The Greater Jihad

I made peace with all the people in the world, resolving never to wage war on anyone, and I waged war against my self and have never since made peace with it.

-Kharaqani in Attar: Tadhkirat

Ramadan

Bismillâhi-r-Rahmâni-r-Rahîm


As-Salâmu 'Alaikum Wa Rahmatullâhi Wa Barakâtuh

Ramadan Mubarak

Dear beloved brothers and sisters,

Our beloved sister Amr has sent this jewel for your hearts, thank you Amr.
Ramadan Karim.
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The Prophet Muhammad's (s) Sermon given on the last Friday of Sha'ban on the reception of the Month of Ramadhan

"O People !"

"Indeed ahead of you is the blessed month of Allah. A month of blessing, mercy and forgiveness. A month which with Allah is the best of months. Its days, the best of days, its nights, the best of nights, and its hours, the best of hours. It is the month which invites you to be the guests of Allah and invites you to be one of those near to Him. Each breath you take glorifies God; your sleep is worship, your deeds are accepted and your supplications are answered. So, ask Allah, your Lord; to give you a sound body and an enlightened heart so you may be able to fast and recite his book, for only he is unhappy who is devoid of Allah's forgiveness during this great month. Remember the hunger and thirst of the day of Qiyamah (Judgement) with your hunger and thirst; give alms to the needy and poor, honour your old, show kindness to the young ones, maintain relations with your blood relations; guard your tongues, close your eyes to that which is not permissible for your sight, close your ears to that which is forbidden to hear, show compassion to the orphans of people so compassion may be shown to your orphans. Repent to Allah for your sins and raise your hands in dua during these times, for they are the best of times and Allah looks towards his creatures with kindness, replying to them during the hours and granting their needs if he is asked...

"O People! Indeed your souls are dependant on your deeds, free it with Istighfar (repentance) lighten its loads by long prostrations; and know that Allah swears by his might: That there is no punishment for the one who prays and prostrates and he shall have no fear of the fire on the day when man stands before the Lord of the worlds.

"O People! One who gives Iftaar to a fasting person during this month will be like one who has freed someone and his past sins will be forgiven.

Some of the people who were there then asked the Prophet (s): "Not all of us are able to invite those who are fasting?"

The Prophet (s) replied: "Allah gives this reward even if the Iftaar (meal) is a drink of water."

"One who has good morals (Akhlaq) during this month will be able to pass the 'Siraat'...on the day that feet will slip...

"One who covers the faults of others will benefit in that Allah will curb His anger on the day of Judgement...

"As for one who honours an orphan; Allah will honour him on the day of judgement,

"And for the one who spreads his kindness, Allah will spread His mercy over him on the day of Judgement.

"As for the one who cuts the ties of relation; Allah will cut His mercy from him...

"Who so ever performs a recommended prayer in this month Allah will keep the fire of Hell away from him...

"Whoever performs an obligator prayer Allah will reward him with seventy prayers [worth] in this month.

"And who so ever prays a lot during this month will have his load lightened on the day of measure.

"He who recites one verse of the Holy Qur'an will be given the rewards of reciting the hole Qur'an during other months.

"O People! Indeed during this month the doors of heaven are open, therefore ask Allah not to close them for you; The doors of hell are closed, so ask Allah to keep them closed for you. During this month Shaytan is imprisoned so ask your Lord not to let him have power over you."

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The Month of Ramadhan.

We have all come from before endless time, passing through this experience and returning to endless time. Allah in His own description of Himself declares that nothing in this creation increases Him nor does it decrease Him by any measure of perceived creation or destruction. He sends souls to the Fire and He is not affected., He sends souls to the Garden and He is not affected. He is Himself, fulfilled and needs nothing. By His Love He manifested this creation to be known and worshiped. He gathered the Arwah (spirits) of all creatures and asked if He is not their Lord. All the Arwah (spirits) answered "yes!" This is the pre-???creational imprinting stamped on every created thing.

Each Ruh (spirit) is cloaked with nafs (soul) and through the heart (mirror) reflects the world around us. Face the mirror-heart towards what nourishes the primal imprint and command to 'know the Lord" and it will shine with the light of that realization. Face the mirror-heart towards that which distracts it from the pre-creational affirmation and it will languish in darkness and distraction. The heart is so vast by its nature, you may spend an eternity filling it with the pleasures and distractions of this world, yet still never be content. The heart was made to contain only the Light of Allah, therefore, it is truly "the heart of the matter"; the focal point to which Allah makes himself known. Allah in His overflowing and immeasurable bounty gifted mankind with the means to fulfil His intention, establishing His Khalifa in this world. Islam is the provided means and clear universal articulation of the path to fulfill His Love to be known and worshiped.

In this coming month of Ramadhan, Allah has spread the table wide for nourishing both the inner and outer. He provides the means to realizing His omnipresence and complete engulfing of our entire affair. Allah created the world on a dual foundation that permeates every experience and possibility. As we develop as human beings, there are basic energy centred facets of our nature that compound and play a major role in our lives. They are based on the universal law of duality. This universal dynamic expresses itself in our human experience in many ways. The essential way we experience the dual nature of things is through repulsion and attraction.

From even before we are born, we experience repulsion and attraction. We are cramped; we move. We are tired; we sleep. We are hungry; we seek food. As we develop from birth to childhood these wants and their resolution complexify into a fully developed personality we call "I", or me. Each one of us develops in different ways, but the basic foundation is the same for us all. For many of us, the way that these basic attractions and repulsion's were met, resulted in the pollution of the prime imprinting to discover His Lordship. So we ate, repulsed by hunger, seeking fulfilment (attraction) to food that may or may not have been the best for us. This is where the wisdom teachings of Islam are needed to bring about the best choices. But as children and later as adults we aren't always given the best, nor do we choose the best. It is as a long result of these errant exposures and choices that effect the development of our selves, its health or sickness. Ramadhan is the cure for these developments. It addresses the basic energies behind most of what motivates us. These are sleep, food, and sex.

In the blessed month of Ramadhan, we are awakened when we would sleep. We eat at unaccustomed times, and we curtail our sexual desires until permitted, by the wisdom teachings of Ramadhan. All these basic energy centres are affected, making it possible for old and negative patterns to be broken and transformed. Fasting through the month of Ramadhan makes it possible to realign these basic energies, giving way to a new and realised approach to the health and well being of the Soul.

The natural result of curtailing these basic energies is that it makes us more sensitive, capable of more readily perceiving the subtle nature of our being. Fasting from the engagement of these powerful primal energies frees us to direct our focus on the true purpose of heart and being. It is as though we are removed from the bodily needs, bringing forth a focus on the needs of the soul. It is in a way a mythal of the meaning of La ilaha illa 'llah, there is no god but God. Denial of one (La ilaha) brings about the realization of the truth (illa Allah). Close down the path to the appetites of the nafs and the pathways of nourishing light are opened. From constriction comes expansion, and it is in the practice of fasting that we are raised to a higher state of consciousness. Ramadhan is a great gift and if entered into with the intention to fast for Allah alone, the reward will be for what you intend.

Allah Created Sin for the Sake of Forgiveness

Abu Sirma reported that when the time of the death of Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari had drawn near, he said,

I used to conceal from you a thing which I heard from Allah's Messenger. He said, "Had you not committed sins, Allah would have brought into existence a creation that would have committed sin (and Allah) would have forgiven them." (Muslim 37:6620)

Allah created sin so that He could forgive because He, the Most Forgiving, loves to forgive... SubhanAllah!

This should encourage us to never despair of Allah's mercy... No matter what we have done. Of course, this implies us taking the humble initiative to repent, repent and repent to the One who hears all...

Esoterics of of Al-Fatihah

As for the opening chapter of the Qur'an (al-Fatihah), it contains a synthesis of the whole book, and as noted earlier, its recitation marks the beginning of every daily service. It has a role in Islam that is analogous to that of the Shema' in Judaism and of the "Lord's Prayer" in Christianity, and is divided into two parts. The former contains a mention of the divine names, while the latter is a request of guidance and of protection against deviance.

Its words mean:
1. In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate
2. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds,
3. The Merciful, the Compassionate,
4. Master of the Day of Judgment.
5. Thee we worship and Thee we ask for help.
6. Guide us to the straight path,
7. The path of those whom Thou hast favored, not the path of those who earn Thine anger, nor of those who go astray.

Abu Hurayrah, one of the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad, narrated that he heard him say: "God, mighty and sublime is he, had said:

I have divided the service between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. When the servant says: "Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds," God says, "My servant has praised Me," and when he says, "The Merciful, the Compassionate," God says, "My servant has extolled Me." When he says, "Master of the Day of Judgment," God says, "My servant has glorified Me." When he says: "Thee we worship and Thee we ask for help," God says: "This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for." And when he says: "Guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom Thou hast favored, not the path of those who earn Thine anger, nor of those who stray," God says, "This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for."

