Sanam Marvi

From GulfNews comes this article about Sanam Marvi, considered one of the youngest singer-story tellers:

The rising voice of Sufi music
It's about love … the love of humanity.
It's about a world with no boundaries, no violence and no hunger.
It's about a path that says the only true thing to live by is ‘Haq' or ‘right'.
Its instrument is music. Its storytellers are poets and singers.
Its battle, or ‘jihad', is against the ever-manifest human ego.
Sufism is — compassion. And Sanam Marvi perhaps its youngest storyteller.

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Three Pearls

Three pearls fell down the river, from my broken necklace. I let them go, let them see what I couldn’t, let them encounter adventures I would never dream of.

But don’t look at us, the pearls said while I glanced from the distance, and my feet started to wallk back home over the dusty ground.

Look at the pearls of the Unseen, you are lucky, we are almost there, and we are tears now. Not pearls. You are lucky, they said, for the waiting, the searching, the seeking, is the whole adventure, the great reward, where rivers of pearls become tears of joy. We are now tears going to encounter the ocean of Love. But you are still not there, so feel and cry, and suffer and smile and struggle, because this is where all the signs of Love can lead you to be what we are now. And I sighed and desired to be them.

Thoughts from a young girl.

17-24 April: 4th Festival of Sufi Culture in Morocco

The 4th Fez Festival of Sufi Culture will be held from 17 to 24 April in the palaces, riads and Andalusian gardens of the city of Fez around the theme "Mysticism and poetry”.
The festival will , according to the Association of Fes Festival of Sufi Culture, continue to show Morocco as the land of the ancient home of Sufism and promoter of dialogue among cultures, but also as a bridge between the East and the West, symbolized by the mediating role that Morocco has always played, especially in its modern history.
As in previous years, the festival offers a musical program blending various artistic creations of the Sufi world. It will celebrate the Shahi Qawwals of Ajmer Dargah Sharif, who come from India, and the troupe of Chinese music and Sufi songs "Maqamat", Mustafa Zaman Abbasi from Bangladesh, Hussain Al Aadhamy from Iraq, Syria Shaykh Habboush and Jalal Eddine Weiss of France. *
The festival will bring together the Moroccan artist Karima Skalli and the Haj Younis, who will pay tribute to Abu al-Hasan Ash Shusturi.
Other troops famous for Sufi music are also invited to animate the festival evenings. The sumptuous Batha Museum will house the night of Samaa Tariqa Boutchichiyya, Charqawiyya, Darqawiyya, Wazzania and Siqilliyya Khalwatiyya.
Other evenings will also be expected by enthusiasts of Sufi music, including a vigil Samaa Haj Mohammed Bennis and concert Briouel Mohamed, who is accompanied by "great voice" of Samaa Morocco.
At the intellectual level, debate will be animated by personalities from different cultures and religions, academicians, intellectuals, spiritual leaders, politicians, business leaders and actors of civil society, which will meet in the Forum 'Giving Soul to Globalization".
Several other conferences and forums are also in the program.

 

Source: moroccoboard.com

Beloved

I dance, I am a woman;
I sing, I have a soul;
I spread flowers over our encounter,
and let them fall
over our hearts...

I give you the cup of wine
in whispers
and in sounds of happiness,
in love poems,
and songs that come from heaven.

I sip from this Love
with tears in my eyes,
babbling the name
of the All-Nothing that  sees us, with a smile.

We both are looking for the same;
searching, always searching;
and even if we see...
We still prefer to wonder.

Under the stars I find the Beloved
through my earthly beloved.
You feel paradise
through this love that becomes LOVE.

We are children, we are joy,
we are starting to live the real void
reaching ladders and wings and lights
upon us.

Beloved, you take me to The BELOVED.

