Happy the man,
and happy he alone,
he who can call today his own;
he who,
secure within,
can say,
tomorrow do thy worst,
for I have lived today.
-John Dryden
(this poem was taken from Daughter of Adam's blogpost - 8/2004 http://tranquilart.blogspot.com)
'Every man dies. But not every man truly LIVES' - Braveheart
'The unexamined life, is NOT worth living'
'Most people lead lives of quiet desperation' - Henry David Thoreaux
The Oxford handbook of Clinical Specialties mentions how one of the roles of pediatricians is to help every child choose to be either happy, or free. I think this is a choice all of us make in every second of our wakeful existence.
But what does it mean to be 'happy' or 'free' ? Aren't these essentially ephemeral states?
Dryden's poetry appears to highlight the grand station of contenment, with a bold dignity that is not found in usual Sufi literature. Can we blame Orientalists renditions' of our history, when they depict us as passive beings who embrace their sorry fates? Proactive tasleem is indeed 'sabran jameela.'
What of freedom? When it comes to guarding our gaze, well-meaning brothers and sisters may initially rush to look down whenever the corner of their eyes catches a tight torso, or a clinging hemline on the opposite sex. And then if we're practiced enough with this 'Zuhd,' pride enters our hearts like a bat out of hell. Self-righteous indignation, here we come.
Our Amir ul Mu'mineen, Umar al-Faruq ibn al-Khattab (ra), never had such pious pretensions. He walked with utter confidence. Women looked at him and they HAD to lower their gaze, out of sheer respect for our Just caliph. And most importantly, Shaytan was so afraid of Umar (ra), he would flee when he noticed the latter walking the streets.
Sh Nuh mentions how our beloved Nabi (saw) often had 'talaqat al-wajh' (a smiling face), unless the situation demanded otherwise. Yet in Sh GF Haddad's most evocative biographical account of the Amir ul Mu'mineen of hadith, the eminent Tab'i Imam Sufyan at-Thawri (ra), we notice that among his praises was of an authority who could not bear to look at his face, because he possessed so much majesty. Subhan Allah.
The celebrated early companion, Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (ra) was another inspiration. He literally feared nothing, and no one, except God. He even disagreed with the specific advice of Rasulullah (saw), and proclaimed his faith publicly - only to get himself beaten by those who feared the truth. And during the caliphate of our 3rd Caliph, Uthman ibn Affan (ra), it wa Abu Dharr (ra) who didn't pull any punches in outlining the excesses of his policies.
Let it be said, this is NOT a criticism of any of the members of our unique Qur'anic generation. He is indeed pleased with them all, and we are nobody to criticize them.
But we must heed lessons from them, nonetheless. To love the Companions is a sign of Iman, as is outlined by the great Imam at-Tahawi (rh).
M. Scott Peck in his landmark bestseller "The Road Less Traveled" mentions how the path of Truth and Reflection is a lonely road. The price of freedom is often an unbearable solitude. Unbearable to us spiritually unadvanced fuqara, that is.
Sound traditions in the collections of ahadith denote the merits of Abu Dharr (ra). How he died alone, walked alone, and how he will be resurrected ALONE. How the earth never carried a man more truthful than him.
I'm ending this post here. I'm simply not worthy. Neither happy, nor free.
SubhanAllah, these true tales of the Companions lift the spirit.
ReplyDeleteDid you get the email I sent you with the template info? I hope it is clear.
Wasalaam,
Baraka
Program on the emergence of civilization.
ReplyDelete"14 species of large animals capable of domesitcation in the history of mankind.
13 from Europe, Asia and northern Africa.
None from the sub-Saharan African continent. "
Favor.
And disfavor.
They point out Africans’ failed attempts to domesticate the elephant and zebra, the latter being an animal they illustrate that had utmost importance for it's applicability in transformation from a hunting/gathering to agrarian-based civilization.
The roots of racism are not of this earth.
Austrailia, aboriginals:::No domesticable animals.
The North American continent had none. Now 99% of that population is gone.
AIDS in Africa.
Organizational Heirarchy
Heirarchical order, from top to bottom:
1. MUCK - perhaps have experienced multiple universal contractions (have seen multiple big bangs), creator of the artificial intelligence humans ignorantly refer to as "god"
2. Perhaps some mid-level alien management
3. Mafia (evil) aliens - runs day-to-day operations here and perhaps elsewhere (On planets where they approved evil.)
Terrestrial management:
4. Chinese/egyptians - this may be separated into the eastern and western worlds
5. Romans - they answer to the egyptians
6. Mafia - the real-world interface that constantly turns over generationally so as to reinforce the widely-held notion of mortality
7. Jews, corporation, women, politician - Evidence exisits to suggest mafia management over all these groups.
Survival of the favored.
Movies foreshadowing catastrophy
1985 James Bond View to a Kill 1989 San Francisco Loma Prieta earthquake.
Many Muslims are being used like the Germans and Japanese of wwii::being used to hurt others and envoke condemnation upon their people.
I wish I could find a source to educate many Muslim fundamentalists. Muhammad is alive. He is a man chosen like Jesus Christ and, due to his historical status, will live forever.
They can affect the weather and Hurricane Katrina was accomplished for many reasons and involves many interests, as anything this historical is::
1. Take heat off Sheenhan/Iraq, protecting profitable war machine/private war contracts
2. Gentrification. New Orleans median home price of $84k is among the lowest in major American cities, certainly among desirable cities.