In times of tribulation, in times of needs, dive within the depth of self and find ease and gratitude for every grace. Then weigh it all and find the balance that reflects His Bounties.
Nimah Ismail Nawwab
Dear Readers,
This week our weekly pearls of wisdom come from Saudi poetess, writer, activist and photographer Nimah Ismail Nawwab, multi-talented creative beautiful soul that is breaking barriers and making impact in all areas of Saudi society. She’s one of the main supporters of our work on Eating Disorders in Muslim World.
The month of Dhul Hijjah has commenced. Hajj, the fifth of Islam’s pillars of faith, is a mandatory religious duty which must be carried out once by every adult Muslim in their lifetime if they are physically and financially able. What a beautiful way to start this month by sharing the poem of Nimah Ismail Nawwab on Dhul Hijjah, seven upon seven.
“Remembrance and prayers are the milk and honey of this month, what need do we have for food when the soul brims over with sustenance.”
Nimah Ismail Nawwab
About Nimah Ismail Nawwab
Nimah Ismail Nawwab was born in Malaysia to a Makkan father and mother. An English writer, editor and poet as well as photographer, her interests have led her to venture in various fields and work on diverse projects. Her work has appeared in publications including the Arab News, The Bahrain Tribune and the academic journal Islamic Studies.
What moves us is intangible, ethereal, indescribable so why is it that we constantly strive to describe our muse?
Nimah Nawwab
“Read, read, read. Be honest in your projection of thought. Be brave, and start with what lies closest to your heart and go on from there. It will all fall into place.”
When one contemplates the reality of our times the loss of faith is a core phenomenon intrinsic to the reality we live.
Below is a poem that addresses this loss Canvas of the Soul, Mystic Poems from the Heartland of Arabia
Lost and Found?
We lost the core
worship diligently
with minute, particular movements
wrapping touted diction
extolling the mundane without spirit
We lost the core.
The Beloved’s love
The Great One’s Mercy
The spiritual bond
are out of the equation
We lost the core.
Who savors the fruit
and leaves the heart, core,
Reviving the essence
we embrace peace
and are devotees of Higher Love.
In the last few decades the emphasis on Islamic practices with attention paid more to rituals shored by instilling the fear of God and His Punishment instead of Love, has led to a deep loss of tasting the sweetness of mahabbah and also to an alarming escalation of atheism in the Muslim world.
Nimah Ismail Nawwab Sufi Conference India 2016
The Journey of Love
The journey begins naturally with the Love of the Divine while emphasizing His Mercy and the Beauty of His Light.
Love of the Divine and with it the mahabbah for our Prophet ‘alahi afdhal as-salam wa at-tasleem wa ‘ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallim, are prime matters that we need to work on sharing diligently.
As Shams Tabrizi stated:
“A life without love is of no account. Don’t ask yourself what kind of love you should seek, spiritual or material, divine or mundane, Eastern or Western. Divisions only lead to more divisions. Love has no labels, no definitions. It is what it is, pure and simple. Love is the water of life. And a lover is a soul of fire! The universe turns differently when fire loves water.”
Nimah Ismail Nawwab Sufi Conference India 2016
Dream Encounters
Sleep eludes
the need for rest
set aside
in Your Absence
tears wet my pillows
Your magnificence, shining visage
sets the yearning urge
Dreams of our Encounter
in dreams
fill my seeking soul
Will You watch from afar
as the ache of missing steps up
And Visit one of these restless nights
Nimah Ismail Nawwab Sufi Conference India 2016 *Dedicated to Abiyyah Dabbagh, a dear friend and relative, inspired by her wish to see our beloved Prophet peace be upon him in dreams.
The emphasis on beauty and how much it plays a role in our faith ‘Ina Allahu Jameel yuhibbu al-Jamal’ إن الله جميل يحب الجمال is the key to opening numerous windows of opportunity for showcasing the rich heritage of beauty in our Islamic civilization– as well as emphasize how such beauty is intertwined with love of all that is Divine.
Nimah Ismail Nawwab Sufi Conference India 2016
We need to also embrace the eternal hope that sustains us as Muslims, a hope that is very much intertwined with full out tawakkul and submission to His Will above all. A hope that our youth and our ummah will always be blessed with yaqeen, mahabbah and salam through the Mercy of the Most Merciful, arham ar-Rahimeen,
Nimah Ismail Nawwab Sufi Conference India 2016
Ripping The Veil
The aim of my search
What search?
is ever present on arising and falling asleep
As paths converge
and time descends with merciless claws
I sink deeper into questioning
deeper into visions
deeper into prayers
rejecting sleep, rejecting inhibitions
heartbeat raised, voice hushed,
tears, a constant companion
till each hitched breath is a willing sacrifice
given freely, joyously
For my passing
without Your Love
without a glimpse of Your Beauty
without the feel of Your Grace
without the touch of Your Curing Presence
is not the search
it is the goal unbound, unveiled
The Unseen World is but an open doorway
to You, to You, to You..
as the veil is finally torn aside
The shoreline of Hope is glimpsed
and time surrenders, melts away
as your Names of Power shine forth
taking on solidity and shape
A sparkling, potent web
of Eternal Love
embraces all,
embraces all.
Nimah Ismail Nawwab Sufi Conference India 2016
As one often notices, it is meant to be that we are brought together at certain times, to interact, to learn, to love and unite if meant to be.
Words of Wisdom to a Friend
“The lessons that can be taken from my work depend on what students and teachers gain from each individual piece. The beauty of poetry is that the experiences of each reader colour the meaning.”
Freedom.
How her spirit
Haunts,
Hooks,
Entices us all!Freedom,
Will the time come
For my ideas to roam
Across this vast land’s deserts,
Through the caverns of the Empty Quarter?For my voice to be sent forth,
Crying out in the stillness of a quiet people,
A voice among the voiceless?For my thoughts, that hurl around
In a never-ending spiral,
To settle
To mature, grow and flourish
In a barren wasteland of shackled minds?Will my spirit be set free—
To soar above the undulating palm fronds?
Will my essence and heart be unfettered,
Forever
Freed,
Of man-made Thou Shall Nots?Longing Nimah Ismail Nawwab
