Journey Towards Awakening

Photo Description: Mountains of Xinjiang

Photo credited to flickr / by shanghaisoundbites

According to Wikipedia, a pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith. Many religions attach spiritual importance to particular places: the place of birth or death of founders or saints, or to the place of their "calling" or spiritual awakening, or of their connection (visual or verbal) with the divine, or to locations where miracles were performed or witnessed, or locations where a deity is said to live or be "housed," or any site that is seen to have special spiritual powers. Such sites may be commemorated with shrines or temples that devotees are encouraged to visit for their own spiritual benefit: to be healed or have questions answered or to achieve some other spiritual benefit.

I am not talking about the kind of (most respectfully) religious pilgrimages stated above, or which the people typically perform for fulfillment of religious obligation. I am nothing talking religious.

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What I actually mean in my post here is just a ‘journey’, or simple journey, to be made intentionally in search of some moral or wisdoms—for experiencing, somewhere during it, the Spiritual awakening. Pure from any greed for benefit or reaching the destination, the journey will lead ultimately into the holistic experience of life, unraveling the hidden spiritual potentials lying within human. The wisdom lies within journey itself, apart from the idea of destination. The experience completes the thought.

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Here It is apt to quote a beautiful poem “Ithaca” by Constantine Cavafy (1863–1933) and translated by Rae Dalven.

“When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,

pray that the road is long,

full of adventure, full of knowledge.

The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,

the angry Poseidon—do not fear them:

You will never find such as these on your path

if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine

emotion touches your spirit and your body.

The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,

the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,

if you do not carry them within your soul,

if your heart does not set them up before you.

Pray that the road is long.

That the summer mornings are many, when,

with such pleasure, with such joy

you will enter ports seen for the first time;

stop at Phoenician markets,

and purchase fine merchandise,

mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,

and sensual perfumes of all kinds,

as many sensual perfumes as you can;

visit many Egyptian cities,

to learn and learn from scholars.

Always keep Ithaca in your mind.

To arrive there is your ultimate goal.

But do not hurry the voyage at all.

It is better to let it last for many years;

and to anchor at the island when you are old,

rich with all you have gained on the way,

not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.

Without her you would never have set out on the road.

She has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.

Wise as you have become, with so much experience,

you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.”

Ultimate waywardness (poem)

Sometimes I ran after winds and dust storms-
got stumbled on many unknown routes and wastelands
So that they started calling me madman!

I worshiped stars, prayed skies, kept idols within my heart,
So much that I lost my wits and my faith..
so that they could execute me

I quarreled with rationalists as their ideas didn't match with mine;
disconnected with spiritualists as their deeds couldn't catch up my heeds
So that they at last made me out of them

I got broken my vows, became dishonest
broken my heart, became loser
- So that I could stop

For You.. O Lord, no one could ever know.. I was for You!

fight for promise and love

 

old memories are still afloat beyond vision in the vastness of these eyes
those memories..
the orange twilight turning into azure..
fresh air blowing on rooftop of a solitary household in great wasteland.


and mild silhouette of Himalayan foothills jutting out in backdrop.
skies where eagles used to get courage, like that of warrior of light.
and those retinas focused keenly at place far beyond where the skies meet the world,
those eyes filled with hopes,

and breath brimming with warmth of life,
and many promises ..
those difficult promises made with easy hopes.

and pains of witnessing 'goodbyes'!

That was for first time, when the warrior promised to fight
against himself, against felony, against disappointment and every other darkness.

After that.. the life became difficult.

..

oh, Afterwind!
he should keep on fighting..
for the sake of Allah.

what could be the more in this world than the joy of loving and being loved! hmm..

Poetry of Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Kheir

If you are seeking closeness to the Beloved,
love everyone.
Whether in their presence or absence,
see only their good.
If you want to be closer and refreshing as
the breath of the morning breeze,
like the sun have nothing but warmth and light
for everyone.

~ + ~

Beloved, show me the way of this prison.
Make me needless of both worlds.
Pray, erase from mind all
that is not You.
Have mercy Beloved,
though I am nothing but forgetfulness,
You are the essence of forgiveness.
Make me needless of all but You.

