Kabir Helminski
Kabir Edmund Helminski (born July 1, 1947 in Jersey City, US) is the author of a number of books on contemporary Sufism, a translator of Sufi poetry (especially the poetry of Rumi), and the co-founder and co-director of the Threshold Society. He is a Sufi teacher in the Mevlevi Order, a 750-year-old tradition based on the teachings of the thirteenth-century Muslim mystic, Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi.
Influence[edit]
Helminski has been named as one of the "500 Most Influential Muslims in the World" by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.[1] In 2007 he was one of the original signatories of "A Common Word Between Us and You," an open letter by Islamic scholars to Christian leaders, calling for peace and understanding,[2] and he has also been an advisor to Ansor, the World's largest Muslim youth organization, as it formulated a detailed roadmap for the reform of Islamic orthdoxy.[3] He was cited by popular Turkish author Elif Shafak as being a significant influence in her novel The Forty Rules of Love.[4]
Books on Sufism[edit]
Living Presence: The Sufi Path to Mindfulness and the Essential Self, was first published by Tarcher/Putnam in 1992. A "Revised and Updated 25th Anniversary Edition" was published in 2017 by Tarcher Perigee (an imprint of Penguin Random House). The book aims to convey "the basic principles of Sufism, and how these ideas can lead to the experience of presence." Presence is defined as: "The state of being consciously aware, in alignment with our deepest and highest capacities."
The Knowing Heart: A Sufi Path of Transformation, was published by Shambhala Publications in 1999. The book explores how for Sufis "the human heart is not a fanciful metaphor but an objective organ of intuition and perception" and presents Sufism as "a practical spirituality suitable for all cultures and times."[5]
Holistic Islam: Sufism, Transformation, and the Needs of our Time was published by White Cloud Press in 2017. The book argues that, properly understood, Islam is "a school of love, rooted in the Prophet Muhammad's beautiful character" which can "contribute to the elevation of civilization and culture."[6]
Written translations of Sufi poetry[edit]
Helminski's translations of Sufi poetry, especially Rumi's poetry, have been lauded as uncommonly faithful to the originals, yet in contemporary, poetic English.[7] His translations of Rumi's poetry published by Shambhala Publications include:
- Love is a Stranger, Selected Lyric Poetry of Jalaludin Rumi (1992)
- Rumi: Daylight (translated with Camille Helminski, 2000)
- Jewels of Remembrance: 365 Selections from the Wisdom of Rumi (translated with Camille Helminski, 2000)
- The Pocket Rumi (translated with Camille Helminski, 2008)
- Love’s Ripening: Rumi on the Heart’s Journey (translated with Ahmad Rezwani, 2008)
- The Rumi Daybook: 365 Poems and Teachings from the Beloved Sufi Master (translated with Camille Helminski, 2011)
Other translations of Sufi poetry:
- The Drop that Became the Sea (poems by Yunus Emre translated in partnership with Refik Algan; Shambhala Publications, 1999).
- Happiness Without Death: Desert Hymns (poems by Asad Ali, translated in partnership with Ibrahim Shihabi; Threshold Books, 1991)
- Civilization of Paradise: Revelation Poems (poems by Asad Ali, translated in collaboration with Camille Helminski, Mahmoud Mostafa, and Ibrahim Shihabi; Fons Vitae, 2014)
Audio recordings of Sufi poetry and music[edit]
As a musician and performer:
- Garden Within the Flames
- You Are Joy
- Praise, by Ahmed Tijani and Friends
- Embracing Both Worlds: The Whirling Dervishes in America (featuring vocalist and Quranic reciter Kani Karaca)
As a producer:
- Ocean of Remembrance by Oruç Güvenç and Tümata
- Rivers of One by Oruç Güvenç and Tümata
The Book Foundation[edit]
Helminski has authored two volumes for the Book Foundation:
- The Book of Language: Exploring the Spiritual Vocabulary of Islam (2006)
- The Book of Revelations: A Sourcebook of Selections from the Qur’an (2005)
Mevlevi Order and Threshold Society[edit]
Helminski studied under Mevlevi teacher Suleyman Hayati Loras of Konya (commonly referred to as Suleyman Dede) and was officially recognized as a shaikh of the Mevlevi Order in 1990, by the late Celalettin Çelebi, then head of the Mevlevi Order.[8]
In 1983, Helminski (along with his wife, Camille) co-founded the Threshold Society, a non-profit organization offering educational programs and retreats in spiritual psychology and practice, as well as books, audio recordings, and content on their website.
