All Things Sufi

The ultimate cry for Divine Forgiveness, the estaghfirullah that repents of the very principle of separate self-awareness, the estaghfirullah that longs to merge in Allah and to live within Allah through the instrumentality of Allah alone, is the sweetest word that can pass through human lips. This perfect estaghfirullah is the resurrection into Paradise of all humanity without exception. This estaghfirullah is no longer a prayer but a spiritual station. This is the tear of love from a saint of love that extinguishes the fires of hell: estaghfirullah, estaghfirullah, estaghfirullah. Shaykh Nur al-Jerrahi (Lex Hixon) Islamic Meditations Atom from the Sun of Knowledge

Posted • Many memorable programs have been hosted at the Chapel over the last 50 years. One of the programs that our community remembers most fondly is the Sufi Whirling Ceremony. The first one was held in 1978, both inside the Chapel and on the plaza. ⁠ ⁠ We're excited to announce that our virtual 50th Anniversary Interfaith Service & Community Celebration on February 28th will bring the dervishes back and include a Sufi Whirling Ceremony from the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Communities in New York and Mexico City. Register today to join us – link in bio!⁠ ⁠ Photo: Sufi Whirling Ceremony, Mevlevi Dervishes from Konya, Turkey. David Crossley.⁠

In the Beautiful and Intimate Power of Love Peace and Blessings upon all of you on this day and all to follow. May the latter days be better for you than the former. May our Lord and Lover give us until we are well pleased. May the days of the new humanity unfold, each more astonishing. Congratulations on the first day of the month of Rajab, called the Month of Allah for its abundance of mercy and forgiveness. It is also the gate to the Ramadan. And may boundless blessings shower upon you for this day of Muzaffer Effendi's Urs. … Alahamdulillah! May Allah's blessings pour upon the beloved Effendi and upon all of us and upon all beings! In the living, breathing, hearing and seeing heart of HU.

May you have a wonderful year! With every moment a new revelation of Allah's Beauty and Love and Majesty. May you be protected from harm, sheltered in the breasts of the Pirs. May your faith multiply, faith within faith. May your knowledge increase, and with it the knowledge that you cannot truly know. You can only Be. May compassion increase in your heart. May your actions bear fruit. May your turning to Allah, Tawwab, be constant. May you love to ask for forgiveness, from Allah and from people. May the bond with Allah, the Prophet, the Pirs, the Circle Guides, this Faqir and the Community strengthen and grow. May your families be places of peace. May your parents and ancestors be blessed through your dervishood. May generosity expand, sustenance increase. May your joy in life, in Allah's life, deepen. May your senses become more acute. May your perception become finer and more subtle. May you dissolve in the One and reappear through the One. Heart in Heart in this world and the next.

The supreme secret is no longer inaccessible. There are mature persons who clearly perceive the new heart. Soaked with continuous rains of Divine Mercy, this paradise of the heart has no circumference, no frontier. The veil before the holiest sanctuary is torn away. The temple constructed by human hands and minds has disappeared and is replaced simply by perfect humanity. The immemorial prophetic teaching, recognizably Sufi, has reached its final evolutionary goal in this Age of Muhammad. The human being can now live in perpetual, conscious union with its supreme Source. This infinite conflagration of Divine Love consumes human reality and transforms it into diamond with the constant call, “Be the perfect human being!” This mystic completion was prefigured by the adorable Messiah Jesus, who cried, “Be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect!” – Perfect Humanity Atom from the Sun of Knowledge Lex Hixon / Nur al-Jerrahi

Make everything in you an ear, each atom of your being, and you will hear at every moment what the Source is whispering to you, just to you and for you, without any need for my words or anyone else’s. You are—we all are—the beloved of the Beloved, and in every moment, in every event of your life, the Beloved is whispering to you exactly what you need to hear and know. Who can ever explain this miracle? It simply is. Listen and you will discover it every passing moment. Listen, and your whole life will become a conversation in thought and act between you and Him, directly, wordlessly, now and always. -Rumi 'Light upon Light'; Rumi's words put together by Andrew Harvey

Love makes us speak; love makes us moan; love makes us die; love brings us to life; love makes us drunk and bewildered; it sometimes makes one a king. Love and the lover have no rigid doctrine. Whichever direction the lover takes he turns toward his beloved. Wherever he may be, he is with his beloved. Wherever he goes, he goes with his beloved. He cannot do anything, cannot survive for one moment even, without his beloved. He constantly recalls his beloved, as his beloved remembers him. Lover and beloved, rememberer and remembered, are ever in each other’s company, always together. – Excerpt from The Unveiling of Love by Muzaffer Ashki

One must constantly begin anew the common task of Sufism. We can never shrug our shoulders fatalistically. The way of valor called Sufi science is not constituted by effusions of emotion, by vertiginous successions of dreams and visions, or by the exhibition of miracles. The spiritual path is upright and direct, remaining open simply for the next step, simply for each breath, simply for the unbreakable commitment to serve humanity, simply for the patience and courtesy of Sufi behavior. The cycle of human effort and Divine Grace is never closed. In each place, in every moment, we have to begin anew the purification of the self and the humble service of all creation. This constantly beginning anew, through the continuous impulse of love for God and love for every creature in God, constitutes the steps of the sacred dance of Sufism, accompanied by the rhythmic beat of the universal heart. In this dance without description, the Divine Will reveals a cascade of surprises. This inexhaustible Divine Manifestation becomes our path to conscious harmony with Essence. Shaykh Nur al-Jerrahi / Lex Hixon New Light on Sufi Science Atom from the Sun of Knowledge

The Mercy of Allah to all Worlds relates these words directly from the exalted Creator of the Worlds: O children of Adam, so long as you call directly upon Me and supplicate with intense sincerity, I will always forgive you whatever you may have done and will take absolutely no offense. O children of Adam, were you to come before Me with negative thoughts and actions as vast as the entire earth—facing My Unity alone, without ascribing any duality to Supreme Reality—I would present you an equally vast forgiveness. – Hadith Qudsi – Infinite Divine Forgiveness Atom from the Sun of Knowledge Shaykh Nur al-Jerrahi / Lex Hixon

Prayer of Saint Francis Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me bring love. Where there is offence, let me bring pardon. Where there is discord, let me bring union. Where there is error, let me bring truth. Where there is doubt, let me bring faith. Where there is despair, let me bring hope. Where there is darkness, let me bring your light. Where there is sadness, let me bring joy. O Master, let me not seek as much to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love, for it is in giving that one receives, it is in self-forgetting that one finds, it is in pardoning that one is pardoned, it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life.

