From tariqas-digest-approval@europe.std.com Mon Oct 7 22:14:27 1996 Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 20:28:37 -0400 (EDT) From: tariqas-digest-approval@europe.std.com Reply-To: tariqas-digest@world.std.com To: tariqas-digest@world.std.com Subject: tariqas-digest V1 #172 tariqas-digest Monday, 30 September 1996 Volume 01 : Number 172 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Alan G. Keyes (Abdul Alim)" Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 01:23:40 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Time Salam If time is in flux, or time is a measurement set by man. Then my question is how old am I? ------------------------------ From: frank gaude Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 05:45:08 -0700 Subject: Re: love Carol Woodsong wrote: > > "Allah is All, and the love is the thread that connects All Life into a > tapestry of Glory." It takes one who is nutz to write something like this, and also one who is nutz to post such... praise be to our Lord and Master... Love, harmony, and beauty, down threads of gold, tanzen ------------------------------ From: Well333@turbonet.com (Jacquie Weller) Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 06:53:09 +0100 Subject: Re: Time >Salam > > If time is in flux, or time is a measurement set by man. Then my >question is how old am I? > >------ You are as olddddddd as you feellllll >From a old crone. KL ------------------------------ From: Ayesha Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 09:28:43 -0600 Subject: Re: Time At 01:23 AM 9/30/96 -0400, you wrote: >Salam > > If time is in flux, or time is a measurement set by man. Then my >question is how old am I? > Salam brother, Sometimes I feel as old as the universe and the stars within in. Sometimes I feel as young as a newborn baby. Peace, happiness and wellness Ayesha ------------------------------ From: Hudoyo Hupudio Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 23:05:31 +0700 Subject: Re: Time >Salam > > If time is in flux, or time is a measurement set by man. Then my >question is how old am I? > > Who am I? Which I? Wassalam, Hudoyo ------------------------------ From: Zainuddin Ismail Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1996 00:06:31 +0800 (SGT) Subject: Re: Time If it is true that Allah created us all at the same instant of time and that we only emerged in this plane of earthly existence at different times, then spiritually and essentially we are of the same age.Chronologically we are however different but when we are returning to the Source , then time is not as we understand it ... At 09:28 9/30/96 -0600, you wrote: >At 01:23 AM 9/30/96 -0400, you wrote: >>Salam >> >> If time is in flux, or time is a measurement set by man. Then my >>question is how old am I? >> > >Salam brother, > >Sometimes I feel as old as the universe and the stars within in. Sometimes >I feel as young as a newborn baby. > >Peace, happiness and wellness > >Ayesha > > ------------------------------ From: Well333@turbonet.com (Jacquie Weller) Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 09:15:10 +0100 Subject: Re: love >Carol Woodsong wrote: >> >> "Allah is All, and the love is the thread that connects All Life into a >> tapestry of Glory." > >It takes one who is nutz to write something like this, and also one who >is nutz to post such... praise be to our Lord and Master... > >Love, harmony, and beauty, down threads of gold, > >tanzen > >>>>>And you are both lovly Nuts. I saw a poor confused squirrle the other day traped on a sidewalk and busy street. He smashed up, more like flew and hit a store window, then he zigzagged across the street and found a tree at last. Do you think that is where the term squirrly came from. Your Squirle in a Squirle cage...Kaffea Lalla, running down the threads of love. ------------------------------ From: "Michael J. Moore" Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 11:30:28 -0700 Subject: Sawaab or Damnation? Hello friends, I need your advice or comments on a project that I am doing. What I want to do is to take the Kitabus-Salaat, and do it as HTML web pages. This is published by YOUNG MEN'S MUSLIM ASSOCIATION P.O. Box 5036, Benoni 1502 Transvaal, Republic of South Africa (Second revised edition 1982) I am told that this is from the Hanifi (sp?) School but the actual document does not mention this School. So, here are my questions: 1) What is the correct spelling of Hanifi? 2) Has this already been done? Have you come across any web pages that already publish this document on the web? 3) What is the position of this document relative to main line Islam. I mean, Is it authoritative? Is it radical fundimentalism? Do people all over the world use it or only in South Africa? I realize that these are questions that might only invoke subjective answers but sometime a consensus of subjective answers leads to a pretty accurate picture. 