to You and my inner being with Your love, my heart with the knowledge of You, my spirit with Your vision, and my inmost consciousness (sirr) with the independence of attachment to Your Threshold, O Lord of Majesty and Munificence’
(Nahj al-Balaghah)