blind people, one big elephant

not all masks, figureheads, carvings are idols in the sense of idol worshipping

idol worship i reckon extends to far beyond that - it is a case of who do you turn to in time of trouble - who do you get your source of inspiration/guidance from

being christian/jew/muslim/hindu whatever - does nto matter - in the final analysis righteousness is what counts.

yes we are the same - in terms of the bigger picture - one God - the way we practice this is all different according to which faith you belong.

it is a case of whatever faith practice you have - are you doing that to the best of your ability?
Can you see beyund the fallacies and half truths and reach out to the creator only - far beyond human idolisation or glorification - can you see the truth of the Creator in it?

i guess its hard for some people to accept this - because of the do or die attitude - its either their way or the highway - But i choose to have the opinion that the worship of God transcends all that - intentions gravely matter, actions too to an extent - and besides all God is a forgiving Lord - who forgives our sins, redeeming us and accepting us severally to start anew again and again.

muse for thought

i remember my mum used to say to me - there are many paths to God - and i am in turn inclided to accept this view point - yes god is reachable thru many paths - the thing is that we reach God alone... what we dont understand about other paths - due to culture, language - let us not dismiss till we fully understand, learn and then make a decision...

......

sometimes God, i want to understand but i lack capability to.
i dont understan how this world works, how your rules govern it
i dont understand how/why things happen.
i guess with some things they are tests.. to keep us alert to keep us praising
but they are also at the same time...
i dont know what i am trying to say but i know what i want to say.

ultimately God, you know what is best for me and my trust is in Thee that You take control of my affairs.
But i cannot help but plead with You asking You to consider my anguish and be compassionate with me by granting me and blessing me with what i ask from Thee. I dont know tomorrow or even the end of the day.. i dont know anything other than what i want, wish and long for. But Creator of mine, please help me and provide for me. Please help me and provide for me.
My Lord, You who give life to the dead, You cause water to spring up from dry lands. You give life to dry earth and allow it to germinate,
- You are the Moghty King of David, the Provider of Job, The One who redeemed Adam and Eve - You Lord provided amnesty to Jonah.
Help me Great King please, I am not worthy i know but nevertheless, i know....

conundrum

so the question on my lips tonight is

" what is the best way to praise the creator"

why am i asking - i dont know but it is a thought that occured to me, you knwo with human beings they are prone to flattery but God is BIG beyond all that, God is not human and he has no human flaws that we have or are prone to.

i guess a heartfelt thank you will be enough, but sometimes i just think, is there more that i say can -
i guess again maybe there is - righteousness - doing the righteous works that pleases God.

Supplication

Blessed are you, O Lord my God, Lord of the Universe, the God of Abraham - the Great, Mighty and Revered God, the Most High God who bestows loving kindnesses, the Creator of all things, O King, Helper, Savior and Shield. Blessed are you, O Lord, Lord of the Universe.

You O Lord are God -there is no other god besides Thee, You are the Living, the Eternal. Never a moment of unawareness or slumber can overtake Thee. To You belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. No one can intercede with Thee, except in accordance with Thy will. No one attains any knowledge, except as you will. Your dominion encompasses all the heavens and the earth, and ruling them never burdens thee in the slightest. Blessed are you O Lord, the Most High, the Great.

You O Lord are the possessor of all sovereignty. You grant sovereignty to whomever You choose, You remove sovereignty from whomever You choose. You grant dignity to whomever You choose, and commit to humiliation whomever You choose. In Your hand are all provisions. Blessed are you O Lord, You are Omnipotent.

You O Lord, merge the night into the day, and merge the day into the night. You produce the living from the dead, and produce the dead from the living, and You provide for whomever You choose, without limits. Blessed are You O Lord, The Best Provider

You O Lord, You bestows knowledge, and teach mortals understanding. O favor me with the knowledge, the understanding and the insight that come from you. Blessed are you, O Lord, the gracious giver of knowledge.

Bring me back, O Gracious Lord to your Instruction; draw me close, O my King, to your service; and cause me to return to you in perfect repentance. Blessed are you, O Lord, who delights in repentance.

Forgive me, Most Gracious Lord, for I sin; pardon me, O my King, for I transgress; You alone pardon and forgive. Blessed are you, O Lord, who is merciful and always ready to forgive.

