From tariqas-approval Fri Dec 16 13:34:25 1994 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA12180; Fri, 16 Dec 1994 23:34:46 GMT Received: from teer23.acpub.duke.edu by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA12144; Fri, 16 Dec 1994 18:34:41 -0500 Received: (from hthashq1@localhost) by teer23.acpub.duke.edu (8.6.8.1/Duke-2.0) id SAA07120; Fri, 16 Dec 1994 18:34:28 -0500 Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 18:34:25 -0500 (EST) From: Hugh Talat Halman Subject: Urs: Guide Dance To: Tariqas Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas@world.std.com Status: RO X-Status: Dear Friends in Tariqas: We are all invited to the wedding of Rumi. Here's my "dish" for the "feast": "Rumi's Returning" We celebrate the Great Journey, the Passage of passages the Text of the Next the Turn at the crossroads. No stone is unturned. Now hermetically learned Is the Sense of the Sent One's Ascent to the Guest. The Cane of the Calamus' Reed writes a Cannon: A Sentence of meaning The golden mean's sense of awakening dreaming. We carry the staff of life as we run. It heralds the dawn and its light that is sheening. Look: light that is glistening over waves of our listening: By this shore we dive into the waters of life. These meeting seas merging Are filled up by rain That is Mercy's immersion And Compassion's refrain. Flood us with sound, you emptied reed Flowing; now hollow You're open and freed. Melodies follow and our hearts are complete. By Your Wisdom, from its river the reed releases So the sound of its "Hu" song can lovingly seize us. H. Talat Halman al-Zumurrudi ******************************************************************* **************Turn to the words of Rumi: The presence of a friend of God is a book, and even more. The book of the sufi is not written with ink and letters, it is only a heart, white like the snow. The provision of the scientist consist of signs drawn by a pen. What are the provisions of sufi? Footprints. Like the hunter, the sufi chases game; he sees the tracks left by the musk deer and follows them. For awhile, it is the tracks which are his clues, but later it is the musk itself which guides him. (_Mathnawi_ II, 158 s.) There remains nothing else to say but it is the Spirit which will tell you the tale, without me, Or rather, its you yourself, who will say it to your own ear; Neither I nor anyone else, Oh you, who are myself. Therefore, when you fall asleep you go from the presence of yourself to the presence of yourself: You hear what is coming from yourself and you think that it has been told to you secretly in a dream. (_Mathnawi_III, 1298 s.) Rumi passages quoted from Eva de Vitray-Meyerovitch, _Rumi and Sufism_ trans. Simone Fattal Sausalito, CA: The Post-Apollo Press, 1977, 1987 From tariqas-approval Fri Dec 16 08:05:30 1994 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA26776; Sat, 17 Dec 1994 00:06:52 GMT Received: from mail.crl.com by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA26753; Fri, 16 Dec 1994 19:06:50 -0500 Received: from crl2.crl.com by mail.crl.com with SMTP id AA10271 (5.65c/IDA-1.5 for ); Fri, 16 Dec 1994 16:05:36 -0800 Received: by crl2.crl.com id AA01960 (5.65c/IDA-1.5 for tariqas@world.std.com); Fri, 16 Dec 1994 16:05:30 -0800 Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 16:05:30 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Gest To: tariqas@world.std.com Cc: Tariqas@world.std.com Subject: Re: URS: Death & Marriage In-Reply-To: Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas@world.std.com Status: RO X-Status: what is the exact translation of Shebi Ars? aka URS. I believe that the Shebi must refer to seven and the Urs to lights? Does anyone have a more literal rather than the allegorical poetic translation of wedding night or union? I would also go for something that looks at Sheb as from the verb returning or salvation. Thanks Michael Gest From tariqas-approval Fri Dec 16 15:52:48 1994 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA03199; Sat, 17 Dec 1994 01:53:08 GMT Received: from teer3.acpub.duke.edu by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA03188; Fri, 16 Dec 1994 20:53:06 -0500 Received: (from zik@localhost) by teer3.acpub.duke.edu (8.6.8.1/Duke-2.0) id UAA23671; Fri, 16 Dec 1994 20:52:49 -0500 Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 20:52:48 -0500 (EST) From: Zia Inayat Khan Subject: Re: URS: Death & Marriage To: tariqas@world.std.com In-Reply-To: Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas@world.std.com