Transcript Sufi Princess-Jahanara

Sufis:Love of God& His Creation
Ahmed Mirza M.D.
Naqshbandiya Foundation for Islamic
Education
Divine Love
The essence of God is love and The Sufi Path is path of
love. Love is to see what is good and beautiful in
everything. It is to learn from everything, to see the gifts
of God and the generosity of God in everything. It is to
be thankful for all all God's bounties.
This is the first step on the road to the love of God. This
is just a seed of love. In time, the seed will grow and
become a tree and bear fruit. Then, whoever tastes of
that fruit will know what real love is. It will be differently
for those who have tasted to tell of it to those who have
not.
Muzaffer Ashki al-Halveti al-Jerrahi (1916-1985)
Premordial Covent
“And when your Lord brought forth from
the children of Adam, from their backs,
their descendants, and made them bear
witness against their own souls: Am I not
your Lord? They said: Yes! we bear
witness. Lest you should say on the day of
resurrection: Surely we were heedless of
this”. Quran 7:172,Shakir
Hadith Qudsi
“I was a Hidden Treasure,and loved to be
known intimately,so I created the Heavens
and the Earth,so that they may come to
intimately know me.”
Sufis:Love ofGod&His Creation
• All people are the children of God on earth
“ Oh God! I bear witness that all Thy creatures
are brothers”Hadith
“ Why this meaningless talk about the
believer,
the kafir, the obedient, the sinner,
the rightly guided, the misdirected, the
Muslim,
the pious, the infidel, the fire worshipper?
All are like beads in a rosary.”
Abdul Quddus of Gangoh
Sufis:Love of God&Creation
• Adopt the ways of God
• To reflect in one’s own thought and activity
the attributes of God.
“ Higher spiritual life is nothing but service
of humanity, It is not (chanting) the rosary,
(remaining on the) prayer carpet or
(wearing) coarse garments.”Nizamuddin
To identy service of God with the service
of man
Sufis:Love of God&Creation
• Unity of Divine Revelation. “Say: We make
no difference between them (prophets of God)”
Quran:3:78
• “All these religions and faiths are branches of
the same tree,They have sprouted from one and
the same root.”Shah Niaz Ahmad
• “Learn from the eyes the way to develop,unity
and oneness.The two eyes appear different
but their vision is one.”
Rabi'a al-'Adawiyya (717 - 801 AD)
O Lord,
• O Lord,
Whatever share of this
If I worship You
world
From fear of Hell, burn
You could give to me,
me in Hell.
Give it to Your enemies; • O Lord,
Whatever share of the
If I worship You
next world
From hope of Paradise,
You want to give to me,
bar me from its gates.
Give it to Your friends. • But if I worship You for
You are enough for me.
Yourself alone
Then grace me forever
the splendor of Your
Face
Rabi'a al-'Adawiyya
•
Rabia a Sufi saint woman, was asked,
"Do you love God?"
She answered, "Yes."
"Do you hate the devils?"
She answered, "No, my love of God
leaves me no time to hate the devil.“
• “You talk about loving God while you disobey Him;
I swear by my life that this is something very
strange.
If you were truthful in your love, you would obey
Him,
For a lover obeys whom he loves.”
Sheikh Ansari Jabir ibn
'Abdullah al-Ansari (1006-1089)
• 'Where Are You?'
• O God,
You are the aim of the
call of the sincere,
You enlighten the
souls of the friends,
(and)
You are the
comfort of the hearts of
the travellers--because You are
present in the very soul.
• I call out, from emotion:
"Where are you?"
• You are the life of the
soul,
You are the rule
(ayin) of speech, (and)
You are Your own
interpreter (tarjaman).
• For the sake of Your
obligation to Yourself,
do not enter us
into the shade of
deception, (but)
make us reach
union (wisal) with You.
Al-Ghazali
Abu Hamid al-Ghazali
(450-505 AH/1058-1111
AD) [aka: Algazel ] is
one of the great jurists,
theologians and
mystics of the 12th
Century. He wrote on a
wide range of topics
including
jurisprudence,
theology, mysticism
and philosophy
Ghazali.org
InfluencedFakhruddin
Razi, Maimonides
Thomas Aquinas,
Raymund Martin,
Nicholas of Autrecourt,
Shah Waliullah AbdulQader Bedil
Sanai (1118-1152)
• Don't speak of your
suffering -- He is
speaking.
Don't look for Him
everywhere -- He's
looking for you.
An ant's foot touches a
leaf, He senses it;
A pebble shifts in a
streambed, He knows it.
• If there's a worm hidden
deep in a rock,
He'll know its body,
tinier than an atom,
The sound of its praise,
its secret ecstasy -All this He knows by
divine knowing.
He has given the tiniest
worm its food;
He has opened to you
the Way of the Holy
Ones.
