An Old Scar

Peace, one and all…

A few years ago, my wife and I were at the receiving end of a stream of unjust abuse.  It was messy, unfortunate and deeply distressing.  It ruptured several relationships and caused my wife great pain.  It took us both a long time to move on from this event, but gradually, we put it behind us (with God’s help).  For my part, it took at least a couple of years before I was able to recall the experience without feeling deeply angry.  Gradually, however, I came to realise that we both just happened to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and that those responsible would carry these issues around with them long after we had left their particular scene.

Recently, however, I saw one of those responsible for our previous maltreatment.  Fortunately, there was no unpleasantness on this occasion.  Indeed, I kept my distance and was thus able to avoid direct contact with the person concerned.  What struck me though was the extent to which, on seeing this person, all those old feelings of frustration and buried anger welled up inside me.  It felt rather like scratching a scar that I thought had long healed, only to find that the healing was only partial. 

As I experienced these feelings, I was reminded of a discussion at last weekend’s beautiful retreat.  In this discussion, we spoke about the need to let go of old bitterness, of old anger, lest these things poison our hearts.  In other words, I was reminded of the need to forgive the action, so that I could be healed.

Allah!  Help me to forgive and move forward with a clear heart.  Ya Allah!

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

St. John Callimicus on Repentance

Peace, one and all…

‘Repentance is the renewal of baptism. Repentance is a contract with God for a second life. A penitent is a buyer of humility. Repentance is constant distrust of bodily comfort. Repentance is self-condemning reflection, and carefree self-care. Repentance is the daughter of hope and the renunciation of despair. A penitent is an undisgraced convict. Repentance is reconciliation with the Lord by the practice of good deeds contrary to the sins. Repentance is purification of conscience. Repentance is the voluntary endurance of all afflictions. A penitent is the inflicter of his own punishments. Repentance is a mighty persecution of the stomach, and a striking of the soul into vigorous awareness’
(St. John Callimicus)

Source

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Into the Oceans of Compassion

Peace, one and all…

I found these pearls of love, mercy and spiritual reflection drifting on the seas of blog.  And so, I wanted to share them with you all.  May Allah bless everyone who passes by.

• Shaykh Ali Gomaa: Between Mercy and Mercy
• Shaykh Hamza Yusuf (courtesy of Adnan bhai): A Time for Change
• Shaykh Hamza Yusuf (courtesy of Shaikhy Notes): The Quranic Worldview (Parts 1-9)
• Shaykh Ahmad Ba’Bikir: An Ocean of Compassion
• Shaykh Ahmad Ba’Bikir: Just Enough Religion to Hate
• Shaykh Hasan Le Gai Eaton: Welcome to Mercy
• Shaykh Kabir Helminski: The Heart: Threshold Between Two Worlds
• Shaykh Kabir Helminski: Adab: The Courtesy of the Path
• Radical Middle Way: Remembering the Beloved
• David Cantor: Not All Jihadis Are Spiritually Driven
• Islamopedia: Mercy Has One Hundred Parts

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

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

Live from Schipol Airport!

Peace, one and all…

I am currently sitting in Schipol Airport, near Amsterdam in the Netherlands.  I’m waiting for my flight back to the UK to start boarding in about half an hour or so.  One of the most pleasureable things about blogging is that it can, theoretically at least, be done anywhere.  So, I thought I’d take advantage of the suddenly unexpected internet access and write a brief post from Holland.

As you may know, I’ve been in Holland this weekend attending the Threshold Society Amsterdam retreat.  It was held at the Theosofische Centrum in the small (and beautiful) town of Naarden.

Allah!  It’s been an amazing weekend – full of love, light and spiritual intimacy.  Although I know that I’ve learnt lots of new things, and have received new insights into old issues, at this moment I am still unable to decode it all.  I’m sure it will take several months before it all works its way out into conscious thought.  That said, I wanted to offer a few thoughts.

One thing that Shaykh Kabir said at the very beginning of our gathering on Friday struck me in a very powerful way:  ‘God is the context of everything’.  In God we have our being, in God we form, maintain and strengthen our relationships and in God we live, breathe and move.  And, more than mere words, we were fortunate enough to see some of these things in action.  The entire group seemed to resonate with this idea.  Our interactions were all directly shaped by it, and our zikr was full of presence, love and a great feeling of tenderness.  Praise be to God in every condition and in every state!

