At 01:05 PM 8/6/2003 +0200, you wrote:
Walaikum assal=
aam
Melissa,
Thank you for your detailed comments. It is good that you write about it
in some detail as thus the subject matter can be done justice. I'm very
interested in Ibn al-'Arabi myself. He defines the key terms thus:
Maqam. An expression for complete fulfillment of the demands of
the protocol.
Hal (State).=A0 Hal is something that comes over the heart
without effort or invitation. One of its marks is that it disappears, its
like following upon it time after time until it becomes pure. On occasion
its like may not come after it. From this originates the disagreement: He
for whom the like is made to follow alleges its continuation; and he for
whom the like is not made to follow alleges its lack of continuation. It
is said to be impossible for the servant to describe the hal.
The chapter on Enoch is to be found in the Fusus al-Hikam.
There is a very interesting four volume translation plus commentary
done by Bulent Rauf. A French translation of C. A. Gilis in two volumes
not only adds partial commentaries of the most important classical
commentators of this book but also from the traditional school to which
the translator himself belongs.
Siraj
A historical note on the publication you mention above is that it is
mis-attributed to Ismail Hakim Bursevi (a member of the Ottoman Jalwati
Order of Sufism). Recent sholarship discloses that this
commentary (translated by Bulent Effendi) was actually authored by
Abdullah Bosnevi, a Malamati Sufi from the Balkans who fled to Egypt
after being accused of heresy. Abdullah Bosnevi was a
"radical" exponent of wahdat al-wujud("unicity of
being")and his commentaries, which I happen to like, reflect that
perspective. I would still advise W. Chittick's works as a useful
guide to the thought of Ibn al-Arabi since they are less
"canted" by other perspectives. I am not familiar with
the Gills translations, can you tell us the title, pulbisher, and to
which "school" the author belongs? Thank you.
From tariqas@stderr.org Wed Aug 6 21:55:34 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (tariqas@stderr.org)
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 16:55:34 EDT
Subject: [Tariqas] 'Malakut' / 'Malkut' and Tariqas
Message-ID: <15c.2206eb78.2c62c546@aol.com>
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In a message dated 8/6/2003 4:45:36 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
mheid2000@yahoo.com writes:
> Nahju Balagha
salam
Where can I find these collections?
uzma
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In a message dated 8/6/2003 4:45:36 PM Eastern Dayligh=
t Time, mheid2000@yahoo.com writes:
Nahju Balagha
salam
Where can I find these collections?
uzma
--part1_15c.2206eb78.2c62c546_boundary--
From tariqas@stderr.org Wed Aug 6 21:58:47 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (tariqas@stderr.org)
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 16:58:47 EDT
Subject: [Tariqas] 'Malakut' / 'Malkut' and Tariqas (Uzma)
Message-ID:
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In a message dated 8/6/2003 10:00:07 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
tanzen@sbcglobal.net writes:
>
> If we use only two words to point to life, head and heart, we find that head
> is self-identification and heart is other. When we come to see others as
> ourself then we are in an aspect of heart level. Words are at head level.
> Imagine leaving the body, the brain, the nerves, and having only "mind": That's
> Malakut; it's where angels and other non-material entities reside! But all this
> is simply illusion for all is One, is Absolute, in or out of the body.
>
Asalamu'aliekum
Thankyou Tanzen...you have beautiful thoughts!
salam u duas
uzma
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In a message dated 8/6/2003 10:00:07 AM Eastern Daylig=
ht Time, tanzen@sbcglobal.net writes:
If we use only two words to point to life, head and heart, we find that head=
is self-identification and heart is other. When we come to see others as ou=
rself then we are in an aspect of heart level. Words are at head level. Imag=
ine leaving the body, the brain, the nerves, and having only "mind": That's=20=
Malakut; it's where angels and other non-material entities reside! But all t=
his is simply illusion for all is One, is Absolute, in or out of the body.
Asalamu'aliekum
Thankyou Tanzen...you have beautiful thoughts!
salam u duas
uzma
--part1_f4.2f464e99.2c62c607_boundary--
From tariqas@stderr.org Wed Aug 6 22:31:26 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Dr. Yannis Toussulis)
Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2003 14:31:26 -0700
Subject: [Tariqas] 'Malakut' / 'Malkut' and Tariqas (Uzma)
In-Reply-To: <008a01c35c21$1dcf58f0$6401a8c0@stardust>
References: <157.228d1542.2c617851@aol.com>
Message-ID:
At 06:46 AM 8/6/2003 -0700, you wrote:
Hello, Uzma, and all here and
there!
=A0
Speaking of levels, the way Hazrat Inayat Khan
explains them can be found at:
=A0
=A0=A0
http://www=
.rosanna.com/sufiwritings/glossary/planes.htm
=A0
Much of the words used point to intellectual
understanding, not to be confused with Knowledge. Such comes from direct
personal experience. When words are used to try describe the planes we
"lose something in the translation".
Well, unfortunately the words used in these descriptions may
be taken to be "only intellectual," which could be a big
mistake. Of course, words (alone) cannot transmit direct
experience, but I would argue that these words, used by Sufi poets as
well as metaphysicians, indicate something of importance. If that
were not the case, then words like "Malakut" would have been
discarded by savants like Mevlana and Ibn 'Arabi. If you mean to
emphasize that a living relationship is needed more than
"theoretical" knowledge, you'll get no argument from me. If, on
the other hand, you take the path of least resistance, and elevate an
ambiguous "knowledge" that remains mysterious because it evades
all discussion, then there is a problem.
My own feelings are that
Knowledge comes first and the intellect is used to try to understand the
experience. Thus we have many explanations but there is a common thread
that drives them all: love!
A direct disclosure of Being may be partially (or falsely)
digested by any one function, be it "intellect" (rationality)
or emotion. If you are an "emotional type" you can
private "love," or if you are a "thinking type" you
can privilege "gnosis." Of course disclosure (Knowledge)
comes first, but it also lends itself to assimilation and
integration. Herein, "lies the rub." If, it were true --
that in Beatle-like fashion -- "all we need is love" then we
would all rush to disgard adequate reflection. It is true that ome
Sufi schools (the Chistiyya, for example) emphasize Love, but they did so
against a background of discipline and scholarship that is evident in
most of their classical works. Let me submit, that an imbalance of
"intoxicated love" was critiqued by many mainstream
Sufis. Why? These Sufis (Junayd, Ibn Arabi, and many others
of their ilk) critiqued Hallaj -- not because he was "wrong,"
but because his excessive love led him to abandon the type of
discrimination ("sobriety") needed for a more mature form of
integration. "Intoxicated love" (ishq) leads to jam
("union"), but the "separation after union"
(farq i-thani) requires "sobriety," and this, in turn,
requires a fine-tuned sense of discrimination. Hence, Classical
Sufism (though filled with the praises of love) emphasizes a balance of
"head" and "heart."
Such love, i.e., Love, is
the glue of the physical, mental universes. But there are universes
beyond body, mind, and we call such "heart", having little to
do with the physical heart other than as a symbol.
=A0
If we use only two words to point to life, head and
heart, we find that head is self-identification and heart is other. When
we come to see others as ourself then we are in an aspect of heart level.
Words are at head level. Imagine leaving the body, the brain, the nerves,
and having only "mind": That's Malakut; it's where angels
and=A0other non-material=A0entities reside! But all this is simply illusion
for all is One, is Absolute, in or out of the body.
=A0
Hope all the discussion shows as "light coming
out of the darkness" of silence! <smile>
=A0
Thank you for being.
=A0
Love, only love,
=A0
tanzen
From tariqas@stderr.org Wed Aug 6 22:36:53 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Dr. Yannis Toussulis)
Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2003 14:36:53 -0700
Subject: [Tariqas] 'Malakut' / 'Malkut' and Tariqas
In-Reply-To: <00a301c35c23$1b21b330$6401a8c0@stardust>
References: <200308051941.h75JfcBG020052@bolt.sonic.net>
Message-ID:
At 07:00 AM 8/6/2003 -0700, you wrote:
Hello, YT, and all here and
there!
=A0
Thank you for your comments. Out of the darkness
comes light. "Heart" is a very big word that means many things
to many people. To me it is guidance, it is intuition, it is High Self,
behind which stands Absolute. <smile>
=A0Well, Tanzen, I apologi=
ze
if I've been somewhat hard on you. I admire Hz. Inayat Khan as a
waliullah. At the same time, I've noticed a tendency among
his American followers to abandon further inquiry. As a "devil's
advocate," I hope to stimulate the latter. wa-salaam.
From tariqas@stderr.org Wed Aug 6 22:46:47 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Dr. Yannis Toussulis)
Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2003 14:46:47 -0700
Subject: [Tariqas] The stations and states of the Sufi path
In-Reply-To: <3F30DD39.4020502@wxs.nl>
References:
Message-ID:
At 12:49 PM 8/6/2003 +0200, you wrote:
I think you are
right. It is interesting to notice that shaykh 'Abdullah Ansari of Herat
has written two books with lists of the "steps" of the
spiritual path. He first wrote Sad Maydan (The Hundred
Fields) and years later he wrote the Kitab Manazil as-Sayirin (the
Book of the Stations of the Wayfarers). The point which I want to make is
that the two lists of 100 steps are different at places. It is quite
significant for instance, that he ends the first book with # 100 = love,
while in the book when he was older and more mature he gives it a lower
place, while mentioning tawhid (unity) as # 100.
