:sl:
I was just reading an e-mail I had received about how the days of the Islamic calender are from maghrib to maghrib-- that is, they begin at sunset and end at sunset; the darkness precedes the light.
A couple of minutes later, I was reading a book called
Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert (which is awesome, by the way, mashallah) and I thought to quote this passage from it:
A great Yogi is anyone who has acheived the permanent state of enlightened bliss. A Guru is a great Yogi who can actually pass that state on to others. The word
Guru is composed of two Sanskrit syllables. The First means "darkness," the second means "light." Out of the darkness and into the light.
(By the way, a Yogi is a person who practices the Yoga philosophy. That's right, Yoga isn't just about bending your body into utterly painful positions-- it's much deeper than that.)
Yeah, a kind of subtle relationship, I know, but it made me realize something. So, I looked more things up.
...Though I fall I will rise again! When I sit in darkness, the Lord himself will be my Light...God will bring me out of my darkness into the light, and I will see his goodness (Micah 7:8,9 TLB).
And...
There are ways from light into darkness and from darkness into light. There are ways, also, from the gloom into deeper darkness, and from the dawn into brighter light. The wise man will use the light he has to receive more light. He will constantly advance in the knowledge of truth. -Buddha
And...
It is He who sends down blessings upon you, as do His angels, that He may bring you out of the darkness into the light. He is full of mercy for those who believe; on the day they meet Him the cry will be of "Peace," and He has prepared for them a generous reward. (Surah: 33:43-44)
So, what I'm trying to pull together and share with everyone is that the light of truth, of trust, is beautiful. Well, what the heck, let me just quote Rumi, 'cause he just says it better than I do (by so many times :hiding:):
The Light shines into many courtyards, all separated by walls. Take away the walls, and you will see the Light is the same. -Jalal ud-Din Rumi