It has been wonderful to re-connect with a number of people I met at last year’s retreat.  It has been wonderful to meet new friends, to forge new relationships of the spirit.  Although I was struck by everyone there, there were a number of people I felt immediately close to.  Ya Allah!  So, should any of them pass this way, I want to offer my thanks to Shekib, Uncle Rauf, Muzammil, Fatima, Anne, Shakeel, Peeter, Martin and to my new friend, dervish Vakil.  I would also like to thank everyone else who was present.

And lastly, because it is the place of honour, I want to thank Shaykh Kabir and Shaykha Camille; and through them, Hazret Shams-i-Tabriz, Hazret-i-Pir Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Imam Ali, Prophet Muhammad al-Mustapha (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam). 

And my last prayer is in praise of God, the Sustainer of All Being.

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

Travelling

Peace, one and all…

I’ll be away for a few days from tomorrow, in order to attend the Threshold Society retreat in the Netherlands.  Insha Allah, I will be back on Monday.  May Allah bless all who pass by.

I wanted to leave you with some pearls of wisdom and love from the Awliya (may Allah sanctify their noble souls):

‘Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna visited the town of Kharaqan to pay his respects to the Sufi master Abu’l-Hasan Kharaqani.  He pitched his tent nearby and sent an emissary ahead to announce that the King had arrived after travelling a great distance to visit him, requesting that Kharaqani leave his khanaqah and meet him in his tent.  If Kharaqani refused, the emissary was to quote the following verse, ‘O you who believe! Obey God and obey the messenger and those of you who are in authority’ (4:59).  The emissary conveyed his message.  When Kharaqani tried to politely excuse himself, the emissary recited the Quranic verse as instructed.

The master replied, ‘Tell Mahmud that I still am so immersed in ‘Obey God’, that I am embarrased to admit that I have not yet realised ‘Obey the messenger’, let alone ‘those of you who are in authority’. (Attar Tadhkirat al-Awliya)

In another place, Attar relates the following story of Ma’ruf al-Karkhi (God sanctify his soul):

‘It was the feast day.  I saw Ma’ruf Karkhi collecting date-stones.  I asked him the purpose of his occupation.

‘I saw a child crying,’ he said.  ‘I asked him why he was crying.  The boy said, ‘I am an orphan, deprived of mother and father.  Today, on the feast-day, other children are given new clothes.  Not me.  Other children get marbles to play with, but not me’.

‘So I am collecting date-stones to sell,’ said Ma`ruf, ‘to buy him marbles to play with, that he weep no more’.

Or, as Sa`di puts it:

‘Service to God is the whole of worship:
the worship of God is not done
by rosary beads, robes of piety or prayer carpets’

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Religion & Spirituality, Tradition & Modernity: Some Internet Essays

Peace, one and all…

I’ve come across a number of very interesting internet discussions of late and so I wanted to link to them all here.  I’ve grouped them under two broad headings.

Theology, Spirituality, Identity

• Divine Unity: A Baha’i Perspective
• Aaminah Hernandez: This is Not About Identity
• M Ali Lalkkhani: The Importance of Spiritual Literacy
• M Ali Lakhani: What is Thirst For?
• M Ali Lakhani: Of Detachment and Spiritual Courtesy
• M Ali Lakhani: On Faith and Intellect
• Lynn C Bauman: Initiatic Grace in the Masterwork of Jalaluddin Rumi
• Reza Shah-Kazemi: Recollecting the Spirit of Jihad
• Reza Shah-Kazemi: Eckhart’s Image of the Eye and the Wood
• Alice Hunsberger: The Esoteric World Vision of Nasir Khusraw
• R P Coomaraswamy: The Problems that Result from Locating Spirituality in the Psyche
• M Ali Lakhani: ‘A Single Principle': On Faith and Pluralism

