Sufism: an inquiry - Vol20.1

®

Publisher: International Association of Sufism a nonprofit corporation.

Editor-in-Chief: Seyyed Ali Kianfar, Ph.D.

Executive Editor: Nahid Angha, Ph.D.

Journal Board: Munir Hedges

Elizabeth Miller, Ph.D.

Sarah Hastings Mullin, Ph.D.

Amineh Amelia Pryor, Ph.D.

Taher Roybal

Layout & Design: Soraya Chase Clow, Ph.D.

The various articles in SUFISM: an inquiry represent the individual views of their authors.

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

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

Address all correspondence regarding editorials and advertising to: Phone: (415) 472-6959 email ias@ias.org

All material Copyright © 2024 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 inaccurate or tortious statement by the author set forth therein.

Table of contents

6. A Letter from the Desk of the Editor

Shah Nazar Seyyed Ali Kianfar, Ph.D.

8. Principles of Sufism

Nahid Angha, Ph.D.

11. Poetry: From the Diwan of Fakhr al Din ’Iraqi

12. Essential Practices: Ishq va-Sarnevisht

Nahid Angha, Ph.D.

16. Islamic Art: Calligraphy

Nahid Angha, Ph.D.

18. Transformation: The Wisdom of Trees

Arife Ellen Hammerle, Ph.D.

20. Remembering Professor Saleh Arthur Kane Scott

21. A Journey of Transformation

Saleh Arthur Kane Scott

23. Hakim Sana’i Ghaznawi: A Sufi Poet of the Twelfth Century

24. Magnetic Centers: The Network of Light, Part II

Victor Sinow, M.A.

26. The Feminine and the Womb (RHM) of Life

Sharon Mijares, Ph.D.

28. Al Latif (The Benevolent)

Sarah Hastings Mullin, Ph.D.

30. Reflections on the Inner Path and the Story of Creation

Professor Aliaa R Rafea, Ph.D.

32. Interview with David Katz, M.D.

Victor Sinow, M.A

Table of contents,

35. Poetry: From Rumi’s Ghazaliyat-i Shams-i Tabriz

36. A Reflection on the Theory of Cause and Effect

Leili First, Ph.D.

38. Beyond Identification: The Healer’s Heart

Jamal Granick, Ph.D.

40. Sufi Biography: Fakhr al Din ’Iraqi

Jalal Brian Heery, Ph.D.

42. SWO Service Appreciation Grant

44. Sufi Women Organization: 30th Anniversary Celebration

Mary Hendrickson

46. Annual Retreat: 40 Days - Alchemy of Tranquility

Katherine Preston, LMFT

49. Inspiration Award Dinner 2024 to Honor Denise Lucy, Ph.D.

50. Poetry of Ibn ’Arabi: The Unlimited Mercifer of Descent and Return

Translated by Stephen Hirtenstein

52. Book Reviews

60. United Nations: Recent News

Transformation and Awareness

Shah Nazar Seyyed Ali Kianfar, Ph.D.

Transformation is an ongoing process occurring every moment in the universe, yet unity permeates all that exists. Nothing in the totality of the universe is separated from its own very self, and the centrality of every being is fundamental and eternal; it never changes. Life is absolute and eternal; it may manifest in forms and dimensions, yet in itself, life remains absolute and eternal.

As we know, the heart remains the central point in human life; life begins with the first heartbeat and ends with the last. Our body is designed as a capable, intelligent, and well-equipped form to utilize the energy of life, harmonized with our environment so that we may survive in this corporeal form and in this nature.

Our world is in a constant state of transformation, conversion, and change; a seed is transformed into a plant, mechanical energy is converted to heat, electrical energy to light, and so we constantly experience a colorful, harmonious world of nature that influences us regularly. We experience the effects of our environments, our cultures, our societies, our time-eras, and our ideologies; these effects ultimately lead to our own changing mental and physical states. Transformation, however, needs a stable platform and a fixed foundation to display itself, as the seed becomes the stable foundation for the plant, a canvas for the painter, a beloved for the lover, a melody for a song, and so forth.

All forms are constantly changing, and we experience them differently at different times. Yet, the very core of the human being, that stable awareness and consciousness of the human self, does not change. There is a difference between the reflections of the outside world and the stability of the ‘I’ that perceives them. We cannot let the ‘self’ lose its stability in the intellectual reflections we perceive from out-

side change. It seems every observed form has a tangible beginning and end, presenting itself within the limitations of form, perceived by the senses and their limitations. What we observe and experience are conditional, and studying within these limitations creates terms and boxes. These terms and boxes become the foundation of our cultural and social behavior, social understanding, and conduct.

Our philosophical ideologies have classified the forces of nature into masculine and feminine, giving and receiving, Fathers and Mothers, the two magnificent inter-related energies saturating our universe. We may classify a flow of the same energy to better understand our universe, our world, our existence, but setting them as a fundamental law to govern our society, to set a paradigm to influence our essential human rights, shows a lack of awareness.

We learn from science that energies gathered into a condensed point exploded, creating billions of magnificent galaxies of different forces, energies, and colors that are continuously giving birth to many more; thus, the multiple clusters of galaxies are being born from that one single condensed force of energies.

Prophets and spiritual masters also teach us that the universe is born from one single soul, spread to countless males and females; so, they advise humanity to “be mindful of Allah—in Whose Name you appeal to one another; honor this connection and relationship.” (Qur’an 4:1).

It is from such teachings that we learn to respect human equality and honor all living things, that we are many so that we learn from each other, that we remain respectful and honorable to each other, and that our differences are not to limit our possibilities but to promote our respect and learning.

Human Being: The Ultimate Foundation for Ethics

Nahid Angha, Ph.D.

In a world that is seemingly split between traditional religious ethics, humanitarian moralities, and technological advancement, what can be the foundation for universal ethics, if not individual human beings?

Traditional religion, the religion of the marketplace, is still a mystery, its god unknown, its prophets resembling legendary figures, and it does not often deliver what it promises: peace, tranquility, and salvation. Practically, its truth is still in the domain of philosophy: hypothesis and promises. This is not to say that we should abandon religion. On the contrary, religion is a fact. It has brought us magnificent messages and should be understood according to its original teachers and practices. To understand religion, it is not enough to study the history of religion, its theology, and its outer forms so affected by cultures and times. We must intellectually understand the inner path and the essence of religion. Unless we review and separate religion from what is preached under the name of religion, religion as it is, is not a secure foundation for ethics.

For much of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, we have tried to find a substitute for religion in technology. We developed faith in technology; in-

deed, technology has its manuscripts, messengers, and disciples, and it could constitute a religion.

Today, technology advances at an increasing speed. We do not know what will happen even within the next ten years. What new doors will open, and which will be beneficial to all humanity? But one thing is clear: technology is now global, and the effect of any technological advancement is worldwide. Technology is knitting the world together even more tightly and has opened opportunities for communication on an unprecedented scale. Yet accepting technological information as the domain of all knowledge, as a measure of truth, is not rational. We must look for the sources of values within ourselves as human beings.

Concerns for universal peace, health for all nations, new movements toward religious unification and global ethics are signs that many individuals aspire for a universal system of ethics. These are signs that we are concerned for the well-being of all. Yet, we must not forget that all the failings of the past, the desires for power and dominance, remain with us, and these hidden enemies can burst out with terrifying strength. We have seen the destruction of human beings under the law of technology, which is the law of ruthless

use of power, especially economic power. We have seen, for example, how conveniently systems of ethics are influenced by greed, changing their colors as technology demands. Technology opens the door to unlimited power and is becoming a titanic force in itself, threatening to sweep all before it. Against this demand, we ourselves are the only shield. We must learn and teach to understand the meaning of our individual rights—a gift entrusted to all by this magnificent universe of Being.

In spiritual disciplines, my focus here is on Sufism, the theories, practices, and philosophy are all concentrated on one foundation—the knowledge of the self. The human being is studied from his nature to his ultimate potentiality as the Sacred absolute, from the surface to the meaning. His knowledge, therefore, must become universal in its understanding. We live in the transient world of nature; we should understand and appreciate nature. Yet, the world of nature is not the ultimate realm of discovery. The human being is to take the journey of the soul, the delicate system of a human being’s structure, and travel from the outer world to the inner realm, from the world visible to the world invisible. Each individual is to take the journey to the ultimate essence of his or her own being.

To become knowledgeable is to realize all the possibilities of the human being. In understanding the meaning of right, with regard to ethics, we must ultimately value and understand the being of life itself. Life is a gift of being; therefore, it has the inherent possibility of a global ethic. According to the law of being, no one has the right to take away this gift. One may say that people and technology control life. Then I must respond: people may use technology to advance and protect the conditions of life, but it should not become the agent of destruction in the hands of the powerful to control humanity, especially the marginalized members. It is here that global ethics become necessary.

Ethics is a system; what system can contribute to the well-being of all? A system that opens the doors toward self-realization of the actual meaning of individual rights, understanding that every entity is a rightful part of the greater wholeness of being, worthy of compassion, respect, care, and reverence. Such recognition opens the door toward understanding the meaning of rights that may lead to the inherent possibility of universal ethics.

The Diwan of Fakhr al Din ’Iraqi

When you came into my life

All else disappeared from my sight. When I entrusted my being to this longing Ecstasy consumed me, yearning more for your love. When my journey separated me from you I was drowned in my misery and the ocean of my tears. There is none but you in the universe of Being A verdict approved by the people of the heart. You become one, you become many A paradox only to confuse the wise! But to the people of the heart You are as illuminating as the sun. There is none but you in this universe of life There is none but you, infinite and eternal.

Fakhr al-Din ‘Iraqi is a Persian Sufi master and poet (d. 1289) known especially for his poetic masterpiece, the Lama’at (“Divine flashes”). This poem is part of a longer poem of tarji‘at from his Diwan: http://www.nosokhan.com/Library/Topic/0SN1.

Essential Teachings Along the Spiritual Path

There is an absolute core of cosmic energy that infuses all ... this absolute is not subject to demise; it may manifest in forms, but its actuality remains intact.

This article is based on Shah Maghsoud Sadiq Angha, Ishq va-sarnevisht (Love and Destiny), a short analytical study on electromagnetic energy, and the human cognitive ability to understand the mysteries of the universe, with a focus on the meaning and role of love and destiny in the design of the cosmos. For more information see Shah Maghsoud Sadiq Angha, A Meditation: Payam-i-dil with Love and Destiny, Microscopic Scientists, The First Wave, translation with commentary by Nahid Angha (California: International Association of Sufism Publications 2023), 45-48.

‘Ishq va-sarnevisht (Love and

Nahid Angha, Ph.D.

Inthe universe of possibilities, to understand our world requires understanding its governing elements, both the visible and detectable elements, as well as the invisible and undetectable elements. In this regard, we cannot overlook the wonders that are beyond our perceptual reach; it is at this point that a conversation between science and mysticism, physics and metaphysics, is of utmost importance. We cannot assume that the mysteries of our universe are unveiled only through our limited physical senses, or reasoned through our philosophical and made-up logic; we cannot overlook the unveiling of the light, energies, heart focus, and magnetic centers of the human system introduced by mystics centuries before scientific understanding.

The universe is saturated with inner and outer forces and energies complementing each other; every manifestation has an imbued law, and there is no separation between the two—the law and its manifestations and applications. There is that magnificent force of energies spreading magnetic waves throughout the universe. It manifests in many forms and frequencies—life and death, positive and negative, condensed and expanded—yet all these forms and manifestations are rooted in that magnificent force.

