use of agarbatti in jk
-
Akbar_Gillani
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2003 8:05 pm
use of agarbatti in jk
who can tell us about the use and significance of agarbatti (incense stick) in our faith and if there is any refernce of this in our ginans?[/b]
I am positive that at least one Ginan would refer to Agarbhati. I remember it being said to please the Angels in JK, but don't quote me on this.
In my opinion, Agarbhati serves as an important symbol for us to follow. The incense stick represent our bodies, or the material world. The burning tip is our soul, the glowing Noor of Allah. The resulting smoke represents our spiritual liberation from this world, via the glowing Noor.
Agarbhati now serves a different purpose tho. It serves as a symbol of "Fire Hazard" and it's removal from JK entrances reminds us how the council treats us like sheep.
In my opinion, Agarbhati serves as an important symbol for us to follow. The incense stick represent our bodies, or the material world. The burning tip is our soul, the glowing Noor of Allah. The resulting smoke represents our spiritual liberation from this world, via the glowing Noor.
Agarbhati now serves a different purpose tho. It serves as a symbol of "Fire Hazard" and it's removal from JK entrances reminds us how the council treats us like sheep.
Re: use of agarbatti in jk
I have heard a lot of BULL from TARIQA Board and others here alike. And I have advocated against the use of incense in JK even before (in past when it caused a fire in JK). But it took some looking into of the symbolic importance from history that it is REVELENT to the AHL AL KITAB family (or if you like in Biblical sense) that can be the only acceptable to a Muslim, to an Ismaili-Muslim:Akbar_Gillani wrote:who can tell us about the use and significance of agarbatti (incense stick) in our faith...?[/b]
It goes back to Noah (NUH) when his ark reached the land, Noah assembled an alter and lit the sticks (incense) and only after the smoke reached high ("to havens") Noah received his message from God, acknowledging the scent from the incense.
The second time the incense was symbolic was when the three wise men were headed to see the new born King, they had made a detour through Cairo to get the incense so that they would have it when they get to Jesus. Some scholars would tell you that the three men were looking for the sent that is the same sent (or comes close to) of God. I am not sure how you'd spell it but I had asked for this power/rocks that is used as the incense and I was told that it is "lob-baan".
This is my personal explanation.
It symbolizes the 'Presence' or awakening of conciousness from the mundane worldly to heavenly through the upward/vertical direction of the movement of the fragrance. Hence it makes one feel holy and a sense of elevation though momentary. Also a pleasant aroma gives a sense of ascending to the heavens and its spread symbolizes all pervasiveness of grace which is essential for the elevation of the soul.
It symbolizes the 'Presence' or awakening of conciousness from the mundane worldly to heavenly through the upward/vertical direction of the movement of the fragrance. Hence it makes one feel holy and a sense of elevation though momentary. Also a pleasant aroma gives a sense of ascending to the heavens and its spread symbolizes all pervasiveness of grace which is essential for the elevation of the soul.
-
Akbar_Gillani
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2003 8:05 pm
May be I need to rephrase my question:
What is the significance of using incense with gatpaat utensils and wrapping talika mubarak in some cloth and moving the plate over the incense prior to opening the talika and reading it to jamat.
Does it have any meaning or is it all 'dhatting'? formality just being followed beacuse it was done in the past.
Any support from Ginanic treasures for such actions?
What is the significance of using incense with gatpaat utensils and wrapping talika mubarak in some cloth and moving the plate over the incense prior to opening the talika and reading it to jamat.
Does it have any meaning or is it all 'dhatting'? formality just being followed beacuse it was done in the past.
Any support from Ginanic treasures for such actions?
I do not believe that any part of tradition is 'Dhatting' as you say.
ejee agar cha(n)dan nee kottddee
sufal racheeyaa kamaadd
taaraa deedhaa chhe prem naa
saa(n)heeyaa kholann aav hure................................2
My small dwelling is filled with the pleasant smelling aloe wood
and sandlewood. The good deeds have made the door.
Love has locked them. O my Master come to open them.
ejee jeev jaare jugat paame
paraann pope ram raheaa
agar cha(n)dan parem raseaa, hete ha(n)s sarovar jhileaa.....6
When the soul finds the Way, life blooms like a flower. Mingled with adoration, it becomes fragrant as aloe or sandal. With love the swam swims on the lake.
The above verses from the Ginans “Unchare kot bahu vechana” and “Navroz na din sohamana” respectively, convey a sense of heavenliness associated with pleasant smelling sandalwood or aloe wood. They tell us that when our inner lives become holy or elevated and are ready to receive the Lord, there is a pleasant aroma around and one feels that he/she is in a portable paradise.
Hence passing talika and Ghat Paat utensils/abesifa over loban or aarbatti symbolizes the heavenly and pleasant nature of the message and the ceremony respectively.
ejee agar cha(n)dan nee kottddee
sufal racheeyaa kamaadd
taaraa deedhaa chhe prem naa
saa(n)heeyaa kholann aav hure................................2
My small dwelling is filled with the pleasant smelling aloe wood
and sandlewood. The good deeds have made the door.
Love has locked them. O my Master come to open them.
ejee jeev jaare jugat paame
paraann pope ram raheaa
agar cha(n)dan parem raseaa, hete ha(n)s sarovar jhileaa.....6
When the soul finds the Way, life blooms like a flower. Mingled with adoration, it becomes fragrant as aloe or sandal. With love the swam swims on the lake.
The above verses from the Ginans “Unchare kot bahu vechana” and “Navroz na din sohamana” respectively, convey a sense of heavenliness associated with pleasant smelling sandalwood or aloe wood. They tell us that when our inner lives become holy or elevated and are ready to receive the Lord, there is a pleasant aroma around and one feels that he/she is in a portable paradise.
Hence passing talika and Ghat Paat utensils/abesifa over loban or aarbatti symbolizes the heavenly and pleasant nature of the message and the ceremony respectively.