Status: RO X-Status: Hearty salaams sisters and brothers, Thank you Talat for serving as our wine-steward over these last couple days! Michael, "wedding night" really is the literal translation of shab-i 'urs. Ya Hazrat-i Maulana Rum! May I share the following translation by Shamsur Rahman Faruqi from his "Shadow of a Bird in Flight", p. 107: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Deep into the bush - tigers waiting for the command: Come! Out from the secret meadow they come those tigers; and God unveiled comes and goes freely among them. Man's essence overtakes land and sea and pied cattle are slaughtered on that day of Sacrifice ( Rumi ) From tariqas-approval Thu Dec 15 01:03:28 1994 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA28741; Sat, 17 Dec 1994 03:01:22 GMT Received: from uunet!fifthd by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA28726; Fri, 16 Dec 1994 22:01:21 -0500 Received: from espace.dcl.com by relay1.UU.NET with SMTP id QQxupo22164; Fri, 16 Dec 1994 22:00:13 -0500 Message-Id: Received: from forthd by espace.dcl.com (MX V3.1C) with UUCP; Fri, 16 Dec 1994 18:59:52 PST Received: by forthd.dcl.com (DECUS UUCP /2.0/2.0/2.0/); Fri, 16 Dec 94 18:33:33 PST Received: from fifthd by fifthd.uucp (UUPC/extended 1.12b) with UUCP; Thu, 15 Dec 1994 01:03:37 GMT From: Super User To: tariqas@world.std.com Date: Thu, 15 Dec 1994 01:03:28 GMT+6 Subject: response re: Mas'ari, Rushdie, Cat Stevens, etc. Priority: normal X-Mailer: Pegasus Mail v3.1 (R1a) Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas@world.std.com Status: RO X-Status: As-salaam 'aleikum, 'Abd al-Qadir, and thanks for your response 12/12. I do not know if anyone in tariqas is interested in this exchange, but here is my response. This is an on-line discussion group in which there were two postings a day apart that appeared to be related in several ways. Mike Granger inquired about the current situation in Arabia (Mas'ari v Sh 'Abd al- Aziz bin Baz), and Mateen Siddiqui responded to the inquiry about Cat Stevens v Salman Rushdie. I perceived a relationship between the two postings. The perception may be mine alone. The relationship between the postings would be based upon comparing the current situation in Arabia to conditions in Iran in the late 1970's: a dynastic monarchy supported by the United States for economic and military purposes challenged by an out-of-country religious figure who was more conservative than the leading in-country religious "official". In Iran, the monarch was overthrown, the religious figure returned home and attained his place, the international repercussions were significant, and then Salman published his infamous book, resulting in a fatwa against him by the newly-empowered religious officials of Iran. I thought anybody familiar with recent history would easily follow my train of thought and how my points held together. So, here we go again. We do not know if Cat Stevens is a Naqshbandi. We do not know if he is Sh Nazim's murid. We do not know if he still supports the fatwa against Salman. We do not know if Sh Nazim supports the fatwa against Salman. Friend, my response was not intended to be an essay covering all the modalities of spiritual transformation. For that matter, I did not mention kashf, let alone silsila. My point still stands: all Muslims are not obligated to support every fatwa decreed over 14 centuries of Islam by every person who proclaims himself an authority, and I emphasize "himself": women do not seem to be much involved in this kind of exercise of temporal / self-assumed power. As you say, let us use our heads: if someone is not our spiritual guide, if we are not associated with a certain teacher, if we are not associated with a certain halqa, why concern ourselves with their affairs, especially when we know so little about them. What is YOUR point in pursuing such ambiguous questions? Observably, many people pay too much attention to utterances that do not concern them, really, merely because they come from former pop singers and religious "officials". One of my points was, if someone is not speaking the truth, we need not be impressed by their popularity or authority. If we are impressed by popularity and authority, it is a safe bet we are not listening to Divine guidance or our hearts, and we are ripe for manipulation by another. Simple enough... My sub-theme was the gender issue. I think it is ironic that the only publication I've heard of that treats Salman's fatwa (and related issues) dispassionately, thoroughly, and