By Kabir Helminski

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"These illuminating discourses, covering a wealth of themes relating to the inner life, open an accessible and refreshing window to the mature practical spirituality within the living tradition of Sufism. Rooted in the spontaneous guidance and connection of hearts that occurs in the healing and nurturing practice of sohbet, they carry the direct, immediate and intimate voice of that quality of spoken language that is not distanced by abstraction, encumbered by complexity, or entangled in the knots of the rational mind. This is the work of an authentic teacher who helps us in sincerity and love to reflect deeply on our inner states within the concrete reality of our daily lives and by so doing to come ever closer to our longed-for awareness of Divine Unity."

~ Jeremy Henzell-Thomas, essayist and former Visiting Fellow at the Centre of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge

The interpretation of a sacred text is true if it stirs you to hope, activity, and awe. ~ Mevlana

We welcome your reflections on this theme.

Our last Sunday meditation included a special visit to Medina with Donia Fahim, with reflections on the power of the salawat and our love of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Watch the video here.

Some salutations on the Prophet:

Allahumma sali ala Sayidna Muhammad, miftah bab rahmet Allah,

O Allah, send Your blessings on our Master Muhammad, the key to the door of (Your) Allah’s Mercy,

Adda ma fih ilm Allah,

The number of times (contained in) amounting to the knowledge of Allah,

Salatan wa sallaman da’imayn be dawam mulk Allah,

With salutations and peaceful blessings that are constant/ongoing/never stopping in the same way Allah’s reign continues,

Wa ala alihi wa sahbihi adda kul tharatin alf marra.

And on his family and companions equal to the number of all atoms (in existence).

~ Transliteration and translation by Donia Fahim.

Whoever has rose gardens to feast and dwell within,
      why should he or she linger drinking wine in a fiery furnace?
The pure spirit’s home is the seventh heaven;
     it’s the worm that finds its home in dung.
The purifying cup is for the God-intoxicated;
     briny water is the drink for birds that are blind. . . .
Those who lack real faith are satisfied with painted pictures
     of the prophets;
but having known the brilliance of those moons,
     we aren’t interested in shadows.
The person of the prophet sits here,
     while his other body is in heaven, like the moon.
This mouth of his discourses with those beside him,
     while that mouth intimately whispers with the Beloved.
His outward ear apprehends these words,
     while his spiritual ear draws close the mysteries of Being.
His outward eye apprehends human forms and features,
     while his inward eye is dazzled by the Face of that Friend.
Here his feet stand evenly in the row of worshippers within the mosque,
     there he circumambulates the heavens.
Every part of him is reckoned in this way:
     here within Time, there Eternity’s companion.
One of his names is “owner of the two realms”;
     another is “Imam of the two places of prostration.”
Religious seclusion and fasting no longer are his obligation.
     His infidelity has become faith and disbelief has disappeared.
Like the letter alif, he stands foremost by his rectitude;
     nothing of his qualities remains.
Putting aside the garment of his own weaving,
     his spirit has gone, naked, to the One who gives it increase.
Since naked he arrived in the presence of that incomparable King,
     He has woven him a holy raiment.
Putting on that robe of noble qualities,
     spirit flew from the pit to the palace of majesty.
That’s the way it is: when dregs become pure, lightening, they rise.

~ “A Prophet’s Qualities” is excerpted from The Mathnawi of Jalalu’ddin Rumi, translated by Nicholson, pp. 215-216, (V:3593-3616), adapted by C. Helminski.

from Rumi and His Friends, Stories of the Lovers of God
Selected and Translated by Camille Adams Helminski and Susan Blaylock

In remembrance of Mevlana, on the recent occasion of his birthday (September 30th), we recognize how much he understood the power of words. A healer of hearts, minds, and bodies, he knew the power of prayer and the witnessing of Divine Reality, as is possible when we align through our attestation in word and deed, by heart. We offer here a passage from Rumi and His Friends, Stories of the Lovers of God; watch for the new e-book version forthcoming in December, Inshallah. Allahu Alam! Ya Shafi!