Attar (1119 - 1230)
From each, Love
demands a mystic
silence.
What do all seek so
earnestly? Tis Love.
Love is the subject of
their inmost thoughts,
In Love no longer
"Thou" and "I" exist,
For self has passed
away in the Beloved.
Now will I draw aside the
veil from Love,
And in the temple of
mine inmost soul
Behold the Friend,
Incomparable Love.
He who would know the
secret of both worlds
Will find that the secret
of them both is Love
Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi
• Mystic, philosopher, poet, sage, world's great spiritual
teachers.Muhyiddin (Revivifier of Religion)Shaykh alAkbar (Greatest Master), born 1165 AD in Spain, the
centre of an extraordinary flourishing and crossfertilization of Jewish, Christian and Islamic thought,
through which the major scientific and philosophical
works of antiquity were transmitted to Northern Europe.
Ibn 'Arabi's spiritual attainments were evident from an
early age, and he was renowned for his great visionary
capacity as well as being a superlative teacher. He
travelled extensively in the Islamic world and died in
Damascus in 1240 AD. (The Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi
Society)
Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi
350 works
Fusûs al-Hikam, an exposition of the inner meaning of the wisdom of the
prophets in the Judaic/ Christian/ Islamic line
,
Futûhât al-Makkiyya, encyclopaedia of spiritual knowledge which unites and
distinguishes the three strands of tradition, reason and mystical insight.
Diwân and Tarjumân al-Ashwâq poetry in the Arabic language.
These extensive writings provide a beautiful exposition of the Unity of Being,
the single and indivisible Reality which simultaneously transcends and is
manifested in all the images of the world. Ibn 'Arabi shows how Man, in
perfection, is the complete image of this Reality and how those who truly
know their essential self, know God.
(The Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi Society)
Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi
“It is He who is revealed
in every face, sought in
every sign, gazed upon
by every eye,
worshipped in every
object of worship, and
pursued in the unseen
and the visible. Not a
single one of His
creatures can fail to
find Him in its
primordial and original
nature
The movement which is
the existence of the
universe is the
movement of love”.
1207-1273
• Oh! Supreme Lover!
Let me leave aside my
worries.
The flowers are blooming
with the exultation of your
Spirit.
By Allah!
I long to escape the prison
of my ego
and lose myself
in the mountains and the
desert.
These sad and lonely people
tire me.
I long to revel in the drunken
frenzy of your love
and feel the strength of
Rustam in my hands.
• I'm sick of mortal kings.
I long to see your light.
With lamps in hand
the sheikhs and mullahs
roam
the dark alleys of these
towns
not finding what they seek.
You are the Essence of the
Essence,
The intoxication of Love.
I long to sing your praises
but stand mute
with the agony of wishing in
my heart.
Rumi,The Poet of Love
Gamble everything for
love,
if you’re a true human
being.
If not, leave this
gathering.
Half-heartedness
doesn’t reach into
majesty.
You set out to find God,
but then you keep
stopping for long
periods
at mean-spirited
roadhouses.
Saadi Shirazi (1215-1292)
•
How could I ever thank my Friend?
No thanks could ever begin to be
worthy.
Every hair of my body is a gift from
Him;
How could I thank Him for each
hair?
Praise that lavish Lord forever
Who from nothing conjures all
living beings!
Who could ever describe His
goodness?
His infinite glory lays all praise
waste.
Look, He has graced you a robe of
splendor
>From childhood's first cries to old
age!
He made you pure in His own
image; stay pure.
It is horrible to die blackened by
sin.
Never let dust settle on your
mirror's shining;
Let it once grow dull and it will
never polish.
When you work in the world to earn
your living
•
Do not, for one moment, rely on
your own strength.
Self-worshiper, don't you
understand anything yet?
It is God alone that gives your arms
their power.
If, by your striving, you achieve
something good,
Don't claim the credit all for
yourself;
It is fate that decides who wins and
who loses
And all success streams only from
the grace of God.
In this world you never stand by
your own strength;
It is the Invisible that sustains you
every moment.
Hafiz of Shiraz (1230-91)
•
We are the guardians of His Beauty
We are the protectors
Of the Sun.
There is only one reason
We have followed God into this
world:
To encourage laughter, freedom,
dance
And love.
Let a noble cry inside of you speak
to me
Saying,
"Hafiz,
Don't just sit there on the moon
tonight
Doing nothing -
•
Help unfurl my heart into the
Friend's Mind,
Help, Old Man, to heal my
wounded wings!"
We are the companions of His
Beauty
We are the guardians
Of Truth.
Every man, plant and creature
in Existence,
Every woman, child, vein and
note
Is a servant of our Beloved A harbinger of joy,
The harbinger of
Light.
Yunus Emre 1240-1320
We entered the house of
realization,
we witnessed the body.
