"Merengue Mix" Disfrutalo Y Feliz Año Nuevo!

Merengue Mix

Disfrutalo Y Feliz Año Nuevo!

"To God we belong and to Him we shall return", a Poem by Rumi

"To God We Belong and to Him We Shall Return"

By Rumi

This is one of my favorites poems of Rumi. In this short but deeply spiritual and meaningful poem, Rumi cleverly explains the core belief of Sufism and Islamic teaching that this material life we're living in is nothing but a transitory experience to the Everlasting life, and simply a bridge to reaching eternal union with The Real in the Hereafter. He also teaches us that God is the Giver and Taker of life, therefore, Rumi beautifully uses the Quranic passage of "To God we belong and to Him we shall return." -[ Quran 2:156]- as the foundation base of his following poem. I hope my translation can capture Rumi's intended Sufi mystical messages and teachings.

ما ز بالاییم و بالا می رویم
       ما ز دریاییم و دریا می رویم
ما از آن جا و از این جا نیستیم
ما ز بی‌جاییم و بی‌جا می رویم
 خوانده‌ای انا الیه راجعون
تا بدانی که کجاها می رویم
 کشتی نوحیم در طوفان روح
 لاجرم بی‌دست و بی‌پا می رویم
همچو موج از خود برآوردیم سر
       باز هم در خود تماشا می رویم
اختر ما نیست در دور قمر
لاجرم فوق ثریا میرویم
 ای سخن خاموش کن با ما میا
بین که ما از رشک بی‌ما می رویم

The upper realm is where we belong
So we're heading upward.
The sea is where we belong
So we're heading to the sea.
Here or there we're not from
Nowhereness is where we belong
So we're heading to nowhere!
You've already read:
"To God we belong and to Him we shall return."
So you should already know
where we're actually heading to.
We're the Ark of Noah
riding the storm of the soul
inevitably,
without any anguish or worries we sail.
We're like a tidal wave
holding on to our heads
Yet again,
we simply watch ourselves watching.
Our star doesn't circle around the moon
Inevitably,
above the Pleiades is where we roam.
Be silent and don't join us
watch that out of self jealousy
We're leaving without our selves!
Rumi

It's New Year, a Poem by Rumi

"It's New Year"
By Rumi
Translated by ?

"New Year, the only fair judge
Walks in the courtroom
And several December thieves steal away.
Last year’s miracles will soon be forgotten.
New creatures whirl in from non-existence
Galaxies scattered around their feet.
A feast is set.
It's New Year.

Listen: the wind is pouring wine!
Love used to hide inside images: no more!
The orchard hangs out its lanterns.
The dead come stumbling by in shrouds.
Nothing can stay bound or be imprisoned.
Lovers' wine is endless,
Keep on pouring it forever.
It's New Year.

This dust bowl becomes a garden;
The proclamation of heaven has come,
The bird of the soul rises in flight.
The sea becomes full of pearls,
The salt marsh becomes sweet as sugar,
The stone becomes a ruby from the mine,
And the body becomes wholly soul.
It's New Year."
Rumi.

Queen of Sufi Qawwali Music, Abida Parveen

Abida Parveen

"The purpose of music, considered in relation to God, is to arouse longing for God, and passionate love for Him, and to produce states in which God reveals Himself and His favor, which are beyond description and known only by experience. These states are called ecstasy." Al-Ghazali, 10th Century Mystic.

"The gift to sing is God-given and does not distinguish between male and female. At the shrine, both men and women have equal access. They both have the right to sing and enjoy the experience of reading (spiritual) poetry." Abida Parveen.

Solid Rock Band From Pakistan: Meekal Hasan Band

Mekaal Hasan Band Official Web Site

The Mekaal Hasan Band is a jazz/rock fusion band from Pakistan, playing a unique style of music which draws from eastern and western influences to create a blend of sounds deeply rooted in eastern classical styles and a jazz-rock feel reminiscent of the 70’s. This is the side of the great and proud nation of Pakistan, the artistically rich, and generously blessed with outstanding musical talents, that you'll not see in CNN & definitely not in prime time FOX News!

