| Zahurul Hassan Sharib: “The Sufi Saints of the Indian Subcontinent"; Munshiram Manoharlal; 2006; www.mrmlbooks.com Siraj from Holland kindly sent this review. Just imagine that you could read something about the lives and the teachings of the Sufis of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Of course you’d like to be informed about the ins and outs of the most important Chishti Sufis. You may like to read about the Sufis of the other orders as well. Recently a book has been published that deals with no less than 126 Sufis of the Subcontinent, wherein all the important Sufis and several you don’t even know, can be found. The book has been written by Dr. Sharib (1914-1996) who during his lifetime was the head of a Sufi order which has affiliations with the Chishtiyya, the Qadiriyya, the Sohrawardiyya and the Naqshbandiyya Sufi orders. The book has had a long history. First it was going to be published by Sh. Muhammad Ashraf in Lahore. This publisher was a remarkable man. He was a rather tall man, who used to wear a red Turkish fez, to show his affiliation with the caliphate that was abolished in Turkey. The manuscript also travelled to a publisher in the USA and then it landed on the desk of the present publisher in New Delhi. The more than 400 pages of “The Sufi Saints…” of course start with the life and teachings of Khwaja Mo’ inuddin Chishti who was known as Gharib Nawaz, the Patron of the Poor, as he took an interest in the service of those people who had no one who cared for them. His message was thus one of love and service. He was a pious man as he thought that ‘it is through prayer, that the service of God is acquired’. He however made it clear that you are in a prison house if you claim to be pious. He considered service to the people as a prayer. It is inspiring to read which things are necessary according to him for a dervish. The second chapter deals with another gem amongst the Sufis of the Indian subcontinent, i.e. Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki. His early life, his initiation in the Chishti order, his marriage and children, some of his caliphs, his traits of character, some of his teachings and some of his supernatural powers have been described. In fact most of the 126 chapters deal with these topics. Is it correct to say that you don’t know the Sufi shaykh who is the subject matter of the final chapter? His name is Khwaja Shah Mohammed Sulaiman. We can read that after his father’s death he was entrusted to the care of his mother who looked after his education and training. Then we are informed that at the early age of four he learnt fifteen parts of the Qur’an. His second Qur’anic teacher taught him a book by shaykh Fariduddin ‘Attar, possibly ‘The Language of the Birds’ and also the ‘Gulistan’ and the ‘Bustan’ of shaykh Sa’di. When we take a look at his teachings we notice that according to him the object of life was nothing but the remembrance of God. In fact the 126 Sufis described in ‘The Sufi Saints…’ are nothing but pointers to God. Several years ago we were at an airport with the author who wanted to return to his house in Ajmer, India. As a farewell message he wrote a poem in Persian on a slip of paper. In these lines it was made clear that after some time he would no longer be there, but his works would be there. Now neither the 126 Sufis of ‘The Sufi Saints…’ nor its author is there. But the teachings of all these Sufis are still there, which together are an inheritance to us. The book of Dr. Sharib is an inspiring key, which makes this inheritance accessible to us. Siraj |
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| 786 The Zahuri Sufi Web Site: Notice Board and News Page |
News & Notice Board
(updated Dec 2012)
The news page has begun to get a bit big so except for
recent pieces of news we will provide mainly an index on
this page. The various news items can be reached from
the index. The most recent news will be at the top. Old
items are also stored (see below) since today's news is
tomorrow's history.
Remember these News Pages are for you - please send
any contributions or items of news
to :- jamil.morris@btinternet.com
(updated Dec 2012)
The news page has begun to get a bit big so except for
recent pieces of news we will provide mainly an index on
this page. The various news items can be reached from
the index. The most recent news will be at the top. Old
items are also stored (see below) since today's news is
tomorrow's history.
Remember these News Pages are for you - please send
any contributions or items of news
to :- jamil.morris@btinternet.com
The photo above is of Zahurmian on his bed writing a letter.
Courtesy of Gulnar Elschott
Courtesy of Gulnar Elschott
| News |
Don't forget to visit the Gudri Shahi Web site hosted
by Hazrat Inaam Hasan Gudri Shahi Baba at:
www.sufiajmer.org
Other important links:
http://www.chishti.ru
A website by Siraj and Gulnar of Holland briefly presents
the work, lives and philosophies of the great Chishti
saints. A section on mystical poetry contains English
translations of the poetic works of many Sufi masters.
and
www.peaceful-coexistence.org
founded by Qamar and Haseena Corrado from Trieste in
Italy. (in Italian)
and
http://www.sufi-mystic.net a useful web
resource on sufism by Wahid and Huma of Lithuania
provides a forum to ask questions, which are answered by
the sufi master Hazrat Inam Hasan, Gudri Shah Baba V.
