Technology of the Heart

Allahu Shahidi, Allahu Naziri, Allahu Ma'i - three statements of truth that transformed Sahl al-Tustari into a master of knowers

2012-01-28T13:58:00.000+06:00

1.
"Allah is the qibla of intention; intention is the qibla of the heart; the heart is the qibla of the body; the body is the qibla of the limbs; and the limbs are the qibla of dunya." - saying of Shaykh Sahl al-Tustari

Asked "What is food?" Tustari replied: "Food is contemplation of the Living One: al-Hayy."

Sahl al-Tustari was one of the great servant of God, a profoundly deep mystic and aref-billah, knower of God (gnostic). He was born in the southwestern Iran and lived between 818 - 896 AD. His full name was Abu Muhammed Sahl ibn 'Abd Allah. He founded the Salimiyah Muslim theological school, which was named after his disciple Muhammad ibn Salim. He is well remembered for his Sufi commentary of the Quran known as Tafsir al-Tustari.

From an early age he led an ascetic life with frequent fasting and study of the Qur'an and Hadith, the oral traditions, of the Prophet Muhammad. He practised repentance (tawbah) and, above all, constant remembrance of God (dhikr). This eventually culminated in a direct and intimate rapport with God and was considered a special friend and one of the spiritual elect. Tustari was under the direction of the great Sufi master Dhul-Nun al-Misri for a time and later he became martyr Mansur Al-Hallaj's early teachers.

He spent his early years with his uncle Muhammad ibn al-Sawwar, who was a very pious and refined soul and Dhu al-Nun al-Misri, one of the greatest Sufis elder, whom he met during pilgrimage.

It is related that when he was three years old he would wake up at night to watch his uncle Muhammad ibn al-Sawwar pray. During that period his uncle, the wise man gave Sahl a practice of Remembrance, which in Sufism is called Wird. Some formula to practice on a regular basis as an inner working, to polish the heart and refine the soul towards higher awareness of the Divine. Wird is a set of invocations assigned to the murid by his shaikh or deputy as a liturgy of communion. Wird can be a set portion of the Qur'an, or any other specific act of worship, which the worshipper commits himself to recite or perform, either at a particular time or occasion on a regular basis. The basis of Wird goes back to the instruction of the Prophet, upon him be peace who said, "Allah loves those action of His servants which are done consistently / regularly, even if they be small in portion."

The wird that Sahl was given by his uncle is said to left such an impression on this young man that it transformed him into a Master of knowers and an elect Saint of God.

2.
Sidi Sahl would wake up in the middle of the night only to see his devout uncle engrossed in his prayers. Sahl narrates:

My uncle once told me: `Remember Allah Who created you.'

I said: `How should I remember Him?'

He replied: `Say in your heart, whenever you are alone at night, three times, without moving your tongue:

Allah is with me; Allah is looking at me; Allah is watching me.'

This became his lifelong devotion. He memorized the Qur'an by the age of seven. He had profound love for the tradition of the Prophet. He used to practice perpetual fasting and prayed all night. He reached a point where he broke his fast only once every twenty-five nights on one dirham's worth of barley bread for twenty years.

Hence his saying: "Hunger is Allah's secret on His earth. He does not confide it to one who divulges it."

3.
These three statements or rather three seeds of deeper contemplation and meditation on God is used by Muslim Mystics and believers alike.

The terms in original Arabic pronunciation are:

Allahu Ma'i
(Allah is with me)

Allahu Naziri
(Allah's glance is upon me)

Allahu Shahidi
(Allah is witnessing me)

In another narration it is said that when he used to find his uncle deeply absorbed in prayer and contemplation whenever Sahl would awake from his sleep at the deep watches of night, he would ask his uncle if he could be like him. To this his uncle, Muhammad ibn al-Sawwar replied, "You are still young, suffice that every night you remember Allah in your heart by repeating these words 3 times without moving your tongue (the words mentioned above). When you are strengthened by it, increase it to 7 times. This will be benificial for you for if you know 'Allah is witnessing you, Allah is looking at you and Allah is with you', surely you will not do anything that would displease Him."

Shaykh Sahl increased his zikr from 3 to 7 to 11 and more until he started to taste the sweetness of it. And there is a wisdom of increasing the wird slowly over months or years because often they come with special state of the heart and soul which could be difficult for a novice to withstand. Sufis say, "Enlightenment must come slowly, otherwise it would overwhelm one's self." Thus its recommended to start a wird in small number, specially if they are powerful and then slowly increase it over years. But most important point of wird is to maintain its consistency or establishing its regularly in one's practice.

Sahl grew up to be, as al-Dhahabi described, "the master of knowers (Shaykh al-`ârifîn), the ascetic sufi (al-Suufî al-zâhid) who has a firm foothold in the path." Another great saint commented about him that: "He had no peer in his time for correctness of transaction and superlative Godwariness, and he was a person of karamat (manifesting supernatural miracles by the permission of Allah)."

4.
The above mentioned 3 formula of meditation is very powerful. The Sufis of Indian Sub-continent also use these three formula, but the wordings could be slightly different, even though the goal of attaining Divine Awareness remains the same. They are:

"Allahu Hazir" : Allah is Ever Present / Allah is the Presence
"Allahu Nazir" : Allah is Ever Seeing / Divine Glance is upon me
"Allahu Ma'i" : Allah is Ever with me / Allah is the Inseparable Togetherness.

May Allah grant the immense benefits embedded within these statements of truth, may Allah open the door of rewards through His Boundless generosity and strengthen our faith and ennoble our consciousness of Him. Ameen.

# Further:
* Life of Sahl Al-Tustari by by GF Haddad with some of Sahl Al-Tustari's sayings
* Creed of the early sufi Sahl al-Tustari
* You may download the entire Tafsir al-Tustari as PDF here.

# Recommended Youtube Resources:
* Muraqaba Dua of Sahl al-Tustari - Shaykh Yahya Rhodus
* Discourse on the Wird as-Sahl by Shaykh Dr Abdalqadir as-Sufi

Book Review: Sufism for Western Seekers by Dr. Stewart Bitkoff

2012-01-25T13:57:00.000+06:00

1.
The Book

The Sufi work is foremost the quest for gnosis (ma'rifah) - the state of opening or illumination in union with God. Sufism undeniably exists as a living esoteric tradition of human transformation and as such is a valuable resource for the Western seeker. - The Sufi Conundrum, Jay Kinney

Sufism for Western Seekers: Path of the Spiritual Traveler in Everyday Life is Dr. Stewart Bitkoff's first hand account of spiritual learning in two modern Sufi mystical schools. The message is intended for western spiritual travelers and to help this transmission the author has successfully eliminated the labeling and semantics of words with which most people get caught up.

Years of study and walking in two modern day mystical schools operating in the West, has given the author Dr. Stewart Bitkoff valuable guidance to pass on his contribution to the present and next generations of seekers. This book Sufism for Western Seekers is a testimony to that transmission. The language is easy, written by the ink of one's direct experience with a self-effacing Spiritual Teacher. By God's permission, the Book will be beneficial for all seekers, whether from the East or West, whether following the Sufi Path or not. Truth manifests by Itself and sincere seekers shall recognize them in these pages.

The valuable learning that Stewart presents through this book is a different genre among common Sufi literature because this learning is not filtered through the Religiously Islamic or any of the medieval sufi orders, but was designed to appeal to anyone, regardless of religious background. Additionally, this work examines spiritual learning across a lifetime, incorporating experiences of the two schools in which the author received guidance and training from. Examples are offered freely along its pages as how such learning can enrich and help ordinary people living in their daily, modern western life.

To present Sufism as an ancient mystical path that predates even any organized religion has its historical footings through a number of notable figures. Even Sufi Teachers such as Inayat Khan, Idries Shah were also from this school of thought. Aldous Huxley and others have referred to this path as the primordial tradition or perennial philosophy.

Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882-1927) was the best known teacher of Sufism in America and Europe in the 20th century. When Inayat Khan first brought Sufism in the West, as a wise teacher of this living tradition, he used the most universal of language to transmit the inner reality that is present in every single religion as the soul of that religion or tradition. He was deeply concerned that many of the western religious traditions had lost knowledge of the "science of soul", and the prayer and meditation techniques necessary to develop higher consciousness in mankind. He was also steeped in the Sufi notion that all religions have their value and place in human evolution. Similarly When Inayat began to teach and discuss his world view with different people who would ask what to call this mode of thought. For a long time, Inayat refused to give it a name fearing it would create barriers between people. He would say only it was ancient wisdom from the one and only source. He emphasized how none of the great spiritual teachers gave a name to their religious views. Finally, knowing that a body of thought needs some identifier to unify it, he told people it was Sufism.

Idries Shah (1924-1996) who was another teacher who opened the door of Sufism to the west through his writings also maintained Sufism as a universal form of wisdom that predated Islam. Emphasizing that Sufism was not static but always adapted itself to the current time, place and people, he framed his teaching in Western psychological terms. It is no wonder that Stewart's second and final training in mystical school happened through the very Society that Idries Shah founded in America and thus this work "Sufism for Western Seekers" is also written from this universal approach of the Path.

2.
The Writer

One moment's experience of the Truth is worth a thousand lifetimes of selfish prayer.
- Saying of Sam, Stewart Bitkoff's first Sufi Teacher

A little background about the Author of the Book, Dr. Stewart Bitkoff will help the readers appreciate the book even more deeply. Dr. Bitkoff is an avid student of Sufi Mysticism and the perennial philosophy. Professionally, specializing in the healing applications of therapeutic recreation, psychiatric rehabilitation and mental health treatment; he holds a doctorate in education and served on the faculties of six colleges and universities.

Stewart was raised Jewish in New York City and descendant of Rabbis. In his words, “To me, my early religious training was very confusing; very little of it made any sense and much of it was in Hebrew, a language I couldn’t understand…” Even though his grandparents were comfortable in the congregations, yet his own father was too buys to make a living and his mother was someone who loved to watch Billy Graham on tv.

His Jewish identity made him a victim of bullying in the streets of Manhattan, he would get into fights with other kids who pounded him and other boys with rocks as they would come out of their Hebrew school. Much of his early childhood memory carries this alienation with the very religion in which he found himself. He didn’t find much sense of life until his mid and early 20’s.

No one was there to tell him that there could possibly be a different dimension of inner experiences to the outer teaching, or religious forms. Eventually his sense of inner emptiness, restlessness and inward searching led him to participate in a modern Sufi school and the circumstances of it was the least that he expected.

Birth, collage by David Adams via flickr

3.
The Schools

If you take one step towards God, God will take ten steps towards you.
- Sacred Tradition

The first modern mystical school of Sam operated at the very work place, in a psychiatric hospital where his teacher Sam taught through conversation, sometime through prayer, meditation and companionship. Sam was a doctor in that very hospital where Stewart was working. One day Stewart was invited by a co-worker who happened to introduce him to Sam to have lunch together and that meeting eventually became his initiation to higher studies.

Sam’s Spiritual Path that he was teaching was “the golden path, the superhighway to God. It was the same path that had been passed down from the beginning and was the same path that Moses and Muhammad offered to humanity. This was the original religion, and mankind had distorted this religion into something else. It was the fastest, most efficient way for the traveler to reach the beloved. Sam claimed this method was perfected a millennia ago; there was no better system." According to the author, "the teaching is continually updated and presented in a form the traveler will understand. This is accomplished by the grace of the path and living teachers; no community is without them."

The number one thing that Stewart and others who became companion to Sam learnt was, "to love God, and that God was living, loving, vibrant and creative.. though direction perception, and the teacher's intervention by reflecting the Light upon our hearts, we experienced and became one with an entity or energy that seemed to be the very life source of the universe."

“Herein, is a presentation of this teaching that was offered to a group of western spiritual travelers; no one had to put on an exotic garb, follow a different religion or leave their work and family to drink of this wondrous element. It was offered within the content of everyday life; in a large city, at work in a psychiatric hospital, and during lunchtime … What was offered was an experience of a timeless, ancient teaching that was updated into modern language using question and answer. Yet beneath this verbal exchange was a palpable spiritual experience of energy, an essence that transcended the moment and connected us to universal consciousness.”

Eventually when time came the Master dissolved the school and sent the students to another School. This was with an instruction to write to the Society for Sufi Studies and await for instructions. After 6 month of waiting period, instructions came to read and totally familiarize the books written by Idries Shah and the task took about 10 years for Stewart to internalize the message and it was a complete process, even though from outside it may not look like so. "Now a days, with the Internet and so many schools and colleges offering long distance degrees, the concept of learning at a distance is more familiar. However, consider a spiritual school that at a distance is able to assist learners all across the world by offering a body of written material and monitoring outcomes; sending energy to its learners while they are sleeping; and help provided for the traveler during their daily life, all the practical experience necessary." Stewart offers hints, "If the traveler would like more information about this tradition of hidden guidance, see, Ernest Scott's, People of the Secret, Octagon Press, London, 1983."

Nkimadams photo stream via flickr

4.
The Masters

The great sufi sage, Bayazid was asked, what would be the most important indication of a master who knew the secrets of the Sufi Way. He answered, "When he eats and drinks, buys and sells, and makes jokes with you, he whose heart is in the sacred domain, this is the greatest sign of his being a Master." - from Risalat i Malamatiyya

Stewart's first Teacher is a remarkable man who chooses to remain anonymous. He is introduced in the book as Sam (reminds us of Shams, Spiritual Guide of Rumi, doesnt he?), may God continue to bless him and his work. Stewart's training under him lasted for approximately four years during the early 1970s in a state funded psychiatric hospital. Sam was originally from Pakistan and his own father was also a Sufi. He had a very different approach of transmission free from any labels and appropriate for the kind of people he attracted. Sam's spiritual teacher was al-Julabi al-Huwiri, an eleventh century servant of God who's final resting place is in Lahore. Once after prayer and meditation at al-Hujwiri's tomb, which is a famous shrine, Sam was given the authority from the inner plane to teach.

This phenomena, even though rare, but exists in Sufi tradition which is known as Way of Uwaiys or Uwaiysi (also written as Ovaisi, Owaisi etc.). The history of the Uwaiysi Path goes back to the legendary figure, Uwaiys-i-Gharan (also written as Uwais Qarni), who lived during the time of the Prophet Mohammed (swa). Uwaiys did not see the prophet but nonetheless became one of his outstanding followers and students. His love for the Prophet was paralleled and ecstatic. When Prophet died, he asked his close companions to give his mantle to Uwaiys, since through his inner vision he knew well of his sincere love towards him. Uwaiys' way of understanding - receiving inspiration and teaching from a physically absent teacher - became a way known as Uwaiysi Mashrab, the way of Uwaiys.

According to historians, no one knows how the Uwaiysi path developed. It is not clear how an order developed through Uwaiys, as he was in the state of ecstasy and annihilated in the Divine. History relates that Uwaiysi Sufis did not establish a regular sufi order, in the traditional sense, since their affiliation with the teacher is not through the usual transmission of a chain. It is based on the guidance from the invisible teacher rather than a physical human teacher. So according to Stewart's teacher Sam's own account, his authorization from eleventh century mystic al-Hujwiri is an Uwaiysi transmission, a hidden guidance. Hazrat al-Julabi al-Hujwiri, considered as one of the greatest of Sufi saints, is known to have written the oldest Persian treatise on Sufism, his appointed task was to take Sufi Message to Indian Subcontinent and his titles were, The Selected among the Sufis and the Munificent One among the people of India.

Receiving transmission from such a powerful master (and from others), Sam himself was also bestowed with special blessings, few of which are mentioned in the book which in ordinary world we can only call as Miracles. For the Sufi Masters, this is known as Karamat when grace of God comes uninterrupted through the Master that defies ordinary laws. Stewart himself was recipient and witness of such incidents in the company of Sam which are mentioned in the Book.

About his teacher, Stewart mentions, “In the mystical school, Sam never told us to follow this creed or that religion. What he said was that if you followed the Path and were a servant of God, you would become a better Christian, Muslim or Jew. The religion of your birth was more or less an accident, and as you progressed along the path, you would embrace your own religion that much more. It wasn’t until I had been studying with Sam for 3 years or so that I learned he was a Muslim. A friend told me this and we began to read the Koran. Sam never instructed us to do this. It just happened; and I became familiar with the Koran and other books of the great religions, I came to see that they are all joined in the Light of Truth.”

To summarize Sam's spiritual path, Stewart writes, "The religion Sam followed was a simple one. It was love of God and service to humanity. The point of religion was to make a more complete traveler who would be of better service to others. Sam stated that his business was not making converts and handling out mystical states, but of making better travelers who loved God. This religion had always existed and would always exist. It was the inner path of all the religions and he was just a servant doing his job."

Sam chooses to remain anonymous.

Sam himself instructed his pupil to move onto the next teacher and this was again based on Uwaiysi model of receiving guidance from behind the veils and without physical contact. This time it was the Society for Sufi Studies and the teacher was none other than Idries Shah.

Some consider Idries Shah as Sufi Teacher of the Age (Qutub al Zaman, Pole of the Time, literally), a very significant designation which traditionally is very rarely used and indicates a supremely gifted and rare individual. Shah's body of work for the spiritual traveler supersedes all previous written Sufi Material made available to the West. His job, in part, was to offer Sufi Knowledge through his writings to the West. Idries Shah returned to his Lord in 1996 and was living in London. His work and the Society he founded still continues the transmission.

Making the Scrolls of My Life, Collage by David Adams

5.
More on the Book

Sufism for Western Seekers is not a historical or theological work about Sufism written for the academic market. Instead, this book is recommended for anyone seeking an easily relatable introduction to mystical thought and spiritual self-help practices from someone who has spent his life on a spiritual journey. The lessons and activities presented will challenge your perspective of reality and inspire you to improve yourself and to help others. - C. William Gee

"Written for the beginner as well as the intermediate traveler, Sufism for Western Seekers helps equip its reader with the necessary psycho-spiritual exercises and tools required to awaken dormant human faculties. The book also acts as map and guide helping to transition the contemporary traveler from the realm of seeking, into the realm of perception and finding." - Adeel Merali from Quebec, Canada

"Beyond religion, beyond individual creed and spiritual form, there is a knowing that arises from the heart." - Stewart Bitkoff

About Sufism a famous saying goes, “Long before there was a name (Sufism), there was a reality. Now there is a name without a reality.” Stewart Bitkoff’s Sufism aim to address that reality, that original spiritual consciousness beyond any religious identity or label attached to it.

“Whether we realize it or not, all of lives are spent on a spiritual journey; indeed, every one of us is a spiritual traveler.. there is much learning and enlightenment to be found in what would otherwise be considered mundane or ordinary. Enlightenment can be achieved in daily life, doing just about anything; and both sets of consciousness, the everyday and the spiritual, operate simultaneously.”

In the Book Sufism for Western Seekers, the Author celebrates the fact that our day to day experience and any set of circumstances in daily life always offer spiritual training and opportunity for refinement of the being. He is set out to answer this question how spiritual trainings that is offered through Sufi Teachings can be applied in daily life, in ordinary life.

The position that Stewart adopt in the book is that Spiritual Science is the birthright of humanity. His intention was to add a new voice to the mix, a fresh perspective from someone who was raised and trained in Western Society and was placed in the unique position of receiving the Sufi training within Western context, which he shared through this work.

The book goes in the format of conversation between Master and his pupil even though this occur between different station of the mind as voice of competing streams. “… the basic format of this presentation is a stream of consciousness discussion between aspects of awareness.” One part is the everyday consciousness which is used to operate in the physical world and the other part representing higher consciousness such as intuition and spiritual capacity.

The book also provide daily activities or practices throughout it’s many chapters that could come helpful as a general guidance to adopt as regular spiritual exercise. In the conversations important questions which seekers may ask are confronted and answered using many real life examples and illustrations.

For those who will struggle to look for a form or label, it suffices to say that the essence of the Path that Stewart through his Teachers Sam and Idries Shah transmits can be named as the Path of submission to God. This remains as the golden path, the superhighway to God. "This path is the religion before there was religion."

The central prayer that was passed on to Stewart by his teacher Sam is the prayer of submission which is:

O Lord, I surrender myself to you.

I open myself to Your Will.

Guide me through my life, and guide me through this day.

Help make me into a better person who helps self and others.

The author's intention behind this book is summarized as, "What we are trying to do, through this written structure, is to create a measure of interest that will push travelers to seek their own answers. Hopefully, these words will reach the traveler’s heart, stir the inner flame, and push the traveler to test out what we are saying.

From a Sufi perspective all that is required is for the traveler to love God (Light) with all their heart and soul; and to seek to make their life an extension of the Divine Will. For when one is truly in love, all the traveler thinks about and everything they do is for their beloved. This is enough to complete the journey."

Antique Questions

His advice for the Spiritual Traveler is outlined as:

Loving God
Being citizen of the universe
Aligning with the highest
Loving one another
Living fully
Seeking excellence
Being yourself
Helping others
Doing good deeds
Practicing Gratitude
Praying
Traveling beyond teachings

The book ends with few appendices and one of which is the interview published @ Technology of the Heart (then called Inspirations and Creative Thoughts) with Stewart Bitkoff in two posts. You may read these two interviews to get a taste of the author’s perspective: On Mysticism and Mystery School and On Traveling the Sufi Path

6.
In the Spirit of Helping Others | Joining with the Sacred Activism @ Technology of the Heart

Dr. Stewart Bitkoff's teaching is all about incorporating spiritual awareness to daily living and part of which is to help others as we continue to journey in our life.

Stewart has very graciously agreed to contribute sales from the book, “Sufism for Western Seekers” to Porshee Foundation, the Sacred Activism wing of Technology of the Heart, to help the poor and needy. We are very grateful to him for this.

I hope you will join the cause by getting a copy of this book for yourself or by give someone you love as a gift.

To order a copy of the book, please go to CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/3714317 and use ordering code: TKY8YVMZ to receive a special discount on the list price.

All proceedings from this goes to Porshee Foundation and you might well be joining in the blessing of feeding the hungry, distributing warm clothing to poor and putting tube-well to people who have no access of running and safe drinking water.

Currently Dr. Bitkoff lives on the East Coast of United States with his family. He is also the author of A Commuter’s Guide to Enlightenment (Llewellyn Worldwide, Inc.) and Journey of Light: Trilogy (Goldenpath). He is a frequent contributor to "Sufism: An Inquiry" and "Sacred Journey Magazine"; also a day/monthly writer for multiple online venues: Philadelphia Spirituality Examiner, Wisdom Magazine, New Age Journal, Ezinearticles.com, Witchvox.com, Mystic Living Today, and 2 spiritual blogs (caravanofdreams and mysticsaint). He teaches at Shooting for the Moon Spiritual Development Center, Snydersville, PA and can be reached at: drbitkoff@yahoo.com.

Official Website: StewartBikoff.com

Sufism For Western Readers
2011, Published by Abandoned Ladder
Page: 192
ISBN-10: 0615562809
ISBN-13: 978-0615562803

# Other Reviews:
* Customer Reviews of Sufism for Western Seekers
* Review via Gangleri
* Kindle Edition of the Sufism for Western Seekers

# Related Resources:

* A Short History of Sufism and Sufi Communities in America by Anisah Bagasra
* Journey of a Western Seeker along an Eastern Path
* Sohbet with Mansur Johnson, an American Sufi
* Murshid by Mansur Johnson | a unique adventure of spiritual discovery
* The 'Uwaysi' Transmission of Spiritual Knowledge

A Sufi Parable of Sea

2012-01-24T10:55:00.002+06:00

Painting by Edward Mitchell Bannister, Boat on Sea

Our Master, the great servant of God, may Allah be pleased with his servitude one day was by the Sea. This was his time for public discourse before his sunset prayer. Now today a great multitude of people gathered other than his inner circle of disciples to hear his words of wisdom that gives life to the heart. So he bade the boatman nearby and got up into the boat and asked the boat to be anchored near to the shore. He instructed the boat to be placed at such a distance that everyone in the crowd could behold his face as he spoke. Even the youngest among us could gaze at the effulgence of his face without any obstruction.

Today our master spoke in eloquent manner on the significance of this life, the eternal life to come, the appointed time of meeting our Maker, the Greatest Rendezvous awaiting us and need for a guide in spiritual path. This is how he ended his discourse:

If you cast yourself into a sea, without any guidance, this is full of danger, because man mistakes things which arise within himself for things arising elsewhere.

On the other hand, your travel on sea in a ship is also perilous, because there is danger of attachment to the vehicle.

In the one case, the end is not known, and there is no guidance. In the other case, the means becomes an end, and there is no arriving.

His power of speech is so piercing that it will have different effect upon different people. Some would weep, some would be speechless and motionless for hours, others would instantly feel light as air and a tremendous peace will descend upon them which would last more than a day, and some who couldn't take it would be forced even to leave the gathering. Today also there were many who were very touched, some looked bewildered. When most of them left, it was already dark and one of our brother who brought food for the Master spoke, "Dear Teacher, I have been contemplating over and over what you said, specially what was conveyed towards the end of today's discourse. The more I think, the more perplexed I feel. Could you please explain what you meant by the sea, the ship and condition of not arriving."

The Master turned to him and placed his hand upon his heart and said these words addressing him by his initiated name:

"Beloved Wadud, Allah is a witness of what I say. May Allah open your heart to understand the true reality. The sea is our existence. The shore upon which we find ourselves is this life. Even though we find ourselves here, but our true Home is on the other side of the ocean and thus we all must journey across the other side. Every soul that is born must die and cross over to the other side of the ocean.

Willingly or unwillingly, with submission and peace or not, we all must cross over where The True Kingdom is. The journey on the ship using which we cross over is the journey of our life and every soul is bestowed with a life journey.

The sea has many dangers, it comes with rough and trying waves, the directions can easily be misleading, there is real danger of drowning, more real than you can imagine because it is matter of the soul which is not really yours but the one Who gives it to you. Who doesnt know that a ship is better guided by a captain who knows how to read the charts and compass, who knows the currents and knows the danger of the sea. who knows the guiding manual for the ship.

That captain is the divine Guide sent sometime as Prophets, sometime as Messengers of God, sometime as saints and illuminated beings, these are the spiritual masters who are bestowed the knowledge. And in ever age they exist.

The sea can only be traveled by ship. But the ship is not the goal. It is only the means. Those who take the ship as goal will perish, for they will lose their way. Attachment to this world and the worldly life is as foolish as getting attached to the ship itself.

We all are traveler who are journeying to the other side of the shore where our True Home is. Competition over more and more stuff, accumulation of wealth, money, fame, job that enslave us, big cars and big homes are as much an attachment to the ship. The ship is used only to cross to the other side. The true captain is the Spiritual Guide, the Final Prophet and his successors, the living saints, the authentic guides with a living chain of transmission. The tools and guiding manuals are the authentic traditions, the sacred laws and Book of Wisdom, the Scripture that remains unchanged.

So to arrive we must get into the ship of safety which is guided by worthy guides and never take the ship itself as our goal. Then by Allah's will we shall be crossed over to the other side of the ocean riding on the waves of God's guidance in the Ocean of God's mercy.

Those who take themselves, their ego and their desire as their lord and guide are bound to perish. Those who ignore the Path traced by the divine principles will find themselves in danger, both in this world and the next. But those who board the sea of safety, submit to the law of the ship, obey the instruction of the captain, who journey by using the right tool and compass shall reach their destination. They not alone will arrive, but they shall be given the authority to guide others to shore with safety. And when they do, divine rewards awaits for them which no eyes have seen, no ears have heard and no heart can contemplate. And Who is better in rewarding than the Generous Friend who invites to His Truth, to His Kingdom, to His Bounty.

May Allah accept us all and invite us to embark on the ship of safety, bless our journey and reach us to our true destination. So be it, ameen."

Wa anna ila Rabbika al-muntaha
And that to your Lord is the finality.
- The Quran 53:42

La maqsooda illa-Llah.
There is no other destination but the Truth.

La mahbooba illa-Llah.
There is but one Beloved Friend - Allah.

La maqsooda illa-Llah.
The goal, aim and journey's end is Allah.

La ilaha illa-Llah.
There is but one Divine Reality - Allah.

A Sufi tale, inspired by the quote from 10th century Sufi mystic and poet Niffari, may Allah be pleased with His servant.

"Ihdinas Siratal Mustaqeem"
O Lord, please guide us to the Straight Path
- Prayer of the Quran

I have never seen a man lost who was on a straight path.
- Saadi of Shiraz

# Further:

Following are links to Shaykh Nooruddeen Durkee's discourse on Travel: The Inner Journey via Youtube. A very illuminating sohbet regarding the world of plurality, the True Journey and how to prepare for the journey. How people of Ahadiyya must realize the truth of this journey to our real Home. May Allah preserve Shaykh Nooruddeen Durkee and give him a blessed life.

* Travel (Inner Journey) Part 1
* Travel, Part 2
* Travel, Part 3
* Travel, Part 4
* Travel, Part 5
* Travel, Part 6
* Travel, Part 7

More talks by Shaykh Nooruddeen can be accessed by Green Mountain Channel here.

