During this period of Covid quarantine, we would like to come together, sequestering with the spirit of our Shaykh, Sidi Muhammad al-Jamal, by reflecting on his writings each week.
Said Bin Yunus will read selections of Sidi’s text, offer commentary & lead a short dhikr to help us connect with the writings & spirit of our guide, the spirit of the Prophet (blessings & peace be upon him) & the Presence of Allah (Exalted is He).
Please feel free to listen to previous recordings below.
Path to Allah: “The Secret” pg 131 – 134 (9/11 – Current)
Last Class (on 2-12-21):
- Class 33: “The Secret” Part 13: [LINK BROKEN] In this session we discuss: the nature of the material world (Mulk); the senses; the time before Adam was created; the intention behind creating Adam; the process of creating Adam’s body; the unique nature of the body of Adam in relationship to all other creations & the Creator.
Previous Classes:
- Class 21: “The Secret” Part 1: In this session we: read the text of “The Secret” from Sidi’s book Path To Allah, Most High on pages 131 -134; discussed why we picked this chapter; took questions related to (a) why study these esoteric chapters, and (b) how Sidi Muhammad’s style of guiding his students in relation to the style of guidance of other shuyukh.
- Class 22: “The Secret” Part 2: In this session we discuss: Divine Singularity (ahadiyya) & Lordship (rabbaniyya) before created things existed; the subtle spiritual ‘centers’ (lata’if); their different names & qualities; and their unified nature.
- Class 23: “The Secret” Part 3: In this session we discuss: the first subtle center known as the secret (sirr); its ontological relationship to Allah; the world of Jabarut; the essence of things, the root of the spirit & created beings; and the experience of this station as described by great Sufi Masters of the past.
- Class 24: “The Secret” Part 4: In this session we discuss: the second subtle center known as the spirit (ruh); its ontological relationship to Allah & the secret (sirr); the world of Dominion/Command (al-Malakut).
- Class 25: “The Secret” Part 5: In this session we discuss: the ruh in relation to the command of Allah & the ‘nafas ar-Rahman’; the relationship of the ‘Divine Spirit’ & personal spirit; the spirit ‘as an image of Life’; and the spirit as the primordial substance (jawhar).
- Class 26: “The Secret” Part 6: In this session we discuss: the place of the intellect; the purpose of the intellect; Sidi’s 3 degrees of the intellect; the intellect’s relationship to the heart, secret & spirit; the nature of ‘the first intellect’.
- Class 27: “The Secret” Part 7: In this session we discuss: the white mind, its nature, purpose & relationship to the first intellect.
- Class 28: “The Secret” Part 8: In this session we discuss: the dark mind, its nature, purpose & relationship to the first intellect & white mind; the relationship of reason to desire & higher spiritual perception.
- Class 29: “The Secret” Part 9: In this session we discuss: a review of the different worlds of Sufi Cosmology; the nature of the world that is perceived by the faculty of the heart (qalb), known as: the World of the Interspace (‘alam al-barzakh), the Imaginal World (‘alam al-khayal) or the World of Similtudes (‘alam al-mithal).
- Class 30: “The Secret” Part 10: In this session we discuss: a the heart (qalb) in relation to the world of the interspace, the imagination & similtudes; in relation to the other subtle faculties (lata’if); as well as the form & functions of the heart (qalb); as well as how imaginal perceptions of the heart either reveal or veil Reality (al-Haqq).
- Class 31: “The Secret” Part 11: In this session we discuss: a review of what we discussed for many newcomers; then we discussed what the Qur’an, Sunnah & teachings of our guide tell about a proper functioning heart; as well as an improperly functioning heart; as well as the relationship of the heart to the Sacred Law (shari’a) & healing; as well as the role of the heart in the ‘path of descent’ from Allah (exalted is He) towards creation & the ‘path of ascent’ from the creation towards Allah (exalted is He).
- Class 32: “The Secret” Part 12: In this session we discuss: the different imaginal faculties & capabilities (quwwa) within the heart in relationship to the physical senses (hiss) & the intellect (‘aql) in the process of raising the consciousness into the unseen dimensions of existence.
To Download/Replay Previous Classes
- Click the chapter heading below
- Click the class link [in blue] below to open up Dropbox
- To Play: click the triangle on the audio bar (lower left) in Dropbox
- To Download: click the download icon (upper right) in Dropbox
Path to Allah: “The Station of Death” pg 189 (5/29 – 9/4)
- Class 10: “The Station of Death” Part 1a & Part 1b: In this session we discuss: the “elephant in the room” i.e. the subject of death; the reasons we avoid this subject; the need open to new perspectives on living & dying; the relevancy of reflecting on death during Covid/quarantine; the spiritual significance of Fridays/Jumu’ah dealing with death; understanding Sidi’s concept of death as central to his other teachings & path.
- Class 11: “The Station of Death” Part 2: In this session we discuss: questions raised by “the enigma of death”; “who seeks it & who objects?”; death through the lens of the secular material world view vs the world view of tawhid (Divine Oneness).
