September 2016 Message

Beloved Family,

I invite us all to make aspirations and prayers of YA SALAAM for our dear friend and guide Pir Hidayat Inayat Khan born Aug 6, 1917 died September 12, 2016, for his onward Journey on the Path of Love. He was the Pir of the Sufi Movement, a dear friend to the Ruhaniat, a composer and musician. He initiated me as a Murshid in the early 1990’s. He was a wonderful vehicle of the Message of Love, Harmony and Beauty and we will miss him dearly!

After a whirlwind of travels and teachings at Lama Foundation, Istanbul Universal Sufi Council Conference, Omega Institute Ecstatic Chant Fest, and an evening of Dance and teaching in Cambridge near Boston, I am finally enjoying some days at home.

Looking through some old files yesterday I found practices Murshid Sam gave me in 1970 which included 301x LA ILLAHA IL ALLAH HU daily and I would invite us all to add this to our practices for the month.

We have been harvesting loads of tomatoes and other vegetables and fruits from our garden, eating from it daily, what a blessing.

I am looking forward to being with our Colorado Family Sep 29- Oct 2 and then off to the Maui Sufi Camp Oct 7-14.

Looking forward to December both Tamam and I will be in This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., me giving Sufi teachings and she will present from her new book Fatima’s Touch. We are presently having a pre-sale of the limited edition hardcover of Fatima’s Touch for $40 to help support the costs of publication, details on how to order are here.

With the Jewish New year at the 10 days of Tshuva (At-one-ment) coming in a few weeks, I’d invite us to do the practice of YA HASIB YA TAWWAB, taking account of our feelings, thoughts and actions and placing them all before God.

Fall blessings, Eid Mubarak, Happy Jewish New Year!

Much love, Shabda

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Recite 301x LA ILLAHA IL ALLAH HU daily

Recite 101x YA HASIB YA TAWWAB

40. Ya Hasib (yaa ḥa-SEEB)

Al-Hasib is the action of accounting for the full meaning of everything. Nothing goes unrecorded and nothing is ever lost. It means taking full responsibility for one’s actions, words, and even one’s thoughts. To become completely accountable allows for a new beginning of what is possible. It brings realization. A root meaning of al-Hasib is to record a business transaction in an account book with exactitude and honesty.

An advanced Sufi technique called muhaasibah is an honest taking account of oneself while never forgetting that you are within the ocean of divine mercy. Repetition of Ya Hasib can be an antidote for those of us who get lost in minutiae. It is also recommended for those who are fearful or who get caught up in the habit of scheming.

Ya Tawwab (yaa tow-WAAB)

At-Tawwab is the forgiveness that enables you to turn away from grudges, and perceived individual defects, toward the perfection of Allah. It comes with the realization that the divine beloved is always turning toward you, continually offering a gaze of deep forgiveness and endless compassion. At-Tawwab conveys the real meaning of repentance, the turning from the limitations of the false self and toward the perfection of your immortal soul, which is not separate from the divine reality.

Realizing at-Tawwab involves giving up the attachment to being right. It means giving up self-righteousness and letting go of the grudge. It is to turn your face toward someone else with forgiveness and compassion. Like Ya Wadud, it consciously uses the densest elements of a situation as an inner impetus for transformation, and to turn toward God. Repetition of Ya Tawwab allows you to turn toward the divine face in every face. It is an antidote for clinging to, and identifying with, a wounded sense of self-deficiency.

Commonly translated as the Acceptor of Repentance, it has the root in the Arabic, tauba, turning. It can be understood as the Divine Forgiveness that allows us to turn from individual defect toward the Beloved, who is always facing us, continually (because of the double consonant WW) turning toward us. Many of you will recognize it as the third wazifa in the four wazifas of healing we have done before, YA GHAFFAR, YA GHFFUR, YA TAWWAB, and YA AFUW

In the Jewish tradition, starting October 2 ~ Rosh Hashannah - Jewish New Year - Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement ~ Oct 12, 2016, we will be in what is known as the 10 Days of Tshuva, the 10 days between Rosh Hashannah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the tenth day known as the Day of At-one-ment. Tshuva, is the same root as tauba/Tawwab, which we translated in Arabic as turning toward Divine Light, and Allah continually turning toward us. This requires overcoming the attachment to our self-grasping, in other words not being attached to any particular view of ourselves, whether grandiose, exaggerated or demeaning, like self loathing, low self worth or esteem. Turning toward the light, which removes shadows, always feeling the love flowing toward you, no matter what your mistakes and accomplishments are.

It is a period where one takes an account of one's life - YA HASIB, opening one's heart and eyes to everything, even what may be uncomfortable to see. With the support of YA TAWWAB, this sheds light on what was previously in darkness or shadow.

It can be further understood that the mystics of old set up this ritual as a rehearsal for what in the Bible is called the "Day of Judgment." As Murshid Sam would often point out, it is called the DAY of judgment, not the NIGHT of judgment. In other words, it happens in the LIGHT. That is, in one of the stages after leaving behind this body, one gets a life's review in the LIGHT. I believe the phrase, "Day of Accounting," or "Day of Reconciling," rather than judging, would be appropriate. If one is turned to the light than there is no self-loathing, just learning from one's mistakes. One does not feel cast out or separate from the Beloved.

To hear the pronunciation: Ya Hasib ~ Ya Tawwab

TEXT and COMMENTARY to STUDY

This month we finish reading Githa Dhyana (On Meditation) by Murshid Samuel Lewis, also known as Sufi Ahmed Murad Chisti (One Who is Drawn to God by Grace). Finish reading Series III: Numbers 3 through 10, pages 50-57. Click here to download the document.

1InitiatedAsMurshid Initiated as a Murshid by Pir Hidayat around 1993