Written in response to more than 70,000 questions received about the Sufi tradition from people around the world, this keystone work is crucial for readers wishing to approach the Sufi Way.
Learning How to Learn presents traditional teaching stories, anecdotes, and question-and-answer exchanges to illustrate the barriers and prerequisites to Sufi learning. Shah uses the language of Western psychology – concepts known in the ancient wisdom traditions of the East – to explain how and why Sufis learn, and how spiritual understanding may be developed.
The author draws from a vast array sources to illustrate the challenges and pitfalls inherent in real self-development work: from the Eastern parables of Jesus, to the ancient Sufi classics, to the tales of the Oriental wise fool and joke-figure Mulla Nasrudin. Automatic thinking, and the power of desires, hopes and fears that wrongly drive personal development, are among the more notable barriers to progress.
Many of the concepts which Shah introduced in this book including the vital role of right time, place and company in higher studies, and the very idea of ‘learning how to learn’, have since spread in the wider culture. A section dedicated to Shah’s theory of the human need to give and receive attention is also considered groundbreaking.
But more than just a manual for the would-be student, Learning How to Learn is an essential book in helping to guard against the chicanery and nonsense found in the spiritual marketplace. Read here Free
History is proof of the inevitable downfall of even the most oppressive regimes. Tyranny may appear unbreakable in its time, but justice prevails when people unite with courage and perseverance.
The overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime once thought invincible, is a reminder that oppression is finite.
Change begins when people stand firm against wrong, trusting Allah’s justice.
It may take time, and the road may be filled with hardship, but history—and faith—show us that no oppressive system lasts forever.
The Fragility of Power
Assad’s regime stood as a symbol of unchecked power and cruelty.
Strength built on oppression is not true strength—it is fragile, hollow, and destined to collapse.
True strength lies in justice, mercy, and humility.
Leaders who serve compassionately create lasting legacies, while those who rule cruelly are remembered for their fall.
This principle doesn’t only apply to rulers.
The power we wield—whether over our families, workplaces, or communities—should be rooted in service and justice, not control or ego.
Hope in Action
For over a decade, Syrians endured unimaginable suffering and devastation, yet they held on to hope for a brighter future.
This steadfastness reminds us that hope can guide us even in the darkest times.
The fall of oppression carries two profound lessons: it offers hope to those striving for justice and warns that power, when misused, ultimately collapses.
Let this moment inspire us to embody fairness in all we do, serve others with humility, and strive to follow the Prophetic model of leadership—one rooted in justice, compassion, and unwavering integrity.
Our Holy Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam is saying,
“خيرُ الناسِ أنفعُهم للناسِ”.
The best among people are the ones who bring benefit to people. The best people means people beloved by Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla and our Holy Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam. Who are they? They are the people who help others, bring benefit and serve them.
People love to be served by others. That is the ego. Ego loves to be served. It doesn’t think about helping and serving others. Therefore, Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla gives according to people’s intentions. Allāh جل جلاله helps who wants to give benefit.
Shukr to Allah جل جلاله, service is highness.
“سَیِّدُ الْقَوْمِ خَادِمُهُمْ”
“Sayyidu l-qawmi khadimuhum”,
“The master of a people is the one who serves them”, says our Holy Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam. The master and exalted among people is the one who serves them. This is the same everywhere. Who does this will be in profit and be a loved person. When Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla loves someone, He جل جلاله tells the angels “I love this person. You love him too. And people should love him.” This is regarding people in service.
Sometimes there are Wakils/representatives who want to help. But they think “I am a Wakil. People should serve me. They should obey and help me.” There is not such a thing. Being a Wakil has a big responsibility. How does he carry out that responsibility? By serving. Who serves becomes an accepted person. An accepted person near Mashayikh, our Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and Allah ‘Azza wa-Jalla is the person who serves.
The person who says “I’ve become a Shaykh. I am a Wakil. I am a Khalifah” and sees that as his target will not attain anything. Nothing will be the way he wants.
