The Sufi Path in Sao Paulo
My meeting with Imam Ahmad Shakur came about very quickly, and quite honestly, unexpectedly. I arrived to the coffee-shop at 6:05 pm for a 6:00 pm meeting. I realized then that I didn’t know what to expect nor how he was going to recognize me. Though he has an Arabic name, there is a trend in Brazil for new Muslims to change their names. Usually, I stand out as the tourist very easily. However, Imam Ahmad and I had such a little conversation prior to the meeting that I was not sure he knew that. Awkwardly, I walked to a few suspected people asking them if they were Imam Ahmad but he was not there. So, I waited.
When Imam Ahmad walked up to the coffee-shop, I sort of had a ‘duh’ moment. I should’ve known it, he is the Imam of the Naqshabandi Sufi Tariqa in Sao Paulo. ‘Tariqa’ is Arabic for someone’s way, method or school of thought. A Tariqa is not particularly a law, it is rather practices, wisdom, and ways to practice Sufism.
Immediately after we met, we started talking about religion, Sufism, and culture in Brazil. The only ‘small talk’ we had was me explaining where I am from. He immediately told me that he loves Jordan and Morocco, because their kings come from a family that is a mureed, follower, of the tariqa.
When the coffee and Pao de Queijo (delicious Brazilian cheese bread) came, Imam Ahmad asked for salt. He explained that Sheikh Muhammad Nazim, of whose tariqa Imam Ahmad is a mureed, recommended eating salt before any food; the reason being that it would help prevent ailment coming from the food.
When it comes to culture and religion, Imam Ahmad agreed with me that they are different. Though, he said one can’t really unlink or separate them. Can one separate the right brain side from the left one? Some people have characteristics of a left brain or a right brain, but one can’t separate the two sides. One would die he explained.
Imam Ahmad uses an Islamic framework to understand culture. According to Imam Ahmad, in Islam there are five categories that can be used to identify culture (or anything for that matter): Obligatory, highly-recommended, permissible, not recommended, and forbidden. These categories govern his approach to the culture. He then looks to the Tariqa for guidance. If the culture fits within the first three categories and the Tariqa, then he takes them. If they don’t, then he avoids it.
For Imam Ahmad culture is an influence on society. “This influence can be from East to West or the other way …” he said pointing sideways. Then he pointed upwards and downward, and said “The culture influence can also be from God or from Satan.” God’s teachings came to us through the prophets. The prophets, in some sense, instituted a culture of virtue amongst their followers. This culture lived on for generations while being influenced by other influences.
This mix of influences, he agrees, proves difficult to understand religion and faith whether in our time or at the time of the prophet. At the same time, the culture of any given place can be a good or bad basis for any faith.
Brazilian culture is rich, he affirms. In fact, he appreciates the long history of Islam in Brazil. The Brazilian culture originated with the Portuguese, Indigenous, and Africans, who were mostly Muslim. There are many points in history where Brazil could have become a majority Muslim country.
At this point, I was enjoying my conversation with Imam Ahmad. It was a genuine and sincere conversation. Then, I asked him what was his favorite thing about Islam or what does Islam mean to him? At that moment, it felt that he transcended to a completely higher level of warmth and sincerity. It is that moment when you feel a flood of emotions come through.
‘God is not in heaven. God is not on earth. God is in the heart of the believer.’ I am not sure if that is a hadith or a teaching of my Imam. But that is Islam to me. And, Sufism teaches me how to drown myself in the depth of my heart because God is there. Only in our heart we can find God, and only in our hearts we can find our way. God created the universe for us to enjoy. But, He created us to worship him. So, it is only fitting that he hides in our heart to force us look deep into it for him.”
I have heard of the spirituality of Sufism, but this, so far, has been the closest I have been to it. I wanted to learn more so, I asked the Imam how I could learn more. He invited me to a dhikr, meditation and prayer, session.
Part 2: The Sufi Way in São Paulo
These words are very difficult to write. I set a goal for myself on this project to present the stories objectively. However, two reasons make this blog post different: First, I was not able to take notes during the experience (for reasons you will understand once you read the post). And secondly, this experience was very new to me personally, and so I had to absorb, understand, and live in the experience at once.
When Imam Ahmad invited me to his dhikr session, he was, politely, very clear on one thing “this is going to be an open space for everyone to come. I don’t know who comes. Sometimes, non-muslims come to join. And, people who come are at different stages of their spiritual journey. I don’t judge and I try to teach respectfully. I just ask you to focus and look into your own heart.”
On the evening of the dhikr session, I arrived at the location. It was not a mosque, or a prayer room. It was an office in a medical building (from what I understood). When the Imam arrived and opened the door, I realized we were in some sort of a treatment clinic/spa. The clinic is a business belonging to the Imam’s mother. We went ahead and cleared out one of the rooms from all the equipment and laid down a few rugs. It felt as if this was a mischievous secret act we were doing.
Dhikr is the act of repeating Islamic devotional phrases, mantras of sort. Muslims are encouraged to remember God by repeating such mantras during the day regardless of what one is doing. However, on that evening, we were to do dhikr together as a group, out-loud.
The night started with us praying the Isha prayer, the night prayer required of all Muslims. After the prayer, we sat on the floor in a circle. We started dhikr silently, and we were just getting comfortable. The Imam told me that I should take pictures now, because we were about to turn off the lights. At this point, there were only seven people in attendance.
Once the lights were off, the Imam led the dhikr. He would say something and we would repeat. That lasted for probably an hour. In that hour, I went through a few stages. In the first stage I was just getting comfortable with the dhikr session. I was distracted a little bit trying to understand what the Imam was saying. He repeated Arabic phrases; however, because of the accent and the way of the recitation, I didn’t understand all of it. In the next stage I worked on focusing and reflecting internally, that part was serene and beautiful. Slowly though, I was getting tired. My throat was getting dry, and sitting on the floor was getting uncomfortable. The last stage was me trying to ignore the discomfort and carry on.
The Imam wrapped up the dhikr and gave a little talk. He did this graciously in both English and Portuguese. It was a beautiful talk on the different levels of spirituality a Muslim can reach. After the talk, food and juices appeared and we all started to relax and chat. Most of those in attendance slowly left until the Imam, his brother, and myself were left. And, we talked for hours.
The Imam, an industrial designer who created story-boards for movies and TV shows, had a long journey towards Islam. He said that, as is the case with all his stories, his journey started when he was a child. He always wondered what is the meaning of it all. Why we are alive, why we go to work, why .. why .. He felt a need to explain that to himself. He found a group that called itself a secular Sufi group. He enjoyed it for a while, but realized quickly that Sufism can’t be separated from Islam. Soon after, he went to Cyprus to learn from Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani. And, his journey continued.
His parents and siblings became Muslim soon after when Imam Ahmad hosted a visiting Sufi Imam at his family’s home. The family was so moved and impressed by how the visiting Imam conducted himself and they converted to Islam shortly after.
We continued talking until 1:30 am discussing the Imam’s life before converting to Islam, his career path and his aspirations. I enjoyed talking to the Imam and his brother, Abu Baker, who turned out to be a photography instructor. The night eventually came to an end and Imam Ahmad and Abu Baker picked up their car and dropped me off at the hostel. It was a great night and I am very thankful for the hospitality and the experience extended to me.
Originally published at theeyeinislam.com on June 13, 2015.