~ + ~

Drink from this heart now,
for all this loving it contains.
When you look for it again,
it will be dancing in the wind.

Source: Jafar Alam's blog (Link)

~ + ~

To your mind feed understanding,
to your heart, tolerance and compassion.
The simpler your life, the more meaningful.
The less you desire of the world,
the more room you will have in it
to fill with the Beloved.

Source: faith786 blog (Link)

 

~ + ~

Suppose you can recite a thousand holy

verses from memory.

What are you going to do

with your ego, the true

mark of the heretic?

– Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Kheir – “Nobody, Son of Nobody”

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To your mind feed understanding,

to your heart, tolerance and compassion.

The simpler your life, the more meaningful.

– Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Kheir – “Nobody, Son of Nobody”

~ + ~

Those with no sense of honor and dignity are best avoided.

Those who change colors constantly

are best forgotten.

– Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Kheir – “Nobody, Son of Nobody”

Source: (link)

Sayings of Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil Kheir

A few sayings of Abu Saeed (Abu Sa'id ibn Ab'il Khair ) (967 - 1049 ce) quoted from his biography Asrar al-Tawhid :

•  The veil between man and God is not the world, is not the throne of God, it is the illusion of "I", pass beyond yourself and you are there.
• Anywhere the illusion of “I” exists is hell, anywhere “I” is absent is heaven.
• If you are not going to sacrifice your self do not spend your time with Sufi nonsense. 
• Sufism is fixing the gaze at One and living towards One.
• The meaning of Sufism is to put down what is in your head and to spare what is in your hand and not to shake when calamities befall you.
• Holding a grudge is heresy and attributing things to any cause but God is idolatry and joyfulness is duty.

Source: Wikipedia (Link)

• 
  
  “What’s in your head — throw it away! What’s in your hand — give it up! Whatever happens — don’t turn away from it.”                                                                                 

(?)  Source: nytimes (Link)

You walked into my way..

When You crossed my way,
My heart was beaten by the overpowering delight of the eyes,
in which Your dazzling beauty was flowing out..
I got mad for years
But never recognized You!

When You put up a new face and sat beside me..
and entered into my soul through an outlandish sweet smell!
I remained in ecstasy for years
But had never recognized You!

When my life had broken,
You appeared at many places during my journey,
sometimes hiding beside an old woman offering water to this fallen body,
sometimes supporting the youth lifting this weak soul!
and finally..
by a strange feminine fairy’s face to lure away out from the death valley

Oh my Mighty Sweetheart in heavens! how do I compliment Your Great Kindness,

look at me..
I will be silent.. .

This night of separation…

I remained in Your company for years
But had never recognized You!

What a pity!

in the chase of Your unknown face.. without ever recognizing it!
this container,
being filled up with
the wines of every detail
every taste and every colour,
has jagged and finally withered away..

what a sharp-edged poison, the grief of love is..

now when I lost my own face and my own self..
lost my own name..
lost my own faith..
and became empty,

‘none, son of no one..’

this container, now ready to be filled up by Your own hands..
i am ready!
let him recognize You.. at last!

Love and pain

This pain burning my each fragment.. .

Love is sublimation, changing the material heart into the longing
Pain is condensation, changing the longing into the tears
Everything evil in the soul, perishes
and she comes purified out of the flames of this test!

Only the strong heart is capable of carrying this heavy burden
Only the strong soul has power to keep strong hope

O Mighty Lord, O Sustainer of heavens and earths!
support the stumbling hearts and fearing souls, and render the righteous-love victor!
before You, I surrender myself!

I sold myself in bazar,

I sold myself in bazar, to buy your 1 photo.. .

~ afterwind

Doubt: A dove story

While sitting on my housetop with a red Turkish hat on, I saw a fat dove coming down and finally resting on the floor. Fearlessly, though having knowledge of my presence, she started moving here and there for picking potpourri of grains. A sudden selfish thought passed across my mind, why shouldn’t I lay down a snare in order to have her. But I let this idea go, as the feeling of compassion ensnared my own thoughts then, and I started considering to developing a friendship-bond with her, and not interfering her chores. After a period of sauntering around, she stopped at a spot in open, and sat in a pleasurable sun of early noontide. An unbelievable slight sense of shining green was reflecting from her partly brown, partly gray neck. Her facial features, especially the dark black eyes, had got an aura exuding the enormous innocence. During all that time, I had developed a taste of admiration towards her and was planning for the future activities, like cereals-strewing. After noticing the fact of my looking at her, she got shy and walked ahead slowly and took cover of the column, standing between us. I backed slightly on chair in order to catch the view again, got many chances to take her photo shots. The shy model also seemed contributing in the activity, taking joy. She stayed there for a long time and showed even not a single blip over my casual movements and cores. Her trust over me was evident; she was approaching contently at a closer distance.

