03 Friday May 2013
Peace, one and all…
Love is the path and road of our Prophet.
We were born from love and love was our mother.
O you who are our mother, you are hidden within veils,
Concealed from our disbelieving natures.
Mevlana, Quatrain no. 1470
26 Friday Apr 2013
Posted in Lectures, Love, Our Spiritual Heritage, William Chittick
Peace, one and all…
A fascinating lecture by William Chittick, at the Temenos Academy in London. Enjoy and may all you do this day be blessed.
23 Tuesday Apr 2013
Peace, one and all…
As regular visitors might know, I’ve posted this beautiful qawwal by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan here a number of times. Sadiq, of the ever-beautiful Technology of the Heart, has posted a translation of the words, by Hz. Mevlana.
Enjoy and may all you do this day be blessed…
Tu Kareemi Man Kamina Barda Um
Laikin Az Lutf E Shuma Parwarda Um
Zindagi Aamad Bara’ay Bandagi
Zindagi Be Bandagi Sharmindagi
Yaad E Oo Sarmaya E Eeman Bo’ad
Har Gada Az Yaad E Oo Sultan Bo’ad
Sayyad O Sarwar Mohammad Noor E Jaan
Mehtar O Behtar Shafi E Mujrimaan
Choon Muhammad Pak E Shud Az Nar O Dood
Her Kaja Roo Karad Wajhullah Bood
Shahbaaz Lamakani Jaan E Oo
Rehmatal Lil Aalameen Dar Shaan E Oo
Mehtareen O Behtareen E Ambiyaah
Juz Muhammad Naist Dar Arz O Samaa
Aan Mohammad Hamid O Mahmoud Shud
Shakal E Abid, Sorat E Ma’bood Shud
Auliyah Allah O Allah Auliyah
Yani Deed E Peer Deed E Kibriyah
Her Ka Peer O Zaat Haqra Aik Na Deed
Nai Mureed O Nai Mureed O Nai Mureed
Maulvi Hargiz Na Shud Maula E Rum
Ta Ghulaam E Shams Tabraizi Na Shud
Translation
You are the Gracious One and I am the ignoble,
Now waiting at Your door Oh my Cherisher
With devotion life becomes beauteous,
And without, what is life but disgrace
Remembrance of Him is the foundation of faith,
Beggars transform into kings due to His Remembrance.
Liege lord, Oh Muhammad you are the light of our lives,
The mighty and the best intercessor of the wrong-doers
Since Muhammad was purified of worldly things,
Whatever direction He turned is found the Face of Allah
The noble soul of his is like a falcon of the highest heavens
Being ‘the mercy of the worlds’ is his eminence
The mightiest and the best of all Prophets is he,
Except Muhammad in land or sky there is none worthy
He is the praise of God, divinely praised in abundant
He is the reflection of God in the shape of a worshiping servant
The friends of God are like God because God is their friend
And in this way he who has seen his Master, has seen God’s Glory
If one doesn’t see his spiritual Master as reflection of God
He is not a disciple, not a disciple, not a disciple!
Mevlana could never be Mevlana Rumi
If he had not devoted himself to Shams e Tabrizi.
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Abdur Rahman
12 Friday Apr 2013
Peace, one and all…
A beautiful exploration of movement and worship, as transmitted through sacred Mevlevi tradition. This wonderful talk also explores some of the symbolism of the whirling ceremony (sema). May it be of benefit.
Source: SFH Mureed
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Abdur Rahman
22 Friday Mar 2013
Peace, one and all…
In his eighth counsel, Meister Eckhart explores the need for zeal.
Counsel 8: Of constant zeal for the highest growth
A man should never be so satisfied with what he does or accomplish it in such a way that he becomes so independent or overconfident in his works that his reason becomes idle or lulled to sleep. He ought always to lift himself up by the two powers of reason and will, and in this to grasp at what is best of all for him in the highest degree, and outwardly and inwardly to guard prudently against everything that could harm him. So in all things he will lack nothing, but he will grow constantly and mightily.
08 Friday Mar 2013
Peace, one and all…
What shall I do, O Muslims?
I do not recognise myself….
I am neither Christian nor Jew,
nor Magian, nor Muslim.
I am not of the East, nor the West,
not of the land, nor the sea.
I am not from nature’s mine,
nor from the circling stars.
I am neither of earth nor water,
neither of wind nor fire.
I am not of the empyrean,
nor of the dust on this carpet.
I am not of the deep, nor from behind.
I am not of India or China,
not of Bulgaria, nor Saqsin;
I am not of the kingdom of Iraqain,
nor of the land of Khorasan.
I am not of this world nor the next,
not of heaven, nor of purgatory.
My place is the placeless,
my trace is the traceless.
