Camille Helminski shares an opening blessing for Ramadan. Offered as part of the Ninety-Nine Names of God Ecourse. Watch the video below.

This picture is from Camille's last visit to Mary’s House in Ephesus, Turkey in 2007. Father Tarcy Mathias, the dearest friend of heart, was the priest in residence there for many years and kept so beautifully the sanctuary that it is, for those who come by camel journey, by bird flight, and by heart. He and Camille communicated by letter and below is a copy of his response to receiving a copy of Rumi's Sun. Father Tarcy returned to his Sustainer on Sep 14 2010.

April 4th & 18th

Join us for an online meditation with Shaikh Kabir Helminski, Camille, and other members of the Threshold community. Held on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month at 11am Eastern Time (4pm UK).

Zoom meeting: https://zoom.us/j/435138208
Zoom passcode: threshold

April theme: None of you has faith until you love for your brother or sister what you love for yourself. ~Muhammad (a.s.)

We welcome your reflections on this theme.

~ Peggy Schneider [Oakland, California]

Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim…

It might have been Spring 2010. The big Threshold tour bus was making good time traveling down the road from Senliurfa to Gaziatep. It was there, the Turkish city renowned for its baklava, that we planned to stop for lunch. Upon our arrival, we found ourselves sitting in the banquet room of a five-star hotel. Our hosts were the Rifa’i students of a well-beloved shaikha in Istanbul.

My memory was of Light: the glint off the rim of water glasses; the polished tableware – the plates may well have been edged in gold; the light streaming through the tall windows made even the hosts seem invisible servers too. Their conduct was fluid. Platters of hummus, assorted mezes, fresh fruits and vegetables, kabobs – all seemed to appear miraculously, plate upon plate removed as soon as we had emptied them. Five different tastes of baklava completed the meal – a banquet fit for royalty.

We were just Sufi dervishes, yet our hosts saw differently. To them, we were companions on the Path, human beings maturing together, supporting one another, traveling the same road.

A Mu’min is a mirror for a Mu’min.  
[Hadith, Abu Dawud]

Ibn ‘Arabi in his magnum opus, the Futuuhaat, entitled chapter 394 as “Arrival through Courtesy.” He wrote:

“Courtesy” is nothing but the bringing together of all good. That is why banquet was named ma’daba – because people come together in it for food.

In Chapter 168, Ibn ‘Arabi defines the adib as the one who knows and respects adab. He or she is the wise one, al-hakim. The adib sends the invitation to friends for the banquet to begin. And what is the banquet, the ma’daba? It is the “bringing together of the Good” (jima’ al-khayr).  Jami’, bringing together, is one of the Divine Names of God. It means a collected quality of Being. Adab is the vehicle by which the Good gathers together in a collected state of consciousness. I trust this makes sense, because in modern cultures and societies, our lives so easily tend towards states of dispersal: of energy, resources, knowledge… presence.

Practicing adab is more than just learning to follow rules of proper etiquette. After years of disciplining the mind, carefully attending to details of behavior, suddenly a qualitative shift might occur within a person or a group of friends. Conduct becomes larger than an automatic expectation. It becomes a spontaneous expression of reverence – even pleasure: a desire to serve and defer to the needs of others.

The best are those who, when we see them, bring remembrance of God…
[Hadith, Ibn Majah]

“Right action” eventually results in the unveiling of other crucial qualities on the Path: taqwa (God awareness) and ihsan (beauty). Together they are like three inseparable companions: begin to know and understand one, and the other two tend to want to come along. Adab, though, is where most of us begin, which is the reason lists of rules and expectations exist. It’s a primer for embarking upon the education of the human soul. As we grow in depth and knowledge we truly begin to appreciate the power behind the meaning of the Prophet’s (saw) words:

God taught me courtesy and made my courtesy beautiful.
[Hadith, Suyuti]

Here, again, the reminder that the “three companions” – adab, taqwa, ihsan – inform one another, helping to construct a particular kind of character formation that, with a little bit of grace and much effort, can begin to offer the soul glimpses into higher realities. But the Path begins with the need to learn, practice and appreciate the beauty and relevance of adab.

