SUFISM
SUFISM
most sufis would be averse to having their work judged on purely aesthetic grounds.. what are your thoughts on how sufi poems fit into the world-view of islamic mystics? does this world-view contradict basic islamic beliefs ? (the shariah) thoughts ???
Re: SUFISM
There are MANY different kinds of Sufi tariqas, with totally different views. The Naqshbandis are Sunnis, and they follow Shariah. I think the Chishtis also follow Shariah. There are many 'fake' sufi tariqas, too.
Question: does anyone here have any experience with the MTO Shahmaghsouti Order (Oveyssees from Iran)? They are gaining popularity both in Europe and the USA.
Question: does anyone here have any experience with the MTO Shahmaghsouti Order (Oveyssees from Iran)? They are gaining popularity both in Europe and the USA.
Sufism has created Islam and it has sustained it through out its history. Without Sufism there would not be any Islam today. It is the fountain from which other aspects of the civilization including poetry draw their inspiration, wisdom and ideas. Sufism is not about aesthetics only, rather it is a totality of life. Correct action is a very important facet of Sufism. Sufis have been the backbone for many revivilist movements through out the Islamic History. Islam has flourished whenever Sufism has been allowed to express itself. In my opinion all poems that we call Islamic are really Sufi poetry. Without Sufism, Islam would be an empty shell.
I understand that there is a great deal of diversity in Sufi tradition. However upon reading some articles to me it appears that the sufi tradition is a very close cousin to the ismaili tradition.
Below are excerpts from some articles that were given to me.
"A metaphor in itself, a Sufi “path” is a journey to reach the Reality, the Beloved, the Divine. Not just to reach it but to become one with it. Sufi’s look forward to return home, where they existed before they were created, or rather separated, from their Eternal Being. There a covenant was made between the Creator and the created, such that the created will once unite back again with the Beloved. It is this moment that the Sufi remembers and aspires to lose himself in the remembrance."
Anne Marie Schimmel, Mystical Dimensions in Islam, (p.172):
"The first dhikr was given by God when he addressed people on the Day of the Primordial Covenant, saying, “alastu bi Rabbikum?, “Am I not your Lord?”. This entered people’s hearts, so when they hear dhikr the secrets of their hearts appear, and performing dhikr brings their hearts back to the moment of the Day of Alastu, when hearts were given spiritual nourishment. When man performs dhikr, in permanent recollection, he may reach the stage where he recollects that day, and in recollection the created disappears and only God remains."
In Ajudan some of our Imams were buried as great Sufi Masters. My question is that there are several similarities that we seem to have with sufis, what about differences? What major differences do we have with the Sufi tradition?
Below are excerpts from some articles that were given to me.
"A metaphor in itself, a Sufi “path” is a journey to reach the Reality, the Beloved, the Divine. Not just to reach it but to become one with it. Sufi’s look forward to return home, where they existed before they were created, or rather separated, from their Eternal Being. There a covenant was made between the Creator and the created, such that the created will once unite back again with the Beloved. It is this moment that the Sufi remembers and aspires to lose himself in the remembrance."
Anne Marie Schimmel, Mystical Dimensions in Islam, (p.172):
"The first dhikr was given by God when he addressed people on the Day of the Primordial Covenant, saying, “alastu bi Rabbikum?, “Am I not your Lord?”. This entered people’s hearts, so when they hear dhikr the secrets of their hearts appear, and performing dhikr brings their hearts back to the moment of the Day of Alastu, when hearts were given spiritual nourishment. When man performs dhikr, in permanent recollection, he may reach the stage where he recollects that day, and in recollection the created disappears and only God remains."
In Ajudan some of our Imams were buried as great Sufi Masters. My question is that there are several similarities that we seem to have with sufis, what about differences? What major differences do we have with the Sufi tradition?
I think the main difference between our tradition and other sufi tariqahs is that ours is a permanent tradition and the institution of Imamat (Mursheedship) is hereditory and appointment of successive Mursheeds is by nass. This is a doctrine of our Tariqah. MHI in one of his Farmans stated:fayaz006 wrote:My question is that there are several similarities that we seem to have with sufis, what about differences? What major differences do we have with the Sufi tradition?
"This practice of individual search for spiritual enlightenment is generally speaking part of the Shia tradition, but it is not exclusively part of the Shia tradition. There are groups historically within Sunni Islam who have also practised, and practise today the individual search for spiritual enlightenment. But in the Ismaili tradition, in the Ismaili Tariqah, this has been there for a long, long, long, time."
Whereas other tariqahs are not required to perpetuate their traditions, in Ismailism it is a doctrine. Hence some tariqahs do not survive for too long. Also the Mursheed in our tariqah is pure by birth, he does not require to be purified by someone else.
Otherwise from a practical point of view, we are very similar having the same principles of personal search and the balance between the zaher and the Batin.
Sponsoring Sufism
And Its Problems as a Counterterrorism Strategy
By Fait Muedini
With the Syrian civil war in its fourth year—and now with Russia’s direct intervention on behalf of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad—Washington is more keen than ever to push back the self-proclaimed Islamic State (also known as ISIS). And at least when it comes to that mission, the Assad government is looking to join in. Just over a year ago, Assad government spokesperson Mohamed Jihad al-Laham reached out to the U.S. Congress to ask for support in the fight against ISIS and to criticize the rebel forces that the United States supports as being just as radical as the larger group. In his letter, Laham also suggested promoting Sufism—a mystical branch of Islam—as a mechanism to alter the violent behavior of terrorist actors.
The inclusion of Sufism in Laham’s plea for military support might seem out of place. But since 9/11, such sentiments have become routine as the United States, the United Kingdom, and other Western countries have come up against hard-line Islamist groups. In most cases, the West has opted for a multipronged response, which usually includes increased counterterrorism surveillance, military intervention, and the sponsorship of “friendly” and “tolerant” interpretations of Islam both domestically and abroad. The logic is that messages of tolerance could thwart would-be jihadists from becoming indoctrinated by less tolerant religious strands.
More...
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles ... ing-sufism
And Its Problems as a Counterterrorism Strategy
By Fait Muedini
With the Syrian civil war in its fourth year—and now with Russia’s direct intervention on behalf of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad—Washington is more keen than ever to push back the self-proclaimed Islamic State (also known as ISIS). And at least when it comes to that mission, the Assad government is looking to join in. Just over a year ago, Assad government spokesperson Mohamed Jihad al-Laham reached out to the U.S. Congress to ask for support in the fight against ISIS and to criticize the rebel forces that the United States supports as being just as radical as the larger group. In his letter, Laham also suggested promoting Sufism—a mystical branch of Islam—as a mechanism to alter the violent behavior of terrorist actors.
The inclusion of Sufism in Laham’s plea for military support might seem out of place. But since 9/11, such sentiments have become routine as the United States, the United Kingdom, and other Western countries have come up against hard-line Islamist groups. In most cases, the West has opted for a multipronged response, which usually includes increased counterterrorism surveillance, military intervention, and the sponsorship of “friendly” and “tolerant” interpretations of Islam both domestically and abroad. The logic is that messages of tolerance could thwart would-be jihadists from becoming indoctrinated by less tolerant religious strands.
More...
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles ... ing-sufism
I cannot edit my post. Below is the entire article referred to in the above post. It may not be accessible without subscription.
Sponsoring Sufism
And Its Problems as a Counterterrorism Strategy
With the Syrian civil war in its fourth year—and now with Russia’s direct intervention on behalf of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad—Washington is more keen than ever to push back the self-proclaimed Islamic State (also known as ISIS). And at least when it comes to that mission, the Assad government is looking to join in. Just over a year ago, Assad government spokesperson Mohamed Jihad al-Laham reached out to the U.S. Congress to ask for support in the fight against ISIS and to criticize the rebel forces that the United States supports as being just as radical as the larger group. In his letter, Laham also suggested promoting Sufism—a mystical branch of Islam—as a mechanism to alter the violent behavior of terrorist actors.
The inclusion of Sufism in Laham’s plea for military support might seem out of place. But since 9/11, such sentiments have become routine as the United States, the United Kingdom, and other Western countries have come up against hard-line Islamist groups. In most cases, the West has opted for a multipronged response, which usually includes increased counterterrorism surveillance, military intervention, and the sponsorship of “friendly” and “tolerant” interpretations of Islam both domestically and abroad. The logic is that messages of tolerance could thwart would-be jihadists from becoming indoctrinated by less tolerant religious strands.
In fact, the sponsoring of Sufism is a popular choice around the world, including in Algeria, Morocco, Pakistan, and Russia. In Algeria, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has invested resources in promoting Sufi education; the state has promoted Sufi leaders’ activities and also allows Sufi groups to disperse information and literature in the country. King Mohammed VI of Morocco continues to call upon Sufi symbolism in his speeches and has attempted to control and reshape religious education in the country by promoting a Sufi agenda. In Pakistan, political leaders often go to Sufi shrines in order to show the public their closeness to Sufi orders.
Furthermore, they court Sufi leaders for political support. And in Russia, President Vladimir Putin has also promoted Sufism in Chechnya through the installation of Ramzan Kadyrov as head of the republic. A strong ally to the Kremlin, Kadyrov is a member of the Qadiriyya Sufi order and frequently uses Sufism to counter Islamists in the region. All this provides Putin with greater control over the region and the state with an opportunity to support a brand of Islam that challenges more literal interpretations of the faith.
Categorizations of "good" and "bad" Muslims do not rely not on sound judgments of behavior and actions, but, rather, on simple labels based on the way in which people practice their faith.
But the question remains of why Sufism is the brand of choice for many governments. Sufism is not a separate sect within Islam, but rather a specific approach within the religious tradition. Sufism does not ignore sharia (Islamic law) but is known for placing importance on a more direct relationship between an individual and the divine. For many Sufis, the objective of their spiritual journey is to reach a state where they are in the complete presence of God. Sufis attempt to achieve this by seeing others as a reflection of God and through service. Sufi teachings have thus paid great attention to notions of love between God and God’s creation. Because of that, many policymakers believe that Sufism is a bastion of moderate religious thought, universal love, and lesser attention to worldly issues such as politics. And Sufi tenets call for a lack of interest or belief in the positive power of violence. And while many Sufis do believe such ideas, one cannot generalize the beliefs of every Sufi or every Muslim; Sufis differ on interpreting Islam, as do non-Sufi Muslims.
HIGH HOPES
But how does the promotion of Sufism work in practice? Some lessons can be gleaned from the United Kingdom. After the July 7, 2005, London bombings, the British government expressed its support for the creation of the Sufi Muslim Council (SMC), a political organization that was said to represent the voices of Sufi Muslims in the United Kingdom. Believing that supporting the SMC would aid the fight against terrorism, some politicians within the British government were openly supportive of backing the organization. British Secretary of State for Communities Ruth Kelly was quoted as saying, “Organizations such as the Sufi Muslim Council are an important part of that work. . . . I welcome the council’s core principles condemning terrorism in all its forms and its partnership approach to taking forward joint initiatives and activities.” Kelly was far from alone. In 2009, the British politician Maqsood Ahmed said of the SMC: “Until two years ago there was no voice, a voice of love and peace reaching us in the government.”
Despite the high hopes of many, however, the SMC was plagued by issues that prevented the groups from meeting its expectations. In fact, the SMC seemed to increase tensions among different Muslim organizations in the United Kingdom, since many saw the group as attempting a power grab. Others determined that Westminster had ignored other Muslim organizations in order to focus on cultivating the SMC. A number of Muslims also questioned why the British government was even getting involved in matters of religion and why the government was backing a Sufi organization as a result. Although the British government ultimately moved away from supporting the group, many in the country remember its earlier choice.
Across the pond, a 2003 meeting in Washington among think tanks and policy analysts yielded a 2004 report titled “Understanding Sufism and Its Potential Role in U.S. Policy.” The report provided detailed discussions from the conference, most of which centered on ways in which Sufism could be used in foreign-policy making. Some speeches included points about rebuilding Sufi shrines and creating financial funding for Sufi education centers. There was also a call to help protect historical Islamic documents that focused on religious inclusivity. By 2005, U.S. News & World Report was reporting that U.S. leaders, unable to themselves make the argument for Sufism, were looking for other ways to support the branch of Islam. According to the report, World Organization for Resource Development and Education President Hedieh Mirahmadi “has advised U.S. officials on how best to proceed: ‘The goal is to preserve things that are the ideological antithesis of radical Islam,’ she sa[id]. Among the tactics: using U.S. aid to restore Sufi shrines overseas, to preserve and translate its classic medieval manuscripts, and to push governments to encourage a Sufi renaissance in their own countries.”
The sentiment that Sufism is a more tolerant iteration of Islam still persists within the United States.
The sentiment that Sufism is a more tolerant iteration of Islam still persists within the United States. In 2010, when an Islamic cultural center was proposed in downtown Manhattan near the site of “Ground Zero,” opponents were outraged. In response to critics, then New York State Governor David Paterson attempted to justify the establishment of the center by saying that “this group who has put this mosque together, they are known as the Sufi Muslims. This is not like the Shiites. . . . They’re almost like a hybrid, almost westernized. They are not really what I would classify in the sort of mainland Muslim practice.” In other words, Paterson suggested, Sufis were acceptable, unlike Sunni or Shiites. In his attempt to legitimize Sufi Islam, Paterson ended up speaking ill of other forms of the religion.
Sponsoring Sufism
And Its Problems as a Counterterrorism Strategy
With the Syrian civil war in its fourth year—and now with Russia’s direct intervention on behalf of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad—Washington is more keen than ever to push back the self-proclaimed Islamic State (also known as ISIS). And at least when it comes to that mission, the Assad government is looking to join in. Just over a year ago, Assad government spokesperson Mohamed Jihad al-Laham reached out to the U.S. Congress to ask for support in the fight against ISIS and to criticize the rebel forces that the United States supports as being just as radical as the larger group. In his letter, Laham also suggested promoting Sufism—a mystical branch of Islam—as a mechanism to alter the violent behavior of terrorist actors.
The inclusion of Sufism in Laham’s plea for military support might seem out of place. But since 9/11, such sentiments have become routine as the United States, the United Kingdom, and other Western countries have come up against hard-line Islamist groups. In most cases, the West has opted for a multipronged response, which usually includes increased counterterrorism surveillance, military intervention, and the sponsorship of “friendly” and “tolerant” interpretations of Islam both domestically and abroad. The logic is that messages of tolerance could thwart would-be jihadists from becoming indoctrinated by less tolerant religious strands.
In fact, the sponsoring of Sufism is a popular choice around the world, including in Algeria, Morocco, Pakistan, and Russia. In Algeria, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has invested resources in promoting Sufi education; the state has promoted Sufi leaders’ activities and also allows Sufi groups to disperse information and literature in the country. King Mohammed VI of Morocco continues to call upon Sufi symbolism in his speeches and has attempted to control and reshape religious education in the country by promoting a Sufi agenda. In Pakistan, political leaders often go to Sufi shrines in order to show the public their closeness to Sufi orders.
