A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Fadhlullah Khayri said, “I asked the late Shaykh Muzhaffar, the Sufi master of the Khalwati-Jirrahi Order of Turkey, as to what happened after the almost complete destruction of the Sufi orders in Turkey by Kamal Ataturk.   He paused, smiled and said, ‘You look upon it as destruction.  We look upon it as slightly excessive grooming.’  Then he continued, ‘It is like chopping a grapevine to the ground.  If he had chopped a little, the branches would have grown only a few meters away, but because he cut the whole grapevine to the ground, it will now grow all over the place.  It is only a matter of time.’”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Muzhaffar Uzak al-Jirrahi ( q.s. ) said, “Leave everything and cleave to love!   Turn your heart from all else; feel love in your whole being!   Take love as your guide to the land of being so that you may reach the True Beloved, enter the Paradise of God’s Essence, behold the Beauty of the Friend, gather the roses of the garden of Union.   In the way of love, the lover sacrifices himself but finds the dear one.   All the saints who have drunk of the wine of love have sacrificed themselves thus in the way of love.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Muzhaffar Uzak al-Jirrahi ( q.s. ) said, “What is absolutely certain is the truth that spiritual love is incomparably higher in degree than material love.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Muzhaffar Uzak al-Jirrahi ( q.s. ) related that Jesus ( a.s. ), saw a young man, one day, watering the garden and he greeted him with peace.  The young man recognised Jesus ( a.s. ) and said, “O Messenger of God!  Pray for me to the Almighty that He may Grant as my portion, one atom of His Love.”   Jesus ( a.s. ) replied, “Know for sure that you could not bear as much as the one atom of God’s Love you so desire.”   But the young man insisted, “In that case, let Him Grant me just half an atom of His Love.”   Jesus ( a.s. ), the Spirit of God, Raised his hands once in supplication to the Divine Unity: “O Lord!  Bestow upon this youth just half an atom of Your Love.”  Then he went on his way.   Sometime later, Jesus ( a.s. ) passed that way again; he could not see the young man who had begged him for just half an atom of God’s Love, so he asked where he was.  They said, “O Prophet of God! ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is a story by Shaykh Muzhaffar Uzak al-Jirrahi ( q.s. ), from his book, “Adornment of Hearts”.  He related this story word for word as he heard it from his own teacher, who was present on the occasion.   A qadhi , magistrate, was once appointed to the town of Sivas, and the local dignitaries went to bid him welcome.  In the course of the friendly gathering, conversation turned to the question of affiliation to various Sufi orders.  Some of those present said they were Rifa’iyyah , some Khalwatiyyah , some Naqshbandiyyah , and others Mawlawiyyah .   This discussion left the qadhi laughing cynically, for he did not believe in the Sufi path.  When everyone had stated his affiliation, the new magistrate decided to make fun of his host by claiming to be a Baktashi.  They were all at a loss to understand how a graduate of a formal academy could have become a Baktashi, but politeness restrained their c...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيم   This is an excerpt adapted from “ Irshad : Wisdom of a Sufi Master”, by Shaykh Muzhaffar Uzak al-Jirrahi ( q.s. ).   This is related by Sayyidina Anas ibn Malik ( r.a. ), “One day, in the house of Abu Ayyub, we were sitting together in the company of our Master, the blessed Messenger of Allah ( s.a.w. ).   Suddenly, we heard a very ugly voice calling from outside.   ‘O Messenger of Allah, have I your permission to enter?’   Our Master ( s.a.w. ) asked us, ‘Do you recognise that voice?’   When we replied, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best,’ our Master ( s.a.w. ) said, ‘That is the voice of Shaythan .’   ‘Umar got up and said, “O Messenger of Allah, by your leave, let me go and smash the deceiver’s skull.   Let me deliver the people from his mischief.’   But our Master ( s.a.w. ) told him, “It is not within your power to do so, ‘Umar, for he has been given respite until the Resurrection. ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Robert Frager Raghib al-Jirrahi is a Harvard-trained psychologist.   He is the past president of the Association for Transpersonal Psychology and the founder of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, where he is currently Director of the low residency Master of Arts in Spiritual Guidance programme and professor of Psychology. Shaykh Frager is renowned for his pioneering work in the field of transpersonal psychology and for his role in establishing the country's first educational institution dedicated to this emerging field of research and practice.   He also teaches courses in Spiritual Psychology and The Wisdom of Islam at the online University of Philosophical Research in Los Angeles and also in the online M.A. programme of the Holmes Institute. He is also a shaykh in the Khalwati-Jirrahi Sufi Order.   He was initiated by Shaykh Muzhaffar Uzak al-Jirrahi.   He currently leads a darghah in Redwood City, Califo...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ On the legacy of Kamal Muswthafa “Ataturk”, Shaykh Fadhlullah Khayri ( q.s. ) said, “I asked the late Shaykh Muzhaffar [Uzak], the Sufi master of the Halveti-Jerrahi Order of Turkey, as to what happened after the almost complete destruction of the Sufi orders in Turkey by Kamal Ataturk.  He paused, smiled and said, ‘You look upon it as destruction.  We look upon it as slightly excessive grooming.’  Then he continued, ‘It is like chopping a grapevine to the ground.  If he had chopped a little, the branches would have grown only a few meters away, but because he cut the whole grapevine to the ground, it will now grow all over the place.  It is only a matter of time.’”   سُوۡرَةُ التّوبَة يُرِيدُونَ أَن يُطۡفِـُٔواْ نُورَ ٱللَّهِ بِأَفۡوَٲهِهِمۡ وَيَأۡبَى ٱللَّهُ إِلَّآ أَن يُتِمَّ نُورَهُ ۥ وَلَوۡ ڪَرِهَ ٱلۡكَـٰفِرُونَ (٣٢)   Fain would they extinguish Allah’s Light with their mouths, but Allah will not...