PROLOGUE

A great and a beautiful poem from a Great Poet and a Sufi
                            - Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi-
                      [May ALLAH S.W.T. be Pleased upon his Soul]
              
                    

HEARKEN to the reed-flute, how it complains.

Lamenting its banishment from its home:

“Ever since they tore me from my osier bed,
 my plaintive notes have moved men and women to tears.

I burst my breast, striving to give vent to the sighs,

and to express the pangs of my yearning for my home. 
He who abides far away from his home

is ever longing for the day he shall return.

My wailing is heard in every throng,

in concert with them that rejoice and them that weep.

Each interprets my notes in harmony with his own feelings,

but not one fathoms the secrets of my heart.

My secrets are not alien from my plaintive notes,

yet they are not manifest to the sensual eye and ear.

Body is not veiled from soul, neither soul from body, 
yet no man has ever seen soul”

This plaint of the flute is fire, not mere air.

Let him who lacks this fire be accounted dead!

‘Tis the fire of love that inspires the flute, (1)

‘Tis the ferment of love that possesses the wine.

The flute is the confidant of all unhappy lovers;

Yea, its strains lay bare my inmost secrets.

Who hath seen a poison and an antidote like the flute?

Who hath seen a sympathetic consoler like the flute?

The flute tells the tale of love’s bloodstained path,

It recounts the story of Majnun’s love toils.

None is privy to these feelings save one distracted.

As ear inclines to the whispers of the tongue.

Through grief my days are as labour and sorrow,

My days move on, hand in hand with anguish.

Yet, though my days vanish thus,
‘tis no matter, do thou abide, O Incomparable Pure One!' (2)

But all who are not fishes are soon tired of water,

and they who lack daily bread find the day very long.

So the “Raw” comprehend not the state of the “Ripe” (3)

Therefore it behoves me to shorten my discourse.

Arise. O son! Burst thy bonds and be free!

How long wilt thou be captive to silver and gold?

Though thou pour the ocean into thy pitcher,

it can hold no more than one day’s store.

The pitcher of the desire of the covetous never fills,

the oyster-shell fills not with pearls till it is content.

Only he whose garment is rent by the violence of love

is wholly pure from covetousness and sin.

Hail to thee, then, O LOVE, sweet madness!

Thou who healest all our infirmities!

Who art the physician of our pride and self-conceit!

Who art our Plato and our Galen!

Love exalts our earthly bodies to heaven,

and makes the very hills to dance with joy!

O lover,"it was love that gave life to Mount Sinai, (4)

When "it quaked, and Moses fell down in a swoon."

Did my Beloved only touch me with his lips,

I too, like the flute, would burst out in melody.

But he who is parted from them that speak his tongue,

though he possess a hundred voices,
is perforce dumb.

When the rose has faded and the garden is withered,

The song of the nightingale is no longer be heard.

The BELOVED is all in all, the lover only veils Him. (5)

The BELOVED is all that lives, the lover a dead thing.

When the lover feels no longer LOVE’s quickening,

He becomes like a bird who has lost its wings.
Alas! How can I retain my senses about me,

when the BELOVED shows not the light of His countenance?

LOVE desires that this secret should be revealed,                                   

For if a mirror reflects not, of what use is it?

Knowest thou why thy mirror reflects not?

Because the rust has not been scoured from its face.

If it were purified from all rust and defilement,

It would reflect the shining of the SUN OF GOD. (6)

O friends, ye have now heard this tale.

Which sets forth the very essence of my case.

Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi - The Masnavi I Ma'navi

1. Love signifies the strong attraction that draws all creatures back to reunion with their Creator.

2. Self annihilation leads to eternal life in our Creator the universal Noumenon,by whom all phenomena subsist.
[Ref : Gulshan i Raz, I. 400]

3. "Raw" and "Ripe" are terms for "Men of externals" and "Men of heart" or Mystics.