Nothing lives independently from anything else; nothing is lost in the universe; no direction is diverted from its destination in this design of the absolute eternal. Ultimate force is governing the atoms and cosmos, and so we, as an atom in this cosmic journey, retain our identity while following our destiny; our road is not lost or diverted from its destiny.

In this regard, Shah Maghsoud, the Persian Sufi master (d. 1980), who wrote a short treatise on ‘Ishq va-sarnevisht, seriously questions the disappearance of energy and life after the fall of the body, since he does not agree that the energy of life is limited to the body. He presents a different theory: he empha-

Destiny)

sizes that there is an absolute core of cosmic energy that infuses all, and that this absolute is not subject to demise; it may manifest in forms, but its actuality remains intact. Such absoluteness is original and the existence of the universe is an example of this originality. According to his theory, the essence of knowledge presents itself through its manifestations, and manifestations are nothing but the presentation of knowledge in its journey.

The absolute is infinite and eternal, he suggests; however, since we explain the absolute through our dimensional logic, it will fall into our cause-and-effect logic, and such logic limits our understanding. To understand that very core of knowledge is only possible, he says, if we learn to understand knowledge without its application and manifestation. And, so, according to him, the human being has the capability to unveil that absolute knowledge within, since he (the human being), himself, is an absolute knowledge that has journeyed through the whirlpool of time to present itself in form; yet the absolute is hidden from its perceptions of itself. That absolute within will not change nor will it die.

The gravitational force and other yet unknown forces lead our life, our destination, and our journey; every atom carries the history of the universe within itself and hands us the scroll of the cosmos as we emerge in the footsteps of nature to claim an identity. What a great journey; what a richness waiting to be unveiled!

Shah Maghsoud made a few moral points in this book as well. He emphasizes that since like attracts like, it is therefore of great importance to cultivate moral, ethical, and civilized attributes to attract similar energies, rather than ignite war and conflict, ruin human lives, and destroy heritages in order to satisfy human greed and indifference to humanity.

Inspiration: Light of Stillness

Seyyed Ali Kianfar, Shah Nazar Uwaiysi

Compiled by Saleh Arthur Scott

Sufi Wisdom: The Collected Words of Sufi Master Nahid Angha Compiled by Arife Ellen Hammerle, Ph.D.

Caravan: Biographies from the Sufism Symposia 1994-2014

Introduction by Nahid Angha, Ph.D.

Illumination of the Names: Meditation by Sufi Masters on the Ninety-Nine Beautiful Names of God

Introduction from the Teachings of Sufi Master Shah Nazar Seyyed Ali Kianfar Compiled by Glenn Pascall

Seasons of the Soul: The Spoken Wisdom of Shah Nazar Seyyed Ali Kianfar Compiled by Glenn Pascall & Saana Joy Carey, Ph.D.

Inspirations on The Holy Qur’an

Introduction by Shah Nazar Seyyed Ali Kianfar

Seasons of Transformation Compiled by Saleh Arthur Scott

Human Self Volume 1: Body by Shah Nazar Seyyed Ali Kianfar, et.al.

Reflections by Arife Ellen Hammerle, Ph.D.

The Book of Self by Sarah Hastings

Show Us the Straight Way: the intimate act of talking to God in Prayer by Halima JoAnn Haymaker

Sufism: Self, Path and Guide by Amineh Amelia

Mullin, Ph.D.

Pryor, Ph.D.

Islamic Art: Calligraphy

Nahid Angha, Ph.D.

Qur’an Leaf in Kufic Script, 8th-9th century. Ink, pigment, and gold leaf on vellum or parchment, 12 5/8 × 15 1/2 in. (32.1 × 39.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Joan Palisi in memory of her husband, Dr. Joseph J. Palisi of Brooklyn, New York, 1995.186 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1995.186_PS2.jpg)

Ali Haravi. Sample of Calligraphy in Persian Nasta’liq Script, 16th century. Ink, opaque watercolors, and gold on paper, 8 13/16 x 5 1/4 in. (22.4 x 13.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum Collection, X629.6

calligraphy

Background

by Shah Maghsoud Sadiq Angha

Nūn ( ). By the pen and by what one inscribes. (Qur’an 68:1)

The Islamic sacred arts are tied strongly to Qur’an, saturated with the presentation of beauty and reverence, since Islam has been the very mind and heart of its practitioners, absorbing every aspect of their lives, literature, and mysticism. Islamic art and science “have always been determined by a particular spiritual ‘style’ and transformed by a special type of grace (barakah) issuing directly from the Qur’anic revelation.”¹ Calligraphy is one of such creative arts where sacredness and beauty walk hand in hand, presenting themselves in every aspect, every detail, every streak of the art; an art that demands exactness in the calculation for its presentation; where patterns hold meanings, and every element serves an intention.

Over time, calligraphic styles have developed through the works of individuals such as Ibn Mogla (also spelled Mugla, d. 940) and his brother. They may have been among the first individuals who suggested styles in calligraphy; 14 styles to be exact. “By improving the pens used, by defining the geometric shapes of the letters, and by setting down the 12 essential rules of calligraphy they brought the art under a measure of discipline. In their system the basic components of handwriting were straightness (sath) and roundness (dawr).”² Ibn al-Bawwāb (d. 1022-23) added a few more rules to Ibn Moqla’s rules in calligraphy. He “initiated the practice of measuring letters in points to set standards for the heights of tall letters […], the length of an elongation in a particular context, or the size of a semicircle ….”³

Several styles of calligraphy exist in the Muslim world, each has great calculations of form, length, and designs. Kufic is among the oldest calligraphic styles that were used in the early transcription of the Qur’an, and has several variations. Its name is drawn from Kufah, a city in Iraq. Another style of Islamic calligraphy is Naskh, which uses a cursive streak and is commonly used in Qur’anic writing. Naskh has several variations,

1 Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Islamic Science: An Illustrated Study (Published and produced by the World of Islam Festival Publishing Company, Ltd.; Printed in England by Westerham Press Ltd. Westerham, Kent, 1976) 3.

2 Golām-Hosayn Yūsofī, “Calligraphy” in Encyclopaedia Iranica, 1990, last visited 2021.

3 Ibid.

4 “Nasta‘līq script: calligraphy,” written by the Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2007.

5 For more information see Golām-Hosayn Yūsofī, “Calligraphy” in Encyclopaedia Iranica, 1990, last visited 20211; Martin Lings, The

including thuluth script with long vertical letters; riq‘ah with short strokes; and muhaqqaq, which is one of the most difficult yet beautiful scripts. Then there are nasta‘liq “predominant style of Persian calligraphy”4 developed by Mir Ali Tabrizi (Persian calligrapher, d. 1502) from the calligraphy styles of tat‘līq and naskhī. Other styles of calligraphy include Diwani, developed in Turkey, and Sini, developed in China, and many more.5

Islamic calligraphy requires certain tools and materials. The first and most important is qalam (pen). Qalam is usually made of dried reed, preferably dark brown outside and white inside, sturdy and solid. The nib of the pen is cut in a special angular form suited for certain styles of calligraphy. Ink needs to be liquid black with wadding kept in a special kind of ink-pot. The paper choice is of great importance since the quality of paper affects the calligraphy itself; then there is a pen-knife to cut the nib of the pen in a special shape—there are specific ways to cut the nib of the pen since the shape affects the calligraphy. A calligrapher has a base to set his paper on when writing and a base to set his pen on.

There are instructions on how a calligrapher should sit, hold the pen, and care for and store the tools, etc. Depending on the style of calligraphy, there are specific calculations for the size, length and design of each letter, and the restricted proximity of letters to each other.6

“To Allah belong the most Beautiful Names; call upon Him by those Names.” (Qur’an 7:180); and Islamic art presents the beauty and the reverence of the world of the seen and unseen; every presentation becomes a manifestation of the eternal Beauty; and every sacred creation holds the Nameless at the very heart of its presentation. Ahmad Ghazzali (Persian Sufi, d. 1126) so beautifully writes in his Sawanih: that “the beloved is to see her beauty in the mirror of the lover’s love,”7 and what is more expressive than art, a sacred art that is nourished from the heart of the Sacred.8

Qur’anic Art of Calligraphy and Illustration (New York: Interlink Books, 1976); and https://www.islamicity.org/covers/islamiccalligraphy/

6 See Seyyed Mehdi Mahmudi, Calligraphy Secrets or Nastaliq Secrets (Tehran: Intisharat-i mirdashti, thirteenth print, 2020).

7 Sheikh Ahmad Ghazzali, Sawanih, with introduction by Dr. Javad Nourbakhsh (Tehran: Khaniqah Nimatulahi, 1973) 19.

8 This article is based on excerpts from Nahid Angha, Selected Nast‘liq Calligraphy Scripts and Poems from Shah Maghsoud Sadiq Angha (California: International association of Sufism Publications, 2023) 13-15.

Transformation: The Wisdom of Trees

Arife Ellen Hammerle, Ph.D.

“THE GREAT BLUE DOME OF THE SKY, the majestic cycles of the stars, the miraculous daily rising of the sun, the regular succession of the seasons and the return of spring — all of these give human beings a sense of the universality of the Divine, reminding us of our own place in the Divine plan.” 1

Transformation means a dramatic change in form, appearance, nature or character. It is a verb requiring action to change into another substance, so a conversion occurs from one state to another. Human beings can learn from nature that transformation is a process through which the book of self can be read and cultivated. The collective wisdom of nature reveals life imbued with knowledge that the human being may awaken to understand through our transformation.

ROOT SYSTEM

The root system of trees is a decisive factor in what is growing above ground. The root is integral to the development from seed to a tree. It stores nutrients and centuries of experience to support a tree’s life. The root networking system provides chemical activity and electrical impulses to communicate and support the intelligence of the root. This capacity to connect and communicate through electrical impulses ensures life for the tree.2 The roots contain the blueprint from the seed for growth and transformation of the tree in the natural environment. The giant redwoods have a shallow root system. The roots are intertwined

and fuse together. They grow to 275 feet tall and live hundreds of thousands of years. They start out as individuals and become one with others as they mature and grow.3

BALANCE

Trees weigh and balance their strength carefully. They calibrate their energy levels to manage their balance. Growth requires energy as trees lengthen and widen. They hold energy in reserve to activate necessary defenses in their leaves and bark for protection from harmful contaminants.

Beech trees mature at 80-150 years of age. They often live 400 years or so and produce about 30,000 beechnuts. Only one of these beechnuts will likely develop into a full-grown tree. 4

Mothers of young trees shade them for protection with their broad crowns. The canopy they provide allows a small portion of the available sunlight to reach the offspring. Their inner cells protect them from damage. When the mother tree is nearing the end of life, she opens the gap in the canopy to provide nutrients to the baby trees so they receive the light necessary for photosynthesis and growth. The baby trees grow straight to the sky.5 Trees can hold memory of day length and temperature change, so seeds come out and open when they can thrive. Leaves fall to protect the life and well-being of the tree as it prepares

1

2

for seasonal change. The network of alliance among trees supports transformation for livelihood.

Transformation is a process that opens to reveal life at the source, the seed of awareness within the human heart. As we learn from trees, we understand that they teach humans the importance of facing inwardly with concentrated energy to focus and guide the transformation process in the presence of heart. Inwardly, we discover balance within the root of our essential being. When we breathe into the center point of heart we discover the light of our origin. The inward-facing connection reveals our unity with the eternal universal dimension of life- as revealed by nature. This connection is discovered through transformation, a journey embedded with the heart, the center-point of connection with our divine essence.