Healing Words
[226b]  

The sultan of teachers, Shaikh Shamsuddin of Mardin (May God have Mercy on him), told us that once one of the dervishes was ill with a fever, and they came to tell Mevlana.

“Write this on a piece of paper,” Mevlana ordered: “O Umm-Muldam! Mother of the Fever! If you have faith in God, don’t give us headaches, devour our flesh, or drink our blood. Be gone from me, and whoever is ill! Look for someone else who is in denial of the Reality. I am declaring: ‘There is no god but God, and Muhammad is His servant and messenger (La illaha il Allah, Muhammada Rasulillah).’ Immerse the paper in water. Then give the water to the invalid to drink, and he or she will be healed.”

The sick person drank the liquid and was cured with God’s help.

Mevlana would also write three words— ‘Adhan (“call to prayer”), ‘idhn (“permission”) and pesin (“behind”)—on three cloves of garlic, or if these weren’t tolerable, on three almonds. Then he would give that to the sick person who would be healed in three days.

The Spirit’s Longing
[227]

That glory among saints and reciter of the Mathnawi, Sirajuddin (May the Mercy of God be upon him), our teacher,  told us:

Mevlana constantly repeated three verses, which he taught to Husamuddin, and he said, “Learn them by heart, as I have, as a remembrance from my shaikh, Sayyid Burhanuddin Mohaqqiq of Tirmidh (May the Mercy of God be upon him).” The three verses were:

The spirit has its origins in the Light of God’s Throne,
while the human body consists of the dust of the earth.

The Almighty has established a harmony between them,
so that they might receive His Trust
and have the strength to bear all hardships.

The spirit is in exile, while the body is in its own country;
have pity then on this spirit, that is a stranger,
filled with longing and far from home.

Mevlana wept and then said:

“Say to the one who is troubled, keep searching,
but try as you might you’ll never find a beloved as sublime as This!’”

And a portion of prayer of Mevlana’s for these times:

“O God, You who are Eternal, the First and the Last, keep me occupied with that which draws me closer to You, and help me to avoid the things that take me away from You—O God, You who are Infinitely Compassionate, Infinitely Merciful, in the Name of Your Mercy, O Most Noble and Generous.”

~ Shakira Shatoff [St. Louis, USA]

Our beloved Mevlana is inviting us again and again to wake up to the Vibration of Love. He gives us a taste of that wakefulness:

Your fragrance is always with me.
Your Face never leaves my sight.
Day and night I’ve been longing for You.
My life is spent, but my desire for You remains.

[Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi: Quatrain 450, The Rumi Daybook]

Why did it take so many decades to wake up and stay awake—to step out of autopilot into “Allah pilot?” How do we stay awake? How do we put that vain thinking to sleep?  

I clearly remember the day about two decades ago when a commitment was made, “I will not fall asleep again.” Looking over my life, I saw periods of intense spiritual yearning but also years of being totally asleep at the wheel, caught up in career and family and less than wholesome endeavors. Astaghfirullah!

In the early 2000’s, a dear friend gifted me with a little book and card set titled Rumi: The Path of Love, with translations by Camille and Kabir Helminski. No words can describe the impact of Mevlana’s words. Past yearnings resurfaced like a geyser and I found myself reading and deeply contemplating his words over and over. They brought deep contentment, a feeling of holiness, and a knowing that, “This is the Truth.” I was awakened and Mevlana began to teach me how not to fall back asleep.

The gift of Mevlana’s words were only the beginning of the gifts that followed, like packages from FedEx during Covid. May I gently warn you: if you pray to be awakened and make a sincere commitment, you may at times feel overwhelmed with all the gifts and growing responsibilities that arrive. At times, I feel, “This is too much, my Beloved!” This path of awakening is not for the faint of heart!

I am so grateful to Allah for helping me stumble upon the path of Mevlana, our beloved teachers – Kabir Dede and Camille Ana – and then, alhamdullilah, the Path of Islam. It was all by Divine accident.  