This mention of divine answers to the recitation of the creature leads us to understand in which sense the service is considered an intimate colloquium between the creature and his Creator. After completing the reading of al-Fatihah, the worshipper adds other verses from the Qur'an, and then bows, to show that he has not added anything to the praise which Allah gives to himself, but as only manifested by means of his created tongue, the uncreated Word which — according to Islam — is one of the divine attributes. After bowing, the believer stands again, and while coming back to the erect position says what means, "God listens to the one who praises him." This is a further clarification of the intimacy with the Divine Essence that is reached by means of the service, since God is not actually listening to the words of his servant, but rather to his own Word, which descended upon the tongue of his servant. As a consequence of this divine epiphany, the same individuality of the creature is temporarily abolished, and the worshipper prostrates with his forehead to the ground, symbolically coming back to the earth he came from. No individuality can stand in front of God, and the prostration represents a condition of extinction (fana' in Arabic) of the created nature, which is like a temporary mirage, like a contingent shining which made God's light manifested. Even so, extinction in God is not conceived in Islam as a permanent condition, but as the first stage, which in the Islamic terminology is referred as "the journey from the creation toward the Truth." It is immediately followed by subsistence in God (baqa'); i.e., by the "journey from the Truth toward the creation." After being extinguished in God, the creature is sent back to himself, and this is represented by the seated position, which follows the prostration. That subsistence through God, the coming back to one's createdness while remembering the precedent, relative union with God, is itself transitory, and is followed by the stage in which the creature is again extinguished through the "extinction of the extinction" (fanu-l-fana'), which is represented by a second prostration.

- Shaykh Abdul-Hadi Palazzi, "What Do We Want the Other to Teach
About Islamic Prayer and Liturgy?"

Oh Allah, You are Peace and From You is Peace

O God,
Thou art Peace and Peace comes from Thee,
And Peace cometh back to Thee.
Let us enter,
Our Lord,
In the abode of Peace
And grant us access to Heaven.
Thy abode is an abode of Peace,
May Thou be blessed and exalted,
Thou art the Owner of Majesty and Generosity.

- Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

Imam Shafi's Love of Truth

Never do I argue with a man with a desire to hear him say what is wrong,
or to expose him and win victory over him.
Whenever I face an opponent in debate I silently pray --
O Lord, help him so that truth may flow from his heart
and on his tongue, and so that if truth is on my side,
he may follow me;
and if truth be on his side, I may follow him.

- Imam Ash-Shafi (rahimullah)

A Beautiful Du'a

OH ALLAH, I thank YOU for this day.
I thank YOU for my being able to see and to hear this morning.
I'm blessed because YOU are forgiving and understanding.
Oh Allah, YOU have done so much for me & YOU keep on blessing me.
Forgive me this day for everything I have done,
said, or thought that was not pleasing to YOU.
I ask YOU now for YOUR forgiveness.
Please keep me safe from all danger and harm.
Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude.
Let me make the best of each and every day;
To clear my mind so that I can hear from YOU.
Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things.
Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over.
Let me continue to see sin through YOUR eyes and acknowledge it as evil.
And when I sin, let me repent, and receive YOUR forgiveness.
And when this world closes in on me, let me remember YOU;
- To slip away and find a quiet place to make DUA...
It's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits.
I know that when I can't make DUA, YOU listen to my heart.
Continue to use me to do YOUR will.
Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others.
Keep me strong that I may help the weak.
Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others.
I make DUA for those that are lost and can't find their way.
I make DUA for those that are misjudged and misunderstood.
I make DUA for those who don't know YOU intimately.
I make DUA for those that will delete this without sharing it with others
I make DUA for those that don't believe;
But I thank you that I believe.
I believe that Allah changes people and Allah changes things.
I make DUA for all my sisters and brothers.
For each and every family member in their households.
I make DUA for peace, love, and joy in their homes;
That they are out of debt and all their needs are met.
Ameen.

- Author Unknown

Letter to the Editor: Pope’s Speech Being Used to Fuel a Divisive Agenda

The Muslim world is aghast once again at another seeming ‘low-blow’ to the faith by none other than Pope Benedict. Upon reading the Pope’s speech itself rather than relying on press accounts, the Pope makes reference to a dialogue carried on in 1391 by the Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus and an educated Persian on the subject of Christianity and Islam, as mentioned in an obscure book written by one Thomas Khoury. In reading the Pope’s words in the context of his full speech, it appears that his only crime is in his choice of using Thomas Khoury’s book and the weak and obtuse arguments presented in it to make a broader scholarly argument about the incompatibility of violence and faith across all religious traditions. Though it is unclear why he chose Khoury’s book and its provocative language as a reference, his arguments can be easily refuted with even basic knowledge of the role of reason in faith from the perspective of Islamic thought. That being said, the Pope’s speech is evidently being manipulated once again by those that aim to benefit from more hatred and violence between the Western and the Muslim worlds, in step with the Danish cartoon incident. Unfortunately, many Muslim leaders and groups are falling for the trap and making irresponsible comments, even after admitting they did not read the speech but based their reactions entirely on what the press had written. Instead of asking for apologies and protests, perhaps the response should come in like form to the Pope’s original statements; that of a scholarly dialogue on the issues discussed in his speech. In so doing, perhaps we could turn another potentially disastrous incident into a positive one by moving toward a dialogue of civilizations rather than a clash of civilizations.

Read the speech here: http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=94748

The Perfection of Awareness

There are three stages to the perfection of awareness (at the end of which you are no longer aware, it is only Al-llah! who is aware). They are:

Islam - Acceptance and Surrender (to the way of the peace and the love) - Surrender begins with the realization that guidance cannot be and should not be 'self-provided', that it must be sought at the hand of a realized teacher; and acting in accordance with that knowing. At this point, according to your level of Himma (willingness), you will be put into contact with the classical Islamic learning process.

Iman - Correct faith (with experientially verifiable certainty). The perfection of faith is its conversion to certainty (Yaqin) yielding correctness in behavior and knowledge coming from the complete realization of Truth and a deep understanding of the human situation. This process has three phases: Hearing the Truth, Seeing the Truth, and Being the Truth.

`Ilm ul Yaqin - Hearing about a knowledge of which you wish to learn more. The Power of the mind used and developed for the accomplishment of this stage is known in Sanskrit as Dharana (concentration, focus, search, contact, discovery, identification), and the accomplishment is achieved by a combination of pure intent and asking the right questions.

`Ain ul Yaqin - This is the stage of actually doing the work necessary to complete understanding. It requires the development of a sufficiency of dedication, determination and commitment, and a continued use and development of the Powers of Dharana, focus of attention or concentration.

You might notice that the development of each one of these powers of the stages of process requires the use of the entire process - identification, contemplation and comprehension.

Haqq ul Yaqin - Being the Truth. Attainment. Becoming the reality (a
carrier) of this Certainty. Complete comprehension.

Ihsan - Perfect guidance (finished, liberated, able to guide others). Spiritual Liberation implies the perfection of one's understanding of purpose and purity of intention. It does not imply the kind of liberty that supports childish behavior and undisciplined carelessness. This is the holy station of 'Salik al Majdhubi", the contained and sober intoxicated; the Sufi who is the union of the way of the walking (Shari`at - Muhammadun Rasulullah) and the Ultimate Reality (Haqiqat - La ilaha illa 'llah).

The completion of this process of alignment is the ultimate fulfillment and the end of personal desire and hence the end of the ruling power of the perverse ego (both your own and others'), since ego is the defensive aggressive tool constructed for the purpose of attaining personal desire. Personality is thence put to the uses that Al-llah! intended for it in the first place, namely service, friendliness and education.

- Ali Ansari

Why Use Drugs to Treat Dehydration?

If you are sick or suffering from chronic illness, please visit the site posted below. I know someone very close to me whose health has dramatically changed for the better since following the advice of this doctor. I know it sounds unbelievable, but it makes so much sense. After dramatically increasing my own intake of water daily, I have seen tremendous increases in my energy levels and stamina.

http://www.watercure.com/

The Night of Mid-Sha`ban (laylat al-bara'a)

The Night of Mid-Sha`ban (laylat al-bara'a)

Allah said:

inna anzalnahu fi laylatin mubarakatin inna kunna mundhirin

Lo! We revealed it on a blessed night -- Lo! We are ever warning --

fiha yufraqu kullu amrin hakim

Whereupon every wise command is made clear

amran min `indina inna kunna mursilin

As a command from Our presence -- Lo! We are ever sending --

rahmatan min rabbika innahu huwa al-sami`u al-`alim

A mercy from thy Lord. Lo! He is the Hearer, the Knower. (44:3-6)

Although the majority of the commentators consider the "blessed night" in the above verses to refer to the Night of Decree (laylat al-qadr) which is considered to be in the month of Ramadan, yet the commentaries also mention that this "blessed night" may be that of mid-Sha`ban (laylat al-bara'a). This view is based on the profusion of hadiths on the great merits of the latter. Consequently the Shari`a has commended observance of that night. Concerning supererogatory worship on the night of mid-Sha`ban Suyuti says in his Haqiqat al-sunna wa al-bid`a:

As for the night of mid-Sha`ban, it has great merit and it is desirable (mustahabb) to spend part of it in supererogatory worship.

Even Ibn Taymiyya -- the putative authority of "Salafis" -- considered the night of mid-Sha`ban "a night of superior merit" in his Iqtida' al-sirat al-mustaqim:

[Some] said: There is no difference between this night (mid-Sha`ban) and other nights of the year. However, the opinion of many of the people of learning, and that of the majority of our companions (i.e. the Hanbali school) and other than them is that it is a night of superior merit, and this is what is indicated by the words of Ahmad (ibn Hanbal), in view of the many ahadith which are transmitted concerning it, and in view of what confirms this from the words and deeds transmitted from the early generations (al-athar al-salafiyya). Some of its merits have been narrated in the books of hadith of the musnad and sunan types. This holds true even if other things have been forged concerning it.

