Sufism: an inquiry - Vol17.1

an inquiry

Vol.17N.1 2015 Sufism Symposium The Source and Reality of Being The Abstract Hidden within the Boundary of Nature The Higgs Field & the “God Particle” Practical Sufism Poetry of Rumi On Listening On Love

The Mystery of Eternity is wrapped within You a seed of virtue, compassion, knowledge and balance International Association of Sufism Publication

Steve Uzzell photography

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Sufism: An Inquiry Vol XVII, No. 1

“Your heart is between two fingers of Allah: He firms it. He changes it. The measure of everything is in the Hand of Allah: He raises you and lowers you. The story of Myself and you is like that of a man who starts a fire.

When moths fly toward the fire, they fall into it and die. I am holding your belt so you won’t fall into the fire, but all of you are running away from my Hand.”1

The story of my rapturous love confusion to your thoughts.

Deliverance Words fromBrings the Prophet Mohammad, Translated

by Nahid Angha, Friend, become annhilated Ph.D. International Association of Sufism Publications, 1995, p. 96, As an eternal lover, Become ruin and naught, Then, and only then Your story becomes a sweet legend, A fantasy, a dreamlike love.

- Rumi

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The world's longest running journal on Sufism 30 years of service toward cultivating peace and understanding in the world Since its founding in 1983, the International Association of Sufism has been proud to be a home for Sufis, spiritual seekers, and people of all kinds devoted to uplifting the quality of humanity around the globe. Over the last three decades, the IAS has been blessed with phenomenal growth and has worked hard to be a leader in a wide range of areas. Among the longest running of its traditions of service is our journal, Sufism, An Inquiry, which we first published in 1987. Since that time, Sufism, An Inquiry has been a living reflection of the dynamic energy and growing global community of Sufis and searchers who are deeply engaged in the work of the IAS. Over 60 volumes, the pages of Sufism, An Inquiry have championed women’s rights and the work of the Sufi Women Organization; published scientific inquiries ranging from the physiology of heart math to the latest findings of astronomers; shared new translations of classic works of Sufi literature previously unavailable in English; offered works by leading psychologists on human development and the spiritual path, reported on human rights and other diplomatic movements ranging from the work of the United Nations to interfaith organizations such as the United Religions Initiative; explored the cultural gifts of world religions diversely embodied around the planet; and provided insight into a wide variety of effective practices for spiritual development. As a whole, the tradition at Sufism, An Inquiry of featuring the work of great teachers, scholars and scientists from a wide variety of global perspectives, historical contexts and fields of specialization runs deep and strong throughout our journal’s history and shall continue to grow far into the future.

Since the time the IAS first began publishing Sufism, An Inquiry, the world has also gone through an amazing transformation full of new opportunities and new challenges. One notable dimension in which the world has changed completely is the world of media under the influence of the internet and high technology. Just as the IAS has been at the forefront of leadership efforts for peace, human rights and equality, religious freedom and international cooperation, critical to meeting the opportunities and challenges of our changing world, today the IAS is proud to announce that it is relaunching Sufism, An Inquiry in a new online, digital format that will make it more dynamic and more accessible than ever to a worldwide population. We look forward to developing video content, mp3 audio files, social interactivity, links to websites with related content, and a beautiful full-color layout. At the same time, we plan to offer the journal, not just online, but in print, in downloadable pdf format, and in other formats readable on e-readers.

To all our readers who have added so much to our community over these many years, we wish to extend our great appreciation for making us part of your life and we extend to you and to all our enthusiastic invitation to journey with us into this new and exciting period of growth for our journal.

We hope you will enjoy this, our inaugural issue in our new online, digital format! Let us know what you think in an email to: pubs@ias.org.

Peace to you and yours,

Sufism, An Inquiry Editorial Staff, The International Association of Sufism Sufism: An Inquiry Vol XVII, No. 1

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Publisher: International Association of Sufism a nonprofit corporation.

Editor-in-Chief: Seyyed Ali Kianfar, Ph.D. Executive Editor: Nahid Angha, Ph.D. Journal Board: Hamid Edson, Ali Haji, Halima Haymaker, Munir Hedges, Elizabeth Miller, Safa Ali Newman, Hamed Ross, Taher Roybal, Sarah Hastings Mullin.

Photography:

Susan W. Lambert

www.SusanWLambert.com

Steve Uzzell

www.SteveUzzell.com

Inside Cover Photo: Steve Uzzell Cover Art: “Nasruddin’s Tears” The various articles in SUFISM: an inquiry represent the individual views of their authors.

SUFISM: an inquiry does not imply any gender bias by the use of feminine or masculine terms, nouns and/or pronouns.

SUFISM: an inquiry is a quarterly journal (ISSN: 0898-3380) published by the International Association of Sufism.

Address all correspondence regarding editorials and advertising to: SUFISM, P.O. Box 2382, San Rafael, California 94912 Phone: (415) 472-6959 Fax: (415) 472-6221 email ias@ias.org All material Copyright © 2013 by International Association of Sufism.

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication (including art) may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

The publication is published by the International Association of Sufism, a California nonprofit corporation.

The publication of any article, essay, story, or other material herein constitutes neither an endorsement of, agreement with, or validation of the contents of the author’s views expressed therein.

Although the Publisher has made all reasonable efforts in its editing of such material to verify its accuracy, the Publisher takes no responsibility for any innacurate or tortious statement by the author set forth therein.

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Editorial Advisors: Dr. Shahid Athar, MD The awardee of “Dr. Ahmed El-Kadi Award for distinguished service to the Islamic Medical Association of America Dr. Arthur Beuhler Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi Sufi Lineage Scholar in the field of Islamic Studies Dr. Neil Douglas-Klotz (Saadi Shakur Chishti) Edinburgh Institute for Advanced Learning www.eial.org Dr. Aliaa R. Rafea Ain Shams University, Women’s College, Egypt The Human Foundation: Chair and Founder

Dr. Nahid Angha masterfully produces an English translation of Abdu’llah Ansari’s The One Hundred Fields or Sad Maydan, as it is known in Persian. The book includes an introduction with biographical information on Ansari, the 11th century Persian Sufi mystic, theologian, philosopher, and poet, in the context of the Persian literary and spiritual renaissance. In Sad Madyan, Ansari details for the reader the “One Hundred Fields” or stations of the spiritual path that the “wayfarer” experiences on his or her journey towards God. Dr. Angha provides extensive footnotes that reveal to the reader Ansari’s Quaranic references, note nuances contained within the author’s farsi word choice, and indicate where variations exist between the several published versions of the work. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Persian literature and poetry, mystical traditions, and the journey towards the self.

- Ashley Werner, JD

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editors’ desk

09. A Letter from the Desk of the Editor

Shah Nazar Seyyed Ali Kianfar, Ph.D.

13. Principles of Sufism:

The Abstract Hidden within the Boundary of Nature Nahid Angha, Ph.D.

20. Essential Practices: On Love Nahid Angha, Ph.D.

24. Selected Teachings

Hazrat Moulana Shah Maghsoud

special: sufism symposium 37. Summary Report on the Nature

of Self, Reality & Consciousness

42. The Sacred House

Shah Nazar Seyyed Ali Kianfar, Ph.D.

43. Ceaseless Echoes of the Unseen

M.E. Davis, Ph.D.

history and inquiry

57. 40 Days Practice: On Listening Joseph Francis

61. Fatimeh

Hamaseh Kianfar, Ed.D.

67. 99 Most Beautiful Names: Al-Fattah

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Sarah Hastings Mullin, Ph.D.

Sufism: An Inquiry Vol XVII, No. 1

science and religion

31. The Higgs Field & the “God Particle” Elizabeth Miller & Evan Canto, Ph.D.

33. Human Singularity & the Event Horizon

M.E. Davis, Ph.D.

poetry

25. Rhythms of the Heart Rumi

49. Beneath this Robe

Kamal José Canção

51. Two Poems

Dedan Gills

literature review

45. Caravan: Biographies from the Sufism

Symposium 1994-2014 Munir Hedges

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Letter from the Editor

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Letter from the Editor Shah Nazar Seyyed Ali Kianfar, Ph.D., the Editor in Chief of the

journal, is the Co-Director of the International Association of Sufism.

He is an acclaimed Sufi Master with students around the world, an international lecturer and the author of numerous books including An Introduction to Religion.

All of the objects of scientific research over the underlying reality of the plant’s life, in fact, re unpast centuries have been studied with the intention known. to arrive at an ever more complete understanding In the same way, acquiring knowledge and unof their observable properties. But this goal is inderstanding of the reality of the human being also complete. These observable properties are, in fact, depends upon the scientist’s discovery of the totalthe equivalent to the surface of an object, the inity of the human being, which consists not just of terior of which remains hidden, unsuspected and the human being’s observable properties, but also unknown by science. of a hidden, inward nature that defies external obAnd yet, at the same time, scientific study of servation. these observable properties is and can be a path Here, we can distinguish between external obto acquiring knowledge of the reality hidden withservation and inward witnessing. The scientist atin the object’s volume, encompassed beneath the tempts to be objective, to stand apart from the obsurface of these observable properties. ject of its study and see it as it is, from every angle.

But, at the same time that But this type of objectivity is a it is true that science does fallacy.

