Path: ultra.sonic.net!news From: tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com (haramullah) Newsgroups: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.islam.sufism,alt.sufi,alt.religion.gnostic,talk.religion.misc,alt.consciousness.mysticism,alt.religion.islam Subject: Sufism and Islam Date: 12 Jan 1999 12:37:52 -0800 Organization: Sonoma Interconnect,Santa Rosa,CA(us),http://www.sonic.net Lines: 88 Message-ID: <77gbr0$jm9@bolt.sonic.net> Reply-To: tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com NNTP-Posting-Host: bolt.sonic.net X-Newsreader: NN version 6.5.1 (NOV) Xref: ultra.sonic.net alt.magick.tyagi:15239 alt.islam.sufism:5247 alt.sufi:3454 alt.religion.gnostic:12040 talk.religion.misc:275011 alt.consciousness.mysticism:24766 alt.religion.islam:145747 98/07/19 IIIom assalam alaykum, my kin. there is no god but the One. Syed Abdul-Vakeel Imran : # ...I joined this list to understand the contribution of Sufism in # the cause of Islam.... I am no Muslim, but I hope to be a muslim. I am no Sufi, but I hope to be a sufi. low and ignorant am I, though I hope that Allah will inspire this poor heart to reflect a glimpse of love. # take a more active participation in these discussions so that I can # understand the intricacies of the Tariqa. an act which bespeaks courage and wisdom already. # 1) Is it neccessary to have a Shaikh to guide you? Because as I learnt # from the different threads of discussion going on, Sufism is a way of # following your own heart towards the truth. it is necessary to have a guide in order to be sure that the Journey has been undertaken. at some point the guide interiorizes and is infused with the Prophet's wisdom, the Glorious One providing signs and omens. the heart (qalb) is a very important means of discerning the ravings of the Adversary from the whispered wisdom of the One. with guidance we are enabled to tell the difference, with continued diligence in listening carefully to the heart-wisdom, we are enjoined to submit to the One completely in all we may do. # 2) Everything about the path seems inherent with duality. Good is # evil and evil is good. Then what is the distinction between good # and evil? at first we bite into the Apple from the Tree of Knowledge and think ourselves capable of telling the Good from the Evil, but really we are blind to everything but the conditioning of religions and governments. if we undertake the Journey we will carry this bias with us, tempered by the expert hand of the guide. later, if we are dedicated and compassionate, we will begin to taste of the values of the Absolute. in this blissful glimpse, we will see the Divine Plan, understand that all beings and objects have an important role in the Cosmic Drama, and we will look more fondly upon them, understanding that what we thought were Good and Evil were just our own judgements from instructed bias. still later, if we are perserverant and humble, we will come to know the Will of the One, the Winds of the Creator and Destroyer, the spirit of the known world. from the currents in these Winds we will begin to see the Good and the Evil not from moral but from a personal and ethical vantage point, and, opening the Sail of our Will, our intuitive rudder will allow us to steer the Straight Course into the arms of the Beloved. # 3) The early Shaikhs of Sufism were well versed in the Quraan, # Sunnah and the Shariah. They used Sufism as a common language # between the Muslims and the non-muslims, a sort of bridge. But # some threads here pointed out that Sufism existed before Islam. I have grown accustomed to ignore this type of question within this elist. others have responded far more wisely than I could ever do. not being an historian or scholar of history, I cannot comment without making a fool of myself. # 4) What is the contemporary role of Sufism in Islam and vice versa? the role of Sufism in Islam is to function as a refiner of the individual in the perfection of submission to the One. the role of Islam in Sufism is meaningless, since Sufism is infused within Islam completely or it cannot really be called Sufism. the Glorious One is the Final Prophet. peace be with you, haramullah tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com -- tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com (emailed replies may be posted); cc me replies; http://www.abyss.com/tokus; http://www.luckymojo.com/mojocatSPELLS.html