Among the hadiths stressing the status of laylat al-bara'a are the following:

The Prophet said : Allah looks at His creation in the night of mid-Sha`ban and He forgives all His creation except for a mushrik (idolater) or a mushahin (one bent on hatred).

From `A'isha:

She said: The Prophet stood up in prayer during part of the night and made his prostration so lengthy that I thought his soul had been taken back. When I saw this I got up and went to move his big toe, whereupon he moved, so I drew back. When he raised his head from prostration and finished praying, he said: "O `A'isha, O fair little one (humayra')! Did you think that the Prophet had broken his agreement with you?" She replied: "No, by Allah, O Messenger of Allah, but I thought that your soul had been taken back because your stayed in prostration for so long." He said: "Do you know what night this is?" She said: "Allah and His Prophet know best." He said: "This is the night of mid-Sha`ban! Verily Allah the Glorious and Majestic look at His servants on the night of mid-Sha`ban, and He forgives those who ask forgiveness, and He bestows mercy on those who ask mercy, and He gives a delay to the people of envy and spite in their state."

Tirmidhi, Ahmad, and Ibn Majah relate:

From `A'isha: I missed the Prophet one night so I went out to al-Baqi` (and found him). He said: "Were you afraid that Allah would wrong you and that His Prophet would wrong you?" I said: "O Messenger of Allah, I thought that you might have gone to visit one of your wives." He said: "Allah Glorious and Exalted descends to the nearest heaven on the night of mid-Sha`ban and He forgives to more people than the number of hairs on the hides of the sheep of the tribes of Kalb."

Ahmad and Ibn Majah relate:

From `Ali ibn Abi Talib: The Prophet said: "The night of mid-Sha`ban let all of you spend in prayer (i.e. partly) and its day (i.e. preceding it) in fasting, for Allah descends to the nearest heaven during that night beginning with sunset and says: Is there no one asking forgiveness that I may forgive them? Is there no one asking sustenance that I may grant them sustenance? Is there no one under trial that I may relieve them? Is there not such-and-such, is there not such-and-such, and so forth until dawn rises."

Two Views of Politics in Islam

The traditional view understands the role of politics in terms of what the Qur’an teaches. It indicates that prophets were sent to humans to teach them truths about God, ethics, ways to achieve prosperity in this world, and beatitude in the hereafter, and to warn about the consequences of injustice and sinfulness. A prophet who is called to preach in a stateless milieu has to assume a role of political leadership; this mantle fell on Moses, as it did to Muhammad (peace be upon both of them). Islamic tradition teaches that when this happens, the two roles are combined by accident; political leadership is not a necessary element of the prophetic mission. By way of confirmation, note that the Qur’an uses different titles to describe the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) but none of them refers to his political function. Verses 33:45-46 say that he was sent as a witness (shahid), a bearer of glad tidings (mubashshir), a warner (nadhir), as someone who calls to God (da‘i ila Allah), and as a shining light (siraj munir). Nowhere does it say he was sent as a political leader or a head of state. That the Prophet Muhammad actually had a political role resulted from the social conditions that prevailed in his time, but this was not a necessary part of his prophetic mission.

Islamists, however, have a very different interpretation. For them, building an Islamic state is the central achievement of the prophetic mission. Conflating the role of the Muslim scholar with that of a political leader, they hold that the spread of Islam cannot be separated from the creation of what they call the Islamic state. (The Islamists Have it Wrong, Abdul Hadi Palazzi, 2001)

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Islamists in Malaysia argue that the Prophet (SAW) was a politician, and therefore, Islam cannot be separated from the quest for political power. In my opinion, calling the Prophet (SAW) a politican is almost an insult. Politicians, by the very nature of politics itself, are about one thing -- acquiring worldly power. If one wants to be a politician, fine, no problem. We are not saying that there is anything wrong with politics. But to call Rasulullah (SAW) a politician is rediculous for the simple reason that throughout his 23 years of Prophethood, Muhammad (SAW) repeatedly turned down offerings of power and rank. He was literally offered to be made king by the Meccans and turned it down for to do so would have meant abandoning his mission of spreading the message of Islam. This example alone shows that he knew that his amanah from Allah was only to be a warner and educator. The leadership position of Medina he received after 13 years was not the product of politicking or running for office. Rather, it was bestowed upon him from Allah; the product of total obedience, courage, perseverence, patience, mercy, steadfastness, forgiveness and dedication to his cause and purpose. A leader is not synonymous with a politician. Many leaders come to leadership positions by means other than through political activities.

Politics is the act of vying for worldly power. My political science professor in college defined it as simply "getting what there is to be gotten." It implies the action of seeking and acquiring power, whether for better or worse. Rasulullah (SAW), however, never sought after anything in this world. His heart lived in the Akhirat. He knew his Lord better than any other and when given the option to stay in the world or return to Allah, he chose the latter.

When Faced with Temptation...

When temptation claims your reason,
know that misfortune is about to strike.
Fall down prostrate and begin to pray.
With flowing tears implore the Lord
that He may deliver you
from the throes of doubt.

-Rumi, "Mathnawi"

Blessed are those who...

Blessed are those who honour God in all they do, who believe in the revelations of their Lord, and who worship only their Lord. Blessed are those who, when they give to the poor, do so with hearts filled with awe, knowing that they will soon return to their Lord. Blessed are those who vie with one another for God's blessings; they will be foremost in receiving them.

-Qur'an, Al-Mu'minun, Surah 23:57-61

What I love about this ayah is the 'between the lines' content. It doesn't only stress the 'what' in Islam, but the 'how', which is exactly why we can never judge books by their covers. We can never claim to know what is inside of an individual when they do what they do -- just one more reason why we should leave judgment to Allah.

Removing a Stone from the Road

Affirming the positive is not always positive, but removing the negative always is. (Prophet SAS said that the humblest charity is removing a stone from a pathway.) Positivity exists (and in reality is all there is), negativity does not, except in our minds. Purifying our minds to know, love and live richly, prosperously and benevolently in God is the point of Tasawwuf (Sufism) and of Islam, and the third part of personal and community development in Islam, to wit, establishing Health, providing Education, and achieving personal and social Welfare.

- Ali Ansari

Letter to the Editor: Adult Hypocrisy and our Youth

Adults in Malaysia appear to have an integrity problem when it comes to young people. Recent reports on out of control drug use, sexual promiscuity and others among youth have re-ignited apparent concern about the health and direction of younger Malaysians. In virtually every case, the question always seems to be, ‘what’s wrong with our youth?’ Well, I for one feel that there is nothing wrong with our youth, rather, the problem rests with us adults. In my opinion, young people are merely reacting to the hypocrisy of adults. For example, how often do our young people hear about the need and importance of science and technology? To be world-class scholars, they need much more than schools. We as a nation must create a culture that is inherently intellectual, that desires to know truth and is committed to human excellence in all aspects of life. Knowing this, what do we do toward facilitating this? We give them Malaysian Idol, Mentor, Survivor, Jom Hebot and the like – a steady diet of it. On the one hand, our leaders rightly encourage youth to strive toward becoming world-leading scientists, engineers, doctors and professionals while on the other hand, everywhere they turn they are being seduced into lives of glamour, self-aggrandizement and mind-numbing ‘infotainment’. We frown on classical and traditional arts but spend billions on promoting hip-hop, rap and other contemporary ‘art’ forms that contain virtually no intellectual or cultural value -- all in the name of profits. The bottom line? Young people are used for their consumer power by none other than who? Adults. They are targeted by big corporations because as a collective group, they have money and they like to spend it. Has anyone wondered how much telecommunications companies make off those sms contests? Do these corporations really care that our young people are squandering millions every year for these useless contests when they could be saving their money for things like education and marriage? We don’t really care about our young people, let’s face it. If we did, we would have things like world-class libraries instead of discos, and profits would come second to things that really mattered to them and their future. The next time we feel the urge to criticize our young people, maybe we should start by looking in the mirror and pondering what kind of example we are setting for them.

The Delusion of Selfhood

Wherever the delusion of your selfhood appears — there's hell. Wherever "you" aren't – that's heaven.

-Abu Sa'id in Ibn Munawwar, "Asrar at-tawhid"

Meaning

How does one explore meaning? With conviction, determination, investigation and repetition! The word 'Gnostic' means Knower (of God). The word 'Gnosis' means Knowledge (of God). The word 'agnostic' means to be without knowledge (of God), and therefore, ignorant.

Consider, if you will, the meaning of the word 'ignorant' (Spanish/Latin: ignorante)-one who ignores. To ignore is an act of will and therefore of deliberate denial and uncaring, and therefore unknowing, (of the Divine Nature of Existence). And now consider the consequences of ignorance - singularly the most damaging aspect of human existence. Fear, war, pestilence, disease, all the damaging elements arise from this one human quality. The war of light is always with knowledge, against ignorance.

- Ali Ansari

The Beauty of Problem Solving

When I am working on a problem I never think about beauty. I only think about how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.

~ Buckminster Fuller

How We See Reality

Instead of pouring knowledge into people's heads, we need to help them grind a new set of eyeglasses so that we can see the world in a new way.

~ J S Brown.