It is not the body nor is it the soul,
for I belong to the soul of my love.
I have put duality away
and seen the two worlds as one.
One I seek, One I know.
One I see, One I call.
He is the First, He is the Last.
He is the Outward. He is the Inward.
I know of nothing but Hu, none but Him.
Intoxicated with the cup of Love,
two worlds slip from my hands.
I am occupied with nothing
but fun and carousing.
If once in my life I pass a moment without You,
I repent my life from that moment on.
If once in this world
I should win a moment with You,
I will put both worlds under my feet
and dance forever in joy.
O Shams of Tabriz, I am so drunk in the world
that except for revelry and intoxication
I have no tale to tell.
Mevlana, Ghazal
04 Monday Feb 2013
Posted in Exploring Oneness, Lectures, Love
Peace, one and all…
A fascinating lecture on the ‘religion of love’, by Dr. Elahi Ghomshei. Enjoy and may it be of benefit to all who pass by.
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Abdur Rahman
28 Monday Jan 2013
Posted in Abu Sa`id ibn Abi al-Khayr, Adab, Exploring Oneness, Love, Qawwali
Peace, one and all…
Those given to Your love have no claims on life.
Having eyes for You only, they have long forgotten
themselves.
In the tavern where these single-minded ones drink
the whole wine cellar is emptied and no one
loses his manners
(Abu Sa`id ibn Abi al-Khayr)
11 Friday Jan 2013
Posted in Dervishood, Love, Servanthood, Texts for reflection, Yunus Emre
Peace, one and all…
For us, love is the imam; the heart is the Congregation.
Our qible is the face of the Beloved;
our prayer is continuous.
Upon seeing the Beloved’s face, polytheism was taken away.
That’s why the Holy Law was left at the door.
The heart prostrates itself in the mihrab of the Beloved.
It strikes its head upon the ground
and supplicates God.
There is no ‘time’ like the silent and fervant prayers there.
Whoever is with the Beloved;
that moment is halvet.
The Holy Law says, ‘Be sure you don’t neglect
the sitpulations of the Holy Law.’
But stipulations are for that person who is perfidious.
The breath of those who achieved mystical knowledge
is a fortunate symbol.
With it we became secure from trouble.
At that first time in time, we said, ‘Yes’.
It is still one moment,
from that time to this hour.
Five of us assembled together,
we arrived at one time;
making five one, who will worship
We do not oppose anyone’s religion;
when religion is complete,
love is true.
He who guards Truth at the Beloved’s door,
without doubt
will find divine fortune.
At that door Yunus is the lowest of servants;
this honour of service has lasted
from Eternity without Beginning to Eternity without End.
Yunus Emre, trans. Grace Martin Smith
11 Friday Jan 2013
Posted in Dervishood, Exploring Oneness, Love
Peace, one and all…
I cannot say who it is I am.
I am amazed, I am amazed!
I cannot call this self ‘myself’.
I am amazed, I am amazed!
Who is in my eyes seeing?
Who is in my heart enduring?
Who is inhaling and exhaling?
I am amazed, I am amazed!
Who is speaking with my tongue?
Who is listening with my ears?
Who is understanding with my mind?
I am amazed, I am amazed!
Who is stepping with these feet?
Who is tasting with my mouth?
Who is chewing and who swallowing?
I am amazed, I am amazed!
Who holds these riches in his hand?
Who is the one throwing them away?
Who is buying and who selling?
I am amazed, I am amazed!
Why is there life coursing below my skin?
Why are my eyes bloodshot from crying?
Why this religion, why this faith?
I am amazed, I am amazed!
O Seyyid Nizamoglu, hear this:
Everything comes from the One.
Abandon yourself to this mighty beauty.
I am amazed, I am amazed!
Seyyid Seyfullah Nizamolgu
25 Tuesday Dec 2012
Peace, one and all…
A beautiful example of flamenco music. Enjoy, and may you do and see this day be blessed.
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Abdur Rahman
23 Sunday Sep 2012
Peace, one and all…
‘God gave a life, and every day of it
has value no one knows except for Him’
Masnavi 1.2201
07 Friday Sep 2012
Posted in Light, Love, Our Spiritual Heritage, Zikr/Salawat
Peace, one and all…
I first heard this beautiful zikr about 8 or 9 years ago. It is very beautiful. Enjoy, and may all that you do this day be blessed.
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Abdur Rahman
03 Monday Sep 2012
Posted in Dervishood, Hazret-i Pir Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Love
Peace, one and all…
O You, whose gaze will answer every question,
O You who solve our problems peacefully!
Masnavi 1.97
23 Monday Jul 2012
Peace, one and all…
Human beings climb the ladder of egotism, but in the
end everyone must fall from this ladder.
