Memories

Memories

For in my mind I see
A place beyond reality
The places that bring me great joy and happiness
The light of the sun
Always bringing a smile to my face
The warmth of friends
The comfort of love
Why is it that that certain place holds so many dear moments for me?

I look back at them with joy and thank the Lord for those memories.
But it’s because of those times that I am able to appreciate the present.
This current moment – filled with blessing and opportunity.
Filled with the same light and abundance as those joyous memories from the past

Inner peace it seems
Is not so far away after all.

Only You

Only You

I lost my self once

For this notion of love

I fell to its beauty

From the white clouds above

I gave into pleasure

I gave into pain

I lost myself once

But I got back up again

I found myself again 

I found freedom and light

I found peace and equality

And all things were right

I found You

But left myself behind

And thus I melt into you 

Like the clouds in the sky

When the rays of the sun shine upon them

Giving that heavenly glow

There is no longer I or me

Only You, my beloved Lord.

The Temple

The Temple

There are numbers I see that make me

Free beyond this physical being

For we are one

There is no me

The body is form

But the essence breathes

I return slowly

The source is beckoning

To You I belong

And where I am there You are
This journey is a quiet one

Diving deeper into the ether

The soul will live for eternity

The temple will soon crumble and decay

But the light that shines within its walls

Will glow bright now and forever more.

InshAllah. 

The Islamic Spiritual Path

The Two Dimensions of Islam

Islam is composed of two different dimensions.
The outer and the inner
The external and the internal
The form and the essence
The apparent and the spirit

Why is this important? Why do we need to know that there are these two different dimensions of Islam? What can it cost us if we fail to understand these two different dimensions?
One example of its importance can be found in the story of Iblis (Satan) – Iblis excelled in external practice. There is not a space in the world where he has not done sajdah. (Prostrated to God)  His physical Ibadah was untouchable. His core and fundamental mistake was that he had no internal development. He failed to serve the Lord internally.


Form does not constitute essence. This is the most critical mistake we make as Muslims nowadays.  Carrying out only the physical obligations does not constitute the spiritual state which is our ultimate goal.
External submitting means to adhere to Shariah; to pray, to fast and to do all of our normal obligations in order to carry out the external dimension of Islam.  How do we apply Islam internally in addition to the external dimension?


One critical mistake we often make is linking piety with the forms. If a Muslim is praying, wearing a hijab, growing a beard, dressing Islamically or reading the Quran – we equate these external forms with piety. The critical mistake we make is equating the essence with the form. And they are not often the same.

The reality of Islam is when it’s applied to both dimensions. Physically as well as spiritually. Externally as well as internally. The internal state is what is the most important. That is essential.  We can have the forms and in reality the forms are meant to give expression they’re meant to give form, they are meant to emerge from the inner state of Islam and to give us a way to communicate and express the internal dimension of Islam, but they cannot replace the internal dimension of Islam.


They cannot replace internal surrender.  One example being Salah (Prayer). The body goes through different motions when praying. The final point being a physical act of surrendering when the forehead is touching the ground.  But how do we feel inside?


Salah (Prayer) gains its power and meaning when the heart and soul is in a state of Islam. That is the perfection of the Islamic spiritual path and the perfection of Islam.
Over the last few decades Islam has become politicised due to the varying conflicts of the modern world whereas in history the spiritual path was always adhered to. Islam has lost its spirituality and therefore lost its soul.


What we've ended up with and few people are actually admitting it is the second age of ignorance. An age of total ignorance of what Islam truly is. We've lost the meaning and purpose of Islam. Even though we go through the forms and we talk about Islam, the results are very clear. Islam is not doing well on the superficial level in the world today and we see this horrible image portrayed of Islam and we have no one to blame but ourselves.


If MUSLIMS truly understood Islam and if we truly practised it in the way that it was meant to be practised we would have much better results.  Allah swt says “I do not change the condition of a people until they change it themselves”.


It is up to us to carry the true banner of Islam towards peace and enlightenment as it was meant to be carried. Muhammad (pbuh) said “there will come a day where nothing remains of Islam but its name.”
We are very likely in that day now. Where we talk about Islam and we hear about Islam but nobody understands the REALITY of Islam.


What is the reality of the Islamic spiritual path? Is it just a formal religion? Is it just this external code of conduct? Or is there something more to it? Is it an authentic path to enlightenment?  A real path to divine peace. To Human excellence. Is it a path to progress?  Are we as Muslims demonstrating that? This lack of understanding, this loss of understanding, now necessitates a second age of enlightenment, a second Islamic golden age and it’s on the horizon. I believe that we are beginning to wake up and we’re beginning to realise what Islam truly is, and we’re beginning to go back to its spiritual root, to its spiritual core and its essence. There is nothing more necessary now than a rediscovery of Islamic spirituality.

Let’s review what we have covered thus far. Islam is a gift, it is a divine gift from God.  And it was given to us for our benefit, you see Allah (swt) does not need anything from us, He doesn't need our worship, He doesn't need anything we can possibly offer or do, and He gave us Islam as a gift for US. And if we truly understand it and if we practice it properly, it begins to change every aspect of our lives, our spiritual lives as well as our practical lives. We can achieve a complete balanced experience of life through the Islamic spiritual path.

