Gonabadi Sufis Of Iran

[gonabadi]

Salamun Alaikum.

Gonabadi Shia Sufis of Iran

Please compile a list of similar FACTUAL videos , dont spread so that there is still a possibility of patch up between brothers ?!

Unfortunately, wahhabism and shaytan is operating in all territories and people in all kinds of garbs, even shia.

Major argument being used to discredit Sufism ie Tassawuf ie Irfaan ie Batiniya is that it is from Hinduism and they are Passive. Is there any truth in Hinduism and how much fact is in Passive ? Do the Sufis skip prayers , fasting and khoms more than the non-sufis (and those on the exoteric plane) ?

please establish contact with me at

[edit] @india.com

as soon as possible if you are a sufi, zaydi, ismaili, nizari, mustali, or agakhani.

Edited August 21, 2018 by Hameedeh
[Mod Note: Please do not post personal information (email, phone, WhatsApp. etc.) that can be used to identify you or someone else. Whatever you post on the Internet will be read by scammers and spammers.]

[Gypsy]

(salam)

Do you have a neutral report to support your stance that Sufis are being prosecuted or marginalized in Iran? :unsure:

I have never really heard that Iranian government cares about Sufis to prosecute them.

[gonabadi]

camera and its CCD silicon photocells are altogether and always neutral.

In the video you will see that the sufis DO NOT HAVE the green bands of the opposition party of the ahmadinejad.

These people are totally non-political. They are purely looking for worship and spirituality. They have right to give their khoms tax to their own sufi tariqahs and not the ayatollahs of their dis-choice who covet it.

I confirmed some time ago with a pro regime friend(s) in tehran that there has indeed been persecution of Nimatollahi Gonabadi sufis.

My goal is not to inflame but to solve so flames are not burst. Also, sufis are wary that other munafiq politicians do not use their pain for any political agenda. Iranian government should take decisive steps to make sure that the muslims of the sufi persuation are given rights and freedom to worship as they give to the jews and christians and sunnis. They should try to keep in mind the fact that there are more muslims converted by sufis and also that islam spread to the most difficult conversions only through sufis who were loved and inspired faith from within and not from without.

please ask anyone to translate the video from persian if that is not known to you.

[Hameedeh]

(bismillah)

(salam)

Quote

Unfortunately, wahhabism and shaytan is operating in all territories and people in all kinds of garbs, even shia.

Equating Shias with wahhabis and shaytan is unacceptable. That was crude and rude.

Quote

please establish contact with me at

[edit] @india.com

as soon as possible if you are a sufi, zaydi, ismaili, nizari, mustali, or agakhani.

Ah, proof that there is a foreign plot to badmouth the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Your videos try to instill fear into people that Iranians will come to their country and destroy their tourist attractions. Preposterous. :squeez:

[Guest Muhamad]

@gonabadi .. also heard after 9/11 A LOT of americans converted to Islam because of Rumi books .. they were booming back then .. that's one reason why i love Rumi so much ..

[gonabadi]

(bismillah)

(salam)

Equating Shias with wahhabis and shaytan is unacceptable. That was crude and rude.

Ah, proof that there is a foreign plot to badmouth the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Your videos try to instill fear into people that Iranians will come to their country and destroy their tourist attractions. Preposterous. :squeez:

Salaam.

Sister Hameedeh,

I did not make the videos. The photos and videos speak for themselves. Ithnashari Shias are not monolithicaly good. You have criminals in jails of iran who are Ithnashari shia ? Who are drug addicts ? Then you also have in clergy and some Ayatollah whose minds cannot be momentarily immune to shaytan ? Are you aware that Shaytan who prayed for eons in every corner of the universe before the creation of Adam, then finally fell as the most cursed by Allah ? The Ayatollahs are NOT infallible.

The best safeguard against rogue individuals is to have strong institutions and state machinery that safeguard the state operation from such individuals.

If the world media and technology did not exist then this news would have been suppressed ... as in the past.

The iranian history of safavid shows how they forcibly pushed the sunnis out. No candid cameras at that time.

Wahhabism or kharajite is not a philosophy limited to saudi arabia, afghanistan etc.

You have indeed ithnashari shia kharajites who call other muslims kaffirs and consider their life and property as violable.

You have indeed ithnashari shia kharajites who call other muslims kaffirs and consider their life and property as violable.

You have indeed ithnashari shia kharajites who call other muslims kaffirs and consider their life and property as violable.

This takfeeri ideology is not limited to afghanistan and taliban but also exists in Iran.

