New Pilgrims to the Burial Site of Murshida Rabia Martin

Tawwaba Bloch (left), Esoteric Secretary of the Sufi Ruhaniat International, and PamAllah Dussault (right).

Recently, Tawwaba Bloch, who helped with the research to find Murshida Rabia Martin, the first American Sufi murida, sent me word that she and two others (Cheraga Saraswati Burke and PamAllah Dussault) followed our directions and made a pilgrimage to the burial site. Together they took flowers from the garden at Khankah SAM in San Francisco to place in the crypt vases and Cheraga Saraswati Burke conducted a ritual of remembrance. Hopefully many more American Sufis will begin to find their way there, just as they have.

The Obituary of Rabia Martin

The following are the texts of three obituaries or notices of Murshida Rabia Martin’s passing found by Pir Shabda Kahn and sent to Jennifer Alia Wittman and I on Thanksgiving Day.

Mrs. Rabia Martin Rites Tomorrow

Mrs. Rabia Ada Martin, student of eastern philosophy and founder of the Sufi movement in San Francisco, died yesterday at her home, 46 Asbury Street. She was a native San Franciscan.

Funeral services will be held tomorrow at 3 p.m. at Sinai Memorial Chapel, Divisadero Street at Geary. Entombment will follow at the Portals of Eternity.

 

MARTIN—At rest in this city, Aug. 30, 1947, Rabia Ada, beloved wife of the late David Martin, devoted mother of Etta and Mirza Mehdy, loving grandmother of Martin Mehdy; a native of San Francisco.

“Pir-o-Murshida of the Sufi Order.”

Services Monday 2 p.m., Sinai Memorial Chapel, Divisadero st. at Geary. Entombment, Portals of Eternity.

 

MARTIN—At rest, in this city, Aug. 30, 1947. Rabia Ada, beloved wife of the late David Martin, devoted mother of Etta and Mirza Mehdy, loving grandmother of Martin Mehdy, “Pir-o-Murshida of the Sufi Order”; a native of San Francisco.

Services Monday 3 p.m., Sinai Memorial Chapel, Divisadero St. at Geary. Entombment, Portals of Eternity.

Finding the Grave of Murshida Rabia Martin

The Portals of Eternity mausoleum in the Hills of Eternity Memorial Park, Colma, California. — N.M-Y. '15

With the help of Pir Shabda Kahn and Murshid Wali Ali Meyer of the Sufi Ruhaniat International, as well as the research team (Tawwaba Samia Bloch) working on the biography of Murshid Samuel Lewis, Jennifer Alia Wittman and I were finally able to locate the cemetery where Murshida Rabia Ada Martin (1871-1947), the first American Sufi and murshida, is interred.

Born in San Francisco in 1871 to Russian Jewish immigrants, Ada married David Martin at the age of 19. After a period of struggle, she began to study various religions and esoteric paths. In 1911, she attended a talk by the Sufi master, Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882-1927), then touring the United States for the first time at the Vedanta Society in San Francisco. She knew at once that she had found her path and her teacher. She wrote to him immediately and it was confirmed for him in a vision that she would become his first murid. She then traveled to Seattle where she was initiated and given the name, Rabia. Thereafter, Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan guided her on both the inner and outer planes, and eventually recognized her as the first murshida, ‘guide’ or leader, within the newly formed universalist lineage of Inayati Sufism. She established the first American community of Sufis in the Bay Area, and the first khankah or center in Fairfax, California. Among her murids were Murshid Samuel Lewis (1896-1971) and Murshida Vera Corda (1913-2002). She passed away in San Francisco in 1947.

Murshida Rabia Ada Martin (1871-1947)

For various reasons, Murshida Rabia Martin’s place in early American Sufism has been, for many years, overshadowed by the success of later teachers, and her burial place forgotten by most Sufis. However, several years ago, while walking and saying dhikr in a park near my home, I had an experience in which I felt Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan was telling me that Murshid Rabia had been too long forgotten, and that it was time to reclaim her for the lineage as a true murshida within it. I felt immediately that I should find her burial place. It was then that I began to look for clues about where she was buried. But, to my surprise, no one seemed to know. All I could find were smallish pieces of biographical information. I was sure, however, that she was somewhere in the Bay Area.