Adapted from the works of Brother Ihsan Torabi.
Full access to his works can be found here:http://www.islamicmeditation.com/main/
To see Brother Ihsan talk about this topic in detail himself please visit here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrAZQaYA3yw

May Allah bless his family and his loved ones for all his hard work and may we all wake up to an age of enlightenment.

Hope

Hope

Through my art I hope to find

A place beyond this world of mine
The camera lens

The ink and pen

Will illustrate just

Who we are

The sweat that drips

Upon the steel

Bodies carved

For us to feel

Alive again

We burn like stars

A light in the dark

Between Venus and Mars

The Lost Diaries Part 5

Self Fulfilling Prophecy

It's a sad sad world that we’re living in
People around us consumed by their own sin
The strong eat the weak and the weak feed the strong
No wonder why all can’t get along

Brutal violence has poisoned our streets
And the drugs and guns and knives are there to feed 
This social image that the media believes in
And forcefully controls our minds to perceive 

Ourselves as gangsters
Ourselves as outcasts

And so the teachers too will point in the class
“You’ll be a lawyer, you’ll be a nun!”
“If you study hard boy you’ll be a rich business man”
“But you there lad, here take this gun”
“You’ll be the mistake that society learns to run from”

“And you there coloured boy, put down that book!”
“And pick up the trash and throw away your looks”
“For you will have no brain so put that in the bin too
And give up on school ‘cos I will give up on you”

And thus are born the children of the system
One with a degree
And the other with his fist on
The faces of our mothers and fathers in anger
For no one believed that he could do it so he gave up
And when the system lets you down
The streets will pick you up
The devil in your ear will give you want you want

A life of hatred and a life of crime
A life of fast money, drugs and grime
And before you know it you come across him
A man of the system now his soul lost within 

The city and his briefcase, his wallet and money
And you stare at his wealth 
He looks upon you funny
And doesn’t recognise you from the teachers class
Because he learned to step over you like broken glass

And so you pick up the shards that tore you apart
And put 1, 2 3 of them straight through his heart
For you yearned to be noticed and you yearned to shine
And now forever you will spend the rest of your time

In the darkest cells
The systems hell
To try and correct you to act real well

But if it weren’t for that self fulfilling prophecy
You could have held that brief case and smelt that money
But instead society turned its back on you
And the devil became your best friend too

So now it’s a sad sad world that you’re living in
Stuck in a hole, consumed by your sin
The strong eat the weak, but the weak poison the strong
No wonder why we all can’t get along.

The Lost Diaries Part 4

The Valley Of Pain

Through the valley of pain

My soul is in deep slumber

Yet my body writhes from the constant torture

Love

A disease

A mind crippling disease.

That causes the body to suffer without ease.

Hairs turn white.

Eyes turn dark.

Nights become sleepless.

The days fly by without knowing what to keep holding on to.

The Lost Diaries Part 3

Untitled

There are some matters that I need to get off my chest

In order to positively reinforce this stress

Without the blessings

The devil is taking the best of me

And riding me down the river of sin

Since adolescence 

Aint no second guessing

That these matters that are on my chest

Started in my chest

With feelings such as love

Then jealousy

But I digress

From the point at hand

And that is mentally and physically

I'm fading like the desert sand

The Lost Diaries Part 2

As I Lay Down My Head

As I lay down my head

I become lost in you

Become lost in this worship

I escape to my home

A moment of reality 

As I bow to my Lord

Hope that one day we can be 

Reunited for now

And forever more 

The Lost Diaries Part 1

Apocalypse

The lost diaries are a set of incomplete poems that are yet to be published. 
They are words in its raw form, inspiration taken from dreams or the notepad I keep by my bed to write a few words when I wake during the night. These are unedited and not worked with due to lack of time or dying inspiration.

The ground was shaking
The wind was roaring
Snow fell so heavy
On a cold winters night
Explosions explosions
The helicopters flew right by
The planes were shot right to the ground
The war was over by the afternoon
The sky torn in two
As the sun began to rise from the other side.

Love Love Life

Keep your head up

Your presence is a present to the world.
You’re unique and one of a kind.
Your life can be what you want it to be.
Take the days just one at a time.

Don’t put limits on yourself.
So many dreams are waiting to be realized.
Decisions are too important to leave to chance.
Reach for your peak, your goal, your prize.

Nothing wastes more energy than worrying.
The longer one carries a problem, the heavier it gets.
Don’t take things too seriously.
Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

Count your blessings, not your troubles.
You’ll make it through whatever comes along.
Within you are so many answers.
Understand, have courage, be strong.

Douglas Pagels

The Nomad

Where do I belong?
In a world so full of people
With tables already set
For the groups that make this world

A nomad

Forever cursed to walk this earth alone
But I need a land of my own
A place where I can call home

I knock on doors
And eat with strangers
Drink with travellers
Sleep with angels

But I cannot shake this feeling of
Wanting to belong in a place of my own

A place where there are
Others like me
But I have yet to find this silent retreat

A nomad

Wondering this Earth alone
A wolf with no pack
And this howl is my song.

