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Divine Secret Revealed

Divine Secret Revealed

Last updated on: November 3, 2014 at 11:13 am by Posted by The Editors

Divine Secret Revealed 2014-11-03T11:13:43-07:00 Posted by The Editors

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Divine Secret Revealed

Abdullah Abdur-Rahim

September 6, 1943-March 1, 1982

39 years old

The Divine placed a secret

on the forehead of my father,

inverted it so only those

who look beyond

his facade can discern

what is embossed there,

those who stop a minute,

pause and look deeply into

the tenderness of his eyes;

Know that this man,

Magnificent in striving*

was a lover of the Divine,

a weeper at the Divine’s doorstep*

upon listening to the sacred text,

a hustler at the Divine’s

marketplace for his family,

a seeker of the Divine’s

truth through his beloved,

and now a celestial bird

over the throne of the Divine.

Say a prayer for this humble servant,

that the Divine might continue to

open our hearts to a reality of

slavehood to the Most High,

servitude to the Most Compassionate.

[Al-Fatihah]

Glossary:

Hilbert (his pre-conversion name) means ‘Magnificent in striving or battle’.

Abdullah means ‘slave of the Divine’.

Abdur-Rahim means ‘servant of the Most Compassionate’.

—

This piece was originally posted at Clarity in the Mist of Plenty.

Safa N. Plenty, educator and mental health counselor, hoping to pursue a doctorate in Theology with a focus in spiritual formation and peacemaking. She holds a Masters of Social Work from Columbia University and an undergraduate degree in interdisciplinary studies with a minor in Africana Studies. For the past two years, she has worked as a K-12 educational contractor and assistant counselor at a local community college. Her research interest include Sufism, Attachment to God, indigenous eschatology, particularly Native American and Somatic psychology. She is also interested in religious mysticism, mindfulness practice in Buddhism and the role of feminism and religion in cultivating a peacemaking capacity among young Muslim women. She is currently working to develop a faith based healthy relationships program for Mothers and daughters. She enjoys writing poetry, research, and contemplative practice in art and crafts in her free time.

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