.
Portrait of the Propeht
Portrait of the Prophet
The Sacred Qur'an
Shining Forever
Towards Understanding Allah
Mu'min and Sabr
Fall
In Salutation of One God
To Allah
Advice to a daughter
The Martyr
The Fundamentalist
Becoming Unattached
Unattached
Hope amongst the Sorrow
My Allah
God is enough for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs."
In Praise of the Prophet
Untitled
Be with those who help your being
Islamic Resignation
In the Bright Climate of Belief
Thou Art The Only Giver
Trust in God
The Prophet's Companions
Untitled Peace be upon him whose reign Peace be with him whose capital Peace be upon him whose kingdom Peace be with you! May God exalt your station Peace be with the judges, scholars, nobles, Peace be with the men of piety and religion Peace be with you in the name of the believers who remain Peace be with you in the name of worshipers Peace be with you in the name of old men Peace be with you in the name of the faces forced Peace be with you in the name of old women forced We kiss the floor of your court May God prolong your reign and your life May he support you with victory We complain before you, my Lord, We have been betrayed and converted to Christianity, When we had been weakened, they descended upon our territory, For this reason, when our cavalry and infantry had perished, Fearing that our sons and daughters would be taken captives or cruelly murdered, He showed us documents containing pacts and treaties, telling us, However, though we remained under his treaty, All the books which dealt with matters of religion If it became known that someone fasted, or prayed, Whoever among us stopped going to their place of dis/belief was punished by the
priest During Ramadan, they interrupted our fast, We call to you, our Lord, by God and Pure One, the Chosen One, the best of men! Perhaps they will look upon us and what has happened to us; By God, our Lord, deign to favor us with a piece of advice or a word of protest!
Since you possess the excellence, glory, rank, and power
Whereby to save those devoted to God from all evil,
Ask their Pope, the governor or Rome,
Why they permit treachery after having signed an amnesty?
Why they harm us with their deceit
Though we are innocent of any fault or crime? When their people, who had been conquered, were under the security of our religion Your missive arrived, but they took into consideration not a word of it. The Egyptian envoys arrived and were not treated with betrayal and dishonor In saying this, they lied concerning us, Alas for us! Our Lord, we plead before you, This is what we desire from the glory of your exalted station. You, may God be praised, are the best of our kings Peace in your dominions, victory over your enemies, ***** This is the legal fatwa given by a Morrocan jurist
The Twilight Ramadan
Mathnavi I, 1130-34
From the Homely Brother
Jalaluddin Rumi
O heart let go of your soul
Until you see the soul maker
Leave behind this deceptive faker
So you reach your real goal.
Unless you pass through here
You will never reach the beyond
Free yourself from worldly bond
Doubtless clear, to you appear.
If it is a sign that you seek
In this path, my dear friend
Yourself you must transcend
And signs to you will speak.
.
[Reported to said by Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) when asked by Ali (RadiAllahu anhu) about his way of life)]
Meditation in God is my capital
Reason and Sound logic is the root of my religion
Love is the foundation of my existence
Enthusiasiam is the vehicle of my life
Comtemplation of God is my companion
Faith is the source of my power
Sorrow is my friend
Knowledge is my weapon
Patience is my garb and virtue
Submission to devine will is my pride
Truth is my salvation
Worship is my habit
And in prayer lies the coolness of my eye and the peace of my mind.
Abu Hamid al-Ghazali
Imam al-Ghazali woke up one early morning and as usual offered his prayers
and then enquired what day it was.
His younger brother, Ahmad Ghazali
replied,"Monday." He asked him to bring his white shroud, kissed it,
stretched himself full length and saying "Lord, I obey willingly,"
breathed his last.
And underneath his head rest they found the following verses;
composed by him, probably, during the night:
Say to my friends, when they look upon me, dead
Weeping for me and mourning me in sorrow
Do not believe that this corpse you see is myself
In the name of God, I tell you, it is not I,
I am a spirit, and this is naught but flesh
It was my abode and my garment for a time.
I am a treasure, by a talisman kept hid,
Fashioned of dust, which served me as a shrine,
I am a pearl, which has left it's shell deserted,
I am a bird, and this body was my cage
Whence I have now floron forth and it is left as a token
Praise to God, who hath now set me free
And prepared for me my place in the highest of the heaven,
Until today I was dead, though alive in your midst.
Now I live in truth, with the grave - clothes discarded.
Today I hold converse with the saints above,
With no veil between, I see God face to face.