Look upon my affliction and plead my cause,and redeem me speedily for you are a mighty redeemer. Blessed are you, O Lord, the redeemer, Most Merciful.

Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are my praise. O grant a perfect healing to all my ailments, for you, Almighty King, are a faithful and merciful healer. Blessed are you, O Lord, the healer.

O Gracious Lord, remove from me sorrow and sighing. Reign over us, you alone, O Lord, with loving kindness and compassion, guide me in thy path and provide thy blessings daily. Blessed are you, O Lord, the King who loves righteousness and justice.

Hear my voice, O Lord my God; spare me and have pity on me. Accept my prayer in mercy and with favor, for you are a God who hears prayers and supplications. O my King, do not turn me away from your presence empty-handed, for you hear all prayers with compassion. Blessed are you, O Lord, who hears prayer.

I give thanks to you that you are the Lord my God and the God of my fathers forever and ever. Through every generation you have been the rock of our lives, the shield of our salvation.I give you thanks and declare your praise for my life that is committed to Thee, for my soul that is entrusted to you, For your miracles that are daily with us, and for your wonders and your benefits that are with us at all times, evening, morning and noon. O beneficent one, your mercies never fail; O merciful one, your loving kindnesses never cease. I put my hope in Thee. For all these acts may your name be blessed and exalted always, O our King, forever and ever. Let every living thing give thanks to you and praise your name in truth, O God, my salvation and help. Blessed are you, O Lord, whose Name is the Beneficent One, and to whom it is fitting to give thanks and Praise.

taken from wikipedia search of amidah

****

sometimes it is easy to bare one's soul out to the world and at times it is not so easy especially when things are of a sensitive nature.

My Lord, sometimes i want to talk to a human soul, but what will that gain me expcept a bit of relief and feeling that someone has heard me.

My Lord i know you hear me, and i know that you you know me, but i dont know what to do

You have said to ask with prayer and i am hoping i am doing just that.
I trust in thee and i am relying in thee. I have done all i could do, the rest is with you.

i am worried , yes I am and i am slowly loosing hope because i dont knwo the outcome.

i am reminded by a verse - hasbunallahu wa nima-al wa keel. and la hawla wa la kuwata illa bi llahi.

apart from constant recitation on my part i dont know what else to do
My Lord - you have said to ask in prayer and i am trying to do just that.

You know me and ultimately you know what is best for me.
but i am begging thee and pleading with thee to grant me, to allow me and to forgive me.
Forgive me the temptation which makes me think that others mischief may be the case in this instance but i know and fully realise that You My Lord, The Most Gracious God are in control of all things. Nothing happens except with you knowledge or in accordance with your will.
I wont say that i understand how your will and plans for us are meant to pann out, in fact i wont hazard a guess but i have to trust that you as my Sustainer will sustain me and provide for me.

in this instance if it were just me, i may not bother as much btu there are other people somewhat involved that will be involved and the recriminations and unknown shame/tanning response is frightening me.

My Lord please i dont know what to use to beg of thee, i can say i will stop doing this, i can say i will give this to this person but ultimately i know they are just promises, promises that i may not carry out.

but God i can only say that i will try my best to be more charitable, to lead a more righteous life, to Glorify thee more, exalt thee more, Praise thee more eloquently
This much i trust that by your Grace you will allow me.

I have done all i can do i dont know what else to do, Please My Lord help me.

I am begging thee Great Lord, to please help me.

Most Gracious Lord, of all the names you have this is the one that endears to me the most - the moment i heard it and it resonated with my heart i was in Love with it and this is the best name i call thee. The Most Gracious.
Most Gracious, you are my protector and you are my Lord please help me.
i was saying to myself today that your mercy is such expanse and so deep that with it you provide for the disbelievers, you provide for the idolaters, you provide for the believers.
i hope that you regard me as a believer my Lord and i am asking that you extend your mercy to me.
I am hoping in thee my Lord and i am begging thee to please please please please help me.
As i am feeling right now i am begging thee Lord that it is a blessing and i am begging thee to please please please help me.
i can sit and lament all day long, i can sit and cry all night long my Lord please i dont want to cry any longer i want to jubilate and sing and give thanks and praise, i want to shout so the whole world can hear i want to testify my thanks to the Lord. My God please help me Most Gracious please help me as i dont know what to do...

