From tariqas-digest-approval@europe.std.com Mon Oct 7 22:11:58 1996 Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1996 21:05:57 -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 #167 tariqas-digest Saturday, 28 September 1996 Volume 01 : Number 167 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: James McCaig Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1996 15:39:46 -0400 Subject: Re: from the field (longish) At 02:21 PM 9/28/96 -0500, you wrote: >as-salaau 'alaykum, > >In the late 1960's I was travelling in Northern India in the United >Provinces and Uttar Pradesh. I was at the time following the teaching of >Hazrat Inayat Khan and Pir Vilayat Khan Do you mean to say you were following Pir Vilayat's interpretation of his father's teaching? They were obviously not teaching together. at whose behest I found myself in >Bodh Gaya doing Buddhist Meditations. An interesting story. Do you mean that Pir sent you to Bodh Gaya? On what sort of mission, if we may know? > >I was also, of course that being the nature of the heterodoxy I was then >involved with, sitting in my room doing various Wadhifa given to me by the >Pir. The source of these Wadhifa was a green bound book that Murshid Sam >Lewis has presented me with from the Mentorgarden library. Also interesting. Now we hear from all the groups inspired by the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan. Sufi Movement............Inayat Khan Sufi Islamic Ruhaniat Society........Murshid Sam Lewis Sufi Order.........Pir Vilayat >At the time I was having some doubts about the efficacy of the practices >that the Pir had set me. I felt confused (but that could have been India as >well) by the switches from the Wadhifa practice and the Buddhist meditation >and some Angelic visualisations that I had been given. Yes, Pir, I'm told went to India for his spiritual training and did not take his inspiration from the survivors and successors of Hazrat Inayat Khan. It would be interesting to hear about "angelic visualizations". What is involved? >One night we were speaking about the Prophets and Messengers, blessings and >peace be upon them all, and he began to speak about the pre-eternal >exiatence of the Prophet Muhammad, blessings of Allah and peace be upon >him. Please explain the meaning of "pre" eternity. Does eternity have a beginning and end in your view? > >In the light of questions which have arisen following me earlier posting, >"Sufi Words Naturally" I was reminded of what al-Husayn said at the time >and, since I have recorded many of the conversations I have had with >Masters over the years (and I believe oops, there's that believe word again >that al-Husayn was a Master and very >typically quite hidden). I will share some of what he said with other >readers in the hope it may help to shed some light on the unicity of the >Prophet, blessings of Allah and peace be upon him and the beginnings of >Islam in the time before time was. When was that? > >al-Husayn spoke first of what he called the column of light {'amuud an-nur} >which was the form of the light took when it had issued forth from the face >of Allah So Allah has a face? Does he have a beard like Santy Claus? when in pre-eternity before Adam was between the clay and the >water He had willed to create Muhammad, blessings and peace of Allah be >upon them both. This light which is the collective cohesive luminosity of >the universe was composed of millions upon millions of tiny seeds that were >souls destined to be from the nation of the Prophet, and, he added, we do >not discriminate between any of the Prophets and ask the blessings of Allah >and peace upon each and every one of them and their number is 124,000 and Is there a list? Could we receive the first 20,000 or so (off the Tariqas list of course)? >Allah knows best. These tiny seeds whirled in that column of light in >incessant hymning and praise of that which had brought them forth and which >they witnessed directly. This hymning and praise is the prefiguration of >all of the Prophets. In timeless time there was within the column a fusion >of the light and the amalgam of that fusion resulted in what is called the >clay of divine might {tinu-l-'izzah} from which Adam was formed. From this >clay shaped in to the form of man and into which was blown the breath of >the Spirit {ar-ruh} was drawn the seekers of Allah {muridun} and from the >residue of the un-coalesced light of Muhammad, the light of divine might >{nuru-l-'izzah} was drawn those who are sought by Allah {muradun}. From >that was left the fire of divine might {naru-l-'izzah} and from that were >made the energy beings {al-jinn} and there yet remained the spirit of the >divine might {ruhu-l-'izza} and from that came the angelic beings >{al-mala'ikah}. What, exactly, was al Husayn growing in his Indian garden? Are we to understand that you adopted these beliefs on the spot? > >These were brought together to witness in their seed state to the Truth >{al-Haqq} of the Creator and the creation and of the four, three were sent >into the world to bear witness through and by their own free choice as to >the Eternal Truth. They are the Jinn, the Muridun and the Muradun. The >angels alone, composed of the residue of the