The Little Things!

It really is the little things
That mean the most of all...
The 'let me help you with that' things
That may seem very small
The 'I'll be glad to do it' things
That make your cares much lighter,
The 'laugh with me, it's funny' things
That make your outlook brighter...

The 'never mind the trouble' things,
The 'yes, I understand,'
The interest and encouragement
In everything you've planned
It really is the little things,
The friendly word or smile,
That add such happiness to life
And make it more worth while

(Mary Dawson Hughes)

THE LION'S DAUGHTER

Four slaves stood fanning an old queen who was asleep upon her throne. And she was snoring. And upon the queen's lap a cat lay purring and gazing lazily at the slaves.
The first slave spoke, and said, "How ugly this old woman is in her sleep. See her mouth droop; and she breathes as if the devil were choking her."
Then the cat said, purring, "Not half so ugly in her sleep as you in your waking slavery."
And the second slave said, "You would think sleep would smooth her wrinkles instead of deepening them. She must be dreaming of something evil."
And the cat purred, "Would that you might sleep also and dream of your freedom."
And the third slave said, "Perhaps she is seeing the procession of all those that she has slain."
And the cat purred, "Aye, she sees the procession of your forefathers and your descendants."
And the fourth slave said, "It is all very well to talk about her, but it does not make me less weary of standing and fanning."
And the cat purred, "You shall be fanning to all eternity; for as it is on earth, so it is in heaven."
At this moment the old queen nodded in her sleep, and her crown fell to the floor.
And one of the slaves said, "That is a bad omen."
And the cat purred, "The bad omen of one is the good omen of another."
And the second slave said, "What if she should wake, and find her crown fallen! She would surely slay us."
And the cat purred, "Daily from your birth she has slain you and you know it not."
And the third slave said, "Yes, she would slay us and she would call it making a sacrifice to the gods."
And the cat purred, "Only the weak are sacrificed to the gods."
And the fourth slave silenced the others, and softly he picked up the crown and replaced it, without waking her, on the old queen's head.
And the cat purred, "Only a slave restores a crown that has fallen."
And after a while the old queen woke, and she looked about her and yawned. Then she said, "Methought I dreamed, and I saw four caterpillars chased by a scorpion around the trunk of an ancient oak tree. I like not my dream."
Then she closed her eyes and went to sleep again. And she snored. And the four slaves went on fanning her.
And the cat purred, "Fan on, fan on, stupids. You fan but the fire that consumes you."

• I AM FOREVER walking upon these shores,
  Betwixt the sand and thefoam,
  The high tide will erase my foot-prints,
  And the wind will blow away the foam.
  But the sea and the shore will remain
  Forever.
• It was but yesterday I thought myself a fragment quivering without rhythm in the sphere of life.
  Now I know that I am the sphere, and all life in rhythmic fragments moves within me.
• Only once have I been made mute. It was when a man asked me, "Who are you?"

• Forgetfulness is a form of freedom

• Remembrance is a form of meeting.

• We measure time according to the movement of countless suns; and they measure time by little machines in their little pockets.

  Now tell me, how could we ever meet at the same place and the same time?

• Space is not space between the earth and the sun to one who looks down from the windows of the Milky Way.

• Do not the spirits who dwell in the ether envy man his pain?

• On my way to the Holy City I met another pilgrim and I asked him, "Is this indeed the way to the Holy City?"

And he said, "Follow me, and you will reach the Holy City in a day and a night."
And I followed him. And we walked many days and many nights, yet we did not reach the Holy City.
And what was to my surprise he became angry with me because he had misled me.

• One may not reach the dawn save by the path of the night.

Footprints in the sand...

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed He was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from His life. For each scene He noticed two sets of footprints in the sand. One belonging to Him and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of His life flashed before Him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of His life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of His life.

This really bothered Him and He questioned the LORD about it. LORD you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.

The LORD replied, my precious, precious child, I Love you and I would never leave you! During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.

· It is wrong to think that love comes from long companionship and persevering courtship. Love is the offspring of spiritual affinity and unless that affinity is created in a moment, it will not be created in years or even generations.

(Kahlil Gibran-The broken wings)

The Scarecrow

Once I said to a scarecrow, "You must be tired of standing in this lonely field.”
And he said, "The joy of scaring is a deep and lasting on, and I never tire of it."
Said I, after a minute of thought, "It is true; for I too have known that joy."
Said he, "Only those who are stuffed with straw can know it."
Then I left him, not knowing whether he had complimented or belittled me.
A year passed, during which the scarecrow turned philosopher.
And when I passed by him again I saw two crows building a nest under his hat.