I look upon "Loh-i-Mahfuz" and there in I read
Whatever was and is and all that is to be.
Let my house fall in ruins, lay my cage in the ground,
Cast away the talisman, it is a token, no more
Lay aside my cloak, it was but my outer garment.
Place them all in the grave, let them be forgotten,
I have passed on my way and you are left behind
Your place of abode was no deweling place for me.
Think not that death is death, nay, it is life,
A life that surpasses all we could dream of here,
While in this world, here we are granted sleep,
Death is but sleep, sleep that shall be prolonged
Be not frightened when death draweth night,
It is but the departure for this blessed home
Think of the mercy and love of your Lord,
Give thanks for His Grace and come without fear.
What I am now, even so shall you be
For I know that you are even as I am
The souls of all men come forth from God
The bodies of all are compounded alike
Good and evil, alike it was ours
I give you now a message of good cheer
May God's peace and joy for evermore be yours.
Ibrahim Amini
The Holy Qur'an
The Holy Qur'an, book of guidance and light
That Sacred lamp, that makes the truth so bright
Removes the blinkers, and frees our sight
Shows to us the path, that is straight and right
He from Whom this Book we received.
Then the Qur'an will be your best friend,
Till in Paradise, joy without end
But if the Qur'an you choose to ignore,
Then before you hell is in store
Thus our Qur'an, we hold dearer and dearer,
As towards perfection we come nearer and nearer,
A sacred book that inspires the wise
We defend most bravely, with our wealth and lives.
Unknown
Fatima
she was deeply griefed
Life without her Father
passed so sombre.
tears... day after another.
Her merry was vanished,
so was her laughter
Until that time
five months from the death of her Father
after a rare raptured morning
in one Ramadan evening
she asked for a special bath,
put on new clothes
and perfumed herself beautifully fragrance.
She then urged to put her bed in the courtyard
and had her face looking above to heavens
She asked for her husband
and only after he was in her side
came her heavenly words:
"I have an appointment today with the Messenger of God"
smile was in her face.
The courageous husband cried.
She told him to look after their beloved children
and advised for a simple burial
with no ceremony.
She had another upward gaze
closed her eyes
now truly surrendered her soul
to the Almighty Creator.
The Shining One...
she was just twenty nine years old
but years to come
she would keep herself
shining into our souls.
[The Glorified and The Exhalted]
Siddiq Osman Noormuhammad
[1973]
Let us not think of Allah in terms of
Physical Existence
Because if we do
We are lost
Think of the atom
Look into it and you will find a universe
Nay, a myriad of universes
Look at the sky at night
And behold the universe
And universes yet unknown
What did you see?
Just an atom
Where is Allah?
Did you find Him?
No, because you thought of Him
As physical embodiment
And you are lost
But,
Look at the ripples in the sea
And grains of sand at the sea shore
Study human faces and tongues
Hear a child's cry and a cock's crow
Feel blades of grass and drops of rain
Appreciate a cat's love for its kittens
Then Allah's Greatness will begin to dawn on you.
Tallal Alie Turfe
Patience is a virtue I'll try to explain
A blessing in disguise always to remain
From very deep inside the well of my heart
Peace of body and mind and the will to start
I'm summoned by a call at the dawn of the day
Just giving thanks to Him as I kneel to pray
Endurance is my counsel and faith my guide
The door is open to the struggle inside
With knowledge of certainty, I now can see
The reality of truth, plain as can be
It is charity that gives meaning to life
From the love of my caring in times of strife
Piety and wisdom help me through the day
But always I will return to kneel and pray
For it is patience, the essence of my goal
That enlightens and gives meaning to my soul.
Fethullah Gulen
A faded adventure experienced with weary eyes.
Sound of leaves,
beating in the ear with the force of strong, cold winds:
A music of fall...
The roses of poetical spring weep everywhere;
Colors are plaintive.
Nightingales in quiet lands lament:
Single melancholy notes.
Fountains are lost in thick mists of sorrow,
waters drip tenderly
Swans draw in their slender necks
in the search for spring
Plains groan in tears, hills weep in pangs of separation;
every sound is an elegy
Blue, green, pink and orange colors are in mourning;
each is groaning deeply
Like the last minutes of a life about to terminate,
every wail is a farewell..
When looked to carefully, the end of the world is visible;
what an alarming scene!
Spring and summer are each an enchanting memory,
lost in romantic fancies
Yet those fancies open to hopes stirring in the conscience;
diverse routes to the realms beyond
Eternity is sensed in each impression of transience,
until man catches sight of it.
