From tariqas-digest-approval@europe.std.com Mon Sep 2 08:17:07 1996 Date: Mon, 2 Sep 1996 09:31:43 -0400 (EDT) From: tariqas-digest-approval@europe.std.com Reply-To: tariqas-digest@world.std.com To: tariqas-digest@world.std.com Subject: tariqas-digest V1 #118 tariqas-digest Monday, 2 September 1996 Volume 01 : Number 118 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: BRYAN CONN Date: Sun, 01 Sep 1996 13:50:32 -0400 (EDT) Subject: The Most Beautiful Names (3) Al-Raheem Assalaamu Alaikum Having been troubled by the copyright implications of reproducing excerpts from "The Most Beautiful Names", I have decided to reproduce much less of the material. In the previous two posts I had reproduced a much more significant amount of the actual text from this book, and I felt that I had reproduced so much that it would be a discouragement for those who might otherwise purchase the book. Therefore, by reducing the amount of reproduction, I hope to still provide a benefit to Tariqas members who wish to understand more of the meaning of the 99 Most Beautiful Names of Allah. Let me stress that this reproduction is intended only for private and personal use, and I hope that my excerpts will not be further distributed. My intention is not to broadcast or republish material which I have no right to republish. My intention is only to provide some good to a private audience of friends, of brothers and sisters. I strongly encourage all those interested in these excerpts to purchase the following book from which all the following material is taken: "The Most Beautiful Names" Compiled by Sheikh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti. Threshold Books - Amana Books. _________________________________________________________________________ Bismillah ir-Rahmaan ir-Raheem In the name of Allah, the Beneficient, the Merciful May Allah forgive me for any wrong which I am committing with this post _________________________________________________________________________ _ AR-RAHIM He is the source of infinite mercy and beneficence, who rewards with eternal gifts the ones who use His bounties and beneficence _ for the good. This is mentioned in the Qur'an: wa kana bil- _ _ mu'minina Rahiman "He is compassionate and beneficent [only] to the believers" (33:43). _ Ar-Rahim indicates beneficence toward those who have a will and choice, and who use it according to Allah's will and for His pleasure. When Allah says, "I have created all for you . . . " that is _ the expression of His rahmaniyyah. When we find this bounty hidden in everything, including ourselves, and use it as He wills us, caring for it as it is left to us to do for His sake, we are rewarded with eternal salvation. Allah says, " . . . and I created you _ for Myself." This great honor is the expression of His rahimiyyah. _ Hz. Mujahid (May Allah be Pleased with him) said, "Rahman _ belongs to the people of this world; Rahim belongs to those of the _ _ _ Hereafter." The ones who know pray: ya Rahman ad-dunya wa _ _ _ _ Rahim al-akhirah "O Rahman of the world and Rahim of the _ Hereafter." Rahman is mercy upon the nafs, the worldly being. _ _ Rahim is mercy upon the heart. Rahman gives sustenance in this _ world. Rahim gives eternal salvation in the Hereafter. ________________________________________________________________________ Salaam, Bryan I reached my hand to touch you. You struck it down. "Why are you so harsh with me?" For good reason. But certainly not to keep you away! -Rumi ------------------------------ From: Michael Moore Date: Sun, 01 Sep 1996 11:27:24 -0700 Subject: Honours student Blues Dear Sister Joshi, Joshi wrote: > > At 23:50 31/08/96 -0500, you wrote: > > as salaamu 'alaikum Br Jabriel > I can relate to what you said; I too am at a place in my life where > I often feel that everything I do, no matter what, is futile; I am not > saying that I am depressed; rather, it is just a feeling of ...I feel as if > I am wasting my life here, doing what I am doing [ I am an Honours > student,in Biochemistry]; I often feel that my life as it stands now has > little prupose, that if I should die tomorrow, what will I have to face > Allah[swt] with? Please allow me to speak to you in the tone of a father here. Not because I have any right to do so, or because you have asked, but because after being a father fo 21 years, it is what comes easiest for me. :-) My idea simply put is that you have allowed yourself to be split between a sacred and a secular life. This is so easy to do since we live in a society that separates 'church from state'. We tend to compartmentalize our so called 'spiritual' and 'non-spiritual' lives. The solution? Re-integrate your life. You must see your efforts at Biochemistry as part of you spirituality! :-) Imagine