PEACE BE UPON US

In this sublime book Iljas Baker gives us a glimpse-in poetic form-of his spiritual journey through Buddhism, the spiritual exercise of Subud, and Islam. Many of the poems use Chinese and Japanese poetical forms, especially Haiku, Haibun and Tanka, but express somewhat uniquely an Islamic rather than a Buddhist worldview. The presence of some examples of the world-famous calligrapher Haji Noor Deen's Chinese interpretations of Islamic calligraphy adds a beautiful and complementary graphic element to the subtle marriage of East Asian literary forms and Islamic spirit to be found in this book.

Iljas's poems and poetic artistry demonstrate the universality of Truth which, being Absolute, can and must manifest in every culture and in every art form, and both penetrate and embrace human life from the most mundane to the most exalted.

-Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Founder and President of Cordoba House

VEILS

on a late evening walk

to still

the wheel of thought

the sweet spicy scent 

of tree jasmine

the sound of

water falling

a bright crescent moon

and a shining star

are all laid out before me

and behind these wondrous veils

are the many Names of God