ALMISKEENAH

 

Gaze inward

behold your secret

Muhammad Wafa

Man’s body is feeble

His spirit august

Rumi

Your spirit is a divine jewel

Illuminated

Abu al-’Aza’im*

Light from this City of Light reflects the microcosm of the human spirit in one small narrow street from the myriad of older chaotically winding streets. While the Light SallAllahu alaihi wasallam from this City illuminates the entire macrocosmos, impregnating physically, virtually and soulfully more than all the small winding chaotically narrow streets….if man only knew that he is the microcosm combining within himself all the forces of Nature.

Sometimes it is the singing that wafts up into my humble space; sometimes it is the swish swish of the brooms scratching on the irregular ground that alerts me to the regular routine sweeping. Singing as the dust billows around them. Singing as they throw rubbish into the truck. Singing as they swelter under innocuous orange overalls. Singing as they scavenge through the most foul of refuse for the aluminium cans and cardboard they collect to add to their meager wage. A pittance at SR 350 per month! Sounds of bashing metal and breaking of porcelain as they retrieve anything and everything that is salvagable from an array of discarded plumbing fixtures and assorted junk strewn at the collection point. Bless them.

 

The maze of old back alleys reverberates with such a variety of life. Children play into the late hours of the night, their infectious squealing and games that circle around the block fill the space with an innocent charm, but they should be in bed fast asleep! Bless them.

 

A melodious lilt from the early hours of Tahajjud emerges from the Madrassah directly opposite, as the angelic voices of the young boys soar to meet that of the Angels. The rigid discipline is punctuated by a weekly respite from memorizing as they invade the street to play cricket or soccer with roars befitting a world cup match. Bless them.

 

The shabab, the ‘local lads’, bless them too! even though their raucous revelry is jarring. They have the habit of using parked cars and pickups as their lounge rooms; sitting, eating, beating on the roof, bonnets and trunks. Percussive rhythms beat the air, with interludes of the distinctive Saudi hand clapping as a featured chorus echoing all night long. They are oblivious to their impulsive littering stripping away half of their Iman. All seem deaf to the glory of Adhan, and the local masjid a few steps away appears invisible to them. 

Maybe a hip hop rap to pierce their hearts could be:

Gaze inward, behold your secret.  

Man’s body is feeble, his spirit august. 

Your spirit is a divine jewel, illuminated.

 

An assortment of trucks rumble by. The orange gas bottle truck. Bottles clanging as a whirligig whizzes and metal clink clinks on the empty bottles, alerting people to its presence and to refuel their supplies. Yesterday saw a stream of heavy duty equipment promptly attending to a sewerage leak, the second in a few months. Bless all so employed.

 

So what happens in your microcosmos ‘street’?

 

Do you sweep and clean the refuse from your heart while singing?

Do you promptly attend to sewerage leaks with the best of equipment?

Do you monitor words, actions, deeds that directly impact on others?

Are you deaf to Adhan and blind to the Masjid and what they symbolize?

Does your child-like innocence keep you awake playing while more gain is from praying?

Do you respond to the inner whizzing sound of the whirligig to recharge your Iman?

And do you have a regular ‘attendance record’ at Madrassah al-Qalb?

 

 

From the streets of Madinah to the streets of the heart shines the Light SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, so bedazzling that the potential of the spirit being an illuminated divine jewel is not only realized but IS!

Be this illumination…for the sake of our family in Palestine, in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Darfur, in Somalia, in Chechnya, in Kosovo, in your street, my street, in all streets weaving across the globe and the Streets Of Madinah, Ameen.

Gaze inward, behold your secret. 

Man’s body is feeble, his spirit august. 

Your spirit is a divine jewel, illuminated.

 

Bless them all, bless us all, bless the way to You, Ameen.  

 
*Introductory quotes from the first three months of the Divine Longing Calendar.

 
All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.