Song of a Majnun

Song of a Majnun

Song of a Majnun

A Lover, like this Majnun, is a nomad in the desert called longing,

He sighs that which is forbidden and is drunk with that which is unlawful for many,

For how else shall he move with the impulse that is borne of the silence of the day, enthroned above the clamorous world, and buried in the solitude of the night?

Friend, in this Lover's world, that which is called lovesickness by many is not a disease,

It is merely an arrow which is hard to pluck and yet leaves him painful as it remains.

Who can bear the loneliness of the long distance if not he who has been stolen from himself at the gate of Love?

But tell me, what greater joy is there beyond every little breeze of the Beloved that claims his sanity?

Like unto the forgotten dust,

Like unto the trodden butterfly,

Like unto the crushed flower,

Like unto the broken wings,

He bears Love's curse throughout his life of seasons.

He loves a certain Layla, whose beauty bears the likeness of the wine unto the drunkard,

Before whom, his own affection tortures the soul of his soul.

How could he not love the daughter of his own passion fashioned of prayers and dreams,

Who is not a stranger in his tranquility?

How could he not be moved in passion when the Beauty of the Beloved

Is unveiled before him in the light of hope that betrays his swaying in the wind to the greater passion of the nebulae?

How could he not yield to Love,

When its high tides arrive upon the shores of his aloneness,

As if ready to take his breath away in a thousand ways?

He who loves like this Majnun....

He must but drink Love's spontaneity and ecstasy at the dawn of his delight,

But oh when fields of flowers are yet to be kissed by the sun,

The wind is soon moistened with sorrow,

As the rain softly blends with his madness.

He loves his Shirin like a sickness and its cure at once,

He must but be slain by his Beloved for that which cannot be offered nor bought at any price.

A bleeding Bedouin is he with naked sentiments:

"Shirin, O Shirin,

O you, before whose Beauty spring flowers shall whither,

Before whose smile the sun and moon shall vanish in shyness,

And before whose gaze the heavens shall no longer remain at rest!

I love you without knowing since when or from where,

I love you straightforwardly,

Without complexity as a pride.

By He Who causes Love to be a Reality

And Who desires my extincton in it,

I love you, O honey and sugar of my life,

Because I know no other way than this!"

A victim unto his own passion is he,

But who can blame the child of the solitary night

When the elixir of Love intoxicates him and turns his blood into rushing wine in the morning light of the Beloved?

When Love's autumn comes,

Tell me, my Friend, how can the moon hide its agony from the distant stars?

And how can the silence of the deep spaces not turn into lamentations?

When the pricking pinions hidden in Love's wings desire your martyrdom,

How can you refuse Love's call and not break the symmetries of sanity upon its rocks?

Scandalous is his madness,

Elaborate are the silky patterns that adorn the depths of his pain of separation,

And not even the seven seas can reflect them on their surfaces.

Oh let me befriend the lonely path and the forgotten rain-caressed grass

Trodden upon by the Qalandars and run over by the wheels of fate.

I would rather breathe Love's agony and converse with ailing lovers and wounded dreamers,

Than close my eyes from the Beauty that my Beloved is.

I would rather be murdered by my Beloved's rejection,

Than empty my heart, the shrine of my submission, of her Image,

For if I die, my blood shall flow and intoxicate the heart of every heart.

I would rather kiss my Beloved's thorns in this tavern of ruins,

Than be amazed with something else and die in distraction and forgetfulness.

I would rather fall and shatter as I hit Love's thrashing floor,

Than soothe my soul with the hope of a new morning and mortal dreams,

For how can a Lover pretend not to be sick with Love's severity?

Dani, O Dani,

This ghazel testifies that your Love is still alive and burning!

On Ahlul Tauhid

On Ahlul Tauhid

Bismi...

Hu, Hu, Hu!


Salaam,

Know that, based on the way they perform Dzikrullaah, the People of Tauhid (Ahlul Tauhid) are of four kinds:

