Wednesday, October 20, 2010
We all have our Un - Bliss moments
I have always tried to behave my best with utmost respect no matter what happens or confronts me. With family and some friends indeed in our relationships with others,it is difficult, because sometimes we hurt the ones we love the most although I am trying really hard in that department too. As soon as I do or say something wrong I immediatly apologise and refuse to drag things on and feel the hurt. I try my best to put myself in the other persons shoe of how my words may have hurt them more.
We are human and on this journey of discovering our Higher Self, trying to behave our Highest conduct at all times we sometimes falter, more often than not.
What do I do?I turn inwardly and try to reach for my innermost Source of Strength to rely on and turn too. This is the only Bliss I trust, the Source of my existence.
We are human and on this journey of discovering our Higher Self, trying to behave our Highest conduct at all times we sometimes falter, more often than not.
What do I do?I turn inwardly and try to reach for my innermost Source of Strength to rely on and turn too. This is the only Bliss I trust, the Source of my existence.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Surround yourself with Bliss
I read the wise sayings of Paolo Coehlo and as usual he takes my breath away. he says and I quote" Do not surround yourself with people who make you suffer".
It is true I thought. All my past I have been through alot, personal challenges ( which I have no doubt I chose subconsciously) to be where I am today. Who I am today. Nevertheless I often look back and wonder, Could there have been an easier way?. The answer to that is Yes. "Never surround yourself with people who make you suffer!" We are Human BEINGS. This means we have the innate capability to BE. BE Joy, BE Good, BE Happy , BE Selfless,BE Kindness, BE Grateful. If we are surrounded by those who make us suffer then how are we too find our Best person within us too contribute for the cause of Humanity. If we surround ourselves by unhappiness how are we to contribute and be the solution and not part of the problem?
I am so envious that Paolo Coehlo has found what it means to be a Human being, what this world around us means, the miracle of life and the gifts we have if we really cherish ourselves and our reasons for living. I hope to become one day a complete Human Being much like him.
It is true I thought. All my past I have been through alot, personal challenges ( which I have no doubt I chose subconsciously) to be where I am today. Who I am today. Nevertheless I often look back and wonder, Could there have been an easier way?. The answer to that is Yes. "Never surround yourself with people who make you suffer!" We are Human BEINGS. This means we have the innate capability to BE. BE Joy, BE Good, BE Happy , BE Selfless,BE Kindness, BE Grateful. If we are surrounded by those who make us suffer then how are we too find our Best person within us too contribute for the cause of Humanity. If we surround ourselves by unhappiness how are we to contribute and be the solution and not part of the problem?
I am so envious that Paolo Coehlo has found what it means to be a Human being, what this world around us means, the miracle of life and the gifts we have if we really cherish ourselves and our reasons for living. I hope to become one day a complete Human Being much like him.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
The "Hidden" Bliss of Eid Mubarak.
It is wonderful how people share with you their thoughts and feelings even though they are just a name on a blog site and yet they have come together to speak their mind and share their hearts in a safe environment where no one would look down upon them. I am so Blessed to have discovered this. I am so Blessed to have a family. I am so blessed to have friends who are my guardian Angels ( you know who you are),near and far away. I miss those I havent seen but I will soon. In this month of much unseen Blessings and Miracles we can choose to share our Bliss with those "less fortunate". Inverted commas because they are not actually less fortunate but here to teach us all a lesson in Love and Unity. I pray that we all Unite to take care of each other and advance the cause of Humanity. That is our mandate when we were created. It is not really Hidden as we can make sure we "read the omens" along the journey and we will see it and experience the miracle of Life.
I hope everyone that I know or dont and stumble upon this site will have a miraculous Eid for those who celebrate and I hope that we will come together in the spirit of healing.
I hope everyone that I know or dont and stumble upon this site will have a miraculous Eid for those who celebrate and I hope that we will come together in the spirit of healing.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
The bliss of Today
The first thing I woke up to was the sound of my children and the Sun .Ohhh lovely warmth and happiness. Such Bliss. Then I encountered this wonderful saying,
"Safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being" Kahlil Gibran.
Just when I thought I would give up with this blog I get a message that it is extremely wonderful, this blog. So if I can make one person benefit from this then I shall continue. My reasons not to give up is too obvious. Life.
"Safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being" Kahlil Gibran.
Just when I thought I would give up with this blog I get a message that it is extremely wonderful, this blog. So if I can make one person benefit from this then I shall continue. My reasons not to give up is too obvious. Life.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
"A Return to Love" ( A return to Bliss)
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
This inspiring quote by Marianne Williamson is from her book, A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles, Harper Collins, 1992. From Chapter 7, Section 3 (Pg. 190-191).
I kept having this quote in my head. It kept poppin gback into my head that I just had to share this beautiful and truthful quote that inspires me till today from when I first read it. It is I believe one of the most illuminating insights to Who we are and our connection to each other as spirits on this human journey. I hope it will touch you deep in the core your of being and illuminate you as it has me.
This inspiring quote by Marianne Williamson is from her book, A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles, Harper Collins, 1992. From Chapter 7, Section 3 (Pg. 190-191).
I kept having this quote in my head. It kept poppin gback into my head that I just had to share this beautiful and truthful quote that inspires me till today from when I first read it. It is I believe one of the most illuminating insights to Who we are and our connection to each other as spirits on this human journey. I hope it will touch you deep in the core your of being and illuminate you as it has me.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Our Essence (of Bliss)
Christian tradition
A protestant priest, having started a family, no longer had any peace for his prayers. One night, when he knelt down, he was disturbed by the children in the living room.
“Have the children keep quiet!” he shouted.
His startled wife obeyed. Thereafter, whenever the priest came home, they all maintained silence during prayers. But he realized that God was no longer listening.
One night, during his prayers, he asked the Lord: “what is going on? I have the necessary peace, and I cannot pray!”
An angel replied: “He hears words, but no longer hears the laughter. He notices the devotion, but can no longer see the joy.”
The priest stood and shouted once again to his wife: “Let the children play! They are part of praying!”
And his words were heard by God once again.
Muslim tradition
A blind man was begging on the road to Mecca, when a pious Moslem came over and asked whether the people were giving generously – as the Koran commands. The man showed him his little tin, which was almost empty. The traveler said:
– Let me write something on the card around your neck.
Hours later, the traveler returned. The beggar was surprised, for he had received a large amount of money.
– What did you write on the card? – he asked.
– All I wrote was: Today is a beautiful spring day, the sun is shining, and I am blind.
Jewish tradition
Dov Beer de Mezeritch was asked:
“Which example should one follow? That of pious men, who devote their lives to God? That of scholars, who seek to understand the will of the Almighty?
“The best example is that of the child,” he answered.
“A child knows nothing. It hasn’t yet learned what reality is,” people commented.
“You are all quite wrong, for a child possesses three qualities we should never forget,” said Dov Beer. “They are always joyful without reason. They are always busy. And when they want something, they know how to demand it firmly and with determination.”
Paulo Coehlo
.
A protestant priest, having started a family, no longer had any peace for his prayers. One night, when he knelt down, he was disturbed by the children in the living room.
“Have the children keep quiet!” he shouted.
His startled wife obeyed. Thereafter, whenever the priest came home, they all maintained silence during prayers. But he realized that God was no longer listening.
One night, during his prayers, he asked the Lord: “what is going on? I have the necessary peace, and I cannot pray!”
An angel replied: “He hears words, but no longer hears the laughter. He notices the devotion, but can no longer see the joy.”
The priest stood and shouted once again to his wife: “Let the children play! They are part of praying!”
And his words were heard by God once again.
Muslim tradition
A blind man was begging on the road to Mecca, when a pious Moslem came over and asked whether the people were giving generously – as the Koran commands. The man showed him his little tin, which was almost empty. The traveler said:
– Let me write something on the card around your neck.
Hours later, the traveler returned. The beggar was surprised, for he had received a large amount of money.
– What did you write on the card? – he asked.
– All I wrote was: Today is a beautiful spring day, the sun is shining, and I am blind.
Jewish tradition
Dov Beer de Mezeritch was asked:
“Which example should one follow? That of pious men, who devote their lives to God? That of scholars, who seek to understand the will of the Almighty?
“The best example is that of the child,” he answered.
“A child knows nothing. It hasn’t yet learned what reality is,” people commented.
“You are all quite wrong, for a child possesses three qualities we should never forget,” said Dov Beer. “They are always joyful without reason. They are always busy. And when they want something, they know how to demand it firmly and with determination.”
Paulo Coehlo
.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Gaining Wisdom ( in the pursuit of Bliss Rumi-Persian Mystic)
I havent spoken about anything for so long. It is simply because there is so much Bliss/Wisdom out there to share. So many say it much much better than I could and their words reflect everything I wish to BE and more. Compulsively I want to share the Wisdom of our beautiful Universe that isnt hidden but out there for us to feel, if only we would take our moment to "Read the Omens" along our journey in life. I wish I had known this much sooner in my life it would have been so much different I think, I wish. However there is no such thing as "should've" there is only here and now. The right moment for everything to unfold in one's life. So for that I am eternally grateful for everything I have learnt and the person I have become. There are so much in the way of Bliss in this world, food being one of them, family, friends, work, (Extra) ordinary challenges of our daily lives, Then when the day is over and the period of rest is upon us , we can only be grateful by contemplating what we have been through, the lessons in our lives we take heed off , the joy or Bliss we have shared with others and passed on and in the quiet of the night the prayer we say in our very Soul With Thanks for everything and everyone that has come our way for they are sent as Blessings for us for the lessons we need to make us better.
Gaining wisdom
Rumi quotes about spiritual growth and development
No mirror ever became iron again; No bread ever became wheat; No ripened grape ever became sour fruit. Mature yourself and be secure from a change for the worse. Become the light.
Only from the heart Can you touch the sky.
Patience is the key to joy.
People of the world don't look at themselves, and so they blame one another.
Silence in order to speak, one must first listen, learn to speak by listening.
That which is false troubles the heart, but truth brings joyous tranquility.
The intelligent want self-control; children want candy.
The middle path is the way to wisdom.
The only lasting beauty is the beauty of the heart.
Thirst drove me down to the water where I drank the moon's reflection.
To praise is to praise how one surrenders to the emptiness.
To come spinning out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust.
We rarely hear the inward music, but we're all dancing to it nevertheless.
You think the shadow is the substance.
Gaining wisdom
Rumi quotes about spiritual growth and development
No mirror ever became iron again; No bread ever became wheat; No ripened grape ever became sour fruit. Mature yourself and be secure from a change for the worse. Become the light.
Only from the heart Can you touch the sky.
Patience is the key to joy.
People of the world don't look at themselves, and so they blame one another.
Silence in order to speak, one must first listen, learn to speak by listening.
That which is false troubles the heart, but truth brings joyous tranquility.
The intelligent want self-control; children want candy.
The middle path is the way to wisdom.
The only lasting beauty is the beauty of the heart.
Thirst drove me down to the water where I drank the moon's reflection.
To praise is to praise how one surrenders to the emptiness.
To come spinning out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust.
We rarely hear the inward music, but we're all dancing to it nevertheless.
You think the shadow is the substance.
Friday, August 20, 2010
A break in the journey towards Bliss
As the weekend is here we need a break, a Sabbath from the challenges of our daily life. Time for contemplation,breath and relax. To enjoy that which is most important in all this, each other
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The writing of Bliss in your life
A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. At one point he asked:
‘Are you writing a story about what we’ve done? Is it a story about me?’
His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson:
I am writing about you, actually, but more important than the words is the pencil I’m using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.’
Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn’t seem very special.
‘But it’s just like any other pencil I’ve ever seen!’
‘That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.’
‘First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to His will.’
‘Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpner. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person.
‘Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.’
‘Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.’
‘Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: it always leaves a mark. in just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action’
source: “Like the Flowing River” by Paulo Coelho
_________________________________
‘Are you writing a story about what we’ve done? Is it a story about me?’
His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson:
I am writing about you, actually, but more important than the words is the pencil I’m using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.’
Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn’t seem very special.
‘But it’s just like any other pencil I’ve ever seen!’
‘That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.’
‘First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to His will.’
‘Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpner. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person.
‘Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.’
‘Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.’
‘Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: it always leaves a mark. in just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action’
source: “Like the Flowing River” by Paulo Coelho
_________________________________
The journey of Bliss, Wisdom
In one of his rare writings, the Sufi sage Hafik comments on the idea of travel;
"Accept with wisdom the fact that the Path is full of contradictions. Many times the Path will contradict itself, just to stimulate the passenger to discover what will happen at the next curve. If two travelers take this journey together, it is almost certain that one of them is on the wrong Path. Each person must run his own risks along his Way, because there are no set formulas to achieving the Truth. Only the ignorant try to imitate the ways of others. The intelligent men don’t waste their time with that, and develop their own set of skills. They know that no two leaves in the forest of a million trees are exactly the same. No two Paths on the Journey of Life are exactly the same.”
Paolo Coehlo
"Accept with wisdom the fact that the Path is full of contradictions. Many times the Path will contradict itself, just to stimulate the passenger to discover what will happen at the next curve. If two travelers take this journey together, it is almost certain that one of them is on the wrong Path. Each person must run his own risks along his Way, because there are no set formulas to achieving the Truth. Only the ignorant try to imitate the ways of others. The intelligent men don’t waste their time with that, and develop their own set of skills. They know that no two leaves in the forest of a million trees are exactly the same. No two Paths on the Journey of Life are exactly the same.”
Paolo Coehlo
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
God help the Outcasts - Hunchback of Notre Dame
"I ask for nothing I can get by
But I know so many less lucky than I
Please help my people the poor and downtrod
I thought we all were the children of God"
Monday, August 16, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
The Bliss within us- Kitab Sirr Al Asrar (Hadrat Sheikh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani )
"Introduction
The beginning of creation [ibtida' al-khalq]
You should know—may Allah enable you to achieve what is dear and pleasing to Him!-that Allah (Exalted is He) first created the spirit of Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) from the light of His Beauty. As Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) has told us:
I created the spirit of Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) from the light of My countenance.
As the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) has said:
The first thing that Allah created was my spirit [ruh]. The first thing that Allah created was my light [nur]. The first thing that Allah created was the pen [qalam]. The first thing that Allah created was the intellect ['aql].
This means that they are all one thing, that being the Muhammadan Reality [al-Haqiqat al-Muhammadiyya], but it is called a "light [nur]" because it is pure and unclouded by the darknesses of Majesty. As Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) has said:
There has now come to you from Allah
qad ja'a-kum mina 'llahi
a Light, and a clear Book.
Nurun wa Kitabun mubin. (5:15)
It is also called an "intellect ['aql]," because it comprehends universal truths [kulliyyat]. It is also called a "pen [qalam]," because it is an instrument for the transmission of knowledge, just as the pen is an instrument in the realm of letters [of the alphabet].
The Muhammadan spirit is thus the quintessence of all entities, the first of all beings and the origin of them all. As he has said (blessing and peace be upon him):
I am from Allah and the believers are from me.
Allah created all the spirits from him in the realm of Divinity [Lahut], and in the finest real formation. "Muhammad" is the name of all human beings in that realm, and he is the original home.
Then, when four thousand years had passed, Allah created the Heavenly Throne ['Arsh] from the light of the eye of Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), and from the Heavenly Throne He created the rest of existing entities. Then He reduced the spirits to the lowest level of existence, meaning the physical bodies. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
Then We reduced him [the human being]
thumma radadna-hu
to the lowest of the low.
asfala safilin. (95:5)
In other words, the first descent was from the realm of Divinity [Lahut] to the realm of Omnipotence [Jabarut]. Between the two Sanctuaries, Allah (Exalted is He) clothed them with the light of Omnipotence, which is the royal spirit [ruh sultani]. Then he sent them down, in this attire, to the realm of Sovereignty [Malakut], and He clothed them with the light of Sovereignty, which is the immaterial spirit [ruh ruhani]. Then He sent them down to the realm of Dominion [Mulk], and He clothed them with the light of Dominion, which is the physical spirit. Then from it Allah created the bodies. As He has said (Exalted is He):
Out of it [the earth] We created you,
min-ha khalaqna-kum
and into it We shall send you back again,
wa fi-ha nu'idu-kum
and We shall bring you forth from it a second time.
wa min-ha nukhriju-kum taratan ukhra. (20:55)
Then Allah (Exalted is He) commanded the spirits to enter the bodies, so they entered at Allah's command (Exalted is He). As He has said (Almighty and Glorious is He):
And I breathed into him of My Spirit.
wa nafakhtu fi-hi min Ruhi. (38:72)
When the spirits became attached to the physical bodies, they forgot the covenant they had contracted on the day when Allah asked them: "Am I not your Lord?" and they said: "Yes indeed!"3 Because of this, they did not return to the original home, but the All-Merciful Source of Help took pity on them. He sent down Heavenly Books to remind them of that original home. As He has said (Exalted is He):
We sent Moses with Our signs, [saying]:
wa la-qad arsalna Musa bi-ayati-na
"Bring your people forth from darkness into light,
an akhrij qawma-ka mina 'z-zulumati ila 'n-nuri
and remind them of the days of Allah."
wa dhakkir-hum bi-ayyami 'llah. (14:5)
In other words: "Remind them of the former days of communion with Him, in the company of the spirits."
All the Prophets came into this world and went away to the Hereafter because of this admonition, but few human beings took heed, longed for their original home and returned to it, until Prophethood was assigned to the supreme Muhammadan spirit, the seal of the Mission and the guide away from error. Allah sent him to those heedless people, to open their eyes from the sleep of heedlessness, so he summoned them to Allah (Exalted is He), to contact with Him and the meeting with His sempiternal Beauty. As Allah (Exalted is He) said to him:
Say: "This is my way: I call to Allah
qul hadhihi sabili ad'u ila 'llah:
with insightful knowledge, I and whoever follows me."
