Spiritual Letter 18 - Original version About Spiritual Letter 18 Title: "Becoming The Children of God For This Age", Date: May 20, 2002 Written by: Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler) Written to: Muhammad Abdul Qadir (Michael Green) Home Page-Spiritual Letters Go To Spiritual Letter 19 Letter 18: Expanded Version Page 2 of 2 Go To Table of Contents - Spiritual Letter 18 Related Material 5-a. Third Question Posed By Muhammad Abdul Qadir (Michael Green), living at the feet of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him): "And now allow ourselves to really think the unthinkable: During the 80, when various 'Gurus' in America sometimes turned their trips into a "business" Bawa responded by dropping the noble title because of these negative associations. Apparently he felt that if even a word so exalted became degraded in the public's mind, he did not want to be associated with it. Today the news is full of religious "sheikhs" on trial for murder and terrorism!" "What would Bawa do now if he was up on the bed? Would he want to be painted with that brush? Is this a proper question? 5-b. Answer Proposed by Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler), living at the feet of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him): One day in the "room" Bawa told us the following, "A man whose faith in God is weak is like a leaf floating in a stream, it goes wherever the stream goes, but a man whose faith in God is strong is like a bolder in a stream, which causes the stream to go around it. In this way, when our faith in God is strong the whole world will accommodate to us, we do not need to accommodate to the world. Another day in the "room" Bawa told us the following. "Early in the time of Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of God be upon Him), before His life and teaching was widely accepted by the people, the main enemy of the Prophet convinced a neighboring country that Muhammad (Sa,) was a false prophet and needed to be destroyed." "In response, the King and army of the neighboring country came to attack and destroy Muhammad (Sal.) and His few followers, and they surrounded the encampment of Muhammad (Sal.). Because of this, Muhammad and His few followers became afraid, at the sight of the army of the other country, which appear quite large, but the angels of God appeared to Muhammad (Sal.) and told Him not to be afraid, that they had been sent by God to protect Him." "Strengthened, Muhammad (Sal.) went to the large tent of the King of the neighboring country, the King who had instructed his subjects not to stand up when Muhammad (Sal.) entered the tent, but to remain seated, for if they did stand up, the King would cut off each of their heads." "When Muhammad (Sal.) entered the tent of the King, nobody initially stood up, as the King had instructed them not to, except for the King, for when Muhammad (Sal.) entered the tent the King himself stood up, to show respect to Muhammad (Sal.), and then everyone else, seeing that the King himself had stood up, also stood up to show respect to Muhammad (Sal.)." Then Bawa told us "that the reason the Kind stood up, was that his own life knew the truth about Muhammad (Sal.), even though the King did not, and when Muhammad (Sal.) entered the tent, the life of the King stood up, and the King had to follow his own life." "Experiencing this, the King then realize that Muhammad (Sal.) was the true Messenger of God for his age, was the true Prophet of God for his age, was the true life and teaching of God for his age, and accepted Him as such without question." Like this, we do not need to accommodate to the world. Instead, we must stand up as the Children of God for this age, as the Children of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with each of us), as the gift of God to the world, as the light of God to the world, and the world will completely accommodate to us, the world will move around us as the stream moves around the bolder, and the life of everyone in the world will bow down in our presence, even if the people initially don't, and they will all have to follow their lives, and accept us. We must realize, understand, accept, and join with this truth of our lives, my dearest loving brother Muhammad Abdul Qadir. This is our path and this is our work, nothing else. What you have said is correct, at a certain point in America, around 1975, Bawa did tell His American Children not to refer to Him in America using the name "Guru Bawa", and we were told at that time that it was because there was a growing negative reaction in America and in Canada to the title "Guru", and Bawa did not want to put any of His Children into any situation that was potentially dangerous for them by using the term "Guru", especially when crossing the American and Canadian border. Since that time, we have all referred to Bawa in America using the name, "Bawa", or "Bawa Muhaiyaddeen", or "Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen" (may God be pleased with Him). Now what are we to take from this? Are we to stop using the name Shaikh when referring to Bawa in America, or in the world, because of the way the word "Shaikh" is being using in the world today, and because of the people in the world of Islam that use this title but have been branded by many in the western world as terrorists, especially after September 11? This child certainly does not know, but this child does not need to know, because Bawa knows, and that is enough for this child. All we have to do is ask Bawa, and He will advise us on how to act properly in the world. And we can do this because we all have Bawa within us, as this child does. And Bawa will tell us what to do, if we use Him as the guide for our life, as this child does. It is just this simple. This is certainly an important question, my dearest loving brothers, for all of us who are Children of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with each of Us), and especially for this child, since Bawa gave this child the name "Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen". Perhaps the following sharing will help us in dealing with this question that you raised, my dearest brother. When Bawa gave this child the name Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen I asked Bawa for some guidance on the use of the name, as it is His name, and He told me the following. 1. It is ok for people to address you with the name Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen, as I have personally given it to you, and I know why it was given to you, and I will protect you at all times when that name is used, and I will be the source of all benefit that comes to anyone who addresses you by that name, not you. 2. Do not allow people to address you as Shaikh without following it by the word Muhaiyaddeen as this will cause both you and those who do it great harm. Also, the word Shaikh should only be used when referring to the Muhaiyaddeen of God as that is the only true Shaikh within any of us. Therefore, my dearest loving brother, we need to reserve the word Shaikh for when we are addressing Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen, either within ourselves or when addressing whoever in our heart is truly the representative of Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen in the world, or when we are addressing the person we have personally selected to be our Shaikh in the world, to be our representative to the Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen within all of us. Also, if someone wants to address us as Shaikh we must tell them to follow that title with the name Muhaiyaddeen, not to use it alone or to follow it with any other name, not even by the names that have been given to us by Bawa. When people in the world select us as their Shaikh, as their initial connection to the wisdom within them, to that direct connection within each of us known as Qutb Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), because they believe that that wisdom, that direct connection, has been established within us, our name at that time is then Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen, for the people who have selected us as their Shaikh. We must realize that no other name is appropriate for this Shaikh-Disciple Relationship. Only then will the necessary grace flow and move the Disciple forward, transforming the Disciple into the Shaikh, into Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen. Only then is it appropriate for any of us, any of the Children of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, to be called Shaikh. All other shaikhs, other than Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) are false shaikhs, and we should not address them as Shaikh. We must reserve that name for Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen within us, and for the brother or sister that we have selected in the world, from among the Children of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with each of Us) to initially be our connection to Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen within us. My dearest loving brother Muhammad Abdul Qudir, this is very, very important. May we both do it this way, and we will all be safe within the heart of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him). This is not a small matter, my dearest brother, for as we shared earlier, the first step on the path of God is to become Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen. This is what each of us must become. In this way, the name of our Father, Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) is the path of God, the path that we must all walk, if we are to be successful in our life, if our wisdom is to reason over our fate. First we must become "Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen", then "Shaikh Muhammad Muhaiyaddeen", then "Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Muhaiyaddeen", and finally "Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen" (may God be pleased with Him). May we both walk this path together. This is the true meaning of shari'at, tariqat, haqiqat, and ma'rifat, the four steps of spiritual ascendance. And this is the true meaning of the word Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen, and how to properly use the title "Shaikh" in the world. May we both do it like this. Amen, Amen, Ya Rabil Alameen. Amen, Amen, Ya Rahman Alameen. Amen, Amen, Ya Rahim Alameen. Al-hamdu lillah. Allahu Akbar. For this child, this is the reason that Bawa changed His name in America from His Holiness Guru Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) to Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him), to signal the final movement of His life and teaching through the four religions, through the four spiritual stages, through Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam, through shari'at, tariqat, haqiqat, and ma'rifat, the four steps of spiritual ascendance, not because of any fear of the world, not because of any attempt to accommodate to the world. That may be what we saw, or were told, but that is not the way God works. In closing, at all times remember that Bawa teaches us the following: "If you have fear, you do not have Allah. And if you have Allah, you do not have fear." May all the peace, the beneficence, and the blessing of God be upon all of us. May God open our hearts to the life and teaching of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) within each of us, that God has personally placed within each of us, and give us the grace to truly become the Children of God for this age, the Children of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with each of Us), the lights of God for this age to the world, and to truly walk the path of Shaikh Muhammad Rahim Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (may God be pleased with Him) back into the Oneness of God. Amen, Amen, Ya Rabil Alameen. Amen, Amen, Ya Rahman Alameen. Amen, Amen, Ya Rahim Alameen. Al-hamdu lillah. Allahu Akbar. My love you (anbu) - Shaikh Muhaiyaddeen (Louie Beutler). End of Page 2 of 2 of Spiritual Letter 18 - original version - .......................... Go To Table of Contents - Spiritual Letter 18 or Go To Spiritual Letter 18: Table of Contents Expanded Version Outline & Summary Version Related Material or |
This page was last updated on: May 21, 2002
