ACCEPTANCE
OF SURRENDER
THE WAY OF THE TRUE MUSLIM
THE WAY OF THE TRUE MUSLIM
The
word ‘Islam’ means nothing less than "The True and Complete Surrender to
the Manifest Will of the Divine Creator of us all". You can receive the
fullest soul-cleansing and exalting benefit of Tasawwuf (which means Soul
purification - the root of all healing) only from the acceptance and practice
of a pure Islam.
Acceptance
of Islam as a belief means having a clear recognition that the faith and
practices of Islam are in fact, the revealed truth and way of humility and
approach after Surrender. You may take your time to investigate this claim or
simply accept it on my testimony. And that this faith and practice is in point
of fact the latest and most complete of the prophetic revelations. And it is my
testimony that the religion of Islam does in fact and truth support and confirm
all that is right and true in the ways that have come before it, and it
sets right, to the benefit of all, the fallacies, misconceptions and
distortions in any and all of the truly spiritual ways of life. It is the
positive and assertive way of true Unity, not merely "non-duality". This
is the way of the true Muslim.
Testimony
of your belief (in God) is the first of the healing pillars in the way of
Surrender.
And that testimony is an affirmation. Firstly, that you do know to Whom it is that you are surrendering (to the Divine), and why (for the benefit -Arabic: Falah). Allah puts His Truth in His words and we inherit that Truth by saying them. Secondly, that you recognize that this same Surrender is the way acted upon and taught by all of the Prophets, through whom the enduring religions and revelations were revealed. And that in doing so yourself, you are manifesting your drop of and contribution to the prophetic light, fulfilling your mission as a helper and emissary here on earth.
And that testimony is an affirmation. Firstly, that you do know to Whom it is that you are surrendering (to the Divine), and why (for the benefit -Arabic: Falah). Allah puts His Truth in His words and we inherit that Truth by saying them. Secondly, that you recognize that this same Surrender is the way acted upon and taught by all of the Prophets, through whom the enduring religions and revelations were revealed. And that in doing so yourself, you are manifesting your drop of and contribution to the prophetic light, fulfilling your mission as a helper and emissary here on earth.
On
remembering the Name.
It
is not required that you refer to the Divine to Whom you are Surrendered as
Allah, but you cannot reject that the Divine is referred to and refers to
Himself by that Name in His revealed book (Holy Qur`an), and likes that that
Name be used (read "The Switch"). Just try using it. This (that His
Pleasure is upon and inherent in this Name) is the reason for the great
enthusiasm that people have for the practice of "Dhikr" - Remembrance
of the Divine Name. The same principle applies wherever the praises of the
Divine are sung, in whatever language. In fact, it is said that all the heavens
and earth vibrate in praise of the One who Creates, Sustains and Destroys - in
Praise of the One is the Love of the Sufis and the Beloved of all lovers. Have
you noticed?
It
is understood that the Divine is of course without gender but there are no
qualms about referring to Him as He because in this case, He (Arabic: HU) is
considered to be one of the Names of God, and such is the nature of the
languages we use.
Try
this. Accept the religion of Islam as a fact. Know that it asks nothing from
you more than you are willing to give. Look at it any way you want, but look at
it - simply for the reason that rejection (of anything) causes conflict.
Accepting belief systems releases their intensity, as well as their benefit. If
you are accepting of belief systems, their power over you is neutralized and
their benefit becomes available. God, who has you already, wants nothing more from
you than what you truly want to offer. And the finest offering you have is your
attention. Nothing, yet everything, changes. And you will learn!
Look
at some of the things promised to one (by the Divine) upon Surrender (and
acceptance).
Complete
and utter forgiveness of all sins, both large and small. No one in Islam is
ever interested in knowing anything about anything of your past. No
embarrassing questions are ever asked. The past is forgotten, be it good or
bad. Muslims see only the good in you (that your are a believer), and always
greater than the degree that they see it in themselves. This forgiveness is
palpable. You can feel it and feel safe in it. You are welcomed by Allah into
the community of true lovers to partake in the celebration of the life in God's
love free of charge. To "come clean" and to benefit yourself and
others with your admitted and confessed presence (and confusion) in the garden
of Allah, before the throne of Allah, in the grace of the Almighty, and in the
company of His people.
You
are given your Divine Name, which God has always known. It always reflects the
manifestation of a Divine Quality in you. You are encourage to use it, thereby
inviting others use it and feel its quality, which surrounds you (and them)
with the light of its reality, and dispels illusion (at least for a moment).
You
are taught (at your choosing and leisure) the esoteric prayers and practices
that serve to develop your awareness, your understanding, your certainty and
your self-confidence. I say esoteric because they are taught only to those who
have surrendered, and they are known (or cared about) little in the world
outside of the Sufis and Muslims. The Prophets all said that the world was
divided into two camps, the world of conflict and the world of Peace and
Surrender. And so it is with ourselves.