Better Days

Better Days

The late afternoon breeze
Brings a familiar scent
Great Britain it seems
Is just a fading memory

Those childhood moments
So deep inside my being
Make me feel a little more human

A past life
Of which I left behind
To pursue this dream of mine
To save the world one at a time

I aim high
But have lost the will to fly
I must find my wings again
So I may soar the starry sky

On the winds of faith
That bring me this familiar scent
This summer afternoon
Reminds me of what I want

The crow cries
As dusk is on its way
The stars will guide this path
For me to find a better day

The Tree

Deep grooves define my complicated texture
As many run by, block by block
There is enough room
For cities to dwell
Within the grooves that define my texture

The intricate lines
Between space and time
Create artistry
Of the most sublime

The cracks and the caves
That wither away
As seasons pass by
It shows on my face

My hair starts to fade in colour and shape
And fall to the ground to be blown away
Then spring comes again
I feel so brand new

And as I take my first breath
I breathe life into you.

The Gift

The Gift

There are many beauties in this world

To observe but a few

We use the eyes our Lord gave us

To seek the beauty in truth

We use our sense of smell

To navigate between two worlds

And we use our sense of touch

To feel the wonders of the Earth

We use our sense of taste

To give thanks for the sweetness of fruits and dates

And we use our ears to listen

To the words you have bestowed upon us

For in recitation and silence

Reverie and melody

I find you

And it is there I want to be

I cannot part this world to see you

And not bear any gifts

But you own my heart my soul my love

So what is there for me to give?

Except my Ruh

To you.

Why is it?

Why is it?

Why is it that you captivate what I give to you so willingly?

Why is it that my heart tears through my chest every time we meet?

Why is it that no matter who I see you’ll always be the one and only?

Why is it, that if that’s the case, you’re so far away from me?

0123

0123

It goes from zero to one to two to three

The digital code sent from above

A direct message for me to decipher 

Sent with blessings and love

The critical connection

Between me and He

Is evidential in this spiritual dream

But you gotta open your eyes

Before you visualise 

True elevation 

My soul’s in a purgatorial state

Cleaning the filth to make a new slate

For his message to be written

On the flesh of my heart

And deep inside the wound 

The process starts

Healing 

Self believing 

Heavenly sent words for the masses

But the media is full of opinionated bastards

Who criticize the words of the Educator 

The king of all the worlds 

The facilitator

The most beneficial and trustworthy

The innovator

The most kind and caring

The protector

The most understanding

Not a rejecter

Unlike my heart in this anger

This feeling of need 

Is amplified by 

This hunger and greed

Man I'm thirsty

For a sip of eternity

To quench this heat

Inside the cold streets

For the ground shakes beneath

But still no one believes 

And that’s why I'm here to 

Take these words to the preachers

To take these words to the streets

To take these words to the schools

To take these words to the government

To take these words to the fools

To take these words to my ego

And let it soak in purgatory

While I expiate these sins

From these eyes within me.

The Cave of Her Heart

How much of the past do we care about?
The few words spoken
That cut deeper than any blade of man
To wound not only the heart
But the soul and all it encompasses
This everlasting pain
Resurfaces
Many years down the line
Even after the words have long disappeared on the wind
Yet the echo remains in the cave of her heart


I must defeat these ghosts
Rid her of the demons that keep her from smiling
Break through the fear that controls her heart
Let her confidence flow rather than her tears
Let her smile brighten the land around
And bring life once again to the cave of her heart

For many have been wounded
By the ghosts of their past
And until we learn to let go
To rise above the doubt
We will never succeed
I've fought the battle of recognition for far too long to let her do it alone
So I draw my shield to protect her
From the past
So that her smile can shine again
And last, in the cave of her heart.

Paint The World

Paint The World

Pastel colours
Dip into the paper
The fading shades of a dream portrayed

The oil paints scream loud to no avail
Expressing love and hurt and pain

The pencil, black and grey at times
Shows a colourless world with finer detail

The ink on the brush is all that's left
to complete the image inside my mind

My minds eye
My fingertips soaked from creating
My minds repertoire on display for
the world to gaze in vain.

This genius portrayed
through the honour of He
who provided the ink and the slate.

Grateful

Your peace surrounds me
Your love embraces me

The sweet caring touch of the wind that rolls by
The beauty of your words soothe my heart

Your forgiveness and mercy are always there for me

I do not deserve this
But I'm grateful...so grateful...
for the experience and for the lessons learned.

Embrace Art

I'm artistic can't deny it
The more I suppress
The less I can hide it
These colours seep right through me
While I weep
The tears of expression
Bleed into space
And the universe can hear my cry
For eternity


A king without nation
A poet without pen
Da Vinci without his hands
Is unimaginable torture to men
So without these words I find
That I'm so lost so
Misunderstood


So empty yet filled to the rim
And this art is my pen
My life is the ink from which I rely on
To soak the pages with reality and fantasy
But once in a while the truth is portrayed
Through the tear drops that bleed
Into the page
And ripple through the ink of life
To illustrate this pain and strife.

The Colours of Love

The colours of love


Love comes to us in many forms
For me they are but colours from the palette of life.