Bacha Bazi

i have just seen a documentry on c hannel 4 - Bacha Bazi - which is the term for dancing boys.

and i am in slight shock - as i understand it - young bouy are dressed up as women and made to dance in front of other men, at the end of the night the men take the young boy/boys back home - yes you guessed it - this is just plain sodomy.

hmmm
my Lord, is this the world that we live in?

it is not for me to preach righteousness and moral ethics to others -as i myself am a sinner looking for mercy and redemption from God - but really i cannot ignore this.

you take aaway a childs innocence at a young age, introdue them to sex with other men, how do you expect them to live normal lives?

in a country that is strangely muslim - these things go on and people dont seem to think that there is nothing rong with it - the very Quran they read from does not advocate it - the religion they practice does not advocate it,

my firs reaction was to send a nuclear bomb to the country and bulldoze them all. May god help us really because we need it.

this life is ?????? - May God help us all.

TOOOOO similar

this world is only toooooooooo similar - if we take the time to learn, understand, maybe just maybe - but instead we assimilate biggotry and extremism and we shun tolerance and commonality - all for what? because each side believes their vew is right?

my view from so far is that there is a fundamental truth and fundamental laws/statements - but also there are opinions that may not be correct and logic that may not be truly founded - one thing is true for me though above anything/everything else - that God is one - The worship of God is about God - not about any prophet, messenger, rabbi or priest - Worshipping God is about a connection that each person has to make themselves - no one can do this for you - no priest, rabbi or imam can guide you or pray for you or establish a link to God for you - each soul has to do that for themselves..


Now how are these statements different to that which i believe in? tell me.....


1. I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, is the Creator and Guide of everything that has been created; He alone has made, does make, and will make all things.

2. I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, is One, and that there is no unity in any manner like His, and that He alone is our God, who was, and is, and will be.

3. I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, has no body, and that He is free from all the properties of matter, and that there can be no (physical) comparison to Him whatsoever.

4. I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, is the first and the last.

5. I believe with perfect faith that to the Creator, Blessed be His Name, and to Him alone, it is right to pray, and that it is not right to pray to any being besides Him.

6. I believe with perfect faith that all the words of the prophets are true.

7. I believe with perfect faith that the prophecy of Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, was true, and that he was the chief of the prophets, both those who preceded him and those who followed him.(i dont know anything of chieftancy title but i believe in all the prophets and messengers from God and i seek not to differentiate amongst any of them, they were all messengers according to how God wanted them to be (this is how i feel that some people hang onto muhammed titling him the seal of prophets and how some people hang onto jesus as well)

8. I believe with perfect faith that the entire Torah that is now in our possession is the same that was given to Moses our teacher, peace be upon him. ( if i am honest i cant be sure of that becayuse i feel that human beings - such as they are always seek to add to things they they should not)

9. I believe with perfect faith that this Torah will not be exchanged, and that there will never be any other Torah from the Creator, Blessed be His Name.( this is another slight add on from me - after the torah was the Quran - according to my belief to confirm and consolidate all the scriptured given to us by God - Blessed be his name)

10. I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, knows all the deeds of human beings and all their thoughts, as it is written, "Who fashioned the hearts of them all, Who comprehends all their actions" (Psalms 33:15).

11. I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, rewards those who keep His commandments and punishes those that transgress them.

12. I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah; and even though he may tarry, nonetheless, I wait every day for his coming. ( Everything is in accordance with the will of God - Blessed be His name - in the right time according to how God wills it to be)

13. I believe with perfect faith that there will be a revival of the dead at the time when it shall please the Creator, Blessed be His name, and His mention shall be exalted for ever and ever.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodox_Judaism

Now with all of this covered as basic, why then cant we get along? really the human being is warped, filled with hate and mistrust.... May God - Blessed be His name, help and guide us all to his path,

Concept of God

There is beauty in everything, in every thought every difference, every logic, there is wisdom to be learnt.

