Subject: Zainah Anwar at William and Mary.She read two poems by Faridah--the veil poem, and poem for taliban. She was moved to tears. WE loved her. Not as much as we love Dr. Manaf :-)
Geez...I'm humbled by this news and I'm glad Francis' students are coming to do their bit for needy fellows in Malaysia.This IS Love! Allah is Great! And it is not by accident I read Mansur Al-Hallaj (a sufi from Persia) who propagated that we have to love beyond our race, religion, nation, gender, etc for all of us are creatures of Allah.I see things unfolding before me along this line.
And how it moved me to tears as well last night as I read about the sufi lady Rabi'ae al Adawiya as related by another great sufi writer from Persia (Farid Al-Din Attar, translated by AJ Arberry, Muslim Saints and Mystics) about how poor her family was at her birth that they didn't even have a drop of oil to anoint her navel, let alone light the lamp but her father had entered into a covenant that he would never ask any mortal for anything. So when his wife asked him to go to the neighbour's for a drop of oil to light the lamp on the birth of Rabe'a, he went out and just laid his hand on the neighbour's door, and returned. (p.40)
The poor woman wept bitterly and her husband too was sad and slept with his head on his knees. He dreamed he saw the Prophet who said this:
Be not sorrowful. The girl child who has just come to earth is a queen among women, who shall be the intercessor for seventy thousand of my community.Tomorrow go see Isa-e Zadan the governor of Basra. Write on a piece of paper to the following effect.'Every night you send upon me a hundred blessings, and on Friday night four hundred.Last night was Friday night, and you forgot me.In expiation for that, give this man four hundred dinars lawfully acquired.
Rabe'a's dad did as told (sent the message to the governor by the hand of a chamberlain). The governor's response was:
Give two thousand dinars to the poor as a thanksgiving for the Master remembering me.Give four hundred dinars also to the shaikh and tell him, I wish you come to me that I may see you.But I do not hold it proper for a man like you to come to me.I would rather come and rub my beard in your threshold.However, I adjure you by God, whatever you may need, pray let me know.' (p.41)
Upon reading this I also thought of the poor girl in Kelantan who got 20As in her SPM despite living in poverty (the family could not even afford to have their own home.They rented a house which looked like it would collapse at any time.And the father had not been paying the RM90 a month rent for the last one year cos' they were too poor. But er, the Chief Minister had given them a house after the news was highlighted in local media). Both stories show us how God is ever watching the poor and has ways of assisting them...if they seek not assistance from others...
And I also discovered this: when I let go (not whining over the fact I do not have sponsors from those I begged to help), one kind sponsor confirmed! Takbir! :))
So folks, let go and put your complete trust in Allah (tawakkal).He'll take care of you.
2 comments:
hi takkan lah baca dua poem terus jatuh cinta, katanya kan sudah tidak ada di Sisters in Islam, organisasi yang dibiayai CIA hehehehehe betulke?
Mungkin dia dah dapat hidayah? Manalah kita tau? She's still in Sis in Islam but as one of the Board of Directors ke Governors (or whatever they call the top post) I try not to judge people.Mana kita tau hidayah yang Allah berikan kpd setiap org itu adalah melalui jalan yang berbeza-beza.Sapa tahu kita ni lagi teruk dari orang yang kita ingat teruk dan sesat, kan? I kat Dhaka lagi ni.I haven't seen real poverty (std poverty like those on Jakarta streets memanglah ada).Tapi tak jumpa lagi org berak tepi jalan.Beggars memang ada tapi snatch thieves takda.Katanya ketua depa dah habis mati kena bunuh (some 1,000 ring leaders).Kat Msia tu patut cari le Godfathers kpd snatch thieves ni.
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