Breezes of Intimacy 6-10

BREEZES OF INTIMACY- 6
KNOW THYSELF

On the portals of the esoteric school founded by the antique Greek philosopher Thales (624-547BC) was inscribed: "KNOW THYSELF.”
He had learned his arts and sciences in Babylonia where prophets and their sufi followers (awlia) dispensed learning and wisdom. This motto continues to this day to be the principal admonition to all would be saints. Mind you, saint means one who has been weaned from suckling from the ego and eating and drinking from the Heavens in him.
Yes, in man's heart are the realer and far vaster heavens created from the Spirit of God blown into him and ruling over the external heavens if need be. That is why Allah chose man Adam as His vicegerent and enjoined His angels to prostate themselves to him. Adam's and by inheritance all men's crowning ingredient is the Spirit of Allah and therefore every man has the potential to attain Divine company- if he cares to pursue his potential.
That is why Maulana Rumi described us the poor, ignorant and negligent fools that we are like,
"a man sitting on a giant pot of gold thinking that it is
empty, never bothering to take a look into it but bemoaning fate and
begging from passers-by.”
Brother or sister, whoever you think you are, think again. Everything you need to start your ascension (mi'raj) to your birth-right potential station in God's presence you are given already in full. The best place to start is where you are right now and the best time is likewise now. Just say the basmala and make the intention. Follow the guidance Allah is presenting you both from inside and outside (murshid etc.) and the angels will throng you with company and help and together with you, will prostrate themselves to the future you. For then you shall not be this you, and you shall conduct this journey in genuine humility. Otherwise you are doomed to pride and delusion, suffering and rejection.
Poem(translated from a Turkish Sufi original):
Know thyself, know thyself
Know thyself, know thyself
If you don't thyself know
Your nape they strike with a mighty blow.
=======

BREEZES OF INTIMACY- 7

Our Grand-Sheikh Maulana Sheikh Nazim once said that our great-grand Sheikh Abdullah Daghestni (may Allah bless their secrets and raise their ranks) said:
" You can get nowhere no matter what unless you have ikhlas (purity of intention).
What is the sign of ikhlas in a man or woman? It is the only too ready acceptance of the truth from whomever it comes".
EXPLANATION: Suppose you are a seaman on board of a ship which naturally has a captain all you seamen have to obey. Suppose that the captain isn't the most competent among you but there is a better one who was overlooked for promotion for sectarian reasons. The actual captain is naturally afraid of this worthy rival and will miss no opportunity to expose him in a bad light and he has his cronies helping him to keep the cheated man in check. Of course such situations don't exist only in ships among seamen but in every aspect of organized life- parties, government, in company boardrooms and academics and even religious groups! So the lessons we are going to draw have general applicability.
So long as sailing is plain and pleasant the captain is puffed up with pride, his supporters haughty and the better captain humbled if dutiful. He is made always to know his place and who is the boss and his many sympathizers must tow the same line if they don't want to be reported to the captain as bad subordinates. The cheated worthier colleague may from time to time make sensible as well as respectful suggestions to the captain who either adopts them together, taking the credit for them, or unwisely dismisses them out of both ignorance and grudge. What is happening here? Obviously the captain has no ikhlas as regards his boat and other responsibilities. But he can afford this lack of ikhlas as the sea is so well-behaved and the engines are like clockwork. His EGO savours its advantage and has no inclination to ADMIT any truths coming from the better expert. But suppose that there comes a terrible storm and additionally the boat develops increasing engine trouble. Sinking becomes a real possibility and there is no near port to sail into. All seamen become increasingly shaken and get so desperate fearing for their lives that their egos go up in smoke. The until recently arrogant and vicious captain fearing the worst becomes a saint for once:
He sends for the real master and cap in hand begs for his saving intervention. “Forgive me sire for my impudence’s and offences and please be kind enough to do something to save us". He withdraws from the captaincy and begins to look up to the only saviour at hand. Will not this foolish captain then jump at every order of his instantly installed master? Sure he will if he wants to survive the watery hell around him. All his cronies also will become respectful angels bolting out this way or that to carry out orders given at no time. What is happening?
Why, the realization of mortal danger evaporated their egos and made them possessed of ikhlas. They not only don't resent the master's ordering them around but are begging for the orders.
So is a sincere seeker of Allah's Face. He is in so great desperation for escaping his Lord's disfavour and attaining His favour that he will not dare to ignore any helpful advice from anybody no matter whom but instead dive for it. A man may start out as the member of any faith but once comes across Islam and its Prophet (sws) his ikhlas towards the Truth determines his fate. Same with attitudes towards all true people of God.
=====
BREEZES OF INTIMACY- 8 
DIVINE COMEDY