Reason and logic are refined to seek out that other world,
reaching the realm of inspiration
Man feels the mysterious silence of death;
problems are resolved finally..
Everyone sees the end of the way he treads;
kneels down trembling.
Tongue-tied with dread of going into non-existence,
faith opens up a way to new horizons.
Sobbing that his inevitable end is at last at hand;
eternity sends out lights.
Thought falls into earth like a seed
to prepare itself for spring.
It hastens to where it reaches gardens of Eden
to meet with the Beloved.
Without feeling pain or anguish,
As treasured as a welcome birth.
One overflows with delight to feel eternity
as enrapturing as eternity itself.
Fall is the sign that a new birth is on the way,
coming at the break of dawn;
Hope resounds throughout fall without ceasing at all;
spring awaits a few steps away.
Kazi Nazrul Islam
Let them spread jealousy, prejudice and defamation,
We will offer justice, peace and one God's proclamation.
Let them seek narrowness, pigeon-hole and mud from pond,
We will seek open space, shining light and love's bond.
Let them seek slave's life, we seek martyr's honor,
They fear death; while we search - it's hiding in which corner?
They won't die; if battle starts, they will hide behind a bush,
Nail-less, toothless - still boisterous, busy in giving each other a push.
They are lifeless, yet move by vile selfishness and greed,
They are jinns, ghosts, or mummies, from base desires can't be freed.
We are the new youth of Bengal; to wrestle with death we enjoy,
Due to grace we spare them, thinking them as ant or toy.
They are ever-skeptical about everything, also about human progress in future,
These disbelievers are disciples of Satan; pessimism and wrong vision they nurture.
They say, people will all be atheist, and anarchy is what they will bring,
We say, they will be believers, so that the song of heavenly bond they will sing.
Let them seek unhappiness, we will seek His forgiveness and love,
Let the ghosts seek graveyards, we will cherish the Garden from above.
People can see west's world wars, as punishment inflicted from Him,
And then turn away from more selfishness, singing peace and justice's hymn.
Let the owls stay in their hole, expecting no more sunrise,
Crows won't attack them again, let it be their claw-and-beak's demise.
Believers never say such things, they seek ray of hope and light,
Standing up against oppression and suffering, the believers delight.
The believers say, if we all turned toward Him in unison,
Shower of His mercy will bring on this earth like daily Eid celebration.
From seven heavens these believers want to bring colorful rainbow,
God never withholds His bounties; When does He ever say "No?"
Those who seek mischief and unhappiness, exactly that they will get,
Let them choose as they wish; on the path of our choice our foot will set.
They seek the kingdom of monsters, we want God's kingdom,
This world then would experience peace, joy and freedom.
Our Lord's treasure is everfull, we won't lack anything anymore,
They want to fight over corpses like vultures or wild boar.
May God save us all, so that we don't tread that path of doom,
One God is our Lord, His everlasting beauty you always see abloom.
All the vices in this world, let it disappear, let it go away,
This world's darkness and hatred, may the ray of His love keep at bay.
From all the narrowness and prejudice may mankind's heart be free,
Let His light shine from every home under every blooming tree.
Those foster riot to loot, they are greedy monsters or gangsters,
Path of goodness and virtue they won't see, they will bring only disasters.
They are ever after vice, they are ever after conflict,
Their life is devoid of rhythm, they are spoiled, corpse-addict.
By God's soldiers, they will surely be overcome, in future that is near
These pirates - plunderer of crops and harvests - are ever so familiar.
They are spiders, creatures of darkness; stay away from their home and den,
In abandoned corners lie their web, they haven't seen life's vibrant garden.
Believe in God, in one and only God, in day as well as night
Heavenly ride will be with you, with God's sword in hand to fight.
Those who want to pass their life in sleep and laziness' fashion,
They don't want moon or sun, they are living dead, bound for humiliation.
Whose dream is everlasting youth, come, come that new generation,
Your sacrifice and work brought progress that are worthy of celebration.
Let them enjoy mud-slinging, their weapons are malice and vilification,
We will throw bouquet at them, and trumpet to one God our salutation.
Mystic
Anonymous
In all hearts
There is the Cherisher
The One True Poet
Looking at this illusory world
My sisters seek a meaning
But only Knowledge, the Light itself
Speaks directly with the soul
And we are nothing but humble seekers
Crying from the beauty of His Words...
