This game of hide and seek, the interchangeable state of being 'distant' and 'near' to the Lord - union and separation - drives a mortal perplexed. In perplexity lies surrender, and surrender gives rise to Lordly invitation. La hawla wala quwata illah billahil aliyil azim.
About 24 hours ago, I was in a qabdhu state, felt distant and low. And then came the barakah of Almarhum Habib Ali bin Jaafar al-Idrus bi-iznillah. One abdullah left a message about majlis tahlil for Habib Ali at one masjid tonight. On hearing his name, I dropped everything - lethargy, busyness, murky-mind - and eagerly present myself at the masjid. Alhamdulillah washukrulillah here I am feeling rejuvenated! So, who said the awliya are dead? They sure have influence on the living beings who tend to 'die' every now and again.
One thoughtful sister quoted her guru as saying "in keeping us far, He is keeping us close to Him." - an apt reminder. This reminded me of one petition composed by Shaykh Ibn Arabi: "O my God, if union is the essence of separateness and closeness the very soul of distance..., what then is the destination and where the starting point of the path?"
Indeed, we are perplexed by the distance of the journey to the Lord of Power. We feel that we are far away from Him hence seek closeness to Him. We aim for 'arrival'. But the question remains, how far is He? Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani, on 10 Ramadhan 545 Hijri, gave some clues: take a few steps and you will arrive. "One step away from this world and one step away from your lower self (nafs) and one step away from creatures. Leave this outer (zahir) and you will reach the inner (batin), initially then finally. You must be ready to make a start, while the completion of the process depends on Allah. From you the beginning and from Allah is the conclusion."
Indeed, we are perplexed by the distance of the journey to the Lord of Power. We feel that we are far away from Him hence seek closeness to Him. We aim for 'arrival'. But the question remains, how far is He? Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani, on 10 Ramadhan 545 Hijri, gave some clues: take a few steps and you will arrive. "One step away from this world and one step away from your lower self (nafs) and one step away from creatures. Leave this outer (zahir) and you will reach the inner (batin), initially then finally. You must be ready to make a start, while the completion of the process depends on Allah. From you the beginning and from Allah is the conclusion."
May Allah makes us recognize Him in all states
and glorify Him under all circumstances. Ameen.
I dont know why but this post made me shed a tear. Subhanallah to your rejuvenated state, for you have uplifted mine many a times! Truly believers are bricks - always reinforcing one another! Amin Amin to your dua,
ReplyDeleteAll night, a man called “Allah”
Until his lips were bleeding.
Then the Devil said, “Hey! Mr Gullible!
How comes you’ve been calling all night
And never once heard Allah say, “Here, I am”?
You call out so earnestly and, in reply, what?
I’ll tell you what. Nothing!”
The man suddenly felt empty and abandoned.
Depressed, he threw himself on the ground
And fell into a deep sleep.
In a dream, he met Abraham, who asked,
“Why are you regretting praising Allah?”
The man said, “ I called and called
But Allah never replied, “Here I am.”
Abraham explained, “Allah has said,
“Your calling my name is My reply.
Your longing for Me is My message to you.
All your attempts to reach Me
Are in reality My attempts to reach you.
Your fear and love are a noose to catch Me.
In the silence surrounding every call of “Allah”
Waits a thousand replies of “Here I am.”
~ Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi
Love, love , love!
R. xxx
MashaAllah Tabarakallah! Thank you very much for sharing sweet R.
ReplyDeleteRumi! What more can I say? Each word of his is like a love potion. Hearing him makes one hypnotized every single time. And like a lover, one reads her beloved's lips and repeat after him: "In the silence surrounding every call of Allah, waits a thousand replies of 'Here I am'.
Much love,
Ezza