Interesting. As a Sufi of "sober"
temperament, I believe that Ansari was indicating something that may have
relevance for the present discussion on "Tariqas." It may
be that he gave greater precedence to tawhid
("unification" or "unity" ) because tawhid
conveys something that surpasses even the Name,
al-Wadud.
I would speculate that this offers a clue as to how to resolvie the
preferences that some people have for "knowledge" (ilm
or mar'ifa) over "love" (mahabba or
ishq). It would seem that Tawhid represents a unity of both
. . . and more.
From tariqas@stderr.org Wed Aug 6 23:23:04 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (tariqas@stderr.org)
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 18:23:04 EDT
Subject: [Tariqas] The stations and states of the Sufi path
Message-ID: <175.1e6a8607.2c62d9c8@aol.com>
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Assalaamu aleikum,
In the prophet "mi`raj" or ascending journey, he was offered two drinks: one
was wine and one was milk. He chose the milk, and angel Jabra`il pointed out
that he chose the "Fitrah / intuition" and that if he had chosen wine, his
"ummah/nation or followers" would have been ruined (from the straight path).
If we understand "wine" as the "intoxicant love" and that milk is the
"nourishing love", we see that the nourishing love require from us not to "pray"
while we are drunk. If we take the prophet's saying that "Working (for service) is
worship", then we can understand that to be in public service, we have to
follow the example of the prophet (pbuh), who expressed his love for Allah while
in public in a way that holds the lesser possibility of confusing others. One
of the prayers of Awliya`u Allah which is mentioned in the Qur'an asks Allah
not to let them be "fitnah / a cause of confusion and mesmerism" to people.
As for the spiritual wine that is described in the Qur'an that one drinks in
the status of "qurb / nearness to Allah" out of His Grace.....it was also
described that it does not cause "intoxicants" like the wordily one. What does
"drunkenness" mean in such case?! I guess it means not to let the sweetness of
the experience and direct knowledge blow your sense of "servanthood".
Servanthood is where you put unity, before love, not in the sense that you won't become
a lover anymore or that love will not be your maqam, but in the sense that you
become a servant "`abd " out of that love. Love will be your inner status,
and servanhood is its expression, or outer manifestation.
All of these sayings carry such subtle messages that we all need to grasp.
salaam
Amany
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Assalaamu aleikum,
In the prophet "mi`raj" or ascending journey, he was offered two drinks: one=
was wine and one was milk. He chose the milk, and angel Jabra`il pointed ou=
t that he chose the "Fitrah / intuition" and that if he had chosen wine, his=
"ummah/nation or followers" would have been ruined (from the straight path)=
.
If we understand "wine" as the "intoxicant love" and that milk is the "nouri=
shing love", we see that the nourishing love require from us not to "pray" w=
hile we are drunk. If we take the prophet's saying that "Working (for servic=
e) is worship", then we can understand that to be in public service, we have=
to follow the example of the prophet (pbuh), who expressed his love for All=
ah while in public in a way that holds the lesser possibility of confusing o=
thers. One of the prayers of Awliya`u Allah which is mentioned in the Qur'an=
asks Allah not to let them be "fitnah / a cause of confusion and mesmerism"=
to people.
As for the spiritual wine that is described in the Qur'an that one drinks in=
the status of "qurb / nearness to Allah" out of His Grace.....it was also d=
escribed that it does not cause "intoxicants" like the wordily one. What doe=
s "drunkenness" mean in such case?! I guess it means not to let the sweetnes=
s of the experience and direct knowledge blow your sense of "servanthood". S=
ervanthood is where you put unity, before love, not in the sense that you wo=
n't become a lover anymore or that love will not be your maqam, but in the s=
ense that you become a servant "`abd " out of that love. Love will be your i=
nner status, and servanhood is its expression, or outer manifestation.
All of these sayings carry such subtle messages that we all need to grasp.
salaam
Amany
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From tariqas@stderr.org Thu Aug 7 03:52:26 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Laurence J. Galian)
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 22:52:26 -0400
Subject: [Tariqas] Multiple Messages from Stancato Nicola?
Message-ID: <410-2200384725226723@earthlink.net>
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I have been receiving the following message maybe ten times from Stancato Nicola:
>alaikum wassalaam
>Mi dispiace, non conosco l'inglese, e non mi fido dei traduttori automatici,
>non rendono il significato delle cose.
>Nicola
Is this a problem with my system or are others receiving multiple messages from this email source?
Thanks.
Abdullah Muzaffer
(Laurence Galian)
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I have been receiving the following message maybe ten times from Stancato Nicola:
>alaikum wassalaam
>Mi dispiace, non conosco l'inglese, e non mi fido dei traduttori automatici,
>non rendono il significato delle cose.
>Nicola
Is this a problem with my system or are others receiving multiple messages from this email source?
Thanks.
Abdullah Muzaffer
(Laurence Galian)
------=_NextPart_84815C5ABAF209EF376268C8--
From tariqas@stderr.org Thu Aug 7 05:04:45 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Mellissa Heidari)
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 21:04:45 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Tariqas] Heart/Head dual-ity and Imam Ali links
In-Reply-To: <1de.e0b7b2a.2c6290af@aol.com>
Message-ID: <20030807040445.54707.qmail@web11402.mail.yahoo.com>
salam Uzmaa,
The first link seems to have the entire collection on
line. Nice reading! The second link is a source for
purchasing the book. Enjoy!
http://www.al-shia.com/html/eng/books/nahjulbalaga/
http://www.bestwebbuys.com/books/compare/isbn/0940368420/isrc/b-grt-sacred
Now for your other inquiry, forgive if it is a bit
vague.
Like most who begin this very long Journey, I began
with a certain perception of Sufism. Most of it
gleaned through the intellectual, analytical approach.
In my early 20’s I even studied the classics *gasp*,
writing papers and taking tests on meter, rhyme,
metaphors et al. Of course, it had not connection to
ME. It was simply a subject that I enjoyed
passionately, in a very academic way. Same with the
Quron. I didn’t manage to master Arabic (soon
inshahallah) but still a very academic approach to the
subject matter.
Then I came full circle “back” to Sufic works as a
personal exploration. But I was still very much mired
in my intellectual approach and I can say that my pool
of water was stagnating.
Then a series of events opened a small, tiny little
chink in the encrustation around my heart. Until
then, I had no idea it was “blocked”. After all, few
of us can remember the movement of the heart, most
lose the rhythm by age 10 and some a little later.
So, of course a process and a structure that took me
some twenty years to build will not be moved easily or
quickly. My “namaz” is the cure for this dilemma,
although I am lax and not as disciplined as I need to
be.
wa salam
Mellissa
--- Uzmaa@aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 8/5/2003 9:46:16 PM Eastern
> Daylight Time,
> mheid2000@yahoo.com writes:
>
> > My human intellect (as opposed to the
> > Universal Intellect) functions quite clearly and
> is
> > now focused properly. My heart however is no
> where
> > near the state of my (human) intellect. Thus, the
> > contemplation of my Beloved during prayer is quite
> > necessary at this point in order for my heart to
> > “move” and be properly aligned (although those
> nasty
> > nafs often make me procrastinate).
>
> Dear Millissa
>
> Asalamu'aliekum
>
> Would it be possible for you to elaborate on what
> you have said. It is very
> interesting.
> Thanks for your thoughts.
> Uzma
>
__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo
http://search.yahoo.com
From tariqas@stderr.org Thu Aug 7 05:08:47 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Siraj)
Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2003 06:08:47 +0200
Subject: [Tariqas] The stations and states of the Sufi path
In-Reply-To:
References:
Message-ID: <3F31D0CF.4040909@wxs.nl>
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Dr. Yannis Toussulis wrote:
>
> Now, if I am permitted, may I ask what is your background in Sufism?
> I assume from your postings that you are fluent in Farsi and have more
> than passing acquaintanceship with the Chistiyya. Do you also have an
> academic background in Sufi Studies?
>
> Best Regards
==========================================================================================================================================
Today it is 30 years ago that I've been admitted to a Sufi order which
is affiliated with the Chishtiyya order. The centre of the order is in
Ajmer, India, close to the dargah of Khwaja Mo'inuddin Chishti. There is
an on-line discusion group, the Chishtiyya, and I paticipate in it. I'm
not fluent in Farsi, but by being active in this field I hope slowly to
increase my knowledge. I do not have an academic background in Sufi
studies, but I'm an active reader of books in this field.
And how about your background? You appear to combine a practical
background in Sufism with academic training. Would you like to share
some biographical details?
Siraj
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Dr. Yannis Toussulis wrote:
Now, if I am permitted, may I ask what is your background in
Sufism? I assume from your postings that you are fluent in Farsi
and have more than passing acquaintanceship with the Chistiyya. Do
you also have an academic background in Sufi Studies?
Best Regards
==========================================================================================================================================
Today it is 30 years ago that I've been admitted to a Sufi order which
is affiliated with the Chishtiyya order. The centre of the order is in
Ajmer, India, close to the dargah of Khwaja Mo'inuddin
Chishti. There is an on-line discusion group, the Chishtiyya, and I
paticipate in it. I'm not fluent in Farsi, but by being active in this
field I hope slowly to increase my knowledge. I do not have an academic
background in Sufi studies, but I'm an active reader of books in this
field.
