From tariqas-approval Sun Sep 24 01:32:30 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA29022; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 03:22:07 -0400 Received: from relay2.UU.NET by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA29012; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 03:22:05 -0400 Received: from relay3.UU.NET by relay2.UU.NET with SMTP id QQziqe17571; Sun, 24 Sep 1995 19:07:42 -0400 Received: from espace.dcl.com by relay3.UU.NET with SMTP id QQziqe09312; Sun, 24 Sep 1995 19:07:37 -0400 Message-Id: Received: from forthd by espace.dcl.com (MX V3.1C) with UUCP; Sun, 24 Sep 1995 16:07:32 PDT Received: by forthd.dcl.com (DECUS UUCP /2.0/2.0/2.0/); Sun, 24 Sep 95 14:15:22 PST Received: from fifthd by fifthd.uucp (UUPC/extended 1.12b) with UUCP; Sun, 24 Sep 1995 01:32:37 GMT From: Caravan To: tariqas@world.std.com Date: Sun, 24 Sep 1995 01:32:30 GMT+6 Subject: hello David Priority: normal X-Mailer: Pegasus Mail v3.1 (R1a) Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: Peace be with you Perhaps I should have said "lofty ideal" instead of "high-flown rhetoric", as I meant high-flown in the sense of elevated, and your statement, David, was indeed rhetorical if there was any taint of an implication that uniting in the heart of Allah is the provenance of a group instead of a deeply-held intention. In other words, we agree, but in other words! I think we need to be honest for the sake of tariqas: David Inayat Hatcher is a murid of my wife in the Sufi Order In The West (one of her most sincere murids, I think), and she is Muslim and holds permission to teach in several lineages, like me...and one of David's first exposures to this path was coming to a dhikr circle I founded and conducted in Portland Oregon. To say nothing of the family pressures he has faced to pursue his ideal of the Beloved... Oh, hi there, Steven Finkelman! How's the coffee? - Daniel Muzaffer Donnell -- Caravan khadim@forthd.dcl.com From tariqas-approval Sun Sep 24 01:25:10 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA29205; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 03:22:38 -0400 Received: from relay2.UU.NET by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA29182; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 03:22:36 -0400 Received: from relay3.UU.NET by relay2.UU.NET with SMTP id QQziqe17563; Sun, 24 Sep 1995 19:07:32 -0400 Received: from espace.dcl.com by relay3.UU.NET with SMTP id QQziqe09281; Sun, 24 Sep 1995 19:07:27 -0400 Message-Id: Received: from forthd by espace.dcl.com (MX V3.1C) with UUCP; Sun, 24 Sep 1995 16:07:20 PDT Received: by forthd.dcl.com (DECUS UUCP /2.0/2.0/2.0/); Sun, 24 Sep 95 14:14:59 PST Received: from fifthd by fifthd.uucp (UUPC/extended 1.12b) with UUCP; Sun, 24 Sep 1995 01:25:17 GMT From: Caravan To: tariqas@world.std.com Date: Sun, 24 Sep 1995 01:25:10 GMT+6 Subject: tariqa Muhammadan Priority: normal X-Mailer: Pegasus Mail v3.1 (R1a) Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: Peace be with you Tariqa Muhammadan / Muhammadiya in our time refers to a handful of North African men who dreamed the Prophet (S) directed them to start new Sufi circles, out of which some new lineages have emerged, mostly within this century. Their members do not consider themselves murids in traditional lineages. Some of them are becoming influenced by traditional lineages as time goes by. They are mostly engaged in maintaining traditional Islamic practice, with a strong emphasis upon anti-European-influence and anti-colonial activities. They were the precursors of some leaders and movements active today. Morteza and Zaineb, if you want more information about them, please contact me privately. This is a very sensitive political issue, and not something to be discussed openly. Domenic Paterna, thank you for your bits of information. Jawad Qureshi, thank you for your info also: we would appreciate more specific information, such as a correct title and reference, instead of something shaded against "ridiculousness" in "some of the tariqas from India" - and I might have known the Naqshbandiyya were behind it all, as always. Enigmatic saint, west African Sufi, Idris - Daniel Muzaffer Donnell -- Caravan khadim@forthd.dcl.com From tariqas-approval Sun Sep 24 03:37:30 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA29223; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 03:22:39 -0400 Received: from relay2.UU.NET by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA29197; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 03:22:38 -0400 Received: from relay3.UU.NET by relay2.UU.NET with SMTP id QQziqe17680; Sun, 24 Sep 1995 19:08:38 -0400 Received: from espace.dcl.com by relay3.UU.NET with SMTP id QQziqe09354; Sun, 24 Sep 1995 19:08:33 -0400 Message-Id: Received: from forthd by espace.dcl.com (MX V3.1C) with UUCP; Sun, 24 Sep 1995 16:08:28 PDT Received: by forthd.dcl.com (DECUS UUCP /2.0/2.0/2.0/); Sun, 24 Sep 95 14:35:31 PST Received: from fifthd by fifthd.uucp (UUPC/extended 1.12b) with UUCP; Sun, 24 Sep 1995 03:37:37 GMT From: Caravan To: tariqas@world.std.com Date: Sun, 24 Sep 1995 03:37:30 GMT+6 Subject: clarification Priority: normal X-Mailer: Pegasus Mail v3.1 (R1a) Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: for Jinavamsa and anyone else interested in the problems of interpolations in Mevlana's poetry. Peace be with you Yes, it is the same poem, with some liberties taken in the translations. The Persian has a rythmic alliterativeness that is lost in the English versions, and I speculate that the version you offer was constructed to avoid repetitiveness in English. I think both Nicholson and Arberry worked from a manuscript in the Chester Beatty collection, one which was not one of the earliest collections. Before other readers inundate me with comments about Mevlana Rumi's universalism, please realize we are merely discussing a problem of translations and manuscripts copied with interpolations by scribes. We all know Mevlana Rumi was a Sunni Hanafi Muslim in the finest and most profound sense of each word describing him, and that he was tolerant of seekers of the Beloved regardless of their religious and ethnic backgrounds, although he did not condone beliefs or practices that were antithetical to Islam. Lots of love to you in this new Autumn. We watched a gorgeous sunrise over Mt Hood today, and the leaves are turning and falling, although the weather has been warm and dry. - Daniel Muzaffer Donnell -- Caravan khadim@forthd.dcl.com From tariqas-approval Sun Sep 24 02:08:59 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA29775; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 03:23:46 -0400 Received: from relay2.UU.NET by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA29764; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 03:23:44 -0400 Received: from relay3.UU.NET by relay2.UU.NET with SMTP id QQziqe17633; Sun, 24 Sep 1995 19:08:11 -0400 Received: from espace.dcl.com by relay3.UU.NET with SMTP id QQziqe09330; Sun, 24 Sep 1995 19:08:06 -0400 Message-Id: Received: from forthd by espace.dcl.com (MX V3.1C) with UUCP; Sun, 24 Sep 1995 16:08:02 PDT Received: by forthd.dcl.com (DECUS UUCP /2.0/2.0/2.0/); Sun, 24 Sep 95 14:16:14 PST Received: from fifthd by fifthd.uucp (UUPC/extended 1.12b) with UUCP; Sun, 24 Sep 1995 02:09:07 GMT From: Caravan To: tariqas@world.std.com Date: Sun, 24 Sep 1995 02:08:59 GMT+6 Subject: idealized? Priority: normal X-Mailer: Pegasus Mail v3.1 (R1a) Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: Peace be with you NurLuna and others Consider that at the turn of the century in modern American society, the average lifespan for a healthy American male was 44 years, and that for women it was about 10 years less because of post-partum infections and complications. Consider that these life spans diminished the further back in time we look. Consider also that the world's population, now almost double what it was in the 1950's, and soon to double again, was in medieval times far less than one billion. Now think how things must have been 30,000 years ago: we have no idea from our standpoint, save from speculations based upon observing isolated groups like the Tassaday and some primate bands (and we must acknowledge that even modern scientific observation allows for the effect of the observer upon the observed). With all due respect to Riane Eisler's ideas, her interpretation of scant archeological evidence is not all that supportive of a balanced- partnership "society" that was interfered with by people possessing the skill of metal fabrication and the advances in farming and hunting such a skill made possible. Modern excavations like Catal Huyuk tell us little so far: less than 1/10th of the site has been excavated, with a surprising dearth of personal items in what has been excavated, and many of the rooms contained vulture skulls embedded in lion's faces, a disturbing counterpoint to the goddess- figures found in that small portion of the site. We know more about other civilizations that worshipped goddess-figures, and it is not supportive of the idea they were more humane or power-balanced than male-figure-worshipping societies. Your basic premise is sound; social and personal development and advancement (and in our age, survival) depends upon balance between genders, and a deeper understanding on the part of each for the characteristics of the other. I am not sure any answers will be found in an idealized past. - Daniel Muzaffer Donnell -- Caravan khadim@forthd.dcl.com From tariqas-approval Sun Sep 24 01:51:17 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA29855; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 03:23:57 -0400 Received: from relay2.UU.NET by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA29845; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 03:23:56 -0400 Received: from relay3.UU.NET by relay2.UU.NET with SMTP id QQziqe17767; Sun, 24 Sep 1995 19:09:11 -0400 Received: from espace.dcl.com by relay3.UU.NET with SMTP id QQziqe09321; Sun, 24 Sep 1995 19:07:52 -0400 Message-Id: Received: from forthd by espace.dcl.com (MX V3.1C) with UUCP; Sun, 24 Sep 1995 16:07:47 PDT Received: by forthd.dcl.com (DECUS UUCP /2.0/2.0/2.0/); Sun, 24 Sep 95 14:15:47 PST Received: from fifthd by fifthd.uucp (UUPC/extended 1.12b) with UUCP; Sun, 24 Sep 1995 01:51:24 GMT From: Caravan To: tariqas@world.std.com Date: Sun, 24 Sep 1995 01:51:17 GMT+6 Subject: salvation in Islam Priority: normal X-Mailer: Pegasus Mail v3.1 (R1a) Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: Peace be with you, Mike Moore and friends There is no conception in Islam that anyone can be saved by the prayers or intervention of another, as there is in other religions. In Islam, what matters is a person's actions and intentions, for which we are responsible, and we can turn away from the consequences of wrongdoing if we sincerely repent, ask for forgiveness from Allah and from those we have injured, make restitution, and change our lives. Naturally, Islam in its ideal of compassion makes some allowance for the difference in human capacity to understand and direct one's life, especially in the cases of those who are unbalanced or mentally deficient. Islam recognizes we each have some innate understanding of avoiding pain and disorder in our lives and in the lives of those around us, and emphasizes that the reasons for its laws are not only moral, ethical, and social, but spiritual in the most profound sense - they provide us with the necessary stability to pursue non-personal dimensions of existence. Intelligence does not enter into this matter so much, and in fact rationalism can lead to endless hairsplitting and wrangling over what is or is not Divinely recommended. In my personal livelihood and volunteer work, I have worked extensively with brain-damaged people (accidents, stroke, assault victims), people who are called mentally-retarded, people who have less than a clear picture of the world around them because of neurophysiological imbalances, and people who became (one way or another, but often not by deliberate choice) addicted to behavior- altering substances. I can tell you that in each and every case, they have not a clue what it is like to have any idea of higher mental functioning, or of the clear-mindedness and higher intelligence of others around them, and yet the light of Allah is very bright in all of them. The implication is clear for us. How smart do we think we are? How capable are we of perceiving that others have a much higher level of intelligence? Why is it that people of genius do some incredibly destructive and thoughtless and stupid things? Why do we think, contrary to what the Prophet said, that our salvation lies in our capacity for rational intelligent thought? - Daniel Muzaffer Donnell -- Caravan khadim@forthd.dcl.com From tariqas-approval Mon Sep 25 06:04:13 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA26262; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 06:04:13 -0400 Received: from carmen.logica.co.uk by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA26211; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 06:04:11 -0400 Received: from smtpmail.logica.com (mssmtp.logica.com [158.234.8.102]) by carmen.logica.co.uk (8.7.Beta.10/8.7.Beta.10) with SMTP id LAA06942 for ; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 11:04:23 +0100 (BST) Received: by smtpmail.logica.com with Microsoft Mail id <30668C92@smtpmail.logica.com>; Mon, 25 Sep 95 11:03:46 bst From: Otersen Mathias To: "'tariqasmail'" Subject: Intelligenze, no attack on Islam! Date: Mon, 25 Sep 95 11:51:00 bst Message-Id: <30668C92@smtpmail.logica.com> Encoding: 37 TEXT X-Mailer: Microsoft Mail V3.0 Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: Assalamu Alaikum Daniel Muzaffer, First to make things clear: Why is there a reason for muslim brothers to go easy on me (implying that they would rather do the opposite)? What have I done? O, I see: You have rather misinterpreted about everything I've said! First of all I never started this discussion about intelligence. I just noted that the question arose out of my discussion with the Nasqhbandi. Secondly I never attacked Islam! I only expressed my worries in the ways it is confessed nowadays. I just stated a worry expressed by many an imam in this country (The Netherlands). Muslims are more concerned with minor points of their believe than with the real issues. It's the same problem with christians: They will go to the churches but does this alone make them real christians? My point is that one should be concerned with the real message the Ko'ran provides, and that goes far beyond the rules and regulations it consists of! My mails state that mystic knowledge is the source of real believe and this is what one should try to obtain through the ko'ran. I took part in this email discussion only for this point: Intelligence or Logic are not the most important issues in religious believe! (A nice note: That the meaning of the Ko'ran should be read between the lines is a thought expressed first by Al Ghazali). A final word about me being spooled by western thought (=humor). It just referred to the fact that I resent the way women are still treated by Islam. It's a serious problem that Islam seemingly can't modernize in this respect. At its beginning it was one of the progressive traits of Islam that it prescribed respect for women. Nowadays clearly a lot more is needed. Wa-salaam, Matthias. From tariqas-approval Mon Sep 25 06:34:06 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA26864; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 11:34:31 -0400 Received: from UNiX.asb.com by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA26847; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 11:34:28 -0400 Received: from sle3.asb.com (sle3.asb.com [165.254.128.73]) by UNiX.asb.com (8.6.9/8.6.9) with SMTP id LAA06095 for ; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 11:34:06 -0500 Date: Mon, 25 Sep 1995 11:34:06 -0500 Message-Id: <199509251634.LAA06095@UNiX.asb.com> X-Sender: f_haddad@unix.asb.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: tariqas@world.std.com From: f_haddad@unix.asb.com (Fouad Haddad) Subject: Re: salvation in Islam X-Mailer: Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: as-salam alaykum, Daniel Muzaffer Donnell writes: >There is no conception in Islam that anyone can be saved by the >prayers or intervention of another, as there is in other religions. I don't know that any religion holds that salvation comes from other than God. However, the intervention of others or rather "intercession" is a fundamental belief in Islam, as well as to believe that such intercession can benefit you. It is the principle behind funeral prayer, for one. This doesn't directly bear on tariqas or tasawwuf, so please let me know if anyone is interested in discussing it. Blessings and Peace on the Prophet, his Family, and his Companions Fouad Haddad Naqshbandi-Haqqani Foundation From tariqas-approval Mon Sep 25 07:03:00 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA16514; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 12:03:22 -0400 Received: from UNiX.asb.com by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA16483; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 12:03:20 -0400 Received: from sle3.asb.com (sle3.asb.com [165.254.128.73]) by UNiX.asb.com (8.6.9/8.6.9) with SMTP id MAA06268 for ; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 12:03:00 -0500 Date: Mon, 25 Sep 1995 12:03:00 -0500 Message-Id: <199509251703.MAA06268@UNiX.asb.com> X-Sender: f_haddad@unix.asb.