Green Pearls For Ramadhan 30-55
GREEN PEARLS FOR RAMADAN 30 TO 38
30. The most essential element in securing attainment is ihklas (wholehearted
and sincerest commitment to truth). Ihlas is when you accept a truth from
wherever and whoever it comes. A person with such Ikhlas cannot fail
31. Fear of God is real when it appears in the form of you fearing your
committing any injustice, falsehood and indecency. What does not prevent you
from mean acts is not fear of God but neurotic superstition with selfish
anxieties behind it
32. Good works and good acts effortlessly flow together from the friends of
Allah. Bad words and bad acts cannot flow from them even if they tried. Their
loving slave's chains to God is too strong for that
33. The one who is happiest with God is the one who is the unhappiest about
himself. It is like the fact that the happiest man to see a doctor is a sick
one or the happiest person to see a rich benefactor is the one who needs his
gifts most.
34. All men and women have the Spirit of God blown in them from the beginning.
Human beings are not like lottery tickets, only few hitting the jackpot and the
rest wasted. As such they thrive on love and respect. Respect everybody despite
what you might legitimately have to do with or about them. Your respecting them
may one day lead to their repentance and reform.
35. Friends of God are the real grown ups while God's negligents and enemies are
spiritual juveniles in great danger from themselves. Friends of God cannot hate
or be jealous of anybody. Given the viewpoint of God they can only love, pity
and kindly reprove the juveniles. The Prophet sws said "The true believer sees
with the Light of God"
36. Friends of God and candidate friends of God must and do recognize friends
of God. Juveniles look for miracles and decorations all of which can be
dazzlingly faked by fraudulent pretenders. Look for sustained humble good
morals and warmly penetrating and saving words to tell a real friend from an
artfully pretending fiend.
37. The infallible test for belovedness to God is generosity. A stingy person
cannot enter the heaven even with a million wings flapping frantically
together. Generosity is in three things: in forgiveness, in paying charity and
in courage for Allah. Audit yours if you are sincere in attainment
38. Keep no grudge and conspire against nobody.
Let punishing people be your last and least wish. Good advice you may give but
good revenge you better avoid. The only exception is when you hold public
office and even then you must be judicious and not rash
GREEN PEARLS FOR RAMADAN- 39: THE MEANING OF RAHMATAN LIL ALAMIN
Allah swt said "We have not sent thee (o Muhammad) but as a body (or on account
of Our) Rahmat to all mankind"(21: 107). Much has been said about this
priceless pearl of a verse from the minimal commonplace interpretation to the
most Platonic non-sensical affectatives. Each of course has its customers and
we respect that. But our aim is not to be pleasantly mystified and bemused and
then yawn but to understand and act- for Sufism is realism and feasibility
about salvation and not obfuscation and obscurantism and make-believe however
delicious these may feel at times. Lofty and arcane-looking pontifications of
ambitious but confused people can help neither them nor us. In fact the more
unintelligible a statement the more confused the mind behind it. As you may know
the Qur'anic verse is interpreted by other verse(s) and secondly by hadiths.
One particular hadith fits this verse like a glove fitting a hand. Said
Rahmatan lil Alamin sws:
"I have not been sent but to build up the noblest traits of character (makarim
al akhlaq). The Prophet sws spoke the truth. The Rahmat sent with the
Prophet sws is then, at least first and foremost, the Prophet's most noble
character traits the emulation and acquisition of which IS salvation. We in
fact need hardly anything else if at all. A character modeled on the Prophet's
sws can only have unshakeable faith in Allah, can only obey Allah, can only
work even unto death for Allah and can only love and care for all created for
Allah.
Why this Rahmat is for all mankind? Because the more men attain the more of the
Prophet's character traits the more love and peace prevails among mankind. And
more enter the Garden.
GREEN PEARLS FOR RAMADAN- 40: GIVING FOR ALLAH IS THE SAME AS RECEIVING FROM ALLAH
The giver lives through the experience of generosity (jood and karam) which is Allah's own Quality. Reflecting Allah's qualities IS the reception of salvation. Do we want
and can we afford anything less than salvation as the end result of our life's
work?
GREEN PEARLS FOR RAMADAN- 41: SERIOUSNESS OF INTENT
Seriousness of intent is the jet engine of salvation. We must not be
fickle; we must not remain blind to opportunities and those offering an opportunity,
whatever, whoever and from wherever they are. We must always go for the clear
and unambiguous, realistic and feasible and not lose our way and end and dry up
in deserts like meandering ill-fated streams by following people who do not
know where they are going and what they are talking about no matter their
pretensions to otherwise. Truth is anything but complicated. Truth is anything
but impractical. Truth is anything but instantly recognizable. Just accept any
shining and striking sweet truths that come your way and like a greedy
industrialist put them immediately to work for you for hefty profits.
