Shaykh Ibrahim's Podcast: Recent Episodes
Shaykh Ibrahim Ansari
These podcasts are a spiritual seeker's digest seen from a Sufi perspective. Please support us with a donation at www.ansarisufiorder.orgThe message is free, it costs to get it to you.
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We discuss the purpose of culture, and some of the writings of Abdul Qadir al Jilani- one of our Pirs of Qadiri -Rfa'i Tariqa
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
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Please send your questions to: shaykhibrahim@ansarisufiorder.org
Send us a text
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
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Please send your questions to: shaykhibrahim@ansarisufiorder.org
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Moses and the Shepherd
Moses heard a shepherd on the road praying, “God,
Where are You? I want to help You, to fix Your shoes
and comb Your hair. I want to wash Your clothes
and pick the lice off. I want to bring You milk,
to kiss Your little hands and feet when it’s time
for You to go to bed. I want to sweep Your room
and keep it neat. God, my sheep and goats
are Yours. All I can say, remembering You,
is ayyyy and ahhhhhhhhh.”
Moses could stand it no longer.
“Who are you talking to?
The One who made us,
and made the earth and made the sky.
Don’t talk about shoes
and socks with God! And what’s this with ‘Your little hands
and feet?’ Such blasphemous familiarity sounds like
you’re chatting with your uncles.
Only something that grows
needs milk. Only someone with feet needs shoes. Not God!
Even if you meant God’s human representatives
as when God said, I was sick, and you did not visit me,
even then this tone would be foolish and irreverent.
“Use appropriate terms. Fatima is a fine name
for a woman, but if you call a man Fatima,
it’s an insult. Body-and-birth language
are right for us on this side of the river,
but not for addressing the Origin,
not for Allah.”
The shepherd repented and tore his clothes and sighed
and wandered out into the desert.
A sudden revelation
came then to Moses. God’s voice:
“You have separated Me
from one of my own. Did you come as a Prophet to unite,
or to sever?
I have given each being a separate and unique way
of seeing and knowing and saying that knowledge.
What seems wrong to you is right for him.
What is poison to one is honey to someone else.
Purity and impurity, sloth and diligence in worship,
these mean nothing to Me.
I am apart from all that.
Ways of worshiping are not to be ranked as better
or worse than one another.
It’s all praise, and it’s all
right.
It’s not Me that’s glorified in acts of worship.
It’s the worshipers! I don’t hear the words
they say. I look at the humility.
That broken-open lowliness is the Reality,
not the language! Forget phraseology.
I want burning,
burning.
Be friends
with your burning. Burn up your thinking
and your forms of expression!
Moses,
those who pay attention to ways of behaving
and speaking are one sort.
Lovers who burn
are another.
Don’t impose a property tax
on a burned out village. Don’t scold the Lover.
The wrong way he talks is better than a hundred
right ways of others.
Inside the Kaaba
it doesn’t matter which direction you point
your prayer rug!
The ocean diver doesn’t need snowshoes!
The Love-Religion has no code or doctrine.
Only God.
So the ruby has nothing engraved on it!
It doesn’t need markings.”
God began speaking deeper mysteries to Moses. Vision and words,
which cannot be recorded here, poured into
and through him. He left himself and came back.
He went to Eternity and came back here.
Man
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Send us a text
Shariah, Tariqa, Haqqiqa, Maarifat discussion. See transcript for more.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
Support the show
Please send your questions to: shaykhibrahim@ansarisufiorder.org
Send us a text
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
Support the show
Please send your questions to: shaykhibrahim@ansarisufiorder.org
Send us a text
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
Support the show
Please send your questions to: shaykhibrahim@ansarisufiorder.org
Send us a text
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
Support the show
Please send your questions to: shaykhibrahim@ansarisufiorder.org
Send us a text
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
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see transcript
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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So Who Is This God/Allah Guy/Gal?
shaykh ibrahim ansari
Q: I've read a lot of Sufi books, been to Zikr, watched a lot of YouTube videos, and even been to the Mosque a couple times. I love Rumi and the Turning. But I don't have a clue how to put it all together, I mean, I’m not even sure what I am feeling. I’ve tried Zikr and meditating…
So where is this Guy or Lady God? Who is Allah?
Q: I have put a lot of time and energy into calling on Allah, the Turning, and the Sohbets (spiritual discussions) are fun and supportive and enjoyable. The chanting, the drumming, the discussions all feel real and maybe just a bit cultish. But what’s supposed to happen? When do the ‘mystical experiences’ happen?
A: First,let’s put aside the idea of gender. There is no old man with a beard, or goddess waving her wand. This has nothing to do with a single entity or being. If we use the word He, it is just a symbol for something so vast yet intimate. Allah is greater than you can imagine, yet accessible.
If you follow anything scientifically to its source, you will discover that everything is connected to everything. That is the physical truth. If I was to start linking, say, taking your next breath, some of its source is from the oxygen exhaled from your house plants, and some may be from trees near by a river. That river is connected to the water cycle, and the plants are connected to the chlorophyl cycle, all grown from recycled soil, animals, rocks and weather. Every little thing, alive or inanimate, has its source. Tracking that source will bring you eventually back around again. It has no end.
Or, every complex atom on this planet came from stars colliding, and smashing the simple hydrogen and helium atoms to create our amazing Periodic Table of Elements. This also includes the stuff that makes you.
Now, that is just the physical manifestation. Next we might look for a spiritual marker - for example, survival. All life has this energy and built-in desire to survive: to live. The Life Force. But where did it start? Whether you look at it physically or spiritually, you end up with the same mystery: we do not know. So, what if we were to say that life was Willed into being out of Love? That a loving intelligence weaves and connects all living and non-living things, and the purpose of this life is to love, be loved, and make more love? Maybe we could even add in: To learn, to Grow, to appreciate and enjoy creation.
I believe that every one of us is born with a spiritual intelligence, a desire to feel connected to life and love. There are a few circumstances that get in the way of this connection, one is when someone is afraid or hurt by love, or thinks they are more intelligent than they actually are, and imagining that they are independent. No one is totally independent. Sometimes rejecting spirituality is politically correct and the cool thing to do.
Many have also been abused by those who practice one of the traditional religions, where the core of the teachings has been lost, and one is forced to believe in a deity of fear. The religiou
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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the Shaman; what is acquired easily and quickly is lost just as easily and quickly.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Focusing the heart and mind to bring about healthy change; confronting the Nafs; Intention and Surrender.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Discussion on the question: What have you learned; and how is it going learning to be Sufi?
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
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Sohbet April 13, 2025:
Rumi Poem: Moses and the Shepherd
Living In Troubled Times
Moses and the Shepherd
Moses heard a shepherd on the road praying, “God,
Where are You? I want to help You, to fix Your shoes
and comb Your hair. I want to wash Your clothes
and pick the lice off. I want to bring You milk,
to kiss Your little hands and feet when it’s time
for You to go to bed. I want to sweep Your room
and keep it neat. God, my sheep and goats
are Yours. All I can say, remembering You,
is ayyyy and ahhhhhhhhh.”
Moses could stand it no longer.
“Who are you talking to?
The One who made us,
and made the earth and made the sky.
Don’t talk about shoes
and socks with God! And what’s this with ‘Your little hands
and feet?’ Such blasphemous familiarity sounds like
you’re chatting with your uncles.
Only something that grows
needs milk. Only someone with feet needs shoes. Not God!
Even if you meant God’s human representatives
as when God said, I was sick, and you did not visit me,
even then this tone would be foolish and irreverent.
“Use appropriate terms. Fatima is a fine name
for a woman, but if you call a man Fatima,
it’s an insult. Body-and-birth language
are right for us on this side of the river,
but not for addressing the Origin,
not for Allah.”
The shepherd repented and tore his clothes and sighed
and wandered out into the desert.
A sudden revelation
came then to Moses. God’s voice:
“You have separated Me
from one of my own. Did you come as a Prophet to unite,
or to sever?
I have given each being a separate and unique way
of seeing and knowing and saying that knowledge.
What seems wrong to you is right for him.
What is poison to one is honey to someone else.
Purity and impurity, sloth and diligence in worship,
these mean nothing to Me.
I am apart from all that.
Ways of worshiping are not to be ranked as better
or worse than one another.
It’s all praise, and it’s all
right.
It’s not Me that’s glorified in acts of worship.
It’s the worshipers! I don’t hear the words
they say. I look at the humility.
That broken-open lowliness is the Reality,
not the language! Forget phraseology.
I want burning,
burning.
Be friends
with your burning. Burn up your thinking
and your forms of expression!
Moses,
those who pay attention to ways of behaving
and speaking are one sort.
Lovers who burn
are another.
Don’t impose a property tax
on a burned out village. Don’t scold the Lover.
The wrong way he talks is better than a hundred
right ways of others.
Inside the Kaaba
it doesn’t matter which direction you point
your prayer rug!
The ocean diver doesn’t need snowshoes!
The Love-Religion has no code or doctrine.
Only God.
So the ruby has nothing engraved on it!
It doesn’t need markings.”
God began speaking deeper mysteries to Moses. Vision and words,
which cannot be recorded here
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
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Training that pesky but adorable little brain.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Allah - that intelligence and love that permeates the universe, flows in our veins and hearts, and spins in the quantum states.
Nafs - Attachments and habits that have gotten stuck in who we think we are.
HU - The essence of Allah
Beyond Mindfulness is Heartfulness.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
Support the show
Please send your questions to: shaykhibrahim@ansarisufiorder.org
Send us a text
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
Support the show
Please send your questions to: shaykhibrahim@ansarisufiorder.org
Send us a text
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
Support the show
Please send your questions to: shaykhibrahim@ansarisufiorder.org
Send us a text
See Transcript
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
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See transcript
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
Support the show
Please send your questions to: shaykhibrahim@ansarisufiorder.org
Send us a text
See Transcript
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
Support the show
Please send your questions to: shaykhibrahim@ansarisufiorder.org
Send us a text
In an interview with Russ Jennings, we look at how Islamic Sufism began; some Sufi practices and Ramadan.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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How to maintain integrity in a family, community and job.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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See transcript
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
Support the show
Please send your questions to: shaykhibrahim@ansarisufiorder.org
Send us a text
See Transcript.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
Support the show
Please send your questions to: shaykhibrahim@ansarisufiorder.org
Send us a text
Please send your questions, to shaykhibrahim@ansarisufiorder.org
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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How do we listen to our heart?
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Russ Jennings speaks with Murshid Shaykh Taner Ansari about the Sufi understanding of:
Knowledge
Islam
Sufism
Ramadan
The Night of Power
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Discussion about the seeming abyss between responsibilities, duties and Allah.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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See transcript
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
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Send us a Text Message.
See transcript.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
Support the Show.
Send us a Text Message.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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A free wheeling spiritual discussion (sohbet) about: what is Truth/truth? Also dipping into what it means to Trust - in regards to finding a worthy spiritual teacher.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
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Send us a Text Message.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If
Support the Show.
Send us a Text Message.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Talking about focusing on how important being aware of your breath is. Then we speak about how to tune into the subtle worlds around us,
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Spiritual practice is just the beginning.
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You will find what you are looking for. But is it what you want to look for?
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See transcript.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Every human culture has had, besides music, the need for gods and goddesses. Why? What drives us to worship and idolize those who exhibit a purity of an essence, whether beautiful or evil? This is a free-wheeling discussion with two murids on a subject I've been contemplating for a while.
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Discussion on defining attachments and habits. Discussion of how to be present, and looking for one's Optimal Presence.
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See transcript. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. Email shaykhibrahim@ansarisufiorder.org
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Discussion of how different perceptions change our world view.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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The ability to observe without judgement, investment or expectation is a place we all have within us. Some might even call it our soul. How to activate or awaken it is available if we make the effort. Here we discuss a couple of experiences and ideas.
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See Transcript
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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It is not what you are, it is who you are. Please help make the world a better place.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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See transcript
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Peace, Art, Humor, Expectations. What are ways to deal with war and conflict?
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We discuss the goal of helping others feel at peace (a place you must find within yourself first), and then how to listen. Before you can hear your heart, you must first get everyone and everything quiet inside. First, the intention to want to learn how to listen, then learning how to settle all those nafs demanding attention.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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We discuss how important it is to solidify breath and centeredness in the world. We do pick up other people's feelings, as well as having our own. It is important to learn to distinguish which is us and which is not us. Doing an internal assessment every 20 -30 minutes might be helpful. Returning to one's center to ask 'what is the truth of this moment' may bring better choices.
We also talk about the Hal' - a momentary shift of awareness into the next Maqam; and the Maqams are not solid but as we flex and learn, we attain new insights that change our point of view.
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Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Learn how to put on the brain breaks.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If Support the show
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If Support the show
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Preface
The Conference of the Birds, written in the 13th Century by Farid ud-Din Attar, is a Sufi tale about the journey of the seven Maqams. In the poem, the birds of the world gather to decide who is to be their sovereign, as they have none. The hoopoe, the wisest of them all, suggests that they should find the legendary Simorgh. The hoopoe leads the birds, each of whom represents a human fault which prevents humankind from attaining direct heart connection with the Divine.
The hoopoe explains to the pilgrim birds that they must cross seven valleys in order to reach the abode of the Simorgh.
Our version is bit more straightforward and contemporary. We journey through four of the seven Maqams. This quest is personal and unique, as it is for anyone who sets their foot upon the Path.
Sufism, as we may have explained before, is not a religion. It is the personal and intimate way of anyone who wishes to reclaim their heart and mind; it is with a guide and a set of tools to help remember who we are, where we come from and where we are going.
Levels of the Nafs: A Fantasy Adventure
shaykh ibrahim ansari
Maqams are a way of mapping the levels of the bad habits and attachments Sufis label Nafs. A Maqam is a stage or perhaps like a village that is characterized by certain unique behaviors by the people that live there. In this version, a distinctive Path runs through each village that is sometimes visible to those who know what to look for.
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What is Worship? How do we make it part of our daily lives?
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Fighting one's own bad habits and cultural and familial attachments is hard work.
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Emotions and Feelings might be two different things.
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How do we stop being judgemental?
How are our nafs (habts) cued?
Are the feelings from nafs real?
Are there levels of Reality?
What is Real?
What does it mean to be human?
How does prayer work?
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How to Forgive
Shaykh ibrahim Ansari
In the process of becoming a Mature Human Being (Insan-i-Kamil), we learn humility, sincerity and patience. But as proto-humans - before we can embrace those qualities - we discover that we are dragging around superfluous noxious weights of guilt, shame and regret. These once had a purpose to help us change and grow. But, as usual, we have weaponised these once innocent tools into unwanted habits (nafs).
Regrets, guilt and shame weigh us down like stones in our heart. They disconnect us from our self, from others, and from the Divine. To move forward, we need to throw off these dictators of disgrace. We intend to face these problems like addiction, co-dependence, and abuse. We are becoming aware of our faults and developing a plan. And then we find there are those around us who are pleased to tell us to ‘just let go’ of these annoyances.
