Rumi and Nakedness

Rumi and Nakedness

Allaahu, Allaahu, Allaahu!

Hu, Muhammad, 'Ali, Hu!

Shah, Shah, Shah!

Ishq Muhammad, Vah 'Ali, Hu, Hu, Hu!

Ya Huwa Hu... Ya Huwa Hu...

***

If you can’t smell the fragrance
Don’t come into the garden of Love.
If you’re unwilling to undress
Don’t enter into the stream of Truth.
Stay where you are.
Don’t come our way.

(Rumi)

Yes, Mawlawi (Rumi) is naked. Tears of constant longing as well as pearls of ecstasy (wajd) have undressed him.

Once Mawlawi was engaged in intense Dzikrullaah, the state where "no one, not even an angel, can come between the Sufi and his Beloved", when a few fuqaha (scholars of the exterior law of religion) came to him. They asked, "We want to talk to you, O Shaykh". He replied, "Who?" They said, "Shaykh Jalal ad-Din". Mawlawi said, "There is only Allaahu in this chamber". They were astounded and, after a period of sustained silence, said, "Fine. Can we talk to Allaahu?" At last, Mawlawi said, "There is only Jalal ad-Din in this chamber". Upon hearing this, the fuqaha realized that a conversation was not meant to take place, so they left Mawlawi alone.

From the above, we learn that the fuqaha are veiled with so many layers of the exterior law. The difference between them and Mawlawi is that Mawlawi is not dressed with a single garment and in that transparency, only al-Haqq is seen. However, be careful! This doesn't mean that Mawlawi was ignorant of the Shari'ah! In the contrary, although his father, Baha' ad-Din Walad was a Sufi (and is said to be a descendant of Abu Bakr as-Shiddiq), up to middle age, before meeting with Shams ad-Din, Mawlawi had been a faqih himself, like those fuqaha, even a very stern one. It's just that he has transcended the Shari'ah (the ice of the law of exterior forms has melted in the Light of the Irresistible Truth) and arrived in the Chamber (Mihrab) of Annihilation (Disappearance) and appeared anew with the Essential Attributes, as-Sifat al-Haqqani. From the exterior point of view, he (Rumi) is but dust in the Path of Islaam, while from the interior point of view, he contains (is in communion with) all forms, and is therefore the Path itself. When one has reached this state, one may start a "new" Sufi branch, with the Permission of the Holy Prophet (SAW).

Remember again that in a nutshell, Sufism, Tashawuf, is:

Taubah (Repentance),

Shafa (Purity),

Wilayat (Being in the Intimate State of receiving the Beloved's special attention),

Fana' (Annihilation).

We may imagine Islaam as the Way towards your own Fitrah, Nakedness. Then Shari'ah is your walking, Thariqah (Tashawuf) is the manner of your walking, and Haqiqah is your Final Destination, your Ultimate Goal, al-Haqq. Then, in the words of the Holy Prophet (SAW), "Ma'rifat is Knowing al-Haqq, your Goal or Destination, the way He (Hu) should be known". Also, "If you knew Him the way He should be known, you could remove a range of mountains or crumble them in a single word". Imam 'Ali (KW) also said, "I would not worship the One I love if I could not see Him".

***

Beautiful Lover, Sweet Lover,
Didn’t I tell you
You couldn’t bear Our torment?
This is a morsel of resignation
Didn’t I tell you, you couldn’t eat it?

Those who don’t eat it remain helpless
Blood spatters from their eyes
This is a moment – it comes, it passes
Didn’t I tell you, you couldn’t sense it?

This dervishhood is a wish
It is a great example to those who know
It is a sleeveless, collarless shirt
Didn’t I tell you, you couldn’t don it?

Let’s reach the Secret of 'Ali and Zahra
Let’s go up to the Meydan
Didn’t I tell you you couldn’t put
Your soul, your head on the way of the Truth?

Lovers are ill-fortuned
They take their value beside the Truth
Loving concourse is sweeter than honey
Didn’t I tell you, you couldn’t be filled?

Mawla Sultan 'Abdal,
Our way reaches the Truth
The Twelve Caliphs of Love are our caravan
Didn’t I tell you, you couldn’t follow it?

