Let man see what he is created from

Does not man see that it is God Who created him from sperm?
Yet behold ! he is an open disputer !!

- The Final Testament, 36.77

Image Credit: D. PHILLIPS / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Coloured scanning electron micro- graph (SEM) of sperm on the surface of a human egg (ovum) during fertilisation. Sperm appear as hair- like structures; each sperm has a head, neck, and a long tail. Here the sperm are attempting to penetrate the thick surface of the egg that attracts them and enables them to attach. The human female usually produces a single large egg, and only one of the millions of male sperm released may penetrate the egg to fuse with the egg nucleus. Once fertilised, the egg begins its process of growth into a human embryo. Magnification: x880.

Tag: Man, Quran, God, Koran, Creation, Testament Pin It Now!

"The reason why the world lacks unity,

and lies broken and in heaps,

is because man is disunited with himself."

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Form of the religion is a hard thing to come around

One blog visitor and good friend, Kevin comments on the issue of the faith of the Sufi's

"The form of religion is a hard thing for people to come around to. Most don't have issues with the inner, but inevitably there needs to be a harmony created between the two, inner and outer expresions of faith.we worry so much about the form, we miss the Love it holds... "

Very well said indeed, Kevin ! Walikum salam wa rahmatullah (May peace and blessings be with you as well).

Tag: Religion, Spiritual, Sufi Pin It Now!

Wisdom of Prophet Muhammad

• God does not judge you according to your bodies and appearances, but He looks into your hearts and observes your deeds.

• Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded.

• The first to be summoned to Paradise on the Day of Resurrection will be those who praise God in prosperity and adversity.

• Show gentleness, for if gentleness is found in anything, it beautifies it and when it is taken out from anything it damages it.

• God has revealed to me that you must be humble, so that no one oppresses another and boasts over another.

May peace and blessings of God be with Muhammad, the Final and Last Messenger of God.

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On the faith of Sufis

Roger Kuhrt (aka: Barakat Amir) said... "Sadiq, I notice your emphasis on Hazrat Inayat Khan. Do you believe, as did he, that a Sufi need not be a committed follower of Islam? Just curious."

______________________ The answer is mostly No. I agree to some extent to Hazrat Inayat Khan, but when i thought it deeply, the No part is more heavy than Yes.

Yet, at the same time the 'No' has a lot of 'Yes' into it. Let me explain in brief.

Sufis are Mystic Lover of God. And anybody can be a lover of God. Irrespective of his religion, ideology or anything. So upto that point religion or faith doesn't matter.

Now for Sufis, God is the Ultimate Object of Love and expression of Love. Now when you enter into such a reltionship, don't you think you should be committed? Isn't commitment an integral part of relationship of Love?? Without devotion what can be achieved, specially in the path of God?

And again, once you are a Lover of God, and God being the Ultimate Object, the Sufi should surrender himself to the Ultimate-Self. As the Lover always happy to give rather than to take from his lover; so is the sufi. And the name of this Nature of Surrender is called Islam (only thing is its an arabic word). Upto this point i don't mean Islam as Religion. Just as an expression of Submission to the Utimate Soul.

Now let me enter into the practices which we call 'Islam-the religion'. Islam as religion has some advantages for Sufis or even for modern mind. It is a religion which profess absolute direct relationship with God and Lover. There is no place for priest, father, monk, pope, intermediatary etc. A direct relationship with God which sometime transcend even own self.

So at the starting point you can be of any faith, but in the end, no matter how you come to it, ultimately Islam would become 'the staright path' to communicate and to be friend of God. Even if you don't know Islam, if you are a true Lover of God, your attitude will be submission, will be full of commitment to Him and will have certain devotion in it. I hope i could clear my position on this matter. If there is any confusion, pls do post comment or question. I will try to write more, God willing.

I think Inayat Khan expressed that view because he wanted to spread the Sufi message to West at a time when Islam was little known. So he wanted a more universal approach in it. And it worked for him.

Tag: Spirituality, Sufi, God, Islam Pin It Now!

Reading list and log | updates

[ August 2007 ]

. The Private Life of the Brain by Susan Greenfield
'The latest on the mysteries of the mind' - The Times

What is happening in the brain when we drink too much alcohol, get high on Ecstasy or experience road rage? Emotions, says internationally acclaimed neurscientist Susan Greenfield, is the building block of consciousness. ... Challenging many preconceived notions, Susan Greenfield's ground breaking book seeks to answer one of science's most enduring mysteries: how our unique sense of self is created. Pin It Now!

Both sides of Inner Peace

The post titled, Symptoms of Inner Peace, sparked a little discussion in the comment section.

One visitor commented, "Experiencing this form of 'Inner Peace' in a society fraught with contradictions and evils turns this into plain and simple 'Apathy'. My soul is a part of a whole consisting of all souls. Till all are at peace and engage in undifferentiated mutual Love, 'Inner Peace' is an affront to the idea of Peace and Love itself. Thus, my soul will not engage in this self-indulgent experience of 'Inner Peace'. Thus, my soul will be at War till the above is realised. Then, Peace. Spirituality, on its own, is a socially approved drug as it enables all to peacefully kill each other in a myriad of dimensions every second of the day."

Another comment, "..Peace is an inner state of mind, not a thing you can rationalize about. Only when every preson has an experience of this state of mind will there ever be peace on Earth. The great religions of the world show us pathways to take towards obtaining this experience."

Finally, another visitor posts, "I can see both these points of view...On the one hand, it is possible to get so engaged in developing oneself, and whatever spiritual qualities one desires, that one forgets about others. This type of person will go off and sit under a waterfall somewhere contemplating peace while all around him people are suffering and hurting one another, and the best you can say for him is that he's not actually hurting anyone.

On the other hand, I believe that the better person I can make myself, the more I can help others. If I'm not at peace with myself, my internal conflicts inevitably spill over into my relations with others, and anything I try to accomplish will be reduced in effect, perhaps seriously compromised."Inner peace" doesn't mean that I think everything is OK with the world.

The Sufi way is the way of service. I want to work to make the world a better place, but I have to start by cleaning my own house."

Thanks all for your valuable insights. This helped me to go deep into the conditions. It is a good demonstration that when we think collectively, things get clearer with each threads of our thoughts. Soli Deo gloria (to God alone the glory).

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We all arrive...

