I am born a Muslim and come from a family with a religious background. Two years ago I joined the London group as a Sufi aspirant. On the Sufi path we are given practices that will help us to identify with our inner essence, the qualities of our soul. The work on the spiritual journey is to learn how to shift our identity from a limited sense of self to the realisation of our true nature. As a Sufi student I have become more conscious of Allah’s nearness to us. Before meeting Shaykh Hazrat my heart was like a flower bud, not yet showing the beauty, colour, or fragrance of a flower in full bloom. Meditation has enlightened my heart, and I begin to know myself and the purpose I serve in this world, and to see all aspects of existence in their proper perspective. In Sufi parlance, I begin to be in this world but not of this world.
Shaykh Hazrat Rasool visited the London meditation group in August 2006. When I met the shaykh, he greeted me with a soft voice accompanied by his humble smile. I found that he was gentle, kind and very down to earth. The meeting was brief, yet the barakah was enormous. I was lost for words. Only if one stands directly under a tree will one experience the comfort and shelter of its shade; like that of a tree, the shade of the shaykh gave me peace and comfort. Since becoming a murÄ«d of Hazrat’s, I have changed much for the better. A new vision of reality has influenced my life and thoughts. I am a more focused person. I have more love for my faith. I have an urge to learn more about Sufi shaykhs and the beauty of my religion, Islam.
In our Order we are given meditation practices to do daily by our guide, repeating many practices sequentially through the day and evening. These practices help us to identify with our inner essence, the qualities of our soul. The work on the spiritual journey is to learn how to shift our identity from a limited sense of self to the realisation of our true nature. As I have progressed on the path I have felt things I had never felt before; I have tasted the sweetness of iman (faith). Meditation has illuminated my heart and strengthened my iman. I have learned to use my heart, as opposed to my head, more in my everyday life.
“The heart is not only an organ of consciousness but also an organ of conscience (having the ability to differentiate between right and wrong. ”
May Almighty God bless Shaykh Hazrat Rasool and his murids. Amin.
