Musa Muhaiyaddeen grew up in New Jersey with his mother, father and brother. He went to law school at Boston University, and practice law in New Jersey for over 35 years. He is also entrepreneurial and has created various businesses. Musa is a devoted husband, father of three, and grandfather of six. In the late 1960’s Musa’s circumstances and point of view led him to question the reasons for his existence. He began on a course to find answers to these questions. He believes that these are some of the most important questions that we can ask. Questions like: Why am I here? What is the purpose of my creation? How was I created? What is my purpose in existence? Where do we go from here? What is the purpose of this body? What is our true relationship with the rest of mankind? How are we supposed to live our lives? What does a human being who understands the answers to these questions look like? What is the essence of one who understands the answers to these questions? In his search Musa came upon the Sufi teacher Muhammad Raheem Bawa Muhaiyaddeen. He met him on Easter Sunday in March of 1972 in Philadelphia. The interaction had a profound affect on both himself and his wife. They both realized that they were in front of a being who was different than any being they had ever met. Even though Bawa was from a culture that was entirely different from their own culture and spoke a language that they did not understand, it did not interfere with the fact that being in his presence made them feel like they were home. For the first time in a very long time they felt that they had arrived at where they needed to be. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen returned to his native Sri Lanka shortly after Musa and his wife met him, and then returned to Philadelphia in 1973. As soon as he was back, Musa and his wife went to see him. Bawa directed Musa to meet with those who were interested in his teachings and to share what was being taught. Musa and his wife spent from 1972 to 1986, when Bawa passed on, under his direct guidance and influence. Over the years, they understood that the essence of what he was teaching, which is Sufism, is a touchstone to reality. It is the heart within all matters; it is the heart within all religions. Compassion, patience, forgiveness, tolerance, love, these are at the heart of Sufism. These teachings are given from our Creator as a gift to bring us closer to Him. For the past 20 years, Musa has traveled to various parts of the world speaking about the unifying nature of Sufism. He began to speak about the experiences and knowledge he had gained from his time with Bawa Muhaiyaddeen. He has traveled to Asia, Africa, Europe, and throughout North America, speaking about the unifying and liberating nature of Sufism. The audio and videos on this website are from weekly gatherings Musa has with a small group of seekers of truth where he continues to share what he has learned and continues to learn with those interested in the Sufi path. Musa says that the learning process never ends for each of us, that we are all initiates on the path. When asked what his intentions are for those listening and watching his talks he replied with a prayer, “May the words found here give comfort, and inspire love, forgiveness, tolerance, compassion, and the guidance we need to connect with the unseen where the mysteries of the universe can be revealed to us.”
When Rumi met Shams and Shams took all of Rumi’s books that he was carrying with him and threw them in the river, at that time Rumi was considered the penultimate scholar of his region. He knew more than anyone at that time or at least that was how the people viewed him. And he was
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We’re going to do something different today. I’m going to read a song by bawa Muhaiyaddeen from his new book called “Life is a Dream.” It’s called “I Had a Dream,” and it was written in 1946. I had a dream I had a dream about casting off my cares Closing my eyes And sleeping
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