Italian Renaissance poet Dante is famous for his epic poem ‘La Divina Comedia.’ It took Europe by storm as soon as it was published. Before that another book had caused perhaps even more sensation. It was 'Hayy ibn. Yakzan', a Sufi romance depicting the human spirit's voyage to the Divine.
But while the 'Hayy' was frankly presented as a translation from an Islamic original (Spain), Dante failed to admit that he was plagiarizing en masse from an Islamic original and adapting it to Christian terms. What is more the term 'comedy' was a misnomer to begin with. In it Dante portrays the angelic heavens, the Purgatory and Hell he visited in the company of the spirit of the ancient Roman poet Virgil and then on to Paradise with Beatrice, a saintly beauty. He does not forget to 'kindly' put both Saladin and the Prophet sws (hasha lillah) to the mildest part of Hell mind you. So, without meaning it Dante renders his Comedia into a blasphemous farce.
Now the supposed journey of insincere or not serious enough people is not so much a real journey to the Divine but a Divine Comedy. So long as we do not commit ourselves to an all-out ambition and effort to find God in us and dwell in Him permanently we are only fooling ourselves. Walking the Divine Path is not too hard a work let alone a grim affair, however. In fact nothing is more pleasant and satisfying once we get habituated to and settle in it. To achieve it abandon all show and make-believe and get in action where it matters most: 
A constant vigilance against your ego's pretensions to piety and well-meaning and making sure that your ego observes the honour and rights of others before anything else.
Remember that all sins are forgivable by Allah except one category: Infringing the rights of others, even when they are unbelievers or even animals down to insects and even plants! For what we forget is the fact that Allah may be the worst enemy of persistent sinners and blasphemers but once victimized He takes up their grievances more seriously than your supposed devotions. Let all those who appoint themselves as fighters for Islam never forget this before they set out to hurt both 'the infidels' and those Muslims who don't agree with them.
Theirs is not even a Divine Comedy but a Divine Tragedy.
=======
BREEZES OF INTIMACY- 9
MY SECRET

My secret is an open secret
I am sorely in love you see
In love with love for love's sake
Otherwise, my love, I cannot be.

My Love is invisible yet captivating
Enslaving in fact and very jealous
Ever watchful with spies all over the place 
Yet never never unforgiving, never callous. 

I sail in my love's seas storm or calm
My boat as unsinkable as the Titanic
My diet is milk, honey and balm
I am both the captain and the mechanic.

But I have one port, one destination
Which I like to call predestination
I add to my sea from my tears
Lest it dries up from reclamation.

For my love is hated by almost all
They are loveless people, mad me they call
They want to dry up my sea to gain dry land
Dry as bone in fact, not like Holland.

Good for snakes, scorpions, ants
Bushy, thorny, sexy, trademarks and brands
A godless world it is, Mammon excepting
But all their attacks lovers withstand.

One lover will come though to wind them up
Drive them to hell hot on their heels
Love wins you see, invincible is
So celebrate love whatever the seas. 
=======

BREEZES OF INTIMACY- 10 
FOREVER

Through all it is Allah Who speaks if you can decipher what is behind the words. If somebody says "there is no God" (hasha) to the one with gnosis it only means
" I need somebody strong enough in wisdom and faith to satisfy me about God's existence and save me".
When the wife of the Aziz, the King of Egypt's minister called Joseph to herself what she actually meant (without herself realizing) was
" O Joseph, your beauty is too extraordinary to be of this world. You certainly are one of the chosen of Allah. By resisting the temptation I as a beautiful woman presents proves to me that knowing Allah beats all temptation, so that I also can learn to overcome my own temptations".
All creation is desperately in love with their Creator but among them most men are too ignorant and capricious to be straight about it and will not come to their senses until they commit every kind of folly in order to see for themselves the disastrous results of disbelief and rebellion. The blows they are beaten with may eventually sober them and cause them to wise up; if not more awaits them after death.
So, o sufi, see everybody as in desperate search for Allah, with so profound search that even themselves are unconscious of it. They say they don't believe. Then they
praise love and honesty for example as if these aren't Allah's. It is like the song:
" Sometimes I love you
Sometimes I hate you
But when I hate you
It is because I love you".
They are lost and confused and do not know their right from their left, their top
from their bottom. O sufi, help all lost by being patient with and kind towards all.
Because you are like the waking man who sings the following song:
“ Everywhere it is You
In everything You are
Secretly I respect all
And do what they secretly ask from me
I don't know how to say it
Wherever I go, whatever I do
There is Somebody Who walks in and sweetly talks to me
I am in love with Him
Because He gives me love
How can I go against Him?
He is I more than me
Closer to me than myself
Knows me better than myself
How beautiful is Joseph
I'd like to be like him
From Whom he got his beauty?
Certainly not from me"

Web design by Surge Solutions