Thursday, June 30, 2016

Break Your Fast with Joy, for the First Day of the Feast Has Come!! Columbus MPV Eid al Fitr Prayer and Feast July 6, 2016


Break Your Fast with Joy, for the First Day of the Feast Has Come!!
Columbus MPV Eid al Fitr Prayer and Feast
July 6, 2016


Do not despair, my soul, for hope has manifested itself;
the hope of every soul has arrived from the unseen.

Do not despair, though Mary has gone from your hands,
for that light which drew Jesus to heaven has come.

Do not despair, my soul, in the darkness of this prison,
for that king who redeemed Joseph from prison has come.

Jacob has come forth from the veil of occlusion,
Joseph who rent Zulaikha's veil has come.

You who all through night to dawn have been crying "O Lord,"
mercy has heard that "O Lord" and has come.

O pain which has grown old, rejoice, for the cure has come;
O fastened lock, open, for the key has come.

You who have abstained fasting from the Table on high,
break your fast with joy, for the first day of the feast has come.

Keep silence, keep silence, for by virtue of the command "Be!"
that silence of bewilderment has augmented beyond all speech.

-- Ghazal (Ode) 631*, from Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi
Translation and footnote by A.J. Arberry
"Mystical Poems of Rumi," 1968
 
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Eid Prayer at 12 noon, pot luck feast and zikr to follow
1000 Urlin  Avenue, apt 1809, Grandview Heights OH 43212
email Hilal at hilal1001@sbcglobal.net or Frank at frankparmir@yahoo.com for more info
 

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

What a blessing! Zikr Allah; June 25, 2016, 7:30 pm, Zawiyya al Mu'min



    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    WHAT A BLESSING

    Don’t hide – the sight of your face is a blessing.
    Wherever you place your foot,
    there rests a blessing.
    Even your shadow,
    passing over me like a swift bird,
    is a blessing.

    The great Spring has come.
    Your sweet air,
    blowing through the city, the country,
    the gardens, and the desert
    is a blessing.

    He has come with love to our door;
    His knock is a blessing.

    We go from house to house, asking of him.
    Any answer is a blessing.

    Caught in this body,
    we look for a sight of the soul.
    Remember what the Prophet said:
    "One sight is a blessing."

    The leaf of every tree brings a message
    from the Unseen world.
    Look! Every falling leaf is a blessing.

    All of Nature swings in unison –
    singing without tongues,
    listening without ears.
    What a blessing!

    O soul, the four elements are your face –
    Water, wind, fire, and earth –
    Each one is a blessing.

    Once the seed of faith takes root
    it cannot be blown away,
    even by the strongest wind –
    Now that’s a blessing!

    I bow to you,
    for the dust of your feet
    is the crown on my head.
    As I walk toward you,
    every step I take is a blessing.

    His form appeared before me, just now,
    as I was singing this poem. I swear.
    What a blessing!
    What a blessing!

    Every vision born of earth is fleeting;
    Every vision born of heaven is a blessing.

    For people, the sight of Spring warms their hearts;
    For fish, the rhythm of the ocean
    is a blessing.
    The brilliant Sun
    that shines in every heart –
    for the heavens, earth, and all creatures –
    What a blessing!

    The heart can’t wait to speak of this ecstasy.
    The soul is kissing the earth saying,
    O God, what a blessing!

    Fill me with the wine of your silence.
    Let it soak my every pore
    For the inner splendor it reveals
    is a blessing,
    is a blessing.

    -- Ghazal (Ode) 451
    Version by Jonathan Star
    "A Garden Beyond Paradise: The Mystical Poetry of Rumi"
    Bantam Books, 1992

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Please join the Columbus Sufi Circle
Saturday, June 25, 2016 at 7:30 pm
1000 Urlin Ave. Apt 1809
Zikr Allah, chanting, singing, shared sweet desserts and sohbet.
The heart can’t wait to speak of this ecstasy.
    The soul is kissing the earth saying,
    O God, what a blessing!

For information contact Hilal at 14-446-3337 or hilal1001@sbcglobal.net