There Are No Gates

Peace, one and all…

There are no gates
which open on
Your holy Essence:
no one can know
the depths
of Your perfection.
For travellers
on the path to You
there only remains
to repeat and repeat
‘There is no god
but God’
(Awhaduddin Kirmani, Quatrains)

There You Are

Peace, one and all…

I hide Your beauty in my eye;
Whatever I look at,
There You are.

I hide Your presence in my heart;
How could a stranger live there?
There You are.

You are my foundation and my all;
My intimate one and the word on my tongue;
You bring the greeting from my darling one;
Within that greeting,
There You are.

All the blossoms and tender leaves
They hide their beauty in reds and greens
In night’s darkness and the dawn’s first beams.
As each one awakens,
There You are.

You are the one who made creation,
who gave life and strength to every being.
There is no ending except for You
I believe and accept what I am seeing:
There You are.

The flute moans ‘Huuu’ in ecstasy
The waves are roaring, the seas are rushing,
The sun appears to veil the stars
In its rays’ vast shining,
There You are.

You are the one who makes Veysel speak;
You are the tree and I am your leaf.
The unconscious fly right by what they seek.
In both the fruit and seed,
There You are.

Asik Veysel, translated by Jennifer Ferrarro and Latif Bolat

Press Me to Your Lips Again!

Peace, one and all…

My heart-self
dissolved
like cube sugar
in your chai.

Now Morad!
Press me
to your lips
again!

Roger Loff

All Your Existence

Peace, one and all…

All your existence
comes from another’s
being,
all your inebriation
flows from another’s
drunkeness.
Go and wrap yourself
in the robe
of meditation,
for your flesh
is the robe
of the Other.
(Awhaduddin Kirmani, Quatrains)

None Blows Fire But Him

Peace, one and all…

 

None blows fire
into our hearts
but Him,
none makes short
the path to Him
but Him.
If all the world
became our doctor
still
no one could cure us
of Him
but Him
(Awhaduddin Kirmani, Quatrains)

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

A Fool’s Errand

Peace, one and all…

 

What wisdom was this, that the Object of all desire
caused me to leave my home joyously on a fool’s errand,
so that I was actually rushing to lose the way
and at each moment being taken farther from what I sought -
and then God in His beneficence made that very wandering
the means of my reaching the right road and finding wealth!
He makes losing the way a way of true faith;
He makes going astray a field for the harvest of righteousness,
so that no righteous one may be without fear
and no traitor may be without hope.
The Gracious One has put the antidote in the poison
so that they may say He is the Lord of hidden grace.
(Masnavi 6.4339-4344)

Hu Hu Hu Allah!

Peace, one and all…

Sometimes, all I want to do is put aside all the stresses of the day melt into warm human fellowship, in remembrance of the Beloved.  This video really does it for me.  There is a real warmth and joy here…

Man Atkeya Beparwah De Naal

Peace, one and all…

Here is a beautiful qawwal, sung by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.  Entitled ‘Man Atkeya Beparwah De Naal’, it was written by the famous Sufi poet of Indian,  Shah Hussein.  The lyrics and a translation are also offered.  I found them here.  Enjoy, and may all who pass be blessed with goodness.  The original Punjabi lyrics are given in italics.

Man Atkeya Beparwah De Nal
Us Deen Duni De Shah De Nal

My soul is entangled with the indifferent one
Lord of all things visible and invisible

Wasdi Hardam Mann Mere Vich, Soorat Yaar Pyare Di
Apne Shah Nu Ap Rajawan, Hajat Nai Pasaray Di
Kahe Husain Faqeer Numanha, Theewan Khaak Daware Di

The image of the precious beloved lives constantly within my soul
I can please my love alone, I need no display
Says Hussain the worthless faqir, I am the dust on your doorstep

Man Atkeya Beparwah De Nal
Us Deen Duni De Shah De Nal

My soul is entangled with the indifferent one
Lord of all things visible and invisible

Qazi Mullah Matti Dainde
Kharay Siyyane Rah Dasende
Ishq Kee Lagay Rah De Nal

Judges and clerics are full of advice,
The righteous and wise show you the path,
But love itself needs no guidance

Man Atkeya Beparwah De Nal

My soul is entangled with the indifferent one

Nadiyon Paar Ranjhan Da Thana
Keetay Qol Zaroori Jana
Mintaan Karran Mallah De Nal

Ranjha’s dwelling is across the stream,
Having given my word, I must go
I will beseech the boatman

Man Atkeya Beparwah De Nal
Us Deen Duni De Shah De Nal

My soul is entangled with the indifferent one
Lord of all things visible and invisible