how much greater will be your potential to bring people to belief if you are a believer AND a 'scientist'! The key to this integration is intention. You must INTEND to use the apportunities that Allah(swt) has given you in the service of Allah. Allah tells his people to be 'doers'. Look at the lifes of Muhammad(saws) and the other prophets and the saints. Were they tucked away in some coistered ministary saying prayers and doing dhikr all day? No! They were doers. They were involved in life, learning, studying, observing, teaching and so on. So often young people are in a hurry to jump into the spirituality old men and old women. This is natural because we hold our elders in high esteem. But each age has it's own spirituality tempered with the indivual's 'ability'. So, each time you sit to do your homework say "In the name of Allah .." Each time you enter a classroom say "In the name of Allah..." > In the past year or so especially I have been feeling ...a sense of > alienation from things around me; it is as if I am in a cocoon of my own > often; I lost all desires a long time ago, not just the physical ones, but > even things like money, clothes etc. I feel as if I am neglecting my > spiritual development for this, the dunyawiy part of my life. We must try to see how this is what Allah has given us. The medicine for your malaise is gratitude. Say, "Allah, thank you for this dunya! You have given me this most beautiful dunya, this most perfect dunya! Understand that you are a rocket and Allah has built a launch pad and given you fuel. But now in the middle of the count-down you look out on the ocean and see all the boats that have come to watch you lift off. You think, "there are so many boats and I am one rocket, surely allah intended me to be a boat." > > A br I know > tells me to hang on,and wait for my shaykh, but it can be so hard > sometimes:-) Too, I wonder if I shall ever actually meet him/her, the person > who is meant to guide me to Him. Sometimes I wish to simply get away from > everyone for a while, and to simply go somewhere in isolation and hole up, > read up on all the things I want to read...it is not easy too, living with > non muslims, who hinder your spiritual development. Yes, those pesky non-muslims, always making it so hard for US to be spiritual. ;-) No, no, no ,no no, no, no. PRAISE BE TO ALLAH! Who has surrounded me with hardship, not too difficult, and not to easy. Not only are these non-muslims of great benefit to you, there is the possibility that you may be of exceptional benefit to them. Especially if they hear you always saying "Praise be to Allah" and you are happy because you KNOW that with hardship comes ease! They will want to know she source of your ease. > I really do not know if I am making any sense right now; I am in a > fragmentary state of mind at present. sorry:-) But now you are happy -- true? your angel - -Michael- ------------------------------ From: woodsong@juno.com (Carol Woodsong) Date: Sun, 01 Sep 1996 15:06:57 EDT Subject: Re: Atheism/Existence of God Dear Friends, :) >>Christianity I have been told by many and from my experience, is too >>"easy"..."God" is a man who prayed, fasted, was tempted by the devil... >> and was dead for three days:_) during these three days that he was >>dead, what happened to the world? The world has the /potential/ of change, with the coming of the Christ. To me, Christianity is a very personal experience. It is the experience of /recognizing/ the "Christ Spirit" within. For the Christians i know, Christianity is far from easy. Simple yes... but very, very, /difficult/! :) >The trinity is a subtle concept and in fact even paradoxical. I don't >know if it is fair to look at it so logically. Don't know what 'fair' is , but i think that the truth, (any Truth?) must go /beyond/ logic. I don't think anyone will ever be able to discuss God with mere logic. :) [snip...] >If anything with its emphasis on Love and Surrender the Christian service >is quite movingly Sufistic. I think so too! :) Although we must remember there is much diversity within the Christian faith! (perhaps the Sufi path is just as diverse...?) much love, yondanoota ------------------------------ From: Asim Jalis Date: Sun, 1 Sep 96 17:39:48 CDT Subject: Logic Don't climb down the thought-ladder into the reality-sea, carefully testing the waters with your stubby logic-toes. Let go. Dive in. Now! Just because you can't see the reality-bottom doesn't mean it isn't there. If you could see it you wouldn't surrender-sink to reach it. You've come as close as you could on your fragile unstable self-boat. Now leave the boat. Or sink it with you. The surface of the sea trembles in anticipation as you prepare to dive down for the truth-pearl. Break