(Picture by http://soutilaahi.com/)
The poet T.S Eliot wrote,
“We must never cease in exploration. And at the end of all exploration is to
arrive at a place we once were, but to know it for the very first time”. This
exploration can be described as a journeying or wayfaring on the path towards
knowledge of oneself. If you’ve ever been out at sea on a kayak, or been
outdoors hiking, you would understand the complexities and rewards of such a journeying.
Someone who spends time out in the sea kayaking would know what it means to
kayak in a storm. The person who spends time hiking on an island with bare
necessities would know what it means to overcome physical exhaustion.
But is exploration just
reserved to mean the physical travelling from one place to another? Surely
there can be a deeper meaning to it. This deeper understanding is the voyage
within oneself, in the realm of the unseen. While hiking or kayaking lies in
the realm of the seen, there is another dimension of travelling that one makes
and that is the discovery of one’s own self. Just as how a rush of jubilation
engulfs a person who manages to scale Mount Everest, there lies something much
more extraordinary that happens when a person triumphs over the treacherous
peaks of one’s inner self. The one who is in such a path confronts the snakes
of hypocrisy, the storms of arrogance and the lions of anger that is so deeply
hidden in oneself.
This very same exploration
is how we can describe the experience of “volunteerism” or “activism”. In many
ways, “volunteerism” and “activism” has been misunderstood to just being mere
ritualistic actions for self-satisfaction and self-accomplishment. At times, it
can be reduced to mere displays of flamboyance to inflate one’s own sense of
self-importance. Many have gone down this road and have been seduced into
thinking that service, the core principle of “volunteerism”, simply means
“whatever that makes me happy”. Some have been sucked into the quicksand of
wanting to sabotage the good efforts of other activists. In the desert of
communal service, far too many have been deluded by the mirages of their own
self-interests. Instead of pointing others to the stars of the desert sky, many
have thrown sand into the faces of their people so that they might be regarded
as proper guides.
Shaykh Abdul Aziz Fredericks
once said that, “The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the
service of others”. Ponder for a moment how strange this piece of wisdom is. It
suggests that true discovery of self is not in amassing more of what we want
but in removing the vile traits of who we are. This ideal, as suggested by the
Shaykh, is actualized when one no longer wishes to be known for the service, no
longer wants credit for what’s done and sees only to fulfil the rights and
needs of the one being served. For many of us, this might seem as a strange and
difficult task. Serving others is like jumping into the open sea, with the
terrors of the unknown before you. In that moment of complete disregard for
self-concern, lies the complete reliance and trust to Allah, the Disposer of
all affairs, a task so monumental it strikes fear into the hearts for fear of
the unknown. This is the struggle of the volunteer in the Sacred Path of Love.
“The Sacred Path of Love” is
a conference where people from all walks of life congregate to learn about
themselves and to overcome their struggles. Fear, anxiety, depression, anger
and addiction hold many people as hostages. The conference provides a safe
environment for people to bear their wounds and learn from the scholars who
imbue the “Muhammadan Character”. The volunteers who come are also from
different backgrounds. Many have struggled with addictions, mental depression,
anger outbursts and a sense of loss in self. They spend months organizing to
strict detail so that scholars can reach out to the community and blanket us
with profound Prophetic Beauty. Many of those who have volunteered aren’t on stage;
they secretly spend late nights and personal time away from their families to
get work done. With the guidance of the shuyukh, the volunteers learn that
service in its highest ideal is the example of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) and the footsteps of those who are God’s friends and lovers.
Besides learning new skills
and acquiring knowledge of the Islamic Sciences what volunteers of “The Sacred
Path of Love” have gained is a deeper understanding of how the Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) was with his wives, companions and community. This
conference becomes the unique comma that punctuates our lives with the likes of
Shaykh Muhammad bin Yahya al-Ninowy, Shaykh Muhammad Mahy Cisse, Habib Hassan
al-Attas, Shaykh Afeefudin al-Jilani, Shaykh Zachary Valentine Wright, Dr Afifi
al-Akiti, Hajjah Ashaki Taha Cisse and many more enlightened human beings that
bring radiant lights into our lives. Their message is chain of transmission of
the Prophets and Messengers that extend beyond the lifeless form of information
into the shimmering awakening of self-transformation. Many people have
benefitted from volunteering and participating in “The Sacred Path of Love”, a
testament to the secret of having good companionship on the path to
self-discovery.
Imam Muhammad al-Ghazali,
widely considered the “Proof of Islam”, mentioned that, “Repentance from sins
by returning to the one who conceals faults and the one who knows all hidden
things is the beginning of the path of the wayfarers”. The wise saying also
goes, “The true call to Islam is when one makes repentance to Allah”. This
alludes to the importance of changing one’s own self; the kind treatment of
one’s family, the giving of charity and the private worship with God that takes
precedence before any public effort to help others. It reminds us that to be
sincere and truthful in public starts from our private lives, else the
hypocrisy would be too obvious for others to be able to ignore.
Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad
mentions that, “Religion is not just sitting still. In fact you can’t sit still
it is like riding a bicycle you have to make constant effort or you will fall”.
It is with this in mind that many volunteers need to have before embarking on
any new project. For 5 years now “The Sacred Path of Love” has had volunteers
and participants from students, musicians, teachers, scholars, parents, writers
and activists who have benefitted immensely from the gems that are shared by
the scholars. Truly what keeps the wayfarer cycling is but the attachment to
the spiritual aspiration of these saints and scholars, the inheritors of God’s
Prophets.
The world’s stage has shown us
many individuals who have triumphed over themselves for the true service of
people. We have the late Dr Martin Luther King Jr, who rallied people to dispel
the trance of prejudice against African-Americans in America. We had Muhammad
Yunus who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for pioneering the concept of
microloans to low-wage farmers, so that they could start their businesses. We
also had countless others who are advocates of preserving the earth and perhaps
many more heroes unreported and unrecognized. In the darkness of turmoil, these
heroes are like stars that lost travellers depend on to lead them into the
night.
Perhaps, the best way to sum
up this topic of Prophetic service is with the poem of the Persian poet Hafez,
“Even after all this while, the Sun never says to the Earth, ‘You owe me!’.
Look at what happens with a love like that, it lights up the whole sky!”. This
Prophetic mercy for God’s creation and the witnessing of God in every moment is
what volunteers need to aspire towards. It is a Reality to be tasted and
experienced for all. May Allah accept and make it easy. Amin.
