Peace, one and all… Narrated ‘ Abd Allah ibn ‘ Amr: “I asked the Prophet, ‘0 Messenger of God, what is the recompense for the sessions of invocation?’ He said: The recompense for the sessions of invocation is Paradise.’” (Quoted by Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Authenticated hadith.) Commentary The sessions of invocation (majalis al-dhikr) are described as gardens of Paradise even in the here-below, as underlined in the previous hadith. The present hadith affirms that the celestial recompense of the sessions of invocation can be none other than Paradise itself. The term expressing the idea of reward in t ..read more

Peace, one and all… The calligraphy above is a beautiful rendering of an important Sufi aphorism: ‘The [Sufi] Paths [to God], all of them, consist of adab ! (Source: Alan Godlas) Adab is an important, multi-layered Islamic concept. The word conveys notions of mannerliness, refinement, politeness, education and civility.  Perhaps the most comprehensive definition I have personally encountered is ‘appropriate action’.  That is, each new moment has its own unique adab, its own appropriate word or deed or state.  Interacting with others has its own form of adab, as does e ..read more

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Peace, one and all… Narrated Anas ibn Malik: “‘If you walk through the gardens of Paradise, satiate yourselves!’ They asked him: ‘What are the gardens of Paradise?’ He said: ‘The circles of invocation.’” (Quoted by al-Tirmidhi. Authenticated hadith) Commentary The principal image of this hadith is that of spiritual nourishment. It is known that amongst the delights of the gardens of Paradise, mentioned by the Qur’an, are the appetizing delicacies. Since the circles of invocation are compared to the gardens in Paradise, they must also nourish the invoker, satiating him and thus satisfying “the ..read more

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Peace, one and all… Adab is a foundational practice within every Sufi tariqah. It is a particular focus of the Mevlevi way. It is a beautiful privilege, therefore, to share the recent lessons of beloved Shaykh Babikir (may Allah preserve him). May the hearts of the lovers be opened ..read more

Peace, one and all… A beautiful sohbet with Camille Anne. May the hearts of the lovers be opened ..read more

Peace, one and all… For this ‘I-ness’ arrives from Him to me breath by breath . So, when this ‘me’ became less, I see Him. Masnavi Serif 1.2196 ..read more

Peace, one and all… Narrated Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri: “The Messenger of God (as) went out to the circle of his Companions and said: ‘What  makes you sit (here)?’ They said: ‘We are sitting here in order to remember God and to praise Him for He hath guided us to the path of Islam and He hath conferred favors upon us.’ Thereupon he adjured by God and asked if that was the only purpose of their sitting there. They said: ‘By God, we are not sitting here but for this very purpose,’ whereupon he said: ‘I am not asking you to take an oath because of any allegation against you but for the fact that ..read more

Peace, one and all… Narrated Anas ibn Malik: “The criterion of the love of God is the love of His invocation (dhikr), and the criterion of the hatred of God is the hatred of His invocation.” (Quoted by al-Bayhaqi. Validated hadith.) Commentary Loving God and loving to invoke Him are indissolubly linked because the invocation makes present the Invoked. Concerning this subject, al-Junayd has been quoted as saying: “The sign of perfect love of God is the continuous invocation in the heart accompanied by joy, delight, ardent desire (shawq), and contentment in the [spiritual] intimacy (uns).” al-G ..read more