Declaration – 29 Rabi‘ al-Awwal 1433 (2012-02-22)

Message from Hazrat Dr. Nour Ali Tabandeh, Majzoub Ali Shah
On the Occasion of Dervish Day

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To the “fuqara” of the Nimatullahi Gonabadi Order – may God preserve them,

I extend my congratulations to all of you faithful and like-hearted ones on the arrival of the third anniversary of “Dervish Day”. In response to the request of some of you dear ones who asked me to say a few words on this occasion, I will suffice with the following points.

Although, according to the order God has established in creation, all days are essentially alike and no day differs from another, every day—and even every hour or moment—can serve as an opportunity to remember an event that turns our attention more fully toward the Divine Source and inspires us to strive harder for the pleasure of the Beloved. As Hazrat Shah Nimatullah Wali has said: “At every breath, speak of the love of Murtaza.” Thus, the Almighty—despite being the Creator of all days—has attributed special significance to certain days, naming them “Ayamullah” (Days of God).

The third of Esfand (SH, = February 22) is one such day for the “fuqara”, a day of both sweet and bitter memory. Sweet, because the “fuqara” witnessed a manifestation of their spiritual unity and were gladdened by it—a unity of spirit that animal souls cannot grasp. Bitter, because in recent years, the “fuqara” had witnessed the destruction of their sacred places of worship. That sorrow prompted you, the dear ones—young and old, men and women—from across Iran, to gather spontaneously and spiritually in Tehran on that day in 2009. Even those who could not be physically present due to distance stood with you in solidarity from their hearts, so that your voice of justice and peace could reach your elected representatives in Parliament. Though no receptive ear was found—and even where there might have been, no one dared to acknowledge hearing it or act to redress the injustice—everyone saw that, in defense of their faith and sacred beliefs, the “fuqara” stood like a firm wall: when a stone is ignorantly thrown at it, it rebounds upon the thrower. The responsible officials failed to perceive the single spirit that exists within the many bodies of the “fuqara”, and instead of responding with professional integrity, tried to portray the gathering as a political demonstration based on partisan demands and ideologies. But they were heedless of the fact that:

Despite the apparent lack of success in achieving their religious and civil rights, from that day forward the “fuqara” have honored this day and named it “Dervish Day”. While every day in which one serves God is truly a dervish day, because this designation arose from their sincere and faithful state, I too accepted and endorsed it. Now, I join with my esteemed brothers and sisters in faith in honoring the memory of that day.