Spiritual Letter 01 - Outline & Summary Version About Spiritual Letter 01 Title: "Who Are We, Who Is God, And What Is The Relationship Between Us." Wisdom Point: His Holiness, "In Truth There Is Only One God, One Prayer, One Family, And There Is Really Only One Life, Only One Soul, Which Is The Life of God Within Each of Us, Within All of Creation." Date Written: April, 1989, Date Last Updated: July, 2004 Date Published: July, 2004 Written by: Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) Written to: Rev. George. A. Johnson, Nigeria, Africa Go To: Outline of Spiritual Letter - for Page 12 Go To: Text of Spiritual Letter - for Page 12 Home Page - Spiritual Letters Spiritual Letter 03 Letter 01: Oiginal Version Library Home Page Spiritual Letter 02 Letter 01: Related Material Page 12 of 18 Go To Table of Contents - Spiritual Letter 01 Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim. In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. Al-salam 'alaykum wa-rahmat Allah wa barakatuhu kulluhu. Wa 'alaykum al-salam wa-rahmat Allah wa-barakatuhu kulluhu. May all the peace, the beneficence, and the blessing of God be upon us all. May God help us all. My love you (anbu), my dearest loving brothers and sisters - Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler). Outline of Spiritual Letter - for Page 12 58. The Living Presence of God - versus the "People of The Book" 59. It Is Only In The Purity of The Teaching - that the teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), and of His Children (may God be pleased with each of Us), will be of any value to us, and that value is the liberation of our soul, that value is the end of all that we currently see, hear, say, or do, the end of "us" as "separate from" God, as "separate from" each other, and as "separate from" the Creation of God, on the "outside" of us 60. The True Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship - is the true "House of God", the palace of the soul, the house of wisdom, the house of Qutb Muhaiyaddeen Abdul-Qadir al-Jilani (may God be pleased with Him) within us 61. We Must Realize - that in truth "Man and God are One", that God in Anadi within us, in the time before the beginningly beginning within us, in the time of darkness or lack of understanding within us, is truly man in the world of "separation and differences" that we currently see as existing "outside" of us, and that man in the world is truly God in Anadi, and the life of man in the world only truly moves forward within us, that is, becomes wisdom within us, becomes the Qutb of God within us, divine analytic wisdom within us, the 6th life within us, the liberated soul within us joined with the wisdom surrounding our soul, to do battle with the "enemy of the soul", which is "us" in the state of "separation and differences", in the world that we see as existing "outside" of us, and in this way, becoming the palace of the soul within us, the house of wisdom within us, when God within us, in Anadi within us, asks the question within us, the question, "Who am I", and meditates on the Power of God within us, at the recommendation of the Qutb of God within us, causing the Nur to emerge out of that Power, estabishing the time of Aadi with us, the time of light or understanding within us. Amen. 62. Man Is The History of God, The Story of God Within Us - and the completion of that history of God, that story of God, is God. So God is the completion of man, and man is the completion of God. And as such they are one; the creation of God, man, and God are one, one within the other as one, one revealing the other within it. Like the apple seed, the apple tree, and the sweet taste in the mature apple, are one, one revealing the other within it, and again, within that mature apple, is the apple seed, is again the story of the apple tree within the story of the apple tree. Amen 63. If You Are There, God Is Not There - and if God is there, you are not there, and in this way, there is only one for True Prayer; the prayer of the One to the One who is Text of Spiritual Letter - for Page 12 58. The Living Presence of God - Versus The People of The Book Fifth, you said in your letter, my loving brother, that you wanted to become a member of this ancient Sufi path of ours. This is not an ancient path my loving brother. This is something that has come now, in our own lifetime, from God to our soul and the wisdom that surrounds it. Now there have been things that have come before from God, at earlier times for other people, at the time of Abraham (A.S.), at the time of Moses (A.S.). at the time Jesus (A.S.), and at the time of Muhammad (Sal.). But these things were for other times and for other people. They were not given in our life time. They are not what has come for us. In the Holy Qur'an they speak of the "People of the Book". These are the people who lived at the time when the Prophet Muhammad (Sal.) was in the world, about 1400 years ago, but who rejected what God said at that time of the Prophet Muhammad (Sal.), because they put their faith in what had been written in books about what God said at the time when the Prophet Moses (A.S.) was in the world, about 3000 years ago. These "People of the Book" did not benefit from what God said at the time of the Prophet Muhammad (Sal.) because they did not believe that God would come again and speak to them in their own time. But those who accepted