#sufism question answer

[theshiftingwitch]

Reality shifting

Demystifying the basics:

In order to have a better grasp of the concept of shifting, we must address the beliefs that brought us here in the first place.

Shifting got really popular on TikTok in 2020 (thank you DracoTok) and with it, misinformation came a plenty. So let's deconstruct the notion, pull it apart, and make it as simple as we can.

What is reality shifting?

To shift is to become aware of a different reality.

That's it. That's all there is to it.

Like changing the channel or flipping through the radio, all of creation is finished and all of the possible realities that you could potentially think of already exist. All you have to do is switch your awareness from one to the other.

But how did we get here? How do we do it? CAN we do it?

Well, let's see:

In order to believe in shifting in the first place, you have to at least be a little bit spiritual. And if that's the case, then ask yourself this:

Do you believe that you are the universe having a human experience? That you are the creator and the creation?

If the answer is yes, then you have a grasp of the basics.

You see, there is no fundamental separation between you and the universe. You are not a separate entity from the Cosmos.

You are the Cosmos.

This idea is not new. It is not some new age spiritual BS that sprouted into existence a few decades ago. It is an ancient philosophical and spiritual belief spanning back decades. Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism emphasize the concept of Atman (the soul) being identical to Brahman (the ultimate reality), suggesting a unity of consciousness. Many mystical traditions, from Sufism to Christian mysticism, have explored the idea of divine consciousness within the human being. Contemporary spiritual movements often incorporate this concept, emphasizing personal transformation and connection to a higher power.

In simple terms, you are all that there is, all that there was, and all that there will ever be.

So if you answered no to my previous question, read this again and tell me your thoughts.

Now that we got the basic concept out of the way, let's talk about shifting, other realities, and your moral compass.

If you agreed that shifting is becoming aware of another reality that you already exist in, and if you're on board with the notion that you are the divine, the creator, the universe herself, what is actually stopping you from shifting?

Nothing.

Nothing is standing in your way, nothing is blocking you from shifting. There is no more work to be done, no more attempts to fail, no more research to explore. All you have to do is let go. Release this hold that perfection, stress, and eagerness have on you, breathe in and know that you have already shifted.

It is done.

You are successful.

In the same vein, if you are completely and utterly convinced that you are the universe, you are all there is and all there will be, you are everything and nothing, what makes you so sure that your current form is your true one?

If you believe in reincarnation then you know that you have had many faces, many bodies, many races, many ages, many lives, many experiences...

Same with shifting. This reality is not the metric in which you measure someone's righteousness. It is not the one and only form in which you are stuck within forever. You are the creator, and you, as you experience yourself, already are all of the ages, all of the faces, all of the genders and the races and the ethnicities and the creations around you. You are the rock and the house and the cat and the butterfly. You are the mean neighbor who constantly complains and the little girl skipping rope on your driveway. You are the bus driver who is always grumpy and the old lady at the market who always smiles when she sees you. You are the dictator causing havoc and the victim suffering from oppression. You are both the bad and the good, because that is the essence of your experience. You are me, I am you. We are the one consciousness.

Morality is by no means subjective, but it is also your creation. You made the rules and you enforced them and you rebelled against them. You are the one and only.

So why measure someone's morality by where or who they decide to shift to? Why judge their existence and believe yourself superior for adhering to a set of rules you created? Nothing is set in stone and no two people shift to the same exact reality, so why hinder yourself? Why limit your experience?

Do you have any idea how lucky you are to know about shifting in the first place?

There are currently 8 billion people at this point in time in this reality, and you happen to be among the very few who are aware of such wonderful experience, of such divine knowledge. Are you really going to spend that time judging other people's choice of reality? And on the other hand, are you really going to let other people dictate, police, and limit your experience?

At the end of it all, we all go back to the same origin.

The one great consciousness, where there is no judgement, no superiority or inferiority complex, no finger pointing and virtue signaling. We simply exist.

Have fun on your shifting journey, know that your experience is yours and that you decide how it goes.

Be a good person, live your best lives, and spread love as much as you can ❤️

[talonabraxas]

The Key to the Spiritual Dimension by Eckhart Tolle

In life-threatening emergency situations, the shift in consciousness from time to presence sometimes happens naturally. The personality that has a past and a future momentarily recedes and is replaced by an intense conscious presence, very still but very alert at the same time. Whatever response is needed then arises out of that state of consciousness.

The reason why some people love to engage in dangerous activities, such as mountain climbing, car racing, and so on, although they may not be aware of it, is that it forces them into the Now — that intensely alive state that is free of time, free of problems, free of thinking, free of the burden of the personality. Slipping away from the present moment even for a second may mean death. Unfortunately, they come to depend on a particular activity to be in that state.

But you don’t need to climb the north face of the Eiger. You can enter that state now.

Since ancient times, spiritual masters of all traditions have pointed to the Now as the key to the spiritual dimension. Despite this, it seems to have remained a secret.

It is certainly not taught in churches and temples. If you go to a church, you may hear readings from the Gospels such as “Take no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself,” or “Nobody who puts his hands to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God.” Or you might hear the passage about the beautiful flowers that are not anxious about tomorrow but live with ease in the timeless Now and are provided for abundantly by God.

The depth and radical nature of these teachings are not recognized. No one seems to realize that they are meant to be lived and so bring about a profound inner transformation.

The whole essence of Zen consists in walking along the razor’s edge of Now — to be so utterly, so completely present that no problem, no suffering, nothing that is not who you are in your essence, can survive in you. In the Now, in the absence of time, all your problems dissolve. Suffering needs time; it cannot survive in the Now.

The great Zen master Rinzai, in order to take his students’ attention away from time, would often raise his finger and slowly ask: “What, at this moment, is lacking?” A powerful question that does not require an answer on the level of the mind. It is designed to take your attention deeply into the Now. A similar question in the Zen tradition is this: “If not now, when?”

The Now is also central to the teaching of Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam. Sufis have a saying: “The Sufi is the son of time present.” And Rumi, the great poet and teacher of Sufism, declares: “Past and future veil God from our sight; burn up both of them with fire.”

Meister Eckhart, the thirteenth-century spiritual teacher, summed it all up beautifully: “Time is what keeps the light from reaching us. There is no greater obstacle to God than time.”

[youremyheaven]

English not my first language, Bharani Moon here.

A propos of Venus naks, (Bharani in particular). 5 months ago (I'm a widower and 65 yo) I experienced a need to return to spirituality. So I found a sort of monastery of Capuchin friars, where I confessed and found divine grace. I attended some spiritual meetings, we all held hands and sang religious hymns in a kind of karaoke with the words projected on the screen. At the beginning it was pleasant, but then it seemed to me more and more like an "americanata", as we define in Italy all the external things that tend to strike (in short, a braggadocio). The friar who held the meetings was enthusiastic and always the center of attention (we were arranged in a circle). He asked us first grade catechism questions and we had to answer them. After the second time I no longer went, thinking that if I had conducted those sessions they would undoubtedly have been much deeper and more engaging, especially regarding the real life of adult people and the sins we most fall into (we were all over 50 years old) . Back home, I spent hours writing my reflections on the Catholic religion, that is, everything that for me, based on my life experience, resonated very truthfully and sincerely. I simply realized that I was rewriting religion in my image and likeness, I was creating a particular sect where the only guru and disciple was me. As you explain well, it's a Bharani thing. As for the pleasure/pain dichotomy, this is also a very Venusian thing. In addition to the fact that others consider you attractive when you don't think so at all (I haven't liked looking in the mirror or taking selfies of myself for years). The fact is that we Venusians can know the maximum pleasure and the maximum pain, in separate phases of course, we are not masochists. Indeed, perhaps we are, so that we have a threshold of tolerance that is very high for both of them, tantric love comes to mind, to give an example, that is, prolonging pleasure indefinitely, let's say ecstasy, without letting it end in death of an orgasm, the little death). I have a natural propensity to indulge in the pleasures of the flesh (read sex), but my married life was not ideal, due to a wife who had many problems with chronic depression etc. Many times I had to fend for myself, to use an elegant euphemism. The flip side of the coin is the pain that comes from who knows where, unexpected but providential, to repair faults that you know you have committed deep within yourself and the sacredness of your body. Cluster headache. Five episodes from 2007 to 2021, for a total of almost 800 hours of excruciating and unbearable pain. Laughing at myself, now my name is Mister 800, almost as if it were a trophy I can brag about. Actually it is, I think it is, because I know what it cost me. In the USA they call it suicide migraine. Well, I'm still alive, although I basically feel like a survivor, a veteran, a refugee at home. To conclude, I also call myself uncle 120, for managing to keep myself chaste for 4 months after my return to the Grace of Lord. Difficult to understand, even I can't, but life is good... maybe the next one! :)