'ala basiratin ana wa mani 'ttaba'a-ni. (12:108)
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) once said:
My Companions are like the stars. Whomever of them you follow, you will be guided aright.
Insight comes from the eye of the spirit, which opens within the heart of the saints [awliya']. That is why it is not acquired by knowledge of the external world, but only by knowledge of the inner Presence. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
And We taught him knowledge from Our Presence.
wa 'allamna-hu min ladun-na 'ilma. (18:65)
It is therefore necessary for the human being to acquire that eye, and so become one of the masters of insight, by taking instruction from a saint, a spiritual guide whose teaching concerns the realm of Divinity [Lahut].
O brethren! Wake up, and hasten to forgiveness from your Lord through repentance! As Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord,
wa sari'u ila maghfiratin min Rabbi-kum
and a Garden as wide as the heavens and the earth,
wa jannatin 'ardu-ha 's-samawatu wa 'l-ardu
which has been made ready for those who are truly devout.
u'iddat li'l-muttaqin. (3:133)
Embark upon the path, and return to your Lord with these spiritual caravans. The path will soon be cut off, and no travelling companion will be found. We have not come to settle in this vile, dilapidated world, nor for the sake of eating, drinking, and satisfying crude natural instincts. Your Prophet is waiting, sorrowful for your sake.
As he said (peace be upon him):
My sorrow is for the members of my Community who will come in later times.
The knowledge that is sent down to us is twofold: exoteric and esoteric, meaning the sacred law [shari'a] and direct understanding [ma'rifa]. Allah (Exalted is He) has commanded us to apply the sacred law to our outer being, and direct understanding to our inner being, so that the combination of the two will result in knowledge of Reality [Haqiqa], just as fruit is produced by the tree and the leaves. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
He has partitioned the two seas.
maraja 'l-bahraini
They meet, [but] between them there is a barrier
yaltaqiyan: baina-huma barzakhun
that they do not overpass.
la yabghiyan. (55:19,20)
Reality cannot be attained, and the goal cannot be reached, by exoteric knowledge alone. Perfect worship is accomplished by means of both forms of knowledge, not one without the other. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
I did not create the jinn and humankind
wa ma khalaqtu 'l-jinna wa 'l-insa
except to worship Me.
illa li-ya'budun. (51:56)
In other words: "to know and understand Me." If someone does not know and understand Him, how can he worship Him? Direct knowledge is attainable only by removing of the veil of the lower self [nafs] from the mirror of the heart, and cleaning and polishing that mirror. It will then reflect the beauty of the treasure hidden in the secret of the heart's core. Allah (Exalted is He) has said in the Sacred Tradition [Hadith Qudsi]:
I was a hidden treasure and I wished to be known, so I created Creation.
It is clear, therefore, that Allah (Exalted is He) created the human being to know and understand Him.
Direct knowledge is of two kinds: knowledge of the attributes [sifat] of Allah (Exalted is He), and knowledge of His Essence [Dhat]. Knowledge of the attributes is experienced by the physical body in both domains [this world and the Hereafter], while knowledge of the Essence is experienced by the holy spirit in the Hereafter. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
And We supported him [Jesus] with the holy spirit.
wa ayyadna-hu bi-Ruhi 'l-Qudus. (2:87)
They [who know the Essence] are likewise supported with the holy spirit.
These two experiences are attainable only by means of two forms of knowledge, the exoteric knowledge and the esoteric knowledge mentioned above. As the Prophet (peace be upon him) once said:
Knowledge ['ilm] is twofold: knowledge conveyed by the tongue, that being Allah's testimony to His servants, and knowledge conveyed by the heart, that being the knowledge that is useful for the attainment of the goal.
First of all, the human being needs knowledge of the sacred law, in order to provide the body with sufficient education in the realm of the attributes, that being the realm of the stages of development. He then needs esoteric knowledge, in order to provide the spirit with education in its own realm of understanding. That can only be achieved by abstaining from all practices that are incompatible with the sacred law and the spiritual path [tariqa]. Its achievement requires the endurance of personal and spiritual hardships, for the sake of pleasing Allah (Exalted is He), without hypocritical display [riya'] and the pursuit of fame [sum'a]. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
So whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord,
fa-man kana yarju liqa'a Rabbi-hi
let him do righteous work,
fa-l'-ya'mal 'amalan salihan
and let him give no one any share at all
wa la yushrik
in the worship due unto his Lord.
bi-'ibadati Rabbi-hi ahada. (18:110)
The realm of direct knowledge is the realm of Divinity [Lahut], and that is the original home, in which the holy spirit was created in the finest formation. What is meant by the holy spirit is the real human spirit, which was installed in the core of the heart, and which becomes manifest through repentance, instruction, and constantly declaring: "There is no god but Allah [la ilaha illa 'llah]." This declaration is first made with the tongue, then with the inner being, when the heart has become alive.
The Sufis have called the inner being "the child of the spiritual concepts [tifl al-ma'ani]," because it arises from the sacred conceptions. It is called a child for several reasons:
1. It is born from the heart, as the child is born from the mother, then reared by the father as it steadily grows to maturity.
2. Just as worldly knowledge is taught to ordinary children, spiritual knowledge is taught to this special child.
3. The ordinary child is unsoiled by the filth of external sins, and this special child is likewise pure and unstained by the filth of polytheism [shirk], heedlessness and physicality.
4. In the case of this special child, the purity of form is even greater, so it is seen in dreams in a shape like that of the angels.
5. Allah (Exalted is He) has described the attendants of the Garden of Paradise in terms of childhood [tifliyya], in His saying (Almighty and Glorious is He):
There wait on them immortal boys.
yatufu 'ala-him wildanun mukhalladun. (56:17)
And there go round, waiting on them,
wa yatufu 'alai-him
young boys of theirs,
ghilmanun la-hum
as if they were hidden pearls.
ka-anna-hum lu'lu'un maknun. (52:24)
6. The name "child" conveys a sense of its gentleness and its cleanliness.
7. The name "child" is used metaphorically, to indicate its connection with the body and its likeness to the human form, but only for the sake of comparison, not for the purpose of belittlement. It refers to this "child's" initial state.
This "child" is the real human being, because he has a connection with Allah (Exalted is He), so the body and physicality are not unlawful to him. As the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) once said:
I have a time with Allah, when there is no space for any angel brought near [to the Lord], nor for any Prophet sent as a Messenger.
This [Prophet sent as a Messenger] refers to the human nature of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). The angel brought near [to the Lord] refers to his spirituality, which was created from the light of Omnipotence [Jabarut], as was the angel, so it has no entry into the light of Divinity [Lahut]. The Prophet (blessing and peace be upon him) also said:
Allah has a Garden in which there are no houries, no palaces, no honey and no milk, but where one gazes only at Allah's countenance (Exalted is He).
As Allah (Magnificent is His Majesty) has said:
Faces on that day will be resplendent,
wujuhun yawma'idhin nadira:
looking toward their Lord.
ila Rabbi-ha nazira. (75:22,23)
As the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
You will see your Lord as you see the moon on the night when it is full.
If the angel and the physical body entered into these realms, they would be burned to ashes. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said in the Sacred Tradition [Hadith Qudsi]:
If I disclosed the splendors of My Majesty, I would burn up everything as far as My eye can see.
As Gabriel (peace be upon him) said: "If I had drawn nearer by a fingertip, I would have been set on fire."" KITAB SIR AL ASRAR (Hadrat Sheikh Abdul Qadir al Jilani)
The beginning of creation [ibtida' al-khalq]
You should know—may Allah enable you to achieve what is dear and pleasing to Him!-that Allah (Exalted is He) first created the spirit of Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) from the light of His Beauty. As Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) has told us:
I created the spirit of Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) from the light of My countenance.
As the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) has said:
The first thing that Allah created was my spirit [ruh]. The first thing that Allah created was my light [nur]. The first thing that Allah created was the pen [qalam]. The first thing that Allah created was the intellect ['aql].
This means that they are all one thing, that being the Muhammadan Reality [al-Haqiqat al-Muhammadiyya], but it is called a "light [nur]" because it is pure and unclouded by the darknesses of Majesty. As Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) has said:
There has now come to you from Allah
qad ja'a-kum mina 'llahi
a Light, and a clear Book.
Nurun wa Kitabun mubin. (5:15)
It is also called an "intellect ['aql]," because it comprehends universal truths [kulliyyat]. It is also called a "pen [qalam]," because it is an instrument for the transmission of knowledge, just as the pen is an instrument in the realm of letters [of the alphabet].
The Muhammadan spirit is thus the quintessence of all entities, the first of all beings and the origin of them all. As he has said (blessing and peace be upon him):
I am from Allah and the believers are from me.
Allah created all the spirits from him in the realm of Divinity [Lahut], and in the finest real formation. "Muhammad" is the name of all human beings in that realm, and he is the original home.
Then, when four thousand years had passed, Allah created the Heavenly Throne ['Arsh] from the light of the eye of Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), and from the Heavenly Throne He created the rest of existing entities. Then He reduced the spirits to the lowest level of existence, meaning the physical bodies. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
Then We reduced him [the human being]
thumma radadna-hu
to the lowest of the low.
asfala safilin. (95:5)
In other words, the first descent was from the realm of Divinity [Lahut] to the realm of Omnipotence [Jabarut]. Between the two Sanctuaries, Allah (Exalted is He) clothed them with the light of Omnipotence, which is the royal spirit [ruh sultani]. Then he sent them down, in this attire, to the realm of Sovereignty [Malakut], and He clothed them with the light of Sovereignty, which is the immaterial spirit [ruh ruhani]. Then He sent them down to the realm of Dominion [Mulk], and He clothed them with the light of Dominion, which is the physical spirit. Then from it Allah created the bodies. As He has said (Exalted is He):
Out of it [the earth] We created you,
min-ha khalaqna-kum
and into it We shall send you back again,
wa fi-ha nu'idu-kum
and We shall bring you forth from it a second time.
wa min-ha nukhriju-kum taratan ukhra. (20:55)
Then Allah (Exalted is He) commanded the spirits to enter the bodies, so they entered at Allah's command (Exalted is He). As He has said (Almighty and Glorious is He):
And I breathed into him of My Spirit.
wa nafakhtu fi-hi min Ruhi. (38:72)
When the spirits became attached to the physical bodies, they forgot the covenant they had contracted on the day when Allah asked them: "Am I not your Lord?" and they said: "Yes indeed!"3 Because of this, they did not return to the original home, but the All-Merciful Source of Help took pity on them. He sent down Heavenly Books to remind them of that original home. As He has said (Exalted is He):
We sent Moses with Our signs, [saying]:
wa la-qad arsalna Musa bi-ayati-na
"Bring your people forth from darkness into light,
an akhrij qawma-ka mina 'z-zulumati ila 'n-nuri
and remind them of the days of Allah."
wa dhakkir-hum bi-ayyami 'llah. (14:5)
In other words: "Remind them of the former days of communion with Him, in the company of the spirits."
All the Prophets came into this world and went away to the Hereafter because of this admonition, but few human beings took heed, longed for their original home and returned to it, until Prophethood was assigned to the supreme Muhammadan spirit, the seal of the Mission and the guide away from error. Allah sent him to those heedless people, to open their eyes from the sleep of heedlessness, so he summoned them to Allah (Exalted is He), to contact with Him and the meeting with His sempiternal Beauty. As Allah (Exalted is He) said to him:
Say: "This is my way: I call to Allah
qul hadhihi sabili ad'u ila 'llah:
with insightful knowledge, I and whoever follows me."
'ala basiratin ana wa mani 'ttaba'a-ni. (12:108)
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) once said:
My Companions are like the stars. Whomever of them you follow, you will be guided aright.
Insight comes from the eye of the spirit, which opens within the heart of the saints [awliya']. That is why it is not acquired by knowledge of the external world, but only by knowledge of the inner Presence. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
And We taught him knowledge from Our Presence.
wa 'allamna-hu min ladun-na 'ilma. (18:65)
It is therefore necessary for the human being to acquire that eye, and so become one of the masters of insight, by taking instruction from a saint, a spiritual guide whose teaching concerns the realm of Divinity [Lahut].
O brethren! Wake up, and hasten to forgiveness from your Lord through repentance! As Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord,
wa sari'u ila maghfiratin min Rabbi-kum
and a Garden as wide as the heavens and the earth,
wa jannatin 'ardu-ha 's-samawatu wa 'l-ardu
which has been made ready for those who are truly devout.
u'iddat li'l-muttaqin. (3:133)
Embark upon the path, and return to your Lord with these spiritual caravans. The path will soon be cut off, and no travelling companion will be found. We have not come to settle in this vile, dilapidated world, nor for the sake of eating, drinking, and satisfying crude natural instincts. Your Prophet is waiting, sorrowful for your sake.
As he said (peace be upon him):
My sorrow is for the members of my Community who will come in later times.
The knowledge that is sent down to us is twofold: exoteric and esoteric, meaning the sacred law [shari'a] and direct understanding [ma'rifa]. Allah (Exalted is He) has commanded us to apply the sacred law to our outer being, and direct understanding to our inner being, so that the combination of the two will result in knowledge of Reality [Haqiqa], just as fruit is produced by the tree and the leaves. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
He has partitioned the two seas.
maraja 'l-bahraini
They meet, [but] between them there is a barrier
yaltaqiyan: baina-huma barzakhun
that they do not overpass.
la yabghiyan. (55:19,20)
Reality cannot be attained, and the goal cannot be reached, by exoteric knowledge alone. Perfect worship is accomplished by means of both forms of knowledge, not one without the other. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
I did not create the jinn and humankind
wa ma khalaqtu 'l-jinna wa 'l-insa
except to worship Me.
illa li-ya'budun. (51:56)
In other words: "to know and understand Me." If someone does not know and understand Him, how can he worship Him? Direct knowledge is attainable only by removing of the veil of the lower self [nafs] from the mirror of the heart, and cleaning and polishing that mirror. It will then reflect the beauty of the treasure hidden in the secret of the heart's core. Allah (Exalted is He) has said in the Sacred Tradition [Hadith Qudsi]:
I was a hidden treasure and I wished to be known, so I created Creation.
It is clear, therefore, that Allah (Exalted is He) created the human being to know and understand Him.
Direct knowledge is of two kinds: knowledge of the attributes [sifat] of Allah (Exalted is He), and knowledge of His Essence [Dhat]. Knowledge of the attributes is experienced by the physical body in both domains [this world and the Hereafter], while knowledge of the Essence is experienced by the holy spirit in the Hereafter. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
And We supported him [Jesus] with the holy spirit.
wa ayyadna-hu bi-Ruhi 'l-Qudus. (2:87)
They [who know the Essence] are likewise supported with the holy spirit.
These two experiences are attainable only by means of two forms of knowledge, the exoteric knowledge and the esoteric knowledge mentioned above. As the Prophet (peace be upon him) once said:
Knowledge ['ilm] is twofold: knowledge conveyed by the tongue, that being Allah's testimony to His servants, and knowledge conveyed by the heart, that being the knowledge that is useful for the attainment of the goal.
First of all, the human being needs knowledge of the sacred law, in order to provide the body with sufficient education in the realm of the attributes, that being the realm of the stages of development. He then needs esoteric knowledge, in order to provide the spirit with education in its own realm of understanding. That can only be achieved by abstaining from all practices that are incompatible with the sacred law and the spiritual path [tariqa]. Its achievement requires the endurance of personal and spiritual hardships, for the sake of pleasing Allah (Exalted is He), without hypocritical display [riya'] and the pursuit of fame [sum'a]. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said:
So whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord,
fa-man kana yarju liqa'a Rabbi-hi
let him do righteous work,
fa-l'-ya'mal 'amalan salihan
and let him give no one any share at all
wa la yushrik
in the worship due unto his Lord.
bi-'ibadati Rabbi-hi ahada. (18:110)
The realm of direct knowledge is the realm of Divinity [Lahut], and that is the original home, in which the holy spirit was created in the finest formation. What is meant by the holy spirit is the real human spirit, which was installed in the core of the heart, and which becomes manifest through repentance, instruction, and constantly declaring: "There is no god but Allah [la ilaha illa 'llah]." This declaration is first made with the tongue, then with the inner being, when the heart has become alive.
The Sufis have called the inner being "the child of the spiritual concepts [tifl al-ma'ani]," because it arises from the sacred conceptions. It is called a child for several reasons:
1. It is born from the heart, as the child is born from the mother, then reared by the father as it steadily grows to maturity.
2. Just as worldly knowledge is taught to ordinary children, spiritual knowledge is taught to this special child.
3. The ordinary child is unsoiled by the filth of external sins, and this special child is likewise pure and unstained by the filth of polytheism [shirk], heedlessness and physicality.
4. In the case of this special child, the purity of form is even greater, so it is seen in dreams in a shape like that of the angels.
5. Allah (Exalted is He) has described the attendants of the Garden of Paradise in terms of childhood [tifliyya], in His saying (Almighty and Glorious is He):
There wait on them immortal boys.
yatufu 'ala-him wildanun mukhalladun. (56:17)
And there go round, waiting on them,
wa yatufu 'alai-him
young boys of theirs,
ghilmanun la-hum
as if they were hidden pearls.
ka-anna-hum lu'lu'un maknun. (52:24)
6. The name "child" conveys a sense of its gentleness and its cleanliness.
7. The name "child" is used metaphorically, to indicate its connection with the body and its likeness to the human form, but only for the sake of comparison, not for the purpose of belittlement. It refers to this "child's" initial state.