the Living Presence of God, who accepted the Prophet Muhammad (Sal.) as the Physical Presence of God in the world for their time, for their age, and who put down the books that contained what God said for an earlier time, received great benefit from what God said at the time of the Prophet Muhammad (Sal). Like that my loving brother, if we put our faith and trust in what has been written in books about what God said at earlier times to other people, and reject because of this, the Living Presence of God for our own age, reject what God is telling us now for our lives, then we too become the "People Of The Book", we too will not receive any benefit from what God is telling us now, from what God has sent to His Children in this age, from what God is saying at the time of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him). We do not have to rely on what came earlier for the guidance of our life. We only have to find what has come now, within our own life time, and apply that to our life. What has come now is the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him). We have but to pick it up as coming from God for this age, for our life, our wisdom, and our soul and to apply it. There is nothing else that we need for our life my loving brother and there is nothing else that is really appropriate for our life. It is only to the level that one understands and accepts this point that one can receive the benefit of what has come now from God. 59. It Is Only In The Purity of The Teaching - that the teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), and of His Children (may God be pleased with each of Us), will be of any value to us, and that value is the liberation of our soul For as Bawa tells us, "I have put it in your hands but it is up to you to use it. If you put what came earlier into what has came now then it is like putting impure water into pure water, it will be of no value to you." "But if you take what has come now as sufficient for your life, and if you keep it pure, and if you properly apply it, then what has come now will liberate your soul". So said our father Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) to His Children (may God be pleased with each of Us). So said God to the Children of God for this age. So said God to you my loving brother. 60. The True Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship - is the palace of the soul, the house of wisdom, the house of Qutb Muhaiyaddeen Abdul-Qadir al-Jilani (may God be pleased with Him) within us Sixth, in your letter, my loving brother, you said that you would like to become a full fledged member of The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship. This is a good request my loving brother. However, we must first become clear on what is The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship. Is it a building in Philadelphia? Is it the group of people that assemble in that building each day to study wisdom and pray to God? What is The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship? For this child this is best answered by what Bawa said when he opened the "House of God" that we build at The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship a few years ago. The "House of God" is the name Bawa gave to the building that we constructed to conduct congregational prayer and practice and demonstrate our unity and faith in God. Now the world may look at this building and call it an Islamic Mosque. That is Ok. But that was not what Bawa gave us or what he intended for it. Bawa said it was a place where we could come together and demonstrate our unity. Bawa said that all people were welcome to come to this place, not just those who see themselves as Muslims. Like this, when Bawa opened the "House of God" he said, "Now this is an example outside of what you must build inside". So, The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship is what we are personally building within ourselves. If we are building an Islamic Mosque inside ourselves, or a Catholic Church, or a Temple, or any place of worship that separates us from any of our brothers and sisters then we are not building the "House of God" that Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) has built within Himself, because God is not separate from any of His creations. My loving brother, please realize that we are The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, we are the "House of God" that must be built within us by "us" joined in partnership with Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) within us, and by God within HIm, by "us" joined as "One with" the wisdom and truth of God withi us, by God within Bawa within us, and by "us' within Bawa within us, by "us" joined as "One with" the true Shaikh and true Disciple within us, which is God and the Guru of God within us, with "us" as the witness. And this "House of God" within us must be large enough to house all of God's creations within us, and all of God's prophets, and wise men, and angels, and heavenly beings, and lights of God within us. This is the True Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship within us, the True "House of God" within us, my loving brother, nothing else. To build this true Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, this true true "House of God" within our very own heart, is the point of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship on the "outside" of us, the point of the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) both within and on the "outside" of us, and the point of our very own life, the point of all life. May we both know this now, and start to act accordingly. Amen. 61. We Must Realize - that in truth "Man and God are One", that God in Anadi within us, in the time before the beginningly beginning within us, in the time of darkness or lack of understanding within us, is truly man in the world of "separation and differences" that we currently see as existing "outside" of us, and that man in the world is truly God in Anadi My dear loving brother, Bawa teaches us that God was, at one point in His history, meditating in darkness, in the time before the beginningless beginning, in the time Bawa calls anadi, the time of darkness or lack of understanding, and that in this state of ignorance of Himself, God was looking at each thing that He saw, within this darkness, and was asking the question, "Am I this? Am I that? Who am I?". Bawa tells us that at one point within His meditation a brilliant Light appeared from within God and came out of God. And God looked at this Light that had emerged from out of Himself and addressed It. Bawa teaches us that God said to that Light, "Who are you?". And the light replied, "Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim (In the name of God, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate), Oh God, I am of you. You made me occur within You, and You now have made me Manifest before You, and speak these words to You." Then Bawa tells us, that the Light that had emerged from within God started to teach God who He was. The light said to God, "Oh God, do You not realize that all of the lives within You are in the state of praising you". Then God said to the light, "Is this so?". And God looked into it and saw that it was true. Then God dispelled out of Himself the darkness that was within Himself and embraced the Light that had come out of Himself as His own life. Then God said to that Light, "Oh Light, I will call you Noor Muhammad (Sal.) and I will place you within each of my creations so that they may experience what I have just experienced". Bawa teaches us that it is only at this point, when God dispelled the darkness from within Himself and embraced the Light that had come from within Himself, as who He truly was, that He is truly God. Before that, He was the history of God, He was the story of God, the story of God happening, and the completion of that story, the completion of the story of God, is God. 62. Man Is The History of God, The Story of God - and the completion of that history of God, that story of God, is God. So God is the completion of man, and man is the completion of God Like that, Bawa teaches us that Man is the history of God and God is the completion of that history, and God is the history of Man and Man is the completion of that history. In this way, God is the completion of Man, and Man is the completion of God. So who are we? Before we dispel the darkness from within us we are but the history of God. But when the light of wisdom emerges from within us to teach us who we truly are, and when we accept this light of wisdom as who we are, and when we use this light of wisdom to reject the darkness from within us, and when we accept what this light of wisdom teaches us about the truth of who we are, and when we accept the name that this light calls us, the name of Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim, as the duty of who we are, then who are we? Then, and only then, we truly are God, we truly are one with all life. Al-hamdu lillah - all praise and praising belong only to God. Then the history of God has come to completion within us, then the story of God has been told within us, and the completion of that history of God, the completion of that story of God, is God. Such is the true exaltedness of man, my dearest loving brother. So, my loving brother, if our intention is to find and merge with God, our creator, our provider, and our protector, then out of our own life will come that Noor Muhammad (Sal.) and explain to us who we really are. That is the True Shaikh or Teacher for all of us, my dear brother, that is the Guru of God. And for this age, that is our Father, Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), and His Children (may God be pleased with each of Us). Amen. And if we look into this explanation, as God did, if we look at the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), both "outside" and within us, and realize that it is true, as God did, then using that light of wisdom that has emerged out of us to teach us, then using the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), by becoming one with It, we too will dispel the darkness of arrogance, karma, and illusion from within us, and embrace the light that has come out of us to teach us, as our own life, embrace the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with us) as the life of God within us, as the qualities and actions and conduct of God within us, as God did. My loving brother, my brother who has become one with my life, please do not make the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship something that exists only "outside" of your own life. If you do, you will miss the point of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, the