free from the dead thought-weeds of hesitation and cleverness. Just dive. And go deeper and deeper. Asim ------------------------------ From: malik@uni-muenster.de (Aurangseb Malik) Date: Mon, 02 Sep 96 01:07:27 Subject: a meeting place Asalamoaleikum everyone. I think this mailing list is a real fine thing, but as i am concerned i have the need for more 'interactive' exchange as well. I'd love to talk with people on sufi path, learn and grow, in a world wide web, as i can't share the telepathic one yet :) So my suggestion is to set an online meeting place, on one of the smaller and faster IRCs (Internet Releay Chat Networks) channel #tariqas would be a fine thing, on servers irc.superlink.net, irc2.superlink.net superlink network is especially well designated because there are already open minded 'spiritual' people of various pathes meeting there on channels #bridge and #spirit*home. It would even be possible to schedule teaching events with a Shaykh..... but i am dreaming. IRC is a fascinating media :-) What do you think? Aorangzeb. - --- - --------------------------------------------------------------------- Aurangseb Malik * Josef Beckmann Str. 9 * 48159 Muenster * Germany Phone ++49+251-218236 * email malik@uni-muenster.de to receive my PGP public key mail me with subject 'keyrequest' - --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ From: Gale Date: Sun, 1 Sep 1996 18:09:23 -0700 Subject: re: Paraclete #1 (long) Well, time to report back on the paraclete discussion started earlier. = After my conversations with a biblical scholar (who happened to have = done a study of the paraclete sayings in the Christian scriptures as = part of his dissertation), and some personal research into some other = traditions to be mentioned in another post, i recognize what an = important topic this is for a richer dialogue between Christians and = Muslims. More than simply addressing the Quranic reference to "the = Comforter" (Ahmad) cited by Fariduddein earlier, it touches upon the = deeper understanding of the concept of trinity which is fundamental to = the Christianity in our modern day. So i hope this post brings some = greater clarity to those interested in Muslim-Christian interfaith = dialgoue. In classical Greek, paracletos is used specifically in a forensic, legal = context, meaning "the one called for" or "defending counsel", and in = Latin, when the Romans studied Greek legal texts, paracletos was = translated as advocatus. So in both Greek and Latin, it refers to an = advocate, a lawyer as it were, who represents or counsels you on your = behalf. The Hebrew rendering of paracletos is "paraqlit" and this is found in = Judaic literature of the intertestamental period (approx. 200 BC to the = time of Jesus). Yet here it takes on a more interesting association. = Paraqlit still means one who advocates on another's behalf, but = specifically as an angelic intercessor who also stands in opposition to = Satan. (more on this in a second post)=20 There are five references to paracletos in the Christian scriptures, all = found in the Johannine writings (ie. Gospel of John). In John's Gospel, = they all appear during Jesus's final Last Supper discourse to his = disciples before his arrest and crucifixion. So it is important to = understand the sayings, which concern a promise and prophecy, in the = context that Jesus in the body is about to split the scene. As you read = the Gospel passages, please remember that there will be an = identification made between paracletos and Holy Spirit, and the word = spirit in Greek is masculine. That is why its pronounal form will be he = or him. In John 14:16, it reads: he (ie., the Father) will give you another = paracletos to be with you forever. The Greek is meth umon, meaning "with = you" and this has the connotation of protection. Like if your friend is = about to go into a dangerous neighborhood and you say to hir "i will go = with you". You are joining your friend for hir protection. So that is = the intentional sense of the Greek words. This first suggests that = Jesus's use of paracletos is not a human being because the promise is = that the disciples will receive it and that it will be with them = forever. (one might compare this with the Shi'ite teachings on = Nur-i-Mohammad). =20 Then in the next verse 17, paracletos (Counsellor in English) is = identified with the Spirit of Truth. This sense is lost in the English = translation because of the identifying connective word in the Greek. = The important part of the verse is: you know him (ie. paracletos) for = he dwells with you, and will be in you. In Greek, this is found in the = structure: par umin... in umin, meaning that something externally = present now will become internally present in the future, in a state of = indwelling in one's being.