Book Talk with Scott Kugle - The Merciful Door:Living with a Sufi Teacher in India

Main ideas & lessons

• The book’s purpose and origin

  • Scott Kugle’s The Merciful Door: Living with a Sufi Teacher in India is a remembrance of his Sufi teacher, Syed Muhammad Rashid al-hasan jili al-kalimi, commonly called Pierre Rashid Kalimi or Rasheed.
  • After Rashid died (about a decade before the talk), an American Sufi teacher named Pier Zia contacted Kugle and asked him to write memorial reflections for Rashid’s followers.
  • Kugle drew on a journal archive he had kept over many years; these notes became the foundation for the memorial and later expanded into the published book.
  • Rashid had earlier encouraged Kugle to write a “small book” for Americans who misunderstand Sufism—but the work grew into a larger volume (around 275 pages).

• Why the book is presented as accessible, not academic

  • Kugle aimed for a narrative style featuring anecdotes, conversations, and personal encounters, rather than a conventional academic treatise.
  • He also acknowledges that the writing includes intimate and potentially controversial material, especially related to sexuality and gender.

• Sufi tradition of recording “spoken teaching”

  • Kugle explains an old Indian Sufi tradition in which a teacher’s oral teachings are recorded in writing—referring to the concept of malfūẓāt (“what is spoken”).
  • His book is framed as a modern continuation of this practice, combining teachings conveyed through conversations and Q&A with Kugle’s own reflections.

• The title’s deeper meaning: mercy as a “door”

  • Kugle ties the title to a Qur’anic image from Surat al-Hadid (verse 13): a wall separates hypocrites from believers, but within the wall there is a door whose outer aspect is painful while its inner aspect is mercy.
  • He presents Rashid as that door in his own journey:
    • Rashid could present ideas that felt hard or judgmental on the outside.
    • Yet when approached with effort—“turning the handle,” opening what lies inside—there was a consistent light of mercy, kindness, and love.
  • Mercy is depicted as something often accessed through a “portal” found in what initially seems solid.

• How Kugle came to meet Rashid

  • Kugle knew Pier Zia from his PhD years.
  • During a fellowship/study period in Hyderabad, Zia suggested Kugle meet Rashid; Kugle did not follow through immediately.
  • Later, after moving to Philadelphia/Swarthmore, Kugle found a note with Rashid’s name while unpacking stored books—prompting him to look him up.
  • At a Qawwali/music gathering connected to Rashid’s lineage, Kugle was emotionally moved and asked to become a disciple. Rashid first said “no,” then accepted after further conversation.

• Relationship and approach to learning

  • Kugle describes a relationship marked by:
    • Gradual intimacy (not instant disclosure of everything).
    • A teacher who sometimes worked with many visitors at once, while Kugle observed and learned from Rashid’s calm attention to others.
  • After Rashid’s death, Kugle says he did not intentionally “set up” a new community in Atlanta. Instead, a community formed around him and the Kalimi order/tariqa tradition.

• Core controversy: sexuality, Sharia, and personal spiritual growth

  • Kugle presents this as a central tension in the book:
    • Kugle describes his reluctance to enter heterosexual marriage and Rashid’s responses.
    • Rashid distinguished between:
      • Sharia (Islamic legal boundaries), stated clearly, and
      • tariqa (spiritual development), where Rashid maintained a personal approach to the student’s growth.
    • Kugle’s takeaway is that Rashid did not offer reformist legal reinterpretations regarding sexual/gender roles.
    • However, Kugle describes Rashid as showing no judgment toward him as a spiritual student.
    • Kugle wrestles with whether to continue writing critically about limits in Sharia versus focusing on self-improvement and loving care for others.

• Why the “boldness” mattered

  • Kugle emphasizes the book’s risk: LGBTQ Muslim communities often want simple affirmation—“it’s okay, you are who you are.”
  • Rashid’s message was not that kind of easy comfort. It may comfort some readers and unsettle others.
  • Kugle frames writing and publishing as bold precisely because of this uncertainty and potential vulnerability.

• Community practices after Rashid’s death

  • Kugle describes the establishment of Kalimi Hanka in Atlanta, following Rashid’s Kalimi tariqa, linked to a lineage involving the Chishti order and another “international” Sufi order (and notes multiple major Indian Sufi orders combined in initiation traditions).
  • In Atlanta, zikr/music is done in a collective, melodious way suited to American social life—aiming to help people stop arguing and become still.
  • He notes an online/hybrid component became important after COVID.