Meekal Hasan Band-Live Performance

Meekal Hasan Band-Rock & Classical fusion

Meekal Hasan Band-Ya Ali Meekal Hasan Band-Yar man Bya-یار من بیا  (in Persian/Farsi)

Persian Sufi Music In a Hindu Temple - Davod Azad

Davod Azad Officail Web Site

Davod Azad is a renowned Persian singer of Azeri descent and a prominent master of Persian classical music. He is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, and one of the most respected modern artists of the Persian Sufi music. In the following clip, he's performing at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas.

Davod Azad- Hu Ali Madad

For more on Davod Azad, please see my previous post Rumi & Bach, Davod Azad

Christ and Christianity in Persian Poetry

Christ and Christianity in Persian Poetry

 By Bishop Hassan Dehqani Tafti - اسقف حسن دهقانی تفتی 
The first Persian Anglican Bishop 

The following article is Courtesy of Farsinet.com (one of the best researched and truly detailed Persian Christian sites. Here is another very interesting article by above site Farsi Christian Hymns and Poetry-سرودهاى مسيحى فارسى---You can also read excerpts from Bishop Tafti's excellent book Christian Accents In The Persian Poets(in Persian/Farsi).

Christ and Christianity in Persian Poetry' is a very vast subject, covering almost the whole history of Iran with its relationship with Christianity. According to the Book of Acts of the Apostles, there were Parthians and Medes present in Jeruslem when Christianity started. By the 2nd century, Christianity was well-established in Iran. About 20 bishoprics were established about the 3rd century, and the Church in Iran even sent missionaries of its own to distant countries of the Far East, such as China.

Professor Girshman has discovered the ruins of an ancient monastery belonging to the 2nd and 3rd centuries, on Kharg Islands, revealing the fact of the existence of Christians in that area.

The relationship between Christianity and Iran throughout its history is a fascinating subject, and is beyond the scope of this talk. It is sufficient to say that there is hardly any period in the long history of Iran when one can say Christianity was non-existent at that time. Of course, Persian poets got most of their information about Christianity from the Quran and Muslim sources, but the existence of Christians in Iran was also influential in this way.

Collecting poems about Christ and Christianity from among Persians poets is of great interest, particularly to Persian Christians. One of the pioneers in this field is Revd. Norman Sharp, lover of Persian Poetry and Persian art. About 50 years ago he produced a small Anthology in Persian called "Golchin-i-Massihi". He was a great help to me in translating some of the poems I am going to quote.

I have divided the subject into three main-parts:

1. Classical Poets from Ferdowsi onwards.
   Classical poetry can itself be divided into two groups:
   1. An awareness of Christian thought in Persian Poetry
   2. Classical poets who actually mention the name of Jesus
2. Modern Poets.
3. Christian Poets today.

Jesus and Virgin Mary in Islam (Interfaith Dialogue by Noor Saadeh)

Noor Saadeh

"Noor Saadeh is the co-founder and co-creator of Noorart [The largest provider for Islamic and Arabic educational materials in North America]. Formerly, she held a prestigious position as a classical musician, performing at the height of the classical music scene in New York and abroad. After becoming Muslim, she channeled her energies and talent toward working with children in Islamic schools throughout the US. She put her artistic background to good use, lively narrating Qur'anic stories and Islamizing popular children's songs in addition to writing her own. Noor's professional abilities coupled with her enthusiasm and sincerity for Islam quickly captured the hearts of Muslim children.. Noor Saadeh is also a member of Muslimah Writers Alliance. In the following clips, she discusses the role of Jesus and Mary in Islam. "

Jesus and Mary in Islam-Part1

Jesus and Mary in Islam-Part2 Jesus and Mary in Islam-Part3 Jesus and Mary in Islam-Part4 Jesus and Mary in Islam-Part5

"Jesus On a Lean Donkey", a Poem by Rumi

Jesus On a Lean Donkey
By Rumi
Translated by Coleman Barks

Jesus on the lean donkey,
this is an emblem of how the rational intellect
should control the animal-soul.

Let your spirit
be strong like Jesus.
If that part becomes weak,
then the worn-our donkey grows to a dragon

Be grateful when what seems unkind
comes from a wise person.

