Below, excerpts from Idries Shah’s book “The Sufis”.
I read Masonic literature years ago.
Like 17-18 years ago.
I can’t figure out what he’s saying.
Does he mean “Bal”? As in “Baal”?
The Square & Compass are Ancient Chinese symbols too.
Shah does refer to some sort of Taoist connection in some places.
He devotes a whole chapter to the secret association of the Sufis with the Carbonari.
Doesn’t sound convincing to me.
There is something called “Black Magic” which is bloody, brutal, disgusting,
involves terrible cruelty & infliction of pain, sexual perversions, mutilation
& torture, and always has selfish, hurtful objectives.
I doubt if it has any specific relation to “Egypt”.
It maybe remembered by people interested in this stuff, that the “Baphomet” allegedly worshipped by the Templars was often thought to be a substitute for “Mahomet”.
Also: He means to say that the “Temple of
Solomon” of
the Freemasons did not originally refer to the Temple built by the Jewish, Biblical
King Solomon.
“Solomon” is
a sort of euphemism for this person known as Kharki.
Why?
Because Maaruf Kharki was
a “Son” – i.e. a discipline – of Daud
of Tai.
ROBERT
GRAVES sums up the essential idea
very succinctly:
He also gives an interesting little footnote:
Point is: Has anybody examined this idea ever since Shah
wrote his book?
Idries Shah is
quite well known.
How is it that nobody has tried to unearth the
connection of the Sufis with Freemasonry, even if the connection is an older/extinct
one?
Blavatsky
does hint in Isis
Unveiled that the Freemasonry which was revamped in 1717 was NOT the original
Freemasonry.
But honestly, her work is so horribly muddled & so full of inane
mystifications & unnecessary ramblings & painful incoherence, that WHAT
she means becomes impossible to figure out.
How is it that nobody knows who is this Maaruf Kharki?
Or is he only incidentally important?
Is Idries Shah bluffing,
or speaking half-truths, or is he simply correct?
Because, if he is, it would radically alter peoples’ understanding of not
only the last 250 years of history, but also of several centuries before that.
This would mean the Sufis have played a very important
role in the Revolutionary movements of the 18th & 19th
centuries, and in Illuminism.
Indeed, he’s basically saying, throughout his book, that the Illuminists are Sufis.
I feel Shah
often makes very tall claims – and I certainly can’t accept many of his ideas –
but some are worth examining carefully.
I’m not aware if this has been done.
But there are some hints here & there, even in European literature,
like the “fact” that the mythical founder of Rosicrucians, Christian Rosenkreutz,
was initiated into the esoteric mysteries, in the East.
Keep in mind these passages from the Rosicrucian Manifesto, Fama Fraternitatis:
“Although the
rude World herewith will be but little pleased, but rather smile and scoff
thereat; also the Pride and Covetousness of the Learned is so great, it will
not suffer them to agree together; but were they united, they might out of all
those things which in this our Age God doth so richly bestow upon us, collect
Librum Naturae, or a perfect Method of all Arts: but such is their opposition,
that they still keep, and are loth to leave the old course, esteeming Porphiry, Aristotle, and Galen, yea and that which hath but a meer shew of
learning, more then the clear and manifested Light and Truth; who if they were
now living, with much joy would leave their erroneous Doctrines.
“But here is too
great weaknesses for such a great Work: And although in Theologie, Physic, and
the Mathematic, the Truth doth oppose it self; nevertheless the old Enemy by
his subtilty and craft doth shew himself in hindering every good purpose by his
Instruments and contentious wavering people.
“To such an intent of a
general Reformation, the most godly and highly illuminated Father, our Brother,
C.R. a German, the chief and
original of our Fraternity, hath much and long time laboured, who by reason of
his poverty (although descended of Noble Parents) in the fifth year of his age
was placed in a Cloyster, where he had learned indifferently the Greek and
Latin Tongues, who (upon his earnest desire and request) being yet in his
growing years, was associated to a Brother, P.A.L. who had determined to go to
the Holy Land.