Tradition and Modernity

• Muhammad Legenhausen: Why I Am Not a Traditionalist
• Charles Upton: What is a ‘Traditionalist?’  Some Clarifications
• Mind, Body, Soul: Critique of ‘Why I Am Not a Traditionalist’ (Part 1)
• Frithjof Schuon: Tradition and Modernity
• M Ali Lakhani: Understanding ‘Tradition’
• Lucian W Stone Jr: Reinitiating Initiation? An Open Question for Traditionalism
• M Ali Lakhani: Umberto Eco, Fascism and Tradition
• M Sedgwick: Against the Modern World (Google Books)
• M Fitzgerald: Against the Modern World Reviewed

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Rumi on Hard Times

Peace, one and all…

This quotation from the Masnavi of Mevlana (God sancitfy his soul) comes from an interesting essay by Shaykh Kabir Helminski.

‘Isn’t it a fact that the accursed Pharaoh threatened punishment on the earth,
Saying, “I will cut off your hands and feet on opposite sides
and hang you upside down.
You will not be spared punishment.”
He thought that they were in the same state of imagination, terror, distraction, and doubt,
Trembling in fear at these threats of the worldly ego.
He didn’t know that they were emancipated,
sitting at the window of the heart,
That they could tell the difference
between the shadow and their real selves,
That they were quick and alert, happy and alive.
Even if the mortar of Fortune should pound them into pieces in this material world,
Since they had seen the ever-present Origin,
They did not fear the Derivatives of Imagination. . .
The Prophet said that this apparently substantial world
Is but a sleeper’s dream. Some merely believe in these words,
But the mystic travelers have perceived it themselves,
Even without the Prophet’s words
Many are asleep in the daytime. Don’t think otherwise.
Your life may be as insubstantial
as a shadow cast by moonlight.
What you think is sleep and what you think is waking
Are both happening in your sleep.
What does it matter if a potter breaks a pot? He’ll make another one.
A blind man walking a road has a thousand fears,
But someone who can see knows the dangers and obstacles
Bring it on, Pharaoh!
We won’t be scared by the cries of ghouls!
Rend the fabric. We know who will re-sew it,
Or, if not, it’s better to be naked to embrace the Beloved,
Nothing is sweeter than to be stripped of physicality and personality’
(Mathnawi, III, 1721)

Related essays by Shaykh Kabir:

• Hold Fast to the Rope of God
• The Science of Witnessing
• Rumi on the Nafs
• The Basics of Practice in the Threshold Society
• Suggestions for Practice
• Mevlevi Dervishood

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Soundtrack 2

Peace, one and all…

Here’s a second installment of Soundtrack – the music that accompanied and in many ways inspired my own journey to Islam.  The first installment is also available.  These songs have all had an impact on me, helping me find my way to Islam.

Mica Paris: Should’ve Known Better

Written and produced by Omar (I believe), this song is an eloquent musical meditation on love found and love lost.

Chill Rob G: Court is Now in Session

A fine example of Hip Hop social commentary.  This song is the epitome of good hip hop – musically solid and with a sharp critique of prevailing norms.

Main Source: Looking at the Front Door

This song discusses the rapper’s relationship difficulties, without all the usual larger than life stuff.

Ed OG & Da Bulldogs: Be a Father to Your Child

Hip Hop as social critique.  A fine example of positive rap.  Moreover, this was one rap song my mother approved of!

Anita Baker: Sweet Love

A classic 80s love song and one I used to listen to all of the time as a teenager.

SWV: Right Here

I recall one very special moment waking up to the opening moments of this song.  The sun poured in through my bedroom window and as I listened, the world took on a magical hue.  For that reason alone, this song has a special place in my heart.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

The White Hart of Love

Peace, one and all…

The White Hart of Love

At times, our road takes us
into darkened woods
and at times, the river of our hearts
gathers silt amidst the gloom.

At such times, our every deed
weighs heavily upon us
and all that we do
seems to go astray.

But, at such times,
remember the One
who laid all paths
and who set every stream to run.

Remember that in darkened woods
the white hart of love is found
and that from inward silt
new life will grow forth once more.