=20 Next is John 14:25-26: "These things I have spoken to you while I am = still with you. But the paracletos, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father = will send in my name, it will teach you all things and bring to your = remembrance all that I have said to you." This is an important verse = for understanding Christian beliefs and convictions about the trinity = and the Gospels. 1) it clearly identifies the paracletos with the Holy = Spirit, 2) there is a clear association made between Jesus and the Holy = Spirit/paracletos, and 3) when the Holy Spirit teachs them (ie. the = disciples), they will remember all that Jesus had said. So this verse = is used by Christians to assure them that the teachings of the apostles = that they have received in their scriptures are genuine and trustworthy. = (notwithstanding later views, including Islam, that the Gospels have = been altered -- but such a discussion is not the purpose of my post). Next verses are John 15:26-27: "But when the paracletos comes, whom I = shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who = proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me; and you also are = witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning." This is a = difficult passage because it reflects a common Greek literary style = called parallelism. And for those familiar with Jewish exegesis of the = Torah, the paradoxical dynamics between two phrases that are both = identified as well as progressions from one state to another in a single = sentence will be recognizable -- like esoteric emanation theory. I = leave this verse to the tariqa list members to meditate upon. But you = will note that we find forensic, legal imagery of bearing witness. Just = as Jesus will be placed on trial by the world and the disciples will = need to serve as witnessing advocates, so will the disciples be placed = on trial and the paracletos will serve as their advocate. All of this = relates to the prophetic mission of bearing witness to the world. Next verse is John 16:7-11: "...it is to your advantage that I go away, = for if I do not go away, the paracletos will not come to you; but if I = go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convince the = world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment: of sin because they = do not believe in me; of righteousness because I go to the Father and = you will see me no more; of judgment because the ruler of this world is = judged." So, unless Jesus splits the scene, being externally present, = there cannot be the internal indwelling for the disciples. This passage = defines a transition to a deeper infusing of transmission from teacher = to disciple, and is paralled in the next verses: John 16:12-14: "I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot = bear them now. When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into = all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever = he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are = to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare = it to you" The parallel transition in this passage is not from the = vantage point of Jesus-paracletos, but from immature disciple to mature = disciple. While Jesus is in the body with them, the disciples "cannot = bear" other things which Jesus would like to relate to them. In = otherwords, they are too immature yet. But the paracletos "will guide = you into all the truth". So Jesus in the body is the teacher of the = first principles, the lesser mysteries, and when the paracletos dwells = within them they will at that time be mature enough to receive the Great = Mysteries. One can compare this with Paul's letter to the Corinthians = pertaining to those spiritually immature who must be fed on milk, and = those spiritually mature who are capable of eating meat. So these are the paraclete sayings of Jesus in the Gospels. But for = their greater significance it is important to read the remainder of = Jesus's discourse which gets into how one knows one is receiving such = indwelling guidance, and how this all relates to Jesus's remarks that he = will know that people are his disciples by whether or not they love one = another. And, for me, that pretty much says it all! So brothers and sisters, there you have it. i'll prepare another post = with some wilder esoteric stuff i've rummaged up. Blessings to you, Nur Jemal PS: by the way Fariduddein, there seems to be no such word as = periklytos. =20 ------------------------------ From: pivotal@inxpress.net (Jabriel Hanafi) Date: Sun, 1 Sep 1996 21:10:34 -0500 (CDT) Subject: Re: Honours student Blues Dear Joshi, I kiss the seperation, the allienation the