Reflection is Remedy

“In the intricate paths of life when difficulties and hardships confront a man, and the darkness of difficulty and suffering becomes long, it is patience only that acts like a light for a Muslim, that keeps him safe from wandering here and there, and saves him from the muddy marsh of disappointment, desperation and frustration.”
-Imam al-Ghazalli

“Your preoccupation with this world: eating, drinking, seeking more and more to eat, to have, to enjoy: your slavery at the hands of your flesh and your ego have made you inattentive to everything else. Only when the bird of the soul flies free from the cage of the flesh will this dream evaporate, and you will find yourself alone with your deeds. Then you will see that single companion whom you hug and press to your chest. Is it something warm and friendly, or is it full of snakes and scorpions and poisonous thorns? Then you will know what you presumed to be good was Hell, and what you thought was suffering was Paradise.”
-Al Jami’ The gatherer

I knew it was bound to come. I don’t know if I am ready to enter the real world yet again. I love the comforts of the classroom setting, where endless hope is a luxury. I am scared to approach a world filled with uncertainty.  I guess this is where the true test of Tawwakul comes into play.

May God help all the graduates find pathways that are right for them, ameen.

“The median life expectancy for a woman in Afghanistan is 40 years, compared to 80 years in America. So women in America are living two lives. What are you going to do with your second life?” ~ Ingrid Mattson

“Our personal and social lives are measured by the degree to which we crave, and how successful we are in acquiring the objects of our desire. The more we obtain and the more we satisfy our base impulses, we are told, the more we truly taste and enjoy the reality of life.  The Qur’anic message, conversely, advocates something entirely different, and warns us of being deceived by the illusory nature of the world.”

-Al-Madina Institute

“The person who reaches the spiritual station of Islam (outward submission) never tires from performing good actions, while the person who reaches the spiritual station of Iman (inner surrender) no longer sees his actions, and the person who reaches the spiritual station of ihsan (beauty of soul) no longer sees himself.”

-Shaykh Ahmad ibn Ajiba, “The Divine Openings (al-Futuhat al-Ilahiyyah)”

“We wag our tails with deceptive ruses and attractive words
so that every random person will be in awe of us
We have become seekers of people’s awe,
trying to play God and rival Him in station.
Through trickery, we seek to possess hearts
but we don’t see that we are stuck” -Rumi

“If you need the reward of heaven or the threat of hell to be behave decently, then you really aren’t a good person at all.” (CNN atheist commentator today)

“Oh my Lord, if I worship You from fear of Hell, burn me in Hell; and if I worship You from hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise. But if I worship You for Your own sake, do not withhold from me Your Eternal Beauty.” -Rabiah Al-Adawiyyah (Sufi woman of the 7^th century AD)

~~~

It was told of Rabi`a that she was seen one day carrying a brand of fire in one hand and a pitcher of water in the other, and that she was running very fast. When they asked her what she was doing and where she was going, she said, I am going to light a fire in the Garden and pour water onto it so that both these veils may disappear from the seekers, and that their purpose may be sure, and that the slaves of God may see Him, without any object of hope or motive of fear. What if the Hope for the Garden and the Fear of the Fire did not exist? Not one would worship his Lord, nor obey Him. But He is worthy of worship without any immediate motive or need.

This is why I love Sufism, and this is why I love Rabiah Al-Adawiyyah, because they both teach sincerity in its purest form!  Love for God and worship of Him without any bodily and tangible incentive!

~~

A short biography on Rabiah Al-Adawiyyah (from Oxford Islamic Studies Online):

Female mystic of slave origin from Basra, often called the first Islamic saint. Introduced the doctrine of selfless love into Sufism. Demonstrated the importance of attitude and spiritual motivation for actions, rather than mere ritual correctness. Emphasized ascetic detachment, renunciation of the world, meditation, and love of God. Taught that people should worship God out of love, rather than the fear of hell or promise of paradise. Wrote passionate poems about the desire to be joined to God, permanently influencing the development and nature of Sufism. She symbolizes the importance of spiritual excellence over gender and serves as a historical example of female autonomy and freedom from male authority.

Dear God,

You have given me an ocean of bounties that I do not deserve.  You have given me the most beautiful friends, the most compassionate and understanding mother, brother, and sister-in-law.  You have given me a tremendously beautiful father, please rest his soul in peace in the barzakh.  Please shower your mercy on him as You are always showering Your mercy on us all.  I feel so happy to be in a state of contentment and ease.  Please preserve this feeling.  Please make easy for me any hurdles that I must come across.  I fear the state of despair and hopelessness for I have experienced it before.  But it is amazing how you always bring me out of that state even when it feels like it will last forever.  Please prevent my thoughts from roaming about and into past painful memories.  Please help me to be optimistic and to look forward to positive things.  Please protect me from Your Justice and Your Wrath and shade me under Your Mercy and Forgiveness.  I have many, many shortcomings and deficiencies which I hope you will overlook and help me to improve in.  Please make the path to attaining closeness to You easy for me.  Please guide me to what is the right and best niche for me in this world so that I can help serve Your creations.  Ameen.