accurately was written by educated Western women, a counterpoint to male authority and power issues. Sincere best wishes (Muzaffer) Larger questions are -- Khadim Chishti khadim@forthd.dcl.com From tariqas-approval Tue Jan 1 02:31:11 1980 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA28751; Sat, 17 Dec 1994 03:01:23 GMT Received: from uunet!fifthd by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA28742; Fri, 16 Dec 1994 22:01:22 -0500 Received: from espace.dcl.com by relay1.UU.NET with SMTP id QQxupo22189; Fri, 16 Dec 1994 22:00:26 -0500 Message-Id: Received: from forthd by espace.dcl.com (MX V3.1C) with UUCP; Fri, 16 Dec 1994 19:00:10 PST Received: by forthd.dcl.com (DECUS UUCP /2.0/2.0/2.0/); Fri, 16 Dec 94 18:34:33 PST Received: from fifthd by fifthd.uucp (UUPC/extended 1.12b) with UUCP; Tue, 01 Jan 1980 02:31:22 GMT From: Super User To: tariqas@world.std.com Date: Tue, 1 Jan 1980 02:31:11 GMT+6 Subject: Cyberspace sama' contribution Priority: normal X-Mailer: Pegasus Mail v3.1 (R1a) Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas@world.std.com Status: RO X-Status: As-salaam 'aleikum I have been following with great joy the postings about Mevlana Jelaleddin Rumi of Balkh this past week. I will not be able to participate in Cyberspace sama' on his Sheb-i Arus (Wedding Night) December 17th, as I will be participating in a Mevlevi muqabele sama' that evening. In fact, I met up with Sh Jelaleddin Loras of Konya Turkey and entourage in Eugene Oregon for a celebration 12/13, and we are sponsoring their visit to Portland 12/15. In Seattle on December 17th, over 70 samazanler will be Turning to music by over 20 musicians: participants are from Turkey, Iran, former Yugoslavia, Canada, and all over America. Following are translations of the hymn in praise of Mevlana (Shems-uddin, and Muhammad) that opens every sama', and some of the verses by Mevlana from the music that is sung and played while the samazanler Turn, and the closing prayer from the end of sama'. Space does not permit a full transcription of all the poetry and an explanation of the full traditional sama'. This is food for lovers... (Na'at) O Hazrat Mevlana, friend of Truth. O beloved of Allah, thou art a messenger of Allah. You are the pure and only-chosen by the Lord of Majesty, friend. O our king, beautiful presence of Truth, Light of our eyes and of the prophets' eyes, You are the torch of this world. O Mevlana, friend of Truth and our Lord. On the night of miraj Gabriel came to me in my sleep, friend Noah appeared beside my head Suddenly I was transported to the presences of all the prophets Mevlana, friend of Truth, my Lord, beloved friend O prophet of Allah, all knowledge is yours, even that which doesn't come through the senses You are the guide of the helpless, O friend of Truth, our Lord You are the tallest tree in the garden of prophecy and the fountain-spring of gnosis (marifat) You are the hyacinth and the rose-tree of the garden of divine guidance (shariat) You are the nightingale of that garden-meadow, O companion of Allah, friend Shens-uddin of Tabriz hymns praises of the Messenger: Mustafa is the chosen one, descended from Allah You are the pure of heart O companion of Allah, O friend of Truth! (First Turning) Thou art my Shah, Thy generous blessings the dervishes ask of Thee O our Sultan, for Thy sake we are heartsick I am not worthy of Thy love, but still Thou art everything to me Such a love is not found by looking to this one, look deep within yourself O my Sultan, for love of Thee I am heartsick All virtue is from Thee alone Thou art the calm at the center of my heart's confusion and distractions (Second Turning) Beloved, our Sultan, we are Thy faithful obedient creation Do not cast this love in the path of harm Beloved, a goblet of Thy friendship-wine suffices for the whole world Beloved, you are the blossom of truth and the flower of friendship Beloved, for love of Shems of Tabriz, share this intoxication! You opened the realm of God forever Whose grace helps us beyond questions of virtue and disbelief - O, such grace! (Third Turning) By these words a fresh new world is created. The fragrant breeze at dawn has become my heart-companion, Bearing scents of musk and saffron. The dawn Spring breeze is my heart-mate, friend. A rosebud bursts into bloom when you sit by its place. When such a lover arrives, flowers explode into blossoms and hundreds of birds are spellbound by your singing. The flower-scented breeze is my beloved, friend. Shems of Tabriz