In the same way, acquiring offer a path to knowledge of One cannot obtain an objecthe complete reality of the knowledge and understanding of tive truth that fails to grasp the objects of its study, it also the reality of the human being also hidden aspects of the object remains true that that realthat are impossible to observe depends upon the scientist’s discovity will only ever be comfrom an external perspective. ery of the totality of the human be- Inward witnessing, however, pletely understood when the aspects of these objects that ing, which consists not just of the is the equivalent of self-expeare not amenable to external human being’s observable proper- rience. Like the plant seed, the observation have been disinward capacity of the human ties, but also of a hidden, inward being may be dormant, and as covered. nature that defies external obser- yet unknown even to the seed Thus, science must expand its conception of the itself because it has not yet vation. scientific process to advance been experienced. beyond what can be verified The scientist who underthrough external observation and must consider takes to study his own seed from within his own the importance, necessity and value of finding a experience and thus uses his own being as his labmeans to discover the aspects of reality hidden oratory, like the scientist who studies externally from such observation. Otherwise, the reality of observable properties, must take care not to influany given thing will never be truly known. ence the results of his or her research or introduce Consider a plant seed that no one has planted or therein any impurity, bias or inconsistency of pronourished. Study of its observable properties will cess. That is, the inward study of the human system not disclose to the scientist the seed’s dormant life requires the inwardly observing scientist not to dispotential or the seed’s capacity for transformation turb the balance of the system. through developmental stages.

Since the process of inward observation must be Even study of other plants that does reveal learned through practice, initial observations are the hidden capacity of those other seeds will not likely to be the result of both pre-existing imbalance disclose the source or substance of a seed’s life, in the human system being observed through direct but rather only the material developed from its experience and disruptions to the balance of the life force, as resulting surface material, while the system caused by the unskilled practice of the pro-

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cess of inward observation. That is, initial observations are likely not to reflect the reality of the human system being studied, but rather, as is so often seen in other scientific research, the reality of the impurity, imperfection or bias of the scientist’s lens or process.

Practices do exist for creating balance in the human system and for inwardly observing it in that condition without disrupting its balance. These practices can be taught by those who have learned to master them.

When such practices are successfully pursued to mastery, the inward scientist of the reality of the human being will witness the source and reality of his or her life and being. He or she will understand that the human being’s different talents and capacities are developed from this inward source and point of balance to match the demands of the human being’s environment.

He or she will understand that, for example, the physical capacity of the eye has been developed from an inward capacity for sight that pre-exists the eye, and thus that the eye is an extension of this capacity for sight. He or she will understand that the moment the eye loses connection with this inward capacity, the eye will no longer see and will be as good as dead.

In this way, conclusions based on the outwardly observable properties of the eye fail to grasp the reality of the human being’s capacity for sight.

Each of the human being’s outwardly observable properties is like the eye. Each trait exhibits a version of an inward capacity that has been developed to meet environmental demands, but each outward part will only hold its particular power, such as the power of sight, for so long as it is capable of maintaining connection with its matching inward capacity. As the human body weakens, its different parts lose their ability to retain connection with their inward capacity.

Blindness, deafness, or what-have-you then ensues.

However, scientists who have mastered the practice of inwardly observing their human system in a state of balance have discovered that they are no longer dependent upon their outward eye for vision because, in their inward witnessing, they have connected with the inward capacity for sight. Such scientists have confirmed, that this is true of all the human capacities. For so long as the human being is able through the cultivation and inward witnessing of balance to return to the origin and source of their being, which is entered through the point of balance, then he or she has access to all of their capacities without limitation and need not rely on the physical parts and limitations that compose his or her body to experience them.

Sufism: An Inquiry Vol XVII, No. 1

This is the point of spiritual practice, to discover and secure for ourselves from the constant change of the physical world; and to discover and secure ourselves within the unlimited, unchanging reality of our potentiality as human beings that remain unknown for so long as we limit our conception of who we are to only the sum of our observable parts and properties.

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The Abstract hidden within the boundary of nature Nahid Angha, Ph.D.

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Principles of Sufism

It has taken a long journey for the human being to rise on the horizon of creation as a finely constructed system and organization. Human beings arrive at the boundary of nature, and they live there and die there. With death, all the cells and particles taken from nature to build this colony scatter and return to their origins; the organism dies as if it had never lived. Aware of this possibility of death, humankind has striven to discover the way of survival, to exist and understand beyond limitation. Using our wisdom, intelligence, and all our possibilities, human beings have sought, and continue to seek, an unconditional and everlasting survival, knowledge that lasts the test of time and changing nature of physical life.

We are children of nature, developing a close and innate relationship with it, and nature, on the other hand, gives human beings the means to enforce this friendship. Eyes to see with, ears to hear with, hands to make further tools with, these are the agents of this mutual relationship, and it is through this equipment that human beings relate to nature and collaborate with her. Therefore, the human being is born with desires and wishes to fulfill his or her natural requirement and live through this fulfillment. The tools of nature are not his own, but only to borrow. When his use of them is done, they are taken away from him, together with all that he has borrowed from nature during the short span of his living, and thereafter he vanishes into the forgotten realm of completed destiny. The majority of us are satisfied with this limited knowledge within the framework of our natural lifetime; we find ourselves dragged in different directions by forces beyond our control and even understanding. Taking whatever life offers, we may live comfortably for our accustomed span of years, and die when the time comes.

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Such is the composite story of the path and final destination of the vast majority of us, the human beings. We are given the richness and knowledge of the universe, for nature in itself is the universe, but partake only of the surface and the ephemeral, without recognizing underlying rules or principles. We grow contented with the sight that sees only surface phenomena and forgets the nature of its seeing.

And then there are groups of human beings eager to know more; to step beyond the forces of nature that direct us toward an unknown destiny, and to make willful effort into understanding that reality that awaits beyond the surface of life. If we posit a reality to be discovered behind the surface of our being, we raise the questions of where we should looks for that reality, and whether we are capable of attaining an understanding of it. Such questions have attracted the attention of the learned for many centuries. A scientist who spends hours in his laboratory seeking to discover the facts of being, the astronomer who spends a lifetime searching the cosmos, or a philosopher who reasons through answers to the essential questions of creation, are all looking for the essential facts of the reality that lie beyond the surface. Each in a different way is looking to unlock the mysteries of the creation.

Thinkers and discoverers have struggled throughout the ages to find the solutions of the world of creation, and each according to his or her own capability

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has introduced a new perspective. Yet the boundary of the human brain limits the mind in understanding the infinite and the eternal. When we begin to examine our senses and mental faculties, we also begin to understand that these tools are limited in their perceptions, and will record nothing beyond their capacities. Because all manifestations of the universe are so minutely organized and calculated, it is logical to believe that the foundation of the universe is based on an intellect too abstract for the human mind to perceive, and no matter how we try to recreate this intellect, it has no substitute. Besides the fact that our senses cannot perceive beyond their borders, they even make mistakes when recording information within their borders. Our senses are but translators that do not speak all the possible languages of the universe. Truthful understanding comes after witnessing the reality, not merely hearing of it.

So is there any knowledge so accurate we can trust it without harboring any doubts? Are we capable of understanding such knowledge? And if so, then where should we look for it?

Actually, we rely even more on our imagination than we do on perceiving reality through our senses.

Human beings most often base ideas upon imagination and superstition, even though these foundations also are not stable foundations. While the senses perceive outside objects and exterior of these

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objects according to the angle of their view, the mind analyzes information according to its past learning. The information stored by mind cannot be applied to abstract existence, and will not teach us about the infinite being because our experiences are not universal. Thus, the rules and principles gained from sensual understanding and mental perception cannot be taken as the unchangeable and universal rules of existence.

Even if our external investigations are framed within the most logical systems and are founded on our inner abilities, they are “framed” and will not result in our recognizing and understanding the destiny of life, life beyond its surface phenomena. These investigations and the understandings they produce are hopeful signs for understanding the reality and truth of being, but the chains of limitations also prevent us from stepping toward the recognition of true identity: the self.

To go beyond the apparent changes of matter, to uncover the unchanging meaning of life and understand the unchangeable essence of being, is possible only after establishing a fixed point for reference. Without a certain starting point, any such investigation may fail. This point of reference must be found within the human being, since only within the self may be found potential knowledge unaffected by the vagaries of sense perception and transience of surface phenomena. To look outside oneself in searching for knowledge is not as effective as we hope, and only acquaints us with the surface. Given that there is no way to understand this essential point other than through reference to one’s own self, it is reasonable to find in one’s self the meaningful recognition of life.

As the practitioners of the inner journey, teachers have invited humankind to return to the self, and specifically, to the inner heart, as the proper laboratory for achieving a more advanced human understanding. Sufis, for example, do not take as their starting point the external world and its logic, as scientists and philosophers do. The fixed point of reference for Sufis is not mind but heart.

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Heart has long been the starting point for many spiritual schools, and in Sufism the heart is properly understood as the seat of knowledge.

The centrality of heart may be seen by its role in every human life – the heart announces the first sign of life and its silence carries the message of the death of the physical system. More than any other organ in the human body, it is the beginning and the end, and there can be no good reason to overlook this most important organ, nor to underestimate its energies in connection with a more extensive understanding. Teachers of the inner path advise humanity to take part in the knowledge of self, not to leave their ability dry and fruitless in the desert of unawareness, and to clean the mirror of the heart so to become able to understand the reality of being.

