Sufi Reverberations: A Podcast by Anab Whitehouse

A Commentary concerning the events of October 7, 2023.

This episode explores some basic considerations concerning the nature of the Sufi path. Included is a discussion involving the Names of Divinity as well as an account of spiritual abuse at the hands of an alleged Sufi shaykh.

This podcast provides a brief overview of various ways of engaging the notions of: States, stations, and stages in conjunction with the mystical journey or suluk to which the mystical dimension of Islam gives expression. The Sufi path is neither linear nor static, but entails a nuanced and diverse dynamic which gives expression to a complex interaction involving: (1) the capacity or fitra of a seeker; (2) the nature of the practices observed (as well as the quality through which those practices are pursued); (3) the nature of the nisbath or spiritual chemistry between the seeker and the Sought that takes place through the locus of manifestation that is referred to as a spiritual guide or shaykh who has been assigned various degrees of oversight on the authority of the Prophetic tradition, and (4) the barakah or spiritual blessings that are conferred on a given individual as God wishes.

After an extended break to recover from some of the contingencies of life, a ensemble of six pieces of floetry (poetry accompanied by music) have been assembled which address or touch upon various themes of relevance to the Sufi mystical path.

Episode 13 of the Sufi Reverberations Podcast offers some critical reflections concerning the issue of shari'ah. It is based on materials from the book: "Shari'ah: A Muslim's Declaration of Independence, 2nd Edition.

If one were to characterize scientific methodology, one might indicate that it consists of the following sorts of procedures or protocols: (1) empirical observation; (2) the use of instrumentation; (3) recursive methodology; (4) objectivity; (5) a community of expertise; (6) experimental replication, and (7) reliable prediction. My contention is that authentic mysticism gives expression to all of the aforementioned aspects of scientific methodology, and the following discussion seeks to provide something of an overview that lends support to the foregoing contention concerning the scientific nature of mysticism when this existential orientation is properly pursued, and I will use the Sufi path as a specific case study. 

Describes nine stages of love from a Sufi perspective by providing brief characterizations of: (1) compatibility, (2) inclination, (3) fellowship, (4) passion, (5) friendship, (6) exclusive friendship, (7) ardent affection, (8) enslavement, and (9) bewilderment.

An overview is provided concerning different kinds of knowledge -- both secular and spiritual. During the course of this overview a number of anecdotes are related, and, as well,  several Hadiths and an ayat of the Qur'an are also provided.

Two short Hadiths (sayings) of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) are briefly explored and connected.

My memory of an account concerning a Sufi shaykh that had been related by my spiritual guide.

A brief overview concerning a lens through which to engage the notions of witnessing and visions.

What is the literal meaning of:  "Mary had a little lamb"?

Three brief accounts that help give expression to the nature of the Sufi Path.

A brief description of eight kinds of people are given.

A statement of intentions concerning the future of the Sufi Reverberations Podcast.

A hadith qudsi is given -- and, then, elaborated upon -- that provides an overview of the nature of the Sufi path.

Once again, I intend to leap into the mysterious complex of dimensionalities through which we all are manifested and, in the process, travel in a different direction from earlier podcasts, both recent as well as those past episodes that are more distant in time. Moreover, unlike previous podcasts, the offerings that – moving forward – are, God willing, to be presented here should be quite brief – a sort of minimalist motif in which less could serve as more. However, despite, their brevity, such offerings hopefully, insha’ Alla, might provide much food for thought. I am not a shaykh or teacher, nor am I am inviting you – a prospective listener -- to join anything. Moreover, I am not trying to sell you anything or request your e-mail for some sort of backdoor interaction later on.I am someone who, for much of my life, has been seeking to discover the nature of my relationship with Being or Reality. In this regard, for a period of some 15-16 years, I had the good fortune of spending a considerable amount of time in the company of a Sufi saint of the 20th century, but, as well, for a period of 8 years, or so, following the aforementioned camaraderie with an authentic spiritual guide, I, subsequently, also travelled through the valley of illusory shadows that were cast by a second individual who was a spiritual charlatan, and, so, as a result, I got to experience some of the challenges of spirituality from several perspectives, and, in the process, I have come to realize that God teaches not only through difficulty and ease, but through all the experiences of one’s life, irrespective of whether such experiences conform with one’s likes and dislikes.The orientation of each podcast will be to share some idea or small set of ideas with others who might have an interest in what is said here. These thoughts will often – but not always -- originate from sources other than me. My intention is merely to let those thoughts fall where they may … hoping that such auditory reverberations will induce the listener (or listeners) to critically and spiritually resonate with what is being said in constructive ways within her, his, or their lives. Most of the podcast entries will be devoid of explanations or elaborations and, instead, will focus on just giving expression to a certain kind of perspective.The world these days is replete will all manner of destructive emotions, concepts, inclinations, and behaviors. So, an idea that, like a shooting star, was passing through my awareness on a given occasion suggested the notion of conducting a counterinsurgency of spiritual possibilities that gave expression to different facets of the Sufi mystical tradition … facets that I believe have the potential for a constructive impact on one’s life irrespective of one’s spiritual orientation. I have no expectations about how any of this will unfold. Maybe, it will end up as the sound of one hand clapping, and all I will have to do is try to figure out whether it is the left hand or the right hand that is causing a commotion.The frequency of the episodes being alluded to here is also likely to be a little uncertain for the foreseeable future. Presumably, as a friend of God is reported to have said: “the wind bloweth where it listeth.”

