... so said Faiz Ahmed Faiz, probably the most popular poet of revolution in the latter half of the 20th century in South Asia; Pakistan, India, and particularly on the Left.

Salaam and Greetings of Peace:

I have posted a true story of my Out of Body experience on the Darvish blog. To those interested, here is a link:
http://darvish.wordpress.com/2007/10/21/my-out-of-body-experience-a-true-story/

Ya Haqq,

Irving

Uncertainty Paradox — a nice poem from the mysticsaint / Inspirations and Creative Thoughts / Sadiq Alam blog.

Relatedly, one of my favorite ideas of late is the "I.O.U." of existence.  Everything—a theory, a map, a self—is either Incomplete Or Uncertain.  The more data you accept, the less coherent you are.  The more internally consistent you are, the more data you have to ignore. 

When I am strong, you resent me
When I am weak you torment me
Just who am I supposed to be
So you’ll stay in love with me?
When I know, you despise me
When I don’t know, you deride me
Am I such a mistake to you
That there’s nothing that I can do?
I’ve played dumb to placate you
Hoping you won’t see right through
To my need to go and do
Everything you won’t or can’t do

So I’m hanging up the lights for Eid
Lights you will never see, like my tears

I am not Muslim, but I recall Baraka’s use of the lower-case "islam" to signify non-formal "surrender" to the divine e.g. as an internal subjective experience every being experiences. (Kid Khalila on sledding: "I don’t try to steer, I just ride along and usually it turns out all right.")

Heresy isn’t always liberation, but liberation is always heresy. Pharaoh calls islam shirk.

The point is unity in diversity, not homogeneity in the guise of the Supreme.

  Salaam and Greetings of Peace:

The Darvish blog has collected all the Master of the Jinn excerpts in one place. Just go to http://darvish.wordpress.com and click on the Sufi Novel tab at the top.

Ya Haqq!

With trembling longing

I contemplate the falling leaves

Of autumn

twirling gently to the sodden earth

in golden cascades of red yellow and orange

With trembling anticipation

I await the wondrous budding

Of spring

arising in pink rose petals

like hair atop a glorious head

breaking through the carpet bombing

of a chemo blasted baldness

Dancing wildly with thick entangled curls!

Curls caressing the warm lavender Spring!

Is Revelation Rhyme?

(written 11:00 A.M, November 17, 2000)

Is revelation rhyme,
Tinkling bells of loveless word,
In which we revel, chime,
And elevate absurd
To most sublime?

Muhammad might agree.
A stack of palm leaves, Surah,
Of which we are most sure.
How blessed is that tree
Whose foliage lends vesture
To bare uncertainty,
And fans to flame our fervor!
Such verses have appeal
To donkeys, as an edifying meal.

Men may dispute. At least, the words agree.