Posts by Gary Morales3

boldgull19 said:What really bugs me first and foremost is how people act at the Dervish Lodge—specifically the way they pick sides, especially favoring Asad lately. I can’t change them, and honestly, I don’t want to. Everyone does what they think is right. I feel bad for Asad because he’s let fame go straight to his head, but hey, he’s young. He’s got plenty of time to figure it out.
Basically, I’d rather see the Dervish Lodge shut down because that wasn't the original goal here—if you read the first post, this space serves the Dervish (Muslim.com is the Dervish). As for moderation, I looked it up myself. The quality of religious PDFs has hit rock bottom, but I won't blame anyone else; we all know how this works. It’s on us, not them. Brothers, remember the hadiths and verses about that. Not even the moderators—who play a massive role, though rowdyhawk10 is doing the least right now—are off the hook. Banning Humaninside was justified, sure, but the way he was handled during moderation was unfair, which is why Humaninside reacted the way he did.
Anyway, I’ve distanced myself from all these circles, mostly thanks to an answer to a question I once saw:

Where or what is the root of vanity?
The inner unrest driving someone to show off outwardly.

Truth is the best thing, but there are different ways to handle it. People just do whatever suits them.

If anyone ever got anything out of the Dervish Lodge, I did. So, look... if the Dervish sincerely thinks it’s best to close things down, why shouldn't it happen? He started this thread; he has every right to ask for it to end. The key... well, we'll see. It's not set in stone.

I’m standing by the Dervish here. I don't think he's being manipulated, even if a lot of people call him naive. He’s actually quite thoughtful; it's just that some people can't stomach his kindness, so it's easier to label him as naive. Whatever.

God blessed me with meeting people who truly want more for others than they do for themselves through the Dervish Lodge. That’s one of the greatest blessings a human can have in this life. Now, go ahead and say this thread is nothing or that I'm too attached... well, I am attached, but not in a "wearing it like a necklace" kind of way.

P.S. Whoever is lobbying for something, they're just lobbying for themselves. One way or another.

I read your posts and I have to laugh. The moment the Truth finally comes to light, there is an immediate demand to shut things down, and suddenly darkness erupts here. Why don't you ask yourselves why non-Muslims mock Muslims in other threads, even though you know yourselves that all this writing lacks practical application? This practice is nothing more than dead ink on paper. While my own "fame" hit me, it simultaneously clouded clear minds with the darkness they were hiding within themselves. Take the discussion on Tawhid, for example; I was listening to it long before most of you even stepped foot in a Dervish Lodge, though some here still doubt me. It is easy to talk, but one must demonstrate through action. Many here claim to love God, yet problems flee from them like wolves fleeing from fire. They should ask themselves how deep that love truly runs, for the Messenger said that those who love God should expect trials—that is the clearest sign of an Ashik. One man once told me that the journey of Suluk is impossible for the poor because they cannot give charity. When I shared this with my teacher, he grew angry and told me to just leave that fool alone. Someone might argue he meant it metaphorically, but he meant it literally.
Everything must be subject to criticism, including the Dervish Lodge and Sufism itself. You cannot simply carry the name of Sufism and refuse to do the work. Some here dare to say they don't need formal prayers because they follow the Haqiqa, but that logic only works on the ignorant. Both the Messenger, the companions, and the entire Ulema performed night and morning prayers, and they reached much higher stations than these so-called "seekers of truth." The Messenger performed the night prayer so frequently that his feet swelled, leading Ace to ask him: "Why do you strive so hard when God has already forgiven your past and future sins?" To which he replied: "Should I not be a grateful servant?!" This is just regarding worship; let us not even get into helping others or sacrificing one's life to pull someone else out of the mud. It was well said by rapidmaker6 that many today want one foot leading toward God and the other toward Satan. The Truth hurts, but it must eventually come to light. In my city, the extremists are respected only because most of them actually help others and live by their word, whereas Sufis are despised because they know nothing else besides sitting in the mosque cafe after the morning prayer to drink coffee and lecture for an hour, only to mock whoever crosses their path. Just four days ago, a man—who has nothing to do with faith—told me how he argued with another person over the extremists, specifically because of their sincerity. Therefore, instead of trying to shut down the Dervish Lodge to hide from the Truth, devote yourselves to good deeds. Then, write about the experiences of those deeds in prose and poetry. If you do that, there will be no criticism, and perhaps the Bank will finally start respecting you.

rowdyhawk10, are you really closing all these active threads? Are you trying to ensure there isn't a single Muslim left on this forum? Most Muslims hardly ever start new discussions; they just stick to these few existing ones...