Fire of Ashk

2011-07-06T23:14:00.000-07:00

Sherif Baba forwarded this a few days ago...

“ Allah, göklerin ve yerin gaybını bilir. O, kalplerin içinde ne varsa onu da hakkıyla bilendir. ”
(Fatır Suresi, 38.)

"Indeed Allah is All Knowing – of all the hidden things in the heavens and in the earth; indeed He knows what is within the hearts."

"Allah sizin dış görünüşünüze ve mallarınıza bakmaz. Ama o sizin kalplerinize ve işlerinize bakar "
Hz. Muhammed (sallallahü aleyhi vessellem)

“ Ey zengin! Sen Allâh’ın huzuruna yüz çuval altın götürsen, Cenâb-ı Hakk buyurur ki: “Ey getirdiği yükler altında iki büklüm olan kişi. Bana gönül getir, gönül." Eğer o gönül senden razı ise, ben de senden razıyım. Ama gönül senden yüz çevirmişse, ben de senden yüz çeviririm. Ben sana bakmam, gönüle bakarım. Ey can! Armağan olarak bana gönül getir.”
Hz. Mevlâna Celaleddin-i Rumî (k.s.)

Allah’ım, Hz. Muhammed (s.a.v.) ve âline salat eyle ve kalbimizi sevgin için boşalt; zikrinle meşgul et; korkun ve haşyetinle ona hayat ver; özleminle ona güç ver; onu Sana itaat etmeye istekli kıl ya Erhamerrahimin. Allah’ım! Senden hidayet, takva, iffet ve gönül zenginliği istiyoruz. Ey Rabbimiz nefislerimizi ve nesillerimizi edepli ve hayâlı kullarından eyle. Âmin...

Baba asked that this one be posted also.

2011-04-01T10:42:00.000-07:00

Ey iman edenler! Zannın çoğundan kaçının. Çünkü zannın bir kısmı günahtır. Birbirinizin kusurunu araştırmayın. Biriniz diğerinizi arkasından çekiştirmesin. Biriniz, ölmüş kardeşinin etini yemekten hoşlanır mı? İşte bundan tiksindiniz. O halde Allah’tan korkun. Şüphesiz Allah, tevbeyi çok kabul edendir, çok esirgeyicidir.

'O you who believe! Avoid most suspicion [about one another]. Indeed some suspicion is sin. And do not spy and do not backbite each other. Would one of you eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it. And be conscious of Allah and ward off evil [from within and without]. Allah is Accepting of Repentance and is Singularly Compassionate.

Qur'an 49/12.
Sura al-Hujurat 12
HUCURAT 12
(English translation by Shaykh Nooruddeen Durkee)
__________________________________________

“Ey diliyle îmân edip de kalplerine îman tam olarak yerleşmeyen kimseler! müslümanların gıybetini yapmayınız, kusurlarını da araştırmayınız! kim müslümanların kusurlarını araştırırsa allah da onun kusurlarını araştırır. allah kimin kusurlarını araştırırsa, onu evinin ortasında bile olsa rezîl eder.” (Ebû Dâvûd, Edeb, 35; Tirmizî, Birr, 85)

HAZRETI MUHAMMED (s.a.v.)
____________________________

Ey gafil insan! Fil yavrusunu kebap edip yiyen kişiler gibi sen de Allah'ın kullarının gıybetini yaparak etini yiyorsun. Onların bulanmadıkları kötülüklerini söylüyor, günaha giriyorsun. Aklınızı başınıza alın; sizin ağzınızı koklayan Allah'tır. Temiz olanlandan başka o muayeneden kim canını kurtarabilir? Yazıklar olsun o kişiye ki
Mezarda onun ağzını koklayacak olan ya Münker’dir veya Nekir! O büyük meleklerden ne ağız kokosunu, yani dünyada edilmiş gıybet kokusunu glizlemeye imkan vardir, ne de bir ilaç bulup ağzı hoş pis kokan ağzın kokusunu gidermeye zaman vardir.

HAZRETI MEVLANA
___________________

Allah’ım, Hz. Muhammed ve aline salat eyle. Allah’ım, bize, sana itaat etmek muvaffakiyetini, isyandan uzaklaşmayı, niyetin doğruluğunu ve ihtiramları korunması gereken kimseleri tanımayı ihsan et; bize hidayete erişmek ve ona sabit kalmakla ikramda bulun; dillerimizi doğruluk ve hikmetle güçlendir; kalplerimizi ilim ve marifetle doldur; karınlarımızı haramdan ve şüpheli şeylerden arIt; allerimizi zulUm ve tecavüzden alIkoy; gözlerimizi kötülüklerden ve hıyanettin koru; kulaklarımızı boş söz ve gıybete kapat. Amin.

Sherif Baba asked me to post this...

2011-02-27T12:39:00.000-08:00

“Her kim de benim zikrimden (Kur'an'dan) yüz çevirirse mutlaka ona dar bir geçim vardır. Bir de onu kıyamet gününde kör olarak haşrederiz.”
(Taha, 124)

“Allah'ı anmaksızın çok konuşmayın. Allah'ın zikri dışında çok söz söylemek, kalbi katılaştırır. Katı kalpli olanların ise, Allah'dan en uzak kimseler olduğu kesindir.”
Hz. Muhammed (s.a.v.)

“Hakk yolunda okuduğun virdi, çektiğin tesbihi, terk edince, zahmete sıkıntıya düşersin. Sana sebebi bilinmeyen bir iç sıkıntısı bir darlık gelir gönlüne düşer. Bu sebepsiz üzüntü, bu iç sıkıntısı, sana bir çeşit ihtardır. Bir çeşit seni terbiyedir. Devam ede geldiğin virdini bırakma, eski ahdini bozma, dikkat et demektir.”
Hz. Mevlâna Celaleddin-i Rumî (k.s.)

Allâh'ım, beni, Sana şükreden, Sana itaat eden ve Seni zikreden bir kul eyle. Rabbim, tevbemi kabul buyur, beni günahlarımdan arındır, duâmı kabul et, hüccetimi sağlam yap, kalbimi Sana yönelt, dilimi düzelt, gönlümü nûrunla aydınlat. Âmîn...

2011-02-16T22:10:00.000-08:00

Hu Erenler--
I hope that everyone has had a lovely Mawlid-i Nabi/ Valentine's Day. I love that they occurred on the same day this year. There seem to be a lot of these kinds of coincidences these days, such as the timing of the Kurban Bayram and Thanksgiving recently. It brings a tremendous joy to my heart seeing the coming together of Islamic and Western traditions-- celebrating similar themes. Elhamdullillah, Rab'il Alemin. Some of you may also remember Valentine's Day 2001, when the mevlut for Burhan Efendi was commemorated. That was an incredibly powerful evening of zikir and singing-- really one of the most amazing nights I've ever experienced.
I've been trying to digitize some photographs I took over the years, mostly around 1999-2000 in Chapel Hill, so insh'Allah I'll be posting some more soon. This is one of my very favorites: I asked Baba if I could take a picture and he grabbed another camera, held it to his heart, and said "Yes, as long as you make sure to take a picture with your heart."
If anyone has any pictures or stories that you would like to share, please send me a message with your email and I can contact you. I'd love to find more pictures of Sherif Baba, Burhan Efendi, the Rifa'i Marufi tekkes in Turkey, pictures from the Rumi Festival in Chapel Hill, etc.
Huuuu

2011-01-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

Every Land is Kerbela, Every Day is Ashura.

2010-12-16T15:44:00.000-08:00

Her Yer Kerbela, Her Gun Asura.

From time to time, I teach Islamic history at a university.

People sometimes ask me to explain why, in places like Iraq, people are still in such intense conflict over events that took place so long ago.

I usually end up quoting William Faulkner--
"The past is never dead. It's not even past."

As a Muslim Southerner, how else would I explain the importance of Kerbela ? ;)

Sometimes the issue is written off by Westerners as having to do with age-old grudges. Some Western academics try to understand the Shi'i perspective as having something to do with a collective guilt that more of the early umma did not come to the assistance of Imam Huseyin. Many Sunni Muslims write it off as some form of idolatry, or an obsessive interest in lineage. Most accounts by non-Shi'i, whether Sunni or non-Muslim --however understanding or sympathetic-- tend to explain the Shi'i position in terms of the family lineage from the 12 Imams back to the Prophet Muhammad.

But actually it's not really about that. Hz. Imam Ali himself states in the Nahjul Balagha that character and nobility are found in one's actions, not in their family line. All of the major Shi'i historical scholars maintained that the 12 Imams were who they were based on their character, and would have been the Imams whether they were from the family of Hz. Muhammad or not.

And the importance of the story of Kerbala is not only one of Sunni/Shi'i division over the politics of who should lead the community after the death of the Prophet. That's certainly a part of it, but that's not all. That's the part that people teaching the history of Islam in universities talk about, and it's the most accessible part of the question. That's what I talk about when I teach on this topic. But for many of the people for whom this issue is important, the question has much more to do with injustice.

The story, although significant in its own historical terms and in the context of understanding Islamic history, has taken on a life of its own-- a living, breathing story that is every day infused with new meaning. It functions as an archetype of the injustice and oppression that takes place on a daily basis throughout the world, and in particular, the suffering that takes place at the hands of tyrants who use religion to prop up their tyranny. And every day, and in every place, the events of Kerbala are reinterpreted to exemplify current struggles.

For many, particularly the Alevi of Turkey and the Ahl-e Haqq of Iran and Iraq, the story of Kerbala is a warning against the grave injustices that are committed by so-called "religious" states or other authorities that marginalize, deny the rights of, and sometimes outright kill members of religious minorities.

In Iran at exactly this time last year-- and that symbolism was not accidental-- Iranians took to the streets with the image of Kerbala in their minds, and the name of Hz. Imam Huseyin on their lips. In Iran today, apparently, Yezid can even take the form of Shi'i religious authorities.

So, it's always being reinterpreted for the current moment... where is Kerbala today? Who are the martyrs of today's Ashura?
And they still exist. Many, many, on a metaphorical level, and of all faiths. And, sadly, there are many this very week in who were literally killed in the actual city of Kerbala, Iraq for their religious beliefs as they went to pay their respects with their families at the shrine of Hz. Imam Huseyin.

And it's not only a question of Sunni or Shi'a. Many Sunni, particularly Sufis, commemorate these events every years, seeing in that story the example of courageousness and principle against forces of aggression who twisted religions to fit their own quest for personal power. This is a universal struggle, and the martyrs of today's ongoing Ashura live in Kerbalas throughout the world. Some are Sunni. Some are Shi'i. Some are Christian, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, Pagan or Atheist-- but they are living the principle of Imam Huseyin and his companions. No matter what your faith, this tragic story can be an example-- as it was for Mohandas Ghandi.

Because it's not just a story of an Islamic succession crisis of the early Caliphate. It's the story of humanity.

This is Kerbela, and today is Ashura.

And the many attacks on Shi'i pilgrims in Iraq over the last week and the arson of the Harabati Tekke (an important Bektashi center in Macedonia) by fundamentalists a few days ago, as well as several arson attacks on Alevi Cemevis in Turkey over the last couple of months are ample evidence of this. The struggles of other religious minorities in the Middle East tell this story. The struggles of women in Afghanistan tell this story. The struggle of Tibetans to reclaim their culture and their homeland is also telling this story. Anyone who is struggling for their rights against entrenched power--especially a violent form of power that pretends to represent religious authority-- is living the story of Kerbela. It's everyone's story. And it could even be your story-- no matter what your religion or lack thereof or what part of the globe you may happen to live in. It's not about religion. It's not about culture. It's about the everyday struggles of humanity for the best of their principles against those who would deny them for personal gain.

And that's here. And it's now.

Muharrem

2010-12-16T14:01:00.000-08:00

The following is the text of Sherif Baba's comments about the holy month of Muharrem that appeared in the April 1998 edition of The Flashlight (Vol. 1. No. 3).
___________________________________________________________________________________

In the world of Islam, Muharrem is the month that begins the new year. As this month has many peculiarities, it has great value as a time of the start of transitions. It is for this reason that this month was chosen as the first month. Here I am going to tell you briefly some of its peculiarities. This knowledge has been given by Hazreti Muhammad through the Hadisi Sherif, teaching which open up verses of the Qur'an.

