Sometimes…

Peace, one and all…

Sometimes you will find more benefit in states of need
than you will find in fasting or ritual prayer

Ibn Ata’illah, Hikam 175

Tomorrow

Peace, one and all…

You said you’ll do the work fully tomorrow;
Who gives you the assurance of tomorrow?

Maybudi, Kashf al-Asrar, 103:1-2

Severim Ben Seni Candan İçerü

Peace, one and all…

Version 1: Latif Bolat

Version 2: Tumata

Severim ben seni candan içerü
Yolum vardır bu erkandan içerü

Şeriat, tarikat yoludur varana
Hakikat meyvası andan içerü

Beni bende demen, bende değilim
Bir ben vardır bende, benden içerü

Süleyman kuş dilin bilür dediler
Süleyman var Süleyman’dan içerü

Tecelliden nasib erdi kimine
Kiminin maksudu bundan içerü

Senin aşkın beni benden aluptur
Ne şirin derd bu dermandan içerü

Miskin Yunus gözü tuş oldu sana
Kapunda bir kuldur senden içerü

Yunus Disappeared Into This Unity

Peace, one and all…

O Beloved, what is this illness
That has no remedy?
What sort of wound is this
That no bruise appears?

My destitute heart
Is always falling in love
And not coming home.

Once in a while he returns to give advice,
But the heart in love never complains.
The one who thinks of himself
Is no lover.

In the marketplace of love,
We are what is sold.
I put myself up for sale each day But never have a buyer!

The lover pays no attention to worldly rewards,
Free of concern for earth or heaven.
The minaret announces that a lover has died –
Dying belongs to beasts, not to lovers.

O my friend, if you are wise, pursue this path.
Here everything begins and ends. The door of the mystics
Is the door of generosity.

Those who come with sincerity
Do not leave with empty hands. Yunus disappeared into this unity And there’s no way
He can even think
Of coming back.

Yunus Emre

Three Bektashi Nefeses

Peace, one and all…

I wanted to share some beautiful spiritual music (nefes) from the Bektashi tradition. Enjoy and may it be of benefit.  Jumu`ah Mubarak!

Come To The House Of The Pir

Peace, one and all…

A tent is erected
where lovers are slowly cooked –
This stopping place for love addicts
is really a rose garden if you look.

Come to the house of the Pir,
where your inner being is made tender.
It is Love’s own fires lighting his burner.

The All-Knowing One lent His own brilliance
to the lover’s torch in generosity –
so that even on Judgement Day
that torch would shine and shine.

Hey wine-bearer,
now bring us some of that love-wine.

We will kiss the feet of those drunk with love.

But keep this secret:
what we really worship
is the Beloved’s beauty –
Even the ground has ears and can give us away.

Enter the heart of the believer
and bow down there in all directions –
Within one breast, how can you tell
which direction is east or west?

O Hilmi, let the dervish in you be poor and humble.
The Friend is a constant guest
in the houses of the poor.

Hilmi Dede Baba

Stephen Hirtenstein: ‘Journeying as Unveiling’

Peace, one and all…

A beautiful exploration of spiritual journeying by Stephen Hirtenstein.  May it be of benefit.

Part One

Part Two

Be Poor Unto God With Firm Resolution

Peace, one and all…

In the Quran, we read the following words:

‘And be upright as you have been commanded…’ (11:112)

In commenting on this passage, Imam Ja`far al-Sadiq (as) said:

‘Be poor unto God with firm resolution’ (Spiritual Gems).

To know God more fully, we must strive to empty ourselves, of our thoughts, our attachments and our desires.  Until we can achieve this we remain tied to this fleeting, sensory world.  We cannot truly know fullness until we are empty in Him.  As the Imam (as) says, this takes firm resolution and commitment.  This is not an easy thing to do, nor is it an easy state to maintain.  It takes many years of hard work to arrive at such a realisation.  To reach this beautiful valley, we need to search our way through many dead-ends.  As I reflect on this verse I begin to see that true poverty necessitates an emptying of all thought of ownership.  Not only must I relinquish all thoughts of owning property, I must also relinquish ownership of my acts.  I must let go of the notion that I do anything.  As the Quran tells us, He is the only one who truly acts:

‘And Allah has created you and what you do…’ (37:96)

O Merciful One! Empty me of all thought of me! Grant me the ability to follow You in all the days of my life.