Dr. Hammerle holds a Juris Doctorate, a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with many years of training and expertise. She serves as the Co-Director of the Community Healing Centers, an integrative psychotherapy group practice. She is a member of the International Association of Sufism. Dr. Hammerle has published many articles and books on psychology and Sufism, and taught Psychology, Stress Management and Sufi Courses at the Institute for Sufi Studies and Santa Rosa Junior College. Dr. Hammerle serves as the CEO of Catholic Charities. She is devoted to a life of service to impact positive social change, advocacy and justice in our community.

3 The Power of Trees, 16.

4 Peter Wohlleben, The Hidden Life of Trees, (Vancouver, Canada: Greystone Books), 29.

5 The Hidden Life of Trees, 228.

Nahid Angha, Sufi Wisdom, The Collected Words of Sufi Master Nahid Angha (California: International Association of Sufism, 2016), 1.

Peter Wohlleben, The Power of Trees (Vancouver, Canada: Greystone Books, 2023), 16.

Remembering Professor

Saleh Arthur Kane Scott

March 29, 1938 – April 9, 2024

Our dear friend and fellow traveler, Saleh Arthur Kane Scott, Sufi, college professor, author, and longtime contributing writer for Sufism: An Inquiry, passed away on April 9, 2024 on eid al fitr, one of the most sacred days in Islam.

including Seasons of Transformation: Narratives of the Sufi Path and it second volume, Seeds of Transformation.

Professor Scott (Saleh) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, in 1938 to a generation he referred to as “sensitive to social justice matters,” a generation he also described as possessing “an inherent imperative to seek a spiritual identity; sensing that there is more to life than matter.” Shaped by this generational milieu, he devoted his research and studies to human rights, religion, spirituality, cultural diversity, and societal issues, teaching history and cultural studies for many decades at several intuitions, including Dominican University of California, Contra Costa College, and University of California Berkeley Extension.

His spiritual quest led him to Shah Nazar Dr. Ali Kianfar in the 1990s and Saleh soon became a member of the International Association of Sufism, devoting several decades of sincere service as a presenter, lecturer, researcher, author, and guide of group projects, some of which resulted in co-authored publications,

With a deep thirst for knowledge and a sincere desire to spread the wisdom and profound beauty of Sufism, he compiled and commented upon Sufi teachings and poetry in books such as Inspiration: Lights of Stillness, a collection of teachings of Seyyed Ali Kianfar, Shah Nazar Uwaiysi, and Forty Mystical Sufi Poems, a collection of Sufi poetry translated by Nahid Angha, Ph.D.

Saleh also published numerous articles in Sufism: An Inquiry, and for many decades, he shared his research and inner knowledge through presentations and panel discussions at IAS events, including the Sufism Symposium, Building Bridges of Understanding, the Muslim/Non-Muslim Dialogue series held at Dominican University of California, as well as at private Sufi gatherings and other events.

A devoted father and husband, Saleh is survived by his children and his wife, Jennifer Scott.

A truly indefatigably positive human being who lived life to the fullest, Saleh inspired us with his enduring enthusiasm. He lived a wonderful life, and we pray for his peaceful and safe journey, remembering him with great admiration.

A Journey of Transformation

Professor Saleh Arthur Scott

The following is an excerpt from Professor Scott’s spiritual biographical essay, “Seasons of Transformation: An Intimate Portrait,” published in Seasons of Transformation: Narratives of the Sufi Path (California, IAS Publications, 2021).

To

find a teacher of light is an incalculable blessing.

Our entry into the world is manifested in a bright light, pristine and innocent. It announces that the Beloved has entered time/space with you through the sound of a Sacred Heartbeat. The tragedy is that humanity seeks to make the shadow more attractive by packaging it in a sundry of isms—nationalism, globalism, capitalism, sexism, racism. These isms and ideas become collective bargains that plunge humanity deeper into darkness marginalizing the light of Beauty. The way back to Beauty is through the undoing of thought, returning to the heart. There is nothing more I know how to say. Surrender to that Reality, find yourself lighter than a feather, and wondrously embraced in Beauty. Your heart is waiting for you.

The Star that guides you has many points and truths mirroring the complexity of life’s journey. Yet at its core, it affirms the simplicity of surrender. If you look closely, you will find the word surrender etched out like a brilliant rainbow cascading across the night sky. Indeed, this is the everlasting miracle of the star of Bethlehem, which like the Milky Way uncovered the wisdom and healing purity of surrendering. In short, life itself is an ongoing season of hope and renewal, and this message is reflected through all eternity in which the night sky does its beautiful dance to the Creator, and reminds us that like the stars our truth comes only in surrendering. The best gift that can be bestowed is to remind everyone, every human being, that they are quintessential stars of Mercy/Compassion, the Beloved in reflection.

One of these nights, I will catch the eternal light and begin the me’rāj (ascension)

The body will drop, limitation forsaken, and the spiritual me will awaken to the ineffable music of the Divine emanating from First Light within.

I will witness the glory of Creation in all its magnificence from beginning to end.

Unity in all its majesty and beauty will unfold and lift me up, and whisper:

“You are the one I seek to be I.”

There is no separation between you and I. Completion perfected.

The loved and the lover have merged into an ineffable embrace so intense that it knows no beginning nor end.

There just is a deep prevailing joy of stillness, wholeness, and love for recovering the sacred home of the Divine Light temporarily lost within the chaos of time and space.

I seek to speak, but the Light gently demurs by withdrawing into Stillness, and touches my heart with its fitra of Compassion and Knowing.

Oneness knows not a second, separation has ended, there is only the Light of Eternity. You are a part of that ineffable Reality. It’s beyond words.

Hakim Sana’i Ghaznawi

A Sufi Poet of the Twelfth Century

Hakim Sana’i Ghaznawi, a Persian Sufi master and a poet of the 12th century, is best known for his Hadiqat al-haqiqa va shari‘at al tariqat (The Garden of Truth and the Law of the Path). This book has been regarded as the first mathnawi, a poetic style that influenced later Sufi masters and poets including Jalal-al Din Rumi. It seems that Ghaznawi’s works have been of great interest for many Sufi poets and masters including Ahmad Ghazzali (d. 1126), Hamadani (executed 1132), and Ruzbehan Baqli of Shiraz (d. 1209). Among Sana’i literary masterpieces is Seyr al-ibad elalma‘ad (The Journey of the Devotees to the Place of Return) that describes the allegorical story of a spiritual journey that perhaps resembles Ibn Sina’s allegory of Hayy ibn Yaqzan.1

From his Hadīqatu-i-Haqīqat (Garden of Truth)

On Ma‘rifat (Knowledge)

No one knows Him (God) His essence is only known through His own Self.

The intellect hurried to know Him

But found its own weakness to unveil His truth.

His mercy called: know Me through Myself As no one knows Him through one’s own reason or sense

How can your senses find a way to that Absolute? How can a grain stand strong on the crown of a dome?

Reason can guide you, but only to the door It is His grace that takes you to His Absolute.

He is the owner of your mind and your heart He is the ultimate seeker and the Sought.

1 For more information see J. T. P. de Bruijn, “Sanā’i” in Encyclopaedia Iranica, last accessed 3/4/2024.

Magnetic Centers

The Network of Light, Part II

Victor Sinow, M.A.

Shah Maghsoud1 writes in his Manifestations of Thought that, “[Earth’s] electromagnetic energies have been in constant connection and relation with all the eternal energies in the existence. And the human being, who is a connecting link between the seen and unseen, is the recipient of both active and receptive energies of this infinite and eternal environment.”2 I have learned from Dr. Kianfar’s3 teachings on Qur’an that these infinite and eternal energies are reflections of divine Mercy and Grace, of the light of Ar-Rahman. Indeed, all motion, including our own intention and action, is a consequence of that first light that shone in the cradle of nothingness and gave birth to our physical universe. We cannot separate ourselves from this light, and our interaction with it shapes not only our on fate, but also that of the energetic makeup of the cosmos.

Consider this teaching of Mir Ghotbeddin4 as described by Dr. Angha5 in her commentary: “since nothing will vanish into space, thus no matter how far the light wave travels from its center, it will always be observable by suitable receivers. The same is true for our actions and deeds of goodness or wickedness, servitude or treachery, friendship or enmity, hidden or apparent. They are carried away by the quickest wings of light into infinite space and are handed from wave to wave into eternity.”6 Through this wisdom, it is evident that in each moment and with every thought, we generate electromagnetic waves that radiate from the magnetic centers of our bodies and mingle with the combined energetic waves of the universe. At the same time, those same magnetic centers can, as Shah Maghsoud writes, “receive and transform the electromagnetic energies of the extended universe into harmonious useful energies and materials suitable

for human systems.”7 Thus, capable of both sending and receiving energetic radiation, our human systems precisely manifest the behavior of a communications antenna.

Before we continue, I would like to briefly introduce the concept of “interference” in wave and communication theory. In brief, interference is a phenomenon where two waves are combined by adding their amplitudes along their vectors of propagation. If the crest of a wave meets a crest of another wave of the same frequency at the same point, then the amplitude of the resulting wave is the sum of the amplitudes of the two constituent waves—this is called constructive interference. If a crest of one wave meets a trough of another wave, then the amplitude of the resulting wave is equal to the difference in the amplitudes of the two constituent waves—this is known as destructive interference.

As applied to our interactions with the light of ArRahman, and, as Shah Maghsoud writes “the roaring and transacted waves” of the universe, the concept of interference provides us with a tangible framework to understand how human agency is critical to connecting with the eternal energy of the divine. “The effects of any individual’s thought will surely search and find – without any limitation of time – its suitable receivers within reality.”8 A suitable receiver is simply that human heart that beats constructively with the frequency of divine illumination. Our systems have the capacity, through focused meditation, disciplined thought and action, and guidance from a true teacher, to generate electromagnetic energy that constructively interferes with the ever-present divine wave. As Dr. Kianfar taught during a Qur’anic study class on Surah 53: An-Najm (Star), “by practice,

when you collect your energy, and return this energy into the center of the heart, that connects with the eternal energy, and these two become one and unite.” In contrast, if we ignore the longing of our hearts and focus our energies instead on matters of culture and transience, the electromagnetic energy we radiate will destructively interfere with the divine light, and we will remain disconnected from the source of life. By the grace and wisdom of Allah, each of us has been given the most incredible power to focus our energies, tune our hearts to the resonant frequency of the universe, and unlock the light waiting to shine forth.

Victor Sinow holds a Master degree of Engineering in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a focus on semiconductor devices, analog integrated circuit design, and power conversion. Victor has had formal instruction in electromagnetic wave theory, Einstein’s theories of relativity, frequency domain analysis, and quantum physics as it relates to modern semiconductor device design. As a result of this instruction, Victor has a strong working knowledge of the fundamental theories that underpin much of modern particle physics as well as the modern understanding of gravity and space/time. Victor serves as the Senior Principal Design Engineer for a semiconductor company developing efficient power conversion circuits from novel materials.

2 Shah Maghsoud Sadiq Angha, Manifestations of Thought, translated with commentary by Nahid Angha (California, IAS Publications, 2022), 98.

3 Shah Nazar Seyyed Ali Kianfar is a Sufi master of the Uwaiysi tariqat and a disciple of Moulana Shah Maghsoud.

4 Mir Ghotbeddin Muhammad Angha (d. 1962) was a Persian Uwaiysi Sufi master.

6 Mir Ghotbeddin Muhammad Angha, Destination: Eternity, translated with commentary by Nahid Angha (California, IAS Publications, 2022), 148.