GREEN PEARLS FOR RAMADAN- 42: REPENTANCE
Repentance is real when it is based on pious and anxious soul searching all
the time. The Messenger of Allah sws said "I ask for forgiveness seventy times
a day". The uninformed may ask "Why, with my tasbih (rosary) I can (or do) say
thousands of 'astaghfirullah (I ask for Allah's pardon) every day". Although
that is well and good it is not that very effective repentance which we so
badly need. True and therefore effective repentance is when one realizes how
negligent or guilty one has been in the face of conscientious duty and before
burning in hell itself he or she pre-burns in being ashamed of himself or
herself. That is why the Prophet sws said "al haya min al iman", i.e., sense of
shame is part of faith. A true repentant can hardly re-offend. To put is
otherwise the sign that your repentance has been sincere and therefore accepted
by the Lord is that you lose interest in the subject of temptation that caused
your sin in the first place. That is the station of safety (maqam as salama).
You are then like a grown up child who will not be interested in the baby's
milk bottle. You see, Sufism is nothing but growth and true growth
is..... (guess what)... IRREVERSIBLE.
********
GREEN PEARLS FOR RAMADAN- 43: FRIENDS AND ENEMIES OF GOD.
ALLAH'S FRIENDS are those who flow with nature and its events in their
originally created forms uncorrupted by denatured men. Man corrupts nature and
events not only by manipulating them unwisely but also by misinterpreting
them. An example of manipulation is consuming grapes after degrading them into
wine. Another is staying awake at night until small hours doing all sorts of
silly and often sinful things and then sleeping until noon next day to begin
another sinful day and night. Their alternatives are eating grapes as they were
created and following the natural rhythms in sleep and wakefulness. That is why
salat (ritual prayer) times are set as they are. All Islam is about returning
to the original nature as God intended. He Almighty says: "Turn thy face
towards the religion of purity, the Nature on which Allah created all people.
Allah's creation should not be changed. That is the only valid religion but
most of mankind do not know (Surat al Rum, 30)
As for the second point. Man corrupts nature and events also by misinterpreting
them. Some people may be as evil as seeing houses burn with all inside or a man
tortured or a woman raped. Papers describing evil acts sell like hot potatoes.
The buyers try to enjoy the thrills of committing the evils described in them
by proxy.
These are examples of putting wrong value labels on events. The same sick
people interpret religious piety and even such basic and universal thing as
sense of shame as stupidity and shun them. Their ultimate act of blasphemy is
of course blaspheming against God. God stands for all good they lost for good
and that is why they hate Him and His religion- and of course also His
friends.
GREEN PEARLS FOR RAMADAN- 44: GREATNESS AND HUMILITY.
For what reason should we enter the Sufi path do you think?. But first remember- Sufism is a search for the real gold Islam
contains in the perfect package it presents. Many are delighted enough with the
wrapping papers and the colorful tapes not bothering about the priceless
jewelry inside, dying without ever opening the jewel chamber. Once maulana had
told me on the upper room of saint Haji Kalfa's blessed house: "If you don't
walk the path properly until you discover the treasure chest in your heart and
open it and help yourself to the jewels in there it remains for the Angel of
Death to forcibly crack it open for you after it is too late". You will be
like a man who could not find his banknote- stuffed purse in a wonderful
marketplace, roaming the place without being able to buy a single thing and
only discover the purse when the marketers pack up and depart.
But what is the make or brake secret of Sufi search, do you know? Let Allah
tell us: "This is the House of Hereafter. We prepare it for those who do not
seek greatness on earth nor corruption" (28: 83). So if your intention in
following Sufism is royally bossing over the rest and in the course make and
break people you may end up as the intended royal but only to further end up in
hell. Those who posture and pretend beware! Instead aim at humility and let
Allah show you His Glory and Greatness in the clear mirror your humility
provides. There are the treasures. Amen
*******
GREEN PEARLS FOR RAMADAN- 45: I AM YOURS
I am Yours o Lord even if I don't know You
In my estrangement I am calling 'Hoooo"
You hear me I know but how I would like
To know that You love me for my sake
------
How to please You I am writhing in desire
Without knowing how, I simply You admire
I cannot fathom You, cannot plumb even the shores
So I do the next best thing and keep busy with chores
------
Still I hope and pray You come to rescue one day
You are too great to refuse You are on the Way
You shall open Your arms for me to jump in
Without a ticket, with big laughter, I will jackpot win.
GREEN PEARLS FOR RAMADAN- 46: GENUINE REPENTANCE
Genuine repentance is both the most enjoyable form of servant-hood (ibada
or ubudiyya) to Allah and without doubt is the foundation stone of salvation and
sainthood.