And my last prayer is in praise of God, Lord of all the worlds.

Ask olsun!
Abdur Rahman

 

Making Mercy Manifest

Peace, one and all…

In the following beautiful hadith, we find the Prophet (as) with his grandchildren:

‘The Messenger of God kissed his grandson Hasan, the son of Ali, while Aqra` bin Habis al-Tamimi was sitting nearby.  Aqra` said: ‘I have ten children and have not kissed any of them’.  The Messenger of God looked at him and said: ‘He who does not show mercy shall not be shown mercy’.’

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Adab, no. 6063, Source)

As I read this short account, I am struck by several things.  The Prophet (as) displayed his love for his grandchildren publicly.  He was not afraid to show affection in front of others, and felt no need to be harsh.  In the context of 7th century Arabia, this was a radical act, as such displays were widely felt to affect a man’s muruwwa (‘manliness’ in this context).  Even in this simple act, the Prophet (as) was subtly redefining masculinity and what it means to be a man.  We really need such teachings in our contemporary world.

Although it is vital to declare our love, to tell those we love of our feelings, it is also important to show it physically.  The Prophet (as) kisses his grandson.  In other places, the Prophet (as) places the cure for a hard heart in caressing an orphan’s head.  In other words, rahma must be embodied, to be made visibly manifest.  It is as if the earth itself were somehow in need of this affection. Our task, therefore, as God’s servants it to make mercy tangible in this domain, upon this plane of being.

Finally, mercy surrounds us.  It is inherent in each particle of creation, in each moment’s infinite potential.  Yet, to make it real, to truly know it, we have to give of ourselves first.

And praise be to God, who maketh it so.

Ask olsun!
Abdur Rahman

Magnificent Character

Peace, one and all…

‘And assuredly you possess a magnificent character’ (68:4)

‘Truly anger and harshness come from the servant’s dependence on his own strength (quwwa). However, when he gives up relying on his own strength, weakness will take up residence in his soul, and this will generate mercy and benevolence in him, which is to take on the charateristics of the Lord, may His majesty be magnified’.

Sahl ibn Abdullah al-Tustari, Tafsir al-Tustari

You Are The Water

Peace, one and all…

You are the Water, and we are all plants.
You are the King and we are all beggars.
You are the Speaker and we are all echoes.
You are the Seeker, so why do we all not come [to You]?

Mevlana, Quatrain no. 1609

Musica Andalusi: Nuba al-Istihlal

Peace, one and all…

Where Exactly Is The Devil Here?

Peace, one and all…

This instrument they call the stringed saz
Knows neither the holy book nor the judge.
Whoever plays it knows its nature.

Tell me, where exactly is the devil here?

Its strings come from Venice,
Its fingerboard is made of oak.
O shallow servant of Allah,

Tell me, where exactly is the devil here?

Whether or not you do ablutions, this saz won’t tell;
Whether or not you do your prayers, this saz won’t tell;
Unlike judges, it doesn’t know how to scheme for praise.

Tell me, where exactly is the devil here?

Is he inside the saz or outside?
Is he on the peg’s handle perhaps?
In the design or on the wooden body?

Tell me, where exactly is the devil here?

The inner chamber is just mulberry,
The frets are only animal guts.
I must ask you, even though it’s embarrassing,

Tell me, where exactly is the devil here?

This saz wears no turban, just like Dertli.
It wears no shoes on its feet either.
But that alone doesn’t put horns on its head.
Tell me, where exactly is the devil here?

Asik Dertli

Kourosh Taghavi: Contemplations with Setar

Peace, one and all…

A Spiritual Offering: Whirling Dervishes of the Istanbul Historical Turkish Music Community

Peace, one and all…

This Great Wealth

Peace, one and all…

Jesus said: ‘It is a wonder if the flesh came into existence for the spirit; but it is the greatest of wonders if the spirit came into existence for the body. But I am amazed at how this great wealth dwells in this poverty’.

