A Path in Time

Thomas McElwain

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 Copyright 2016 by Thomas McElwain

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 A PATH IN TIME

About the author

Like many Americans, Thomas McElwain was born
into a rich spiritual heritage including ancestors who were
Quakers, Anabaptists, Native Americans, and
Mellungeons. A tenuous line goes through the latter to
Turkish Bektashi dervishes, a tradition that he has little by
little made the core of his spiritual path. After completing
a doctorate in 1979 in Anthropology of Religion under the
direction of the world renowned scholar Professor ke
Hultkrantz in Stockholm with a study of Iroquoian oral
tradition, he has traveled extensively in the Middle East.
His study of Turkish dervish sacrificial practices, with his
translation of Bektashi hymns, was the academic product
of that travel. His spiritual finds go much deeper, for he
participated in the practices of several Sufi orders
throughout the Middle East and North Africa, studying
with a number of wandering dervishes, mainly in Turkey.
Having received the name Ali Haydar in 1988 from
Turkish Kizilbash in southeastern Turkey, he has
continued in the practice of Islam according to the Twelver
Shi'ite rite. This did not prevent his representing the
Seventh Day Baptist Missionary Society in northern
Europe until the end of 1990, referring to the precedent of
the foremost English writer of that tradition, Edward
Elwall, who was also a member of the Bektashi order.
Ali Haydar has maintained a weekly dhikr or meeting of
remembrance for many years, but has never sought to
become any kind of religious leader. He maintains, as one
Turkish dervish instructed him, that "Allah is my pir
(leader)." He thus upholds the tradition of the wandering
dervish, whose practice relates directly to the divine
source without a living human intermediary other than the
hidden Mahdi himself, and without any organization. The
publication of his writings is with the view that others
might wish to follow a similarly independent spiritual path
and find benefit from the record of another's journey.
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The Articles

A Path in Time

Article 1

In the name of God Most Gracious, Ever Merciful. May

the peace of God be upon the holy prophets Adam, Noah,
Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus, and Muhammad. May the
peace of God be upon the holy Imams Ali, Hasan,
Husseyn, Zeynul-Abideen, Muhammad Al-Baqir, Ja'fer as-
Sadiq, Musa Al-Kadhim, Al-Riddha, Al-Taqi, Al-Naqi, Ali
Al-Askeri, Muhammad Al-Mahdi. May God be pleased
with Hajji Bektash Wali. May the communion of Enoch,
Elijah, Jesus Christ and Muhammad Al-Mahdi, the Master
of the Age guide my thoughts and action.
1. One or two people express an interest, or perhaps
a habit, in perusing my cogitations. But were it not so, it
might still be of value to write them, if only for myself
alone. The expression of thought is not to be divorced
from its precision, and although it were a pity to have
more to say than to think, saying it in written form might
help one to think it better. Far be it from me to tell anyone
what to believe or how to behave. The following
meditations should not be construed by any reader as the
path in the absolute. They are merely a path in time.
2. Whether because of personal inclination, the rumors of
ancestry, or a recognition of truth indeed, the Bektashi
way seems closest to my own experience. The canon of
the four books combined with the mystical perspective has
long informed my way.
3. Both from literature and my own travels, I have
noticed that Bektashis can be divided into three groups.
One group follows a hereditary leader, another a non-
hereditary, and the final one, hardly to be called a group at
all, has no visible leadership. Since the disbanding of the
order in Turkey and Albania, it is surprising that not more
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attention has been given by scholars to those scattered
dervishes who do not belong to any order in a formal way,
but who continue to be the bearers of a Bektashi tradition.
Be that as it may, such dervishes that I have met are the
ones who are closest to me in spirit. The tradition of the
wandering, independent dervish is a most ancient and
venerable one, and despite its lack of systematic
documentation and its refusal always to produce an
extended line of transmission, it is certainly as historically
important as any of the spiritual institutions.

4. Bektashiism as a personal tradition, despite its

disparity, is not in truth so difficult to define. It shares the
basics with the historical institutions. These include the
acceptance of the four books (the Bible and the Qur'an) as
canon with an openness to other literature as well, a
central emphasis on the twelve Imams from Imam Ali to
Imam Al-Mahdi with a strong focus on the martyrdoms at
Karbela, the central doctrine of the four gates, and the
practice of a particular mystical tradition. Beyond this,
some things that may seem mere cultural features must be
almost universal: the sacredness of the threshold and the
horror of any contact with the hare or its relatives. Anyone
who follows a practice within this configuration and refers
his or her practice to Hajji Bektash Wali is in fact a
Bektashi dervish.

5. Every order which has emphasized leadership and

obedience has always done so, at least in the beginning, as
a vehicle for the attempt to become aware of the
individual potential to apperceive that God which is not
far from every one of us. To do away with that vehicle in
view of a more direct approach to the goal does not in the
least lower the value of the discipline, on the contrary, in
most cases it must enhance it. For every vehicle becomes
in time a hindrance to the awareness of reality.
6. An order of one individual can always, when the
situation requires, be expanded to an order of two. As such
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it establishes the traditional practice of musahip, or the
Bektashi friendship. The central practice in the musahiblik
is the contemplation of the human face, the face of the
other. That contemplation is guided with the realization
that the human face is the mirror of God, and to
contemplate it is to contemplate, insofar as human senses
are capable of doing so, the divine wonder. Rather than the
master-student relationship, which holds spiritual dangers
for both parties, it is preferable to lean on the musahip
tradition directly. God in the face of the other is the only
teacher anyone truly needs.
7. The individual, wandering dervish is the most
widespread form of the tradition, despite the rather
important development of institutions throughout the
Ottoman world. There is no evidence that Edward Elwall,
probably the most eminent and visible of English
Bektashis, ever succeeded in establishing a partnership
with a single one of his countrymen. Known as a unitarian
Quaker, he was in fact tolerated as a member in no other
congregation but the Mill Yard Sabbatarian Baptist Church
in London. The Eckerlin brothers, among the founders of
the Ephrata Cloisters, were expelled from that institution
partly because of their "Ishmaelite" faith. Evidence of
their contact with Bektashis is not strong since most of the
direct documentation was destroyed, but they certainly
fostered a spiritual practice closely resembling the
musahiblik.
8. The contemplation of the face has its own
expression in the four gates. The contemplation of the face
of the natural world places the dervish within the realm of
the first gate, the gate of law. It is to meet God. The
contemplation of the face of the other is to experience the
gate of tariqat, where God is experienced as the Beloved.
The contemplation of one's own face through the silent
entering of the heart is to enter the gate of awareness, for
there is nothing within the human heart but God Himself.
Finally, to realize that there is only one Face is to return to