Therefore o sincere Sufi, seek out and find in how many ways and on how many
grounds you can offer regrets and apologies to Allah with a bleeding heart and
tearing eyes.
This should not take the form of faking sorrow and tears to deceive yourself
that you are repenting; instead it should take the form of your spotting your
own sick and filthy sides and shocked by them rush to the shower room of
repentance. You must utterly dislike the lower you which is so near to beasts
as well as the Devil and equally utterly love the future higher you which is
near Allah. It is like an ambitious apprentice in a workshop. He hates his
ignorance and clumsiness, both loves and fears the accomplished master and
loves his own future mastery even more. So, he always deplores his failures
and tries again and again until he masters the art.
GREEN PEARLS FOR RAMADAN- 47: LOVING YOUTH
Loving youth and hating old age is the trademark of the people of Dunya (lower present world) while the opposite is true for Allah's friends. I
remember maulana when he was about 40 and growing older. His jet black curly
beard was fast growing white and he stroked it with delighted wonderment
beaming like full moon with silent satisfaction that he was after all growing
older and older in Islam, in Allah's service. Do you now see how satanically
foolish are those who spend fortunes on looking young yet look increasingly
ugly because of the artificiality they are resorting to? Please check your own
attitude towards young and old age to see if you are following the master and
therefore can hope for salvation.
GREEN PEARLS FOR RAMADAN- 48: GLORIFYING ALLAH
Glorifying Allah no matter what is the sign that your faith has at last
been solidified and not any more liquid or gaseous- both dangerous on account
of their instability and possibility of leakout. Solid faith makes you able to
glorify Allah under all circumstances because it infers the gnosis that
Allah can do no wrong and only good is His intention towards His good servants
no matter how tricky what befalls the servant is. The more trying it is the
more spectacularly wonderful the end result shall be. Don't you see how
magicians like David Copperfield give highest satisfaction to their spectators
with tricks which look the most dangerous and impossible to escape from? Read
if you wish "They trick and Allah preemptively tricks back and Allah is the
Best of Trickers"(Surat Ali Imran, 54)
GREEN PEARLS FOR RAMADAN- 49
THE BURNING QUESTION is that you are your chief and most urgent responsibility but you are dealing with anything and anybody except your responsibility towards yourself.
Your beginning is an intelligent brute and destination is the friendship and
company of Allah in Whose Will yours should dissolve and in Whose Acts your
acts should occur.
Please every day audit your progress: how much closer you came to feeling
happy and content with Allah's Will for you, be it your lot in life or His
commandments applying to all believers. Are you counting your blessings more?
Are you day by day finding salat and fasting and charity and chastity etc.
lovelier and lovelier or are you straining and lapsing as badly as before if
not worse. Are you gaining more interest in things according to their priority
with Allah, like loving and delving into the Qur'an more or are you still
reluctant towards Allah's priorities and want and enjoy some pet diversions and
idle curiosities? Rasulullah sws said "If the Devil cannot turn a believer
away from the Right Path altogether then he will at least try to turn him from
Allah's obligatory demands and busy him with non-obligatory or delicious
innovations. This audit is essential if you want to progress and not deceive
and waste yourself. May Allah help us to get more serious about and more
responsible for ourselves.
GREEN PEARLS FOR RAMADAN 50 TO 55
50. HUMILITY (at the expense of repeating the subject) is the beginning of
spiritual wisdom as fear of God is the beginning of religious wisdom. In fact
the two is the one and the same thing except the emphasis is different in each.
Only humble people fear God and only God-fearing can be humble. We cannot
advance one step as long as we are openly or secretly boastful and
self-justifying, self-congratulating. Sadly however that is how only too many
begin this path and insist on remaining so. The sign of such pre-existing pride
is touchiness. A man or woman with spiritual hubris cannot stand or forgive
even advice from others let alone criticism. Let's take two imaginary alleged
searchers of a hidden treasure. Both are ignorant about how to find it. One,
being proud, thinks that his personal intelligence will be enough to
exclusively guide him to the prize. So he sets out and wanders away taking this
direction or that fancying that his superb instincts will land him with the
treasure at no time. Others offer advice but he scoffs at them. "How dare you
think that I the genius need your guidance? Lions need not consult jackals" he
means to say with offended indignation. The other person is wise and realistic
enough (because he is humble) to know his limitations and the unlimitedness of
the sources of guidance outside himself. He accordingly actually looks for
extra help, accepts any sensible-looking advice gratefully and claims the prize
and he is back at home with shining eyes and licking lips. You see, humility
pays, humility is wisdom, humility is GREATNESS. All awliya became awliya on
account of their humility as above. Never forget this story.
