April 4, 2014
I strolled with my beloved in a rose garden.
And from lack of awareness, I cast a glance upon a rose.
That beloved said to me, “May you be ashamed,
For my cheeks are here and you are looking at roses.”
( The Quatrains of Rumi, p. 195, translated by
Ibrahim Gamard and Rawan Farhadi)
***
I strolled with my beloved... The beloved is always with us, never departs from us. It is only we who turn away from and ignore the Beloved resting within our heart. One of the purposes of the Sufi way is to address this ignorance, to drop the veils that conceal the Beloved within our heart. When fulfilled, this way places us within a rose garden: a beautiful abode of purity that allows us to genuinely realize the Beloved is always with us.
Why a rose garden? Some Sufi traditions hold that the rose extends in five directions, which they associate with the five pillars of Islam. Let’s briefly explore these to see how they direct one’s life to the abode of a rose garden.
The first pillar is the shahaadah, the affirmation vowing to live in surrender to the Beloved. In Traditional Islam surrender is complete; if it is partial it is not surrender. Explicitly inherent within this vow is the code of morality since righteous behavior is considered a foundation to surrender. With such behavior we live in a way that is open to divine guidance, which ultimately leads not only to the rose garden but to the Beloved Itself.
The second pillar is salaat, prayer. Traditional Islam keeps a minimum of five prayers a day. Unlike petitionary prayers which can be based on one’s needs and desires, the traditional Muslim prayer has prescribed words and postures revealed by the Beloved. With depth of sincerity, these prayers can become a meditation: where the one praying “disappears” allowing the prayer to pray to itself through the supplicant. These prayers are spaced throughout the day, in part, to encourage remembrance of the Beloved and what it means to live a life of surrender. From before sunrise to the dark of night, a Muslim doesn’t go too long before time must be set aside to make the traditional prayer.
The third pillar is zakaat, which is often translated as charity. Traditional Islam holds that a fixed portion of a Muslim’s wealth is to be given annually as charity to those in need. Those unable to give material things are encouraged to give service -- or even a pleasant gaze to others if that is all one is able to give. The duty of zakaat reflects the communal nature of Islam, as the dictate of social responsibility is regarded as part of the path of surrender to the Beloved.
The fourth pillar is sawm, fasting. Traditional Islam holds the lunar month of Ramadan as the month of fasting. When done communally, this month of day-long fasts (from sunrise to sunset) fosters a deeper remembrance of the Beloved as well as a time to strengthen self-restraint. During this fast many Muslims realize how much daily activities (such as eating, socializing, etc.) if not lived in moderation distract from living in remembrance of the Beloved. This has also informed the practice of some Sufi orders and saints to incorporate regular fasting (in addition to the month of Ramadan) into their lives.
The fifth pillar is hajj, the pilgrimage. If able, a Muslim makes this pilgrimage at least once in a lifetime to Mecca to perform rites performed by the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) This is a sacred time to strip one’s self of everything and simply be a servant of the Beloved. Muslims from all over the world leave behind status, wealth, and other worldly distinctions to don the traditional pilgrim’s garb and worship as one humanity. Literally, a pauper can be side to side with a king, yet no worldly distinction is made between them while on hajj. So many Muslims who have performed hajj remark how it was a life transforming event that deepened their embrace of Islam.
When one lives these five pillars sincerely one finds one’s self within a rose garden, a garden bestowed by grace. The quality of one’s life becomes filled with sights, fragrances, and touches of beauty -- a beauty that doesn’t fade even in the face of challenges. Certain aspects (roses) of life will be extraordinary and captivating. But as alluring as these may be, they compare not to the indescribable wonder of the Beloved who grants admission into the garden. I am reminded of a Sufi parable that asks: Will you adore the royal jewels more than the king who, by wearing them, makes them royal?
We should be cautious about turning our attention away from the Beloved to the roses since this can give rise to divine jealousy. The Beloved’s jealousy differs from ego-based jealousy because it emanates from love not selfishness. Whereas ego-based jealousy revolves around the intention of denying others, usually wanting what others have, divine jealousy proceeds from wishing for others to have more than what they set their sights upon. When it comes to the Beloved, what is greater than the Beloved? What greater walk can we make with anything that will exceed strolling with the Beloved? Yet, if we slip into a moment of lacking awareness, we will forget this. Even the most beautiful rose, a gift bestowed for living the life of surrender, compares not with the cheek of the Beloved. If we turn away from the Beloved for anything, even boons of righteous living, we open the door to potential suffering. Sometimes the Beloved, in its jealousy, allows suffering to manifest so that we may learn, in a way that cannot be denied, these invaluable lessons. Everything created will eventually decay and fade away, but the Beloved is everlasting and expanding in beneficence. If we turn away from the Beloved even to adore a rose, the Beloved declares: “May you be ashamed, For my cheeks are here and you are looking at roses.”
The Beloved wills for us to be forever in communion with It, even if strolling with the Beloved through an immaculate rose garden. The prophets and saints proclaim throughout the ages that there is nothing better than communion with the Beloved. Yet it only takes one moment of lacking awareness for our minds (via the senses) to be captivated by something else that turns our attention from the Beloved. Living the five pillars of surrender, even if upon another spiritual path, keeps our attention attuned to the Beloved. Are we deepening into an awareness that will not turn from the cheeks of the Beloved even when It walks us through an immaculate rose garden?