Nothing is outside the universal rule of being.

If even one particle could move without the approval of the whole being, then we would have probably faced our final destruction by now. Our humanly limited possibilities of sensual perception do not permit us to know the facts of existence. As our eyes cannot perceive sound waves, our minds cannot perceive the sublimity of eternity. Our philosophical theories, even though they have open many doors toward understanding, will not open the door to infinite understanding. No theory will remain immortal; every principle will be reviewed in its proper time. Yet the changeless and ageless infinite rules of existence will remain. They will surround the whole being from atom to galaxy, from matter to antimatter to wave to all those laws that we do not yet know or will never know. They rule by their perfect justice. We, as this total being, will carry the abstract and justify the rule of universal unity.

We, as the atom, are capable of understanding beyond the surface and changing of time. We are that abstract hidden within the bounty of nature, seeking to understand our universality within the confinements of such richness, richness bound to dimensions.

Seyedeh Nahid Angha, Ph.D. Executive Editor of the journal, is Co-Director of the International Association of Sufism and founder of the International Sufi Women’s Organization. She is an acclaimed Sufi Master and spiritual leader from an ancient Sufi lineage, an active leader in the interfaith community worldwide and the first Muslim woman initiated in the Marin Women’s Hall of Fame.

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Essential Practices along the Spiritual Path

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On Love

by Nahid Angha, Ph.D.

Love is that strong magnetic power that connects all the particles of the universe together. The basic principles, the beginning, the end, and the discovery of what is secret, are all founded on the pillar of ishq (love). Creation and all its creatures are the outcome of love.

Love is the bond that binds the book of creation together.

Throughout the world of Sufism, love is an eternal theme which Sufis in all eras have gracefully glorified by delicate poetry. After all, it is love that purifies, concentrates, brings beauty, and makes the pillars of the universe strong. To the Sufi,

God is love, Prophet is love, Religion is love

From the smallest grain of sand

to the highest heavens,

All are but wrapped in love.

Existence is based on love and as existence has levels and stages, so does love. At every stage and level love has a different manifestation, each with it own beauty‌ A salek (person on spiritual journey) cultivates the seed of love in his heart through his eagerness of knowledge; he thus steps into the field of exploration, connecting his life to the magnetic power of love radiating from the heart of the Master, and reflecting the Divine love. The power that gently touches and guides the direction of the salek’s life comes from within the chest of the Master and is a divine manifestation. Through this connection, the salek begins to travel on the path of divinity, without it, nothing good will come to the salek, and any experience that he has will be but the image of illusion and imagination.

Belief and love both develop in the heart, and the heart is the House of Eternal Knowledge; as the Prophet said: Consult your heart and hear the secret ordinance of God, discovered by the inward knowledge of the heart which is faith and divinity.� A believer who has received Divine light sees by that light.

Dr. Nahid Angha, Principles of Sufism (San Rafael, CA: International Asso. of Sufism, 1991), 68-69.

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When: Saturday, November 7, 2015 Breakfast Time: 9:30 amSWO to 11:30 am Lecture November 7, 2015

When:atSaturday, November Where: The Club McInnis Park 7, 2015 6Xˉ :RPHQ 2UJDQL]DWLRQ Time: 9:30 San am to 11:30 CA am 350 Smith Ranch Road, Rafael, SUHVHQWV

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Fee: $30, Students/Senior $25 San Rafael, CA 350 Smith Ranch Road, 0LFKHOH 5DIˉQ ȝ -RXUQH\ ZLWK WKH %LUGV RI 3DQGHPRQLXP Fee: $30, Students/Senior $25

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For reservation and payment please

For reservation and payment please Where: The Club at McInnis Park call: 1-415-472-6959 350 Smith Ranch Road, San Rafael, CA or register

call: 1-415-472-6959

online: ias.org/swo or register online: ias.org/swo

Fee: $30, Students/Senior $25

Space is limited. Pre-registration is required by November 1st, 2015.

For reservation and payment please call: 1-415-472-6959 or register online: ias.org/swo

study and practice Ongoing monthly groups in Palo Alto and the East Bay

Introduction to Sufism led by Sheikh Jamal-eddin Lawrence Granick, Ph.D.

We will begin with basic practices and studying the teachings of Sufi masters Seyyedeh Nahid Angha, Ph.D. and Shah Nazar Seyyed Ali Kianfar, Ph.D. Dr. Granick is a senior student of Uwaiysi Sufism under the guidance of Dr. Angha and Dr. Kianfar.

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learn more, please contact me at (510) 559-9284 or jamalg@sbcglobal.net Sufism: An Inquiry ToVol XVII, No. 1

10/10/15 @7:00 PM

The IAS Annual Inspiration Dinner with the

2015 Honorees of

The IAS Humanitarian Award The award is presented each year to an oustanding individual or group for contributions in elevating the level of humanity in our society

The Dominican Sisters of San Rafael Honorary Committee for the 2015 Annual Dinner Jared Huffman, United States Congressman Dr. Mary Marcy, President,

Dominican University of California Dr. Denise Lucy, Director, Leadership Institute,

Dominican University of California Dr. Laura Stivers, Acting Dean, School of AHSS,

Dominican University of California Cecily Stock, Head of School, San Domenico Jeff Bialik, Executive Director, Catholic Charities Jane Ferguson Flout The Rev. Canon Charles Gibbs The Rev. Jan Heglund The Rev. Betty Pagett The Rev. Jan Reynolds Suzanne Sadowsky The Rev. Carol Saysette, D.Min. Robert L. Reynolds Rita Semel Dr. Bahman Shirazi Lawrence Strick Dr. Mary Kay Sweeney Dr. Brian Swimme Sister Elizabeth Padilla

The Dominican Sisters of San Rafael The Dominican Sisters will be honored for their long history in education, health care and outreach to those in need, and for their educational and social justice work in our local communities. Their social justice work comes from being compelled to speak the words of truth, love, mercy and justice and to actively share those values with others through their work in the world. Since 1850 the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael have been a vital part of the history and development of California, its people, and its religious environment, having established convents, schools, and hospitals throughout California and Nevada. The Sisters serve as liaisons with local, regional and national organizations and collaborate to lobby state and national legislators on justice issues such as non-violence, penal reform, human rights, affordable housing, environmental protection, rights of immigrants, and support for women and children.

The Annual Inspiration Dinner is an evening devoted to bringing together our Bay Area community to celebrate the unique vision and important accomplishments of an individual who is dear to the people of the Bay Area and part of our heritage.

The Club at McInnis Park, San Rafael, CA Tickets for the dinner are $75. Full tables of 8 may be purchased for $550.

You can register at the EventBrite link above, or for more information, please call 415-382-7834.

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Selected Teachings

Hazrat Moulana Shah Maghsoud Sadegh Angha

“The goal of every living human is concentrated on any successful way to develop humanity, and if the light of life shines in any society, sooner or later, personal motivations will fade and the reality of civilization will be glorified. The intelligent, learned human being is able to solve difficult problems in life and smooth out the road towards advanced civilization for his descendants and the future.”

The above excerpt is from Shah Maghsoud Sadegh Angha’s Manifestations of Thought, first written in Persian in 1954, and later made available in English through the work of his daughter, Dr. Nahid Angha. In the introduction, Professor Munir Graham writes: “Professor Sadegh Angha enjoys a unique position to participate in the birth of the holistic age. He has lived on the cultural borderland between East and West, in Tehran, and thus knows both from experience. He has been deeply versed in the profound traditions of intuitive knowledge represented by Erfan (Sufism)…and knows in depth the teachings of western science and philosophy.”

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Rhythms of the Heart: Rumi From Diwan-i-Shams-i-Tabris

ind the holy door and knocking Find Meet the owner dwelling there. eceive the gift of answering, Receive answering Wealth and richness shall be yours hen the owner opens up the door.

When

Translator: Dr. Nahid Angha, Ph. D. Ecstasy (San Rafael, CA: IAS Publications, 1998) 71.

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Sufism: An Inquiry Vol XVII, No. 1

Protect and honor the Earth for the Earth is like your mother.

- Prophet Mohammed Peace be upon him

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Sufism: An Inquiry Vol XVII, No. 1

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Science and Religion

The Higgs Field the

& “God Particle”

by Elizabeth Miller and Evan Canto, PhD

The field of physics exists as a series of conjectures between what is known and what is not yet known.

By degrees the physical world has been described by models that attempt to bridge the gap, always leaving certain geographies uncharted as we discover there is even more about the nature of the universe that we do not know. Then when a new crew of physicists sails into that region with new research, the model is modified and updated to add and include some new geography of space to the list of what we do not know and cannot yet chart.

In fact, by each small step and advancement of scientific knowledge, what we most discover is that there is even more we don’t know. It is as though we are able to turn on another small 40-watt light bulb in a dark room with our scientific tools only to discover that the room expands in every direction from that light into exponentially broader darkness. Throughout history this has been true, from the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Chinese cultures through the Persian and European Renaissance, and into the modern Newtonian and most recent Quantum mechanic eras.

Over the last two hundred years, the field of physics itself has undergone substantial and repeated revolution as scientists have believed they had reached the smallest unit of mass in the universe, then discovered something smaller still is present, or that what properties had been discovered behave far differently than previously understood. For instance, in 1897 Sir J.J. Thompson confirmed the presence of electrons, establishing the scientific recognition of subatomic particles

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and overturning the belief that atoms are not the smallest unit of matter. His finding invited deeper inquiry.

