Weekly Readings: 13th May 2011

Unity

We suggest this four step approach to working with this selection: Read this selection, out loud if possible, se en ti!es" #well upon the phrase or sentence that touches you" $sk yourself what rele ance or application this has to yourself" %inally, sit in the afterglow of these reflections and open yourself to whate er new insight or !essage the #i ine !ight ha e for you" )our intelligence is spread o er a hundred *i!portant+ affairs, o er thousands of desires and concerns great and s!all" )ou !ust unite the scattered parts by !eans of lo e, so that you !ay beco!e as sweet as #a!ascus and ,a!arkand" When you ha e beco!e united, particle by particle, fro! out of perple'ity, then it is possible to sta!p the -ing.s seal upon you" /0"3211232304 &e't &wo -now that between the %aithful is an ancient union" &he %aithful are nu!erous, but the %aith is one: their bodies are nu!erous, but their soul is one" 5esides the understanding which is in the o' and the ass, the hu!an being has another intelligence and soul" $gain, in the saint, the owner of #i ine breath, there is a soul and intelligence other than hu!an" &he souls of wol es and dogs are separate, e ery one, but the souls of the 6ions of 7od are in union" /0"00820109 0104

&e't (ne

Unity fro! a ,ufi perspecti e

$ personal account by -hadi! :hishti

In the name of God, the infinitely compassionate and infinitely merciful

; feel shy about sharing these e'periences" &hey are deeply personal and tender" When such e'periences happen they co!e as a surprise" &hrough the practices of purification, recepti ity, re!e!brance and $llah<s 7race !y heart is polished and 7od willing awakened to notice the nearness of the #i ine =resence" #i ine 7i ing is continuous" ; was present for the birth of $bigail, !y first granddaughter" When ; held her for the first ti!e she looked directly into !y eyes and we *saw+ each other" ;t was a !o!ent of astonish!ent" ,he and ; were en eloped in 7od<s 6o e without conditions or boundaries" ;n 7od<s attribute of 6o e $bby and ; e'perienced nearness to the >i!?>er" &his gift continues to unfold in !y relationship with $bby and has increased the capacity of this heart to lo e beyond !y own preferences and opinions" ;n March ; was blessed to be ;n Medina and Mecca with so!e of !y spiritual fa!ily" ;n Mecca we circu!a!bulated the -aaba /the sacred stone4" &his is done se en ti!es" $s we were !o ing with thousands of other pilgri!s ; felt ti!e drop away" $gain ; was astonished" ;n that !o!ent ; had no past and no future" ; was held in an energy field that was eternal" ;t was e!pty yet bri!!ing with $llah $ttributes" ; knew $llah<s Mercy and it filled e ery cell of !y being" &hese e'periences were percei ed by the heart and in those !o!ents there was no separate self" @ach of us has our own e'perience of nearness to 7od and it is not to be Audged by anyone else" May $llah bless us with >is?>er nearness and !ay we be awake to what is continuously a ailable to the heart"