The pen cries and the ink cries for help
He who has no past has no present
Dr. Dahesh
- THE PLANET FOMALZAB
A Selection from Strange Stories and Wonderful Fables. Vol. 1. By Doctor Dahesh.
The planet Fomalzab drew near the earth and stood at a distance of one light year away. This planet boasts a most highly developed civilization. Once every two billion years it takes up a position near the earth where it remains for an entire year before returning to its original place.
The Emperor of the planet ordered the preparation of three spaceships to be sent to earth, the planet, for the planet, after coming close to planet earth, returns to its cosmic centre, and a spacecraft cruising at the speed of light will take one and a half billion years to reach it. Every two billion years its orbit brings it within one light year from earth.
The first ship carried two hundred men. The second contained the electronic equipment which allowed the men to keep in touch with their planet and to see one another during a cosmic communication. It also carried sophisticated gadgets which could level mountains or dig deep wells should the need arise, as well as equipment permitting the lifting of heavy weights by remote control. Devices for manufacturing food were placed in the third ship. These could convert waste and remains into delicious food in one minute, by kneading them into a paste which in turn would be shaped into delicious breads. It could also flavor foods to taste. In addition the ship was equipped with a device to control temperature as well as the weather, keeping it clear or rainy at will.
Inside it a contraption, resembling a carriage, was fitted,
which could carry six space men over land, water, or through space.
The three spaceships, each consisting of six stories, were ready for takeoff. The propellers were started silently and the ships shot up in a flash out of sight, before a crowd of statesmen and high officials who had come to see them off.
Four pilots were in control of each ship, which was oblong in shape, although the interior is helical. The pilot sits in front, holding the controls, while another sits at the rear. The other two sit on either side. Before each pilot there is a bullet proof window through which he can see his way.
The ship then was systematically driven by four men. One of them was the leader. If the ship needed to turn right, it would be difficult to do so for in trying it would cover thousands of miles and thus deviate from the course. This being the case, a violet light would be turned on in front of the pilot sitting on the right who would then lead it in the right direction. If the aim is the left side the violet light would be turned on before the pilot sitting on that side and he would guide it immediately while the front and right-hand propellers would be turned off. If the ship is to take an opposite course the violet signal would be given to the pilot sitting there and he would direct it on its course.
Two hundred men onboard the first ship sat listening to the music of their planet while their ship shot through space with incredible speed. They were dwarfs, the tallest measur¬ing not more than 35cm, yet they were endowed with extraordinary power. For instance, they could lift weights which ten ordinary people from the earth cannot move. They conversed in a language of their own by blowing through their mouths or sometimes through their noses. Occasionally they would emit a sound like whistling. They had eyes resembling the head of a nail and their ears were elongated. Their size was in proportion to their level of intelligence.
Only one woman was on board with them. She was the wife of the leader of the expedition, and measured about 30cm. Hardly a thousand years old; she was highly cultured in spite of her young age. The people of Fomalzab normally had a life span of about 6000 years, sometimes 7000 years.
Like most women, the pilot’s wife was keen on appearing attractive at all times. Every now and then she would blow into a tiny gadget no longer than a finger which produced a round shaped substance where she could see her face reflected. Then the substance would melt in the air and the mirror would vanish.
Her husband, less cultured than his wife, was 2000 years old. He would have preferred not to have her present on their mission, but he was powerless before her insistence. He was aware that men admired her. She bewitched them, and they were totally under her spell, always competing for her favors. Each one of them longed to have her for a wife was she to leave her husband. Happy was the man she would choose. For this reason he gave in when she insisted, and she accompanied the expedition.
For a whole year, the ship floated in space, cutting its oceans with the speed of light, observing the earth with its good and evil by means of its wonderful instruments which enabled it also to obtain copies of the papers and magazines issued on earth. Those were translated into their own languages by means of an electronic apparatus. In this way, they became familiar with the writings of the inhabitants of the earth, which compared poorly with their own fine literature and culture.
