Monday, December 11th, 2006

Time	Event
12:34a	THE SOLUTION TO SECRET SORROWS   BY HARUN YAHYA Allah does not wrong people in any way; rather it is people who wrong themselves. (Surah Yunus: 44) Introduction During the course of your life, you have met a great many people. As well as those you encounter every day in person—your family, friends and your colleagues at school and work—you see dozens of people from all over the world in the newspapers and magazines. And on your TV screen, you watch the behavior of hundreds more. Think for a moment about these individuals you recall in your memory. Try to call to mind facial expressions and conversations you have grown accustomed to since your childhood... the comments some have made about their lives, their concerns and worries and the ways they express them... the remarks that colleagues repeat daily, and what others say amongst themselves about their families and financial problems. Try to recall in your mind's eye the people you've seen in the street, waiting at a bus stop, trying to battle their way home through dense traffic, or being splashed with rainwater by passing cars. Remember the images of actors in TV programs, those who act the part of happy people, seemingly enjoying themselves in front of the cameras and who claim to the press that they're friends but behind one another's backs, say unbelievably bad things. Think about their spiritual state and the state of those unable to protect themselves from jealousy, hatred, rivalry or other such emotions—and who, while trying to entertain others because it is their job to do so, betray their own unhappiness in everything they do off-stage and off-camera. Examine the lives of people who have attained the highest possible worldly rank, who have enough money to buy whatever they want whenever they choose, who live in the finest houses and own the latest model cars, who wear the most expensive clothes and who—because of their achievements— are most respected and listened to in their community. When you carefully consider all these people, you will come across a very important truth. Whatever their circumstances may be, there is one significant feature they have in common: The great majority of people lead unhappy lives. The goods and property they own, the jobs they perform, and their loved ones are not enough to make these people happy in any real sense. These people's lives are ruled not by happiness, tranquility, pleasure and joy, but by negative emotions like melancholy, pessimism and hopelessness. A great part of most people's time is spent in this mood. When compared to true happiness, those moments when they are capable of being happy are fleeting and extremely shallow. Sometimes, too, they may be driven to deceive both themselves and those around them. Yet deep inside, they are experiencing a secret sorrow that prevents them from taking pleasure in all the good they see around them. So why are these people unhappy? Why do they suffer such deep inward sorrow and lead lives that lack tranquility? The reason why they suffer from sorrow and feel unhappy even in the best of circumstances is because they live at a distance from Allah. Allah grants people happiness only through faith, and only in this way it is possible to take full pleasure in the beautiful things of life. So long as no sincere faith in accordance with the Qur'an exists, it is impossible to achieve true happiness by any means whatsoever. This book will highlight this important truth and call on people to live out true and sincere faith. It will explain that people really create with their own efforts the systems that prevent them from being happy and enjoying life's blessings, and which plunge them into sorrow. It will make it clear that the only way to be protected against secret unhappiness is to believe in Allah with a sincere heart. It will remind the readers that so long as people do not achieve this sincerity towards Allah, they cannot experience real happiness by any means whatsoever—and that the secret sorrows of this world may well turn to eternal torment in the Hereafter. In a verse of the Qur'an, Allah tells us that those who find happiness and salvation are the faithful: It is the believers who are successful. (Surat al-Muminun: 1) Why Do People Sorrow While They Could Be Happy? Despite all their efforts, many cannot experience happiness in the true sense. To achieve this purpose, they try everything they can possibly imagine in the life of this world. They constantly pursue new ideals, believing that when they achieve these, they will find happiness as well. Some search for one good friend, some for wealth, some to attain their spiritual desires. Even if their wishes and expectations do become reality, still the results are never as they hoped. They cannot taste lasting happiness in the true sense. Mainly, they try not to reveal on their faces this dissatisfaction which they feel inside. But no matter how much they mimic happiness, they are living with a secret sorrow within. In fact, they have every opportunity to be happy. In one verse of the Qur'an, Allah tells us about the blessings He grants people: If you tried to number Allah's blessings, you could never count them. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat an-Nahl: 18) As Allah tells us in this verse, a person encounters remarkable blessings throughout his life. Allah has equipped the world with all manner of wonders for everyone to enjoy. However, for people to be happy in the true sense, neither these blessings they enjoy nor the ideals they pursue are adequate by themselves. The people's discontent arises from the incorrect belief systems on which they've based their lives. Unhappy People Have False Beliefs There is a way of life that the great majority of people share. This way of life we call the "satanic system," prevails where there is no religious morality. This system is founded on an insincerity that is so deeply rooted in people's lives that even those who appear to be the most sincere, whose behavior which is assumed to be perfectly straightforward, may have fundamentally insincere motives. Even though people fail to attribute any names to this system, they are naggingly aware of the error of the system under which they live. At every opportunity, they complain of the hypocrisy of others, because they have not experienced true friendship or true love and have no one they can trust in the full sense. Still, they themselves do not hesitate to display the same flawed morality towards all those around them. In this system, everyone is damaged by his own actions. Even if such people try in every possible way, still they cannot find genuine internal joy, tranquility and happiness—yet they accept this as "a fact of life." In other words, according to them, Earthly life is not a place where true happiness and peace can be found on any lasting basis. The truth is that unhappiness is not in any way a fact of life. On the contrary, it is extremely easy for people to find the solution for the internal troubles into which they fall. A verse in the Qur'an says, "... Only in the remembrance of Allah can the heart find peace" (Surat ar-Ra'd: 28). Here, Allah tells people that they can achieve true happiness only by finding faith. Only if they understand the mercy and protectiveness that Allah holds for them and live out their worldly lives in religious morality can people enjoy every moment. Only then can they praise the beauty of what they see around them as it should be appreciated and begin to experience happiness. In the verse, "Anyone who acts rightly, male or female, being a believer, We will give them a good life and We will recompense them according to the best of what they did" (Surat an-Nahl: 97), Allah promises that He will allow the faithful who believe in Him to live the finest lives in this world and the Hereafter. Those who follow Allah experience the blessings He promises, both in this world and the next. On this point, however, there is an important truth that people ignore. In order for people to experience the fine things of this life and enjoy the blessings of the world and the large number of beautiful things which Allah has created for them, then, faith in its true meaning must be lodged in their hearts. Otherwise, by paying the proverbial lip service to faith and by resembling the truly faithful only in certain limited ways, people cannot protect themselves from the unhappiness within. To know true happiness, people must bind their hearts to Allah in complete submission and live every moment in conformity to the Qur'an. Failing to do this, they will continue to suffer internal sorrow during every stage of their lives. No matter how much they want to be happy they cannot be. On the contrary, their lives will be ruled by such negative emotions as despair, pessimism and hopelessness. As you can see, the road to happiness is an extremely simple one. With the Qur'an, the Divine Book that Allah has bestowed upon mankind as a mercy, He has shown people the secret of happiness. People can live a beautiful life only if they behave in accordance with their creation and the nature Allah has determined for them. People who turn aside from this path which Allah has shown them as a blessing, or who fail to follow the path as it should be followed, are creating a world of unhappiness for themselves by their own efforts. As Allah tells us in the verse, "Allah does not wrong people in any way; rather it is people who wrong themselves" (Surah Yunus: 44), these people are only tormenting themselves. The unhappiness experienced by these people leads to the reality described by Allah in the verse, "Leave them then until they meet their Day when they will be struck down by the Blast: the Day their ploys will not profit them at all and they will not be helped. And those who do wrong will have a punishment besides that, but most of them do not know it" (Surat at-Tur: 45-47). In the Hereafter, Allah gives people recompense for what they do on Earth, but He also warns people that a torment of which most are not even aware will begin in the life of this world. Allah refers to the difficulties that people who turn away from the faith will experience in worldly life, and what they will receive in the Hereafter in this verse: "... if anyone turns away from My reminder, his life will be a dark and narrow one, and on the Day of Resurrection We will gather him blind" (Surah Ta Ha: 124). Allah has shown people the way to protect themselves from this trouble and, as we have noted before, it is possible to do so through genuine sincerity and a deep faith in Allah. (Comment on this)
