Dear brother,

What I like most about the way of sufism is that it is a religion of the heart. So what's most important after many years of my own search (some 30 + years) is to realize that what is most important is just that, the way of heart, the friendship that have lasted for all those years, as you enter a family and you are just adopted forever.

Al Ghazzali said "Sufism (or the way of heart) is based on experience, not premises". This was a favorite quote of the teacher of my teacher, Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti.

In Islamic principles, the first principle is tawhid, the principle of unity, la illaha ilallahu, that nothing exists except Allah or God, or whatever name. So all is One "al Ahad" and we have this innate knowledge in our heart, of tawhid, but we forget as we are human. So the second principle of prophecy (124,000 prophets from Adam to Mohammed pbuh), that the prophets were sent by Allah to remind us (Dhikr) of something we already know. Now the only difference in the 3rd principle of the return to Allah (through what we call death) is that the mystic or sufi seek the voluntary return (die before you die as it is said in the koran and also by St Paul in the Christian tradition).

This process of death to the identification with the image of self, to the nafs is what the spiritual journey is about. To enter the presence of God, as it is said in the holy Koran:

Q 13:28 "Only in the remembrance of God do the hearts find satisfaction and tranquility"

also

Q 2:115 "Wheresover you turn, there is the face of God"

Q 57:4 "He is with you wherever you are"

One must be considered ignorant to seek what is already there. How ignorant can we be to seek God? Truly if you have faith in the words above in the holy Koran in 2:115 and 57:4. Then what do we seek? only our peace or felicity in reminding ourselve of what we already know?

"Since you have no escape from returning to God, you should know that you are at Him from the first step, which is the first breath. So do not weary yourself by seeking ascent to Him, for that is nothing but your emerging from your desire such that you do not witness it. For "He is with you wherever you are" , so your eyes will fall on none but Him. However, it remains for you to recognize Him. Were you to distinguish and recognize Him, you would not seek ascent to Him, for you have not lost Him." (From W. Chittick, Presence with God, Ibn Arabi society): link

So the statement from Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti is attempting to signify that we must go beyond. We must go beyond the "premises" as mentioned by Al Ghazzali. It is necessary at one point to go beyond the words.

In the story of Mullah Nasrudin "when he lost his key to his house", he sought it outside, where there is more light. Now this story is explained with the two sides of the brain, the left, the intellect, connected with the right hand, is the side of the mathematics, of the reasoning, of the light side of our consciousness. The right is the creative side, connected with the left hand (the opposite for lefties). The right is the dark side, the unconsciousness in Freudian terms. So Nasrudin was looking for the key to the mysteries of his heart, knowing that he should be sought in his heart, in the darkness of his being, instead, he looked in the light, with his conscious mind, his intellect, the things that can be explained, discussed or put into words.

The Zen teacher gives a Koan to his student to try to confuse so much the intellect that they must give up giving an answer in a rational way. "What is the sound of one hand clapping?"

The Sufi teacher uses the way of love, harmony and beauty, to open the heart so that it reflects the sifats of the 99 beautiful names of Allah and demonstrates the qualities of Love, Compassion, Mercy, Certitude, Peace, Sacredness, Forgiveness, Patience, Persistence, Friendship, Listening, Watching, etc....

This is not done by reading about it, this is done by surrendering one's idea of self and finding the spirit of guidance, in one's own heart, so that we can serve, heal and love humanity.

In the spiritual journey of fana-fi-sheik, fana-fi-murshid, fana-fi-rassoul, fana-fi-lillah then must come a time when we abandon even the concepts of effacement and the concept of God, to enter in the presence, in the realilty of the oneness and emerge in the One, in Baka, the realisation. fana and baka go together, as cruxifiction and resurrection to become the complete person. This is beyond words.

My teacher told me a few years ago "true freedom will be when the sinner and the saint in you are reconciled" you would say in the 99 names when you accept al Khafeed (the shadows and dark place in you) as well as ar Rafi (the exalted, the highest place in your consciousness). Then last year, he said "do you remember what I told you?" I answer "yes" then he said "forget it, I do not want you to make it a concept, just come from the heart, just love, that's enough."

This is why Murshid Sam said:"Even our highest principles and morals can become obstacles if they hinder the spiritual freedom which God and God
alone can bestow."

Peace and blessings

Salik

peace
nothing like taking something out of context and applying it to something else .... so here goes this exercise brother Jean to see what shakes down the sive of obstacles... how does the following statement from above "So there is nothing which can be explained, discussed or put into words which may not have to be discarded." apply to the quran??

this question is not asked to destroy or challenge it is asked to understand
peace out!