7 Manifestations of Thought, 100.

8 Manifestations of Thought, 3.

1 Shah Maghsoud Sadiq Angha (d. 1980) was a Persian Sufi master of the Uwaiysi tariqat.

5 Nahid Angha, Ph. D., a Sufi scholar and master of the Uwaiysi tariqat, is the translator and commentator of Shah Maghsoud’s works.

The Feminine and the

Sharon Mijares, Ph.D.

The Holy Qur’an begins with the words, Bismillah er Rahman er Rahim. When we examine the root of the Holy Names, Rahman and Rahim, we will find the Arabic root RHM is also the name for womb.1 Thus, the initial emergence of Allah into manifestation represents a feminine womb of unconditional love and compassion. In this brief article, I want to discuss its relationship to gender and global healing, as well as to honor the relational Feminine Archetype.

All of life is within this Divine Womb, yet patriarchal ideologies and distortions have led untold numbers of people away from this recognition. Overall, women, the bearers of a womb for life, have been suppressed for thousands of years. Look at the results! We cannot turn away from this reality as patriarchy has controlled the world for far too long, causing much suffering to men, women, children, and Nature as well. It is our spiritual work as human beings to bring balance and healing (another way of expressing Rahman and Rahim) into all we do. This means honoring the feminine—the power and compassion that unites all in this divine manifestation.

The feminine is an extremely relevant Archetype. The Archetypes represent universal patterns and each one, similar to the Holy Names, is endowed with a unique motivating spirit.2 The Feminine Archetype is more vitally needed than ever, especially when we look at what is taking place in numerous places throughout this world. Many human behaviors are not being motivated with the goal of relational unity—the

knowledge and caring that we all share this life, and our home, this planet, together. The threat of nuclear war looms closer every day as well as numerous other threats to life.

Even though numerous well-motivated people and groups are working toward honoring diversity and equality, there are just as many or more who resist such unity. Our relationship with Nature is just as important as our relationship with other human beings. The fact that patriarchal ideologies have fostered the conquest and control of Mother Nature’s resources is likewise bringing the world to the brink of destruction. Again, we cannot turn away from this as it is our spiritual birthright and responsibility to do all we can to recognize and bring forth the unity inherent within this Divine Womb of Creation.

The Feminine Archetype is within both males and females, although it is generally more pronounced in women. This begins with motherhood. As the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) noted, “Heaven lies under the steps of the Mothers.”3 Yet, due to patriarchal ideals the masculine archetypes relation to action and conquest have favored the male. The archetypal dominance of action has not been in relationship (balance) with caring and awareness of how actions impact others and life itself. It is obvious that this imbalance needs to be righted or we will bring the world we are blessed to live in to its demise. Both women and men need to work together for this transformation—including all races, genders, nationalities, religions and cultures.

Womb (RHM) of Life

The feminine unites; it does not divide. In The Power of the Feminine: Facing Shadow Evoking Light we noted that, when both sexes4 wake up to their spiritual and fuller human potential, it is possible that humanity will cease its destructive behaviors. The balance of healthy men and women respectfully working together could very possibly resolve many of our present dilemmas and create a much healthier world for all.

The archetypal feminine, a force within women and men, is a relational spirit that seeks to nurture life—rather than to destroy it. In that the suppression of women has caused a six-thousand-year imbalance, it is vitally important that women awaken to its presence and clear themselves of patriarchal influences.

This effort is most relevant in creating a spiritual balance upon this earth. We must do the work we were born to do. The archetypal feminine represents the relational force to enable the manifestation of the Divine Womb. This means to sense, feel, and live within this Divine Unity.

To be in relationship, in unity, with all of life means to accept diversity of race, religious preferences, nationality, and gender. It means the recognition that everything and everyone is part of this divine unity, this Divine Womb. Unconditional Love and Compas-

1 “Rahman and the name that follows, Rahim, are both derived from the old Middle Eastern Semitic root RHM, which points to a raying forth (Ra) from the deep, dense interiority (HM).” Neil Douglas-Klotz, The Sufi Book of Life: 99 Pathways of the Heart for the Modern Dervish (Penguin, 2008), 8.

2 See Sharon Mijares, Aliaa Rafea, D. Sharling, J. Amponsem, and M. Mallory, The Power of the Feminine: Facing Shadow Evoking Light (Egypt: Human Foundation 2020).

sion is the substance that nurtures us within it! The Feminine Archetype is the means of relating all.

In summary, those first words, Bismillah er Rahman er Rahim, beginning each Surah in the Holy Qur’an need to be actualized in our lives—in relationship to all others. This is an ultimate step into the alchemical and archetypal work leading toward becoming an Authentic Human Being. It is the Feminine Archetype that can lead us to Unity.

Dr. Sharon G. Mijares, a published author and Depth Psychologist, focusing on the mystical journey to spiritual awakening, is lead faculty at the California Institute for Human Science, professor at National University, and taught for the United Nations University for Peace in Costa Rica. She has authored/co-authored seven books including: The Revelation of the breath: A tribute to its wisdom, power, and beauty; A Force Such As the World Has Never Known: Women Creating Change co-edited book (with Dr. Angha); The Power of the Feminine: Facing Shadow/Evoking Light coauthored with an Egyptian Sufi leader, a Tibetan feminist, an environmentalist from Ghana, and a U.S. professor. She has presented workshops in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Mexico, Scotland, Uganda, United States and Venezuela. She is a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother currently living in Cholula, Mexico. See www.psychospiritual.org

3 Nahid Angha, Deliverance: Words from the Prophet Muhammad (San Rafael, CA: International Association of Sufism 1995), 45.

4 “This includes gender identity, gender roles, and sexual preferences… Archetypal studies reveal we have numerous gendered forces within each one of us,” see footnote from The Power of the Feminine: Facing Shadow Evoking Light, 2020, XXII.

The Benevolent al-Latif

Sarah Hastings Mullin, Ph.D.

Sufi Master Shah Nazar Seyyed Ali Kianfar teaches that “our longing for union with the Divine brings us closer to the truth behind the Names. So long as a Name is only a word, it does not define the meaning.”1 This teaching emphasizes an inner practice of the Ninety-Nine Most Beautiful Names of Allah, for one who wants to know, to dive deeply inward for, abstract meaning.

Al-Latif, the Benevolent, is a gracious delicate energy that has a loving finesse. As Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazzali (Persian theologian and Sufi master, d. 1111) explains in his Ihya-i ‘ulum-i din: By the heart, I do not mean the palpable matter of flesh but one of the mysteries of God which the bodily senses fail to perceive: a spiritual substance (latifah) from God, sometimes indicated by the word spirit (ruh) and at times by the calm soul (al-nafs al-mutma’innah).2

He also explains who is a deserving individual to learn and practice this name in his al Maqsad al-asna fi sharh asma’ Allah al-husna:

One is deserving of this name if one who knows the subtleties of those things which are beneficial, as well as their hidden aspects, along with what is subtle about them and what is benevolent. Moreover, in conveying them to those who are deserving, he is committed to the path of

1 Dr. Ali Kianfar, Illumination of the Names: Meditation by Sufi Masters on the Ninety-Nine Beautiful Names of God. (San Rafael: International Association of Sufism Publications, 2011), 25.

gentleness rather than harshness. For the perfect meaning of ‘benevolent’ combines gentleness in action with delicacy of perception. Such perfection in knowledge and action is inconceivable except in God-may He be praised and exalted.3

In other words, when a practitioner learns the quality of al-Latif, his or her inner and outer behavior transforms to align and reflect such understanding. He becomes well-mannered and gentle, having gained more spiritual access, and channels this energy through gentle, loving, and refined ways.

Al-Latif calls to the practitioner to become refined to directly discover the indescribable gentle, pure and benevolent divine energy within his creation:

As for His being gentle and benevolent in actions, it too cannot be reckoned: indeed, one only knows what the benevolence in action is from knowing His actions and the subtleties of gentleness found in them.4

Sarah Hastings Mullin Ph.D. is a member of the International Association of Sufism, Sufi Women Organization, and is on the Editorial Board of  Sufism: An Inquiry.  She is a clinical psychologist with a private practice. Her publications, Practice & Transformation: The Way to Divine Qualities and Characteristics and The Book of Self  regard self-development in Sufism as taught by Seyedeh Dr. Nahid Angha and Shah Nazar Seyed Dr. Ali Kianfar.  She holds a second degree black belt in Aikido.

2 Al-Ghazzali. The Book of Knowledge, trans. N.A. (Faris, Lahore, 1962), 141-2.

3 Al-Ghazzali. The Ninety-Nine Beautiful Names of God, trans. D. B. Burrel and N. Daher (Cambridge: Islamic Text Society, 1992), 96. Printed with permission from Islamic Texts Society.

4 Al-Ghazzali, Ninety, 96.

Reflections

Professor Aliaa R. Rafea, Ph.D.

Thisarticle delves into the symbolic narrative of creation as depicted in the Qur’an, portraying it as a profound allegory for the inner journey of the soul toward spiritual rebirth, transcending mere physical existence. As conveyed by Prophet Muhammad, central to Islamic teachings is the imperative of preparing oneself to receive divine enlightenment and wisdom directly from Allah, enshrined within the sanctum of our hearts. This prime principle finds its expression in Sufism, a universal path that traces its lineage back to the dawn of human creation.

Adam, emblematic of the primordial human, symbolically received life through the Divine Breath, signifying the activation of the spiritual essence within. Allah commands the angels: “I am about to create a human being, from sounding clay from mud molded into shape. When I have fashioned him and breathed into him of My Spirit, fall in obeisance unto him” (Qur’an 15:29). Upon his descent to Earth, Adam embarked upon the path of salvation, guided by the grace of his Lord. The Qur’an narrates, “Adam received Revelation from his lord, bestowed on him. He provided him with redemption, for He is the Most Merciful” (Qur’an 2:37), underscoring humanity’s tendency towards forgetfulness of the sacred endowment bestowed upon them.

The Qur’anic narrative poetically depicts this divine blessing through evocative terms such as the Divine Breath, the infusion of the Holy Spirit, or the commanding decree of “Be.” These metaphors symbolize a perpetual cycle of spiritual rebirth, transcending the confines of mere physical creation. In the

on the Inner Path the Story of Creation &

story of Adam, the Qur’an draws a parallel between the creation of Jesus and that of Adam, underscoring the potency of the divine command “Be,” which effortlessly ushers existence into being. We read, “The similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: Be. And he was” (Qur’an 3:59).

Adhering strictly to the literal interpretation of this verse poses challenges, particularly regarding the creation of Jesus from dust, which is not congruent with reality. The Qur’an illuminates, “And Mary the daughter of ‘Imran, who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into her of Our spirit, and she honored her Lord’s Words and Books and was among the devout people” (Qur’an 66:12).

Just as the Divine Breath brought Adam into existence, Jesus too was formed through the infusion of the Holy Spirit into his mother Mary. This analogy underscores that the creation narrative signifies a transformation journey from primal material, symbolized as mud or dust, to a state of spiritual rebirth. In essence, humans cannot fulfill their potential existence unless they receive the Divine Breath.

Adam and Mary serve as archetypal symbols representing humanity, transcending gender distinctions. The Qur’anic portrayal of humanity originating from a single soul emphasizes this unity: “O mankind! Reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single soul, created, of like nature, her mate” (Qur’an 4:1). This verse underscores the emergence of both feminine and masculine aspects from a singular source. These two facets exist within every individual—one

is apparent, the other concealed. These two aspects must merge to undergo spiritual rebirth, preparing to receive the Holy Spirit.