Furthermore, they court Sufi leaders for political support. And in Russia, President Vladimir Putin has also promoted Sufism in Chechnya through the installation of Ramzan Kadyrov as head of the republic. A strong ally to the Kremlin, Kadyrov is a member of the Qadiriyya Sufi order and frequently uses Sufism to counter Islamists in the region. All this provides Putin with greater control over the region and the state with an opportunity to support a brand of Islam that challenges more literal interpretations of the faith.
Categorizations of "good" and "bad" Muslims do not rely not on sound judgments of behavior and actions, but, rather, on simple labels based on the way in which people practice their faith.
But the question remains of why Sufism is the brand of choice for many governments. Sufism is not a separate sect within Islam, but rather a specific approach within the religious tradition. Sufism does not ignore sharia (Islamic law) but is known for placing importance on a more direct relationship between an individual and the divine. For many Sufis, the objective of their spiritual journey is to reach a state where they are in the complete presence of God. Sufis attempt to achieve this by seeing others as a reflection of God and through service. Sufi teachings have thus paid great attention to notions of love between God and God’s creation. Because of that, many policymakers believe that Sufism is a bastion of moderate religious thought, universal love, and lesser attention to worldly issues such as politics. And Sufi tenets call for a lack of interest or belief in the positive power of violence. And while many Sufis do believe such ideas, one cannot generalize the beliefs of every Sufi or every Muslim; Sufis differ on interpreting Islam, as do non-Sufi Muslims.
HIGH HOPES
But how does the promotion of Sufism work in practice? Some lessons can be gleaned from the United Kingdom. After the July 7, 2005, London bombings, the British government expressed its support for the creation of the Sufi Muslim Council (SMC), a political organization that was said to represent the voices of Sufi Muslims in the United Kingdom. Believing that supporting the SMC would aid the fight against terrorism, some politicians within the British government were openly supportive of backing the organization. British Secretary of State for Communities Ruth Kelly was quoted as saying, “Organizations such as the Sufi Muslim Council are an important part of that work. . . . I welcome the council’s core principles condemning terrorism in all its forms and its partnership approach to taking forward joint initiatives and activities.” Kelly was far from alone. In 2009, the British politician Maqsood Ahmed said of the SMC: “Until two years ago there was no voice, a voice of love and peace reaching us in the government.”
Despite the high hopes of many, however, the SMC was plagued by issues that prevented the groups from meeting its expectations. In fact, the SMC seemed to increase tensions among different Muslim organizations in the United Kingdom, since many saw the group as attempting a power grab. Others determined that Westminster had ignored other Muslim organizations in order to focus on cultivating the SMC. A number of Muslims also questioned why the British government was even getting involved in matters of religion and why the government was backing a Sufi organization as a result. Although the British government ultimately moved away from supporting the group, many in the country remember its earlier choice.
Across the pond, a 2003 meeting in Washington among think tanks and policy analysts yielded a 2004 report titled “Understanding Sufism and Its Potential Role in U.S. Policy.” The report provided detailed discussions from the conference, most of which centered on ways in which Sufism could be used in foreign-policy making. Some speeches included points about rebuilding Sufi shrines and creating financial funding for Sufi education centers. There was also a call to help protect historical Islamic documents that focused on religious inclusivity. By 2005, U.S. News & World Report was reporting that U.S. leaders, unable to themselves make the argument for Sufism, were looking for other ways to support the branch of Islam. According to the report, World Organization for Resource Development and Education President Hedieh Mirahmadi “has advised U.S. officials on how best to proceed: ‘The goal is to preserve things that are the ideological antithesis of radical Islam,’ she sa[id]. Among the tactics: using U.S. aid to restore Sufi shrines overseas, to preserve and translate its classic medieval manuscripts, and to push governments to encourage a Sufi renaissance in their own countries.”
The sentiment that Sufism is a more tolerant iteration of Islam still persists within the United States.
The sentiment that Sufism is a more tolerant iteration of Islam still persists within the United States. In 2010, when an Islamic cultural center was proposed in downtown Manhattan near the site of “Ground Zero,” opponents were outraged. In response to critics, then New York State Governor David Paterson attempted to justify the establishment of the center by saying that “this group who has put this mosque together, they are known as the Sufi Muslims. This is not like the Shiites. . . . They’re almost like a hybrid, almost westernized. They are not really what I would classify in the sort of mainland Muslim practice.” In other words, Paterson suggested, Sufis were acceptable, unlike Sunni or Shiites. In his attempt to legitimize Sufi Islam, Paterson ended up speaking ill of other forms of the religion.
The Foundation of Sufism
By Abdul Sultan - 2015
THE FOUNDATION OF SUFISM
And Relation of Ismailism to Sufism
Preface
I was born in Karachi near Garden Jamatkhana. I am almost 90 years old and belong to the Manchester (UK) Jamat. My interest in Ismailism was a result of my daily attendance to Jamatkhana from childhood. This was from the year 1931 to 1941 when I was 5 to 15 years old. My 70 year old grandfather took me to Jamatkhana daily; he used my left shoulder as his support for walking to and from the JK. Jamati rituals in those days took over 2 ½ hours. Three weekdays were reserved for Wa’ez for over 1 ½ hours each day. There were three local Hon. Wa’ezeen, who mostly participated by a weekly turn, but sometimes, the Ismailia Association (Bombay) would send a travelling Al-Wa’ez. I listened to the Wa’ez with
interest because it usually consisted of long stories - religious, Quranic, or historical.1 My thirst for knowledge sprouted at that tender age. Sometimes the other children took interest in listening to my retelling of the stories. All those Wa’zeen referred to the group of Sufis, created by the Holy Prophet as “the group of forty”. I have continued to study this subject for the last 20 years.
The Group of Forty! :
Once, a delegation of foreigners with some people of Medina approached the Holy Prophet, with extreme devotion, and desirous of experiencing God. They congratulated the Prophet, first for receiving deedar in Gar-e-Hira after doing Ibadat for so many years, and after a few months, for Shab-e-Qadar - his Prophethood from God, and finally, for having been blessed with Miraj. They asked the Prophet to pray for them too because they wanted have Deedar of God. The Prophet replied that they too can have Deedar of God, but for that they will have to sacrifice a good portion of their sleep and, do practice under the “Guruship” (teaching) of Hazrat Ali. He further said, he would also try to be present during those sessions. The three other Caliphs of the Prophet apologised, because they were wholesalers and went to their business in early hours of morning. But the delegation did succeed in their aim. Exactly forty volunteers were selected for the practice. The group included some foreigners: Salman Farris from Iran, Qamber Ghulam and Bilal from Ethiopia, Suhaib from
Rome and one or two others from Egypt.
The practice went like this: In Medina, the Prophet had built a mosque in the compound of his residence. That was called: “The Prophet’s Mosque”. Outside the mosque, there was a raised platform like veranda, surrounded by benches made of stones. The 40 people sat on these benches for the practice. In Arabic, “bench” is called “Al-Suffa”. So, the
Prophet called them “Ahl-al-Suffa” meaning the people of the benches. Just after the Maghrib (Sanjah prayers), they came out and sat on those benches for an hour, listened to the Prophet and then learnt from their Guru, the Ism-e-Azam and the method of the practice. Hazrat Ali gave them training in stages, and in the early morning from 2 am to 5am, they continued to practice on those benches.
Incidentally, the Origin of Nandi.
Most of the practicing Sufis used to bring a dish of food and presented to their dearest Mowla – the Prophet. The Prophet would select only two dishes for himself and then put to auction all the remaining, one after another2. The money realized was added to the Byetul Mall (state revenue). The Ismailis continue this practice even today and call the auction as “Nandi”.
Historically, three things are clear: That Sufism was created in the days of the Prophet, and that it was created by the Prophet himself, and that its name was given by him. The above three qualities are called prides because the action of Prophet is attached to them. But how much pride there can be, when there was special revelation from God in Holy Quran
in support of the Group? God asked the Prophet to help this group because they were praying morning and evening seeking His face. Here is the actual translation of verse 28 of Chapter 18 “Al Khahf (The Cave)” that revealed in those days: “ Restrain yourself together with those who pray to their Lord morning and evening seeking His face. Do not turn your
eyes away from them in the quest for the good things in this life; nor obey any whose heart we have made heedless of Our remembrance who follows his own lust and gives loose reign to his desires.”
The training class went on to progress for two to three years when the Prophet died in the year 632 and, disregarding the commands of God, Hazrat Ali was ignored for appointment to the post of Caliph or successor. However he was appointed as fourth Caliph in the year 656, 24 years after the Prophet’s death. I do not think the class might have been
suspended or dissolved on death of the Prophet. This is proved by the fact that Sufi Saints started appearing from East and West. Above all, Baytul Khyal was always there with the Ismailis and the Imam of the time has always been its Guru. This privacy continued until the days of Imam Shamasddin Muhammad, who started hiding and then lived, disguised as
another person with different name. He called himself “Shamas Tabrez” and propagated teaching Sufism. He produced many saints who went to Iran and India (including the areas of Pakistan) and taught Sufism. Their shrines are still respected in Ajmer, Multan and Sehwan. He was Guru of the famous Sufi poet of Iran, Mowlana Rumi. In his disguised role,
he never mentioned to any one, not even to Rumi, his originality. When he was assured that all was clear, and Mongols had totally left Iran, he disappeared from Rumi, went about two hundred miles North to Baqu, the headquarters of Ismailis, and declared himself as Imam Shamasuddin Muhammad. But, after that, the Ismailis always kept Baytul Khayal private and as an upper storey of the sect.
What is Sufism?
For an Ismaili, there is no difference between a Sufi and a practicing member of Baytul Khayal. It’s origin goes back to doing Tapaksha in Ban (secluded area) in Hinduism some 3 to 4 thousand years back, then in Jainism, then in Buddhism, then in Hazrat Abraham’s prophet hood. It was promoted by Hazrat Musa – that is proved by the fact that his Ummat, the Jews, even today, meditate in Synagogue in the very early hours of morning, almost at the same time as Ismailis do!
For Hindus, Jains, and Budhists the word “Om” was used as their Shabd / Word / Isme-Azam. Ismailis get this advice from their Guru / Imam-e-Zaman. To become a perfect Sufi, you always need to have a Guru. The Pirs in Ismaili Ginan say: “Gur bina ginan adhura” meaning knowledge ( training) is incomplete without a teacher (Guru).
The difference between an ordinary Muslim and a Sufi :
Between an ordinary Muslim and a Sufi, there is no difference except the pressure on “Shariat”. A Sufi is like a student, pursuing his studies to get the best rank. For a Sufi, there are three stages over Shariat : 1. Tatiqat, 2. Haqiqat and 3. Marefat. As a Sufi progresses in his practice, he reaches at higher and higher stages. The more he is high, the more diluted is
his Shariat. Shariat is basic and primary but an important foundation for the primary students. Take the example of the alphabet. It is basic but an important foundation requirement for nursery and primary school students.
Mowlana Rumi once stopped at a mosque at noon to rest on a hot day. There was Azan for noon prayers. People first went to the pond for Wu'du (wash before Namaz). It was the month of Ramzan. The person adjoining Rumi at the pond whispered to ask if he was fasting. The Mowlana replied “No, but you must never miss”. The Mowlana, who was himself a Sufi, was not strict in Shariat but the other fellow was not a Sufi, so the Mowlana advised him to observe Shariat strictly.
Sufis are a most peaceful people. They are always busy in their spiritual progress and prefer to talk less and avoid controversies. There can be a Sunni Sufi or a Shia Sufi. Usman Marwandi / Lal Shah Baz Qalandar, in his famous song “Lal mori pat rakhio” says “Ali dam dam de andhar”. For Ali was their Guru and taught them the method by which they rose to the status of Olya or Saint. So, when they meditate with breadth, they say, Ali is within their every breath.
They say Islam has 72 sects. All of them have no objection to sufism except one: Wahabi / Salafi. The Wahabis destroy graves, tombs and shrines in Saudi Arabia, with the reasoning that their presence fuels idolatry. They say they would accept Sufism, if the Sufis did not reduce the status of Shariat. I do not think the Sufis can ever leave their three stages of Tariqat, Haqiqat and Marefat. It is at the stage of Marefat that they are blessed with the Deedar of God. But, Wahabism is intolerant of almost all sects of Islam outside of their own.
Conclusion:
In this article we found that the foundation of Sufism , in Islam, was laid by the Holy Prophet himself, its name was also given by him, that he appointed Ali as its Guru. That is the reason the saints have attachment with Mowla Ali. God revealed an Ayet in Holy Quran asking the Prophet to support this group. We also found that Sufism has three upper stages over Shariat: Tariqat, Haqiqat and Marefat.; and Sufism became the upper storey of Islam. Ismailis observe Sufism privately, ever since Ismaili’s first Imam, Hazrat Ali, as successor to the Prophet as Mowla. We also found, incidentally, the foundation of the Ismaili custom of Nandi.
1. For my other activities, and my experience in Ismailism, please refer to the Pamphlet : “My Interest in the Study of Ismailism”.
2. The origin of Nandi is my incidental research. This practice of Nandi in the days of the Prophet has been outlined in a number of articles.
Further Reading:
1. “Sufism” By: John O. Voll, Kazuo Ohtsuka. Source: The Oxford Encyclopedia of the
Islamic World. http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/art ... t236/e0759
2. The Nature and Role of Sufism in Contemporary Islam: A Case Study of the Life,
Thought and Teachings of Fethullah Gulen. Proquest, 2008.
3. The Origin of the School of Sufism" by Sayyedeh Dr. Nahid Angha, International
Association of Sufism.
4
By Abdul Sultan - 2015
THE FOUNDATION OF SUFISM
And Relation of Ismailism to Sufism
Preface
I was born in Karachi near Garden Jamatkhana. I am almost 90 years old and belong to the Manchester (UK) Jamat. My interest in Ismailism was a result of my daily attendance to Jamatkhana from childhood. This was from the year 1931 to 1941 when I was 5 to 15 years old. My 70 year old grandfather took me to Jamatkhana daily; he used my left shoulder as his support for walking to and from the JK. Jamati rituals in those days took over 2 ½ hours. Three weekdays were reserved for Wa’ez for over 1 ½ hours each day. There were three local Hon. Wa’ezeen, who mostly participated by a weekly turn, but sometimes, the Ismailia Association (Bombay) would send a travelling Al-Wa’ez. I listened to the Wa’ez with
interest because it usually consisted of long stories - religious, Quranic, or historical.1 My thirst for knowledge sprouted at that tender age. Sometimes the other children took interest in listening to my retelling of the stories. All those Wa’zeen referred to the group of Sufis, created by the Holy Prophet as “the group of forty”. I have continued to study this subject for the last 20 years.
