Dear family,

Urs Mubarrak.

It has been fifty-five years since Murshid’s passing.

He never publicly proclaimed himself until he was on his deathbed:

“For I am the first to be born in the West to have received the Divine Message….”

We went from a small sangha in the basement of his house on Precita to a world-spanning phenomenon.

Mashallah!

I was present on the evening he took on his last new group of mureeds. My girlfriend, and soon to be my first wife, Majid, was to be initiated. A large group was present, all dressed up and flowered, awaiting initiation.

And we waited and waited for Murshid to appear.

Finally, after an hour or so, he walked in the back door in tears.

“This is the end of my spiritual family, and the beginning of my world mission.”

The room fell silent.

Many years later, I have come to understand what he meant.

There were around a hundred of us, with perhaps thirty or so actively involved in his activities — not an insurmountable number to hold in consciousness.

But thousands upon thousands chanting the Divine Names and moving their bodies in harmony — what beauty!

All blessings upon his memory.

May God be pleased with him and allow his work to spread and flourish.

Yours in service to the Real,

His Hakim
Saul-uddin

World Wide Zoom Meeting

*If needed, please use this Time Zone Converter to find the start time where you live:
https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter-classic.html

As I have written many times, we were not alone, and unsupported when SAM passed in 1971. Many of his colleagues and associates came to our aid and stood by us. I have called them our Godparents. Our next cyber gathering will honor two of them, and will be hosted by their students.

Honoring our Godparents: Part One

Frida Waterhouse – presented by Murshida Aadya Perez-Chisti
(formerly known by us as Murshida Rabia Ana Perez-Chisti). (1)

Joe & Guin Miller – presented by Richard Power. (2)

(1) Murshida Aadya is currently the president and originator of the Sufi Universal Fraternal Institute, and was a long time student of Frida, who assisted her when she passed through the curtain.

(2) Richard Power is the current head of The San Francisco Theosophical Lodge, and was a long time student of the Millers.  He is also the author/compiler of Joe’s biography – The Great Song: The Life and Teachings of Joe Miller.

Saturday, November 7:

U.S. West coast – 9am-10:30am
U.S. East coast – noon-1:30pm
London – 5pm-6:30pm
Germany – 6pm-7:30pm
Moscow – 8pm-9:30pm

For the zoom link please contact: Murad

Looking forward to our time together again

yours in Service to the Real
Hakim Saul-uddin
Virginia
Oct 15, 2020

PS: a short heads up –
Our series continues with a program on our former Pir, Moineddin Jablonski. 
Saadi will host this. More as we confirm dates – probably December or January.

What a time we are witness to:

the continuing evolving of our spiritual family,
the spreading of the latest virulent virus,
all amidst the destructive destabilizing of our home world.

I am calling together all of our DHO initiates – world wide – to hold our hands and hearts together, united in prayer for the alleviation of human suffering, and the healing of our planet.

All those attuned to this need are welcome to join with us.

September 12, 2020 (Saturday) – Noon-EDT,
(9am-PDT, 6pm-Germany, ~ UTC -4)
Use this Time Zone Converter to find the start time where you live
https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter-classic.html

As Murshid Sam’s Hakim, and as a Servant of The One, I am enjoined to state that our work is selfless, and not directed to personal achievement nor recognition or approval by any organization, or individual.

For this gathering, I would like to focus our attention on our Elders, and God-parents, and their messages of Love, Loyalty, and Selfless Service.

As Moineddin so aptly put it:

“there are those who love Dharma;
and, there are those who love drama.”

I am hopeful that we can, once again, have a gathering of our initiatic family;

to hold the world in our heart’s arms, as we invoke the blessings of our lineage, with special emphasis on our inner guides (especially Quan Yin).

We shall do practices directly given, or inspired by our Elders, as well as an Absent Healing Ritual for our extended spiritual family, and for our Mother Earth.

Inshallah! Ananda will join us for some sung Zikr.

Please spread the word. If you need the Zoom link, please contact Murad.

All blessings upon your work

Yours in Service to the Real
Hakim Saul-uddin
Virginia
August, 2020

It is a great pleasure to have been asked to write an article for our Ruhaniat journal.

Today, I wish to spotlight and honor our specific transmission of Baraka.

We are so blessed to have such a lineage to call upon. From Hazrat Inayat Khan, through Murshid SAM, and Pir Moineddin Jablonski. They are all links in the Chain of Blessings (our silsila) which connects us to our lineage and with which we can connect, both in need and in thankfulness.

In addition, it is also important to honor and recognize all the G-D parents we had in those early days of our independence: Joe and Guin Miller, Frida Waterhouse, Father Blighton, Jiyu Kennett Roshi, Teddy Rich, Rev. Gene Wagner, Dr. Seo, plus all those known and unknown to us, who gave us the strength of their support and recognition.

As future historians will note, “Sufi Dancing” went from a garage in San Francisco to a worldwide phenomena.  And all in just a couple of generations. Murshid SAM had the transmission to give, and his successor, Pir Moineddin Jablonski, not only had it but manifested it.  His Darshan worked, as did Murshid Sams.