As far as the people who would destroy and erase the traces of historical monuments as the buddha in Bamiyan , there are such kharajites (you versus us) (exclusionaries from society and humanity) even in europe. The conflict of civilizations is essentially a kharajite (exclusionary) philosophy.

Thats what I thought the video was saying. You thought that it refers to the various iranian ithnashari scholars of iran visiting the masjids in europe ? I assume that when certain ithnasharis condone kicking sufis out they then naturally become paranoid about others doing the same. In all totalitarian (kharajite) societies, the problem of definition of who is "us" becomes paramount and unsolvable. This was the case in Soviet Union also, where there was a paranoia in society.

Regardless, why do you favor such destruction and burning of sufi places of worship in iran and refuse to condemn it , and practicing double standards ? Remember, the faith corrodes when double standards are witnessed and no one then believes in it fully .

You can witness a number of takfiri , kharajite shia ithnashari individuals in this very forum who call people kaffirs or call muslims as non-muslim setting themselves as judge where as this is the job of Allah ?!

Edited February 20, 2011 by gonabadi

[Hameedeh]

(bismillah)

(salam)

That is really strange that you say the Ayatollahs are not infallible and are subject to the whims of Shaytan. Isn't that the claim of the Sufi who was arrested? That he was insan-e-kamil. The incident is years old, 2006, and there was no persecution of Sufis. It is a crime in the Islamic Republic of Iran for any cleric, Shia or Sufi or Sunni, to claim that he is an infallible person and does not need to pray or fast or follow the Islamic laws. This is misguiding the people who are being deceived by him. The Sufi was surrounded and refused to come out to answer criminal charges against him, so he was finally arrested. The claim that the fire was set intentionally has no basis in fact. The photos in the videos of injured people and destroyed buildings could be from earthquake victims or victims shot in any other country. This new topic is just another attempt to badmouth the Islamic Republic of Iran. Don't believe it. ws

[gonabadi]

I dont believe the NEDA video because the camera following her before she was shot dead and it could not be random. So that was against the iranian government and malicious.

Similarly, we need you to bring a similar COGENT argument in this case;

or a statement by Ayatollah Khamenei or President Ahmadinejad showing that the sufis are not being attacked by fanatics or ithnashari kharajites.

Ayatollah Khamenei has given a fatwa on preventing Ithnashari Shias from disrespecting Prophet's wives and Companions that were dear to the Holy Prophet and our Ahle Sunna brothers.

As far as religion is concerned, you can argue and persuade but you cannot COMPEL or LEGISLATE.

This does leads to Munafiqat in the society.

Do you think Ibadat is a TAX to be paid to God ? No. One is punished by one's sins of omission and commision. Once you explain this to those who dont fast, who dont pray and who take Tobacco, Niswar, Opium and other intoxicants, you will stop sin more effectively. But it does require patience. Beating will not do this as that makes people into childs and destroys their self-respect. Even children are not to be beaten but explained with logic and example.

It says clearly in Ayatul Kursi - La Ikraha Fid Deen. Follow it for your own sake. Proper dress code should also be followed. Iranian model has many virtues and is precious but it needs improvements.

There is a strong allegation of fire being set and Building burnt and others demolished by tractors. I have seen photos of it and posted on this forum. It is your responsibility to take this to the highest authorities in Iran and they must take the trouble to give a reply and investigate. Otherwise there will be a reaction all over the world. We are waiting for a reply and repair of properties and compensation if that was indeed done by ithnasharis with kharajite outlook.

You have a chance go explain and bring evidence in public but you cannot dismiss it. Just as you required a sufi to answer, you also have to answer. If you required him a public trial without pressure in public, and with due diligence and patience, you can separate and discredit such sufis from their followers if these sufi claimants were fake.

A patient manner would be acceptable than these demolitions.

[Al-Englisi]

lol if your talking about the building in Qom (on the same road as the haram), which is now a motor-cycle car park..then that building never originally belonged to any sufis. A number of them squatted there since it had been empty for some time, then after a while many of them would gather there and perform their sufi rituals, not long passed before the police became aware that sufis had taken over this building and decided to remove them, this led to many of these sufis coming from accross the country and fortyfiying the building, they all locked themselves inside, there was a struggle betweem the police and the general public against those sufis, who were eventually removed and the building demolished.

