Nami Danam

Nami danam chi manzil bood shab jaay ki man boodam;

Baharsu raqs-e bismil bood shab jaay ki man boodam.

Pari paikar nigaar-e sarw qadde laala rukhsare;

Sarapa aafat-e dil bood shab jaay ki man boodam.

Khuda khud meer-e majlis bood andar laamakan Khusrau;
Muhammad shamm-e mehfil bood shab jaey ki man boodam.

I wonder what was the place where I was last night,
All around me were half-slaughtered victims of love, tossing about in agony.
There was a nymph-like beloved with cypress-like form and tulip-like face,
Ruthlessly playing havoc with the hearts of the lovers.
God himself was the master of ceremonies in that heavenly court,
oh Khusro, where (the face of) the Prophet too was shedding light like a candle. 

Khusro.
(trans. S.A.H.Abidi)

Nami Daanam Chi Manzil from Tasawwuf on Vimeo.

Essence

Her head was heavy and she was struggling hard to stay cheerful while doing the dullest of the jobs: looking for a useless lost item from a heap of things. While going through a maze of crap, her hand struck against a black diary and she suddenly pulled it out of the drawer, absolutely not expecting it to be there.

'Whoa!' she quietly exclaimed. It was her OLD diary. She wasnt a regular journal writer, but yes she had always been a scribbler, random bits, off and on. She turned the pages and she couldnt keep the chuckle ... it talked of Ammonium ions, and of the South Asian irrigation system, and of electronic tunneling. And of random bits that could cross through the mind of a wannabe-intellectual eighteen year old! ;)

Smilingly she kept surfing through the pages when all of a sudden her eyes traced a three word sentence..

Happy Birthday Love!

Her eyes froze, as if the sight was stabbed there.

Slowly, ever so slowly she turned the page over to go to its origin. At the previous page, which belonged to a different era, in a different world.

Had it not been her own writing she couldnt have believed it to be there. A witness of that time and that land in this life.

Her eyes slowly moved ......

You find true love when you are not afraid of being rejected, disillusioned and dismayed. You dare to take the risk. And its only then, that Love, after testing your potential to contain it in your vessel, allows a free access to itself.

There have been many tough times. But accompanied by taking the Risk; and trying to move forward every time, falling in love again, and again, and yet again with each other.

Last night when sitting with you, while you laughed and I grumbled, I felt that true happiness that is so priceless an offshoot of being in love.

I thanked God. For being alive.

And for being by your side.

I love you. More than I ever thought I could be able to.

This moment may not last for an eternity, but these moments of gratitude shall bear a testimony even on the Day of Judgement.

I thank God for having sent you in this world, so that I could be by my soul mate.

Happy Birthday Love.

The diary felt heavy in her hands, and she put it back on the table. Still open, still readable.

And with a piercing pain in her heart, she discovered that oozing spring of salty waters in her eyes, much to her surprise, gushing of gratitude. For the moment that was now there no more, but which had happened, sometime, somewhere. That she had lived. Breathed. And in which she had felt so truly in love. So genuinely thankful, the essence of being in love!

She thought of the person, and smiled for the smile that they had shared at that moment.

The smile, the gratitude, made the head light, and the heart cheerful.

Gently she put the diary back, for she had yet to look for the lost item. 

Lost. She thought and smiled. Like this moment was till now. 

The freedom to be not tied down by the weighing blocks of experience, but belonging to time, moment by moment, was truly liberating.

"I Am the Time", a thought reminded whispering in her head. 

And she beamed. On belonging to Time.

Gawahi Kaisay Toot'ti.....

...... muamla Khuda ka tha!

Dua

Hasbi Allahu la illaha illa Huwa, alayhi tawwakkaltu, wa Huwa Rabbul arsh il adheem.

Allah is sufficient for me. There is none worthy of worship but Him. I have placed my trust in Him, and He is the Lord of the Majestic Throne.

Loving

If the heart is meek

and its the ease you seek,

Don't tread, for the path is bleak!

If its the spark you search

Sinai is just a lover's hunch

Loving is not an act to do

A moment to feel.

Loving is to submit to One,

To live the true

without a peel!

Oblique

There is a phenomenon in which to have the right view, the image must be viewed from a position that is very far from the usual in-front and straight-ahead position from which we normally expect images to be looked at.

This could imply that some views could be rightly seen only from a distance, as well as, some views could be best borne by sight only through a distance!


Distance is such a magic wand, isn't it!

Candle's Story How Can I Tell?

Candle’s story how can I tell?

Of the broken heart’s living hell?

My sorrow is in how I can find

Another who knows these sorrows well.

Let not your thoughts constantly be fought,

Let thoughts in patience and joy be caught.

What patience? Cause what they call the heart

Is a drop of blood, and a thousand thought.

Don’t let go of the cup’s lips
Till you receive your worldly tips.
Bittersweet is the world’s cup
From lover’s lips and the cup sips.

If like me, you too fall in this trap,
Hold the wine and cup upon your lap.
We are the lovers, burning our tracks,
Join us, if you can put up with the crap.

