When in ourselves there is inharmony, how can we spread harmony?
Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan
Related Material by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan
Compiled by Wahiduddin Richard Shelquist – wahiduddin.net
It is harmony which makes beauty; beauty in itself has no meaning. An object which is called beautiful at a certain place and time is not beautiful at another place or another time. And so it is with thought, speech and action: that which is called beautiful is only so at a certain time and under certain conditions which make it beautiful. So if one can give a true definition of beauty, it is harmony. …
The teaching of Christ, ‘Resist not evil,’ is a hint not to respond to inharmony. For instance, a word of kindness, of sympathy, an action of love and affection finds response, but a word of insult, an action of revolt or of hatred creates a response too, and that response creates more inharmony in the world. By giving way to inharmony one allows inharmony to multiply. At this time one sees in the world the greatest unrest and discomfort pervading all over. Where does it come from? It seems to come from ignorance of this fact that inharmony creates inharmony and will multiply inharmony.
The wise in all ages have dived deep into life in order to attain Unity in themselves, and in order to spread Unity. In the life of the world every person has some complaint to make. They lack something; they are troubled by something. But this is only the external reason; the real truth is that they are not in Unity with their own soul, for when there is disharmony in ourselves how can we spread harmony? When mind and body are at war the soul wants something else, and soul and mind are pulled by the body, or the body and mind by the soul; and so there is disharmony. When people are in harmony with Self, they are in harmony with all; they produce harmony and give harmony to all, they give it out all the time.
Commentary by Murshid S.A.M. (Sufi Ahmed Murad)
Samuel L. Lewis
The best way to develop strength is to achieve Unity. This comes out of the practice of concentration. Concentration need not be limited to a few minutes a day or week when one performs some exercise given in the teachings. Concentration may be practiced every hour, every minute, every breath — especially through Darood. Then one does not have to seek Unity, Unity will seek one.
When added to that talibs are given instruction in music or else in meditation, they acquire that unity of purpose, that unity of feeling, and the more they adhere to that unity the better they can protect themselves and assist others. Never surrender to anything, to anyone, to any force except God or those who represent God in the Spiritual Hierarchy.