-
Irfan_Kadiwal
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Tue Mar 07, 2006 9:16 pm
I Agree
al05 wrote:YAM
I HEARD WAEZ OF ABUALI.. HE SAID THAT USE OF LOBAAN [ ALOE ] IN JK IS APPROPRIATE AS IT INVITES GOOD SPIRITS TO JK...ALSO USING IT IN GHATPATH CEREMONIES IS BCAUSE ALOE HAS ANTISEPTIC PROPERTIES THUS IT CLEANS THE UTENSILS AND ALSO SPIRITS AND ANGELS ARE NEARBY.
OF ALL THE POSTS BEING MADE TO THE QUESTION "USE OF AGARBATTI" EVEN I HAVE THE SAME VIEWS AS Mr . al05....even i have heared the same thing in the WAEZ of Mr.ABU ALI
-
hussainkhan55
- Posts: 46
- Joined: Fri May 05, 2006 1:35 am
LOBBAN
I totolly agree with the last couple of responses.
Apart from inviting good spirits it also drives away evil spirits which cannot stand aggarbatis aroma. it is also known as lobban.
Traditions also dates back to HAzrat Musa A.S who instructed HAzrat HArun A.S to incense synangogue with LOBBAN.
REFERENCE ALWAEZ ABU ALY
Apart from inviting good spirits it also drives away evil spirits which cannot stand aggarbatis aroma. it is also known as lobban.
Traditions also dates back to HAzrat Musa A.S who instructed HAzrat HArun A.S to incense synangogue with LOBBAN.
REFERENCE ALWAEZ ABU ALY
Re: LOBBAN
Ok What were his sources? I know he is an old man but I am sure he was not around back then. All I am saying is that Imam can be only be a reference or The Holy Books (only the ones mentioned in The Quran).hussainkhan55 wrote: REFERENCE ALWAEZ ABU ALY
Amazing Fragrances
By: Dr. Qazi Shaikh Abbas Borhany
N.D.I., PhD, (USA), Shahadat al Aalamiyah (Najaf, Iraq), Attorney at Law, Member Ulama Council of Pakistan
Published in Daily News on 01-04-2006, Pakistan & in The Yemen Times on 05-05-2006
Fragrance is the fuel of the soul, which stimulate energy in the body. Therefore, various strengths and powers in the body are nurtured in the presence of fragrance. A Hadith extended the value of fragrance as follow: "From your world, women (wives) and perfume are beloved to me and the comfort of my eye is the Salaat”. No doubt, it is one of the wonders, which invite the attention of the person to think in its process and creation. This would lead him towards Tawhid. A paramount intellectual of Central Asia, Syedi Abu Moinuddin Nasir Khusrow presented the same thoughts, in Farsi beautifully, which lead towards the faculty of Tawhid. He argued with non believers and established:
· Tura Bar Jahani Juzin Ein Ajaeb; Ke Pedast Einja, Dalilast O Burhan
“These wonders, which are visible; are enough reasons for you to understand the world hereafter”.
· Zabehre Tu Musk O Kafur O Anbar; Siya Khak Dar Zere Zangari Ewan
“Only for you (O Insaan) dome of sky has decorated with stars; (He) has converted black dust in to Musk, Camphor and Ambergris”.
Rasulullah (S) used to frequently used Teyb/Attar and did not like foul odors. This Sunnat guide us to clean our environments and remove the cause of non pleasant foul odors. In short, perfume, was one of the dearest item which Rasulullah (S) used. It also has a good effect on preserving good health and removing many ailments because it arouses the power of the body.
Musk: Quraan has also discussed about the Musk. Along with Rose it was one of the Attar most preferred by Rasulullah (S). A large quantity of Musk was available in the Khazanah of Imam Husain, even in Karbala. He presented Musk to Ahl al Bait and Ashaab on the night of Aashurah, along with glad-tidings. Magnificent and eminent Queen of Yemen, Syedah Arwa Suleyhi was an expert Attar creator. She introduced some rare fragrances, which became renowned soon among the monarchs of Arabia. She created a rare variety of Attar of Musk, with the blend of rose and Oud. Abu Said AI Khudri narrated a Hadith, quoted by “Muslim”: “The best type of perfume is Musk”. It is the King of all perfumes, it has the best aroma. Rasulullah(S) liked Musk very much and used it on Jumuah with large quantity that turned his white beard in a Saffron tune. Jumuah is the best day to wear Musk. Ruby of Badakhshan, Syedi Abu Moinuddin Nasir says:
Firoone Laeen Bey Khard Ra; Bar Musa Dawre Khawish Maguziyn
“Don’t give priority to an illiterate and cursed Firoon of the time over the Musa of your era”.
Muski Tibbati Ba Pushke Ma’farush; Mustan Badale Shakr Tabarzin
“Don’t sale Musk of Tibet in exchange of the beat and nor take axe in exchange of botany”.
Other types of perfumes are usually compared to Musk, but Musk is never compared to them. Also, the hills and sands of Jannat are made of Musk. Musk's impact on Muslim culture is particularly significant. Historical accounts provided us use of Musk in large quantity, in the construction of Rawzat al Nabi(S), to perfume the Mashad. Similarly it was used in the construction material of the Mashahid of Ahl al Bait in large quantity. The Musk is produced by the male animal. High in the Himalayas, Moschus moschiferus deer is found. Its weigh less than 25 pounds, unlike other deer, it is not armed with antlers; it is the most subtle, retiring and innocuous of creature. The word "Musk" can be traced along the same caravan routes as the substance to which it refers. From the Sanskrit "Mushkas" (originally meaning testicle), to Farsi "Musk," to Latin "Muscus," the mysterious scent has been traded westward for millennia. Only the mature male Moschus produces Musk. The substance occurs only in abdomen, just in front of its penis, is a hairy pouch known as the Musk gland. This sac is about the size of a golf ball. It is composed of several layers of skin, with two openings immediately above the animal's urethra. Musk is normally available in Tibet, Nepal and remote parts of Africa. Musk has several medicinal values, a few are as follows:
Heart palpitations, Re-balancing of the internal environment.
It is commonly mixed into medicines and candies, and is sometimes even eaten outright, one "grain" at a time.