thank you so much for sharing your experiences as a Bharani Moon native <33 its so interesting how the internal corrosiveness of this nakshatra manifests in so many different ways including with actual physical discomfort/pain,, Venus is a planet of many contradictions and Venusian devotion and spirituality is so powerful. whenever I read about Sufism and how the Sufis think of God as love and the spiritual experience as one where you become "one with god", its always reminded me of Bharani natives<3

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

"An ordinary person reads about the kingdom of God and heaven, but does not know where heaven is; the ordinary person feels there is a God, but there is no evidence. Therefore, a large number of intellectual people who really are seeking the truth are going away from outer religion, because they cannot find the explanation; consequently they become materialistic.

The mystic says the explanation of the whole of religion is the investigation of the self. The more one explores oneself, the more one will understand all religions in the fullest light and all will become clear. Sufism is only a light thrown upon your own religion, like a light brought into a room containing all the things you want; the one thing needed was light.

Yet the mystic is not always ready to give their answer to every person. Can parents always answer every question of their infant children? No. There are questions which can be answered, and there are some which should wait until the person comes to a point of understanding. I used to be fond of a poem which I did not understand; I could not find a satisfactory explanation. After ten years, all of a sudden in one second's time, a light was thrown upon it and I understood. There was no end to my joy. Does it not show that everything has its time? When people become impatient and ask for an answer, something can be answered, but something cannot be answered; the answer will come in its time. One has to wait. Has anyone in the world been able to say fully what God is, all the scriptures and prophets notwithstanding? God is an ideal too high and great for words.

~Hazrat Inayat Khan, ''Religious Gatheka 19 Sufi Mysticism, V: Realizing the Truth of Religion

[Thanks Ian Sanders]

[tasmiq]

Jumu'ah Sohbet: 5 January 2024

Alhamdulillah (Divine praise) that we have made it into the first week of January in the new year of our turbulent worldly existence. It is where humanity perennially wars;

i. Unwittingly, as individuals with our respective nafs (ego / lower-self),

ii. as nations or intra-nationally as in Sudan and,

iii. an alarmingly close reality is with planet Earth itself.

In that context was our Saturday Sohbet (spiritual conversation), which was deeply explored by Shaykh Mir of Tanzania. It was on the types of knowledge that we ought to acquire and its relationship to our fundamental Zikr in "La ilaha illallah" / There is nothing but the Divine. BIsmillah (With-and-not-For Allah, as substantiated by Shaykh Mir. When we act, we must do it with Allah! It is an important semantic making our relationship with Allah as Sufi Muslims even more intimate.

#1. Shaykh Mir first relayed how most of us came from conventional, organised religions, which are initially helpful, but we reach a point where we want more. What distinguishes a person in a Tariqa is that we are seekers.

It was congruent with my experience, which began with blind submission to secular values, to the total opposite of diligent Qur'anic Arabic studies and formal halaqa, and shockingly after this, did I plummet! Until I was saved by our Shaykh Nishaat, who opened the door to Sufism and both your Abbu and him that exemplified its teachings. Shaykh Mir described accurately my experience where we seek some answers that are ultimately deep within us. We later learn that the questions can not be resolved in an easy way unless we have spiritual mentors who take us under their fold to guide us.

It then becomes about the acquisition of knowledge as our Tariqa is committed to, with its dedication to fostering lifelong learning. Our Prophet SAW said, "Acquire knowledge from the cradle to the grave and acquire knowledge as far as China." But what is the knowledge that we are seeking? There is a verse of the Qur'an which says, "Verily the possessors of knowledge are in awe of Allah!" What we are seeking is the knowledge of the Divine, though this may not be possible with only our outer senses because of the limitation of the mind! I realised the shortfalls of the dogged focus on the exoteric / external spiritual path, which is only truly completed with the esoteric / internal path offered through Sufism!

#2. Thereafter, he rightly highlighted the importance of moving beyond ritualistic worship. Making a habit of something makes it an imitation, and the inner seeking is forgotten because of the challenges of the nafs. The nafs that we have has forgotten its true nature, which was blown into it by Allah. Instead, we develop an "I-ness" where everything is relatively taken where I am the doer, I am the seeker, and that identity of "I-ness" has covered the essence of Allah.

We become the doer of the attributes that we exhibit. That is the challenge that we have in our practice and daily life. What we should infact be seeking is perceiving Allah through all our outer and inner senses. In Tariqa, we are taught about the attributes of Allah, but we have to go to the essence of that attribute!

#3. Most importantly, he emphasised the importance of remembering La ilaha illallah within us? We have to experience the external, but if we have the La ilaha illallah / There is only the Divine engrossed into us, it will affect every component of us where we develop the sense that we are not the doer! We acquire a sense of peace within ourselves, where we see that the level of integration of La ilaha illallah within ourselves is directly proportional to what we are experiencing in the outside world!

However, our attachments and desires to the outside world are so much that it doesn't give time and room for La ilaha illallah to come up. Whereas on the path of Tassawuf, which is the science of purifying the heart, is what Tariqa focuses on. The La ilaha illallah integration within our life is the only key; knowing, feeling, and spreading it with our family and friends is the only thing that exists!

#4. Shaykh Anjum echoed Shaykh Mir in that the spiritual path is not easy! He added a colourful analogy of our self-realisation only being achieved if we are like pliable, kneaded dough that is ultimately baked at high temperatures 😅

For people who have been in the oven, they know the process and the result. This is the understanding that we ought to keep within a Tariqa, with a spiritual mentor. If we understand this, we will be a wonderful piece of golden brown bread that smells good, too 🍞 After I meekly dawdled to Shaykh Taner, appologising for taking long to connect with him, he graciously replied that it didn't matter and what mattered more is that I was there. I, subsequently, continue to weep happy tears of gratitude!

Shaykh Anjum poetically added that when we are saying La ilaha illallah, constantly and consistently - it leaves a mark on us where we are moved out of the way as the doers! We then have to increase the number of repetitions until it goes from Zahir (manifest / apparent) to Batin (inner/ hidden) and becomes autopilot where Allah takes over! We must be present, consistent, and have the urge to commit to lifelong learning.

#5. Shaykh Mir then powerfully reflected on the Fanafil Shaykh issue. Many misconstrue it as shirk (idolatry), whereas in his experience, he could feel Shaykh Taner doing a specific action. He added,

When I am connected, I am not necessarily doing it intentionally or that I am always engaging Shaykha, though. When I, as Mir, am not there, I can feel Baba (spiritual father Shaykh Taner). I can't necessarily visualise the Prophet SAW or him, but I can see his hands and feet, and the tradition is with him.

