#The Knowing Heart: A Sufi Path of Transformation

[eyeoftheheart]

May It Be Love

"The Sufis created a system of human development grounded in love and using the power of love to awaken and transform human beings. Rumi taught that it is everyone's potential to master the art of loving. Love is the answer to the problem of human existence.

"The Way to God passes through servanthood. The point is to love and be connected with others in that love. The form of Sufi work is typically a group, or spiritual guild. The Sufis created a milieu in which human love was so strong that it naturally elevated itself to the level of cosmic love. All forms of love eventually lead to spiritual love. 'Asq olsun,' they say in Turkish: 'May it become love.' The Sufis cultivated a kindness and refinement in which love fermented into a fine wine. They encouraged service to humanity as an expression of the love they felt. They accepted a rigorous discipline in order to keep the fire of love burning strongly."

— Kabir Helminski, The Knowing Heart

[spiritualsoul1969]

Sufism: The Path of the Heart in Islamic Mysticism

Sufism, often referred to as the path of the heart, is a mystical dimension within Islam that emphasizes inner purification, love, and direct experience of the divine. It offers a spiritual journey that transcends the physical world, leading seekers to a deeper understanding of their true nature and their connection to the divine. This journey is one of profound transformation, marked by a continuous quest for divine love and enlightenment.

The Essence of Sufism

At the core of Sufism lies the concept of the heart as the seat of spiritual awareness. Unlike the rational mind, which is concerned with worldly matters, the heart in Sufi thought is the locus of divine love and insight. Sufis believe that through the purification of the heart, one can achieve a state of inner illumination and closeness to God.

This path is not about renouncing the world but about transforming one's perception of it. Sufis seek to see the divine in everything, to experience the unity of all creation, and to live a life imbued with love, compassion, and humility. This perspective offers a unique and incomparable view of spirituality, one that is deeply personal and universally relevant.

The Journey of the Heart

The journey of a Sufi begins with the desire to know God, often sparked by a sense of inner longing or divine discontent. This desire leads the seeker to a spiritual guide or master, known as a Sheikh, who provides guidance and support on the path. The Sheikh helps the disciple navigate the challenges of the spiritual journey, offering wisdom and practices to aid in the purification of the heart.

Central to Sufi practice is the concept of dhikr, or the remembrance of God. This can take many forms, including recitation of God's names, prayer, meditation, and the use of music and dance in rituals such as the Sama or Whirling Dervishes. These practices are designed to awaken the heart, fostering a deep and abiding awareness of God's presence.

Love as the Foundation

For Sufis, love is the foundation of all spiritual practice. This is not limited to personal or romantic love but encompasses a boundless, unconditional love for all of creation. Sufi poetry, such as the works of Rumi, Hafiz, and Attar, often explores this theme, depicting the soul's longing for union with the divine beloved.

In Sufism, love is seen as a transformative force that can dissolve the ego and reveal the true nature of the self. This love is not possessive or self-centered but is a selfless devotion to God and a compassionate concern for others. Through the cultivation of love, Sufis seek to embody the divine qualities of mercy, kindness, and generosity in their daily lives.

The State of Fana and Baqa

A significant aspect of the Sufi journey is the attainment of fana (annihilation) and baqa (subsistence). Fana refers to the dissolution of the ego and the sense of individual self in the overwhelming presence of God. This state is one of profound spiritual union, where the seeker experiences a complete merging with the divine.

Following fana is baqa, a state of enduring in God. This is not merely a return to the normal state of consciousness but a transformed existence where the individual lives in continuous awareness of God's presence. Baqa represents the ultimate goal of the Sufi path, where the seeker becomes a vessel for divine love and wisdom, living in harmony with the divine will.

Practical Toolkit for Daily Incorporation

To help integrate the principles of Sufism into your daily routine, here is a practical toolkit designed to foster spiritual growth and inner transformation.

1. Daily Dhikr (Remembrance of God)

Practice: Spend 10-15 minutes each day in dhikr. Recite the names of God or a specific phrase such as "La ilaha illallah" (There is no god but God) with deep concentration and love.

Purpose: This practice centers the heart on the divine, cultivating a constant awareness of God's presence.

2. Heart-Centered Meditation

Practice: Dedicate 15-20 minutes daily to heart-centered meditation. Focus on your heart and imagine it being filled with divine light and love.

Purpose: This meditation helps purify the heart, fostering a deeper connection with the divine.

3. Acts of Compassion

Practice: Perform at least one act of compassion each day, whether it's helping someone in need, offering a kind word, or simply being present for a friend.

Purpose: Acts of compassion embody the Sufi principle of divine love, nurturing a sense of unity with all beings.

4. Reading Sufi Poetry

Practice: Read a poem by Rumi, Hafiz, or another Sufi poet each day. Reflect on its meaning and how it applies to your life.

Purpose: Sufi poetry offers profound insights into the nature of love and the divine, inspiring and guiding your spiritual journey.

5. Mindful Prayer

Practice: Approach your daily prayers with mindfulness and intention. Focus on the words and their meanings, and let each prayer be an act of devotion and love.

Purpose: Mindful prayer deepens your connection with God, transforming routine prayers into moments of spiritual communion.

6. Engage in Nature

Practice: Spend time in nature regularly. Contemplate the beauty and harmony of the natural world, seeing it as a reflection of divine love.

Purpose: Nature serves as a powerful reminder of God's presence, enhancing your sense of connection to the divine.

7. Cultivate Gratitude

Practice: Each evening, write down three things you are grateful for. Focus on moments of love and divine presence you experienced throughout the day.

Purpose: Gratitude shifts your perspective, helping you recognize and appreciate the divine blessings in your life.

8. Community Involvement

Practice: Participate in community activities, whether through your local mosque, Sufi circle, or other spiritual groups. Share your experiences and learn from others.

Purpose: Community involvement fosters a sense of belonging and mutual support, enriching your spiritual journey.

9. Listen to Sufi Music

Practice: Incorporate Sufi music, such as Qawwali or Sama, into your daily routine. Let the rhythms and melodies inspire your heart and soul.

Purpose: Sufi music elevates the spirit and deepens your connection with the divine, making your daily life a continuous celebration of God's love.

By incorporating these practices into your daily life, you can walk the path of the heart, as guided by Sufism. This journey is not just about reaching a spiritual destination but about transforming every moment into an opportunity for love, compassion, and divine connection. As you embark on this path, remember the words of a famous Sufi saying: "The heart is the thousand-stringed lute which can only be tuned with love." Let this love be your guide, and may your heart be ever-tuned to the divine melody of Sufism.

[tasmiq]

Jumu'ah Sohbet: 19 April 2024

Post-Ramadan, the question on everyone's minds, who have surrendered to loving Allah, is how to retain the powerful frequency of this past month? These were some powerful motivations to keep trying to retain our purview of Allahistan.

#1. We were reminded of a sudur (innermost self) resounding truth generated by our beloved Shaykh Taner. He said:

"Make your goal to love Allah. Surrender to that. The biggest action is love. The biggest being is love. The shortest distance to Allah is love. The biggest asset that burns all incompleteness is love."

As a self-deprecating being, who always contends with one's incompleteness. That is usually after one's nafs (ego or lower-self) succumbs to Nafs al-Lawwama (self-critical soul). It is only the concept of Allah as Al-Wadūd (the most Loving) as in Sufism that reshapes one's incompleteness. Shukran Ya Allah (Divine gratitude) for the insight of our sudur.

#2. During our bi-monthly learning circle, Shaykh Nishaat then reflected on the notion of surrender as beautifully delved into in Shaykh Taner's book, "The Sun Will Rise in the West". Shaykh Nishaat reflected that we must conscientiously surrender. We must do it knowingly and lovingly through our respective sulook (a spiritual path to reach Allah through clear intuition). Again, Sufism's rich and deep emphasis on the love of Allah.

"The traveler on this path is called a salik. At special moments the beginner experiences complete absorption in the remembrance of God and a detachment from all mundane thoughts"

As an accident survivor who was led to surrender many aspects of one's being which strengthened one's nafs... I have gained so much more from my wilful detachment, which confuses those who knew me in my pre-accident life. However, not only am I being taught to be alone with myself, but to reciprocate and recognise Al-Wadūd (the most Loving) who is the Creator of all that I know, Al-Khaliq.

#3. One of the richest blessings of belonging to a Tariqa (spiritual school) is that we never tire of seeking and sharing our spiritual insights. We learned from a Persian Sufi Poet by the name of Fakhr al-Din 'Iraqi, who reflected on humanity's worldly characters:

"They look, they see, but do not comprehend.

They take no pleasure in the View,

For to enjoy it one must know

through the Truth of Certainty

What he is seeing,

through Whom, and why."

It explained beautifully the nature of my surrender because I have been experiencing taqwa (God-consciousness) through the ability to see Allah's actions. What began as early as the sprinkling flowers overhead your Abbu and I, our never-before encounter of a leaping dolphin by the sea, to my current everyday moments that pass by as miracles! The taqwa of one's heart, which is an almost indescribable but palpable reality, has been a self-transformative process.

#4. Khalifa Rubina shared that Sayyidatuna Ummu Salama RA said:

"The most beloved actions to Nabee ﷺ were those good actions that are done consistently/regularly, although they are simple/easy actions."

Therefore, Anne getting us to reflect on taqwa in Ramadan was a perfect intervention. It got us to enact with a focus on Allah, but equally by connecting with the frequency of Ramadan to perform our devotions consistently. I was left with eternal gratitude for our Tariqa for simplifying our connection to Allah, where I have connected the deepest with our holy Qur'an:

Shukran Ya Allah!

#5. This week, I had also learned from Shaykh Nishaat to be more gentle with human frailty just as I treat with wonderment; the human quest for truth, irrespective of the religion that they come from. A few months ago, Buddhism was tainted for me after learning about the cases of sexual abuse by its leaders upon its students in Buddhist schools set up in Europe. Advisor to former US President Nixon, who at some point converted to Islam, Dr Robert Dickson Crane on meeting two Buddhists asked them to describe the essential teachings of their faith in 5 minutes, which they not only did in just 2 minutes but their response was synchronous to the essence of Islam, Subhana'Allah (Divine glory)! The monks said:

"First, we have Hinayana Buddhism, which teaches one to avoid addiction to the material world. Once one has made some progress in this, one is ready for Mahayana Buddhism, at which level one is aware of the nameless, because naming automatically prescribes and limits the limitless. Some Christians use the word "God." Once one is aware at this level, one's great desire is to bring compassionate justice to everyone and everything in the world."

Through Sufism in Islam, one learns detachment to the material world by constantly going against one's nafs. As in Sufism, we are made to journey through levels of our spiritual growth in surrender of our nafs. We are made to become aware of the "nameless" referred to as "God" in Christianity, but where in Islam is identified by more than 99 Divine names! Once you are at this level, the Buddhist monks said, you are compelled to bring compassionate justice to everyone and everything in the world. Just as our role model, who was the last Prophet to mankind, Prophet Muhammad SAW did and continues to do, to this day!

In conclusion, the desire to retain the Ramadan frequency is set into our consciousness through connection to taqwa. May Allah continue to guide us to His truth with ease:

Ya Hadi Ya Haq Ya Latif

[spiritualsoull1969]

"The Enlightened Entrepreneur: Weaving Spirituality into Business Success"

In the bustling marketplace of life, where the cacophony of commerce fills the air, and the pursuit of profits often overshadows the pursuit of inner peace, a tale unfolds that speaks to the profound importance of marrying spirituality with business. Our story takes us back to a time long ago, when I, a humble traveller, found myself in the company of a wise merchant named Farid.

