Posted in Events, Words of Wisdom

Urs of Shaykh Muhyddin Ansari – Grand Shaykh of Ansari Qadiri Rifai Order

shaykhmuhyiddinansariAnsari Qadiri Rifai Sufi Tariqa celebrates the Urs (union of the devotee with his Beloved) of Shaykh Muhyiddin Ansari, who is our Grand Shaykh, and the Shaykh of our Shaykh, Murshid Shaykh Taner Ansari.

Below is a chapter from the book, “What About My Wood?” by Murshid Shaykh Taner Ansari.

Chapter: Shaykh Muhyiddin’s Treasure

For Shaykh Muhyiddin Ansari, it was very important not to break anyone’s heart, as it should be for all Sufis. Sufis should be able to get along with everyone. When Muhyiddin Baba was with children, he acted as a child. When he was with adults, he acted as an adult. He went along with the mentality of the person with whom he happened to be keeping company.

One day, a friend of his invited him to go on a treasure hunt. He thought that since Muhyiddin Baba was a shaykh, he would be able to help find the treasure with his special powers. Shaykh Muhyiddin consented to go and took one of his young dervishes along.

While they were digging here and there, the young dervish thought, “Why is my shaykh looking for treasure?”

The shaykh was able to read the dervish’s thoughts and said, “My Son, I don’t do this to get rich. Come here, son, let me show you something.” He grabbed a handful of earth and said, “Be gold.” The dirt instantly became a handful of gold.

Shaykh Muhyiddin said, “If I want, I can do this. But I will not. I came here only because I didn’t want to break my friend’s heart. If I want, I can turn anything to gold, just like that. But we obey Allah’s decrees. We don’t try to override them. We want to be natural, simple, and to not do anything against the laws of nature.”

Posted in Arts, Events, Interfaith, London

*Rescheduled* First Shoreditch Zikr is 21st of July 2016

Dear all,

We have rescheduled our first Shoreditch Zikr to the 21st of July. Apologies for any inconvenience caused and we hope to see you there.

Here is a re-post of the event details:

We will be starting a new Zikr (Sufi Meditation) group in Shoreditch from the 21st July 2016. Initially the Zikr will run monthly and then hopefully weekly.

Briefly, Zikr is “Remembrance of God” and we do this through chanting the Most Beautiful Names of the Beloved, singing hymns and performing simple sacred movements – all accompanied with frame drumming.

Sufi Zikr (Shoreditch, London):
Thursday 21st July
7:15 PM – 9:00 PM
Kobi Nazrul Centre
30 Hanbury St, E1 6QR, London
(Meetup Link)

This is an open group for spiritual exploration in the widest sense with no prior knowledge required. We welcome everyone who comes in peace regardless of their faith/non-faith background.

zikrpic.jpeg

For this first monthly event (21st July 2016) there will be a short workshop of Sufi chants and movements, and perhaps practising a Sufi song, before starting the zikr ceremony.

We can share tea and something nice to eat at the end. So if we each bring fruit or fresh bread and humous or cheese, what better way to taste the Divine.

Kobi Nazrul Centre is a pleasant walk from Liverpool St station down Brushfield St and Spitalfields market. Aldgate East and Shoreditch Overground are just as near.

Zikr is free to attend, and we suggest a small donation for those who are able (£4) to contribute towards the rent.

Our Zikr at Notting Hill Gate will continue every Monday as usual (Meetup Link) – we hope to see you in Notting Hill and/or in Shoreditch!

Posted in Words of Wisdom

Choosing Allah consciously

Shaykh Taner Ansari

Excerpt from a talk by Shaykh Taner Ansari:

All humans have nafs (ego), brain and a line to God. We have to find the correct way. Allah is Rahman (The Most Merciful) and Rahim (The Most Compassionate), so He helps us find the right course by logic, by contemplating, deduction and induction.

The first thing is this: you have to accept it – there is a God, but it’s not you. Our job is to find our essence through contemplation. Islam is acknowledgment of the fact that there is a God, and don’t try to be God yourself. You have to accept that there are rules and regulations. You have to be in sync with this.

Do we have any will power? Yes, if we didn’t have any will power, Allah wouldn’t have created us. Why? Because Allah wants to be chosen scientifically with our own free will, with no force. If Allah wanted to force (people to believe), everybody would believe.

Making the choice of choosing Allah has to be the beginning of your life. Everything has to be based on this. This is the truth and this is what we have to make peace with. Islam is making peace with Allah’s decrees and Allah’s systems. This is physics. If you think you have power too, show it to me. I am not going to ask you to make a galaxy. I am going to ask you not to eat, and don’t go to the bathroom. If you think you have power, do this.

One of the rules of being a Sufi is that you have to be on the lookout for Allah’s signs. Listen to my advice. Surrender and learn the easy way. My students have to be conscious of what they are doing. Each action has to be willing (voluntary and conscious). I don’t want you to do habitual actions – habitual actions is the killer of all faiths. Mean what you say each time.

Posted in Events, Interfaith, London

Zikr with Special Guest, Shaykh Sadeck Goolamhossen (AQRT Mauritius) – 14 & 21 September 2015

QRT Zikr

We have a special guest from Mauritius, Shaykh Sadeck Goolamhossen, who is a representative (Khalifa) of our Spiritual Head Shaykh Taner Ansari in Mauritius.

He will be present at our Zikr on 14 and 21 September 2015, and as usual, our doors are open to everyone from all backgrounds who comes in peace.

Date: Mondays, 14 & 21 September 2015
Time: 7:30 – 9:30 PM (dinner is served after Zikr so please stay if you can, and enjoy a meal with us)
Venue: 112 Palace Gardens Terrace, Notting Hill, London, W8 4RT

Zikr is free, and we welcome donations to help us with our rent of the venue.

We look forward to seeing you at the Zikr.

Posted in Arts, Interfaith, Words of Wisdom

Interview with the Heads of Qadiri Rifai Ansari Sufi Order – Fundamental concepts of Sufism

In a two-part video interview with the Heads of the Ansari Sufi Order, Shaykh Taner and Shaykha Muzeyyen Ansari, the Heads explain:

  • fundamental concepts of Sufism
  • common misconceptions of Sufism
  • finding Sufism
  • living Sufism
  • the science behind the 99 Names of Allah

Thanks to ITV (a South African local community television broadcasting station) for uploading the interview.