Love -'Love is the Wine'

Love

The essence of God is love and the Sufi path is a path of love. It is very difficult to describe love in words. It is like trying to describe honey to someone who has never tasted or even seen honey, who doesn't know what honey is.

Love is to see what is good and beautiful in everything. It is to learn from everything, to see the gifts of God and the generosity of God in everything, to see the gifts of God and the generosity of God in everything. It is to be thankful for all God's bounties.

This is the first step on the road to the love of God. This is just a seed of love. In time, the seed will grow and become a tree and bear fruit. Then, whoever tastes of that fruit will know what real love is. It will be difficult for those who have tasted to tell of it to those who did not.

Love is a special pleasurable pain. Whoever has this in their heart will know the secret. They will see that everything is Truth, and that everything leads to Truth. There is nothing but Truth. In the realization of that they will be overcome. They will sink into the sea of Truth.

Whatever you taste of love, in whatever manner, in whatever degree -- it is a tiny part of Divine Love. Love between men and women is also a part of that Divine Love. But sometimes the beloved becomes a curtain between love and realization of true love. One day that curtain will lift and then the real Beloved, the real goal will appear in all Divine glory.

What is important is to have this feeling of love in your heart in whatever form and shape. It is also important that you be loved. It is easier to love than to be the beloved. If you have been in love you will certainly reach the Beloved one day.

The gifts of God often come to you from the hands of other human beings, through God's servants. And so, Divine love also expresses itself between human beings.

The sheikhs are the pourers of the wine and the dervish is the glass. Love is the wine. By the hand of the wine pourer, the glass -- the dervish -- is filled. This is the short way. Love could be offered to one by other hands. This is the short way.

Excerpt from 'Love is the Wine'
Tales of a Sufi Master in America By Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak


yours Sajad

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What Sufism Is

Sufism is a way of life in which a deeper identity is discovered and lived. This deeper identity, beyond the already known personality, is in harmony with all that exists. This deeper identity, or essential self, has abilities of awareness, action, creativity and love that are far beyond the abilities of the superficial personality. Eventually it is understood that these abilities belong to a greater life and being which we individualize in our own unique way while never being separate from it.

Sufism is less a doctrine or a belief system than an experience and way of life. It is a tradition of enlightenment that carries the essential truth forward through time. Tradition, however, must be conceived in a vital and dynamic sense. Its expression must not remain limited to the religious and cultural forms of the past. The truth of Sufism requires reformulation and fresh expression in every age.

Reformulation does not mean that Sufism will compromise its challenge to a stubbornly materialistic society. It is and will remain a critic of "worldliness" -- by which it is meant everything that causes us to be forgetful of the Divine reality. It is and must be a way out of the labyrinth of a secular, commercial culture. Most importantly, however, it is an invitation to meaningfulness and well-being.

Sufism, as we know it, developed within the cultural matrix of Islam. The Islamic revelation presented itself as the expression of the essential message brought to humanity by the prophets of all ages. The Qur'an recognizes the validity of 120,000 prophets or messengers who have come to awaken us from our selfish egoism and remind us of our spiritual nature. The Qur'an confirmed the validity of past revelations, while asserting that the original message was often distorted over the course of time.

Sufism's claim to universality is founded on the broad recognition that there is only one God, the God of all people and all true religions. Sufism understands itself to be the wisdom realized by the great prophets -- explicitly including Jesus, Moses, David, Solomon, and Abraham, among others, and implicitly including other unnamed enlightened beings of every culture.

In the Western world today diverse groups exist under the name of Sufism. On the one hand there are those who would say that no true Sufism can exist without appreciation and practice of the principles of Islam. On the other hand some groups exist that more or less ignore the Islamic roots of Sufism and take their teaching from further downstream, from "Sufis" who may or may not have had contact with specifically Islamic teachings.

We could say that there are those who accept Sufism as both form and essence, and there are others who are Sufi in essence but no in form. In my opinion, an appreciation and understanding of the Qur'an, the sayings of Muhammad, and historical Sufism is invaluable to the wayfarer on the Sufi path.