Knowingly or unknowingly, consciously or unconsciously we all arrive at our destinies.

Our destiny perhaps remain the same, but we may arrive there in different paths. There could be infinite planes which overlaps each other during our jouney to the goal, but never the less we approach our own destiny.

When we reach our destiny knowingly and be aware of the fact, then it brings harmony to life, brings inner peace and tranquility. Consciousness of life enhances and enriches it.

But when we are living in denial and are not aware of the fact, then we fail to enjoy our life and also fail to live in peace. Often in that situation we fail to realize our very own life's purpose.

-Sadiq, Singapore.

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Death is a tax the soul has to pay for having had a name and a form.

Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan here.

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Symptoms of Inner Peace

• You tend to think and act spontaneously, not based on fear or experiences from the past
• You are able to enjoy each and every minute
• You lost the urge to have a judgment about others
• You don’t need it anymore to interpret all the others do
• You don’t want to have arguments anymore
• A growing ability not to worry anymore (that is a serious sign)
• Growing experience of gratitude and love and being connected with everything
• You have to laugh a lot
• You tend more and more to let the things happen that are necessary and not to force things to make them happen by yourself
• You open up more to the love people radiate towards you and you in return have the growing urge to radiate love too

These are the Symptoms of PEACE OF THE SOUL.

If you still haven’t found peace, then try to cultivate the above attitudes in your heart. God willing, peace will follow. Credit.

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Submission to God

As we find in the New Testament, Matthew 26:39, in the night just before Jesus was handed over to the Jewish Leaders for trial, Jesus prayed earnestly to God in a sumissive manner. There is great inspiration in that statement.

Going a little farther, Jesus prostrates (fell with his face to the ground) and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You Will."

In his prayer, we find Jesus (peace and blessings of God be with him) as a humble being who teaches us how to submit to God. It is this same message of Submission which is the central theme of the Final Testament (Quran)'s teaching. The word, Islam means 'submission' and Muslim means 'he who submits'. It is interesting, unlike other religion which were named after a person or group of people {Buddhim based on Buddha himself, Christianity based on Jesus Christ, Jewish based on a Jews} Islam has its name derived from Divine Will of God which is to submit unto Him.

Islam calls every servant to submit to Him. A true lover of God emerges himself in the submission of God in such a degree that he loses himself in God.

Following are the verese on this theme in the Final Testament::

O you who believe! Enter into submission whole-heartedly (Quran 2.208 );

The Religion before God is submission to His Will: People who formerly received the Scripture differed only after knowledge came unto them, through envy of each other. But if any deny the Signs of God, God is swift at reckoning. (Quran 3.19);

If anyone desires a religion other than submission to God (Islam), never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter He will be in the ranks of those who have lost all spiritual good (Quran 3.85).

Tag: Submission, Quran, Jesus, Koran, Islam. Pin It Now!

We all are powerful beyond measure : Know Thyself

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world.

There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we subconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

From A RETURN TO LOVE, by Marianne Williamson.

Tag: Spirituality, Inspiration // My special thanks to Isaiah for introducing me to this beautiful quote. Pin It Now!

Maturity is something that begs justification

"One ought not to claim 'adulthood' just because one has reached a certain age. This is not unlike 'celebrities' claiming moral and intellectual ascendance just because they enjoy prominence. They do not necessarily share a cause-effect relationship. 'Adulthood', aka, maturity, is something that begs justification.

We must not forget that this is a world full of 'adults' who are as impressionable as children. If they weren't, phenomena such as a 'consumer' society cannot logically exist, along with a whole host of other childish phenomena. "

Comment from one blog visitor, Inquisitor.

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Finding the most caring child

Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia was once in a contest where he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry"

Likewise, in this world sometime we just need to show compassion without words. And often that solves the most complex of the problems !!

Credit: Ottmar Liebert's Blog

One of my blog visitor, Tiel Aisha Ansari shared her wisdom: But notice, the boy did not say he _did_ nothing, he said he _said_ nothing to the neighbor. In my opinion, climbing into the old gentleman's lap and sitting with him counts as doing a lot. "Doing nothing" in this situation would have meant staying in his own yard and leaving the elderly gentleman to himself...

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Mindfulness and Happiness

This is an excerpt from an wonderful article published on www.wahiduddin.net. This website is one of the best resource of my inspiration and learning. The article, Mindfulness and Happiness is written by Richard Shelquist(Wahiduddin).

Many speak of annihilation of the ego, but perhaps a more useful way to approach this situation is to realize that we must put the ego in it's proper place as a humble and useful servant, not as the master which it aspires to be. Here are some thoughts about this process of overcoming the ego:

The point is not to deny our ego, but to extricate ourselves from our exclusive preoccupation with it. - from One-Liners, by Ram Dass

Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. - Jesus, Gospel of St Matthew 6:33

Our journey is about being more deeply involved in life, and yet less attached to it. - from One-Liners, by Ram Dass

I abandoned and forgot myself, laying my face on my Beloved;all things ceased; I went out from myself, leaving my cares forgotten among the lilies. - St John of the cross

... While such inspirational words may seem like wonderful ideals, it is not enough to merely acknowledge these ideals, we must find ways to put these ideals into continual practice in our own daily life. Read more here ...

Image Credit: Science Photo Library.// Tag: Spirituality, Mindfulness, Happiness.

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Thoughts on social justice

What sense does religion or spirituality make to our fellow brothers and sisters of africa who are the sufferer of an injust world order? Does 'praise of God' has any value? Does a pope in Vatican with lavish, luxurious dress and dogma help?

Based on the previous post, Inquisitor posted one of the best comment in this blog ever. He writes, "The Spiritual without the Sociological, amongst others, is like an Angel without Wings. Without the latter, the former becomes little more than an intoxicant detracting the mind from realising the spiritual on earth. It keeps our enthralled focus on the one solitary flower in an urban jungle while the rest of the heavens are set aflame.

Spirituality is a stepping stone and ought not to serve as the Gravestone marking our unrealised potential. It is a preliminary step, not an end in itself. I am in awe of God as i'm too ignorant of God's nature to 'Love' him as i may love another man or woman. I thus follow God and await his instructions and feed on the miniscule drops of wisdom that falls from God. Nourished by them, i go on to do God's will as best as I can. It is in applying and attempting to realise God's directives that i may gain more insight into God; and then perhaps, learn to 'Love' him more intelligently. I gave up the self-indulgent and arrogant activity of Praising God when i realised that God would be better served if i attempted to make this world worthy of God's Praise. Thus .. The Heretic."

