New Year Greetings from the Zahuri Sufi Web Site for 2010.
In the New Year that we are about to enter we have hopes for better things to come. The page of
2010 is blank. Of course we cannot simply wish away the difficulties that we have inherited from the
last year but we can and should make a resolve to make the New Year better in as many ways as
possible.
To make our lives better and richer we need not only wishful thinking and hope; we need resolution,
determination, a purpose and a goal. In many ways our life is a story and as Zahurmian once
expressed it, we should seek to ensure that Love is implicit if not explicit in every sentence.
It may seem to you that we are but helpless pawns in the game of life that goes on around us - but it
need not be so, if we first understand that we have inside ourself the potential for evolving into
something altogether better. That person we are capable of becoming has the power to affect
people that come into contact with that person.
To enrich the lives of others, not just financially but spiritually and morally is real charity but we can
only give what we have to give - so first we must enrich our selves.
This requires both labour and inspiration. First we must take stock of our own patterns of thought.
When something does not appear to go our way do we become negative, thinking and expecting
the worse in order to protect ourselves against disappointment. Do we inwardly shout and scream
like some deranged person.
.If we do, it so often happens that our thoughts become self fulfilling. If we expect the best and it
does not happen we have at least enjoyed the thought, but it may be what we wanted was not
actually the best for us. Making our thoughts positive should also imply that what we hope for is in
itself worthy and good. Thoughts go from us like a prayer we should aim to make them
sweet-scented and acceptable.
Where do our thoughts go? They go to the only place large enough that the Divinity Himself can
make his residence there. That is to our heart. People think of the heart as an organ in the body or
as the source of emotions. It is so much more.
In a sense the whole physical and spiritual universe is found within the heart. We may experience
strong emotions of an affectionate nature towards someone and think this is love but at best it is
only a stepping stone to real Love. We should aspire to reaching the very throne in our heart so that
there we may find the Love that passes all recognition and understanding. We should become its
willing slave and aspire to becoming its willing servant and then to becoming its true friend and then
to becoming the lover of Love until we lose any identity or seperation so that we know only Love as
our true nature.
If we can make this journey and reach this destination we will then know with certainty that it was by
the love of Love itself that such a journey became possible. We also know we can only become
Love by losing ourself in Love.
But how does this change the world we live in?
Because love is the purification of our lower nature and the world we live in is our lower nature
made manifest.
Our outward actions may not seem very different to the casual eye but we affect things around us in
ways that cannot be so perceived. Qualities such as patience, contentment, inner joy, wisdom,
generosity, humility, and tolerance become manifest. Making us the truly sane person in mad world.
We conquer ourselves by submitting to the open Secret that lies within us and that transcends
'within' and 'without'.
We begin our journey to this desired abode with self discipline. We inhabit an unruly kingdom of
thugs, cheats, liars, miscreants and mischief makers or worse. Our inner kingdom requires being
put into order so that the commands we make of ourselves are carried out with promptness and
efficiency. When we have restored good order in our thoughts and impulses then we can begin to
make progress. Our inward change, changes the things around us.
These thoughts of Love are inspired by my recent annual visit to the Festival or 'urus of Mevlana
Jalaluddin Rumi in Konya, Turkey. If you know even a little of him you will not be surprised. The holy
Qur'an says that God can make another kind of person to replace recalcitrant man - people who
God will love and they will love him. It is difficult not to come to the conclusion that in the case of
Mevlana and other great friends of God such as Khawaja Muinuddin Hasan Chishti of Ajmer that
we see the fulfilment of this.
They rise above the meaness of mind that characterises so many religious zealots and the lack of
discipline and real caring evidenced by libertarians. There are many admirers of the technical
poetic qualities of Mevlana Rumi - he has been translated frequently and is rightly much admired
for these qualities. But his words are only the foam on the ocean - it requires that we open our
hearts and minds to the implications behind the literal meanings so that we can become immersed
in the ocean.