And how about your background? You appear to combine a practical
background in Sufism with academic training. Would you like to share
some biographical details?
Siraj
--Boundary_(ID_Lox9keKv8aYTEiuPvtZcbw)--
From tariqas@stderr.org Thu Aug 7 05:21:23 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Siraj)
Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2003 06:21:23 +0200
Subject: [Tariqas] The stations and states of the Sufi path
In-Reply-To:
References: <20030806083059.79285.qmail@web11406.mail.yahoo.com>
<20030806083059.79285.qmail@web11406.mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <3F31D3C3.8070107@wxs.nl>
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Charles-Andre Gilis ot 'Abd ar-Razzaq Yayha) is the author of a number
of books and translations on/of Ibn al-'Arabi. He is a disciple of
Michel Valsan (shaykh Mustafa 'Abd al-'Aziz) who probably was the first
to translate the work of shaykh al-akbar. Next to that Gilis is
connected with Rene Guenon (shaykh 'Abd al-Wahid Yahya). The traditional
school of Sufism is the school to which Gilis belongs and next to the
names already given people like F. Schuon, Martin Lings and S.H. Nasr
also belong to it.
Siraj
Dr. Yannis Toussulis wrote:
> At 01:05 PM 8/6/2003 +0200, you wrote:
>
>> Walaikum assalaam Melissa,
>>
>> Thank you for your detailed comments. It is good that you write about
>> it in some detail as thus the subject matter can be done justice. I'm
>> very interested in Ibn al-'Arabi myself. He defines the key terms thus:
>>
>> Maqam. An expression for complete fulfillment of the demands of the
>> protocol.
>>
>> Hal (State). Hal is something that comes over the heart without
>> effort or invitation. One of its marks is that it disappears, its
>> like following upon it time after time until it becomes pure. On
>> occasion its like may not come after it. From this originates the
>> disagreement: He for whom the like is made to follow alleges its
>> continuation; and he for whom the like is not made to follow alleges
>> its lack of continuation. It is said to be impossible for the servant
>> to describe the hal.
>>
>> The chapter on Enoch is to be found in the Fusus al-Hikam. There is a
>> very interesting four volume translation plus commentary done by
>> Bulent Rauf. A French translation of C. A. Gilis in two volumes not
>> only adds partial commentaries of the most important classical
>> commentators of this book but also from the traditional school to
>> which the translator himself belongs.
>>
>> Siraj
>
>
>A historical note on the publication you mention above is that it is
>mis-attributed to Ismail Hakim Bursevi (a member of the Ottoman Jalwati
>Order of Sufism). Recent sholarship discloses that this
>commentary (translated by Bulent Effendi) was actually authored by
>Abdullah Bosnevi, a Malamati Sufi from the Balkans who fled to Egypt
>after being accused of heresy. Abdullah Bosnevi was a
>"radical" exponent of wahdat al-wujud("unicity of
>being")and his commentaries, which I happen to like, reflect that
>perspective. I would still advise W. Chittick's works as a useful
>guide to the thought of Ibn al-Arabi since they are less
>"canted" by other perspectives. I am not familiar with
>the Gills translations, can you tell us the title, pulbisher, and to
>which "school" the author belongs? Thank you.
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Tariqas mailing list
>Tariqas@stderr.org
>http://stderr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tariqas
>
>
>
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Charles-Andre Gilis ot 'Abd ar-Razzaq Yayha) is the author of a number
of books and translations on/of Ibn al-'Arabi. He is a disciple of
Michel Valsan (shaykh Mustafa 'Abd al-'Aziz) who probably was the first
to translate the work of shaykh al-akbar. Next to that Gilis is
connected with Rene Guenon (shaykh 'Abd al-Wahid Yahya). The
traditional school of Sufism is the school to which Gilis belongs and
next to the names already given people like F. Schuon, Martin Lings and
S.H. Nasr also belong to it.
Siraj
Dr. Yannis Toussulis wrote:
At 01:05 PM
8/6/2003 +0200, you wrote:
Walaikum
assalaam
Melissa,
Thank you for your detailed comments. It is good that you write about
it
in some detail as thus the subject matter can be done justice. I'm very
interested in Ibn al-'Arabi myself. He defines the key terms thus:
Maqam. An expression for complete fulfillment of the demands
of
the protocol.
Hal (State). Hal is something that comes over the
heart
without effort or invitation. One of its marks is that it disappears,
its
like following upon it time after time until it becomes pure. On
occasion
its like may not come after it. From this originates the disagreement:
He
for whom the like is made to follow alleges its continuation; and he
for
whom the like is not made to follow alleges its lack of continuation.
It
is said to be impossible for the servant to describe the hal.
The chapter on Enoch is to be found in the Fusus al-Hikam.
There is a very interesting four volume translation plus
commentary
done by Bulent Rauf. A French translation of C. A. Gilis in two volumes
not only adds partial commentaries of the most important classical
commentators of this book but also from the traditional school to which
the translator himself belongs.
Siraj
A historical note on the publication you mention above is that it is
mis-attributed to Ismail Hakim Bursevi (a member of the Ottoman Jalwati
Order of Sufism). Recent sholarship discloses that this
commentary (translated by Bulent Effendi) was actually authored by
Abdullah Bosnevi, a Malamati Sufi from the Balkans who fled to Egypt
after being accused of heresy. Abdullah Bosnevi was a
"radical" exponent of wahdat al-wujud("unicity of
being")and his commentaries, which I happen to like, reflect that
perspective. I would still advise W. Chittick's works as a useful
guide to the thought of Ibn al-Arabi since they are less
"canted" by other perspectives. I am not familiar with
the Gills translations, can you tell us the title, pulbisher, and to
which "school" the author belongs? Thank you.
_______________________________________________
Tariqas mailing list
Tariqas@stderr.org
http://stderr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tariqas
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From tariqas@stderr.org Thu Aug 7 05:32:22 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Siraj)
Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2003 06:32:22 +0200
Subject: [Tariqas] Multiple Messages from Stancato Nicola?
In-Reply-To: <410-2200384725226723@earthlink.net>
References: <410-2200384725226723@earthlink.net>
Message-ID: <3F31D656.6030008@wxs.nl>
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It has probably been an automatic message. It appears to have stopped.
Are you the author of The Midnight Sun? I'm asking because of your name
and because of my having translated some poems of Maulana Jalaluddin
Rumi under this very title. If you are the author of the title
mentioned, where has it been published?
Siraj
Laurence J. Galian wrote:
> I have been receiving the following message maybe ten times from
> Stancato Nicola:
>
> >alaikum wassalaam
> >Mi dispiace, non conosco l'inglese, e non mi fido dei traduttori
> automatici,
> >non rendono il significato delle cose.
>
> >Nicola
>
> Is this a problem with my system or are others receiving multiple
> messages from this email source?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Abdullah Muzaffer
> (Laurence Galian)
>
>
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It has probably been an automatic message. It appears to have stopped.
Are you the author of The Midnight Sun? I'm asking because of
your name and because of my having translated some poems of Maulana
Jalaluddin Rumi under this very title. If you are the author of the
title mentioned, where has it been published?
Siraj
Laurence J. Galian wrote:
I have been receiving the following message maybe ten times from
Stancato Nicola:
>alaikum wassalaam
>Mi dispiace, non conosco l'inglese, e non mi fido dei
traduttori automatici,
>non rendono il significato delle cose.
>Nicola
Is this a problem with my system or are others receiving
multiple messages from this email source?
Thanks.
Abdullah Muzaffer
(Laurence Galian)
--Boundary_(ID_pHwgb1vClQMMb2P2YVZCeQ)--
From tariqas@stderr.org Thu Aug 7 07:59:52 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Dr. Yannis Toussulis)
Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2003 23:59:52 -0700
Subject: [Tariqas] The stations and states of the Sufi path
In-Reply-To: <175.1e6a8607.2c62d9c8@aol.com>
Message-ID:
At 06:23 PM 8/6/2003 -0400, you wrote:
Assalaamu aleikum,
In the prophet "mi`raj" or ascending journey, he was offered
two drinks: one was wine and one was milk. He chose the milk, and angel
Jabra`il pointed out that he chose the "Fitrah / intuition" and
that if he had chosen wine, his "ummah/nation or followers"
would have been ruined (from the straight path).
If we understand "wine" as the "intoxicant love" and
that milk is the "nourishing love", we see that the nourishing
love require from us not to "pray" while we are drunk. If we
take the prophet's saying that "Working (for service) is
worship", then we can understand that to be in public service, we
have to follow the example of the prophet (pbuh), who expressed his love
for Allah while in public in a way that holds the lesser possibility of
confusing others. One of the prayers of Awliya`u Allah which is mentioned
in the Qur'an asks Allah not to let them be "fitnah / a cause of
confusion and mesmerism"=A0 to people.
As for the spiritual wine that is described in the Qur'an that one drinks
in the status of "qurb / nearness to Allah" out of His
Grace.....it was also described that it does not cause
"intoxicants" like the wordily one. What does
"drunkenness" mean in such case?! I guess it means not to let
the sweetness of the experience and direct knowledge blow your sense of
"servanthood". Servanthood is where you put unity, before love,
not in the sense that you won't become a lover anymore or that love will
not be your maqam, but in the sense that you become a servant "`abd
" out of that love. Love will be your inner status, and servanhood
is its expression, or outer manifestation.