Historically, Sufism was not conceived as separate form the essence of Islam. Its teachers all traced their enlightenment through a chain of transmission going back to Muhammad. While they may have disagreed with certain interpretations of Islam, they never questioned the essential validity of the Qur'anic revelation; nor were they fundamentalists in the sense of rigidly interpreting that revelation or discrediting other faiths. Most often they represented the highest achievements within Islamic culture and were a force of tolerance and moderation.

Over fourteen centuries the broad Sufi tradition has contributed a body of literature second to none on earth. Somehow the guiding principles of the Qur'an and the heroic virtue of Muhammad and his companions provided an impetus that allowed a spirituality of love and consciousness to flourish. Those who follow the Sufi path today are the inheritors of an immense treasure of wisdom literature.

Beginning from its roots at the time of Muhammad, Sufism has organically grown like a tree with many branches. The cause of the branching has usually been the appearance of an enlightened teacher whose methods and contributions to the teaching have been enough to initiate a new line of growth. These branches generally do not see each other as rivals. A Sufi, in some cases, may be initiated into more than one branch in order to receive the grace (baraka) and knowledge of particular order.

There is little cultishness in the work of Sufis. Sufis of one order may, for instance, visit the gatherings of another order. Even the charisma of a particular teacher is always viewed from the perspective that this gift is owed entirely to God. The charisma is valuable in so far as it may bind the hearts of students to a human being who is the truth of the teaching, but many safeguards exist to remind everyone that personality worship and inordinate pride in one's affiliation are forms of idolatry, the greatest "sin."

If Sufism recognizes one central truth, it is the unity of being, that we are not separate form the Divine. The unity of being is a truth which our age is in an excellent position to appreciate -- emotionally, because of the shrinking of our world through communications and transportation, and intellectually, because of developments in modern physics. We are One: one people, one ecology, one universe, one being. If there is a single truth, worthy of the name, it is that we are all integral to the Truth, not separate. The realization of this truth has its effects on our sense of who we are, on our relationships to others and to all aspects of life. Sufism is about realizing the current of love that runs through human life, the unity behind forms.

If Sufism has a central method, it is the development of presence and love. Only presence can awaken us from our enslavement to the world and our own psychological processes. And only love, cosmic love, and comprehend the Divine. Love is the highest activation of intelligence, for without love nothing great would be accomplished, whether spiritually, artistically, socially, or scientifically.

Sufism is the attribute of those who love. The lover is someone who is purified by love, free of himself and his own qualities, and fully attentive to the Beloved. This is to say that the Sufi is not held in bondage by any quality of his own because he sees everything he is and has as belonging to the Source. Shebli said: "The Sufi sees nothing except God in the two worlds."

This book is about one aspect of Sufism -- presence -- how it can be developed and how it can be used to activate our essential human qualities. Abu Muhammad Muta'ish says: "The Sufi is he whose thought keeps pace with his foot -- i.e., he is entirely present: his soul is where his body is, and his body is where his soul is, and his soul where his foot is, and his foot where his soul is. This is the sign of presence without absence. Others say on the contrary: 'He is absent from himself but present with God.' It is not so: he is present with himself and present with God."

We live in a culture that has been described as materialistic, alienating, neurotically individualistic, narcissistic, and yet ridden with anxiety, shame, and guilt. From the Sufi point of view humanity today is suffering under the greatest tyranny, the tyranny of the ego. We "worship" innumerable false idols, but all of them are forms of the ego.

There are so many ways for the human ego to usurp even the purest spiritual values. The true Sufi is the one who makes no claims to virtue or truth but who lives a life of presence and selfless love. More important than what we believe is how we live. If certain beliefs lead to exclusiveness, self-righteousness, fanaticism, it is the vanity of the "believer" that is the problem. If the remedy increases the sickness, an even more basic remedy is called for.

The idea of "presence with love" may be the most basic remedy for the prevailing materialism, selfishness, and unconsciousness of our age. In our obsession with our false selves, in turning our backs on God, we have also lost our essential Self, our own divine spark. In forgetting God, we have forgotten ourselves. Remembering god is the beginning of remembering ourselves.by Kabir Edmund Helminski

http://www.sufism.org/books/livinex.html

yours Sajad

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Thank you all for coming to Zikr!

