| Subject: January 2003 Report |
Author:
Giovanna
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Date Posted: 04:56:42 01/03/03 Fri
In reply to:
Giovanna
's message, "Interfaith Encounter Association Report" on 23:06:48 11/23/02 Sat
forwarded message
***********************************************************After a relatively long break, the interfaith group for Sufi studies
renewed its activity on Thursday 2 January 2003. The session was led by
Sheikh Ghassan Manasra who brought the story and teachings of the Sufi
teacher Shihab A-din Suwahardi of the 13th century. Suwahardi, named
after his village in the Iranian mountains - an area that its beauty gave
inspiration to many Sufi poets and philosophers, was traveling from one
place to another, seeking the truth everywhere. He was one of the first to
integrate the Greek philosophy into Sufism. At that time, as it is today,
there was tension between the Sharia people and the Sufis. While the
Sharia people were focusing on the text of the Koran and Hadith, the Sufis
emphasized that the text has many levels - including secrets planted in it
by God for people who are worthy of finding them. The Sharia people
accused Suwahardi that he was a follower of Plato and Aristotle. In the
debate they had he managed to convince them in all their points but
one. Due to that one point the issue was brought in front of Salah A-din
who, despite his tendency to Sufism, did not want to loose the support of
the Sharia people who were many more in number, and sentenced Suwahardi to
death. But he allowed him to choose the way of his execution and Suwahardi
chose to be left in a house with no food and died of hunger in the age of
38. In his way of dieing he manifested his teaching that when a human
learns to live in the spirit - he stops feeling with his five physical
senses and starts feeling with his soul. This is the path to true
life. The way to reach that stage is through solitude, when the detachment
from everything else allows reconnecting with the self, and through
fasting. On the immediate level the fast frees the person from the
heaviness caused by eating. But more than a lesson to the body it is a
lesson to the soul, that learns not to allow into the heart and mind
anything and anyone but God.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Interfaith Encounter Association
P.O.Box 3814, Jerusalem 91037, Israel
Phone: +972-2-6510520
Fax: +972-2-6510557
Website: www.interfaith-encounter.org
Yehuda Stolov, Director
E-mail: msyuda@mscc.huji.ac.il
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