The love of friendship flows green like the grass
As we lay side by side
Or run through it bare foot with the wind in our hair
Not a worry in the world.

The love of family glows deep and blue
Like the sky above
Watching over us and protecting us
The soothing cool comfort
Of your close ones.

The love of your partner
Shines pink in the moonlight.
A sweet kind of love that makes the heart dance in your chest.
The more it dances the deeper it becomes.
Then in a moment of passion it flushes into red and embraces all the feelings of the soul that cannot be expressed by word.

The love of God, shines pure and white.
Like the clouds that float above us or the reflection of the sunlight
That shimmers across the vast ocean.
A love so bright that you cannot set your eyes upon it, but you feel its warmth, its comfort, its pureness and its wonder.


The colours of love make up our lives.
Use the palette you have to paint a world of love for yourself. Experience and embrace all the life and colour around you. Be artistic, be creative, be love.


Forever yours <3 Thank you for opening my world to so much colour.

The Beast

I die one death
But the memory sticks
Then I rise from the ashes spread over the water
River phoenix
This soul decayed way too far
To be restored by love
So run as far as you can
The beast has fallen from above
And now roams wild
Tearing through the lands
Eating hearts
Then disappearing like quick sand
This quick plan of mine
To restore this life
Seems so far away
To grasp the light
So I accept the beast is me
And abolish my pain
Tears turn to power
And I'm flying again.

The Wolf

Talking to the moon
Asking why I haven’t won yet
But the answer still remains
Unclear unlike the night sky
The mystical moon
Gleaming from the ether
The answer lies in the cracks
Of his withered face
One day she will realise
That she lost out on all from up above
But he remains completely still
Unfazed by this requiem of love
So as I question his authority
His magnetic pull
Withdraws me
Into silent yet deadly reverie
I gasp while the wolf within me breaks free
And hunts down the sun at every dusk
To devour it before he rises from his slumber
And has dominion over the night sky
Until the flaming star rises again.
And the beast is no more.

Fortified Disposition

Fortified disposition

Love is art

But this art is missing

Hit the pencils against the canvas

Paint the world with this lyrical prowess

But I digress

From the point at hand

And that is art is love

But this love is missing

Without two parts this love is missing

Without the mind and the heart

This love is missing

Without the struggle and pain

This love is missing

Without spiritual and physical and lyrical gain

This love is missing

Without friendships, hardships

This love is missing

Without fireworks in the dark

This love is missing

Without guidance from the heart

This love is missing

So let’s be grateful for who we are

And quit the dissing

Take the brush to the world

Implement this mission

Express yourself

Embrace your fortified disposition.

The Prologue

The Prologue

I guess I need this space in time
To ventilate what’s on my mind
And flush out all negativity
To produce a better freer me,
Who does not need the shackles of society
To control the way I choose to be
So fuck the haters and control freaks
For trying to kill the boy in me
Poetry is a part of me
So eat these words and swallow seeds
Of wisdom, bliss, eternity
Let the words fill your cerebrum
Take these metaphors to the eyes and while you read them
Appreciate that art is pain
And in my pain these words find life again.
So let the pain breathe through the spirit of me
And let these words be
My heart’s final symphony.
Long awaited, much diverted, totally avoided, blessing and a curse.
These words will be the saviour of me
So I’ll give them all to you before I ride the hearse.
Destiny: Eternity.
Wait for me my beloved queen.

This is dedicated to life…for giving me so much to write about.
So look forward to the tale that I spin in verse.
And give credit to the Lord for directing this curse.

Devil on my back

So I got the devil on my back trying to bring me down
Yet when I bow down he woes to me wow
Because the jealousy is eminent, and prominently evident
and envy follows ignorance
But I can’t seem to shake the fact
That every sheikh and hat sitting with a beard thinks that he knows
The true meaning of "you reap what you sow" and thus
Confusion and disbelief grows.


A doubtful mind is dangerous mind
Like a rookie killer with two targets in sight
Not knowing which life to spare and which to take
So he takes his own and thus he crumbles
Under the weight of...


The devil on his back bringing him down
Because when he goes down there aint no climbing out
Of the dark pit of pitiful, sinful souls
How’d he get down there? Nobody knows…
Well I know and I aint going down too
So the only time I'm on my knees is to find you
To seek guidance in this dark and rain
To fulfil a purpose that I grow to gain
An understanding of step by step
But with this devil on my back it’s hard to progress

Cos the stairway to heaven is long and hard
But the path to hell is laden with stars
And my dreams and hopes are all on this track
But it’s up to me to take my life back
And run this train through the gates of hell
Through the pitiful hole of souls that sell
Their bodies and minds for money and time
But I hold onto this wisdom of mine

And know not to therefore lie on my stomach
For he will ride this temple down under
But instead to soar straight through the skies
Until the sun melts the tears in his demon eyes
And he falls to the ground with humility
And prostrates to God, just like me.

Dreams

I see things in my dreams
That I cannot explain to thee
For fear of the truth being leaked
From a world we cannot see

Only recently
The sky lit up
With many falling stars
That just kept falling

And as I drove between cities at night
The sky lit up
The shadows of clouds
Loomed over mankind
And a fear struck my heart
Of a spiritual kind
For I’d seen these visions in a dream
In a world we cannot see.

