Muharram - 1st month on the islamic calendar.

"Four of them ( Zil-Qadah, Zil-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab) are sacred."

(Surah At-Tawbah:36)

1. With the sighting of the new moon, the Islamic new year is ushered in. The first month Muharram, is a month of great reward and virtue. Muharram itself means `sacred' and is from those months which have been mentioned as sacred in the Quran.

"The best of fasts besides the month of Ramadhan is the fasting of Allah's month of Muharram." -Sahih Muslim

2. Fasting on this month is greatly reccomended. Especially on the 9th of Ashura.

Hazrat Ibn Abbas (Radiyallahu 'anh) relates that when the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) said: "If I survive till next year, I will definitely observe fast on the 9th of Muharram (as well)."-Sahih Muslim

3. The day of Ashura marks the climax of the month. It's on the 10th of Muharram. It's a day of great importance to muslims. Alot of major events has taken place on that day. And one of them, possibly the most significant, is the Matrydom of Sayedina Husain Ibn Ali. Grandson of the blessed Prophet and 1 of the great warriors in Islam history.

He was killed in the Battle of Karbala, beheaded and along with His army of 72 men from his tribe, their bodies were left there without burial for 3 days.

Its a month of great rewards. And with Allah's blessing, may we all reap the benefits from it Insha-Allah. Wishing all my muslim brothers and sisters, a Happy Blessed new islamic year.

Magical Bird

O' magical bird

where did you fly to?

in the skies i cant see you

the fragrance u left in the air

is keeping me alive now.

where are you?

come come show me a sign of you.

even if u bring a whirlwind with you in flight, come.

i'll trace the winds that enters your hearing

i'll find the light, which enters your sight

come forth, from behind the veil

reveal a glimpse of yourself

there are tales to be told

i'll wait under the tree u left

come O' magical bird,

im only half-alive..

Ashes to Rose

im lost in a love, so great
burning in a flame which never dies
with the glass of wine in one hand
i sing the nightingale song

seek deep, love
in pain, the hidden secrets reveal itself
pour the wine
let the senses ignite

this world is all, but what we fantasize
all there is is me and you
my heart is a shipwreck
yet i stay afloat

i throw the wine cup away
who needs that, when her glance is enough
from rose to ashes you say
from ashes to rose i say

Wisdom | Nasruddin Stories

1.
Once, when Mullah Nasruddin was visiting a Western town, he was invited to attend a fashion show. He went, and afterwards he was asked how he liked it. "It's a complete swindle!" he exclaimed indignantly. "Whatever do you mean?" he was asked. "They show you the women - and then try to sell you the clothes!"

2.

One day Nasruddin went to a banquet. As he was dressed rather shabbily, no one let him in. So he ran home, put on his best robe and fur coat and returned. Immediately, the host came over, greeted him and ushered him to the head of an elaborate banquet table. When the food was served, Nasruddin took some soup with spoon and pushed it to the his fur coat and said, ''Eat my fur coat, eat! It's obvious that you're the real guest of honor today, not me! ''

3.
One day Mullah Nasruddin lost his ring down in the basement of his house, where it was very dark. There being no chance of his finding it in that darkness, he went out on the street and started looking for it there. Somebody passing by stopped and enquire: "What are you looking for, Mullah Nasruddin ? Have you lost something?" "Yes, I've lost my ring down in the basement." "But Mullah Nasruddin , why don't you look for it down in the basement where you have lost it?" asked the man in surprise. "Don't be silly, man! How do you expect me to find anything in that darkness!"

I Am An Astronomer

In the shadow of the temple my friend and I saw a blind man sitting alone. And my friend said, “Behold the wisest man of our land.”

Then I left my friend and approached the blind man and greeted him. And we conversed.
After a while I said, “Forgive my question; but since when has thou been blind?”

“From my birth,” he answered.

Said I, “And what path of wisdom followest thou?”