Once, a holy man,
riding his donkey, saw a snake crawling into
a sleeping man’s mouth! He hurried, but he couldn’t
prevent it. He hit the man several blows with his club.

The man woke terrified and ran beneath an apple tree
With many rotten apples on the ground.

“Eat!
You miserable wretch! Eat.”

“Why are you doing this to me?”
“Eat more, you fool.”
“I’ve never seen you before!
Who are you? Do you have some inner quarrel with my soul?”

The wise man kept forcing him to eat, and then he ran him.
For hours he whipped the poor man and made him run.
Finally, at nightfall, full of rotten apples,
fatigued, bleeding, he fell
and vomited everything,
the good and the bad, the apples and the snake.

When he saw that ugly snake
Come out of himself, he fell on his knees
before his assailant.
“Are you Gabriel? Are you God?
I bless the moment you first noticed me. I was dead
and didn’t know it. You’ve given me a new life.
Everything I’ve said to you was stupid!
I didn’t know”
“If I had explained what I was doing,
you might have panicked and died of fear.

Muhammad said,
‘If I described the enemy that lives
Inside men, even the most courageous would be paralyzed. No one
would go out, or do any work. No one would pray or fast,
and all power to change would fade
from human beings’
so I kept quiet
while I was beating you, that like David
I might shape iron, so that, impossibly,
I might put feathers back into a bird’s wing.

God’s silence is necessary, because of humankind’s
faintheartedness. If I had told you about the snake,
you wouldn’t have been able to eat, and if
you hadn’t eaten, you wouldn’t have vomited.

I saw your condition and drove my donkey hard
into the middle of it, saying always under my breath,
‘Lord, make it easy on him.’ I wasn’t permitted
to tell you, and I wasn’t permitted to stop beating you!”

The healed man, still kneeling,
“I have no way to thank you for the quickness
of your wisdom and the strength of your guidance.
God will thank you.”

The Essential Rumi – translated by Coleman Barks – Page 202-203.

Here is Rumi's above poem in its original Persian/Farsi version: 

