[Tariqas] How I came to the Sufi path

[IrvingK57@aol.com]

Salaam Alaikum Dear Brothers and Sisters:  
I have been asked to tell a little  about myself, and how I came to the Sufi 
path. Well, I lived most of my  life in Chicago, and only moved near New York 
City five years ago to be with my  beloved. I have been a Nimatullahi darvish 
for 14 years now, but I will never  forget how I came to be initiated.
    I had always been interested in  mystical studies, and have a Master's 
degree in Philosophy from DePaul  University in Chicago. . I had read about 
Sufism for some time, beginning with  Tales of the Dervishes by Idris Shah, and 
was drawn to it strongly, but being  wrapped in the cloak of my nafs, never did 
anything about it. Then one day I  read a small classified ad in the local 
Chicago paper which said "Sufi Shaykh  coming to Chicago, anyone interested in 
meeting him please call"...... and they  listed the khaniqah phone number.     
    My girlfriend at the time went and  became initiated, but I did not go. 
Over the next year I would accompany her  to the khaniqah once in a while for 
dinner. The Persian food was  excellent. A year later Mr. Niktab returned. He 
was the Shaykh of Shaykhs of the  order, second to our Master, Dr. Javad 
Nurbakhsh. I wanted to meet him, to see  if he looked what I thought a Sufi should 
look like. What a fool I was  :)
He was a thin old man, about 80 then, with a warm  smile and gentle manner. 
Through a translator, he welcomed me warmly, asked a  few questions, one if 
which was "Do you believe in God?" When I said that I did,  he said I would be 
welcome anytime. 
For another  year I would go to the khaniqah every so often, as the darvishes 
kept inviting  me for dinner, though I really had no intention of joining. I 
was too  self-absorbed to contemplate giving up my indulgences for a spiritual 
path. Yet  I went to the dinners and was drawn to the gentle courtesy and 
adab of the path,  and the wonderful Persian cooking. 
Another year passed and Mr. Niktab  visited again, and I went to say hello to 
him once more. I was invited to his  room again and will never forget the 
exchange between  us. 
I said "It's good to see you  again." 
And he said, "It's good to see you  also. Come back tomorrow, you are being  
initiated." 
That was it. I just stammered "Uh,  yes sir, I'll be here." 
I really had not had  any intention of asking to be initiated, but I felt 
like I had been looking over  a cliff to the enticing scene below and he came up 
behind me and kicked me off.  I felt like a big footprint was now visible on 
my butt. I laugh when I think  about it now. 
He read my heart truly, and my  hesitation, and took action. 
Thank God! Without  the path, I would have been cooked in my own stew of nafs 
years  ago.. 
Mr. Niktab passed away a  few years ago, but I will always remember his 
kindness and sincerity, and  am grateful every day to him and to the Master for 
accepting this unworthy  darvish. 

Ya Haqq,

Irving
_http://www.masterofthejinn.com_ (http://www.masterofthejinn.com/)  

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