Wether we accept it or not is irrelevant - what is, is what is - God will always be God - that will never change - however what changes is how we and those of past and future observe Him and accord Him -


The Sikh term for God is Vahigurū and Nānak describes him as niraṅkār (from the Sanskrit nirākārā, meaning formless), akāl (meaning eternal) and alakh (from the Sanskrit alakśya, meaning invisible or unobserved). At the very beginning of the first composition of Sikh scripture is the figure "1" - signifying the unity of God. Nānak's interpretation of God is that of a single, personal and transcendental creator with whom the devotee must develop a most intimate faith and relationship to achieve salvation. Sikhism advocates the belief in one god who is omnipresent and has infinite qualities. This aspect has been repeated on numerous occasions in the Gurū Granth Sāhib and the term ik ōaṅkār signifies this. In the Sikh teachings, there is no gender for God. When translating, the proper meaning cannot be correctly conveyed without using a gender definition, but this distorts the meaning by giving the impression that God is masculine, which is not the message in the original script.

Nānak further emphasizes that a full understanding of God is beyond human beings. However, Nānak also describes God as being not wholly unknowable. God is considered sarav vi'āpak (omnipresent) in all creation and visible everywhere to the spiritually awakened. Nānak stresses that God must be seen from "the inward eye", or the "heart" of a human being - that meditation must take place inwardly to achieve enlightenment progressively. Nānak emphasizes this revelation in creation as crucial, as its rigorous application permits the existence of communication between God and human beings.

Sikhs believe in a single god that has existed from the beginning of time and will survive forever. He/she is genderless, fearless, formless, immutable, ineffable, self-sufficient, not subject to the cycle of birth and death, and omnipotent.
(copied from wikipedia)

How is this different to how i regard God - who i call the Creator, Lord of the universe - there is no difference; however the difference lies in identification(in the form or reverence) with messengers whom God has sent forth with a message, identification with objects (that people designate God to so they can have Him close by not realising that God is all around) -

this world is not too disimilar you know and if we look deep enough, past the surface we will God willing start to glimpse the most basic of all truth, beyond the fabrications and amplicication that the human mind subjects all things to.

i leave you with this thought -

Would you ever elevate your servants/subordinates to the level where they rival you, and to the point that you allow people to pay them as much allegiance as is being paid to you?

kkk

thank you

i have to say this indeed before i forget,

Thank You God,

I am grateful.

L'homme propose...... Dieu Dispose....

Ce soir, i feel vulnerable, and sad.
I am letting emotions and my thoughts overwhelm my sense of reasoning.
i understand that in life we all have aspirations, goals, hopes and dreams.
but we only( or in this case i only because i dont know about everyone else, but i do think this is a trait that is shared by everyone) hope and dream for that which is at the end of our noses - we never know how things will "pan out".

i reckon it is a general fact that in life we dare to dream but God makes this a reality
and i reckon it this reality that i am begging my God for.

while it is easy for me to bare my soul and lay out my deepest darkest thoughts and secrets - i reckon i will leave it for my Creator who knowest my anguish and my longings , who knowest my every thought and every action - whether hidden or declared.

Man proposes, God disposes.

This involves trust and acceptance.

Trust that God knows what is best and acceptance that Gods will be done in my life.

It is easy to say that yes i trust, but the "proof is in the pudding". Trust that whatever the circumstances, even if it is a darkest fear turned reality, that i will still always trust in God and accept whatever fate He has ordained for me. - even though a part of me is crying out "God please test me not with a fate that i cannot handle" - coward that i am....."Test me not with a burden that i cannot bare"...

while my mind machinery is going into overdrive, thinking up impossible situations, capitalising on my vulnerability, i have to remind myself that God is always in control.

it is easy to forget that God is in control, especially when there is something that you want so badly. You think that your life will end if you dont have it...... you cannot see past the end of your nose unless you have it, you think your life will be better, everything will fall into place once you have it.!!
but...
sometimes, not everything we wish for is meant to be with us for that time... not everything we wish for is good for us....

firstly this is a lesson for me....
if there is an underlying emotional issue, whatver thing it is will only lift you up for a while and then you descend yet into deeper distress looking for another thing to feel the emotional crutch.

anything in this life is just a posessions and posessions are worthless in the hereafter, the only thing worth value is developing your soul in the path of righteousness