Farid, a jovial and rotund man with a twinkle in his eye, was renowned in the town for his successful spice trade. He was not only a master of spices but also a master of life's deeper spices – the spiritual virtues that infuse richness into every endeavour. One day, as we sat in his aromatic spice emporium, sipping fragrant tea, I asked him the secret of his success. He chuckled heartily, adjusting the folds of his vibrant turban, and began to weave a tale that would forever alter my perspective on business and spirituality.

"Ah, my dear friend," Farid began, "let me take you on a journey through the labyrinthine paths of the heart and the bustling bazaars of business. You see, the key to my prosperity lies in the union of these seemingly disparate realms."

He leaned in, his eyes gleaming with a mischievous glint, and continued, "Picture this: a bustling marketplace, where traders hawk their wares, each vying for the attention of passing customers. It's a scene of chaos and competition, much like the world of business itself. But amidst this tumult, there's a man – let's call him Hasan – who stands out."

Hasan, as Farid narrated, was a trader of exquisite carpets. His business had been suffering, for his heart was consumed by greed and avarice. He cared only for profits, cutting corners and deceiving customers. His carpets, once renowned for their quality, had lost their luster. His shop, once a haven for beauty and craftsmanship, had become a den of deception.

"One fateful day," Farid continued, "a wise old man, a Sufi of sorts, entered Hasan's shop. His eyes sparkled with a knowing light, and he approached Hasan with a twinkle in his eye. Hasan, expecting to haggle and swindle as he always did, welcomed the Sufi with open arms, thinking he had found an easy mark."

The Sufi examined the carpets, running his fingers through their intricate patterns, and then turned to Hasan. "My dear friend," he said with a serene smile, "these carpets bear the mark of your soul. They are tarnished by your greed and deceit. You see, my son, the soul of a trader is woven into every thread of his merchandise."

Hasan was taken aback by the Sufi's words. No one had ever spoken to him like this before. His heart, which had grown cold and calculating, thawed in that moment. He realized the profound truth in the Sufi's words – that his business was not just a means to accumulate wealth, but a reflection of his inner self.

Over the next few days, Hasan embarked on a journey of self-discovery and transformation. He began to treat his employees with respect, paying them fair wages and providing them with a conducive working environment. He mended his relationships with suppliers and customers, offering honesty and transparency in his dealings. Slowly but surely, the quality of his carpets improved, and word of his newfound integrity spread like wildfire.

As Farid recounted this tale, his laughter filled the room. "You see, my friend, Hasan learned that true success in business isn't measured solely in profits and losses but in the quality of the connections we forge and the impact we have on the world around us. He integrated spirituality into his business, aligning his actions with his values."

Farid's tale resonated deeply with me, and I realized that the integration of spirituality and business is not a mere abstract concept but a practical and transformative approach to life's endeavours. It is a path that leads to personal growth, inner fulfilment, and lasting success.

In the bustling world of commerce, where the pursuit of material wealth often takes precedence, the infusion of spirituality serves as a guiding light, illuminating the path towards a more meaningful and harmonious existence. Let us delve deeper into the profound reasons why integrating spirituality and business is of utmost importance.

1. Alignment of Values: In the world of business, it is all too easy to become entangled in the pursuit of profit at any cost. However, when we integrate spirituality into our enterprises, we are reminded of the importance of aligning our actions with our values. Just as Hasan learned, our business endeavours are a reflection of our inner selves. When our values guide our decisions, we not only create businesses that are ethically sound but also contribute positively to society.

Imagine a world where businesses prioritize honesty, compassion, and sustainability over short-term gains. Such businesses become beacons of light, inspiring others to follow suit. The alignment of values not only enhances the reputation of a business but also fosters a sense of purpose and fulfilment among its stakeholders.

2. Emotional Intelligence: In the bustling marketplace, where negotiations and deals are made daily, emotional intelligence is a priceless asset. Integrating spirituality into business cultivates emotional intelligence by encouraging self-awareness, empathy, and compassionate communication.

A spiritually attuned businessperson is not just concerned with the bottom line but also with the well-being of employees, customers, and the community at large. This empathetic approach fosters stronger relationships, enhances teamwork, and creates a more harmonious work environment. In turn, this leads to increased employee satisfaction, lower turnover rates, and improved customer loyalty.

3. Resilience in the Face of Challenges: Life, as we know it, is replete with challenges and setbacks. In the world of business, these challenges can range from economic downturns to unexpected crises. It is during these times that the integration of spirituality shines as a beacon of hope and resilience.

Spirituality teaches us to embrace adversity with grace and equanimity, viewing challenges as opportunities for growth. When faced with a setback, a spiritually inclined entrepreneur remains grounded and centered, making decisions based on wisdom rather than fear. This resilience not only helps businesses weather storms but also emerge stronger and more adaptable.

4. Ethical Decision-Making: Ethics in business are not mere guidelines; they are the bedrock upon which trust is built. Integrating spirituality encourages ethical decision-making, as it emphasizes principles such as honesty, integrity, and fairness.

When spirituality is woven into the fabric of a business, leaders and employees alike are more inclined to make choices that benefit not only the company but also the greater good. Ethical businesses are more likely to attract loyal customers and partners who value integrity and transparency.

5. Mindful Innovation: In the fast-paced world of business, innovation is essential for staying competitive. However, innovation is most meaningful when it arises from a place of mindfulness and purpose. Integrating spirituality encourages leaders and teams to engage in mindful innovation, where creativity is driven by a deeper understanding of the human experience.

As we conclude this journey through the intertwining realms of spirituality and business, let us remember the tale of Hasan, the carpet trader who discovered that the threads of his soul were woven into the fabric of his trade. In the bustling marketplace of life, where profits beckon and ambitions soar, let us strive to be like Hasan, entrepreneurs who infuse our endeavours with the fragrance of integrity, the warmth of empathy, and the brilliance of purpose. By embracing the integration of spirituality and business, we embark on a path that not only leads to prosperity but also to the profound fulfilment of the soul. As we navigate the intricate tapestry of commerce, may we do so with hearts aglow, guided by the timeless wisdom that success is not just measured in wealth but in the goodness we sow, the connections we nurture, and the legacy we leave for generations to come. So, dear reader, let us embark on this journey together, for in the fusion of the spiritual and the material, we find the true essence of a life well-lived, a legacy worth celebrating, and a world transformed for the better.

[wisdomrays]

PUTTING AN END TO A LONG JOURNEY: Part 5

We cannot say that we have comprehended taqwa with its place in God’s sight and with all that it promises. I have neither been able to comprehend nor explain it. I have lowered it below from its heavenly horizon and presented it in the narrowness of my capacity of perception and description. Who knows what other heavenly truths like taqwa I have transformed into earthly concepts due to my limited ability. However, if the highest level of taqwa is, according to some, remaining distant from everything which will contaminate the spirit, keeping silent in any matter that is not pleasing to God, avoidance of even any image or conception in opposition to God’s decrees, always pursuing His good pleasure and living with the intention of feeling, seeing, and knowing Him only and attaining His company, and always breathing with Him with the mention of “He!” in utter oblivion of one own self—if taqwa consist of all these, then it is beyond our capacity of perception or description. Those who experience it at this level travel and live in the realms that are beyond any dimensions we know, saying:

The lights of my eyes are “He!”, and the decree guiding my intellect is “He!”

The utterance of my tongue is “He!” and what is manifested from my wailings is “He!

The recreation of my heart is “He!” and the beloved of my soul is “He!”

….

Its fasting is “He!”, its festival is “He!”, and its abstinence and piety are “He!”

Its meeting with God is “He!”, its separation is “He!”, and the remedy for its ailments is “He!”

As for me, I can only approach and describe it according to my capacity of perception and on the map of my spirit.

There are some other states like excellence in worship and other states and actions even beyond excellence such as always living in awareness of God’s omnipresence and uninterruptedly pursuing the truths that cannot be attained through eyes or other external senses, not even through the mind. People like me either keep silent concerning these or lend ears to those who are qualified to talk about them, only making conjectures. Those who attain these states observe many truths that are hidden to others, scattering around many ever-original gems from the treasures of the Unseen, and offering those who follow them exquisite things from among the Divine gifts that are given to them as presents for their insight. A hero of such a degree of ecstasy and immersion gives voice to his boiling feelings as follows:

The Beautiful One has once more shown me His Face from His Palace of Majesty;

I am once more a wailing, mad lover intoxicated with the eternal wine;

The veil of ignorance has once more been removed from my eyes and heart;

A call has come to my soul from among the calls of the All-Transcending One.

In Emerald Hills of the Heart, we have tried to sometimes picture what we have heard from the specialists concerning this multicolored map, sometimes that which we have attained and perceived from relevant books or booklets, sometimes that which we have read on the faces of certain happenings which are common and legendary, and sometimes what has been experienced, spoken, or reported through ages—we have tried to picture these and say some things in the name of the provision and the principles of the journey of the luminous travelers of the Sufi path.

It would be an exaggeration to say that we have been able to interpret according to the Book (the Qur’an) and the Sunna whatever has been said concerning the matters discussed. However, I would like to say that I have done my best and acted with great sensitivity so as to be able to interpret every approach and consideration according to these two basic sources of Islam. The tears I have many times shed over the black lines, which I regard as my sins of thinking, are witnesses to this. I have many times trembled with the consideration that I have not been able to present the elevated, transcending truths in accordance with their essential reality or real nature, and have nearly decided to give up continuing to write about them. I must admit that I have had difficulties in finding religiously true bases for some ambiguous utterances of people of deep spirituality—statements that are apparently incompatible with the essentials of the Religion—or in conforming perfectly to the unique place of the Religion in God’s sight and the fact that the people of deep spirituality are the living representatives of it. I have continuously shuddered with the fear that while trying to remain respectful for the transcending position of the truth and the Ultimate Truth of the truths, I have not been able to explain relevant matters in accordance with their original, essential reality or true nature.

I cannot claim that whatever I have written is true. It is God Almighty Who knows the exact truth of everything. If all that I have written and done is the expression of the truth and has been written and done with the intention of pleasing God, it is from Him and by Him; while whatever mistake has been made, even though I have intended God’s approval and reward, any failure in the pursuit of God’s good pleasure, is from me. I seek refuge in my Lord with the excuse and veil that “All children of Adam are subject to erring much, and the best of those who err much are the oftrepentant,” and request that God also open for me the door of repentance and contrition, a door that He has opened for those who have come before me

[tawakkull]

ISLAM 101: SPIRITUALITY IN ISLAM: PART 90

Love and affection

Part 3

Moulana Rumi

Moulana Rumi was born on 1207 in Balkh, Khorasan and died in 1273. He was one of the most famous Sufi. He was also a poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, and theologian. Moulana Rumi writes in his book “Fîhî Mâfih”:

“All prophets and holy man are the heart of the universe. They walked into the realm and escaped from humanbeing and so they learned the secrets of the universe. They invited people to learn and know these secrets. They said that this world you see is poverty. We found a nice place where there is no poverty and deficiency. Here the soul, in all cases, is associated with love.”