Abdur Rahman, 20th October 2008

And Vie With One Another

Peace, one and all…

 

‘And vie with one another to attain to your Sustainer’s forgiveness and to a paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, which has been readied for the God-conscious; who spend [in His way] in time of plenty and in time of hardship, and hold in check their anger, and pardon their fellow-men because God loves the doers of good; and who, when they have committed a shameful deed or have [otherwise] sinned against themselves, remember God and pray that their sins be forgiven – for who but God could forgive sins? – and do not knowingly persist in doing whatever [wrong] they may have done.  These it is who shall have as their reward forgiveness from their Sustainer, and gardens through which running waters flow, therein to abide: and how excellent a reward for those who labour!’ (3:133-136)

وَسَارِعُواْ إِلَى مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ

الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ فِي السَّرَّاء وَالضَّرَّاء وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالْعَافِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ وَاللّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُواْ فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُواْ أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُواْ اللّهَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُواْ لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ اللّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّواْ عَلَى مَا فَعَلُواْ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ

أُوْلَـئِكَ جَزَآؤُهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَجَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَنِعْمَ أَجْرُ الْعَامِلِينَ

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Three Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Qawwals

Peace, one and all…

Jhoole Jhoole Lal

Nit Khair Mangan Soniya (version 1)

Nit Khair Mangan Soniya (version 2)

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

The Soul that Does not Live in God is not Alive

Peace, one and all…

The Soul that Does not Live in God is not Alive

Spring makes red and white flowers appear on the trees,
But the spring that is the origin of colors is colorless.

Understand what I have said, and give up all talk;
Run to the Origin without color and unite yourself to it.

Annihilate yourself before the One Existence
So that thousands of worlds leap out of you

And your pure existence flames out of itself
And goes on and on birthing different forms.

Of course, none of these forms will last.
Happy is the one who knows this mystery!

Happy is he who gives his life to know this!
He leaves this house for another far more radiant.

You cannot understand this mystery through reason;
The Way to Knowledge winds through suffering and torment.

If you do not feel pain, you do not look for healing.
The soul that does not live in God is not alive.

She seems like a soul, but does not deserve the name:
She has not been made alive by the Beloved.

The soul is given life by the four-elements
Like a lamp that burns through the night:

The light is from oil and wick, it is not eternal.
While the oil exists, the lamp burns, but then goes out.

The one made alive by God will never die.
He lives through God and not through gold or bread.

God is the Light, the Eternal Source of Lights.
The Light is causeless, as is His fiery radiance.

Like gold, God’s value comes from His pure, perfect essence.

(Sultan Valad, trans. Andrew Harvey and Eryk Hanut) 

Source

Pearls of Love & Wisdom

Peace, one and all…

Here are links to some scattered pearls of love.  Enjoy and may Allah draw us all close to Him.

• Arabic Gems: Love, Oh Love
• A Quest for Beauty: The End of Time
• Stray Reflections: The Wisdom of Sufi Songs/Poetry
• Riyadat al-Nafs: Allah’s Name al-Mu’min; Ya Mu’min; Living with al-Mu’min 2; Living with al-Mu’min 3; Living with God’s Names – al-Mu’min; al-Mu’min: a Du`a
• Reflections of a Student of Knowledge: the Wisdom of Saying Salawat

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Salawat from Ethiopia/Djibouti

Peace, one and all…

I recently came across a really beautiful salawat (prayers upon the Prophet – alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam) from Ethiopia/Djibouti and so I wanted to share it here.  Enjoy and may Allah bless everyone who passes by…

Salawat

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Creating My Own Story

Peace, one and all…

In a passage from the Masnavi that I don’t immediately have to hand, Mevlana (God sanctify his noble soul) advises wanderers along love’s path to ‘create their own story’.  When I first encountered this passage a couple of years ago, it immediately struck me as profound, albeit in ways I didn’t fully comprehend.  Although I don’t pretend to understand this idea fully now, I have been reflecting on this very question for a while now.  At any rate, I have come to a greater realisation of the depths behind this saying.

In a sense, each human being is a world in their own right – consisting of an entire universe of meanings, connections and associations.  So it is that in meeting another person we are essentially faced by a new world, an unexplored continent of human meaning.  In other words, we encounter a new system of relationships and orientations, with its own unique sacred history, purpose and destiny.  It is almost as if humanity were a vast series of overlapping universes.  And so, in meeting, these universes strive for connection; in meeting we strive to draw from the rich diversities of others.  Indeed, by doing this we come into the presence of our own vastness, our own as yet unexplored potential. 

