God Is great! A Blessed Eid Mubarak to all.

And the beginning of a new year for the Muslims as the Month of Ramadan came to an end and Muslims all over the Globe celebrate Eid Mubarak with feasts and family gathering to strengthen all relationships families and friends alike. It is akin to a Christmas celebration but not for the celebration of a birthday but a New Year. I fasted the whole month as best i could and at times it did got to be a painful experience especially physically, what with migraines and heart burn from hunger and thirst and it was also a spiritual struggle as I refelct upon my faith, where it stands. Yes, I do feel a whole lot closer to my Maker and fell His Grace better than I have ever felt in the past, but the journey towards the throne of my Lord is still an on going journey. I hear His whispers in my heart and noticed His Grace in the small miracles that I experience as i go about my daily life and I am more of a believer than i have ever been in my entire life thus far. Spiritually speaking The Month of Ramadan will always be a trial for my nafs. or ego and more than often the ego wins and so the battle or Jihad will go on.

When we hear AllahuAkhbar during the azan or call to prayer, or uttered when a Muslim is elated, excited with something, most non Muslims especially Westerners gets all uptight; it only means that God is Great. Who or what else can be greater and how else would one express a feeling of joy and elation but to be thankful to that which is a greater  entity than our small egotistical self? The Christians and Jews would do the same, like the Lord is Great or praise be to the Lord. It does not imply that my God is greater than yours or his, it simply means one is grateful for the gift of whatever. When a Muslim says Alhamdullilah, he or she simply is saying, thanks to the Lord for whatever is rendered, being grateful and reminding ourselves that it all originates from the One. When aMuslim says Subhanallah, he or she simply is saying, the Lord is Pure, unblemished, genuine and so forth. When we attach negative connotations to these utterances than we got us a problem of communication. These are Arabic words, but they mean the same simple truths that it reminds us of where or what the source of our inspirations and actions comes from and helps to curb our ego from claiming the ownership.

The road towards Fana or the attainment of a state of emptiness from the self is through these reminders as lived day to day, that we are merely vessels, containers and not the content of our volition and actions. Thus we do not succumb to Riak or show off, bragging that we are the source of our intelligence and nothing else; our source is limited and will always remain so, divine source is eternal and ever present. If I am beginning to sound like a preacher it is not my intention, it is merely my understanding and perceptions that I am sharing that hopefully will help to bridge the misconceptions of those who are interested in such matters and I will always stand corrected if I am wrong.  If one is willing to elect a President to run the country and your life why not have faith in the highest authority that you shun simply because you have misunderstood the implications of what is being uttered. It takes some learning to become aware of the meanings behind the words in no matter what language it is uttered. This is why knowledge are wings by which we fly to heaven, not a place but a feeling of right understanding is all it is.