[gonabadi]

lol if your talking about the building in Qom (on the same road as the haram), which is now a motor-cycle car park..then that building never originally belonged to any sufis. A number of them squatted there since it had been empty for some time, then after a while many of them would gather there and perform their sufi rituals, not long passed before the police became aware that sufis had taken over this building and decided to remove them, this led to many of these sufis coming from accross the country and fortyfiying the building, they all locked themselves inside, there was a struggle betweem the police and the general public against those sufis, who were eventually removed and the building demolished.

Your proof ? Court documents ? Police Records ? Translations ?

some info

http://www.islamicpluralism.org/1692/iran-escalates-repression-against-sufis

Stephen Schwartz writes it, but I want independent research on this to find truth. DONT BLAME ME. Its not my opinion and I am trying to find FACTS.

========

what he says:

Iran Escalates Repression Against Sufis

by Stephen Schwartz

The Weekly Standard Blog

January 5, 2011

http://www.islamicpluralism.org/1692/iran-escalates-repression-against-sufis

Like other tyrannies before it, the Iranian clerical dictatorship, headed by "supreme leader" Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the venomous demagogue Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, seeks to frighten and intimidate its subjects by identifying a wide range of alleged internal and external enemies. But the Iranian authorities cannot definitively defeat their main domestic adversaries, because there are, by now, just too many of them.

Thus, the Iranian oppressors find it easier to marginalize and persecute dissenting elements that already appear meager and disadvantaged, than to take on the whole mass of angry citizens, or the array of its authentic external critics. While trumpeting a militant menace against a variety of internal foes and the world's democracies, Tehran's despots have increased their specific, real measures of repression against Iran's Sufis.

Late last summer, Iranian judicial chief Sadegh Larijani marked the first anniversary of his appointment by Khamenei to purge the country of post-election resistance. The prosecutor is a brother of Ali Larijani (public head of the Iranian nuclear program) and a well-known hardliner. On August 10, Sadegh Larijani departed from standard Tehran propaganda, which blames the disaffection of the people, especially among the young, on foreign intrigues, and declared that the motivation of those standing up against the autocracy included something else: Islam without clerical guidance, epitomized by the Sufis. In Larijani's view—which is backed by the power of extra-judicial thugs, as well as police, prisons, gallows, and stonings—"false mysticism and Sufism" are corrupting young Iranians with "tricks."

Sadegh Larijani was particularly strident in his denunciation of Hindu traditions, which have a long history of mutual influence over Sufism, in Iran no less than in the Indian subcontinent. Larijani equated the peril of mystical Islam and the risks of studying Indian philosophy with the danger presented by the "so-called think tanks" in Iran that he accused of importing Western conceptions of human rights.

Before, during, and after the 2009 election Tehran had already concentrated fire on the Nimatullahi-Gonabadi Sufis, whose main spokesman abroad, Seyed Mustafa Azmayesh, has advocated and preached extensively and eloquently for separation of religion from the state. On January 2, 2011, in the major Iranian city of Isfahan, according to sources in the country, Gonabadi Sufi sheikh Morteza Majoubi was arrested when about 20 plainclothes and uniformed police broke down the door of a house he was visiting. The agents did not offer any charges or explanations, but detained and jailed Mahjoubi and four companions in the town of Dastgerd. Within two hours, 5,000 Sufis and their supporters had gathered at the lockup to demand the men be freed. Although the demonstrators were terrorized by armed guards, their numbers kept growing, and after two hours Sheikh Mahjoubi and his son were released. As he returned to Isfahan, where the clerical state has carried out other provocations against the Sufis, Mahjoubi said, "We must remain upright in the face of injustice."

On November 17, 2010, thousands of Iranians gathered at the tomb of the charismatic musician and Sufi, Seyed Khalil Alinejad, who was murdered in exile in Sweden nine years earlier, on November 18, 2001. At the tomb in the western Iranian town of Sahne, Iranian security officials confiscated banners, audio equipment, and other items intended for the memorial. Two adherents of the mystical movement to which Alinejad belonged, Kheirollah Haqjooyan and Hojat Zeorian, were arrested. Haqjooyan had been warned by the regime's agents not to deliver a speech at the observance. Both men vanished into the darkness of the Iranian state's apparatus of oppression.

At the beginning of December, six more Sufis aligned with Alinejad were arrested in the cities of Kermanshah and Shirin, as well as in Tehran. Their names are Seyyed Nasreddin Heidari, Seyyed Hijabuddin Elhami, Hormoz and Firoz Timurian, Syavosh Hayati, and Seyyed Farhad Zonnorian. They were subjected to extensive interrogation as well as detention.