Less than a decade later, Albert Einstein’s famous equation E=mc2 determined (what had been long hypothesized) that energy and mass are interchangeable. The suggestion here is that photons of light and bodies of matter (like flowers, birds and human beings) are at a level of existence the same thing.

Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg (among others) further worked out the wave-particle duality that we see in quantum mechanics, showing that “objects” exhibit quantum fluctuations between appearing in some moments as particles and in others as waves.

The trajectory of history in physics is one in which science is constantly reaching new frontiers where on one side the universe is measureable and on the other side it remains unknown and indivisible.

Whereas the measurable enters into the realm and catalog of science, the indivisible unknown continues to point to the signifying word “God” where God is the source and origin of all we do not know (and also what has so far been discovered). For Sufis, there is the inseparable relationship between the indivisible unknown seed of everything and the expression of that seed as the manifestations of the universe, like the branches, sprouts and buds of a tree (and cataloged as particles, atoms, molecules, all the way up to solar systems, galaxies, etc). In the wake of the great “quantum” leap that took place over the beginning of the 20th century and that included many great physicists

like Einstein, Bohr, Planck, Schrodinger, Curie, Dirac, Oppenheimer, and Satyendra Nath Bose, there developed what physicists in the 1960’s and 70’s started calling the Standard Model of particle physics. While this is currently often called a theory for describing “nearly” everything, and despite its no-nonsense and comprehensive name, the Standard Model quite notably leaves some important phenomena unexplained and does not provide room for some substantive and scientifically popular theories for describing the nature of the universe, including theoretical issues with gravitation, dark matter and supersymmetry. The limitations of this “model” are increasingly revealing the new frontiers of what we do not know and new models are being put forth (such as various field and cosmological theories).

A group of physicists in the mid-60’s, including Peter Higgs, recognized that as part of the Standard Model, there must also be a particle (the Higgs boson), which would reveal a field (now known as the Higgs field) that provides the network by which certain elementary particles (basic building blocks of the universe) could achieve mass, even though there are reasons why they otherwise might not. Because of how central the Higgs boson is to providing the matrix between that which is unobservable in the universe and that which is observable as mass (remembering Einstein’s E=mc2), another physicist (Leon Lederman) coined the name God Particle, as a way to describe the Higgs boson. Most physicists, Higgs included, and religious clerics find the name distasteful in the way it collapses science and religion. However, its popular staying power maintains the poignant aperture of attention on the continued relationship between what we know and do not know.

When the Higgs boson was discovered at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in 2012, it represented the first time the Higgs Field could be detected; not directly, but via the Higgs boson, which is a particle that is an excitation of the Higgs Field. Hidden in the Jura Mountains of Switzerland, the LHC is the most powerful particle accelerator on the planet, stretching over 17 miles, and housed more than 500 feet below ground. It is the first time scientists have been able to cause particles to travel at close to the speed of light, before they are made to collide, and here result in evidence of the Higgs boson.

We might understand the Higgs field as being like a strip of clear cellophane stretched unseen throughout the surface of the universe. When Higgs boson comes into relationship with the field, it presses into the cellophane, creating an impression or refraction of light that slows the particle down enough that it accumulates an

observable mass. However the cause for existence of the Higgs field remains a mystery, even as its tensile interconnectivity has been alluded to in some ancient spiritual traditions.

The experiments that detected the Higgs boson revealed that the particle has a mass of 125 billion electron-volts, or more than 130 times the mass of a proton.

As such, it should have destroyed the universe after the Big Bang. That it did not is one of the deepest mysteries of the Higgs field. Theoretical physicist Joseph Lykken acknowledges, “We found the Higgs boson, which was a big deal, but we’re still trying to understand what it means…I think there could be surprises that no one has even thought of.”1 It had been reported by the BBC that this past September, the LHC was scheduled to be “fired up” again, this time with the project of smashing together subatomic particles at nearly the speed of light in an effort to recreate the conditions immediately following the “Big Bang.”2 Controversial among many scientists, this unprecedented experiment aims to separate dark matter, as the invisible glue of the universe, from visible elements. However, perhaps continuing to look for the ultimate is less effective when separated from inner research toward and from the perception of unity; the emphasis of mystical traditions over millennia. The perception of the scientist is always a reflection of his or her inner state, no matter the tools at hand. 20th century Sufi Master and scientist Moulana Shah Maghsoud writes, An honest scientist sets his or her thought in his or her nature, and believes in a stable centrality within him or herself. This centrality is infinite, and this scientist can travel a 360-degree circumference surrounding his or her centrality. He or she can take any hypothetical point from this surrounding to show through progressive computation, the table of true existence.3

At this scientific frontier there is poised another revolution in knowledge; by which self-knowledge and universe may become synonymous.

1 Lecture given at the SETI Institute on September 2, 2014.

Available online at http://www.seti.org/weeky-lecture/higgsboson-and-fate-universe.

2 http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-32160755 3 1980. Manifestations of Thought. San Rafael: ETRI Publications, 1.

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Human Singularity and the Event Horizon

by M.E. Davis, PhD

This work is a reflection on courses offered by Shah Nazar Seyyed Dr. Ali Kianfar in the spring of 2015 on understanding the Qur’an, Hadith and Bible.

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In the same way that physics has come into the discovery and question of what is the system of the universe and around what does it organize, in religion there has been the question and disciplined scientific inquiry to answer the question, “who am I?� and around what am I organized.

In both the physical universe and the universe of the human being there is the same search, and at the current historical moment there is the same frontier at which the tools of science and mechanical observation arrive at their limitation. On one side of the line is matter, expressed in various stages of evolutionary development from subatomic particles to gaseous stars, the elements of the periodic table, planetary bodies, various manifestations of life and all the way into human being (this line is unbroken over at least 13.7 billions of years). On the other side of the line is the Event Horizon Singularity in which there is a gravitational force so great that it arrives at eternity (in the galaxy it is at times identified as the infinite within a black hole) and which cannot be seen in the form or substance of matter by any current means of technological extension and measurement. Between these two, the seen and the unseen, there is also no separation. In fact, physics tells us that they are in fact inseparable, and that the unseen gravitational force is the cause for the surrounding organization of both matter and movement. It has been determined that every Galaxy is centralized by the infinite gravity of a black hole (about which science still knows very little).

This has long been the same discovery in religion as it applies to the Event Horizon Singularity of the human being and can be traced back at least as far as the book of Genesis. In the scale

both seen and unseen 13.7 Billion Years One wave of thermodynamics sub-particles to particles to matter and organisms body and movement

knowledge without limitation

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New Courses Coming Spring 2016!

Over three Sundays May 1, 15 & 29 Understanding the Qur’an 1:00 - 2:00 pm The Hadith 2:15 - 3:15 pm Understanding the Bible 3:30 - 4:30 pm These classes provide reflections on holy books by a wise Sufi Master. They will provide a valuable resource for people of all religious and spiritual traditions who are seeking to deepen and enrich their own understanding and spiritual practice. $30 for any one of the three-week series; $85 for all three series Reserve a space, send a check made out to IAS to the address below or call (415) 382-7834

Institute for Sufi Studies 14 Commercial Blvd. #101, Novato

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and substance of the human being, there is still that origin and principle which is the universe (for the human being is none other than the universe itself) and demonstrates the same rule and relationship between the infinite gravity of the unseen to the surrounding matter (body) and movement (activity) of an emergent form with the capacity to see and hear in two directions; to see and hear through the membrane of the body into the realm of matter, and to see and hear into the center of being itself as the unseen fountain and origin around which matter forms.

There are several corresponding factors to the nature of the work. First, in the same way that it takes an elite and highly skilled astronomer and physicist a great deal of knowledge and awareness to identify and to understand the evidence that demonstrates the relationship between a singularity and a galaxy, it takes an elite and masterful teacher of the human being to have passed through the stages of knowledge and awareness to identify, understand and witness the Event Horizon Singularity of the human being. In neither case is it a question of philosophy. In both directions it is always a case of accurate and precise measurement using the corresponding tools of scientific inquiry.

Second, in the same way that an astrophysicist progresses through the stages of knowledge from simple mathematics and observational disciplines to highly advanced and elite modes of awareness and computational capacities to so far arrive at the horizon of singularity, so too does the religious master pass through the stages of knowledge from casual recognition of causes and effects in the experience of human being to the source and condition of the ultimate cause that is the singularity of human being (inseparable from the universe).

Third, in the progression of knowledge from simple to ultimate, each stage completely eliminates the limitations of the previous stage, meaning also that none of the limitations of one stage

of knowledge can be carried in any cell of the human being to the next stage. For a young child to become an astrophysicist at the horizon of galactic singularity, that child cannot carry forth any of the limitations that existed when having only studied how to count. The limitation of not knowing more advanced mathematics must be abandoned completely (otherwise the awareness of the singularity is only theoretical or accepted on blind faith from the assumed authority of another). Similarly, for the religious master, no limitation of human knowledge and experience can pass from one stage to the next. The limitation of not knowing must be abandoned completely from every element of the human being, to pass to the next stage, arriving (potentially) in the ultimate stage of knowledge in the unseen Event Horizon Singularity of human being, unlimited and infinite.