Beyond mere interpretation, this article seeks to utilize the Qur’anic narrative of creation to discuss the process of human individuation and self-realization. This is a common experience among Sufis who express their spiritual journey through metaphorical language and profound longing for the Divine. The Sufi master Rafea Muhammad Rafea1 portrays the feminine aspect of Prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatma Al-Zahrah, accentuating her role as the epitome of motherhood. Prophet Muhammad is a beacon for humanity, and adhering to his teaching entails seeking spiritual harmony between the feminine and masculine. Through this integration, we reconnect with our Divine Origin and undergo a transformative spiritual awakening. The Qur’an describes the Revelation to Prophet Muhammad, employing the term Holy Spirit, as evidenced in the verse: “Say, the Holy Spirit has brought the revelation from your Lord in Truth, to assure the believers of their stand, and as a Guide and Glad Tidings to those who surrender” (Qur’an 16:102).

Aliaa R. Rafea, Ph.D., a professor at Women’s College, Ain Sham University, Cairo, Egypt, is the founder and president of the Human Foundation: hfegypt.org; and she has been a visiting professor at Randolph-Macon Women’s College, Lynchburg, Virginia. For more see: https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Aliaa_Rafea

1

Master Rafea Muhammad Rafea was an Egyptian spiritual teacher and social activist (d. 1970).

David Katz, M.D.

This Interview is based on my conversation with Dr. Katz of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship during a Wisdom Weekend gathering, February 2024.

Victor Sinow, M.A.

Dr. David Katz was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and studied medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine to obtain his M.D. in 1975, followed by a residency in Family Medicine in Rochester, New York. He has been an Associate Professor of Family Practice at the University of California Davis School of Medicine, and a retired Medical Director of CommuniCare Health Centers in Davis, California. He and his wife began their lifelong studies with Sheikh M.R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (rad.) in 1976. Dr. Katz is the president of the California Branch of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship.

Victor Sinow: In your understanding, could you describe what you believe a Sufi to be?

A Sufi is one who has, through the grace of God, transformed from a focus on the external world and their own body, to a focus that sees only God. And that every pore of their body, every sense organ of their body, is seeing not only what the sense brings to it, but God within that sense.

A Sufi is one that uses that wisdom that God gave you to decide what to do when you have two things to do at once. Because all contradictions are contradictions of our mind, our conceptions, our thoughts and feelings about the world, there’s no contradiction in what the real truth is. It’s all one truth. And a Sufi is one who, as Bawa [Muhaiyaddeen] says, speaks without speaking, prays without praying, dances without

dancing and has completely merged so that external activity is always imbued with God and never seen as external.

What called you to this path? How did you meet your teacher?

When I was a young person, I was always a seeker. I experienced reading the Bible, which was the New Testament, the Old Testament, as real experiences for me. They were internal experiences. I really felt that they were speaking to me as I read. And I felt the same way in nature when I was young. But I didn’t have any explanation and really yearned for a path. So I explored the mystical in the Jewish religion through Hasidism, I explored the mystical in Buddhism through Zen, and later I studied the New Testament with a teacher at a seminary. Every place I studied, I learned something, but I didn’t know how to get any closer to God.

When I first met Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, I started to learn that there was an explanation that saw the unity of all the religions and also explained human nature and how to get out of the trap that we all find ourselves in. A unified field theory of life, of humanity, that explains everything. And [Bawa] didn’t ask for blind faith. He wanted you to use your intelligence and see if his words made sense. A real teacher, like Bawa, will set you free. They will tell you that you can do this, and they will help you do it, but they won’t say you need me. They’ll say you need your true self. They will show you how to get started and then it is your

Iman (faith) that will get you where you need to go. As Bawa taught, when you know who you are, you real ize God’s love carries you along your path. It is not your effort, it is God’s will.

Are there any essential messages within the body of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen’s teachings that you would like to highlight for our readers?

Like the four blind men with the elephant in Indian mythology, I can tell you about different sides of the message, keeping in mind that these are not separate points, but they’re all part of the same unity.

Bawa says that there is a God. That’s essential, because the power of God’s love makes everything happen. Everything streams from God, because God

It is this wisdom from which all the other wisdoms come. It doesn’t speak itself, but this is where goodness, truth, honesty, and justice all come from - ultimately from God. Bawa stresses that the very first thing is that there is a God.

And finally, it is important to remember that the path is not a communication of one mind to another. It is a communication of the heart. This is not a path of the mind, it’s a path of the heart, it’s a communication of the heart with Allah, with God, with the power that created the universe. If we remember this, then we will be worshiping in silence all the time. Even though we might be at work, or we might be at home, or we might be with our children, or we might be with our parents, or we might be at a theater, or we might be picnicking, we will still always be merged with God. We will always treat other people with God’s qualities and be constant servants and representatives of God.

Dr. Katz, second from left in the back row, with fellow members of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship.

from Ghazaliyat-i Shams-i Tabriz

Behind the veil of the loving heart, there exists an enchanting flower field

Where the lovers fall into ecstasy seeing the beauty of their love.

Wisdom says: No! There is no journey beyond this world of possibilities

Love says: There is, I have journeyed through such beauty so many times.

Wisdom says: Don’t walk into the field of fana, that is a field of many thorns

Love says: Hush, be quiet, free your heart from the thorns of these limits

To see the flower fields visible to the loving heart.

Shams-i Tabriz, you are the sun behind the cloud of these confines

When the sun rises, all confines are dissolved into that sun.

Jallaleddin Muhammad Balkhi (Rumi), Gozideh-i ghazaliyat-i Shams, compiled by Dr. Mohammad Reza Shafiei Kadkani (Tehran: Kitabha-y jibi, 1354/1976) Ghazal 33. Shams-i Tabriz was Rumi’s teacher.

A Reflection on the Theory of Cause and Effect

Leili First, Ph.D.

In common usage, the terms “cause” and “effect” describe a relationship in which an event or action (cause) produces another event or outcome (effect), implying that the cause is prior in time to the effect. Our commonsense understanding of cause and effect is based on our own direct experience and reflective writings and discussions among philosophers and scientists, particularly physicists, who attempt to better understand the nature of the phenomenon of cause/effect.

In his Manifestations of Thought, Moulana Shah Maghsoud1 suggests a substantially different notion of cause and effect, arguing that “cause and effect are, in fact, two principles reflecting each other, or two sides of the same coin differentiated by the language of logic, but not in the actuality of things themselves.”2 Dr. Nahid Angha, the commentator of this work, writes: “What is cause or effect if not only our own relative perception of a limited space/time dimension of the actuality of being?” 3 In a radical departure from our ordinary understanding, she explains that cause and effect are attributes of spacetime, not of a thing or an event itself.

This view of cause and effect emphasizes a key point of Sufi understanding and teaching: what we see, experience, and think we understand of life is shaped by our mind and senses. It is not reality. In her commentary, Dr. Angha further states, “For a human being who, according to the dictates of nature, has learned to rely on his senses and regard them as the doorway to knowledge, it is difficult to take a different step to build the foundation of his understanding.”4 We are limited by our daily experience, the education of our childhood, and the general understanding and

Leili First, Ph.D. is a student of Uwaiysi tariqat and a long-time member of the International Association of Sufism. Dr. First holds a Ph.D. in Transformative Studies. Her research focuses on the intersection of science and spirituality, particularly the relationship between the understandings of Sufis and theoretical physicists on the nature of reality.

guidelines of our society to this reliance on our senses as the doorway to knowledge. But we are also called by the quest within ourselves to know more and to understand better, especially our own selves.

Human beings are intelligent and curious, and have always been so. When thinkers such as Plato, or Descartes, or Leibniz, or Einstein, or even ourselves, try to delve deeper into understanding the nature of our world, we begin with what we know or think we know. Put differently, we observe, we form beliefs, develop hypotheses and then test them. We extrapolate to apply our observations and create theories to explain observed phenomena. Scientists have derived principles, rules, and formulas to describe our universe. We tend to believe and trust their findings and pronouncements as “Laws of Nature,” or “Laws of Science.”

Cause and effect are, in fact, two principles reflecting each other, or two sides of the same coin differentiated by the language of logic, but not in the actuality of things themselves.

We must recognize that laws developed by scientists remain, at best, close approximations, subject to change over time.5 They can be very useful in performing calculations and predictions. Still, they are created by human beings, so they are not necessarily eternal truths, and they also do not explain the meanings behind them. For example, the laws of quantum mechanics are among the most powerful and successful in all of physics in terms of predicting behavior.6 Yet, no one truly understands why they function the way they do. As theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate Richard Feynman famously observed: “I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics.”7

However, as Dr. Angha writes: “The human being exists, and is capable of understanding the minutiae of the existence, Shah Maghsoud states, but his information is relative. However, if the knowledge

1 Philosopher, scientist, poet, and one of the great Sufis of the 20th century (1916-1280).

2 Shah Maghsoud Sadiq Angha, Manifestations of Thought: Padidihay-i Fikr, translated with commentary by Nahid Angha (San Rafael, California: International Association of Sufism, 2022), 58.

3 Manifestations of Thought, 59.

4 ibid, 61.

5 Norman Swartz, “Laws of Nature | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,” accessed March 10, 2024, https://iep.utm.edu/lawofnat/

of ‘being’ that is the very essence of the formed cosmos exists, then the human being must necessarily be aware of it.”8 The essence of every particle, or object, or being – including humans– is not reducible to what we see in front of us. As Dr. Angha explains: “Every manifestation appears from and is based upon a fixed point of its actuality, and everything in this universe has its reality, and the center of eternity extends from the heart of the particle to the heart of eternity.”9 She continues: “If we agree that every manifestation must rest upon a point of reference and that the center or the core of the element or the particle is actually the center and core of the universe, then to understand and fully know one centrality (unchanging center-point) would be equal to understanding the whole of the universe.”10 “Shah Maghsoud suggests that it is the very self of a human being, a concentrated electromagnetic force, that understands its own self …” “[S]ince every manifested self is rooted in its own core knowledge, then a human being can understand his own self through directing his concentrated energies toward a centerpoint of reference.”11 This brings us to the importance of the heartbeat meditation practiced by Sufis; directing our concentrated energies toward our own center-point of reference (heart), where we can reach the absolute knowledge which is inherent.12

Cause and effect are not the reality. They are an illusion based on the limitations of time and space, the limitations to which we are subject in our lives in this world. We are reminded of our limitations, but we are also reminded of our potential to attain the absolute knowledge which is inherent. Teachers of humanity remind us that we do not need to choose to stay in the state of limitation and ignorance.

6 Peter J. Lewis, “Quantum Mechanics, Interpretations of | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,” accessed March 10, 2024, https://iep.utm.edu/ int-qm/

7 Feynman, “Nobody Understands Quantum Mechanics,” 2013, https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3ZRLllWgHI

8 Manifestations of Thought, 60.

9 ibid, 60.

10 ibid, 60.

11 ibid, 61.

12 ibid, 62.

Beyond Identification

The Healer’s Heart

Jamal Granick, Ph.D.

In recent years, the field of psychotherapy has reached beyond its historical constraints and begun to dialogue with other modalities that are adjacent to, or overlap with, traditional “talk therapy.” This has afforded the opportunity for cross-fertilization between healing disciplines. In keeping with that, the Beyond Identification program has served beyond its historical affiliation to psychotherapy to include the wisdom and expertise of other healing traditions.

The recent event, “The Healer’s Heart” introduced three presenters in the field of somatic therapies who are each master practitioners, as well as teachers within their respective traditions.