Sajan Bin Raatan Hoian Waddiyan
Ranjha Jogi Mein Jogiani
Kamli Kar Kar Saddyan
Sajan Bin Raatan Hoian Waddiyan
Mein Han Ayani Nooh Kee Jana
Birhon Tanawan Gaddiyan

Without my beloved the nights are long,
Ranjha is a saint and I am his follower
He has driven me senseless

Kahe Husain Faqeer Sayein Da
Darr Te Cholian Addiyan Mein
Uss Deen Duni De Shah De Nal

I am a novice, what do I know of committed love?
The separation pulls at my sinews
Says Hussain, Gods faqir, I spread my robe before you
Lord of all things visible and invisible

Man Atkeya Beparwah De Nal

My soul is entangled with the indifferent one

Kahe Husain Faqeer Numanrha
Sache Sahib Nu Mein Jana
Aurhak Kam Allah De Nal

Says Hussain, the worthless faqir,
I know the true Lord
In the end I will meet my Creator

Man Atkeya Beparwah De Nal
Us Deen Duni De Shah De Nal

My soul is entangled with the indifferent one
Lord of all things visible and invisible

Fullness and Effervescence

Peace, one and all…

‘What was ‘a hidden treasure’ burst in fullness
and made the earth more brilliant than the heavens.

What was ’a hidden treasure’ effervesced
and dressed the earth a sultan swathed in satin’
(Masnavi 1. 2875-2876)

And When I Love Him…

Peace, one and all…

The Messenger of God, may God give him blessings and peace, said:

God, ever blessed and exalted is He, says: “Whoever treats a friend of Mine as an enemy, on him I declare war.  My servant  draws near to Me by nothing dearer to Me than that which I have established as a duty for him.  And My servant does not cease to approach Me through supererogatory acts until I love him.  And when I love him, I become his hearing with  which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he grasps, and his foot with which he walks.  And if he asks Me [for something], I give it to him. If he seeks refuge with Me, I place him under My protection.  In nothing do I hesitate so much as I hesitate [to take] the soul of a believer.  He has a horror of death, and I have a horror of hurting him”

 Reported by al-Bukhari, according to Abu Hurayra.

Here is a beautiful ney solo to accompany these words.  May we all know the beauty of such love.

Only God

Peace, one and all…

Sometimes we are given exactly what we ask for, as soon as we have asked for it.  In such moments, the real question becomes: are we able to see our prayer arrive?  Are we able to see it manifest before us?  Are our eyes open fully enough to perceive such gifts aright?

God is subtle beyond all understanding, and sometimes that subtlety is hidden in plain sight.  So it is that as I travelled to work this morning, I found myself asking God to show me a little of His Divine Oneness, some small token that would reveal His presence in each new thing.  A little further down the carriage of my train, a small group of teenagers were noisily engaged in all the loud business of their tender years – laughing, joing and playing around.  I found myself distracted by them, finding a flash of annoyance within at their disturbance of the morning quiet.  And yet, praise be to God, this faded into the background, as I peered out of the window, writing a short poem and prayer.

As we neared our destination, I finished my writing and headed towards the train door.  As I stood there, the three teenagers stood in front of me.  As I looked at them, I saw that the tallest (and truth be told, the noisiest) had a large crucifix tattooed upon his forearm.  Looking more closely, I could make out the words ‘Only God’ inscribed beautifully upon his youthful flesh.  Seeing these words, my eyes widened and I was momentarily lifted from my workaday self: there, before my very eyes, literally written upon his flesh, was the living truth, a sign of the unity that lies behind all our strange diversity.  Behind all our differences, there is ‘only God’.  After the sword of la, there is only illa Allah!

Let me close by sharing some words of Mevlana:

‘Love is that flame which, when it blazes up,
burns away everything except the Subsistent Beloved.
It drives home the sword of la* in order to slay other than God.
Look closely – after la what remains?
What remains is ‘but God’, the rest has gone.
Bravo, O great, idol-burning Love;
(Masnavi 5.588-90, trans. W. Chittick)

* – This poem is a play on the central Islamic refrain of la ilaha illa Allah (‘there is no god but God’)

May this needy one’s eyes open to ‘only God’ in each new moment.  May all that you do this day be blessed.

Wa akhiru da`wana an il hamdu lillahi rabbil alameen.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Sparks from the Fire of Ashk

Peace, one and all…

I wanted to share two beautiful Turkish songs, from the broad Alevi tradition.  I found them both on the wonderful Fire of Ashk blog, where there are many other treasures to enjoy.

Allah Allah Deyip

Erenler Cemine

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Of Leaves, Balance and Overwhelming Mercy

Peace, one and all..