came with that breeze, with tears of love, Sighing "Lovers are always like this - those who weep for love, their souls are of this dawn Spring breeze!" Whoever flees the company of lovers later regrets their wrongdoing: They will repent, and rue their rashness. Whoever seeks love finds it by pursuing its scent, and discovers the forbidden sanctuary of the Love-Sultan Sanctified be all the world for recognizing this light! Light is carried by your morning-star like wine by a saqi! Purified are those who seek your company, secluded in this vast Spring-meadow When I enter this field of flowers, I am beside myself at the sight of your face! (Fourth Turning) It is Thee, my only Sultan! Thou art my only Sultan! You alone, no other, in my heart and body, and in my faith, Your breath alone that renews my life! My heart is reborn only because you are the One in Whom I have faith. (Ilahi I) By the breath of the sun (shams) I am trapped like a butterfly. I burn embracing your heart-fire, oblivious to being ensnared. Now that my soul understands what has befallen it, it doesn't seek another such experience! If you love Mevlana, come join this great ship! (Ilahi II) If you are one of us, let's speak with one voice, I'll tell you how: To be a dervish, you must above all else be in love. A lover never forgets the Beloved at any time. A pure sama' heals the soul, and light comes in the body. (Gulbanc, closing prayer) By the Name of the Incomparably Magnificent, Allah, Allah! This is the auspicious moment for blessing, the moment for opening, when misfortune is dispelled. We look to Thee for fulfillment of our needs, with great thankfulness. Allah Most High, we invoke Thy name in the Light of Thy Essence, that we may be transformed by Thy Light. The hearts of Thy lovers find rest only in Thee. We pray that our efforts may bring us further purification, with prayers for Hazrat Mevlana, the secret of Shems and Walad (Rumi's father) in the Light of Muhammad, with compassion for the whole universe. Let us say HU! As-salaam 'aleikum Wa 'aleikum as-salaam, wa Rahmatu'Llah, wa barakati-Hu Peace be with you And peace be with you, and the Mercy of Allah, and the blessings of This Presence (Rumi's last instructions to his circle) I recommend to you awe of Allah, in private and in public, and I recommend little eating and sleeping, and that you avoid rebelliousness and wrongdoing, and I recommend to you continuous worship and abstinence from fleshly lusts, and be long-suffering under the ill-treatment of humankind. Shun the companionship of the careless-hearted and the common herd, and associate with the righteous and humans of worth. In truth, the best of humans are those who benefit others, and the best of speech is that which is short and to the purpose. (one of my favorite stories) A drunk was walking the streets of Baghdad late at night, and turning a corner collided with another drunk, and they both fell over in the dust. Wiping the dirt from his face, he peered at the other, and asked, "Say, didn't I meet you in Damascus a year ago?" "No" said the second drunk "I have never been to Damascus". "Well, me neither" said the first. "It must have been two other guys". We could be meeting now because of two humans who met long ago. We could be the two having a REAL meeting now, among all the other mere collisions humans commonly endure all their lives. (A commercial) Sh Jelaleddin requested compilation of a study-guide for those interested in the way of Mevlana. It is now complete. It contains: information about the five works of Rumi, recommended readings in Qur'an and the path of the Prophet, the most extensive English- language bibliography available anywhere of translations and commentaries etc, readings in Ibn al-'Arabi and Niffari and Persian poetry, recommended periodicals, extensive silsila studies, references about sama', general introductions to Sufism, a four-part discography (Persian, Turkish, American, spoken word), a list of resources, information about the origin of Four School Sufism, notes on Rumi and the Mevlevi tariqat in India, thorough description of Mevlevi muqabele sama' with descriptions of the movements and prayers, symbolism, etc, notes on traditional garb, adab and muridship etc, and an appendix on the travels of Rumi. Because Hazrat Inayat Khan first brought a message of Sufism to America, Russia, and Europe early in this century which has now become widespread...and because his favorite poet was Mevlana Rumi (mentioned over 60 times in his published works)...this