It comes to good use when we are selfless. So our focus is Fanafil Shaykh, followed by Fanafil Rasullulah SAW, and then Fanafillah. It's the tradition where a lineage of people is guiding us because the road is not easy. It is tough, and the more that we want to be close to the knowledge, the more we are put into the grind, and it burns us. We can resist it, but then we will not attain the peace and bliss that we are actually seeking.

In conclusion, as a Tariqa, we inherently wade in an ocean of being and a system of lifelong learning geared towards self-realisation. We are a diverse and deep lot, through outer and especially inner worship of Allah:

Shukran Ya Allah (Divine gratitude)

[scribbledpagesbysxn]

Do you ever think of reevaluating your relationship with God?

Sufism says we're all Reflections of God. Unique but One. Do you think maybe God, if he exists to you, is imperfect in his own way?

I've often wondered why some people are luckier than the rest. Why God carries some people in his arms without dropping once, while others have to go through so much pain and hardship

I dont know if Christianity or Islam has the answers to it, but Hinduism and Buddhism believe in the concept of Karma. Karma literally translated to "action". So again, roots back to Hindu beliefs of judging people by their actions instead of who they are.

Everything you face in life is because of your karma. Whether thats karma from your previous birth or from this birth. And thats how you go through 7 such lives experiencing life in many ways. The questions that remain unanswered to me is why we were put on the earth in the first place? Why was the concept of Karma event introduced by Gods? If we die anyway, after which nothing would matter, why birth us?

But again. I like life. I like transient moments of calm. Of joy. Of getting to know people, concepts, places, things. I like having someone to rely on when things get tough to bear. Hoping he'll do something to ease the pain. And he always does. And i don't think its my brain manipulating me into believing so. I think God really exists. I think I'm holding his/her pinky finger as i pave my way forward. Its nice to believe that.

~Sxn (Excerpts from a book i'll never write)

[santmat]

The Awakening of Souls and Valentinus of Alexandria

RUMI Says: "Everything you see has its roots in the unseen world. The forms may change, yet the essence remains the same. Every wonderful sight will vanish, every sweet word will fade, but do not be disheartened. The source they come from is eternal, growing, branching out, giving new life and new joy. Why do you weep? The source is within you and this whole world is springing up from it."

This satsang podcast edition of Spiritual Awakening Radio contains readings from many spiritual masters, scriptures, and poet-mystics of the East & West, including Gnostic passages from the Gospel of Truth and other writings of Valentinus of Alexandria.

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"In the spirit I see all suspended,

In the spirit I know everything held:

The flesh hanging from the soul

The soul held aloft by the air

The air suspended from the ether

Fruits manifest themselves out of the Depth

A child emerges from the womb."

-- Valentinus, Summer Harvest

"I saw a newborn child, and questioned it to find out who it was. And the child answered me saying, 'I am the Word'".

-- Valentinus, Valentinus' Vision of the Word

In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters,

James Bean

Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts

Spiritual Awakening Radio

https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com

#Podcasts #Spirituality #SpiritualPodcasts #SpiritualAwakening #SpiritualAwakeningRadio #Satsangs #SantMatSatsangPodcasts #Meditation #Mystics #Mysticism #Rumi #ACourseInMiracles #Gnosticism #Gnostics #GospelofTruth #Valentinus #NagHammadiLibrary #Santmat #Sant_Mat #Radha_Soami #Radhasoami #Radhasoamiji #Radhaswami #SuratShabdYoga #PathoftheMasters #ScienceofSpirituality #ScienceoftheSoul #Sufism #Sufis #BawaMuhaiyaddeen #IbnArabi #Namdev #TheHymnofthePearl #GospelofPhillip #AGnosticBookofHours #TheLawofAttention #EdwardSalimMichael #Bijak #Kabir #PhilosophyofLiberation #MaharshiMehi #GuruNanak #AdiGranth #PremPatraRadhasoami #RaiSaligram #Grace #Mercy #Compassion #HazurBabaSawanSingh #BabaJaimalSingh #Liberation #Salvation #Ascension #UnionwithGod #LordoftheSoul #OceanofLove

[33-108]

https://www.thecanadianbazaar.com/jews-descended-from-brahmin-priests-of-india-says-new-book/#:~:text=About%202%2C400%20years%20ago%2C%20the,he%20was%20right%2C%20says%20Brown.

This will upset many people, especially vehement anti jews, but it is a reality people are going to have to face.

The kabbalah, merkavah mysticism etc and the general ontology of a monastic, supreme consciousness, emanating into all that is we see and interact with, with total boundless, free will, in which can be interfaced by us, as emanations of the supreme; gifted with free will - directly corresponds to that of prevedic ideologue, the idelogue of those studying the brahmavidya - the ontological structure of shaivism, evidently predating the vedas themselves and the devas of the indoaryans.

Mind you, every other system interpreting the vedas i.e the vedanta school - differs from this perspective, they either believe god does not have free will, or that this reality is, "an illusion", in contrast to a multiplicity of the one supreme consciousness.

The aryans were consumed with the devas, similar in nature to aryan descended Greeks and their gods, for the sake of compartmentalized, spritual or other powers of the natural world.

The indoaryans discussed a prevedic shiva worshipping civilization, they encountered 3000 b.c.

The hebrews are descendants of this precise society - a class of brahmin priests in which migrated west, from india - as aristotle mentioned over 2 millenia ago.

The jews were originally shaivites.. in which relied nearly entirely on oral tradition who spread their knowledge and integrated their philosophy into other cultures, using the symbols and linguistics of novel, western civilizations of both iranian and various cannanite - hence the alien nature of the Hebrew language as a semitic language relative to others in the region, as well as the emergence of monotheistic zoroastrianism in the respective province.

The invisible father and barbelo, mentioned in the secret book of John- is an absolute kabbalistic depiction of the supreme consciousness birthing the first material manifestation.. the first question of the answer and all answers, the first step in the infinite dance. Just as barbelo (the mother father) and the invisible father are androgynous, with barbelo being an inseparable multiplicity of the supreme consciousness, parabhairava and bhairavi (the goddess) are the same.

Kashmir shaivism, cultivated in the syncretic religious mecca, now war torn due to religious and cultural disputes - is the most similar ontologically to Jewish kabbalah and had a massive influence on sufism.

While only an official categorical sect of hinduism as of 1000 or so a.d, expounded by the great Abhinavagupta, its most foundational roots, are far predating.. this early eastern culture, is the lost, esoteric key of Abrahamism, hidden in plain sight and Kashmir shaivism, the school of thought directly descended from it- astutely conveys this sentiment.

AUM namashivaya - Aum Kalabhairavaya namah

[tawakkull]

ISLAM 101: Spirituality in Islam: Part 110

The meaning of Tasawwuf

Part 5

Perhaps the biggest challenge in learning Islam correctly today is the scarcity of traditional ‘ulama. In this meaning, Bukhari relates the sahih, rigorously authenticated hadith that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said,

“Truly, Allah does not remove Sacred Knowledge by taking it out of servants, but rather by taking back the souls of Islamic scholars [in death], until, when He has not left a single scholar, the people take the ignorant as leaders, who are asked for and who give Islamic legal opinion without knowledge, misguided and misguiding” (Fath al-Bari, 1.194, hadith 100).