pure spirit of light, remained >with Allah and continued in their praise and adoration then, now and >always, Having a little trouble tracking this. Was this during eternity, pre-eternity or (if there is such a thing and please elaborate) post-eternity. >and in perfect and absolute obedience carried out all that they >were, are and will be ordered. > >He said, "This then is where we come from and this then is the true nature >of our task upon earth which is nothing less that the remembrance of our >pre-eternal state and the restoration upon earth of our pre-eternal >adoration of and worship of Allah. If you understand this my friend you >will have understood the kernel of the meaning and purpose of life, why we >are here, who we are and what precisely is our task. Do you hereby profess to understand this? >"I tell you this so that you will know from the beginning where we stand >lest you be one of the unfortunate ones who say on the Day of Resurrection. >"We were heedless." {7:172} > >"Having clarified where we stand and from whence we come, now let me say this. > >"As regards your teacher and his father and what they seem to have wrought >between them, for this is of them and not of the Way of the Chishtiyyah, >which I know. You should know that if it serves to bring people to the >Reality of which we have spoken then this is a good thing. If however in >any way it deflects them from that Reality it is a thing cursed to >inevitable failure and cursed are those who follow it. Why cursed? You must have been relieved to drop your beliefs and pick up this fellow's so you would not be cursed. Smart move. > >"They are not cursed by an external curse but they are cursed by their own >manner of choice. They know, as all souls do, the Truth. The only question >is how to come to the remembrance of what you knew before you were who >you are or seem to be. Please explain the difference between the various kinds of curses. Dammit and such are familiar, but internal and choice curses are not. Are there thousands of curses or just these two? > >"It is only in order that people might have the Way to remember the Truth >of their being that the Message has been transmitted from the Reality via >the obedient being of the spirit of divine light, Jibra'il, peace be upon >him. From the beginning of time Meaning after pre-eternity? to the very present the Message has been >sent forth into the world to the Muradun who are those the 124,000? Could it be 123,000? raised up by Allah >in order to call the people to Allah and deliver them from the darkness of >heedlessness and forgetfulness of their true nature. >This call takes two forms. In one form it is the initiation into knowledge >of the Divine Essence and its Attributes and this is called the Prophecy of >Instruction {nubuwwatu-l-ta'rif}. > >"The second form is the Prophecy of the Law {nubuwwat at-tashri} which >includes the first and in addition is given a mission of regeneration, >renewal, and revivification which is brought about by the restoration of >the Divine Command whereby people are given the means of living in accord >with a system or a form or a law, or a pathway {shari'ah} designed by the >Creator to facilitate their remembrance of their task and thus be able to >return to worship in its pure and original form. Now this is becoming a little confusing. Was Moses among the 124,000? Why didn't he mention the Shari'ah? Christ? Buddha? Was the Shari'ah intended to be flexible or subject to interpretation by paid judges of the time? > >"Thus of the 124,000 prophets {anbiya} there are those who roused and >awakened, cautioned and warned, counselled and advised but were not charged >with issuing the Command and were not sent to a particular people for a >particular purpose. Such we call a Nabi. Then there were those who were >under the Command {amr} and whose task was to rouse and awaken, caution and >warn, advise and counsel certain people or tribes or towns of cities or >nations and these we call Nabi-mursal or Messenger Prophets and of them we >know the specific names of twenty five. Then there are those charged with >issuing the Command and in addition to rousing and awakening, cautioning >and warning, advising and counselling they lay down the Law {shari'ah} by >which whole generations and ultimately the world itself is given to know >the perfect means and way to live in order that they might facilitate the >remembrance of their original task and thus be able to return to worship in >its pure and original form. These are called the Nabi-rasul or Prophets >bearing a Message and of these we know of five specifically by name, though >again we make no distinction between them. Of the five there is one charged >with sealing and thus completing all that came before and he is called >Khatimi-i-nabbiyin or the Seal of the Prophets and he is Muhammad, >blessings of Allah and peace be upon, and still we make no distinction >between them knowing that all of them are formed of the same light brought >forth in pre-eternity. After the Seal there is no prophet for the Message >and the Means is perfected and completed and is for all the people of all >the worlds for he was and is and will be the Mercy to the Worlds. > >This message is found in the Qur'an when Allah says, "This day I have >pefected your religion for you and completed My favor to you and chosen >Islam (voluntary self-surrender) for you."