(Kahlil Gibran- How I became the madman)

Seven times have I despised my soul..

Seven times have I despised my soul:

1. The first time when I saw her being meek that she might attain height.
2. The second time when I saw her limping before the crippled.


3. The third time when she was given to choose between the hard and the easy, and she chose the easy.


4. The fourth time when she committed a wrong, and comforted herself that others also commit wrong.


5. The fifth time when she forbore for weakness, and attributed her patience to strength.


6. The sixth time when she despised the ugliness of a face, and knew not that it was one of her own masks.


7. And the seventh time when she sang a song of praise, and deemed it a virtue.

(Kahlil Gibran-Sand and foam)

Intellectual vs Love!

The intellectual is always showing off,

The lover is always getting lost.

The intellectual runs away.

Afraid of drowning;

The whole business of love,

Is to drown in the sea.

Intellectuals plan their repose;

Lovers are ashamed to rest.

The lover is always alone.

Even surrounded by people;

Like water and oil, he remains apart.

The man who goes to the trouble

Of giving advice to a lover

Get nothing. He's mocked by passion.

Love is like musk. It attracts attention.

Love is a tree, and the lovers are its shade.

(Jelaluddin Rumi Kulliyat-e Shams,

Usay Hum Yaad Ayenge!

Sitara dekh ker toota,

Usay hum yaad ayenge.

kisi se saath jab choota,

usay hum yaad ayenge.

Abhi to urr raha hai woh nai chahat ke par le ker,

Jo us ka Par kabhi toota,

usay hum yaad ayenge.

usay jis per yaqeen hai aaj to iman ki had tak,

wohi nikla jo kal jhoota,

usay hum yaad ayenge.

us ke ashk palkon se chune ga kon phir jaane,

Kisi se woh kabhi rootha,

usay hum yaad ayenge.

Muhabbat ke safar mein har koi mukhlis nahi milta,

kisi rahzan ne jab loota,

usay hum yaad ayenge!

Enter this house, My Love, or let me leave!

Enter this house, my Love or let me leave
I am a sculptor, a molder of form.
In every moment I shape an idol.
But then, in front of you, I melt them down
I can rouse a hundred forms
And fill them with spirit,
But when I look into your face,
I want to throw them in the fire.
My souls spills into yours and is blended.
Because my soul has absorbed your fragrance,
I cherish it.
Every drop of blood I spill
Informs the earth,
I merge with my Beloved
When I participate in love,
In this house of mud and water,
My heart has fallen to ruins.
Enter this house, my Love, or let me leave.
(Jelaluddin Rumi the Divani Shamsi Tabriz, XXXIV)

I have been Tricked!

I have been tricked by flying too close

to what I thought I loved.
Now the candle flame is out, the wine spilled,

and the lovers have withdrawn

somewhere beyond my squinting.
The amount I thought I'd won, I've lost.

My prayer becomes bitter and all about blindness.
How wonderful it was to be for a while

with those who surrender.
Others only turn their faces on way,

then another, like pigeon in flight.
I have known pigeons who fly in a nowhere,

and birds that eat grainlessness,
And tailor who sew beautiful clothes

by tearing them to pieces.
(Mathnawi, V. 346-353) Like This, Rumi, Coleman Barks, Maypop Books

Love is Reckless!

Love is reckless; not reason.
Reason seeks a profit.
Love comes on strong,
Consuming herself, unabashed.

Yet, in the midst of suffering,
Love proceeds like a millstone,
Hard surfaced and straightforward.

Having died of self-interest,
She risks everything and asks for nothing.
Love gambles away every gift God bestows.

Without cause God gave us being;
Without cause, give it back again.
(Jelaluddin Rumi Mathnawi VI, 1967-1974)

This is LOVE!

This is love: to fly toward a secret sky,
To cause a hundred veils to fall each moment.
First, to let go of life.
In the end, to take a step without feet;
To regard this world as invisible,
And to disregard what appears to be the self.
Heart, I said, what a gift it has been
To enter this circle of lovers,
To see beyond seeing itself,
To reach and feel within the breast.
(Jelaluddin Rumi the Divani Shamsi Tabriz, XIII)

Who is at the Door?

Who is at my door?
He said, "Who is at my door?"

I said, "Your humble servant.

"He said, "What business do you have?"

I said, "To greet you, 0 Lord."
He said, "How long will you journey on?"