(Shaykh Sultan 'Abdal)

Ishq,

{Dani}

Nur Muhammad and the Seven Degrees of Manifestation

Nur Muhammad and the Seven Degrees of Manifestation

BismilLaah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem

"Allaahu is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The Parable of Hu's Light is as if there were a Niche and within it a Lamp: the Lamp enclosed in Glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star: Lit from a blessed Tree, an Olive, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil is well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it: Light upon Light! Allaahu guides whom Hu wills to Hu's Light: Allaahu sets forth Parables for men: and with Allaahu is the Knowledge of all things." (QS. an-Nur (24): 35)

O Salik,

We know that the three "layers" of Man are: the body (al-jism), the mind (an-nafs), and the spirit (ar-ruh). Let us now reflect on the innermost part of Man whom the Sufis, in particular, al-Hallaj (radhi Allaahu 'anhu wa qaddasalLaahu sirrah), Ibn 'Arabi (radhi Allaahu 'anhu wa qaddasalLaahu sirrah), and al-Jilli (radhi Allaahu 'anhu wa qaddasalLaahu sirrah), call the Light of the Holy Prophet, "Nur Muhammad", or the Reality of the Holy Prophet, "al-Haqiqah al-Muhammadiyya".

Know that the Reality of the Holy Prophet (shalla Allaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) is the Cause of all exsitential manifestations. The elevated Sufis, to whom the Holy Prophet (SAW) entrusts with the Secret, Mystic Knowledge of Hu's Essence, know this through a process of realization known as Unveiling (Kasyf) which is one of the ways by which Allaahu honors Hu's lovers in Hu's Intimate Presence. Nur Muhammad is said to be the Primordial Material for creation. Creation is to be perceived as the act of manifestation of the infinite forms within Hu's boundless Knowledge ('Ilm) that these forms may testify to the Reality of realities, al-Haqq within and without themselves.

In the Holy Qur'an, the Unity of Existential Reality is revealed as "A.L.M." (Alif Laam Miim): Alif stands for Allaahu, al-Wajib al-Wujud (al-Haqq, the Primary Being), Laam stands for Hu's hidden and manifest realities, and Miim stands for Muhammad, the Perfect Manifestation (al-Insan al-Kamil) of Hu's Essence, the Reflective Void of Hu's Essential Attributes ('Adam), the Comprehensive Seal of Hu's Names. Let us therefore reflect on the Muhammadan Reality for the sake of embelishing our own spiritual station, for I have asked for permission from the Holy Prophet (SAW) to inspire in your heart the Essential State of Oneness (al-Martabah al-Ahadiyya) of Allaahu with its corresponding seven degrees of manifestation.

Know that the Reality of the Holy Prophet (SAW), the Perfect Knower (al-'Arif al-Kamil), the Sign of Hu's Power (Qudrat), the Seal of Hu's Secrets (Asrar), can only be understood by us through following the ascending stages (ma'arij) of Shari'ah, Thariqah, and Haqiqah. Therefore the Knowledge of Nur Muhammad is only for those who are constantly engaged with safeguarding themselves from heedlessness. It is to these people, who are purified through keeping Shari'ah, Thariqah, and Haqiqah intact, that Allaahu opens the locks to the treasures of the heart and explains secrets from the Unseen. This is the beginning of the Knowledge of al-Haqq (Ma'rifat).

The Holy Prophet (SAW), in a hadith related to us by at-Tirmidzi (radhi Allaahu 'anhu), says:

"Awwalu maa khalaqallaahu Nuuran."

"The very first that Allaahu created was Light."

Furthermore, as related by Jabir ibn 'AbdulLaah (radhi Allaahu 'anhu), he (SAW) says:

"Awwalu maa khalaqallaahu Nuura Nabiyyika, yaa Jaabir... Wa khalaqa minhu al-asy yaa'a, wa anta mintilka al-asy-yaa'i."

"O Jabir, the very first that Allaahu created was the Light of your Prophet. Allaahu created all things through this Light. And you are one of those."

"Anaa minalLaahi wa al-mu'minuuna minii."

"I am directly from Allaahu and the people of realization (i.e., those who comprehend the Light of Islaam) are from me."

"InnalLaaha khalaqa ruuha an-nabiyyi shallalLaahu 'alaihi wa sallama min Dzaatihi wa khalaqa al-'aalama bi asrihi min nuuri Muhammadin shallalLaahu 'alaihi wa sallama."