Iranian fear of Sufis puts the country's clerical oligarchs in the same camp with other Islamist radicals from the Balkans to Pakistan, where attacks against the mystics have proliferated along with anti-Western jihadism. Belying Ahmadinejad's bluster, the aggressive stance of the Iranian clerical apparatus against Sufis is a sign of official weakness, not strength, and of fear rather than self-confidence. The incarcerated Sufis of Iran lack powerful advocates abroad. But their deep imprint on Iranian culture and society can make them a significant factor in curbing the adventurism and brutality of a reckless regime. Hence the regime's offensive against them.

Our iranian brothers should be very careful of making a mistake and if the do then promptly accept/correct it as we do not want the enemies of islam and muslims to capitalise on it and try to create divisions. Credibility is the most important currency in this era of information , media and deception.

Edited February 20, 2011 by gonabadi

[Hameedeh]

Our iranian brothers should be very careful of making a mistake and if the do then promptly accept/correct it as we do not want the enemies of islam and muslims to capitalise on it and try to create divisions. Credibility is the most important currency in this era of information , media and deception.

(bismillah)

(salam)

So now you are calling Iranians your brothers and worried about enemies of Islam creating divisions? Didn't you previously plead for other groups, sufi, zaydi, ismaili, nizari, mustali, or agakhani to contact you and help you to spread the false information in the videos? You are still insisting to defame your IRI brothers? Believe me, nobody will harm you if you don't want to pray, fast, go to hajj, pay zakat, pay your khums or any of the Islamic activities. But your Sufi leader brainwashing people that he is insan-e-kamil so he doesn't need to do those things (or telling them they don't need to do those things) is deceitful and deviant.

[gonabadi]

Sister Hameedeh, have a look at this link and you can refute it with LOGIC and DISPASSIONATELY - will give your arguments greater strength. Imam Aliyy said : Bravest is the one who can overcome his[her] anger.

http://www.mehriran.de/articles/dr-seyed-mostafa-azmayesh-sufis-believe-in-the-absolute-necessity-of-the-separation-between-religion-and-politics/?tx_ttnews[pointer]=5

22.07.2010

Dr. Seyed Mostafa Azmayesh: Sufis believe in the absolute necessity of the separation between religion and politics.

By:Interview with Dr. Mostafa Azmayesh, Jaras

The name of the Nematollahi Gonabadi Sufis has been heard recently more than ever due to the pressure that is opposed on them by the regime of Iran and at the same time, the Gonabadi Sufis believe that Sufism should not be involved in politics. Mehdi Karroubi was one of few political figures who defended the rights of the Sufis and for this reason Sufis gave him their votes during the recent election. Last week, fourteen of Sufis of the Gonabadi order where sentenced to prison and flogging by the government court, while last year, relatives of a deceased Sufi were prevented to bury him in a private tomb and the family of the deceased man were arrested. Hereafter Sufis went in front of the city hall to protest but they were encountered with violent repression by the security forces.

Dr. Mostafa Azmayesh at a conference in Berlin

Also in May 2010, a number of plain clothes agents assembled in front of the gathering place of the Sufis in the city of Karaj and shouted slogans against Sufism.

Dr. Mostafa Azmayesh is one of more famous figures and the spokesman of the Gonabadi Sufi order outside of Iran. But according to his own view, he is only one of the disciples of the Sufi path. Dr Azmayesh’s personal website, like many other blogs and websites of the Gonabadi Sufis have been frequently filtered or hacked. For years he has lived outside of Iran to bring the world to attention about the pressure that is opposed on Sufis in Iran. Dr. Azmayesh is a juristic expert in human rights and Islamic studies, and one of the members of the “International committee in support of the rights of Sufis and Students in Iran” to defend them against the tyranny of the ruling system. He left Iran 34 years ago for finishing his degree in law and came to France. After the Islamic revolution he preferred to stay outside Iran and to be the voice of his fellow Sufis whenever needed. We interviewed him for understanding the beliefs of the Sufis and finding out the reason for this prolonged confrontations of the current ruling system in Iran with Sufis. Since many are unaware of the ideology and faith of the Sufis, and what they have been going through during the past years, this interview can clear out the smoke and a better picture of the restrictions in Iran may appear.

Jaras: We have seen in the news that 24 Sufis of the Gonabadi order have been sentenced to imprisonment, flogging and exile. These sentences have been the followings of several stages of heavy destructions of the gathering places of the Nematollahi Gonabadi Sufi order. What restrictions have been opposed on Sufis in general? Have such restrictions led to the migration of Sufis from Iran?