It also brings strength and comfort to the external organs when anointed with it.
It is beneficial for old people and those who have excessive skin moistures, especially during winter,
It also helps against fainting, Dizziness, shaking and the general weakness in the body as it excites the instinctive heat.
Musk clears the white part in the eye and dries excess moisture in it, and also dissipates swelling in various organs.
It also works as an antidote for some poisons, and helps against snake bite. It has wide range of benefits.
It is a hot, dry substance and it brings comfort and joy to the hearts and strengthens the inner organs when drunk or smelled.
(“Risalat al Nadirah Fil Attur al Fakhirah”, Syedi Abdulqadir bin Qazi Habibullah, Hiraaz, Yemen, manuscript).
Anbar /Ambergris:
Anbar/Ambergris is an excretion from the Whale. It is found floating on the oceans or collected from the shores of many countries around the world. Ambergris is formed in the intestines of the whale. Anbar is a pathological secretion of the widespread sperm whale. The animal releases the Ambergris spontaneously. Freshly expelled, Ambergris generally has a dark blackish color, a soft consistency and a nauseating odor. The sea water and atmosphere, gives amber a lighter tinge; silver-grey to golden yellow, until, finally it becomes almost white. Its smell becomes refined, sweet, very pleasant and characteristic. This animal was an enormous source of raw material before the advent of the chemical industry at the beginning of the 20th Century (oil, meat, fat, bones etc...). Ambergris has been prized for centuries for its peculiar qualities. It has been used in the perfume industry as a fixative for fine perfumes, for medicinal purposes and as an aphrodisiac. Ambergris has also been used to enhance the flavors of food and for herbal and homeopathic remedies.
As the masculine counterpart to the Rose, Anbar is known as the prince of scents. It is made to grind in the oil of Sandalwood (up in the bottle). It is produce in the low at right, the tail of the small whale. Anbar is found on the beaches, and looks like little attractive crude and dirty blocks. It is one of the best types of perfume after Musk. Some people mistakenly preferred Anbar to Musk. However, Hadith described Musk: "It is the best Teyb (perfume)". In addition, the seats in Jannat that belong to the truthful believers are made of Musk not Anbar. There are several types of Anbar: white, grey, red, yellow, green, blue, black and multicolored. Amir Tamim, a poet of high repute, discussed Anbar in one of his couplets, in which he described unique features of the Majlis of the Fatemi Emperor, Imam al Qaim. He says:
Iza Aatalal Anbare Ghanat Lahu; Raiyhat al Kafure wal Naddi
“When fragrance of the Anbar rise (in the Fatemi Court); then Camphor and Aloes-wood sing for it”
The superior grade of Anbar is grey, then blue and then yellow in color, while the black Anbar is of inferior grade. Floated Anbar is collected:
In the South hemisphere
New Caledonia, Australia, New Zealand
Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Maldives
Pacific Islands
In Morocco it is a tradition to use Ambergris with tea and it is amazing to observe how a very small quantity of Ambergris stick inside the teapot cover flavors the tea by mere contact. It is a good fixative for floral scents and one drop on a piece of paper can last for days. The famous Muslim traveler, Ibn Battutah, narrates in his Travelogue that in the Central Asian region, people used it at large; perhaps they were aware of its merits. A few medicinal uses of the Anbar are following:
It has a moving force to divert the nerves towards relaxation.
Men eat Ambergris to stimulate their sexual power and women to cure infertility.
Anbar is hot and dry and strengthens the heart, the mind and the senses.
It also strengthens the body and helps relieve facial paralysis, one side paralysis, phlegm ailments, stomach and flatulence.
Anbar also helps to open various clogs if it is used as an ointment or as a drink.
When it is inhaled, Anbar relieves cold symptoms, headaches and migraines.
(“Risalat al Nadirah Fil Attur al Fakhirah”, Syedi Abdulqadir bin Qazi Habibullah, Hiraaz, Yemen).
Oud/Agar/Aloes wood: The Indian Oud comes in two forms. One type is used for medicinal purposes, which is called AI Kust and some people called it AI Qust. The second type of Oud is called Aluwwah, Aloes wood, which is used as perfume. Hadith Literature provides us that Rasulullah (S) used to burn dry Aloes-wood along with some camphor. Rasulullah (S) has described the bounties that the people of Jannat will be enjoying, such as having the Aloe wood. Rasulullah (S) used it on occasions. The Oud is hot and dry in the third degree and helpful to remove the clogs. There is a medicinal significance when the Oud is mixed with Kafur (camphor), as each of them makes the other milder. Also, burning the Oud helps purify the air, which is one of the six necessary elements for the body’s well-being. A famous poet of Arabi literature has described the values of Oud as follow:
· "O fragrance of Jannat! Oud; in Masajid & Mashahid; you are frequently used”
Several poets discussed the Oud in their poems, in different languages. Syedi Abu Moinuddin Nasir Khusrow, Dai of the Badakhshan from the Fatemi emperor, Imam Mustansir, presented resemblance of Oud with a high brow meaning, in one of his Manqabat. He discussed great contribution of Ali ibn Abi Talib towards spreading the ilm and says:
· Maruf Shud Bahi ilm Tu Deen Zira; Deen Oud Bud O Khatire Tu Mabkhar
“Due to your ilm (indication towards the famous non-controversial Hadith, “Baab Madinat al ilm”), Islam got the prestige, example of Deen is similar to the Oud (Aloes wood); and resemblance of your chest is a like of Mabkhar” (incense- burner).
Oud/Agar/Aloes wood comes from trees that largely grow in Southeast Asia that have either died or been damaged. The very best Oud comes from trees that have been down for decades and sometimes even centuries! Oud is used in religious oriented ceremonies almost by all religions. Tradition on Oud is that it is always being treated as a gift, even when purchased, because of its originality and rareness. It is coveted and traded between Greek, Chinese and Ayer-Vedic healers and exotic oil traders. The standard quality of the Oud price started with 200 US $ per 10 grams. Oud of Assam is superior amongst other origins. The tree is a large evergreen, 18-21 meters tall and 1.5-1.8 meters in girth, which grows in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand. Syedi Mufaddal bin Abil Barakaat, cousin of celebrated Suleyhi Queen Syedah Arwa of Yemen, has mentioned curative medicinal values of Oud in his celebrated work: “Risalah Fee Khawasil Attar”. Some are following:
Smoke of Oud dries unnecessary moisture, while strengthening the intestines and brings relief and comfort to the heart.