Savalia, wife of the leader of the expedition, spent most of her time in the garden where she sat among the strange plants of Fomalzab, picking flowers, pinning them to her hair, feeding her vanity as a woman. She would listen to the songs of the colorful birds echoing in the air like a melody from heaven.
One day, in a spell of enchantment with her beautiful surroundings Savalia burst into song:
I am the fair Savalia
Aloft in the spaceship Yatania shooting at light speed
As I sit in the paradise of Fomalzab, my beloved planet,
Among the wondrous blooms,
Where nightingales of my planet warble,
Joined by birds from the land of my birth
Where I long to return
I long to reach the planet Earth
And see a world other than mine,
There to roam the hills and plains and valleys.
Then I shall long for Fomalzab, city of my dreams,
And I shall return to the land of my birth,
To die and lie buried in its sacred soil.
***********
They had agreed on a landing spot. Now they were coming near it at an altitude of twenty million miles. All ships stopped their engines and started another set at normal speed as they prepared to land until at last they came down on a vast plain.
Their landing happened to coincide with a passing caravan gaping with astonishment; the men came near for a closer look when they were blown up into the air. They saw a number of dwarfs blowing excitedly. They understood from their blowing and their gestures that they were being asked to go away immediately, which they did, shaking with fear.
The propellers stopped.
The pilot of the mother ship pressed a button and a large dome, somewhat like a tent, blew out, casting its shadow on the ship. The other two pilots did the same. By now the villagers had gathered around the strange creatures, hardly believing their eyes. The little creatures scuttled away to a near-by wood at half an hour’s distance, followed by the curious crowd. Then they climbed up the trees, inviting the villagers to follow them. They tore the leaves off the branches and placed them in huge containers. Then they exposed them to some green rays that came out of a small machine. The leaves turned to dough. They cut and shaped them into small loaves which they ate, sharing them with the villagers who found them very pleasant to the taste.
They obtained water by exposing a vessel to some yellow beams which caused water to collect inside. It tasted like the water of mountain springs and its temperature could be regulated at will.
Each dwarf carried a hollow metal stick 31 cm long and 20cm thick, open from the top with wheels fixed to the bottom. Each one of them entered his stick and immediately they raced back where their spacecrafts were standing, leaving behind them an incredulous crowd.
The men of Fomalzab chose a vast site in the village where they collected their electronic devices. From the first week of their arrival they began to build a large temple to commemorate their visit to earth. They took heaps of sand and stones, which they kneaded together with their electronic machines and proceeded to cut them up into huge columns and blocks of stone. They raised the columns upright with their strange machines and fixed a huge capital on top of each. Then they laid the roof by means of interlocked pieces .of stone, and built a high wall all around the temple. A huge block of stone, made of the mixture of sand and stone was left lying on the ground where it still stands, known as the cornerstone. The whole structure took no longer than one month in the building thanks to those fantastic devices. Many of the people from Fomalzab married girls from earth who gave birth to boys and girls after the strange creatures departed.
They departed six months after they arrived. Huge crowds of villagers came to see them off. Each side had learned a little of the other’s language.
The propellers were started and once more the ships shot into the air and out of sight, returning to their planet, deep in the reaches of endless space.
They left behind them the Temple of Baalbeck, proudly defying the generations, a living memorial of their visit to earth.
New York, 2:25p.m. 29 March,
Articles
- The National Gallery of Art
One of the treasures found in Washington, DC is The National Gallery of Art. It is part of the Smithsonian museums that are funded by the United States Federal Government and are free to the public. The official website is https://www.nga.gov and states: “The National Gallery of Art, founded as a gift to the nation, serves as a center of visual art, education, and culture. Our collection of more than 150,000 paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, photographs, prints, and drawings spans the history of Western art and showcases some of the triumphs of human creativity. Across 363 days a year, the National Gallery offers a full spectrum of special exhibitions and public programs free of charge”.