The Gospel of Thomas, 29

Qadiri Zikr from Turkey

Peace, one and all…

A beautiful zikr from Turkey.

The Hand Of Every Disgraced One

Peace, one and all…

O you, whose grace takes the hand of every disgraced one.
And whose forgiveness veils every self-conceited one,
Be generous to that slave who, in all his life,
Has no other place except Your door.

Fakhruddin Iraqi

So When Will You Free Yourself?

Peace, one and all…

‘Your possessions and your children are only a test [for you]…’ (Quran 64:15)

In commenting on this verse, Sahl ibn Abdullah al-Tustari said:

‘If God gives you wealth, you busy yourselves with how to keep it, and if He does not give you wealth, you busy yourselves with seeking after it.  So, when will you free yourself for Him?’

In Wealth and In Trial

Peace, one and all…

O You who give us intimations in wealth and trial,
our hearts are unaware of Your intimations

Masnavi 6.2885

Realise!

Peace, one and all…

Realise your attributes,
and He will help you with His Attributes;
realise your lowliness
and He will help you with His Sublimity;
realise your impotence
and He will help you with His Power;
realise your weakness
and He will help you with His Might and Force.

Ibn Ata’illah, Hikam 178

Haktır Allahım Muhammed Mahım

Peace, one and all…

Version 1

Version 2

Haktır Allahım Muhammed mahım
Ali’dir şahım efendim Allah eyvallah

Fatıma Zehra Hatice Kübra
Nuri kibriya efendim Allah eyvallah

Şüpeyrü Şeper Abidin server
Bakırü Cafer efendim Allah eyvallah

Musâyi Kazım Rıza imamım
Takiyüddaim efendim Allah eyvallah

Nakidir iman Askeridir can
Mehdii devran efendim Allah eyvallah

Çehor deh masum şehidan mazlum
Cümlesi malum efendim Allah eyvallah

Aşka burhanım Sırrı Rahmanım
Derde dermanım efendim Allah…

Coleman Barks: Rumi and the Play of Poetry

Peace, one and all…

A fascinating and beautiful documentary.

Undeserved Gladness

Peace, one and all…

Beloved, what else is there,
but the giving of hope
to the lost and forlorn?

Beloved, where else is there,
but the healing light of Your face,
a home for all those in darkness?

Beloved, who else is there,
but You?
At this thought, my heart fills with gladness.

Within This Body

Peace, one and all…

Beloved, within this body
lies another body,
and within this soul,
lies another soul,
like the secret oneness of light
hidden in the warp and weft
of this beautiful universe.

Beneath this body lies another,
and another and another,
ever more subtle,
ever more real.
Each body made of light,
reaching out in all directions,
that Your love might be made manifest.

Beloved, let every body of mine
be enfolded in Your healing grace.
Clothe me in vision.
Sustain me with light.
Pour out Your wine
into these needy hands;
may these thirsty lips be ever grateful.

Not From Them, But Through Them

Peace, one and all…

‘Let the ones who have faith know and be thankful that all the good they do is not from them but through them. Success comes from the Creator. When they err, let them know that their mistakes and their sins belong to them, that they may repent. Wrong comes from the unjustified ambitions of their egos’.

Hz. Abdal Qadir Jilani, The Secret of Secrets, Chapter 11

I find this passage very comforting. Firstly, as I am finding in the context of my own life, it is vitally important to understand why and how my unhelpful behaviours manifest themselves. Secondly, remembering that my wrongdoings are my own is the only way I have found of remaining relatively sane and normal. Thirdly, that our good actions come through us and not from us makes me realise that He is always there, He is always with me. He allows me to make mistakes that I might repent for them, and draw closer to Him. He allows me to do some good, that I might not lose hope. And in this place of creative tension, the story of my life unfolds!

My Mercy Encompasses All Things

 

Peace, one and all…

‘My mercy encompasses all things’ (Quran 7:156)

Dhikr: Ya Latifu, Ya Hafidhu, Ya Mugheethu, Ya Allah

Peace, one and all…

A beautiful dhikr from North Africa.