Fragrance of Oud also helps the mind, sharpens the senses, helps relieve the enuresis, bed wetting that result from coldness of the prostate.
As tonic and a calmative
Against rheumatism
Body pains
Heart palpitations
Tuberculosis
Breathing problem
Stimulates the energy & boasts the spirit,
Asthma, Cure of cold, Cough
(“Risalat al Nadirah Fil Attur al Fakhirah”, Syedi Abdulqadir bin Qazi Habibullah, Hiraaz, Yemen).
The Writer is Attorney at Law & Religious Scholar
By: Dr. Qazi Shaikh Abbas Borhany
N.D.I., PhD, (USA), Shahadat al Aalamiyah (Najaf, Iraq), Attorney at Law, Member Ulama Council of Pakistan
Published in Daily News on 01-04-2006, Pakistan & in The Yemen Times on 05-05-2006
Fragrance is the fuel of the soul, which stimulate energy in the body. Therefore, various strengths and powers in the body are nurtured in the presence of fragrance. A Hadith extended the value of fragrance as follow: "From your world, women (wives) and perfume are beloved to me and the comfort of my eye is the Salaat”. No doubt, it is one of the wonders, which invite the attention of the person to think in its process and creation. This would lead him towards Tawhid. A paramount intellectual of Central Asia, Syedi Abu Moinuddin Nasir Khusrow presented the same thoughts, in Farsi beautifully, which lead towards the faculty of Tawhid. He argued with non believers and established:
· Tura Bar Jahani Juzin Ein Ajaeb; Ke Pedast Einja, Dalilast O Burhan
“These wonders, which are visible; are enough reasons for you to understand the world hereafter”.
· Zabehre Tu Musk O Kafur O Anbar; Siya Khak Dar Zere Zangari Ewan
“Only for you (O Insaan) dome of sky has decorated with stars; (He) has converted black dust in to Musk, Camphor and Ambergris”.
Rasulullah (S) used to frequently used Teyb/Attar and did not like foul odors. This Sunnat guide us to clean our environments and remove the cause of non pleasant foul odors. In short, perfume, was one of the dearest item which Rasulullah (S) used. It also has a good effect on preserving good health and removing many ailments because it arouses the power of the body.
Musk: Quraan has also discussed about the Musk. Along with Rose it was one of the Attar most preferred by Rasulullah (S). A large quantity of Musk was available in the Khazanah of Imam Husain, even in Karbala. He presented Musk to Ahl al Bait and Ashaab on the night of Aashurah, along with glad-tidings. Magnificent and eminent Queen of Yemen, Syedah Arwa Suleyhi was an expert Attar creator. She introduced some rare fragrances, which became renowned soon among the monarchs of Arabia. She created a rare variety of Attar of Musk, with the blend of rose and Oud. Abu Said AI Khudri narrated a Hadith, quoted by “Muslim”: “The best type of perfume is Musk”. It is the King of all perfumes, it has the best aroma. Rasulullah(S) liked Musk very much and used it on Jumuah with large quantity that turned his white beard in a Saffron tune. Jumuah is the best day to wear Musk. Ruby of Badakhshan, Syedi Abu Moinuddin Nasir says:
Firoone Laeen Bey Khard Ra; Bar Musa Dawre Khawish Maguziyn
“Don’t give priority to an illiterate and cursed Firoon of the time over the Musa of your era”.
Muski Tibbati Ba Pushke Ma’farush; Mustan Badale Shakr Tabarzin
“Don’t sale Musk of Tibet in exchange of the beat and nor take axe in exchange of botany”.
Other types of perfumes are usually compared to Musk, but Musk is never compared to them. Also, the hills and sands of Jannat are made of Musk. Musk's impact on Muslim culture is particularly significant. Historical accounts provided us use of Musk in large quantity, in the construction of Rawzat al Nabi(S), to perfume the Mashad. Similarly it was used in the construction material of the Mashahid of Ahl al Bait in large quantity. The Musk is produced by the male animal. High in the Himalayas, Moschus moschiferus deer is found. Its weigh less than 25 pounds, unlike other deer, it is not armed with antlers; it is the most subtle, retiring and innocuous of creature. The word "Musk" can be traced along the same caravan routes as the substance to which it refers. From the Sanskrit "Mushkas" (originally meaning testicle), to Farsi "Musk," to Latin "Muscus," the mysterious scent has been traded westward for millennia. Only the mature male Moschus produces Musk. The substance occurs only in abdomen, just in front of its penis, is a hairy pouch known as the Musk gland. This sac is about the size of a golf ball. It is composed of several layers of skin, with two openings immediately above the animal's urethra. Musk is normally available in Tibet, Nepal and remote parts of Africa. Musk has several medicinal values, a few are as follows:
Heart palpitations, Re-balancing of the internal environment.
It is commonly mixed into medicines and candies, and is sometimes even eaten outright, one "grain" at a time.
It also brings strength and comfort to the external organs when anointed with it.
It is beneficial for old people and those who have excessive skin moistures, especially during winter,
It also helps against fainting, Dizziness, shaking and the general weakness in the body as it excites the instinctive heat.
Musk clears the white part in the eye and dries excess moisture in it, and also dissipates swelling in various organs.
It also works as an antidote for some poisons, and helps against snake bite. It has wide range of benefits.
It is a hot, dry substance and it brings comfort and joy to the hearts and strengthens the inner organs when drunk or smelled.
(“Risalat al Nadirah Fil Attur al Fakhirah”, Syedi Abdulqadir bin Qazi Habibullah, Hiraaz, Yemen, manuscript).
