Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf: Lose your ego, find your compassion | Video on TED.com

Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf: Lose your ego, find your compassion | Video on TED.com

As Muhurram has just started , we all must face the start of another Muslim year ... how to make it more pleasing to Our Maker???

We can look back and recall lessons learned, look at today and be present for the grace that each day brings and look ahead ...with a HOPE and FAITH in what is meant for us to learn .

Today's lesson revolves around a sermon by Br Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf on Compassion He represents a SUFI side of Islam in which he proposes that by touching into our inner compassion , we can bring out a little glimpse of our Divine Source in our own life. By seeking this touch of our Source, we can daily control the truest part of our soul and complete our sense of contentment .

We do not need to feel any despair ..YET look hopefully at our own North Star and follow its lead.

From sadness and depression, we can mount our days ...using COMPASSION.

Muslim New Year beginning 1431

Muharram will come upon us on December 18 this year to start 1431 AH anew... would that we can recall the lessons from last year to help us manage better in HIS way onwards.

The path towards a blessed hereafter is fraught with toils and challenges ..we are told that thru a patient understanding and acceptance of this world's vagaries ( yet maintaining our personal values) , we may be led straight.

The bliss that we may yearn for WILL BE waiting for us ... thru a constant patient surrender.

Please help us consider this in our earthly , daily lives . AMIN SUB AMIN.

Purification before the HAAJ

Perhaps this time of year is challenging as the seasons change and we reflect the past seasons ... part of us dies off and we must become quiet for the winter months ... HAAJ is a time for repentance and examining how we live ...with the standards HE has set for us . Honestly re-evaluating oneself and adjusting my own parameters is my sense of peace and brings "happiness" to my soul. May I seriously do this annual task now ..with an intention to be better in the future . THIS IS THE PRESENT ..the TODAY I embrace . Best wishes to all who follow this path .

MOMENTS to treasure

After realizing again and again , just how short our lives may be.. they can end in a second ! Please think about each day that it could be your last . What would you like to accomplish if that were so ?

For me it is my outreach that would matter... supporting anyone who needs it ... praising what I have and being truly humble and thankful for each bounty that came in my life . To understand this lesson is the best I can offer to my friends. Internal happiness is based on these precepts.

If anyone happens upon this blog ..please see my reflections truly as inspirations coming to warm and lighten your day and mine /// just as it unfolds .

MOMENTS OF INSPIRATION

As we face our days , we all keep trying to surmount our anxieties and concerns . Sometimes the task seems overwhelming . BUT then a moment of inspiration comes from a Source we did not reckon. We keep trying to manage on our own ..when if we simply took the power in our own hands to copy , within our daily lives, the tools provided by all the Great prophets . Imbibe the treasures given us ..not just read about them ...gentleness, compassion, kindness, tolerance . Take them and put them so safely in our own heart's core. They will sprout and fill our whole demeanour in ways that we can not imagine . We will have surrendered and become better than we could have ever hoped for . The heart is made from love , the soul is happy in love and the body cherishes the treasures provided by its two allies. Our outward glow will radiate this light of attitude to all who see us .

Maintaining my contentment

After completing a four week study of "how to find peace", we have now spent three weeks trying to stay focussed on what exactly that meant for me . The discipline of the moment, the hour, the day and the regime that pleases both my body and soul ...calls to me .

Please remember to keep seeking to learn new tricks every day to maintian the balance . The key is to walk in the golden mean with service and constancy and firmness of purpose .... easier said than done.

Always ask so that you may be given it.... in the Universe's time .

Remember HIM so that He will remember you .

Laitul Qadr

The NIGHT of Power ... it comes and goes once a year. It allows a chance for redemption .. we can seek and hope to find ...ASK and ye shall be given ! on the 26th night ( before the 27th fast day ) the angels come close to visit us, humans and respond to our requests . The souls for next year ..arriving and leaving this earth are named , we wish for Mercy and HOPE for everlasting freedom from the Hell-Fire. With the truest conviction , one can feel the angels ' presence ... and we can find our way for another year. This is the actual night the first Quranic ayats were given to the Prophet ... so it is apt that we ask for HELP this night .

Bless all who have these convictions ... and can benefit from these bounties . This night may move thru any of the odd-numbered fast days ..so we may have to look for it on a few nights between the 20th and the 28th evenings..after Isha thru to Fajr time . HAPPY HUNTING !!!!

HIS TIME IS THE BEST TIME

As we meander through our lives , we all seek to know what is our purpose ??? Our talents and creativity direct us routinely to seek who we are... BUT the real state of ecstasy is the one in which we truly understand from whence we came . It is our essence that really matters and how we manage its connection with the Source.

As Ramadan once more closes for this year, please hold tight to that thought ... remember to connect OFTEN with your Source and there you will find your own contentment , happiness and grace.

Praise and glorify HIM, his gifts to us all and the earthly bounties that we all share. NOW our eternal HOPE lies in what HIS TIME will give us all in the Hereafter.