(5:3) Boy, Allah says it more succinctly than the gardener. > >"After him there come his beloved followers who are the chosen friends of >Allah {awliya' allah} and each of these pure and uncorrupted {salih} ones >follows completely and obediently in the Way and each true wali is the >equivalent and the like of a nabi of old and each in their way attests and >carries out the Prophecy of Instruction {nubuwwatu-l-ta'rif} and the proof >of their truth is that each attests to the Prophecy of the Law >{nubuwwatu-t-tashri} which is finally sealed and com-plete though ever >unfinished and constantly being revealed. > >"Thus my friend it is by this you may know if your teacher and his father >are true teachers or false. No doubt that cleared it up for you. >If they are true they are of the blessed but if >they are false they are cursed and they have cursed themselves and all who >follow them by following their own desires imagining them to be the order >of Allah. > >"As for the Chishtiyyah their ranks are filled with the friends of Allah >and they were Muslims one and all and of that there can be and is no doubt. >I myself am an aspirant to sufism from the Naqshbandi school. We disagree >on some issues with the Chishtiyyah insofar as they incline more to the >teachings of the great wali of Andalus, Ibn Arabi whose theory of Wahdat >al-Wujud or the Oneness of Being and Unity of Existence we see more in >terms of what was transmitted by Simnani and Sirhindi as Wahdat ash->Shuhud >or the Oneness of Witnessing. That indeed is the teaching followed in the >Mujaddidi branch of the Naqshbandiyyah to which I am linked. However, we >are all Muslims and since there is, we are told by Allah, "No compulsion in >religion." {2:256} we each see what see from our different perspectives but >when the call to prayer is sounded we stand shoulder to shoulder and when >the holy month of fasting commences we happily and joyously break our fast >together and when we meet in Makkah at the time of the pilgrimage we greet >each other with love and though we are poor ourselves it is always a >pleasure and our duty to be able to give to those who have less and if we >hear that somewhere there is oppression we struggle side-by-side with them >against that evil. > >al-Husayn's explanationin BodhGaya was a great opening for meand began to >open my perspective to how the timeless {conditionally speaking of course} >existence of the Prophet, blessings of Allah and peace be upon him. I am >sorry if this is a bit long but it sometimes takes a little space to unfold >understanding. Not at all, brother, this post makes it easier to understand you. I, for one, will leave you to your beliefs and it is my fond hope that you will excuse anyone who does not accept this view in the future. Hope it may prove useful to some other soul{s}. > >wa salaam > >A. N. Durkee >Green Mountain > > > 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: Well333@turbonet.com (Jacquie Weller) Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1996 14:21:45 +0100 Subject: Re: Dear Amy Since I have been called a liar (indirectly of course), I have to confess that my Dog does not say huuuu. She looks at me with beautiful brown eyes, and I imagine she says this. I imagine she loves me and God loves us all and that she is my Sheikh because she shows such unconditional love. To the person that wrote about the cat and dog, I apologize. I did not think anyone would take me seriously. I am wondering if we are striving to understand, to be peaceful or what. I have dear friends here and would not want to be able to communicate, but is remaining on tariqas as important to me anymore. I know this is probably a temporary feeling on my mind. But I don't know either. Love a friend of the sufi. Kaffea Lalla - ----------- Well after a little thought I think I have been foolish again. This is a great group of most interesting friends. Just cause the kitchen gets a little hot and people need to get stuff off their chests does not mean I have to be a baby about it. I think someone says lively debate can be good, and it can. I am pretty thin skinned and stubborn sometimes. Kaffea Lalla ------------------------------ From: Imaan Joshi Date: Sun, 29 Sep 1996 05:23:48 +0800 Subject: Re: Sufism and bay'at At 23:52 28/09/96 +0800, you wrote: >Salam.Will you be interested in meeting Sh.Hisham ? We are arranging his >stay and programme in Singapore on or around the 12 OCT 96.Here is a poem >for you from my heart,maybe it is right down from my elusive Ego. Insh'Allah...whihc is not to say he might be my shaykh...alahu 'alam. But yes, I would like that, Insh'Allah. Thank you for the poem:-) > >"The dog, the cat they know your secret >Have you seen the sadness in their eyes >They have that secret beat >They know your living lie > >The dog, the cat, they gave you the knowing look >It's planned by the The Guide above >You have done some wrong, >See how He guides, this is True Love > >The dog, the cat, Nature's Muslims >They dont have to say "Hu" >Their every atom rings true and