The opening verse of Moulana’s most famous and loved poems, “ghazals”, is

“I was dead, I became alive, I was torn, I became laughter.”

It is as if with such a start, reaching the sovereignty of love and transforming to the everlasting sovereign – all in one verse – he is telling us: Now do you want to take this journey with me? And since the real source who is inviting us is He who speaks through the tongue of Moulana; we say “Yes”. And when we ask how? We hear the same answer that Ibn Arabî heard in one of his intimate conversations when he asked Allah “How could one get close to You?” And Allah responded, “Through an attribute that I do not possess, meaning “ubuudiyat”, which means servanthood. Servanthood is necessary in order to open the way for the majesty and sovereignty of love to enter.

Moulana ratifies the statement of Ibn Arabî about the signs of Love above and explains in a verse of his book “Mesnevi”:

My heart felt the glow of the soul, my heart opened up and split,

My heart weaved a new satin, I became enemy of this ragged one.

This is a very important verse. After submitting the ego-self willingly, comes this crucial point that the light of the soul splits open his heart and weaves a new fabric made of the atlas, which is soft silky satin. It is at this point that he realizes or sees what a shabby fabric the old one was, and becomes the enemy of the ragged one. He is pointing to stages of transcendence, since only after arriving at each level of the ladder of transcendence one gets to see the reality of the level before, through the light that is given accordingly. The stages of the spiritual journey are to prepare us to arrive at the light. The light is not absent, but we would need to find it in order to reach reality. The Reality, the Light has always been there, but our eyes can not see because we are veiled from it.

We know that the highest level of transformation of the self (nafs) is to become cleared of our distortions of the Commanding self, and the Blaming self and to reach the stage of self at peace and become the mirror that reflects Allah.

The path of Sufism is based on the transformation of the self. So Moulana says in the following verse

Looking at me is looking at yourself, I am that mirror.

You looked at me (pleased) with laughter, and became the whole flower field of laughter.

This verse correlates with the Quranic verse when Allah is pleased with His servant and says:

“O you human being that has attained to inner peace! Return your Sustainer, well pleased and pleasing Him. Enter My true servants. Enter My Paradise.” (Al-Fajr, verses 27-30)

One of the reasons that Moulana’s poetry is so alive after 800 years and will continue to be so, is because they transmit the message of Divine love and servant-hood, the inner and the outer, the apparent and the hidden aspect of the rope which takes a man to God.

The words of Moulana moves people and talks to their inner hearts. By his words is got of the scent of the Beloved.

I am His cup and His wine jug I am the dispenser of the scent of His perfume.

Come to me so that you could receive the scent of His perfumed quality.

[divinum-pacis]

Divinum Pacis’s  Reference Guide- UPDATED 2021

Let’s face it, schooling is expensive, and you can’t cram everything you want to know into 4+ years. It takes a lifetime (and then some). So if you’re like me and want to learn more, here’s an organized list of some books I find particularly insightful and enjoyable. NEW ADDITIONS are listed first under their respective sections. If you have any recommendations, send them in!

African Religions  🌍

African Myths & Tales: Epic Tales by Dr. Kwadwo Osei-Nyame Jnr

The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead: Prayers, Incantations, and Other Texts from the Book of the Dead by E.A. Wallis Budge

Prayer in the Religious Traditions of Africa by Aylward Shorter (a bit dated but sentimental)

The Holy Piby: The Black Man’s Bible by Shepherd Robert Athlyi Rogers

The Altar of My Soul: The Living Traditions of Santeria by Marta Moreno Vega (autobiography of an Afro-Puerto Rican Santeria priestess)

African Religions: A Very Short Introduction by Jacob K. Olupona

Buddhism ☸

The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation by Thich Nhat Hanh

The Dhammapada by Eknath Easwaran (collection of Buddha’s sayings)

Liquid Life: Abortion and Buddhism in Japan by William R. LaFleur 

The Tibetan Book of the Dead by John Baldock (the texts explained and illustrated)

Teachings of the Buddha by Jack Kornfield (lovely selection of Buddhist verses and stories)

Understanding Buddhism by Perry Schmidt-Leukel (great introductory text)

Essential Tibetan Buddhism by Robert Thurman (collection of select chants, prayers, and rituals in Tibetan traditions)

Christianity ✝️

The Story of Christianity Volume 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation by Justo L. Gonzales

The Story of Christianity Volume 2: The Reformation to Present Day by Justo L. Gonzales

By Heart: Conversations with Martin Luther's Small Catechism by R. Guy Erwin, etc.

Introducing the New Testament by Mark Allen Powell

Who’s Who in the Bible by Jean-Pierre Isbouts (really cool book, thick with history, both Biblical and otherwise)

Synopsis of the Four Gospels (RSV) by Kurt Aland (shows the four NT gospels side by side, verse by verse for easy textual comparison)

Behold Your Mother by Tim Staples (Catholic approach to the Virgin Mary)

Mother of God: A History of the Virgin Mary by Miri Rubin (anthropological and historical text)

Systematic Theology by Thomas P. Rausch

Orthodox Dogmatic Theology by Fr. Michael Romazansky (Eastern Orthodox Christianity)

Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska (very spiritual)

The Names of God by George W. Knight (goes through every name and reference to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the Bible)

Icons and Saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church by Alfredo Tradigo (for those who like art history AND religion)

The Orthodox Veneration of the Mother of God by St. John Maximovitch (the Orthodox approach to the Virgin Mary)

East Asian Religions  ☯️

Shinto: A History by Helen Hardacre

Tao Te Ching by Chad Hansen (a beautiful, illustrated translation)

The Analects by Confucius

Tao Te Ching by Stephen Mitchell

Shinto: The Kami Way by Sokyo Ono (introductory text)

Understanding Chinese Religions by Joachim Gentz (discusses the history and development of Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism in China)

Taoism: An Essential Guide by Eva Wong (pretty much everything you need to know on Taoism)

European (various)

Iliad & Odyssey by Homer, Samuel Butler, et al.

Tales of King Arthur & The Knights of the Round Table by Thomas Malory, Aubrey Beardsley, et al.

Early Irish Myths and Sagas by Jeffrey Gantz

The Prose Edda: Norse Mythology by Snorri Sturluson and Jesse L. Byock

Mythology by Edith Hamilton (covers Greek, Roman, & Norse mythology)

The Nature of the Gods by Cicero

Dictionary of Mythology by Bergen Evans

Gnosticism, Mysticism, & Esotericism

The Gnostic Gospels: Including the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene (Sacred Texts) by Alan Jacobs and Vrej Nersessian

The Kybalion by the Three Initiates (Hermeticism)

The Freemasons: The Ancient Brotherhood Revealed by Michael Johnstone 

Alchemy & Mysticism by Alexander Roob (Art and symbolism in Hermeticism)

The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity by David Brakke

What Is Gnosticism? Revised Edition by Karen L. King

The Essence of the Gnostics by Bernard Simon

The Essential Mystics: Selections from the World’s Great Wisdom Traditions by Andrew Harvey (covers Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Greek, Hindu, Buddhist, and Taoist traditions)

The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly P. Hall (huge book on esoteric and occult religions)

Freemasonry for Dummies by Christopher Hodapp

Hinduism 🕉

The Ramayana by R.K. Narayan

7 Secrets of Vishnu by Devdutt Pattanaik (all about Vishnu’s various avatars)

7 Secrets of the Goddess by Devdutt Pattanaik (all about Hindu goddesses, myths and symbolism)

Hinduism by Klaus K. Klostermaier (good introductory text)

Bhagavad Gita As It Is by Srila Prabhupada (trans. from a religious standpoint)

The Mahabharata, parts 1 & 2 by Ramesh Menon (super long but incredibly comprehensive)

The Upanishads by Juan Mascaro (an excellent introductory translation)

In Praise of the Goddess by Devadatta Kali (the Devi Mahatmya with English & Sanskrit texts/explanations of texts)

Beyond Birth and Death by Srila Prabhupada (on death & reincarnation)

The Science of Self-Realization by Srila Prabhupada

Krishna: The Beautiful Legend of God (Srimad Bhagavatam) by Edwin F. Bryant (totally gorgeous translation)

The Perfection of Yoga by Srila Prabhupada (about “actual” yoga)

Islam  ☪️

The Handy Islam Answer Book by John Renard (a comprehensive guide to all your questions)

The Illustrated Rumi by Philip Dunn, Manuela Dunn Mascetti, & R.A. Nicholson (Sufi poetry)

Islam and the Muslim World by Mir Zohair Husain (general history of Islam)

The Quran: A Contemporary Understanding by Safi Kaskas (Quran with Biblical references in the footnotes for comparison)

Essential Sufism by Fadiman & Frager (select Sufi texts)

Psychological Foundation of the Quran, parts 1, 2, & 3 by Muhammad Shoaib Shahid

Hadith by Jonathan A.C. Brown (the history of Hadith and Islam)

The Story of the Quran, 2nd ed. by Ingrid Mattson (history and development of the Quran)

The Book of Hadith by Charles Le Gai Eaton (a small selection of Hadith)

The Holy Quran by Maulana Muhammad Ali (Arabic to English translation, the only translation I’ve read cover-to-cover)

Mary and Jesus in the Quran by Abdullah Yusuf’Ali

Blessed Names and Attributes of Allah by A.R. Kidwai (small, lovely book)

Jainism & Sikhi

Understanding Jainism by Lawrence A. Babb

The Jains (The Library of Religious Beliefs and Practices) by Paul Dundas

The Forest of Thieves and the Magic Garden: An Anthology of Medieval Jain Stories by Phyllis Granoff

A History of the Sikhs, Volume 1: 1469-1839 (Oxford India Collection) by Khushwant Singh

Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction by Eleanor Nesbitt

Judaism  ✡

Hebrew-English Tanakh by the Jewish Publication Society

Essential Judaism by George Robinson (this is THE book if you’re looking to learn about Judaism)

The Talmud: A Selection by Norman Solomon

Judaism by Dan & Lavinia Cohn-Sherbok (introductory text)

The Jewish Study Bible, 2nd edition by the Jewish Publication Society (great explanations of passages)

The Hebrew Goddess by Raphael Patai

Native American

God is Red: A Native View of Religion, 30th Anniversary Edition by Vine Deloria Jr. , Leslie Silko, et al. 

The Wind is My Mother by Bear Heart (Native American spirituality)

American Indian Myths and Legends by Erdoes & Ortiz

The Sacred Wisdom of the Native Americans by Larry J. Zimmerman 

Paganism, Witchcraft & Wicca

Magic in the Roman World: Pagans, Jews and Christians (Religion in the First Christian Centuries) 1st Edition by Naomi Janowitz

The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation: Including the Demotic Spells: 2nd Edition by Hans Dieter Betz

Wicca for Beginners: Fundamentals of Philosophy & Practice by Thea Sabin

The Path of a Christian Witch by Adelina St. Clair (the author’s personal journey)

Aradia: Gospel of the Witches by C.G. Leland

The Anthropology of Religion, Magic, & Witchcraft, 3rd ed. by Rebecca L. Stein

Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions by Joyce & River Higginbotham

Christopaganism by Joyce & River Higginbotham

Whispers of Stone by Tess Dawson (on Modern Canaanite Paganism)

Social ☮

Tears We Cannot Stop (A Sermon to White America) by Eric Michael Dyson (concerning racism)

Comparative Religious Ethics by Christine E. Gudorf 

Divided by Faith by Michael O. Emerson (on racism and Christianity in America)

Problems of Religious Diversity by Paul J. Griffiths

Not in God’s Name by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (on religious terrorism)

The Sacred and the Profane by Mircea Eliade (difficult but worthwhile read)

World Religions  🗺

Understanding World Religions by Len Woods (approaches world religions from a Biblical perspective)

Living Religions, 9th ed. by Mary Pat Fisher (introductory textbook)

The Norton Anthology of World Religions: Hinduism, Buddhism & Daoism by Jack Miles, etc.