Sung about and easily tossed at us, from armchair life coaches to long-established therapists, religions and Spiritualists, is the concept of 'Letting Go'.
It sounds so easy, and especially when we see so obviously another person’s attachment, and then, with a wave of the hand, to tell them to drop it, to do something else, to ‘Let It Go’.
But when it comes to our own personal work, when we discover a habit that is dragging us down, we know that it really isn’t so easy to just ‘let it go’. We find there are lots more bits hanging on to that one thing. Like weeding, the roots go deep and connect to other root systems. The habit does not seem to disappear as we so desperately want it to. It keeps resurfacing and interfering in our life. Why doesn’t it just go away like everybody says it can?
Fortunately, over the centuries, a number of tools have developed that, when used properly, are efficient and effective. Tools like the various psychological therapies, meditation, Zikr and prayer. Your habit or attachment from the past requires proper focus, transformation and management. A strategy is needed.
The available tools are not magic wands. A tool is just that. Like a shovel, one needs to apply effort to shift the dirt, and usually this requires many repeated uses of that one tool, over and over again. Effort is work, and work may require muscles you have not used in a while. There will be soreness, weakness, and probably sweat. Frustration that the work isn’t finished yet may result in tears and anger. But until the pile is gone, there is still work to be done. So besides feeling unused muscles, frustration, and effort, this is all going to take time and a sense of humor.
Neurophysiologically, we are rewiring the brain. This organ is not hardwired for the most part. Currently, it is in the state adapted from your experiences. It can be changed, which means old habits can be recycled into better ones at any age. We are learning more everyday about how the brain functions. One thing we know is that exercise helps maintain the plasticity. As all sports and arts people are aware, it takes constant practice to nurture and grow any talent, as well as learning new skills.
The process of Practice has some innate and unexpected goodies. What alchemists, musicians and gardeners have discovered is that it slowly changes the practitioner by developing Patience, Understanding, Re
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As I've come to reflect more about becoming a whole human being, new ways of looking at it keep popping up. Today the idea of bringing all the disparate parts of myself back into a unit, a three-dimensional person, began to assemble. This is part of the fluidity of reflection: one's intention allows a continuous unfolding of new ideas.
Imagine that you are given the ability to see all the parts that make up you. Sorry, but they are not all here right now. You appear to be all over time and place: One lives in the past; trying to process or forget what happened at school; another lives in the future as a successful entrepreneur; this one just lays on the couch; another is crying; one is slamming their head against the wall; and this one is praying. Wait! There's more: one is trying to prove themselves to their father, and one keeps getting married: it is almost too much!
How do we bring all these parts together?
How do we cull the parts we don't want?
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Super Powersshaykh ibrahim ansari
Super powers! The films depicting characters with the ability to fly, shoot webs and ice, watching heros leap tall buildings... are all trying to compensate for the lack of connecting to the heart. When we are not feeling a connection to Love and heart-union, we imagine that we'll find it in fantasy.
"If I was Thor, I could be strong and attractive."
"Wonder Woman is self-assured, powerful and reslient."
When the heart is included in our life, everything becomes more meaningful, beautiful, and the inherent power in us and all around us is amplified.
Without tuning into the heart, life is one of lack, dread, anxiety and depression. The endless experience of fears takes the place of enjoying being present and alive. We might try to replace this deficiency with gorging on social media or food. We will supply this important missing piece with everything and anything that ultimately limits us to subsisting in a small box with which we surround ourself.
From a Biblical view, Satan is what limits us. The dark side whispers, 'be content, don't bother changing, stay in your lane, do not confront or challenge yourself. Do not face your fears, do not cross the line, do not strive to do better. You are what you are, don't bother trying. Play out your strong emotions, just be what you feel. Don't think about the consquences.'
When you live with your heart, these shadow thoughts do not occur, or at least you see them for what they are: fake walls. They aren't really there except if you believe they are. Every culture supports these invisible walls because they regulate how we should interact and produce for the good of the community.
I am not saying to not watch or enjoy these kind of movies. They are fun spectacles. Consider, though, that within you are powers. When you allow your heart to be part of your life, you have access to unlimited freedom and joy.
We are continually reminded to cover and hide ourself through advertising (buy this, you will be successful, rich, sexy, powerful), and social media (click me!). It becomes a habit to forget that most of this world is a construct of commerce, and not love and respect. You are responsible for restoring the magic and power back into your life through focusing on resurrecting the sacred bond with your heart.
That is the purpose of a creditable spiritual path as Sufism. And, as usual, it is your choice.
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We are responsible for our words and actions. We are not responsible for others, except as a parent. But, even when raising children, we strive to be what we want our children to become. Being an example is difficult enough. To show what we want, we must choose to look out for our reactions, acknowledging when we recognize our biases, nafs, traumas and habits. It is not our job to point those facets out to others. Nor are we meant to solve other’s problems, unless this is part of friendship, family or your job as a qualified therapist.
Most of us are not aware of what is happening with our energy. It is quite common to leak out our own state of despair, confusion or anger. We create a field of energy wherever we are. It is similar to a smell, it is just not detectable the same way. It is a feeling. This impacts inwards and outwards. That is why the first order of business for any mature person is to determine what are your problems (nafs), and what is not you.
Each person we meet brings their own energy into the room. It is not ours, nor our responsibility to change it. We are responsible for how we react to others. If Randall stomps in, angry about his boss, well, it’s not our boss. The lesson belongs to Randall. He is either open to learning the lesson (not our job), or he is not. He may assume the victim position. That’s his choice. We can choose to remain centered, and listen with our heart to his complaints. Or we can leave the room. What does your heart say?
If energy is work, then let’s apply that not just to our jobs, but also to our personal output of energy. Every morning we reboot, with an opportunity to do better today. We are not used to thinking that the energy we use to interact with others and our self is our responsibility. As we tune in to our inner and outer sensors, we will notice increasing subtleties. There will be high and low energies throughout the day, and it will change according to what we eat and drink, as well as what is happening in your inner world. It will vary according to place (the beach), time (early morning) or weather (heavy rain). It will fluctuate according to events and people. It is still your responsibility to choose how you will react.
To accept, witness and learn more about our own input and output of vitality is a sure way of becoming more mature as a Human Being.
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We talk about how Allah tests us yearly; Trust and it's meaning.
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Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Salaam, i have a question: how much do we create our reality with our thoughts and how much is up to Allah and out of our hands?
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Expectation
“Once in a winter time, a King was roaming outside his palace. At night when he was entering his palace, he saw an old man at the entry gate of palace.
When the King got close he saw that he was an old man who was wearing very thin cloths which were not even warm. The King was surprised to see that how that old man was able to keep up in that cold weather even in those clothes.
So he stopped near that old man and said, “Aren’t you feeling cold?”
The old man replied, “I am feeling cold but what to do? I don’t have any warm clothes to wear. For many years I bear this cold weather without warm clothes. God gives me strength to bear this and live through winter time. ”
King Qahhar felt pity and said, “Don’t worry.. You wait here and We will send someone with warm clothes for you..”
Old man felt happy and thanked the King for his kindness.
Once the King entered palace, he forget about his talk with the old man and got busy with his routine.
Next morning, when a soldier approached, they saw the cold, stricken body of that old man. Beside his body was a message written in the dirt by that old man before dying.
Long live the King. I had been living wearing these thin clothes in such cold weather for so long. But last night your promise of giving me a warmth took my life..”
Expectations from Others can become a reason of Weakness if not met. Therefore, One should Learn to Live on his Own Strength and will power.
A saying, “Expectation is the root of all heartache.”
In Search of a Master
A man went in search of a Master. He was ready to go around the world, but he was determined to find the Master, the true Master, the Perfect Master.
Outside his village he met an old man, a nice fellow, sitting under a tree. He asked the old man, “Have you ever heard in your long life — you look like a wanderer…”
He said, “Yes, I am a wanderer. I wandered all over the earth.”
The man said, “That is the right kind of person. Can you suggest to me where I should go? I want to be a disciple of a Perfect Master.”
The old man suggested a few addresses to him, and the young man thanked him and went on.
After thirty years of wandering around the earth and finding nobody who was exactly fulfilling his expectations, he came back dejected, depressed. the moment he was entering his village he saw the old man who had become very old now, sitting under the tree. And suddenly he recognized that he is the Master! He fell at his feet and he said, “Why didn’t you say it to me, that you are the Master?”
The old man said, “But that was not time for you. You could not recognize me. You needed some experience. Wandering around the earth has given you a certain maturity, a certain understanding. Now you can see. Last time you had met me, but you had not seen me. You had missed. You were asking me about some Master. That was enough proof that you could not see me, you could not feel my presence, you could not smell the fragrance. You were utterly blind; hence I gave you some bogus addresses so you could go. But even to be with wrong people is good, because that is how one learns. For thirty years I have been waiting for you here, I have not left this tree.”
In fact the young man, who was not young anymore, looked at the tree and was even more surprised. Becaus
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Reading from Shaykh Taner Ansari's new translation of the Quran.
A poem from Hafiz.
A Nasruddin story.
A reading from The Secret of Secrets by Abdul Qadir al Gilani. - Discussion about the journey to the inner heart.
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Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Adab is the etiquette of human communication. The more you can observe and learn from the situation and relationships you encounter, the more you learn about others and yourself.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Reflecting on Allah's Names;
Learning your nafs to be able to distinguish between yours and others;
Learning how to LISTEN to your heart, and
Learning to LISTEN to other people without judgement.
Some Nafs need direct dealing, others may require acknowledgement but ignore them.
It's not about you.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Learning to take responsibility for your own nafs.
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Surrender and trust require clarity and truth. We talk about trust in Allah, fighting nafs, fear, Surrender, Real World service, Peace and freedom from fear.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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We talk about Fasting, it's purposes, variations like the 'I' fast. Great way to stop and clear the field of habits. Fighting the nafs, seeing and learning from our mistakes, strategizing how to fight the nafs practically, Laughing at the Nafs, the Practice of Getting Out of the Way, reducing Judgementalizing.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Forgiveness, two wings to fly - the inner and the outer, Hafiz. The Secret of Secrets: Your Heart.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Live discussion from 13 February, 2022 on Zoom.
Thank you for joining us today.
Hafiz, from 14th Century Persia, inspired Goethe, then Emerson, throuh to Nietszche, on to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
He continues to inspire us with his phenomenal voice singing like this:
All is written within the mind
To help and instruct the dervish
In dance and romance and prayer.
The Secret of Secrets, written by Abdul Qadir al Jilani, is one of our order's main texts of instruction.
And of course, the Mulla Nasruddin, the Wise Fool, teaches deep lessons through comedy, showing us our faults and abusrdities.
If you have questions regarding Sufi teachings, please email me and I'll try and respond in a sohbet or email: shaykhibrahim@ansarisufiorder.org
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Concerning Sacred Texts
Most inspired literature like the Qu’ran, Torah, Buddhist Sutras and Bible, have common themes and common misconceptions. At one level, they must be taken as allegorical, mainly because the depth of the spiritual concepts are not easily translated into common language. These books are rare because the experience of attaining this level of awareness takes its toll, and requires much sacrifice and effort.
The spiritual understanding necessary to first hold those ideas is not something we experience every day. When an individual is catapualted into the interconnected realms, words become almost petty and senseless, their inability to transmit profundity require a complicated balancing of almost touching the concept but never realizing it, because words tend to lose their power at certain levels of awareness. We may find poetry, music, dance or art more direct than words.
This requires the reader or listener to exert energy into re-translating what it means given the time, understanding, experience and knowledge of each individual.
Other misconceptions may disrupt or pollute the initial explosion of a profound truth. History, culture, geography, and weather, all form and inform part of the context of the original text.
The Prophet Mohammad was not only trying to bring the idea of one God to a disparate, illiterate, blood thirsty, gambling and drinking indigenous people, he was also trying to develop equality, compassion, respect and generosity to superstitious and miserly tribes. Imagine trying to help a people who cringe at the idea of any kind of change.
Because language is human, it changes through the centuries. The texts must keep up to date. Understanding of science, new discoveries and therefore new facts and current truths must also be incorporated and dealt with appropriately. Discussion of miracles may refer to actual physical manifestations, not understood at the times. It does not diminish the idea of deity, but widens our appreciation of how benign and compassionate is the Divine One.
In a sense, language is a living organism. It changes and adapts to the time, place and circumstances. Various revelations arise over time from both historical research, but also abuse and misinterpretations that need to be revisited in a new and less ‘charged’ manner. One example might be the word ‘sin’. The word itself seems ‘charged’ with the fire and brimstone sermons of evangelists. Perhaps a better or, at least, less ‘charged’ interpretation, might be the term ‘mistake’. We will always make mistakes. That is how we learn. But to keep making the same mistake and not learning a better way is a flagrant, if not stupid, error. Or perhaps a way to think of ‘sin’ is an113 action that causes damage to the soul.
Very often a sacred text is the excuse of heinous and deplorable acts, thinking this is ‘our way of praising the One, when in reality, every sacred text considers any murder or abuse a sin, a corruption of the soul, a foul deed against all humankind. Compassion, generosity, humility and love are revealed as the commonality of all major belief systems. The Qu’ran, for example, makes exceptionally clear when it states, “There is no compulsion in religion.” Meaning, you cannot force another to believe in your religion. It will never wo
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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An unedited recording of what Murids recall the last week and what they learned through Allah. Perhaps a story emerges.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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al Baqi: The Everlasting One whose existence in the future is forever. Sufi Stories, Effort, wide ranging discussions including surrender and the role of Khalifa.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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We discuss human and Divine justice.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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How can we use time better? What is Time? Are there flavors of time?
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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al Mughni: the Enricher. Trust, Surrender, why Positivity; the importance of continuing to grow: The Alchemy of growth.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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The Prisoner sufi story
Learning to be your own witness
The GuestHouse by Rumi
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We discuss some the inner meanings of al Muqsit, the one who distributes justice, and balances blame/forgiving; Expansion/Contracction; Joy/Sorrow; Health/Illnes; Power/Weakness; Poverty/Wealth.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Mature Human Being
An adult may not necessarily be a mature human being. When we speak of maturity we are referring, first, to someone who treats others with respect- all others.
A tool that may be useful here is to consider is that you are the sole ambassador of your world. No one else knows what kind of universe you represent. The vast amount of personal experiences, relationships, observations and adaptations are unknowable to all but you. What a rich and varied tapestry of life that only you have access to. Your globe is filled with wishes and regrets, joys and sorrows; the variety of places you’ve seen both within yourself and where you have visited physically. You are your family, tribe, loves and losses, successes and failures. What a vast complexity of emotions and journeys you are!
And yet… we each are the representative of our world. Hidden from view we are brimming with a vast treasure of life we want to share (well, at least some of it).
An ambassador’s job is build trust within a moral framework; to represent their world politely and appropriately. Ambassadors carry a certain kind of immunity; one where small mistakes are overlooked, and the benefit of the doubt easily provided. Trust is the key to all their intentions. They certainly want to maintain peace between all the worlds, and will work especially hard to avoid misinterpretation.