Said he, “I am an astronomer.”

Then he placed his hand upon his breast saying, “I watch all these suns and moons and stars.”

-The Madman, Kahlil Gibran

The Universe

"He is the Originator of the

heavens and the earth."

(The Qur'an, 6:101)

As we know, the deeper we look into space, further back into time are we travelling.

For eg. If we see a star exploding 20 million light years away, it means in reality, the star has already exploded 20 million years ago, because that is the amount of time light took travel to us for us to see it exploding.

Thanks to the Hubble Space Telescope, we have been able to look deeper into the cosmos than mankind has ever had. Thus, the deeper we look into the cosmos, we are infact going back to the time of origin. The universe as we know is a vast vast space. So huge it's vastness is actually unfathomable.

"I was a hidden treasure desiring to be known,

and I created the universe

so that I might be known."

-Hadith

The reality is, all the 18 thousand universe and worlds is within us. It depends on how we visualize the world. From the outside in? or the inside out?

"You thought yourself a part, small;

Whereas in you there is a universe, the greatest."

-Amir-Al-Momenin Ali

The life of the cosmos, the stars, conforms to the life cycle described by the Sufis. Birth, Growth, Death and rebirth. All religious philosophy tries to understand the divinity within ourselves through that understanding.

The universe as the scientist say was started by the Big Bang. It is from that point of origin, which the universe came to be known.

"Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation),before We clove them asunder,

and We made from water every living thing.

Will they not then believe?" - (The Qur'an, 21:30)

That is the point of origin, which we have to return to. Just like the telescope seeing deep into space, the deeper we venture within ourselves, to our divine origin We return back to. The secret of our inner reality is understood.

We, Man, carry the beauty of the entire universe within us. But we are too ignorant to realise it. ''In short, you and I, is the complete one, eternal, timeless, boundless.'' It is with that understanding the mystic says, "I thought I was person and then discovered that I am part of the Divine."

"Earth and heaven do not contain me, but the heart of my believing servent contains me...''

The next time you look up at the night sky filled with stars, know, you are actually looking, within yourself.

Get rid of the Self

Who is hearing?

Your physical being doesn’t hear,

Nor does the void.

Then what does?

Strive to find out.

Put aside your rational Intellect,

Give up all techniques.

Just get rid of the notion of self.

- Bassui

Mistake

Yesterday i played a chess match against this player from Malaysia in Chesspark. The usual site i play in. He was a much stronger opponent,1900+ rating and i was 1700+ only, and i thought of just trying to give him a tough fight. The fact that he had the white pieces, which means he gets to go first, made it even harder for me. And i had won 99 games in total of 187 matches. So i thought my 100th victory will have to wait a little while more.

Fast forward to the middle of the match. He made a terrible mistake. He lost his queen, the most powerful piece on the board. And he couldn't capture back the minor piece which captured his queen. Meaning he lost a whole queen for nothing! I had a totally dominant position and very safe king and he's king was stuck in the middle of the board, his pieces were undeveloped. Whereas i have a potential huge attack against him.

At this point, he went missing. He didn't get disconnected. He was in the game, but was not making any move. Maybe realising he made a terrible blunder. Or he went away for awhile. The clock was running down on him. I had about 11mins left. He had only 7minutes. After analysing the position abit while waiting for him, i realise that there was no way back for him. So i started typing in the our game chat. I told him,
''there's no hope for you in this position.
for a 1900+ player, you are not alert enough. you attack so prematurely against me.
even if you cheat now using computer help, also lose. You are down 1 whole queen. no way to catch me.''
And i actually said this ''Thank you for giving me my 100th victory.'' He didn't reply anything.

Eventually he did make a move which i expected. He had only 4minutes left. And i had 11minutes. I played fast knowing that i can smell victory. As the match went on, i made mistakes after mistakes. And as you would have guessed it by now. I actually lost the match! I blew a promising position and after 53 moves i resigned.

