shaikh of the shaikhs

MONDAY, JANUARY 09, 2006

when the SHAIKH is SHAIKH of the SHAIKHS

going to Spain is different

visiting Spain is different

seeing Spain is different

but being with the beings of THE KIND in Spain is different

AND being with the shaikh hand in hand

being in his presence

seeing and experiencing Spain with the shaikhs eyes,and when the shaikh is

SHAIKH OF THE SHAIKHS,is differently different.





I opened the page that says Anqa tours

after a while it said see the slides of the previous trip to Andalusia

I didn't have the courage to go through the slides for quite a few visits to

the web page

every time it would come to my mind

how could I be the one in the footsteps of my shaikh,so why get hurt even

by

looking at the pictures.

I am sure my shaikh was aware of my feeling ,and one fine day I did go

through the slides,and how many times each slide didn't,couldn't count,and

that was it.

I could see myself every where with the group,with tears .

I wrote to the trip organiser that I wished to join the next group to

Andalusia

I couldn't comprehend much ,what the trip was going to be like,as I had

never

been to one like this before.



now there I was, from Pakistan to London,landed and stood at the Iberian

airline counter waiting for Stephen and the group members to recognise me.

eventually Stephen found me and took me to the group members,I meet each one

one of them and found them so receptive and welcoming.

we boarded the plane for Seville

as we landed my heart told me that this was not our first stop,may be

Cordoba was calling us first.we sat in the coach for Cordoba.

I could not think of anything at this moment after the flights of 20hrs,

but

"how could I be the the one at the footsteps of the shaikh."

none of the group members could read my thoughts and see my rolling tears,

tears of joy.

I have traveled around the world many times in my life but the welcoming

breeze of Andalusia touched my skin differently, it felt like home.

stepping at out first destination made me realise that the worst thing that

can happen to a being is to be caught in space and time,its only this catch

that detaches us from the moment.

a new day began and we started for the"was Cordoba mosque".

the street towards the mosque has its own way of invitation,it rolls you

towards the huge gate,where the fragrance of the orange trees welcome you

and gracefully takes you to the entrance of the building.

as you enter the door each patch of the floor calls for your attention,they

are anxious to share with you the happenings of the past and

how they are sensing ,and feeling the present,

what they have in mind for the future on their head under your feet.

each corner or the building ask for your attention and eagerly wait for you

visit

you stand undecided where to start from till you take the first step at any

direction.

now where ever you take the first stop to contemplate,that place starts

revealing you what ever is in its soul.

as many hours you have in hand are less to collect the feel of the prayers

and the presences of the past moments ,which are still frozen there for the

one who is willing to melt them and get melted with them.

as the life moved on we moved on to

Granada physically,but a part of me was left in the mosque.

then we moved on and on to Almeria ,Ronda,Tarifa,Marchena.

and many more on our way to the new destinations

every move in Andalusia has its own positive aura and calling according to

the needs of the needy,each place is so intense that one who is travelling

with me now has to be physically there to experience more and more and

according to his own thirst.

i don't want to be with the pitcher of water at every corner of Spain,one

has to go through the mystery himself to have fun see the fun be the fun.

finally to Seville.

this was the place

the place to be.

this was THE place that made me travel far and wide in moments,

that asked me to come to Andalusia

this was the place,that i had in mind when i used to think of Spain.

but didn't know which place was coming to my mind

had i not known that i was going to see some informative dreams, i could

not

have hit the bed at all in Spain.

there i was with a dream,didn't know what it meant

i saw BAHA UD DIN ZIKARIA,a famous mystic in Pakistan,resting in Multan

i saw the dream four times

this must be having a meaning i would say myself i asks Stevens ,if he ever

heard of this shaikh he said ,no than i asked him that



Stephen told us so many stories or happenings of the shaikh all along

here every word smelled different,i could see the shaikh and many of his

shaikhs walking and talking

I was proud to be one with them.

the most interesting thing was that the scene that was following me since

ever and that got stronger in the place where it happened got the answer.

the scene was when the shaikh received his first Revelation.

I was reliving it again and again many a times a day but it wasn't making

sense to me ,why?

there was an answer now in Seville.



in Seville i became a physical member of the ibn arabi society,I take my

self the lucky onet of all the members and the loved one by the shaikh

because he chose me to be the member of his society in his footsteps.