BOTH light and shadow are the dance of love.
Love has no cause; it is the astrolabe of God’s secrets.
Lover and loving are inseparable and timeless.
Although I may try to describe love, when I experience it, I am speechless. Although, I may try to write about love, I am rendered helpless, my pen breaks and the paper slips away.
The lover, loving and loved are one.
Every moment is made glorious by the light of love. —Rumi
Love within the Islamic context is nothing except the very being of God, a cosmic current of love and mercy, that unleashes itself out of divine, creates this realm of existence and causes every one of us to come into being. It is an ocean, that is God, is from God and flowing back to God. “Allah is He who flows between the pericardium and the heart, just as the tears flow from the eye lids,” says Mansur Al-Hallaj. One of the names of Allah is Al Wadood the loving and Fakar-ud-din Iraqi says, “Ishq is the very being of Allah. If you can love the fellow human beings purely, not through your ego, with no motives, you can merge with the divine current, and then the same love will carry you back home.”
Fakar-ud-din al-Razi says, “All of Islam can be reduced to two words, “Devotion to the Creator and service to His creation.” Rumi is the follower in this path of love, Mahzabe Ishaq, he says, “I serve this moon light beauty, Say nothing unless it is about Her. Speak nothing of sorrow, Speak only words of this treasure. Last night I became love crazed; Love saw me and said, “I am here. Don’t shout, say nothing.” “Love I am afraid of something else.” Love said, “There is nothing else, say nothing. I will whisper great secrets in your ears, just nod yes, say nothing.” Rumi trying to figure who is this beauty.
What a beauty are You an angel or a human?” “Love said, not an angel, not a human say nothing. I said,” What is it say it, I will lose my mind if you don’t tell me.” Love said, “Then lose your mind and stay that way, say nothing.” I said, “My heart isn’t what you are describing God.” Love said, “Yes my child, but hush, say nothing.” Love has no Limits. The intensity of love between the Creator and his creation has no limits and is everlasting. Abul Hassan Khurqani says, “If the love of God in the hearts of His friends were made manifest, it would fill the world with flood and fire.”
“It has been 40 years since Allah has been looking at my heart and has seen no one except Himself. And there is no room in my heart for anyone other than Allah.” The lovers of God are the intoxicated Mystics as Mahmud Shabastari says, “This love of God is a unique experience; the heart becomes an abiding place for the beloved, where He will unveil His beauty. The taste of annihilation has sent them sprawling like drunkards, they fall and they rise again, sometimes bright in union, sometimes lost in separation, now pouring tears of blood, now raised to the world of bliss.” Hajveri believes that man’s love of God is a quality, that manifests itself in the heart of the pious believer, in the form of veneration and magnification, so that he becomes restless and and impatient in his desire to have vision of Him and cannot rest with anyone except Him.” Attar says,
“A thousand for His love expired each day, and those who saw His face in blank dismay would rave, grieve and mourn their lives away. To die for the love of that bewitching sight was worth a hundred lives. Without His Light, none could survive his absence, nor could endure this King’s proximity. How strange it was that man could survive neither the presence nor the absence of His looks.” Rumi says,” One look, one glance and you will fall in love with that Infinite beauty and what is the solution another look, another glance and you burn more.”
Hafiz says, “Whoever knows God stammers.” In Masanwi Rumi says, “O God, I have discovered love, How marvelous, how good, how beautiful it is…. I offer my salutations to the stars and moon. I offer my salutations to the spirit of passion that aroused and excited this universe.” At another point, Rumi addresses it so beautifully as ‘You’:- “Should everything pass away? It couldn’t happen without You. This heart of mine bears Your imprint It has nowhere else to turn. The eye of intellect is drunk with You. The wheeling galaxy is humble before You. You have disturbed my sleep. You have effaced my personality. You have broken every attachment.
Nothing happens without You.” “Were something to happen without You. The world will be overturned. The Garden of Eden would turn to hell. Nothing happens without you. “ “All that is in the heavens and all that in the earth glorifies God, The King, The Holy, the Wise.” Quran 62:1 Rumi says, “The heart always loves and in every situation is occupied only in the adoration for Him. I said to my heart how can you be so crazy to sever from the service of One who blesses you. My heart replied to mind, it is you, who are mad to see me wrongly. I am always in His service, it is you that stray.”—To be continued
—The writer is author of various books based in Rawalpindi.
(muhammadtahir50@hotmail.com)