Nevertheless, it was not until this year that I had the opportunity to travel to San Francisco and look for myself. Jennifer Alia Wittman, the Executive Director of the Inayati Order—North America, and I, both wrote to Pir Shabda Kahn and Murshid Wali Ali Meyer, the seniormost disciples of Murshid Samuel Lewis, as the people most likely people to know where she might be buried. Though neither was aware of the location, they soon put the team researching the biography of Murshid Sam on the case, looking for any information available. After several days and many e-mails back and forth, Pir Shadba sent us the text of an obituary the team had unearthed, telling us that Rabia Ada Martin was interred a mausoleum in the Hills of Eternity Memorial Park in Colma, California.

An architectural drawing of the Portals of Eternity mausoleum in the offices of the Hills of Eternity Memorial Park. — N.M-Y. '15

The Hills of Eternity Memorial Park is a beautiful, sprawling Jewish cemetery with an equally beautiful and majestic mausoleum called, Portals of Eternity. Looking up at the great edifice, we quickly realized that we had no idea where to begin looking. After all, there had to be thousands of burial chambers in the mausoleum. So we decided to go into the offices of the cemetery to talk to the director, who tried to help us locate the exact place of her burial chamber. He took out the old books, but found that the entry was somewhat incomplete. “Unfortunately,” he said, “you’re going to have to search the entire mausoleum. All I can tell you is that her chamber will be at about eye level. And don’t forget to search the lower floor if you don’t find her upstairs.”

We then walked over to the Portals of Eternity mausoleum and up to its beautiful green oxidized copper doors. Green doors was clearly a good Sufi sign I thought. Above the doors was written in English, “Portals of Eternity,” and above that in Hebrew characters, Beit Olam, which literally means, ‘Eternal House.’

The doors of the Portals of Eternity mausoleum. — N.M-Y. '15

We pushed open the heavy green doors and kissed the mezuzah, just inside on the right, as we entered the foyer, on the floor of which was a large magen david, of ‘star of David.’ Directly in front of us was a room where memorial services are held, and to the left and right, hallways leading to the burial chambers.

We had no idea where to start, so we decided to be systematic, carefully going down every passageway together, scanning every wall at roughly eye-level, Alia taking the left side of each hall, and me the right. Back and forth, up and down passageways, we searched through the whole maze of the upper floor. After a half-hour of searching, we’d found nothing. A little discouraged, we then remembered the lower floor and made our way downstairs, again searching the passages systematically.

Searching for the burial chamber of Murshida Rabia Martin. — N.M-Y. '15

Finally, about five minutes later, I came upon two burial chambers marked, “Etta M. Mehdy” and “Mirza Mehdy,” and remembered that Etta was the daughter of Rabia Martin, and her husband’s name was Mirza!

Then, sure enough, not far away, at eye-level, as the director had said, was a chamber marked, “David Martin, 1867-1943” and “Rabia Ada Martin, 1871-1947.”

The burial chamber of Murshida Rabia Martin as we first found it. — N.M-Y. '15

It was a great moment, and an honor, thinking that we may have been the first Inayati Sufis to rediscover and visit her burial place in more than half a century.

Noticing that the flower vases on the burial chamber were empty, we immediately regretted not having brought flowers. Momentarily glancing at someone else's flowers, we both exchanged a knowing look and smiled. We decided to go back to the office to see if we could buy flowers instead.

At the office, the director showed us the flowers available and we decided on white carnations. He asked us who it was we had been searching for and why. We told him who Rabia Martin was, explained a little about Sufism, and told him that other Sufis would likely be coming to visit her burial place now that we had found it. It was a Jewish cemetery, but he was very interested and took down her name, saying that he intended to look her up and add her to list of significant burials in the cemetery.

Heading back to the mausoleum, Alia suggested I photograph the way to Murshida Rabia Martin’s burial chamber so we could describe it to others later. We found our way back to the chamber, filled the vases with water in a nearby utility room, and arranged the flowers in them on the chamber. We then recited the “Toward the One” together and said individual prayers there for the peace of her soul, in gratitude for her work and contributions, and for the reestablishment of her name in the silsila or chain of transmission of Inayati Sufis everywhere.

Ya Fattah!

The burial chamber of Murshida Rabia Martin as we left it. — N.M-Y. '15

Directions to the Burial Place of Murshida Rabia Martin

The address of the Hills of Eternity Memorial Park is 1299 El Camino Real, Colma, CA 94014-3238.

It’s hours are 8:30AM to 4:00PM, Sunday through Friday. It is a Jewish cemetery and closed on the Sabbath (Friday evening to Saturday evening), major Jewish Holy Days, as well as secular holidays. Flowers can be purchased in the office.