The key to avoiding mis-communicating is to learn the languages of the various diplomats. The biggest problem is assuming that just because we speak the same language our thoughts and ideas will mesh. The truth is, their words will never mean the same thing as yours, unless there are long discussions and trading of ideas through mutual respect. Each envoy may speak English, but the words will always point to different symbols, subtexts and hidden meanings of which you have no knowledge. Assuming you understand will result in endless debates and arguments.
So, the first objective is to wrap your head around the REFERENCE POINT of your delegate. Are they a mechanic, a lawyer, an artist, a student or glass blower? Each one will see life in a very specific format, with a distinct vocabulary and perspective. So the first step you might consider is asking what they do for work, for pleasure, their hobbies, their favorite books, podcasts and movies. This will not only improve their trust in you because you are showing genuine interest in their solar system, you are also gathering information about how to talk with them.
This next step is difficult because we all wish to be heard because we have so much to say and we are so knowlegeable and important. That step is to LISTEN. For our discussion here, imagine that the information contained in the words equals about ten percent of the data. The rest of the 90 percent, requires you to observe and track the messenger’s context. This requires you to shut your trap and open your mind, and take in not just the words, but also the pitch, the feeling behind the words, the vocabulary they are using, and their body language, rate of breath and eye movement.
This is one way to show respect. By setting aside your personal world, and allowing another attache to inform you about theirs. In t
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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We discuss Conspiracy Theories, the definition, the three forms it may take. How to begin filtering Social Media, and applying Sufi methods for determining truth and falsehood.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Continuing talk about observation. Covid lockdown is a great time to do a retreat (halvet). A small step into the Qu'ran.
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Sufi Seeing: Observation (Haqqiqa) shaykh ibrahim ansari
Seeing as a Sufi means getting enough of yourself out of the way so that you can actually observe Reality without your brain interfering. This means that first you have to get enough of your Nafs out of the way so that they're not interfering with what you are actually, really seeing. Some call this Being Present. This means that you are not lost in the regrets of the past, nor stuck in the swamp of some future fantasy.
One way to start being present is to shift your awareness from the inside to the outside so you are not constantly thinking about yourself or your next project or last failure.
We often talk about watching Allah’s Names in action, in other words, Allah is always manifesting through His creation. Now it's important that you understand this is not an intellectual exercise. This means first, learning how to stop and settle your mind. If you're already thinking about yourself, then you're not going to be able to see or hear or feel Allah. So the pre-requisite in observation is to first learn how to quiet the mind and how to get yourself enough out of the way so that you can actually see and experience the reality around you.
Part of the reason we work on the Nafs, to get them under control, is so that we can be closer to Allah. Nafs are the insulators from connecting to the Friend. Nafs create distance from being connected to Allah. So the target of our energy is always Allah first. As soon as we forget that Allah is the purpose of all this, the self or nafs will worm itself into our thinking and ask the inevitable: the mental wrench or spanner in the works: “What about me?”
And like any two-year old, the nafs will whine, berate, throw a tantrum and lie. And there are many spring-loaded traps that will release those nafs. For example, if you think you are spiritually advanced, this is especially when it will try to get away with introducing a distraction. Whether it’s ‘let me read your aura, your hand, heal you, channel your dead father or tell your future through numbers, the enneagram or Tarot cards’ it is still all about ME. Our Pir, Hadrat Abdul Qadir al Jilani, suggests we must leave all that behind. Why? because it is a distraction. And it inflates the ego. We must continue to be sincere, humble, and honest. It is a distraction from advancing on the path to set yourself up as a spiritual guide without having completed the entire journey several times.
So, our primary objective is to keep our focus on Allah, because then the Nafs have less and less power over us.
This process of learning how to see what’s really there is a somewhat long and involved process. The whole intention of alchemy was this process. And that means that we are dealing with distillation, condensation, sublimation, putrification and all of the other chemical processes that creates a change and transformation into something beautiful. But the source of this beauty, this essence, is time effort practice and reheat. This is called a practice because just like any sport or art or anything of quality, it takes constant work over and over again. That is why focusing on Allah keeps your intention and focus clean and clear.
In terms of Tasawwuf, the teachings of Sufism, I
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Spiritual systems often get bogged down in complexity. Whether it is the Enneagram or Chakras, Lata’ifa or Kundalini, Tarot or visualizing gods; any of these structure can easily become a distraction. It helps to consider these procedures as scaffolding to help with the real work. They are not the actual undertaking itself. They exist because someone found that it worked for that specific person. What often happens, though, is that the personally designed program becomes a business. Money is exchanged for workshops, weekend retreats, merchandising and lectures.
What we call the real work is the essence of Alchemy: taking your crap and transforming it, through time, focus and effort, into a mature human being. The framework of these various external systems are like safety cables, prams, or training wheels, but they are supposed to eventually free you from systems, so that you can become an authentic person. We want human beings who are be able to serve humanity and the world without poisoning intention.
As we pass through various perspectives of how we perceive Reality (Maqams), there are traps at every level. One of these traps is to think you have ‘got it’; that you have figured out how spiritual growth works. You are the blessed one who knows how to reach the Divine, or whatever you are calling it today. This is obviously a trap. Why? Because the only way to reach Maturity (or the Essence) is to continue humbly, sincerely, and with love. This trap functions by allowing you to imagine you are smart, connected, powerful and spiritual. It’s like watching a mechanical toy on a table top, setting it in motion, and watching it careen off the table onto the floor. Sometimes it breaks if it is brittle plastic. Believing in just the system and not its purpose, is like forgetting that you are learning how to learn.
You cannot take ‘you’ to the ‘higher realms’ of closeness to the Friend. You have to leave the business of ‘you’ behind, and get to work facing your ugly selves, and rooting them out, one by one. That is Alchemy: the burning away of the dross, the unnecessary. It really takes effort. It is the hardest thing you will ever do. Facing yourself is harder than marriage, harder than loss of a loved one, more difficult than raising children. That is another reason why all these spiritual platforms exist: so you can stop working on yourself, and pretend the system will do it for you.
At a certain moment, you step back and assess what you are doing, what your goal is, and whether it is for your ‘self’ or for Allah. And here is where the idea of Surrender becomes paramount. Surrender is the concept of learning how to let go of your trust in ‘you’ and others, and to place that trust in the Eternal. This shift of attention is the Magnum Opus. The great work is about getting yourself in the background. Antithetical to our usually self-centered habit of thinking and talking about ourselves first, the practice of putting others before yourself, is how to spiritually grow, centimeter by centimeter, nafs by nafs, problem by problem.
So check what spiritual ornament(s) you have bought. They may be substitutes or doppelgangers for the genuine element. The only unadulterated, honest article is not you. Jesus (pbuh)
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Fear
In learning how to become a better human being, one of the major things we must learn to face, if we are to grow, is our fears.
Some say it is important to face your fear. I think it is better to first assess the nature of the fear, to know its source. The goal is to determine the best way to overcome it. For example, some fears come from actual traumas: damage to the mind, the body, the heart. Different traumas require different procedures. Also, how long the fear has been around will direct us to how long it will take to heal, and the sequence of events necessary to deal effectively with it.
Folktales from around the world, all have a character known in various forms as the demon. This demon enslaves and controls those who have bound themselves to it. A demon becomes tethered to an individual by through calling on it (purposely or by accident), making a pact with it, or being cursed by an outside agent. But by learning the name of the demon (Rumpelstiltskin is a good example) the bondage is broken and the individual can escape.
By naming the demon we name the fear. You can’t take the next step until you can articulate specifically the name of the fear. It does not help to say, “I’m claustrophobic” because that’s just an easy label. To admit that you are afraid of enclosed spaces that are painted green is clearer and precise. By narrowing down and clarifying the parameters of the fear, we can begin to uncover its origin. The better we know the source, the more efficient we can be.
Naming the fear unlocks the cell. This does not mean we are free, yet. We still have to get out of the dungeon, past the guards, over the moat, and into the woods without being recaptured. Or shot. The escape requires intelligent strategy.
If the trauma was to the body, then pin-pointing the specific area of damage is the first step. The body often remembers better than our overworked brain. The various modalities should be considered that would best deal with either bypassing the pain, removing the pain, or finding a new way to deal with it. A professional counsellor or therapist has these tools available, and should be consulted. Massage might be the first order of business to help relieve or relive the original event.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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We review the 7 levels of Nafs known as the Maqams. Every level is a different station of perceiving Reality. We talk about being 'tested', which leads to Fear of Failure, and how to survive a test/
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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- Discussion about being a Sufi, Insan-i-kamil (An integrated and mature Human Being), and what it means to deal with the paradoxes of living.
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Discussion of a Native American way of living: The Lakota Code of Ethics.
LAKOTA CODE OF ETHICS -
Rise with the sun to pray. Pray alone. Pray often. The Great Spirit will listen, if you only speak.
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Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path. Ignorance, conceit, anger, jealousy - and greed stem from a lost soul. Pray that they will find guidance.
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Search for yourself, by yourself. Do not allow others to make your path for you. It is your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.
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Treat the guests in your home with much consideration. Serve them the best food, give them the best bed and treat them with respect and honor.
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Do not take what is not yours whether from a person, a community, the wilderness or from a culture. It was not earned nor given. It is not yours.
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Respect all things that are placed upon this earth - whether it be people or plant.
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Honor other people's thoughts, wishes and words. Never interrupt another or mock or rudely mimic them. Allow each person the right to personal expression.
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Never speak of others in a bad way. The negative energy that you put out into the universe will multiply when it returns to you.
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All persons make mistakes. And all mistakes can be forgiven.
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Bad thoughts cause illness of the mind, body and spirit. Practice optimism.
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Nature is not FOR us, it is a PART of us. They are part of your worldly family.
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Children are the seeds of our future. Plant love in their hearts and water them with wisdom and life's lessons. When they are grown, give them space to grow.
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Avoid hurting the hearts of others. The poison of your pain will return to you.
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Be truthful at all times. Honesty is the test of ones will within this universe.
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Keep yourself balanced. Your Mental self, Spiritual self, Emotional self, and Physical self - all need to be strong, pure and healthy. Work out the body to strengthen the mind. Grow rich in spirit to cure emotional ails.
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Make conscious decisions as to who you will be and how you will react. Be responsible for your own actions.
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Respect the privacy and personal space of others. Do not touch the personal property of others - especially sacred and religious objects. This is forbidden.
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Be true to yourself first. You cannot nurture and help others if you cannot nurture and help yourself first.
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Respect others religious beliefs. Do not force your belief on others.
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Share your good fortune with others.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Prayers by rote vs. doing with heart. Progress on the path. Repentance by Abdul Qadir al Jilani, Inspiration from poetry, music, dance, etc.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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We talk about inner and outer confirmations regarding signs; asking Allah for help; Wisdom, Choices, etc.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Discussion about Gathering one's internal and external parts, Surrender and Defense. Why some people die early or have diseases.
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al-Wali - The Friend is a Name of Allah. How do we see that in this world? Who is a Friend? What is a Friend? How much can you trust someone?
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Looking ahead to the aftermath of the pandemic. Many will be traumatized, some self-medicating sometimes leading to addiction; suicide; depression; PTSD, anxiety, grief. Preparing for this new life, it is important to stay grounded, positive, rested, and compassionate for those who will be working out various symptomsl Keep doing ' active listening', making objective assessment of relationships, and staying balanced will be vital to keeping mentally and socially healthy.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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In examining the idea of Insan-i-kamil - the practice of becoming an integral Human Being - we practice mental, physical, emotional health. There is also the necessity of viewing Social Health as a component of balance.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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aa Ghaffur, al Ghaffir, al Ghaffar
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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The importance of Forgiveness on entering a Spiritual Path.
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More details on how to let go. Discussion with Murids (students of Shaykh Ibrahim).
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Letting Go Ain’t That Easy
Shaykh ibrahim Ansari
Sung about in the animated feature Frozen, and easily tossed at us by armchair philosophers, therapists, religions and Spiritualists, is the concept of Letting Go.
It is so easy to see another person’s attachments, hang ups, and abusive relationships, and then, with a wave of your hand, to tell them to drop it, to do something else, to ‘Let It Go’.
But when it comes to our own personal work, when we discover a habit that is dragging us down, we see that it really isn’t so easy to just ‘let it go’. We find there are lot more bits hanging on to that one thing. It doesn’t seem to disappear as we so desperately want it to. It keeps sticking around, and interfering in our life. Why doesn’t it just go away like everybody says it can?
Fortunately, over the centuries, a number of tools have developed that, when used properly, are efficient and effective. Tools like the various Therapies, meditation, Prayer, Forgiveness, etc. This habit or attachment from the past requires appropriate transformation and management.
The available tools are not magic wands. A tool is just that. Like a shovel, one needs to apply effort to shift the dirt, and usually this requires many repeated uses of that one tool, over and over again. Effort is work, and work may require muscles you have not used in a while, meaning there could be soreness, weakness, and probably sweat. Frustration that the work isn’t finished yet may result in tears and anger. But until the pile is gone, there is still work to be done. So besides using unused muscles, frustration, and effort, this is all going to take time.
Neurophysiologically, we are rewiring the brain. This organ is not hardwired for the most part. It can be changed, which means old habits can be reworked at any age. We are learning more everyday about the brain functions, and one thing we know is that exercise helps maintain the plasticity. As all sports and arts people are aware, it takes constant practice to nurture and grow any talent, as well as learning new skills.
The process of Practice has some innate and unexpected goodies. What alchemists, musicians and gardeners have discovered is that it slowly changes the practitioner by developing Patience, Understanding, Respect, Perspective and Transformation of the whole person. These are the unexpected benefits of Practice, and they are what helps us to become what I will call a Human Being: An integrated amalgam of paradoxes and paradigms.
Without Practice, we cannot grow our patience, we will become frustrated at the slightest things, and we will forget to be grateful for the wonderful gifts we’ve been blessed with. We will be constantly angry at others because, honestly, we are most angry at our self for not growing and dealing properly with our ‘dirt’.
Another layer we must manage is one of Forgiveness - both to others we have hurt, and to our self who we have hurt as well. In a way, asking to be forgiven is part of Damage Control. No matter what our level of understanding or awareness, we are going to make mistakes. No one is perfect, there is no way you are not going to screw up. You absolutely, definitely, are going to make a mistake. There are many reasons for this. One is, it keeps us humble. No one is b
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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A discussion, first, about staying connected to Allah, analogous to the earth revolving around itself and the sun. How to apply this in life. The we do a short Zikr.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Expectation and Positivity
By shaykh ibrahim ansari
A Sufi is always looking for the source of things. So if we are going to talk about expectation, we start with the word: Expectation: from the Latin: An expectation is a belief about what might happen in the future, like your expectation to stay close with your best friends your whole life.
The word expectation comes from the Latin word expectationem, meaning "an awaiting."
