God in the Details

My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.

A human being is a part of the whole, called by us “Universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest — a kind of optical
delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in
itself a part of the liberation, and a foundation for inner security.

- Albert Einstein

Sufi Women

Salaam and Greetings of Peace:

Since in the Ocean of Divine Unity neither “I” nor “you” exists,
what meaning can “man” or “woman” possibly have?

In rereading the post On Mothers, Daughters, Sisters, Wives, I recalled the marvelous book by Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh entitled Sufi Women. The following description is from the Nimatullahi website.

Sufi Women presents the biographies and anecdotes of over one hundred women followers and guides of various Sufi orders. Compiled from a vast range of primary sources in Arabic and Persian, and exclusively devoted to female spirituality and the feminine dimension of Sufism, these biographies demonstrate that in the inner life of Sufis there is no difference between men and women.

Many readers will already be familiar with Rabi’a al-Adawiya, but there are so many more worth knowing, whose lives were filled only with love and devotion to God. And they are quietly among you even now, for those that have eyes to see.

The book is available from Amazon.com

Jesus in the Eyes of the Sufis

Salaam and Greetings of Peace:

The hermitage of Jesus Is the Sufi’s table spread;
Take heed, O sick one, Never forsake this doorway.
– Rumi

The above quote is taken from Jesus in the Eyes of the Sufis by Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh, Master of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order. I love this book for its evocation of peace and spiritual love that Jesus brought to the world.

“Dr. Nurbakhsh has compiled in this work numerous passages from the writings of the Sufi masters that express their understanding and profound feeling for Jesus, representing an attitude that has existed amongst the Sufi for centuries. The Sufis expressed profound reverence for Jesus, regarding him as a perfect master. Despite the hostility which developed between Christian and later Muslim societies, Mohammad regarded Jesus as a brother, and the Koran refers to Jesus with the highest of praise.

“This book presents a wealth of stories and poetry about Jesus, many of which are new to Christian readers. The inner meanings of Christian symbols are revealed here as they appear in Sufi mystical writings.”    (from the Nimatullahi website).

The book is available from Amazon.com

Ya Haqq!

Master of the Jinn Review

Salaam and Greetings of Peace:

Our Sister Maliha has written a review of Master of the Jinn on her excellent blog Lightness of Being. 

Please check out her own beautiful writing if you visit. Her wonderful short stories about truly difficult subject matter are handled in a skillful and loving way. And she writes like a master (not of the jinn).

Speak to Me of God

I said to the almond tree, “Friend, speak to me of God,” and the almond tree blossomed.

- Nikos Kazantzakis

The Message of Sufism

The essential message of Sufism, a message holding true for all Sufis, is this:

To remember God and serve others.

- Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh, Master of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order.