“The National Gallery of Art was conceived and given to the people of the United States by Andrew W. Mellon, a financier and art collector who served as secretary of the treasury under four presidents from 1921 to 1932. During his years as a public servant, Mellon came to believe that the United States should have a world-class national art museum comparable to those of other nations. In 1936 Mellon wrote to President Franklin D. Roosevelt to offer his gift of paintings and sculpture for a new museum in Washington, DC, that he would build and finance with his own funds. Roosevelt endorsed Mellon’s offer, and Congress accepted his gift in 1937”.
Dr. Dahesh, our Beloved and Guiding Prophet, who loved the arts so much, visited the museum many times at different occasions, where he would admire the paintings and the creativity of the artists. The museum exhibits Renaissance (1400-1600), Baroque (1600-1750), Classical (1750-1827), and Romantic (1827-1900) paintings and sculptures in the West Building, while the East Building exhibits modern, abstract, cubism, and other contemporary art styles. Dr. Dahesh was not impressed with modern art, and his visits were mostly to the West Building. One of his many visits to the museum took place on April 3, 1976, and he recorded the visit in volume 10 of his book “Daheshist Travels Around the Globe”. Here is what he recorded starting on page 183:
“…we took a taxi and headed to the, publicly owned, National Gallery of Art. I had previously visited the museum in 1969. It is extremely beautiful, with its eye-catching 20 huge marble columns, black with subtle white patterns. They are very tall, leading to a dome that resembles the dome of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, but not as high. In the large area between the columns, there is a beautiful fountain surrounded by beautiful flowers.”
The Four Paintings Depicting the Life of Man from Birth to Death
“We were roaming throughout this great and elegant museum, viewing every painting hanging on the walls of its 94 rooms. The paintings are all from famous artists, and I was drawn specifically to a set of four paintings by Thomas Cole, an American artist (1801-1848). These paintings are large, displayed in one room, and represents the various stages of the life of man.
The first painting represents childhood. The nature scene is full of beautiful roses and flowers; The singing birds fill the skies with their sweet songs; and the mountains are covered with lush trees that delight the sights. The child stood with a full hourglass, signifying a full life with a bright white guardian angel standing at the edge of the painting.
The second painting represents youth. Flowers of all colors filled the plains and mountains, and butterflies happily hover over them. The coordinated use of colors increased in this painting, thereby adding visual beauty and magic. In the sky, a beautiful white palace depicting the dreams of youth and the ambitions of those who are in their second decade, and the golden hopes they hope to accomplish. As to the hourglass, the sand in it is nearing the half full, and the angel is standing in the middle of the painting.
In the third painting, the youth matured to be a man, and nature is not as colorful as it used to be, and the angel is closer [further] to the man than in the two previous paintings.
The fourth and last painting depicts old age. The child, after passing through the stages of youth and manhood, has become an old man. He is seen riding a boat with a demolished front and its planks have become loose. He is looking in awe at the angel, who is now standing next to him. Also, in the middle of the painting, another angel appears in the air and approaching the old man to accompany him to the eternal voyage to another world. The hourglass now has a few grains of sand that will empty as soon as the soul of this mortal old man departs to the next world.
I left this room wishing that I can commission a brilliant artist to paint me duplicates of these paintings, at the same size, so that I can add them to my collection of paintings in my large museum.
We continued our tour of the other rooms; however, we were not able to enter 9 out of the 94 rooms, due to renovations. Our visit to the museum lasted two and a half hours. I added the total number of paintings we saw, and it was 838, and out of those, 68 paintings were religious, while the balance of 770 were of different subjects.”
