before and within

the answer exists before the question,
the destination exists before the journey;

the path exists within the traveler,
what one sees reflect one's state

laa tudrikuhul abshaaru wa huwa yudrikul abshaaru
wa huwal lathiiful khabiir

movement

movement without motion,
stillness without effort;

vision beyond sight,
music beyond melody;

silence encapsulates sounds,
the unseen encapsulates the seen;

the exterior is subordinate to the interior,
the seen is subordinate to the unseen;

listen.. listen well to the silence &
watch the watcher

gratitude

penetrate the surface,
dive deep towards the center

gratitude penetrates,
piercing through the shell

gratitude upon gratitude,
a sign of mercy from the One True Reality

Huwal awwalu wal akhiru wazzahiru wal bathinu wa huwa bi kulli syai'in 'aliim
Huwal haqqul mubiin

rise and set

the sun rises from the east,
sets in the west

shadows stretch from the west,
shrink towards the east

rise and set,
above and below

all are but two sides of duality,
at the center duality collapses into singularity

the material universe is only a shadow,
an image of reality

an image of reality is not reality,
it is only a projection

sincerity

Comfort and hardships are only veils,
Infinite layers of veils correspond to infinite levels of duality

Sincerity is a tree of strength,
A source of power to advance one’s state (maqam)

Its roots stem from the nur of iman,
Its fruits are patience, gratitude, and istiqamah

Patience in comfort and gratitude in hardships,
Istiqamah in both patience and gratitude

Patience within patience, gratitude upon gratitude,
A sign of advancement from one layer to another

Ya Allah ya Hayyu ya Qayyum
Qaa iman bil qisthi dzaalikumullahu fa’anna tu’fakuun

being

The ocean of nothingness is vast,
encompassing infinite layers within infinite dimensions

Truthfulness (shidiq) is the the first step towards the shores of ma’rifatullah,
through patience and gratitude one elevates to a more comprehensive understanding

Yet, understanding alone does not suffice,
the traveler must travel his/her own path of evolution

Living is being, being is doing,
doing is giving..

The best gift is being (fully) present,
giving away the self, shifting from duality

The giver is the receiver,
the receiver is the giver!

One will not reach the perfection state (of iman),
until one gives (fully) what is dearest..

pearls

An eagle asks the wind,
O great one, teach me the language beyond language

Ask the sun,
Then you have to annihilate yourself

Ask the moon,
But your wings are weak that you may never reach such heights

I can not teach you,
for you have to struggle for yourself

Ships travel on the surface
The shell does not define the kernel

Dive deep into the ocean of patience and gratitude,
(insha Allah) one will find pearls of mercy

Dive deep into the ocean of mercy
(insha Allah) one will find pearls of wisdom

Dive deep into the ocean of wisdom
(insha Allah) one will find pearls of qudra’

Dive deep into ocean of qudra’
(insha Allah) one will find pearls of nothingness

Dive deep into the ocean of nothingness
(insha Allah) one will find pearls of existence

Subhanalladzii asra bi ‘abdihi lail
Fa sabbih bihamdi rabbika wa kun minas sajidiin
Wa’bud rabbaka hatta ya’tiyakal yaqiin

duality

the shell does not define the kernel
the state defines the structure

duality is the shadow of singularity
singularity transcends duality

the sought is the seeker
the seeker is the sought

rabbana atmimlana nuurana waghfirlana
innaka ala kulli syai'in qadir