4) Is there anything at all you would like to say about the merit of such a project. Is this a controversial document? Is it going to piss any body off? Will the angles sing my praise for generations to come and reward me with great sawaab or will the end of me be with Qarun, Fir'aun, Haman and Ubai-bin-Khalaf? Peace - -- Michael J. Moore ------------------------------ From: Craig Johannsen Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 11:58:53 -0700 Subject: Re: No tImE Michael Moore wrote: > > I have NO TIME for RUMI!!! > I have THINGS to DO! > I have THINGS! > I have ... > I? > ((poof)) > oh!, hi rumi Hee hee, huu huu! Which brings up an interesting possibility -- why not ask Rumi himself what he meant? ------------------------------ From: Jinavamsa@aol.com Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 15:36:29 -0400 Subject: Re: doing Good [Re: What is a natural Sufi? thank you for the reference, Zainuddin. in peace, Jinavamsa In a message dated 96-09-29 20:03:04 EDT, you write: << Subj: Re: doing Good [Re: What is a natural Sufi? Date: 96-09-29 20:03:04 EDT From: sham@pacific.net.sg (Zainuddin Ismail) Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Reply-to: tariqas@europe.std.com To: tariqas@europe.std.com Salam. "Surely, those who believe and those who follow the Jewish faith, the Christians and the Sabians , whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and acts righteously shall have their reward with their Lord ,and shall have nothing to fear , nor shall they grieve " Quran 2 : 62 / Surah Baqarah verse 62. At 14:01 9/29/96 -0400, you wrote: >In a message dated 96-09-28 11:34:21 EDT, you write: > ><< Whosoever believes and does Good , be it Jew , Christian or Sabean , he > need not fear , he need not grieve.." (Extract of meaning of a Quranic >Verse) > >> >thank you. what verse is this from? >Jinavamsa > >> ------------------------------ From: Jinavamsa@aol.com Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 15:36:49 -0400 Subject: Re: Dr. Ibrahim Pourhadi & Rumi's 'Kolliyat-e Shams' [Re: sufi words naturally thank you, Maharaj James, for taking the time and effort to contact Dr. Pourhadi and passing on his comments. Given that, I can find a version of the verses by Nicholson in his _The Mystics of Islam_ (p. 161 in the Arkana edition). Of course that does not explain the idea of Dr. Schimmel that the verse is not an authentic verse of Rumi's. I wonder what she would say about all this. Is there another name for the _Kolliyat-e Shams_? I cannot find this item in the Names or Subject indices of Schimmel's _Mystical Dimensions of Islam_. I take it that this work (the _KSh_) is different from Rumi's _Diivaan-e Shams-e Tabriizii_. (I have the UNESCO-sponsored French edition [Vitray-Meyerovitch and Mokri, translators] of this latter, if it is relevant and if there is an Ode number attached to the verses...That edition is based on the critical edition of the Univ. of Tehran, 1958 on, done under the editorship of Prof. B. Foruuzaanfar, in 8 vol..) in peace, Jinavamsa In a message dated 96-09-29 20:30:25 EDT, you write: << Subj: Re: Dr. Ibrahim Pourhadi & Rumi's 'Kolliyat-e Shams' [Re: sufi words naturally Date: 96-09-29 20:30:25 EDT From: jmccaig@worldweb.net (James McCaig) Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Reply-to: tariqas@europe.std.com To: tariqas@europe.std.com Dear Jinavamsa and friends, I was able to reach Dr. Pourhadi at home over the weekend. He tells me the following: The quotation is not his (he had given it to me) but that of Reynold Nicholson, whom he maintains has done the finest Rumi translations into English. The quotation is indeed from Kolliyat-e Shams. Further there are numerous other examples of this work in the Library of Congress with essentially the same translation (he thought off the top of his head about 70). These are not limited to English translations but include Arabic and Turkish works (he is accomplished in these languages as well). He also has, I think I remember from a previous conversation, original and ancient copies of texts in the Persian with that same passage. He comments that Ms Schimmel has not done her homework thoroughly and this is not the first time he has come up against her misinformation. While she does speak some Farsi, she cannot compare with any of the recognized serious scholars of Rumi, nor can she be considered a serious scholar of the Persian language. Dr. Pourhadi, who is a regular attendee at our Sufi meetings here, has generously offered the resources of the library to anyone who will take a serious interest in pursuing this matter. He explained it will not take much of his time as there have been many over the years who disputed the authenticity of the passage and he has the research ready and available. He did not recall the exact page from memory in the Nicholson translation, but invites anyone in our Tariqas group to contact him at the library: Dr. Ibraham V. Pourhadi Area Specialist Library of Congress John Adams Building #128 3rd & Pennsylvania Ave., SE Washington, DC 20540 Business (202)707-5675 Fax (202)707-1724 Dr. Pourhadi has also made a lifelong study of the history of Sufism and will be happy to discuss anybody's theories about when it began and where. He can trace it thousands of years with