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Him from whom all things come, and to enter the gate of
reality.
9. The establishment of a popular order of Bektashis,
including whatever number of members and whatever
convolutions of power and property, in the final analysis
must, it appears to me, be nothing more than a
proliferation of musahip partnerships. The musahip
partnership itself is merely the product of the
contemplation of the divine Face whenever and wherever
possible. So whatever type of organization is to be found,
its point of departure and its goal must ever be one and the
same: to lose and find oneself in the Face of God. This
must be the goal whether it is a question of a single
wandering dervish, a private lodge with guests invited to a
dhikr or service of remembrance, or a full-fledged
organization with a central authority, inherited or
otherwise.
10. Although Sufism is famous for its hierarchies and
absolute obedience to one master or another, it is my
understanding that the teaching of Hajji Bektash rejects
this for another discipline. This is apparent in three of his
doctrines. The first is the division of humanity into four
groups corresponding to the four gates: those who serve
God, those who love God, those who know God, and those
who enter reality. No sectarian spirit is permitted to exalt
or abase any of these ways an individual may choose to
follow. The second teaching is the emphasis of the
equality between men and women. The unveiling of
women and their education alongside men is the hallmark
of Hajji Bektash's reforms in thirteenth century Turkey.
The implication is a rejection of those hierarchies familiar
in both the orders and orthodoxy. The third teaching is the
giving of the discipline itself: Be master of your mouth,
your hand, your stomach. No more absolute rejection of
spiritual authorities and institutions can be imagined. This
is the way that Hajji Bektash gives as the return to the
divine Face.

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11. 3wayyap3456pel 3adho4nay 3elo7him tarde2ma 'al
ha-a5dham wayyi6shan: wayiq65qach 6a67chath 6mitz-
tzal'o56thaw wayyiS4gor ba5sar tach3tenna. Genesis 2:21
Then he cause to fall, YHWH Elohim (did), a deep trance
upon the man and he slept: and he took one of his sides
and closed up flesh instead of it.* The word tardema
means trance in Scripture, although it is falsely translated
"deep sleep". It is used seven times in Scripture. The
Tawrat (Torah, Books of Moses, the first canonical book)
has two instances of a trance from God as a grace. The
second one is in Gen15:12 where Abraham fell into a
trance, and received true revelation. The word expresses
less positive aspects in the other writings. In the prophets,
the trance is brought on by God, but in 1Sa26:12 God puts
Saul and his soldiers in a trance when they tried to kill
David, and in Isa29:10 the God-given trance is a means of
leading astray those who have forsaken God's
commandments. Pro19:15 says "Slothfulness casteth into
a deep sleep" and is generally understood to mean that
lazy people sleep a lot. I believe a better interpretation is
that unwillingness (slothfulness) to make an effort to find
out what God's will is, results in being led astray to follow
false doctrines received by supernatural or trance means.
Two examples of such false teachings confirmed by
supernatural trance are found in the book of Job. The first
example is Eliphaz in Job4:13 and the second is Elihu in
Job33:15.
12. The ancients received true revelation through trance
and more commonly perhaps false revelation in the same
way. In more modern times the attention has turned from
the trance as a vehicle of revelation to the trance as a goal
in itself. This is the second level of degeneration. The
Tawrat trance brings a true revelation from God, for which
Abraham is the prime example. The first level of
degeneration is false revelation through trance brought on
by unwillingness to find out the will of God or outright
rejection of God's will. The second level of degeneration is
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to wallow in the supernatural experience itself, mistaking
it for spirituality. Without judging any religious tradition
in particular, it appears to me that this danger is one that
stalks a wide variety of institutions and individuals.
*The numbers in the transliterations refer to the
degrees on the scale for cantillation. The cantillation key is
that of Suzanne Hak-Vantoura. The numbers 1234567890
represent respectively do re mi fa sol# la si do re mi for
the prose portions, and do re# mi fa# sol la si do re# mi for
the psalmodic texts. The cantillation applied to Arabic and
Greek texts is not traditional, but is my composition.

