One year has passed since the passing of our beloved guide, Sidi Shaykh Muhammad al-Jamal.
His spirit lives on in our hearts. His teachings live on in our lives. His words live on in his books. And his reminder to take the books off the shelf and read and write them lives on in my ears! 🙂
Here’s a poem you might enjoy today from his book, The Meadow of Poetic Truths.
The Revelation
al-wahee: the angel
The revelation of Love is the revelation of the Prophets,
It is clear like the color of the sky,
It is the exquisite flute expressing mercy.
His being is totally immersed in witnessing divine splendor,
He is the secret of the secrets in the way of love,
Those who are ignorant of this way,
mistake this for inspiration,
Prophecies are his glory.
Allah puts kohl around the eyes of the saints, his friends
The friend of the time expresses the rank of the messenger,
Bringing to light the forgotten books.
This is known only to the people of Love
designated by their Lord as the people of knowledge,
They inherit this way
It is encoded in their bodies,
They recognize the name Allah in all its manifestations,
a gift from the Lord of wisdom.
I am the most loyal of your friends,
Has your gaze not struck me in my heart?
Yet when I see what is around me in this world,
my body grows weary and my heart is in pain,
But this inspires me to increase my surrender to You,
to keep to the covenants,
and to look forward to my release in You.
from The Meadow of Poetic Truths,
Diwan of Shaykh Muhammad Said al-Jamal ar-Rifa’i as-Shadhuli
When the events of the world cause your body to grow weary and your heart to feel pain, may you be inspired to increase your surrender to Allah, to keep to the covenants, and to look forward to release in Him.
May the peace and blessings of Allah by upon you.
With love and gratitude,
Mastura Graugnard on behalf of all your friends and family at UOS