The Hermit

The Hermit

I dwell apart
From the world of men.

I lift my eyes
To the mighty hills,
And sit in silent reverie
By rushing streams.
My songs
Are the whisperings of the winds
And the soft murmurs
Of falling rain.

Blossoms open
And flutter to earth again.
Men come
Men go ;
Year follows year,
And life goes on.

China, 18th Century
Hsu Pen

Don't love me

Why do I spend my life
Waiting for replies
Waiting for signs
Waiting for a message
Just to hear that you’re alright

It kills me inside
To never hear what’s on your mind
I live day to day
Staring at this cell phone
Eyes are strained
From trying to tear them away

And never knowing what’s inside
Never knowing what’s on your mind
Cos I’m an English boy
And I can’t seem to understand
Yeah I’m an English boy
So instead of keeping quiet, just hold my hand

And let me feel what you’re feeling inside
Let me hear the beating of your heart
Let me feel your love surrounding me
But never let me hear you love me
Never let me hear you love me
Never let me hear you love me
And just love me in your own way.

Let me be...

Let me be...

Let it start off dark, mostly night,

And one day let my darkness bring someone light,

I gladly go through it all for the purpose of a lesson,

That will hopefully turn out to be a blessing,

No second guessing,

Let me be an example of how strong His love is,

And to never put anything above His, 'cause what if,

It wasn't unconditional, then what would we do,

If He did how we do,

We know we wasn't supposed to do the things

That we did but we did 'em,

And if that wasn't bad enough then we hid 'em,

But you saw it all, So we only lie to ourselves

Help us, save us from hell,

Let me be!

(Dmx - Let me be your angel)

I Lose Myself

I lose myself

I don’t know why I lose myself
In worldly desire
Yes lose
Because there is no winning in sin
Yet I lose myself in
The bliss of a moment’s pleasure

A sacrifice I slowly make
Giving up what’s mine for the taking
Yet I lose myself
Am I just faking?


Am I a hypocritical internet scholar?
Who preaches to the masses yet cannot follow
Himself or his ego that rebels inside
I lose myself to these feelings inside

And until I pray to change the conditions of this heart of mine
The evil one will rule this temple until I die.

The Human Body

The Human Body 

A flawless structure with many fine details that are still yet to be discovered.  Scientists engaged in research using today’s advanced technology obtained astonishing results concerning the human body. One of these dealt with the tissues in the body.

Living tissues contain 26 different elements. 6 of these are the most common; carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur. These basic elements represent 95% of all tissues, this in turn represents important scientific evidence of the information revealed in the Quran.

The creation of man out of clay. The building blocks that constitute almost all the human body are present in the soil either in free or compound forms. The first human being was created by God who shaped clay into human form and breathed the soul into it.

This miraculous event is described in the Quran:

Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: "I am about to create man from clay: "When I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My spirit, fall ye down in prostration to him." (Surah Sad :71-72)


In another verse God tells us that: We created man from an extract of clay. (Surah Al-muminun: 12)

The word translated as extract in the verse means representative example or essence. The information revealed in the Quran 1400 years ago confirms what modern science tells us; the fact that the same elements are employed in human creation as those found in the soil.

99 Names - Al-Malik

Al-Malik

الله Allah
Who is Allah? (Part 3)

And so the journey begins to understanding the One by looking at each of the 99 names in detail with reference to the Quran and life the Prophet (pbuh)

The first name I wish to examine is Al-Malik

Al-Malik

The Sovereign Lord, He who is the absolute king of the entire universe. 

Other translations include:

The Owner
The Ruler
The King
The Sovereign

 What one can gather from this name is that the One possess an extremely high status and is a Ruler, a King of all of his creations. Couple this with the beautiful meanings of Ir-Rahman and Ir-Rahim and we find that this King, and Ruler, is a Kind and Merciful one, who owns all and never ceases to shower his creation with his overflowing abundance of kindness and mercy.

Al-Malik appears in the Quran three times. Let us examine each area of occurrence and look at the context in which this name appears for us. The first occurrence is in Surah Al-Hashr, 59:23

Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god;- the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme: Glory to Allah! (High is He) above the partners they attribute to Him.

As you can see from this verse the name is also coupled with a few others which will we talk about later but the main thing is that it is not just a King or a Sovereign that is being mentioned, it is one who is a Source of Peace and a Guardian above all. 

The next occurrence of Al-Malik is in Surah Ta-ha, 20:114

 

High above all is Allah, the King, the Truth! Be not in haste with the Qur'an before its revelation to thee is completed, but say, "O my Lord! advance me in knowledge."

Here the name Al-Malik is coupled with an interesting concept. The truth. A King, or Owner of Truth. The remainder of the verse/sign (Ayat) states that this Owner of Truth must also be an Owner of Knowledge, as one must ask for knowledge in order to receive it. This is an interesting concept as it links not only Sovereignty of the entire universe as well as being the most Merciful but it also connects Truth and Knowledge with Ownership and Rule. 

The last and final occurrence of Al-Malik in the Quran is in Surah Al-Mu'minun, 23:116. 