You will also find here Lithuanian translations of “The
Meditations of Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti” and “The Path
of Tasawwuf”. Also provides an overview about the lives
and practices of the Gudri Shahi Saints.
also
Sufism, Sufis, and Sufi Orders.
(One of the best sufi sites on the web). http://www.arches.uga.
edu/~godlas/sufismintro.html
Amir Khusrao
http://www.angelfire.com/sd/urdumedia/index.html
The Masnevi of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi
Dar al-Masnavi
by Hazrat Inaam Hasan Gudri Shahi Baba at:
www.sufiajmer.org
Other important links:
http://www.chishti.ru
A website by Siraj and Gulnar of Holland briefly presents
the work, lives and philosophies of the great Chishti
saints. A section on mystical poetry contains English
translations of the poetic works of many Sufi masters.
and
www.peaceful-coexistence.org
founded by Qamar and Haseena Corrado from Trieste in
Italy. (in Italian)
and
http://www.sufi-mystic.net a useful web
resource on sufism by Wahid and Huma of Lithuania
provides a forum to ask questions, which are answered by
the sufi master Hazrat Inam Hasan, Gudri Shah Baba V.
You will also find here Lithuanian translations of “The
Meditations of Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti” and “The Path
of Tasawwuf”. Also provides an overview about the lives
and practices of the Gudri Shahi Saints.
also
Sufism, Sufis, and Sufi Orders.
(One of the best sufi sites on the web). http://www.arches.uga.
edu/~godlas/sufismintro.html
Amir Khusrao
http://www.angelfire.com/sd/urdumedia/index.html
The Masnevi of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi
Dar al-Masnavi
| Sharib Press Out now as an audio book version Books One & Two of the Masnevi of Mevlana Rumi (complete) English translation of R A Nicholson read by Jamiluddin Morris Zahuri 25 Audio CDs. approx 30 hrs |
Siraj from Holland writes:
By using our holidays we were able to make a journey to Konya. To
travel directly to Konya happens to be rather expensive, so we took
a flight to Alanya which is situated in the South of Turkey and which
is at about four and a half hours distance by means of a bus to
Konya. The change from the snow in Holland to the beach with
palm trees in Alanya was very big. We liked the bus journey to
Konya as it took us flatlanders through a impressive mountain
range with - once again - snow alongside of the road.
In Konya we booked a room at the Dergah hotel and we could see
the turbe of the mausoleum of Mevlana through the window of our
room at a very near distance. The first visit to the place where
Mevlana lies buried was a little strange. we could not properly
concentrate as too many people were there, who were taking
photographs, filming,
talking, walking, etc. I remember that when I was there for the first
time - in March 1974 - I was wondering how it would be to visit a
Sufi grave which is in a museum and that you have to buy a ticket to
visit it. At that time I found out that it did not matter and that there
was a blessed atmosphere. The first time that we went this time it
was different, but it changed during succeeding visits. Perhaps we
were not properly "present" in the beginning.
Many other Sufis lie near Mevlana, i.e. his father and his son
SultanValed, but also the khatib of (the one who wrote down) the
Mathnavi; and perhaps you also know Arif Chelebi from the book of
Aflaki. Outside the museum we also saw a curious, big stone of
which is said in a legend that it 'descended' at the time of the expiry
of Mevlana.
We liked to visit the mosque with a place dedicated to Shams
Tabrizi (some say he is really buried at that spot). A very friendly old
man welcomed us at the door and asked us to come in in a gentle
way. The silent, peaceful and loving atmosphere at this place
cannot really be put into words, just like it is impossible to describe
the beautiful colours of the sea in Alanya.
After taking a meal we walked back to our hotel. Some Turkish
boys were playing soccer in front of their school. The ball landed in
front of my feet, so I gave it a mighty kick back, across the wall of
their school yard, and fortunately, before it could ruin the windows
of the school, it landed in a tree. The boys did not mind at all as
they appreciated this practical example of the Dutch school of
soccer.
There was a ney concert in a music hall in the evening. It was free
and as we are Dutch we always go to something that is without
costs. To our pleasant surprise every visitor received an excellent
cd with Sufi music by a ney player. We arrived at the place at the top
of a hill almost 40 minutes before the beginning of the event, but
already there was no free seat visible, except for the first two rows
in the beginning which were however destined to be used by the
important people of Konya. A Turkish family made some room for
us in the third row however. A little later hundreds of people were
standing alongside the completely filled seats in the music hall...