The higher you climb, the more foolish you are, for
your bones will be more badly broken.
When you die to yourself and come alive through God,
in truth you have become one with God, in absolute unity
Masnavi 4.2763-2767
22 Sunday Jul 2012
Peace, one and all…
In our first readings the interconnected themes of devotion and obedience emerged very strongly. I’d like to offer a few thoughts on how these two themes might be connected, and to do that I’d like to start with a verse of the Quran. In Surah al-Baqara we find the following passage:
‘The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], “We make no distinction between any of His messengers.” And they say, “We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination’ (2:285)
In the opening sentence of this passage, we encounter the Prophet of God (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam) and his complete openness before the Divine. His devotion and obedience to God had rendered his heart capable to accepting all that the Beloved chose to reveal therein. It also rendered him fully open to all the wisdom of the prophets of old (alaihim al-salam). The following saying of the Prophet (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam) is important in this light:
‘Seek knowledge, for it is the intimate friend (khalil) of the believer. Moreover, forbearance is the minister of knowledge, intellect its guide, action its pivot, benevolent character its father, gentleness its brother, and patience is the general of its armies’ (Related by al-Hakim)
Elsewhere, the following saying is recorded:
‘Pursue knowledge even to China, for its pursuance is the sacred duty of every Muslim’ (Related by Ibn Abd al-Barr)
Although the outward details of their respective revelations differed, the same inner reality permeated all of them – a complete stillness in God’s presence. By referring to ‘the believers’ this verse also shows that this openness in God is not just the preserve of the prophets: we are all potentially capable of such a relationship, and devotion and obedience are the means of achieving it. Indeed, if the prophets represent the true spiritual potential of humanity, such openness is our human birthright.
Our verse then proceeds… ‘We make no distinction between any of His messengers’. To truly live in oneness, we must be open to whatever wisdom comes our way. We must be ready to make use of, to integrate, the collective spiritual wisdom of humankind. Moreover, though we can all be rightly proud of our respective traditions, insofar as they lead us out into His infinity, there is a sense here that the path to God requires us to be fully open. Furthermore, not only do we have to be open, we also have to rid ourselves of our common tendency to exclusivity, of saying ‘my way is better than his way’. Of course, to follow a tradition we need to believe in it as our way to God, but we also have to understand that God’s way is broader than our human minds can imagine. In other words, we have to be devoted to, and obedient to, God Himself.
The last section of this verse is particularly significant:
And they say, “We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination’
This sentence categorises the true believers as those who say: ‘we hear and we obey’, or sami`na wa a`tana in Arabic. To truly hear the voice of God within the depths of our soul, we have to be present, we have to be fully there in each new moment. In other words, hearing implies a devoted listening, a patient waiting on God, for all that He might choose to reveal within our souls. Devoted listening is a form of obedience, and the more we obey, the more we engage in conscious relationship with the Divine. This verse concludes with a prayer for forgiveness. Devoted listening and active, human obedience to the Truth are means of asking for forgiveness. The more fully we enter into a relationship with God, the deeper we come to understand our human shortcomings. A Dervish is someone who waits at His door, in each new moment and circumstance. It is no accident, therefore, that today’s Evrad-i Serif passage contains this prayer:
9. I ask God’s forgiveness for my mistakes (literally, ‘shortcomings’).
More deeply, from the perspective of oneness, our prayers for forgiveness are given to us by the Divine. In other words, devoted listening and obedience are a kind of ‘virtuous circle’ in which an ever-increasing spiritual charge can be built up. And it is this charge that Meister Eckhart goes on to examine with such subtlety. True obedience is an emptying of our will in His, a forgoing of our sense of control in the Hand of His greater working:
‘In true obedience there should be no trace of ‘I want it so, or so,’ or ‘I want this or that,’ but there should be a pure going out from what is yours’
Although we should take all of our worries and anxieties to God, just as we should take all of our hopes and joys to Him, true and complete obedience is an emptying in Him, a complete giving-over of ourselves to Him. Those who are able to give themselves so completely to God are thus enabled to stand with the Prophet (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam) and to say they have ‘believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord’
May the Beloved give us all the ability to turn to Him truly, in work and in rest, in need and in safety. Ya Rahman!
Related Posts:
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Abdur Rahman
20 Friday Jul 2012
Peace, one and all…
Our first Ramadan post starts with the opening of the Mevlevi wird (litany), known as the Evrad-i Serif. It contains a number of beautiful prayers and affirmations and is an appropriate place to begin, with its focus on the peace and love of God.