Therefore exalted be Allah, the King, the Reality: there is no god but He, the Lord of the Throne of Honour!

This last reference almost completes our image of a King, one who is seated on a Throne of Honour.
The Owner of Truth, Provider of Knowledge, whose Mercy is boundless and who is enshrouded in Honour.
One more very interesting concept is that the name Al-Malik here is also accompanied by the phrase "the Reality", meaning that this wonderful being is not a fairy tale King, but a real one. 

InshAllah this journey will continue examining the other names while looking at the Quran and making comments. However I must add that my comments and opinions here are only my own and the word of God prevails above all. I hope InshAllah that I am able to convey a vivid and poetic image for you through my study to bring you closer to the One that you seek.

Peace and blessings to all x

The Time

Al-Asr

By (the Token of) Time (through the ages),

Verily Man is in loss,

Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy.

Surat 103

The Night of Power or Honour

Al-Qadr

We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power:

And what will explain to thee what the night of power is?

The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.

Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by Allah's permission, on every errand:

Peace!...This until the rise of morn!

Surat 97

The Night

Surat Al-Layl 

By the Night as it conceals (the light);

By the Day as it appears in glory;

By (the mystery of) the creation of male and female;-

Verily, (the ends) ye strive for are diverse.

So he who gives (in charity) and fears (Allah),

And (in all sincerity) testifies to the best,-

We will indeed make smooth for him the path to Bliss.

But he who is a greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient,

And gives the lie to the best,-

We will indeed make smooth for him the path to Misery;

Nor will his wealth profit him when he falls headlong (into the Pit).

Verily We take upon Ourselves to guide,

And verily unto Us (belong) the End and the Beginning.

Therefore do I warn you of a Fire blazing fiercely;

None shall reach it but those most unfortunate ones

Who give the lie to Truth and turn their backs.

But those most devoted to Allah shall be removed far from it,-

Those who spend their wealth for increase in self-purification,

And have in their minds no favour from anyone for which a reward is expected in return,

But only the desire to seek for the Countenance of their Lord Most High;

And soon will they attain (complete) satisfaction.

Surat 92

The Sun

Surat Ash-Shams

By the Sun and his (glorious) splendour;

By the Moon as she follows him;

By the Day as it shows up (the Sun's) glory;

By the Night as it conceals it;

By the Firmament and its (wonderful) structure;

By the Earth and its (wide) expanse:

By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it;

And its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right;-

Truly he succeeds that purifies it.


91:1-9

小林

Kobayashi 

He created us in pairs

To find comfort in each other

To look past our imperfections

So that we may love one another

You are my garment

You protect me from the cold

When I shiver from the wind

Your hand is always there to hold

And although you may not believe

In God, who created we

The beauty of your soul

Shimmers brighter than the sea

For your beauty is reason enough

For me to believe in the One

The sparkle in your eyes

From the land of the rising sun

His beauty and his mercy

All shine to me through you

And that is why my heart is full

Of peace when I'm with you

For you are my garment. 

You cover me from up above

You wrap me so gently in the smallest of forests

In his mercy and his love. 

“It is He who created you from a single soul, And made its mate of like nature in order that you might dwell with her in love....” (7:189)

Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim.

الله Allah

Who is Allah? (Part 2)

To continue with understanding the One, let us have a look at the phrase
Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim.

In order to analyse the deeper meaning behind this, let us break down the phrase into it's three elements and study each of those. This will help us understand the meaning of the phrase as a whole and take us one step closer to understanding the moral ethics of Allah.Brother Wahiduddin  has done such amazing work on this topic that there is not much I can further add. For the purpose of sharing information I will quote and summarise his work however I highly recommend reading his article for yourselves in order to get a full understanding of this concept.

He has broken down the phrase into three different segments and has looked at each one in its literal, idiomatic and poetic sense in order to fully understand and grasp the meaning behind this. 

He looks at the two moral attributes of the One, Rahman and Rahim in detail.

"rahman:

The term rahman describes that aspect of the source of all creation which is endlessly radiating, endlessly nourishing, regardless of who or what is receiving the endless flow of blessings.

Rahmân conveys the idea of fullness and extensiveness, indicating the great quality of love and mercy which engulfs all of creation without regard to any effort or request on our part.

According to Ibn Qayyum (1350 AD), rahmân describes the quality of abounding Grace which is inherent in and inseparable from the Almighty.

rahim:

On the other hand, the term rahim describes that aspect of the source which is issued forth only in response to the actions and behaviour of the recipient. It is in this manner that God takes ten steps toward us when we take even a single step toward God.

Rahîm conveys the idea of constant renewal and giving liberal reward in response to the quality of our deeds and thoughts.

According to Ibn Qayyum (1350 AD), rahîm expresses the continuous manifestation of the Grace in our lives and its effect upon us as a result of our own activities."

He follows and concludes by illustrating some poetic comments and verses on the topic which I found to be extremely enlightening as this is a phrase which we as Muslims use on daily basis, before doing any activity.

"There is no way for any one translation to capture the many facets of this beautiful phrase Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim. Here are some poetic renderings that attempt to capture some aspects of the meaning without being literal translations:

With every breath that we breathe, may we be act on behalf of the Divine Presence,  the Source of all that we receive. 