 

Maryam

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)

 

PAL plans conference on Sufism

ISLAMABAD (APP) - Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) has planned to arrange three-day International Conference on Sufism from March 14. The official sources of the academy told this agency that 80 delegates from around 40 countries are expected to participate in the conference.
The notable personalities having diverse knowledge about sufism and mysticism will share their views on the occasion.
The international conference would provide a platform to more than 200 delegates within the country to participate in the conference.
Sources said that PAL would translate books of Sufi poets belonging all the four provinces in eight different languages.
The translated books would be given to all the participants as it will help to project true image of the country on international level.
The sources informed that a international conference was also arranged in 1995. The writings of Pakistani writers from all Pakistani languages were translated in UNESCO languages and sent to different countries.
These books are still the identity of Pakistani literature in libraries there. However, PAL has also decided to set up a National Translation Bureau in the academy through translating Pakistani literature in foreign languages and the foreign literature into Pakistani languages, the sources added.

 

The Nation

The War That Wasn’t: The Sufi and the Sultan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) on Thursday launched Indian historian and scholar Dr Fatima Hussain’s book titled ‘‘The War That Wasn’t: The Sufi and the Sultan’.
Advisor to the Prime Minister on Education Assef Ahmed Ali was the chief guest during the book launching ceremony. Assef praised Dr Fatima for doing a wonderful job by writing a book on Sufism with a new approach.
He said the book would be of great significance during present times when fanaticism and extremism had become a challenge for Muslim society in the subcontinent. He said the book should be easily available across the country.
PAL Chairman Fakhar Zaman, who presided over the sitting, said Dr Fatima through her book had given people a new approach to look at the movement of Sufism in the subcontinent. He said the book would help promote spread the Sufis’ message of peace and brotherhood across borders.
Fakhar said the academy had planned to hold an international conference in the country on Sufism and peace in coming March. He said publication of Pakistani Sufi poets’ work and its translation in international languages was also on the cards.
Historian Dr Tariq Rehman said Dr Fatima’s main argument was that Sufis gave people the idea of moral government. He said sultan was one centre of power, while Sufi was another.
Prominent among those present on the occasion were noted scholar Khawaja Masud and Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) Vice Chancellor Mahmudul Hassan, who also appreciated Dr Fatima’s work.

Source: Daily Times

 

Sufis and Jesus

Christianity is rooted in the belief that Jesus is the Son of God, so is Islam’s version of Christ a source of tension, or a way of building bridges between the world’s two largest faiths?

The Sufi philosopher al-Ghazali described Jesus as "the prophet of the soul" and the Sufi master Ibn Arabi called him "the seal of saints".

An article by Mehdi Hasan about a new book by the former Cambridge professor of Arabic and Islamic studies Tarif Khalidi on Newstatesman.com

Sufi Music Festival called Sama'a: The Mystic Ecstasy

NCPA creates a 2 day Sufi Music Festival this December ... Presents Sama'a: The Mystic Ecstasy

With an aim to offer its patrons a taste of the varied forms of music tradition, NCPA, India's premier art and culture institution, presents a two-day long, soul-stirring Sufi Music Festival called Sama'a: The Mystic Ecstasy.     INDIA PRWIRE