point of the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), and of His Children (may God be pleased with each of Us), and the point of your own life. 63. If You Are There, God Is Not There - and if God is there, you are not there, and in this way, there is only one for True Prayer; the prayer of the One to the One who is Also, my loving brother, please view this letter as your own life speaking to you. This is how this child viewed your letter. We are truly one life my loving brother, within the heart of God, within the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), and of His Children (may God be pleased with each of Us). Amen. It is only our belief that we exist separate from God that separates us from God and from each other. May we all realize this without the slightest doubt. For as Bawa teaches us, "What separates you from God is what separates you from each other, and what separates you from each other is what separates you from God". "So if you want to see what is separating you from God look at your brother and sister and see what is separating you from them. That is what is separating you from God. That is what must be removed, by understanding it, if you are every to see God again." Bawa teaches us that if we believe that we exist separate from God, we do not really believe that God exists. It is only when we firmly believe and realize, without any doubt, that we do not exist separate from God, that we and God in some way are really one, that we really believe that God exists. Bawa tells us that, within our own life, either we are there or God is there, that when we are there, God is not there. And it is only when we are not there, that God is there. It is only when we truly realize that we are not alone, that God is there, that God is truly there, alone. When we think that we are alone then God is not there, because we have placed God separate from ourselves, we have become two, and because God is one, He is not there. And because we have become two, we are there. It is only when we realize that "we" and God are in truth One, that we are One, and since God is One, then He alone is there, and when He is there, He is alone, and we as "One with" Him will be within Him. This is the truth my loving brother. May we both reflect on these wisdom points a little. It is very, very important. Amen. This is the truth that has come within our life time, my loving brother, from God to our soul and the wisdom that surrounds it. Please do not turn away from it. Embrace it as your own life, the life within your life, speaking to you. This is who Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) really is. He is the life within your own life, that light life, that life of wisdom, that true slave of God, that life within you who does not exist separate from God, who has come out of your very own life and is telling you who you truly are, who God truly is, and the true relationship between you. If your intention truly is for God and not the world, then you will look into what has been said by God at the time of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him). You will look into what He has said about who you really are, and if you look into it, with that faith, certitude, and determintion to find God, then you will realize that what He has said about who you are, who God is, and your relationship with God, is true. Then you will also reject the darkness from within you, and embrace and become that light life, that life of wisdom, that slave of God, that has emerged from within you and spoke to you. It is so very simple my loving brother. It is all in our hands my loving brother, not God's hand. He has given it all to us. And now the choice is ours, not His. He has already made His choice, and He chose "Oneness with" us. That is why we are alive within Him. Now the choice is ours, to choose either "Oneness with" or "separation from" God, to choose to either be dead within Him for eternity or for for Him to be alive within us for eternity. There is other choice, my dear brother. And "no choice" is a choice, is a choice to continue in our current state of being "dead to the world" and "dead to our desires" until the Angel of Death (peace be upon Him) harvests us, harvests the seeds of darkness and evil from our current life of darkness and evil on the "outside" of us, and spreads them over the fires of hell within us. In this way, the only question is what do we really want, God or the world, because that is what we will most certainly get, an eternal life of either "Oneness with" God, or an eternal life of "separation from" God, and there is no other option, and what we get in the end will be all within the Justice of God. For as Bawa teaches us, "The Justice of God is that whatever we intend is what we will receive." And, "Our own life answers the question, 'What do we want?', because in the end, what we end us with, is what we truly wanted." May we both think about this a little, my dear brother, it is very, very important, and may we both do what Bawa has told us to do, to ensure that what we end up with in the end is God, and not "what God has discarded", that is, "Make God's intention our search." And, "Intend as God intends." Amen, Amen, Ya Rabil Alameen. Amen, Amen, Ya Rahman Alameen. Amen, Amen, Ya Rahim Alameen. Al-hamdu lillah. Allahu Akbar. 