I said, "Until you stop me."

He said, "How long will you boil in the fire?"

I said, "Until I am pure."

"This is my oath of love.

For the sake of loveI gave up wealth and position."
He said, "You have pleaded your case but you have no witness."

I said, "My tears are my witness;

the pallor of my face is my proof.'

He said, "Your witness has no credibility;

your eyes are too wet to see."

I said, "By the splendor of your justice my eyes are clear and faultless."

He said, "What do you seek?"

I said, "To have you as my constant friend."

He said, "What do you want from me?"

I said, "Your abundant grace."

He said, "Who was your companion on the 'journey?

I said, "The thought of you, 0 King."He said,

"What called you here?"I said,

"The fragrance of your wine."

He said, "What brings you the most fulfillments?"

said, "The Company of the Emperor."

He said, "What do you find there?"

I said, "A hundred miracles."

He said, "Why is the palace deserted?"

I said, "They all fear the thief."He said, "Who is the thief?"

I said, "The one who keeps me from -you.

He said, "Where is there safety?"

I said, "In service and renunciation."

He said, "What is there to renounce?"

I said, "The hope of salvation."

He said, "Where is there calamity?"

I said, "In the presence of your love."

He said, "How do you benefit from this life?"

I said, "By keeping true to myself

Now it is time for silence.

If I told you about His true essence

You would fly from your self and be gone,

and neither door nor roof could hold you back!
(Rumi - In the Arms of the Beloved, Jonathan StarJeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, New York 1997)

Oh Man! (Mian Muhammad Bakhsh_ the Sufi Poet)

Oh man!
Be not dismayed, stand firm and see,
Should many call you mad.
With firmness comes success at last,
Brave men are never sad!

With hope move on, don’t give up hope
‘Tis hope that leads your way
Never give up quest, the Quest’ll hold
It’s everlasting way!
Be not despaired for a moment, who knows,
When the times would change
The beggar’s bowl is always full on
Return from beggar's range.
If sorrow it be that joy gave
And sorrow were its need
Why men forget their sorrow past
When they at last succeed.
The heart which has a little spark
Of feeling in its soul
This tale by me, by the grace of God,
Will lead him to his goal!
(Mian Mohammed Bakhsh)

Seek Passion!

Passion makes the old medicine new:
Passion lops off the bough of weariness.
Passion is the elixir that renews:
How can there be weariness
When passion is present?
Oh, don't sigh heavily from fatigue:
Seek passion, seek passion, seek passion!
(Jelaluddin Rumi Mathnawi VI, 4302-4304)

When the rose is gone!

When the rose is gone and the garden faded

you will no longer hear the nightingale's song.

The Beloved is all; the lover just a veil.

The Beloved is living; the lover a dead thing.

If love withholds its strengthening care,

the lover is left like a bird without care,

the lover is left like a bird without wings.

How will I be awake and aware

if the light of the Beloved is absent?

Love wills that this Word be brought forth.
(Jelaluddin Rumi Mathnawi I, 23-31)

Fuel For Thought!

··

“No man was ever honored for what he received. Honor has always been a reward for what he gave.” (Calvin Coolidge)

Man’s mind stretched to a new idea never comes back to its original dimensions. (Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.)

Man is not imprisoned by habit. Great changes in him can be wrought by crisis once the crisis is understood and recognized. (Norman Cousins)

Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness. (James Thurber)

· “The future is not a place we are going to but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made, and the activity of making them changes both the marker and the destination.” (John Schaar )

· “By building relations we create a source of love and personal pride and belonging that makes living in a chaotic world easier.” (Susan Lieberman)

· “Deep within man dwell those slumbering powers, the powers that would astonish him, that he never dreamed of possessing; force that would revolutionize his life if aroused and put into action.” (Orison Swett Marsden)

·

“The road to success is not crowded because while most are looking for ways to take, the truly successful people are finding ways to give. With a giving attitude, every situation is a opportunity for success.” (Unknown)

· “A dream is just a dream, but a goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline.” (Harvey Mackay)

KahaaniaN na suno aas paas LogoN ki... (Ahmad Faraz)

KahaaniaN na suno aas paas logoN ki
Ke mera shehr hai basti udaas logoN ki
Na koi simt, na manzil to qaafila kaisa?
Rawaan hai bheer faqat be-qayaas logoN ki
Kisi se pooch hi letay wafa ke baab mein hum
Kami nahiin thi zamana shanaas logoN ki
Muhabbaton ka safar khatm to nahiiN hoga
Baja ke dosti ai na raas logoN ki
Hamein bhi apnay kai dost yaad aatay hain
Kabhi jo baat chalay na sapaas logoN ki
Kero na apni bala noshiyoN ke yooN charchay
Ke is se aur bharakti hai piyaas logon ki
Mein Aanay waalay zamanoN se darr raha hooN FARAZ
Ke meinay dekhi haiN aakheiN udaas logoN ki

Our Deepest Fear!