The first group are those who say, "Laa ilaaha ill Allaahu". They are in the state of denying anything particular that may be attributed as coessential to the Absolute Truth-Being, Allaahu Subhaan Hu wa Ta'ala. He (SWT), as al-Haqq, has no otherness, no equivalent, no match. The first part of the shahada, "laa ilaaha" ("there is no god"), refers to the non-existence of a concept of a god (the Highest Being in the hierarchy of existences, that is inclusive of all essential attributes). The second part of the shahada, "ill Allaahu", enables the concept of a god, whenever necessary, to be attributed directly to none other than Allaahu (SWT), and to Allaahu (SWT) alone. In other words, it would be utterly futile and impossible to come up with a concept, or perceive the existence, of God if Allaahu did not exist in the first place. "Allaahu" is the Name of His Zaat (Essence/Being), the Name which pre-existed creation and is coessential to His 'Ilm (Knowledge) of the totality and uniqueness of His Own Existence. We remind ourselves again that the letter "Alif" (A) in the Name "Allaahu" hides the secrets of the Foundational Unity of existence. The two "Lams" (L's) refer to the hidden and manifest worlds with their respective grades. The breath-sound "Hu" represents His Boundless Presence that spans the entire existence with all its relative and absolute states, therefore rendering His non-presence absolutely impossible. "Hu" also signifies that "Hu is Hu" for Whom there is no without, He alone encompasses all existences. As such, this shahada has been named by our Beloved Master, Rasul Allaahu Muhammad salla Allaahu 'alaihi wa sallam, as al-Jawami al-Kalim (the Unifying Sentence). Allaahu Azza wa Jalla Himself has chosen the Name "Allaahu" in the Realm of Pure Will (al-'Alm al-Jabbarut) to be revealed to the hidden worlds (al-Malakut) and the manifest worlds (al-Mulk).

The second group are those who simply say, "Allaahu". For these people, it is no longer necessary to deny any concept of otherness that may be set equal or coessential to Allaahu Jalla wa Jalal since their realization of al-Haqq is ultimately on the experiential level and no longer on the descriptive level. Their realization is that saying "laa ilaaha" before saying "Allaahu" may only prove that the one testifying to al-Haqq has not yet realized a desired degree of nearness with the One testified to, both in the batheen (inward) and the zaheer (outward) sense. These people are known as the special (khawash) ones.

The third group are those who simply say, "Huwa", or sometimes, "Ana". They are the ones who have "departed" from their mental confinement, and hence from the existence of their own individual self, towards the Reality of al-Haqq, the Reality of realities (al-Haqiqah al-Haqaiq). They witness only al-Haqq, as the only Reality-Being necessary in existence, Whose Presence annihilates the tendency of their own individual self towards existential separation from Him. This way, physically they perform Dzikrullaah with their breathing (or their heart beat) and attribute it (their breathing or their heart beat) not to themselves but to Allaahu (SWT). They are known as the special of the special (khawash al-khawash).

Finally the fourth group consists of those who perform Dzikrullaah in total silence. They are in the state of total surrender. They are in the state of being in total awe of the Reality, the Truth, the Beauty, the Absoluteness, the Uniqueness, the Presence of Allaahu Azza wa Jalla, beyond any perceptible sense. They are the ones whose inner selves are deeply submerged in the Perfect, Silent Witnessing (Ihsan) of the Beloved (al-Mahbub), the Sultan of (their) hearts (as-Sulthanul Qulub), in all situations. Their spirits have vanished in their Witnessing Allaahu (SWT). They are the ones who are spiritually extinct in the Ocean of Annihilation (fanaa' fillaah). They are the ones whose selves are extinct beyond measure, although their actions remain in the manifest (zaheer) world which they physically inhabit. Their form of Dzikr is known as Dzikr Tauhid. It knows no boundary. Their silence embraces a boundless ocean of secrets. Their Tauhid is not descriptive, rather it is Pure Witnessing. The "melting" of their silence yields the rarest kind of Ma'rifatullaah. Such people are described, in the words of Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Ibn al-'Arabi radhi Allaahu anhu wa qaddas Allaahu sirrah, as "the intoxicated lovers who hide a complete inward perfection, unaffected by the backdrop of outward worldly dissonance, who are content, in their silence, with the Reality of the Beloved alone, and with whom the Beloved is ultimately content." Such people are drunk with the elixir of their own silence which in reality hides the high tides of the Beloved's love for them. They are the people whose deep inward piety (taqwa) is often concealed not only from the eyes of men but ultimately from themselves, for to them the attachment to the perception of one's own piety might constitute a formidable barrier to genuine sincerity (ikhlas) in the way they love Allaahu (SWT), the Beloved. They are in inward communion with all rivers that branch forth from the Heart of the Divine Presence and they love the Beloved without a second thought. Such people can often be found among the Malamati Sufis.

Allaahu a'lam.

Ishq,

{Dani}

Al-Ismullaahu al-A'zham: the Greatest Name of Allaahu

Al-Ismullaahu al-A'zham: the Greatest Name of Allaahu

Bismi Hu, Rabbul Izzaati Ta'ala!