work also contains an introduction to the Chistiyya lineage with which Inayat is usually associated. Notes contain information about: the founder of the tariqat, the Muslim missionary who brought it to India, their backgrounds and basic teachings, brief historical notes, a bibliography and discography, suggested readings in related studies, silsila studies, some terminology notes, introductory readings in Sufi psychology, two pertinent lettters, and a brief chronology of the Mughal dynasty. This educational resource and study guide is attractively printed on 77 full- size pages, spiral bound. $7 copy, $10 copy by mail, from: Daniel Muzaffer Donnell POB 1721 Portland OR 97207 Thanks, and peace be with you. (Muzaffer) -- Khadim Chishti khadim@forthd.dcl.com From tariqas-approval Fri Dec 16 20:05:59 1994 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA13047; Sat, 17 Dec 1994 06:09:11 GMT Received: from mail04.mail.aol.com by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA13038; Sat, 17 Dec 1994 01:09:10 -0500 Received: by mail04.mail.aol.com (1.38.193.5/16.2) id AA17264; Sat, 17 Dec 1994 01:05:59 -0500 Date: Sat, 17 Dec 1994 01:05:59 -0500 From: Najat@aol.com Message-Id: <941217010553_148180@aol.com> To: tariqas@world.std.com Subject: Re: URS: Death & Marriage Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas@world.std.com Status: RO X-Status: As-salaam aleikhum! I believe the arabic word for salvation is najat. Regards, Najat From tariqas-approval Sat Dec 17 12:51:56 1994 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA27365; Sat, 17 Dec 1994 22:52:12 GMT Received: from teer23.acpub.duke.edu by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA27350; Sat, 17 Dec 1994 17:52:11 -0500 Received: (from hthashq1@localhost) by teer23.acpub.duke.edu (8.6.8.1/Duke-2.0) id RAA10274; Sat, 17 Dec 1994 17:51:57 -0500 Date: Sat, 17 Dec 1994 17:51:56 -0500 (EST) From: Hugh Talat Halman Subject: Urs: Love in Dance To: Tariqas Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas@world.std.com Status: RO X-Status: Tariqas Friends and Lovers of Rumi: Today has taken me away from the Net but not from the Na't. Through a whirl-wind of activity I return at this maghrib of urs to present: In your light I learn how to love. In your beauty, how to make poems. You dance inside my chest, where no one sees you, but sometimes I do, and that sight becomes this art. ********* Love swells and surges the ocean and on your robe of stormcloud sews rain designs. Love is lightning, and also the *ahhh* we respond with. ********* You that come to birth and bring the mysteries, your voice-thunder makes us very happy. Roar, lion of the heart, and tear me open. selections from Coleman Barks, _Birdsong_ Athens, GA: Maypop, 1993, pp. 41, 40 Let's roar with love! And turn with Passion! Hu! Talat From tariqas-approval Sat Dec 17 12:57:39 1994 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA29409; Sat, 17 Dec 1994 22:58:13 GMT Received: from UTCVM.UTC.EDU by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA29391; Sat, 17 Dec 1994 17:58:12 -0500 Message-Id: <199412172258.AA29391@world.std.com> Received: from UTCVM.UTC.EDU by UTCVM.UTC.EDU (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with BSMTP id 0507; Sat, 17 Dec 94 17:57:59 EST Received: from UTCVM.UTC.EDU (NJE origin JHENRY@UTCVM) by UTCVM.UTC.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 2519; Sat, 17 Dec 1994 17:57:59 -0500 Date: Sat, 17 Dec 94 17:57:39 EST From: Jim Henry in Chattanooga 615-755-4398 Subject: Stories for celebrating To: tariqas@world.std.com Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas@world.std.com Status: RO X-Status: Greetings on this day of celebration. In preparation of today, I've been thinking about the impact of Mevlana Rumi in my life. I have a few stories to share with you that I received from one of my teachers, Hassan Hussein, who lives in Konya, Turkey, Where Rumi lived and is buried. I asked Hassan why the people of Konya were so happy. In response, he told me about-- THE RICH MAN A man can be a billionaire and pay the debts of his parents, grandparents, and back 7 generations. He can also leave money for his children and grandchildren to be well off for seven generations. The same is true of spiritual billionaires. I asked Hassan if there were any spiritual billionaires. He said, "Mevlana, Yunnus and some today." Hassan said that a billionaire might hide his wealth so that thieves wouldn't get it. Similarly, a spiritual billionaire might try to hide it for