Perhaps this is why there is great diversity within our common human family.  Stepping out of the houses of ourselves brings us face to face with diverse perspectives, opinions and orientations to life.  Small wonder then that ideas of spirituality differ.  Given this vastness, it seems similarly unsurprising that spiritual writings differ greatly – offering us windows into the vastness that is the collective human soul.

As I myself have wandered along this path, I have encountered different understandings of what Sufism is, how it should be practiced and the final goal it aims at.  Some Sufis writers offer highly developed metaphysical speculations, with intricate and carefully delineated cosmologies.  Others seem to focus more on practice, on the doing of Sufism, on service to God and the world at large.  Some focus on carefully and deliberately avoiding all that God has forbidden, whilst others concentrate on the breadth, depth and ubiquitous presence of Divine Love; and more deeply, on actualising that love in all that they are, do and say.  If there is a common theme, it might be that the greatness and majesty of God should counsel us to humility – as even the vastness of human diversity means naught when measured against the infinity of God.

It is in this space that I attempt to find my own path.  It is upon these ‘pages’ that I struggle to write my own unfolding human story.  As I live, I struggle to carve out my own space, to write that story.  And the underlying ‘sub-text’ which I strive to write into my life is based on the following passage from Quran (amongst many others):

‘And the servants of ((Allah)) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say, “Peace!”‘ (25:63, trans. Y. Ali)

وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَنِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ هَوْنًا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلَامًا

Wa akhiru da’wana an il hamdu lillahi rabbil alameen.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

The Coming of Great Light

Peace, one and all…

At dawn, the sky dances and turns its way towards light.  The dawn is thus a time for the awakening of the heavens – or more properly, for their turning dance to reawaken us.  We are like the hills of the earth, dark and slumbering at the birth of a new day.  Slowly, we can make out the uppermost branches of trees, as they open their limbs to the dawn’s overflowing grace.  Even so do we awaken, slowly and surely – opening out into light.  The dawn is a dance of air, the coursing of the living breath of the Most Merciful come to earth top enliven our needy souls. 

And the most wondrous truth of all is that dawn arrives in each living moment – regardless of the time of day.  There is a daily opening of the skies at dawn.  There is also an inward dawn, when the dark soil of our hidden selves opens out to receive the grace of Heaven and the coming of great light.

Image credit

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

And then, the Dawn Comes…

Peace, one and all…

A moon and star-filled night is a beautiful thing to behold, a joy to both heart and soul.  When the sky is cloudless these jewels of night descend and the world seems as though it has been suddenly dressed for a wedding.  The pearl-like moon, shining amidst the ebon darkness, makes the heart ache with a dimly recognised longing, with a half-remembered desire.

And then, the dawn comes…

There is a moment of subtle movement, a quiet turning of the world and then we enter the realm of dawn.  The dawn starts slowly, almost imperceptibly, before building towards a crescendo of new light, and of the new life that such nur heralds.  The blackness of night gives way to an ever-lightening stream of blue, before collapsing utterly into the pinks, oranges and yellows of a rising sun.

The world turns and night becomes day.  Eyes open, the earth bows low before the majesty of the heavens and the affairs of our daily lives begin once more.  But, even in the midst of my daily to-ings and fro-ings, I must hold on to the joy of stars in the very centre of my heart; and I must let that joy shine forth in all that I think and say and do.

Image credit

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Higher Education & Meaning

Peace, one and all…

One of the fundamental purposes of Higher Education is to help students explore, construct and challenge meanings.  It is to help students break down complex, involved questions into smaller pieces, which can then be analysed.  It is also to assist our students in their attempts to gather these small pieces (and their own analyses) into new and emerging syntheses.  Thus, in the Humanities, we help students explore the range of ideas, opinions and perspectives of the ‘human sciences’ – and then we strive to help them build their own understandings, based uponour own insights as educators.