"Verily, Allaahu created the Spirit of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) directly from Hu's Essence, then Hu created the whole Universe of forms and (veiled) all its secrets with the Light of Muhammad (SAW)."

"Yaa Jabir, innalLaaha khalaqa qabla al-asy-yaa'i buura nabiyyika min nuurihi."

"O Jabir, verily, Allaahu created the Light of your Prophet from Hu's own Light, before he brought forth all existences into being."

As such, the Holy Prophet (SAW) is the Dawn and the Light of all existences. As a consequence, he is the Master of the Kingdom of Guidance, the Summit of Comprehension, in the hierarchy of graded realities.

In a hierarchical sense, Nur Muhammad is the third of Hu's seven degrees of manifestation. Know that Allaahu has seven degrees of manifestation as follows:

1. Al-Martabah al-Ahadiyya

This translates into the Primordial State of Absolute Singularity (Oneness or Uniqueness). This is the state in which al-Haqq uniquely, absolutely exists alone in Hu's own Singularity ("Solitude"). As such, this is a state beyond comparison. Nothing of representational nature can compare to this state. It is the state of Absolute Nothingness (Void) in which Hu exists alone in Incomprehensible, Indescribable Silence. In this state, al-Haqq has no name nor attribute. Nor does Hu perform anything nor act. In this State, Hu is Hu, all alone, in Absolute Oneness, untouched (unnecessitated) by names, attributes, actions. This is the state devoid of duality (multiplicity) of any sort. Know that the Word (Name) "Hu" hides the Reality of the Absolute Unity, Silence, and Solitude of Allaahu in this State.

2. Al-Martabah al-Wahdaniyya

In this state, al-Haqq has names. Know that the name "Allaahu" is a direct representation of the unnamed Essence. It reflects That-Which-Encompasses all by (simply) Being. In this state, al-Haqq can be mentioned (referred to) as "God the Most High", in different languages, traditions, and religions. As such, in this state, Hu can already be "felt" or "sensed" since now Hu has attributes that lead to Hu's actions.

3. Al-Martabah al-Wahidiyya

In this state, Hu desires "multiplicity" and desires to reveal Hu's Essence by means of the First Intellect and the First Pure Emotion in the form of Light known as Nur Muhammad, the Foundational Form of Existence. According to a hadith qudsi, "I was a Hidden Treasure and I desired to be known. Therefore I brought forth existences (i.e., created)." This is the Reality of the Holy Prophet (SAW). The Light is named "Muhammad" since it is of the Purest, Most Exalted Essence, al-Hamd (the Praise-Worthy), by which Hu spans the Structure of Reality in hierarchical degrees and reveals Hu's Self to the countless manifest forms therein. It is only by means of Nur Muhammad that we can comprehend the secrets of al-Haqq. It is said that Nur Muhammad is the Mirror in which Hu sees Hu's Self. This refers to the state of Perfect Purity in which no "veils" exist between the Creator and the Creation. As such, the discovery of Intimacy takes place in this state. Nur Muhammad is neither the Creator nor a Creation but the Isthmus (al-Barzarkh) between the Two, the Primordial Reality that bears the Unity (the Sweetness of Tauhid) of the Two.

4. Al-Martabah al-'Alm al-Arwah

This the manifestation of al-Haqq in the first plane of existence of created beings. Beings in this plane of existence are of the most diaphanous form known as spirits (arwah). The word "ruh" (singular of "arwah") means "breath", indicating the One that breathes. Here the spirits still manifestly bear the characteristics of the Void due to their nearness to the first existential state in which nothing but Hu exists. Hence their forms are imperceptible. They live in a realm of sublime peace. Reality here is said to be overwhelmingly silent and proceeds at a glacial pace. It is a Reality of Austere Unity. Individuation is not so pronounced here, i.e., there is almost no border between beings here. The forms (i.e., spirits) here are fully conscious of al-Haqq, their Sustainer, Cherisher, and Evolver (Rabb), since they see Hu with the Light of the Holy Prophet (Nur Muhammad). It is in this plane of existence that Allaahu asks each of the spirits, "Am I not your Lord?" In the state of surrendering love and with full knowledge of Hu's Reality, each of them affirms that indeed Hu is their Lord.

