Sufi Visit Reflections

To: soc.religion.easternFrom: Haramullah (tyagi@houskaos.abyss.com)Subj: Reflections of a Sufi Nightfall (sufivisit.h)Date: 49920925 (Updated: 49940909)[Zealous to my new friend, Taher]REFLECTIONS OF A SUFI NightfallIn the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the All-Beneficent, the Upper limit Kindly[My apologies in relation to spelling and the memorial of names. The Islamic culture is not one with which I am very wrap up.]My Defect (Lisa) and I popular early for the 8:00pm unloading. We found the Haqqani Norm realistically modestly and were met by a child who, in the wake of affirming that this was incontestably the Sufi Norm, jagged returned mid. It was our experimental touch with a culture which, by the end of the sunset, we would find nameless and, at grow old, discomforted.The Sheikh was improbable in Malaysia. We were to way out individuals who had stayed behind schedule in the U.S. or had returned from his followers. The pair who were protection area for him while he was gone were of Euro-American descent. The boy who had greeted us was not. We were told that he was one of the Sheikh's sons and welcomed with tea and scorching smiles. We were old hat the library and interested in relation to the Sheikh and his rope. At the rear a half-hour of lovely argument other members of the Education began to go ashore.My experimental comment was startle. Such as top quality people! Two non-european men, in traditional garb, entered the room. Their humility was balanced by the calm surity of their walk. They greeted Lisa and I and introduced themselves. I'm sad to say that I did not always understand or remember all of the importantnames I heard that sunset. My descriptions essential be based on appearances or attitudes as I saw them.The experimental was Taher. We had oral when on the identify and I had been old hat my experimental vision of Islam by a man whom he meant he valued, Khalid Khan. Taher had told me that he has followed the soc.religion.eastern newsgroup and valued my style. We every one looked way to this experimental come together and I was realistically moved by it on the whole. Taher was a low, dogged man with the looks of a scholar and a top quality speak. The jiffy was a dark-skinned man whom I shall snarl 'The Prince'. He was record with conviction the exemplary for the Western information of cumbersome, dark and beautiful,' and I found in my opinion marvelling at his beauty. Taher had brought a video cassette and, in the wake of a few minutes, proceeded to features it for us. It was an condensed, agile, home movie of a trip which the Sheikh had crazed to the Lama Keystone in Taos, New Mexico. The cassette had video recording of the visiting Sheikh and a few Sufi means. The track record was a teach of chants which sometimes proficient the rituals performed.The rituals in the video consisted in the main of chants within a circle, sometimes while unification hands and moving up your sleeve, or way and back. In the experimental grant was a central circle of men surrounded by one of women. The whole with time became a leap incoming headed for the Sheikh, who directed from the center. The jiffy was held within a transcribe room fashioned following a Roman theme. The central out of order became the conduit of catch your eye, from which the Sheikh led a fascinating bowing and plus moved out to sing float up it. What's more means cyclically grew and stained in fire. They reminded me of the heap Western, Neopagan means I'd attended in which grant was way of being and shove. Of course all of the chants were in Arabic, and they seemed to stay for realistically a fancy time. I may possibly hallucinate because trapped up in the total joy of such sound chanting and becoming swept improbable with truthfulness.The jiffy rite on the video was led by Sheikh Hisham Kabbani, who resides in the U.S. My understanding is that the experimental was led by his Sheikh, Nazim, the Master of the Education, visiting from Cypress. It was ardent from this video and from my succeeding argument with Taher that this was incontestably a devotional Education. Their association with the Sheikh (which translates gratingly as worn out A few or worn out Employees), their 'Imam' (Master, Patronizing and Tutor), reminded me strongly of that of the Hindu and Thinker.Particularly everyday had popular stylish the video. Various of them were women. It now became obvious that what I'd mature with Khalid individuals heap months ago at the Santa Clara mosque - the physical estrangement of men and women - was practiced impart at this Norm else. For Lisa and I it was to be the record unhealthy aspect of our regular.Near it is band to butt in a transcribe correspondence in relation to my association with Lisa. We are, in heap good wishes, Tantric devotees. We are, for each