Fourth, in the same way that human being finds herself at the moment of self-awareness that is the arrival of 13.7 billion years of refinement between the seen material of the universe and the unseen singularity of existence, so too has that line been made available for human being to trace herself back through the stages of (thermodynamic) change to the moment of origin that exists as the inseparable Singularity of human being and Singularity of the universe as a whole. To know one’s self, is to have this knowledge without limitation (and not by blind faith or only on the word of another).

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International

Sufism Symposium 20th Year Celebration

The

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Nature of Self, Reality & Consciousness

Sufism: An Inquiry Vol XVII, No. 1

Report on the 2015 Sufism Symposium

The Nature of Self, Reality & Consciousness March 27-29, 2015 San Rafael, California, USA A rich and fulfilling weekend brought together so many aspects of human life and the human quest for knowledge. There was teaching, dialogue, discussion, prayer, meditation, music, poetry, and movement, all focused on the goal of understanding the nature of self, reality and consciousness. Sharing from the heart, sharing from direct experience, sharing from philosophical and psychological point of views, sharing wisdom gained from teachers. The weekend also featured the announcement of the recent publication of Caravan: Biographies from the Sufism Symposia 1994–2014, a book which chronicles the participants and history of Sufism Symposium from 1994 through 2014, committing to written record the support and participation of those involved. It is a reminder for ourselves and future generations that the coming together of nations, cultures and traditions in the spirit of love and harmony is a possibility, and it can remove human-made obstacles.

In her opening statement Dr. Nahid Angha reminded us about the first Symposium: “It was March 26 and 27, 1994, here in Marin County that Sufi Masters from around the world gathered for the first time, for a dialogue. We came from South East Asia to West Africa, Middle East to Canada, Jerusalem to Argentina, and many lands in between. Perhaps this was the first time in the 1400 years history of Sufism, that so many Sufi Masters from many Sufi lineages, from around the globe gathered together. Sufism Symposia were glorified with the dazzling colorful robes and dresses of African Sufis with their beautiful voices, the black robes of middle-eastern and their whirling dervishes, white clothing of Bengalis and their devotional songs, the blue outfits of desert Moroccans Sufis, the beautiful

chants of the Chishti of India. We gathered together, spring was in the air, the spirit of love saturating our hearts, we honored and were mesmerized by our differences, all presented in that delightful weekend of March 1994.

“That was the beginning of the most beautiful journey, creating a global spiritual family, sisters and brothers from many nations, cultures, and Sufi lineages. In 1995 we also welcomed leaders from many different traditions, as well as psychologists, poets and musicians to this circle, and we celebrated our unity in the US, Spain, Egypt, Scotland, and Australia. The Annual Sufism Symposium has been a wonderful journey of self discovery, of many colors, melodies, songs, languages, traditions, and cultures that have warmed our hearts and opened our minds, soothed our soul and enlightened our intellect; a mesmerizing road to self discovery.”

Sufi Music and Poetry Friday March 27 & Saturday March 28 The crowd eagerly waited for the doors to open on Friday night, to celebrate with Taneen and Musa Dieng Kala’s beautiful Sufi music and poetry. Dr. Heidi Gilpin welcomed everyone, honoring the long and remarkable history of Sufism Symposia and Festivals and the participants from around the world. With their beautiful energy, Taneen Sufi Music Ensemble opened with Fatiha and continued with inspiring Sufi music of love and wisdom, including songs based on the poetry of Omar Khayyam, Moulana Shah Maghsoud and Moulana Jallaleddin Rumi. They shared the stage with Musa Dieng Kala, whose sweet and powerful voice and com-

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manding presence brought to life the teachings of Sheikh Amadou Bamba. He recited the poetry and explained the songs in a mixture of English and French. The program concluded with the entire audience singing the chant “Seyyedena Mohammadan” led by Taneen and Musa, along with Sheikh Ahmed Tijani who joined the group on stage to sing a duet with Musa. The blending of these different styles and traditions of sacred music was mesmerizing, drawing everyone into ecstasy and transforming the energy in preparation for the weekend program.

It seems evident that those who made musical offerings during the 20th anniversary of the Sufism Symposium, as they have done for the last twenty years, are sincere seekers willing to let go and serve, to become instruments upon which the Divine plays a melody of longing, a melody that reaches deep into the heart of the listener and nourishes his or her connection with the Beloved, the eternal source of life.

To listen to Musa Dienga Kala sing love songs to the Prophet (PBH) in a voice so pure the heart melts is to fall into a state of rapture. To join the Mevlevi Order of America in zekr (chanting remembrance) as the reed cries out in longing for the reed bed is to feel the heart open and fall into a deep state of gratitude. To make an offering as members of Taneen Sufi Music Ensemble with other Sufi practitioners is to become like a bird in a flock, flying in unison and turning together toward the Beloved, pulled by the magnetic attraction, no one of us leading but all of us following, including the audience.

The poetic expressions and offerings of the sacred music brought even more richness to the gathering with Pir Shabda’s Zikr, and Murshida Khadija Goforth’s invitation to chant.

We have also enjoyed performance by Avayi-Janaan, Echoes of the Unseen. Once again the group brought fresh energy in the shifting rhythms and voices – poetry, music, songs, all from the heart. It closed with: “The story of love is not told in words. Hand of destiny is hidden from my eyes and yours. There is no loyalty in this world of colors that betrayed a thousand lovers.

Take a chance in this moment of waiting.”

The Whirling Dervishes of Mevlevi Order of America glorified Saturday evening with their traditional whirling and devotional music. Audience members were invited to join heart to heart, setting the intention of healing for ourselves, our families, our community, and for the world.

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Presentations and Discussions Saturday March 28 & Sunday March 29 The Symposium hosted the most outstanding Sufis and scholars from around the world including: Shahjada Seyed Saifuddin Ahmed Maizbehandari, Nahid Angha, Ph. D., Shah Nazar Seyed Dr. Ali Kianfar, Sonia Gilbert, Dr. Arthur Buehler, Dr. Ibrahim Jaffe, Ahamed Muhaiyaddeen Jonathan Granoff, Dr. Shahid Athar, John Fox, Rev. Canon Charles Gibbs, Mushida Khadija Goforth, Musa Muhaiyaddeen, Murshida Rabia Ana Perez, Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore, Tamam Khan, Pir Shabda Khan Ayshegul Ashki, Kaan Erdal, Dr. David Katz, Dr. Abdullahi El Okene, Dr. Mary Ann Fadae, Dr. Sharon Mijares. Panels presentations were facilitated by: Hamaseh Kianfar, Ed. D., Arife Ellen Hammerle, Ph. D., Professor Arthur Saleh Scott, Safa Ali Michael Newman, Leili First, Ph. D. The presentations, including talks, poetry and movement, addressed the themes of transformation, the self, spirituality and consciousness with significant topics such as: Transcendency, The Inner Dialogue, Spiritual Healing Through Transformation of Consciousness, The Nature of the Self and Reality, and Poems of Awakening Light.

Sunday morning began with a panel discussion presenting the 40 Days Alchemy of Tranquility group.

Presenters included: Jamal Lawrence Granick, Ph.D., MFT, Arife Ellen Hammerle, P.hD., MFT, Jalal Brian Heery, Ph.D., Katherine Preston, MA, MFT, Amineh Amelia Pryor, Ph.D., MFT, Mary Toth Granick, M.Ed, LMFT, Sheikh Salman Baruti, MSW. Team members shared wisdom from the 40 Days program, developed under the guidance of Dr. Nahid Angha and Shah Nazar Seyyed Dr. Ali Kianfar. All we can know is our own self, which is a product of the Knowledge of the Universe, a gift we have each been given. This is not poetry or philosophy, but actual practice. The goal of the 40 Days program is to develop a practice to keep us stable in the right direction. We will only find Divine unity within our own self.

Final Discussion: Dr. Arthur Buehler led the final discussion of the Symposium. Presenters included Dr. Ali Kianfar, Ahamed Muhaiyaddeen, and Pir Shabda Khan. Dr. Buehler created a discussion space by asking questions of Ahamed Muhaiyaddeen, Dr. Ali Kianfar, and Pir Shabda Khan; he then opened the forum to questions from others. The questions and responses covered the experience of being teachers and students, the challenges of reaching out to the greater world as a Sufi teacher or practitioner, the element of music in personal and spiritual life, and the balance between acceptance and action in the world.

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The Introductory Message

So heart becomes the sacred house for self, the first messenger of life, as soon as the seed of self planted on earth.

A Message for the People of the World

The Sacred House from Shah Nazar Seyyed Dr. Ali Kianfar (given in the morning on March 28, 2015) This year we celebrate the 20th annual Sufism Symposium. We have all been coming together for about 32 years in order to establish a strong and stable platform of spiritual value for future generations, so that the new generation can stand with confidence to honor and appreciate the uniqueness of self as a gift from the Universe to the children of Humanity, and to understand the value of knowing the self as a treasure of divine qualities as well as a gateway to prosperity, freedom, democracy, and peace beyond any human invention.

Thank you all who are present here and to all our sisters and brothers from all faiths and backgrounds - scholars, scientists, poets, musicians who have supported IAS in making the mission of “coming together” possible. Thank you Dr. Angha for your patience, generosity, and dedication, as a pillar in this movement for justice, awareness, and human rights.