As our spiritual guide, Murshid Taner says, There is only now. Our on -board computer, the brain, has only information that was put there through experiences, family and teachers. The heart is the nexus of where the Present and Love meet.
Of course there are things that must be done in the material world. People and jobs await your completion, preferably on time and under budget. Time, in this sense, is a consensus between human cultures. Not all cultures see time the same. Some languages have no word for ‘tomorrow’. And some have a dozen for snow.
Because this world is made of people at every possible level of awareness, there is a kind of mob mentality, That means the general sea of emotions we live in is polluted with fear, anger, regrets and stress. That’s pretty much the default setting for most people we meet.
Often we are around people anxious to please, afraid of being found out (for many possible reasons), and nervous that they are not getting ‘it’ right.
Now, the opposite track will be one that is positive, hopeful, centred, grounded and balanced.
Those people who have not started examining themselves emotionally, spiritually, or thrown out all moral direction, will feel generally, disconnected.
That disconnection leads to depression, self-medication with alcohol and drugs, and a build-up of anxiety, stress, frustration and confusion. When we understand that this is actually a form of teaching, then it becomes a little clearer why we do this to ourselves. The teaching inherent in becoming lost and depressed is so that we can find the path that takes us away from that sea of despair.
It takes effort to fight the tide of Eeyorism, the sad, victim-centric thinking. We have, in our Sufi Tariqa, set ourselves to expressly work towards positivity by keeping that Love and Compassion is behind everything. We don’t always see the ends of the strands, but we know we are part of a great weaving of beauty and intelligence.
Yes, this effort to fight against the ongoing riptide of cynicism, conspiracies, negativity is hard. But the more you work at it, the easier it gets. It also helps to surround yourself with others of like hearts and minds.
And here is where it gets fun: finding out what nourishes and replenishes your joy and heart. It may have changed over the years, it may be resurrecting old and forgotten simples pleasures like walking on the beach, sitting under a tree, singing or listening to your favourite music or song. Could even be a book or movie. Or being around and appreciating your favourite person or place.
Be aware of the cesspit of despair and fear. They may be instigated by others, or old worries may surface. That does not make you a bad person. It is how you deal with these things that defines you. There is no perfect here. There is the inevitable mistake - just around the corner. We might fall over, we m
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Learning to be a Student
There are many books, paths and guides about how to look for the right teacher. Very few of these assistants explain how to be a good or better spiritual student. Or, shall we say, one who accepts spiritual teachings and learns to apply them.
What does it take to be a ‘proper’ student?
The first thing is to understand, as a student, is that you know all the wrong things, and that everything you have learned and think you know is not going to help you.
As a student you must come in to the classroom naked, empty, and accept that you have made a mess of your life. When you do, you will see instead of having free will, you are a puppet, and your attachments, family, culture and ego are all pulling your strings.
If you think this is free will, well, you are mistaken. You dance to the forces of peer pressure, job security, cultural paradigms and family/tribal protocols. Some cultures tell you that you must get married, that you must Baptise or follow certain naming customs. Free will happens when you face each one of these puppet strings and cut them. Cutting hurts. Letting go, as a concept and wordy-thinky thing sounds nice. Makes a great song. But it is not comfortable. It is not safe to step away from what you know, even though the thing itself might be painful. Comfort is what keeps us dead. Growing is painful but freeing. If you want free will, you have to cut the attachments, one at a time.
Part of this process is to apologise for hurting others because of your self-centeredness.
A student who wants to grow and leave all that ego aside must go through their experiences and determine exactly what they have learned. There are all kinds of tools available to do that, depending on the length and depth of the experience.
If you have studied an instrument or sport for many years, had a coach or teacher who you worked with through all your ups and downs, frustrations and elations, then you begin to understand how this applies to spiritual teachings. If you have not seriously practiced a discipline like music, art, craft or sport for several years, then spiritual training will be a big shock. Because it is exactly like any of those activities: it is about PRACTICE. Practicing every day, and in doing such, getting bored, getting frustrated, crying, laughing - all the while you are transforming into something completely other.
Being a student means surrendering your silly little will and your twisted misconception of what free will is, and alchemizing into someone who is mature, patient, humble, sincere and adept at being a human being.
If you want to grow your spirituality, you need to put on your adult pants, and learn to fail big time. You will need to accept being laughed at, probably crying a bit, dealing with anger and family - whatever it takes for you to start again, but this time with an understanding that it is all about love. Because your heart needs to take root in good soil, and grow deep roots. The deeper the roots, the higher the heart can grow, and brighter it can glow.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Discussion about what it takes to become a Human Being.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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We talk about having what it means 'to have two wings to fly'; and the idea of Resurrection.
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There is thinking with the head, with the heart, and the combination of both. Thinking with your head means that, when the cultural and familial paradigms are subtracted, one is able to analyse deductively, inductively and reflect on past experiences and apply the knowledge gained from those experiences .
To think with your heart means to engage a spiritual connection. One of the purposes of this path is learning how to return to that place where truths are revealed, perhaps through study and reflection. In Sufism we call this Haqq-al-yaqin- knowledge that comes directly to and through the heart.
When the head and the heart begin to work together, this is the beginning of wisdom. This requires being completely present and not distracted (as much) by the nafs; habits and attachments to the world, yourself, or others.
This cannot be completed on your own. Asking for help means you are ready to travel the rest of the way.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Listening to your heart; this time of isolation; working for the Divine.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Consider the Prophets - all prophets - to be our examples of how a human being can work and grow spiritually.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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A wide-ranging spiritual (Sufi) discussion about Spiritual abuse, connecting with prophets and saints, levels (maqams) of awareness, etc.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Quotes from Rumi, Hafiz, scientific assistance in healthy neurochemistry.
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Sohbet (Spiritual Teachings discussion) Based on readings from Abdul Qadir al Jilani's book- "Secret of Secrets". Continuing with
Chapter 4 - 'On Knowledge', in this section, the birth of the Child of the Heart.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Based on a reading from 'The Secret of Secrets' by Hadrat Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani; Chapter 11: 'The Joy of Being Good and the Misery of the Rebel'. Discussions and questions about basic Sufi Teachings.
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Being thankful for what you have, rather what you don't have keeps you positive, allowing you to be able to help others positively.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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A free-ranging spiritual discussion regarding what we learn and what we can apply in our New World of Sheltering in Place. Recorded July 12, 2020 by the Ansari Sufi Order of Australia.
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Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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These are Sufi teaching stories. Your job is to decode them to find the spiritual information.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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ReflectionAllah’s Prophet (peace & blessings upon him) said, “A moment’s reflection is worth more than a year of worship; a moment’s reflection is worth more than seventy years of worship; a moment’s reflection is worth more than a thousand years of worship.”
Reflection was important to the Prophet. It would be incumbent upon us to understand what it means and how to apply it properly.
I speak from my own personal understanding. If you have a different view of this I would be happy to hear it.
Reflection is not the same as meditation. My experience with meditation is that is purpose is to clear the mind of thoughts as they arise, to focus on the breath, and always come back to the breath. There are many different techniques, but it is a wonderful way to slow down and become present. I highly recommend it.
To reflect means to return an image; or: the throwing back by a body or surface of light, heat, or sound without absorbing it, as ‘the reflection of light’ or: serious thought or consideration."he doesn't get much time for reflection”.Say I would like to reflect on truth. I might start with what I know about truth - that it is not a lie, that there is some kind of ‘backup’ that proves that it is true. That means something verifies the authenticity of a truth. But then, how much verification is needed to know something is verified to be true? How can I know anything is true? What is proof, and who or what is enough proof?
Perhaps a way to get started would be to think about disengaging the brain - or editor - part after we get started on the subject and let the heart speak. Okay, I know from Sufi teachings that a Truth needs to be confirmed from both inner and outer sources. Right. I often wish things were true. That comes from within. But if that wish doesn’t manifest in the outer then it is not true.
Do I know anything that is true, certainly and without doubt? Well, someone is asking these questions, looking for answers, so that means there is a sentient somewhere around. We could call this person a ‘me’ or an ‘I’, one supposes, just for pinning something down. Then it would follow that an ‘I’ exists: but is that true? I can stand in front of a mirror and see a reflection, and point and I am still there, so that outer ‘I’ is confirmed. I feel, from within, that I am here. And my outer reflection confirms it. Okay. I think that means that ‘I exist’ could be true, or a category of ‘true’.
Okay, that’s one example of reflection. Let’s consider how to go about doing another.
I sometimes see reflecting as letting my mind out for a run. If a path looks interesting, I’ll cut across the field and follow it. What we’re trying to do is to get the heart to follow where it will, and not have any expectations about what we’ll find, or where we’ll go, or where we will end up. What’s important is to allow the heart to go where it will.
Sufis often use one of the 99 Names of Allah as a reference point for reflection. Let’s pick one at random. My finger is pointing at Al Muqtadir - the Creator of All Power.
Just like word association, I go with whatever comes to mind first. We’ve tossed our editor overboard and now allow the mind and heart to be free. Here we go:
Creator of All Power sounds to me like a power station -
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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A beginning collection of the teaching stories of Mulla Nasruddin.
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Emotions and FeelingsIbrahim ansari
Hey, how are you feeling today? Me? I’m feeling kind of nostalgic today.
We talk about feelings all the time, but what is the difference between an emotion and a feeling? Well, I have my own idea about these concepts.
I tend to think of feelings as a bank of meters, whose needles are gently swaying back and forth between strong and weak. “It’s warm; I feel sad; I feel nostalgic; she bugs me; I like him; this is a nice place; I’m homesick; you make me feel loved…”
All day and all night these little meters are giving us readouts of our world. Sometimes they light up with some joy, sorrow, love, pleasantness, sadness. But they are basically indicators of how things are going.
However, when an emotion strikes, as anger, panic, pressure, stress or fear, the meters are all pinned to the right, red lights flashing, sirens wailing, and there is no longer the ability to detect any more subtlety of feelings. Feelings? We’ve left them far behind. We are emotional!
An emotion, then, is when you are controlled by your drugs that are preparing you to stand your ground and fight for your life, or to run for your life. Any rational, objective reasoning has flown out the window and you are no longer a clear-thinking person. You could be categorised as insane. The temporary loss of reason is due to the flooding of cortisol and adrenaline.
Here’s what happens when fear enters the room: A corticotrophin-releasing hormone causes the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone from the pituitary gland. Adrenocorticotropic hormone in turn travels in the bloodstream to the adrenal glands, where it causes the secretion of the stress hormone cortisol.
The corticotrophin-releasing hormone also acts on many other areas within the brain where it suppresses appetite, increases anxiety, and improves memory and selective attention. Together, these effects co-ordinate behaviour to develop and fine tune the body’s response to a stressful experience.
The corticotrophin-releasing hormone can also be increased above the normal daily levels by a stressful experience, infection or even exercise. An increase in corticotrophin-releasing hormone leads to higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol which mobilises energy resources needed for dealing with the cause of the stress. High levels of stress hormones over a long period can have negative effects on the body.
Abnormally high corticotrophin-releasing hormone levels are connected with a variety of diseases. Because it stimulates anxiety and suppresses appetite, too much corticotrophin-releasing hormone is suspected of causing nervous problems such as clinical depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances and anorexia nervosa.
Every emotional response has a behavioral component, an autonomic component, and a hormonal component. The hormonal component includes the release of adrenaline, an adreno-medu
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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On Death
This apocalyptic year of the pandemic, along with being bestowed with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and chronic back pain, certainly helps keep the awareness of death constant.
S/He is always leering at me over my shoulder, keeping tabs on how I go about my day. Will I do something stupid? Will I eat something beyond my digestive ability?
After all these years of preparing for and contemplating death, I’ve come to an incomplete acceptance that death is a door to the next round of life.
Rumi says, “This place is a dream. Only a sleeper considers it real. Then death comes like dawn, and you wake up laughing at what you thought was your grief.”
We fear separation, change, we abhor letting everything we know and love disappear. When we stare into the vast and endless depth of the unknown, we shrink at the lack of confirmation or echoes. No data, no facts, just endless reams of religious dogma and spiritualist fog. The dead seem to be gone for good, except for the astounding and continuous stories of ghosts across the centuries and all countries.
We grieve when someone dies, and yet we may also be secretly grieving for ourselves. We have our own mini-funerals when we are in the presence of the dead. The proximity of death closes in on us like tides and waves. A little closer when we are reminded, a little further when we choose to forget.
As human beings, we bond with our family, friends and mates. It is like a silver cord connects us to each other, and when that person dies, it feels like that cord is cut. That severing causes pain. Maybe that is what hurts. Perhaps there is much we do not know about this transformation. We are embedded in a true mystery.
We each have to arrive at an attitude towards this Great Secret, to develop a healthy relationship with death. Just as with any other relationship, there are good and appropriate models of what constitutes a wholesome connection. And part of this attitude may entail getting a better handle on how to deal with life. For me, when I am okay knowing death is behind everything, I feel much more gratitude towards the simple and beautiful attributes as breathing, trees, air, water… Moments of joy just looking up at the clouds, the stars, and down on the ground and contemplating this massive ball of rock and ocean hurtling through space, protecting us from all forms of radiation so we can enjoy this ride here on the outer reaches of the galaxy, spinning around a star. What a concept!
Perhaps part of this reflection on physical termination is both to learn how to embrace it and move forward knowing that the universe is not vindictive nor meaningless. It also helps to deepen our connection with others, knowing that nothing is permanent, and to bathe in the blessings that each moment brings us.
I’ve talked about paradoxes before. Perhaps, as Khalil Gibran poses in this poem, that this is where the final paradox is resolved:
On Death
You would know the secret of death.
But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?
The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.
If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.
For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Inspiration
To inspire means to breathe in. Not with your upper chest, but with your diaphragm, the part below your ribs. Breathe in. As you hold it, reflect on this miracle. You are filling your lungs with mostly nitrogen, some oxygen, and as you release your breath, you are giving the plants your carbon dioxide. Every breath is a miracle. That should be the first and only inspiration you need. That you keep breathing is a miracle, a blessing, a treasure and gift reserved only for the living. So should you start to feel depressed or disconnected, this is something you can always return to. Inspiration, expiration.
Of course, the feelings, experiences and relationships we encounter will add ‘content’ to trying to stay balanced and may throw us off-kilter.
So, if the breath doesn’t inspire you, fill you with hope and joy, then where else can you go? What can you do?
This is where you enter your laboratory. You may not know this, but you are one. A laboratory. You are an ongoing experiment. But that means you have to keep trying new things, new combinations, new experiments. Now, the thing about science, is that it is mostly about failure. Failure does not mean bad. It's just data. So part of what we are doing in this case, is finding out about what makes you inspired. To do that, you will need to look back on your life, and remember what has inspired you in the past. What does inspiration mean to you? Does it give you impetus, ideas, hope, or just happiness? Perhaps what you first need to do is think about and reflect on what inspiration means to you.
