Monday, June 27, 2011

On the Union:When Awe Hides You, Longing Brings You Near



بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

A quatrain transmitted in early Sufi literature; attributed in some sources to al-Junayd and in others to al-Ḥallāj:


وَتَحَقَّقْتُكَ فِي سِرِّي فَنَاجَاكَ لِسَانِي
فَاجْتَمَعْنَا لِمَعَانِي وَافْتَرَقْنَا لِمَعَانِي
إِنْ يَكُنْ غَيَّبَكَ التَّعْظِيمُ عَنْ لَحْظِ عِيَانِي
فَقَدْ صَيَّرَكَ الْوَجْدُ مِنَ الْأَحْشَاءِ دَانِي 

 

I found your reality in my innermost secret, and my tongue whispered to you in intimate confidence.
So we came together for certain meanings, and we separated for certain meanings.
If reverence has kept you hidden from the glance of my outward, visible sight,
still longing—ecstatic love—has drawn you near from the very depths within me.
 

In  al-Khaṭīb’s Tārīkh Baghdād, which states al-Ḥallāj recited it as his own.
But because al-Qushayrī quotes it as al-Junayd’s, it remains a known attribution split in the received tradition.

Al-Qushayrī’s al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya (in the discussion of al-jamʿ wa’l-farq / “gathering and separation”): it’s introduced explicitly as “recited for al-Junayd” (للجنيد رحمه الله).

Ibn Kathīr’s al-Bidāya wa’l-Nihāya (biography of al-Ḥallāj, year 309 AH): Ibn Kathīr includes these lines among al-Ḥallāj’s poetry (“وله أيضًا …”)

Al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī’s Tārīkh Baghdād: he transmits it with an explicit report stating it was recited by al-Ḥusayn b. Manṣūr al-Ḥallāj “for himself” in Basra (أنشدني … لنفسه بالبصرة), i.e., a direct attribution in the biographical isnād style.

Al-Sulamī’s Ḥaqāʾiq al-Tafsīr (under Q 56:85): the verses are quoted anonymously (“كما قال بعضهم”), without naming an author.

 

 

In the words of Bu Ali Shah Qalandar Panipati (R.A):



 مَنَم مَحْوِ خَیالِ او نَمی‌دانَم کُجا رَفْتَم

شُدَم غَرْقِ وِصالِ او نَمی‌دانَم کُجا رَفْتَم   

I am lost in my beloved’s thought—I do not know where I have gone.
I am drowned in the ecstasy of union—I do not know where I have gone.

 

غُلامِ رُوئے او بودَم اَسیرِ مُوئے او بودَم

غُبارِ کُوئے او بودَم نَمی‌دانَم کُجا رَفْتَم 

I was the servant of that radiant face, the captive of those tresses;
I was the dust of that lane—I do not know where I have gone.

بِہ عام آشنا گَشْتَم زِ جان و دِل فِدا گَشْتَم

فَنا گَشْتَم فَنا گَشْتَم نَمی‌دانَم کُجا رَفْتَم   
Known everywhere among people, I offered up my heart and soul;
I became annihilated—annihilated—I do not know where I have gone.

 قَلَنْدَر بُو عَلِی ہَسْتَم بِنامِ دُوست سَرمَسْتَم

دِل اَنْدَر عِشْقِ او بَسْتَم نَمی‌دانَم کُجا رَفْتَم 

I am Bu ʿAlī the qalandar; by the Friend’s name I am intoxicated;
My heart is bound in His love—I do not know where I have gone.


Shaykh Sharaf Ad Din Bu Ali Shah Qalandar Panipati

شَیخ شَرَفُ الدِّین بُو عَلِی شَاہ قَلَنْدَر پانی پَتی 

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Na Man Behooda


بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

This short poem is often attributed to Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (Persian: جلال‌الدین محمّد رومی)(30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273), widely known as Mevlānā (مولانا) and in the West as Rumi (رومی). He was a 13th‑century poet, jurist, theologian, and Sufi mystic. The poem’s provenance, however, is uncertain.

In my view, the poem seems to echo a well-known description of taṣawwuf attributed to Junayd al-Baghdādī (may Allah be pleased with him), where the path is summed up through prophetic qualities—among them the ghurbat (the condition of being a “stranger,” an exile) associated with Prophet Yaḥyā (peace and blessings be upon him):

نَه مَن بِیهُوده گِردِ کُوچه و بازار مِی‌گَردَم

Na man bīhūde gird-e kūche o bāzār mī-gardam
I do not wander in vain through alley and bazaar—I roam.