Article 2

"The cantillation numbers guide the syllable that follows

them 1234567890 = do re mi fa sol# la si do re mi. The
pitch remains the same until another number indication."
13. Jobs comforters rely on visionary experience to
confirm something that is false according to the text. I
have called this false revelation. It is clear that the
comforters are sincere in their false belief. Is a grasp of
reality possible within the human experience, or is the
human experience determined to failure? Can I by
searching find out God? Or do both true and false
revelation fall on the human being without the possibility
of choosing between the two?
14. 3ya543kaadu l-4bar3qu yakh5Ta3fu
ab7678Saa7rahum, 8kullama a9Daa-8a la78hum ma7shaw
6fii7hi, wa 8i7dhaa 9aDH7lama a8787layhim 6qaa7muu,
76wa 54law 3shaa-a al4laahu la7dhahaba bi6sam7ihim
wa ab5Saari6him, inna al543laaha alaa 4kulli 5shay-in
qa3diir(un). Quran 2:20. The light well-nigh snatches
away their sight; as often as it gleameth for them, they
walk therein and when it getteth dark for them, they halt;
if God willed, He could take away their hearing and their
sight. Verily, God hath power over all things. With these
words the Quran describes those who purchase error for
guidance. Yet false revelation is experienced as true. The
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texts describe two classes of people, those following true
and those following false revelation. But the human
experience sees only one class: every person who
perceives him or herself as I most certainly perceives
that I as following true revelation. The I cannot
separate itself from truth. It can follow false revelation
only when it does not perceive itself to do so. The I,
which is the image of God in every individual, is
determined to choose truth. The only way to escape truth
is to be blinded by illusion. It is humanly impossible to
choose the false. To answer my own question, the I is
determined not to failure, but to success. Verily, God hath
power over all things.
15. If all are determined to succeed, why are there so
many conflicting traditions? Indeed, almost every
religious idea that ever existed may be found among
Bektashis alone. Conflict is often only apparent. It is the
error of established religions to pretend to express the
absolute in a creedal formula. The canons of revelation are
many-faceted, expressing progressions, additions, and
alternatives which may all be true and valid despite
apparent conflicts.
16. I take the matter of diet as an example of
apparent conflict. The structure of the first nine chapters of
Genesis focuses on presenting three apparently conflicting
diets, while chapter eighteen presents a fourth. Just as the
Bektashi suggests that four basic types of faith configure
the experience of every individual, one may see the
Scriptures as presenting four basic diets. Rather than
seeing these as a hierarchy of mutually exclusive
alternatives, the dervish will see them as combining in
various ways from individual to individual and from time
to time.
17. The first diet is that of the deathless world, the
diet of seed-parts, that is, fruit, grains, and nuts (Genesis
1:29). The second diet includes the plants of the field
(Genesis 4:18). The third diet includes every living thing
that moves yet not the blood (Genesis 9:3,4). The entire
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text can be seen to this point to be structured around the
subject of diet. The first diet gives seeds to humans and
green things to animals; that is, it recognizes no death,
even for plants, whose root must not be disturbed. In the
second diet the distinction between human and animal diet
disappears, and the preservation of the root of the plant is
no longer implied. The second diet takes death into
consideration. The third diet permits meat-eating of those
species implied in the Flood story to be clean, with the
provision that blood not be eaten.
18. I note that the diets progress with the increasing
release from restrictions. The second diet presumes to add
the plant of the field in its entirety, rather than limiting to
its seed-part. The third diet adds meat. The fourth diet
adds milk products to meat (Genesis 18:8). Those
interested in spiritual development will no doubt see a
hierarchy of more and less ideal diets, with the strictest at
the top. Spiritual development tends upward away from
earthiness, and along with hierarchy knows a progression
of experience. This appears to me to be a mistake. The
better the spirituality, the closer it brings to earth. Hajji
Bektash notes that the gate of reality, Haqiqat, is
symbolized by earth. It is the gate of law, Shari'at, which
is symbolized by air. If there is progression in the four
gates, it is not an upward progression into the rarified air
of spirituality. It is rather a coming down to earth.
19. The diets can be labeled the diet of heaven and earth,
the diet of Adam, the diet of Noah, and the diet of
Abraham. It would be distasteful to see a progression
away from the ideal here, for the holy Quran says 3wa
ma(n)y 4yar3ghabu a(n)m 5mil3lati ib8789raa87hiima
illa 8man 9sa8fi9ha 7nafsahu wa 8laqadi 7Sta5faynaahu
7fii d6dunyaa, wa innahu fii l-876aakhi5ra6ti 5lamina
S4Saali3Hiin(a). Quran 2:130. And who turneth away
from the creed of Abraham but one who debaseth himself;
And indeed We have chosen him in this world; and verily
in the hereafter he is of the righteous ones. To turn away
from the practice of Abraham is thus a debasing of the
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self, the nafs. This does not mean that vegetarianism is
prohibited. Rather, it means that vegetarianism must not
be enjoined as a spiritually superior practice. It is obvious,
without any Scriptural comment, that the modern,
industrial production of meat is an uncivilized process and
detrimental in every way. One who is too delicate to
slaughter an animal should be too delicate to eat it as well.
As for myself, I should prefer to eat nothing but acorns.
20. But we are examining the Scriptural diets as an
example of canonical diversity in general. Considering
that there is diversity in the canon itself on even such basic
questions as diet, should I not suspect that when it comes
to spiritual matters, the canon may be even more diverse?
And if the canon expresses a diversity of traditions, even
assuming the human incapacity to choose error, it should
be clear that a diversity of spiritual experience must result.

Article 3
21. I return to the problem of accepting the false for
the true. The textual implication of Jobs comforters is
that, beyond diversity and seeming contradiction, there is
the possibility of people actually accepting the false as
true, truly believing themselves to be right when in fact
they are wrong. What were they wrong about? They told
Job that suffering is punishment from God for sin, and
therefore he should confess his sins and repent. Job said he
hadnt sinned. The comforters screamed blasphemy. Then
God stepped in and said Job was right. Most of the
preaching I have heard sounds like Jobs comforters. Jobs
comforters distanced themselves from God and defined
God as a harsh judge and destroyer, while at the same time
presenting themselves as compassionate. God the
destroyer as opposed to I the compassionate is a false
vision.
22. False revelation is the result of distancing oneself from
God. When the I is completely submerged in God,
revelation is true. When the I sets itself up as another
besides God, it enters illusion and thereby false revelation.
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As soon as one questions why in the face of suffering, one
has set God off as a hostile Other and created a world of
illusion. Every answer to why is a false revelation.
23. I note the error of Eve reported in Genesis 3, based on
the double meaning of the root rm as seen in Genesis 2:29
and 3:1. Eve hears the word arum instead of eyrom,
cunning or wise instead of naked, and thus she is taken in
by the double talk of the serpent/watcher. So Eve was
induced to make a choice based on a false assumption of
the meaning of the word. Hence her complaint that the
serpent/watcher beguiled her. Eve did not choose
nakedness. She chose wisdom. Her error was not in
choosing the false, but mistaking the false for the true.
24. But the error of Eve is not merely an illusion created
by a misunderstanding of words. The promise of the
serpent/watcher is more than wisdom, it is to become like
gods. Eve could be tempted by this promise only because
she had lost the awareness of the tardema or revelatory
vision in which God placed the divine I within the
human heart. Why should I be tempted to become like god
when I am God? There is no I but God.
25. The I recognizes itself as God. When this results in
the suppression of the illusion of diverse human wills in
the one divine will, the goal of the mystical practice is
attained. When this results in the illusion that the I exists
in only the one individual, it is only a logical extension to
act in terms of utmost selfishness. The great criminals of
the world do not choose evil as we perceive it, but follow
the logical conclusion that they themselves are God to the
exclusion of all others. If I am God alone, then everyone
else is cannon fodder, as the dreary repetition of history so
clearly shows. The doctrine of the unity of God requires
that God is one without parts. There is therefore only one
I. That I is God. The one inescapable perception that I
am God may thus result in either truth or error, in
reverence for the unity of humanity or in the attempted
destruction of every rival other. It is to this choice that the
contemplation of the face must eventually reduce the
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dervish.
26. False revelation is to mistake the illusion of otherness
for reality. I note the experience of Cain and Abel in
Genesis 4. The two brothers decide to bring a sacrifice to
God, one of fruits, that is a meat offering as the King
James translation calls it, and the other a firstling of the
flocks. So far, so good: both offerings are according to
Mosaic legislation. But God accepts Abels offering and
not Cains. Cain becomes angry and demands an
explanation. God tells him that sin lies at the door. So
far the only difference between Cain and Abel is that Abel
does not hear God speak whereas Cain does. Cain, in other
words, is a prophet, whereas Abel is not. Abel experiences
God as silence. God accepts the one who knows God as
inner silence, but rejects the one who sets God off as an
opposite, an Other, with whom he may converse and
argue. The difference between Cain and Abel is that Abel
was aware that I am God, and Cain was not. The attitude
of Cain produced murder, because the inescapable divine
I cannot accept any Other. There is only one God and
there can only be one I. As I look at the human face, the
image of God in time and place, I must see God alone or
become a murderer.