5. Al-Martabah al-'Alm al-Misal

This the manifestation of al-Haqq in the second plane of existence of created beings, in which they receive their manifest forms made of graded lights. Heaven, hell, angels, jinns, human minds, etc. become manifest in this plane of existence. Each one of these beings is endowed with freewill, because Hu, out Hu's Infinite Love and Mercy, has willed that manifest existence shall not be puppet-like and that the goals of existence cannot be satisfied through manipulation. Due to their still hidden (ghayb) nature, beings here still cannot be easily sensed, and are largely unseen (relative to the beings that inhabit the phyisical world). Reality here is said to be "porous" and still "transparent". Individuation is more pronounced here than it is in the previous state, although it is still less than it is in the next one.

6. Al-Martabah al-Ajsam

This is the outermost state of the Divine Manifestation. The continuum that manifests this state is known as the Physical Universe that encloses animate (self-conscious) beings endowed with physical bodies as well as inanimate (unconscious) objects. It is here that the laws (axioms) of Physics and Mathematics emerge from the state of primordial complexity (which is not inherently random!). In fact, space and time and all the objects around us arise from a deep, hidden Sea of Hu's Knowledge, which everywhere displays a Vastly Superior Principle of Organization or Intelligence. However, a typical being in this plane of existence is said to exist behind 30,000 veils that separate him from the Unique Primordial Essence. As such, he is typically unaware of the depths of things, let alone the Silent Reality (the Void, al-Haqq) that sustains these things. It therefore requires intense meditation and hard work to reach a state in which "things are shown the way they really are". Know that this world lulls you to sleep most of the time! This is the true al-'Alm al-Qubr because the majority of beings here are veiled from their Lord. Most of us can be said to be "dead" here, not yet "alive", in contrast to our common assumption. So thick are the veils that one typically feels disconnected from each other. The feeling of interconnection between beings is often lost. The ego reigns and creates an intense sense of seperation. Individuation is so intensely pronounced. Only those who know the secrets of death can truly open the doors to Life. Life here is the greatest test for our awareness of al-Haqq, and hence for the question, "Am I not your Lord?"

7. Al-Martabah al-Insan al-Kamil

This refers to the state in which Hu has granted Full Unveiling on a created being in the physical plane of existence who has freed himself from the reign of his nafs and hence death. In reality, the term al-Insan al-Kamil (al-Insan al-Kabir), the Perfect Man, refers uniquely to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW). However, there are beings who have devoided themselves of everything except Love of Allaahu in the Way of the Holy Prophet (SAW) in the Light of Guidance (an-Nur al-Huda). Hence, they have devoided themselves of everything except Allaahu's Oneness, refusing for themselves all titles and aspirations. As such, they have become fit to receive the Light of the Holy Prophet (Nur Muhammad) and its mysteries. They are the Perfected Beings, the Images of the One Perfect Being, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) himself. Such a Perfect Being is he who realizes the full esoteric meaning of the saying, "O Allaahu, You are One, and I am one in Your Oneness." In his time, he is the Qiblah (Focus of attention) of the people of realization and an Ocean of Knowledge from which seekers (those who aspire to know the Truth) receive waves of the Prophetic Light in the form of divine analytic wisdom (spiritual knowledge). It is for the sake of al-Insan al-Kamil that the manifest worlds came into being. In him are all stations united. In himself, he encompasses all realites and secrets: he represents the Summit of existences.

Allaahu knows best.

Ishq,

{Dani}

On the Secrets of Mi'raj

On the Secrets of Mi'raj

BismilLaah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem

Glorified (and Exalted) be Hu (Allaahu) [above all that (evil) they associate with Hu] [Tafsir Qurtubî, Vol. 10, Page 204] Who took Hu's Slave (Muhammad ) for a journey by night from Al-Masjid-al-Harâm (at Makkah) to the farthest mosque (in Jerusalem), the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, in order that We might show him (Muhammad ) of Our Ayât (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.). Verily, Hu is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.