Anbar /Ambergris:
Anbar/Ambergris is an excretion from the Whale. It is found floating on the oceans or collected from the shores of many countries around the world. Ambergris is formed in the intestines of the whale. Anbar is a pathological secretion of the widespread sperm whale. The animal releases the Ambergris spontaneously. Freshly expelled, Ambergris generally has a dark blackish color, a soft consistency and a nauseating odor. The sea water and atmosphere, gives amber a lighter tinge; silver-grey to golden yellow, until, finally it becomes almost white. Its smell becomes refined, sweet, very pleasant and characteristic. This animal was an enormous source of raw material before the advent of the chemical industry at the beginning of the 20th Century (oil, meat, fat, bones etc...). Ambergris has been prized for centuries for its peculiar qualities. It has been used in the perfume industry as a fixative for fine perfumes, for medicinal purposes and as an aphrodisiac. Ambergris has also been used to enhance the flavors of food and for herbal and homeopathic remedies.
As the masculine counterpart to the Rose, Anbar is known as the prince of scents. It is made to grind in the oil of Sandalwood (up in the bottle). It is produce in the low at right, the tail of the small whale. Anbar is found on the beaches, and looks like little attractive crude and dirty blocks. It is one of the best types of perfume after Musk. Some people mistakenly preferred Anbar to Musk. However, Hadith described Musk: "It is the best Teyb (perfume)". In addition, the seats in Jannat that belong to the truthful believers are made of Musk not Anbar. There are several types of Anbar: white, grey, red, yellow, green, blue, black and multicolored. Amir Tamim, a poet of high repute, discussed Anbar in one of his couplets, in which he described unique features of the Majlis of the Fatemi Emperor, Imam al Qaim. He says:
Iza Aatalal Anbare Ghanat Lahu; Raiyhat al Kafure wal Naddi
“When fragrance of the Anbar rise (in the Fatemi Court); then Camphor and Aloes-wood sing for it”
The superior grade of Anbar is grey, then blue and then yellow in color, while the black Anbar is of inferior grade. Floated Anbar is collected:
In the South hemisphere
New Caledonia, Australia, New Zealand
Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Maldives
Pacific Islands
In Morocco it is a tradition to use Ambergris with tea and it is amazing to observe how a very small quantity of Ambergris stick inside the teapot cover flavors the tea by mere contact. It is a good fixative for floral scents and one drop on a piece of paper can last for days. The famous Muslim traveler, Ibn Battutah, narrates in his Travelogue that in the Central Asian region, people used it at large; perhaps they were aware of its merits. A few medicinal uses of the Anbar are following:
It has a moving force to divert the nerves towards relaxation.
Men eat Ambergris to stimulate their sexual power and women to cure infertility.
Anbar is hot and dry and strengthens the heart, the mind and the senses.
It also strengthens the body and helps relieve facial paralysis, one side paralysis, phlegm ailments, stomach and flatulence.
Anbar also helps to open various clogs if it is used as an ointment or as a drink.
When it is inhaled, Anbar relieves cold symptoms, headaches and migraines.
(“Risalat al Nadirah Fil Attur al Fakhirah”, Syedi Abdulqadir bin Qazi Habibullah, Hiraaz, Yemen).
Oud/Agar/Aloes wood: The Indian Oud comes in two forms. One type is used for medicinal purposes, which is called AI Kust and some people called it AI Qust. The second type of Oud is called Aluwwah, Aloes wood, which is used as perfume. Hadith Literature provides us that Rasulullah (S) used to burn dry Aloes-wood along with some camphor. Rasulullah (S) has described the bounties that the people of Jannat will be enjoying, such as having the Aloe wood. Rasulullah (S) used it on occasions. The Oud is hot and dry in the third degree and helpful to remove the clogs. There is a medicinal significance when the Oud is mixed with Kafur (camphor), as each of them makes the other milder. Also, burning the Oud helps purify the air, which is one of the six necessary elements for the body’s well-being. A famous poet of Arabi literature has described the values of Oud as follow:
· "O fragrance of Jannat! Oud; in Masajid & Mashahid; you are frequently used”
Several poets discussed the Oud in their poems, in different languages. Syedi Abu Moinuddin Nasir Khusrow, Dai of the Badakhshan from the Fatemi emperor, Imam Mustansir, presented resemblance of Oud with a high brow meaning, in one of his Manqabat. He discussed great contribution of Ali ibn Abi Talib towards spreading the ilm and says:
· Maruf Shud Bahi ilm Tu Deen Zira; Deen Oud Bud O Khatire Tu Mabkhar
“Due to your ilm (indication towards the famous non-controversial Hadith, “Baab Madinat al ilm”), Islam got the prestige, example of Deen is similar to the Oud (Aloes wood); and resemblance of your chest is a like of Mabkhar” (incense- burner).
Oud/Agar/Aloes wood comes from trees that largely grow in Southeast Asia that have either died or been damaged. The very best Oud comes from trees that have been down for decades and sometimes even centuries! Oud is used in religious oriented ceremonies almost by all religions. Tradition on Oud is that it is always being treated as a gift, even when purchased, because of its originality and rareness. It is coveted and traded between Greek, Chinese and Ayer-Vedic healers and exotic oil traders. The standard quality of the Oud price started with 200 US $ per 10 grams. Oud of Assam is superior amongst other origins. The tree is a large evergreen, 18-21 meters tall and 1.5-1.8 meters in girth, which grows in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand. Syedi Mufaddal bin Abil Barakaat, cousin of celebrated Suleyhi Queen Syedah Arwa of Yemen, has mentioned curative medicinal values of Oud in his celebrated work: “Risalah Fee Khawasil Attar”. Some are following:
Smoke of Oud dries unnecessary moisture, while strengthening the intestines and brings relief and comfort to the heart.
Fragrance of Oud also helps the mind, sharpens the senses, helps relieve the enuresis, bed wetting that result from coldness of the prostate.
