Sister Rabi'ah and her mystical experience in Chile

We'd like to take this time to introduce the community to Sister Rabi'ah.

Q: Tell us about yourself and your walk in life.

Sister Rabi'ah: First, all praise and thanks goes to Allah, the All Compassionate and Merciful. Thank you for interviewing me. Well, as you know I'm originally from Iraq. I grew up in a large family just outside of Basra. My father was a very devout man who read Qur'an with us everyday, prayed five times a day, and avoided everything that is forbidden. I was betrothed when the war broke out and my husband to be, may he be granted a high level in paradise, was killed during the invasion.

Q: So what happened to you?

Sister Rabi'ah: It's a long story. My brother and I decided to leave Iraq. We paid a fee and were smuggled into Syria. From there we went to Lebanon. We have some family in Canada so we were able to get permission to immigrate. It took several years, though. And we still don't have work visas.

Q: And how did you hear about the Rose Sufi Crescent?

Sister Rabi'ah: I went to a khanqah in Beirut. It is a gathering place of sufi, Christian and Druze who want to worship together. As you know, they meet on the first new moon of every quarter. Several sisters there introduced us to working with the rose and the crescent.

Q: And what happened after you went to Canada?

Sister Rabi'ah: I came into contact with a Rose Crescent ambassador in Toronto who told me about the work of Peace Pilgrim. I started reading her thoughts and learning about her ideas. I was really fascinated by this great woman. So then I decided to go somewhere I had never been before. I told my family about my dreams. I felt I needed to do what something like -though of course not so great - as what Peace Pilgrim had done. I flew to Santiago, Chile and then went by bus down further south. Now my plan is to walk to the tip where you can see the Antarctica.

Q: Did you say walk?

Sister Rabi'ah: Yes. That is what Peace Pilgrim did. She walked across the United States teaching people about non-violence. I'm doing the same. I've been learning Spanish. And I've met so many wonderful people who have taken me for the night. They offer me food and a place to stay.

Q: Isn't that an odd thing for an Iraqi woman to be doing?

Sister Rabi'ah: Of course it is. If my cousins saw me going about now with just a backpack and no male to protect me they would be shocked. But I'm protected by Allah. I place myself in the Light and Trust that the Cosmos will provide me with the safety I need.

Q: Do you ever plan on going back to Iraq?

Sister Rabi'ah: God willing. If it is in Allah's plans I will return to Iraq and help spread the message of Peace and non-violence.

Q: And what about Peace Pilgrim?

Sister Rabi'ah: There was one night I want to tell you about. I was walking and it was getting really late. I didn't have anywhere to stay and it didn't look like I was going to find a place that night. So I just kept walking down this dirt road. As I was walking I was meditating on the rose and the crescent. My breath and gate had fallen in step for quite so time and with my inner eye I was looking at the moon as it waxed, transformed into a beautiful red rose, and then waned. Suddenly I felt her walking next to me. I could see her out of the periphery of my vision. The stars just started getting so bright. I felt her love surrounding me. I saw her hand reach out and touch my shoulder. The next thing I knew I woke up in a barn covered with straw and there were cows around me. So I did my prayers, got up and got back on the road. Somehow I had been transported about 20 miles further down the road. Later I learned that the area I would have gone into was notorious for gangs and that several women had disappeared there.

Q: So somehow Peace Pilgrim had transported you to safety beyond that place on the road?

Sister Rabi'ah: By Allah. It is the most miraculous thing that has happened to me. But I felt her love and care for me. It was so strong. And through her I felt the love of Fatimah, Aisha and Khadija. When I woke up I saw, just for a split second, the three of them before me.

Q: Is that the first experience you have had with the Three Holy Swans of Allah?

Sister Rabi'ah: I was introduced to them first in Lebanon through some of the sisters there and then also in Toronto. But that was the first mystical experience I've had of them.

Q: May you have many more as our faith is taken to the next step when we embrace the Divine and holy Feminine. Thank you so much for allowing us to share your testimony. May you always be in the Light. May your path be blessed.

