Sufi Spiritual Ministry and Healing
A Level 3 Program
Welcome to the Program
In the way of the Prophets we share the Message
A path of safety
In the way of the Excellent women we give the shelter
A safe place to land
The right person, in the right place, at the right time
There are so many ways to reach our Lord. He Himself designed it this way for us to appreciate our own differences. And the way you and I have been called to reach and know our selves—to know our God through this Sufi path—this is a very special way. To quote an 11th century teacher of Sufism who puts it succinctly, “Sufism has no history, as other things have a history, it can be said to have existed always”. The author Max Gorman continues along that line, “[Sufism’s] origin and essence are timeless, it emerges from eternity, and from time to time, into time.” Just like in this moment, here you are: the right person at the right place at the right time.
Your spiritual legacy: their stories are your stories
Our Guide Sidi tells us, “Don’t leave the book on the shelf,” and this is not just for the wisdom it contains but because there are real people’s lives in that book and those people have stories. Those holy ones are your spiritual lineage and those stories are not just history; it is your history. They happened for you and me to learn from and live out today—to know we are not alone—from our brothers and sisters who came before us in the Way, who are now in front of us cheering us on.
Don’t leave these stories on the shelf. These stories and the Divine knowledge within them is your legacy, your spiritual inheritance, and this is just part of what you will learn in the Masters of Ministry program: the history of your religion, the deep wisdom and life skills and holy traditions passed down. How to translate this into your own words in your own life. How to walk it authentically in the world to be in service to others.
Be the Moses of your Now: at your service Lord
All of these are intentions set within the curriculum for you to attain. So you can hold the hand of another and really be the Moses of your time. Through your studies you will know the qualities of this Prophet and can use one of those moments of pure insecurity he suffered to help you grow out of your own issues with self-doubt. And with that empathy and relatability you can help others know that they are not alone in that experience of feeling insecure.
As a minister, your story is the story people will want to read now. They will see this light in you! You carry the books in your heart and you are the book. You can offer in your own words through your own experiences the hope that this way offers. From the cradle to the grave what we all seek is the hope that we are not alone. To love and be loved; to remember our song. To remember this world is a classroom to walk through and our real home is on the horizon. We are helping each other walk home. And in this journey you can help people navigate every season of their lives and all the moments in between, in a myriad of different ways. Just by being on call to your Lord. At your service Lord, Labayk Allahumma Labayk. This is the calling of service. This is Ministry. This is what we want to share with you and for you to share with the world.
Did you know the Sufi’s were called “the people of the bench”? Because they were content to sleep outside of the tents of the prophets and the messengers; we are the “groupies” of the holy ones. We love to stay close to the action, the message, from Abraham through to Muhammad. We sleep outside the door of Love. So in essence, to be a minister of this way is to be a person of the bench with a beeper. That is your new bayat, your promise, if you take this next step. You are a Beloved of Love who is on call.
Allah is in control: you are useful but not essential
It is not about giving and giving until you are burned out, not about putting on a show or a kufi or a smile you don’t feel. Allah doesn’t need you to be someone you are not, and He is not limited by your limitations. It isn’t really even about you, as many of your holy brothers and sisters from the Book—who have understood true surrender—can attest to. He just needs a microphone that’s plugged in. Do you know what I mean? You just need to stay plugged in, in connection to Him. That is your promise. That is one of the pillars of this program. And this is the foundation of the Way of Shadhdhuli Sufis: “to behold Allah in all things.”
You are the book and this is the life
And yet it really is everything about you. Your story is valuable. God is in your story as much as anyone. You are the book for the Lord to write in now and you are a book people want to read from. The Masters of Ministry program will give you the knowledge and skills to wear what you learn with authenticity, within and without—in the world, in your soul, without separation. No more Sufi life and dunya life and “the path” and work life and home life.
THIS is the life. YOU are the book. The PATH is walking YOU.
And we cannot wait to be a part of your story of service.
May God illuminate the way for all of us.
Instructors Salima Adelstein, Hamid Werder, and Amany Shalaby
Teaching Assistant Rahma Basile
From Mashish to Shahdhuhli to you, you now stand at the base of your mountain and look up to learn how to climb, remembering where you came from in this beautiful history of our Shaduhli Sufi Way. The way that your Sheikh and Guide Sidi Muhammad al-Jamal came to bring to you from the heart of the world so that you would know the Real Truth. It is from this foundation that our program is built, ready to offer you the keys to being a Sufi Minister of this Way.
Curriculum Topics Include
Shelters of the Way
Four excellent women of Islam and holy women of the Way
The real qualities of a Sufi minister
Pastoral duties (what you do)
Before and after marriage
Pregnancy and birth
Protection and healing
Blessing and benediction
Pillars of Islam
Sufi retreat
Held at Farm of Peace and Laughing Waters insha’allah
Practicum
Prophets of the Way
Four pivotal Prophets and Messengers that help us know ourselves to know our Lord
Ministering techniques (who you are)
The tapestry of your life
Life phases, the zawiyya within your heart
Death and dying
Looking honestly at our relationship with the process of dying, looking at our mistaken ideas of what death really is.
Healing in the way of the Prophets
As ministers, we learn to step into the sanctity and mystery of these powerful healings that have been entrusted to us and that are part of our lineage.
Schedule & Logistics
The University of Sufism Sufi Spiritual Ministry & Healing Program will consist of five six-day sessions plus a ten-day teaching zawiyah. The zawiyah place and dates are decided among the students in the program. Class sessions are held on Zoom and are recorded. The zawiyah must be attended in person and is not recorded.
Sufi Spiritual Ministry & Healing Program Dates
Enrollment is now open!
Session 1
October 13 – 18, 2024
Session 2
January 11 – 16, 2025
Session 3
April 19 – 24, 2025
Session 4
September 15 – 20, 2025
Session 5
December 6 – 11, 2025
Tuition
Tuition for this program is $9,900.
If you would like to learn more about
whether this is the right program for you…
Schedule a personal call with our admissions director!
Rahma Tracy Caraway
1-800-238-3060 ext 701
admissions@sufiuniversity.org
Payment plans and financial assistance available!
