Quran Surah 2:19 (As used by Al-Khidr)

The Prophet Al-Khidr (pbuh) instructed his Sufi disciples (particularly those members associated in what we today call the Rose Crescent) on how to use Surah 2:19 to defeat mischiefmakers and other enemies. Now, before we reveal this, let us warn that this is extremely dangerous for anyone to try who is not proficient in the Islamic martial-magical arts (or the "Lesser Jihad" as it was taught by the Prophet - bhup - to be practiced). Unless it is performed properly, and most importantly, with the right intention (namely, to further the path of peace), the thought form that is released into the ether could boomerang back onto the invoker.

The following ceremony and invocation may be used to defeat the actions of the mischiefmaker, destroying them in the ethereal realm before they manifest on earth.

Step One - Preparation

First, begin by lighting a candle on your alter.
Second, carefully perform ablutions
Third, hold an image of the person(s) in your mind
- know that they were once an innocent child
- know that Allah longs for them to return to the light
- know that it is not the individual, but the act, that must be stopped
- know that you too commit trespasses against the Kingdom of Light

Step Two - Reflection

Consider if there isn’t some other non-violent means to dissuade the individual from committing his/her actions.

Reflect on the bigger picture. Could it be that the Spirit is using this person’s actions, however evil it may seem, for some greater good? Consider the consequences your invocation will have on the earthly plane.

Step Three – The Invocation

(1) As you kneel in front of the alter, gazing upon the candle, imagine a strong white light encircling you.
(2) Call upon Al-Khdir to join you in spirit as you bind and dissolve the evil actions
(3) Stand and take up your sword
(4) Draw a circle around yourself with your sword
(5) Call upon the archangels Gabriel and Michael to aid you as you approach the Throne
(6) Imagine the Throne of Allah
(7) Allow the Light to fill you
(8) Call upon Allah
(9) Hold an image of the individual(s) and the evil actions in your mind (seeing them from the perspective of the heavens – a “bird’s eyes view”)
(10) Recite Surah 2:19 in its invocative form as taught by Al-Khidr

Bismallah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim

“I draw upon the Spirit of the rain-laden cloud
I draw upon the power of the darkness within
Thunder and lightning issues from it towards you
Pressing your fingers in your ears
NOW you feel the stunning thunder clap
NOW you feel the terror of death!

Bismallah - your power is broken!
Bismallah - your evil is undone!

Know – God is ever encompassing, ever forgiving, ever merciful

So mote it be if, and only if, it serve the purposes of the Light!

Then, take your “magical” sword in hand and strike at the mental image of shafts of darkness that issue from the individual(s).

To learn more about the Quran as interpreted by the Rose Crescent, click here.

Quran Surah 2:17

Quran Surah 2: 17:

"Their similitude is that of a man,
Who kindled a fire.
When it illuminated all around him,
God took away their light
And left them in utter darkness
So they could not see."

In this passage (Surah 2:17) the Holy Recital continues the discussion of the Mischiefmakers. The point is that those who may have had an understanding of the Light are in danger of losing it if they follow the path of "mischief," leaving themselves in utter alienation from God.

Quran 2:18

"Deaf, dumb and blind,
They will not return to the path of Light, Love and Peace."

This should be a strong warning to all Muslims and Sufis, Jews and Christians, and anyone else on the path. If we stray from the Path and engage in mischief we will be cut off from the Kingdom.

Thus, those Muslims who engage in terrorism under the banner of Holy Jihad, or those Christians and Jews who practice colonialism and imperialism, or those mischiefmakers who engage in global exploitation and environmental degradation under any banner (e.g. capitalism) are warned.

Protests Force Israel to Halt Airstrikes

Q: We’ve recently received reports that individual civilians have surrounded several buildings, and have defiantly taken up positions on several rooftops, in Gaza to prevent Israeli air strikes – ("protests force Israel to halt airstrikes")...

A: …what we, of course, view as State sponsored terrorism.

Q: What is the Rose Crescent’s position on Palestinians acting as human shields to protect homes?

A: First, let me say that our hearts go out to our Muslim brothers and sisters in the Gaza Strip. As you know, we do have a number of Rose Crescent members in Palestine who are working amongst the people to promote non-violence resistance.

We hope that this coming together as human shields will be the first act towards an awakening of consciousness in the Palestinian people towards the power of what Gandhi called Satyagraha.

Q: Do you think the strategy of humans shielding homes will work?

A: Work to dissuade the Israelis, you mean? Only if this kernel follows Gandhi’s path and the Palestinian people take the moral high road. But to do so they’ll have to give up decades of the ingrained “Kalashnikov mentality.”

Q: That won’t be easy.

A: No, it won’t.

Q: Some of them have even taken their AKs up onto the rooftop with them.

A: What the Palestinian people need to realize, and both the entire Arab world and the Israelis for that matter, is that they won’t be safe until the Israelis feel safe.