The Norton Anthology of World Religions: Judaism, Christianity, & Islam by Jack Miles, etc.

Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices by Mary Boyce

The Baha’i Faith by Moojan Momen (introductory text)

Saints: The Chosen Few by Manuela Dunn-Mascetti (illustrated; covers saints from Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and more)

The Great Transformation by Karen Armstrong (the evolutionary history of some of the world’s greatest religions)

Roman Catholics and Shi’i Muslims: Prayer, Passion, and Politics by James A. Bill (a comparison of the similarities between Catholicism & Shi’a Islam)

God: A Human History by Reza Aslan (discusses the evolution of religion, specifically Abrahamic and ancient Middle Eastern traditions)

A History of God by Karen Armstrong (similar to Aslan’s book but much more extensive)

The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions by Keith Crim

[risalei-nur]

TAFSIR: Risale-i Nur: The Twenty-Ninth Letter - Part 69

The Fourth is to understand by means of the pure Sufi way the knowledge of God to be found in belief in God, and the pleasure of love of God within the knowledge of God, and by so understanding, to be saved from the desolation of this world and man’s exile in the universe. We have proved in many of the Words that the happiness of both worlds, and pain-free pleasure, and intimacy untainted by loneliness, and true delight, and untroubled happiness are all to be found in faith and the reality of Islam. As is explained in the Second Word, faith produces the seed of a Tuba-tree of Paradise. It is through the training and nurturing of the Sufi path that the seed grows and develops.

The Fifth is to perceive through an awakening of the heart elicited by the Sufi path and remembrance of God, the subtle truths contained in the obligations of the Shari‘a, and to appreciate them. Then the person obeys and performs his worship, not under compulsion, but with longing.

The Sixth is to rise to the station of reliance on God and the rank of sub mission to Him and winning His pleasure, which are the means of obtaining true delight, real solace, painfree pleasure, and friendship untainted by loneliness.

The Seventh is, through sincerity, which is the essential precondition for travelling the Sufi way and its most valuable result, to be delivered from base qualities like implicitly associating partners with God, hypocrisy, and artificiality. It is also to be saved, through purifying the soul, which is like the surgical operation of the Sufi path, from the dangers of the evil-commanding soul and the perils of egotism.

The Eighth: Through the regard, sense of the divine presence, and powerful intentions of the Sufi path, gained by recalling God with the heart and reflecting on Him with the mind, this is to transform customary actions into worship and make mundane dealings into actions benefiting the hereafter. Utilizing the capital of life, it is to make all its minutes into seeds that will produce the shoots of eternal happiness.

The Ninth is to struggle to be a perfect human being through journeying with the heart and striving with the spirit and spiritual progress; that is to say, to be a true believer and total Muslim; that is, to gain not superficial belief, but the reality of belief and the reality of Islam; that is, to be directly the bondsman of the Glorious Creator of the Universe, in the universe and in one respect as the universe’s representative, and to be His addressee, and friend, and beloved, and to be a mirror to Him; and through showing man to be on the best of patterns, it is to prove man’s superiority to the angels. It is to fly through the lofty stations with the Shari‘a’s wings of faith and works, and to behold eternal happiness in this world, and even to enter upon it.

Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed, You are All-Knowing, All-Wise!(2:32)

O God! Grant blessings and peace to the Supreme Help in every age and the Sublime Spiritual Pole at all times, our master Muhammad, the magnificence of whose sainthood was manifested in his Ascension, as was the station of his being the beloved of God, and under the shadow of whose Ascension are included all sainthoods, and to all his Family and Companions. Amen. And all praise be to God, the Sustainer of All the Worlds.

[rest-in-being]

Sufi psychology Part 2 - Sufis and Human Energy centres.

1) Latifat-an-Nafsi (the Lower self): According to some, this Latifa-e-Nafsi is located slightly below the (Navel and is Yellow), for others, it is between the (Eyebrows and is Blue) and Its energies are increased by Meditation. Nafs is usually translated as self or psyche. Its etymology is rooted in "breath" the basic visible process of breathing with energizing principle that confers existence to an individual human being. Some Sufis consider under the term "Nafs" the entirety of psychological processes, encompassing whole mental, emotional and volitional life. However, the majority of Quranic-based Sufis are of the opinion that Nafs is a "lower", egotistical and passionate human nature which, along with Tab (literally, physical nature), comprises vegetative and animal aspects of human life. Synonyms for Nafs are devil, passion, greed, avarice, ego-centeredness etc. The central aim of the Sufi path is transformation of Nafs (technical term is "Tazkiya-I-Nafs"' or "Purification of the soul'") from its deplorable state of ego-centredness through various psycho-spiritual stages to the purity and submission to the will of God. Ego may be assumed as an equivalent for Nafs in modern psychology. Sufi orders have adopted convenient 7 maqāms or levels (maqāms are permanent stages on the voyage towards spiritual transformation), some still work with 3 levels or stages, at that stage one is a Wali -Saint. The beginning of our entrance into the school of Sufism, we must learn about seven levels of being. These seven levels are like grades in any educational system which one must pass through in order to graduate. In our system, however, evaluations are made by a Higher Authority than the teacher. Passing and failing grades are made known through real dreams, through the interpretation of which the teacher gives new responsibilities and duties to the seeker. But what is most important is that the seeker himself should be able to realize his own states so that he can live up to the next level to which he aspires. Obviously, first it is necessary that he be conscious, aware of his character and actions, and be sincere in looking at himself. But it is also necessary to thoroughly know the characteristics of each level, especially the level in which he is presumed to be, and the next level, in which he hopes to be. The Sufi's journey begins with; 1. Nafs al-Ammara (Inciting to evil self) 2. Nafs al Lawwamah (Reproachful self) 3. and ends in Nafs al Mulhimah (Inspired Self) (at this stage one is a Wali -Saint) But others travel further some Sufis's final stage is Nafs al-Kamila-(The Perfect Self) also called Nafs Safiyah wal-kamilah (soul restful and perfected). 4. Nafs al Mutmainnah-(Tranquil Self) 5. Nafs ar Radiyyah-(Content Self) 6. Nafs al Mardiyyah-(Pleasing Self) 7. Nafs al-Kamila-(Perfect Self) We should study the characteristics of the seven levels of being(Nafs) and try to see where we are. Hopefully this attempt will increase our efforts to reach the next highest level, and will make us careful not to revert to a lower level. Man has two souls. One is called Ruhu Hayvani, the animal soul, and the other is Ruhu Insani, the human soul. The animal soul is a created, refined substance which controls life, mind, senses, feelings, emotions, will, and movement of the physical body. And our being, which relates to this animal soul, is called the “animal self,” the self ruled by the desires of our flesh or Nafsi Ammara, the evil commanding self which is the first and lowest of the seven levels of being. Nafsi Ammara is a manifestation of the animal soul in man, while the six steps above the evil commanding ego are the development of the human soul, which is also called the Nafsi Natiqa, the being who can communicate with speech, or the Rational Being. In a Nut Shell The next six levels are: 1. Nafsi Lawwama, when man hears the voice of his conscience and tries to resist his carnal desires; 2. Nafsi Mulhima, when man receives direct instructions through inspirations from his Lord; 3. Nafsi Mutmainna, when man is freed of self-indulgence and finds peace and tranquility in his state of piety and obedience to his Lord; 4. Nafsi Radiyya, when man accepts all that happens to him without any resentment or pain, and when good and bad become equal to him, and he is pleased with his lot; 5. Nafsi Mardiyya when man assumes the Divine Attributes, leaving his materiality, and 6. Nafsi Safiyya, when man reaches the purity of perfect harmony. ========================== 1- Nafsi Ammara In this first level of the development of man, the rational self and human conscience have been defeated by lust and carnal desires. At this stage, our self does not recognize any rational or moral barriers to get what it wants. It expresses itself in selfishness, arrogance, ambition, stinginess, envy, anger, cynicism, laziness and stupidity. Originally, nafs, ones self, identity, ones own personality and reality, is one of the Creator’s gifts to man. But because we allow it to lean towards material values, to take pleasure only in worldly life, and because we succumb to fleshly lusts, it has turned ugly and become almost animal-like, while its shape remains that of a human being. It is a fauve camouflaged in the appearance of man, a mad wild animal which bites and claws itself as well as others. This ego is our private devil, our worst enemy, who is living inside us, dominating and tyrannizing us and keeping our human soul imprisoned and forgotten in the depths of our subconscious. If we are fortunate enough to be led by a guide to seek a better state, then the devil whispers in our ear: “What business do you have to be on this path? Don’t you see that everyone who was on this Path sooner or later died? All that remains of them is a few words. I know that you want the Truth, but where are the wise ones who would be able to teach you anything? Show me a single saintly man who receives revelations, who can show miracles! They belonged to another time. Now is the time of facts, of science, of prosperity, and the good life. If you want to be religious – all right! Go to the mosque, pray, fast, and pray that the spirits of these holy men of the past help you, for there is no teacher alive worth your while!” Thus the devil hides the truth. Kufr, infidelity, means covering, hiding in Arabic. Kafir, the infidel, means the one who hides something. The devil conceals the fact that at all times there are perfect men in the world and worthy teachers who can lead one to salvation. But if the seeker pays any attention to the insinuations of the devil, he suffers doubt about his teacher, he is called away from the Path, his efforts are slowed down, and he will lend his ear to the whispers of the accursed devil again. This time he will say, “Allah is forgiving, count on His Mercy; He does not dislike people who do things which He permits. Be kind to yourself and don’t tyrannize yourself. If you are kind towards your ego and give it things it wants, then it will obey you!” If the seeker is fooled by these temptations, he will start having doubts; he will then be unclear as to whether things are lawful or unlawful, whether they are right or wrong. When that happens, he is more likely to opt for the unlawful, since it is usually more pleasing to the senses. And the more his senses are satisfied, the more his heart will be blinded and hardened, and the more he will be led towards evil. On the level of the evil commanding ego, all these influences are very heavy. To get out from under them, someone strong has to hold you by your hand and extricate you. It is very difficult if not impossible to do it by yourself. But through Allah’s help, you may hear the voice of reason which says, “To do what Allah permits one to do out of His Mercy, instead of doing that which He orders us to do, is the profession of creatures who are lazy.” For the true servants of Allah, it is an obligation to live according to the rules of Shariat and the ideals of the Tariqat. And if we either follow this rational decision, which is an undeserved gift of Allah Most High, or we are rescued from our misery by a strong teacher, then we may rise to the second level of Nafsi Lawwama. Thus the soul is pulled out from the dark dungeon of the ego to the light of conscience, and we will see our arrogance being transformed into humility, vengefulness and hate into love, anger into kindness, lust into chastity. . . If Allah so wills.

