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Shaykh Taner AnsariA Biography of Es-Seyyid Es-Shaykh Taner Mustafa Ansari Tarsusi er-Rifai el-Qadiri 
Shaykh Taner Ansari was born in Tarsus, Turkey, to a devout Muslim family of Seyyids, descendants of Prophet Muhammad. He completed his university studies in Michigan, where he helped found the Muslim Students Association of the United States and Canada. He was initiated into the Qadiri Rifai Sufi Order in Istanbul under Shaykh Muhyiddin Ansari, from whom he received his license to teach Sufism; his spiritual lineage also includes the Naqshbandi, Mevlevi, and Bektashi orders. Shaykh Taner accepted leadership of the Islamic Sufi Order of Qadiri Rifai Tariqa of the Americas after the passing of Shaykh Muhyiddin's successor, Shaykh Nuruddin Ozal. He teaches Sufism throughout the United States and abroad. Shaykh Taner's book on Sufism, The Sun Will Rise in the West: The Holy Trail (Ansari Publications, October 2000), is written specifically for the Western reader. He regularly publishes articles on spiritual topics and writes books on Sufism. He resides in California, where he teaches privately and holds regular public lectures and congregational zikr.
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The specialty of the human being, what is the peculiarity, what is the characteristic of human being? Why is human being different from the other creations? There are several reasons, but one aspect of human being that is important, is "Aql", which means your sensible judgment, your brain and your capacity to know which includes you ability to know what is right and what is wrong. In order to know what is right and what is wrong you have to see. In order to see you need light. So one of the things that's very important, the most important thing really, is light. "Allah is the light of the heavens and earth." Allah says in 'Surat an-Nur' Chapter 24 in Qur'an Kerim. Light is very important because without light you don't see, when you don't see you cannot make a judgment - which way you are going, which way is right and which way is wrong. Age of Light |