The Group of Forty! :
Once, a delegation of foreigners with some people of Medina approached the Holy Prophet, with extreme devotion, and desirous of experiencing God. They congratulated the Prophet, first for receiving deedar in Gar-e-Hira after doing Ibadat for so many years, and after a few months, for Shab-e-Qadar - his Prophethood from God, and finally, for having been blessed with Miraj. They asked the Prophet to pray for them too because they wanted have Deedar of God. The Prophet replied that they too can have Deedar of God, but for that they will have to sacrifice a good portion of their sleep and, do practice under the “Guruship” (teaching) of Hazrat Ali. He further said, he would also try to be present during those sessions. The three other Caliphs of the Prophet apologised, because they were wholesalers and went to their business in early hours of morning. But the delegation did succeed in their aim. Exactly forty volunteers were selected for the practice. The group included some foreigners: Salman Farris from Iran, Qamber Ghulam and Bilal from Ethiopia, Suhaib from
Rome and one or two others from Egypt.
The practice went like this: In Medina, the Prophet had built a mosque in the compound of his residence. That was called: “The Prophet’s Mosque”. Outside the mosque, there was a raised platform like veranda, surrounded by benches made of stones. The 40 people sat on these benches for the practice. In Arabic, “bench” is called “Al-Suffa”. So, the
Prophet called them “Ahl-al-Suffa” meaning the people of the benches. Just after the Maghrib (Sanjah prayers), they came out and sat on those benches for an hour, listened to the Prophet and then learnt from their Guru, the Ism-e-Azam and the method of the practice. Hazrat Ali gave them training in stages, and in the early morning from 2 am to 5am, they continued to practice on those benches.
Incidentally, the Origin of Nandi.
Most of the practicing Sufis used to bring a dish of food and presented to their dearest Mowla – the Prophet. The Prophet would select only two dishes for himself and then put to auction all the remaining, one after another2. The money realized was added to the Byetul Mall (state revenue). The Ismailis continue this practice even today and call the auction as “Nandi”.
Historically, three things are clear: That Sufism was created in the days of the Prophet, and that it was created by the Prophet himself, and that its name was given by him. The above three qualities are called prides because the action of Prophet is attached to them. But how much pride there can be, when there was special revelation from God in Holy Quran
in support of the Group? God asked the Prophet to help this group because they were praying morning and evening seeking His face. Here is the actual translation of verse 28 of Chapter 18 “Al Khahf (The Cave)” that revealed in those days: “ Restrain yourself together with those who pray to their Lord morning and evening seeking His face. Do not turn your
eyes away from them in the quest for the good things in this life; nor obey any whose heart we have made heedless of Our remembrance who follows his own lust and gives loose reign to his desires.”
The training class went on to progress for two to three years when the Prophet died in the year 632 and, disregarding the commands of God, Hazrat Ali was ignored for appointment to the post of Caliph or successor. However he was appointed as fourth Caliph in the year 656, 24 years after the Prophet’s death. I do not think the class might have been
suspended or dissolved on death of the Prophet. This is proved by the fact that Sufi Saints started appearing from East and West. Above all, Baytul Khyal was always there with the Ismailis and the Imam of the time has always been its Guru. This privacy continued until the days of Imam Shamasddin Muhammad, who started hiding and then lived, disguised as
another person with different name. He called himself “Shamas Tabrez” and propagated teaching Sufism. He produced many saints who went to Iran and India (including the areas of Pakistan) and taught Sufism. Their shrines are still respected in Ajmer, Multan and Sehwan. He was Guru of the famous Sufi poet of Iran, Mowlana Rumi. In his disguised role,
he never mentioned to any one, not even to Rumi, his originality. When he was assured that all was clear, and Mongols had totally left Iran, he disappeared from Rumi, went about two hundred miles North to Baqu, the headquarters of Ismailis, and declared himself as Imam Shamasuddin Muhammad. But, after that, the Ismailis always kept Baytul Khayal private and as an upper storey of the sect.
What is Sufism?
For an Ismaili, there is no difference between a Sufi and a practicing member of Baytul Khayal. It’s origin goes back to doing Tapaksha in Ban (secluded area) in Hinduism some 3 to 4 thousand years back, then in Jainism, then in Buddhism, then in Hazrat Abraham’s prophet hood. It was promoted by Hazrat Musa – that is proved by the fact that his Ummat, the Jews, even today, meditate in Synagogue in the very early hours of morning, almost at the same time as Ismailis do!
For Hindus, Jains, and Budhists the word “Om” was used as their Shabd / Word / Isme-Azam. Ismailis get this advice from their Guru / Imam-e-Zaman. To become a perfect Sufi, you always need to have a Guru. The Pirs in Ismaili Ginan say: “Gur bina ginan adhura” meaning knowledge ( training) is incomplete without a teacher (Guru).
The difference between an ordinary Muslim and a Sufi :
Between an ordinary Muslim and a Sufi, there is no difference except the pressure on “Shariat”. A Sufi is like a student, pursuing his studies to get the best rank. For a Sufi, there are three stages over Shariat : 1. Tatiqat, 2. Haqiqat and 3. Marefat. As a Sufi progresses in his practice, he reaches at higher and higher stages. The more he is high, the more diluted is
his Shariat. Shariat is basic and primary but an important foundation for the primary students. Take the example of the alphabet. It is basic but an important foundation requirement for nursery and primary school students.
Mowlana Rumi once stopped at a mosque at noon to rest on a hot day. There was Azan for noon prayers. People first went to the pond for Wu'du (wash before Namaz). It was the month of Ramzan. The person adjoining Rumi at the pond whispered to ask if he was fasting. The Mowlana replied “No, but you must never miss”. The Mowlana, who was himself a Sufi, was not strict in Shariat but the other fellow was not a Sufi, so the Mowlana advised him to observe Shariat strictly.
Sufis are a most peaceful people. They are always busy in their spiritual progress and prefer to talk less and avoid controversies. There can be a Sunni Sufi or a Shia Sufi. Usman Marwandi / Lal Shah Baz Qalandar, in his famous song “Lal mori pat rakhio” says “Ali dam dam de andhar”. For Ali was their Guru and taught them the method by which they rose to the status of Olya or Saint. So, when they meditate with breadth, they say, Ali is within their every breath.
They say Islam has 72 sects. All of them have no objection to sufism except one: Wahabi / Salafi. The Wahabis destroy graves, tombs and shrines in Saudi Arabia, with the reasoning that their presence fuels idolatry. They say they would accept Sufism, if the Sufis did not reduce the status of Shariat. I do not think the Sufis can ever leave their three stages of Tariqat, Haqiqat and Marefat. It is at the stage of Marefat that they are blessed with the Deedar of God. But, Wahabism is intolerant of almost all sects of Islam outside of their own.
Conclusion:
In this article we found that the foundation of Sufism , in Islam, was laid by the Holy Prophet himself, its name was also given by him, that he appointed Ali as its Guru. That is the reason the saints have attachment with Mowla Ali. God revealed an Ayet in Holy Quran asking the Prophet to support this group. We also found that Sufism has three upper stages over Shariat: Tariqat, Haqiqat and Marefat.; and Sufism became the upper storey of Islam. Ismailis observe Sufism privately, ever since Ismaili’s first Imam, Hazrat Ali, as successor to the Prophet as Mowla. We also found, incidentally, the foundation of the Ismaili custom of Nandi.
1. For my other activities, and my experience in Ismailism, please refer to the Pamphlet : “My Interest in the Study of Ismailism”.
2. The origin of Nandi is my incidental research. This practice of Nandi in the days of the Prophet has been outlined in a number of articles.
Further Reading:
1. “Sufism” By: John O. Voll, Kazuo Ohtsuka. Source: The Oxford Encyclopedia of the
Islamic World. http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/art ... t236/e0759
2. The Nature and Role of Sufism in Contemporary Islam: A Case Study of the Life,
Thought and Teachings of Fethullah Gulen. Proquest, 2008.
3. The Origin of the School of Sufism" by Sayyedeh Dr. Nahid Angha, International
Association of Sufism.
4
During the Anjundan period Nizari Imams took on Sufi names
The post-Alamut period in Nizari Ismaili history comprises the first two centuries after the fall of Alamut (1090-1256) and the Anjundan revival from the mid-fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries.
After the fall of Alamut, the Imams remained in hiding for almost two centuries in order to avoid persecution and to safeguard the community; only a handful of trusted da’is had physical contact with the Imams. Imam Sham al-Din Muhammad for instance, was concealed under the nickname ‘Zarduz’ (embroiderer).*
Illuminated pages from Diwan of Hafiz, late 18th century. produced for the 44th Imam Sayyid Abu’l Hasan. (Image: The Ismailis: An Illustrated History)
The Nizari communities scattered over a wide region from Syria and Persia, Central and South Asia, developing locally and in isolation from one another. The Imams and the community disguised themselves under the mantle of Sufism that was spreading widely in Persia, appearing as a Sufi tariqa, using the master-disciple (murshid-murid) terminology of the Sufis. The esoteric traditions of both tariqas facilitated their close association.
Painting from India by Anis al-Hujjaj (1677-1680) shows departures from the port of Surat, Gujarat. (Image: The Ismailis: An Illustrated History)
Under the favourable conditions created by the adoptionof Twelver Shi’ism as the state religion in Persia by the Safawids (r. 1501–1732), the Imams conducted the da’wa activities more openly, still under the guise of Sufism.
In the fifteenth century (1425-26), Imam Islam Shah may have been the first Nizari Imam to have settled in Anjundan, a city close to the Shi’i centres of learning of Qumm and Mahallat in Persia. This initiated the Anjundan period in Nizari Ismaili history. It was during the Imamat of Imam Ali Shah, better known as Mustansir bi’llah II who succeeded to the Imamat around 1463, that the Imams became firmly established in Anjundan reviving the da’wa and literary activites.
Mausoleum of Imam Mustansir bi’llah (Shah Qalandar) at Anjundan. (Image: The Ismailis: An Illustrated History)
The Imams often added ‘Shah’ and ‘Ali’ to their names, similar to Sufi masters or took on Sufi names such as Imam Mustansir bi’llah II carried the name Shah Qalandar, the thirty-seventh Imam Khalil Allah was known as Dhu’l-Faqar Ali, Imam Nur al-Din Muhammad’s Sufi name was Abu Dharr Ali.
At an unknown date, Imam Shah Nizar (d, 1722) transferred his residence to the nearby village of Kahak, where the Imams maintained their residences for almost a century.
Due to the hazards encountered by the Ismailis who travelled from the Indian subcontinent to Persia, Imam Hasan Ali transferred his residence to Shahr-i Babak in the south-eastern province of Kirman. The Imam acquired extensive properties in the province, enabling him to administer the affairs of the community, and became actively involved in the affairs of the province.
Shrine of Ni’mat Allah Wali
The forty-fourth Imam, Abu’l-Hasan Ali, also known as Sayyid Abu’l Hasan Kahaki, was appointed to the governorship of Kirman around 1756 by Karim Khan Zand, founder of the Zand dynasty of Persia. The Imam developed close relations with the Ni’mat Allah Sufi tariqa, founded by Shah Ni’mat Allah Wali (d. 1431) who traced his Fatimid Alid genealogy to Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ja’far al-Sadiq. This tariqa played a vital role in spreading Alid loyalism and Shi’i sentiments in pre-Safawid Persia. The work of Shah Ni’mat Allah, a prolific writer and a poet, has been have been preserved by the Ismailis of Central Asia;his mausoleum lies in Mahan in Persia.
Sources:
*Farhad Daftary, Zulfikar Hirji, The Ismailis An Illustrated History, Azimuth Editions in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies
Farhad Daftary, The Ismailis: Their history and doctrines, Cambridge University Press, 1990
Compiled by Nimira Dewji
https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2015/ ... ufi-names/
The post-Alamut period in Nizari Ismaili history comprises the first two centuries after the fall of Alamut (1090-1256) and the Anjundan revival from the mid-fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries.
After the fall of Alamut, the Imams remained in hiding for almost two centuries in order to avoid persecution and to safeguard the community; only a handful of trusted da’is had physical contact with the Imams. Imam Sham al-Din Muhammad for instance, was concealed under the nickname ‘Zarduz’ (embroiderer).*
Illuminated pages from Diwan of Hafiz, late 18th century. produced for the 44th Imam Sayyid Abu’l Hasan. (Image: The Ismailis: An Illustrated History)
The Nizari communities scattered over a wide region from Syria and Persia, Central and South Asia, developing locally and in isolation from one another. The Imams and the community disguised themselves under the mantle of Sufism that was spreading widely in Persia, appearing as a Sufi tariqa, using the master-disciple (murshid-murid) terminology of the Sufis. The esoteric traditions of both tariqas facilitated their close association.
Painting from India by Anis al-Hujjaj (1677-1680) shows departures from the port of Surat, Gujarat. (Image: The Ismailis: An Illustrated History)
Under the favourable conditions created by the adoptionof Twelver Shi’ism as the state religion in Persia by the Safawids (r. 1501–1732), the Imams conducted the da’wa activities more openly, still under the guise of Sufism.
In the fifteenth century (1425-26), Imam Islam Shah may have been the first Nizari Imam to have settled in Anjundan, a city close to the Shi’i centres of learning of Qumm and Mahallat in Persia. This initiated the Anjundan period in Nizari Ismaili history. It was during the Imamat of Imam Ali Shah, better known as Mustansir bi’llah II who succeeded to the Imamat around 1463, that the Imams became firmly established in Anjundan reviving the da’wa and literary activites.
Mausoleum of Imam Mustansir bi’llah (Shah Qalandar) at Anjundan. (Image: The Ismailis: An Illustrated History)
The Imams often added ‘Shah’ and ‘Ali’ to their names, similar to Sufi masters or took on Sufi names such as Imam Mustansir bi’llah II carried the name Shah Qalandar, the thirty-seventh Imam Khalil Allah was known as Dhu’l-Faqar Ali, Imam Nur al-Din Muhammad’s Sufi name was Abu Dharr Ali.
At an unknown date, Imam Shah Nizar (d, 1722) transferred his residence to the nearby village of Kahak, where the Imams maintained their residences for almost a century.
Due to the hazards encountered by the Ismailis who travelled from the Indian subcontinent to Persia, Imam Hasan Ali transferred his residence to Shahr-i Babak in the south-eastern province of Kirman. The Imam acquired extensive properties in the province, enabling him to administer the affairs of the community, and became actively involved in the affairs of the province.
