Warm Greetings to Everyone,

I am naturally inquisitive by nature and I wanted to understand the meaning of some of the 
language that has recently been explored on-list and more importantly for me than surface 
meaning the ontological and epistemological underpinnings that are shaping that language. 

I keyed in Ibn al-Waqt and this helped me to understand more.  I hope you find it useful too.

http://www.ibiblio.org/cybersufis/html/pages/sohbet/zia/sohbet/response.htm

"When you're confronted with that tremendous loss of life,
You're forced to reflect upon your own life. 
And immediately you're reminded of the preciousness 
Of the moment. 
Of this very moment.

And that is the whole message of Sufism. 
To live in the moment. 
The Sufis use the word Ibn al-Waqt or Bint al-Waqt, the son or daughter of the moment.

That is tranquility.

The hubris, 
The magnification of the ego,
That fuels our feuds, 
Our lusts, 
Our selfish desires, 
All of that is built on the foundation 
Of the denial of death.

The irrational attempt 
To somehow secure an illusion of immortality 
In what is ultimately a world 
Of impermanence.

This has been a tremendous reminder for us of the world as Samsara, 
As a place of constant change.

If you've come to make an idol 
Of the prosperity that we're experiencing in America, 
That's an idol that needs to be broken.

If the security that we enjoy 
Has become an illusion 
Of some kind of ultimate
Immortality,
That is an idol that needs to be broken.

All of our routines that we accustomed ourselves to, 
Those are all idols that are broken, 
And we're confronted with impermanence, 
And at the same time we're reminded 
Of a trace of the permanent that exists within us, 
And that colors each moment.


And that is the supreme blessing of what is
Otherwise an unthinkable tragedy, 
Involving tremendous suffering on the part of so many.

And yet it is the very awareness 
Of this suffering,
The very awareness 
Of death 
That enables us to transform ourselves.

It's a shame that it takes that.

It shouldn't take that.

In fact,
The teachings of Sufism are all teachings
Which are meant to induce an awareness of our own fana, 
Of annihilation.

It's only after fully surrendering 
To mortality 
That one can experience Baqa,
Resurrection. 
Which could be described as an experience 
Of the eternal now.

It shouldn't be,
It needn't be 
That these kinds of mass traumas 
Are necessary for our own spiritual development.

But here there's the chance 
That this terrible trauma 
Will induce a new level of consciousness 
In humanity.

And already I am seeing this.
People who are, by their own admission,
Very nasty kind of people, 
Are breaking down at this time and saying:
"I have changed. I see what has happened.
I see the value of life,
I see what a human soul is and
I'm not going to do that anymore. 
That is a pledge."

The pledge takes place in an instant of time:
The moment. 
The chain of causality is broken
And there's a new dispensation.

That is what is meant by the Ibn al-Waqt.
The one who dies to all of the expectations of the future, 
All of the regrets of the past, 
And lives in the moment 
With hope and trust, 
with Tawakkul
Faith in God.

Not faith in this condition of the body, 
Not faith in this job, 
Not faith in this house, 
But faith in the eternal immediacy 
Of the divine presence. 
In whatever state of embodiment we might be.

It's something that's very easy to say.
But how often can we say that we experience that level of trust? 
Those brave firefighters and other heroes of Manhattan 
Who put their lives on the line to save others, 
They had that faith. 
Anyone who is willing to sacrifice everything for a noble ideal,
They have that kind of trust in God.

We all have that that trust in God.

It's there within us.

And when tragedy strikes it comes out.

And what the whole message of the Sufism 
What this gathering signifies 
Is that we're endeavoring to cultivate in ourselves 
Those same qualities, 
And not to wait for further tragedies to call out those qualities.

Let us live in that moment of surrender.

That experience of the divine presence.

Always.

Zikr Daiman: perpetual remembrance.

And if we could do that.
If we could live from that place of peace.
That Nafs al-Mutma'inna.

We could expect the whole world to change.

Establishing security, 
Enforcing our borders, 
Changing practices at airports,
That is an immediate step 
And we expect the government to do those things. 
That's the level of the Nafs al-Ammara.

Looking into the psychology of the global situation.
Looking into where there's tremendous suffering 
In the world 
And ameliorating conditions through active support, 
that is important. 
That is Nafs al-Lawwama.

But thirdly, 
Awakening ourselves
To the eternal presence 
In the moment 
And acting 
Always 
At every moment
From a place of integrity, 
Of peace, 
Of trust, 
That is perhaps 
The ultimate act of peace 
That we can do.

The main criticism levelled at this concept that I could find in my cybersearching was its passivity 
- waiting for something better to occur rather than actively seeking improvement through action. 
Is that a fair criticism? It seems very harsh to me. Surely it's a desirable aspiration to live in peace?
In deep respect for beliefs held by members on-list, could you assist me please in understanding 
how living Ibn al-Waqt assists you in improving your practice and others' through your research?"

Kind regards,

Sarah