‘Sufism’ effective offset to socio-cultural degradation

Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Islamabad
At a time when ‘Sufism’ is being promoted as an antidote to religious fundamentalism, Dr. Fatima Hussain’s new book titled ‘The War that Wasn’t; The Sufi and the Sultan’ comes as an answer to all queries regarding ‘Sufi’ school of thought and its power over the masses.
‘Sufism’ played a considerable role in bringing humane teachings of the religion to the forefront during the Middle Ages and it is now considered to be an effective offset to the socio-cultural degradation threatening the very roots of our social values and system.
Dr. Fatima Hussain’s latest book analyses the subtle nuances of the dynamics of ‘Sufi’ power in the social politics of the Delhi Sultanate, and how this power affected the relations between the ‘Sufi’ and the ‘Sultanate’, the two most powerful institutions in medieval sub-continent. Dr Fatima’s book on ‘Sufism’ brings forth a vibrant picture of ‘Sufi’ school of thought in the contemporary world amidst growing concerns regarding the massive threat of religious extremism to global peace.
Dr Fatima Hussain is a profound scholar and teacher of history in Delhi University. Sufism is a topic on which she already has published a number of articles and books. The book contains numerous anecdotes from medieval Persian sources, while dealing with incidents related to these ‘Sufis’. Author’s object in this book has been to examine the broad bases of ‘Sufi’ history in the ‘Sultanate’ period to adduce sufficient evidence to suggest the need for a new approach.
This highly research based work contains vital aspects of the ‘Sufi’ movement, i.e., philosophy and practices of ‘Sufism’, development of ‘Sufism’ in the region, dynamics of ‘Sufi’ power and the multi-dimensional role of the ‘Sufi’ hospices, especially, as an impetus to urban expansion, such as ‘Khanqahs’ during the ‘Sultanate’ period.
Dr. Fatima Hussain is known in South Asian academic circles for her book ‘The Palestine Question: A Historical Perspective.’ ‘Classic,’ of Lahore, and recent publication ‘Sufism & Bhakti Movement; Contemporary Relevance,’ that has been compiled by Dr. Fatima Hussain. Dedicated to Benazir Bhutto, the volume carries papers presented at a seminar held at New Delhi’s Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. Some articles of Pakistani authors, too, have been included in this 351-page book.

                                                                                                                                

 

 

From : The News International

Understanding Islam by Frithjof Schuon

A short piece from a classic book that introduces the Sufi understanding of Islam, with thanks to the friend who sent it to me.
—
Surah al-Fatihah (The Opening Chapter of the Qur’an)

“That which opens” (the Qur’an) has a capital importance, for it constitutes the unanimous prayer of Islam. It is composed of several propositions or verses:

[In the Name of God, the Infinitely Good, the Ever Merciful]

1. Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds;

2. The Infinitely Good, the Ever Merciful;

3. King of the Last Judgement;

4. It is Thee we worship, and it is in Thee we seek refuge;

5. Lead us on the straight path;

6. The path of those on whom is Thy Grace;

7. Not of those on whom is Thy Wrath, nor of those who go astray.

The Shahadah (Bearing Witness, or Testimony of Faith)

The doctrine of Islam consists of two statements: first, “There is no divinity (or reality, or absolute) save the sole Divinity (or Reality, or Absolute)”, and “Muhammad (the Glorified, the Perfect) is the Messenger (the spokesman, the intermediary, the manifestation, the symbol) of the Divinity”; these are the first and the second Testimonies of the faith.

For Sufism, which is Islam’s kernel, the metaphysical doctrine is that “there is no reality save the One Reality” and that, insofar as as we are obliged to take account of the existence of the world and of ourselves, “the cosmos is the manifestation of Reality.”

Source: UNITY

sufism

tasawwuf

sufi poems

sufi masters

Sufis have no interest to be respected, praised, served or in money minting

Mahroof Shah

Qayshari, Junayd, Ghazali, Ibn Arabi, Sirhindi and other great masters of Sufism have always been critical of corruptions in Sufi practice at the hands of ignorant dervishes, addicts, madmen, occultists, guardians of the shrines, so-called peers posing as Sufi masters and libertine pseudoSufis. Modern forms of sama would be loathed by most Sufi authorities. Just a few remarks of Ibn Arabi on his contemporary dervishes: "They have no knowledge of the prohibited (al-harâm) to make them return"; and "They don't know the conditions of the sunna or the obligatory works, they aren't even fit to serve as a servant in the toilets." Ibn Qayyim Jawzi and such things as the chapter on Sufism in Talbeesi Iblees have great value for separating the satanic from the divine in what poses as Sufism. Most peers selling amulets and involved in the business of jinns are not real Sufis. Most of true Sufis are hidden – extraordinarily ordinary persons – whom you can’t guess easily as being elevated souls. A very simple test of a good Sufi is his character – how far he resembles the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) whose function was perfection of morality or virtue –, in his state of sabr, raza, tawakkul etc. He can’t be self centred. Apparently supernatural things, predictions, mind reading, faith healing can’t be trusted as evidence of being genuine Sufi. Self praise and boosting are indications of one’s degradation. Genuine Sufis have no interest to be respected, praised, served and in money minting. They respect shrines but are not asthan parast as the greatest shrine is the human heart and God’s residence is there only. They will help the poor more than they will be interested in celebrating curses with great pomp. They are not great debaters to be interested in takfeer of rivals, to dispute doctrinal matters, to slander other believers. They believe only in themselves – even Gabriel is a prey in their net – so they cannot be accused of shirk. They will not readily beg even God for mundane things – their prayer is not petition – not to speak of going from asthan to asthan. They are more interested in saving their souls rather than in processing the files of the clients regarding worldly matters.
sufism

