Saturday, July 5, 2014

Here I am

Muslims around the globe are celebrating the blessed month of Ramadan, in which the Holy Quran was revealed as a complete and thorough guide to life. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calender and is a month where fasting is observed by Muslims from dawn till dusk. Ramadan is a time of spiritual renewal and also prayer.




I recently stumbled upon this beautiful poem by the great Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi. It reminded me of how many devout Muslims around the world spend their days and nights in prayer in remembrance of Allah. I am sure majority of them have strong faith but for those few who may wonder about the answer to their calls, this is a heart warming story.

'All night, a man called “Allah”,
Until his lips were bleeding.
Then the Devil said, “Hey! Mr Gullible!
How comes you’ve been calling all night?
And never once heard Allah say, “Here, I am”?
You call out so earnestly and, in reply, what?
I’ll tell you what. Nothing!”


The man suddenly felt empty and abandoned.
Depressed, he threw himself on the ground.
And fell into a deep sleep.
In a dream, he met Abraham, who asked,
“Why are you regretting praising Allah?”

 
The man said, “ I called and called,
But Allah never replied, “Here I am.”
Abraham explained, “Allah has said,
“Your calling my name is My reply.
Your longing for Me is My message to you.
All your attempts to reach Me
Are in reality My attempts to reach you.
Your fear and love are a noose to catch Me.
In the silence surrounding every call of “Allah”
Waits a thousand replies of “Here I am.”


- Rumi
 

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