دفتر دوم مثنوی معنوی -
رنجانیدن امیری خفته‌ای را کی مار در دهانش رفته بود

عاقلی بر اسپ می‌آمد سوار
در دهان خفته‌ای می‌رفت مار
آن سوار آن را بدید و می‌شتافت
تا رماند مار را فرصت نیافت
چونک از عقلش فراوان بد مدد
چند دبوسی قوی بر خفته زد
برد او را زخم آن دبوس سخت
زو گریزان تا بزیر یک درخت
سیب پوسیده بسی بد ریخته
گفت ازین خور ای بدرد آویخته
سیب چندان مر ورا در خورد داد
کز دهانش باز بیرون می‌فتاد
بانگ می‌زد کای امیر آخر چرا
قصد من کردی تو نادیده جفا
گر تر از اصلست با جانم ستیز
تیغ زن یکبارگی خونم بریز
شوم ساعت که شدم بر تو پدید
ای خنک آن را که روی تو ندید
بی جنایت بی گنه بی بیش و کم
ملحدان جایز ندارند این ستم
می‌جهد خون از دهانم با سخن
ای خدا آخر مکافاتش تو کن
هر زمان می‌گفت او نفرین نو
اوش می‌زد کاندرین صحرا بدو
زخم دبوس و سوار همچو باد
می‌دوید و باز در رو می‌فتاد
ممتلی و خوابناک و سست بد
پا و رویش صد هزاران زخم شد
تا شبانگه می‌کشید و می‌گشاد
تا ز صفرا قی شدن بر وی فتاد
زو بر آمد خورده‌ها زشت و نکو
مار با آن خورده بیرون جست ازو
چون بدید از خود برون آن مار را
سجده آورد آن نکوکردار را
سهم آن مار سیاه زشت زفت
چون بدید آن دردها از وی برفت
گفت خود تو جبرئیل رحمتی
یا خدایی که ولی نعمتی
ای مبارک ساعتی که دیدیم
مرده بودم جان نو بخشیدیم
تو مرا جویان مثال مادران
من گریزان از تو مانند خران
خر گریزد از خداوند از خری
صاحبش در پی ز نیکو گوهری
نه از پی سود و زیان می‌جویدش
لیک تا گرگش ندرد یا ددش
ای خنک آن را که بیند روی تو
یا در افتد ناگهان در کوی تو
ای روان پاک بستوده ترا
چند گفتم ژاژ و بیهوده ترا
ای خداوند و شهنشاه و امیر
من نگفتم جهل من گفت آن مگیر
شمه‌ای زین حال اگر دانستمی
گفتن بیهوده کی توانستمی
بس ثنایت گفتمی ای خوش خصال
گر مرا یک رمز می‌گفتی ز حال
لیک خامش کرده می‌آشوفتی
خامشانه بر سرم می‌کوفتی
شد سرم کالیوه عقل از سر بجست
خاصه این سر را که مغزش کمترست
عفو کن ای خوب‌روی خوب‌کار
آنچ گفتم از جنون اندر گذار
گفت اگر من گفتمی رمزی از آن
زهره‌ی تو آب گشتی آن زمان
گر ترا من گفتمی اوصاف مار
ترس از جانت بر آوردی دمار
مصطفی فرمود اگر گویم براست
شرح آن دشمن که در جان شماست
زهره‌های پردلان هم بر درد
نی رود ره نی غم کاری خورد
نه دلش را تاب ماند در نیاز
نه تنش را قوت روزه و نماز
همچو موشی پیش گربه لا شود
همچو بره پیش گرگ از جا رود
اندرو نه حیله ماند نه روش
پس کنم ناگفته‌تان من پرورش
همچو بوبکر ربابی تن زنم
دست چون داود در آهن زنم
تا محال از دست من حالی شود
مرغ پر بر کنده را بالی شود
چون یدالله فوق ایدیهم بود
دست ما را دست خود فرمود احد
پس مرا دست دراز آمد یقین
بر گذشته ز آسمان هفتمین
دست من بنمود بر گردون هنر
مقریا بر خوان که انشق القمر
این صفت هم بهر ضعف عقلهاست
با ضعیفان شرح قدرت کی رواست
خود بدانی چون بر آری سر ز خواب
ختم شد والله اعلم بالصواب
مر ترا نه قوت خوردن بدی
نه ره و پروای قی کردن بدی
می‌شنیدم فحش و خر می‌راندم
رب یسر زیر لب می‌خواندم
از سبب گفتن مرا دستور نی
ترک تو گفتن مرا مقدور نی
هر زمان می‌گفتم از درد درون
اهد قومی انهم لا یعلمون
سجده‌ها می‌کرد آن رسته ز رنج
کای سعادت ای مرا اقبال و گنج
از خدا یابی جزاها ای شریف
قوت شکرت ندارد این ضعیف
شکر حق گوید ترا ای پیشوا
آن لب و چانه ندارم و آن نوا
دشمنی عاقلان زین سان بود
زهر ایشان ابتهاج جان بود
دوستی ابله بود رنج و ضلال
این حکایت بشنو از بهر مثال

"What Jesus Runs Away From", a Poem by Rumi

What Jesus Runs Away Fromby Rumi

On the occasion of the upcoming celebrations of Jesus' miraculous birth, I'd like to share, as a comparative poetic analysis, my 'Word for word/literal', and also the great American scholar of Rumi, Coleman Bark's translation of the same poem below. If you're a Farsi-speaker who speaks English, notice how so entirely different Professor Barks' translation reads. Starting from the title of the poem itself, Coleman Barks translates the title as: "What Jesus Runs Away From", but Rumi's complete original Persian title of the poem in his Masnavi reads: "The tale of Jesus, 'Peace be upon him', running away to the mountain from the fools".

As you will notice below, due to not speaking Persian, Professor Barks has cleverly decided to simply grasp the depth and meaning of Rumi's poems, as opposed to its 'word for word' translations. Professor Bark's controversial method has infuriated Persian speaking scholars who accuse him of twisting and corrupting Rumi's original words, in order to make them more appealing to American audience which has ultimately led to the so called 'Americanization of Rumi'. In my humble opinion, despite not speaking Persian, Professor Bark's translations are of enormous poetic beauty and contain genuine manifestations of Rumi's longing for shams, and the spontaneous outpouring of poetry. I'm of strong convictions that if Rumi were alive today, he would have initiated Coleman Barks as his most trusted disciple along the lines of Zarkob and Chalabi!

