This is a 4 page Address (by Moineddin) to the Jamiat Khas, an assemblage of high initiates in the Sufi Islamia Ruhaniat Society. The name Sufi Islamia Ruhaniat Society, literally, the Sufi Spirit of Islam Society, came from Murshid's teacher in Pakistan, Sufi Barkat Ali. Before the Declaration, SIRS was intended to be a basket for Murshid's teachings and was a branch of the Sufi Order. After the Declaration, the branch was cut off and planted.

Garden of Inayat

910 Railroad Ave.

Novato, Calif. 94947

February 22. 1978

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Allah,

As-salaam aleikhum!

One is writing this address to all of your in the event that one may not be able to attend this meeting of the Jamiat Khas.

Our main purpose in meeting today is to tie up any loose ends where our work is concerned, and to assign definite work concentrations to those who may e out of touch with the realities implied by their spiritual advancement. But please understand that anything I say here should not be taken as cut-and-dried; these proposals are only meant to be starting points for serious discussion and direction.

As you all know, the lion’s share of the actual work of the Ruhaniat has been carried by Wali Ali and myself these past several years since Murshid’s passing. Now we feel the time has come to begin a new cycle of expression of our work—our Dharma patterns, if you will—and with the Initiation of several new Sheikhs recently this becomes possible, inshallah. It is time to cease loading more and more of the burdens upon the shoulders of the Masheikh and the Murshid. Now it is time for each of you to begin to should a share of the overall responsibilities and if anyone feels that certain areas of work are already well covered then it will be that Sheikh’s duy to meditate until a vision of his or her purpose becomes clear.

SHABDA [Kahn]. This gracious man is my choice to co-ordinate the work in Marin County. As I am withdrawing more and more from the outer forms of spiritual endeavor locally—due to an inevitable move to Sonoma County to start a Khankah sometime in the future, God-willing—Shabda will begin to assume the leadership of the weekly Dance Meetings, the Thursday Night Githas, and so forth. He should have a new poster made listing himself as the chief Sheikh in charge of the public meeting. James Pickard will no doubt be confirmed as a Naqib soon; and with the additional help of Azim Kroll there should be no problem in providing adequate leadership in Marin County. On those occasions when Shabda is leading the Dance Meetings, a new guitarist will have to be found since Shamseddin will be going to Sonoma County too. Finally, Sheikh Shabda is asked to oversee and confirm “Certification of Proficiency” of leaders in the areas of Dance and Walk; the first such training session will be carried out at this summer’s Mendocino Camp. We shall do our best to see that proper certificates are printed for this.

MOHAMMED IQBAL [Lewis]. It is one’s hope, inshallah, that Iqal will assist Shabda in whichever ways are deemed appropriate. Naturally, thestep of Initiating mureeds will become a very real part of Mohammed’s and our work. Shabda has been Initiating mureeds for some time now, and I think he will agree with me tht despite the constant testing this involves for mureed and teacher, it is also most fulfilling in the eyes of God. Some of us will Initiate many mureeds over the years; others will keep their scope more limited. Let Wisdom be our Guide here, and when I say Wisdom I mean that an attitude of clarity and selflessness be kept foremost in one’s heart.

HASSAN [Herz]. As is the case with Mohammed Iqbal, Hassan and the others are very occupied with their earth-plane work which enables them to be of help to their families, to the Ruhaniat, to Murshid who gave so many of us the impetus to such work, and to Allah Who is All Mercy and Compassion. Yet Hassan’s work, and Jayanara’s partnership in it, is special in tht they are the custodians of Murshid’s Novato Khankah, the Garden of Inayat. It behooves Hassan to continue such programs as Saturday Morning Gathas, and any other creative endeavors which would involve old and new mureeds coming to the Khankah to help keep the house in order, the gardens pruned, the grounds weeded, and the like. The Garden of Inayat is a refuge of strength and love and peace, particularly the Chapel. The grounds are surfeited with baraka. More open houses and community programs generally as held in the days of Murshid’s lifetime on earth should become an integral part of our community scene, inshallah, at the Garden of Inayat.

VASHEEST [Davenport]. With such concentrations as the Pure Wine Dance Company, and a trip to India with several mureeds envisioned toward the end of this year, Vasheest’s time and enrgy are press well covered. For the sake of his own spiritual development one would hope that Vasheest will begin to Initiate those mureeds who feel a special attunement with his inner music. As this point Vasheest is leading the Monday Night Meeting in San Francisco; responsibilities in this area may shift from time to time,depending upon circumstances. Due to the specialized nature of Vasheest’s work, he may choose to start a separate Center within the precincts of the City, a move which has my full blessings.

KRISHNADAS [Duncan Pierce]. Murshid saw that Krishnadas would begin our community’s first rural land concentration. Almost single-handedly this Yogi-Sheikh has built an enduring home for himself and a few stout-hearted mureeds, as well as to provide space for individual and camp retreats. Allah’s Acres is basically up to Krishnadas to function as he sees fit. This might mean practically anything, so it is always best to ask Sufi Krishnadas what is happening at a given moment.

