Plenary talk by Shaikh Kabir at the Sufi World Forum in New Delhi, India, where he spoke about the weapons of beauty, friendship, music, poetry, and continual remembrance of Allah, and the urgent need to honor and empower women.
The purpose and value, then, of Rumi’s wisdom at this defining moment of human civilization is to orient us toward that which is completely and essentially human at a time when we are in danger of forgetting the meaning and purpose of our humanness.
Sufism is based on certain premises that are unfamiliar, if not foreign, to our contemporary environment in which transcendent realities have been relegated so far to the background of life that they are effectively ignored: The first of these is the idea that the soul itself needs to be educated and trained. . .
Kabir & Camille, as part of the group, Ruby (including Erika Luckett & Lisa Ferraro), read a poem and perform their original song "Little by Little" based on a Ghazel by Rumi.
Mevlevis consider murāqabah to be the attainment of the station (maqam) of Ihsan (the gift of benevolence granted by God). They understand it as entering a state (hal) of perpetual proximity and nearness to God, and of coming permanently into His presence. This becomes an ongoing part of the dervishes' spiritual lives.
October's theme. Acceptance is a beginning, a point of departure, as well as the culmination of Heartfulness. Imagine that you are a refugee fleeing your homeland with no more than what you can carry with you. What will give you the strength to carry on? There is nowhere else to begin than with acceptance of where we are right now. We begin by seeing ourselves and our circumstances accurately, seeing things as they actually are in the present. With conscious consent to what is at this moment we can know that this is the center of true beginning where infinite divine Mercy meets our finite self.
September's Theme. The mystics endeavor to make Him their companion in all their spiritual states, insofar as they are able. When God discerns that attitude in them, He is merciful by causing them to attend no longer to their own weakness or strength in whatever they undertake or leave aside. Muhammad’s faith community is therefore characterized by liberality and ease…. This facilitation of every situation is made possible only through the contemplative vision of which I have spoken. ~Ibn Abbad of Ronda
Excerpts from a talk given by Shaikh Kabir at City Circle, Bloomsbury, London, Sept 2, 2015. Egoism is the great corrupter of all human endeavors, including, and tragically, religion. Any true spirituality should methodically lead to the reduction of egoism and self-righteousness. Egoism is the ultimate idolatry, or shirk in Quranic terms, because it places the human nafs in the center instead of God. The out-of-control nafs, engorged on its own self-righteousness, justifies acts of extreme aggression and ugliness. Swelling with insane pride, exulting in finding an outlet for its rage, it spreads fitna, tribulation, and breaks the hearts of the true Muslims.
Late on Saturday night of the recent retreat, "The Alchemy of Character," Kabir gave this short talk about the essentials of the inner life. Within each human being is a witnessing silence, a space beyond thought and emotional reactions, and it is from this state that we can truly practice, worship, and attain communion with the Divine.
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At the recent San Francisco retreat, "The Alchemy of Character," Dr. Sara Winter spoke about the tendency to avoid ego development needs and the messier issues of our lives through spiritual bypass, i.e. a state of premature transcendence, trying to circumvent the developmental issues of the self in the name of spirituality. Unresolved emotional issues and wounds can sabotage spiritual practice, interfering with our meditation and zhikr.