Courtesy: Hafiz by © Shahriar Shahriari, Los Angeles

touching with fingers the naked body of the dreams: The pen broke, and the page was torn.

Something made me revisit this post, and I thought of sharing it here again:  The pen broke, and the page was torn.

Ye Agar Sharaar Hota!

The following ghazal by Ghalib has been rendered such powerful vocals as that of Begyum Akhtar, Ustad Amanat Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, Jagjit, Chitra, Tina Sani, etc. However, my favourite version is that by Habib Wali Muhammad. The lilt in his voice is just the right thing to have happened to this ghazal, a jaam do aatisha!

ye na thee hamaree qismat ke wisaal-e-yaar hota

agar aur jeetay rehtay yahi intezaar hota

terey waadey par jiyey ham to ye jaan jhoot jaanaa

ke khushee se mar na jaatay agar eitabaar hota

teree naazukee se jaana ke bandha tha ehed_booda 

kabhee tu na tor sakta agar usstuwaar hota

koi mere dil se poochay terey teer-e-neemkash ko

ye khalish kahaan se hoti jo jigar ke paar hota

ye kahaan ki dosti hai ke banay hain dost naaseh

koi chaarasaaz hota, koi ghamgusaar hota

rag-e-sang se tapakta wo lahu ke phir na thamta

jise gham samajh rahay ho, ye agar sharaar hota

gham agarche jaan_gulis hai, per kahaan bachain ke dil hai

gham-e-ishq gar na hota, gham-e-rozgaar hota

kahoon kis se main ke kya hai, shab-e-gham buri bala hai

mujhay kya bura tha marna agar ek baar hota 

huay mar ke ham jo ruswa, hue kyon na gharq-e-dariya 

na kabhi janaaza uthata, na kaheen mazaar hota 

usay kaun dekh sakta ke yagaana hai wo yaktaa 

jo dooee ki boo bhee hotee to kaheen do chaar hota

ye masaail-e-tasawwuf, ye tera bayaan 'Ghalib'! 

tujhay ham walee samajhate, jo na baada_khwaar hota

Fighting Temptations

God does not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear.

(2:286)

We do not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear.

(6:152)

But those who attain to faith and do righteous deeds - [And] We do not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear.

(7:42)

Verily, God does not do the least wrong unto men, but it is men who wrong themselves.

(10:44)

And [withal,] We do not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear: for with Us is a record that speaks the truth [about what men do and can do]; and none shall be wronged.

(23:62)

.... and never does God do the least wrong to His creatures.

(41:46)

Baad Az Shoar

bohat shaor suntay thay pehlu main dil ka
jo cheera tou ik qatra e khoon nikla!

A Fight That Never Was

It was strange.

There were two women facing each other. 

One charged with the resolve to defeat, the other not even aware that a war was on! 

But all it took were a couple of seconds in front of each other that chips began to fall in place. And when she did realize the trumpet of the war by the fire in the eyes of the other, the bitterness in her words, she yielded. Unconditionally. Without wasting a single second.

In love she, too, had been, and recognised the fire of passion. She knew the tone that a voice echoing with rage adopts. She also knew that icey gaze all too well! 

So she smiled softly at the fighter, looked tenderly into her fiery eyes and patted gently on her shoulder. This wasn't her battle, and the man wasn't her victory. She wasn't there to win at all. She needed to convey this to her.

It was hard to convince the raging passion of the utter lack of desire to indulge into the fight that never actually was. Yet she tried, and she tried with such devotion as if that solely was her war.

Sure of her self and convinced of her motives she persisted.

How she hoped she wins this battle!

Image Courtesy: albinokraken.com

Secrets Between The Lips

Then to the lip of this poor earthen Urn 
I lean'd, the Secret of my Life to learn: 
And Lip to Lip it murmur'd--"While you live 
Drink!--for, once dead, you never shall return."

I think the Vessel, that with fugitive 
Articulation answer'd, once did live, 
And drink; and Ah! the passive Lip I kiss'd, 
How many Kisses might it take--and give!

For I remember stopping by the way 
To watch a Potter thumping his wet Clay: 
And with its all-obliterated Tongue 
It murmur'd--"Gently, Brother, gently, pray!" 


And has not such a Story from of Old 
Down Man's successive generations roll'd 
Of such a clod of saturated Earth 
Cast by the Maker into Human mould?

And not a drop that from our Cups we throw 
For Earth to drink of, but may steal below 
To quench the fire of Anguish in some Eye 
There hidden--far beneath, and long ago.

As then the Tulip for her morning sup 
Of Heav'nly Vintage from the soil looks up, 
Do you devoutly do the like, till Heav'n 
To Earth invert you--like an empty Cup. 




- Rubaiyat Of Omar Khayyam


Image Courtesy: KellsCraft

Light Years

when the heart travels on a road tossing and turning, eyes graze till the heavens searching, and the held up breath returns to the chest as a hollow sigh...

of resignation. 

One Of Those Times..

Its one of those times!

