By Loubna Flah Morocco World News Casablanca, June 25, 2012 It is not easy for the believer to grasp the concept of "wholeness" in Islam. The Islamic creed remains at the centre of every Muslim's heart , regardless of their piety, not because Muslims choose to make of it a priority but mainly because it is designed to permeates all aspects of life. In some instances, Islam stands frank and dauntless. In other occasions it slides towards the heart of the believer like a rampant celestial light yet subtle and ethereal. It is unfortunate that the adherence to the Islamic faith has become for many a mechanistic and soulless process. The slow metamorphosis towards this religious callousness among Muslims did not happen overnight. Besides, it is of no use to blame history, society, the economic order, for religion can be a binding factor for large communities, yet its foundations are purely individual, since religiosity pertains more to the believer's choices.
Yet, we must admit that the mainstream perception about Islam nowadays is either overpowered by negative narratives promoted by westerners or radical secularists or totally distorted by the hard line Islamists who consider Islam as a mere balance sheet with two columns of deeds and misdeeds disregarding the fact that Islam is a journey , that everyone embarks on its own venture , and that the ways to "God" are so numerous. In her book "Love in Muslim Countries" Fatima Mernissi deplores the decline of "love" in modern Muslim societies despite a miscellaneous historic legacy of love sagas rich in manifestations and in words. In her survey of Muslim lovers' itinerary, Fatima Mernissi does not miss the conjecture with the Sufis, "The greatest lovers" of all times. Mernissi wonders why Muslims are not taught the art of love through the spectacles of those Sufis who lived in the margins of society buzz, who even risked their life for God's sake. In the information age and with the overdose of pragmatism and utilitarianism pumped into our veins, these refined feelings and uplifting journeys seem highly utopian and even look irrelevant to us. In addition, the journey back to the essence of divine love is not a sine qua none to the affiliation to Islam. It is only a path among a ramification of lanes that leads the believer to the safe shores of faith. Once upon the time, there was a young man who was totally desperate and immersed in worldly concerns. While he was sitting on a bench engrossed in his thoughts, he was approached by an old man whose jilbab, hat and white beard mirrored piety and wisdom. The old man cast a quick glance at his neighbor and said "Are you fine my son?" The young man replied automatically' it's Ok, just some problems to solve". The old man turned to him with a smirk on his face and said" Then why don't you turn to your beloved, pointing his finger at the blue firmament". Abashed, the young man asked "beloved, Allah? How can Allah be a "beloved? To my knowledge, the beloved is someone you can talk to, someone you look at in the eyes and someone you can tenderly touch". You may wait restlessly for the old man's answer, yet there are many answers to that legitimate question. There are many possibilities, and copious versions to the journey towards the creator. Between the passionate Sufis who sought the unification with the beloved through meditation and Zikr to those who secluded themselves in remote taverns in fear of temptation and distraction and those who relished the feeling of death in their life mumbling " My death is to remain alive. My life is to die", the divine love seekers have many examples, not to follow literally but to guide them in their pursuit of wholeness. If Sufism revolves around the love of "God" then we are all Sufis at some point or another. Women and Men's genius lies within their ability to adjust. In the effort of adjustment comes novelty and with novelty comes innovation. The will and effort to refine one's beliefs is by no mean mandatory, yet the adventure is highly gratifying for those who dare. © 2012 Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved |
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Sufi Love, a Journey to the Divine
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
ORS Festival of a Universal Sufi Saint Observed at Rahe Bhander Kadhurkhil Dorbar Sharif