The process described by the hadith is not yet completed but has certainly begun, and in our times, the lack of traditional scholars—whether in Islamic law, in hadith, in tafsir ‘Qur'anic exegesis’—has given rise to an understanding of the religion that is far from scholarly, and sometimes far from the truth. For example, in the course of my own studies in Islamic law, my first impression from orientalist and Muslim-reformer literature was that the Imams of the madhhabs or ‘schools of jurisprudence’ had brought a set of rules from completely outside the Islamic tradition and somehow imposed them upon the Muslims. But when I sat with traditional scholars in the Middle East and asked them about the details, I came away with a different point of view, having learned the bases for deriving the law from the Qur'an and sunna.

And similarly, with Tasawwuf—which is the word I will use tonight for the English Sufism, since our context is traditional Islam—quite a different picture emerged from talking with scholars of Tasawwuf than what I had been exposed to in the West. My talk tonight, In Sha’ Allah, will present knowledge taken from the Qur'an and sahih hadith, and from actual teachers of Tasawwuf in Syria and Jordan, in view of the need for all of us to get beyond clichés, the need for factual information from Islamic sources, the need to answer such questions as Where did Tasawwuf come from? What role does it play in the din or religion of Islam? and most importantly, What is the command of Allah about it?

As for the origin of the term Tasawwuf, like many other Islamic disciplines, its name was not known to the first generation of Muslims. The historian Ibn Khaldun notes in his Muqaddima:

This knowledge is a branch of the sciences of Sacred Law that originated within the Umma. From the first, the way of such people had also been considered the path of truth and guidance by the early Muslim community and its notables, of the Companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), those who were taught by them, and those who came after them.

It basically consists of dedication to worship, total dedication to Allah Most High, disregard for the finery and ornament of the world, abstinence from the pleasure, wealth, and prestige sought by most men, and retiring from others to worship alone. This was the general rule among the Companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and the early Muslims, but when involvement in this-worldly things became widespread from the second Islamic century onwards and people became absorbed in worldliness, those devoted to worship came to be called Sufiyya or People of Tasawwuf (Ibn Khaldun, al-Muqaddima [N.d. Reprint. Mecca: Dar al-Baz, 1397/1978], 467).

In Ibn Khaldun’s words, the content of Tasawwuf, “total dedication to Allah Most High,” was, “the general rule among the Companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and the early Muslims.” So if the word did not exist in the earliest times, we should not forget that this is also the case with many other Islamic disciplines, such as tafsir, ‘Qur'anic exegesis,’ or ‘ilm al-jarh wa ta‘dil, ‘the science of the positive and negative factors that affect hadith narrators acceptability,’ or ‘ilm al-tawhid, the science of belief in Islamic tenets of faith,’ all of which proved to be of the utmost importance to the correct preservation and transmission of the religion.

[elisaenglish]

Prisons We Choose to Live Inside: Doris Lessing on Redeeming Humanity

This is the history of the world: revolutionaries turning into tyrants, leaders who claim to stand with the masses turning the individuals within them on each other, stirring certainties and self-righteousness to distract from the uncomfortable unknowns, from the great open question of what makes us and keeps us human, and human together. 

This is also the history of the world: artists—those lighthouses of the spirit—speaking truth to power, placing imagination ahead of ideology, the soul above the self, unselfing us into seeing each other, into remembering, as James Baldwin told Margaret Mead in their epochal conversation, that “we are still each other’s only hope.”

Born in Iran months after the end of the First World War and raised by farming parents in present-day Zimbabwe, Doris Lessing (October 22, 1919–November 17, 2013) was still a girl when she sensed something deeply wrong with the unquestioned colonial system of her world, with the oppression that was the axis of that world. By the time she was a young woman—a time when our urge to rebel against the broken system is fiery but we don’t yet have the tools to rebel intelligently, don’t yet know the right questions to ask in order to tell whether the answer we are holding up as an alternative is any better or worse—she rebelled by embracing Communism as “an interesting manifestation of popular will.” Working by that point as a telephone operator in England, she joined the Communist Party. “It was a conversion, apparently sudden, and total (though short-lived),” she would later recall. “Communism was in fact a germ or virus that had already been at work in me for a long time… because of my rejection of the repressive and unjust society of old white-dominated Africa.” It didn’t take her long to see the cracks in Communism. She left the party, discovered Sufism, grew fascinated with the nascent field of behavioural psychology and its revelatory, often disquieting findings about the inner workings of the mind, of its formidable powers to act and its immense vulnerabilities to being acted upon. But she found no ready-made answer to the problem of social harmony.

And so, in that way artists have of complaining by creating, she devoted her life—almost a century of life, a century of world wars and violent uprisings, of changes unimaginable to her parents—to asking the difficult, clarifying questions that help us better understand what makes us human, how we allow ourselves to dehumanise others, and what it takes to cohere, as individuals and as societies. At 87, she became the oldest person to receive the Nobel Prize, awarded her for writing that “with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilisation to scrutiny.”

In 1985, months after I was born under Bulgaria’s Communist dictatorship, Doris Lessing delivered Canada’s esteemed annual Massey Lectures, later adapted into a series of short essays under the haunting title Prisons We Choose to Live Inside (public library)—a searching look at how it is that “we (the human race) are now in possession of a great deal of hard information about ourselves, but we do not use it to improve our institutions and therefore our lives,” lensed through a lucid faith that we have all the power, urgency, and dignity we need to choose otherwise, to use what we have learned about the worst of our nature to nurture and magnify the best of our nature, to figure out “how we behave so that we control the society and the society does not control us.” 

In a sentiment Rebecca Solnit would echo three decades later in her modern classic Hope in the Dark, Lessing writes:

“This is a time when it is frightening to be alive, when it is hard to think of human beings as rational creatures. Everywhere we look we see brutality, stupidity, until it seems that there is nothing else to be seen but that—a descent into barbarism, everywhere, which we are unable to check. But I think that while it is true there is a general worsening, it is precisely because things are so frightening we become hypnotised, and do not notice—or if we notice, belittle—equally strong forces on the other side, the forces, in short, of reason, sanity and civilisation.”

To be realistic about our own nature, Lessing argues, requires attentiveness to both of these strands—the destructive and the creative. This is the cosmic mirror Maya Angelou held up to humanity in her stunning space-bound poem, urging us to “learn that we are neither devils nor divines.” An epoch before her, Bertrand Russell—also a Nobel laureate in Literature, though trained as a scientist—reckoned with our twin capacities to define them in elemental terms—“We construct when we increase the potential energy of the system in which we are interested, and we destroy when we diminish the potential energy.”—and in existential terms: “Construction and destruction alike satisfy the will to power, but construction is more difficult as a rule, and therefore gives more satisfaction to the person who can achieve it.” 

Our sanity, Lessing observes, lies in “our capacity to be detached and unflattering about ourselves”—and in the understanding that our selves are not islanded in time but lineages of beliefs and tendencies with roots much longer than our lifetimes, not sovereign but contiguous with all the other selves that occupy the particular patch of spacetime we have been born into. It is vital, she insists, that we examine ourselves—our selves, and the constellation of selves that is our given society—from various elsewheres.

This is why we need writers—those professional observers, in Susan Sontag’s splendid definition, whose job it is to “pay attention to the world” and shine the light of that attention on every side of the kaleidoscope that is a given culture at a given time. A decade after Iris Murdoch wrote in her superb reckoning with the role of literature in democracy that “tyrants always fear art because tyrants want to mystify while art tends to clarify,” Lessing writes:

“In totalitarian societies writers are distrusted for precisely this reason… Writers everywhere are aspects of each other, aspects of a function that has been evolved by society… Literature is one of the most useful ways we have of achieving this “other eye,” this detached manner of seeing ourselves; history is another.”