true >But what have you done to you? > >When all of life is known for being khayal >Iman Joshi will have crossed >Into the Barzakh into the light >Not there , but here in Life's Mosque !" > > > >At 22:03 9/28/96 +0800, you wrote: >>At 03:33 28/09/96 -0400, you wrote: >> >> and I await as always, the murshid who is for me, the man or woman >>who is meant to be my guide. >> >> >> > > > ------------------------------ From: Imaan Joshi Date: Sun, 29 Sep 1996 05:23:49 +0800 Subject: Re: Sorry, another Post At 21:34 28/09/96 +0400, you wrote: as salaamu 'alaikum Br Rashid Thank you for your mail:-) wasalaam. ------------------------------ From: Craig Johannsen Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1996 14:36:21 -0700 Subject: A Poem I hold a golden fruit before my face. The sunlight glistens on its rough surface. Forgive me if I peel that rough bit off And throw it into the garden Where it will nourish the new plants. Forgive me if I enjoy the sweet taste Of the inner fruit too much And dare at times to say that I am that fruit. Forgive me if I dare to refine the juice of that fruit And make it into my own intoxicating concoction. It is not really my concoction. I'm following a very old recipe Given to me by another drunkard. In a dream he told me to bathe in this wine And I will find in it an endless truth. ------------------------------ From: woodsong@juno.com (Carol Woodsong) Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1996 17:47:44 EDT Subject: love "Allah is All, and the love is the thread that connects All Life into a tapestry of Glory." ------------------------------ From: saghi@juno.com (Parichehr S Kooshesh) Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1996 18:15:09 EDT Subject: Re: sufi words naturally On Sat, 28 Sep 1996 13:24:22 EDT woodsong@juno.com (Carol Woodsong) writes: >Hello Zainuddin! :) > >>Salam.Sufis when intoxicated are truly strange. > >Intoxicated with Love/God/Allah? Isn't that our 'natural' state? Most >sufis i know are truly strange most all the time! :) I mean that in >the sense that they are 'different' than the 'norm'.... they look at >things with a different perspective. >>Witness Mansur HallaJ >>who when intoxicated and forget his own self and said "ANA'L HAQQ " >"I AM THE ABSOLUTE" When he said this, do you think it is right/correct? I have read some of his poetry..and it is nice..but he never says such a heretic saying in it.. but I do know he did say this..If he was such a great sufi..ect..then shouldn't he at all times remember God? be humble..ect..how can this act truely be out of Remembering God? SOme say he said this out of a state of pure intoxication..of what? alchohol? because I doubt that such a state would occur iwth the state of Loving/Remembering..God.. I do'nt understand..and I am not trying to sound offensive. O Lord, Please increase my knowledge! (from Quran,..don't know where sorri) - -------- Pari yes... forgot his self... what a Beautiful place to BE! :) > >Ali Haydar is also God. He told me so. And i believe him. :) He also >told me that there is no other... it is not for me to say, "Ali >Haydar is God"... it is that "I AM God". There is only One of us. :) >... but this i do not have direct experience of .... yet! :) > >>and yet when he remembers himself he is the picture of >orthodoxy,doing >>all the obligatory and non-obligatory forms of worship.And the same >with >>Rumi who was deeply religious and followed the Laws of God like a >true >>servant.In their love they serve Him and they want to bring all of >humanity to >>the Love of God. > >"I and my Father are One." The words of Jesus of Nazareth. And Jesus >washed the feet of His disciples. To be God, i think, is to realize >that ALL is God. > >>It is most telling that upon his death thousands of Jews and >>Christians became Muslims."SAY:IF YOU LOVE GOD , FOLLOW MY WAY , GOD >>WILL MANIFEST HIS LOVE FOR YOU AND FORGIVE YOUR SINS" So if you love >the >>greatest Sufi ever,follow his ways.If you love God , follow His >Laws.But please >>dont prance around boasting that one is a Muslim , follow His Laws >out of >>Love and Humility.Smugness and pride cannot exist with humility and >>Sufism.Intentionally hurting a person is worse than breaking the >>Ka'bah.It is worse than adultery.I remember his words to 'Umar: >"Gently Umar >>,gently" >>"Whoever has an atom of pride in his eyes, will never enter Paradise" > > >thank you for these beautiful words.. :) > >and peace, >carol ------------------------------ From: Imaan Joshi Date: Sun, 29 Sep 1996 06:29:56 +0800 Subject: Limits as salaamu 'alaikum In the "Conference of the Birds", Farid ud Din Attar writes, wrt the spiritual journey: "What happened as they flew I cannot say, But if you journey on that narrow Way, Then you will act as they once did and know The miseries they had to undergo." In the "Darqawi Way" Shaykh ad Darqawi says: My brothers the affair belongs to Allah and to no one else. Whatever Allah wills, is. Whatever He does not will, is not. What happens to you should not make you turbid. This is absolutely imperative. What befalls you is none other than what has befallen our masters who had greater worth with Allah than us and others. They are the prophets[as], the awliya[ra]. My brothers and people of my love, all of you, if something befell us that had not befallen them, it would make us troubled, anxious, sorrowful, alarmed and fearful. What befalls us has only befallen them, so we rejoice, are happy and expanded. Harm departs from us. Allah is the authority for what we say. Shaykh Rumi: Do not give your hand to any but *the* shaykh, for his hand alone is backed by Allah[swt]. Where there is pain, the cure will come. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am in pain:-) I await the cure, Insh'Allah. " So Truly, with every difficulty there is relief; Truly with every difficulty there is relief."[94: 5,6] ------------------------------ From: Jinavamsa@aol.com Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1996 19:27:45 -0400 Subject: Re: sufi words naturally hello Simon and Maharaj James and all, more below ... [I copy some of the dialogue here. those familiar may skip down below them] In a message dated 96-09-27 10:53:53 EDT, you write: >From: sbryquer@ix.netcom.com (Simon Bryquer) >To: tariqas@europe.std.com >Mr.McCaig--- >You've obviously repeated this often and it is also obvious that you >don't really understand what Rumi means here. This is the poem that is >always quoted by people like yourself to reinforce their position that >Sufism exist outside of Islam and I might add it is still yours and >their illusion. But it is your life and if you insist and are not even >aware of this illusion -- so be it. There is really nothing more say in >case like this -- time might or might not tell, for your sake I hope it >does. And no matter how you slice it -- Rumi was a Muslim and was a >Muslim everyday of his life. One more word you are not Rumi. >Salaams to one and all ---- >Simon >James McCaig wrote: >> At 10:12 PM 9/26/96 -0500, you wrote: >> >and if you say rumi, of if you say al-hallaj or if you say shaykh >> al-akbar, >> >may Allah sanctify their secret, you say the life of those who knew >> just >> >that and did just that from the beginning to the end. >> Ah Rumi, his scripture is the easiest for me to understand of the >> written >> ones. But what of the only true scripture, the living scripture that >> is >> nature and all creation. Do we need a book to see the Beloved? >> >> Even our fact filled, albeit somewhat windy brother would agree that >> Rumi >> was and is Sufi. Here's what Rumi had to say about his religious >> affiliation: >> What is to be done O Moslems? for I do not recognize myself >> I am neither Christian, nor Jew, nor Gabr, nor Moslem. >> I am not of the East, nor of the West, nor of the land, nor of the >> sea; <<<<<<<<>>>>>>>> >> My place is the Placeless, my trace is the Traceless; >> 'Tis neither body nor soul, for I belong to the soul of the Beloved >> Jallalludin 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 in peace. returning to a computer that gets email downloaded ... I believe that this issue has been discussed before here at tariqas (and elsewhere, we all may be sure!). There is a level of experience beyond religious tradition, in which we can understand the statement that one is neither Muslim nor Christian nor Buddhist nor ... and yet accept that on another level the person who is expressing such an experience in words may well see herself (or himself) as [even devoutly] this or that. A background issue that seems to come up sporadically at tariqas is based on these two senses. Is there any reason not to accept that the term Sufi may be understood on one level as being *roughly* equivalent to "Islamic mysticism" (not putting too much weight on the term mysticism here) and on another, as more like beyond-categories-loving-experience or some such? Just a thought and a proposal. So long as we know which focus the writer or speaker has in mind, is there any cause for confusion or argumentation? We never argue about whether the word light, for example, "really" means little in weight and *not really* little in darkness (or vice versa) -- as soon as we know the frame of reference and contrasts the speaker has in mind, all is clear. in peace to all, Jinavamsa ------------------------------ From: "Ivan J. Rumi" Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1996 08:21:40 +0600 (GMT+0600) Subject: Re: sufi words naturally > >>Rumi was a Muslim and was a > >>Muslim everyday of his life. > Seeing as I'm in a hurry, I will only take the time to point out that, to my > understanding, Rumi left Afghanistan (of course, it wasn't Afghanistan then) > as a child or young man (around age 12), with his family, fearing the Mongol > invasion (not muslims). Hi My friends ! I'm wondering why do you care about Rumi's religion...Christian..Muslims...it doesn't matter. We are all brothers..and I think that God is only one but people gave him too many names. Sincerely Ivan +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ = T H E D R E A M S I W O U L D D A R E... W A T C H M E F L Y = +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ ------------------------------ From: James McCaig Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1996 20:47:43 -0400 Subject: A,N. Durkee Dear Brothers and Sisters, I wish to apologize to Mr. Durkee for being unduly harsh and cynical in my