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: tariqas@world.std.com From: f_haddad@unix.asb.com (Fouad Haddad) Subject: Re: Intelligenze, no attack on Islam! X-Mailer: Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: Otersen Matthias writes: I took part in this >email discussion only for this point: Intelligence or Logic are not the most >important issues in religious believe! > >(A nice note: That the meaning of the Ko'ran should be read between the >lines is a thought expressed first by Al Ghazali). > >A final word about me being spooled by western thought (=humor). It just >referred to the fact that I resent the way women are still treated by Islam. >It's a serious problem that Islam seemingly can't modernize in this respect. >At its beginning it was one of the progressive traits of Islam that it >prescribed respect for women. Nowadays clearly a lot more is needed. > > >Wa-salaam, > >Matthias. > > wa alaykum as-salam, You are correct in saying that intelligence or logic are not the most important issues in religious belief. Clearly faith in God is a light in the heart, as Ghazali said, not a deduction. But there is a role for intelligence as it is a great gift of God. Ideally, as sayyidna Ali said: "The mind is in the heart." (This is a tradition related by Bukhari in <>) To read Koran between the lines was advised by Ghazali and many others because it is an order in Koran itself to reflect and ponder upon God's words. Such reflection never ignores, however, the literal meanings. They remain the starting-point, then as now. About the unjust treatment of women, I don't need to remind you that it is not "Islam" but "people who call themselves Muslims" who are guilty here. Islam certainly does not need to modernize as it is revolutionary enough to remould our behavior for the best, if we let it. The Prophet said: <> and thus made it impossible to be a good person and at the same time mistreat one's wife. Whenever his daughter would come into the room he would get up, kiss her and make her sit in his place even is he was busy with others. There are many other sayings and actions which concern daily behavior apart from legal rulings. These are still among the most invaluable lessons for us concerning the topic, and we haven't even looked at what Sufi masters have to say concerning the tremendous importance of respecting women. Regards, Fouad Haddad Naqshbandi-Haqqani Foundation of Ahl al-Sunna wal-Jama`at From tariqas-approval Mon Sep 25 09:34:44 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA20305; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 14:35:32 -0400 Received: from UNiX.asb.com by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA20121; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 14:35:23 -0400 Received: from sle3.asb.com (sle3.asb.com [165.254.128.73]) by UNiX.asb.com (8.6.9/8.6.9) with SMTP id OAA07448; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 14:34:44 -0500 Date: Mon, 25 Sep 1995 14:34:44 -0500 Message-Id: <199509251934.OAA07448@UNiX.asb.com> X-Sender: f_haddad@unix.asb.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: tariqas@world.std.com From: f_haddad@unix.asb.com (Fouad Haddad) Subject: [1] The Prophet's Journey Cc: mateens@sybase.com X-Mailer: Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: [1] The Prophet's Journey ------------------------- Excerpt from Shaykh Hisham Kabbani's <>, KAZI 1995. 17:1: "Praise be to God Who has enraptured His servant by night from the Sacred mosque (Mecca) to the Farthest Mosque (Jerusalem)." 33:56: "Lo! God and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe; ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation." 53: 1-18: "By the star when it setteth, Your companion erreth not, nor is deceived: Nor doth he speak of his own desire. It is naught save an inspiration that is inspired, Which one of mighty powers hath taught him, One vigorous; and he grew clear to view When he was on the uppermost horizon. Then he drew near and came down Till he was distant two bows' length or even nearer, And He revealed unto His slave that which He revealed. The heart lied not in seeing what it saw. Will ye then dispute with him concerning what he seeth? And verily he saw him yet another time By the lote-tree of the utmost boundary, Nigh unto which is the Garden of Abode. When that which shroudeth did enshroud the lote-tree, The eye turned not aside nor yet was overbold. Verily he saw one of the greater revelations of his Lord." God ordered Gabriel to go down with seventy thousand angels to the Prophet Muhammad, Peace be upon him, and stand by his door. "Accompany him to My presence. And you, Michael, take the hidden knowledge and go down with seventy thousand angels and stand by the door of his bedroom. You, Israfil, and you Azra'il, do as Gabriel and Michael have been ordered." Then He said to Gabriel: "Increase the light of the moon with the light of the sun, and increase the light of the stars with the light of the moon." Gabriel asked: "O God, has the Day of resurrection dawned?" God said: "No, but tonight We are calling to Our presence the Prophet, the last Messenger who came after Jesus to reveal to him a secret that pertains to Us." Gabriel said: "O God, what is that secret?" God said: "O Gabriel, the secret of kings cannot be given to the servants. Go with My order and don't ask." And Gabriel began his descent carrying with him the heavenly message. All the angels accompanied him as God had ordered, until they reached the door of the Prophet. When they arrived, they said: "Qum ya sayyidi: Arise, my Master, and prepare yourself! Ride on the back of the Buraq, the heavenly creature that will carry you on your journey to the Lord of Power through the land of the angels!" The Buraq (Heavenly Beast) When God ordered Gabriel to carry with him the Buraq for the Prophet to ride, he went to the Paradise of buraqs and there he found forty million buraqs. Every buraq had a crown on its forehead inscribed with the words: "There is no god except God, and Muhammad is His Messenger." Under it was written: "Believe in Me, in My angels, in My holy books, and in My prophets." Gabriel saw among them a buraq who secluded himself and who sat alone crying. Gabriel came to him and asked him why he was in such a state. The Buraq answered: "I heard the name of Muhammad forty thousand years ago, and my yearning for him has prevented me from eating and drinking." Gabriel chose that buraq and he took him. The Buraq had the body of a horse but the face of a human being, with big black eyes and soft ears. His color was that of a peacock whose plumage was set with red rubies and corals, on which sat a white head of musk on a neck of amber. His ears and shoulders were of pure white pearls attached with golden chains, each chain decorated with glittering jewels. His saddle was made of silk lined with silver and gold threads. His back was covered with green emerald and his halter was pure peridot. The speed of the Buraq is according to his sight. His legs reach wherever his eyes can see. Gabriel said: "O Prophet, this night is your night, and your turn has come to shine in the sky of creation. You are the sun of ancient and recent knowledges, you are the moonlight of the beauties of the worlds, the happiness of creation and the adornment of the lands of human beings and angels. You are the cup of love from the river of milk and honey. The River of Kawthar in Paradise overflows in anticipation of seeing you. O Joy of all creation, O Pride of Paradise, the tables are ready and the Palaces of heaven are waiting for your coming!" - "O Gabriel," said the Prophet, "did you come with a message of mercy or wrath?" - "O Muhammad, I came with a message from your Lord to give you a secret." - "What does the Lord of Generosity want to do with me?" - "He wants to shower you with His mercy and all human beings that accept you." - "Give me a moment to prepare myself." - "I brought you water of paradise and a turban with a message enscribed: 'Muhammad the servant of God; Muhammad the prophet of God; Muhammad the beloved of God; Muhammad the Friend of God.'" - "O Gabriel, tell me more about that turban." - "God created a turban from his light and he entrusted it to Ridwan, the angel-custodian of Paradise, and the praising of Ridwan's host of angels belonged to the owner of that turban before heaven and earth were created. Tonight, when the order came for your visit, Ridwan took the turban from Paradise, and all forty thousand angels said with him: 'O our Lord, you have ordered us from time immemorial to praise the owner of that turban. Honor us tonight with his sight and permit us to walk before him.' And God granted them what they asked. Then God ordered me, Gabriel, to hand Michael the precious jar of the pure water of Salsabil, and Michael to give to Azra'il, and Azra'il to give it to Israfil, then Israfil to Ridwan, then Ridwan sent that water another time to the Highest Paradise: Jannat al-Firdaws, where all the beautiful maiden-angels washed their faces with that water and shone even more brightly. Then they sent back that water to me, and I am giving it to you." And the Prophet showered with the water from Paradise. As soon as it touched his noble body he became covered with a garment of subtle angelic light, and Gabriel gave him the Buraq to ride. But the Buraq stopped and asked Gabriel: "Is that the Prophet Muhammad who is invited to our Lord?" Gabriel said: "yes." The Buraq asked: "Is he the owner of the blessed pond in Paradise?" Gabriel said: "yes." The Buraq said: "Is he the leader of the People of Paradise?" Gabriel said: "yes." The Buraq said: "Is he the intercessor on Judgment-Day?" Gabriel said yes. At that time the Buraq began to melt like ice and snow melt in the light of the sun. He knelt down and said to the Prophet: "O Pride of creation, ride on me; but I have one request to ask of you: Do not forget me on the day of intercession." When the Prophet began to ride he was crying. Gabriel asked him: "O Prophet, why are you crying? " He said: "I remembered human beings. Are they going to ride on Judgement Day as I am riding now on the Buraq, and go to their heavenly palaces in Paradise?" Gabriel said: "Yes, verily, we are going to resurrect the pious ones in delegations of riders: On the Day when We shall gather the righteous unto the Beneficent, a goodly company (19:85)." The Prophet felt happy at that time, and he rode on the Buraq. Gabriel took hold of the reins while Michael held the saddle, and Israfil the saddle-cloth. From tariqas-approval Mon Sep 25 10:44:17 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA26677; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 14:44:25 -0400 Received: from mail02.mail.aol.com by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA26607; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 14:44:21 -0400 Received: by mail02.mail.aol.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) id OAA21615; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 14:44:17 -0400 Date: Mon, 25 Sep 1995 14:44:17 -0400 From: NurLuna@aol.com Message-Id: <950925144416_108433266@mail02.mail.aol.com> To: tariqas@world.std.com Cc: David@esinet1.esinet.net Subject: Re: idealized? Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: Shalom aleichem, brother Muzaffer, and all tariqas! On 95-09-25, Muzaffer wrote [in part]: >Consider that at the turn of the century in modern American society, >the average lifespan for a healthy American male was 44 years, etc. We could get into quite a debate on the merits of greater and greater technological advances vs. the "cost" of pollution, exploitation, and dehumanization! I would prefer that we not. Suffice it to say that mind valued over heart has its rewards as well as its pitfalls, as does heart valued over mind. >With all due respect to Riane Eisler's ideas, her interpretation of >scant archeological evidence is not all that supportive of a balanced- >partnership "society" that was interfered with by people possessing >the skill of metal fabrication and the advances in farming and >hunting such a skill made possible.......We know more >about other civilizations that worshipped goddess-figures, and it is >not supportive of the idea they were more humane or power-balanced >than male-figure-worshipping societies. You're right; value judgements about "better" and "worse" are not helpful, and cannot be supported because of the vast dissimilarities which exist in people's definitions of "good" and "bad". The fact that humans, for most of our existence, honored the feminine as the form of the Divine is one that in my opinion contains seeds of revolution. This earlier worship has been devalued by the majority of archealogical theorists as being more "primitive" (read: ignorant and savage). Eisler challenges this premise, calling this earlier time a valid, workable choice in the spectrum of human behavior and belief. This too to me is revolutionary. I acknowledge that I bring my own value judgements into play in my discussions, and my characterizations of what is "better" or "worse" are not necessarily everyone's. >Your basic premise is sound; social and personal development and >advancement (and in our age, survival) depends upon balance between >genders, and a deeper understanding on the part of each for the >characteristics of the other. I am not sure any answers will be found >in an idealized past. Totally agree! Idealization -- removing things from the changing realm of flesh and blood and freezing them into a mental, revered "ideal" -- almost always creates frustration and disillusionment in the inevitable clash with reality. Thanks for the reminder. Farrunnissa From tariqas-approval Mon Sep 25 10:44:14 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA26680; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 14:44:26 -0400 Received: from mail06.mail.aol.com by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA26600; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 14:44:20 -0400 Received: by mail06.mail.aol.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) id OAA21877; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 14:44:14 -0400 Date: Mon, 25 Sep 1995 14:44:14 -0400 From: NurLuna@aol.com Message-Id: <950925144411_108433183@mail06.mail.aol.com> To: tariqas@world.std.com Cc: David@esinet1.esinet.net Subject: Re: From the back of the Niu Jie Mosque ... Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: Great Peace and Shining Joy be with you, Asha, and sisters and brothers! Thank you for your message, brother. That it came from a man is very healing for me. On 95-09-23 15:35:52 EDT, Asha wrote [in part]: >Hierarchy is naturally masculine and when there is no >corresponding and ballancing feminie then indeed it might be called 'cult of >the masculine' I would describe hierarchy as being naturally of the mind. Certainly, in the prevailing social order, mind is seen as being the realm of men, and feeling, or heart, is seen as being the realm of women. In reality, we all have minds and we all have hearts. It is in overcoming limited definitions of who we are that we regain freedom, power, and appropriate thought, word, and deed, and I heard you say as much in your message. Hierarchy, as a way to organize information, is inevitable, in my opinion. Our intellect compares things and organizes them in our understanding into more and more inclusive groups of "alikeness", as a way to process information better. (I know this is a great simplification of what this process is!) A problem comes in when this is applied to social structures, along with a designation of "good" as being high in the hierarchy, and "bad" as being low. >...What I mean by personal freedom is first the recognition and >value of the 'outsider' the inherent value of the individual despite their >relationship or kinship to us... This is such a gentle, inclusive way of describing the model which includes all and honors all. "Linking, rather than ranking" as Eisler describes this paradigm. "All my relations" say Native Americans when describing creation. Choice of terminology in discussing these issues turns out to be somewhat important. I had a rather rude awakening this weekend, when I shared my awareness and experiences of Eisler's dominator and partnership models with an intentional community group I have been with for almost two years, and found much to my surprise that even aware, progressive men can feel personally attacked by the word "dominator". Using the term "patriarchy" seems to be equally offensive. After *extensive* discussion about this reaction, it turns out that, while not identifiying as a member of the dominator model, many men feel as though their struggle and pain within the model is being invalidated by any criticism of the model itself. All this is by way of saying, that if anyone experienced my message as being "male-bashing", please be assured that was *not* my intention. Men as well as women have been deeply wounded and emotionally and mentally crippled by a paradigm which devalues most of humankind, and all other "lower" creatures, and dismisses feeling as being "weak." And we all participate in the continuance of such a system through an internalized dominator, which for most of us remains unconscious. In my experience, the process of internal healing begins with awareness. For me, this has been painful and mind-boggling, and is still continuing. My awareness and healing will be different from anyone else's, and yet there may be similarities. My hope is that we can continue to be with each other's healing, even when we don't understand it. Because what results from more and more healed individuals is a more and more healed world. Farrunnissa From tariqas-approval Mon Sep 25 10:44:09 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA26994; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 14:44:52 -0400 Received: from mail04.mail.aol.com by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA26953; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 14:44:50 -0400 Received: by mail04.mail.aol.