documents at hand in the library, where his section has some 500,000 volumes of ancient text. He prefers to answer written requests, rather than by phone. Warm regards to all, >> ------------------------------ From: James McCaig Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 17:34:36 -0400 Subject: Re: Dr. Ibrahim Pourhadi & Rumi's 'Kolliyat-e Shams' [Re: sufi words naturally Dear Jinavamsa, I have neither the knowledge nor the inclination to learn about this. Knowing Dr. Pourhadi as i do for years, it makes me comfortable to take his recommendation and use the Nicholson translation, which is why we offer it in our bookstore, as do the Threshold Society and other knowledgeable Sufi Groups. He will be very happy to hear from you and assist you if you would like to take this further. I believe there is a program whereby your local library can obtain books for your use from the Library of Congress and he could explain how this works. i would offer to assist you and others who would like help, since i am near the library (actually about an hour away), but my father is deathly ill and i may be required to leave town on very short notice, in which event I will sign off the group for a while. It would be greatly appreciated if you and other brothers and sisters would offer a prayer for his smooth transition as he is somewhat fearful, even at the age of 86. In the meantime, good hunting. At 03:36 PM 9/30/96 -0400, you wrote: >thank you, Maharaj James, for taking the time and effort to contact Dr. >Pourhadi and passing on his comments. Given that, I can find a version of the >verses by Nicholson in his _The Mystics of Islam_ (p. 161 in the Arkana >edition). Of course that does not explain the idea of Dr. Schimmel that the >verse is not an authentic verse of Rumi's. I wonder what she would say about >all this. Knowing you are a student of these subjects, I can only suggest you ask her or her devotees on this list. I have repeated what was told to me. >Is there another name for the _Kolliyat-e Shams_? I cannot find this item in >the Names or Subject indices of Schimmel's _Mystical Dimensions of Islam_. I >take it that this work (the _KSh_) is different from Rumi's _Diivaan-e >Shams-e Tabriizii_. (I have the UNESCO-sponsored French edition >[Vitray-Meyerovitch and Mokri, translators] of this latter, if it is relevant >and if there is an Ode number attached to the verses...That edition is based >on the critical edition of the Univ. of Tehran, 1958 on, done under the >editorship of Prof. B. Foruuzaanfar, in 8 vol..) >in peace, >Jinavamsa > >In a message dated 96-09-29 20:30:25 EDT, you write: > ><< Subj: Re: Dr. Ibrahim Pourhadi & Rumi's 'Kolliyat-e Shams' [Re: sufi words >naturally > Date: 96-09-29 20:30:25 EDT > From: jmccaig@worldweb.net (James McCaig) > Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com > Reply-to: tariqas@europe.std.com > To: tariqas@europe.std.com > > Dear Jinavamsa and friends, > > > I was able to reach Dr. Pourhadi at home over the weekend. He tells me > > the following: > > > The quotation is not his (he had given it to me) but that of Reynold > > Nicholson, whom he maintains has done the finest Rumi translations into > > English. The quotation is indeed from Kolliyat-e Shams. Further there > > are numerous other examples of this work in the Library of Congress with > > essentially the same translation (he thought off the top of his head > > about 70). These are not limited to English translations but include > > Arabic and Turkish works (he is accomplished in these languages as well). > > He also has, I think I remember from a previous conversation, original > > and ancient copies of texts in the Persian with that same passage. > > > He comments that Ms Schimmel has not done her homework thoroughly and > > this is not the first time he has come up against her misinformation. > > While she does speak some Farsi, she cannot compare with any of the > > recognized serious scholars of Rumi, nor can she be considered a serious > > scholar of the Persian language. > > > Dr. Pourhadi, who is a regular attendee at our Sufi meetings here, has > > generously offered the resources of the library to anyone who will take a > > serious interest in pursuing this matter. He explained it will not take > > much of his time as there have been many over the years who disputed the > > authenticity of the passage and he has the research ready and > > available. > > > He did not recall the exact page from memory in the Nicholson > > translation, but invites anyone in our Tariqas group to contact him at > > the library: > > > Dr. Ibraham V. Pourhadi > > Area Specialist > > Library of Congress > > John Adams Building #128 > > 3rd & Pennsylvania Ave., SE > > Washington, DC 20540 > > > Business (202)707-5675 > > Fax (202)707-1724 > > > Dr. Pourhadi has also made a lifelong study of the history of Sufism and > > will be happy to discuss anybody's theories about when it began and > > where. He can trace it thousands of years with documents at hand in the > > library, where his section has some 500,000 volumes of ancient text. He > > prefers