One of the most beautiful sayings of our Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, is “To know yourself is to know your Lord.” The guidance to deepen my knowledge and train to be spiritually “awake” was intensified a few years back with a practice of two years of night vigils (2–3 hours a night, 4–7 days week). I came to realize that these night vigils are special invitations on this ongoing path of spiritual awakening. They would not have been possible when raising young children and were a gift and a sacred remedy at the right time.

The pain and sacrifice of being awake in the wee hours (while working full time and holding the responsibilities we all hold) is richly rewarded with deep insights and guidance for how to live more heartfully and truthfully. There are many exquisitely beautiful, spiritual “Aha!” moments leading me back to spiritual wakefulness.

A recent night vigil stands out as an example, which followed a heartbreak in a friendship. In the dark of night vigil, with my Beloved at my side, I asked, “Have I ever behaved like my friend is behaving?” The answer came quickly, “Yes!” I have also been judgmental or dismissive when feeling hurt, misunderstood, or embarrassed. The grief, loss, and sadness of the situation was intense. I gently said, “This is the spiritual fire (gold is always found in the ashes). Just trust it; there is a lesson to be learned here. Stay open and patient.”  

Zhikr became my companion – “Ya Ghafur, O You, the All-Forgiving, may I be forgiving and forgiven; Ya Wadud, the Most Loving One, may I stay in a place of love; Ya Sabur, The Most Patient One, may I be patient and accept any outcome, may this heart surrender.”  

After a long time of witnessing and being present with the pain, it began to lift like a mist at dawn, being transformed into “What would love do for Shakira here?  What would love do for my friend?” It was as if the Beloved was saying, “Shakira’s heart is very important here too.”  The intense pain evaporated into love and this one immediately knew she wanted to send a loving message the next day, inviting the friend to coffee to talk about how we might move forward with love. The message was sent and a response was received but the invitation to talk was declined. While the relationship is over, the peace and contentment of that night with the Friend have remained in my heart.

While sometimes painful and challenging, night vigils are usually deeply peaceful and extraordinarily beautiful. The only way to describe it is to say they are often like stumbling with exhaustion out of bed to nurse your infant child and then quickly falling boundlessly in love with this precious gift from Allah. The shock of being awakened quickly abates and sweet companionship reigns. In the presence of this Most Intimate Friend, I have come to understand I must face each and every challenge with love, for both myself and the other, day in and day out, or risk being summoned back to sleep. Night vigils keep me in that sweet Vibration of Love.

“Our Lord descends to the lowest heaven in the last third of every night, and He says: “Who is calling upon me that I may answer him? Who is asking from Me that I may give to him? Who is seeking my forgiveness that I may forgive him?”  

[Hadith, Sahih Bukhari 1094]

Words that accompany my heart every day are the words of our Beloved Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, “O Allah, help me to remember You, help me to thank You, and help me to serve You in the best of ways.” O Allah, may this head be lifted again and again into spiritual wakefulness.

~ Shakira is a dervish serving as a psychologist and marital and family therapist and leader of the St. Louis, Missouri Threshold Sohbet group. She is forever indebted to Mevlana, Dede and Ana, and all of the dear companions on this path.

~ Amira Abd El-Khalek

I travelled to Cairo last month for a short visit to see my family. While I was there, I found my very first Pocket Rumi on a bedroom shelf where I keep my most precious books. I realised then that it had been with me long before I met Kabir Dede and Camille Ana. I have had the first, light blue edition of the Pocket Rumi since May 2001, and I met Kabir Dede for the first time at a Threshold circle gathering in London a good ten years later in March 2011. The second edition of the Pocket Rumi, published in 2014, also sits on that shelf at home; and now, where I currently work and reside, the newest edition is the one I read from. All three books are close companions of the heart and soul.