ORS Festival of a Universal Sufi Saint Sufism is the terms that usually gives us pietistic feelings of moral and physical sacredness and enlighten heart of an individual as well as the social life. Sufism remain as the indeed universal philosophy at every prophetic era which, relate our beloved prophet (May, peace of Allah be upon him and to his family and followers) with the previous. Sufism is the indeed theology of Islam and thus Sufis lives beyond territory. The last June 5, Tuesday was the annual ORS Festival (The Disappearance Ceremony) of such a Universal Sufi Saint which, observed in highly religious aspect at Rahe Bhander- The kadhurkhil Mono- Theological Resource Center (Rahe Bhander Kadhurkhil Dorbar Sharif) a well established school of Mono- Theology at Chittagong in Bangladesh. It is one of the biggest annual festivals of the Rahe Bhander Sufi Order. The independent re-organizer of Islamic Mono- Theism; The Universal Pole Qutub; Hadrath Moulana SYED MOHAMMED ABDUL MALEK (May, Allah be pleased upon his holiness) (1917- 1980) was one of the eminent Universal Sufi Saint of his era and the well spread Rahe Bhander Sufi Order in the Southern region of Asia. He was the spiritual descendent and apostle (Caliph) of the most eminent Universal Pole Qutub- The founder of the Rahe Bhander Doctrine- Saheb Al Ojud Al Quran- Hadrath Moulana SYED SALEQUR RAHMAN (May, Allah be pleased upon his holiness)(1849- 1969). His spiritual lineage meet with the Last Prophet Hadrath MOHAMMED (May, peace of Allah be upon him and to his family and followers) according to Hadrath Ali Karram Allahhu Wajhahu. He is the 39th Sufi Saint of the Golden Chain. His livelihood was desire free from the materialistic worldly life. He traveled many countries of the world and had professional communication skill in Bengali, Arabic, Persian, English and Urdu. There a number of Sufi Poems in Bengali and Urdu languages were written by him. Meanwhile, spend all of his life for the welfare of Sufi Devotes. His only audio recorded oration is going to be published in Bengali and English very soon in which, he exposed his extra ordinary philosophical thought and logic of Mono- theology and the relation of a worshiper with his own ultimate origin Allah. This Universal Sufi Master of the early modern era left the worldly life at 22 Joisto, according to Bengali calendar (June 5, 1980). Since then, a number of this followers, Sufi Devotes of Rahe Bhander Sufi Order, social figure and mass contribution make a stream of people around his holy tomb on the day. This year under the superintendence of his spiritual apostle- The Surviving Sufi Master of the Rahe Bhander Sufi Order- Hadrath Moulana SYED ZAFOR SADEK (May, Allah accept his endeavourer) there observed the complete recitation of Holy Quran, Slaughter Animals with the name of Allah, Visit the holy Shrine (Jiarah), Convey Dorud and Milad upon the Prophet Mohammed (May, peace of Allah be upon him and to his family and followers), Tabarruk distribution, Stall Opening, Disclosing Ceremony of Annual Megazine 'Noxar Sondhane' (the preface of Rahe Bhander), Sacred Musical Segment (Semmah Mahfil) and concluding prayer (Akheri Munajat) as the part of whole day scheduled programs. Male and female devotes were joining the occasion individually and group by group holding their community banner. The association of his followers as named the Association of Rahe Bhander Affectionate, the Scholars Association of Rahe Bhander, the Youth Association of Rahe Bhander, Rahe Bhander Multimedia and the Sufi Musicians Association of Rahe Bhander were serving their voluntary duties till the festival ends. |
Friday, June 1, 2012
June 5, The 33rd ORS Festival of the Universal Sufi Saint of Rahe Bhander Sufi Order
The ORS festival will be observed at the historical place of Rahe Bhander The Kadhurkhil Mono-Theological Resource Center which, is well known as Rahe Bhander Kadhurkhil Dorbar Sharif as an well established school of Mono- Theology in the region for half a century. Infect, a number of Sufi devotee of the Rahe Bhander Sufi Order, Social figures and attendance of mess people from every part of the society make a human ocean on the day of occasion. A whole day long religious programs has been taken to perform associate prayer to the Almighty Allah for the peace and prosperity of individual and the global society. jpg " type="#_x0000_t75" o:spid="_x0000_i1025">
The surviving Sufi Master of the Rahe Bhander Doctrine- Hadrath Moulana Syed Zafor Sadek Shah (MZA) invited all the man and women of every religion and sect to be attend on the ceremony. He, organizing the annual ORS Festival in association with the Association of Rahe Bhander Affectionate, the Scholars Association of Rahe Bhander, the Youth Association of Rahe Bhander, Rahe Bhander Multimedia and the Sufi Musicians Association of Rahe Bhander
Sufism Is Growing
By Simon Stjernholm, *A study of Naqshbandi-Haqqanis Sufis in the 21st century* - EurekAlert - Sweden; Thursday, May 26, 2011
Many people predicted the death of Sufism – what could Islamic mysticism have to do with the third millennium? But after the terrorist attacks in New York and London, the Sufi movement has been gaining ground.