27. Now I can answer my question. Is the human being

free or determined? She is both. Both true and false
revelation fall on the human heart, and in this she is
determined and without choice. It is the character of
creation to contain both reality and illusion. But everyone
has the constant opportunity to prostrate herself within the
inner silence and know that I am God and I am One.
Article 4
28. Free and determined actions are more a matter of
perception than reality. The act that is perceived as free is
generally determined by factors of which one is
unconscious. These include both biological and cultural
factors. Most of what I perceive as my own wish or desire
is in fact a combination of inborn traits and acquired
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behavior patterns. True freedom is in the area which
transcends inner and outer determinants. True freedom is
in the conscious choice to act in accordance with revealed
law at a moment in which one is not inclined to do so. The
inclination to act contrary to divine law is therefore the
most valuable of human experiences, for it alone provides
an opportunity for incontrovertibly affirming human
freedom by acting in accordance with divine law despite
ones inclination. We should therefore pray "Lead us into
temptation, but give us the exhilarating courage to resist
it."
29. A few days ago I was the houseguest of a Seventh Day
Adventist couple. They were deeply devoted to their
church and consequently unwilling to examine any other
point of view. This gave me the opportunity of examining
theirs without having to go to the trouble of explaining my
own. The dervish is often willing to learn in the situation
where others are only willing to teach, and this is one of
the primary means of identifying a dervish. The dervish is
often unwilling to teach, recognizing that his own
revelation may not be appropriate to another. This is the
main difference between dervishism and the established
faiths: the latter assume that the spiritual path of everyone
must conform to the established model.
30. What have I learned of value from my Adventist
friends? The central focus seems to be the end of the
world, and the belief that Jesus, peace be upon him, will
appear in the sky for all to see in a cataclysmic,
overwhelming event. A correlating belief is that a personal
Satan will appear before the coming of Jesus, peace be
upon him, and impersonate him by working miracles and
commanding obedience. By contrast, I perceive the
Adventist lifestyle, despite the emphasis on healthful
living, to be rather much oriented towards conformity, the
status quo, and even fashion. I wonder if the Adventists
would actually be able to resist the attraction of a false,
miracle-working Christ who was very much in fashion, if
their predictions turned out to be right.
15
31. The Bektashi belief is of course that of twelver
Shiism in general. The twelfth holy Imam, the Master of
the Age upon whom be peace, is supposed to appear
before the coming of the Messiah. Bektashis have often
been perceived to be liberal in thought. So they are very
much in the same position as Adventists, well set up to be
deceived by a false revelation. A meeting with the true
Master of the Age is an overwhelming experience. A
meeting with the false must be very much like a meeting
with the true: a wave of charisma coming from an
extremely humble but powerful figure and inspiring an
almost irresistible love and devotion. So how do I tell the
difference between the two?
32. The Bektashi missions in the Balkans were
strongly characterized by miracle-working, presumably
mostly in the form of sleight of hand tricks. This is not to
disparage the ability to control ones body through mental
practice. Either way, miracle-working is no proof of truth.
Yet it was a major vehicle for the spread of Bektashiism.
Even today, such miracles can be seen in the lodge in
Skopje. If a false Master of the Age should appear, it is
certain that he will work miracles. It is also certain that his
influence will be great, all but irresistible.
33. There is one way to distinguish between false
authorities and true ones. 3letho5ra welithu6dha: im 8lo
yom89ru 8kadda7var haz67ze a4sher en 5lo 3shachar.
Isaiah 8:20. To the Torah and to the testimony, if they do
not speak according to this word it is because to him there
is no dawning. Every revelation must be examined in the
light of the previous one. The Zabur is judged by the
Tawrat, the Injil by the Tawrat and Zabur, and the Quran
by the Tawrat, Zabur, and Injil. Therefore the holy Quran
says: nazzala alayka lkitaaba bilHaqqi muSaddiqal limaa
bayna yadayhi wa anzala ttawraata wa l-injiila min qablu
hudal linnaasi wa anzala lfurqaana. Quran 3:3. He has
sent down to you the Book in the Truth confirming what
was before it (at hand), and he sent the Torah and the
Gospel aforetime, a guidance to the people and he sent the
16
criterion of distinction (furqan). The Quran both
confirms the previous Scriptures and is itself confirmed by
the earlier guidance and criterion of distinction. Thus there
is a necessary, basic agreement from one revelation to
another. To deny Scripture is to be proven false.
34. Let us take a concrete example. Suppose a man
appears claiming to be the Messiah or the Mahdi. Let us
imagine that he is such a charismatic leader that all the
countries in the world give up leadership to him, and
multitudes flock to see and hear him. Let us presume that
he brings peace and love to the earth. In addition, he states
that the law requiring avoidance of eating pork has been
abrogated, which is in clear contradiction with Lev11:7;
Deu14:8; and Quran 5:3. From this we can be certain that
he is false.
35. Let us suppose that the true Messiah and the true
Mahdi did not conform to shariat or law. Let us suppose
that the true Messiah allowed the eating of pork. To be
released from the obligation of law may seem liberating at
first, but the opposite is the case. There would then be no
objective criterion for determining between the true and
false. Without law there is no freedom, only subjection to
inner and outer determinants, and finally to leaders who
have no divine authority.

36. On the day that Iraq invaded Kuwait, the day of

Ashura, I met with Muhammad Al-Mahdi, may peace be
upon him. What convinced me that he was true? It was not
because there was something supernatural or miraculous
about the meeting, for I was aware of no such thing. It was
not because of his overwhelming charisma, which is
indeed real. It was his absolute adherence to shariat or
divinely revealed law which made his claim valid.
37. Hajji Bektash considers the gate of shariat or law to
be that of air and the gate of haqiqat or reality to be that of
earth. Some Bektashis consider that entrance into the other
gates releases one from shariat or law. To each let there
be her own revelation. But it appears to me that as long as
17
one needs to breathe, one needs to have some reference to
the gate of air. Indeed, breath itself encompasses all law.
The first commandment is to reproduce and have
dominion, that is, to eat. Production and consumption
cover the whole range of law. It is breathing in and
breathing out. To remember la ilaaha (there is no god)
upon breathing out, and to remember illallaah (but God)
upon breathing in, is to enter the second gate, the gate of
tariqat or the dervish way. It also sums up the law. The
dervish does not go beyond law, but turns law into love.
Law is not thereby diminished. To breathe is to accept
divine law. It is no more difficult that this.

Article 5

38. If the Nafs is illusory not-God, it is flailing at

windmills to struggle against it. If the Nafs is real, the
Nafs too is God.
39. The path of lovers and seekers consists mainly in
dealing with the Nafs or self. Before entering the gate of
Shari'a (or law), the role of the Nafs is to push the
individual to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Upon entering
the gate of Shari'a (or law), the individual confronts the
Nafs as an enemy, which prevents her or him from
carrying out the law. In that situation, the Nafs must be
disciplined and dominated, held in check. When lovers
and seekers follow these two ways of dealing with Nafs,
they depart from the gate of Tariqa (the path of loving
devotion).
40. Yet the Nafs remains the vehicle of experience in all
the gates. On the path of devotion, the Nafs must be
neither the driving force nor the focus of discipline. To
struggle against the Nafs is to be doomed to failure in the
search for the Beloved. At the gate of Tariqa the Nafs must
be seduced.