This "child" is the real human being, because he has a connection with Allah (Exalted is He), so the body and physicality are not unlawful to him. As the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) once said:
I have a time with Allah, when there is no space for any angel brought near [to the Lord], nor for any Prophet sent as a Messenger.
This [Prophet sent as a Messenger] refers to the human nature of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). The angel brought near [to the Lord] refers to his spirituality, which was created from the light of Omnipotence [Jabarut], as was the angel, so it has no entry into the light of Divinity [Lahut]. The Prophet (blessing and peace be upon him) also said:
Allah has a Garden in which there are no houries, no palaces, no honey and no milk, but where one gazes only at Allah's countenance (Exalted is He).
As Allah (Magnificent is His Majesty) has said:
Faces on that day will be resplendent,
wujuhun yawma'idhin nadira:
looking toward their Lord.
ila Rabbi-ha nazira. (75:22,23)
As the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
You will see your Lord as you see the moon on the night when it is full.
If the angel and the physical body entered into these realms, they would be burned to ashes. As Allah (Exalted is He) has said in the Sacred Tradition [Hadith Qudsi]:
If I disclosed the splendors of My Majesty, I would burn up everything as far as My eye can see.
As Gabriel (peace be upon him) said: "If I had drawn nearer by a fingertip, I would have been set on fire."" KITAB SIR AL ASRAR (Hadrat Sheikh Abdul Qadir al Jilani)
Friday, August 13, 2010
A help from up above towards peace and bliss
A SUFI RESPONSE TO POLITICAL ISLAMISM: AL-AHBASH OF LEBANON
The rise and spread of Islamist political movements have been topics of focal concern for scholars and analysts in recent decades. Since Richard Mitchell's seminal work on the Muslim Brotherhood, a plethora of writers have analyzed the attributes of both Sunni and Shi'a revivalist movements and the policies of Arab regimes and the West toward the Islamist phenomenon.1 Yet scant attention has been paid to the reactions generated within the larger Islamic community toward the Islamist groups and their militant offshoots. One such unnoticed source of reaction to political Islamism is the nebulous confraternity of Sufi orders (turuq) whose mysticism and esoteric beliefs and practices have set them apart from the exoteric revivalism and political activism of the Islamist societies, such as the Muslim Brotherhood and its many affiliates.
The rivalry and controversies between Sufism and its legalist and conservative detractors go back to the early epochs of Muslim history. The Sufi orders that emerged in the crisis milieu of the 12th century represented a quest for gnosis, the mystical search for truth, in contrast to the disciplined legalism and conservatism of the ulama.2 As the guardians of the Islamic tradition and ethic, the ulama were the legitimizers of power and authoritative interpreters of the law. In terms of Weberian theory, the "traditional" and "legal-rational" authority of the ulama was undermined by the free-flowing "charismatic" authority of the Sufi shaykh.3
Yet under certain historical conditions, there was considerable coincidence and coexistence between the Sufi shaykhs and the ulama.4 Furthermore, not all Sufi shaykhs and movements were quietest in the religious and political spheres. For example, the Sanusiyyah began as a Sufi movement, but in its third generation became militant in response to French and Italian imperialism.5 Nor should it be forgotten that some prominent leaders of political Islamist movements-Sudan's Mahdi, Hasan al-Banna, and Ruhollah Khomeini-began their careers as Sufis. Under the impact of the crisis conditions of their respective social milieux, these men were propelled into lives of political activism.6 In the case of Banna, his MuslimBrotherhood emerged as a mass movement in response to the social changes that brought about the decline of the Sufi orders in Egypt in the 19th and 20th centuries.7
The resurgence of Islamism after the 1967 war and its subsequent use by President Anwar al-Sadat of Egypt as an antidote to Nasserism brought the Muslim Brotherhood into prominence as a prelude to its emergence as a part of mainstream Islam.8 With the rise of the Brotherhood's militant offshoots, and its growing criticism of Sadat's policies of rapprochement with the West and Israel, the government sought to strengthen the Sufi movement, which by this time was presenting itself as an Islamically legitimate but politically quietist, tolerant, and spiritually vibrant alternative to political Islamism.9 This pattern of mutual accord between the state and Sufism has persisted under President Husni Mubarak.10 Similar policies of governmental support for Sufism have been discerned in Syria and Saudi Arabia.11
A dominant theme in the ideology and activities of contemporary Sunni Islamist movements is a deep-seated opposition to Sufism. Despite past instances of convergence and overlapping between Sufi and revivalist movements, their mutual antagonism has become pronounced particularly in the contemporary milieu of heightened political Islamism. The doctrinal roots of opposition to Sufism among today's Sunni Islamists are found in the writings of the eminent 13th-century Hanbali 'alim Taqi al-Din Ahmad ibn Taymiyya.12 In his quest to purify the Muslim faith, Ibn Taymiyya vigorously opposed Sufi pantheism and such practices as the worship of saints and pilgrimages to their shrines, although he accepted a Sufism based on Islamic legalism and tradition.13 In the hands of Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, Ibn Taymiyya's strictures on Sufism were transformed into a comprehensive condemnation and prohibition of the Sufi orders.14 This critical stance toward Sufism and its practices can be found among the major exponents of modern Islamist thought, such as Abu al-A'la Mawdudi,15 Sayyid Qutb, 16 'Abd al-Salam Faraj, 17 and Fathi Yakan. 18 By anchoring themselves on the legalist tradition of Ibn Taymiyya, these modern-day Islamists rejected Sufi esoteric (batini) beliefs and ceremonial practices as being heretical innovations (bid'a) and superstitions (khurafa). 19 Instead of the Sufi's inner-directed mysticism, quietism, and withdrawal from the mundane, the Islamists advocate religious -political activism, where a person's piety can be outwardly demonstrated and socially validated in terms of the shari'a. Indeed, the ultimate quest of the Islamists is to capture the Islamic popular mainstream by imposing a single homogenizing ideology as a means to mobilize the masses as a prelude to achieving political control. Thus, the phenomenal growth of the Islamist movement in recent decades has threatened the populist social base of the Sufi orders. Despite their political quietism in the recent past, some Sufi groups have begun to assert themselves to defend their interests in the political arena. This paper will profile one of the most politically active of these Sufi- based societies, the Ahbash of Lebanon -a rapidly growing association with branches in many Muslim and Western countries. The analysis will focus on the controversial historical and theological origins of this movement; its social roots, leadership, and political activities in Lebanon; and the causal factors responsible for its dynamic growth in recent times.
LEBANON'S ISLAMIC SPECTRUM
The Islamic segment of Lebanon's political spectrum is exceedingly complex, reflecting the country's pluralist makeup and the factionalism brought on by its environment of crisis. The factors contributing to Lebanon's instability in the 1970s and 1980s included intersectarian and interclass conflicts, Palestinian-Israeli fighting, and the proxy war fought by the neighboring countries on Lebanese soil. Within this crisis milieu, Lebanon saw the emergence of both Sunni and Shi'i Islamist groups, many engaged in political activism. 20 Among the Sunni, the activist segment of the Muslim Brotherhood is represented by Fathi Yakan's al-Jam'a al-Islamiyya, which has fought the Maronite militias and Israel. Another militant Sunni group is Shaykh Said Sha'ban's Harakat al-Tawhid, which split from the Jama'a a]-Islamiyya in 1982. 21 On the Shi'i side of the spectrum, Harakat Amal was founded in 1975 by Imam Musa al-Sadr. 22 After Sadr's disappearance in 1978, Amal lost its revivalist character and under Nabih Barri became a Shi'i political movement. The cause of Shi'i militancy was taken up by Hizballah -an umbrella organization of more than a half-dozen radical groups nurtured by Iran's revolutionary Islamic regime. 23 The Sufi segment of the Lebanese Islamic spectrum consists of seven orders: Qadiriyya, Rifdiyya, Naqshabandiyya, Shaziliyya, Badawiyya, Khalwatiyya, and Mawlawiyya. 24 Within this context, the Ahbash function as a pan-Sufi organization -the activist expression of Lebanese Sufism, supported mainly by the Qadiriyya, Rifaiyya, and Naqshabandiyya orders. 25
ORIGINS OF AL-AHBASH
The Ahbash, officially known as the Society of Islamic Philanthropic Projects, or Jam'iyyat al- Mashari' al-Khayriyya al-Islamiyya, is unique and one of the most controversial Muslim associations in the contemporary spectrum of Islamic groups. The controversy surrounding this movement involves its peculiar origins and eclectic theological roots, which define the society's separate identity and determine its program of religious and political action. Indeed, the Jam'iyya has invited controversy precisely because its teachings do not fit the conventional "Islamist" or "fundamentalist" mold.
The Ahbash are the devout followers of Shaykh Abdallah ibn Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Hirari al-Shibi al- Abdari, also known as al-Habashi, signifying his Ethiopian origins-hence the appellations given to his movement: al-Ahbash and al Habashiyyin. While his detractors call him "a mysterious person"26 of Jewish origins,27 the shaykh's official biography states that he was born in al-Hirara, near Somalia, in 1920, where he studied Shafi'i jurisprudence and became a mufti in the Oromo tribal region. In 1947, Shaykh Habashi came to the Hijaz after he was expelled from Ethiopia, because his teachings were seen as a threat by Emperor Haile Selassie. In 1948, the shaykh journeyed to Jerusalem and then to Damascus to study with the Rifa'iyya and Qadiriyya orders. He settled in Beirut in 1950, and was licensed as a shaykh by al-Azhar University's branch in Lebanon.28 Originally founded by Shaykh Ahmad al-'Ajuz in 1930, the Society of Philanthropic Projects was taken over by Shaykh Habashi's followers in 1983; by the late 1980s, the society had become one of Lebanon's largest Islamic movements. During the Lebanese civil war, the Ahbash grew from a few hundred members into a large organization by infiltrating the Sunni militias and schools. When 'Abd al-Hafiz Qasim's militia disbanded in 1984, the Ahbash recruited its members into its ranks. However, the Ahbash abstained from creating a militia of its own and from involvement in intersectarian violence and fighting Israel; its main aims were proselytization and recruitment, while it displayed a commitment to moderation and political passivity.29 It was not until the early 1990s that the Ahbash entered the Lebanese political arena as a participant in the parliamentary elections of 1992.
DOCTRINAL ROOTS
The complex structure of Shaykh Habashi's belief system blends elements of Sunni and Shi'i theology with Sufi spiritualism. The outcome of his doctrinal eclecticism is an ideology of Islamic moderation and toleration that emphasizes Islam's innate pluralism, along with opposition to political activism and the use of violence against the ruling order. These attributes of the Ahbash creed set the group on a collision course with the political thought of Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, Sayyid Qutb, and the activist segments of the Muslim Brotherhood and its militant affiliates in Egypt, Algeria, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Lebanon. In an attempt to neutralize his critics and reinforce the legitimacy of his imama among the Sunni Muslims, Habashi traces his genealogy to the Prophet Muhammad.30 Similarly, his ideological discourse goes back to the pious ancestors (al-salaf) and the writings of Shafi'i, Ash'ari, and Maturidi. He follows Shafi'i and Ash'ari by relying on the hadith and the sunna, while placing secondary emphasis on qiyas and ijma'. Like Ash'ari and Maturidi, he insists on the unquestionable acceptance of the revealed text without asking "how" -bila kayf.31 Also, Habashi follows Ash'ari and Maturidi in believing that Islam and faith are tied closely together despite their different meanings. He defines faith as tasdiq bil-qalb (inner assent), expressed by verbal affirmation (iqrar bi'l-lisan). Islam, however, is the language of faith in the Prophet's teachings, and neither faith nor Islam is acceptable without the other.32 In regard to predestination and free will, however, Habashi takes an intermediate position between Ash'ari and Maturidi. He affirms that acts of men are created by God subject to His will and decree.33 While they are acts of God in one respect, they are also man's acts and his free choice (ikhtiyar).34 God created both good and evil and will lead astray (dalal) only those who, He knows, will choose the wrong way and will guide only those who, He knows, will choose the right way.35 Thus, Habashi follows Ash'ari in ascribing all acts to God, although like Maturidi he accords man's free will the logic of its consequences- that is, the just are saved on that basis.36
THE SHI'A DIMENSION
One of the most revealing aspects of Shaykh Habashi's thought is his acceptance of the Shi'a doctrine of legitimacy. He begins by quoting Shafi'i, that everyone who fought 'Ali was a baghi (transgressor). 37 Habashi further cites Ibn Hanbal to jus tify 'Ali's caliphate against Mu'awiya and his "faction of transgressors" (al-firqa al-baghiya) . 38 As a further step, Habashi underlines the legitimacy of all four members of the Prophet's family -Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn -by citing the canonical writings of Muslim and al-Nisa'i . 39 Equally significant is Shaykh Habashi's rejection of the use of ijtihad by some Sunni jurists to legitimize Mu'awiya's opposition to 'Ali. As a case in point, Habashi takes issue with Ibn Taymiyya's view that fighting with 'Ali against Mu'awiya was neither a duty nor a Sunna. This product of Ibn Taymiyya's ijtihad is found invalid by Habashi because of the presence of a clear Qur'anic text and hadith. In support of his position, Habashi cites the verse "fight the group that is a transgressor," along with the Prophet's hadith warning 'Ammar bin Yasir, a companion of Muhammad and 'Ali, about the faction of transgressors who would kill him. Habashi concludes that "the faction of transgressors" was that of Mu'awiya, and fighting on 'Ali's side was a duty and Sunna . 40 Furthermore, Habashi explicitly disagrees with most contemporary Sunni jurists by citing several ahadith in order to uphold the legitimacy of the imama of 'Ali and of his sons Hasan and Husayn.41 Also, Habashi upholds the teachings of Imam Husayn's son, Zayn al-'Abidin, who is held in high esteem by the Ahbash . 42 Yet, beyond his acceptance of the foregoing doctrinal positions, Habashi's closeness to Shi'ism comes from another source-his deep immersion in Sufism.
THE SUFI DIMENSION
Sufism represents the essential key to understanding Habashi's thought and the ideological roots of the Ahbash movement. Habashi's veneration of 'Ali is in keeping with the special position assigned by all Sufis to the fourth caliph, who is considered the originator of Islamic mysticism as "the Knower of God" (al-'arif bi'llah) .43 Moreover, Shi'ism was an important influence on the two 12th- century Sufi orders-the Qadiriyya and Rifa'iyya -with which Habashi became associated during his formative years. The founding "saint" of Rifa'iyya, Ahmad al-Rifa'i (d. 1183), who claimed descent from 'Ali and Fatima, is venerated by the Ahbash as "al-Rifa'i al-Husayni" and "sufi salaf "-a pious mystic ancestor. 44
As a dedicated mystic, Habashi defends many centuries-old Sufi beliefs and practices that are attacked as innovations (bid'a) by the Wahhabis and other Islamist groups. To Habashi there are two types of innovation: "bad" innovations (bid'at dalala) are those against the Qur'an and Sunna and should be rejected; "good" innovations (bid'at huda) are those consistent with the Qur'an and Sunna and should be preserved, because God told his Prophet that his umma can innovate (yuhdithu) in keeping with the Qur'an and hadith, as did the "Godly religious orders" (turuq ahl Allah) -that is, the Qadiriyya and Rifa'iyya . 45 These "good" innovations include giving bay'a (allegiance) to the pious ancestors (al-salaf al-salih); upholding the name of Allah by prayer and singing (tahlil); celebrating the Prophet's birthday; visiting the shrines of saintly ancestors for their blessing; praying loudly after mosque services; and keeping meditation boxes (mihrab) in the mosques .46 All these constitute a forthright restatement of Sufism as a distinct and Islamically legitimate way of life, which the Ahbash are prepared to defend against their Islamist foes.
HABASHI VERSUS IBN TAYMIYYA
Despite their deep Sufi roots, the Ahbash differ from traditional Sufi orders in their aggressive proselytization and political activism directed at Islamist opponents. Their religious, social, and political activism is rooted in the belief that the Islamist movement and its militant offshoots have become the self-styled defenders of Islam by representing themselves as the Islamic mainstream to the exclusion of other exponents of the faith. Thus, the Ahbash have taken the offensive in the name of Islamic pluralism to challenge the Islamist groups in doctrine, preaching, and social action; in street battles; and at the ballot box.
The Ahbash ideological offensive against the Islamist thinkers is both virulent and comprehensive, beginning with Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab and their contemporary disciples, Sayyid Qutb, Mawdudi, and Fathi Yakan of Lebanon's al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya.47 In attacking Ibn Taymiyya, Habashi positions himself in the Ash'ari tradition, to which, he states, the majority of the Ahl al-Sunna belong.48 Habashi considers Ibn Taymiyya an exponent of "extremism" who was sent to prison by four judges representing the four schools of law; thus, he is no "shaykh al-Islam", as his followers have called him.49 In doctrinal terms, Habashi attacks lbn-Taymiyya on four central issues. The first concerns Ibn Taymiyya's prohibition as shirk of Sufi beliefs and popular practices such as al-shafa'a -appeals for intercession (al-tawassul) from the faithful to the prophets and pious ancestors by using such expressions as ya rasul Allah and ya 'Ali.50 Habashi upholds the use of these terms, along with the veneration of saintly persons and visitation of their shrines-all of which Ibn Taymiyya prohibited. Habashi also attacks Ibn Taymiyya's rejection of consensus (ijma'); opposition to Shi'ism and Sufism; and support of anthropomorphism (al-tashbih), ascribing human attributes to God.51
In essence, Habashi criticizes Ibn Taymiyya for the intolerance that he has inspired among contemporary Islamists toward different forms of Islamic expression. To Habashi this intolerance is the hallmark of Ibn Taymiyya's progeny-from the Wahhabis to the Muslim Brotherhood and its militant affiliates in Egypt, Afghanistan, Syria, Algeria, Jordan, and Lebanon, which support violence "under the guise of Islamic revivalism and fundamentalism".52 In fact, Habashi opposes all political Islamists; he does not differentiate between the political gradualism of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and the tactics of its revolutionary offshoots such as al-Takfir wal-Hijra, Tanzim al- Jihad, and al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya.