I do not mean to suggest by this that we simply manoeuvre students into reproducing our own ideas.  Nor do I mean to suggest that we place ourselves on some kind of intellectual pedestal as ‘experts’ and ‘masters’.  No, although such things do happen (and being human, I am subject to human frailties).  Rather, what I mean is that we strive to communicate the gathered insights of a particular body of knowledge as guidance – so that those encountering the terrain for the first time might get a sense of the landscape facing them.

Moreover, I understand my own role as one of supporting new endeavours, as one of offering all that I have learnt to those who come after me (whose minds and potential insights are far in excess of my own).  A saying of the Prophet (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam) encapsulates my own feelings here.  This statement comes within the body of the Prophet’s farewell sermon (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam):

‘…All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly…’.  Source

In other words, I am naught but a small link in a much greater chain.  And praise be to Allah, Who maketh it so!

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Shaykh Muzaffer Ozak

Peace, one and all…

Courtesy of Fire of Ashk, here are some really interesting interviews with Shaykh Muzaffer Ozak of the Jerrahi Sufi order.

Enjoy and may Allah make them beneficial.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Tentative Thoughts

Peace, one and all…

In this world of multiplicity we are faced with an immense diversity of meanings.  It seems as though there are as many meanings as there are people to have them.  In other words, therefore, the ability and need to assign meaning is an integral part of our individual, living humanity.  We attribute our own unique meanings to all that we encounter as we wander through life.  In a sense, it’s almost as if each new person names the world anew.  We have inherited this ability from our father Adam (alaihi al-salam), whom the Quran says knew the names of all things:

‘And He imparted unto Adam the names of all things; then He brought them within the ken of the angels and said: “Declare unto Me the names of these [things], if what you say is true.  They replied: “Limitless art Thou in Thy glory! No knowledge have we save that which Thou hast imparted unto us. Verily, Thou alone art all-knowing, truly wise.  Said He: “O Adam, convey unto them the names of these [things].” And as soon as [adam] had conveyed unto them their names, [God] said: “Did I not say unto you, `Verily, I alone know the hidden reality of the heavens and the earth, and know all that you bring into the open and all. that you would conceal’?” (2:31-2:33)

وَعَلَّمَ آدَمَ الأَسْمَاء كُلَّهَا ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمْ عَلَى الْمَلاَئِكَةِ فَقَالَ أَنبِئُونِي بِأَسْمَاء هَـؤُلاء إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ
قَالُواْ سُبْحَانَكَ لاَ عِلْمَ لَنَا إِلاَّ مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ

قَالَ يَا آدَمُ أَنبِئْهُم بِأَسْمَآئِهِمْ فَلَمَّا أَنبَأَهُمْ بِأَسْمَآئِهِمْ قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ غَيْبَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَأَعْلَمُ مَا تُبْدُونَ وَمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ

Because each human heart exists in its own unique time and space, its understandings/relationships are similarly unique, which is why culture, tradition, history and context are so significant.

If human truth is diverse, divine truth is one.  Divine truth exists beyond the temporal and the spatial and is not therefore subject to them.  Indeed, time and space exist within divine truth and thus take their reality from that centre.  But divine truth is not human truth.  Divine truth is, ultimately, known only to the Divine: only God truly knows God.  In other words, although humans have access to the infinite treasury of God’s knowledge (at God’s discretion, of course), their capacity for knowledge is finite: there is inevitably a real limit to what human beings know and can know.

Perhaps, and this is a tentative thought, divine truth is not ‘one’ in the sense of number.  That is, divine truth is not merely one thing amongst many.  Perhaps it is better to understand its oneness as uniqueness.  In other words, divine truth is one because there is nothing else comparable to it?

Just a few thoughts.

Wa akhiru da’wana an il hamdu lillahi rabbil alameen.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

A Brief Moment of Turning

Peace, one and all…

My wife and I went along to the Sufi music concert last night, in the company of two close friends.  It was an enjoyable experience.  The musician was Latif Bolat, from Turkey.  The evening was divided into two halves.  In the first half, Latif spoke about his understanding of Sufism and its history.  He also answered questions and read some introductory poetry.  The second half of the evening consisted of a live performance of traditional Turkish saz music.  We all enjoyed the evening and would certainly recommend it.