Because we are the future of our own past, the posterity of our ancestors, looking back on history from our present vantage point offers fertile training ground for looking forward, for shaping the world of tomorrow. Lessing writes:

“Anyone who reads history at all knows that the passionate and powerful convictions of one century usually seem absurd, extraordinary, to the next. There is no epoch in history that seems to us as it must have to the people who lived through it. What we live through, in any age, is the effect on us of mass emotions and of social conditions from which it is almost impossible to detach ourselves. […] There is no such thing as my being in the right, my side being in the right, because within a generation or two, my present way of thinking is bound to be found perhaps faintly ludicrous, perhaps quite outmoded by new development—at the best, something that has been changed, all passion spent, into a small part of a great process, a development.”

In consonance with Carl Sagan’s admonition against “the sense that we have a monopoly on the truth” and with Joan Didion’s admonition against mistaking self-righteousness for morality, Lessing offers:

“This business of seeing ourselves as in the right, others in the wrong; our cause as right, theirs as wrong; our ideas as correct, theirs as nonsense, if not as downright evil… Well, in our sober moments, our human moments, the times when we think, reflect, and allow our rational minds to dominate us, we all of us suspect that this “I am right, you are wrong” is, quite simply, nonsense. All history, development goes on through interaction and mutual influence, and even the most violent extremes of thought, of behaviour, become woven into the general texture of human life, as one strand of it. This process can be seen over and over again in history. In fact, it is as if what is real in human development—the main current of social evolution—cannot tolerate extremes, so it seeks to expel extremes and extremists, or to get rid of them by absorbing them into the general stream.”

Looking back on the colonialist Zimbabwe of her childhood, on the “prejudiced, ugly, ignorant” attitudes of the ruling whites, she reflects:

“These attitudes were assumed to be unchallengeable and unalterable, though the merest glance at history would have told them (and many of them were educated people) that it was inevitable their rule would pass, that their certitudes were temporary.”

At the centre of Lessing’s inquiry is the paradox of how seemingly sound-minded, kind-hearted people get enlisted in ideologies of oppression. Kierkegaard had written in the Golden Age of European revolutions—those idealistic but imperfect attempts to unify fractured feudal duchies into free nations, attempts that modelled the possibility of a United States of America—that “the evolution of the world tends to show the absolute importance of the category of the individual apart from the crowd,” that “truth always rests with the minority, and the minority is always stronger than the majority, because… the strength of a majority is illusory, formed by the gangs who have no opinion.” An epoch and a world order later, Lessing considers how regimes of terror take hold:

“Nearly everyone in such situations behaves automatically. But there is always the minority who do not, and it seems to me that our future, the future of everybody, depends on this minority. And that we should be thinking of ways to educate our children to strengthen this minority and not, as we mostly do now, to revere the pack.”

The mess we have made, she intimates, may be the most effective teaching tool we have—a living admonition against doing the same, a clarion call to rebel by doing otherwise:

“Perhaps it is not too much to say that in these violent times the kindest, wisest wish we have for the young must be: “We hope that your period of immersion in group lunacy, group self-righteousness, will not coincide with some period of your country’s history when you can put your murderous and stupid ideas into practice. “If you are lucky, you will emerge much enlarged by your experience of what you are capable of in the way of bigotry and intolerance. You will understand absolutely how sane people, in periods of public insanity, can murder, destroy, lie, swear black is white.”

As for us, here in the roiling mess, our sole salvation lies in learning to “live our lives with minds free of violent and passionate commitment, but in a condition of intelligent doubt about ourselves and our lives, a state of quiet, tentative, dispassionate curiosity.” Lessing writes:

“While all these boilings and upheavals go on, at the same time, parallel, continues this other revolution: the quiet revolution, based on sober and accurate observation of ourselves, our behaviour, our capacities… If we decided to use it, [we may] transform the world we live in. But it means making that deliberate step into objectivity and away from wild emotionalism, deliberately choosing to see ourselves as, perhaps, a visitor from another planet might see us.”

This, in fact, was the conditional clause in Baldwin’s words to Mead—in order to be “each other’s only hope,” he said, we ought to be “as clear-headed about human beings as possible.” This, too, was Maya Angelou’s conditional optimism for humanity: “That is when, and only when, we come to it”—to that “Brave and Startling Truth,” balanced on the fulcrum of our conflicted capacities, “that we are the possible, we are the miraculous, the true wonder of this world.”

Source: Maria Popova, themarginalian.org (11th November 2024)

[dieabadass]

IMAGINE….

a soul that roams through the vast landscape of spirituality, never confined to a single path, but instead embracing the wisdom and beauty scattered across many traditions, philosophies, and beliefs. This is the essence of an Omnist—someone who recognizes that no one belief system holds the full truth, but that pieces of it can be found in many. To be an Omnist is to see the divine in all things and in all ways of life, acknowledging that each religion and spiritual practice offers unique insights into the mysteries of existence.

Omnists walk through life with a heart open to discovery and a mind ready to absorb wisdom from any source. They understand that the world’s religions, philosophies, and spiritual paths are like rivers leading to the same vast ocean. Each river may have its own twists, turns, and landscapes, but ultimately, they are all flowing towards the same destination—an understanding of something greater than ourselves.

What makes this journey so incredible for an Omnist is that there is no pressure to choose one river over the others. They don’t feel the need to stand at the edge of one belief system and declare it to be the only way to truth. Instead, they dive into the waters of each with curiosity, humility, and a deep sense of reverence for the lessons they might learn along the way.

Omnism is not about rejecting any tradition, but rather about embracing them all. It’s about seeing the common thread of love, compassion, and unity that weaves its way through every belief system. An Omnist doesn’t feel threatened by the differences between religions; they celebrate them, knowing that diversity is what makes the human experience so rich and textured. The more perspectives we have, the closer we can come to grasping the full picture of life’s deeper meaning.

In this way, Omnists are bridge builders. They are connectors who help people see beyond the boundaries of their own beliefs and realize that, at the core, we are all searching for the same things��peace, purpose, connection, and understanding. When an Omnist encounters someone from a different spiritual background, they don’t see it as a point of division. Instead, they see it as an opportunity to learn something new, to expand their understanding, and to grow closer to the universal truth that transcends all religious labels.

This openness is what makes Omnism so profoundly uplifting. It offers the freedom to explore without the burden of dogma or fear of being "wrong." There’s a liberating sense of curiosity that drives an Omnist to keep learning, keep questioning, and keep evolving. They are not seeking a final answer, but instead, they find joy in the journey itself, in the ever-unfolding process of discovering new insights and perspectives.

An Omnist doesn’t have to choose between the meditative calm of Buddhism, the passionate devotion of Christianity, the mystical insights of Sufism, or the wisdom of ancient indigenous traditions. They find value in all of it. The prayer, the meditation, the song, the ritual—each is a doorway to the divine, a different way to connect with the same universal source of love and truth.

What makes this mindset so powerful is the deep sense of unity it fosters. An Omnist doesn’t just see themselves as a participant in their own spiritual journey; they see themselves as part of the collective human journey. There is no "us versus them," no division between those who are "in" and those who are "out." Instead, there is a recognition that we are all walking different paths that lead to the same summit. And at the top of that summit is the realization that we are all connected, not just to each other, but to the entire universe.

This awareness brings with it a profound sense of peace. The Omnist knows that they don’t have to have all the answers, and that’s okay. They trust in the process, knowing that each step forward, each new perspective encountered, brings them closer to understanding the vast and beautiful mystery of life. They have faith not in a single belief, but in the collective wisdom of humanity and the universe.

For anyone who feels boxed in by traditional religious labels, Omnism offers a breath of fresh air. It invites you to explore the world’s spiritual traditions with an open heart and an open mind, to take what resonates with your soul, and to leave behind what doesn’t. It’s a path that encourages personal growth, compassion for others, and a deep connection to the divine in all its forms.