God IS IN control.

casserole.... smasherole

so word on th emarket is that i am officially looking for a casserole dish
and i keep seeing ones that are like 50 -100 quid.
are they that expensive?
crikey!!
preferably i need a stoneware one( i just think that this is best) - but i keep seeing cast iron ones.
arrrgh!!
casserole, smasherole...
what do i do?

you know what i will ask my mum for my wedding gift, a kitchen pot set.. casserole, large cooking pots - quality ones.

and what will i get myself, Godwilling a fandabedozy double oven cooker - preferably a gas cooker, a deep chest freezer and a standing fridge freezer, a a wonderful range of cooking utensils.

Thoughts

my Lord admit me a honorable admittance, and let me depart a honorable depature and grant me from Thee a powerful support - i just realised that i admit i dont say this often enough.

the temptation is there to observe prayer/salat as a perfunctory objective - do it and get it done with and move on to something else.

but prayer/salat is more than that, it is a connection to your Creator, it is reaching out and keeping touch with God.

the inspiration to stay and sit and meditate on Gods wonderful attributes is God's gift to us and should not be taken lightly...

it is a habit that i want to develop, but i understand that my difficulties lies with my everyday duties such as job, home, sleep etc

but nevertheless the overiding consensus should be and is that God somes first. i guess it is a learning curve , to remember to sit or stand or lay after prayer/salat to meditate on Gods attributes.

how long is enough? the answer to that is how long is a piece of string...
even after prayer and on your walk back to work, you can still meditate and praise, even on the journey to the bed till you fall asleep, and transcend the glorification of your Lord to everything that you do.

sometimes, i forget that life is a learning curve, it is a growth process, sometimes you grow, sometimes you stay stagnant and sometimes you may regress, but then you can grow again.

surely remember God is able to revive dead lands...

my Lord admit me a honorable admittance and let me depart a honorable depature, and grant me from thee a powerful support - truly i dont say this often enough.
i remember when i first heard it, i was inspired and it gladdened my heart, for me it just clicked, but over the course of these years, i remember it and sometimes i forget.

May my Lord help me to remember and to do better next time.

As always my Lord, inspiration belongs to thee always and forever.
All Praise is Yours, All Authority, All Kingshio and All Glory - in this life and in the hereafter There is no other God but thee. Be Thou Glorified Most Gracious Lord.

why

sometimes i wonder about life and i ask myself why?
why?
sometimes it makes me question myself and my convictions...

Winter blues

i have notices something - as the year approaches the end, i get more depressed.
yes i have said it and i accept it i am depressed.
i am having flashes of high highs! and low lows and it is messig up my head.

but nevertheless, Be thou Glorified Most Gracious Lord.. wether i am happy or sad, crying with joy or mad, Let e forever praise thee and Glorify.

help please my Lord

Most Gracious,
i know i should not worry but i guess that i still will.
but this does not mean that i dont trust in thee..

i like to worry because, worry makes me more humble, it makes me more appreciative of thee.


these dreams my lord, they trouble me, they trouble me because it brings up faces of people i have lost trust in, people i prefer to forget..
when i start to see them in my dreams, these old feelings of mistrust surfaces again and it makes me think wrong thoughts and let the imagination of my mind unfold and descend yet into deeper depths.

it does not help that the story surrounding these faces if personal...

Most Gracious, i do trust in thee, i have no choice in this matter neither do i want to have a choice in it.
As you are my creator, you have created me, As you are my Lord, you have total control over my life, As you are my God you are the Best sustainer, Provider and Nourisher.

So i will continually - if thy Grace permits - to ask thee daily, to sustain me, to nourish me and provide for me.

your blessings that are life inspiring, My King, i beg of thee.
in some ways i feel like a failure, like a second rate thing not worthy of your blessings, but then i remember that you have asked us to implore thee, to be appreciative of thee, to remember thee.

These things i seek - if thy Grace permits - to do all my life.
I also remember that you have said your mercy is one of you attributes - so my Lord, i implore thee to have mercy on me and help me.

at the same time, i seek refuge in Thee - my Lord , lest i ask for that of which i have no knowledge but i am confidant that my Lord is good to me and He is in control and knows what is best.