SHAYKH NUR AL-JERRAHI / LEX HIXON
Leap of the Dervish excerpted from Atom from the Sun of Knowledge
Leap of the Dervish
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Leap of the Dervish excerpted from Atom from the Sun of Knowledge
SHAYKH NUR AL-JERRAHI LEX HIXON NEW YORK
s
PIR PRESS
s
2012
Leap of the Dervish This poem was composed in Spanish and brought as an offering of love by its author on his first visit to Mexico City, where he had been directed through the dreams of dervishes to establish Sufism on Mexican soil and within the fertile heart of the Spanish speaking world. The absence of much grammatical structure in this poem reflects the fact that its author did not speak a word of the language when he composed it, relying simply on vocabulary lists compiled from a Spanish-English dictionary. The surprising results of this linguistic and spiritual experiment still enchant hearts at the Mesquita Maria de la Luz in Mexico City.
Leap of the Dervish Invitation to the Path of Love
Allah does not place upon any soul a burden beyond its capacity. —Holy Quran 2.286 Repeat without ceasing the name of Allah and celebrate His praises night and day. —Holy Quran 3.36 The dervish is a fertile field cultivated by Divine Power. Advancing step by step through seven stations of wisdom along the way both arduous and joyful, making every sacrifice, the dervish completes this steep path, this royal road. The leap of the dervish is the radiant storm of love filled with exultation. This heart becomes exposed to the splendor of Divine Light. Each breath becomes an offering. The dervish is a mystic bride promised to the Supreme Beloved Who abides deep within all hearts. This leap is the wonderful wedding of the soul with Divine Tenderness, Who surpasses all imagination. The eternal spouses, lover and Beloved, now enter the Paradise of Unity. This is the astonishing matrimony
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between our human reality and the Source of the Universe, mystically consummated on earth. The dervish is a holy sacrifice who trembles in every cell, in every pore of the skin— a sacred offering to Divine Love, melting irresistibly into pure Presence. The dervish is also ordinary, frank, truthful, affectionate— above all, a person of hope, a living sign of the eternal love shared by Divinity and humanity. This heart always remains secluded within Allah, the most beautiful retreat. To be in continuous prayer surrounded by essential silence is the soul’s natural way of breathing. The dervish chooses to abide neither in convent nor in cell but in joyful companionship, friendship with humanity. Conscious creatures are invited guests of the Beloved, called together by love, drinking from the spring of love in Paradise and on earth. The dervish leaps into the depths of the heart, plunging deeper and deeper into the stormy ocean of love.
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Apprentice of mystic love along this arcane way, the dervish polishes the mirror and gazes into Essence. The dervish heart becomes a blazing fire of love, spreading light and warmth throughout creation. This companion on the path is a person of passionate intensity and profound peace, one whose very existence has become a sacred vow, a response to the Divine Call, an act of total responsibility. Before this leap, weeping and repentance are necessary. Tears of separation and longing are the ultimate thirst for Reality. The supplicant prostrates with grand and sublime desire until the rain of rapture arrives— the inundation of Divine Grace that creates maturity, mastery, and insight. At last the dervish leaps into completion, rises as the full moon of understanding, and abides in plenitude, the culmination of the way. This heart is the universal message of continuous mutual affection. In love with Divinity and humanity equally, the dervish loves and only loves, reaching the apex of love, sensing the vertigo of love.