According to chronological order, in this month Hz Adem (Adam) announced for the first time that he is the halife, representative, and prophet. Hazreti Nuh (Noah) was saved from the flood; he and his people disembarked from the boat onto land and made the sweet soup called ashure, said prayers and began a new life. Third, the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) was saved from Nimrud's fire. Fourth, the prophet Ismail (Ishmael) received the ram sent by Allah to be sacrificed in his stead. Fifth, the Prophet Eyyub (Job) found healing after his period of illness. Sixth, the Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) was taken out of the dungeons and made ruler of Egypt. Seventh, the Prophet Yunus (Jonah) was taken out of the stomach of the fish. Eighth, the Prophet Musa, Moses, achieved freedom from the Pharoah's oppression. Ninth, the Prophet Isa (Jesus) stepped on the sirra kadem, the living and eternal endless state, and retired to the fourth level of the heavens.

In the world of Islam, Hz. Muhammad's hijret, migration, from Mecca to Medina was also in this month. The coming together of so many holy events caused Resulu Ekrem, the Prophet of Perfection, because of the value that he gave it, to count this month as the beginning of the new year. For this reason, Hz. Muhammad fasted in the month of Muharrem and did not shave or cut his hair.

Also in the month of Muharrem, Jenabi Resulu Ekrem's grandson Hz. Imam Huseyin, at the place called Kerbela, from the first of Muharrem through the tenth, was under siege by the armies of the damned Yezid who did not even allow them water. On the tenth of Muharrem, after Imam Huseyin and his family and friends who were with him were tortured, they were martyred and their blessed heads were chopped off. This is a day of mourning. These events that are known to have happened in this way in the month of Muharrem are being told because those who are the friends of the Ehli Beyt, the family of the Prophet Muhammad, and those who follow the road of the Prophet need to know.

As you know, those who follow this road, because they are working to save humanity from the darkness of oppression and bring them into Divine Nur, Light, take their share and caution from such events and reflect like a light from the living of Hak, of Truth, and the allowing of Hak to live as a system for humanity. If warning can be taken and lived frmo the examples of history and past events, then mistakes and defiance won't bring on darkness. Maybe there will be a warning for future days. Because they are viewed from this perspective, these histories have been established and made known to people through the Divine Books.
--Sherif Baba

Hz. Imam Huseyin

2010-12-15T13:55:00.000-08:00

2010-12-14T16:56:00.000-08:00

a telling of the events of Kerbala...

2010-12-12T10:24:00.000-08:00

This is a very good film in English about what happened to the family of the Prophet and their companions at Kerbala...
this is part one of seven. Click on the links to continue the film.
This is such an important story, not just for Shia to know about. Not even just for Muslims.
This is the universal story of human beings who bravely suffer against oppression and injustice.

2010-12-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

Sherif Baba

Huuu...

2010-12-09T11:46:00.000-08:00

2010-12-07T08:47:00.000-08:00

Hz. Pir Ahmet el-Kebir ul-Rifa'i

2010-12-07T00:59:00.000-08:00

2010-12-03T00:18:00.000-08:00

Hz. Idries Shah-- Dreamwalkers

2010-12-03T00:12:00.000-08:00

Above is a beautiful Orientalist painting of Qadiri dervishes...

Below is the first of a series of 10 videos from the Idries Shah film Dreamwalkers. If you follow the links, you will find the rest of the film. With connections to both Naqshbandi Sufism and also to Gurdjieff, Idries Shah was a fascinating and provocative figure.

The following is a set of Questions and Answers with Hz. Idries Shah.

Peter Kingsley

2010-12-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

I've been finding this fellow's work quite interesting. Peter Kingsley, as some of you know, has written several very interesting books about ancient Greek spirituality and its meaning in today's world, particularly in the West. Selma and I have been visiting his gatherings in Asheville and have found his work very helpful. His most recent book, A Story Waiting to Pierce You, concentrates particularly on the links between Central Asian shamanist traditions and the dawn of Western civilization.

Interview with Hz. Idries Shah

2010-12-02T23:33:00.000-08:00

The grave of brilliant and unconventional Sufi teacher Idries Shah. I've loved his work for many years, and I'll post film of him in the next few days, insh'Allah.
Please click on the following interview-- you won't regret it.

http://www.katinkahesselink.net/sufi/sufi-shah.html

I'd like to add more on this site of words, ideas, stories, etc. So if anyone has found interesting links related to Sufism or has personal stories about Sherif Baba, Burhan Efendi, or anything else to suggest, I would love to post them.
Ashk ve Selam....
Hu

2010-12-02T01:27:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love this wonderful song by Tolga Sag, Erenler Cemine.

2010-12-01T18:49:00.000-08:00

Hu Erenler...

I just wanted to wish everyone well during this holy season, of Eid, Thankgiving, Hannukah, Seb-i Arus, Muharram and Christmas. I'll put up some more posts later this week, insh'Allah.

Burhan Efendi of Izmir

2010-09-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

Hu Erenler--
I hope that everyone has had a beautiful Eid. I'm sorry it's been a little while since I've posted, but I was waiting until I found something wonderful today. Elhamdullillah. I haven't seen this picture in years. I never had the opportunity to meet him in person, but I've felt his presence.

Burhan Efendi of Izmir, Sherif Baba's murshid.

2010-06-17T15:32:00.000-07:00

I think what is happening in the next one is a Balkan Qadiri-Rifa'i ordained as a shaykh:

More Balkan Qadiri-Rifa'i... but this one is just pure cuteness. Cok sirin, mash'Allah!

2010-05-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

2010-05-25T00:33:00.000-07:00

2010-05-21T01:19:00.000-07:00

2010-05-21T01:07:00.000-07:00

and a video of the tomb of Hajji Bektash Veli--

2010-05-21T00:56:00.000-07:00

Alem Yüzüne Saldi Ziya Ali Muhammed

2010-04-30T18:53:00.000-07:00

Hu Erenler--

Sherif Baba asked to to post this beautiful illahi from one of the Bektasi Nefesleri albums--

http://neveser-nefes-alem-y-z-ne-saldi-ziya-ali-mp3-download.kohit.net/_/291915/mp3player.php?single=1&tellafriend=http://Neveser-nefes-Alem-y-z-ne-saldi-ziya-Ali-mp3-download.kohit.net/_/291915&id=291915

a video of another version of this illahi is also on Youtube:

If you do not have access to Youtube, you can also see it here:
http://www.ussaki.org/video/287/Alem-Yuzune-Saldi-ziya-Ali-Muhammed-Guzel-Asik

Latif Bolat also have a very nice version of this one on his album Infinite Beginning.

2010-03-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

Hu Erenler---
Elhamdullillah, it was wonderful to join many of you for Sherif Baba's Oovoo sohbet yesterday.

I thought I would share a couple of things from Sh. Kabir Helminski's website that originally appeared in Gnosis magazine.

In Sufism, great importance is given to the complete human being, the one who is considered activated. It is through the guidance of such a human being that the inner process unfolds. Any particular beliefs in dogmas dissolve as the complete one assists the seeker to fall fully into his or her relationship with God and to recognize the importance of that essential experience. --Metin Bobaroglu

The following link is to an interview with Refik Algan in the same issue of Gnosis.

http://www.sufism.org/society/articles/refikint.html

2010-03-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

Hazreti Pir Ahmed el-Kebir er-Rifa'i
painting by Nedim

2010-03-22T21:00:00.000-07:00

2010-03-18T20:50:00.000-07:00

Some sites I've really been enjoying lately:

One I've had a link to since the beginning:
http://www.thewesternmuslim.com/index.php/articles/index/

and a great collection of podcasts, mash'Allah:
http://www.altmuslim.com/a/a/pi

and a favorite recent discovery:
zindiq.org
(and the site is as surprising and provocative as its title)

Haydar Ali, Sultan Ali...

2010-03-18T00:21:00.000-07:00

Hu Erenler...

These are Balkan Qadiri-Rifa'i videos

The first is a dhikr-- as I mentioned in my last post, this is a group of Balkan Qadiris who also have substantial Shi'i/Alevi leanings, yet the foundation of their worship at the tekke is dhikr, rather than semah. Their dhikr is also very much on the ecstatic Qalendar side of things, rather than the more subdued side exemplified by most of the more mainline tariqas. Speaking of which, you might want to be a little careful clicking around on the related videos column... this particular tekke does some rather exuberant knife and skewer play in some of the other videos on the same channel. But I promise you... no dervishes were harmed in the making of these 3 videos. ;)

I should mention that though such things are quite common in those branches of the Rifa'i and Qadiri with the most intense devotion to the family of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) there is absolutely no history of any use of swords, knifes, etc in the Bektashi or Alevi traditions whatsoever (contrary to the writings of some published authors). I have seen various explanations of the source of that ritual, but none are fully convincing. And, of course, I must also emphasize that the great majority of Rifa'i and Qadiri do not do that either. As Cem told me once, "Many Rifa'is used to swallow hot coals, eat fire, play with it and roll around in it. Some still do. And we still 'play with fire' but what we're interested in here is the metaphorical fire. The fire of Ashk."

Speaking of which, here it is...

Another video of this same Qadiri-Rifa'i group-- actually you can see the singer from the last video in the middle of the dhikr circle.

Zikr videos-- mostly of Halvetis in the Balkans

2010-03-17T23:40:00.000-07:00

This one is intense-- magnificent crashing cymbals, etc. These fellows are hardcore.

This one is a Halveti music video:

As with the Rifa'i and Qadiri tariqas, there is a significant range within the tradition. Some branches are rather conservative and tend to emphasize the external aspects of Islamic tradition more than others. I've put the emphasis here on those branches of the Halveti that are a bit more ecstatic and reflect more of the Qalendar tradition (which I am personally much more drawn to). Here is a good example:

This next one is from the Saadiyya tariqa (who I believe trace their lineage to both the Rifa'i and the Halveti). It is a dhikr for Sultani Nevruz-- the Persian and Kurdish new year. The day is also believed to be the birthday of Hz. Imam Ali, and is also celebrated by the Alevi (though not like this). Nevertheless, through the gradual influence of the Alevi on various Ottoman Sufi orders, the holiday came to be a widely celebrated holiday in the tariqas of the Balkans. That's especially true for the orders that have a particularly strong Ahl-ul Bayt orientation, such as the Saadi branch.

Muzaffer Efendi

2010-03-17T02:36:00.000-07:00

A beautiful interview with Shaykh Muzaffer Ozak el-Jerrahi. I am always amazed to find out how so many of the shaykhs I truly respect had close connections to this man-- Sherif Baba, Jelaluddin Loras, and Shaykh Rashid (shown in the video below) all spent significant time with him. Elhamdullillah, such a trememdous legacy was given by the this saint.

Cut and paste the link below into your browser for a sohbet with Shaykh Fariha, one of the successors of Muzaffer Efendi.

http://www.nurashkijerrahi.org/media/pakistan_talk.mov
or
http://www.nurashkijerrahi.org/events.htm
for many sohbets from Shaykh Fariha.

video of Shaykh Ahmed Abdur-Rashid

2010-03-17T02:25:00.000-07:00

This is a sohbet of Shaykh Ahmed Abdur-Rashid (Naqshbandi-Mujeddidi) of the World Community in Bedford. VA. Mash'Allah, I think this shaykh has very many interesting things to say. If you check on the Youtube sidebar or click on the CircleGroup2 Channel, you can find some of his other sohbets, as well as some from Shaykh Nooruddeen Durkee (Shadhili). Inshallah, they may be as helpful to you as they have to me.

Though his style is somewhat different, several things the shaykh says here remind me of things from Sherif Baba's sohbets over the years-- in particular the idea that the Mujeddid (the Renewer) may not be a specific individual but rather a role that all of us have a part in. In fact, the shaykh says, even internet technologies and social media may play an important role in today's society as the voice of the Mujeddid in the modern age. This reminds me of one of Baba's sohbet's in which he describes the Sahib-i zaman (Master of the Age-- a concept related to the Hidden Imam or Imam Mehdi) in very similar language. Though Sherif Baba uses language to describe this that is much closer to the esoteric Shi'i or Alevi understandings, and Shaykh Rashid uses the more Naqshbandi language of the Mujeddid, they seem to be describing a very similar idea.

2010-03-16T20:20:00.000-07:00

Amazing Documentary

2010-03-11T20:32:00.000-08:00

Hu Dost---

I am thrilled to post some information here about an incredible documentary that I just viewed:
Asiklar: Those Who Are In Love by film maker David Grabias. This is an absolute must-see for
anyone interested in traditional music and folksong, spirituality, Sufism, Turkey, and is a divine gift for anyone who loves the Alevi/Bektashi faith and the ashik tradition of Anatolian poets and singers. I could not be more pleased with such a beautiful film.