[myspiritualkjourney]

13 Principles of Spiritual Activism

 We offer these not as definitive truths, but rather as key learnings and guidelines that, taken together, comprise a useful framework for “spiritual activism.”

Transformation of motivation from anger/fear/despair to compassion/love/purpose. This is a vital challenge for today’s social change movement. This is not to deny the noble emotion of appropriate anger or outrage in the face of social injustice. Rather, this entails a crucial shift from fighting against evil to working for love, and the long-term results are very different, even if the outer activities appear virtually identical. Action follows Being, as the Sufi saying goes. Thus “a positive future cannot emerge from the mind of anger and despair.” (Dalai Lama)

Non-attachment to outcome. This is difficult to put into practice, yet to the extent that we are attached to the results of our work, we rise and fall with our successes and failures—a sure path to burnout. Hold a clear intention, and let go of the outcome—recognizing that a larger wisdom is always operating. As Gandhi said, “the victory is in the doing,” not the results. Also, remain flexible in the face of changing circumstances: “Planning is invaluable, but plans are useless.”(Churchill)

Integrity is your protection. If your work has integrity, this will tend to protect you from negative energy and circumstances. You can often sidestep negative energy from others by becoming “transparent” to it, allowing it to pass through you with no adverse effect upon you. This is a consciousness practice that might be called “psychic aikido.”

Integrity in means and ends. Integrity in means cultivates integrity in the fruit of one’s work. A noble goal cannot be achieved utilizing ignoble means.

Don’t demonize your adversaries. It makes them more defensive and less receptive to your views. People respond to arrogance with their own arrogance, creating rigid polarization. Be a perpetual learner, and constantly challenge your own views.

You are unique. Find and fulfill your true calling. “It is better to tread your own path, however humbly, than that of another, however successfully.” (Bhagavad Gita)

Love thy enemy. Or at least, have compassion for them. This is a vital challenge for our times. This does not mean indulging falsehood or corruption. It means moving from “us/them” thinking to “we” consciousness, from separation to cooperation, recognizing that we human beings are ultimately far more alike than we are different. This is challenging in situations with people whose views are radically opposed to yours. Be hard on the issues, soft on the people.

Your work is for the world, not for you. In doing service work, you are working for others. The full harvest of your work may not take place in your lifetime, yet your efforts now are making possible a better life for future generations. Let your fulfillment come in gratitude for being called to do this work, and from doing it with as much compassion, authenticity, fortitude, and forgiveness as you can muster.

Selfless service is a myth. In serving others, we serve our true selves. “It is in giving that we receive.” We are sustained by those we serve, just as we are blessed when we forgive others. As Gandhi says, the practice of satyagraha (“clinging to truth”) confers a “matchless and universal power” upon those who practice it. Service work is enlightened self-interest, because it cultivates an expanded sense of self that includes all others.

Do not insulate yourself from the pain of the world. Shielding yourself from heartbreak prevents transformation. Let your heart break open, and learn to move in the world with a broken heart. As Gibran says, “Your pain is the medicine by which the physician within heals thyself.” When we open ourselves to the pain of the world, we become the medicine that heals the world. This is what Gandhi understood so deeply in his principles of ahimsa and satyagraha. A broken heart becomes an open heart, and genuine transformation begins.

What you attend to, you become. Your essence is pliable, and ultimately you become that which you most deeply focus your attention upon. You reap what you sow, so choose your actions carefully. If you constantly engage in battles, you become embattled yourself. If you constantly give love, you become love itself.

Rely on faith, and let go of having to figure it all out. There are larger ‘divine’ forces at work that we can trust completely without knowing their precise workings or agendas. Faith means trusting the unknown, and offering yourself as a vehicle for the intrinsic benevolence of the cosmos. “The first step to wisdom is silence. The second is listening.” If you genuinely ask inwardly and listen for guidance, and then follow it carefully—you are working in accord with these larger forces, and you become the instrument for their music.

Love creates the form. Not the other way around. The heart crosses the abyss that the mind creates, and operates at depths unknown to the mind. Don’t get trapped by “pessimism concerning human nature that is not balanced by an optimism concerning divine nature, or you will overlook the cure of grace.” (Martin Luther King) Let your heart’s love infuse your work and you cannot fail, though your dreams may manifest in ways different from what you imagine.

[eyeoftheheart]

Wine Drinking in a Spring Garden. 57.51.24, Met Museum.

“Sufis believe that the Prophet Muhammad brought revelation that established the religion of Islam, and in that there are many blessings. But that same revelation reminds us that religion once institutionalized brings many dangerous diseases like hypocrisy, self-righteousness, fanaticism and the pious condemnation of others. Sufis believe that this same revelation also brought the cure for such diseases in the form of wisdom, self-scrutiny, humility and selflessness. The Prophet Muhammad by his own example taught the practical method to cure one’s heart of such disease. Meditation is the way to instill the values in the heart, to such a depth that the heart itself is transformed. The heart then is not merely an organ in the body, and is not just one’s own personal center; when properly activated through meditation, the heart opens up to reveal the very presence of God with one and with all.

To find this state of loving intimacy is the advice of the Qur’an when it says, “So remember me, that I may remember you.” And according to Sufi teachings, to meditate and contemplate is the way to draw God down to you and to allow yourself to be lifted up towards God. But to truly remember God is to utterly forget yourself! So if, for a moment or a minute, for an hour or a life time, one can forget oneself in all one’s conceits and lusts and wants, then one truly finds one’s original state of being with God. What Sufis teach in the way of meditation is just this: to forget oneself as opposing God and to find oneself in intimacy with God. Having set foot on this path, one finds oneself to be less and less, and one finds God to be more and more. Until nothing remains of the self except that which is with God and is of God.

“Remember me, that I may remember you.”

The word in Arabic that means “remembrance” is zikr (as it is in Persian and Urdu and countless other languages used by Muslims). This phrase in the Qur’an really means “Do my zikr,” and this translation highlights that remembering God is a practice. It is something to do. One must learn to do it from one who already knows and set aside time to do it. It is a practical skill, and one must practice until perfect. It is like learning to play a musical instrument; one feels awkward or painful at first, but as it becomes habitual the awkwardness turns to beauty and the pain becomes pleasure. In this sense, Sufis have explored the practice of zikr and offered many skillful means of remembering God; these range from the subtle to the forceful, from the communal to the private, and from the abstract to the melodic. Like music that appeals to anyone whatever her or his native language, these means of zikr can appeal to any spiritual seeker regardless or his or her religion. Because this zikr is taught by Sufis who take their inspiration from Islam and Muhammad, their means of zikr is rooted in Islam and is colored by an Islamic style. But the application of this zikr is universal, as it addresses our weakness and distraction as human beings, and this distress is not limited to Muslims. Sufis urge us to learn zikr as one learns a practical art, to discover its virtues and to integrate them into one’s life.

(...)

“We all share in the nature of the primordial human being. We are all the same in potential, and we are only different in how much we actualize our potential to love. Shaikh Kalimullah writes in The Alms Bowl that “Human perfection consists of passing through the state of losing one’s self in God so that one might achieve the state of remaining with God as eternal.” Pay attention! He explains that all things come from and exist through the singular essence of God. Everything that is you—your heart, your mind, your eyes, everything that is yours—is really only God. God and only God. Anything you see, you are really seeing God. Anything you hear, you are really hearing God. But you need to refine your understanding to perceive this.

This is why you need to meditate, in order to refine your power of imagination. Shaikh Kalimullah explains how to do this in so many ways in The Alms Bowl. But the single most essential thing on the Sufi path is love. Without love, nothing you do is of any benefit. Without it, prayer is just movement, like exercise. It is not beneficial and, in fact, it could be very harmful. Love for God is expressed and demonstrated through love for other people and for all of creation. You must burn with love like a candle. Its nature is to burn down, slowly dwindling away towards death but giving off so much light. Wherever it is, in whatever environment or surroundings, the candle gives off light. Whether in a mosque or temple, the candle burns and gives others light. That is the way you must be. When you are no longer a slave to your five senses, you perceive God in every thing, behind every phenomenon.

This is expressed perfectly by Rumi in a verse that we hear sung in qawwali.

Khud kuza o khud khuza-gar o khud gil-i kuza, khud

rind-i sabu-kash

Ta bar sar-i an kuza khareedar bar amad, bi-shikasht

o ravan shud

He is the pot and he is potter, he is the clay and

the drunken reveler

Reeling up to the wine-vat to buy a cup, he smashes it

and disappears

God is the potter but God is also the clay. There is nothing that is separate from God. God is in nature—that is a most important thing to see. Nature must be preserved and protected, as in trees and in the environment, for all these are phenomenon through which God manifests. They are things of beauty and we feel awe when we appreciate them and reverence when we protect them. So we have to see in nature the manifestation of God, and worship God with increased intensity through our protection of nature. The Sufi path consists entirely of maintaining good adab, meaning loving and respectful behavior. It is how you treat people and the environment and all things around you. Sufism is not about rites and rituals, customs and ceremonies. Some people think that Sufism is about having a long beard, or wearing a cloak, or putting a certain colored cap on your head. These things are not Sufism at all! They are customs. Sufism is an attitude of respect and benevolence towards all people and all things around you. It is adab, and it comes directly from the heart.”

― Sufi Meditation and Contemplation

[dk-thrive]

something quite satisfying and beautiful in itself, a beauty without features

Anyone who has probed the inner life, who has sat in silence long enough to experience the stillness of the mind behind its apparent noise, is faced with a mystery. Apart from all the outer attractions of life in the world, there exists at the center of human consciousness something quite satisfying and beautiful in itself, a beauty without features. The mystery is not so much that these two dimensions exist - an outer world and the mystery of the inner world - but that we are suspended between them, as a space in which both worlds meet … as if the human being is the meeting point, the threshold between two worlds.

—Kabir Helminski, The Knowing Heart: A Sufi Path of Transformation (Shambhala, October 24, 2000)

[tasmiq]

Jumu'ah Khuthbah: 14 October 2022

This week's insights were exalted by our Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) birthday known as Mawlid un-Nabi in the month of Rabi al-Awwal as the third month of the Islamic calendar.

#1. The first point made by Shaykh Nishaat was something that we don't often think about. In fact everything we do in our lives ought to be through submission and surrender, and insha'Allah we are kept in the fold of Islam. The essence of the meaning of Islam is that we have to bring our nafs / ego into submission. The simple recitation of the shahādah (testimony of faith) merely opens the door to the path that we have to keep striving to walk on, as the path set by Prophet Muhammad PBUH.

“There is no god but God; Muhammad is the Prophet of God.” The shahādah is the first of the five Pillars of Islam (arkān al-Islām). It must be recited by every Muslim at least once in a lifetime, aloud, correctly, and purposively, with a full understanding of its meaning and with an assent of the heart.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/shahadah

#2. Shaykh Taner here highlighted the obvious that Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) birthday is in fact like our birthday because we wouldn't be here without him!

So how lucky are we as Sufis because we celebrate our birthday at 3 occasions in the year; 1) our worldly birthday, 2) our spiritual birthday marking the day of the year that we made our baiyat (our oath of allegiance into Sufism) and, 3) our Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) birthday!

https://sufinama.org/sufi-terminology/baiyat-oath-of-allegiance-terminology

#3. Shaykh Taner powerfully declared that Allah put us on this earth to transform and represent the Divine energy. Allah created the world with Muhammadi energy and our base energy is love, tranquillity and togetherness in goodness. Allah made our spiritual guides with that same Muhammadi energy so that we aspire to know and love each other.