With every step that we take, may we be instruments of the One Light which guides us, the Source and Nourisher of all of creation.

Every moment of this life is filled with your eternal radiance my Beloved, You are the Beneficent One who endlessly showers all of creation with nourishment and blessings, and the One who generously rewards those who live in harmony with Your Divine Will."

"ir rahman ir rahim:

Rahman points toward the Beneficent One whose endless outpouring of love and mercy are continually showered upon all of creation, while Rahim points toward the Merciful One whose love and mercy are manifested in that which is received as the consequence of one's deeds.

So, the phrase ir rahman ir rahim is a recognition and honoring of the very source of all existence, the source of all blessings, the source of all compassion, the source of all mercy who gives endlessly to us and who also responds according to our moral integrity, our harmony with all of creation and our love of Allah."

This phrase alone is enough to give us an insight into the concept of Allah. And the first attributes we find are love, mercy, honour, moral integrity and harmony. The fact that almost every chapter of the Quran begins with this phrase serves as a reminder to us that these are the strongest and most pinnacle attributes of Allah. Isn't it wonderful to know that the Lord whom I seek is One of Love, Mercy and Honour?

However the journey to understanding Allah with me is only beginning. To quote an Hadith:

Narrated Abu Huraira: Prophet Muhammad SAW said, “Allah has ninety-nine names, i.e. one-hundred minus one, and whoever knows them will go to Paradise.”

Sahih Al-Bukhari – Book 50 Hadith 894

And so with these 99 names my journey begins, to understand and embrace each one and to take one step at a time to get closer to the One.

Know thy heart

Know thy heart

Know thy heart

Do not deny it the purpose 

Of its creation

Fill it with the love of one

Who filled you with his love

A heart is a sanctuary 

For all you believe in

So take the key of faith

Hold it firmly 

Say a prayer

And unlock your chest 

For verily in the remembrance of God do hearts find rest. (13:28)

Spiritual Elevation

Ameen

The mysteries of the universe

All solved with one

Poetic verse

The distance between space and time

Are relevant inside this mind

As I close my eyes and fall into

The deep abyss of the dreaming state

I feel all kinds of feelings too

Like love and friendship, envy, hate

But when these big eyes open up

The fear is left behind

For the dream is just an illusion

Of a reality that we can’t seem to find

Without opening our hearts to the glory of God

And realising that our soul was created for him

His being is one we can’t comprehend

So we strive and struggle to search within

But we must first topple our egos

The demons that try

To destroy our path to one

By injecting our minds with these lies

And once we defeat the demon inside

The Devil can no longer whisper

His thoughts into our minds

And thus we elevate into a spiritual dimension

Understood by some

Who forget to mention

That this state of elevation is a sign of the struggle

That our souls undertake to burst from the bubble

Of this vessel that we are trapped in

Mankind

The heaven is waiting for us

So close your eyes

And remember that to Allah you belong

Remember that to Allah you will return,

Remember that this world is just a dream

Now open your eyes and read!

Ameen.

Birds

The Birds Whisper

The birds whisper

Food is here

As provision falls from the hand of man

So who feeds man?

If we provide for those that fly

Then a Splendid One
Must provide for those

Who stand firm under the sky

Love thy Lord

Love thy Lord

From being in a state

Of worry and loss

My heart finds content

In the words of my Lord

His loves lets me see

The beauty of mankind

My arrogance falls

In prostration

Soul calmed

Chest filled with light

Love all around

This beautiful night

Al Nafs

Al-Nafs

To turn an enemy into a friend 

One must choose his actions wisely

For words can touch the heart of men

But the soul must be moved concisely 

As there are parts of us that decay

Yet we cannot just throw these parts away

For without them we are not whole

So we must clean the decayed soul

And win him over as a friend

For when two become one the process of mending

Hearts and souls

Spirits and egos

Desire and Piety

Sin and redemption

Light and darkness

Merge as one

My friend is now me

The ego obeys

We’re on the same page

Until the end of days

InshAllah

Walking on water.

The strength of Imaan

Human beings have been given the greatest form, over all creatures. It's why the Angels were told to prostrate to man. One way we can keep this form of ours beautiful is through Deen. Deen is understanding what is right and what is wrong. However we don't want to become empty vessels or tin cans that say "muslim" on the outside but on the inside are something different.

We can't just say we are Muslims with our mouths, or write it with our words. It is our continuous action and Imaan that help us show who we are. It's like writing the word "fire" on a piece of paper and expecting to boil water with it. Yes the word "fire" is there, but it is not strong enough to serve the water. Just like our Imaan. Yes we may say we are Muslim, but just that alone is not strong enough to please our Lord.

Thus we must show our actions from our heart rather than our minds. If your heart knows what's right and wrong your body will follow. If your good actions please you and your bad ones fill you with remorse and pain then this a sign of Imaan. And we need to be the judge of our own Imaan everyday before we are judged upon.

One sign of a strong Imaan is love of Sunnah. We must enquire what Sunnah is and not separate it our label it under a different box, which unfortunately most Muslims are doing now. Even with our prayers we rush to complete the Fard but disregard the Sunnah. 