THERE IS NO POWER greater than HIS power nor NO TIME BETTER THAN HIS TIME!!!

BIG NIGHTS of prayer !

Now is our time to secure our real happiness ... speaking directly to HIM to ask for fulfillment of our needs . For the next 9 nights , it is believed that there is one night so blessed that anything asked for will bring forth more happiness than on any other night of the year. So we choose to speak nightly ...hoping to be heard .

Deep insights may be known to us where we do not know them under regular circumstances . HOPE lies huge on our horizons and futility is lessened . May we remember to believe and simply act in correspondance with our beliefs.

This preface to Eid simply makes it easier for us to feel the true forgiveness for our individual faults.

Better actions for the future will help us all . GOD speed us all.

Allah is perfect and All powerful and I praise Him!

These words will take us back to where we started one day ... keep repeating them as often as you can . The reward will be that your earthly anxieties will lessen as you beocme totally at peace with HIM. The Hereafter and its safety is all that we can hope for ... keep this as your daily intention thruout your life .

So herein lies the message of RAmadan .. the meat between the bread of life. Patience , perseverance , humbleness and a courageous belief that accepts what is wished for as accomplished before it ever happens . THIS is the essence of TRUE FAITH !

Now you have the seed of TRUE FAITH! Therin lies the real HAPPINESS!

May those who read this blog always believe in " SEEK and ye shall find"; Ask and it shall be given ..in HIS own time" .

HOLD ONTO THE ROPE OF FAITH

As we fast and weaken our hold on the material world because we love HIM more ... the inspirations that come to us today will lead our paths this following year .
Each Ranmadan , these same truths will rise out of the pains we have endured ... and it is so striking that every year , the same points jump up again.

So too lies the ABSOLUTENESS of TRUTH and the virtues that they inspire.

Our HOPE is that once appreciated , we will find a daily peace to hold securely and never feel afloat without an anchor thru any of the perils that we may face .

The tides and trials will flow around us but there is never a real inocuous wave in the ocean of PATIENCE ... we are always safe using HIS ROPE OF FAITH!

nearing Battle of Badr

Today is the 17th day of Ramadan and commemorates a famous battle that took place at Badr . This is a grand memory for a small band of brothers ( about 100) who stood against a mighty Quraish army from Mecca ...and held them back so that they could maintain the Medina fortress. There were many injuries on both sides but the Quraish returned home ..unable to defeat this small faithful band . I was fortunate enough to one day stand upon this soil's battleground at BAdr in Saudi Arabia and could sense the nobleness of the ground upon which I stood . Awesome HOPE for those of us still seeking HIS ways .

As this day falls to us in year 1430 AH , we can gain strength from the knowledge that it will be our truest FAITH that will keep us strong to weather any challenge we face . The patience to stand, defend , and gain insights into who we are ..within our CORE will give us abilities to manage our destinies .

RAMADAN's forgiveness trimester

As we open this trimester of our holy month, we face the Maker to beg for our forgiveness . It is with this certainty that He will forgive, that the soul finds peace and can move on in a "happy" state. Only when we are purified from darkness and evil, do we reach that contented state where our heart is OPEN to soar to its own heights.

Let us all seek and find such bliss !

Peace to all who read this blog.

Middle of Ramadan

As we just complete the days of mercy , ul hum do lillaheh ... we face the days of forgiveness . Happiness is only as near as HIS forgivenenss allows ...for it is when we feel forgiven that we can find true contentment . May Allah allow us this opportunity to accept our faults and make efforts to remain away from them in the future . It is in this path that we can truly become close to HIM ...as his ally and friend . Happiness is to have an open heart to seek HIS truths wherever they fall ... be forgiven and remain open to deserve HIS peace.

Ramadan 7 th day

Can I try to express the JOYS of following HIS ways ?
Our souls come from HIM .. we are to return to HIM one day ... so why is it not happiness to follow HIS guidance ? Who would know better what we each need?
It seems strange to face this holy month in any other way than in reverance and remembrance of deeply felt inspirations.... hoping for these guideposts to continue to keep us straight .

Life , in all that it pretends to be ... is only what we make with what we are given . The smiles, the frowns , the courage . the despair are simply emotions coming from the thoughts we think.

THUS what I think about Ramadan is that HIS mercy will overcome all else. His forgiveness will settle all "ills". And as the month will finish , I can count on HIM to bring an everlasting HOPE for the hereafter . So this is what makes this month so soothing ... my thoughts within the framework of the days create the "holiness" . The fasts are an additional burden to allow the thoughts to be humbled from strong EGO, ID and other human fancies .

This gift of such a welcome visitor to our bodies, minds and souls can only prove to us, humans the bond of love shared with us and the Creator. If we truly deserve such bounty , then please make us learn and hold tight to the ROPE OF FAITH as the future days unfold .