+ Official site of Green Mountain School

The Chapter of Jonah, First Ten Verses

2012-01-21T23:30:00.000+06:00

In the Name of Allah, the Universally Merciful, the Singularly Compassionate

ALIF, LAAAM, RA. These are the Signs of the Book of Wisdom.

Are mankind amazed that We have revealed to a human being from amongst them, "Warn all the people and give good news to those who believe, that they will arrive at their Lord in truth?"

Those who cover up (the Truth) say, "Surely this is nothing but magic!"

Truly your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six aeons, then assumed the Seat of Authority governing all that exists. There is no intercessor except with His Permission. That is Allah - your Lord - so worship Him. Will you not remember?

To Him you must all return. This is the promise of Allah in Truth. Behold! He begins creation and then He brings it back again that He may justly reward those who believe and perform wholesome deeds. And (as for) the disbelievers - for them there shall be a drink of boiling water and painful punishment for their having covered up (the Truth).

It is He Who has made the sun (a source of) radiant light and the moon a light (reflected), and has determined for it phases that you may know the numbers of the years and the reckoning (of time). Allah has not created (all) this except in Truth. He explains the Signs in detail to people who have knowledge.

Surely in the alternation of the night and the day and (in) what Allah has created in the heavens and the earth are Signs for a people who guard (themselves with truth, for Truth).

Truly, those who do not hope for a meeting with Us, but content themselves with the worldly life and feel secure in that, and those who are mindless of Our Signs - for those their refuge is the Fire, because of what they earned.

Truly, those who believe and perform wholesome deeds - their Lords will guide them by their faith. Beneath them rivers will flow in Garden of Bliss.

Their supplication in it will be, "Glory be to You, oh Allah," and their greetings will be, "Peace." And "Praise be to Allah, Lord of All the Worlds," shall be their supplication's end.

- English Translation of The Holy Qur'an, Chapter of Jonah, verse 1 to 10
Mostly adopted from the works of Shaykh Abdullah Nooruddeen Durkee (The Tajwidi Quran)

This Path | Shaykh Ebrahim Schuitema

2012-01-18T12:39:00.001+06:00

I am not with the capable, nor the exemplary
I am with my brothers, who like me are destitute,
morally exhausted
sick of it all, our own mediocrity
and the endless treadmill of anxiety
of how we appear.

To dismiss us would be a loss.
Under this mud of anonymity lies a secret
that permits all things to stand out

and all things are magnificent,
delightful,
intoxicating.

- Shaykh Ebrahim Schuitema

Allah Hi Rahem - An Intoxicating Sufi Composition

2012-01-16T11:40:00.004+06:00

Arabic Calligraphy: Allah


Allah hi Rahem, Maula hi Rahem Allah hi Rahem, Maula hi Rahem Kaise ishq se sajh gayi raahein Jab se dekhi hai Teri nigaahein ya Khuda! Main to Tera ho gaya Tu jo karam pharmaye, adam insaan ho jaaye Mastana ho ke, deewana ho ke Tujhe pal mein paa jaaye Saans-e-fiza mein tu hai, rooh-e-bayan mein tu hai Har ibtidaa mein, har inteha mein, har ek nazar-e-zabaan Tu hai Allah hi Rahem, Maula hi Rahem Allah hi Rahem, Maula hi Rahem O har zarre mein Tu hai chupa Phir doondhe kyun Tera pataa? Tu hai dhoop mein, Tu hai saaye mein Apne mein hai, Tu paraye mein Allah, Allah .. Mere rom rom ki ek adaa Tu ishq mera, ae mere Khuda Har saans mein hai bas teri dua Tu ishq mera, ae mere Khuda Tujhe paane se badkar kuch bhi nahin Tujhe dekhte hi dil bole yahi Allah, Allah .. Allah hi Rahem, Maula hi Rahem Allah hi Rahem, Maula hi Rahem	God is Merciful, Lord is Loving God is Grace Giving, Lord is Love Outpouring Look how Your Love has adorned my path Since the day I felt Your loving gaze oh God! I have become all Yours With Your showing of grace, human-animals become true Hu-Man beings Being divinely intoxicated, becoming love stricken, we become inseparable from You In every breath are You, in every soul are You, In every beginning and every end, in every gaze and spoke words - are You God is Merciful, Lord is Loving God is Mercy, Lord is Pure Compassion You are hidden in every recess, in every place Then why this vain search for You? You’re in the warmth and in the cool shade You’re in the near ones and in strangers also are You Allah, Allah .. You’re in every fiber of my being You are my love, O my God Every breath I take is a gift from You You are my love, my God There’s nothing greater than receiving You Whenever my eyes gaze at You my heart sings Allah, Allah ... God is Merciful, Lord is Loving Allah is Grace Bestowing, Allah is Love Outpouring
Lyrics: Niranjan Iyengar / Music: Shankar Ehsaan Loy / Singer: Ustad Rashid Khan in the movie, My Name is Khan (2010) also sung by Shankar Mahadevan at MTV Coke Studio India / lyrics credit, newly rendered by Sadiq Alam @ Technology of the Heart

Click on the video screen below to watch and listen the song via Youtube

Parable of Light: Glimpse and Moments Shared from Diary of a Spiritual Seeker

2012-01-13T19:36:00.000+06:00

We begin in the Name of Allah, the sole illumination of heavenly planes and earthly realms

1.
Prologue

Our existence as well as the entire cosmos is imbued with parables and symbols. The landscape of the mystic way carries these deep parables which often transcend beyond our ideas of the beyond. About the landscape of the mystical way, Sheikh Nur al-Jerrahi, may Allah bless his soul, wrote in his book, "Atom from the Sun of Knowledge,"

"Opaque curtains, translucent veils, clear windows, open doors, bright mirrors, brilliant lamps, windowless and doorless barriers that open mysteriously, bridges of radiance over precipices and oceans.. narrow path of moonlight, breams of radiance emanating from the breast of holy beings on moonless nights, angels of Light, ladders and stairways of Light - these are the landscape of the mystic way. Spiritual travelers encounter these forms of Light, which take form temporarily and change form instantly, as they transverse the infinite dimensions of the unified field of Light in bodies of Light drawn to the single goal of Light.

All existence, as the hidden depth of the Glorious Quran reveals most mysteriously, is the Light of Allah within the Light of Allah, the nurun ala nur. The cry of the soul is therefore, "Light, light, more light, and only light." The Light of Allah is the illumination of heaven and earth, the only medium of awareness and being, the sustenance of souls. All creation longs for Light and evolves toward Light. We are fish swimming in the ocean of Light, birds flying in the sky of Light. The insubstantial shadows of negation are cast only by the single Light of Affirmation. Atomic structure of matter, molecular structures of life, linguistic structures of culture, and ecstatic structures of spiritual vision are complexities that consist only of Light and subsist only within the essential simplicity of Divine Light.

All beings in the vast theater of Divine Creation are waiting for the curtain to rise, revealing the ultimate stage of Light. The whole universe is poised, waiting for the call of Light. The lovers of Truth are deep in prayer, waiting for the smile of Light."

We give glorious praises to Allah, Who absolutely transcends what any finite being can conceive or describe. We are truly blessed that such gift of raising of the curtain is gifted upon some of us, to those sincere beings who's prayerful heart has experienced divine nearness in a state of complete freedom of surrender in God. In this post we are honored to share a delightful experience shared by a seeker of Truth. I hope and pray that this sharing bring much inspiration to our hearts.

2.
The people of realized faith, their soul's light will race before them on the Day of Grace, emerging from the right side of their being. - Quran 66:8

Diary of glimpse and moments shared with the Parable of Light

In the name of Allah, the Beloved, the Most Merciful and the Most Beautiful, The Light

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth,
The parable of His Light is as if there was a niche,
And within it a Lamp: The Lamp enclosed in Glass;
The glass as it were a brilliant star;
Lit from a blessed Tree, An Olive, neither of the East nor of the West, Whose oil is well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it; Light upon Light! Allah doth set forth parables for men: and Allah doth know all things.

- Surah 24:35 An Nur (The Light)
(Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'an, 1989)

It was the year beginning and a sacred month of Muharram was passing. A sorrowful heart that I carried for things undone, things going way out of hand at home, alone. I felt tired. On this day after a weeklong staying indoors, I shared my joys, sorrows and madness of work with my Sweet Uncle, who is a kindred hearted spiritual elder for me. I requested him for a Chirag (an eastern lamp) he brought from Ajmer Sharif, the perfumed resting place of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, may Allah be pleased with him. He added some gifts, a bundle of incense and attar (perfume) telling me to use them during Maghrib (the sunset prayer) before I pray.

I came home with some confidence and thought I would utter my wish when I kindle the candle and say to Lord what He wishes me to say! Just before the Maghrib, I gathered myself and sat. I told the girl at home to recite Darood-e Ibrahim until she goes for prayers. I sat with the Chirag by my side and started reciting Darood e Ibrahim. O, it is the very Darood- e Ibrahim that seems long but fills you with a longing when your own ears listen to it.

I felt as I do, a nice thought, our Habib told us to utter them. When I utter the holy names - Muhammad (sallalahu alaihi wa sallam) and Ibrahim (alahis salam), I feel drawn to them.

As I started reciting and listening, a vision descended upon me. My heart glimpsed the exchange of glances between them when Father Ibrahim (alaihis salam) was leaning against the wall of the Holy Mosque up in the sky! That he was being looked at by our Habib (sallalahu alaihis salam) who thought how the two of them looked similar! I closed my eyes and lit the Chirag.

In the name of the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful, I lit up the Chirag. I stared at the flickering and whispered :

O Beloved Allah, You witness everything and All-knowing. You know that this Chirag was lit before one of your very favorite servant. If you take any wasila, take the love You have for him and he has for You. By the virtue of this beautiful love please make our lives peaceful. Show me the Nur and fill me with the Nur. Accept me, take me and let me pray and beautify You as You love the most.

Within moments, the thoughts of Surah An-Nur, the Quranic Chapter of Light came to me - Again. I have been wishing that Allah makes me open it for the past few days when I randomly open the Holy Book for guidance. I recited Darood few times and put out the Chirag without the flame feeling hot on my fingers! I felt awed! I also took the incense and was moving around the house. Ah! So wishing to whirl in my heart!

I stood for the Maghrib prayers. As I proceeded I felt concentration was better than it was few hours before. I felt that a Voice from Beyond telling me – "Salam from the Dominion is being sent to you."

I remembered my Uncle telling me the story of the Khwaja Baba (rahmatulla alaihi) who was sent Salam by the Beloved. I felt a bit distracted and thought this is another thing coming into my head. So I started again but the inner feeling of response started to grow. I tried hard to keep concentration on Al-Fatiha and my feelings turned into a beautiful feeling when I was moving with further recitations.

In Sujood- I was diving! Fearing distraction I felt that Allah, the Most Merciful forgives me for imagining things that crosses my boundary. Suddenly, my inner being wanted very hard to hold something. I was still in my Sujood, in my prostration I felt dazed as if someone telling me inside, “feel the ‘essence’ that have been carried through the passage of time, that you came from the Father of Human, from the Divine Breath and Beloved’s light has been passed on to you since the beginning of Man on Earth, Adam (alaihis salam). And hold that essence that your soul has been part of, that you have been part of those holy men. And before that - you were somewhere else.”

I got up in between and sat asking Allah to forgive me. I went onto Sujood with a great feeling about this being my most favorite thing on earth and wishing to die like that. I felt the same, and when the thought of Habib’s shared essence was set forth, my nafs said, ‘he is too sacred for you to hold and feeling the essence of every holy man who went to Sujood.’

The whispering was cut out by my over pouring feelings of before the birth when the souls sung the Praise! All Praise is due to the Beloved! I got up and continued my prayers with the same feeling. Now the heart was trying to get out of dirt it accumulated and bathe my soul in light. My head was dizzy, myself dazed and engulfed. I started trembling both outwardly and inwardly as each time I went down to rub my head to the ground.

The ground adored me with its soft touch with a welcoming I never experienced before. I felt blessed. I finished my prayers and thought of what it would mean. I felt the message of Salam beyond the dominion from my Beloved again and again!

I got up to pray the 2 rakahs Sunnah. I said to myself, ahh now I can supplicate when I perform my favorite act! I recited aloud the verses which gradually became lower with humbleness overpowering me. I am being watched, and very very near is – He!

An automatic response of the body before your mind works that I was trembling and breathing hard. Sujood became intense, heart pounded and a tune caught me in & I was being pulled somewhere. I felt I could see the glory and beautiful long passage of light with things circling upwards...a vortex! I could see my heart turned itself into a luminous golden rose preparing for blossom. I am a bud and longing to be unfolded by the very One.

I told my Lord my wishes to accept me and let me live always with the Most Love for Him and Habib (sallalahu alahi wa sallam). I uttered His most beautiful Names few times & felt every bit of my body, atoms, soul and inner being holding the ancient essence. In Sujood, I felt, I said to Her, yes, this is how You are praised by Your Habib, and Your warrior… Your lovers. O forgive me if I call you Beloved for you know what is happening. Melodious recitations from inside. When my trembling began to recede, in tashahud (a special benediction within prayer) my index finger almost froze when I lifted. I stared at it…who was I then to move?

My throat felt of sudden sweetness - taste of the unknown sweetness!

I finished the prayers and pulled the Holy Quran’s translation I usually read. This time it was before my eyes. The book directly opened my much anticipated Surah An-Nur, the Blessed Chapter of Light. It’s now time to read those precious Parable of Light. My heart burst out in great laughter saying - O Beloved you are so Beautiful! When I came to the verse 35, the words would not leave me. I felt strange and Thankful for letting me share all that I have been feeling. For letting me read and to ponder through. My eyes were closed again and yes, I wanted to dance! My heart, the House must become full in essence. I wanted to get up and circle around. I kissed the ground. Prayers transformed into a single peaceful one.

In Sujood, I thanked my Lord for making me a Muslim, a follower of the light and our beloved leader, Master of the Mystics, His most beloved for which He caused to create.

I got up and felt sleepy but the feelings were alive. I laid down on my mother’s bed seeing beautiful unearthly things. My imagination - He wanted me to see! O Beloved! In between my daze I saw a beautiful woman on white scarf and green cloak holding a robe of green velvet with gorgeous black lace of gold and colorful flowers. She put it onto me when another beautiful young woman came to take me by hand inside. I went inside a palace with a pond in front. The skies had the hues of sunset. A little girl was waiting for me. Feeling as if my friend who played with me! She took me to a small garden mosque to pray 2 rakahs of nafil prayers of gratitude. She gave me her rug and took the rug of her great grand father for herself!

After those dazing moments with not knowing what is going on but feeling great, after dinner, I prayed to begin the difficult work I was fiddling with and was unable to concentrate on. In between, I gave the girl working at home the black thread for her continuous disturbances. I moved back to listen to the verse 35 recitation. I felt more and more of it, I would not be living without it. My chest is spreading, heart pumping fast gushing forth flows of blood with deep breathing… my head was swaying in a dream that held the world. What was the Reality doing here?

Before I began to work, I thought of reading a bit about light online. I came across the part of Sirr al-Asrar… the Essence of the One, the Light upon Light, the house of the Light of every believer. And I was assured of the moments I was feeling of holding the bit of the very essence in me.

My eyes got stuck at where Ghous e Azam (radiaallahu anhu) states:

Our Master the Prophet says, ‘I have seen my Lord in the shape of a beautiful youth.’ Perhaps this is the manifestation of the child of the heart. The image is the mirror. It becomes a means, rendering visible that which is invisible. The truth of Allah Most High is exempt from and free of any kind of description or any kind of image or form. The image is the mirror, though what is seen is neither the mirror nor the one who is looking into the mirror. Ponder on that and try to understand, because that is the essence of the realm of secrets.

- Sirr al-Asrar, Sheikh Gouse Azam Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani. Interpreted by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak

I closed my eyes. It’s a knowing beyond comprehension, beyond words! After few moments, I opened my eyes and smiled saying – Beloved , keep revealing Your Beauty with unfolding secrets just to make us longing to know You! Asma ul Husna! Hmmm! Knowing Us as well, no? I wished to dance again. This body is hiding our essence of the spirit. Since your Habib and our Habib is the same and you brought us here by sprinkling his Nur, we shall be bringing out our real essence if you wish so. And that is Your Wish, O Beloved!

I Love You Allah, I love you Habib RasulAllah Sallalahu Alaihi wa sallam, I love you oh Allah’s lovers! We, brought from the same, carry the same, yet divided and long to be united. No difference remains and we are all -----Yours!

O followers of Scriptures! indeed Our Messenger has come to you making clear to you much of what you concealed of the Book and passing over much; indeed, there has come to you light and a clear Book from Allah. - Sura Ma’ida, 15

~ Invocation to the colorful souls ~

Ya Habib Rehmatullil Aalamin!

Ya Ali, O Lion of the King!

Ya Bibi, Shimmering Sunshine!

Ya Hussein O the Most Beautiful Pearl!

Ya Sukaynah, my sweet friend my dear!

Diary Dated: January 1, 2011; Muharram 25, 1432

Penned by S. Mohsin Khan

Tawhid: The One in the Many: A documentary on the compassion, ethics and wisdom of Islam

2012-01-11T15:26:00.000+06:00

1.
Peace, unity, and equality...when we are in one place, when we live in one place, eat in one place, sleep in one place, disappear in one place, die in one place, when our final judgment is given in one place, and when we finally join together in heaven in one place, that is unity. Even when we go to that (final) place, we all live together in freedom as one family, one group. In this world and in the next world we live together in freedom, as one family of peace. This is Islam. If we find this way of peace, this is Islam. - M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, God’s Psychology: A Sufi Explanation

2.

Tawhid: The One in the Many: A Documentary on the Compassion, Ethics and Wisdom of Islam - is a beautiful film made by Dr. Tariq M. Quadir as a labor of love between 1998-2000. The Arabic word Tawhid is an Islamic term meaning Unity, namely Divine Unity or Oneness - the One Reality. Tawhid is the quintessential knowledge of the Path, the beginning of beginning for seekers of Truth which give witness to the truth that Divine Reality is One, Eternal and without association.

The film portrays some aspects of Islam as a Way of Life, what it is really about and how communities around the world, including in America - how Islam is lived by its followers. It touches some important subjects and also educates people about real practices of Islam. This is a powerful documentary having real capabilities to dissolve a lot of misconceptions and disinformation, false myth and biased views about Islam. A must see for Non-Muslims, specially those who lives in the West, who are constantly bombarded with distorted image of Islam and Muslims in the corporate controlled corrupt mainstream media. This film also has the capacity to stir up faith for those who think they already know about Islam.

The documentary not only unveils the inner dimensions of Islam but also features and interviews some of the most illuminating people of Islam in the west of contemporary time who share their knowledge and wisdom throughout.

The film is made in 3 parts, covering three concepts of Islam. First part is Salat or Prayer of Heart in Islam, Zikr or Divine Remembrance and Sadaqa or Giving for the Sake of God. You may click on the image below to watch the documentary in full via Youtube:

Tawhid: The One in the Many (A documentary on the compassion, ethics and wisdom of Islam)

The 3 parts of the film start on the following times:
Part-1: The Way of Salat (00:00)
Part-2: The Way of Zikr: Allah is the First and the Last (begins on 28:40 minute at the video)
Part-3: The Way of Sadaqah: To Give is to be True (begins at 1:10:01)

The creator, director, editor, research and narrator of this film, Dr. Tariq Quadir has agreed to provide more information about this film, behind the scenes and more. I will update this post with further information as soon as I receive permission from Dr. Quadir, Inshallah. May Allah bless Dr. Tariq Quadir for this lovely work and may this service of love help transmit the message of unity of God and unity of mankind to many hearts.

3.
A'uzu billahi minas shaitanir rajim: I seek refuge in Allah from the outcast Satan
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim: In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Qul Hu-walaahu 'Ahad: Say: He is Allah, the Monoreal!
'Allahus-Samad: Allah is Eternal.
Lam yalid, wa lam yuulad: The Monoreal does not take or give birth.
Walam yakul-la-Huu kufuwan 'ahad: And there is none comparable to That Reality.
- Chapter of Purity (of Reality), Holy Qur'an

Once man has thus comprehended the essence of existence there remains for him the duty, since he knows the value of his own soul, of making for himself a direct path which will constantly lead his individual soul to and bind it with the universal Soul of which the Universe, as much of it we perceive with our limited vision, is one of the infinite manifestations. Thus Islam's basic principle can only be defined as monorealism and not as monotheism. - Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah (credit)

Soaring to the Only Beloved

2012-01-09T01:39:00.000+06:00

In Remembrance of the Only Beloved

Among the various spiritual practices among many different religious or spiritual traditions, Salaat or Islamic mode of prayer of re-orienting to the Divine is quite unique in the sense that it is prescribed as an universal way of prayer incorporating many configurations with which human beings have expressed their longing for the Divine from time immemorial. From the dawn of history, all the physical movement through which humanity bowed himself before the Divine Sun, are to be found inside the Salaat. If one to ask how the Great Messengers and Avatars of God such as Abraham prayed, how Moses prayed, how Jesus prayed or how Muhammad prayed, benediction of God be upon them all - one has only to look at how Salaat is performed and in those movements one can see the reflection of celestial form of adoration reflected on human form.

Through the virtue of Salaat, when two or more Muslims gather for prayer, uniformity is maintained, movements are synced and without any barrier of culture, language, race or every other possible differences of diversity, those individuals can immediately join in unison to tune in into the harmony of prayer. Two Muslims from two different parts of the world might come together and without any exchange of instruction can join into the Salaat or Islamic Prayer which is a gift and a living witness to the unity of humanity, ultimately singing the praise of Divine Oneness.

Salaat is the best Technology for the Heart and Soul for radical spiritual evolution. It is a Way of Prayer, yet it is more than prayer since it carries within it all the necessary modalities and training ingredients for the self. Salaat or Islamic Way of Connecting to the Divine Lord as it is prescribed, contains the quintessential elements of spiritual transformation. But before the effect of Salaat can affect the person who practice it, one has to understand the inner meanings and learn the etiquette of Salaat, the significance and the extent of ability of this gift. This is what the work by Abu Muhammad Zaynul 'Abidin titled "Soaring to the Only Beloved" aims at.

"Real Work of prayer is about changing you!"
- via Suresh's Meditation Photography

Shared below is only a part of this small but beautiful treatise. If the message resonate to your heart, follow the link at the end of the text to access and read it in full text.

- Editor's Note

Soaring to the Only Beloved

In the Name of Allah, the All Merciful, the Ever Merciful

From the PREFACE:

The Holy Qur'an says,

O Human being,

Surely you are striving

Towards your Lord

Laboriously,

And you shall meet Him

(84:6)

Rumi in his celebrated masterpiece, Mathnawi metaphorically and in a beautiful style begins by narrating the speech of the human soul who is at pain and yearns to return back to his dwelling of peace:

HEARKEN to the reed-flute, how it complains,

Lamenting its banishment from its home:

"Ever since they tore me from my osier bed,

My plaintive notes have moved men and women to tears.

I burst my breast, striving to give vent to sighs,

And to express the pangs of my yearning for my home.

He who abides far away from his home

Is ever longing for the day he shall return.

The abode of the human being and his true home is somewhere else. He is a stranger in this world in the true sense of the word and his place is the proximity and nearness of the only Beloved. So long as he resides in the straits of this realm, the pain of separation has always to remain. It is by the wings of knowledge and action that the bird of his spirit can leave the cage of material attachment and fly to the realm of the Beloved. But he needs to know the way and style to soar to the abode of peace to which the Beloved himself invites him:

And Allah continually Invites

To the abode of peace

And continually Guides

To the straight path.

The Beloved, who yearned that His lovers return to His neighborhood where their homes lay, sent His messengers so that they may guide the birds of perplexity to their destination.

Among the fundamental methods that these guides of the human being taught was prayer. Salat - a Divinely inspired mode of prayer taught by the Holy Prophet (s)- is a method and an opportunity to fly and soar to one's destination. Why should he allow several opportunities during his life time to go to waste? Doesn't he yearn deep in his heart for the company of the Beloved? Doesn't he realize that it is high time he should go back home and enjoy the neighborhood of the only Beloved who intensely loves his company?

Those who have tried to seek help by this vehicle of spiritual ascent may complain about its ineffectiveness, since it has not yet made them reach their destination. To them must be said that 'No imaginary vehicle can transport you to your destination.' If the human being prays observing the outer as well as inner etiquette of prayer he surely will attain success in comprehending his much longed abode. It is the negligence of the heart in prayer that makes the prayer devoid of its spirit and destroys the opportunity of the human being. As we shall see in this small treatise, the presence of heart (huduru'l qalb) is one of the most fundamental conditions of prayer, without which the prayer lays a negative or no effect on the supplicant. Appreciating its importance, one should try to observe the same and always struggle in this noble venture. Obviously the task is challenging and difficult in the beginning, but with continual struggle and steadfastness in bridling the faculty of imagination of the human being and detaching the human soul from temporal inclinations, one can slowly and gradually attain the state of complete absorption in prayer.

This concise treatise is a humble attempt aimed at making us realize the necessity, possibility, and methodology of attaining this vital spirit of prayer. May Almighty Allah enable us achieve the same, so that we can join the flocks who are busy soaring to the realm of their Beloved and are very anxious to meet Him.

All praises solely belong to Allah-the Absolute Perfect Being,
The Lord of the World of Dependent Existence.

From the INTRODUCTION:

Attention is the concomitant of conversation. Every sound human being enjoys attention when transmitting his thoughts to his addressee. Such attention neither requires laborious thought processes nor any kind of exertion for the control of the movement of the mind. When one wishes to convey something, the mind translates it to its respective words and the tongue reveals the same.

Most of the speech in prayer is from a Divine source, and hence bridling does not make any sense. Instead, the worshiper is required to ensure that his attention is continuously focused on the act of worship or the Worshipped One, and that the words of his prayer originate from the depths of his heart and the heights of his mind. This is where many are overcome by the bird of imagination, which has habituated itself to fly from one branch of the tree of material attachments to another. Consequently, the worshipper gets deprived of the progress and spiritual development he could acquire through this most effective means of attaining God's proximity.

It is difficult for one to immediately achieve and maintain this praiseworthy and necessary state of attention in prayer. One has to cross certain levels of attention before enjoying a natural conversation with the Beloved.

In the present treatise we shall briefly try to discuss the following vital issues concerning attention in prayer:

1. The necessity of attention in prayer
2.The possibility of attention in prayer
3. Levels of attention in prayer
4. Hurdles on the way to attention in prayer and their removal.
5. Suggested methods of achieving attention in prayer.
6. The effect of maintaining one's attention in prayer.

The Necessity of Attention in Prayer

Prayer is a kind of worship taught to the human being by his Lord through Revelation to enable him attain His proximity. It consists of a set of actions and expressions, most of which clearly declare the immaculate nature of God.

A set of expressions, therefore, form an important part of the daily prayer. And clearly, the act of expression cannot really be known to be so if the heart is oblivious of what the tongue utters. Therefore, attention is a necessary concomitant of expression, and hence is also necessary in prayer.

Mawla al-Naraqi in his ethical opus, Jami' al-Sa'adat says:

How can the presence of the heart and the expression of humility not be the spirit of the prayer and (how can) the perfection of prayer not depend upon them, while the worshipper in his prayer and supplication whispers to his Lord? There is no doubt that speech along with absent-mindedness is not the act of whispering. In addition, speech is an expression of what is in the heart or mind, and this is impossible save by means of the attention of the heart; for what (really) does the supplicant ask when he says: 'Guide us on the straight path' while the heart is inattentive? And there is no doubt also that the purpose behind Qur'an-recitation and invocations (adhkar) is the act of laudation, praise, the expression of one's humility and supplication while the addressee is the Almighty Allah. If the heart of the servant, therefore, was veiled from Him by the curtain of inattentiveness, and did not see or witness Him, but rather was inattentive of the addressee, and he moved his tongue out of (mere) habit, how remote then, is this, from the purpose behind prayer¬ which was legislated for the refinement of the heart and renewal of one's remembrance of God...

Qur'anic Evidence

In addition, the following verse implies that the reason behind the prohibition of prayer in the state of intoxication is the worshipper's ignorance of what he utters:

O you who believe,

Do not near prayers in the state of intoxication

Until you know what you say. (4:43)

Hence were he to pray in that state, he would utter statements the meaning of which he is oblivious.

The Holy Prophet (s) is reported to have said: "O mankind surely when the worshipper prays, he whispers unto his Blessed and Almighty Lord. Therefore he must know that with which he whispers." There is subtle point implied in this holy narration. The musalli 'whispers' and not merely engages in any kind of communication with His Rabb (Lover, Creator, Possessor, Sustainer and Trainer). The act of 'whispering' refers to a special kind of conversation, where the secretive feelings of the heart are expressed near the beloved, and a sense of amity is experienced. Who is this Omnipotent Beloved to Whom every element is dependent at every moment of its existence, and who knows all the misdeeds of His sinful slave, yet He permits him to whisper to Him several times a day?