Heart can be understood from many angles and each of the presenters considered it from different perspectives including anatomical, energetic, metaphoric, relational, and spiritual. Their presentations represented a significant degree of convergence in understanding the relationship of the heart, in its many manifestations, to the process of healing.

Themes that emerged across the presentations included the heart’s relationships with healing, electromagnetic energy, its environment (internal and external), and society. A clear through line emerged between the place of the heart within the individual practitioner, how the practitioner’s heart is affected by the societal and institutional systems within which practice is conducted, and how practitioners’ relationships with their own hearts shapes their therapeutic stance and its effect on their clients.

1 Scott Zamurut, Scott Zamurut, RCST® presented “The Home of the Heart.” Scott is a senior teacher in the field of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, a founding board member of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy Association of North America, and a past Vice President of the American Polarity Therapy Association. Information about his offerings can be found at https://www.scottzamurut.com/

SCOTT ZAMURUT, practitioner and teacher of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy1, reflected that the anatomical position of the heart illuminates, not only its physiological function, but its central role in the larger context of the totality of human being, including body, mind, and spirit. He taught that the heart rests on the respiratory diaphragm for support, stating that when breath oxygenates the blood, it sends messages to the nervous system that “we are healthy and it is OK to relax.” He further described the role of the pericardium, known in Chinese Medicine as “the heart protector,” in insulating the heart from the energetic assault of our environments.

LAEL KEEN, who practices and teaches Rolfing and Somatic Experiencing2, stated that “it is in the safe place that we are free to express ourselves, to express our humanity, to express our creativity, our love, and our engagement with each other.” It is these capacities that are required to sustain the kind of healing presence that allows clients’ own capacity to realize their highest potential to emerge. From her perspective “healing is an inside job.” She proposed that the practitioner’s job is to provide the kind of relationship that invites and supports healing. This is best facilitated by attuning to the client’s spiritual destiny revealed as their highest potential, to try to see what they “look like when God is shining through.”

2 Lael Katherine Keen presented “Creating a Space Where Grace Can Arise and Healing Can Happen.” Lael is senior faculty of Somatic Experiencing® International Institute, a founding member of the Brazilian Trauma Association (ABT), as well as Advanced Faculty and Movement Faculty for the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute of Structural Integration. Information about her offerings can be found at https://laelkeen.com/sobre/

KATHY KAIN, who created Somatic Practice and teaches Somatic Experiencing3, suggested that the practitioner’s self-care is critical to their effectiveness as healers. Their health is often challenged by the systems-of-care within which they practice, which are influenced by cultural and societal norms that are often at variance with the core values of healing. She commented that “we are working within a treatment culture that creates a dilemma for many of us about how to stay heart-centered when we’re doing our work.” So, practicing self-care is critical.

Scott Zamurut suggested that we “all have the inherent capacity as human beings” to attend to our internal states, but that it “takes practice.” Kathy Kain echoed this stating that “if we don’t practice things, we don’t develop the skills that allow us to do them under duress, or quickly.”

In summary, the state of the practitioner is a critical variable in providing effective treatment. It was clear in all three presentations that for the practitioner to show up in a therapeutic way requires a high level of attention to care for their own heart. The state of the heart can be compromised by its environment, both its internal physical environment, as well as the external systems within which care is provided. Therefore, the first practice of the healer is to attend to their own state, reiterating the time honored saying of Jesus, “Physician, heal thyself.”4

3 Kathy Kain, Ph.D. presented “Somatic Presence: Resting and Nourishing the Healer’s Heart.” Dr. Kain teaches somatic and touch-oriented approaches to trauma recovery, self-regulation skills through her Somatic Practice organization, is a senior faculty for the Somatic Experiencing training, and an adjunct faculty member of Sonoma State University. Information about her offerings can be found at https:// somaticpractice.net/about/

4 Luke, 4:23

Jamal Lawrence Granick, Ph.D. has been a student of Uwaiysi tariqat for thirty years. He is a member of the International Association of Sufism (IAS), serving on its Executive Committee and Board of Trustees. He co-directs (with Dr. Pryor) the Sufism and Psychology Forum (SPF), a department of IAS, and coordinates the Beyond Identification program. Dr. Granick is a psychotherapist, licensed in both California and New Mexico, and has taught psychology at the graduate level, and lectured on the topic of spirituality and psychology for many years at conferences, both locally and internationally. His doctoral research studied therapist presence as a central role in psychotherapy effectiveness. Dr. Granick also holds a fifth-degree black belt in Aikido.

Fakhr al-Din ‘Iraqi

Jalal Brian Heery, Ph.D.

FAKHR AL-DIN ‘IRĀQI, a prolific Persian poet and Sufi master, was born in Hamadan in Persia in 1213. By the time he was seventeen, he had advanced his studies in Islam, and intellectual sciences and had begun teaching others.1 It was during these years that he met a group of qalandar Sufis and decided to travel with them throughout Persia and India. They stopped at Sheikh Baha’uddin Zakariyya Multani’s khaniqah on their journey. Sheikh Baha’uddin (d. 1267-1268) was a Sufi master whose teaching was focused on piety and the pursuit of knowledge. Recognizing ‘Irāqi’s potential he decided to take him under his guidance and ultimately gave him his khirqa (cloak) as a sign of permitting him to teach and hold gatherings.

After Sheikh Baha’uddin’s passing ‘Irāqi set forth on a journey with some of his companions. They made their way to Oman, and then to Mecca to complete the pilgrimage. Eventually, ‘Irāqi traveled far North to Konya in Turkey, where he met his second teacher, Sheikh Sadruddin Qunawi (d. 1274).2 During that time, Qunawi’s teaching was focused on Ibn al‘Arabi’s (d. 1240)3 Fusus al-hikam [The Seals of Wisdom], and ‘Irāqi was able to attend Qunawi’s gatherings and teachings. ‘Irāqi, using his insight into the mystical teachings and mastery of the poetic form, began to compose a mixture of prose and poetry to express what he had learned during those times attending Qunawi’s teachings. These became the basis for ‘Irāqi’s most famous work Lama‘at (Divine Flashes). ‘Irāqi remained a devoted student of Qunawi for

Jalal Brian Heery, Ph.D., SEP, holds a fifth-degree black belt in Aikido. He founded Restoring Resilience in Scotts Valley, where he works with individuals as a somatic experiencing practitioner (brianheerysep.com). He is also the founder and head instructor at Rocky Valley Aikido Dojo. He did his doctoral research on “Awakening Spirit in the Body” at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. He is an Uwaiysi Sufi and student of the Sufi Masters Seyyedeh Nahid Angha, Ph.D. and Shah Nazar Seyyed Ali Kianfar, Ph.D.

I asked the magnificent beauty: Whose beloved are You (God)?

My own, He said, as I am the One and I am the Only One I am the love, I am the lover, and I am the beloved I am the mirror, I am the beauty, and I am the very eye that Sees.⁹

many years until Qunawi’s passing in 1274. Three years later when ‘Irāqi was in his mid-sixties, he left Rum and traveled southwest to Cairo, Egypt. Shortly after, he set out eastward, settling in Damascus, Syria. At seventy-eight, ‘Irāqi passed away and was buried in the Salihiyyah cemetery in Damascus.4

‘Irāqi, in the prologue to the Lama’at, writes about the Divine Names and how their presence within him allowed him to act as a mirror radiating pure Essence. In flash fourteen of the Lama’at, ‘Irāqi mentions the station of the Two Bows’ Length which references the night journey of the Prophet Muhammad in the Qur’an as he ascended toward God—a joining of the unseen and the seen, the immortal and the cosmic, the unchanging source and the ever changing forms. All are unified, part of the same whole.5 ‘Irāqi draws our attention to a line spanning across a circle that for a brief moment allows us to see the circle as two arcs. Yet with brilliant insight he reminds us that the line does not exist; this world of perception and what we think we see and feel is, in fact, nothing. It is not real, it is not eternal, the lover and the beloved are in fact one.

‘Irāqi’s Diwan is filled with Sufi mystical, lyrical, and musical, poetic forms expressing the wisdom of both sober and ecstatic dimensions of Sufi understanding. One of his most well-known ghazals was composed while he was absorbed in a chilla and rather than meditating in silence ‘Irāqi was singing a ghazal that came to him and shortly after it was being sung in the local taverns.6 The spontaneous, artful, playful, creative, ingenuity, and wisdom wrapped in the melody, images, beauty, and meaning of the ghazal is evident to people at all stations of the spiritual path and remains alive today, eight hundred years after it was first sung.

In his writings, ‘Irāqi expresses the sobriety of the school of Baghdad and the intoxication of the school of Khurasan. “Actually, every person who has realized the truths of Sufism fully and has entered the Garden of Truth has experienced both intoxication and sobriety.”7 ‘Irāqi in flash four of the Lama‘at quotes Junayd (d. 919),8 one of the sober Sufis, who complained about conversing with God for decades while others thought he was speaking to them. ‘Irāqi, utilizing his mastery of the poetic form—prose, poetry, rhythm, and piercing insight—reminds us that the speaker, the listener, and the message are all one.

1 For more information see Fakhruddin ‘Irāqi, Divine Flashes, translated by William C. Chittick and Peter Lamborn Wilson, (New York: Paulist Press, 1982), 33-34.

2 John Cooper, “Rumi and Hikmat: Towards a reading of Sabziwari’s Commentary on the Mathnawi,” in The Heritage Of Sufism: Classical Persian Sufism from its Origins to Rumi (700-1300), vol 1, ed. Leonard Lewisohn (Oxford, England: Oneworld Publications, 1999), 415.

3 Annemarie Schimmel, Mystical Dimensions of Islam (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1975), 7.

4 For more information see Fakhruddin ‘Irāqi, Divan of ‘Irāqi, translation with Introduction by Paul Smith (Victoria: New Humanity Books, 2023), 332.

5 For more information see Nahid Angha, Shah Maghsoud: Life and Legacy (San Rafael, CA: IAS Publications, 2021), 166.

6 For more information see E.G. Browne, Literary History of Persia 1902-1024, vol 3, (Cambridge, London: Cambridge University Press, 1969), 126127.

7 Seyyed Hossein Nasr, The Garden of Truth (New York: HarperCollins, 2008), 179.

8 Seyyed Hossein Nasr, “The Rise and Development of Persian Sufism,” in The Heritage Of Sufism: Classical Persian Sufism from its Origins to Rumi (700-1300), vol 1, ed. Leonard Lewisohn (Oxford, England: Oneworld Publications, 1999), 3.

9 A poem from Lama‘at by Fakhr al-Din ‘Iraqi in ‘Ataullah Tadayyun, “Shurva-hayajan dar khaneqah-i meyhani,” in Jalvahay-i tasawuf va-irfan dar Iran va-jahan (Tehran: Intisharat-i Tehran, 1374/1995), 161. The poem is translated into English by Nahid Angha, Ph.D.

The Women’s Wisdom: Women in Action program launched its Annual Service Appreciation Grants in 2019 by awarding two grants to women and women-led organizations who provide direct service to their communities towards improving the quality of life for women, reducing poverty among women, improving gender equality, or promoting women’s and girls’ rights to access education. Sufi Women Organization was gratified to receive their reports of successful efforts, from women planting, harvesting and selling maize; establishing sewing workshops for women and their children; providing mindfulness-based stress reduction training to vulnerable women and girls; and developing skills and flexibility to respond to the needs of women in refugee camps.