The cemetery offices are located right at the entrance, and one may park there to walk to the Portals of Eternity mausoleum, easily visible nearby.

N.M-Y. '15

Enter the foyer of the mausoleum.

N.M-Y. '15

Turn into the hallway to the right.

N.M-Y. '15

Walk down to the end of the hallway.

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Turn left and descend the stairs to the lower level.

N.M-Y. '15

Turn right at Corridor A.

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Walk straight to the end, where you will find the burial chamber of Murshida Rabia Martin.

N.M-Y. '15

When leaving the cemetery, there is a place to wash and purify your hands, pouring water over your right hand three times, then over your left three times.

Dinner with Sheikh Kabir and Sheikha Camille Helminski in Louisville

Sheikh Kabir Helminski, Sheikha Camille Helminski of the Threshold Society, Jennifer Alia Wittman, Executive Director of the Inayati Order—North America, and Pir Netanel Miles-Yepez of the Inayati-Miamuni Order at the Louisville Center of the Threshold Society.

Got into Louisville, Kentucky this evening to have dinner at the home of Sheikh Kabir and Sheikha Camille Helminski of the Mevlevi Order, founders of the Threshold Society. 

Kabir began the study of Sufism with Suleyman Hayati of Konya and was officially recognized as a Mevlevi Sheikh in 1990 by the late Celalettin Celebi, head of the Mevlevi Order. From 1980 until 1999, he was the director of Threshold Books, one of the foremost publishers of Sufi literature. Kabir is the author of two books on Sufism—Living Presence: A Sufi Way of Mindfulness and The Knowing Heart: A Sufi Path of Transformation. Camille has been working within the Mevlevi tradition of Sufism for over thirty years and has helped to increase awareness of the integral contribution of women to the spiritual path of Islam with her book, Women of Sufism: A Hidden Treasure. She was co-director of Threshold Books.

I first met Sheikh Kabir and Sheikha Camille while working for the Spiritual Paths Foundation, arranging InterSpiritual conferences and editing content for its website. It had been a long time, and it was a pleasure to get to know one another again. The following is a great article on Kabir and Camille's work in Forbes Magazine:

"Whirling Dervishes of Kentucky: Why Sufis are popular in America"

Sheikh Kabir Helminski, Sheikha Camille Helminski in the Louisville Center of the Threshold Society.

Down to the Darrow School

The retreatants here at the Abode are still on silence until later this afternoon, after which, they’ll have fireworks on the property in the evening for the 4th of July. So, while everything is still quiet, I decided to take a walk down to the Darrow School to see and photograph all the restored Shaker buildings there.

It’s been raining, so I grabbed an umbrella from the bin in the mud room of the Razzaq building, and stepped out into the gravel courtyard and over a puddle. I made my way down the driveway and onto the road, just as a teenage boy and girl in shorts, rain jackets and mud boots, were turning the corner off Chairfactory Road, leading two draft horses onto Darrow. I followed them, stopping to take a picture shortly before they turned down a dirt path into a pasture.

I continued down the road, stopping often to take photos of the old buildings. Some seemed familiar to me, and I wondered if I had seen them in Ken Burns’ excellent documentary, The Shakers, which included footage of many of these communities.

The Darrow School originally opened in the Fall of 1932 as the Lebanon School for Boys, taking over the preexisting Shaker buildings of Mt. Lebanon. Later, in 1939, it was renamed Darrow School in honor of the local family who had first settled the land and provided support to the Mt. Lebanon Shaker community.

The Shakers first came to Mt. Lebanon in 1781 and established a self-sufficient religious community there that is especially remembered for its unique approach to living and learning, its beautifully hand-crafted furniture, as well as its seed and medicinal enterprises. There motto was “hands to work, hearts to God.”

On the walk back, I climbed atop one of the mysterious old stone, obelisk-like markers left by the Shakers, looking far out into a wide open field, my arms spread wide, palms up to catch the light rain falling on them.

Almost . . . First Attempt

A sign on the way up to Pir Vilayat's Pod. "Almost ..." was right. I never found it. — N.M-Y. 2015

Just before seven, I headed outside in the rain to the Meditation Hall to lead the “Morning Attunement.” I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant in this context, and hadn’t much time to prepare, but figured I couldn’t go wrong giving instruction in and leading the retreatants in the Chishti dhikr. The session went well and I enjoyed it. Afterward, a wonderfully sincere young man came up and told me that was exactly what he had been looking for, the “real Sufism.” I thought about that . . . The basics of our path; that’s what we need to stick to.