So here we are in our laboratory, and we are going to try and re-create or reanimate that feeling of inspiration. What ingredients do we need to start with? Was it a poem, a motivational talk, a book, a specific person, an unexpected revelation? Perhaps the ingredient we need to start with is Love. Without Love all the other ingredients will not truly inspire.
As Albert Einstein writes to his daughter, “There is an extremely powerful force that, so far, science has not found a formal explanation to. It is a force that includes and governs all others, and is even behind any phenomenon operating in the universe and has not yet been identified by us. This universal force is LOVE.
When scientists looked for a unified theory of the universe they forgot the most powerful unseen force. Love is Light, that enlightens those who give and receive it. Love is gravity, because it makes some people feel attracted to others. Love is power, because it multiplies the best we have, and allows humanity not to be extinguished in their blind selfishness. Love unfolds and reveals. For love we live and die. Love is God and God is Love.
This force explains everything and gives meaning to life. This is the variable that we have ignored for too long, maybe because we are afraid of love because it is the only energy in the universe that man has not learned to drive at will.
To give visibility to love, I made a simple substitution in my most famous equation. If instead of E = mc2, we accept that the energy to heal the world can be obtained through love multiplied by the speed of light squared, we arrive at the conclusion that love is the most powerful force there is, because it has no limits.
After the failure of humanity in the use and control of t
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Propulsion on the Spiritual Path
Ibrahim Ansari
Sometimes certain realizations or experiences propel us towards a spiritual path:
You realize you know nothing,
What you do know is so infinitesimal it will take just a minute to list them,
you have no power - everything comes from somewhere else. And when you do try to do something…
Your personal will gets in the way,\ You understand that this place is a school. You’ve learned a lot, now it is time to articulate the lessons and figure out what and if you have learned,
You are prideful - you think you are the center of the universe and you that’s not right,
You judge everyone - you think you are better than others and that’s not right,
You think you know better and wish that would stop,
Life is not as fair as you wished or expected,
You have heard that humility and sincerity are important, whatever they are,
Everything is a paradox,
Teachers don’t know everything,
You don’t know who you are, and finally,
Crisis! Physical, mental, or emotional.
So here you are desperate enough or courageous enough, curious enough or confused enough, to listen to this podcast by some fool who won’t give you straightforward advice.
That’s because the next steps you take are your own. There are lots of shops and shopkeepers just waiting for you to wander through. Self-help books and guru-talkers will be more than happy to take your money and point out ways for you to:
Buy their special advanced spiritual methods,
Be special in a special group,
Learn to channel and
Talk to the dead,
Read aura’s, or
Learn to manifest wealth.
Any of those are a path. Just not the one you were expecting. If they tell you that they know the path to make you rich and famous - well, that is not a spiritual path.That is the opposite of what any of the great prophets taught. There is no perfection in this life. There is practice, there is getting better, there is learning how to learn from failure. But there is no perfect being in this world. Everyone makes mistakes. There is no learning without mistakes and failure. Being human means to grow and learn. Learning means that it is important and vital that you make mistakes and fail.
The point is that you must learn how to learn, how to go deep inside and reflect on what has happened to you these past years. What have you learned? How do you know what you know? In this case, I mean that gnosis of experience and knowledge that cannot be removed from your being. Unconditional love, a deep understanding about someone or something… Not facts or opinions. The knowing that is part of you.
Whether it was the answer to an important question, an experience, a person, love, a crisis - you were taken to the underground spring of unity and drank of the sacred water. Once that touches your tongue, once that divine wine enters you, there is no going back. You can only want more. No substitution will do.
There are knowledgeable guides, but you should be aware that you are like a child. You are naive. You may think you know what’s what, but that is the dead part of you trying to resurrect itself. That self needs to stay buried. It is important to be wary and discriminating. T
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What is a Human Being?
Ibrahim Ansari
In Sufism we give the title Human Being to someone who is developing compassion, intelligence, patience and surrender.The seven maqams or Stages of Understanding map well the transitions a person makes to achieve a connection with their heart. The strata of comprehension cannot be accessed by the brain alone. Much of the knowledge must happen within the heart. The heart is where paradoxes are resolved.
The Human Being is a matrix of paradoxes. First, there is the monkey suit acquired and given as the form in which all this takes place. Created through eons of evolution, the primate must navigate the basic survival modes, secondly, it must adapt to the environment, the times, the seasons, the culture, the parents, the legacies of previous generations handed down to the confused being as though these are the only truths.
The first paradox to deal with, is that while there is the primal monkey suit of survival, there is also the heart: the jewel beyond price, the connection to the Divine, Creator, or Allah - whatever you call that which holds all these universes together. Both the material and spiritual worlds are within us.
Of course, that is not the only paradox we must unlock. There is also the need to eat other living things. There are needs that must be balanced: shelter, companionship, family, and reproduction. After the primary needs, there is then the pressure to obtain enough money, a career or at least a job, learning how to maneuver through technology and stay grounded… Waves of information and misinformation, the thousand details of life in the 21st century: pandemics, artificial intelligence, privacy, legalities, medical crises… Paradoxes continue for the rest of your life.
A paradox can be a tool to help understand the divine. If we accept that we are on a journey towards Unity with that Creation Spirit, then we must pass through layers of contradictions and resolve them in new ways. Perhaps one purpose of the maqams is to show us that our levels of understanding change or transmute as we ‘solve’ new opposites; such as predestination and free will; the unity of Allah and closeness of His presence; Good and Evil. How can any of these co-exist at the same time? The spiritual journey requires us to find our own resolution of these polarities. Thesis, antithesis, synthesis. When two opposites meet, a new understanding about Reality may emerge.
This is similar to how our brain works. The wiring of our grey matter circuits requires a spark to leap across a synapse for a connection to be made. A spark, in this case, requires energy. For a paradox to find resolution requires effort and a ‘letting go’ of previously held concepts. This new comprehension sets up a new set of parameters of ‘how things are supposed to be.’ Which will necessarily become new contradictions to be resolved.
Often in sacred literature the term ‘bewilderment’ accompanies this state of trying to smash opposing realities together. We find this push towards purposeful confusion in Sufi stories like the set of Nasruddin tales, the Koans of Zen, and Chasidic fables.
If you tend towards wanting to control your world, or think you are in charge, disappointment is the name of that road. There may be a better way to travel. Perhaps one way of dealing with the p
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Getting Through Depression
I used to get severely depressed - mostly from artistic rejection, lack of money, illogical goals and various naiveté for most of my life. The energy trying to suck me down became more and more visceral, even visual. The closest image I can compare it to is a whirlpool of dark gravity pulling me down. It would start at my feet, move up to my ankles, and eventually I was wrested down and spat out into the hellish world of disconnectedness and pointlessness.
It would take several weeks to recover, until I had clambered up enough to find hope and purpose. I hated that cycle. I vowed to observe how it worked, and that I would not be a victim. What I discovered was that if I began to notice when the whirling shadow was at my ankles, I could extract myself before being devoured. If I did nothing about it, I then had to go the full theme-park ride into despair.
Eventually I could see the ogre of murk coming, and developed strategies that reset my usual laziness into positively charged activities that distracted and redeployed my focus. For me, it was practicing piano, creating new works and trying new areas that interested me. Of course it was frightening and embarassing to do new things, but it seemed to be the perfect antidote to fight against the melancholia.
I pretty much just said,’yes’ to everything. I was willing to do anything except fall into the maelstrom again. I followed my ‘inner guide’ and allowed it to take me where it would. I discovered I was interested in world folk tales, legends, myths, as well as world music.
So, in there, in your world, there are sparks that light up when you get close to them - whether it is sports, medicine, law, arts… Anything that allows your mind to get out of thinking about yourself and unveil new and unexplored worlds. Here: I give you permssion to pass through new and unexpected portals of perception, uncovering hidden gems you may not even know it existed.
The world is infinite in its revelations. The way I found to get out of depression is to do new things. So, perhaps it is time step outside and breathe from your diaphragm. Contemplate that all of this: the air, the sun, the rain the earth, is so you can find what brings you peace and joy. It is there. But it takes letting go of the old ways and trying new things. New things at which you will fail. Sometimes you will succeed. Failure and success and not good scales to judge yourself on. What is more important is if you are learning and growing.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Recorded live at the Merrylands Centre 16 September, 2011.
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Salaam Aleikum, Bismillah Rahman nirRahim,
Weclome to another Sufi podcast. My name is ibrahim and my post is that of Shaykh, or spiritual guide. This is being recorded during the Time of Isolation: Allah’s Stop, Look and Listen signpost.
For many of us, this is a difficult time. It seems like things have gone haywire, off the rails. But from the Divine’s point of view: What a brilliant way to stop pollution, climate catastrophe and runaway greed. And this is not achieved by exterior force or warlords. This halt to all outer activity is accomplished by something so small you need a microscope to see it. As of this time, there is no vaccine or cure. Thousands are dying, millions are sick. We must seek communication through technology- online and phone or wave from a distance.
For those of us who work alone like artists, composers, writers, musicians, there is nothing odd or disruptive about this time. As a matter of fact, it is conducive to catching up on practicing and completing long-term projects.
For those of us who go out, collaborate, network and congregate, it is shocking and exceedingly disruptive. We are forced to stop and perhaps take the time to look a little more inward and take stock of the path we have chosen, whether it is working - or not - and reflect on what we have learned so far and where we want to go from here.
This is an excellent time for us to reflect on our choices, and whether we acted appropriately- and if not, then to apologize to those we may have hurt or abused.
Other things to look at: How can I improve my relationships? What am I learning right now? What do I need to learn? How can I connect action and intention?
I am reminded by the power of this virus of a story about King Nimrud.
“It is narrated that Allah (the Exalted) sent an angel to Nimrud, ordering him to believe in Allah, but he refused. The angel called him to believe a second time, and he refused again; then a third time, and still he refused.
The angel said, “Gather your armies and I will gather mine.” Nimrud gathered his army together at the time of sunrise, and Allah sent to him mosquitoes, so many in number, that the people of the army could not even see the sun. Then Allah gave power to the mosquitoes over them: they ate their flesh and blood, leaving them as decomposed bones. One of those mosquitoes entered into the nostrils of the king (Nimrud). Allah punished him by it, and he was in so much pain that he would continually hit his head against objects (hoping to make the mosquito exit or simply because of sheer madness that resulted from the pain) until he finally died.”
What gets me about this story, and like today, is that it is the smallest thing that somehow wields the most power. In my view, that is so Allah- busting expectations and making you humble and astonished at the power inherent and compelling when it comes from the Source.
Remember, this is just the beginning. We may need to do this for a couple more weeks, so put on your adult pants. Be patient, compassionate, positive when you can. Listen to others more than you speak. Find your inner peace and develop the long view, enjoy and reach out (without touching). This is a time when a l
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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The sacred act of Being Present is achieved by complete surrender to This Moment. As soon as you imagine you ‘want’ something you have disengaged from the presence of the Divine.
When you think of ‘I’ or ‘me’ you cast a shadow against the Light. Blessings are pouring down from Allah. Why put up the umbrella of ‘me’? Why get in the way of these blessings?
I like Sufism because it has worked out over millenias the most appropriate tools that we need to become Human Beings. That is why service to others is so important. What’s a good way of not always thinking of yourself? Consider others before yourself. It assists in keeping ‘you’ out of the way. Part of the practice in preparing to be connected is to not let the ‘i’ take over. In Sufism we call this Adab. It is a useful and practical way to work on getting oneself out of the way. So we ask, “What does this other person need, want, how do they see the world?”
Speaking of worlds, one perspective you may find interesting to invoke is to first imagine that you are the ambassador of your world. Now on your specific inner planet there are certainly many nations, many relationships, a plentitude of responsibilities and duties, languages, cultures, goals, careers, worries, crises, governments and exchequers. It is a lot of work being emperor of such diverse global politics!
Now, the thing is, everyone also has their own empire they are trying to manage. It is easy to get buried in the enormous pressures from within. But your job, should you choose to accept it, is to provide comfort and safety for others. In turn, Allah will provide for you. You will find your heart will become enriched and fulfilled doing this.
The way I look at it is that I want peace in this world. Since I do not have the broad reach across this outer planet, I have the oppotunity to initiate or spread peace with each person I meet. Of course that means I have to have true inner peace myself to be able to express it outwardly, and that is part of the reason of this practice. So each person you meet is ambassador of their world, as you are the representative of your world. We all deserve the respect and diplomacy you would like for your world.
Perhaps it may help to think of it like this: you are riding a bicycle. You are good at it. Getting up to speed on it, taking corners close to the ground, even going long distances. But the Divine travels at the speed of Love. How are you going to synchronise your speed with Allah? You might as well be riding a tricycle. You need to find another kind of vehicle if you want to connect with the Universe. Maybe one of light and gratitude.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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On Becoming Your True Self
Ibrahim Ansari
To become your true self you will need tools, clarity on the objective, and perspectives on the big and little picture.
Sufism is a well-developed system aimed at learning and knowing your Self. At this moment there are too many selves. Some you know, some you hide. In this case, we are looking for the one connected to the Universe, Allah, God, Truth, Ultimate Reality, Divine, Buddha —- whatever you call the feeling of Connection.
We need something and someone who is really there to guide us out of our bad habits (Nafs) and towards a connection to the Divine, or Reality (Haqqiqah)
First, we have to acknowledge that whatever power we have is, in reality, not ours. It is something given, and we are responsible for what we do with this energy.
Secondly, there are many bad habits blocking that original, pure energy we were given to our True Self. We face a vicious intelligence guarding those bad habits. This guardian knows us so well that it can sabotage, camouflage, rationalize and subtly manipulate us into thinking we are in control. In truth, we are not in control. We are out of control whenever we get angry, or when we judge others, gossip, backbite, smoke, drink, swear- whatever we learned from our parents, guardians, teachers and culture.
So the first thing we have to do in order to clear the way to our True Self, is to witness the Nafs at work. We see it whenever we react to others, in the knee-jerk responses to the news and politics, ricocheting off our close family members, and at work and on the job with others.
We will need to learn a new kind of martial art that will allow us to fight these old and inherited loops of behavior. This is where Sufism is a fantastic partner in your journey to knowing your True Self. Sufism offers a number of tools depending on the degree and duration of the reviled habit.
You cannot do this by yourself. I’ve tried. You may clear a couple of the cobwebs, but in reality it only delays the development and growth. The monumental problem is... you. You are in the way.
All right, we are close to clarifying our first goal. When you know the habit you want to Change we move into the first warrior position.
First position is called Change. Change is rewiring your brain. For this neurophysiological rewiring to happen requires Effort. Effort requires Work. Work means you develop an Intention to want to change. Work means you will clamber outside your comfort zone and perhaps experience some stress, anxiety, fear, embarassment and unwillingness. For Work to achieve its goal of Change we will need Time. Usually if you allow yourself 2- 4 months of focused work the habit will change.
Second position: A sense of humor. To avoid taking yourself seriously and getting bogged down in what might look like failure at first, keep a good sense of humor about the whole thing. To get lighter and dump these noxious habits overboard, laughing at yourself and these demons takes away their power. Watch comedies, even take a crack at doing a stand-up routine, or take a class in Improvisational Theater. It’s a great way to get to know your inner characters, to let them out and laugh at them.