Azmayesh: For a better understanding of the recent happenings we should take a look at the general policy of the Islamic republic against Sufis, from the beginning of the revolution until now. Then we realize the continuation of the pressure and repression against Sufis which have lead to many Sufi orders to migrate from Iran. But the Nematollahi Gonabadi Sufi order that are Shiite Muslims and believe in the 12 Imams have stayed although they had to endure the violence oppressed on them, like the destruction of their gathering places by the use of government equipment done by agents of the regime with government salaries, in cities like Qom, Bourojerd, Isfahan and Charmahin. They have also forced Sufis to sign commitments not to let in other Sufis in their house and if a house was rented for the purpose of being a gathering place for the Gonabadi order, the doors have been shut and locked forever. At the same time, many masters and elders of this order have been forced to leave their birth places and deported for lifetime or for a period of time. Recently even the families of Sufis are denied to bury their loved ones in the cemeteries, even if it is written in the testament of the deceased and the burial place has been paid for, and if the funeral takes place it is considered a crime and punishments are sentenced out to the family of the deceased or anyone who objects this discrimination and lack of justice. This is the situation of the Nematollahi Gonabadi Sufis in Iran.

Jaras: You mentioned the gatherings of the Sufis and that the regime of Iran is trying to prevent these gatherings. The Islamic republic has promoted for years that Sufis do not follow the religious practices and laws. What do you think of these allegations?

Azmayesh: Of course, those involved in the judicial system of Iran have demolished the human rights and the words of justice and truth has lost its meaning. The Nematollahi Gonabadi Sufis are Shiite Muslims and one of the most religious segments of the Iranian population. They act according to the morals and duties of Islamic faith, and whoever comes in contact with Sufis will understand this within a short period of time. It is even so that the opponents of religion and Islam have always objected the ways of the Gonabadi Sufis and told them, “You adhere too much to the religious practices.” But the allegations of the regime should not be considered as lies, we should refer to the way these people see Islam. The definition these people give of Islam is unlike any other interpretation of Islam during the 1400 years that Islam has existed and their point of view has no relation to the holy Quran. They see the supreme leader as the absolute ruler of the government. Mr Karroubi gave the example and said: “The Islam of the current system is like an extremely small boat, and anyone who is not on this boat is considered a non-Muslim.” That is why they say that Sufis do not obey the religious principles. This is not true. Sufis spend their time during these gatherings for prayer and meditation, and everyone is welcome to come to these gatherings and see for themselves. We do not want to get into a defensive position. It is they who have not understood the teachings of Islam and have named their totalitarian way Islam. If the manner of Sufis does not match them, it is because Sufis are real Muslims and they are not.

Jaras: It is said that the clergy see Sufis as rivals and that they worry about the influence of Sufis on society. What is the point of view of Sufis on politics and do they agree with involving religion with politics or not?

Azmayesh: Sufis absolutely believe in the necessity of separation between religion and politics. Sufis believe that if religion and politics are mixed together, not only that the problems of the world will not be solved but also the reputation and credibility of religion will disappear. This is especially true when those who have the authority of religion and politics take advantage of their position. They put the label of Islam on their horrible acts and feel free to give out severe penalties in the name of Islam to those who object their ways. But they are doing great harm to the reputation of Islam in the eyes of the people and history. People think that Islam really is an ideology who advocates violence and that Islam is based on terror. All of this is because of such wrong behaviors. This is the reason that Sufis like any other real Shiite Muslims believe in the separation of politics and religion, especially during the absence of the Messiah and that any government in the name of religion and spirituality until the coming of the Messiah is considered a fraud. Because Shiite Muslims believe that there are 14 persons without any sin throughout history and that the last one of them is the Messiah which is in absence, that is why Sufis do not involve themselves in political work in the name of religion.

On the other hand those who have the authority in religion and politics in Iran are confronted by this lack of acceptance and they react to this by violence and repression. And the real reason why the government has been trying to eliminate Sufism from Iran - and particularly the Gonabadi Order - should be investigated in this field: the unity of politics and religion, or the separation of these two.

Jaras: It seems that during Ahmadinejad's government, pressures and restrictions that the government is imposing on Sufis have become more intense. What is the fight of the government with mysticism and what area of your activities do they oppose? Are you diverted from Islam according to them? What is your analysis of these pressures?