Every Moment is a Moment in Creation

When we live in the moment, we fulfill our obligation of living in surrender to the Creator of every moment.
By doing so, akhirat takes care of itself, insha-Allah.
Living for akhirat, however, means living for some other moment, one that does not exist outside of our minds. It is not the same as living for Allah, who is eternal and present all the time and everywhere.
Rather, living for akhirat is living in blindness of Allah, for Allah is the Creator and is known and appreciated by His creation, which occurs continuously every moment of our lives.
He created to be known. He created us as the knower to know Him. How to fulfill the obligation to know Him without paying full attention to Him through his creation?
Though He cannot be known (i.e. His face/essence) with our eyes in this life, He is known through attention and awareness to His Attributes and Names which can only be known by way of His creation, ourselves and His revelation.
A blind man can know many things even though he cannot see with his eyes. The blind man, through the sensitivity of his sharpened inner perception, can even know things at a much deeper level than most of us.
Likewise, we can know Allah even though we cannot see Him, through the purification of our inner Selves and by being fully aware and present every moment...

"Take Wisdom from Wherever You Find It"

Children tell stories,
but in their tales are enfolded
many a mystery and moral lesson.
Though they may relate many ridiculous things,
keep looking in those ruined places for a treasure.

-Mathnawi [III, 2601-2603]

Wisdom from the Most Wise is always manifested from the hearts of the pure ones...

When Misfortune Befalls Us, Who Do We Blame?

"If misfortune befalls you, it is the consequence of your own actions. Yet God forgives much. On this earth you can not escape God; and there is no one apart from God who can protect or help you."

-Qur'an, Ash-Shura, Surah 42:30-31

Until we all internalize this... don't expect things to change...

There is only one source of peace, Ya Salamu!

On the Unity of All Being

The central doctrine concerning the ultimate nature of reality has usually been called wahdat al-wujûd or the (transcendent) unity of Being. This cardinal doctrine, which is not pantheism, or pan-entheism nor natural mysticism as Western orientalists have called it, is the direct consequence of the Shahâdah. It asserts that there cannot be two completely independent orders of reality or being which would be sheer polytheism or shirk. Therefore, to the extent that anything has being it cannot be other than the Absolute Being.

The Shahâdah in fact begins with the lâ, or negation, in order to absolve Reality of all otherness and multiplicity. The relation between God and the order of existence is not just a logical one in which if one thing is equal to another the other is equal to the first. Through that mystery that lies in the heart of creation itself, everything is, in essence, identified with God while God infinitely transcends everything. To understand this doctrine intellectually is to possess contemplative [intuitive] intelligence; to realize it fully is to be a saint who alone sees 'God everywhere'.

From: Ideals and Realities of Islam, S H Nasr

As Leaders Go, So Goes the World

I think this speaks mountains in regard to our present situation...

If in the darkness of ignorance,
You don’t recognize a person’s true nature,
Look to see whom he has chosen for his leader.

-Rumi, "Mathnawi" [IV, 1640]

Better than Angels?

Angels were created without lust and evil, the worst obstacles of humankind. Those who, despite their evil nature, remain pious excel angels in rank.

Enthused by their purity angels denounced the human race so God chose three angels to go to the earth and reform its inhabitants. One angel, espying the corruption, begged God to let him return. The other two, in their earthly form, gave in to lust and fell from grace. Thus God revealed to the other angels the superiority of the devout.

-Al-Hujwiri, “The Kashf al-Mahjub”

The Blessing of Adam

Assalamualaikum Mohd. Adam Firdaus!

If you've ever doubted that the throne of Mercy surrounds us and abounds, just take a long look at the face of your newborn. The feeling of Allah's Greatness, Mercy, Love and Oneness is indescribable.

It just makes you want to stay there and melt away...

Allahu akbar.

The Flames of Love

Love is the flame which, when it blazes, consumes everything other than the Beloved.
The lover wields the sword of Nothingness in order to dispatch all but God:
consider what remains after Nothing.
There remains but God: all the rest is gone.
Praise to you, O mighty Love, destroyer of all other "gods."

-Rumi, Mathnawi [V, 588-590]

Polishing the Heart

When your heart is dark as iron,
steadily polish yourself that the heart may become a mirror,
a beautiful shine relecting from within.
Although iron is dark and dismal,
polishing clears the darkness away.

~ Rumi, "Mathnawi"

Everything Comes from Allah

If you investigate closely you will see that everything comes from Allah. Absolutely everything comes from Allah. The Source of all wealth is Allah. He it is Who Manifests from nothing. Did the raw material for creation exist before creation? OK, where did IT come from? Attain this connection (through understanding) first, and all else will necessarily follow. If you can see, feel, touch and maintain connection with Allah through seeing, feeling, touching and maintaining connection with yourself, only increase will result, insha-Allah...

~ Ali Ansari

The Switch

THE SWITCH
REMEMBERING UNITY

GOD'S PLEASURE IS ON HIS HOLY NAME, AL-LLAH! ("THE ONE GOD"). THE PLEASURE OF GOD (IN ARABIC) IS RIDHWANU'LLAH. "RIDHWAN" IS PLEASURE (DIVINE), "ALLAH" IS "THE ONE" (GOD) RIDHWANU'LLAH - THE PLEASURE OF GOD

THE SWITCH
THE SWITCH- (AS IN ON/OFF) - IS THIS -
WHEN YOU ARE NOT FEELING GOD'S SMILE ON YOU, YOU ARE FEELING SOMETHING LESS - EITHER "NEUTRAL" OR TRAPPED, PUZZLED OR DEPRESSED.

NOW GOD IS SMILING ON YOU ALL THE TIME, BUT YOU ARE NOT FEELING IT ALL THE TIME, BUT THIS IS A CHOICE YOU ARE MAKING BY REMEMBERING SOMETHING ELSE, NOT GOD.

YOU CAN CHOOSE TO REMEMBER GOD. JUST REMEMBER, GOD'S PLEASURE IS ON HIS HOLY NAME. SO TRY IT, SAY AL-LLAH! AND REMEMBER UNITY. FEEL THE CHANGE?

THAT IS THE SWITCH. YOUR CHOICE - REMEMBER, OR FORGET.

~ Ali Ansari

People Not Systems

Man, the living creature, the creating individual, is always more important than any established style or system.

~ Bruce Lee, 1940-1973, Chinese-American Actor, Director, Author, Martial Artist

What is great about this quote by none other than Bruce Lee, is the fact that he hits upon a very important point about any and all human systems and organizations, which is that the most common denominator in any system - whether it be a system of government, business, education, or any other - is the human being. If the individuals running a system or organization are of the highest human character, that system will stand the greatest chance of being successful and all will benefit from it. On the other hand, even the supposed best system in the world will amount to nothing if the individuals responsible for administering it are not morally, ethically and spiritually sound. In the end, religion and spirituality are about one thing: the refinement and perfection of human character, for it is that human refinement and excellence that represents the greatest glorification of God.

Our beloved Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) put this in the most succinct of terms: Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "I was sent to perfect good character." (Book 47, Number 47.1.8)

God Needs No One to Defend Him

God is His own Sovereign. His Sovereignty need not be “established” by men except in their own hearts. Then we will have a theocracy of luminaries, which is the only reality that matters, and for that we need only to learn true Surrender and teach true Surrender. And that is the pure Islam. Theocratic totalitarianism is not the sovereignty of God. It is paternalistic enforcement and very definitely the sovereignty of men. It is the attempted domination of the world by fearful and repressed minds, no matter what philosophy or religion they purport to be maintaining. It is always in the mindset of a like-minded group of people and is Not the Islam of trusting liberation ("La Iqraha Fi-d-Din") but that of religious slavery.

~ Ali Ansari

Problem Solving

Problems cannot be solved by thinking within the framework in which the problems were created.

~ Albert Einstein

How You Deal With Others Is How You Will Be Dealt With

If it's mercy and peace we seek in life, then we must first embody that which we seek...

A wise man once said to his son, "My son, do not become resentful when you are afflicted with trials, for indeed that is tantamount to having bad thoughts about one's Lord, and also, it gives pleasure to one's enemy.

Do not mock others, for indeed by Allah, every time I ever mocked anyone, I was afflicted in the same way as the person who I mocked. In this world, man is a target of arrows that come to him successively: some pass him by, some fall short, some fall to his right and others to his left, and some strike him.

Know that for every deed, you are rewarded, and how you deal with others is how you will be dealt with. And whoever is dutiful to his parents, his children, will be dutiful to him.

Avoid greed with ambition, for both represent poverty in the present.

Fear Allah as much as you are able. And if you are able to make today better than yesterday and tomorrow better than today and your secrets better than your outward deeds, then do so.

Beware of deeds that you have to apologize for, for one never has to apologize for goodness.

When you stand for prayer, perform the prayer of one who is saying farewell, as if you feel that you will never afterwards pray again (i.e., that you will die).

Adhere to modesty, and you will be of its people.

Do not inflict harm upon others; rather give them good, and forgive if you are able to.

Do not be miserly if you are asked for something and do not tarry when one seeks help from you. Whoever is stingy, then Allah will make things narrow for him; and whoever gives, then Allah will give him a replacement for what he gave."

- From "Gems and Jewels" (p. 141), compiled by Abdul-Malik Mujahid

The Playground of the Nafs is the Mind

As soon as you have made a thought, laugh at it.

~ Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher

The Problem Science has with God....

An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem science has with God, the Almighty.

He asks one of his new students to stand.....