I was personally with our Beloved and Guiding Prophet more than once during his subsequent visits to this wonderful museum, and I vividly remember his stop to admire these paintings. The subject matter was the launching pad for my book “Daheshism and the Journey of Life” that I published in 1993. I obtained permission from the National Gallery of Art to use the paintings on the cover jacket and in the prelude along with an interpretation from the museum. Below are the photos and interpretation:
Here is the full interpretation by the National Gallery of Art:
Childhood
As the artist phrased it, “a stream is seen issuing from a deep cavern, in the side of a craggy and precipitous mountain, whose summit is hidden in clouds. From out the cave glides a boat, whose golden prow and sides are sculptured into figures of the Hours; steered by an Angelic Form, and
laden with buds and flowers, it bears a laughing Infant, whose varied course the artist has attempted to delineate …. The Dark cavern and brooding sky is emblematic of our earthly origin, and the mysterious Past. The Boat, composed of Figures of the Hours images the thought that we are borne on down the Stream of Life. The rosy light of the morning, the luxuriant flowers and plants, are emblems of the joyousness of early life.”
Thomas Cole (1801-1848)
The Voyage of Life: Childhood
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
© 1993 National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Here is the full interpretation by the National Gallery of Art:
Youth
Young manhood takes over the helm of the boat, brashly confident, as yet unaware of, and feeling no need for, a Guardian Spirit, who stands aside and lets him take the helm. Just before Youth can debark to follow the illusory road to an equally illusory dream castle, the River of Life
suddenly begins to become turbulent, and abruptly veers to the right, a premonition that this young traveler is about to face up to the problems of Manhood. An increasing agitation of the River may be glimpsed at spaces through the trees, suggesting yet more difficult trials to come.
Thomas Cole (1801-1848)
The Voyage of Life: Youth
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
© 1993 National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Here is the full interpretation by the National Gallery of Art:
Manhood
For Cole, middle age was a time of many temptations, including tendencies to suicide, intemperance, and murder, all of which Cole has personified with ghostly forms in the sky above. Now Man has entered a wilderness, with a stormswept yellow sky in the distance to remind him of his inevitable timetable. The tiller of the boat is lost, and the voyager
can no longer control his destiny. For the first time, he doubts his own ability to cope with life, and he beseeches heaven imploringly. Still, however, Man greedily guards the worldly property he has amassed, half concealed in the boat, though a great urn has slipped free to suggest that in the end everything tangible is lost. To the right of the painting, trees stand riven by tempests,
and the increasingly agitated River of Life, now a torrent, presages Man’s final battle. His Guardian Spirit, still invisible to the traveler, watches calmly from the clouds, not forgetful,
but with an air of solicitude.
Thomas Cole (1801-1848)
The Voyage of Life: Manhood
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
© 1993 National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Here is the full interpretation by the National Gallery of Art:
Old Age
According to the artist, “Portentous clouds are brooding over a vast and midnight Ocean. A few barren rocks are seen through the gloom—the last shores of the world.” The boat, Man’s temporal body, has exhausted its inward force, and floats lifeless on a dead ocean. The hourglass that has measured his time is gone; the Hours, too. The traveler’s worldly accumulations have been scattered and no longer have meaning for him. For the first time his Guardian Spirit appears, standing before him and pointing to the glorious light that has suddenly and inexplicably opened through a whirlwind rising nearby from the sea. Angels descend to welcome Man to the Haven of Immortal Life.
Thomas Cole (1801-1848)
The Voyage of Life: Old Age
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
© 1993 National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
By Mounir Murad
Poet
- The Prophet’s Poet
In days of yore, a Poet roamed in this land
His quill marked verses of eloquence grand
Wealth and fame were his heart’s desire Yet restless was his soul, like a fiery pyre
He penned lines praising kings and queens
And nobles too, in most glamorous scenes
Still his conscious grew evermore unsure
For true fulfillment, he couldn’t endure
Then came a Guide, heavens did descend
A sage whose wisdom would transcend
The poet’s selfish thoughts and schemes
And showed him truth’s eternal beams
Transformed and by encounter blessed
The bard’s heart found its proper nest
His words now poured from spirit pure
As heavenly knowledge came to cure
No longer seeking any earthly reward
His verses spoke of love and accord
A newfound purpose: to chronicle all
Miracles witnessed, by the Guide’s call
So with each line, his soul took flight
Freed from shackles of material might
An instrument of good, he now wrote
To spread the message, like a gentle note
Through his pen, prophet’s word true
Recording wonders, as they grew
A testament to a faith divine Echoing love, in every line.