Sister Rabi'ah: Thank you. May Allah be with you and with all of the members of the Rose Crescent.

Q: May the fragrance of the rose carry your soul onto the divine realms; may the rays of the moon cause illuminate your body and cause your very cells to dance and whirl in praise of Allah.

Sister Rabi'ah: So mote it be!

Q: So mote it be

Spiritual Unity and the Cave of Treasures

Q: In our previous post, we discussed the issue of the unity of the world's religions. Doesn't this seem counter-intuitive considering that Islam claims to be the True Religion?

Habib Ullah: The Qur'an never claims that Islam is the only path to God. Instead, God has sent out revelations to all people everywhere. No people, not even islanders in the Pacific, have not been reached and blessed by the Revelation.

Q: Are you saying that this is because Christian and Muslim missionaries have spread the Book?

Habib Ullah: No, no, no. Often times what missionaries bring with them is counter to the Message of the Book. What we are saying is that even Paleolithic Man had received divine messages from the Light. Ancient Shamans traveled into the Divine realms where they contacted Jinn, angels, and the Message itself. Artists connected with Being. One need only view ancient cave art to understand this. The Book is actually written on our hearts. We need only journey inwards to find the Revelation.

Q: The verse we discussed in our last post tells us that we, who think we have the Truth, may actually have just the one coin of silver whereas the "pagan" may have the abundance of gold.

Habib Ullah: Precisely. Unfortunately, in Orthodox Islamic circles this ayat is given very little thought. To connect with this verse:

Sit quietly

Stop the chatter in your brain (or at least don't latch onto it)

Tune into your breath

Try to reduce your breath to six breaths per minute

Now -

Imagine you are in a cave (just as the Prophet entered many times)

In the cave there is a torch blazing

Shadows dance upon the walls

Not far from where you are sitting the floor opens into a deeper cavern

Listen

Below you hear water

Listen

Feel the Depth

Allow it to bubble up towards you

Know that from within this Depth the Revelations given unto all Humans everywhere has sprung

Sit quiet

Breath

Allow It to Speak to You if It wishes

Qur'an Surah III: 75-76 Argument for Religious Unity

Whereas in the New Testament Jesus tells his disciples to go forth and preach (Mathew 24:15), setting in motion an entire millennium of missions (and all the atrocities that followed in the wake of the Church's attempt to conquer with the cross and sword), the Qur'an presents a corrective note. There is no reason to convert others to your faith. True exoteric Islam is not one of dogma, but one of deeds.

In popular Christianity one cannot be saved unless one converts. Thus, millions and millions of heathen are condemned, despite that "God is Love," to eternal hell fire.

The Qur'an tells us:

"Among the People of the Book are some who, if entrusted with a hoard of gold, will quickly pay it back while others, given only a single silver coin will hoard it unless you stand over them and demand repayment. They will say, 'There is no duty for us to faith with the ignorant.' But they tell a lie against the Light."

The verse begins with an allegory similar to Jesus' story of the steward. However, the text quickly makes sure that we, the hearers, know that this concerns the question of religious unity. Is there a duty on us to practice faith together?

When we perform good deeds we repay that which has been entrusted to us. But we cannot do this only within our own religious traditions. We must do it united with all Peoples of the Book. Verse 75 is a call for all people of all faiths to practice their faith together. In case there is any doubt about the meaning, verse 76 tells us:

"Nay - Those that keep their plighted faith and perform meritorious deeds - verily, Allah loves those who act aright."

By "plighted faith" the Qur'an points us back to our perspective of the Other. We believe the Other's faith is plighted. We believe we are right and their beliefs are wrong. In the moment the dark spot in our heart wishes to condemn the "ignorant" and demand that he or she converts, the Qur'an turns it back onto us. Perhaps we are the one with the silver coin refusing to repay Allah for we have lost sight of our calling to act aright, performing charity, taking care of the poor, being good stewards of the earth.

Let us put conversion and missions behind us. Let us serve the poor and the suffering without thought of converting them. Let us practice faith together. Let us repay the silver and gold we have been given as one.