The ulema tell us that the salat five times a day is an “obligation”.However,obligations naturally stir up opposition in our nafs.I now prefer to see it as an “opportunity”-an opportunity to reconnect with our Creator five times a day when otherwise we would be too preoccupied with the rat-race of life in this world.What wisdom in this religion!
The Retreat Program
The Retreat Program
We will be doing our first Sufi Pilgrim’s Retreat program at the end of August and so I would like to clarify the program here.
Goals: We have two major goals: 1) to provide optimal conditions for people to improve their intimacy with their Lord. This involves a peaceful, natural environment(The Gaia Wellness Centre is a particularly beautiful and uplifting site) and diminishing stress by having the least outward responsibilities possible(thus the cost of staff providing food and living arrangements)
2) to work on establishing a daily spiritual practice routine that people can continue after the Retreat. The psychologists call this process “generalizing” i.e. structuring it so that the effect of the retreat process continues over time.
NB It is understood that any actual “results”, whether experiential or behavioural, of the process is in the hands of God(or the Universe if you so prefer.) Our job is just to do our ‘”due diligence” effort-wise.
The basic time structure will be based on the Islamic protocol but non-Muslims are more than welcome and they will be given alternative practices according to their own needs. Also, the main focus will be on individual practice punctuated throughout the day with collective exercises as outlined below. There will also be individual meetings with the leader as needed to determine which individual practices are most appropriate for the specific student.
Approximate daily schedule:
4 a.m. Tahhajud (Night prayer based on the Naqshbandi formula-to be explained at the seminar)
5 a.m. Salat al Fajr followed by dhikr of the name
7:30 Breakfast (All meals are vegetarian because of the Centre’s orientation. For Muslims this can represent “azhod”(renunciation) but this is not inconsistent with Islamic attitudes. In fact, some of the more traditional retreats involved outright fasting during the day. We, however, are following the Middle Way.
8:30 a.m. Chi Gong in group followed by individual exercise programs
12:a.m. Lunch
3:30 P.M. Wird al Amm(to be explained) followed by Dhikr of the name and Mindfulness
6:00 p.m. Dinner
7:30 Ted Talk on Sufism followed by the Wisal and questions arising out of the daily practice
10:00 lights out and silence.
N.B. The open times are to be used for nature walks, quiet contemplation and individual practice. There will be some rules around the use of technology so that it does not overly distract us but I haven’t figured that one out yet.
Ahlan and Salaams, Sufi Ibrahim
The Evil Empire
People who know me, are aware of my general abhorrence of conspiracy theories. Nevertheless, I have become gradually convinced that we are now confronting “The Evil Empire”! This empire is made up of greedy multi-national corporations, the political class that is complicit with that greed, the liberal, progressive journalists who have bought into the mythology of real democracy and “due process of the law” and scientific fascism which is used to deny the obvious toxicity of much of agricultural and construction processes and the noxiousness of electromagnetic smog . All of this contains the seeds( which have by now germinated and are growing rapidly) of our inevitable destruction. Note also that most of the so-called intelligentsia are complicit as well justifying the greed with terms like “rationalization, cost-cutting and efficiency”) and denying the extent of the dangerous pollution by putting into doubt the perception of it and marginalizing the studies that support these observations. They could call this entire Gestalt “The Perfect Storm”. Others may call it “The Apocalypse “and it is now in clear view!
N.B. One of the least useful tools for seeing this reality is reason. As the psychoanalysts have so astutely shown, most of this “reason” is actually the defense mechanism of “ rationnalaztion” designed to support any pre-existing convictions or desires. Instead we must begin developing the three doors of perception- “seeing”(basirat-inner vision”),hearing(the ring of truth) and feeling -the perceptual spparatus of the heart. That is our only hope but it requires a totally new form of education- far distant from what is offered in our universities and educational institutions.
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An Existential Statement
I have come to the conclusion that there are two kinds of people!- people who want to learn and people who want to maintain their positions. I am doing my best to avoid wasting my energy on the latter type!This is no easy matter as the latter category often pretends to be or believes itself to be open- minded,so one needs to develop a sense of observation to see the illusory nature of this supposed”open-ness”.
Politics,ugh!
Congratulations Europe! No,not for your meaningless World Cup Win-for fining Google billions of dollars.Anti-competitive,monopolistic practices are a veritable scourge in the modern so-called “capitalist” societies which are actually cartels of multi-national corporations that have way too much influence on government-WAY MORE than any possible Russian collusion.I have seen the effects personally,on my friends and relatives in business, who were essentially nullified by anti-competitive large firms.And our bloody governments are asleep at the watch OR on the payroll as the case maybe.Oh believers in all those various cocomanie conspiracy theories,THIS is the REAL conspiracy!And it’s right there in plain view!
Cultural Differences lol
Some minor cultural differences lol: For the British, “children should be seen but not heard”.Unfortunately that is also true for adults!;For Jews you can do as you like provided you accept to be blamed no matter what you do;for Germans you can do as you like provided you do it perfectly;for Arabs you can express yourself provided that you accept the terms of reference precisely;for Trinidadians you are perfectly free provided you neither expend too much energy or take “unnecessary” initiatives” and last but not least if you’re French you can do as you like provided that it’s pleasurable.Enjoy!And oh yes if you’re American it’s “exceptional” no matter what you do.You’re great by definition!
Wahhabism and Feminism
Inspiration:Wahhabism, with its original good intentions of correcting deviation in the religion,has entered into the Unconscious of the Islamic ummat just as Feminism ,with its original good intentions of eliminating the mistreatment of women,has entered into the Unconscious of the Western community.Both have had serious deleterious effects on their communities.As to Wahhabism it has undermined the vital inner life of the Islamic community.And as to Feminism,it has created untold havoc in the realm of family relationships.It is not uncommon in medicine for the treatment to be more harmful than the disease.So beware!
The European Conspiracy
This posting from Facebook may sound funny and irreverent but I think it is deep and highly significant.I owe this understanding to my discipleship under the guidance of Sheikh Nazim Qubrusi, may his station be continuously raised, during many long years.
(In response to a question about my opinion of soccer) Ambivalent as usual. I’m enjoying the World Cup a lot but I hate the idealization of this essentially stupid sport in which you use the brain to bash the ball and aren’t allowed to use your hands, which are one of the key evolutionary features of Homo sapiens.Another European conspiracy -to make this defective sport the most popular in the world, the same group that made Christianity , a theologically defective tradition, into the most popular religion and the Age of Rationalism, a defective philosophy, as the default philosophy of the entire world.Most conspiracy theories now center on America and the Jews but the real conspiracies come from Greece and Rome via their successors in England, France and Germany lol
Love and Sin
(In response to a comment that the answer is Love and Mercy)The problem here(this is deep!) is that you can’t really love and have Mercy if you are doing serious sin(yes”sin” as unpopular as that concept is to the modernist!) Because Allah tells us that at that point He hardens their hearts.That’s the connundrum.We saw that at Woodstock! And I have witnessed that over and over again up to very recently!
“Adab,brother”
Sheikh Shadee Al Masry(I like this guy!).”The most overused and abused word in the Salafi lexicon is ‘bida’. And the most overused and abused word in the Sufi vocabulary is”adab”.It is used to shut people up and to be overly nice and accomodating”! Wow! Someone is out there observing.How many times have I come up against that when I was speaking the Truth about a corrupt situation.”Brother,that’s not good adab” they would say.No,it’s ONLY truth! Personally,I can never allow adab to trump Truth. Sorry.Not my way.