The supreme root system only needs just that..faith , certitude, and determination to manage the winds and turmoils as they blow around us .

THIS WOULD BE MY DESCRIPTION OF HAPPINESS!

Shaban's visit for 1430

Here as I write, I see the end of this year's Shaban ... what to say that Has inspired me ? Happiness can only really arrive when you actually do please your Creator...with your life and actions . He will reward you as He sees fit... it will be necessary to have patience thru the trials , hope with the challenges and a real sacrifice of SELF ..at times . Remember to follow the sunna and life of the Prophet ...if you truly need be at peace .

Gratitude and love are the foremost in my heart to Allah ... as this month closes . May the introspection completed this month ..continue next month and allow HIM to do HIS work on me . Let the heart be open and non-judgmental ..of those we meet ... allowing others to " live and let live ".

Lailatul Bara'at

THE NIGHT OF ALL NIGHTS

How merciful Shaban 15 is for those who really want to surrender .

The moon was full shining its LIGHT UPON US ALL! The angels blow their prayers over us all night and we can find our grounding again . The breezes were cool , yet very refreshing . OH HOW GREAT HE IS! He hovers over us and gives us HIS peace .

In humility, fear and yet calm I turn to HIM in repentance for my sins of this past year . I reach out , giving up the "I" again and let HIS will guide me next year . This has been my wish ...so that the egotisitical futility I feel alone ... can release my hand and bring us harmony in our souls .

For those of you who shared this night , I pray that you had such experiences last night . Now today I am trying to fast for HIM , remembering all HIS greatness and merciful ways that he showers upon us .

The body may be weak to look at ...but from within the soul is seeking its own protection and success in giving up to the ONE and ONLY MAKER .

Thank you MY RABB ... for all that YOU have given us, teach us and continue to make our journey easier . ...DAY BY DAY .

Let us remember YOU ...with hope for the Hereafter. AMIN SUB AMIN !

Shaban

As a weak and forgetful human being , I can only say that I bless the day that Islam came into my life ... the struggle has been long to find my way ....

BUT the inspiration and LIGHT was always there waiting to guide ...when and IF I asked. This calling has taken me down roads that I could not have attempted ...and I am truly grateful for this passage.

As we are now in the autumn years of our lives... I can only seek His MERCY as I continue to repent and wish for a better kind of behaviour . Let my tongue be sweeter than yesterday , my actions better than yesterday's, my desires more in tune with HIM and my strength in HIS ways be my ultimate goal . I am really NOTHING without HIM ...

Shukur ul hum do for the grace YOU have bestowed ... this is MY HAPPINESSS .

Seek and ye shall find ... is my mantra ... may you all find this way too.

Shaban has greeted us again 1430

To keep us in line with HIS wishes , Our guide brings us these awesome visitors to remind annually of what HE wishes for us . When we truly look to HIM for our guidance, He will provide it . Shaban is the Prophet's month , in which he asks us to remember his lessons and remember the sunna he left for us. We MUST reconsider our misguided pathways and straighten the road a bit . FAsting and extra prayers will help us with this process. Purification comes to prepare us to meet Allah during Ramadan ...the next month . Look inside ourselves and ask the right questions to cleanse each one of us .

Remember the eight factors to make our path straighter. These are as follows:
-Make "good works" your beloved ...they will keep you company in the grave.
- Deny soul pleasures of LUST..obey only Allah !
- Give all to poor..retain no worldly possessions.
-Dignity & honor comes from only RIGHTEOUSNESS.
-Never envy anyone else-all is according to HIS plan
-ONLY HATE SATAN
-Only worship Allah -all things comes from HIM
-TRUST ONLY ALLAH- HE plans all .
per Al Ghazali ... Purification of the Soul

Praise HIM after FAjr and between Asr and Maghrib ..OFTEN . Our good deeds are all that will remain with us in the grave... and the Quran will be the LIGHT that shows us the way from the grave to PAradise ... LOVE the good and the LIGHT !

Heart's function

When we awake each day and feel the sense returning to our consciousness
We must reach inside to ask our heart's answer for that day
The truest NORTH we each can find is within us
Do not forget to look there

It is the heart that pumps the blood thru our veins , inspiration thru our mind and compassion into our being
Look to the heart constantly for all the BEST that we have within us

Whenever you do remember this , you will see the day will flow in peace and happiness.

Gratitude is uppermost in mind!

The question that has permeated the objective of this blog is how we, each have to pursue a HAPPY LIFE ...every day .
Some mornings we awake with some intense feeling within us ... either emotional, mental, or physical. We must address that feeling to resolve it as the day unfolds .

For some 64 years , each day has been my challenge and I can only attest that being grateful to be alive, grateful to have the abilities I have and grateful for TODAY as it will unfold ...is my best response to accepting whatever feeling I have been given .

Each feeling has its own purpose and once accepted , its resolve will be easier with gratitude.

Thought for today ...expressed ... until next time .