Muslims need to realize that we are dealing with a people who have been so deeply scarred by the Holocaust that they react to Arabs as if they are fighting Nazis. For many of them, they are still in the Warsaw Ghetto. To fight the Palestinians is to do battle with the Gestapo.

We need to transform the Israeli psychology. But if all the Palestinians do is shield militants, who then carry out more bombings, than the entire human shield will be as pathetic as the Second Infitadah has become.

Q: So what do you propose?

A: What we propose is that peace in the Middle East must begin by healing the trauma of the “Shoa.” As Muslims and Sufis, it is our obligation to assist our Jewish brothers and sisters towards that goal. By pursuing non-violence we can rescue them from reality – which is that they are in grave danger of becoming the very monster they have been flailing against.

Q: How is that connected to our understanding of the “divine plan”?

A: We are all awaiting the return of the same Messiah. We know that. This is not a Messiah for one religion, race, and nation only. When the Messiah (the Mahdi) comes, he or she will be for the entire earth, uniting all peoples, tribes and religions in peace.

Our failing, as Muslims, is simple, and for that Palestinians are paying the consequences.

Q: What do you mean?

A: When the Holocaust happened, it was our duty to open our hearts to the Jewish people and welcome them into the abode of peace. We did this after the Inquisition. And Jews and Muslims lived, for the most part, in a dynamic symbiosis. We can all benefit from each other in terms of learning, trade, medicine, etc.

Q: Do you think that God is punishing us for not having welcomed the Jews?

A: Of course, it is impossible to say. Our understanding, though, is that Allah is love.

Let's go back to history, Muslims at the time were dealing with their own problems, namely, centuries of European colonialism. Jewish immigration, coupled with the Zionist agenda, prevented more than just a handful of us from seeing what our duty was. This has been our failing. This has been our tragedy.

Q: So, by taking the path of Satyagraha, you think the Palestinian people will benefit?

A: Both in this life and in the life to come.

Q: But what if the Israelis don't respond?

A: How can they not? If they wanted to destroy every Palestinian in Gaza they could easily do it. They have the weapons. They could drop chemical, or even nuclear, weapons and kill every man, woman and child in less than 48 hours. There are only three things preventing that from happening: First, the will of Allah; second, the Jewish people's beliefs about themselves (their calling as the chosen people); and third, international outcry. The Nazis would have had no problems exterminating the Palestinians.

Q: So what your saying is that, essentially, Palestinian resistance, the lone bomber and the few militants with a rifle, depends on Israeli mercy.

A: The Palestinian armed resistance is both pathetic and useless. The only way to "win" is for everyone to win. The only way to be safe is for everyone to be safe. The Jews can't do this. They're too stuck in the past. This really depends on the Palestinian people.

Q: Let's pray they gain the insight and wisdom.

Wife beating in Islam

Q: In a recent talk you stated that Surah 4:34 doesn’t support the beating, even if lightly, of women.

A: That’s right.

Q: Unfortunately, wife beating is wide spread in the Islamic world, and 4:34 is often used to justify it.

A: Yes. This is a matter that brings shame on the entire ummah. Our viewpoint is that the Recital from Allah speaks to us at the level we are at. Those who are in spiritual hell will mistakenly believe that the Qur’an justifies spousal abuse and other sorts of violence.

Q: I’ve always found it interesting that the Taliban, and other Wahhabis, are so concerned to follow the Prophet (PBUH) in the way they cut their beards, fast, pray, reject alcohol, but mistreat women –

A: Something the Prophet never did. In order to unpack the entire aggression against women in Islam we have to locate it in its proper historical-cultural unfolding, namely: (a) the lingering pre-Islamic violation of women; (b) an attempt to insert a mental image of a male patriarchal god onto Islam (an act of shirk) – instead of accepting the new revelation of God as Light; and (c) misunderstood struggle against polytheism, where the most prominent gods were female; and finally, (d) the struggle for power and control of the new religion between the male companions and family of the Prophet (PBUH) and the female companions and family (particularly Fatima and Aisha), wherein the males won the battle. All of that is complicated, but we do plan on working through those issues for our readers.

Q: Let’s go back to Surah 4:34.

A: I think what is often missed is that the verse begins by stating that men are the protectors of women. For someone in hell this is read as power over, as control. But the verse was actually intended to speak to the hearts of Arab men who had no problems beating, controlling, trading and even killing women. The verse reaches down into hell and tells men to rethink their role with women. Instead of privileging men as owners, it obligates men to protect women against other predatory men. To protect means to risk one’s own life, welfare, wealth, etc.

Q: But are men and women really equal?

A: Notice that later on in the passage, when divorce is looming, an equal number of arbiters from both sides are called in. I seriously doubt that would be the case if men were privileged over women.

Q: What else can you tell us about the passage?

A: Only that the reader of the Qur’an must always do two things: place it in its historical context; and attempt to view it from various spiritual stations.

For more information on the Rose Crescent, click here.