Sufi Healing for the Soul

Below is an excerpt from one of Sidi Muhammad's books, a compilation of the teachings he gave in the U.S. in 2005. It gives a great overview of Sufism and the qualities and characteristics of the true Sufi, may God help us all to reach that lofty goal.

A note on gender: God and the spiritual seeker are often referred to as "He." Know that this is not to imply that God is male or, when referring to people, to leave women out or devalue them in any way. It is simply a way to overcome the difficulty of translating Arabic into English. In Arabic when you say "he" you can also be saying "he or she." In English we don't have that shorthand; thus, we use "he" with the understanding that this also refers to women.

Sufism can be described with two words: “letting go“ and “beautifying.” What does letting go mean? Letting go is to let go of every ugly character trait and quality, everything that does not please God including: stealing, killing, destroying, lying, betraying and breaking people’s hearts.

First of all, you establish that you believe in one God and that you submit to Him. Secondly, you need to beautify yourself. How do you do this? You beautify yourself taking on noble character traits. Be truthful, be sincere, be loyal, carry love, be helpful to yourself and others, love for others what you love for yourself, make all people beloved to you and work with others in cooperation. God wants all of His creation to be one nation—one nation in love with each other. He wants us to have justice in our relations with each other, to support each other and to act as one body.

If an organ is in pain, then the rest of the body comes to its assistance because the healthy organs are pained by the illness of one of its brothers. Sufis are like this in that they are engaged in helping the sick, the destitute, the poor and the suffering.

The Sufī is the one who has purified his heart and made it completely for God. He is the one who follows the faith decreed by God and he purifies his heart, self and spirit, offering everything as a sacrifice for the sake of the love of God. His speech, state and reality is from God, by God and for God. He has annihilated [his self] from everything else into God. He uses the material world only for the sake of God, for seeking His pleasure.

He does not stop with illusions or his imagination because he carries the divine reality, the truth. He does not behave in a fashion where his speech and state and actions are incongruent. He only acts after considering if it would meet God’s pleasure.

The Sufi's speech cannot be in conflict with his state. He does not steal; he does not betray others. He is always truthful, sincere and happy with God’s decree and following the orders of God. His state is a manifestation of the Qurʾān. When walking on the earth [he is] very watchful of every action he takes, very circumspect about speaking any word that would cause pain to any heart. He does not engage in backbiting, envy, discrimination or making separation between people, because his state is clean.

He makes no separation between the poor and the rich or men and women. They are all beloveds. They all are equal, because each one is a mirror for the presence of the divine reality. They are all holy. You cannot transgress against anyone or against any of God’s creatures. He respects all the worlds because he sees them as divine manifestations. He sees divine rankings. He works for the happiness of everything, so his state is always established by the Lord.

He prays for the sake of the poor, the weak, those who have suffered from injustice. He always pays attention to the weak to save them from their pain. He is bandaging their wounds. He is fast to go give relief to the hungry, the destitute, the sick. This is his state. He is like the rain in relationship to the earth. His rain always falls on everything as a sign of mercy, because God has sent him as a mercy.

This is the message of Sūfīsm. Such people are always walking with God, in God. Such people cannot live without the Greatest Beloved. He only has one Beloved in his heart, no other, because he does not subscribe to partnership. His heart is the abode of the throne of his Lord. His Lord is his beloved God. He has emigrated to God and he has completed his emigration like the emigration of Abraham who said, "I am migrating to my Lord and He will guide me." (Quran 37:99). This is the Sūfīsm we carry. We wish for all people to carry it so that the happiness of humanity can be complete for all. Thank you.