The Beloved’s Adab

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Does God have an adab in relation to us? In Classical Sufism, the invocation,  bismillah ar rahman ar rahim (in the name of the merciful and compassionate God) suggests a way to approach this. But what does God's mercy and compassion mean, and how does the "Beloved, as we might refer to the supreme being, touch our earthly lives in these relational ways? Some possibilities:

 

That we love music so much is Beloved’s compassion. That Beloved gives us Bach and countless other gifted music makers is Her mercy.

 

That we’re inexpressibly bound to our children is Beloved’s compassion. That we continue to work through all the ups and downs of familial life is His mercy.

 

In the Book of Flashes Pir Elias Amidon writes: “Awareness isn’t personal, it just pretends it is.”  That we can be aware is Beloved’s compassion, that we can be aware of that awareness is Her mercy.

 

That, as the green of spring deepens, we feel hope expanding is Beloved’s compassion; that our breath channels that hope through our bloodstreams is Her mercy. 

 

Humor is Beloved’s compassion; laughter His mercy. A fever is Beloved’s compassion; medicine Her mercy. Space is Beloved’s compassion; legs & feet His mercy. This is Beloved’s compassion; that Her mercy.

 

The heartbreak of a loved one passing is Beloved’s compassion. The realization that we can continue loving that person whether they are here or not is Her mercy. 

 

Look up at a starry summer sky; that mystery is Beloved’s compassion. That you were prompted to look up is His mercy.

 

And so on. Might it be that we are touched by God's adab all the time? And what might this teach us about our personal adab?

~Puran