COSMOLOGY OF THE SELF

By: Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri

Conclusion

The entire discipline of the path is the din, or ‘life transaction.’ It is the path of God, the way of nature, and we all want it. It is the totality of knowing that inwardly we are beyond time and space, but outwardly we are constantly striving to struggle for the good and condemn what is bad. This is what is meant by the phrase fi sabil Allah, in the way of God. It is active, giving the best that one has, being willing to change, and constantly improving, so it becomes a way of life. It is quietening the mind and grooming the self. It is for this reason activities such as gambling are forbidden because they are counter-productive to inner joy and outer courtesy, which leads to greater and greater insights and greater and greater guidance until one reaches the Source of Guidance. This is living in the moment.

True Sufism is this science, but it is not about worshipping Sufism or Islam. We need the Muhammadi path, the way of all the true prophets, but ultimately it is about our access to that constant awareness and remembrance of the one and only Source from which comes the ultimate yardstick, and that is Allah. The path is the car driving to the city, and the city is the city of light. We need to give the right signals and we need to check that the mechanical parts of the car are working. That is the humanness. We need the electrics to be working, as well as our inner charge. That is the ruhanniyya. But if we get stuck on healing or self knowledge, or comparing teachers, it is like stopping at the service station forever, tinkering with the car, instead of driving.