The previous chess post, i wrote about presense of mind even in winning position. I didn't have that. And my worst mistake is showing disrespect to my opposition. Call it arrogance or over confidence. I realised in any situation in life, be it work or home, respect for others is of utmost importance. In competition of any sport, no matter how weak their situation is suppose to be, you have to respect them and finish the game off by doing your best. This match thought me alot in life. I was so pissed, i played another 3 matches to get my 100th victory and didn't win any 1 of them. So i took a break and eventually got my 100th win this morning.

Im thankful for this lose. As i can say, i learnt a lesson in life. For those who play chess, can view the match below.




At the end of the game, once i resigned, he finally typed, and he said
''i caught you.''

Timur's Gift | Nasruddin Stories

Timur's Gift

Timur's armies were plundering the entire Central Asia and the rumors were that Timur was heading for Mullah's village. Hearing this, Mullah in his Friday sermon called for a collective prayer. "Let us all pray for the death of Timur the Lame before he comes". All villagers said Amen loudly.
A man stood up from among the worshipers and asked, "Have you ever seen Timur?".
Mullah replied, "No, and I have not seen you before either".
The man said, "You are right, because I am Timur".
Mullah was stunned by the news, and so were all the villagers. Mullah calmly resumed his sermon. "Let us pray once more collectively, this time our Janazah (funeral prayer)".
"How can you pray your own Janazah you fool", asked Timur, "Janazah is prayed by the living on the dead".
"Yes my lord but you see" replied Mullah "We are all about to be dead with no one to pray Janazah on us. So we have to take care of our Janazah ourselves".Timur laughed his heart out and pardoned Mullah and gave an elephant as his gift to the village.

The purpose

Venturing into the depths of ourselves is neither to gain knowledge,
nor to understand how Moses opened the sea,
nor to understand the secrets in our self,
nor to call our self a Sufi,
nor to call ourselves a mystic,
nor a philosopher,
nor to understand the secrets in the Holy books,
nor to understand our divinity,
nor to see God through his veil,
nor to understand profound poetry,
nor to have the knowledge of the Unseen,
nor to fly through hidden skies,


its simple. it's just being a good person with a good character. This is spiritualism. The one who has understood this,
is the Mystic.




©Luqman.WordsofPearls.

Who are we, really?

Enlightenment is understanding oneself. The inner reality within.
This zen poem is so profound, yet so simple.

“before Enlightenment, cut wood, carry water; after Enlightenment, cut wood, carry water.”


After you reach enlightenment, you still do the same thing. So, what is the difference between the 1 who cuts wood without enlightenment and one who does it after?


thoughts...

Silence is the key

There's a saying. Words are valuable. But Silence is precious.
In the path of any religious spiritualism, silence is always mentioned.
What is there in silence? The mystic speaks of mystic silence.

''In spite of whatever wisdom we may have; we can make a mistake if we have no control over our words. And we can easily find examples of this truth; those who talk much have less power than those who talk little. For a talkative person may not be able to express an idea in a thousand words which those who are masters of silence express in one word. ''

It is within human nature, to express one's thought.
But is within human nature to err too.
There comes a time when expressing one' thought, may not be the right thing.
In life it's about doing the right thing at the right time.

By holding back certain opinion or thought a problem can be avoided. To be silent is to struggle within yourself. Its controlling an impulse. There's a thin line from self expression to doing the right thing. In the materialistic world, silence brings peace. In the mystic world, a thousand wisdom enters the heart in a moment of absolute silence. The difference is, the silence of the physical tongue, and the silence of the heart. A person with a physically silent tongue may have a of commotion in his heart. Wisdom is only born when you bring your heart to absolute silence.

• Silence for the ordinary people is with their tongues, silence for the mystics is with their hearts, and silence for the lovers is with restraining the stray thoughts that come to their innermost beings.