Third position: Practice. Maintaining the inten
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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We talk about the events of last week and then focus in on al Bari - the Shaper. One important idea behind Sufism is learning to apply spiritual teachings to one's life in a practical and pragmatic way. Sometimes the discussion leads in unexpected avenues as we wrestle with language, culture and understanding.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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I recommend having the Sephiroth and the 99 Names of Allah available while you listen. There is a lot of Sufi vocabulary used, so a glossary would be helpful as well.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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A spiritual discussion (sohbet) about one of Allah's Names: as Sami - the One Who Listens.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Sohbet (spiritual discussion) on the concept of Sufi Chivalry: Honor, Trust.
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Group discussion (Sohbet) about the sacred Name: al Fattah- The Opener.
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A Sohbet is a discussion about the teachings of Sufism. In this case, we are looking at one of Allah's sacred Names; Al Jabbar. Recorded September 16, 2011.
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Stress
Just half a million years ago we were discovering fire. Another serveral hundred thousand years after that we figured out how to grow crops and raise livestock. We adapted.
And then came war after war and the technology to support it.
With it came medicine to heal the war wounds.
Then Bang! Money! Taxes!
And then Bang! Electricity!
Bang! Radio! TV! Telephone! Computers! A.I.! Smart phones!
We are not adapting well to these intrusions. We forget where we came from. We are distracted by trying to keep up with technology and relationships. We are caught in the grinder of trying to ‘make it’.
We are part of Nature. We originally knew what to eat, how to chill, how to walk on the earth, naturally. And then comes the culture you have grown up in- culture meaning:
- what you wear,
- your language and how to talk,
- how to think properly,
- your values - what is right and wrong,
- What to eat and drink,
- your music,
- your behavior,
- your beliefs - how the universe works,
- your expectations - supposed to marry, have kids…,
- your gender and how it is supposed to behave…
And then Bang! Time! Bang! Death!
Whew! That is a lot to deal with. I never received the manual about how to deal effectively and appropriately with all this. I’m guessing you didn’t either. We muddle through going on what our parents and friends have shown us, and then when confronted with questions we query the internet hive mind which is generally infected with various biases and imperfections like our own brain and culture.
We deal with this pressure:
- Self-medication - tried and well-practiced in Australia, England, America, Western and Eastern countries - actually, now that I think more about it, everywhere. The problem is your body is being severely damaged, and the ‘cure’ creates more problems and stress.
- Back to the country - returning to a more rural environment works for a lot of people.
- Meditation, sports - also works for a lot of people. Slow movement like Tai Chi and Yoga are fantastic healers,
- Walk in nature
- Art - writing, painting, music.
- Spiritual path like Sufism or Buddhism. One which has professionaly trained teachers and can vouch for its authenticity through a clear chain of transmission. Anything else is a cult.
The point is, you are a Great Experiment. Your primary job is to find out what works for you, what brings you back to your ‘Neutral’ or ‘Nominal’ state. Discover what activities, places or people Nurture your heart. My advice is to seek out where you feel the most safe, secure, trusting and loved.
You are your own self-help book. There’s great ideas and inspiration in there. You just need to learn how to read it. How to attain inner literacy?
Stop looking outside yourself for the answers. You already know enough. The truth is there, in your heart. Determine what is interfering with hearing your heart’s true desires. Your heart knows what will bring contenment. You just need to shut your brain off long enough to listen to it.
And that is what the spiritual, sports and art disciplines
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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The Trouble with Religion: Part 3
Someone asked me about the hijab. I started to research its source, and I found once again that men were making the decision for women about what to wear and how to act. They go on for pages reciting verses and Hadith, not quite understanding or including a woman’s point of view. The term hijab is not in the Quran. Now I am not a Quranic scholar, nor an Imam nor in a position of authority to tell other people what to do. One of my jobs as Shaykh is to help people think, to consider the bigger picture, to remind them that Allah has all the power and majesty and might, and we know so very little.
What this brings to mind is that it is so easy to turn anything into a Religion. Religion may be defined as: ‘the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.
• a particular system of faith and worship.
• a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance.’
Contained within this structure are traditions either borrowed or part of a culture. Hair covering for both men and women in the Middle East is an ancient tradition.
So a religion might have many religions or patterns of behavior within it. Very often the cultural traditions are embedded within the religion, thus making it difficult to disengage the actual spiritual teachings from the cultural artifacts. Hair covering is just one of many religions within every religion. Just as people who want their lawns nice and trim do not understand that their patch of grass is a poor copy of the fabulously wealthy lords and ladies who had vast pastures, often the petty bickering about what to wear and how to look is part of this conundrum.
There is no definitive answer because it depends on the tradition you are part of, the one others are promulgating, and what it means to you. I cannot mention any specific cultures because we are all guilty of imposing our culture, beliefs and nafs on others. What I can say is that the Quran explicity states that, “There is no compulsion in religion.” I take that to mean we come to our decision through studying our heart, discussing it with Allah, and finding a way to bring peace in our community and family.
Various communities throughout the world maintain an unvarying adoption of an earlier tradition including clothing, hair, rituals - like the Hasidim in Israel or New York. They keep an ancient Polish ghetto as an artefact in their lives. Various festivals bring out every country’s traditional costumes, dances, masks and music, hidden away during the year until this moment. Everyone knows the songs, the food, the purpose.
Honoring traditions is important, but more important is the knowledge of how it all fits together and what the true pupose is of the wardrobe or hair covering. Seek the source and come to your own conclusion.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Instruction for Sufis
Q: How can I be sure that I am aligned with Allah’s will if He gives me what I want even though it might not be what He ultimately intends for me? How do I know that my goals match Allah’s plan for me?
A: First, there are a lot of ‘Is’ and ‘me’s’ in that question, which might give us a hint at what the answer could shape up to be. The place to focus on is Trust and Truth. We are rarely given the ability to see all the pieces of our life-puzzle at once. We are given what we can deal with. If you allow Allah to be your teacher, your Guide, then over Time and Experience we will be given enough pieces to build up a picture of what we need to know in this moment. So first, we learn how to Trust Allah. Secondly, we need to be focused on the truth. That is, the truth of whatever experience you are passing through. We cannot know what Allah ultimately plans for us, I am barely able to plan the next day let alone figure out what Allah is planning.
To be in accord with Allah, is to be in accord with our heart. Therefore, our focus is on being with our hearts as much as we are able. Allowing Allah to unfold whatever the story is and learn from it is a sometimes delightful way to appreciate the lesson. As I often say, get out of the way, enjoy the show , observing and deducing whatever you can from the event helps to put you in agreement with Allah. We are very good at getting in the way, and thinking the ongoing play is about us, but it usually isn’t. It’s about Allah revealing Himself in whatever way He wishes, and for us to derive whatever we can from play.
Perhaps one way to think of your goals and Allah’s is to imagine that you are in a dance together. Sometimes Allah leads, sometimes you think you lead. Goals are not what is important. It is the dance that has meaning. The give and take, the movement of gliding across the world floor. You may think of goals as markers, but Allah makes the music and gives your feet grace. Goals help us as humans to provide a signpost and direction. But perhaps the best goal is to be with Allah. Usually that is all you really need.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Q: How can I keep the focus on Allah and look past all manifestations to have a more direct and pure relationship with him?
A: . As usual, there are usually several answers at different levels to this kind of question. First is understanding the manifestations. Learning and applying Allah’s Names helps us to get a handle on seeing Him in action. There are several practical ways to practice this:
One: Pick one of Allah’s Names in the morning and observe your interactions through the day from that energy.
Two: Keep a notebook and jot down the Name when you see something that connects to that name. For example, you see a candle. We start with Nur, and then because it is melting and creating a shape it is Musawwir, and fragile so it also Latif. Allowing your mind to flow through the Names to observe Allah in the world around us.
There are more exercises, but you can now come up with your own.
A different way of focusing on Allah and looking past the manifestations is to learn how to shift your reference point.
Imagine that you can alternate between different kinds of eyes to see the Things around you in different formats and perspectives.
For example, if you are in a relationship we might start out with ‘I am husband’ eyes or ‘I am wife’ eyes. You see your partner in terms of the relationship built on time, experience, cultural and familial props.
A different set of eyes might see your career and job or business orientation: how you make your living. This would include cash flow, networks, opportunities, conferences, clothing and apparel to make you appear ‘professional’ to others.
Another set of eyes may take a more geological perspective to see that all that is happening is actually just a very tiny moment in an extremely long cascade of events and life forms. Our personal mark in a strata of rock will be infinitesimal, and everything that we consider vital and important actually isn’t from this view.
And then there’s Allah’s point of view, which is very difficult to attain and maintain.
One more way might be to seek the Truth of the Moment. Asking your heart, “What is the meaning of this? What is the Truth?”
As you are probably aware, most of us rarely speak what we really think. We have an editor who is checking our words before we say them because we might offend or put someone off or people will think we are stupid or arrogant or a jerk. We filter our output. In this context a possible practice you might like to try is to see if you can truly understand what another person is really saying by closely observing their body language, their pitch, phrasing, context, eye movement and hand gestures. Do the movements and sounds add up to be coherent and congruent with their language?
If not, can you deduce what they are trying to say? It could be, “Love me” or “hug me”
or “I’m scared” which can all be very difficult to verbalize.
So, back to the original question: how to have the best relationship with Allah. Again: stay tuned into your heart.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Being connected to people, purpose, heart provides us mental and physical health. Without proper connection we lose our hold on life and meaning. When we don't feel connected to life, that is, to other people, and a purpose. we become alienated. Alienation produces stress, anxiety, frustration, and depression. Just 50 years ago we lived in communities, villages, neighbourhoods and we looked each other in the eyes, we talked to each other, we knew each other. These days it is so easy to become disconnected. With everyone locked into their little screens we are cutting off our humanity.
Social networks create a fog between real communication and seeming like connecting. The reality of human to human is lost and a digital simulacrum takes its place. This is a very serious loss of humanity. The resulting isolation, loneliness, boredom and loss replaces the satisfaction and fulfilment of what used to pass as normal shmoozing, talking about personal and social concerns.
We cannot forget all the horrible catastrophes mounting before us: Climate change, pollution, terrorists, extremists, poverty and disease, the world seems to be falling apart. The solution is to make a connection with those around us. If we each make an effort to be there for each other, we can make a difference and we can change the course of history. But, as always, change requires effort. I suggest, as a beginning, a time out from screen myopia and turning your attention to the person next to you.
If you put your energy in someone beside yourself you might discover new ideas, new information, new people. Allow your curiosity to blossom about them - place your interest not in yourself but in others. What are they wearing? What do they value? What is their job and how do they think? Why do they think that?
People are the final frontier. Each one of us contains limitless dimensions. Exploration gives us joy, purpose and a sense of the unknown. It is also fun, sometimes confusing and frustrating, but if we consider each person we meet as our teacher, events will turn into learning more about ourselves than we could have ever imagined.
This could be a world of peace, freedom and equality. The tendency to look for others to do the heavy lifting is not working. We each have to wade into the waters and do our bit, holding each other’s hands in a team effort. Don’t wait for leaders and politicians to do what they will never do: make this world a better place. Do it yourself, with others, to bring our world into balance. Thank you for making the effort. It brings hope, connections, purpose and joy. It helps connect you to here and now, fulfilment and peace.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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The Trouble with Religion (part 2)
Ibrahim ansariBismillah rRahman nir Rahim
The story of this world has often seen religion employed as a weapon.
Much of the history of civilization exploited religion as an engine for barreling forward. The driver is usually the clerics, royalty, military or warlords. Religion became a tool for advancing those with power to gain more power.
For example, looking back towards ancient Egypt the clerics, with their knowledge of reading and writing, gained access to the treasury of information- the narrative of the past and present, as well as accounts and taxes. In Chinese history the enlightened Lao Tzu’s Tao or ‘Way’ was replaced by the Analects of Confucius which extolled everyone to be content wherever they were and doing whatever they were born into. This certainly made it easier for the Emperors to govern with a strict and implacable hand. India certainly bought into the caste system as a means of control for several millennia, quoting the sacred texts for their reasoning.
The same goes for the decline of the Roman empire, the Ottoman empire, the Japanese warlords, Spain’s Conquistadores and the European Crusades. Religion served the conquerors, allowing them a moral excuse to pillage and colonise.
It is no great leap to look at religion today and wonder at the baggage it is carrying.
Here we are at a time when some of those with alleged spiritual authority are being accused and convicted of abuse of various genres. As a result, many of us have thrown out the idea of a God or deity. After all, we are scientific. We scoff at primitive belief systems. Of course if it is based on the primitive ideas of magical intercession and miraculous cures then maybe that’s not a bad idea. But the idea of unity?
What if our desire for understanding things spiritually relates the very human habit to comprehend patterns? We are made to be curious. As we grow we gather knowledge about how things work and how they don't work. This constant accumulation of data and organizing it into comprehendible shapes drives us to understand how things work from the tiny microcosms of quarks and atoms to the Great Big Universe of Fun.
Even from a scientific perspective we are all connected in so many ways. Through the cycle of energy (food, breathing) we are all using the same materials, shifting from energy to matter and back again. We are connected socially and physically through our need for each other. Oh? You are an individual? Great! Let me see you assemble a car, fabricate shoes, spin cotton, construct a dam, weave a rug, create a cell phone. Or to even mine ore to extract copper for a simple wire… All by yourself… We are not ‘individuals’. We are connected in every possible way, and we depend on each other to survive and thrive. We are one.
Regarding spirit, meaning breath: our inhalation is passed to us from billions of plants, insects, animals, our great, great grandmother… and our exhalation will continue on to billions more. So on a simple, scientific perspective we are all connected, we all come from the same source, we follow the same principles all life must accept. The same concept follows for our words and actions- energy cannot be created or destroyed in this universe. Everything is in motion, mostly as vibrations. So ‘what goes aro
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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The Trouble with Religion
Ibrahim ansari
These are strange times for those of us who are drawn to the spiritual element. Probably somewhere along the line we tasted the divine; and since that moment its splendor and radiance always outshines all the other distractions. We decided to do everything in our power for just another sip.
That is when we discover that things get complicated when people get involved. Power- whether it is knowledge, money, fame or position- corrupts. Always, unless checked by a creditable hierarchy whose job it is to maintain the purity and quality of the message. Otherwise it seems inevitable for an infection in a spiritual endeavor to arise and inflame something so seemingly innocent. If distortion is so predictable, what is the cure?
The process of re-purifying a spiritual core belief requires change: an anathema to most of us. Change requires a set of tools most of us are not familiar with or have not learned to use properly. Like any tool, these get better with practice. They are:
Thinking: observing and reflecting on possible outcomes, intentions, purposes, strategies and options,
Effort: determining and planning a course of action to help maintain focus and commitment over time,
Time: estimating how much time is realistically required,
Sense of humor: If you can't laugh about it, what's the point? Or, in other words, keeping a sense of lightness and positivity when things get difficult or contrary.
Regarding thinking: It often helps to articulate what you have learned from your observations and experiences so far. This can be done in any form, such as writing, painting, drawing, or extreme sports. Thinking requires you to sometimes apply the empirical method: what worked and why? What did not work and why? Of course this is all intellectual and uses the brain to deduce certain patterns. In Sufism we talk a great deal about listening to the heart. Perhaps it is like thinking with the brain, only one's heart is the calculator/intuitor/revealer. Being able to hear the heart's responses also requires practice and effort. We have spent much of our life discounting the heart's requests and prompts. This might be the right time to regain that ability.
Regarding effort: This push towards a new beginning is hard for a number of reasons. One is that there is no better way to value the product of your hard work then you achieve your goal. We value something when it has taken a lot of work to achieve it. Another is that you are rewiring your brain. Neural pathways don't just change because you want them to. A process using muscles and intentions in unfamiliar ways require practice over time. As the new pathways emerge the practice becomes easier and eventually you have acquired a new 'habit'. Effort also informs the universe that you want to tread a new road. The universe may hear you and accomodate your goal with opportunities not accessible or available without effort.
Times itself is an odd substance. It is hard to wrap one's head around something so intangible yet impactful. But as humans we can learn to become masters of time rather than slaves of time. If not masters, then at least friends with time. My experience leads me to believe we each live in our own time-set. Through stress
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Imagine a dimension that has a higher vibrational rate than ours. In this dimension are worlds and people who have families and communities and nations, just like us. There are religions, good people, bad people, and different cultures. Everything is faster than the Earth dimension, and, to the people of the faster dimension, earth time seems slow and static. Now for some in the faster dimension, it’s a big adventure to take one of the earth life forms, as an animal for example, and move it around, and experience things from the earth time/dimension point of view. It’s fun, it’s easy, and it’s entertaining. And it’s wrong and forbidden. This Jinn dimension intersects the Earth time/space continuum, and so we live in parallel worlds. We aren’t usually aware of Jinn in the American culture, but in other cultures, like magic, it is a given. Jinn have families, many are Muslim, some Christian, some Jewish, other religions we don’t know, and some are rebels, and just plain hoodlums.
Jinn have wars, kings and kingdoms, coup de etats, states and countries. Some have been helpers of humans and very sincere believers. The stories of the prophet Solomon and his relations with Jinn are examples of this possibility.
Some Jinn are drawn to places where hearts are opening, because the people seem vulnerable and eager for new experiences. As the Sufi student advances through the training, and the nafs get cleared out, the internal vibration rate of the student increases. This means the capacity to observe this jinn dimension may come into focus. The sudden ability to see, feel, or hear “beings from another dimension” is often disorienting. It sometimes creates fear, panic, or confusion. This is another reason why it is important for sufis to gather where there is a shaykh. Many shaykhs have already experienced this ability to interact with jinn, and not only come to terms with it, but have developed relationships with the Jinn, and can detect the good and the bad ones, and know what the adab is of the situation.
A lawless jinn may enter someone’s body, usually at a very vulnerable moment. They might obtain entrance when you are sick; high through alcohol or drugs; or mentally unstable because of grief, stress, anger, or a nervous breakdown. Then, when you come out of the period of instability, you might feel “funny” and not quite yourself. If this does not go away, and you seem to do things you find odd; you may have a jinn infestation. What does the jinn get out of it? An opportunity to feel some power, to experience this world of more solid objects, and to play with feelings. This is called possession, and is forbidden by both Islam and the Jinn world.
If you feel that you might have this problem, first, check with your shaykh to see if it is true. If it is true, s/he may give you a prescription of Ayats to read, prayers to say, and maybe a special diet. As you gain in strength, you will find it easier to protect yourself, and able to identify and eliminate threats through these simple means.
If you feel you are being visited, I have found it expedient to say, “Salaam Aleikum. If you come in Allah’s Name, you are welcome. If not, leave now.” This is because your visitor may not be a jinni, but could be anyone from your shaykh, the Pirs to the Prophet (pbuh). Keep in rabita with your shaykh, and
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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My students of Sufism have asked me how to deal with magic, black magic and possession by Jinn. I will answer these questions according to what I know.
I understand magic – both white, black, and any color – to be a focusing of the human will, coupled with intention. By the use of ritual and props, the mind can be focused to such an intensity as to manifest a shift or change in the elements of nature. The mind is an extremely powerful tool when focused, but not everyone knows this. Those that do know are people who practice a discipline such as one of the arts, sports, martial arts and the sciences. Many of these people do achieve the same mental focusing as those of the magical arts. However, in magic, the consequences of both the act and intention are extremely dangerous, if not eventually fatal, to the person and their soul.
Magic is an attempt to influence nature, manipulate people for personal reasons. In many cultures, magic is normal and accepted as a natural component of life. Potions, herbs, amulets and services are bought and sold in shops. In other cultures, magic is considered silly or as a primitive and superstitious vestige.
The reality is that we are bombarded by “magical” influences all the time. These attempts at influence arrive as advertisements, songs, pleadings, and campaign speeches. These are the more visible manipulations. We are also being influenced by our own inner voices, called by the sufis nafs – our habits, ideas of right and wrong, good and bad.
In the white or lower magic, there may be attempts to make another person fall in love, lose a job, attain money, or become pregnant. Depending on the culture, this can be done through herbs, recitation, books, teas, singing, dancing, drawing, vigils, or meditation.
In black or high magic, there are attempts to bind Jinn or demons to the sorcerer’s will, and then command the elemental to perform deeds, such as finding hidden gold, stealing precious materials, or creating havoc or death.
Now, according to Islam, this is all shirk – not only is it forbidden, but it is the height of arrogance because you are playing God. You are trying to control something that you really have no right to control, and it is this arrogance that makes you prideful, and forgetful of your Creator and your relationship with God.
Those that study and perform magic often feel a temporary sense of power. This feeling of power is extremely addictive. The practice of magic is also forbidden because this addiction is difficult to quit. It is a trap with severe consequences. Like any hard drug, once you start, you get a rush that you don’t want to lose, and you feel a need to keep coming back to it, and needing a stronger fix to get the same rush. This wanting makes you forget God, and makes you think of only the next time you can do it.
The effect of manipulating people and nature is also creating a mark on your soul. This is a world of cause and effect. You are responsible for your actions. This attempt to manipulate other people will weigh upon your soul, and create darkness in your heart. This darkness, the responsibility of changing the lives of other people, must roost somewhere. It is attracted to the cause. If you are the source, this responsibility will be with you. The darkness, which is the
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Bismillah rRahman nirRahim,
Conditioning
One piece of the puzzle on the path of Sufism is learning how to separate yourself from your conditioning. In other words, what is the authentic, real you, as opposed to your culture, the ideas your family embedded in you, the biases you learned from your schools, friends, and relationships?
There is you, and then there is all the other stuff. Where do your opinions come from? What are your values and are they real or just the echo of others’? There is a source to everything you think you know.
The process of getting closer to Allah, is directly through the minefield accrued from your life and experiences. You begin this process by accepting that you really don’t know who you are. You are NOT your culture. You are NOT just your experiences. You are much more and a lot less.
So you need to divorce yourself from all these influences first so that you can have an objective perspective to clearly see what these influences are.
You probably have ideas about what love is, what friends are supposed to be, what honor and truth are. All these ideas were formed somewhere. As a Sufi, you start to learn that everything you know is upside down and backwards. What is complicated becomes simple, what is simple becomes very complex. Things and people are not what they appear to be. You learn over and over again not to judge others.
Examine your concepts of right and wrong, good and bad, true and false. Where do they come from? Whose ideas are they? You may think they are yours, but on further examination you will discover they were fed to you along with many other ideas. All these ideas and philosophies need to be tested. The only way to find out if something is true is to test it. Be wary; be skeptical; don’t accept other people’s ideas or philosophies just because they sound good. Don’t toss viewpoints away because you don’t like them.
Part of this examination process is to see if you are reacting. To react means there is an emotional element attached to the thought or idea. Perhaps you have had unpleasant experiences associated with the concept. This negative energy may then influence your future feelings about the concept, but it is not clean – it is a reaction from a previous engagement. You are then unable to see clearly if the concept is true or false because you are unable to empirically test the truth of it because you feel it is wrong or bad. This is nafs in a subtle form, because you are basing your thinking process on a previous experience but it may or may not be accurate. You are clouded by emotion. You are reacting, not thinking.
Observe the people, the news, the weather, the politics around you so you can make intelligent and wise choices.
This is what I mean about staying objective and not letting your reactions interfere with your intelligence. Think, deduce, read, examine, talk with experts about what concerns you, and then make your own decisions, based on all the facts. And even facts will change, because this world is not locked down to any kind of permanence. Everything will change and die. Nothing remains as it is. The only constant is change in this world, so learning how to let go is probably the wisest thing you can learn to do. That, and learning how to trust in Allah, put your foc
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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How do we know Allah’s will?
By being quiet and listening. Learn to look for and see Allah’s answers. When a possible message or answer is perceived or received, we then need to ascertain that it is true and correct. We look for confirmation within and without. If the message comes from within, as in a dream, we look for outer confirmation from a friend, colleague or book. If it comes from a friend, or book, then we wait for confirmation from within as a dream, or hearing the heart clearly.
Is surrender acceptance of reality as it is and if so what’s the role for those who want to change reality, i.e. reduce suffering and increase justice?
It is important to understand that everything that happens does so on multiple levels. What you perceive in an action is, at best, only one seventh of the actual event. If it is a natural disaster, there may be many obvious causes. If a tornado wipes out a village, you can track down the wind velocities, and see the low pressure areas in motion. Allah through nature is responsible, and the causes are sometimes more obvious, and then again, maybe not. Perhaps Allah wanted to cleanse an area, or provide the soil with needed nutrients for a future time. There may reasons that may never be revealed why Allah does an action, but you can be sure it is not vindictive, meaningless, or random. Allah’s mercy and compassion are everywhere.
When it is a human action, like a coup, war, or bombing, then it is humans who are responsible, not Allah. Since Allah has provided us with the ability to make choices, then it is we are responsible for our actions, and therefore accountable for them.
Trying to change the world before you change yourself will only lead to an inner sabotage, and will pollute the intention to change the world with your own pride, arrogance, and “righteousness”. True and lasting change only happens when you are clean enough within to hear your heart. One cannot predict what Allah’s direction will be. Should Allah decide that you are to march to Washington to protest water poisoning, then that is Allah’s message to you. A good sufi delivers the message without expectation and without attachment. It is Allah’s will that is to be done. It is too easy to become attached to the message or the messenger. This would only infect the “cause” with the self, and destroy it. As with the UPS, the message is delivered, and that’s that. You will know if you are chosen to lead others, or participate in a march. Until that time, it is much more efficient and better to prepare and to purify yourself and work on clearing out the pride. This is Allah’s world, and though we are responsible for our actions, in sufism we try to act with our heart in all humility and modesty. The best kind of change comes from within.
That which is in our power is the ability to become the best human being we can ( with Allah’s help), and that is a cause that needs to be championed above all others. Sufis believe that a group of individuals who are good examples to others can teach and change more people and bring about more justice than a thousand marches into Washington.
What happens if my car breaks down? Do I say, “This is Allah’s will and that’s that? Is that surrender?”
We have been given intelligence as well as re
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Surrender
by Ibrahim
In sufism, surrender is the prime force that accelerates spiritual growth. Without true and complete surrender, the next phase of learning cannot take place. The teachings of not just sufism but also Zen, Tibetan Buddhism and other true paths are to help prepare the murid (student) to let go of their attachments to the things of this world. Surrender is often misinterpreted to mean giving up responsibility for one’s actions. “My teacher made me do it. My boss made me do it. You made me do it.” Negative to that.
Surrender means letting go of your attachments to who you think you are- those parts of you that imagine that you know what is right and wrong, your opinions, ideas, possessions, values, what you think is true and false. Notice I said “attachments” and not the possessions themselves. There is no compulsion in Islam (surrender) and no one is telling you to give up your possessions and live in a commune. A complete human being takes responsibility for their choices and actions – it is what differentiates us from all other life forms on this world- the ability to choose to really screw things up or not is our very own right.
A friend of mine was taking her donkey for a walk, and decided that because it was cold and slippery and she had gloves on, it would be better if she looped the donkey’s rope around her wrist. After a mile or so, the donkey decided it was time for a nice run and took off. Firmly attached to the donkey, she ran as fast as she could to keep up, but it was not fast enough, and so she was dragged along on her belly until the donkey decided to stop. Cut, bruised, and needing stitches, she went in to the emergency room and got patched up. She learned that we can tie the cord of attachment to our nafs (ego) or we can tie that same cord to Allah. One is surrendering to our emotional and constantly changing world, or we can be smart and surrender to Allah. There is not much in between.
As you know, in western countries the advertisers and their clients want you to surrender to their products and services. Everywhere you look is the name of a product. If you to surrender to the prodding of these advertisers and believe them, no matter how many products you had, though content for perhaps a few minutes, you would not be happy or sufficient for very long. This constant clamoring for your attention is the same way your nafs are continuously at work for themselves. They will not cease until they have your undivided attention. For the nafs, even that is not enough, They will make you their slave.
As Sufis, we wish only to do Allah’s will, not our nafs’. That is why we practice and focus on surrendering to Allah. Whose universe is this anyway? Why not give your life back to the one who gave it you?
As you are able to identify those parts of you that are habits and attachments, the weaker will be the gravitational pull of the world.
What is the best way to surrender and be in the work world? Minute by minute. Also, doing a spiritual practice before work will give you a running start to help you stay in your heart, and allow you to maintain an even keel throughout the day. Take breaks to allow you to return to the heart center, or keep something in your pocket that reminds you of Allah like pr
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Parallels of Music and Sufism
Sometimes to get a better understanding of what one thing is, it helps to go at it through a parallel medium. In this case, what I am going to say about music, I have found to be a direct correlation with Sufism.
The one thing that every musician always needs to do is practice. Without practice, there is no growth or ability to play the instrument. Muscles weaken without practice, as well as pattern recognition, sight-reading, listening, rhythm, memorization. With practice, these abilities increase until, if one is called, one may perform before others and create deeply moving concerts and emotions within the hearts of the listeners.
In sufism, if you do not practice what you have learned, or do your zikr (special practice that helps the student remember Allah), or serve others, the nafs (ego matrix) may regain control.
No real mastery of the instrument can happen without the right teacher. One may bounce from teacher to teacher, or instrument to instrument, but until there is a focus on one instrument and one teacher, there can be no significant next step in learning. In order to learn from the teacher, one must recognize one’s own lack of knowledge regarding music. This requires humility and openness - both to accepting new ideas and to being corrected. There can be no place for pride or arrogance, because it interferes with real learning. At certain stages, the student becomes self-conscious while playing before the teacher. A shift in awareness occurs as the student begins to actually Listen to the sounds s/he is playing. Before this moment, the student has had an idea of what the music sounds like, and is caught up in the imagining of how their playing sounds. But when this shifts to a sudden perception of the reality of the sounds, usually in the presence of the teacher, it is like a new beginning, and the next step of training can begin.