It is not just the 'spiritual' qualities that are so important it is the 'factuality' of the person that is so
important. I visited the Kabah some years ago and people asked me what was your impression
when you first saw the Kabah. I wasn't sure what to answer but on reflection it was surprise at the
'factuality' of the building, if I may coin such a phrase. It was something that existed in the mind as
glorious and great but there it actually was. An existent fact - but in some way not just a fact - so to
speak, but the Fact.
That is the dimension of the saints such as Mevlana Rumi that constantly surprises. After all the fine
words one cannot help but utter about him there is behind that the fact of him. A real man breathing,
eating, and walking the earth. Just as the holy Qur'an says of the Prophets.
This is the substantive proof of the Reality of the Divine. Its power to transform a man into a Prophet
or Saint - a real man (or woman) like you and I but so much more. Try to keep this in mind when
beginning the journey to the heart of your own heart. God has power over every thing.
I have written previously of the various events that go on during the 'urus of Mevlana so I will not
repeat them here except to offer my sincere gratitude to Mevlana for his hospitality that transcends
words, to remember the many other saintly people of Konya such as Hazrat Ateshbazvelli, Hekim
Effendi, Sareuddin Konevi, Tavus Baba, and Jamel Ali Dede and of course Nuri Baba. Also to the
various people who showed me so much kindness and humanity such as Ali Baba, the disciples of
Nuri Baba, and good hearted people such as Fatma and her mother who entertained me in the
shop at the Dergah of Ali Baba, and of course Muharrem who so kindly invited me for a meal and
shared his experiences of visiting Ajmer Sharif.
We are a single community, perhaps separated by language and culture but united by the
transcendant power of love that flows from soul of Mevlana Rumi and the saints whose blessings
were abundant and ever surprising. May ar-Rehman keep us all in His Grace and Mercy and
pardon and hide our mistakes and make them good.
It remains only to wish you and yours a bright and prosperous New Year.
Jamiluddin Morris Zahuri
December 27th 2009.
Southampton.
In the New Year that we are about to enter we have hopes for better things to come. The page of
2010 is blank. Of course we cannot simply wish away the difficulties that we have inherited from the
last year but we can and should make a resolve to make the New Year better in as many ways as
possible.
To make our lives better and richer we need not only wishful thinking and hope; we need resolution,
determination, a purpose and a goal. In many ways our life is a story and as Zahurmian once
expressed it, we should seek to ensure that Love is implicit if not explicit in every sentence.
It may seem to you that we are but helpless pawns in the game of life that goes on around us - but it
need not be so, if we first understand that we have inside ourself the potential for evolving into
something altogether better. That person we are capable of becoming has the power to affect
people that come into contact with that person.
To enrich the lives of others, not just financially but spiritually and morally is real charity but we can
only give what we have to give - so first we must enrich our selves.
This requires both labour and inspiration. First we must take stock of our own patterns of thought.
When something does not appear to go our way do we become negative, thinking and expecting
the worse in order to protect ourselves against disappointment. Do we inwardly shout and scream
like some deranged person.
.If we do, it so often happens that our thoughts become self fulfilling. If we expect the best and it
does not happen we have at least enjoyed the thought, but it may be what we wanted was not
actually the best for us. Making our thoughts positive should also imply that what we hope for is in
itself worthy and good. Thoughts go from us like a prayer we should aim to make them
sweet-scented and acceptable.
Where do our thoughts go? They go to the only place large enough that the Divinity Himself can
make his residence there. That is to our heart. People think of the heart as an organ in the body or
as the source of emotions. It is so much more.
In a sense the whole physical and spiritual universe is found within the heart. We may experience
strong emotions of an affectionate nature towards someone and think this is love but at best it is
only a stepping stone to real Love. We should aspire to reaching the very throne in our heart so that
there we may find the Love that passes all recognition and understanding. We should become its
willing slave and aspire to becoming its willing servant and then to becoming its true friend and then
to becoming the lover of Love until we lose any identity or seperation so that we know only Love as
our true nature.
