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The Seven Rivers of Damascus

I remember vividly my first impression of Asad Ali as he opened the door of his home. This “Arab ascetic” was dressed in a stylish white suit and greeted us with a broad smile and a flamboyant “Salaam! Salaam!” We were about to enter a new world of cultivated meaning, high conversation, and spiritual refinement. It is said that the high art of the Arab is rhetoric, and in Damascus, we witnessed a love of language and mystical discourse greater than anything we had so far experienced.

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Mawlana Asad Ali

1937-2026

On February 6 we received word that our beloved mentor, guide, and inspiration, Dr. Asad Ali had passed away. This spiritual friendship began in 1989 when, by an extraordinary set of circumstances, Camille and I were invited to travel to Damascus to meet this great friend of God, scholar, and literary figure.

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Niyazi Sayin

Proportion, Beauty, and the Divine: Kabir Helminski in Conversation with Peter Gould on Design as Spiritual Practice

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Threshold Ilahi Project – “See What Love Has Done to Me”

This album is a heartfelt offering from the Threshold Sufi Music Ensemble, recorded in Istanbul under the guidance of Kabir Dede and a circle of devoted musicians. It brings together fifteen ilahis—traditional Sufi songs—from the living Mevlevi tekke tradition, arranged across five classical maqams. The pieces are intended to be listened to in sequence, evoking [...]

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The Idea of Spiritual Training

From The Knowing Heart The role of a Sufi teacher in modern culture is analagous to an athletic coach who would like to train people to develop their abilities to an Olympic level. He would have been educated for this and have the appropriate degree. Without necessarily being the greatest athlete himself, he would be [...]

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