I was fortunate enough to do my graduate studies and later teach at the American University in Cairo. So, from the mid-nineties to around 2007, I had access to various editions and translations of Mevlana Rumi’s poetry available at the university library and bookshop. What I was not able to buy, I borrowed from the library again and again. Love is a Stranger and The Rumi Collection were quite familiar to me then, as were many others. It also helped that Shems Friedlander, Sufi scholar, photographer and filmmaker, was a professor at AUC at the time and I believe many of the available titles on Sufism and spirituality were his recommendation. Being there, I was able to attend the screenings of his documentaries on the whirling dervishes and Sufi tariqahs. The books and films brought me closer to Rumi and to the Mevlevi path.

Kabir and Camille’s translations of Rumi spoke to me with a clarity that felt as if the words were addressing me directly and I found myself drawn towards Mevlana in ways I could not yet comprehend. I used to borrow the library books and go to the neighbourhoods of Old Cairo with a friend. We would tread lightly up the spiral minaret of Ibn Tulun, an exquisite minaret modeled on that of the Great Mosque of Samarraa in Iraq, and read from there. We would go through the different poems, try to make sense of them, and wonder who this great Rumi was, this sage who touched us so deeply. We would talk of Khalil Gibran, of other Arab and European writers and poets, we would touch upon verses of Ibn Arabi and Al-Niffari and Hallaj, sometimes the teachings of Imam Ali. It was a journey of discovery and sweet encounters.

The cultural events at the time were rich and I was becoming curious about Sufism as different from mainstream religion. Egypt is a country invariably rich with Sufi tariqahs but this was something I was only beginning to grasp. With friends, I would go to different moulid celebrations of venerated saints in the popular neighbourhoods of Cairo or attend oud and ney performances in elegant music halls. A mystical universe was unfolding before me, one thing leading to another, and it felt entrancing.

I would often visit the Mevlevi Semahana in the heart of Cairo, a space I loved dearly; one where I could feel an incredible sense of peace. The place I would often return to, though, was Ibn Tulun. It is the second oldest mosque in Egypt, and one of the sanctuaries of my youth. I would spend hours atop the minaret with the poetry of Rumi. One of my favourite poems then was ‘You and I’. My imagined verandah would be the minaret, the garden’s beauty, an immense urban landscape of a city infused in history, the flowing water of the Nile, trudging through it, nourishing it with Life. I could sense a proximity to the pigeons soaring over the rooftops, heading home as the sun would begin its descent on this timeless city of wonders. In those moments, I too felt that I was home. Truly home.

I traveled all over Egypt back in the day and the Pocket Rumi would usually accompany me. The poems would cause my friends and I to ponder and reflect; sometimes at a campfire in the moonlit desert, sometimes by the Nile, often by the sea. One of the first poems, that drew me to Mevlana and to his words and teachings was ‘The Root of the Root of Your Self’. I believe it is this poem that resolutely led me to the path. Kabir Dede read it recently at one of the Sunday Meditation sohbets, almost twenty years after I had first encountered it in that little blue book. I felt an acknowledgement, in a sense, of where I have been so far, and where I am at this moment.

The heart knows the path it is going to tread and has faith that it is the path of Love, of Truth. We get entangled in the threads of this life we live in, but the heart knows its way and leads us intuitively to where we belong. I find it increasingly difficult to get to the root of the root of my self, let alone scratch its surface. I have to constantly be reminded that this inner jihad is but a lifelong quest.

My visits to Egypt now are always fleeting. I have lived and worked in various countries over the past decade and I continue to carry that precious little book with me. As I reflect upon the path and the journey so far taken, I feel immense gratitude for all those blessed stepping-stones along the years that, through Divine Grace and Infinite Mercy, have subtly guided me here; to a space beyond place and time that I can call home. How could I have known then, that I was only being led where I needed to be?

~ Amira is an aspiring dervish on the Path of Love. She currently resides in Turkey, in close proximity to Mevlana Rumi and Hz. Shams of Tabriz.