Thank you to all of the staff of IAS for your sincere devotion and humble service.

IAS was established in 1983, as an organization dedicated to Sufism and its teachers beyond cultures, nations and backgrounds. In 1994 IAS extended an invitation to all Sufis, from around the globe, to come together. To our knowledge, this was the first time, after fourteen centuries since the sunrise of Islam and the beginning of the Sufi movement, that Sufis from many cultures and Sufis schools have come together as one unified family to share their experiences with each other and open a public dialogue.

That invitation carried with itself a saying of the prophet of Islam: “One who knows oneself knows one’s God.” Self is the central focus of this statement. Knowing the self and discovering the secrets and mysteries of self, is the practice in Sufism, the mystical side of Is-

lam. It has been the goal of a group of people, who came from different nations and traditions at the time of prophet, to learn about knowledge behind words.

Over time, they were known as Sufis, the school of self understanding Marefat-o-nafs: “the companion of the heart”.

A famous saying from the first Sufi Uwaiys Gharani: “Be with your heart.” When his disciple asked for more instruction he replied that, “that is it, be with your heart, and do not waste your time on questions and questioning.” So heart becomes the sacred house for self, the first messenger of life, as soon as the seed of self planted on earth.

And according to the saying of Amiralmoamenin Ali (puh): “The beginning of religion is knowing the self” As you all know, the message of Islam is a message of unity, expressed in “La illaha illa Allah”. It is the general rule for every being in eternity and its ultimate reality. For human beings, according to its potentiality, it is witnessing of the first testimony in Islam, the shahada (referred to the origin of self). Therefore to say that “one knows oneself knows one’s God” is to say one who knows oneself knows one’s origin.

Knowing the self is a blueprint, and the practical and proper way to arrive at the station and destination of such discovery. Self is the beginning and the end, hidden and apparent.

Majdeddin Bagdadi, a 13th century Persian Sufi, poet: You are the blue print of the sacred divine alphabet You are the mirror of the eternal kingdom There is nothing other than you in this universe Seek within yourself, whatever you are looking for

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A Message for the Young Generations from the teachings of Shah Nazar Seyyed Dr. Ali Kianfar

Ceaseless echoes of the Unseen the fountain of inspiration within

by M.E. Davis, PhD

The basic rule of science is that the inspiration of and for newness emerges from an unseen inspiration. The universe is continuously sending beautiful songs and images into the chart of what is perceivable (as flowers, birds, the sound of waves, etc). This inspiration from the unseen is ceaseless; it is unstopping. The journey toward greatness as an artist, musician, and scientific explorer is to move toward being constantly in the state of receiving this inspiration. And this constancy of receiving is how a human being grows up in the womb of spirituality.

For this reason it is important to create the right environment for ourselves. Human beings tend to find the primary tool for creating the environment of working in the mind. And no matter what, the personality of a human being is constantly under the influences of the mind (neurology). However, it is necessary then to constantly check the conditional states of the mind so that it can be a useful tool, and not entangled with the environment in which it is meant to operate. This is to say that if the human being leaves the state of receiving inspiration and becomes entangled in the relative calculations of the external world through the senses and reasons of the mind, then the greatness of creation and the quality of newness will diminish.

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Science is now coming to discover what mystics have known for thousands of years that the fountain of inspiration and the principle for living emerges through the heart (cardiology). The practice for human beings, as artists, musicians and scientists, is to learn how to move from the conditional environment of the mind and into the pure unfiltered environment of the Heart, as a garden for right peaceful inspiration and the source of the Divine quality for human being. Otherwise, we will live our whole lives in the immaturity and consequence of the mind, and die also in this immaturity.

And there is a way we can move from the parts of existence available through the mind to the neutrality of being centered within the heart. This is what is meant by Avay-i-Janaan.

Currently, as human societies are in a state of pending because of the state of world, the young generation is waiting. Neither denying nor accepting, this is a message for them: we will walk with you along the way to inspiration with time to think about the principle of life itself.

Sufism Symposium 20th anniversary ended with Meditation and Zikr led by Sheikh Ahmed Tijani Ben Omar. Sh. Tijani mused on the meaning of love, and then led everyone in a powerful closing Zikr, holding the beautiful energy that had been gathered during the weekend celebration.

All these offerings were vitalizing. They were testaments to the power of letting go and allowing the Divine to orchestrate. It is a testament to the pure intention of the founders of the International Association of Sufism to provide a forum of deep and respectful sharing among Sufi schools.

It is a testament to the sincerity of all who gathered at the Symposium to contribute, listen and participate in a worldwide community of Sufi practitioners, scholars, masters, students, and friends of other faiths, all of whom have joined the caravan of the wise drunken ones.

May the story of love continue to be told, through its people, during times, in languages, in cultures, in every breath, and may this moment of our existing be saturated by such a magnificent gift of everlasting beauty, self in its most beautiful form.

- from Dr. Nahid Angha’s Opening Statement

Caravan: Biographies from the Sufism Symposia 1994–2014 is now available via amazon.com, as well at www.IAS.org Recorded presentations of 2015 Symposium may be ordered & purchased through Conference Recording: www.ConferenceRecording.com For a complete report visit: www.IAS.org/programs/sufismsymposium/ nature-of-self-reality-consciousness/ For complete bios please visit: www.IAS.org/symposium-performers-andpresenters/

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from the introduction by Nahid Angha, Ph. D. History must be told. Contributions of individuals who have shaped our cultures and will continue shaping our future must be recorded. We are to acknowledge the works of men and women who kept the door of civility and peace open, men and women who have taken it upon themselves to serve humanity and shape the course of civilization towards a better fate for all; men and women who stood strong against human failings of all cultures, of all times. They have shaped more than one nation; they have shaped civilizations. Their contributions must not remain unrecognized or unacknowledged.

This book is a history devoted to them, to those who have come together, from every corner of the world, to celebrate in an international forum, and to create a global spiritual family for Sufis, interfaith leaders, scientists, poets, musicians, academics, and others through the annual Sufism Symposium.

If we do not record such history, then we live a life disconnected from the living presence of the past, we remain inattentive to those who have shaped humanity, and we will, necessarily, live in our boxed world designed by the limitation of time.

Life is a wonderful unique journey intended for each individual through the genetics of cultures, time periods, nature and all potentialities and actualities. We each walk our own destiny, and we live in a space in time granted to each by the design of a complex and infinite universe, a universe ruled by abstract and tangible laws, laws of eternal values, never changing, open for our intellectual observation and understanding. This world of great richness offers us enough to live worthwhile lives; this design makes every being worthy of life, of honor, of respect; it grants every being the right to be. The heart of every being beats in gratitude for the breath of life.

Divinity breathes through the heart of every cell; it is the knowledge of this truth that teaches us to honor all in peace, and, remain honorable ourselves. It is the manner of Sufis to show respect and maintain honor; it is the manner of Sufis to dwell on a level above that of human calamities and failures. Such qualities are the fruit of personal striving for understanding and its attainment.

Sufism is the mystical and inner dimension of Islam, historically originating from a group of people who used to gather on the platform of the Prophet’s mosque, in Medina in the 7th century, to listen to his teachings so they might learn the meaning of revelation, attain spiri-

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Literature Review: An Excerpt

tual truth and understand the meaning of unity, develop practices for spiritual transformation, and ensure that their belief was founded upon knowledge embedded in reality. It is from this group, Ahle Suffa, the People of the Platform, that Sufism derives its origin. Their devotion contributed to the establishment of one of the most celebrated human movements of peace in the history of civilization. Ahle Suffa was comprised of a few individuals at the beginning, but their numbers increased as time passed. They came from different nations, cultures, and backgrounds.

History tells us that over time, three major Sufi centers were established: the Center of Baghdad (in Iraq), the Center of Fars (in Persia/Iran), and the Center of Khurasan (in Persia/Iran). Over the centuries, Sufis and their students travelled across many lands, introducing this spiritual practice into the fabric of different cultures and times. Thus, over time, many schools, orders, and tariqat of Sufism were established. Each School began to focus on certain principles and practices, and gather around a teacher. History also tells us that sometimes the surface of Sufism has taken the colors of cultures and times, yet the essence of Sufism remained unchanged in the hearts of its practitioners. The central principles of Sufism, a journey of personal transformation, have remained free from the dimensions of time or place, gender or race, cultures or ceremonies. Passing from the world of multiplicity to discover the essential unity became a key pursuit, in the hope that the walls of limitations fall and the manifestation of the Divine illuminates the heart of the seeker, and that the wayfarer discovers the bounty of Being.

Around the 10th and 11th centuries, Sufi teachers began to explain this inner journey through philosophical terminology. Integrating the Sufi understanding, they developed a language of philosophy explaining the stages of the journey, the stations of the traveler, and the meaning of Divine Reality. As a result, many terms and terminologies we use today are the outcomes of that era. Persian Sufis have made the greatest contributions toward the development of Sufism; Arabic and Persian (Farsi) remain the major languages, and Turkish, Urdu

and a few others remain the minor languages in the Sufi literature.

One of the most important elements in the success of a spiritual journey is the presence of a teacher, and the history of Sufism has been sanctified with the richness of its noble and magnificent teachers, who have shared their wisdom with many. Over time, students gathered around these teachers establishing centers. As time passed, those teachings and those centers developed into Sufi Schools, turuq (plural of tariqat).