Service Appreciation Grant

women action

Nominations for candidates for the grant will be solicited and invited solely by the Women in Action program. All candidates must be nominated by a colleague(s) or by an individual(s) who has come to understand the work of the woman or women-led organization. Nominations are open and accepted in the fall of each calendar years. Winners will be announced annually. A diverse panel of volunteers review nominations. The awardees receive $500-$1,000 from the program as a grant.

As we work to select the next round of grant recipients, we continue to honor the work of these and other previous recipients:

MIGRANT WOMEN ASSOCIATION MALTA (MWAM)

MWAM provides social support for asylum-seeking and refugee women and their families in Malta, and promotes their personal empowerment and health. For year 2024, MWAM has launched and added a new project, “Kids Happy Space,” with the primary objective of providing support to children of asylum seekers, refugees and migrant families with the aim to impact the future of the children positively with basic needs, educational resources, and psychological services.

PEACE MOTHERS

Grant funding from SWO for the Peace Mothers has supported the development of farming, the sale of palm oil, and the development of a village revolving funds project for women which serves as an empowerment platform to facilitate participation in economically viable agricultural projects. The impact of the grant funding is to support the medical and educational needs of members of the community. Peace Mothers began over 14 years ago. It has left an indelible mark on the community by improving the lives of women and families in Sierra Leone. The Peace Mothers provides support groups to remarkable women, who are survivors of trauma.

RUTH NALYANA OF KENYA

SOLANGE AQUINO

For the year 2024, we intend to work with 16 to 20 young boys and girls aged 10 to 18, conducting informative sessions on bullying prevention, domestic violence, genderbased violence, dating violence, promotion of healthy and responsible sexuality, women’s healthcare, and prevention of addictive behaviors. With the youth, we will have information sessions with experts, and will offer dance, theater, and academic support.

Ruth helps rural women from the Eshirandala Mirembe and Bukhakhala Wekhonye women’s groups in Kenya with maize cultivation, sugarcane farming, and poultry keeping. Using table banking, she helps them invest their profits for pioneer projects. For year 2024 Ruth says their goal is to use their profits to work on Sustainability and Community Development in health and sanitation.

Sufi Women Organization

30th Anniversary Celebration

Mary Hendrickson

The Sufi Women Organization (SWO) was founded in 1993 under the guidance of Dr. Nahid Angha with a group of women from around the globe, of all ages, social and cultural backgrounds, and faith traditions with a mission to support human rights, especially of women and children of the world. On March 2, 2024, the SWO celebrated its 30 years of bringing change and championing those causes.

The celebration included a beautiful tapestry of music and poetry, a fashion show, and panel discussions featuring panelists’ experiences, wisdom, and visions for a future where women and their communities thrive.

After introductions, the morning began with a powerful musical performance by Richard Wormstall.

The “Conditions for Change” session was opened by SWO Founder Dr. Nahid Angha. She shared her vision that humans were given life by a magnificent existence and are born free. As soon as we are born, we are labeled and categorized. To bring change, we must develop confidence that no one can take away and make ourselves worthy agents of change. We must challenge ourselves to look deeper, let go of our prejudices, and examine the root causes of the issues we seek to change. She was followed by Dr. Ana PerezChisti, who suggested that equality will be achieved when the masculine and feminine archetypal energies stand side by side and are incorporated into our societal structures. Dr. Hamaseh Kianfar discussed the mission and history of Voices for Justice (VFJ), established in 2006. VFJ has advocated for children’s rights with a mission to eliminate poverty and hunger and

achieve universal primary education. VFJ continues its work in 2024, reminding the participants that there is always the opportunity for us, individually and collectively, to make change.

The “Ripples of Change” session began with Zaheda Baruti’s discussion of “The Prison Project,” a program to provide art, music, and wellness programs to incarcerated women as a vehicle for transformation and healing. Dr. Sarah Hastings Mullin illuminated service as a practice that aligns us with the gift of life and the purpose of our existence. Nancy Roybal spoke about Women’s Wisdom, Women in Action Service Appreciation grants. The program was created to honor and support women-led organizations in rural areas that advance causes such as access to

health care, education, food, and poverty reduction. Proceeds from the fashion show go to the Sufi Women Service Appreciation Grant Program recipients.

The “Breath and Song” session allowed participants to shift to afternoon presentations after Victoria Guarino engaged the audience to attend to peace and heart presence through her beautiful songs from the native wisdom tradition.

The “But For Such a Time as This” session with Belvie Rooks deepened our understanding of her passion for social justice, ignited as a teenager during a weekend retreat with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Joan Baez. During her early years, Belvie traveled

to Africa to visit slave jails. This experience led her to establish a tree-planting program to honor forgotten souls of the past as a process of collective healing. Dr. Para Ambardar spoke about healing—that we will live a life true to ourselves by finding our authentic being. Amalya Raiparia, a middle school student, shared her powerful, thought-provoking poetry. She spoke about the challenges faced by her generation and her hope for a better world where collaboration, unity, and family are valued. Zara Prime, offered a powerful original poem.

“Setting the Heart and Mind Toward Community” included sharing stories and wisdom, beginning with Richard Wormstall, who inspired us to imagine our connection with universal wisdom.

Dr. Jamal Granick recalled watching the women in his family celebrating life. He suggested that beyond stories of war and domination, there is another story of community and connection held by women. Sheikh Salman Baruti reminded us that if you uplift a mother’s life, you uplift the life of the family and communities they live in. Eric Guarino closed the session with an inspiring story of the river and the bank, the movement of life, and the container to guide the flow.

“Seeds of Connection and Hope” was a beautiful conversation between Reverend Scott Quinn and Rabbi Elana Rosen-Brown. They shared the power of people from different faith traditions coming together to speak not from the ego but their hearts. Reverend Quinn remarked that the heart can hold a paradox-guiding connection and a loving curiosity about different faith traditions. Rabbi Elana shared the profound significance of the feminine in our lives.

The Anniversary Celebration ended with a beautiful set of songs from Nadia, Amalya and Amit Rajparia, and then a collective singing circle led by Victoria Guarino. Attendees joined their voices in harmony, leaving everyone with a sense of connection, appreciation, and optimism for the future. The event marked past achievements and ignited a collective hope for SWO’s continued progress in supporting women’s empowerment in the years to come.

SPEAKERS & PRESENTERS

DR. NAHID ANGHA

DR. PARA AMBARDAR

SHEIKH SALMAN BARUTI

ZAHEDA BARUTI

DR. JAMAL GRANICK

ERIC GUARINO

VICTORIA GUARINO

DR. HAMASEH KIANFAR

DR. ELIZABETH MILLER

DR. SARAH HASTINGS MULLIN

DR. ANA PEREZ-CHISTI

ZARA PRIME

REVEREND SCOTT QUINN

AMALYA RAIPARIA

NADIA, AMALYA & AMIT RAJPARIA

BELVIE ROOKS

RABBI ELANA ROSEN-BROWN

NANCY ROYBAL

RICHARD WORMSTALL

For more information and full biography of the presenters please visit: ias.org/swo-30years/

Annual Retreat: 40 Days – Alchemy of Tranquility

Katherine Preston, LMFT

The 17th Annual 40 Days: Alchemy of Tranquility retreat, entitled Transformation, was held January 26-28, 2024, at the Santa Sabina Center in San Rafael, California.

The 40 Days - Alchemy of Tranquility program was developed by Shah Nazar Dr. Ali Kianfar in 2007, and has continued to the present time, and 2024 has marked our 17th annual celebration. Each year the program has focused on one aspect of the human-self, as a doorway to a greater understanding of the notion of the self, the mind, the heart, and the human relationship with himself and his environment. This year we focused on the notion of “Transformation.”

The 17th Annual 40 Days – Alchemy of Tranquility retreat began on Friday evening when participants from across the globe met to spend the weekend in contemplation and self-exploration. Presenters shared their wisdom with the audience, and we had the opportunity to listen to the most beautiful poetry and music offered by Taneen Sufi Music Ensemble.

Dr. Kianfar talked about transformation as an eternal process happening within every part of creation, including human beings. The more aware a human being is, the more knowledge, peace and tranquility are possible. The vibration and motion of life is nonstop, beyond time and space. When you know this, there is an opportunity for freedom from the corporal/physical state. This shift is Transformation. Dr. Kianfar encouraged participants to practice to remove these limitations. He said, “The only position we have as a human being is to become a good witness; to become conscious, knowledgeable, aware, awake. Whether we sleep or die, we must strive to become aware.”

Dr. Angha reasserted that everything in the universe is on the journey of Transformation. Within the nucleus of each human being is an absolute concen-

trated energy that doesn’t change. With knowledge, a human being has the potential and capacity to make wise choices within the physical environment. To be qualified and motivated for this shift, one must be eligible for practice, including identifying a goal. She assured that everyone is a valuable participant in this amazing universe, and that the universe has access to every human being, knows all its participants, so it is important that “I” also find myself.

Over the weekend, there were presentations by the Forty Days Team of educators and psychotherapists speaking from their experience as program practitioners.1 The retreat was a profound inquiry into the experience of Transformation. There were opportunities for engaging in deep reflections, asking questions, sharing meals, and witnessing nature, sequestered from the demands of everyday life. We explored the dimensions of transformation through experiential exercises and conversation; enjoyed music, poetry and movement practices; shared beautiful organic meals prepared by the Santa Sabina Center; and created a community across faiths, ages and backgrounds.2

Katherine is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She maintains a private practice and has held clinical leadership positions throughout the Bay Area, as well as taught graduate level courses. She is a practitioner of the 40 Days - Alchemy of Tranquility program.

1 For more information and list of presenters visit: ias.org/40-days/ 2 40 Days Alchemy of Tranquility retreat also offered: 9 CE Credits for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs.

International S

Annual Dinner Associationof

For over 20 years, IAS has honored individuals whose lives and work offer a model of engaged service and positive contributions to our community and culture through an annual International Association of Sufism (IAS) Humanitarian Award. This award includes contributions in such diverse areas as education, human rights, social justice, religion, spirituality, publishing, cosmology, theology, journalism, and more. The Award is presented at IAS’s annual Inspiration Dinner. The first Award and Dinner, held in 2000, honored distinguished professor and author Huston Smith. Other IAS Humanitarian Award recipients have included Peter Coyote, acclaimed actor and Emmy Award-winning narrator, and Cheryl Jennings, former award-winning news anchor of San Francisco’s ABC7/ KGO-TV.

uf i s m

This year IAS is honoring Dr. DENISE LUCY, Executive Director of Dominican University of California’s Institute of Leadership Studies, and Professor, Business and Organizational Studies at Dominican’s Barowsky School of Business, for the excellence of her work in and dedication to higher education, work in leadership development, and work with nonprofits. Dr. Lucy has more than 40 years of experience in higher education as an educator and executive; first at the University of San Francisco and currently at Dominican University. Dr. Lucy is actively involved in the Marin community serving in leadership roles on various non-profit boards. Among the honors she has received are the Marin Women’s Hall of Fame and Magnificent Women of Marin Award, USF’s Griffin Award, Outstanding Business Professor Award and Dominican’s Presidential Medallion and Sr. Aquinas Nimitz Distinguished Service Award.

The dinner will be held on October 19, 2024 in Marin County. Details and Paypal registration will be available at www.ias.org/annualdinner/ .

Previous Inspiration Award Recipients Incude:

Peter Coyote

Cheryl Jennings Huston Smith, Ph.D.

The Unlimited Mercifier1 Of Descent and Return

Ibn ‘Arabī

He knows what enters the earth and what comes out of it, and what descends from heaven and what rises up into it. He is with you wherever you are. 2

How can I know You when You are inwardly Hidden who is not known?