A friend of a member of our Sufi order took us to several of the
other Sufi places of Konya. We first visited Bey Hekim Ekmeluddin,
the Hakim of Mevlana. Near to his grave was the shop of an artisan
who made several types of saz, the Turkish string instrument. We
left him with a saz as a present to our son. Then we went to the
stepson of shaykh Ibn al-'Arabi, Sadruddin of Konya, who is (I've
almost written: 'living') buried in the midst of the people of Konya
whose houses are urrounding his grave. As you know his grave
has an open roof as he wanted to lie buried under the stars. Then
we went to Atish Baz Vali, Mevlana's cook, where at times some
salt gets distributed. Cemel Ali Dede was the one who was the
following to visit. He is known as a jester and was able to make
Mevlana laugh. Shaykh Tavus Memed El-Hindi was the last on our
list. He died about 160 years later than Mevlana.
Some people come early, others come a little late, but in this
respect time is not of importance. The meeting of hearts is.
Siraj
By using our holidays we were able to make a journey to Konya. To
travel directly to Konya happens to be rather expensive, so we took
a flight to Alanya which is situated in the South of Turkey and which
is at about four and a half hours distance by means of a bus to
Konya. The change from the snow in Holland to the beach with
palm trees in Alanya was very big. We liked the bus journey to
Konya as it took us flatlanders through a impressive mountain
range with - once again - snow alongside of the road.
In Konya we booked a room at the Dergah hotel and we could see
the turbe of the mausoleum of Mevlana through the window of our
room at a very near distance. The first visit to the place where
Mevlana lies buried was a little strange. we could not properly
concentrate as too many people were there, who were taking
photographs, filming,
talking, walking, etc. I remember that when I was there for the first
time - in March 1974 - I was wondering how it would be to visit a
Sufi grave which is in a museum and that you have to buy a ticket to
visit it. At that time I found out that it did not matter and that there
was a blessed atmosphere. The first time that we went this time it
was different, but it changed during succeeding visits. Perhaps we
were not properly "present" in the beginning.
Many other Sufis lie near Mevlana, i.e. his father and his son
SultanValed, but also the khatib of (the one who wrote down) the
Mathnavi; and perhaps you also know Arif Chelebi from the book of
Aflaki. Outside the museum we also saw a curious, big stone of
which is said in a legend that it 'descended' at the time of the expiry
of Mevlana.
We liked to visit the mosque with a place dedicated to Shams
Tabrizi (some say he is really buried at that spot). A very friendly old
man welcomed us at the door and asked us to come in in a gentle
way. The silent, peaceful and loving atmosphere at this place
cannot really be put into words, just like it is impossible to describe
the beautiful colours of the sea in Alanya.
After taking a meal we walked back to our hotel. Some Turkish
boys were playing soccer in front of their school. The ball landed in
front of my feet, so I gave it a mighty kick back, across the wall of
their school yard, and fortunately, before it could ruin the windows
of the school, it landed in a tree. The boys did not mind at all as
they appreciated this practical example of the Dutch school of
soccer.
There was a ney concert in a music hall in the evening. It was free
and as we are Dutch we always go to something that is without
costs. To our pleasant surprise every visitor received an excellent
cd with Sufi music by a ney player. We arrived at the place at the top
of a hill almost 40 minutes before the beginning of the event, but
already there was no free seat visible, except for the first two rows
in the beginning which were however destined to be used by the
important people of Konya. A Turkish family made some room for
us in the third row however. A little later hundreds of people were
standing alongside the completely filled seats in the music hall...
A friend of a member of our Sufi order took us to several of the
other Sufi places of Konya. We first visited Bey Hekim Ekmeluddin,
the Hakim of Mevlana. Near to his grave was the shop of an artisan
who made several types of saz, the Turkish string instrument. We
left him with a saz as a present to our son. Then we went to the
stepson of shaykh Ibn al-'Arabi, Sadruddin of Konya, who is (I've
almost written: 'living') buried in the midst of the people of Konya
whose houses are urrounding his grave. As you know his grave
has an open roof as he wanted to lie buried under the stars. Then
we went to Atish Baz Vali, Mevlana's cook, where at times some
salt gets distributed. Cemel Ali Dede was the one who was the
following to visit. He is known as a jester and was able to make
Mevlana laugh. Shaykh Tavus Memed El-Hindi was the last on our
list. He died about 160 years later than Mevlana.
Some people come early, others come a little late, but in this
respect time is not of importance. The meeting of hearts is.