4. Alluding to the giving of the law on Mount Sinai. 
[Ref: The Holy Quran : vii. 139]

5. All phenomenal existences (man incuded) are but "veils" obscuring the face of the Divine Noumenon, the only real existence, and the moment His sustaining presence is withdrawn they at once relapse into their original nothingness.
[Ref : Gulshan i Raz, I. 165]

6. So Bernard of Clairvaux. 
[Ref : Gulshan i. Raz, I. 435]

The ARRIVAL

Salaams! It crossed my mind today to post this article, which I consider significant as the article not only relates to the period prior to our death but to enable us to ensure that the well being of our souls are given attention and preserved at all times by complying and fulfilling the commandments from our Almighty. My write up is on the subject relating to the process that takes place when one's soul is about to depart from his physical body.

This Article is divided into 2 segments, namely:-

1. FACTS - as narrated by Hadith of our Beloved Phrophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) which beautifully narrates the arrival of the Angels and the Angel of Death [Hadzrat Izrail (a.s.)] and the subsequent scenarios that follows when the soul departs from the physical body.

2. EVIDENCE- A video clip of a true event of death evidencing part of the process as narrated in the Hadith.

HADITHS [Narration]

At the time the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) had a stick in his holy hand and he was scratching the earth with that (as a sad person does). In the meantime the Prophet (s.a.w.) raised his head and observed:-

"Seek refuge from the torment of the grave" The Prophet (s.a.w.) repeated these words twice or thrice, and added:

"Undoubtedly, when a Believer is to leave the world and move towards the Hereafter, Angels come to him from Heaven whose white faces look bright like the sun. They carry scented Heavenly shroud with them. These Angels are in such a large number that they look sitting as far as his sight could work. Thereafter Hadzrat Izra'il (Angel of Death) arrives and sits down at the head of his bedstead and says:-

"O pure and virtuous soul! Move towards the forgiveness and favour of Almighty ALLAH (S.W.T.). Thus his soul comes out of his body so easily and smoothly as drops of water come out flowing of the water container. However the Angel of Death takes it (soul) in his hand and the sitting Angels gets up and all of them soar towards the Heaven with scented shroud."

With regards to the perfume, the Prophet (s.a.w.) remarked:-

"Its like the nicest musk perfume that could be found on this earth"  

EVIDENCE

Video Clip  Titled Shocking Death.wmv  at URL
:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6gCVIele8Y

I urge you to give the fullest attention to the movement of the eyes of the individual prior to his death with the following extracts from the Hadith had in mind at the same juncture.

1.Hadith :

"These Angels are in such a large number that they look sitting as far as his sight could work" 

Observation :

From the movement of the eyes and demeanor of the individual, he appeared disturbed as though he has 'seen some presence' while giving his speech.  

2.Hadith: 

"Hadzrat Izra'il (Angel of Death) arrives and sits down at the head" 

Observation :

He immediately looks up after he drank and collapsed to death.

Only ALLAH (S.W.T.) Knows what transpired at the material moment. 

We Pray to ALLAH (S.W.T.) that our soul be blessed to part our physical body peacefully when the last day comes, Ameen!

'RESPECT THE MOTHER NATURE'

We are living in an era where the world is in constant chaos. We read from the dailies and we witness from the media series of events of disasters that takes course at every soil through out the world whether be it earthquakes, flash floods, sweeping vigourous tornadoes and sudden rising of sinkholes all of which happens without any indication. Weird climate changes takes place at some parts of the world. Heavy snowing at the Attacama Desert. The latest being snowfall in some part of Johannesburg. Seasonal rain is no longer seasonal at some parts of the globe. Millions of dead fish fills the marina at the California, thousands at  the shores of South Dakota and Pago Bay, Guam and hundreds of thousands of dead fish washed up at Galveston, Texas. Formation of weird shaped clouds and strange sounds eminating from the sky are among the phenomenal events witnessed and heard by people at some parts of the globe this year. The consequential powerful force and the damaging aftermath of the great tsunami episode which whipped the shores of Sendai, Japan and succumbed many lives and practically crippled the daily affairs and  commercial activities therein are still projecting afresh in our minds,  particularly the victims. Rightly said, should there be anyone be present at the material time of the episode, whether he or she be an elite, the rich and famous, the strongest or mightiest, politician, professional, ruler, greatest footballer, boxer or an individual belonging to whatever class of the society will run for shelter. Symbolically stating, its like our flesh being torn and bones crushed by the whiplash of the jaggered tail of a huge muscled crocodile.  SUCH BEING THE  NATURE'S FORCE THAT LEAVES HUMANS WITH SORROW WITH TEARS FLOWING DOWN THEIR DIMMED EYES!!! 