The late mystic-scholar Sultan 'Ali, in his Qur'an commentary Bayan al- Sa'ada Fi Maqamat al-'Ibada says:

The word 'sukr' (not to mistake with 'shukur') stems from the word 'sakr' meaning 'encumbrance;' and the state gotten by taking an intoxicant is known as 'sukr' because it encumbers and closes the channels of the intellect's influence on the other faculties of the human being and [hinders] the paths of their subordination to it. And intoxicants do not specifically relate to the well-known brandy [for example]; rather, all those things through which the state of intoxication is attained, whether by means of drinking, eating, smoking or other than that, are called the intoxicants of the nafs, no matter whether the common intoxication that comes about through the intake of beer and extracts gotten from other than grapes and the usage of narcotics and opium, is attained thereby or not; an example of the latter is when intoxication comes about through overwhelming greed, hope, love, desire, anger, jealousy, stinginess, sorrow, happiness, slumber or laziness, such that the requisites of these characteristics overpower the dictate of the intellect; rather (any) state gotten that hampers the execution of the intellect's command and control is sukrun nafs, regardless of its entity and cause ...

`Abd al-Razzaq Qashani in his Qur'an commentary presents the following explanation for the verse under discussion:

(Do not near prayers): Do not near the station of presence and secret conversation with Allah when you are (intoxicated) by the sleep of negligence or the intoxicants of mundane desire and love of the world, (until you know what you are saying) in your whisperings and do not occupy your hearts with the occupations of the world and its insinuations...

Other verses of the Holy Qur'an also reveal, although implicitly, the necessity of attention in prayer. For example, verse 14 of chapter Taha clearly tells us that prayer is a means of remembering Allah:

Keep up prayer for remembering Me. (20:14)

Can remembrance ever be possible when there is no attention and concentration in prayer? Obviously not.

Evidence From The Sacred Traditions

The following traditions too prove the necessity of the presence of heart in prayer:

The Holy Prophet (s) is reported to have said: "Allah does not accept the prayer of that servant of his
Whose heart is not present along with his body."

The Ahlul bayt (a) are reported to have said: "You have no share from your prayer save that portion in which you maintained the attention of your heart."

Imam al-Baqir (`a) is reported to have said: "When you stand up in prayer, you should pay attention towards it, for verily only that portion of it shall be taken into account in which you paid attention."

What The Muslim Jurists Hold

According to Muslim jurists (fuq'aha), however, the presence of heart is not obligatory in prayer. For not all can achieve and maintain attention throughout their prayer. It would also require time before one has complete control over his imaginations in prayer. Hence, according to the Islamic jurisprudence the state of continual concentration is not a condition the absence of which invalidates prayer. Nevertheless it is considered as highly recommended, such that some jurists allow the prayer to be delayed within the framework of the prayer time for the sake of achieving the state of the heart's attention (iqbal).

Therefore although the prayer of one who does not observe attention is correct and sufficient in absolving him from his obligation, it would not transport him spiritually. The overt actions of prayer would only relieve him from disobedience. For him, however, to soar to the Divine and undergo a transformation would require attention and concentration.

The Possibility of Attention in Prayer

Almighty Allah says in the Holy Qur'an:

Allah does not charge a soul except to its capacity. (2:286)

The stereotype that concentration in prayer is impossible is one of the greatest hurdles that hamper man from wayfaring towards the Divine proximity and attaining his perfection. It is indeed, according to some, a Satanic ruse inculcated to hinder man from attaining his felicity and happiness in both the worlds.

The human being, therefore, should be extremely cautious before accepting any unestablished notion without convincing proof and evidence. He should never be deceived with statistical data and inductive reasoning to conclude that huduru'l qalb (the presence of heart) is impossible or next to impossible.

Akin to physical training that requires continuous exercise and practice, mind control too can be achieved with time and struggle. Man should realize that his faculty of imagination is habituated to flit to different places all the time. Therefore he should strive to curb this habit and bridle it so that it is directed by his will.

The late Imam Khumayni says: "And of the faculties that accept orientation and training are the faculties of imagination (khayal) and estimate (wahm), for surely, before orientation, they resemble a bird that frequently escapes and perpetually moves; it flies from one branch to another and moves from one thing to another, such that, if the human being was to evaluate the movements it has made in one minute's time, he would find that it has moved continuously to (different) things on extremely trivial instances and irrelevant occasions. This [trend] made many scholars conjecture that maintaining the bird of imagination and rendering it obedient are among those matters that are beyond the realm of possibility and adjacent to natural impossibilities. However, this is not the case, for it is possible to make it obedient by means of spiritual mortification and training and spending time, to the extent that the bird of imagination is in his hold and does not move except by his will and choice, and (thus) he suppresses it whenever he wants to, wherever he wishes to, and in whatever instance he chooses to do so- such that it is held in the location (said instance) for hours."

One cannot deny the possibility of attaining concentration in prayer. The task being difficult cannot be taken as a reason of its impossibility. If man struggles and is orderly in his venture, he would achieve his objective. The Holy Qur'an says: "And that a man shall have to his account only as he has labored." (53:39)

Therefore, Allah does not enjoin that which the human being cannot bear, and Allah has enjoined us to pray for His Remembrance. Therefore, His Remembrance is a possible phenomenon.

And Remembrance without attention is no Remembrance. Therefore attention in prayer is a possible phenomenon.

Levels of Attention in Prayer

...the level of the heart's conviction is extremely different from intellectual comprehension. There are many things man has grasped intellectually, but has not attained the heart's conviction, and his heart does not confirm what his intellect says... - Imam Ruhullah Khumayni

All have degrees

According to what they have done. (6:132)

In order to determine the steps one must pursue to achieve attention in prayer, we must try to define the kind of attention we aspire. According to scholars of ethics and gnosis attention is of different levels and degrees. Clearly, not all who aspire to realize attention in prayer immediately possess the ability to ascend to the most recommended of all the levels of attention.

You may continue to read the Levels of Attention in Prayer by Selecting Section 4 of the book and access the full content @ Soaring to the Beloved via al-Islam website.

The Effect of Maintaining Attention In Prayer

If his disposition has not been eclipsed by his misdeeds, the desire to attain perfection never ceases, and the wayfarer continues on his journey towards his Beloved. Almighty Allah molded the human being in a manner that he yearns and is able to soar forever and achieve the higher levels of perfection... His aim is the Infinite. Examples of such a drive is manifested in the human being's craving for infinite knowledge, power, and beauty... The beauty here lies in how the Creator designed the human being: although man has nothing of his own, not even existence to own his finite perfection, the Infinitely Perfect continually welcomes him to Himself: "To Allah is the homecoming"

O Man!
You are striving
Unto your Lord
Laboriously,
And you shall encounter Him. (84:6)

The Holy Prophet (s) is reported to have said:

Verily prayer is
A means for the believer to attain God's proximity.

One of the most sublime effects of observing attention in prayer, as indicated in the above narration, is Allah's nearness and proximity. The above mentioned verse of the Holy Qur'an also tells us that man is a traveler in thus world and that his destination is the neighborhood of his Beloved Creator. Again, in chapter 35, verse no. 18, we read:

And whosoever purifies himself, purifies himself only for his own soul's good. To Allah is the homecoming (destination).

Almighty Allah prescribed a set of devotional acts for man to enable him to soar to His Proximity and attain knowledge of His Exalted Presence. It is this sacred aspiration wherein lies the true happiness of the human being. To understand this reality does not require one to search for intellectual proofs. The innate nature (fitra) of the human being itself is a proof of this reality: the human being innately aspires to attain infinite perfection, which exists in none other than his Creator. If his innate nature has not been eclipsed by his misdeeds, the desire to attain perfection never ceases, and the wayfarer continues on his journey towards his Beloved. Almighty Allah molded the human being in a manner that he yearns and is able to soar forever and achieve the higher levels of perfection. He naturally does not aspire for limited perfection. His aim is the Infinite. Manifestations of such a drive are the human being's craving for infinite knowledge, power, and beauty. Independent Infinite perfection, however, solely belongs to God, since He alone is the Necessary Existent. His near servants, however can enjoy His proximity and perpetually soar and progress, since the journey is endless. The beauty here lies in how the Creator designed the human being: although man has nothing of his own, not even existence to own his finite perfection, the Infinitely Perfect continually welcomes him to Himself:

And Allah continually Invites
To the abode of peace
And continually in His Will Guides
To the straight path (10:25)

To Allah is the homecoming. (35:18)

The process of getting closer to God should not mislead us to believe that God is at a higher physical plane and we would reach him if we observe attention in our prayers. Rather, the distance is not physical but metaphysical and spiritual.

The human being through a continual process of inculcation of truth in his prayer, undergoes a spiritual transformation: the prayer teaches and orients him. It ignites his heart to repent and wake up. It forces him to seek forgiveness of the sins that he has committed; it teaches him to be an obedient servant of God; it perpetually transforms him and transports him towards true monotheism. Therefore if concentration is always maintained therein, the true aspirant of perfection can purify his inner self and obey all whatever Allah has commanded him. It is the sense of indifference in man that creates doubt in the possibility of attaining the higher levels of human perfection that the gnostics (awliya') speak about. If one were to painstakingly contemplate and understand even the overt and outer meaning of what he expresses in prayer, he can surely undergo spiritual change.

How can the worshiper always have the audacity to declare the immaculate nature of God, when he manifests in his practical life actions that are incongruous with his declaration? To rely on people's wealth, for example, is an extension (misdaq) of such incongruity: how can one pin his hopes on a human being like himself who (in reality) neither possesses anything of his own, nor has knowledge of his next moment? How can one show respect to another due to the wealth and affluence of the latter, while he always declares that all praises belong to God, which finally means that every entity is His property? If one were to carefully ponder over what he expresses in prayer and understand the essence of their meaning, his actions would shine with the spirit of Unity of God and transport him to the hometown which his heart naturally aspires.

Sitemap of the Book, Soaring to the Beloved:

* Section 1: Introduction
* Section 2: The Necessity of Attention in Prayer
* Section 3: The Possibility of Attention in Prayer
* Section 4: Levels of Attention in Prayer
* Section 5: Hurdles on the Way To Attention in Prayer And their Removal
* Section 6: Suggested Methods of Achieving Attention In Prayer
* Section 7: The Effect of Maintaining Attention in Prayer

* Appendix I (The Meaning of Prayer)
* Appendix II (Memoirs of the God-Wary)

Personal Revolution for Spiritual Evolution | What do we need to make 2012 the year of personal revolution?

2012-01-04T15:33:00.001+06:00

1.
This moment is all there is

What is the meaning of this moment in time? Spiritual teachings tell us that time is an illusion and only the moment is real. And yet there are moments in our individual and collective destiny that offer a unique opportunity, a possibility for real change.

What is this moment in time calling for? Are we awake, fully attentive to the changes happening around us? Are we able to listen to the real need so that we can step through the door that is being opened?

- Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Sufi Master, Golden Sufi

2.
Backdrop

We are into a new year of the Gregorian Calendar, into the much anticipated 2012. Mesoamerican Mayan Calendar suggests that a 26,000 years long great cycle is coming to an end and a new one begins at the end of 2012 (precisely on the winter solstice, December 21st). From astrological point of view: observations tell us that there will be a rare galactic alignment during the winter solstice of 2012, marking it as a period in cosmic time (spanning across 18 years from 1998 to 2016 years zone) when it is said our solar system will be aligned with the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way galaxy. The Galactic Alignment is the alignment of the December solstice sun with the Galactic equator. This alignment occurs as a result of the precession of the equinoxes and repeats only once every 26,000 years, corresponding to the ancient Mayan long count calendar.

The cosmos is a book containing a primordial revelation
of utmost significance and man a being whose essential,
constitutive elements are reflected upon the cosmic mirror
and who possesses a profound inner nexus with the cosmic ambiance around him...
- Seyyed Hossein Nasr

From mystical / metaphysical point of view: this is also a period of time indicating change in stage of human consciousness. Scholars of Mayan Calendar have also pointed out that the real feature of the Mayans - their mastery of cycles - was not rooted in time (alone) but marked by the measure of the evolution of human consciousness over time. Thus according to some researchers, the long count calendar system was established by the Mayans in ancient times to forecast or mark out the very transition points between world ages, end and transition of cosmic cycles. It is not just the Mayan Calendar, but also many mystics, spiritually sensitive human beings around the world have been sensing a shift during this very period just before the arrival of 2000 and continues to 2012.

A panoramic image of the Milky Way arching across the night sky as visible from earth

It is understandable that some of the noises around the year 2012 and phenomenon surrounding it are obviously attributable to media hype while others are simply conjectures - but we must not generalize everything collectively due to mis-information of an ignorant segment. The dooms day kind of prophecies around 2012 (and we have seen such things around 2000 as well) are the worst kind because it hijacks and mocks at the faith of ordinary people and ultimately aims to destroy 'the matrix of faith'. The truth is, when this reality as we know it will come to an end, when Resurrection will happen through the unveiling of a new reality, that knowledge is only with the Creator and it was not and will not be revealed to anyone. Human beings are only transmitted some symbolic signs, but not the exact knowledge of its coming. If anyone claims that he or she knows when the world will end, is either spiritually and religiously ignorant, or a deluder or an imposter.

Having said that, there is almost no doubt that many individuals have experienced real and tangible shift both within themselves, in their life as well as in the outer-world somewhere around and after the year 2000. The effect of the shift of cosmic age occurs over many years, sometime over decades and that's exactly what we have witnessed since around 2000. I personally know someone for whom dramatic shifts in life events occurred around 2004-2005, then serious Pluto transition (symbolizing death and re-birth in life) around 2008-2009 and that person is inspired to take radical directions in 2012 and in his life all necessary catalysts towards that radical change has been presented towards the end of 2011 and continues to unfold in 2012. This is not just one single random individual. I personally have been affected and have this deep intuition around this time window beginning sometime around 2000. I have also come across a number of deeply evolved spiritual individuals who are literally guided and inspired to take new direction in life during the year 2012. Some are taking bold decision of leaving their old jobs (even in this economically uncertain time), some are seriously taking vows to take on their dream projects in 2012, come what may!

3.
Knowing how to look for the Signs

In the depth I saw ingathered, bound by love in one single volume,
that which is dispersed in leaves throughout the universe:
substances and accidents and their relations,
as though fused together in such a way that
what I tell is but a simple light.
- Dante

Although the goal of sacred knowledge is the knowledge of the Sacred as such, that is, of that Reality which lies beyond all cosmic manifestation, there is always that stage of the gathering of the scattered leaves of the universe, to paraphrase Dante, before journeying beyond it. The cosmos plays a positive role in certain types of spirituality that any integral tradition must account for and include in its total perspective, which is not to say that the adept of every kind of spiritual path need study the pages of the cosmic book. - Seyyed Hossein Nasr

Our planet, our cosmos are like a Sacred Scripture, an Open Book, each elements of which are Signs. We being the beings capable of intelligence and higher degree of contemplative consciousness must first recognize the signs as Sign and then learn how to look and receive from them.

In an important article titled "2012- Being Awake to a Moment in Cosmic Time" Shaykh Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee gives example of the Moken who are sea gypsies of Southeast Asia. They are a very interesting people who live only in the moment, not caught like rest of us, in illusion of time who struggle to be present in the moment. The Moken have no word for time - and no word for worry in their language! With few possessions, these gypsies live in the moment, eating when they are hungry and sleeping when they are tired.

Shaykh Llewellyn writes, "When the tsunami hit in 2004, the Moken knew it was coming and how to respond. How did they know? "The Water receded very fast, and one wave, one small wave, came, so they recognized that it is not ordinary ... and then they have this kind of legend that passed from generation to generation about seven waves." Attention not only to the moment, the Moken were also attuned to their ancestral memories, and so they turned away from the shore and took their boats to deeper water, where they rode out of the tsunami. When asked why they survived and the Burmese fishermen perished, the Moke responded simply that the Burmese "saw nothing. They don't know how to look."

Shaykh Llewellyn asks at the end of his article, "Will we be like the Moken, attentive to the changes happening around us and thus able to access a deeper wisdom that knows how to respond? Or will we be like the Burmese sailors who were drowned by the tsunami because they did not see, because they did not know how to look?"

4.
Allah does not change condition of people unless they participate in the co-creation

inna Allaha la yu ghayyiru ma biqawmin
hatta yughayyiroo ma bi-anfusihim.

Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people
until they change what is in themselves / in their soul.
- 13:11, the Quran

One of the Divine Archetype Attribute is Creativity (taqwin). God is the Creator and this quality is bestowed upon man who is khalifa or the representative inheritor of God on earth. Thus Man is also the co-creator who has free will through which he /she participate in the unveiling of his or her destiny.

Yes, it may be true that the energy of 2012 might be pregnant with new inspirations for new vision and mission, yet one has to make the intention and the required effort to move that intention. Without the intentional effort, manifestation cannot happen. Without co-creation, Man fails his role and responsibility to be khalifa of Allah, image of God on earth.

If we are presented with all the signs of an accelerated time when not only progress in material, technological and scientific world are taking place at an unprecedented pace, but also happening for individuals - we must be prepared for allowing personal evolution of our spiritual transformation. That is the call of a responsible human being who is open to spiritual transformation. Spiritual transformation is understood here within the context of an individuals meaning system, especially in relation to concepts of the Sacred or the Ultimate Concern and in accelerated time, the meaning system itself will experience significant expansion.

Just as the sight of someone eating does not appease our hunger, so the spiritual practice of others, spiritual experience of others cannot satisfy our yearning, cannot help with our progress. So it has to be each individual to find it for himself or herself. It is known that on the Day of Resurrection the only lamenting cry every human being will cry out with, will be: "O my soul, O my soul," (ya nafsi, ya nafsi), which symbolizes the truth that at the end of it all, it is the personal progress and evolution which would be the most important. Just as life never asks us 'what we knew' or, 'how many things we memorized', but 'what we did' and 'how we acted in the very moment'; similarly on the Day of Judgment, in front of the Divine Judge, 'how much we knew' would be useless, rather 'how we acted', 'to what level we carried our highest self (the ideal self in our eyes)' - would be all that would matter. "Every self shall be held as a pledge for what it wrought" (74:38)

5.
What do we need - to make 2012 the year of personal revolution?

Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.
- Alan Cohen

As we saw through uprisings around the world, which are signs on the outer world, that an energy of revolution has been passing over us. It is also potent time for personal revolution within the mind and heart. So in that spirit if we ask, "What do we need - to make 2012 the year of personal revolution?" what answer do we hear from within us? It is certainly an open ended question and it is you who can find the best answers for yourself.

Here are some of my visions for 2012 to facilitate personal revolution, eventually leading to spiritual evolution of individuals and collectives.

A) Listening to Heart Aches

It is an important starting point to find direction to transform everything we do into a sacred activity, an engagement of love. Heart ache refers to that subject, those issues which we feel the most passionate about, about that problem for which we feel ache in our heart. If we still ourselves and honestly look for our heart ache, we will find it.

And when we do, God shall give us maps to progress along the path to address that very heart ache. When we pay attention to our heart ache, the whole universe will conspire to help us, even the inanimate objects - for all listen to the Order that descends from the Most High.

B) Paying Attention to Dreams, Deep Inspirations

Extra ordinary dreams were once reserved for extra ordinary beings. Now dreams with very pregnant meaning and clear directions are simultaneously given access to many. The inspirations (bashara, glad tidings) send through these dreams, we must pay attention to them and act. The inspirations that is sent to our heart, whether its to travel to a far-away unknown land or to quit our life-less job that turn us into slave of money and corporates and instead start a dream project - we should hear them with the ears of our heart. The secret of joy is in paying attention to genuine inspirations within and following them up. These inspirations are lesser revelations that will be sent to guide individuals to evolve to a higher plane, 'to take the steep path' in the language of the Scripture.

Mevlana reminds us, "Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart." Follow your dream and trust me that this will be a very good time when the whole universe will conspire to fulfill your dream. Inshallah, God willing.

C) Creating Fellowship

Apart from paying attention to the inspirations unfolding within our heart, we must also be humble to join in fellowship of like minded and like hearted people. God willing, 2012 will be a year of returning to fellowship of light. For those with awakened faith, this will be the year of Ummah without Borders, Communities with no boundaries for the world is one without borders, has always been since the pre-historic age.

This will be very important. As you already know, 2011's greatest addition to collective human culture was Networking through Social Media. Silently it has become a norm and suddenly we have no way of going back. Social Media is very powerful tool for building bridges and creating fellowship. This does not mean becoming inactive and wasting time on Facebook, but this mean to use the tools given to humanity in our time to best use towards creating fellowship of like minded and like hearted people. To create something beautiful, like hearted friends need to come together. This is very important. The age of isolationism is long over or as the Native Indian Hopi Pir teaches, "The time for the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word struggle from you attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration. We are the ones we've been waiting for."

You can begin this fellowship in a very informal gathering at your own living room, inviting few friends or inviting few to join a pilgrimage together. Create a regular reading group, find a common spiritual teacher, gather together to read from spiritual scriptures and gather for remembrance. Pray and remember God together. There is a sacred tradition in Islam that advice to have association with those whose spiritual state and station (maqam) aspire you, in company of whom you are reminded of the eternal world, of piety and essentially of God.

I have this vision that 2012 will be a year of fellowship, more connectedness for individuals who are on spiritual path and taking up new creative projects; more and more disconnecting from sole materialism and reconnecting with dreams, visions, creativity and higher aspirations. This fellowship has to happen in the real world while the virtual world will act as communication aid. Like hearted friends must come together in common space, in small groups and start building circles where real sharing will happen and spiritual discourses will transmit further energy of collective inspiration. This will give rise to collective creative aspirations, translate into real Work in the outer plane.

D) Returning to Ancient Truth and Wisdom

For the last few decades humanity has been going through many experiments which have failed us. Collectively we claim to be more civilized, having more power and more wealth than any time before, yet we have more people living in inhumane conditions, wars, famine, more stock piling of weapons and massacre around the world going on. We claim that we abolished slavery, yet in the name of human trafficking, sexual slavery, forced labor, child soldier, bonded labor - all of which in number represent more human slaves than any time before. We claim to have great knowledge, yet when it comes to relating to other human being, we show the most distrust and thus have the largest military spending in history among many nations. Come 2012 or not, we must return to our ancient wisdom else we are inviting collective catastrophe on humanity. The simple teachings of unity of humanity, compassion for others, caring for those who have the least - its time to make them as priority, not making money or how to elect the most greedy power hungry individual in our national election.

We must turn away from atheistic secularism which has given birth only greed, addiction to consumption, cheating and looting of the common people and sickening materialism. Secularism and desacralization of our world is only going to create more problem and would require using more valuable and limited resources to clear the mess, going to serve only the corrupt and greedy. The need to return to wisdom of our spiritual maters, our guides, our scripture can begin through small groups, and when a critical mass is reached this will have more influence on rest of the society. All spiritual traditions together, humanity has been given us enough guidance to be peaceful and happy, not the fake and selfish kinda happy, but real and everlasting peace and happiness.

E) Correcting our View of the Reality

No matter what religious and spiritual tradition we are in, there is a possibility to re-orient our vision of reality according to the Truth. Almost all traditions and scripture speaks of the truth that this world must come to an end at one point in time and whole physical world will be re-transformed at the end of that cosmic cycle. It is as real as as our own impending last breath and death. All souls must taste death, similarly this created world also come to end and beyond that point, a new reality will be created and accountability and judgment will be established. This is truth. Let we not be deceived by the great deceptions of life and cover up the truth of reality. Unless we awaken to the realities of grand deceptions of the present life, we will not realize the urgency of our inner revolution and spiritual evolution. Unless we realize that we only have this life to harvest for the hereafter, our ego will not wake up from the slumber of heedlessness. Unless we realize that our breathes are numbered, sacredness of life will not be realized.

Thus we must correct our view of the reality which comprise of the following truth: There is but One God. God is the giver of life and death and we all must die one day. After death, when the great cosmic cycle is ended by the Will of God, all human souls will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection. Divine Judgment and Accountability will be imposed. Divine Scale will be brought forth where every single action is judged. Those whose scale of good action is greater will be admitted to Paradise, the Original Home for Adam, Mystically speaking, the Absolute Presence and those whose scale of evil action is greater might either be forgiven by God or will be denied Paradise and shall find himself / herself in Hell, which is the absence of God's mercy, the Absolute Absence. In every age God sent guides to humanity who are the Prophets and Messengers and they left Scriptures and Guidance and the Final Prophet is Muhammad and the Final Revelation is the Quran. After Muhammad no other Divine Informer has come and he is sent to all of mankind and after the Divine Revelation of Quran, no other Scripture is sent and it carries the completed guidance for mankind, blueprint to surrender to God's will. Surrender to God's Will is the ultimate and acceptable Religion / Path in the eye of God. Surrender of the soul to Divine Will is the most exalted station which is the ultimate goal of human spiritual evolution.

F) Becoming Serious and Regular about our Spiritual Practices

If we are talking about personal revolution as a path to spiritual evolution, we must act. Inner revolution demands that we act for real. Thus for spiritual evolution within, we must return to religious and spiritual practices on a regular basis. If we find ourselves within the frame of a religion - the rituals, forms and movements of which we feel have lost its value, we must ask this question: are we still living in a religion that is dead, that is expired? If our heart does not find joy in those common practices, then we are to ask, are we following the right religious / spiritual path which can nourish our spirit? Divine Command operates in time in this world, thus Messengers and Guidance have also come through time. Unveiling of Divine Revelations didn't occur in flat world, it occurred in conjunction with time, in conjunction with evolution of human consciousness, and hence further and further Divine Messengers and updated mode of Guidance were sent to humanity. But all of them had the same thread and same message that God is One and we have come and shall return to our Homeland at the end of our temporal wayfaring in this world.

But for this conscious evolution to happen, forms must be preserved in which the unfolding can happen. Just as a bud needs protection when it unfolds, religious forms is the protector for inner spirituality to blossom. For this reason, real religious and spiritual teaching, practice, devotion is necessary. To forsake religious structure is a spiritual suicide and many religious path in the world now a days are void of spirituality is exactly because of this mistake.

If we never knew how to pray, if we stopped praying, we must start those small practices and be serious about them. Spiritual wisdom tells us that those practices which are done regularly, never mind short / less elaborate are more effective than anything else. If we prayed only once or twice, perhaps our goal would be to make those prayers more soulful and if we never got up in the middle of the night which is the best time for contemplative prayer and meditation, perhaps we can incorporate that. For spiritual revolution this is must and we should also upgrade our knowledge about our own religion so that its inner mysteries and meanings are understood. An effort must be there to excel in our spiritual practices, what in Islam is called Ihsan. People might have imaan or faith, people might have certain practices of a religion, but without Ihsan, spiritual excellence - we are veiled from the joy and beauty of experiencing Divine epiphanies or Tajalli, Divine manifestation and joy of revelations that breaks within for those who are brought near to God in this very world.

May our supplications (du'a) be more real this year, may they come straight from our heart, even if that means inside a brief prayerful moment once at night or early dawn. May we learn how to converse privately to God Who is the Lover Ever Waiting Patiently to Listen to us. The joy of God's servants turning to God is tremendous and its reciprocity will feel our own heart as well with unbound joy of Divine Presence and good pleasure of God. May we be elevated to the station of what Quran describes as, "God is well-pleased with them, and they are well-pleased with God."

G) Traveling, Pilgrimage to Hearts

To travel in the outer world has always been one of the most common task for spiritual wayfarer because it serves a number of purposes. It widen the horizon of our mind and heart, it makes us realize our dependence and helplessness on God, it helps us see the diversity of creation and at the same time unity of humanity. Travel also often land us in the company of people of God. Travel outwardly relives the truth that we all are wayfarer in this world and ultimately our journey is to God. People of the East must travel to West and people of West must travel to East, literally. This will open unexpected doors, we will meet extra-ordinary friends and in the process we will learn things which no book or no amount of Facebook friends can teach or give us.

H) Learning and Understanding Another Religion from their Perspective

It is often the case that until we know about another religion, appreciation for our own religion never matures. And to learn and understand another religion must happen through the literature and spokes person with sound knowledge of that religion. We can not and should not expect that our Christian Pastor in our church or radio show can teach us about Sufi Islam or Zen Buddhism. Similarly for example books written by a Muslim must not be used to understand Hinduism. Buddhism must be learnt and understood through Buddhists, similarly Islam must be learnt and understood through Muslim. Once we seriously ignite the desire to understand another religion with the premise that all human beings are children of God and there must be elements of truth in every religion - wonderful alchemy will happen in terms of expansion of the heart and compassion for others. No person chooses his or her parents and most people follow the religion of their parents, thus we cannot be discriminating about other religions, as it is Divine Will that we come to adore God through many avenues, many traditions. As a poet says, "there are thousand of ways to kneel and pray on the ground."

I) Loving those who are Loved by God and who Love God in a More Higher Order than us

Love is the greatest force in the universe and for the inner revolution to be successful and accelerated we must actively seek those human beings who are loved by God, in the company of whom we are reminded of God and who themselves love God in a higher and perfected order than us. Whether we find them in the capacity of a spiritual master or spiritual companion, may we perfect our love for them. For a Christian to become a successful follower of Christ is to love Christ with a perfect love, similarly for a Muslim to become a successful mu'min, the love for the Messenger must supersede every other love and affection. It is the perfection of love for the Archetype Master in human image is the guarantee for the revolution of heart and evolution of spirit.

In loving a spiritual guide, who is the representative of Prophet Muhammad, our heart's capacity to love is increased and in human existence, the ladder of perfected love must begin by loving human beings. Only from loving fellow human beings for the sake of God's love and perfecting that love will teach us and prepare us to love God with all our mind, all our heart and all our soul - as it remains to be the greatest Commandment.

Making the intentions pure for finding those who are loved by God and who love God can be the starting point to find the right Spiritual Guide. If we are not prepared to meet our Guide, then the next best thing would be to find right spiritual companions who love God.

May the year 2012 be a blessed year for us all. May Allah, may God, may Ishwar guide us to the Truth.

Let us ask once again, what do we need to make 2012 the year of personal revolution?

As Rainer Maria Rilke said, "Live the questions now," let us consider this as an open ended question and may we live in such a way that may the answers continue to come forth within us, with every breath, always.

Sadiq M. Alam
Dhaka, Bangladesh
January 5, 2012 / Safar 11, 1433

# References:

* 2012- Being Awake to a Moment in Cosmic Time

* There is no time like the Present
* This Moment in Time, talk by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee

Astronomy and Astrology

* 2012 Galactic Alignment and Mayan Calendar

* John Major Jenkins - On 2012 & The Galactic Alignment via Youtube

* What is Galactic Alignment of 2012

* Astronomy Calendar of 2012

* Coming of the New Age of Aquarius

* 2012 phenomenon

* Real Meaning of the Mayan Calendar

In Quest of the Truth that will set us free | Sohbet with Sheikha Maryam Kabeer Faye

2011-12-31T23:24:00.000+06:00

at-turuqu ila 'Llahi ka-nufusi bani Adam: The ways to God are as numerous as the children of Adam.
- Sacred Tradition of Islam

For everyone there is a direction towards which one turns.
- The Quran 2:148

In the Series: In Quest of My Oasis at Technology of the Heart our intentions is to engage with contemporary wayfarers and seekers who are drawn by the irresistible yearning for the Real, pulled by almost like a magnetic attraction to embark on the Quest and are guided along the Path. We hope to know them, connect with them, share their inspiring journey in the spirit of what sufis call Sohbet. In this 8th Episode of the Series our guest is Sheikha Maryam Kabeer Faye, acclaimed author of her Spiritual Autobiography, Journey Through Ten Thousand Veils (2009, Tughra Books). About her Book Sufi News and World Report commented, "It should be on the must read list for anyone interested in following the Sufi path and especially for women aspirants."

Sheikha Maryam is an authorized Sufi Guide, Qur'an Instructor and Wayfarer in the lineage of Mustafawiyya Sufi Order. The Sohbet here revolves around her life, the extra-ordinary journey she was guided to take as it continuously unfolds, her Book and realizations along the Path. Hope you will enjoy it and by the Gift of the Most Generous Giver - you will receive something valuable from it. Within the interview, she has left footprints of precious advices and subtle guidance which could be useful to any seekers whether novice or advanced.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

1.
Sadiq Alam: Your book, Journey Through Ten Thousand Veils has received numerous praises from different fronts. Please tell us about how the inspiration for the book came about and was there any particular event that planted the seed to write this special book about your personal journey?

Sheikha Maryam Kabeer Faye: There was not one special seed or event, but an abundance of seeds, a continuous stream of seeds or events, (that were planted in the earth, by the blessing of the Lord of Infinite Grace and watered by the rain of grace), which, inevitably, rose up out of the soil and bloomed. The blooming of every seed was a sign of Allah’s grace illuminating the way.

The journey of a thousand steps (states and stations) is composed of all of these states of realization. The writing of the book was another dimension in the unfolding journey, linked by the Grace of Allah (swt) to every other step along the way.

Neither did I follow a map as I traveled or any kind of manual of style as I wrote. I watched the words fall like rain on the page, just as I witnessed the signs of Allah manifesting within and around me as I traveled - the continuously unfolding signs, which were revealing the way that leads to Him.

I was inspired and impelled to write this book – not by a single event or catalyst - but by the collective mass of experiences – the countless unfolding signs. From the time that I could write, I began to write about this, or make paintings to express the amazing perceptions that were arising.

Recently while teaching a class of children I remembered an image I painted repeatedly when I was a child. It was of a girl standing in a garden with arms stretched upward. There was a huge eye in the sky from which tears were falling into the garden causing flowers to rise up in bloom. This was one of the earliest images which came through indicating the state of perception that was continuously unfolding. At some moment in the course of receiving so many blessings and gifts, I began to record the words that would become this book.

This organic process continued throughout the journey until the book was published (by the excellent people at Tughra Books) and the book inevitably had to be ended, while the journey continued, bringing forth material for other books, seeds that would grow into other trees.

I do not believe that I am uniquely blessed, but that every creation of Allah is thus standing in the rain of His grace, needing only to wake up, rise up, and become conscious of the blessings that are descending, grateful for every moment in the process of the awakening.

2.
Your journey is quite unique as all of ours are, but Allah has honored some of the journeys over others by enriching them in rewarding their intention and sincerity. Looking back to the earlier days of your spiritual adventure, what single gift from Allah do you cherish the most?

Sheikha: The greatest gift was the realization of His Presence with and within me – that He, the One of Infinite Grace and Light and Love, the One of Boundless Knowledge and Might – was with me, inspiring and guiding me. This is the gift of deepest significance then, and now, at every moment of my life. To be conscious that He is with us, sustaining and bestowing guidance upon us, at every moment, in every situation, is the greatest gift because it is our direct link to His Living Presence.

3.
Before you even embarked on your journey, there was an element of deep spirituality within you, which couldn't be found outside, there was no reflection of it in daily or social life. In today's world those who find themselves in similar condition as you were in your earlier days, who feel the nearness of God but are unable to talk about it, learn or hear about it, not able to acknowledge the deepest reality that a human being can experience - for them what would be your guideline, both on personal level and also how we can address this as a society?

Sheikha: In reality, although no one was speaking about God, the signs of Allah were continuously manifesting around me and within me, definitively guiding the seeker of Truth toward the Goal. We are being informed and guided, as Allah (swt) tells us in the Holy Qur’an: “We will show them Our Signs, in the horizons and in their own selves, until it becomes manifest that it is the truth” (Holy Qur'an 41:53). Every one of us - living and breathing, hearing and seeing – is a witness to the signs of Allah’s undeniable existence. My advice to every seeker of Truth everywhere is to open the eyes of your heart and soul and behold Allah’s signs. They are manifesting continuously, both within and without.

Even those things, which are most difficult to behold, almost incomprehensible, as we witness them in the world today, can be comprehended in the light of Divine Revelation. Everything that we could possibly see unfolding has already been explained in the Qur’an. What we need to do is seek for the true understanding of the ayats (signs) in the Qur’an and then look through that lens at the events which are also signs (ayats) that are unfolding in the world. That is the outer dimension of our challenge.

On the personal, interior level, may we behold the signs within ourselves in the secret domain of our hearts and souls, in which only Allah, our Beloved Guide, knows what we are saying and what we are seeing. He is with us at all times witnessing our state of being and knowing, as we are witnessing what He is revealing to us. My advice to the seeker of Truth is to come to realize the Presence of the Divine Guide within and to pay attention, with deep love and longing for deeper and deeper knowledge of what is being revealed.

As we are in the midst of receiving the boundless gifts of that which is being revealed, we have a choice to make and a role to play. We need to develop the discernment (furqan) to know the difference between what is good within us – the gold – and what is dense like lead, needing to be purified and transformed, or simply released. Further, once we realize that we must be transformed, the alchemy of our transformation on the journey to our Beloved Lord is fueled by the power of du’a, (our prayer and supplication). So, as we continue to make the ever-deepening journey, may we deeply and consistently intend and ask for what we truly need and then behold that our Lord Most Merciful, Who has inspired us to pray, is answering our prayers in the most profound way possible.

As for society that you mention in your question, I believe that the world we live in is transformed person by person, two by two, three by three, transformed more by evolution than by revolution. The more that we receive and share the knowledge of God, the more we, and those we are sharing with become conscious inhabitants of the divinely inspired universe.

4.
You were born in a Jewish family. Obviously Jewish, Christian and Muslim people share a common history and trace back their common lineage to Prophet Abraham, peace be upon him. After embracing Islam and looking back to Judaism, what do you appreciate the most about the Jewish faith from an Islamic perspective?

Sheikha: I grew up in a Jewish family that was not at all religious, and I did not really study or practice the Jewish religion. I did enjoy attending Jewish day camps where we stood in beautiful groves of trees and sang songs of celebration, invocation, and meaningful values. I felt a cultural affinity with the people in the desert who passed through the Red Sea when it parted by Divine Grace, in the midst of their long and difficult journey to the “promised land.”

Maryam with son, Issa, in New Mexico in 1989

Subconsciously, subliminally, I was seeking the path followed by the Prophets (a.s) but I could not find it manifesting clearly anywhere in the contemporary world in which I lived. And that is why I set out on the journey, leaving the contemporary consumer world, in search of ancient truths.

I never followed a map, but was guided (The traveler is a leaf blown by the wind of the Divine Will) first to the India and Nepal, then to live in Christian monasteries, and then, to Jerusalem where, in El Khalil (Hebron) the place of Abraham (a.s.), I met my first Sufi Master, Sheikh Ab’dul Muttalib (ra), and, absolutely naturally, and inevitably, embraced Islam. According to what was revealed to me, there was no way that I could fulfill my Jewish heritage except by accepting the continuity of the prophetic line through Jesus (a.s) to Muhammad (saw). Alhamdulillahi Rabbil’alamin!

What I appreciate most about the Jewish biblical tradition from an Islamic perspective is the awesome reality that 89,000 or so prophets (a.s.) were sent to Children of Israel (Bani Isr’ail). As we are taught by Allah (swt) in the Holy Qur’an:

Say ye: "We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them: And we bow to Allah (in submission)."

[The Holy Qur’an, Surah 2:136]

The realization that all the Prophets and Messengers (a.s.) were sent to humanity by one God, that they were all part of one fellowship, and that we, as creations of the one Creator, must accept them all, was so absolutely simple, pure, and true, I am very much amazed that so many members of the human family do not seem to realize the unity and integrity of this plan.

5.
There are many reasons that people of the path cite as to the necessity of a guide in the spiritual path. From your personal experience what would you say regarding the need of a Teacher for seeker? Especially from a westerner's perspective for whom the idea of submission to a teacher sounds almost like a cult.

Sheikha: True Guidance is the path of liberation from all forms of hypnotism, mesmerism and intoxication such as might manifest in a cult. The leader of a cult controls the minds of his followers with his will and personal force to do what he wants.

A true divinely inspired guide, who has been given the permission to teach, leads those who follow his guidance to do what Allah (swt) wants. The transmission that he (or she) carries in his hand and distributes, as Allah wills, emanates directly from the Divine Source.

We have only two real choices in this life ( the journey in this world which leads us through the barzakh to the next world) : to do what Allah (swt) wishes us to do – to follow the Straight Path which leads directly to Him or to follow any other path or direction.

In considering this choice and its implications, let us consider what we would do if we were living in the time and in the vicinity of the Prophet Abraham, Noah, Lot, Jesus , Muhammad (saw), or any other of the Prophets and Messengers (a.s.) Would we hear and obey what the representative of Allah (swt) was teaching us to do, or follow the example of everyone else who was not following the messages delivered?

The Message from our Beloved Lord (swt) is eternally true, now, as it was in the time of every one of the Prophets and Messengers (a.s.) But since Muhammad (saw) was the last and seal of the Prophets (a.s.) we cannot receive this transmission from a Prophet after him, but from a teacher, a guide, who has the permission to pass on the prophetic transmission – to make real and undeniable for us in our time- what they transmitted in the time in which they lived.

If we lived in the time and in the presence of any one of the Prophets (a.s.) would we not truly want to follow the teaching sent to humanity through the Prophet (a.s.) by Allah, the Master of Guidance. This teaching must be transmitted in every age, and this is the reason that we need a true teacher through whom this teaching will be transmitted.

If we are not guided by a true teacher, who is thus transmitting the eternally revealed truth, we will be following our own nafs (desires), the voice of shaitan and the collective voices of the unbelieving inhabitants in the dunya, which manifest in every age as they did for example in the time of Noah (a.s.), impelling the majority of the people not to get into the ark.

Furthermore, while each of the Prophets (a.s.) was sent to a specific group of people, the Prophet Muhammad (saw) was sent as mercy (rahmat) to all the worlds. And it is the light of Muhammad (saw) (Nur Muhammadiyyah) that inspires and illuminates all true teachers.

This is the liberating light of Divine Truth, the opposite of the mind control and hypnotism imposed by the leaders of cults, who, in one way or another, lead their disciples to drink poison and end in hopelessness and in a state of utter loss. In order that we may not fall into a state of loss, but be enabled to rise, we need a true teacher who will guide on the path of true faith, knowledge, and service, one who has completed the journey and been given permission to guide others to completion.

6.
You have met a number of Teachers / Guides in your journey. Among them who influenced you the most and in what way? Please share something about your guide, Sheikh Harun Rashid Faye, may Allah preserve him, which you believe would benefit the readers.

Sheikha: I would like to respond to this question by expressing my profound gratitude to Allah (swt), the Master of Guidance, the Guide, for every step made in the journey that leads from Him to Him, I was a leaf carried by the wind of His will, I did not determine who I would meet or where I would go, nor what stages of transformation were to be experienced.

Sidi Sheikh Abdul Muttalib (ra)

When I first heard about my first Sheikh, Sheikh Abdul Muttalib (ra) I was told by his grandson, Hassan al Sharif, in Jerusalem, that his grandfather was waiting for me in El Khalil (Hebron). When I met this ancient man and then experienced what happened to me, fis-sabillilah and then what happened through me as a result of this meeting, (the holy time spent with him), I came to understand better what it meant that he was waiting for me.

Sheikh Bawa Muhaiyaddeen

I was then, by the grace and the hand of Allah (swt) guided to Sheikh Bawa Muhaiyadeen (ra) and his community in Philadelphia and Sri Lanka. I remained with him, receiving a wealth of guidance in his presence until he left this world in 1986. I continued to receive much blessing and knowledge in his presence after he left this world.

Sheikh Abdoulaye Dieye

Still, I felt the need for more training, transformation, and development and was guided to Senegal, West Africa and the Muridiyya Tariqat founded by Sheikh Ahmadu Bamba (ra) transmitted to me through the hands of Sheikh Abdoulaye Dieye (ra) and Sheikh Aly N’Daw. By Sheikh Dieye (ra) I was given the mantle and made a Sheikha in this blessed tariqat. Thus did the journey to Allah, the ever-deepening experience of the transmission of Divine Knowledge and the beautiful din continue, within my life, to unfold.

Sheikh Aly N’Daw

Having passed through the steps and stations, as Allah (swt) willed, I was ultimately guided to Sheikh Harun Rashid Faye al Faqir and the Mustafawiyya Tariqa in Senegal, West Africa and Monck’s Corner, South Carolina. This tariqat was bestowed by the hand of the Holy Prophet (saw) upon the blessed family of Sheikh Harun through his uncle, Sheikh Mustafa Gueye Heydar (ra.)

I cannot describe in the context of this interview how deeply meaningful are the unfolding stages of the journey, how blessed I feel to have received each of the divine gifts and how much I feel that I must serve, as those who imparted to me knowledge of the Divine, served.

In order that I may serve, I have been purified, transformed and trained extensively by the hand of Sheikh Harun to journey through more than fifty khalwahs (guided retreats) through which I became a Sheikha bearing the green mantle in this blessed Tariqat, Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil’alamin. Through this, I received the mandate to serve.

In order to share with you something of what I have experienced and learned in the process of transformation of being trained by the Sheikh, may I here is a passage from the last chapter of the book: "The Way of Muhammad (saw) Mercy for All the Worlds As Manifested in the Life and Community of Sheikh Harun Rashid Faye", My Guide to the Inner Realms:

What I perceived on the outside was, as it always is, a mirror of what was coalescing within me. I had thus arrived in the realm, or station, in which I saw the beautiful teachings of the Qur’an,the teachings sent to us by our Creator Most Loving, Most Kind, manifesting before and within me. Every step I had taken in the journey led finally to this unfolding state of awareness.

In what place or station had Allah willed the traveler to arrive? It is a station in which, one by one, the words and teachings of the Holy Qur’an and other Scriptures become alive. It was this awareness arising within me that made realize the special nature of the place to which I had come.

This teaching was being transmitted by Sheikh Harun both internally, specifically as he guided me through a series of deeply guided retreats, referred to as halwah, and externally, in the sense that I was able to perceive these living truths in the actions and activities of the Sheikh, and the ever-expanding circle of those that he was training.

Sheikh Harun al-Faqir

Dream of the Sheikh

Shortly after I met him, I saw the Sheikh in a dream. He was standing in the center of a brilliant swirling vortex of light. I was able to see, fading in and out of that vortex of light, the forms of his students - his companions, all the lives that he was inspiring and empowering.

Later I saw Sheikh Harun standing in a parking lot surrounded by the fuqara, his circle of students. He was wearing a white robe and a red kufi (prayer hat), whereas in the dream, he had been wearing a white robe and a red turban.

From this moment on, I saw, powerfully manifesting in life what I had seen in the epiphany of the dream.

I witnessed the Sheikh as the catalyst, galvanizing the circle, by the power of Allah and the blessings of the Prophet (saw) manifesting through him, igniting the souls of all those surrounding him, so that each one of his students was inspired and energized to make the real journey and, station by station, proceed to accomplish what he or she was created to do.

I could see that the Sheikh was not appearing as a figure-head, an idol to be worshiped by those following him, or a distant venerated figure that the disciples were lucky even, rarely, to see. He was manifesting as light of guidance within them, an extremely vital element in their lives and spiritual journey, a powerful catalyst activating their transformation and elevation. Such a noble, humble, and empowered teacher, one authorized by the Divine to teach the deepest truths, is not looking for disciples, but for companions.

He does not want to imprison his companions for life, but to set everyone free. The disciples are not to remain disciples for life, but every capable person is trained to become a Sheikh or Sheikha, who will then continue to catalyze and transform others.

The amazing tool that the Sheikh wields by the power of Allah, the instrument of transformation, is divine knowledge made manifest in action. The Sheikh teaches by example, and the example that he, himself, embodies, is one that profoundly follows the example set by the Messenger of Allah (saw).

To study with and be guided by such a person, who is the living heir of the transmission of all the prophets (as), is to witness the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and all Divine Scriptures continuously manifesting in everything that is taking place in our lives

Much of the Qur’an was revealed in the context of what exactly was taking place in the lives of the Prophet (saw) and his Companions (as). From this we learn that the wisdom revealed to us by our Creator is not abstract, but can and should be applied to all the dimensions of our life in this world. This is the kind of profound practical teaching we gain as we travel inwardly and outwardly with such a Sheikh.

Living and studying with such a teacher is a deep and dynamic way of coming to understand the real meaning of the Message of God and how it impacts upon human beings who are truly open and surrendered to it. Shortly after I made the bayat (affirmed allegiance to the Creator, by the light of the Prophet (saw) through allegiance to the Sheikh, in the language of the Quran Verily, those who give thee their allegiance, they give it but to Allah Himself. [Fath 48:10]) I was standing in line with the Sheikh at Rite Aid. Behind us was a young woman in a wheel chair, handicapped, both physically and mentally. His first impulse was to put her before us, then he paid her bill, and then he put money in her hand. I came to see, as time went on, that this is how he always acts.

William Pen spoke, in a beautiful statement about this inclination to goodness and the importance of utilizing every opportunity to express it, when he said, “If there is any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and do not deter or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.”

To be profoundly inclined to goodness, kindness and charity for the sake of God, Who is Most Loving and Kind, is the sunnah of the Prophet (saw), divine knowledge manifested continuously in action. It is the way that, in any situation, the prophets (as) - those who are representatives of God on earth - would have acted; it is the way that most purely and directly manifests the Divine Qualities.

It is the way that the Creator, Most Merciful, wills and guides His servants to be. Such a person, a true Sheikh who, following the example of the prophets (as), is an agent for the manifestation of God’s mercy on earth, will go out in search of those who are hungry and needy if they have not already lined up at his door, seeking food and help.

He (or she) will spend sleepless nights praying and seeking divine guidance for everyone that is linked to him in any way, everyone he will ever know, as well as those that he does not know. He will be continuously engaged in serving others, taking care of their needson every level, never waiting to be, himself, served.

This is the way a true Sheikh functions, and all those who follow him sincerely, all those who are being trained by him, become like this also.

Wherever such a Sheikh is, that house, that mosque, that corner (zawiyyah) of the universe will become a refuge for all, a placeof profound healing in the remembrance (zikr) and supplication of Allah, open twenty-four hours a day, every day.

In this contemporary world, in which most mosques, churches,and synagogues are closed most of the time, this example of a place of refuge, healing, solace, nourishment, and continuous guidance precisely follows the pattern of the mosque built by the Prophet (saw) and his Companions (as) in Medina, which was a sanctuary, clinic,and place of continual teaching and illumination for the believers.

The Prophet Muhammad (saw), except when he retired to a cave for a periods of profound isolation and prayer, was always in the presence of his companions (ra), always teaching them, always sharing with them. The proof of this is in the vast number of ahadith that were written down by those who lived with him day and night.

A true Sheikh, who profoundly adheres to the sunnah established by the Prophet (saw), will, following his example, live and interact in deep spiritual intimacy with his companions, always aware of what they are going through and how to help them progress on the journey.

The true Sheikh, one who is carrying an unbroken chain of transmission, which he is empowered to give to the sincere disciple, perceives every disciple with x-ray vision. He sees what no one sees and feels what no one feels, and his love, which is divinely inspired, is thus powerfully transformative.

What may appear, to others, to be an abandoned lot, filled with weeds and even piles of trash, is, to him who sees its potential (what it can become), a fertile, bounteous garden filled with rare and beautiful flowers full of fragrance.

He sees the potential in every seed, which is lying dormant in the ground. And he has been entrusted with the life-giving water, which he pours upon the seeds, so that, one by one, they push through the soil, and, moment to moment, reveal the inherent beauty and fragrance, which each one possesses.

No ordinary love is this, but love, which knows about us what we know not, loving, and thus bringing to life, ever-deeper dimensions of our being - our spiritual potential - of which we were not even aware.

These are the seeds planted within us by our Creator when He created us.He placed within us secrets and mysteries, which only a person of wisdom can see and make us know. These are the Divine Names which link us to our Lord, and when we know them, show us the way that He has decreed for us to return to Him as directly as possible.

May every soul that is filled with longing to realize its true purpose be guided on a path that unlocks and activates these divine mysteries.

Connected to the physical body, but not limited by it, is our spiritual being that only a person of God can see. And this is what the Sheikh enables us, ourselves, to see on the inner journey, as veil after veil is penetrated.

As we are purified and illuminated, we draw closer to our Lord, less and less obscured by the veils of the world and all that it contains, closer to realizing and fulfilling the purpose for which God created us.

In one after another of the inner journeys we are blessed to make, the Sheikh is inspired to know what words of the Holy Qur’an we are ready to read, behold and assimilate. It is a feast that he is serving us in the depth of our solitude, of divine knowledge,that we assimilate and absorb.

No food that we have ever eaten is like this food. This food is the light of Allah, and by eating it we become light. Every divine word, every teaching that we assimilate illuminates our journey within.

And thus, on the inner journey, we come to realize that we, in our true nature, are composed of these beautiful words, the messages of our Lord, which are, one by one, being revealed to us and also bringing us back to Him. Such is the medicine given to us in perfect doses to heal and transform everything within us, which has throughout our journey, blocked our progress and caused us to be separated from the pure Love, the Majesty and Bounty of our Beloved Lord.

This is the divine therapy. The Sheikh is the vehicle, the agent for the grace of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) and His Messenger (saw).

So he does not give, but the Most Merciful God, in His infinite generosity and love gives, through the agency of the Sheikh’s guidance, whatever are the secrets of the knowledge that we are blessed to receive at every stage of our journey.

No journey in the outer world can compare to the journey that leads us to our Lord within us. Everything that we have gone through is only a preparation for this ultimate journey

After all the conveyances, all the trains and planes, boats, buses and cars, I had traveled in on the journey in search of the Creator and the path that leads to Him, now I was being transported by His Words, His Revelations coming to life within me.

7.
It is said that there are many signs to recognize an authentic guide (a Murshid). From your experience how would you list them, or any particular sign you want seekers to pay attention to?

Sheikha: A man or woman of God inspires you to focus not upon him or herself, but upon Allah (swt).

To the degree that you are brought closer to Allah (swt) through your interaction with a servant of Allah, you know that you are being rightly guided by an authentic guide.

8.
You have traveled across the world, in many countries. Looking at the current condition of people and specially that of Muslims, what makes you the most hopeful? What you feel collectively Muslims must guard against?

Sheikha: What is inspiring, enlightening, and hopeful is to see the light and love shining through the hearts and faces of those who are surrendered to Allah (swt) the Lord of Infinite Grace. I have met such beings, shining with the light of grace, throughout my journey, and this was such a beautiful welcome into a way of living that is full of faith and hope.

But what do we hope for? Upon what do we depend? In reality, our only hope is in Allah (swt) and in the Straight Path that comes from Him and leads to Him. For His beautiful din to be manifested in the ever-deepening dimensions of Islam, Iman, and Ihsan, this is what inspires and guides us and makes us truly hopeful. Our hope and joy manifest in the affirmation of the Sovereignty of Allah in accordance with the sunnah, the profound example of His Messenger (saw) bringing to completion what all the prophets (a.s.) brought. We believe without doubt that His promise is true and we beseech Him to enable us also to be truthful to the promise (covenant) that we have made to Him.

The warning to Muslims, as to all mankind, has also been absolutely clearly revealed. The warnings addressed to all mankind regarding the inevitability and seriousness of the Day of Judgment are especially significant for Muslims because we have read the texts; we have been informed. We know that on that Day, we will see every atom’s weight of good that we did here and also every atom’s weight of evil.

We, who are Muslims, have a greater responsibility to realize and manifest the Truth that has been bestowed, entrusted, awakened within us. We have been educated and informed about the choices that we have and the decisions that we must make. Every moment of our life in this world is a sacred opportunity to do good, to be good, charitable, loving and kind, to learn and to teach what Allah (swt) has revealed and to manifest the state of ibadat in all its dimension. By immersing ourselves in the love, worship, and service of the One Most Merciful, inah’Allah, we can overcome the dangers elucidated in the warnings that Allah has sent to humanity.

Further, let us consider the words of the beautiful hadith:

"O My servants ! I have forbidden zulm (oppression) for Myself, and I have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another. O My servants, all of you are astray except those whom I have guided, so seek guidance from Me and I shall guide you. O My servants, all of you are hungry except those whom I have fed, so seek food from Me and I shall feed you. O My servants, all of you are naked except those whom I have clothed, so seek clothing from Me and I shall clothe you. O My servants, you commit sins by day and by night, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness from Me and I shall forgive you…."

May we, who are Muslims, who have read these powerful words probably many times, take them to heart and manifest them in action so that we may be amongst those who are not oppressors of ourselves or others, but are amongst those who are guided, fed, clothed and forgiven by the Infinite Mercy of Allah (azza wa jalla).

9.
In the beginning of your seeking, what was it in Islam or its beauty that pulled you in it the most?

Sheikha: What truly pulled and compelled me toward Islam was the magnet that was the Will of Allah, His Power and Beauty and Grace. I was magnetized and overwhelmed by that Reality to bow down in His Presence. This occurred automatically the first time I entered a mosque. I immediately fell prostrate. This was before I consciously knew what took place in masajid.

This took place in a beautiful mosque to which I was guided far out in the desert surrounding the holy city of Mashad in Iran. Even before that, I had witnessed an amazing vision of the salat being performed in the desert itself, in the masjid of nature. This revelation occurred in the deserts of Afghanistan.

“At last, the train arrived at its final destination in the east in order, to return to the west. That is where I got out. I was in Afghanistan.

I began to travel by bus, but not the modern, streamlined buses that we are used to seeing in great numbers in all modern cities. The buses in Afghanistan were, with their plenitude of bells and tassels, hand-painted works of art. Brilliantly colorful and joyous, with no glass in the windows and packed with equally colorful passengers, they were an expression of the culture, the innocent, childlike heart of the people.