Allaahu, Allaahu, Allaahu Haqq!


Allaahu Ta'ala, Jalla wa Jalal, has taught us, through His Beloved Khatam an-Nabiyyin, Muhammad salla Allaahu 'alaihi wa sallam, Nuurin min Nuurillaah wa laa nabiyya ba'dahu, His 99 Names which He displays in the creation (manifestation (tajalli)), nourishment, and evolution of the phenomenal Universe which we inhabit. Al-Habib Rasul Allaahu salla Allaahu 'alaihi wa sallam said,

"Allaahu has 99 Names, that is, 100 minus 1, and whosoever "ahsaha" (enumerates them, realizes them, reflects on their essence, worships Allaahu by them and suppilcates by them, and acts by them according to one's degree of realization of them) shall enter the Garden (Jannah); and verily Allaahu is Witr (the "Odd", the Unique, the Singular, the Absolute) and loves the Witr (the odd numbers)." (Sahih Bukhari-Muslim: 8:419, narrated by Abu Huraira (radhi Allaahu anhu))

Know that the reason Allaahu loves the odd numbers is simply because He, Subhaan Hu wa Ta'ala, is He (Huwa Huwa) in the singular state known as al-Martabat al-Ahadiyya. In this state, He, Mighty and Exalted, does not share His Singularity, His Absoluteness, His Uniqueness, with anything particular (that which is not essentially He). There is only He, the Living, the Eternal, beyond origination, interdependence, and perception. His Oneness (Ahadiyya) is not a relative weight nor is it a mere cumulative point in a hieararchy (entanglement) of Names (States), but it is simply the Absolute Reality-Necessity (al-Haqiqah al-Haqaiq al-Mutlaq) of His Existence and this is the Estuary for all kinds of Divine Knowledge ('Ilm al-Hikmah). This way the odd numbers are His Hujjah (Proof) for His own Uniqueness. Allaahu Akbar!

Now there remains ONE NAME, which cannot be taught in words or by means of relative transmission but which must be discovered by ourselves by means of endless devotion and intense ijtihad. In other words, we must strive really hard by using the full potential of the qalb (heart) and the 'aql (intellect). To know this One Name, we must undertake very intense spiritual and intellectual suluk (journey) to the utmost limits, as there are oceans of secrets and incoherences to cross, until all forms of knowledge are united as one unique knowledge which shall descend upon the heart as Ma'rifat (direct all-encompassing Knowledge) in the form of the Light of the First Intellect, Nur Muhammad. This is described by Allaahu Ta'ala in the Qur'an Sharif in the verse: "The heart did not deny what it saw." (Surah an-Najm: 11.) If we possess this knowledge, nothing will be hidden from us. This is indeed one of the greatest blessings (ni'matullaah) in the Thariqat. Upon experiencing Kashf (Unveiling), this One Name will be revealed to us directly at the Station of Perfect Witnessing (al-Maqam al-Ihsan). This One Name is the one unique prayer bead that is "dettached" from all the others and submerged in the deepest Reality of the Perfect Beauty, Existential Majesty, and Absolute Uniqueness of Allaahu Subhaan Hu wa Ta'ala.

This Name is alluded in the following hadith of as- Sulthanul Anbiyya wa'l Mursalin, our Beloved Master, Muhammad salla Allaahu 'alaihi wa sallam,

"Yaa Allaah, I ask You of You by every Name which You have named Yourself or which You have revealed in Your book or which You have taught any of Your creation or which You have kept hidden in the Unseen Knowledge with Yourself." (Sahih Ahmad, accorded by al-Albani)

Again, this Hidden Name cannot simply be taught, instead we must discover it within ourselves as "Humanity is the Secret of His Secrets" ("al-Insaanu Sirru AsraaruHu"), in the depths of the silences of the self, where Allaahu Ta'ala communicates with us through the Reality of His own Essence, which is beyond words and conceptual constructs. That is why Sayyidina Rasul Allaahu salla Allaahu 'alaihi wa sallam said, "He who knows himself knows his Rabb." This is the Greatest Name of Allaahu 'Azza wa Jalla known as al-Ismullaahu al-A'zham. It is said in a hadith that, due to its immense barakaa, if you address Allaahu by that Name, every wish of yours will be granted and every danger, every ordeal, every misery will be removed from you. It is also said that this Name will be revealed to us at the end-time by the Mahdi 'alaihi salaam, may Allaahu hasten his appearance. However, the fundamental meaning behind this is that whoseover knows (comprehends) this Name, and is therefore dressed with the Reality of this Name, will be able to change the course of history for mankind. His presence will be a mercy unto the worlds (rahmatan lil 'alamiin). Indeed, the Knower of the Greatest Name of Allaahu Subhaan Hu wa Ta'ala is the inheritor of the station of the Holy Prophet Muhammad salla Allaahu 'alaihi wa sallam himself.