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The final dervish vision verifies true humanity as unanimity. Human beings are already unified by Allah within Allah. The dervish practices peace and clemency, gifted by the All-Merciful One, with uprightness and knowledge of unity. Adept, well versed, filled with pristine energy, the dervish heart is a crystal, the dervish breath a prayer. Surrounded continuously by pure souls and angelic beings, the dervish lover clearly receives Divine Promises and Warnings. Friend and helper of Allah, this eternal disciple of Truth is accomplished in healing— interpreter of dreams and omens, midwife, spiritual guide. Liberated from every yoke, this lover penetrates the nucleus. The dervish mantle is prophecy, the sole dervish task to be eyewitness of Divine Light. Intimate of Allah, consumed by love, this heart exists only as a sublime order from Reality. As the dervish leaps across the threshold, Paradise becomes an earthly adventure, not an encounter beyond the tomb. This leap of the dervish unifies heaven and earth, confirming the convergence
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of the soul with its Source, the sunray with the sun, the reflection with the original. Allah is the Light of heaven and earth. There is no other illumination. This person of profound courtesy, long-suffering and full of mercy, possesses the master key of ecstasy, pouring forth profuse blessings from the precious lineage of the most beloved Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, pearls of the universe, clairvoyant and committed, great waves in the ocean of love. Precisely like these prophetic ancestors, the dervish is faithful, trustworthy, fervent, and blessed. Both in Paradise and upon earth, Allah offers the dervish soul the Divine Welcome, the garland of love, and the final felicity. The eyes of this heart are now open. Nothing is obscure; all is unveiled. The eternal festival of love is manifest, perceived, and known without doubt or illusion. Here, Divine Sustenance flows for all creatures. Made valiant by Divine Power, this heart opens fully to the touch of Divine Light. Passionate and untiring in aspiration and commitment, this person of open spirit,
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gifted with spiritual senses, becomes whole and real. Never depressed or apathetic, this heart remains united with its Supreme Beloved. The secret hiding place of the dervish is within Allah Most High. Moment by moment, this lover chooses Divine Splendor, eyes flooded with radiance. Lost in the Beyond, the dervish spins like a top that melodiously hums, You! You! You! Inebriated, swaying with ecstasy, submerged in the surge of love, this lover is transmuted by Divine Alchemy. Mundane concerns disappear. The dervish whirls magnificently in the Divine Whirlwind. Such is true spiritual courage, the leap of the dervish, this celestial pilgrim transplanted onto earth, who remains devoted, reserved, modest, and harmonious. Without inquisitiveness or negation, the dervish celebrates Divine Necessity. Never rebellious, forever festive, this lover lives everywhere by living Divine Life alone— loving the whole creation, including every daily event, by perceiving all as the Mercy of Allah.
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The dervish manifests each instant as the lightning flash of Truth. Absorbed and transported, the dervish cries out, True! True! True! and therefore truly exists. This is the timeless pilgrimage toward Allah within Allah. Never exotic, the dervish embraces the ordinary. Never self-absorbed, the dervish heart lives for others. The sole sensation of this lover is the certainty of the Divine Will. This leap is human life perfectly submitted to Allah, lived freely in the wilderness, rooted in mystical soil, flowering in the Divine Heart. This leap is the spiritual royalty of every human soul— the final realization, the purpose of humanity. Moving beyond personal will, escaping from the labyrinth, there remains no superfluous movement in the dervish dance offered only to Allah. This ceaseless contemplative vigil brings the beautiful Divine Names alive in every cell of the dervish, the crucible for future humanity. Completely in love with Divine Love, the dervish heart becomes simplified. Perceiving everyone affectionately, this heart is integral, affable, sympathetic,
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patient with Divine Patience. Shining like a dove of light, this heart is a golden scripture, a ray from the sun of wisdom that neither rises nor sets. Never absent from the Presence of Allah, never forgetful of Divine Omnipotence, never distant from humanity, the dervish is a healing gaze, a living word from Allah— sacrificial altar, secret arc, sacred plowshare, key to the mysterious code of love. This guardian at the gate of love venerates love and burns with love. Pregnant with love and by love, wandering ecstatically through love, this heart resounds eternally with the music of love. With intense solidarity, the dervish prays for humanity. Spontaneous, liberal, generous, and daring, this godparent of all living beings is their spiritual liberator— archer of love, ardent fire of love, adamantine pledge of love. This lover senses intimately the bond that unites creatures with their unique Creator, racing along the direct way that joins all hearts. This lover recognizes instantly the unbreakable link between travelers on the path.
