Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2010 2:11:15 GMT -5
What started seven centuries ago in dargahs and mazaars has today metamorphosed into a singing culture. Hundreds of years after being relegated to the background, the mystical Sufi music of the 14th century is staging a resounding comeback. A unique style of singing that transports listeners into spiritual ecstasy.
The philosophy which is Sufism is unique, it is not bound by any particular religious belief, Sufism is a philosophy that glorifies every religion as the path to righteousness. It gives precedence to love for humanity above everything else. Hazrat Moinnudin Chishti, Hazrat Khwaja Bakhtiar Kaki, Baba Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, Baba Farid and Amir Khusrau have all been great Sufi poets who spread their message through hymns and qawwalis.
Music had always been an integral part of Sufism. Sufi music varies from region to region. From Iran to Bengal in India. Its spread is attributed to Fakirs who travelled to different parts of the country and picked up regional nuances and styles. Thus the music grew richer & richer. The oldest and the most widely admired is the “qawwali” style of singing developed by the Chishti clan and later popularised by the great poet Amir Khusro.
According to some scholars Sufism was meant to spread Islam and its true tenets, others are of the view that it is not associated with any particular religion. It is divine communication and for this it just takes the help of any religion.
I personally believe that Sufi music is about union with the Beloved, with God. Music is the vehicle to reach the heart and attain a state of grace or enlightenment, a ‘stateless state’ or ‘Ma’rifat’– the inner knowledge. So a religious angle does exist but as I said before it is not confined to any particular faith. You will find equal numbers of Hindus praying at the Dargah of Baba Nizamuddin, or Lalan Fakir(Refer my post on Bauls)
Today the great Iranian Sufi saint and poet Roomi is among the largest selling authors in America. I also learnt that Sufi schools of thought have sprung-up in places like Amsterdam and Boston, there is the Sufi way of dressing, Sufi food and even Sufi lifestyle!!!!.
Pop groups like Junoon from Pakistan are a huge hit the world over for their lyrics and presentation. But many scholars are not happy with the way Sufism is being treated.
Renowned Indian Sufi followers like artist Manjeet Bawa, Sufi scholar Madangopal Singh and even Hasan Nizami feel that people are demeaning the real essence of Sufism by associating it with materialism.
Says Bawa,"Commercialisation of such a revered art form is permissible if the intention is good, but most of the time people use Sufism and its high values to foster their own interest, that is why you see fashion shows, dance programmes and many other purely commercial ventures exploiting Sufism. It is just one more way of making money….."
" Many of those who claim to be the greatest exponents of Sufi music don’t even understand the basic parameters of this religious music. Some of them are just using it to earn money, any song which does not follow the basic tenets of Sufi singing is not real Sufi music…..," claims Nizami.
In Delhi at the Drgah of Baba Nizamuddin are there are regular Sufi gathering & music, specially on Thursday evenings. Often great musicians visit & the stains of pure Sufi music fill the heart of listeners who throng this place in droves & I have noticed a rising popularity and see a lot of foreigners. The resident musicians are direct descendents of the core group that formed around Baba Nizamuddin. So, if you happen to be in Delhi on a Thursday, go there in the evening enjoy the music, offer some roses at the shrine of Baba Nizamuddin and on the way out eat one of the most succulent Kababs that you can find anywhere….
Hazrat" is an honorific;"Pir-o-Murshid" is an esoteric title, signifying the head of the Inner School of the Sufi Movement.
With regard to the Sufi path, Baba Hazrat Nizamuddin Awlia taught the following:"For a dervish, three things are necessary. They all begin with an 'ain'(an Arabic letter), i.e., Ishq (love), Aql (intelligence) and Ilm (knowledge).
Let us discuss these three qualities one by one.
Love
Sufism is, in its essence, the way of love. Love is considered to be a spiritual alchemy by means of which the baser qualities of a human being are transformed into higher ones. In this respect it suffices to say that Baba Hazrat Nizamuddin Awlia is known as Mehboob-e-Elahi, the beloved of Allah. Of course the spiritual status of a beloved is much higher than that of a lover.
Intelligence & Ilm
'Intelligence' changed in the hands of Baba Nizamuddin Awlia into wisdom. His wisdom manifested itself in the shape of service to humanity. About him it has been said:"He was not a miracle-monger of the ordinary sort. He never flew in the air or walked on water with dry and motionless feet. His greatness was the greatness of a loving heart; his miracles were the miracles of a deeply sympathetic soul. He could read a man's inner heart by a glance at his face and spoke the words that brought consolation to a tortured heart
"In Allah's garden you gather roses,
Being drunk with divine mysteries:
Hazrat Mehboob-e-Elahi -- the beloved of Allah,
O, how I long for the attar of your company….
