Introduction to Sufism

by Ibrahim Spiegel

What is sufism?

It is a path to Allah through the heart, and the way through the heart is Love.

The sufi opens his hands to the universe
and gives away each instant, free.
Unlike someone who begs on the street for money to survive,
a dervish begs to give you his life.*

Sufism is not a religion but a discipline that adjusts to the needs of the individual, the time and the place. Sufism is like the story of the blind men who discover an unknown animal and proceed to identify it. One feels it's hide and says, "It is like a rhino." Another feels a section and says, "It has wings." The third says, "It must be a large snake." An elephant is difficult to describe if you only look at the parts.

Sufism is for those who seek a deeper understanding of Life, for those who ask the hard questions: Who am I? Why am I here? What is life and death? Why is there suffering?

It thrives for many reasons in Islam, (which I will explain later) and uses the world and Life itself as the Reality check to get feedback whether your lessons are being learned and applied, and so that the lessons can be grounded and taught.

It is through everyday experiences that deeper understanding occurs, and if these experiences are understood in their widest context then an awareness begins to form: It is all from Allah, therefore everything has a purpose.

When I mention the name Allah, I am referring to God. God the Creator, who has no gender, who has no beginning, no end, Who exists everywhere in everything, and who is Greater than you can imagine.

The methods of teaching in Sufism are contradictory because how can you standardize something that adapts and needs to be flexible?

It is this nature of sufism that makes it impossible to define except for how it applies to this moment. The goal has always been the same: friendship and Unity with Allah.

But how can you be friends with the ultimate source of life, the Creator, the Maker of Universes and destroyer of Stars? The one who has always existed, and makes black holes and roses?

You become close to Allah by getting your self out of the way, because Allah is closer than your jugular vein. By separating the connection you already possess from the monkey suit you're wearing you can know Allah's Light. There's a scene in the movie Cocoon where a young alien woman takes off her skin and there she truly is- a being of pure light. That is very much the same thing here.

The connection to Allah is your heart, and it is aching to be re-united with its homeland. It is not the stars, it is not flying saucers, All is in this Present Moment. When you stop thinking about the past and future, you come into the Present, and Here is where Allah lives.

In Sufism the freeway to Allah is called Surrender. In Arabic, the word Surrender is Islam. One who surrenders is a Muslim. There should be no compulsion in any aspect of the teachings. Motivation must come from within the individual.

One of the beautiful things about Islam is that it keeps letting us know that Allah is Merciful and Compassionate. Every chapter but one in the Koran begins Bismillah rRahman nirRahim- In the name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate. As a Jew growing up with the Torah, and trying to understand this Deity who is angry, jealous, and smiteful, to hear with my ears and heart that everything Allah does is actually out of Love, mercy, compassion, and forgiving was a medicine for existential confusion.

What is Surrender? Surrender is letting go. It means to identify the attachments and habits we have made during our life so far, and determine with our intelligence if they have any good purpose. Surrender is understanding that there is no power other than Allah's power. We say "La illaha ilallah" - There is no god but Allah. And what is Allah? Allah has, for a beginning, 99 names of aspects manifested in the created world. To know these names is to understand some of the attributes of Allah, like Rahman, Rahim, Wadud, Sabur, Hayy.

A dervish tries to be aware of Allah at all times, in all situations. This is called Remembrance - Zikr. Zikr is done internally and externally. In sufism this is also done individually and in a group ceremony. A zikr is a sufi ritual where the names of Allah are chanted, with Ilahis - songs about Allah and the prophet Mohammed (saws), and the founders of the order, and other prophets. A sohbet is a more informal social gathering where seekers come to discuss Allah and the teachings of the Tariqat- the school of sufism. By continually repeating the names of Allah, we are constantly reminded that we are witnessing a miraculous event that we have been invited to be a part of - Life. By bringing into our awareness the beautiful and compassionate aspects of Allah, we partake of these parallel natures, just as if we were to walk in a garden of roses, our clothes and hair would also be imbedded with this sweet smell. However if we were to walk through stables or pig sties, we would leave with that odor upon us. Fortunately, we have a choice.

After observing Americans and myself for 40 years, and being a musician and composer, I think it is safe to say that music is a big part of our culture. We love the drums, the beat, love songs. We have music players in our cars, on our heads, in stores, restaurrants, pumped to outside and around malls, elevators, TV, movies, videos, and job sites. In sufism music is thought of as a powerful force, maybe more powerful than you think. And so, if you were going to take up the study of sufism (or music), I would probably tell you to stop listening to music for a while. Why? Because to really listen, you have to be quiet inside. How do you get quiet inside? By stopping the mental chatter. How do you stop the mental chatter? Ahhh- that is the crux of things, isn't it? It is about catching up to the present moment, so that you are not in the past nor the future. If you are thinking about cleaning the bathtub or doing your taxes and listening to a string quartet at the same time, you may hear the instruments. They will affect you. It will most likely be a pleasant and relaxing moment, but what a waste of ear power. Most of us have not learned how to really listen, and that is a big part of understanding sufism.