______________________________________________________

You are absolutely right, Heretic! The fact is without establishing social justice, all talks about Spirituality and God and everything lose its value. "The Kingdom of God on earth" can only be established when we provide equal opportunity for all, when we drive away the oppression and corruption. That is why in one of my earlier post, i wrote that messengers and prophets of God are social reformers. If we look at the life of the last messenger, Prophet Muhammad, we can see he started with the idea of social reform and thought of equality in the society even before he came to God Realization. And this has happened to all great leaders. Pls read the post, An Alternate view on Messengers and Religion.

Thanks heretic for pointing out the fact. It gives me food for thought and open up the more doors for me. I appreciate it a lot. God bless.

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Desire of Riches

The desire of increasing riches diverts you

Untile you come to the graves.

Nay ! you shall now.

Nay ! Nay ! you shall know.

Nay ! if you had known with a certain knowledge !

You should certainly have seen the hell.

Then you shall see it with the eye of certainty.

Then on that day you shall be questioned about the pleasures.

From Quran- The Final Testament. Chapter 102: Riches. // Translation by: Muhammad Ali (1928). In this chapter of the Final Testament, God points out to the worldly desire of human race and competition for riches and materialistic pleasures. It is something that hold us back from being godly on earth. It diverts us from reaching the higher purpose. Coming to the grave here signifies death.

Interestingly these verses revealed to Prophet Muhammad more than 1400 years ago still holds true in our time. Who can deny the fact that, today, whether in the East or the West, this rivalry for wealth has enveloped the whole world in such a thick veil of heedlessness that the thought of death never even crosses the mind of people? And having to stand before God on the day of Judgement and account for their actions on earth is far from their minds, neither do their hearts entertain the slightest concern for the next life.

Tag: Quran, God, Koran Pin It Now!

Newsweek article "In Search of the Spiritual" featuring my blog today. Thanks to Mark (and Technorati as well). The full link here. Pin It Now!

In Search of the Spiritual

Recently Newsweek has an issue (Aug. 29 - Sept. 5, 2005) focusing on the quest for Spirituality in America. The article will give some light on the hunger for spirituality in American society. Check it here.

Also check the following links from Newsweek:
> Where Do You Stand on Faith?
> Islam: A New Welcoming Spirit in the Mosque
> Kabbalah: Feeling the Spirit of Prayer
> Tibetan Buddhism: Learning to Let Go
> Roman Catholicism: 'Hail Mary' Is More Than a Football Play
> A Scholar's View: The Long and Winding Road
> A Dictionary of the Divine

The article ends beautifully with this call,
So let us say together: Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Sh'ma Yisrael. Allahu Akbar. Om.
And store up the light against the darkness.

Link www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9024914/site/newsweek

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Prayer (2)

O Lord !

Take my soul while it is firm in sincerity,

Cut off my need for this world,

Make my desire for what is with Thee

Become a yearning to meet Thee,

And give me true confidence in Thee!

Tag: Prayer, Lord , Spirituality

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Why Buddha is so special

Gautama Buddha is really a special personality. Although many of his original teachings are lost, and the only records of his teaching was started to be written down only after 200 (some say 300 or 400) years of his passing. Thus historically, what we find as Buddha's teaching may not be his original, but inspired by other Buddhist of later times.

But my point is not exactly that. My point is his method of preaching Dhamma (the teaching).

As i mentioned in previous posts that (whom we call) Messengers or Prophets are basically great social reformers and social workers. People from Confucious to Muhammad, from Buddha to Rama Krisha are such great peoples. Peace and blessings of God be upon them.

But among all the great teachers, Buddha is very special. This is because all the social reformers like Moses, Jesus used God as central theme for inspiring people to come back to a life of balance. But Buddha was born in a society, in such a special time when the idea of God was not helping out. People had a matured concept of the all pervading Brahma (God) in that Hindu Civilization. Remember, Buddha himself was born as hindu. There were ascetics practicing. But the society lost its harmony. People were suffering in all sense.

Among that chaos, when Buddha gained his wisdom and insight into the causes of suffering (Dukkha), he right aways didn't bring God as central theme. He knew God idea was not helping bring harmony among people, and moreover people was fighting over my God and your God. That is why in his teaching we find little talk about God. As if he remained silent in that question. Rather he opens up another DOOR TO ETERNITY. Buddha teaches the inner consciousness that is present inside all of us.

We all have conscience, and if we are aware of our being, that conscience is enough to guide us. That is like a autopilot to lead a life of godness on earth. As said in the Final Testament, Quran that God has give the paths to all. Either man be grateful or he can live in denial. Buddha was working on that as well.

Buddha taught people how to know oneself. How to empty our heart and mind. Since heart is the throne of God and God takes His place only when we empty our heart from material attachment, from worldly attachment. Thus without talking about God, he was preparing the place for godly consciousness. His concept of Sunnyata is thus really a great teaching. I admire Buddha because he was able to transform the society, the mindset of the people at that very time of crisis. To bring back people from blind materialist life to a life of calm and self-awareness is something really wonderful. That is why, to me Gautama Buddha is one of the best person and philosopher who walked on this humble earth !!

Also:
. Buddha's Prophecy about his own teachings

Tag: Buddhism, Buddha. Pin It Now!

Spiritual Realization : Rumi and Shams Tabrez

Commenting in the post titled, Wisdom of Buddha, Mark mentioned a beautiful story about a chinese master. Its about how spiritual realization can not be obtained from books. It reminded me a similar story from Rumi, the famous Persian Mystic and Poet.

Once while Jalalludin Rumi was teaching his pupils in the open courtyard, next to a fountain, a shabbily externally dressed but perfectly internally adorned Sufi, Shams Tabrez came to their assembly and watched them. He saw Rumi referring to numerous handwritten books in the course of his teaching. Shams asked Jalalludin Rumi as to what was in the books.