All of these sayings carry such subtle messages that we all need to
grasp.
salaam
Amany
Yes, and yes again.
From tariqas@stderr.org Thu Aug 7 08:01:06 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Dr. Yannis Toussulis)
Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2003 00:01:06 -0700
Subject: [Tariqas] Multiple Messages from Stancato Nicola?
In-Reply-To: <410-2200384725226723@earthlink.net>
Message-ID:
At 10:52 PM 8/6/2003 -0400, you wrote:
I have been receiving the following message
maybe ten times from Stancato Nicola:
=A0
>alaikum wassalaam
>Mi dispiace, non conosco l'inglese, e non mi fido dei traduttori
automatici,
>non rendono il significato delle cose.
=A0
>Nicola
=A0
Is this a problem with my system or are others receiving multiple
messages from this email source?
=A0
Thanks.
=A0
Abdullah Muzaffer
(Laurence Galian)
=A0
=A0
Yes, indeed. What is this?
From tariqas@stderr.org Thu Aug 7 08:17:10 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Dr. Yannis Toussulis)
Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2003 00:17:10 -0700
Subject: [Tariqas] The stations and states of the Sufi path
In-Reply-To: <3F31D3C3.8070107@wxs.nl>
References:
<20030806083059.79285.qmail@web11406.mail.yahoo.com>
<20030806083059.79285.qmail@web11406.mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID:
At 06:21 AM 8/7/2003 +0200, you wrote:
Charles-Andre Gilis ot 'Abd ar-Razzaq Yayha)
is the author of a number of books and translations on/of Ibn al-'Arabi.
He is a disciple of Michel Valsan (shaykh Mustafa 'Abd al-'Aziz) who
probably was the first to translate the work of shaykh al-akbar. Next to
that Gilis is connected with Rene Guenon (shaykh 'Abd al-Wahid Yahya).
The traditional school of Sufism is the school to which Gilis belongs and
next to the names already given people like F. Schuon, Martin Lings and
S.H. Nasr also belong to it.
Siraj
Interesting. I have some old acquaintances who belonged to the
circle of Schuon. I am familiar with Neo-Traditionalism,
particularly as articulated by Schuon and Nasr.. Is that circle familiar
to you?
From tariqas@stderr.org Thu Aug 7 08:20:58 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Dr. Yannis Toussulis)
Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2003 00:20:58 -0700
Subject: [Tariqas] Heart/Head dual-ity and Imam Ali links
In-Reply-To: <20030807040445.54707.qmail@web11402.mail.yahoo.com>
References: <1de.e0b7b2a.2c6290af@aol.com>
Message-ID:
At 09:04 PM 8/6/2003 -0700, you wrote:
>salam Uzmaa,
>
>The first link seems to have the entire collection on
>line. Nice reading! The second link is a source for
>purchasing the book. Enjoy!
>
>http://www.al-shia.com/html/eng/books/nahjulbalaga/
>
>http://www.bestwebbuys.com/books/compare/isbn/0940368420/isrc/b-grt-sacred
>
>Now for your other inquiry, forgive if it is a bit
>vague.
>
>Like most who begin this very long Journey, I began
>with a certain perception of Sufism. Most of it
>gleaned through the intellectual, analytical approach.
> In my early 20’s I even studied the classics *gasp*,
>writing papers and taking tests on meter, rhyme,
>metaphors et al. Of course, it had not connection to
>ME. It was simply a subject that I enjoyed
>passionately, in a very academic way. Same with the
>Quron. I didn’t manage to master Arabic (soon
>inshahallah) but still a very academic approach to the
>subject matter.
>
>Then I came full circle “back” to Sufic works as a
>personal exploration. But I was still very much mired
>in my intellectual approach and I can say that my pool
>of water was stagnating.
>
>Then a series of events opened a small, tiny little
>chink in the encrustation around my heart. Until
>then, I had no idea it was “blocked”. After all, few
>of us can remember the movement of the heart, most
>lose the rhythm by age 10 and some a little later.
>
>So, of course a process and a structure that took me
>some twenty years to build will not be moved easily or
>quickly. My “namaz” is the cure for this dilemma,
>although I am lax and not as disciplined as I need to
>be.
>
>wa salam
>Mellissa
>
Forgive me for listening in, but your reactiveness to intellectual
approaches now takes on more meaning.
From tariqas@stderr.org Thu Aug 7 08:48:17 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Siraj)
Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2003 09:48:17 +0200
Subject: [Tariqas] The stations and states of the Sufi path
In-Reply-To:
References:
<20030806083059.79285.qmail@web11406.mail.yahoo.com>
<20030806083059.79285.qmail@web11406.mail.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <3F320441.2030707@wxs.nl>
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I'm not personally acquainted with them. There is one member of their
order who has moved to Canada, Dr. Stoddard (or: Stodard?), whose book
Sufism, I've translated into Dutch.
Siraj
Dr. Yannis Toussulis wrote:
> At 06:21 AM 8/7/2003 +0200, you wrote:
>
>> Charles-Andre Gilis ot 'Abd ar-Razzaq Yayha) is the author of a
>> number of books and translations on/of Ibn al-'Arabi. He is a
>> disciple of Michel Valsan (shaykh Mustafa 'Abd al-'Aziz) who probably
>> was the first to translate the work of shaykh al-akbar. Next to that
>> Gilis is connected with Rene Guenon (shaykh 'Abd al-Wahid Yahya). The
>> traditional school of Sufism is the school to which Gilis belongs and
>> next to the names already given people like F. Schuon, Martin Lings
>> and S.H. Nasr also belong to it.
>>
>> Siraj
>
>
> Interesting. I have some old acquaintances who belonged to the circle
> of Schuon. I am familiar with Neo-Traditionalism, particularly as
> articulated by Schuon and Nasr.. Is that circle familiar to you?
> _______________________________________________ Tariqas mailing list
> Tariqas@stderr.org http://stderr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tariqas
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I'm not personally acquainted with them. There is one member of their
order who has moved to Canada, Dr. Stoddard (or: Stodard?), whose book Sufism,
I've translated into Dutch.
Siraj
Dr. Yannis Toussulis wrote:
At 06:21 AM
8/7/2003 +0200, you wrote:
Charles-Andre Gilis ot 'Abd ar-Razzaq
Yayha)
is the author of a number of books and translations on/of Ibn
al-'Arabi.
He is a disciple of Michel Valsan (shaykh Mustafa 'Abd al-'Aziz) who
probably was the first to translate the work of shaykh al-akbar. Next
to
that Gilis is connected with Rene Guenon (shaykh 'Abd al-Wahid Yahya).
The traditional school of Sufism is the school to which Gilis belongs
and
next to the names already given people like F. Schuon, Martin Lings and
S.H. Nasr also belong to it.
Siraj
Interesting. I have some old acquaintances who belonged to the
circle of Schuon. I am familiar with Neo-Traditionalism,
particularly as articulated by Schuon and Nasr.. Is that circle
familiar
to you?
_______________________________________________
Tariqas mailing list
Tariqas@stderr.org
http://stderr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tariqas
--Boundary_(ID_OprG/Q5rOWb+FemvKEdHnQ)--
From tariqas@stderr.org Thu Aug 7 08:58:34 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Mellissa Heidari)
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 00:58:34 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Tariqas] Heart/Head dual-ity and Imam Ali links
In-Reply-To:
Message-ID: <20030807075834.59774.qmail@web11403.mail.yahoo.com>
salam Dr. Toussulis,
Ask and you shall receive eh? ; )
wa salam
Mellissa
--- "Dr. Yannis Toussulis"
wrote:
> Forgive me for listening in, but your reactiveness
> to intellectual
> approaches now takes on more meaning.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Tariqas mailing list
> Tariqas@stderr.org
> http://stderr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tariqas
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software
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From tariqas@stderr.org Thu Aug 7 08:58:34 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Siraj)
Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2003 09:58:34 +0200
Subject: [Tariqas] Heart/Head dual-ity and Imam Ali links
In-Reply-To:
References: <1de.e0b7b2a.2c6290af@aol.com>
Message-ID: <3F3206AA.9010803@wxs.nl>
Walaikum assalaam, Melissa!
Do you belong to a Sufi order? Which one? How did you get into contact
with them? Can you tell something about your guide?
These are personal questions not intended to show empty curiosity but in
fact intended to hear some inspirational things.
Sometimes by being a little open about the people and things concerning
people it becomes really interesting.
Siraj
>
>
From tariqas@stderr.org Thu Aug 7 09:53:35 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Dr. Yannis Toussulis)
Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2003 01:53:35 -0700
Subject: [Tariqas] Heart/Head dual-ity and Imam Ali links
In-Reply-To: <20030807075834.59774.qmail@web11403.mail.yahoo.com>
References:
Message-ID:
At 12:58 AM 8/7/2003 -0700, you wrote:
>salam Dr. Toussulis,
>
>Ask and you shall receive eh? ; )
>
>wa salam
>Mellissa
>
>--- "Dr. Yannis Toussulis"
>wrote:
>> Forgive me for listening in, but your reactiveness
>> to intellectual
>> approaches now takes on more meaning.
>>
Sure, why not.