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Spiritual Letter 01 - Outline & Summary Version About Spiritual Letter 01 Title: "Who Are We, Who Is God, And What Is The Relationship Between Us." Wisdom Point: His Holiness, "In Truth There Is Only One God, One Prayer, One Family, And There Is Really Only One Life, Only One Soul, Which Is The Life of God Within Each of Us, Within All of Creation." Date Written: April, 1989, Date Last Updated: July, 2004 Date Published: July, 2004 Written by: Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) Written to: Rev. George. A. Johnson, Nigeria, Africa Go To: Outline of Spiritual Letter - for Page 12 Go To: Text of Spiritual Letter - for Page 12 Home Page - Spiritual Letters Spiritual Letter 03 Letter 01: Oiginal Version Library Home Page Spiritual Letter 02 Letter 01: Related Material Page 12 of 18 Go To Table of Contents - Spiritual Letter 01 Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim. In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. Al-salam 'alaykum wa-rahmat Allah wa barakatuhu kulluhu. Wa 'alaykum al-salam wa-rahmat Allah wa-barakatuhu kulluhu. May all the peace, the beneficence, and the blessing of God be upon us all. May God help us all. My love you (anbu), my dearest loving brothers and sisters - Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler). Outline of Spiritual Letter - for Page 12 58. The Living Presence of God - versus the "People of The Book" 59. It Is Only In The Purity of The Teaching - that the teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), and of His Children (may God be pleased with each of Us), will be of any value to us, and that value is the liberation of our soul, that value is the end of all that we currently see, hear, say, or do, the end of "us" as "separate from" God, as "separate from" each other, and as "separate from" the Creation of God, on the "outside" of us 60. The True Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship - is the true "House of God", the palace of the soul, the house of wisdom, the house of Qutb Muhaiyaddeen Abdul-Qadir al-Jilani (may God be pleased with Him) within us 61. We Must Realize - that in truth "Man and God are One", that God in Anadi within us, in the time before the beginningly beginning within us, in the time of darkness or lack of understanding within us, is truly man in the world of "separation and differences" that we currently see as existing "outside" of us, and that man in the world is truly God in Anadi, and the life of man in the world only truly moves forward within us, that is, becomes wisdom within us, becomes the Qutb of God within us, divine analytic wisdom within us, the 6th life within us, the liberated soul within us joined with the wisdom surrounding our soul, to do battle with the "enemy of the soul", which is "us" in the state of "separation and differences", in the world that we see as existing "outside" of us, and in this way, becoming the palace of the soul within us, the house of wisdom within us, when God within us, in Anadi within us, asks the question within us, the question, "Who am I", and meditates on the Power of God within us, at the recommendation of the Qutb of God within us, causing the Nur to emerge out of that Power, estabishing the time of Aadi with us, the time of light or understanding within us. Amen. 62. Man Is The History of God, The Story of God Within Us - and the completion of that history of God, that story of God, is God. So God is the completion of man, and man is the completion of God. And as such they are one; the creation of God, man, and God are one, one within the other as one, one revealing the other within it. Like the apple seed, the apple tree, and the sweet taste in the mature apple, are one, one revealing the other within it, and again, within that mature apple, is the apple seed, is again the story of the apple tree within the story of the apple tree. Amen 63. If You Are There, God Is Not There - and if God is there, you are not there, and in this way, there is only one for True Prayer; the prayer of the One to the One who is Text of Spiritual Letter - for Page 12 58. The Living Presence of God - Versus The People of The Book Fifth, you said in your letter, my loving brother, that you wanted to become a member of this ancient Sufi path of ours. This is not an ancient path my loving brother. This is something that has come now, in our own lifetime, from God to our soul and the wisdom that surrounds it. Now there have been things that have come before from God, at earlier times for other people, at the time of Abraham (A.S.), at the time of Moses (A.S.). at the time Jesus (A.S.), and at the time of Muhammad (Sal.). But these things were for other times and for other people. They were not given in our life time. They are not what has come for us. In the Holy Qur'an they speak of the "People of the Book". These are the people who lived at the time when the Prophet Muhammad (Sal.) was in the world, about 1400 years ago, but who rejected what God said at that time of the Prophet Muhammad (Sal.), because they put their faith in what had been written in books about what God said at the time when the Prophet Moses (A.S.) was in the world, about 3000 years ago. These "People of the Book" did not benefit from what God said at the time of the Prophet Muhammad (Sal.) because they did not believe that God would come again and speak to them in their own time. But those who accepted