Bismillahirahmanirahim Blessings for this New Year, Rosh Hashana Tova! Blessings on all those who were born in this past year and blessings on all those who have left for the realm of Beauty. Blessings on Zhati Munajat, our incomparable companion and dervish lover and explorer of the realms of divine friendship and human justice, and on all the friends of Allah who have passed. Blessings on Ruth Bader Ginsburg who held out for as long as she could so that the light of justice would continue shining through her courageous soul in the highest court of the land. Blessings on all of us who remain in our earthly bodies so that the light of love ‘may flash from Allah’s heart to Allah’s heart,’ and the desire of the Beloved be fulfilled in this realm. May we be guided by the most sublime light of Allah and consoled by the most precious love of Allah. And forgiven and renewed by the most encompassing compassion of Allah. May we be given eyes to see and ears to hear and hearts to love and minds to be bewildered and arms to embrace and tongues to speak beauty and hands to work compassion and feet to walk on the ways of truth. May the peoples of Revelation be shoulder to shoulder and heart in heart. Ya Rahman Ya Rahim YaHu Ya Ishk Fariha Fatima

In the Blessed Name of Allah, Infinite Mercy and Boundless Love Ya Imam Huseyn! Ya Imam Huseyn! Ya Imam Huseyn! The sun of Love shines from your great heart as you stand within the community of humanity. It is Love that undertakes the journey into the desert of unknowing and the desert of longing to reveal Itself and to know Itself. Love allows Itself to be captured by the forces of tyranny, arrogance and separation to teach humanity that they are just chimeras and shadows. Love tastes the blood of suffering and transforms it into praise and gratitude. Love meets hatred and ignorance and answers with prayer and intercession. Love extinguishes the fires of those hells with its tears falling from the Essence. Loves' tears contain the Ocean of Mercy and all the Holy Books. Love unveils Itself in the center of the Center. Love reaches beyond the Beyond. Love cannot be contained by any boundary or limitation, any law, any custom, any form, any history, or any projection of future. Now in the desert, in the divine human form, Love receives the crown of victory. Ya Huseyn! O martyrs of Karbala! Humanity, jinn and angels are weeping around you O Huseyn, O martyrs! Humanity, jinn and angels are rejoicing around you O Huseyn, O martyrs! Ya Ashura! O great day for humanity. Ya Ashura! O great day of victory for all the Prophets and their communities. Ya Ashura! O great day for Muhammad the Beloved and Praiseworthy when he is crowned with the Makam al Mahmud, the Station of the Greatest All-Encompassing Praise, the One praising Itself through all manifest Being. O great day of Truth and Happiness for all beings! O Love! Ya Hazreti Fatima al Kubra, aleyhi salam! Ya Hazreti Ali Amir al Muminin, aleyhi salam! Ya Hazreti Pir Nureddin Jerrahi, Ya Amina Tasleema al Jerrahi, Ya Hazreti Muzaffer Ashki al Jerrahi, Y Hazreti Nur al Anwar al Jerrahi, may Allah's loving Mercy encompass you all! Ya Ummeti Muhammad! Alhamdulillah! Ya Imam Huseyn and Martyrs of Karbala, please intercede for us that we may be this Love! Ya Hu Allah! – Fariha Fatima al-Jerrahi (January 28, 2007)

We must weep tears, at least inwardly, for the martyrdom of Husayn, may Allah ennoble his soul… To weep tears for a martyr is a very unusual kind of tear. It is not a tear of frustration or a tear of a feeling of oppression or defeat… At the same time, it is a real tear… It is a tear of intense love and intense gratitude… May we weep inwardly, if just a single tear, for love of that one about whom we sing, “Whoever loves you will receive forgiveness, whoever loves you will be enlightened.” We don’t even have to be so advanced that we would shed physical tears, but the heart knows how to shed tears. So if we can shed that tear tonight, we can be considered true lovers. Muzaffer Efendi said that the highest rank is the rank of lovers. This is the ultimate spiritual rank to which we aspire. – Shaykh Nur al-Jerrahi

Our most profound and humble greetings, salams, and kisses to the earth where the feet of these holy mothers have walked: beloved Eve, beloved Mary, most precious Khadija, most precious Aisha, and the Pearl Beyond Price—the majestic and mysterious mother of the Mirror of the Prophet, the noble Hussain, may the Peace of Allah always be upon him, the Mother of the Ecstatic Lovers, Supreme Lover and Beloved of the Prophet—Fatima the Enlightened. – Shaykh Nur al-Jerahi / Lex Hixon excerpted from the section on Mothers Islamic Meditations / Atom from the Sun of Knowledge

Ya Imam Huseyn! O you whose place is beyond both worlds! You stand in the desert of the limited self, attacked by the armies of the limited self, to witness to the Reality of love. In you the contagious poison of the ego meets its antidote, the compassion and forgiveness of Allah which inhabits you completely. You are the magnificent inheritor of your grandfather, Muhammad Mustafa the Praiseworthy, and of the Ruhallah, Spirit of Allah, Hazreti Issa, and of all the Messengers and Prophets who came for the sake of the human heart, peace be upon them all and upon their communities throughout time. O Beloved Allah please forgive us completely and draw us ever closer to You for the sake of Imam Huseyn and all those who stood with him in the desert of Karbala!