قصه گریختن عیسی علیه السلام فراز کوه از احمقان
دفتر سوم مثنوی معنوی _مولانا جلال الدین بلخی

عیسی مریم به کوهی می‌گریخت
شیرگویی خون او می‌خواست ریخت
آن یکی در پی دوید و گفت خیر
در پیت کس نیست چه گریزی چو طیر
با شتاب او آنچنان می‌تاخت جفت
کز شتاب خود جواب او نگفت
یک دو میدان در پی عیسی براند
پس بجد جد عیسی را بخواند
کز پی مرضات حق یک لحظه بیست
که مرا اندر گریزت مشکلیست
از کی این سو می‌گریزی ای کریم
نه پیت شیر و نه خصم و خوف و بیم
گفت از احمق گریزانم برو
می‌رهانم خویش را بندم مشو
گفت آخر آن مسیحا نه توی
که شود کور و کر از تو مستوی
گفت آری گفت آن شه نیستی
که فسون غیب را ماویستی
چون بخوانی آن فسون بر مرده‌ای
برجهد چون شیر صید آورده‌ای
گفت آری آن منم گفتا که تو
نه ز گل مرغان کنی ای خوب‌رو
گفت آری گفت پس ای روح پاک
هرچه خواهی می‌کنی از کیست باک
با چنین برهان که باشد در جهان
که نباشد مر ترا از بندگان
گفت عیسی که به ذات پاک حق
مبدع تن خالق جان در سبق
حرمت ذات و صفات پاک او
که بود گردون گریبان‌چاک او
کان فسون و اسم اعظم را که من
بر کر و بر کور خواندم شد حسن
بر که سنگین بخواندم شد شکاف
خرقه را بدرید بر خود تا بناف
برتن مرده بخواندم گشت حی
بر سر لاشی بخواندم گشت شی
خواندم آن را بر دل احمق بود
صد هزاران بار و درمانی نشد
سنگ خارا گشت و زان خو بر نگشت
ریگ شد کز وی نروید هیچ کشت
گفت حکمت چیست کنجا اسم حق
سود کرد اینجا نبود آن را سبق
آن همان رنجست و این رنجی چرا
او نشد این را و آن را شد دوا
گفت رنج احمقی قهر خداست
رنج و کوری نیست قهر آن ابتلاست
ابتلا رنجیست کان رحم آورد
احمقی رنجیست کان زخم آورد
آنچ داغ اوست مهر او کرده است
چاره‌ای بر وی نیارد برد دست
ز احمقان بگریز چون عیسی گریخت
صحبت احمق بسی خونها که ریخت
اندک اندک آب را دزدد هوا
دین چنین دزدد هم احمق از شما
گرمیت را دزدد و سردی دهد
همچو آن کو زیر کون سنگی نهد
آن گریز عیسی نه از بیم بود
آمنست او آن پی تعلیم بود
زمهریر ار پر کند آفاق را
چه غم آن خورشید با اشراق را

Here is my 'Word by word' or literal translation of first few verses of the above poem in comparison to Professor Bark's version making style of translation which follows:

Story of Jesus "Peace be upon him" running away to the mountain from the fools
By Rumi - Masnavi, Book # 3



Jesus son of Mary
was running away so fast towards a mountain
as if a lion would shed his blood.
Someone ran after him and said:
Stop running, there is no one chasing you,
why are you running away like a bird?
Jesus said nothing and kept on running fast.
Across two more fields,
as he couldn't get a response from Jesus,
the man reached Jesus and pleaded to him and his ancestors:

For God's sake, stop for a second!
It is hard for me to understand why you're running away.
Who are you running away from
O noble one,
If there is neither a lion,
nor an enemy, nor fear, nor danger
chasing after you?
Jesus responded:
I'm running away from the fools,
I'm saving myself from the ignorant ones,
don't block my way...