The Most Gracious, the Most High
The Eternal Truth -
Lift the weight from these eyes
And let us awaken in these slumbering shells
When they take His Name and Trample It with their deeds
All believing hearts weep
To be among the creation called humanity
But in each heart lies the penniless mystic
That knows -
They trample nothing but their own souls
And the Eternal Poet is adored
And adores in return.
Anonymous
Sitting alone on a windswept mountain,
The thoughts that come to me are wordless
Filling me with nothing but gladness
For, as long as You remember me,
I am not truly alone.
In my darkest hour,
Tinged with fragile bitterness,
I find You in Your infinite Grace and Mercy -
A part of You in the center of my whirlwind soul
And I find the path again.
This is the way I must go -
The road that Sufis take home -
Empty of the extra things that serve
To trample the heart and imprison the mind.
Will I ever truly know that wealth is nothing
And fashion is but fickleness
Of the world below?
Not til now did I discover
That everything is You, the rain and night...
So I keep them close to me
To have a reason, a light.
I want to have the inspiration
In that call to prayer,
A lonely voice calling without
Pretense of airs -
"God is great, God is great..."
If only I had ninety-nine mountains
To carve Your Names upon
And if only I had the voice to call with...
Anonymous
A pious mother to her daughter
Be an earth for him and he will be your sky;
Be a resting place for him and he will be your pillar;
Be his Bondmaid and he will be your slave;
Do not make excessive demands for he will then desert you;
Do not become too distant from him for he will then forget you;
Should he draw near then draw close to him;
Should he become distant stay away from him;
Shield his nose, his hearing and his eye
so he will smell nothing from you
But that which is sweet
hear nothing
but that which is good;
And look at nothing
but that which is beautiful.
Ibrahim Tuqman
From the Muslim Writer's Guild
Disaster frowned;
But he was smiling.
Terror surged up;
He plunged into it.
Serene in spirit and mind
Steadfast of heart and stride.
Reckless of injury,
Undeterred by pain
His soul was possessed
By high endeavor
Nobler than all
Its elements: flame and tempests.
Combining the turbulent sea
With the steadfast heights
It stems from the nature of sacrifice
From the essence of noble giving
A torch of justice whose scorching heat
Many times has set nations free.
Along the path of greatness he walks,
Seeking eternity as a dwelling place,
Indifferent whether to chains
Or to death he comes at last,
Pledged to his resolution.
Perhaps death took him
While still confined in prison
And neither a tear from a loved one
or family bade him farewell.
Perhaps he was lowered into the ground
Without even a shroud.
Who knows whether it is the plain
That hides his body, or the mountain peak.
Do not ask where his body lies--
His name is on the lips of time.
He was the guiding star that shone through
The darkness of trial.
Bringer of light to eyes so that they should
Not know slumber.
Casting flame into hearts,
So they do not know rancor.
What faced glowed with joy,
Going willingly into death
Singing forth before the world
As his soul ascended to heaven
"I am for God and Country!"
Anonymous
I hope you understand that
I bathe not with sand
I am a fundamentalist..but
bombing is not my business
I stick to the teachings of my teacher
and the name that terrorises you
means Submitter
and people's lives are not a game
for me to be shopping for victims
can you hear me ?
I am a Muslim
Hello .... I am a MUSLIM
I greet my brothers with peace
pls be fair... please!
I am not an indian
nor am I a pagan arabian
I don't worship meteorites
where's the moon when the sun lights
The desert is not where I live
I have plenty of water to give
I don't send bombs by mail
with metal detectors , I'll fail
my kid doesn't have an m-16
now that is very mean
I can operate a computer
better than being a shooter
but don't make me angry
and transgress against me
cause I can be rough
your statues are not enough
to meet the Power of the Creator
and I don't have a camel in my garage
Rabi'a al-Adawiyya
(p. 46)
Let me hide in You
From everything that distracts me from You,
From everything that comes in my way
When I want to run to You.
Rabi'a al-Adawiyya
(p. 47)
My Joy
My Hunger
My Hunger
My Shelter
My Friend
My Food for the Journey
My Journey's End
You are my breath,
My hope,
My companion,
My craving,
My abundant wealth.
