10 (MORE) THINGS YOU UNDERSTAND ONLY IF YOU’RE IN A SUFI TARIQA

1.    When people think you can’t be Muslim because you are a sufi.

2.    When people think you can’t be a sufi because you are Muslim.

3.    When people have read 2 poems by one sufi saint and they think they know more than your teacher.

4.    When after 6 months of intense practice and restraint you lose your temper once for 5 seconds & your spouse thinks you’ve lost your mind.

 5.    When people indirectly warn you that at all sufi shaykhs (pirs) are imposters. 

6.    When people get competitive after discovering you have a spiritual teacher.

 

 

7.    When people are disappointed to meet your normal looking shaykh because they were expecting the Grand Poobah.

 

8.    When the only thing people know about sufism is that one book they read and it’s not really a sufi book.

9.    When people start meeting you because you are in a sufi tariqa.

 

 

10.                      When people stop meeting you because you are in a sufi tariqa.

 

 

 

 

 

with apologies and respect to my beloved shaykh, fellow travelers, those who've asked me about the 40 rules of love (and those who like the book) and the people whose photos i've used.

 

 

 

photos from google images.