Sufism

Sufism is the essence of the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) teachings. It has existed since the beginning of human history, for its seed lies within every human heart. In each age God has sent Prophets to lead people to knowledge - Mohammad, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha and Jesus (Peace be upon them all) to name just a few. Each prophet has brought humanity a unique instruction to be learned and mastered in order to progress on the inward journey towards God.

Sufism is the cognition of this entity in absolute form, with all its attributes and capabilities. This is the Reality of Religion and the essence of Gods teaching, conveyed through the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him). Sufism has nothing to do with habits and customs and repetitions, nor does it conform to norms and values of societies and countries. Sufism transcends these concepts, as the seeker of God does not follow religion blindly, but searches for the truth within until the desired result is obtained.

It is the path of knowledge – the path to this true Self. Attaining knowledge is humanity’s legacy and right to obtain, however, it must be sought, not just with mere words, but with action. Knowledge of the self is knowledge of God.

Sufism is about ridding ourselves of the attachments and negative attributes we as individuals tend to cling onto. It is about ridding ourselves of the veil of ignorance that drapes our hearts and cognising our true pure identity, and allowing the light of God to shine.

Simply to just ‘be’. In order to ‘be’ one must purify themselves; and not just physical purification, but internal also, build a solid foundation and ensure balance. This means that the boundaries of individuation and limitation are demolished, and the individual as a true open system is in harmony with the whole existence.

MTO Shahmaghsoudi®

The teachings of Islam were passed from the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) to Amir al Momenin (Peace be upon him). The message of Islam has remained intact through an unbroken chain of transmission by the great masters of Maktab Tarighat Oveyssi Shahmaghsoudi® 1.

Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him) said: ‘Amongst my people there is a man who has the ability to save all believers on judgment day.’ The Holy Prophet’s companions enquired ‘who is this man?’ He said: ‘A man of God’. They replied ‘We are all men of God, as he has created each one of us.’ They asked the Prophet “What is his name?” Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him) replied “Oveys”2.

Hazrat Oveys Gharani was born in a village in Yemen. MTO stands for Maktab Tarighat Oveyssi®. This literally translates into ‘The school of the way of Oveys’ 3. Although Oveyss never physically met the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him), he cognised the teachings of Islam through a heart to heart connection with Him, which were confirmed by His Holiness through the sending of His cloak to Hazrat Oveyss by Amir Al Momenin (Peace be upon him) 4.

During that time, there were two significant figures which represented two different paths towards cognition, one was Oveyss Gharani and the other; Salman Farsi, also known as Rouzbeh, son of Khoshnoudan, who was related to King Manuchehr. Oveyss Gharani received the guidance of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) inwardly. He represents the inward path of cognition. He is most well known for saying: ‘Keep thy heart’ 5.

Salman Farsi represents the outward search for Knowledge. He was a Zoroastrian who later converted into Christianity after searching the land for the meaning of life. He later found what he was looking for after he met the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) and became a Muslim. Both cognised the teachings of Islam inwardly, however their paths to cognition were different. They learned and finished inwards and outward cognition with Amir Al Momenin (Peace be upon him).

The path to Sufism was not always open to everyone; however, due to the continuous hard work and effort of Hazrat Shahmaghsoud Sadegh Angha, the 41st Sufi master of this school and our present master, Hazrat Salaheddin Ali Nader Angha, there are now over 60 Khaneghah’s spanning over 5 continents and it is still growing.

During the time of Hazrat Mir Ghotbeddin Mohammad Angha, Religion was brought into our era, and at the time of Hazrat Shahmaghsoud Sadegh Angha, it reached its destination, and Islam became known like never before and MTO now is MTO Shahmaghsoudi®.

Hazrat Salaheddin Ali Nader Angha, Sufism Lecture Series, p.13-14
MTO Shahmaghsoudi, A short review into the life and teachings of Hazrat Oveys Gharani, p.1
Hazrat Salaheddin Ali Nader Angha, Sufism Lecture Series, p.14
MTO Shahmaghsoudi, A short review into the life and teachings of Hazrat Oveys Gharani, p.1-2
Hazrat Salaheddin Ali Nader Angha, Sufism Lecture Series, p.15

The Present Sufi Master

Hazrat Salaheddin Ali Nader Angha, is the 42nd Sufi Master of Maktab Tarighat Oveyssi Shahmaghsoudi®, The School of Islamic Sufism®. Hazrat Salaheddin Ali Nader Angha’s succession dates back 1400 years to the time of The Holy Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him), in which through an unbroken chain of Sufi Masters the knowledge and wisdom of Sufism has been transmitted from the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) to the present Sufi Master, Hazrat Salaheddin Ali Nader Angha.