Shrine of Ni’mat Allah Wali
The forty-fourth Imam, Abu’l-Hasan Ali, also known as Sayyid Abu’l Hasan Kahaki, was appointed to the governorship of Kirman around 1756 by Karim Khan Zand, founder of the Zand dynasty of Persia. The Imam developed close relations with the Ni’mat Allah Sufi tariqa, founded by Shah Ni’mat Allah Wali (d. 1431) who traced his Fatimid Alid genealogy to Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ja’far al-Sadiq. This tariqa played a vital role in spreading Alid loyalism and Shi’i sentiments in pre-Safawid Persia. The work of Shah Ni’mat Allah, a prolific writer and a poet, has been have been preserved by the Ismailis of Central Asia;his mausoleum lies in Mahan in Persia.
Sources:
*Farhad Daftary, Zulfikar Hirji, The Ismailis An Illustrated History, Azimuth Editions in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies
Farhad Daftary, The Ismailis: Their history and doctrines, Cambridge University Press, 1990
Compiled by Nimira Dewji
https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2015/ ... ufi-names/
There is a related thread at:
Sufism - A Strengthing Force in Pluralism
http://www.ismaili.net/html/modules.php ... opic&t=414
Sufism - A Strengthing Force in Pluralism
http://www.ismaili.net/html/modules.php ... opic&t=414
In Iran, A Poet's 700-Year-Old Verses Still Set Hearts Aflame
http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2 ... rts-aflame
The power of the verses by 14th century Persian poet Hafez draws tourists to his tomb in Shiraz.
JTB Photo/UIG via Getty Images
Just ahead of Valentine's Day, we visited the tomb of a poet who wrote often of love.
The 14th century Persian poet Hafez is buried in Shiraz, the city where he lived almost 700 years ago. He remains venerated in Iran, even though he wrote of romance and other topics that are not obviously embraced in the modern-day Islamic Republic.
One of his lines: "Oh Cup-bearer, set my glass afire with the light of wine!"
We reached the tomb of Hafez — the pen name for the man born Khwaja Shamsuddīn Muhammad Hafez e-Shirazi — at the end of the day. The setting sun still shone on the mountainsides just beyond a courtyard. The poet's tomb is at the center, beneath a roof held up by pillars.
People placed their hands on the carved stone. One was a woman wearing loose black clothes, a purple knitted cap and a Wilson-brand backpack. She kept her hands there, both of them, for what seemed like several minutes.
Afterward, we asked her what she was doing.
"It's really a thing of my heart," she said. "I think you have to connect with him to understand what happened with us, between us."
Firoozeh Mohammad-Zamani said that when her hands were on the tomb, she was having a conversation with Hafez. They talk a lot.
"I have to hear what he is telling me," she said.
And what did she hear?
"Love," she said, laughing. "All the time, love!"
Firoozeh Mohammad-Zamani presses her hands on the stone tomb of Hafez. "Every time that I am coming here," she says, "something special happens to me."
Steve Inskeep/NPR
When we first approached her, she paused a moment before answering our questions. She was waiting for Hafez to tell her if it was okay to let us into the conversation.
Fortunately for us, the poet agreed.
"Every time that I am coming here, something special happens to me," she said. "This time, it's you."
Mohammad-Zamani said she's traveled to Hafez's tomb many times from her home, hundreds of miles away. She gestured toward a poem inscribed in stone nearby.
"This one is so special for me, so deep, the deepest one," she said. "It takes care of me. The poem is coming to my head, and I can understand in this way I have to do this now."
The poet is advising her what to do in her life.
Mohammad-Zamani told us she's not a typical Iranian. She is a golfer — a former member of the national golf team — and a golf instructor.
But in taking advice from the writings of Hafez, she is utterly representative of her country. Many Iranians turn for advice to the writings of this beloved poet, opening his books at random and taking wisdom from whatever line they see.
In a second courtyard toward the back of the tomb complex, we found two friends, women in their 20s, sitting on a wall. One wore gray, the other deep red. They'd draped themselves in headscarves and loose cloaks in an Iranian style that manages to be elegant even while meeting the rules for modesty.
Shaghayagheh Aghazadeh, left, and Atikeh Karimi enjoy some quiet moments at the tomb of Hafez, where they seek clues to the future through the poet's words.
Steve Inskeep/NPR
One of the women, Atikeh Karimi, had just opened a book of Hafez, pulling the covers apart just so, and reciting the top right-hand verse. The words brought tears to the other young woman's eyes.
Her friend had posed a question to Hafez. They didn't say exactly what the question was. That's part of the ritual; you ask in private. But they said it was a romantic query — not a surprising subject, given that Hafez once wrote:
"It seemed that love was an easy thing
But my feet have fallen on difficult ways."
In the gift shop at the tomb, shelves hold decorative volumes of poetry by Hafez. NPR producer Emily Ochsenschlager bought one for her fiance. And on the shelf, we noticed a detail that suggests the poet's immense role in Iranian life. You can buy a two-book set: One book is the writings of Hafez; the other is the Quran.
Iranian clerics have had to reconcile themselves to the poet's influence, despite his talk of love and alcohol.
"Lay not reproach at the drunkard's door," he wrote. "Where is the wine?"
His more conservative readers see the wine as a metaphor for imbibing the love of God. Less conservative readers find political meanings in some poems.
No ruler of this nation could ever be entirely comfortable with the verse that reads:
"The Sultan's crown, with priceless jewels set
Encircles fear of death and constant dread
It is a head-dress much desired — and yet
[Are you sure it's] worth the danger to the head?"
If you want help telling your fortune, you can find it on your way out of the tomb of Hafez.
We met a man standing at the entrance, holding a handful of cards bearing the poet's words. On the papers stood a colorful little bird named Sarah. She is trained to pick out a paper that will answer questions about your future.
Medhi Salimian uses the words of Hafez — and the help of his bird, Sarah — to tell fortunes.
Steve Inskeep/NPR
"Make a wish," the man said.
The bird pecked a paper in the box. The man eased it upward with his thumb. And suddenly the bird had the slip of paper in its beak.
I can't recall just what the paper said, nor was I really sure what it meant.
I can recall some other words from the poems of Hafez. The poet from Shiraz once wrote:
"When I am dead, open my grave and see
The cloud of smoke that rises round your feet
In my dead heart the fire still burns for thee."
http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2 ... rts-aflame
The power of the verses by 14th century Persian poet Hafez draws tourists to his tomb in Shiraz.
JTB Photo/UIG via Getty Images
Just ahead of Valentine's Day, we visited the tomb of a poet who wrote often of love.
The 14th century Persian poet Hafez is buried in Shiraz, the city where he lived almost 700 years ago. He remains venerated in Iran, even though he wrote of romance and other topics that are not obviously embraced in the modern-day Islamic Republic.
One of his lines: "Oh Cup-bearer, set my glass afire with the light of wine!"
We reached the tomb of Hafez — the pen name for the man born Khwaja Shamsuddīn Muhammad Hafez e-Shirazi — at the end of the day. The setting sun still shone on the mountainsides just beyond a courtyard. The poet's tomb is at the center, beneath a roof held up by pillars.
People placed their hands on the carved stone. One was a woman wearing loose black clothes, a purple knitted cap and a Wilson-brand backpack. She kept her hands there, both of them, for what seemed like several minutes.
Afterward, we asked her what she was doing.
"It's really a thing of my heart," she said. "I think you have to connect with him to understand what happened with us, between us."
Firoozeh Mohammad-Zamani said that when her hands were on the tomb, she was having a conversation with Hafez. They talk a lot.
"I have to hear what he is telling me," she said.
And what did she hear?
"Love," she said, laughing. "All the time, love!"
Firoozeh Mohammad-Zamani presses her hands on the stone tomb of Hafez. "Every time that I am coming here," she says, "something special happens to me."
Steve Inskeep/NPR
When we first approached her, she paused a moment before answering our questions. She was waiting for Hafez to tell her if it was okay to let us into the conversation.
Fortunately for us, the poet agreed.
"Every time that I am coming here, something special happens to me," she said. "This time, it's you."
Mohammad-Zamani said she's traveled to Hafez's tomb many times from her home, hundreds of miles away. She gestured toward a poem inscribed in stone nearby.
"This one is so special for me, so deep, the deepest one," she said. "It takes care of me. The poem is coming to my head, and I can understand in this way I have to do this now."
The poet is advising her what to do in her life.
Mohammad-Zamani told us she's not a typical Iranian. She is a golfer — a former member of the national golf team — and a golf instructor.
But in taking advice from the writings of Hafez, she is utterly representative of her country. Many Iranians turn for advice to the writings of this beloved poet, opening his books at random and taking wisdom from whatever line they see.
In a second courtyard toward the back of the tomb complex, we found two friends, women in their 20s, sitting on a wall. One wore gray, the other deep red. They'd draped themselves in headscarves and loose cloaks in an Iranian style that manages to be elegant even while meeting the rules for modesty.
Shaghayagheh Aghazadeh, left, and Atikeh Karimi enjoy some quiet moments at the tomb of Hafez, where they seek clues to the future through the poet's words.
Steve Inskeep/NPR
One of the women, Atikeh Karimi, had just opened a book of Hafez, pulling the covers apart just so, and reciting the top right-hand verse. The words brought tears to the other young woman's eyes.
Her friend had posed a question to Hafez. They didn't say exactly what the question was. That's part of the ritual; you ask in private. But they said it was a romantic query — not a surprising subject, given that Hafez once wrote:
"It seemed that love was an easy thing
But my feet have fallen on difficult ways."
In the gift shop at the tomb, shelves hold decorative volumes of poetry by Hafez. NPR producer Emily Ochsenschlager bought one for her fiance. And on the shelf, we noticed a detail that suggests the poet's immense role in Iranian life. You can buy a two-book set: One book is the writings of Hafez; the other is the Quran.
Iranian clerics have had to reconcile themselves to the poet's influence, despite his talk of love and alcohol.
"Lay not reproach at the drunkard's door," he wrote. "Where is the wine?"
His more conservative readers see the wine as a metaphor for imbibing the love of God. Less conservative readers find political meanings in some poems.
No ruler of this nation could ever be entirely comfortable with the verse that reads:
"The Sultan's crown, with priceless jewels set
Encircles fear of death and constant dread
It is a head-dress much desired — and yet
[Are you sure it's] worth the danger to the head?"
If you want help telling your fortune, you can find it on your way out of the tomb of Hafez.
We met a man standing at the entrance, holding a handful of cards bearing the poet's words. On the papers stood a colorful little bird named Sarah. She is trained to pick out a paper that will answer questions about your future.
Medhi Salimian uses the words of Hafez — and the help of his bird, Sarah — to tell fortunes.
Steve Inskeep/NPR
"Make a wish," the man said.
The bird pecked a paper in the box. The man eased it upward with his thumb. And suddenly the bird had the slip of paper in its beak.
I can't recall just what the paper said, nor was I really sure what it meant.
I can recall some other words from the poems of Hafez. The poet from Shiraz once wrote:
"When I am dead, open my grave and see
The cloud of smoke that rises round your feet
In my dead heart the fire still burns for thee."
kmaherali wrote:I think the main difference between our tradition and other sufi tariqahs is that ours is a permanent tradition and the institution of Imamat (Mursheedship) is hereditory and appointment of successive Mursheeds is by nass. This is a doctrine of our Tariqah. MHI in one of his Farmans stated:fayaz006 wrote:My question is that there are several similarities that we seem to have with sufis, what about differences? What major differences do we have with the Sufi tradition?
"This practice of individual search for spiritual enlightenment is generally speaking part of the Shia tradition, but it is not exclusively part of the Shia tradition. There are groups historically within Sunni Islam who have also practised, and practise today the individual search for spiritual enlightenment. But in the Ismaili tradition, in the Ismaili Tariqah, this has been there for a long, long, long, time."
Whereas other tariqahs are not required to perpetuate their traditions, in Ismailism it is a doctrine. Hence some tariqahs do not survive for too long. Also the Mursheed in our tariqah is pure by birth, he does not require to be purified by someone else.
Otherwise from a practical point of view, we are very similar having the same principles of personal search and the balance between the zaher and the Batin.
I would say, besides the doctrine of Imamate is the concept of Taw'heed which is different. In Sufi tradition, there exist the notion of "Wajib-ul-wujood' [Necessary existence]. This in itself makes God the Transcendent a) A necessity and b) Being/Existence. However, according to most Ismaili Da'is and Hujjat's and philosophers, such as Al-Sajistani for instance, God is beyond existence or being. God rather is the source of all existence. Therefore, Sufis felt into ta'til, similar to mu'tazilites who simply removes/denies negative attribution to God. But, Al-Sijistani suggests a more radical approach of double negation. He says human must affirm God by denial and yet deny the denial by affirmation. This doesn't make sense. But, truly Taw'heed is accurate. Because God is not [and never was] an object of reason.
There is information about the recent World Sufi Conference at:
http://www.ismaili.net/html/modules.php ... pic&t=8888
http://www.ismaili.net/html/modules.php ... pic&t=8888
PM Modi said "Allah is Rahman and Rahim" at World Islamic Sufi Conference ! Must Watch !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CPnWNnydio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CPnWNnydio
Ziyarat originally referred to visiting the tomb of the Prophet
Muslims engage in a variety of practices to express devotion to God, Prophet Muhammad, and other holy persons. These practices include sacred music, religious literature and festivals, poetry, and pilgrimages.
In addition to the pilgrimage to Mecca, visitations to the tombs (ziyarat) of great Muslim saints (awliya-i Allah) have formed an important aspect of religious life in various Islamic cultures and are a means of earning baraka (blessing or grace). The shrines are repositories of the charisma associated with the person buried within.
Literally meaning “visiting,” ziyarat originally referred to visiting the tomb of the Prophet and the cities of Mecca and Medina. The awliya are believed to have “powers of intercession and the ability to affect life-transforming changes on those whom they encounter.”1
The Prophet is venerated by Muslims as a “continuing spiritual presence,” therefore, he “hears the heartfelt darud of pilgrims to his tomb.” Darud is “a formulaic blessing of the Prophet recited in Arabic, “often in conjunction with other prayers. It is commonly believed that the Prophet actually hears the darud of the devotees at his tomb (darbar) in Medina.”1
Mausoleum of Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III in Aswan, Egypt
The ziyarat is also performed to the tombs of Sufi shaykhs and the Prophet’s family to express devotion. In the Shia interpretation, this devotion is directed toward the family of the Prophet (ahl al-bayt).
Vernon James Schubel states that for many “the presence of the saint has reaffirmed devotional allegiance, both to the Prophet and the awliya, in a way that has reinvigorated their faith. They have also reaffirmed their belief in Allah, the ultimate source of the power of the saint.”1 At the tombs, pilgrims may recite prayers, Quranic verses, or simply sit in the presence of the holy person or saint.