Azmayesh: At the beginning of the presidency of Ahmadinejad and the ninth government, a center was established with mostly Friday preachers of different cities as members. The head of this center is Sheikh Mohammad Yazdi, who is also the Vice President of the “Assembly of Experts”. In their meetings, they discuss different religious currents in Iran whether religious minorities or different interpretations of Islam and the judicial and executive means of the government are obliged to take action according to the policies that are decided in these gatherings. In the last meeting that was held, they said that the greatest duty of the government is to defend the religious borders of the Iranian citizens, and for this reason they created an excuse for any type of ideology that is different to the official ideological beliefs of the current government to be removed and calling this “defending the religious borders of Muslims.” In this session, this centre formed four commissions that each one deals with the ultimate goal of: eradicating Sunni Muslims under the pretext of fighting “Wahabiat”, eliminating Sufism under the pretext that they do not have the right understanding of the “supreme spiritual leader”, removing Baha’ism with the excuse that their holy place is located in Haifa in Israel and that they are spies, and eliminating new emerging mysticism under the pretext of devil worship.

Defending the borders of ideological Iranian citizens creates a great deal of corruption to such extend that it uses capacity of the judicial system while removing the license of the lawyers who defend the legal rights of the Sufis. Even the governors and the councils across the country are obliged to provide the required equipment immediately whenever they decide to destroy the gathering places of Sufis. Even in Parliament a new commission was created by the name of “National Security Commission”, and the vice-president of this commission is Mohammad Ismail Kowsari who was earlier the chief on the part military base of the revolutionary guard “Sarollah”, they are in conflict with Sufis because they say that Sufism has the wrong interpretation of “spiritual leader” and that this is in contrast with their own ideology.

Jaras: You mention the support of the candidacy of Mr. Karroubi from the Gonabadi Sufis. Did this have any effect on the issues after the election in arresting the Nematollahi Gonabadi Sufis?

Azmayesh: No, not at all. The arrests, detentions and repression of Sufis, and withdrawing the license of the lawyers who defended the Sufis in courts, closing down their gathering centers and the destruction of their gathering places has been continuous and started years ago. But clearly the main reason that the Sufis supported Mr.Karroubi was that when the government of Mr. Ahmadinejad as the executor of the decisions taken by the Commission of the Council started the destruction of cultural and meeting places of Sufis and officials were silent, Mr. Karroubi was the only one who protested and wrote a letter to the interior minister, Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi and another letter to the head of the intelligence service, Mr. Mohsen Ejei and also wrote open letters to other officials of the country condemning these violent acts. Every time they attacked the gathering places of Sufis, Mr. Karroubi was the only one who protested and said that such acts were far from the teachings of Islam and illegal according to the laws of the country and he invited others to speak up as well. So when everyone else were silent, he was the only one who defended the rights of the Sufis and according to the teachings of Islam, “To return good, with good” Sufis gave their votes to him. According to our statistics we have more than 4 million Gonabadi Sufis who all voted for Mr. Karroubi and this also reveals that the recent election was really a deception, because the officials announced Mr. Karroubis votes to be 350 thousand which was obviously a lie because only the Sufis gave more that 4 million votes to Mr. Karroubi.

Jaras: You mention 4 million Sufis voting for Mr. Karroubi. When the gathering place of Gonabadi Sufis was destroyed in Isfahan in the year 2009, according to media statistics 60 thousands Sufis gathered in front of the city hall in Tehran, where 800 of them were arrested. Do you have any media organization and how could such a population come to Tehran only a few days after the destruction? Tell us about the ways Sufis inform each other.

Azmayesh: Unfortunately, we are in a boycott, my personal site has been hacked and even right now my email is disabled and other websites or blogs that belong to Sufis have been hacked or filtered. Even in the free international space we are having difficulties getting out the news of what is happening.

However, Sufis have a special form of connection that is different from the technological devices for connection. It is not an institutional or organizational system that can be influenced or disrupted. It is an emotional connection of the heart. This is basically the difference between the political organizations and the world of Sufis, which has no structural form to be penetrated. When the pressure was high on Sufis and a mass protest was needed, it was felt by Sufis. We observed that, despite the fact that we are not able to release any information, that a gathering took place at the same time by Sufis coming from all over the country. In the same manner, when the time came to vote for Mr. Karroubi, more than 300 centers were established campaigning for Mr. Karroubi. I call this “a collective consciousness of Sufis” that is a different form of connection. This is also a fundamental problem for the intelligence service agents who have been trying to penetrate this communication of the Sufis without any success.

Jaras: Let us return to the topic of the arrested Sufis. They were arrested for an illegal gathering in a cemetery in the city of Gonabad in Beidokht. This is a cemetery where many Sufis bury their dead relatives. Such gathering is like the gathering of Turks in Tabriz or the gathering of Jews in a Synagogue. They were charged with “disturbing the public”, what is your opinion as a person who has studied law?

