It is said, "Allah is greater than anything." We can remember that the greatest power is Love. As we say Allahu Akbar we set all our circumstances, challenges, questions, and difficulties in the greater perspective of Allah's Sovereignty, which is ultimately the Sovereignty of Love.
We separate ourselves from God. Our subtle (or not so subtle) habits of pride, arrogance, and of pretending to knowledge cloud our awareness of the Divine Presence. In this state we ignore how beautifully and subtly Allah has arranged our education, how perfectly events and circumstances are designed and measured to reveal to us our illusions.
All our work prepares us for moments in our lives when we can choose to act, to give, to love. Consider these words from the Mathnawi [IV, 2917-19]: In battle, the cowardly have chosen the means of retreat out of fear for their lives, while the courageous, also from fear for their lives, have charged towards the ranks of the enemy. Heroes are borne onward by their fear and pain; from fear, too, the human being of weak spirit dies within.
This path is not only friendship, love, and ecstasy, but a long and sometimes painful struggle. What is the nature of the discipline needed on the spiritual path? The discipline or struggle of this path is one in which we find our right relationship with the nafs, the ego-self. This relationship must come from a higher level than that of the battle of like and dislike, desire and aversion.
Sufis are not called "the friends" by accident. If we can remember the principle of Friendship it will help to keep us aligned with the purpose of our lives. It is always a good idea to consider in our relationships both within this Order and with the wider spiritual community, whether we are conducting ourselves as friends. What does it matter if we experience high spiritual states or acquire esoteric knowledge, if we neglect friendship? If we wish to have Allah as the Friend, we would do well to befriend His friends.
Threshold Society Theme for July 1997 We who aspire to Sufism, who have chosen to travel on the Way of Love, need each other to make the journey. We are connected beyond space and time by invisible bonds. It is our responsibility to be responsible at the highest levels of our souls, to cultivate good-will, [...]
Threshold Society Theme for June 1997 Sufism is, more than anything else, the education and purification of the heart. The heart is that which truly knows. The heart is not some vague metaphor, but an objective faculty of the soul, the center of the psyche, the threshold between the ego and spirit, the site of [...]
Threshold Society Theme for April 1997 The real and essential needs of the human being have not changed very much over the centuries. Who would disagree, for instance, with Al-Ghazzali's assessment eight centuries ago that: Human perfection resides in this, that the love of God should conquer a person's heart and possess it wholly, and [...]
Make an intention that between the hours of 11 AM and 1 PM you will breathe in conscious awareness of the All-Compassionate (Ar-Rahman) Presence which unifies all of life. As we move from 11 to 1, we move from the world of multiplicity to the world of unity. 11 is Hu. 1 is Alif, Al-Ahad (the One), Allah. The Breath of Compassion is within us. We are being breathed. As we chose consciously to be in remembrance of this, we are better able to be reflectors of the Divine Qualities of our Source. How will this manifest in our work and relationships? How will this affect our Salah, our worship?
Hu means the intimate connection with the Divine Presence that can be found within every human being. The practice of Sufism is meant to lead us to this intimate connection, to knowing the immanent, abiding support of Allah. The very first step in making this connection is relaxation. In some Sufi schools the student is led through a precise, detailed visiting of different parts of the body in order to deepen relaxation. But this is only the beginning. Eventually we must relax from the emotional and mental tensions we carry. We must consciously relax by releasing any resentment, anxiety, or fear. We must even look at the unnecessary burden of guilt or shame we are carrying. If we need to be forgiven for something, if we need help in overcoming a weakness or a sin, we ask for forgiveness and strength, and then we relax into trusting Allah. Relaxation, of course, does not imply passivity or self-satisfaction. Relaxation, ultimately can bring more energy, hope, and remembrance as we come to know that we are connected to an infinite and abundant Source. Relax into the Remembrance of Hu.