‘Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding’ (3:190)

One of the most pleasurable aspects of Spring is being able to pray in my garden.  After zuhr prayer this afternoon, I sat on the lawn (such as it is), taking pleasure in just sitting there amidst the peace and stillness.  I was simply breathing, not thinking of anything in particular – a rare thing in itself.

As I sat there, I found my eyes drawn to a small plant, swaying gently in the breeze, with shadows dancing playfully on the tiny green leaves.  I gradually became aware of a thought bubbling up from somewhere deep inside: the constant dance of light and shade is slowly nurturing this fragile plant.  If there were too much sunlight, the plant would be exhausted before it had had a chance to fully mature.  If there were too much shade, the plant would never grown forth from its seed.  As I sat there, I suddenly realised that both light and shade are each, in their turn, an expression of mercy.  Indeed, it is precisely this subtle balancing of energies that expresses this mercy most completely.

Interestingly, the following Quranic verses came to mind as these thoughts whirled around in my head:

‘He has raised up the sky.  He has set the balance so that you may not exceed in the balance: weigh with justice and do not fall short in the balance’ (Surah al-Rahman, or the Chapter of the All-Merciful, 55:7-9; translated by M A S Abdel Haleem)

The balance (al-Mizan in Arabic) is thus established through and maintained by, justice (the word used in this context is qist).  The root from which qist is derived conveys notions of equity, fairness, justice, fair distribution, correctness, balance and scale (source), all of which seem particularly relevant.

More broadly, the Islamic tradition understands justice as the ability to put things in their proper place, in the correct proportions, at the proper time.  The balance of justice, which upholds all things, is thus exquisitely proportioned Divine mercy.  It is God’s rahma (‘mercy’) that bestows the necessary energies for growth and transformation – in just the right amount, at just the right moment.  That these verses should form a part of Surah al-Rahman is no coincidence it seems.  Firstly, the entire chapter calls us to reflect deeply on the natural world, and the Divine Reality (Haqq) upholding it.

Secondly, the central refrain of this chapter runs thus: ‘Which, then, of your Lord’s blessings do you both deny?’ (first occurring in 55:13, and then throughout).  In other words, we are called to respond to the natural world, and the One sustaining it.  And, the appropriate response to this finely balanced mercy can only be gratitude.  Thankfulness (shukr in Arabic) is the essential key by which these meanings are unlocked.  Moreover, if we cannot deny this deeply embedded balance and appropriateness, we should therefore strive to embody it, to become it.  Reflecting on the natural world is thus to reflect on God’s own ‘adab‘, so to speak.  We are thus taught, albeit implicitly, to model this divine adab, to let it fill us and become us, all the while realising that it is God’s own action within us that makes such human balance possible.

al-Rahman, meaning approximately ‘the All-Merciful’, or ‘the Compassionate’, is one of the most important Divine Names. Interestingly, the surah begins with the proportion inherent in our own creation:

‘al-Rahman, taught the Quran, created man, and taught him eloquence’ (55:1-4)

The anfas al-Rahman (or ‘Breath of the All-Merciful’) is the life-giving spirit which causes all things to exist.  The Prophet (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam) said: ‘Do not curse the wind, for it derives from the Breath of the All-Merciful’ (quoted in William Chittick’s The Sufi Path of Knowledge, p.127).

If this is so in the physical world, it is also true in the spiritual world.  Light and shade, ‘good’ and ‘bad’, are for our own inward growth, so that the rose-bush of the soul might also become like this small leaf.  In the past, I imagined the darkness as a subversion of the universal order, but now I see that both are necessary.  Both light and shadow are God-given; perhaps this is because duality is a necessary part of the physical universe.  But, as I am learning, this duality is only apparent: it is only our limited perception that sees this way, dividing what is in fact an indivisible whole.  In reality, this duality is an expression of a deeper unity – light and shade, and every other pairing of opposites, come from God, and both are held in exquisite balance by overflowing, transcendent rahma.  Perhaps this is why, at this weekend’s retreat, as we spoke of the Divine Name al-Nur (the Light), I realised that this is not merely physical light, but the light of all things that shines in amidst the deepest ‘night’ of this world.

Here is a beautiful rendition of this wonderful surah, with accompanying text.

Surah al-Rahman, recited by al-Ghamdi

In closing, let me offer a beautiful quatrain of Mevlana, appropriately from this weekend’s Threshold Society retreat.

‘I am a mountain echoing the Friend.
I am a picture painted by the Beloved.
I am just a lock, but you hear His key turning.
Do you think  any of these words are mine?’
(Quatrain 207, trans. Shaykh Kabir Helminski)

Adab Ya Rahman!  Adab Ya Hu!

