January 7, 1978

This copy of a letter is to Taj Inayat, Mansur’s former wife and consort of Pir Vilayat. The paragraphs 4 through 9 [numbers mine] were bracketed by Moineddin in red pen before he sent the letter to Mansur.

 

Sufi Islamia Ruhaniat Society

Hurkalya

147 Humboldt Avenue

San Anselmo, California 94960

Dear Taj Inayat,

Beloved One of Allah, as-salaam aleikhum!

1. We were very happy to receive your recent letter. Indeed, it has been too long since we have communicated with each other. Yes, Christmas was very good this year: Fatima got me a JVC stereo AM-FM cassette recorder, and my secretary and her husband gave me a 10 inch color TV—all this in preparation for home dialysis. I gave Fatima, or rather I had a tanka commissioned by Tamam: a most beautiful Madonna standing by a stream, robed in Fatima blue. The usual spate of toys and clothes for the children, all welcomed amid much joy!

2. Not that I want to dwell on the material aspects of a Holy Season. The heart was kindled all the while. Also, my 36thbirthday was most fulfilling from all inner and outer considerations. Fatima’s special pizza was once again a big hit.

3. The Berkeley group is hosting Murshid S.A.M.’s URS this year; and I have asked Murshida Vera to organize Hazrat Inayat’s URS on February 5. She has secured the same church hall where we do our Dance meetings for the occasion. I was more than slightly disappointed to learn that the offer by the Marin Women’s Class to do the Beautiful HUU Dance at Hazrat Inayat’s URS (a class, incidentally, formed of mureeds from both the Sufi Order and the Ruhaniat) was turned down, not apparently by Murshida, but by Vakil and perhaps Sikander also.

4. The new format of the Message is very attractive. It seems to be easier to read somehow. While I have not as yet had a chance to peruse the whole issue which arrived in yesterday’s mail, I did get to read the entirely of Pir’s article “The Next Step.” I was surprised to have been misquoted by Pir,and feel that a correction should be included in next month’s issue. [double underlined by Moineddin]

5. Pir quotes me as saying: “…the day will com when the Sufi Order will be free from ego leadership…” My actual statement, delivered by Fatima in my absence, was: “The day of ego leadership is coming to a close; it will be replaced by an age of real spiritual democracy in which the group will function as a single being. This group will function according to the idea ‘unity, not uniformity,’ and will practice above all else to see God in each other.”

6. To me, the gist of my remark is pretty close to the theme of Pir’s New Year’s Greeting in which he says that we are now awakening to the divinity of humanity rather than of limited individuals. Nor in going over the tapes from the November 6 meeting of Pir with the Bay Area mureeds could I discover where Wali Ali says, “…at least SIRS has a real teacher.” To me, Pir Vilayat is a real teacher and has been a real teacher for as long as I have known him. Every confirmation he has given has been real, even more than what one normally considered as real, in his spiritual transmissions.

7. I am sorry that Pir feels a betrayal of sorts in my statement, yet its meaning was certainly intended to be more general than personal. Nor has there been a lessening of good faith between the two groups. Naturally, there will always be eruptions of annoyance and the jumping to conclusions on the part of some, and these are sadly the thought-forms which receive the most attention in our culture. But the finer and better realities continue unabated too. Elizabeth, for instance, has the most wonderful correspondence with Fatima, and Suria Less too. All kinds of friendships, despite organizational schism, go on and even improve.

8. My only real complaint is that I am not being kept apprised by Sikander [Pir Vilayat’s secretary] of vital news coming out of the Sufi Order and the Abod. I seem to be the last one to hear things, outside of rumors. This is not a good situation in which to maintain awareness and friendship across group boundaries. Would you please ask Sikander to please keep me informed as to any policy matters and so forth. In this way it will be much easier to communicate and work with Vakil, Shams, Murshida Vera and others in the Sufi Order in the Bay Area in those areas where cooperation is advisable.

9. Also, I am not sure if Pir has reversed his decision to permit mureeds of either organization to retain an Initiator belonging to another group. Could you clarify this question for me?

10. On other matters, the Pod has finally been suitably rainproofed, is now painted the same color as Hurkalya (bark), but needs one more coat before the project is finished. But the rains keep coming with such regularity that it is impossible to set a date to finish it at this time.

Armaiti has been hired by the Peays and the Jablonskis to steam-clean the shag carpeting today. In an hour or so our family is going to Sam Francisco to see Star Wars.

Keep well, dear friends…

With love and blessings,

Moineddin, Fatima and All