How can I not know You when You are the outwardly Manifest make Yourself known to me in every thing?

How can I realise Your Unity when Union is the very secret of servanthood?

Glory be to You! There is no god but You! No-one else than You can realise Your Unity, as You are as You are in pre-eternity without

beginning and in post-eternity without end. In reality, no other than You can realise Your Unity, and in sum, none knows You except You.

You hide and You manifest-yet You do not hide from Yourself nor do You manifest to other than Yourself for You are you, there is no god but You.

How is this paradox to be resolved, when the First is Last and Last is First?

O You who causes the [manifest] order to be ambiguous, and the secret to be hidden, and plunges [other] into perplexity when [really] there is no other than He!3

1 Stephen Hirtenstein, The Unlimited Mercifier: The spiritual life and thought of Ibn ‘Arabi (Oxford: Anqa Publishing, 1999) 157. Printed with Permission.

2 Qur’an 57:4

3 Wird, Sunday morning.

The Power of the Feminine: Facing Shadow, Evoking Light

Sharon G. Mijares, Aliaa Rafea, Dhardon Sharling, Joshua Amponsem & Mary Mallory.

Published by: The Human Foundation (2020)

Reviewer: Rosa Nurjamila Blanco is a pioneer of several intentional communities in Costa Rica, including Tacotal, Finca La Flor, La Ecovilla, Ecovilla San Mateo. She is also a facilitator of women’s gatherings and regular women’s singing circles in her community. She provides training and retreats in nature to encourage a deepened human potential, leads Dances of Universal Peace, is a Sufi guide, Health Coach, and Holistic Dentist. IG: @rosa.nurjamila

A significant feature of this relevant book is that its authors represent different cultures.

Sharon Mijares is the author of six prior books; a global perspective is essential in the themes of her work. Her own life experiences and psychospiritual healing practices have encouraged her to look deeper into our human relationships with Mother Earth and other human beings. As noted, the diversity of the authors and their backgrounds make this book even more colorful and rich. Aliaa Rafea is Egyptian. She is the daughter of a Sufi Master, and she has authored and co-authored numerous books. Tenzin Dhardon Sharling is Tibetan. She was born in exile in Ladakh, India, and represents Tibetan Buddhist principles. She was the former Secretary for the Department of Information and International Relations of Central Tibetan Administration. Joshua Amponsem: Environmental Activist, writes from his deep love and care for Nature. He has represented the United Nations efforts with African youth. Mary Mallory was nurtured in a rural Californian matriarchal family. Her military background has influenced her volunteering in social organizations, promoting environmental protection and human rights.

The Power of the Feminine: Facing Shadow, Evoking Light is an authoritative and relevant literary work. It is an act of proactivity against gender violence, abuse of power from religious dogmas, and the misuse of myths across time and generations promoted by patriarchal ideologies.

“Women are the natural mothers of the human race…Women embody the power to enact change through their inherent relational nature. This feminine archetype is what can guide us in dismantling patriarchal influences to bring forth new ways of living with one another. Women must regain knowledge of their innate power to enact change” (p. 3).

This book proposes inner reflection. It is well designed to open new perspectives and support the next possible steps toward the thriving humanity of which everyone would want to be a part.

As an environmentalist and community builder activist it makes so much sense to me that to see changes in the world we are living in, we must be that change first, and how through building strong community connections, and healthy relationships we will be able to thrive and remember together the relevance of enabling the feminine archetype with all its force and qualities to be lived and expressed in our human race.

In 2011, Aliaa Redah Rafea laid the cornerstone for the Human Foundation (HF), leveraging her longstanding engagement with Sufism, which she perceives as an Islamic journey transcending cultural confines and framed ideologies. At its core, HF’s initiatives and endeavors are geared toward nurturing inner peace and fostering receptiveness and human empathy. It targets human awareness of unveiling interconnectedness with the entirety of life, as reflected in all living entities. Anchored in the consciousness of life’s unity and humanity’s shared essence, HF endeavors to promote global solidarity in confronting both human-induced and natural adversities. Human Foundation (hfegypt.org)

Divine Revelation and Human Interpretation: Opening a New Horizon

Ali, Aliaa and Aisha Rafea.

Published by: The Human Foundation for Publication and Distribution (HFPD), Cairo, Egypt.

ISBN 978-977-6657-07-6

Order on Amazon, Kindle Edition, $10.

This book introduces a unique approach to reading holy sources, guided by the principles of Islam as understood by the authors. They explicitly state that their interpretation does not claim absolute truth but focuses on the texts’ multi-dimensional aspects of meaning. The authors emphasize the endless potential for new readings of the exact text. However, they lay out several foundational postulates: Islam extends and emphasizes love and mercy without asserting superiority over other paths, and it acknowledges wisdom beyond the confines of Islamic Law (Shari’a), guiding approaches in understanding themselves and their connection to the Divine.

These postulates lead to further exploration of three central themes, discussed in separate parts of the book. The first part delves into religiosity, the second explores the universality of Islam, and the third presents various perspectives on the relationship between Shari’a and societal order. The authors contrast their approach with that of fundamentalists, drawing on a thorough examination of different mental frameworks. They argue that underlying beliefs shape interpretations of holy sources, and thus, each approach forms a cohesive doctrine that cannot be dismantled from within. The authors deconstruct these ideologies to challenge extremist views to their foundational premises, offering alternative interpretations.

The Unlimited Mercifier, written by Stephen Hirtenstein, presents a comprehensive portrait of Ibn ‘Arabi’s life and thought, highlighting his special place in history and his particular relevance in the modern world.

Stephen Hirtenstein has been editor of the Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society since its inception in 1982, and is a co-founder of Anqa Publishing, and currently works as a Senior Editor for the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London, and lives in Oxford.

For further information please contact the Publisher: Anqa Publishing, PO Box 1178, Oxford OX2 8YS, UK

The world’s longest running journal on Sufism

40 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 four 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 70 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:sufismjournal@gmail.com

Peace to you and yours,

Sufism, An Inquiry Editorial Staff, The International Association of Sufism

HWTSF S

Sufi Gatherings, Uwaiysi Tariqat

*Bi-monthly, Novato, CA or on Zoom

PRACTICE AND MEDITATION GROUPS (Pacific Times)

Qur’an Class with Shah Nazar Seyyed Dr. Ali Kianfar

Monthly on Sunday, 3:00-4:00 pm On Zoom

Register: https://ias.org/ias-events/

40 Days Meditation & Book Reading

Sundays, bi-monthly, 9:00am On Zoom

Call in advance: Arife Hammerle, Ph.D. (415) 382-7834

Sufism Reading Group

Third Tuesdays, 7:00-8:00 pm On Zoom

Contact Amineh Pryor, Ph.D. (415) 382-7834

Illumination of the Names Monthly Discussion Group

Monthly on Wednesday, 7:00-8:00 pm On Zoom

Contact Leili First, Ph.D. (415) 382-7834

Peace and Love Dialogue

Monthly on Thursday, 7:30-8:30 pm On Zoom

Contact Sarah Hastings Mullin, Ph.D. (415) 382-7834

Introduction to Sufism

Fridays, monthly, 6:30-7:30 pm On Zoom

Contact Sheikh Jamal Granick, Ph.D. (415) 382-7834

Purification Group

Fridays monthly, 7:30-8:30 pm On Zoom

Contact Dr. Sarah Hastings Mullin (415) 382-7834

Awareness of Breath and Movement

Weekly practice group, Saturdays 8:00-9:00 am On Zoom

Contact Sheikh Jalal Heery, Ph.D. (415) 382-7834

READING AND STUDY GROUPS

Amir al-Momenin Imam Ali Reading Group

First Sundays, monthly, 11:00 am (Pacific) On Zoom

Contact Sheikh Salman Baruti (415) 382-7834

Sufi Psychology Reading and Study Group

Third Friday of the month, 9:00-10:00 am On Zoom

Contact Amineh Pryor, Ph.D. (415) 382-7834

The essence of the human being, regardless of gender or color, time or place, has been regarded as reverent, dignified, and respectful by teachers of humanity. Such magnificence is the gift of Being to humankind, the art of recognizing such magnificence is learned. The foundation of civilization is based on teachings and learning, and the first teacher of any human being, male or female, from any social position or illumination, is a mother. To direct the civilization to a favorable station, one has to rely on the power of a mother, providing that she knows the value of her position. A mother, in fact, is the teacher of all. Underestimating such power and strength, overlooking such magnificence is most unfortunate.

Dr. Nahid Angha, Founder join now www.ias.org/swo

A journey of spiritual awakening awaits in Charles P. Gibbs’s insightful new collection of poems, Light Reading.

Always on a pilgrimage of remembrance, even during the brief time in which he tried to run away from his own understanding of God, Gibbs has learned to embrace and thrive in his spiritual understanding. Whether you are a seasoned pilgrim, have just set off on a spiritual journey of your own, or merely possess a vague feeling that something significant is missing in your life, Light Reading will support and challenge you on your own sojourn into the heart.

Charles P. Gibbs is an internationally respected spiritual leader, interfaith activist, speaker, and writer who has committed his life to serving the world through interreligious and intercultural engagement. An Episcopal priest, he served for seventeen years as the founding executive director of the United Religions Initiative, a global network of people from diverse religious and spiritual traditions united in service to the Earth community. He recently became senior partner and poet-in-residence for Catalyst for Peace.

A prolific writer, Gibbs’s published works include coauthoring Birth of a Global Community; contributing a chapter to Interfaith Dialogue and Peacebuilding; “Opening the Dream: Beyond the Limits of Otherness,” an essay publishd in Deepening the American Dream. Charles cherishes and is inspired by his family. He is blessed with dear friends and colleagues of diverse faiths from around the world.

Department of Public Information

Non-Governmental Organizations

The International Association of Sufism is a nonprofit organization, and a NGO/DGC associated with the United Nations. As an active human rights advocate, IAS disseminates information focused on Human Rights, Social Justice, Education, Women’s Rights, Sustainability and Climate, as offered and organized by the United Nations. For the most up to date information visit: http://ias.org/service/unitednations/

UNRWA seeks $1.2 billion to meet urgent needs in Gaza and the West Bank

The UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, launched a $1.2 billion appeal on April 24, 2024 to address the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the besieged Gaza Strip and to respond to needs in the West Bank as violence there increases. Contributions to the fund can be made at UNRWA.

-Quality Education

“If no additional measures are taken, only one in six countries will achieve universal access to quality education by 2030; and even if countries deliver on the target progress stated in their SDG4 benchmarks, 84 million children are still at risk of being out of school by 2030. Renewed effort is required to address persistent challenges to ensure that no one is left behind. Education systems must be re-imagined, and education financing must become a priority national investment. In Africa alone, an additional $77 billion is needed for countries to reach their educational targets and 17 million new teachers must be recruited.”

Goal of the Month: Goal #4

Climate Promise 2025

Top UN officials launched a fresh global campaign to tackle the climate emergency. The Climate Promise 2025 aims to accelerate efforts from local to international levels to take more ambitious steps to ensure the global temperature does not heat up beyond the 1.5° limit, a goal set with the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.

Commission on the Status of Women

Addressing Famine in Sudan

The UN report noted that 20.3 million people – or 42 per cent of the Sudan population – struggled to find enough to eat last year, after conflict erupted in April. This represents the highest number of people in the world facing “emergency” levels of acute food insecurity, or phase four, in line with the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warning scale, where phase five (IPC5) indicates the highest level of danger. As one way to address this, the WPF and World Relief are partnering to provide seeds to farmers for planting.