Update: 2krider’s blog has a wonderful post entitled: Adl vs Qist in Quranic Terminology

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

In the Hand of His Working

Peace, one and all…

‘Every moment you are being filled and emptied:
know then, that you are in the hand of His working’
(Masnavi 6.3340)

With each new breath, we are emptied and poured out, as in that moment all that we are is returned to the Source.  And then, with each in-breath, we are filled – with new breath, with new life, with new energies.  These breaths of ours generate a charge, and so our lives are enlivened.

As I read these beautiful words of Mevlana, I’m reminded forcefully of zikr and its use of the breath, in that moment by moment process.  It is said that zikr can reach a place where all falls away except the remembrance of the Beloved itself, so we might know that we are indeed ‘in the hand of His working’.

I am also reminded that behind this process stands the Source.  Allah is the Source of All – of filling and emptying, of nearness and distance, of night and day, of me and you.  Beyond all such dualities stands the One (al-Wahid), the Unique (al-Ahad).  And whatever ‘I’ am, I am His, in both my outer and my inner, in both process and essence.

With God’s mercy, this constant turning will reveal that Oneness, so that:

‘On the day when the blindfold falls from the eye,
how madly will the work be enamoured of the Maker!’
(Masnavi 6.3341)

Jazzgriot: Allah Only

Wa akhiru da`wana an il hamdu lillahi rabbil alameen.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

If I Forsake this Thorn-bush

Peace, one and all…

‘A servant is dismissed for bad behaviour:
if You behave oppressively, what’s different?

The harm You do in anger and in strife
is sweeter than an ecstasy of harp strings.

Your cruelty is better than a victory,
Your scolding’s more desired than life itself.

This is Your fire – what does Your light look like?
This is the funeral – what’s Your wedding like?

As for the sweetness which violence holds,
and for Your subtlety, none plumb Your depths.

I weep and then I fear He will believe me,
and then from kindness moderate His violence.

I love so much His violence and His grace -
how wonderful, I love these two extremes!

If I forsake this thorn-bush for the garden,
I’ll sing for sadness like the nightingale.

How wonderful, this nightingale, who lifts
his beak to eat the thorns among the rosebeds.

What kind of nightingale is this? A dragon!
In love all bitter things are sweet to him.

He’s lover of the whole; He is the whole.
He’s lover of Himself; He seeks His love’

(Mevlana, Masnavi 1. 1574-1584)

Friday Afternoon Sufi Music

Peace, one and all…

Here are some examples of music from Islamic Spain.  Enjoy and may Allah bless all who pass by.

Ya maliha l lama wa hula t tathanni


Ya sakinan bi fu`adi

Li habibun maqamuhu fawqa ra`si

In love young and old are the same.
In love loss and gain are the same.
In love the worlds are the same.
In love autumn and spring are the same.
Its down is up and up is down.
The earth and the heavens are the same.
The place of love is a circle,
Each spot is equal to the other.
If the Beloved scorns you or welcomes you,
it’s all the same.
In the tradition of love, to die
is the same as gaining eternal life.
(Farid al-Din Attar, trans M. Jamal)

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman

Chashm-e-Maste

Peace, one and all…

Chasm-e-Maste is a beautiful qawwal, written by Hazret Amir Khusrau and sung by the inimitable Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.  I have given the basic text of the poem below, alongside an English translation (by Regula Burckhardt Qureshi). Enjoy, and may all who pass by be blessed with goodness.

Part 1


Part 2

Text

Chashm-e-Maste `ajabe, zulf taraze `ajabe
O wondrous ecstatic eyes, O wondrous long locks

Maiparaste `ajabe, fitna taraze `ajabe
O wondrous wine worshipper, O wondrous mischievous sweetheart,

Bahr-e-qatlam chu kashad tegh neham sar basujud
As he draws the sword, I bow my head in prostration so as to be killed

U banaze `ajabe man banyaze `ajabe
O wondrous is his beneficence, O wondrous my submission

Waqt-e-bismil shudanam chashm baryush baz ast
In the spasm of being killed my eyes beheld your face;

Mehrbane `ajabe bandanawaze `ajabe
O wondrous benevolence, O wondrous guidance and protection

Turk taze `ajabe shoba babaze `ajabe
O wondrous amorous teasing, O wondrous beguiling

Kajkulahe `ajabe `arbada saze `ajabe
O wondrous tilted cap, O wondrous tormentor

Haq mago kalma-e-kufr ast dar in ja Khusrau
Do not reveal the Truth; in this world blasphemy prevails Khusrau

Razdane `ajabe sahib-e-raz-e-`ajabe
O wondrous source of mystery, O wondrous knower of secrets.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman