Peace, one and all…
I’ve recently got myself a Facebook account and during my first few trips there, I came across the following important advice from Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh, head of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order (which our good brother Irving is a member).
“The first lesson of Sufism is to love God’s creatures and respect their views. Therefore, a Sufi should, in principle, refrain from interfering in others’ affairs or condemning their way of thinking. Anyone who condemns other people’s religious convictions or manner of worship–which are ways of attracting God’s favor and moving closer to Him–not only is not a Sufi, but is, in fact, an enemy of the Sufis, for objecting to others’ religious views in any way is a form of arrogance and self-centeredness, constituting the greatest offense in Sufism.
Together, we must free Sufism from dogmatism and pretension and work on protecting the basis of Sufi spirituality from hypocrisy. We should be especially mindful of the fact that Sufism is the school of humanity. Without emphasis on inward spirituality and purity, once cannot, properly speaking, develop into a true human being, truly love all humanity, or serve others with heart and soul without any thought of reward.”
(Selection from “Who is a Sufi?” in Discourses by Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh)
Turban tip: Boston Sufi House on Facebook
Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman
