SUFISM

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/subdivisions/sufism_1.shtml

Full Episode: Oprah and Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee on Sufism and the Wisdom of the Heart

Full Episode: Oprah and Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee on Sufism and the Wisdom of the Heart

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/own-super-soul-sunday/Full-Episode-Oprah-and-Llewellyn-Vaughan-Lee-Video#ixzz25ehvpVNC

How excellent is he who takes no thought of his own interest so that his patience is for God's sake not for the saving of himself from Hell

How excellent is he who takes no thought of his own interest so that his patience is for God's sake not for the saving of himself from Hell; and his asceticism is for God's sake, not for the purpose of bringing himself into Paradise. This is the mark of true sincerity.~ Hasan al-Basri

I struggled hard but did not reap the fruits of my labors. Then I gazed into myself and found that my ego and my heart were unified

I struggled hard but did not reap the fruits of my labors. Then I gazed into myself and found that my ego and my heart were unified. When the ego and the heart are united, a portion of all that shines upon the heart is seized by the self. Thus I came to know the cause of my dilemma, that the light illuminating my heart was being seized by my ego.-Al-Nuri, in Islamic Sufism

After Salafeeyah, Dreams of Sheikh Gilani, and the Path to Sufism

http://umarlee.com/2010/07/27/after-salafeeyah-dreams-of-sheikh-gilani-and-the-path-to-sufism/

"So I recognized at the same time they offered a spiritual void and a social void for the community. They recruit to their flock but do not address spiritual needs or practice the science of Islamic spirituality. Sunnah is studied and followed but it is in the spirit of the hated Pharisees and not in the true spirit of the Sunnah. Love for the Prophet (s.a.s.) is claimed but no time is spent expressing your love. Love for Allah is claimed but little time is spent in dhikr..."

"From this day on I will seek to practice the Sunnah in a complete way and I am on a new path of knowledge today and I pray Allah blesses me to grow. I have no affiliation with any organization or group as of yet, but inshaAllah I pray that I am blessed to be in the future, I am just writing these words as a humble servant of Allah praying to make up for some of the misguidance I have shared over the years with readers...."

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When Conversion goes awry: The strange case of Umar Lee
Nazim Baksh

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Rumi's Masnavi

Rumi's Masnavi guardian.co.uk
 
Rumi's Masnavi, part 1: World figure or new age fad?- Rumi's influence has long been felt throughout the Muslim world. Will his recent success in the west prove as long lasting?

Rumi's Masnavi, part 2: Under the surface - For Rumi, the reality accessible to our senses often obscures the true meaning that lies beneath



Rumi's Masnavi, part 3: Knowledge and certaintyCan learning lead to God? - For Rumi, knowledge is always




Rumi's Masnavi, part 4: Rumi's Sufism -Sharia and the external observance of religious rules are only the beginning for the seeker after truth

Rumi's Masnavi, part 5: On loveFor Rumi, - love is the astrolabe of God's mysteries and the animating force of creation


Rumi's Masnavi, part 6: Unity of being- In Rumi's theology of love, the 'death' of the baser self is the only way to achieve union with the divine


Rumi's Masnavi, part 7: God's graceFor Rumi, - God's grace allows us to be judged on our intentions, and to recognise our common dependence on him


Rumi's Masnavi, part 8: Echoes of celestial music -Rumi's teaching transcends the petty human squabbles that keep us divided. His words are a path to the divine

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SUFISM

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Suffer the Sufis in Pakistan and the world.
Until our "mirrors are polished," and we see our own reflection in others and are attuned with the multifaceted characteristics of the Divine, even to the point of realizing that there is no "other," that is, no duality but only unity in God,(6) suffer the Sufis in Pakistan and the world.


Dallas Darling - darling@wn.com

(Dallas Darling is the author of Politics 501: An A-Z Reading on Conscientious Political Thought and Action, Some Nations Above God: 52 Weekly Reflections On Modern-Day Imperialism, Militarism, And Consumerism in the Context of John's Apocalyptic Vision, and The Other Side Of Christianity: Reflections on Faith, Politics, Spirituality, History, and Peace. He is a correspondent for www.worldnews.com. You can read more of Dallas' writings at http://www.beverlydarling.com/ and wn.com//dallasdarling.)

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Muslims: The threat from within
By AIJAZ ZAKA SYED

ARAB NEWS
Friday 09 July 2010

Friday, Rajab 27, 1431

Contrary to the relatively recent but widespread fiction, Islam took roots and spread in much of South Asia not at gunpoint.


Rather, it was embraced by the masses who were bowled over by the stark simplicity and honesty of Arab merchants and traders and the power of love and faith exemplified by saints and Sufis like Khaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer, Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi and Syed Abul Hasan Hajvery of Lahore.

They might not have been great scholars of the religion. But they promoted and demonstrated the liberating message of Islam and its teachings of love, peace, universal brotherhood and equality before God with their actions and conduct........

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/subdivisions/sufism_1.shtml

Sufism

Muslims travelling to a Sufi gathering Sufism, or Tasawwuf as it is known in the Muslim world, is Islamic mysticism (Lings, Martin, What is Sufism?, The Islamic Texts Society, 1999, pg 15).

Non-Muslims often mistake Sufism as a sect of Islam. Sufism is more accurately described as an aspect or dimension of Islam. Sufi orders (Tariqas) can be found in Sunni, Shia and other Islamic groups. Ibn Khaldun, the 14th century Arab historian, described Sufism as:

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