To: tariqas@world.std.com
From: nagasiva@yronwode.com (Haramullah)
Subject: Sunna and Din (9408.snnadin.h)
Date: 49940822 

Alaykum dinakum wahleya din.

My kin Noori writes:

| Is kissing the feet of the shaykh following the sunnah of the
| prophet, blessings of Allah and peace be upon him?

My feeling is that this may be better placed within the 'sufi'
elist, since it seems a particularly Muslim question.  I shall
endeavor to respond from my peculiar (and ignorant) corner.

"Niffari bids the gnostic [sufi] perform only such acts of
 worship as are in accordance with his vision of God, though
 in so doing he will necessarily disobey the religious law
 which was made for the vulgar.  His inward feeling must
 decide how far the external forms of religion are good for
 him.

       "'God said to me, Ask Me and say, "O Lord, how
	 shall I cleave to Thee, so that when my day
	 (of judgement) comes, Thou wilt not punish me
	 nor avert Thy face from me?"  Then I will
	 answer thee and say, "Cleave in thy outward
	 theory and practice to the Sunna (the rule of
	 the Prophet), and cleave in thy inward feeling
	 to the gnosis which I have given thee; and know
	 that when I make Myself known to thee, I will
	 not accept from thee anything of the Sunna but
	 what My gnosis brings to thee, because thou art
	 one of those to whom I speak: thou hearest Me
	 and knowest that thou hearest Me, and thou seest
	 that I am the source of all things."'

"The commentator observes that the Sunna, being general in
 scope, makes no distinction between individuals, e.g. seekers
 of Paradise and seekers of God, but that in reality it contains
 exactly what each person requires.  The portion specially
 appropriate in every case is discerned either by means of gnosis
 [ma'rifat], which God communicates to the heart [qalb], or by
 means of guidance imparted by a spiritual director [sheikh].

      "'And He said to me, "My exoteric revelation does
	not support My esoteric revelation."'

"This means that the gnostic need not be dismayed if his inner
 experience conflicts with the religious law.  The contradiction
 is only apparent.  Religion addresses itself to the common herd
 of men who are veiled by their minds, by logic, tradition, and
 so on; whereas gnosis belongs to the elect, whose bodies and
 spirits are bathed in eternal Light.  Religion sees things from
 the aspect of plurality, but gnosis regards the all-embracing
 Unity.  Hence the same act is good in religion, but evil in
 gnosis [sufism] - a truth which is briefly stated thus:

      "'The good deeds of the pious are the ill deeds
	of the favourites of God.'"

_The Mystics of Islam_, by Reynold A. Nicholson, pp. 72-4.
__________________________________________________________

Thus it is entirely dependent upon one's station with respect
to God, and this is best left to Allah and to the individual.
Those whom I call muslim (i.e. of the Way of God, rather than
simply of the religion) will concern themselves with themselves
and let Allah lead others to their ends, not condemning, not
praising.


As Sheikh Hisham says:

"Your job is to interfere with yourself alone.  Correct yourself,
 and leave everyone else to their Lord.  Let them do what they
 want to do.  _This is the true understanding and teaching of
 Sufism: leave everyone to their Lord, and interfere only with
 yourself._"

_Mercy Oceans: Secrets of the Heart_, 
	by Sheikh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, p. 3.
________________________________________________


And as penned by the Beast himself:

"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
 The word of Sin is Restriction."

_Liber Al vel Legis_, from Nuit unto Ankh-af-na-khonsu (666) 
	Chapter I, verses 40-41.
____________________________________________________________


La ilaha illa 'Llah, oh my kin, and Muhammadun rasulu 'Llah.

Haramullah
nagasiva@yronwode.com