Historian Mark Sedgwick notes that the society ‘favors liberal interpretations of Islam; not all of its members self-identify as Muslim. [...] The Threshold Society draws on the Mevlevi tradition as taught in contemporary Turkey as well as on Western sources, and is thus also eclectic.’[9] Dr. Marcia Hermansen similarly notes a wide range of influences, the Helminskis having also studied with 'Samuel Lewis, Ram Das, Reshad Feild, Tosun Bayrak, and Murat Yagan, among others.'[10]
Sedgwick notes a number of Threshold Society groups are now in operation around the world, all part of 'a single global movement',[11] each group meeting regularly to engage in the spiritual practices promoted by the society (particularly zhikr and the study of Rumi’s poetry). The main group, led in person by Kabir and Camille Helminski, currently meets in Louisville, USA, whilst there are also a number of groups meeting in other locations, including the US, Canada, Mexico, UK, Holland, Turkey, South Africa, Pakistan, and Indonesia.[12]
Inter-spiritual work[edit]
Professor Kathleen M. Moore notes that “Shaykh Kabir Helminski of the Mevlevi Order of Muslims has written that God has not granted a spiritual monopoly to any one religion, and that the Qur’an in fact encourages competition among people of faith to promote virtue and cooperation. Islam is uniquely situated to reconcile the various religions because it is inherently tolerant and respectful of all faiths.”[13]
Helminski is a teacher and advisor with The Spiritual Paths Institute, a group of contemplative teachers from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Native American, and Hindu traditions offering programs in applied inter-spirituality.[14]
References[edit]
- ↑ "500 Most Influential Muslims in the World 2009" (PDF). The Muslim 500.
- ↑ "A Common Word: Downloads and Translations". A Common Word.
- ↑ "Gerakan Pemuda Ansor Declaration on Humanitarian Islam: Towards the Recontextualization of Islamic Teachings, for the Sake of World Peace and Harmony Between Civilizations" (PDF). www.ansor.or.id.
- ↑ Sedgwick, Mark (2017). "Eclectic Sufism in the Contemporary Arab World". Tidsskrift for Islamforskning. 11 (1): 65–82. doi:10.7146/tifo.v11i1.102873.
- ↑ Christian, Graham (May 1, 1999). "Review of The Knowing Heart: A Sufi Path of Transformation". Library Journal: 86.
- ↑ Lohlker, Rüdiger (2019). "Geschichtstheologie aus eschatologischer Sicht". Arabische Miszellen: Studien zur arabischen Welt: 3–20.
- ↑ Karimnia, Amin; Ebrahimzade, Mahboobeh; Jafari, Zahra (2012). "Mawlana and the west: with special reference to translation". Elixir Linguistics and Translation. 46: 5.
- ↑ Hermansen, Marcia (Spring 2000). "Hybrid Identity Formations in Muslim America: The Case of American Sufi Movements". The Muslim World. 90 (1–2): 159–197. doi:10.1111/j.1478-1913.2000.tb03686.x.
- ↑ Sedgwick, Mark (2017). "Eclectic Sufism in the Contemporary Arab World". Tidsskrift for Islamforskning. 11 (1): 65–82. doi:10.7146/tifo.v11i1.102873.
- ↑ Hermansen, Marcia (Spring 2000). "Hybrid Identity Formations in Muslim America: The Case of American Sufi Movements". The Muslim World. 90 (1–2): 159–197. doi:10.1111/j.1478-1913.2000.tb03686.x.
- ↑ Sedgwick, Mark (2008). "Sufism in Latin America: A Preliminary Survey". Melancolia. 3: 4–34.
- ↑ "Threshold Society Centres and Representatives". The Threshold Society.
- ↑ Moore, Kathleen (2007). "Muslims in the United States: Pluralism under Exceptional Circumstances". The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 612: 116. doi:10.1177/0002716207301111. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ "Board and Advisors". Spiritual Paths Institute.
External links[edit]
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