Much amusement was at its height, when I started believing. But soon she thought something, which made her to withdraw. And then she fluttered away into the sky.



What was the thought, which made her fly? Was it “misunderstanding”? Or “doubt”? Anyhow, it was a result of her shortsightedness.

The dove had lost a good, which could make her existence worthwhile!

Last Hope

1. O Lord!

all my effort proved to be limited,
now the only hope is Your Effulgent Face !

- Afterwind

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2. your desire and My Will

"you have your desire and

I have my Will.
My Will shall reign.
but if you surrender yourself into My Will,
I shall bestow upon you your desire.
but if you oppose to My Will,
then I shall tire you of your desires,
and ultimately,
My Will shall reign…”           
 

(Proverb)

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Hallaj believed in the Oneness (Tawhid) of God!

There’s nothing left of me.

Mansur Ibn Hallaj is said to be prosecuted for heresy, but after perusing the material which is ascribed to him, I am bound to build up a personal opnion about him as a person who was not heretic in fact and it was the ruling class of that time who was mistaken in taking him to be a heretic. He seems to be an avid advocate of the belief in Tawhid or Oneness of God (that there is One God and none is equal to Him). The Oneness of God is usually much carefully described in the strict terms of Sharî‘a, being a foremost important tenet. Sufis from different regions and ages tried to explain this Wisdom in the terms of the esoteric science of Haqîqa. Sufi interpretations, were  misunderstood by commons. Hallaj's interpretations were also misunderstood and perhaps misused by his political rivals. He went so further in describing the Almighty quality of God, that he, in his philosophy, had reduced the creation perhaps to the rank of non-existence, as compared to the Almighty God. If we take a deeper appreciation of his literary work with a supportive background understanding of Sufi terms and definitions, at last we would find that there is nothing to be heresy, but a wellspring of Sufi bliss and deeper sailings into the science of Tawhid or God's Oneness.

Some of online material relating to Hallaj's idea about Tawhid is given as follows.

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Doctrine of al-Hallaj on the Divine Attributes

as narrated by al-Qushayri. Read about its source here

from the Chapter on the Exposition of the Beliefs of This Fold [the Sufis] on Questions of Doctrine (Faslun fî bayân i‘tiqâd hâdhihi al-tâ’ifa fî masâ’il al-usûl) from al-Qushayri’s Risala ila al-Sufiyya (Translated with Notes by DR. G.F. Haddad)

A summary,

[16] Shaykh Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami – Allah have mercy on him! – told us: I heard Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Ghalib say: I heard Abu Nasr Ahmad ibn Sa‘id al-Isfanjani say: al-Husayn ibn Mansur said: “You must categorically consider all to be contingent, for pre-existence belongs to Him [alone].

[17] “All that appears through body is necessarily an accident (‘arad).

[18] “That whose assemblage comes about through cause-and-effect (al-adât) is held together through its powers (quwâhâ).

[19] “All that comes together at one time, goes into dispersion at another time.

[20] “All that something else causes to subsist is characterized by dependency.

[21] “All that imagination can possibly apprehend can be pictured.

[22] “All that is contained is subject to ‘where.’

[23] “And all that has a genus is the object of a modality.

[24] “No ‘above’ shades Him – Exalted is He! – nor does any ‘below’ carry Him.

[25] “No limit/direction faces Him (walâ yuqâbiluhu hadd) nor does any ‘at’ (‘ind) beset Him.

[26] “He is not confined by any ‘behind’ nor limited by any ‘before’.

[27] “No ‘before’ caused Him to appear nor did any ‘after’ cause Him to vanish.

[28] “No ‘all’ gathered Him.