"What Jesus Runs Away From"

By Rumi
Translation by Coleman Barks
form 'The Essential Rumi'


The son of Mary, Jesus,
hurries up a slope
as though a wild animal
were chasing him.
Someone following him asks,
'Where are you going?
No one is after you.'
Jesus keeps on,
saying nothing,
across two more fields.
'Are you the one who says
words over a dead person,
so that he wakes up?’
"I am."
'Did you not make the clay birds fly?'
"Yes."
'Who then could possibly cause you to run like this?'
Jesus slows his pace.
"I say the Great Name over the deaf and the blind,
they are healed. Over a stony mountainside,
and it tears its mantle down to the navel.
Over non-existence, it comes into existence.
But when I speak lovingly for hours, for days,
with those who take human warmth
and mock it, when I say the Name to them, nothing
happens. They remain rock, or turn to sand,
where no plants can grow. Other diseases are ways
for mercy to enter, but this non-responding
breeds violence and coldness toward God.
I am fleeing from that."
As little by little air steals water, so praise
Is dried up and evaporates with foolish people
who refuse to change. Like cold stone you sit on,
a cynic steals body heat. He doesn't feel the sun.
Jesus wasn't running from actual people.
He was teaching in a new way.

Rumi's "Listen to the reed" by Young Afghan-American Artist, Humayun Khan

Young Afghan-American artist, Humayun Khan

"Originally from Afghanistan, Humayun’s family moved to Washington, DC, following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1980. Humayun grew up in a culturally-oriented family, an atmosphere rich with traditional music and literature. He began studying Indian classical music from Shuba Sankaran in 1990, and after receiving an Apprenticeship Grant from the DC Commission of the Arts and Humanities, extended his vocal music studies with her until 1992. He then traveled to Calcutta, India to began formal training in classical vocal music under Ustad Vilayat Khan, considered to be the most influential sitarist of his generation. Vilayat Khan is credited with the introduction of the gayaki (vocal) style into instrumental music, which brought to the sitar the subtleties and expressiveness of the classical vocal tradition. In 1995, Humayun began receiving additional guidance from the senior Pakistani artist, Ustad Fateh Ali Khan. developing his own versatile performance style, ranging from purely classical khayal renditions to a classically oriented presentation of the poetry of great Persian masters, Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi and Hafiz.

With his unique style and mastery of qawwali music, Humayn has graced the stages of the Asilah International Festival in Morocco, the Library of Congress in the Neptune Plaza Series and the Freer Gallery of Art at the Smithsonian Institute with PROBE as well as the Rumi Festival in Chapel Hill, NC, to mention a few. No stranger to the Kennedy Center, where he has performed numerous times, he is perhaps, most well reputed for his series of Concerts for Peace following the horrors of September 11th. He has provided instrumental accompaniment for live performances in Eastern Europe with both Ustad Vilayat Khan and Ustad Zakir Husain, and CD recordings by Mashkoor Ali Khan and Ustad Rashid Khan on the AIM Record label. He performed the instrumental music for the soundtrack of the Mira Nair feature film, Kama Sutra, and sang for the award-winning BBC radio feature, Monsoon, subsequently broadcast throughout the US in abridged form by NPR in 1999. He was proclaimed, Best Rsising Star of Afghan music by Taranasaz, the renowned singer-songwriter of Afghanistan. His seminar "The Music of Rumi" is popular all over the world.."

Humayun Khan accompanied by Genesis World Music Ensemble-Singing Rumi's "Listen to the reed" in Persian/Farsi


Humayun Khan-Singing Classical Indian Raag

Foremost Persian Scholar of Rumi in America, Professor Majid Naini

Professor Naini's Offical Web Site

Please click on above link for Professor Naini's complete biography, the audio & video clips of his talks on Rumi , or to order his extraordinary book, Mysteries of the Universe and Rumi's Discoveries on the Majestic Path of Love.

" Wherever Dr. Naini talks, everyone is amazed by his electrifying and mesmerizing rendition of Rumi’s poetry and his ability to explain the most complex subjects in simple terms. Many members of Dr. Naini’s audiences have commented that he “radiates warmth and love and Rumi’s spirit moves within him” and they have been “transformed by his talks.” Professor Naini’s extraordinary gifts are perhaps described best by a recent workshop participant in UCLA who stated, "The depth of his knowledge of Molana's (Rumi's) poetry and his ability to recite a poem appropriate to the subject on the fly and then accurately translate it into English, is unparalleled." In these turbulent times, it is wonderful to hear someone so passionately and eloquently speak of love and peace."