Sufism is all about Transmission.  It is not about memorizing what has been written. Nor is it an academic treatise to be discussed. Transmission is what assists and powers us from Fana (surrender) into Baka (realization).

Murshid SAM said (in my presence) that he would be remembered in Sufi annals for his inclusion of Fana-fi-Pir (surrender to the teacher who has passed beyond) into the lineage stream. Traditionally one lists Fana-fi-Sheikh (surrender to the embodied teacher), as a start.  Followed by Fana-fi-Rasul (surrender to the divine Messenger) and finally, Fana fi Lillah (surrender directly to Allah). Murshid SAM inserted Fana fi Pir after Fana fi Shiekh and before Fana fi Rasul.

This hierarchy of receiving teachings is also sometimes referred to as the “boats” that carry us: Shariat (the form of prayer for all), Tariqat (the taking on of a teacher, who then gives one practices), Marifat (when one receives ones guidance from a Rasul), and Haqiqat (when Allah gives one direct guidance).

Murshid SAM’s addition of Fana-fi-Pir came about from his deep attunement to Inayat Khan, and from his openness to the Spirit of Guidance. This allowed him to do copious, profound commentaries on Hazrat Inayat Khan’s writings, which have served us all after his passing, and which he claimed to be Inayat Khan speaking through him. Alhamdulliah!

On a personal note, for any success gained by the performance of the Absent Healing Ritual, I fully credit Murshida Bhakti Engle for her passage of the Shafia’s Baraka. Ya Shakur!

Our order, The Sufi Islamia Ruhaniat Society, was founded by Murshid SAM, under the direct orders of Pir Dewal Shareef, who gave him the instructions to organize, so as to protect and preserve his work. Murshid SAM said this in my presence.

Murshid SAM always attempted to follow his spiritual orders, thus not blocking the transmissions he carried.  He felt that obedience to one’s teachers was to act as a Abdul—a slave to the Divine Will. He once remarked to me he had met the Qtub and was made an ABDUL. “It means slave,” he explained. “But it’s a very high position.”

It is this one’s humble opinion that the Dances were created so as to fulfill instructions he was given by Sufi Barket Ali, who directed him to have 10,000 Americans say “Allah!”

I bear witness to its completion: in 1970 at a “Holy Man Jam” in San Francisco, Murshid SAM led an Allah snake dance.  I recall him doing a quick count of the house (there were many thousands present) and turning to Wali Ali (his correspondence secretary at the time) and saying “Write Sufi Barket Ali, and inform him I have completed my assignment.”

It is from such small ripples on the cosmic pond, that events ripen and mature.

Murshid Sam once made a comment about Paul Brunton (A Search in Secret India and A Search in Secret Egypt).  His books were popular with us at the time, and someone asked Murshid what he thought about them.  “They’re all right,” he said, “but I have a problem with him. His teacher Ramana Maharshi asked him to move to Prague in the early 1930’s and he refused. I blame his refusal for the war that followed.”

Tasawwuf, or Sufism, is based on following in the footsteps of the teacher so that we may receive and actualize their Baraka, and carry it forward into the next generation. It is in this surrender to the Ideal that one’s heart/mind becomes one with the Divine.

The Sufi Invocation calls upon us to embody the Message, and there is no better path to doing this than the Tassawuri Walks of the Masters, Saints, and Prophets, given us through Murshid SAM. Or, as Joe Miller said: “It can’t be taught.  It has to be caught.”

Murshid SAM rarely gave walks to his non-disciples.  In open meetings, he would use us as demonstrations of what can be accomplished via mureedship, sometimes as walkers, and sometimes as dancers. Dances with participants of only one element were used to demonstrate the reality of the elements in humanity. In addition, there were specific women’s dances, and men’s dances, as well as dances for mureeds only. His test for remaining in the Advanced Dance Class was not a dance, but rather one’s mastery of one of the Astrological Walks.

I observed him during a meeting dancing a partner dance with a woman, who was not a mureed, and afterwards telling her to see Wali Ali for practices, as she was initiated during their interaction. “It was the energy,” he later said upon questioning.

Transmission does not require a formal organization and may, perhaps, be impeded by it. Nonetheless, our order has saved, and organized Murshid SAM’s “work” for future generations. Thus it serves the written. Ya Shakur! May it continue to serve the living.

Once again, it was a true and real blessing to have encountered a being who manifested such deep open-heartedness and lived his connection to the Divine. My first ‘teacher,’ Mother Mary of Mt Shasta, described a real teacher: “A real teacher is like the sun. They give to all, and ask nothing in return.”

All thankfulness for the opportunity to have been with Murshid SAM for two full and overflowing years. Allah Mubarak!

I’ll close with two simple practices I tend to use when I feel in need of assistance:

The first is to call on Murshid: putting “Ya Murshid” on the breath, and allow it to move through one’s bodies.

The second is calling on the Spirit of Guidance: subvocalizing on the tone “Ya Hu” and feeling it resonate all through you.

May these be as helpful to you as they have been for me

Yours in Service to the Real,
Hakim Saul-uddin

Virginia, April 14, 2020