Everything going on around you is having an emotional, physical, psychological, and spiritual affect upon your being. But because of the material emphasis in this culture, we have learned to tune out the subtle disturbances and eddies around us. This has made us something of illiterates of the invisible world. Sufism is a way to help us become more literate in the essence of things going on around us. The more you can be aware of these affects, the more choices you have in interacting with the world. To be more aware of these continuous impacts of the senses, you need to get out of the way of your self to be able to see this bombardment. Each impact, in its own way, is having an affect on you.

Imagine going on a very long trip, and then returning home, say after 3 years. When you go in your home, it would seem different, you would see everything a little more objectively, details would be clearer because you are more detached from the emotional connections you once had. Now if you took that same approach, and were able to take a vacation from your self for a while, you would realize that you thought you knew what was going on around you, but the truth is that you really had no idea how much you were being controlled by external forces. You think you are in control, but you are actually carrying messages from: your mother, your father, your brother, your sister, your teachers, the weather, the last relationship, your values, your desires, your guilt, your pride, your ambition, your past, your mistakes, your successes, the last 150 commercials, the last 150 movies, the last songs and musics you heard but didn't listen to... All have imbedded messages within you, and you have no idea what a kitchen of warring stews you have brewing inside.

We are back to surrender again. How? To become aware of these packets of data coming at you from everywhere, you have to give up your idea of controlling these impacts. You have to give up the idea of knowing that you know what's going on. You have to surrender the mistaken idea that you are in charge. You have to give up your power. You have to give up your idea of being right and wrong. If you really want true peace of mind, surrender is the only way that you can achieve contentment.

Has anyone ever gone surfing- body, board, or otherwise? The present is like that wave- it is in continuous motion, an unrelenting wave of Being No one is able to stop it. No one can control it. But you can ride it. The same with being present. You can't stop the Present. But by relaxing, the present becomes more tangible, more visible. Then you can take care of your own responsibilities, the ones you do have under your command, and recognize and let go of the things and people you can't change.

Let's say that you feel you are ready to begin spiritual work. You want to find out who you really are, and you know you need help, so you seek a tacher.

When you present yourself before a Sufi teacher, you are saying that you are incomplete and need help. You open yourself to criticism, which Americans find quite troublesome to accept. I am learning that people from other countries have their own problems relating to spiritual teachers. But in America, aren't we the land of individuals, and don't we have the right to do what we want without hurting others? In sufism, the ground level starting point is that we have forgotten who we are by accumulating and managing a false "i", and that this "individualism" is a tiny little aspect of a much larger being. Our job is to help you reconnect with this.

This issue of trust of a spiritual guide is difficult for many people. It also brings up problems of family, respect, self-esteem, and past errors of putting faith in someone who failed or misused that trust.

There is a sequence of popular thought that surrender means to give up everything you have to a religious teacher, and then be taken advantage of. This so-called "religious teacher" then gets to drive around in big cars and may ask you for money, sex, power, or even to commit suicide. In sufism, and in any true path, this is absolutely forbidden. First, there are ethical behaviors that a teacher must follow or be discharged from that discipline. Second, the true teacher is only a guide, one whose job is to help you get to the destination. The teacher is not the destination. The teacher has a map, has been there and back, knows the route, and has been appointed to help others interested in getting to the destination. The guide was taught by a guide, and who must report and be responsible to his/her superior.

One of the traps concomitant to spiritual disciplines is the kind and degree of teachers. In sufism, the path is well marked out, and the mapping has been taking place over thousands of years. There is a level one reaches, through Allah's mercy, grace, and a lot of hard work, known as the fourth level. It is a resting place, and the heart comes to a kind of contentment and peace. Miracles and blessings and inner teachings have been revealed, and the recipient thinks they know the Truth, and that it is time to go out and Teach. However, without a proper instructor, this is the kind of teacher that can cause a great deal of damage because they have not totally surrendered, and still keep hidden pockets of Nafs that are invisible to them, and which can be activated unconsciously, inflicting harm on others. This station (maqam) is where they think they no longer need a teacher. However, in sufism, this area is well known, and it is the time of greatest need for a teacher, someone to kick their butt and tell them exactly where they are. These are the channelers, gurus, self-styled spiritual counselors and psychics.

I mentioned the word Nafs. In sufism, there is a distinction made between Allah's essence, and the physical, animal presence within each of us. This dichotomy is the soil where we make choices of what and if we wish to grow. I spoke earlier that we are an impacted history of embedded data packets. Nafs is this total accumulation of miscellaneous and unsifted stuff we sometimes call "personality", sometimes "ego". From a shaykh's point of view, we see the soul that first comes to us as an empty lot that has weeds, garbage, trash, trees, and various appliances lying around in different states of use and abuse. Maybe there's some fruit trees, maybe there are things that work, but the first thing to do is to assess the damage and inventory the stock. You can think of that trashed lot as Nafs. Over the years we have come to think that the kids who play in that lot know what's what, and we should let our feelings go, and anyway, that's "just who I am". Another way of looking at it, is that Nafs thinks it is god. We've worked hard getting this heap to work just right for us. We should honor our creaking appliances and keep our tape machines spinning out their same messages. They say, "I am god I am god. Like this person, hate that one. Money is good. Money is bad. When you say this I do that...You make me so happy. You make me angry..." You know, it's the continuos loop of messages you say to yourself everyday. Generally, these messages are just below the level of conscious hearing.