In sufism, the better the connection with your teacher, the closer your understanding of Allah, and vice versa.
Music deals in the realm of the unseen. One has to use one’s ears to appreciate it, and develop the ability to actively listen, rather than passively hearing. Active listening requires that nothing else interfere with the incoming signals. Stray thoughts and desires are brushed easily aside so that one participates in the music and completes the circuit, for without a listener, there is no music.
Music is made up of vibrations. Each instrument produces vibrations, each in it’s own way. The drum skin is set in motion when struck, the string is continuously grabbed and released by the bow, also plucked, strummed, or struck.
Most of these instruments need to be hollow inside for the vibrations to magnify and be transmitted. The solid body instruments that are electrified such as the guitar, violin, still need a cabinet and speakers. But regarding the acoustic instruments, they sound best when empty.
Because music is composed of vibrations, masters from the past still live on today in the works they created, and which we still perform. Bach, Mozart, Gershwin, Stravinsky, John Lennon - their vibrations are still in the air today when we play their music. They are unseen but immortal.
Great musicians put their entire being beh
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What brings us closer to God?
And: Why do we sometimes feel so distant from God?
Imagine in the core of your self lies a bright light. This is the Life-light (fitrah), the light you were before your heart began to beat. That true essence of self; a drop of God’s mercy in a potential state. Then that spark is injected in the world to be realized- absorbing experiences, trying to find its way through truth and falsehood; happiness and despair; loss and gain; success and failure; an endless ocean of choices. How well will this fragile essence cope with the vicissitudes of the unfairness of life, and the wheel of fortune?
Over time and adaptation the vulnerable life-essence may be forgotten, lost amongst the endless daily choices. Perhaps that quiet inner voice was saying things that seemed inconvenient, inappropriate, or contrary to what you wanted. What you thought was right and proper became stronger. Or, what your heart was trying to tell you did not match with what your outer world seemed to be saying. So that essence seems to have disappeared, as though it got lost in the shuffle. Is it gone? Did it disappear?
No. It just got hidden away, forgotten, and unnecessary.
But then something comes along to remind you that the non-permanent, immortal part of you needs to be re-awakened, re-invigorated, and re-charged. But there seems to be such thick and many layers between you and the essence that it looks like an impossible fantasy to ever achieve reconnection.
Perhaps you remember some of your religious upbringing; bibles, books, movies, music briefly re-kindle that sputtering flame. Or you may seek therapy, meditation, healings, healers, spiritual teachers for a weekend, seminar, course of study, or books on tape.
Or perhaps love for another- a spouse, a mate, child, grandchild, teacher may remind you of that spark. Or, it could be an illness, death or crisis that shocks you into a moment of wakefulness. You look around seeing things as if for the first time and you might wonder: Is this the last image I will see? What if these are my last moments? Have I wasted my life?
This is often the place where it’s good to ask yourself: what am I attached to? Because that immortal essence you came in to life with is the only thing you can take back with you. Any other focus of your energy will move the transition to that lack-of-materiality state that much more painful. And I know that most of us are really not big fans of pain.
What if we could look forward to that moment when we have to let go of all things of this life?
And then, when you see yourself without a body or the ability to manipulate matter, that it hits you right between the non-eyes: We see what we are looking for.
Wherever you put your focus, whatever you are seeking – that is what appears before you. The only problem may be that it does not come in the form or experience or person that you were expecting. This can certainly lead to many problems. These distractions are what lead you away from God. I don’t have to spell them out. You know what they are. Your expectations are the same as attachments. They interfere with you being with God. If you wish closeness to the Divine, you need to stop imagining what it will be like, or how i
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We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Feeling Stuck?
By shaykh ibrahim Ansari
It’s only natural to feel stuck at certain times in our life. Why? Well, if you’re like me, we like to keep learning and growing. To keep growing means to enter unknown areas, and learn about them, and map and explore them. Most people fear the unknown. But artists and sufis enjoy the frisson of fear, the thrill of coming across an unexplored realm within.
The other part of growing means to let go of the old ideas and concepts so you can move forward. To go through the next door, you have to shut this one. This is part of living: coming to the end of the step you’ve been on, and trying to figure out how you are going to get to the next step. It looks so very high and far away. You don’t know how you are ever going manage the height. You can’t leap, you can’t crawl, and no one seems to be throwing down a ladder or rope for you to shimmy up. So what are you going to do?
If you are an artist, one way to break through this block is to do all the really bad, old things you hate to do. The ruts, the garbage, the junk you want to vomit on, and pour gasoline (petrol) on and burn. If you don’t worry about whether you are doing something “good”, you will discover, with sometimes a great deal of surprise, that there is nothing left of the old stuff. It has transformed or been left behind somehow, and now you are doing new, unknown explorations again!
For the sufi, or anyone on a spiritual journey, it is natural and healthy to reach the end of the step you are currently on and wonder, “Where do I go from here?” For one thing, if you didn’t ask this question, life would become a very boring place. Secondly, you feel your heart tugging at you to move on. These steps, by the way, go on forever. As long as you are alive, the mystery of God cannot ever be completely revealed, only slowly and partially unveiled.
So here you are at the Big Wall, and it seems like there is no way out. Turn around and look back where you came from. You see all those nails and hooks holding ideas, concepts, habits, people, values? It is you who are attached to all those things. Because you have things nailed down, there is no way you can move! You’ve got to let go of some of this, because this is what is holding you here.
Yes, it is time to review. What is important to you, and what is not? What habits do you have now that serve no good purpose? Have you made yourself into a god? Do you think you know God? My friend, there is no way to get to the next step, until you have looked at this collection, and trashed the unnecessary.
When you do the sifting properly, you will be transported to the next step. It will be as though you have sprouted wings or perhaps the air itself lifts you up and carries you like a feather. Because you are leaving the weight of the world behind you, you ascend with love and Allah’s blessings.
Getting stuck is part of life. Letting go of the old takes effort, practice, and needs continuous awareness, diligence, and perseverance. Ask for help when you need it. Knowing when you need help shows strength and intelligence.
Fly away!
I know the idiot’s warehouse
Is always full.
I know each of us
Co
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Expansion/Contraction
Shaykh Ibrahim
On this sufi path, there are times of expansion and contraction. Expansion is when, for example, you feel Allah’s blessings, an opening of awareness, your heart warming and growing. You may understand concepts more clearly, or realize the unity of Allah.
Contraction is feeling separation, fear, unworthiness, inability to cope, and a desire to run away from problems.
Contraction and expansion are connected. They are as breathing. You cannot keep inhaling. At some point you must exhale. Then you can inhale again. Your heart beats and gives you life through its ongoing expansion and contraction. That is part of life: duality. For the sufi, we try to keep a larger perspective so we can ride these waves a little easier, like a cork on the water.
Sometimes contraction seems much worse than usual, because the expansion you have last experienced has stretched your awareness into a new shape. Then, when you come back to the old self, it seems much smaller or more constricted than usual. In truth, it is the same old self, but in comparison, the experiences of the new self just don’t fit in the same space. What happens? Usually, you will experience a lot of internal friction, resulting in anger, frustration, blame, pettiness, and general grumpiness. This goes on until this old self is eventually dumped overboard, so the new self can take its place. Then the process begins all over again.
What are some tools to use during contraction? Do Zikr, of course, and stay close to your shaykh. When we give bayat, and say, “Hold tight to the rope of Allah”, this is that time we are referring to. You grab Allah’s rope, whether it is made of faith, belief, hope, or love, and know that this too will pass. Each level of the nafs has its own “guardian” or gate you must pass through, and this constriction is part of that process. To get through the eye of the needle, you must leave your self behind, and trust Allah, or at least your shaykh.
Also, know that Allah does not put you through these constrictions out of meanness, or vindictiveness. It is always from His Love, so that you can know Him without distractions. You have asked for Allah, and Allah is responding. For you to be with Allah, nafs must be burned away in the most appropriate way for you. Therefore, if it hurts, it is probably good for you. Why does it have to hurt so much? First, it will not be more than you can bear – that is guaranteed in the Koran. It may feel like more, but it actually expands your capacity. And that is the second reason for constriction – it increases your capacity to take on Allah’s blessings. It shows you that your limits are far greater than you thought. It also may give you insight into other’s sufferings, and therefore more tolerance, compassion, understanding, and wisdom.
So it might help when you are experiencing either contraction or expansion to keep your focus on Allah, like the horizon, and know that if you go up on the wave, it will also come down, but that’s okay. It is part of life, and you will get through it. It is Allah’s Love in motion.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Listening to The Divine
I bet you think only crazy people hear God’s voice. Maybe it is the other way around: only crazy people do not hear the voice of the divine (Allah).
Let’s take another angle and look at this question differently. When did you stop listening to Allah? All Creation intersects Allah. Everything is related- whether you look at it atomically, molecularly, the Big Bang or as God’s creation, everything is connected at the source.
When did you have the arrogance to imagine that you are isolated and alone? It is time to leave that teenage prideful existential angst behind and rejoin the rest of creation that is in continuous conversation with Allah.
Imagine seeing everything around you as manifestations of Allah. You are here to learn about Allah directly and through Allah’s manifestations.
“What!” you might yell, “that fly, these dirty plates, the tree are speaking? Oh, please! Don’t insult me with this New Age crap!”
Well, my friend, they are speaking- in their language, just as you speak in yours.
“Whoa,” you say, “what is this about the dirty plate? Are you telling me it’s talking, too?”
That depends. Are you listening? Does the plate or the situation have something to say to you? Its message may be fairly simple, like, Clean me. Allah doesn’t have to use biblical terms to speak. Allah speaks through the creation. For you to hear, you must use the ears of your heart.
The first step to hear the divine is to quiet the self and shut down the minds blathering. In Sufism we use Zikr to focus the mind. Other disciplines use different forms of meditation or focusing to gain control over the mind. The mind is a wonderful tool. But like any tool, is only useful if it is mastered and used properly. Who is the master of your mind? Do you control the tool or does the tool control you? The mind-tool must be brought under your control otherwise you will not be able to distinguish between Allah and your imagination.
Next: Listen. Listening is different from hearing. Listening requires active participation of the ears, heart and mind. These parts cannot be going in opposite directions. They must be united and focused to listen. Listening requires that you be present enough to participate in creation.
Third: Be open and do not have expectations of what is going to happen or how the message will be transmitted. Your heart is like a radio receiver- tuned to the Allah channel. Expectations are like the hills in front of a receiving antenna. They interfere with getting the message. Expectations block the signal. If you expect to hear something, you may miss how the message is actually delivered. For example, lets say you trip over your shoes (while you were waiting for God to talk to you) and then it dawns on you that the actual message could be Be more aware of being present. Take each step at a time. It could also come from an intense discussion in which you know you were right, but internally your heart says, Protect friendship above pride.
Allah is Here, all around us and within us. By putting aside our logical mind’s restrictions we can begin to participate more actively in the ongoing symphony of Creation.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Why a Shaykh?
By Ibrahim Ansari
The shaykh is your soul’s gardener. S/he takes you from where you are right now, and uses your inner materials as fertilizer to grow your heart. Parts of you (the garden) need weeding; some need hoeing, planting, and landscaping. The shaykh represents your highest potential. By learning to trust in the shaykh as a guide, you begin the process of unifying yourself. On a personal basis, the shaykh goes within you, sees the distinction between yourself and your True self, and helps you to complete the process of unification.
Much of what a shaykh deals with at the beginning of his/her work with a student involves trust.
For many people, especially Americans, trust is an issue. In this society trust is not a very common virtue. The first step of learning is to allow trust to develop. For some, this involves testing the water. As you experience your heart’s love in your shaykh’s presence, trust develops and deeper teaching can take place.
Trust happens over time and through experience. You learn to trust Allah by first trusting your Shaykh. A shaykh sees you as you truly are. S/he sees through your attachments, your nafs. Nafs is the ego matrix that gives you the impression that you are your things, your memories and your habits. The shaykh sees you with your habits, and compares them to your true self. Part of a shaykh’s job is to be a mirror for you. If you are arrogant, the shaykh will allow you to see it. If you manifest love, love comes right back to you. In this and many other ways, your shaykh is here to help you overcome your nafs. Being a mirror to you is one of the quickest and perhaps most startling ways to break old habits. It is like seeing yourself in a special kind of movie, one where you can also hear your thoughts and see what is in your heart.
The shaykh is your best friend and your nafs worst enemy.
The shaykh works with you on an individual basis, and in a vocabulary that you can understand. Like a taxi driver, the shaykh will pick you up wherever you are, takes you where you want to go. The choice is always yours.
At times, the shaykh will talk directly to your soul (ruh). The outer form may not understand as well as the inner soul. You may find yourself arguing, disagreeing, and even defending what you “know” to be right. This is contrary to the goal of a spiritual discipline. Defending yourself indicates a lack of surrender, mistrust of your guide and reliance upon your nafs. Shaykh Taner says, “Number One: The shaykh is always right. Number Two: See number One.”
One of my many jobs is to teach piano. As a piano teacher, there are students who, when they’ve made a mistake, argue about it. If I record the session and play it back, the student hears what I heard. Eventually, if there is perseverance, the student eventually begins to hear the reality of the sound, not what they imagine. You see, in music, just as in Sufism, when your mind and preconceived ideas are quieted, you can hear the sound (God, Allah, the Divine) without distraction, without attachment. Then you can place your heart into the sound and turn that sound into music.
Your time with your shaykh is like a music lesson. What you’ve practiced (or not) is apparent and cannot be hidden from a true spiritual teacher.
Thr
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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In Sufism, fighting the Nafs (the ego-matrix) is the primary battle. The Tariqa and the Shaykh work to support, advise and focus the student (murid) in the sacred struggle. It is important to know why there are nafs and how to manage them appropriately.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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After you are initiated into a Sufi order, your job is to learn how to best fight your nafs. It is important to understand that the Shaykh's job is to help you do that. Sometimes people get confused about the Shaykh and his/her job. This is to remind you of your job as well as what is expected of the Shaykh/a.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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What is Mysticism and what is Sufism? Are they related?
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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A brief overlook of a spiritual path. Sufism - has it always been around?
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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What is a Spiritual Path? How do you know if its the right one? How can you tell if it is working properly?
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
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Spiritual abuse tends to prompt us to throw everything out that connects with spirituality or religion. The seeker has rights. To avoid future abuse and to recognize the signs we talk about what those rights are.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
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Primer on starting to seek spiritual understanding. A helpful guide for those who want to enter into a deeper knowledge and want to learn how to listen to their heart. Some practical advice on what to look for and what to avoid.
Salaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,
We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you.
Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If Support the show (http://www.ansarisufiorder.org)