15

The Divine Exchange

 Die before you die

Excerpted from The Fragrance of Faith

By Jamal Rahman, M.A.

Published by The Book Foundation

           In a time honored story, God comes down to earth in the guise of a beggar and pleads with two men for coins. One reluctantly gives a measly coin, the other, several coins. The beggar transmutes the coins into gold and returns them to the astonished men. God can only give back to you what you are willing to give Him. What we offer God is primarily the work we have done on ourselves.

           To die to the ego is about a divine exchange: We give up attachment to our little self in exchange for the Higher Self; we make a commitment to be attentive to the desire of the Beloved and not the ego. To die to one’s ego is not just a struggle on one level but an opening to a higher level.

           This commitment to the Beloved was already made by our souls in those eternal realms. The Qur’an talks about “Alast, the primordial covenant between God and humankind as yet unborn, i.e. before souls descended to earth in the form of humans. God asked, “Am I not your Lord?” Our souls responded, “Yes! Yes! We witness it.” Thus we had surrendered our soul to the Beloved before our creation. Our work on earth is to bring this state of surrender into consciousness and to live it.

           We reach a stage in our life where the following words of the Qur’an resonate deep inside of us:

Say, O my Lord, my sacrifice, my prayers,

 my living and my dying are for God,

 the Lord of the worlds who has  no peer. (6:162-163)

            What an amazing exchange surrender is! “Who indeed should be so fortunate,” exclaims Rumi. “A Sea wooing a drop! In God’s name, sell and buy at once. Give a drop and take this Sea full of pearls.”

Where can you find a market like this

Where with your one rose

You can buy hundreds of rose gardens

For one weak breath, the divine wind!

           In the process of this divine exchange comes a deep knowing that God is lovingly mindful of our minutest needs and that we are the obstacles in the way. Less and less do we feel the need for control as we relax into the embrace of God and feel a peace that is indescribable.

           In the Hadith Allah says of his adorer in this state of submission: “I become his ears with which he hears, his eye with which he sees, his hands with which he grasps and his foot with which he walks.”

Reflections

It suits the generous man to give money

But truly the generosity of the lover

Is to surrender his soul

If you give bread for God’s sake

You will be given bread in return

If you give your life for God’s sake

You will be given life in return

(Rumi)

This is how I die

Into my love for you

Like clouds dissolving

Into the Sunlight

(Rumi)

Practices

                   In clear, practical terms grandfather elaborated on the practice that was an essential part of surrender to be done for a lifetime: Make it a habit in everything you say or do to ask yourself, “Does my speech or action derive from a place of divine attributes within me - truth, love, compassion, beauty? Or do they spring from a place of the little self in me - fear, pettiness, jealousy?” Be mindful of the question and make conscious efforts to originate from your soul. No matter how inconvenient choose to honor your “soul need.” The Light takes care of the obstacles. Have faith.

Grandfather was quick to point out that if you lapse and succumb to a petty or selfish impulse in you, remember to be merciful with yourself and be utterly hopeful. The Universe lovingly provides a stream of opportunities to help you connect with your soul.