I remember an ancient stillness and light pervading the land, which was at that time, still untouched and intact. In every city and every village, the people, dressed in beautiful robes, embroidered hats, and turbans, were sitting in circles, communicating, sharing, and drinking coffee or tea. I saw no violence, no festering fires of terrorism, or the bleeding wounds of a country dispossessed or possessed, but a golden haze of stillness and peace. I sensed that the life there was being lived as it had been for centuries. This was holy Afghanistan, where a boy like Jelaluddin Rumi could have been born and begun to grow up.

For me, this was a vision, something revealed to me that I needed to see. I do not know how accurately this vision presented the real state of the land and the people that I saw. I am certain that there were many things taking place there, within that complex culture that I was not aware of. I saw only the dimension of ancient and eternal peace, and I did not want to leave it.

The memory of this holy time and place is poignantly precious to me now, since all things have been changed by the ravages of the times of destruction. The beautiful, golden, gentle, peaceful land of Afghanistan I saw then cannot be found again in this world, but it lives in the hearts of those who were blessed to perceive and internalize the beauty and grace of the Eternal One that was manifested in Afghanistan then.

What was that mystery which I was blessed to behold, to taste and to smell? Longing to return to that place, I have come to realize that it no longer exists. Nothing in this world is permanent, I know so deeply that I had to move on, and could never go back.

When we realize that our true identity is as a seeker, a wayfarer on the path of God, we come to see more and more deeply that it is the path to which we are wed, the path to which we always return, and the path never lets us dwell in any oasis too long. However beautiful and enchanting any experience was, along the way, I could never remain there, but simply take the essence of each experience, the teaching, and continue to be carried along.

Now, I was continuing the journey on a bus with bells, beads,and tassels, rattling along as it bounced through the rocky terrain.

The bus was wondrous, I discovered, in more than its appearance. I was amazed to see that suddenly, in the middle of the desert, the bus stopped, and all of the passengers got out and laid out their prayer mats in the desert to pray.

This occurred on all the buses in Afghanistan at every time of prayer. The call to prayer would come lilting from a minaret somewhere in the desert, and all the people on the bus would get off the bus, lay out their prayer mats in the desert, and pray.

I had never seen anything like this. It was a wonderful, amazing vision, outside of any political context, a vision of peace and piety, of people united in their love for the Creator. Wherever the people were going, whenever they had to get there, the priority and necessity for them was always to stop in the middle of the journey at the designated times, get off the bus and pray. This was the way in which I was introduced to the simple beauty and truth of prayer and of Islam.

This act of bowing down, of stopping in the middle of any journey to praise the Creator, was not something I learned about in a book - it was a reality that my soul witnessed. It was an awakening for the soul, an invitation to pray.

The way that such images are presented today by the media suggests that when you see a group of people gathering together to pray in the Islamic congregational prayer, you should be afraid, for when they rise up from their prayers these people may do something violent which will endanger you. But what I saw in the middle of the desert was the very opposite - absolutely peaceful, natural, and pure. It was for me a revelation of pure existence, in which human beings traveling upon the earth given for them to dwell upon by the Creator bow down upon it in praise of Him, as He has decreed.

What has been decreed, by the Creator, I came to understand, in my discovery of the beauty of Islam, is mercy and kindness and peace, which come through submission and surrender to the Source of all things, the Most Merciful, Most Compassionate. The true believers bow down to praise the greatness and the glory of the One who created everyone, and the root of the word “Islam” is salam - peace.

This is what I learned about the nature of true Islam from the people of God I was destined to meet. Those who are in the state of true Islam, do not bow down, beseeching God to destroy others, and then get up from prayer intent to kill. For, just as the Bible says, “Thou shalt not kill,” so does the Holy Qur’an say, “If you kill one person, it is as if you killed all of humanity.”

This is the truth of submission to the Creator of all, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate, Most Clement, Most Kind. It is a truth, which is hidden in our world, today, behind a terrible veil of war, brutality, injustice, and strife. But what was revealed to me in that moment in the desert of Afghanistan was a vision of peace, not war, a vision and realization, which has constantly guided my journey toward the Source of eternal peace.

Signs are continuously being revealed to us to help us enter the stream of the Divine attributes. For me, that eternal moment, that vision in the desert of Afghanistan was the opening of a doorway of perception that would lead me toward the Source of the stream.

The simple, pure message was: “Stop in the middle of the journey and bow down to the One Who created you and enabled you to make this journey, and then, when you rise up, and continue to travel, know that wherever you think you are going, the real journey is to Him.”

So the powerful beauty of the act of submission unfolding in nature in the midst of the vast deserts of Afghanistan was one of the signs that the Creator definitely willed me to behold.

Then, I remember standing outside of a mosque in Mashad when the people were coming out from the prayer. The beauty of the faces of the believers as I witnessed them pouring out of the mosque after prayers, so filled with light, was also a compelling sign and invitation.

The kindness and generosity of Muslims in every country where I met them, the outspread table (al maidah) to which I was welcomed everywhere, filled with food of love, sustenance, and knowledge of the Divine – this outspread table, to which I was continuously welcomed also magnetized me to take my seat in the divine assembly.

10.
In terms of service to the creation, what is your favorite and how do you approach it?

Sheikha: By giving what we have received, the circle is completed. We must feed as we have been fed and nurture as we have been nurtured, transmit what has been transmitted – these are the signs that the transmission is living and real. From the moment that the light of Islam dawned within me, I have been sharing it – sharing and caring. Right now I am teaching a class of about 20 extraordinary children.

Maryam Kabeer Faye, here in 2009, teaching Arabic to students in Gambia

Part of the class consists of sharing or transmitting knowledge from the Qur’an, and ahadith, and part of the class is inspiring the children to express their understanding of these deep teachings – to express how the teachings are coming to life within them. The teachings must come to life within the hearts of the students. This kind of teaching is not academic, but an actual awakening. Just as the exalted ones that I was blessed to meet awakened, by the Grace of Allah, this consciousness within me, it is my duty and commitment to pass the blessing on. I am so happy to see the light of understanding, the light of iman dawn within them and am amazed by the innate love-filled wisdom manifested through their hearts and words.

There are children in the class whose parents and grandparents I have also been teaching and have taught throughout the years. This is a living intergenerational transmission. We are all enlightened together by the transmission of the knowledge of Allah, as He wills. And He tells us that no knowledge of Him comes to us except that which He wills. So we must realize as knowledge of Him comes to us, it is coming to us, from Him, by His permission and grace.

Like this, I am blessed and honored to share with the children, their parents and their grandparents in an ever-expanding circle. When people I have taught so many years earlier appear again, as one wonderful young man did yesterday, and remind me that they first learned their surahs through me, this touches me so deeply – that I may serve the Creator in such a way as to bring to life His words in the hearts of His creations.

I have also been honored and blessed to teach women in prison – to bring to them – as well as the Qur’an – the light of the sky and clouds, which my sisters in prison cannot see, except through me.

11.
What advice would you like to give to those who have come to know about Islam from the media, which often portrays this religion as a violent and oppressive doctrine? How can they get a true picture of Islam that may benefit them in a practical way?

Sheikha: The best way for those who are seeking a real understanding and experience of Islam is to meet and share with sincere Muslims. It is we, who are Muslims, who must provide the true beautiful picture, which may be hiding behind the clouds of misrepresentations and misunderstanding. My response to any negative interpretation of Islam presented in the media is to manifest, to the best of my ability, by the grace of Allah, the opposite of the distorted image - which is the beauty and the light.

So if the media is putting forth the concept that women in Islam are oppressed, we must, insh’Allah, manifest the reality that Islam has elevated, liberated and empowered us as women. While the media may focus upon the small fringe of misguided terrorists, may we, the vast majority of Muslims, manifest in the various dimensions of our life and interaction that the Holy Prophet (saw) and the din that he brought are mercy for all the worlds.

Therefore, when standing on line in the market or helping any one in need in any way that I possibly can, working in both the prison and the marketplace, I have no doubt that my duty is to transmit love, mercy, and light. Certainly I do speak in the media whenever invited, and in conferences around the country and the world, bearing witness to the light of Muhammad (saw), which is sustaining and shining through all who truly invoke him, and I believe that our faith, understanding and knowledge must manifest, by God’s grace, not only in our words, but in all our intentions and actions, in all the dimensions of our life.

This being our responsibility, I would encourage people seeking knowledge and understanding to explore the worlds ( which may now be closer to you then you think ), in the pursuit of real experience.

Growing up in Hollywood, the San Fernando Valley, and then even Berkeley, California, I had no actual experience of Islam. But having received the definitive message: “SEEK, AND THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE” I set out on the amazing quest, which led me to the experience of the light and beauty of Islam in so many places and ways.

I have met so many wise and gracious beings of all ages, nationalities, and walks of life, all manifesting the beauty and grace, kindness and mercy, wisdom and knowledge of Islam in their own ways. And it was in this way, not simply by reading about it, that I learned about the truth of Islam in contrast to what is often shown in the news.

Mosque on Water, Kashmir, India

This is one real reason that we need to go into the world and share love and light with the people we meet. I have just spent a month vending in an international marketplace in the center of Philadelphia, seven days a week. It was held in a place accurately named “Love Park.” How many beautiful luminous faces I beheld as we exchanged goods, understanding and knowledge. My business is called: Kashmir Dream, Treasures from the Silk Road. This refers to land and sea routes from the Red Sea to East Africa, India, China, and Southeast Asia, upon which people from different parts of the world met, and exchanged goods as well as knowledge.

The mystic meetings of the past month were taking place not in Turkestan or Kashmir, Mongolia or India, but in Center City, Philadelphia – not in the twelfth but in the twenty first century. So, here and now, I recommend to people seeking knowledge of Islam that is not being reported on the news to keep open the eyes of your heart and seek knowledge through connection with Muslims, and especially Sufi Muslims if you would like to gain knowledge and experience of Islam that is not being presented on the news.

Already those who have arrived at this website Technology of the Heart, are on the right track. If you read or hear words that resonate with your innermost truth keeper – go for it! Make contact! The doors are open: Walk through. Come and sit down at the table with us and partake of the feast. That is the way to taste and experience the reality of Islam, often light years away from the image that is often portrayed by the people of the media, who, themselves may not yet have encountered the beautiful truth.

+ You may connect to Sheikha Maryam Kabeer Faye through her Facebook Page or you could reach her via email, barakah@verizon.net.

Also:
* Fuqara International: Mustafawiyyu Tariqa
* Tariqa Mustafawiyya
* Shaykh Harun Al-Faqir

Related Post:
Journey Through Ten Thousand Veils - Maryam Kabeer Faye

Previous Sohbet in the Series:

1) Amatullah J. Armstrong - In Quest of My Oasis
2) Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore - Quest in the Province of Ecstatic Exchange

3) Noor-Malika Chishti - When Dreams Begin Our Quest

4) Brenda Wentworth - Quest of a Dusty Traveler
5) Mansur Johnson - Journey of an American Sufi
6) Hilary Hart - Author of The Unknown She
7) Dominique Dubrule - Quest of Meeting the Great Artist

God speaks to each of us: Rainer Maria Rilke

2011-12-30T12:08:00.000+06:00

1.
God speaks to each of us as He makes us,
        continuous,
then with us, silently out of the night,
         He walks.

These are the words we dimly hear:

         "You, sent out beyond your recall,
         go to the limits of your longing.
         walk to the furthest horizon
         of your yearning.

Embody Me.

         Flare up like flame
         and make big shadows I can veil Myself in.

         Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror.
         Just keep going. No feeling is final.

Don't let yourself lose Me.
Don't let yourself lose Me.

         Nearby is the country they call life.
         You will know it by its majestic seriousness.

Now, my friend,
Give Me your hand.

Hold the Hand of the only real Friend
You ever had."

- Rainer Maria Rilke, Translated reworked by Sadiq Alam

2.
In the Name of the Universal Lover, Your Exclusive Lover Who is Infinitely Loving

There can be no compulsion in the Path of Love. Reality manifests clearly from illusion. So let the lovers hear the call of Love and arrive at the Door of the Beloved. Whoever rejects falsehood and attain loving-faith in God has grasped the most trustworthy Hand that never let go.

For the Divine Love is always listening, always knowing every state of affair.

Behold! For those who attain the loving-faith in God, God is their Exclusive Friend, al-Wali.

- An untranslated meditative rendition of the Quranic verse 2:256

Sufi Poetry of Shaikh Abu Sa'id Abul-Khayr

2011-12-28T00:58:00.002+06:00

Shaikh Abū-Sa'īd Abul-Khayr (967-1049) was one of the earlier Sufi poets and is considered one of the great medieval Persian poets.. He was from what is modern day Turkmenistan, just north of Iran and Afghanistan in Central Asia. He lived more than two centuries before Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi yet, like Rumi, much of his mysticism follows a similar path of annihilation in divine Love. Abu-Said's poetry ranges from the ecstatic and celestial, to struggles with abandonment. His poetry has an immediacy and even a sort of devoutly wry petulance that can draw comparisons with the great Bengali poet, Ramprasad.

While virtually unknown in the West, Abu Sa'id Abul-Khayr is one of the most revered of early Sufi masters. Abul-Khayr is considered as the "Father of Persian Sufi Poetry". Abul-Khayr is even ranked, amongst the Persian speakers, above the three well-known Persian Sufi masters , Sanai, Attar, and Rumi. Abul Khair's poetry had such a huge influence on later Sufi poets that the great Persian Sufi, Attar had referred to him as his spiritual teacher. Heavily influenced by the 9th century "Ecstatic Persian Sufis", Bayazid Bestami and Mansur Hallaj, Abul-Khayr was the first Sufi writer to extensively use 'Love-themed' poems in conveying his mystical messages.

Abul-Khayr was the contemporary of the great Persian philosopher and scholar, Abu Ali-Sina Balkhi (Avicenna). A Persian legend has it that after their very first meeting, Avicenna and Abul-Khayr meditated for three days in seclusion, exchanging philosophical ideas and mystical poetry. After the meditation, Avicenna was asked what he had thought of Abul-Khayr. He replied: 'Whatever I know, he can already see!'. Abul-Khayr was asked what he had thought of Avicenna. He replied: 'Whatever I can see, he already knows!".

He referred to himself as "Nobody Son of Nobody", as his expression of the reality that his life was subsumed in the Divine, and that the individual self had disappeared in the heart of God: 'Under this cloak is nothing but God. Introduce me as Nobody, Son of Nobody.'

Abul-Khair's mystical poems deal with the longing for union with God, the desire to know the Real from the False, the inexpressible beauty of Creation when seen through the eyes of Love, and the many attitudes of heart, mind and feeling that are necessary to those who would find the Beloved-The Friend-in this life." (credit)

His mysticism is a typical example of the Khorasani school of Sufism. He extracted the essence of the teachings of the past Sufis of this school (and to some extent other schools as well) and expressed them in a simpler, and in a sense deeper, form without the use of philosophy.

He held a special reverence for earlier Sufis, especially Bayazid Bastami and Hallaj. Moreover, in Asrar al-Tawhid, Tazkiratul Awliyā and Noorul Uloom it has been written that Abū-Sa'īd went for the visit of Shaikh Abul Hassan Kharaqani and got deeply influenced by his personality and state.

His system is based on a few themes that appear frequently in his words, generally in the form of simple emotional poems. The main focus of his teachings is liberation from “I”, which he considered the one and only cause of separation from God and to which he attributed all personal and social misfortunes. His biography mentions that he would never call himself "I" or "we" but “they” instead. This idea of selflessness appears as Fotovvat (also written as Futtuwah, a concept very near to chivalry) in his ethical teachings and as Malaamat, a kind of selflessness before the Beloved which he considers a sign of perfect love in his strictly mystical teachings.

Both of these concepts in a certain sense are spiritual forms of warrior ethics. Despite their simplicity he believed that the full application of these teachings to one's life requires both divine grace and the guidance of an experienced Sufi, and is impossible through personal efforts alone. His picture as portrayed in various Sufi writings is a particularly joyful one of continuous ecstasy. Other famous Sufis made frequent references to him and many miracles are attributed to him in Sufi writings.

His love for poetry can be seen from the fact that he usually used love poetry written by non-Sufis in his daily prayers. Even his last words were a poem, and at his funeral instead of the recitation of Qur’anic verses, he requested the following poem.

    What sweeter than this in the world!
    Friend met friend and the lover joined his Beloved.

    That was all sorrow, this is all joy
    Those were all words, this is all reality.

Abil Khayr's poetry is ever fresh, ever evoking that nostalgic longing of the Beloved that never passes away from the heart-ache of the lovers of God. Here are selection of his beautiful poetry which were written originally in Persian and these English renditions are beautiful work of Vraje Abramian.

~

If you do not give up the crowds
you won't find your way to Oneness.
If you do not drop your self
you won't find your true worth.
If you do not offer all you
have to the Beloved,
you will live this life free of that
sweet pain which makes it worth living.

If you are seeking closeness to the Beloved,

love everyone.

Whether in their presence or absence,

see only their good.

If you want to be as clear and refreshing as

the breath of the morning breeze,

like the sun, have nothing but warmth and light

for everyone.

Be humble.
Only fools take pride in their station here, trapped in
a cage of dust, moisture, heat and air.
No need to complain of calamities,
this illusion of a life lasts but a moment.

Suppose you can recite a thousand holy
verses from memory.
What are you going to do
with your ego self, the true
mark of the heretic?

Every time your head touches
the ground in prayers, remember,
this was to teach you to
put down that load of ego
which bars you from entering
the chamber of the Beloved.

To your mind feed understanding,
to your heart, tolerance and compassion.
The simpler your life, the more meaningful.
The less you desire of the world,
the more room you will have in it
to fill with the Beloved.

The best use of your tongue
is to repeat the Beloved's Name in devotion.
The best prayers are those in
the solitude of the night.
The shortest way to the Friend
is through selfless service and
generosity to His creatures.

Those with no sense of honor and dignity are best avoided.
Those who change colors constantly
are best forgotten.
The best way to be with those
bereft of the Beloved's qualities,
is to forget them in the
joy of silence in one's corner of solitude.

~

Let sorrowful longing dwell in your heart,
never give up, never losing hope.
The Beloved says, "The broken ones are My darlings."
Crush your heart, be broken.

Beloved, show me the way out of this prison.

Make me needless of both worlds.

Pray, erase from mind all

that is not You.

Have mercy Beloved,

though I am nothing but forgetfulness,

You are the essence of forgiveness.

Make me needless of all but You.

# Further:
* Poetry of Abil Kheir via Poetry-Chaikhana
* Rubaiyat of Abu Saeed Abil Kheir
* More Sufi Poetry at Wahiduddin

Blessed is the Day when Christ was born: As-salamu AAalayya yawma wulidtu

2011-12-25T22:59:00.002+06:00

Church of Nativity, Bethlehem, Jerusalem

Wa as-salamu AAalayya yawma wulidtu,
wa yawma amootu,
wa yawma obAAathu hayyan.

"Peace is on me the day I was born,
the day that I die,
and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)"!

- from the Blessed sayings of Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus, son of Mary),
The Holy Quran, Chapter of Mary, 19:33

Greetings of a Blessed Christmas to you all. Merry, Merry Christmas.

May the Remembrance of the Day of Birth of Christ be a blessed occasion to give new life to the true Teaching and Ideals of Christ who was a Word, a Command of God and Spirit from God, the Most High. May this occasion be an occasion of contemplating on all that brings everlasting Peace and an occasion to let go off everything that is false and perishing. May we remember Jesus as the connection between three streams of Abrahamic lineage, namely: the great Jewish tradition of Masculine principle, the noble Christian tradition of Feminine principle and the balanced Islamic tradition, a marriage of Masculine and Feminine principle bidding to the Siratal Mustaqim, the Golden Path.

We send our greetings of peace to Isa Messiah, the great Archetype of Saintly Souls and we also send our greetings to Mother Maryam, the Noble Mother who was an embodiment of perfect surrender and who is honored above all women who ever walked on this earth. We invoke Divine peace to the Holy Mother and her unique Child. May we be accepted among those whose greetings and invocation of holy benediction reach them both and who are blessed with a return greetings by them. Amen. al-Fatiha!

Allahumma salli wa sallim wa barik ala Sayyedina Isa, wa Sayyeda Maryam, wa Sahabi al-akram.

O Allah bestow Your blessings, peace and grace to Master Jesus and Lady Mary and their noble companions.

Turn to God: Obeying Christ's first call

Those who are familiar with the Injil or Gospel knows that when Christ first began his mission, his first call was, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near." (Matthew 3:2) When Gospel was written in Greek and later translated (and mistranslated) many words changed due to limitations of the later language. The word that we know as "Repent" if we trace back to original Greek means "To Turn to God" which refers to a call for re-orientation to God. In Islamic Spirituality this is known as "Tawba" which means the same, "Turning to God."

May on this occasion when the world come to remember the matchless personality and peerless soul of Christ, may we stop and try to act on that first calling of Christ, which re-orient ourselves, our intention, our action, our mission, our day to day living to God, the Beloved, the Lord, the Creator - the Giver of Life and Death and Who is Ever So Tender and Forgiving to those who turn to Him.

Here is an invocation which is called the Best of Invocation for Turning to God, Sayyid al-Istighfar which is a prayer of heart with the intention of repentance, seeking divine forgiveness and turning to God.

Successor of Christ in the Mission of Divine Messengership, Muhammad Mustafa declared, "the most superior request for forgiveness is to say:

Allaahumma anta Rabbee
Laa ilaaha illaa Ant.
Anta khalaqtanee wa ana 'abduka
wa ana 'alaa 'ahdika wa wa'dika mastata't.

A'oozu bika min sharri ma sana't.
Aboo'u laka bi ni'matika alayya
wa aboo'u laka bi zanbee.

Faghfir lee. Fa innahoo laa yaghfiruz-zunooba illaa ant.

(see Sayyid al-Istighfar in Arabic script)

"O God, You are my Lord.
There is no god but You.
You created me and I am Your servant,

following your covenant and promise to you as much as I can.

I seek refuge in You from the wrongs that I have committed.
Before You I acknowledge Your blessings bestowed upon me
and I confess my sins to You.

So forgive me, for surely no one can forgive sins except You."

The Prophet (s) then added, 'anyone who says this during the day, firmly believing in it, and dies before the evening; or says it in the evening, firmly believing in it, and dies before the following morning, will be among the people of Paradise (ahlul Jannat).' [Sacred Tradition of Islam, Sahih al-Bukhari, vol 8, pp212-3, no 318]

May Christ be Your Inspiration Today, Tomorrow and Beyond

Below is a roundup of past posts on blessed Christ as published at Technology of the Heart. Feel free to share them in your social network / share them in your writings. Wish you a blessed time of Christmas!

The Day is Sanctified when Christ was Born

The Significance of Restoration of True Image of Christ

Jesus is here, and he wants to resurrect somebody!

Jesus, the Symbol and Sign | from Ibn Arabi

Resurrection of Jesus | Gnostic Perspective and Beyond

Ephphatha | Healing of Christ and Sufi Invocation

Hadith of Isa Masih on Zuhd | Ascetic Sayings of Jesus Christ

Jesus, the Murshid

Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet | loving the creation for the sake of loving the Creator

What word did Jesus use to call God?

Final Testament, Quran on Isa Masih

Sufi Reading of Jesus' Teaching Parables

Was Jesus raised and trained as Nazarene Essene?

Ask, Seek, Knock | A Sufi Exegesis of Jesus Parable

Parable of the Pearl of Great Price

Parable of the Budding Fig Tree and the Fig

Jesus in the Eyes of the Sufis

A Sufi Commentary on Beatitudes

Jesus: Prophet of Islam

The Untold Story of Jesus | Bawa Muhaiyaddeen

Jesus and the Hermit | a sufi story

The Essene Gospel of Peace

Is it possible that Jesus survived Crucifixion, healed from his apparent coma?

Jesus in India: During the lost years and after surviving crucifixion

Sacred (and Secret) Marriage of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene

The Spiral Dance and Hymn of Jesus Christ

~

The house of Jesus was the banquet
of the followers of the heart
Oh, the suffering one! Don’t quit his door.
From all sides people gathered around his house
Some were blind, some lame, and some insane.
Each morning they went to his door
So that their defects could be healed by Jesus’ Breath

Jesus, that man of the good path, would say his prayers
And would come out, seeing many groups of sick and weak people
Sitting and waiting at his door of hope.
Jesus would say: Oh, the stricken ones!
God has granted your needs and cures.

The people would then walk, with no pain and trouble,
Toward the blessings and mercy of the Divine.
Like the camel whose chains were lifted from their feet
The people would walk freely and joyfully toward home.
They all were cured by the prayers of Jesus.

And now, you, my friend!
and now you!

Have you examined your own defects?
Have you found a healthy state of being
In the presence of the masters of the good path?
Has your lame walking on the spiritual path been cured?
Has your soul been free from the sufferings and sorrows of this world?

~

In the fire of the Divine love, behold
I saw a whole universe
Each particle there possessed Jesus’ Breath.

Hu, Hu, Hu!

~ Rumi ~

Slinking whispering of mind and experience of alienation and separation

2011-12-24T00:22:00.003+06:00

One of the most common issue of the human mind is insinuating whispers which is also called chattering, casting of doubts, inner voice / dialogue of the self. Perhaps one of its extreme forms is a mental condition called voice hearing. There are many around the world who identify themselves as voice hearer and it is labeled as a mental illness. According to Mental Health Foundation of UK, "Hearing voices are still considered by psychiatry as an auditory hallucination and as a symptom of conditions such as schizophrenic disorders, manic depression and psychosis. The orthodox treatment is with major tranquillizers. These do not get rid of the voices." The related medical community and psychiatrist are very curious over this unsolved phenomena.

Ordinary human beings who don't suffer from any severe form of voice hearing are still subjected to chattering of mind, internal dialogues which are hard to get rid of. For the average person in every minute his mind is bombarded with many unintentional thoughts that continuously rise and fall. Thus developing the ability to go beyond this natural tendency of the mind and to be able to still the mind is encouraged in many spiritual traditions through practices such as meditation, observing the mind, through vigilant watching of the mind.

2.
Say: “I seek refuge with the Lord of humanity;
From the evil of the retreating whisperer -
Who whispers into the Heart of human being."
- The Quran, Chapter of Humanity

In the language of Islamic spirituality there is a term for the inner whispering which is called waswasah which literally means "sounds like whisper, rustle." It also refers to suspicion, delusion, misgiving. baseless possibilities that rise within the heart. In the 114th chapter of the Quran, man is taught to seek refuge from the whispering using the verse, "Min sharril waswasil khannas."

The word khannas is derived from khunus, which means to hide after appearing and to retreat after coming into view. Since khannas is the intensive form, it would imply the one who behaves thus very frequently. Now, obviously the whisperer has to approach man for whispering again and again, and besides, when he is also described as khannas, the combination of the two words by 'itself gives the meaning that after whispering once he retreats and then again returns over and over again to repeat the act of whispering. In other words, when once he fails in his attempt to whisper evil, he withdraws, then he again returns to make the second and the third and the next attempt over and over again. This is the nature of the inner whispering which plays hide and seek in such a way that the source remains illusive, ever retreating. When this form takes an extreme situation, this become a mental illness and there are cases where the voice hearer can no longer stand this phenomenon and might even be tempted to end his or her life. May God save us from such calamity and we seek refuge in God, the Sole Refuge.

And if an evil whisper comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge with Allah.
- The Quran, 7:200

Seek help from Allah, the Most High, and do not lose heart, and if anything (in the form of trouble) comes to you, don’t say: If I had not done that, it would not have happened so and so, but say: Allah did that what He had ordained to do and your saying “if” opens the (gate) for the Shaytaan.” - Muslim, Book 33: Destiny, Number: 6441

… Allah does not wish to impose hardship upon you. Rather, He wishes to purify you; and to complete His blessings upon you; and in order that you may be thankful. - The Quran, 5:6

3.

Shaykh Ebrahim Schuitema of the Darqawi-Shadhiliya Tariqa who resides at Gauteng near Johannesburg, South Africa recently gave a talk in Singapore at a conference and there he touched on the Waswasah or the inner whispering. A highlighted version of the talk is shared here where he takes on how our mind's experience of alienation, loneliness and eventual suffering is caused by the judgmental mind and the waswas which cause separation and judgment. May we find the wisdom shared by the Shaykh useful and may Allah preserve him and accept his work.

"That waswasah (whispering, chattering) of the mind creates our experience of alienation and of loneliness.

The fundamental character of was-was is judgment .

If you are walking down the road and even if you are looking at the world around you and you say "Boy, I am never gonna buy a car like that. That probably is not allowed etc."

This judgment that is going on in your mind continues to separate you, takes you, put you apart from the world. It creates a sense of boundary. Your internal dialogue is the source of your experience that you exist as an individual. That experience that you exist separately from the world is AN ILLUSION.

So, when you experience yourself to exist as a separate individual 'creature' you are cutting yourself off from the continuity which 'produces' you and 'sustains' you, moment by moment. To think that you exist distinct from the rest of the universe is crazy!