Shrine of Sayyida Ruqaya. Photo: Archnet
When Imam al-Mu’izz transferred the seat of the Fatimid Caliphate to Cairo, he sent for the remains of his ancestors who were buried in North Africa, and had a mausoleum built for them inside the Fatimid palace. “From then on funerary mosques became a widely distributed type of building in Egypt.”2
Funerary mosques were built for members of the Prophet’s family including Sayyida Ruqayya, the daughter of ‘Ali; Ruqayya was not Fatima’s daughter, however, but was born of another of Hazrat ‘Ali’s wives. “Ruqayya came to Cairo with her stepsister Zaynab. Along with Sayyida Nafisa, these women are traditionally considered the patron saints of the city. Ruqayya’s shrine is still used as an oratory, a place where people make vows and pray for the saint’s intercession. Miraculous interventions are still attributed to her.”3
Sources:
1 Vernon James Schubel, “Devotional Life and Practice,” The Muslim Almanac edited by Azim A. Nanji, Gale Research Inc., Detroit, 1996
2Sibylle Mazot, “The Fatimids, Architecture,” Islam, Art and Architecture, Edited by Markus Hattstein and Peter Delius, Konemann
3Mashhad al-Sayyida Ruqayya,Cairo, Egypt, Archnet
Compiled by Nimira Dewji
/ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/04/03/ziyarat-originally-referred-to-visiting-the-tomb-of-the-prophet/
Muslims engage in a variety of practices to express devotion to God, Prophet Muhammad, and other holy persons. These practices include sacred music, religious literature and festivals, poetry, and pilgrimages.
In addition to the pilgrimage to Mecca, visitations to the tombs (ziyarat) of great Muslim saints (awliya-i Allah) have formed an important aspect of religious life in various Islamic cultures and are a means of earning baraka (blessing or grace). The shrines are repositories of the charisma associated with the person buried within.
Literally meaning “visiting,” ziyarat originally referred to visiting the tomb of the Prophet and the cities of Mecca and Medina. The awliya are believed to have “powers of intercession and the ability to affect life-transforming changes on those whom they encounter.”1
The Prophet is venerated by Muslims as a “continuing spiritual presence,” therefore, he “hears the heartfelt darud of pilgrims to his tomb.” Darud is “a formulaic blessing of the Prophet recited in Arabic, “often in conjunction with other prayers. It is commonly believed that the Prophet actually hears the darud of the devotees at his tomb (darbar) in Medina.”1
Mausoleum of Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III in Aswan, Egypt
The ziyarat is also performed to the tombs of Sufi shaykhs and the Prophet’s family to express devotion. In the Shia interpretation, this devotion is directed toward the family of the Prophet (ahl al-bayt).
Vernon James Schubel states that for many “the presence of the saint has reaffirmed devotional allegiance, both to the Prophet and the awliya, in a way that has reinvigorated their faith. They have also reaffirmed their belief in Allah, the ultimate source of the power of the saint.”1 At the tombs, pilgrims may recite prayers, Quranic verses, or simply sit in the presence of the holy person or saint.
Shrine of Sayyida Ruqaya. Photo: Archnet
When Imam al-Mu’izz transferred the seat of the Fatimid Caliphate to Cairo, he sent for the remains of his ancestors who were buried in North Africa, and had a mausoleum built for them inside the Fatimid palace. “From then on funerary mosques became a widely distributed type of building in Egypt.”2
Funerary mosques were built for members of the Prophet’s family including Sayyida Ruqayya, the daughter of ‘Ali; Ruqayya was not Fatima’s daughter, however, but was born of another of Hazrat ‘Ali’s wives. “Ruqayya came to Cairo with her stepsister Zaynab. Along with Sayyida Nafisa, these women are traditionally considered the patron saints of the city. Ruqayya’s shrine is still used as an oratory, a place where people make vows and pray for the saint’s intercession. Miraculous interventions are still attributed to her.”3
Sources:
1 Vernon James Schubel, “Devotional Life and Practice,” The Muslim Almanac edited by Azim A. Nanji, Gale Research Inc., Detroit, 1996
2Sibylle Mazot, “The Fatimids, Architecture,” Islam, Art and Architecture, Edited by Markus Hattstein and Peter Delius, Konemann
3Mashhad al-Sayyida Ruqayya,Cairo, Egypt, Archnet
Compiled by Nimira Dewji
/ismailimail.wordpress.com/2016/04/03/ziyarat-originally-referred-to-visiting-the-tomb-of-the-prophet/
Amjad Sabri, a beloved Sufi musician, is gunned down in Pakistan
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wor ... -pakistan/
By firing at least three shots into a beloved musician's car in Pakistan's largest city, two gunmen ushered in one of the darker days in that country's quest for tolerance, art and peace.
The man shot dead was Amjad Sabri, 45, part of a duo with his brother, and a son of one of Pakistan's most renowned singers. The city was Karachi, which is racked by organized crime, kidnappings and assassinations. The gunmen's identities and whereabouts remain unknown.
The Sabri family sang a kind of music particular to South Asia's Sufi community. It is called qawwali. The Sabris were arguably the second-most famous qawwali singers after the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who introduced the form to the world beyond the subcontinent. There are millions of Sufis in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
Above all, qawwali is devotional music, and its songs are odes to love of God. They often conjure a relationship between the singer and God that is intensely personal, almost as if they are lovers. The Sufi tradition from which the music derives is unique to South Asia. Its practice often takes the form of mystical, musical folklore, and followers pay respects to dead Sufi saints at shrines big and small. Sufism preaches tolerance and peace, and is about as far as can be from the strict forms of Islam that have gained a foothold in Pakistan in the past generation.
And perhaps that is why Sabri was killed. Sufi shrines have been mercilessly attacked in Pakistan in recent years, as well as in Bangladesh, where similar hard-line groups have succeeded in recruiting large numbers of young people. Radical Islamists have also carried out bombings and executions targeting Pakistan's minuscule minority groups, including Christians and Ahmadi Muslims, as well as human-rights activists.
The Pakistani government has been accused of doing little to protect minorities. A draconian blasphemy law is often used to harass minorities, and Pakistan is officially an Islamic Republic. Unconfirmed reports have claimed that Sabri asked a provincial government for protection after he received death threats but didn't receive it. Some conservative politicians have called for the banning of qawwali music.
The song in the video above (apologies for the poor quality — the audio cuts out occasionally but comes right back) is called "Bhar Do Jholi," or "Fill my bag," and is one of the Sabri brothers' trademarks. Below is a translation of lyrics of a verse posted online by Hamza Shad, a student at the University of Chicago. They give a sense of the kind of earnest, folksy devotion that characterizes qawwali music.
شہِ مدینہ سنو اِلتجا خدا کے لئے
Shah-e-Madeena suno iltija Khuda ke liye
O King of Madinah, hear my plea, for God’s sake
کرم ہو مجھ پہ حبیبِ خدا، خدا کے لئے
karam ho mujh pe Habeeb-e-Khuda Khuda ke liye
Bestow your favor upon me, O Beloved of God, for God’s sake
حضور غنچۂ اُمّید اَب تو کھِل جائے
Huzoor ghuncha-e-ummeed ab to khil jaye
O Prophet, let the bud of my hopes blossom now
تمہارے در کا گدا ہوں تو بھیک مِل جائے
tumhaare dar par khada hoon to bheek mil jaye
I am a pauper at your door, here to seek alms
بھر دو جھولی میری یا محمد
bhar do jholi meri ya Muhammad
Fill my bag, O Muhammad
لوٹ کر میں نہ جاؤں گا خالی
laut kar main na jaaoon ga khaali
I will not go back empty-handed
******
A related posting:
https://www.facebook.com/samaatvnews/vi ... 184360652/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wor ... -pakistan/
By firing at least three shots into a beloved musician's car in Pakistan's largest city, two gunmen ushered in one of the darker days in that country's quest for tolerance, art and peace.
The man shot dead was Amjad Sabri, 45, part of a duo with his brother, and a son of one of Pakistan's most renowned singers. The city was Karachi, which is racked by organized crime, kidnappings and assassinations. The gunmen's identities and whereabouts remain unknown.
The Sabri family sang a kind of music particular to South Asia's Sufi community. It is called qawwali. The Sabris were arguably the second-most famous qawwali singers after the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who introduced the form to the world beyond the subcontinent. There are millions of Sufis in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
Above all, qawwali is devotional music, and its songs are odes to love of God. They often conjure a relationship between the singer and God that is intensely personal, almost as if they are lovers. The Sufi tradition from which the music derives is unique to South Asia. Its practice often takes the form of mystical, musical folklore, and followers pay respects to dead Sufi saints at shrines big and small. Sufism preaches tolerance and peace, and is about as far as can be from the strict forms of Islam that have gained a foothold in Pakistan in the past generation.
And perhaps that is why Sabri was killed. Sufi shrines have been mercilessly attacked in Pakistan in recent years, as well as in Bangladesh, where similar hard-line groups have succeeded in recruiting large numbers of young people. Radical Islamists have also carried out bombings and executions targeting Pakistan's minuscule minority groups, including Christians and Ahmadi Muslims, as well as human-rights activists.
The Pakistani government has been accused of doing little to protect minorities. A draconian blasphemy law is often used to harass minorities, and Pakistan is officially an Islamic Republic. Unconfirmed reports have claimed that Sabri asked a provincial government for protection after he received death threats but didn't receive it. Some conservative politicians have called for the banning of qawwali music.
The song in the video above (apologies for the poor quality — the audio cuts out occasionally but comes right back) is called "Bhar Do Jholi," or "Fill my bag," and is one of the Sabri brothers' trademarks. Below is a translation of lyrics of a verse posted online by Hamza Shad, a student at the University of Chicago. They give a sense of the kind of earnest, folksy devotion that characterizes qawwali music.
شہِ مدینہ سنو اِلتجا خدا کے لئے
Shah-e-Madeena suno iltija Khuda ke liye
O King of Madinah, hear my plea, for God’s sake
کرم ہو مجھ پہ حبیبِ خدا، خدا کے لئے
karam ho mujh pe Habeeb-e-Khuda Khuda ke liye
Bestow your favor upon me, O Beloved of God, for God’s sake
حضور غنچۂ اُمّید اَب تو کھِل جائے
Huzoor ghuncha-e-ummeed ab to khil jaye
O Prophet, let the bud of my hopes blossom now
تمہارے در کا گدا ہوں تو بھیک مِل جائے
tumhaare dar par khada hoon to bheek mil jaye
I am a pauper at your door, here to seek alms
بھر دو جھولی میری یا محمد
bhar do jholi meri ya Muhammad
Fill my bag, O Muhammad
لوٹ کر میں نہ جاؤں گا خالی
laut kar main na jaaoon ga khaali
I will not go back empty-handed
******
A related posting:
https://www.facebook.com/samaatvnews/vi ... 184360652/
Qawwali and the Art of Devotional Singing
Hussein Rashid, Hofstra University
Qawwali is a musical form associated with the sama’, spiritual concert, of the Chishti Sufi Order. In its religious context it functions as a way to bring members of the order into a trance-like state that makes them more aware of their relationship with God. The art is usually credited to Amir Khusraw (1244-1325), called the “Nightingale of India” for his contribution to South Asian music and literature. As a devotee of the the great Chishti master Nizam ad-Din Awliya, his copious output is attributed to his intense spiritual love for his master.
Structurally, qawwali is intimately linked to Khusraw, who not only birthed the style, but also created the elements to make it possible. It is usually performed with a lead singer and chorus, playing in a call-and-response style. These singers are supported by musicians playing percussion instruments, the dholak or tabla, and a sitar, a long-necked stringed instrument. Both the creation of the tabla and the sitar are connected to Khusraw. In addition to the formal instrumentation, hand-clapping serves to emphasize the rhythmic structure and engage the audience. In the modern period, the harmonium is used instead of the sitar. Technically, only men can perform qawwali songs, with female performers singing sufiana kalam, Sufi words. The most notable difference between the two is that a female tends to sing solo, although her troupe maybe equally as large as a male’s troupe. Because the differences in gendered performance are so subtle, the word qawwali is generally used to describe any performance of this type.
A typical qawwali concert will last several hours, with each piece lasting an indeterminate time as the qawwals will respond to audience reception. The material is not static and is focused on bringing the listeners into communion with the Divine. In traditional settings, the concert will start with slower songs, with the tempo getting increasingly more rapid as the concert goes on, and then slowing down again. If the audience responds well to a particular section of the piece, it will be repeated until the audience grows tired of it. A story is told in which a participant in a sama’ is overtaken by the passion of the verses being recited. The performers repeat the phrase for three days waiting for the ecstatic to leave his state, at which point they tire and stop. The result is the listener dies in ecstasy, unable to return to normal consciousness. The etiquette of interaction between audience and performers is almost ritualized in this highly interactive art form. In traditional spaces, audience members acknowledge the spiritual mastery and power of the performers by offering money, seeking to receive some additional blessing.
While the music is the most recognizable part of a qawwali, the music only exists to emphasize and intensify the words. The text is what Sufis rely on to open their minds and bring them to an ecstatic state. The most common poetic form to appear in qawwali is the ghazal, composed of several couplets in the rhyme scheme aa, ba, ca, da, etc., and dealing with unrequited love. Like all poetry appearing in qawwali, ghazal has a denseness of meaning that allows it to be understood in multiple ways. The love the poem describes is understood simultaneously as an earthly love and a Divine love. For example, a couplet that speaks of a night of passion can refer to either the physical act of love-making or a night spent in sama’. A ghazal is not necessarily sung in its entirety; structurally, the ghazal’s couplets exist independently of one another, described by the great Persian ghazal writer Hafiz (1326-1389) as pearls strung together. A qawwali text may be narrative and/or didactic, but is most often a thematic association of couplets from various poetic sources that remind the listener of a relationship to God. In addition, a qawwali may also praise important religious figures.
Perhaps the most important figure the Chishti Order, as well as for many other Sufis, is Ali ibn Abi Talib (599-661). The cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad (570-632), Ali is considered to the be the spiritual heir of Muhammad’s authority, most Sufi Masters trace their spiritual lineage back to him. One of the key moments relating to the transfer of authority from Muhammad to Ali is Muhammad’s declaration at Ghadir-e Khumm of “man kunto mowlahu fa-hadha Aliyyun mowlahu,” meaning “he whose master I am, Ali is his master.” This phrase is a key part of the first qawwali that traditionally opens the sama’. This opening song is called the qaul, meaning “saying” or “utterance,” and shares the same Arabic root as qawwali. The insertion of an Arabic phrase into a South Asian art form attests to the the transnational nature of Muslims who use Arabic as a potent symbolic language. It also hints at the multi-lingual nature of the qawwali. The lyrics draw on Hindustani — the common point of Hindi and Urdu — Persian, Arabic, and numerous South Asian languages, including Panjabi, Siraiki, Sindhi, and Gujarati. Once more, this adaptability of the qawwali is due to Amir Khusraw. He is said to have integrated the Persian ghazal tradition into the South Asian literary landscape. As a result, he mixed languages in his texts and sowed the seeds of the Hindustani language. This flexibility in language and musical instrumentation embedded in qawwali allows it to travel easily and to adapt to new environments.