مَذاقِ عاشِقی دارَم پِیِ دیدار مِی‌گَردَم

Mazāq-e ʿāshiqī dāram, pey-e dīdār mī-gardam
I carry the taste of love; in search of a glimpse, I roam.

خُدایا رَحم کُن بَر مَن پَریشان‌وار مِی‌گَردَم
Khudāyā, raḥm kon bar man—parīshān-vār mī-gardam
O God, have mercy on me—distraught and scattered, I roam.

خَطاکارَم گُناهکارَم بِه حالِ زار مِی‌گَردَم
Khatā-kāram, gonāh-kāram; be hāl-e zār mī-gardam
I am at fault, I am sinful; in this wretched state, I roam.

شَرابِ شُوق مِی‌نوشَم بِه گِردِ یار مِی‌گَردَم
Sharāb-e showq mī-nūsham; be gird-e yār mī-gardam
I drink the wine of longing; around the Friend, I roam.


سُخَن مَستانه مِی‌گویم وَلِی هُوشیار مِی‌گَردَم
Sokhan mastāne mī-gūyam, valī hushyār mī-gardam
I speak with drunken rapture, yet clear‑minded, I roam.

گَهی خَندَم گَهی گِریَم گَهی اُفتَم گَهی خیزَم 
Gahī khandam, gahī geryam; gahī oftam, gahī khīzam
At times I laugh, at times I weep; at times I fall, at times I rise.

مَسیحا دَر دِلَم پَیدا و مَن بِیمار مِی‌گَردَم
Masīhā dar delam peydā, o man bīmār mī-gardam
The Messiah appears within my heart—and still, like the sick, I roam.

بِیا جانا عِنایت کُن تو مولانایِ رومی را
Biyā jānā, ʿināyat kon to Mevlānā-ye Rūmī rā
Come, beloved—show your grace to Maulana Rumi.

غُلامِ شَمسِ تَبریزَم قَلَندَروار مِی‌گَردَم
Gholām-e Shams-e Tabrīzam; qalandar-vār mī-gardam
I am a servant of Shams of Tabriz; like a qalandar (a wandering dervish), I roam.



Saturday, June 11, 2011

Junaid's Take on Tasawwuf


بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ


Hazrat Junaid ibn Muhammad Abu al-Qasim al-Khazzaz al-Baghdadi (May Allah Be Pleased with Him) (830-910 AD) was one of the great early Persian Muslim Sufis and is a central figure in the golden chain of many Sufi orders. He laid the groundwork for sober mysticism in contrast to that of God-intoxicated Sufis like al-Hallaj, Bayazid Bastami and Abusaeid Abolkheir. The following statement of his is recorded in the "Kashf Al Mahjub", by Abul Hassan Ali Ibn Usman al-Jullabi al-Hajvery al-Ghaznawi (May Allah Be Pleased with Him):

 


ٱلتَّصَوُّفُ مَبْنِيٌّ عَلَى ثَمَانِيِ خِصَالٍ:
ٱلسَّخَاءِ، وَٱلرِّضَاءِ، وَٱلصَّبْرِ، وَالإِشَارَةِ، وَٱلْغُرْبَةِ، وَلُبْسِ ٱلصُّوفِ، وَٱلسِّيَاحَةِ، وَٱلْفَقْرِ.

أَمَّا ٱلسَّخَاءُ فَلِإِبْرَاهِيمَ،
وَأَمَّا ٱلرِّضَاءُ فَلِإِسْحَاقَ،
وَأَمَّا ٱلصَّبْرُ فَلِأَيُّوبَ،
وَأَمَّا الإِشَارَةُ فَلِزَكَرِيَّا،
وَأَمَّا ٱلْغُرْبَةُ فَلِيَحْيَى،
وَأَمَّا لُبْسُ ٱلصُّوفِ فَلِمُوسَى،
وَأَمَّا ٱلسِّيَاحَةُ فَلِعِيسَى،
وَأَمَّا ٱلْفَقْرُ فَلِمُحَمَّدٍ.

صَلَوَاتُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمْ أَجْمَعِينَ.




 
 
Tasawwuf is founded on eight qualities, generosity, acquiescence, patience, symbolism, traveling(strange hood), woolen dress, pilgrimage hood and faqr (poverty).