From tariqas@stderr.org Thu Aug 7 10:40:47 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Dr. Yannis Toussulis)
Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2003 02:40:47 -0700
Subject: [Tariqas] The stations and states of the Sufi path
In-Reply-To: <3F31D0CF.4040909@wxs.nl>
References:
Message-ID:
At 06:08 AM 8/7/2003 +0200, you wrote:
Dr. Yannis Toussulis wrote:
Now, if I am permitted, may I ask what is your background in Sufism?=A0 I
assume from your postings that you are fluent in Farsi and have more than
passing acquaintanceship with the Chistiyya.=A0 Do you also have an
academic background in Sufi Studies?
Best
Regards
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Today it is 30 years ago that I've been admitted to a Sufi order which is
affiliated with the Chishtiyya order. The centre of the order is in
Ajmer, India, close to the dargah of Khwaja Mo'inuddin Chishti.
There is an on-line discusion group, the Chishtiyya, and I paticipate in
it. I'm not fluent in Farsi, but by being active in this field I hope
slowly to increase my knowledge. I do not have an academic background in
Sufi studies, but I'm an active reader of books in this field.
And how about your background? You appear to combine a practical
background in Sufism with academic training. Would you like to share some
biographical details?
Siraj
As far as academia is concerned -- I hold a doctorate in
Psychology with an emphasis on the phenomenological study of religious
experience. I also have an extensive clinical background as a
family psychotherapist and have been teaching the psychology of
inter-cultural conflict (Islam and the West) at a school of International
Relations for the last six years.
My first contact with Sufism was through reading Idries Shah in 1969. My
first expeirence visiting the maqqam of a Pir was Khwaja Muhyiddin
Chisti's mazhar in Ajmer in 1973. It was there that I prayed to
meet a living representative of the Tradition. Prior to that I had been
brief contact with Fazil Inayat Khan in New York, and the remnants of
Sufi Sam's group in San Francisco. Though attracted to Shah's work,
at that time there were no representatives of his in the United States. I
was somewhat dissatisfied with "New Age" representations of
Sufism in the Bay Area and sought a more traditional connection. I
traveled to Istanbul in the Summer of 1978 and met two teachers: Muzaffer
Ozal Effendi of the Halveti-Jerrahiyya and Hasan Lutfi Shushud, the last
teacher of J. G. Bennett. This gave me a "taste" of more
"orthodox" (Muzaffer Effendi) as well as malamati forms
of Sufism (Hasan Effendi). I felt pulled between the two. Back in
San Francisco, in Spring of 1979, I met Dr. Javad Nurbaksh and studied
and practiced with the Nimatullahi Order for about two
years. There, too, I felt a certain dissatisfaction (this time with
the Iranian enculturation that seemed necessary to attend that Tariqa). I
met a Syrian Rifa'i shaykh in 1982 who was also a professor of
International Relations. I was more attracted to his form of the
Work because he understood the need to adapt Sufism to the West more
carefully. His circle in Damascus (which included Qadiris and
Naqshbandis) were primarily dedicated to the study of Shaykh Al-Akbar,
Ibn al-Arabi. Feeling an almost instantaneous kinship with him, I
took baya't and practiced under his direction for the next eight
years. After taking a brief sabbatical from Sufi practice (in
1991), I was "released" by my guide with idthn to use my
training in psychology and cross-cultural studies to "help other
tariqas" to adapt to conditions in the U.S.. Having traveled
the summer before to Konya, Turkey, I was inwardly guided to make a
connection with Abdl Qadir Gilani (qs). I entered a Turkish branch
of the combined Qadiri and Rifa'i Orders and was appointed
to act as a khalifah for that ta'ifa in the U.S.. As
such, I found that both the methods of dhikr and models of the
maqqamat needed additional study and adaptation. My
initiating Shaykh in Istanbul passed-away and I was left somewhat
rudderless. I knew that my training was inadequate, but there was
no clear successor to my Shaykh. Realizing that I needed additional
guidance in sayre suluk, I stepped down from my post and
entered a period of intense inward prayer. After approximately six
months, I met my present Murshid, who is a representative of a (little
known) malamati tradition linked to the Naqshbandiyya. I
have remained close to him for nearly eight years and continue with him
today. For several years, my Murshid has tasked me with researching
the maqqamat with a view to synthesizing an Akbari understanding
of those "stages" with modern psychological insight. This
is my current life-project. Forgive, this rather long
rendition.
From tariqas@stderr.org Thu Aug 7 11:09:35 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Siraj)
Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2003 12:09:35 +0200
Subject: [Tariqas] The stations and states of the Sufi path
In-Reply-To:
References:
Message-ID: <3F32255F.6030007@wxs.nl>
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Thank you for your description. You have been in Ajmer for the first
time at the same time that I was there for the first time, i.e. in 1973.
Have you written any articles or books which combine the maqamat with
modern psychological views? Is there material by others that you would
recommend to read? Perhaps this forum is a possibility to realize some
of your ideals as stated at the end of your description.
As for a name, how can I address you? Is it Yannis?
When not looking at the malamatiyya from a historical perspective, but
as Ibn al-'Arabi defines it, then the malamatiyya are placed by him
"above" the Sufis as the last-mentioned ones make a show of their states
and stages. The malamatiyya cannot be recognized as they blend in with
the society they live in. In a religious society they perform the
religious duties up to the same extent as the ordinary people and do not
perform extra devotions. They don't show any non-conformist behaviour in
order to be criticized by the people and thus receive a training for
their ego's. No, you cannot differentiate them from ordinary people.
I've once read a Sufi Magazine in German and in it was a photo of a
Muslim from Austria who claimed to follow the malamatiyya path. :-)
I've lived in the company of a Chishti shaykh who did not like to wear
Sufi dresses, was not interested in beautiful turbans, who told stories
about his murshid receiving guests who wanted to test his knowledge of
the Qur'an but remaining silent in the company of these visitors and
only explaining in amazing depth what the verses meant to his disciples
after the departure of the guests.
I'm very interested in the teachings of shaykh al-akbar and that is why
I've collected almost all of his books which have appeared in Western
languages (English, French and German). I'm also a fellow of the MIAS
and thus receive its Journal. Because of this I also like shaykh 'Abd
al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri from Algeria and am reading the first volume of the
French translation of Michel Lagarde of his Kitab al-Mawaqif , out of
the total 3 volumes. This Algerian shaykh is interesting as he is an
almost contemporary bearer of the robe of Ibn al-'Arabi.
Siraj
Dr. Yannis Toussulis wrote:
> At 06:08 AM 8/7/2003 +0200, you wrote:
>
>
>> Dr. Yannis Toussulis wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Now, if I am permitted, may I ask what is your background in
>>> Sufism? I assume from your postings that you are fluent in Farsi
>>> and have more than passing acquaintanceship with the Chistiyya. Do
>>> you also have an academic background in Sufi Studies?
>>>
>>> Best Regards
>>
>> ==========================================================================================================================================
>> Today it is 30 years ago that I've been admitted to a Sufi order
>> which is affiliated with the Chishtiyya order. The centre of the
>> order is in Ajmer, India, close to the dargah of Khwaja Mo'inuddin
>> Chishti. There is an on-line discusion group, the Chishtiyya, and I
>> paticipate in it. I'm not fluent in Farsi, but by being active in
>> this field I hope slowly to increase my knowledge. I do not have an
>> academic background in Sufi studies, but I'm an active reader of
>> books in this field.
>>
>> And how about your background? You appear to combine a practical
>> background in Sufism with academic training. Would you like to share
>> some biographical details?
>>
>> Siraj
>
> As far as academia is concerned -- I hold a doctorate in Psychology
> with an emphasis on the phenomenological study of religious
> experience. I also have an extensive clinical background as a family
> psychotherapist and have been teaching the psychology of
> inter-cultural conflict (Islam and the West) at a school of
> International Relations for the last six years.
>
> My first contact with Sufism was through reading Idries Shah in 1969.
> My first expeirence visiting the maqqam of a Pir was Khwaja Muhyiddin
> Chisti's mazhar in Ajmer in 1973. It was there that I prayed to meet a
> living representative of the Tradition. Prior to that I had been brief
> contact with Fazil Inayat Khan in New York, and the remnants of Sufi
> Sam's group in San Francisco. Though attracted to Shah's work, at
> that time there were no representatives of his in the United States. I
> was somewhat dissatisfied with "New Age" representations of Sufism in
> the Bay Area and sought a more traditional connection. I traveled to
> Istanbul in the Summer of 1978 and met two teachers: Muzaffer Ozal
> Effendi of the Halveti-Jerrahiyya and Hasan Lutfi Shushud, the last
> teacher of J. G. Bennett. This gave me a "taste" of more "orthodox"
> (Muzaffer Effendi) as well as malamati forms of Sufism (Hasan
> Effendi). I felt pulled between the two. Back in San Francisco, in
> Spring of 1979, I met Dr. Javad Nurbaksh and studied and practiced
> with the Nimatullahi Order for about two years. There, too, I felt a
> certain dissatisfaction (this time with the Iranian enculturation that
> seemed necessary to attend that Tariqa). I met a Syrian Rifa'i shaykh
> in 1982 who was also a professor of International Relations. I was
> more attracted to his form of the Work because he understood the need
> to adapt Sufism to the West more carefully. His circle in Damascus
> (which included Qadiris and Naqshbandis) were primarily dedicated to
> the study of Shaykh Al-Akbar, Ibn al-Arabi. Feeling an almost
> instantaneous kinship with him, I took baya't and practiced under his
> direction for the next eight years. After taking a brief sabbatical
> from Sufi practice (in 1991), I was "released" by my guide with idthn
> to use my training in psychology and cross-cultural studies to "help
> other tariqas" to adapt to conditions in the U.S.. Having traveled
> the summer before to Konya, Turkey, I was inwardly guided to make a
> connection with Abdl Qadir Gilani (qs). I entered a Turkish branch of
> the combined Qadiri and Rifa'i Orders and was appointed to act as a
> khalifah for that ta'ifa in the U.S.. As such, I found that both the
> methods of dhikr and models of the maqqamat needed additional study
> and adaptation. My initiating Shaykh in Istanbul passed-away and I
> was left somewhat rudderless. I knew that my training was inadequate,
> but there was no clear successor to my Shaykh. Realizing that I
> needed additional guidance in sayre suluk, I stepped down from my
> post and entered a period of intense inward prayer. After
> approximately six months, I met my present Murshid, who is a
> representative of a (little known) malamati tradition linked to the
> Naqshbandiyya. I have remained close to him for nearly eight years
> and continue with him today. For several years, my Murshid has tasked
> me with researching the maqqamat with a view to synthesizing an Akbari
> understanding of those "stages" with modern psychological insight.