Although the spiritual nature of the qawwali is its most salient feature, it cannot be divorced from its political nature. The Chishti were critical of religious and political leaders; they spoke for justice and against oppression. As qawwali spreads throughout the world, to Fiji, to Nigeria, to Israel, it transforms to reflect local sensibilities and concerns. In the US and the UK, qawwali is re-imagined in a way that emphasizes the social justice aspect, focusing on the figure of Ali. It also crosses religious boundaries, so that Hindus, Jews, and Christians produce qawwali music. Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Veder have worked with qawwals; MIDIval Punditz in India is working with qawwali and electronica; DJ Cheb-i Sabbah, born Jewish and of Algerian descent, actively works with qawwali in San Francisco. The tradition is very much alive, both in its spiritual and political meanings.
For further reading:
Qureshi, Regula. Sufi Music of India and Pakistan: Sound, Context, and Meaning in Qawwali. University of Chicago Press ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995.
The Muslim World 97, no. 4 (2007). [The Qawwali Issue]
Rashid, Hussein. “Qawwali.” In Encyclopedia of Islam in the United States, edited by Jocelyne Cesari, 527-528. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2007.
http://www.muslimvoicesfestival.org/res ... -singing-0
Hussein Rashid, Hofstra University
Qawwali is a musical form associated with the sama’, spiritual concert, of the Chishti Sufi Order. In its religious context it functions as a way to bring members of the order into a trance-like state that makes them more aware of their relationship with God. The art is usually credited to Amir Khusraw (1244-1325), called the “Nightingale of India” for his contribution to South Asian music and literature. As a devotee of the the great Chishti master Nizam ad-Din Awliya, his copious output is attributed to his intense spiritual love for his master.
Structurally, qawwali is intimately linked to Khusraw, who not only birthed the style, but also created the elements to make it possible. It is usually performed with a lead singer and chorus, playing in a call-and-response style. These singers are supported by musicians playing percussion instruments, the dholak or tabla, and a sitar, a long-necked stringed instrument. Both the creation of the tabla and the sitar are connected to Khusraw. In addition to the formal instrumentation, hand-clapping serves to emphasize the rhythmic structure and engage the audience. In the modern period, the harmonium is used instead of the sitar. Technically, only men can perform qawwali songs, with female performers singing sufiana kalam, Sufi words. The most notable difference between the two is that a female tends to sing solo, although her troupe maybe equally as large as a male’s troupe. Because the differences in gendered performance are so subtle, the word qawwali is generally used to describe any performance of this type.
A typical qawwali concert will last several hours, with each piece lasting an indeterminate time as the qawwals will respond to audience reception. The material is not static and is focused on bringing the listeners into communion with the Divine. In traditional settings, the concert will start with slower songs, with the tempo getting increasingly more rapid as the concert goes on, and then slowing down again. If the audience responds well to a particular section of the piece, it will be repeated until the audience grows tired of it. A story is told in which a participant in a sama’ is overtaken by the passion of the verses being recited. The performers repeat the phrase for three days waiting for the ecstatic to leave his state, at which point they tire and stop. The result is the listener dies in ecstasy, unable to return to normal consciousness. The etiquette of interaction between audience and performers is almost ritualized in this highly interactive art form. In traditional spaces, audience members acknowledge the spiritual mastery and power of the performers by offering money, seeking to receive some additional blessing.
While the music is the most recognizable part of a qawwali, the music only exists to emphasize and intensify the words. The text is what Sufis rely on to open their minds and bring them to an ecstatic state. The most common poetic form to appear in qawwali is the ghazal, composed of several couplets in the rhyme scheme aa, ba, ca, da, etc., and dealing with unrequited love. Like all poetry appearing in qawwali, ghazal has a denseness of meaning that allows it to be understood in multiple ways. The love the poem describes is understood simultaneously as an earthly love and a Divine love. For example, a couplet that speaks of a night of passion can refer to either the physical act of love-making or a night spent in sama’. A ghazal is not necessarily sung in its entirety; structurally, the ghazal’s couplets exist independently of one another, described by the great Persian ghazal writer Hafiz (1326-1389) as pearls strung together. A qawwali text may be narrative and/or didactic, but is most often a thematic association of couplets from various poetic sources that remind the listener of a relationship to God. In addition, a qawwali may also praise important religious figures.
Perhaps the most important figure the Chishti Order, as well as for many other Sufis, is Ali ibn Abi Talib (599-661). The cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad (570-632), Ali is considered to the be the spiritual heir of Muhammad’s authority, most Sufi Masters trace their spiritual lineage back to him. One of the key moments relating to the transfer of authority from Muhammad to Ali is Muhammad’s declaration at Ghadir-e Khumm of “man kunto mowlahu fa-hadha Aliyyun mowlahu,” meaning “he whose master I am, Ali is his master.” This phrase is a key part of the first qawwali that traditionally opens the sama’. This opening song is called the qaul, meaning “saying” or “utterance,” and shares the same Arabic root as qawwali. The insertion of an Arabic phrase into a South Asian art form attests to the the transnational nature of Muslims who use Arabic as a potent symbolic language. It also hints at the multi-lingual nature of the qawwali. The lyrics draw on Hindustani — the common point of Hindi and Urdu — Persian, Arabic, and numerous South Asian languages, including Panjabi, Siraiki, Sindhi, and Gujarati. Once more, this adaptability of the qawwali is due to Amir Khusraw. He is said to have integrated the Persian ghazal tradition into the South Asian literary landscape. As a result, he mixed languages in his texts and sowed the seeds of the Hindustani language. This flexibility in language and musical instrumentation embedded in qawwali allows it to travel easily and to adapt to new environments.
Although the spiritual nature of the qawwali is its most salient feature, it cannot be divorced from its political nature. The Chishti were critical of religious and political leaders; they spoke for justice and against oppression. As qawwali spreads throughout the world, to Fiji, to Nigeria, to Israel, it transforms to reflect local sensibilities and concerns. In the US and the UK, qawwali is re-imagined in a way that emphasizes the social justice aspect, focusing on the figure of Ali. It also crosses religious boundaries, so that Hindus, Jews, and Christians produce qawwali music. Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Veder have worked with qawwals; MIDIval Punditz in India is working with qawwali and electronica; DJ Cheb-i Sabbah, born Jewish and of Algerian descent, actively works with qawwali in San Francisco. The tradition is very much alive, both in its spiritual and political meanings.
For further reading:
Qureshi, Regula. Sufi Music of India and Pakistan: Sound, Context, and Meaning in Qawwali. University of Chicago Press ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995.
The Muslim World 97, no. 4 (2007). [The Qawwali Issue]
Rashid, Hussein. “Qawwali.” In Encyclopedia of Islam in the United States, edited by Jocelyne Cesari, 527-528. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2007.
http://www.muslimvoicesfestival.org/res ... -singing-0
Below is a qawwali composed in honour of the great singers the Sabri Brothers. If the words "Medina" and "king of the holy sanctuary" are interpreted as Jamatkhana and MHI respectively, then they yield a very profound significance for JK attendance - a strength of pluralism. Contacts with other Sufi traditions reinforce the understanding of our own traditions.
Tajdar-e-Haram Lyrics song sung by Atif Aslam for Coke Studio Pakistan, A tribute to Sabri Brothers. The song is composed by Maqbool Ahmed Sabri.
Singer: Atif Aslam
Originally by: Sabri Brothers
Music: Maqbool Ahmed Sabri
Video Features: Atif Aslam
Tajdar-e-Haram Lyrics
Qismat mein meri chain se jeena likh de
Doobe naa kabhi mera safeena likh de
Jannat bhi gawaarah hai magar mere liye
Ay kaatib-e-taqdeer madeena likh de
Let a life of peace and contentment be my fate
May my ship never sink even in troubled waters
Let this be my fate
It's not that heaven would not be acceptable to me, but
O Writer of Destinies, let Medina be my fate
Tajdaar-e-haram
Tajdaar-e-haram ho nigaah-e-karam
Tajdaar-e-haram ho nigaah-e-karam
Ham ghareebon ke din bhi sanwar jaaenge
Haami-ye be-kasaan kya kahega jahaan
Haami-ye be-kasaan kya kahega jahaan
Aap ke dar se khaali agar jaaenge
Tajdaar-e-haram
Tajdaar-e-haram
O king of the holy sanctuary
O king of the holy sanctuary
Bless us with your merciful gaze o king of the holy sanctuary
Bless us with your merciful gaze o king of the holy sanctuary
Bless us with your merciful gaze
So that our days of woe may turn for the better
O patron of the poor, what would the world say
O patron of the poor, what would the world say
If we return empty-handed from your door?
O king of the holy sanctuary
O king of the holy sanctuary
Koyi apna nahin gham ke maare hain ham
Koyi apna nahin gham ke maare hain ham
Aap ke dar pe faryaad laaye hain ham
Ho nigaah-e karam warna chaukhat pe ham
Ho nigaah-e karam warna chaukhat pe ham
Aap ka naam le le ke mar jaaenge
Tajdar-e haram
Tajdar-e haram
We have no one to call our own, we are stricken with grief
We have no one to call our own, we are stricken with grief
We come and cry for justice at your door
Please spare us a merciful glance, or we will
Please spare us a merciful glance, or we will
Die at your threshold, crying your name
O king of the holy sanctuary
O king of the holy sanctuary
Kya tumse kahoon ay 'arab ke kunwar
Tum jaante ho man ki batiyaan
Dar furqat-e to ay ummi-laqab
Kaate nah kate hain ab ratiyaan
Tori preet mein sudh-budh sab bisri
Kab tak yih rahegi be-khabari
Gaahe ba-figan duzdeedah nazar
Kabhi sun bhi to lo hamari batiyaan
Aap ke dar se koyi na khaali gaya
(Aap ke dar se koyi na khaali gaya)
Aap ke dar se koyi na khaali gaya
Apne daaman ko bhar ke sawaali gaya
(O.. apne daaman ko bhar ke sawaali gaya)
Ho habeeb-e hazeen
Ho habeeb-e hazeen par bhi aaqa nazar
Warna auraaq-e hasti bikhar jaaenge
(Ho habeeb-e hazeen par bhi aaqa nazar
Warna auraaq-e hasti bikhar jaaen ge)
Tajdar e haram
Tajdar e haram
What should I tell you, O Prince of Arabia
You already know what is in my heart
In your separation, O you who bear the title of the Untaught One
Our sleepless nights are so hard to bear
In your love, I have lost all sense of consciousness
How long will I remain in this state of unconsciousness?
Cast a stolen glance towards me sometime
Turn your ear to my words sometime
No one has ever returned empty-handed from your door
No one has ever returned empty-handed from your door
No one has ever returned empty-handed from your door
Each seeker has returned with his desires fulfilled
Each seeker has returned with his desires fulfilled
For your sorrowful lover
O master, please spare a glance for your sorrowful lover
Else the pages of existence will become disarrayed
O master, please spare a glance for your sorrowful lover
Else the pages of existence will become disarrayed
O king of the holy sanctuary
O king of the holy sanctuary
Mai-kasho aao aao madeene chalein
(Madeene chalen
Madeene chalen
Madeene chalen)
Mai-kasho aao aao madeene chalein
(Madeene chalen
Madeene chalen
Madeene chalen)
Come, devoted lovers, let's go to Medina!
Let's go to Medina!
Let's go to Medina!
Let's go to Medina!
Come, devoted lovers, let's go to Medina!
Let's go to Medina!
Let's go to Medina!
Let's go to Medina!
Aao madeene chalen
Aao madeene chalen
Isi maheene chalen
Aao madeene chalen
(Aao madeene chalen
Aao madeene chalen
Isi maheene chalen
Aao madeene chalen)
Come, let's go to Medina!
Come, let's go to Medina!
Let's go this very month
Come, let's go to Medina!
Come, let's go to Medina!
Come, let's go to Medina!
Let's go this very month
Come, let's go to Medina!
Tajalliyon ki ajab hai faza madeene mein
(Tajalliyon ki ajab hai faza madeene mein)
Nigaah-e shauq ki hai intiha madeene mein
(Nigaah-e shauq ki hai intiha madeene mein)
Gham-e hayaat nah khauf-e qaza madeene mein
(Gham-e hayaat nah khauf-e qaza madeene mein)
Namaaz-e ishq karenge ada madeene mein
(Namaaz-e ishq karenge ada madeene mein)
Ba-raah-e raast hai raah-e Khuda madeene mein
The wonders of His Glory are glitteringly manifest in Medina
The wonders of His Glory are glitteringly manifest in Medina
The ardent gaze knows boundless fulfilment in Medina
The ardent gaze knows boundless fulfilment in Medina
There's neither sorrow of life nor fear of death in Medina
There's neither sorrow of life nor fear of death in Medina
We will perform the prayer of Love in Medina
We will perform the prayer of Love in Medina
Clear and direct is the path to God in Medina
Aao madeene chalen
Aao madeene chalen
Isi maheene chalen
Aao madeene chalen
Let's go to Medina!
Let's go to Medina!
Let's go this very month
Let's go to Medina!
Mai-kasho aao aao madeene chalen
(Mai-kasho aao aao madeene chalen)
Dast-e saaqi-ye kausar se peene chalen
(Dast-e saaqi-ye kausar se peene chalen)
Come, devoted lovers, let's go to Medina!
Come, devoted lovers, let's go to Medina!
Let's go and drink from the hand of the
Cupbearer of Kausar
Let's go and drink from the hand of the
Cupbearer of Kausar
Yaad rakkho agar
Yaad rakkho agar
(Yaad rakkho agar
Yaad rakkho agar)
Keep in mind that
Keep in mind that
Keep in mind that
Keep in mind that
Uṭh gayi ik nazar
Jitne khaali hain sab jaam bhar jaaenge
(Yaad rakkho agar uth gayi ik nazar)
Woh nazar jitne khaali hain sab jaam bhar jaaenge
Tajdar-e-haram
Tajdar-e-haram
If he looks up but once
All the wine-cups that are empty will become filled!
Keep in mind that if he looks up but once
A look from him!
All the wine-cups that are empty will become filled!