Zein Zaarour
- Prayer of the “Beloved and Guiding Prophet.”
O Father and the Father of Creation!
Have mercy on us because of our inherited weaknesses.
Strengthen our hearts so that we believe in Your Powers and talk about Your Miracles.
Plant in our hearts the seeds of love, sympathy, mercy, and compassion.
Keep us away from temptations that seek to allure us and make us fall into the darkness of sin.
Guide our steps towards the path of truth, light, and certainty.
Keep us away from vile thoughts and never allow them to approach us.
You are the Creator of the universe and everything within it. Your Mercy and Compassion encompass all of its creatures—the known and unknown.
O God! Have mercy on our souls and hold back the full punishment that we have merited, which could destroy us.
Do not allow greed to take us over and pull us into its horrible currents.
Let contentment fill our hearts, so that we only ask for sustenance and Glorify Your Name.
Keep us away from the wicked people and those who mock Your Word. Illuminate their minds.
Sanctify the souls of sinners and grant them sparks of Your Divine Lights in order to revere Your Greatness.
Lift us up from the horrible pitfalls and include everyone with Your Vigilant Providence.
O Compassionate Father!
Anyone who: relies on You; works according to Your Commandments; makes sacrifices in Your Name; despises his earthly desires; rejects earthly matters and values; has sympathy for the wretched; preaches about Your Miracles; and believes in Your Beloved and Guiding Prophet, will attain happiness, Heaven, light, and splendor.
He will live for eternity in splendor and glory among the immortals,
And be graced with Your Brilliant Lights forever.
Amen.
- “Brotherhood and Unity of Mankind”
The Call of Prophets and Reformers Through the Ages
“Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.” (Genesis 4: 9-10).
A dialogue, simple in nature, yet encapsulates the tragedy of human existence since its beginning. God is asking man about the wellbeing of his fellow man, holding them both responsible for each other as brothers belonging to one spiritual family, while they disown this sacred responsibility, favoring their own interest and welfare, even if the cost is the suffering, oppression, and death of fellow beings.
God ‘s eternal call continues after the Great Flood: “And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man” (Genesis 9:5), affirming with divine clarity that all humans are brothers and sisters belonging to one spiritual family and united by God’s love and compassion, prohibiting them from harming and killing each other.
Then comes the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), which in few words, embody God’s renewed request from His children prohibiting them from harming and killing each other: do not kill each other, do not steal from each other, do not envy each other, do not lie to each other, do not covet what belongs to others. If humanity had followed these commandments since the dawn of creation, Earth would have transformed into an eternal paradise abound with countless blessings. Man, however, rebelled, ignoring God’s will, killing, stealing, envying, lying, and coveting what belongs to his fellow men, changing Earth’s promised paradise into a terrifying hell of misery and torment.
Years passed at a pace, so slow yet so fast, while humanity remained absorbed in its narcistic state, thereby creating a detestable caste system that favors its well-being at the expense of others until the emergence of the inspired and enlightened reformer The Buddha (563 – 483 BCE), living an ascetic life and teaching the principles of truth, brotherhood, equality, and love, proclaiming with a divine voice: “Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.”1
Then comes the lord of glory, Jesus Christ, carrying the word of God, and with him, the prophetic tone and message changed from “Do not kill” your brother to “Love” your brother. His sacred teachings were a beacon of light calling for brotherhood, love, and tolerance among all mankind. Through his great sacrifices, he created a sacred spiritual bond linking all humans and holding them responsible for one another, and in which “he who does not gather with me scatters” (Matthew 12:30). The real hope for salvation and the ultimate goal became “that all of them may be one” (John 17:21). Christ elevated the essence of his calling to unity among all people to a unity with his own self. For perhaps through these teachings, mankind would finally realize that despite their different nationalities, races, and religions, they are but one, and that only then will animosities vanish and peace prevail;.
