Don't Meet Me as a Worshipper inside the Mosque, I'm Standing at the Door of the Mosque, Meet Me There
By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
10 June 2023
"Masjid Mein
Mujh Se Namazi Ban Ke Na Mil / Khada Hoon Dahleez Pe, Aa Ke Mil”
Munir Ahmed
Niazi, Pakistani Urdu poet
(Don't meet me as
a Namazi inside the mosque / I'm standing at the threshold of the mosque, meet
me there)
A lover pressed his suit unsuccessfully for
many months, suffering the atrocious pains of rejection. Finally his sweetheart
yielded. “Come to such and such a place, at such and such an hour, “she said.
So, the lover finally found himself seated beside his beloved. He pulled out a
sheaf of love letters that he'd written to her over the months. They were
passionate expressions of pain and burning desire. He began to read them aloud.
The minutes passed and he read on and on. Finally the woman burst out,
"What kind of a blockhead are you? Those letters tell of your longing.
Well, here I'm with you at last, and you're in your ludicrous letters."
Here I'm with you, “says god, "and you
keep thinking of me in your head, talking of me with your tongue, and searching
for me in your books. When will you shut up and see? "
We don't see. Rather we don't want to see
as we're blinded by our religio-social bindings, prejudices, fixed parameters
and images. Justice Anand Narayan Mulla aptly said, "Ukeri Hai Aisi
Tasveer-E-Khuda Zehan Mein / Khuda Khud Bhi Aakar Kahe Toh Zehan Na Mane"
(We've created such an image of god in our mind / Even if god himself comes
down, the mind will not recognize).
Sigmund Freud said, 'Human mind believes
more in imaginary manifestations than in real sensations.' Not only in the
realm of spirituality and divinity, but also in our everyday existence, what's
most important is to have discernment and insightful observation. That enables
us to stay grounded. Books and written words are alright, but eyes should also
be wide open. Only with open eyes can we see the reality. By just reading books
on human psychology, the complexities of humans can never be understood. A sort
of an interactive involvement is required. Alexander Pope wrote in his ' An
Essay on Man '- 'Know then thyself,
presume not God to scan; The proper study of mankind is man.'
It's, therefore, imperative to come out of
our ivory towers and mingle with humans. Imaginations always have their limits.
See, interact and strike a rapport. That's the quiddity of human existence.
----
A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in
comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles
to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.
URL:
https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/namazi-mosque-god/d/129963
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