Reflection is Remedy

Do not call me “Guyanese” or “West Indian”. These terms are alien to me.

I associate myself with nothing less than the environment of Tasawwuf (the science of ihsan, inward purification) and all of its strivers, the religion of Oneness: One God, One Love, One Ummah; the Religion of Love and Mercy. I feel at home with the lovers of intellectual progress under the teachings of Ibn al Arabi. I feel at peace with the lovers of poetic and religious mastery under the teachings of Mawlana Rumi. My soul is at harmony with the lovers of outward discipline and inward excellence under the teachings of Imam al Haddad. My heart is satisfied in the company of the lovers of Imam al Ghazali, the Reviver of the Spiritual and Intellectual dimension of Islam in his century and beyond. I feel at bliss in the company of the lovers of our beloved teacher and final Messenger of the Creator to mankind, and all of his prophetic predecessors (Jesus, Abraham, Noah, Moses, Adam and more) and his inheritors. Peace be upon them all.

This is my family. This is my home. This is my love. This is my passion.

Let us look beyond the outward shells of culture, class, and color, and revel in the unity of the human spirit.

Excerpt from Shaykh Hamza Yusuf’s “Climbing Mount Purgatorio: Reflections from the Seventh Cornice”:

The spiritual power of women is great, but so too is the power of their physical attraction to men. It is this power that causes vile men to want to dominate women, and virtuous men to honor and protect them. But that physical power of the female form over men is a sensory power that veils men from her metaphysical meaning. Her sensual form prevents the man lost in carnality from knowing her spiritual reality, that she is the source of mercy in the world. The Arabic and Hebrew word for womb (rahm) is derived from the word for mercy (rahma) and an expression of the creative power of God in man. In degrading woman, we degrade the highest qualities of our human nature; in elevating her, we elevate our highest nature. When her natural virtues—compassion, kindness, caring, selflessness, and love—predominate in men, men are able to overcome their natural vices and realize their full humanity. When, however, those virtues are absent, men descend to the lowest of the low and are worse than beasts. In unveiling the outward beauty of a woman, we become veiled from her inward beauty.

As a poet from the distant past wrote:

I said to my rose-cheeked lovely, “O you with bud-like mouth,
Why keep hiding your face, like flirting girls?”
She laughed and said, “Unlike the beauties of your world,
In the veil I’m seen, but without it I’m hidden.”

The greatest advice I can give anyone is to not take advice from anyone. Listen to the voice of your heart, the voice that is uncontaminated by the ego. You will many times need advice to find the right voice, but once you do, listen to your heart.

Shaykh Nuh Keller said, “Do not let the opinions of people interfere with the directions given to you from God.”

Shaykh ibn Ata’illah said, “The most ignorant of all people is the one who abandons the certitude he has for an opinion people have.”

Just Beautiful:

The dumbing down of religion to simplistic and literal terms has brought on the likes of ISIS. The intellectual elevation of religion to metaphysical and spiritual terms has brought on the likes of Rumi, Attar, and more. May God preserve the elevators and elevate the simpletons.

Humble beginnings lead to lofty states, but lofty opinions of oneself lead to events that humble…such is the cycle of life.

I hosted my first Gathering of Remembrance at my house on September 26, 2014. I was truly exhilarated for a great program. My friend and I sang my first written duet, as well as traditional Arabic and English Nasheeds/Qasidahs.

Before we started I welcomed everyone and gave a brief introductory talk on the importance of having these gatherings in which we can safely express our musical creativity and direct it toward a Higher Purpose and Reality.

One of the scholars of our past said that the Messengers of God were not sent to instruct humans to eliminate their desires, or their natural instincts. They were sent to refine and polish the human instincts, such as hunger, thirst, and the desire for intimacy. One aspect of humanity that is instinctual is our affinity for rhythm and music. Across the earth you will see mothers singing to their babies to cajole them to sleep at night. When people are in love they tend to break out into tune. If you attend any popular, contemporary musical concert, you will see people swaying in their seats, many times with their hands raised or snapping/clapping to the beat. Music is played EVERYWHERE-from supermarkets to malls, elevators, hotels, doctors’ offices, lobbies, buses and more. It is obvious that music is a part of human nature. It is obvious how music can affect the human brain and mood. However we must polish and refine this innate need for beautiful melodies. God has set guidelines and restrictions for music. Yes, there are differing opinions with regard to the types of instruments allowed. I like to stay on the side of caution, and revel in the angelic sounds of the human voice. Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad stated it nicely:
“My own sense in the arguments over instrumental music of various kinds is that the never-ending debate can be shortcircuited quite simply by remembering that the human voice is the most beautiful of instruments, and that by cultivating its correct harmonies we can produce genuinely spiritual sounds that are superior to anything that an instrument could generate.”

Thus we MUST hold gatherings in which we can channel our musical energy to the Creator. We MUST create music that extols God and His Messengers. We MUST write and compose music that encourages humans to become victorious in the battle against their egos, rather than to worship their egos and cave into lust, violence, and untamed desires. Music should be heavenly, and we must reciprocate this heavenliness with our hearts. We must sing for the sake of God.

Sis. Sanaa, the chaplain of Stony Brook University MSA, invited me to a Gathering at her place a week later and asked me to discuss the same issue regarding music for the sake of God. At her Gathering I was overjoyed to meet a new sister that enjoyed playing the duff and singing. Sis. Sanaa is a follower of the Naqshbandi Tariqah and their repeated dhikr of La ilaha il Allah was absolutely enchanting and rejuvenating.