After passing through the disorderly examination of airport security, the travellers sipped coffee and gazed out at the airfield. Low, ragged clouds were lit by the early morning sun, and for a moment a ray of light contrived to produce some colour on the horizon. “A rainbow – a good sign!” It was much less than an arc, only a luminous patch near the ground like the hand of an unseen angel, and it disappeared almost immediately, but it was, to the travellers, a good sign nonetheless. Given that they were going to visit dear friends and loved ones, how could it have been otherwise?

Throughout history, in every culture, people have searched for ways to see what awaits us, and various signs have been regarded as omens or portents of things to come. If we look closely though, we begin to recognise that the meaning lies less in what is seen and more in the consciousness of those who see. The glimpse of the rainbow is a good example: people travelling for a happy purpose are rewarded with a sign of blessing. Very often our horizon of consciousness is larger than the bubble of thoughts and feelings and sense impressions where we are momentarily focused, in which case we may find our environment telling us what we already know but have not looked at. As we deepen spiritually, though, perception becomes more direct; we do not need to see the pattern of tea leaves in a cup, for example, to recognise what we feel within.

Naturally, the more we grow, the further we see. The parents can see consequences lying in wait that children do not see, and in the same way awakened souls can recognise what the average person cannot. That is why the verse* ‘Rasul’ is addressed to the ‘Warner of coming dangers.’ A world-messenger, for that is the meaning of Rasul, sees the perils that lie before humanity, and calls out to those who are ready to awaken from their sleep, so that they can take action.

The thoughtful student, therefore, might wonder: what perils are we being warned of? In the Sufi path we speak of very positive qualities, such as love, harmony and beauty, and we try to realise them in our lives–but we might also consider this: what are the dangers that humanity should avoid?

*The ‘Confraternity of the Message’ is a sequence of prayers to God (Saum, Salat and Khatum), and verses (Pir, Nabi and Rasul) evoking the spirit of guidance manifested on various levels: the spiritual guide, the prophet, and the world messenger. As prayer is addressed to God, or to the Divine, it is not correct to speak of Pir, Nabi and Rasul as prayers.