In the Name of God, the Infinitely Compassionate, the Most Merciful…
1. Our Sustainer, You are Peace and from You comes all Peace and our ultimate return is to You, to Peace.
2. O our Sustainer, continually, You enliven us with Peace.
3. Allow us to enter Your Garden, the Abode of Peace.
4. O our Sustainer, bless us with Peace.
5. With Your Peace You have exalted everything, O Lord of Majesty and Infinite Generosity. All praise and glory belongs to You.
6. Limitless are You in Your glory. We could not worship You as You truly ought to be worshipped, O You who are worshipped.
7. Subtle are You beyond all knowing. We could not know You as You truly ought to be known, O You who are the object of knowledge.
8. All praise is due to God who guides one to well-being.
9. I ask God’s forgiveness for my mistakes.
10. I bear witness that there is no god but God and that He is One and has no partner.
11. I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.
12. There is no god but God. The dominion belongs to Him. All praise is His. He gives life. He takes life. He is Ever-living and never dies. All goodness is in His hand. He has power over all things.
13. There is no god but God. All benefits are His. All blessings are His. To Him belongs the most exceptional beauty.
14. There is no god but God, the Possessor of the Most Ancient Oneness, that has no beginning and no end.
15. There is no god but God. We worship none but God with sincere devotion to Him alone despite those who deny the Truth.
16. O my Allah! No one can keep me from receiving what You bestow. No one can bestow that which You do not wish someone to receive. No one can act contrary to Your will. No one can guide to the true Way the one whom You cause to stray. No one can lead astray the one whom You have guided to the true Way. No one can change anything about which You have made Your will clear. Wealth cannot help the wealthy if Your help is not with them.
17. In the Name of God: when with whose Name one begins anything then nothing on earth or in the heavens may harm it. And He is All-Hearing and All-Knowing.
18. (I begin) in the Name of God with my self and my Way.
19. (I begin) in the Name of God with my family and all that I own.
20. (I begin) in the Name of God with whatever my Sustainer has granted to me. God is my Sustainer and never do I attribute any partner to Him.
21. God is dearer and greater than the things that I fear and are of concern to me.
22. How precious is Your protection and how great is Your uniqueness. Exalted is Your praise. How holy are Your Names. And there is no god but You.
23. O God! Surely, I seek refuge with You from the evil within myself, from the evil within others, from all tyrants, and from all obstinate oppressors,
24. and from the evil of every recalcitrant satan.
25. ’Truly, my protector is God, who sent down the Book: for it is He who takes into His protection the righteous ones’ (Quran 7:196)
26. ‘But if they turn away, say: ‘God is sufficient for me! There is no deity except Him. In Him have I placed my trust, for He is the Sustainer, in awe inspiring majesty enthroned’ (Quran 9:129)
I won’t be posting the entire Evrad-i Serif, but I will be posting passages that seem relevant, and that speak to our unfolding spiritual dialogue with Meister Eckhart.
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Abdur Rahman
20 Friday Jul 2012
Peace, one and all…
In one the verses dealing with Ramadan, the Quran makes explicit the purpose behind fasting:
‘O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become God-conscious’ (2:183)
This is a very revealing verse, for a number of reasons. Firstly, it connects the ritual fast of Ramadan with the rest of human sacred history. Although the details differ, the religious institution of fasting is probably as old as humankind itself. Fasting is thus part of our wider human heritage, and in that sense, Islamic teaching builds on the innate religiosity of the human being (expressed as ‘the primordial faith’, or din al-fitra, in other texts). Islam is thus part of a much longer sacred history.
Secondly, fasting is said to activate the quality of God-consciousness. Why? To answer this question, it is helpful to understand the word behind ‘God-conscious’, or taqwa. Taqwa is an essential Islamic concept, and derives from a root meaning ‘to guard against, preserve, shield and prevent’. It is often translated as ‘fear’, and refers to a cautious awareness of the presence of God, an awareness that shields one from actions that God would disapprove of. In other words, taqwa is a state of being, a state of vigilant awareness.
But why should fasting develop this quality so particularly? From the perspective of oneness, fasting reminds us in a direct, immediate manner that we are more than intellectual beings. We exist on many different levels – intellectual, physical, spiritual and emotional – and God-consciousness must be activated at each level to be made whole, to be made one. Fasting is thus a time for all-round awareness of ourselves in the presence of God, of all of those automatic behaviours that the normal course of life often serves to obscure.
Ramadan is thus a time of spiritual reflection. As such, during this Ramadan, I will be undertaking a comparative reading of two key spiritual texts, the Counsels on Discernment by Meister Eckhart and the Mevlevi Wird, arranged by Mevlana. As we shall hopefully see, these two works complement each other in very interesting ways, offering some important insights into spiritual growth in God. My basic plan is to post a passage from Meister Eckhart and then follow it with a passage from the Mevlevi Evrad-i Serif, before offering any insights that might emerge, insha Allah.
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Abdur Rahman