illusion and all of your trials. What a wonderful thing it is have a shayke to wait for. And what an ardous lesson this whole business of tolerance while hearts eternally ache and the pain is so delicious. What is there is to chopping wood? What is there to carrying water. How to transmute the mundane into the extrodiary. What is this about pea soup. And our greatest teachers all being amonst many other things cooks. I mean real cooks, with real latels, and the simple un dramatic stuff of soup, lentals and peas and then the rich yet overlooked honor of the prayers. Of standing alone before your creator---of the declaration, the witnessing how rich is this and puny our suffering. All there is to do is love without judgement. Lookfor simple words, look for idiots in love, and fools who spend or give everything away before the end of day. Thank you my dear teacher, thank you my new friend. Love to you always. Love. Jabriel - ----------------------------------------- Jabriel Hanafi Pivotal Point Dynamics ------------------------------ From: Gale Date: Sun, 1 Sep 1996 20:04:13 -0700 Subject: Re: a meeting place Aurangazeb, thanks for the post about a chat line. I would appreciate = you giving some further details about IRC for those not familiar with = it. What is required, such as shareware, system requirements, etc? = I've been on Powwow, but that is limited since it requires the use of = Netscape or MS Explorer as browsers, and doesn't serve Macs. Only PCs. = (unless this has been changed during the past 3 months). Thanks, Nur ------------------------------ From: pathway@dnet.net (John Womack) Date: Sun, 1 Sep 1996 23:47:55 -0500 Subject: Sabri Brothers, Details Thanks to all who responded to my question about the Sabri Brothers; I will have to attend their performance! Also, sorry to have not included the details of the performance for those who asked,and which follow: "The Sabri Brothers, a popular Pakistani musical performance group, will bring its mystical tones of Qawwali, the devotional music of the Sufi sect of Islam, to UNCA at 8 p.m. Oct. 30. Qawwali comes froma 1,000-year-old oral tradition of the Indian subcontinent. The Sabri Brothers includes a solo vocalist, a five-member chorus, harmonium and percussion. The concert will be held in UNCA's Lipinsky Auditorium. General admission is $12." The quote is from the Franklin (NC) Press, Friday August 30, 1996. UNCA is the University of North Carolina at Asheville. John. ------------------------------ From: Asim Jalis Date: Mon, 2 Sep 96 01:16:39 CDT Subject: The Book There is a problem I have been working on for some time, which is this: how to organize lists and tables of information. There are: a list of books that I want to read, a list of groups that I want to join, a set of rules on how to prepare for a run, a set of rules on how to control one's mind, a list of things I can cook, and so on. The essense of the problem: how to allocate space in a book for finite categories within which all information could be classified and yet remain flexible and efficient. Finally the answer occurred to me in the bookstore a few days ago. This will either seem really brilliant or really stupid. This is the scheme that I am following. I bought an address book so it has a page for each letter of the alphabet. And then I put my lists/tables under a category on the page that has the letter of a possible name for the category. Like on "B" I have the list of books that I want to read. On "G" I have the list of groups that I want to join. And so on. Finally, on the first page I have a table that contains the mapping between the letters and the categories. Asim ------------------------------ From: Asim Jalis Date: Mon, 2 Sep 96 01:56:10 CDT Subject: Evolution and God I read the following story on the Jewish parenting newsgroup. One of people on the newsgroup was trying to teach his son about God from a young age. So he would play a game with him in the car. He would ask him who made the sun, who made the sky, who made him. And the answer to all these things would be: God. Or he would ask, who had made the boy's sandwich, and the answer would be: his mother. One day as they went through the game he asked him who had made the New York subway. The boy immediately said God, since he couldn't imagine something so huge and complex not being made by God. But in a way the boy was right. God did make the New York subway. As he made the internet. I hope we all agree that the coincidence of an internet arising from some dumb diodes and telephone lines is simply too remarkable to be mere chance. Asim ------------------------------ From: Zainuddin Ismail Date: Mon, 2 Sep 1996 21:31:10 +0800 (SGT) Subject: re: Paraclete #1 (long) Salamu 'alaikum w.w. whoever you