Women of Sufism by Camille Helminski

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This morning, I received an email from a mystic, one who learns from Khidr; the Green one. She asked me if I had ever read Women of Sufism by Shaykha Camille Helminski.

This triggered profound memories of the early part of my journey in the Kingdom of Love; Arabia, and brought me to beautiful memories. The following was my reply to this Qalander,

Salaam and Good Morning,

Yes, I did read the book, Women of Sufism by Helminski. I read this perhaps over a decade ago while living in Riyadh. I found it to be supportive as at that time in my journey I was feeling as if men too had totally hijacked the spiritual path. I recall feeling hopelessness and resentful and even wondered if Islam was being unfair. This book did save the day for me and reminded me of the fact that we were always there and will always be lovers of the Divine. Spirituality is inherent in our nature and this is something that can never be taken away, even if we go unrecognised. I was reminded of the stories I heard in my childhood and through people of female mystics and those who performed miracles… Hence, I did find it beneficial. Now, as far as covering all geographical locations and orders, sure, it is lacking yet whatever the author could do, I am sure she did her best. So AH ( Alhamdullilah) for the effort. I had even lent the book out to SELECT ladies, some of whom today are in the front lines of the Path in Arabia. So again… I must say that the book itself was pivotal and an aide while I was in the dry and harsh region of Najd.
As far as the couple is concerned, I personally have not met them, yet knew of them before I was initiated. I being inclined towards the Mevelevi Order or Mev. Rumi’s teachings, did come across their work yet no opening ever came from my guides to take from their way. I do recall a dream I had of Kabir and his son and not sure if Camille was in the dream. Hence, I did write an email to him or them and do not recall a reply. I believe it was redirecting me towards the Mevlevi Order as at that time I was not ready for the initiation which came later in dream-initially.
I was to meet Shams e Tabrez personified in a female figure. She drove me to a place unlike any other conduit and prepared me for my life’s calling. In the process, I was ‘transformed’ into a Rumi Prototype (far from his reality yet symbolically) and then this year, I was to be initiated in person in Makkah on the 6th of Rabi 1 and the eve of the Dec 6th.
The Shams I met was my twin soul, my exact mirror. Yet, like Shams e Tabrez had to ‘leave’, the same is my story. She did what Shams did to Rumi and the rest is history. I am indebted to my mirror, a true Qalander. I know that the disappearance was only illusion as I was to reach a state of annihilation in love through her discipline that it brought me to one reality, there is no separation, only union. In this process, I composed multiple poems with no ‘background’ in poetry. She brought out the reality of my DNA if anything. Through her, I found my way and am aligned to my way which is to serve, serve, and serve. She alighted me, put me ablaze and gave me a sip from the Cup of Love. I am to do my work in sobriety through the state of drunkeness.

Your Doorstep

I shall sit by your door
Like an unworthy beggar
I shall remain at your doorstep
Forever and ever

I promise to remain silent
I shall utter not a word or gesture
I shall diffuse in your presence
I am in Love!
And you are the cause!
My only desire?
A glimpse of your face
I swear this love is Divine
Must I admit and proclaim to all;
this love I speak of is earthly.

—————-
I seek the day where I shall meet once again, if not here, then by Mustafa’s Fountain!
—————-

A River Named Love

There is a river named Love

Upon its banks lovers reside

S e p a r a t e d and United by Love

All in love.

Desiring union they yearn daily

This river is food and drink

Their Fountain of Eternal Life

Lovers must unite!

How shall we reach our beloved’s gate?

Frantic and mad they wail in haste:

This mighty river has split one heart!