Another “banquet,” early in my association with Threshold, took place at the Garrison Institute, the retreat center that banks the Hudson River about an hour’s drive north of New York City. A hundred or so friends gathered one morning in what had once been the imposing hall of a Capuchin monastery. We were politely seated in rows, contemporary lecture style, when I began to study the backs of two heads in particular. A man’s and a woman’s. As they shifted positions on their chairs, their facial profiles suggested the conversation had become increasingly animated. Soon the entire room was “opened” to share in their repast.

The man and woman happened to be Egyptians; and the retreat was the occasion for their acquaintance. The woman belonged to the Rifa’i Sufi Tradition while the man was a Mevlevi dervish. They were focused upon the best way to translate the Arabic word tawaasaw. How the last ayah in Surah al-‘Asr had become the focus for discussion, I fail to remember; but their engagement upon this single word became an indelible memory. Tawaasaw… the two were not quite convinced that they possessed just the right English equivalent until both suddenly stopped and looked at one another: “Mutual encouragement!” They had reached agreement. Tawaasaw is to mutually encourage one another in the pursuit of Truth, Patience and, by implication, all the other Divine Names of God.

And in that single moment, the man and woman not only defined the word, but embodied its living form.

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful,
By Time, the declining day,
verily Humankind is in Loss,
except such as have Faith and do wholesome acts and
mutually encourage one another towards Truth and
mutually encourage one another to Patience.
[Surah Al 'Asr, adapted by Peggy Schneider]

The Study Qur’an, edited by Seyyed Hossein Nasr, states in the commentary: “It is said that whenever two Companions of the Prophet would meet they would not part company until one of them had recited al-‘Asr in its entirety and one of them had given greetings of peace to the other.”

Amin.

~ Peggy Schneider lives in Oakland, California, where she tends a garden.

~ David Ginsberg [California, US]

In trepidation of our first approach, we scan each other for the outer signs of “character”; outer courtesies (adab) being the expression of inner discipline. With just that much, we know whether we have witnessed a human or an ego-animal in human form (nafs-ammara). Friendship then matures from reciprocated courtesies that demonstrate mutual respect. Respect is the foundation of friendship. When friends destroy respect, lack of respect destroys friendships.

Respect is what leads inner character toward outer love; "chivalry" (futuwwa) if you will, manifesting in the world as justice, generosity, fairness, concern, empathy and service towards others. It leads us to go out of our way for a friend or a cause (duty, honor) in preference to our ego-tendencies toward laziness, self-gratification and comfort ("undisturbed", Kentucky Bob). In friendship, chivalry is often as imperceptible as “my turn,” and as purposeful as dropping by with chicken soup for a cold on a stormy winter’s day.

When the flame in our heart has been kindled by our friend, the light of love radiates from our shared countenance. Faith, love infused with hope, inspires us that friendship will grow. Our “being love” predominates over our “being right”; petty grievances dissolving in shared joy, laughter and good humor.

Faith develops into trust, and trust into intimacy. Intimacy is not possible without trust, for without trust we will not reveal our secret or the secret of our secret. So lean in closer my friend, and we will whisper:

Friendship shares both intimacies and solitudes: shared solitude is a blessing, loneliness not so much. Speech is meaningless without pauses, and intimacy shares from the gathering of "self" in solitude. There, you can listen to the breathings of The Living One all around you. Whether in the other room or town, we are not alone. Still, this body was made for the touch of hand-in-hand before the grave...

We take off our costume (pretense) that soul may touch soul. Even God wanted to be known (hadith)! In the mystery of friendship, "self" and "other" are meaningless contrivances. Perhaps dual-unity is better? Point to God! Point to other than God! Therein lies the mystery; the Friend.

The parable is told of two lakes becoming one river and emptying into an infinite sea. If the sea has no shore, what are "lakes" and "river"? Point to "lakes"! Point to "river"! Why let the mind draw lines on the ocean? Come my friend; you are already here.

Let's continue this conversation in the language of the birds: Oh, how I long for that intimacy, that silence, that touch of your hand! Together, our time is as precious as rose oil. Apart, I exchange cumin for cumin with the neighbors.