Let Us Not Forget We shall leave behind life and lover, Let us not forget the blood of Karbala. We shall pass through the gardens of Paradise, Let us not forget the blood of Karbala. This wound still bleeds in our heart, We are of Haydar, let us not stray, Even if they drag us to the gallows, Let us not forget the blood of Karbala. Haydar al-Karrar is our leader, We shed tears for Husayn, If only one companion remains, Let us not forget the blood of Karbala. Ashki weeps for the martyrs of Karbala, Sobbing he entreats his Lord, We endure a thousand afflictions, Let us not forget the blood of Karbala. – Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak al-Jerrahi (Ashki’s Divan)

These first ten days of Muharram, these days leading up to the sacrifice of Imam Huseyn and over a hundred companions in the desert of Karbala, are days of unusual spiritual power. Please use them wisely. Some use them for grieving, some for deep meditation and prayer, praying for humanity and all beings to come to felicity. Pray and meditate at dawn or in the night. And keep zikr in the day. Offer charity and kindness. Be with your family in a special way. Look upon everything you see with compassion. Walk gently and consciously on the earth. Offer the inner salam, the peace from your heart to all. Cultivate deep kindness in your soul and awareness in your heart. Fariha Fatima al-Jerrahi

Karbala is Myself. I stand in the desert of Karbala of my own self. I am thirsting for Truth. I am attacked by the enemies of my heart and my soul. I am attacked by greed – the greed of never being satisfied because I do not see the Giver. By superficiality – which makes me see only the surface of things because I have not undertaken the effort to go deep. By envy of others – for not seeing the Source and the Lord within myself and others. By anger – imagining that I am a lord who has the right to be angry with others, or angry at the world, or angry with God. By righteousness – in the illusion that ‘I know’ and that my knowing is better than others’ knowing. By pride – in thinking that what belongs only to You is mine, and wanting to be praised for what was never mine. By heedlessness – by not remembering every moment my true condition, that I am always and only Your servant and a slave. By ungratefulness – not being aware of Your constant giving, and turning away from the inner spring of gratitude that You make flow in my heart. By excessiveness – not taking the reins of guidance to moderate my earthly self. By despondency – not waking up from the dream of the world and therefore feeling its burden and its sleep inducing drink. By despair – not trusting in the Ever-present and Ever-near. And the Yazid of all enemies – ignorance and unawareness of You, not seeing You in every movement of myself and in every moment of creation. The dust clouds of the world surround me, making me see permanence where there is none, making me imagine value where there is none, making me seek refuge where there is none. My faith is my only armor. … continued here (link in bio): http://farihafatima.com/2013/11/07/karbala-is-myself/ – Fariha Fatima (Muharram 2013)

Prayer of Prophet Muhammad on first of Muharram O Allah, You are Eternal Reality, Creator of time, And this is a new year. I beg of you safety in it from the one who embodies all negativity. I beg of you mastery of my limited self which inclines to negativity. And I beg of you engagement in everything which draws me near to You. O Generous and Merciful One! O Lord of majesty and embracing generosity! O Supporter of the one who has no support. O Provider of the one who has no provision. O Shelter of the one who has no shelter. O Helper of the one who has no helper. O Reliance of the one who has no one to lean on. O Treasure of the one who has no treasure. O You Who makes tests and trials a way of mercy. O Ultimate Hope. O Strength of the weak. O Rescuer of the drowning. O Savior from destruction. O Benefactor! O Munificent! O All Bestower! O All Benevolent! Before You prostrates the blackness of the night and the brightness of the day, the radiance of the moon and the glory of the sun, the ripple of the water, and the rustling of the trees. You have no equal and no partner. O Beloved Allah please make us better than what is thought of us. Forgive us for that which remains hidden about us, And do not blame us for what is said regarding us. Sufficient for me is Allah, and there is no reality apart from Allah. On Allah alone do I rely, Lord of the magnificent throne. In this do we believe, that all comes from our Lord. And none are aware of this except the people of insight. O Lord and Lover of ours, do not let our hearts swerve after You have guided us! And grant us mercy from Your own Presence, for You are the Bestower of mercy without limit. Amin! Amin! Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Aleymin! All praises flow from every point and place of praise to the Source and Goal of all beings!

Blessed Urs of Pir Vilayat “As ours is a way of light, the work we do as followers of the path of Sufism is to help others become conscious that they are beings of light. Just like a potter works with clay to shape a pot, work with light practices helps individuals become more luminous and radiant. Becoming more skilled in the art of illumination catalyzes transformation. How would the world be different if, for example, all of us were to reclaim our inheritance as members in a "tribe of light" who vow to bring enlightenment to all creation.” — Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan — Awakening: A Sufi Experience

Bless the station of the Mother and bless the station of the Heart. May they be victorious. May we in our Tariqat grow in compassion and loving kindness. May we grow in deep insight and clarity. May we grow in caring for others as our own. May we grow in gratitude to our Source. May we grow in gratitude for each other. May we grow in gratitude for each moment and each event and each encounter and each thing we receive. May we speak gently and kindly to the servants of Rahman. May we speak clearly and firmly in the face of the betrayal of Justice. May we walk gently on Mother Earth so that her children are not disturbed and her heart is not broken. She will testify about the actions of humanity before Her Lord on the Day of Enlightenment. May we honor life and support it so that it flourishes. May we offer love and the guidance which streams through our lineage. May we pray intensely for all souls. May we ceaselessly praise and hear the praise of all beings. May we trust in the mother essence of Rahman, fully knowing that we and all beings are loved beyond our wildest imagination and will be taken of in the best of possible ways. May we realize that we are the hearts and hands and feet and eyes and ears of the One Living Loving Knowing Seeing Hearing Feeling Creating Moving. We are the servants of Rahman and the Mothers of humanity. Blessed Blessed Mothers Day! – Fariha Nur Ashki Jerrahi

O beloved of Allah may you have a most blessed joyful birthday! May your lovers throughout the 18,000 worlds offer you the most beautiful Salawats and gracious greetings and prayers on this day and may they feel immense gratitude in their hearts for your guidance. May their love for you turn this world into a bliss garden of roses and nightingales. And may their hearts be the lamps of lovelight that illumine the way for seekers. And may, for love to you, the Beloved shine forth in their beings like the full moon on a cloudless night. May your love and your light bless all humanity.