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) id OAA01791 for tariqas@world.std.com; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 14:44:09 -0400 Date: Mon, 25 Sep 1995 14:44:09 -0400 From: NurLuna@aol.com Message-Id: <950925144407_108433095@mail04.mail.aol.com> To: tariqas@world.std.com Subject: Re: From the back of the Niu Jie Mosque ... Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: May Love, Harmony, and Beauty attend your way, beloveds! On 95-09-24, Jinavamsa wrote [in part]: >in the context of the French sub-title (culte de la fe'minite'), the term >cult conjures up the sense of respecting, honoring, cultivating what is >feminine. (The French often keeps more of the literal Latin meaning than we >get in English, and in this case, the Latin root is colere, to honor, >cherish, revere, worship, ... to cite the key meanings here.) How lovely! Strange how much emphasis we put on words when language can be so imprecise. Thanks for your clarity, as always, brother. I will look for the English translation, and ignore the title! Farrunnissa From tariqas-approval Mon Sep 25 18:59:54 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA12154; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 15:43:02 -0400 Received: from clark.net by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA12115; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 15:42:58 -0400 Received: from sarmad-ppp.clark.net (sarmad-ppp.clark.net [168.143.2.233]) by clark.net (8.6.12/8.6.5) with SMTP id PAA06991 for ; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 15:00:48 -0400 Message-Id: <199509251900.PAA06991@clark.net> From: sarmad@clark.net (James Brody) To: tariqas@world.std.com Subject: Source of Quotation Date: Mon, 25 Sep 1995 18:59:54 GMT X-Mailer: Forte Agent .99b.112 Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: Dear Friends: I am searching for the source (chapter, verse) of a quotation from The Holy Qur'an: "Allah will certainly aid those who aid in His cause-- for verily Allah is full of Strength, Exalted in Might, able to enforce his will." Many thanks in advance. ----------------Abraham Sarmad Brody From tariqas-approval Mon Sep 25 16:50:16 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA08297; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 22:50:22 -0400 Received: from indy55.gclab.missouri.edu by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA08273; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 22:50:18 -0400 Received: (from c640429@localhost) by indy55.gclab.missouri.edu (8.6.12/8.6.12) id VAA00633; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 21:50:16 -0500 Date: Mon, 25 Sep 1995 21:50:16 -0500 (CDT) From: Jawad Qureshi X-Sender: c640429@indy55.gclab.missouri.edu To: tariqas@world.std.com Cc: tariqas@world.std.com Subject: Re: tariqa Muhammadan In-Reply-To: Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: On Sun, 24 Sep 1995, Caravan wrote: > Domenic Paterna, thank you for your bits of information. Jawad > Qureshi, thank you for your info also: we would appreciate more > specific information, such as a correct title and reference, instead > of something shaded against "ridiculousness" in "some of the tariqas > from India" - and I might have known the Naqshbandiyya were behind it > all, as always. Salam, For the record, I am NOT a murid in the Naqshibandi tariqa. I am a great admirer of the many great people that have come to us through that tariqa - Shah Naqshband himself, Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi, Shah Waliallah, and the many others - including it's current leader, Shaykh Nazim, and his Khalifa here in the United States, Shaykh Hisham. I am also a great admirer of Shah Abdul Qadir Jilani, Khwaja Nizam ud-din Awliya, Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti, and of course, Mevalana Jelalludin Rumi. I though, have chosen NOT to join a tariqa as such. And, with regards to the 'ridiculousness', well, I am probably going to offend many people with this, but essentially, what I was talking about was the Wajd (ecstasies) and the Raqs and other matters that Shaykh Ahmed Sirhindi cleared for us. I DONT want to open a discussion on these subjects so PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANYTHING REGARDING MY STATEMENTS ABOUT THESE! This is my personal opinion, and I am not about to get involved in this discussion. Sorry, for offending anyone, and sorry for not wanting to talk about it. Salam, Jawad. From tariqas-approval Mon Sep 25 11:08:50 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA21512; Tue, 26 Sep 1995 02:26:47 -0400 Received: from virginia.edu (uvaarpa.Virginia.EDU) by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA21503; Tue, 26 Sep 1995 02:26:46 -0400 Received: from poe.acc.virginia.edu by uvaarpa.virginia.edu id aa28830; 25 Sep 95 16:09 EDT Received: from [128.143.3.215] (ara-mac-215.itc.Virginia.EDU [128.143.3.215]) by poe.acc.Virginia.EDU (8.6.10/8.6.6) with SMTP id QAA98076 for ; Mon, 25 Sep 1995 16:09:11 -0400 Message-Id: <199509252009.QAA98076@poe.acc.Virginia.EDU> X-Sender: nd4n@poe.acc.virginia.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Mon, 25 Sep 1995 16:08:50 -0500 To: tariqas@world.std.com From: "A.N. Durkee" Subject: Re: Source of Quotation Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: >Dear Friends: > >I am searching for the source (chapter, verse) of a quotation from The >Holy Qur'an: > >"Allah will certainly aid those who aid in His cause-- for verily >Allah is full of Strength, Exalted in Might, able to enforce his >will." > >Many thanks in advance. > >----------------Abraham Sarmad Brody as-salaamu 'alaykum if by "aid" you mean the root "nas.ra" then this is found in Q22:40 at end of 'ayah wa salaam A. N. Durkee Green Mountain From tariqas-approval Tue Sep 26 20:26:38 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA26559; Tue, 26 Sep 1995 19:27:39 -0400 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA26540; Tue, 26 Sep 1995 19:27:38 -0400 Date: Tue, 26 Sep 1995 19:27:38 +0059 (EDT) From: Steve H Rose Subject: New additions to List of Sufi Resources To: tariqas@world.std.com Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: Assalamu alaikum. The following have been added to the List of Sufi-Related Resources on the Internet (available on the Web at http://world.std.com/~habib/sufi.html): http://www.unibio.com/spirit/ap/ Ansari Publications: The Teachings of the Qadiri Rifa`i Tariqa http://www.unibio.com/spirit/sufiworld.html Ali Ansari's SufiWorld Since this happens to be the tariqa I belong to, I thought I'd give these sites a "subtle" plug in tariqas as well :-) Yours, habib rose From tariqas-approval Tue Sep 26 16:55:09 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA20539; Tue, 26 Sep 1995 20:55:14 -0400 Received: from mail04.mail.aol.com by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA20525; Tue, 26 Sep 1995 20:55:13 -0400 Received: by mail04.mail.aol.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) id UAA21959 for tariqas@world.std.com; Tue, 26 Sep 1995 20:55:09 -0400 Date: Tue, 26 Sep 1995 20:55:09 -0400 From: Jinavamsa@aol.com Message-Id: <950926205506_30103853@mail04.mail.aol.com> To: tariqas@world.std.com Subject: BRSH Riders of Spain Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: Would anyone know who were the Sufi BRSH riders of Spain, to whom Idries Shah makes reference (p.252 of his The Sufis, at end of chap. The Chivalric Circle)? What is the term Shah is transliterating here? thank you. in peace, Jinavamsa From tariqas-approval Tue Sep 26 22:50:41 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA03093; Tue, 26 Sep 1995 22:50:41 -0400 Date: Tue, 26 Sep 1995 22:50:41 -0400 Message-Id: <199509270250.AA03093@world.std.com> To: tariqas-approval@world.std.com From: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Subject: BOUNCE tariqas@world.std.com: Admin request Status: RO X-Status: >From tony@charm.net Tue Sep 26 18:47:46 1995 Return-Path: Received: from sowebo.charm.net by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA03069; Tue, 26 Sep 1995 22:50:38 -0400 Message-Id: <9509262249.AA02897@sowebo.charm.net> Received: from charm.net by sowebo.charm.net; Tue, 26 Sep 95 22:49 EDT Date: Tue, 26 Sep 95 22:47:46 -0400 From: Tony Organization: Rodgers Forge in Towson, Maryland X-Mailer: Mozilla 1.2N (Windows; I; 32bit) Mime-Version: 1.0 To: tariqas@world.std.com Subject: (no subject) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Length: 12 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii subscribe From tariqas-approval Tue Sep 26 17:57:16 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA28337; Wed, 27 Sep 1995 03:57:26 -0400 Received: from homer28.u.washington.edu by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA28304; Wed, 27 Sep 1995 03:57:24 -0400 Received: by homer28.u.washington.edu (5.65+UW95.09/UW-NDC Revision: 2.33 ) id AA44173; Wed, 27 Sep 95 00:57:16 -0700 X-Sender: lilyan@homer28.u.washington.edu Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 00:57:16 -0700 (PDT) From: Lilyan Ila To: tariqasnet Subject: Jewish New Year (fwd) Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 24 Sep 1995 00:50:21 GMT From: Bruce Hill Newgroups: alt.religion.islam Subject: Jewish New Year It is going to be the Jewish New Year in a matter of hours now, and I thought I might share with our Muslim cousins a meditation my Rabbi pointed out to my synagogue this shabbat. It's from the Reform prayerbook, and I think all of us, Jew and Muslim alike, could benifit from thinking abut it. Through prayer we struggle to experience the Presence of God. Let us be sure that the One we invoke is the Most High, not a god of battles, of state or status of 'success' - but the source of peace and mercy and goodness. For, truly: "The Gods we worship write their names on our faces, be sure of that. And we will worship something - have no doubt of that either. We may think that our tribute is paid in secret in the dark reccesses of the heart - but it will out. That which dominates our imagination and our thoughts will determine our life and character. Therefore it behooves us to be careful what we are worshipping, for what we are worshipping we are becoming." May we all try to work together to make peace where there is strife. From tariqas-approval Wed Sep 27 02:31:28 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA03127; Wed, 27 Sep 1995 07:32:05 -0400 Received: from UNiX.asb.com by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA03087; Wed, 27 Sep 1995 07:31:59 -0400 Received: from sle3.asb.com (sle3.asb.com [165.254.128.73]) by UNiX.asb.com (8.6.9/8.6.9) with SMTP id HAA13448 for ; Wed, 27 Sep 1995 07:31:28 -0500 Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 07:31:28 -0500 Message-Id: <199509271231.HAA13448@UNiX.asb.com> X-Sender: f_haddad@unix.asb.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: tariqas@world.std.com From: f_haddad@unix.asb.com (Fouad Haddad) Subject: [2] The Prophet's Journey X-Mailer: Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: [2] The Prophet's Journey ------------------------- Excerpt from Shaykh Hisham Kabbani's <>, KAZI 1995. The Buraq moved in space until in the blink of an eye they reached the place appointed for their first stop in the middle of the desert. Gabriel said: "O Muhammad, go down and pray to God in this place." The Prophet said: "What is this place?" Gabriel said: "This is the place where you are going to emigrate, and it is going to be your second city." That was the town of Yathrib not far from Mecca, and its name was going to be al-Madina. In the blink of an eye they again passed through space until they stopped a second time, and Gabriel told the Prophet to come down and pray. - "Which place is this, O Gabriel?" asked the Prophet. - "This is Sinai, where Moses used to speak with God." Then the Buraq moved in space another time until he reached a third place where Gabriel ordered him to pray. - "And now, where are we, O Gabriel?" - "You are in Bethlehem, where Jesus was born and from where he spread the message of the King of heavens and of the earth." As the Prophet walked with delight on the soil where Jesus was born, he felt someone moving near his right shoulder who said: "Muhammad! wait, I want to ask you a question." But the Prophet did not respond. Then another call came from behind his left shoulder, but again he did not answer it. Finally, an unimaginably beautiful moutain covered with the wealth and beauty of this world appeared in front of him and spoke to him with a human voice, but for the third time the Prophet did not respond. Then he asked Gabriel about the three voices. Gabriel said: "If you had listened to the first voice all your nation would have been corrupted because it is the voice of evil; and had you listened to the second one, all your nation would have been tyrants because it is the voice of Satan. And if you had stopped to hear the decorated mountain all your nation would have preferred this world to the eternal world." The Prophet continued his way and saw two beautiful angelic beings, one masculine and one feminine. They wore a beautiful dress and the fragrance of heaven. They kissed him between his eyes and left. He asked Gabriel who these were and he said: "These are the believers of your nation. They are going to live in happiness and die in happiness and they are going to enter Paradise." Then another angel appeared to him and offered him three cups to drink: one of water, one of milk, and one of wine. He took the cup of milk and drank, and Gabriel said: "You have chosen the cup of fitra: innocence." Then a maiden-angel appeared and offered the Prophet three suits of cloth, one green, one white, and one black. He took the first two. Gabriel said: "White is the color of believers and green is the color of Paradise. All of your followers are going to be believers in this world and all are going to enter Paradise in the next." Then, as the Prophet was walking on the place where Jesus taught, he entered the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. He found the Temple full of angels waiting for him. Every angel in the Temple represented a group of angels in paradise. Then he saw all the Prophets standing in rows. He asked Gabriel who all these were. Gabriel said: "These are your brothers from among the prophets, and these angels are the leaders of all the angels of Paradise." Then Gabriel made the call to prayer, after which he said: "O Muhammad, Most honorable of beings in the sight of God, proceed to prayer." And the Prophet came forward and led the prayer, and all the prophets and the angels followed him. Then Adam said: - "Praise be to God Who created me with His hands and ordered the angels to prostrate for me and brought out all the prophets from among my descendants!" Then Noah said: - "Praise be to God Who accepted my prayer and saved me and my people from drowning with my ship and the help of the angels, and honored me!" Then Abraham said: - "Praise be to God Who took me as His friend and gave me a huge kingdom, and gave me prophets for descendants, and saved me from the fire of Nimrod, and made it cool and safe for me!" And Moses said: - "Praise be to God Who spoke to me without an intermediary and chose me for His message, and made me victorious over Pharaoh with the help of his angels, and gave me the Torah which Gabriel taught me how to write, and adorned me with His love." And David said: - "Praise be to God Who revealed the Psalms to me, and softened the iron between my hands and all other elements, and chose me for His Message!" And Solomon said: - "Praise be to God Who has made subject to me the winds, the jinn, and human beings; who taught me the language of birds; who gave me a kingdom which he never gave anyone after me, and supported me with all his angels." And Jesus said: - "Praise be to God Who sent me as a Word from Him to the world, taught me the Torah and the Gospel, made me cure the deaf, the dumb, and the leper, made me bring back the dead by His permission, and supported me with Gabriel and all His angels." And Muhammad said: - "All of you praised your Lord and I praise Him also, Who sent me as a mercy for human beings and revealed the Koran to me, expanded my breast, took out my sins, raised me up, made my Nation and all human beings the best that could be, and called me 'Kind and Merciful'"! And Gabriel said: - "That is why, O Muhammad you are the last of Prophets and a Mercy for human beings. O prophets and angels, O creations large and small, God and His angels send blessings and salutations on His Prophet! You also send much blessings upon him and utmost greetings! Increase your praise. Praise is an angel with two eyes and two wings that flies to God directly to ask forgiveness for its reciter until Judgment Day." The Prophet continued