The secret of this matter is not serving yourself but serving others and attaining the pleasure of Allah جل جلاله. This is the main goal. Otherwise, if they have other goals, nothing will work out. This is so in every deed. But the main deed is that for the pleasure of Allah جل جلاله and for Akhirah. Therefore, a person who has people who follow him should serve and help them. He should help them in whatever problems, he gets their Dua and attains the pleasure of Allah جل جلاله. This is the goal. May Allah جل جلاله make this service perpetual for all of us.
May He جل جلاله not put anything else in our hearts insha’Allah. May our intentions not be spoilt insha’Allah.
From The Family of Shaykh Hisham Kabbani* under the banner of *Mawlana Shaykh Mehmet Adil*
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🌹In the Name of Allah ﷻ, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate
To the Assembly of Lovers, Seekers of the Eternal Beloved, the Servants of the Golden Chain,
Peace upon your hearts that beat with remembrance. Peace upon your souls, illuminated by the lights of the Unseen. Peace upon you, the companions of a sacred journey, veiled in the fragrance of Divine Unity and adorned by the love of those who have walked the path before us.
O beloved ones, know that this path is not a path of endings, but of eternal beginnings. The lights of our masters do not fade with the setting of their earthly forms, for they are stars that shine eternally in the firmament of Divine Reality. As we gather now beneath the banner of our living guide, Mawlana Shaykh Mehmet Adil (may Allah protect and elevate him), we find ourselves enveloped in the same ocean of love that carried us through the hands of Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, Shaykh Adnan Kabbani, Sultan al-Awliya Mawlana Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani, and every luminous pearl of the Golden Chain, stretching back to the Heart of the Beloved, Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
This is the path of eternity, where the footprints of the saints dissolve into the Infinite, and their breaths mingle with the winds of mercy that carry seekers ever closer to their Lord. The hands of our shaykhs were not merely hands; they were bridges connecting the seen to the unseen, the finite to the infinite, the servant to the Beloved. Their words were not merely words; they were keys unlocking the treasures of the soul, and their gazes were mirrors reflecting the beauty of the Divine.
O travelers on this blessed road, know that the Golden Chain is not a rope of this world, but a thread spun from the loom of Divine Love. It binds the hearts of seekers to the heart of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the ultimate reflection of Divine Beauty. As we hold tightly to it, under the guidance of Mawlana Shaykh Mehmet, we are carried not by our own strength, but by the power of the saints who have entrusted us with their light.
Do not think for a moment that the passing of our masters is a separation. Their love is nearer to you than your own breath, their presence closer than the blood in your veins. Their spirits are the wind that lifts you when you falter, the light that guides you when the path grows dim, and the voice that calls you to rise when the world seeks to pull you down. Their love for you is not diminished by veils of time or space, for their hearts dwell in the Divine Presence, where all hearts are one.
Beloved companions, let us honor them by living their legacy. Let our tongues remain wet with the remembrance of Allah, our hearts softened by the tears of longing, and our hands stretched out in mercy to all creation. Let us walk this path with humility and sincerity, knowing that every step we take is a step closer to the Beloved, and a continuation of the trust they placed in us.
We are not alone, for we are one soul in the multitude, one heart in the eternal chain of love. We are the fragrance of Mawlana Shaykh Hisham, the humility of Shaykh Adnan, the strength of Shaykh Nazim, and the radiant light of all the Grandshaykhs. Their love is the soil from which our spirits grow, and their teachings are the water that nourishes us until we blossom into the realities they lived and breathed.
Let us remain steadfast, united under the sacred banner of As-Sayyidi Mawlana Shaykh Mehmet, whose hand holds the keys to our journey. Through his guidance, we are carried through the Golden Chain, through the gardens of the saints, and to the eternal nearness of Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), who is the doorway to the Divine.
May Allah grant us the strength to walk this path with unwavering love and unshakable devotion. May He keep us under the shadow of His beloved servants and allow us to drink deeply from the fountains of their wisdom. May we arrive together, hand in hand, heart to heart, in the Presence of the One who is beyond all words and forms.
With love that knows no bounds,
The Family of As-Sayyidi Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani and the Seekers of the Golden Chain
Sufi Path of Love 