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually who are you not to be?
Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory. It is not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
(Marianne Williamson)

The PencilMaker!

A PencilMaker taught the pencils 5 important lessons...

1- Everything you do will always leave a mark!

2-You can always correct the mistakes you make!

3-What is important is what is inside you.

4-In life you will undergo painful sharpenings which will make you a better pencil.

5-To be the best pencil you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you!

The PENCILMAKER is Allah and we are the PENCILS!

ALLAH really loves and cares for you!

Every Friday afternoon, after the Jumma prayers, the Imam and his eleven year old son would go out into their town and hand out "PATH TO PARADISE"and other Islamic literature.

This particular and fortunate Friday afternoon, as the time came for theImam and his son to go to the streets with their booklets, it was verycold outside, as well as pouring rain.

The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said, 'OK, dad, I'm ready!

'His dad asked, 'Ready for what'

'Dad, it's time we go out and distributethese Islamic books.'

Dad responds, 'Son, it's very cold outside and it's pouring rain.'

The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking, 'But Dad, aren't people still going to hell, even though it's raining?'

Dad answers, 'Son, I am not going out in this weather.'

Despondently, the boy asks, 'Dad, can I go Please'

His father hesitated for a moment then said, 'Son, you can go. Here are the booklets. Be careful son.''Thanks, Dad!'

And with that, he was off and out into the rain. This eleven year old boy walked the streets of the town going door to door and handing everybodyhe met in the street a pamphlet or a booklet.After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking, bone-chilled wet and down to his VERY LAST BOOKLET. He stopped on a corner and looked for someone to hand a booklet to, but the streets were totally deserted.Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the sidewalk to the front door and rang the door bell. He rang the bell, but nobody answered..He rang it again and again, but still no one answered. He waited no answer.Finally, he turned to leave, but something stopped him. Again, he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked loudly onthe door with his fist. He waited, something holding him there on the front porch!

He rang again and this time the door slowly opened.Standing in the doorway was a very sad-looking elderly lady. She softly asked, 'What can I do for you, son?'

With radiant eyes and a smile that lit up her world, this little boy said, 'Ma'am, I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell you that ALLAH REALLY LOVES AND CARES FOR YOU and I came to give you my very last booklet which will tell you all about God, the real purpose of creation, and how to achieve His pleasure.'With that, he handed her his last booklet and turned to leave.She called to him as he departed. 'Thank you, son! And God Bless You!'

Next week on Friday afternoon after Jumma prayers, the Imam was giving some lectures.. As he concludes the lectures, he asked, 'Does anybody have questions or want to say anything?'

Slowly, in the back row among the ladies, an elderly lady's voice washeard over the speaker.'No one in this gathering knows me. I've never been here before. You see, before last Friday I was not a Muslim, and thought I could be. My husband died few years ago, leaving me totally alone in this world.. Last Friday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, i was contemplating suicide as i had no hope left.So I took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic of my home.. I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof then stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my neck. Standing on that chair, so lonely and broken-hearted I was about to leap off, when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs startled me. I thought, I'll wait a minute, and whoever it is will go away.I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder and more insistent, and then the person ringing also started knocking loudly....I thought to myself again, 'Who on earth could this be? Nobody everrings my bell or comes to see me.' I loosened the rope from my neck and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang louder and louder.When I opened the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, forthere on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I had ever seen in my life. His SMILE, oh, I could never describe it to you! The words that came from his mouth caused my heart that had long been dead TO LEAP TO LIFE as he exclaimed with a cherub-like voice, 'Ma'am, I just came to tell you that ALLAH REALLY LOVES AND CARES FOR YOU!'Then he gave me this booklet, Path To Paradise that I now hold in myhand.As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold and rain, Iclosed my door and read slowly every word of this book. Then I went up to my attic to get my rope and chair. I wouldn't be needing them any more.You see? I am now a Happy Vicegerent of the One True God. Since the address of your congregation was stamped on the back of this booklet, I have come here to personally say THANK YOU to God's little angel who came just in the nick of time and by so doing, spared my soul from an eternity in hell.'There was not a dry eye in the mosque. The shouts of TAKBIR..ALLAHAKBAR.. rented the air.Imam-Dad descended from the pulpit to the front row where the littleangel was seated....He took his son in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably.Probably no jama'at has had a more glorious moment, and probably thisuniverse has never seen a father that was more filled with love andhonor for his son... Except for One. This very one...Blessed are your eyes for reading this message.Don't let this message die, read it again and pass it to others. Heavenis for His people! Remember, God's message CAN make the difference in the life of someone close to you.

