On the "Why" of Sufis: A Reflection

The only real friends, companions, intimates (other than one's family) are the people of Allah. They look upon one with the eye of mercy, not that of blame; they have no self interest, since they're Self-interested; they have no time for the distractions in this world, and, as a result, do not bring one down--they only bring one up, and this is because they aspire to be 'up'; they remember when everyone else forgets--that is, they remember God when everyone else forgets Him, and they remember themselves when everyone forgets themselves; at the same time, the Sufis forget when everyone else remembers--Shaykh Nuh explains that "with every remembrance there is a forgetting"--so when the Sufis remember God, they forget the world and all its illusions, while when the common folk forget God, they remember the world and its illusions. In short, the people of Allah are the real people; their way is the best way, and their striving the purest striving; they don't care about anything but Him, and, by virtue of loving and knowing the Source of the all, they know the all, and can thus care for the all.