As tonic and a calmative
Against rheumatism
Body pains
Heart palpitations
Tuberculosis
Breathing problem
Stimulates the energy & boasts the spirit,
Asthma, Cure of cold, Cough
(“Risalat al Nadirah Fil Attur al Fakhirah”, Syedi Abdulqadir bin Qazi Habibullah, Hiraaz, Yemen).
The Writer is Attorney at Law & Religious Scholar
-
star_munir
- Posts: 1670
- Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2003 12:55 am
- Contact:
Mowla Ali Madad Munirstar_munir wrote:Ya Ali Madad Karim,
Do you have reference of this?
I got it from another listserv as under.
From: Noor Gillani
To: ismaili soul
Sent: Tuesday, July 04, 2006 1:38 PM
Subject: [ Ismaili Soul ] [Fwd: Fwd: Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah has said.....]
Subject: Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah has said.....
1. ... the burning of incense is a reminder to suppress our negative
behaviour. The sweet aroma from agarbati is symbolic of the purity
of thought which will result.
The person did not have the reference. This was among several quotes of MSMS and therefore there can be no doubt about it's authenticity. Regardless, there is no doubt about the truth of the statement, whoever might have said it. It is a fundamental concept of Sufism. It is also echoed in the following verse of Anant Akhado (AshajI).
Aashaajee Chandan thaavo to chetee-ne chaalo
ghaso dehee aap-nnee jee
ghas-te ghas-te sorabh laage
utam kamaai thaay.......................Haree anant..450
Oh Lord Be like sandlewood and conduct yourselves vigilantly
rub your bodies (let your bodies go through pain if need
be for the sake of virtue)
By continuously rubbing(the sandlewood) a pleasant
smell will occur(you will radiate goodness through
virtue)
and it will be the most exalted rewarding action
Haree You are eternal...
-
star_munir
- Posts: 1670
- Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2003 12:55 am
- Contact:
Thanks ....
In Earlier times while passing Ghatpat utensils over loban prayers were recited.
Dhoop loban khovay agar chandan ni vaasna,
Te vaasna Shah Pir sarvey devtaa ne chadey,
Te Vaasna Sargay Sancharay,
Te vaasna Pir Paigmabar bhogvey,
Te Vaasna ghatpaat na ttham pavitar karay,
Haq Sacha Hai Zanda Qayam Paya Farman Pir Shah
(Ghat Pat ni dua, Ismailia Association for Africa 1948)
In Earlier times while passing Ghatpat utensils over loban prayers were recited.
Dhoop loban khovay agar chandan ni vaasna,
Te vaasna Shah Pir sarvey devtaa ne chadey,
Te Vaasna Sargay Sancharay,
Te vaasna Pir Paigmabar bhogvey,
Te Vaasna ghatpaat na ttham pavitar karay,
Haq Sacha Hai Zanda Qayam Paya Farman Pir Shah
(Ghat Pat ni dua, Ismailia Association for Africa 1948)
-
star_munir
- Posts: 1670
- Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2003 12:55 am
- Contact:
Following is another such prayer
Evi vaasna sohaye Nabi Rasool Allah ne,
Evi Vaasna sohaye Dev Devtaa ne,
Evi vaasna sohaye Panjtan Paak ne,
Evi vaasna sohaye senter so ho so husseini ne,
Evi vaasna sohaye gat ruhani ne, Farman Pir Shah
(Aarti dua wakhat tre ji, khoja sindhi chapakhana Bombay, 1903)
Evi vaasna sohaye Nabi Rasool Allah ne,
Evi Vaasna sohaye Dev Devtaa ne,
Evi vaasna sohaye Panjtan Paak ne,
Evi vaasna sohaye senter so ho so husseini ne,
Evi vaasna sohaye gat ruhani ne, Farman Pir Shah
(Aarti dua wakhat tre ji, khoja sindhi chapakhana Bombay, 1903)
-
star_munir
- Posts: 1670
- Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2003 12:55 am
- Contact:
Which would translate as:star_munir wrote:Following is another such prayer
Evi vaasna sohaye Nabi Rasool Allah ne,
Evi Vaasna sohaye Dev Devtaa ne,
Evi vaasna sohaye Panjtan Paak ne,
Evi vaasna sohaye senter so ho so husseini ne,
Evi vaasna sohaye gat ruhani ne, Farman Pir Shah
(Aarti dua wakhat tre ji, khoja sindhi chapakhana Bombay, 1903)
Such fragrance is pleasing to the Messenger of God
Such fragrance is pleasing to the Divine Spirits
Such fragrance is pleasing to the Five Holy Ones
Such fragrance is pleasing to seventy one hundred Huseinis
Such fragrance is pleasing to the Gat and the Ruhani, through the Farman of Pir Shah.
-
haroon_adel
- Posts: 125
- Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2008 8:55 am
- Location: USA
But what I am surprised is as why the Taliqa Mubarak, which comes directly from our beloved Hazir Imam is turned over the smoke of agarbati (sorry for misspelling)? The Taliqa in itself is pure and has it's value. I don't think there's any need to purifiy it by turning it around the good aroma, wouldn't you agree?star_munir wrote:Ya Ali Madad Karim,kmaherali wrote:Mowlana Sultan Mohammed Shah has said.....
The burning of incense is a reminder to suppress our negative behaviour. The sweet aroma from agarbati is symbolic of the purity of thought which will result.
Do you have reference of this?
I agree with all the symbolic interpretation of lifting up the spirit, not as much as for 'inviting good sould' and forcing out 'bad spirit' and etc...But, yet, holy Taliqa shouldn't get it's purification from the aroma.
This is an interesting question. My personal interpretation is that the message contained in the Taliqa is heavenly and aroma is symbollic of heavenly states and salvation that could be attained by closely listening to the message. By passing pleasant aroma over Taliqa, we are heightening the awareness of its heavenly benefits....haroon_adel wrote:But what I am surprised is as why the Taliqa Mubarak, which comes directly from our beloved Hazir Imam is turned over the smoke of agarbati (sorry for misspelling)? The Taliqa in itself is pure and has it's value. I don't think there's any need to purifiy it by turning it around the good aroma, wouldn't you agree?