Three interrelated factors fuel Habashi's unremitting opposition to the contemporary Sunni Islamists, much of it imbedded in his Sufism. The first is his total opposition to violence, including revolutionary action against constituted authority. The second is Habashi's eschewal of the goal of all political Islamists: that is, the establishment of an Islamic order, "because the Muslims are not prepared for it" 53 and "there is no way to appoint a caliph at the present time".54 The third factor is Habashi's opposition to takfir, the charge of unbelief leveled by the Islamists against other Muslims.
In his blanket opposition to takfir, Habashi attacks the absolutist standards of the Islamists who follow Ibn Taymiyyah in determining a Muslim's "Muslimness".55 Instead, he posits a relativistic standard based on moderation (al-i'tidal). Thus, if a person fulfills all the Islamic obligations, he or she is a muslim kamil -a complete Muslim. However, should a Muslim violate some prohibitions but believe in God, he is still a believer and not a kafir; and should such individuals ask forgiveness, God will forgive them. While "faithful sinners" will be punished by God for their transgressions, they will not be excluded from paradise.56
Similarly, Habashi opposes the Islamist practice of takfir in denouncing rulers, as inspired by Qutb's concept of al-jahiliyya, which Habashi finds responsible for "the most horrible acts of violence" by al- Jama'a al-Islamiyya in Egypt, and the groups led by 'Ali Bil-Haj in Algeria and Rashid al-Ghannushi in Tunisia.57 Habashi rejects as "dangerous" the application of strict Islamist standards to judge leaders and governments. For example, he takes issue with Shaykh Ibn Baz of Saudi Arabia for denouncing the late Gamal Abdel Nasser as a kafir.58 He vehemently attacks Fathi Yakan, the leader of Lebanon's al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya, for asserting that rulers who do not govern by the shari'a are kuffar, as are their followers.59 In a bid to discredit Islamists such as Yakan, Habashi charges them with following the Kharijite practice of fighting rulers by using the shari'a and the extremist methods employed by the Bahshamiyya.60
By leveling the charge of Kharijite extremism at their Islamist opponents, the Ahbash depict the whole spectrum of political Islamist groups as "deviators" (firaq al-dalal), as distinct from the proponents of moderation-" those who are saved" (firqa al-najiya) by following the correct path.61
IDEOLOGY AND SOCIAL ROOTS
The "correct path" as defined by Shaykh Habashi involves knowledge of "the necessary science of religion," which recognizes the primacy of revelation (naql), complemented by reason (aql).62 This science of religion is binding upon all "authorized" preachers (mukallaf), who must know the thirteen attributes of divinity: al-Wujud (existence), al-Qiyam (resurrection), al-Wahdaniyya (unicity), al-Baqa' (eternity), al-Qiyam bi'l-nafs (resurrection of the soul), al- Mukhalafa li'l-hawadith (God's will over events), al-Qudra (capability), al-Irada (will), al-'Ilm (knowledge), al-Hayat (life), al-Sam' (hearing), al-Basar (vision), and al-Kalam (Allah's Word).63 Knowledge of the science of religion, particularly 'ilm al-tawhid, is considered more important than the different schools of jurisprudence. Its components are: (1) faith in God and his Prophet; (2) faith in the hadith and Sunna; (3) knowledge of God's attributes, without anthropomorphism (al-tajsim); (4) knowledge of deviations from Islam, such as kufr; and (5) knowledge of the rules and regulations of prayer and purity.64 A deep knowledge of the faith comes not simply from reading the holy scriptures but also through the teachings of "a trustworthy 'alim".65 Superficial understanding of the texts can lead to ignorance of Islam and to extremism.66 By stressing the pivotal role of an "authorized" 'alim, Habashi comes close to emulating the guidance function of the Shi'i mujtahid, as distinct from the Sunni Islamist view of the ulama.
Guided by their Sufi origins, the Ahbash present themselves as apostles of moderation -a desirable alternative to the Islamists' doctrinal strictness and political militancy. The Ahbash vision is a society of normalcy and stability, where social and religious pluralism is the mode for Muslims among themselves and in their relations with non-Muslims. In discourse, the Ahbash emphasize the need for civility and moderation at the individual, societal, and state levels.67
The political stance of the Ahbash organization as presented by its president, Shaykh Husam Karakira, accepts Lebanon's confessional system and the primacy of serving Lebanon's national interests.68. It rejects violence and the politicization of Islam in favor of participation in politics "as public service" within the Lebanese political system. The Ahbash pledge loyalty to Lebanon as an Arab country and support its armed forces as the defenders of its citizens, their families, and the country itself.69 In opposing the establishment of an Islamic order, the Ahbash are committed to coexistence with the Christian communities. Consistent with his Sufi beliefs, Habashi extolls al- rahbaniyya -the fraternity of mystics-as "a virtuous way" that is also practiced by the monastic "followers of Christ."70
Equally mild is the foreign-policy orientation and world outlook of the Ahbash. While supporting the liberation of the "security zone" in the South through United Nations Resolution 425 and affirming "Palestinian rights," the Ahbash literature makes no reference to jihad or the use of force against Israel "unless it is necessary".71 I Nor are the Ahbash angry at the West; on the contrary, they recommend that their members study Western learning and science in order to achieve a "civilized" Islamic society.72
A close correspondence exists between the content of the Ahbash message (da'wa) and the social roots of its expanding constituency within and outside Lebanon. Beginning as a small philanthropic and spiritualist movement among the Sunni lower stratum, the Ahbash have come into the mainstream of Lebanon's Sunni community in direct rivalry with the Islamist organizations. 73 Indeed, by positioning themselves as a non-militant alternative to the Islamists, the Ahbash have emerged as a Sunni middle- class movement that attracts intellectuals, professionals, and businessmen, particularly the traditional Sunni commercial families of the urban centers. 74 Among these social groups, the Ahbash call for religious moderation, political civility, and peace has had a powerful resonance after fifteen years of civil war and bloodshed. Indeed, there has been a convergence between the values, aspirations, and socioeconomic interests of the Sunni middle classes and the contents of Shaykh Habashi's message-that is, intersectarian accord and political stability; an enlightened Islamic spiritualism within a modern secularist framework; a Lebanese identity wedded to Arab nationalism; and an accommodating attitude toward the Arab regimes, particularly the Syrian government.
Clearly, the Ahbash see themselves as fighting for the soul of the Sunni community. Their immediate goal is to build an organization of 100,000 members,75 to be recruited mainly from the young generation of Sunnis.76 While the Ahbash lack the social-services network of Hizballah, they have concentrated on building mosques and schools, which provide venues to spread their da'wa and philanthropic activities. In addition to religious education, Ahbash schools offer vocational programs, computer training, sports activities, and instruction in English as a second language.77 The organization has its headquarters at Markaz al-Shaykh al-Iskandarani, based in Beirut's Burj Abi Haydar Mosque, at the heart of the Sunni community. This is a strategically advantageous location, surrounded by quarters inhabited by Ahbash members and with easy access to the different segments of the Sunni community. Beyond Beirut, Ahbash followers are concentrated in the Sunni communities of Tripoli, Sidon, Biqa, and 'Iqlim al-Kharrub in the Shuf. In recent years, the Ahbash have gained ascendance over nine mosques, including Burj Abi Haydar and 'Ali bin Abi Talib in Beirut, al-Siddiq in Tripoli, and Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi in Sidon. Also, the Ahbash have established thirty overseas branches in a dozen countries: Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Jordan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and the United States.78
The Ahbash are led by a group of shaykhs and some laymen. At the apex is its saintly founder, 'Allama Shaykh 'Abdallah al-Habashi; the administrative functions are carried out by Shaykh Husam Karakira, who serves as president of the organization. As vice presidents, Shaykhs Samir al-Qadi, Usama al- Sayyid, and Khalid Hunayna head the branches in North Lebanon, Biqa, and South Lebanon, respectively. Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Fakhani leads the Ahbash in 'Iqlim al-Kharrub and is chief editor of the journal Manar al-Huda. The public relations of the Ahbash are conducted by Dr. 'Adnan Trabulsi, a layman educated at Kiev University.
In their religious practices, the Ahbash unabashedly follow Sufi mystical traditions, which are denounced by Yakan's Islamists as bid'a. In their ceremonies, the Ahbash use two musical bands bearing the names of ancient Sufi orders: "al-Rifa'iyya" and "al-Jilaniyya." Shaykh Habashi and his followers go on retreats (khalwa) for meditation and fasting, in keeping with esoteric Sufi practices. The Prophet's birthday -al-mawlid- is celebrated, and mystical dancing sessions are held to unite the faithful with their creator.
AHBASH VERSUS ISLAMISTS
The fundamental factor that has propelled the Ahbash into dynamic religious proselytization and electoral politics is their fear of the aggressive political activism of the Islamist societies. In an unprecedented step in 1992, the Ahbash ran two candidates in Lebanon's parliamentary elections, one of whom, Dr. Trabulsi, won a seat in Beirut. Despite their commitment to pacifism and moderation, the Ahbash are engaged in a life-and-death struggle with what they call "Hizb al-Ikhwan" -the Brotherhood Party" -particularly Fathi Yakan's al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya and its transnational allies. Beyond their doctrinal and ideological conflicts, al-Ahbash and al-Jama'a have engaged in bloody clashes around the 'Umar al-Kabir Mosque in Sidon and the 'Isa bin Maryam Mosque in Tripoli.79 Spokesmen for al-Jama'a and its Egyptian Islamist allies have denounced Shaykh Habashi as "an individual who plans to divide the Sunnis of Lebanon".80 Yakan has accused the Ahbash of serving Zionism and protecting its interests in the Middle East.81 He has also attacked Habashi for deviating from the Prophet's teachings by following the Mu'tazila and for his categorical rejection of Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, and Sayyid Qutb. 82 Yakan further criticizes the Ahbash for their wholesale use of takfir -an accusation of unbelief (kufr) against their enemies; he calls them "the denouncer's faction" (al-firqa al-mukaffira).83 The fact is that both al-Ahbash and al- Jama'a are engaged in mutual takfir, refusing to recognize each other's Islamic legitimacy.
RELATIONS WITH OTHER GROUPS
In contrast to their profound enmity toward Yakan's Jamaa al-Islamiyya, the Ahbash have "normal" and "friendly" relations with Hizballah, while expressing misgivings about the latter's violent activities.84 Despite their doctrinal sympathy with 'Ali and Shi'ism, the Ahbash are careful not to appear too close to the Shi'a, which risks alienating their Sunni constituency, as happened to Shaykh Sha'ban of Harakat al-Tawhid of Tripoli.85 Yet in the 1992 parliamentary elections, the Ahbash and Hizballah concluded an undeclared alliance in Beirut that assured the election of their respective candidates, 'Adnan Trabulsi and Muhammad Burjawi.86 While maintaining amicable ties, the Ahbash have been singularly reluctant to support Hizballah's call for an Iranian-style Islamic order in Lebanon as a substitute for its present consociational system. In view of their strong endorsement of consociationalism and their opposition to an Islamic state, the Ahbash have found a natural ally in the Amal movement, which also shares with the Ahbash a proSyrian orientation. These shared interests prompted the Ahbash to support the election of Amal leader Nabih Barri as speaker of the Lebanese Parliament. 87
With respect to Lebanon's Sunni religious establishment-the Sunni Juridical Office-the Ahbash maintain an uncooperative attitude. This stance is prompted by the Ahbash's desire to have one of their shaykhs appointed by the government as the chief Sunni mufti of Lebanon -a position now held by an acting mufti, Muhammad Rashid Qabbani.88
Within the Sufi movement, the Ahbash enjoy the support of three traditional Sufi orders that Shaykh Habashi considers Turuq Ahl Allah-Qadiriyya, Rifaiyya, and Naqshabandiyya.89 The growing ties of cooperation between the Ahbash and the Naqshabandi order were manifested in a meeting in December 1993 between Shaykh Habashi and Muhammad 'Uthman Siraj al-Din. The two leaders announced a coalition between "two Islamic powers" dedicated to fighting the "Islamic Jama'a" and the "Hizb al-lkhwan," particularly "the ideology of Sayyid Qutb and others who have deviated from the consensus of the umma."90 The conclusion of such a Sufi alliance against the political Islamism of the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies is politically significant, given the large following of the Naqshabandi order throughout the Islamic world.
However, not all Sufi orders are acceptable to the Ahbash. Such recently founded Sufi orders as al- Badawiyya, al-Khalwatiyya, and al-Mawlawiyya, with few followers in Lebanon, remain outside the pale of Shaykh Habashi's Turuq Ahl Allah. And the Shaziliyya order's practices are denounced by Habashi as "bad innovations" that go against the Qur'an and the Sunna, particularly the Shaziliyya use of superstitions and magic in their tahlil and dhikr.91
The Ahbash enjoy excellent relations with most Arab governments, particularly with the Syrian authorities. They see Syria as the protector of Lebanon from Israel and the defender of Lebanese unity.92 Their pro-Syrian stance and nonmilitant attitude toward Arab regimes and Israel have made the Ahbash suspect in the Islamists' eyes and brought accusations of taking financial support from Israel, the West, and some Arab governments.93 These accusations have been vehemently rejected by Ahbash leaders.94
The Ahbash suffered a major setback when their president, Shaykh Nizar al-Halabi, was assassinated on 31 August 1995, by unknown assailants. The society's vice president, Shaykh Husam Karakira, immediately became president amid growing polarization between the Ahbash and its Islamist opponents. 95
Whatever their sources of support, there is no doubt that the Ahbash have emerged as important political actors in Lebanon and within the Islamic orbit. They present a clear alternative to the powerful Islamist trend and, as such, are likely to attract a considerable following among those Sunni Muslims who are searching for a middle way out of the bloody conflict between the Arab regimes and the Islamist societies. Moreover, within their pluralist framework, the Ahbash can accommodate individuals who desire a retreat into spiritualism, as well as conventional Muslims and secularists who have adopted the lifestyles of modern society. As an alternative to conservative Islamism, the Ahbash and similar groups could well emerge as the voice of the bourgeoisie and intelligentsia, which favor the establishment of liberal regimes in the Arab world.96 Despite the general expectation that the Sufi orders would decline as a result of modernization and industrialization, the Ahbash have demonstrated that Sufi traditions possess special strengths in societies such as Lebanon's, where a high degree of religious pluralism prevails.97
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A. Nizar Hamzeh is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon. R. Hrair Dekmejian is Professor in the Department of Political Science at the Universi ty of Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif. 90089-0044, U.S.A.