- Class 12: “The Station of Death” Part 3: In this session we discuss: questions raised by “the enigma of death”; “What is it’s beginning & what is it’s end?”; answers according the secular-material world view vs tawhid; ontological levels of life in the cosmos; unique qualities of life in Adam.
- Class 13: “The Station of Death” Part 4: In this session we discuss: questions raised by “the enigma of death”; “What is it’s beginning & what is it’s end?”; looking at the world view of tawhid; the 5 “lives” or stages of development each spirit goes through on the journey from Allah back to Allah; a) the life before conception, b) the life of the material world, c) the life of the grave, d) the life on the Day of Resurrection & e) the life in the Hereafter.
- Class 14: “The Station of Death” Part 5: In this session we discuss: questions raised by “the enigma of death”: “Why was it created & for what purpose?”; life & death as leading to rational proofs of the Existence of Allah; Allah as the only One able to give life or give death; the Divine Names of Allah al-Muhyi, al-Mumit, al-Ba’ith & al-Hayy.
- Class 15: “The Station of Death” Part 6: In this session we discuss: the last questions Sidi asks in paragraph 1; then paragraph 2, selling one’s self through the bay’ah (covenant, promise, sale); jihad (struggle toward self-lessness); & fath (victory, spiritual opening); in relation to death of the body & fana of the spirit.
- Class 16: “The Station of Death” Part 7: In this session we discuss: “Selling one’s self to Allah in return for Paradise” by examining the prophetic descriptions of what life in Paradise entails by reading from A Concise Description of Jannah & Jehannam by Abdul Qadir al-Jilani & The Book of the End by Ibn Kathir.
- Class 17: “The Station of Death” Part 8: In this session we discuss: the 3rd & 4th paragraphs the text; spiritual witnessing in the world before conception, the world of the grave, the world of resurrection & the world of the Hereafter; the 3 degrees of Certainty (yaqin) & witnsessing in this world.
- Class 18: “The Station of Death” Part 9: In this session we discuss: the 2nd & 3rd paragraphs on page 187; that the human being dies according to the inner meaning they gave to their life; & they are resurrected according to how they died; the difference between physical death only vs. physical death after fana’.
- Class 19: “The Station of Death” Part 10: In this session we discuss: the end of page 187 & 188; “the movement of the grave”; the spirit traveling through the heavens with the angels after death; moving through meanings of the events of the dunya; readings Sidi’s books Conversations in the Zawiyya & Fruits from the Tree of Life describing a gnostic’s view of the life of the barzakh.
- Class 20: “The Station of Death” Part 11: In this session we discuss: the end of the chapter; with more supplemental readings from Conversations in the Zawiyya & Fruits from the Tree of Life describing a gnostic’s view of the life of the barzakh; & the importance of “dying before death”.
Path to Allah: “The Station of Patience” (3/28/20 – 5/22/20)
- Class 1: “The Station of Patience” Part 1: In this session we discuss: Divine Friendship (wilaya), station (maqam) vs state (hal); 6 unifying beliefs of all those seeking to be Divine servants, Patience ( sabr) as a Divine Attribuete; having a good opinion of Allah in times of trail.
- Class 2: “The Station of Patience” Part 2: In this session we discuss: a review of 1st class for those not present; patience (sabr) as an act of belief (iman); 3 stages of belief (islam/iman/ihsan).
- Class 3: “The Station of Patience” Part 3: In this session we discuss: the 1st station of patience, i.e. sabr with the shari’ah; & some of the wisdoms of this station.
- Class 4: “The Station of Patience” Part 4: In this session we discuss: the 2nd station of patience, i.e. patience with predestination & some of the wisdoms of this station.
- Class 5: “The Station of Patience” Part 5: In this session we discuss: the 2nd station of patience; reflections from Ibn Ata’illah al-Iskandari to support developing patience & having a good opinion of Allah (azal wa jal) in times of trial.
- Class 6: “The Station of Patience” Part 6: In this session we discuss: 3 stations of spiritual development (islam/iman/ihsan) in relation to 3 stages of developing patience (sabr li-llah, sabr ma’a-llah, sabr ‘ala-llah); the 3rd station of ‘beautiful patience’ & spiritual beauty/excellence (ihsan); & related reflections from Ibn Ata’illah al-Iskandari.
- Class 7: “The Station of Patience” Part 7: In this session we discuss: the 3 Qur’anic terms for the 3 levels of patience: sabr, sabaara, raabita; as well as identifying signs of each level.
- Class 8: “The Station of Patience” Part 8: In this session we discuss: the relationship of sabr/sabaara/raabita to islam/iman/ihsan & the stations of the nafs/heart/spirit; also benchmarks that help us find our place on the path of patience.
- Class 9: “The Station of Patience” Part 9: In this session we discuss: the different degrees of having patience with not having Allah; the degree of the heedless & love of distraction; the degree of annihilation & having no self to have patience; & the degree of subsistence.