As Sufis, we use inculcation, or the conscious repetition of the names of Allah to erase these messages and substitute more positive and useful ones like when we say "Laillaha ilallah" we say: "My Nafs is not god, there is no other god but Allah. You are not going to control me, Nafs, I surrender to Allah. I don't want to be pieces of authoritarian junk, I want to be one with the One who created all this. I don't want to identify with things and ideas stuck in the world of continuous change, I put my heart with the Unchanging, Life-giving One who is the Source of Love and Light."

How do our Nafs feel about this sudden change of affection and attention? Like little children, the Nafs feels neglected and begins to whine, then yell, then make funny little deals, excuses, rationalizations and accusations. Sometimes it sounds like this, "Don't listen to him. He doesn't know what he's talking about. I'm hungry, My feet hurt. I want some ice cream. I shouldn't be in this relationship. He's a man- what does he know? This sufism sounds like mystical hogwash. There is no god. I think god is dead, or perhaps on vacation. I don't need god. God needs me to be believed in. I wonder what color pants I should buy?"

When your thoughts are all centered around you, there is no escape. You have created an imaginary universe peopled by shadows of your self. All your actions and thoughts are for your self, which will never be truly satisfied. There can be no true satisfaction because there is no outside source of sustenance. Since the source is always your self, you become mal-nourished, dis-eased. Even the lowliest life-form has to continue striving for nutrition from outside itself. So the beginnings of maturity mean to look outside yourself for Truth, Life, Understanding. To imagine that you have power and control is, in sufism, the larval stage of a human being. A human being begins when it realizes that it actually has no true power or control of its own, but is totally dependent on something deeper, greater, more powerful than anything the human can glimpse in its imagination. To recognize that all things are connected, related and bound together immutably, precisely, and beautifully is to begin to become a human being.

That is the struggle that goes on between the Nafs, and the Light of Allah within you. Those wild children playing in the empty lot with strange appliances, not liking the idea that you are going to clean it up and change things is like the story of the river in the desert. A cloud was passing by, and the river asked the cloud what it had seen. The cloud responded, "Oh, it's beautiful up here. I just passed over the ocean and what a glorious vision it is!" "Really?" said the river, "I am so tired of getting nowhere. I would so much like to be a river that flows into the ocean." "Not a problem," Said the cloud, "I can help you with that. You just give yourself up to me and I will take you over the desert, and put you into the hills, and there you'll be!" "You mean give up what I am? But how do I know I'll be me if I become a cloud like you?" "Well," said the cloud, "I guess that's a chance you'll have to take."

Look, Fish

I saw the Friend clearly, and I stopped reading
books and memorizing poems.
I quit going to church, and I quit fasting
to be a better person.
I quit worrying about when I should be praying.
I saw how I was undisciplined and toxic.
I saw how lovely and strong.
No mercy for the drunk, a full sentence!

Let the beautiful one come out in fine clothes.
Wind his hair into God's rope. Twist the braids
into a cross for Christians to see.
His light is better than the sun's. How could he
have gotten so withered and weak?
Now he jokes and pounds the table. He was wine under a lid,
Joseph at the bottom of the well.
Know yourself in the light of the true ones,
as the ground sees is face in a garden,.
as rock knows its own secret
put next to a ruby,
iron next to polished steel.
Comes into existence.

Flies go round to every pile of dung and finally
out of that compost the Anya bird, the true man.
When a person is born of this new moment,
it does not wear off tomorrow.
Sit with lovers and be useful. Don't wander away.
Look fish, at the ocean behind you.
Go back where you came from, sea creature.

You hear the sound of water and you know where you want to be.
Why wait? You've gone places you regret going,
for money and such. Don't do that again.
Water says, Live here.
Don't carry me around in buckets and pans.

False duties! Rest and be quiet.

*Open Secret - versions of Rumi by John Moyne and Coleman Barks

suf wool, woolly; a hair cloth used by penitents in the early days of Islam

sufiy- wise, pious

sufi- woolen

safa- purity

safi- pure

623 AD 45 men of Mecca took oath of fidelity to the doctrines of the prophet (saws) and formed a community of property and to perform daily religious practices.

They added the title of fakir because of renouncing attractions of this world, because Mohammed said (saws) "Al fakru fakhri" - poverty is my glory.

During Mohammed's life, Abu Bakr (1st Khalifa) and Ali (4th Khalifa) established zikrs.

Also, some say sufism :

was sown in the time of Adam
germinated in the time of Noah
Budded in the time of Abraham
Developed in the time of Moses
Matured in the time of Jesus
produced pure wine in the time of Mohammed