“I Am. I alone Am. La ilahe ila Ana. Turn to Me. Pray to Me. Ask from Me. Return to Me. Be grateful to Me. Disappear in Me. Reappear through Me. Love Me with your entire being. Love me in your heart, in your self, in your mind. Love Me in in your self and in the heart of my humanity where I abide. Love Me in My creation where I manifest. Love Me with every breath and in every blink of your eye. But you will fail to love Me as I love you. You will forget your true self and forget Me. You will be distracted by the world and your own affairs. Your heart will be veiled from Me. You will wander in forgetfulness. And then through My love to you and My promise to you I will turn to you and send you distress so that you remember Me. You will remember your Creator and your Refuge and you will ask for My forgiveness and I will forgive you. And you will dwell with Me forever.”

Blessed Night of Miraj. May our love and our every breath be for the beloved of Allah in this holy night, for the one who has brought countless blessings to ourselves and all beings. So many new words and forms of praise, so much mystic knowledge, so much forgiveness and bountiful blessings were offered to us by Allah in this night through the blessed heart of the Messenger. May our love and gratitude flow from our hearts to our lineage, and in particular to beloved Pir Nureddin Jerrahi and his mother Amina al Jerrahi, beloved Muzaffer Effendi al Jerrahi and beloved Nur al Anwar al Jerrahi. – Fariha Nur Ashki

All is prayer The great cycles of time the seasons, the days, the hours, the moments are all in prayer the stars, the air, the earth all the earth’s vast life, all the noble creatures in the soil, in the streams, in the ocean, forests and deserts our self is prayer, our body our walking on the earth our breathing our speaking, our hearing, our seeing our loving our eating and drinking working with our hands our play our tears, our laughter our struggles our intentions our sickness, our healing all is our prayer as we walk the holy way of life together, the sacred path which leads us to knowing that all is holy, all is Allah, all is Hu (Shaykha Fariha Fatima al-Jerrahi)

Blessed first night of Rajab! Blessed Holy Months! “The following noble Tradition was reported by the venerable Hasan, beloved grandson of the blessed Prophet: “There are four nights in the year when Allah’s mercy, forgiveness, generosity, bounty and grace fall like rain upon the world. Blessed are they who know or will come to know the value of these nights, namely: 1) The first night of the noble month of Rajab; 2) The night called Bara’a (Absolution), the fifteenth night of the noble month of Shaban; 3) The night of the feast of Ramadan; 4) The night of the feast of Sacrifice.” – Shaykh Muzaffer Ozak al-Jerrahi – Irshad – excerpted from the Seventh Discourse

On the path of Truth, whatever happens to the seeker is for his own good. O heart, on the straight road no one gets lost. – Hafiz Ghazal 18 Excerpted from Wine & Prayer Eighty Ghazals from the Diwan of Hafiz Translated by Elizabeth T. Gray, Jr. and Iraj Anvar 20 Tickets still available for this coming Saturday (November 23, 2019 – 8 pm), a special evening of the ghazals of Hafiz, sung and recited in English and Persian, accompanied by classical Persian and Western musicians. Please come join Elizabeth T. Gray, Jr. & Iraj Anvar as they recite their recently published translations, accompanied with music performed by Dawn Avery & Afshin Goodarzi Tickets: Advance Online Purchase $20 – Price at door: $30 (if available) https://www.facebook.com/events/1334360370057787/

On the path of Truth, whatever happens to the seeker is for his own good. O heart, on the straight road no one gets lost. – Hafiz Ghazal 18 Excerpted from Wine & Prayer Eighty Ghazals from the Diwan of Hafiz Translated by Elizabeth T. Gray, Jr. and Iraj Anvar 20 Tickets still available for this coming Saturday (November 23, 2019 – 8 pm), a special evening of the ghazals of Hafiz, sung and recited in English and Persian, accompanied by classical Persian and Western musicians. Please come join Elizabeth T. Gray, Jr. & Iraj Anvar as they recite their recently published translations, accompanied with music performed by Dawn Avery & Afshin Goodarzi Tickets: Advance Online Purchase $20 – Price at door: $30 (if available) https://www.facebook.com/events/1334360370057787/

O Beloved and Magnificent Allah, please shower Your never-ending love and unveilings of love, and shower Your never-ending bounties and new knowledge and new forms of Praise and blessings of every kind upon the heart-essence of Muhammad, sallallahu aleyhi wa sellim, so that his family, his wives, his companions, his Ummat of Prophets and their communities and all beings from the most invisible to the vastest, live and manifest and flourish in the most beautiful way of praise in the never ending pleasure of Allah the Beloved and Adored and may they live the One Life forever in the greatest harmony that only comes from Your Pleasure. O Beloved Allah, please shower Your never ending blessings and all embracing peace upon Muhammad the one reality and one life of the hearts of all beings so that this Creation fulfills its sublime Amana in praising and adoring You forever in the infinite and various ways that are most pleasing to You, O Exalted and Cherished One. For Being Itself is praise of You. And praise of You is Being.