Salaams to All

Apologies for late start Thursday evening but because of rain many people were delayed but Alhamdulillah we were blessed with Zikr and lovely food afterwards.

Nice to meet brother Dawud who found us through Google, we hope you benefited from the experience and enjoyed the food. If you have any comments we would appreciate your comments below. Thank you again for coming and you are welcome anytime again on a Thursday evening.

Brother Saeed (with the cap) it's good to see you again but you must stay for some food next time for the Baraka of the Zikr and association.

Brother Abdullah (tall English Dervish), what can we say but it is always a blessing to see you when you are in London and not globe-trotting! Seriously, we wish you all the success in your children schools project and may Allah Almighty be happy with you and give you the support you need. For those who would like and can help brother Abdullah please email me and we will explain what needs to be done.

Jazakhallah to Rahil & Auntie Farida for the delicious food and to sister Sidra & your mother for the Halva - there was alot to take home but we finished it quickly!

Inshallah brother Nadeem will be back next week - as he was in Wales and asked us to stand in - we ask for forgiveness for any mistakes made during the Zikr.

We will Inshallah have the Naqshbandi Awrad ready for next week so Sajad can you please remind me and also can you bring the Arabic/Urdu version?

We will be posting more articles soon and appreciate your comments on the posts as and when they come.

Ma Salaama

btw, forget to mention brother Mustapha from BBC World Service - thank you for coming and we hope you found what you came for.

'Manwithcarpets'

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Importance of Spiritual Sufi Meditation – Zikr

Bismillah - Salaams all

Having followed the way of spiritual meditation or the Sufi path of love for many years now, I've travelled the world and am fortunate to have met many Sufi masters of the path and attended many Sufi gatherings. I have received much love and a new way to perceive the vision of God, without being judgmental, and through the eyes of love and tolerance and have found tranquillity in my soul.

We are all in need of understanding and spiritual love of our Lord and many of us, today, have been traumatized in some way by this modern age. Patience has gone “out the window” in the era of technology and it has created anger, frustration, and turbulence for our souls, so that we use escapism with our modern gadgets to keep us busy and fidgeting.

And so, we have lost the ability to stop and reflect any more, the wise say ‘With Silence and reflection is wisdom inherited’ and that is more needed today than ever before.

Most of us are just waking zombies, suffering from loneliness of the soul and we all know there is something missing in our lives. We fill that avoid with some type of materialist wealth which has caused our souls to become traumatized. This has lead to the ‘death of the spiritual heart’ and what is needed to heal the 'spiritual heart' is a spiritual detoxifying or a ‘spiritual retreat’, from the stress of ‘love of wealth’ and this world. This has caused many of the rich to experience a ‘physical death of the heart’ - heart attacks and strokes, called ‘rich disease’.

We are all now running around in our cities full of people, but are all alone - trying to fit in somehow, and yet we still have haven’t discovered that there is more to life then this materialist make-up of denial we are in and hide behind.

We have yet to discover the mysteries and secrets of real love and rapture of the soul and especially the Heart. This is where the ‘chair of wise’ – aql (intellect) is learnt and received. It is our wealth and capital and will be used as the currency for the next world. The poorest of us will be the one who has no spiritual value of love and good manners in their actions to present in the next world.

The door of healing, love and spiritual awakening is to open and enter in the ancient Sufi meditation of breathing of Sufi formulae (Holy recitations). With the support of sitting together (Suhba) through companionship does the heart benefit.

Suhba, or sitting together, our souls unite when meditation of breathing, chanting and reciting the secret ancient names of our Lord, do our souls connect, or spiritual energy, is created. This is the spiritual nourishment or heavenly lights needed for our bodies, minds, souls and peace of heart.

As a fish needs water, our souls need Zikr - Sufi meditation. Without water a fish dies, and without Zikr our hearts will eventually die.

Spiritual energy travels from heart to heart in a gathering which is one of the secrets of being together, or companionship. We connect by supporting each other. We take from each other’s good positive spiritual energy, as all of mankind came from one soul our Father Adam (AS).