discourse with him. Please understand that I have no doubt about the depth and seriousness of his beliefs and though we may disagree from time to time, I greatly admire him for the breadth of his study, which is apparent. I send him and you my love 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: Gale Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1996 18:04:58 -0700 Subject: Moral Theology of Satan The following is actually taken from an essay by Thomas Merton regarding = *born again* Christians, but my experience finds it equally true of = *born again* Muslims (and *born again* Sufis for that matter) and *born = again* New Agers at the other end of the pendulum of sclerosed = fundamentalist thinking -- or should i say *fooled again*! I have taken = the liberty to juxtapose some of the Judeo-Christian terminology with = the Islamic equivalent in keeping with our theme.=20 Blessings to all Nur *************************************** ... the devotional life of those who are *faithful* to this kind of = theology consists above all in an obsession with evil. As if there were = not already enough evils in the world, they multiply prohibitions and = make rules, binding everything with thorns, so that a person may not = escape evil and punishment. For they would have hir bleed from morning = to night, though even with so much blood there is no forgiveness of = sin... Not love but punishment is the fulfillment of the shariah. The = shariah must devour everything, even God. Such is this theology of = punishment, hatred and revenge. One who would live by such a dogma must = rejoice in punishment. One may, indeed, successfully evade punishment = hirself by *playing ball* with the shariah and Allah as the Lawgiver. = But s/he must take good care that others do not avoid suffering. S/he = must occupy hir mind with their present and future punishment. The = shariah must triumph. There must be no mercy. This is the chief mark of the theology of hell, for in hell there is = everything but mercy. That is why Allah is absent from hell. Mercy is = the manifestation of God's presence. The theology of Satan is for those who, for one reason or another, = whether because they are perfect, or because they hvae come to an = agreement with the shariah, no longer need any mercy. With them (O grim = joy!), Allah is *satisfied*. So too is Satan. It is quite an = achievement to please everybody! The people who listen to this sort of thing, and absorb it, and enjoy = it, develop a notion of the spiritual life which is a kind of hypnosis = of evil. The concepts of sin, suffering, damnation, punishment, the = justice of Allah, retribution, and so on, are things over which they = smack their lips with unspeakable pleasure. Perhaps this is because they = derive a deep, subconscious comfort from the thought that many other = people will fall into hell which they themselves are going to escape. = And how do they know they are going to escape it? They cannot give any = definite reason except for the fact that they feel a certain sense of = relief at the thought that all this punishment is prepared for = practically everyone but themselves. This feeling of complacency is = what they refer to as *faith* and it constitutes a kind conviction that = they are among the *promised*. It sometimes happens that some who preach most vehemently about evil and = the punishment of evil, so that they seem to have practically nothing = else on their minds except sin, are really unconscious haters of others. = They think the world does not appreciate them, and this is their way of = getting even. Another characteristic of Satan's moral theology is the exaggeration of = all distinctions between this and that, good and evil, right and wrong. = These distinctions become irreducible divisions. No longer is there any = sense that we might all perhaps be more or less at fault, and that we = might be expected to take upon our shoulders the wrongs of others by = forgiveness, acceptance, patient understanding and love, and thus help = one another to find the truth. On the contrary, in Satan's theology, the = important thing is to be absolutely right and to prove that everybody = else is absolutely wrong. This does not exactly make for peace and unity = among humanity, because it means that everyone wants to be absolutely = right hirself and attach hirself to another who is absolutely right. And = in order to prove their rightness, they have to punish and eliminate = those who are wrong. Those who are wrong, in turn, convinced that they = are right... and so on and so on. Finally, as might be expected, the moral theology of Satan grants an = altogether unusual amonnt of importance to Satan. Indeed, one soon comes = to find out that Satan is the very center of the whole system. That he = is behind everything. That he is moving everybody in the world except = ourselves. That he is out to bet even with us. And that there is every = chance of his doing so because it now appears, his power is equal to = that of Allah, or even perhaps superior to it... In one word, the = theology of Satan is purely and simply that Satan is god. ------------------------------ End of tariqas-digest V1 #167 *****************************