“Choosing self-worship in contrast to embracing Divine Love” – Abdul Haqq Alan Godlas

“Self-worship” (or attachment to self) occurs whenever we mistake for God a particular condition/form/picture/object/person/thought/feeling/perception (or even a teaching that we habitually associate with well-being, fulfillment, love, or God, etc.). In other words, self-worship occurs whenver we mistake an “ilah” for God (and for God’s theophanic Self-Manifestations).

This doesn’t cause us problems unless our desire for such a condition is triggered and we are unable to achieve such a condition. Then we have a challenge or opportunity TO RESPOND to the feelings that occur to us when we have not acheived or fulfilled such a condition (of our self-worship), a challenge to respond to our uncomfortable feelings of unfufillment by sipping such feelings and thoughts with a drop of unconditional gratitude to God.

“Remember Job when he called out to his Lord-Sustainer, ‘Adversity has befallen me! And You are the Most Merciful of the Merciful!’ ” [God, the Magnificent, has spoken truly.]
وَأَيُّوبَ إِذْ نَادَى رَبَّهُ أَنِّي مَسَّنِيَ الضُّرُّ وَأَنْتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ — صدق الله العظيم
Qur’an, Surat al-Anbiya 21:83. wa-Ayuba idh nada anni massani d-durru wa-anta arhamu r-rahimin. Sadaqallahu l-‘azim. Calligraphy by Yusuf Sezer.

Omar Khayyam:
If you
are drunk
from the wine,
Khayyam,
rejoice!

I’ve gotten permission from Dr. Alan Godlas (Abdul Haqq), who is a professor at the University of Georgia for Islamic and Sufi studies, to repost his Facebook postings on Islam and Sufism. All translations are done by Abdul Haqq Godlas unless otherwise noted.

Rumi:
The merciful shadow of God
is above the head
of the servant
In the end,
one who seeks,
finds.

“O You Who changes hearts, make my heart stable in Your religion and in obedience to You.” (A prayer of the Prophet Muhammad, recorded in the hadith collection of Ahmad ibn Hanbal; a more highly regarded version of this–recorded in the Sunan of Tirmidhi– omits “and in obedience to You.”) يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ وَطَاعَتِكَ Ya muqalliba l-qulub thabbit qalbi ‘ala dinika wa-ta’atika. Calligraphed by Hasan Çelebi.

I’ve gotten permission from Dr. Alan Godlas (Abdul Haqq), who is a professor at the University of Georgia for Islamic and Sufi studies, to repost his Facebook postings on Islam and Sufism. All translations are done by Abdul Haqq Godlas unless otherwise noted

“O You Who changes hearts, make my heart stable in Your religion and in obedience to You.” (A prayer of the Prophet Muhammad recorded in the hadith collection of Ahmad ibn Hanbal; a more highly regarded version of this–recorded in the Sunan of Tirmidhi– omits “and in obedience to You.”) يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ وَطَاعَتِكَ Ya muqalliba l-qulub thabbit qalbi ‘ala dinika wa-ta’atiki

I’ve gotten permission from Dr. Alan Godlas (Abdul Haqq), who is a professor at the University of Georgia for Islamic and Sufi studies, to repost his Facebook postings on Islam and Sufism. All translations are done by Abdul Haqq Godlas unless otherwise noted.

“Say to My servants who have transgressed against their own selves, ‘Do not despair of God’s merciful love! God forgives all sins!’ [God is infinitely forgiving, infinitely mercifiul!]” Qur’an, Surat al-Zumur 39:53 Qul ya ‘ibadiya lladhina asrafu ‘ala anfusihim la taqnatu min rahmatillah innallaha yaghfiru dh-dhunuba jami’an [innahu huwa l-ghafur ur-rahim]
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا [إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ]

The doorway to return to the Beloved is always open right now, in this moment. In the Qur’an we find “Whoever does tawba [turning away from sin and back to God], puts faith in God, and acts rightly, God will change his/her evil ways into beautiful virtues” (Surat al-Furqan 25:70). And as Muhammad said, “Anyone who turns away (does tawba) from his/her sin, it is as if s/he has no sin.”

I’ve gotten permission from Dr. Alan Godlas (Abdul Haqq), who is a professor at the University of Georgia for Islamic and Sufi studies, to repost his Facebook postings on Islam and Sufism. All translations are done by Abdul Haqq Godlas unless otherwise noted.

“Say God is one, God, the Everlasting, Who does not give birth, Who is not born, and Who has no equivalent.” (Quran, Surat al-Ikhlas, #112).
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ (1) اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ (2) لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ (3) وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ (4)
Qul huwallahu ahad, Allahu s-samad, yam yalid wa-lam yulad, wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad. Calligraphed in 1327 by Mustafa Efendi, an Ottoman era calligrapher.

I’ve gotten permission from Dr. Alan Godlas (Abdul Haqq), who is a professor at the University of Georgia for Islamic and Sufi studies, to repost his Facebook postings on Islam and Sufism. All translations are done by Abdul Haqq Godlas unless otherwise noted.

Truly, God forgives all of your sins, entirely. (Qur’an al-Zumur 39:53)
إن الله يغفر الذنوب جميعا
innallaha yaghfiru dh-dhunuba jami’an

I’ve gotten permission from Dr. Alan Godlas (Abdul Haqq), who is a professor at the University of Georgia for Islamic and Sufi studies, to repost his Facebook postings on Islam and Sufism. All translations are done by Abdul Haqq Godlas unless otherwise noted.

O my Lord-Sustainer, make things easy! O my Lord-Sustainer, do not cause difficulty! Brings things about with goodness [and assistance]!

ربي يسر ولا تعسر رب تمم بالخير به [والعون]
Rabbi, yassir wa-la tu’assir! Rabbi tammim bi-l-khayr bi-hi [wa-al-‘awn]

I’ve gotten permission from Dr. Alan Godlas (Abdul Haqq), who is a professor at the University of Georgia for Islamic and Sufi studies, to repost his Facebook postings on Islam and Sufism. All translations are done by Abdul Haqq Godlas unless otherwise noted