Wise Words

"Sufism is not a fashion statement but a serious quest for union with God."


Jashn e Khusrau

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Art in Sufism

This is a breathtaking water color painting made by S. a. Noori. An article about a recent exhibition in Islamabad covers the spirituality that lives in them:

From Tribune.com./pk:

Noory’s work is nuanced with Sufism- white bearded men in trance, holding the Quran. Perhaps the most intriguing piece is a painting of a tall, bearded man with his hand outstretched upwards holding onto a rope as he looks serenely towards the sand. The rope goes straight into the sky and out of the painting where the viewer is left wondering where the other end of the rope must be.

You can read the complete article here.

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sufi poems
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What is Real Love?

sufism
tasawwuf
sufi poems
sufi masters

Sufi Rituals in the Middle East and the Balkans

This book offers intimate and moving portraits of Sufism as practiced in five countries. Sufism, the mystical tradition of Islam, is as far from the strident and often violent fundamentalist strain of the religion that has so captured world attention as it is possible to be. Sufis in all parts of the Islamic world are broad-minded, tolerant, and non-violent, their quest only to find and approach God through all means, including poetry, music, and dance. Historian Nicolaas Biegman has been observing and photographing Sufi practice and ritual in different Muslim lands for many years, and here in this collection of extraordinary photographs he feels the pulse of the Sufi experience, with its enormous variety in discipline and exuberance, intellectualism and spontaneity, in Egypt, Syria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Macedonia. In accompanying texts he explores what lies behind the rituals, and explains aspects of Sufi life and practice such as the position of women.

Author Biography:
NICOLAAS (NIEK) BIEGMAN holds a Ph.D. in Balkan history, and is an expert on Islam. He has produced a number of photographic books on Egypt, Haiti, Manhattan, and most recently a Sufi community in Skopje (God's Lovers)

 

Best Wishes

I wish to all readers of all faiths a Happy 2010, prosperous, without hate, without greed and without fear. I am sure more hearts are getting ready to improve our planet and our inner wisdom as well. There is so much to do, and in fact it is so little at the same time, as a feather that caresses constantly our heart without even being noticed. It makes a lot, it gives a lot, and it changes a lot.

Yesterday I was speaking with two Indian Muslim friends. I told them that every celebration that means a desire for prosperity and happiness should be enjoyed and given embraces to it. Time and space are physical ways that helps us inmerse in the Truth. When we go beyond it, then we are grasping it, feeling it, savouring it, unveiling it.

Happy New Year to my dear readers. Let's continue our path in Peace.

Image credit:  © Richard Schultz/Corbis


Much Love, Ya Haqq,

Maryam

sufism

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sufi poems

sufi masters

Glossary of Sufism 13 and 14:muhasaba wa' (and) l-musharata

 

 

 

 

 

Muhasaba wa'l-musharata المحاسبة والمشارطة

 

 

“Soul searching” (Muhasaba) consists in blaming oneself for the breathings (anfas) and wasted moments other than to obey God through different ways. It happens at the end of the day, like the coordination (musharata) takes time in the beginning of day, when one says to oneself: “Here is a new starting day which will be a witness against you; try then, Oh my soul, to fill every instant with what takes you closer to God; because, if you had died the day before, you would have been in need of the goodness that you would enjoy today.” It is this way that one addresses to the soul when the nights is gong to start and that is examined the moment when the night ends, this with tenacity until  the Divine presence settles steadily in it. Then, time will gather in the unique moment (yattahid al-waqt), which corresponds to the dip in the vision (shuhud), and there will not be examiner nor punisher. So, as long as the spiritual progression (al sayr) lasts, coordination comes first, soul searching comes last and the watchfulness -prudence (muraqaba) is done in permanence. Once the intention is attained, there is no more soul searching nor coordination.

Translated from Glossaire du Soufisme, by Iban Agibah, edited by A. Saleh Hamdan.

 

 

 

GLOSSARY OF SUFISM 12. Muraaqabah

Tales of religious tolerance in Africa

By Thomas J. Morrisey, Written for UPI


Published: Nov. 24, 2009 at 12:31 PM
David Robinson, professor of history and African studies at Michigan State, is collecting print, audio and video documentation of the Muslim people of Ghana and Senegal in an online archive.
A Michigan State University professor is creating a digital archive of stories of West African Muslims in two countries he considers models of peaceful coexistence between different religions.

David Robinson, a professor of history and African studies at MSU, is gathering print, audio and video documentation of the Muslim people of Ghana and Senegal. They comprise an archive titled “Diversity and Tolerance in the Islam of West Africa: Creating Online Resources of Peaceful Muslim Practice.