O SOUL REJOICE NOW IN YOUR SHEIKH PERSEVERE IN LOVE REMAIN AWAKE NEVER FORGET HER TENDERNESS HER MERCY AND HER NATURALNESS O LOVER PREGNANT WITH HYMNS AND PSALMS NOW PRAISE THE SHEIKH AND KISS HER PALMS AND CONTEMPLATE HER MAJESTY HER MYSTICAL MATERNITY A SEA OF LIGHT SURROUNDS THE SHEIKH SONORIOUSLY ROARING DIVINE NAMES THE NAVIGATOR SHOWS THE WAY THE POLESTAR OF HUMANITY HER FAITHFUL MARINERS HAVE SEEN THE RUPTURE OF IDOLOTRY THE BLESSED SHIPWRECK OF THE SELF SUBMERGED IN OCEANIC LOVE THE THUNDERING OF LONGING CRIES THE MOISTENING OF GRATEFUL EYES NOW COMES THE SWEET LIFE-GIVING RAIN TO LIFT US INTO THE FLOOD AGAIN Chamber of Mystic Hymns illahi 83

A Short Prayer of Shaykh Nur / Lex Hixon (November 1994) May we taste the fruits of paradise, the fruits of every spiritual state and station. May we know the Quranic meaning of the Quranic phrase which says that in paradise there is everything that one can desire and more than what one can possible desire. May we have glimpse of that infinite, inexhaustible abundance which is the nature of Allah, which flows freely in this creation and in paradise. May we see the light of Allah as being the light of the heavens and the earth. May we know that all light emanates from the heart, that even the sun shines by the heart’s light. May we be in the army of love. May we be in the process of justice. May we not do injustice to our own souls. May we gradually rectify the injustice which we may have done to other souls. May we constantly ask for forgiveness, constantly seek reconciliation. May the nations that live in harmony upon this planet, may the world leaders be awakened to their profound spiritual responsibility. May they learn the nature of the prostration. May they feel the pressure of the divine prostration on their forehead. May they actually kiss the dust of the sacred earth and become servants of the Most High. Al-Fatiha … Amin Ya Sultan Muhammad Nureddin Jerrahi, prince of the parliament of prophets and saints, The one who is administering the graces of spiritual evolution for the planetary world along with all of the great founding pirs and all of the mystic saints, known and unknown. May we join their company. May we be in their reunions. May we find our hearts as chambers of these reunions. Allah Hu! And may we be the recipient of one of the 360 glances of Divine Grace given by Allah every day to the lovers of his mystic saints. Amin

A Short Prayer of Shaykh Nur / Lex Hixon (November 1994) May we taste the fruits of paradise, the fruits of every spiritual state and station. May we know the Quranic meaning of the Quranic phrase which says that in paradise there is everything that one can desire and more than what one can possible desire. May we have glimpse of that infinite, inexhaustible abundance which is the nature of Allah, which flows freely in this creation and in paradise. May we see the light of Allah as being the light of the heavens and the earth. May we know that all light emanates from the heart, that even the sun shines by the heart’s light. May we be in the army of love. May we be in the process of justice. May we not do injustice to our own souls. May we gradually rectify the injustice which we may have done to other souls. May we constantly ask for forgiveness, constantly seek reconciliation. May the nations that live in harmony upon this planet, may the world leaders be awakened to their profound spiritual responsibility. May they learn the nature of the prostration. May they feel the pressure of the divine prostration on their forehead. May they actually kiss the dust of the sacred earth and become servants of the Most High. Al-Fatiha … Amin Ya Sultan Muhammad Nureddin Jerrahi, prince of the parliament of prophets and saints, The one who is administering the graces of spiritual evolution for the planetary world along with all of the great founding pirs and all of the mystic saints, known and unknown. May we join their company. May we be in their reunions. May we find our hearts as chambers of these reunions. Allah Hu! And may we be the recipient of one of the 360 glances of Divine Grace given by Allah every day to the lovers of his mystic saints. Amin

Whoever Brought Me Here, Will Have To Take Me Home All day I think about it, then at night I say it. Where did I come from, and what am I supposed to be doing? I have no idea. My soul is from elsewhere, I’m sure of that, and I intend to end up there. This drunkenness began in some other tavern. When I get back around to that place, I’ll be completely sober. Meanwhile, I’m like a bird from another continent, sitting in this aviary. The day is coming when I fly off, but who is it now in my ear who hears my voice? Who says words with my mouth? Who looks out with my eyes? What is the soul? I cannot stop asking. If I could taste one sip of an answer, I could break out of this prison for drunks. I didn’t come here of my own accord, and I can’t leave that way. Whoever brought me here, will have to take me home. This poetry. I never know what I’m going to say. I don’t plan it. When I’m outside the saying of it, I get very quiet and rarely speak at all. From: Essential Rumi Coleman Barks with John Moyne

Whoever Brought Me Here, Will Have To Take Me Home All day I think about it, then at night I say it. Where did I come from, and what am I supposed to be doing? I have no idea. My soul is from elsewhere, I’m sure of that, and I intend to end up there. This drunkenness began in some other tavern. When I get back around to that place, I’ll be completely sober. Meanwhile, I’m like a bird from another continent, sitting in this aviary. The day is coming when I fly off, but who is it now in my ear who hears my voice? Who says words with my mouth? Who looks out with my eyes? What is the soul? I cannot stop asking. If I could taste one sip of an answer, I could break out of this prison for drunks. I didn’t come here of my own accord, and I can’t leave that way. Whoever brought me here, will have to take me home. This poetry. I never know what I’m going to say. I don’t plan it. When I’m outside the saying of it, I get very quiet and rarely speak at all. From: Essential Rumi Coleman Barks with John Moyne

Sufi science, never anti-traditional, does not counsel humanity to abandon the powerful ancient methods: prayer and meditation, service to the neighbor, study of scriptures and biographies of saints. What is distinct about this spiritual science, which always develops anew in every historical period, is the wideness of its field of vision and activity. Sufism is never limited to a single sensibility, to a single society, or even to a single religious tradition, but rather embraces the world as a sphere without cultural or personal frontiers. Sufism is capable of inventing new words, but in each epoch its point of departure is exactly the same: to gaze face to face upon Reality. Its loom is always the same: the Living One. Its call to humanity is always the same: Let us begin to exist truly! – Shaykh Nur al-Jerrahi / Lex Hixon Chapter: New Light on Sufi Science: Gnostic Unveiling and Awakening Excerpted from Atom from the Sun of Knowledge Available from Pir Press . . . .