[29] “No ‘He is’ brought Him into existence (lam yûjidhu kân).

[30] “No ‘He is not’ can cause Him to be missed (walam yufqidhu lays).

[31] “His description: He has none (wasfuhu lâ sifata lahu).

[32] “His act has no cause (‘illa).

[33] “His being has no duration (amad).

[34] “He is transcendent beyond the states of His creatures: there is not for Him the least deliberation (mizâj) in His creation, nor working (‘ilâj) in His acts.

[35] “He is clearly separate from them by His pre-existence (bâyanahum biqidamih) just as they are clearly separate from Him by their contingent nature (kamâ bâyanûh bihudûthihim).

[36] “If you ask ‘When?’ – His being is before Time.

[37] “Should you say, ‘hû’ – the letters hâ’ and wâw are but His creation.

[38] “And if you say, ‘Where?’ – His existence precedes Place.

[39] “So letters are His Signs (fal-hurûfu âyâtuhu);

[40] “His existence is the affirmation of Him (wujûduhu ithbâtuh);

[41] “Gnosis of Him is the upholding of His Oneness (ma‘rifatuhu tawhîduh);

[42] “and His Tawhîd is to distinguish Him clearly from His creatures.

[43] “Whatever you imagine in your imaginings, He is different from that (mâ tusawwiru fil-awhâmi fahuwa bikhilâfih).

[44] “How can that which He Himself began analyze Him? (kayfa yahullu bihi mâ minhu bada’ahu).

[45] “Or how can that be part of Him which He Himself gave rise to? (aw ya‘ûdu ilayhi mâ huwa ansha’ahu).

[46] “The pupils of the eyes cannot see Him.

[47] “Nor can conjectures apprehend Him.

[49] “His nearness is His generosity (qurbuhu karâmatuhu).

[50] “His distance is His contempt (wabu‘duhu ihânatuhu).

[51] His elevation is without ascent (‘uluwwuhu min ghayri tawaqqul).

[52] His coming is without displacement (wamajî’uhu min ghayri tanaqqul).

[53] The Near (al-qarîb), the Far (al-ba‘îd).

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On Allah (God),
On Allah (God), as quoted in Doctrine of Sufis (1977) by Abû Bakr al- Kalâbâdî, as translated by A. J. Arberry
Taken from Khamush poetry site.

Hallaj says about God:

"Before" does not outstrip Him,
"after" does not interrupt Him
"of" does not vie with Him for precedence
"from" does not accord with Him
"to" does not join with Him
"in" does not inhabit Him
"when" does not stop Him
"if" does not consult with Him
"over" does not overshadow
Him "under" does not support Him
"opposite" does not face Him
"with" does not press Him
"behind" does not limit Him
"previous" does not display Him
"after" does not cause Him to pass away
"all" does not unite Him
"is" does not bring Him into being
"is not" does not deprive Him from Being.
Concealment does not veil Him
His pre-existence preceded time,
His being preceded non-being,
His eternity preceded limit.
If thou sayest 'when',
His existing has outstripped time;
If thou sayest 'before', before is after Him;
If thou sayest 'he', 'h' and 'e' are His creation;
If thou sayest 'how', His essence is veiled from description;
If thou sayest 'where', His being preceded space;
If thou sayest 'ipseity' (ma huwa),
His ipseity (huwiwah) is apart from things.
Other than He cannot
be qualified by two (opposite) qualities at
one time; yet With Him they do not create opposition.
He is hidden in His manifestation,
manifest in His concealing.
He is outward and inward,
near and far; and in this respect He is
removed beyond the resemblance of creation.
He acts without contact,
instructs without meeting,
guides without pointing.
Desires do not conflict with Him,
thoughts do not mingle with Him:
His essence is without qualification (takyeef),
His action without effort (takleef).

~ + ~

Ignorant Love

You never have loved me.
Have loved yourself in fact.
for comfort and leisure,

Flashing golds, sparkling lights.
not the warmth of the protecting arm,
not the simplicity of lover's heart!

Had you loved me,
then why should have forced the things
to outdo the exhausted values.

Why had not changed yourself for the truth,
to become simply mine.
Perhaps one day will realize!

