July 4, 1978, book announcement

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NOOR MAHAL

July 4, 1978

Dear Mansur,

As-salaam aleikhum!

Just some bits of news on this day of independence, which I believe is also Samuel Vilayat’s 9thbirthday. [unless I am mistaken SV is the son of Basira Updike]

We had a fine dedication of Noor Mahal last Sunday; Khadija was confirmed as a Khalifa, and Farid and Shemseddin were initiated as Nakibs. Nathan [my son] and Summer [Rognlie] showed up for the potluck and swimming later in the afternoon.

Zeinob [Bernham] and her Persian husband Mojtaba became the parents of a baby daughter on June 24; her name is Rahima, accent on the first syllable.

“The Marriage and Family Book” edited by Ravi Dass and his wife Aparna, devotees of Baba Hari Dass I believe, has just come out. [On July 10, Moineddin has his secretary Fatima Roberts post to Ruhaniat Leaders and Mansur a notice about this book recommending it "to all mureeds, particularly married couples."] There is a lot of Sufi material from Rasa Shastra [a book by Hazrat Inayat Khan], Pir Vilayat and myself in it. If you’re interested, it’s published by Schocken Books and should be available in most new age bookstores by now.

Since Taj is coming out here concurrent with the Mendocino Camp, she may drive up with us for a weekend and lead a meditation, assuming that Kerubiel [later known as Zia] is a willing soul! Wali Ali and Khadija also plan to spend weekends at the Camp, as I understand, with their children. Fatima plans to teach a Women’s Class and take our kids too. My secretary will stay during the week here in Petaluma to help me dialyze, inshallah, with weekends spent at the Camp for Darshan/Interviews, Worship Services, etc.

Your letter of June 27 is most gratefully received. It not only brings back so much of our meaningful past, it confirms the present and future as positive and guided by Allah, nurtured by the spirit of S.A.M. whose “Murshid-ity” keeps on deepening and opening the more we ourselves grow and mature.

Tonight the Herzs come up for a barbeque, to be followed by a drive to the local fairgrounds for the fireworks. As I wrote to a mureed earlier toeay, I especially like the sunbursts that illuminate the whole sky with a loud bang! But no doubt Noah will hold his ears, while Nooria will probably just turn her hearing aids down!

Love to you, Geneve, and the kids,’Moineddin and Fatima and kids