Recalling Khidr’s auspicious advice;

One must take the leading plunge

The other shall mirror in unison

Never again to depart

Never again to say good bye

Together in this river they delight

United at last

Shackled by chains

Drifted by vicious currents

Into the Eternal Ocean of Love

Swim together upon the waves

Drink together the eternal drink

Drown together in eternal Love

Live together in eternal Light

[Copyright-Qudra Healing]

———————-
With respect,
Your Dost

The Women of Sufism Study Circle can be accessed here

One may register after reading the guidelines and join the virtual study circle which will give insights into the mystical dimension in Islam, also known as Sufism through a feminine lens.
I had registered this morning and look forward to studying the subject deeper.
HU

Master Class from “The Most Organized Woman in the World”

Needless to say much on the Konmari Method, as it speaks for itself.  Marie Kondo has propelled the world of unorganised individuals  into a frenzy of order obsessive conscious individuals whose lives have been transformed dramatically. I believe Marie Kondo is an undeclared healer and brings to light ancient Taoist wisdom through her work.  Additionally, she is responsible for inspiring thousands to gain mastery of their living spaces through the art of tidying and organizing. To live from a place of love, inspiration and appreciation for all  that brings us joy is a beautiful way to live. Here’s an excellent cheat sheet from Makespace on practical decluttering The  KonMari Way in only 6 simple steps.

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Wisdom Through the Ancient Toltec Tradition

According to historians we have on this planet, pre Adamic nations and people. As per science, similar to the Neatherthals, we have among us the descendants of Gog and Magog. Likewise, it may be highly possible that ancients like the Toltec are pre Adamic and hence, we continue to discover and learn from ancient wisdom passed on through descendants of these nations. Islamic esoteric tradition does not claim that Adam was the first of creation, rather the first Human. Likewise prophetic tradition refers to the existence of Djinns prior to the creation of Adam. In a talk with one of my teachers today, he explained that Cananites are a hybrid lineage mixed with the son of Adam and a non human creation. To avoid controversy, I will remain silent on the non human element discussed.

Wisdom Through the Ancient Toltec Tradition

By Saira M

Ancient Toltec wisdom states that there are agreements people make with themselves and others in a society. If we do not live an authentic life we wear a mask that hides us from being the true divine reflection of God that we are. We wear masks because we are afraid of what people think of us, In his book,”The Four Agreements”, Don Miguel Ruiz expounds on the beliefs that will enable us to live our truest selves.

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The Four Agreements are:
1) Be impeccable with your words:
 Speak with truth and love. Be honest. Never be dishonest. Don’t put anything out that’s not in the direction of love and truth. Don’t talk to yourself in a a negative fashion. Everything you think and say creates your reality
 
2) Nothing others do is because of you:
 
 What’s important is what you think of yourself. Not what others think of you. What others say or do is a reflection of themselves. Accept and love yourself unconditionally, that is how you will accept and love others.
 
3) Don’t make assumptions: 
 Always check whether what you are thinking is really true or not. Clarify things. Ask if you’re not sure. Be clear so others don’t make assumptions either. Assumptions are disempowering.
 
4) Always do your best:
 
 Your best can vary under different situations but if you do your best, you will never beat yourself up. So, always do your best in any situation.
_______________________________
Saira is a Fashion Designer, Artist and Professional Etiquette Trainer.  She is a  seeker and regular contributor at Qudra Healing Academy and Zawiyya.

The Tradition of the Description of Prophet Mohammed and the Golden Ratio Effect

The Golden Number is a product not of mathematical imagination, but of a natural principle related to the laws of equilibrium. We find the criteria of beauty according to Fibonacci is based on the laws of proportion. The 13th Century Italian Leonardo of Pisa, better known  as Fibonacci, was by far the most talented Western mathematician of the Middle Ages. His introduction to Arabic numerals commenced at a young age during his stay in North Africa. It was Fibonacci who introduced Europe to the use of the Hindu-Arabic numeral system, describing its many benefits for merchants and mathematicians as a superior system to that of Roman numerals. By the 5th Century, Arabic prevailed making Roman numerals obsolete.

Inspired recently through a discussion with one of my teachers who hails from the House of Hashim through the descendants of Hasan al Askari, shed light on the subject of beauty and the Golden Ratio. The subject here is not the arithmetic aspect of the Golden Ratio but rather in light of beauty, balance and the human form as per Fibonacci’s theory and Leonardo Da Vinci’s depiction of the perfect man.

