Freeing the Mind: An Encounter with a Sufi Master
تحرير الفكر – لقاء مع عالم صوفي
I had barely been back in Beirut for a few days after my 7-month sabbatical, when a friend invited me to a special dinner party at someone’s big luxurious apartment in Ramlet El Baida in Beirut. The occasion was in honor of the late Sheikh Muhammad Nazim Al-Haqqani, a highly revered Islamic Sufi scholar and at that time the mystical leader of the Naqshbandi order, a branch of Sufi Islam. Sheikh Nazim was based in the Turkish part of Cyprus among a community of his followers, and was on a rare visit to Beirut. His followers had organized this dinner in his honor, to congregate the local community and allow them a chance to meet their spiritual leader, and so it was that I ended up in the midst of about 150 people as I recall in this fancy Beirut apartment.
I had spent my sabbatical between India and Nepal, with a few days towards the end in Thailand. It remains one of the most powerful and enlightening experiences of my life, and at the time I had written a few notes while I was on it that I have included on this blog. Besides meeting the Dalai Lama in his base in Northern India, visiting the Sikh Golden Temple, experiencing Varanasi, and trekking the Himalayas, one of the absolute highlights of the trip was the retreat I spent in a Buddhist monastery on the hills overlooking Kathmandu in Nepal. It was there that I learned the basics of meditation and Buddhism according to the Mahayana tradition, and it was there that I experienced inner peace and a sense of completeness for the first time, combined with a spark to dig deeper. I still remember being woken up at sunrise to the sound of a tinkling bell and having to walk along with 50 other people from all over the world to the main temple in silence to do the morning meditation.
At the end of the retreat, when I was gently asked if I was interested in “taking refuge in the Buddha” (i.e. formally become a Buddhist), I politely declined. I was on a journey of self-discovery and at the beginning of developing my thoughts on who I was and what I believed in, and I did not (as I do not today) want to assume any labels or be boxed in any definitive category. Ideas are much more important and much more fluid than labels and boxes. But during the retreat, my ideas had not yet fully matured to rejecting any sort of organized religion including my own, Islam, and I had not yet become fully OK with making my own sort of best-of cocktail from many spiritual traditions. I was still seeking at some level to find a compromise between Buddhist philosophy, which was resonating extensively with me, and my own Moslem background. In fact I was able to draw a lot of comparisons and parallels not only in the chants, vibrations, and postures, but also in some of the core ideas. At the time, this led me to think that maybe I should explore Sufism, the spiritual side of Islam, which I knew very little about at the time. And so to be invited barely a few days after my return to Beirut to meet one of Sufism’s greatest masters alive was too good of an opportunity and maybe not so much of a coincidence, that I of course immediately accepted.
كنت قد عدت الى بيروت منذ بضعة أيام فقط بعد اجازة طويلة دامت سبعة أشهر، عندما دعاني صديق إلى حفل عشاء خاص في شقة فاخرة كبيرة لشخص ما في الرملة البيضاء في بيروت. وكانت المناسبة على شرف الراحل الشيخ محمد ناظم الحقاني، احد اهم شيوخ الصوفية الإسلامية في العالم وفي ذلك الوقت قائد او الشيخ الاكبر للطريقة النقشبندية، وهي فرع من الإسلام الصوفي . كان مركز الشيخ ناظم في الجزء التركي من قبرص بين مجموعة من أتباعه، و كان في زيارة نادرة لبيروت حيث نظم أتباعه هذا العشاء تكريما له في منزل احدهم، لاتاحة فرصة لجميع المريدين للقاء زعيمهم الروحي. وهكذا وجدت نفسي بين نحو 150 شخصا على ما أذكر في هذه الشقة البيروتية المطلة على البحر.
كنت قد قضيت فترة الاجازة المفتوحة التي منحتها لنفسي بين الهند و نيبال، مع بضعة أيام في الآخر في تايلاند. لا تزال هذه الرحلة واحدة من أكثر التجارب قوة وتوسيعا للآفاق في حياتي، وفي ذلك الوقت كتبت بعض المقالات عنها اضفتها الى هذه المدونة . تضمنت الرحلة لقاءً مع الدالاي لاما في مقره في شمال الهند، وزيارة معبد السيخ الذهبي وفاراناسي، ورحلة مشي في جبال الهيمالايا استمرت اسبوعين، ولكن أبرز محطة فيها كانت فترة الدراسة التي قضيتها في دير بوذي يقع على التلال المطلة على كاتماندو في نيبال. هناك تعلمت أساسيات التأمل والفلسفة البوذية، وهناك اختبرت لاول مرة فعليا الاحساس بالسلام الداخلي والشعور بالتكامل مع المحيط، وهناك اندلعت شرارة الرغبة في تعلم المزيد. ما زلت أتذكر كيف كنت استيقظ عند شروق الشمس على صوت رنين الجرس الخفيف الآتي من الباحة وكيف كنت اسير بعدها بصمت مع خمسين شخصا آخرين من جميع أنحاء العالم نحو المعبد الرئيسي للقيام بالتأمل الصباحي.
في نهاية هذه الفترة، وعندما طلب مني بلطف إذا كنت مهتما “باللجوء إلى بوذا” (وهو تعبير يقصد به ان تعتنق الديانة البوذية)، رفضت بأدب فقد كنت في رحلة لاكتشاف الذات وفي بداية انضاج الوعي عن ما هي الافكار المهمة لي وما هي القيم التي اؤمن بها، ولم اكن ارغب (كما لا ارغب اليوم) في ان اكون محصورا بتسميات او توصيفات او انتماءات محددة. الأفكار أكثر أهمية وغنى وانسيابية بكثير من الانتماءات الحصرية التي تحد من التطوير. ولكن خلال فترة التعلم هذه، لم تكن أفكاري قد نضجت تماما فيما يتعلق برفض أي نوع من انواع الدين المنظم بما في ذلك الذي انتمي اليه، الإسلام، ولم اكن قد اصبحت بعد مرتاحا مع فكرة صياغة افكاري الخاصة المستمدة من العديد من التقاليد الروحية. كنت لا ازال اسعى لإيجاد حل وسط بين الفلسفة البوذية، التي كنت اجد ان افكارها تتلائم بشكل كبير مع افكاري، وخلفيتي كمسلم، حتى لو لم اكن مسلما ممارسا للدين. وفي الواقع استطعت ان اجد الكثير من المقارنات والتشابه ليس فقط في الحركات والارتجاجات الناتجة عن الاناشيد الدينية، ولكن أيضا في بعض الأفكار. في ذلك الوقت، قادني هذا إلى الاعتقاد بأنه ربما ينبغي لي أن استكشف الصوفية، الجانب الروحي من الإسلام، والذي لم اكن اعرف الكثير عنها حينها. وبسبب ذلك كانت هذه الدعوة للقاء احد اعظم شيوخ الصوفية فرصة لا تفوت وربما اكثر من مجرد صدفة بعد بضعة ايام فقط من عودتي الى بيروت، وبالطبع قبلت على الفور.
The apartment was packed, shoulder-to-shoulder, with many people sitting on the floor against walls. In the center of the main living room was Sheikh Nazim of course. It was not difficult to be struck by this awesome man and taken in by his magnetic aura. He had this very rare mixture of extreme astuteness and overflowing wisdom, coupled with extreme kindness and humility. He seemed completely uncaring of the opulent surroundings in this living room or of the veneration that everyone was showing him.
An hour or so into the evening, I found out that many people were vying to get a private minute with Sheikh Nazim where they would seek his blessing or ask a private question. I was asked if I was interested in asking him anything privately and of course I said yes. As I waited for my turn, I kept running in my head the various questions I could ask. It felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity not to be wasted.
Finally my turn came and I approached him. I bent down and whispered my question in his ear: “I have just come back from a retreat where I studied Buddhist philosophy, and I felt very much in tune with the teachings and they made me feel at peace. What is your opinion of this?” It might have been a little unorthodox to ask a scholar in a monotheistic faith about another non-monotheistic one, and maybe I intended to test the reaction as much as I was seeking an answer to my question at the time. He looked at me and said “My son, when you go to buy gold, does it really matter if the coins are British or Ottoman or Russian? In the end it’s all gold, no matter where it was minted. It is the same when you seek Wisdom and Truth. It is not so important which path you choose to get there, as long as you are on some path!”
This encounter is like a dream in my head. I don’t even remember who invited me to go to that dinner. But it was my first up-close encounter with Sufism, and Sheikh Nazim and his words made a lasting impression on me. It was an encounter that pushed me along the path of freeing my mind from any doctrine and prescribed system of beliefs, and focus on what is essential, what is at the heart. My subsequent encounter with Sufism left me a little less enchanted though, and I will discuss it in next week’s post.
بعد نحو ساعة، علمت ان معظم الموجودين يسعون للحصول على دقيقة خاصة مع الشيخ ناظم لاخذ بركته أو طرح سؤال خاص عليه، وعند سؤالي إذا كنت مهتما بذلك بالطبع قلت نعم. وبينما كنت أنتظر دوري، ظلت الافكار والاسئلة المحتملة تدور في رأسي، وشعرت انها فرصة لا يجب تضييعها.
وأخيرا جاء دوري واقتربت منه. انحنيت وهمست سؤالي في أذنه: “لقد عدت للتو من دراسة الفلسفة البوذية، وشعرت كثيرا بتناغم مع تعاليمها وبسلام داخلي مريح. ما هو رأيك في هذا؟ “ ربما كان سؤالا غير تقليدي وفيه بعض الجرأة حيث انني كنت اسأل عالما وشيخا كبيرا ليس فقط عن ديانة اخرى لكن ايضا عن ديانة غير الديانات الموحدة الثلاث… وربما كنت أنوي اختبار رد الفعل بقدر ما كنت ارغب بجواب على سؤالي في ذلك الوقت. نظر في وجهي وقال: “ يا ابني، عندما تذهب لشراء الذهب، هل يهم حقا إذا كانت الليرات هي انكليزية أو عثمانية أو روسية؟ في النهاية الذهب هو ذهب، بغض النظر عن مكان سباكته. والامر هو نفسه عندما تسعى للحكمة والحقيقة؛ ليس من المهم جدا اي طريق تختار للوصول إلى هناك، طالما انك على طريق ما سيصل بك! ”
اذكر هذا اللقاء كحلم. لا أتذكر حتى من دعاني إلى ذلك العشاء. ولكنه كان أول لقاء مباشر لي مع الصوفية، وقد ترك الشيخ ناظم وكلماته انطباعا دائما وقويا. كان لقاء ساهم في دفعي على طريق تحرير ذهني من أي مذهب او نظام محدد من المعتقدات، والتركيز على ما هو ضروري، ما هو في قلب جميع الانظمة الروحانية في كل العالم بغض النظر عن الطقوس والعبادات. وكان لي لقاء لاحق اخر مع الصوفية ولكنه لم يترك نفس الاثر، وساتكلم عنه في تدوينة الأسبوع المقبل.
Encounter #1 was pretty cool. waiting for the sequel… Impatiently!! However the word subsequent was quite pivotal in our world last week. Must tell u all about it…
Pivotal?? Hmm enquiring minds want to know!
I believe his answer was unorthodox too, seemed to be a great man in deed!! Very interesting!
It was for sure unexpected. Yes he was a great man. I wonder though how unorthodox it is..would be interesting to know. I mean is this a view shared by most Sufi masters or was it a unique opinion.
He is so right it doesnt matter how we search for inner peace or spiritual journey what matter is the goal not the way . His answer enchanted me so much because it was soo wise .but as i know u i thought u would ask more courageous question that would shock him
:)) I like to think few things would have shocked that man. But believe me if the people in that room knew that I was asking him about feeling very comfortable with not only another religion but also a non-monotheistic one, Buddhism, many of them might have been severely shocked 😉
and you have golden writings Zizouuuuu ❤❤❤
hey hey hey
I’m very happy you’re here! 
Nice to know your thoughts and your journey in developing them, Zee. I like the way you present it. and little bizarre for me to know that what motivates you to think logically and freely is a person thinking illogically. (For me this Shikh is so). Even though just 2 days ago, tears were falling from my eyes while listening to Sufi songs but I completely realise that is illusion came from my own background and culture. I look at Sufi as an art. Art is an ability to dominate feelings of others. And sometimes I like to be dominated by some types of illusions which brings me temporarily joy and pleasure
(I guess we are different in how we look at Sufi ritual). Looking forward to reading next week’s article. 
I just want add that i believe that you were ready for changing and developing your thoughts and belief even without this meeting with Shikh. انت كنت بتتلكك
I did not mean to imply that Sheikh Nazim was the reason for my transformation. Obviously I had been on a 7 month sabbatical for self discovery before meeting him. But still there are always signs on the road and for sure he was a very important one. Those words coming from someone as learned and spiritual as him meant something, particularly coming at that time from someone in my own general culture than from where I had been in India and Nepal. But of course I would have reached the same conclusions anyway.
When I think of Sufism I think much less of the rituals and the whirling dervishes (which even though when done formally still have spiritual connotations, but we have become much more used to seeing them as performances than spiritual conduits). For me Sufism is much more about the teachings, thinkings, and writings of Rumi, which strip down all the rituals of religion and cut down to the essence of your relationship with God based on love and nothing else…no fear and no punishment and none of that. You can then choose to replace the image of God by anything else that makes your more comfortable, even if that is just the force of the universe..but the underlying issues of direct connection based on love still are true!