There are about twenty major Sufi Schools around the world, extending from the border of Malaysia to the coast of West Africa and many lands and nations in between, there are also many organizations that have devoted their missions, teachings and endeavors to the teachings and study of Sufism. One such organization is the International Association of Sufism, with members from around the world, and with over 300 collections of interviews, presentations and performances by its presenters and participants at the Annual Sufism Symposium.

As I wrote in the wonderful book Women Creating Change, a book compiled by Dr. Mijares, Dr. Rafae and myself: “I am not sure if we choose our convictions or the convictions choose us; I am not sure if the story we tell transforms communities or communities plant the seed of transformation that grows into lasting stories; I am not sure if every step we take is predestined or if we freely create our own choosing. It does not matter, what matters is that I am born into this journey, into this “space in time” that I can claim as my own. It is with this realization and acknowledgement that I cultivate a longing to serve humanity, as an offering, an appreciation to this magnificent Being that has given me this “space in time,” an irreplaceable chance of life. How can I remain indifferent to it? It is from this view that I would like to tell the story of the International Association of Sufism, a gender balanced organization….”

2015, softcover, 250 pages with an additional collection of photographs.

This book is available for purchase online and through the International Association of Sufism Powerfully magnetic, Caravan introduces and accentuates the omnipresence of the ultimate human art form: the gift of love and divine attraction, founded in the heart of every being. Ignited throughout the experience and reflection of 50 elegant autobiographies, Caravan exemplifies the energy of such magnetic attraction, beyond the dimensions of time and space.

- Munir Hedges

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NEW FEMINIST READING — S U M M E R 2 0 1 3

A FORCE SUCH AS THE WORLD HAS NEVER KNOWN: WOMEN CREATING CHANGE Edited by Sharon G. Mijares, Aliaa Rafea and Nahid Angha 978-1-77133-056-5 / 350 PAGES / JULY 2013 / $34.95

A Force Such as the World Has Never Known: Women Creating Change is a unique collection of narratives from women from all around the globe. These are stories of compassion and bravery, empowered by the vision of a better world for all life. It emphasizes the need to empower the feminine and assure gender balance and human rights for all. This accumulation of women’s stories reveals the role of women in creating needed changes in areas of health and nutrition, supporting efforts toward sustainable environments, promoting political and social rights, protecting women from the travesties of war and rape and promoting religious diversity and better conditions for all beings.

A very interesting and instructive manuscript that both gives one much needed hope and reveals some of how much needs to be done before both women and men can hope to live together in equality and harmony in a world at peace.

WOMEN IN A GLOBALIZING WORLD: TRANSFORMING EQUALITY, DEVELOPMENT, DIVERSITY AND PEACE Edited by Angela Miles 978-1-926708-19-5 / 616 PAGES / MAY 2013 / $39.95

An exciting interdisciplinary Canadian collection of of ground-breaking work brings together almost seventy articles by formative feminist writers, researchers, activists and visionaries to illuminate the profound globalizing processes of our time. Critical analyses of currentglobalization and possible alternatives are presented in the context of global feminist dialogue and activism since the 1980s. Together, the articles provide a comprehensive overview of the agenda and processes of neo-liberal globalization; women’s activist responses to the consequent environmental and social destruction; and visionary feminist alternatives and worldviews.

“This collection includes the work of some of the most critical feminist leadership. The reader will find a wide selection of feminist writings spanning the historic period launched by the UN Decade for Women (1975-85) and continuing into the new Millennium where contemporary issues of Inequality, Climate Change and the Global Economic Crisis are at the centre of activism. It will be especially valuable to feminists coming into leadership today.”

— PEGGY ANTROBUS, founding member and general coordinator of DAWN from 1990–1996, and author of The Global Women’s Movement: Origins, Issues and Strategies

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INANNA PUBLICATIONS

Essential Reading for Feminists the World Over Sufism: An Inquiry Vol XVII, No. 1

www.inanna.ca

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Poetry

Beneath this Robe

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by Kamal José Canção

Voice of morning heart sings one melody,

Following the rise and warm glow of sun, Both direct and in reflection

Across the surface of my being A bright horizon of colors fade in the singleness of my gaze

Eye fixed on that sun, neither rising nor setting

Until when even my gaze retreats, Leaving just the sun sitting, unmoving,

Inhabiting the living being of my body Breathe more slowly now,

Until the feathers of Gabriel brush away

Every transparent cell Leaving only the sun pulsing

Neither rising nor setting And without name

Kamal José Canção was born under a peaceful waning crescent moon in a small village near the coast of Syria.

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Music of the First Glow Of Morning Sunlight 51

From that magic place of inbetwixt and between, a question is answered before it is seen, As the miracle that is not a miracle unravels even my bones.

I waver in the winds of the silent space between thoughts

every sound, color, line, circle, smile, shadow impregnated with a song.

(Old memories of long unforgotten grief plow their way to the surface of my dreams).

Here as I witness this time of expansion within me, the feel of the word

that is not spoken calls me to remember the music in the silence of my heart

to guide my entry into the wisdom of tomorrow.

(Beleaguered is a word I have come to ignore)...

There are so many lights that have become one that seems to shine within a room of its own darkness.

The splendid sweetness of the moment cries out for a song.

Wrapped in the wings of the night anticipating the first glow of mornings kiss

my sun slumbers near me.

(My soul remembers the time of peace long ago before the war declared against myself.

It’s over, that sordid love affair is all over)! The song I sing while crying tears of joy.

Like the raven as I soar over the canyon of iniquity I shall spread my wings and soar

the echoing forest as I cry, as ravens do, a resounding Evermore!

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Silence of morning Stirs my soul Miniature rainbows glisten on strands of spiderweb dreams They dance in the gentle winds of sunrise

and new hope

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A Development Project

The Garden of Light Meditation & Prayer Room

Site dedicated in the peaceful rolling hills of Napa, California, USA

A Project for Peace sponsored by the

International Association of Sufism

Join people from around the world in Contributing to the contstuction and landscaping of this project.

Donations are tax deductible.

Name:

Phone number: Address: State & Zip:

Paid by:

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Sufism: An Inquiry Vol XVII, No. 1

Visa

MC

Expiration Date:

Card #: Amount:

check

Mail to:

Garden of Light Development Project 14 Commercial Blvd. #101, Novato, CA 94949

Sufism: An Inquiry Vol XVII, No. 1

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The wisdom of the heart through psychology, martial arts, spirituality, & science

Next retreat:

January 15-17, 2016 Register: www.ias.org

find your seed, said the sky to the tree 55

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The Alchemy of Tranquility in 40 Days

Across cultures and fields of study, human beings seek knowledge. More specifically, there is a longing in the heart of some people in which a quest may arise to know more about the self. For some people, constant access to information, facts and data still leaves them unfulfilled and a question rises within them: Is this information all there is to know?

Many people who have had experiences and successes of various kinds now ask, How can I know more about myself and experience deep wisdom and tranquility?

With clear intention and wise guidance, transformation is possible in 40 days, as has been discovered in many traditions and spiritual paths. Even though this message of 40 Days has been repeated over and over, generation after generation in the human family in all traditions, the true practice and the secret of the practice remained unopened. At this time, if we come with longing and clear intention, we have the opportunity to access the secret mystery of 40 days. This unique program is based on the ancient recognition that psychology, physiology and spiritual experience are interrelated and interconnected dimensions of the whole self. Practices are undertaken in daily life, over a series of 40 daylong increments, under the guidance of a facilitator.

Zekr Music Breathing Movement Presentations

Shah Nazar Ali Kianfar, has trained a group of seasoned therapists, educators, musicians, and martial artists who hold advanced degrees in their individual fields, and who bring experience and spiritual awareness, to facilitate the 40 Days program. Workshops and retreats are a place to learn how to practice for self-knowledge.

Practices are offered that integrate ancient spiritual wisdom, modern psychology, established forms of movement, and science, including biology and cosmology. The sign or confirmation that the practices are being done correctly include the experience of peace of mind. As participants progress stepby-step through the practices, they report that they are able to transform from being agitated, moody, emotional, confused about life purpose, and distracted by the constant changeability of the mind, toward experiencing happiness, tranquility, harmony, stability, self-confidence and love.

This transformation is the Alchemy of Tranquility.

His Holiness, Shah Nazar Ali Kianfar, a world-renowned Sufi Master and teacher of spiritual practice for over thirty years developed the 40 Days Program, and continues to guide its public offering. Dr. Kianfar provides spiritual wisdom and deep knowledge of the psychology of the human being in ways that provide participants with the opportunity to gain full awareness of themselves, and to learn to act in ways that reduce conflict and foster love and wisdom. It is the first time that this highly spiritual practice of purification has been combined with psychological training.

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40 Days Practice “Ultimately, it is “you” whom you are searching for: the book of the Divine, and the true essence of your being is the Divinity within you: so worship not the unknown, but find the truth of Being within.”

- Nahid Angha, PhD

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On Listening

by Joseph Francis

The art of listening is a focus of silence as quiet as you can’t hear your body or mind, understanding that the body is a product of the universe, and the echo of each cell is in fact the echo of the universe.

But how deep do we listen and how far do we go along the journey for listening? In fact listening is a journey, and when we reach the destination of this journey what will happen?