Please share this wonderful message

Regards,

Moiz Hussain,

The Institute Of Mind Sciences. (TIMS).

At the Twilight... (Jelaluddin Rumi)

At the twilight a moon appeared in the sky,
Then it landed on the Earth to look at me!
Like a hawk stealing a bird at the time of prey,
That moon stole me and rushed back to the sky.
I looked at myself, I didn’t see “ME” anymore!
for in that moon my body turned as fine as soul.
The nine spheres disappeared in that moon;
The ship of my existence, drowned in that see.

AankhoN se meri kon meray Khawaab le gaya! (Parveen Shakir)

AankhoN se meri kon meray khawab le gaya
Chashm-e-Sadaf se gauhar-e-Nayaab le gaya
Is shehr-e-Khush Jamal ko kis ki lagi hai Aah
Kis Gham zada ka Girya-e-Khoon-aab le gaya
Kuch Nakhuda ke Faiz se Saahil bhi door tha
Kuch QisamatoN ke khel mein Gardaab le gaya
waaN Shehr doobtay haiN yahaN Behes ke unheiN
Kham le gaya hai ya kham-e-Mehraab le gaya
Kuch Khoi khoi aankheiN bhi mojoN ke saath theeN
Shayad unheiN baha k Koi Khawaab le gaya
Toofan-e-Abr-o-baad meiN sub geet kho gaye
Jhonka hawa ka haath se mizraab le gaya
GhairoN ki dushmani ne na mara magar hameiN
ApnoN ke iltefaat ka zehraab le gaya
Aay Aankh ab to Khawaab ki dunya se lot aa
Mizhgaan to khol! Shehr ko sailaab le gaya!

Fuel For Thought!

“The greatest use of life is to spend it on something that will outlast it.” (William James)

“To one who is afraid, all seems dim.” (Unknown)

“The universe is full of magical things potentially waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” (Eden Philpotts)

“The words we attach with our experiences, become our experience.” (Unknown)

“Love cures people__ both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.” (Dr. Karl Menninger)

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” (Marcel Pronot)

“Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.” (Theodore Isaac Rubin)

“Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on it’s own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believe all things, hopes all things.” (Paul Corinthians)

“When you come to the edge of all light and you know and are about to set off into the darkness of the unknown, Faith is knowing one of the two things will happen ; there will be something to stand on or you will be taught to fly.” (Anonymous)

“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird, that cannot fly.” (Langston Hughes)

Ab to itna bhi ho nahi paaey (Ahmad Faraz)

Ab to itna bhi ho nahi paaey,
Rona chaha to ro nahi paaey
Hum se ta’abeer-e-Khawab Poochtay ho
Zindagi bhar jo so nahi paaey
MuddatoN Gham ki Parwarish ki hai
Yeh Silay aaj to nahi paaey
Justajoo RaaigaaN nahi thi magar
Jin ko Chaha tha woh nahi paaey
Kyun gila hum se ho kisi ko FARAZ
Hum to apnay bhi ho nahi paaey!

Fringe (Jelaluddin Rumi)

You wreck my shop and my house and now my heart,
But how can I run from what gives me life?
I am weary of personal worrying, in love with the cut of madness!
Tear open my shame and show the mystery.
How much longer do I have to fret with self-restraint and fear?
Friends, this is how it is: we are fringe sewn inside the lining of a robe.
Soon we will be loosened, the binding thread torn out.
The Beloved is a lion.
We are the lame deer in his paws. Consider
what choices we have! (Rumi)

Sky Circles (Jelaluddin Rumi)

The way of love isn’t a subtle argument.
The door there is devastation!
Birds make great sky-circles of their freedom-
How do they learn that?
They fall, and falling they are given wings!

No man is an Island!

No man is an Island,
Entire of itself.
Each is the piece of the continent
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manner of thine own
or of thine friends were.
Each man’s death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind
Therefore send not to know for whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for you!
(John Donne)

Aqwaal-e Mola Ali (R.A)

• Apnay Bachon ko woh taaleem na do jo tumharay walidein ne tum ko di hai, kyunke un ka zamana tumharaya zamanay se mukhtalif hai.


