1627 D. East Grand Avenue, Escondido, CA 92027

4 April 1978

Dear Moineddin, Beloved of Allah; as-salaam aleikhum!

 Remember someone telling me the story of when the Boston center was just getting started, and Mansur dancing in an enormous hall all by himself--& doing it for two months before anyone came. And I thought then (as I do now) what a beautiful story it was, and in my mind’s eye I could see Mansur all alone in this great hall, turning, turning, turning in a serene state of ecstasy.

All that has been said about that story could be applied to the Escondido center except for the enormous hall. Last week I initiated Ed Killeran into SIRS—I have known this gentleman since 1974—he used to share quarters with John Kellig and Wahhab in San Francisco, and he has been on the Sufi path for as long as I have known him. So now there are two of us. The original Garden of the Quest was shattered when the so-called schism took place, although I must take a good part of the blame, due to my own inadequacies as a leader (I have learned a great many things since I have been here, most of them have to do with the realizations about what I am not). So when we talked on the phone I was talking about the center-to-be, there not being an existing center anymore, if center means people. At the same time, since I talked to you, two other members of the Sufi Order have approached me with feelers about SIRS. And I thought then as I do now that maybe Allah in his infinite Mercy and Wisdom, having pruned the tree down to its root, is going to let it live.

I have written Wali Ali about most of these things, perhaps not so eloquently.

So you see I don’t know if we qualify physically as a center, if center means three or more people. Allah is dancing in the center of my living room. So, if center means channel, we are a center, we feel it.

I told Wali Ali that I have surrendered wholly to his Guidance in all things, and am now simply waiting for a reply. In the meantime, I am reading First Year Gathas with Ed. That is the extent of the physical-plane activities in Escondido today.

I have known for some time that you would start a project of your own, and it sounds inspired. Further news of it will be passed on to Ed, and to members of the Sufi Order center in San Diego.

I hope that this letter clarifies the position of the Escondido center.

Ishk,

Ahmad