Sufi Remembrance

URS date:  January 6, 2009

Nur David Engle was raised a Sufi by his devoted parents Qahira Qalbi and Tansen Muni Fraley. His grandfather was Fatha Engle (who had the blessing of working directly for Hazrat Inayat Khan) and Murshida Bhakti Engle. His grandfather, Fatha, wrote “In this changing of our world, nothing will play a more important part than our knowledge of love, our understanding of love and our relationships in love.” Nur was a very gifted healer, an advocate of Compassion, a Doctor of Chiropractic medicine, but above all, he was a “love-bunny.” His being radiated love and gentleness. I have a memory of David visiting us for a week when we lived on the island of Kauai. I was so impressed by the way David made himself at home in such a gentle and non-intrusive way. He had a way of harmonizing with any environment. One time when David, Tansen, and I were all taking a walk on the beach Tansen and I got involved in a conversation that captured our attention. We talked and talked and when we were through I noticed that David was sitting contently about ten feet away. When I looked closer, I noticed that he had started creating a spontaneous art-piece out of driftwood and seaweed and shells. David created beauty wherever he went. His soul generated it. Anyone who knew David knew how close he was to his mother, Qahira. He was clearly the “apple of her eye.” But it didn’t take David long to understand and appreciate the relationship I had with his father. As a matter of fact, within minutes of meeting me, he instantly (and correctly) perceived the situation. He said, “You laugh at my Dad’s jokes!” This brought great joy to David and he always treated me with the upmost respect and kindness. David and Tansen shared a very similar sense of humor. To more fully appreciate Tansen’s jokes I developed an Olympic style scoring system. There were four categories: Content, Context, Timing, and Delivery. Whenever Tansen scored a perfect score of 40 across all four categories it would be the source of an extra celebration. Sometimes, I laughed at his jokes for days, and weeks, and a few keep me laughing to this day. Even as I write this remembrance, I can’t help but to feel the joy and laughter of the gentle father and loving son, Tansen and David, rejoicing in their Oneness.

Elsa Weber