A SUFI ORGANISATION IN BRITAIN
Arkon Daraul
Sufi organisations exist in England, Europe and America as well
as in the East. They are referred to as The People of the Path; and
this passage gives an account of beliefs and practises, as well as an
initiation into Sufism held in a country house in Sussex, England.
People in Britain enter Sufism for a variety of reasons and in a
number of different ways. They seem to be mainly of the middle class.
Their beliefs are that "a certain nobility of mind and purpose resides
within every human being . . . this it is the task of the Sufi teacher to
discover and develop in the individual". The Sufis believe that "if a
person were to take their principles alone or piecemeal and applied
them, this would result in an unbalanced personality. Sufism, they
maintain, must be followed as a training system in its entirety".
There is a supernatural element in Sufism. "Members believe (and
literature abounds with supposed examples of it) that the members of
the higher degrees of initiation are capable of influencing the minds of
men and even events in a totally inexplicable manner".
"Is Sufism a religion; a way of life; something like Yoga—just a
ramp ? It is none of these things, and yet it is a secret cult whose members
believe that it gives them something which they have unconsciously
sought for years. In this respect, at least, it resembles a religion".
Sufis carry out healing processes, and concentration sessions designed
to help further various objectives of the Order. "The disciplines of
the order are six in number; and it depends upon his teacher as to which
one is to be used by which Sufi. First comes traditional ritual worship;
then recitation of the Koran; after that the repetition of certain formulas;
now 'Striving' or effort for a goal; then physical exercises, breath-control
and the like; and finally contemplation on individual themes, then on
complicated ones".
But there seems to be no standard training: "There are many paths
within the Order which the initiate may take; all will depend upon what
his natural bent is: what are his inner capabilities, which will be 'developed'
by the training which he is to receive".
In order to enter Sufism, the candidate must somehow make contact
with a Sufi, probably on some ordinary basis, not, that is to say, because
he specially wants to be a Sufi. He is then prepared and tested (the
latter "for patience, tact, moral probity and sheer endurance")—though
there is no standard procedure for this, either. "One goes by intuition".
In the initiation ceremony, the Circle (Halka—the operative unit)
is convened in a traditional manner. Members have 'functions' corresponding
to a household, or a ruler's court, or a family. Hence the
Groom, the Cupbearer, the Soldier, Emir, the Brother, Nephew, and
so on.
The candidate is brought from the antechamber by his sponsor,
immediately after having been taught an identification gesture. He
removes his shoes and is taken to the Master. His arrival is formally
announced, and he is told that he is welcome. His novitiate and sponsor
are mentioned.
Now he is asked to speak for himself. He advances, bows and
kisses the hand of the Murshid (Director or Master), and, when asked,
recites the Rules for Initiates. Having, after repeating each Rule, sworn
that he will obey them, the newcomer is invested with a terra-cotta
coloured robe, staff and bowl. These latter symbolise uniformity in
outward appearance (the robe); work and authority (the staff); and inner
and bodily nutriment (the bowl). He may now take his place in the
Circle.
Sufi dogma includes:
Mankind has certain capabilities, certain ideas, certain
capacities for experience. These things are all related.
The goal is the Ideal Man, who shall use every aspect
of his experience to be "In the world and yet not Of
the World". These teachings have been passed down
to the elect since the beginning of time.
The Secrecy of Sufism:
"How secret is Sufism? This is something which is very difficult to
answer. In the first place, the Orders require initiation, passwords
and signs. Secondly, some of their esoteric literature is hard to understand,
and has its own technical terminology. Yet on the other hand,
it is a canon of belief that a Sufi does not progress merely by passing
through degrees and initiations; the 'blessing' (baraka, sometimes called
Power) must come upon him. If this is so, and the baraka is passed on
from another Sufi, the conclusion is that there should be no need for
secrecy; because no outsider could experience what the Sufis are undergoing
in their raptures.
The answer to this, given by Sufis themselves, is that atmosphere
plays a part in the cultivation of enlightenment. Strangers are a barrier
and also a superfluity. Sufism is not for an audience. Again, the word
'secret' is used in a special sense. It refers to one or more of the inner
experiences of the mind, and not to the mere possession of formal
knowledge. In this way Sufism differs from those schools of initiation
which used to hold actual secrets, such as those of philosophy or how to
work metals, or even how one could supposedly control spirits".
The Effect of Sufism upon Society:
"On the whole, the effect of Sufism upon society has been creative
and wholesome. Sufis do not suffer from fanaticism, are not connected
with magic (though they are thought to have special, extra-normal powers)
and hold to the principal of honour and effort to an astonishing extent...
the phrase 'the word of a Sufi' is proverbial . . . Attempts have been
made to popularize Sufism in the West in a similar manner to that which
is used with odd cults of personality. But, with the exception of the
schools which have been set up on an experimental basis, this 'Society
Sufism' has never caught on ...
"But the Path of the Sufi is likely to exercise a fascination over
men's minds for many a year yet; and its influence in the West is undoubtedly
increasing".
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