Siraj
| Out Now Vol 2 of The Qur'anic Precepts |
| Zahurul Hassan Sharib: “The Sufi Saints of the Indian Subcontinent"; Munshiram Manoharlal; 2006; www.mrmlbooks.com Siraj from Holland kindly sent this review. Just imagine that you could read something about the lives and the teachings of the Sufis of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Of course you’d like to be informed about the ins and outs of the most important Chishti Sufis. You may like to read about the Sufis of the other orders as well. Recently a book has been published that deals with no less than 126 Sufis of the Subcontinent, wherein all the important Sufis and several you don’t even know, can be found. The book has been written by Dr. Sharib (1914-1996) who during his lifetime was the head of a Sufi order which has affiliations with the Chishtiyya, the Qadiriyya, the Sohrawardiyya and the Naqshbandiyya Sufi orders. The book has had a long history. First it was going to be published by Sh. Muhammad Ashraf in Lahore. This publisher was a remarkable man. He was a rather tall man, who used to wear a red Turkish fez, to show his affiliation with the caliphate that was abolished in Turkey. The manuscript also travelled to a publisher in the USA and then it landed on the desk of the present publisher in New Delhi. The more than 400 pages of “The Sufi Saints…” of course start with the life and teachings of Khwaja Mo’inuddin Chishti who was known as Gharib Nawaz, the Patron of the Poor, as he took an interest in the service of those people who had no one who cared for them. His message was thus one of love and service. He was a pious man as he thought that ‘it is through prayer, that the service of God is acquired’. He however made it clear that you are in a prison house if you claim to be pious. He considered service to the people as a prayer. It is inspiring to read which things are necessary according to him for a dervish. The second chapter deals with another gem amongst the Sufis of the Indian subcontinent, i.e. Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki. His early life, his initiation in the Chishti order, his marriage and children, some of his caliphs, his traits of character, some of his teachings and some of his supernatural powers have been described. In fact most of the 126 chapters deal with these topics. Is it correct to say that you don’t know the Sufi shaykh who is the subject matter of the final chapter? His name is Khwaja Shah Mohammed Sulaiman. We can read that after his father’s death he was entrusted to the care of his mother who looked after his education and training. Then we are informed that at the early age of four he learnt fifteen parts of the Qur’an. His second Qur’anic teacher taught him a book by shaykh Fariduddin ‘Attar, possibly ‘The Language of the Birds’ and also the ‘Gulistan’ and the ‘Bustan’ of shaykh Sa’di. When we take a look at his teachings we notice that according to him the object of life was nothing but the remembrance of God. In fact the 126 Sufis described in ‘The Sufi Saints…’ are nothing but pointers to God. Several years ago we were at an airport with the author who wanted to return to his house in Ajmer, India. As a farewell message he wrote a poem in Persian on a slip of paper. In these lines it was made clear that after some time he would no longer be there, but his works would be there. Now neither the 126 Sufis of ‘The Sufi Saints…’ nor its author is there. But the teachings of all these Sufis are still there, which together are an inheritance to us. The book of Dr. Sharib is an inspiring key, which makes this inheritance accessible to us. Siraj |
| 'The 99 Beautiful Names of God' is now available as a CD. -------------------------------------------------- Also now in a CD/ROM VERSION (for computers only) The Rubaiyat of Abu Said Ab'il Khair, Sarmad, and Hafiz. 'In the Garden of the Sufis' click here for more information |
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| 786 The Zahuri Sufi Web Site: Notice Board and News Page |
We received the following poem from a visitor:
The world is crazy, crazy, crazy
This distress is global.
But we have Allah to turn to,
We turn to prayers,
We turn to the 99 beautiful names,
We turn to thoughts of beneficence,
We turn to deeds of charity
We turn to joy to cancel sorrow,
We turn to understanding, to cancel hate,
Yes we have Allah,
We will to have peace, through the grace of Allah
Quan yin
The world is crazy, crazy, crazy
This distress is global.
But we have Allah to turn to,
We turn to prayers,
We turn to the 99 beautiful names,
We turn to thoughts of beneficence,
We turn to deeds of charity
We turn to joy to cancel sorrow,
We turn to understanding, to cancel hate,
Yes we have Allah,
We will to have peace, through the grace of Allah
Quan yin
The Meditations of Khawaja Muinuddin Hasan Chishti The Second edition of these pearls of wisdom is now available. £1.50 (plus p & p) |
| The Qur'anic Parables out now - follow the link for of ceremony at Ajmer. also World Peace Day Function At The Sufi Saint's School Ajmer |
The Urs of Khawaja Saheb were celebrated
in Ajmer and ceremonies were also held in
Southampton.
Follow link.
in Ajmer and ceremonies were also held in
Southampton.
Follow link.
picture of Zahurmian contributed by Qamaruddin Corrado
The Urs of Zahurmian was celebrated in Ajmer on
Zeeqad 19 and 20. We understand it was a blessed from.
Zeeqad 19 and 20. We understand it was a blessed from.