Allah (swt) will answer your calls and prayers but he will answer from your Imaan rather than your own thoughts and opinions. Only when your Imaan is beautified can you receive super divine help.
Most believe that these miracles are only given to Prophets or at the time of Prophets yet the Sahaba(the companions) were ordinary people yet received extraordinary blessings, because of their love of Sunnah, and the strength of their Imaan. E.g Crossing the ocean on foot. 

These miracles given to them show us that it is not just for Prophets but for us too.
Until the last day and for the very last person, the help of Allah(swt) is always there, if we acknowledge it and accept his way.

New ideologies and renovated thoughts cloud our senses causing us not to receive these miracles that are waiting for us. However if we follow the footsteps of the companions and the Prophet (pbuh) then many things are available to us.

Imaan is our strength. However from time to time we run out of it. Just like a phone needs to be charged to connect with our loved ones, our Imaan needs to be charged to connect with our Lord. One way to charge it is to spend time in good company or at places of worship (mosques). 

By doing this we are strengthening our qualities for our Imaan and most importantly our Deen. When using our qualities for the Dunya (this worldly life) we often find that we are never compensated. It's like working with water. We freeze it to make great sculptures but by the time we have invested all our money and effort into carving them they have turned back to water. 
So let's make efforts for things that are ever lasting. Things that will not trickle through our fingers and drip away like water. 
Let's make efforts for Jannah(Heaven), and instead of chasing the water down the drain, the waters will stand firm for you to walk across just like the companions of the Prophet(pbuh) before us. 

Who is Allah?

الله Allah

Who is Allah? 

The question that is on the minds of many Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and has been on my mind for a long time thus leading me to begin this search for Allah. 
In Arabic Allah can be translated as "God" or the single deity. The incomparable, One true God.For some the concept of this deity is hard to fathom. Even at 24 the concept of Allah is a mystery to me, but one I devote the remainder of my life to uncover and solve. 
Linguistically speaking the term has no plural or no gender which is common for most words deriving from the Arabic language. This makes it unique in the sense that it cannot be pluralised like the English word "God", therefore insinuating that there can be no comparison in phrase. Allah is Allah. 

"In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
Say (O Muhammad) He is Allah who is One, Allah the Internal Refuge, Who has not begotten nor has been begotten, nor is there to him any equivalent" Surah Al-Ikhlas

The Quran, the words of Allah can verify and vouch for this notion that Allah is One. The uniqueness and authenticity of the Quran itself is such a deep and profound topic that I will talk about it in another post so I beg your pardon for the referential use of the Quran throughout this first post. I assure you it will make sense upon further reading. 
Much of what we as human beings can gather about Allah can be found from the evidence given to us from his word, the Quran. Language provides us with the best form of communication and also within each word and sound are morals and attributes that are embedded as clues for us. If one can see the connecting thread between language morals and attributes - understanding the concept of Allah is surely a task that anyone can undergo.  

However this is not the case for most. After writing a thesis at university and providing many evidential sources on how language and morality/ moral philosophy are linked I have decided to begin my search for Allah through words. Rather than believe in a bed time story told to children in order to adhere them from committing violent acts of sin, I decided to look for Allah through the scriptures and words left here many years ago which still to this date remain unedited and untouched.
I guess it is difficult to continue without talking about the Quran itself so here goes.

With the exception of one, each of the 114 chapters of the Quran begin with the phrase:
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Bismillah-ir rahman-ir-raheem.
Let us look at this phrase in detail to examine and extract the morals and attributes which make up this phrase in order to try and understand the One, Allah.
Upon doing some research I discovered a great Author who really illustrates the beauty of this phrase and in order to commend him on his work I will reference it as this brother deserves recognition for helping many to establish an understanding of one of the most pinnacle points of Allah's nature.
All the following information on this phrase can be found and read in more detail on Brother Wahiduddin's website.
Thus let us quickly proceed into understanding this beautiful concept.

Ah..before we begin if I may beg pardon for a moments digression, any adjectives I use to describe this religion or this journey for seeking the One, are solely chosen to illustrate my opinion. In the beginning I thought of portraying a slightly less biased version of my journey in order to make it more palatable for you, the reader, however without the vivid descriptions and emotion I feel that I cannot truly bring you the essence of this journey and for that I beg your forgiveness in advance for what may seem like my own personal bias.


For the non-Muslim readers my intentions are only to show you my journey and if you were to decide upon yourself to join me then I can only be humbly grateful. I am in no intentional way challenging your beliefs and I ask that if you do read this - please keep an open mind and respect my passion. And as Gandalf so eloquently puts it: "Bilbo Baggins! Do not take me for some conjurer of cheap tricks! I am not trying to rob you! I'm trying to help you." :)


For my Muslim readers - there may be opinions or thoughts of mine that you disagree with and although we are but one Ummah, my journey and my relationship with the One is an individual one. For that reason alone I beg forgiveness in advance if there are things you may read on this journey that displease you. Some plants grow in sunshine and some plants grow in shade; Allah knows best where you will grow best, Trust Allah.
Thus let us finally proceed into understanding this ....Beautiful concept.

*See next post*

Peace and blessings to you all x