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