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May 15
Islam envisages for man a discipline for his life as a whole, material as well as spiritual. But there is no denying the fact that owing to differences of individual temperaments, certain people would specialize in certain specialties and not in others. Even if one were to concentrate on the spiritual side of one’s existence, he would still remain more or less attached to the other occupations of life for his nourishment, for the sake of society of which he is a member, and so on.
In his celebrated exposé of his teaching on faith and submission and the best method of these two, the Prophet Muhammad defined this last point in the following terms:
“As to the embellishment (ihsan) of conduct, so render thy service unto God as if thou seest Him: even though thou doest not see Him, yet He seeth thee.”
This beautification, the best and most beautiful method of devotion or service unto God, is the spiritual culture of Islam. “Service unto God” is a most comprehensive term, and includes not merely the cult, but also relates to human conduct throughout life. The most cultured from the spiritual point of view, are those who abide most closely by the will of God in all their acts, thoughts and beliefs.
May 14
 The Disappearance of Faith and Meaning
There was once a time, perhaps, when people felt themselves to be part of a cosmic order which offered a straight path to salvation, truth, or enlightenment. In that time before spiritual truth was relativized, God’s love and mercy was extended to anyone, no matter what his or her circumstances, who fulfilled the necessary moral and religious duties. Almost every person could find in his or her own humanness the pre-condition of hope.
Our situation in the post-modern era is that no religion seems absolute anymore. All religious truths seem to be relativized. In this situation, a life of faith and morality is no assurance of salvation. We lived with unnamed anxieties and guilt anyway. Although liberated from a Divine judgment, we are haunted by an existential guilt which refuses propitiation.
Furthermore, there is no shared cultural myth, no unifying vision. The servitude to religious forms and strictures is quickly disappearing to be replaced only by a worship of the self or a compulsive escape from the self. We try to find cosmic satisfaction in a lifestyle, a career, a self-image, or a romantic relationship. Some employ therapists to attain self-acceptance, forgiveness, and understanding. Others attempt to construct their own personal spiritual worldview through a sampling of what the great traditions have to offer.
May 14
The line of struggle followed by the righteous people to whom God promised the future of the world may be summed up in two words: action and thought. In fact, the way to true existence is action and thought, and likewise the way to renewal, individual and collective. It may even be said that every being is the product of certain movements and disciplines and its continuance depends on the same.
Action should be the most indispensable element or feature of our lives. Even at the cost of many losses, we should take on necessary responsibilities and strive in action and thought continually to realize them. If we are unable to initiate action in the direction of our essential beliefs and concepts, we will inevitably fall under the influence of others and be carried away by the way of their actions and ideas, always reacting and at the mercy of their initiatives.
May 13
Drawing from Qur’anic verses, virtually all Sufis distinguish Lataif-as-Sitta (”the six subtleties”): Nafs, Qalb, Sirr, Ruh, Khafi, and Akhfa. These lataif (singular: latifa) designate various psychospiritual “organs” or, sometimes, faculties of sensory and suprasensory perception. They are thought to be parts of the self in a similar manner to the way glands and organs are part of the body. Similar concepts in other belief systems include Chinese traditional or vedic chakras.
In general, sufic development involves the awakening in a certain order these spiritual centers of perception that lie dormant in every person. Each center is associated with a particular color and general area of the body, as well as ofttimes with a particular prophet, and varies from Order to Order. The help of a guide is considered necessary to help activate these centers. The activation of all these “centers” is part of the inner methodology of the Sufi way or “Work”. After undergoing this process, the dervish is said to reach a certain type of “completion” or becomes a Complete Man.
May 12
Universe is such a program that existed and exists in the Mind of God. When God wished to get this program enacted and desired that countless creatures should display themselves according to His program, He told them to be, i.e. He said, “Be (Kun)!” When God uttered kun, all that was there in the mind of God, inscribed upon a screen in the form of definite features of the creatures. The screen upon which the whole program and the characters through which the program is to be carried out are inscribed, in the religious terms is called ‘the Preserved Scripturum’ (Loh-e-Mehfooz).
Law:
The more one grows mature and gets involved in his surroundings, the closer he gets to the reality of the structural formation of things around him. It means that the whole programming of the universe is found in the human mind in a unified form but one cannot see this program only because one does not get a chance to be empty minded. The onrush of thoughts related to with the surrounding environment is permeating the mind and one seldom gets away from them to get a vacated mind, the only condition to acquaint with the higher level of intelligence. So as a matter of law, the more one concentrates consciously on an object, the more facts and realities are revealed upon him according to the degree of his concentration and ability to remain attentive in that particular direction.
Feb 21
From The Gospel of Islam by Duncan Greenlus:
“The nobility and broad tolerance of this creed, which accepts as God-inspired all the real religions of the world, will always be a glorious heritage of mankind. On it could indeed be built a perfect world religion.”
Northrop Stoddard PhD from The New World Of Islam says:
Jan 10
There was once a man named Mojud. He lived in a town where he had obtained a post as a small official, and it seemed likely that he would end his days as inspector of weights and measures.
One day when he was walking through the gardens of an ancient building near his home, Khidr, the mysterious guide of the Sufis, appeared to him, dressed in shimmering green. Khidr said, “Man of bright prospects! Leave your work and meet me at the riverside in three days’ time. ” Then he disappeared. Mojud went to his superior in trepidation and said that he had to leave. Everyone in the town soon heard of this and they said, “Poor Mojud! He has gone mad.” But, as there were many candidates for his job, they soon forgot him.
On the appointed day, Mojud met Khidr, who said to him, “Tear your clothes and throw yourself into the stream. Perhaps someone will save you.” Mojud did so, even though he wondered if he were mad. Since he could swim, he did not drown, but drifted a long way before a fisherman hauled him into his boat, saying, “Foolish man! The current is strong. What are you trying to do?” Mojud said, “I don’t really know.” “You are mad,” said the fisherman, “But I will take you into my reed-hut by the river yonder, and we shall see what can be done for you.”
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