Prof: So you believe in God?
Student: Absolutely, sir.
Prof: Is God good?
Student: Sure.
Prof: Is God all-powerful?
Student: Yes.
Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn't. How is this God good then? Hmm? (Student is silent.)
Prof: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fellow. Is God good?
Student: Yes.
Prof: Is Satan good?
Student: No.
Prof: Where does Satan come from?
Student: From...God...
Prof: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
Student: Yes.
Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything. Correct?
Student: Yes.
Prof: So who created evil? Student does not answer.
Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don't they?
Student: Yes, sir.
Prof: So, who created them? Student has no answer.
Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son...Have you ever seen God?
Student: No, sir.
Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God?
Student: No, sir.
Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God? Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?
Student: No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.
Prof: Yet you still believe in Him?
Student: Yes.
Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student: Nothing. I only have my faith.
Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.

Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
Prof: Yes.
Student: And is there such a thing as cold?
Prof: Yes.
Student: No sir. There isn't. (The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.) Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it. (There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)
Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?
Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?
Student: You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light....But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't. If it were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?
Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?
Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.
Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?
Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?
Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.
Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir? (The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.)
Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher? (The class is in uproar.)
Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor's brain? (The class breaks out into laughter.)
Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir? (The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.)
Prof: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.
Student: That is it sir... The link between man & God is FAITH. That is all that keeps things moving & alive.

WANT TO KNOW WHO THAT STUDENT WAS?
The student was none other than......... Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the present President of India

He Who Knows Himself....

....We think we are moving towards a more solid connection with reality but the solid connection we are truly looking for is only with the truth that is within ourselves. We perform this outward search (for material gain) because in the reality of our minds we feel disconnected from ourselves. Our drive to connect is in response to a sense of lack of connection. We imagine a connection that is not there because we cannot realize a connection that is. And that connection is with God - Who is everywhere - and no one can be any farther from God than any one else, except in their illusions. Your distance from God is all in your mind, and it is equal to your distance from your self. But because we've been taught to disbelieve in God, we have lost connection with the means of connection, which is ourselves.

- Ali Ansari

A True Human Being Changes Forty Times a Day

Imam Nawawi (Allah have mercy on him) said in his Majmu` Sharh al-Muhadhdhab:

“Abul Qasim al-Junayd (Allah have mercy on him) said, "A sincere person changes forty times a day, while the hypocritical show-off stays as he is forty years."

The meaning of this is that the sincere person moves with what is right, wherever it may lead, such that when prayer is deemed better by the Sacred Law, then he prays, and when it is best to be sitting with the learned, or the righteous, or guests, or his children, or taking care of something a Muslim needs, or mending a broken heart, or whatever else it may be, then he does it, leaving aside what he usually does. And likewise for fasting, reciting the Koran, invoking Allah, eating or drinking, being serious or joking, enjoying the good life or engaging in self-sacrifice, and so on. Whenever he sees what is preferred by the Sacred Law under the circumstances, he does it, and is not bound by a particular habit or kind of devotion as the show-off is. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) did various things of prayer, fasting, sitting for Koran recital and invocation, eating and drinking, dressing, riding, lovemaking with his wives, seriousness and jest, happiness and wrath, scathing condemnation for blameworthy things, leniency in punishing those who deserved it and excusing them, and so ion, according to what was possible and preferable for the time and circumstances (al-Majmu' (),1.17- 18, from Shaykh Nuh Keller’s translation of Reliance of the Traveller, c2.6).

The Purpose of Life

Because Allah (God) is permanent, and this is without question, so is the manifestation of His creation that is beyond the time and space of worldly existence. And we are that manifestation.
But by that I do not mean us as the temporary and transitory manifestation of this life, which is only a moment in which we may discover ourselves and choose to abide in the truth or ignore it and pursue the illusion. It is not that this temporary and transitory life is meaningless but that it is only a tool, a moment in eternity, by which we may gain knowledge of our transcendent nature. It is by means of this life that we gain our true recognition of God. It is by the very means of this life that we may learn to transcend it and know of and abide in our life forever in a garden not of our own making. That is why I say often that the purpose of life, death, and everything in between is Self- and God realization.

- Ali Ansari

Sacrifice and Self-Denial

If you devote yourself to God in this world, He will admit you among His chosen servants in the hereafter. Such devotion, however, demands sacrifice and self-denial, the two instruments that make union with God possible.

-Al-Hujwiri, "The Kashf al-Mahjub"

Practice Encouragement

Practice Encouragement

"Speak good words to all men." (Qur'an, 2:83)

"To God do ascend the goodly words, and He exalts the goodly deed." (Qur'an, 35:10)

Dr. Alfred Adler, the great psychologist, had an experience when he was a young boy. He got off to a bad start learning arithmetic, so his teacher became convinced that Adler was stupid when it came to mathematics. The teacher told Adler’s parents that the boy was dumb, and also told them not to expect much from him. His parents were convinced that the teacher's evaluation was correct. Therefore, Adler passively accepted the assessment that they had made of his abilities. And his grades in mathematics proved that they were correct.

However, one day he had a sudden flash of insight and thought he saw how to work a problem the teacher had put on the board that none of the other pupils could solve. He raised his hand and announced that he would like to do the problem. The students, and even the teacher, laughed at this. He became indignant. He strode to the blackboard and solved the problem perfectly, much to everyone's amazement. And at that moment he realised that he could understand mathematics. He had been handed an unreal, negative self-evaluation, and he had believed it and performed on the basis of that assessment.

Many of us have done the very same thing. Someone has told us that our abilities are limited, or that our dreams are unreachable. We have accepted that without question, and we go through life unhappy and unfulfilled. We become estranged from ourselves simply because we believe what others people have told us about ourselves.

Every one of us - young and old alike - needs to be encouraged. To encourage someone is to put courage into them. To discourage is to take courage out of them. It costs nothing to put courage into another ... to speak a kind word ... to let them know you appreciate them ... to tell them you believe in them ... that you admire them ...to thank them and so on.

So, today, make a point of putting courage into your spouse ... your children ... your boss ... your employees ... and the clerk at the local store. Go out of your way to do it. And in blessing others you will be blessed yourself.

Dick Innes

Purifying the Heart...

When you purify your hearts just as you purify your raiment, union with God will follow. You cannot become a Sufi by merely wearing coarse woolen shirts and following strict ritual, pretending to be pious while inside your hearts you bear malice and avarice. A real Sufi has attained a state of perfection on the inside. If you sincerely seek union with God, then seek Him inside your hearts and leave the world alone.

-Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani, “Fayuz E Yazdani”

A Response to Fear

A RESPONSE TO FEAR

Ali Ansari

My beloved brothers and sisters in Islam,

Determined to get to the garden?

"Methinks that Mecca thou shall not reach my friend, for the road thou takest leadeth unto Turkestan." (Sufi Poet)

In spite of the fact that you are frightened (and pretending not to be), frightening yourselves, others and sometimes me, I will continue to reach out to you with love, understanding and knowledge which you did not have before.

It is imperative that you listen to me in the right spirit, for what I say will be in contradiction to the dictates of your lower self and quite possibly the community around you, and we all know that the power of the lower self is very strong and compelling. The choices you make in every moment may govern the direction of your life forever.

If you choose the path of destruction then know that it is your destiny. It matters not what justification you put on it. You may say that it is the will of God and that He commands it. Whether this is true or not is of little consequence compared to the fact that it is still up to you to choose it. And God does not command the destruction of that which he has blessed and determined to be built. So if you choose the path of destruction, then know that it is your destiny.

But if you are a true Muslim and choose the way of the peace in your heart (the True Islam) then stop war now! Stop aiding it, stop abetting it, stop encouraging it, stop supporting it and most of all, stop believing in it as a means of accomplishment.

Believing in war as a means to peace is belief in slaughter, tyranny, oppression and destruction, and will only bring to you what you believe in.

Allah gives us the choice to believe as we will, and lets us know plainly that as we believe, so shall it be.

So if destruction is the destiny you seek then join with the others who are marching headlong into it in the name of the religion of their desires for the future, believing that therein lies their eternal pleasure in another world. Since we know not truly in which state we shall die, we do not know and cannot assume that we are the heirs of paradise or that we exclusively know or have discovered the way to get there. Only Allah Alone can grant that, and living truthfully to Allah in our own hearts in every moment is the only way to know the Reality of true Surrender. In the very assumption that a religious crusade is the right way to get there, there is enough inherent crime to keep you busy and out of the garden forever. Feel the peace that peaceful people are feeling in both worlds.

If you aid and abet in the destruction of a single human being, you have murdered, and who murders one being has murdered all of humanity, and oneself in the process. Hell is full to brimming with such people already. Why should you wish to join with them? So repent to Allah. Rethink your strategy. Is war and destruction really the best way to peace and eternity, or is it really simply suicide that you are after? It's really the death of your nagging lower self that you seek, and that will set you free to enjoy the life that God has given you in praise and gratitude.
Who are you following, anyway? Peace exists here and now. Be grateful. Enjoy it and grow strong in your faith and trust in Allah. The goal of war is to end war, and there is only one war that does that, and that war is the war of peace. So convert you warlike brethren to the way of dedication to peace and inner knowledge. Learn how to really live and teach your belief in Allah to the world around you. We need, now more than ever, that the true Muslims who are surrendered to God directly and committed to the peace that is found in their hearts manifest themselves and recommit to the peace of the garden of life that Allah has given us. Now, not later, after having committed a lifetime of sin.

Islam is a process of spiritual maturation. It is not to be used as a tool for children who are still demanding that the world owes them something or that it ought to be in any way different from what it is, and in such illusion make it easier for them and their tyranny-oriented cohorts at the expense of anyone else. Deal with Reality now, not some idealistic perfection later, after having killed all your enemies.