similar reasons. --- THE TWO SONS A man had two sons, one who was spiritual and kept the prayers; the other enjoyed the world's physical pleasures. In the world, there was a society of 40 highly spiritual people. As one passed to the other side, another person could join the society. The spiritual brother was told if you can jump from this high place, you can join the society of 40. He said, "There's no way I can do that. I can't." The other brother was told that and said, "I'll try." And he did, and joined the society. --- DEALING WITH THE GUILTY MAN A shopkeeper slapped a man on the street and the man fell dead. A crowd gathered, for the death must be avenged before the sun sets. The shopkeeper appealed to the judge, "I am the caretaker for two orphans. Let me go and arrange for their care before I am executed. I will return." The judge said, "No." The shopkeeper said, "If I can find someone in the crowd to stand for me while I'm gone, may I?" The judge said, "Yes." The shopkeeper looked through the crowd anxiously. His eyes fell on a man; he asked, "Will you stand for me?" The man said, "Yes." The shopkeeper left. The shopkeeper was gone a long time. The crowd was getting anxious. The man was getting anxious. Finally the shopkeeper came back, saying that it took longer than he expected to make the arrangements. The crowd was touched by his honesty and by the man's willingness to stand for his friend. The man said, "But, I do not know this man. We are not friends." The crowd asked why did he stand for him? The man said, "He asked me. He had no one else to ask. He needed me." The crowd was so impressed by all this, they called the family of the dead man and asked if, under these circumstances, the man could remain alive. The family agreed and the shopkeeper was released, freed. --- Those are some of the stories Hassan shared with me. I've been looking at a journal I wrote when I was fortunate enough to be in Turkey. When I think about the path I've taken, I am struck by the impact of seemingly small events on the direction of my life. Quite obviously, I am not the one in charge, not the one in control. Somehow, the Source of the universe, the Source of Love, the Universal Principle, my Higher Power, my God, Allah is Ar-Rasheed, the guide to my Right Path. Some bits of the story of my path may be interesting to you. If so, I'm glad. HOW I MET HASSAN As a part of my personal path, I was on a pilgrimage a few years ago. I was in Turkey as a result of reading Reshad Feilds' book, The Last Barrier. The book had been given to me by a friend because of my interest in Sufism. I arrived in Istanbul, much like Mark Twain, an "innocent abroad," and had few definite plans other than to visit Konya, Side and Ephesus. One Monday, I found myself in line in a money-changer's shop in Istanbul and I overheard a woman in front of me talking with another customer about Sufism. I joined the conversation and ended up meeting and spending some time with Sylvia and Alan Godlas. Alan's name may be familiar to you as a frequent and wise contributor to this list. Alan gave me the names of some people and places to look up in Konya, most memorably, the Dervish Brothers Carpet Shop, just about a block from the Mevlana Turbesi (tomb). Necati Chanak and Ahmad Bugukzeytinci were the shopkeepers at the carpet shop. When I got to Konya, I did meet Necati and Ahmad, two of the most hospitable and friendly and kind men I met in Turkey. Two of many people I had encountered in Turkey with those characteristics. I spent three days absorbing the energies, gifts and blessings of Konya. One of the blessings was to meet Hassan Hussein, a wise teacher, a mystic and also a shopkeeper near Rumi's tomb. Mas'Allah, praise be to Allah. JIM Jim Henry U of Tennessee at Chattanooga 615-755-4398 From tariqas-approval Sat Dec 17 19:29:24 1994 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA28513; Sun, 18 Dec 1994 00:28:25 GMT Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA28503; Sat, 17 Dec 1994 19:28:24 -0500 Date: Sat, 17 Dec 1994 19:28:24 +0001 (EST) From: Steve H Rose Subject: Off to a Sema... To: tariqas@world.std.com Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas@world.std.com Status: RO X-Status: Assalamu alaikum, dear friends, and many blessings on this special day (and on every other day for that matter -- I guess they're all equally special -- in their own way). One of the wonderful things about the Internet is how it can help us to share regardless of space and time. Insh'Allah, our planet