his way, riding on the Buraq together with all the angels that came to greet and accompany him. Whenever he passed through a different universe he found the angels of that universe gathered to greet and dress him with all kinds of gifts and adornments. They dressed him with the cloaks of perfection and made him the possessor of every beauty. Then the Prophet heard a very powerful voice coming from the Archangel Israfil from behind the veils of Lordly Power and Angelic Perfection: - "O Paradises and heavens! O angels! O mountains and trees and oceans and rivers! O moons and suns and stars and planets and constellations! Plunge into the beauty and perfection of the Prophet. O angels and houris of Paradise, walk with pride! O creation, be happy tonight, for we are receiving in our presence the Master of human beings and the Seal of Prophets." Another voice came from an angel called Ishmael, saying: "O heavenly stairs, show yourselves and descend!" upon which the ladder of heaven descended all the way from Firdaws, the loftiest Paradise, until it reached the Temple of Solomon. The arms of the ladder shone with two heavenly lights, red amethyst and green jasper of the greatest perfection. Every believer is going to see that ladder and climb on it. It has one hundred steps and it goes from the Temple to the First Heaven. Gabriel called the Prophet and the Buraq climbed the first step. There the Prophet saw all kinds of angels red in color. On the second step, the Prophet saw angels in yellow cloth, on the third step the angels were green and all of them were greeting him and giving him heavenly gifts which he took and gave to Gabriel to keep as a trust for the believers on earth. On the fourth step messenger-angels came and said: "O Gabriel, keep rising for the Lord is waiting!" And the Prophet saw their subtle bodies shining and their faces glittering like mirrors in the sun. Then he climbed the fifth ladder and saw a huge world of angels that had no beginning and no end. All of them were praising God and their only words were: "There is no god but God." He asked Gabriel: "How many are these angels?" for he was awed by their numbers. Gabriel said: "If the skies and the earth and the moon and the sun and the stars and galaxies were crushed into dust and were all piled up, their dust particles would not be one tenth of the angels of this step of the ladder of Paradise." Then the Buraq climbed up to the sixth step and there a great surprise awaited the Prophet, and a great event took place which passed all description. An immense, white-upon-white angel sat on a chair of burnished white gold, accompanied by a great host of angels with wide, awe-struck gazes looking at the divine majesty. The white angel stood up and said: "O Muhammad, welcome! I beg you to bless my seat by sitting on it." When the Prophet sat on the chair, it melted with love for him and became a cloud of multicolored light chanting the praise of God. Out of every drop of that cloud God created another throne and another great angel sitting upon that throne. Then the Buraq climbed to the seventh heaven and the Prophet saw angels whose light replaced the light of his vision, as in the case when someone looks at the sun and his sight is stolen away. At that time, he became able to see whatever these angels were seeing. Then he climbed the eighth ladder and saw nothing but angels in prostration. He quickly climbed to the ninth so as not to disturb them. On the ninth ladder he saw angels which passed description and he stood in awe, unable to comprehend their creation. At that time their leader appeared and said: "O Prophet! we are dressing you with the secret of our creation and enabling you to understand all things by God's permission." Then the Prophet went up to the tenth ladder and saw the angels that praised God in all the languages that had been created since the beginning of creation. The Prophet wondered at the limitless creations of God. At the eleventh step, the angels numbered even more than the angels of the fifth step, and out of them an infinite number of colors glowed, different for each single one of them. At the twelfth step, the Prophet found angels with faces like moons and eyes like stars. The light of their faces were covering their words. On the thirteenth step, the most beautiful angels appeared and these were the angels of God, praising God with soft voices and revelling in other-worldly beauty. Their music did not resemble any other kind of music and if one tone of that music were heard on the earth everyone on it would faint. On the fourteenth step the Prophet saw the angel Ishmael with seventy thousand angels riding on horses. Behind everyone of them was a battalion of one hundred thousand angels created from the attribute of Beauty. It is the duty of each and everyone of these angels to appear on earth at least one time to bring it the touch of his beauty. The fifteenth to the twenty-fourth steps were under the command of the angel Ruqya'il, great and small, thin and wide. The twenty-fifth step to the ninety-ninth were presided by the angel Qala'il. His right hand was under the first heaven. Between each two of his fingers there are seven hundred thousand angels continuously praising God. For each of the praises that they utter strings of pearls come out of their mouth. The diameter of every pearl is eighty-one miles. For each pearl God creates an angel that guards it and keeps it as a trust for human beings until they enter Paradise. Then the Prophet saw a huge throne from a precious element other than gold standing on five posts. Each post has two wings and each wing encompasses the constellation of our world five times. On each wing rest fifty thousand angels, each of whom ask forgiveness for human beings in a different dialect and yet in complete harmony and with an angelic sound that melts the rocks of the seven earths. Out of each one of their tears God creates fifty thousand angels more whose task is to ask forgiveness in the same way as these angels do and in many times more dialects than they. Then the throne spoke to the Prophet and said: "I and the angels who guard me were created to carry human beings to their stations in Paradise." Then, the throne invited the Prophet to sit on it, and when he sat he felt a pleasure he had never experienced before. From tariqas-approval Wed Sep 27 03:30:22 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA00908; Wed, 27 Sep 1995 13:41:35 -0400 Received: from halon.sybase.com by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA00870; Wed, 27 Sep 1995 13:41:32 -0400 Received: from sybase.com (sybgate.sybase.com) by halon.sybase.com (5.x/SMI-SVR4/SybFW4.0) id AA08355; Wed, 27 Sep 1995 10:40:58 -0700 Received: from serii.sybase.com ([158.159.40.63]) by sybase.com (4.1/SMI-4.1/SybH3.4) id AA26333; Wed, 27 Sep 95 10:43:15 PDT Received: by serii.sybase.com (5.x/SMI-4.1/SybEC3.2) id AA03640; Wed, 27 Sep 1995 10:30:22 -0700 Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 10:30:22 -0700 From: mateens@sybase.com (Mateen Siddiqui) Message-Id: <9509271730.AA03640@serii.sybase.com> To: tariqas@world.std.com Subject: Re: New additions to List of Sufi Resources X-Sun-Charset: US-ASCII Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: wa alaykum salaam Very nice homepage! --mateen siddiqui > Assalamu alaikum. > > The following have been added to the List of Sufi-Related Resources on the > Internet (available on the Web at http://world.std.com/~habib/sufi.html): > > http://www.unibio.com/spirit/ap/ > > Ansari Publications: The Teachings of the Qadiri Rifa`i Tariqa > > http://www.unibio.com/spirit/sufiworld.html > > Ali Ansari's SufiWorld > > > Since this happens to be the tariqa I belong to, I thought I'd give these > sites a "subtle" plug in tariqas as well :-) > > Yours, > > habib rose > From tariqas-approval Fri Sep 22 17:31:08 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA16945; Wed, 27 Sep 1995 19:36:21 -0400 Received: from relay2.UU.NET by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA16932; Wed, 27 Sep 1995 19:36:19 -0400 Received: from disperse.demon.co.uk by relay2.UU.NET with SMTP id QQzjbi12210; Wed, 27 Sep 1995 19:36:14 -0400 Received: by disperse.mail.demon.net id ae12124; 27 Sep 95 15:13 +0100 Received: from [158.152.1.72] by disperse.mail.demon.net id ae21756; 22 Sep 95 16:37 +0100 Received: from amwal.demon.co.uk by post.mail.demon.net id aa14063; 22 Sep 95 16:30 +0100 X-Sender: (Unverified) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Fri, 22 Sep 1995 16:31:08 +0100 To: tariqas@world.std.com From: Hussein Ahmes Khalifa Subject: Re:Intelligence Message-Id: <9509221630.aa14063@post.mail.demon.net> Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: Firstly a reply, Matthias, There are dangers in taking things too literally, even my own ironic comments. I hope that your rememberance of the women Sufi saints is not too far away in the back of your mind ;) Secondly, On intelligence, hasn't it been mentioned several times in this group that there is no prescription to fit all seekers of truth? Sufi oral and literary traditions abound with tales of "Fools of God" who stumble onto the path to "enlightenment". Nasruddin Hodja for example is often (though not always) portrayed as anillogical fool who manages somehow to come out of a situation intact while teaching us a valuable lesson. Wisdom can be found in everything even in the words of fools and madmen. Everything is inspired by Allah and the world teaches different lessons to different people. Intelligence is a useful tool to many but to others it is the very impediment to their understanding the Lord. As a rational man, I try to find God in reason, but when I am prostrated in prayer, I feel that the only way to know him is to abandon everything that is not straight from the heart. Salam Hussein From tariqas-approval Wed Sep 27 09:52:08 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA01369; Wed, 27 Sep 1995 19:52:21 -0400 Received: from homer30.u.washington.edu by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA01210; Wed, 27 Sep 1995 19:52:09 -0400 Received: by homer30.u.washington.edu (5.65+UW95.09/UW-NDC Revision: 2.33 ) id AA97078; Wed, 27 Sep 95 16:52:08 -0700 X-Sender: lilyan@homer30.u.washington.edu Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 16:52:08 -0700 (PDT) From: Lilyan Ila To: tariqasnet Subject: Dr. Laila Al-Marayati's statement (fwd) Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 14:25:13 -0700 Subject: Dr. Laila Al-Marayati's statement asalaam-u-aleikum all This was the statement read by Dr. Al Marayati of the Muslim Women's League and member of the US delegation at the Beijing Conference ***** Issues of Concern for Muslim Women by Leila Al-Marayati, MD Renewed interest in and enthusiasm for Islam as a means of=20 change is emerging in many parts of the world. By implementing Islamic pri= nciples, Muslims are hoping to improve their condition on many fronts, be t= hey social, political, economic or others. The Muslim world is comprised o= f people of a variety of nationalities and ethnicities which, combined with= geographical realities, determine priorities of action when dealing with i= ssues such as those presented in the Draft Platform of Action for the Fourt= h World Conference on the Status of Women to be held in Beijing, September = 1995.

While most Muslims unanimously agree on several aspects of their faith (suc= h as the belief in the Qur'an as the word of God and the major pillars of f= aith, including prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage to Mecca, and the decl= aration of belief in the oneness of God and the Prophethood of Muhammad), c= onsensus does not exist on many other issues. One area which sparks partic= ular controversy is the role of the Muslim woman.

Most Muslims are taught that Islam liberated women by giving them rights no= t previously enjoyed. Some examples include rights of ownership, decision-m= aking in marriage, divorce and so on. Indeed, when reviewing primary Musli= m sources of Qur'an and authentic Hadith (words and deeds of Prophet Muhamm= ed), one is impressed by an overall image of men and women as equal partner= s as those who are expected by God to "enjoin the doing of what is right an= d forbid the doing of what is wrong" (9:71) in all spheres of life, and to = act as His vicegerents in ensuring justice, freedom and equality for all.
The importance of developing a strong family as the major building block of= a strong society is clearly expressed in Islamic literature. The family u= nit is solidified by mutual respect, understanding and compassion that appl= ies within the family and among all members of society in general. =09Unfor= tunately, over time, many of the original principles have been abandoned or= modified to suit political agendas, thus presenting Muslims with laws and = images that hardly resembled the original Islamic community led by Muhammad= . Many of these laws were generated between the 10th and 12th centuries, l= ong after the death of Muhammad, and are particularly reflected in legislat= ion today related to marriage and divorce which often place women at a dist= inct disadvantage.

Muslims who live as minorities in non-Islamic countries are also affected b= y the sexist and authoritarian attitudes that pervade many communities and = impact behavior in terms of marriage, divorce, abuse, exclusion of women fr= om the mosques and decision-making bodies, double standards applied to male= and female children and so on. =09Because of a belief in a liberated, equi= table and dignified position of women outlined in the Qur'an, many Muslims,= men and women alike, are calling for reevaluation of attitudes and practic= es that, although done in the name of Islam, are actually contrary to the b= asic messages found in the primary sources. To question and possibly oppos= e entrenched positions that are based on archaic laws, unsubstantiated Hadi= th or those that fail Islamic standards of authentication, or cultural tren= ds, requires courage and conviction on the part of religious leaders and Mu= slim women. But this is necessary and worth any risks in order to enable w= omen to achieve liberation through Islam as originally intended.

Major problem areas that need to be addressed include the following: >family laws pertaining to marriage and divorce that=20 reinforce the image of relationships based on a hierarchy with the rights o= f the husband superceding those of the wife and that prevent women from bei= ng in control of their lives >violence against women which occurs in the home, community, and as a=20 consequence of warfare which is claimed by some to be allowed by Islam when= it is not (including the case of female genital mutilation) >abuse of certain Islamic practices that affect women negatively, such=20 as polygamy and temporary marriage, when applied out of context and without= abiding by Islamic restrictions >excluding women from religious activities such as full participation=20 in mosque activities which has clearly been established as the Muslim woman= 's right >failure to promote the importance of a woman's contribution to=20 society beyond child-bearing >failure to enable women to take advantage of rights of property=20 ownership and inheritance outlined by Islam >focusing on the behavior of women, while exempting men, as a marker=20 for morality in society, hence subjecting women to harassment, intimidation= or discrimination >lack of awareness of the important role of men in contributing=20 significantly in sharing household responsiblities and child-rearing as exe= mplified by Prophet Muhammed.

Until recently, because of a pervasive misogynistic and oppressive presenta= tion of women in Islam, Muslim women often felt the only way to be liberate= d intellectually, socially, politically and economically was by abandoning = Islam. There appears to be a growing movement of Islamist women who are de= manding that the rights guaranteed by Islam must be applied in their commun= ities. In addition, women are joining the ranks of Islamic scholars, thus = providing alternative points of view to what has heretofore been addressed = by men. Reviewing Islamic history from a woman=92s perspective, recalling = contributions of Muslim women over the centuries, exploring current practic= es and laws and criticizing them from an Islamic point of view, examining t= exts as they pertain to women specifically are a few examples of some areas= addressed by women scholars today.

Muslims today are facing great challenges from within and without. Oftenti= mes, calls for change are seen as tools of an outside power that is seeking= to undermine the efforts of Islam and Muslims. Certain geopolitical reali= ties lend credence to this view. However, the current desire for change on= the part of Muslim women is perhaps more borne out of the fervent belief i= n the image of the Muslim woman as communicated by God in the Qur'an of a l= iberated, vital human being who can work in cooperation with men on many le= vels to contribute to the betterment of society. They seek to expose this c= oncept which has been buried by the persistence of attitudes that focus on = competition and subsequent subjugation of one sex over the other in direct = conflict with the spirit of the Qur'anic verse, "And thus does their Lord = answer their prayer: I shall not lose sight of the work of any of you who = works (in My way) be it man or woman: You are members, one of another." (3= :195).