You can purchase the film from DER.org

http://www.der.org/films/asiklar.html

Here is a preview:
http://www.der.org/films/asiklar-preview.html

Here is a transcription of the documentary, but by all means try to watch it if possible. The music and interviews are absolutely lovely, mash'Allah.

NARRATOR I'm on a long narrow road traveling day and night, unaware of my situation traveling day and night. The moment that I arrived in the world, I started to walk inside in the end with two doors traveling day and night. I walked even while asleep trying to find a reason to stay. I see those who are leaving traveling day and night. For 49 years on these roads on plains, in mountains, and desserts in foreign lands I found myself traveling day and night. If carefully considered the distant appears near when looked at. The path is as long as a minute traveling day and night. The poet is puzzled by this case sometimes crying, sometimes laughing in order to reach the resting place traveling day and night.

[sil.]

[non-English song]

A?IKLAR THOSE WHO ARE IN LOVE

A FILM BY DAVID GRABIAS

[sil.]

NARRATOR For the thousands of villagers scattered amidst the mountains and rolling step of Anatolia in Turkey , the spiritual and cultural identity of this land has been embodied in the Ashik . Throughout centuries Ashiks have been playing with saz and singing, telling tales of hero's past, loves unrequited, the earth's wonder and humanities beauty. Ashiks are consumed by Ashiq(ph) an irrepressible in a passion that compels them to express themselves in song. Ashiks of old to forsake their home to wander alone from village to village keeping their listeners connected to a communal past, while releasing them momentarily from the sufferings of the present. It is in search of the remnants of this culture that I set out, wandering from village to village, telling stories of bards of old.

[sil.]

Bahattin Kader

Bahattin Kader Ever since 1943 , I've had a saz in my hand. The moment I was born and given a name, I began to play. Since then, up to 1990 , I played and sang. And this is a gift earned from the Great God.

Mizrap Jihangir

Mizrap Jihangir I take both of them; I play one, leaving one aside, then play the other, depending on the place or what's requested. In some places, young people ask me to play for them, and I take my saz and play a folk song.

Bahattin Kader Being an ashik means to love, to be loved, to be kind to everything. Love the one that loves you and the one that is poor, but not the one that is a traitor to you in this world.

[sil.]

Mizrap Jihangir From within me came such a passion. It was then that I made myself this saz and sang with it.

[sil.]

He started to play scales on the saz 25 times. He began by going up and then gliding to the end, started afresh and went up and down again. "My God," I said, "Hasn't he learned this already?" And so I dedicated a rooster as a sacrifice.

Bahattin Kader When one speaks of "love," the most important thing that people need is love. As every person is in need of water, in need of bread, everyone is in need of love. So much, so much in need of love. "My heart is troubled if it looks at you," for example. My heart is heavy with its love for you. In this way, the ashik is in us from the very beginning.

Mizrap's Wife

We couldn't sleep at night. He began to play and play until morning. The children got upset. One of the kids said, "Father, forget this song, play it tomorrow." "I don't like it either," he said. But from then on, the children never slept.

[sil.]

Bahattin Kader You need patience to be a good ashik . Patience, first patience. After that, you have to beg God to help you be a good ashik .

Mizrap Jihangir She sacrificed a rooster it began with that. At last, I, by myself, decided to play the saz. It was an offering. I started something myself. I, myself, played and sang. And the master of the house didn't say a word. She also sings well. We were even able to sing together. My God be content, she is the mother of my children. This ashik tradition, this love of playing the saz, has been around for a long time, from the time of the Ottomans , from our descendents and ancestors. We liked it a lot, and we still have a lot of fun with it.

A lot of songs came from my father. I taught him some of the old songs I had known and learned from my father.

[sil.]

Bahattin Kader We sing for what we drink, we sing for the flying bird, we sing for people and for friends. We sing everywhere; whether it's good, whether it's bad, we try to sing well. And thus I have enslaved myself to it. I cannot live without the saz. It stays beside me. Sometimes, when I'm bored, I just fool around with it. This is basically how my days pass.

Mizrap Jihangir This holy saz has a sound that caresses my insides. And because of that, I enjoy myself; I'm relaxed. Now when I begin to play, I leave this world entirely. I am happy.

[non-English narration]

Bahattin Kader In the old days, an ashik would come to a cafe and write a poem on the wall. He would play the saz and write poems on the wall. Some other ashiks would then come to the cafe, read the poems on the wall, and would add some lines to the poem, would continue it. This is what I have seen. But it was long ago, even more than fifty years ago.

Mizrap Jihangir Playing the saz has given me a smooth, healthy life. After exulting the Lord, I'm inspired and start to play. I never sat around miserably. Once I took the saz in my hands, I relaxed and my depression was gone.

[non-English narration]

Bahattin Kader The saz is not played for money. Once an ashik has been bought for money, he has no value. Neither the saz nor I have any value. It's finished. Money doesn't work what is money; is money love? It is love, humanity's love, that should be inside you. Love for God, for people, for friends, for brothers. That's it.

[sil.]

NARRATOR I've thrown myself on so many considering them friends, my faithful lover is the dark earth. I wandered in vain, I've gotten tired for nothing, my faithful lover is the dark earth. I've attached my myself to so many beauties, I haven't seen loyalty in them nor I've found the use for them. I've gotten whatever I want from the dark earth, my faithful lover is the dark earth. It has given sheep, lamb and milk. It has given food, bread and meat. It has given less if not beaten with the pickaxe, my faithful lover is the dark earth. It brought my kind from Adam to today, it offered me all kinds of fruits, each day it carried me on its hills, my faithful lover is the dark earth. I have split its belly with pickaxe and blade, I have torn its face with nails and fingers, still it has met me with roses, my faithful lover is the dark earth. It laughed as I tortured it. There is no lie, everyone has seen it, from one seed it gave me four gardens, my faithful lover is the dark earth. The earth hides all our faults, it dresses my wounds, with arms open it looks forward to having me, my faithful lover is the dark earth.

[sil.]

NARRATOR From the 11th century onward a steady stream of Turkic tribes moved west from central Asia to Anatolia in search of new grazing for their livestock.

[sil.]

NARRATOR Continuing with many of their original shamanistic traditions even after having been converted to Islam, their approach to religion was further influenced by the Buddhist, mystical, and Christian sects they encountered en route.

[non-English song]

NARRATOR Many of these tribes drawing from all of these dispersed influences created their own belief system, ostensibly Islamic but entirely unique, known as Alevis , they saw the world as physical manifestation of Allah, God. And in this way each objects and being was to be treated with the respect, tolerance and love offered to Allah himself.

[sil.]

NARRATOR Repressed for centuries by the Ottoman Empire as a hieratical and politically dangerous minority Alevis have always worshiped in semi-secrecy with no real texts and no set rules or liturgy. In the jam(ph) the Alevi religious service all prayers and discussion are focused around the Ashik culminating in a swirling dance that illuminates the world's transcendental nature. Here Ashiks have sustained the culture through their oral tradition using metaphor and music to convey history and philosophy, giving voice to a people who had no other representative.

[sil.]

Dervish Kemal

Dervish Kemal One has to be very honest to be on the side of the common people. Whoever you are, being an ashik is expressed in this way: No actions should contradict your performance, certainly not. As an ashik , I work for humanity, but if how I act contradicts what I write, then I am not an ashik . Because of this, an ashik is always close… to the troubled, poor and destitute.

[sil.]

Shaturna

Shaturna When I was ten, I finally got a saz- but it wasn't easy. My father always wanted to take me to a doctor to cure my sight, but I always wanted a saz. "Daddy, I want a saz, not eyes," I'd say. One day, he took me to the doctor, and on the advice of the doctor, who said a cure was impossible, he bought me a saz. After getting that saz, it was as if I was consumed by longing for it, as if I had played before.

Dervish Kemal Being Alevi , my background has led me towards being an ashik . It all stems from this. And I really love those works of art, the Alevi perspective… its mysticism and all that. Thus, most of my poems are about spirituality, society, and humanity. Our culture gives a lot of importance to humanity.

[sil.]

Shaturna At that time, throughout Turkey , there weren't really any women who sang and played - certainly not any female ashiks . In those days, a girl wouldn't even think of playing. It was a big thing for a girl to play. What do girls do at home? They do housework. In villages, they work in the fields. Because of all this work, they have no time to play the saz. When would they find the time? Besides, they wouldn't be allowed to play.

Dervish Kemal For us, it's enough to say that you are human… our doors are open and we embrace you. Accordingly, our philosophy is about people, compassion and tolerance. It's founded on equality and freedom. I have chosen that path and have continually written about those themes.

Shaturna In my opinion, to be a woman ashik is much more difficult. Especially for someone in my position, because I represent social and political positions. Some artists oppose this, and when you're successful, they begin to envy you. If I were a man, everything would be different. Why should it be different if you're a woman? As a woman, you are always struggling with these issues.

[sil.]

Dervish Kemal Even if our philosophy appears to be religious, there are sides of it that go beyond religion. For example, everyone believes in the concept of God. We believe that God is manifested in human beings. For that reason, we value people. There's a religious side to this, but it stays in words. People are God's greatest form, his most beautiful and mature creation. Because of this, it's necessary to treat people very respectfully. For example, for us, to break a person's heart is to injure God. Absolutely. To kill a man, to wound a person, sure, but to even hurt a person's feelings goes against our philosophy.

Shaturna Eventually we moved away from the village. We were mainly staying in the city anyway. At that time, I saw the difference between the village and the city, that is, as an ashik . The village is one thing, the city another. There are poor and oppressed, and there is somebody who crushes them, who is master over them. I really saw this, and in 1972 , I first performed this song on-stage: "For years you've kneeled to the master, haven't you been crushed enough, citizen? Always you cried, they never made you laugh, isn't it enough that you're unhappy, citizen? If you're rich, your well-being and time is asked for, if you're poor, your heart breaks. The one that tells the truth has his gallows built, isn't it enough that you're hanged, citizen?" And so on the song continues. Because I sang this and other songs, I was arrested. At that time, there was martial law.

[non-English narration]

Dervish Kemal It's very risky to be an ashik , in the true sense of the word. You know the risks: Nobody loves the one who tells the truth. But these are the real ashiks . In history, all the worthiest people, the ashiks , have been oppressed, unhappy, hanged, and skinned.

Sivas , 1993 37 Alevi intellectuals and ashiks burned to death by an Islamic fundamentalist mob.

Shaturna Because of my songs, they said I was making communist propaganda. I didn't really even know what communist propaganda was. I was only telling what I saw. After that, the government began to look for politics even in all my love songs and my songs of passion and longing. On tour, if I was giving five concerts, I'd be arrested by the second one. All together, I was detained for five years.

[sil.]

Dervish Kemal We ashiks are the dogs of the people. We guard the people. A thief comes to the house and, since we're a dog, We right away bark, "ruff, ruff!" and let the people inside know that a thief is coming. The homeowner comes outside and sees us showing who the thief is. Of course the man knows the thief; the thief is the one exploiting and oppressing the people. But the homeowner, out of fear, grabs us and hits us on the head to shut us up. We serve as dogs of the people, and all they do is hit us.

[sil.]

Shaturna I went abroad, both for medical treatment and musical work. After the 1980 coup, Turkish-language broadcasts On German TV and radio called for me to return home, saying that if I didn't, my citizenship would be revoked. Legally, someone who is undergoing medical treatment cannot be interfered with, but our country's government in those times was different. The report I sent was not accepted. Despite going to my consulate to inform them of my situation, despite saying, "Look, ask some of our people, a bunch of generals can't throw me out!" They took away my citizenship.

[sil.]

Dervish Kemal This feeling is more than curiosity. I have an aim. And one day, our work will definitely see the light of day. After I'm gone, researchers will come and maybe even print something. It's so that I might shed some light on humanity. I proposed being more human; I stress this aspect. In this way, if I could have a beneficial influence on just 5% of the people… this is my aim and I don't expect anything in return. I'm not in this for profit. If I can just be a benefit to people, I will be very, very, happy wherever I go.

Shaturna In Germany , I still have a message for people. I tell them, "Let's all be one." I talk about discrimination against Turks . But the government there doesn't put me in jail. On the contrary; they sent me a notice thanking me for informing and warning them When my Turkish citizenship was taken away, they took me into their country as a citizen. And I became German , with a ceremony, even. "We embrace such an artist," they said, and it was as if my eyes could see.

[sil.]

