Poet's Corner Section Five Miscellaneous verses by Jamiluddin Morris Zahuri |
| Murshid and Murid Miscellaneous |
A Casual Encounter between a Sufi and His Disciple
‘The Weather is fine, sun shining,
Birds singing, flowers blooming,
And the kids how are they? Growing?
Your venerable mother, still sewing?
And your work, how is that going?
And what else have you been doing?’
‘O Master! This is very ordinary chatting,
Speak please of God’s Love and Loving!’
‘What - are you so very hard of hearing?
Pray tell, what else have I been doing?'
Guidance
How can you find the heart? Follow the way to Allah,
Then keep right on going, from there it’s not very far
The Market Place of Love.
In the market place of love I am the seller,
So my blushing beauties seeking a fella?
One to spend you life with handsome and good?
With enough money - that is well understood.
Or you strapping chaps seeking a bride,
Some beauty to be always at your side?
Just form a queue here in front of my shop,
And wait patiently for things to develop.
But if you are one of those who is so minded,
That only to God’s love you want to be guided,
Stand patiently there till my day's work is done,
You will probably be in a queue of only one.
Waiting to Meet the Guide.
Ah this sublime anticipation is so sweet,
Pulse racing, eyes dilating, ready to greet,
Wondering, should I kiss hand or feet?
May this moment my mind never delete.
Love’s Progression
My thoughts, I find, are more refined,
When I think of you!
The things I do, to goodness inclined,
When I act like you!
The person that I was is now changed,
To be like you!
When, by love, my ‘self’ is deposed,
I have become you.
For the Murids
I wish I could show you somehow,
The beauty of your souls, just now;
Without messing up your mind;
But human clay must be refined,
For man is surely made that way.
The best I can do is hope and pray,
That you will see it too some day,
And then for me, you too, will pray.
Guidance Clear and Simple
My dear, I write these few words tonight,
To bring you from darkness into the light!
Anxiety, woe and fear, just let them go,
Instead the seeds of love patiently sow,
Day by day press a new one in the soil,
Water with faithful trust and steady toil;
Everyday the old masters’ s sure words strive to hear,
Rumi, Hafiz, bin Arabi, Sanjar’s sage, al Qadeer!
Until the heart’s mirror shines so clear and bright,
And direct from them themselves you receive the light,
That Maula Ali saw in Holy Mustafa’s eyes;
The light of Truth dispelling Shaitan’s lies.
The light that shows you how to live,
The life eternal that Allah to them did give.
And if lack of encouragement you fear,
The holy book in your heart keep near.
Generous, humble, and pure will be your prayer,
And the love of justice in you will just appear.
If you do this and to the guide are true,
Then surely better living beckons you,
And in due time a better dying too,
This guidance may He make pure for you.
What Do You Want?
What is it that you do really want from me?
Is it to become one whom others call Sufi?
Well are you prepared to give your life freely,
Because, you should know, that is the entrance fee?
That is why those whose life is in a mess,
Find the price seems so much cheaper, I guess!
But if you would prefer to pay much less,
Then find a half-cooked ‘guide’ and may God bless.
Much better than this, hear this advice too,
The Sufi way may not really be for you!
For a very few it is something they must do,
Best to practice the religion God has given you,
‘The Weather is fine, sun shining,
Birds singing, flowers blooming,
And the kids how are they? Growing?
Your venerable mother, still sewing?
And your work, how is that going?
And what else have you been doing?’
‘O Master! This is very ordinary chatting,
Speak please of God’s Love and Loving!’
‘What - are you so very hard of hearing?
Pray tell, what else have I been doing?'
Guidance
How can you find the heart? Follow the way to Allah,
Then keep right on going, from there it’s not very far
The Market Place of Love.
In the market place of love I am the seller,
So my blushing beauties seeking a fella?
One to spend you life with handsome and good?
With enough money - that is well understood.
Or you strapping chaps seeking a bride,
Some beauty to be always at your side?
Just form a queue here in front of my shop,
And wait patiently for things to develop.
But if you are one of those who is so minded,
That only to God’s love you want to be guided,
Stand patiently there till my day's work is done,
You will probably be in a queue of only one.
Waiting to Meet the Guide.
Ah this sublime anticipation is so sweet,
Pulse racing, eyes dilating, ready to greet,
Wondering, should I kiss hand or feet?
May this moment my mind never delete.
Love’s Progression
My thoughts, I find, are more refined,
When I think of you!
The things I do, to goodness inclined,
When I act like you!
The person that I was is now changed,
To be like you!
