To all SYs, this is a gem from Sufi Hazrat Inayat Khan

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" The Angel-Man

 

The Hindu word deva denotes an angel-man, and the Sufi term for this

is Farishtakhaslat. Every soul has as its first expression angelic

life, and therefore it is not surprising if man shows angelic traits

in his life, for it is in the depth of his soul. The soul coming

through different spheres and planes of existence partakes of

different attributes; and the attributes of the lower world become

so collected and gathered around the soul, that it almost forgets

its very first experience of itself, its purest being. The soul that

through all the worldly experiences has a tendency to turn towards

its origin, its angelic state, shows a different character from the

general characteristics of human beings. This soul shows the

tendency of the compass, that always points in a certain direction,

whichever way it is moved or turned; and it is the same with a soul

whose nature it is to be pointing to the origin and source from

which every soul comes.

 

Now this soul may have the same tendency from childhood and through

youth, and when grown-up it may still have the same tendency; it may

develop it more and more, but this tendency is born with the soul

and its magnetism is great. It attracts every other soul, because it

is in contact with its real self, and that real self is the real

self of every soul which it contacts; and therefore it acts as a

magnet towards these souls. Deva is the name of this pure kind of

human soul.

 

The next type of soul is the jinn. This is characteristic of a soul

that keeps in contact with the inner region, which is reflected

outwardly in all that is beautiful. While the soul of every person

is looking for the beauty which is outward, the attention of the

jinn soul is directed not so much to the beauty which is reflected

outwardly as it is to the source of that beauty, which is within.

 

It is among those who live the inner life that these two

characteristic types of the deva and the jinn are mostly to be

found, because they are less absorbed in the life of this world, and

thus more attracted to the inner life. It does not mean that they

are not occupied with the worldly life;it does not mean that they

take no interest in this world; in fact it is the interest in the

external life which brings the soul towards it. If the soul were not

interested in the world, it would not come; it is its interest which

brings it. But to such a soul, while the external life is of

interest, at the same time it is a disappointment. All that

interests a free soul in this world only interests it as long as the

soul does not touch it; once it has touched it this soul loses

interest. Its natural inclination is to withdraw. The things which

hold the average soul cannot hold this soul; they can only attract,

for this soul is seeking for something, and it sees its reflection

outwardly, but when it touches it, it finds it was a shadow and was

not real, and it goes back disappointed; and so the life of the deva

or jinn is spent in this manner.

 

The characteristic of the deer, as described by the poets of India,

is that when it is thirsty it runs about in the forests looking for

water, and it is greatly delighted on hearing the sound of thunder

and runs about with a desire to drink; but sometimes there is only

thunder and no rain afterwards, or if it rains it is perhaps only a

shower and not enough to drink, and the deer still remains thirsty.

And so is the thirst of a fine soul in this world. The soul of the

spiritually-inclined man is constantly thirsty, looking for

something, seeking for something; and when it thinks it has found

it, the thing turns out to be different; and so life becomes a

continual struggle and disappointment. And the result is that

instead of taking interest in all things, a kind of indifference is

produced; and yet in the real character of this soul there is no

indifference, there is only love.

 

Although life seems to make this soul indifferent, it cannot really

become indifferent; and it is this state working through this life

that gives a man a certain feeling, to which only a Hindu word is

applicable, no other language having a word which can render this

particular meaning so adequately. The Hindus call it Vairagya from

which the term Vairagi has come. Vairagi means a person who has

become indifferent; and yet indifference is not the word for it. It

describes a person who has lost the value in his eyes of all that

attracts the human being. It is no more attractive to him;it no more

enslaves him. He may still be interested in all things of this life,

but is not bound to them. The first feeling of the Vairagi is to

turn away from everything. He shows the nature of the deer, which

runs away at the flutter of a leaf; for he becomes sensitive and

convinced of the disappointing results that come from the limitation

and changeableness of life in the world.

 

Hurt within, he becomes sensitive, and the first thing that occurs

to his mind is to fly, to hide somewhere, to go into a cave in the

mountains, or into the forest where he will meet no one. No affair

of this world, no relation, no friendship, no wealth, no rank,

position or comfort, nothing holds him. And yet that does not mean

that he in any way lacks what is called love or kindness, for if

ever he lives in this world it is only out of love. He is not

interested in the world and it is only love that keeps him here, the

love which does not express itself any more in the way of

attachment, but only in the way of kindness, forgiveness,

generosity, service, consideration, sympathy, helpfulness, in any

way that it can; never expecting a return from the world, but ever

doing all that it can, pitying the conditions, knowing the

limitations of life and its continual changeability.

 

When this Vairagi becomes more developed, then he becomes like a

serpent, he becomes wise like a serpent;he seeks solitude as the

serpent seeks solitude. The serpent is never interested in moving

among the crowd; it always has its home where it hides itself. It

only comes out when it is hungry or thirsty; and once it has taken

its food it does not hunger or thirst after more as the dogs and

cats do. You can give them food again and again, and they still want

more. When the serpent is once fed it goes into its hole and stays

there until it wants food again; it has lost all voraciousness.

 

And so has the soul of the Vairagi; he only wants to live in this

world for the sake of others, not for himself. His connection with

people in the world is to serve them, not asking for their service;

to love them, not asking for love; to be friends with them, not

asking for friendship. He never allows himself to be deceived a

second time; once disappointed is sufficient. Once the Vairagi has

come to realize the falsehood of ordinary life he never allows

himself to be deceived again. He sees the world with the eye of

experience, and he says, 'I do not expect anything from you; if I

come to you it is to give to you, not to take from you. I do all

things for you, but will not be bound to you.' That is the watchword

of the Vairagi.

 

When the Vairagi is still more developed in this feeling of

Vairagya, then he becomes a lion. He is no more the serpent seeking

solitude, although he loves it still; he is no more the deer running

away from the crowd. He is the lion, who stands and faces all

difficulties. No longer sensitive, but with all strength and power,

with all balance, with patience, he endures, and with a brave spirit

he stands in the crowd in the world. For what? To bear all things

that come to him; to endure all the jarring influences that the

world offers to a sensitive person; to look into the eyes of all,

being brave in spirit and strengthened in truth and clear of

conscience.

 

It is in this way that the lion-like soul of the deva, the angelman,

comes to the rescue of humanity. What is called the Master or Saint

or Prophet or Sage is this developed Vairagi. He is like the fruit

that has ripened on the tree, helped by the sun. In this way this

soul that is ripened by experience in life, and has not allowed

itself to become decayed by that experience, but has upheld the

truth with balance, with hope and patience, directed by love for

humanity and desire to serve God, without any desire for

appreciation or return from below or from above. It is this soul of

the deva that brings the divine Message, whenever the Message comes,

to a community, a nation, or to the world. "

 

The Angel-Man

Sufi Message of Hazrat Inayat Khan

 

http://murshid.net/the-inner-life/angel-man.html