The interview

Dear Gail:

For a few minutes I’d like to dwell upon the Sufis, a sect about which I’ve often spoken. Among the orders are the Dawish order, the oldest of which works closely with the Moslem religion. The Qadiri Order is one of the most tolerant and progressive orders. This order is distinguished for its philanthropy, piety, humility, and aversion to fanaticism. The Rifaiya Order, noted for its fanatical outlook and extreme practices of mortification of the flesh, including such traumatizing exercises as glass-eating, fire-walking and playing with serpents. The Bedawiya or Ahmadiya Order is a rustic order noted for its rituals around the tomb of its leader in Egypt. The Almohads comprise an order devoted to the conversion of the pagan to Islam. The Shadhiliya Order believes in observing extravagant rituals and rites. The Isawiya Order is famous for its sword-slashing ritual. The Derqawa Order is an astute and orthodox group. The Yeseviya Order has been influential in the advancement of woman in the Far East. The Mevleviya Order is noted for its whirling dervishes. In addition to the aforementioned, there are dozens of other orders—some extend down to the unorganized wandering mendicants or fakirs.

Upon doing some research, you realize that the Moslem religion is the world’s largest religion and this makes you wonder where it is? Every eastern country is loaded with the followers of the Moslem religion. The Sufis have served as the Jesuits of the Moslem faith and have carried their religion to every country including Africa, and every nation including America. Like most faiths Islam has branched out and broken

into many different sects. For example, it has been split like Christianity—into two great sections, the Shi’ites and the Mu’tazilites. The Shi’ites are the followers of the orthodox teachings, whereas the Mu’tazilites are the free thinkers.

(Hence, the two great sections—Catholics and Protestants—

also, the two major groups in Buddhism.) Their struggle has been as bloody as that between the two major groups of Christianity.

I won’t attempt to go into their difference nor dwell on Islam since you can easily select good books in the library on the subject. This is intended to acquaint you with the ideas in religion that may still be new to you, at this time. Sooner or later you will start hearing the name Baha’ullah batted around, for instance. There is, incidentally, a chapter in this town. It is an offshoot of the Shi’ite group, started by a Persian who was a member of the Shi’ite philosophical school in 1850. He preached a combination of liberal religious doctrines with gnostic elements.

His disciple Baha’ullah developed the original doctrine into a universal religion of pacifism and humanitarianism, and gave the name to the present world-wide group. This group makes the claim that it will take over all the religions of the world someday. It has a large number of intellectuals in its ranks.

The reason I’ve spent this much time on the subject is:

The Sufis and Moslems have been the finest writers in the religious and philosophical field. Their works far outshine those of the Christian writers. I’m not saying they are right or wrong, but they certainly were closer to God, and far better writers than those in the rest of the world. The greatest of all mystics, al-Hallai, offered himself as a sacrificial victim for the sins of men and spoke in a language so full of Christian overtones you cannot tell the difference.

The Moslem mind is utterly incapable of understanding a God who is expressed in terms of the Trinity and cannot bring themselves to believe He was crucified in the flesh.

They have never completely accepted the fundamental tenets of western logic; to them an inquiry into the nature of virtue and goodness is meaningless, since all virtue and goodness comes from God. The greatest thinkers in Islam have been freebooters and raiders of the spirit who have not taken easily to established laws, even the laws of their religion. They have moved like lightning to gain everything; they have adopted the spirit of knowing all or giving up the game. In this way you find that they have made war on heaven to gain all knowledge, or nothing! They do not believe Jesus was God, but the prophet who came to announce God’s existence, and later Mohammed appeared to confirm the word of Jesus.

Robert Payne tells an interesting story in his book, The Holy Sword. He witnessed a ritual put on by the Isawiya Order (which holds a lesson for you), the famed sword slashing sect of Sufis. In this particular event a number of the order’s members went into trance and slashed themselves, and one another with swords for several hours. He saw one drive a sword four inches into his stomach, between his ribs, into his chest. They hacked, stabbed, drove spikes and knitting needles through tongues, necks, cheeks, and body but came to no harm. There was practically no blood, except for a tiny trickle, yet terrible strength was used in driving the swords into each other. But the point is: The leader told him this: “You have to say the name of God over and over again.

Then everything is possible!” The next day these men were working at their jobs. They joked about their performance and nothing showed other than a few small wounds. There is nothing in this exhibition to add to the glory of God, but it proves one thing, that if a man has faith, or knowledge in his

God nothing is impossible.

It took a long time to get to this point, but this refers to the sixth principle discussed in my last letter. The repeating of the name of God, verse, or such will build up that protection. That is what the leader of this group said, “You have to say the name of God over and over again. Then everything is possible!” See the point I’m belaboring! And another one: only an Arab philosopher would dare to say that man comes closest to God in the embrace of a woman.

What I’ve said here is a clue to my thinking—an insight into my philosophy of thought! My thinking comes closer to that of the Sufis than to other philosophies. The western man’s burden of guilt is unknown to them—it never bothers me. I am not bothered by a vast series of unresolved theological problems, and do not consider myself a willing servant of an ideal which few can ever hope to approach. My heroes have been different from those of most people and my God has certainly been One in whose direction no others have thought to look. The points being made are progressing in fairly logical stair-steps, however my nature is not the same. I rush into areas of spiritual enlightenment, overstep my bounds, and sometimes have to retreat because I’m left in darkness, in unmapped territory, since I’m certainly without patience. This is one reason that I make war on the Social God, or public God, of the orthodox.

More later.

Sincerely, Paul

22. Tuza Travel