When, by love, my ‘self’ is deposed,
I have become you.
For the Murids
I wish I could show you somehow,
The beauty of your souls, just now;
Without messing up your mind;
But human clay must be refined,
For man is surely made that way.
The best I can do is hope and pray,
That you will see it too some day,
And then for me, you too, will pray.
Guidance Clear and Simple
My dear, I write these few words tonight,
To bring you from darkness into the light!
Anxiety, woe and fear, just let them go,
Instead the seeds of love patiently sow,
Day by day press a new one in the soil,
Water with faithful trust and steady toil;
Everyday the old masters’ s sure words strive to hear,
Rumi, Hafiz, bin Arabi, Sanjar’s sage, al Qadeer!
Until the heart’s mirror shines so clear and bright,
And direct from them themselves you receive the light,
That Maula Ali saw in Holy Mustafa’s eyes;
The light of Truth dispelling Shaitan’s lies.
The light that shows you how to live,
The life eternal that Allah to them did give.
And if lack of encouragement you fear,
The holy book in your heart keep near.
Generous, humble, and pure will be your prayer,
And the love of justice in you will just appear.
If you do this and to the guide are true,
Then surely better living beckons you,
And in due time a better dying too,
This guidance may He make pure for you.
What Do You Want?
What is it that you do really want from me?
Is it to become one whom others call Sufi?
Well are you prepared to give your life freely,
Because, you should know, that is the entrance fee?
That is why those whose life is in a mess,
Find the price seems so much cheaper, I guess!
But if you would prefer to pay much less,
Then find a half-cooked ‘guide’ and may God bless.
Much better than this, hear this advice too,
The Sufi way may not really be for you!
For a very few it is something they must do,
Best to practice the religion God has given you,
The Zahuri Way
The way of a quiet, unassuming kind of loving,
More like a different mode, or way, of being.
Both new and ancient, a simple realistic view,
Of how Love can unite, and very quietly too,
The disparate modes and ways of living,
That today’s life to everyone is bringing.
Not rejection, but reflection and integration,
Adding an unspoken, hidden, dimension,
To the way we live, and things we do and say,
In the very ordinary patterns of our life today.
Not ‘converting’, ‘reverting’, or fruitlessly debating,
Nor sanctimoniously to unearned piety pretending;
Avoiding excess, and from self indulgence abstaining,
But enthusiastically for perfection always striving.
Trying to be ever giving, and readily fault forgiving,
With high thinking and a quiet, simple, style of living,
Guided by a divine Love that is life illuminating;
In short, aspiring to be a genuinely human being.
All these thoughts have in them something good,
But they are really circling what is not understood,
Intellectually, but by heart, mind, body and soul,
Must be tasted as real, life-giving, and whole.
One could call it a way to more sincerely praise and pray,
Zahur Mian called it ‘better living’; I call it the Zahuri Way.
Breathless (Ode to Zahurmian)
I am breathless at the wonder of it all!
You, breathed your last blessing,
Whilst in this world still living;
But your blessings keep coming,
Like a tree that keeps blooming,
Annually
Since you became breath-less,
You breathe blessings, more not less;
The breath of your loving
Breathes life into my living,
Continually.
The high thinking and simple living
You bequeathed is breezing
In, around, below and above;
In the way you spoke of love,
Frequently.
Numberless mysteries,
(Treasures not trifles),
You gave me the key for.
Who could do more?
Endlessly.
I had thought I was knowing,
But the breath of your loving,
Is continually showing me,
My ignorance, now I see -
Hopefully.
But in a strange way it is sort pleasing,
Because when a donkey I am being,
Ignorantly braying, unable to see,
That it is you who are riding me
Skilfully,
My ignorance has this virtue at least,
You can guide me like any kind of beast;
And shows just how important to me
You were and will continue to be,
Absolutely.
I sometimes shudder inside, unseen,
To think how it might have been,
If your hand I had not kissed,
How much I would have missed,
Foolishly!
But my purpose is not just to eulogise,
(Though for this I do not apologise),
But to recall the subtle message you were giving;
That, for all, the way to better living, is in loving,
Quietly;
And that worshipping is not just declaring,
And fasting, and praying, and giving -
It is living each day like you, with grace,
Wisely and well, a member of the human race,
Lovingly.
I see you rising from out of an ocean,
Of chaos, contradiction and confusion;
Emerging, with a knowing smile
Like one who has gone the extra mile,
Truly.
If my life has any meaning at all,
It is in manifesting the way of Zahur.
Rebuke
Though you come into my mind quite often,
My e-mail address you must have forgotten!