Laila Al-Marayati is President of the Muslim Women's League From tariqas-approval Thu Sep 28 06:15:34 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA10881; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 11:16:05 -0400 Received: from virginia.edu (uvaarpa.Virginia.EDU) by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA10852; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 11:16:03 -0400 Received: from poe.acc.virginia.edu by uvaarpa.virginia.edu id aa07179; 28 Sep 95 11:16 EDT Received: from [128.143.3.220] (ara-mac-220.itc.Virginia.EDU [128.143.3.220]) by poe.acc.Virginia.EDU (8.6.10/8.6.6) with SMTP id LAA33202 for ; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 11:15:57 -0400 Message-Id: <199509281515.LAA33202@poe.acc.Virginia.EDU> X-Sender: nd4n@poe.acc.virginia.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Thu, 28 Sep 1995 11:15:34 -0500 To: tariqas@world.std.com From: "A.N. Durkee" Subject: Re: BRSH Riders of Spain Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: >Would anyone know who were the Sufi BRSH riders of Spain, to whom Idries Shah >makes reference (p.252 of his The Sufis, at end of chap. The Chivalric >Circle)? What is the term Shah is transliterating here? >thank you. >in peace, >Jinavamsa B R Sh = Barshiluuna = Andalucian name for Barcelona possibly A. N. Durkee Green Mountain From tariqas-approval Thu Sep 28 07:33:23 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA25966; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 11:33:28 -0400 Received: from emout05.mail.aol.com by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA25924; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 11:33:25 -0400 Received: by emout05.mail.aol.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) id LAA08776 for tariqas@world.std.com; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 11:33:23 -0400 Date: Thu, 28 Sep 1995 11:33:23 -0400 From: NurLuna@aol.com Message-Id: <950928113322_111605311@emout05.mail.aol.com> To: tariqas@world.std.com Subject: Re: Intelligence Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: May you float in Oceans of Peace, beloveds! A couple of words from my own experience: When I was a (fundamentalist Baptist) teenager, we were encouraged to take a "life verse," one verse of scripture that summed up exactly what we were striving for in our spiritual life. I had memorized Proverbs 3:5-6 as a (fundamentalist Baptist) child, which says "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy path." (KJV) I took as my life verse Proverbs 3:6, the second sentence, above. I think part of me sensed at an early age that I would travel far afield of what was seen by my church as acceptable, but I also knew that, as long as I put God first in my life, He would direct me. This has proved to be true for me. About ten years ago, as a serious student of _A Course in Miracles_, I realized that Proverbs 3:5 was equally important. "My own understanding" will *never* be the final authority in matters of spiritual truth, regardless of how intelligent I am. Almost as if the mind lacks some fundamental sense of the matter. It is through "my heart," with "all my heart," that trust in God is found; i.e., the experience that God is all around me, in everything and everyone, in control of all that happens, ever loving me, ever guiding me, ever watching over me. In my experience, it is the heart that "knows" this, not the mind. Farrunnissa From tariqas-approval Thu Sep 28 06:00:47 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA15227; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 12:00:56 -0400 Received: from Riverside.MR.Net by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA15211; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 12:00:54 -0400 Received: from dialup-2-162.gw.umn.edu by riverside.mr.net (8.6.12/SMI-4.1.R931202) id LAA07030; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 11:00:47 -0500 Date: Thu, 28 Sep 1995 11:00:47 -0500 Message-Id: <199509281600.LAA07030@riverside.mr.net> X-Sender: norton@ast1.spa.umn.edu X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Version 1.4.4 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: tariqas@world.std.com From: norton@ast1.spa.umn.edu (Jim Norton) Subject: Re: Intelligence Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: Thank You for sharing some of your story. I find others' experience in this reguard to be very helpful and supportive of my own journey. BTW, that scripture was a good one to memorize -- very powerful -- very true! Grace & Peace, Shamsuddin J. Norton >May you float in Oceans of Peace, beloveds! > >A couple of words from my own experience: > >When I was a (fundamentalist Baptist) teenager, we were encouraged to take a >"life verse," one verse of scripture that summed up exactly what we were >striving for in our spiritual life. > >I had memorized Proverbs 3:5-6 as a (fundamentalist Baptist) child, which >says "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own >understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy >path." (KJV) > >I took as my life verse Proverbs 3:6, the second sentence, above. I think >part of me sensed at an early age that I would travel far afield of what was >seen by my church as acceptable, but I also knew that, as long as I put God >first in my life, He would direct me. This has proved to be true for me. > >About ten years ago, as a serious student of _A Course in Miracles_, I >realized that Proverbs 3:5 was equally important. "My own understanding" will >*never* be the final authority in matters of spiritual truth, regardless >of how intelligent I am. Almost as if the mind lacks some fundamental sense >of the matter. It is through "my heart," with "all my heart," that trust in >God is found; i.e., the experience that God is all around me, in everything >and everyone, in control of all that happens, ever loving me, ever guiding >me, ever watching over me. In my experience, it is the heart that "knows" >this, not the mind. > >Farrunnissa > From tariqas-approval Thu Sep 28 09:00:02 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA12101; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 14:54:19 -0400 Received: from emout06.mail.aol.com by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA11975; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 14:54:17 -0400 Received: by emout06.mail.aol.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) id NAA11245 for tariqas@world.std.com; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 13:00:02 -0400 Date: Thu, 28 Sep 1995 13:00:02 -0400 From: Jinavamsa@aol.com Message-Id: <950928130000_31598880@emout06.mail.aol.com> To: tariqas@world.std.com Subject: oqala al-majanin Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: Is the book Akhbar `oqala' al-majanin (by Abdu'l-Qasem al-Hasan b. Mohammad al-Naishburi, d. 1015) the same as the Ketab-e 'oqala-ye Majnun? What is their relation: versions in Arabic & Persian/Farsi of the same text? separate and distinct? who is author of second, if they are distinct? Are they (is it) available in English? thank you very much for any help here. in peace, Jinavamsa From tariqas-approval Thu Sep 28 22:13:43 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA28462; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 16:13:57 -0400 Received: from venere.inet.it by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA28352; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 16:13:53 -0400 Received: from perseo.inet.it (perseo.inet.it [194.20.15.172]) by venere.inet.it (8.6.10/8.6.10) with SMTP id VAA50314 for ; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 21:13:43 +0100 Date: Thu, 28 Sep 1995 21:13:43 +0100 Message-Id: <199509282013.VAA50314@venere.inet.it> X-Sender: paterna@pop.inet.it X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Version 1.4.4 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: tariqas@world.std.com From: paterna@perseo.it (Domenico Paterna) Subject: Iznayat Kajan WWW page Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: 'Assalaam 'Alaykum I've lost the address of Iznayat Khan WWW page. Can someone help me? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Domenico Paterna | Come, come whoever you are, paterna@perseo.it | An unbeliever, a fire-worshipper, come. via Antonio Lecchi, 20 | Our convent is not of desperation. 20143 Milan | Even if you have broken your vows a hundred times, Italy | Come, come again. tel. +39-2-58104410 | ===Mevlana Jalalu'ddin Rumi=== --------------------------------------------------------------------------- From tariqas-approval Thu Sep 28 13:09:13 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA17064; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 17:09:14 -0400 Received: from dns.worldweb.net by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA17026; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 17:09:13 -0400 Date: Thu, 28 Sep 1995 17:09:13 -0400 Message-Id: <199509282109.AA17026@world.std.com> Received: from line122.worldweb.net by dns.worldweb.net with SMTP; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 17:12:52 -0400 (EDT) X-Sender: jmccaig@worldweb.net X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Light Version 1.5.2 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: tariqas@world.std.com From: James McCaig Subject: Re: Iznayat Kajan WWW page Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: Dear Domenico, The address is http://guess.worldweb.net/sufi At 09:13 PM 9/28/95 +0100, you wrote: >'Assalaam 'Alaykum > >I've lost the address of Iznayat Khan WWW page. Can someone help me? >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- >Domenico Paterna | Come, come whoever you are, >paterna@perseo.it | An unbeliever, a fire-worshipper, come. >via Antonio Lecchi, 20 | Our convent is not of desperation. >20143 Milan | Even if you have broken your vows a hundred >times, >Italy | Come, come again. >tel. +39-2-58104410 | ===Mevlana Jalalu'ddin Rumi=== >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > 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 tariqas-approval Thu Sep 28 16:59:43 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA14655; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 22:00:05 -0400 Received: from UNiX.asb.com by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA14523; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 22:00:01 -0400 Received: from sle2.asb.com (sle2.asb.com [165.254.128.72]) by UNiX.asb.com (8.6.9/8.6.9) with SMTP id VAA29364 for ; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 21:59:43 -0500 Date: Thu, 28 Sep 1995 21:59:43 -0500 Message-Id: <199509290259.VAA29364@UNiX.asb.com> X-Sender: f_haddad@unix.asb.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: tariqas@world.std.com From: f_haddad@unix.asb.com (Fouad Haddad) Subject: [3] The Prophet's Journey X-Mailer: Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: [3] The Prophet's Journey ------------------------- Excerpt from Shaykh Hisham Kabbani's <>, KAZI 1995. The First Paradise: Dar al-Salam The Prophet arrived at the hundredth step where he heard the angels praising and glorifying their Lord in the First Heaven. It is called Dar al-Salam, the Abode of Peace, and has one hundred and twenty-four thousand doors. Each door represents a prophet. Gabriel knocked at the door reserved for the Prophet Muhammad. A voice said from inside: "Who it it?" Gabriel replied: "It is Gabriel and the Prophet Muhammad." The voice said: "Has he been sent for?" Gabriel said: "Yes, he has been called to the divine presence." The door was opened. The angel Ishmael came on a horse of light, covered in a cloth of light, holding a staff of light. In his right hand, Ishmael carried all the deeds of human beings performed during the day, and in the other, all that they had done during the night. One thousand processions of angels accompanied him. Ishmael said: "O Gabriel, who is with you?" He replied: "The Prophet Muhammad, Peace be upon him." Ishmael said: "Has he been sent for?" Gabriel replied yes. Then the Buraq was invited to land on the first Paradise, the nearest Paradise to the world. It is also called al-sama al-dunya: the nearest Heaven. This Paradise can be compared to a rolling wave held in mid-air; God spoke to it and said: "Be a red emerald," and it was. The praising of its inhabitants is: Subhana dhil Mulki wal Malakut: "Praise be to the Possessor of the Earthly and the Heavenly Dominions." Then the Prophet looked at the First Heaven and found an angel formed like a man. Al the actions that belong to human beings are displayed to him. If the spirit of a believer comes to him he sends it to Paradise; if the spirit of an unbeliever comes to him he asks forgiveness for it. When forgiveness is granted he sends it to Paradise. He has a tablet made of light which hangs from the Throne to the first heaven. He writes on it the names of those who are sent to Paradise. Then the Prophet saw a man with an angelic power towards whom he felt a great attraction. When he asked who that man was, Gabriel said: "This is your father, Adam." Adam greeted him and said to the Prophet: "Welcome to the good son and the righteous Prophet." There are two doors to the right and the left of Adam. When he looks at the right side he is happy and when he looks at the left he weeps. The Prophet asked what these two doors were. Gabriel said: "The door to the right is the door to Paradise and Rewards. When Adam sees his children entering it he smiles and is happy. The door to the left leads to punishment and the fire. When Adam sees his children entering it he weeps and is sad for them. Out of each of his tears God creates an angel who asks forgiveness until the day when forgiveness is granted and they are allowed to enter into Paradise." Then the angels began to recite poetry: "I yearn to see the one whom God created To be unique in creation! No beloved one is purer nor more elevated than that one, God's beloved is His servant, the Praised One Whose name was cut out from the name Of the Most Glorious One. His are the attributes that no eloquence can express. It is enough honor that for him the moon split in two. What more do you ask than God's perfecting of his beauty? And verily God endowed him with the best character. And verily God created his light to be the greatest blessing, And He called him "beloved" before He created creation. And because of his light the sun was clouded over, Because of his overwhelming light filling the firmament. The clouds showed a great miracle and moved Like a wild herd, And thunder clapped and rain poured Upon his mere request. What more do you want than the softening of the rock When he walked upon it with his sandaled feet, Although you did not see its marks When he tread on the sand? God has elevated him to His presence And the angelic world. Were it not for him, there would never be Paradise, Nor heavens, and no earth. What an honor God bestowed upon him when He gave Ten salutations to those who would Send to him only one!" They moved for five hundred thousand light-years within the radius of the First Paradise. The Buraq moved faster than the speed of light, for each of its steps could reach wherever his sight did. The entire distances they travelled were filled with angels whose number is known only to the Creator, praising Him and glorifying Him with all kinds of praises. There was not one handful of space but it was occupied by an angel in prostration. They were all sizes, big and small. A voice came saying: "O My beloved Muhammad! all these angels are glorifying Me, and I am sending all this praise as waves upon waves of angelic blessings to support human beings through their daily life. These blessings will guide them towards everything that concerns them, and open for them all kinds of physical and spiritual knowledges that will help them progress in their ways of life, materially and spiritually. I will raise them through this angelic power and enable them to enter My Paradises when they come to My divine presence." From tariqas-approval Thu Sep 28 20:44:40 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA03107; Fri, 29 Sep 1995 00:44:43 -0400 Received: from emout05.mail.aol.com by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA03077; Fri, 29 Sep 1995 00:44:41 -0400 Received: by emout05.mail.aol.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) id AAA23242 for tariqas@world.std.com; Fri, 29 Sep 1995 00:44:40 -0400 Date: Fri, 29 Sep 1995 00:44:40 -0400 From: Jinavamsa@aol.com Message-Id: <950929004440_69357228@emout05.mail.aol.com> To: tariqas@world.std.com Subject: Re: Ghazali on Jihad al-nafs Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: Fouad, Thank you for taking the time to prepare the text you sent out for posting to all of us on Tariqas! much appreciation. Just three questions/comments at this time about this long and very powerful excerpt from the al-Ghazzali text (Ihya ulum-id-din). [interspersed below] in peace, Jinavamsa In a message dated 95-09-28 13:18:50 EDT, you write: >bj: Ghazali on Jihad al-nafs >Date: 95-09-28 13:18:50 EDT >From: f_haddad@unix.asb.com (Fouad Haddad) >Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com >Reply-to: tariqas@world.std.com >To: msa@htm3.ee.queensu.ca >CC: tariqas@world.std.com > >GHAZALI ON JIHAD AL-NAFS [FIGHTING THE EGO] >------------------------------------------- > >Translated from the following parts of <> >[The Revival of the Religious Sciences]: > >a)Definitions at the beginning of the book "Kitab sharh `aja'ib >al-qalb" [Book of the Explanation of the Mysteries of the Heart] >b)Section entitled: "The Soldiers of the Heart" in the same book >c)Section entitled: "Shaytan's domination over the heart through >whispering [al-waswas]" in the same book >d)Section entitled: "Proofs..." from the book "Kitab riadat al-nafs >wa tahdhib al-akhlaq wa mu`alajat amrad al-qalb" [Book of >the training of the ego and the disciplining of manners and the >healing of the heart's diseases] > >a) Meaning of nafs: It has two meanings. First, it means the >powers of anger and sexual appetite in a human being... and this >is the usage mostly found among the people of tasawwuf [sufis], >who take "nafs" as the comprehensive word for all the evil >attributes of a person. That is why they say: one must certainly >do battle with the ego and break it (la budda min mujahadat al-nafs >wa kasriha), as is referred to in the hadith: <`aduwwuka nafsuka al-lati bayna janibayk>> [Your worst enemy is >your nafs which lies between your flanks. Al-`Iraqi says it is >in Bayhaqi on the authority of Ibn `Abbas and its chain of >transmission contains Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Ghazwan, >one of the forgers]. Where can this hadith be found? I have seen it in various texts ... >and about the person who controlled >the passion of his ego God says: "But as for him who feared to >stand before his Lord and restrained his soul from lust, Lo! The >garden will be his home" (79:40-41). What is the sort of fear of the Lord that is relevant here? I know the same language is used in the Old Testament/Tanakh ... > >d) The Prophet (s) said: <ta`at Allah `azza wa jall>> [The fighter against unbelief is he >who fights against his ego in obeying God; Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, >Ibn Hibban, Tabarani, Hakim, etc.]