I found myself moved by the performance in a number of ways.  Firstly, the music was very pleasant.  Secondly, the poetry readings were excellent.  During one section of the performance, Latif played his saz in front of a large blue computer screen.  As I began to relax into his performance the screen seemed to almost melt, and I had a sudden image of it as a vertical container of water.  As he continued to play, I felt as though I might almost leap through it into some other place. 

For a brief moment, I had a mental image of physically turning towards God and of thus leaving all my human weaknesses behind me – as if they were no more than a mere passing interruption on the long road back to Allah.  It was as if I had turned, albeit momentarily, towards the Light – a light which was strong enough to enlighten my every shadow and one that was capable of working a great healing within the quiet spaces of my soul.

This does not mean that I should therefore simply allow myself to remain caught up in my human weaknesses.  It does not mean that I should revel in separation (which, as Shaykh Kabir teaches, is the true meaning of sin).  Rather, it simply means that God’s light will complete its work, whether I will it or not (though, in spite of all my failings, I do will it).  It means simply that my frailties are as limited, and ultimately as ephemeral, as I am myself (and as are all things human).

And Allah (the Glorified and Exalted) says in His noble book:

‘God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. the parable of His light is, as it were, that of a niche containing a lamp; the lamp is [enclosed] in glass, the glass [shining] like a radiant star: [a lamp] lit from a blessed tree – an olive-tree that is neither of the east nor of the west the oil whereof [is so bright that it] would well-nigh give light [of itself] even though fire had not touched it: light upon light! God guides unto His light him that wills [to be guided]; and [to this end] God propounds parables unto men, since God [alone] has full knowledge of all things’ (24:35, trans Pickthall)

اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكَاةٍ فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ الْمِصْبَاحُ فِي زُجَاجَةٍ الزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ يُوقَدُ مِن شَجَرَةٍ مُّبَارَكَةٍ زَيْتُونِةٍ لَّا شَرْقِيَّةٍ وَلَا غَرْبِيَّةٍ يَكَادُ زَيْتُهَا يُضِيءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ نُّورٌ عَلَى نُورٍ يَهْدِي اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَن يَشَاء وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

And Hu also says (in one of my favourite Quranic verses):

‘Allah is the Protecting Friend of those who believe. He bringeth them out of darkness into light. As for those who disbelieve, their patrons are false deities. They bring them out of light into darkness. Such are rightful owners of the Fire. They will abide therein’ (2:257, trans Pickthall)

اللّهُ وَلِيُّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ يُخْرِجُهُم مِّنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّوُرِ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ أَوْلِيَآؤُهُمُ الطَّاغُوتُ يُخْرِجُونَهُم مِّنَ النُّورِ إِلَى الظُّلُمَاتِ أُوْلَـئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ

Wa akhiru da’wana an il hamdu lillahi rabbil alameen.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

My Own Private Litany

Peace, one and all…

My Own Private Litany

Sometimes they are a string of gathered pearls,
falling into my empty hands
like newly-won treasures.

Sometimes they are tears of rain,
gently washing away
each blemish of the soul.

Sometimes they are cubes of rarest sugar,
like moments of sweetness
bursting open inside me.

And sometimes,
they mark out my own private litany,
love’s aching dance of wonder.

Abdur Rahman, 3rd October 2008

A Busy Few Days

Peace, one and all…

I feel as though I’ve been away for ages and ages, though it’s only been a week!  Well, since last week, I’ve been away for a couple of days.  My wife and I were invited to a conference in mid Wales (near Newtown), on the broad theme of new religious movements.  I was asked to give a paper and al hamdu lillah, it seemed to go down well.  We got to meet up with a group of friends we’ve not had the chance to see much of recently – so it was doubly welcome.

I came back on tuesday afternoon in time to attend a fascinating seminar on Mevlana Rumi (God sanctify his noble soul) by Dr Alan Williams, entitled: ‘Making a Right Song and Dance of it: Tracing the Mevlevi Sufi Ritual Sema to sama` in Rumi’s Poetry’.  I really enjoyed the seminar and insha Allah, I will share some of Dr. Williams’ reflections in the next few days or so.