Allaahu a'lam.

Ishq wa Salaam,

{Dani}

The Reality of Awliyya

The Reality of Awliyya

In the Name of Allaahu, the Sultan of hearts, the Opener of every seal, the Possessor of Knowledge


Know that among the ones drawn close to al-Haqq, the rank of Siddique is the highest rank of Sainthood. Such a Wali sees Allaahu by Allaahu and sees that which is not Allaahu by His Light. The bare Truth is exposed to him. He is a Knower of the Reality of the Divine Essence, ZaatulLaah, and therefore knows al-Ism al-Aalam, the Greatest Name of Allaahu. The Light of Allaahu is the Eye of his eye. He sees, and converses with, the Ruh (Spirit) of the Summit of Manifestations, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (shalla Allaahu 'alahi wa sallam) in perfect intimacy in such a way that he comprehends the Holy Prophet’s true spiritual rank. This way, he receives Knowledge directly from the heart of the Holy Prophet (SAW), not from behind the veils (hijabs) but at the sacred spiritual station within the Spiritual Ka'ba, al-Bayt al-Ma'mur. Such a being is the true inheritor of al-Haqiqah al-Muhammadiyya, the Muhammadan Reality. He is the greatest Sign (Tajalli) in his time, al-Hujjah al-Islaam, through whom the Primary Existence-Being, al-Wajib al-Wujud (al-Wujud al-Mutlaq), Allaahu, manifests His resplendent signs.

Whenever he delivers a speech to mankind, millions of jinns are present, sitting and listening to him. He possesses two faces: one towards Allaahu and another towards mankind.

The one who has reached Haqiqah and gained Allaahu's special favor can experience 700,000 different levels and forms of knowledge ('ilm) and ecstasy (wajd) which are subtly hidden in the 99 Names of Allaahu, from which they can pull out for humanity 700,000 different esoteric (inward) and exoteric (outward) kinds of wisdom. Such exalted wisdom is none other than Ma'rifat, Direct Knowledge of Reality.

Know that the journey towards Haqiqah and Ma'rifat through Shari'ah and Thariqah involves moving from one vast ocean of wisdom and knowledge into another. In the process, the veils are pulled away, and eventually the Salik (Spiritual Wayfarer) reaches the Divine Presence in a place (state of being) where he observes, experiences, and is annihilated by, the Reality of the verse

“Allaahu Nuru samawati wal ard.”

“Allaahu is the Light of the heavens and the earth.”

In this state, nothing exists except that Light, for anything beside that Light is ultimately non-existent and illusory. This is the reality of fanaa' and baqaa'.

The journey towards the Naked Truth, the Highest Truth, al-Haqiqah al-Haqaiq, is depicted in the Mi'raj of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW). When the Holy Prophet reached a certain point in the journey with the Angel Jibril (alaihi salaam), the Angel said to the Holy Prophet, “Yaa Muhammad, only you can enter beyond this point. If I move further I will be destroyed and there shall thereafter be no existence for me.” The Holy Prophet said, “Yes, I will continue alone,” and he went alone beyond this point to the Utmost Limits, thereby acquiring the Secret of secrets (al-Sir al-Asrar) whose reality is depicted in the Qur'an as the "furthermost Lotte Tree". At this point, his personality was annihilated and he perceived himself as the Primordial Light of Creation, the First Intellect, and the Perfect Mirror, Nur Muhammad, which is the inner Reality of the Holy Prophet. This way, he (SAW) at last attained the Divine Presence, where he perceived nothing but Allaahu, His Existence.