NOTES
1 Richard P. Mitchell, The Society of the Muslim Brothers (London: Oxford University Press, 1969). Back
2 Michael Gilsenan, Saint and Sufi in Modern Egypt (London: Oxford University Press, 1973), 10-11. Back
3 Max Weber, The Theory of Social and Economic Organizations, trans. A. M. Henderson and Talcott Parsons (New York: Oxford University Press, 1947), 328-33, 358-73. For an overview of Sufi orders, see Dale F. Eickelman, The Middle East: An Anthropological Approach (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1981), 222-35. Back
4 Gilsenan, Saint and Sufi, 12. Back
5 R. Stephen Humphreys, "The Contemporary Resurgence in the Context of Modem Islam,' in Islamic Resurgence in the Arab World, ed. Ali E. Hillal Dessouki (New York: Praeger Publishers, 1982), 74-75. Back
6 R. Hrair Dekmejian, Islam in Revolution: Fundamentalism in the Arab World, 2nd ed. (Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1995), 64, 210. Back
7 Gilsenan, Saint and Sufi, 203-5. Back
8 john L. Esposito, The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality? (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992), 132-33. Back
9 Johannes J. G. Jansen, The Neglected Duty (New York: MacMillan Publishing Company, 1986), 65-68,79-81. Back
10 Ibid., 81-88. Back
11 Dekmejian, Islam in Revolution, 150. For a penetrating analysis of Sufism and other branches of Islam, see Muhammad 'Abid al-Jabiri, Takwin al-'Aql al-'Arabi (Formation of the Arab Mind), 4th ed., 2 vols. (Beirut: Markaz Dirasat al-Wahda al-'Arabiyya, 1989); and idem, Bunyat al- 'Aql al-'Arabi (Structure of the Arab Mind), 2nd ed. (Beirut: Markaz Dirasat al-Wahda al-'Arabiyya, 1987). Back
12 Majmu'a Fatawa Shaykh al-IsIam Ahmad ibn Taymiyya, 37 vols. (Compilation of Legal Opinions of Shaykh al-Islam Ahmad Ibn Taymiyya), ed. and comp. 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Qasim, (n.p., n.d.), 11:5-24, 401-33, 27:106-11, 114-288, 314-444. Back
13 Recent research has shown that Ibn Taymiyya and other Hanbali jurists were not as opposed to Sufism as once believed, and that some Hanbali ulama were well-known Sufis. See George Makdisi, "Hanbalite Islam," in Studies on Islam, ed. and trans. Merlin L. Swartz (New York: Oxford University Press, 1981), 247-51.Back
14Shaykh Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, Kitab al-Tawhid, trans. Isma'il Raji al Faruqi (Beirut: The Holy Koran Publishing House,1979), 25, 64, 68.Back
15S . Abul A'la Maududi, A Short History of the Revivalist Movement in Islam, trans. Al-Ash'ari (Lahore: Islamic Publications Ltd., 1981),135-36.Back
16Beyond Sayyid Qutb's advocacy of militancy, his understanding of a worshiper's relationship toward God sets him apart from Sufibeliefs and practices. See Sayyid Qutb, Fi Zilal al-Qur'an (In the Shade of the Qur'an), 6 vols., 9th ed. (Cairo: Dar al-Shuruq, 1980), vol. 4,parts 12-18:2139, vol. 5, parts 19-25:2577-78, 2603-2812.Back
17Jansen, Neglected Duty, 9- 10.Back
18Fathi Yakan, Al-Mawsu'a al-Harakiyya (Encyclopedia of Movements) (Amman: Dar al-Bashir, 1983), 259-67.Back
19For a comprehensive Islamist critique of Sufism, see 'Uthman 'Ali Hasan, Mawaqif Ahl al-Sunna min al-Manahij al-Mukhalifa Lahum(Positions of the Sunni Toward Dissenting Views) (Riyadh: Dar al-Watan lil-Nashar, 1413/1983), 54-102.Back
20For an overview, see A. Nizar Hamzeh and R. Hrair Dekmejian, "The Islamic Spectrum of Lebanese Politics," Journal of South Asianand Middle Eastern Affairs, XVI, 3 (Spring 1993): 25-42.Back
21Marius Deeb, Militant Islamic Movements in Lebanon: Origins, Social Basis and Ideology (Washington, D.C.: Center for ContemporaryArab Studies, 1986), 5-9.Back
22Augustus Richard Norton, Amal and the Shia (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1987), 13-83.Back
23On aspects of Shi'a radicalism, see Martin Kramer, ed., Shi'ism, Resistance and Revolution (Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1987).Back
24Muhammad Darnikha, Al-Turuq al-Sufiyya (The Sufi Orders) (Tripoli: Dar al-Insha' li'l-Sahafa wal-Nashr, 1984), 87-286.Back
25 Manar al-Hudd, June-July 1993, 34; ibid., December 1992-February 1993, 3 1-33; ibid., November 1992,41.Back
26Al-Muslimun, 20 November 1992, 3.Back
27Manar al-Hudd, December 1992-January 1993, 4 1.Back
28See interview with 'Abd al-Rahman al-Habashi, son of Shaykh Habashi and president of the Ahbash in Australia, in ibid., 32-34. Seealso al-Shira', 27 July 1992, 30-3 1.Back
29Al-Nahar, 8 December 1992, 11.Back
30Shaykh 'Abdallah al-Habashi, Sarih al-Bayan (Explicit Declaration) (Beirut: Jam'iyyat al-Mashari', 1990), 195.Back
31Ibid., 24.Back
32Ibid., 28, 30.Back
33 Shaykh 'Abdallah al-Habashi, Al-Sirat al-Mustaqim (The Correct Path) (Beirut: Burj Abi Haydar Mosque, 1984), 34.Back
34Ibid., 31.Back
35Ibid., 32.Back
36Ibid., 30.Back
37Ibid., 88; see also Shaykh 'Abdallah al-Habashi, Al-Kafil bi-'Ilm al-Din al-Daruri (The Guarantor of the Necessary Science of Faith)(Beirut: Burj Abi Haydar Mosque, 1984), 46.Back
38Habashi, Sarih al-Bayan, 90.Back
39Ibid., 111. Habashi does not give much importance to the Hanafi and Maliki Schools of Law.Back
40Ibid., 107; see also Manar al-Hudd, April-May 1993, 45.Back
41Habashi, Sarih al-Bayan, 86, 88, 105. These ahadith are: "For whosoever I am master, this Ali is his master; 0 God support whosoever isloyal to him and fight whosoever is fighting him," and "Hasan from me and Husayn from 'Ali."Back
42Manar al-Hudd, November 1992, 32; ibid., April 1993, 37.Back
43Ibid., November 1992, 18.Back
44Ibid., December 1992-January 1993, 24-25.Back
45Ibid., April-May 1993, 36-37; Habashi, Sarih al-Bayan, 74.Back
46Manar al-Hudd, April-May 1993, 36-37.Back
47Hasan al-Banna' is the sole Islamist who is spared criticism.Back
48Shaykh 'Abdallah al-Habashi, Al-Durar al-Sunniyya fi al-radd 'ala Ahmad ibn Taymiyya (The Sunna Jewels in Response to Ahmad ibnTaymiyya) (Beirut: Jam'iyya al-Mashari', 1990), 5.Back
49Ibid., 10.Back
50 Ibid., 25; idem, Sirat al-Mustaqim, 55. Back
51 Habashi, Durar al-Sunniyya, 51; idem, Sirat al-Mustaqim, 50. Manar al-Huda, May- June 1993, 47. Ibn Taymiyya's followers do not regard him as an anthropomorphist. Back
52 Mandr al-Huda, April-May 1993, 45. Back
53 Al-Nahar, 12 September 1992, 11. Back
54 Habashi, Sarih al-Bayan, 118. Back
55 While requiring strict standards to differentiate the Muslims from the Tatars, Ibn Taymiyya was reluctant to use takfir, as is done frequently by some contemporary militant Islamists. For a discussion of takfir, see R. Hrair Dekmejian, Islam in Revolution, Ist ed. (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1985), 40, 92-95. Back
56 Habashi, Sarih al-Bayan, 32. Back
57 Manar al-Huda, April-May 1993, 45-46. Back
58 Ibid., 47. Back
59 Ibid., 48. Back
60 Ibid. Back
61 Ibid., 49. Back
62 Ibid., May-June 1993, 46; see also Habashi, al-Kafil, 5-11. Back
63 Habashi, Sarih al-Bayan, 28. Back
64 Ibid., 24. Back
65 Ibid., 25. Back
66 Manar al-Huda, April-May 1993, 49. Back
67 Ibid. Back
68 AI-Safir, 19 November 1992, 3. Back
69 Ibid. Back
70 Habashi, Sarih al-Bayan, 76. Back
71 Ibid., 169; see also Manar al-Huda, December 1992-January 1993, 42. Back
72 Manar al-Huda, November 1992, 6; ibid., April-May 1993, 6. Back
73 AI-Nahar, 12 September 1992, 11. Back
74 Ibid. Back
75 Ibid. Back
76 AI-Nahar, 9 December 1992, 113. Back
77 Manar al-Huda, August-September 1992, 12-13. Back
78 AI-Shira', 27 July 1992, 30-3 1; Manar al-Huda, November 1992, 59. Back
79 Manar al-Hudd, December 1992-January 1993, 41. Back
80 AI-Muslimun, 20 November 1993, 3; Manar al-Huda, December 1992-January 1993, 41. Back
81 Al-Muslimun, 20 November 1992, 3. Back
82 Yakan, Al-Mawsu'a al-Harakiyya, 259. Back
83 Ibid., 267. Back
84 AI-Masira, 27 December 1992, 15. Back
85 Ibid. Back
86 AI-Shira', 7 September 1992, 20. Back
87 Al-Safir, I October 1992, 4. Back
88 AI-Shira', 5 October 1992, 16-17; see also, al-Muslimun, 30 November 1992, 3. Back
89 Manar al-Huda, November 1992, 41; ibid., June-July 1993, 37. Back
90 Ibid., December 1992-February 1993, 31-33. Back
91 Ibid., 35. Back
92 AI-Safir, 10 September 1992, 3; Manar al-Huda, August-September 1993, 30-32. Back
93 AI-Muslimun, 30 November 1992, 3. Back
94 Manar al-Huda, August-September 1992, 12. Back
95 Al-Nahar, 9 October 1995, 6. Back
96 On the preconditions of liberal Islamic regimes, see Leonard Binder, Islamic Liberalism (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988), 357-59. Back
97 On the adaptability of the Sufi orders to modem societies, see John Obert Voll, "Sufi Orders:' The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, 4 vols., ed. John L. Esposito (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995), 4:116. Back
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Created by the Digital Documentation Center at AUB in collaboration with Al Mashriq of Høgskolen i Østfold, Norway.
981008 MB/PN - mailto:ddc-info@aub.edu.lb
The rise and spread of Islamist political movements have been topics of focal concern for scholars and analysts in recent decades. Since Richard Mitchell's seminal work on the Muslim Brotherhood, a plethora of writers have analyzed the attributes of both Sunni and Shi'a revivalist movements and the policies of Arab regimes and the West toward the Islamist phenomenon.1 Yet scant attention has been paid to the reactions generated within the larger Islamic community toward the Islamist groups and their militant offshoots. One such unnoticed source of reaction to political Islamism is the nebulous confraternity of Sufi orders (turuq) whose mysticism and esoteric beliefs and practices have set them apart from the exoteric revivalism and political activism of the Islamist societies, such as the Muslim Brotherhood and its many affiliates.
The rivalry and controversies between Sufism and its legalist and conservative detractors go back to the early epochs of Muslim history. The Sufi orders that emerged in the crisis milieu of the 12th century represented a quest for gnosis, the mystical search for truth, in contrast to the disciplined legalism and conservatism of the ulama.2 As the guardians of the Islamic tradition and ethic, the ulama were the legitimizers of power and authoritative interpreters of the law. In terms of Weberian theory, the "traditional" and "legal-rational" authority of the ulama was undermined by the free-flowing "charismatic" authority of the Sufi shaykh.3
Yet under certain historical conditions, there was considerable coincidence and coexistence between the Sufi shaykhs and the ulama.4 Furthermore, not all Sufi shaykhs and movements were quietest in the religious and political spheres. For example, the Sanusiyyah began as a Sufi movement, but in its third generation became militant in response to French and Italian imperialism.5 Nor should it be forgotten that some prominent leaders of political Islamist movements-Sudan's Mahdi, Hasan al-Banna, and Ruhollah Khomeini-began their careers as Sufis. Under the impact of the crisis conditions of their respective social milieux, these men were propelled into lives of political activism.6 In the case of Banna, his MuslimBrotherhood emerged as a mass movement in response to the social changes that brought about the decline of the Sufi orders in Egypt in the 19th and 20th centuries.7
The resurgence of Islamism after the 1967 war and its subsequent use by President Anwar al-Sadat of Egypt as an antidote to Nasserism brought the Muslim Brotherhood into prominence as a prelude to its emergence as a part of mainstream Islam.8 With the rise of the Brotherhood's militant offshoots, and its growing criticism of Sadat's policies of rapprochement with the West and Israel, the government sought to strengthen the Sufi movement, which by this time was presenting itself as an Islamically legitimate but politically quietist, tolerant, and spiritually vibrant alternative to political Islamism.9 This pattern of mutual accord between the state and Sufism has persisted under President Husni Mubarak.10 Similar policies of governmental support for Sufism have been discerned in Syria and Saudi Arabia.11
A dominant theme in the ideology and activities of contemporary Sunni Islamist movements is a deep-seated opposition to Sufism. Despite past instances of convergence and overlapping between Sufi and revivalist movements, their mutual antagonism has become pronounced particularly in the contemporary milieu of heightened political Islamism. The doctrinal roots of opposition to Sufism among today's Sunni Islamists are found in the writings of the eminent 13th-century Hanbali 'alim Taqi al-Din Ahmad ibn Taymiyya.12 In his quest to purify the Muslim faith, Ibn Taymiyya vigorously opposed Sufi pantheism and such practices as the worship of saints and pilgrimages to their shrines, although he accepted a Sufism based on Islamic legalism and tradition.13 In the hands of Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, Ibn Taymiyya's strictures on Sufism were transformed into a comprehensive condemnation and prohibition of the Sufi orders.14 This critical stance toward Sufism and its practices can be found among the major exponents of modern Islamist thought, such as Abu al-A'la Mawdudi,15 Sayyid Qutb, 16 'Abd al-Salam Faraj, 17 and Fathi Yakan. 18 By anchoring themselves on the legalist tradition of Ibn Taymiyya, these modern-day Islamists rejected Sufi esoteric (batini) beliefs and ceremonial practices as being heretical innovations (bid'a) and superstitions (khurafa). 19 Instead of the Sufi's inner-directed mysticism, quietism, and withdrawal from the mundane, the Islamists advocate religious -political activism, where a person's piety can be outwardly demonstrated and socially validated in terms of the shari'a. Indeed, the ultimate quest of the Islamists is to capture the Islamic popular mainstream by imposing a single homogenizing ideology as a means to mobilize the masses as a prelude to achieving political control. Thus, the phenomenal growth of the Islamist movement in recent decades has threatened the populist social base of the Sufi orders. Despite their political quietism in the recent past, some Sufi groups have begun to assert themselves to defend their interests in the political arena. This paper will profile one of the most politically active of these Sufi- based societies, the Ahbash of Lebanon -a rapidly growing association with branches in many Muslim and Western countries. The analysis will focus on the controversial historical and theological origins of this movement; its social roots, leadership, and political activities in Lebanon; and the causal factors responsible for its dynamic growth in recent times.
LEBANON'S ISLAMIC SPECTRUM
The Islamic segment of Lebanon's political spectrum is exceedingly complex, reflecting the country's pluralist makeup and the factionalism brought on by its environment of crisis. The factors contributing to Lebanon's instability in the 1970s and 1980s included intersectarian and interclass conflicts, Palestinian-Israeli fighting, and the proxy war fought by the neighboring countries on Lebanese soil. Within this crisis milieu, Lebanon saw the emergence of both Sunni and Shi'i Islamist groups, many engaged in political activism. 20 Among the Sunni, the activist segment of the Muslim Brotherhood is represented by Fathi Yakan's al-Jam'a al-Islamiyya, which has fought the Maronite militias and Israel. Another militant Sunni group is Shaykh Said Sha'ban's Harakat al-Tawhid, which split from the Jama'a a]-Islamiyya in 1982. 21 On the Shi'i side of the spectrum, Harakat Amal was founded in 1975 by Imam Musa al-Sadr. 22 After Sadr's disappearance in 1978, Amal lost its revivalist character and under Nabih Barri became a Shi'i political movement. The cause of Shi'i militancy was taken up by Hizballah -an umbrella organization of more than a half-dozen radical groups nurtured by Iran's revolutionary Islamic regime. 23 The Sufi segment of the Lebanese Islamic spectrum consists of seven orders: Qadiriyya, Rifdiyya, Naqshabandiyya, Shaziliyya, Badawiyya, Khalwatiyya, and Mawlawiyya. 24 Within this context, the Ahbash function as a pan-Sufi organization -the activist expression of Lebanese Sufism, supported mainly by the Qadiriyya, Rifaiyya, and Naqshabandiyya orders. 25
ORIGINS OF AL-AHBASH
The Ahbash, officially known as the Society of Islamic Philanthropic Projects, or Jam'iyyat al- Mashari' al-Khayriyya al-Islamiyya, is unique and one of the most controversial Muslim associations in the contemporary spectrum of Islamic groups. The controversy surrounding this movement involves its peculiar origins and eclectic theological roots, which define the society's separate identity and determine its program of religious and political action. Indeed, the Jam'iyya has invited controversy precisely because its teachings do not fit the conventional "Islamist" or "fundamentalist" mold.
The Ahbash are the devout followers of Shaykh Abdallah ibn Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Hirari al-Shibi al- Abdari, also known as al-Habashi, signifying his Ethiopian origins-hence the appellations given to his movement: al-Ahbash and al Habashiyyin. While his detractors call him "a mysterious person"26 of Jewish origins,27 the shaykh's official biography states that he was born in al-Hirara, near Somalia, in 1920, where he studied Shafi'i jurisprudence and became a mufti in the Oromo tribal region. In 1947, Shaykh Habashi came to the Hijaz after he was expelled from Ethiopia, because his teachings were seen as a threat by Emperor Haile Selassie. In 1948, the shaykh journeyed to Jerusalem and then to Damascus to study with the Rifa'iyya and Qadiriyya orders. He settled in Beirut in 1950, and was licensed as a shaykh by al-Azhar University's branch in Lebanon.28 Originally founded by Shaykh Ahmad al-'Ajuz in 1930, the Society of Philanthropic Projects was taken over by Shaykh Habashi's followers in 1983; by the late 1980s, the society had become one of Lebanon's largest Islamic movements. During the Lebanese civil war, the Ahbash grew from a few hundred members into a large organization by infiltrating the Sunni militias and schools. When 'Abd al-Hafiz Qasim's militia disbanded in 1984, the Ahbash recruited its members into its ranks. However, the Ahbash abstained from creating a militia of its own and from involvement in intersectarian violence and fighting Israel; its main aims were proselytization and recruitment, while it displayed a commitment to moderation and political passivity.29 It was not until the early 1990s that the Ahbash entered the Lebanese political arena as a participant in the parliamentary elections of 1992.