Hazrat Salaheddin Ali Nader Angha was born on the 30th September 1945, and received tutelage from Hazrat Mir Ghotbeddin Mohammad Angha, the 40th Sufi Master and Hazrat Shahmaghsoud Sadegh Angha, the 41st Sufi Master of the school. On September 4th 1970, Hazrat Salaheddin Ali Nader Angha received the ‘cloak of faghr’ from Hazrat Shahmaghsoud Sadegh Angha and became the 42nd Sufi Master of Maktab Tarighat Oveyssi Shahmaghsoudi®.

Hazrat Salaheddin Ali Nader Angha has been the driving force behind the expansion of Maktab Tarighat Oveyssi Shahmaghsoudi®. It was the wish of Hazrat Shahmaghsoud Sadegh Angha, that the teachings of Sufism have become available to a wider audience. And since Hazrat Salaheddin Ali Nader Angha moved to the United States in 1979, the teachings of Sufism have expanded to individuals worldwide.

Jalaleddin Rumi Balkhi, a famous 13th century Sufi Poet, wrote of Hazrat Salaheddin Ali Nader Angha in his book Divane-Shams Tabrizi:

The most exquisite fragrance of paradises’ garden and of spring,
The love of the beloved, creativity of creation, and enlivener of the soul,
This fragrance from which all this planet becomes intoxicated,
Issued not from the earth, but from the highest heavens,
The stars above question ‘what is this brilliant sun?’
The fish in the sea say, ‘what cataclysmic event is this?’
This shinning sun has illuminated all faces as radiant orbs,
The lustrous moon’s envy is this brilliant sun’s light.
His beauteous face was longingly awaited since Joseph’s time,
What greatness! What goodness! The angels are in awe!
What divine guide is this? Bearer of wine from the fountain of life is he,
The mysterious Mount’s summit and most precious, and Nader Angha is he.
The verse of Ana Fatanah1 went from East to West,
This light of vision is the light of Molana’s soul.
What hides you? Speak the truth, hide not the evident,
The might of God and our king, his warrior is he.
Peace of both spheres, protector of both worlds is he,
Bearer of woes, guardian of tomorrows is he.
This inflamed world now turns, whirling in awe,
God! What Love is this? What grace is this?
What song is this that beckons all hearts?
I tell you then, the jewel of God’s sea is he2.

In the book Ghazaliat, Hazrat Shahmaghsoud Sadegh Angha, the 41st Sufi Master, has written the following about Hazrat Salaheddin Ali Nader Angha:

Absolute, devastating submission of the heart, is it?
Or, the soul’s sweet suscitation, temptation exquisite?
Dark eyes’ drunken gaze –
Or narcissus’ starry bloom: day’s
Glory, or the Beloved’s glance at the night’s summit?
Or, is it abundant, bountiful harvest:
Flowing fields of lily-buds, bed of flowers? Or, beautifully manifest
The Beloved’s attributes, or none
But the serene setting sun?
Or, the elegant symmetry, majestic stature of cypress –
Root through crest?
Is it, perhaps, ‘yas’ – the jasmine rarely refined?
Or, is it ‘elixir’, or ‘fawn’ – earth’s white treasure mined?
Or, the body supreme? The moon’s
Creme? Or, pure silver, festoons?
Or, the nectar from the paragon spring?
Or, the crown jewel enshrined?
Or, may be, the Great Assembly…the legacy of the Last Judgment?
Or, is it the morning bright?
Or, the majestic neck, glass-like transparent?
Or, the light of Mount Sinai,
Earth’s height sky-high?
Or, is it Moses’ hand: guiding, intent, luminescent?
Is it the dear dot mark, the beauty-spot? Or, the spark
Auspicious of the incense’s core in the center of the fire stark
Burning incessantly
In the grand tray, elegantly?
Or, is it tresses of broken waves, or Azra’s locks of dark?
Is it the cup, the wine, the pitcher, the vintage –
Or all of these in one, the Jam-e Jam’s personage?
Ruby wine? Or, rosy lips
Drink – petals of wild tulips?
Or, is it newly brewed drink at the Creation’s early stage?
Is it a jar of sugar, or, really, the mouth carrying
Sweet words? Water of life? Rows of teeth, or set string
Of pearls within oyster
Shells lustrous; or better
Still, the celebrated gems of which the legends sing?
Is it the crescent of the new moon, or the apt curvature
Of the eye-brows? A milky-way cavalry, or eye-lashes’ gesture?
Is it the state of pure bliss,
Or, in reality, is all this
The extreme oblivion of my deep drunkenness,
Of a heavenly nature?
Is it the cleavage of the bosom revealed: a tender glimpse
Of the divine fair ground – or the dawn’s glow,
The gleaming limbs
Of the sunlight in infancy,
Joining the earth and the sky in fancy?
Or, is it the mystery of nimble meaning embedded in dreams?
Each night, from the deep, penetrating, melancholy, desolation,
From the plaintive, forlorn state of my heart – a sublimation
Takes place, and my blood
Makes musk from mere mud;
And then, there is a tearful deluge in my eyes –
Or is it the surging ocean?
It is Molana’s soul, at home
With his words, most spellbinding
When he said: it is the heavenly dome,
Of Nader – ‘Tis Nader Angha of whom I speak3.

