Send us a textSo Who Is This God/Allah Guy/Gal? shaykh ibrahim ansariQ: I've read a lot of Sufi books, been to Zikr, watched a lot of YouTube videos, and even been to the Mosque a couple times. I love Rumi and the Turning. But I don't have a clue how to put it all together, I mean, I’m not even sure what I am feeling. I’ve tried Zikr and meditating…So where is this Guy or Lady God? Who is Allah?Q: I have put a lot of time and energy into calling on Allah, the Turning, and the Sohbets (spiritual discussions) are fun and supportive and enjoyable. The chanting, the drumming, the discussions all feel real and maybe just a bit cultish. But what’s supposed to happen? When do the ‘mystical experiences’ happen?A: First, let’s put aside the idea of gender. There is no old man with a beard, or goddess waving her wand. This has nothing to do with a single entity or being. If we use the word He, it is just a symbol for something so vast yet intimate. Allah is greater than you can imagine, yet accessible.If you follow anything scientifically to its source, you will discover that everything is connected to everything. That is the physical truth. If I was to start linking, say, taking your next breath, some of its source is from the oxygen exhaled from your house plants, and some may be from trees near by a river. That river is connected to the water cycle, and the plants are connected to the chlorophyl cycle, all grown from recycled soil, animals, rocks and weather. Every little thing, alive or inanimate, has its source. Tracking that source will bring you eventually back around again. It has no end.Or, every complex atom on this planet came from stars colliding, and smashing the simple hydrogen and helium atoms to create our amazing Periodic Table of Elements. This also includes the stuff that makes you. Now, that is just the physical manifestation. Next we might look for a spiritual marker - for example, survival. All life has this energy and built-in desire to survive: to live. The Life Force. But where did it start? Whether you look at it physically or spiritually, you end up with the same mystery: we do not know. So, what if we were to say that life was Willed into being out of Love? That a loving intelligence weaves and connects all living and non-living things, and the purpose of this life is to love, be loved, and make more love? Maybe we could even add in: To learn, to Grow, to appreciate and enjoy creation.I believe that every one of us is born with a spiritual intelligence, a desire to feel connected to life and love. There are a few circumstances that get in the way of this connection, one is when someone is afraid or hurt by love, or thinks they are more intelligent than they actually are, and imagining that they are independent. No one is totally independent. Sometimes rejecting spirituality is politically correct and the cool thing to do.Many have also been abused by those who practice one of the traditional religions, where the core of the teachings has been lost, and one is forced to believe in a deity of fear. The religiouSalaam Alaykum, murids, seekers, curious and interested listeners,We appreciate you, and are happy to share our Sufi Message. Your donation will help support our Sufi Centre in Sydney where we offer Zikr, Sohbet, spiritual counselling and healing services. We believe the message should be free, but it costs equipment, rental, services, software and hardware to get this to you. Thank you for choosing our podcast amongst all the millions available. If Support the showPlease send your questions to:
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