“Leonardo envisaged the great picture chart of the human body he had produced through his anatomical drawings and Vitruvian Man as acosmografia del minor mondo (cosmography of the microcosm). He believed the workings of the human body to be an analogy for the workings of the universe.”

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In linking to Vituruvian Man, the Islamic tradition of describing the physical attributes of Mohammed (s), also known as Hilya, we find a common factor in all narrations; equilibrium as his natural state in form, character, mannerism and teachings. That said, the adherents of esoteric Islam believe in the Mohammedan Reality; Haqiqatul Mohammediya, which dwells upon his light being the first of all that was created,

“The first thing Allāh created is the light of Muhammad (s) and that light came and prostrated before Allāh. Allāh divided it into four parts and created from the first part the Throne, from the second the Pen, from the third the Tablet, and then similarly He subdivided the fourth part into parts and created the rest of creation. Therefore the light of the Throne is from the light of the Prophet (s), the light of the Pen is from the light of the Prophet (s), the light of the Tablet is from the light of the Prophet (s), the light of day, the light of knowledge, the light of the sun and the moon, and the light of vision and sight are all from the light of the Prophet (s).” [Al-Khātib Abū al-Rab‘i Muhammad ibn al-Layth in his book Shifā’ al-sudūr ]

The Muhammadan soul (al-rūh al-muhammadīyya) is therefore the quintessence of all created things and the first of them and their origin, as the Prophet said: I am from Allāh and the believers are from me, and Allāh created all souls from me in the spiritual world and He did so in the best form. It is the name of the totality of mankind in that primordial world, and after its creation by four thousand years, Allāh created the Throne from the light of Muhammad himself, and from it the rest of creation. The Muhammadan Light goes from prophet to prophet (min nabīyyin ila nabīyyin) until Allah (swt) causes it to emerge (akhraja) as the physical manifestation of the  Prophet Muhammad (s) as the seal of the line of all prophets, yet first in the process of creation.

That said, we now go back to the concept of beauty as per the teachings of  Fibonacci and Da Vinci. Given that the Creator is perfect, Flawless, Most Beautiful, thus His creation too reflects His beauty and Mohammed (s) being foremost to befit the Golden Ration criterion of human beauty. Creation perceived as a mirror of Divine beauty, we find man to be the most attractive of all creation. The magnetic power of the Prophet’s  (s) beauty, both inner and outer, impacted all those who glanced upon him (s). These individuals became lovers of Mohammed (s), or lovers of Divine Light-Divine Light being this primordial Light; the Mohammedan (s) Light. This love phenomena carries on till today as has been the case of every era, even prior to his physical manifestation as known to us.  Traditions state Adam sought forgiveness through Mohammed (s)  whose name was written on the Divine throne. Prophets who came ‘before’ Mohammed (s) beseeched the Lord to appear as followers of his community in place of Prophethood. Such traditions are too numerous to share here. Aisha (r) the Prophet’s (s) wife, described the beauty of Mohammed (s) in comparison to Joseph who was known to possess half of the all created beauty in the following couplets based on the Qur’anic story of Joseph and the vizier’s wife, Zulaykha, whose friends cut their hands because they were mesmerized by his (Joseph)beauty:

‘If the women who saw Yusuf  cut their hands seeing the beauty of Yusuf. They would have cut their throats if they saw my Yusuf. (referring to the prophet (s).

Imam al-Qurtubi in his book al-Salah explicates: “The perfection of the beauty of the Prophet (s), Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, was not manifested to us fully; for, if it would have appeared in its entirety, our eyes wouldn’t have been able to observe him.”

Another from our Divaan of utterances, we share the same in terms of this mesmerising love,

The Light of Yusef

Yousef’s body thrown into a well

Zulaikha’s heart thrown into a bottomless well named Love

Yusef a Prophet

Zulaikha a plain mortal

Yusef  jailed

Zulaikha blamed

His crime; innocence

Her crime; Love

I fell in love with Light

Through Yusef I saw Habib

Through Habib I saw Him

This light took over my being

My heart melted…

*Habib-among the names of Prophet Mohammed (s)

(copyright Qudra Healing)

Concluding the subject of this post, we come back to the Hilya, as a reflection of the beauty-criterion of the Golden Ratio.  He, Mohammed (s)  representing the personification of the Divine mirror, the ultimate manifestation of cosmic and celestial beauty!