1:09a	Al Adab al Mufrad Manners in Islam based on preachings of Prophet Muhammad(saws)- Part XVI. Praising Manners in Islam Al Adab al Mufrad By Imam Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Ismail Al-Bukhari THIS RARE GEM OF A BOOK ON MORALS IS BASED ON THE PREACHINGS OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD(SAWS) NOW FOR READING OF MEMBERS ONLY XVI. Praising People 153. What has come about praising people 333. Abu Bakr reported that a man was mentioned in the presence of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and someone praised him. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Woe to you! You have cut off the head of your companion!" and he repeated that several times. He went on, "If one of you must praise someone, he should say, 'I consider that so-and-so is such-and-such.' Allah is the One who will take account of him if he thinks that he is indeed like that, No one can appropriate Allah's right to attest to someone's character." 334. Abu Musa reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, heard a man praise another man and he was using exaggeration in his praise of him. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "You have destroyed ­ or broken ­ the man's back." 335. Ibrahim at-Taymi reported that his father said, "We were sitting with 'Umar and one man praised another man to his face." He said, "You have wounded the man. May Allah wound you." 336. Zayd ibn Aslam reported that his father heard 'Umar state, "Praise is slaughter." The transmitter added, "He meant when it is accepted." 154. Someone who praises his companion when he feels safe about him* [* He is certain that his praise will nor produce pride or vanity.] 337. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The best of men is Abu Bakr. The best of men is 'Umar. The best of men is Abu 'Ubayda. The best of men is Usayd ibn Hudayr. The best of men is Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shammas. The best of men is Mu'adh ibn 'Amr ibn al-Jamuh. The best of men is Mu'adh ibn Jabal." Then he said, "The worst of men is so-and-so. The worst of men is so-and-so," until he had named seven men. 338. 'A'isha said, "A man asked permission to come to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the Messenger of Allah said, 'He is an evil son of his tribe.' When the man came in, the Prophet was courteous and cheerful towards him. When that man left, another man asked permission to come in. He said, 'He is an excellent son of his tribe.' When he came in, he was not cheerful towards him as he had been cheerful towards the other man. When he left, I said, 'Messenger of Allah, you said what you said about so-and-so and yet you were courteous to him. You said what you said about so-and-so and I did not see you do the same.' He said, ''A'isha, the worst of people are those who are feared on account of their bad language.'" 155. Throwing dust in the faces of those who praise people 339. Abu Ma'mar said, "A man began to praise one of the amirs. Al-Miqdad began to throw dirt in his face and said, 'The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, commanded us to throw dust into the faces of those who praise people.'" 340. 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah reported that a man was praising another man in the presence of Ibn 'Umar. Ibn 'Umar began to throw dust towards his mouth. He said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'When you see those who praise people, throw dust in their faces.'" 341. Raja' said. "One day Mihjan and I went to the mosque of the people of Basra. Burayda al-Aslami was sitting there by one of the mosque doors. Inside the mosque there was a man called Sabka who used to make the prayers long. We came to the mosque door which had a fringed woollen cloth over it. Now Burayda was someone who made jokes. He said, 'Mihjan, don't you pray as Sabka prays?' Mihjan did not answer and went back. Mihjan said, 'The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, once took me by the hand and we went together to the top of Uhud. He looked down on Madina and said, "Woe to a town whose people will abandon it when it becomes very prosperous. Then the Dajjal will come to it and find two angels at each of its gates, so he will not enter it." Then he went down until we reached the mosque and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saw a man praying, prostrating and bowing. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked me, "Who is this?" and I began to praise him, saying, "Messenger of Allah, this is so-and-so and so-and-so." "Stop!" he said, "Do not let him hear or you will destroy him."'" Raja' continued, "He began to walk until he reached his rooms and then he began to shake the dust off his hands and said, 'The best part of your deen is the easiest of it.' and he repeated that three times." 156. The person who praises in poetry 342. Al-Aswad ibn Suray' said, "I came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, 'Messenger of Allah, I have praised Allah and you in poems of praise and eulogies.' He said, 'As far as your Lord is concerned, He must be praised,' and so I began to recite them. Then a tall bald man asked for permission to enter. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, told me, 'Be silent.' The man came in and spoke for a time and then left. Then I recited again. Then the other man came back and he made be silent again. Then the man left again. That happened two or three times. I asked, 'Who is this man for whom I must be silent?' He replied, 'This is a man who does not like vain things.'" [It is said that it was 'Umar ibn al-Khattab] 157. Giving to a poet when you fear his evil 343. Abu Nujayd said, "A poet came to 'Imran ibn Husayn and 'Imran gave him something. 'Imran was asked, 'You give to a poet?' He said, 'I am preserving my reputation (from his satire).'" (Comment on this)
2:14a	The Secrets of Existence The Secrets of Existence    ‘Arsh (Throne) & Kursi (Pedestal, Base, Chair) Apercu   Discussion   Join   Allah has said: And Hu (IT) is the Lord of the Grand ‘Arsh (Throne). And again has said: Expands Hus (ITs) Kursi (Pedestal, Base, Chair) the heavens and earth. ‘Arsh (Throne) & Kursi (Pedestal, Base, Chair) Made from Allah’s Light “Indeed Allah—The Sublime—created the ‘Arsh & Kursi from Hus (ITs) own Light, that the ‘Arsh (Throne) is connected to/attached to Kursi (Pedestal), and the water/liquid is inside/middle of the Kursi (Pedestal) and around the ‘Arsh (Throne) there are four rivers: 1.    River of Shimmering Light 2.    River of Blazing Fire 3.    River of White Ice—glittering to the eyes 4.    River of water Angels standing over these rivers perpetually praising Allah Almighty. For the ‘Arsh (Throne) there are numerous languages as many as there are creations thus praising Allah Almighty and conducting Dhikr (Remembrance) by means of these languages.” (Derived by Abi-Hātem and Abul-Sheikh from the book of Azima by Ahb Ibn Munabbih) “’Arsh (Throne) is made up of red ruby” (Derived by Abi-Hātem and Abul-Sheikh from sa’d Tā’î ) “The space the heavens & earth fill/occupy from the ‘Arsh (Throne) is like that of the space of a ring taking away from the earth.” (Derived by Sa’ îd Bin Mansur and Abul-Sheikh from Muj îhid) The Four entities that are created by the 'Hand' of Allah “Allah has created four things by Hus own 'Hand': Adam, ‘Arsh (Throne), Pen, Gardens of Eden and for the rest of the creation Hu said Be! and they were.” (Here a distinction is made between what was created by Hus Divine Hand vs. what was created vis-à-vis Divine Kalima (Words). Derived by Abul-Sheikh from Ibn Omar) “No one can measure the dimensions of the ‘Arsh (Throne) except that Hu created it, and the comparison/analogy of the heavens to the creation of the ‘Arsh (Throne) is that of a dome-structure to an entire desert.” (Derived by Abul-Sheikh from Ibn ‘Abbās) “’The ‘Arsh (Throne) is made up of the red ruby, and if an angel from the ensemble of angels attempt to browse the it (the Throne) to size/appreciate it, Allah would inspire the angel: Had I endowed you with the power of seventy thousand angels and each of those angels had seventy thousand wings and flew—this flying angel with what of power & wings Allah willed for it—and would not find it easy to look (around the Throne).” (Hadith (Prophetic Narration) derived by Abul-Sheikh from Al-Sha’bi) “’By the Canopy Raised High’ (Koran [52:5]): that is the ‘Arsh (Throne). ‘And by the Ocean filled with Swell’ (Koran [52:6]): that is the top-most water/liquid under the ‘Arsh (Throne).” (Derived from Al-Rabi’ Bin Anas, and similarly from Imam Ali) “Allah created the ‘Arsh (Throne) from the green emerald, and from red ruby created for it four foundations, and Allah created for it one thousand languages, and created upon the earth one thousand nations, and each of these praise Allah with a language from the languages of the ‘Arsh (Throne).” (Derived by Abul-Sheikh from Hammād) “The Kursi (Pedestal) is made from pearl, the pen from the pearl, and the length of the pen is seven hundred years, and the length of the Kursi (Pedestal) is not know by anyone except those endued with knowledge.” (Hadith (Prophetic Narration) derived from Mohammad Bin Ali) “His Throne was over the waters (Koran [11:7]): For when Allah created the heavens & earth divided the water/liquid of the ‘Arsh (Throne), half under the ‘Arsh (Throne) that no drop of it trickles unless blown into spray-muzzle like the descending dew bedewing into 'formed-bodies' (Translations?), and the other half in the lower earth.” (Derived by Abul-Sheikh from Al-Rabi’ Ibn Anas) “The Kursi (Pedestal) that is under the ‘Arsh (Throne) is like the one kinds place their feet on them.” (Derived by Ibn Jarir from Dhah-hāk) The position of the two-feet is a figurative or a metaphorical use of the words as the similitude of the earthly kings. “Kursi (Pedestal) is that of ‘Arsh (Throne)” (Derived by Ibn Jarir from Dhah-hāk) End. Apercu   Hu (IT) has created a Divine Throne from Divine Light, and this Throne befits the King of all kings and this Throne speaks multitude of languages each praising Hu, the languages of all creation the languages of all Mankind. We speak not the language of humanity, we are speaking the court-language of the Divine Throne, therefore speak the truth and speak with caution. Assume silence, within and without, that you may hear the Divine Languages spoken. What was described above as ruby, emerald, pearl and so on may be understood in modern terms as exotic extremely rare material. Much importance and emphasis has been given to liquid water as we see on the planet earth. The feeling one gets from these texts is that the liquid water, the ice water and perhaps even in vapor form, are building material for life, from outer-space carefully fashioned and measured and transported to earth. So the water on earth did not come from earth itself it was deliver somehow from outer-space as all the new scientific evidence suggest. Moreover the distances around the Divine Throne are measured not by meters rather by time i.e. time of travel around something or between two ends. Perhaps this travel and measurement is the light-year measure of distances due to the Divine Throne being built from the Light—Allah knows best. Note: Allah does not sit on the Throne nor placing feet on a stool since Hu is purified from time-space, the creation of the Throne is the epitome of Hus subjugating power and mightiness a symbol to manifest to the cosmos and all creation the Regality of their powerful Divine King. © 2004-2002,  Dara O. Shayda, Editor: Dr. Mohammad Tolba  (Comment on this)
2:19a	The Secrets of Existence - The Qalam (Pen) & The Lawh (Preserved Tablet) of Allah(God) The Secrets of Existence   The Qalam (Pen) & The Lawh (Preserved Tablet)  Allah—The Sublime—said: (Inscribed) in a Tablet Preserved! (Koran [85:22]). And again the Royal Highness said: By the Pen and the (Record) which (they) write. (Koran [68:1])   “Allah created the Preserved Tablet (measured) like as a journey of hundred years and said to Pen—before the creation of anything and while Hu (IT) was upon the ‘Arsh (Throne): Write! But the Pen replied: What should I write? And Hu commanded: Write My Knowledge about My Creation and to move (long the Tablet writing) what shall befall through the universe until the Day of Judgment”. (Derived Abul-Sheikh from Ibn Abbas) Description of The Qalam (Pen) “With Allah there is a (writing) Tablet, one of its faces is made from ruby, the second face made from green emerald, its Pen made from Light. Within it all things are created, within it sustenance is provided (by Hu), within it life is given, within it death is given, within it power is given, within it Hu does what of happenings each day and each night.” (Hadith (Prophetic Narration) derived by Abul-Sheikh from Malik Ibn Dinār) In similar narrations stated that Allah looks upon this Tablet, each day, 360 glances to inscribe all that is to happen to the creation. The Pen is from light and its writings are from light too. End. Apercu     Hu (IT) after the creation of the ‘Arsh (Throne) and the water/liquid, created the mighty pen. This pen is a fantastically large object fashioned from light. Thus the forth creation became the Preserved Tablet, and some scholars say it is above the ‘Arsh (Throne) and some others say it is below the ‘Arsh (Throne) and again it is a terrifically large construction its length measured by traveling around during five hundred years (Light years?). As the evidence within the Koran supports: Verily We shall give life to the dead, and We record that which they send before and that which they leave behind, and of all things have We taken account in a clear Book (Koran [36:12]). If you look at the Tunneling Microscope in the photo, you can see for placing or sensing a single Atom, such a large machinery is needed! Imagine a machine constructed to place and record the positions, and other characteristics, of every particle, every wave, every force, ever molecule, every planet, every living being and every human being and so on. That recording machine must be built from exotic material and in sizes beyond our ability to measure and that have been coded into phrases like ‘500 years of travel’ or words like emerald and ruby. © 2004-2002,  Dara O. Shayda, Editor: Dr. Mohammad Tolba  (Comment on this)
2:26a	The Secrets of Existence - Divine Hijāb (Veil) of Allah(God) The Secrets of Existence  Divine Hijāb (Veil) What is between the ‘Arsh (Throne) and the Seven Heavens? “Between the ‘Arsh (Throne) and the angels there are seventy veils, veil of fire, (then) veil of darkness, veil of light, veil of darkness, veil of light, veil of darkness (and so on).” (Derived by Abul-Sheikh from both Ibn Omar and Mujahid.) “Between the ‘Arsh (Throne) and the angels there are seventy thousand veils.” (Derived from Mujahid.) O! Gabriel have you seen your Lord? “Prophet—peace be upon him—asked the Arch Angel Gabriel: Have you seen your Lord? And the angel replied: Between Hu (IT) and I there are seventy veils, if I get close to them they will burn me.” (Derived by Abul-Sheikh from Zarārah Ibn Awfā) Types of Veils “Between Hu and this world (Translation?), Hu has created four (types of) veils, between each veil the same distance as between the heavens and the earth, veil of darkness, veil of light, veil of waster and veil made from white fire.” (Derived from Al-Gharzi) End. (Comment on this)
2:39a	The Fiery Dawn The Fiery Dawn   Sheikh Semnani narrates the following story. One day Imam Ali ‘Ibn Abi Tālib was riding a camel and Kamil Ziad—Imam’s Sirr (Secrets’) Confidant—was sitting behind him. This was Imam Ali’s usual behavior [1] when Sirr (the secrets) & knowledge would tumult within him and in order to release some burden he would let Kamil sit next to him whereat the Imam would commence divulging the uncovered Sirrs (Secrets), as in one particular session: Kamil: What is Haqiqa (Absolute Truth)? Imam Ali: What business you have with Haqiqa? [2] Kamil: Aren’t I the confidant for your Sirr (Secret)? Imam Ali: Yes, however (only) what overflows within me spills over unto you! Kamil: Are you the like of someone that fails the questioner? Imam Ali: Haqiqa (Absolute Truth) is the Kashf (Uncovering) of the Sobohāt (Fiery Manifest) of the Divine Jalāl (Momentous Glory) without any Ishārat (Pointing, Hinting At). [3] Kamil: Tell me more about this (I do not understand). Imam Ali: Fading off the mental processes due to the awakening of the Divine Knowledge. Kamil: Tell me more about this. Imam Ali: Tearing apart the barriers (boundaries) for the Sifat (Attribute) of Tawhid (Divine Oneness). (Translation?) Kamil: Tell me more about this. [4] Imam Ali: The curtain veiling the triumphant Sirr (Secret) (or the curtain veiling the chatter of the secrets).  [5] Kamil: Tell me more about this. Imam Ali: The dawn’s light from the morning of the Azal (Sempiternity) gleaming upon the altar(s) of Tawhid (Divine Oneness). [6] Kamil: Tell me more about this. Imam Ali: The lamp dies down when the morning dawns (or the lamp’s light drowns in the morning’s dawn). [7] Pointing to his chest Imam Ali continued, “Plethora of knowledge being placed/hidden here by Allah Almighty but I do not see any Dard (Seeker’s Pain) [8] within people’s hearts for intelligence & intellect. They would craft a trap from this knowledge within my chest to entrap fame & worldly gain and on the other hand the ones with the Dard (Seeker’s Pain) for the Din (Divine Way, Religion) who have forsaken fame have no intelligence & intellect to understand this knowledge. However I much hope that Allah Almighty leave not this earth empty of people whose hearts illuminated with such knowledge: They are indeed few in numbers but large in their rewards.” And afterwards Imam Ali concluded, “I yearn to meet them in person…”. End. Apercu  This is the description of a person at the very end of the Divine Path where his heart & soul are not enough to contain the knowledge and affection that is pouring in, so he seeks another ‘container’ or ‘goblet’ to spill over into. As we see in the behavior of the Imam Ali, the human touch was very important i.e. another human being became the extension of Imam Ali to express & contain the uncovering of the secrets. This goes in the reverse of our modern misanthropic view of the spirituality where the seeker of the secrets of the Divine is a lonely person avoiding all human contacts to be pure to uncover secrets—a hermit in a cave. Also note the concept of “spill over”: What was uncovered within Imam Ali was beyond the verbiage of the words, little that had spilled over was indeed within the scope of human language to transmit from one person to another. [2] We observe a subtle point: Sirr (Secret) is not just given to someone because they asked for it, there has to be a justification or need. Though this justification could be symbolic, the receiver must be given permission to view the spilled over secrets not just ask or probe. In other words these uncovered Sirr (Secret) were exclusive to the person of Imam Ali for that moment in space and time, they were not meant for someone else unless there was a reason. [3] Imagine a caveman brought to present time at Cape Canaveral eye-witnessing the lift-off of the Space Shuttle in close proximity of the launch pad. This is roughly the feel for the words of Imam Ali describing the word Haqiqa: Something that is unveiled in front of you in some fantastic visual form that you can see with certainty and within you no doubts or even thoughts remains. Imam Ali’s use of the word Ishārat (Pointing, Hinting At) indicates that even ‘hint’ not present when Haqiqa is exposed within the human being. Sobohāt:      (Source: Lisānol ‘Arab or The Language of The Arab) Normally it is used in the form, “Sobohāt of Allah’s Face (Countenance)” which means ITs luminosity, glory & mightiness. Arch Angel Gabriel—peace be upon—has said, “For Allah besides (before) the Throne there are seventy veils, if we come close to any one of them Sobohāt of Allah’s Face (Countenance) would burn us”. ‘Ibn Shomayl has said, “Sobohāt of ITs Face (Countenance) means the light of ITs Face (Countenance)”. In another Hadith (Prophetic Narration), “ITs veil is light and fire, if you uncover it the Sobohāt of ITs Face (Countenance) shall burn anything that sets eyes upon IT”. Sobohāt is the plural for Sobhah (In many Sufi books it is written as Sabahāt which is incorrect). Some said Sobohāt of ITs Face (Countenance) is ITs Beauty and if you saw the beauty of ITs Face (Countenance) you would have said, “Sobhānallah! (Praising Allah with amazement)”. If any of Allah’s lights are uncovered—the ones that were veiling the slaves against IT—shall kill anyone that meets this light, as (happened to) Prophet Moses who fell down to the ground swooned and the mountain was shattered, once Allah made Tajalli (Lucent Manifestation). [4] The Knowledge of Tawhid (Divine Oneness) and what we rationalize about it is indeed a barrier that occludes our vision of IT. Best I could translate what Imam Ali meant: Even tearing apart that veil of Tawhid (Divine Oneness).   [5] I am not sure what it means but I suspect the veil refers to previous statement at [4] i.e. tearing apart the veil of Tawhid that veil behind which the secrets chatter or that veil behind which secrets triumphantly hide. Allah knows best. [6] Haykal was used in plural form of Hayākel that means altar or frame. I believe the concept of the plural form is to show that Tawhid (Divine Oneness) has many facets for human cognition. [7] The lamp—Allah knows best—means the human cognizance of Tawhid (Divine Oneness) that is drowned in the light of the Azal (Sempiternity’s) dawn, perhaps best being explained by Kashani's Lantern of Guidance:  “Tawhid (Oneness) due to Propensity” is when Oneness becomes a must for propensity/nature/inclination of the Mowah-hid (person in the state of Tawhid) and much of the darkness of customs/habits of his existence—except a little—succumbs to the terrific luminosity of Tawhid (Divine Oneness), shattered and dissolved. And the light of (human) knowledge of Oneness fades within the light of his propensity/nature like the light of stars vanishes within the light of the sun. ... The origin of this Tawhid (Oneness due to Propensity) is the light of perception and origin of the “Oneness due to Knowledge” is the light of intimacy and closeness (to Beloved). By means of this Tawhid (Oneness due to Propensity) much of one’s humanity is pushed away like the sunlight wipes out most of the darkness upon the earth. But the light of the “Tawhid (Oneness) due to Knowledge” is likened to the light of the moon illuminating the earth where some of the darkness is wiped off but mostly remains unlit. What remains of the Mowah-hid during the “Tawhid (Oneness) due to Propensity” is the bare necessities of actions and attributes required for his minimalist physical existence. [8] Dard is Farsi for pain. In Sufi terminology this is the pain caused within the Morid (Seeker) who is excessively toiling to seek that Beloved. However this part of the text is in Farsi and if the word is Dord (Sediment) that is spelled the same way then the text reads similarly with the connotation of things deep within their hearts like the bottomed sediment: “Plethora of knowledge being placed/hidden here by Allah Almighty but I do not see any Dord (Sediment) within their hearts for intelligence & intellect. They would craft a trap from this knowledge within my chest to entrap fame & worldly gain and on the other hand the ones with the Dard (Sediment) for Din (Divine Way, Religion)—within their heart—who have forsaken fame…” My vote is for Dard (Sufi Pain).      © 2004-2002,  Dara O. Shayda (Comment on this)
2:48a	The Day of Judgment -PART 1 THE DAY OF JUDGMENT IS APPROACHING BY HARUN YAHYA INTRODUCTION And the Moon is eclipsed, and the Sun and the Moon are fused together, on that Day man will ask: "Where can I run?" No indeed! There will be no safe place. That Day, the only resting place will be your Lord. (Surat al-Qiyama, 8-12) Consider the people and events that shape your life. You are working hard to get somewhere, trying to find your place in the struggle for a good life. You are very attentive to some matters and reflect deeply upon them. At the same time, you carefully avoid thinking about other matters and, as it happens, many people close to you do the same. Everyone knows what subjects to avoid in conversation and thought. Death is one of these, perhaps the most important one. For them, death is an end to which there is no solution. The Day of Judgment, which will bring "death" to the universe just like the death of people, is a matter that people do not like to think about; rather, they consider it as a remote and distant matter. They have a vague idea of what will happen on that Day, but since the thought of it scares them, people are inclined to forget about it. Rather than facing up to it, they just get on with their lives instead. People are most affected by the final day aspect of this Day for all beings, whether living or non-living. The Day of Judgment is the final day of life on Earth and for the universe. But at the same time, it is the beginning of the eternal life in the Hereafter. On that Day, people will be resurrected, created anew. Believers in Allah and the Hereafter will be hosted in Paradise, whereas unbelievers will be driven to Hell. Therefore, for those who expect such a Day, fully aware of what this event means, it is meaningless to run away from death, the Day of Judgment, and the Hereafter. To the contrary, the reality of death and the events of that Day will lead people to do good in the cause of Allah, direct them to believe in the Hereafter, and bring them closer to Allah. Only the believers will be spared the great fear on that Day, on which previously unseen events will take place, for Allah reveals that they will have no cause for fear or sadness, for: Not so! All who submit themselves completely to Allah and are good-doers will find their reward with their Lord. They will feel no fear and know no sorrow. (Surat al-Baqara, 112) Those who believed in this Day and in the Qur'an, as well as that the real life is in the Hereafter, while alive and lived accordingly will be safe. They did not disregard the existence of death and were not too vain to worship Allah. Such people will be received in the most pleasant way in the Hereafter, and Allah's guiding light will be with them on the Day of Judgment. The faithful are given the good news in the Qur'an, as follows: … on the Day when Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believed along with him. Their light will stream out ahead of them and on their right. They will say: "Our Lord, perfect our light for us and forgive us! You have power over all things." (Surat at-Tahrim, 8) This book reveals the Day and its events, and warns of its difficulties. What matters most is that the Day of Judgment is a reality for all people and, as such, should not be ignored. This book will help you to think about its existence and reality in the light of the Qur'an's verses. The purpose here is to warn you of a Day on which you will meet whatever happens, and to guide you to safety and the eternal life in Paradise. The reality of this Day's mind-blowing events is an important factor in driving people to reflect upon it. For this reason, throughout this book we will describe the details of the time leading up to the Day of Judgment and investigate its reality. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT IS APPROACHING And the Hour is coming without any doubt, and Allah will raise up all those in the graves. (Surat al-Hajj, 7) Death is coming closer by the day. Whether you are young or old, death is a little closer to you every day, even every minute. You cannot resist time or prevent death's approach. Nothing you do can change the fact that you and those close to you are only "temporary" beings. Like every other living being, you are advancing toward the Day on which your life will end. Humanity is not the only part of creation that is subject to death. All other creatures, Earth itself and the whole universe, have a day of death fixed for them. The Day of Judgment is a day of terror and unimaginable fear. But at the same time, it is most wondrous. Everything on Earth will be flattened, the stars will be extinguished and fall in rapid succession, and the Sun will be wrapped up in darkness. All human beings who have ever lived will be gathered and made to witness this Day. This Final Day will be dreadful for the unbelievers, and its Lord will be Allah, Who owns all that exists. The Day of Judgment, contrary to many people's belief, is approaching; it is not in the distant future. When it arrives, Earth and everything belonging to it will be destroyed. Ambitions, desires, anger, expectations, lusts, enmities, and pleasures will cease. Plans made for the future will become meaningless, for those who had forgotten that they will be returned to Allah, preferring this world over the eternal life and its misleading wealth, beauty, and pleasures, will have met their end. On this Day, everyone will witness clearly Allah's existence and will come face to face with the death that they had tried so hard to forget. Their attempt to forget Allah and the Hereafter is finished, and a new beginning, one which will be eternal and bring no happiness to the unbelievers, is awaiting them. From the very first moment of this eternal life, the punishment is so fearsome that those who experience it will beg for "death" and "annihilation." The beginning of this life is the Day of Judgment and, "the Hour is coming without any doubt."   LIFE ON EARTH IS TEMPORARY, AND DEATH IS A CERTAIN REALITY From your earliest childhood onwards, you head for certain goals or are guided by others. You probably will have a family and a job, try to earn more in order to have a better life, educate your children, and hope that they will have a better life than you did. Once a week you meet the other members of your extended family. You take vacations, go to work, and spend the rest of your time at home. Except for a few hiccups on the way, your life progresses orderly and you usually encounter nothing outside the ordinary. Everything in your life seems to be premeditated, and everyone's life is like everyone else's. You need to work to realize these goals, and you need to have a family to continue your lineage. According to this worldview, what else could you possibly want besides "a good job" and "a nice family?" Having achieved these goals, you expect to lead a happy life. In this way, everything is wonderful and you will live happily ever after. However, some important changes are happening in your body and environment. Many cells with diverse functions fulfill their purpose and die. As you age, it becomes harder to replace them. Your body is ageing visibly, as seen through your illnesses and weaknesses. Time moves fast, and the impossibility of reversing it becomes clearer every day. Thinking that you were going to live happily and comfortably forever, you are nevertheless nearing death. Thus, this worldly life can never give the sense of contentment and peace you expect. When this "satisfying" life ends, you will come face to face with the real truth. Given this fact, none of your life ambitions should become your true purpose in life. This life is a temporary trial to separate the righteous from the evildoers. Allah reveals this reality in the following verse: He Who created death and life to test which of you is best in action. He is the Almighty, the Ever-Forgiving. (Surat al-Mulk, 2) The true purpose of life is not a decent job and a nice family. Rather, everybody has been created for one purpose: to serve Allah. We become attached to our children, rank, and status but with the first instance of death, these worldly pleasures lose their value and importance. Everybody knows this, but many choose to ignore it. And so such things should not be the ultimate goals of life. We must reflect carefully and realize what is the real purpose and the true gain. Allah reveals the true purpose of our creation, as follows: I only created jinn and man to worship Me. (Surat adh-Dhariyat, 56) Only by fulfilling this responsibility can we expect the gifts of the Hereafter. Most people have some unfounded expectations and comfort themselves with them. But this is a great error. If one has nothing to expect from the Hereafter, there is only one possibility left: To become nothing with death, a possibility that is scarier than all the others. The unbelievers develop various methods of forgetting this possibility, because they fear it so much. Among these methods are not talking about, discussing, or remembering death, even though it is a certainty for everyone. Everybody acts as if it does not exist. That most people behave in such a way might be reassuring to some extent, but in reality they are all misguided. People know about death, the Last Day, and the Hereafter, but refuse to ponder them. They are satisfied with this worldly life, or at least make themselves believe that they are. However, Allah reveals that death will find everyone: Say: "Death, from which you are fleeing, will certainly catch up with you. Then you will be returned to the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible, and He will inform you about what you did." (Surat al-Jumu‘a, 8) The universe and all of its contents, not just humanity, will die on the Day of Judgment, for on that Day the trial will end. Many people will recognize its coming by its signs, and the events leading up to the universe's death will be literally hair-raising. Finally, on that Day, Allah will raise up all those in the graves and all people on the Earth will be called to account. Those who did not expect to experience such a Day will no longer be able to deny it, and so will bow to Allah's will whether they want to or not. Allah has prepared a spectacular end for the universe, and despite most people's attempts to deny this reality, the Day of Judgment will come at its appointed time.   THE DAY OF JUDGMENT IS A CERTAIN REALITY People who are satisfied with this world's temporary values and pleasures do their best to ignore such facts as their eventual death, which is just around the corner, and the Day of Resurrection. By not reflecting upon such truths, they tell themselves that they can live only for themselves and forget about their duties to Allah. The Qur'an graphically depicts the events of the Last Day, and all of the people's accompanying shock, fear, panic, and mental framework. The universe will end in the same spectacular fashion in which it was created. Planets will fall out of their orbits, and mountains will be moved. In the face of such amazing events, those who put their faith in chance and random happenings will realize that only Allah rules over everything. Allah states: Say: "To whom does everything in the heavens and Earth belong?" Say: "To Allah." He has made mercy incumbent upon Himself. He will gather you to the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt. As for those who have lost their own selves, they have no faith. (Surat al-An‘am, 12) So when the Trumpet is blown with a single blast, and Earth and the mountains are lifted and crushed with a single blow, on that Day, the Occurrence will occur. (Surat al-Haqqa, 13-15)   THE DAY OF JUDGMENT'S HOUR IS PREDETERMINED As time progresses, we are speedily approaching the Day of Judgment. Most people think that this Day is in the distant future. However, they would be well-advised to remember that previous generations had the same attitude. In reality, everyone who has ever lived will witness these events and assemble in Allah's presence; no one will be able to escape. As only Allah knows when the Day of Judgment will come, there is no guarantee that it will not happen while you are making plans for the future and are busying yourselves with your everyday lives, for: Say: "I do not know whether what you are promised is close or whether my Lord will appoint a longer time before it." He is the Knower of the Unseen, and does not divulge His Unseen to anyone. (Surat al-Jinn, 25-26) The great order in which Allah created life will terminate at a time unknown to us. Those who doubt this fact and choose not to believe in it may consider themselves reasonable, and so this Day will be a hard and scary one for them. For this reason, it is far more beneficial and positive to believe in it, for it will be of no use to believe in it when the Hour has struck, or to feel remorse for their self-deception. One verse describes such remorse, as follows: When the Great Calamity comes: that Day man will remember what he has striven for. (Surat an-Nazi‘at, 34-35)   (Comment on this)