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The Teophany of Perfection. Ibn Arabi

“The Theophany of Perfection”

(Translated by Abraham Abadi and Aaron Cass)

Kindly sent by Vastearthorchestra

 

“Hear, O my beloved!
you are the reason for the being of the world
You are the centre-point of the sphere and its encompassing
You are its complexity and simplicity
You are the order brought [sent] down between heaven and earth
I did not create for you realizations
Except that you realize Me in them
And when you realize Me you realize your self
Do not strive to realize Me in the realization of your self
By my eye you will see Me and your self
You will not see Me, however, by[with] the eye of your self
Beloved
How often have I called you and you do not hear
How often have I [stood before you]presented myself to you and you do not witness [recognize]
How often have I embodied myself in scents and you do not inhale
And in the flavours and you do not savour the taste for My sake
What is the matter with you, that you do not feel me when you touch?
Why do you not recognize Me in the fragrances of musk?
Why do you not see Me? Why do you not hear Me?
What is the matter with you?
I am your most heady rapture beyond any delight
My craving for you is more intense than any born for an object of desire
I am better for you than any good thing
I am the Beautiful
I am the Elegant [witty, comely]
Love Me. Love Me. Love Me alone.
Desire Me, Ardently.
Be consumed in me[distressed, troubled, obsessed]not engrossed in other than Me.
Take Me in , receive Me, you will not find an intimate like me
Everything wants you for itself, but I want you for your sake,
But you, you avoid me.
Beloved!
You cannot meet me half-way in your drawing close to me
My drawing close to you outweighs a hundredfold the means by which you approach me.
I am closer to you than your self.
And your self, which performs these acts, is other than Me , created.
Beloved!
I am jealous of you from you.
I cannot bare to see you with otherness or with yourself.
Be with Me in Me,
with yourself just as you are with Me.
Then, my Beloved, you will not even feel the Union,
The Union.
Had we found a path toward separation,
we would let the separation savour separation.
Beloved!
Come, hand in hand, enter Reality that It may decide between us with the judgment of eternity
Beloved antagonist
Pleasure cannot be found in dispute between lovers,. Pleasure is in the converse.
As the poet said;
I wished her dead because of loving her
So that shed be my adversary on the Last Day
(Say; Do you have an understanding of the High Assembly when they are disputing?
Had the outcome of this severance been only appearance before the Judge, then what about the joy of and gazing upon the face of a beloved?)
O heart! O heart!

 

Ibn Arabi . XII Century

 

Thanks to Vastearthorchestra for the transcription of the text.

 

 

Visit his video on youtube

 

 

 

New Ebooks uploaded

 

I have uploaded seven pdf books about Sufism. They are at the “Pearls of Wisdom” section, on this blog’s right pane. You might check there for these and other previously uploaded files.

 

Enjoy

 

. The Persian Sufis. by Cyprian Rice, O.P.,
George Allen, London, 1964

 

. Sufism: The Formative Period. By AHMET T. KARAMUSTAFA

 

. Schimmel. “What is Sufism? – Historical Outlines of Classic Sufism

 

. William C. Shittick. “Sufism: A Beginner’s Guide”

 

. “The Reality of Sufism in Light of the Qur’aan and Sunnah”. Shaikh Muhammad ibn Rabee’  ibn Hadee al-Madkhalee

 

. The Sufi Message of Inayat Khan. Vol. VIIIa

 

. In Arabic: Sufism. By Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi. Patriarch Azeemia Sufi Order.

 

 

A Glimpse of the Divine

By Karen Armstrong, "The Hope of Sufism" - The Washington Post On Faith - Washington, DC, USA
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Pakistan's chief problems are political and need a political solution. But political malaise and conflict affects people emotionally, imaginatively, in their relationships, desires and aspirations, and often religion gets sucked into a bad situation and becomes part of the problem.
It is not surprising therefore that some Pakistanis have turned to a somewhat rigid form of Islam. Yet on my visits to the country I have found that people are so open, friendly, eager to hear a friendly voice from the West, and to explore new ways of living an Islamic life.
Sufism is a marvelous form of Islam and would do anybody good anywhere. I came across it very early in my career as a religious historian and was especially drawn to its pluralism.

CONTINUE READING

Sufism, the Heart of Islam

 

On the evening of April 23rd, 2009, author Sadia Dehlvi was beaming like a happy child in her Nizamuddin East drawing room. Finally, she had her first book, Sufism, The Heart of Islam, clasped tightly in her hands. Earlier in the day, Harper Collins India, Ms Dehlvi's publisher, had sent her a copy of the book hot off the press. Notwithstanding her excitement, The Delhi Walla pestered her for an interview over a cup of green tea.

 

READ MORE

 

 

Ibn Arabi - audio

 

 

 

 

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

 

Read by Maryam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To listen the Spanish version, click here

 

Download Mp3

 

Maryam Tasawwuf Podcast xml

 

Echoes of Sufi Dances

 

 

“Tell me of the existence
Of worlds and planets far away
Of past civilizations
Of continents gone adrift.
Talk to me about love
Tell me more about human love,
Of anomalous travelers
In magical, mystic territories.
Ahead we followed by instinct
Only the comets trail
As vanguards of another system
In search of the end.
No Time No Space
Another race of vibrations,
The sea of the simulation.
Keep your feelings in memory
I love you especially tonight.
The air-traffic controllers
Just ready for take-off
Astrological telescopes
To discover new stars.
Walking Sundays
As a spacer
Ahead.
Ahead we followed by instinct
Only the comets trail
As vanguards of another system
In search of the end.
No Time No Space
Another race of vibrations,
The sea of the simulation.
Keep your feelings in memory
I love you especially tonight.”