Ultimately, Omnism teaches us that we don’t have to be limited by a single way of seeing the world. We can embrace the vastness of human experience and the richness of spiritual thought. We can find beauty in every belief system and see the divine everywhere we look. And in doing so, we discover that the truth we seek is not something we have to choose, but something that has been with us all along—woven into the fabric of every religion, every philosophy, and every soul we meet along the way.

[iamthewaybook]

Spiritual Wisdom Beyond Divinity

Introduction

Spirituality has long fascinated humanity, serving as a quest for meaning, purpose, and connection beyond the material world. Throughout history, individuals have sought to understand their place in the cosmos and the deeper truths of existence. This Spiritual Wisdom Beyond Divinity journey, often described as a pursuit of spiritual wisdom, transcends religious doctrines and dogmas, inviting us to explore the profound depths of our inner being.

In this blog, we will embark on a journey beyond the boundaries of conventional spirituality. We will delve into the realms of consciousness, mindfulness, and the interconnectedness of all life. We will explore the timeless wisdom of ancient traditions and the emerging insights of modern science, weaving together a tapestry of understanding that goes beyond the confines of divinity.

The Essence of Spiritual Wisdom

Defining Spirituality

Spirituality is a deeply personal and multifaceted concept that transcends religious affiliations. It is the pursuit of a deeper understanding of life, the universe, and our place within it. Unlike religion, which often involves structured beliefs and rituals, spirituality is a more individualized experience. It encourages us to explore our inner world, connect with our higher selves, and seek answers to the profound questions of existence.

The Universal Quest

Across cultures and epochs, the quest for spiritual wisdom has been a universal phenomenon. From the mystical traditions of the East, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism, to the contemplative practices of the West, including Christian mysticism and Sufism, humanity has sought to transcend the limitations of the physical world and tap into the infinite potential of the spirit.

Beyond Divinity

While divinity often implies a connection with a higher power or deity, spiritual wisdom invites us to go beyond this concept. It encourages us to explore the depths of our consciousness, to recognize the divine within ourselves, and to cultivate a sense of unity with all of creation. This journey is not confined to any particular religious framework; it is a universal path that transcends boundaries and embraces the essence of existence itself.

The Path of Self-Discovery

The Inner Journey

The journey to spiritual wisdom begins within. It is a path of self-discovery that requires us to turn our gaze inward and explore the depths of our own consciousness. This inner journey is not always easy; it often involves confronting our fears, insecurities, and limiting beliefs. However, it is through this process of self-exploration that we can uncover the truth of who we are and connect with our higher selves.

Mindfulness and Presence

One of the foundational practices on the path to spiritual wisdom is mindfulness. Mindfulness is the art of being fully present in the moment, of observing our thoughts and emotions without judgment. By cultivating mindfulness, we can develop a deeper awareness of our inner world and create a space for self-reflection and growth.

The Role of Meditation

Meditation is another powerful tool for self-discovery. Through meditation, we can quiet the mind, access deeper states of consciousness, and connect with the stillness within. There are many forms of meditation, from mindfulness meditation to transcendental meditation, each offering unique benefits and insights. Regular meditation practice can help us cultivate a sense of inner peace, clarity, and spiritual insight.

The Interconnectedness of All Life

The Web of Life

One of the fundamental insights of spiritual wisdom is the recognition of the interconnectedness of all life. This understanding is rooted in the belief that everything in the universe is interconnected and interdependent. From the smallest particles to the vast galaxies, all things are part of a greater whole.

The Oneness of Being

This sense of interconnectedness is often described as the oneness of being. It is the recognition that we are not separate from the universe but are an integral part of it. This understanding can lead to a profound sense of unity and compassion, as we realize that our actions affect not only ourselves but also the entire web of life.

The Role of Compassion

Compassion is a natural outgrowth of the recognition of interconnectedness. When we understand that we are all part of the same cosmic fabric, we can cultivate a sense of empathy and compassion for all beings. This compassion extends not only to other humans but also to animals, plants, and the environment. It encourages us to act with kindness, respect, and love in all our interactions.

Ancient Wisdom and Modern Insights

The Teachings of Ancient Traditions

Throughout history, many ancient traditions have offered profound insights into the nature of existence and the path to spiritual wisdom. The teachings of Buddhism, for example, emphasize the importance of mindfulness, compassion, and the cultivation of inner peace. Hinduism offers a rich tapestry of spiritual practices, including yoga and meditation, that guide individuals on their journey of self-discovery.

The Wisdom of Indigenous Cultures

Indigenous cultures around the world also possess a deep spiritual wisdom. These traditions often emphasize the importance of living in harmony with nature and recognizing the sacredness of all life. The wisdom of indigenous cultures can offer valuable insights into the interconnectedness of all beings and the importance of stewardship of the Earth.

Insights from Modern Science

In recent years, modern science has begun to uncover insights that align with ancient spiritual wisdom. Quantum physics, for example, reveals the interconnected nature of the universe, suggesting that all things are interconnected at a fundamental level. Neuroscience has also shed light on the benefits of mindfulness and meditation, demonstrating their positive effects on mental and physical well-being.

The Transformative Power of Spiritual Practice

Personal Transformation

Spiritual practice has the power to transform our lives in profound ways. By cultivating mindfulness, meditation, and compassion, we can develop a deeper sense of inner peace, clarity, and purpose. Spiritual practice can help us overcome limiting beliefs, heal emotional wounds, and connect with our true selves.

Healing and Wholeness

Spiritual wisdom also has the potential to bring healing and wholeness to our lives. By addressing the root causes of suffering and embracing our interconnectedness with all beings, we can experience a profound sense of healing on physical, emotional, and spiritual levels. This healing extends beyond the individual, contributing to the well-being of our communities and the world.

Living with Purpose

One of the most profound gifts of spiritual wisdom is the sense of purpose it brings to our lives. When we connect with our higher selves and recognize our interconnectedness with all of life, we can align our actions with our deepest values and aspirations. This sense of purpose guides us in making choices that are in harmony with our true nature and the greater good.

Conclusion

Spiritual Wisdom Beyond Divinity to spiritual wisdom is a deeply personal and transformative path that goes beyond the confines of divinity. It invites us to explore the depths of our inner being, recognize the interconnectedness of all life, and cultivate a sense of compassion and unity. By integrating the teachings of ancient traditions with the insights of modern science, we can embark on a journey of self-discovery, healing, and purposeful living.

In this ever-evolving quest, we discover that spiritual wisdom is not a destination but a continuous unfolding of our true nature. It is a journey that transcends religious boundaries and embraces the essence of existence itself. As we walk this path, we come to realize that the answers we seek are not found in distant realms but within the depths of our own consciousness.

May this exploration of spiritual wisdom inspire you to embark on your own journey of self-discovery, to connect with the divine within, and to live a life of purpose, compassion, and unity.

[eyeoftheheart]

Shiite calligraphy depicting Caliph Ali (r. 656-661 CE) as the Lion of God.

“Know thyself, and thou shalt know God.”

― Imam Ali

~

“Hazrat Ali says, "The secret of God can be studied in His nature."”

― Hazrat Inayat Khan, Vol. 1, The Way of Illumination, Some Aspects of Sufism, Nur-Zahur

~

“Someone went to Ali and asked him, "You tell us about the hereafter and the granting of desire there. What if it be not true? Then all our efforts on this earth would be wasted." "Nothing will be wasted," said Ali. "If it were not fulfilled, then you and I would have the same experience. But if it be true that there is a paradise, then you will be the loser and I shall gain, for I have prepared for it and you have scoffed at the idea."

~

“Loving one another is half of wisdom.”