Jalalludin Rumi replied, "O! Sufi. This contains knowledge that is beyond your understanding so you continue to read your rosary." Unnoticed by Rumi, Shams Tabrez threw all the books into the pond of water. When Rumi’s students saw what occurred they began beating Shams Tabrez. This and the screams of Shams Tabrez alerted Rumi as to what occurred. He complained that all his valuable knowledge had been destroyed. Shams Tabrez said; "Tell your pupils to leave me alone and I will give back your books."

A visibly dejected Rumi conceded to the request thinking that this was impossible. He was surprised to see Shams Tabrez, recite bismillah (in the name of God), lift the drenched books from the pond, blew dust of them and returned them to him intact.

He asked Shams Tabrez as to how he did this. Shams Tabrez replied, "This knowledge is beyond your understanding so you continue to teach your pupils." Jalalludin Rumi fell at his feet and was swept into the currents of love. The presence of this ragged Sufi, Shams Tabrez, changed Jallaluddin Rumi from a respected professor of theology into a lover of God, one who summed up his whole life with the phrase, "I burnt, and I burnt, and I burnt." Shams Tabrez, targeted Rumi since he knew that Rumi was ready for receiving Spiritual Training but the veil of conceit, regarding his knowledge, had to be lifted.

Thus, spiritual enlightenment can only come as a gift from God. No book can teach us this. Sometime God present this gift directly into the heart of the devotee as inspirations or sometime via a spiritual master or guide.

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An alternate view on Messengers and Religion

In the previous post when i mentioned that according to the research of some muslim scholars, it is found that Buddha may be the person mentioned in the Final Testament, Quran as Dhul Kifl ... out of this, one visitor of my blog exclaimed, how can a Buddhist be considered as messenger of God. It triggered a thought in me which i would love to elaborate here.

It is said in the Final Testament To every people (was sent) a messenger (Quran 010:047). Now sometime we narrow down the meaning of religion and messenger. All spiritual leaders or messengers were social reformer than anything else. Their work is what we namel religion. We often forget that view point.

If one read the life of all the great messengers, inspirational teachers one can see that they didn't start to preach a religion. They started with addressing some social problem. They all were great social reformer above all other identity.

Moses did that for the oppressed people of Israel. He wanted justice and freedom for his enslaved people in Egypt. Jesus protested against the corrupted Jewish priests who were destroying social justice and for this Jesus ultimately paid the price in the hand of the corrupted powerful. Muhammad protested the corrupted arab society and its injustices.

The time of Buddha was one such time of crisis in Indian society and civilization. People forgot morality, no philosophy concerning God was helping out. At that time he started meditation and thinking on the problem (Just as Muhammad started his retreat in mount Hera for meditation on the social problem of Arabia).

So from secular point of view, these great teachers didn't started any religion. The appreciator or companions or followers of the teachers actually formed the religion. Neither Buddha, nor Moses nor Muhammad started with religion. Religion was the name of the result of their work perhaps. Perhaps the concept of God (incase of Biblical Prophets and Muhammad) or our own Life (in case Buddha) was the best motivation for them, thats why their social reformation always resulted in some religion.

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Interfaith Insight : Islamic-Buddhist Dialogue

Venerable Thubten Chondron's Home page (website) contains an article by Dr. Alexander Berzin, Islamic-Buddhist Dialogue. I mention some content from it here:

"... Historically, Islamic law has accepted Buddhism as a "religion of the Book." Because "Dharma" was translated as "law," and "law" referred to "book," Buddhists as "people of the Dharma" were understood to be "people of the Book" throughout medieval Central Asia. Islam tolerates all "people of the Book," which is defined as people who accept a creator God. This leads to some interesting discussions on the meaning of "creator God."

Indonesian Buddhists posit Adibuddha, the primordial Buddha of the Kalachakra Tantra, as the "creator." I had several interesting discussions with Buddhist monks in Indonesia about the issue of God in Buddhism. Since Adibuddha can be interpreted as the clear light primordial consciousness, and since all appearances of samsara and nirvana are the play or "creation" of that mind, we concluded that it could be said that Buddhism accepts a "creator God." The fact that Buddhism asserts Adibuddha not to be an individual, separate being who created the universe, but something present in each sentient being, can be seen as a theological difference concerning the nature of God. That is, Buddhism does accept a "creator God" but with its own unique interpretation. As the Muslims say, "Allah has many names," and many Christian, Islamic, Hindu, and Jewish thinkers assert that God is abstract and present in all beings. ...

... some modern Islamic scholars have asserted that the Prophet Dh'ul Kifl--the "man from Kifl"- mentioned twice in the Qur'an, refers to the Buddha, with Kifl being the Arabic rendering of the name of Buddha's native kingdom, Kapilavastu. The Qur'an stated that the followers of Dh'ul Kifl are righteous people. Secondly, al-Biruni and Sehristan, two eleventh century Islamic scholars who visited India and wrote about its religions, called Buddha a "Prophet ..."

Source // Tag: Buddha, Buddhism, Islam, Inter faith.

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Supplication of Kumayl

This is a famous supplication associated with Kumayl.

Kumayl Ibn Ziyad Nakha'i was a confidant amongst the companions of Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib (A.S.) and this sublime supplication (or Du'a) was first heard from the beautiful voice of Imam Ali. According to Allama Majlisi (on whom be Allah's Mercy) Kumayl had attended an assembly in the Mosque at Basra which was addressed by Imam Ali in the course of which the night of the 15th of Shaban was mentioned. Imam Ali said-"Whosoever keeps awake in devoutness on this night and recites the Du'a of Prophet Khizr, undoubtedly that person's supplication will be responded to and granted. When the assembly at the Mosque had dispersed, Kumayl called at the house where Imam Ali was staying, and requested him to acquaint him with Prophet Khizr's "Du'a". Imam Ali asked Kumayl to sit down, record and memorise the "Du'a" which Imam Ali dictated to Kumayl.

Imam Ali then advised Kumayl to recite this "Du'a" on the eve of (i.e. evening preceding) every Friday, or once a month or at least once in every year so that, added Imam Ali, "Allah may protect thee from the evils of the enemies and the plots contrived by impostors. O' Kumayl! in consideration of thy companionship and understanding, I grant thee this honour of entrusting this "Du'a" to thee." For the text of the prayer, pls go here.

To Listen the supplication in English (mp3 format), pls click here.

For Arabic (mp3). For listening online in real player format, click here.