Ash
At times I find it hard to breath
The air seems trapped deep within my chest
A sorrowful feeling falls over me
A thick blanket that fails to warm me
It’s a feeling so strange
So hard to explain
Like a knot in my heart
That tightens around me
Yet amidst all the sorrow
There’s a feeling of hope
A feeling that burrows
Deep within me
Attempting to surface
To push away the pain
Like a friend, a companion
Someone who cares
It’s a feeling of peace
Like a voice, yet silent
Whispering in to my ear
Trying to provide a little comfort
Among the confusion and pain
It calls to me
To have some hope
Put my trust in it
Let my worries fade
All I need do is let myself go
Let go and all freely
I know it will catch me
In this I must have faith
This feeling, this friend
Whose love I cannot comprehend
Will be my candle
When I’m alone in the dark
I need only trust it
Reach out to touch it
Let it grasp my arm
When I reach out with my hand
This feeling of hope
Has only one source
That source is Allah
The gracious
The true.
Anonymous
I refuse to be discouraged,
To be sad, or to cry;
I refuse to be downhearted,
And here's the reason why...
I have a God "Allah" who's mighty,
Who's sovereign and supreme;
I have a God "Allah" who loves me,
And I am on His team.
He is all wise and powerful,
Most Merciful is His name;
Though everything is changeable,
My God "Allah" remains the same.
My God "Allah" knows all that's happening;
Beginning to the end,
His presence is my comfort,
He is my dearest friend.
When sickness comes to weaken me,
To bring my head down low,
I call upon my mighty God "Allah";
Into His arms I go.
When circumstances threaten
To rob me from my peace;
He draws me closer ,
Where all my strivings cease.
And when my heart melts within me,
And weakness takes control;
He gathers me into His arms,
He soothes my heart and soul.
The great "I AM" is with me,
My life is in His hand,
The "Allah" is my hope,
It's in His strength I stand.
I refuse to be defeated,
My eyes are on my Lord "Rub";
He has promised to be with me,
As through this life I trod.
I'm looking past all my circumstances,
To Heaven's throne above;
My prayers have reached My God "Allah",
I'm resting in His love.
I give God "Allah" thanks in everything,
My eyes seek him;
The battle's His, the victory is mine;
He'll help me win the race.
Insha'Allah w Ameen Ya Rub!
Said Nusri Bediuzaaman
While my heart recited the verse:
"And if they turn away, say: God is enough for me, there is no god but He; in Him do I place my trust, for He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne."
My mind too addressed my soul, crying out in distress and terror, saying:
Cry not out at misfortune, O wretch, come, trust in God!
For know that crying out compounds the misfortune and is a great error.
Find misfortune's Sender, and know it is a gift within gift, and pleasure.
So leave crying out and offer thanks; like the nightingale, smile through your tears!
If you find Him not, know the world is all pain within pain, transience and loss.
So why lament at a small misfortune while upon you is a worldful of woe? Come trust in God!
Trust in God! Laugh in misfortune's face; it too will laugh.
As it laughs, it will diminish; it will be changed and transformed.
attributed to Hassan ibn Thabit
When I saw his light shining forth,
In fear I covered my eyes with my palms,
Afraid for my sight because of the beauty of his form.
So I was scarcely able to look at him at all.
The lights from his light are drowned in his light
and his faces shines out like the sun and moon in one.
A spirit of light lodged in a body like the moon,
a mantle made up of brilliant shining stars.
I bore it until I could bear it no longer.
I found the taste of patience to be like bitter aloes.
I could find no remedy to bring me relief
other than delighting in the sight of the one I love.
Even if he had not brought any clear signs with him,
the sight of him would dispense with the need for them.
Muhammad is a human being but not like other human beings.
Rather he is a flawless diamond and the rest of mankind is just stones.
Blessings be on him so that perhaps Allah may have mercy on us
on that burning Day when the Fire is roaring forth its sparks.
unknown
Allah hath not promised
Skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways
All our lives through.
Allah hath not promised
Sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow,
Peace without pain.
But Allah hath promised
Strength for the day,
Rest for the labor,
Light for the way
Grace for the trials,
Help from above,
Unfailing sympathy
Undying love . . .
O Allah, let me laugh again,
But never let me forget that I cried.
Jaluddin Rumi
Ode 2865
Be with those who help your being.
Don’t sit with indifferent people, whose breath
comes cold out of their mouths.
Not these visible forms, your work is deeper.
A chunk of dirt thrown in the air breaks to pieces.
If you don’t try to fly,
and so break yourself apart,
you will be broken open by death,
when it’s too late for all you could become.
Leaves get yellow.
The tree puts out fresh roots
and makes them green.
Why are you so content with a love that turns you yellow?
Abdullah Quilliam
10 Shaaban, 1323
Ihave no wish, oh Allah, but Thy will;
I have no chart but Thy unerring word
Which in the cave the Holy Prophet heard
That blessed night upon bleak Hira’s hill.
I trust in Thee, I wait in patience still
For the reward for all that I have wrought,
For good deeds done, for battles grimly fought
’Gainst passion’s might and all the hosts of ill.
My inmost heart, my very thoughts are known;
There is no secret hidden, unconfess’d,
For Thou dost search, Oh Allah, every breast,
That power is Thine, and only Thine alone.
So let me live, Oh God, so let my life be passed,
That when I die, I rest with Thee at last.
Anon
Absence of belief is like absence of light, a dark night never relieved;
it snares the unbeliever in a wild solitude, wretched in spirit,
facing a stride away the blackness where all his ways
come to dead end, where the light he can bring to bear,
his only light, is the torch of ignorance.
In that darkness his imagination is cruelly imprisoned disabling perception;
he discerns neither beginnings nor ends;
nothingness looms monstrously out of bottomless despair;
everything appears confused, ill-proportioned, futile, lost,
a chaos of particles blown by poisonous interstellar winds.
But the believer’s spirit, like his world, is consoled by light
as bright as sunlit sky, a wide-dimensioned space where time
unfolds in purposed direction; and earth displays its beauties
interlinked and opening out like petals; where all paths
turn through infinite, measured variety toward a brighter Paradise.
In that light his imagination is compassionately freed:
enabling vision of eternal spring under glistening clouds,
the spirit can surrender itself to a brief, peaceful sleep,
the heart flies like an arrow to its rest, and shining horizons
beckon to an infinite expanse of light pouring down.
Believing souls traverse that expanse to eternal life where their dreams
are vivid with memories of their past…
their traversing is itself a dream-like journey
and surely they attain their journey’s end, having so earnestly desired it
in the depths of their hearts and in their spirits
battled so mightily against errors of selfhood and human arrogance.
Abdullah al-Ansari al-Hanbali
Why remain a bondsman
of greed, or mere speculator
on the mysteries of life.
Devotion alone can fulfill
thy need.
Be not proud of wealth
'tis but temporarily lent.
Treasure, more than aught else,
the gift of health.
O God! Fill me with Thy Grace
so that the passions of the body
assail my mind no more!
Help me, O God!
For none else can
bestow Thy gifts;
Thou art the only Giver.
I am aware
of my own unworthiness,
but I am certain
of Thy boundless Grace.
Regard not thyself
with thine own eye
lest it may bring misfortune
by magnifying the self.
The evil eye of another
can be averted,
there is no escape
from the evil of one's own.
Satan saw himself
with his own eye, created out of fire.
He looked down on Adam
created out of earth.
Satan who looked at himself,
with his own eye, was condemned for ever.
Adam, on whom he cast an evil eye,
craved forgiveness and was redeemed.
'Tis better to be
humble as the earth
rather than steeped
in overweening self-conceit.
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi
Cry not out at misfortune, O wretch, come, trust in God!
Cry not out at misfortune, O wretch, come, trust in God!
For know that crying out compounds the misfortune and is a great error.
Find misfortune's Sender, and know it is a gift within gift, and pleasure.
So leave crying out and offer thanks; like the nightingale, smile through your tears!
If you find Him not, know the world is all pain within pain, transience and loss.
So why lament at a small misfortune while upon you is a world full of woe?
Come trust in God!
Trust in God! Laugh in misfortune's face; it too will laugh.
As it laughs, it will diminish; it will be changed and transformed.
Know, O arrogant one, happiness in this world is in abandoning it.
To know God is enough. Abandon the world; all things will be for you.
To be arrogant is total loss; whatever you do, all things will be against you.
So both states demand abandoning the world here.
Abandoning the world is to regard it as God's property, with His permission,
in His Name...
If you want to do trade, it lies in making this fleeting life eternal.
If you seek yourself, it is both rotten and without foundation.
If you seek the world outside, the stamp of ephemerality is upon it.
That means there is no value in taking it; the goods in this market are all rotten.
So pass on... The sound goods are all lined up beyond it....
Abu Khalid
Were you there in times far gone,
When girls were buried for being born?
When disgrace was your fate for being poor,
And blood was shed to settle a score.
Were you there in times gone past,
When honour came from time or caste?
When idols of stone were worshipped in pride,
And peoples hearts were hard inside.
Did you witness their evil plight?
The Prophet they tried to kill at night.
The men they tortured for saying a word,
That changed humanity, whole nations it stirred.
Were you there in the valley for years
A diet consisting of water and leaves.
Banished to pay for daring to speak,
Fear of Islam was reaching its peak.