DOCTRINAL ROOTS
The complex structure of Shaykh Habashi's belief system blends elements of Sunni and Shi'i theology with Sufi spiritualism. The outcome of his doctrinal eclecticism is an ideology of Islamic moderation and toleration that emphasizes Islam's innate pluralism, along with opposition to political activism and the use of violence against the ruling order. These attributes of the Ahbash creed set the group on a collision course with the political thought of Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, Sayyid Qutb, and the activist segments of the Muslim Brotherhood and its militant affiliates in Egypt, Algeria, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Lebanon. In an attempt to neutralize his critics and reinforce the legitimacy of his imama among the Sunni Muslims, Habashi traces his genealogy to the Prophet Muhammad.30 Similarly, his ideological discourse goes back to the pious ancestors (al-salaf) and the writings of Shafi'i, Ash'ari, and Maturidi. He follows Shafi'i and Ash'ari by relying on the hadith and the sunna, while placing secondary emphasis on qiyas and ijma'. Like Ash'ari and Maturidi, he insists on the unquestionable acceptance of the revealed text without asking "how" -bila kayf.31 Also, Habashi follows Ash'ari and Maturidi in believing that Islam and faith are tied closely together despite their different meanings. He defines faith as tasdiq bil-qalb (inner assent), expressed by verbal affirmation (iqrar bi'l-lisan). Islam, however, is the language of faith in the Prophet's teachings, and neither faith nor Islam is acceptable without the other.32 In regard to predestination and free will, however, Habashi takes an intermediate position between Ash'ari and Maturidi. He affirms that acts of men are created by God subject to His will and decree.33 While they are acts of God in one respect, they are also man's acts and his free choice (ikhtiyar).34 God created both good and evil and will lead astray (dalal) only those who, He knows, will choose the wrong way and will guide only those who, He knows, will choose the right way.35 Thus, Habashi follows Ash'ari in ascribing all acts to God, although like Maturidi he accords man's free will the logic of its consequences- that is, the just are saved on that basis.36
THE SHI'A DIMENSION
One of the most revealing aspects of Shaykh Habashi's thought is his acceptance of the Shi'a doctrine of legitimacy. He begins by quoting Shafi'i, that everyone who fought 'Ali was a baghi (transgressor). 37 Habashi further cites Ibn Hanbal to jus tify 'Ali's caliphate against Mu'awiya and his "faction of transgressors" (al-firqa al-baghiya) . 38 As a further step, Habashi underlines the legitimacy of all four members of the Prophet's family -Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn -by citing the canonical writings of Muslim and al-Nisa'i . 39 Equally significant is Shaykh Habashi's rejection of the use of ijtihad by some Sunni jurists to legitimize Mu'awiya's opposition to 'Ali. As a case in point, Habashi takes issue with Ibn Taymiyya's view that fighting with 'Ali against Mu'awiya was neither a duty nor a Sunna. This product of Ibn Taymiyya's ijtihad is found invalid by Habashi because of the presence of a clear Qur'anic text and hadith. In support of his position, Habashi cites the verse "fight the group that is a transgressor," along with the Prophet's hadith warning 'Ammar bin Yasir, a companion of Muhammad and 'Ali, about the faction of transgressors who would kill him. Habashi concludes that "the faction of transgressors" was that of Mu'awiya, and fighting on 'Ali's side was a duty and Sunna . 40 Furthermore, Habashi explicitly disagrees with most contemporary Sunni jurists by citing several ahadith in order to uphold the legitimacy of the imama of 'Ali and of his sons Hasan and Husayn.41 Also, Habashi upholds the teachings of Imam Husayn's son, Zayn al-'Abidin, who is held in high esteem by the Ahbash . 42 Yet, beyond his acceptance of the foregoing doctrinal positions, Habashi's closeness to Shi'ism comes from another source-his deep immersion in Sufism.
THE SUFI DIMENSION
Sufism represents the essential key to understanding Habashi's thought and the ideological roots of the Ahbash movement. Habashi's veneration of 'Ali is in keeping with the special position assigned by all Sufis to the fourth caliph, who is considered the originator of Islamic mysticism as "the Knower of God" (al-'arif bi'llah) .43 Moreover, Shi'ism was an important influence on the two 12th- century Sufi orders-the Qadiriyya and Rifa'iyya -with which Habashi became associated during his formative years. The founding "saint" of Rifa'iyya, Ahmad al-Rifa'i (d. 1183), who claimed descent from 'Ali and Fatima, is venerated by the Ahbash as "al-Rifa'i al-Husayni" and "sufi salaf "-a pious mystic ancestor. 44
As a dedicated mystic, Habashi defends many centuries-old Sufi beliefs and practices that are attacked as innovations (bid'a) by the Wahhabis and other Islamist groups. To Habashi there are two types of innovation: "bad" innovations (bid'at dalala) are those against the Qur'an and Sunna and should be rejected; "good" innovations (bid'at huda) are those consistent with the Qur'an and Sunna and should be preserved, because God told his Prophet that his umma can innovate (yuhdithu) in keeping with the Qur'an and hadith, as did the "Godly religious orders" (turuq ahl Allah) -that is, the Qadiriyya and Rifa'iyya . 45 These "good" innovations include giving bay'a (allegiance) to the pious ancestors (al-salaf al-salih); upholding the name of Allah by prayer and singing (tahlil); celebrating the Prophet's birthday; visiting the shrines of saintly ancestors for their blessing; praying loudly after mosque services; and keeping meditation boxes (mihrab) in the mosques .46 All these constitute a forthright restatement of Sufism as a distinct and Islamically legitimate way of life, which the Ahbash are prepared to defend against their Islamist foes.
HABASHI VERSUS IBN TAYMIYYA
Despite their deep Sufi roots, the Ahbash differ from traditional Sufi orders in their aggressive proselytization and political activism directed at Islamist opponents. Their religious, social, and political activism is rooted in the belief that the Islamist movement and its militant offshoots have become the self-styled defenders of Islam by representing themselves as the Islamic mainstream to the exclusion of other exponents of the faith. Thus, the Ahbash have taken the offensive in the name of Islamic pluralism to challenge the Islamist groups in doctrine, preaching, and social action; in street battles; and at the ballot box.
The Ahbash ideological offensive against the Islamist thinkers is both virulent and comprehensive, beginning with Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab and their contemporary disciples, Sayyid Qutb, Mawdudi, and Fathi Yakan of Lebanon's al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya.47 In attacking Ibn Taymiyya, Habashi positions himself in the Ash'ari tradition, to which, he states, the majority of the Ahl al-Sunna belong.48 Habashi considers Ibn Taymiyya an exponent of "extremism" who was sent to prison by four judges representing the four schools of law; thus, he is no "shaykh al-Islam", as his followers have called him.49 In doctrinal terms, Habashi attacks lbn-Taymiyya on four central issues. The first concerns Ibn Taymiyya's prohibition as shirk of Sufi beliefs and popular practices such as al-shafa'a -appeals for intercession (al-tawassul) from the faithful to the prophets and pious ancestors by using such expressions as ya rasul Allah and ya 'Ali.50 Habashi upholds the use of these terms, along with the veneration of saintly persons and visitation of their shrines-all of which Ibn Taymiyya prohibited. Habashi also attacks Ibn Taymiyya's rejection of consensus (ijma'); opposition to Shi'ism and Sufism; and support of anthropomorphism (al-tashbih), ascribing human attributes to God.51
In essence, Habashi criticizes Ibn Taymiyya for the intolerance that he has inspired among contemporary Islamists toward different forms of Islamic expression. To Habashi this intolerance is the hallmark of Ibn Taymiyya's progeny-from the Wahhabis to the Muslim Brotherhood and its militant affiliates in Egypt, Afghanistan, Syria, Algeria, Jordan, and Lebanon, which support violence "under the guise of Islamic revivalism and fundamentalism".52 In fact, Habashi opposes all political Islamists; he does not differentiate between the political gradualism of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and the tactics of its revolutionary offshoots such as al-Takfir wal-Hijra, Tanzim al- Jihad, and al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya.
Three interrelated factors fuel Habashi's unremitting opposition to the contemporary Sunni Islamists, much of it imbedded in his Sufism. The first is his total opposition to violence, including revolutionary action against constituted authority. The second is Habashi's eschewal of the goal of all political Islamists: that is, the establishment of an Islamic order, "because the Muslims are not prepared for it" 53 and "there is no way to appoint a caliph at the present time".54 The third factor is Habashi's opposition to takfir, the charge of unbelief leveled by the Islamists against other Muslims.
In his blanket opposition to takfir, Habashi attacks the absolutist standards of the Islamists who follow Ibn Taymiyyah in determining a Muslim's "Muslimness".55 Instead, he posits a relativistic standard based on moderation (al-i'tidal). Thus, if a person fulfills all the Islamic obligations, he or she is a muslim kamil -a complete Muslim. However, should a Muslim violate some prohibitions but believe in God, he is still a believer and not a kafir; and should such individuals ask forgiveness, God will forgive them. While "faithful sinners" will be punished by God for their transgressions, they will not be excluded from paradise.56
Similarly, Habashi opposes the Islamist practice of takfir in denouncing rulers, as inspired by Qutb's concept of al-jahiliyya, which Habashi finds responsible for "the most horrible acts of violence" by al- Jama'a al-Islamiyya in Egypt, and the groups led by 'Ali Bil-Haj in Algeria and Rashid al-Ghannushi in Tunisia.57 Habashi rejects as "dangerous" the application of strict Islamist standards to judge leaders and governments. For example, he takes issue with Shaykh Ibn Baz of Saudi Arabia for denouncing the late Gamal Abdel Nasser as a kafir.58 He vehemently attacks Fathi Yakan, the leader of Lebanon's al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya, for asserting that rulers who do not govern by the shari'a are kuffar, as are their followers.59 In a bid to discredit Islamists such as Yakan, Habashi charges them with following the Kharijite practice of fighting rulers by using the shari'a and the extremist methods employed by the Bahshamiyya.60
By leveling the charge of Kharijite extremism at their Islamist opponents, the Ahbash depict the whole spectrum of political Islamist groups as "deviators" (firaq al-dalal), as distinct from the proponents of moderation-" those who are saved" (firqa al-najiya) by following the correct path.61
IDEOLOGY AND SOCIAL ROOTS
The "correct path" as defined by Shaykh Habashi involves knowledge of "the necessary science of religion," which recognizes the primacy of revelation (naql), complemented by reason (aql).62 This science of religion is binding upon all "authorized" preachers (mukallaf), who must know the thirteen attributes of divinity: al-Wujud (existence), al-Qiyam (resurrection), al-Wahdaniyya (unicity), al-Baqa' (eternity), al-Qiyam bi'l-nafs (resurrection of the soul), al- Mukhalafa li'l-hawadith (God's will over events), al-Qudra (capability), al-Irada (will), al-'Ilm (knowledge), al-Hayat (life), al-Sam' (hearing), al-Basar (vision), and al-Kalam (Allah's Word).63 Knowledge of the science of religion, particularly 'ilm al-tawhid, is considered more important than the different schools of jurisprudence. Its components are: (1) faith in God and his Prophet; (2) faith in the hadith and Sunna; (3) knowledge of God's attributes, without anthropomorphism (al-tajsim); (4) knowledge of deviations from Islam, such as kufr; and (5) knowledge of the rules and regulations of prayer and purity.64 A deep knowledge of the faith comes not simply from reading the holy scriptures but also through the teachings of "a trustworthy 'alim".65 Superficial understanding of the texts can lead to ignorance of Islam and to extremism.66 By stressing the pivotal role of an "authorized" 'alim, Habashi comes close to emulating the guidance function of the Shi'i mujtahid, as distinct from the Sunni Islamist view of the ulama.
Guided by their Sufi origins, the Ahbash present themselves as apostles of moderation -a desirable alternative to the Islamists' doctrinal strictness and political militancy. The Ahbash vision is a society of normalcy and stability, where social and religious pluralism is the mode for Muslims among themselves and in their relations with non-Muslims. In discourse, the Ahbash emphasize the need for civility and moderation at the individual, societal, and state levels.67
The political stance of the Ahbash organization as presented by its president, Shaykh Husam Karakira, accepts Lebanon's confessional system and the primacy of serving Lebanon's national interests.68. It rejects violence and the politicization of Islam in favor of participation in politics "as public service" within the Lebanese political system. The Ahbash pledge loyalty to Lebanon as an Arab country and support its armed forces as the defenders of its citizens, their families, and the country itself.69 In opposing the establishment of an Islamic order, the Ahbash are committed to coexistence with the Christian communities. Consistent with his Sufi beliefs, Habashi extolls al- rahbaniyya -the fraternity of mystics-as "a virtuous way" that is also practiced by the monastic "followers of Christ."70
Equally mild is the foreign-policy orientation and world outlook of the Ahbash. While supporting the liberation of the "security zone" in the South through United Nations Resolution 425 and affirming "Palestinian rights," the Ahbash literature makes no reference to jihad or the use of force against Israel "unless it is necessary".71 I Nor are the Ahbash angry at the West; on the contrary, they recommend that their members study Western learning and science in order to achieve a "civilized" Islamic society.72
A close correspondence exists between the content of the Ahbash message (da'wa) and the social roots of its expanding constituency within and outside Lebanon. Beginning as a small philanthropic and spiritualist movement among the Sunni lower stratum, the Ahbash have come into the mainstream of Lebanon's Sunni community in direct rivalry with the Islamist organizations. 73 Indeed, by positioning themselves as a non-militant alternative to the Islamists, the Ahbash have emerged as a Sunni middle- class movement that attracts intellectuals, professionals, and businessmen, particularly the traditional Sunni commercial families of the urban centers. 74 Among these social groups, the Ahbash call for religious moderation, political civility, and peace has had a powerful resonance after fifteen years of civil war and bloodshed. Indeed, there has been a convergence between the values, aspirations, and socioeconomic interests of the Sunni middle classes and the contents of Shaykh Habashi's message-that is, intersectarian accord and political stability; an enlightened Islamic spiritualism within a modern secularist framework; a Lebanese identity wedded to Arab nationalism; and an accommodating attitude toward the Arab regimes, particularly the Syrian government.
Clearly, the Ahbash see themselves as fighting for the soul of the Sunni community. Their immediate goal is to build an organization of 100,000 members,75 to be recruited mainly from the young generation of Sunnis.76 While the Ahbash lack the social-services network of Hizballah, they have concentrated on building mosques and schools, which provide venues to spread their da'wa and philanthropic activities. In addition to religious education, Ahbash schools offer vocational programs, computer training, sports activities, and instruction in English as a second language.77 The organization has its headquarters at Markaz al-Shaykh al-Iskandarani, based in Beirut's Burj Abi Haydar Mosque, at the heart of the Sunni community. This is a strategically advantageous location, surrounded by quarters inhabited by Ahbash members and with easy access to the different segments of the Sunni community. Beyond Beirut, Ahbash followers are concentrated in the Sunni communities of Tripoli, Sidon, Biqa, and 'Iqlim al-Kharrub in the Shuf. In recent years, the Ahbash have gained ascendance over nine mosques, including Burj Abi Haydar and 'Ali bin Abi Talib in Beirut, al-Siddiq in Tripoli, and Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi in Sidon. Also, the Ahbash have established thirty overseas branches in a dozen countries: Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Jordan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and the United States.78
The Ahbash are led by a group of shaykhs and some laymen. At the apex is its saintly founder, 'Allama Shaykh 'Abdallah al-Habashi; the administrative functions are carried out by Shaykh Husam Karakira, who serves as president of the organization. As vice presidents, Shaykhs Samir al-Qadi, Usama al- Sayyid, and Khalid Hunayna head the branches in North Lebanon, Biqa, and South Lebanon, respectively. Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Fakhani leads the Ahbash in 'Iqlim al-Kharrub and is chief editor of the journal Manar al-Huda. The public relations of the Ahbash are conducted by Dr. 'Adnan Trabulsi, a layman educated at Kiev University.
In their religious practices, the Ahbash unabashedly follow Sufi mystical traditions, which are denounced by Yakan's Islamists as bid'a. In their ceremonies, the Ahbash use two musical bands bearing the names of ancient Sufi orders: "al-Rifa'iyya" and "al-Jilaniyya." Shaykh Habashi and his followers go on retreats (khalwa) for meditation and fasting, in keeping with esoteric Sufi practices. The Prophet's birthday -al-mawlid- is celebrated, and mystical dancing sessions are held to unite the faithful with their creator.
AHBASH VERSUS ISLAMISTS
The fundamental factor that has propelled the Ahbash into dynamic religious proselytization and electoral politics is their fear of the aggressive political activism of the Islamist societies. In an unprecedented step in 1992, the Ahbash ran two candidates in Lebanon's parliamentary elections, one of whom, Dr. Trabulsi, won a seat in Beirut. Despite their commitment to pacifism and moderation, the Ahbash are engaged in a life-and-death struggle with what they call "Hizb al-Ikhwan" -the Brotherhood Party" -particularly Fathi Yakan's al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya and its transnational allies. Beyond their doctrinal and ideological conflicts, al-Ahbash and al-Jama'a have engaged in bloody clashes around the 'Umar al-Kabir Mosque in Sidon and the 'Isa bin Maryam Mosque in Tripoli.79 Spokesmen for al-Jama'a and its Egyptian Islamist allies have denounced Shaykh Habashi as "an individual who plans to divide the Sunnis of Lebanon".80 Yakan has accused the Ahbash of serving Zionism and protecting its interests in the Middle East.81 He has also attacked Habashi for deviating from the Prophet's teachings by following the Mu'tazila and for his categorical rejection of Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, and Sayyid Qutb. 82 Yakan further criticizes the Ahbash for their wholesale use of takfir -an accusation of unbelief (kufr) against their enemies; he calls them "the denouncer's faction" (al-firqa al-mukaffira).83 The fact is that both al-Ahbash and al- Jama'a are engaged in mutual takfir, refusing to recognize each other's Islamic legitimacy.
