Friday, July 3, 2009

To Him We Shall Return




We laugh, we smile, we frown and cry,
but never really do we ask why.
Our lives are full of stress and perspiration,
results, achievements, but never satisfaction.
We keep working and working ignoring this question,
this cycle we follow with false inspiration.
Consumed in this rat race, forgetting our true meaning,
forgetting the true purpose behind our temporary being.

Stop! for just one moment if you’re pleased.
Think of your Lord and ask to be relieved,
of this burdened lifestyle in which we’re engulfed,
and ask for paradise as our end result.

Think of the way we prioritize this world,
although in 40 or 50 years we will be hurled,
above the heads of our children.
And laid down beneath the ground we once walked on.

The nature of death is like no other,
no guarantee a son will die after his mother.
Yet we all agree that for every birth,
that every being will return to the earth.
Not knowing when our time will be,
The lives we lead are wrong, can’t you see?
This life’s a transit don’t you realize?
It’s time that we learn to prioritize,
between acts that will determine our final destination,
and acts that will merely sweeten this transition.

And it’s when you come upon this realization,
that the skies clear up for clear observation.
You begin to see the true meaning of this test.
That no man is greater than the rest,
merely for his power or wealth,
or for his stamina or his health.
For these are attributes we leave behind,
in this life we lead largely blind.
Wake up and remember the next line and learn,
that from God we come,and to Him we shall return.


~ Mohamed Abdulhai

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Some Advice from a Wali in regards to Tasawwuf




A letter --While residing in Egypt, Ahmed Ziyauddin Gumush-khanevi wrote a letter to Hasan Hilmi Effendi , who was his deputy in Istanbul. In the letter he addressed all of his disciples and described ten principles of his path:

1. Finding a perfect shaikh, and pledging allegiance to him with repentance and full submission.

2. Learning the essentials of being a disciple and a shaikh, attending the discourses, participating in the activities, and serving the shaikh without any objections.

3. Maintaining the pledge while upholding the righteousness, sincerity and trust in Allah and being straight in desire and purpose.

4. Abandoning ornaments and showing off, which would lead to self-bragging, and paying attention to cleanliness.

5. Soundly maintaining the wuqûf-i qalbi, dhikri-dâimî, and râbita [establishing deep connection with the shaikh and with Allah].

6. Overcoming the nafs and lust, improving one's code of conduct, and getting closer to Allah with prayers and worship.

7. Staying away from comfort, seeking progress in the tariqa, and preferring retreat [over casual socializing].

8. Trying to overcome the nafs, Satan, desires and the carnal prompting of the passions.

9. Being humble, thankful and content.

10. Acquiring contemplation, scrutinizing, pondering and discernment skills for spiritual yearning.

His Recommendations

1. When at least 10 of you are together, do the Khatme-i Khawaja dhikr in the morning and in the evening. If possible, read the entire Qur'an or one-third of it. If the juz booklets are not available, do dhikr together instead. Keep turning to Allah and ask things from Him while observing the râbita and being aware that you are in His presence all the time.

2. Eat and drink what is lawful while observing the Sunnah of the Prophet and being aware that you are in the presence of Allah all the time.

3. Be in peace with neighbors, people of the town, parents and friends, for the beginning of Tasawwuf is to avoid hurting the creatures.

4. Do your daily dhikr duties just as described to you and observe the special blessed nights in prayers and worship.

5. A person who is in tariqa must visit the graves of the awliya and attend the discourse of his shaikh to eliminate possession. He must do plenty of dhikr, keep his love and connection, and read tasawwuf books.

6. To get rid of the sleepiness and lull, the dervish must change the place of dhikr, establish râbita, and write a letter to his shaikh. He must take refuge and try to regain the zeal and energy to do dhikr.

7. The dervish must maintain patience, thankfulness and contentment, attend the congregation, and greet people. He must appreciate the time, restore the town, reinvigorate creatures, and have perseverance in his worship.

Some of His Words

1. There are four kinds of love: love of Allah, love of what Allah loves, love for the sake of Allah, and love with Allah.

2. Love means leaving all senses, desires and thoughts and turning to Allah with the greatest desire. It means disconnecting oneself from the wealth, belonging, children and other worldly things and having a longing for the Creator.

3. The fastest way for leaving the offenses is love of Allah, a strong tie to the beauty of Allah. This is achieved through abundant worship, full repentance, thorough envisioning of death and hellfire, enlivening one�s nights in prayer and meditation, being affectionate to creatures, holding a good opinion of people, and persevering against lust, hatred and illicit thoughts.

4. Looking around weakens the heart; closing the eyes strengthens it and brings serenity.

5. If a person avoids looking at haram, protects his nafs from lust, beautifies his heart and spirit, and feeds himself with halal food, he will not be mistaken in his intuition and sagacity. Yet the intuition is acquired not through the domination of the nafs over the body, but through the achievement of vision with the light of Allah.

6. There are principles in all tariqat, yet the common principle in all of them is servitude. As a person serves, he deserves the blessings and gifts, and he is rewarded with honors and happiness in this world and in the hereafter. smile.gif