Although, for the most part, the Sufi Reverberations Podcast is not currently releasing any new episodes -- although there some occasional, relatively sporadic postings made through that portal -- this special message has been posted in order to inform you that Anab Whitehouse has joined together with Masake Kane from Senegal to collaborate on a new podcast entitled: Hearts Across the Waters. You can find the first several episodes of the new podcast at: https://www.heartsacrossthewaters.com. In addition, other information concerning the podcast can also be found on that webpage. Or, if you like, you can go directly to the podcast's Buzzsprout page which can be found at: https://heartsacrossthewaters.buzzsprout.com , or add the following RSS designation to whatever device you use to download podcasts: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1922348.rss Thank you for listening, and I hope you will engage the new Hearts Across the Waters podcast.

Although I have covered and explored in some detail the extended arguments surrounding the issue of a constitutional standing for people that is entirely independent of both federal and state institutions of governance through other video documentaries that appear on this channel page of DrAnab, I realize that many people might only view or listen to small segments of those longer documentaries and, therefore, actually fail to grasp what is at the heart of those longer videos and, as a result, move on prematurely before engaging the revolutionary points that are being established through those videos. So, I have decided to try to significantly reduce the temporal framework through which those overarching issues can be clearly and succinctly stated. More specifically, for more than 320 years, there has been an unresolved, dynamic problem present in the Constitution that has never – and I do mean never – been heard, addressed, or properly engaged. 

Relatively recently, Alan Dershowitz, an American criminal and constitutional lawyer, has claimed that government has a right to forcibly vaccinate individuals in order to protect the health of the public in general. I do not believe that his claim is tenable, and while elucidating what I consider to be the errors in his way of thinking will take a bit of time to delineate, nonetheless, I believe the exercise will be worth the time and effort that are required to concentrate and reflect on the ideas that follow. Let’s begin with a counterclaim to Mr. Dershowitz assertions concerning forcible, mandated inoculations, and let’s use this as a starting point through which to explore a variety of issues from the perspective which is inherent in such a counterclaim. More specifically, consider the following thesis: The unspecified, retained rights of the Ninth Amendment and the unspecified, reserved powers of the Tenth Amendment are independent of the jurisdiction of both the federal government as well as the state governments. Therefore, the executive, legislative, and/or the judicial branches of federal and state governments do not have any constitutional standing or authority with respect to identifying, designating, defining, or making rulings concerning the conceptual structure and/or content that might be entailed by either the retained rights or reserved powers of the Ninth and Tenth Amendments respectively. Another way of stating the foregoing thesis is the following. Anyone (whether government official, lawyer, judge, media personality, senator, representative, corporate official, or academic) who tries to claim that the Constitution recognizes only the rights, powers, and sovereignty of federal or state authorities, and, thereby, allegedly establishes that individuals do not have retained rights and reserved powers under the Ninth and Tenth Amendments that give expression to a separate, independent venue of rights, powers and sovereignty which is not subject to the authority of either the federal or state governments is engaging, knowingly or unknowingly, in a process of seeking to gaslight whomever they are addressing. Now, let’s take a look at a Constitutional provision that complements what already has been said. More specifically, the provisions of Article IV, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution: “… guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government” … that is, a form of governance is being guaranteed which must abide by the principles of republicanism (a moral philosophy that came to prominence during the Enlightenment and influenced the formation of the Constitution) that require government officials to be individuals who are: Impartial, disinterested in personal gain, unbiased, selfless, objective, fair, honorable, given to reason, compassionate, inclined toward self-sacrifice, committed to the idea of liberty, as well as require individuals in government to act with integrity, independence, egalitarianism, and who are opposed to the idea of serving as judges in their own causes.