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The Balancing act.

            The Sufi Way is a way by which people can become ever more alert and active. It is not a way by which one becomes lazy, waiting around all day for the help of others or for them to bring one all that one may need or desire.   No, our way is not a way that encourages sloth.    Adherents to the Sufi Way are ordered by both Islamic law and the principles of the Sufi Path not to be a burden on people, but to pull their own weight, and beyond that, to extend what ever aid they can to others who may be in real need of it.

Don’t be a burden.   Islam and all real religious teachings reject the notion that a man should load the burden of their material upkeep upon another if it is at all possible to support themselves. Religion never allows people to live the life of parasites, to be like flies under the tail of the cow, in its eyes nose and ears, buzzing around and flourishing at the expense of the unwilling ‘host’. 

Allah Almighty orders us in the Holy Qur’an:

“move on the earth’s shoulders.”  LXV11  15

This means that we should move to take our portion of what the Earth produces.  That order applies to everyone who is able to move.

           In the sufi way the Sheikh does not leave his followers to be idle. He directs them to engage in a suitable occupation. Previously there were Tekkias, places where dervishes lived full-time while training; but you would never find a  murid (aspirant) sitting around or slouching about – no. – They all had duties to perform Not just eating  - they  were serving food, tending gardens,– then eating; and after eating washing the dishes and cleaning up the Tekkia.  This they would do faithfully according to the Sheikh’s command, even if their only job was to cut onions all day.  In this way all the people were kept busy, except for some old people who rested and engaged in worship while the young people worked and served them.  That is the way it should be.

            A serious misunderstanding of these matters seems to have arisen among some Westerners, particularly in some who have embraced Islam and then entered sufi orders.  The tendency is to leave everything and sit saying ‘we have renounced this world;”  but this world is not going to renounce you!  It is not going to leave you be! No matter how much you say that you have left it, it is not going to leave you – it will bother you time and again with hunger, thirst, sexuality, the desire for comfortable living etc.  Therefore you must make concession to your material needs and desires satisfying them lawfully and without infringing the rights of others.  

            But it is also true that a dervish,  a follower of sufism is not going to live in this world like most people do, seeking every possible means to enjoy bodily pleasures.   No;  a dervish must be an ascetic, fleeing from the materialistic life, because when a person takes more from this life than is necessary he takes also a greater share from its troubles.  Therefore a sufi must be satisfied with a humble life style, and must not spend excessive time and effort running after un-necessary possessions.

         What he must seek is an honourable and suitable mean for supporting himself and his family on a simple and basic yet adequate level.  A simple life gives rest to a person but a complicated life creates trouble and more trouble.  Excessive indulgence is a cause of Divine displeasure.  Islam orders us live simple lives, following the footsteps of all the Prophets. 

 If you live a simple life it should not be necessary for you to be a burden on anyone. –Grandsheikh engaged everyone who came to him in an occupation so that they would be made to bear responsibility.  If a man doesn’t work he won’t feel any sense of his responsibility for himself.  It is the duty of every religion to make people aware that they are responsible for themselves and accountable for their actions.  How can a person who isn’t even conscious of their responsibilities in this life begin to understand that they are also responsible for preparing for their eternal life?