Spiritual Health Learning Community Center
Exploring Life's Horizons
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Those who swear allegiance to thee swear allegiance, in truth, to God. God's hand is
above their hands. So, whoever breaks one's oath, that person breaks it only to the hurt of
one's own soul. [The Qur'an 48:10]
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Initiation
Initiation into a Sufi Order or silsilah (a specific chain of
spiritual teachers and teachings) does not guarantee
anything, in and of itself. Initiation is a door of opportunity
which has been opened to the seeker.
The problem is, many people seek different things from, and
through, initiation. Some people believe there are special
blessings associated with taking initiation. These people seek
initiation for those blessings and do not wish to go beyond
this.
Other people believe initiation places their lives under an
umbrella of spiritual protection of sorts. These people seek
the security they feel comes with initiation. However, like the
previous group of people, they generally have little interest in
pursuing mystical matters any further.
Still others maintain initiation establishes a relationship with
a friend of God. Many of these people tend to believe that on
the Day of Judgement they may benefit from the intercession,
on their behalf, of the people of God with whom they are
associated through initiation.
There also are people who seek initiation because it may be
the fashionable thing to do. Different periods of history and
different localities bear witness to the waxing and waning of
people's level of interest in the mystical path.
Some people perceive a shaykh to be something like a Sufi
Godfather. Whatever worldly problems such people
encounter, they believe the Sufi teacher will be able to "fix"
things for them. Consequently, they seek initiation in order to
have ready access to this valuable resource.
Among the people who seek initiation, are those who feel
belonging to a Sufi Order is good for the image. These
people believe initiation makes them appear mysterious or
intriguing or spiritual. Adding these dimensions to their
personality appeals to them.
There are some individuals who are drawn to a shaykh, but
they don't know why. They experience happiness,
contentment, and peace when in the presence of the shaykh.
As a result, they seek initiation in order to be able to enjoy
the benefits which have come from being in the presence of
the shaykh.
Some of the people seeking initiation do so out of broken
lives. For one reason or another, they have been cast out
from society and find acceptance, kindness and love nowhere
but at the feet of the shaykh.
Many of those who seek initiation are in search of the
miraculous. They have heard of the wondrous deeds and
powers associated with Sufi shaykhs, and they hope to
acquire some of these abilities. For them, the Sufi path is like
an alternative technology which they hope to exploit in one
way or another.
The people who seek initiation with the foregoing reasons
may well have their beliefs confirmed in one way or another.
God gives to people according to the wishes of Divinity and
not just because people come with the correct understanding
or intention.
Nonetheless, in essence, the purpose of the Sufi path is, for
the most part, quite different than most people suppose is the
case. Initiation is a door of potential opportunity which leads,
if God wishes, to a realization of: the purpose of life, our true
self, and our essential spiritual capacity.
However, in order to achieve the foregoing realizations, one
must destroy the myriad forms of idol worship in which one's
life is entangled. Initiation marks the first step of the spiritual
journey toward this end.
Most of us are unaware of the numerous forms of idolatry to
which the false self is committed. Moreover, even when we
are aware of some of the ways in which our idol worship
manifests itself, we don't know how to rid ourselves of these
practices, and we don't have the strength to do so on our own.
Initiation is a gift of God. Or, perhaps, more accurately,
initiation is the external packaging that wraps an inner gift of
great beauty and richness.
Among other things, the inner gift gives expression to:
guidance, wisdom, knowledge, love, compassion, certainty,
gnosis, mercy, kindness, intimacy, friendship, forgiveness,
protection, support, encouragement, sincerity, truth, justice,
joy, and peace. The gift is the shaykh or spiritual guide.
In reality, the outer form of the teacher is the locus of
manifestation through which the spiritual gift comes. The
teacher is like one of those jewel boxes in which every time
one opens up one box, another, inner jewel box is revealed.
Each box represents the preceding spiritual guide in the
spiritual chain. These inner jewel boxes continue until one
reaches the most inward jewel box, the very first Sufi shaykh,
the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Every Sufi shaykh is but a particular reflection of, on the one
hand, the different jewels of the entire spiritual order, and,
on the other hand, and most importantly, the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him). Moreover, the Prophet is
the perfect human being, and as such, is one who reflects, in
complete harmony, all the Names and Attributes of God.
When a person takes initiation, the individual places his or
her hands in the hands of the shaykh. Simultaneously, the
person being initiated is placing her or his hands in the hands
of all of the preceding shaykhs of the Sufi Order into which
the individual is being initiated. This includes, of course, the
hands of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Nevertheless, all of these hands are but loci of manifestation
for the Hand of God Who is the One with Whom one,
ultimately, is taking initiation.
A Sufi master is the veil through whom God has chosen to
act in order to assist the individual along the stages of the
mystical path toward the realization of true spiritual identity
and essential capacity. The guide is one who is cloaked in the
Divine Attributes which actually underwrite and supervise
the process of spiritual guidance of the initiate.
A Sufi master is one who has been given permission by God
to act under the spiritual authority of the Prophet. The
spiritual guide, working in accordance with the above
framework, assumes responsibility for helping people in a
variety of ways. However, the most important form of
assistance is in relation to the difficult task of helping people
to gain freedom from the slavery, illusions and idolatry of the
false self.
Initiation is not an event which can be delimited to the initial
covenant of allegiance. Initiation is actually an intention.
This intention carries far beyond the act of swearing fidelity
to a shaykh or guide, and through that teacher, to the
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and, ultimately, to
God. The spiritual responsibilities entailed by the intention of
initiation must be observed, as best one can and as best God
permits, throughout the spiritual journey of the individual.
Because most people seeking initiation do not appreciate the
depth, subtlety or richness of the mystical path, initiation
actually is an open-ended commitment. The nature of this
open-ended commitment is to a path of purification. God
willing, this path of purification opens one up to the mysteries
and realities inherent, but hidden, in the initial act of
initiation.
The mystical path is a path of unfolding to the many layers of
truth contained in the process of initiation. As the path
unfolds through different stages, tests, trials, stations and so
on, then, God willing, one's understanding of the
responsibilities and benefits of initiation is purified.
With the purification of the intention underlying the seeker's
initiation, then, if God wishes, the actions arising from, and
through, such understanding become more and more sincere.
One becomes a true seeker of God, rather than a seeker in
name only. In effect, one has become initiated into the inner
realities of initiation.
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