Sufism
Sufism is neither a religion nor a cult. Hazrat Inayat Khan,
a Sufi philosopher and practitioner himself, describes it as, "Any person
who has knowledge of both outer and inner life is a Sufi.”
Sufism, as the mystical dimension of Islam, preaches peace,
tolerance and pluralism, while encouraging music as a way of deepening one's
relationship with the Creator. Based on the mystical branch of Islam, Sufi
music seeks to unite listeners with the Divine. The pain of separation from the
Creator is at the core of Sufi lyrics and music; and hence the intense longing
to dissolve the physical realm and transcend into the spiritual universe with
Sama's, the practice of listening to music, chanting and whirling, and finally
culminating in spiritual ecstasy.
Sound and music is thus central for the core experience of
Sufism, since music is regarded as a means for the believer to get closer to
the divine. Sufi music therefore is the music of the 'soul' by the 'soul' and
for the 'soul'.
The following two songs rendered by A.R.Rehman are my first
introduction to Sufism:
My mood was elevated and all my senses were pumped with energy after the above song.
This one is speechless.
Though I did not understood the complete lyrics for the first time, google helped me
lot in terms of getting gist. I am bowled by the intensity in the lyrics. In no
other languages I know one can express with the same rigour and intensity.
PS: I am not a strong believer in religion and caste.I go to temple, mosque,church or Gurudwar only to experience the silence they provide.
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