The whirling skies, the
many-layered earth,
the seventy-thousand
veils,
we found in the body.
The night and the day,
the planets,
the words inscribed on
the Holy Tablets,
• the hill that Moses
climbed, the Temple,
and Israfil's trumpet, we
observed in the body.
Torah, Psalms, Gospel,
Quranwhat these books have to
say,
we found in the body.
Everybody says these
words of Yunus
are true. Truth is
wherever you want it.
We found it all within the
body.
Sa'd al-din Mahmud
Shabistari(1250 - 1320)
'One Light'
What are "I" and "You"?
Just lattices
In the niches of a lamp
Through which the One
Light radiates.
"I" and "You" are the veil
Between heaven and
earth;
Lift this veil and you
will see
How all sects and
religions are one.
Lift this veil and you
will ask--When "I" and "You"
do not exist
What is mosque?
What is synagogue?
What is fire temple?
AMIR KHUSRO: (Parrot of Hind)
(1253 A.D. to 1325 A.D.)
Amir Khusro was a great
Sufi, a wealthy merchant
who once exchanged all
his wealth for a pair of
Nizamuddin’s
shoes,Liguist,artist,prolific
author,musician,inventor(
sitar),composer and a
true devoted disciple.He
was "All-in-One" mixture
of Divine gifts.
Amir Khusro&Love of Prophet
I wonder what was the place
where I was last night,
All around me were halfslaughtered victims of love,
tossing about in agony.
There was a nymph-like
beloved with cypress-like
form
and tulip-like face,
Ruthlessly playing havoc
with the hearts of the lovers.
God himself was the master
of ceremonies in that
heavenly court,
oh Khusro, where (the face
of) the Prophet too was
shedding light
like a candle.
Amir Khusro-Bargain
•
•
A poor man came to Nizamuddin Aulia asking for alms at a time when
there was nothing left in the khaneqah to be given. The saint
expressed his helplessness, but pointed to a torn and tattered pair of
sandals that belonged to him, saying if those could be of any help to
the poor man, he could take them. The faqir, having no choice,
decided to take them any way, and left. When he was on his way to
some other city, he met Amir Khusrau who was returning from his
royal journey with camels and horses loaded with wealth. Khusrau
sensed something odd as he met this man, and told him "Bu-e Shaikh
mi aayad, Bu-e Shaikh mi aayad". (I smell my master, I smell my
master). This man dejectedly told him the story about how he could
only get these sandals from Nizamuddin Aulia.
It is said that Khusrau after seeing his pir's belongings decided to
trade his entire entourage of wealth for this pair of sandals, placed
them on his head and came rushing to see Nizamuddin Aulia. His pir
saw the sandals and asked Khusrau how he found them. When
Khusrau told him about the price he has paid for them, Nizamuddin
Aulia said, "Arzaan khareedi". (Well, you 've got them quite cheap).
Amir Khusro-Risking Faith
Sultan Jalaluddin Khilji once expressed to Khusro his
desire to meet Nizamuddin Aulia but asked him not to
disclose his plan to the saint. Khusro was perplexed in
the beginning, but finally couldn’t keep his promise and
told Nizamuddin Aulia about Sultan’s desire. His pir who
did not wish to meet the king left the Khanqah for a far
away place on the fixed day. When the Sultan came to
know about this, he asked Khusro why he betrayed him.
Khusro replied that in betraying the king he risked only
his life in this world, but in betraying his spiritual king he
would be risking his Iman (faith), and his afterlife. The
Sultan was left speechless.
Jami (1414-92)
• Whether your destiny is
glory or disgrace,
Purify yourself of hatred and
love of self.
Polish your mirror; and that
sublime Beauty
From the regions of mystery
Will flame out in your heart
As it did for the saints and
prophets.
Then, with your heart on fire
with that Splendor,
The secret of the Beloved
will no longer be hidden.
Jami
If Love manifests itself
within you, it has its
origins in beauty. You
are nothing but a
mirror
in which beauty is
reflected. Because
beauty and its
reflection are both
from that One Source,
it is both treasure and
treasure-house.
Kabir&Sufism
• Kabir(1440-1518) a medieval
mystic poet and religious
synthesist, Kabir was the link
between Hindu Bhakti and
Islamic Sufism (mysticism),
which had gained a large
following among Indian
Muslims. Sufis (mystics) also
believed in singing hymns and
in meditation under guidance
of a leader. They welcomed
non-Muslims in their hospices.
Sikhism drew inspiration from
both Bhaktas and Sufis.
• “O SERVANT, where dost thou
seek Me?
Lo! I am beside thee.
I am neither in temple nor in
mosque: I am neither in Kaaba
nor in Kailash:
Neither am I in rites and
ceremonies, nor in Yoga and
renunciation.