“come running to the end of Your street,
Tears are washing and washing my cheek.
Union with You -- what else can I seek?
My soul I surrender as Your name I repeat…..
The philosophy which is Sufism is unique, it is not bound by any particular religious belief, Sufism is a philosophy that glorifies every religion as the path to righteousness. It gives precedence to love for humanity above everything else. Hazrat Moinnudin Chishti, Hazrat Khwaja Bakhtiar Kaki, Baba Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, Baba Farid and Amir Khusrau have all been great Sufi poets who spread their message through hymns and qawwalis.
Music had always been an integral part of Sufism. Sufi music varies from region to region. From Iran to Bengal in India. Its spread is attributed to Fakirs who travelled to different parts of the country and picked up regional nuances and styles. Thus the music grew richer & richer. The oldest and the most widely admired is the “qawwali” style of singing developed by the Chishti clan and later popularised by the great poet Amir Khusro.
According to some scholars Sufism was meant to spread Islam and its true tenets, others are of the view that it is not associated with any particular religion. It is divine communication and for this it just takes the help of any religion.
I personally believe that Sufi music is about union with the Beloved, with God. Music is the vehicle to reach the heart and attain a state of grace or enlightenment, a ‘stateless state’ or ‘Ma’rifat’– the inner knowledge. So a religious angle does exist but as I said before it is not confined to any particular faith. You will find equal numbers of Hindus praying at the Dargah of Baba Nizamuddin, or Lalan Fakir(Refer my post on Bauls)
Today the great Iranian Sufi saint and poet Roomi is among the largest selling authors in America. I also learnt that Sufi schools of thought have sprung-up in places like Amsterdam and Boston, there is the Sufi way of dressing, Sufi food and even Sufi lifestyle!!!!.
Pop groups like Junoon from Pakistan are a huge hit the world over for their lyrics and presentation. But many scholars are not happy with the way Sufism is being treated.
Renowned Indian Sufi followers like artist Manjeet Bawa, Sufi scholar Madangopal Singh and even Hasan Nizami feel that people are demeaning the real essence of Sufism by associating it with materialism.
Says Bawa,"Commercialisation of such a revered art form is permissible if the intention is good, but most of the time people use Sufism and its high values to foster their own interest, that is why you see fashion shows, dance programmes and many other purely commercial ventures exploiting Sufism. It is just one more way of making money….."
" Many of those who claim to be the greatest exponents of Sufi music don’t even understand the basic parameters of this religious music. Some of them are just using it to earn money, any song which does not follow the basic tenets of Sufi singing is not real Sufi music…..," claims Nizami.
In Delhi at the Drgah of Baba Nizamuddin are there are regular Sufi gathering & music, specially on Thursday evenings. Often great musicians visit & the stains of pure Sufi music fill the heart of listeners who throng this place in droves & I have noticed a rising popularity and see a lot of foreigners. The resident musicians are direct descendents of the core group that formed around Baba Nizamuddin. So, if you happen to be in Delhi on a Thursday, go there in the evening enjoy the music, offer some roses at the shrine of Baba Nizamuddin and on the way out eat one of the most succulent Kababs that you can find anywhere….
Hazrat" is an honorific;"Pir-o-Murshid" is an esoteric title, signifying the head of the Inner School of the Sufi Movement.
With regard to the Sufi path, Baba Hazrat Nizamuddin Awlia taught the following:"For a dervish, three things are necessary. They all begin with an 'ain'(an Arabic letter), i.e., Ishq (love), Aql (intelligence) and Ilm (knowledge).
Let us discuss these three qualities one by one.
Love
Sufism is, in its essence, the way of love. Love is considered to be a spiritual alchemy by means of which the baser qualities of a human being are transformed into higher ones. In this respect it suffices to say that Baba Hazrat Nizamuddin Awlia is known as Mehboob-e-Elahi, the beloved of Allah. Of course the spiritual status of a beloved is much higher than that of a lover.
Intelligence & Ilm
'Intelligence' changed in the hands of Baba Nizamuddin Awlia into wisdom. His wisdom manifested itself in the shape of service to humanity. About him it has been said:"He was not a miracle-monger of the ordinary sort. He never flew in the air or walked on water with dry and motionless feet. His greatness was the greatness of a loving heart; his miracles were the miracles of a deeply sympathetic soul. He could read a man's inner heart by a glance at his face and spoke the words that brought consolation to a tortured heart
"In Allah's garden you gather roses,
Being drunk with divine mysteries:
Hazrat Mehboob-e-Elahi -- the beloved of Allah,
O, how I long for the attar of your company….
“come running to the end of Your street,
Tears are washing and washing my cheek.
Union with You -- what else can I seek?
My soul I surrender as Your name I repeat…..