The Nafs, like all existing things, consists of both reality

and illusion. When we face the Nafs as reality, we find
18
ourselves in the presence, face to face with the true Face.
When we face the Nafs as illusion, illusion disappears.
There is no more direct way of making a mirage disappear
than trying to drink it. The way to deal with both the
reality and illusion of the Nafs is to embrace it. When the
soul embraces the illusory Nafs, her arms close on
nothing. When the soul embraces the real Nafs, she is
joined to him in an ecstasy of love and they become one
flesh. Rather than being driven by the Nafs, rather than
disciplining the Nafs, the lover and the Nafs speak in one
voice to say Ana al-Haqq.
41. The experience of reward and punishment comes
into perspective as the Nafs is embraced. Adulation can
only awaken a condescending, regal smile. Pain in
perspective was the whole purpose of the descent into
illusion; the satisfaction, as it were, of feeling the sting in
the divine hide. That is why Al-Hallaj wept that his
crucifixion could not last forever.
42. The experience of disciplined obedience comes
into perspective as the Nafs is embraced. Fiqh or the
practice of legal verdicts as submission to God becomes
irrelevant. There is no need to obey another, when the soul
and Nafs are so joined as to make one love and one will.
That is why Al-Hallaj said Ana Al-Haqq.
43. The purpose of the lover is to penetrate the
illusion of division to the One. It goes in the opposite
direction of creation, to gather up the shining splinters of
reality and build them up into one edifice, which is God.
As God created the universe out of Himself, so the self
must create God out of the universe. God cannot be one
unless all humankind are one. All humankind cannot be
one unless the individual is one. The individual cannot be
one as long as she is struggling against the Nafs. It is all a
matter of realization. The meaning is precisely the same to
say either Ana Al-Haqq or La ilaha illallah.

44.What is the technique? The doctrine is simple. God is

One. Since God is One, there is nothing in reality but God.
19
Since there is nothing in reality but God, whatever is real
in humankind is God. Since whatever is real in humankind
is God, I am God. Since I am God, whatever I experience
has meaning only in reference to that. Ana al-Haqq is the
appropriate response to every experience.

Article 6
45. The ease with which the Watcher/Serpent
deceived Eve was due to the fact that she was
unaccustomed to deceitful speech. Genesis 3:8-13 reports
possibly the only conversation on record in which every
participant was completely factual without having any
ulterior motives or hidden agendas. God demands an
explanation for their having eaten the forbidden fruit. We
are so accustomed to deceit and quibbling, that we fail to
see how transparently innocent is Adams answer. Adam is
not laying the blame on Eve. He is reporting things
precisely as they happened, without making excuses and
without laying blame. He is speaking in a state of pure
truth. Eves response is precisely the same. She accurately
reports the role of the Watcher/Serpent without
embellishments of any kind. Neither Adam nor Eve mean
anything but exactly what they say. This is so
extraordinary that few commentators have been able to
resist the temptation to attribute one or another hidden
motive to one or both of them.
46. The realization that I am God, Ana al-Haqq, should
have as its primary life-experience the relinquishing of
hidden agendas. Probably the most useful dervish exercise
is to attempt to engage another person in conversation
without ulterior, unspoken motives. Of course, the very
intention to do so becomes an ulterior motive. The
exercise consists in patiently waiting for the event to take
place. The evaluation of every human contact in the light
of this practice in itself is conducive to the reduction of
motivational complexities. The exercise is dangerous from
one point of view: one is likely to become extremely
misunderstood. The listener will automatically attribute
20
unspoken intentions to simple sentences and clear
statements. The opposite danger also exists. When one
relinquishes the search for hidden agendas, one is easily
victimized. Both dangers are avoided through quiet
observation of the whole person.
47. What is quiet observation of the whole person? It
is the concentration on basics. What is essential? What is
absolutely unavoidable? The first essential thing is
automatic, vegetative physical activity, such as the
heartbeat and digestion. The most accessible is the pulse.
To follow the pulse is to enter haqiqat. This was the first
lesson given me by my mentor in Turkey. The pulse, the
beating of the heart, is the continual repetition of al-Haqq,
truth. The breath can be regulated to some extent at will,
so to follow the breath requires a more practiced
concentration, but it too is among the basics. The
observation of the breath is effective only to the extent that
the act of concentration does not alter the breathing rate or
depth. The quiet observation of the pulse or the breath is a
simple but basic entrance into the fourth gate, the gate of
haqiqat or Truth. Nothing is more true from the
experiential point of view than the heartbeat and the
breath.

Article 7

Al-Baqara 1-7
Q2:1. Alif Lam Mim.

Legislation is based on Scripture. Valid following of law

requires belief in the unseen authority of God, prayer in
prostration, alms, belief in all Scripture, and a sense of
responsibility before God.