Professor Majid Naini-Rumi and Global Peace (in English)
Excerpts from Dr. Naini's passionate & extraordinary speech on Rumi's teachings

Professor Majid Naini-Rumi's Teachings (in Persian/Farsi) Excerpts from Rumi's Wedding Night Celebration at James Bridges Theater at UCLA- in Los Angeles, California

Rumi's Annual 'Şeb-i Arus/Night of Union' Ceremony in Konya, Turkey

".. Seb-i Arus, meaning Nuptial Night or Night of Union, is a ceremony held every year on the anniversary of Mevlana Rumi's death[in Konya, Turkey..Rumi died on the night of 17 December 1273]. It begins after the afternoon prayer with the reading of the Koran. The ceremony consists of six parts. In the first part the dervishes praise the Prophet Mohammed and the prophets who came before him and God. The beat on the kudüm or double drum, the second part, represents God's command 'Let it be.’ Then the ney plays music representing carnal life. The dancers, known as semazen, then greet one another three times and walk around in a circle. This symbolizes the greeting of the mystic spirit. The dancers then remove their black jackets, symbolizing their birth into the eternal spiritual world. The return to truth has begun. Crossing their arms across their breast, to signify the number one, they testify to the unity of God. Then kissing the hand of the seyh, who silently gives his permission to participate in the sema, they begin to turn anticlockwise, their right arm held up in the air, their left foot remaining on the ground, and their right foot lifted. The sema consists of four parts, the first representing awareness of knowledge and truth, and thus awareness of the Creator and the dervishes’ own surrender to Him; the second awe at the power of God for creating humankind; the third the transformation of awe and gratitude into love, and the sacrifice of mind to love in an act of ultimate submission; the fourth the completion of the spiritual journey, acceptance of fate, and the return to the true meaning of creation. The ceremony concludes with prayers in two parts.."

PART1
Extraordinary Ney/Flute playing & rare images from inside Rumi's Shrine in Konya, Turkey


PART2 Whirling Dervishes' Salutaion Ceremony in the opening tribute to Rumi's Seb-I-Arus/Night of Union PART3 Extraordinary 'Sema Dance' by the Whirling Dervishes at Rumi's Shrine PART4 Whirling Dervishes' Sema Dance at Rumi's Shrine PART-5Whirling Dervishes' Sema Dance at Rumi's Shrine PART-6 THE GRAND FINALE A Must See..contains heartfelt & soul piercing Quranic recitation

Rumi’s philosophy of Love in the Era of U-turned Islam

 Rumi’s Philosophy of Love in the Era of U-turned Islam
by Nevad Kahteran

Read the entire paper below:
Rumi’s philosophy of Love in the era of U-turned Islam

| PDF| 12 Pages| English|

Abstract

The essential awareness of the spiritual state of today’s world, and of the question of terrorism, reflects the social pathologies of the modern world – a pathology that is accustoming people to the presence of violence as something quite normal and logical, and where they are all too familiar with danger and the presence of death. There is thus a great need for studies which will stimulate mutual understanding, inter-faith dialogue and multicultural encounters. Hazrat Mawlana, who is one of the greatest spiritual and literary figures of all time, who advocated unlimited tolerance, and for whom love is the most significant conceptual component in a manner transcending all national, cultural and civilizational bounderies, is undoubtedly the most suitable figure for this task..

Key concepts: Rumi’s metaphysical and ontological status of Love, philosophical inter-cultural dialogue, U-turned Islam.
I
Lā hayāta lil-ummah allatī lā tahayya thikra ‘azamā’ihā (“a people that does not preserve the memory of its great men has no future”). In this age of globalization, this Arab saying should make us think again, prompting us to adopt it as a motto for our reflections on the cosmopolitan nature of Rumi’s works, through which it acquires fresh relevance, while our reflections on his cosmopolitanism should show that his philosophy of love has become even more important in our modern, global world. In fact, in the tradition of respecting and remembering our forebears, the rationale for this type of anniversary is clear enough: on the one hand, to keep alive the link broken by death, and on the other, to celebrate the lasting bond between the deceased (marhūm) and his descendants – a bond that death cannot erase, but that may in the event be a stimulating partner in the debate, even in the twenty-first century. This is indeed true of Jalāl al-Dīn al-Balkhī, better known as Rūmī in the West, and as Mawlānā in the East.1）..