(QS. al-Isra': 1)

***

BismilLaah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem

Allaahumma shalli 'alaa sayyidinaa Muhammadin bahri awarik

O Allaahu, shower Your sweetest blessings upon our Master Muhammad, the Shoreless Ocean of Your Light

wa ma'dini asraarik

the Mine of Your Secrets

wa 'uruusi mamlakatik

the Throne of Your Dominion(s)

wa imaami hadhratik

the Imaam of Your Presence

wa thiraazi mulkik

the Splendid Frame of Your Kingdom

wa khazaa-ini rahmatik

the Repository of Your Endless Love

wa thariiqi syarii'atik

the Way of Your Noble Law

al-mutaladzdzidzi bi tauhiidik

the One who has tasted the sweetness of Your Essential Oneness

insaani 'ainil-wujuudi was-sababi fii kulli maujuud

the One Being who is the Cause of all that has come into existence

'aina a'yaani khalqik

the One Arch-Intercessor for Your creatures

al-mutaqaddimi min-nuuri dhiyaa-ik

the One through whom Your Primordial Light shines forth

shalaatan taduumu bi dawaamik

with eternal blessings as eternal as Your Essential Self

wa tabqaa bib-aqaa-ik

and as unchanging as Your Invariability

laa muntahaa lahaa duuna 'ilmika shalaatan turdhiika

truly, there is no end nor boundary to Your Knowledge

wa turdhiihi wa tardhaa bihaa 'annaa yaa rabbal-'aalamiin

with the blessings with which You are pleased and which shower ourselves with loving delight, O Lord of the worlds.

***

(Originally related to me by Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani qaddasa-l-Lahu sirrah )

A year and a half after the Holy Prophet Muhammad experienced Kasyf (Unveiling) and received Nubuwwah (Prophethood) from Allaahu 'Azza wa Jalla (Exalted in Might and Transcendence is Hu!), he was invited to the Presence of Allaahu, Almighty and Exalted. From Makkah to Jerusalem (al-Quds) he travelled accompanied by the Archangel Gabriel (Jibril) . From Jerusalem he ascended to the heavens by means of Buraq, a heavenly mount who carried him up. All the prophets in the different levels of heaven came to greet him. He ascended higher and higher, until he heard the scratching of the Pen (read: the Intellect), writing out Allaahu's Decree. He approached the Divine Presence, closer and closer, until Jibril said to him, "Ya Rasul Allaahu, I cannot continue further, or I will be extinguished." The Holy Prophet said, "O Jibril, accompany me!" He said, "I cannot, or I will be burned (annihilated) in Allaahu's Primordial Light." So our Master, the Master of existences, Muhammad , the most Perfect of the Perfect, continued alone. Driven by his boundless love for Allaahu's Divine Presence he approached closer and closer, achieving the State of Complete Annihilation in five different stages.

From one stage to another the Holy Prophet moved into Allaahu's Divine Secrets. Between each stage was five hundred thousand years. He passed through these vast Divine Oceans of Knowledge, which Allaahu, Almighty and Exalted, has created, until he was completely dissolved in Allaahu's Existence, seeing nothing except Hu. Then Allaahu called him to return to existence after he had reached the State of Annihilation. He returned and Allaahu told him, "O Muhammad, Approach closer." From this it is understood that the Holy Prophet , having reached the State of Complete Annihilation, was called by Allaahu by his name, indicating that he was appearing anew with Allaahu's Appearance, with all of Hu's Attributes, hence attaining as-Sifat al-Haqqani. He reached so near to the Divine Light, that he was "two bow-lengths or nearer" [53:9]. Allaahu asked him, "Who are you, O Muhammad?" At that time the Prophet was not conscious of himself and he replied: "You alone exist, ya Rabbi (O my Lord)." This is the perfection of the state of not associating anyone with Allaahu. It is the perfect sign of Tawhid (Oneness), when nothing exists except Allaahu's Glory, Allaahu's Essence, Hu alone.

Allaahu, Almighty and Exalted, said to the Holy Prophet on the Night of Ascension, "O My Beloved Muhammad, I have created all of creation for your sake, and I am giving it all to you." At that moment Allaahu granted the Prophet power to see all that Hu had created, with all of their lights and all of the favors that Allaahu had granted Hu's creatures by decorating them with Hu's Attributes and with Hu's Divine Love and Beauty.

***

BismilLaah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem

Allaahumma shalli 'alaa nuuril-anwaar

O Allaahu, shower Your sweetest blessings upon the Light upon all lights

wa sirril-asraar

the Secret of all secrets

wa tiryaaqil-aghyaar

the Cure for all existential sorrow

wa miftaahil-baabil-yasaar

the Opener of Ease

sayyidina wa mawlana Muhammadanil-mukhtaari

our Master and Guide Muhammad, the Chosen One

wa aalihil-ath-haari

also upon his Pure Family

wa ash-haabihil-akhyaar

and the best of his companions

'adada ni'amillaahi wa afdhaalih

countlessly even as Your bounties for us are countless.