Day by day, the soil is never free from being pounded by heavy metal and concrite columns used to facilitate construction and development of excessive CONCRITE JUNGLES. Hills and slopes being sliced to pave way for construction of high rise luxurious condos and apartment thereon. Land reclamation activities are progressing rapidly without limits. To add to the damage to the mother nature, oil spills from mishaps involving gigantic tankers has resulted in serious damage to the well being of the chemistry and viscosity of the  sea water, hence ended up perishing precious sea creatures. Warhead events, nuclear missiles test launch activities, illegal open burning by the law breakers, emission of thick poisonous smokes from factories, poorly serviced vehicles and from various machinery operated by fuel has resulted into the thinning of the precious ozone layer. 

DESTRUCTIVE HUMAN ACTS AND THE CONSEQUENCES 

















AND IN RETURN........... 

ALLAH (S.W.T.) has bestowed us with a beautiful home which we call 'The Earth' that nurtures and provides shelter for our survival. Imagine how the surrounding essence of the Globe would have been felt, seen and sensed millions of years ago where fresh and unpolluted air blankets the whole atmosphere, existence of abundant of rivers with clean and sparkling water, crystal clear sea water with colourful sea creatures happily swimming without fear, skies decorated by colourful feathered birds and roaming wild animals being pampered by thick green forest. 

Take time to observe the wondrous of the entire galaxy, the colorful nebula and the tender rotation of planets within its designated orbits which, are perfectly fixed at a distance from the Sun without colliding with each other for billions of years since its creation. A slightest misalignment of the planets from its orbits would result into an unimaginable disaster. This is the POWER of ALLAH (S.W.T.)!   ALLAHUAKBAR! ALLAHUAKBAR! ALLAHUAKBAR! 

THE BEAUTY OF THE PLANET EARTH 

 

 

    Holistically speaking, this world does not belong to us but having been borrowed from the Creator. No soul can claim ownership over the air, soils and the seas. The natural law would thus be that, "All living creatures including human beings have absolute right to a healthy planet, clean and fresh air, safe vegetation and edibles and to pure clean water for sustenance. 

The general rule that 'Anything done excessively results in disaster' is now  proven. The Mother Nature is retaliating as 'it is groaning in pain' day by day. The'nature's structured time bombs' is awaiting to 'explode' at any point of time beyond humans' ability to foresee. The degree of its consequential damage and loss are ONLY within the Knowledge of The Almighty ALLAH (S.W.T.) and its occurrence is subject to HIS Will. Humans are FINITE and ALLAH (S.W.T.) is INFINITE.

As we Muslims know, the ultimate existence of the jinns and mankind in this world is directed for a single purpose which, as expounded in Sura Al Dhariyat,Verse 56 namely to worship ALLAH (S.W.T) 

                'Wamaa holaqthul Jinn wal ins' illa liyagh buduun'

      "I have not created the Jinns and mankind but to worship Me 
                                                 [ALLAH (S.W.T.)]"

                             The Holy Quran - Sura Al-Dhariyat: Verse 56

It's timely for us to realise that we are in need of this Planet as a platform to harvest reward for Hereafter from good deeds done during our life on this planet and we must realise that, the Planet is not in need of us!

Let us pray to ALLAH (S.W.T.) for HIS Protection and Shelter against these unforseeable events and maintain our imaan as our lives for tomorrow or  time thereafter is never promising, Ameen!