6:08a	A Fly Makes Its Point A Fly Makes Its Point A tyrannical ruler was addressing the people, when a fly settled on his face. He chased the fly away. Back it came and again he chased it. The fly was stubborn. It settled on his face once more. He tried to kill it, failed, got angry. He then asked Dahhak, a scholar who was present: "Why has Allah created this annoying insect? Doesn't it seem useless?" Dahhak replied: "It was created to show tyrants like you how impotent they really are; that they don't even have the power to dispose a fly. You may hold sway over human beings, yet a feeble little insect refuses to obey you. It settles on dirt, then comes and alights on the faces of those who imagine they are God. If it could express itself in words, it would say: "You are a nonentity. Do not forget that you are nothing. You may conquer the world, but you cannot conquer me. If Allah wills, He can kill you, as He killed Nimrod, with a miserable little fly."" -Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak al-Jerrahi, Irshad (Wisdom of a Sufi Master)   (Comment on this)
6:25a	The World is Beautiful- An interview with Sheikh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi An interview with Sheikh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi by Carter Phipps Sheikh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi WIE: What does it mean to be in the world but not of it? SHEIKH TOSUN BAYRAK: Let me answer that question by telling you a story. Ibn Arabi, who is considered to be the greatest sheikh in Sufism, was traveling to Mecca, and he passed through Tunisia. In Tunisia he was told that there was a holy man living there who he must visit. This holy man was a fisherman who lived in a mud hut on the beach and caught three fish a day, no more, and he gave the bodies of these fish to poor and hungry people. He himself boiled the heads of the fish, and just ate the heads. He did this day after day, year after year. He was living the life of a monastic person, a person who has divorced himself from the world totally, and, of course, Ibn Arabi was very impressed with this discipline. So he talked to the fisherman and the fisherman asked, "Where are you going? Are you going to pass through Cairo?" Ibn Arabi nodded and the fisherman said, "My sheikh lives there. Will you please visit him and ask him for advice for me, because all these years that I have been praying and living humbly like this, I haven't received any advancement in my spiritual life. Please ask him to give me advice." Ibn Arabi promised him that he would, and so when he arrived in Cairo, he asked the people in the city where this sheikh lived and they said, "Do you see the huge palace on the top of the hill? He lives there." So he went to this beautiful palace on the top of the hill, knocked on the door, and was received very well. They brought him into a large, luxurious waiting room, gave him food to eat, and made him comfortable. But the sheikh had gone to visit the king. And Sufis don't normally visit kings or people in high positions. It's forbidden because they can become an additional curtain between us and God, an additional attachment to the world. While Ibn Arabi was in this luxurious room waiting for the sheikh, he looked out the window and saw a procession coming. The sheikh was riding a beautiful Arabian horse and was wearing a big turban, diamond rings, a fur coat, and had a whole honor guard of soldiers at his side, and he arrived with great pomp at the palace. But he was a very nice man, and came and greeted Ibn Arabi warmly, and they sat down and started talking. At some point in the conversation, Ibn Arabi said, "You have a student in Tunisia." And the sheikh replied, "Yes, I know." And Ibn Arabi said, "He asked for your spiritual advice." "Tell my student," the sheikh said, "If he's so attached to this world, he's never going to get anywhere." So this was confusing to Ibn Arabi, but on his trip back, he stopped in Tunisia. He went to the fisherman there, who immediately asked, "Did you see my sheikh?" "Yes, I saw your sheikh," he replied. "What did he say?" asked the fisherman. And Ibn Arabi, looking uncomfortable, said, "Well, your sheikh, you know, he lives in great pomp and great luxury." The fisherman replied, "Yes, I know. What did he say?" So Ibn Arabi told him: "He said as long as you're so attached to this world, you are never going to get anywhere." And the fisherman cried and cried. "He's right," he said, "each day, when I give those three fish bodies to the people, my heart goes with them. Each day, I wish I could have a whole fish instead of just a head, while my sheikh lives in great luxury but doesn't care at all about it. Whether he has it or not, it doesn't touch him." That's what it means to be in the world but not of the world. It means that, as Sufis, we are supposed to be out in the world participating in the world, but not falling in love with the world. There is a hadith [a saying of the Prophet Muhammad] that tells us: The world is your friend if it reminds you of God, and it is your enemy if it makes you forget God. WIE: One Sufi mystic is quoted as saying, "To leave the world is not to abstain from property, wife, and children, but to act in obedience to God and to set the things of God above those of the world." TB: Exactly. Another hadith tells us that when Allah ordered the world, he spoke to the world, saying, "World, the one who becomes your servant, treat him as the worst of slaves. Beat him. Make him work hard and when he dies, crush him. But if he becomes my servant, care for him well and when he dies, hug him like a mother would hug her child." That means that if you are the servant of Allah, then the world is going to be your servant and obey you and make you rich and everything else. And when you die, it will hug you gently like a mother caressing you. But if you forget Allah and become the servant of the world, then the world is going to whip you, kick you, and make you work like hell. And when you die, it's going to crush you. WIE: What exactly do you mean by "the world"? TB: Your wife, your children, your home, your work, your money in the bank, your position in the company, your political aspirations or affiliations, your bed at night, your shower in the morning, your breakfast—everything! WIE: There's a word in Arabic, dunya, which also means "the world" or "worldly life." It seems that it's often spoken about as something negative or as something that tempts us away from the path. TB: You're right. Many people think in those terms, but let me make a correction, it's important to understand this distinction. If dunya makes you forget your Lord, if it makes you forget where you came from, what your function is, and where you are going, if it makes you a fool, then it is your enemy. But if it reminds you that this is just a passage, this is just a place for tests, this is just a place to prove that you are doing what you were created for, then it is a good place, a good thing, and a wonderful friend. WIE: Would it be accurate to say that for most of us, the world tends to be the former, tends to be that which draws us away from God? TB: It is not the world's fault. It is your fault. It's not the devil's fault. It is your attachment to the world. The world is beautiful. Allah has made it beautiful. Every spot of it is a reflection of him. He has never created anything ugly. You see, the Sufis believe that creation is simply a mirror. When there is nothing in front of the mirror, it reflects nothing. But Allah is in front of it, so all of creation is a reflection of him. We see his attributes, the attributes of God, reflected in the mirror of creation. And that's what we are. Everything in creation is Allah's attributes. It's not Allah, but it is from Allah. So there is nothing wrong with the world. It is your fault that you make a god of it. It's not the world's fault. WIE: Many Sufi sheikhs have had wives and families, owned businesses, and some are even said to have been great sultans. What is it that enables a sheikh or a dervish or any spiritual seeker to live amidst all the complexities and temptations of the world and still do the right thing? How can we act in the world in a way that expresses nonattachment to the world? TB: The answer to that question is very simple. A young German lady asked that question to my sheikh, Sheikh Muzaffer [Ozak] Efendi, and he said, "My daughter, we are very fortunate, because we have got a book in our hands, the Qu'ran, which we believe is from Allah, from the Lord." The Bible is equivalent to a hadith. In other words, it tells us what Jesus did and what Jesus said. But we believe that the Qu'ran was revealed by Allah and brought word by word, letter by letter, dot by dot, to the prophet Muhammad. Through his blessed lips it came out, and not a dot of it has changed for the last one thousand five hundred years. We actually have three touchstones to find out whether our actions are right or wrong. But you must act! You cannot sit on your behind, because then you're dead. Now if the action corresponds to what Allah tells you to do in the Qu'ran, it's definitely the right action. It is said that in the Qu'ran there are a thousand things to do and a thousand things not to do. I certainly don't know