> This is my current life-project. Forgive, this rather long rendition.
>
> _______________________________________________ Tariqas mailing list
> Tariqas@stderr.org http://stderr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tariqas
--Boundary_(ID_Y8zmarF/9U4i8C6wLGdkaA)
Content-type: text/html; charset=us-ascii
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
Thank you for your description. You have been in Ajmer for the first
time at the same time that I was there for the first time, i.e. in
1973.
Have you written any articles or books which combine the maqamat with
modern psychological views? Is there material by others that you would
recommend to read? Perhaps this forum is a possibility to realize some
of your ideals as stated at the end of your description.
As for a name, how can I address you? Is it Yannis?
When not looking at the malamatiyya from a historical
perspective, but as Ibn al-'Arabi defines it, then the malamatiyya are
placed by him "above" the Sufis as the last-mentioned ones make a show
of their states and stages. The malamatiyya cannot be
recognized as they blend in with the society they live in. In a
religious society they perform the religious duties up to the same
extent as the ordinary people and do not perform extra devotions. They
don't show any non-conformist behaviour in order to be criticized by
the people and thus receive a training for their ego's. No, you cannot
differentiate them from ordinary people. I've once read a Sufi Magazine
in German and in it was a photo of a Muslim from Austria who claimed to
follow the malamatiyya path.
:-)
I've lived in the company of a Chishti shaykh who did not like to wear
Sufi dresses, was not interested in beautiful turbans, who told stories
about his murshid receiving guests who wanted to test his
knowledge of the Qur'an but remaining silent in the company of
these visitors and only explaining in amazing depth what the verses
meant to his disciples after the departure of the guests.
I'm very interested in the teachings of shaykh al-akbar and that is why
I've collected almost all of his books which have appeared in Western
languages (English, French and German). I'm also a fellow of the MIAS
and thus receive its Journal. Because of this I also like shaykh 'Abd
al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri from Algeria and am reading the first volume of
the French translation of Michel Lagarde of his Kitab al-Mawaqif , out
of the total 3 volumes. This Algerian shaykh is interesting as he is an
almost contemporary bearer of the robe of Ibn al-'Arabi.
Siraj
Dr. Yannis Toussulis wrote:
At
06:08 AM 8/7/2003 +0200, you wrote:
Dr. Yannis Toussulis wrote:
Now, if I am permitted, may I ask what is your background in Sufism? I
assume from your postings that you are fluent in Farsi and have more
than
passing acquaintanceship with the Chistiyya. Do you also have an
academic background in Sufi Studies?
Best
Regards
==========================================================================================================================================
Today it is 30 years ago that I've been admitted to a Sufi order which
is
affiliated with the Chishtiyya order. The centre of the order is in
Ajmer, India, close to the dargah of Khwaja Mo'inuddin
Chishti.
There is an on-line discusion group, the Chishtiyya, and I paticipate
in
it. I'm not fluent in Farsi, but by being active in this field I hope
slowly to increase my knowledge. I do not have an academic background
in
Sufi studies, but I'm an active reader of books in this field.
And how about your background? You appear to combine a practical
background in Sufism with academic training. Would you like to share
some
biographical details?
Siraj
As far as academia is concerned -- I hold a doctorate in
Psychology with an emphasis on the phenomenological study of religious
experience. I also have an extensive clinical background as a
family psychotherapist and have been teaching the psychology of
inter-cultural conflict (Islam and the West) at a school of
International
Relations for the last six years.
My first contact with Sufism was through reading Idries Shah in 1969.
My
first expeirence visiting the maqqam of a Pir was Khwaja
Muhyiddin
Chisti's mazhar in Ajmer in 1973. It was there that I prayed
to
meet a living representative of the Tradition. Prior to that I had been
brief contact with Fazil Inayat Khan in New York, and the remnants of
Sufi Sam's group in San Francisco. Though attracted to Shah's work,
at that time there were no representatives of his in the United States.
I
was somewhat dissatisfied with "New Age" representations of
Sufism in the Bay Area and sought a more traditional connection. I
traveled to Istanbul in the Summer of 1978 and met two teachers:
Muzaffer
Ozal Effendi of the Halveti-Jerrahiyya and Hasan Lutfi Shushud, the
last
teacher of J. G. Bennett. This gave me a "taste" of more
"orthodox" (Muzaffer Effendi) as well as malamati forms
of Sufism (Hasan Effendi). I felt pulled between the two. Back in
San Francisco, in Spring of 1979, I met Dr. Javad Nurbaksh and studied
and practiced with the Nimatullahi Order for about two
years. There, too, I felt a certain dissatisfaction (this time with
the Iranian enculturation that seemed necessary to attend that Tariqa).
I
met a Syrian Rifa'i shaykh in 1982 who was also a professor of
International Relations. I was more attracted to his form of the
Work because he understood the need to adapt Sufism to the West more
carefully. His circle in Damascus (which included Qadiris and
Naqshbandis) were primarily dedicated to the study of Shaykh Al-Akbar,
Ibn al-Arabi. Feeling an almost instantaneous kinship with him, I
took baya't and practiced under his direction for the next eight
years. After taking a brief sabbatical from Sufi practice (in
1991), I was "released" by my guide with idthn to use my
training in psychology and cross-cultural studies to "help other
tariqas" to adapt to conditions in the U.S.. Having traveled
the summer before to Konya, Turkey, I was inwardly guided to make a
connection with Abdl Qadir Gilani (qs). I entered a Turkish branch
of the combined Qadiri and Rifa'i Orders and was
appointed
to act as a khalifah for that ta'ifa in the U.S..
As
such, I found that both the methods of dhikr and models of the
maqqamat needed additional study and adaptation. My
initiating Shaykh in Istanbul passed-away and I was left somewhat
rudderless. I knew that my training was inadequate, but there was
no clear successor to my Shaykh. Realizing that I needed additional
guidance in sayre suluk, I stepped down from my post and
entered a period of intense inward prayer. After approximately six
months, I met my present Murshid, who is a representative of a (little
known) malamati tradition linked to the Naqshbandiyya. I
have remained close to him for nearly eight years and continue with him
today. For several years, my Murshid has tasked me with researching
the maqqamat with a view to synthesizing an Akbari
understanding
of those "stages" with modern psychological insight. This
is my current life-project. Forgive, this rather long
rendition.
_______________________________________________
Tariqas mailing list
Tariqas@stderr.org
http://stderr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tariqas
--Boundary_(ID_Y8zmarF/9U4i8C6wLGdkaA)--
From tariqas@stderr.org Thu Aug 7 12:42:43 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Mellissa Heidari)
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 04:42:43 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Tariqas] Heart/Head dual-ity and Imam Ali links
In-Reply-To: <3F3206AA.9010803@wxs.nl>
Message-ID: <20030807114243.1702.qmail@web11401.mail.yahoo.com>
salam Siraj,
Hmmm, I suppose you might say I "belong" to Dr.
Nurbakhsh's order but I also attend the Oveysi
(Naqshbandi) order.
My beloved husband is my teacher and I came into
contact with the various orders through him. My other
teacher and other beloved is my co-wife. I must say,
it is a wonderful luxury to have these two as
Companions on the Way.
Our Pir is not easily described as we do not know
where he "lives", what order he is part of or even
*gasp* his NAME. The one and only time this latter
question was hesitantly asked, the reply was:
"I have asked nothing from you, why then do you ask
something of me".
He comes when there is need for direction or
instruction and neither type of communication is
usually very complicated. I didn't say it was "easy"
just not complicated ; ). Then he goes away.
Sometimes he sends letters (good practice for my
Persian, hint hint, hidden lessons here ; )
This is actually only the second time I have ever
mentioned him in any written context or communication.
The first time was about an hour ago. So, I would
say that there is a bit of movement in the air,
probably because he/it/we will soon be quite public.
We wrote a book, all edited and finished : ) Quite
extraordinary actually. Bound to create a stir since
it is the stuff of tabloids. I can see the headlines
now (or in a year or so)
“POLOGAMIOUS FAMILY CLAIMS REINCARNATION”
“BIZARRE RELIGIOUS CULT, NEXT ON JERRY SPRINGER”
(not!)
