This explains why one of the great ideals of the Sufi is the awakening of the heart qualities, resulting in a broader outlook. One's view then reaches far beyond concepts of faith and belief and allows one to offer tolerance to the tragic misunderstandings which divide the earnest followers of various religions and philosophical traditions. When offering, as brothers and sisters, to partake in carrying the burden of misunderstanding of others, the Sufi avoids any display of speculative theories, using only the language of the heart to communicate sympathy and dedication in support of the various interpretations of the one ideal of worship.

In Arabic, 'Iman' translates as 'conviction,' a conviction that does not come from the outside, as it stands above faith and belief. For belief is the beginning of the same thing of which faith is the development and conviction the culmination. Spiritual attainment is nothing but conviction. When a person arrives at the stage when the knowledge of reality becomes a conviction, then there is nothing in the world that can change it. And if there is anything to attain to, it is that conviction which one can never find in the outside world; it must rise from the depths of one's heart.

That is why sentiment is often underestimated when it is compared to reason. This is a mistake, for when there is real sentiment it is much stronger, much more powerful than reasoning. Going from one reason to another produces weakness. Besides, the being of reason has no magnetism, he or she has only reason. These beings can argue, discuss, talk too much, but they do not attract. The being of sentiment has strong magnetism, they can attract without words because they have something living in them. In the being of sentiment is to be found the Divine element, the heart quality.

Sympathy, therefore, is the main quality to cultivate in order to develop the  spiritual faculty. And what is sympathy? Sympathy is kindness, mercy, goodness, pity, compassion, gentleness, humility, appreciation, gratefulness and service. This is all defined as love, and love is God.

And how might this be accomplished, Pir-o-Murshid Hidayat asks.

Through (tying to appreciate what is good in another and over-looking that which disturbs one when others are not in accord with one's own thinking. By trying to see the point of view of others, with tolerance for their convictions, even though they are contrary to one's own. By trying to avoid judging the feelings of others, especially when involved with those whom one has once loved. By trying to overlook one's own failures as well as those of others, because even in a fall there is a hidden stepping stone on which to rise above feelings of being either lower or higher than others in God's presence. By trying to attune oneself to the rhythm of all those whom one meets, in whose company there might he a hidden guidance, as there always is in everything that happens in one's life, providing one has lost oneself in the ecstasy of the Divine Presence.

You see, in the peculiar nature of our education, everyone is trained to argue with logic and reason, and not to use sentiment and idealism. This is the reason why humanity is moving away from spirituality. We are at the edge of an ethical, nihilistic abyss, in which the sacrifice will be the growth of our countries. We need to empower them by the living examples of our heart. They cannot be guided by reason alone. That is why Holy Murshid says,

If an artist cannot be understood in the town in which he or she lives, his or her faculties and talents be-come blunted and in the end they die. It is the same with the heart quality; if it is not taken notice of, it has no opportunity to develop, if it is ignored, then this quality becomes blunted and in the end, it dies. As it is expressed in the song, 'The light of the whole life dies when love is done. ' What remains? There is no sign of life; what remains is intellectuality expressing itself by the power of egoism.

This is why it is important to support the writings of our community leaders by buying their books, playing their music, strengthening by this act of generosity a support system that works for the accomplishment of the ideal which may be brought into clear manifestation. Would not a family who truly loved each other act in this way?

Sufis in all ages, mystics of India, Persia and Egypt, have considered this type of generosity to be part of the awakening of the heart quality, to be the principal thing in life. All the virtues come naturally when the heart opens.

To the Sufis, spiritual culture is the tuning of the heart. Tuning means the changing of the vibration so that one feels joy and ecstasy of life. Rumi says, “Whether you have loved a human being or whether you have loved God, if you have loved enough, you will be brought in the end into the presence of the Supreme Love itself.”