NARRATOR Your beauty would be worthless if I do not have this love. You will find no enjoyment if the house were not in my heart. You cannot be described by pen. Your sorrow is the cure for my wound. Your name would not spread around the world if it weren't for lovers compositions. Who would read, who would write, who would untie this knot. Sheep would travel with wools if opinions were not different from each other. Your beautiful face would not been seen, this love would not become alive in me. Roses would not be valuable if lover and beloved did not exist. I got this cry from you this is the world's taste. The poets name would not be called if you are not in love with you.

[sil.]

NARRATOR The ashik culture that was, is no more. No more do ashiks wander the countryside, instead old men sit in cafes and tell stories of the past. Their children have forsaken the life of the village for the promise of the city, losing touch with the folk culture as they dream of becoming the next pop star. As modern industry changes the face of village culture and is the political and intellectual round for Turkey slowly begin to broadening the possibility of and the need for an old tradition faiths leaving behind the memories of a generation about the disappear as the culture is transformed into something entirely new.

[sil.]

[non-English narration]

Bektash Aktash

Bektash Aktash I was an ashik , a real ashik , not some sort of fairy-tale ashik . I sat over there, crying and making people cry. But look what's happened to my voice. It's gone. But I've lived to be a healthy 94 years old.

[non-English song]

Seyrani

Seyrani Because I was poor, I married a little late. I came back from the army in 1961 , worked a little, and married in 1965 . Except that I had several illnesses inside me. My wife really loved me a lot, but then she also fell ill; she became a little crazy. We went to one doctor; she went to another doctor. The doctor said that we should separate. And my wife, unwillingly, crying, gave a petition and left me. "What can we do?" I said. And so we separated. Then I retreated into solitude since that day I have been alone.

Bektash Aktash I started when I was about 15 and played right up until I was 70. The pleasure I get from the saz I haven't found anywhere else, Ten yellow sazes helped me live in this life and brought me to this age.

Seyrani Even if I have troubles from head to toe let's be honest: who cares about a little guy like myself? What's important are the world's struggles and beliefs. Thus I have embraced the sufferings of people and nations.

[sil.]

Bektash Aktash If God took this old age and converted it to youth, then I would play again.

No one reads our kind of poetry anymore. It hurts me to see the young go in different directions. And more so in the direction of pop music, this worries me.

Seyrani Ours is not only a moral knowledge; it's spiritual knowledge. And it embraces the need for everyone to have a sense of the past, of honesty, and good virtues. Not just professionals, knights or monarchs; everyone from the shepherd to the king needs it. Therefore my writing is spiritual, filled with goodness and beauty. But I write all kinds of things: I've written a play, a scenario and two children's books. This winter I'll go home and retype them. These books give children love, knowledge and culture. But nobody is holding my hand.

Bahattin Kader Now people have TV's and cassettes; everything is opening up. There are no words left for the saz. There are TV's, cassettes, amplifiers. It's "Come on, dance!" right away. But this has no value. The one that lives the saz knows its value. The one that plays, understands. Not everyone can understand the saz.

Seyrani Generally, I write poetry on every subject, no matter what it is. But when a sick person goes to the doctor, does the doctor give him medicine before the patient says anything? The doctor first listens to the patient's complaints. In the same way, you come to me with a problem, and depending on how well I know its causes, I'll write about it.

Dervish Kemal In this life, I have gotten the most pleasure from the yellow saz- Nothing else gives me this pleasure. If all the world's goods were mine, what would I do with them?

[sil.]

Dervish Kemal All the ashiks passed through here, all of them. But today, nobody comes. Why? Economic problems cause us to break away from the tradition and grow cold towards it. I definitely link this to money. But regardless, the ashik's form and idea will not change. Whatever happens to the culture happens; it is still true to itself. But people still break away from it.

Bektash Aktash Before, wherever you went you would find an ashik , but now there is no such thing left. There isn't even anyone who plays the saz. No one takes the saz in their hands and plays. No students says, "I will do this work; I will learn." Now there is TV; TV is stirring up everything. Everyone has gone down the wrong path because of those TV's. We would come home late from work, and at night we would play and sing until dawn. In the morning, we would go to work again. We didn't know what being tired meant. Now you sit down; you watch TV; and as you stare and stare, your heart grows tired. The day ends tired. You wake up tired. And in the morning, without coming to your senses, you get up tired. You see this nation tired.

[sil.]

Seyrani Give me a program on TV. Wait, hold on a minute. Look, I went a while ago and gave these TV scripts to the President. Look at these programs: In the future you'll see what meaning they have. Look: this is the program description. Look at this: "The Damage of Unprotected Waste." A question without an answer. These programs are about the most important topics. Look: "The Negative Effects of Bad Habits." I prepared the questions, and if they had accepted the program, I would have spoken from memory.

[sil.]

[non-English song]

NARRATOR I leave, my name will remain, friends remember me, during weddings, during feast friends remember me. The soul doesn't stay caged it flies. The world is an inn, whoever alights migrates. The moon revolves, the years pass, friends remember me. The soul will leave the body, the chimney doesn't smoke, the furnace doesn't burn. Salutations and arm (inaudible ) from me, friends remember me. Various flowers bloom and wither who was happy, who will be happy. Desire is fake, death is real. Friends remember me. Its afternoon, the evening approaches see what may happen to me, the poet leaves his name will remain, friends remember me.

PRODUCED, WRITTEN, DIRECTED AND EDITED BY DAVID GRABIAS THE ASIKLAR (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE) NURi KILIC BAHADDiN KADER MiZRAP CiHANGiR & WIFE DERViS KEMAL öZCAN SAHTURNA THE EDREMiT ASIK SEYRANi CAMERA JUSTIN SCHEIN SOUND NICOLE NEWNHAM PRODUCTION MANAGER M. ADiL YALCIN DIRECTOR'S ASSISTANT AKiF ERGÜLEC EDITORS TUYGUN DiNCEL MERT YASUK iBRAHIM AKIN DRIVER CAGLAR CANDAS SAN FRANCISCO P.A. JANE GRABIAS TRANSLATIONS (INTERVIEWS) MAJA BIEHL DAVID GRABIAS (POETRY) ARMAGAN TEKDÖNER POEMS IN TRANSLATION (BY ASIK VEYSEL ) UZUN iNCE BiR YOLDAYIM KARA TOPRAK GüZELLiGiN ON PARA ETMEZ DOSTLAR BENi HATIRLASIN POST PRODUCTION FACILITIES SiNETEL - iSTANBUL THANKS TO KUTAY KUGAY BiRSEN DAVIS MUHiTTiN ARPACI ALi TOSUN ILANA NAVARO MATTHEW VURAL FEZA TANSUG HASAN ALEMDAR ERDAL TANSEV iLHAN BASGöZ CAROL WOODALL JEAN FINLEY NATASHA CURRY AYSEGÜL GöKCE TONY GREENWOOD NURDAN ARCA ALEJANDRA PERO BENJAMIN GALDSTON BAHADIR iNöZü MAHAL ABDALLA NATACHA COLOMBANT CHRIS DEVILLIERS BUGDA SAVASIR EFFENDi PRODUCTIONS TURKISH - AMERICAN ASSOCIATION iSTANBUL FiLM FESTiVAL TURKISH MINISTRY OF CULTURE FOLK CULTURES RESEARCH DEPARTMENT AND ALL THOSE WHOSE ADVICE AND SUPPORT MADE THIS FILM POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY: JOHANNA SUNBORG STANLEY GRABIAS BARBARA DARHUN GRABIAS COPYRIGHT 1995 SiNEMA PRODUCTIONS

www.der.org

2010-03-09T00:31:00.000-08:00

Rifa'i Zikir

Shirin Anne and Sherif Baba

Rifa'i calligraphy

The turbe of Rifa'i Marufi Shaykh Ahmet Vehbi Efedi in Manisa

Baba in Konya recently.

Turbe of Muhammed Fethel Marufi

The last one is a 19th Century painting of a Rifa'i tekke in Istanbul.

Thank you to Rodrigo Dorfman, Rufaiforum, and others for some of the pictures. Jazak Allay Khayr.

2010-03-09T00:08:00.000-08:00

Rifa'i Marufi zikir from the Entekkeli Dergahi in Manisa.

Sherif Baba with his murshid, Burhan Efendi.

The last four are:
Hz. Hajji Bektash Veli and Hz. Balim Sultan
Sai Baba of Shirdi
Muzaffer Ozak Efendi (Helveti-Cerrahi)
calligraphy of Edeb Ya Hu

2010-03-08T23:36:00.000-08:00

1) Entekkeli Rifa'i Marufi Tekke, Manisa
2) Ya Ali calligraphy-- I love the Zulfikar shape in the writing.
3. Ya Hz. Ahmet er-Rifa'i
4) Mevlevi sikkes
5) Baba Rexheb, the Albanian Bektashi saint who lived near Detroit, Michigan in the United States.
6) Selim Ruhi Baba, the murshid of Baba Rexheb
7) Baba Rexheb's turbe in Taylor, Michigan.
8) Pir Zia Khan

I'm trying to make up for lost time here-- I hadn't posted anything here for a while. ;)

more pictures--

2010-03-08T23:17:00.000-08:00

Above are some more new pictures--
1. the very small one is an ijazet from one of the shaykhs of the Entekkeli Tekke in Manisa. I'll try to repost later with a larger, more readable version.

2. A popular image of Hz. Abdul-Qadir Geylani and Hz. Ahmed er-Rifa'i
3. Rifa'i calligraphy
4. another levha (board) of Rifa'i iconography/calligraphy
5. A picture I found on the web of Baba a few years ago-- thank you to whoever took it.
I've been finding some interesting material on the Web lately about the dergah in Manisa-- Thank you to the brother who has put up that information and those pictures.

2010-03-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

Two interesting interviews with Peter Kingsley:

Beautiful footage of Muzafer Efendi--

Hu Erenler...

2010-03-08T17:46:00.000-08:00

2009-11-03T03:07:00.000-08:00

Hu Dost---

Elhamdullillah, it's fajr time one again. It's been an insane, but interesting week. To put it mildly. But, much to be very thankful for. Highlights include a wonderful Oovoo sohbet with Baba, a very good catching-up with my sister, and the dostness of my dost Selma.

As many of you know, "Dost" is a Farsi and Turkish word. I don't know all the subtleties of its meaning in Farsi, but in Turkish it conveys the idea of a true heart-friend-- like the English term "best friend" but not comparative. Like a "soul-mate," but not necessarily romantic. It may even be a person you've met only once-- but your soul recognizes. I've had that feeling with people I met on a Greyhound bus traveling to Georgia. I've had that feeling reading the poems of Kaygusuz Abdal or the letters of Ibn Abbad of Ronda. Frankly, I have that whenever I listen to Iron and Wine, The Mountain Goats or even Warren Zevon. Or Bach. Or lately, the music of Gurdjieff (though I'm not so sure about his writings, the music was AMAZING). It's that finding a soul-within-your-soul in another human being. That is the Dost. Turkish has two words for friend-- "arkadash" is a friend in the usual sense, and then "dost" -- that's what Hazreti Shams and Hazreti Mevlana were to each other... the friendship that is so deep that you are mirrors to one another. It's my favorite word in any language. Well, that and "lugubrious," but that's just because it has a comical ring to it. ;)

May we all become dost to one another, inshallah.

So while we are on the topic of the dost... here is a clip of one of my favorite bands called HU DOST (named after a traditional Sufi greeting, recognizing the True Dost who manifests in all of us). I suspect that many readers here know this song, but some readers in Turkey and Albania know the song well but have never heard it in English before. Check them out on Itunes... it honestly made me cry to hear some of these songs again!

Speaking of which, elhamdullillah, it was wonderful to have a meshk with everyone on Oovoo the other day...

a poem from Sherif Baba

2009-10-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

Sherif Baba has sent a poem to post on this site. I'm posting now in Turkish, but if anyone can please help to translate it, that would be very much appreciated, inshallah.
_____
Kibirli olma-tevazzulu   ol
         İnatcı   olma-iteatkar   ol
         Kindar olma- affedici   ol
         hırslı   olma- azimli ol
         Tutucu olma- verici ol
         Öfkeli olma- uysal ol
         Laf taşıyıcı olma-itibarlı ol
         Geveze olma- sukut ol
         Aceleci olma- sakin ol
         Şaşkın olma--akil ol
         Taklidci olma-asil ol
         Tenkidci olma-tasdikci ol
         Tahrikci olma-sabırlı ol
         Asi olma -razi ol
         Kaba olma--nazik ol
         Yıkıcı oLma-yapıcı ol
         Zalim olma- adil ol
         İtici olma- ilgili ol
        Bilgiç olma-dinleyici ol
        Karamsar olma- hoş görülü ol
        Dik başlı olma-halim selim ol
        Ok gibi olma- yay gibi ol
        Zanlı olma- İZANLI OL.........


