Social Gatheka Number 6

The Sufi Movement has two missions to perform in the world, one as a duty to individuals searching after the truth, the next duty, to bring about a better understanding among people. Therefore these two missions depend on each other for their fulfillment, without the progress of individuals the progress of humanity is difficult, without the progress of humanity in general the progress of the individual is also difficult. The Sufi movement is not political, because beyond the political to a Sufi there exists the mystical idea. In all ages in the past the spiritual message was given by the prophet, for the words of God come to humanity through the mediumship of a mystic. When the law is fallen in the hands of worldly intellectual people it will always prove imperfect. By law is meant the hidden law of life, of nature, not only the rules and regulations of a government. It wants seeing further than the average eye to see the actual condition of life, which those interested in life cannot see, for they cannot help being partial when there is a question of their own interest.

The principal thing that the Sufi message has brought to the world is tolerance for all faiths existing in the different parts of the world, followed by different people. This can be done by giving the idea of that one truth which stands as the stem of religion, and all different faiths as its branches. The true religion to a Sufi is the sea of truth and all the different faiths are as its waves. The message of God from time to time comes as tides in the sea, but what remains always is the sea, the truth. Those who consider anther on the wrong track they themselves are also not on the right track, for the one who is on the right track finds every road leading to the same goal sooner or later.

The Sufi mission does not make converts to a certain faith to the exclusion of all faiths. A convert to the Sufi orders means a convert to all faiths of the this world and bound by no particular faith. Faith to a Sufi is a free ideal, not a captivity. The Sufi mission looks upon the whole humanity as one body, all races different parts of that body, all nations its organs, the people the particles which make this body and the spirit of this body, God. As the health and happiness of the body depends on each of its particles being in good condition so the happiness and peace of the whole world and the people therein depend on the condition of one another. The Sufi mission does not invite people to believe in superstitions, to take an interest in wonderworking, or to increase power, or to investigate phenomena. Its main object is the same which Christ has taught, love your neighbor.

To individuals the Sufi mission has a different duty. The Murshid as a physician, first treats the mureed, in order to make him better able to realize where he is, what he is, what he wants to do, and how he must work to accomplish it. What is worthwhile and what is not worthwhile, Murshid explains to his mureed. It is not only study but it is exercise that Murshid gives now and again as a prescription for the mureed.

But still more important is the contact of the Murshid. A moment's conversation with him is more helpful than a whole year's study of books in the library for Murshid is to kindle in the heart of the mureed the divine spirit which is man's heritage. There is no particular discipline nor a particular faith which is forced upon mureeds. Every mureed is free to think for himself. Murshid's whole idea is to liberate the soul of the seeker after truth.