Thursday, November 09, 2006

Work chatting

Manager: mohamed
Mohamed: yes
Manager: i saw ur mail
Mohamed: what do u think?
Manager: i know sherif ...ya3ni keda men be3eed le be3eed
Manager: the rest i don't know
Mohamed: any input?
Manager: he was on assignments to region (dubai ...
Manager: all the feedback I hear about him is good
Mohamed: gets things done?
Manager: hmmm .. don't know
Mohamed: 7ayban
Manager: no one really told me any story about him
Manager: i started reading a bit preface of the book while on a boring conf call
Mohamed: interesting?
Manager: i have never read deeply in sufism before .. just read the concepts ..actually from my studies in the islamic ma3had
Mohamed: but do they stereotype them in the ma3had?
Manager: interesting ... bas mawdou3 darwish we dreams we 7agat deh ... mesh 3arfa
Manager: will read till the end then tell you my opinion
Mohamed: yeah..
Manager: well, it depends on the professor of the subject
Manager: some professors were anti sufism in general
Manager: so they would comment in somewhat negative way
Mohamed: yeah
Manager: some were pro sufism ..so they would say .. we have to look for the real sufism
Manager: since there is distorted one
Mohamed: right.. this is true
Manager: actually .. the danger in this .. is that the distorted one might get you in martaba or marateb elsherk
Manager: so ..some just skip it altogther to avoid the danger
Mohamed: right.. but they're missing alot
Manager: when ppl believe so much in sheikh or listen to him more than they should
Manager: or think that he is capable of doing things and forgetting that Allah is the one doing everything ...the rest is all means
Manager: I agree that they are missing a lot
Mohamed: this is the role of the sheikh.. to make sure his picture is not distorted.. he's only a teacher
Manager: bas .. u know .. when ppl praise someone a lot ..they corrupt him
Mohamed: well.. that's why he's a sheikh.. he shouldn't get corrupted
Manager: and sometimes ..the sheikh is good and pure in intentions ..then he dies
Manager: and his followers make wrong things on his behalf
Mohamed: that's a different story.. we're humans
Mohamed: and avoiding spirituality alltogether it doesn't help
Manager: so ... basically ... the danger is your opening the door for a lot of misconceptions and delusions
Manager: I agree ..
Mohamed: yeah.. but closing the doors is never the right way
Manager: sure ...
Manager: the thing is: one of the beauties of islam is that you relationship w/ Allah is direct
Manager: when you invest effort to get close to him ..he opens doors for you to get closer
Mohamed: someone said once.. its direct from him to us.. but not necessarily so from us to him
Manager: i don't think I fully agree with this
Mohamed: look at him as a guide.. a spiritual guide
Manager: who ..the sheikh ?
Mohamed: we seek teacher and guidance in the little things in life..
Mohamed: how about the really hard stuff to realize.. your soul?
Manager: i understand this .. all I am saying is you have to be alert ..since he is human ..he can make mistakes ..and not everything he says is to be taken for granted
Mohamed: sure
Mohamed: ofcourse
Manager: ok ..then we agree
Manager: I don't mind the guidance by a sheikh
Manager: I would mind the guidane of one sheikh ... and following him like he knows it all and he will take me where I wnat to go
Mohamed: it doesn't have to be like that
Manager: ok .. asl this is a hot topic between me & my brother on one side and my father on another side
Mohamed: why so?
Manager: I just told you my opinion ..and this is the same stand my brother follows
Mohamed: what about ur dad?
Manager: however my father spent a big part of his youth following one sheikh
Mohamed: interesting.. where?
Manager: he is pure and all
Manager: bas ...
Manager: not everyone around him is
Mohamed: akeed
Mohamed: definetely
Manager: he's dead for many years now
Mohamed: but where was he?
Manager: in a village beside Tanta
Manager: my father's family is originally from tanta
Manager: i still have realtives there
Manager: elmohem ...
Manager: where did u go ?
Mohamed: well i don't have a sheikh.. i'm just reading and talking to ppl
Manager: yes ..it's fine
Manager: we know some ppl and we go visit them sometimes
Mohamed: which tareeqa?
Manager: I just see that the way ..me & my brother deals with this is different from the way my father does it
Mohamed: akeed.. he's seen more than u.. so he's wiser
Manager: I did not mean this
Mohamed: (i know)
Mohamed: so what happened after the sheikh died?
Manager: hold on ..khaled kalemny
Mohamed: ok
Manager: am back
Manager: well, after the sheik died .. (i remember him vaguely but i saw him few times) ...
Manager: his followers continued the same setup they used to have when he lived
Mohamed: well they can't without a sheikh i guess!!
Mohamed: so they ruin it
Manager: they all treat his son as khalifa .. but he is not taking up this role
Manager: and I am against this
Manager: any way .. my father meets w/ them sometimes
Mohamed: and what does he think of his son?
Manager: he ? my father?
Mohamed: yes
Manager: well, my father has this utmost respect for the sheikh allah yer7amoh ... he thinks so highly of him and speaks of him like a ...
Manager: so .. he treats his son in the same way
Manager: but he never says that he is khalifa
Mohamed: right.. but he doesn't consdier him a sheikh