... Sufyan al-Thawri said: "I >never dealt with anything stronger against me than my own ego; it >was one time with me, and one time against me"... Yahya ibn >Mu`adh al-Razi said: "Fight against your ego with the four swords >of training: eat little, sleep little, speak little, and be >patient when people harm you... Then the ego will walk the paths >of obedience, like a fleeing horseman in the field of battle." These words on finding the personal self, the idea of "I" to be the key enemy reminds me of a text by Dharmarakshita, as brought to Tibet by his disciple Atisha (982-1054); it is as a key text in Tibetan Buddhism. What do you think of the parallel --- a refrain that is repeated ongoingly at the end of each stanza of this very long instructive poem is: Trample him, trample him, dance on the head Of this treacherous concept of selfish concern. Tear out the heart of this self-centred butcher Who slaughters our chance to gain final release. (from his The Wheel of Sharp Weapons) > > >Blessings and Peace on the Prophet of Perfection, his Family, and >his Companions > >Fouad Haddad >Naqshbandi-Haqqani Foundation of Ahl al-Sunnat wal-Jama`at > > > >----------------------- Headers -------------------------------- >From tariqas-approval@world.std.com Thu Sep 28 13:18:16 1995 >Return-Path: tariqas-approval@world.std.com >Received: from europe.std.com (europe.std.com [192.74.137.10]) by >emin10.mail.aol.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) with ESMTP id NAA26221; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 >13:18:11 -0400 >Received: from world.std.com by europe.std.com (8.6.12/Spike-8-1.0) > id NAA04063; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 13:09:17 -0400 >Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) > id AA01400; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 13:09:12 -0400 >Received: from UNiX.asb.com by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) > id AA01371; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 13:09:10 -0400 >Received: from sle3.asb.com (sle3.asb.com [165.254.128.73]) by UNiX.asb.com >(8.6.9/8.6.9) with SMTP id NAA24435; Thu, 28 Sep 1995 13:07:50 -0500 >Date: Thu, 28 Sep 1995 13:07:50 -0500 >Message-Id: <199509281807.NAA24435@UNiX.asb.com> >X-Sender: f_haddad@unix.asb.com >Mime-Version: 1.0 >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >To: msa@htm3.ee.queensu.ca >From: f_haddad@unix.asb.com (Fouad Haddad) >Subject: Ghazali on Jihad al-nafs >Cc: tariqas@world.std.com >X-Mailer: >Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com >Precedence: bulk >Reply-To: tariqas@world.std.com From tariqas-approval Fri Sep 29 01:55:21 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA26733; Fri, 29 Sep 1995 06:55:45 -0400 Received: from UNiX.asb.com by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA26707; Fri, 29 Sep 1995 06:55:42 -0400 Received: from sle3.asb.com (sle3.asb.com [165.254.128.73]) by UNiX.asb.com (8.6.9/8.6.9) with SMTP id GAA00139 for ; Fri, 29 Sep 1995 06:55:21 -0500 Date: Fri, 29 Sep 1995 06:55:21 -0500 Message-Id: <199509291155.GAA00139@UNiX.asb.com> X-Sender: f_haddad@unix.asb.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable To: tariqas@world.std.com From: f_haddad@unix.asb.com (Fouad Haddad) Subject: [4] The Prophet's Journey X-Mailer: Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: [4] The Prophet's Journey ------------------------------------- Excerpt from Shaykh Hisham Kabbani's <>, KAZI 1995. The Second Paradise: Dar al-Qarar Then Gabriel ordered the Buraq to take the Prophet to the second Paradise, whose name is Dar al-Qarar, the Abode of Constancy. He then knocked at one of the doors of the Second Paradise. It was made of a heavenly element that has no name in our language. The angel Jarja'il came with one thousand processions of angels who made an even greater and happier music than the angels of the First Paradise. A voice said: - "Who is it?" - "Gabriel." - "Who is accompanying you?" - "Muhammad, the Prophet of Mercy." Then the door was opened. The Prophet saw angels whose faces were like the disk of the sun, riding horses and girded with spiritual swords and lances. The Prophet asked: "O Gabriel! who are these?" Gabriel answered: "These are angels whom God created to support human against devils. Their praising is: Subhana dhil `Izzati wal Jabarut: =91Glory to the Lord of Force and Might,' and they are wearing yellow turbans on their heads. When they praise God their turbans move and radiate a yellow light that supports the light of the sun. They radiate another light also, which makes the devils run away and chases out gossip from the heart of believers." Then the Prophet saw two very handsome men sitting on a throne made of red rubies. He asked: "Who are these?" Gabriel said: "They are your relatives, John and Jesus." Jesus was of a reddish complexion as if he came out of the bath. Then angels came to the Prophet in battalions, greeting him one by one. God extended time in such a way that one second was enough to greet all of the angels and pray with them, for the time of prayer had come. Jesus and John greeted the Prophet farewell, and Gabriel ordered the Buraq to go to the Third Paradise. The Third Paradise: Dar al-Khuld The Prophet moved in space for another five hundred thousand light-years until they reached the third Paradise. It is called Dar al-khuld: the Abode of Eternity. As they approached their destination they heard great voices that thundered all around them. "That is the sound of angels praising their Lord," said Gabriel. As they approached they heard the music of the angels by which everything moves in the orbits of the heavenly worlds. Gabriel stopped at a door made of a pure, burnished heavenly copper, and he knocked. "Who is there?" said a voice behind the door. "Gabriel, bringing Muhammad." "Has he been sent for?" "Yes." And the door was opened. The Prophet entered and he saw an angel who changed from one shape to another in every moment. As he changed, his color changed also. He seemed as one moving in a flash and yet immobile like a moving series of pictures and yet each picture is fixed in its place. Behind the angel the Prophet saw seven hundred thousand angels, all of them moving like the first angel, from one colorful image into another, like countless kaleidoscopes. Their feet reached the seven earths. Their musical praise was: subhan al-hayy al-qayyum al-ladhi la yamut: "Glory to the Living One, the Self-Subsistent who never dies!" The melody of their praise moved the entire heavens to unutterable joy which showered mercy on the earth and its inhabitants. The Prophet asked Gabriel to ask the angel whether human beings could hear that music and if it were possible for them. The angel said: "Anyone who opens his angelic power and connects himself to us will hear that melody and he will receive the reward that we receive for uttering this praise." Then the angel recited: Secret Reality! Angelic heart of light, Kingdom of power, shining in steadfast light,=7F Firm in foundation, in beauty all complete, Its essence descended from Adam's heart enthroned, Just as the All-Merciful descended on His Throne. Essence of angels' light in Adam manifest, And yoked with it Gods' trust fulfilled, The grant He made to all mankind. Here appeared knowledge of God's light Known only to chosen saints who alone can see. Where His knowledge glows imperfection flees And all worldly cares dim and disappear. Here ends and begins the place of drawing near Where the pure ones settled, similar to light upon light. As they moved forward they saw a handsome man before whose beauty everything paled. "This is Joseph, the Prophet," said Gabriel. The Prophet Muhammad approached him and greeted him, and Joseph greeted him back with the best greeting of heaven. Gabriel said: "Out of the beauty of Joseph came the beauty of all human beings. His is the beauty of the full moon, the sun and the stars." Yearning for angelic beauty will melt the hearts of the stone-hearted. The faint-hearted cannot hope to approach its secret, for they will immediately fall under its power and extinguish themselves in it. That is the meaning of the sweetness of painful yearning in love: the approach of beauty in its absence is sweeter still than its embrace and possession. For possession of the beloved entails the satisfaction of the lower self, while to remain in pain because of the beloved is better than comfort and contentment. Behind Joseph the Prophet saw a great human crowd, all of them wearing radiant angelic dresses. The Prophet asked, "Who are these people, O Gabriel?" He answered: "Behind Joseph God created seven hundred thousand posts in Paradise; on each post there are seven hundred thousand red jewels; each jewel contains seven hundred thousand palaces; in every palace there are seven hundred thousand rooms, and in every room there are seven hundred thousand windows. These rooms are inhabited by human beings who carry angelic powers and spend their lives in love of each other and nature. Their hearts are filled with love of Me and devoid of low desires. They pine for Me and I pine for them. Every day these human beings appear at their windows and look at the people of Paradise. From their beauty a great light shines forth, in the same way that the sun appears in the windows of the sky and sheds its light over the people on earth. Then the people of Paradise say: =91Let us run towards the Lovers of God.' As soon as they reach them these Lovers adorn them with all kinds of rainbows and showers of light. They give them a dress made of green silk which symbolizes the qualities of those made perfect and agreeable to God." From tariqas-approval Fri Sep 29 21:02:42 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA00291; Sat, 30 Sep 1995 01:02:44 -0400 Received: from emout06.mail.aol.com by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA00190; Sat, 30 Sep 1995 01:02:43 -0400 Received: by emout06.mail.aol.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) id BAA11112 for tariqas@world.std.com; Sat, 30 Sep 1995 01:02:42 -0400 Date: Sat, 30 Sep 1995 01:02:42 -0400 From: Jinavamsa@aol.com Message-Id: <950930010242_32923460@emout06.mail.aol.com> To: tariqas@world.std.com Subject: The BRSH Rider of Spain Sender: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: tariqas Status: RO X-Status: My question about the BRSH riders of Spain is specific to what Idries Shah wrote, so let me quote: ... they are representative of the humorous poets in gaudy dress, long hair and painted faces who act out certain metaphysical teachings to this day among the Sufis. Sometimes they wrode hobbyhorses, sometimes canes, feigning idiocy as "fools of God." One such dervish stick rider character is interviewed by Rumi in his Mathnawi. This is a connection with the BRSH (bruja = witch) riders of Spain. from pp.251-252 of his The Sufis. 1. Who is the person interviewed by Rumi? where can this be found? 2. bruja, spanish for witch, sorceress, hag, is taken here to be a cognate with the Arabic BRSH, is that his point? What would the Arabic word be here? Is the root BRSH or BRJ? or BRH? thank you for your help here. in peace, Jinavamsa From tariqas-approval Sat Sep 30 21:13:23 1995 Received: by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA20202; Sat, 30 Sep 1995 21:13:23 -0400 Date: Sat, 30 Sep 1995 21:13:23 -0400 Message-Id: <199510010113.AA20202@world.std.com> To: tariqas-approval@world.std.com From: tariqas-approval@world.std.com Subject: BOUNCE tariqas@world.std.com: Message too long (>40000) Status: RO X-Status: >From an525@lafn.org Sat Sep 30 11:12:53 1995 Return-Path: Received: from lafn.org by world.std.com (5.65c/Spike-2.0) id AA20074; Sat, 30 Sep 1995 21:13:06 -0400 Received: by lafn.org id AA20412 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for tariqas@world.std.com); Sat, 30 Sep 1995 18:12:53 -0700 Date: Sat, 30 Sep 1995 18:12:53 -0700 Message-Id: <199510010112.AA20412@lafn.org> From: an525@lafn.org (Ivan Ickovits) To: tariqas@world.std.com Subject: adam(aH) Cc: an525@lafn.org Reply-To: an525@lafn.org Dear friends, Thought you might find this of some interest regarding a kabballistic model or two. This item is part of the Academy of Jerusalem proceedings. If you wish to comment or receive further related material, contact us by email at yrusalem@actcom.co.il WORLD, ADAM AND ADAMAH{*} by Dr. Yitzhak I. Hayutman, Cybernetician and Urban Planner Dean of Research & Development, The Academy of Jerusalem. INTRODUCTION This paper presents the Biblical story of the formation of Adam as the appropriate myth for our times, the age of scientific and technological development, of the population explosion, of the urbanization of humankind, when urbanization is changing the face of the earth, and a time where the whole global ecology is likely to change due to human intervention. The meaning of "appropriate myth" is to present the great wisdom inherent in the Biblical story, wisdom which can guide humankind facing hard decisions. The conventional claim, in view of the great changes of our time, is that the Biblical story is obviousely irrelevant to our times and that we no longer need myths since our lives are guided nowadays by scientific truths. Scientific geology, for instance, shows that the age of the universe is many billions of years and even life on earth are about three and a half billions of years old. In Darwin's time there where public trials about this issue, and even nowadays the US courts are sometimes called to decide which version of the creation of the world should be taught in scholls, the evolutionist or the creationist. Tp my mind, the debate and criticism are irrelevant because they are based on the most simplistic notions of the concept of Time, World, and Humankind, whereas these concepts in the (Hebrew) Biblical story. especially as understood and interpreted in the Jewish tradition of the Midrash and the Kabbalah, are far more sophisticated than those of the disputants from both camps. I shall try to present these three concepts as they are implied from the Jewish tradition in light of the knowledge and reality of our time. TIME One of the superstitions that were adopted as aid for scientific development since "the Enlightenement" and persists almost to the present is that there exists uniform and unidirectional time, from an (almost) infinite past to an infinite future in which the present moment is just an infinitsimal marking point. Research in the history of ideas shows that this type of time is a fairly recent invention and that during most of human history there were other notions of time. Also modern philosophy (e.g. Bergson's) knows much more complex and rich concepts of time. I shall present just one example of the folly of the prevalent concept: Let's say that I want to be "really scientific" and characterise the present instant, I shall thus not say that the year is 1992 for the birth of Jesus (a wrong account in any event) or that it is "tashnab" (or 5752 years) to the account of creation (see below) but, say, that it is the 9,375,192,708th year since "the Big Bang". This account will be absurd not only because it is not possible to give a yearly precision to this hypothetical event, whereas human needs require precision of years, days and minutes - but even because the age of this "Big Bang" is in fact function of the conventional human accounting. This event was "discovered" in a certain year. In the 70's, the age of this event was a certain number of billions of years, whereas almost each year of further astronomic observations adds quite a few millions of years to its age. Thus he who wants to be precise about the age of the universe should relate to "the age of the universe in 1960" versus "the age of the universe in 1980", and the difference will amount to billions of years. One can make many more additions to this paradox. Logically, the physical universe could not have formed dozens of billions of "years" (Hebrew "shanim") ago, from the simple reason that our "year" (shana) is derived from the circling of the earth around the sun, so that no such "years" existed before the sun and earth were formed and the latter's movement stabilized. It is thus possibile to immediately deduct about 2/3 of the purpurted period because of this inner contradiction. If we go on to examine the terms logically, we shall observe that "year" (shana) is a human term which is indeed connected to the circulation of the earth around the sun, but even more with the human proclivity to count one's own years by this natural clock. Animals surely do not count their age, and human counting is an evidence to our seld- consciouseness as persistent entity in spite of one's development and changes as well as awareness of death - of one's personal death and the possibility of the death of one's reference group, the tribe, the culture or even all humankind. Counted time is a human invention which happened in a specific time. Was there time before time was invented? The force of habit and the routine of thought will claim that there obviousely was. I can only ask the reader to repeat asking this seemingly simple question, like a Zen koan, untill (s)he finds, probably with a sense of wonder and even enlightenement - that something basic has changed in his/her mind. If you have never thought about this paradox before, it is fairly certain that this enlightenment will not come at once and that the question may seem ridiculous at first - but I plead with you to repeat and ask untill that new view comes. And when the answer comes, another thing will be realized - that it took time to wander out in questions and to return with an answer. The acquisition of understanding required time, time of effort and wonder. This type of time - connected with question and answer and acquisition of understanding, in other words with development, is an essentially different time from the cyclical time of the yearly seasons or of birth and death of exemplars. Over the generations, hundreds and thousands of systems of counting history were used, be they based on thesome cosmological cyclical system or on an historical consciouseness of some event since which, according to the particular teaching, another kind of human history begins. The great cosmic cycles are bound to lead to despair. The Indian count of Brahma Yugas, for example, is of billions of years, much like the current scientistic account. The result is a pessimistic and fatalistic cosmology which does not indicate a place, time, or reason for human advancement in the world, and the only hope is of a liberation from the world - Nirvana. More optimistic system, like of the "Christian and the Moslem calendar are also disappointing: was the world really already saved some two thousands years ago, as the Christian dogma claims? or does each year since Mohamad left his birth place and his father's house, over forteen centuries ago, in order to propagate the message of Allah, increase the pride of Islam and its hope for a better world? While the 75th anniversary celebrations to the October Revolution certainly showed every observant person that this was an obsolete system with no message for humankind. In addition to the administrative need to mark the date of documents, there is a cultural ned for a counting system that gives meaning to the time we live in; and as I shall try to show, it is "davka" the particular system used officially in the State of Israel which is meaningful and appropriate - even for all humankind. The Hebrew calendar which is used in Israel assumes that almost six thousand years ago happened some event - which we call "the creation of the world" - since which it makes sense to make an account of history. The most basic event from which it is possible to count history is, as hinted above, the very "invention of time". It is only from the moment that time exists that it is also possible to creat history. So, when were history and time invented? As I see it, they begin only when human consciousness is faced with the crucial question which is: what is the meaning and what is the purpose of human existence? In order for this question to be raised and asked, several pre-requisits are needed. There is a need for consciousness of: 1. Personal death (but this is something which Neandarthal man apparently had and perhaps even some animals have). 