Love Letters to Muhammad (5 of 11)
Everyone who knew you agrees about one thing. “He had a smile of incomparable charm.” Here’s how I see your smile for myself: Warm. Bright. But never the high-beam setting of a salesman or a politician...
Light Through the Wounds of Orlando
Omid Safi reflects on the tragedy of Orlando and the work of compassion and healing that is needed from all of us.
Holistic Islam
I can easily imagine the criticism that will arise from the title Holistic Islam, the title of a book of ours that will likely be published in 2017. Some will accuse us of trying to adapt Islam to a fashionable trend of modern society. Some will say there is no need for any word in front of Islam because Islam is the true religion and there is nothing about Islam that needs to change.
Love Letters to Muhammad (4 of 11)
I want to ask you about that strange, unsettling episode in your life I’ve only seen in the religious biographies – the story about your heart being taken out of your body. . .
Sacred Earth, Sacred Self
Writing in the Times of India for Earth Day, Shaikh Kabir explores how to experience the Self in harmony with the magnetic field of Mother Earth. Download the full article...
Leader of 1.3 Billion People Honors Sufism at World Sufi Forum
“Sufism reflected the universal human desire to go beyond the practice and precepts of religion for a deeper unity with the Almighty. And, in that spiritual and mystical enquiry, Sufis experienced the universal message of the Almighty: That perfection in human life is reflected in the qualities that are dear to God. That all are creations of God; and, that if we love God, we must also love all his creations. For the Sufis, therefore, service to God meant service to humanity."
The Foundations of Heartfulness in Islam
The purpose of human life can be stated as: to attain the knowledge of Reality. Everything that is given to human beings through revelation is to guide us to knowing our true selves and through our selves to attain the knowledge of all the dimensions of reality. We are in the process of becoming the non-judging, objective witness, al Shahid. . .
The Weapons of Beauty
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 Joyous Disciplines of Dervishood
ONE DAY as I was having a cup of tea outside a small hotel in Istanbul, I noticed that the street was named Dervishlersokak, which means “alley of the dervishes.” At that very moment, a man pulling a cart stacked high with sacks of chickpeas passed by, a single man carrying the kind of burden [...]
De-Programming
I was talking with a friend here in Kauai who is doing some important research in what I call the “matrix”. He said, “The work I want to do now for society can best be described as de-programming.” It struck a chord in my own heart as I realized that on the Sufi Path we [...]