It happens that often my mureeds who meet with their friends are asked what Sufism is. You know already what human nature is like. It wants to ask you about your whole life in one word, for it is very easy to ask a question; the difficulty is in answering it. Perhaps these words that I will now say will to some extent help my mureeds to answer these questions. At the same time, you must know that the answer must come from your heart. That alone will make an effect. My explanation will only make things clear.
The word Sufism originates from a root meaning wisdom, a knowledge that is acquired both from within and without. Therefore, Sufism is not only an intuitive, inner knowledge, nor is it only a knowledge acquired from life lived in the outer world. Sufism is neither a religion, nor a cult with a distinct or definite doctrine. There is no better explanation of Sufism than to say that any person who has a knowledge gained from without and from within themself, is a Sufi. So, it follows that in no period of the world’s history has there been a founder or an exponent of Sufism; Sufism has always been.
As far as we can trace, since the time of Abraham, there have been esoteric schools; many of them were called Sufi schools. The Sufi schools in Arabia had Arabic culture, therefore, were more metaphysical. The Sufi schools of Persia developed a more literary aspect, and the schools of India developed the meditative faculty. However, the central theme of Sufism, its truths and ideals, has remained the same in all these schools. Several of these schools have been called by different names, but all these schools are nevertheless considered Sufi schools. These schools continue to exist today, and it would not be an exaggeration if I said that there are millions of souls, followers of different religions, who have benefited from the wisdom of these schools. Personally, I owe every obligation to the Sufi school of the Chistis, in which I was initiated by my Murshid Abu Hashim Madani.
No doubt every school has its own method, and every method is colored by the personality of the leader. There are schools of Dervishes, and there are schools of Fakirs, there are schools of the Salik, who teach moral culture with the philosophical truth. Here ends the account of Sufism’s ancient history.
Our Movement is a movement of the members of different nations and different races united together in the ideal of wisdom; this wisdom does not belong to any particular religion or any particular race. Wisdom belongs to the human race. It is a divine property that humankind has inherited. It is in this realization that we, in spite of different nationalities and races and different beliefs and faiths, still unite and work for humanity in the ideal of wisdom.
We have three aspects of our activity. One aspect of our activity is what we call the Sufi Order, in which a member is admitted by initiation. You may ask, “By this initiation, to what school do we belong?” We belong to the International School of the Sufi Order. What method is it? Sufis of ancient times, when they brought wisdom before the Muslim world, presented that wisdom in Muslim terminology. Our school today has a wider field of work. We are presenting it to the followers of all religions, and to those who have perhaps no religion, to spiritual people, to material people, both. Therefore, the realm in which the Esoteric School of the Sufi Order presents its method is necessarily different and distinct in itself. The representatives of this school, along with those who are initiated, have a more general idea of Sufism than those belonging to special schools, who have an idea of that particular section.
Therefore, you should not be surprised if one of our initiated members of the Sufi Order proved to be wider in their outlook as compared with a member of another school of the Sufis. However, you will find the central theme is the same. I do not say this for us to be proud of our broadness; I say it only that we may try in our life to keep up to this ideal, to not fall short of that broad outlook and that broad ideal. For life on the earth has a tendency to drag us toward narrowness, and we must know that this tendency will be a continual fight all along our progress on the spiritual path.
The other part of our work is the Universal Worship. Since this includes religion, it is a subject that is most delicate to touch. The less spoken the better. No one can live without food and without water. So, no one can hold an esoteric ideal without a religion. When a person says, “I will live only in the esoteric ideal, and will not care for the outer religion,” that person may just as well say, “I will live in my soul and not be conscious of my body.” The Universal Worship provides the element of religion that is destined to be the religion of today. The great work that this activity does is to bring about the possibility of people of different religions worshipping together. For all worship one God. However great the possibility of opposition—every good work must meet opposition. Every person with a clear sense and a just and clear conscience will certainly approve of the idea that is behind this great work.
Now we come to the third idea, that of Brotherhood/Sisterhood. No thinking person can deny the need for this idea. The person who will deny it does not know what they deny. The more a person studies life in its deeper sense, the more they will realize that the whole wisdom is summed up in the idea of Brotherhood/Sisterhood
Besides these three special works that we are engaged in, a more intimate element of our work is the Message. It is not a human-made scheme of work; it is destined by God. As mureeds advance spiritually, the one thing that will develop along with their advancement is their ability to witness the Divine Hand behind the experience of life.
I have engaged myself, after having received the call, without anything before me or by my side to encourage me on this path. No words can explain how in this world of changes and difficulties I made my way. But at the same time, I had within me that voice continually. That was all the consolation I had, without any encouragement that the outer world can offer. Now you are beginning to see the evidences of it. If there are ninety-nine things to discourage you, there is now one thing to encourage you. Think of your Murshid, how he has passed through a way, when there was nothing to encourage him, nothing except discouraging things. If you believe in the teaching and guidance and advice of your Murshid, you will certainly believe that it will not be even ten years before you will see the phenomenon becoming real. It is not that I am speaking, it is the sphere, the sphere is continually speaking the Message. It is the answer of God to humanity. If by my side there were five or five thousand or five million souls standing, or if I were standing alone, I will say the same, think the same, have the same hope.
I value the devotion and the trust of my mureeds at such a time when we are so few. It is more valuable when we are poor, without any goods of this world, and yet striving to serve humanity together, hand in hand. You will see that our sincere answer to the divine call will prove to be more successful than perhaps if we had all the means that the world can offer. I want only that my mureeds realize their responsibility, and that they do not allow themselves to be discouraged by anything, and that they can feel stronger for the very reason that we are small in number. Remember that unity is strength and working for the unity of the world is greater strength still.
December 4, 1923
CW 1923, Vol. II, pp. 869-872.
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