However, our nafs / ego needs to be tamed and cleaned so that our brain will go with the main protocol that we were created with and for, love. We are in love as the plasma until we wake to its reality. Our Prophet Muhammad PBUH is presenting all this energy for us. Our motherland is the ruh / soul of Prophet Muhammad PBUH, and not Iran or even Bangladesh for your Ammu 😁

#4. Shaykha Muzeyyen beautifully topped our learning by pointing out that we have met because we are all of the Prophetic life and energy, PBUH.

In fact as Sufis, we focus on purifying our energy so that we can assume Noor'e Muhammad / the light of Prophet Muhammad PBUH. Through practice, our connection to him PBUH, grows. We can certainly attest to this, in the palpable emotions felt at the site of our Prophet's PBUH worldly resting place in tranquil Medina. Insha'Allah we are all blessed with the experience of it.

#5. On accessing a firm favourite Islamic guide to us, on the matter of Mawlid who is Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad from as far back as 2013. In Islam, he proclaimed that it is an obligation to celebrate blessings. However we don't even notice the countless blessings as the beating of our hearts, the faculty of our breath inhaling oxygen and when the earth is stable between our feet. The mercies are bestowed upon all living beings yet often we are left worrying about our condition. Islam is not an ideology or theory but a form of faith that actually happened and has been practiced in the seerah (the blessed footsteps in the journey of Prophet Muhammad's life, PBUH).

We can see therein how people were taken from the darkness into the light, from the many into the One, from feuds and tribal wars into a sense of peace and unity. It's an extraordinary transformation that has happened and an ideal achieved by our Prophet Muhammad PBUH, to inspire us!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-7ONteGi4X4&feature=share

In conclusion, we hearken gratitude to Allah for invoking Noor'e Muhammad / the light of Muhammad PBUH during Abbu's Mauritius trip. For it connected him with our Shaykh Sadeck and family. Your Hazmat Bhai's spirit could even be felt where your Abbu sat on his seat at the dining table 😊

Ya Shakur × infinity for experiencing home away from home!

[hazratsultanbahoo]

Hadrat Sultan Bahoo (R.A.) Proposed Human Society

Hadrat Sultan Bahoo (May Allah Bless his Soul) fought against social and ethical evils and challenges of his era with his pen by writing about 140 books. In today’s society when the world has been transformed into a global village, humanity still faces similar kind of issues. In this paper, it is argued that guiding principles of Hadrat Sultan Bahoo (R.A) philosophy for human society stand on purification and reformation of individual on which the society of peace and love for humanity can be built. Union with Almighty by adopting Sufism, with the true spirit of the Holy Quran and Sunnah, and negating the desires of base self is the foundation for the purity of the individual. In current time, human savagery has reached alarming levels and intolerance has shaken very foundations of our social and religious values. In such circumstances, purity of heart and tolerance are the main cure by rejecting extreme rigidity of sectarian, ethnic, linguistic or other such divisions.

Discrimination among humans is the biggest obstacle for a just and peaceful society and according to the law of Allah (God), no one can discriminate anyone, which is the principle of Faqr (spiritual excellence) adopted by Faqir. Human society has to follow divine values otherwise, in the words of Bahoo, we will lose not only this world but the next world too. Tolerance, basic rights of human society, justice and equality were outlined by our Holy Prophet (Blessings and Salutations Be Upon Him) in the first place. Hadrat Sultan Bahoo has emphasized to have practical life instead of monasticism. The Muslim Ummah needs unity of hearts and belief rather than that of race or territory. All human beings are taken as equal members of the world/society. The Muslims have been instructed to act justly for every creature of the world what to speak of humanity alone.

Sultan-ul-Arifeen Hadrat Sakhi Sultan Bahoo(May Allah Bless his Soul) belonged to the age of seventeenth-century when social & ethical evils were prevailing and the condition of society than and now have disturbing similarities. In the Muslim world, communities and society both were in distress. In the global village perspective, the whole world has transformed into one Society (McLuhan, 1962). The term ‘Ummah’/millah, is interpreted as “Muslim Community”, living all over the world, without distinction, not confined to any particular region or nationalism. In the Holy Qurãn ‘Ummah’ is repeated 64 times for a people to whom a Prophet was bestowed by Allah (SWT). Hadrat Sultan Bahoo (May Allah Bless his Soul) fought against the societal ills with his pen. He thus raised slogans of following the teachings of Muhammad (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم Blessings and Salutations Be Upon Him), rejecting extreme rigidity of sectarianism as practiced by so-called theologians and misguided mystics (Sufis).

He was even not pleased with what the followers of ‘Imams’ said and did, as he has tested them on the touchstone of the Qurãn and the Hadith, constituting the basic principles of Islamic Society. A close study of the authorship of the Great Wali-Allah, Hadrat Sultan-ul-Arefeenرح (May Allah Bless his Soul) addresses the well-being of all mankind fully believing in Allah (SWT) as رب العالمین “Lord of the Worlds”. The Holy Qurãn nowhere particularizes Allah (SWT) with Muslims only, so is the case with the last and the  Holy  Chief  of  Prophets,  Syed-ul-Ambiya  Mohammad-e-Mustafa (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم Blessings and Salutations Be Upon Him)  sent   to   humanity   as   defined   in   the  Holy  Qurãn وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ ("And We (Allah) have not sent thee (Muhammad) but as a mercy for  both the worlds.", (Al-Quran 21:107)  and therefore the love and teachings of Holiest Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم Blessings and Salutations Be Upon Him) is the fundamental principle of a just Islamic Society embedded in وحدانیت (Unity of Allah) and omnipotence of Allah (SWT) culminating into love for humanity irrespective of caste, creed, and religion. Hadrat Sultan Bahooرح (May Allah Bless his soul) has a strong belief that by recognizing self, human recognizes Allah (God) من عرف نفسہٗ فقدعرف ربہٗ and individuals.

In his proposed human society must have the following human values inculcated:

Hundred thousand sacrifice upon those Sufis who don’t utter awful thing Hoo.1 (Bahoo, 2010, p. 48)

Do not accompany treacherously and with slandering everyone you do not treat Hoo. (Bahoo, 2010, p. 71)

Your life is a few days establish worshiping or you will be regretful but Hoo.  (Bahoo, 2010, p. 63)

The true path is of Mohammed ‘Bahoo’ upon which God is to achieve Hoo. (Bahoo, 2010, p. 16)

The article is based on these guiding values of Hadrat Sultan Bahooرح (May Allah Bless his Soul) for his proposed human society. “A society is a kind of a community (or a part of the community) whose members have become socially conscious of their mode of life, and are united by a common set of aims and values” (Ottaway, 1970, p. 3). Hadrat Sultan Bahooرح (May Allah Bless his Soul) as an author has stressed that members of a society should never disparate or  should not make ill-mannered people as their friends which destroy the prestige of the whole family and advised to recoil the society on the basis of universal dignity, equality and equity, security, and justice on Earth according to the will of Allah (SWT), encompassing all human regardless of their ethnic origin assuring unity of the human family, fostering acquaintance among people and activating the divine values. Being a man of exceptional intellect and values embedded in Islamic society, a pluralistic one Hadrat Sultan Bahooرح, fought with his pen for an ideal society, as he was born to pious parents and linage.

Ancestors of Hadrat Sultan Bahooرح (May Allah Bless his Soul) migrated to this part of the world (Soon Valley) from Arabia after the death of Hadrat Imam Hassan and Hadrat Imam Hussain (May Allah Bless their Souls). Having fought and defeated the Hindus of Pind Dadan Khan and the districts around them, preached them to enter Islam by their virtues. The father of Hadrat Bahooرح [Bazidرح (ascendant of Prophet Mohammad (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ و سلم Blessings and Salutations Be Upon Him) belonged to the Awan tribe], was a Hafiz-ul-Qurãn and a distinguished scholar of his time, migrated to Jhang district.

He was a person of quiet disposition and so was his spouse, the mother of Hadrat Bahooرح (Hadrat Bibi Rasti R.A). His family was held in great regard by the Emperor Shah Jahan who conferred on his father, Sultan Bazidرح, Kahar Janan in jagir. Hadrat Sultan Bahooرح (May Allah Bless his soul) was born in 1629 AD (1039 Hijri). Legends relating to his childhood are numerous and of a varied nature. One of them is so interesting that we cannot help relating it here. It runs thus: When Hadrat Bahooرح was a boy, he was such a devout Mussulman that a sort of radiance spread around his face, and whenever a Hindu witnessed it, he was so impressed by it, that forgetting all, he renounced his religion and became a Mussulman. This miracle wrought exclusively by his radiance frightened the Hindus, who sent a delegation to wait upon his father and request him to keep his son Bahooرح indoors, except certain hours. Thus request was complied with, and the young boy thereafter had to remain indoors (Krishna, 1938, p. 49). Witnessing that Heرح was a kind of force, which changes the minds of humanity to the righteousness, brotherhood, tranquility, peace, and course of history and society. To these causes, he contributed 140 books in Persian and Punjabi, which for the most part have been out of the reach of the general public and humanity. Acknowledging efforts of (besides many others), to the International Tanzeem-ul-Arifeen and its founder Hadrat Sultan Muhammad Asghar Ali Sarwari Qadriرح (may Allah bless his soul) who took the initiative to get the books collected and print them with translation for the Urdu knowing people. However, in English, there were not many translations. Praise to the ‘Sahibzadagan’ of Hadrat Sultan Muhammad Asghar Aliرح (14.8.1947 - 26.12.2003) namely; Hadrat Sultan Mohammad Ali, Sultan Ahmad Ali and Sultan Bahdar Aziz, who despite many difficulties continued the efforts of their great father and ancestors and along with maintaining the International Tanzeem-ul-Arifeen established an Institute ‘Mission of Unity, Stability, and Leadership In Muslims (MUSLIM)’ with the aim to promote research and dialogue in the Muslim World for addressing its concerns and finding practical solutions to the problems.

[wisdomrays]

Transforming Knowledge into Practice

QUESTION: When we study the life of the Companions, we see that as soon as a Qur’anic verse was revealed, they would immediately begin to act upon the Divine command. We are, however, unable to put forth the same attitude. What would be the reasons for our inefficiency at putting our knowledge into practice, and how can this ideal be realized?

ANSWER: In order to implement what we know in practical life, first of all, knowledge must be saved from being rough and simple information; it needs to be transformed into “ilm,” in the sense of knowing a matter with its true nature and grasping that matter through consciousness and systematic thinking. Otherwise, if what we know does not amount to anything beyond superficial information, it will not yield any practical behavior, for it does not make an impression on the heart. In this respect, the first thing to do to turn knowledge into practical behavior is to try to reach true knowledge and, from there, to certainty in faith, with an insatiable and fervent desire to learn. In the Qur’an (Ta-Ha 20:114), God Almighty gives the command to His Noble Messenger (which can be interpreted as follows): “…say, ‘My Lord, increase me in knowledge.’” Each and every one of us as the follower of the Prophet is then supposed be a fervent seeker of knowledge always trying to grow deeper in knowledge. For example, it is a religious obligation to recite the Qur’an. However, even if we commit the entire Qur'an into memory, if we do not make efforts to understand and delve deeper into it, we will fail to benefit from the treasures of the Qur’an, the eternal source of light. There are such meanings and inspirations to be derived through full concentration and sincere efforts that they cannot be attained in any other way.

Offering gratitude for knowledge

After the first phase of transforming information into true knowledge (ilm), there are other points to be taken into consideration. You may attain a magnificent profundity in theoretical knowledge and gain the certainty of knowledge (ilm al-yaqin), even to the degree of the certainty of vision (ayn al-yaqin). However, if you fail to implement such theoretical knowledge in practical life, then you will fail to recognize the truth of Divinity with the Divine Names, Attributes, and Qualities, and fail to be a loyal servant at God’s door. In addition, there is a glad tiding about the issue by the beloved Prophet, “Whoever acts upon what he knows, God lets him acquire what he does not know.” Accordingly, having a share from true knowledge requires acting upon what one knows. If God Almighty grants you a certain level of knowledge, you should strive to give gratitude for this blessing, without taking any personal pride in it. For example, if others perform forty units of Prayer a day, together with the Sunnah Prayers, you should think, “Having been honored with abundant Divine blessings, I should do as much as eighty units a day,” and thus ascend to the immensities of subjective responsibility.

Incidentally, I would like to relate a memory that is especially significant for me. In one of my visits to my late mother, she told me, “I read the Jawshan al-Kabir every day from beginning to end. Is there anything additional you would recommend for me to read?” This is a reflection of the spirit of someone asking for evermore and thus making continuous progress. A person honored with Divine blessings must turn to Him in due gratitude. The Prophet would pray until his blessed feet were swollen as narrated by his wife Aisha. Imam al-Busiri expressed this in a poem, “I failed to follow the Practice of the Prophet who kept vigil until his feet were swollen at the Prayer.” On witnessing that, Aisha asked the Prophet, “O Messenger of God, although God has forgiven your (possible) past and future sins, why are you praying to the degree of tormenting yourself?” The Pride of Humanity gave the following answer to her, “Should I not be a thankful servant (in the face of such blessings of my Lord)?” There is a very important message here in terms of consciousness of being a servant: every servant of God is obliged to offer thanksgivings to Him and praise the Almighty to the degree of the Divine blessings and favors bestowed upon him, and thus put his knowledge into practice in proportion to the profundity of his knowledge.

Practical reason

At this point, it is possible to mention a consideration in Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason. Kant states that God cannot be known through theoretical reason and that knowledge of God can only be attained through practical deeds. If this can be realized, in other words, if theoretical knowledge is efficiently put into practice, believers can feel a profound knowledge of God inside of them and consequently feel a deep love for Him—to such a degree that they will be saved from the gloom of this world and be seized by an intense yearning for reunion with God, craving, “Reunion with You O God, reunion!” Knowledge of God comes after this faith in God, then comes love of God, and then spiritual pleasure, which is granted as an extra Divine favor. When such a spiritual pleasure is experienced, we will naturally feel an irresistible flood of eagerness to see the true source of beauties, given that all beauties are merely faint shadows of the Divine Essence. If we do not feel such eagerness in our inner worlds, then we have not passed through this process and are still wandering outside. I do not mean to push anyone to hopelessness; however, we need to know that this is the result of the course we have taken. In this respect, let me reiterate that no matter how much you delve in theory, you are doomed to not make any progress but stay where you are as long as you fail to further rise to the level of practice. If you start practicing, but this time fail to deepen in the meaning of that practice and to acquire knowledge of God, you will not make further progress, unable to go beyond mechanical forms—to such a degree that you will view worship as if it were a daily chore; you do the relevant acts but fail to attain knowledge of God, and unable to feel love for Him, and savor spiritual pleasure. Those who do not implement their theoretical knowledge in practical life are likened to “a donkey carrying a load of books” in the Qur’an (al-Jumua 62:5). One needs to avoid from falling into such a situation, so that knowledge does not become a burden on the back. Otherwise, his or her knowledge will be useless. At this point, we can benefit from the power of prayer at putting knowledge into practice, as the beloved Prophet did by saying, “O God, I seek refuge in You from the knowledge that is not beneficial…”

Broader horizons through reading circles

Although it is commendable for individual believers to carry out reading, thinking, research, to scrutinize things and phenomena, to reflect upon the relationship between human, universe, and God, it will be a means for much different blessings to attend a gathering of faithful ones who cherish considerations and thoughts in this direction and benefit from that blessed atmosphere. Somebody who steps into such an atmosphere will unite with the other individuals in the group together and they will journey toward different horizons with this special connection among them, pervaded by the same spiritual hue (insibagh). As it is revealed in the Qur’anic verse, “God’s Hand is over their hands” (al-Fath 48:10). Also, the Messenger of God stated, “God’s hand (of support) is with the community,” and drew attention to importance of being included in a group. In another case, the Prophet emphasized the danger of being alone by stating that a stray sheep is to be devoured by wolves. Accordingly, one who acts against collective consciousness, who leaves the circle, and who does not fall into step with the group is doomed to be devoured by wolves. Therefore, we must try to be included in a righteous circle against all odds, support one another at that, and avoid acting individually. However, a very important point to be careful about here is to keep our gatherings or circles free from useless talk and amusements, and to benefit from them in the name of deepening in knowledge and spirituality, without even wasting a second. Unfortunately, we do not present the required sensitivity to do this. It is such a pity that even when we come together in the name of religion, faith, and serving for God, we sometimes talk about irrelevant matters that are of no benefit to our worldly or otherworldly life, or we adopt lighthearted attitudes, which lead people to heedlessness. In my opinion, a true believer must try to lead a disciplined life as was once lived truly in Sufi lodges. In an authenticated narration, it is reported that the Pride of Humanity laughed to the degree of chuckling only three times in his entire lifetime. As it is known, his blessed face was always smiling, but he never gave up being serious. That blessed person had such a manner that His consciousness of the omnipresence of God was reflected in his entire being. And one could not help but remember God Almighty upon seeing the Prophet’s state, manners, and even the depth of his looks.

In a nutshell, we must try to benefit efficiently from all the assemblies, all of our gatherings and the circles we attend in the name of reviving the horizons of our heart and spirit, in order to be well-equipped in knowledge and then implement it in our lives, thus making it very spirit and way of our lives in the true sense. If we wish to walk on the straight path, without any collisions and straying, all of our feelings, thoughts, senses, conversations, and discussions need to be straight; they need to be oriented toward becoming deeper and richer on the horizons of the heart and spirit.

[divinesayings]

Nafs (The Soul)

