Comments on Technology of the Heart: Sufi Understanding of Cosmology and Planes of Cons...

2010-07-24T16:34:10.902+06:00

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2010-07-24T16:22:57.377+06:00

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Abnizar, "Unveilling" ( kashf )" D...

2010-07-24T16:01:20.822+06:00

Abnizar,

"Unveilling" ( kashf )" DOES NOT "refer to that point of time experiencing the Mystical" - IN FACT IT DOES NOT REFER TO ANY TIME. Unveiling is experiencing the Eternity as pointed out by Khalil Gibran. And when Eternity or God is experienced time stops, time is no more. "Achieving" Eternity you can only when you drop all non eternity - time and space.
As far as your emphasizing on "seeking out Eternity (God)" is referred to, you have to keep seeking Eternity, till Eternity (or God or Allah or Brahman or Tao, etc.) finds you.

The Unitive state which I alluded to earlier, at t...

2010-07-24T07:02:46.884+06:00

The Unitive state which I alluded to earlier, at the point of " unveilling" ( kashf ), refers to that point of time " experiencing "the Mystical,- that constitutes "unveilling" by The Lord, Not by man.
Aliya,
Try & ponder, contemplate what great mystery is this, when Khalil Gibran says :
ONLY THOSE ACHIEVE ETERNITY,
WHO ON THIS EARTH SEEK OUT
ETERNITY..
Best wishes, Abnizar

Dear Sadiq, Thank you for this post. I, however,...

2010-07-24T02:01:52.872+06:00

Dear Sadiq,

Thank you for this post. I, however, am a beginner on the sufi path, and so all of it is well over my head.

Kindest wishes,

mo'in

2010-07-23T04:14:06.841+06:00

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Nothing is wrong with people, people are God's...

2010-07-23T02:12:40.382+06:00

Nothing is wrong with people, people are God's children. All the wrong goes to their mind's conditioning, prejudices, beliefs, disbeliefs. And people's mind has always been deluding them - in the past times as well as in nowadays.
To long for the past and to underestimate the present moment, is to underestimate God. Remember only one thing: the past is a hindrance, the greatest hindrance. It has to be completely dropped, utterly dropped. To be with God is to be in the now — no past, no future. This moment is all there is and just this moment is God. Everything else is just the mind dreaming, desiring, imagining.

Once the past and future have dropped — and they are always dropped together; if you drop one, the other disappears of its own accord. They are two aspects of the same game. The past projects itself into the future. It wants to repeat itself — in a little more modified way, but still the same. Between the two is the moment. The moment, this moment, is the only reality, and the door to reality. So let this moment become your whole life. Live moment to moment, with no ideology, with no desire for any kind of future, with no goal. And then you need not go to God — God comes to you. (Osho)

Mr. Souttar, With due respect to all, its surprisi...

2010-07-22T22:58:56.057+06:00

Mr. Souttar,
With due respect to all, its surprising that the ‘directors of consciousness’, specially the sufi teachers that you had the opportunity to sit with, failed in planting the secret seed of ashk of the Rasul. you seems not to have attained any glimpse of who Muhammad was?

yes there are millions of universe out there, yes there are many potential planets revolving around similar sun like ours having other makhluq (creations), yet Muhammad is Muhammad.

and as you seem to be a big fan of science, it is also one of reason - why Muhammad is the Last Message, because the Seal has been introduced and there will be no need for new religious path. Buddha have come and gone. No new Buddha will ever appear in that status. Jesus have come and gone. No repeating of his episode is ever ever possible. The new world, the new possibility have closed that door. No new Moses and no new magic of Pharaoh. Its gone, done and the Seal is also sealed. understand or dont understand, accept or dont accept, be in it or cover up the truth - the reality remains the same.

because of proliferation of knowledge, printing press, recording methods, reproduction technology and so on and so forth, the last revelation will be preserved and no new scripture will be ever given, cause its not necessary and also the possibility of such pure unveiling is gone.

