Sufi stories and poetry often allude to mirrors. Not the ones that immediately come to mind which we look at each day to see the outer image we project to the world. Rather, they refer to inner reflections that enable us to see our true nature. Sometimes this happens when we encounter a different perspective of ourselves revealed in another person’s heart and, through this, come to better understand the presence of God within us. The image I saw glaring back at me that... Read more
My dearest M, There’s the Hadith that says, “Anyone who sees me in a dream, it is as if he has truly seen me, for Satan cannot take my form.” Still, I want to ask you about a particular dream I had – whether it was really you in it. I am in a Middle Eastern or Asian city, which is apparent from the fact that it is hot, packed with people and the buildings are both faded from... Read more
He smiled at me, revealing a row of impeccable pearly white teeth. I’m not normally moved by a grin to stop in my tracks, but on this occasion a saying of the Prophet Muhammad, God grant him peace and blessings, flashed in my mind on how smiling at a fellow human being is an act of charity. Since stumbling on this Hadith several years ago, I’ve become more receptive to how I share and respond to the simple gestures of... Read more
When we think of a whirling dervish, we might automatically think of somebody in a joyous state of ecstasy. Whilst this may be the reality for mature dervishes, my experience so far has taught me that first and foremost whirling is a discipline, and a difficult one at that. Simultaneously self-expression and a journey towards self-annihilation, it can be quite bewildering. These lines occasionally sung during the sema ceremony, in which a higher self seems to be enraptured, while... Read more
I was pacing the uptown side of Prince Street station, waiting for the R train. The subway posters marking my progress from one end of the platform to the other reflected my vague anxieties. Non-traditional age college students tossing their graduation caps in the air. A couple on a beach, canoodling into their vacation. Even the subway map itself. Everything I looked at only seemed to emphasize the ways in which I could or should have been on my way... Read more
Each time I open the door to leave my apartment, I recite three poignant yet simple Islamic phrases in a subtle whisper that’s only audible to me. “Bismillah,” Arabic for “In the name of God,” I say in a quick breath as I rotate the lock to the right and grasp the door knob. I continue with “Tawakkul ‘ala Allah, “I place my complete trust and reliance in God,” as I step into the hallway and gently close the door.... Read more
This is the fifth in my series of 11 Love Letters to the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Dearest M, Everyone who knew you agrees about one thing. “He had a smile of incomparable charm,” writes one Western scholar. She’s going by accounts from written sources, descriptions used by your earliest biographers. Here’s how I see your smile for myself: Warm. Bright. But never the high-beam setting of a salesman or a politician. Having grown up in... Read more
Shaikh Kabir Helminski Islam, from the beginning, has been a form of concentrated spiritual energy and an effective spiritual training system leading to the transformation of one’s very self. The effect of this transformation is that it diminishes egoism, arrogance, and aggression, and replaces these with self-witnessing, humility, empathy, and reconciliation. This was the message and way of life brought by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, which caused a transformation in the souls of men and women,... Read more
One of my sweetest childhood memories is of my father in his armchair, me in his lap, my two older brothers perched on either arm of the chair. All three of us are listening to him read Winnie-the-Pooh, enchanted because he is barely able to speak from laughter at some Pooh-ism. Passages like this did it for us: The wind was against them now, and Piglet’s ears streamed behind him like banners as he fought his way along, and it... Read more
My heart knocked against my ribs as I took the stairs two at a time. “The library will be closing at 8 o’clock,” announced a crisp voice over the loudspeaker, though the area of London I was in is one of the least nominally English. Bearded men and women in hijabs speaking Urdu and Arabic outnumbered most of the other shoppers on the adjoining high street, a circumstance central to my mission. If anywhere, I thought, this particular library would... Read more
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