Our hearts are like satellite dishes. If they are pointing in the right direction, to the heavens, and are receiving the correct code or Sufi formula, then we will receive heavenly visions and feel tranquillity which is missing so much in our lives.

We need to learn how to breathe again and re-connect, to each other as human beings, allow our hearts to swim in the water of spiritual energy, so our inner eye opens and leads the way. We need to re-awaken our souls and become alive and be at peace again. This can all happen when one sits in the gathering of meadows of Sufi mediation and partakes of their drinks and tastes the spiritual intoxication of love of the Divine.

Yours Sajad

Rich disease ‘is the biggest killer’
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=148679&in_page_id=34

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Secret of Lengthening Kalima - 4000 Sins Forgiven

1.It is related in the hadith: "Whoever says La-e-lahaa ill-al-lah=No gods except The-God (Allah)" and lengthens his pronounciation intending thereby to magnify God, God will forgive for him Four thousand major sins with it, and if he did not commit Four thousand, God will forgive the difference for his family and neighbors. It is related in the hadith: "Whoever says " No god except God" and lengthens his pronounciation intending thereby to magnify God, Four thousand of his sins are forgiven." see article lengthens his pronounciation.

Allah has caused this ayat to be effective as a cure for every sickness, an aid to every kind of healing treatment, a relief from every form of poverty, a shield against the Fire of Hell, and a guarantee of security from degradation, misrepresentation and slanderous accusation, as long as they [His believing servants] keep up the practice of reciting it.

2. Your ‘awra – Nakedness is hidden from Jinns when you say bismillah when you undress or go to the toilet, otherwise they see you nakedness.

On the Day of Resurrection, the members of my Community will be saying: "In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate [Bismillah-ir-rahman-nir-raheem," and so, when their deeds are placed in the balance, their good deeds will outweigh [their bad deeds ]. full Article The Bismillah - 19 letters - also called –[ayatul-aman]. verse of Scripture that Guarantees Protection.

3. Reciting the Opening Chapter (Surah Al-fatiha) with In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, The Compassionate - Bismillah-hir-rahman-nir-raheem in ONE breath without stopping.!

And the reward is;
...... bear witness that I have forgiven him, accepted his good actions and overlooked his evil actions and I will not burn his tongue with the fire and I will protect him from the punishment of grave, the punishment of Fire, the punishment of the Rising and the Greatest Terror. He will meet me before all the Prophets and Saints.

From P174 of Ibn Al-rabi :-The Mysteries of Bearing Witness to the Oneness of God and Prophethood - translated by Aisha Bewley

So Bismillaah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem
Al hamdu lillaahi rabbil 'alameen
Ar-Rahman ar-Raheem Maaliki yaumid Deen
Iyyaaka na'abudu wa iyyaaka nasta'een
Ihdinas siraatal mustaqeem
Siraatal ladheena an 'amta' alaihim
Ghairil maghduubi' alaihim waladaaleen
Aameen - in one breath without stopping ..!

In the name of God, the infinitely Compassionate and Merciful.
Praise be to God, Lord of all the worlds.
The Compassionate, the Merciful. Ruler on the Day of Reckoning.
You alone do we worship, and You alone do we ask for help.
Guide us on the straight path,
the path of those who have received your grace;
not the path of those who have brought down wrath, nor of those who wander astray.

Yours Sajad - ‘man in hooded white cloak’

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Zikr Night at St.Peter's Church Hall

Alhamdulillah there was an abundance of food, as you can see, because of the blessings of last night's Zikr.

Jazakhallah to sister Sidra and your mother and of course Rahil & auntie Farida - both the chicken biryani and halva were fantastic - everyone agreed!

Jazakhallah to Yamin for lovingly preparing his lovely kheer!

We were treated to a brief but resonating Nasheed by brother Nadeem at the end. Mashallah, may the All Giver give you more.

Inshallah, we intend to do more Nasheeds next week and brother Nadeem will be playing the Duff.

Thanks again to bothers from Slough for collecting the food and leading the Zikr again.

We hope to see you all next week or very soon.

Salaams

'Manwithcarpets'

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Nice to See New People on Thursday Zikr Evening

Salaams to All

Thank you to all new people attending! It's nice to see new people coming.