― Nahj al-Balagha' ('The Peak of Eloquence')

~

“It is the spiritual soul who as a result of spiritual attainment begins to rise above all fear. As Ali has said, "Fear no longer remains in the heart of the spiritual ones." For fear is like the darkness, and the illumination is light. When illumination comes obscurity disappears. When a person has arrived at spiritual attainment, his doubts cease to exist. But without spiritual attainment, however intelligent a man may be, he still has doubts; and very often the more clever a person, the more doubts he has. And there are many among the most intelligent ones who cannot make a decision: they cannot make up their minds, for they doubt; and doubt is the decay which destroys every action. There is only one thing that raises a man above doubt, and that is not belief, but conviction; and conviction comes by spiritual attainment.”

― Hazrat Inayat Khan, Vol. 7, In an Eastern Rose Garden, The Journey to the Goal, Sublime Knowledge

~

“Sufis, who had received spiritual training from all previous prophets and leaders, likewise received training from Muhammad. The openness of Muhammads essential teachings paved the way for them to come forward into the world without the interference they had previously experienced, and a mystic order called the Saheba-e-Safa, Knights of Purity, was inaugurated by the Prophet, and afterwards was carried on by Ali and Siddiq. The lives of these knights were extraordinary in their wisdom, piety, bravery, spirituality, and great charity of heart. This order was carried on by their successors, who were called Pir-o-Murshid, Shaikh, etc., one after another, duly connected as links in a chain.”

― Vol. 5, A Sufi Message Of Spiritual Liberty, Sufis

~

“Hazrat Ali, the most distinguished among Sufis of the past, says, "To know the self is to know God", yet he spent much of his day and most of his nights in prayer.”

― Vol. 5, Pearls from the Ocean Unseen, The Prayerful Attitude, 5. Truth

~

“Then the question arises: what is the way to attain the truth? Can it be attained by study? The answer is that the source of realizing the truth is within man - but man is the object of his realization. There are words of Hazrat Ali, saying that the one who knows himself truly knows God.”

― Vol. 8, The Privilege of Being Human, 7. Truth

~

“In the time of Christ the inspiration was there, the voice was there and the divine power; but how few were those who listened and understood! It has always been so, and it always will be so. It is no wonder that Jesus had so few disciples, and even among them perhaps not one who had a true understanding of the Master. At the hour when Muhammad was passing away, when hundreds of his disciples were there, he pointed out one and said, "I am wisdom and Ali is the door."”

― Vol. 9, The Unity of Religious Ideals, The Message and the Messenger, The answer to the cry

~

“Accordingly to virtually the whole of the Islamic tradition, he (Imam Ali) is the “Gate” (bab) through which one enters the “City of Knowledge” that is the very being of the Prophet.”

~ Omid Safi

~

“More than this, there is an exchange of spiritual vibrations. Just by study or practice you cannot realize this truth, this feeling, this peace, this joy which is beyond words, which belongs to being your self, your natural self. In the East this is called Tawajjeh, which means presence, contact, association with. It is in this way that you learn what cannot be learned in any other way. Thus the disciples of Jesus Christ learned by his presence what no study or practice would ever have taught them. And in Muhammads time his disciples Ali and Abu Bakr gained very great benefit from his presence.”

― Vol. 12, The Vision of God and Man, Wealth, Discipleship

~

“Your sickness is from you, but you do not perceive it, and your remedy is within you, but you do not sense it. You presume you are a small entity, but within you is enfolded the entire Universe. You are indeed the evident book, by whose alphabet the hidden becomes manifest. Therefore you have no need to look beyond yourself. What you seek is within you, if only you reflect.”

― Imam Ali

~

““Man kuntu mawlahu, fa hadha Ali mawlahu”. Meaning: “For whomever I have been his Mawla (master/protecting friend), henceforth Ali is his Mawla.””

― Saying of Prophet Muhammad

Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad's lecture on Imam Ali

Imam Ali’s Letter to Malik Ashtar

The Sayings and Wisdom of Imam Ali

Imam ‘Ali: From Concise History to Timeless Mystery by Reza Shah-Kazemi

Spiritual Quest Reflections on Qurʾānic Prayer According to the Teachings of Imam ʿAlī

Imam Ali and the Spiritual Meaning of “Intellect” by Reza Shah-Kazemi

Imam Ali : A Beacon of Courage

[wisdomrays]

The All-Beautiful Names of God: Past 2

Some scholars of Sufism and the Islamic creed have regarded the All-Beautiful Names as the foundation of the truths of the universe, things, and humanity. They have made a highly different interpretation of these Names, saying: “The truths of things consist in the Divine Names.” According to them, all things, as well as all the willful and “instinctive” acts of humans and other beings—without ignoring the role of the free will in the acts of humans—are only mirrors that reflect the manifestations of the Divine Names. Bodies are only assemblages of material particles and compounds, while the Divine Names are in effect the spirits that reside in them. As for the true nature of these manifestations and the All-Majestic, All-High Divine Being Himself, before Whom the Names are veils, we should act in self-possession and remain in wonder, saying like the scholars of the Ahlu’s-Sunna: “God is completely different from whatever comes to your mind concerning Him,” or in the words of Imam ar- Rabbani: “God is beyond and further beyond whatever comes to your mind concerning Him.” Even though certain impulses arise from feelings or fanciful attitudes, or, in the words of Imam al - Ghazzali, “the worldly reason or intellect” clouds our atmosphere of spirit and heart, we should try to remain within the limits of our creed, saying like Ziya Pasha: “Perception of such transcendent matters is not something for our incapable reason / For these scales cannot measure such a great load.”

If God Almighty had not introduced Himself to us with His All-Beautiful Names, we would never be able to comprehend the truth concerning these Names in what is going on in the universe or to know the All-Sacred Being Who is called by them. It is only through His making His Being, His Essential Characteristics, and His Attributes of Glory known that we are able to have knowledge of the truths that we know today, even though this is incomplete. It is our belief that the Names in question are the titles of His Being; as a result we try to acquire bits of knowledge about the truth of Divinity, voicing our requests at His Door, which is open to all, and constantly observe these Names in hopeful expectation that our requests will certainly be answered, provided we submit to His judgments and commands. We believe that we can overcome our various troubles and ailments and be saved from our centuries-old problems by turning to Him, using these Names, each of Which has the effect of a different mysterious medication, as intercessors with Him.

We approach the All-Beautiful Names and understand them in accordance with whatever meaning they have in God’s sight and in the way the master of creation, upon him be the most perfect blessings and peace, perceived and interpreted them. We regard opposing considerations as deviance in thought and belief. How can we think and act otherwise when the Qur’an tells us that the denial of the Names, whether explicitly or by way of misguided interpretations, or the attribution of them, with their meanings and contents that are unique to God, to others than God is heresy? Declaring, God—there is no deity save Him; His are the All-Beautiful Names (20:8), the Qur’an refers the whole of existence, including humankind and the universe with whatever occurs in it, to those All-Beautiful Names.

It is of great importance that every responsible person has recourse to the Divine Names so that they can have accurate knowledge of God and entreat Him properly and be able to establish a proper relationship with their Creator. We begin every good deed with His Names, and render every act of service under their supervision. We believe that any work done without having recourse to these will be fruitless. The Names Allah (God) and ar-Rahman (the All-Merciful) are of particular importance and have a special place in the Divine Being’s sight. They are the first door through which we enter the clime of prayers and entreaties.

Even though some philosophers and the theologians influenced by them have put forward certain differing views about the All-Beautiful Names, as they have done for the Attributes, the scholars of the Ahlu’s-Sunna have always acted with care, sensitivity, and self-possession. Without going into detail or useless interpretations, they have maintained that the Names can be identical to or separate from the Divine Essence. It has sometimes happened that they have asserted in a moderate style that the Names are neither identical to nor separate from the Divine Essence, thus preferring to distance themselves from further discussion.