  • the generosity of Abraham (may blessings of Allah be on him), who offered his son for sacrifice;
  • the acquiescence of Ishaq (may blessings of Allah be on him), who submitted to the command of Allah to give up his life
  • the patience of Ayub (may blessings of Allah be on him),who patiently endured the affliction of worms and the jealousy of the Merciful;
  • the symbolism of Zakarriya (may blessings of Allah beon him), to whom Allah said,“thou shalt speak to no man for three days but with signal.” (Q3:41) and again to the same effect, “Behold! He cried to his Lord in secret.” (Q 19:3):
  • the traveling (strange hood) of Yahya (may blessings of Allah be on him), who was a stranger in his own country and an alien to his own kin;
  • the wearing of wool by Moses (may blessings of Allah be on him), who wore woolen garment throughout;
  • the pilgrimage hood of Jesus (may blessings of Allah be on him), who was so detached therein from worldly things that he kept only a cup and a comb. He threw away his cup when he saw a man drinking water through use of palms of his hands, and the comb likewise when he saw another man using his fingers to dress his hair;
  • the poverty of Muhammad (peace be upon him), to whom Allah Almighty had given the keys of all the worldly treasures saying: “Lay no trouble on you, but procure every luxury by means of these treasures;” and he answered: “Lord, I desire them not, keep me one day full-fed and one day hungry.”



Sunday, June 5, 2011

Acronym : Tasawwuf


بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
 
لَفْظُ كَلِمَةِ التَّصَوُّفِ أَرْبَعَةُ أَحْرُفٍ:
فَالتَّاءُ: مِنَ التَّوْبَةِ
وَالصَّادُ: مِنَ الصَّفَاءِ
وَالْوَاوُ: مِنَ الْوَلَايَةِ
وَالْفَاءُ: مِنَ الْفَنَاءِ.

The very utterance of the word taṣawwuf (Sufism) is made up of four letters:
The tāʾ: from tawbah, repentance
The ṣād: from safa, purity of heart
The wāw: from wilayah, spiritual guardianship—nearness to God and His care. The sanctity of the lovers and friends of Allah
The fāʾ: from fana, self-effacement, the annihilation of ego into the nothingness.

from 'The Secret of Secrets' by Hadhrat Abdul Qadir Jilani (May Allah be pleased with him).

A word of caution about Tasawwuf (Sufism).



بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
 
 
أبي الحسن البوشنجي علي بن أحمد
 
ٱلتَّصَوُّفُ ٱلْيَوْمَ
ٱسْمٌ بِلَا حَقِيقَةٍ
وَقَدْ كَانَ مِنْ قَبْلُ
حَقِيقَةً بِلَا ٱسْمٍ

More than a thousand years ago, a teacher called Abu 'l-Hasan 'Ali b. Ahmad b. Sahl al-Bushanji (died in 348 H), who hailed from the town of Bushanj in eastern Persia, complained that few people had any idea of what "Sufism" was all about. "Today," he said, "Sufism is a name without a reality, but it used to be a reality without a name." A profound quote,reflecting the unfortunate situation even to this day.

Sufism was never a separate sect of Islam. It was mainstream Islam, without any labels associated with it. However due to the prevalent political (and hence religious) situation of the time, Sufism started to become a distinct approach towards Islam in "spirit", as opposed to "form".

In most original and authentic Islamic sources, the concept of Tasawwuf is connected with an extensive range of methodologies aiming to achieve human perfection by closely following the model of the prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wasallam).

Keeping this in mind, it is imperative to understand that Sufism cannot contravene principles of the Qur'an, and way of the Beloved Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasallam). Any Sufi practices that deviate from the essence of Islam, no matter how well intentioned, can and do lead to misguidance.

This is a screen capture from one of my presentations:

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Sarmaya e Iman



بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

The name "Sarmaya e Iman" (سرمایه ایمان ) is a Persian phrase which roughly translates as "Capital/Investment of Iman (Faith)".


In a poem by Maulana (Mevlana) Rumi, the expression goes like this:

يادِ‌ اُو سرمايۀ ايمان‌ بود 
 
هر گدا از يادِ‌ اُو سلطان بود


His Remembrance is the foundation/capital of faith.
Beggars are transformed into kings due to His remembrance.

Profile Picture

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
The profile picture is a calligraphic rendering of a the quote:
 أَلاَ بِذِكْرِ اللّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ

 which means,
"Verily, (only) in the remembrance of God do hearts find peace"

which is part of the following verse of Al-Qur'an (Ar-R'ad, 13:28):
 


  الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ اللّهِ أَلاَ بِذِكْرِ اللّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ
 

 "those who believe, and whose hearts find their peace in the remembrance of God - for, verily, in the remembrance of God do hearts find peace"