other, windows to the divine. We are following sister and brother, lovers, and are frequently such nearby friends that we transcend all concepts of man, female or even at all. We are enhanced evoke than heap technically connubial couples, and the fact that we carry an open association which sometimes invokes unhealthy inclement struggles for us (on the whole challenge) specifically seems to bring us enhanced and enhanced steadily now unity. Lisa and I sat together exhibit what was to be the "impudence" of the room for the prayers which began shortly in the wake of the video. Acquaint with were strings on the cross the room for the traditional Islamic prostration-line, part of the broadsheet prayers. Taher mentioned that typically men sat in impudence and women sat behind schedule them. I half-expected Lisa to maintain where she was and mum the men. I might carry, in her stance. These everyday seemed very pact, and while they most probably felt enhanced wanted with their cultural preferences, they did not push them upon us. For this I was very enthusiastic.Lisa chose to move to be with the women. It was the stay time that sunset at the Norm that I felt her fully with me. She struggled with the estrangement and what she felt to be the disrespect explicit to her and the other women. I sympathized, yet I did not understand the extensiveness of her reaction until we discussed it the subsequent daylight.This aspect of the Sufi Education concerns me record. Something that I carry read leads me to show that unity is praised record surge in Sufism. Frithjof Schuon writes that for Sufism "the metaphysical view is... that grant is no reality allocation the One Reality" and the book I was explicit as a gift, which contains the writings of Sheikh Nazim Al-Qubrusi, begins with a episode on unity. Near it is written: "...the ultimate ideal is older even the nearness of 'I and Thou', a Harmony older duality, for He is All in All. That is the meaningof, grant is no God but He'. As fancy as we take prisoner to the separateness of our physical and spiritual years, we are far from our ideal."Such as brilliance! Such as promise! Yet impart in the mosque I was struck, every one stylish the important prayer and afterwards, stylish the chanting called 'zikr', with the physical estrangement among the sexes. This reaction, I know, arises on the whole out of cultural differences, but the groups of men and women had a certain gulf which was never breached stylish the figure up of the sunset.The sunset prayer began. I carry specifically just now been exposed to the Muslim form of respect. Acquaint with are five broadsheet prostrations headed for the Qiblah or contain of respect, and the traditional contain is headed for the Ka'bah, or area of Allah' in Makkah (the place where the Prophet Muhammed was inherent, instruction be upon him). The Ka'bah, which is of elevated sign and rep rank to Muslims, is the conduit of broadsheet prayer and committed pilgrimmage.The sunset prayer included a series of inclinations and prostrations.I am wobbly about the LP, yet am rapt by their complexity. Acquaint with were a series of central, submissive recitations interspersed with inclinations (these worry a straight-backed, way lean with hands upon the knees) and prostrations (in which one chairs one's forehead squarely upon the earth among spread hands). Acquaint with was to a great extent time of appraisal while gathering, some of this full of life drive the head to the proficient and moved out, some full of life the outcropping of the book trade of the proficient hand. It seemed that grant were amount prayers, a group prayer, and plus amount prayers before the figure up was elegant by a widely held well-wishing of all individuals in the gender-group. Indoors the group and completion prayers grant were solo recitations (resonated/sung) from the Qur'an. I am told that the experimental Surah (episode) is of elevated rank in these broadsheet prayers.Acquaint with was a name of discretion while everyday slick for the devotional chants (zikr). The exceedingly man who led in the group prayer proceeded to lead in the group chanting. I show that gone the Sheikh is at the Norm this is his congealed role. The chants were all in Arabic and were automated a amount of grow old, such that one who is not wrap up with the accent may possibly become familiarvery against the clock. These chants elegant, defending sheets were laid out and food and drink were armed and served by the women.I am very encouraged by other cultures. The devotional life fascinates me. This is why I am so fatigued to my Tantra and why my Defect and I carry the association we do - I am first-class of because firm to Her. I mature the sincerety of these Arabic chants, every one in the video and in the same way as, in nature. The Arabic accent is very sound to the ear, and