Hope this didn’t upset anyone’s breakfast, but Siraj
did ask a “personal” question. Ask a personal
question get a personal answer, eh?
Wa salam
Mellissa
--- Siraj wrote:
> Walaikum assalaam, Melissa!
>
> Do you belong to a Sufi order? Which one? How did
> you get into contact
> with them? Can you tell something about your guide?
> These are personal questions not intended to show
> empty curiosity but in
> fact intended to hear some inspirational things.
> Sometimes by being a little open about the people
> and things concerning
> people it becomes really interesting.
>
> Siraj
>
> >
> >
>
> _______________________________________________
> Tariqas mailing list
> Tariqas@stderr.org
> http://stderr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tariqas
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software
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From tariqas@stderr.org Thu Aug 7 13:32:28 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Simon Bryquer-RR)
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 08:32:28 -0400
Subject: [Tariqas] The stations and states of the Sufi path
References:
Message-ID: <017701c35ce0$00a440a0$b0864142@nyc.rr.com>
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
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charset="iso-8859-1"
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Greetings Dr. Toussulis --------------------------
Minor correction -- it should be Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak Efendi (ks) ( not =
Ozal, I'm sure it's merely a typo on your part, the K & L being next to =
each other, and not a lapse of memory). By the way I was in Istanbul =
the summer 1978 spending an extensive amount of time in the company of =
Sheikh Muzaffer Efendi (ks).
Simon Bryquer
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Dr. Yannis Toussulis=20
To: tariqas@stderr.org=20
Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2003 5:40 AM
Subject: Re: [Tariqas] The stations and states of the Sufi path
At 06:08 AM 8/7/2003 +0200, you wrote:=20
Dr. Yannis Toussulis wrote:
Now, if I am permitted, may I ask what is your background in =
Sufism? I assume from your postings that you are fluent in Farsi and =
have more than passing acquaintanceship with the Chistiyya. Do you also =
have an academic background in Sufi Studies?
Best Regards
=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Today it is 30 years ago that I've been admitted to a Sufi order =
which is affiliated with the Chishtiyya order. The centre of the order =
is in Ajmer, India, close to the dargah of Khwaja Mo'inuddin Chishti. =
There is an on-line discusion group, the Chishtiyya, and I paticipate in =
it. I'm not fluent in Farsi, but by being active in this field I hope =
slowly to increase my knowledge. I do not have an academic background in =
Sufi studies, but I'm an active reader of books in this field.
And how about your background? You appear to combine a practical =
background in Sufism with academic training. Would you like to share =
some biographical details?
Siraj
As far as academia is concerned -- I hold a doctorate in Psychology =
with an emphasis on the phenomenological study of religious experience. =
I also have an extensive clinical background as a family psychotherapist =
and have been teaching the psychology of inter-cultural conflict (Islam =
and the West) at a school of International Relations for the last six =
years.
My first contact with Sufism was through reading Idries Shah in 1969. =
My first expeirence visiting the maqqam of a Pir was Khwaja Muhyiddin =
Chisti's mazhar in Ajmer in 1973. It was there that I prayed to meet a =
living representative of the Tradition. Prior to that I had been brief =
contact with Fazil Inayat Khan in New York, and the remnants of Sufi =
Sam's group in San Francisco. Though attracted to Shah's work, at that =
time there were no representatives of his in the United States. I was =
somewhat dissatisfied with "New Age" representations of Sufism in the =
Bay Area and sought a more traditional connection. I traveled to =
Istanbul in the Summer of 1978 and met two teachers: Muzaffer Ozal =
Effendi of the Halveti-Jerrahiyya and Hasan Lutfi Shushud, the last =
teacher of J. G. Bennett. This gave me a "taste" of more "orthodox" =
(Muzaffer Effendi) as well as malamati forms of Sufism (Hasan Effendi). =
I felt pulled between the two. Back in San Francisco, in Spring of =
1979, I met Dr. Javad Nurbaksh and studied and practiced with the =
Nimatullahi Order for about two years. There, too, I felt a certain =
dissatisfaction (this time with the Iranian enculturation that seemed =
necessary to attend that Tariqa). I met a Syrian Rifa'i shaykh in 1982 =
who was also a professor of International Relations. I was more =
attracted to his form of the Work because he understood the need to =
adapt Sufism to the West more carefully. His circle in Damascus (which =
included Qadiris and Naqshbandis) were primarily dedicated to the study =
of Shaykh Al-Akbar, Ibn al-Arabi. Feeling an almost instantaneous =
kinship with him, I took baya't and practiced under his direction for =
the next eight years. After taking a brief sabbatical from Sufi =
practice (in 1991), I was "released" by my guide with idthn to use my =
training in psychology and cross-cultural studies to "help other =
tariqas" to adapt to conditions in the U.S.. Having traveled the summer =
before to Konya, Turkey, I was inwardly guided to make a connection with =
Abdl Qadir Gilani (qs). I entered a Turkish branch of the combined =
Qadiri and Rifa'i Orders and was appointed to act as a khalifah for that =
ta'ifa in the U.S.. As such, I found that both the methods of dhikr and =
models of the maqqamat needed additional study and adaptation. My =
initiating Shaykh in Istanbul passed-away and I was left somewhat =
rudderless. I knew that my training was inadequate, but there was no =
clear successor to my Shaykh. Realizing that I needed additional =
guidance in sayre suluk, I stepped down from my post and entered a =
period of intense inward prayer. After approximately six months, I met =
my present Murshid, who is a representative of a (little known) malamati =
tradition linked to the Naqshbandiyya. I have remained close to him for =
nearly eight years and continue with him today. For several years, my =
Murshid has tasked me with researching the maqqamat with a view to =
synthesizing an Akbari understanding of those "stages" with modern =
psychological insight. This is my current life-project. Forgive, this =
rather long rendition.
_______________________________________________ Tariqas mailing list =
Tariqas@stderr.org http://stderr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tariqas
------=_NextPart_000_0174_01C35CBE.6FFB7D00
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Greetings Dr. Toussulis=20
--------------------------
Minor correction -- it should be Sheikh Muzaffer =
Ozak Efendi=20
(ks) ( not Ozal, I'm sure it's merely a typo on your part, the K =
& L=20
being next to each other, and not a lapse of memory). By the way I =
was in=20
Istanbul the summer 1978 spending an extensive amount of time in the =
company of=20
Sheikh Muzaffer Efendi (ks).
Simon Bryquer
----- Original Message -----
From:=20
Dr.=20
Yannis Toussulis
Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2003 =
5:40=20
AM
Subject: Re: [Tariqas] The =
stations and=20
states of the Sufi path
At 06:08 AM 8/7/2003 +0200, you wrote:
Dr. Yannis Toussulis wrote:
Now, if I am permitted, may =
I ask what=20
is your background in Sufism? I assume from your postings =
that you=20
are fluent in Farsi and have more than passing acquaintanceship =
with the=20
Chistiyya. Do you also have an academic background in Sufi=20
Studies?
Best=20
=
Regards
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Today=20
it is 30 years ago that I've been admitted to a Sufi order which is=20
affiliated with the Chishtiyya order. The centre of the order is in =
Ajmer,=20
India, close to the dargah of Khwaja Mo'inuddin Chishti. =
There is an=20
on-line discusion group, the Chishtiyya, and I paticipate in it. I'm =
not=20
fluent in Farsi, but by being active in this field I hope slowly to =
increase=20
my knowledge. I do not have an academic background in Sufi studies, =
but I'm=20
an active reader of books in this field.
And how about your=20
background? You appear to combine a practical background in Sufism =
with=20
academic training. Would you like to share some biographical=20
details?
Siraj
As far as academia is =
concerned -- I=20
hold a doctorate in Psychology with an emphasis on the =
phenomenological study=20
of religious experience. I also have an extensive clinical =
background as=20
a family psychotherapist and have been teaching the psychology of=20
inter-cultural conflict (Islam and the West) at a school of =
International=20
Relations for the last six years.