ZIYARAT RASUL Shalla Allaahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam

ZIYARAT RASUL Shalla Allaahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam

ZIYARAT RASUL Shalla Allaahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam

BismilLaah ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem

Allahumma salli salatan kamilatan wa sallim salaman tamman
O Allaahu shower perfect blessings and complete graces

‘ala sayyidina Muhammadini-Lladhi tanhallu bihi-l-‘uqadu
upon our Master Muhammad , the one by whom all knots are untied,

wa tanfaraju bihi-l-qurabu wa tuqda bihi-l-hawaij
all needs are cared for, and all ultimate desires are realized;

wa tunalu bihi-r-ragha’ib wa husna-l-hawatimi
by whom one reaches the most beautiful of goals,

wa yustasqa-l-ghamamu bi wajhi-l-karim
and for whose beautiful and noble countenance the clouds pour rain,

wa ‘ala alihi wa sahbihi
and (may blessings be) upon his noble family and companions

fi kulli lamhatin wa nafasin
at every blink of every eye and with every breath,

bi ‘adadi kulli ma‘lumin laka
in numbers known only to You.

***

Ya Rasul! You are an Ocean of Knowledge that has no shore. Its waves are woven with all the pearls of Heavenly Knowledge. Allaahu cleanses humanity through your Splendid Reality with your Ocean of Piety and Purity and quenches the thirst of countless souls with the water of your spiritual Support. The worlds, including their hidden and manifest dimensions, oceans and continents, are under the Banner of your Reality. O Summit of Existence. O First and Foremost Beloved, Lover, and Love of Allaahu. O Splendor of the Straight Path. O Light on the Clear Horizon. O Morning Star decorated with the most exalted Crown of Guidance. O Moon of Allaahu's Subtlety. O Fire of Intimate Union. O Barzakh of the hidden and manifest realities. O Knower of al-Haqq. O Valley of Love. O Sky of Comprehension. O First Intellect. O Kautsar of Tenderness and Compassion. O Qutb of the Essence of the Most High. O Imaam of the Holy Light. Allaahu sanctifies all human souls without exception with your Holy Breath. I testify that Hu has adorned even the remotest corner and the hiddenmost dimension of existence with the secrets of La ilaha ill Allaahu, Muhammadun Rasul-Allaahu through you and you alone, O Beloved, for your sake and for your sake alone. O Sun of Existence, your Light penetrates every dark lair of ignorance. O First of the First, Last of the Last, your outstanding Signs cast away the least whisper of doubt from the hearts of humanity. O Resurrector of dead hearts, by Allaahu's leave, your powerful miracles bring life to hearts after their deaths and provide souls with their provision for the spiritual realm.

O Treasure of those who came to the world before you and of those who came and are to come to the world after you. In you are combined all the exalted stations. O Sinai of Divine Manifestation, O Furthermost Lote Tree of the Unique Knowledge, 'ilm al-Ahadiyya, O Fountain of the Hidden Knowledge. O Rainbow of the eye of my heart. O Heavenly Rain of my delight. O Wine of the breath of my spirit. O Most Supreme of the manifestations of Allaahu's Names. O Perfect Mursyd. O Caller to Allaahu's Presence. O Bride of the Beloved. O Love of my life.

Ya Rasul! How shall I sip the Nectar of the Unseen Knowledge if not from the Cup of your Reality? All Praise to Allaahu SWT for the Gift and Treasure that you and your Blessed Family truly are.

***

Ya Allaahu, ya Rabbi! Uplift the hearts of humanity and cause them to soar in the sky of spirituality for the sake of Your Beloved Muhammad . Surely You have made kings to stand at the door of Your Beloved Ahmad . You have spread his guidance from North to South and from East to West, from boundary to boundary, from horizon to horizon, and beyond. You have made him the greatest Ghawth, Arch-Intercessor, Sulthanul Anbiyya, Sultan of Prophets and Messengers, Master of all the Spiritual Pearls that have been bestowed upon this world by You, ya Rahmaan, ya Raheem.

Endless peace and blessings be upon al-Habib al-Azham Muhammad al-Mustafa , Nurin min NurilLaah, and his Pure Family!

