NOTES ON SUFISM

[various sources]

Sufism is Islamic mysticism that began to develop in the 7th century, the first century of Islam. The term sufi (Arabic, "man of wool") was coined in the early 9th century as a name for mystics whose ascetic practices included wearing coarse woolen garments, or sufu; soon the term referred to all mystics, whether or not they followed ascetic practices. Sufism arose out of various influences, among them a mystical overtone in some of the teachings of Muhammad, the founder of Islam. By the 9th century AD the Sufis claimed to have methods of finding mystic knowledge of God, or Allah. The Sufi mystic, described as a pilgrim on a journey, follows a path of seven stages: repentance, abstinence, renunciation, poverty, patience, trust in God, and acquiescence to the will of God. Then, with the grace of God, a higher level of consciousness is attained, in which knowledge, the knower, and the known are realized as one. Some mystics believed that the supreme experience of union with God could not be expressed in words; others who tried to express it scandalized the orthodox by ecstatically proclaiming their identity with God. Eventually, formal pantheistic doctrines emerged; statements that the universe and God are actually one further outraged the orthodox, who believed that God, as creator of the world, transcends it. In the Middle Ages the great Sufi orders, which had several million adherents, were established; about 100 orders still exist, many of them in Iran. One of the most influential founders of orders was the 13^th c. Persian poet Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi, who, in addition to composing poetry and other works, instituted devotional dances, particularly those of the whirling dervishes; his disciples, called Mevlevis (Mawlawis), have their headquarters at Konya, Turkey. From the Middle Ages onward, Sufism influenced many poets, especially in Persia (later Iran), where the most brilliant poetry (and a common source for song texts) has been Sufi.

Rumi often used the second person "you" in his poetry, but he frequently disguised the identity of the "you." “You” may be addressed to a human lover, God, another part of the poet-narrator, or a combination of all three. The pain of a human lost love is often used to suggest the pain of feeling separation from God.

Through translator Coleman Barks, Rumi became the best-selling poet in America in the 90s.

Sufis listened to poems sung by musicians known as qawwal. This rich vocal tradition is based on Indian and Pakistani classical melodies, semiclassical love songs, and melodic and free-rhythmic song poems. Today, qawwali musicians also perform for major secular events, and many, including great performer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, have become popular recording artists as well.

The Sufi attitude about music is opposite the usual Islamic suspicion of music. Consider these words from Rumi describing a musical instrument (possibly an ud) and implying that music is evidence of the presence of God: “Its head, its veins [strings] and its skin are all dry and dead; whence comes to me the voice of the Friend?”

The sama’ [listening experience] is the soul's adornment which helps it to discover love, to feel the shudder of the encounter, to take off the veils and to be in the presence of God. – Rumi

The term "music" is not used in the context of this discussion of sama’ or the experience of listening. It is a good illustration of a mystical approach.

Sufi poem/song text from a CD, Traditional Arabic Music; Arabesque (performers’ group name). Recorded in England in 1990; Saydisc Records.

The Door of Hope

I knocked at the door of hope

Whilst everybody else was fast asleep

And started to describe to my Lord what I was feeling.

I said, "You are my hope in every crisis,

You are the one I rely upon to relieve the pain."