are.There are a few things which I feel should be understood about the prophecies of Jesus .Firstly it is Christian belief that Jesus a.s was strengthened by the Holy Ghost which he gave up according to the Bible when he was on the cross.So it could not be that he was referring to the coming of the Holy Ghost at some future date when it was already present.Secondly earlier Sects believed in the coming of a human being who is the Paraclete or whatever name is used by Jesus whether quoted in the Bible or twisted because of the vagaries of time etc.Thirdly then comes Al Amin As Sadiq the Honest and Truthful One who claims clearly that he is the one prophesied by Jesus.This is the man who was born in the full blazing light of history who had the moral and spiritual character to be the fulfilment and who corrects the distortion of Christianity about Jesus long before the first Unitarians of modern Christianity came into the picture.And if you want to go into the detailed research that Benjamin Keldani D.D.Bishop of Uremia did before he converted into Islam that would really be something.But even before anything else Deuteronomy's prophecy of Muhammad coming from Paran and with 10,000 saints is repeated in the Song of Solomon which describes the beloved with raven-black hair and with ruddy complexion and again with the 10,000 companions.And remember when Muhammad re-entered Mecca and conquered it in the most bloodless conquest in history , he was accompanied with the 10,000 saints and all the while he was praying ,with head hung low in Submission to Allah Almighty.And if you were to go further into the original Hebrew in the Song of Solomon you will find his name in Hebrew form of Muhammadim shortly after the opening words of Ya Banat Yereshalam O Daughters of Jerusalem...... O Allah let there be your chosen choicest blessings upon your Beloved and our Beloved Muhammad Al-Mustafa as many times as there are atoms in the universe and as as many times as they are created and recreated infinitely.Aameen. Postscript: .... the Gospel of Barnabas which is closer to the style of the Dead Sea Scrolls than the four gospels actually quotes the words of Jesus about the coming of Muhammad s.aw. At 18:09 9/1/96 -0700, you wrote: >Well, time to report back on the paraclete discussion started earlier. After my conversations with a biblical scholar (who happened to have done a study of the paraclete sayings in the Christian scriptures as part of his dissertation), and some personal research into some other traditions to be mentioned in another post, i recognize what an important topic this is for a richer dialogue between Christians and Muslims. More than simply addressing the Quranic reference to "the Comforter" (Ahmad) cited by Fariduddein earlier, it touches upon the deeper understanding of the concept of trinity which is fundamental to the Christianity in our modern day. So i hope this post brings some greater clarity to those interested in Muslim-Christian interfaith dialgoue. > >In classical Greek, paracletos is used specifically in a forensic, legal context, meaning "the one called for" or "defending counsel", and in Latin, when the Romans studied Greek legal texts, paracletos was translated as advocatus. So in both Greek and Latin, it refers to an advocate, a lawyer as it were, who represents or counsels you on your behalf. > >The Hebrew rendering of paracletos is "paraqlit" and this is found in Judaic literature of the intertestamental period (approx. 200 BC to the time of Jesus). Yet here it takes on a more interesting association. Paraqlit still means one who advocates on another's behalf, but specifically as an angelic intercessor who also stands in opposition to Satan. (more on this in a second post) > >There are five references to paracletos in the Christian scriptures, all found in the Johannine writings (ie. Gospel of John). In John's Gospel, they all appear during Jesus's final Last Supper discourse to his disciples before his arrest and crucifixion. So it is important to understand the sayings, which concern a promise and prophecy, in the context that Jesus in the body is about to split the scene. As you read the Gospel passages, please remember that there will be an identification made between paracletos and Holy Spirit, and the word spirit in Greek is masculine. That is why its pronounal form will be he or him. > >In John 14:16, it reads: he (ie., the Father) will give you another paracletos to be with you forever. The Greek is meth umon, meaning "with you" and this has the connotation of protection. Like if your friend is about to go into a dangerous neighborhood and you say to hir "i will go with you". You are joining your friend for hir protection. So that is the intentional sense of the