ZEINOB [Burnham]. Zeinob is a Khalifa which means that she is responsible to maintain her spiritual post; Sheikhs are generally acknowledge to have more freedome of movement in their work. It is to our Murshid’s credit that we hve so many among us who, despite separations of geography and uniquenesses of personality, continue to maintain and improve the link of harmony and love, one with another. Zeinob is responsible for the mureeds in the Santa Cruz area, has been Initiating mureeds for over two years, and is now preparing to become a mother again. Her dervish husband from Persia, Mojtaba, is also working to augment the list of Spiritual Names we have from Hazrat Inayat Khan, as well as helping in matters involving interpretations of Persian Sufi poetry.

YUSUF [Cameron]. Khalif Yusuf is working with Wali Ali and Moineddin toward obtaining recognition for the Ruhaniat as a bona fide Branch of the Chisti Order from the Pirs at Ajmer, India. Yusuf’s extensive world travels and his sharing in the lives of traditional Islamic peoples particularly suits him for this invaluable work.

AMIN [Stan Quance] AND AMINA [Katherine Erikson]. Amin and Amina have functioned as Sheikh and Begum of the Garden of Allah for many years, and until this year held Gathas and Githas every Thursday evening without fail. Indeed, the Sufi Choir met for hundreds of rehearsals over the years at the Garden of Allah. As Amin and Amina are attempting to launch a successful crystal business, which tends to take up most of their time, it is perhaps enough that they maintain the Garden of Allah as the community’s music-oriented house, and see to it tht travelers have a place to sleep when necessary. One has always held the hope, inshallah, that Amin and Amina would each begin the work of Initiation in earnest, but there is a whole lifetime ahead for that.

SAUL AND MAJID [Barodofsky]. One has just re-instated Saul as Kafayat (head) of the Dervish Healing Order, and has given notice that the rank of Kafayat is now to be regarded as equivalent to the maqam [level]of the 10^thGrade in the Ruhaniat Society. Mjid has been informed that she will be formally confirmed as a Sheikha whenever Wali Ali or I can meet with her later this year, inshallah. Thus Majid should be considered as one with this group. Saul and Majid are now living in Ivy, Virginia attempting to start a Healing Community. Ya Fatah!

SHIRIN [Doyle]. Shalifa SHirin is currently on retreat at Lama Foundation. She seems to have a special mission with regard to Murshid’s Zen transmissions; for this reason I have turned over literal reams of Murshid’s Buddhist correspondence to Shirin for her to use or publish as she wishes. She will be assisting Wali Ali at the May Lama camp; it is one’s hope that she will also assist Krishnadas in overseeing the Retreat Camp this summer in Mendocino, inshallah. Shirin and Abdul Haqq have been sharing teaching responsibilities in the Santa Fe Center.

ABDARRAHMAN [Lomax], JAMSHED [Richard Tillinghast], BASIRA [Updike], BANEFSHA [Gest], & AKBAR [Simmons]. All these souls are presently being considered ‘inactive’ for the simple reason that their concentrations are either unresolved in terms of the recent schism, or directed in areas outside the immediate concerns of the Ruhaniat.

WALI ALI [Meyer]. Wali Ali is presently engaged in carrying out a 40-day retreat in Hawaii. Knowing and understanding his overwhelming need to delegate more responsibilities to those of us who are now capable, we may expect to see Wali Ali involved more and more in travel, even to the far corners of the globe. The work of co-ordinating our own activities with the activities of the Eastern Dervish and Sufi Brotherhoods, as Murshid showed was possible by his living example, may become increasingly a part of our overall concentration. Let us await Wali Ali’s return before assuming anything definite where his traditional or new roles are concerned.

FATIMA [Jablonski]. It is one’s wish that Sheika Fatima begin to Initiate mureeds who feel a responsive link with her inner being. As you all know, Fatima is one’s choice as spiritual successor in direct lineage from Murshid Samuel L. Lewis, with full rights to express her own unique direction in harmony with you all, should I die or otherwise become incapable on the earth-plane to maintain the duties expected of a Murshid. [This designation changed, I am guessing, when Moineddin experienced a similar betrayal by his wife as that experienced by Mansur.] One trusts absolutely that you will all hearken to Fatima’s counsel should such a time ever come, inshallah. This is not a game being played out by children or adolescents.

MOINEDDIN [Jablonski].  Chiefly, one is trying to keep the ‘Sa’ note sounding continuously as a foundation for one’s mureeds and indeed the whole Sufi community to attune to. The practice of Fana-fi-Sheikh has proven to be one’s spiritual mainstay thus far in this life, and it is one’s dearest hope that you all can begin to Initiate some few mureeds and have the experience that “It is the mureeds who make the Murshid.”

Murshid’s great work was to show that Allah is the Reality in All. The Help of Allah, of Murshid and of all the Illuminated Souls is ever-present. This help comes primarily through listening and humility. Certainly we can all recall Murshid’s definition of Humility: “Thou shalt have loud ears.”

“The Robe is the sign of true simplicity.”

With all Love and Blessings, and may our Iman ever increase,

Murshid Moineddin

Moineddin goes on for two more pages, starting with headlines and details regarding ADDITIONAL FLASHES and SIRARA and ABDUL AZIZ and BEGUM’S PAPERS and DARSHAN and JOE MILLER, concluding, as follows:

I shall never forget the afternoon when Joe came to visit Murshid on his death-bed. Murshid grabbed Joe’s hands and yelled, “Take it! Take it! Take it!” Joe at first rather taken aback, finally replied just as loudly, “I’m taking it! I’m taking it!”

And now that Joe has taken it, he shares this tremendous treasure with each and every one of us.

Alhamdulillah!

Amin.