Islam means
to surrender to God in peace. The
journey of surrender is the lifelong work of transforming the ego, opening
the heart and becoming conscious of God. We need to bring Divinity into the center of
our lives. The guidance, inspiration and
support of a spiritual director, spiritual teacher or spiritual friend is
crucial to this process. The 13th
century sage Rumi says that whoever travels without a guide needs
two hundred years for a two-day journey. A Muslim spiritual director, teacher or friend
has abiding faith in the spiritual guidance abounding in the Quran, insights of
the Prophet Muhammad and teachings of Islamic sages. The Quran tells us that "God is closer
to you than your jugular vein" and "Everywhere you turn is the Face
of Allah." To remove the veils
between us and our Creator, the Prophet Muhammad says: "Know thyself and you
will know thy Lord" and "Die before you die." He also explains
the role of a spiritual teacher and companion: "The teacher kindles the
light; the oil is already in the lamp."
Mystics advise seekers to exercise discernment in their choice of a spiritual
guide. Choose someone who reminds
you of God, one who counsels you not with the tongue of words but with the
tongue of deeds. Rumi's prayer for us is
that over a lifetime we connect with several spiritual teachers, guides and
friends so that we can "come out of the Circle of Time and
enter the Circle of Love." (Jamal Rahman,
Muslim, originally from Bangladesh, currently lives in Seattle, USA serving as
minister of Interfaith Community Church and adjunct faculty at Seattle
University. He is author of The
Fragrance of Faith - the Enlightened Heart of Islam.)
Sufism is
the mystical core of Islam. Although Sufism is more prominent in Muslim
countries, its ideas, practices, and teachers can be found throughout the
world. The practices of Sufism are often
thought of as spiritual medicines and the sheikh, or guide, is the physician.
According to an old Turkish Sufi saying, “You can bandage a cut for yourself,
but you can’t take out your own appendix.” That is, we can learn and grow
through our own efforts, but for profound spiritual transformation we need a
guide. The guide inspires and teaches
students to move closer to realizing their inner, divine nature. That teaching
is in itself an expression of divine will. Rumi writes, “Whoever travels
without a guide needs two hundred years for a two-day journey.”
(Robert Frager, PhD is the founding president
of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, California, USA where
he is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Spiritual Guidance Program.
He is a sheikh in the Halveti-Jerrahi Sufi Order and has written three books on
Sufism: Essential Sufism; Love is the Wine: Teachings of a Sufi Master in America; and
Heart, Self, and Soul: The Sufi Psychology of Growth, Balance, and Harmony).