Christ said:
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” (Matthew 25:35-45)
God then sent His faithful Messenger, the righteous Arabic Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him), preaching the divine truth and calling for unity between believers and all human beings and urging true brotherhood and love: “Do not envy one another.. do not hate one another, do not turn your backs on each other.. but be, O believers, as brothers..”2; “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself,”2 linking the act of faith to the act of love and compassion among fellow man, delivering his inspired and eternal words of the Holy Book of Qur’an:
“The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy.” (Surah Al-Hujurat: 10)
However, in spite of the beauty and purity of these divine directives and heavenly teachings, and despite human civilization reaching an age of groundbreaking knowledge and scientific developments, how can one describe earth’s current condition by words other than these: Animosity, bloodshed, and oppression have become the norm. Humanity and brotherly love are in decline, and violence has become the dominant language that everyone understands; religious and sectarian fanaticism overpowered the meanings of tolerance and sympathy. The last century witnessed two world wars that claimed the lives of millions while conflicts and wars continue to this day in the name of religion, and at times, in the name of patriotism.
Meanwhile, just like messengers of God, the Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) and Dr. Martin Luther King (1929-1968) strove to spread the principles of peace and brotherhood, adopting the concepts of non-violence and love towards everyone, including their oppressors and persecutors, leaving a legacy of a heroic epic of tolerance and brotherhood, proving once and for all, that the relationship among humans should never be based on revenge, but rather on love, as only love and the belief that we all belong to one spiritual family are capable of putting an end to human tragedies and miseries.
For Gandhi is the one who said: “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” And Martin Luther King exclaimed in immortal words: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”3; “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”
In 1942, Salim Moussa Al-Achi, also known as Dr. Dahesh (1909-1984), established an inspired belief, Daheshism, proclaiming a message that is loud and clear: All religions are one, all messengers are of the same essence, mankind is but one spiritual family, and that not only humans, but indeed all beings are united in God’s heart. He called for a fundamental religious unity, denouncing abhorrent sectarianism, fanaticism, and all kinds of enmity and violence directed at fellow man.
He preached the dawn of a new era of spiritual enlightenment and truth: Everything we do to others, we do to ourselves, for all beings are connected eternally by an intricate spiritual essence, and what we believe to be differences between us, are nothing but an illusion and a trial between one and his own self. The ultimate goal is to liberate our souls from the physical realm, unite with the Mother Spirits, and eventually merge and become one with God. For only love, brotherhood, forgiveness, and overcoming the instincts for revenge and division will set the human soul free of its miserable and illusionary existence.
Dr. Dahesh conveyed these nobles ideas in many of his books and writings. He describes the condition of mankind in this era in his piece titled “My Address to the Year 1982”:
”Life has turned upside down; love and compassion no longer prevail, for hatred, animosity, and bloodshed have become the only means of communication; the strong preys on the weak with tremendous ferocity and violence.
In this era, all we hear about are systems of democracy, dictatorship, capitalism, socialism, as well as other laughable and absurd illusionary concepts of different forms and directions. These have robbed man of his humanity, trapping him in its false and accursed net. It imprisoned his soul, transforming him into a programmed machine, devoid of humane feelings, sympathy, affection, and compassion towards his fellow man.”4
He laid out the essence of his core beliefs and principles of unity of mankind and universal brotherhood, as well as denunciation of the crimes of enmity and wars, in the words of the protagonists of his book “Memoirs of a Dinar,” calling for a unified world governed by peace, love and tolerance:
“It is up to the world leaders from the four corners of the globe to build “one world” if they wish peace to prevail on this miserable earth. When the leaders and rulers of powerful countries agree; and a consensus of sincere, and not faked, opinions on the great importance of this goal is reached; and when greed is cast aside to secure happiness for the human family; and when the insatiable love for money is stemmed; when they establish a universal order to include the small nations that come under their sway, and when they work for a common cause and a common ideal, only then will peace prevail.” 5
He yearned for that magical and sublime day when justice, love, and peace prevail between nations leading them to salvation and to achieving the divine goal they were created for:
“War is an abominable crime: God will not forgive those who perpetrated it.