The prophet, there will be no other time after my time, worse than the previous time. So it is. as the universe is racing towards big cruch, so are the corruption of time. people will continue to commit more evils, people will continue to lose their innonce at an earlier and earlier age, people will be involved in immoral sexuality more and more, people will continue to destroy value as if its nothing. the father we move away from the age of the illuminated beings, the more corrupt time will become and possibility is only impossibility for newer unveiling cause all the containers are corrupt and more corrupt with every next passage of time.

2010-07-22T20:21:12.057+06:00

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"this mystical experience of "The knower...

2010-07-22T19:58:10.898+06:00

"this mystical experience of "The knower and the Known are One" is something of an "authorisation" or grace from All Mighty... and NOT at the instance of man himself, and when He wills it... it is.."

Yes, it is so and to be more truthful we have to say that in the mystical experience there is no other remaining except the Al Mighty. When you dive into your inner most being and enter the shrine of your inner temple, whereas God is waiting for you, you disappear, you are no more. Only God is. The price you have to pay for entering this inner temple is You, your own self. It is not an authorisation that you have to receive from God, not a pass ticket, because who will remain to receive them? The inward journey is a travel with no return, whereas the traveler disappears and only the traveling remains.

Referring to James Souttars comment, (which I appr...

2010-07-22T15:24:21.763+06:00

Referring to James Souttars comment, (which I appreciate in most of them) I feel constrained to refer to some selected pertinent points he raised, and so I would go right into the heart of the matter, which to me, is the central issue surrounding this mystical " Experience, and I agree with the remark:

"Now all that remains is the way to rise from the material and conscious world,and experience Him, as He is"

He seems to suggest that the various "stations" "istishinnah", in his reference to "Mother of the Book", are only "descriptions" of an, or any experience, and because basic human assumptions are more usually drawn from science - than from religion - it would make more sense if these stations or " presences" are presented scientifically, rather than mere "belief-systems" (not based on experience/s of "The Reality")

However, to me, this Reality is in the Ineffable Nature, which is something abstruse ,(or an Ethereal Reality) and at best, the sciences can only make things "definitive" capable of precision relating only to our Ephemeral Reality. Hence, in terms of "Experience" I can only make references to some of the sayings of The Holy Prophet viz

"When they came upon the shore and sighted the Waves, they could describe its secrets, but when they saw the Mighty Ocean, they were dumbfounded..." Here, it implies, that no human language can describe the "Experience", far less, in precise "scientific" terms on the subject of "unveilling " (kashf ) in the Quran,, this mystical experience of "The knower and the Known are One" is something of an "authorisation" or grace from All Mighty... and NOT at the instance of man himself, and when He wills it... it is..

So, to me it is a deeply, deeply personal "revelation" and not of general application.

AllahHu Alam

- ABNIZAR

I got more than i expected before when i found ur ...

2010-07-21T22:15:35.842+06:00

I got more than i expected before when i found ur blog, n that also withot intention by google. Thanks alot for this sharing, but may i requested 1 thing? can u add google translate on ur page? coz actually my english is so worst. Jazakillah :)

Salam,
Rahma

2010-07-21T21:52:48.464+06:00

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2010-07-21T21:24:56.223+06:00

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2010-07-21T21:24:54.325+06:00

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Dear James, The nature of the Quranic Revelation i...

2010-07-21T21:08:17.005+06:00

Dear James,
The nature of the Quranic Revelation is such that for the Sufis this "Revelation" brought down from the 'the Mother of the Preserved Tablet" is an unveiling upon the heart of the Apostle himself. Thus from Prophet's perspective it is the grand unveling and the apostalic tradition, the instruction and the description of the unseen are in a sense, lesser unveling as the Quran itself testifies about the speech of the Apostle, "Nor does he speak out of (his own) desire. - 53:3

The literal meaning of the word kashf is "unveling,", and it also means to expose the heart to metaphysical illumination or "revelation". Quran was exactly that for the Apostle.