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Wisdom of Buddha

Do not accept what you hear by report,
do not accept tradition,
do not accept a statement because it is found in our books,
nor because it is in accord with your belief,
nor because it is the saying of your teacher.

Be the lamps unto yourselves.

Buddha, about 2560 years ago ...

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Prayer (1)

O Allah, I take refuge

within Your pleasure,

from Your displeasure and

within Your pardon

from Your punishment,

And I take refuge in

You from You.

I can not enumerate enough

Your praise.

You are as You have praised Yourself.

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Prayer for all the blog visitors

Beloved Visitor, Thanks for visiting. Your every visit and comment really inspires me.

May the blessings of God rest upon you,

may God's peace abide with you,

may God's presence illuminate your heart,

now and forevermore.

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Order of Nazorean Essenes

A very wonderful website... explorer yourself for fascinating information on Early Christianity, Mystic Christian Messages, Jesus Christ himself and others. Thanks to Mark for the beautiful website's link in his blog.

It is remarkable that in the Final Testament, the Christians are referred as Nasaraean, or Nassara. And interesting enough the Christianity of today is very much deviated from the Gnostic, Mystic teaching of Isa or Yeshu (peace be upon him). From this website I get a feeling that the order of Nasaraean very much still holding the truth more in its purer form than other sects of Christianity. I agree, I have to do much research on this topic before i can come to such conclusion. Still i'm looking into their messages.

So far what i have read, they are truly fascinating. Read this link for more hints of what i mean. You should be able to find some historical facts about modern day Bible that exist. Another good reading from this site.

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Rushdie's thought on Islam

The Right Time for An Islamic Reformation
By Salman Rushdie

The article was published in Washington Post on Sunday, August 7, 2005. Here Rushdie's view point is interesting. Following is some selected passages which are quite thoughtful.

... "It should be a matter of intense interest to all Muslims that Islam is the only religion whose origins were recorded historically and thus are grounded not in legend but in fact. The Koran was revealed at a time of great change in the Arab world, the seventh-century shift from a matriarchal nomadic culture to an urban patriarchal system. Muhammad, as an orphan, personally suffered the difficulties of this transformation, and it is possible to read the Koran as a plea for the old matriarchal values in the new patriarchal world, a conservative plea that became revolutionary because of its appeal to all those whom the new system disenfranchised, the poor, the powerless and, yes, the orphans.

Muhammad was also a successful merchant and heard, on his travels, the Nestorian Christians' desert versions of Bible stories that the Koran mirrors closely (Christ, in the Koran, is born in an oasis, under a palm tree). It ought to be fascinating to Muslims everywhere to see how deeply their beloved book is a product of its place and time, and in how many ways it reflects the Prophet's own experiences.

However, few Muslims have been permitted to study their religious book in this way. The insistence that the Koranic text is the infallible, uncreated word of God renders analytical, scholarly discourse all but impossible. Why would God be influenced by the socioeconomics of seventh-century Arabia, after all? Why would the Messenger's personal circumstances have anything to do with the Message?

The traditionalists' refusal of history plays right into the hands of the literalist Islamofascists, allowing them to imprison Islam in their iron certainties and unchanging absolutes. If, however, the Koran were seen as a historical document, then it would be legitimate to reinterpret it to suit the new conditions of successive new ages. Laws made in the seventh century could finally give way to the needs of the 21st. The Islamic Reformation has to begin here, with an acceptance of the concept that all ideas, even sacred ones, must adapt to altered realities."....

More about Salman Rushdie, Over-view, Salon interview

Tag: Salman Rushdie, Islam, Quran, Koran. Pin It Now!

Experiment on Free will

Today I discovered a link with a thought experiment on free will. Please read it.

Its interesting. Also check this out, 'Does Freedom exist'?

Credit:: http://fading-hope.blog-city.com

Related Post: Free will exist and doesn't exist at the same time. Pin It Now!

The world is like Mt. Sinai

The world is like Mt. Sinai,
and we are seekers like Moses;

Every moment theophany comes
and shatters the mountain.

~ Rumi

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Sufi Symposium : Scotland 2006

Sufi Symposium. The Lover of God will gather, God willing in Edinburgh, Scotland on September 14-16, 2006. It is organized by International Association of Sufism. Join with the Lovers of God to realize the Truth.

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Samuel L. Lewis :: An illuminated soul and inspiration

Murshid Samuel L. Lewis (Sufi Ahmed Murad) (1896 - 1971)

Samual Lewis was an American mystic and dance teacher who founded the Dances of Universal Peace movement. He was also known under his Sufi name of Murshid and to the popular press as Sufi Sam. He was a sufi and at the same time a student of Zen and Yoga. Perhaps he is the first one born in the West to have received the divine message.

Before leaving his body, Murshid Samuel writes a letter to Barkat Ali, saying: "Praise be to Allah! This has been a glorious exit, and one which will go down in history, a sign of all the beauty, truth and goodness in the universe. One has been truly saved from the jaws of death and adversity, and may live on indefinitely, as God wills. It is the sign and symbol of all goodness, and the establishment of God's message in the Western world forever, praise be to Allah! For I am the first one born in the West to have received the divine message, and believe to have representatives in all the purity and goodness of which Allah is capable, and which will now be presumed done forever."

In 1925: During a spiritual retreat in Fairfax, Samuel receives inner initiation from Khwaja Khidr, often identified with Elijah and known to Sufis as "the Green Man of the Desert." This initiation leads to appearances by all the prophets in turn, culminating with Mohammed.

Quote from Murshid Samuel:

"Words are not peace. Thoughts are not peace. Plans are not peace. Programs are not peace. Peace is fundamental to all faiths. Peace is fullness, all inclusive ...and must be experienced."

"One of the reasons I am teaching this music and dancing is to increase Joy, not awe towards another person, but bliss in our own self. This is finding God within, through Experience."

More on Samuel: Ruhainiat.org, Wikipedia Entry, The New Age in Person, Dervish Healing Order, Marin Sufis.

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Ahmed Deedat, one of the most leading authority of comparative religion. He contributed great on research on Christianity and Islam. His research on Christ, his actual life story is really inspiring. Ahmed Deedat passed away on 8th August, 2005. Surely we are from Allah, and to Him is our return. May Allah grant Ahmed Deedat paradise.

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Don't veil the treasure that is yours !

O you who've gone on pilgrimage -

where are you, where, oh where?