RELATIONS WITH OTHER GROUPS
In contrast to their profound enmity toward Yakan's Jamaa al-Islamiyya, the Ahbash have "normal" and "friendly" relations with Hizballah, while expressing misgivings about the latter's violent activities.84 Despite their doctrinal sympathy with 'Ali and Shi'ism, the Ahbash are careful not to appear too close to the Shi'a, which risks alienating their Sunni constituency, as happened to Shaykh Sha'ban of Harakat al-Tawhid of Tripoli.85 Yet in the 1992 parliamentary elections, the Ahbash and Hizballah concluded an undeclared alliance in Beirut that assured the election of their respective candidates, 'Adnan Trabulsi and Muhammad Burjawi.86 While maintaining amicable ties, the Ahbash have been singularly reluctant to support Hizballah's call for an Iranian-style Islamic order in Lebanon as a substitute for its present consociational system. In view of their strong endorsement of consociationalism and their opposition to an Islamic state, the Ahbash have found a natural ally in the Amal movement, which also shares with the Ahbash a proSyrian orientation. These shared interests prompted the Ahbash to support the election of Amal leader Nabih Barri as speaker of the Lebanese Parliament. 87
With respect to Lebanon's Sunni religious establishment-the Sunni Juridical Office-the Ahbash maintain an uncooperative attitude. This stance is prompted by the Ahbash's desire to have one of their shaykhs appointed by the government as the chief Sunni mufti of Lebanon -a position now held by an acting mufti, Muhammad Rashid Qabbani.88
Within the Sufi movement, the Ahbash enjoy the support of three traditional Sufi orders that Shaykh Habashi considers Turuq Ahl Allah-Qadiriyya, Rifaiyya, and Naqshabandiyya.89 The growing ties of cooperation between the Ahbash and the Naqshabandi order were manifested in a meeting in December 1993 between Shaykh Habashi and Muhammad 'Uthman Siraj al-Din. The two leaders announced a coalition between "two Islamic powers" dedicated to fighting the "Islamic Jama'a" and the "Hizb al-lkhwan," particularly "the ideology of Sayyid Qutb and others who have deviated from the consensus of the umma."90 The conclusion of such a Sufi alliance against the political Islamism of the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies is politically significant, given the large following of the Naqshabandi order throughout the Islamic world.
However, not all Sufi orders are acceptable to the Ahbash. Such recently founded Sufi orders as al- Badawiyya, al-Khalwatiyya, and al-Mawlawiyya, with few followers in Lebanon, remain outside the pale of Shaykh Habashi's Turuq Ahl Allah. And the Shaziliyya order's practices are denounced by Habashi as "bad innovations" that go against the Qur'an and the Sunna, particularly the Shaziliyya use of superstitions and magic in their tahlil and dhikr.91
The Ahbash enjoy excellent relations with most Arab governments, particularly with the Syrian authorities. They see Syria as the protector of Lebanon from Israel and the defender of Lebanese unity.92 Their pro-Syrian stance and nonmilitant attitude toward Arab regimes and Israel have made the Ahbash suspect in the Islamists' eyes and brought accusations of taking financial support from Israel, the West, and some Arab governments.93 These accusations have been vehemently rejected by Ahbash leaders.94
The Ahbash suffered a major setback when their president, Shaykh Nizar al-Halabi, was assassinated on 31 August 1995, by unknown assailants. The society's vice president, Shaykh Husam Karakira, immediately became president amid growing polarization between the Ahbash and its Islamist opponents. 95
Whatever their sources of support, there is no doubt that the Ahbash have emerged as important political actors in Lebanon and within the Islamic orbit. They present a clear alternative to the powerful Islamist trend and, as such, are likely to attract a considerable following among those Sunni Muslims who are searching for a middle way out of the bloody conflict between the Arab regimes and the Islamist societies. Moreover, within their pluralist framework, the Ahbash can accommodate individuals who desire a retreat into spiritualism, as well as conventional Muslims and secularists who have adopted the lifestyles of modern society. As an alternative to conservative Islamism, the Ahbash and similar groups could well emerge as the voice of the bourgeoisie and intelligentsia, which favor the establishment of liberal regimes in the Arab world.96 Despite the general expectation that the Sufi orders would decline as a result of modernization and industrialization, the Ahbash have demonstrated that Sufi traditions possess special strengths in societies such as Lebanon's, where a high degree of religious pluralism prevails.97
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A. Nizar Hamzeh is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon. R. Hrair Dekmejian is Professor in the Department of Political Science at the Universi ty of Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif. 90089-0044, U.S.A.
NOTES
1 Richard P. Mitchell, The Society of the Muslim Brothers (London: Oxford University Press, 1969). Back
2 Michael Gilsenan, Saint and Sufi in Modern Egypt (London: Oxford University Press, 1973), 10-11. Back
3 Max Weber, The Theory of Social and Economic Organizations, trans. A. M. Henderson and Talcott Parsons (New York: Oxford University Press, 1947), 328-33, 358-73. For an overview of Sufi orders, see Dale F. Eickelman, The Middle East: An Anthropological Approach (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1981), 222-35. Back
4 Gilsenan, Saint and Sufi, 12. Back
5 R. Stephen Humphreys, "The Contemporary Resurgence in the Context of Modem Islam,' in Islamic Resurgence in the Arab World, ed. Ali E. Hillal Dessouki (New York: Praeger Publishers, 1982), 74-75. Back
6 R. Hrair Dekmejian, Islam in Revolution: Fundamentalism in the Arab World, 2nd ed. (Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1995), 64, 210. Back
7 Gilsenan, Saint and Sufi, 203-5. Back
8 john L. Esposito, The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality? (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992), 132-33. Back
9 Johannes J. G. Jansen, The Neglected Duty (New York: MacMillan Publishing Company, 1986), 65-68,79-81. Back
10 Ibid., 81-88. Back
11 Dekmejian, Islam in Revolution, 150. For a penetrating analysis of Sufism and other branches of Islam, see Muhammad 'Abid al-Jabiri, Takwin al-'Aql al-'Arabi (Formation of the Arab Mind), 4th ed., 2 vols. (Beirut: Markaz Dirasat al-Wahda al-'Arabiyya, 1989); and idem, Bunyat al- 'Aql al-'Arabi (Structure of the Arab Mind), 2nd ed. (Beirut: Markaz Dirasat al-Wahda al-'Arabiyya, 1987). Back
12 Majmu'a Fatawa Shaykh al-IsIam Ahmad ibn Taymiyya, 37 vols. (Compilation of Legal Opinions of Shaykh al-Islam Ahmad Ibn Taymiyya), ed. and comp. 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Qasim, (n.p., n.d.), 11:5-24, 401-33, 27:106-11, 114-288, 314-444. Back
13 Recent research has shown that Ibn Taymiyya and other Hanbali jurists were not as opposed to Sufism as once believed, and that some Hanbali ulama were well-known Sufis. See George Makdisi, "Hanbalite Islam," in Studies on Islam, ed. and trans. Merlin L. Swartz (New York: Oxford University Press, 1981), 247-51.Back
14Shaykh Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, Kitab al-Tawhid, trans. Isma'il Raji al Faruqi (Beirut: The Holy Koran Publishing House,1979), 25, 64, 68.Back
15S . Abul A'la Maududi, A Short History of the Revivalist Movement in Islam, trans. Al-Ash'ari (Lahore: Islamic Publications Ltd., 1981),135-36.Back
16Beyond Sayyid Qutb's advocacy of militancy, his understanding of a worshiper's relationship toward God sets him apart from Sufibeliefs and practices. See Sayyid Qutb, Fi Zilal al-Qur'an (In the Shade of the Qur'an), 6 vols., 9th ed. (Cairo: Dar al-Shuruq, 1980), vol. 4,parts 12-18:2139, vol. 5, parts 19-25:2577-78, 2603-2812.Back
17Jansen, Neglected Duty, 9- 10.Back
18Fathi Yakan, Al-Mawsu'a al-Harakiyya (Encyclopedia of Movements) (Amman: Dar al-Bashir, 1983), 259-67.Back
19For a comprehensive Islamist critique of Sufism, see 'Uthman 'Ali Hasan, Mawaqif Ahl al-Sunna min al-Manahij al-Mukhalifa Lahum(Positions of the Sunni Toward Dissenting Views) (Riyadh: Dar al-Watan lil-Nashar, 1413/1983), 54-102.Back
20For an overview, see A. Nizar Hamzeh and R. Hrair Dekmejian, "The Islamic Spectrum of Lebanese Politics," Journal of South Asianand Middle Eastern Affairs, XVI, 3 (Spring 1993): 25-42.Back
21Marius Deeb, Militant Islamic Movements in Lebanon: Origins, Social Basis and Ideology (Washington, D.C.: Center for ContemporaryArab Studies, 1986), 5-9.Back
22Augustus Richard Norton, Amal and the Shia (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1987), 13-83.Back
23On aspects of Shi'a radicalism, see Martin Kramer, ed., Shi'ism, Resistance and Revolution (Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1987).Back
24Muhammad Darnikha, Al-Turuq al-Sufiyya (The Sufi Orders) (Tripoli: Dar al-Insha' li'l-Sahafa wal-Nashr, 1984), 87-286.Back
25 Manar al-Hudd, June-July 1993, 34; ibid., December 1992-February 1993, 3 1-33; ibid., November 1992,41.Back
26Al-Muslimun, 20 November 1992, 3.Back
27Manar al-Hudd, December 1992-January 1993, 4 1.Back
28See interview with 'Abd al-Rahman al-Habashi, son of Shaykh Habashi and president of the Ahbash in Australia, in ibid., 32-34. Seealso al-Shira', 27 July 1992, 30-3 1.Back
29Al-Nahar, 8 December 1992, 11.Back
30Shaykh 'Abdallah al-Habashi, Sarih al-Bayan (Explicit Declaration) (Beirut: Jam'iyyat al-Mashari', 1990), 195.Back
31Ibid., 24.Back
32Ibid., 28, 30.Back
33 Shaykh 'Abdallah al-Habashi, Al-Sirat al-Mustaqim (The Correct Path) (Beirut: Burj Abi Haydar Mosque, 1984), 34.Back
34Ibid., 31.Back
35Ibid., 32.Back
36Ibid., 30.Back
37Ibid., 88; see also Shaykh 'Abdallah al-Habashi, Al-Kafil bi-'Ilm al-Din al-Daruri (The Guarantor of the Necessary Science of Faith)(Beirut: Burj Abi Haydar Mosque, 1984), 46.Back
38Habashi, Sarih al-Bayan, 90.Back
39Ibid., 111. Habashi does not give much importance to the Hanafi and Maliki Schools of Law.Back
40Ibid., 107; see also Manar al-Hudd, April-May 1993, 45.Back
41Habashi, Sarih al-Bayan, 86, 88, 105. These ahadith are: "For whosoever I am master, this Ali is his master; 0 God support whosoever isloyal to him and fight whosoever is fighting him," and "Hasan from me and Husayn from 'Ali."Back
42Manar al-Hudd, November 1992, 32; ibid., April 1993, 37.Back
43Ibid., November 1992, 18.Back
44Ibid., December 1992-January 1993, 24-25.Back
45Ibid., April-May 1993, 36-37; Habashi, Sarih al-Bayan, 74.Back
46Manar al-Hudd, April-May 1993, 36-37.Back
47Hasan al-Banna' is the sole Islamist who is spared criticism.Back
48Shaykh 'Abdallah al-Habashi, Al-Durar al-Sunniyya fi al-radd 'ala Ahmad ibn Taymiyya (The Sunna Jewels in Response to Ahmad ibnTaymiyya) (Beirut: Jam'iyya al-Mashari', 1990), 5.Back
49Ibid., 10.Back
50 Ibid., 25; idem, Sirat al-Mustaqim, 55. Back
51 Habashi, Durar al-Sunniyya, 51; idem, Sirat al-Mustaqim, 50. Manar al-Huda, May- June 1993, 47. Ibn Taymiyya's followers do not regard him as an anthropomorphist. Back
52 Mandr al-Huda, April-May 1993, 45. Back
53 Al-Nahar, 12 September 1992, 11. Back
54 Habashi, Sarih al-Bayan, 118. Back
55 While requiring strict standards to differentiate the Muslims from the Tatars, Ibn Taymiyya was reluctant to use takfir, as is done frequently by some contemporary militant Islamists. For a discussion of takfir, see R. Hrair Dekmejian, Islam in Revolution, Ist ed. (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1985), 40, 92-95. Back
56 Habashi, Sarih al-Bayan, 32. Back
57 Manar al-Huda, April-May 1993, 45-46. Back
58 Ibid., 47. Back
59 Ibid., 48. Back
60 Ibid. Back
61 Ibid., 49. Back
62 Ibid., May-June 1993, 46; see also Habashi, al-Kafil, 5-11. Back
63 Habashi, Sarih al-Bayan, 28. Back
64 Ibid., 24. Back
65 Ibid., 25. Back
66 Manar al-Huda, April-May 1993, 49. Back
67 Ibid. Back
68 AI-Safir, 19 November 1992, 3. Back
69 Ibid. Back
70 Habashi, Sarih al-Bayan, 76. Back
71 Ibid., 169; see also Manar al-Huda, December 1992-January 1993, 42. Back
72 Manar al-Huda, November 1992, 6; ibid., April-May 1993, 6. Back
73 AI-Nahar, 12 September 1992, 11. Back
74 Ibid. Back
75 Ibid. Back
76 AI-Nahar, 9 December 1992, 113. Back
77 Manar al-Huda, August-September 1992, 12-13. Back
78 AI-Shira', 27 July 1992, 30-3 1; Manar al-Huda, November 1992, 59. Back
79 Manar al-Hudd, December 1992-January 1993, 41. Back
80 AI-Muslimun, 20 November 1993, 3; Manar al-Huda, December 1992-January 1993, 41. Back
81 Al-Muslimun, 20 November 1992, 3. Back
82 Yakan, Al-Mawsu'a al-Harakiyya, 259. Back
83 Ibid., 267. Back
84 AI-Masira, 27 December 1992, 15. Back
85 Ibid. Back
86 AI-Shira', 7 September 1992, 20. Back
87 Al-Safir, I October 1992, 4. Back
88 AI-Shira', 5 October 1992, 16-17; see also, al-Muslimun, 30 November 1992, 3. Back
89 Manar al-Huda, November 1992, 41; ibid., June-July 1993, 37. Back
90 Ibid., December 1992-February 1993, 31-33. Back
91 Ibid., 35. Back
92 AI-Safir, 10 September 1992, 3; Manar al-Huda, August-September 1993, 30-32. Back
93 AI-Muslimun, 30 November 1992, 3. Back
94 Manar al-Huda, August-September 1992, 12. Back
95 Al-Nahar, 9 October 1995, 6. Back
96 On the preconditions of liberal Islamic regimes, see Leonard Binder, Islamic Liberalism (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988), 357-59. Back
97 On the adaptability of the Sufi orders to modem societies, see John Obert Voll, "Sufi Orders:' The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, 4 vols., ed. John L. Esposito (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995), 4:116. Back
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Thursday, August 12, 2010
Reflections for the heart, towards a journey in Bliss
"A knight is sworn to valour
His heart knows only virtue
His blade defends the helpless
His might upholds the weak
His words speaks only truth
His wrath undoes the wicked"
His heart knows only virtue
His blade defends the helpless
His might upholds the weak
His words speaks only truth
His wrath undoes the wicked"
Have a Blissful weekend
Whilst its been a challenging week, the weekend is welcomed as a time for family lots of celebration in my family because its my mum's and sisters birthday. I wish I was there, no doubt there will be yummy food to indulge in and family of course.
I hope your weeked will be filled with love bliss and peace.I have chosen a few tracks to start the ball rolling. Wherever you are in the world make the most of your time with family .
I hope your weeked will be filled with love bliss and peace.I have chosen a few tracks to start the ball rolling. Wherever you are in the world make the most of your time with family .
A Day full of Bliss and surrounded by those who love you
"Happy Birthday to my mum and sister Lyn." We love you both very much, Luca Carla Shila and Frank xxxxx
"I always said when I get there
I'll change the world
I'll take more care
I'll touch the sky
Be more prepared"
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
In the spirit of True Bliss
With humility,I surrender to The Lord, by my own experience of trying to emulate the true seeker.
It was the journey from
The syariah, the outer perimeter consisting of Usulluddin ( the prelimineries) & Fiqh (the law), on to the Tariqah (the way) in order to reach the Haqiqah & Ma'arifat (that which is sought).
They are not only important but necessary.
However, I crave to say this : I would wish muslims generally to try & follow in some ways,the western philosophical mode too - which is : to the thesis (syariah), apply the anti-thesis, which really is Ts'auf (Tasawuuf),the liberating Philosophical Islam to enable one to enter into the true essence of Spirituality (the synthesis)..AllahHuAlam..ABNIZAR
The rigid syariah due to strict faith (iman), sometimes has a tendency to "schackle" the mind - it is an "arresting" state of mind. I would implore to apply the
anti-thesis,The Tsa'uf, which I describe as The Liberating Philosophical Islam - I dont mean free adherents completely out of syariah, but to allow for an "escape route" in some ridiculous situations by applying philosophy eg: the strict dress-code. When was a child born that he was not in the nude ? The point is AlMighty did not put connotations of "sin"into His injunctions "..cover thy bosom,be decently dressed.." The covering is only to be decent in this world, in order to differntiate man from animal - it is not about "sinning" to The Lord. Yes we have to be decently dress, but not overly distort all His injunctions! So, sometimes Tsa'uf goes in " opposite " ways..
The path of Sufism is another thing. It is a journey par excellence. It has do with syncretic knowledge beause it has the "elasticity" to combine all the variables of all positive values & knowledge from all sources
All I am saying is, we need Tsauf to enable us on a correct path into Spirituality - otherwise there is bound to be "blockages" and deviations or distortions...AllaHuAlam,,,
If we go by the "outward" alone we are stuck, but if we go by the next layer of the Injunction, we should be able to be " freed" by the outer rigidities :
"..And remember: The Inner attire of Truth & Righteousness is the better garment for you.."
which is the profound & lying hidden beneath the " outer symbolism ",which is the real. So the outer is symbolic of the hidden truth, so that, if one does not lift the veil, one would be clinging to superficial truths...Hence my earlier exhortations: from the thesis,to the anti-thesis in order to arrive at the synthesis - the essence of Spirituality..... ABNIZAR
11:13 AM
It was the journey from
The syariah, the outer perimeter consisting of Usulluddin ( the prelimineries) & Fiqh (the law), on to the Tariqah (the way) in order to reach the Haqiqah & Ma'arifat (that which is sought).