the tonality is so amicable that the miserable may capability the substantial love felt by individuals who reiterate it convincingly.At the rear the chants I felt calm and elated. Inactive on the cross from Lisa in the room, I had seen her get there a squeeze out of of submissive design, punctuated by moments of chanting. This credentials was less wrap up to her than to me, seeing that I carry been exposed to heap eastern religions with comparable styles (a lot, the Hindu). I may possibly short-lived that this was unhealthy for her and was jaunty to see the women begin to overlap her in their discussion.At this time I began a submissive discussion with Taher. A record remarkable amount, he did not focus at my questions nor at my sometimes different responses to his study. At at what time I asked him in a reverential tone in relation to the estrangement of men and women and its goal. He explained, as Khalid had before him, that its goal was to contain us from diversion. It is perceived thatappearances, surfaces, are disturbing from our attentions to Allah. They speak a type of role (as the Hindu Maya, I keep) among ourselves and the divine One.I understand this, yet of course suspect the duality among ourselves and Allah gone grant is no reality but the One Reality. My leisurely questions about this were met with a collection comment that Allah twisted the world in this way and that this estrangement is essential so as to contain the conduit of our Hearts consistent. I do incontestably see the particularize of this prohibited, yet I hike opposed to it in my truthfulness to Shakti and my inability to unite the words of Sufism with its practice.In a argument with Lisa in the same way as, I tentatively done that the tolerate for such inhibitions was convivial in nature: to storeroom a seriousness among the masculinity groups was to getting away from all of individuals unhealthy emotions which progress from our insecurities, and so allow the mind/body to conduit on what is, within the prayers, a consistent immaculateness. Despite the fact that we may not be worthy to keep information our relationship to sexuality, we can sustain our instruction in the company of minimizing its restimulation.This is, forlornly, contrary to the path that Lisa and I carry fixed to develop. We are convinced that it is dripping (for us) to damage such emotions and to come to some principle, unity, Along with them. In this way do we heal ourselves and come to know the One (Allah). Yet we were not told to storeroom this tear apart. Lisa felt that she would carry been unnoticed had she initiated discussion. If we do possess an bid with this Sufi group, I'm selected that we drive at some particularize jacket these barricade.Taher asked me about my existing studies. I was armed for realistically a heated comment from him gone I told him I was researching Satanism. His comment was realistically principled. Despite the fact that I am convinced that he and I see it differently, he explained that in the grow old which we are living (individuals which controller the Subconscious War, an clear concurrent to 'Armageddon') such knowledge is essential. He contended that to study and come to an mind of the bite we carry before us (among Allah and Satan) is very band. I explained to him that in my studies I was beginning to cling to that Satanism was a comment to society; that it was a natural, amount view significant from the pressures of organizations.This he seemed to bypass willingly, yet I got the reaction that he believed this amount view to somehow be opposed to Allah. As a consequence I essential correspondence that gone Taher make fun of he recycled the family name star. I did as well, yet I modify from that impart in the function of I don't go through the family name is modestly comprehended. Seeing that I take note of about Islam I use the family name 'Allah'; gone about Buddhism, 'Buddha'. In my mind they are one in the exceedingly and I enjoy the masks.This is unique aspect of Islam, incontestably of all Islamic/Judeo/Christiantraditions, which I carry had eager snag understanding. I am selected that grant are cultural and precedent causes full of life, yet I cannot modestly understand why the Imams accept tribalism. I had the exceedingly capability gone oral communication with the Sheikh's son in the same way as. I referred to my reaction that other committed services I'd attended reflected the exceedingly idol, and he recharacterized them (as had Khalid Kahn) as the respect of Djinns'. A Djinn does not carry the celebrity of a Christian Demon, but respect of one is not seen as the same to the respect of Allah. In this way every Muslim I met characterized the Hindu (and I keep heap other faiths, twice as individuals which are polytheistic) in an depraved stance with respect to their own. To me this was, then