(Fat-h;48:1), Holy Quran, Text and Translation and commentary, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Takrike Tarsile Qu’ran Inc., 2002, p.1391
Mowlana Jalaleddin Rumi Balkhi, Divane Shams Tabrizi, Javdidan Publications, Tehran, 1981, p.241
Molana Shah Maghsoud Sadegh Angha, Ghazaliat, 1996, p. 112

Khaneghah

Khaneghah – the House of Worship

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has said, ‘Whoever knows the true self knows God.” The philosopher Plato wrote “Know thyself” about integrity; because “an unexamined life is not worth living.’ The discovery of man’s own identity is fundamental in life, but there must be somewhere and someone to guide him on this journey.

It is stated in the Holy Qur’an (Al-Imran,3:164): ‘God did confer a great favour on the Believers, when He sent among them an Apostle from among themselves, rehearsing unto them the signs of God, sanctifying them, and teaching them the scripture and wisdom, while, before that, they had been in error manifest.’

The reality of the Prophets (Peace be upon them all) and their messages are presented and taught in the School of Islamic Sufism ® – the School of Self-Knowledge1. ‘The school of wise men is the beacon of hope for freedom from the confinement of earthly life and rising toward sublime aims...’2. This necessity for a spiritual teacher (Pir) is clear for saleks (truth seekers) on their spiritual journey and this love and guidance can be found in a Khaneghah.

Khaneghah means “house of present now”. “Khaneh (House) is that moment or that point of stability, which must exist in everyone’s heart and must be proclaimed”2.

The aim of the salek in Khaneghah is to focus on being here now, to constantly ‘be’ in ‘that moment’, in a “state of timelessness, (where saleks) are able to find total stability, to calmly free themselves from earthly and natural bonds”2.

When entering the building, shoes are removed and left at the door representing the salek leaving behind their physical attachments on their spiritual journey. They also wear white clothes, known as lebas-e faghr (clothes of poverty – presentation of nothing but “I”), as a means of purification. It is a shroud of man because all is left is the absolute love of the beloved. This is because white is a symbol of purity. The goal of Sufism is purity through the heart. Have you noticed when you are wearing a white outfit how every small stain is apparent and how difficult it is to hide the stains as they are so clearly visible on white? The heart should be as pure as the white, with no stains and filled with knowledge, peace and tranquillity.

“The khaneghah is the nest for the bird “purity”, it is the rose garden of pleasure and the garden of faithfulness”3.

The inside of M.T.O Shahmaghsoudi® Khaneghahs are beautifully adorned with Islamic artwork, stunning architecture, Islamic calligraphy by the esteemed hand of Hazrat Shah Maghsoud Sadegh Angha, 41st Master of the School of Islamic Sufism®, and MTO Shahmaghsoudi’s ® genealogy. Expansion of the Human Being’s potentialities and capabilities are carefully nurtured in such a school. The purposeful design of each Khaneghah allows the salek to focus their energies and present who they truly are.

Sufism and Wisdom, Molana Salaheddin Ali Nader Angha, p.28
The Grand Opening Ceremony Maktab Tarighat Oveyssi (M.T.O.) Shahmaghsoudi® Khaneghah, p. 3, p.5
Abdul-Majd Majdud Sana’i, Sana’i’abad, line 289