If we can make this journey and reach this destination we will then know with certainty that it was by
the love of Love itself that such a journey became possible. We also know we can only become
Love by losing ourself in Love.
But how does this change the world we live in?
Because love is the purification of our lower nature and the world we live in is our lower nature
made manifest.
Our outward actions may not seem very different to the casual eye but we affect things around us in
ways that cannot be so perceived. Qualities such as patience, contentment, inner joy, wisdom,
generosity, humility, and tolerance become manifest. Making us the truly sane person in mad world.
We conquer ourselves by submitting to the open Secret that lies within us and that transcends
'within' and 'without'.
We begin our journey to this desired abode with self discipline. We inhabit an unruly kingdom of
thugs, cheats, liars, miscreants and mischief makers or worse. Our inner kingdom requires being
put into order so that the commands we make of ourselves are carried out with promptness and
efficiency. When we have restored good order in our thoughts and impulses then we can begin to
make progress. Our inward change, changes the things around us.
These thoughts of Love are inspired by my recent annual visit to the Festival or 'urus of Mevlana
Jalaluddin Rumi in Konya, Turkey. If you know even a little of him you will not be surprised. The holy
Qur'an says that God can make another kind of person to replace recalcitrant man - people who
God will love and they will love him. It is difficult not to come to the conclusion that in the case of
Mevlana and other great friends of God such as Khawaja Muinuddin Hasan Chishti of Ajmer that
we see the fulfilment of this.
They rise above the meaness of mind that characterises so many religious zealots and the lack of
discipline and real caring evidenced by libertarians. There are many admirers of the technical
poetic qualities of Mevlana Rumi - he has been translated frequently and is rightly much admired
for these qualities. But his words are only the foam on the ocean - it requires that we open our
hearts and minds to the implications behind the literal meanings so that we can become immersed
in the ocean.
It is not just the 'spiritual' qualities that are so important it is the 'factuality' of the person that is so
important. I visited the Kabah some years ago and people asked me what was your impression
when you first saw the Kabah. I wasn't sure what to answer but on reflection it was surprise at the
'factuality' of the building, if I may coin such a phrase. It was something that existed in the mind as
glorious and great but there it actually was. An existent fact - but in some way not just a fact - so to
speak, but the Fact.
That is the dimension of the saints such as Mevlana Rumi that constantly surprises. After all the fine
words one cannot help but utter about him there is behind that the fact of him. A real man breathing,
eating, and walking the earth. Just as the holy Qur'an says of the Prophets.
This is the substantive proof of the Reality of the Divine. Its power to transform a man into a Prophet
or Saint - a real man (or woman) like you and I but so much more. Try to keep this in mind when
beginning the journey to the heart of your own heart. God has power over every thing.
I have written previously of the various events that go on during the 'urus of Mevlana so I will not
repeat them here except to offer my sincere gratitude to Mevlana for his hospitality that transcends
words, to remember the many other saintly people of Konya such as Hazrat Ateshbazvelli, Hekim
Effendi, Sareuddin Konevi, Tavus Baba, and Jamel Ali Dede and of course Nuri Baba. Also to the
various people who showed me so much kindness and humanity such as Ali Baba, the disciples of
Nuri Baba, and good hearted people such as Fatma and her mother who entertained me in the
shop at the Dergah of Ali Baba, and of course Muharrem who so kindly invited me for a meal and
shared his experiences of visiting Ajmer Sharif.
We are a single community, perhaps separated by language and culture but united by the
transcendant power of love that flows from soul of Mevlana Rumi and the saints whose blessings
were abundant and ever surprising. May ar-Rehman keep us all in His Grace and Mercy and
pardon and hide our mistakes and make them good.
It remains only to wish you and yours a bright and prosperous New Year.
Jamiluddin Morris Zahuri
December 27th 2009.
Southampton.
some friends from Konya: Isat, Ozcan, Fatma, Muharrem Effendi.
Jamil outside of the Shrine of Mevlana Rumi (courtesy Fatma Buyker)