O king of the holy sanctuary
O king of the holy sanctuary
Khauf-e toofaan hai bijliyon ka hai ḍar
(Khauf-e toofaan hai bijliyon ka hai ḍar)
Sakht mushkil hai aaqa kidhar jaaen ham
(Sakht mushkil hai aaqa kidhar jaaen ham)
Aap hi gar na lenge hamaari khabar
Ham museebat ke maare kidhar jaaenge
(Aap hi gar na lenge hamaari khabar
Ham museebat ke maare kidhar jaaenge
Taajdar e haram
Taajdar e haram)
There is fear of the storm, and dread of lightning
There is fear of the storm, and dread of lightning
Our distress is severe, master, to whom should we turn?
Our distress is severe, master, to whom should we turn?
If you would not trouble to see how we fare
Our afflictions would surely kill us
If you would not trouble to see how we fare
Our afflictions would surely kill us
O king of the holy sanctuary
O king of the holy sanctuary
Ya Mustafa ya Mujtaba irham lana, irham lana
Dast-e hamah be-chaara ra
Daamaan tu-hi, daamaan tu-hi
Man 'aasi-yam man 'aajiz-am
Man be-kas-am haal-e mara
Pursaan to-ye pursaan to-ye
Ay mushk-bed 'ambar-fishaan
Paik-e naseem-e subh-dam
Ay chaarah-gar 'eesa-nafas
Ay moonis-e beemaar-e gham
Ay qaasid-e farkhundah pah
Tujh ko usi gul ki qasam
In nalti ya reeh as-saba
Yauman ila ard il-haram
Balligh salaami raudatan
Feeh an-nabi yul-mohtaram
O Mustafa, O Mujtaba, show us mercy
Yours is the hand all the helpless and hopeless grasp
I am a sinner, feeble and helpless
Friendless and destitute, and you
Are the only one who cares for me
O musk-willow, scattering fragrance
O sweet breeze of the early morn
O you who cures ills, O you with the breath of Jesus
O consoler of the grief-stricken
O auspicious messenger
I beg you in the name of that same fragrance
O morning breeze, if you go
To that sacred land someday
Present my greetings at the blessed grave
Where the revered Prophet rests
Taajdaar-e-haram ho nigaah-e karam
(Taajdaar-e haram ho nigaah-e karam)
Ham gharibon ke din bhi sanwar jaaen ge
Haami-ye be-kasaan kya kahega jahaan
(Haami-ye be-kasaan kya kahega jahaan)
Aap ke dar se khaali agar jaaen ge
Taajdaar-e haram
Taajdaar-e haram
Taajdaar-e haram...
O king of the holy sanctuary, bless us with your merciful gaze
O king of the holy sanctuary, bless us with your merciful gaze
So that our days of woe may turn for the better
O patron of the poor, what would the world say
O patron of the poor, what would the world say
If we return empty-handed from your door?
O king of the holy sanctuary
O king of the holy sanctuary
O king of the holy sanctuary
http://www.zenithlyrics.com/2015/08/taj ... -coke.html
Tajdar-e-Haram Lyrics song sung by Atif Aslam for Coke Studio Pakistan, A tribute to Sabri Brothers. The song is composed by Maqbool Ahmed Sabri.
Singer: Atif Aslam
Originally by: Sabri Brothers
Music: Maqbool Ahmed Sabri
Video Features: Atif Aslam
Tajdar-e-Haram Lyrics
Qismat mein meri chain se jeena likh de
Doobe naa kabhi mera safeena likh de
Jannat bhi gawaarah hai magar mere liye
Ay kaatib-e-taqdeer madeena likh de
Let a life of peace and contentment be my fate
May my ship never sink even in troubled waters
Let this be my fate
It's not that heaven would not be acceptable to me, but
O Writer of Destinies, let Medina be my fate
Tajdaar-e-haram
Tajdaar-e-haram ho nigaah-e-karam
Tajdaar-e-haram ho nigaah-e-karam
Ham ghareebon ke din bhi sanwar jaaenge
Haami-ye be-kasaan kya kahega jahaan
Haami-ye be-kasaan kya kahega jahaan
Aap ke dar se khaali agar jaaenge
Tajdaar-e-haram
Tajdaar-e-haram
O king of the holy sanctuary
O king of the holy sanctuary
Bless us with your merciful gaze o king of the holy sanctuary
Bless us with your merciful gaze o king of the holy sanctuary
Bless us with your merciful gaze
So that our days of woe may turn for the better
O patron of the poor, what would the world say
O patron of the poor, what would the world say
If we return empty-handed from your door?
O king of the holy sanctuary
O king of the holy sanctuary
Koyi apna nahin gham ke maare hain ham
Koyi apna nahin gham ke maare hain ham
Aap ke dar pe faryaad laaye hain ham
Ho nigaah-e karam warna chaukhat pe ham
Ho nigaah-e karam warna chaukhat pe ham
Aap ka naam le le ke mar jaaenge
Tajdar-e haram
Tajdar-e haram
We have no one to call our own, we are stricken with grief
We have no one to call our own, we are stricken with grief
We come and cry for justice at your door
Please spare us a merciful glance, or we will
Please spare us a merciful glance, or we will
Die at your threshold, crying your name
O king of the holy sanctuary
O king of the holy sanctuary
Kya tumse kahoon ay 'arab ke kunwar
Tum jaante ho man ki batiyaan
Dar furqat-e to ay ummi-laqab
Kaate nah kate hain ab ratiyaan
Tori preet mein sudh-budh sab bisri
Kab tak yih rahegi be-khabari
Gaahe ba-figan duzdeedah nazar
Kabhi sun bhi to lo hamari batiyaan
Aap ke dar se koyi na khaali gaya
(Aap ke dar se koyi na khaali gaya)
Aap ke dar se koyi na khaali gaya
Apne daaman ko bhar ke sawaali gaya
(O.. apne daaman ko bhar ke sawaali gaya)
Ho habeeb-e hazeen
Ho habeeb-e hazeen par bhi aaqa nazar
Warna auraaq-e hasti bikhar jaaenge
(Ho habeeb-e hazeen par bhi aaqa nazar
Warna auraaq-e hasti bikhar jaaen ge)
Tajdar e haram
Tajdar e haram
What should I tell you, O Prince of Arabia
You already know what is in my heart
In your separation, O you who bear the title of the Untaught One
Our sleepless nights are so hard to bear
In your love, I have lost all sense of consciousness
How long will I remain in this state of unconsciousness?
Cast a stolen glance towards me sometime
Turn your ear to my words sometime
No one has ever returned empty-handed from your door
No one has ever returned empty-handed from your door
No one has ever returned empty-handed from your door
Each seeker has returned with his desires fulfilled
Each seeker has returned with his desires fulfilled
For your sorrowful lover
O master, please spare a glance for your sorrowful lover
Else the pages of existence will become disarrayed
O master, please spare a glance for your sorrowful lover
Else the pages of existence will become disarrayed
O king of the holy sanctuary
O king of the holy sanctuary
Mai-kasho aao aao madeene chalein
(Madeene chalen
Madeene chalen
Madeene chalen)
Mai-kasho aao aao madeene chalein
(Madeene chalen
Madeene chalen
Madeene chalen)
Come, devoted lovers, let's go to Medina!
Let's go to Medina!
Let's go to Medina!
Let's go to Medina!
Come, devoted lovers, let's go to Medina!
Let's go to Medina!
Let's go to Medina!
Let's go to Medina!
Aao madeene chalen
Aao madeene chalen
Isi maheene chalen
Aao madeene chalen
(Aao madeene chalen
Aao madeene chalen
Isi maheene chalen
Aao madeene chalen)
Come, let's go to Medina!
Come, let's go to Medina!
Let's go this very month
Come, let's go to Medina!
Come, let's go to Medina!
Come, let's go to Medina!
Let's go this very month
Come, let's go to Medina!
Tajalliyon ki ajab hai faza madeene mein
(Tajalliyon ki ajab hai faza madeene mein)
Nigaah-e shauq ki hai intiha madeene mein
(Nigaah-e shauq ki hai intiha madeene mein)
Gham-e hayaat nah khauf-e qaza madeene mein
(Gham-e hayaat nah khauf-e qaza madeene mein)
Namaaz-e ishq karenge ada madeene mein
(Namaaz-e ishq karenge ada madeene mein)
Ba-raah-e raast hai raah-e Khuda madeene mein
The wonders of His Glory are glitteringly manifest in Medina
The wonders of His Glory are glitteringly manifest in Medina
The ardent gaze knows boundless fulfilment in Medina
The ardent gaze knows boundless fulfilment in Medina
There's neither sorrow of life nor fear of death in Medina
There's neither sorrow of life nor fear of death in Medina
We will perform the prayer of Love in Medina
We will perform the prayer of Love in Medina
Clear and direct is the path to God in Medina
Aao madeene chalen
Aao madeene chalen
Isi maheene chalen
Aao madeene chalen
Let's go to Medina!
Let's go to Medina!
Let's go this very month
Let's go to Medina!
Mai-kasho aao aao madeene chalen
(Mai-kasho aao aao madeene chalen)
Dast-e saaqi-ye kausar se peene chalen
(Dast-e saaqi-ye kausar se peene chalen)
Come, devoted lovers, let's go to Medina!
Come, devoted lovers, let's go to Medina!
Let's go and drink from the hand of the
Cupbearer of Kausar
Let's go and drink from the hand of the
Cupbearer of Kausar
Yaad rakkho agar
Yaad rakkho agar
(Yaad rakkho agar
Yaad rakkho agar)
Keep in mind that
Keep in mind that
Keep in mind that
Keep in mind that
Uṭh gayi ik nazar
Jitne khaali hain sab jaam bhar jaaenge
(Yaad rakkho agar uth gayi ik nazar)
Woh nazar jitne khaali hain sab jaam bhar jaaenge
Tajdar-e-haram
Tajdar-e-haram
If he looks up but once
All the wine-cups that are empty will become filled!
Keep in mind that if he looks up but once
A look from him!
All the wine-cups that are empty will become filled!
O king of the holy sanctuary
O king of the holy sanctuary
Khauf-e toofaan hai bijliyon ka hai ḍar
(Khauf-e toofaan hai bijliyon ka hai ḍar)
Sakht mushkil hai aaqa kidhar jaaen ham
(Sakht mushkil hai aaqa kidhar jaaen ham)
Aap hi gar na lenge hamaari khabar
Ham museebat ke maare kidhar jaaenge
(Aap hi gar na lenge hamaari khabar
Ham museebat ke maare kidhar jaaenge
Taajdar e haram
Taajdar e haram)
There is fear of the storm, and dread of lightning
There is fear of the storm, and dread of lightning
Our distress is severe, master, to whom should we turn?
Our distress is severe, master, to whom should we turn?
If you would not trouble to see how we fare
Our afflictions would surely kill us
If you would not trouble to see how we fare
Our afflictions would surely kill us
O king of the holy sanctuary
O king of the holy sanctuary
Ya Mustafa ya Mujtaba irham lana, irham lana
Dast-e hamah be-chaara ra
Daamaan tu-hi, daamaan tu-hi
Man 'aasi-yam man 'aajiz-am
Man be-kas-am haal-e mara
Pursaan to-ye pursaan to-ye
Ay mushk-bed 'ambar-fishaan
Paik-e naseem-e subh-dam
Ay chaarah-gar 'eesa-nafas
Ay moonis-e beemaar-e gham
Ay qaasid-e farkhundah pah
Tujh ko usi gul ki qasam
In nalti ya reeh as-saba
Yauman ila ard il-haram
Balligh salaami raudatan
Feeh an-nabi yul-mohtaram
O Mustafa, O Mujtaba, show us mercy
Yours is the hand all the helpless and hopeless grasp
I am a sinner, feeble and helpless
Friendless and destitute, and you
Are the only one who cares for me
O musk-willow, scattering fragrance
O sweet breeze of the early morn
O you who cures ills, O you with the breath of Jesus
O consoler of the grief-stricken
O auspicious messenger
I beg you in the name of that same fragrance
O morning breeze, if you go
To that sacred land someday
Present my greetings at the blessed grave
Where the revered Prophet rests
Taajdaar-e-haram ho nigaah-e karam
(Taajdaar-e haram ho nigaah-e karam)
Ham gharibon ke din bhi sanwar jaaen ge
Haami-ye be-kasaan kya kahega jahaan
(Haami-ye be-kasaan kya kahega jahaan)
Aap ke dar se khaali agar jaaen ge
Taajdaar-e haram
Taajdaar-e haram
Taajdaar-e haram...
O king of the holy sanctuary, bless us with your merciful gaze
O king of the holy sanctuary, bless us with your merciful gaze
So that our days of woe may turn for the better
O patron of the poor, what would the world say
O patron of the poor, what would the world say
If we return empty-handed from your door?
O king of the holy sanctuary
O king of the holy sanctuary
O king of the holy sanctuary
http://www.zenithlyrics.com/2015/08/taj ... -coke.html
-
shivaathervedi
- Posts: 1107
- Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2016 10:39 pm
kmaherali wrote:Below is a qawwali composed in honour of the great singers the Sabri Brothers. If the words "Medina" and "king of the holy sanctuary" are interpreted as Jamatkhana and MHI respectively, then they yield a very profound significance for JK attendance - a strength of pluralism. Contacts with other Sufi traditions reinforce the understanding of our own traditions.
Tajdar-e-Haram Lyrics song sung by Atif Aslam for Coke Studio Pakistan, A tribute to Sabri Brothers. The song is composed by Maqbool Ahmed Sabri.
Singer: Atif Aslam
Originally by: Sabri Brothers
Music: Maqbool Ahmed Sabri
Video Features: Atif Aslam
Tajdar-e-Haram Lyrics
Qismat mein meri chain se jeena likh de
Doobe naa kabhi mera safeena likh de
Jannat bhi gawaarah hai magar mere liye
Ay kaatib-e-taqdeer madeena likh de
Let a life of peace and contentment be my fate
May my ship never sink even in troubled waters
Let this be my fate
It's not that heaven would not be acceptable to me, but
O Writer of Destinies, let Medina be my fate
ETC....
http://www.zenithlyrics.com/2015/08/taj ... -coke.html
Your statement is exaggerated. You compared Medina and king of Holy sanctuary with JK and Imam. The poet of this Qawwali is Hakim Mirza Madani who was a Sunni and Sabri brothers were also Sunni. I don't think that JK and Imam analogy was in their minds, they were not Ismailis. Please be honest.
According to Satpunthi Dharam Ismailis don't go for Hajj or Umarah. Their GUR GATT GUNGA IS IN JK. Please note in this Qawwali there is no mention of ahl e Bait or Ali.
Do you know what a qawwali is? Did you read my post explaining what a qawwali is? For example it states:shivaathervedi wrote: Your statement is exaggerated. You compared Medina and king of Holy sanctuary with JK and Imam. The poet of this Qawwali is Hakim Mirza Madani who was a Sunni and Sabri brothers were also Sunni. I don't think that JK and Imam analogy was in their minds, they were not Ismailis. Please be honest.