You
are introduced to the secrets of creation, as revealed by the Author of
Creation Himself. Nothing in the way of work or knowledge is expected or
demanded of you except your own willingness to deepen your Surrender, for it
leads to an open heart, utterly fulfilled and in unity with your true being. At
that point Allah Himself reveals to you your very special robe of sanctity and
honor, which will preserve the peace and security of your soul forever. And He
gives to you the keys to wisdom, the knowledge and the insight that will enable
you to manifest His Light in an irresistible way, that others will come to see,
and to drink from the wine of love that comes forth from your heart.
The
Attempted Devastation of True Surrender (Islam)
and the Nature and Consequences of Denial
and the Nature and Consequences of Denial
But
the preservation of truth is on Allah, and it is promised that the last day
will not arrive until the Sun has risen in the West, and is that not what we
are beholding in this very time?
Should
the self-proclaimed "Muslims" judge innocence as guilt? How poorly
they judge. They judge themselves "righteous" in their
"war" against unbelief, when the unbelief that they are fighting
against is within themselves. They proclaim themselves 'complete' in, and the
protectors of, the true religion, yet they make war on themselves and their own
salvation, closing the gates by professing to open them, by belying and
desecrating the teachings of the true masters of the religion they profess.
They are professors who have not graduated for their own universities, have not
received any seals of approval except from and by themselves. No one among the
true believing "Sunnis" or the true "Shi`as" or the true
"Sufis", or the true people of any religion or path, agrees with or
approves of their obvious spiritual immaturity and their fundamentalist,
childish and harmful beliefs that they alone are the holders and preservers of
the truth. They stand alone, proud and defiant. They are the lost children of
Islam, claiming to be the sole owners of it.
This
tragic usurpation and imitation of the soul-quality by the ego is the story of
life. It can be understood and corrected, but recognition of the harm of
previous ways must be established in order for the need for repentance
(rethinking and changing) to become obvious. That is why the earth was sent to
us a trial and proving grounds - that we may indeed commit atrocities upon her
for a limited time, seeing in her the reflections of our misdeeds and misunderstandings.
We might then understand the consequences of our outward folly, and surrender
ourselves to the one true God with hope and expectation of mercy and
forgiveness, which would be a great reward.
Being
born into Islam does not mean being born into Surrender. The influences of
Muslim parents on their children become "good" Muslims are exactly
the same as the influences of any parents anywhere to have their children
succeed in the skills of their particular society. So there remains in the soul
of the child the desire to manifest, and a sense of the rebellion that wants to
make the right decisions based upon true experience, and not upon the acquired
experience provided by parents, education and society.
This
is not to say that the acquired experiences are inherently or necessarily bad,
just to say that they are not the genuine experience of self, or the true
'knowing' of God. They tend to mask it, to deny it, and seek to replace it. And
they are, for the most part, based upon a turning away from, or the suppression
of, the urge to experience one's genuine-ness and authenticity. This urge will,
however, continue to be 'sub-consciously' present, and will manifest itself in
sometimes 'embarrassing' or even anti-social ways. This is the problem with child
raising in all societies, and it is in observation of this that the quest for
true satisfaction arises and distinguishes the seekers from the satisfied. The
seekers, understanding themselves or not, become the agitators and dissenters
to a complacent and self-content society, and eventually become either teachers
or martyrs. They become the 'negative' to a false 'positive'.
True
Surrender must be discovered, realized and accepted by each individual through
the process of a quest for true self-understanding. This process was, is and
has been preserved by them who seek it. And they are those who have heard and
follow true guidance. They are not satisfied with the outward life of picking
up a book, reading it, at proclaiming themselves knowledgeable. They realize
that there is and must be more to life than simply learning how to compete,
succeed and excel in the outward goals of material acquisition.
(Surrendered)
Muslims and Sufis point out that Sufism is dedicated to the investigation,
fulfillment and preservation of the essential, true and all-important inner
obligations of the real Islam. And that that is and should be the goal and
objective of all true Muslims, as it is the goal and objective of all true
religions and spiritual paths. It is Haram, as in very strictly forbidden and
severely and soulfully punishable by Allah and one's true inner self, to make a
war of aggression, and particularly upon any people of peace, which includes
all true religions and spiritual paths. This is especially true of the war of
self-denial and self-rejection that some societies of outwardly observant
Muslims are waging in their attempt to keep the religion pure and clean for
others. They seek, in the name of their religion, to deny that inward purity
and the quest for the inward experience of God have anything to do with
Islam.