The Madman and His Beloved

The Madman and His Beloved

The Madman and his Beloved


Once there was a passerby, a lover, a drunkard, a madman.
He was like a sun unto his own day and a silence unto his own night.
With beams of sunlight strangely emanating from his eyes,
His heart was like unto honey for the bee,
His words were like unto the daily miracles of a Prophet's life,
And the cup he brought was filled with the wine which would burn any lips!

He would stand naked and enchanted in the wind,
As he was drunk with the Beloved's beauty
Which he saw in the Persian Moon, the Fragrance of his life,
The Wine in his breathing, a girl named Shirin Navabi.

Since his longing for her had claimed his sanity,
Nothing could hide his Beloved from him.
He saw her in the silhouette, on the horizon.
Everywhere he gazed, life was moistened
With the Essence of his Love!

One morning, in a field of amber grain,
I found him befriending his own solitude which seemed to have no end,
Whose space no song could encompass.

Thus I heard him say unto the wind, his fellow traveler,

"O Love's Messenger unto jasmines and thistles alike!
Do you too proceed with great restlessness in your heart?
Do you deem yourself swifter than my arrow?
Does your longing too have to endure the pangs of separation
From your Beloved, whose beauty is as fiery as the sun?

"Behold, I accept the seasons which you bring,
But what shall I say unto the winters of your grief, my friend?"

Then turning his gaze towards the morning sun, he said,

"Shirin, O Shirin,
I do accept the seasons that pass over my heart,
For behold, this pain-filled longing of mine is self-chosen,
Every morn and eve, Love's sacred tears guide my tender feelings
Towards the burning image of your now distant self.

"Since I found you, you have always been like unto a nymph
Walking besides me with soft whisperings,
And sometimes like unto a tempest in my spirit!
Where else shall I seek Allaah's Beauty
And how else shall I find it so tender and pure,
If not in the light of your countenance, O Beloved?

"Shirin, O Shirin,
In this separation, let me be murdered by my own longing for you,
For this restlessness of mine has wings whose shaking and beating
Which even the mountains fear.
Who dares say you are not the blossoming of my desires, O Beloved?

"O mad currents in the air! Bring me my Beloved's sweet voice
And let me yield to it like a faint voice in the roaring of lovers!
O morning sun! Weave her face before me for her splendor is made of light,
O tranquil day! Let me rise with the dawn from the East with her everyday, endlessly!

"O song birds! Sing me my Beloved's song so that she shall come with me
Leaping upon the hills of my delight!
O dust of the seasons! Dance with me, let us celebrate my Beloved's beauty,
Whose eyes are like unto the crystal windows of all of Love's hues,
Whose hair is like unto autumn leaves adrift in the space of tenderness,
Whose cheeks are but eternity wrapped in shyness,
Whose lips are more delicate than those of a thousand angels for a mouth thirsting such as mine,
Whose fragrance is a gift from life unto itself,
Whose existence is like unto the snow-bound linen land that hides all of Love's ecstasy.

"When her gaze falls upon me, Allaah's Holy Face is unveiled,
And behold, I am a flower forever in bloom and a falcon forever in flight!

"Tell me, who can veil the mist and summit such as your beauty from my sight?
Are there fields and mountains beyond my Love's landscape?"

I was stunned by his singing which he had committed in such drunkenness
And I said unto myself, letting the wind scatter my voice,

"Behold the madman!
The harvest has come, the beclouding of the mind has passed!
For surely I have found a lover who has tirelessly searched for Love's greatest treasure with quivering madness and who has found it in his boundless heart!"

He noticed my sighing and exclaimed,

"This is but the first station of Love!
So much more is hidden in my trembling, O young man!
Do you not know that your longing too contains the silent knowledge of the seasons?"

I answered him with a stammer,

"Sir, it seems to me that you kiss Love's agony as if it were a river of delight,
O madman, tell me how long have you been separated from your Beloved?"

The drunkard said unto me,

"O innocent heart, if you would know the summits of life,
Then you must know the secrets of death!

"I was separted from my Beloved when they, the people of Isfahan, built the city walls,
Leaving beggars like me wandering outside.
Ever since then I have roamed the hills and the deserts, ever distant and alone.

"But in the wilderness, my imaginings have lent me a house of dreams,
And it is when I pass through light-woven vineyards does my Beloved come to me
As if out of the house which my longing has built for me with its own bleeding hands.

"Has not my longing spanned the beauty of my Beloved in my vision?

