September 2022 Message

Beloved Family,

Greetings from the Heart of Turkey. We have completed the Caravan and now a week more at the Conference of the Birds Festival in the mountains of southern Turkey.

At one point we were 140 people from 27 countries!

I am composing a detailed letter about our journey to the whole Ruhaniat family so will not include that here!

Tonight we begin the Jewish New Year, followed by the 10 days of Atonement. I suggest we do the same practice suggested by these Holy Days, YA HASIB YA TAWWAB, as we have done every year for this month.

I return home Oct 3!

Much love,

Shabda

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Wazifa Practice

Recite 101x

YA HASIB ~ YA TAWWAB

40. Ya Hasib (yaa ḥa-SEEB)

Al-Hasib is the action of accounting for the full meaning of everything. Nothing goes unrecorded and nothing is ever lost. It means taking full responsibility for one's actions, words, and even one's thoughts. To become completely accountable allows for a new beginning of what is possible. It brings realization. A root meaning of al-Hasib is to record a business transaction in an account book with exactitude and honesty. An advanced Sufi technique called muhasibah is an honest taking account of oneself while never forgetting that you are within the ocean of divine mercy.

79. Ya Tawwab (yaa tow-WAAB)

At-Tawwab is the forgiveness that enables you to turn away from grudges, and perceived individual defects, toward the perfection of Allah. It comes with the realization that the divine beloved is always turning toward you, continually offering a gaze of deep forgiveness and endless compassion. At-Tawwab conveys the real meaning of repentance, the turning from the limitations of the false self and toward the perfection of your immortal soul, which is not separate from the divine reality.

Realizing at-Tawwab involves giving up the attachment to being right. It means giving up self-righteousness and letting go of the grudge. It is to turn your face toward someone else with forgiveness and compassion. Like Ya Wadud, it consciously uses the densest elements of a situation as an inner impetus for transformation, and to turn toward God. Repetition of Ya Tawwab allows you to turn toward the divine face in every face. It is an antidote for clinging to, and identifying with, a wounded sense of self-deficiency.

Commonly translated as the Acceptor of Repentance, it has the root in the Arabic, tauba, turning. It can be understood as the Divine Forgiveness that allows us to turn from individual defect toward the Beloved, who is always facing us, continually (because of the double consonant WW) turning toward us. Many of you will recognize it as the third wazifa in the four wazifas of healing we have done before, YA GHAFFAR, YA GHAFFUR, YA TAWWAB, and YA AFUW
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In the Jewish tradition, starting with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement ~ which this year is September 18 - 28, 2020 we have what is known as the 10 Days of Tshuva.

Tshuva, is the same root as tauba/Tawwab, which we translated in Arabic as turning toward Divine Light, and Allah continually turning toward us. This calls for overcoming the attachment to our self-grasping, in other words, not being attached to any particular view of ourselves, whether grandiose, exaggerated or demeaning, self-loathing, low self-worth or esteem. We turn toward the light which removes shadows, always feeling the love flowing toward us, no matter what our mistakes and accomplishments are.

It is a period where one takes an account of one's life - YA HASIB, opening one's heart and eyes to everything, even what may be uncomfortable to see. With the support of YA TAWWAB, light is shed on what was previously in darkness or shadow.

It can be further understood that the mystics of old set up this ritual as a rehearsal for what in the Bible is called the "Day of Judgement,” or in the language of Near Death Experience as a Life Review. The Tibetans give teachings around the stages of the Bardos after death which talk about reckoning with ones causes and conditions.

As Murshid Sam would often point out, it is called the DAY of judgement, not the NIGHT of judgement. In other words, it happens in the LIGHT. That is, in one of the stages after leaving behind this body, one gets a life's review in the LIGHT. I believe the phrase, "Day of Accounting," or "Day of Reconciling," rather than judging, would be appropriate. If one is turned to the light than there is no self loathing, just learning from one's mistakes. One does not feel cast out or separate from the Beloved. Again quoting Murshid Sam, "Allah is your Lover, not your jailer.”

To hear the pronunciation: Ya Hasib~ Ya Tawwab

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Text and Commentary to Study

This month we will focus on the companion prayers of Hazrat Inayat Khan: Pir, Nabi and Rassoul. Read, absorb, and reflect anew on the wisdom, guidance, and blessings they offer.

Click here to download the document Ruhaniat Companion Prayers

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Upcoming Events and Teachings

Sufi Retreat in Costa Rica January 25 - 29, 2023

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PHOTOS

Aya Sophia

The New Mosque

Ramona and Rafia, Dance Leaders from Iran and Ariarzu our organizer from Izmir Turkey

In front of our hotel in Istanbul as we began our journey

On the bus!

The Dargah of the great Haji Bektashi, a master from the same time as Rumi who welcomed women as equal, made sure they received an education and joined in the Zikr without separation!