       Aziz dostlarıma, maddi ve manevi evladlarıma ayine hükmündeki bu levhamız vasiyetim olsun.Merkezden asla ayrılmayınız,alemi olduğu üzre kabullenip,hakkınıza
      rıza gösteriniz.. Halkın içinde Hakkı yaşayarak birbirinize ayine olunuz.Vesselam..Mehmed şerif çatalkaya(hilkati) 15 ekim 2009 ıst.maltepe

2009-10-16T00:14:00.000-07:00

some pictures

2009-10-14T01:21:00.000-07:00

With Shaykh Rasheed (Naqshbandi-Mujediddi) and Selma on the Eid a few weeks ago.

With Shaykh Nooruddeen Durkee (Shadhili) at the I.S.R.A. conference in High Point, NC

One of my favorite pictures of Sherif Baba

A few new pictures. I'll try to add a number of new ones over the next week or so, inshallah.

By the way, I'm finally on Oovoo. I really have no idea how it works and I'm not on Cem's mailing list, so if you're more "in the know" than I am as to how to catch one of Baba's sohbets on Oovoo please, please, please give me some hints! ;)

Hu....

2009-10-12T21:47:00.000-07:00

I'm finally posting again after quite a long while. Inshallah, everyone had a nice Ramadan and Eid (Bayram). Selma and I have had some very nice travels lately, elhamdulillah. We were up at Shaykh Ahmed abdur Rasheed's zawiya in Virginia for the last days of Ramadan, then off to a dhikr with Abdel Haqq and Abdel Hadi in Athens, GA and most recently to West Virginia for a Mevlevi retreat and sema workshops with Jelaleddin Loras.

It was our first time meeting Jelaleddin Effendi, though I've known about him for a good 15 years or so. Mashallah! We loved him and the whole community who gathered for the event. And we were very happy to meet lots of people who know Sherif Baba, too. Many very happy memories of the past were shared and many new ones were created. Eyvallah.

I had a very nice conversation with Jelaleddin Effendi about Baba. I knew that they were friends, but I hadn't realized that he knew Burhan Effendi well. When I asked if they had met, he said "I knew him before Sherif knew him!" with a big smile. He said that he had gone to his house many times, even as a child, because his father (Suleyman Dede)and Burhan Effendi had been good friends and would visit each other a couple of times a year.

Shaykh Ahmed's Naqshbandi-Mujeddidi community was also wonderful as always. Very warm and open-hearted, mashallah. And Abdel-Haqq's dhikr was really refreshing too... I hadn't seen him in about 10 years since I lived in Athens. And finally I seem to have found some decent contacts with the Jerrahi community in Atlanta, elhamdullillah. Inshallah, we may be able to go their dhikrs from time to time.

It's felt like roaming around in a desert for a while, but elhamdullillah, we've had a nice rest in a very pleasant oasis. Inshallah, we will continue to find such places.

I'll try to upload some new pictures in the next day or two, inshallah, so stay tuned. But for now, check out this link to a short film on Soul TV about the Ramadan retreat at Shaykh Rasheed's in Virgina. Selma and I both pop up in it a few times. See if you can figure out which ones we are ;)

It's not letting me post a link, but paste into the browser:

http://soultv.net/index.php

Lots of good things on that site. Click the "Spirituality" tab and then "Ramadan Retreat" under the screen.

Alevi/Bektashi documentary in English

2009-08-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

Elhamdullillah, there is finally a documentary about the Alevi/Bektashi viewpoint in English! I believe this comes from an Alevi organization in Germany. Special thanks to AleviArsiv on Youtube for this one. I'm delighted to see this kind of material coming out in English. I would suggest taking some things here with a grain of salt-- they use some ideas that are not exactly traditional to the Alevi/Bektashi worldview (like Kundalini, etc) in order to explain some ideas to people raised in other spiritual traditions. This is perhaps similar to Sherif Baba's use of the Hindu "chakra" concept to explain the 7 levels of the nefs and their relationship to the lataif , etc. I actually think that can sometimes be helpful, but just recognize that words like kundalini are not part of traditional Alevi terminology and probably reflect a lot of the individual film-makers' interest in connecting Alevi and Bektashi traditions in relation to other forms of world spirituality.

_______

and another one about Alevi semah:

Beautiful videos-- I'm so pleased to see things like this coming out in English

2009-05-05T00:37:00.000-07:00

Hu... Elhamdullillah, there is now a lovely video clip of Sherif Baba on Youtube...

From what I can tell from pictures, I think this zikr may be at the tomb of Hz. Marufi in Istanbul (Kartal District). Does anyone know?

some interesting videos about Laleh Bakhtiar, Progressive Islam, and Islam in America

2009-04-16T01:01:00.000-07:00

As-salaamu aleykum,
Hu Erenler--

First of all, I'm very sorry to hear that people in Turkey cannot get access to Youtube at this time. I am wondering is readers in the other countries are able to see them?

First of all, the following are videos of Laleh Bakhtiar, whose recent translation The Sublime Qur'an set of something of a firestorm by rethinking understandings of Arabic words often taken to imply a justification of domestic violence. Mashallah, I think that she is doing excellent and interesting work. She is an Iranian-American, and a student of Syed Hussein Nasr.

Another clip about Islam in America.

And two more about Islam in America.

I liked these videos... elhamdullillah. Perhaps it's true that the Sun is rising in the West. ;) Allahu 'Alim.

dhikr, sofra, and music...

2009-03-16T16:15:00.000-07:00

Hu, Erenler...

I thought originally that the above videos were Balkan Rifa'is, but they turn out to be Halvetis (though I'm still thinking they there is some Rifa'i component here.

This one is definitely Rifa'i:

I think these brothers are Halevet-Rifa'i:

I also found this article
http://rrezja.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html
about dervishes in Kosovo. Like some of the above videos, the article points to some of the interesting connections between tariqas generally seen as Sunni (like the Halveti and Kadiri) and the Bektashi tradition--note the mentions of Sari Saltik, the Bektashi sofra, etc. There is one wonderful mistranslation though-- the Yeni Ceri (the elite soldiers of the Ottoman military, who always had Bektashi chaplains) are often written in English as "Jannisaries". This article humorous mistranslates the word as "Janitors"!

Lastly-- and this is NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH!--- this is incredible documentary footage of Macedonian Rifa'is in 1955. I'll warn you ahead that they use skewers and knives in the film... yikes! Though this is a practice Sherif Baba has outright forbidden, it is certainly a common feature of many branches of the Rifa'i tariqa.

Latif Bolat on Turkish TV

More of Latif:

and mashallah! this video is Latif Bolat is absolutely beautiful:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnFipPL6bmQ

footage from a Bektashi sofra in Turkey:

I believe on the same night.. mashallah

Beautiful music from Iran-- is he Ahl-i Haqq?

This one is definitely Ahl-i Haqq-- they are a mostly Kurdish group in Iran, related to the Alevi (but somewhat different)

And one of the most famous Ahl-i Haqq musicians in Iran, Ali Albar Moradi:

and lastly an absolutely beautiful adhan... mashallah!

Huuu.... Ya Ahmed el-Kebirul -Rifa'i, Ya Hajji Bektashi Veli, Ya Hz. Ali, Ya Hz. Muhammad Mustafa, sallahu aleyhi wa sellim

2009-02-08T03:09:00.000-08:00

Hu, Erenler...

As-salaamu aleykum!

and truly, I am wishing that the One Who Is, in fact, the Peace may be with you... I am not merely resorting to a traditional form of Muslim greeting ;)

Eyvallah, my internet-friend in Konya gave me the go-ahead to send these out:

This is Sherif Baba on his current balcony in Istanbul...

and then at the Urs in Konya, with Sirin Ana...

I have a couple more of these, elhamdullillah... but I'll save them for a rainy day.

May we be what we long for, in the deepest levels of the Truth.

Ashk olsun.

Nedim

one more of Sirin Ana...

2009-02-07T14:29:00.000-08:00

Some dhikr scenes... and Sherif Baba is in them!

2009-02-07T13:07:00.000-08:00

Hu! As-salaamu aleykum...

Selma and I have recently become quite intrigued with someone we know very little about. So much so that, Selma is hoping to go to Istanbul to visit her (and also meet Sherif Baba face-to-face for the first time). Inshallah.

The woman's name is Sirin Ana, though more can be found about her in English on the Web by looking up a nickname-- the Red Sheika. Apparently for the reason that she always wears red. There is something about her that Selma and I both found immediately intense and compelling. And I love that she throws chocolates into the crowd during her dhikr.

I have some wonderful pictures of her and Baba leading dhikr together in Konya that a friend sent me recently. I'll ask him if I might post them, so you can see them too, inshallah. But for now, I'll just show you some things I found on the web about her.

You will note Sherif Baba is on the left in the crowd, and Cem is playing tef in several of these pictures.

************************************************************************************
The the following story comes from
http://asalamiinturkey.blogspot.com/2008/12/last-two-days.html
************************************************************************************

Last night we were supposed to go to a zikr at a hotel hosted by the Red Sheikha. Ibrahim has been talking about her throughout this trip and she has sounded one-of-a-kind. Yet I had no idea what to expect. Our whole group began to walk over and were about halfway there when suddenly, in the middle of the street, we were met with another tremendous group of women (at least 20), with the Red Sheikha, dressed all in red, being transported in her wheelchair to come meet us at the guest house. This wasn't just any group of women; these were an energetic, celebratory group who were absolutely ready to party in the name of Allah. Kisses and hugs were exchanged right there in the middle of the street until we finally decided to turn and go back to her hotel.

It was there that we had the zikr....right in the hotel lobby, with the Red Sheikha smoking cigarettes directly in front of the "No Smoking" sign. The room was filled with women zikring to their hearts' content. And of course we were all there as well. The energy of having so many women in the center was incredible since so far, most zikrs that I have been to have been very male-dominated. For me, it was empowering to watch and be a part of.

The sad part was when the women were eventually moved out of the center and shifted aside as more men arrived. The energy changed then and I felt less involved.

Another unrelated thought went through my mind as I was watching everything. I realized that a zikr is a lot like other spiritual practices that I have been to, like drum circles, shamanic rituals, or even buddhist gatherings, that can often (certainly not always) be products of communities of people who are new to spirituality or seeking something after having been hurt by their previous tradition. Yet having been part of those circles on more than one occasion, I have felt there to be something disingenuous about them. Somehow the practice seemed disconnected from anything real and often it even felt like there was nothing actually spiritual or grounded underlying anything that was being done.

I feared that's what the zikrs might be like, but while sitting there with the Red Sheikha, especially when it was just the women, I realized that what I was experiencing was absolutely real. Finally I was in a practice that was energetic and exciting but also totally genuine.

The Red Sheikha needed to go to bed due to her health, so we headed home and a few of us gathered with Ismael Baba. He spoke to us about how there are certain kinds of practices that suit each person differently. He was likening this to eating yogurt. He said that some people like their yogurt with honey but others like it with vinegar. So he says you should eat it however you like it because either way you're eating your yogurt. Basically, don't do a spiritual practice that goes against your constitution. Maybe quiet prayer is better for some people while zikrs are better for others. This was a highly empowering conversation since growing up, I became used to just "dealing with" the fact that certain types of Catholic prayer felt totally wrong to me, but I did it anyway. Ismael Baba gave me inspiration that I will be able to find a practice that feels right.

We're just so used to struggling that when something comes easy, we don't believe it can be real. When something feels good, we think it must be wrong. I'm learning the opposite right now. Feeling good is actually right and does come easily, we just need to pay attention and let it happen. For instance, I feel really good when I sing. In fact I feel so happy when I sing, but only recently was I able to identify this as spiritual. It felt too good for me to think of it as a spiritual practice. There was no sacrifice involved, no pain, no suffering, just pure joy. But I've changed my thoughts on this now, and it's joy that I am after; it's joy that we all deserve.
************************************************************************************

***************************************************************************************
And from another blog, http://miketarianist.blogspot.com/2008/12/zikhr-with-red-sheika.html

"This chain-smoking spiritual leader and her bevy of middle-aged women followers with bangles on their scarves rocked the Konya Hotel last night and we joined in the action. This is how to alter the mind and spirit without alcohol or other substances except the ever-present tea and cigarettes. These people know how to laugh and cry and pray and celebrate in worship. And they know how to greet each other and how to welcome strangers.

