Life is a Journey — Reflection on Isra Mi'raj
Perhaps the commemoration of Isra Mi'raj has passed in two days. It was on Monday, February 28th, 2022 or Rajab 27, 1443 Hijri. But I believe there's always new lesson learned to be taken and understood to renew and re-nourish my soul. Since I wrote my book "A Map to Conscience: Released and Relieved" and published it from September 2021 to January 2022, I have gone through an upside-down and bittersweet journey. But, isn't it life? Isn't life like that? Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh said, "Life is not about getting to a certain place. Life is a path" I think this humble reminder makes us pause for a while and stop being rushing. Instead, we can take everything we do mindfully, no?
Hence, Isra Mi'raj is a journey, an extraordinary journey for us, human beings — especially for Muslims. After reading a paragraph quoted by my friend Ainun Jamilah, a peace activist who also fights for women's rights in Makassar, Indonesia, with her burqa, I try to contemplate more and take a longer commemoration of Isra Mi'raj with myself during my daily meditation which have been three days so far. So, she quoted an Indonesian Sufi, Gus Candra Malik from his book "Makrifat Cinta/The Knowledge of Love." If I may translate, below is my modest translation:
"…Actually, the farthest journey is to go inside one self. The edge of the journey to one self, the downstream is self discovery and upstream is self channel/canal, is the ocean of knowledge of God/The Creator (makrifatullah) in the form of witnessing (syahadat) experience."
Then, besides the journey itself, during this commemoration of Isra Mi'raj, I try to reflect on the philosophy of Buraq through its root word which connects to "lightning" or "brightness." First, "lightning" reminds me that in every journey of our life, there are always many little things that we meet on our journey often happen quickly, but we often forget to pay attention and stay for a while to observe and take lessons learned from those little things. For instance, during my trip to Hawaii, the USA back in February 2018 — alhamdulillah (praise to Allah), thank you to all generous donors in launchgood.com that has supported me to make the trip happened — I met many beautiful and peaceful souls that abundantly and unexpectedly helped me. Now I realize that they were not mere strangers, they were companions of my journey. Meeting them in different place and time I have been was like the metaphor of being in a checkpoint or transit airport. I would not be able to move to the next one until I could take the lesson learned. That's the point of gratefulness if I may borrow the term coined by Br. David Steindl-Rast.
Second, "brightness" as the essence of a journey makes me realize that no matter how small gratefulness that we get — even often we think we only get tiredness instead of happiness — at least we know that we can always choose to have the joy of this life from within without waiting for any good news to come first. In my daily 10-Minute Pause that later I share through my initiative called Humane Human, I repeatedly say: "Breathe in, I am calm. Breathe out, I smile." I choose to donate a smile to myself everyday, and to my human fellows surrounding without waiting for a good thing to happen first. That's the point of joy instead of sole happiness.
Then, the joy I choose as the path of my life is peace education where gratefully now I could make it happen through a community called PANDAI (Indonesia's Peace Education) that I built during my studies in UPEACE and Ateneo. I have chosen it back in 2009 when I decided to leave the intolerant circle that brainwashed me as a child and teen. Getting another second chance in life back in December 2016–7, I made a crazy trip to Oman to attend Sami Yusuf's concert where unexpectedly I got a chance to attend his meet and greet a day before the concert. In short, after raising hand many times where the MC (master of ceremony) always skipped me, Sami Yusuf chose me as the last person to ask questions and tell my story. I told him that his songs, his lyrics, his music especially the traditional instruments brought me back to life. Then, he invited me to take a picture with me, he even gave me a signature and photo and he promised me to sing all of my favorite songs. Magically, on the next day, my economic seat has been changed into VIP seat. Believe it or not... I always believe that he's one of my soul teachers. And I know my intention is pure, so now I meet another soul teacher where I become a fellow or The Wellspring Fellowship in her — Stacy Sims — organization called The Well World where I can continue my learning journey in peace education especially linked to inner peace.
Dalai Lama said:
"World peace can only be based on inner peace. If we ask what destroys our inner peace, it’s not weapons and external threats, but our own inner flaws like anger. When you meet someone you don’t like, or someone says something unpleasant to you, it’s your own response that disturbs your inner peace. This is why love and compassion are important, because they strengthen us — which is a source of hope.”
And to do that, I must heal myself, so I can help to heal others. I keep repeating this inside the book I wrote and the campaign I make lately in launchgood.com/phddream. Many people might question why a woman like me wants to study higher? Why do I choose an unpopular study: peace education? I only want to respond with a smile, but if I must answer, then my answer is: "We all deserve peace, and to have it, we need to educate ourselves. Peace is not always about something grand and distant. Peace is near and started from within each and every self."
Sheikh Ninowy also said, "Peace begins with love, and love begins with peace." So then peace and love are like two sides of a coin, no? And I choose both of them because I follow what Hafiz said, "Stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive," and it's my peace work, peace education.
To end this humble reflection on Isra Mi'raj, I would love to share one of my favorite songs from Sami Yusuf called "Healing" which I believe relevant to what I am writing to you tonight (yes, I am in Jakarta, Indonesia; and now is night).
Lyric of "Healing":
It’s so hard to explain what I’m feeling
But I guess it’s ok
’Cause I’ll keep believing
There’s something deep inside
Something that’s calling
It’s calling you and I
It’s taking us up high to
Healing, a simple act of kindness brings such meaning
A smile can change a life let’s start believing
And feeling, let’s start healing
Heal and you will be healed
Break every border
Give and you will receive
It’s nature’s order
There is a hidden force
Pulling us closer
It’s pulling you and I
It’s pulling us up high to
Healing, a simple act of kindness brings such meaning
A smile can change a life let’s start believing
And feeling, let’s start healing
Hearts in the hand of another heart
And in God’s hand are all hearts
An eye takes care of another eye
And from God’s eye nothing hides
Seek only to give and you’ll receive
So, heal and you will be healed, healed
Let’s start healing…
P.S.:
We might feel useless, helpless, and hopeless towards endless injustices in the world. Even during this global pandemic, another war is started where Ukraine becomes the battle ground. Actually it's not a war, it's an invasion by Russia, it's a slaughter of the innocents, the children.
In many other places, the suffering has not ended yet, in Afghanistan, Palestine, Myanmar, and many more.
But I want to borrow what Larry Ward, the student of late Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh said to Krista Tippet in one of the episodes of On Being podcast:
"That is true. I am a drop in the ocean; but I’m also the ocean. I’m a drop in America, but I’m also America. Every pain, every confusion, every good and every bad and every ugly of America is in me. And as I’m able to transform myself and heal myself and take care of myself, I’m very conscious that I’m healing and transforming and taking care of America. Particularly I’m saying this for American cynics — but this is also true globally. And so as we’re able, however small, however slowly, it’s for real."
Then, my beautiful friend Kara Michelle Pierson quoted Ursula Wolfe-Rocca:
"It can be overwhelming to witness/experience/take in all the injustices of the moment; the good news is that *they're all connected.* So if your little corner of work involves pulling at one of the threads, you're helping to unravel the whole damn cloth."
___
Final note:
My peace-education work might be small, but I believe in ripple effect of my tiny effort, my community's unity. So, will you join me?
Salaam (Greeting in peace),
Isti Toq'ah
