Sufi Reverberations - Season 3, Episode 1

Once again, I intend to leap into the mysterious complex of dimensionalities through which we all are manifested and, in the process, travel in a different direction from earlier podcasts, both recent as well as those past episodes that are more distant in time. Moreover, unlike previous podcasts, the offerings that – moving forward – are, God willing, to be presented here should be quite brief – a sort of minimalist motif in which less could serve as more. However, despite, their brevity, such offerings hopefully, insha’ Alla, might provide much food for thought. 

I am not a shaykh or teacher, nor am I am inviting you – a prospective listener -- to join anything. Moreover, I am not trying to sell you anything or request your e-mail for some sort of backdoor interaction later on.

I am someone who, for much of my life, has been seeking to discover the nature of my relationship with Being or Reality. In this regard, for a period of some 15-16 years, I had the good fortune of spending a considerable amount of time in the company of a Sufi saint of the 20th century, but, as well, for a period of 8 years, or so, following the aforementioned camaraderie with an authentic spiritual guide, I, subsequently, also travelled through the valley of illusory shadows that were cast by a second individual who was a spiritual charlatan, and, so, as a result, I got to experience some of the challenges of spirituality from several perspectives, and, in the process, I have come to realize that God teaches not only through difficulty and ease, but through all the experiences of one’s life, irrespective of whether such experiences conform with one’s likes and dislikes.

The orientation of each podcast will be to share some idea or small set of ideas with others who might have an interest in what is said here. These thoughts will often – but not always -- originate from sources other than me. 

My intention is merely to let those thoughts fall where they may … hoping that such auditory reverberations will induce the listener (or listeners) to critically and spiritually resonate with what is being said in constructive ways within her, his, or their lives. Most of the podcast entries will be devoid of explanations or elaborations and, instead, will focus on just giving expression to a certain kind of perspective.

The world these days is replete will all manner of destructive emotions, concepts, inclinations, and behaviors. So, an idea that, like a shooting star, was passing through my awareness on a given occasion suggested the notion of conducting a counterinsurgency of spiritual possibilities that gave expression to different facets of the Sufi mystical tradition … facets that I believe have the potential for a constructive impact on one’s life irrespective of one’s spiritual orientation. 

I have no expectations about how any of this will unfold. Maybe, it will end up as the sound of one hand clapping, and all I will have to do is try to figure out whether it is the left hand or the right hand that is causing a commotion.

The frequency of the episodes being alluded to here is also likely to be a little uncertain for the foreseeable future. Presumably, as a friend of God is reported to have said: “the wind bloweth where it listeth.”

Transcript

Shams (the Sun) is the 91st Surah of the Qur’an. The portion of that chapter -- which in fairly short order God willing shall be read -- covers ayats, or verses, 1 through 10. 

My first spiritual guide – a  Sufi saint of the twentieth century – once said that whatever else might be meant by the words that are given expression through any specific oath which appears in the Qur’an, nonetheless, the etiquette of the Qur’an is such that the presence of an oath in that book of revelation is an indication that Allah is giving emphasis to whatever follows such an oath. My teacher further indicated that nowhere else in the Qur’an does one find as many oaths strung together as occurs in Surah Shams, and, therefore, that which follows those oaths is of central importance to human beings.

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
 
 [91.1] I swear by the sun and its brilliance,
 
 [91.2] And the moon when it follows the sun,
 
 [91.3] And the day when it shows it,
 
 [91.4] And the night when it draws a veil over it,
 
 [91.5] And the heaven and Him Who made it,
 
 [91.6] And the earth and Him Who extended it,
 
 [91.7] And the soul and Him Who made it perfect,
 
 [91.8] Then He inspired it to understand what is right and wrong for it;
 
 [91.9] Indeed, that one will succeed who purifies it,
 
 [91.10] And, indeed, that one shall fail who corrupts it.