©Afterwind Poetry

Dealing with human sufferings

by Tariq Rasheed

Since the very beginning of his stay on the earth, the life of the human has always been fraught with many sufferings, torments, difficulties and pains. Which psychological, behavioral or other approaches were available to him in order to deal with it, and what consoled his existence to make his life peaceful and calm.

i. Escape from illusion;

ii. balance rules;

iii. meditation of totality;

iv. face, fight and theory of tempest

Escape

1.

Life is a suffering (or in Indian language, dukha) and the best solution is the complete escape from it. The suffering causes anguish. And what exactly is anguish? Anguish is birth, suffering, pain, sorrow, sickness, disease, old age, decay, death, grief, despair, poverty, evil, lamentations, woe, tribulations, misfortune, war, insanity, hunger, unfulfilled wants, unfulfilled basic needs, association with the unwanted, disassociation from the wanted, and is what is unstable and uncontrollable.

PATH OF ESCAPE is a solution to get rid of anguish. How to escape? Does this mean escape from your own existence? no.. it means the escape from the dream, from the illusion, from the impermanent, which cause the suffering. This is a typical conclusion reached by many masters and teachers. The philosophy, religion or thought, arising from India, gave the solution of escape, which was further propagated by Buddha in the form of Buddhi dharmaha. Buddha also taught the path of escape for those seeking the permanent end here and now of all anguish.

2.

That what has been created is impermanent; and that whatever is impermanent is inherently ILL. It is a dream. And chasing of dreams makes sufferings. No permanent bliss or happiness is to be found in what is impermanent, only pain and peril.

"Buddha said that all is illusory. Eating, dressing, every thing is illusory. Become more aware. see the illusoriness and dreaminess of the world, all is maya [illusion]. become more aware, and dont try to find how to get out of it, because how the one can get out of a dream. one simple becomes aware and one is out .. Have you seen any body getting out of dream? Dream is unreal! how you can get out of it! The miracle is how you enter in it. Because it is not there and you entered. And now you are creating more trouble for yourself asking how to get out of it. The same way you entered get out of it! How you entered into a dream by believing that that is real. That the way how one listen to it by believing that this is real. So simple, drop the dream and see that this is not real, and you are out of the dream. There is no step to get out of a dream, no step to get out, no methods. Buddha would have said, that look that whole life is dream and you are out of it."

- adopted from Guru Osho's work

3.

RIGHT MINDFULNESS

The Buddha says that the Dhamma, the ultimate truth of things, is directly visible, timeless, calling out to be approached and seen. He says further that it is always available to us, and that the place where it is to be realized is within oneself.[1]

Mindfulness (Pali: sati; Sanskrit: smṛti स्मृति) calm awareness of one's body functions, feelings, content of consciousness, or consciousness itself.[2] Right mindfulness is knowing which unintentionally follows actions, allowing events to happen naturally first, then aware of them. This leads to realising the nature of things as they truly are. Mental suffering occurs only when one is unmindful. Mindfulness plays a central role in the teaching of the Buddha where it is affirmed that "correct" or "right" mindfulness (Pali:sammā-sati; Sanskrit samyak-smṛti) is the critical factor in the path to liberation and subsequent enlightenment. This is the path for the purification of being, for the overcoming of sorrow & lamentation, for the disappearance of pain & distress, & for the realization of Unbinding.

It is to contemplate the world as illusion, impermanent, ill and a dream. To grow dispassion, total detachment, calm, tranquility, seeing that everything is not Self. Putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. To remain focused on feelings in & of themselves. And the mind in & of itself. And mental qualities in & of themselves.

Notes:

1. http://phramick.wordpress.com/the-final-con/samma-sati-right-mindfulness/
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness/

Half a bit of true love

Once while passing upon a garden, a pious friend of God saw a young man who was watering the plants. The youth requested him to bestow on him a bit from the love (Ishq/Eros) for Allah. He replied that it was too big to carry. Then the young man asked for half of a bit. He accepted his request and prayed for him. And Allah accepted his prayer. Then the God's friend left the place and carried on his walk.