The Consolations of Incense
Long ago, it was used to measure the passing of time. Now, after a year marked for many by the loss of smell, or at least a sense of stagnation, it’s precious once more.
Incense burners, clockwise from far left: a Japanese Meiji-era bronze hen and rooster, from Naga Antiques, $8,500; a Japanese Showa-era gilded bronze rabbit (sold as a pair), from Right Proper, $3,650; a 20th-century Chinese figural brass and copper foo dog (sold as a pair), from Owl’s Roost Antiques, $1,800; and a Korean Joseon-dynasty ritual incense burner, from Tishu, $7,600; all available on 1stdibs.com.Credit...Photograph by Anthony Cotsifas. Styled by Leilin Lopez-Toledo
IN ANCIENT CHINA, time was measured in spirals of smoke, from incense burning through the night. So time had a scent, of warm, sweet sandalwood, cooling camphor, cypress with its evergreen kiss — and under it all, a char on the air, a memory of something set on fire. A clock could be as simple as a fistful of joss sticks, although more complex versions were engineered over the centuries: trails of fragrant powder smoldering in circular mazes, following a twisting path from noon to noon; incense sticks placed under strings tied with tiny weights that fell and clanged against a metal plate at intervals as the strings burned through.
Scent is a paradox, sensual yet intangible, a physical presence without a physical form. It can be intimate and half-hidden, a discreet daub at the wrists, a faint pulse when a stranger walks by. But in the beginning, it was fire — the word “perfume” can be traced back to the Latin per fumare, “through smoke” — and a summons to the gods. Five millenniums ago, the Mesopotamians lit incense at altars as a temple offering, coaxing fragrance out of the sap and shavings of cedar, juniper and cypress. In the golden age of Greece, in the fifth and fourth centuries B.C., such “sacrificial aromas” were considered kin, in their disembodiment, “to the divinities they were intended to attract,” writes the British classicist Ashley Clements in his 2014 essay “Divine Scents and Presence.” Early Christians spurned incense as pagan excess, but in the fourth century A.D., when the once persecuted believers earned legal recognition and could profess their faith openly, scented smoke started to infiltrate churches, musky clouds of frankincense stirred up by the swinging of a censer down the aisles, like a pendulum.
An Incense for Every Occasion
These sticks, cones, coils and papers can help you clear your head, define a space and even rediscover a sense of time.
Sept. 10, 2021
None of this was metaphor. Incense was a practical tool, weapon and medicine at once, wielded to banish foul smells and with them disease and evil spirits, from pre-Columbian Mesoamerica to medieval Europe to the Himalayas. According to a Sanskrit text that may have been written as early as the first century B.C., the dharma, or the nature of reality, could be taught without sound or language, through perfume, whose nebulousness required supernal focus — the kind necessary to comprehend the universe. In 15th-century Japan, this idea of fragrance as a cerebral trigger was formalized in the ceremony of koh-do as “listening to incense” (mon-koh), in which rare wood was laid on a burner over charcoal and practitioners bowed their heads to take in the scent, trying to call it by name.
THERE ARE FEWER scents in our lives now, and fewer opportunities to learn them. As the American philosophy scholar Larry Shiner writes in “Art Scents: Exploring the Aesthetics of Smell and the Olfactory Arts” (2020), advances in science in the 1860s and 1870s revealed that odors were neither the cause nor cure of sickness. After that, we began to resist powerful scents, as if resisting our more primitive, animal selves. In increasingly crowded cities, we demanded sanitized spaces, offices that banned perfume, free of any troubling aroma that might betray our proximity to others, how closely we’re all packed in. We chose to live in a cleaner, emptier world.
There are fewer scents in our lives now, and fewer opportunities to learn them.
The incense of today bears little resemblance to the New Age accessories of the 1970s or the perpetual fog of patchouli in college dorms. Now there’s an emphasis on natural ingredients and Old World craftsmanship sustained over time — as well as proper compensation for it, via fair-trade producers, as with the dark, rugged sticks of Breu resin from the Amazon rainforest, imported by the Brooklyn-based Incausa from the owner’s home country of Brazil, and twisty ropes of incense rolled by hand in Nepal, sold by Catherine Rising in Rochester, N.Y. The delicate incense sticks of the Parisian house Astier de Villatte are made on the Japanese island of Awaji, in the way that artisans there have made them for generations, from resins, woods and herbs crushed into paste, kneaded and left to rest until the scent ripens, then cut and dried in the western winds that sweep off the ocean.
Modern incarnations, less bound to history, are explicitly posed as design objects. The incense cones of Blackbird in Seattle are monoliths in miniature — eerily symmetrical and uniformly black, whatever their fragrance (among the selections is the vaguely hung-over scent of whiskey and cigarettes after a bleary night). Cinnamon Projects in New York packs its skinny sticks in black-corked vials and boxes stamped with gold foil; you’re meant to prop them up in lustrous concave burners or lean blocks of brass designed with nowhere to catch the ash. The online description is crisp: “The ash falls where it may.”
The scents tend to be more subtle than their historical counterparts, as with the Virginia-based Na Nin’s lucid yet barely there sea air and dune grasses, or intimations of carnal oud and sunny bergamot from Tennen in Phoenix, fragrances in watercolor. But the most minimalist gesture, from Santa Maria Novella in Florence, Italy, borrows from an old Armenian custom: pieces of paper no bigger than a strip of chewing gum. Take one and fold it accordion-style so it can stand on end, then strike a match and hold it to a corner. As soon as the flame catches, blow it out.
What is left is a smoldering, the smoke peeling off and vanishing as the paper blackens and crumbles, giving off the scent of frankincense and myrrh, ancient libraries and the heaviness of honey, and chased by a slur of orange-red, the last bit of glowing. It spends itself so quickly; it’s not meant to survive more than five minutes. You can watch it to the bitter end and think, “That was time. I, too, will crumble.”