Greek words. This first suggests that Jesus's use of paracletos is not a human being because the promise is that the disciples will receive it and that it will be with them forever. (one might compare this with the Shi'ite teachings on Nur-i-Mohammad). > >Then in the next verse 17, paracletos (Counsellor in English) is identified with the Spirit of Truth. This sense is lost in the English translation because of the identifying connective word in the Greek. The important part of the verse is: you know him (ie. paracletos) for he dwells with you, and will be in you. In Greek, this is found in the structure: par umin... in umin, meaning that something externally present now will become internally present in the future, in a state of indwelling in one's being. > >Next is John 14:25-26: "These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the paracletos, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, it will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." This is an important verse for understanding Christian beliefs and convictions about the trinity and the Gospels. 1) it clearly identifies the paracletos with the Holy Spirit, 2) there is a clear association made between Jesus and the Holy Spirit/paracletos, and 3) when the Holy Spirit teachs them (ie. the disciples), they will remember all that Jesus had said. So this verse is used by Christians to assure them that the teachings of the apostles that they have received in their scriptures are genuine and trustworthy. (notwithstanding later views, including Islam, that the Gospels have been altered -- but such a discussion is not the purpose of my post). > >Next verses are John 15:26-27: "But when the paracletos comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me; and you also are witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning." This is a difficult passage because it reflects a common Greek literary style called parallelism. And for those familiar with Jewish exegesis of the Torah, the paradoxical dynamics between two phrases that are both identified as well as progressions from one state to another in a single sentence will be recognizable -- like esoteric emanation theory. I leave this verse to the tariqa list members to meditate upon. But you will note that we find forensic, legal imagery of bearing witness. Just as Jesus will be placed on trial by the world and the disciples will need to serve as witnessing advocates, so will the disciples be placed on trial and the paracletos will serve as their advocate. All of this relates to the prophetic mission of bearing witness to the world. > >Next verse is John 16:7-11: "...it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the paracletos will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment: of sin because they do not believe in me; of righteousness because I go to the Father and you will see me no more; of judgment because the ruler of this world is judged." So, unless Jesus splits the scene, being externally present, there cannot be the internal indwelling for the disciples. This passage defines a transition to a deeper infusing of transmission from teacher to disciple, and is paralled in the next verses: > >John 16:12-14: "I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you" The parallel transition in this passage is not from the vantage point of Jesus-paracletos, but from immature disciple to mature disciple. While Jesus is in the body with them, the disciples "cannot bear" other things which Jesus would like to relate to them. In otherwords, they are too immature yet. But the paracletos "will guide you into all the truth". So Jesus in the body is the teacher of the first principles, the lesser mysteries, and when the paracletos dwells within them they will at that time be mature enough to receive the Great Mysteries. One can compare this with Paul's letter to the Corinthians pertaining to those spiritually immature who must be fed on milk, and those spiritually mature who are capable of eating meat. > >So these are the paraclete sayings of Jesus in the Gospels. But for their greater significance it is important to read the remainder of Jesus's discourse which gets into how one knows one is receiving such indwelling guidance, and how this all relates to Jesus's remarks that he will know that people are his disciples by whether or not they love one another. And, for me, that pretty much says it all! > >So brothers and sisters, there you have it. i'll prepare another post with some wilder esoteric stuff i've rummaged up. > >Blessings to you, > >Nur Jemal > >PS: by the way Fariduddein, there seems to be no such word as periklytos. > > > > > > ------------------------------ End of tariqas-digest V1 #118 *****************************