Time passed, and once again he passed upon the same garden, but that young man was absent. He prayed from Allah to meet that man. The boy came, with eyes gazing at the sky. He remained silent, neither he replied the his Salam (farewell words), nor talked any word with him, but remained silent. A sound seemed coming from the heavens and declaring the actual reason for his silence.

The same reason, as the beautiful words sing:

How can he listen to others,
he who knows Me for a while!
whose heart is carrying My love
- even half a bit of it.

he will never feel any pain,
if you cut him into two,
.. absorbed in My love!

~

...

Previous relevant posts:
- A commentary on the Rumi's wine of love
- Both Right
- Same
- Lost but faithful
- Broken Heart.. a disease?
- Once in a blue moon (he became a loser for the love)

Meditation on Divine love

----------------------------------
"Out beyond the ideas of
wrongdoing andright doing, there is a
field. I will meet you
there"

-----------------------------------
Rumi~

"O my Lord, Sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit Yourself to Your pure devotee"

- Isha Upanishad

mediation on Divine Love:

I used to do the following meditation, and I remember, these became the most memorable and joyous moments of my life. In the last few hours of night, before breaking up of the early morning. It is the time when the blessings and mercies of Allah can be felt showering on the world at a close distance.. and very fresh feeling can be caught on by the normal senses (even though if the mind was tired and sleepless whole night). The place feels to be filled with freshness and cool light (or Nur) peaceful to heart, which can be seen with the open eyes of heart. The freshness of such night-time multiplies in the sacred month of Ramadan.

Such silent hours are replete with resplendent moments of timeless ecstasy and full of the pleasures of the Divine intimacy. These proactive moments can be made great by offering prayer (Salat Tahajjud) to Allah. As prayer is a devotional meditation, in which the man is in meeting with Allah and he can whisper share his secrets and intimacies with the Allah. Reading the holy scripture Quran, or Sufi writings is also enlightening. Sufi or slow instrumental - like whirling dervish's flute, or sitar music may also be used to elicit the spiritual feelings, contemplation on the true love of Allah, and meditation on the Divine manifestation.

Rise early at dawn, when our storytelling begins.
In the dead of the night, when all other doors are locked,
the door for the Lovers to enter opens.
Be wide awake in the dark when Lovers
begin fluttering around the Beloved's window,
like homing pigeons arriving with flaming bodies.

~Abu-Said Ibn Abil-Kheir

Afterwind's story: Happiness laughed in my ear

Sorrow looted this heart,

and Your Love threw it to the winds.

This is how the secret which saints and seers were denied

was whispered to me.

  - Abu Said Abil Kheir

 

~ + ~

Love came and emptied me of self,

every vein and every pore,

made into a container to be filled by the Beloved.

Of me, only a name is left,

the rest is You my Friend, my Beloved.

 - Abu Said Abil Kheir

Poem: It is a party of night, prepare the tavern

محفل ِ شب ہے سجادو میخانہ
پلا پلا کے مجھے بنا دو میخانہ

آج شب بھر شمع نہ بجھنے دو
لہو پلاؤ اسے، جلادو پروانہ

شراب تھوڑی سی بہادو روزن سے
تیری دہلیز پہ کب سے کھڑا ہے دیوانہ

تیری گلی سے گزر کے زاہد بدمست ہوا
کیسا پردہ تیرا، کیسا شرمانا

میرے نشے کی آخر کوئی انتہا تو ہو
توڑ دو ساغر سارے جلادو میخانہ

ساقی ساغر ہے تیرا میرا رشتہ
معطرنظریں میریں، پاک تیرا میخانہ

رمز ِ توحید آج آشکارہ ہوجائے
شہر ِ جنوں میں بہادو میخانہ

شاعر: (آفٹرونڈ) طارق رشید

Translation:

It is a party of night, prepare the tavern
give me, give me drink so much, make me tavern myself

don't let the candle blow out tonight
feed her the drink of blood, though at expense of caterpillar's life

pour some drink from the window
since how long at Your threshold, see, is standing a madman

even the pious forget his wits while crossing Your street
what a face-veiling is your this!!? what kind of blushing is this?

there should also be some ending of my narcosis
shatter all the chalices, burn the tavern off

oh, the Host, chalice is relation between You and me..
my eyes are fragrant with respect, Your tavern is sacred and clean

let the secret of Oneness (monotheism) be exposed today,
spill the wines of love in the city of passion!