• Apni Qismat per wohi rotay hain jin ko sajdon mein rona nahi aata.


• Insaan kailiye doosron ki muhabbat teen cheezon se barhti hai; Salaam kernay se, doosron ko jaga denay se, aur sahi naam se pukaaranay se.


• Aay Khuda jab mein ne tujh se nahi manga to tu ne mujhay ataa kiya to yeh kaisay ho sakta hai k mein tujh se magoon aur tu mujhay ataa na keray


• Ziada nafa pohunchanay wala ilm woh hai jis per amal kiya jaey. Sub se fazeelat wala amal woh hai jis mein ikhlaas ho. Aur sub se behtar Ma’arifat yeh hai ke insaan apnay nafs ko pehchaanay.


• Sub se buri sachchai chughal khori hai, sub se bura keena deen ke imamon ke saath keena hai, aur sub se bari khiyaanat ummat ke saath khiyaanat hai.

Fuel For Thought!

• There are two ways of spreading light____To be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.(Edith Warton)


• Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans. The moment one definitely commits oneself, the Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help that would never have otherwise occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, which no one could have dreamed would come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do. Begin it! Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. (Goethe)


• Our deeds follow us, and what we have been makes us what we are. (John Dykes)


• I still feel I got to prove something. There are a lot of people hoping I fail! But I like that. I need to be hated. (Howard Stein)


• Sometimes life’s shadows are caused by our standing in our own sunlight. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)


• The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today; let us move forward with strong and active faith. (Franklin D. Roosevelt)


• Desire is the standing point of all achievements, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything. (Napoleon Hill)


• There is no happiness if the things we believe are different from the things we do! (Freya Stark)


• Nothing is as real as a dream. The world can change around you, but your dream will not. Responsibilities need not erase it. Duties need not obscure it. Because the dream is within you, no one can take it away! (Unknown)

Hamein Khud apnay tajassus se hain Gilay kiya kiya.. (Amjad Islam Amjad)

Hamein khud apnay tajassus se hain gilay kiya kiya

Woh baat us mein nahi thi jo us ke naam mein thi

tujhay talashna goya ufaq ko choona tha

wohi safar mein thi haalat ke jo qayaam mein thi

Nigah-e-Khaas jo hoti to dekhta koi

woh aik baat jo teri nigaah-e-Aam mein thi

Chamak raha tha hawaaon ki aasteen mein lahu

idhar zameen bahaaron ke ahtamaam mein thi

Yeh kis ne loot liye qaaflay sitaaron ke

sahar ki tegh to Amjad abhi niyaam mein thi!

The Soul of Prayer (Rumi)

Jelaluddin Rumi was once asked “Is there any way to God nearer than the ritual prayer?” “No” He replied. “But prayer doesn’t consist in forms alone. Formal prayer has a beginning and an end, like all forms and bodies and everything partakes of speech and sound; but the soul is unconditional and infinite. It has neither beginning nor end. The Prophets have shown the true nature of prayers. Prayer is the drowning and unconsciousness of the soul, so that all these forms remain without. At that time there is no room for even Gabriel, who is Pure spirit. One may say that the man who prays in this fashion is exempt from all religious obligations, since he is deprived of his reason. Absorption in Divine Unity is the soul of prayer.

Quotations

• “If a man hasn’t discovered something that he would die for, he isn’t fit to live.” (Martin Luther King)


• “How a minority, Reaching majority, Seizing authority, hates a minority” (Leonard H. Hobbins)


• “Almost always it is the fear of being ourselves that brings us to the mirror” (Antonio Porchio)


• “The best mirror is an old friend” (German Proverb)


• “Immature artists imitate, mature artists steal.” (Lionel Trilling)


• “Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man doesn’t know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind.” (Seneca)


• “It is the heart that experiences God, not the reason!”


• “Other people are quite dreadful. The only possible society is one’s self.” (Oscar Wilde)

Quietness (Rumi)

Inside this new love, Die!

Your way begins on the other side!

Become the sky.

Take an ax to the prison wall,

Escape. Walk out.

Like someone suddenly born into color,

Do it now!

You're covered with thick cloud

Slide out the side. Die!

And be quiet.

Quietness is the surest sign you've died!

Your old life was a frantic running

from silence!

The speechless full moon comes out now!

