dargah (4)

A Dargah... 

is a place where the murids, the followers, worship, work, and rest together, imitating the lifestyle of the first sufis, the 'Ahli Suffa', People of the Porch. 

They lived an extremely simple lifestyle, and their sole aim was to be in association with and in proximity to the Holy Prophet. That tradition has continued for over 1,400 years. 

Edeb, Ya Hu!...

Have Manners...

is prominent everywhere, reminding all to have and display the best of manners. Good manners is the perfection of faith as it entails wisdom, patience, awareness, and humility. 

Manners here refer to the subtle but vital prophetic tradition of putting others before yourself, and sharing what you have with others, even if it is just a  piece of bread. 

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Simplicity in lifestyle... 

marks the sufi center, a lifestyle close to nature, with very few modern distractions. Followers tend to the usual responsibilites of a farm, besides cooking and cleaning for each other, they also tend sheep,  raise bees, feed the chickens, milk the cows, train the donkey, walk the dogs, clean after the cats, plant seeds, harvest vegetables, etc. etc. etc.  

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Close contact with the natural mountainous surroundings... 

coupled with close contact with the animals... 

help to balance the energies in our bodies, recalibrating our physical selves with nature, and de-stressing our spirits. As it is a farm, work is constant but mostly light, everyone is expected to engage in physical labor especially during the day. 

~bron~