“Although this Brother dyed in Ciprus, and so never came to Jerusalem, yet our
Brother C.R. did not return, but shipped himself over, and went to Damasco,
minding from thence to go to Jerusalem; but by reason of the feebleness of his
body he remained still there, and by his skill in Physick he obtained
much favour with the Turks:
“In the mean time he
became by chance acquainted with the Wise men of Damasco in Arabia, and beheld
what great Wonders they wrought, and how Nature was discovered unto them;
hereby was that high and noble Spirit of Brother C.R. so stired up, that
Jerusalem was not so much now in his mind as Damasco; also he could not bridle his desires any
longer, but made a bargain with the Arabians, that they should
carry him for a certain sum of money to Damasco; he was but of the
age of sixteen years when he came thither, yet of a strong Dutch constitution; there the Wise received him (as he himself witnessseth) not as a
stranger, but as one whom they had long expected, they called him by his name,
and shewed him other secrets out of his Cloyster, whereat he could
not but mightily wonder:
“He learned there
better the Arabian Tongue; so that the year following he translated the Book M.
into good Latin, which he afterwards brought with him.
This is the
place where he did learn his Physick, and his Mathematicks, whereof the World
hath just cause to rejoyce, if there were more Love, and less Envy.
“After three years he
returned again with good consent, shipped himself over Sinus Arabicus into
Egypt, where he
remained not long, but only took better notice there of the Plants and
Creatures; he sailed over the whole Mediterranean Sea for to come unto Fez,
where the Arabians had directed him.
“And it is a great shame unto us, that wise men, so
far remote th'one from th'other, should not only be of one opinion, hating all
contentious Writings, but also be so willing and ready under the seal of
secrecy to impart their secrets to others.
“Every year the Arabians and Affricans do send one to another, inquiring one of
another out of their Arts, if happily they had found out some better things, or
if Experience had weakened their Reasons.
“Yearly there
came something to light, whereby the Mathematica, Physic and Magic (for in
those are they of Fez most skilful) were amended; as there is now adays in
Germany no want of learned Men, Magicians, Cabalists, Physicians, and
Philosophers, were there but more love and kindness among them, or that the
most part of them would not keep their secrets close only to themselves.
“At Fez he did get acquaintance
with those which are commonly called the Elementary Inhabitants, who revealed
unto him many of their secrets: As we Germans likewise might gather together many
things, if there were the like unity, and desire of searching out of secrets
amongst us.
“Of these of Fez he often did confess, that their Magia was not altogether
pure, and also that their Cabala was defiled with their Religion;
but notwithstanding he knew how to make good use of the same, and found still
more better grounds of his Faith, altogether agreeable with the Harmony of the
whole World, and wonderfully impressed in all Periods of times, and thence
proceedeth that fair Concord, that as in every several kernel is contained a
whole good tree or fruit, so likewise is included in the little body of Man the
whole great World, whose Religion, policy, health, members, nature, language,
words and works, are agreeing, sympathizing, and in equal tune and melody with
God, Heaven and Earth; and that which is dis-agreeing with them, is error, falsehood
and of the Devil, who alone is the first, middle, and last cause of strife,
blindness, and darkness in the World: Also, might one examine all and several
persons upon the Earth, he should find that which is good and right, is always
agreeing with it self; but all the rest is spotted with a thousand erroneous
conceits.
“After two years Brother R.C. departed the City Fez, and
sailed with many costly things into Spain (Idries Shah keeps referring to Spain
as being under a very strong influence of the Sufis, Spain having been under Saracen
rule for about 700 years), hoping well, he himself had so well and so
profitably spent his time in his travel, that the learned in Europe would
highly rejoyce with him, and begin to rule, and order all their Studies,
according to those sound and sure Foundations.
He therefore
conferred with the Learned in Spain, shewing unto them the Errors of our Arts,
and how they might be corrected, and from whence they should gather the true
Inditia of the Times to come, and wherein they ought to agree with those things
that are past; also how the faults of the Church and the whole Philosopia
Moralis was to be amended: He shewed them new Growths, new Fruits, and Beasts,
which did concord with old Philosophy, and prescribed them new Axiomata,
whereby all things might fully be restored:
But it was to
them a laughing matter; and being a new thing unto them, they feared that their
great Name should be lessened, if they should now again begin to learn and
acknowledg their many years Errors, to which they were accustomed, and
wherewith they had gained them enough: Who so loveth unquietness, let him be
reformed.”
So basically, this means that Christian Rosencreutz was a Sufi.
At any rate, his received all his esoteric training in the Islamic-Sufic Middle East (with some Jewish influence, & also some Zoroastrian influence, if that’s what’s meant by the term “Magia”), in Turkey, Arabia, (this) Damasco, and Egypt.
This would mean, probably, that Rosicrucians were a Sufi sect operating in Europe.
It seems though, that the Sufic connection was lost after some time, though I find it very difficult to believe this theory: but of all that, sometime later, if and when time & circumstance permit.