2. Belonging to humankind, or at least to an inclusive culture. 3. Possibility of demise of this culture. For these, there is a need for a memory which is beyond individual human life. There is a need for a system of script that endures. My claim, to which I shall return later, is that the important type of inscription that humanity does upon the earth is in building houses and cities. People who have built their city with a great pride, and so in it a proof of their own greatness, but then suddenly found remnants of former cities about which no memory endured, these people could have raised the question of the meaning and purpose of collective human endeavor, namely of history. If we accept this script we take the initiaton of historic consciouseness to be the time that cities were built, or rather since cities were built and became ruins were forgotten and then rebuilt. The ancient Jericho, for example, was built about 9000 "years" ago, and got ruined and rebuilt several times. By this historic calendar we can regard as "history" a period of several thousands of years, whereas the periods preceding it would be labelled "prehistory". This has indeed been the accepted concepts for several hundreds of years, and also corresponds to the Hebrew account (and is probably derived from it). It seems that the Biblical story of creation has echoes of this change and is not a mere repetition of the Acadian and Babilonian creation myths. It is told, for example, about Cain that he built a city, and later, according to the Book of Genesis humankind was wiped from the face of the earth (in the flood) and soon after this united again to build a city and a tower, event which even the Lord of the universe deemed significant. It is worth, therefore, to regard the Biblical concept of the process of the creation of a world, namely a concept which is already several thousands years old and to reach a better understanding of the meaning of that "world" which was created then and how it changes throughout history. The story of Genesis, if we observe it carefully, is not "the Story of the Creation of the World", because te word "world" does not appear in it at all. There are there two stories, parallel and seemingly contradictory, and three distinct processes: Creation, Formation and Making, these are different processes which are not neccessarily parallel as regard execution and timing. (A person who executes, i.e. writes a paper today, executes something which might have formed in his mind during years of thinking, which in turn is done on the basis of a nervous system which evolved during millions of "years". Similar arguments abound in the Kabbalah, which regards Creation, Formation and Making as completely different accounts). The first of the two stories emphasises the issue of "the six days" - an orderly progression which leads to the creation of a creature called "Adam". In the second story that "Adam" is already acting and creating and his action is a consition for the Good and the Evil and to the fertility of the living earth - the Adama. The concept of world is called in Hebrew "Olam" and appears with the Jewish sages of the second Temple period, and they distinguish between two types of olam: Olam Haze (This World) versus Olam Haba (Coming World - see below). The world-olam which has formed a few thousands of years ago is, apparently, Olam Haze - This World - which is bound to pass, to be replaced by Olam Haba - the Coming World. The meaning of history, according to out sages of blessed memory, is the passage from another kind of Olam-world. Judaism invests huge efforts in fixing the characteristics of Olam Haba witin Olam Haze. The Shabbat (Sabbath), for example, is considered as "one in sixty of Olam Haba" already within Olam Haze, and the technology used to advance Olam Haba is known as "Halakha" or "Talmud". Tractate Sanhedrin in the Talmud deals with rules of government within Olam Haze and it finishes, as it logically should, with the question of what is the duration of these arrangements, namely, what is the duration of Olam Haze. The answer (Tr. Sanhedrin 97, p.1) is that this Olam endures for six thousand years and is divided into three periods: Two thausand years of "Tohu, chaos or wonder (until Abraham who recognized the Creator and came with an answer to the wonder), Two thousand years of Torah (until the fixing of the Mishna, c. 3rd century CE) and two thausand years the days of the Messiah (from the Misna till the end of Olam Haze). OLAM HAZE What, then, ins this historic world in which we live and which began, according to our sages, about 5750 years ago and which is bound to pass within two hundred and fifty years at most? I sall try to explain its characteristics from its literal meaning and from the philosophical inquiry of the former generation - the theories of Franz Rosenzweig and Martin Buber, distinguished European pilosophers who were, however, steeped in the Jewish tradition. "Olam" ( ) is a word derived from the root "A.L.M" ( ), and a sister word to "Ta'aluma" (mystery). The primal stuff from whic the world was created, formed or made is hiden (ne'elam) from us. The great mystery, as was already argued, is the meaning and purpose of human existence. History is the chronicle of the attempts to solve this mystery. When the mystery is solved, also history will end; or, as we formulated it above, This world - Olam Haze - will pass and Olam haba will come or be in effect. Rosenzweig's Magnum Opus. "The Star of Redemption", presents the Hebrew cosmological scheme in philosophical terms. There is a former world "protocosmos" and there is a future world, that we know not what will its characteristics be, and we live in the cosmic middle age which is, in Jewish tradition, Olam Haze. Rosenzweig describes the transition between the protocosmos and the prevailing cosmos in cultural and psychological criteria, and gives a reasonable image of the future world and of the endeavour to realize it, which he regards as the purpose of Jewish existence{1} The books of Martin Buber, and especially his seminal work "I-and-Thou", allow us, it seems to me, to distinguish with better precision between Olam Haze and Olam Haba, using criteria which are meaningful to the individual and communal life of any educated reader, be (s)he Christian or Jew, religious or secular or even an agnostic. In his "I-and-Thou", Buber distinguishes between two types of human existence which are characterised by two kinds of relationship: "I-Thou" and "I-It". Taking exception to the way Buber's originally German book was translated to Hebrew, I propose that what he calls "it" is what is in Biblical and Modern Hebrew "Ze" to denote "that", and denotes a form of distancing and alienation. From the alienated relationship between self and other or self and environment grows an alienated world. It is possible to point at different types of alienation, and they seem to multiply. Buber was concerned both with alienation between people and the alienation between humans and God, which is, of course, the alienation that concerned the author of Genesis and our sages of blessed memory. "Olam Haze" is precisely that world of alienation from God and from nature, a world where God is hidden. I figure that Buber's greatness and the relevance of is teachings to our time is that he has shown that the other relationsip, the relationship of direct acceptance, a relation of "I-Thou" is essentially no different to different objects and is the same relation to another person, to the world of animals and of plants and also to God who is, in essence, "the Eternal Thou". It is common nowadays to think that alienation is a phenomenon which keeps growing in the present "modern" period, and that in the past people lived in greater amity and mutual belonging. Buber thinks so, as well as the classical sociologists who studied alienation (such as Durkhein, Weber and Marx). In my humble opinion this is not neccessarily so. There exist, for example, alienation between humans and nature which manifests in environmental destruction, and there were past cultures which have degraded their environment more than our culture did (the Roman empire and the Atztec kingdoms for example). Since I regard the God of Israel as the Lord of the universe, I find significance also in the fact that the recognition of the Lord increases through the march of history (since also Islam and a great portion of Christianity believes in essentialy the same One Deity), even though the personal and direct relating is possibly weakening. The most crucial question is perhaps the amount of alienation in inter-human relation and the recognotion of each person as a brother and a "thou". (Many traditional societies which might had an extremely strong inner solidarity probably did not recognize the native of the next village or next valley as a human identical to themselves and certainly not the native of another continent with a different skin color). The real test, in my opinion, to the emergence from the "Olam Haze" state of alienation to "Olam Haba"(world to come) is that each human being receives any other one as "welcome". OLAM HABA The weakness of most utopias and ideologies is that it is easy for them to describe and analyze the shortcomings of this world, but it is difficult to describe the alternative, which is not a simple theoretical and schematic reversal of the faults. Such a description is not very convincing as a theoretical construct and generally fails in attempts to realize it. The deliniation of "Olam Haba" presented here perhaps allows the setting of a more clear and convincing alternative. It is true that the legends of the sages about Olam Haba and even the prophets' descriptions of the end of days, as exciting as they might be, are not so convincing for the contemporary reader. But it is the very basic quality of Olam Haba - precisely that it is the world of the Coming, of that which is palpably present in front of you and is acknowledged, of that which is not alien; it is this quality which is so concrete ("mamash") - this is the very quality of concretness. All the Biblical visions about the end of days are derived from prophecy and revelation, and the phenomena of revelation is the very thing, I believe, which characterized Olam Haba. The revelation of God to humans, the revelation of self to other, namely human intimacy, bodily and spiritual. And a revelation which characterises the revelational system of Olam Haba is, as I see it, the revelation of Adamah to Adam, after the later has possibly already forgotten her existence. Revelation means the possibility of good and profound communication on the basis of interpersonal and intercultural understanding. It feels stronger than the ongoing routine acquaintance, which lacks the thrill of revelation. Understanding is the reaching of the recognition of the similarity and unity which is beyond (the acknowledged) differences and conflicts of Olam Haze/this world, whic is the place where the primal unity and identity have disappeared and each phenomenon seems like a separate entity. The explicit identification of Olam Haba with understanding is made, in Jewish tradition, in the Kabbalah. I sall not enter here into details of Kabbalistic meta-historical schemes (of which several exist), but only mention the most basic distinction in the theory of the Sephirot. The seven lower Sephirot ("the Sephirot of Binyan" - building) are ascribed to Olam Haze{2}, whereas the Sephira above them, the Sephira of Bibah (Understanding), is ascribed to Olam Haba. Bina-understanding is thus a quality of Olam Haba and her penetration into Olam Haze is through the quality of "Tvunah" (the Malkhut of Binah, roughly "intelligence") which aloows to build understandings. The contemporary universe of images gives more respect to technology and physics than to metaphysics, and it is therefore good to indicate the physical phenomena which seem to parallel the state of Binah. I refer to phenomena of synchronization and coherence, especially in laser beams whose light does not diminish with distance, and to superconductivity where energy does not diminish. The cybernetic assertion is that this state parallels, and is probably identical with, the state of cognitive coherence, namely: a state of a system where all the neccessary components can be reproduced within it without further input of information (e.g. a mathematical formula) and therefore hardly requires further energy input. It is true that a coherent domain of understanding requires first input of time and effort in thinking and learning, but when the understandings have been acquired, it is easy to master the domain of understandings and move smoothly from topic to topic. Required is a time of confrontation with different topics which may seem a-priory as unrelated to each other, or even as conflicting - a period of Olam Haze. But following it, when understanding prevails then each topic comes and is derivable from related and self-evident topics - a period of Olam Haba. If we pursue this cognitive interpretation of the formation of Olam Haba, and allow ourselves a small variation - to call the Hebrew word "Mashiah" (Messiah), much as in English, as "Massiah", namely "generator of conversation" - then the scheme of the sages about the process of Olam Haze will fit exactly the notion of building Olam Haba as a world-wide domain of understandings. First there is the stage of Tohu, or of wondering, later a stage of Torah, instruction, in wich guidance is needed; and only then a stage of conversation in which there is autonomic navigation in the domain of knowledge until complete mastery, that is until the passage into the domain of Binah, the domain of Olam Haba where all information comes as if on its own accord without striving and resistance. Who is the learner who needs six thousand years to reach understanding? According to the Biblical story there are six stages in the formation of the world-Olam and in the sixth and final stage appears the creature called Adam{3}. According to what we have posited before, Olam Haze was formed almost six thousand years ago, a state of wondering about the mystery of the meaning of human existence. We shall better understand the process of the penetration of Olam Haba into the alienated world of Tohu, Olam Haze, if we understand the nature of this "Adam". ADAM It is entirely possible that the physical origin of the human race was from the mamals and from creatures like the primates and that the present human race developed from races like the Cro-magnion and Neandarthal during hundreds of thousands of years. To my mind, not this is what interests the author of the Book of Genesis, and the simple-minded devotees of "the Good Book" who have argued, and still argue, with the prevailing scientific theories (which I find also full of lapses and contradictions) are wasting their energy in vain. The Bible heralds, no less that Nitzsche's Zaratustra, the appearance of a new human being, and that is the one called "Adam". This Adam is, in one aspect, all of humankind connected together as a single superorganism. Adam differs from the anthropoids at least to the extent that the ants or the bees differ from mere insects. Biology identifies over a million species of insects, and the potential intelligence of all of them is limited, they are simple automatons. But the anthill or the beehive or the termites as a colective creature is an intelligent being which can learn and develop. The Adam we are discussing already appears in the dawn of the periods of "Olam Haze" as constituent of the civilizations which are developing towards the state of "Olam Haba" which is a stable and enlightened planetary civilization. The image of the anthill and its comparison to the human city may raise objection and worry that the unification of humankind to some man-like giant will lead to uniformity and the loss of human uniqueness. A partial answer to this worry is in a better understanding of the anthill and the removal of its prevalent negative image, as has been done, for instance, by the Biologist Lewis Thomas in his book "Lives of a Cell", one of the classical "New Age" books. The main answer, however, is in understanding the processes of social crystalization and the building of civilization. It is entirely possible, and in fact common, that as society grows, it gives more room for special and unique types. In the Jewish tradition, a big enough city which is worth living in is defined by there being ten "Batlanim" (literally "idle fellows"), namely people who do not have to work for their sustenance and can dedicate their days to the study of the Torah for its own sake. Psychologist A. Maslow, who studied human development to its peak, found that the most well developed humans (those who really merit the name "Adam") and who have the most universal outlook are really the most individualized and unique. Also our sages of blessed memory already recognized that the description of the formation of Adam in Genesis, and making them (sic!) in the image of the creator, was designed to emphasis the significance of the individual person. Therefore they said that whoever saves a single soul it is as if (s)he saved a whole world, and that the greatness of the Lord is in that each child of Adam was minted in God's stamp and formed in God's image, and each child of Adam is different from any other one. The very word "Adam" has a multitude of meanings. Adam means both the individual person and the whole of humankind without any exception. The sages also expounded that the source of the word is from the faculty of imagination: "Adameh le'Elyon" (I shall resemble the High Lord - Isiah 14:14). The human person, and the human species, merit the name "Adam" only when desiring to resemble God and adhering to the divine attributes. One of the marked characteristics of Olam Haze, or of history compared with prehistory, is that there appear people who have the quality of "Adam", model people of renown; and their number increase, let us hope, the more that civilization draws near to Olam Haba. In fact it is the increase of the number of people who merit the name "Adam" which brings the Olam Haba into Olam Haze. The interdependence of human "Yahadut"{4}, both of personal individuality and of the joining together of all humankind, is conceivable in contemporary consciouseness, in which individual and society are often regarded as contradictory and exclusive. The mystery of Yahadut entailed in the word "Adam", which is both a primary cosmic principle and the human individual in utter uniquness, can perhaps be demonstrated visually in a mathematical pattern developed recently. This is the mathematics of fractals as pioneered by Benoit Mandelbrot. There are several books on the market{5} which display the great richness of forms - including detailed landscapes of whole (simulated) "planets". When the equation of the Mandelbrot Set is calculated in a computer which displays the whole pattern graphically, there is derived a figure quite reminiscent of the sitting Buddha, an image well known in Asian art. When concentrating on a small section of the pattern and instructing the