(Jelaluddin Rumi)

Shaam thi Sa'at-e-Zawaal mein gum
Zakhm tha apnay indmaal mein gum
Had-e-Idraak mein Tha Jo bhi kuch
Sub Tha bus aik hi Sawaal Mein gum
Tez Aandhi mein kia charaagh ki lo
Barf mein kaisi Aabla Paaai?
Carnas mein thay phool sookhay huay
Seerhiyon mein bichi thi tanhai
Khawaab thay khirkiyon mein aawaizaan
Zeenat-e-Taaq thi shakeebai
Aik Na taaqati thi chaaron taraf
Raasta raasta thi paspaai
Kehkashaon ke darmiyaan Larzaan
Aik na mohtatim si pehnai
Faaslay thay faraib aankhon ka
Naapta kon Gham ki gehrai
Ik Guraizaan se aks ki khaatir
Ainay ho rahay thay sodai
Yoon sitaray thay muntazir jaisay
Dar-e-Mehboob per tamannai
Waqt tha roz-o-Shab ki chaal mein gum
Mein tha apnay kisi khayaal mein gum!

(Amjad Islam Amjad)

Master doesn’t utter a word… (Discourse of Rumi)

Someone said: “Our Master doesn’t utter a word.”

Rumi answered: Well, it was the thought of me that brought you to my presence. This thought of me did not speak with you saying, “How are things with you?” The thought without words drew you here. If the reality of me draws you without words and transports you to another place, what is so wonderful with words? Words are the shadow of reality, a mere branch of reality. Since the shadow draws, how much more the reality!

Words are a pretext. It is the inner bond that draws one person to another, not words. If someone should see a hundred thousand miracles and divine blessings, still, without an inner connection to that saint or prophet who was the source of those miracles, all these phenomena would come to nothing. It is this inward element that draws and moves us. If there was no element of amber in straw, the straw would never be attracted to the amber[Rumi is referring to static electricity here]. They would not cling to each other, even if you rub the amber with fur. This exchange between them is hidden, not a visible thing.

It is the thought that brings us. The thought of a garden brings us to the garden. The thought of a shop brings us to the shop. However, within these thoughts is a secret deception. Have you never gone to a certain place thinking it would be good, only to find disappointment. Then you will see reality as it is, and nothing more.

“Upon that day when the secrets are tried.”

So, what reason is there for me to speak? In reality that which draws is a single thing, but it appears to be many. We are possessed by a hundred different desires. “I want vermicelli!” we say. “I want ravioli. I want Halvah. I want fruits. I want fritter. I want dates.” We name these one by one, but the root of the matter is a single thing: The root is hunger. Don’t you see how, once we have our fill of but one thing, we say, “Nothing else is necessary?” Therefore, it was not ten or a hundred things, but one thing that drew us.

“And their number, we have only appointed as a trial.”

The many things in the world are a trial appointed by God, for they hide the single reality. There is a saying that the saint is one, humankind is a hundred, meaning the saint’s whole attention remains upon the one truth, while people are scattered over a hundred appearances. But which hundred? Which fifty? Which sixty? Lost in this world of mirrored reflections, they are a faceless people without hands and feet, without mind and soul, quivering like a magic Talisman, like quicksilver or mercury. They do not know who they are. Call them sixty or a hundred or a thousand, and the saint is one, but is not this view a trial itself? For the truth is that hundreds are nothing, while the saint is a thousand, and a hundred thousand, and thousands of thousands.

A king once gave a single soldier the rations for a hundred men. The army protested, but the king said nothing. When the day of battle arrived, all the men fled the field, except that one soldier who fought alone. “There you are.” the king said. “It was for this that I fed one man as a hundred.”

It behooves us to strip away all our prejudices and seek out a friend of God. However, when we’ve spent our whole life in the company of people who lack discrimination, then our own discriminative faculty becomes weak, and that true friend may pass us by unrecognized.

Discrimination is a quality that is always hidden in a person. Don’t you see that an insane person possesses hand and feet but lacks discrimination? Discrimination is a subtle essence within you. Yet, day and night you have been occupied with nurturing the physical form that doesn’t know right from wrong. Why have you devoted all your energies to looking after the physical, entirely neglecting that subtle essence? The physical exists through that essence, but that essence no way depends upon the physical.

The light that shines through the windows of the eyes and ears, if those windows did not exist, the light would not stop. it would find other windows to shine through. If you bring a lamp before the sun, do you say, “I see the sun by means of this lamp?” God forbid! If you did not bring the lamp, the sun would still shine. What need is there for a lamp?