Get it straight! There are no religious enemies. No religion preaches hatred, much less Islam. ALL religions and spiritual paths preach the brotherhood of man. The enemy is your personal wounded self who makes enemies out of others and the world, and seeks healing and safety through domination. Believing in such a duality and calling it the reality is the proven way to eternal failure. Surrender and be healed! No one has ever achieved lasting success with such an unhealed attitude. Such an attitude will get you success neither in this world nor the next. It is only a sign that you understand neither the point of your religion nor the nature of your true self, and no success can come for you in either world if you continue to abuse God's Holy Truth for your own personal goals.

This is why you forbid yourselves the dhikr of Allah, the oft and sincerely repeated saying of His name with a heart full of longing for His truth and the real peace. You won't do it because you know that He in His immediate Reality will break your heart of hatred with His love, and then your peer pressure will be too much for you to resist, and your loyalties to gangs and turf wars will be shattered and you will be ostracized and excommunicated and punished. And all of this has happened to you in your youth and you have promised to never let it happen again, but it will if you break away from your collision bound groups and societies and political organizations and join with the truly Surrendered ones in the Struggle for peace not war, which is the real jihad of Islam, the jihad of healing wounds, and winning hearts and souls, not turf.

But you are forced by your love of society and your need for justification of your personal anger and validation of your false self to create and believe in an artificial and illusory duality, and thereby deprive yourself voluntarily of, and separate yourselves voluntarily from, the love of Allah that you will receive from the true Surrender to Him as He bids you to do, so that He can heal your wounds and make you a true Muslim and bring you into your true unity and show you the true Islam so that you can live it and teach it to others without the hidden guilt of hypocrisy from knowing in your hearts that you are doing nothing more for Allah than competing with the US Marines and recruiting young policemen for a Muslim militia and law enforcement agency, and then wondering why you are not successful, and why no one wants to do it like you do, and so condemning the world as being unfaithful and touting yourself as being true, when it is you who are being untrue to yourselves and to Allah, all the while believing and claiming that you are the chosen faithful, earning your right to paradise and to punish, scold, chastise, police and even murder others.

Allah will take this religion from you, stripping you of the honor which was once yours, and give it to a people who will do right by it, and send you into the fires of the wars that you are so sure will gain you paradise.

"Divorced from reality" you say I am? If you only knew how hard I've worked and how much of my life I've devoted to knowing the Truth and the Real Reality of Allah as it is said that you can by the real masters of Islam that you blaspheme with your petty judgments as if they, or we, really cared. You only deprive yourselves. "And willingly and thanking God", you say, but "soon shall ye come to know". "If only you knew what the Reality is" "Beautiful to some, and horrendous to some". This is what Allah says to those of you who do not know the Reality but prefer the feeling of thinking that you do, while in reality you are only preaching gangs and turf-wars. You choose to not even try. You close the doors of your hearts to your true brothers and sisters in this life and the next who have come to the realizations of the Truth and Reality of Allah in every breath and deed of creation, who offer you the love of Allah but you are too afraid to accept it, except for just a moment so that you can go back to your associates and fellow deniers of love and re-affirm your vows to the hypocrisy of your selves to your very hearts and souls.

War is not the way! You are storming children and it matters not how much altruism and benevolence you claim. I know you feel that if only you could only rule you would manifest the benevolence, fairness and justice according to the book and tradition. So basically you want to be a policeman or a judge and dispense mercy and justice from a position of power, and feel that if the world gave you a chance, you would do a good job, and earn the pleasure of Allah and your reward in the garden. You think that the goal of Islam is a theocratic dictatorship. How little you know and how ill you judge. What do the dead and gone care about what you do with this illusory world of yours.

The Garden is not earned. It is Gifted here and now from the Mercy, Kindness and Benevolence of Allah. It can only be accepted by the believers and rejected by those still in denial. We've all been policed and judged to the death of our souls, and naturally we want to correct the injustices that we've experienced and know exist. But if you are not free of the hidden idol within you, the hidden childhood ego-demands from parents, others, and the world, then you are not free of your attachments, not a mature soul, not realized in the true way of God, the way of our innate nature (din al-fitrah) and can by no means understand or rule fairly, even with the best of tools at your disposal. Your primary responsibility is to know and to see God in every reality, not to respond to the promptings of your lower self to acquire your personal pleasure through violence, and justify it with your favorite interpretations of Scriptures.

Innocent children have heaven already inside of them. Discovery and protection of innocence, your own and that of the ones you love and care for, is of paramount importance, and we do not do that by shoving, however so gently, our guilt ridden fears, religious doctrines and dogmas, and patterns of fearful behavior down their throats. When we "educate" our children in that manner we are simply enforcing the message that they are bad until we say they are good, not that they are good until they are bad, as it should be. Such is the beginning of religious oppression and peer pressure in the family that suppresses the "lovingly rebellious" soul and causes the need for the "acting out" of extremes in the search for love.

Innocence is innate within everyone of us. Children are born in a state of Surrender (Muslims), and there is no way into the kingdom of heaven except by means of Surrender, to be as innocent and pure as little children - innocent of your selves and Surrendered to your reality, in a word, truly surrendered to Allah and real Muslims. There is clearly no such thing as original sin. Why then are we living our lives in a false fear, willing to make war and self-destruct to "earn" the place of our egos (which we think of as our souls) in paradise when we are in our truth already full of faith and confidence in ourselves, unless it is only the illusion of an oppressive life with false responsibility and obligation that we wish to destroy and be free of?

It's because our spirits have been repressed and we want to create an environment in which they can be free. That's the natural desire for paradise. But life, as short as it is, cannot be ruled, that is the dream of a wounded and vengeful child. "If we can marshal together enough of us of like mind, we can take over and have it our way." That's the very thesis of politics and gang philosophy. So you want a politically powerfully organization so that you can be heard and have your grievances addressed. But Allah can address your grievances immediately. But you do not want that because without your grievances you will not belong to the group any longer, you will not be sharing in the responsibility for the grief and suffering. Oh, horrors. You'll be part of the healing and not part of the suffering. You will be deemed by yourself and others as not doing your share.

So you deny yourself permanent happiness in this life (and the next), feeling that it is your responsibility to Allah, and that you are fulfilling it. But it is not and you are not. Your responsibility to Allah is your commitment to Him directly, in yourself and your heart, and then to find the peaceful way out of your own personal trap, and then to share it with others. That is the real way and the real religion and the real Islam. Surrender to Allah, Alone. Heal yourself first and then heal others. Bring them with you to be healed. When the power of your true reality dawns on you, and you feel the force and power of Allah in this movement, you will see that it is the true Islam and you will seek the forgiveness of your Lord morning and evening (for the misunderstandings you received and perpetuated), and offer the praise and gratitude of your Lord for the guidance of this direct way and dedicate your life to spreading it. This is the real way to world peace and the real teaching of the real truth of the real Islam. Period!

Life cannot be ruled, for, who then would be the ruler? You! Not God! Or are you God's partner? You and God? Is that your idea? I don't think so. I don't think you'll find that a very popular idea. So Surrender your false ideas to Allah Now, feel the real love and let go the idols of self-worship in your heart. This is the true way, so discover it and walk it in trust and confidence. Look to your hidden idol, the one of the ideal world in which everything goes your way because you are the Muslim, the one in which all others will bow down to you and your wishes or suffer the just and religiously required consequences. Look to your hidden idol, the one that keeps you from knowing God now.

Life is from Allah, it is Al-Hayy, His Sacred Quality, and it cannot nor should be controlled, It can only be surrendered to. It is the tyranny of the nafs (your lower self) that drives you to thinking that you can, or need to, rule in order to be happy. You cannot rule, because Allah rules. But you can be happy, so surrender to that part of you that is, deeply inside, content and happy with Allah Alone. Or don't. Your choice.

So surrender your horrible beast and enter into the garden now, not later. Do not allow yourself to go to war or to commit crimes of passion and aggression against individuals or humanity no matter how justified the cause or how strong the peer pressure. Stop wrong doing in yourselves and in your friends, family and community. Promise Allah, yourself and me sincerely and forever on the hand of the Prophet that you will be dedicated only to truth, peace, love, mercy, compassion, forgiveness. If you will not do this then be warned of the fires of the very war you are aiding and abetting which will consume you and your loved ones and many millions of innocents and which will not end with your death as you hope. The only way to inherit the garden is to be in it now and not leave. "Khaleelu min al Akhireen". Few among the people of latter times.

Nobody wins by war, or rules by domination. Your parents couldn't rule you. What makes you think you can rule the world. This not the Divine rule of God that you are preaching, but the tyranny of the Self. And it's Your Self, I might add. The assertion that you are on the right path is only an attempt at self-validation in like-minded company. It cannot be real just because you say it is. It must be validated by your actions in the spiritual presence of the prophet through the empowered `ahli bait themselves or in the presence of one of their duly authorized and truly rightly guided representatives. That is the true way preserved by the Sufis. Autonomy (self-governance) is your God-given right. You may exercise it to enter and stay in the coolness of the heaven in your heart through being dedicated to peace, healing wounds and love of thy neighbor, or to jump into a mindset of fear and hatred, creating and entering into the fires of your own desire for the war of self-destruction. But war is suicide and genocide, and for that very reason forbidden by God in all religions. War IS hell. And life is, or can be, heaven.