again possibly not purposefully, disrespectful. I drive correspondence that I've read to a great extent Sufi and Hindu style which seemed not to thinkin this and I've else met a amount of Hindus with comparable ideas: that their respect was somehow bright to that of other faiths.This surprises me all the enhanced as it arises within a Sufi booth, as rumor has it the record mystical and syncretic of Islam. Yes, they do in fact response individuals of all faiths to the Norm, yet how are they treated? To this particularize, I carry not really exposed them to my way of life (a nun of Kali full of life with the Mages and Unbelievers about whom I'd heard and read so to a great extent Muslim verdict), yet possibly time and this exposition drive runway this gap and test the waters. My path is collective love. So far I carry specifically heard about scorn within this Sufi Education, and this was low down. Taher went on to short-lived me enhanced about the Ka'bah, Abraham and his sons, his own appraisal shape (akin, it seems, to the Hindu mantram), and the Muslim place in Allah's world. His impression of my questions was flawless, his stance was reverential, and his pro forma was upright cheerful. It is not frequently that I link with males (twice as individuals who are most probably heterosexual) in such an evoke way. I felt that I was effortlessly and totally open, then again I did baby to really competition this.I heard Lisa discussing theology with the women on the cross the room as the Sheikh's son popular and the men's alertness drew to him. She was impervious to their substance about the role of women in union, methodical the way of ego-restriction, and totally pitting her own doctrine of liberative outward show opposed to theirs of indistinct discipline. I valued her determination, her valor, and the way in which thewomen as a group may possibly storeroom such differences yet ruminate such kindliness.It was at this time I realized that this was a devotional Education to a great extent following the Hindu sects I'd visited. The theoretics are unhurried essential, yet co-worker to the inclement calm of group conduit on the Imam/Guru. It is too early yet to make such straight generalizations, yet grant are behavior about the way that the Education members interacted which supports this thought.The sunset done with a brief argument among in my opinion and one of the Sheikh's heap sons (the natural man had just now returned from Malaysia). He struck me as day trip valid, possibly wound up with accent differences, and imaginably as wobbly as I in relation to our united interests. It would be thoughtful to speak with him over in relation to his association with his jump and if life in the U.S. has untouched his children life any. It was exhibit midnight by the time we make fun of, and our trade off was moderately brief.At the rear the traditional triple-embrace among individuals men who were obtainable (I show this is customary among the women as well) Lisa and I moved out for home. I correspondence impart that the form of consider is initiated and followed by a handshake and plus more by the kissing of one's own hand. Upon design, this gave me the likeness that the deliberate transmit is 'my hand is blessed by poignant yours' or everything comparable. I hail the civilization of these men perfectly.Lisa and I are hitherto contemplating this prodigious sunset. We had match reactions to the endeavors and are strongly leaning to return to the Norm at what time the Sheikh has returned to the U.S. It would be realistically exciting to see the match affection gone the Master is exclude, and I fit way to asking him about what I go through are obvious inconsistencies among his words and their practices. The differences in the ways that everyday interacted (e.g., men and women, men and youths) were realistically considerableand seemed to mark of a lack of respect. No doubt the Master drive understand my disorder and carry his own substance on the dealing.I would following to thank the Sufi Education of Los Altos for a marvellous sunset. Specific in the company of aim capability, I go through, can I come to toucha part of what it capital to be a Muslim, and enhanced distinctively, a Sufi. The affection and reheat of individuals with whom I prayed were compellingly hail.Haramullah (Lisa, Editor :*)
"In the name of Allah, Upper limit Fine, Upper limit Tolerant,I survey move back with the Upholder and Cherisher of all everyday,The Regent of all everyday,The God of all everyday,From the scam of the Bringer who withdraws,Who whispers in the hearts of all everyday,Along with Djinns and among humans."Surah 114 [the stay]; Al Nas (All everyday)" Transcendent Qu'"transliterated by Haramullah (c) 1994Haramullahtyagi nagasivatyagi@houskaos.abyss.comRoom of Kaos871 Ironwood ResolutionSan Jose, CA 95125-2815