You are a collection of stardust.You are an orchestration. In fact it's stated that it has taken all events since the beginning of time to 'produce' your life. You are a weaving of this 'magical' set of circumstances by the Rabb to 'produce' your life now. All things that have happened prior to this moment had been necessary ingredients to 'produce' who you are now.

In the Vicinity of the Cone Nebula via Astronomy Picture of the Day

You don't exist as separate from the world. You exist as a 'knot' in a carpet associated and connected with
everything else. So, our sense that we exist as separate individuals is an illusion and it is an illusion that we sustain by our on-going commentary on life, our was-was, our internal dialogue.

We don't realize that every judgement that we make on the world, says or reflects more about ourselves than it does about the world. We also don't realise that with every single judgement that we make, sets us apart from and therefore alienates us and cuts us from everyone.

And if you look at someone and you say (internally) that, "Well I'm better than you!" or "you're below me!" You are making yourself distinct, you are standing above him. And if you do that all the time, if you're walking through the world with that spirit of judgement the whole time, you are just carrying you internal dialogue. You'll start experiencing stuff as being very alienated.

You have to understand that this idea that you exist as an individual is the source of your suffering. It presents you with an immense problem. If you say, "I am opposite to the rest of the universe. I am separate from it. I am different from it. I am cut off from it," - you are immediately confronted by the problem of that which is very small, confronted by that which is indescribably vast. Now, the nature of that which is very small in the face of that which is indescribably vast is overwhelming.

So while you experience yourself to exist as an individual, you're living in the face of vivid catastrophe.

You are living in fear! You are living in terror!

You are living in insecurities! You are living in discontentment!

You are living in conflict with the world around you.

There is a route to escaping this terror

There is a route to escaping this terror and that lies at not believing but knowing first-hand, experiencing of the same order like you can feel your legs on the floor now, of that nature. Experiencing that you are connected with everything else, that there is a oneness that you are being participating which is part of everything else. In other words, you aren't opposite to the world. You aren't separate from the world. You are intimately and deeply connected with it like your little fingers connected to the rest of your body. For your little finger to be frightened of the rest of your body would be nuts! Why would you have an interest in harming your little finger? It's part of you.

So in the same way, you are part of the 'continuity' that the entire universe is made. But in order to experience that, you gotta silence yourself so that you feel it! Feeling that Presence.

Feeling that silence is to become aware of the Presence of your Rabb. Your Rabb is the Genius. The Consciousness that sits behind this incredible super-universe (not in a anthropomorphic manner) 'producing' the extraordinary Command.

You are not a lonely, isolated individual that has to sort of pay your bond and thank yourself and look after yourself.

Shell Galaxy NGC 7600 / Image Credit & Copyright: Ken Crawford (Rancho Del Sol Observatory)

You're a child of the star. You are an 'offspring of the universe.' Every human-being alive since Nabi Adam a.s. was your parent. But for that to become true for you, you have to experience the silent, wakeful presence which is in every moment which connects all things.

That is the 'presence' of The Rabb. Within the silence and the quietness of the heart, the Zikr of Allah Ta'ala becomes tranquil and you'll feel how things are. You'll experience how things are. And the root of that experience is that the universe is my 'friend.' It is intimately interested and connected to me in ways that I can't even begin to describe.

May Allah grants us annihilation to Him. May Allah grant us success in this Path. May He grant us a speedy journey in search for one and bless all our Shaykhs and Shaykhans. May He grant all the Shaykhs and Shaykhas of all Tariqas Insight and Wisdom. May He bless and expand the influence of all Shuyukhs of all Tariqas. May Allah Subhanuwatala grant us nearness to Him and annihilation in Him."

May peace and blessings be upon the Messenger after whom no other Messenger came, and his family and his holy companions and the martyrs of truth.

You may listen to this part via video posted on Facebook through the links below:

* Watch and Listen here: Part 1
* Watch and Listen here: Part 2

via Zawia Ebrahim

Saad and the Reminder by Khalid M Malik Ghouri

2011-12-21T11:18:00.000+06:00

The path of the mystic is an invisible path,
traced out through the universe from the beginning of time.

Its beginning, if there is any beginning,
is set by the yearning of man to know his God,
and its end, if there could even be an end,
is the knowing of God.

~ Reshad Feild

How knowledge permeates within human being is mysterious. That is why there are many different perspectives towards this phenomena. Even secular scientists find it endlessly fascinating to study how babies learn and all the complex mechanism that are in play. From spiritual and philosophical perspective, some say, we already have all the knowledge, all we need is to remember. Another view point tells us that true knowledge is bestowed by God's grace alone and we only have to be open to receive it, no human effort can access that knowledge on their lone effort. The other view point categorizes knowledge and tells us that there are certain knowledge which can be acquired and the other kind is received from heart to heart, from people of gnosis and also from above. All of these point of view may carry truth in different proportion, God knows the best.

From the world in which we live in we can observe that a child even before intellectually understanding his or her relationship with the Mother / to comprehend who really the Mother is in relation to her, at certain point in time at a quite early stage she starts to call the Mother. And there is also a recognition that goes on between the infant and Mother through which if the impression of the Mother's face is missing, if her presence is missing from the child, the child start to cry on her own and it is only through the presence, the voice and reflection of the face that the child becomes tranquil and peaceful again. This communication is not unique to human beings, we see this across the animal kingdom as well.

The calling of the Mother by a child is a Sign that can be considered as a pointer for understanding of the practice of remembrance which is known as Zecher in Hebrew and Dhikr in Arabic and Zikr in Persian and Urdu. Just as the calling of Mother precedes even intellectual comprehension of relationship of the child with her mother, similarly the remembrance of the Name of God is the beginning of deepening the relation and this precedes knowing about God.

Rumi says, "Listen to the moan of the Dog at the departure of his master. That moan is the connection."

Many people have this idea that they can know God. This is like a fish thinking that he can know about the entire ocean and the universe. "They can encompass nothing of His knowledge except what He wills," and all the collective knowledge of humanity from the dawn of history till the Final Hour is less than a drop in comparison to the Knowledge about God, of God. Thus the presumption that limited human mind and even more limited human knowledge can know about God and comprehend that knowledge is a false illusion. No matter how much sophistication humanity arrive collectively at, we remain, in the eyes of God, like infant child.

Just as for the child who is taught how to call the Mother upon whom she utterly depends, humanity is also taught by God by the transmission of divine knowledge through many Messengers to call Him by His Beautiful Names. This is a knowledge which is Universal. The ancient religious paths which survived also carry the same spiritual practice. The Sanatana Dharma or Hindu Path has the practice called Nama Japa which literally means, Recitation of Divine Names. The Hebrew Path also has divinely revealed 72 names of God. Jesus is known to have called upon special Names of the Divine for activating Healing such as the Divine Name of The Ever Living, the Light and the Opener (Ephphatha). Following the same footstep in Islam the cosmic unveiling of Divine Names continue and such Divine Names are called the Beautiful Names / Asmaul Husna which traditionally are 99 in number encapsulating the primary attributes of God.

All the spiritual practices of Islam revolves around remembrance of God. The most frequent Sadhana or Spiritual Practice of Islam is Salaat or Daily Prayer, about which the Quran says, Establish Salaat for the purpose of Divine Remembrance. Salaat literally means connection, thus the central reason to establish Divinely connection is to Remember God. Similarly for every other practice the central activity is calling God by His Beautiful Names which are revealer of His Attributes or the Gnosis and thus Remembrance of Him.

The Mystics of Islam or the Sufis heavily immerse themselves in Dhikr or Zikr because it is the Most Exalted of Practices which involves the Name as well as the Remembrance. The Quran declares, "Dhikr of Allah is the Greatest" (Dhikrullahi akbar). Since Mystics bring both the inner and the outer together, thus the external activities are imbued with their inner realities and for every single practice the inner reality or haqiqa is Dhikr, is Remembrance.

Khalid M. Malik Ghouri, a contemporary Sufi Teacher and writer has a very beneficial book on the Beautiful Names of Allah, called Saad and the Reminder. The Book not only introduces the Divine Names of God, each of which are portal to Divine Gnosis but also their significance and associated Meditation, Abjad or Arabic Sacred Numerology of each of the Beautiful Names.

From the introduction of this book:

This book has been written in such a way that it will guide the seeker to Allah. Normally the 99 Attributes of Allah start with the personal Name, Allah, which is the Ism Zaat, and finish on the ninety-ninth Attribute, As Saboor – The Patient One. In this book we are trying to get back to Allah, therefore the book starts from Allah’s Attribute, As Saboor, and finishes at the Ism Zaat, personal Name, Allah. For those who already ‘know’ Allah, they can read this book from the right (or from back to front in case of E-book) as in Arabic, Urdu or Persian. That is they can start with the Ism Zaat, Allah, and finish on Allah’s Attribute As Saboor. Those who are seeking Allah can start from the left as in the Latin languages from Allah’s Attribute As Saboor and finish at the Ism Zaat, Allah.No matter which direction the reader approaches this book, each one shall find something of interest to him or her, Inshaa Allah.

May Allah preserve the author and open the door of benefit for us. Divine Benediction and Salutation to the Final Messenger.

Click on the image below to access the Book in PDF format

You may also download another of his book called, Meem wa Salaat (Meem and the Prayer) from this site.

"The most beloved of deeds according to Allah is that you die and yet your tongue is still moist from the remembrance of Allah." - Sacred Tradition of Islam, via Ibn Hibban, Hasan

# References:
* Meem Connection

Thus spoke the Messenger of Love

2011-12-19T20:06:00.000+06:00

Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Love, may our love be perfected for him has transmitted, "A Mu'min (person of awakened faith) is an embodiment of love and affection and there is no good in one who neither loves nor is loved."

- Sacred Tradition of Islam (Hadith)

And among God's signs is this that He has put love and mercy between your (hearts); verily in that are signs for those who reflect.

- The Quran, Chapter 30, Verse 21

Thy Will be Done: What indeed is the Will of God and becoming a willing servant

2011-12-15T01:22:00.003+06:00

The following is from the discourse of Spiritual Teacher and Guide in the Sufi Way, Reshad Feild, may God preserve him - quoted from the Book: Steps To Freedom.

So often we talk about the Will of God. Sometimes we are humble enough to ask the question, What indeed is the Will of God? Without will of our own, it is not possible to understand what the Will of God is.

When we learn love, we shall have will. Will is the beginning of the first step on a long journey from beliefs to knowledge. Master of our own will is the door that leads to service. When we can choose to allow God's Will to be done in us, we are in service.

If we have will, then we can use our will to let go and be a vehicle for God's use. We can be driven from the inside, instead of being pushed and towed around by outward appearances.

Will is the ability to fulfill responsibility and obligation; that is, to know responsibility and act accordingly. It is the ability not to waster time wondering and thinking about what responsibility is or should be, but to know on all inner levels.

Will is beginning of the becoming of Being. Will is a gift, as are all the other attributes that lie in waiting within man. Because we think we already have "will," we do not call upon what is really a potential for the having of will.

If we do not know who we are, then we cannot say that we have will. People are afraid of being too self-willed ... thinking that they have no responsibility in the process. But if we remember that there is one absolute Being, we will realize that all creation is an expression of an Infinite Will.

If each man develops his will, he is fulfilling the intention of bringing forth the Will of God on Earth. It is in humanity that the Will of God is most free. God has free-will in man, whenever man says, "I will."

To develop will requires a lot of work. First, there has to be the intention to develop will, and much work must be done to clear the character defects in ourselves, which serves to confuse the intention that has already been given to each one of us. Once we come to understand the unity of all life, our intentions take on a different quality. In ordinary life every intention is based upon what we have known in the past and what we expect in future. (Thus they are) conditioned by the illusion of false time.

A real intention is made outside of time. Herein lies a great riddle. If we are a part of this world, we are made of the stuff of time; how can we make an intention outside of time? The answer is so simple that the mind cannot possibly understand it! The mind wants to analyze it, compute it, complicate it, plan it and explain it, but the real intention needs no explanation, nor can it be explained.

The Sufis say that the true dervish is not necessarily responsible for his actions. This may seem to deny the ordinary understanding of the purpose of the spiritual path, but if we consider the state of an intention made outside of time, we can recognize that we are not the judge of how the intention is going to be manifested. God knows best. He is the judge, not we. A true dervish, then, cannot be responsible for his actions, but he is responsible for his intentions.

Action in life, within time, and subject to the laws of the world. The dervish sets his intention outside of time and then surrenders his will so that the intention can be actualized through him. In the knowledge of the unity of the one Will, the dervish expresses the willingness to participate consciously in the harmonious unfolding of the three worlds. This unfolding can only come about through the agreement of man. God's Will, man's will. When man makes the intention to serve God unconditionally, this intention is beyond the limits of time.

This is the perfect man; this is the man who has come to know and love God so perfectly that this every action is an expression of the Will of God.

The exercise of the intention acts as a bridge between the eternal and the temporal. This bridge is the true nature of man. The bridge is so frail that we need to be in a perfect state of awareness before a crossing can be made. Beneath the bridge a roaring torrent which would sweep us away into unconsciousness. At this stage we have to be absolutely clear about our decision to incarnate God's Will and involve ourselves in life. This is the point of giving up our own will into the Will of God. This is the stage where a vow is taken, the vow that we will continue to work in the world to help others to be free.

Developing will

If we have no will, how can we develop will? Once it is seen that we have no will, we tend to feel totally miserable because we cannot do anything. Let us see what "doing" means.

Most of the time we do things out of habit, not through conscious will power. For example: we say we eat meal when we feel hungry and when we wash the dishes. But rarely do we make a conscious decision to sit down at a table, get up and then do the dishes. We just do it as a normal habit pattern. We think we are actually doing something. Our jaws move up and down; food goes in; there is some kind of digestive process; and we keep going.

Doing implies bringing order out of chaos. The answer very simply is - BE AWAKE TO ORDER.

Will has to do with fulfilling something. I have always wondered why people do not want to develop will. I can say that we can reach a point whereby if we fail our responsibility as human beings, the will that is needed on Earth may no longer be possible. Eventually, we can lose so much of a certain type of subtle energy that the possibility of regaining the true possibility of our lives on Earth no longer exists.The younger we are started upon understanding the importance of will, the better.

How do we will to have will? The way to have will is to want it. Why do we want it? Without will we could repeat habit patterns of the past again and again. Will to be awake to order. Will to be of service. If we are asleep, it is not possible to be of service.

If we honestly stop for a moment to look at the way we have lived our lives, we will discover that its mostly filled with repeated pattern, conditioned behavior and more of the same habits. Without will we are nothing and nothing (real) is done. If we look very honestly at our own lives, we may discover how little will we have. Unfortunately, very few teachers stress the need of will and discipline. Will and inner discipline are like two hands on one body.

So often we talk about the Will of God. Sometimes we are humble enough to ask the question, What indeed is the Will of God? Without will of our own, it is not possible to understand what the Will of God is. When we have gained will, then we may give that will to the greater Will of God, and then there is only Will. Thus there is the fulfillment of the first law of alchemy: "As above, so below." Did not Jesus say, "Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven?"

It is through man (the complete man who has come to know and love God perfectly) that Love, which is the motivating force behind all creation, can flow into this world. The invocation of conscious man, "Let Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," brings into play a law, in essence perfect, seeking only to manifest itself. We can see the unfolding first appearing as a thought... The thought wishes to manifest itself. It attaches itself to the world of feelings so that man will wish for it to be. Thus, it is charged with life and eventually proceeds into manifestation, having pass through all three worlds.

A good servant has to have will to fulfill the function he or she has been given. Fulfillment indeed comes from the joy of knowing what it means to be a good servant.

We want to give God back something since He gives us everything. It is said that there are only two things we are asked to give Him in gratitude for all that He gives us: service and dependence.

Now, what do these two words actually mean? Dependence means willingly accepting our complete dependence upon Him who is the only provider, Him who is the only guide, Him who is the All-Knowing. It is very hard to be totally wiling to accept this, is it not? So often " we" feel that we somehow or other can do this or that on our own. If we forget that we are totally dependent on His eternal bounty, then what we think we "do" will be nothing more than a repetition of an illusion and a feeding of our own lower nature or egoism.

The more we feed the lower nature, the more in separation we are. The more we are in separation, the more inner pain there is. Of course, since He also provides the law and rules therein, by not fulfilling His commands, our responsibilities, the pain of separation may get worse. If we are reminded of these matters, our yearning gets greater! However, that is no excuse not to fulfill our obligations! To be willing to realize our dependence brings us, once again, to the importance of being awake and respectful, and indeed, conscious of law.

Our way is a a way of love, compassion and service. It is true that without being willing servants of God, we are not fulfilling our obligations in this world, and indeed in our daily lives. A gnostic is not allowed not to take action.

- Steps To Freedom (Threshold Books) by Reshad Feild

Elahi Alamin Allah | Sufi Baul Song by Lalon

2011-12-13T15:40:00.000+06:00


Tumi dubaye bhashaite paro Bashaye kinar dao karo Rakho maro, haak maro, Taite Tomae daki ami. Elahi Alamin go Allah Badsha Alampana Tumi Nuhu name ek Nobire Bhashale okul pathare. Abar tare meher kore, Aponi lagan kinare Zaher ache tri shangshare Amae doya koro shwami Elahi Alamin go Allah Badsha Alampana Tumi Nizam namer batpar sheto Papete dubiya roito Tarmone shumoti dile Kumoti taar gelo chole Awliya naam khatae likhle Jana gelo oirohomi Elahi Alamin go Allah Badsha Alampana Tumi Nabi na manilo jara Mohahed kafero tara Shey mohahed daimal hobe Behishab dojokhe jabe Abar tare khalash dibe Lalon koe mor ki hoe jani? Elahi Alamin go Allah Badsha Alampana Tumi	You mysteriously drown someone only to rescue, And after rescuing, it is again You who reach him shore. You are the Grantor of life and death, calling all to You; Thus You alone I call upon! Allah You alone is the Sovereign Power, King of kings of the multiverse. The world knows that You made Prophet Noah sail across water without boundaries, and it is You Who in Your mercy made him embark. O Lord of my life, please have mercy on me as well. Allah You alone is the Sovereign Power, King of kings of the multiverse. There was this fraud by the name Nizam, Who used to be immersed in sins, You transformed his heart and all his desires to sin vanished. Among the saints his name was inscribed in Your Book, and that is how he became know in the world. Allah You alone is the Sovereign Power, King of kings of the multiverse. Those who did not recognize the Prophet They are the hideous coverer of truth They are to enter Your fiery wrath without reckoning for blaspheming against the Truthful Spirit. Then again You will make them free. Lalon wonders what shall my end be? Allah You alone is the Sovereign Power, King of kings of the multiverse.
Lyrics Lalon Fakir, sung by Latif Shah for the movie Moner Mansuh (2010) \| You may download the song as mp3 (for personal listening only).

This beautiful song is from the Movie "Moner Manush" a movie on the life of the famous Mystic Saint and Baul of Bengal, Lalon Shah, may Allah be pleased with him.

You may watch the movie in full via Youtube by clicking here. The original language of this film is Bengali and the version on Youtube doesn't have English subtitle. This is very well made movie made in collaboration of two countries, Bangladesh and India and captures very artistically the mystic life style of Lalon and how the flow of his life gave birth to a whole new movement for the mystics and the God intoxicated ones.

+ Click here to listen to other songs from the movie Moner Manush via Youtube.

Prayer from a Night of Full Lunar Eclipse

2011-12-11T00:43:00.001+06:00

1.
My Lord, if You are not pleased with me,
then what am I doing here?

And if You are pleased with me
then nothing else really matters!

Let Your song be sung through every string of my life.
May all tune, all songs merge in One Song.

My God, as long as I live, may I live by Your Will.
Can there be any will for lover apart from the Will of the Beloved?
Harmonize my will with Yours to the extent that in the Ocean of Your Will, mine be obliterated like a drop.

Please grant me the knowledge of Your prescribed limits,
grant me the wisdom to understand what is permissible,
what is recommended, what is indifferent, what is unadvised and what is not permissible - through the path traced by the best of exemplar, peace and blessings to him.

I call You by all Your exalted and blessed Names, by all Your Names both known and unknown, by all Names by which Your chosen friends called upon You and You answered their prayers, for You are the Hearer and Answerer of supplications.

By Your noble promise of love: "Remember Me, I shall Remember You" (fazkuruni azkurukum), please remember me as I remember You and glance upon me with a glance of tender mercy and in that glance enshroud my limited humanity with Your Unlimited Divinity.

You alone is the Light, the Veil and the Shadow. Like how You make the sun cover the moon with shadow of this earth, cover me completely with Your never ending Love like a gentle shadow over my existence sustained only by Your sole existence. For is there any existence but Your Existence?

- Sadiq M. Alam
Dhaka, 10 December, 2011

2.
The Reality, Exalted is He, is free from all attributes of changeability. He takes the Veil and removes all thoughts of differences from concept of Divinity, so that they are filled with wonder when they see the Truth freed from things which manifest with the people; and if they desire to give expression to the marvelous Secrets they are prevented from doing so lest words should escape which might resemble the attribution of human qualities to Allah; and this would become a temptation (fitnah) in the ears of the People of the Veil. In truth, this would come only from an elevated desire not to associate any human quality with the Image of the Divine.

Therefore, the only ones who can free themselves from the why and from the possibility of making false attributions, are the Knowers, the ones who have followed the Path of the Unity.
..
The Oneness in the Essence and the Attributes is what he who fears illusion fears when he hears of the Attributes and he draws near to them, so that he comes to think of them as numerous, in the same way as the unbeliever of old thought of them. But Allah is above all that, and in the Unity the Truth has no numbers, nor does it permit of either increase or decrease, of superfluity or of lack, because there is only Allah alone, and nothing else with Him, and He is through Himself Alone. The Divine Attributes have no existence in themselves alone, and they are not independent in their existence, nor are they capable of being detached from the One Whom they describe; which is the Essence. This is the meaning of the Oneness of the Essence and the Attributes; and as for the Oneness of Actions, there cannot exist any action which is other than the Action of Allah, Praised is He.

- Music of the Soul- Sufi Teachings by Shaykh Muhammad al-Jamal ar-Rifai as-Shadhili, may Allah preserve him and increase our capacity to receive from him

Journey Through Ten Thousand Veils - Maryam Kabeer Faye

2011-12-05T10:51:00.000+06:00

1.
Introduction

Seekers of truth exist in every age. As increasingly we are living in a world where people have less and less time for the Essence, we are often tempted to think that in this age of Wall-Street, stock exchange, hot jobs in the corporation and credit card crunch – who would have time to seek those matters that has very less to do with the perishing material world but all to do with the everlasting hereafter, the Kingdom about which every Messenger transmitted to humanity. The Quran promises: “falan tajida lisunnati Allahi tabdeelan, wa lan tajida lisunnati Allahi tahweela” - You will never find in the way of Allah any change, and you will never find in the way of Allah any alteration.” (The Quran 35:43).

Thus the Way remains always open and the seekers are drawn into the irresistible attraction of the Divine yearning in this age like every age in the past for the Divine is The Irresistable, al-Qahhar.

Maryam Kabeer Faye is one of such contemporary seeker who was pulled by the Divine yearning to seek and embarked on an extra-ordinary journey that continues in our time. Out of her journey came the wonderful book called, "JOURNEY THROUGH TEN THOUSAND VEILS, The Alchemy of Transformation on the Sufi Path."

About the book, Marcia Hermansen, Director of Islamic Studies Program at Loyola University writes, "From 1960s Berkeley to India, Iran, Jerusalem, Europe, Sri Lanka and Senegal - Shaykha Maryam Kabeer Faye's amazing account of a spiritual odyssey through religious traditions describes her encounters with some of the great guides of the past 40 years and continually offers fresh vistas and deep insights. This is Islamic Sufism from the inside; powerful, authentic, and inspiring. Read this book and believe."

2.
Upcoming Interview with Shaykha Maryam Kabeer Faye

I recently received permission from Shaykha Maryam to interview her for the readers of Technology of the Heart. In this post I would like to introduce Shaykha Maryam Kabeer Faye, her extra ordinary journey in spiritual seeking and her wonderful book, Journey Through Ten Thousand Veils. In this post I have compiled reviews of the book and her past interviews to give a glimpse of her journey and background as well. Being a contemporary seeker and now a Sufi Teacher, Shaykha Maryam is an important exemplar of our time.

3.

An Extra-Ordinary Journey

When she was twelve years old, Maryam Kabeer Faye was given a painted scroll of an ancient wanderer, upon which were inscribed the words: Seek and The Truth Shall Make You Free. This message galvanized her soul and determined the course of her life. Following the call, she set out on the journey, internally and then externally, and was guided around the world many times, from one remarkable being to the next, everywhere collecting messages and clues.

Born in a Jewish family, she was led to live in India and Nepal, and in monasteries in Europe, and then guided to embrace Islam at the hands of an ancient Sufi Master a few minutes away from the tomb of the Prophet Abraham. She then was guided to study intensively with Sufi Masters around the world. Her journey to the holy places and people of the earth, led her finally to Africa and the deep truth that all lives are totally interconnected and united with our own. This profound realization dispelled the great myth that the creations of the One Most Loving Creator can be separated by any racial, national, or cultural distinctions. Guided in her journey of profound transformation and illumination to many extraordinary places and understandings, ultimately to the realization of the deep truth that all lives are connected and united in the oneness of the Creator.

This book is a significant and revealing social commentary, also dispelling many other myths and stereotypes such as the proposition, often fostered by the media, that women are inevitably oppressed in Islam. On the contrary, it is by entering into the heart of Islam that the author was liberated, elevated, empowered, and guided to realize the true purpose of her existence.

Kabeer Faye paints a picture of a glorious, golden chain of individuals of all faiths and types who welcome her, contribute to her progress, and accompany her along her way. Descriptions of the many lands she explores and the regions she traverses are intense, vivid and colorful.

Among them are her childhood and early youth in sixties’ California, her experiences of the warmth and hospitality shown to her in Afghanistan and Pakistan before the region became wracked by war, and a moving description of her pilgrimage to Mecca that reveals its inner meaning to a believer of deep faith.

The stages of the inner journey are revealed synchronistically with the outer journey, which led her to so many realms. Her encounters with masters and teachers of various faith traditions in India, Europe, the Middle East, and America, and then culminating in Africa, are recalled with insight and reflection, and she makes many astute observations about how their teaching is heard and understood differently by people in different states of awareness. By the will of God, her journey into the heart of Islam was directed by Sufi Masters she was destined to meet: Sheikh Bawa Muhaiyaddeen in Sri Lanka and Philadelphia, Sheikh Abdoulaye Dieye and Sheikh Aly Nadaw in Senegal and other parts of the world . Under their guidance, she found the eternal truth brought by all the prophets and messengers sent by God to humanity. Her quest for liberating truth and divine knowledge led her to Sheikh Harun Rashid Faye of Senegal, West Africa, from whom she received the blessing of the Mustafawiyya Tariqat. Through intensive training, she became a Sheikha in this noble Sufi Order.

A journey of leaving the world as we know it in order to return to the Source, Journey through Ten Thousand Veils is the story of striving to give up the world while still remaining in the world, to make the return to the light.

4.
What Others say about Shaykha Maryam Kabeer Faye and her Book

Sheikha Maryam Kabeer Faye takes us on an exciting journey from California to Afghanistan, from India to the French Alps, from Jerusalem to Senegal, in search for a realized Master who can reflect and unveil the hidden knowledge within her. The book plunges the reader into the experience of her discovery of the beauty within all of monotheistic religions, manifesting ultimately as one sole message, revealing the nature of the One Creator, the Only Sustainer. The history narrated in this extraordinary book is not literature, but a practical guide, based upon living experience, for any sincere traveler in search of spiritual transformation and opening to the inner truth. - Dr. Mansur Escudero, President of Junta Islamica, Spain

Journey Through Ten Thousand Veils contains Shaykha Maryam Kabeer Faye’s autobiographical account of her life long search to become closer to God, ultimately via Sufism, in Islam, and what journey it is! The memoir is all the more impressive, because the author is a historical person in her own right, with a unique experience ranging from the counter cultural milieu of 1960’s California to encounters with various eastern Masters popular in the “new age”, to a long and studied absorption in a number of different Sufi orders and discipleship under their inspired Shaykhs. This book will be highly valuable to any seekers of God, as Faye examines all of the multiple dimensions of a quest. It is also a treasure as a record of a precious and significant part of American Muslim History. The author’s frankness and sincerity through all the variety of what she has discovered make reading her book a memorable experience. - Khalid Yahya Blankinship, Chair of the Department of Religion, Temple University, Phila, PA

With the hard-won key forged from her extensive and adventurous God-seeking world wanderings, Shaykha Maryam, an exemplary Sufi teacher, is given entrance to the world of West African Sufism with its rich mystical tradition. Her journey with her son to Medina and Mecca, and their visit to the Kabah, is probably the most exaltedly symphonic and overwhelming of her pivotal experiences in the book, in her relentless search for transformative liberation and the Truth of Certainty. - Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore (Poet, The Ecstatic Exchange)

5.
Interviews: Audio, Video and Text media

Maryam Kabeer Faye being a speaker and writer on Islam, sufism, and spirituality also travels extensively throughout the world on the mission of building bridges of light, knowledge, and understanding. Below are some of her interviews in other media.