Azmayesh: Beidokht is a village close to the city of Gonabad. Gonabad is connected to a bigger city and the population of it is a little more than a village. There is a very large tomb in Beidokht where several masters of the Gonabadi Sufi order are buried. And there is a cemetery attached to this tomb. This tomb is called “Mazare Soltani” and is often visited by Sufis who come from various places for pilgrimage, and so the cemetery next to Mazare Soltani is not an ordinary one. It is like the tomb of Shah Nematollah Valy in the city of Kerman or other tombs of Sufi masters, like the tomb of Rumi in Konya which is considered an important historical place and a huge mosque and a shrine is build on top of the tomb. But unfortunately the Cultural Revolutionary Council decided to eliminate the name of Gonabad from the geography maps in school books, they are not only trying to eliminate Sufism and Sufis, but they also make efforts to eliminate any trace of its past. We also protested when this was done.

Last year, it was suddenly announced that the cemetery connected to the Mazare Soltani is closed and the burial of the dead is illegal here. A Sufi who was taking care of the cemetery was summoned to the office of the intelligence service in Beidokht where he was notified that according to this decision it is considered a crime to bury anyone in this cemetery and if it is done, there will be consequences. This decision was not taken by the Parliament but was decided according to the directives of the intelligence service and suddenly it was a crime to bury anyone in this cemetery.

The law that I studied and learned was a specific kind of law, but what is called law in Iran is the agent of the intelligence service in each city or village and this person is considered as the law. The definition of law in Iran is now outside of its frame as we know it and it is different to the classical definition of law and order, but is used according to the will of a few people who are mainly mentally ill as well.

Jaras: Thank you!

[Hameedeh]

have a look at this link and you can refute it with LOGIC and DISPASSIONATELY - will give your arguments greater strength. Imam Aliyy said : Bravest is the one who can overcome his[her] anger.

(bismillah)

(salam)

Thank you for the quote from Imam Ali AS, however I am not angry in the slightest bit. Maybe you are angry, I don't know. In the first video in Post #1 you said four ayatollahs were to blame for persecution of Sufis: Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani, Ayatollah Noori Hamedani and Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani. You said these holy men, our Shia Ulema, thought people will be attracted to Sufism more than Shia Islam and soon there won't be anybody left to follow them. If you say no, I didn't say that, you posted the video that said that, so if you agree the video is wrong, please ask a moderator to delete the first video in Post #1. Go ahead and delete the second video, too. We don't believe that any tourist attractions in any country are in danger at all. That is just rumor and fearmongering. In Post #3 you said these ayatollahs covet the khoms tax of some people who became Sufis. Do you know the punishment in the Judgement Day for making accusation of someone? Making accusation against one ayatollah is even more heinous, let alone four of them. For your information, the Shia Ulema do not care how much khoms tax they receive; their responsibility is to collect it from their followers and distribute it for the cause of Islam, may Allah SWT hasten the return of Imam Zaman AJ to take possesion of the treasury and manage it according to his holy mission.

[gonabadi]

(bismillah)

(salam)

So now you are calling Iranians your brothers and worried about enemies of Islam creating divisions? Didn't you previously plead for other groups, sufi, zaydi, ismaili, nizari, mustali, or agakhani to contact you and help you to spread the false information in the videos? You are still insisting to defame your IRI brothers? Believe me, nobody will harm you if you don't want to pray, fast, go to hajj, pay zakat, pay your khums or any of the Islamic activities. But your Sufi leader brainwashing people that he is insan-e-kamil so he doesn't need to do those things (or telling them they don't need to do those things) is deceitful and deviant.

Sister Hameedeh,

I asked them to contact me before my account is deleted but I categorically said not to spread for the possibility and hope for amicable solutions. The purpose to contact was exchange notes on spiritual matters in person to person contact and could be of private nature to many. I would never want to be accessory of any kind if fitna.

One who skips religious obligations only harms him/herself. Society is also harmed. Thus, it is best to gradually inspire. A sick person cannot be urged to join a marathon. Imam Mahdi (as) zahoor has not taken place to categorically show us who is on the totally right path and happy coexistence with pluralism is mutually enriching.