This is the danger in associating with kings. It is not that you may lose your life__ we must lose our life in the end anyway, whether today or tomorrow does not matter. The danger arises from the fact that when kings enter upon the scene, and the spell of their influence gains strength, becoming like a great lamp, the person who keeps company with them, claims their friendship, and accepts money from them, will inevitably speak in accordance with their desires. That person will listen to the king’s mundane views with the utmost attention, and will not be able to deny them.

That is where the danger lies, it leads to fading respect for the true source. When you cultivate the interests of kings, that other interest that is fundamental to the spiritual life becomes a stranger to you. The more you proceed down the path of kings, the more that direction where the Beloved dwells becomes lost. The more you make your peace with worldly people, the more Beloved turns away from you. Going in their direction renders you subject to their rule. Once you have turned down their path, in the end God gives them power over you.

It is a pity to reach the ocean, and to be satisfied with the little pitcherful from the sea. After all, there are pearls in the sea, and from the sea come a myriad precious things. What is the value in just taking water? What pride can intelligent people have in that? This world is a mere foam fleck of the True Sea. That Ocean is the science of the saints, and within that Water, is the Pearl Itself.

This world is but foam full of floating jetsam. Yet, through the turning of the waves, and the rhythmic surging of the sea in constant motion, this foam takes on a certain beauty. But this beauty is a borrowed thing coming from elsewhere. It is a false coin that sparkles to the eye.

People are the astrolabe of GOD, but it requires an astronomer to use the astrolabe. If a vegetable seller or a greengrocer should find the astrolabe, what good would it be to them? From that astrolabe, what could they know of the movements of the circling stars and the positions of the planets, their influences and so forth? But in the hands of an astronomer, the astrolabe becomes truly valuable.

Just as this copper astrolabe reflects the movements of the heavens like a mirror, so the human being is the astrolabe of God.

“We have honored the children of Adam.”

Those who have been moved by God to see the one reality and learn It’s ways through the astrolabe of their own being, behold moment by moment, flash by flash, the testament of God.

Indeed, it is an infinite beauty that never leaves their mirror.

God has servants who cloak themselves in a wisdom, knowingness and grace invisible to others. Out of their excessive jealousy and love for God these servants cloak themselves, just like Mutanabbi says of beautiful women:

“Figured silks they wore, not to beautify but to guard their beauty from lustful eyes.”

The Flower (Alfred Tennyson)

Once in a golden hour
I cast to Earth a seed.
Up there came a flower,
The people said, a weed.
To and fro they went
Thro' my garden bower.
And uttering discontent
Cursed me and my flower!
Then it grew so tall
It wore a crown of light,
But thieves from o'er the wall
Stole the seed by night.
Sow'd it far and wide
By every town and tower,
Till all the people cried
"Splendid is the flower."

(Alfred Tennyson)

The Guest House (Rumi)

This being human is a guest house
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression , a meanness,
Some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all
Even if they are crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of it's furniture,
Still, treat each guest honourably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight!
The dark thought, the shame, the malice
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful to whosoever comes,
because each has been sent,
As a guide from beyond!

(Jelaluddin Rumi)

Teray Hotay huay Mehfil Mein Jalaatay hain Charagh!

Teray Hotay huay Mehfil Mein Jalaatay hain charaagh

Log Kiya saada hain Sooraj ko Dikhaatay hain Charagh!

Apni Mehroomi Ke Ahsaas Se Sharminda hain

Khud to Rakhtay Nahiin auron ko Bujhaatay hain Charaagh

Bastiyaan Door hui jaati hain Rafta Rafta

Wameedum Aankhon se chuptay chalay jaatay hain Charagh

Kiya khabar un ko ke Daaman Bhi Bharak Uthtay hain

Jo Zamaanay Ki hawaon Se bachaatay hain Charaagh

Go Sayah Bakht hain hum log magar roshan hai Zameer

Khud Andheray mein hain auron ko dikhatay hain Charagh

Bastiyaan Chaand Sitaaron ki Basaanay Walo

Kurra-e-Arz pe bujhtay Chalay Jaatay hain Charaagh

Aisay Bedard huay hum bhi ke ab Gulshan per

Barq Girti hai to Zindaan mein Jalaatay hain Charaagh

Aisi Taareekiyaan Aankhon Mein Basi hain Ke FARAZ

Raat to raat hai hum Din Ko Jalaatay hai Charaagh!

(Ahmad Faraz)