Were you there in the cave crouched down,
The enemy close and hunting around?
Only protected by a web and a bird,
Oh but indeed, Allah was their third!
Did you see the day they fought,
3 camels and men whose experience was naught?
Yet bravely they battled against their own kin,
So they were forgiven, and made to win.
Did you witness the men that day,
Who threatened the Kings to surrender or pay?
Persia and Rome had trembled indeed,
They knew they came for Allah, not greed.
Were you there to count the dead,
The Prophet had died and Fitnah had spread.
United they stood and fought those astray,
And spread Islam far, far away.
Were you there in times of old,
Or have you only just been told?
The men of honest acts and intentions,
That's why they're called the Prophet's Companions.
Written in 1501 by the Moriscos of Spain
to the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II, asking for his help.
The Moriscos used Aljamiado,
which is a dialectical form of Spanish written in Arabic characters.
Translated by Devin Stewart.
from Mercedes Garcia Arenal, Los Moriscos
(Granada: Univ. of Granada, 1996), 33-41.]
Anoble, enduring, and continual peace for my Lord, the best of Caliphs.
Peace be upon my exalted and glorious Master
who forces the unbeliever to don the cloak of humility!
God has blessed with victory over all regions!
Is the noble city of Constantinople!
God has adorned with armies and peoples subject to the Turks!
And mark your reign over all nations!
And important men who desire to emulate him!
And with those counselors endowed with good judgement!
In al-Andalus, in the West, the land of exile.
Who are bordered by the Mediterranean
And the unplumbed, deep, and tenebrous Ocean.
Afflicted by enormous calamity - how enormous it has been!
Whose white hair has been torn to shreds, after having known glory!
To uncover themselves among barbarians after having spent a lifetime veiled!
To eat pork and meat not sacrificed according to the religious law!
And pray for your good fortune at all times.
And save you from every evil and disgrace!
And triumph over your enemy and keep you in His favor and care!
Of the injuries, disgrace, and enormous misfortunes which afflict us!
Breaking with our faith; we have been oppressed, in dishonor!
devastating it town by town.
Using great canons to demolish our fortresses impregnable walls,
Laying siege to them, attacking them for days and months
And when we saw that no help was coming to us from our brothers,
And that our food had decreased, making our situation truly dire,
We submitted, against our will to their demands out of fear of further misfortune.
On the condition that we be allowed to remain in a situation similar
To that of the Mudejars before us, the inhabitants of the old Muslim territory;
That we would enjoy the right of calling to prayer and celebrating our ritual prayers
And not be made to abandon any prescriptions of the religious law;
Whoever among us wished to cross the sea to the African coast would be permitted
To do so safely, with all the belonging he desired to bring;
And other stipulations, over one hundred and fifty in all.
Their Prince and Sultan told us then, What you have stipulated
Is granted to you in entirety.
This is my amnesty and my guarantee of protection.
By it shall you remain in possession of your belongings and your homes,
As you were before, but without arms.
Treachery soon became evident: he broke the pact.
He transgressed the capitulations with which he had fooled us
And made us convert to Christianity by force, with harshness and cruelty,
Burning books we had
And mixing them with excrement and filth!
Perished in the fire, amid mockery and ridicule!
They left not a single book belonging to a Muslim,
Nor a single volume one could read in solitary refuge.
This person would end up in the flames.
Who would slap him on both cheeks, confiscate his belongings, and throw him into
prison.
Forcing us to consume food and drink.
They ordered us to curse our Prophet
And prohibited us from invoking him on occasions of happiness or misfortune.
And by the most exalted of men, the family of Muhammad
And his Companions - what noble companions they are!
And by Abbas, the uncle of our Prophet
And by his white banner, the most venerable of all banners!
By all great men who recognize their Master
And all upright men endowed with nobility!
Perhaps God, from his Throne, will rain down Mercy!
Since whatever you say is heard and what your order comes to pass,
Whatever you command is done swiftly,
Particularly since the land of the origin of Christianity
Whence it spread to other regions, is under your dominion.
And under the protection of our glorious kings, who fulfilled their promises,
They were not obliged to abandon their faith or their homes,
Nor did they suffer any betrayal or dishonor.
It did nothing but increase their enmity and boldness against us,
And their perseverance in all types of nefarious acts.
But they told them that we had accepted their religion of unbelief voluntarily,
And that they did not impose upon us once defeated conversion to their idolatry.
God is our witness that this is not true!
With perfidious words and arguments.
It was fear of death and being burned which made us convert.
