ABOUT THE SHOW

On this bi-weekly radio program I talk to Sufis from all walks of life in order to find out what it means to be a practicing Sufi in America.

The show airs every other Monday evening at 5:30pm pacific time and can be heard live on the internet at those times at www.kwmr.org.  It can also be heard on the radio in parts of the San Francisco Bay Area at 90.5 or 89.3 FM.  In addition, all past shows are available as downloads on the Archive page.

The Station of Questioning

What is a Sufi?  Are all Sufis Muslims?  As a convert to Islam, how do I know which parts of what I’m learning are from the religion of Islam and which parts are from the culture where Islam was born?  Do I need to cover my hair, learn Arabic, or love the Qur’an in order to get closer to God?  What if I don’t?  Am I still a Muslim?  Can I still be a Sufi?  Do I need to understand everything I do as a Muslim or is it better for me to let go of the need to understand and just do it?  How do I question things without devolving into thinking that I know better, which could simply be my nafs (self-serving ego) remaining in charge?  How do I ‘be’ an American Sufi?

These are some of the questions I have asked myself and many of the teachers I’ve come across since I embarked on a Sufi Muslim path in 2002.  And they are some of the questions I’m still asking my guests on this show as I try to navigate my way to becoming (or just being) an American Sufi Muslim. 

Falling in love

Alhamdullilah I’ve learned a lot since I began producing this show in September of 2005. The main reason I think, is that I often ask different guests the same questions and get almost as many answers.  But instead of becoming confusing, it has, with Allah’s help, served to demonstrate to me the incredible capacity and complexity of Islam.  Just as nature, that most elegant reflection of the unseen worlds, is stronger, healthier and more vital as she increases in diversity, so too, are spiritual families.  This has been the great teaching I’ve received in doing this show, because when I get to hear a deeply sincere person talk about how she practices and views Sufism that is very different from the way another person, who is just as sincere and deep, practices and views Sufism, it just makes more room in my heart for Sufism.  I fall in love even more. 

Don’t stop

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received when I began this journey was, “don’t stop”, and “keep going until you get what you need”.  With that in mind I invite you to visit the Archives page and pick one or two or more past shows to download.  If you like what you hear, or especially if you don’t like what you hear, don’t stop, pick another one – keep listening—until you get what you need.