Declaration – Ramadan 1426 (2005-09)

Reminders – Hazrat Dr. Nour Ali Tabandeh, Majzoub Ali Shah
To All Fuqara

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To all my believing brothers, I wish to convey the following reminders. Though many of these points may be familiar, I hope they will receive due attention. Some of them especially concern our brothers living outside the homeland.

1. The faqr gathering is held on Friday and Monday nights and begins or ends with the performance of obligatory worship. In faqr gatherings—and indeed in any gathering of the fuqara—even if all present are religiously permitted relations (mahram), it is still obligatory that men and women sit separately. Observing Islamic hijab and dignified conduct is essential in all cases.
2. Hosting a faqr gathering is a service to one’s brothers, not an act of superiority. During those brief hours, the host is not regarded as the true owner of the home—the home where the gathering is held truly belongs to the Master. If the host’s behavior pleases the Master, then this hosting becomes an honor and a crown of distinction.
3. If certain circumstances require the gatherings to be held in rotation, participation in all those sessions remains essential. During those times, the fuqara should not organize alternative gatherings. The faqr gathering is that which has been prescribed. Making it rotational is only a temporary adaptation due to specific circumstances, and it should not be interpreted as a failure or shortcoming.
4. Unfortunately, the enemies of faqr and gnosis continue to manifest their deep-rooted enmity in various forms. Discord, division, suspicion, and mistaking assumptions for certainty are among their tactics. The fuqara—especially those living in diaspora—must embody the verse: كَأَنَّهُم بُنْيَانٌ مَّرْصُوصٌ .
5. According to the will of our Master, Hazrat Mahboub Ali Shah, his family relocated to Canada for the sake of their children’s education. By God’s grace, they have succeeded in maintaining His Holiness’s approval and satisfaction, and their guardianship is also fully endorsed and a source of joy for me. I pray for their continued health and success.
6. In Cologne, Germany, Monday night gatherings will continue on a rotational basis until further instruction is issued.
7. Each of the honored Mashayekh has a particular style and method that aligns with their individual stage of spiritual journeying. Therefore, other seekers naturally gravitate toward the approach that suits their own journey. This preference must never be a cause or justification for disagreement. If, God forbid, such differences are taken as reasons for discord without due awareness, then it constitutes a double fault. It is evident that the mashayekh themselves have always paid attention to this and have not allowed such errors to escalate. I sincerely hope, and I advise all fuqara, to avoid division and disunity.