+ Radio Interview via IN DISCUSSION with David Gibbons
Listen to part 1 (partial) and part 2. (mp3 format)

+ Read and listen to: American Jew Finds Peace in Islam / Quest for spiritual truth guides US woman to Sufi Islam via Voice of America

+ Read: My path from Judaism to Sufism by Maryam Kabeer Faye via Guest Voices at Washington post On Faith

+ Listen to an interview with Shaykha Maryam by Mike Schwager at The Enrichment Hour of Sedona Talk Radio (mp3) (the interview begins after first 38 min)

+ Listen to an Interview with Simran Singh via 11:11 Talk Radio

+ Youtube interview: Part 1, Part 2

++ Your Question to Shaykha Maryam: For the upcoming Interview to be published here, if you would like to ask a question for Shaykha Maryam, which will be part of the interview, please post your question as comment to this blog post by clicking here.

# Further:
* Get the Book via Amazon
* Official Website
* More about the Author: Maryam Kabeer Faye
* Connect with the Shaykha Maryam via Facebook

Benefits of remembering the Saints, the Friends of God

2011-12-01T19:12:00.001+06:00

In his famous book, Memorials of Saints: Muslim Saints and Mystics (Tazkeratul Awliya) Sheikh Fariduddin Attar points out few benefits of remembering the friends of God who are called Auliya:

1. It quenches the heart of the worldly people.
2. The holy sayings help remember the hereafter.
3. It enlightens the love of God in the heart.
4. When people hear these holy sayings, it inspire them to collect provisions for the hereafter.
5. When people read their lives, people will come to understand how much the hearts of the people of God (ahlullah) were filled with divine love.

Hazrat BuAli Daqqak (ra) was asked, "When we can not act like the great persons and saints, is there any benefit in listening to their words?"

Hazrat BuAli replied, "Yes, even if you cannot imitate their action fully, there are at least two benefits. First, when one listens to the life story of the elders of the religion, aspirations for good work increases in the heart and increase love of God. Secondly pride and arrogance whatever is there in the heart will get diminished and crushed and he or she will come to realize his goodness and badness. Whatever seemed alright before, their faults will be clear."

Shaykh Mahfuz (ra) said, "Do not judge others with the scale of your self, rather compare your self with the scale of the saints, the friends of God, the auliyas. Then you will understand their greatness and your own pettiness."

Hazrat Junaid Bagdadi (ra) was asked, "Does the disciples benefit from the lifestory of the saints?" He replied, "Their sacred utterances are like the solider of Allah. Those seekers who have a weak heart, it will be strengthened by them, he or she will receive help from these soldiers like speeches."

Allah has thus spoken, "O Muhammad! I am retelling the stories of early Messengers. This will enliven and enlighten your heart and you shall receive peace!"

Hazrat Muhammad (s) has thus spoken, "Those who attained faith and the friends of God - discussing and remembering their life story cause Allah's blessings to descend. If anyone spread a table hoping to receive mercy from Allah, he will not be disappointed."

Hazrat Yusuf Hamdani (ra) was asked, "When this age will be gone and the saints and friends of God will go behind the veil, what shall we be with, how shall we console our hearts?" In reply he said, "Everyday read at least eight (8) pages of their life story and what is written about them. I consider this to be a regular spiritual exercise (wazifa) for the spiritually idle."

Once a person asked Hazrat Abdur Rahman Askak (ra), "If anyone recite the Quran but does not realize the depth of what he or she is reciting, will the Quran be able to influence the heart of that person?" He replied, "Of course. Because when a person who is unwell take a medicine when he is ill, and does not know what the exact composition of the medicine, how exactly does it work to fight against the sickness and its mechanism, even then don't you see that the medicine is at work? if the medicine of the perishing world can act like that, think then what is the reality of the Words of God. Shouldn't it then have the effect on the heart as it aught to? It is needless to say that if someone study it with its meanings, then it will certainly have an amplified and quick effect on the heart. And the life story of the auliyas are continuous explanation of the Quran.'

Hazrat Junaid Bagdadi (ra) told to Hazrat Shibli (ra), "Seeking the entire world if you come to find a single saint of God, hold tight of his coat tail."

Yahya ibn Mu'adh ar-Razi (ra) said, "The saint is a fragrant plant placed in the earth by God. The truthful take in his fragrance and it comes into their hearts so that they long for their Master. Then they increase their worship according to their different natures."

Ma'ruf al-Karkhi said, "The saints of God are known by three signs: their thought is of God, their dwelling is in God, and their business is with God."

Perfection of the Holy Face: The Book of Hu wa Hu

2011-11-29T10:02:00.001+06:00

This valuable text is brought from the inner teachings of the Naqshbandi Muhibeen portal | Naqshbandis are the Impressionist Sufis, the Designer Mystics who imprint the Secret of God in the Heart of Man | On the authority and transmission from Mawlana Shaykh Nazim Haqqani and his Deputy Mawlana Shaykh Hisham al-Qabbani

My Lord, open my heart as You opened the Heart of the Complete Man.

Alam nashrah la sadrak?

Indeed! As you always open the Heart of the Son of Man

who come to completion in You, by You, for You.

By the truth of Your Perfect Words, Open us!

Ephphatha!

El-Fattah!

Al-Faatiha!

kullushay-in halikun illa Wajhahu

“Everything (that exists) will perish
except His Holy Face.”
- Holy Quran 28:88

From Hellboy to Hu-man

The Most Distinguished Naqshbandi Sufi Way takes its name from one of the greatest Sufi saints, our Master Muhammad Baha’uddin Shah Naqshband, who said “our way is association, and goodness is with the gathering.” In the presence of an authorized Master, the hearts of seekers are slowly attuned to the Divine Presence. As much as the seeker can maintain the presence of their Master, whether physically or spiritually through meditation, that Master can effect a change in the condition of the seeker’s heart. God says “I cannot be found in Heaven or on earth, but I can be found in the heart of a person who believes in Me.” So the purpose of a spiritual guide is that they are able to change the condition of your heart so that it becomes a source of Divine blessings.

The heart of every person is like a treasure chest filled with precious jewels. We all have equal access to the treasure, but most people do not seek a means to open that chest. Every result requires a means – you need a way to achieve that result. Watch any movie about a lost treasure, and you will find the treasure hunters seeking something that others have heard about but have abandoned hope of finding.

It is the same in Sufism. Many people have heard of these realities, but they don’t seek them out. Then the treasure hunters seek out a means to find that treasure, and in every movie they find a treasure map. The map is symbolic of the lives of the Saints who have already walked the spiritual path and received their spiritual trusts. When we read about their lives and study their teachings, we are following a map towards a Heavenly treasure.

Therefore, the entire spiritual path is focused upon perfecting the light that is contained within the heart, and its foundation is the relationship between the student and a perfected spiritual guide who can mentor that student to perfection. This is a particularly important point in the era of the “self-help” mentality. They take that knowledge from the Sufis, because Sufism is an organic form of psychology. But when they brought this knowledge to the West they took out the concept of a perfected guide and called it “self-help”, and Mawlana is teaching us that all of that is a false illusion with no spiritual fruits because it requires the individual to be truthful with him/herself, and the reality is that no one is truthful with themselves.

Generally, when someone is asked what their character defects are they say “well, I have a bit of a short temper sometimes, but other than that I’m a great person.” No one will say, “I am a terrible person filled with bad characteristics” because the ego hides our defects so that we won’t work on ourselves. The wisdom of following a spiritual guide is that they have walked the path and purified themselves of these defects. They know all of the defects, and they know how to treat those defects. Just like a doctor knows how to diagnose and treat a patient, a Sufi Master is able to diagnose and treat negative characteristics that you may not be aware of, but which are preventing you from reaching the Divine Presence.

When we enter Mawlana’s presence for the first time, we are like the character from the movie “Hellboy”.

Hellboy was a huge red-coloured demon with two horns that he filed down so as to not look so grotesque, and we do exactly the same thing! As Hellboy tries to hide his horns, we try to hide our bad character from others. We perfume ourselves and beautify the outside to mask the fact that our inner core is rotten, but in reality, true and lasting beauty comes from connecting the soul to its Divine source. That is why Saints have a beautiful appearance and a beautiful and loving character. They have achieved a station of everlasting beauty by purifying their hearts from material desires.

“By the soul and the proportion and order given to it, and its inspiration as to its wrong and its right; Truly he succeeds who purifies it, and he fails that corrupts it.” (The Quran 91:7-10)

When we enter a Sufi order, however, we are not purified. We are filled with anger and bad character that is making us to be very fiery, like Hellboy. The goal of the Sufi path is to move from that negativity which is represented by Hellboy, towards the perfected image that the Divine created us in, which is represented by the Saints, because they are inheriting from the reality of the Prophet Adam (as) when God said, “We have honoured the children of Adam” (17:70).

What was that honour? We are created in God’s image.

In reality, however, God does not have an image because He has no form, only an emanation of power which is called Hu. That emanation is reflecting from the Divine essence of “Hu” to the face of Prophet (s), and from Prophet (s) to creation, but in reality it reflects to the Saints because we have not yet reached that nobility of purpose that is our Divine inheritance. Therefore, we must seek to follow the guidance of Saints. In following that guidance, they will gradually purify us and dress us with a Heavenly dress, so that we move from Hellboy towards our Divine reality.

"And they give food in spite of love for it to the needy, the orphan, and the captive,
[Saying], "We feed you only for the countenance of Allah. We wish not from you reward or gratitude." (76:8-9)

Secrets of “Hu wa Hu”

It means that they will be dressing us from the reality of their holy face, because as God says in the Holy Qur’an

“Everything (that exists) will perish except His own Face.” (28:88)

There is a deep secret to this verse that Saints are able to understand through their heart, because when that spiritual connection is established, inspirations come to the heart and provide insights that normal people would never think of. If the Divine is saying that “everything will perish except My face”, it is hinting to us that we must be in that image. To be in that image means to be in the image of the Prophets, because God doesn’t have an image; the Creator is outside of creation. God is the essence which is powering creation, but He does not manifest as something created. This is the secret of the numbers 1 and 2, or to use Roman numerals, I and II. The number I is Ahad, meaning “one and only” because there is nothing like the Creator. God has no partner, la sharik Allah. Then the number II is a reflection of I, like a mirror (I + I = II). The II stands for Wahid, meaning “unique”. Wahid has the Arabic wow attached to its Ahad. That wow is for Wadud, meaning that it is in love with the Ahad, and that love for the Divine is the power behind its manifestation.

The number II is the light of the Prophet (s). It means that the first act of creation was the creation of the light of Sayedena Muhammad (s), as evidenced by the phrase la illaha illAllahu Muhammadun Rasulullah. The first part, la illaha illAllah, is a negation: “there is no God but God”. It means that there can only be one source of power. In that negation all that exists is the Creator, there is nothing else. There cannot be two creators in that ocean of negation because all that exists is the essence of power and that essence is One. But the Divine says, “I was a hidden treasure wanting to be known”.

How is the Divine known? It has to manifest, and that manifestation occurs through Muhammadun Rasulullah. So from I and the Divine’s ocean of oneness, comes a reflection of that oneness making II which is now witnessing that oneness . It means that the Divine is known through the creation of the light of Sayedena Muhammad. That is why Prophet (s) said to Sayedena Ali [as], “Verily, before your Lord made any other thing, He created from His own Light the light of your Prophet (s), and that Light rested where God willed it to rest. And at that time there existed aught else-not the Preserved Tablets, not the Pen, not Heaven nor Hell, not the Angelic Host, not the heavens nor the earth; there was no sun, no moon, no star, no jinn nor man nor angel – none was as yet creation, only this Light.”[i]

So there are two distinct oceans we are speaking about: the ocean of God’s essence, which is la illaha illAllah, and the ocean of manifestation known as Nur Muhammad or the “Muhammadan Reality”. When we speak of the light of Sayedena Muhammad we are speaking about all of the Prophets because each Prophet was carrying that light until the physical arrival of Prophet (s). So all Prophets are represented by the number II, which is the Prophetic reality. Prophet (s) was created from God’s essence, and we are created from the light of Prophet (s), we are all drops from the ocean of Prophet’s (s) light. So the Divine is saying “I have created you in My image”, which is the image of the holy face, but due to the circumstances of our existence in this material world, we are pulled towards evilness and bad desires which sicken the physicality and damage the soul, so that our image begins to reflect the excessive materialism of this world, rather than the Heavenly image of our Divine origin. Spiritually, we have assumed the appearance and characteristics of Hellboy. That is why we must seek out true inheritors of the Prophetic way; those who have left the material world and material desires behind, and who only seek the Holy Face of the Divine.

“And keep yourself content with those who call on their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His face, and let not thine eyes pass beyond them, seeking the pomp and glitter of this life.” (18:28)

The Prophetic way is based upon the Prophetic sunnah, which refers to the actions, practices and manners of the Prophets of God. All of the Prophets had strikingly similar sunnahs/ ways. For example, all of the Prophets had a beard and wore a turban, and most of them carried a walking stick. Furthermore, none of the Prophets wore expensive clothes that were symbolic of worldliness. They were ascetics who saw through the illusion of this world and wanted nothing to do with it, and they reflected this state-of-being by wearing loose fitting garments which placed no emphasis on physical beauty or sexual attraction. So when you turn on the TV and you see someone with a Versace suit and a gold watch, you must know that he is not representing the character of Prophet Jesus, who cast-out the money lenders and who was so humble that he washed the feet of common people. And many of the companions of Prophet Muhammad (s) described him as the gentlest, the most tolerant and the most merciful of human beings. God Himself called him “Kindest and Most Merciful” (9:128). He never kept one dinar or dirham in his house, always making sure that everything he had was given to the poor. So when you see someone abusing women or blowing themselves up and killing innocent people (may God forgive us) that person is not representing the character of Sayedena Muhammad (s)!

“O ye who believe! Fear God and be with those who are true (in word and deed).” (9:119)

We are living in a world that is filled with falsehood. That falsehood exists in each of us, but the Saints of God are truthful servants of their Lord – there is no falsehood in them, nor is there any deficiency in their worship or their character. They have been purified and perfected in the light of Prophet (s), which means that they follow every Prophetic sunnah so that when you look at them you are seeing a perfected reflection of the image of Sayedena Muhammad. They dress like him, they talk like him, they act like him, and when you are around them you begin to feel a tremendous love developing in your heart for them because they have been authorized to carry the light of Sayedena Prophet (s). Through them you are able to complete your faith. When we say “I bear witness that there is no God but God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God”, it means that you must witness Sayedena Muhammad. Is anyone witnessing him? No. We cannot see him, so that means that we are not even fulfilling the first requirement of the Sufi way. But for sure the Saints can see him, and through them you are developing a tremendous love for Sayedena Muhammad (s) and all of the Prophets, because you are witnessing someone who has been authorized to carry that Prophetic light. That is why God says,

“Obey God, obey the Prophet (s) and obey those charged with authority over you.” (4:59)

Seek out those spiritual teachers who have been given authority from Prophet (s). Seek out those who have reached the station of annihilation in the Divine Presence. Those who have reached annihilation will no longer possess the appearance and manners of an ordinary person. Instead, they will possess the perfected reflection of the Prophetic reality. This is “Sufi 101” - the reality of HuwaHu; the Hu which is the emanation of the ocean of la illaha ill Allah and is reflecting to the holy face of Sayedena Muhammad, Muhammadun Rasulullah. From Muhammadun Rasulullah that light is reflecting to the heart of the 124,000 living Saints, and the Saints reflect that light towards their followers.

At that level of understanding, you begin to see the deep truths contained in movies like Lord of the Rings, Matrix, even Hellboy! Because the Divine doesn’t leave anyone out; everyone must hear the message. If we are not going to hear the message in church or in a religious gathering, the Divine is going to reach us through something that we enjoy, like the story of Moses and the burning bush. Moses was seeking his Lord and he was cold, so God showed himself as a burning bush. Of course, God is not a burning bush, but it is something that we can understand and, more importantly, it made Moses (as) to approach because he was in need of warmth. It is the same with modern technology and movies. So when you watch a movie like Matrix, you see that in reality there is only two characters, Neo and the Agent, and they clone themselves. It means that we all approach looking like clones of Hellboy, and that frequency of light is very negative, but as the Saints begin to clean us and purify us, they pull from the secret of the ocean of:

“Rabbananaaa ‘atmim lanaa Nuuranaa wag-fir lanaa: innaka ‘alla kulli shay-‘in Qadiir.”
“Our Lord! Perfect our light for us and grant us Forgiveness, for thou hast power over all things.” (66:8)

Under the manifestations of that verse, Saints are able to perfect our light so that we begin to walk in the Kingdom of Heaven. It means that we will all be matching our real image in Paradise, like a mirror. At that time we will be dressed with the inner meaning of the Quranic verse:

“To whom belongs the Kingdom on this day?
To God, the One, the Irresistible” (40:16).

According to the teachings of the famous gnostic, Shaykh Ubayd Allah al-Ahrar, 20th Grandshaykh of the Naqshandi Sufi Order, this verse requires us to understand that the “kingdom referred to is the heart of the seeker. If God looks at the heart of the seeker with the light of His vision, then He erases the existence of everything except God in his heart...In that state the heart is speaking, the heart from which God has erased everything but Himself.”[ii]

God says “I cannot be found on Heavens or earth, but I can be found in the heart of the believer.” However, before we can open the heart, the crown of creation must be in submission. The example of a messenger is in the crown, the head. It means we must ask the Masters to take us towards the reality of HuwaHu and how to perfect the 7 openings of the Holy Face, so that we begin to reflect the face of God and the face of the Prophets.

7 Openings of the Holy Face

“Everything (that exists) will perish except His own Face.” (28:88)

So when we first come to a spiritual path we are like Hellboy, filled with bad characteristics, especially anger. That anger made Hellboy to have a red color, very fiery, and like a volcano he could explode at any time. Anger is a very bad character trait because it destroys faith. Those who have attained real faith never get angry. Why? Because they understand in their heart that God is the Originator of all events. But most people are filled with anger, and that anger symbolizes that we are struggling with our faith in the Divine. So when the student enters the doors of a Sufi order, the first thing the Master does is to spark the light of faith in his or her heart. When that light has been sparked, the student can now begin to move towards understanding and opening the levels of the heart, which are 5 levels. These 5 levels of the heart are representing 5 big Prophets of the Divine: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jesus (peace and blessings be upon them all) and Sayedena Muhammad (s).

We are trying to align our reality with the Divine reality, and align our will with God’s will. The more that we are able to align ourselves with that reality, the more we can receive that Heavenly light which frees the soul from its imprisonment in the physical body. The body is a horse which allows the soul to experience, but for most of us it is a wild horse which needs to be tamed. In the first stages of spiritual development, that horse is partnered with the ego and is battling hard against the soul. While the soul is desiring spiritual nourishment and to attend spiritual associations, the ego is making the body to go to Las Vegas and engage in activities that are of no lasting benefit to the soul. So the first step is to start attending spiritual associations; to sit, to meditate and contemplate and feel the energy of the association, but that takes a tremendous amount of willpower because the ego is going to fight you every step of the way. It doesn’t want to go to those associations. That is the reason for the concept of the “body, mind and soul” meditation that a lot of holistic movements talk about. However, many of them use the formula, “mind, body and soul” where they first go after the mind.

Sufism takes a different approach. It seeks to first go after the body and discipline the body, because we understand that if this physicality doesn’t submit and go onto a spiritual path, then how is it going to benefit the mind and the soul? So then the reality is that if you just take your mind into meditation, but your body is free to do whatever it likes, then that is just a level of illusion, where we’re meditating only through the mind and the mind can go in any direction, but has no restriction on the physicality, so then you see many of them can meditate and do anything with their bodies. Sufism comes to teach us energy and a holistic way, that if you discipline the physicality and place some restrictions on the physicality – bring down the power of the ego, and all of these desires – instead of being a wild horse, your body becomes a tamed horse that you can use to take you to the Divine Presence. That is one understanding of the story of when Prophet (s) rode the Buraq, which was a Heavenly horse, on a journey through the seven Heavens and came within “two bow lengths or nearer to the Divine” (53:9). Your body is your buraq, but first it needs to be tamed.

Anyone who has watched how they tame wild horses, you know that a wild horse is not going to easily be ridden. It is not going to allow the rider onto a wild horse because it’s not used to letting anything ride it. So then the concept of breaking in the horse which is the wild ego that has never been told and never been disciplined, means they take these bags on the saddle, fill them with bricks and put this weight onto that wild horse, which makes the horse to buck and kick because it is extremely upset at that concept of being weighed down when it was once free to roam as it liked. It means that the horse has to be weighed down, and these disciplines are teaching us that I have to weigh down the physicality, that I have to contemplate on how much to eat and how much to drink and how much to play and how much to give to this physicality. When I start to put these weights onto the physicality and restrict the physicality it starts to become more tamed and the mind becomes clearer. The bodily desires are no longer controlling the mind, and it is now able to think clearly and understand these realities.

Then after the horse has been tamed, the mind is able to gain greater insight into the secrets behind our physical creation and what this body really is, because the reality is that we are not created for the purpose of endless physical pleasures. “Who knows himself will know his Lord”. The reality behind this saying is the framework for the entire path of Sufism, where God says “We have honoured the children of Adam.” (17:70). Therefore, all of this knowledge is at the first level of the heart, which is the Qalb, under the authority of the Prophet Adam (as), because the Prophet Adam (as) is teaching us about ourselves – who we are and why we were created.

The nobility of our creation is that we have access to heavenly knowledge, and the first step in unlocking that knowledge is to understand our physical creation and what it means to be created in the image of the Divine. It means that we must understand the reality of the holy face, and perfect the 7 openings of the face because it is the crown of our creation; it symbolizes that nobility. And the Divine said, “I have created you in my image”, which means that our face is a reflection of the holy face:

“Everything (that exists) will perish except His own Face.” (28:88)

Therefore, the face and the 7 openings of the face, which are the 2 ears, 2 eyes, 2 nostrils and 1 tongue, must be perfected to begin the opening of the heart and the greater perfection of the self. That greater perfection opens the reality of the holy face because all of our 5 senses have a physical and a spiritual reality. It means that we can hear, see, smell, taste and touch from the level of the soul, and that is an eternal gift from the Divine, as mentioned in the Hadith Qudsi:

My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him.[iii]

That is why the Saints don’t pray for Paradise, and don’t fear Hell, but ask only to see the holy face, and God tells us to find them and frequent their company: “And keep yourself content with those who call on their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His face, and let not thine eyes pass beyond them, seeking the pomp and glitter of this life.” (18:28)

Two Ears: Doorway to the Soul

So when we want to open the heart, the first thing we must do is unlock the crown of creation, which is the head. The first level of the heart, the Qalb, under the authority of the Prophet Adam (as), is showing us that there is a nobility in this creation and that I have been created by the two hands of the Divine. It means that our heart is connected to the Prophetic heart, which reaches to the Divine Presence. The nobility in our creation is that we have access to Heavenly knowledge. The angel in charge of this station is Gabriel, because he is in charge of conveying that knowledge. The first step in trying to unlock that knowledge is “do you hear the message?”

Samina wa attana
“we heard and we obeyed” (2:285).

The highest level of submission is the perfection of hearing. That is what makes a Messenger to be a messenger – their ears are entirely for the Divine. Their faculty of hearing is in complete submission waiting for the Divine order. It means that you have to open the two ears and the power of the two ears because the ears are the door to the soul. As you begin to open the heart to the Divine Presence, the Divine is showing you that your ears are going to be the door to your soul. What you hear is going to affect your soul; if what you hear is good it’s going to nourish your soul; if what you hear is bad its going to crush the soul. So the secret to open the soul is going to be found in what we hear and what we do with the ears. In the washing of the ears and the fasting of the ears is a tremendous Prophetic secret. You wash the ears to wash away negative energy, and you fast with the ears to abstain from negative sounds because those sounds will negatively impact your heart.

Then, are you hearing the message? Are you seeking Heavenly knowledge? That Heavenly knowledge is going to nourish your soul. It is as if the angel Gabriel is going to establish like an agency office in your heart; he’s going to establish his light in your heart. Why? Because then he can send from his Heavenly station to your physical station. He’s going to start sending inspiration. As soon as you clean this body, and say “I’m going to develop this temple, this Heavenly being”, Gabriel starts to send his light and like grafting, his light starts to nourish your light. Then they stand back and watch you to see what you do with what you have been given, because everything in this way is based on trust. Can you be trusted with this knowledge to do the right thing and serve creation?

As that light increases in you then you feel that inspiration becoming very strong because that presence is now very powerful in your heart and he is able to instantaneously bring information in and dispense that light throughout the kingdom of your soul. Then we realize that there is a tremendous importance in my ears. What I hear is going to affect me, so when I’m breathing and meditating and contemplating.

So the ears must hear the message. Then, the more difficult station is the station of obedience. Even the Prophets struggled in their obedience to the Divine, so we have to know that this is going to be a major battle ground. To obey something other than ourselves comes against the selfishness of the ego, and the ego is very upset by this because it means that you are saying “O my ego! Your opinion is useless to me.” That is why very few people are able to seek out spiritual guidance and follow that guidance. It requires a certain level of humility and submission to the Divine. That submission is the ultimate goal of the Sufi path; that I understood that I must give my will back to God. That free will was the test for me, and the greatest act of love and the greatest gift I can give is to offer it back, as Jesus taught us in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” Then that opens the reality of the verse:

“Obey God, obey the Prophet and obey those charged with authority over you.” (4:59)

To obey God is impossible. If we were in obedience to God we wouldn’t sin and we wouldn’t do anything wrong. God knows that to obey Him is extremely difficult, which is why He gives three levels of obedience. The second level is to obey the Prophet (s), but since Prophet (s) is not with us we must obey those charged with authority over us – those who are carrying that Prophetic authority. That verse is referring to the Saints of God, who are inheriting from the authority of Sayedena Muhammad (s). They will train us on obedience and in doing so they will test us to show how much we are still servants of our ego. The ego is like Pharaoh, saying “I am the Lord Most High!”

The ego makes it almost impossible to obey anyone because it sees itself as Lord over you. That is why Mawlana points out that when we say “who knows themselves will know their Lord” we must recognize which Lord we are speaking about, because there are degrees of Lordship. The term “Lord” implies authority and obedience to that authority, and the Saints are inspiring us towards the realization that the physical desires of our ego are the first Lords over all of us – not God. It means that we are only obedient to our ego. That is why God asks in the Holy Qur’an:

“Do you see such a one as takes for his god his own passion (or impulse)?” (25:43)

“Then do you see such a person as takes as his god his own vain desire? God has, knowing (him as such), left him astray, and sealed his hearing and his heart and put a veil over his eyes.” (45:23)

When we follow our physical desires instead of God’s will we empower the ego and give it Lordship over us, and that blocks the spiritual connection with the Divine Presence. The heart is like a satellite dish that is trying to establish a connection with the Heavenly reality, but the ego is like a cloud which disrupts the transmission. That is why God uses the phrase “sealed his hearing” rather than “sealed his ears”, because we are trying to open the spiritual faculty of hearing from the face of the Divine, but so long as we are following the ego that reality cannot appear in us.

So the job of a spiritual guide is to train us and to guide us towards that obedience. It means that they will give advice and then watch to see how much you are able to follow. Most of us, especially at the beginning, will struggle to follow even the simplest advice from Mawlana Shaykh, and that shows us the true nature of the spiritual battle that is taking place within us. From Mawlana’s teachings and Grandshaykh’s teachings, they say that we should put three nails in our head. These three nails are fundamental to progressing within the Naqshbandi Order. The first nail is that if the teacher gives you a broken shovel and asks you to dig, you dig. The second nail is that if the teacher hands you a bucket and tells you to empty the ocean, you start trying to empty the ocean. The third nail is that if the teacher tells you that your sustenance is in the west and you are in the east, you start walking towards the west.

These examples are trying to emphasize the importance of the faculty of hearing: samina wa attana (we heard and we obeyed). Hear the advice and obey it. Don’t try to use your mind. It is not the mind that is their focus, but the heart, so you must know that their advice is unlikely to make sense to your mind, but still you must try and obey. We are speaking only on advice that is within the Divine Law and is not harmful, we are not talking about something crazy. So when the teacher tells you to empty the ocean with a bucket, the first thing that goes through your mind is “this is impossible.” Why is it impossible?! If you have faith in your teacher and in God, then it is not impossible, but faith does not come from the mind, it emanates from the heart of the believer. All that the teacher wants to see is whether we will listen and obey, listen and obey, and struggle in that obedience until Divine support comes. Then you see just how important these two ears are in enabling you to walk the spiritual path, and glory be to God, the Divine shows us physically this spiritual reality because when someone gets vertigo what happens? There is a problem with the inner ear, and suddenly you have trouble walking or even standing. The Divine is showing you that the quality of your hearing is going to determine your ability to walk this path.