This is the way to world peace, the making of heaven on earth, not by means of domination and submission, but by the superior means of true understanding and reasoning. This is what Allah wants from us, not the violent outbursts of our wounded and vengeful selves. Restraining ourselves from outbursts of violence and anger is the hardest struggle of all and that's why it is referred to as the Jihad al Akbar, the Greater Struggle. It is abuse of the word Jihad to use it in reference to war over turf.

Historically, the masters of the heart have been the greatest propagators of this religion of truth through their knowing and explaining the reality of unity (tawheed). And it is only in times of peace that religion and civilization can truly flourish. So religion will flourish and reveal its purpose to you only if you keep a peaceful heart.

Giving Salams - Wishing you peace and stating the fact that the Peace of Allah is always present.
As-Salam `Alaikum means that the Peace of Allah is upon and within you. It's up to you to keep it there. It is as much a statement of truth as it is a wish, and for everyone in whom there is a beating heart it is true. It is not only possible but to be hoped for that the true Muslims who have the true peace in their true hearts are able to state the fact that the Peace of Allah is not only present but will never leave if the people chose to follow it. And the straight way to the Peace is from the Peace and not through the gates of war.

Nobody in the world wants to become a Muslim because of the example being set showing that Muslims are a people of peace outwardly, but of war inwardly. They claim to be wanting to make peace but secretly in their hearts want to make war and for that cannot be trusted. Their way is not the straight way but a way of deception, using the talk of peace and salvation to recruit more innocent believers into their theory of Jihad which is nothing more that a political power struggle.

So Peace. May the Peace and Mercy and the Prosperity of Allah be upon you.

Who is the Greatest Scholar?

The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was asked:
“Who is the greatest scholar?”
He replied:
“He who is constantly trying to learn from others, for a scholar is ever hungry for more knowledge.”

The Only Means to Achieve Lasting Peace

Allah is as-Salam. As-salam means, roughly, the same as the English word peace, but with overtones of soundness, well being, unimpairedness, security and safety. Allah says of Himself, "He is Allah, other than Whom there is no god. He is the sovereign, the Holy, the Peace," (Q 59:23) and greets us with the words, "Peace – such is the greeting from the All-Compassionate Sustainer."(Q 36:58)

Our basic working premise concerning the subject of peace: Allah is by nature of His Being – Peace – there is no other place to get it from.

Our basic insight concerning world peace: any power, any system, any ideology, any organized or centrally controlled religion is by nature oppressive and usurping of the Divine Prerogative, regardless of either the doctrine upon which it is founded or the sincerity of its devotees. Any attempt, political, economic, military, scientific, philosophical or religious, to re-establish a world of knowledge ('ilm), justice ('adl) and mercy (rahmah) in the period stretching between the time of the death of Muhammad, the last prophet, upon whom be blessings and peace, and the appearance of al-Mahdi is ineluctably doomed to fail.

Our basic insight concerning individual, familial and communal peace: the Prophet said, "You will not have secure faith ('iman) until you love one another and have mercy on those who live upon the earth." He also said, "He who has no mercy will receive none."

Our recommendation is to seek peace where — and only where — it can be found. We believe, based on direct experience, that anything else is a waste of time.

- Sheikh Nooruddeen Durkee

What are we Teaching our Children?

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.

If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.

- Anonymous

Revealing the Hidden Treasure

... Man is the goal of creation. He has come into this world to display those Attributes of God that are reflected within himself, or in other words, to play his own part in revealing the Hidden Treasure. At the same time he is being tested: Does he remember the Covenant of Alast? Does he understand and acknowledge that he is displaying God's Treasure, not his own? The idea of the Covenant thus combines the purely metaphysical perspective of the manifestation and theophany of God's Attributes with the more religious and moral perspective of man's awareness and responsibility of his duties toward his Creator.

(Commentary by William C. Chittick, p. 69)

Inclusion not Exclusion

There is story about a Shaykh who was invited to give a talk at a Christian Church about Islam and Christianity. So he went, and they all had a grand time. The good Shaykh spoke eloquently about Jesus, accentuating his positive attributes instead of dwelling on the Trinity.
When the Christian Minister offered to come and give a talk at the Mosque, the good Shaykh thought about it for a moment and then said, "no, that would not be a good idea."
"Why not?" asked the Minister.
"Can you say that you love Muhammad?"
The Minister said, "no, we love Jesus."
The Shaykh said, "it is because you don't love our Master that you cannnot come and speak to us."

As the Shaykh said, "Inclusion, not exclusion."

- From "Kirk" (Abdul-Kareem)

Practices

The quest for power or escape is the mind's response to not wanting to feel pain or emotions. And Dhikrullah is God's answer to that quest. Starting with astaghfirullah 100 times, we then bless the prophet and his family 100 times and then chant lailaha illallah endlessly until the joy of life returns. "Fa Dhikrullah, huwa shifa`u" - for Dhikrullah is the healing.

Astaghfirullah is for you, so that you will know in the root of your being exactly what you are doing. You are seeking the forgiveness of the divine and holy because of all that you have done that has caused you to feel the pain of separation. This is so you will know this and feel the changing effect of doing it from not having done it. "I am seeking the forgiveness of Allah", is the message we are telling ourselves with this repetition. And it should be repeated until received, but at least 100 times to be sure.

Then we send blessings on the Holy Prophet and his family. "Allahumma, salli `ala Sayyidina Muhammadin wa aalihi wa sallim" and this is to heal the wounds of separation from humanity; the relationship of our souls with other souls. We can all come together and learn how to relate to one another around this. Then lailaha illallah 100 times. Repeat the entire process until joyous and blissful. Don't stop until you have reached your goal. Then don't stop.

- Ali Ansari

The Inner and Outer Aspects of Al-Qur'an

The words of the Qur'an have both an outer and an inner meaning, the latter overpowering. Do not regard the surface alone, for the devil never regarded Adam as mere clay. The surface meaning of the Qur'an is like a human torso, features visible, but the spirit hidden.

- Rumi, "Mathnawi"

The Importance of Intellect in Islam

A group of people once commended a certain man in the presence of the Prophet Muhammad, praising him excessively. Thereupon the Prophet said, “What king of intellect does he have?” But they replied, saying, “We tell thee about his diligence in prayer and about the various good works he does, and you ask us about his intellect?” The Prophet answered and said, “The fool does more harm through his ignorance than do the wicked through their wickedness.”

- Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

When God’s Decree Becomes Your Pleasure

When God’s decree becomes your pleasure,
you become a willing slave,
not because of burdening yourself,
not on account of recompense,
but by virtue of the nature now so pure
that wherever divine edict may take you,
living and dying will appear the same.
You live for God, not for riches;
you die for God, not from fear or pain.

-Rumi, “Mathnawi”

Sidi, how can I find Allah?

If you want to come to Allah, you will find Him beside you. If you want Allah, you must be polite because Allah is not outside of you. First look inside. Many people read about the truth (al-haqq) because they want to know, but Allah is not with a person if he does not want to know Allah from his heart. Allah will not give you this truth unless you are sincere. If you are not sincere with everything, you will not reach. This is your message.

- Sidi Shaykh Muhammad Sa‘id al-Jamal ar-Rifa‘i

The Balance of Truth and Law

The truth (al-haqiqa) and the law (ash-shari’a) are the two balances of a scale, and you are its heart. If you leave to go to the side of the shari’a, you become of the shari’a and you lose the inner truth of al-islam. If you go to the truth and abandon the law, you may break the law and this law is from God. Know that you are the driver of the ship and God asks you about the ship – how it moves through the sea. For this reason, hold both of the reins in your hands. Do not look to the right or to the left. Be the Noah of your time.

- Sidi Sheikh Muhammad al-Jamal ar-Rafa'i

True Prostration

Whomever Allah wishes to lift out of the turbulent water of this dark world, He picks up with His own hands and puts in the ship of surrender. This is the inner meaning of the religion, of the Qur’an, and of the judgment. If anyone is not truly prostrated before the presence of the One who gives the law, no matter how many prostrations he makes with his body, no matter how many injunctions he follows with his mind, he is not, in truth, a believer (al-mu`minin).

- Sidi Sheikh Muhammad al-Jamal ar-Rafa'i

Allah

How transcendent and immaculate is God! He has neither place, nor time, nor beginning, nor temporal continuity, nor posterior eternity, nor temporal priority, nor terminal end, and yet all the while, He is neither occupied with, nor seeks succor from, that which He has brought into being. Nonetheless, He is just in all affairs wherein His commandments are issued to people.

- Shibli in Sarraj Tusi: "Kitab al-luma"

Understanding the Value of Women in Nation Building

Despite their under-representation in the literatures of traditional Muslim societies, the prominent public roles of women in those societies cannot be overlooked. Perhaps the most prominent role that women have traditionally played as partners in societal advancement, however, has been as the spiritual center and functional head of the Muslim family. In Islam, women are considered the bedrock of the family, not in terms of worldly tasks, but as the spiritual well-spring. In the ‘Islamic’ society, one based on the teachings of Islam, such a role is in no way inferior than that of the full-time worker. On the contrary, the role of homemaker is all the more important for society cannot exist peacefully and advance successfully without them. Arguably, it is in this role that women everywhere have and continue to make their greatest contribution to societies' advancement and progress. Women as homemakers are not mere task-masters, but are educators, nurturers, counselors, doctors, nurses, cooks, cleaners, mechanics, who, through their love and hard work make their families oases of tranquility, love, harmony and peace. It is from this foundation and platform that the other family members in the home can thrive. Many a life and society have been ruined on account of the proverbial ‘broken home’. Why, then, do critics continue to de- and undervalue the role of homemakers as the spiritual foundation of family and home life? Arguably, the root cause of inequality between men and women has never been due to what has been written in the annals of law and policy or even societal norms, but rather in the disregard of the absolute value and necessity of women for the healthy and robust functioning of families and societies.

