This class is an experiment. On the instruction of my teacher, I set aside the usual university teaching methods of preparing a class in advance and attempt to spontaneously “channel” information.
In this class I tell the story of how, in the early 1980’s in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, I was instructed by a Sufi businessman to recite a special prayer in order to receive personal guidance from the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Following those instructions, this indeed happened to me, both at that time as well as in England in 2012.
I try to repeat that experience during this online class and repeat the same prayer, the Durood Sharif, only to realize that such an effort to receive guidance from the Holy Prophet (pbuh) in this context is inappropriate. Nevertheless, prayer is always – after love – a most important practice.