Omid Safi: God’s mirror, Mawlana’s mirror: Shams and Mawlana as Mirrors

Peace, one and all…

A lecture on Hz. Shams-i Tabriz by Omid Safi

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Sh. Camille Helminski: Being a Person of Paradise – Reflections on the Teachings of Shams of Tabriz

Peace, one and all…

I wanted to share a lecture on Hazret Shams-i Tabriz, by Shaykha Camille Helminski.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

A Virtual Mehfil-i Sema

Peace, one and all…

‘When I die and you wish to visit me,
do not come to my grave without a drum,
for at God’s banquet mourners have no place’
Mevlana, Divan-i Shams 683

Today is Seb-i Arus, the festival marking the return of Hazret-i Pir Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi to the Divine Beloved.  To mark this auspicious occasion, I wanted to offer a virtual Mehfil-i Sema, or sema gathering, in honour of Mevlana.  The spiritual music offered here includes many of my personal favourites.

The Mevlevi Rose Prayer

May this moment be blessed.  May goodness be opened and may evil be dispelled.  May our humble plea be accepted in the Court of Honour; May the Most Glorious God purify and fill our hearts with the Light of His Greatest Name.  May the hearts of the lovers be opened.  By the breath of our master Mevlana, by the secret of Shams and Weled, by the holy light of Muhammad, by the generosity of Imam Ali, and the intercession of Muhammad, the unlettered prophet, mercy to all the worlds.  May we say Hu, Huuu….

Quranic Recitation: Surah al-Fatihah & Surah al-Baqara 1-5

Turkish Section
Ney Solo

Mevlevi Nat-i Serif
(Poem in Honour of the Prophet, alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam)

Ayini Selam

Daglar ile Taslar ile

Ya Mevlana

Dinle Sozumu

Qawwali Section
Hamd
(Qawwal in praise of God)
Sabri Brothers, Allah Hoo

Naat
(Qawwal in praise of Muhammad, alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam)
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: Sare Nabian Da Nabi

Manqabat Imam Ali
(Qawwal in honour of Imam Ali)

Mevlana Qawwal, sung by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Imam al-Shushtari: My Sweetest Moments

 Mevlana, Andak Andak

Little by little, the group of the lovedrunk arrive
Little by little, the worshipers of wine arrive
They are on their way; Comforting and gentle
Like flowers from the flowerfield they arrive
Little by little, from this world of Being and non-Being
The non-existent leave and the existent arrive
They come with hands and clothes full of gold
For the poor and hungry they arrive
The gaunt, exhausted from the trials of Love
Strong and healthy they arrive
Like the rays of the Sun , the lives of the Pure
From those heights to the lowly valley they arrive
Green and fresh the garden for the pure
With new fruits from the love drunk they arrive
Their essence is grace and grace they unfold and expand
From the garden towards the garden they arrive

Did I Not Tell You?

Peace, one and all…

‘Did I not tell you, ‘Do not leave, for I am your friend’?
For in this mirage of nothingness I am the Fountainhead of Life!
Even if in anger you leave Me for a hundred thousand years,
in the end you will return, for I am your true Goal!

Did I not tell you, ‘Be not content with worldly form’?
For I am the fashioner of the tabernacle of your contentment!
Did I not tell you, ‘I am the Sea and you are but a single fish’?
Do not be tempted ashore, for I am your Crystal Sea!

Did I not tell you, ‘Do not fly like a bird to the snare’?
Come to Me, for I am the very Power of your flight!
Did I not tell you, ‘They will rob you and leave you numb with cold’?
But I am the Fire and the Warmth and Heat of your desire!

Did I not tell you, ‘They will taint your character,
until you forget that I am your Source of Purity’?
Did I not tell you, ‘Do not question how I direct your affairs’?
For I am the Creator without directions.

If you heart is a lamp, let it lead you to your true path.
And if you are godly, know that I am your Lord!’
Mevlana, Divan-i Shams, Ghazal 1725

Seb-i Arus

Peace, one and all…

This Saturday (17th December) is Seb-i Arus, the festival celebrating Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi’s Urs or ‘wedding feast’ – the night he returned to the Divine Beloved.  In many ways, it is the most important time in the Mevlevi calendar, and is marked by music, poetry, zikr and sema, the whirling ceremony.

With this in mind, during the next few days I’ll be posting a number of my favourite poems from Mevlana’s Masnavi, and some of his lyric poems too (ghazals).

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Remember Your Purpose

Peace, one and all…

‘Remember God has said in the Quran, ‘Do you think that I have created you in mere idle play?’ (23:115).  This means that your creation is not by chance nor is it in vain; it is for the purpose of return’
(Hz. Shams-i Tabriz)