They are not only important but necessary.
However, I crave to say this : I would wish muslims generally to try & follow in some ways,the western philosophical mode too - which is : to the thesis (syariah), apply the anti-thesis, which really is Ts'auf (Tasawuuf),the liberating Philosophical Islam to enable one to enter into the true essence of Spirituality (the synthesis)..AllahHuAlam..ABNIZAR
The rigid syariah due to strict faith (iman), sometimes has a tendency to "schackle" the mind - it is an "arresting" state of mind. I would implore to apply the
anti-thesis,The Tsa'uf, which I describe as The Liberating Philosophical Islam - I dont mean free adherents completely out of syariah, but to allow for an "escape route" in some ridiculous situations by applying philosophy eg: the strict dress-code. When was a child born that he was not in the nude ? The point is AlMighty did not put connotations of "sin"into His injunctions "..cover thy bosom,be decently dressed.." The covering is only to be decent in this world, in order to differntiate man from animal - it is not about "sinning" to The Lord. Yes we have to be decently dress, but not overly distort all His injunctions! So, sometimes Tsa'uf goes in " opposite " ways..
The path of Sufism is another thing. It is a journey par excellence. It has do with syncretic knowledge beause it has the "elasticity" to combine all the variables of all positive values & knowledge from all sources
All I am saying is, we need Tsauf to enable us on a correct path into Spirituality - otherwise there is bound to be "blockages" and deviations or distortions...AllaHuAlam,,,
If we go by the "outward" alone we are stuck, but if we go by the next layer of the Injunction, we should be able to be " freed" by the outer rigidities :
"..And remember: The Inner attire of Truth & Righteousness is the better garment for you.."
which is the profound & lying hidden beneath the " outer symbolism ",which is the real. So the outer is symbolic of the hidden truth, so that, if one does not lift the veil, one would be clinging to superficial truths...Hence my earlier exhortations: from the thesis,to the anti-thesis in order to arrive at the synthesis - the essence of Spirituality..... ABNIZAR
11:13 AM
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Pure Bliss
Excerpt from:
The Secret of Secrets (Sirr al-Asrar)
Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani
Interpreted by: Shaykh Tosun Bayrak RAK, PB, 172PP
Paperback pages: 172 size: 216 x 138mm Published:1992
Available at www.kitaabun.com
On the Vision of Allah: Arriving at the Level of Seeing the Manifestation of the Divine Essence
The vision of Allah is of two kinds: one is seeing the manifestation of Allah’s attribute of Perfect Beauty directly in the hereafter, and the other is seeing the manifestation of the divine attributes reflected upon the clear mirror of the pure heart, in this life, in this world. In such a case the vision appears as the manifestation of light emanating from the Perfect Beauty of Allah and is seen by the eye of the essence of the heart.
Allah describes the vision seen by the eye of the heart: The heart did not deny what it saw. (Sura Najm, 11)
On seeing the manifestation of the divine through an intermediary the Prophet says, ‘The faithful is the mirror of the faithful’. What is meant by the first ‘faithful’, the mirror in this phrase, is the pure heart of the believer, while the second ‘faithful’ Who sees His reflection in that mirror is Allah Most High. Whoever arrives at the level of seeing the manifestations of Allah’s attributes in the world will certainly see the Essence of Allah in the hereafter without shape or form.
The reality of this has been confirmed by many of the beloved and the lovers of Allah. Hadrat Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, ‘My heart saw my Lord by the light of my Lord’. And Hadrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said, ‘I will not pray to Allah unless I see Him’. They both must have seen the manifestation of divine attributes. If someone sees sunlight coming through the windows and says, ‘I see the sun!’ he is telling the truth.
Allah gives the most beautiful example of the manifestation of His attributes.
Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His light is as if there were a niche and within it a lamp, the lamp enclosed in glass, the glass as it were a brilliant star lit from a blessed tree, an olive neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil is wellnigh luminous, though fire scarce touches it; light upon light! Allah doth guide whom He will to His light. (Sura Nur, 35)
The meaning of the niche is the faithful heart of the believer. The lamp enlightening the niche of the heart is the essence of the heart, while the light that it sheds is the divine secret, the sultansoul. The glass is transparent and does not keep the light within, but protects it and allows it to spread, which is why it is likened to a star. The source of the light is a divine tree. That tree is the state of unity reaching out with its branches and its roots, inculcating the principles of faith, communicating without any intermediary in the language of purity.
It is directly in this language of purity that our Master the Prophet received the Qur’anic revelations. In reality, the angel Gabriel brought the divine messages only after they had already been received—this for our benefit, so that we might hear in human language. This also made clear who were the hypocrites and non-believers by giving them the occasion to deny, as they would not believe in angels.
The proof that the Holy Qur’an was revealed directly to the Prophet is in the Qur’an itself.
And thou art surely made to receive the Qur’an from the AllWise, the AllKnowing. (Sura Naml, 6)
Since the Prophet received revelation before the angel Gabriel brought it to him, each time Gabriel delivered the holy verses, the Prophet found them in his heart and recited them before they were given. That is the reason for the verse:
And make not haste with the Qur’an before its revelation is made complete to thee ... (Sura Ta Ha, 114)
This situation is made clear by the fact that when Gabriel accompanied the Prophet on the night of his ascension, he could not go any further than the seventh heaven, and saying, ‘If I take another step I will burn to ashes’, he left our Master to continue on his own.
Allah describes the blessed olive tree, the tree of unity, as being neither of the East nor of the West. In other words, it has neither a beginning nor an end, and the light of which it is the source has no rising or setting. It is eternal in the past and neverending in the future. Both Allah’s Essence and His attributes are ever-existent, because His attributes are light generated from His Essence. Both the manifestation of His Essence and the manifestation of His attributes are dependent on His Essence.
True worship can only be performed when the veils hiding the heart are lifted so that that eternal light shines upon it. It is only then that the heart is enlightened by the divine light. It is only then that the soul sees the truth through that celestial niche.
The purpose of the creation of this universe is to discover, to see that hidden treasure. Allah says through His Prophet, ‘I was a hidden treasure, I willed to be known. I created the creation so that I would be known.’ That is to say, that He would be known in this material world through His attributes manifested in His creation. But to see His very Essence is left to the hereafter. There, the vision of Allah will be direct, as He wills, and it will be the eye of the child of the heart that sees Him.
On that day some faces will beam (with joy and beauty), looking at their Lord. (Sura Qiyama, 223)
Our Master the Prophet says, ‘I have seen my Lord in the shape of a beautiful youth.’ Perhaps this is the manifestation of the child of the heart. The image is the mirror. It becomes a means, rendering visible that which is invisible. The truth of Allah Most High is exempt from and free of any kind of description or any kind of image or form. The image is the mirror, though what is seen is neither the mirror nor the one who is looking into the mirror. Ponder on that and try to understand, because that is the essence of the realm of secrets.
Yet all this is happening in this world of attributes. In the realm of the Essence all means disappear, burn into thin air. The ones in that realm of Essence themselves do not exist, but they feel the Essence and nothing else. How well the Prophet explains this when he says, ‘I knew my Lord by my Lord’. In His Light, by His Light! The truth of man is the secret of that light, as Allah says through His Prophet: ‘Man is My secret and I am his secret’.
The place of the Prophet Muhammad, whose light is the first of Allah’s creation, is described in his own words, ‘I am from Allah and the believers are from me’. And Allah, speaking through His Prophet, says: ‘I have created the light of Muhammad from the light of My own existence’. The meaning of Allah’s own existence is His divine Essence manifested in His attribute of the Most Compassionate. This He declares through His Prophet, saying: ‘My compassion far surpasses My punishment’. The beloved Messenger of Allah is the light of the Truth, for Allah says, We sent thee not but as a mercy to the whole creation. (Sura Anbiya’, 107) and
Indeed Our Messenger has come to you, making clear to you much of that which you concealed of the Book and passing over much. Indeed, there has come to you from Allah a light ... (Sura Ma’ida, 15)
The importance of the beloved Prophet of Allah is made clear when Allah speaks to him and says: ‘But for you, I would not have created creation’.
© The Islamic Texts Society 2002
This work, which contains a biographical introduction to one of the author’s least-known works, represents a valuable contribution to the field...The translator’s introduction provides an insight into the various personal qualities and divine graces which are recognised in combination as a proof of sainthood...It is clearly and elegantly presented, accessible, and has the merit of combining metaphysical doctrine with devotional ethics as encapsulated in the life and work of one of the most endearingly popular Sufis of all time.’ Journal of Islamic Studies
‘A book of great importance to Sufism...Sheikh Tosun has done an admirable job in presenting not only a translation but a lucid interpretation of one of Jilani’s most important works.’ Gnosis
The Secret of Secrets (Sirr al-Asrar)
Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani
Interpreted by: Shaykh Tosun Bayrak RAK, PB, 172PP
Paperback pages: 172 size: 216 x 138mm Published:1992
The Secret of Secrets (Sirr al-Asrar)
Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani
Interpreted by: Shaykh Tosun Bayrak RAK, PB, 172PP
Paperback pages: 172 size: 216 x 138mm Published:1992
Available at www.kitaabun.com
On the Vision of Allah: Arriving at the Level of Seeing the Manifestation of the Divine Essence
The vision of Allah is of two kinds: one is seeing the manifestation of Allah’s attribute of Perfect Beauty directly in the hereafter, and the other is seeing the manifestation of the divine attributes reflected upon the clear mirror of the pure heart, in this life, in this world. In such a case the vision appears as the manifestation of light emanating from the Perfect Beauty of Allah and is seen by the eye of the essence of the heart.
Allah describes the vision seen by the eye of the heart: The heart did not deny what it saw. (Sura Najm, 11)
On seeing the manifestation of the divine through an intermediary the Prophet says, ‘The faithful is the mirror of the faithful’. What is meant by the first ‘faithful’, the mirror in this phrase, is the pure heart of the believer, while the second ‘faithful’ Who sees His reflection in that mirror is Allah Most High. Whoever arrives at the level of seeing the manifestations of Allah’s attributes in the world will certainly see the Essence of Allah in the hereafter without shape or form.
The reality of this has been confirmed by many of the beloved and the lovers of Allah. Hadrat Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, ‘My heart saw my Lord by the light of my Lord’. And Hadrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said, ‘I will not pray to Allah unless I see Him’. They both must have seen the manifestation of divine attributes. If someone sees sunlight coming through the windows and says, ‘I see the sun!’ he is telling the truth.
Allah gives the most beautiful example of the manifestation of His attributes.
Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His light is as if there were a niche and within it a lamp, the lamp enclosed in glass, the glass as it were a brilliant star lit from a blessed tree, an olive neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil is wellnigh luminous, though fire scarce touches it; light upon light! Allah doth guide whom He will to His light. (Sura Nur, 35)
The meaning of the niche is the faithful heart of the believer. The lamp enlightening the niche of the heart is the essence of the heart, while the light that it sheds is the divine secret, the sultansoul. The glass is transparent and does not keep the light within, but protects it and allows it to spread, which is why it is likened to a star. The source of the light is a divine tree. That tree is the state of unity reaching out with its branches and its roots, inculcating the principles of faith, communicating without any intermediary in the language of purity.
It is directly in this language of purity that our Master the Prophet received the Qur’anic revelations. In reality, the angel Gabriel brought the divine messages only after they had already been received—this for our benefit, so that we might hear in human language. This also made clear who were the hypocrites and non-believers by giving them the occasion to deny, as they would not believe in angels.
The proof that the Holy Qur’an was revealed directly to the Prophet is in the Qur’an itself.
And thou art surely made to receive the Qur’an from the AllWise, the AllKnowing. (Sura Naml, 6)
Since the Prophet received revelation before the angel Gabriel brought it to him, each time Gabriel delivered the holy verses, the Prophet found them in his heart and recited them before they were given. That is the reason for the verse:
And make not haste with the Qur’an before its revelation is made complete to thee ... (Sura Ta Ha, 114)
This situation is made clear by the fact that when Gabriel accompanied the Prophet on the night of his ascension, he could not go any further than the seventh heaven, and saying, ‘If I take another step I will burn to ashes’, he left our Master to continue on his own.
Allah describes the blessed olive tree, the tree of unity, as being neither of the East nor of the West. In other words, it has neither a beginning nor an end, and the light of which it is the source has no rising or setting. It is eternal in the past and neverending in the future. Both Allah’s Essence and His attributes are ever-existent, because His attributes are light generated from His Essence. Both the manifestation of His Essence and the manifestation of His attributes are dependent on His Essence.
True worship can only be performed when the veils hiding the heart are lifted so that that eternal light shines upon it. It is only then that the heart is enlightened by the divine light. It is only then that the soul sees the truth through that celestial niche.
The purpose of the creation of this universe is to discover, to see that hidden treasure. Allah says through His Prophet, ‘I was a hidden treasure, I willed to be known. I created the creation so that I would be known.’ That is to say, that He would be known in this material world through His attributes manifested in His creation. But to see His very Essence is left to the hereafter. There, the vision of Allah will be direct, as He wills, and it will be the eye of the child of the heart that sees Him.
On that day some faces will beam (with joy and beauty), looking at their Lord. (Sura Qiyama, 223)
Our Master the Prophet says, ‘I have seen my Lord in the shape of a beautiful youth.’ Perhaps this is the manifestation of the child of the heart. The image is the mirror. It becomes a means, rendering visible that which is invisible. The truth of Allah Most High is exempt from and free of any kind of description or any kind of image or form. The image is the mirror, though what is seen is neither the mirror nor the one who is looking into the mirror. Ponder on that and try to understand, because that is the essence of the realm of secrets.
Yet all this is happening in this world of attributes. In the realm of the Essence all means disappear, burn into thin air. The ones in that realm of Essence themselves do not exist, but they feel the Essence and nothing else. How well the Prophet explains this when he says, ‘I knew my Lord by my Lord’. In His Light, by His Light! The truth of man is the secret of that light, as Allah says through His Prophet: ‘Man is My secret and I am his secret’.
The place of the Prophet Muhammad, whose light is the first of Allah’s creation, is described in his own words, ‘I am from Allah and the believers are from me’. And Allah, speaking through His Prophet, says: ‘I have created the light of Muhammad from the light of My own existence’. The meaning of Allah’s own existence is His divine Essence manifested in His attribute of the Most Compassionate. This He declares through His Prophet, saying: ‘My compassion far surpasses My punishment’. The beloved Messenger of Allah is the light of the Truth, for Allah says, We sent thee not but as a mercy to the whole creation. (Sura Anbiya’, 107) and
Indeed Our Messenger has come to you, making clear to you much of that which you concealed of the Book and passing over much. Indeed, there has come to you from Allah a light ... (Sura Ma’ida, 15)
The importance of the beloved Prophet of Allah is made clear when Allah speaks to him and says: ‘But for you, I would not have created creation’.
© The Islamic Texts Society 2002
This work, which contains a biographical introduction to one of the author’s least-known works, represents a valuable contribution to the field...The translator’s introduction provides an insight into the various personal qualities and divine graces which are recognised in combination as a proof of sainthood...It is clearly and elegantly presented, accessible, and has the merit of combining metaphysical doctrine with devotional ethics as encapsulated in the life and work of one of the most endearingly popular Sufis of all time.’ Journal of Islamic Studies
‘A book of great importance to Sufism...Sheikh Tosun has done an admirable job in presenting not only a translation but a lucid interpretation of one of Jilani’s most important works.’ Gnosis
The Secret of Secrets (Sirr al-Asrar)
Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani
Interpreted by: Shaykh Tosun Bayrak RAK, PB, 172PP
Paperback pages: 172 size: 216 x 138mm Published:1992
Super foods (for Bliss)
The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating
By TARA PARKER-POPE
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Maybe you should be eating more beets, left, or red cabbage.
(This post was originally published on June 30, 2008, and recently appeared on The New York Times’s list of most-viewed stories for 2009.)
Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren’t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren’t always available at regular grocery stores. I asked Dr. Bowden, author of “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” to update his list with some favorite foods that are easy to find but don’t always find their way into our shopping carts. Here’s his advice.
Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.
Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.
Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.
Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.
Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
How to eat: Just drink it.
Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.
Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.
Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.” They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.
Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,” it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.
Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.
You can find more details and recipes on the Men’s Health Web site, which published the original version of the list last year.
In my own house, I only have two of these items — pumpkin seeds, which I often roast and put on salads, and frozen blueberries, which I mix with milk, yogurt and other fruits for morning smoothies. How about you? Have any of these foods found their way into your shopping cart?
By TARA PARKER-POPE
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Maybe you should be eating more beets, left, or red cabbage.
(This post was originally published on June 30, 2008, and recently appeared on The New York Times’s list of most-viewed stories for 2009.)
Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren’t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren’t always available at regular grocery stores. I asked Dr. Bowden, author of “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” to update his list with some favorite foods that are easy to find but don’t always find their way into our shopping carts. Here’s his advice.
Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.
Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.
Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.
Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.
Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
How to eat: Just drink it.
Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.
Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.
Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.” They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.
Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,” it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.
Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.
You can find more details and recipes on the Men’s Health Web site, which published the original version of the list last year.
In my own house, I only have two of these items — pumpkin seeds, which I often roast and put on salads, and frozen blueberries, which I mix with milk, yogurt and other fruits for morning smoothies. How about you? Have any of these foods found their way into your shopping cart?
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