tasawwuf

sufi poems

sufi masters

The Centrality of the Divine Feminine in Sufism

[Published in the Proceedings of the “2nd Annual Hawaii International Conference on Arts & Humanities”, Honolulu, Hawaii.] © 2004 by Laurence Galian

This paper examines the concept of the Divine Feminine from the Sufi tradition (and its roots) with questions regarding the Sufi definition of the Divine Feminine, the various techniques used to experience it, the nature of the experiences, and the ultimate intentions of the Islamic mystics known for engaging in such practices. Through an investigation involving examinations of Sufi teachings that the female body is the locus of continuous theophany of the Divine in human beings, explorations of the cult of Prophet Muhammad’s daughter Fatima, comparisons of Tantric philosophical tendencies shared by both the ancient Dravidian world and Islam, analyses of songs chanted by a Sufi Order from Cairo, visionary experiences of mystics from various traditions, and Islamic techniques of sacred sex as revealed in Hadith and Sufi erotic poetry, it has been gathered that Allah is, as defined by numerous Sufis, the feminine form of the ultimate reality.

THE CENTRALITY OF THE DIVINE FEMININE IN SUFISM*
LAURENCE GALIAN

Copyright 2003 Laurence Galian. All Rights Reserved.

The Eternal Feminine
Draws us heavenward.
—Goethe

The world famous Islamic Sufi poet Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi (1207 - 1273) writes: “Woman is the radiance of God; she is not your beloved. She is the Creator—you could say that she is not created.”[1] This paper calls attention to an unexpected and little explored fact of immense significance in Islam: at the center of Islam abides the Divine Feminine.

Before the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, brought the religion of Islam to Arabia, the Arabs were a polytheistic people. Hindu merchants frequently passed through Makkah, a major trading hub. Ancient Indian Vedic texts refer to Makkah as a place where Alla the Mother Goddess was worshiped. In Sanskrit, Alla means “mother.” This name was connected to the Hindu Goddess Ila. She was the consort of the Hindu God Siva in his form known as Il, and this form of Siva was known and worshiped in pre-Islamic Makkah. A great deal of cultural and spiritual interchange took place between the merchants of Makkah and India.

According to some scholars however, the ancient Arabs believed that Allah (the greatest God) had entrusted the discharge of the various functions of the universe to different (lesser) gods and goddesses. People would therefore turn to these gods and goddesses to invoke their blessings in all sorts of undertakings.[2] The ancient Arabs prayed to these lesser gods and goddesses to intercede before Allah and to pass their desires on to Allah. As part of their religious practices, they visited Makkah. In Makkah was a large cube-like building known as the Ka’ba. This temple contained three hundred sixty idols. Those who were visiting the great city of Makkah as pilgrims would circumambulate the Ka’ba as part of their religious rites.[3] The pre-Islamic Arabs had a custom of performing a sevenfold circumambulation of the Ka’ba completely naked. Men performed this in the daytime and women at night.

CONTINUE READING


sufism

tasawwuf

sufi poems

sufi masters

Evidence

 

Caressing me in a whisper,

sounds that I could never hear

or feel.