the Living Presence of God, who accepted the Prophet Muhammad (Sal.) as the Physical Presence of God in the world for their time, for their age, and who put down the books that contained what God said for an earlier time, received great benefit from what God said at the time of the Prophet Muhammad (Sal). Like that my loving brother, if we put our faith and trust in what has been written in books about what God said at earlier times to other people, and reject because of this, the Living Presence of God for our own age, reject what God is telling us now for our lives, then we too become the "People Of The Book", we too will not receive any benefit from what God is telling us now, from what God has sent to His Children in this age, from what God is saying at the time of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him). We do not have to rely on what came earlier for the guidance of our life. We only have to find what has come now, within our own life time, and apply that to our life. What has come now is the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him). We have but to pick it up as coming from God for this age, for our life, our wisdom, and our soul and to apply it. There is nothing else that we need for our life my loving brother and there is nothing else that is really appropriate for our life. It is only to the level that one understands and accepts this point that one can receive the benefit of what has come now from God. 59. It Is Only In The Purity of The Teaching - that the teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), and of His Children (may God be pleased with each of Us), will be of any value to us, and that value is the liberation of our soul For as Bawa tells us, "I have put it in your hands but it is up to you to use it. If you put what came earlier into what has came now then it is like putting impure water into pure water, it will be of no value to you." "But if you take what has come now as sufficient for your life, and if you keep it pure, and if you properly apply it, then what has come now will liberate your soul". So said our father Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) to His Children (may God be pleased with each of Us). So said God to the Children of God for this age. So said God to you my loving brother. 60. The True Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship - is the palace of the soul, the house of wisdom, the house of Qutb Muhaiyaddeen Abdul-Qadir al-Jilani (may God be pleased with Him) within us Sixth, in your letter, my loving brother, you said that you would like to become a full fledged member of The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship. This is a good request my loving brother. However, we must first become clear on what is The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship. Is it a building in Philadelphia? Is it the group of people that assemble in that building each day to study wisdom and pray to God? What is The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship? For this child this is best answered by what Bawa said when he opened the "House of God" that we build at The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship a few years ago. The "House of God" is the name Bawa gave to the building that we constructed to conduct congregational prayer and practice and demonstrate our unity and faith in God. Now the world may look at this building and call it an Islamic Mosque. That is Ok. But that was not what Bawa gave us or what he intended for it. Bawa said it was a place where we could come together and demonstrate our unity. Bawa said that all people were welcome to come to this place, not just those who see themselves as Muslims. Like this, when Bawa opened the "House of God" he said, "Now this is an example outside of what you must build inside". So, The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship is what we are personally building within ourselves. If we are building an Islamic Mosque inside ourselves, or a Catholic Church, or a Temple, or any place of worship that separates us from any of our brothers and sisters then we are not building the "House of God" that Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) has built within Himself, because God is not separate from any of His creations. My loving brother, please realize that we are The Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, we are the "House of God" that must be built within us by "us" joined in partnership with Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) within us, and by God within HIm, by "us" joined as "One with" the wisdom and truth of God withi us, by God within Bawa within us, and by "us' within Bawa within us, by "us" joined as "One with" the true Shaikh and true Disciple within us, which is God and the Guru of God within us, with "us" as the witness. And this "House of God" within us must be large enough to house all of God's creations within us, and all of God's prophets, and wise men, and angels, and heavenly beings, and lights of God within us. This is the True Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship within us, the True "House of God" within us, my loving brother, nothing else. To build this true Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, this true true "House of God" within our very own heart, is the point of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship on the "outside" of us, the point of the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) both within and on the "outside" of us, and the point of our very own life, the point of all life. May we both know this now, and start to act accordingly. Amen. 61. We Must Realize - that in truth "Man and God are One", that God in Anadi within us, in the time before the beginningly beginning within us, in the time of darkness or lack of understanding within us, is truly man in the world of "separation and differences" that we currently see as existing "outside" of us, and that man in the world is truly God in Anadi My dear loving brother, Bawa teaches us that God was, at one point in His history, meditating in darkness, in the time before the beginningless beginning, in the time Bawa calls anadi, the time of darkness or lack of understanding, and that in this state of ignorance of Himself, God was looking at each thing that He saw, within this darkness, and was asking the question, "Am I this? Am I that? Who am I?". Bawa tells us that at one point within His meditation a brilliant Light appeared from within God and came out of God. And God looked at this Light that had emerged from out of Himself and addressed It. Bawa teaches us that God said to that Light, "Who are you?". And the light replied, "Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim (In the name of God, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate), Oh God, I am of you. You made me occur within You, and You now have made me Manifest before You, and speak these words to You." Then Bawa tells us, that the Light that had emerged from within God started to teach God who He was. The light said to God, "Oh God, do You not realize that all of the lives within You are in the state of praising you". Then God said to the light, "Is this so?". And God looked into it and saw that it was true. Then God dispelled out of Himself the darkness that was within Himself and embraced the Light that had come out of Himself as His own life. Then God said to that Light, "Oh Light, I will call you Noor Muhammad (Sal.) and I will place you within each of my creations so that they may experience what I have just experienced". Bawa teaches us that it is only at this point, when God dispelled the darkness from within Himself and embraced the Light that had come from within Himself, as who He truly was, that He is truly God. Before that, He was the history of God, He was the story of God, the story of God happening, and the completion of that story, the completion of the story of God, is God. 62. Man Is The History of God, The Story of God - and the completion of that history of God, that story of God, is God. So God is the completion of man, and man is the completion of God Like that, Bawa teaches us that Man is the history of God and God is the completion of that history, and God is the history of Man and Man is the completion of that history. In this way, God is the completion of Man, and Man is the completion of God. So who are we? Before we dispel the darkness from within us we are but the history of God. But when the light of wisdom emerges from within us to teach us who we truly are, and when we accept this light of wisdom as who we are, and when we use this light of wisdom to reject the darkness from within us, and when we accept what this light of wisdom teaches us about the truth of who we are, and when we accept the name that this light calls us, the name of Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim, as the duty of who we are, then who are we? Then, and only then, we truly are God, we truly are one with all life. Al-hamdu lillah - all praise and praising belong only to God. Then the history of God has come to completion within us, then the story of God has been told within us, and the completion of that history of God, the completion of that story of God, is God. Such is the true exaltedness of man, my dearest loving brother. So, my loving brother, if our intention is to find and merge with God, our creator, our provider, and our protector, then out of our own life will come that Noor Muhammad (Sal.) and explain to us who we really are. That is the True Shaikh or Teacher for all of us, my dear brother, that is the Guru of God. And for this age, that is our Father, Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), and His Children (may God be pleased with each of Us). Amen. And if we look into this explanation, as God did, if we look at the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), both "outside" and within us, and realize that it is true, as God did, then using that light of wisdom that has emerged out of us to teach us, then using the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), by becoming one with It, we too will dispel the darkness of arrogance, karma, and illusion from within us, and embrace the light that has come out of us to teach us, as our own life, embrace the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with us) as the life of God within us, as the qualities and actions and conduct of God within us, as God did. My loving brother, my brother who has become one with my life, please do not make the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship something that exists only "outside" of your own life. If you do, you will miss the point of the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, the