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The term hilya (Arabic حلية (plural: ḥilan, ḥulan), Turkish: hilye (plural: hilyeler) denotes a religious genre of Ottoman Turkish literature, dealing with the physical description of Muhammad. Hilya literally means “ornament”.

The Hilya Tradition 

“God is Beautiful and He loves Beauty”

Hasan ibn Ali asked his maternal uncle Hind bin Abi Haalah about the description of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). He said about his uncle that he was very capable of describing, he had given an excellent description of the Messenger of Allah (s). He said “I desired to hear this description from him because I wanted something to hold onto”.

Below is a transcript of Shaykh Hamza Yusuf’s lecture on the Description of the Prophet(S).

  • He was very awe inspiring when you saw him.
  • He was monumental, grand in nature when you saw him.
  • His face was like a moon on laylatul badr. It had a light coming out of it like a moon on laylatul badr.
  • He was taller than a moderate build but not exceedingly tall. If you see somebody very tall then it is strange even amongst tall people. If you see somebody short then it is also noticeable. He was of a middle stature inclining towards height because everything about him was middle.
  • Even his physical description of colour was middle. He was not pasty white and he was not black. He was inclining towards light skin because of the racism of human beings. That is one of the hikmah of that. He was inclining towards light skin because of the racism of human beings. It has to do with the stupidity of human beings in distinguishing between people because of colour. He was a colour like what we call the harvest moon. He was not white nor dark, he was light skinned what we would call in English, a reddy complexion.
  • His hair was neither straight or curly. It was wavy, it was middle. Everything about him was middle. He had a full head and his hair was wavy. If he parted it, it parted. It never went past the lobe of his ears if he allowed it to grow long because sometimes he would cut it for ibadah like the umrah or hajj. It went to the lobe or in some riwayah it went to the shoulder.
  • He did not speak slow or fast. He spoke in a moderate tone. His words were neither too short nor excessive but they were always just right. When he spoke, people felt as it exactly the right amount of words were used. Everything about him was moderation.
  • He had a large forehead which is an indication of high quality. He had a vein on his forehead. If he got upset they could see the vein.
  • His eyebrows were full and there was a slight space between them.
  • The upper part of his nose was aqualine. He had a beautiful nose that had a bridge on the upper part. He had a light that came from that area of his face that was clearly discernible.
  • He had a full beard and his eyes were very dark.
  • He had high beautiful cheek.
  • He had a mouth that was full so when he spoke his pronunciation was perfect.
  • His teeth were beautiful, there was a slight space in the teeth.
  • He had a light hair on his chest which was manliness without having a lot of hair.
  • His neck was like a gazelle’s neck. He had a beautiful neck and a high neck. It had like a beautiful silvery clarity to it.
  • He was balanced in all of his outward aspects. He had a strong build and it was all perfectly formed.
  • His stomach and chest were equal. He never had a large stomach. He had no paunch. Even when he was in his sixties, his stomach was always flat. He had light hair on his stomach. He had no hair over his breasts.
  • He was full chested and his shoulders were broad. He had large bones.
  • He had hair on his arms and he was sinewy and strong.
  • There was a space in his trachea.
  • His limbs were strong and he had full calves.
  • His feet were very smooth.  Because they were desert people and they walked a lot, their feet would have a lot of roughness to them. His feet were smooth that water would pour off them.
  • When he walked, he walked softly but he was quick paced as if he was walking on an incline.
  • When he looked at somebody, he did not just move his head, he turned his entire body to give full attention to that person.
  • He looked more at the ground than he did up. His glance was generally down because of the power of his glance. When he looked at people, he did not maintain his stare. He would look then move away. As he looked at people, he never fixed his focus on people because of the effect that would have on people.