So it holds as it holds without arguing too much over languge. One can go into the origin, roots, multiple meanings of Kashf, but when did mystics were interested in argument over words? Never.

I do differ slightly (or rather like to see it in different light) on the other points you made in the comment, but perhaps that topic whether what exactly is the role of the mystics "for the collective", what responsibility as heir of the God-sent messengers do the mystics carry to help 'the other' in their journey to Truth - is a vast subject, and could be discussed in another occasion, if God so wills.

Dear Madni Mazoor, There were three companions of ...

2010-07-21T20:59:26.264+06:00

Dear Madni Mazoor,
There were three companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad Mustafa who were contemplative. Being the spiritual guide of his companions, the Holy Prophet wanted to convey glad tidings to them regarding their practices and the benefit they are achieving by their inner (spiritual) work. So he summoned all the three men.

He asked the first, “How do you contemplate?” He said, “Allah says in Quran: “Indeed in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alteration of night and day, there are signs for those who have intellects”. (3:191) I too, ponder over the wonders of the heavens and the earth”. The Holy Prophet told him, “One hour of your contemplation is better than the worship of one year”.

Then the Rasool asked the second man as to how he contemplated. The man said, “I reflect upon death and the horror of Qiyamah”. The Holy Prophet told him, “One hour of your contemplation is better than the worship of seven years”.

He then asked the third man about his contemplation. The man said, “I reflect upon the fire of hell and its dreadfulness and severity”. The Holy Prophet told him, “One hour of your contemplation is better than the worship of seventy years”. (Tafseer Rooh al-Bayaan)

Reading your comment reminded me of this tradition and indeed I bless your heart for diving into the deep contemplation, and if this post be the wasila, then Alhamdulillah. I pray that may Allah reward you, protect your young heart and guide you in the Path.

Peace to you!

Dear Aliya,
Beautiful, insightful comment and more beautiful is your presence. Thank you for your being.

Dear NJ,
Salaams.

Inshallah and bi Iznillah, By Allah's Will and by Allah's permission, may Allah guide you to rise higher and higher in recognition of Hu and living according to that station. May Allah forgive us for our shortcomings and cover us by His mercy.

2010-07-21T14:49:36.536+06:00

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I had been thinking in the past few weeks of the r...

2010-07-21T14:19:40.040+06:00

I had been thinking in the past few weeks of the realm of world beyond this physical world, of crossing the space and time dimension we are in and getting to know Allah as He is, breaking free from the conscious world and trying to fathom His Bliss.

i woke up in the middle of the night, and am here. Read the whole post in deepest night. As if something guided me to it, subhanAllah.

what i had been thinking, wanting, to understand is presented in this post as a complete package.

Now all that remains is the way to rise from the material and conscious world and experience Him as He is.
Hoping He himself will guide those who desire just Him.

wassalam,
nj

"we dive into our deepest self-hood, God is i...

2010-07-21T14:17:53.246+06:00

"we dive into our deepest self-hood, God is in our deepest self. Here there is the ability to dive so deeply as to touch our deepest being, which is the home of all intelligence, life, peace, and joy; and here worry, fear, disease or death do not enter."
Yes, that is it - to gather all your courage and to dive into your inner self, to jump into the unknown territory of your innermost core of being. All other levels, planes, categorizations are just hints on your way to God, meant to help you jumping. Otherwise you may not jump into an uncharted abyss, you may get afraid of the unknown You.
That is why people need guidance by others, need organized religions, need the crowd. People are afraid, very much afraid to encounter themselves, their inner most essence of Being.
And still, the way to God is only for those few endeavoring beings who trust in God, in Existence and take the risk to jump into the inner mystery of Being.

Topic seems to be small but, it kept my eyes open ...

2010-07-21T06:26:23.809+06:00

Topic seems to be small but, it kept my eyes open in the middle of night and deep thinking didn't let me sleep. There are so many things in hidden in this topic, if i want to explore each one by one, i need lot of time, anyway thanks for this wonderful topic, i also got many useful information from it.