II
New insights into comparative and world philosophy should encourage western philosophers and students of Islam to cultivate their interest in Islamic philosophy, to help them define their priorities for deeper study and creative philosophical work, as conducive to an understanding of and programme for the complexity and diversity of Rumi’s thinking – Rumi the thinker, poet and, above all, Sufi – to whom this conference, and the year 2007, have been dedicated by UNESCO. It is my sincere hope, therefore, that this international conference will generate many friendships and good philosophies, and in particular a deeper insight into and understanding of Rumi through a clear articulation of the philosophical concepts and theories that would enable Islamic philosophy to share in global philosophical exchanges. If it is to take part in these globalizing processes, Islamic philosophy must begin with a number of key philosophers from the entire pleiade of Muslim thinkers, each of whom is worthy, in his own distinct fashion, of our study and research, and a deeper understanding of whom preserves and advances Islamic philosophy. Recognizing these thinkers is an important step towards mutual understanding and enrichment. As a result, conferences like this are significant if prompted by the need to review and systematically expound the great resources of Islamic philosophical wisdom, and if such dialogue will enable Islamic philosophy to become an active force for the enrichment of world civilization and human society; if, in other words, Islamic philosophy is to gain recognition in the West as a living tradition of philosophical thought and to regain its proper place in the world of living philosophical tradition, rather than merely being the subject of demonstration or repetition in today’s world philosophical forum.


Of course, all this goes with a grounding in western philosophy and a systematic comparison of Islamic and western philosophy, since throughout his life and work Rumi himself encouraged this kind of dialogue in the sincere hope that each would learn something from the others, and it would seem that in his case a deep pluralism of religion was at work: a pluralism in which each religion would be respected, and open to all others. Hence this interpretation of Islamic philosophy as a living religious tradition, not merely knowledge of concepts; the need, that is, for attesting to Islam as a living spiritual tradition, contrary to the study or reconstruction of Islam as an abstract, theoretical philosophical system. Further, the revival of the vitality and creativity of Islamic culture and expounding Islam as a spiritual tradition, and indeed the importance of Rumi in this regard, is reinforced by the cumulative endeavours of those who have dealt with his works in the past forty years or so, and who have made him far better known to us and familiarized us with this Muslim genius. Then again, contacts made at international conferences like this are further facilitated by the use of electronic communications and web sites – that new-found continent – in which Rumi, too, is an increasing presence; the impact of this greater ease of communication is quite remarkable. In the light of what I have already said, this growing interaction provides a new vitality for the transformation of human life and society and of the world as a whole.

In this dismal prospect of drained energy and disintegrating culture in the world of today, of a world order that functions thanks only to the balance of fear, dictated by compromises and the occasional coincidence of interests, and to the retreat and breakdown of tradition that reflected culture as a life force, it would seem that the Islamic tradition has suffered a loss of confidence, and has become not so much a captive of western ideology and values as trapped in the intellectual morass, lack of inventiveness and self-pity of Muslims themselves as they bewail their own fate. We seem to be so divided that the only thing uniting us is misfortune; only rarely are there such commendable events as this conference. True, this wretched state of affairs has been exacerbated by the constant crises resulting from foreign incursions and outside cultural and military dominance, but it was a different matter as long as the surge of new energy and new visions lasted. Above all,

we must once again identify the philosophical insights of Rumi’s work, and among the questions we must ask ourselves is: What now constitutes the warrant of the substantiality and value of Islamic philosophical discourse in general? What is the standard mode of Islamic philosophical discourse? What has become of those unfettered visions of life and reality that even now we can discern in Rumi’s writings? By asking this we are raising questions of self-transcendence, comparison, contrast, evaluation, integration and definition, or of the transformation of our Muslim identity and vision towards a global understanding of the human race and the world as a whole..

Read the entire paper below:
Rumi’s philosophy of Love in the era of U-turned Islam

|PDF|12 pages|English