Photograph by Anthony Cotsifas. Styled by Leilin Lopez-Toledo. Retouching: Anonymous Retouch. Digital tech: Maiko Ando. Photo assistant: Karl Leitz
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/10/t-ma ... pe=Article
Incense burners, clockwise from far left: a Japanese Meiji-era bronze hen and rooster, from Naga Antiques, $8,500; a Japanese Showa-era gilded bronze rabbit (sold as a pair), from Right Proper, $3,650; a 20th-century Chinese figural brass and copper foo dog (sold as a pair), from Owl’s Roost Antiques, $1,800; and a Korean Joseon-dynasty ritual incense burner, from Tishu, $7,600; all available on 1stdibs.com.Credit...Photograph by Anthony Cotsifas. Styled by Leilin Lopez-Toledo
IN ANCIENT CHINA, time was measured in spirals of smoke, from incense burning through the night. So time had a scent, of warm, sweet sandalwood, cooling camphor, cypress with its evergreen kiss — and under it all, a char on the air, a memory of something set on fire. A clock could be as simple as a fistful of joss sticks, although more complex versions were engineered over the centuries: trails of fragrant powder smoldering in circular mazes, following a twisting path from noon to noon; incense sticks placed under strings tied with tiny weights that fell and clanged against a metal plate at intervals as the strings burned through.
Scent is a paradox, sensual yet intangible, a physical presence without a physical form. It can be intimate and half-hidden, a discreet daub at the wrists, a faint pulse when a stranger walks by. But in the beginning, it was fire — the word “perfume” can be traced back to the Latin per fumare, “through smoke” — and a summons to the gods. Five millenniums ago, the Mesopotamians lit incense at altars as a temple offering, coaxing fragrance out of the sap and shavings of cedar, juniper and cypress. In the golden age of Greece, in the fifth and fourth centuries B.C., such “sacrificial aromas” were considered kin, in their disembodiment, “to the divinities they were intended to attract,” writes the British classicist Ashley Clements in his 2014 essay “Divine Scents and Presence.” Early Christians spurned incense as pagan excess, but in the fourth century A.D., when the once persecuted believers earned legal recognition and could profess their faith openly, scented smoke started to infiltrate churches, musky clouds of frankincense stirred up by the swinging of a censer down the aisles, like a pendulum.
An Incense for Every Occasion
These sticks, cones, coils and papers can help you clear your head, define a space and even rediscover a sense of time.
Sept. 10, 2021
None of this was metaphor. Incense was a practical tool, weapon and medicine at once, wielded to banish foul smells and with them disease and evil spirits, from pre-Columbian Mesoamerica to medieval Europe to the Himalayas. According to a Sanskrit text that may have been written as early as the first century B.C., the dharma, or the nature of reality, could be taught without sound or language, through perfume, whose nebulousness required supernal focus — the kind necessary to comprehend the universe. In 15th-century Japan, this idea of fragrance as a cerebral trigger was formalized in the ceremony of koh-do as “listening to incense” (mon-koh), in which rare wood was laid on a burner over charcoal and practitioners bowed their heads to take in the scent, trying to call it by name.
THERE ARE FEWER scents in our lives now, and fewer opportunities to learn them. As the American philosophy scholar Larry Shiner writes in “Art Scents: Exploring the Aesthetics of Smell and the Olfactory Arts” (2020), advances in science in the 1860s and 1870s revealed that odors were neither the cause nor cure of sickness. After that, we began to resist powerful scents, as if resisting our more primitive, animal selves. In increasingly crowded cities, we demanded sanitized spaces, offices that banned perfume, free of any troubling aroma that might betray our proximity to others, how closely we’re all packed in. We chose to live in a cleaner, emptier world.
There are fewer scents in our lives now, and fewer opportunities to learn them.
The incense of today bears little resemblance to the New Age accessories of the 1970s or the perpetual fog of patchouli in college dorms. Now there’s an emphasis on natural ingredients and Old World craftsmanship sustained over time — as well as proper compensation for it, via fair-trade producers, as with the dark, rugged sticks of Breu resin from the Amazon rainforest, imported by the Brooklyn-based Incausa from the owner’s home country of Brazil, and twisty ropes of incense rolled by hand in Nepal, sold by Catherine Rising in Rochester, N.Y. The delicate incense sticks of the Parisian house Astier de Villatte are made on the Japanese island of Awaji, in the way that artisans there have made them for generations, from resins, woods and herbs crushed into paste, kneaded and left to rest until the scent ripens, then cut and dried in the western winds that sweep off the ocean.
Modern incarnations, less bound to history, are explicitly posed as design objects. The incense cones of Blackbird in Seattle are monoliths in miniature — eerily symmetrical and uniformly black, whatever their fragrance (among the selections is the vaguely hung-over scent of whiskey and cigarettes after a bleary night). Cinnamon Projects in New York packs its skinny sticks in black-corked vials and boxes stamped with gold foil; you’re meant to prop them up in lustrous concave burners or lean blocks of brass designed with nowhere to catch the ash. The online description is crisp: “The ash falls where it may.”
The scents tend to be more subtle than their historical counterparts, as with the Virginia-based Na Nin’s lucid yet barely there sea air and dune grasses, or intimations of carnal oud and sunny bergamot from Tennen in Phoenix, fragrances in watercolor. But the most minimalist gesture, from Santa Maria Novella in Florence, Italy, borrows from an old Armenian custom: pieces of paper no bigger than a strip of chewing gum. Take one and fold it accordion-style so it can stand on end, then strike a match and hold it to a corner. As soon as the flame catches, blow it out.
What is left is a smoldering, the smoke peeling off and vanishing as the paper blackens and crumbles, giving off the scent of frankincense and myrrh, ancient libraries and the heaviness of honey, and chased by a slur of orange-red, the last bit of glowing. It spends itself so quickly; it’s not meant to survive more than five minutes. You can watch it to the bitter end and think, “That was time. I, too, will crumble.”
Photograph by Anthony Cotsifas. Styled by Leilin Lopez-Toledo. Retouching: Anonymous Retouch. Digital tech: Maiko Ando. Photo assistant: Karl Leitz
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/10/t-ma ... pe=Article