Sufi science, never anti-traditional, does not counsel humanity to abandon the powerful ancient methods: prayer and meditation, service to the neighbor, study of scriptures and biographies of saints. What is distinct about this spiritual science, which always develops anew in every historical period, is the wideness of its field of vision and activity. Sufism is never limited to a single sensibility, to a single society, or even to a single religious tradition, but rather embraces the world as a sphere without cultural or personal frontiers. Sufism is capable of inventing new words, but in each epoch its point of departure is exactly the same: to gaze face to face upon Reality. Its loom is always the same: the Living One. Its call to humanity is always the same: Let us begin to exist truly! – Shaykh Nur al-Jerrahi / Lex Hixon Chapter: New Light on Sufi Science: Gnostic Unveiling and Awakening Excerpted from Atom from the Sun of Knowledge Available from Pir Press . . . .

Happy Birthday Shaykha Fariha Fatima! —— Ghazal 1759 Vah cheh bi rang … Oh how nameless, how free I am! When will I see myself as I really am? Tell me your secrets here and now, you said. In this realm, I said, where is the here and now? How can my soul be still when I am whirling in stillness? My sea drowned in itself. What a wondrous, shoreless sea I am! Not in this world, not in the next I am. Where I am, both worlds disappear. Naught, I am free of profit and loss. How singular, I neither gain nor lose. I said: My Soul, you’re the light of my eyes. Where I am, he said, no need for eyes. That’s what you are, I said. Stop it! he said. No words can capture me. I said: Since you are more than tongue can tell, behold how eloquent I am without a tongue. Like the moon, without legs, I race through nothingness. See how fast I can run without legs! A voice called: Why so fast? Look into the hidden, find my true face. The moment I saw Shams of Tabriz I became a treasure, a gem, the rare pearl of the sea. —— Jalal al-Din Rumi – Divan-e-Shems Translated from the Persian by Iraj Anvar and Anne Twitty

Go inward. Be in munajat, intimate conversation with Allah, sometimes wordless. Trust Let go Who you are… Let go of that. How you see yourself… Let go of that. What you fear… Let go of that. What you think of others… Let go of that. How you see the world… Let go of that. What you understand and don’t understand…Let go of that. What you want apart from what Allah wants… Let go of that. Jealousies, fears, hopes, convictions, beliefs… Let go. This is the Ramadan Plunge. The last Ten days.

Blessed Ramadan! Dergah al-Farah (aka ) will ONLY open to the Public on Thursday evenings for fast break and the dhikr ceremony. Doors open at 7:00 pm Fast break meal – 8:15 pm Dhikr ceremony – 10:00 pm Please be sure to RSVP via email ahead of time if you are interested in attending as space is limited. During the week the lodge is reserved for private gathering of dervishes of the order. Nur Ashki Jerrahi Community | The Sufi Lodge 245 West Broadway | New York, NY 10013 | tel: 212 966 9773 web: thesufilodge.com email: info.com

BOOK LAUNCH continues TODAY! Lecture by Dr. Eric Winkel 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm Visual doors to the Openings Ibn al-Arabi’s Spiritual Aesthetics Visual doors into the Openings Revealed in Makkah. We consider a dozen slides, each presenting a visual aesthetic or mechanical (schematic) translation of an aspect of Ibn al-Arabi’s vision, preparing the viewer to realize and verify for oneself (tahqiq) a truth. These are mafatih (keys) to the openings (futuhat), necessary for understanding this work. Ibn al-Arabi’s spiritual aesthetic – participatory, interactive themes from the Openings Revealed in Makkah: mirror, shadow play, photography; the fingers of al-Rahman, the good estimation of the True; the harsh names and words of the Divine; and four words for love. Venue The Sufi Lodge 245 West Broadway New York, NY 10013 tel: 212.966.9773 Free Admission. . . .

So do not seek Me within yourself, imposing on yourself difficulty and distress, nor externally, to no good end. But do not give up searching for Me, or you will be wretched. Search for Me until you meet Me; therefore ascend onwards, but follow honorably, with courteous protocol in your search, and be present from the very start with your practice. The Youth – Chapter 1 – Book 1 Muḥyīddīn Ibn al-‘Arabī’s  The Openings Revealed in Makkah – Vol 1  al-Futūḥāt al-Makkīyah – (Books 1 & 2) Translated by Dr. Eric Winkel THIS FRIDAY: Book Launch (Free Event) A two-day book launch with Dr. Eric Winkel Launch Price: $50 (Retail Price $100) One-time only 50% discount March 29, 8 – 10 pm Friday Book Launch March 30, 1 – 4:30 pm Saturday Lecture The Sufi Lodge New York City . . . .

Forgive us Lord of forgiveness, we are crying desperately Free us from the egocentric obsessions which we carry The pages of our existence fill with negativity, Precious Sultan this we know You alone can give us refuge Blazing Light Reality Precious Sultan this we know Free us for the sake of Ashki, immerse us in Your beauty Include us in the great circle, lovers of Your beloved We are servants of Your servants crying out for Your mercy Precious Sultan this we know Healing breath of Muhammad, alone cures despondency Precious Sultan this we know – Shaykh Nur al-Jerrahi Illahi 9, Chamber of Mystic Hymns

In the Name of Allah, Boundless Compassion, Infinite Mercy Alif Lam Mim. This is the universal Book of Reality, the Divine Guidance, the Science of Certainty open to those who live in total awe of Allah Most High, Those who constantly acknowledge the Divine Mystery, Who are ceaselessly engaged in prayer and acts of generosity, freely sharing whatever abundance We have divinely provided for them. These lovers respond wholeheartedly to the revelation streaming through you, My beloved, and to the words of Truth flowing through all My previous Messengers. They experience the certitude of homecoming into Divine Radiance after the sleep of death. These are the ones who receive Divine guidance directly from the One Who dwells in their hearts. These are the fully realized, the true human beings.