I'm realizing I will miss the call to prayer, especially in the morning. I wonder if I can find an alarm clock that plays a recording. There are other sounds as well I am becoming familiar with, including the musical instruments and the voices. There is a group of music therapy practitioners in and out of the guest house providing another dimension. And the Turkish language itself sounds like music to me."

***********************************************************************************

There are a number of blog entries about her on the web. These seem to be largely from a group that went together on an interfaith Mevlana tour (or something like that... several of the writers seem to be Christian seminarians and at least one is Jewish). Evidently, they went to Istanbul and Konya, not only visiting Mevlana and Shams but also making contact with a scene I was unaware of until recently.

http://dervishbrothers.com/

The Dervish Brothers Center in Konya has a name that makes it sound like a museum of Mevlevi culture. Then you click on the page, and it looks like the website for a rug shop. And, to a certain degree it is indeed a website for a rug shop. It's also becoming quite clear that it is no ordinary rug shop. It's a rug shop in the way that the Silk Road Tea House was a restaurant and cafe. Or Muzaffer Ozak ran a bookstore. ;)

From all I can tell, these are the people who know where the real stuff is happening.

The contact information on their website:

tel (332) 351 54 67, (332) 350 81 88
fax (332) 351 54 67
mobile (0.532) 266 02 70
dervishbrotherscenter@hotmail.com

I lastly, to my delight, there is video of Sirin Ana (with Serif Baba there on the left also) on Youtube.

Mashallah... I love all of this. You can immediately see why she and Baba are friends. Both of them see to carry with them this combination of openness and a love for tradition, an fire that burns so intensely because of the huzur (tranquility) that grounds it, a humor and lightness and sweetness that has been developed by years of difficult challenges. Eyvallah. May Allah preserve them and the work they are doing.

All of this makes me very happy-- elhamdullillah. I'm delighted to have a little window into what Sherif Baba is up to these days and also equally delighted to see others who clearly seem to be on the same page.

Nedim

some pictures....

2009-02-04T00:23:00.000-08:00

alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298855528063424802" />

Babacast

2009-02-03T23:28:00.000-08:00

Hu, everyone.... and as-salaamu alyekum.

Elhamdullillah, this has been a wonderful and interesting time. Though it has been difficult in many ways (particularly because Selma is half-way across the world) it has also been a time of a lot of inward-looking reflection. Coupled with that, amazing sources for the journey have appeared.

Without getting into too many details, I would just like to thank my longtime dost, Fr. Justin again for a box of beautiful inspirations, and also Azim... mashallah, you both helped rekindle a flame that was seriously needing oxygen.

I am also incredibly grateful for the Babacast...
as many of you know, there is a (usually) 24 hour Sufi radio station on the web:

http://www.sherifbaba.com/web_prolog.htm

Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't for me. I don't know how it will work for you. But, I finally figured out that the key is just keep trying. Sometimes it's not on. Sometimes you can connect, but with no sound. At least two out of three times you'll click on and find great music... but if you get that, stick around. About every 3 tracks will be a sohbet from Sherif Baba. Elhamdullillah... these are wonderfully soul-nourishing and refreshing. If you have liked anything on this site, I highly recommend tuning in. I know most of you already know about these, but I had such bad luck getting it to work that I had almost given up. An e-email exchange with a friend currently in Konya reminded me, and I've been on a wonderful little retreat (in my own home) with Sherif Baba for the last three days. So if you've never checked it out, but you love Sufism and liberal Islam, this is a welcome voice. If you know about it, but have been having trouble connecting, it seems to be working well now (again, I'm not really sure if the problems were Cem's computer(s) or mine. But mashallah, the arsonists of the heart are spreading the fire of ashk (devine love) at http://www.sherifbaba.com/web_prolog.htm

Hu....
Nedim

Academic article on the Rifa'i Marufi tariqa

2009-01-28T23:17:00.000-08:00

Hu...
This is a juicy one for anyone interested in the history of Rifa'i Marufi. It is an article by Turkish professor Atabey Kilic about the order. Unfortunately, it is all in Turkish, except for this abstract:

MA’RİFÎLİK IS A TARİQA WHICH SHOWS ALEVÎ-BEKTAŞÎ-RIFÂ’Î
CHARACTERISTICS IN MANİSA-DEMİRCİ

Ma’rifilik is a tariqa, which was alive between 19-20th centuries, shows Alevî-Bektâşî-Rıfâ’î characteristics and it’s âsitâne takes place in Kartal. Today we can see it’s tradition in Ege Region especially in Manisa-Demirci. There are many mecmuas in Ege University Centural Library about this tariqa. In this paper we aim to give informatin about this tariqa’s tradition, rules and apparel

Here is the article itself (in Turkish)
http://www.turkishstudies.net/sayilar/sayi6/3k%C4%B1l%C4%B1%C3%A7atabey.pdf

Even if you don't know Turkish, it's still a useful thing for any Rifa'i Marufis in America or elsewhere to take a look at. Lots of great pictures from Kartal, and some really interesting pictures from old documents showing the clothing worn in the order 200 years ago. I'm particularly intrigued with the fact that he particularly seems to focus on the Alevi and Bektashi connections. As some of you know, this is one of my major interests as well, and was a major part of my anthropology master's thesis. (which if any curious person would like to read is called "Mending Fences and Setting Fires" and is in the Thomas Cooper Library at the University of South Carolina).

By the way, if any kind person who speaks better Turkish than I do would like to give me a quick summary of his article, I'd be eternally grateful... ;)

As-salaamu aleykum.

Nedim

2009-01-26T14:02:00.000-08:00

Hu, Erenler....
As-salaamu aleykum.

This is an incredible BBC documentary, mashallah! I highly recommend watching this. Great footage of Sain Zahour (a Chisti from Pakistan), the Aissawa brotherhood in Morocco (Selma's favorite music), and even Mercan Dede and Mira Hunter (both of whom have Rifa'i Marufi connections), and that's just a fraction of what is on here.

Part One:

Part Two:

Part Three:

Part Four

Part Five

some pictures...

2009-01-17T21:29:00.001-08:00

Hu, everyone. I just thought I'd stop in briefly to post a few pictures of Hazreti Ali, Hajji Bektash Veli, and Pir Sultan Abdal. The ones with the tall hat are Hajji Bektash, the one holding the saz is Pir Sultan, and the others are Hz. Ali. The last one is a painting by Murat Yagan, who is a sort of Circassian post-modern Bektashi who now leads a church (at least kind of) in Canada. Not quite sure what I think about all of that, but he's an interesting and thought-provoking character. Eyvallah. I love that painting-- with the image of Sayyidina Ali in the center and the baglama of Pir Sultan. If you look closely at the bottom, you can see an Alevi semah on the left and a Mevlevi sema on the right.

Had a nice phone conversation with Cem (in Turkey) a couple of weeks ago.

Not a lot of news here, other than that I am missing Selma very much (she is in Morocco) and I am absolutely stunned and delighted to receive an incredible package of Sufi books and music from my longtime dost
Fr. Justin.

Okay, I'm off to bed before a week-long Myrtle Beach trip. Inshallah, I'll get to the Meher Baba Center while I'm there. Every now and then I find some Rifa'i Marufi folks around there too, which would be a treat.

Lastly, inshallah, we will see the inauguration of our new president next week. Elhamdullillah! I can't even begin to say how happy I am about this. America needs this... and inshallah, he will make the most of this. I truly believe that this last election gave America a chance to decide whether we want to live up the the great promise that is in the spirit of this country. Elhamdullillah, the voters chose to do this. I am so happy for this. Now, let's just hope we have a leader and a government that are really able to bring out the best. Allahu Alim. But I have a lot of confidence and enthusiasm.

So, a fatiha for our new president. May he guide us with siyaset in this new era, inshallah. Allah Hadi Allah Hu.

As-salaamu aleykum...

Hu...

Wishing salaams for the season...

2008-12-21T22:01:00.000-08:00

Hu, Erenler. as-salaamu aleykum!

Sorry it's been quite a while since I have posted. It's been a busy time, and full of transitions. I've been somewhat lost in the scramble, yet it has in many ways been a very productive and enriching time. A lot of papers have been graded, a lot of music has been created, a lot of ideas have been pondered. Another 'Eid (Kurban Bayram) has passed. We just passed the Urs of Hazreti Mevlana. I am preparing for a visit to Myrtle Beach with my family-- I am a Muslim, my sister and her family are Jewish, and our parents are more-or-less nominal Christians. Every year from Thanksgiving until Christmas, I like to listen to the Dar Williams song "The Christians and the Pagans". I highly recommend it to anyone who has a religiously mixed family, particularly one in which the parents have had a difficult time with the religious choices of their sons or daughters.

Selma and I just returned from a lovely day trip to Charleston-- where we had a very refreshing long conversation with Sermet. I am guessing that many readers of this blog know him. It is so nice to speak with Muslims who have challenging and interesting interpretations, who are deeply Muslim yet also have an inclusive spiritual vision. Mashallah! We had a wonderful time. Elhamdullillah.

Well, I'm back to packing for a week long trip and hoping to get at least a little sleep tonight, inshallah.

I pray for all a time of renewal and contemplation, of a reconnection to the deepest parts of our humanity. May we all become beautiful human beings, inshallah.

Huuuu....

Nedim

the places of our pirs

2008-09-24T04:08:00.000-07:00

Hu, Erenler.
I hope that everyone is having a wonderful Ramadan. Selma and I recently got back from a very nice retreat at Shaykh Ahmed Abdur Rasheed's community in Virginia, with Shaykh Rasheed (Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi) and Shaykh Nooruddeen Durkee (Shadhili). Elhamdullillah. We could seriously use another one of those! ;)

I found some pictures that may be interesting. I have not been to either of these places yet, so if anyone has please fill me in on any information or corrections. But I was very happy to find these...

The top two are from the tomb of our pir, Hz. Ahmad el-Kabirul Rifa'i in Iraq

The bottom two are masjid and tomb of Hz. Mehmet Fethel Ma'arifi (Muhammad Fethel Marufi), in the Kartal district of Istanbul. He was the "second founder" of the order, who established this particular branch within the larger Rifa'i tariqa.

2008-09-09T02:46:00.000-07:00

A nice version of "Bugun Bize Pir Geldi". This is probably the best known Alevi song-- with the chorus "Eyvallah Shahim Eyvallah, Hak la illaha illallah"

Another version of it, that I may have even posted before--

Illahi-- Abdul-Qadir Geylani:

And another illahi by the same 'ud player:

A beautiful video of a nice medley by my aquaintance Latif Bolat. I played a couple of concerts with him when I was part of a group called Turku-- and that was when I first learned a some of the illahis that are common in Turkish tarikats, including Rifa'i Marufi.

Qadiri-Rifa'i Dhikr from Nevshehir:

A nice look at how selpe playing is done-- this is a young student, but he does it slow enough that you can see the technique. Selpe is a fingerpicked tapping style that is common among Alevi baglama players. It was particularly popularized by Arif Sag, and later developed even further by people like Erdal Erzincan and Erol Parlak.

Some beautiful dutar playing by a Uyghur musician-- probably an instrument that influenced the development of the saz--

2008-09-05T03:34:00.000-07:00

I hope that everyone is having a blessed Ramadan, inshallah.

I'm currently amazed at how many people stop by here from EVERYWHERE. Elhamdullillah. We've now had visitors from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Singapore, you name it. A couple of people have left comments but no emails, so I wasn't able to write to you, but I'd like to.

Anyway, on with the show...

Here is a vid from the ISRA Convention. Mashallah! Qari Abdul Qadr is bringing the house down! I love his recitations. The choral refrain from the crowd could use a little direction however ;)

And some Rifa'i music, from where I'm not sure... but it's great:

Look up! It's Ramadan!

2008-09-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

As-salaamu aleykum!

Just a quick note for now to say Ramadan Mubarak to everyone! I hope that you all have a blessed month and I thank you for reading this site.

May we all become beautiful human beings...
Hand in hand, and hands in Haqq---

Huuu....

Nedim

ISRA convention

2008-08-20T00:40:00.000-07:00

Elhamdullillah!