World peace is the dream I long for..
The day when the angel of peace shall spread its wings over the vast world,
The day when justice shall prevail in this world drowned in utter misery;
The day when politicians of the world and countries of different desires will join hands, tossing away their terrifying greed;
The day they vow to contentment, without which there can be no peace;
The day when that dream, that dwells upon me even in my dying hour, comes true,
Then will my soul rejoice, my guardian angel!
Then will I be certain that humanity found its dream, long lost in the maze of greed;
So my spirit will enliven and my heart will glow with happiness.”6
In a dialogue between the souls of those who perished in battlefields, now liberated from the bonds of the physical body and blessed with spiritual knowledge, Dr. Dahesh clarifies the truth of brotherhood in existence, and finally unmasks the illusion of what mankind thought was enmity between fellow man, while in reality they are all but one spiritual family:
“We, spirits from all nations divided on earth by worldly greed and set one against the other to plunder and to kill, are now united in a diaphanous celestial sphere. We have cleansed our spirits from the impurities of the earth and its malignancies. How great was our surprise when the truth was revealed to us. We were appalled when we realized that we were slaves of our selfish desires. How did we consent to assault one another, to hate and bear malice, to become bitter enemies for no reasonable cause? But selfish interests blind the eyes and blur the insights. “We now have joined together in one single spiritual family. We, enemies of yesterday with our hearts engulfed in hatred, today stand together as friends, our spirits overflowing with real love. Germans, British, French, Turks, Belgians, Yugoslavs, Bulgarians, Russians, Africans, Americans, Australians and others of different nationalities-product of worldly ambitions imposed on the peoples-now hold one and only Nationality. We belong to one spiritual kingdom, after having discarded the delusions and petty concerns of human life. Here there is neither master nor slave. All are equal before the law of Heaven.”7
Dr. Mohamad Younes
Albany, New York, USA
References:
(1): From verse 5 of the Dhammapada
(2): Hadith
(3): From “Strength to Love”, 1963.
(4): Dr. Dahesh’s Journeys Around the World, 18th Travel, The Daheshist Publishing Company,1994, p.401(Translated from Arabic).
(5): Memoirs of a Dinar. The Daheshist Publishing Company, 2006, p.92
(6): Memoirs of a Dinar. The Daheshist Publishing Company, 2006, p.97
(7): Memoirs of a Dinar. The Daheshist Publishing Company, 2006, p. 105
Poet
- The Prophet’s Poet
In days of yore, a Poet roamed in this land
His quill marked verses of eloquence grand
Wealth and fame were his heart’s desire Yet restless was his soul, like a fiery pyre
He penned lines praising kings and queens
And nobles too, in most glamorous scenes
Still his conscious grew evermore unsure
For true fulfillment, he couldn’t endure
Then came a Guide, heavens did descend
A sage whose wisdom would transcend
The poet’s selfish thoughts and schemes
And showed him truth’s eternal beams
Transformed and by encounter blessed
The bard’s heart found its proper nest
His words now poured from spirit pure
As heavenly knowledge came to cure
No longer seeking any earthly reward
His verses spoke of love and accord
A newfound purpose: to chronicle all
Miracles witnessed, by the Guide’s call
So with each line, his soul took flight
Freed from shackles of material might
An instrument of good, he now wrote
To spread the message, like a gentle note
Through his pen, prophet’s word true
Recording wonders, as they grew
A testament to a faith divine Echoing love, in every line.
Zein Zaarour