Poems and Aphorisms 17

Modesty

The modest person doesn’t speak

His actions speak for him

O Ego!

O crafty nuisance!

Bringer of selfish need

You’ve challenged me ever since

I made you the steed

Distracting me from remembrance

Of the Almighty One

Dissuading me from inheritance

Of the sweet, beloved son*

Claiming to be my companion

But in my time of need

Deserted me in the canyon

Of deadly lust and greed

Leading me along roads

That were never-ending dead ends

Depressing abodes

Without purpose or friends

You came to me in sleep

And when I was awake

A moment alone I’d keep

But for your selfish sake

Fame and wealth you urged me reap

Bonds you caused me to sever

Eyes you made weep

You found me weak, I found you clever

Then one day I awoke

By repenting with regret

To the All-Forgiving I spoke

Straight my affairs He set

Your insinuations I began to fight

Seeing the world anew

My heart became white

Many faults became a few

Now I reach for the misbaha**

Before I move to sin

The Truth is seen from afar

Look from without to see within

I’ll taste the benefits in the second  

With my heart alight with love

I’ll sail to the palaces that beckon

In the Heavens above

*Beloved son refers to the Prophet Muhammad. Not in the sense of being a begotten son, but a son in the sense of being a creation of the Creator.

**Misbaha: rosary beads

Arrogance: Stumbling Block on the Spiritual Path

The spiritual path to God is littered with stumbling blocks. A common stumbling block seekers of God face is thinking of oneself as better than others. This thought is forbidden or harām in Islamic law. One may come up with musings like “I’ve taken the hand of so-and-so shaykh, look how important I am because of my association;” or “Look at him, he hasn’t even read a book on Sufism. He probably doesn’t even know who Imam al-Ghazali is. I’ve read all of the Ihya Ulum-id-Deen;” or “Look at how much I pray, recite Qur’an, and how many du’aas I’ve memorised; aren’t I great!”

The protection against such thoughts or the cure once they occur is to check on oneself before checking on others. Each of us has plenty of things we could remedy. We all have weaknesses to work on. We are far from perfect. Thus, we are all equal in this sense.

By working on ourselves and becoming people of God we not only help ourselves but provide an example to others. States and actions speak louder than words.

May God protect us from looking down on others. May we have concern for rectifying ourselves. Aameen.  

Generosity

“The generous ignoramus is nearer to God than the devotee who is cheap.”

Everybody loves a generous person, even if he be uneducated and uncouth, unkempt and ugly. One way to show generosity Is gift-giving. Another way is to simply smile and say “hello” or give an Islamic greeting (“assalaamu alaykum”-peace be upon you) to somebody. Giving regular charity is a method to training oneself in being generous.

Studies show that generous people, for example, people who give regular money, are happier than people who don’t give in charity.

May God grant make us of those who are generous. Aameen.

Here's a poem to our stingy hands and hearts:

O hand of mine!

Be the higher of the two

The higher one shines

And shine do only a few

Charity increases wealth

As promised by the Sustaining God

Best to give by stealth

Or even after being given a prod

Generosity is a warm scent

That brings others near

Charity is to be spent

Without hesitation, without fear

O hand of mine!

Don’t be merry taking and receiving

Giving is a benevolent sign

That you’re being granted spiritual healing

God loves the generous

Even an ignoramus he be

Nothing more odious

Than the miser whose prayers aren’t seen

Because he doesn’t see the poor

As he walks proudly past

Seeking wealth ever more

Forever, he dreams it will last

Hoarding it until he dies

Which he won’t take into the grave below

“Wish I’d given it all away” he’ll cry

After seeing a glowing halo

Need for Spirituality

I feel that many people today who profess membership of a religion fail to profess spirituality. 

By religion I mean Argyle and Beit-Hallahmi’s (1975, p. 1) definition: “a system of beliefs in a divine or superhuman power, and practices of worship or other rituals directed towards such a power.” To be religious for many people is simply to have certain beliefs and to perform certain rituals. I pray, therefore, I am religious. I fast, therefore I’m religious. I believe in God, therefore I’m religious.

This approach falls short of religion because religion must include spirituality. By spirituality I take Armstrong’s (1995, p. 3) definition: “the presence of a relationship with a Higher Power that affects the way one operates in the world.” The way one operates in the world is the difference between success and failure. Belief and ritual do not always lead to ethical living and practice. Many religious people (i.e. people who believe in God and pray, fast, and perform pilgrimages) are arrogant, envious, jealous, bitter, angry, unremorseful. These things are spiritual diseases—diseases of the heart, the spiritual heart.

Spirituality is the purifying of the heart—the ridding of the diseases that inevitably plague and darken it. Thus, spirituality is the core of religion. If I believe in God, I must believe that this God wants me to be a certain way, to think of myself and others in a certain way. This way of being and thinking is spirituality, or being spiritual.

In Islamic civilisation, spirituality came to be known by the term tasawwuf (Sufism). Imam Malik, the founder of one of the four Sunni schools of Islamic law, is reported to famously have said: "man tasawaffa wa lam yatafaqqa faqad tazandaqa, wa man tafaqqaha wa lam yatasawwaf faqad tafassaq, wa man tasawaffa wa tafaqqaha faqad tahaqqaq." This means, "whoever studies jurisprudence [tafaqqaha] and didn't study Sufism [tasawwafa] will be corrupted; and whoever studied Sufism and didn't study jurisprudence will become a heretic; and whoever combined both will be reach the Truth."

The practitioners of tasawwuf came to be known as Sufis. While much maligned by the reformist Salafi movement which emerged over the past few centuries from Saudi Arabia, Sufis continue to exert influence on Muslim life in all parts of the world. This is not surprising considering the boom in the self-help genre in modern culture over the past few decades. People in the modern world are suffering from the after-effects of too much interaction with technology and less communication with the Divine. Spirituality, or Sufism, redresses this problem.

The self-help genre in today’s culture has led many people to leave behind religion. This move is unhelpful. People are thirsty for depth in daily life. Religion provides depth by giving meaning and purpose to life. Spirituality is a component of religion. It is possible to work on one’s ego without being a Muslim or Christian or Hindu, but working on one’s ego has the ultimate aim to polish the heart to reflect the Divine Truth. Without this ultimate aim, one’s spirituality is deficient.  

May God grant us religious, spiritual lives. May He purify us from vile traits and adorn us with noble character. Aameen.

References

Argyle, Michael & Beit-Hallahmi, Benjamin (1975). The social psychology of religion (Wholly rewritten ed). Routledge & Kegan Paul, London.

Armstrong, T. D. (1995). Exploring spirituality: The development of the Armstrong measure of spirituality. Paper presented at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, New York, NY.