Selma and I just got back from the ISRA convention in North Carolina. Mashallah! They did a wonderful job putting together a great convention that featured reciters and Sufi shaykhs talking about the Miraj. Shaykhs Haroun Faye, Nooruddeen Durkee, and Abdelhadi Honerkamp were among those who spoke. By far the best parts for me were Shaykh Haroun's dhikr in the hotel room and reading Qur'an with Shaykh Nooruddeen and some of his murids. Mashallah, I really respect him very much and admire the work that he and Hajja Noora are doing. I think that Selma and I both needed that little charge before the new semester begins and this conference provided it. I would highly recommend any of the ISRA conferences, because they have that delicate balance of providing a Sufi perspective within a traditional Islamic framework.
Here is their website:

http://www.israinternational.com

The other best part of the conference was actually eating pizza with some friends ;) Since we live in a city with a fairly small Muslim community, it's refreshing to be with others who share our traditional-yet-progressive approach to Islam. What a nice trip, elhamdullillah.

--Nedim

An American couple singing at a Chisti shrine in India!

2008-07-29T15:16:00.000-07:00

Request for stories about Baba plus some videos.

2008-07-24T23:24:00.001-07:00

Hu, Erenler! Sorry I haven't posted in a little while. It is so nice to see that some people are actually reading this, and to my great happiness, they are all over the world. Alhamdullillah. So thank you so much for your comments. Cok tessekur ederim! Shukran jazilan! Jazakallah khayr.

so, onto the posting for today.

This is the turbe of Ummi Sinan in Turkey:

The Sinani are a branch of the Halveti tarikat, founded by one of Sherif Baba's favorite saints, Ummi Sinan. As many of you know, the current guide of that order is a woman. I have not, so far, been lucky enough to travel to the Ummi Sinan tekke, but I've heard stories of wonderful experiences from people who went there with Baba. I'd love to hear anything like that. So if anyone has nice stories about Baba, please feel free to post them in comments.

Here's a nice video of a Kadiri dhikr-- you can see several different styles in it:

for those of you who have never attended a dhikr before, I would like to just mention that though some of the practices may appear a little odd from the outside, much of the physical action involved has to to with breath control. It is in this way somewhat similar to some techniques in certain styles of yoga. The more important element, however, is certainly the repetition of the Names themselves. Sufis of various orders have many different styles of doing this, individually and collectively. In addition to these kinds of group ritual dhikr, most Sufis also recite the Names silently throughout the day.
________________________________________________________________________________
Here is some of a small Rifa'i dhikr somewhere--- you can't really see anyone but the main singer, but these are nice salawats (praises of the Prophet, p.b.u.h).

__________________________________________________________________________________

Hu...

2008-07-04T19:16:00.001-07:00

Mashallah! A Jewish grafitti artist who does Arabic calligraphy to build cultural bridges...

2008-06-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

Wow... this one made me happy.

Muslim Comedian Azhar Usman Questions and Answers

2008-06-22T15:32:00.000-07:00

Orientalist painting of a Rifa'i dergah in Istanbul

2008-06-21T23:31:00.000-07:00

I love this painting-- I think it's my one of my two favorites in the world. (the other is the Lyn Ott painting in the Meeting Place at the Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach). This is a 19th Century Orientalist painting of a Rifa'i tekke in Istanbul. In the picture, one sees a visiting Mevlevi turning sema. I think it's also interesting that there are Africans, likely slaves brought through Egypt. As a person who's professional interests are in American slavery, this is a useful reminder that the African slave trade was not solely a transatlantic phenomenon-- some left Africa to the North and East, rather than to the Americas. Aziz Nessin describes in his autobiographical work Istanbul Boy about how many people of African descent used to be present in Turkey in the earlier part of the 20th Century. Today, they have become thoroughly mixed with the rest of the population but their descendants are still around. Though they do not really form a distinct community, there are certainly still Turks of partially African descend who retain both oral histories and physical features. Someone really should work on this topic.

Alevi semah and Rifa'i recitations, plus some beautiful selpe baglama songs

2008-06-21T21:21:00.000-07:00

Semah from an Alevi Cem

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note that in this one, the dede is wearing the takke like Rifa'i Marufis wear, wrapped in a black turban as Sherif Baba does. It's a little hard to see, but he's in the middle at the beginning of the video.

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lovely selpe playing

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more nice selpe-style playing-- this time with a twist!

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this one cracked me up-- but so good! Yes, he is playing the tune from a Nokia ringtone...

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More Bosnian Rifa'i dhikr:

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Bosnian Rifa'i recitations

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A video from a Qadiri-Rifa'i musican from somewhere in Eastern Europe. You can certainly see very clearly a very intense Ehli-Beyt focus, much stronger than in most tariqas. This particular branch is also apparently very involved in the practices with fire, swords, etc. which can be seen in the related videos from the same source.

Qawwali, etc.

2008-06-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

Abida an amazing singer, mashallah. She's a Chisti from India singing Qawwali music. This is the music made popular in the West by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, also a Chisti. A nice thing about this video is that some of the lyrics are translated into English. I love the part at the end-- it reminds me of Alevi idea of human beings as the true Kaaba and that the real pilgrimage we must make is to the human heart.

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Next is an interesting video of a Qawwali group with a very active audience singing a song (well-known to Nusrat fans) about Lal Shahbaz Qalendar, a Chisti saint. There is also an elderly man with one gigantically long dreadlock who is for some reason being showered with large quantities of cash. I have no idea about all of that. But the music is great.

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Another great Qawwali singer-- Aziz Mian.

Wow, this guy clearly eats a lot of betel. Check out those lips!

Before he started chewing paan. And with a wonderful almost Klezmer clarinet.

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and my favorite these days... Sain Zahoor!

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This is nice-- street qawwali

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I love this guy-- Qari Saeed Chisti

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Tala al Badru Alaina--

2008-06-19T00:18:00.000-07:00

This is some of the most beautiful selpe-style saz playing I've heard. Selpe (pronounced "shell-pay") is finger-picked and uses tapping techniques similar to those of guitarists like Eddie Van Halen, Tuck Andress, Stanley Jordan, or Michael Hedges. The host on the show is a little goofy, but Erdal Erzincan is sublime.

This guy is really incredible-- more of him:

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Ozlem Ozdil is also very good, and you can see what she is doing quite well.

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This is interesting-- aerial views of semah from the urs in Haci Bektash Koy.

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Musa Eroglu is still my alltime favorite...

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Youtube is also filled with footage a great amateur saz players. You'd be amazed at just how good some of these highschool kids can actually be. This one struck me with his maturity, subtlety and attention to tone.

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This is beautiful.. this time nothing to do with Alevi music

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This is cool too-- disciples of Shaykh Ibra Fall of the Baye Fall Order in Senegal. They are a branch of the Mourides of Ahmadu Bamba. Because of their dreadlocks, they are often confused with Rastas. Even more interestingly, they themselves began to see connections and started using the red, gold, and green colors and started reggae bands! But their main music is drumming

Here is one of their dhikrs... with men and women together.

They are among the few orders left where most the dervishes still wear patched robes all the time.
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The last one for tonight-- I've seen dhikrs that involved sitting, standing, and even dancing. I've seen people slam up against each other. Going into a trance is commonplace. I've even seen people eat broken glass and stick knives in their head.
But for a great Sufi workout routine, I've gotta go with the Mokashfiya brotherhood in Sudan. They run laps in dhikr! ;)

Medet ya Ali

2008-06-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite Alevi songs... Medet ya Ali

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This one is kind of interesting-- this is Yildiz Tilbe, who is mostly a pop singer, but she is Alevi. This is her singing a song from that repertoire, and mashallah... she is so good on it, I think.

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This is interesting-- another Alevi song with some intriguing imagery. Note the juxtaposition of Catholic imagery with the Ehli Beyt images. I think that may have resulted from a search for Fatima that landed on pictures related to Our Lady of Fatima! I love the one with Hazreti Ali merged with the image from the Catholic icon of the Divine Mercy, with the red and blue beams of light coming from his heart. It's a really weird world we live in.

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Beautiful Kurdish Alevi singing-- as a tribute to one of the Alevi martyrs of Sivas.

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this one is great-- Rifa'is in former Yugoslavia explaining about different parts of the dhikr. They're Gypsies as well. Notice that the shaykh also uses the 3 part Alevi/Shi'a shahada (with "Ali'un veli Allah"), or as I like to call it, "putting the Shah in SHAHada" ;)

more from the same folks-- I'd hate to be defined as an "insolent dervish" in this dergah! ;)

More from this... and anyone who knows me well knows that I have a total fascination with Gypsy culture and music-- so how much does finding a film about Rifa'i Gypsies make my day?

There is also another film by the same Youtube user of these folks doing the piercings, etc. Not for the squeamish, but interesting.

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Qadiri-Rifa'is in Turkey

2008-06-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

It may be illegal to have a dergah in Turkey, but it's really hard to make a law prohibiting a Sufi shaykh from having a living room. ;)

the Helvetis meet the Mevlevis

2008-06-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

Another example of how tariqas interact and sometime merge forms-- here is a Helveti-Ussaki dhikr with a visiting Mevlevi semazen and a ney-player. This is not uncommon-- much like you saw in the last video with Rifa'i and Mevlevis joining for a dhikr/sema.

Rifa'i Marufi/Mevlevi video-- Aziz

2008-06-12T13:42:00.000-07:00

This is Aziz-- a student of Sherif Baba (Rifa'i Marufi) and Jalaluddin Loras (Mevlevi) in the interview. The dhikr and sema footage if from the Rumi Festival that used to happen every year in Chapel Hill, NC. This was hosted annually by the Rifa'i Marufi Order, but visiting Mevlevis would come and turn also. In the video, the loud rambunctious stuff is from the Rif'ai dhikr, the slow and graceful one is more of the Mevlevi style (though people from both participated in each). Aziz also sometime turns with lit torches-- which perfectly expresses his dual connections with the Mevlevis and the Rifa'is-- Fire being the ultimate symbol of the Rifa'i tariqa (hence the name of this blog) and the Mevlevis being known for whirling.

This could so be one of those nights at Silk Road or the Rumi festival... but isn't.

2008-06-12T12:59:00.000-07:00

The spontaneity, the devotion, the chaos, the men and women together, the mix of American and tradition Islamic cultures... a spontaneous free-form chanting of the Shahada accompanied by pots and pans and a water-cooler. for some Muslims, this kind of thing is a nightmare brought to life. For me, it's hope itself.

beautiful salawat with Shaykh Ninowy, Shaykh Durkee, Shaykh Ahmad Abdur-Rasheed and others. Mashallah!

2008-06-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

2008-06-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

a rather interesting talk by Shaykh Nooruddeen Durkee--this is him a little more fired up than usual, but the message is like Sherif Baba's message in my last post. Those of you who are familiar with Meher Baba may recognize the part about love being self-communicative! I wonder if the shaykh was deliberately quoting Meher Baba or not? He definitely knows about him and has read his works-- we talked about that a few years ago. He gives two sentences that are essentially from Meher Baba, verbatim. I'd love to know if they had just seeped into Shaykh Nooruddeen's consciousness or if he was deliberately quoting from him. Again, this is something of an example of what I wrote about a few posts ago-- here's a shaykh who is quite rigorous in his sharia, knowledgeable in Maliki fiqh, and very definitely a mainstream Sunni, yet even he demonstrates the influence of a teacher who comes from not even the edges of Islam, but actually from just outside of town. Again, it's because he was a seeker-- before finding the Shadhili tariqa of which he is a part, he looked into all kinds of spirituality. In someone like Meher Baba, he didn't find his path, but he did find useful ideas from a person he respects. Elhamdullillah. It's nice to see someone as solidly Islamic as this shaykh quoting from Meher Baba and getting resounding cries of "Allahu Akbar" every two seconds from the crowd.

2008-06-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

Something just passed along from a friend of what Baba told him about his blog--

SHERIF BABA SAID: THE ONLY THING YOU NEED TO WRITE ON YOUR WEBSITE IS THIS:

"WHOEVER FOLLOWS THE HUMAN BEING, FINDS THE BEAUTY. OUR PURPOSE IS HUMAN BEING, TO LIVE THE DEPTH OF A HUMAN BEING."

2008-06-12T09:35:00.000-07:00

As a quick follow-up to my last post-- I will, at some, point go into the differences between semah, dhikr, hadra, and some of the differences in style of dhikr between the different orders. I do want to make it clear that I am not suggesting that this is all one tradition-- there are certainly very important distinctions to be made. And, in terms of the political climate of Turkey today and in the past, the interests of the Alevi/Bektashi and the Naqshbandi couldn't be more different, so lumping it all together as Sufi doesn't do the situation justice. There's a bit of a difference in a Rifa'i saying, from a certain comparative point of view, that the Naqshibandis are a bunch of Wahhabis vs. actually thinking that the Naqshbandis literally have nothing to do with Sufism at all. It is important to realize that there are some commonalities between tariqas in general and that there has always been considerable dialogue and sometimes even influences between them. More on all of this later, inshallah.