O lovers and real ones, soundness from Allah has made your turn complete. It has purified your souls. Allah has brought you to the true center, the state of those closest to Him. Whirling with the Friend: A two hour mystical journey with Zikr, Whirling and Music celebrating Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi on his wedding night Sunday, December 16, 2018 5 -7 pm Come, Come … VENUE: Subud New York – downstairs 230 West 29th Street New York City *Audience will be invited to join the Zikr and Whirling FREE ADMISSION

May Allah grant you total soundness O travelers on the Way of Love. May the Beloved remove the veils from your eyes that you may see the secrets of your time and of the true center. Whirling with the Friend: A two hour mystical journey with Zikr, Whirling and Music celebrating Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi on his wedding night Sunday, December 16, 2018 5 -7 pm Come, Come … VENUE: Subud New York – downstairs 230 West 29th Street New York City *Audience will be invited to join the Zikr and Whirling FREE ADMISSION

“O beloved ones who turn here, may Allah give you health. May He make your awareness and your intention sound. May He bring you in readiness to the center of true beginning.” Whirling with the Friend A two hour mystical journey with Zikr, Whirling and Music celebrating Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi on his wedding night Sunday, December 16, 2018 5 -7 pm Come, Come … VENUE: Subud New York – downstairs 230 West 29th Street New York City *Audience will be invited to join the Zikr and Whirling FREE ADMISSION

THIS FRIDAY NIGHT – “He is beautiful, and He loves beauty”: Beauty and the Mysteries of Love and Persistence Lecture by Dr. James Morris Friday, November 9, 2018 / 8:00 pm Admission: Advance Ticket $10 / At Door $15 Throughout life, moments of transforming revelation and spiritual insight—of dhikr Allah—arrive in very different forms and contexts, sometimes serendipitous, sometimes the fruits of long practice and meditation. While music and poetry, calligraphy and sacred architecture are perhaps the most influential and familiar forms of spiritual expression in Islamic civilization, visual arts have often played similar roles. The extraordinary miniature painting that we will explore on this occasion is a kind of Islamic “mandala”—a comprehensive, intentionally highly personal and individualized evocation of the human condition in all its levels and dimensions. And its imagery is largely recognizable from the masterworks of Islamic mystical poetry, together with their own root symbols in the Qur’an and hadith. In this session, we can share what each participant recognizes and discovers in contemplating this complex, vibrantly cinematic image of the ways each of us gradually discovers the spiritual meaning, direction, and inherent promises of life.

Homecoming These are the ineffably sweet Divine Words heard by the soul of Love at its homecoming into the Source of Love: “My beloved soul having awakened at last into My Peace, you can now return consciously and completely to your own Original Source. As this homecoming fills you with inexpressible joy, it pervades Allah Most High with profound delight as well. Please enter now into eternal companionship with My most devoted servants of Love and experience the perfect union with Love that is My highest Paradise. Meditation on Holy Qur'an 89:27-30 (Lex Hixon)

Our zikr circles are structures of Divine goodness. They are – Light fields, vision fields, Love vortexes, Compassion galaxies, Clouds of mercy, Bliss flowers, Waterfalls of transformation, Rain showers of cleansing, Channels of revelation, Moments of realization, Shelters of grace, Refuge for hearts, Food and drink for the hungry and thirsty, Friendship banquets, Ouds, settars and neys in the hands of the Pirs tuning hearts, Invitation to whirl, Invitation to union, Pavilions of beauty, Chamber of the Beloved,Rivers of milk, honey, water and wine. Cups of joy, Vials of healing, Helping hands, Bodies, hearts and minds in harmony, Hearing, seeing, feeling, knowing, not knowing, being. – Fariha Fatima

Wedding Day of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi Zikr, Persian Music & Whirling Sunday, December 17, 2017 4:30-7:30 pm Free Admission All are welcome to the annual Urs Celebration of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi at Dergah al-Farah with special guest musicians this Sunday, December 17 at 4:30. Musicians: Hedayat Shafeei – Tar Mehdi Leghyeh – Vocal (Students of Ustad Lotfi) Yousef Tehrani – Tombak / Daf Sakina – Whirling / Semazen Venue: Dergah al-Farah 245 West Broadway New York City http://sufibooks.com/sunday-december-17-2017-wedding-day-of-mevlana-jalaluddin-rumi/

Happy Birthday Shaykha Fariha Fatima! —— Ghazal 1759 Vah cheh bi rang … Oh how nameless, how free I am! When will I see myself as I really am? Tell me your secrets here and now, you said. In this realm, I said, where is the here and now? How can my soul be still when I am whirling in stillness? My sea drowned in itself. What a wondrous, shoreless sea I am! Not in this world, not in the next I am. Where I am, both worlds disappear. Naught, I am free of profit and loss. How singular, I neither gain nor lose. I said: My Soul, you’re the light of my eyes. Where I am, he said, no need for eyes. That’s what you are, I said. Stop it! he said. No words can capture me. I said: Since you are more than tongue can tell, behold how eloquent I am without a tongue. Like the moon, without legs, I race through nothingness. See how fast I can run without legs! A voice called: Why so fast? Look into the hidden, find my true face. The moment I saw Shams of Tabriz I became a treasure, a gem, the rare pearl of the sea. —— Jalal al-Din Rumi – Divan-e-Shems Translated from the Persian by Iraj Anvar and Anne Twitty

Go inward. Be in munajat, intimate conversation with Allah, sometimes wordless. Trust Let go Who you are… Let go of that. How you see yourself… Let go of that. What you fear… Let go of that. What you think of others… Let go of that. How you see the world… Let go of that. What you understand and don’t understand…Let go of that. What you want apart from what Allah wants… Let go of that. Jealousies, fears, hopes, convictions, beliefs… Let go. This is the Ramadan Plunge. The last Ten days.