There are 29 chapters of the Holy Quran which begin

with one of fourteen various combinations of fourteen
Arabic letters. It is claimed that only God knows the exact
meaning of these letters and that it is forbidden to
21
speculate on what they represent. This is a fundamental
error, and reveals an attitude which beclouds some of the
clear meaning of the divine revelation. The Holy Quran
contains all revealed truth, and without these letters, its
revelation would be incomplete. The fourteen letters and
the fourteen combinations represent the earlier books of
revelation and specifically the content of these books
which is completed in the chapters of the Quran to which
they are attached. These letters abbreviate the earlier
revealed knowledge that is necessary to understand the
Quran text. That is why the particular letter combinations
appear at the beginning of the particular chapters. The
specific meaning of Alif Lam Mim will become apparent
as we examine each verse and notice what passages from
the Tawrat, Zabur and Injil are necessary to understand it.
This is perfectly clear and there is no mystery about it. The
letters abbreviate in sum the Bible, and their incorporation
into the Quran makes the Quran perfect and complete.
Ya Shah! Feed me with the divine secret! Have mercy on
the oppressed of the earth, ya Shah!
Q2:2. Dhaalika l-kitaabu la rayba fiihi hudal
lilmuttaqiina. That Book, there is no calamitous
punishment in it, (was) guidance for those who (were)
awaiting (the coming of Islam).
This verse defies translation, being so full of information.
In addition, most translators ignore the very basics of
Arabic grammar. Dhaalika means "that" and refers to the
preceding Book, that is, the Tawrat, Zabur, and Injil,
which had been compiled into one book by the time the
Quran was revealed. Dhaalika refers to the Book
abbreviated in the letters Alif Lam Mim, the Bible. If the
expression had referred to the Quran, it should have read
haadha instead of dhaalika, this instead of that. The fact
that there is no article with the word hudan "guidance"
suggests that the Book is not a complete revelation, that is,
it is only a guidance with another to come.
The word rayba is almost always translated "doubt" with
the connotation of suspicion of fraud, but the Quran uses
22
the word in another way Q52:30 Or do they say:- "A Poet!
We await for him some calamity (hatched) by Time."
Rayb is divine punishment or the normal effect that falls
on a person purporting to prophesy without divine
authority. This expression indicates that the writings
included in the Bible have divine authority. The issue is an
important one. The Christian Church gathered the canon
of the Injil or New Testament on its own authority. Before
the confirmation by the Quran, there were only two
criteria for establishing the Injil as divine revelation. The
first was painstaking comparison with the Hebrew canon
to determine whether it was consistent with it or not. If the
Injil were found to be consistent with the Tawrat and
Zabur, it was possible tentatively to suggest that it too was
divine revelation. The other method was merely to accept
the authority of the Church. Neither method is fully
satisfactory, because there is historical evidence that the
Church was heretical and therefore non-authoritative by
the time the canon of the New Testament was closed on
one hand, and because comparison of texts and their
meaning is susceptible to errors in interpretation on the
other. Without the Quran to confirm its divine authority,
Christians have no prophetic basis for accepting the New
Testament.
The word muttaquun is cognate with the Hebrew root
qwh. The word in Hebrew is generally translated "wait for,
look for". The Bible tells us clearly who the muttaquun
were for whom the Bible was a guidance. Jeremiah 8:15
(also 14:19) We looked for (that is, we were muttaquun)
peace (slm, that is, Islam), but no good came; and for a
time of health, and behold trouble! The trouble at the time
of the Babylonian threat caused many in Judah to become
muttaquun or Qawwee leshaloom, awaiters for Islam. But
no good came, and Islam did not yet appear. Before Islam
the Bible was a guidance for those who awaited, patiently
or desperately, for the final revelation.
Ya Shah! I await the coming of your guidance, here, now,

23
in this silence knowing that when you are silent you are
the closest to my heart, ya Shah!
Q2:3. Al-ladhiina yu,minuuna bilghaybi wa
yuqimuuna l-salaata wa mimmaa razaqnaahum
yunfiquuna. Who believe in what is hidden and establish
prayer (in prostration) and of what We have provided them
they spend.

The human being generally acts on the basis of perception.

The senses govern natural action. All people are governed
by the senses, but some people realize that the perceived
world is determined by limited senses, and is therefore in
reality a falsification. Since the senses are clearly limited,
it is irrational to consider observable phenomena to make
up the totality of reality. The ghayb is reality which is
imperceptible because of the limited nature of senses or
their extensions. Although it is rational to believe in the
hidden, it is impossible to define, conceive or grasp it.
Definition belongs to the world of limitations. The
recognition of Al-Haqq, reality is the first of three steps
enumerated in this verse.

The recognition of reality leads to actions which cannot be

seen as a logical consequence of the perceived world. All
such actions are included in the category of salaat, or
prayer in prostration. Prayer in prostration is a formal
recognition of the authority of the unseen Creator of all
things. Its forms have been preserved since the time of
Adam and are to be observed in thousands of mosques
around the world today. Salaat is used here as a symbol of
all forms of sacrifice which recognize divine authority.
Such actions are valueless unless they are performed in the
recognition of Al-Haqq, that is, in belief of what is hidden
from the senses.

The recognition of divine sovereignty implies more than

sacrifice to God. It also implies a different kind of
relationship to other human beings than the sense
24
perception of the universe would suggest. This is
expressed in the ayat here as the sharing of provisions. In
the book of Psalms, the Zabur, the first of the five sections
contains seven blessings using the word asherey or
blessings of. Each of these blessings expresses the lifting
of one of the seven veils of perception. The seventh and
final blessing, upon which reality is laid bare to the soul, is
in Psalm 41:1 Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the
LORD will deliver him in the time of trouble. The highest
achievement of the dervish is not the attainment of a
different mental state or the ability to perform miracles.
The highest achievement is to realize the unity of God to
such an extent that to put food in the mouth of another is
the same as putting food in ones own mouth, for there is
but one I which illumines the consciousness of all. That is
why the Bektashis at a feast will place the meat of the
sacrifice in the mouth of the one sitting beside him. He
will receive it by placing both hands on the hand of the
giver. Jesus, upon whom be peace, gave the example in
placing the meat in the mouth of Judas his betrayer.
Matt26:21-23 And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say
unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were
exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say
unto him, Lord, is it I? And he answered and said, He that
dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray
me.
Such were those who were awaiting the coming of the
holy Quran, and such are those who follow the Quran
today.
Ya Shah! I take hold of the unseen, I bow down in
prostration, I give myself a sacrifice to you alone, ya
Shah!
Q2:4. Walladhiina yu,minuuna bimaa unzila ilayka
wa maa unzila min qablika wa bil,aakhirati hum
yuuqinuuna. And who believe in what has been sent down
to you and what was sent down before you and of the
hereafter they are certain.
The revelation "sent to you" is the Quran, whereas the
25
revelation "sent before you" is the Bible. The Hereafter is
mentioned in warning to those who wish to reject the
revelation or any part of it. That does not mean that we
should not use our reason and critical faculties in regard to
the transmission of revelation. Furthermore, verbal
revelation is the words of God, not the words of a man.
Not everything contained in the Bible lays claim to being
the word of God. But everything that does make that claim
should be carefully evaluated. The Hereafter is mentioned
also as the fate of all humankind. The revelation is given
to provide people with a basis of assurance as they face
the unknown future.

The Biblical cognate of the word unzila is nazal, which

refers to gushing out or pouring down as the waters of a
stream or tears. The Quranic word here is a quotation of
Deuteronomy 32:2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my
speech shall distil as the dew. Nazal is translated distil.
This is from the song of Moses, which is stated in the
book of Revelation 15:3 to be sung by those who got the
victory over the beast. The song of Moses is made up of
Mosess witness to God and His justice (Deut. 32:1-19),
Gods own message of His unity and justice (Deut. 32:20-
42), and Mosess call to rejoice in the coming day of
Judgment, which consists of vengeance and mercy. The
use of the word nazal suggests that the message through
Moses is the basic one by which all later messages are to
be judged. This is called the criterion in the Quran. The
criterion is the twofold proposition that God is one and
that God is just.