Know that in every age, in every time, there is the so-called Wali Qutb, the Pole Wali, known as as-Sulthan al-Awliyya, in whose being the Muhammadan Reality is concentrated in its fullest intensity. Such a Wali must be al-ashraf from both his paternal and maternal lineage, from Ahl al-Bayt (the Family of the Holy Prophet). Remember that it was upon the Household of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) that the Qur'an and the Spirit of Truth (ar-Ruh al-Quds) descended. In other words, he must be al-Hassani and al-Husayni, a direct genetic and spiritual descendant of the Holy Prophet (SAW). If, however, by any chance the Wali Qutb is not from the Family of the Holy Prophet (SAW) and yet he is able to reach that distinguished spiritual level, then he is said to inherit the Muhammadan Reality from Salman al-Farsi, for the Holy Prophet (SAW) included him as a member of Ahl al-Bayt. Once, the Holy Prophet (SAW) told his wife not to cover herself in front of Sayyid Salman, saying, “Salman minee Ahlul Bayt.” (“Salman is among the Ahlul Bayt.”)

Know that every phenomenon in the universe, by Allaahu's permission, is subject to the spinning Ocean of Power known as, al-Muhamma, concentrated in the being of the Wali Qutb, coming from Allaahu to the Holy Prophet (SAW), and from the Holy Prophet to the Wali Qutb. From the esoteric point of view, this is how the Din of Islaam is preserved by Allaahu 'Azza wa Jalla from time to time, that is, through the presence of the Wali Qutb which functions as a Pillar and Axis that connects the physical dimensions of the Earth to the hidden dimensions of the Primordial Muhammadan Reality. Note carefully: It is incumbent upon every Muslim to recognize the Wali Qutb of his age.

Examples of Awliyya Qutb, among others, are Hazrat Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jailani (radhi Allaahu anhu), Hazrat Shaykh Muhammad Ibn 'Arabi (radhi Allaahu anhu), Hazrat Imaam Abu al-Hassan as-Shadzili (radhi Allaahu anhu), Hazrat Khwaja Mu'in ad-Din Chishti (radhi Allaahu anhu), and Hazrat Khwaja Muhammad Baha' ad-Din Naqshband (radhi Allaahu anhu).

O beloveds of Allaahu, my dear brothers and sisters, let nothing remain in your hearts but Allaahu Jalla wa Jalal. Know that Allaahu's obedience to you is always greater than your obedience to Him. Know that His love for you is far greater than your love for Him! Few people realize this and therefore most of us are thankless.

May Allaahu continue to guide us in the genuine Prophetic Light, in the Straight Path (as-Siraat al-Mustaqim), so that each of us may reach the elevated stations and ecstasy which He reserves for His beloved servants. Ameen.

Ishq,

{Dani}

The Wings of Solitude

The Wings of Solitude

The Wings of Solitude

(Dedicated to Khalil Gibran)

Somewhere in the book of existence, upon its silent pages,
Between the hour of union and the hour of separation,
Between our journeying and realization,
Between our knowledge and understanding,
Between infinity and infinity,

Among those born of women, reared by men, and nourished by the sun,
Some spend their lives wayfaring as pilgrims,
Some spend their lives as orators upon the hills,
Some spend their lives quenching their thirst for the beauty which they only wish to cage,
Some spend their lives in pursuit of the faces which will give them naught but masks,
And the gods which they only desire to crucify.

Some stand frozen and yet proud like unto dead corpses,
Overpowering the world with their heaviness,
Veiling the world with the darkness of their own souls,
Some weave their houses with the silky hands of ache and sorrow in their silent suffering.

Some voice the pain caused by the fetters that enslave them in the name of love,
Some release their endless youth in fields of flowers,
Tasting the sweetness of the wine that exists between a man and a woman,
Letting their spirits understand beauty.

Some erect palaces of diamond, marbel, and gold as if competing with the unborn glory of the firmament of existence,
Some build their temples within themselves and play the music of their infinite longing upon their flutes which only the still night can bear in its own heart.

Some shout at the distant mountains and remove the wings of their dignity,
Some seek refuge from such ailment and agony in their solitude and sit beside the calm waters, ever distant and lonely, yet very close to the Heart of all hearts.

Some live and die like the winds,
Racing along with the shadows at a frightening pace,
Imprisoned in the dark labyrinth of Nature's restlessness,
Appearing with the sun of their delight at dawn, and
Vanishing with the sun of their grief at noontide,
Never knowing why.

But I only wish to spend my life with you, my Beloved,
Speaking of the fragile little winged creatures that soar so high in the boundlessness of the spacious sky which love spans for them,
Bending with the reed upon whom, like unto a woman and a mother, the burden of life falls,
Singing the song of the morning dew and the silent-bound waters,
Resounding the depths of the solitude of God,
Painting the curves of passion upon the summits of beauty.

