Friday, January 21, 2011

Surrender to the Divine

I have always found peace in the concept of Divine Love, or love for Allah. This is one reason why I have always been so fascinated by the Sufism stream of Islam, and especially to the works of Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi. The Sufi stream of Islam focuses on the intention to discover the truth in Islam and worship Allah through the practice of Divine love and devotion.

Rumi has been described as one of the greatest sufi poets of Islam. The magic of his poetry lies in the simple beauty of the words which are heavily embellished with gems of powerful wisdom. It is like looking at an ordinary carbon coal and seeing that it actually conceals a brilliant diamond. It was like the moment back in seventh grade, stunned by the glory of God when I found out that a brilliant sparkling clear diamond crystal is actually made up of pure carbon atoms which are intense black in color. It is like throwing your cares to reckless abandon and knowing somehow there is a greater plan of things than you can foresee. And for me right now, it is the comfort that we all belong to Allah and He is always with us, no matter what. It is the peace that the thought brings that God is taking care of our loved ones who are physically not with us anymore. Hence I want to share this particular poem of Rumi which is an old favorite. The message is that no matter what the situation, how very close is Your Soul (the universal oneness that is God) with mine.





I have had the opportunity to visit Turkey, but since my stay was mainly in Istanbul, I did not get an opportunity to visit Rumi's shrine which is located in Konya. I am not a big believer in shrines, but if I get a chance, Rumi's shrine is definitely one where I would like to go. To pay my humble respect to a wise sage who has not only inspired millions, but has had the honor to unveil with his words the nearness, presence and purity of Divine love in each and every one of us.

3 comments:

  1. God bless Rumi...great write up...*thumbs up*

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  2. Thank you Ghalib and Whitney. I am glad you both enjoyed reading this =)

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