Belief in God

The word “Islam”, quite literally, means obedience to God. Therefore belief in God is the first and main article of the Islamic faith, as one must believe in God in order to be obedient. However, one cannot be obedient unless he or she can recognize who to be obedient to. Said differently, the servant cannot [...]

Read Full Post »

Spiritual Progress

I was once sitting with a few initiates (murids) in the company of our shaykh, when someone asked,

“How do we make spiritual progress?”

In that moment our shaykh offered a gem to each one of us, he gave us an invaluable lesson when he responded saying that sohbet is the means to spiritual progress. Sohbet is [...]

Read Full Post »

Foolish Speech

These days I find the sohbet of my shaykh to be more important than I could have ever imagined. As the days and nights pass I am appreciating, more and more, the sentiments of the Qawwali, Ilahi, the traditional sufi poets and their diwan devoted to their beloved murshid. And as I continue to trip [...]

Read Full Post »