Blessed Ramadan! Dergah al-Farah (aka ) will ONLY open to the Public on Thursday evenings for fast break and the dhikr ceremony. Doors open at 7:00 pm Fast break meal – 8:15 pm Dhikr ceremony – 10:00 pm Please be sure to RSVP via email ahead of time if you are interested in attending as space is limited. During the week the lodge is reserved for private gathering of dervishes of the order. Nur Ashki Jerrahi Community | The Sufi Lodge 245 West Broadway | New York, NY 10013 | tel: 212 966 9773 web: thesufilodge.com email: info.com

BOOK LAUNCH continues TODAY! Lecture by Dr. Eric Winkel 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm Visual doors to the Openings Ibn al-Arabi’s Spiritual Aesthetics Visual doors into the Openings Revealed in Makkah. We consider a dozen slides, each presenting a visual aesthetic or mechanical (schematic) translation of an aspect of Ibn al-Arabi’s vision, preparing the viewer to realize and verify for oneself (tahqiq) a truth. These are mafatih (keys) to the openings (futuhat), necessary for understanding this work. Ibn al-Arabi’s spiritual aesthetic – participatory, interactive themes from the Openings Revealed in Makkah: mirror, shadow play, photography; the fingers of al-Rahman, the good estimation of the True; the harsh names and words of the Divine; and four words for love. Venue The Sufi Lodge 245 West Broadway New York, NY 10013 tel: 212.966.9773 Free Admission. . . .

BOOK LAUNCH continued! Lecture by Dr. Eric Winkel 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm Visual doors to the Openings Ibn al-Arabi’s Spiritual Aesthetics Visual doors into the Openings Revealed in Makkah. We consider a dozen slides, each presenting a visual aesthetic or mechanical (schematic) translation of an aspect of Ibn al-Arabi’s vision, preparing the viewer to realize and verify for oneself (tahqiq) a truth. These are mafatih (keys) to the openings (futuhat), necessary for understanding this work. Ibn al-Arabi’s spiritual aesthetic – participatory, interactive themes from the Openings Revealed in Makkah: mirror, shadow play, photography; the fingers of al-Rahman, the good estimation of the True; the harsh names and words of the Divine; and four words for love. Venue The Sufi Lodge 245 West Broadway New York, NY 10013 tel: 212.966.9773 Free Admission.

So do not seek Me within yourself, imposing on yourself difficulty and distress, nor externally, to no good end. But do not give up searching for Me, or you will be wretched. Search for Me until you meet Me; therefore ascend onwards, but follow honorably, with courteous protocol in your search, and be present from the very start with your practice. The Youth – Chapter 1 – Book 1 Mu?y?dd?n Ibn al-‘Arab?’s  The Openings Revealed in Makkah – Vol 1  al-Fut???t al-Makk?yah – (Books 1 & 2) Translated by Dr. Eric Winkel THIS FRIDAY: Book Launch (Free Event) A two-day book launch with Dr. Eric Winkel Launch Price: $50 (Retail Price $100) One-time only 50% discount March 29, 8 – 10 pm Friday Book Launch March 30, 1 – 4:30 pm Saturday Lecture The Sufi Lodge New York City . . . .

Forgive us Lord of forgiveness, we are crying desperately Free us from the egocentric obsessions which we carry The pages of our existence fill with negativity, Precious Sultan this we know You alone can give us refuge Blazing Light Reality Precious Sultan this we know Free us for the sake of Ashki, immerse us in Your beauty Include us in the great circle, lovers of Your beloved We are servants of Your servants crying out for Your mercy Precious Sultan this we know Healing breath of Muhammad, alone cures despondency Precious Sultan this we know – Shaykh Nur al-Jerrahi Illahi 9, Chamber of Mystic Hymns

In the Name of Allah, Boundless Compassion, Infinite Mercy Alif Lam Mim. This is the universal Book of Reality, the Divine Guidance, the Science of Certainty open to those who live in total awe of Allah Most High, Those who constantly acknowledge the Divine Mystery, Who are ceaselessly engaged in prayer and acts of generosity, freely sharing whatever abundance We have divinely provided for them. These lovers respond wholeheartedly to the revelation streaming through you, My beloved, and to the words of Truth flowing through all My previous Messengers. They experience the certitude of homecoming into Divine Radiance after the sleep of death. These are the ones who receive Divine guidance directly from the One Who dwells in their hearts. These are the fully realized, the true human beings.

To be human is to lose the limited self in love, to live only for love, to engage continuously in acts of profound compassion and common kindness toward all beings as one family of consciousness, dedicating each action to the principles of justice and reverence for life revealed by Allah, feeding the hungry on every level of hunger, caring intensely for all creations of Allah through whom one Divine Life is pouring. – Shaykh Nur al-Jerrahi / Lex Hixon Atom from the Sun of Knowledge Available from Pir Press

O lover who listens to primordial silence! O swan who parts the smooth waters of Essence! What happiness flows from the soul who becomes consciously capable of a love totally unified with the One God, fully absorbed in the Most Near, Who is Love! Manifesting beyond the duality of humankind and Deity, beyond surface teachings and exercises of religion, this state of total absorption actually constitutes Sufism. – Shaykh Nur al-Jerrahi / Lex Hixon . . . #love #shaykhnur #lexhixon #jerrahi #sufi #dervish #mystic #pirpress #sufibooks #thesufilodge