Here, here is the Beloved !

Oh come now, come, oh come !

Your friend, He is your neighbor,

He is next to your wall -

You, erring in the desert - what air of love is this?

If you'd see the Beloved's

form without any form -

You are the house,

the master,You are the Kaaba, you ! . . .

Where is a bunch of roses,

if you would be this garden?

Where, one soul's pearly essence

when you're the Sea of God?

That's true - and yet your troubles

may turn to treasures rich –

How sad that you yourself veil

the treasure that is yours !

~
Rumi 'I Am Wind, You are Fire'

Translation by Annemarie Schimmel

Tag: Rumi, Sufism, Veil.

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Scriptures :: An inspiring work by Covita Moroney

It is said that the true scripture is the one written on the heart of every human being.

Scripture is such Music CD inspired by Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Wisdom. Rich melodies sung in Aramaic, Hebrew, and Arabic are layered with Middle Eastern oud, percussion and chant to celebrate shared truths found in sacred scriptures. From prayerful reverance and sheer joy, to sensual delight and deep mystery, this evocative music is offered in the spirit of wholeness, healing, and peace.

To learn more about the cd pls go here. For ordering, visit here.

Thanks a lot to Covita Moroney for visiting my blog. I'm truly blessed by her presence in my site. May Beloved God reward her for the sincere and beautiful work. Amen.

Tag: Covita, Music, Scritpure. Pin It Now!

Pondering on the Final Testament :: On Loving God

In the Final Testament, Chapter 27 we find the following verses with reference to Moses, when he saw fire in the mountain and had a mystic conversation with God. Here something special can be found on the idea of fearing Lord.

O Moses! I’m God, the Mighty, the Wise… Fear not; the apostles shall not fear in My presence. Neither he who has been unjust, then he does good instead after evil, for I am the Forgiving, the Merciful: (Quran, 27 : 9,11)

Here we see, God is stating that Apostles or Prophets should not be fearful in the presence of Lord and also those who turn to good work even after he might have wronged to his soul. We all are sinful in a sense because we all are forgetful of Lord almost every moment and also we fail to praise Lord which is due to Him. But even then God says, not to fear.

What is opposite or negation of fear? Isn’t it Love? The Lover of God thus follow the path of Love. The Divine Love of God, they seek the Divine Intimacy of Supreme Soul. To the Lover of God, Love of God is the most seeking goal, Loving God is the most treatured virtue.

Tag: Sufism, Quran, God, Love. Pin It Now!

The Prayer of Saint Chrysostom

Almighty God, who hast given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications unto thee; and doest promise that when two of three are gathered together in thy Name thou wilt grant their requests;

Fulfill now, O Lord, the desires and petitions of thy servants, as may be most expedient for them; granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life everlasting. Amen.

Credit: Just Thinking by Ken. R. Anderson.

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Destiny Mystery

Whatever happened to you yesterday,
what ever happenning to you now,
and also riding on all your yesterdays and now
something will happen to you in coming tomorrows.

Those are all part of your destiny.

Blame none, but your soul
that you are unaware of your NOWs.

Cause in every moment of NOW
you mould your destinty;
drop by drop, point by point.

The wheel of time keeps rotating,
taking with you and your destiny together
on an eternal journey.

- 13 Aug, 2005 / Singapore / Sadiq M. Alam

Photo Credit: Author (thanks Masheed for camera).

Location: Esplanade, Singapore. Digital Effects: Author

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Intimacy with God

There is a famous hadith, or narrative about the Prophet, that says that the Prophet was seated with his companions one day when a stranger, later identified as the archangel Gabriel himself, walked into their presence. Gabriel proceeded to sit directly in front of the Prophet and asked him a series of questions.

He first asked, "Tell me, what is Submission (which is the meaning of the arabic word, Islam)?" The Prophet answered it by listing what became popularly known as the five pillars of Islam: testimony of faith, daily prayer, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage. To the surprise of those watching, this unknown questioner said, "You are correct."

Next he asked what faith is (iman), to which the Prophet answered by listing the five items of belief: in God, in the angels, in the Scriptures, in the Prophets, and in the Last Day and Hereafter. Again the questioner responded, "You are right."

Then he asked, "What is [mastery of] virtue (ihsan)?" To which the Prophet answered, "[Mastery of] virtue is to worship God as if you see Him; and if you don't see Him, then [worship Him with the conviction that] He sees you."

This saying is an outlining of a path of religious or spiritual EVOLUTION, from a mere external observation of religiosity to an inner expression of faith to a state of intimacy with God.

Even among the religious, not all human souls are inclined to intimacy with God, any more than all souls are drawn to be expert in medicine. And among those who desire divine intimacy, few are capable of the self-discipline and hard work that is demanded of them to achieve it, just as few who want to become doctors are truly capable of expending the effort.

Excerpt from What's Right with Islam: A New Vision for Muslims and the West, by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. Published by Harper San Francisco).

Tag: Religion, God, Intimacy, Islam, Prophet. Pin It Now!

Funny, Isn't it?

* Funny how a $10 note looks so big when you take it to the mosque (place of prostration, or worship), but so small when you take it to the market.

* Funny how long it takes to do Zikr (remember Allah or God) for an hour, but how quickly a team plays 60 minutes of football.

* Funny how long a couple of hours spent at the mosque are, but how short they are when watching a movie.

* Funny how we can't think of anything to say when we pray, but don't have difficulty thinking of things to talk about to a friend.

* Funny how we get thrilled when a football game goes into extra time, but we complain when a lecture at the centre is longer than the regular time.

* Funny how hard it is to read a chapter of the Holy Quran, but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a best selling novel.

* Funny how people want to get a front seat at any game or concert, but scramble to get a back row at mosque so that they can scramble out fast.

* Funny how we need 2 or 3 weeks advance notice to fit a mosque event into our schedule, but can adjust our schedule for other events at the last moment.

* Funny how hard it is for people learn a simple preaching well enough to tell others, but how simple it is for the same people to understand and repeat gossip.

* Funny how we believe what the newspaper says, but question what the Scripture from God says.

* Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven provided they do not have to believe, or to think, or to say, or do anything.

* Funny how you can send a thousand 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding God, people think twice about sharing.

FUNNY, ISN'T IT?

Are you laughing? Are you thinking? Give thanks to God for He is Good & Merciful!

