Physical Exercise

Sufis take the point of view that there is a purpose to every part of creation, including the fact that we have bodies.

There is a story, when Bodhidharma, the sixth Zen Patriarch, arrived at the Shaolin Temple in China to teach, he found that the monks did not have the energy and stamina to stay awake through the daily lectures and meditation sessions.

Bodhidharma solved this problem by teaching the Shaolin monks a series of physical and energetic exercises that helped the monks to sustain the energy needed for their development.

Sufis have always known that transformation cannot take place unless the student is able to raise his/her energy level past a critical threshold. This is why we read of "dervish exercises" so often in the classical literature, and why Sufis are often associated with such institutions as the Zurkhaneh of Iran.

The Qadiri Rifai Sufi Order has two programs to help the student develop and maintain the necessary physical health and energy for spiritual development.

Shaykh Taner has created a video program called The Sufi Way Of Health And Wellness that is sutible for all fitness levels. It is based on the intergration of breath, structure, and movement. You can find out more about it at our store.

The Qadiri Rifai Sufi Order also trains interested students in the art of Silat Zulfikari, the martial art created by Shaykh Taner Ansari to carry the teachings of the Tariqa through balanced development in the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of the person.

The fundamentals of this art derive from a meeting of Indonesian martial traditions with Central Asian spirituality. Silat Zulfikari has practices useful for all ages and physical conditions that promote health and well being.

The Qadiri Rifai dervish exercises as taught through The Sufi Way of Health and Wellness, and Silat Zulfikari promote heath, well being, and will increase physical, mental, and spiritual energy. The exercises also teach chivalry and nobility of character.

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