Sufi News Report - Sunday, September 9, 2007On Friday August 31st in Como, within the literary manifestation “Parolario” Professor Gabriel Mandel, khalifa of the Italian branch of the Jerrahi-Halveti Sufi Brotherhood, held a public conference titled: “Sufism. The way to knowledge and peace”.
Professor Mandel cited the Qur'an extensively, illustrated shortly some sufi practices -both generic and those peculiar to his Brotherhood- and sternly affirmed that terrorism constitutes nothing but a psychic deviance.
He spoke about the sacredness of the word, of which prayer is the higher example.
Among his most remarkable statements, a clear stance on the relationship between Islam and Sufism: “Nobody can be a Sufi if he is not a Muslim”; and on the matter of reincarnation: “I believe in reincarnation, just as 40% of the Sufis [believe in it]".
My wife believes in it, my daughter believes in it -he said. On the other hand my successor, who will become khalifa of the Italian branch of Jerrahi-Halveti when I shall die, does not believe in reincarnation. We are Sufis, thus respectful of other people's positions”.
When the space was completely saturated with the Divine Presence, he said: “God is not an invention of the human mind. Sufism connects man to God through practices which activate that part of the brain in charge for transcendence”.
Visit the main site of the Jerrahi-Halveti Sufi Order: http://www.jerrahi.org/
Visit the Italian branch' website
[picture: Prof. Gabriele Mandel during the conference. Photo: Marina Montanaro/Sufi News]
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