We begin our listening with just the ear, but in the end the whole system of human being becomes the ear, annihilated in the echo of the universe.

This is why in Sufism it is recommended that the best way to listen is to listen to the heart because that is the echo of life.

There is the common idiom often found in doctors’ offices that states, “Hearing is different from listening.” We hear so many things but we are not listening.

As a matter of fact, the time we are truly listening we will discover the meaning of what we need to hear.

This is the line of listening between a student and spiritual master that moves beyond the limitations of time and space.

From the teachings of Shah Nazar Seyyed Ali Kianfar, PhD

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The message of the prophets is understanding,

awareness and light, moving out of

darkness and illusion, toward peace

and love.

Keep these principles and pass them to your

children and family.

The essential relationship is between you and

the message, not between you and

the messenger.

When you understand the principles,

religion can no longer be casual.

Nor can you put a name on your religion.

Devotion is when you are always waiting

for the message from the Divine.

It is a Blessed Day. Truth is obvious.

We can see it when the Inner Eye is open.

When the false goes away, you see Reality.

Grab onto the cord that connects you with the real.

When the energy of your soul illuminates

your heart, dawn arrives.

By the light of your soul you see the glow

of your Lord.

Ultimately you experience something

beyond images, something absolute

that exists in itself. This is Reality.

The Reality is not an unknowable God

but a God who sees and hears

and guides us.

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- Shah Nazar Seyyed Ali Kianfar, PhD excerpts from Seasons of the Soul

“Education is not the filling of a pail, “

but the lighting of a fire.

– William Butler Yeats

Spark your curiosity and explore our interdisciplinary programs

Adult Degree Completion Program in Humanities and Cultural Studies Master of Arts in Humanities

DOMINICAN.EDU/GRADPROGRAMS

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Fatimeh, daughter of the Prophet

Pioneer of Human Rights

by Hamaseh Kianfar, Ed.D.

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Our everyday lives are protected by a network of individual and social rights from which we benefit without thinking. It is easy for us to forget that social progress was and remains a long and hard struggle against ignorance. In the course of human civilization many men and women believed, fought and sacrificed themselves for the benefits of social justice and human rights that we enjoy today. Freedom, equality, human rights and many other social privileges are the result of the struggles of those brave and strong individuals. Usually, they stood alone against the power and ignorance of their times and suffered to prove their beliefs. Our freedoms are the fruits of their struggles, the product of the beliefs and support of generations past.

One of those heroines, who lived 15 centuries ago on the Arabian peninsula, was Fatimeh, the daughter of the Prophet Mohammad. She changed the course of human civilization including religion, individual and social rights. She spoke out in a culture where women did not have a voice, where the birth of a female was considered a shame to a family. She shook the pillars of society and defied the ruling Caliph of her time by her strong voice and moving words.

Fatimeh was born in Mecca, Arabia, at the beginning of the 7th century. Her father, Prophet Mohammad, was one of the nobles of the Ghoreysh Tribe, one of the most prominent tribes in Arabia. Her mother, Khadijeh, was one of the wealthiest women in Arabia.

It is said that Fatimeh greatly resembled the Prophet in her face, her way of speaking and the manner of her walk. She was so much like the Prophet that she was called the “Mirror of the Prophet.” The mirror is a particularly prominent symbol in this tradition and represents the reflection of the pure light of the Divine.

Fatimeh was born during the rebuilding of Ka’ba.

According to the customs of that time and place, in-

Sufism: An Inquiry Vol XVII, No. 1

Zahra (the beautiful) Mubarakeh (the blessed) Mariam-e-kubra (the great Mary) Sadigheh (the truthful) fants were entrusted to a nurse for a period of time.

But Fatimeh was not put in a nurse’s care. She stayed with her parents until her mother died. Afterward, she accompanied the Prophet in his travels and during the violent upheavals.

Historians write that Fatimeh was very close to her father and benefited from his fatherly love.

Many a time Prophet had said, “Fatimeh is my flesh and blood. Her happiness is my happiness, and her sadness is my sadness. If she suffers, I suffer, and her anger is my anger.” Whenever Fatimeh would enter a room where the Prophet was present, he would stand up, greet her and offer her his seat, a gesture of respect uknown to the culture of that time and place, where indeed convention might dictate the opposite.

A seemingly trifling gesture to us, it must have had, by its very modesty, a great effect on those who saw it. Prophet Mohammad taught not only through the Qur’an and words of wisdom, but also through his actions.

Fatimeh was a well educated, and knowledgeable individual regarding spirituality. Her many lectures represent her extensive knowledge and dedication.

When she was eighteen years old many important as well as wealthy people of her time asked her father for her hand, but she would not accept any of their proposals. Then Ali (Iman Ali), the cousin of the Prophet asked the Prophet for Fatimeh’s hand in marriage. It is narrated that the Prophet said that he agreed with this marriage if Fatimeh likewise agreed. It was her decision to make. Such a response was also most unusual in that time and place, where a woman would commonly have no say in her marriage at all. A woman was not considered to have the voice to decide even this most important matter for herself. And so through his action Prophet established a precedent that became a great step forward in the history of human rights generally, and women’s rights specifically.

Rejecting all the wealthy and prominent men who wished to marry her, Fatimeh agreed to marry Ali, although he had little from this world, only a sword and a shield, yet the strongest belief of his time. He was the first man to embrace Islam after the Prophet’s revelation. Together they had two sons, Hassan and Hossein, and two daughters, Ume-kolsum and Zeynab.

After the Prophet passed away, Fatimeh did not live long. Some say she died 40 days after the passing of the Prophet, and some say within six months. It is said she became ill as a result of her grief for her father’s passing. Her illness became worse especially after the Caliph took all her belongings given to her by her father, saying glibly that Prophets do not leave inheritance for their families. But it was during this brief period at the end of her life that she made one of her most moving speeches to the Caliph and the people: Why do I not inherit from my father, are you still following the laws of ignorance? You reveal your hidden enmity as soon as the Prophet is gone.

You clothed religion with your old and worn out beliefs. As soon as the Devil finds his chance, he calls upon you and you greet him, he puts you on the fire and you are burning in that fire. You have forgotten the Book of the Prophet and the prophets before him.

It is unfortunate when swords are weak instead of sharp after triumph. Break that sword.

Do not decide wrongly and be followed by ill wishes to your grave. Such are the worst kind of assets to hold.

Do not become like those who changed the essence of Prophecy and unbalanced the laws of harmony.

Who is your protector when God is angry?

Look at the pillar that you stand on, observe what kind of rope that you grasp onto: what are you giving to your children? You have gone astray from the rightful path; you have chosen a false friend and leader. You are not going forward but backward.

A nation that has chosen wrong and taken it as right will finally be vanquished.

Sufi Saints

Recommended additional reading: Fatimah, a biography of the defining life of the Prophet’s daugher, is the result of extensive research by Shah Nazar Seyyed Dr. Ali Kianfar. Written in Farsi, it provides an analysis and understanding of the rights and leadership of women based on her example. 2004. Paperback, 195 pages. International Association of Sufism Publications.

This article originally published in Sufism: an inquiry Vol.II No.3

Fatimeh passed away when she was in her twenties. She asked of her husband Ali to be buried in the middle of the night in an unknown place so those who were not truthful in their beliefs could not pretend to be grievous.

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C OME

FOR AN INTRODUCTION AND EXPLORATION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF S UFISM .

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Updates from the U.N.

The International Association of Sufism is a nonprofit organization, and a DPI/NGO associated with the United Nations. As an active human rights advocate, IAS disseminates information focused on Human Rights, Social Justice, Education, Women’s Rights offered and organized by the United Nations.

For the most up to date information visit: http://ias.org/service/unitednations/

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Susan W Lambert photography

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Each day without having seen You

a piece of me starts to die.

(This is not poetry for it actually does).

Stagnant in the abyss of not knowing, Weathered by life and the rule of science and law.

Am I even at the steps of Your Gate?

Where is that lost gold key inside this confusion And laziness, beaming under water at my shaking feet?

System and structure fall away laughing As I trust nothing except You-Your empty fullness spanning space and light That does not ruin itself with words.

My Beloved, my life is not until I find You. Please, make me only the journey into Your Radiance. Take me away from myself.

Make all that is left a glittering beam

of Your Hand.

prepared from the teachings of

Shah Nazar Seyyed Ali Kianfar, Ph.D.

by Sarah Hastings Mullin, Ph.D.

Al–Fattah

the Opener of the Heart

The Opener of the Heart, Untier of knots, Unlocker of doors, Opener of gates It is the Divine that reminds the human being to seek the Divine, and it is the Divine that ultimately reveals itself to the seeker. The granter of grace, the Divine frees one from any confusion and doubt, opening the gate of divine knowledge. Holder of its own key, the Divine reveals the underlying reality to the restless heart and relieves the striving seeker from the pain of not knowing.

Sarah Hastings Mullin, Ph.D is a member of the International Association of Sufism. She is a licensed psychologist who works specifically with young adults, couples and with families after divorce. Sarah also holds a second-degree black belt in Aikido.

Illumination of the Names: Meditation by Sufi Masters on the Ninety-Nine Beautiful Names of God. Shah Nazar Seyyed Dr. Ali Kianfar. 2011: International Association of Sufism Publications.

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The 99 Most Beautiful Names

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