The Foundations of the Karkariya Order

The Foundations of the Karkariya Order articulates the seven foundational principles of the Spiritual Path as enshrined in the sacred Qur'an and Hadith of the holy Prophet. These foundations consist of the Pact (al-'ahd), the Sacred Dance (al-hadra), the Patched Cloak (al-muraqqa'a), the Singular Name (al-ism al-mufrad), Wandering (al-siyaha), the Spiritual Retreat (al-khalwa), and the Innermost Secret (al-sirr). They are, moreover, embedded in an aphorism that we bequeath unto you as a guiding lantern, lest you lose your way and veer off the Path. We say: "abase yourself and exalt others." If you are seeking a remedy for your illness, come to us. If you wish to know God, stop reading books about knowledge of God. Instead, let us teach you to read the book of your own soul until you come to know who you really are. Do not skip a single line, till you behold the secret of your vicegerency, and know your Lord through your Lord. The Sufi must always be in a state of meditation, remembrance, or contemplation. Come to us so that you may gather the three into one, and taste the proximity of the One who is unlike anything. Learn what true love is, and rectify your relationship to your own soul, till the wolf of your non-existence grazes in the company of the sheep of your existence; till the fire of your passion mixes with the water of your spirit; till you exit your shell, which is bound by the six directions, and heal your short-sighted vision, which is limited to the phenomena of temporality; till you escape the confines of space and time, and enter the presence of the Real.