to answer written requests, rather than by phone. > > > Warm regards to all, > > >> > > Maharaj James McCaig | Sufi Center of Washington Brotherhood/Sisterhood Representative | Keepers of Sufi Center Bookstore United States | http://guess.worldweb.net/sufi jmccaig@worldweb.net ------------------------------ From: Jinavamsa@aol.com Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 18:41:44 -0400 Subject: Re: Dr. Ibrahim Pourhadi & Rumi's 'Kolliyat-e Shams' [Re: sufi words naturally James Maharaj, may your father find his remaining time alive and filled with love, and find himself ready when the time comes. gently, Jinavamsa In a message dated 96-09-30 17:44:54 EDT, you write: >ubj: Re: Dr. Ibrahim Pourhadi & Rumi's 'Kolliyat-e Shams' [Re: sufi words >naturally >Date: 96-09-30 17:44:54 EDT >From: jmccaig@worldweb.net (James McCaig) >Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com >Reply-to: tariqas@europe.std.com >To: tariqas@world.std.com > >Dear Jinavamsa, > >I have neither the knowledge nor the inclination to learn about this. >Knowing Dr. Pourhadi as i do for years, it makes me comfortable to take his >recommendation and use the Nicholson translation, which is why we offer it >in our bookstore, as do the Threshold Society and other knowledgeable Sufi >Groups. He will be very happy to hear from you and assist you if you would >like to take this further. I believe there is a program whereby your local >library can obtain books for your use from the Library of Congress and he >could explain how this works. > >i would offer to assist you and others who would like help, since i am near >the library (actually about an hour away), but my father is deathly ill and >i may be required to leave town on very short notice, in which event I will >sign off the group for a while. > >It would be greatly appreciated if you and other brothers and sisters would >offer a prayer for his smooth transition as he is somewhat fearful, even at >the age of 86. > >In the meantime, good hunting. > >At 03:36 PM 9/30/96 -0400, you wrote: ------------------------------ From: woodsong@juno.com (Carol Woodsong) Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 17:33:16 EDT Subject: Rumi's Truth Hello friends! :) Interesting thought just occurred to me.... here we are discussing "what Rumi meant"...we each have our own ideas about this and that. We tell each other this is 'right' or that is 'wrong', but i find it interesting that no one has even once mentioned the possibility that Rumi could be /wrong/. It never even crossed my mind! But, why? He's a man... like any other? ... did he convince us all somehow... that he KNOWS truth? How did he convince us? Certainly not with facts regarding all this... stuff. From here, where i sit... there is no thing he (or anyone) could do to convince me of anything... but, there is /some/thing... something deep he touches. Something not quite tangible, yet so real, i cannot deny it. Rumi touches my heart... not because he touches the hearts of millions of people... but because he touches something deep within /me/.... and that's something i can't argue. :) Mostly i don't know what 'he means'... but sometimes i can feeeeel him with me... pulling at those heart strings... encouraging me to linger with that which is soooo close... love to all, Yondanoota ------------------------------ From: Well333@turbonet.com (Jacquie Weller) Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 16:30:11 +0100 Subject: Re: about rumi When I write a poem I could have 10 people come up with ten different ideas or interpretations and all of them from one perspective or another would be right and some could have nothing to do with what I wrote from my perspective. ------------------------------ From: James McCaig Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 20:22:31 -0400 Subject: Inayat khan on Rumi (long) PalmSpringsJelal-ud-din Rumi July 20, 1926 Beloved Ones of God, This evening I would like to speak on the subject of Rumi, one of the greatest poets of Persia and a great educator on the spiritual path. I do not wish to tell about his life from the beginning; I only wish to point out different characteristics and works of Rumi which have endeared him to all the illuminated souls. In India, Persia, Egypt, Turkey, Bukhara, Afghanistan, and Baluchistan, every educated person has as a foundation of his education Rumi's scripture. The wonderful effect that this scripture produces is that, after a person has studied the Masnavi, his principle work, he begins to show, without being taught, humanity--the most valuable and important quality for the beginning and end of education. The wide pitch of Rumi's ideas is so vast that once a person becomes interested in his works he begins to feel that all the scriptures of the world are put in one scripture, and that is Rumi's. When the mysticism of Rumi attracted thousands of seeking souls, those who had education, deep thought, influence, and power, many tried to make Rumi claim to be the Prophet. That is the last thing he would do. He said that he was there to interpret the spirit and