all of them. I know perhaps a hundred things, and even those often depend on interpretation. So this touchstone, this test to see whether your action is real gold or fake, is a difficult one. The next touchstone is the imitation of the prophet Muhammad. Although he lived one thousand five hundred years ago, the prophet Muhammad was never alone, and everything he did and said was recorded. None of it was inconsequential—the way he drank his water, the way he made love to his wives, the way he went to the bathroom. There are hundreds of thousands of hadiths of things which he said and did, and these are easier to understand, because no interpretation is necessary. The third touchstone is your conscience. You have to ask your conscience, "This action that I'm about to do, is the result going to be beneficial for the world—for him, for her, for me, for the grass, for the cat, for the turtle? Or is it going to be the opposite, is it going to cause pain and hurt?" If it is beneficial, it's right; if it is not beneficial, it's wrong. What all of this boils down to is that we are here to ceaselessly do right action. I just returned from a trip to Iraq to help with some of the suffering there. I visited orphanages and hospitals and was able to donate money to help a great many people who are suffering, especially children. And while I almost never talk about my personal experiences, my experience there still lingers with me, because a strange thing happened. During my few days in Iraq, I was not there. Action was there, things were happening, but it was as if I was not there. And I felt that that was my great, great reward which I received. And for me that suffices. WIE: Maybe that's the best kind of action in the world. TB: I hope so. Action without being there. We have a saying in Turkish. It is hiç, which means "nothing." And that's the goal. WIE: Is it ever necessary to retreat or to step back from our involvement with the world in order to deepen our own spiritual contemplation? TB: There are beautiful stories about the prophet Muhammad where he would be so lost and immersed in these intense spiritual states that he wouldn't even recognize his own wife Aisha. He would say, "Who are you?" and she would say, "Aisha," and he would reply, "Who is Aisha?" You see, he wasn't there. He was so far away that he didn't even know his own wife. But then there were other times when he would rest his blessed head on the thigh of his wife and say, "Aisha, caress my head." So even he needed a little comfort. You have to come back to the world. We are in this body, you see, and it needs things. You have to come back. WIE: In your own life, you were a very successful artist, but you gave up your career, gave up fame and fortune to devote yourself to the spiritual life. What was it that compelled you to leave your own life behind and take that step? TB: Actually, both my wife and I were artists, and we felt very strongly that it was feeding our egos. Art, art exhibitions, and the consequences of being accepted and successful are incredible food for your ego, which is the Sufi's enemy. The final straw was when we went to Rome to visit a friend, a sculptor, and there was a very pretty young girl there whom my friend introduced me to. And she was so adoring to me. She said, "Ohhh, I know you. I love your art." She was completely praising me, and I saw the ego suddenly rise up and say, "Aha! This beautiful, spiritual girl is telling you that you are a great artist." So I said, "Oh, my God! That's it. It's over." I hit the ego on the head and decided I was finished with it all. WIE: In the Sufi tradition, what is the ideal relationship to the world for those who have gone very deep into the spiritual life? TB: I'll just say that what I myself do and what I ask my students to do is to find their place in the world, or I should say their duty, their function in this world. And when they find it, they should do it as best they can. And they should ask for Allah's help in finding it and doing it. For example, when a person wants to go to college and study certain things, they often take aptitude tests. So in a much larger and more complete sense, we have to pass ourselves through aptitude tests and find out what we have been brought into this world to do, and then we must do it as best we can. I think that's how one's relationship should be to the world. Thirty years ago, if somebody would have told me that I was going to be a Sufi and a sheikh, I would have laughed and said, "What are they talking about?" Therefore, you cannot say that I did it. Finally, Allah has to do it for you. That is why when we pray, we open our hands. If your hands are open and something drops into them, you can catch it. But if they're not open, you can't. It falls away. So you have to be open, and that's all that you can do. I don't even say open your heart. You have to open yourself, everything—your body, your mind, your potential. You have to keep everything open and somehow hope to receive direction and indication as to what your function is. And once you find your function, I think then you will also find yourself through your function. WIE: As you've said, Sufism isn't generally known as a spiritual tradition that emphasizes renunciation of the world. But, in the Sufi tradition, does renunciation play some role in the quest for spiritual union? I've read many stories by Sufi mystics that detail the dangers of the "deceiving" world with its "limitless tricks" and that encourage the seeker to fly away from it on the "wings of prayer." That seems to suggest that renunciation or removal from the world offers the surest and safest path to the realization of spiritual freedom and communion with God. TB: In our discipline, we don't agree with this. On the contrary, I would go so far as to say that renunciation is a sin. Renunciation means that I am thirsty and he, Allah, is offering me a glass of water and I say, "No thank you." That's a sin! For instance, Allah offers to reduce our prayers when we are traveling. And some idiots say, "No. I will continue making my prayers as if I'm not traveling." That's an insult. It's a sin. Because Allah offers you a gift and you say, "No, keep your gift." It's arrogance in the extreme, this renunciation business. This isn't just my opinion; this is the opinion of the Sufis. You should take whatever it is you receive, and you should put it to good use. If you don't want it, give it to somebody who needs it! I have, praise to Allah, enough money. But if he gave me a million dollars today, I'm not going to refuse it. I'm going to take it and I'm going to give it to the ones who need it and keep some for myself too. I'll buy myself a new car instead of an old one, and maybe a $150 pair of shoes. That would be the day! So there is no going to the monasteries, no climbing up the Himalayas, no pouring ashes on your head and sitting cross-legged on nails. You have to go out into the world and participate. For example, my own teacher, Sheikh Muzaffer, loved to eat, loved good food. And he had a young wife, whom he loved very much. He used to say, "Money—there should be a lot in your pocket, but none in your heart." WIE: What about the example of Jesus? He is considered to be a Sufi prophet and yet he encouraged people to leave the world behind and follow him. TB: In Arabic, we call Jesus "Ruhullah," the spirit of God—or more accurately "Ruhu min Allah," which means not the spirit of Allah, but the spirit from Allah. Jesus was pure spirit, you see, and a human being cannot be pure spirit. His method of teaching was not by example. In fact, whoever tried to imitate him got eaten by the lions, or lost in the dark chambers of monasteries or convents which were not good for anybody. His message was not through imitation, but through what he said. So I don't agree with you that the teaching of Christ was to abandon the world. It is just that some people tried to follow his example, which is absolutely impossible to follow. But his teaching is possible to follow. WIE: Today there is a growing spiritual movement in America that has been very critical of traditional spiritual paths and teachings, specifically those that emphasize a separation between the world and a transcendent God. This new philosophy claims that even the most mundane aspects of our worldly lives are inherently sacred and can potentially become the vehicles for spiritual awakening. Books on such subjects as sacred sexuality, sacred sports, and spirituality in the workplace are becoming more and more popular, blurring the lines between what is considered to be spiritual and what is considered to be secular. In her recent book The New American Spirituality, Elizabeth Lesser writes, "The bliss of the world is no less spiritual than the bliss of transcendence," and goes on, "We can indeed 'follow our bliss' as we follow the spiritual path, whether that bliss is . . . reading a holy text or running a marathon." So my question is: Are the proponents of this new spirituality on the right track? In the end, what exactly is the difference between a holy life and a worldly life? Is there any difference at all? TB: What they say is, in a sense, true. If, in running the marathon, you feel that the force in you which permits you to run is from God, the ground which you are running upon is from God, and the breath which you inhale and exhale is from God, then this experience is indeed more important than reading the Bible in vain. But