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