On a related note, Latif Bolat, a noted Sufi musician from Turkey will be giving a concert in Cardiff next Tuesday (14th October).  I can send further details electronically.  So, if anyone would like more details, comment here and I’d be more than happy to e-mail them to you.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Praise be to God

Peace, one and all…

Praise be to God in every condition and in every state.  Praise be to God, the Aid in every distress.  Praise be to God, Whose kindness is without limit and Whose mercy falls like rain upon our undeserving heads.  Praise be to God in all things, at all times and with every limb, muscle and fibre that I possess.

Ya Rahman!

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Current Reading

Peace, one and all…

Subhan Allah!  The summer is now but a memory (hang on a minute – the UK summer didn’t really appear) and the new academic year has just begun.  It’s been a busy couple of weeks.  Our new students have arrived – eager and nervous all at the same time.  The 2nd and 3rd year students have also returned.  The department is buzzing with all the activity of academic life.  I enjoy this time of year.  I enjoy the enthusiasm of our students and I enjoy all the challenges that Higher Education brings.  Al hamdu lillahi ala kulli hal.  Praise be to God in every condition and state!

My new Sufism class began this morning.  After looking at ‘housekeeping matters’ (such as assessment and library provision), we turned to a discussion of spirituality and mysticism: what are they?  Do they exist independently of religious, social and historical contexts; and to what extent can we make comparisons across traditions?  The group was lively and the discussion well-informed and itneresting.  Allah!

I’ve been reading a number of interesting books in the run up to this morning’s session.  Here are some of the most interesting:

• H. Read (ed., 1959), The Collected Works of CG Jung Vol. 9 Part 2
• I. Clarke (ed., 2001), Psychosis and Spirituality: Exploring the New Frontier
• R. W. Hood Jr. (ed., 1995), Handbook of Religious Experience
• R. Otto (1923), The Idea of the Holy
• R. Otto (1932), Mysticism East and West
• F. C. Happold (1963), Mysticism
• F. D. Lewis (2000), Rumi: Past and Present, East and West

I’ve really enjoyed reading these works – though I have more questions than answers as yet!  I haven’t even started on the large haul of articles I collected from SOAS in the summer!  Allah!

At any rate, praise be to God for the ability to read, learn and insha Allah, one day to understand.

Wa akhiru da’wana an il hamdu lillahi rabbil alameen.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Black Holes

Peace, one and all…

This week the History Channel have been running a fascinating series of programmes on space.  Entitled The Universe, these programmes have explored a different aspect of space.  Last night they ran a fascinating programme on black holes.  The programme charted how black holes are born, what they do and how, in certain circumstances, very small ones seem to disappear or evaporate.

I find the thought of black holes terrifying, but also strangely fascinating – rather like staring over the edge of a very tall building.  The images shown on the programme were beautiful, in a very dark way – appropriately enough given what they do.

I was particularly interested in what the scientists said of tiny black holes – i.e. microscopic black holes that exist in the frankly bizarre world of quantum physics.  What struck me was the apparent fact that, in this bizarre sub-atomic world, information is not destroyed.  In other words, these tiny black holes don’t swallow everything – or at least, what has been swallowed in still in some sense ‘there’.  I don’t understand how – not being a scientist – but I was struck with a sense of awe and wonder at the strangeness of the universe we live in.  Allah!

Another recent programme focused on cosmology and what scientists believe may happen to the unfolding universe.  A number of theories seem to exist (as they always do).  One such theory holds that the universe will come to an end in a ‘big crunch’.  Another argues that the universe will continue to expand forever, until the stars eventually all die out and the universe is filled with the corpses of long-dead stars and galaxies.  I have to say that I found this prospect alarming.  Of course, I will be dead long before it happens, but the idea that the universe will simply remain a dead shell – or an orange with all the juice sucked out it – strikes me as unfair.  But, then, is an emotional reaction to a possible physical act really appropriate?

At any rate, all is as God wills it to be – and that is sufficient for me.

Wa akhiru da’wana an il hamdu lillahi rabbil alameen.

Further reading:

• Hubble Space Telescope
• LISA

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman