Just back from the lush forests of Ottawa where I co-led a Sufi-Algonquin retreat with a descendant of the Anishinaabe Omamwiniini First Peoples.
We sang, drummed, did Zikr during the day with birds and with fireflies at night …
To quote Hazrat Inayat, nature is indeed God’s greatest scripture 🙏🏼

“The rediscovery of the soul brings with it the recovery of the whole universe.” These words by my murshid, Pir Zia Inayat Khan, are a staff in the darkness these days, reminding that in times of outer turbulence, sometimes going within and connecting with our light can be the most revolutionary act

There is truly nothing more awe-inspiring than flying above the horizon at sundawn or sunset. It humbles you. And then it makes your soul expand.

In Konya, the home of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, the great mystic who changed so many lives because he was able to transform his brokenness into beauty, contemplating the first few lines of his masterpiece the Mathnawi that I set to music many years ago …

youtu.be/dnFYR8oHLy0?...

My Urdu rendition of the famous prayer of Rabia Basri:
Oh Lord, if I worship you out of fear of hell, cast me in its fire.
If I worship you for want of heaven, shut the doors of heaven upon me.
But if I worship you for you alone then please don’t hold back your grace
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuBn...

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “If you are planting a tree and the world comes to an end, continue planting the tree.”
And so we continue - because we still can. And because the mere intention of doing so brings us closer to our life purpose …

They tell me
that autumn
a time when everything
in nature
begins to die
is the best time
to plant new life
You plant hope they say
in the cold, inhospitable soil
knowing that the death
of everything
around you
signals a quiet rebirth
waiting
patiently
underground
with a smile

- Ayeda -

With all the chaos and banter out there, I am not sure what to add that will not be more of the same.
So here’s a piece of music that is sheer beauty.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JLp...
Here’s to a less toxic platform, Bluesky.