Nafs (The Soul) The soul (an–nafs) is a substance that is essentially free of matter but which is in close connection with it in its acts and functions; it is the origin or essence of something or its self. There have been those who have used it in the sense of the spirit or the heart or the body, or in the sense of lusts or the mechanism through which Satan penetrates humans, or even in the sense of reason. In religious terminology, an-nafs, or the soul, is the origin or center of certain states or faculties such as lusts, anger, ill will, grudge, hatred, and irritation, and it is a transformable, reformable, and refinable mechanism connected to human corporeality. The soul has a constant, experienced connection between the body and the spirit. It is through this connection that humans receive, recognize, and distinguish their outer and inner sense-perceptions and go beyond the corporeal realm into metaphysical worlds. It is again through this connection that any state, experience or gift that occurs in the spirit leaves its imprint upon the body and provokes it to move in a certain direction. Just as every influence on the spirit makes itself felt on the body, so too every state of and effect on the body shows itself on the horizon of the spirit. For example, thinking of something which is nauseating may produce an urge to vomit. Certain events which touch the spirit and rouse distress may cause physical ailments that we call psychosomatic illnesses. The reaction that the sense of taste shows at the mention of something sweet or sour or bitter is also this same sort of impression. In short, there is a continuous interactive relationship between the spirit and the body. Similarly, evil conceptions and disagreeable manners and actions impress not only the body but also the spirit, while agreeable thoughts and considerations, and the plans and projects that are undertaken to please God Almighty, and the mentioning of the Divine Being by the heart and tongue all produce expansion and exhilaration in the spirit. It frequently occurs that even if we are not aware of it, this state gains some sort of luminosity and surrounds the entire horizon of the spirit by means of the spiritual intellect. It rouses the “secret” and begins to manifest itself in the metaphysical depths of human existence in different modes. Also, whenever the body expresses its submission to the Ultimate Truth through the acts of worship and obedience and lives in accordance with the purpose of its existence, deepening in belief through worship or religious acts and crowning its worship with excellence and awareness of God’s omnipresence, the breezes of great happiness and joy begin to blow in the spirit. Hope and expectation stir up eagerness for God, the Ultimate Truth, and the acts leading to consciousness and awe of God produce feelings of respect, self-possession, and wakefulness in the spirit. As a result, like the seas vaporizing to rise and form the clouds, and the clouds raining on the earth, and rains forming rivers and torrents that flow into the sea, there appear continuous currents between the body and the spirit. Amidst such mutual influences between the spirit and the body, it is possible for humans either to fall into the lowest of the low as a result of being overcome by their corporeality, or to rise to human perfection and the highest of the high by God’s help and permission, through acting around the orbit of Islamic thought, belief, and awareness. Thus, what we call “spiritual journeying” is one of the significant ways of advancing toward and reaching the Ultimate Truth, and being a perfect human being through this tide. All these tides, continuous mutual influences and flows, and journeys occur on the steed or ship or spacecraft of the human soul. The compass of this apparently abased vessel is belief, the path or direction it must follow is Islam, and its captain or guide is the Prophet Muhammad, the Master of creation, upon him be peace and blessings, and the dynamics to advance along this path are provided by reflection and remembrance of God. However, there are some apparently harmful characteristics incorporated in the nature of this steed for certain purposes. If the soul has not been purified of these characteristics and refined, it is inevitable that the meanings, conceptions, pieces of information, knowledge of God, and remembrances, and reflections that travel between the spirit and the soul suffer from some turbulence and even serious falls along the way. Such turbulence and falls should not be viewed as occurrences independent of certain other factors that originate in humans themselves. Sometimes sins, heedlessness, and carelessness cause them; sometimes temporary “whirlpools of contraction”[1] or “spasms” interfere with the working of the rudder or the compass; sometimes direction is lost due to certain carnal amusements and relaxations; and sometimes they happen because of our unawareness that certain actions are contrary to the manner of traveling along the way, and our feeling proud of the good deeds done. If travelers view such things as viruses that can cause the demise of the spirit, and remain distant from them, and if they display serious endeavors to be purified of them under the shower of repentance, penitence, and contrition when accidentally exposed to them, then God will replace their evil deeds with virtuous ones(25: 70). That is, He will change their faculties which enable evil deeds into enablers of virtuous deeds. Despite its satanic characteristics such as haughtiness, arrogance, egotism, jealousy, injustice, and enmity, all of which break the wings of the spirit, the soul has a fundamental potential so important and valuable that it raises it to companionship of the spirit. Provided it grasps that its essential function, as required by its position, is to become a unit of measurement to recognize God—thereby abandoning arrogance and the accompanying self-assertive, self-aggrandizing claims; so long as it turns to God in worship and prayer and seeks refuge in Him from the potential evils in its nature, following the heart and the spirit on the way to reaching God, then the soul can advance to the highest of the high on the way together with its companions, namely the heart and the spirit. Indeed, the soul is also of great importance for humans to maintain a metaphysical tension. It (the soul) is like a mainspring allowing them to rise from being only potentially human to true humanity. This continuously keeps them busy, without allowing them to have a rest. It ceaselessly sharpens the resolution of people to struggle against its negative characteristics, and causes those who have brains to frequently beat their brains out. When, finally, human nature is matured to the degree intended for its creation, the soul becomes a slave of the king of human existence—the heart—and adopts an attitude that is capable of feeling the need to warn it from time to time, saying, “Do not be proud, O my king! There is God, Who is greater than you!” You can call the soul which has reached this point of maturity after having gone through the filters of purification “the soul refined and grown in purity,” as stated in the following verses: And (by) the human soul and that (All-Knowing, All-Powerful, and All-Wise One) Who has formed it to perfection; and Who has inspired it with the conscience of what is wrong and bad for it, and what is right and good for it. He is indeed prosperous who has grown it in purity(91: 7-9). Whatever you call it, the purified soul is the double of the spirit, continuously trying to keep away from evil, and always advancing toward good until it finally comes to a point where it abandons its basic mission—that is, being a powerful mechanism with negative aspects for human self- purification and perfection—to the nerves, extreme sensitivity, and other human temperaments. It begins to spend the remaining part of its life in the company and service of the spirit. We have tried to explain in detail the stages of this journeying of the soul, which the Sufis experience in their spiritual journeying, under the titles of the Carnal, Evil-Commanding Soul, the Self-Condemning or Self-Accusing Soul, the Soul Receiving Inspiration, the Soul at Rest, the Soul Well-Pleased (with God, with however God treats it), the Soul Pleasing (to God), and the Perfected Soul, or the Purified or Innocent Soul.[2] As the soul passes through these stages upward, the veils of darkness that veil human nature are torn apart one after the other. According to the degree of each, the rays of spirituality begin to shine on all sides of a human being, and an initiate or traveler thinks that they are floating in the elevated horizons of the inner, immaterial dimensions of existence. Each of the stages mentioned above has a gift, pleasure, horizon, manner of expressiveness, and perception particular to itself. Sometimes the guide tells initiates at which stage they are, and sometimes sensitive, self-supervising initiates who are aware of themselves and lend an ear to the voice of their spirits are informed of their stage in a special way. Even though the soul is mainly characterized by always commanding evil, when it undergoes an effective process of purification and is directed to obedience to its Lord, it can be transformed into a source of bright light, like the full moon receiving light from the sun. If, on the other hand, it is not purified, the fog and smoke of the lusts invade its horizon, and it suffers corruption under the influence of carnal thoughts and considerations, becoming so blind as not to be able to see into the transcendent dimension of existence. Then, the soul cannot continue its companionship with the spirit and becomes a marsh of evil in human nature, in conformity with the aspects of its nature, which is open to evil. Making use of certain weak spots in its owner, the soul attacks him from many fronts, and—may God preserve us—can knock him down with a single blow. The continuous request for forgiveness from God and prayer are important defenses against such attacks; the disciplines which have an important place in the spiritual journeying are a petition presented for Divine protection, and following the way of God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, strictly offers a reliable refuge. Further, restricting our consumption to absolutely essential human needs, silencing the soul by being content with legitimate pleasures, and incessantly warning the soul against illicit desires and appetites form another way of keeping it under strict control. * * * Basically, the soul is one of the faculties with which humans have been equipped. Provided that humans employ these faculties, which have been entrusted to them in their creation, in the direction established by their Creator, they greatly add to their value. For example, the eyes are windows for seeing things within their scope of sight; the ears are receptors and transmitters that receive and conduct sounds and voices at certain wavelengths to the brain; the tongue is an inspector of innumerable tastes, and the translator of thoughts and feelings. If the eyes are used to see things which are religiously permissible to observe, if the ears are kept closed to harmful, evil sounds and voices while transmitting the good ones, and if the tongue stirs up feelings of reflection on and thankfulness to the numberless bounties bestowed by God Almighty, and also acts in conformity with the Divine purpose for its creation as a means of speech—then individually and collectively these organs become wings for human beings to rise to human perfection. But if, on the contrary, the eyes busy themselves with those things that the Religion condemns as harmful or ugly, thus abandoning themselves to contamination; if the ears work like a telephone exchange for vices, receiving and transmitting that which is religiously forbidden; and if the tongue lives in attachment to the tastes it recognizes, in oblivion of its duty of inspection, and speaks without recognizing any criteria—then the wings of the heart are broken, and the spirit becomes as if nitric acid were poured into its eyes. The soul is no different from the faculties mentioned above with respect to its duties and its fulfilling or not fulfilling them properly. If the soul is purified and preserved against working like a telephone exchange for Satan, then while being, by its primordial nature, a reptile- like creature crawling on the ground, it becomes like a dove flying over our heads, as if it has undergone a mysterious metamorphosis, and it is praised by the words of God Almighty:I swear by the self-accusing soul (75: 2). When it takes two steps further, it is honored with the breezes of appreciation: O, you soul at rest! Return to your Lord, wellpleased (with Him and His treatment of you), and well-pleasing to Him (89: 27-28), and establishes itself comfortably next to the spirit. Thus, this hard-natured substance, more harmful than snakes and scorpions, which is described by the Divine statement as Surely the carnal, evil-commanding soul always and insistently commands evil (12: 53)—by asking God for forgiveness in awareness of its sins, by avoiding its faults due to repugnance, by trying to keep distant from unbelief, hypocrisy, vice, and transgression, by shuddering with fear that the favors coming when it is in an agreeable state may be a means of perdition, and, in a further attempt, by finding its true purification through always seeing itself as impure, this primordially hard-natured, evil-commanding substance can rise to great heights and approach the heavenly beings. The soul at this level, which philosophers call “the speaking self or soul,” and which the Qur’an describes as “the soul at rest,” has become such an earthly being able to rise to the horizon of the heart and the spirit and possessing angelic manners, that it begins to take pleasure in religious responsibilities, which previously it did not like and which were difficult for it to fulfill. The things which it found bitter up until this point have become sweet, and in parallel with its attaining this station, the cloud of dust and smoke over the spiritual intellect and the secret that was produced by corporeality has been completely removed. Things and events appear differently to its view, and time and again it experiences raptures with the call to Him it hears from every thing and event, thinking itself to be among the pure spirit beings in great joy. A time comes when reason becomes like the heart, and its products take on the color of those of the spiritual intellect. An initiate with such a level of reason feels stunned by awe of God and advances full of the feeling of modesty; he sometimes becomes exhilarated with the showers of Divine gifts. The heart beats “God! God!”, combining this with the breaths of reason that utter, “O the All- Forgiving! O the All-Veiling (of His servants’ sins and shortcomings)!” The initiates at this level of reason hear the whole of creation mentioning God by His Names, and their breaths resound with Him. While, on the one hand, signals come to them from the horizon of the spiritual intellect, arousing them to the worlds beyond, on the other hand they feel great worry that the gifts may be interrupted and unexpected obstacles may come in between them and the Source of these gifts, causing them to turn to Him more frequently and more intimately, admitting that whatever good visits them is essentially from Him. The zeal they feel is the zeal of the heart, and the sorrows they suffer are the sorrows of the sincerely penitent ones. While looking at their past with repugnance, they are revived and refreshed with the hope of a brighter future and the hope that they will be able to compensate for their past defects with future opportunities. They try to fill their past voids with heartfelt sighs and groans and with reflection and remembrance. While others are busy with a life of ease, thinking that they have already lived so before, they always try to do whatever they must on the way to God. Such people always feel themselves to be in the presence of the Lord. They stand before Him in awe, bow before Him in utmost modesty, prostrate before Him with utmost humility, and sit before Him in self-supervision. They advance with utmost awe and care, and try to fulfill what is required by having reason in the company of the heart. They shudder with awe while thinking of Him, they breathe His mercy with reflection and remembrance of Him; they focus their observations on deepening their knowledge of Him with new discoveries, and their eyes twinkle with eagerness for reunion with the All-Beloved. They do not forget their defects, which are incompatible with servanthood to God, seeing them as precipices between them and their Lord; they entreat Him, saying, “Do not abandon me to myself, even for the blink of an eye!” Now they have distanced themselves from Satan, but they also reinforce the barriers they have put before Satan’s inlets into their heart and continue to erect new ones. Whenever they remember Satan, they feel as if they are in the valley of bandits, and they always seek refuge in God, saying, “I seek refuge in You from the promptings and provocations of the satans; I seek refuge in You, my Lord, lest they be present with me!” (23: 97–98). They never rely on themselves, their labor, or their deeds; they do not approve of their acts, and treat them with disdain. They are always troubled and shake like a tree in a storm with the worry that hypocrisy and expectation of others’ acceptance and appreciation have found, and do find, a way into even their best deeds. These considerations follow them ceaselessly along the way, until finally the soul is welcomed with the compliments, “O you soul at rest! Return to your Lord, well-pleased (with Him and His treatment of you), and well-pleasing to Him! Enter, then, among My servants (fully content with servanthood to Me)! And enter My Paradise!” (89: 27–30); while those who have dropped halfway groan with deep regrets, “Would that I had forwarded (some good deeds) for my life (to come)!” (89: 24). They are honored with surprising bounties of the Hereafter, and favored with many different gifts from the horizon of the heart. They are treated thus because they have lived a life of austerity without being deceived by worldly pleasures, and they have advanced toward the horizon of the peace of the heart, spiritual contentment, and resignation to God’s treatment of them. They felt obliged to advance so, conscious of their essential impotence and poverty and their absolute need of Him. They have advanced and been favored with His special wealth. They have heard many things which other ears could not hear, and seen many things which other eyes could not see; they have experienced how the most honored of creatures—humanity—was created from wet clay, how matter rose almost to the level of the spirit, and how the evil-commanding soul developed into the soul at rest. With the pleasureof watching the smiling face of their fate, they have proceeded beyond space within space and toward the All-Beloved within corporeality, to the point where the invisible becomes visible. The exacting people of truth and wisdom have seen the soul as we have so far tried to explain. If the Master of all domains had willed it to be so, there is none who could have willed or done otherwise. If He has dressed non- existence in the array of existence, why then should we wonder at “nothing” being “everything”? If He wills, He can make a drop into a sea, a minute particle into the sun, manifest thousands of instances of existence in non- existence, and bestow kingdoms upon those who initially have no trace of one. O my God! Surely I ask You for a soul content with You, believing in meeting You, resigned to Your decrees, and content with Your bounties. And bestow blessings and peace on the most perfect and complete of the spirits, who is our master Muhammad, and Your beloved, and on His Family and Companions, whom You love!
[1] In Sufi terminology, “contraction” (qabd) is used to mean that the link between an individual and the source of his or her spiritual gifts and radiance has been severed for a certain period. This causes distress and makes one suffer from spiritual obstruction and blockage. For further explanations, seeEmerald Hills of the Heart – Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism, The Light, NJ, 2004, vol. 1, pp. 167–170. (Tr.)
[2] See M. Fethullah Gülen, Emerald Hills of the Heart – Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism, The Light, NJ, 2004, vol. 2, pp. 251–261. (Tr.) www.reverthelp.com