computer to calculate it in great resolution - there appears (especially if the section is from the border area of the great figure), we shall get a very complex, and generally very attractive, pattern. Within these, we shall find millions (in fact an infinite number) of figures much like the original "sitting Buddha" figure - but not identical. There is clear "family resemblance, but each one is somehow different. According to the Kabbala, the human being Adam, as well as the whole universe - was created from a basic pattern of "Adam Kadmon" (Primal Adam) which indeed resembles the human figure - "the Image of God" - with its various details. The most common representation of this pattern is "the Tree of the Sephirot" (also called "the Tree of Life") which resembles not the sitting Buddha but the erect human form ("Homo Erectus" in the terminology of the paleontologists to one of the humanoid phenomena). The important principle is that this is not a physical pattern but a balanced system of spiritual attributes. To reach the stature of "Adam" means to reach the development and balance of all these spiritual attributes. The subject of the Kabbalistic human pattern as model for human development justifies many articles and whole books and books are now getting published on it. (The author's thesis (Khayutman, 1981) indicates how most of the paradigms and theoretical constructs used in the social sciences nowadays are degenerate cases of the whole Kabbalistic pattern. This implies that the current scientific description of man and society reaches only "up to the belt", and does not reach "the heart of the whole human person", and certainly not to the brain of this "Adam" which is definitely in the domain of "Olam Haba". () The paleontologist and mystical Christian Teilhard de Chardin tried in his own way to describe the future common brain of humankind, the pruduct of the whole planetary civilization, as a new sphere - the "Noosphere" - which surrounds the Adamah-earth. Also Peter Russel (198x), in his book "The Global Brain" tries to characterize the future humankind. Russel discusses a period in which the number of people upon earth (which is presently increasing alarmingly) to a steady number of about ten billion people (about twice the current number). He too claims that they will all be interconnected via the best computerized communication technoloy, as well as via telepathic connections which at present we find difficult to conceive. The number he quotes, ten to the tenth power{6}, proves for Russel a most wonderful number which constitutes the threshold for the emergence of new levels of complexity in creation. An elementary living cell is made of about this number of atoms. The cortex of the brain where intelligence is supposed to reside is made of about that number of neurons. Russel, as noted, sees in the gathering and conneting of that number of people the formation of "the Global Brain", namely the formation of the new and whole Adam whose thoughts are completely beyond our thoughts, and perhaps all the perenial philosophical questions till now will provide him/her (?) educational games of the kindergarten stage. Russel continues to treat this wonder-number - this is also the number of stars in the galaxy and the expected number of galaxies in the universe. Probably these will provide a vast playground for the Adam of Olam Haba in which we all may have a share. What is interesting for us at the present moment is the convergence between this world view and the Biblical world view. The precondition for any positive vision of the future is the stabilization of human population on earth to avoid total ecological disaster. The optimistic global demographic estimates are, as noted, that humankind will stabilize at about ten billion people and will reach that stable steady-state at about the middle of the twenty-second century C.E. The interesting fact is that this date is precisely the end of the six thousand years period of the Olam Haze accourding to the Jewish calendar. ADAM AND ISRAEL This essay presented a universal outlook derived from the tradition of Israel. But if one studies the concept of man in Jewish tradition may be disappointed to see much Jewish chauvinism mixed with the universal message. Alongside the universal description of Adam sometimes appears the qualifying and seemingly haughty statement: "Adam is Israel", "Israel were called Adam" etc. Add this to the whole dillema of "the Chosen People" which embroils the interrelations of Jews to the other nations of the world, and the seeker of universalism and a "New Age" may perhaps prefer to dissociate himself from any Jewish issue and from Jewish teachings about the redemption of humankind. I feel thus compelled to add a few words in an attempt to resolve this objection. The very fact of upholding the Biblical story which is very important for the destiny of humankind these days, a story which claims that there exists a divine plam to create an enlightened and unified Adam-humankind, gives significance to that human collectivity - first a family, then an assembly of trivbes and then a nation - which is responsible for the preservation of this story and of monotheism and to their world-wide propagation. The Bible makes no idealization of the Peole of Israel - the Patriarches went through trials, the tribes sinned with the Golden Calf immediately after their greatest moment at Mount Sinai, and the people of the kingdoms of Judah and of Israel were chastised by the prophets for their many shortcomings. Also today, the people called Israel are not the paragons of virtue, and perhaps on the contrary, the very "Messianic complex" which we all carry within us makes us have guilt feelings that we are not so good. Our enourmous self-criticism, which is probably unparalleled among the nations of the world, and the blames the nations level at us when they catch us in our failures are in fact a testimony that even today there are expectations, both by ourselves and by the others, to become a model to the world and a light onto the nations, and disappointment when it is not so. Who would at all blame president Assad or Saddam Hussein for not presenting a positive model to the whole world? Against our will, in our very collective identity is entailed a committment for all humankind. The burden is oppressing and hard to carry, just as it is difficult to carry "the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven", and many have have dropped out of it - for if not there would have been as many Jews as there are Chinese. Precisely many of those who dropped out but still carried in them the unique Jewish tradition have greatly influenced humankind. In this century there was a huge influence to the ideas of Marx (who was accused of having "A Talmudic mind"), Freud and Einstein (and I find that the extent of positivity of their influence was in direct relation to their own regard of Judaism). In the time of Herzel there were many (initially Herzel too) who thought that the greatest contribution of Jews to humankind would be through their assimilation. But the hitch is that this contribution is generally that of the first generation to assimilate whereas the second generation loses its distintiveness and is hardly able to contribute to humankind. Te response of Herzel and of Modern Zionism was understood by many Israelis, including intellectuals, as an attempt to become like the other nations, and people made "a case for normalcy". But this is sheer folly. More and more we discover that the situation{7 or providence placed us thus that we cannot survive unless we exemplify through ourselves the building of the new Adam. The first trial of the State of Israel was not in peace with the Arab nations but in the ingathering of the exiled and their absorption. This stage is largely accomplished, and we can look back and recognize innumerable mistakes that were made in the process. But beyond all the many shortcomings, this is a marvelous process which posits the most interesting model for the formation of the new Adam from the many nations and cultures upon the face of the Adamah. The problems in the absorption of the exiles are so many, that perhaps only now one can begin to see the potential model it is for all humankind: if we shall indeed become a model society and have a contribution to make to humankind. There are amongst us many peopple who, precisely because they may want to preserve their unique cultural legacy and not lose it in "the melting pot" will be able to go to "the seventy nations"{8} to speak their languages and walk in their ways. It is quite possible (as was taight by the MaHaRaL and others) that the exile, the ingathering and the redemption are different facets of the same process in which all the nations of the earth will be blessed, as was promised to Abraham (Gen. 12:3 & 22:18). One clear achievement that Zionism has already accomplished is the revival of the use of the Hebrew language. This may seem as a chauvinistic achievement, of the type that limits the possibility of the unification of humankind. But in fact inherent in this is the possibility to amplify our contribution to humankind, not least because knowledge of Hebrew gives us world seniority in understanding the meanings of the Biblical scriptures. In the U.S. "Bible Belt", for example, there are many millions of people who swear in the Bible and the veracity of every word in it, but the snag is that they have never seen anything but a translation which contains a miniscule portion of the immense riches of meaning of the scriptures. The ecological awareness that this essay strives for (see next section) and the Biblical understanding neccessary for it, which the essay aims at, are not available to them. Unless I was writing Hebrew, I would not have hit upon these meanings either. This example is only one of literally millions of contributions that we can make to the world if we get to understand well our heritage, the teachings of the scriptures, the Talmud and the Kabbalah, and to interpret them for the needs of our time - the time of passage from Olam Haze to Olam Haba. ADAM AND ADAMAH The main object here is what meaning do the Hebrew calendar and the Biblical story about Adam have in view of the problems challenging, or about to challenge, humankind as it becomes gathered and joined together. The account in tractate Sanhedrin perhaps does not interest the many who no nothing about the Talmud. I shall move to discuss another parallel account of history, which apparently lies at the base of the six thousand years account in tractate Sanhedrin, but wich is bsed on the Story of Genesis (that any one who reads it in the original and not in translation can find that, like most of the Hebrew Bible, the story of Genesis is not written in past tense but in (prophetic) "inverted future" which indicates a recurring and ongoing process) and on Psalm 90 (the psalms are well known by Christians and even recognized by Moslems). In that psalm Moses, the man of God, describes the creation and the passage from Olam Haze to Olam Haba: "From Olam (world) to Olam Thou art God{9}, Thou . Based on this sentence the interpreters concluded that, at least in matters of the creation of Olam or the passage from Olam to Olam, a "day of the Lord" is like a thousand of our years. This identification is found in many places in the Kabbalah and also in Christian sources (Peter __:__, Augustine). The next step that the Kabbalists take is that each of the six days described in the Book of Genesis refers to a thousand years period. From this we again arrive at an account of a world/Olam for six thousand years, but here it is a more detailed process. Counting as the regular Hebrew calendar we are now in the sixth millenium which is indeed the "day" of the formation of Adam. If we want to scrutinize the dates then with a pedantic assumption of a day as exactly one thousand years this period started in 1240 C.E. became manifest in 1740{10} and will last till 2240. With some effort, one can find meanings in these dates (the year of the appearance of the Book of the Zohar, the beginning of the end of the exclusive reign of the Catholic church, the beginning of the articulation of the world by European colonialism etc.), but perhaps there is no need to be so meticulous. It is quite clear that we are now in a new era which is totally different from former historic times. The greatest change in human history is in the number of humans, in the expansion of humankind to billions, most of them now residing in urban areas whose population reaches millions. The command in Genesis "Multiply and fill the earth and tread her (kivshuha{11})" is realized in the present time when all human places of residence are getting connected by roads (kvishim). Unlike the other animals (apart from the social insects as ants and termites) - the human being does not live in a natural environment but in a man-made environment which is more cultural- symbolic than physical. But the greatest changes yet are the technological changes. Quantitatively, the industrial processes entail the production of immense amount of refuse that not all of which can be recycled. Qualitatively there is a huge advance in means of communications and computation which is building a kind of glovbal nervous system that entail all people and makes them into one civilization, and perhaps, as noted above, even to one super-organism. These changes bring upon both humankind and the Adamah immense perils and opportunities, and it is precisely at this stage that the Biblical story about Adam, the Garden of Eden and the Trees therein, and the expulsion of Adam and the cursing of the Adamah becomes again most significant. We find in the Talmud two versions of the course of that sixth day of the formation of Adam, detailed by the hour. The important point is that according to these two versions, the case of the Tree of Knowledge and the expulsion from the Garden of Eden on the same sixth day. (The Kabbalah also adds that the Adam's missing the mark was by approaching the Tree prematurely. If they only waited till the Sabbath, they would not have been punished, they failed by rushing unprepared). It is also important to note, even if the Hebrew reader is not aware of it, that the story of the formation of Adam in Genesis is not told in past tense! It is written in an "inverted future" tense which can be read as past tense, but not neccessarily. Whether at the time that a book of the Torah was found at the time of King Yoshiyah or nowadays, it is possible to read the text also in future tense. This is a prophetic story about a historical pattern which is getting realized over the years, and the most dramatic passage is still ahead of us in the very near future. The story of Adam may end as a tragic story, or it may have a happy end, and the time of trial is near. We can translate the Biblical story about the cursing of Adam and the cursing of the Adamah because of Adam and find it in the so-called "ecological disaster" caused by human actions. It is the acts of all humankind which lead to the disaster, and to stop the human errors which harm the Adamah, joint decision of all humankind are required. It is not enough that one civilized nation will decide for moral reasons to abstain from whale hunting, when other nations will only jump in on the spoils. Also the production of toxic and harmful materials, like the materials that are suspected to destroy the Ozon layer which tempers the ultraviolet radiation which hits the earth, is a humankind-wide action. Every year we learn about new dangers caused by unbalanced and unaware human actions which may endanger the environment. The solution to these dangers exists, I believe, in the symbols of "The Tree of Knowledge og Good and Evil" and "The Tree of Life". It is clear that the growth of the ecological awareness required gaining additional knowledge, but perhaps this is not the accepted and arbitrary notions of good and bad but another knowledge, a more ecological knowledge which is probably derived from the counsel of the the Tree of Life. The elucudation of the type of awareness which is needed for our times is very pressing and it is probably wrong to enter further technological and industrial developments (such as nuclear reactors) before Adam reaches more consciouseness. According to this approach, the main environmental-ecological challenge is in the development of the Adam to the Adamah. It was already hinted that the consciouseness of Olam Haba is the sale "I-Thou consciousness" discussed by Buber. Another subject that is being studied is that the Adamah is indeed a living creature which the forming humankind-Adam should regard in "I-Thou" relationship. In summary, the Biblical story of Genesis prepares us to the need of such a dialogue. The semantic connection of "Adam" and of "Adamah" is specific to the Hebrew version of the scriptures and points at the possibility that the Adam would spoil the Adamah and their destiny would become cursed. NOTES * Paper appeared originally in Hebrew in Mudaut (Consciouseness) Number 29, June 1988. 1. To the reader who is interested in a summary of Rosenzweig's philosophy and his long book, I would advise to read Shmuel Hugo Bergman's excellent book "Dialogical Philosophy from Kirkgaard to Buber". (The book is in Hebrew though). 2. More specifically, this world - Olam haze - was formed at Genesis by these seven Sephirot (Zohar Gen.) and they relate to the two levels of Olam Haze which are called "The World of Action" (Olam ha'Asiya) and "the World of Formation" (Olam haYetsira). 3. Though in the Kabbalistic interpretation of Genesis, especially in the Kabbalah of the holy ARI, the anthropomorphic pattern of Adam appears as primal pattern before the creation. 4. A neologism which is a legal Hebrew derivation of the abstract noun of the word "Yahad" ( ), meaning "together", and thus "togetherness". This word has clear phonetic association both with "Yahid" (  ) - an individual (though this title is really justified for the Lord "Yehido shel Olam") - and with Yahadut - Judasim. The etymology of the world is also connected with joy. 5. By now there are dozens of books, computer programs and even buttons and posters of fractals, especiallyt of aspects of the Mandelbrot set. There are even special shops for fractal paraphernelia (e.g. "Strange Attractions" in west London). 6. It is interesting to note here the connection to the ten Sephirot of te Kabbalah. It is also noteworthy that some mathematical theories for the great unifying theory for all physical forces and phenomena find need to use ten-dimensional descriptions. 7. In Hebrew "Makom", which is literally "place", but is also one of the Names of the Lord "who is the place of the Olam and the Olam is not His place". 8. A traditional Jewish idiom which means all the nations of the world (that is why when the Children of Jacob/Israel went down to Egypt they numbered 70 (Ex. 1:5), to be the representatives to all humankind. Likewise the Sanhedrin had 70 plus one members. In fact there immigrated to Israel Jews from over 140 countries. 9. The original Biblical divine name there is "El" which means "might" and, literally, "direction towards". This is the appelation that indicates the divine intentionality and directionality that existence is predicated upon, directionality from Olam Haze to Olam Haba. 10. The Jewish account, in following Genesis "and there was evening and there was morning - one day" counts the day as beginning in the evening and thus in an incubation period with the action at the second half, since sunrise. -- q k