Sidi Admits He's Making It All Up! - Sidi Had NO CLUE About America

In Sept. of 1983 we were waiting in Jerusalem for our son to be born in the Makassed Hospital just at the top of the Mount of Olives. 

One of the most important of our considerations was what his name was going to be.  

In Aisha's Universe, we were not allowed to choose a name of our own, because that was Sidi's job as the guy who had Allah on speed dial. 

She even took it one step further in insisting that he not be given a MIDDLE name either. ESPECIALLY not a non-Arabic middle name, because she quite astutely concluded that that would be the name my Mom and Dad would probably call him!!  (Aren't Grandparents just AWFUL!!??)

So, to this day, my son does not have a middle name, but here's how we pulled the old switcheroo on Aisha's plan for a Divinely Inspired name for our son.

One morning I was sitting smoking a hookah, I believe, with Sidi in his 'Receiving Room' and he brought up the subject. 

"My Beloved Yunus, I don't like to make any problems for anybody with the name for your son. What about a Christian name for him?"

I was ecstatic! I had been dreading the subject's inevitable appearance, and was so pleased Sidi had anticipated the painful consequences of choosing some 'too unusual' a name for a child destined to grow up in a nominally Christian, English-speaking country. I nodded in enthusiastic agreement.

"How about the Prophet 'Yah-Yah'?"

My heart sank. Although Sidi suggested John the Baptist, the contemporary of Jesus, I suspected that Aisha would not be satisfied with calling him 'John'. So I told Sidi as much, and he moved on to another selection.

The next one was not ideal, for it designated a rather minor and somewhat double-edged actor in the Old Testament. However, I was so utterly relieved to escape 'Yah-Yah' that I quickly agreed.

Later, with both Aisha and I present, Sidi revealed what 'Allah had shown him' about the name of our new son. Aisha, as I recall, still had her suspicions. She indirectly questioned whether or not Sidi had gotten the name directly from Allah or had chosen it with my help.

Sidi assured her it was the Real Deal.  Right from the Jolly Old Ancient of Days Himself!

Later, I realized Sidi had tipped his entire hand to me. He had shown that the whole 'Spiritual Name' business was meaningless. It didn't matter—not to him or to God. It was only her human craving for a token of her needy access to the Divine that made any of it necessary.

So why didn't Sidi just TELL her THAT? Why all the pretense in the first place? Why was Sidi pandering to a disciple's need to feel some Angel in God's Department of Naming Office ought to be contacted in the matter?

As one of Sidi's sons suggested to me later, I can only guess that Sidi 'tells people what they want to hear.' 

I believe the son thought that this amounted, in a way, to compassion.  Similar to telling someone whose relative has just died, "He's in a much better place, now." 

True, it might be consoling, and who knows, it might even be true.

But to tell someone their son is named a certain name by virtue of a Diving Naming. That's really opening the door to magic and superstition. To me, anyway.

The danger of this is that it ENDS the spiritual quest with the Guide or Guru as the knower, rather than one BECOMING the Knower himself.

It also settles for an unreal, 'comforting' vision of the Divine that requires no personal effort. 

Other than FINDING someone CONVINCING enough to get one to BELIEVE in their miraculous abilities.

SIDI HAD NO CLUE ABOUT AMERICA!

Well, I mean that in a couple of ways. The main one being, I don't think he had ANY IDEA about what his MESSAGE was supposed to be. Do you?

Okay so, let's assume Sidi truly Is a Sufi Sheik of the Highest Order.  What good is his knowledge of the complexities of the various Stations and Stages of the Way to Westerners unlearned in Quran, Hadith, or Arabic.

It would be a pretty tall order for him to lead even a few very promising students to those pinnacles of Gnosis who already had those prior elements under their belts.

Sidi was dealing with Westerners who hadn't the foggiest IDEA of how to even make ablutions, prayers, fast, and all the other aspects of Islamic life that are second nature to students from Muslim countries.

So, he tried doing a bit of both, and he tried to make a general truth of the fact that ALL RELIGIONS, at least the Abrahamic ones, if KNOWN well, would lead one to God.

Well, fine, but EVERY liberal minister or rabbi ALREADY SAYS THAT.

I don't think Sidi did more that just HINT at the Inner Teachings after he got to America.  The first task was to generate Muslims.

At least, this seems to be what Nurideen Durkee had in mind and the basis on which he agreed to be part of Sidi's entourage, as Durkee was no dummy and must have been aware of Sidi's reputed predilections toward women.

As his tribute makes clear, he was aware that others wanted to use Sidi's charisma to 'sell' things other than Islam. Perhaps he joined forces to keep Sidi on the straight and narrow, at least for awhile.