An Interview with Shaykha Müzeyyen Vargonen Tarsusi el Ansari er Rifai el Qadiri
Insight Newsletter’s editorial team member, Ashley Werner, conducted the following interview with Shaykha Muzeyyen Vargonen Tarsusi el Ansari er Rifai el Qadiri. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Insight: You and your husband, Shaykh Taner Ansari, moved from Turkey to the United States to bring your school’s teachings to the country. Why?
Shaykha Vargonen: My Sheikh, who was Sheikh Nureddin Ozal, sent us to the United States to establish the Ansari Tariqa here. Ansari Tariqa is a new branch of Qadiri Rifai Tariqa from Istanbul. We brought to the United States a way to present Islam and Sufism that is modern, open-minded, and explained with scientific terms. For example, we speak about energy as a description of God. Energy cannot be created or destroyed. We used this type of scientific terminology to speak to people, young and old. It made sense to many people that the Creator of all would be this indestructible energy that would continue infinitely and also the manifestation of this energy appearing in everyone. We were also told to write books, and we have been doing that for many years.
Insight: Is there more you would like to say about how science is interwoven with your teachings?
Shaykha Vargonen: Science studies energy. Everything has energy, frequency, and vibration. The first word, “Kun” – “Be” – is a frequency. Science helps us to see this. Of course you should have science in understanding. For example, a neurologist did a paper on how Sufi breathing affects certain parts of the brain. If we did not have science, how would we see that? When you look at the Qur’an, we are constantly urged to look at nature for examples and lessons. We are constantly urged in Qur’an to look at everything around us and reflect. Science is one layer of that.
Insight: You have been hosting workshops around the world called “Establishing a Connection to Love.” What does that phrase mean, and what teachings were part of those workshops?
Shaykha Vargonen: Every year we have a subject that we study. This year’s subject was akimil wudda, the connection of love. The story goes that Hazrat Ali, Peace Be Upon Him, went to our Prophet and said, “What is the fastest way to Allah?” The answer was love. So, how do you experience this love? You go from majazi love – worldly love, which is love of the finite – to ilahi love, Divine love. For example, you love your child, but your child is constantly growing and changing. You actually love the essence of your child. You will always love your child, no matter across space, ages, times, no matter what. That is ilahi love. We want to move from majazi love to Divine love. So how do we do that? That is what we shared. We do zikrs. We recite and study Qur’an. We study Hazrat Abdul Qadir Geylani’s book and other books.
We also studied the different ways one feels connected to Allah. These are the times where you are with the flow, and you don’t want to quit what you’re doing. Then we looked at how you establish this love connection all the time in your heart. A teaching that goes with this year’s theme, akimil wudda, is to establish unconditional love that gives hope by being in love or living in love with Allah. We did meditations, contemplations, and Adam’s walk, where we walked in nature connecting to plants, trees, and flowers feeling this love.
Insight: I understand that service is an emphasis in your school. What is service to your school and your teachings, and why is it important?
Shaykha Vargonen: “Ansaris” means helpers. If Allah loves a devote, Allah become his hands that he holds with, the feet that he walks with, the tongue that he talks with, the eyes that he sees with. We want this love of Allah where Allah does things through us. That does not happen with self-service. It happens with serving others, as Allah does. Service is a very important tool in becoming a complete human being. It is humanity to have that humility and humbleness in your life and to go out and be part of our local and international community.
Ansari Tariqa does many service projects. We have joined the local organizations to raise funds to help local people and send kids to schools. Our favorite project right now is to feed people. We have a soup kitchen, where every week hundreds of meals are made and shared with people.
Before you realize it, you are doing everything with Allah. In this world, your actions of mercy will bring you to mercy. Your actions of peace will bring you to the source of peace. That is how this world is set. Service is that action.
Together with Es-Seyyid Es- Shaykh Taner Vargonen Ansari, Shaykha Muzeyyen Vargonen established the Ansari Qadiri Rifai Tariqa (AQRT) and Ansari Publications, and co-founded Ansari Holistic Healing Institute (AHHI). Shaykha Vargonen continues to lead AQRT and has authored many books and articles and spoken around the world on Sufism, healing, and sustainability.