Mulla Nasruddin went for his first appointment with the psychiatrist. Once the office door was closed, the two men sat down. “So, what brings you here, Mulla?” the psychiatrist asked. “I have been doing shady things,” Mulla said. “Dishonorable things. My conscience is bothering me.” “So you want me […]
A mystic knows without knowledge, without intuition or information, without contemplation or description or revelation. Mystics are not themselves. Attar
A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to […]
We are most in need of wisdom. Knowledge is one thing, but wisdom is something else. Wisdom comes directly from the tongue, from hearts. When it is put as writing in books, it becomes knowledge. You may use that, but more important is wisdom. The Lord may place something of […]
Al-Bari’ Exalted and Glorious So turn in repentance to your maker. (2:54) Truly I am innocent of what you join in worship with Him. (6:19) Verily, I have turned my face toward Him Who has created the heavens and the earth, and I am not of those who give partners […]
Many believe that a spiritual path should necessarily bring a change in the character, but it is not true. In the dervish path we do not work to transform the character. Rather we try to make it as transparent as glass, so people may have a clearer view, to receive and perceive the divine light without filters. If you think how you […]
“Two things of your world were made lovely to me, perfume and women; and the coolness of my eyes is in prayer.” Hadith, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.)
There was once a Shaykh who liked horses. He owned a beautiful, very rare and valuable one, that had been given to him by his master. To have it some sovereigns had offered immense fortunes, but the Shaykh, who was very fond of it, declined always answering: “Could I ever sell a brother, or a friend?». Once […]
When you chain the external senses, your internal senses will be free to reach the Heavenly Realm. This will bring you to the second category: the internal seclusion. Abdul Khaliq al-Ghujdawani Abdul Khaliq al-Ghujdawani He was known as the Shaikh of Miracles, One Who Shone Like the Sun, and he […]
Al-Khaliq The Creator Exalted and Glorious Such is Allah, your Lord! There is no god but He, the Creator of all things. (6:102) Say: “Allah is the Creator of all things.” (13:16) And remember when your Lord said to the angels: “I am going to create man from clay.” (38:71) […]
God invites us to pray because this is our service. To get closer to the King, you must serve him. When it comes the time for prayer the dervishes align up in serried ranks, shoulder to shoulder, side by side. Then their own personal stories no longer matter and they all feel the same. It is like in war: […]
The King and Nasrudin were in a foreign town. “Nasruddin” said the king, “let us stroll incognito in the city streets and see how it is like.” Nasrudin readily agreed and they went. People did not recognize the King in his disguise, and paid him no attention but many smiled at […]
The lion who breaks the enemy’s rank is a minor hero compared to the lion who overcomes himself. Rumi
There once lived a saint so good that the angels came from heaven to see how a man could be so godly. This saint went about his daily life diffusing virtue as the stars diffuse light and the flowers scent, without being aware of it. His day could be summed […]
Hazrat ‘Abdul Khaliq al-Ghujdawani (q.a.s.) coined the following eight phrases which are now considered the principles of the Naqshbandi Sufi Order. Shah Bahuddin Naqshbandi (q.a.s.) added the last three principles: 1. Conscious Breathing (“Hosh dar dam“) Hosh means “mind.” Dar means “in.” Dam means “breath.” It means, according to Abdul […]
Al-Mutakabbir The Majestic Exalted and Glorious He is Allah beside Whom none has the right to be worshipped but He, the King, the Holy, the One Free from all Defects, the Giver of Security, the Watcher over His creatures, the All-Mighty, the Compeller, the Supreme. (59:23) This name is derived […]
The role of the servant is the most relaxing, you let it go and you are inside the will of God, His wisdom, you live in His kingdom, what do you want more? There, the ego can not reach you. We always try to convey the divine in our lives, but in doing […]
Mulla Nasrudin’s father was the highly-respected keeper of a shrine, the burial-place of a great master which was a place of pligrimage attracting the Seekers After Truth. In the usual course of events, Nasrudin could be expected to inherit this position. But soon after his fifteenth year, when he was […]
You can muffle the drum, And you can loosen the strings of the lute, But who shall command the nightingale not to sing? Khalil Gibran
Junayd used to tell his disciples, “When I met my master, the master never looked at me for three years. I was sitting from morning till evening. So many people were coming and going and he was talking to people and he did not look at me, as if I […]