Brotherhood & Sisterhood Activity
of the International Sufi Movement
Principle of Brotherhood and Sisterhood
But now comes the question how this simple principle of Brotherhood and Sisterhood may be lived, how may it be practised. It is most difficult to teach this principle to anyone. The best way of teaching it, is living it oneself. Parents, either father or mother, who show to their children, besides fatherly love and motherly tenderness, that brotherhood/sisterhood, that feeling of a brother with his brothers, in this they can express themselves best to their children, and in this way the children are able to express their best to their parents. A father may be most kind, a mother most loving, but as long as he or she maintains the attitude of holding himself or herself as father, as mother; something different from the children, the children will grow to love them, but will never look upon them as friends.
They will look for friends elsewhere, because there is no brotherhood/sisterhood. And when we come to the teacher, a teacher may be respected by his pupils, he may bear great dignity before his pupils, but at the same time there cannot be established that communication of inspiration and love, of sympathy, of understanding till he has practised with his pupils that manner of brotherhood/sisterhood . When the soldiers, millions of them, gave their lives for the great kings and generals, it was not for the general, it was for the brother. No king, no general, no commander, whatever be his honour and his position, has been able to win the hearts of those who followed him - never.
When we hear of the great ones, the prophets, the seers, the mystics, in what way have they treated their pupils, their disciples? The story of Jesus Christ is known to all, calling the fishermen to come and sit and talk with him. The Master never felt comfortable when they called him "good." He said, "call me not good." The whole idea was, "consider me not superior to you, I am one of you." Think then the picture of the Master washing the feet of his disciples. What does it teach us? It all teaches us brotherhood/sisterhood. No miracle, no great power, no great inspiration, occult or mystical, can equal the phenomenon of that humility, of that fraternity, that Brotherhood/Sisterhood with which the great ones have become one with all.