According to Satpunthi Dharam Ismailis don't go for Hajj or Umarah. Their GUR GATT GUNGA IS IN JK. Please note in this Qawwali there is no mention of ahl e Bait or Ali.
"Like all poetry appearing in qawwali, ghazal has a denseness of meaning that allows it to be understood in multiple ways. The love the poem describes is understood simultaneously as an earthly love and a Divine love. For example, a couplet that speaks of a night of passion can refer to either the physical act of love-making or a night spent in sama’."
From the above it is quite clear that a poem has multiple layers of meaning. A genuine work of art transcends sectarian differences, it is universal. It addresses the needs of anyone reading it. It is not confined to Sunnis or Shias. A Shia can interpret it according to his background .
Sabri brothers and their family are well known for their qawwalis in praise of Hazart Aly. This particular one is composed by a Sabri and hence in his mind he may have had the Shia interpretation as well.
There are qawwalis of Sabri Brothers in this forum. For example:
Amjad Sabri The Son Of Famous Sabri Brothers Recites A Qawwali DIscribing The Nikah Of Maula Ali With Saiyedatun Nisa Ul Qonaian Bibi Fatema Az Zehra.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or23pYWBIW8
Whether a person performs Hajj or not is irrelevant to understanding this qawwali.
-
shivaathervedi
- Posts: 1107
- Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2016 10:39 pm
kmaherali wrote:Do you know what a qawwali is? Did you read my post explaining what a qawwali is? For example it states:shivaathervedi wrote: Your statement is exaggerated. You compared Medina and king of Holy sanctuary with JK and Imam. The poet of this Qawwali is Hakim Mirza Madani who was a Sunni and Sabri brothers were also Sunni. I don't think that JK and Imam analogy was in their minds, they were not Ismailis. Please be honest.
According to Satpunthi Dharam Ismailis don't go for Hajj or Umarah. Their GUR GATT GUNGA IS IN JK. Please note in this Qawwali there is no mention of ahl e Bait or Ali.
"Like all poetry appearing in qawwali, ghazal has a denseness of meaning that allows it to be understood in multiple ways. The love the poem describes is understood simultaneously as an earthly love and a Divine love. For example, a couplet that speaks of a night of passion can refer to either the physical act of love-making or a night spent in sama’."
From the above it is quite clear that a poem has multiple layers of meaning. A genuine work of art transcends sectarian differences, it is universal. It addresses the needs of anyone reading it. It is not confined to Sunnis or Shias. A Shia can interpret it according to his background .
Sabri brothers and their family are well known for their qawwalis in praise of Hazart Aly. This particular one is composed by a Sabri and hence in his mind he may have had the Shia interpretation as well.
There are qawwalis of Sabri Brothers in this forum. For example:
Amjad Sabri The Son Of Famous Sabri Brothers Recites A Qawwali DIscribing The Nikah Of Maula Ali With Saiyedatun Nisa Ul Qonaian Bibi Fatema Az Zehra.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or23pYWBIW8
Whether a person performs Hajj or not is irrelevant to understanding this qawwali.
It is a strange question,"Do you know what Qawwali is?"
I have collection of Qawwalis including Sabri Brothers and other Ustads.
I know Sabri Brothers have sung Qawwalis in praise of Mowla Ali but the discussion is about that PARTICULAR QAWWALI which you posted and your poor interpretation. I don't think hardly any Ismaili can DIGEST your relating of Medina with JK and King of Sanctuary with Imam. It is like the interpretation that a cat has 4 legs and a camel has 4 legs therefore both are equal in stamina and power. In this Qawwali the phrase ' AAWO AAWO MADINEY CHALE(N) is used frequently that's why I related it with Hajj/Umrah.
You have mentioned the Qawwali regarding marriage of Mowla Ali and Bibi Fatimah by Amjad Sabri, Is that Qawwali is in accordance to marriage described by Syed Imam Shah in Momin Chetamani!!
If we can interpret the Ganges to be JK, what is wrong with interpreting Medina as JK? Aren't they both the places of pilgrimage. Don't we say in Ismaili tradition that going to JK is equivalent to Hajj?shivaathervedi wrote:I know Sabri Brothers have sung Qawwalis in praise of Mowla Ali but the discussion is about that PARTICULAR QAWWALI which you posted and your poor interpretation. I don't think hardly any Ismaili can DIGEST your relating of Medina with JK and King of Sanctuary with Imam.
If the King of the Santury according to the qawwali is considered as the Prophet. Isn't the Imam the inheritor of the Prophet?
It does not have to be in accordance with Momin Chetamni. Non-Ismailis can have their own version of the marraige.shivaathervedi wrote:.
You have mentioned the Qawwali regarding marriage of Mowla Ali and Bibi Fatimah by Amjad Sabri, Is that Qawwali is in accordance to marriage described by Syed Imam Shah in Momin Chetamani!!
-
shivaathervedi
- Posts: 1107
- Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2016 10:39 pm
kmaherali wrote:If we can interpret the Ganges to be JK, what is wrong with interpreting Medina as JK? Aren't they both the places of pilgrimage. Don't we say in Ismaili tradition that going to JK is equivalent to Hajj?shivaathervedi wrote:I know Sabri Brothers have sung Qawwalis in praise of Mowla Ali but the discussion is about that PARTICULAR QAWWALI which you posted and your poor interpretation. I don't think hardly any Ismaili can DIGEST your relating of Medina with JK and King of Sanctuary with Imam.
If the King of the Santury according to the qawwali is considered as the Prophet. Isn't the Imam the inheritor of the Prophet?It does not have to be in accordance with Momin Chetamni. Non-Ismailis can have their own version of the marraige.shivaathervedi wrote:.
You have mentioned the Qawwali regarding marriage of Mowla Ali and Bibi Fatimah by Amjad Sabri, Is that Qawwali is in accordance to marriage described by Syed Imam Shah in Momin Chetamani!!
It is wrong to say that Ismailis go to JK for prayers and it is equivalent to Hajj. Now adays some Satpunthies can consider it but not majority of Ismailis all over the world.
The Qawwali is about Prophet Muhammad, you can relate it to Brahma what can I say. This is your personal interpretation and does not represent all Ismailis.
In poetry there are few versions of Mowla Ali's marriage account, being an Ismaili which one you follow Momin Chetamani or Sabri's version.
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shivaathervedi
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kmaherali wrote:During the Anjundan period Nizari Imams took on Sufi names
The post-Alamut period in Nizari Ismaili history comprises the first two centuries after the fall of Alamut (1090-1256) and the Anjundan revival from the mid-fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries.
After the fall of Alamut, the Imams remained in hiding for almost two centuries in order to avoid persecution and to safeguard the community; only a handful of trusted da’is had physical contact with the Imams. Imam Sham al-Din Muhammad for instance, was concealed under the nickname ‘Zarduz’ (embroiderer).*
Illuminated pages from Diwan of Hafiz, late 18th century. produced for the 44th Imam Sayyid Abu’l Hasan. (Image: The Ismailis: An Illustrated History)
The Nizari communities scattered over a wide region from Syria and Persia, Central and South Asia, developing locally and in isolation from one another. The Imams and the community disguised themselves under the mantle of Sufism that was spreading widely in Persia, appearing as a Sufi tariqa, using the master-disciple (murshid-murid) terminology of the Sufis. The esoteric traditions of both tariqas facilitated their close association.
Painting from India by Anis al-Hujjaj (1677-1680) shows departures from the port of Surat, Gujarat. (Image: The Ismailis: An Illustrated History)
Under the favourable conditions created by the adoptionof Twelver Shi’ism as the state religion in Persia by the Safawids (r. 1501–1732), the Imams conducted the da’wa activities more openly, still under the guise of Sufism.
In the fifteenth century (1425-26), Imam Islam Shah may have been the first Nizari Imam to have settled in Anjundan, a city close to the Shi’i centres of learning of Qumm and Mahallat in Persia. This initiated the Anjundan period in Nizari Ismaili history. It was during the Imamat of Imam Ali Shah, better known as Mustansir bi’llah II who succeeded to the Imamat around 1463, that the Imams became firmly established in Anjundan reviving the da’wa and literary activites.
Mausoleum of Imam Mustansir bi’llah (Shah Qalandar) at Anjundan. (Image: The Ismailis: An Illustrated History)
The Imams often added ‘Shah’ and ‘Ali’ to their names, similar to Sufi masters or took on Sufi names such as Imam Mustansir bi’llah II carried the name Shah Qalandar, the thirty-seventh Imam Khalil Allah was known as Dhu’l-Faqar Ali, Imam Nur al-Din Muhammad’s Sufi name was Abu Dharr Ali.
At an unknown date, Imam Shah Nizar (d, 1722) transferred his residence to the nearby village of Kahak, where the Imams maintained their residences for almost a century.
Due to the hazards encountered by the Ismailis who travelled from the Indian subcontinent to Persia, Imam Hasan Ali transferred his residence to Shahr-i Babak in the south-eastern province of Kirman. The Imam acquired extensive properties in the province, enabling him to administer the affairs of the community, and became actively involved in the affairs of the province.
Shrine of Ni’mat Allah Wali
The forty-fourth Imam, Abu’l-Hasan Ali, also known as Sayyid Abu’l Hasan Kahaki, was appointed to the governorship of Kirman around 1756 by Karim Khan Zand, founder of the Zand dynasty of Persia. The Imam developed close relations with the Ni’mat Allah Sufi tariqa, founded by Shah Ni’mat Allah Wali (d. 1431) who traced his Fatimid Alid genealogy to Muhammad b. Isma’il b. Ja’far al-Sadiq. This tariqa played a vital role in spreading Alid loyalism and Shi’i sentiments in pre-Safawid Persia. The work of Shah Ni’mat Allah, a prolific writer and a poet, has been have been preserved by the Ismailis of Central Asia;his mausoleum lies in Mahan in Persia.
Sources:
*Farhad Daftary, Zulfikar Hirji, The Ismailis An Illustrated History, Azimuth Editions in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies
Farhad Daftary, The Ismailis: Their history and doctrines, Cambridge University Press, 1990
Compiled by Nimira Dewji
https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2015/ ... ufi-names/
In the above post it is mentioned that 44th Imam Abul Hasan Ali developed a relationship with Ni'amatullahi Sufi Tariqa. Some time back I was curious about this connection, that is Ismail Tariqa and Ni'amatullahi Sufi Tariqa. I tried some Ismaili scholars to shed some light on this union but could not got proper answers. Almost one year before the death of Previous Grand Master of the Ni'amtulli Sufi order Dr. Jawad Nurbakhsi residing in London I wrote a letter and asked few questions about this Ismaili and Ni'amatullahi connection. I was not replied may be he could not got my letter.
My question still remain the same, What was the connection in between 2 Tariqas. Were they same? Why our Imam approached to Shah Ni'amatullah.
Did Ismailis of that time adopted Ni'amatullahi Tariqa for a while for Taqiya reason. Is this relationship continued or is broken and since when?
Thanks for pointing that out! Actually I did not mention Hajj, it was shivaathervedi and I was simply responding to him. Neverthess even if you consider Medina as the Prophets mosque, it is still regarded as a place of pilgrimage for those who visit it reverently. Therefore it does not effect the argument.zznoor wrote:Be Kmaherali
ASAK
Just to let you know you do not go to Madena to perform hajj. Hajj is done in Mecca. You go to medina to visit Profets Mosque and do Ziyarat of his grave.
Hajj is complete even if you do not visit Madena.
What do you mean by ASAK?
Aren't both Hajj and JK places of purification and prayers? Most ratiional murids would consider them to be equivalent. We are after all a batini tradition.shivaathervedi wrote: It is wrong to say that Ismailis go to JK for prayers and it is equivalent to Hajj. .
Of course as Ismailis we would give more importance to Momin Chetamni.shivaathervedi wrote: In poetry there are few versions of Mowla Ali's marriage account, being an Ismaili which one you follow Momin Chetamani or Sabri's version.
Generally we share the same Sufi principles as per MHI's message below to the Amaan Conference:shivaathervedi wrote:My question still remain the same, What was the connection in between 2 Tariqas. Were they same? Why our Imam approached to Shah Ni'amatullah.
Did Ismailis of that time adopted Ni'amatullahi Tariqa for a while for Taqiya reason. Is this relationship continued or is broken and since when?
"Our historic adherence is to the Jafari Madhhab and other Madhahib of close affinity, and it continues, under the leadership of the hereditary Ismaili Imam of the time. This adherence is in harmony also with our acceptance of Sufi principles of personal search and balance between the zahir and the spirit or the intellect which the zahir signifies."
So we will colloborate with other communities whenever it is possible and it is indeed helpful to do so as per Farman below.
"It is equally important in your relations with all the communities amongst whom you live. Build these relations, build this collaboration, and you will find, I believe, that these collaborations will accelerate the progress that you are making." (Gupis, Northern Areas, Pakistan, October 1, 1996)
It is also true that in history our Jamat did adopt other Sufi traditions for taqiyyah reasons, but I don't believe they continued after the need was over to do so.
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shivaathervedi
- Posts: 1107
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kmaherali wrote:Generally we share the same Sufi principles as per MHI's message below to the Amaan Conference:shivaathervedi wrote:My question still remain the same, What was the connection in between 2 Tariqas. Were they same? Why our Imam approached to Shah Ni'amatullah.
Did Ismailis of that time adopted Ni'amatullahi Tariqa for a while for Taqiya reason. Is this relationship continued or is broken and since when?
"Our historic adherence is to the Jafari Madhhab and other Madhahib of close affinity, and it continues, under the leadership of the hereditary Ismaili Imam of the time. This adherence is in harmony also with our acceptance of Sufi principles of personal search and balance between the zahir and the spirit or the intellect which the zahir signifies."
So we will colloborate with other communities whenever it is possible and it is indeed helpful to do so as per Farman below.
"It is equally important in your relations with all the communities amongst whom you live. Build these relations, build this collaboration, and you will find, I believe, that these collaborations will accelerate the progress that you are making." (Gupis, Northern Areas, Pakistan, October 1, 1996)
It is also true that in history our Jamat did adopt other Sufi traditions for taqiyyah reasons, but I don't believe they continued after the need was over to do so.
In Amman conference per message of MHI ," Our historic adherence is to Ja'fari Madhab", means from the time of Imam Ja'far Sadiq Ismailis followed it. Do Ismailis follow Ja'fari Madhab now adays, I don't think so. At least Satpunthi Ismailis are different.
Did MSMS ever made a farman of such kind that Ismailis follow Ja'fari Madhab?
In Fatimid period and before Ja'fari Madhab was followed. The proof is writings of Dai Idris, Qadi Noaman, his son Muhammad, Al Moe'd and other Dais.