It's a sliding scale. Some Sufis are extremely liberal, some are mid-level conservatives by world standards. Not all Sufis are sweetness and light, Rumi-reading hippies like myself! ;) Some, though admittedly few, can be quite intolerent. On the other hand, it is astonishing to me that there are many in Turkey today who believe that connection to a tarikat or the practice of zikr are actually signs of fundamentalism. When I hear things like that, I tend to think... wow, you should meet some of these dudes at the masjid I used to go to!

Balkan Rifa'i Videos, and the changing meaning of the word "tarikat" in post-1980's Turkey

2008-06-12T07:57:00.000-07:00

Here's another one-- notice the hand motions (especially of the guy in the white shirt and jeans) that are similar to those in some of the Alevi semahs. The line here between a devran (a kind of dhikr that is standing, known in most Arabic countries as a hadra) and semah (the Alevi dances) is a little blurred-- though clearly this is dhikr and not semah. In fact, in contemporary times, I think many Alevis would actually be appalled by this. For much of contemporary Turkey, the very word tarikat (tariqa) suggests fundamentalist, an Islamic state, and even outright brutality toward the Alevi (even if the Bektashis are, in fact, a tarikat). Part of the issue here is one of the largest tarikats in Turkey is the Naqshbandi who, at least in Turkey, are hyper-Sunni, very shari'a- oriented, and quite political. The leaders of the so-called "fundamentalist" parties have actually been rather conservative Sufis-- Naqshbandis. By the 1980's in the Turkish media, this led to something of a redefining of the meaning of tarikat into almost any kind of Muslim organization-- especially extremist ones. As but one rather bizarre example demonstrates, a group like Hezbullah is commonly referred to as a tarikat in Turkish. Yet, in any other Muslim country, involvement with a tariqa
might put one one the fringes of even being Muslim in the eyes of a large part of the population (with a few exceptions, in places like Senegal and Morocco where majorities share a Sufi orientation). As the Turkish media developed the association between the word "tariqa" and fundamentalism, an odd association even began to develop in the eyes of the secularist population between fundamentalism and dhikr-- an association that would make no sense in any other part of the country. In the largest masjid in the city where I live, the imam literally fired his muezzin and asked him not to return even for prayers because he attended a mawlid that included dhikr... now that's actual Islamic fundamentalism. It's interesting to me that a friend from Turkey said, in a discussion regarding the Naqshbandi, "They are a tarikat! They do dhikr! What in the world does that have to do with Sufism? Nothing! That's fundamentalism!" That statement, which many in Turkey today would agree with (because to them the Mevlevi are NOT are tariqa, but al-Qaeda is from their point of view) would make no sense in any other country, nor would it have made sense to their great-grandparents. Anywhere else, or 50 years ago in Turkey, people would see a continuum with Bektashis on the far liberal end and, Naqshbandis on the conservative end in terms of Islamic practice, and most orders somewhere in between the two. Rifa'is and Qadiris, depending on the branch, occupying all of the places on that axis too. Then you would also have another axis in which there are orders who do extreme practices like eating glass, swallowing hot coals, piercing with skewers and the like. Again, the Rifa'i and Qadiri are famous for this (but in many branches of these orders those practices are outright forbidden), while in other tariqas, such as Bektashi, Mevlevi, and Jerrahi, those practices have never been a part of the tradition at all.

The Rifa'i are quite often referred to as a Sunni tariqa, and that's true in the sense of typically being followers of Hanifi or Shafi'i fiqh, but as some of the other videos from this source demonstrate, some branches of Rifa'iyya are intensely Ehli Beyt-oriented (Ahl-ul Bayt, the family of the Prophets, s.a.w.s) as to certainly fringe on Shi'ism. I suspect that this is primarily influence from the Alevi and Bektashi traditions in Turkey. Sherif Baba's Rifa'i Marufi Order is very much along those lines, to the point of self-defining as "tarikat Alevi". See my post-- "Interview with Sherif Baba" for more about that. In Rifa'i Marufi, the lines between dhikr and semah are actually clearer, though dhikr is done with men and women in the same circle (which is found in no Sunni dhikr tradition I know of) and apparently has been the practice of this branch since the 18th Century. Nevertheless, as discussed in the interview, semah did occasionally occur in Rifa'i Marufi (though taught by an Alevi/Bektashi).

Anyway, back to Rifa'is in the Balkans-- but do notice the hand-motions that suggest the kirklar semahi. Look at the guy in the white shirt and jeans.

the mazar of Hafiz Shirazi

2008-06-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

This is the ceiling of the tomb of Hafiz...

Mevlevi

2008-06-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

This is a photograph I took a few years ago of Hasan Dede and one of his dervishes at the Nurman Dede Tekke in the Uskudar section of Istanbul. That was a wonderful experience. That dergah is still very much a working dergah, versus the performances that these same dervishes do at the famous (and much easier to get to)Galata Mevlevihane. The semas are open to the public, and it does have a bit of an odd feel-- the tension between functioning dergah and tourist attraction is intense. Nevertheless, they do what they have to do to keep the Mevlevi tradition going. Mashallah.

Notice the Edep Ya Hu sign in the background-- Edep is a Turkish pronunciation of Adab (literally manners). This is a common phrase in Turkish Sufism, essentially indicating that the best service to God is how we treat people.

a Qadiri-Rifa'i film

2008-06-10T09:27:00.000-07:00

Bosnian Rifa'i footage-- illahis and dhikr.

2008-06-10T09:17:00.000-07:00

Meher Baba/ Hazrat Babajan

2008-06-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

This is a video about the recently published book by Meher Baba entitled "Infinite Intelligence" and some interesting images of Meher Baba's early period.

This is something I was fascinated to see-- footage of the shrine of Hazrat Babajan, the Afghan murshida (Chisti tariqa, it appears) was was Meher Baba's first master. I've always been interested in Baba's Sufi connections.

I really love Meher Baba, even though I see him in a rather different light than most of his followers do. Most view him as a kind of God incarnate, and this is based on a series of statements he made. However, I tend to think many inflect a kind of post-Christian mentality into these statement-- I see him speaking within both a Hindu tradition that accepts such manifestations as normal (seeing God constantly manifesting in the world, since God is the ultimate reality) and also within a Sufi tradition in which certain advanced souls reach a point where they simply cease to have an identity of their own and express only a reflection of the identity of Allah. References to this in Sufi tradition tend to point to people like Mansur al-Hallaj and Beyazid Bistami. Astaghfirullah if I have misinterpreted on this point, but in any case, he was the one who first taught me to love Allah by introducing me to a different way of religion. Secondly, he's the one from whom I first encountered Hafiz Shirazi and Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi, so even if 90% of his community believe some clearly non-Islamic things about him, he was perhaps the most crucial link to Islam for me. As one friend of mine expressed it, "I don't know who he was, but he was definitely SOMEBODY!" and another said "I don't know what to make of some of these statements, but I love him anyway". His effect in my life has always been to remind me to love Allah, to recognize Allah's many revelations to different communities, to serve others, and to remember that none of our concepts and organizations-- even the names of religions-- can ever be bigger than Allah. All religions belong to Him, rather than Allah being the property of those who call themselves Christians or Muslims or whatever. Though Meher Baba (not to be confused with Sherif Baba, about whom I have often posted) was a Zoroastrian by birth and had disciples of all religions (including many Muslims) he has always been a guidepost to Islam in my life, even though he was not himself a Muslim in the usual sense. Baba expressed, from what I have been told, a particular love for Sufism as the path with which he felt closest., and if you read certain passages of him, he writes within a throroughly Sui point of view. So in any case, he was certainly one whoh knew a great deal about Sufism and his clearly brought many to read Sufi writers like Rumi. In particular, he had a special love for Hafiz Shirazi, whose tomb in Iran he had restored (in the 30's, I believe). Because of this particular connection with Hafiz (even to the point that on his deathbed, he asked for a board to be painted with a passage from the saint-- making Meher Baba's final message essential a quotation from a Sufi poet) the two most outstanding translations of Hafiz into English in recent times have both come from followers of Meher Baba. So, however one should correctly view Meher in the light of Islam, there is no question that he had a beautiful impact on the continuation of the message of one of the most beloved Sufi mystics, preserving his memory in Iran and making his words available to seekers in the West. Allah alone knows what to make of one like this-- but I wouldn't be saying that without Meher Baba.

Early footage of Meher Baba

2008-06-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

Gnawa music--an Algerian gimbri player

2008-06-10T08:15:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorites-- so bluesy.

a nasheed by the group Shaam, from Brittain

2008-06-10T08:12:00.000-07:00

Shaykh Ninowy of Atlanta

2008-06-10T08:02:00.000-07:00

Mashallah, quite a nice video. Shaykh Ninowy is a graduate of the al-Alzhar, and has ijazat in the Naqshbandi, Rifa'i, Shadhili, and Qadiri tariqas. This is from an ISRA (Islamic Studies and Research Association) conference.

Very nice Jeffrey Lang video from MeccaCentric

2008-06-10T04:03:00.000-07:00

The issue, I think, is that Muslims so often assume that enforcing Islamic rules of behavior will automatically result in a beautiful ahlak (morality), yet for many (including myself) it is actually learning about the potential for developing one's ahlak that makes one wish to go to the trouble of observing shar'ia in the first place. If we see the potential of how the shar'ia can help us to develop these qualities we admire, we are drawn in. Yet we are so often presented with more about the appropriate length for a mustache or the correct foot with which to step into a restroom that we forget the central themes of Islam-- the love of Allah and service to humanity. I love this video-- though surely some would object that he can't possibly speak about Islam without a beard. ;) I think, from my experience with music, that in addition to perfect examples, you also need to see something that's attainable. I've learned a lot about the 'ud from Hamza el-Din-- frankly more than I've learned from Munir Nureddin Beken or Farid al-Atrash. They're both technically better players, no doubt about it. But Hamza el-Din demonstrated to me a level of playing that was possible for me to attain, and he did it with a lot of heart. I think that shaykhs are like this too. Baba made it clear to me that what matters is La Illaha Illallah, the rest is just details. Even things most Muslims (including myself) would see as absolutely essential (like salat) could come later. But those things are between you and Allah. When I finally heard Islam presented in this way, my first question was "How do I start?" and it's because in the Qur'an Allah says that "There is no compulsion in religion". It has to be from the heart. I do not doubt that some people need a shaykh who guides them in rigorous shari'a. Others need one who accepts such practice as a given, but seeks to explain it and make it more meaningful. Others go to a Sufi shaykh for additional practices that will add to the basic Islamic requirements. Some seek simply the baraka from a particular lineage. We all have our various needs, and there are many different shaykhs and tariqas (or other approaches) that can help us to fulfill those purposes. It's not only a question of ending up with the right or wrong shaykh-- it's also one of who gets you to the next step of the journey. What do you need right now to-- at the first stage, become a complete human being-- and then later, become a better Muslim. Someone like Baba is not the kind of shaykh everyone needs. Some need a Nuh Ha Mim Keller, who is incredibly scrupulous about fiqh. Mashallah. That's beautiful, too. Just because we might love a more open approach doesn't mean we write Keller off as a Wahhabi. Hell, I don't even write the Wahhabis off as Wahhabis. Anyway, different shaykhs for different flakes. Allahu 'Alim.

and LA ILLAHA ILLALLAH.
Hu....

2008-06-09T23:50:00.000-07:00

If anyone knows the story about the taj that Baba is wearing here, I would really like to know. It is made of four pieces of felt, reminiscent of an old style of Bektashi taj, but has a rainbow band at the bottom. Does anyone know what this is?

2008-06-09T23:46:00.000-07:00

This is Baba with Kaygisiz Ashik, who travels the country in his van selling Turkish groceries. The van is covered in passages from the Qur'an, Sufi symbols, images of saints, pictures of the 12 Imams and so on. He is quite a talented baglama player, mashallah, who plays primarily in the Central Anatolian style.

Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba

2008-06-09T23:40:00.000-07:00

This is Senegalese Sufi street art of Ahmadu Bamba, one of the most popular Sufi shaykhs of 20th Century West Africa. The image was inspired by a famous photograph of the shaykh, the only one of him in existence. I was in Senegal a few years ago, and it is virtually impossible to find a restaurant, shop, or taxi that does not have his image.

Abdel-Qadir Geylani and Ahmed er-Rifa'i

2008-06-09T12:46:00.000-07:00