Ch.1
The world is in a
tragedy. It is in a mess. People go against religion, people blindly attach
themselves to it. What religion needs, I believe, is clarification, that’s all.
People ought to understand what being religious really means. That’s what they
should focus on.
The definition of God, to me, is: the manifestation of life
The definition of Sufi, to me, is: to love God, until one’s
spirit dissolves with God, the manifestation of life. Is similar to Brach
Spinoza’s pantheism.
People always think
it is dogma, and the rules set by the Koran, that define Islam. Why is that so?
Since when was the simple truth of believing in God not enough? Why do we
continue to fear God, instead of love
him. Why do we take the Koran to be the irrevocable truth? Why do we continue
to fear the hellish verses it keeps mentioning? Why not simply believe in God,
and stop at that?
Why do we continue
to pray to Muhammed? Why not thank him, instead of pray to him? Why not view
him, as a human, who was inspired by God, to write the Koran? Why not view him,
as a great person, rather than as an idol? Is that not cultism? Is that not
dangerous? Is that not violence? Why not view him as a regular human, who
breathed and ate just like us? Why not view him as so, so that we wouldn’t take
him for an idol? What if this is the obstacle blocking people from believing in
Islam with clarity? What if Muhammed never wanted this violence? What if he
never wanted us to pray to him? What if he wanted us to be individuals, instead
of followers? Why do we continue to follow down this road through the
generations?
Is it not God, the
manifestation of life, that is the source of all beauty? Why do we claim
Muhammed to be the last prophet? Why do we take him to be above us all? Was he
not a human, just like us, who breathed and saw the way we did? What if he
didn’t actually encounter God, but was only inspired by God, the manifestation
of life? What if we got it all misunderstood? What if we are violent because we
are misunderstanding Islam?
Why is Sufism regarded as blasphemy, when it
is only a spiritual side to Islam? Why do we hate mysticism, and label it as
black magic? Is not mysticism a means to live spiritually, and fully, from your
heart? Why is everyone so caught deep in the game?
Why not leave our religion to ourselves? Why
not let atheists be as they may, and us as we may?
Why do the Jews
continue to fight for their holy Land? Is this what God wants? Do you think God
takes sides? Do you think that God is with the Jews, or with the Muslims? Do
you think God is enjoying watching people die over a supposed piece of holy
land? Do you think we are in our right spiritual states?
Why do we fight to
grow in number? Is it just to be more content with our religion? Is it because
we want to rule the world? Is it truly because we want to inspire people with
our religion, or is it just a game, in which you want to claim victory?
Is this what God
wants, people separating themselves into different religions? Is this what God
wants, dividing humanity into bits and pieces? Is this what God wants, us
taking humans for demigods? Is this what god wants, us to be restricted by
dogmas? Is this what God wants, us to fear hell in the afterlife? Is this what
God wants, us to hope for heaven, and miss out on the present?
Do you think God,
sees it as moral to impose our religious beliefs upon our young ones? Do you
think that God appreciates violence in his name? Do you think, that God would
inspire a totalitarian agenda? Or do you think, that God wished to spread it
with peace, until it naturally blesses the Earth?
Do you think, that
Moses, Jesus, or Muhammed, would have liked to see these protests that are
going on today? Do you think, that they would be proud of the people they were
trying to inspire with God? Do you think, that this is the world that God
wished to mold? Or do you think, that we are too far caught in the game, to
even see anymore?
What if atheists
were always wrong? What if, Einstein believed in God for a reason? What if religious
people are wrong, because they aren’t truly religious? What if being truly
religious, is only true of a minority of people? What if people who claim to be
Muslims, are not really Muslims at all?
How can you claim
yourself to be a sunni, if you barely even read the Koran? How can you claim
yourself to be a Salafi, if you probably haven’t even read the hadiths? How can
you deny that you’re a Sufi, if you love God?
Why do we refuse and
reject all other philosophies? How can we be open minded if we are as so? Why
do we claim anything outside the scope of Islam as Kufr? Do not some of them
also worship the same God? Why do we remain in the footsteps of our
forefathers? Is this not blinding us?
Why do we take
sharia as absolute law? Why do we refuse to challenge it? How can we advance if
we don’t? What if Bukhari got some of his stuff wrong? What if it wasn’t all so
accurate? What if we are merely obeying them out of fear? Does God want this,
us to worship him out of fear?
Why do we continue
to shout out, death to America? Why do we continue to shout out, death to
Israel? Why do we continue to show attitude of violence? Why not forgive what
has happened, and move forth? What if right now, they continue to attack us,
because we refuse to forget, and move forward? What if they are attacking us,
because we refuse to forgive, the same way the prophet would? What if they
continue to attack us because we refuse to let go, of the past? Why do we boil
so much hatred in our hearts? Is this cycle ever going to end, one side not
forgiving, and one side continuing violence?
Will we ever see
truth of the situation? Am I wrong? Are we all wrong? Am I a madman? Are we all
mad? Are we not caught too far down the game of hatred and violence? Will we
not awaken? Will we not again see the light of peace?
What if God sees us
as lost people? Do you think God cares about who owns the holy land? Do you
think God gambles, to see who wins? Do you think that God inspires us to hate?
Do you think, that out of all the galaxies that roam out there to discover, our
wars are of any significance?
Are we not caught in
a deep cycle, of madness? Or am I just mad? Are we all lost in a cycle, of
hating and cursing one another? Or am I just lost? Are we all caught in a game
of religion, in which one has to conquer the other?
Do you think God
created religion? Or did religion project false Gods? Do you think that God
meant for religion to exist, or have we just made it, out of our own hands? Is
it uniting humanity, or dividing us? Is it aiding us, or separating us? Is it
casting love, or instilling fear? Is it blocking out freedom, or embracing it?
Do you think that
being religious is following a certain sect, or a certain dogma? Do you think
being religious means to obey a set of commands, and fear hell? Do you think
being religious, is shouting out the name of Allah, as we continue our violence
against those who don’t believe? Do you think that being religious, means us fighting
one another until one tribe conquers the land of the other?
Do you think we are
being open, by calling anything against Islam as absolute blasphemy? Do you
think we are being open, by rejecting anyone who wished to challenge Islam? Do
you think we are being open, by punishing apostasy with death? Do you think we
are being open, by regarding all other philosophies as rejecting God’s words?
Do you think we are being open, by not allowing the Bible and Torah into our
countries? Do you think we are being open, if we regard music as not suitable?
Are we being open, by continuing to impose our beliefs upon our children? Will
we not give them a chance to choose? How far down this game are we caught?
Do you think we are
sharing understanding, by brainwashing our children to hate Israel? Do you
think we are sharing understanding, by creating countries in which any word
against the prophet is equated with death? Do you think we are sharing
understanding, if we refuse to challenge, the dogmas, of the quiet past?
Do you think the
being a fervent Sunni means being religious? Do you think that taking the words
of Muhammed, who ate and drank like we did, who breathed and saw like we did,
who smiled and laughed as we did, who talked and walked like we did, as
absolute truth? What if we was not a prophet? What if he was just an apostle,
with an important message? What if he was just a regular man like us, who was
simply inspired by God to write the Koran so beautifully?
Do you think that
Muhammed wished of us to pray for him? DO you think that he wanted us to take
him as a demigod?
Do you think that
the Koran truly provides peace? Is it not true that most of its verses all
filled with hellish warning? Are not most of its verses filled with negative
content? Are not most of its verses made to instill fear? Am I wrong? Tell me!
Are not most of its verses made only to fear punishment in the afterlife? Are
we not blinded? Or am I just blind? Or we not all in a mass state of hypnotism?
Or was I the victim of hypnotism? Why do we not dare challenge the Koran? Why
do we keep it as completely holy, and sacred?
Why do we continue
to live in fear, of not expressing our true opinions? Why are we all caught in
a theocracy in which everyone is bound with death if anyone speaks anything
against Islam? Are we not all caught in a theocracy? Or am I just insane? Or am
I just lost in my own frail dreams?
Why do we take the
Koran word for word? Is not poetry? Have we been hypnotized by the beauty of
its rhymes? Have we come to accept it as the truth, merely because it sounds so
beautiful to the ears? How is it beautiful, when it constantly warns of hell?
Does that not bring hell down to Earth? How can we define the books of Islam as
only the Koran and Sunnah? Are we not constricting ourselves? Are we not
limiting ourselves to greater potential?
Why do we even
define Islam? Why do we even label it as a certain set of beliefs? Why
complicate it? Why put rules, and oppress our women? Why put rules, to define
our moral beliefs? Does not morality come of itself, when we believe in God?
Does not morality come by itself, when we remember God?
When you look at the
skies, do you remember God, or Muhammed? When you look at the beauty of life,
do you remember God, or Muhammed? When you listen to wondrous music, do you
remember God, or Muhammed? When you hear the sounds of birds singing along the
breeze, do you remember God, or Muhammed? When you put your hand on your heart,
and it races of love, do you remember God, or Muhammed? When you draw beautiful
portraits of nature, using your boundless imagination, do you remember God, or
Muhammed?
Am I insane? I
really don’t know. Have I lost it? I really can’t tell. I write this not to
anyone. It is only a recording of my thoughts. Thoughts that have tormented me,
yet enlightened me. I can’t say for sure why I’m writing this, but I am.
No sense, a never
ending well this world is. You can’t seem to see the truth. And when you do, it
hurts your eyes. And when you do, it pains your heart. But it is good pain.
Sometimes pain is necessary, to bring out true light, from within the darkness.
These are merely
notes of someone who can’t seem to figure anything out. I don’t know if anyone
would understand, but I am writing it anyway.
Ch.2
Does God want war,
or peace? Does he want hatred, or love? Does he want corruption, or tranquility?
Does he favor grudges, and deny forgiveness? Does he take sides with Jews, or
with Muslims? Does he play dice? Does God appreciate what we are doing?
Does God wish for us
to follow, or become individuals? Does he want you to idolize Muhammed, or
simply think of him as a great man? Does God want you to think of Muhammed in
your prayers? Does he want you to associate man with him?
Am I wrong to say
that Muhammed has written the Koran? Am I wrong to think of it that way? Am I
being blasphemous? Am I being mad, to think of Muhammed as a regular human? Am
I not trying to avoid cultism? Am I wrong, for trying to take only God as my
refuge?
Am I wrong to say,
that we don’t even need the Koran to believe in God? Am I wrong to say, that we
don’t need the hadiths to believe in God? Am I wrong to say, that we don’t need
the history of Islam, to believe in God? Am I wrong to say, that we only need
the present, to believe in God?
Am I insane, to
think that we don’t need the Koran, to think of God? Am I insane, to think that
we don’t need the words of Sheikhs, to dance with God? Am I insane, to think of
God as the manifestation of life? Am I insane, to think of God, as one with our
souls, rather than separate from us?
Are these questions
not meant to be asked? Is the Koran a way of keeping people in line? Is it a
way of preventing chaos? Or is it a means to control minds? Is it a means to
provide peace? Or is it a means to instill fear? I really can’t tell. It’s all
too, confusing.
Do you think that
Muhammed would like to see this chaos? Would he really? I can’t tell for sure.
Maybe he did.
Ch.3
I want to end it
all. I just want to jump off a bridge. I just want to punch the living hell out
of something. I want to release my rage. I want chaos. Maybe that’s why I’m
writing this. I don’t really know. I got a punching bag. I punch it until my
knuckles bleed. Catharsis.
It’s horrifying, the
way I keep seeing the world. Things are torn in two. One side of me Sunni, one
side of me Sufi. I’m trying to become fully Sufi. I am trying to break free.
It’s too hard. Too much dogma, echoing in my head. Too much Koran, still
whispering in my ears.
Maybe the Koran
itself is a test from God. Maybe God is testing us, to see if we can break free
from its spell. Maybe he never did anything, and the Koran was man’s creation.
Such a realization kills me. I firmly believed in it. Not I see the Koran,
slowly fading into history. Slowly, bit by bit, dissolving into the background.
Slowly, life is
leaving my body. I can feel it. I don’t know if I’m dying, to become reborn
again. I really don’t.
Ch.4