may someday learn another way to do the same thing -- love! I will keep you in my hearts tonight at the Seattle Sema, and, Insh'Allah, look forward to catching up with all of my email some time soon :-) yours, habibullah From tariqas-approval Wed Dec 17 17:23:27 1994 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA05066; Sun, 18 Dec 1994 09:23:40 GMT Received: from netcom17.netcom.com by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA05059; Sun, 18 Dec 1994 04:23:39 -0500 Received: by netcom17.netcom.com (8.6.9/Netcom) id BAA13676; Sun, 18 Dec 1994 01:23:27 -0800 Date: Sun, 18 Dec 1994 01:23:27 -0800 (PST) From: Steven Finkelman Subject: tonight's sharing To: tariqas@world.std.com Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas@world.std.com Status: RO X-Status: Peace be with you all, I thank you all for the beautiful contributions to this list tonight. Today and tonight I am witnessing my failure to stand. That ground is not firm I stood confident in a temporal knowing Illusion of form. And realize that failure is necessary. I pulled out a book and this poen is what presented itself to me. I thought I'd share it. "Desire and the Importance of Failing" A selection from: FEELING THE SHOULDER OF THE LION Poetry and Teaching Stories of RUMI, translated by Coleman Barks A window opens A curtain pulls back. The lamps of lovers connect, not at their ceramic bases, but in their lightedness. No lover wants union with the Beloved without the Beloved also wanting the lover. Love makes the lover weak, while the Beloved gets strong. Lightning from here strikes there. When you begin to love God, God is loving you. A clapping sound does not come from one hand. A thirsty man calls out, "Delicious water, where are you?" while the water moans, "Where is the water drinker?" The thirst in our souls is the attraction put out by the Water itself. We belong to it, and it to us. God's wisdom made us lovers of one another. In fact, all the particles in the world are in love and looking for lovers. Pieces of straw tremble in the presence of amber. We tremble like iron filings welcoming the magnet. Whatever that Presence gives us we take in. Earth signs feed. Water signs wash and freshen. Air signs clear the atmosphere. Fire signs clear the skillet, so we cook without getting burnt. And the Holy Spirit helps with everything, like a young man trying to support a family. We, like the man's young wife, stay home, taking care of the house, nursing the children. Spirit and matter work together like this, in a division of labor. Sweethearts kiss and taste the delight before they get into bed and mate. The desire of each lover is that the work of the other be perfected. By this man-and-woman cooperation, the world gets preserved. Generation occurs. Rosed and blue arghawan flowers flower. Night and day meet in a mutual hug. So different, but they do love each other, the day and the night, like family. And without their mutual alternation we would have no energy. Every part of the cosmos draws towards its mate. The ground keeps talking to the body, saying, "Come back! Its better for you down here where you came from." The streamwater calls to the moisture in the body. The fiery aether whispers to the body's heat, "I'm your origin. Come with me." Seventy-two diseases are caused by the various elements pulling inside the body. Disease comes, and the organs fall out of harmony. We're like the four different birds, that each had one leg tied in with the other birds. A flopping bouquet of birds! death releases the binding, and they fly off, but before that, their pulling is our pain. Consider how the soul must be, in the midst of these tensions, feeling its own exhaulted pull. My longing is more profound. These birds want the sweet green herbs and the water running by. I want the infinite! I want wisdom These birds want orchards and meadows and vines with fruit on them. I want a vast expansion. They want profit and the security of having enough food. Remember what the soul wants, because in that, eternity is wanting our souls! Which is the meaning of the text, They love That, and That loves them. If I keep on explaining this, The _Mathnawi_ will run to eighty volumes! The gist is: whatever anyone seeks, that is seeking the seeker. No matter if its animal, or vegetable or mineral. Every bit of the universe is filled with wanting, and whatever any bit wants, wants the wanter! This subject must dissolve again. Back to Sadri Jahan an uneducated peasant who loved him so that gradually