If thou art a true seeker, thou
shalt at once see Me: thou
shalt meet Me in a moment of
time.
Kabîr says, "O Sadhu! God is
the breath of all breath. “
Sufi Princess-Jahanara
Jahanara ( 1614-1681) daughter
of the Emperor Shahjahan,
wrote a biography of her Sufi
mentor Mulla Shah ,
biographical account of the
famous Sufi of Ajmer, Moin alDin Chishty (d. 1236). In “ The
Confidant of Spirits” the
Princess uses the word
faqira—Sufi woman.
• “Praise be to God as I
attained the happiness of
pilgrimage to the illuminated
and perfumed tomb of the
revered saving master. I
went to the holy sanctuary
and rubbed my pale face on
the dust of the threshold.
From the door-way to the
blessed tomb I went
barefoot, kissing the ground.
Having entered the dome, I
went around the light-filled
tomb of my master seven
times, sweeping it with my
eyelashes, and making the
sweet-smelling dust of that
place the mascara of my
eyes.”
Sufi Prince-Dara Shikoh
•
•
Dara Shikoh(1615-1659), eldest son
of the Shah Jahan .He
became disciple of Mian
Mir(d.1635),a Qadiriya Sufi of
Lahore who laid foundation stone of
Golden Temple,holiest shrine of
sikhs. Dara called Qadri Sufi
Order”the best path of reaching
Divinity”He established bridges of
understanding between
Islam&Hinduism.
Books:Sirr ul Akbar(the great
secret)Persian Translation of
Upanishad, Sakinat ul-Aulia,Safinat
ul-Aulia Risala-i Haq Numa, the Tariqat
ul-Haqiqat, the Hasanat ul-'Arifin , Iksir-i
'Azam. Majma ul-Bahrain,Mukalama-i
Baba Lal Das wa Dara Shikoh, the Sirr-i
Akbar and his Persian
translations of the Yoga Vashishta and
the Gita.
•
“I was enamoured of studying
books on the ways of the men
of the Path and had in my mind
nothing save the understanding
of the Unity of God; and before
this, in a state of ecstasy and
enthusiasm, I had uttered some
words pertaining to sublime
knowledge, because of which
certain bigoted and narrowminded people accused me of
heresy and apostasy. It was
then that I realised the
importance of compiling the
aphorisms of great believers in
the Unity of God and the
sayings of saints who have,
hitherto, acquired
knowledge of Reality, so that
these may serve as an
argument against those who are
really imposters “
KHWAJA NIZAMUDDIN AULIA RA
(d.725 /1323)
• “Sultan-ul-Mashaikh” (Leader of Sufi
Sanits)“Mehboob-e-Elahi” (Beloved of
Allah).most distinguished scholar imparting
lessons in Humanity, Truth,Love,Charityand
Piety.His Khanqahis revered by all
faiths,Hindus,Sikhs&Muslims.
• “Three essential elements for the Sufi dervish:
Love, Wisdom, and Gnosis”Nizam
• Baba Farid, said to him : "Be like a big tree, so
that Allah's creation, the human beings in their
vast multitudes, may find rest and solace under
your shadow."
Hasan Kaimi-Bosnian Mystic
(d.1691)
• O seeker of truth, it is your heart's eye you must
open.
Know the Divine Unity today, through the path of
love for Him.
If you object: 'I am waiting for my mind to grasp His
nature',
Know the Divine Unity today, through the path of
love for Him.
• Should you wish to behold the visage of God,
Surrender to Him, and invoke His names,
When your soul is clear a light of true joy shall
shine.
Know the Divine Unity today, through the path of
love for Him.
Bulleh Shah
Baba Bulleh Shah
(1680-1758) was the
great humanist,
philosopher, rebel,
internationalist,
teacher and Sufi poet
of all times,was the
disciple of Enayat
Shah Lahori, who
himself was a great
Sufi of his time
Bulleh ShahTere Ishq Nachaya
O Physician, come back! my life
is ebbing away.
Compelled by love, I dance, I
dance.
This love has set up camp inside
me.
It is I, who filled the cup with this
poison and drank it.
Come back right away, else, I will
surely die.
Compelled by love, I dance, I
dance.
The sun has set, its glow remains.
Grant me a sight of you again! I
would die for it!
What a mistake I made, not going
with you.
Compelled by love I dance, I
dance.
Mother do not bar me from this
love.
Whoever turns back unloaded
boats that have left?
How foolish I was, not going with
the boatman.
Compelled by love I dance, I
dance.
Peacocks sing in the groves of
love.
My beautiful beloved is my Ka’ba,
my Qibla.
He injured me, then turned away.
Compelled by love I dance, I
dance.
Bullhe Shah, I sit at Inayat’s door,
He clothed me in robes of green
and red.
When I stamped my heel, I found
him.
Compelled by love I dance, I
dance.