We walk together, heart upon heart, soul upon soul, light upon light, hand upon hand; holding them all in the mirror of our eyes and the touch of a Mevlevi kiss. Hearts fly joyously within hearts— this universe is too small a cage.

We accepted this trust (Qur'an), this intimacy, this love from God. For the "Destur?" of the mountains is the "Hu..." of the human soul. Enter my friend. Take off your pretense and stay awhile; in peace.

~ David is an old dervish wandering the woods, occasionally exchanging heart-horizons for friendship, rose oil or a cup of chai.

We are only 11 days away from the blessed month of Ramadan.

We have eight on-demand ecourses offered through Spirituality & Practice that you can access at any time, currently available at a 30% discount.

We particularly recommend the Ninety-Nine Names of God which was offered during Ramadan a few years ago.

The Compassionate (ar-Rahman), the All-Seeing (al-Basir), the Manifest (az-Zahir). These are but three of the 99 Qualities or “Names” of God intrinsic to the Islamic tradition. This e-course, open to people of all backgrounds, explores the interplay of the Names in our lives and leads us on a journey of discovery and renewal. The Names serve as a doorway to self-knowledge and intimacy with our Sustainer. Focusing on the Names can provide substantial nourishment in realms of heart and soul. Anyone who engages with them in yearning finds a pathway to a deeper connection with Enlivening Spirit. Includes video meditations and audio zhikr by Camille Helminski.

See the full list of available ecourses here.

~ Rahaf Al-Hallaj [California, US]

Friendship and community is the most valuable thing. Through trust and intimacy, it can flower to allow secrets to be told as well as the Truth.

This painting is from Um Sinan's home in Turkey. It describes the friendship and beauty of unity. Only by working on our own selves and seeing our own faults and admitting them and showing them, we can let go of the self to open up to the foundation of servanthood and spirituality. Thanks to the guidance of our master Mevlana and our shaikhs. May it be love.

At Threshold we are continually looking for effective ways to share the beauties of the Sufi path.

Kabir Helminski has selected some of Rumi’s most beautiful and inspiring words to present an overview of the spiritual journey: from mindfulness and presence, to heartfulness, to intimacy with the Divine.

The first quarterly Zoom call is scheduled for April 25th at 11 am East Coast time (4 pm UK time).

REGISTER HERE

Threshold's collaborative blog channel The Living Tradition on Patheos.com has been reaching new audiences and sharing the experiences of our community in a unique and vibrant way for nearly four years. We are now transitioning over to Medium in the coming months, and will be writing under our new publication, Awakening with Rumi.

Recent Articles:

Prophet Muhammad and the Garbage Thrower by Daliah Merzaban

Of the many stories relating the beautiful character of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, the one I’ll call “The Tale of the Trash” has been the most present in my life.

From a young age, my mom would tell me and my sisters this story to describe how the Prophet of Islam acted with mercy. The version in my memory goes something like this:

Muhammad lived in a house, much like ours in Canada, perhaps with a front porch and a small front lawn. There was sometimes a fence around the lawn and sometimes the house was situated along a tree-lined cul-de-sac, depending on where we lived. We moved a lot.

One of the prophet’s neighbours, a grouchy woman with deep frown lines on her forehead, would come by every day rain or shine, and throw a little garbage on his doorstep like she was delivering a morning newspaper. And every morning, the Prophet would go out like he was picking up the paper and carefully collect every piece of trash with his bare hands. Every banana peel and used plastic cup, and dispose of it.

[Read more...]

The Threshold Society, rooted within the traditions of Sufism and inspired by the life and work of Mevlâna Jalâluddîn Rumi, is a non-profit educational foundation with the purpose of facilitating the experience of Divine Unity, Love, and Truth in the world. Sufism is a living tradition of human transformation through love and higher consciousness. Our fundamental framework is classical Sufism and the Qur’an as it has been understood over the centuries by the great Sufis. The Society is affiliated with the Mevlevi Order, and offers training programs, seminars and retreats around the world.

Each month we intend to highlight an article about our lineage and its principles. This month we offer: Basics of Practice in the Threshold Society.