The Sufi tradition is focussed on developing and deepening a personal relationship with God through both self-knowledge and self-inquiry. Rumi(nation) is therefor a very natural part of existing on this plane.

Rumi is the most famous of the Sufis in the West, whereas Al-Ghazali and Al-Mawlūd are the most famous globally amongst Muslims. (Strong rec that you pick up the text Purification of the Heart, should you wish to understand Islam more gently than how it is represented at present.)

The images in this piece are of Sufis twirling, a form of meditation the ultimate intention of which is a sort of religious ecstasy. An out of body experience of losing one’s self while remaining grounded. Traditionally, they are in white robes with very large flowing skirts, and red hats. They are both beautiful and terrifying to watch; as the spinning crescendos, their faces are no longer visible, but rather a blur. Some, their hats come down to cover their faces; they are more terrifying than I can explain.

If you are watching as an outsider.

But the moment you let yourself lose focus, while watching them, they are mesmerizing. And peace-full.

To dream of a turning dervish is a signal that your life will be headed towards and healed by spiritual enlightenment.

Most all converts to Islam whom I’ve known have gravitated towards Sufi understandings, as they articulate and focus on the mystical / spiritual elements far more forward than run-of-the-mill Islam (which has the exact same elements, naturally, just not as central, but rather a little more in the background).

I would argue that Sufism is for the softer hearts. It is more self-reflective. More heart-open. More inquisitive. More of an exploration into one’s self and how we relate to the world / God. Where we are in trauma, and how we might heal as we navigate this dunya.

I’m sorry it took me so long to finally get around to writing this, as promised.

The most famous Muslims are those who converted in North America, like Ali and Malcolm. The greatest number of converts to Islam are from the more marginalized groups in North America – the Black community, and women; those who hit rock bottom and can’t find the guidance or the forgiveness they seek at the ready. Many of whom were living in excess and out of control.

Converts to Islam walk into a clean slate where Allah is concerned. Every sin in your past is erased. You are literally, within the spiritual world, reborn.

Everlast. Yusuf Islam. Men coming home from addiction and a near complete lack of self-control. Their actions and harm against themselves the greatest gift they gave themselves as it was the road which took them to spiritual enlightenment and, ultimately, peace. Addiction is not a choice; it is a result of unhealed wounds and trauma. I would encourage you to read / listen to Gabor Maté on this subject if you are not soft to the pain of addicts.

I recently read that most who commit suicide engage the world in a far more realistic manner than others. So, an individual with eyes wide open to the violence of this dimension is more likely to actively cut themselves from it. The fu(king heartbreak of this to me is unimaginable. Daily, it is a struggle to survive it as we witness human aggression and sickness playing out on the bodies of other humans. That P@!estinians are not committing suicide en mass is a testament to their strength of faith.

I have dealt with addiction – a beloved was burying himself in heroin. He is now healthy and a father of three, with a fourth on the way. AlhamduliLaah, as I don’t know what our worlds would have become without him. He too has turned to Islam on a far deeper level, and his world has pivoted through the years. May he forever be protected from his own harmful hands, ya Rab.

I rarely write about him, but carry him with me daily. We talk often, but never about this. Muslims are not permitted to discuss the mistakes and bad past choices of others once they have moved away from them; rather, we are to help them build another road ahead free of the reminders of what they left behind. Another rule of Islam, in case you didn’t know.

I believe that to constantly point back at another’s mistakes is an act of centering oneself to guilt / shame the individual and to manipulate them. More specifically, I believe that to tear someone down repeatedly can never be called an act of love, but rather it is an act of control. [Note: If you are incapable of forgetting a harm rooted in the bad past choices of another, then out of love for yourself first (and in service of softness second), remove yourself from the situation. Remembering pain and reminding other of pain freezes you in a moment in time and the world is too full of possibilities to remain stuck in any one moment.]

The entire life of a convert before they arrive into Islam is subject to this same rule. It’s why many choose to change their name, though this is not at all a requirement of conversion. For those who choose new names, it’s to signal the beginning of a new identity and a new road to forge. It is a blessing in itself that we leave our past where it can no longer touch us spiritually.

Naturally, where you have done harm to others, responsibility for your actions and amends are still required. Exactly like AA or NA. May we all only ever transgress in ways which allow for forgiveness, and may we only come across the soft of heart who would forgive such transgressions.

Even if you are not a Muslim, if you consider yourself a friend, a partner, a lover, then I think this is a good rule to live by. Allowing people to leave their mistakes in the past. Not constantly reminding them and pointing out where they may have made choices not rooted in love, not from their heart-centres but rather rooted in their ego, and self-hate. Again, I will always tell you that in every poor choice made, it is made first against ourselves and then against others. Poor choices are too often rooted in self-loathing, never self-care.

That Islam itself is a shelter for the healing hearts should never detract from making ourselves this same kind of shelter for the hearts of everyone we hold dear. Ya Rab.

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