It campaigns against extremist violence and in favour of peace and love.
Simon Stjernholm has studied how one of the most successful Sufi orders has managed to establish itself in several countries over the last decade.
In the middle of the 1900s, many people felt that Sufism, with its mystical rituals, would disappear as Muslim societies became modernised. Sufism can be described as Islamic mysticism, the spiritual, inner dimension of Islam as a complement to Sharia, the outer dimension. Its focus is on self-improvement and the quest for direct contact with the divine. Rituals with whirling dervishes and visits to holy shrines are part of the Sufi tradition.
But Sufism did not die; instead it became a force to be reckoned with. In the war against terrorism, after the attacks against the World Trade Center, politicians in a number of different countries including the USA, Europe and Central Asia, chose to form alliances with Sufi Muslims. But the embrace of the Sufi movement by the West is not uncomplicated, according to Simon Stjernholm.
"The West tends to idealise Sufism - it includes a longing for freedom and focuses less on strict rules. But what is often missed is that Sufi groups are not always more democratic and peace-loving than other Muslim groups. How Sufism is practiced depends on the social context."
Simon Stjernholm has particularly studied one of the fastest-growing Sufi orders in his doctoral thesis Lovers of Muhammad: A Study of Naqshbandi-Haqqanis Sufis in the Twenty-First Century. They have their headquarters in London and Cyprus but have managed to establish themselves in broad groups in various countries, thereby uniting Sufi disciples over both ethnic and cultural boundaries.
"Within Sufism, there is great frustration over the way in which the image of Islam has been hijacked by extremists; they want to offer a contrasting image, and the Naqshbandi-Haqqani movement in particular has been clever at communicating this message, both to politicians and the media and within the Muslim community."
In the wake of the terrorist attacks on the London underground in 2005, Naqshbandi-Haqqanis spokesman Shayk Kabbani laid the blame on other Muslim organisations. Reactions were swift and the Sufi movement was strongly condemned by its opponents.
The criticism focuses on the way Shayk Kabbani has appointed himself to speak on behalf of Islam, whereas other Muslim organisations maintain that he cannot represent Islam in any way.
In spite of this, the charismatic Shayk Kabbani has succeeded in linking other Sufi orders to himself by getting Sufi Muslims to unite around a common goal: to give Islam a face that has nothing to do with violence and extremism. After the terrorist attacks in London, a skilled group worked around Kabbani to build networks at various levels, bringing teachers and disciples together with their peers. This led to the creation of the Sufi Muslim Council, which was applauded by the government and by British politicians.
Kabbani has also produced a large number of books over the past decade, including translations of known Sufi works. Sufism through the ages has had many great artists and literary heroes. In this area, British and American converts have played an important role as translators.
"My conclusion is that a global trend is underway, Sufism is growing and will have an increasing role rather than dying out. An important sign of this is that more and more influential, learned Muslims claim to represent 'traditional Islam' with strong ties to Sufism."
On 30 May, Simon Stjernholm will publicly defend his thesis Lovers of Muhammad: A Study of Naqshbandi-Haqqanis Sufis in the Twenty-First Century.
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