****
51. WAHDAT AL WUJOOD (Unity of Being) is an allegedly obstruse subject
understood by only the rarefied elect who then go on and 'explain' it to us in
such pitch-dark and verbose prose that we end up understanding nothing and if
anything remain more baffled than before. In their confusion they even leak out
blasphemous-looking negative jewels. The reason is that the supposed expositors
are themselves in darkness but cannot admit their own bafflement for they
invested so much in their fame. They were not swimming in the Naqhibandi
oceans but small swimming pools.
Swimming in the Naqshibabdi seas however we can easily dive and come up with a
new pearl about every spiritual insight that we may need. Let us dive and pick
up the simple jewel for wahdat al wujood. For jewels are always simple because
their worth lies in their essence and not the frills and decorations added
later. "What babes understand sages are baffled with" said our master Jesus
Christ (Blessing and peace be on the Darling of Allah our master Muhammad and
and on Jesus). So let's be babies and see the only too clear fact.
It is this: That you understand that the whole show of being is run by an
ULTIMATE ONE who has no second, third... etc. It is not pantheism, the theory
that all is God. If all is God then God cannot claim to have created anything
or ruling over anything but He is just playing with Himself. That this is not
so Allah explains "We have not created the heaven and earth and all between
them for Us as Players. Had we wanted entertainment We could have taken it from
Our Presence but We are no Doers of that (Surat al Anbiya 16- 17). We His
creatures are not like Him in the least, He is utterly Other; yet He knows
everything and controls everything in such subtle ways that our will and
responsibility still apply! So wahdat al Wujood is this fact that the whole
created existence is penetrated and exhaustively known and controlled by the
Creator Who can do no wrong yet we are the doers of all wrongs which He
unfailingly converts into rights in the long run. You see, all animals eat
God's gifts and foul the environment as their end product. God then turns all
that filth into nutrition for other creatures like plants and bacteria thereby
recycling them back to us as superb food- He converted our wrongs into rights.
The existence is one because it is controlled by ONE and benevolently at that.
52. INABILITY TO BEAR A GRUDGE is one of the surest signs of having a pure
heart (al qalb al saleem) and the surest guarantee of going to heaven and
attaining Allah's company. A true mu'min, muslim and wali (all three are one
and the same) is incapable of bearing a grudge against anybody even when
incited by others to do so. Will gold hold rust whatever thrown at it? Proof?
Let Allah give it:
"Yauma la yanfau malun wa la banoon illa men atallaha bi qalbin saleem" (Surat
al Shuara, 89), i.e., "That day neither wealth nor sons (supporters) avail one;
only one who comes with a pure heart (is saved)". Check and purify your heart
if you can.
****
53. LAILAT AL QADR is a secret night which only Allah knows. If you stumble
upon it and you are made aware of it by great sacred emotions being aroused in
you as never before then you are saved. For some this never happens in a
lifetime. For some few others, they never miss recognizing each as they come.
Who are these lucky ones?
They are those who are most interested in and busiest with self-purification.
The purer the heart the more perceptive it becomes to blessed opportunities.
Purify yourself.
54. AMR BIL MA'RUF, NAHY ANIL MUKAR should be the essence of every religious
talk or communication. Said maulana once "If a speaker (add writer) says
something about Islam but its essence and aim do not consists of Amr bil Ma'ruf
and Nahy anil Munkar' (recommending a good and dissuading from an evil) both
the speaker his audience are in for a minimum forty days of pestilent
afflictions".
Why? Because any religious communication which is not aimed at good be done and
evil to be abandoned can only consist of overt or covert boasting for the
communicator and waste of time or at best circus entertainment for his
recipients. A talk, for example, mostly if not merely about the alleged
spiritual structure of the heavens or the number of Gabriel's wings or the
wonderful self-aggrandizing dreams of the speaker may only win admirers for him
(from among the equally vain) and otherwise do no good to the listeners. Let
us please always communicate good pious advice provided we have the requisite
learning and authority. Otherwise it is better to remain a listener and reader.
55. EID IS AS MUCH AN EARNED BLESSING AS A GRANTED ONE. One who faithfully fasts for Allah, revives every day and night of Ramadan with regular obligatory as
well as voluntary prayers, repents continuously in the belief that Ramadan is
an un-missable period when prayers and especially repentance will be accepted
and does as much charity as possible... eid falls into the lap of such an
aware and industrious servant like a overwhelming gift packet direct from the
Hand of Allah packaged in Allah's best compliments. This is an earned and
deserved eid as no other. POEM:
Eid is not for one who wears all new
It is for one who builds his faith anew
Eid is not for one who rides new cars
It is for the penitent whom sin no more mar
Eid is not for one who finds new friends
It is for one whom Allah from then on befriends.
I congratulate the eid of all my brothers and sisters in Islam and offer them my love, goodwill and prayers.