point of the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), and of His Children (may God be pleased with each of Us), and the point of your own life. 63. If You Are There, God Is Not There - and if God is there, you are not there, and in this way, there is only one for True Prayer; the prayer of the One to the One who is Also, my loving brother, please view this letter as your own life speaking to you. This is how this child viewed your letter. We are truly one life my loving brother, within the heart of God, within the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), and of His Children (may God be pleased with each of Us). Amen. It is only our belief that we exist separate from God that separates us from God and from each other. May we all realize this without the slightest doubt. For as Bawa teaches us, "What separates you from God is what separates you from each other, and what separates you from each other is what separates you from God". "So if you want to see what is separating you from God look at your brother and sister and see what is separating you from them. That is what is separating you from God. That is what must be removed, by understanding it, if you are every to see God again." Bawa teaches us that if we believe that we exist separate from God, we do not really believe that God exists. It is only when we firmly believe and realize, without any doubt, that we do not exist separate from God, that we and God in some way are really one, that we really believe that God exists. Bawa tells us that, within our own life, either we are there or God is there, that when we are there, God is not there. And it is only when we are not there, that God is there. It is only when we truly realize that we are not alone, that God is there, that God is truly there, alone. When we think that we are alone then God is not there, because we have placed God separate from ourselves, we have become two, and because God is one, He is not there. And because we have become two, we are there. It is only when we realize that "we" and God are in truth One, that we are One, and since God is One, then He alone is there, and when He is there, He is alone, and we as "One with" Him will be within Him. This is the truth my loving brother. May we both reflect on these wisdom points a little. It is very, very important. Amen. This is the truth that has come within our life time, my loving brother, from God to our soul and the wisdom that surrounds it. Please do not turn away from it. Embrace it as your own life, the life within your life, speaking to you. This is who Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) really is. He is the life within your own life, that light life, that life of wisdom, that true slave of God, that life within you who does not exist separate from God, who has come out of your very own life and is telling you who you truly are, who God truly is, and the true relationship between you. If your intention truly is for God and not the world, then you will look into what has been said by God at the time of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him). You will look into what He has said about who you really are, and if you look into it, with that faith, certitude, and determintion to find God, then you will realize that what He has said about who you are, who God is, and your relationship with God, is true. Then you will also reject the darkness from within you, and embrace and become that light life, that life of wisdom, that slave of God, that has emerged from within you and spoke to you. It is so very simple my loving brother. It is all in our hands my loving brother, not God's hand. He has given it all to us. And now the choice is ours, not His. He has already made His choice, and He chose "Oneness with" us. That is why we are alive within Him. Now the choice is ours, to choose either "Oneness with" or "separation from" God, to choose to either be dead within Him for eternity or for for Him to be alive within us for eternity. There is other choice, my dear brother. And "no choice" is a choice, is a choice to continue in our current state of being "dead to the world" and "dead to our desires" until the Angel of Death (peace be upon Him) harvests us, harvests the seeds of darkness and evil from our current life of darkness and evil on the "outside" of us, and spreads them over the fires of hell within us. In this way, the only question is what do we really want, God or the world, because that is what we will most certainly get, an eternal life of either "Oneness with" God, or an eternal life of "separation from" God, and there is no other option, and what we get in the end will be all within the Justice of God. For as Bawa teaches us, "The Justice of God is that whatever we intend is what we will receive." And, "Our own life answers the question, 'What do we want?', because in the end, what we end us with, is what we truly wanted." May we both think about this a little, my dear brother, it is very, very important, and may we both do what Bawa has told us to do, to ensure that what we end up with in the end is God, and not "what God has discarded", that is, "Make God's intention our search." And, "Intend as God intends." Amen, Amen, Ya Rabil Alameen. Amen, Amen, Ya Rahman Alameen. Amen, Amen, Ya Rahim Alameen. Al-hamdu lillah. Allahu Akbar. 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