It
may be true that there are levels of outward understanding and compliance with
outward conformity that can and should be observed by common people in their
daily lives. But to deny the proven and accepted inward realities of life and
religion is simply to deny the self any opportunity to realize and truly know
God. And truly knowing and glorifying God is our primary responsibility. If
that if not fulfilled, of what use is the fulfillment of all of the outward
observations except for the benefits of conformed and to be in the good graces
of men and society. And that is truly the association of partners with Allah
and a carryover of the basic ignorance of tribalism that has lead to the
degeneration of the lofty teachings Divine revelation and which that very
revelation was sent to correct.
The
war is really against war, and in the final showdown it is the people of peace
against the people of war, and the people of peace are not in attendance. They
are instead, attendant upon the Peace and the teachings of peace. This leaves
only the people of war to battle it out among themselves, and war is hell.
The
affirmation of the Sufis is that the inner work of knowing and loving the Lord
thy God with all thy body, heart, mind and soul is the sole point and primary
obligation of religion. If it is true, then the people of the
"outward" Islam who deny and refute this affirmation are understood
by Allah and the psychology mature believers to be still and simply in
denial. This is not necessarily a "bad" thing. Many people live long,
fairly happy and productive lives in denial of one thing or another. But it is
not the quest, and denial is still a serious psychologically observable state ,
and in Islamic and Spiritual psychology, the basis for pathological and
sociopathic behaviors of all kinds. Does this lend itself to an understanding
of what's happening in the world of Islam today?
It
is not required of Muslims that they reach the end of the path of peace, only
that they set foot firmly upon it. It is, however, absolutely required of all
true Muslims that they actively assist and participate in the efforts of peace.
Not war.
And
if Muslims, or any other people, have ideological differences that lead to
persecution and slaughter, and act aggressively upon those ideologies, or teach
them with the intention of causing someone else to act aggressively upon them,
then they are not in the way of Allah, nor in the way of any true religion, nor
anywhere near in touch with their true selves, and far from the garden to which
they aspire. They will be judged by men according to their deeds and by Allah
according to what was in their hearts to cause such deeds. And this judgment
is, in their convoluted way, exactly what they are hoping and praying for. So
they will surely get what they are asking for, but it will not be what they
want, for it is not in the way of true Surrender (Islam). And I'm sure that
they will have a lot to atone for in wasting their lives in pursuit of
compensatory and ego-gratifying power, some parcels of dirt and some material
acquisitions at the cost of human lives. These are truly the unfortunate and
the deprived, who abused the religion designed to show them and the rest of the
world the way to the true home, and used their energies of their lives to
pervert the intentions of Allah's Divine teaching to serve their own petty
purposes.
And
believe me, we do not want to be judged by Allah in that way. Not according to
our deeds, but rather according to our understanding of religion and our
Surrender, our praise and high estimation of Allah in his creation and in our
selves.
It
is stated in Qur`an quite clearly that there is none that can lay claim to the
inheritance of eternal garden by virtue of his self-righteousness, for Allah
looks not unto the deeds of men but to the hearts. And the hidden hypocrisy is
that deeds of evil are done with the best of intentions. And that we have
precious few touchstones of true Islam (Surrender) left on the planet. And that
the teaching of truth with uncorrected intention is based upon and causing
further reaction to the truth, but is not the truth. It is exactly the case
with the ego. It is based upon an assumed imitation of truth but is not the
genuine article. That's why in the West there is suddenly this important quest
for the "Authentic" self. And Islam does and must confirm and support
this quest, for it is only as a result of the quest for truth that the true Islam
will be discovered. This quest is explained and corroborated by, but not
limited to, the book (Qur`an) and the sunnah (prophetic practice).
We
are not to be judges, saying that all will be right when I see it and say it
is. This is the way parents treat children but this behavior cannot be
transferred on to the world at large. Understanding this the world requires an
entirely different education, an education in soul, for it is only the soul
that can see the world in proper perspective. Soul is the manifestation of
noble character. Development of character is time spent with essence, and first
this essence must be identified and confirmed by one who has it. This is the
importance and the obligation of the Sufi transmission, which originates from
the Prophet Muhammad and is carried in the hearts of those who seek it, cherish
it and are confirmed in it. This is the obligation and the debt of gratitude of
the Muslims to the Sufis. To deny it is to deny your soul its purpose on earth
and to remain trapped in the cage of your own illusions, never setting foot in
the real world, the world of the inner reality, the world of Allah and his true
believers. To deny it is to deny your own reality and truth. This is the kind
real denial that Allah is referring to with the word "Kufr",
Kuffar" and "Kafir".
The
opposite of denial is acceptance. The elimination of internal denial is
manifest in self-acceptance and the way of peace. The opposite of denial is
manifest in a complete an undefended comfort. This is a taste of the promised
garden of eternity. Denial (Kufr) in all forms can be eliminated when
Acceptance is complete of self, love and God. The completion of this acceptance
is the point of the Sufi work and all courses in self-realization from whatever
tradition.
-Ashraf Hameed