My first contact with Sufism =
was=20
through reading Idries Shah in 1969. My first expeirence visiting the=20
maqqam of a Pir was Khwaja Muhyiddin Chisti's mazhar in =
Ajmer in=20
1973. It was there that I prayed to meet a living representative of =
the=20
Tradition. Prior to that I had been brief contact with Fazil Inayat =
Khan in=20
New York, and the remnants of Sufi Sam's group in San Francisco. =
Though=20
attracted to Shah's work, at that time there were no representatives =
of his in=20
the United States. I was somewhat dissatisfied with "New Age" =
representations=20
of Sufism in the Bay Area and sought a more traditional =
connection. I=20
traveled to Istanbul in the Summer of 1978 and met two teachers: =
Muzaffer Ozal=20
Effendi of the Halveti-Jerrahiyya and Hasan Lutfi Shushud, the last =
teacher of=20
J. G. Bennett. This gave me a "taste" of more "orthodox" (Muzaffer =
Effendi) as=20
well as malamati forms of Sufism (Hasan Effendi). I felt pulled =
between=20
the two. Back in San Francisco, in Spring of 1979, I met Dr. =
Javad=20
Nurbaksh and studied and practiced with the Nimatullahi Order =
for about=20
two years. There, too, I felt a certain dissatisfaction (this =
time with=20
the Iranian enculturation that seemed necessary to attend that =
Tariqa). I met=20
a Syrian Rifa'i shaykh in 1982 who was also a professor of =
International=20
Relations. I was more attracted to his form of the Work because =
he=20
understood the need to adapt Sufism to the West more carefully. =
His=20
circle in Damascus (which included Qadiris and Naqshbandis) were =
primarily=20
dedicated to the study of Shaykh Al-Akbar, Ibn al-Arabi. Feeling =
an=20
almost instantaneous kinship with him, I took baya't and practiced =
under his=20
direction for the next eight years. After taking a brief =
sabbatical from=20
Sufi practice (in 1991), I was "released" by my guide with idthn =
to use=20
my training in psychology and cross-cultural studies to "help other =
tariqas"=20
to adapt to conditions in the U.S.. Having traveled the summer =
before to=20
Konya, Turkey, I was inwardly guided to make a connection with Abdl =
Qadir=20
Gilani (qs). I entered a Turkish branch of the combined =
Qadiri=20
and Rifa'i Orders and was appointed to act as a khalifah =
for=20
that ta'ifa in the U.S.. As such, I found that both the =
methods=20
of dhikr and models of the maqqamat needed additional =
study and=20
adaptation. My initiating Shaykh in Istanbul passed-away and I =
was left=20
somewhat rudderless. I knew that my training was inadequate, but =
there=20
was no clear successor to my Shaykh. Realizing that I needed =
additional=20
guidance in sayre suluk, I stepped down from my post and =
entered=20
a period of intense inward prayer. After approximately six =
months, I met=20
my present Murshid, who is a representative of a (little known) =
malamati=20
tradition linked to the Naqshbandiyya. I have remained close =
to him=20
for nearly eight years and continue with him today. For several =
years,=20
my Murshid has tasked me with researching the maqqamat with a =
view to=20
synthesizing an Akbari understanding of those "stages" with modern=20
psychological insight. This is my current life-project. =
Forgive,=20
this rather long=20
rendition.
_______________________________________________ =
Tariqas=20
mailing list Tariqas@stderr.org=20
http://stderr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tariqas =
------=_NextPart_000_0174_01C35CBE.6FFB7D00--
From tariqas@stderr.org Thu Aug 7 15:04:59 2003
From: tariqas@stderr.org (Siraj)
Date: Thu, 07 Aug 2003 16:04:59 +0200
Subject: [Tariqas] Heart/Head dual-ity and Imam Ali links
In-Reply-To: <20030807114243.1702.qmail@web11401.mail.yahoo.com>
References: <20030807114243.1702.qmail@web11401.mail.yahoo.com>
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Walaikum assalaam,
* What is the relation between what you call the Oveysi and the
Naqshbandi order? You do not mean by putting Naqshbandi into
brackets that in this case they are the same? It would also be
interesting to learn a little about the practices of your order....
* You speak about your two teachers. Do you mean with the Pir you
mention, the head of your order? Or is he belonging again to
another order?
* Can you tell more about the book you've written? Is it in English?
Title? Contents? When is it going to be published? I've edited a
book on Sufim myself. The book is written by a Chishti teacher. It
is called The Culture of the Sufis. In order to return some of the
information I can tell that it tells many things about Sufism in
general, although it has also a specific Chishti flavour. Here you
can see its contents:
Preface
1 Currents and cross-currents in Sufism
2 The origin and the development of the Sufi movement
2.1 Origin and development
2.2 Authority and sanction
2.3 The four major pirs and the seven groups
2.4 The prime spiritual orders
2.5 Other orders
2.6 Types of the Sufis
2.7 Two groups
3 Initiation in the Sufi order
3.1 Initiation in the Sufi order
3.2 The spiritual guide
3.3 The disciple
3.4 The appointment as a caliph
3.5 The sajjada-nishin
3.6 The manifestation of acceptance
4 Rituals and practices
4.1 Fundamental rituals and practices
4.2 Pas-i-anfas (commemoratio cordis)
4.3 Two ways
4.4 Tawhid-i-af' ali (unity of actions)
4.5 Seclusion in convents and chilla (sitting in a secluded place)
4.6 Silence
4.7 The ways and means of the Naqshbandiyya order
4.8 The eleven Naqshbandiyya rules
4.9 Other rituals and practices
5 The moral culture of the Sufis
5.1 Salient features
5.2 Sufi attitudes and outlook towards life
5.3 The universal brotherhood
5.4 The theory of right and wrong
5.5 The traits of the Sufis
5.6 The path of selfless service
5.7 Self-development
5.8 Self-conquest
6 The ethical culture of the Sufis
6.1 The disposition of the Sufis
6.2 The prevention of cruelty to animals
6.3 The doctrine of futuwwat
6.4 Service to the cause
6.5 Service, sharing and sacrifice
6.6 Honesty and integrity
6.7 Collective morality
6.8 The harmonious balance
7 The states and the stations of the Sufis
8 Sufi doctrines
8.1 The unity of Allah (tawhid)
8.2 Types of unity of Allah
8.3 Hama ust (He is all) vs. hama az ust (all is from Him)
8.4 The names of Allah
8.5 The kingdom of the name of Allah
8.6 Ma'rifat (gnosis)
8.7 Jabr (predestination, helplessness) vs. qadar (free will, power)
8.8 The doctrine of al-haqiqat al-Muhammadiyya (the logos of Muhammad)
9 Sama' (music concert)
10 Mystical poetry
11 The outward culture of the Sufis
11.1 The dress of the Sufis
11.2 The food of the Sufis
11.3 Marriage
11.4 Tours and travels
11.5 The search for knowledge
11.6 The 'urs (death anniversary)
12 Women and Sufism
13 Supernatural powers
14 Ecstatic ejaculations
15 The recollection of death
Appendix 1 The testament of Muhyiddin ibn al-'Arabi (d. 1240)
Appendix 2 The testament of al-ghawth al-'azam (d. 1166)
Appendix 3 Aphorisms
Appendix 4 Letters of Mu'inuddin Chishti (1229)
Appendix 5 Sufi language
Index: Names, places and technical terms
Bibliography
Select discography
More information: http://www.j-morris.dircon.co.uk/
(Jerry) Siraj
Mellissa Heidari wrote:
>salam Siraj,
>
>Hmmm, I suppose you might say I "belong" to Dr.
>Nurbakhsh's order but I also attend the Oveysi
>(Naqshbandi) order.
>
>My beloved husband is my teacher and I came into
>contact with the various orders through him. My other
>teacher and other beloved is my co-wife. I must say,
>it is a wonderful luxury to have these two as
>Companions on the Way.
>
>Our Pir is not easily described as we do not know
>where he "lives", what order he is part of or even
>*gasp* his NAME. The one and only time this latter
>question was hesitantly asked, the reply was:
>
>"I have asked nothing from you, why then do you ask
>something of me".
>
>He comes when there is need for direction or
>instruction and neither type of communication is
>usually very complicated. I didn't say it was "easy"
>just not complicated ; ). Then he goes away.
>Sometimes he sends letters (good practice for my
>Persian, hint hint, hidden lessons here ; )
>
>This is actually only the second time I have ever
>mentioned him in any written context or communication.
> The first time was about an hour ago. So, I would
>say that there is a bit of movement in the air,
>probably because he/it/we will soon be quite public.
>
>We wrote a book, all edited and finished : ) Quite
>extraordinary actually. Bound to create a stir since
>it is the stuff of tabloids. I can see the headlines
>now (or in a year or so)
>
>"POLOGAMIOUS FAMILY CLAIMS REINCARNATION"
>"BIZARRE RELIGIOUS CULT, NEXT ON JERRY SPRINGER"
>(not!)
>
>Hope this didn't upset anyone's breakfast, but Siraj
>did ask a "personal" question. Ask a personal
>question get a personal answer, eh?
>
>Wa salam
>Mellissa
>
>
>
>--- Siraj wrote:
>
>
>>Walaikum assalaam, Melissa!
>>
>>Do you belong to a Sufi order? Which one? How did
>>you get into contact
>>with them? Can you tell something about your guide?
>>These are personal questions not intended to show
>>empty curiosity but in
>>fact intended to hear some inspirational things.
>>Sometimes by being a little open about the people
>>and things concerning
>>people it becomes really interesting.
>>
>>Siraj
>>
>>
>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Tariqas mailing list
>>Tariqas@stderr.org
>>http://stderr.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tariqas
>>
>>
>
>
>__________________________________
>Do you Yahoo!?
>Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software
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>
>
>
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Walaikum assalaam,
- What is the relation between what you call the Oveysi and the
Naqshbandi order? You do not mean by putting Naqshbandi into brackets
that in this case they are the same? It would also be interesting to
learn a little about the practices of your order....
- You speak about your two teachers. Do you mean with the Pir you
mention, the head of your order? Or is he belonging again to another
order?
- Can you tell more about the book you've written? Is it in
English? Title? Contents? When is it going to be published? I've edited
a book on Sufim myself. The book is written by a Chishti teacher. It is
called The Culture of the Sufis. In order to return some of
the information I can tell that it tells many things about Sufism in
general, although it has also a specific Chishti flavour. Here you can
see its contents:
Preface
1
Currents and cross-currents in Sufism
2
The origin and the development of the Sufi
movement
2.1
Origin and development
2.2
Authority and sanction
2.3
The four major pirs