By: Sister Zarina. Credit website.

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External Links

Reasons to Believe :: top scientific discoveries of 2004 from Christian view. Click here to listen in real player. http://www.reasons.org

Islamic Texts Society :: For books on Islamic Spirituality and Sufism

Domain Islam:: Home to Islamic resources.

Submission :: Quran, Hadith and Islam, a best seller book.

Embers, Just Thinking :: A beautiful christian site of prayers and thoughts on God.

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Freewill exist and doesn't exist at the same time

The question, whether freewill exist or not is an old philosophical problem. I haven't read many deep things on it. But I have my very personal view on this.

I think freewill exist and at the same time it doesn't exist.

Freewill exist because, without it the creation of intelligence human race will lose its value. Without freewill the purpose of creation doesn't work.

Freewill doesn't exist to the Lover of God because all Knowing God created and designed it. So somehow freewill iteself has some limitations. But yet, it is designed in such a wonderful way that it gives human race tremendous independence in thoughts, behavior and everything.

The fact that freewill exist and doesn't exist at the same time can be compared with a half full glass . The glass is half full. And the glass is half empty. Both the statement is true at the same time.

In Final Testament it is acknowledged that human race has freewill. It is stated that: "Say, the truth is from your Lord, so let him who please believe, and let him who please disbelieve;…" (-Quran 018.029). Thus God gives choice even to deny or accept the very important Truth.

But at the same time we need to acknowledge that God knows everything even if we have freewill. This is because God created time. So although we are into time dimension, God is not. So for Him future, past and present is nothing but same. That is why, freewill doesn't exist if we look from God's point of view. But for us, we can be happy on earth as that we have freewill.

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More Food for thought:: Being in Solitude

Whoever loves God wishes to be alone. Like newlyweds who do not want to have their intimacy interrupted by outsiders, those who have felt the love of God retire into silence and solitude.
~Ernesto Cardenal, abide in love

Silence is the communing of the conscious soul with itself.

~Henry David Thoreau

Ordinary men hate solitude. But the Master makes use of it, embracing his aloneness, realizing he is one with the whole universe.

~Tao Te Ching

At the cresent moon, the silence

enters the heart.

~Chiyo-ni, from Woman Haiku Master

Which is worth more, a crowd of thousands,or your own genuine solitude?

Freedom, or power over an entire nation?

A little while alone in your room

will prove more valuable than anything else

that could ever be given you.

~Rumi

God's discretion invites us to silence, a silence filled with wonder, a silence which adores and opens itself to God, who draws closer in mystery. Adoration envelopes itself in silence, joining itself to that which draws closer.

~Daniel Bourquet, La Pudeur de Dieu

Thanks to Katt's inspiring blog for this nice thoughts.

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Food for thoughts

The more you evolve spiritually, the further you pass from the understanding of every man.

:: Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

More here :: http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/I/I_II_10.htm

To subscribe to Bowl of Saki by clicking here.

Tag: Sufism, Spirituality Pin It Now!

Is this a game?

One of my friend commented something lovely. Its quite a thought !! I loved it... so i'm just posting it here for you...

_________________________

It is the fact that all great findings originated from some where inside us. For example you see all efforts and developments that took place with in the area of physics did actually originate about the idea the one unique invariant general law is rolling the world and thus we keep on digging to find out more and more details out of that one unique rolling law! So where did we get the idea of that unity and unification!

Is it right that we did believe in the fact before we started benefiting from it? Philosophically I think no one would be able to prove the existence of god. If it happens then what you have proved is not going to be a so called god since it has been proved and thus it has turned into a subject of proof. The most important most widely understood idea about "god" among all human beings is that no matter it exists or not, it is not some thing provable. The unique thing about all those who do really believe in god, meanwhile, is the fact that they feel it inside and it is a very personal (and in fact possibly very confidential and holly) thing. You can not find or see or prove that there is a god but you can feel it by your self depending on your personal characteristics.

And every body would agree that feeling are always true by themselves and never provable. You touch some thing and you feel it is hot, there is no ideology or logic to prove that you are right or wrong in that because that is just your feeling. At the same time I believe, people (man kind) are doing there best to discover the so called god. Even there might be many of us who are participating in this event while we are not so much aware of what indeed we are engaged with. This is why, in my opinion, so much effort is being given to answering questions like "the total mass of universe", "metric bounds of universe", "origin of world", "big bang" and etc.

We are trying our best to approach the infinite bounds of every thing and I think behind all that we are seeking to find an answer for the question of "does god exist". This is why we are doing our best in achieving the "biggest", the "smallest", the "fastest", the "strongest", the "weakest" and ... .

It's because we just feel that behind those outmost extremes there is some thing waiting for us! Some thing that we would possibly never approach but we would keep moving towards for ever. This is the meaning of infinity as it fits in our minds.

Who knows how capable we are?

Is this a game between us the “god”?

So many fundamental questions …

Tag: Philosophy, God, Game. Pin It Now!

Life of Pi ... and "would one believe in God if one grew up alone on a desert island and spent life utterly alone without human contact?”

A great blog by Segovius !! On commenting on the post, Life of Pi, there is a wonderful view:

A central theme that is never fully explored) is that the meta-story (this is in itself a link to the famous stories within stories of the Arabian Nights) has a specific intent: it is a tale that will make you believe in God. In the opening sections of the book, Pi has himself resolved this issue on his personal level and sees no contradiction in defining himself as a Muslim, a Hindu and a Christian simultaneously. This is clearly the position of the Classical Sufism (if not necessarily of some of the contemporary Islamocentric tariqas) and Pi’s Muslim teacher is stated as being a follower of the Sufi path.

The motif of the castaway as a symbol for the journey to God is an apt one. It has a near precedent in Sufi mystical literature in the classic work Hayy ibn Yaqzan (lit: Alive, son of Awake) by the 12th century Sufi poet Ibn Tufayl. Tufayl’s work, which has been seen as a major influence on Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. In Tufayl, the theme revolves around the question “would one believe in God if one grew up alone on a desert island and spent life utterly alone without human contact?”. Tufayl’s answer is a resounding ‘yes’ - although the implications of this knowledge are more complex than might be assumed - and clearly Hayy’s life on his desert island IS the journey to God, just as Pi’s months adrift in the Pacific are a similar journey: a journey to something which cannot be conceived, perhaps must not be conceived as the only way to survive the days adrift is to abandon hope.