The word to believe means different things depending on

its referent. To believe in the revelation is different from
believing in the hidden. Q2:3 deals with belief in the
hidden as the reasonable response to human limitation.
Belief in the revelation is the same in that sense. It is a
reasonable response to human limitation. The realization
that human senses and thought cannot attain all things is a
26
requisite for belief in revelation, which is sent precisely to
compensate for human limitation. The word believe in
Q2:4 is a quotation from Exodus 4:8 And it shall come to
pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the
voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of
the latter sign. This is in reference to the two signs God
gave Moses for the people of Israel to make them believe
in the revelation. The first sign was to turn the rod into a
serpent. The second was to make his hand leprous. The
third sign was the sign of blood (Exodus 4:9). These three
signs represent the three books of revelation, the book of
the serpent or the Torah, the book of the leprous hand or
the Zabur, and the book of blood or the Gospel. In Exodus
4:10 Moses refers to his lack of eloquence, that is, his
speech impediment. The speech impediment of Moses is
prophetic of the inability of the three signs to convince the
world. The fourth book, the Quran, corrects the "speech
impediment" of the preceding ones. Exodus 4:12 Now
therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee
what thou shalt say. This promise to Moses was fulfilled
not only in his speech before Pharaoh, but in the fourth
book. The fourth book is not a message of dark signs and
miracles demanded by unbelieving people. It is a clear
message, unclouded by symbols. It is a directly dictated
message, taken down from the mouth of the angel and
transmitted through the mouth of the prophet. Therefore
the text says "I will be with your mouth, and teach you
what you will say." Just as Pharaoh could ignore the three
signs, but was brought up accountable to the direct word
of God, so the world, which has ignored the Bible, will be
brought accountable to the Quran.
Ya Shah! What you have sent down in the past, what you
give at this moment, and what you provide for the future
are all one. I lay hold of the one, ya Shah!
Q2:5. Uulaa,ika 'alaa hudan min rabbihim wa
uulaa,ika humu l-muflichuuna. These are within guidance
from their Lord and these are they who will be prosperous.
The word hudan is reminiscent of the word hadah in Isaiah
27
11:8, which is the only occasion of its use. And the
sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the
weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice den.
This whole passage refers to the time of the return of the
Mahdi or Guided One. They shall not hurt nor destroy in
all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the
knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Isaiah
11:9. Those who are upon guidance from their Lord are
primarily the twelve holy Imams, and secondarily those
who are loyal to them.

The primary meaning of the word flh in this form in

Arabic relates to prosperity. There are three cognate
Biblical roots. The root plh in Hebrew means "to
separate," and the root plh is used in the intensive form to
mean "to cleave." This is reminiscent of the epithet of the
fifth holy Imam, Al-Baqir. His "cleaving" or
distinguishing between right and wrong reveals what the
true prosperity of the Imams is. The word is used
outstandingly in Exodus 11:7 But against any of the
children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against
man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth
put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.
The Chaldean root plh has the clear sense of "to serve." It
is used nine times in the book of Daniel, always in
reference to serving either God or the false gods of
Babylon (Note Daniel 3:12-18, 28; 6:16,20; 7:14,27). The
second aspect of the Imamic prosperity is the service of
God. The holy Imams serve God alone, without regard to
either opinion or human law, either their own benefit or
harm. It is this single-eyed service of God which makes
their distinguishing between right and wrong so trenchant
as the epithet Al-Baqir suggests.
Ya Shah! Let me serve only you, ya Shah!
Q2:6. Inna lladhiina kafaruu sawaa,un 'alayhim
a,andhartahum am lam tundhirhum la yu,minuuna. Surely
those who deny, it is all the same to them if you warn them
or if you do not warn them, they will not believe.
28
The word kafaruu or "disbelieve" is cognate to the Biblical
word kpr which basically means "to cover". The noun
means "pitch" and the verb is used in the same sense in
Genesis 6:14 in reference to pitching the ark to make it
water-tight. Otherwise the word is translated as
"atonement". The same meaning is found for the
corresponding second form of the Arabic verb, which also
has the basic meaning "to cover." The denial or disbelief
comes from the action of covering or hiding the evidence
of divine grace.

The word ndhr is cognate with the Biblical nzr, which

means "to separate". It is the root from which we have
nazarite. Its basic meaning in Arabic is in fact "to vow". It
is the fourth form which has the meaning "to warn,
admonish, threaten". In Hebrew the meaning of separation
is extended to consecration, and thence to crown, nezer.
The admonishing of this verse, considering the Biblical
antecedents, has a slight connotation of consecrating to a
vow of separation.

Ya Shah! Had I a crown, I would give it to you, ya Shah!

Q2:7. khatama Allahu 'alaa quluubihim wa 'alaa

sam'ihim wa 'alaa abSaarihim ghishaawatun wa lahum
'adhaabun 'aDHiimun. Allah has placed a seal on their
hearts and on their hearing and on their eyes there is a
covering, and for them there is a great punishment.
The word ktm is the same in Hebrew, Chaldean and
Arabic and means to set a seal or put an end to something.
It is used in a similar lexical context in Daniel 9:24
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon
thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and tgo make an
end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to
bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the
vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. The
expressions are so similar that one is greatly tempted to
find a quotation of Daniel in the words of the Quran. The
29
context of Daniel has many aspects including prophetic
symbolism of an abstruse character. But it focuses strongly
on finishing transgression, bringing an end to sin,
reconciliation and everlasting righteousness. This is thus
one of the great universalist or reconciliation passages of
the Bible.

One wonders how the Quranic commentary misses the

reconciliation and focuses on punishment. The Hebrew
cognate of dhb is zb, which means "to forsake". The
Arabic verb has the basic meaning "to hinder", but in the
second form to punish. The noun means "punishment,
torment". Understanding the Quran as a commentary on
the Bible, this ayat should fill in something left hanging
and unanswered. It should not be seen to be in conflict
with the Bible message of a reconciliation and everlasting
righteousness. Indeed, the final return of all creatures to
God is a common theme of the Quran. Undoubtedly the
adhab of the Quran is the torment of a great forsaking,
the natural pangs involved in reconciliation. The Quran
tempers the gushing optimism of the text of Daniel with
the warning that all change involves suffering, and so
great an upheaval as the final reconciliation is not without
the pangs of forsaking the things that separate humankind
from humankind, and humankind from God.
Ya Shah! Even punishment is sweet, if it only comes from
you, ya Shah!

Article 8
48. The sacred Scriptures may be recited with every
breath. Participation in a dhikr which repeats a passage of
Scripture many times generally results in the sacred words
echoing in the mind for days afterward. Yet each recitation
of the Scripture, like each breath, brings new life. No two
recitations of Scripture are the same. Each utterance is a
new experience.
49. Sometimes a new reading of a sacred text brings
little or nothing new to mind. On the other hand, it
30
sometimes produces quite a new realization of the
meaning of the words. It is not rare in my own experience
that I have learned to understand familiar words in a way
that conflicts with my earlier understanding. For example,
it is now clear to me that the literal, surface meaning of
Genesis 1:2 is that "a great wind moved upon the face of
the waters" and not "the Spirit of God moved..." Both the
context and general Hebrew usage bear this out. The latter
translation is possible, but it is naturally chosen only by a
translator blinded by centuries of Christian thought. Yet if
I myself experience the texts differently at different times,
what right have I to expect that another individual should
understand them as I do now?
50. The interpretation of Scriptures has become a
highly specialized task. It requires the study of languages,
culture and generally speaking theology as well. Those
specialized in the application of religious tradition to
ordinary life are often looked up to by their parishioners.
The "ordinary" person gets the feeling of incompetence.
We look up to sheikhs, rabbis, mullahs and bishops, not
realizing that to do so is to commit shirk, or association of
a false god with God. Bowing down to the little god we
perceive in the specialist, we are untrue to the God who is
in everyone, in every place, in every time.
51. It is the dervish way to experience Scripture. If it
must be interpreted, let it be interpreted by experience, by
a day to day living. Knowing that Genesis 1:2 refers to a
great wind, rather than the Spirit of God, now when I feel
the wind I become aware of the Spirit of God. I had
otherwise sent her far from me, to the beginnings of the
world. Instead, the Spirit of God is present at my face and
in my breath.

Article 9
52. I made the following answer to a remark of a
friend. Ah, ibn Ibraahim! Do not be too harsh on the rabbi.
He has a point about worshiping brilliant people. A very
good point too. That is the real problem that we face daily,
31
the temptation to worship the small god we see in the idol
people around us rather than the one God we are incapable
of seeing in all of us. While recognizing expertise, we
should not bow to the god in the idolized one at the
expense of the God in all of us. That is the primary danger
of organized religion. In the end, the practitioner does not
"feel qualified" to think for himself.
53. For a long time I have considered this matter, and I
have dealt with it on a practical level. At this point I think
the following scenario is probably the best. There should
be a clear verbal foundation of the faith. For a number of
reasons I consider that the decalogue is in itself sufficient
for this, although I would include the canon of the four
books. There should be a clear establishment of authority.
I consider the line coming down from the Hebrew
prophets and kings to the twelve Shi'ite Imams to be
authoritative. Thirdly, there should be the possibility of a
face to face group. In that case there should be a leader
who recognizes the verbal foundation of the decalogue and
the hegemony of the Imam above him, and who
encourages individual investigation of the written canon
and daily life and practice. I would approve of leaders who
function on that basis rather than elected ones, leaders who
might transmit their functions to the ones in the next
generation whom he sees fit.
54. This is in principle the way Sufi orders and
Hasidic and similar Jewish orders work. The only way to
avoid the wrong relationship to the leader is for the leader
to walk a very thin line of both maintaining authority and
encouraging individual growth among his followers. It is
in fact the responsibility of the leader.
55. I have experimented with more democratic
ways, and found them completely inoperable. My earlier
reticence to take leadership with the justification that the
individual must not be deprived of room for growth turns
out to be unworkable. In the end, I have had to take
leadership into my own hands, and that has meant being a
lone, wandering dervish.
32
56. Another Sufi trait that I have questioned and finally
accepted, is the face to face transmission. Having
experimented with writing and correspondence, I note that
the face to face relationship is necessary for the
transmission of the spiritual tradition. I myself acquired it
face to face. This is not to say that reading is not
important, nor that it has no continuing contribution. But it
is to say that the personal contact is essential.
57. He then asked me: "Some of my Sufi friends in the
USA speak of retaining an image of the sheikh/guide in
the heart or hearing her/his voice after having made the
initial face-to-face "imprinting" contact. Does this fit your
understanding of personal contact?"

58. Answer: I suppose every experience is unique. I do not

hear the voice or preserve an image of the one who
transmitted the tradition to me. I would say, however, that
even one meeting is sometimes enough. What is
transmitted is not transmitted over a long period of time. If
it takes a long period of time, it is because the real contact
has not taken place. The transmission happens in a few
moments, all at once.

59. I am acquainted with several people who have traveled

to India to be hugged by a woman they claim is an avatar,
God descended in flesh. I am sure that she is indeed God
and that to be hugged by her is a wonderful experience.
On the other hand, I see two tragedies in this. The trip to
India to see her is worth the while only if one fails to see
that the thousands of chubby, middle-aged women closer
by are just as much God and just as much huggable as she
is. The other tragedy is that people experience the world
they live in as such a cold and harsh place that they must
travel to India to be hugged.

Article 10

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 60. How is it possible to keep the awareness of the
Face always before one? Surely the most practical
problem of every dervish is not how to find God, but how
to keep God. The human experience is to be sunken in
illusion all of the time. We find and keep God only as God
penetrates that illusion, is reflected on the screen of
illusion. Yet God does so at all times. It might be better to
leave off the repetition of Laa illaaha illallaah, and repeat
instead "I have no rights, I have no wishes."

61. The experience of fana or extinction is the experience

the dervish practitioner fears most. It is fear of that
experience that creates hierarchies. We cannot reject the
goal altogether, but we can save it for the privileged few.
Then we can imagine that spirituality is looking up to such
people.
62. A famous Sufi once told me that fana is like what
happens to a file deleted from the computer. He
understood that personal individuality disappears in the
divine ocean. My response broke off communication
between us, for he lost interest in anything I had to say
thereafter. I responded that personal individuality comes
into its own only in fana. It is more like light seen from a
ship. From the outside we define light as a row of
roundnesses in a field of darkness. But when we go inside,
the individual portholes are no longer of importance. It is
there that we converse, hear ideas, eat meals, and drink
wine. Therefore the holy Quran speaks of fana in Q88:13-
16 Fiihaa sururum marfuuatun. Wa-akwaabum
mauDuuatun. Wa namaariqu maSfuufatun. Wazaraabiqu
mabthuuthatun. Therein a spring flowing. Therein are
couches exalted. And goblets ready placed, and cushions
ranged in order, and carpets spread forth.
63. The one who taught me the Islamic practice of salaat
or formal prayer once quoted a famous saying among
Muslims. "If you non-Muslims knew what ecstasy we
experience in prayer, you would be ready to fight to get it
for yourselves." The experience of fana is to prayer what
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prayer is to prayerlessness. The fear of extinction in the
divine ocean comes from the illusion that the personal
individuality finds its highest expression in the individual.
This is simply not true. It is only in extinction that the
individual realizes at last, now and for all eternity, in one
burst of glory, who I truly am. Ana al-Haqq.

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