• Litigation/politics discussion (school content concerns)

  • Later in the talk, a participant asks about a recent controversy in Dearborn, Michigan involving public schools and accusations around “gender ideology,” “critical race theory,” and claims of “pornographic” library/material content.
  • Kugle generally responds by connecting it to a broader U.S. pattern of religious-right school board battles where conservative groups protest inclusion of LGBTQ-related topics.
  • He suggests tactics resemble those used in other regions (often involving the Christian right), while noting Michigan dynamics differ due to local Muslim presence.
  • He mentions posting materials/letters on relevant online platforms and references inclusive sexuality studies resources.

Tone note: Overall, Kugle’s emphasis is on mercy as a lived spiritual “door”—accessible through relationship, patience, and inward openness—while also acknowledging real tensions and disagreements.

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Methodology / “how the book was built”

• Input sources Kugle used

  • Rashid’s influence over roughly 10 years of interaction
  • Kugle’s long-term journal of conversations, comments, and interactions
  • Rashid’s spoken teachings in real conversations and gatherings
  • Shared cultural materials:
    • Visits to dargahs / memorial shrines and tombs
    • Listening to qawwali
    • Persian/Urdu poetry that Rashid and Kugle shared and reflected on
  • Rashid’s earlier instruction/prompt:
    • To write a small book explaining principles of Sufi teachings for Americans

• Step-by-step process described

  • After Rashid’s death:
    • Kugle agreed to write memorial reflections for Rashid’s supporters (asked by Pier Zia).
    • He reviewed his journal archive for forgotten or unused material.
  • He expanded the memorial into a fuller book by:
    • Adding more poems, Qawwali-related content, anecdotes, and travel/shrine experiences
    • Translating/transposing poetry for bilingual presentation
    • Blending personal narrative with teaching material
  • Editorial/presentation decisions:
    • Writing in a light, anecdote-driven style (not academic)
    • Preserving the feel of oral discourse recording in a modern form
    • Including Urdu and Persian scripts alongside translations (with help from others)
  • Publication production steps:
    • Working with a small press (Beacon books in London) and a publisher involved in the Jishti lineage
    • Ensuring textual accuracy by repeatedly reviewing typeset poetry texts, described as correcting errors through multiple back-and-forth checks

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Speakers / sources featured (identified)

Speakers (people who spoke on the video)

• Scott Kugle
• John (briefly introduced as “my brother John”; likely the host/moderator)
• Amina (mentioned as having visited Hyderabad and met Rashid; appears to be part of the event audience/participants)
• Pier Zia (mentioned; connected to contacting Kugle and to Rashid’s U.S. community)
• Rasheed / Pierre Rashid Kalimi / Syed Muhammad Rashid al-hasan jili al-kalimi (the subject/teacher; not a real-time speaker, but extensively discussed)
• Jamil (publisher; discussed as “Jamil Chishti” / “Jameel trishi” in subtitles)
• Bruce Lawrence (Professor; Kugle’s graduate-school teacher; mentioned as reading a draft)
• Dr. zebra zany (mentioned as a friend/host during Kugle’s reading period; referenced in the talk)
• Audience/chat participants (several questions asked; names not given in subtitles), including:
  • A participant asking about accessibility/audiobook/reading challenges
  • A participant asking about Dearborn, Michigan school controversies
  • An additional audience member offering a comment/asking about engagement or continuation of connection

Sources / institutions / works referenced

• The Merciful Door: Living with a Sufi Teacher in India (Kugle’s book)
• Qur’an, Surat Al-Hadid, verse 13
• The traditional Sufi record “malfūẓāt” (oral discourses; ancient practice)
• Beacon books (London small press; noted as distinct from “Beacon Press”)
• Emory University (Kugle’s affiliation mentioned)
• Swarthmore College (mentioned in relation to Kugle’s career)
• Duke University (Pier Zia’s PhD program mentioned)
• Aligarh Muslim University (typesetting help mentioned)
• Kalimi Hanka / Kalimi tariqa (community described)
• YouTube (mentioned as a place where qawwali can be found)
• Patreon / KISS (mentioned as places where Kugle’s materials might be shared; KISS described as an online collaborative effort related to inclusive Islamic sexuality studies)
• Qawwali / devotional music practice rules (described rather than formally sourced)