You may wonder what am I talking about? I mean there are no words giving an introduction to what type of times I am talking about. And without words how could you grasp what is it that I want to say, right?

Well, its exactly one of those times!

There is a lot that is going on, like the surface of tumultuous sea on a full moon night, yet all those crashing waves just gather together, building up. Tightening the space inside the chest. They dont form words. Words sound like empty meaningless sounds like the howling wind over the sea surface... the pressure mounts, the raging salty waves look for a way out. About time the islands of sight shall be flooded .... 

And the wind keeps howling!

Howling like a crazy beast!

Words that depict nothing. Void. 

Its an empty echo, a meaningless sound of some words ringing hollow..

And I try desperately not to get sub merged into this tsunami.

So I cling to it!

Ya-Nur-As-Samawaati-Wal-Ardi-Ya-Jamal-As-Samawaati-Wal-Ardi-Ya-Emaad-As- Samawaati-Wal-Ardi-Ya-Badi’-As-Samawaati-Wal-Ardi-Ya-Zaljalali-Wal-Ikraami-Ya- Sareekhal-Mustasrikheena-Ya-Ghaus-al-Mustaghiseena-Ya-Muntaha-Raghbat-Ar- Raghibeena-Wal-Mufarrija-‘Anil-Makrubeena-Wal-Murawwiha-‘Anil-Maghmumeena-Wa- Mujiba-Da’watal-Mudhtareena-Wa-Kashif-As-Suwa-Wa-Arham-Ar-Rahimeena-Wa-Ilaahal- Alimeena-Manzulun-Bika-Kullu-Hajatin-Ya-Akram-Al-Akrameena-Wa-Ya-Arham-Ar- Rahimeen.

O You Who Are The Light of the Heavens and the Earth, 

O You Who Are the Beauty of the Heavens and the Earth, 

O You Who Are the Support of the Heavens and the Earth, 

O You Who Are the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, 

O You Who Are the Possesor of Majesty and Kindness. 

O The One Who Hears the call of the callers, 

O The One Who Helps the ones seeking help, 

O The Last Resort of the seekers, 

and The One Who Frees the distressed, 

and The Reliever of the sorrow-stricken, 

and The Acceptor of the prayers of the afflicted, 

and The Remover of afflictions, 

and The Greatest of the Merciful, 

and The One worshipped in all the worlds, every need is presented to You,

O The Most Kind and The Most Merciful. 

You see its one of those times!

Who else could understand it?

Of Fire And Madness ....

... when these are the saviors for a soul battered by the vitriol of sanity..

O you who have attained to faith! Be patient in adversity, and vie in patience with one another, and be ever ready [to do what is right], and remain conscious of God, so that you might attain to a happy state!




Al Quran 3:200

Mohabbat, Ishq, Aur Energy

(Archiving again!)

Mohabbat kia jazba hai? ishq ki haqeeqat kia hai? kia ishq jis tarah shakal tabdeel kar sakta hai, bilkul isi tarah kia kabhi khatum bhi ho sakta hai? ba'tadreej ya achanak?

agr nahi, tou kia ishq energy ki tarah hai, which can change forms but can never be zero?

aur agr aisa hai tou yeh yaqeenun ghaur talab baat hai kion kay physics kehti hai kay energy kainaat kay qayyaam ki waja, iski baqa ki zamanat hai, aur metaphysics kehti hai kay ishq wo aafaqi quwwat hai jo Khaliq aur makhlooq kay bahmi taa'luq kay is tawwazun ko qaim rakhay hoay hai jisko hum qainaat kehtay hain.

'Absolute' wo iste'lah hai jiska absolute matlab bayyaan karna bohat mushkil hai, laikin absolute ishq, Khaliq aur makhlooq kay iss bahmi taa'luq mein woh marhala hai jahan tasleem o raza apni mairaaj par hotay hain. waqifaan-e-Hallaaj kay liay yay 'mun o toi' ki yakjaee ka muqaam hai, aur naaqee'dan--e-hallaaj kay liay yay Maa'bood ki bandagi ko apna tareeq-e-zeest bana lainay ka naam hai . har do soorat mein yey wo muqqaam hai jahan inssan apni hasti ko mita kar fana fillah ho jaey, zindagi sirf ehkaam-e-Illahi aur mush'yeet-e-Illahi kay taab'ay ho jaey. aur banda, bus razi ba'raza. farishton ki tarah!

laikin farishton kay pass ishq kay illawa aur koi chaara hi nahi. saraapa tasleem! saraapa ataa'at! aisay mein jab wo khaaki jiski sarisht mein muham'joee ho, jis kay khameer mein hi baaghiyaana justajoo ho, jab wo tasleem o raza main wajood-e-noor ki hamsari karnay lagay, tou har tarah ki internal resistance subdue kar lainay kay baa'is uss say aik quwwat radiate hona shuroo ho jati hai. aur barhtay barhtay aik azeem gravitational pull bun jati hai.

yeh ishq ki quwwat hai.

ishq ki energy!

PS: Have you ever noticed the eyes of one in love?

(originally written in 2008)