We said what they forced us to say; it was against our intentions.
For that which afflicts us is the worst of exiles!
We could not possibly have given up our religion or our prayers,
As they swear we did before breaking the pact.
If not, get them to allow us to emigrate from their land to North Africa,
The land of our loved ones, with our belongings.
For we prefer emigration over remaining amid unbelief,
With power but without religion.
May our needs be fulfilled through you!
From you we look forward to the end of our anguish,
Our disgrace, and the humiliation that afflicts us!
And your glory will rise higher than all other glories!
Therefore, we ask our Lord God to prolong your life in reign and glory,
In good fortune and prosperity!
Numerous troops, abundance and magnificence!
Lastly, may God s peace and mercy
Be with you always and at every hour.
to the Muslims of Spain after the reconquest
Fatima Seedat
Lord! You are never more present
Than the moment before we succumb to our elements
Ramadan! You are never more needed
Than when we think we’ve had enough
I long for the passion of my thirst
To linger past the hour
That I recall the pleasure of the first sip
That runs sweetly to where the fast nestled in my throat
Month of purity
Month of me
Month of spiritual rhapsody
Love! You are never more treasured
Than the moment I see you leave my lovers eyes
Ramadan! You are never more beautiful
Than when daylight draws your veil
I long for the certainty of your nights
To spread to my days
That I may continue my moon filled vigil so
That my lips never cease His remembrance
Month of purity
Month of me
Month of spiritual rhapsody
Rose! You are never more beautiful
Than the moment before you surrender to die
Ramadan! You are never more precious
Than in your closing hours
I long that these last minutes turn to days
That I may save the space of time
That runs with the 'rosary' twisting through my fingers
Month of purity
Month of me
Month of spiritual rhapsody
translation by William C. Chittick
Jalaluddin Rumi
God created suffering and heartache so that
joyful-heartedness might appear through its opposite.
Hence hidden things become manifest through
opposites. But since God has no opposite, He remains hidden.
For the sight falls first upon light, then upon
color: Opposites are made manifest through opposites, like
white and black.
So you have come to know light through light's
opposite: Opposites display opposites within the breast.
God's light has no opposite within existence,
that through its opposite it might be made manifest.
Therefore our "eyes comprehend Him not, but He
comprehends the eyes" [Surah 6: 104]: Learn this from Moses
at
Mount Sinai*.
Know that form springs from meaning as the
lion from the thicket, or as voice and speech from thought.
Form was born from speech and then died. It
took its wave back to the sea.
Form comes out from Formlessness: Then it
returns, for "unto Him we are returning"
[Surah Baqarah, 2: 156]
* Rumi alludes here to Moses' words in the Qur'ran: "Oh
my Lord, show me, that I may behold Thee!" The verse
continues, "Said He, `Thou shalt not see Me; but behold
the mountain – if it stays fast in its place, then thou shalt
see Me.' And when his Lord revealed His theophany to
the mountain, He made it crumble to dust; and Moses fell
down swooning" (Surah 7: 143].
Zeba Khan
I want you too much to take you
And cherish you too much to cheapen
So sister accept my distance
And watch my love slowly deepen
I am but one man among many
Who longingly thinks to savor
Your warmth, your eyes, your smile,
And wonder at its flavor
My place among them is common
Of merits, I cannot boast
But sister my devotion
To your honor is foremost
And I alone among them
Nearly burst with wrath
When he of lusting eyes
Stood and blocked your path
When he of thieving hands
Stole a caress from yours
When he stood damn close to you
As he would with common whores
As I stood in my rage
You stood in virgin shame
I’d come to your defense
If you’d only call my name
If only you would see me
As more than just a beard
If only you could think of me
As more than religiously weird
It’s for Islam, not spite it
That I will not meet your eye
And it’s not romantic cowardice
That keeps my smiles shy
It’s not because I fear you
That I will not call your name
And when I call you sister
I’m trying to be tame
It’s not that you’re inferior
It’s just that I’m so base
I haven’t the control
To gaze into your face
Without my heart missing beats
Without forgetting to be ‘brother’
Without wishing your love
Was for me, and no other
So until Allah, He blesses me
And you become my other half
I will always close my ears
To the melody of your laugh
I will always close my eyes
To the beauty of your face.
I will kindly ask my heart
To beat at normal pace.
I will walk a step before you
And cast no looks from behind
I will move my lips in zhikr
To keep yours off my mind.
For I want you too much to take you
And cherish you too much to cheapen
Sister, accept my distance.
Sister, watch my love deepen.