Sadri Jahan loved the lowly man. But who really attracted who, whoom, Huuuu? Don't be presumptuous and say one or the other. Close your lips. The mystery of loving is God's sweetest secret. Keep it. Bury it. Leave it here where I leave it, drawn as I am by the pull of the Puller to something else. You know how it is. Sometimes we plan a trip to one place, but something takes us to another. When a horse is being broken, the trainer pulls it in many different directions. So the horse will come to know what it is to be ridden. The most beautiful and alert horse is one completely attuned to the rider. God fixes a passionate desire in you, and then disappoints you. God does that a hundred times. God breaks the wings of one intention and then gives you another, cuts the rope of contriving, so you'll remember your dependence. But sometimes, your plans work out! You feel fulfilled and in control. That's because if you were always failing, you might give up. But remember, it is by failures that lovers stay aware of how theiy're loved. Failure is the key to the kingdom within. Your prayer should be,"Break the legs of what I want to happen. Humilliate my desire. Eat me like candy. It's spring and finially I have no will." In clear light. Steven Finkelman DATA/Massage slfink@netcom.com From tariqas-approval Sun Dec 18 06:01:11 1994 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA18585; Sun, 18 Dec 1994 16:01:22 GMT Received: from r-node.io.org by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA18564; Sun, 18 Dec 1994 11:01:20 -0500 Received: (from walrus@localhost) by r-node.io.org (8.6.9/8.6.9) id LAA24540 for tariqas@world.std.com; Sun, 18 Dec 1994 11:01:11 -0500 Date: Sun, 18 Dec 1994 11:01:11 -0500 From: Walter Eisenbeis Message-Id: <199412181601.LAA24540@r-node.io.org> To: tariqas@world.std.com Subject: Re: URS: Death & Marriage Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas@world.std.com Status: RO X-Status: I believe the word "urs" is Arabic for marriage. "Shebi" may have different meanings depending on which language it is from. Essentially the term, as far as I know, means the "marriage night". "Shab" is Persian for night. The "i" indicates the word modified "urs". Here it is used to indicate the mystical marriage of a saint who leaves the physical world and goes to his beloved, Allah. Khoda hafiz --- ~ KWQ/2 1.2g ~ In love there is no superiority From tariqas-approval Fri Dec 16 00:11:50 1994 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA05789; Sun, 18 Dec 1994 22:01:11 GMT Received: from uunet!fifthd by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA05782; Sun, 18 Dec 1994 17:01:10 -0500 Received: from espace.dcl.com by relay4.UU.NET with SMTP id QQxuwe01507; Sun, 18 Dec 1994 17:00:20 -0500 Message-Id: Received: from forthd by espace.dcl.com (MX V3.1C) with UUCP; Sun, 18 Dec 1994 13:59:52 PST Received: by forthd.dcl.com (DECUS UUCP /2.0/2.0/2.0/); Sun, 18 Dec 94 13:34:45 PST Received: from fifthd by fifthd.uucp (UUPC/extended 1.12b) with UUCP; Fri, 16 Dec 1994 00:11:57 GMT From: Super User To: tariqas@world.std.com Date: Fri, 16 Dec 1994 00:11:50 GMT+6 Subject: M Gest inquiry Priority: normal X-Mailer: Pegasus Mail v3.1 (R1a) Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas@world.std.com Status: RO X-Status: Sheb-i Arus means literally "night of the bride/wedding". Urs and Arus are the same thing, pronounced differently according to linguistic variations. Peace be with you. (Muzaffer) -- Khadim Chishti khadim@forthd.dcl.com From tariqas-approval Sun Dec 18 13:10:14 1994 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA11554; Sun, 18 Dec 1994 23:14:45 GMT Received: from uga.cc.uga.edu by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA11543; Sun, 18 Dec 1994 18:14:44 -0500 Received: from UGA.CC.UGA.EDU by uga.cc.uga.edu (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with BSMTP id 4138; Sun, 18 Dec 94 18:14:04 EST Received: from UGA.CC.UGA.EDU (NJE origin CBBARKS@UGA) by UGA.CC.UGA.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 1657; Sun, 18 Dec 1994 18:14:04 -0500 Date: Sun, 18 Dec 94 18:10:14 EST From: coleman Subject: Rumi To: Whoever Message-Id: <941218.181403.EST.CBBARKS@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU> Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas@world.std.com Status: RO X-Status: A I don't know who I'm writing to. I was given this e-mail address and told there was a lot of trading of Rumi poems here at this address. My kind of thing. Who'e there? Love, Coleman Barks