Two person can talk all their lives, and know nothing about each other. But to two close souls, A lover and a beloved, a nod of the head or a glance will send the message across. That's the secret conversation of a mystic with god. Its through silence of the heart. Deep within ourselves. There is a inner dialog waiting to happen. There's a inner voice constantly coming. The one who is silent hears it. The seers, the saints, the sages, the prophets, the masters, they have heard that voice which comes from within by making themselves silent.

I will now begin my silence by ending with a story of Buddha.

According to legend, when Buddha was growing old he convened his disciples for an important discourse. And when they gathered and sat down silently, reverently waiting to hear their aging Master speak, the Buddha arose, came forward on the flower-decked platform, looked over his audience of disciples and monks, then bent down and picked up a flower which he raised to the level of his eyes. Then, without uttering a word, he returned to his seat. His followers looked at each other in bewilderment, not understanding the meaning of his silence. Only the venerable Mahakasyapa serenely smiled at the Master. And the Master smiled back at him and wordlessly bequeathed to him the spiritual meaning of his wordless sermon. And that, according to legend, was the moment Zen was born.

Silence is the key.


*Italics taken from wahiuddin.net

Tales of Mullah Nasruddin

Mullah Nasruddin riding a horse


Nasruddin is a legendary Sufi figure in the arabian culture. Some say he lived in turkey. But each nation claim that Nasruddin is their own. From the Afghans to Iran to Uzbekistan culture. There are people who say its just a fictional character who didn't exist. Made up by people who wanted to convey a message. In each culture he has a different name. Some call him just 'Mullah'. Some 'Nasreddin'. 'Hodja' to 'Effendi'. But 1 thing was certain. He was a philosopher and a wise man with numerous funny stories attributed to him.


I came across his legends and little stories when i was searching for some philosophical articles to blog. And i across him. ''Much of Nasreddin's actions can be described as illogical yet logical, rational yet irrational, bizarre yet normal, foolish yet sharp, and simple yet profound. What adds even further to his uniqueness is the way he gets across his messages in unconventional yet very effective methods in a profound simplicity.'' "quoted from wikipedia. In some tales, Nasruddin is a beggar, others a king. He plays a wide range of roles, depending on what the author or philosopher is trying to convey.


I found most of his stories ranging from downright funny to strangely intriguing. Nasruddin was a popular figure especially in the Sufi path. The Sufi path can be a tough and difficult journey. To make the journey more enjoyable and still learning along the way, stories of Mullah Nasruddin was published in the 1600s by Sultan Idries Shah, a great philosopher himself.



The beauty of his tales is that beneath the jokes there is a moral to it. At first glance, it can be a funny tale but there is a gem hidden within the story just waiting to be realized. By understanding the simple morals within the story, a mystic can go further in the path of inner realization while having a few laughs in the path. In his tales, there is multiple level or layers of meaning. An individual can dig out many different meanings, depending on the level of his own understanding.

There are some tales, which are so short i actually find it bizarre. You begin to wonder 'what great wisdom might be in this?!' To great thinkers, is this kind of thought which is important to avoid. You will find the greatest of wisdom in the most unlikeliest of places! I will put up some of his short tales most which are amusing and hope it will be a stepping stone to great wisdom. I will carry on posting his tales on a daily basis as i come across them.

Delivering a Khutba

Once, Nasreddin was invited to deliver a khutba (sermon). When he got on the minbar (pulpit), he asked "Do you know what I am going to say?" The audience replied "NO", so he announced "I have no desire to speak to people who don't even know what I will be talking about" and he left.

The people felt embarrassed and called him back again the next day. This time when he asked the same question, the people replied "YES". So Nasreddin said, "Well, since you already know what I am going to say, I won't waste any more of your time" and he left.

Now the people were really perplexed. They decided to try one more time and once again invited the Mullah to speak the following week. Once again he asked the same question - "Do you know what I am going to say?" Now the people were prepared and so half of them answered "YES" while the other half replied "NO". So Nasreddin said "The half who know what I am going to say, tell it to the other half" and he left!