"Speak not of the depths of separation if you know not the dignity of this infinite longing.
But tell me, have you ever seen a lover fully tamed and without a wound?
For Love shall not span its thorny ways save you may pass through your own understanding of joy and sorrow and breathe the fire that dwells in every living thing."

Then I heard him utter these words,

"O tender branches, know that even in this separation is my pleasure!
How else shall a traveler in the Kingdom of Love reach the Beloved first
save he offends his fellow travelers and the whole Universe with jealousy?
Therefore I sing so that the hilltops may burn for me in their jealousy and therefore crumble,
And so that the stillness of the night may be filled with my song enthroned upon its heart.

"O humble earth, do not store that which is deemed forbidden in your silence,
But sing it out loud for it shall not burden the sky but make it enflamed!
O running brooks, have you not found the harp of your souls in the Sea?

"Shirin, O Shirin,
With you are my gardens and my amber grain!
Do not hide yourself from me for before your beauty,
I am but a bee desirious to gather the honey of your flowers!

"O Fountain of Allaah's Beauty!
Yield your sweetness to my shyness!
Am I not a caged soul taking wings before you?
Am I not like unto the abyss calling unto the sky?
Though I utter my words as if in madness and confusion,
It is with fullness of heart that I sing this only song of mine,
And my vision of your beauty is never lost in my singing!

"Yet my words are but grains of sand in this boundless desert
That burns when the harvest of Love's pleasures is at hand.

"Shirin, O Shirin,
Am I not a shadow trembling before the nakedness of your image,
And a pinch of sugar melting into the sun of your beauty?

"Is there among you a lover whose spirit is not offended by madness?
Is there among you a toiler who knows that Love's heritage is discovered in pain and not in reason?
Is there among you a seeker who seeks nothing but himself at the heart of life?

"Verily, I'm blind unto the night of my Beloved,
When she may be hidden in its stealthy garment,
For Love has unveiled the mystery of light for my sake!
This beauty, oh this beauty is my Way and my Religion!

"My breath is from the restless tides of the Qalandars,
It is only after I drink the wine of my own silence that I allow myself to sing for my Beloved Whose honey encompasses Love's sacred longing for Itself."

As soon as he ceased to speak, I saw a thick mist of fire descending upon him
And as soon as I realized that the silence of my soul was the one witnessing this,
The madman disappeared with the mist.

And behold, I heard his voice in my heart
And felt the presence of Love's wings in my soul.
And I realized that the madman was but my own heart and soul,
The lover that lived in my deeper dream and higher awakening.

Ishq,

{Dani}

When It Rains Love

When It Rains Love

When It Rains Love

When my soul yearns for
The wine and honey of Your beauty,
O Beloved,
The rain, descending the scentless paths in the air,
embraces my heart and teaches her the language of dream,
And of tenderness.
Thus the heart is moistened with Love's morning dew.

O Sweetheart,
The Face that I see in my infinite aloneness,
Which is but Your own Solitude,
Oh remove the white veil from the faceless dark,
Let the honey of Love's Ocean spill over,
Let it spill over,
Let the bird of space be murdered
by her own remembrance of You,
O Love.

Slower may lovers seem than the winds in their lazy days,
Yet they are forever in motion even when the Earth is in her slumber,
For they keep the reed's longing and the flame's madness
In the rhythmic silence of the heart.

The winds must but be borne of Love as wayfarers
And taste their annihilation in the Vineyard of the Beloved.

What can spring mean,
If you are not the Beloved's rose?

What can the morning light gain,
If you are not the Beloved's silence?

What can the rain sing,
If you are not the Beloved's pasture?

If Love is the sweetness of sugar,
Then know that you are Love's own shyness!

Last night, the Beloved said unto me,
"Darling, why do you drink from a tea cup
When you can drink from the Shoreless Sea that I am?"

Listen to the faint air and the calm wind,
Know how they sing the depths of the moment in separation.

Oh this separation!
Who can withstand this infinite longing?
For when life runs enflamed
No one can end the story which Love has begun!

When it rains Love,
Tell me, just tell me, my friend
That Love is in the air
To captivate bees and butterflies
That revolve around spring flowers like Majnun.

Oh the water has turned into sweet wine,
The breath has befriended the fire,
The dust has grown into a thorny rose,
And Dani has become a lover.

{Dani}