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Struck by the lightning bolt of love, executed and obliterated by love, the dervish lives continuously in the tremendous earthquake of love. Allah is in desperate search of the rare dervish heart. By this Divine Quest alone the soul is fused with infinite light in the mystery of Divine Solitude. Divinity resplends within this heart without future or past. This is the ablution of radiance. The very foundation of the soul now melts and flows. The worker bee is transformed into the queen bee in the hive of Original Unity. The fragrant honey is the tenderness of the Beloved— amorous words, mystical caress. The body of the dervish now functions with the facility of pure Divine Love. Flesh transforms into spirit. This soul now sees creation as facets of a whirling diamond. There is no more dream, no more dreamer. Nothing is low or finite. There is only Divine Revelation and the rapture of the soul. The dervish transmits Truth without egocentric bias, without any mask, never mumbling instinctively, me! me! me! 9
Poised in equanimity, this soul is neither apprehensive nor possessive, perceiving life and death as synonymous, perceiving all existence as Allah. The dervish assists society egolessly, offering the supreme assistance of love. This surprising leap of the dervish occurs in a supernatural moment like a spiritual somersault. This mystic leap is an immense merit, a cascade of luminosity, a magnificent favor from Allah. Springing forth directly from the primordial Source— firm, strong, humorous, grateful, free from superstition and supposition— the dervish is a living synthesis of every religion of humanity. This heart is a vine from the garden of Paradise that flows with spiritual sap. This heart is the freshness of the vast arbors and radiant shade of Paradise. The dervish is the interpretation of the dream of existence. This lover communes ceaselessly with ineffable Divine Delight in the secret palace of solitary Essence. Always vigorous and active, this eternal friend of the Supreme Friend soothes, clarifies, and enlivens all hearts. The dervish is the authentic healer of the principle human malady, the wound of forgetfulness. 10
The dervish is a shooting star in the firmament of love. This heart is the focus of revelation, the sacred meeting place between humanity and Divinity. Never desperate, always serene, balanced, impartial, just, the dervish is a clear mirror reflecting only the Divine Knower. This divinizing dervish leap is the miracle of every moment, every breath, every heartbeat. There is no longer linear time. The dervish is the child of the moment that transcends past, future, and present. This astonishing instant, living, luminous, spacious, is the mysterious temporality that amorously embraces eternity. Here in the moment forever ceases the tyranny of worlds and egos. Here love alone reigns over the region of Divine Rest. Mourning, anguish, and bitterness disappear. This royal realm is right here, already englobing creation— sweet its flavor, exalted its pleasure. The dervish enters and is absorbed in the perpetual springtime of love, without obstructions or obscurations. This is the advent of Oneness, the flight into Aloneness. Benevolent and benign, fraternal and global, this heart of obedience and serenity, love’s own work of art, 11
falls in love with love. Guiding the ship of love for beloved sisters and brothers, the dervish is a dolphin dancing in the ocean of love, a red feather twirling in the tempest of love. Reality is a prism, generating in the void a great rainbow composed of religions and visions, opinions and propositions. By permission of the All-Merciful, the dervish remains within the prism, within primordial and perpetual light. Here the Most High teaches ceaselessly and the dervish listens continuously. This supreme station, this step beyond mystic union, is the banquet of love, the meeting with Benevolence free from the danger of self-deception. This is playful seriousness, sober drunkenness. This is the ultimate luxury— Divine Simplicity. The heart intoxicated by Divine Beauty now tastes unsurpassable ecstasy, interlacing, harmonizing, and attuning with Allah the Beloved. Taking refuge in Truth alone, this heart is the triumph of love, the treasure and throne of love. Through this energetic heart flows the sap of conscious union, which becomes sweetness 12
and consolation for all creation. Body becomes a live coal of love, bloodstream the ecstasy of Divine Unity, breaths a string of pearls, a brilliant rosary of praise. The plenitude of dervishhood is simply to be Truth. This way is a maternal mystery, the dervish a child of Divine Light who lives in holy infancy, a beatitude free from vacillation. This is the resurrection of love in a new body composed of love. Worshiping in the universal temple, illumined by timeless dawn, embracing all with unitive knowledge, the Supreme Beloved alone exists. Divine Life alone lives through and as the dervish. This vertiginous leap of initiation and transformation is now complete. Comprehending deeply, beautifully equilibrated, communing with human and Divine, always tender and communicative, the dervish attains fullness. This heart is the flight of a sacred arrow. The dervish heart becomes sanctuary for universal prayer, guardian of humanity, aromatic rose, celestial flute, psalm, staff, balm, and nourishment for souls.
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The dervish lover now gives life freely: serving, encouraging, curing, caring, offering, sharing, running, daring, dancing, sanctifying, sacrificing, feeling, adoring, gazing, resting, and waking early. The realized dervish soul greets all beings with the sublime Peace of Allah. These salutations, utterly sweet, can resurrect dead hearts. This lover is the mystic dawn of the full moon of wonder. Soul stripped naked of veils, the mundane masquerade is over. Beginning and end have vanished. Allah reveals overwhelming Light, and the soul turns transparent. Allah ordains every event simply by proclaiming Be! and it comes to be. The dervish becomes this Divine Word, this mysterious thunder: Be! Be! Be!
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