Nights of thousands stars, brilliant as the Jewel I see from space,

all of them reunited,

in the glimpse of a second,

an image I could never forget….

 

The calmness came to life,

after the shadows dancing,

YOU embraced my destiny.

 

Over mountains of silver and sand,

of gold and fresh honey,

I hear the whisper again.

 

And you Are, the above and beyond,

the last ladder of myriads of ladders,

this child who became a man child

without sorrow, again happy,

again filled with the Truth

and without solitude anymore.

 

And YOU, whom I thank endlessly

for you took this child and drove him to the Love

Forever

In Eternity.

 

Maryam

 

IMAGE

Teachings of Sufism

The prose and verse readings in this book were chosen to interest the many people who have become attracted to Sufi teachings through their exposure to popular Sufi poetry, music, and dance. The selections—mostly from the Middle East and India, ranging from the tenth to the twentieth century—provide a sampling of Sufi thought on some of the basic aspects of this spiritual path. Most of the readings are published here in English for the first time. Brief introductory remarks place each selection into its historical and religious context, and an index of Qur'anic passages helps the reader to trace the extensive allusions to the Islamic holy scriptures. The topics covered include: The nature of mystical love Meditation Listening to music as a spiritual practice Ethical teachings of Sufism Pitfalls on the spiritual path Spiritual companionship and the master-disciple relationship The importance of the Qur'an and the Prophet Muhammad Biographical accounts of great mystics, including the poet Rumi as well as several female saints

 

 

The Sufi Bookstore

Daughter of Fire

Little did Irina Tweedie know that her trip to India in 1959, at the age of fifty-two, would mysteriously lead her to a Sufi Master and set her upon a journey to the "heart of hearts," the Sufi path of realisation. Her teacher's first request of her was to keep a complete diary of her spiritual training - everything, all the difficult parts, even all the doubts. He predicted that one day it would become a book and would benefit people around the world. This diary spans five years, making up an amazing record of spiritual transformation: the agonies, the resistance, the long and frightening bouts with the purifying forces of Kundalini, the perseverance, the movements towards surrender, the longing and, finally, the all-consuming love. From a psychological viewpoint, the diary maps the process of ego dissolution, gradually unveiling the openness and love that reside beneath the surface of the personality. Mrs. Tweedie is the first Western woman to be trained in this ancient yogic lineage. Her story and experience testify that this teaching system can still be powerfully transformative today in our modern world.

 

Found at Amazon.co.uk

 

Sufi Soul Documentary

 

What is a Sufi?

What is a Sufi?
One who does not separate himself from others by opinion or dogma;
and who realizes the heart as the Shrine of God.
What does the Sufi desire?
To remove the false self and discover God within.
What does the Sufi teach?
Happiness.
What does the Sufi seek?
Illumination.
What does the Sufi see?
Harmony.
What does the Sufi give?
Love to all created things.
What does the Sufi get?
A greater power of love.
What does the Sufi find?
GOD.
And lose?
self

 

ALL ABOUT LOVE

 

Sufism. Principles and Dialogue

 

Volunteering for Peace CC in Palestine organized a conference entitled "Sufism, Principles and Dialogue" Wednesday May 6th at the Gallery Hall in Hebron.

 

The meeting hosted Shikha Khadija Radin who began turning in 1971 after she first saw whirling performed by the followers of Sufi Murshid Samuel Lewis in San Francisco, California. They had recently lost their beloved teacher. She was enraptured by the meditative movement which was to change her way of life. She was, at the time, a teacher and choreographer of modern dance. Formerly a member of the Lucas Hoving Dance Company in New York. Shortly thereafter she resigned from an administrative and teaching position with the San Francisco Art Commission to travel from Holland overland to India and back, searching out the mystics, especially the Dervish. Shikha Khadija was originally Jewish and she converted 30 years ago and become on of the leading teachers in her group.

 

Read More

 

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.