Glossary / Cast of Characters (Pseudonyms) / References

Cast of Characters and Glossary of Arabic Terms

Yunus - Myself, b.1952, Caucasian, American

Aisha- b. 1950, My wife from 1979 - 1995

Teresa- b. 1970(?) My Eldest Step-Daughter, later adopted

Ibrahim-My Son b.1983 in Mount of Olives

Zooey- b. 1991 My Younger Daughter

Ali-(Actual name) Aisha's Boyfriend

Bayat-'Promise' The traditional initiation given by a murid to his Sheikh. A promise to be compliant with the Sheikh's orders.

Dhikr- 'Remembrance'. An integral aspect of most Sufi orders, this involves the congregational chanting of the name 'Allah' or any other word or phrase that would direct the mind towards God. In some orders, mainly Turkish, this involves stylized 'twirling' or 'Sufi Dancing'. In most, it consists of same-sex murids standing in a circle and leaning back and forth while reciting. It can become noisy and ecstatic, and a leader is usually in charge of holding back members whose ecstasy goes too far. Usually these involve men, not women, although this is changing in Western orders.

Fuqara- plural of faqir, meaning 'poor person', as Sufis were initially often anti-materialistic and impoverished.  Or, perhaps this referred to the 'Poor in Spirit of the type Jesus mentioned in the New Testament. 'The Fuqara' was used by Sidi's disciples to refer to the members of his Order.

Five Pillars of Islam- Every Muslim must 

1.) Salat- Prayers, usually formulaic, 5x per day, 

2.) Zakat-Giving 2.5% of his or her wealth yearly to the poor, 

3.) Fasting for the month of Muharram from Sunrise to Sundown, abstaining from liquids, food, and sex, 

4.) Hajj- If one can, one should make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in one's life. Now it's a sometimes life-threatening decision.

5.) Jihad- Usually translated as an inner 'striving,' it is also seen as an obligation to spread Islam as a political system as well as a religion, by 'force' if necessary unless the conquered people agree to follow Muslim laws and pay special taxes. This 'tolerance' applies only to 'People of the Book' who have a divinely inspired holy book, such as Jews and Christians. It was even sometimes extended to groups like the Hindus, who worshipped 'idols'--a big no-no in Islam who also had vast amounts of holy books. Sadly, the Buddhists failed to make a good enough case and were persecuted in India by repetitive waves of Islamic conquests.

Murid- Disciple of a Master in a Sufi Order.

Sheikh-Multiple Meanings. In this context, the Head of a Sufi Order. In others, it is conferred to any male (or Sheikha, for female) who is a Muslim in good-standing and also a direct descendent from the body of the Prophet Muhammad. (This always bothered me how Islam, which is many respects attempts to be thoroughly 'democratic', also allows for a disgustingly-'royaltist' reverence for persons purely on their geneaology and absent any ethical or moral values.

'Sidi'- A relatively common abbreviation of a much longer honorific title. In this instance, it refers to Sheikh Al-Jamal. It applies to anybody who can trace his lineage back to Muhammad

Sufism- Many definitions. Among them are 'the inner meaning of Islam,' and 'the feminine side of Islam.' Typically it is an semi-secret order of Muslims, (usually men, although there are exceptions), who meet to hold Dhikurs, or remembrances of God beyond the daily proscribed Prayers five times a day. Now, they are actively persecuted by hardline Wahhabi-based fundamentalist Muslims.

                                                                      References

                                                                        ++++++++++++

CULT EDUCATION FORUM LINK  A posting specifically about Sidi's Group.  It's all unedited and mostly anonymous, so one needs to be circumspect about whether its all real. Still, it's one source of freely given information. And by remaining anonymous, people feel freer to tell the truth. AND to lie!

SUFISM -- Forced At Fifteen  A sad recounting of one young woman's childhood in another Sufi cult in America that I had otherwise THOUGHT was kinda reputable.

Varieties of American Sufism: Islam, Sufi Orders, and Authority in a Time of Transition, Bazzano, Eliot