Women in Islamic teachings, therefore, are considered critical for nation building in a number of ways, both from their work in the home and outside of it. The role of women in the establishment and maintenance of peace, therefore, begins with their role as the spiritual foundation of the family, followed by the variety of additional roles that they may take on outside of the home. The all-important role that they play as homemakers cannot be disregarded in any discussion on nation building, and unfortunately, it often is. Stable, peaceful and loving families are a primary, major and integral element for the advancement and progress of any society, and in this role, women as homemakers are key partners in nation building.

- From "Muslim Women and Peace: Toward Understanding the Role of Islamic Religiosity as a Contributor to Nation Building," Steven Eric Krauss (Abdul-Lateef Abdullah) and Azimi Hamzah

The Highest Stage of Worship

The truest and highest stage of worship is to see God face to face, and to receive his guidance from his own mouth. Those who attain this highest stage, choose for themselves whatever God chooses for them. Their entire characters are transformed by God. They are God's friends; so they no longer discriminate between people, but regard all people as friends. Wherever they go, they go from God; wherever they arrive, they arrive at God. Whatever they do, they do for God; whatever service they perform, they perform it in God. The self has been truly annihilated. - Junayd, "Tawhid"

Meaning and Labels in Islamic Law

If it is said: "Would you say that in the modern age with all the considerations surrounding sovereignty and inter-connectedness, the classical labels (of Islamic law) do not apply any longer...?"

We say: As Imam al-Ghazâlî would say:
"Once the real meaning is understood, there is no need to quibble over names."

Labels can never be relied upon; it is the meaning behind them that must be properly understood. Once they are unpacked, they immediately become relevant for all times; just as with the following loaded terms: jihâd, mujâhid and shahîd. The result for Muslims who fail to notice the relevance and fail to connect the dots of our own inherited medieval terms with the modern world may be that they will live in a schizophrenic cultural reality and will be unable to associate themselves with the surrounding society and will not be at peace [sukûn] with the rest of creation. Just as the sabab al-wujûd (reason for existing) of this article is a Muslim's misunderstanding of his own medieval terminology from a long and rich legacy, the fitna in the world today has been the result of those who misunderstand our Law.

Pay heed to the words of Mawlânâ Rûmî (may Allâh sanctify his secrets!):

"Go beyond names and look at the qualities, so that they may show you the way to the essence.
The disagreement of people takes place because of names. Peace occurs when they go to the real meaning.
Every war and every conflict between human beings has happened because of some disagreement about names.
It's such an unnecessary foolishness, because just beyond the arguing there's a long table of companionship, set and waiting for us to sit down."

- Sheikh Muhammad Afifi al-Akiti

On Knowing Allah...

Allah communicates to us knowledge of Himself through contemplation of the in-time. He tells us that He shows us His signs in the in-time, so we draw conclusions about Him through ourselves. We do not describe Him with any quality without also possessing that quality, with the exception of that essential autonomy. Since we know Him by ourselves and from ourselves, we attribute to Him all that we attribute to ourselves. For that reason, divine communications came down on the tongues of our interpreters, and so He described Himself to us through ourselves. When we witness, He witnesses Himself. We are certainly numerous as individuals and species, yet we are based on a single reality which unites us. So we certainly know that there are distinctions between individuals. If there were not, there would be no multiplicity in the One. - Shaykh al Akbar Muhi-d-Din Ibn al-'Arabi

From Part to Whole

A human being is a part of a whole, called by us a universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest… a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. ~ Albert Einstein

Allah

"Al-llah!" is the Arabic word meaning simply "One God". (Arabic is often referred to as the language of Al-llah!). "Al-llah!" is the Name by which the Divine Creator refers to Himself in the Revealed Qur`an.

It is called the "Divine Name", and has a singular power reflective of His Uniqueness and Transcendence over all creation. It is, without doubt, a Divinely revealed Name of God, indicative of nothing other than The One Supreme - Conscious, Living, Creating - over Whom there is none, greater than Whom there is none, and other than Whom there is none. This indicated Oneness is the very Truth of which Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad all spoke, the "God" in Whom we all believe.

This Name indicates the One Who is the Author and Creator of the Divine and inescapable Reality of the Unity of us all, unto Whose Benevolent Will Surrender is truly due. Sustainer and Cherisher of creation, Wise, Compassionate, and Merciful. Beyond comprehension and known only by His manifest signs. Begetter of none and never begotten. The Lover and the Beloved, of Whom the Sufi poets sing. The heavens and the earth are but tokens of His Divine Power and Love.

So say the Name of Al-llah! often and much. Certainly no harm has ever come from it, and it promises to deepen your present awareness of the blessing, gratitude and knowledge of God, the Divine Creator whose throne is to be found in the hearts of His true believers. - Ali Ansari

Need Brings us to Allah

Every moment of need is an opportunity to increase in richness. If it is need that forces you in your contentment with Allah to call on Allah, and it is calling on Him that increases you in richness, then see His wisdom in creating for you a situation in which you find yourself needy. Ya Ghaniyyu, Ya Kareem. - Ali Ansari

One Paragraph That Explains Life

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player, was dying of AIDS he had gotten from infected blood he received during a heart surgery in 1983. From the world over, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed: "Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease"? To this Arthur Ashe replied: The world over -- 50,000,000 children start playing tennis, 5,000,000 learn to play tennis, 500,000 learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5,000 reach the grand slam, 50 reach Wimbledon, 4 the semi-finals, 2 the finals. When I was holding my championship cup I never asked GOD "Why me?" And today in pain I should not be asking GOD "Why me?"

Happiness keeps you Sweet, Trials keep you Strong, Sorrow keeps you Human, Failure Keeps you Humble, Success keeps you Glowing, But only God keeps you Going...

Cherokee Wisdom

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

The Current Struggle for the Soul of Islam

"In recent decades, Wahhabi/Salafi ideology has made substantial inroads throughout the Muslim world. Islamic fundamentalism has become a well-financed, multifaceted global movement that operates like a juggernaut in much of the developing world, and even among immigrant Muslim communities in the West. To neutralize the virulent ideology that underlies fundamentalist terrorism and threatens the very foundations of modern civilization, we must identify its advocates, understand their goals and strategies, evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, and effectively counter their every move. What we are talking about is nothing less than a global struggle for the soul of Islam." - Abdurrahman Wahid

Self Manifestation

...Tasawwuf (Sufism) is the process of uncovering the truth, not the process of seeking it. We seek knowledge until we find what we are looking for, which is perfect self expression, self manifestation. The whole world is a self manifestation (of God) and it exists for that very purpose. We each need to be able to manifest in our own way as free, loving, cooperating individuals in communion with self as communion with God. .. - Ali Ansari

The Ego and the Heart

I struggled hard but did not reap the fruits of my labors. Then I gazed into myself and found that my ego and my heart were unified. When the ego and the heart are united, a portion of all that shines upon the heart is seized by the self. Thus I came to know the cause of my dilemma, that the light illuminating my heart was being seized by my ego. -Al-Nuri, in "Islamic Sufism"

Religion: What's Missing?

The true point of all religions is to provide a formula (teaching) and catalyst (teacher) for alchemy (the spiritual transformation of the student); the guided transformation of lead (the childish ego) into gold (the spiritually mature adult). So all teachings must have their outward formulas, but without the chemist, the alchemist, the transformed teacher to act as guide, these laws are without reality, meaningless and ineffective. Under mature guidance, the religion of Islam is a spiritually and socially transformative influence par excellence, and the Sufi way is widely known as an alchemy for spiritual evolution.
- Ali Ansari

On the Need for Self-Discipline

Gluttony feeds on itself. The more that the appetite is indulged, the stronger it becomes - and the harder it is to control. But if the appetite is restrained, then it soon grows weak and feeble, and finally disappears altogether.

-Razi, "Kitab al-Muluki"

The Spirituality of Sadness

Melancholy may enter your soul, and ambush your happiness; but it will prepare you for true joy. Melancholy drives out all other emotions and feelings, so the source of all goodness may occupy the whole house. It shakes the yellow leaves from the tree, allowing fresh leaves to grow. It pulls up old bodily pleasures by the roots, allowing divine spiritual pleasures to be planted. Melancholy takes many things from the soul, in order to bring better things in return.

-Rumi, "Mathnawi"

Always Follow Through....

"Initiating a good deed is a matter of choice, but seeing it through is obligatory."
- Imam Ali (a)

Time with Parents

"If you think you are so enlightened," Ram Dass said, "go and spend a week with your parents." That is good advice. The relationship with your parents is not only the primordial relationship that sets the tone for all subsequent relationships, it is also a good test for your degree of Presence. The more shared past there is in a relationship, the more present you need to be; otherwise, you will be forced to relive the past again and again. ~ Eckhart Tolle -- A New Earth

I am a Burning Candle

I am a burning candle;

You are the morning light,

If I do not see You, I burn;

if I see You, I vanish.

This is my condition in separation and closeness.

I can bear neither separation nor proximity.

-Author Unknown