LIGHT IN BABYLON - ''Hinech Yafa''

LIGHT IN BABYLON

FARAN ENSEMBLE

An Observation

Dervish Baba: I don't think that I've ever met anyone who would not have crucified Christ. Myself included.

A Strange Request, A Stranger Reply

Le Marabout Errant: Tell me about God. Dervish Baba: Tell you about God? That is a strange request. LME: I just want to know what you believe. DB: Why? LME: Because I find you interesting and want to know more about you. DB: I see. Obviously, you're not interested in God; you're interested in me. LME: Well, I'm interested... DB: I don't wish to be rude, but this line of inquiry bores me. Let's talk about something that might prove beneficial to both of us. LME: Alright. DB: There was a Sage by the name of Muzaffar al-Qaramasi--you'll find him mentioned in the Risalah of al-Qushayri. He said something that I have pondered now for many years. Perhaps we can think about it together. LME: OK. DB: He said, "The Faqir"--meaning, "the poor," as in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3)--"the Faqir is the one for whom there is no need of God Most High." LME: Ah... DB: A strange thing to say, don't you think? LME: Yes. DB: At least on the surface. What can it mean? LME: On the surface, it would seem to mean that the poor--or "poor in spirit" if we accept the allusion to Matthew 5:3--have no need of God. DB: Indeed. And if we accept the allusion to Matthew 5:3, we should finish the line. LME: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." DB: Yes! LME: I'm confused. DB: Think on it.

Dervish Baba's Silsila

Le Marabout Errant: Dervish Baba, can you recite your silsila [authoritative lineage]? Dervish Baba: I don't see why not. How much time do you have? LME: Is it long? DB: I should say so; it goes back to Adam.

The Dervish Difference

Le Marabout Errant: How did you become a dervish? Dervish Baba: I don't remember a time when I wasn't a dervish. LME: What are your earliest memories? DB: Wandering in the Wilderness of Stars and then finding myself in this Ruined Tavern. LME: How did you become a Baba? DB: By marrying and having children, like anyone else. LME: So what makes you different from other people? DB: Nothing.

Keep The Doubt

Dervish Baba: People say, "Keep the faith," as if that were a difficult thing to do. But human beings are creatures of habit and walk most naturally by faith, not sight. "Keep the doubt," is what I say. For that is a narrow and difficult way that requires intense concentration, vigilance, and rigorous thought.

A Conversation With Dervish Baba

Le Marabout Errant: Dervish Baba, how would you like to be remembered once you've shuffled off this mortal coil? Dervish Baba: Must one be remembered? LME: No, of course not. But if you are remembered... DB: By whom? How I wish to be remembered will change depending upon the rememberer. LME: Fair enough. Let us say by public reputation. DB: I suppose it is kind of you to imagine that I have such a thing--or will have such a thing by the time I pass on. In any case, I doubt I could do better than to be remembered as Lionel Trilling remembered the Roman historian Tacitus: for his "power of mind" and "stubborn love of virtue maintained in desperate circumstances."

Wander With The Dervish...

Now sit and rest awhile...

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