 

Franco Battiato. No Time, no Space. 1985

Music by G.Pio & F.Battiato - Testo di F.Battiato – From the album "Echoes of Sufi Dances"(EMI) – Arrangements : Battiato-Pio.

 

TO LISTEN

 

Mary and Jesus in Islam and Sufism: Through the Writings of Rumi and Ibn ‘Arabi

 

April 26, 2009

10:00 AM
to
5:30 PM

Stephen Hirtenstein, MA

 

We all know that Judaism, Christianity and Islam are all in the same family of Abrahamic faiths and share many sacred figures. Many Christians do not realize that in Islamic mysticism the figures of Mary and Jesus are venerated as archetypes of purity and sainthood. In these two half-day workshops, which will include meditation, the contemplation of particular themes, PowerPoint presentations and group discussions of specially translated texts, we will look at how this link between the two faiths offers common ground for fruitful ecumenical dialogue, and explore the meaning and relevance of saintliness in the present day. These two programs will show us how exploring each others’ mystical traditions can help us see our own faith with new eyes.

The Mystical Islamic View of Mary
Stories about Mary in the Quran and in the Sufi tradition mention her as “chosen above all other women,” and seem to point to her as the embodiment ofa cosmic principle of wisdom and compassion that also exists inside us (the “Mary within”). We will look at the tradition of female saints in Sufism and at the larger archetype of the feminine aspect of Divine Wisdom (Sophia).

The Christ Within in Ibn ’Arabi and Rumi
In this session, we will focus on a few specially translated texts from the writings of the great 13th century Sufi masters Ibn ’Arabi and Rumi that elucidate these extraordinary mystics’ understanding of such esoteric concepts as the virgin birth and the presence of an “inner Christ” who can come alive in all of us.

 

 

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Reason and Passion . Khalil Gibran

 

"Your reason and your passion
are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul.

Among the hills, when you sit in the cool shade of white poplars,
sharing the peace and serenity of distant meadows... -then let your heart
say in silence,"God rests in reason!"-

And when the storm comes,and the mighty winds shakes the forest,
and thunder and lightning proclaim the majesty of the sky -then let your heart
say in awe,"God moves in passion!"

And since you are a breath
in God's sphere,
and a leaf in God's forest
you too should
rest in reason
and move in passion.

Khalil Gibran was a Lebanese-American artist, poet and writer. (1883-1931)

 

YouTube

Maktub مكتوب

 

It is written.

 

 

 

Rumi, Sufism and The Spiritual Path

 

 

“Observe the wonders as
they occur around you.
Don't claim them. Feel
the artistry moving
through and be silent... “

*****

“In your light I learn how to
love.
In your beauty,how to make
poems.
You dance inside my chest,
where no one sees you. “

~Rumi~

 

 

 

 

 

GLOSSARY OF SUFISM 11. RIDAA WA’ L-TASLIM

 

الرضى و التسليم

Contentment in submission

(ridaa wa’ l-tasliim)

 

 

“Contentment” (al-ridaa) is to face the vicissitudes with a smiling face; or a joy that fills the heart when the divine rules happen; or to let the decision (tark al-ikhtiyaar) to God in all that God organizes and does; or to feel at ease (sarh al-sadr) and free from criticism (inkaar) in relation with what comes from The One Almighty.

 

“Submission” (al-tasliim), is to let with serenity that God organizes and decides the course of destiny. It is a synonym of “contentment” if we consider the last definition of “al-tasliim”. But the contentment  is higher in the other senses. It is said that contentment appears the moment when the divine rule is realized, while submission comes before: it is then called tafwiid, -total acceptation- in a proper sense.

 

Both of them start by the constancy – steadfastness - (sabr) and the internal fight (mujahaada); their middle stage is the suspension of agitated and bitter thoughts; their completion is in the joy, the tranquility, the absence of agitation.

 

The first degree is the vulgar one; the second, the one belonging to the elite; the third degree belongs to the chosen elite.

 

The first thought which happens [when the test takes place] is forgiven, according to the general opinion, because of the weakness of human nature, as no human being is exempt of having it.

Translated from Glossaire du Soufisme, by Iban Agibah, edited by A. Saleh Hamdan.

The Captain of The Ship- Motherhood in Sufism

  “Motherhood in Sufism has a distinct set-up that varies greatly from what I like to call “TV-branded popular Islam.” In the Naqshbandi path, thriving in Damascus and the path I personally follow, motherhood overrides fatherhood; it has greater jurisdiction over siblings, futures and marriage. A mother’s role in Arab societies is usually boiled down to being the secretary of the general manager (i.e. the husband), but in Sufi tradition, she is “the” captain of the ship.”

 

This article was written in “Forward Magazine”, March 2009.

 

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