We would very much appreciate your comments about your experience this evening. We hope they are all positive but we can always improve.

Please remember we are trying to invite more people to the Sufi Zikr so please send this blog site to your friends.

Thank you (Jazkhallah Khayr) to Rahil, Auntie & family for the delicious soup, bread and baklava - we were spoilt this evening. May Allah Almighty reward you endlessly for your kindness.

Thank you (Jazkhallah Khayr) also to Nadeem, Sajad & Nahid for making the journey from Slough and leading the Zikr. May Allah Almighty forgive you all and raise your stations for the sake of the Seal of Prophets, Sayyidina Muhammad (SWS).

Sajad - please post this blog site on your website and forum.

Salaams

"manwiththecarpets"

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What is Zikr (Dhikr)?

According to Bukhari, Abu Musa al-Ashcari related that the Prophet (May Peace & Blessings Be Upon Them , Their Companions & Family-SWS) said, "The difference between the one who makes Zikr and the one who doesn't make Zikr is like the difference between the living and the dead."

Zikr is the means by which Stations yield their fruit, until the seeker reaches the Divine Presence. On the journey to the Divine Presence the seed of remembrance is planted in the heart and nourished with the water of praise and the food of glorification, until the tree of Zikr becomes deeply rooted and bears its fruit. It is the power of all journeying and the foundation of all success. It is the reviver from the sleep of heedlessness, the bridge to the One remembered.

The sheikhs strive to remember their Lord with every breath, as the angels are always in the state of Zikr, praising Allah. One of our sheikhs said, "I remembered You because I forgot You for a moment, and the easiest way for me is to remember You on my tongue." If the seeker will mention his Lord in every moment, he will find peace and satisfaction in his heart, he will uplift his spirit and his soul, and he will sit in the Presence of his Lord. The Prophet (SWS) said in an authentic hadith mentioned in Ahmad's Musnad, "The people of Zikr are the people of My presence." So the gnostic is the one who keeps the Zikr in his heart, and leaves behind the attachments of the lower worldly life.

Mention of Zikr in the Holy Qur'an

Zikr is mentioned in many places in the Holy Qur'an, and in most verses, what was meant by the word Zikr is tasbih, glorifying; takbir, exalting; tahmid, praising; and praising and praying upon the Prophet (SWS).

Allah said in Surat al-Baqara, 152: "Remember Me and I will remember you." [2:152]

Zikr polishes the heart and is the source of the Divine breath that revives the dead spirits by filling them with the Blessings of Allah, decorating them with His Attributess, and bringing them from a state of heedlessness to the state of complete wakefulness. If we keep busy with Zikrullah, happiness and peace will be granted to us. Zikr is the key to happiness, the key to joy, and the key to Divine Love.
Mention of Zikr in the Sunnah

The Prophet (SWS) said, "Everything has its polish and the polish of hearts is Zikrullah."

There are many, many other hadith about the benefits and blessings of Zikr such that it is impossible to quote all of them here.

The Types of Zikr

Zikr can be can be done both silently or aloud. The Prophet (SWS) encouraged people to do both kinds. Among the scholars of shari'ah and the Sufi sheikhs, some preferred the loud Zikr and some preferred the silent Zikr.

Loud Zikr

Bukhari narrated that Abu Huraira (r) reported that the Prophet (SWS) said, "If My servant mentions Me in himself, I will mention him in Myself. If he mentions Me in a group, I will mention him in a group in My presence." We understand from this hadith that to mention Allah in a group indicates loud Zikr. Some scholars determined from this that using loud Zikr is permitted.

Bukhari narrated in his book of hadith, that Ibn 'Abbas (r) said, "In the time of the Prophet (SWS) the people used to raise their voices in Zikr."

Bukhari narrated in his book of hadith, that Abu Ma'bad (r), the freed slave of Ibn 'Abbas (r), said: "Ibn 'Abbas told me, 'In the lifetime of the Prophet (s), it was the custom to celebrate Allah's praises aloud after the obligatory congregational prayers.'" Ibn 'Abbas (r) continued, "When I heard the Zikr, I would know that the congregational prayer had ended."

Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi related that as-Sa'ib (r) preported that the Prophet (SWS) said, "Jibril came to me and ordered me to order my Companions to raise their voices in takbir."

In the narration of Imam Ahmad and Tabarani this hadith is continued, describing how the Prophet taught his Companions the Zikr. "'Ibada bin Samit said that the Prophet (SWS) said, 'Is there any stranger among you?' And we said, 'No, Ya Rasul-Allah.' He said, 'Close the door.' Then he said, 'Raise your hand and repeat after me La ilaha illallah' We raised our hand and said, la ilaha illallah. Then the Prophet (SWS) said, 'Praise be to Allah that He sent me to this world with this kalimah, and He ordered me with it, and He promised me the Paradise with it, and He never changes His Promise.' Then the Prophet (SWS) said, 'Be happy! Allah has forgiven you.'"

Jalaladin as-Suyuti mentioned in an article called "Natijat al-Fikr fi Jahri-dh-Dhikr," the Benefits of Loud Zikr, twenty-five authentic hadiths which mention doing loud Zikr.

Silent Zikr

Allah mentioned in Surat al-Araf, 205, "And remember thy Lord in thy self with humility and fear, and without loudness of speech, in the mornings and evenings; and be not of the neglectful." [7:205]

Imam Ahmad narrated, "Abu Huraira reported that the Prophet (s) said that Allah says, 'I am with my servant when he remembers Me and by his remembrance of Me his lips move." Commenting on this hadith, Imam Nawawi said, "Allah is with the one who remembers Him and calls Him in his heart, and calls Him on his tongue, but we must realize that the Zikr of the heart is more perfect. The rememberer made Zikr of the tongue in order to reflect the occurrence of the Zikr in his heart. When the love of Allah and His Remembrance overwhelms the heart and the spirit, the tongue is moved and the seeker brought near."

With the heart remember Allah, secretly from creation, wordlessly and speechlessly.

That remembrance is best of all: out of it flowed the sayings of the saints.

"That is why our Naqshbandi masters have chosen the Zikr of the heart. Moreover, the heart is the place where the Forgiver casts his gaze, and the seat of belief, and the receptacle of secrets, and the source of lights. If it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is unsound, the whole body is unsound, as was made clear for us by the chosen Prophet (SWS).

"Something that confirms this was narrated on the authority of A'isha (r): 'Allah favors Zikr above Zikr seventyfold (meaning, silent Zikr over loud Zikr).

"Also on the authority of A'isha (r): 'The Zikr not heard by the Recording Angels equals seventy times the one they hear.' Bayhaqi narrates it."

For more information on Zikr and references please scroll down to the end of the posts.

Source: Naqshbandi.org

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Zikr This Evening - Sufi Meditation Maida Vale

It was a small group this evening but the Zikr (Sufi Meditation) Mashallah brought many blessings. It was especially sweet when we recited the Holy Names of Allah. The church hall was spiritually packed!

Lovely chicken biryani (was it not?) afterwards. Thanks again to brother Rahil and his family for preparing the food - it was a bit chilly (nose started perspiring) but mashallah very, very nice - Spiritual Food!

Remember everyone, your feedback will help people understand our Zikr, what it means to us and inshallah invite them to try it themselves.

Salaams and see you next week.

'manwiththecarpets'

P.S. Uncle Amjud , if we go to Slough this Saturday we'll call you.

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Sufi Event Added to Local Guardian Website

We need to spread the word around a little...

Here's one link Sufi Event Link to Guardian website

Come on people please email this on to friends and strangers!!

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How was Zikr this evening?

Alhamdulillah, another beautiful Zikr this evening finished off with a delicious peppery soup and chocolate cake by resident 'chefs' brother Rahil and Yamin.

Thank you to brother Sajad for a sincere dua and to brother's Habib and Ibrahim coming from Camden and South London. We hope to see both soon.

We appreciate all your comments so newcomers and people interested in possibly attending our gathering have an idea of the Sufi meditation 'Zikr' experience.

Please don't be shy to contribute.

See you next week inshallah.

Slms

'themanwiththecarpets'

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