At least from time to time let me know you are well,
And not languishing in some kind of personal hell.
Apart of course we really are not,
Even if love by you has been forgot.
I hope you remember when you pray,
One who, inside, guides you on the way.
The Spiritual Guide
O When doubts and fears beset you my dear,
To the guide on the Way draw near, draw near!
In the embrace of his loving care you are,
When doubts and fears beset you, my dear.
Seek in your heart you will find him there,
Simply close your eyes, don’t ask ‘where?’
If it helps visualise him and concentrate,
Devotion and love can end your nightmare.
The inner world is a strange sort of place,
Many shadows seek your mind to embrace;
He has seen these phantoms for what they are,
In the sunshine of his grace, they leave no trace.
He wants you to build a better life you see,
To sip love’s wine on green grass happily,
And watch the river of time flowing past:
Carrying away all doubts and fears finally.
The way of a quiet, unassuming kind of loving,
More like a different mode, or way, of being.
Both new and ancient, a simple realistic view,
Of how Love can unite, and very quietly too,
The disparate modes and ways of living,
That today’s life to everyone is bringing.
Not rejection, but reflection and integration,
Adding an unspoken, hidden, dimension,
To the way we live, and things we do and say,
In the very ordinary patterns of our life today.
Not ‘converting’, ‘reverting’, or fruitlessly debating,
Nor sanctimoniously to unearned piety pretending;
Avoiding excess, and from self indulgence abstaining,
But enthusiastically for perfection always striving.
Trying to be ever giving, and readily fault forgiving,
With high thinking and a quiet, simple, style of living,
Guided by a divine Love that is life illuminating;
In short, aspiring to be a genuinely human being.
All these thoughts have in them something good,
But they are really circling what is not understood,
Intellectually, but by heart, mind, body and soul,
Must be tasted as real, life-giving, and whole.
One could call it a way to more sincerely praise and pray,
Zahur Mian called it ‘better living’; I call it the Zahuri Way.
Breathless (Ode to Zahurmian)
I am breathless at the wonder of it all!
You, breathed your last blessing,
Whilst in this world still living;
But your blessings keep coming,
Like a tree that keeps blooming,
Annually
Since you became breath-less,
You breathe blessings, more not less;
The breath of your loving
Breathes life into my living,
Continually.
The high thinking and simple living
You bequeathed is breezing
In, around, below and above;
In the way you spoke of love,
Frequently.
Numberless mysteries,
(Treasures not trifles),
You gave me the key for.
Who could do more?
Endlessly.
I had thought I was knowing,
But the breath of your loving,
Is continually showing me,
My ignorance, now I see -
Hopefully.
But in a strange way it is sort pleasing,
Because when a donkey I am being,
Ignorantly braying, unable to see,
That it is you who are riding me
Skilfully,
My ignorance has this virtue at least,
You can guide me like any kind of beast;
And shows just how important to me
You were and will continue to be,
Absolutely.
I sometimes shudder inside, unseen,
To think how it might have been,
If your hand I had not kissed,
How much I would have missed,
Foolishly!
But my purpose is not just to eulogise,
(Though for this I do not apologise),
But to recall the subtle message you were giving;
That, for all, the way to better living, is in loving,
Quietly;
And that worshipping is not just declaring,
And fasting, and praying, and giving -
It is living each day like you, with grace,
Wisely and well, a member of the human race,
Lovingly.
I see you rising from out of an ocean,
Of chaos, contradiction and confusion;
Emerging, with a knowing smile
Like one who has gone the extra mile,
Truly.
If my life has any meaning at all,
It is in manifesting the way of Zahur.
Rebuke
Though you come into my mind quite often,
My e-mail address you must have forgotten!
At least from time to time let me know you are well,
And not languishing in some kind of personal hell.
Apart of course we really are not,
Even if love by you has been forgot.
I hope you remember when you pray,
One who, inside, guides you on the way.
The Spiritual Guide
O When doubts and fears beset you my dear,
To the guide on the Way draw near, draw near!
In the embrace of his loving care you are,
When doubts and fears beset you, my dear.
Seek in your heart you will find him there,
Simply close your eyes, don’t ask ‘where?’
If it helps visualise him and concentrate,
Devotion and love can end your nightmare.
The inner world is a strange sort of place,
Many shadows seek your mind to embrace;
He has seen these phantoms for what they are,
In the sunshine of his grace, they leave no trace.
He wants you to build a better life you see,
To sip love’s wine on green grass happily,
And watch the river of time flowing past:
Carrying away all doubts and fears finally.
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