Two Eyes are window to the soul

Then we move on to the importance of the two eyes, which are the window to the soul. Once you’ve heard that call of the Divine, then the next step in perfecting the face is are these eyes interested the material world, or are they interested in the Divine Presence? The eyes of the Prophets were always closed to the material world. It means that they had no interest in it; they were not distracted by material concerns because their heart was only for the Divine and they understood that what their physical eyes saw was not the truth. The material world is built on falsehood, that is why you turn on the tv and one day their telling you it’s black, the next day telling you it’s white. So the truth of this material world is that it’s like a big magic act - everything in it is an illusion and you will be lost by the magician. That is why Sayedena Isa, Jesus (may the blessings of God be upon him) described that in this world it is the blind leading the blind – people are not seeing with the spiritual vision that God has granted to them, they are only seeing with their physical eyes.

A perfect example is the movie “Matrix”. What we see and experience is not the reality. When Neo reaches a certain station he begins to see the world of the Matrix in binary code – he sees the reality of the world through his spiritual vision. The Divine says that we are veiled from the truth so that we cannot see it.

“They have hearts wherewith they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears wherewith they hear not. They are like cattle – nay more misguided: for they are heedless (of warning)” (7:179).

What is vision? These two pieces of flesh are connected to the brain, which is like a computer screen. If you are looking at a bird, for example, photons of light from that bird are transmitted to the retina in the eye, which then sends an electrical signal to the brain. The brain, already having the image of a bird in its “files”, recognizes the pattern and immediately an image of a bird pops-up on the screen. However, if the brain is not familiar with something, we often fail to see things that are right in front of us. There is a famous story that when European ships appeared off the Atlantic coast of North America for the first time, the Native Americans did not notice them for many days or weeks because they had never seen ships like them before. The brain had no frame of reference to draw a picture from, and so the conscious mind was completely unaware, or “in the dark”.

The Divine is showing us that “don’t place too much emphasis on what you see with these eyes. Try to open the vision of your heart instead”. This world is dirty and deceptive, and that dirtiness contaminates the heart. God shows us through technology because the heart is like a hard drive, and our eyes are like a digital camera that constantly capturing images all day long. If you allow your computer to capture negative images such as violence, pornography, horror and other vulgar images you are going to crash the hard drive. Those images are saved – once we’ve downloaded them it is very difficult to forget them. Then you have to format the hard drive with zikr and meditation.

So when we want to perfect the eyes and open the spiritual vision of the heart we must close the eyes to this world and spend more time in meditation and contemplation. This is the reason that one of the main principles of the Naqshbandi Order is to watch your steps. It means that the seeker should keep their eyes on their feet because the images of the material world veil the heart.

Nostrils: Unlocking the Divine Breath

Lungs are The Tree of Life, Then, we must become conscious of the breath because every breath is a pocket of life. So are you breathing in remembrance of the Divine? And Mawlana Shaykh is teaching that the Naqshbandi way is built on the breath. That breath is our gift of life, and when put in that context you realize that everything else in life is irrelevant if you can’t take a breath: your money, your spouse, your children, your house, your cars, all of it means nothing if you have no breath. So then go and look at children who are suffering with asthma and every breath they take it is as if they’re dying, and that fear of suffocating is an absolutely horrible feeling. It means the breath is the single most important mercy from God. That is why we call it the Nafas al Rahma “breath of the Most Merciful.” Why? Because we are asking so many things in this room; each person upset with the Divine because they didn’t get what they want, but we have to want what we have before we ask for other things. And the biggest and the greatest gift we have is the gift of life. If God at some time becomes upset with us, in one instant He can make that breath become very difficult to get, and instead of arguing and complaining about all the things we want we find ourselves just trying to take a single breath without difficulty. God forbid that happen to anyone! May He forgive us and keep such difficulties away from us!

So that is the breath of the Most Merciful. “O! My Lord! I am praising You and thanking You for this breath!” It means that we begin to breathe consciously with remembrance. So the Shaykhs are teaching that if we are thankful for that mercy, every other mercy opens because we appreciated the gift of life. Then that answers many questions for us.

We don’t put all these things into the body that are going to contaminate that breath, that are going to poison that breath, that are going to put difficulty onto that breath. We are actually trying to purify the breath, not throw all sorts of pollutants into the breath. We are trying to purify that breath with remembrance, closing our eyes in meditation and breathing in with the zikr of “Huuuuu” from the Divine Essence, and breathing out with “Huuuu.” So it means that the Prophets are showing us the importance of the ears, the eyes, and then the most important - the breath. When the ears are submitting, the eyes are submitting and the breath is submitting, then we begin to open the power of the tongue, which is what makes a Messenger to be a Messenger for the Divine. It means the opening of the “tongue of truth”. That tongue of truth is flowing from Sayedena Muhammad (s) to the Saints because the Saints speak the truth. At that time, when the holy face is in submission, then the Divine can work through that servant.

Secrets of the Star

Kullu shay-in hâlik-un illâ wajha-hu
“Everything (that exists) will perish except His own Face.” (28:88)

Once we have perfected the crown of our creation and the 7 openings of the face, we can begin to spark the light of the Divine within the heart, because God says “I cannot be found on heavens or on earth, but I can be found in the heart of My believing servant.” Sparking that light and building that light within the heart becomes the journey towards what we call an “enlightened being”. In Sufism, we call this the Shaykh al-Kamel, or the “Perfected Guide.” And what symbolizes light and guidance is the star. It means we must unlock the secret of the Star of Soleman (Seal of Prophet Solomon and the Star of David) [as].

Inna hu min sulaymana wainna hu bismi Allahi alrrahmani alrraheemi
"It is from Solomon, and is (as follows): 'In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful"(27:30)

It is not something that only belongs to one particular religion. It is a Prophetic teaching and a gift from the Divine which can unlock the power of the Heavenly Kingdom.

Prophet (s) said “follow any of my companions, for they are like stars on a dark night.” Stars are guidance, are Saints. All Prophets came and taught law for the general public, and taught spiritual realities for the very few elite who were willing to take a spiritual path and to seek. The process of enlightenment is to become a star. It means that once you become enlightened you are filled with light, and when you are filled with light you are a star. You will guide in this world in your physicality, because that light is glowing from you, and you’ll guide in the hereafter because you are a star in the Heavens.

We take guidance for granted now-a-days but before, when people were sailing on ships, they relied completely on the Heavens. They had to look at the sky to determine where they were because there was no GPS, there was no Google Map quest. So the Divine is showing you that anyone seeking enlightenment is seeking to become a shining star. It means that the Divine is teaching us, “if you can unleash these secrets and bring these disciplines upon yourself, entire universes are going to open for you!” You will understand the secrets of creation. You will understand the secrets of light.

When we say someone is enlightened, what does that mean? A thousand years ago, if someone came to you and said “it’s time to become enlightened,” you would say, “what are you talking about, enlightened?!” But now it doesn’t even require faith because science is telling you that from this form you have a molecular structure; from molecular structure you have atomic structure; from atomic structure you have sub-atomic structure, and below all of that you have quantum – light. Quantum physics! It means that we have now reached a point that, ok, faith or no faith it is all going to be laid out for you. Everything has to do with light. Everything around you is created from light. The floor has a form. Its molecular structure has atoms, but when you go to the level of quantum it’s just light, it’s energy.

Science is showing you that everything has to do with light. So when you are “enlightened”, it means you understand everything, because everything has a knowledge. You may open just one level of light which is the energy level. Then you may go deeper in the understanding of light which is the angelic level of understanding, where the angels teach you the reality of each atom of light, and how that light is hearing, seeing, smelling and tasting. It means that every atom in this room hears, sees, smells, tastes – everything! So the pursuit of spiritual realities is the pursuit of light; to enlighten oneself to become light, and that is what Saints had achieved – a station of light. That was Einstein’s theory; that if you become light then time stopped for you. E= Mc2 Why? Because time is only relevant to our physical body that is on this earth, but enlightened individuals are not bound by time anymore. Their soul moves at the speed of light, and that is the importance of what quantum physics is now coming to teach all of mankind.

So to unlock the secrets of light, the secrets of our soul, we must move towards the star and the station of self-realization.

That star is made up of two triangles: one triangle that points up towards the Heavens, and one triangle that points towards the earth. The bottom triangle which points towards the earth represents our earthly or animalistic nature. The three points on this bottom triangle are: 1) anger 2) ignorance and 3) fire. So when we come towards a spiritual path we are engulfed by that lower triangle; means that we are like Hellboy, and we are seeking that upper triangle which provides the remedy for the negativity that is within us and which seeks to destroy us.

The three points on the upper triangle are: 1) religion (Islam) 2) faith (Imaan) and 3) moral excellence (Ihsan). So another understanding of “Hu knows themselves will know their Lord” means that we must know the reality of the Star of Soleman (Solomon and David's Star) [as] , the Prophetic Star, because the star symbolizes our journey towards the Divine Presence.

So when we first come we are in the station of the lower triangle, which is the lower desires and negative energy. That energy by its nature is fiery, and like a wild forest fire it is still not under control. That energy is moving up, and its first influence on the physicality is to keep that physicality ignorant. These two points, ignorance and anger, when we focus on it, it opens many different understandings on how everything is related, and how Sufism opens up the understanding of our physiology - “He who knows himself will know his Lord”. So the first level of knowing is what is this vehicle that I’ve been given? Because this is not your reality; this is a car that you were given for this material world – your body, your form. That is not who you really are because your soul is ancient, but you have to know how does this car operate? How does it function? How do I put fuel in it? How do I drive it so that it doesn’t drive me?

So this fiery energy from the material world, its first influence is to keep you ignorant – ignorant of everything! So that is why the first point on the bottom triangle is “ignorance”. That negative energy is trying to whisper to your heart, “Don’t learn about yourself and why you were created. Don’t learn how to perfect yourself. Don’t learn about how to meditate and deal with stress.” In other words, don’t get any understanding of how to safely and effectively operate this vehicle that the Divine has given you. That negativity that is active in the world wants to keep you ignorant because if it can keep you ignorant you will become heedless. And when you look around, people are more ignorant than at any other time in our history. There is so much information available to us today, but that information is extremely... what is the word? Superficial? Yes. All this information is superficial; coming at you left and right, but there is no wisdom in it.

Then, the next point on the triangle is “anger”. When that negativity can keep us in a state of ignorance we become very angry. Why? Because you don’t understand what is happening in this world. You feel like you’re in the dark and bumping into everything, and then your react from anger instead of wisdom and faith. As that anger increases it makes us to be very fiery because in that state you are burning with the lower desires of the ego.

So the bottom point of the lower triangle is “fire”, and if we place it over the body it is pointing to the area of the genitals. In that region these characteristics of ignorance and anger come together to make us to be fiery, and that becomes the widespread violence and pornography that we are seeing everywhere. Mawlana Shaykh says that in most countries the value of life is about 30 cents, which is the cost of a bullet – and they even recycle the bullets now! All over the world people are being slaughtered, and women and children are being horribly abused. That is a sign for us that this is a very ignorant time, and when you are ignorant you’re going to be very angry, and when you’re angry you’re going to be fiery and violent. In this state of being we are like Hellboy, coming from a world filled with Shayateen, or demonic and evil influences that are pulling us towards negativity.

Then Sufism, which is the path of gnosticism and knowing the self, comes to teach us how to reverse this process by empowering the soul with Heavenly knowledge. It takes us from the station of “Hellboy” to a true Hu-man, by dressing our soul with the reflection of HuwaHu that is reflecting through perfected beings. It means that as the negative energy of the material world is moving up the physicality, there has to be a balance and a solution to that difficulty – because the Divine is Just. That balance is the top triangle which represents the Heavenly energy that is raining down on the physicality from Heavens (although there is no up or down direction). Then these two energies meet at the stomach and the clash begins - like Yin and Yang. That is why Sayedena Muhammad (s) was teaching that the root of all sickness is in the stomach.

So the first point of the upper triangle is “religion”, and it can be any religion that you are comfortable with, but there must be a set of rules which discipline myself, my family and my community; rules which teach me that I’m not supposed to cheat, that I’m not supposed to steal, and that I’m not supposed to hurt anyone. Those rules must be a Divine set of laws or they will keep changing based upon people’s desires, and then the result is that if I’m a person that likes to slap people, I’ll make up a religion where I’m allowed to go around and slap people, and we see many religions like that today. So it has to be a Divine set of rules which clearly explain what is right and wrong and don’t keep changing. Then I know that if something is wrong, even if 9 out of 10 people in the room are doing it, it’s still wrong.

But if we are constantly modifying the part we call religion, then we find ourselves moving in all sorts of different directions and we become distracted. So then the first Heavenly emanation that comes is teaching us to use a set of Divine rules – whatever they are – to govern my physical life. That I’m allowed to do this, and I’m not allowed to do that. These restrictions tame the physicality so that the soul becomes more powerful over the body. Then you can see that “religion” is opposite “ignorance” on the diagram. As we start to govern our physical life according to Divine guidance, we begin combating our state of ignorance because religion brings wisdom to the heart, which is the opposite of ignorance. That’s why it’s like a manual for how to perfect yourself.

When you read any of these ancient texts, it’s like telling you about yourself, and all of these Prophets and spiritual masters, they describe what they went through to reach that reality. So it conquers ignorance; every book of wisdom that you read, regardless of who wrote it. It means that there has to be an ability to extract wisdom from anything you read, and then it gives you an insight like “ah! I was ignorant about that.” And then that writer is writing and showing us how to conquer ignorance when we study about ourselves and how to discipline ourselves, our families and our communities.

Then, as a result of that struggle against ignorance, it builds faith, which is the next point on the top triangle. Faith is not something physical. Faith has to do with the soul now. Once you have applied the physical disciplines that I can’t harm myself, I can’t harm my neighbours, I can’t harm anybody, now the power of the soul is growing because the soul starts to agree with these disciplines and guidelines. The soul is like a bird in a cage. If the physicality is empowered, it makes it like a solid cage and that bird is trapped inside. As the physicality diminishes in its power and has more discipline, that soul begins to move out of the cage. The bars become narrow and there is more space in between so that the bird can come and go as it pleases, and the soul starts to gain greater influence over the body. As the soul starts to gain control, it begins to inspire and increase your level of faith. So that becomes the station of faith because the soul believes in the Divine and respects the law and order of the Divine. It believes in Holy Books – all Holy Books. It believes in the Day of Judgement and that one day we are will be responsible for our actions. It believes in angels and spiritual beings, because as you become more spiritually subtle, the soul begins to teach that there has to be many more types of creation than what we see with our physical eyes.

So faith comes and inspires us that the space you are in is filled with beings that you can’t see. You may look and say, “no it’s empty” but science tells us it has to be full. Your glass of water is filled with life. That is why if they take your water and look at it under a powerful microscope they find creation in it. They look and they find a microscopic bug, and then they zoom-in more and they find a bug on top of the bug. Glory be to God! Because one of God’s attributes is al-Khaliq, the Creator. He is constantly Creating. So then the soul starts to teach us that this room is filled with angels and spiritual beings, and that is from faith. We can’t perceive them with our physical eyes, but there is a technology that God has placed in the hearts of all human beings which allow us to perceive this type of information. That technology is the hands of Saints.

So faith is the exact opposite of anger, as we see on the diagram, because anger is the result of a lack of faith. When something happens that you don’t like and you get angry, it is because you are lacking in faith. If you had faith you would never get angry because you would see every event as originating with your Lord. So as we build our faith we begin to extinguish the anger inside of us like putting water onto a fire. So we begin to see that the Prophetic Star that was given to David is like a self-help manual that tells us about ourselves. By using the star we can judge ourselves and our level of self-realization. Do we find ourselves to be ignorant? Then we need to seek out Heavenly knowledge and study about ourselves. Do we find ourselves to be quickly angered and stay angry? Then we need to build our faith.

Then we come to the two poles of our reality. The bottom point of the lower star is “fire”, and you see that its opposite is the top point of the upper triangle, which is “moral excellence” because moral excellence is the exact opposite of lower desires. If we reach to that perfection that the Prophets and Saints are calling us towards, it means we have discipline, we have faith, then it opens the station of moral excellence and what they call the “third eye”. That is why the point of moral excellence is at the forehead on the diagram. That opens the ability to see what people can’t see. We close our eyes in contemplation and start to use the spiritual vision and open the eye of the heart, which will be moving through that forehead. That is the reality behind the testimony of faith that Prophet (s) was teaching, when we say “I bear witness that there is no God but God.” To bear witness means to see, and Prophet (s) said “worship the Divine as if you are seeing Him.” You can’t see the Divine Presence with your physical eyes, so it means we must open the eyes of the heart through the achievement of moral excellence.

So the station of moral excellence is the top of the upper triangle because it symbolizes the apex of our spiritual growth. It is the exact opposite of lower desires. It means that the more you reach towards moral excellence, the more you will extinguish the fire in your being, and instead of being a fiery and angry creation, the fire becomes the fire of love. Then that becomes the Hu Logo. This is the “face of God”, the secret of HuwaHu through the perfection of the Holy Face, so when we look at it we see that the entire Sufi path is encapsulated in this image. You notice that the heart has replaced the downward triangle from the diagram of the star because as we leave that fiery energy of the material world and start to be dressed by the light of HuwaHu that is reflecting through perfect beings, the sufi saints and masters, then the power of our heart becomes dominant over the lower desires.

That heart is now a heart based off of love - it’s no longer a triangle and love of the material world. And you notice that the heart is engulfed in fire; means it is now burning with that love for the Divine Presence. That is from the reality of the Prophet Abraham (as), when he was going to be burned by the fires of Nimrod.

Qulna ya naru koonee bardan wasalaman AAala ibraheem
“We said ‘O fire! Be thou cool, and (a means of) safety for Abraham!” (21:69)

When we look to a fire we see it as something destructive, but when you in submission to the Divine, that fire becomes cool and peaceful. It means that at the state of perfection when the soul and our lower desire is locked, it becomes a star. And that is why it has six points and this is the secret of a star.

Then people say, “well why don’t you draw it as a light?” Because the reality of a star is that it is a fire. The sun is a fire; it emits light, but its essence is fire. So something must be burning to create that light. And that is why all of the examples of the Prophets and the Messengers of the Divine is that they had tremendous difficulties in life. It means that all of the difficulties that are being carried within the heart, if they are burned and processed through spiritual practices, that fire begins to produce a tremendous light. It means that instead of having fire for the material world and being angry, you develop the perfection of character of bringing in your issues and keeping them to yourself. Not correcting anything or anyone, but correcting ourselves.

Take all of our life issues and anything that happened to us and instead of exploding, bring them inside. But you can’t just internalize them and not doing anything about it; you have to process those negative energies with zikr and meditation. Then those issues become like a source of fuel for the soul to ascend. It means that you bring it inside and try not to explode because anger is like a volcanic eruption. It means that lava just pours on everything and destroys everything, but the way of the Prophets was to bring these issues inside and internalize them and turn it over to the Divine. You start to pray and meditate to the Divine, and have a dialogue: “O my Lord! It wasn’t fair what happened to me!” Start saying that “whatever life brought me I cannot deal with it, and I’m upset by it,” and cry to your Lord.

So you can’t have light without fire. The fire is from the sins and difficulty of people. It means that you take on those sins, and it becomes like somebody throwing charcoal onto your fire. If your fire is small, it needs a fuel source. So what’s the fuel source for your fire? The sins and bad character of people. First you begin to process your own sins, constantly making the zikr of “astafirallah” – “I’m asking forgiveness, my Lord”. Then, God willing, we reach a point where our sins are not so great. Then what is going to feed the fire? Because at that time its like an engine – it wants to burn. Now it starts to take the sins from everyone else, like they’re shoveling coal into that fire and it’s burning hotter and hotter and hotter and giving off more light as a result. So that is why Saints are able to come into an area and take-on the sins and difficulties of people and give out light. Because they burn, they burn, they burn and they give in exchange, light. It means that the Divine is showing us the secret of a sun, of a star, is reflected in the Friends of God, the Saints -because we are a microcosm of the universe. As the Divine says in the Holy Qur’an:

“We will show them our signs on the horizon and within themselves, until it will be manifest to them that it is the truth.” (41: 53)

Then it is a training for us in which direction to go to resolve our issues. We cannot resolve things with our hands and beat on people. Instead, internalize it. Say, “Wow, I cannot deal with that. That was hard and it crushed me.” Then in that love and turning these issues over to the Divine that energy becomes like a rocket fuel for the soul and the soul is elevated. And then the Divine starts to teach in the meditation, “you deserve what happened to you. Take your beatings, take your lessons, take your examples – its bringing your physicality down! I’m trying to dress your soul, not pamper your physicality and make it to be crowned. I’m trying to crush your physicality and bring the reality of the soul out. I want your soul in my presence.”

Then we start to think “why did this happen?” But the answer is what makes you any better than any of the Prophets? Didn’t they have difficulty? Weren’t they whipped and beaten? Didn’t people throw rocks at them and yell at them and throw all sorts of abuse onto them? So what’s wrong with a little bit of difficulty? Because none of us are dealing with the level of difficulty that Prophets had to deal with, so then we constantly turn things over to the Divine, and then the intuition comes back that it’s not that bad. Wasn’t it a little bit of cleansing? Didn’t it bring out some issues that we weren’t aware of? Then the teaching is that this brings out the perfection of character. As soon as something happens, contemplate about it and find an issue in yourself that may have caused it to happen, and then you can use it to resolve a character defect.

This, by the way, is all the study of the Enneagram, which is a Naqshbandi reality that Gurdjieff was given permission to use when he met with our Grandshaykh, Mawlana Shaykh Daghestani. For anyone who is interested in the Enneagram, we have to realize that the Enneagram today of psychology is a self-help program. They took out the mentor and made it a self-help program, which is false because no self-help program ever works. That’s like doing a surgery by book, where you sort of lie down and cut and pull your own organ out and stitch it up! Self-help means that you have to be truthful with yourself and your character defects, and most people are not truthful with themselves, so the Enneagram that people are familiar with in the west today is an innovation of the original reality, which is that the real Enneagram are the spiritual mentors.

They have the knowledge of who we are and what our character defects are. Once you’re in their association, their prayer for you is that that testing starts and that cleansing starts. They pray that, “My Lord, this person is asking to ascend! Let their testing begin.” Then the Divine will say, “I know what is inside of them and I know that which they don’t know about themselves. Bring it out!” If you don’t bring it out, that sickness stays and you are buried with it. At that time you will have to deal with it; at that time they say it is 70,000 times more difficult than dealing with it now. So instead of facing that cleansing in the grave, the spiritual mentor begins to make that prayer and to bring out that badness within ourselves.

Most of the testing is within the association, because it’s more real when it comes from the people you love. If a stranger yells at you, you say “who cares?” but our friends, our community, our family, our fellow students – they have all the buttons. So they are inspired by the Divine: “press 1,2,3” and boom! Everything changed! (laughter). With that realization we have to be happy. The Shaykh’s prayers are moving, and they’re going to bring out all of that sickness with their prayers. So the real Enneagram are the spiritual mentors who are praying for the real character defect to come out. Not the one that you think you have, but the one you weren’t aware of having and how much difficulty it is bringing onto your soul.

That brings out all of these character defects, and God willing, with their prayers and their guidance we will find ourselves reaching the station of moral excellence and the perfection of the star. It means that we will have reached the reality of the Star. When we leave ignorance and seek wisdom; when we extinguish anger with faith, when we come against the fire of materialism and lower desires by reaching towards moral excellence, then it means that we have left our Hellboy reality behind. That negativity within us has died, and we can now be dressed from the reality of the Holy Face. So when we look to the shirt, we see “Hu” written in Arabic over the heart. That “Hu” is the face of the Divine Presence { Not God nothing is like unto him}. If you look you will see two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, and below that the tongue is red and becomes the heart. It means that your heart is in submission, now you may speak with Heavenly authority and what you say will bring blessings to people.

So when the heart has been perfected with the reality of the star, then you become a source of light that is able to spread light to people. It means that you become a true servant of the Divine because you have perfected yourself and can now serve other people. At that time you will have reached the ocean of God’s love, and God says: “When I love (my servant) I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks.” (Hadith Qudsi)

It means that the Divine will be your seeing, and with that vision you will see the Holy Face of the Divine. Then you will go from imitation to reality. You enter as Hellboy, then the Saints dress you from their reality and the reflection of the Holy Face until you reach perfection and are granted that spiritual vision. That vision is what all Saints and mystics prayed for. They weren’t interested in Paradise, and they weren’t afraid of Hell. All they wanted was to see the Holy Face. Those Saints were known in the time of the Prophet David:

"He will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob" (Psalm 24:5-6)

“And keep yourself content with those who call on their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His face, and let not thine eyes pass beyond them, seeking the pomp and glitter of this life.” (18:28)

“Follow the way of those who turn to Me.” (31:15)

Those that seek the Holy Face of the Divine are the Sufi Saints. All praise be to God that we have been destined to follow the very best from among them, the Sufi Masters of our age: may God grant them long life and raise their spiritual station higher and higher! When we follow their way and their guidance, they will lift us to the Divine Presence to be dressed with the reflection of the Divine essence.

Wala tadAAu maAAa Allahi ilahan akhara
la ilaha illa huwa
kullushay-in halikun illa Wajhahu
lahu al hukmu wa ilayhi turjaAAoon

"And do not invoke with Allah (One God) another deity.
There is no deity except Him, the One.
Everything will annihilate except His Holy Face.
His is the perfect Command and Judgment, and to Him you will be returned." (28:88)

Fatiha.

* The Arabic Formula "Hu Wa Hu" literally means, "He is He" / "That which is That", Hu stands as the pointer to the Divine Being (Divine Essence is neither male or female), above every association (la sharika la Hu) and mental conceptualization.

# Reference used in the article:
[i] Hajjah Amina Adil, Muhammad The Messenger of Islam: His Life & Prophecy, p. 1 (Islamic Supreme Council of America, 2002).
[ii] Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, The Naqshbandi Sufi Way: History and Guidebook of the Saints of the Golden Chain, p. 208 (KAZI Publications Inc, 1995).
[iii] Related by al-Bukhari.
[iv] M. R. James (Trans) The Apocryphal New Testament. “The Apocalypse of Peter (Traditional Version)”, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1924.

Credit: Secret Book of Hu wa Hu

Food for Thought: On the other dimension of compassion

2011-11-27T09:46:00.001+06:00

When we talk about

compassion

we talk

in terms of being kind.

But compassion is not

so much being kind;

it is being CREATIVE

to WAKE

a person up.

- Chögyam Trungpa

Chogyam Trungpa (1939 - 1987), the brilliant ‘bad boy of Buddhism,’ fled the invasion of Tibet, studied at Oxford, and shattered Westerners’ notions of how an enlightened teacher should behave. He was a Buddhist meditation master and holder of both the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages, scholar, teacher, poet, artist, and originator of a radical re-presentation of Shambhala vision. Recognized both by Tibetan Buddhists and by other spiritual practitioners and scholars as a preeminent teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, he was a major, albeit controversial, figure in the dissemination of Tibetan Buddhism to the West, founding Vajradhatu and Naropa University and establishing the Shambhala Training method.

"Crazy Wisdom" - a film about the life and times of Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche is recently released and being shown in US and elsewhere. Here is a lovely recollection of Ram Dass (video) of his memory with Chogyam Trungpa at the screening of Crazy Wisdom at the Maui Int'l Film Festival

"Any perception can connect us to reality, properly and fully. What we see doesn't have to be pretty, particulary; we can appreciate anything that exists. There is some prinicple of magic in everything, some living quality. Something living, something real, is taking place in everything." - Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche

# Here are some of his discourses available via Youtube:
* Spiritual Materialism - a good talk!
* Surrendering your aggression
* Basic Goodness and Harmony
* Spirituality and the Now
* Meditation Instruction @ Naropa Institute
* Chogyam Trungpa - Naropa Talk
* The Ice Cubes of Bodhi
* Challenge Demoness
* The Perfect Love Poem

# Resources:
+ Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
+ Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project

The Dawn of Love | Meditative Quranic Verses

2011-11-25T08:51:00.001+06:00

Qul aAoozu bi Rabbi al-falaq
Min sharri ma khalaq
Wa min sharri ghasiqin ithawaqab
Wa min sharri annaffathati fee alAAuqad
Wa min sharri hasidin itha hasad.

My beloved Muhammad, please instruct and inspire humanity to take refuge in Allah Most High with this potent prayer: "May I lose myself in the Source of Love,
Who abides in all hearts as the eternal dawn of love.
May I be protected by Allah Most Powerful against those
who turn away from their own True Source,
and against the darkness and confusion which they generate.
May I be protected by Allah Most Powerful against all projection of negative energy,
from the casting of harmful spells to the bitter hatred of those who are consumed by envy."

~ Meditation on Holy Koran, 113:1-5 from Heart of the Koran (Goodword Books) ~

by Shaykh Nur al-Jerrahi (Lex Hixon), a non-linear meditative rendering of Surah al-Falaq (the Chapter of Dawn)