Two sides of a river

Nasreddin sat on a river bank when someone shouted to him from the opposite side:

- "Hey! how do I get to the other side?"

- "You are on the other side!" Nasreddin shouted back.

Whom do you trust

A neighbour comes to the gate of Mulla Nasreddin's yard. The Mulla goes out to meet him outside.

"Would you mind, Mulla," the neighbour asks, "lending me your donkey today? I have some goods to transport to the next town."

The Mulla doesn't feel inclined to lend out the animal to that particular man, however; so, not to seem rude, he answers:

"I'm sorry, but I've already lent him to somebody else."

Suddenly the donkey can be heard braying loudly behind the wall of the yard.

"You lied to me, Mulla!" the neighbour exclaims. "There it is behind that wall!"

"What do you mean?" the Mulla replies indignantly. "Whom would you rather believe, a donkey or your Mulla?"

Chess In Life

The Great Mikhail Tal(November 9, 1936 – June 28, 1992)

The picture above is of the Mikhail Tal. Probarbly the greatest attacking chess player to have ever lived. I took chess as my serious hobby after watching some of his games. Featuring brilliant sacrifices, he was 1 of the most imaginative player ever over the board. People throw money onto the board after watching his games. Even now, replaying his games brings the hair on the back of your neck stand. They call him, the Magician From Riga(his birthplace).

So what is exactly chess? Chess enthusiast call it an insult to call it a hobby. Some say it's more than a game. Some say it's life itself. I call it poetry. The best quote i believe sums up the argument.

"Ultimately chess is just chess - not the best thing in the world
and not the worst thing in the world, but there is nothing quite like it."

The beauty of chess, is its complexity. Seeing players, staring over a board, matching their wits with 1 another, with wooden pieces init, for hours and hours.

I fell in love with just that. The complexity. I grew up playing chess. I aren't a brilliant player. For my age, just an average player. Chess allowed me to explore my imagination and love the difficulty encompassing it.

I have won many games, with people around the world. The joy i get when i win games with brilliant sacrifices. Playing like Tal. But to be honest, i don't quite remember the wins. Its the defeat that's hard to digest. I remember it most. How i blew a winning position with 1 simple mistake. In defeats, chess thought me the most valuable life lessons.

Chess is not just a game. To an open mind and heart. It's a fascinating game, allow you to play the game how you want it. You control the pieces. You dictate it. Chess can be a road to self discovery. Self realization. When you understand why you lost, you evolve as a human being. It teaches you to handle and approach life challenges in the correct way. With the correct state of mind. When you smell a victory coming, your heart starts beating fast, you start thinking about what you are going to do after the match. That's when you have lost. Chess trains you to focus even in the most hardest situation.

Chess thought me countless important elements in life. Patience, the downward spiral, illusion of certainty and so much more. This is not a post to get you interested in chess. It's to show, you can learn important life lessons, from the least expected source. Catching a butterfly? Why not. It's how you see things in life. Everything in life has something to teach you. Approach it with an open mind, and be willing to learn and unlearn.

Life is a blur. Just like how you need glasses to correct your vision. Look at life through the glasses of art. Chess is art.
It allows you to envision life in a different perspective. It makes you a better person.

I sum up this post with a couple of quotes. To get us all thinking.

“Chess, like love, like music, has the power to make people happy”

“You sit at the board and suddenly your heart leaps. Your hand trembles to pick up the piece and move it. But what Chess teaches you is that you
must sit there calmly and think about whether it’s really a good idea
and whether there are other better ideas”

“Chess is the art which expresses the science of logic”

“The Chess pieces are the block alphabet which shapes thoughts; and
these thoughts, although making a visual design on the chessboard,
express their beauty abstractly, like a poem”
(Marcel Duchamp)