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Physics and Philosophy

Yesterday i was with a friend, David. We were talking about many things. He is kinda philosophical guy, one of those who is a born philosopher. I have my inclination to philosophy as well. We had something interesting in our discussion which made me ponder later on. Thus i decided to post something about it.

When we were talking about philosophy, life etc. he commented something like this: You know at this age, those who are seeking the truth should study physics and mathematics. Physics and Mathematics should be the language of today's philosopher. That is because by studying the details of nature you can appreciate the nature, and life and the cosmos. And study of nature and life is the goal of philosophy.

I agreed. That is why people like Steven Hawking's writing is so popular. He explained the hardcore physics with an eye of a philosopher. He said he wants to know about the cosmos, the time, about big bang because he wants to know the mind of God. Michio Kaku is another nice example of modern physicist who talks in terms of philosophy. Kaku is now inquest to discover the Theory of Everything.

I really loved the idea and i hope it will help me decide on which field i want to focus in future. I always had a fascination with astrophysics. I see it as a great way to appreciate the Greatness of the Creator.

On another occasion David commented, "You lose a lot when you are philosophical or take things of life in a philosophical way, but at the same time you gain a lot". I think this is a great comment!

Tag: Philosophy, Physics, Stephen Hawkings. Pin It Now!

আমার নিশীথ রাতের বাদল ধারা

আমার নিশীথ রাতের বাদল ধারা,

এসো হে গোপনে

স্বপনলোকের দিশাহারা ৷

ওগো অন্ধকারের অন্তরধন,

দাও ঢেকে মোর পরান মন -

আমি চাই নে তপন চাই নে তারা ৷

যখন সবাই মগন ঘুমের ঘোরে

নিয়ো গো, নিয়ো গো,

আমার ঘুম নিও গো হরন করে ৷

একলা ঘরে চুপে চুপে এসো কেবল সুরের রূপে -

দিও গো, দিও গো আমার চোখের জলে দিও সাড়া ৷

আমার নিশীথ রাতের বাদল ধারা, এসো হে গোপনে

স্বপনলোকের দিশাহারা ৷

In his mind and in his writings Rabindranath Tagore is very much a sufi (mystic lover of God). Many of his devotional songs can be very inspiring for the sufi mind. This song is an example of such Divine Love. The original piece is in Bangla. I tried with my weak effort to render it in english. The song is really sweet in Bangla. At first glance it might seem simply love song for lover, but in its deeper meaning there is something more mystical.

Just like the sweet rain of a quite night,
Come, come in secret,
O my Wanderer of Neverland.

O my dearest Hidden One,
Come and cover my heart and soul.

Sun, moon or starts somehow lost meaning to me.
No treasure I want, but Thee.

When all are asleep, O Dear
Take away my slumber.
And be my guest in my solitude,
Coming as inspirations in my soul.

And deny me not Your answers
for every drop of my tears.

Just like the sweet rain of a quite night,

come in secret and cover my heart and soul.
O my Wanderer of Neverland.

Translation: Sadiq M. Alam \ Singapore \ 9 Aug, 2005

Tag: Rabindranath Tagore, God, Sufi, Tagore, Bangla, Bengali Pin It Now!

The Sufi Path

Sufi master, Al-Junayd said: "The sufi is like the earth: the rubbish is thrown over it, and only good things come up". He also said: "The sufi is like the earth, a place where both an innocent and a guilty walk on in, like the sky that shadows everything, like the rain that waters everything".

Sahl [al-Tustari] said: "The sufi is someone who is pure (safaa) from trouble (kadar), he is filled with thinking (fikr) and has renounced to the human for the Divine ; someone for whom gold and mud have the same value", that is to say, someone who doesn't desire or wish anything but his Lord and Master.

"Sufism" (tasawwuf) is the science through which we can attain the modalities for our journey toward the King of kings; it is also the inner purification (tasfiya) from the vices (radhaa' il) and the inner beauty by the means of all virtues (fadhaa'il); or the erasing (ghayba) of the creature, be it lost in the vision (shuhuud) of Truth (God; al-Haqq), or going back to the manifested world (al-athar). Its beginning is "science" ('ilm), its medium "action" ('amal) and its aim "gift" (mawhiba) [from God].

Regarding the word itself, it derives:
- possibly from safaa', purity, as its aim is purification (tasfiya) ;-possibly from sifa, quality, because it is the qualification (ittisaaf) derived from perfections ;

- possibly from suffa, the "bench" at the Prophet's Mosque, as the sufis look very much like the People of the Bench from their orientation [towards God] (tawajjuh) and from their renouncing to the world (inqitaa') ;

- and possibly from suuf, the wool, because most of them used to wear garments made with wool as a sign of detachment of the things from this world, and also imitating those Prophets that were dressed with clothes made in wool.

This last etymology seems the most convincing from a linguistic point of view, it also corresponds in a better way to the literal sense.

Quoted from:: http://maryam-blog.blogspot.com

Tag: Sufism, Sufi Path, Sufi. Pin It Now!

Oh my soul

Should you not gain your wants, my soul, then be not grieved;
But hasten to that banquet which your Lord's bequeathed.

And when a thing for which you ask is slow to come,
Then know that often through delay are gifts received.

Find solace in privation and respect its due,
For only by contentment is the heart relieved.

And know that when the trials of life have rendered you
Despairing of all hope, and of all joy bereaved,
Then shake yourself and rouse yourself from heedlessness,
And make pure hope a meadow that you never leave.

Your Maker's gifts take subtle and uncounted forms.
How fine the fabric of the world His hands have weaved.

The journey done, they came to the water of life,
And all the caravan drank deep, their thirst relieved.
Far be it from the host to leave them thirsty there,
His spring pours forth all generosity received.

My Lord, my trust in all Your purposes is strong,
That trust is now my shield; I'm safe, and undeceived.

All those who hope for grace from You will feel Your rain;
Too generous are You to leave my branch unleaved.
May blessings rest upon the loved one, Muhammad,

Who's been my means to high degrees since I believed.
He is my fortress and my handhold, so my soul,
Hold fast, and travel to a joy still unconceived.

- Ali bin Husayn al-Habshi (translated by Abdal Hakim Murad)

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