A sign pointing up the road to Pir Vilayat's Pod. Or so it said. — N.M-Y.

Shortly before lunch, I made an attempt to go find Pir Vilayat’s Pod, the place where Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan (1916-2004) used to retreat on the mountain. My friend, Atum O’Kane, one of Pir Vilayat’s senior students, told me that I should visit the spot years before. So I headed up the mountain in a lovely but ultimately fruitless attempt to find the pod. I came upon a campground of sorts and a stone foundation of something, but nothing like the pod that had once been described to me.

The campground on the mountain. — N.M-Y. 2015

In the afternoon teacher’s meeting, Pir Zia asked me to be part of a panel of younger leaders—including himself, Alia Wittman, and Sarah Leila Manolson—during sohbet to discuss issues of paradigm shift in the Sufi Order. It was an interesting conversation and brought up a number of issues for the community.

Sarah Leila Manolson speaking during the sohbet on paradigm shift in the Sufi Order. Photo by Hilary Benas, 2015.

Afterward, I spent the evening hanging out with friends and taking a series of long walks up and down Chairfactory Road, on which I tried to capture pictures of the Moon in puddles.

Unsuccessful attempt to capture the Moon in a puddle. — N.M-Y. 2015

Death, Love, and a Party

Deepa Gulrukh Patel and Netanel Miles-Yépez in dialogue. Photo by Hilary Benas, 2015.

The day started with a dialogue on Love and Death with my dear friend, Deepa Gulrukh Patel, the International Coordinator of the Sufi Order and a brilliant teacher. I opened with a story I learned from Reb Zalman and his wife, Eve Ilsen, called “The Source of Beauty,” which explores the themes of love and death. The dialogue was oriented around the following poem by Hazrat Inayat Khan, beloved by both of us:

I have loved in life, and I have been loved. I have drunk the bowl of poison from the hands of love as nectar, and have been raised above life’s joy and sorrow. My heart, aflame in love, set afire every heart that came in touch with it. My heart has been rent and joined again; my heart has been broken and again made whole; my heart has been wounded and healed again; a thousand deaths my heart has died, and thanks be to love, it lives yet. I went through hell and saw there love’s raging fire, and I entered heaven illumined with the light of love.

— Hazrat Inayat Khan, “Alankaras,” Vadan

Heading down Chairfactory Road to a party. — N.M-Y, 2015

In the evening, I headed down Chairfactory Road to an informal get together with some of the younger murids at the home of the Abode's director, Alia Wittman.

New friends, Chris Akbar Miller (clearly assigning blame to somebody else for something), and Tarana Gulzar. — N.M-Y, 2015

It was a great evening, the best of my trip, so far. This is where I want to be—talking informally about Sufism and what matters to people over pizza and dessert! Is there anything better?

A fun discussion of Sufism with a newcomer and my friend, Jessica Bromby. — N.M-Y, 2015.

Meetings with Old and New Friends

Netanel Miles-Yépez, Sarah Leila Manolson, and Adam Bucko hanging-out at the Abode of the Message.

It was an enjoyable day, catching-up with good friends and dialoguing with new ones.

My friend, Adam Bucko, co-founder (with Rory McEntee and I) of the Foundation for New Monasticism, and leader of HAB, an interspiritual new monastic fellowship, came in from the city so we could spend a little time hanging-out between program events.

Afterward, I participated in a great dialogue on the inner life in Sufism with the senior teachers of the Sufi Order—Taj Inayat, Himayat Inayati and Aziza Scott—facilitated by Gayan Macher

Gayan Macher, Netanel Miles-Yépez, Himayat Inayati (speaking), and Taj Inayat during the Dialogue on the Inner Life in the Meditation Hall, Abode of the Message. Photo by Hilary Benas, 2015

Later, Pir Zia asked me to co-lead sohbet with he and his mother, Taj Inayat, in the evening. I facilitated the sohbet session which largely dealt with ecological issues as related to the spiritual path.

Taj Inayat, Pir Zia Inayat-Khan, and Netanel Miles-Yépez (speaking) during the sohbet session in the Meditation Hall, Abode of the Message. Photo by Hilary Benas, 2015

After sohbet, I got together with my friend, Deepa Gulrukh Patel, to work on material for our dialogue on death and purification for tomorrow. Taking a creative approach, we began to make a playlist of songs on death to use. Two hours later—playlist, no definite plan!

Netanel Miles-Yépez and Deepa Gulrukh Patel at the Abode of the Message.