Camille Helminski will be offering a meditation as part of this online weekend festival celebrating women of spirit. Organised by RAY of God, Camille joins an incredible array of awesome women from many faiths and backgrounds, sharing their experiences of finding their voice, shaping the narrative, and reclaiming sacred space. While the festival is women-led and women-centred, all genders are welcome to join for a weekend of conversation, meditation, prayer, and music.

More details here.

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 Daylight Time (4pm BST).

Allah will not ask from anyone more than He has bestowed. Surely, after hardship Allah will bring ease.
لا يُكلّفُ اللهُ نَفْساً إلَّا مَا آتَاهَا سيجعلُ اللهُ بعد عُسرٍ يُسْراً
[Sūrah aṭ-Ṭalāq 65:7]

How will we endure? We will endure with Rahman, The Divine Compassion & Mercy. We must carry each other. “All believers are brothers/sisters.”

God says, “I am in you. Where are you?” We must find Spirit within ourselves, as Love.

Join us on Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/435138208

[If you have not used Zoom before, please allow time to install and test the software before the meeting time. Click the above link and you will be prompted to download.]

Watch all the previous meditations on our YouTube channel.

Our apologies that last month we provided a mistaken link to dear Hamida’s instagram. Here is the correct link; please visit: www.instagram.com/__quran__daily
(That should take one to a site with a mother and little boy reading the Quran in the profile pic)

Hamida Battla, a retired physician from Orlando, Florida, and a long time friend of Threshold, has started a daily Quran Instagram: @__quran__daily to share her love of the Quran and all the words of wisdom within it. We are so grateful for all her creative inspirations!

We invite you to visit  @__quran__daily and share with those who would appreciate it.

Choose any three items from this list of paperback books and CD’s

and receive all three at the discounted price of $25 including shipping.

Or choose one hardcover book and two of any of the others for $30 including shipping.

Ship to yourself or to cheer a friend.

(See our bookstore pages for item descriptions)

Hardcover books:

Jewels of Remembrance; The Rumi Collection.

Paperback book options:

Unseen Rain; Love Is a Stranger; The Light of Dawn; Inspirations on the Path of Blame; Happiness without Death.

CD’s

Praise by Ahmet Tijani and friends; Embracing Both Worlds (Music of Sema)

Awaken the heart with the wisdom & practice of Sufi spirituality

"This app is filled with gorgeous wird & dhikr. Each one is like a love letter from God directly to my soul. If you find yourself in need of reflection, guidance, or solace, this app will guide you to spiritual healing & regrowth, inshAllah."

The purpose of HeartSpace is to awaken the consciousness of the heart through the wisdom and practice of Sufi spirituality. It is through the heart that a human being can experience the peace, inner strength and sense of well-being that comes through spiritual practice. True spirituality is based on experience more than beliefs. HeartSpace offers an introduction to traditional principles and practices shared across Sufi lineages. HeartSpace is not meant to replace lived spiritual guidance, but is intended to be an opening or a complement to your spiritual journey. All praise and thanks be to the Sustainer of the Universe.

More details here.

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: Practical Aspects of Dervishood by Mahmoud Mostafa.

For me, dervishhood is a total commitment to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet, Mevlana Rumi, Shams, and all the blessed ones who traveled the way of love. There are many aspects to this following and over the years it has been shown to me that the sincerity of commitment to this path is manifest in knowing that one is a servant and living one’s life in this truth. What are the practical aspects of this way of living? For me there are several dimensions, there is a state of being, an active practice, a quality of self-reflection and self-knowing, and a way of conduct in daily life.

[Read more…]

Threshold's collaborative blog channel The Living Tradition on Patheos.com is reaching new audiences and sharing the experiences of our community in a unique and vibrant way.

Let us know what you think by commenting on the posts — join the discussion at www.patheos.com/blogs/livingtradition and "follow" The Living Tradition.

Oct 6 & 20: Sunday Online Meditation, more details    (KC)

Nov 1: RAYFEST online festival, more details   (C)

Events with Kabir (K) & Camille (C)

We’d love to hear from you — get in touch at eyeoftheheart@sufism.org

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