[amozontouregypt]

Embark on a Soulful Expedition: Explore Umrah and Muslim Heritage with a Sufi Program in Egypt

Embarking on a spiritual journey is a profound endeavor that allows us to connect with our inner selves and strengthen our faith. For devout Muslims, the opportunity to perform Umrah and explore the rich Islamic heritage is a dream come true. And for those seeking a deeper understanding of Sufism, Egypt is a treasure trove of mystical traditions. If you long for a transformative experience, look no further than Amozon Tours Egypt's Umrah and Muslim Tour with a Sufi Program in Egypt. Discover the enchanting blend of spiritual enlightenment and cultural exploration that awaits you.

Unveiling the Umrah and Muslim Tour: Amozon Tours Egypt proudly presents an all-inclusive package that combines the spiritual pilgrimage of Umrah with an immersive Muslim tour. The Umrah and Muslim Tour offers a unique opportunity to fulfill your religious obligations and explore Egypt's Islamic heritage—a country renowned for its rich history and profound influence on the Muslim world.

Performing Umrah is a deeply personal and spiritual experience. This package ensures that you have the guidance and support necessary to complete each step of the pilgrimage with ease. From organizing your flights to arranging accommodations near the Holy Mosque in Mecca and Medina, Amozon Tours Egypt takes care of every detail, allowing you to focus solely on your spiritual journey.

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[tasmiq]

Jumu'ah Sohbet: 24 May 2024

After a technology meltdown, Alhamdulillah we are here! Shukran Ya Allah (Divine gratitude) for your Nana for reinventing this into a "new" phone, according to Mahfouz! Our week led to the highlight where Mahfouz's question about what age you need to be, to join Silat - landing both him and Muntaha as possibly the youngest members to join this Silat school, Subhana'Allah (Divine glory!). In that midst, these were some additional blessed insights, Bismillah:

#1. We were blessed with a reunion with Anne's nur (Allah's light), and she happened to relay our Nabi's PBUH "Prayer of Light." Before that, she reflected that we talked about taqwa (self-vigilance / Allah consciousness) in Ramadan, along with Rabita (purposeful heart connection), because that's how we know what Allah wants us to do. She explained that yes, Allah's word is in the Qur'an, but there are many situations that come up in one's life that require a different energy. We thus need our connection to Allah to go forward. To this day, she tearily yet deeply recollected her "honey's," that's Shaykh Taner's latest words about one's conscience. Our conscience is when Allah is speaking to us.

We all have Allah's voice in us, even as little kids. When we kids misbehave; we may ask, is Allah happy with this? From birth on, we have Allah's voice in our hearts, and our conscience is one of the names for this. The latest message from our Shaykh Taner is that conscience is when Allah's voice speaks to us, as the part of us that is telling the truth. It points out that we are always connected. When we think about all our different life situations, it is when our conscience speaks very loudly.

And those of us that say, 'I do Rabita, but I don't hear Allah's voice!' We must remember that Allah is As-Sami and Al-Basir and answers prayers. Allah hears, Allah sees, and He answers all of our prayers. It is us that needs to remove the veils from our seeing and hearing so that we can perceive Allah! This is what necessitated a focus on how to perform Rabita, the importance of it, because how are we to connect and devote ourselves to Allah without it? We are not doing anything that is outside of the Qur'an. However, she added that there is not one way to connect because Allah has created us each in a particular way. In the "Aqim es-Salat" book, we talk about connecting to Allah through Zikr / Dhikr (Divine remembrance) always, prayers / dua'a where we are sincerely talking to Allah and acknowledging Him as our God. Dua'a are powerful too! As our Nabi's SAW emotive "Prayer of Light."

#2. We just passed the sad and dramatic passing of Irani President Raisi in a helicopter accident. I was not only born in Iran, but President Raisi was beloved amongst the working class people of Iran and actively supporting Palestine during this horrendous time! We lived amongst many of the working class and Iranian villagers who have hearts of gold 💛 They wouldn't wash their veggies that they grew and often come to your Nana and Nanu with stomach issues. But we were often gifted with scrumptious food and produce from their gardens out of their endearing gratitude!

Above: President Raisi's funeral proceedings in Iran, as emotive as the Shia commemoration of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein and lot (may Allah be pleased with all of them) in Karbala.

I was reflecting with your Aunties how interesting it is that I have been exposed to traditional systems and modern systems amongst mankind. I appreciate some aspects of both and belong to neither! I choose our Shaykh Taner's identified Allahistan! Allah please forgive and bless everyone in our spiritual chain, especially my humourous introduction to it through Shaykh Taner, and guide Anne as our worldly representative!

#3. Khalifa Rubina this week focused on Surah Yasin of the Qur'an. She made me realise why it's considered the heart of the Qur'an. This late into my journey of Islam and through Sufism, nogal - colloquially speaking - or for Pete's sake! I am guilty of approaching the Qur'an with my arrogant preconceptions: Ya Gafoor Ya Afu (Seeking Divine forgiveness for my past misgiving.) Allah of course is the greatest Poet, if in its verses He can succinctly proclaim of His powerful ability, Kun faya kun (Be, and it is!)

Surah Yasin, like Surah Fatiha, is a common Surah that we've grown up with. Recited during times of death, and Nabi SAW identified it as the heart of the Qur'an. It is because all the tenets of Islam are in Surah Yasin as the Surah of guidance. It is a reminder of Nabi SAW as our messenger, the Qur'an being revealed by Allah, and all the aspects of us understanding our relationship with Allah. The other reminder is what Shaykh Taner spoke extensively about in Surah Yasin. We use the first 12 verses for spiritual, mental, and emotional cleansing. Shaykh Taner and Shaykha Muzeyyen Ansari have noted this in the healing book below. A message throughout Surah Yasin is guidance and the beautiful understanding of "qalb" as the heart that is to turn. The understanding and contemplating on Surah Yasin helps us to repeatedly turn to Allah. Our purpose is to be khalifa (representatives) of Allah by turning to Him repeatedly. Therefore, working with and connecting to our hearts is what we are striving for Insha'Allah! May we be people of "Qalbun Saleem" possessing spiritual hearts that Allah is pleased with.

The Surah of the Qur'an that begin with Arabic letters, Shaykh Taner explains are secret codes of the Qur'an to ensure that it is protected. You can learn more from different mufassireen (scholars who interpret Qur'an and hadith). Another understanding is that it is another name for our Nabi SAW. "Seen" is the letter that appears in "insaan" as human beings, implying that Nabi SAW was the most perfect representation. Nabi SAW is described as the best character and example. These first 12 verses are recommended to read daily and the intent is for all-round cleansing. With that we can recite 3 Surah Ikhlas, 1 Surah Falaq, 1 Surah Nas and Aytul Qursi. This is shared with us in the book "Alternative Healing: The Sufi Way"

In conclusion, Shukran Ya Allah that your Ammu can be a multitasking researcher because she noted what you reflected during Silat class last night!:

"Kiddy feedback:

Why was Guru @⁨Rennie S⁩ talking to me (us) so often? 😇

Were we the first kids to join Silat? 🤷🏽‍♀️

I can't wait to show my friends my new Silat moves! 🤭

@⁨~Gasan⁩ looks so strong 😉💪

It's fun that the moves have a story 🐟 @⁨Ilana⁩ (Your breakdown of the moves and dance was magic!)

Gratitude for such an endearing welcome to the "Silaties", as their dad calls them 💓🙏"