(a poem of Afterwind)

Sincerity has value, repenting brings sainthood

photo by rebelot

یہ منظوم دعا میں نے ماضی میں لکھی تھی، شائع کررہا ہوں۔ امید ہے آپ کی روحانی ضرورتوں کو پورا کرے گی۔ (آفٹر ونڈ) طارق رشید

اخلاص کی قیمت ہے تیرے دربار میں مولا
توبہ سے ولایت ہے تیرے سنسار میں مولا

اِن بھیگی نگاہوں سے دو قطرے گراکر
لایا ہوں حضور تیرے دربار میں مولا

تو دیتا رہا اتنا کہ شُکر بھی کم تھا
ہر لحظہ تیرے حضور شرمسار میں مولا

سرکار (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) کی سنت میں رنگ تیرا ہے
آجائے تیرا رنگ میرے کردار میں مولا

دنیا سے اُٹھانا مجھے در ِ حالتِ سجدہ
اور مے بھی پلانا تیرے دیدار کی مولا

......

Translation: Sincerity has worth in Your court, O Lord

Sincerity has worth in Your court, O Lord
Repentance may convert sinners into saints, in Your this world, O Lord

Two droplets after shedding from these wet eyes,
I have have brought them to present in the court of Your Majesty!

You kept giving off to me so much , that even my frustrated thankfulness became answer-less!
Every moment, I feel shy in front of You, O Lard

The tradition or practice of Muhammad (upon him peace) reflects Your light,
Would that that light also reflect into my character! O Lard

When will the time of leaving come, lift my soul in my state of prostration during the practice of prayer,
And also quench my thirst with the wine of manifestation (theophany/divine disclosure) of Your beauty!

(a poem of Afterwind)

Prayer, patience and hope

Jesus of Nazareth, Matthew 7:7-8
Ask, and it shall be given you;
seek and you shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one that asks receives;
and he that seeks finds:
And to him that knocks,
it shall be opened.

photo by msultan7

I read somewhere a famous quote that 'when i look over my past, i see it abound with miracles'. and better it should be extended as: ' and my hope doubles up, when i sense the would-be miracles, which may happen to help in any moment'. These many miracles are brought by God.

Since this world is not same in intellect, cleverness and resources. Clever people win using their intellect. Hard workers win using their sincerity and devotion with their duty. But still the success can not be consummated until and unless there is a Will of Allah. Allah feed even losers and fools (who are sincere in their commitments), and may give them through miracles more like or than intellectuals and cleverly fellows. This universal system is always working behind the
veil of time and have been keeping up an equilibrium in the universe.. You may call it Justice.

Prayer is the brain of worship. It is a very intimate and frank link between the creatures and God. So, in any time of need, one ought to turn to God and plead for help. He gives to them, who ask from Him! According to Islamic studies, no prayer goes futile. If some prayer did not bear fruit in this material world, it may still be accepted that would be transformed into blessing after the worldly life.

Hope should be said the half of belief and solid base of prayer.. It reflect the sincerity of belief. Christian mysticism gives a strong message of hope. 'Losing hope' has been declared as blasphemy, and suicide as a great sin in Islamic studies.

Now let's see, what God says in the final testament Quran:

Quran, 071.013
"'What is the matter with you, that ye place not your hope for kindness and long-suffering in Allah,-

Quran, 041.049
Man does not weary of asking for good (things), but if ill touches him, he gives up all hope (and) is lost in despair.

Quran, 003.126
Allah made it but a message of hope for you, and an assurance to your hearts: (in any case) there is no help except from Allah. The Exalted, the Wise:

Quran, 004.099
For these, there is hope that Allah will forgive: For Allah doth blot out (sins) and forgive again and again.

Quran, 066.008
O ye who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance: In the hope that your Lord will remove from you your ills and admit you to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow,- the Day that Allah will not permit to be humiliated the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their Light will run forward before them and by their right hands, while they say, "Our Lord! Perfect our Light for us, and grant us Forgiveness: for Thou hast power over all things."

meeting!

reference:
http://media.photobucket.com/image/rumi/faerylore/rumi-5.jpg