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April 2009 Newsletter

A Taste of Hajj

by Salaam Guillot

This is the month of Hajj. I recently turned to two beloveds who have made Hajj in order to learn more about it. Through their insights and explanations, perhaps we can witness and taste some of the experience of Hajj together…

What is the significance and meaning of Hajj to you as someone who has completed it?

Salih Kent: “Transformation through complete Tawba, and rebirth with a new creation."

Sukaynah Oldham: “It was a gift. I had a total shift in knowing the realness of Allah. He's physical now. The dunya is no longer real. My total being was so turned to Allah. Seeing the physical reality of the Ka'bah, the physical place on earth that is Allah's Paradise and 3 million people living in this way, all turned to our Lord. I experienced the normalness of Allah. He is more real to me than the dunya. The veils of the dunya were lifted and the dunya isn't as attractive. Hajj is the greatest gift Allah gives us.”

Amr Rasheed: The experience of hadj is extra-ordinary...it is very much dealing with physical situations that one really finds [makes it] difficult to keep the spiritual in focus. You are as though in a can of sardines and being churned or a roller coaster ride that spins you and brings you back. You wonder what happened. The wonderful thing is each person’s experience is individual and non repetitive i.e. one may repeat the hadj and each experience is unique. To me the experience was sweet and unique.

How did Hajj change you?

Salih: “[It] strengthened my faith in Allah, strengthened and confirmed my faith in Islam as a vehicle to experience more fully Allah, and strengthened my faith in myself as a beloved of Allah.”

Sukaynah: “I got to relax, in Him, and soften. I now have a knowing that Allah loves me so much. He gave me everything. Also, asking for forgiveness on Arafat changed me- asking for forgiveness for everything wittingly or unwittingly I had done, and it being granted. [I was] starting over with a fresh clean slate. Allah became my beloved. I feel so loved, Allah is so real. And Arafat was the best day of my life - the pinnacle.”

Amr: "It deepened my dependency on Allah uz wa jal (Glorified and Exalted is He)...It prepared me to deal with the challenges of life as level headed[ly] as i can. In the words of our guide Sidi al-jamal '[being] the son/daughter of the moment'".

How did Hajj help your walking to God?

Salih: “I witnessed what a powerful magnet Islam is. What other force in the world can gather so many millions of people to gather together as one heart, one body and one soul?”

Sukaynah: “The reason I went was due to a yearning I had. Then Sidi said, "It is time for you to know your Prophet." And then greeting the Prophet at his tomb in Medina and waiting for his answer - and he answers you! I've never been so scared in my whole life. Whether he answers determines your fate on the Day of Judgment.”

How did Hajj strengthen your connection with God?

Salih: “I realized through meeting the many challenges of Hajj that nothing can sever that connection.”

Sukaynah: “More peace due to a new profound and deep knowing. Life became happier and I was more available to the present as I relaxed in being held by Him. I received a surety of knowing Him that helped me with my test of cancer, and accepting the diagnosis. The cancer became a gift. It is a testimony of Hajj and what I was given: to trust my Lord even with stage 4 cancer; that He was caring for me more than I was - the cancer was the medicine I needed; having total faith - you have to stop asking “why?”. He is benevolent.”

Amr: In hadj you take an oath... i.e. “labayk allahumma labayk” a rough translation is "Here I come to You our Lord, here I come." This promise strengthened my consciousness of Allah (az wa jal).

In one word, how would you describe Hajj?

Salih: “Miraculous!”

Sukaynah: “Forgiveness, acceptance, love.”

Amr: "Extra-ordinary, out of [beyond] my imagination!"

What do the 99 Names Have to Offer US?
by Don Sulaiman Swarthout, Austin, TX

After being introduced to praying with the Qualities at the Jaffe Institute (now University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism), I purchased Sidi’s book describing the beautiful names of Allah (The Meaning of the Names of Allah). My first experience worshiping in solitude was with al-Hakim (the All-Wise). For at least two hours, I felt that this Quality being “downloaded” into me. In effect, this was a conversion experience for me, which convinced me that working with the 99 Names should become one of my spiritual practices.

Instead of selecting Qualities systematically (e.g., starting with first Name in Sidi’s list and ending with the last one), I asked for divine guidance, especially when I was experiencing a personal need. So, for example, I turned to ar-Razzaq (the Provider) in response to a belief that my income was insufficient. Since then, I’ve found several other Qualities to be helpful when I’m feeling fearful and need to be more trusting and willing to rely on Allah: al-Wakil (the Trustee, or the One who is perfectly trustworthy), as-Samad (the Eternal or the One who knows the best way to satisfy our needs), and al-Kafi’ (the All-Sufficient).

The results inspired me and I began to explore various sources of information about the 99 Names. This gradually led to a Qualities notebook/journal in which I recorded definitions, translations, and teachings from the books I was reading. I also included a summary of what I experienced reciting each Name 100 times. Whenever I returned to a Name or explored a new one, I recorded what I had learned via my inquiry.

(continued from newsletter) After all of this study and experience, I have concluded that the benefits of working with the Qualities fall into the following categories:

Educational - Reading about and discussing Allah’s beautiful names deepens one’s understanding of the Qur’an as well as the teachings of Sufism.
Gnostic Knowledge – Worshiping with the 99 beautiful Names provides an excellent way to get to know Allah experientially. Although the Divine Essence will always remain an unknowable Mystery, God can be known via the energies or qualities which are transmitted to creation. As a result of relating to Allah by invoking one of His names, my relationship to the Divine has become richer, fuller, deeper, and more intimate.
Healing - Praying with the 99 Names can be medicinal for both ourselves and others. I find it helpful to view each Quality as a particular “means” or “mode” of Grace. When we recite the Names, we invite God to bestow specific gifts and blessings. As a healer, I’m constantly reminded of God’s Beneficence and that Allah is the One and Only Healer.
Spiritual Growth – Remembering Allah with the Qualities can help us reflect those qualities in our lives. Although most discussions of the 99 Names view them as attributes of God, Sufis have demonstrated how the Qualities provide a way to access and manifest that reflection of God which exists deep in our hearts. By coming to know the 99 names taught to Adam (see Q2:31), we increase our likelihood of being brought nearer to Perfection.