Mohamed: right
Mohamed: ur father feels it
Manager: may be
Manager: what worries me
Mohamed: but does he feel emptiness without the sheikh?
Manager: this is really an interesting question
Manager: i never though of it this way
Manager: i never thought of it
Mohamed: no replacement?
Manager: no
Mohamed: tough
Manager: look .. i respect my father a lot and I love that he spent all of his life in mosques and in serious stuff
Manager: but what worries me is that .. i feel sometimes that there are some fundamental stuff that can be missing
Manager: i don't know how to explain
Manager: let's go back to sufism
Mohamed: the most fundamental thing is connecting with God.. finding urself in relation to God.. fundemental but the toughest thing to achieve
Manager: yes .. but you get to this by putting Allah ahead of everything ..which we are not strong enough to do sometimes
Mohamed: who is Allah?
Manager: what do you mean ?
Mohamed: u talk of Him as if he's a person or thing.. that u place somewhere
Mohamed: rather.. u feel.. and become one with
Manager: hmmm
Manager: well, don't know about becoming one w/ him
Mohamed: and that's a difficult state to reach
Manager: but no ..i don't agree
Manager: you don't become one w/ him
Mohamed: why so?
Mohamed: didn't he blow into our souls
Mohamed: isn't He the Creator
Mohamed: The One
Manager: yes, he did
Manager: yes, He is
Mohamed: how can he be there and we have something of Him at the same time!
Mohamed: if he is one
Manager: bas ..He says in Kor2an .. Nothing is like HIM
Mohamed: definetely.. and we are NOT him
Mohamed: but the creation is a reflection of His greatness
Mohamed: we are His creation.. His reflection
Manager: look ..He is with you .. with his Knowledge .. His
Manager: basira
Mohamed: He is the definition of those qualities
Manager: yes ...
Manager: my view is: You need to be connected to Him
Mohamed: sure
Mohamed: but how?
Manager: you live as He is the director of your life, your actions
Manager: your feelings and your priorities
Manager: He told you How
Mohamed: when He created you?
Manager: and when he sent you messengers to tell you How
Manager: doing everything that is "good" according to Allah's definition not our
Manager: avoiding anything that is "bad" according to Allah's definition not ours
Mohamed: yeah.. but this "doing" what about "being"
Manager: following his orders and avoiding his "nawahy"
Manager: yes ..bas being is a direct result of doing
Mohamed: What do you feel when you pray? (private question, don't have to answer)
Mohamed: or is it doing is a direct result of being
Manager: khaled kalemny tany ..
Mohamed: kheir?
Manager: beyes2al 3la 5 more members to be added
Mohamed: he wants to add them now?
Manager: sorry .. let's continue
Manager: he is asking when ..because he wants to hire someone
Mohamed: hire still?!!
Manager: bas he is not enough experience
Manager: so I told him ..same rules apply
Mohamed: i can't believe this.. he'll hire someone we rejected!
Manager: ya salam ..is this the one ?
Mohamed: i guess so
Manager: wow ..
Mohamed: i don't know.. bass he's the only one i know he met
Manager: I told him that the candidate will go through the qualification process
Manager: he is saying he is good
Mohamed: 3ageeb khaled
Manager: any way ..back .. egg & chicken ..being or doing ?
Mohamed: yeah..
Manager: my thinking of this is:
Mohamed: being tab3an
Manager: you have your true nature .. pure one .. before being corrupted by environment
Mohamed: sure
Manager: this is the initial being .. then comes the external factors
Manager: and then doing is what keeps your connection w/ Allah ..so your being gets more strong through soul food
Mohamed: "You have been created in the best form, yet you can become of a lowest form"
Manager: to fight the external factors
Manager: yes
Manager: true ..when you give up your connection to Allah
Mohamed: we don't disagree u know
Manager: and we change into animals ..living to eat and reproduce
Manager: yes ..I know ..we agree
Mohamed: its how to reach that connection i guess that we're not sure of
Mohamed: or me atleast
Manager: well, I am not either .. I am just following a certain path
Mohamed: right.. follow the path they say
Manager: and so far ..
Manager: who is they ?
Mohamed: sufis :)
Manager: general ..u mean
Manager: :)
Manager: well, rasoul allah said it before them and Allah before all
Mohamed: yes.. exactly
Mohamed: see, so we're all sufis
Manager: yes
Manager: in the true concept
Manager: for sure yes
Manager: see .. I tell you that you surprise me
Mohamed: leih bass.. aren't we all searching
Manager: well ..
Manager: i guess yes
Mohamed: we're just not all ready yet i guess
Manager: yes ..i agree
Mohamed: anyway.. that was good.. thanks
Manager: I think so too ... thanks to you too

3 comments:

Lubna said...

That was a very inspiring conversation. Thank you for posting it.

Saban Bozbuga said...

how did you remember all that lines ??
Just Passing google'r

Aliza said...

that was so interesting. some parts of the conversation sound like things said here in ny just moments ago, it's so funny.. the relation of being and doing. i like the image of God not being a "thing you place somewhere". but something you try to grow towards. kaman 7bbet illi kitibt 3la abuk.. da huwa ghareeb, the same ideas and experiences floating around the whole world. merci 3ala the blog.