(bismillah)

(salam)

Thank you for the quote from Imam Ali AS, however I am not angry in the slightest bit. Maybe you are angry, I don't know. In the first video in Post #1 you said four ayatollahs were to blame for persecution of Sufis: Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani, Ayatollah Noori Hamedani and Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani. You said these holy men, our Shia Ulema, thought people will be attracted to Sufism more than Shia Islam and soon there won't be anybody left to follow them. If you say no, I didn't say that, you posted the video that said that, so if you agree the video is wrong, please ask a moderator to delete the first video in Post #1. Go ahead and delete the second video, too. We don't believe that any tourist attractions in any country are in danger at all. That is just rumor and fearmongering. In Post #3 you said these ayatollahs covet the khoms tax of some people who became Sufis. Do you know the punishment in the Judgement Day for making accusation of someone? Making accusation against one ayatollah is even more heinous, let alone four of them. For your information, the Shia Ulema do not care how much khoms tax they receive; their responsibility is to collect it from their followers and distribute it for the cause of Islam, may Allah SWT hasten the return of Imam Zaman AJ to take possesion of the treasury and manage it according to his holy mission.

I always addressed as sister lest be thought angry.

The videos are not made by me. I take the good things in them. One video, " ... Noore Jahan, Noor Ali Noor ... " is very inspiring for many of us. The video will be on the internet (I dont own or control any of them) however, here we have a chance go discuss it (and set any wrong to right) and also notify that the four Ayatollah are innocent and some misguided zealots (not unlike Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed) went and vandalized the property. But this situation should be solved amicably.

There is another message video that the Kharajites are not just people associated with islam , arabian peninsula but also anywhere on the globe. It could be those enunciating the kharajite theory of conflict of civilization or them versus us in the hallways of Harvard, or elsewhere. It could be those asking that Raymond Davis is above the law of the land.

Islamic Republic of Iran is a unique place and needs to be nurtured, cultivated and protected. I believe these sufi videos, esp the Noor Jahan Noor Ali Noor is very inspiring. We want more and more people in europe, and outside to join the sufi tariqahs of Naqshbandi (risale noor author Bediüzzaman Said Nursi (kurdish, marde kohistani)) , Gonabadi Nematollahi , and so on.

Recently, a case was brought against his own slightly misguided followers by His Highness the Aga Khan in Canadian courts which is an exemplar of how a religious Ayatollah or Sufi Shaykh might discuss a matter of dispute with full affection and a second chance. Under such examples should disputes be solved in the court of a Qadi in iran so that a disagreement becomes a source of wide education for the public and enlightenment. Did the enemies of our Imams ever give them a chance to argue their case in front of a Qadi ? They just sent armies with swords to martyr them in mosques (Kufa) or deserts (kerbela).

My goal in posting these videos and asking for dispassionate and logical discussion aims neither to undermine or disrespect anyone but amicable and logical solutions.

If the four Makaram Ayatollahs are not involved in this matter then may they come out with full grace. If Dr Azmayesh is incorrect then he would bear responsibility. It is also possible that there is a misunderstanding. Such can be removed by a public and educational dialogue. I dont think that it is superiority of one interpretation over another. Many interpretations are correct at the same time. Some people need one type of religious flavor while other a different. You cannot eat the same kind of food everyday. Sometimes people need disciplined format to elevate spiritually and other times a more free approach to inspire themselves, periodically alternating.

I have one request.

for the Persian text of the complete qaseeda ... Noor Jahan, Noor Ali Noor ... in persian alphabets

and if possible a good translation.

and also, the audio of poem by Mevlva Rumi

" ... It does not matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vow A thousand times. Come, come, yet again come. ... "

sung in a solo male voice with daaf or persian sufistic instruments that do not produce lurid music ... (not the public dances on youtube)

[Mohammadi_follower]

@Hameedeh Salam could I ask you what is the reason of protest and arrests of these gonabadis? 

[Ashvazdanghe]

7 hours ago, alidu78 said:

Salam could I ask you what is the reason of protest and arrests of these gonabadis?

Salam , it started with arresting of a car thief from their cult ,that in process they attacked Iranian police force to release him illegally & after that they attacked unarmed civilians in province that their leader is living that resulted martyring security forces by running a bus toward them & passing through their bodies.

[Hameedeh]

On 8/21/2018 at 6:38 AM, alidu78 said:

@Hameedeh Salam could I ask you what is the reason of protest and arrests of these gonabadis? 

This is a very old topic (2011) and I was not a Mod at that time. If it's not clear from my posts above, my position was that the OP might be a Sufi and was asking about anti-Iranian claims that had been made in order to damage the Shia government of Iran. I think @Ashvazdanghe answered your question well and I could not have said it better, so I can't add anything.