the soul of the Prophet, and it is his interpretation that attracted them. But he did not want to take the place of the Prophet. He did not want to proclaim himself something which he was not meant to be. When people asked Hafiz, the most accepted poet of the East, "Is Rumi a prophet?", his answer was subtle, as the mystic's answer is. In the East the one who gives a book is a prophet, and prophet is a direct word. Hafiz said, "Not a prophet, but the giver of a book." When Hafiz, an inspirational poet himself, held Rumi and his work so high, you can imagine what a wonderful work it must be. Do not think that because Rumi was in the country of Muslims he only interpreted the soul of the Prophet Muhammad. If you study Rumi deeply, you will find he has interpreted the soul of Jesus Christ and the soul of Moses. There are some places where he gives stories in order to explain a certain aspect of life. Stories sometimes explain more than simple words, because a story makes a picture. The other part of his work is direct statement. His work is in verse, and it seems that he never had to stop and think, "What shall I write next?" It seems that the singer sang and his hand moved to write; as he went on singing so he went on writing. The whole book is written in this way. When you read it, you feel that he never stopped for one moment to think about the poetry he was writing. It is a divine song, not mechanical poetry where the effort of the brain is necessary. Besides this, Rumi's life shows a great phenomenon and a lesson at the same time: that an intellectual could be as devotional as he was. Most often there is intellect and devotion is missing, or there is a devotion and intellect is missing. Very often an intellectual person proudly says, "Well, there is devotion, but among simple ones." But here in the life of Rumi you see the example of intellect and devotion in the same measure. Rumi was one of the most educated persons of his time. He was a statesman, a politician, a man of law, and a man of letters, and at the same time so simple that when first he saw Shams-i-Tabriz, the one who was to be his murshid, he said, "God, whom I have worshipped all through life, today came before me in the guise of man." That great devotion in an intellectual man! Here a simple dervish comes to him, scantily clad, and the leader of the city, a man of position, with power and authority, listens to him like a simple child, and appreciates him. By his ideal he raised Shams-i-Tabriz to that stage where a really devoted mureed raises his teacher. This shows the ideal and intellect both together. Now I should like to tell you his teaching about God. His teaching is that God can be best understood not by thinking that He is in heaven, but by recognizing Him in His manifestation. The most prominent manifestation which represents God is the godly. He brings God on earth; in other words, he brings heaven on earth, and he raises earth to heaven. Rumi is the first mystic who does not inflict or impose upon people a forced renunciation or asceticism. He is the first mystic who came forward in the world and said that the essence of spirituality is the quality of heart. No mystic will ever say it as Rumi has: "Whether you love man or whether you love God, at the end of your destiny you will be brought before the King of love." It was most daring, especially at that time in the reign of theology, when one could never say such words. But Rumi had the courage to say it. In addition, for Rumi all cold matter is spirit just the same. He says, "Earth, fire, water, and air, they all are as dead before man; but before God they are living servants, working at His command." A person may think about this phrase of philosophy every day, and every day he will find a new branch springing from this idea. If one thought of this idea for the whole life one would find a new inspiration coming out of it every day. In this way Rumi made God a reality, and God made him Truth. As to the life and spirit of the prophet, Rumi's explanation is that the soul is a flute of reed. One end of this flute is in the mouth of God, and the other end of this flute is in the lips of the prophet. Therefore what the prophets have said is the word of God. And then he distinguished the prophetic personality. He did not say they perform miracles; he did not say recognize them by their wonders. He said the prophet is a miracle and a wonder himself. He did not say that prophets give light in their words, he said that the prophet was the flame itself. The presence of the prophet for the individual and for the multitude is a source of illumination without words. It is not true that the prophet brings the word of God, but the prophet is the word of God. Rumi says that the personality and the presence of the prophet is the answer to every question. Question cannot exist, because the answer is present. Furthermore, Rumi said that the prophet was a messenger. He did his work, he went away; the One Who was responsible was God. The prophet had nothing to do with the world: his work was to direct the world to God. Rumi said that men know the law that they make, but the prophet knows the hidden law of life. It is not that wisdom which comes to him, but it is the interpretation of that wisdom which has come to him that he gives in human tongue. Rumi says the prophet is not only the inspirer but the inspiration of humanity; that the prophet is not the maker of peace, but peace itself. He said that the prophet, whether he is understood by the world or not, will be able to perform his duty just the same; and whether helped by the world or not will be able to fulfill his message, whether directly or indirectly. Because the Message that comes by the prophet is living, it must spread. When Rumi speaks about the annihilation of the false ego, that is the most uplifting philosophy that one could hear. He first says that your heart is like a mirror. What generally happens is that this mirror becomes dusty. You have to wipe it to take the dust off it. In the esoteric or mystic path, the teacher shows his pupils the way of wiping this mirror so that the reflection may fall more clearly. Then he says that your worst enemy is hiding within yourself, and that enemy is your nafs or false ego. It is very difficult to explain the meaning of the word "false ego. " The best I can do is to say that every inclination which springs from disregard of love, harmony, and beauty and which is concerned with oneself and unconcerned with all others is the false ego. Now I shall explain to you this idea: a thief is thinking of robbing the person with whom he is travelling. That inclination makes him concerned with his own benefit and indifferent to the benefit and the feeling of the other. That inclination is coming from the spirit which the Sufis have called Nafs. I will give you another amusing example: if there are four or five persons at the table, one of them fixes his eyes on the best cake. It is a very mild inclination, but it comes from nafs. This enemy, Rumi says, develops. The more it is fed, the stronger it becomes to fight with you; and the stronger it becomes, the more it dominates your better self. There comes a day when man is the slave of this enemy which is hidden within himself. The worst position is to have an enemy which one does not know. It is better to have a thousand known enemies before one than to have one within one and not to know it. There are many meanings ascribed to the custom of the sages in India to have snakes around their necks. One of those meanings is: "I have the enemy which was within outside on my neck." In other words, "I have got it. It is still living, but now I know that it is there and it is my ornament." What does this enemy breathe? This enemy breathes "I." Its breath is always calling out "I, separate from you, separate from others, separate from everybody. My interest is mine; it has nothing to do with others. The interest of others is others' interest; it is not mine. I am a separate being." Remember that no man is without it. If man was without it, he would never have said "I," because it is this enemy hiding within him which is saying "I." The day this enemy is found and erased, or shed and crucified, that day the real "I" is found. But this "I" is a different "I." This "I" means you and I and everybody; it is all "I." To conclude, I will tell you a little story of a madzhub (a madzhub is a person who shows himself a simpleton in order to keep the crowd away and who is one with the whole universe. His is a cosmic consciousness.) One day this madzhub was moving in the city in the middle of the night, when no one is allowed to move about. A policeman asked, "Who are you?" He smiled and enjoyed the question. He did not know what he was, because that "I" was not strongly attached to his own body. Nafs was not there. So he did not answer. The policeman asked, "Are you a thief?" "Yes," he said, because the ego was empty and any name that was given was accepted there. A so-called saint would be very offended to think that he was a thief. They took him in the police station and he sat there for the whole night, quite happy; as happy as he was in the road, walking about. He felt no insult because he was an empty cup. He put in that empty cup "thief," so he was quite glad to receive that title. In the morning the officer came, and he recognized that this man was a highly developed spiritual man. He said, "I am surprised to find him here. Many respect him." The policeman said, "He himself said that he was a thief." "But you must have called him a thief. " The policeman said, "Yes. " The officer said, "That is their consciousness. That 'I' which holds everything to oneself is crushed and effaced and thrown away. That 'I' is no longer there. And therefore all names are his name, all forms are his form, and the whole cosmos is his own being." God Bless You. Maharaj James McCaig | Sufi Center of Washington Brotherhood/Sisterhood Representative | Keepers of Sufi Center Bookstore United States | http://guess.worldweb.net/sufi jmccaig@worldweb.net ------------------------------ End of tariqas-digest V1 #172 *****************************