they're not teaching this, you see. What they say is taken from the scriptures; it's true. But their intention, by saying that a marathon is equal to the Qu'ran, is to abolish the Qu'ran. Their premise is right, but their actions and their intentions are wrong. You see, there is nothing new in the world. But they think that because we're living in the twenty-first century, things have changed. Nothing has changed. The same thing is valid now as was valid for the caveman, except, of course, that life was simpler. Life became more complicated, but we still have the same sized brain. And we have the same good and bad, right and wrong, sweet and bitter, dark and light—everything has existed for a long time. The camel became the airplane, but everything is the same. At the time of Jesus, all these problems that we have today existed. Read the Bible. The villains were there. The thieves were there. The murderers were there. The politicians were there. Everybody was there, doing the same thing! So what makes people think that new solutions have to be found? What makes them think that they know better than Jesus? They're arrogant, and that's the problem. WIE: Would you say that in the Islamic teachings, our daily lives in the world are sanctified through our ongoing voluntary submission and surrender to the will of God? TB: It's not as simple as that. Submission, yes, but cognizant submission. Not blind submission. That's the difference between the orthodox and the mystic. The orthodox blindly submits, and in blindly submitting, imagination may intervene. While the Sufi, the mystic, tries to understand and submit, and therefore taste what he is eating. The orthodox eats at McDonalds and then goes to a French restaurant and eats beef bourguignon. To him, it's the same thing. He doesn't taste it, he just submits, he eats. But the Sufi chooses. The hamburger tastes bad and he recognizes that, so he goes and eats the beef bourguignon. He tastes his religion and he understands what he's doing. He submits willingly and knows that one thing doesn't taste good and the other does. That's the difference. WIE: In the "new American spirituality," instead of that kind of cognizant submission to a higher authority, many people are speaking about self-authority—where it is up to us to pick and choose as we see fit from among the world's wisdom traditions, to find our own methods and spiritual practices that suit our lives in the world. TB: There you go kaputski. There you go crazy. There you go arrogant. You're saying: I know better than God. I know better than Jesus. I know better than Moses. I know better than the sheikhs. You see, we are forbidden to say "my." We are forbidden to say "me." This is my idea. This is my concept. This is my right. This is my wrong. Forget it, it's just anti-discipline. This is self-glorification, making your own self your God. And that's deadly. And those people, they die. They're living zombies. They live this life with imagination, with no concept of truth, no concept of reality. They live in their imagination, and they die in their imagination and they will wake up when they die and say, "Oh, my God, what have I done to myself?" For 6,000 years in Judaism, for 2,000 years in Christianity, for 1,500 years in Islam, hundreds of thousands of saints and spiritual teachers have devoted themselves to this, and they have found and refined the relationship of the human being to the world, to life, to the hereafter. And here comes this man or this woman who studies a little psychology, a little philosophy, and rejects the whole thing. Millions of people, intelligent people, devout people, have made this their specialty. We are living in a period of specialty, but those people were super-specialists. And their documents are here, their words are here, their principles are here. It's not even worth discussing. May Allah help these people. That's all that I can say. And may Allah forgive them. WIE: I have one last question. At what point on the spiritual path are we ready to be of service to the world? TB: At the beginning, in the middle, and at the end. This is in the Qu'ran. Allah said that "I have created man so that he can make ibadat to me." Ibadat means "service." But it also means "worship." So the true worship is in service. Allah said that "I have created man so that he serves me." But God doesn't need service. On the contrary, he is our servant. Every minute of our lives, we are being served. I inhale; he makes me inhale. I exhale; he makes me exhale. He brings me coffee; he makes me drink the coffee. Twenty-four hours a day, to all of us—from the microbe to the highest specimen of this creation—he's in continuous service. So what does he mean when he says that he has created human beings so that they would serve him? In short, he means to serve his creation. If we are the supreme creation, then we have to serve those in creation who are like us, who are in need, or who are under us. That's the purpose of our creation. So as I said, service should be from the moment you are born until the moment you give your last breath, but you have to find out in what way. That's what's most important. We have to find out in what manner we are supposed to serve. WIE: Based on everything you've said, it seems that in the Sufi view, the ultimate expression of our spiritual lives is found in the world. I wanted to ask you about this because in some of the great traditions, East and West, they say that what we are looking for is found in the afterlife or in some future birth. TB: No. Hell is here. Paradise is here. Everything is here. (Comment on this)
6:58a	Hazrath Ali (A.S)(r.a) (Son in Law and cousin of Prophet Muhammad(saws) ) Spares the Life of an Enem Hazrath Ali (Radiallahu anhu) spares the Life of an Enemy in Battle Hazrath Ali (Radiallahu anhu), the "Gate of Knowledge and Lion of Allah." knocked an enemy soldier, to the ground during the Battle of the Trench. He raised his sword to kill the unbeliever who spat on the blessed face of Hazrath Ali (Radiallahu anhu) at that moment. Hazrath Ali (Radiallahu anhu) at once stood still and refrained from killing his enemy. Hardly able to believe his own eyes, the unbeliever asked: "Why have you spared me?" He replied, " that just a few moments ago, I was on the point of slaying you, but when you spat in my face, my selfish anger was aroused against you. If I had killed you, I would have killed you not for God's sake but for my own selfish reason. When you spat in my face, anger threatened to overwhelm me, so instead of striking you with the sword for my own sake I struck my passion for the sake of Allah, Exalted is He. There you have the reason for your escape." The unbeliever realized the worth and value of being Muslim and he felt the light of Islam descending into his heart. Tears streamed down from his eyes when he realized that in the space of a few seconds he was being saved from dying as an unbeliever ? saved from being an unbeliever at all ? and was becoming a Muslim. The behavior of Hazrath Ali (Radiallahu anhu) changed the condition of his heart. (Comment on this)
11:08a	The grandson( Imam Hussain A.S(Radiallahu anhu)) of the Owner of the Fount of Kauthar(Prophet Muhamm The grandson of the Owner of the Fount of Kauthar. Imam Hussain (Radiallahu anhu) was the only male left to go out and fight at Karbala. He fought bravely and killed hundreds, before thousands of arrows rained on him. Covered with wounds from head to toe he fell off his horse. His attackers surrounded him. 'He addressed them saying, "You made me and my children wander thirsty in these desert wastes. You gave me no water and I know better than to expect any from you. But at least give my children a drop to drink, so that I may forgive you for the great wrong you have done." They replied that they would not give a single drop. He then kicked the ground, from which a crystal spring burst forth. Their eyes opened wide in amazement. He said:" Now you see the quality of our patience. We have only suffered like this in order to teach the community and make them understand that they must be prepared to sacrifice everything they have, when they engage in necessary struggle against the tyrannical and the corrupt. Otherwise water was at our command. If we had wished, we would have drawn it up and drunk it before now. We refrained from doing so however, in order to set the community of Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) an example of sacrifice." The time was a little before sunset on the 10 Th. of Muharram 61 AH. He told his attackers that he had not missed a single prayer in his life, so they should allow him to read his Asr Salaat. As he bent down in prostration, Shimr beheaded him. The nectar of martyrdom quenched his thirst. Our mother Umm Salama (Radiallahu anha) , said: "I heard the jinn weeping and mourning the venerable Hussain". Sheik Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (Radiallahu anhu) says that Jafar ibn Muhammad (Radiallahu anhu) said: "Seventy thousand angels alighted on the grave of al-Hussain ibn Ali (Radiallahu anhu), on the day when he was mortally wounded, and will continue to weep over him until Yawm al-Qiyaamah (the Day of Resurrection.)." We should not be surprised to hear that the very jinn wept at the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (Radiallahu anhu). All the angels in heaven and earth wept. (Comment on this)

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