I only wish to spend eternity with you, my Lover,
Burning with the sun and the stars of your passion,
Kissing the shyness of the moon in your countenance,
Threading the lonely path of return with a winged heart and bleeding feet,
Encircling the universe in the freedom of our aloneness,
Dissapearing upon the furthest horizons with a tear and a smile.

I only wish to walk this lonely road to the end with you, my Love,
Embracing its mysteries without being offended by their depths,
Leaping upon the lonely shores of existence with the naked children of the seasons,
Rejoicing with the grass and the flowers kissed by the morning sun,
Conversing with the rain that fills the earth with tenderness and moistens the heart with compassion.

I only wish to breathe your breath, Gibran,
Befriending your solitude,
Shaking before the breeze of the tender winds in your utterances,
Swallowing the wine and the mist of your language which, uttered by infinite strings and proclaimed upon the high tides of your infinite passion,
Bespeaks the innocent tempest, the swirling winds, and the eternal hues of your infinite sky.

Take me home, my hidden Desire,
Lead me to the place where all the winds are born as wayfarers and die as silent martyrs.

Take me home, my winged Prophet,
Let us walk hand in hand in all seasons, naked like unto babes,
Running like unto the lonely brooks and the mountain streams in a hidden vastness known only to the poets of life's seasons.

Take me home, my eternal Delight,
Bring me to the entrance of your shrine with the delight of the white lily, and
Enfold me in the wings of your solitude.

Many are those who sacrifice their lives in battle fields,
Many are the babes taken away from their mothers' breasts,
Many are the flowers crushed before blossoming.

But I just want to die beside you, my Sweetheart,
After we have lived enough and therefore died enough,
Endlessly asking for the answers about the meaning of life and the secret of death,
Which not a single demon knows and which no angel can bear.

Come close to my bosom, my Brother,
Who speaks my language of mist and breathes my breath of fire,
Whose spirit is the soul of my heart,
Whose flame is the light of my comprehension.

Hold me tight, my Friend,
Let us carry our great secret to the infinite silence beyond the mournful sky and the restless sea.

Had we not planted anything in this field called life with our staggering hands,
We would not be harvesting the fruits of our restlessness today.

But I say unto you, my Love,
Just kiss my silent sorrow and caress my broken wings,
Pierce me with your sentiments and break the chains of my hands and feet,
Open the doors of my heart and light its corners with your beauty,
Shut my ears to the clamor of the world and whisper into the heart of my life's autumn the murmur of the rivulets of wine and the poetry of the forgotten dust of the past.

Put me to sleep with your song of the timelessness of love and beauty,
Weave around my heart the wings of the seafaring falcons,
Dissolve my breath in the infinity of your penetrating gaze,
Burn my wounded spirit in the fire of your imagination,
And crucify my restlessness in the depths of your solitude.

Love,

Dani

Reflections of Passion

Reflections of Passion

Reflections of Passion

Countless are the living strings of the silences that hide Love's yearnings,
Yet allow my flute to claim the sacred tones of your inner harp,
For the flute-player is drunk with the passion that necessitates his home-coming,
And allow the passion within his passion, and the serenade within his serenade, to moisten your soul with infinite tenderness.

Passion is the blossoming of your desires when you yield to the sweetness of life's honey.
It is a dignified depth calling unto a majestic height.
It is life's own quivering hands.
It is Love's winged Messenger that gathers all things of dust and fire unto her bosom.

Passion is that which moves the still night with dreams without offending her solitude.
It is the nectar hidden in every pleasure, not a burden unto your breath.
It is the ecstasy in your seeking and finding.
It is the beauty that speaks the depths of being and the heights of becoming.

Passion is the Mother unto all your silences and tides, your joys and sorrows.
It is the vessel capable of all forms and is itself a nakedness unto all.
It is that which suspends nothing in itself for it bears not masked faces nor caged songbirds.
It is the everspringing hope in the winter of your soul's grief, a swirling harmony in the songless sky, and a mighty dawn unto the faceless night.

In passion, take with you the wingless and the breathless,
For nothing of wonder shall descend with the morning mist and rain unless all riddles are solved in passion, and unless all songs are sung in its heart.

Even as the spring flower is the temple for beauty and fragrance,
So is your heart the temple for passion where God beholds Himself as Love.

Even as the lightning precedes the thunder,
So does passion precede your breathing.

Even as the cup holds the wine,
So does your soul hold the intoxicating myrrh made of the morning light and the silhouette.

They say, "Ay, too often is passion something of bewildering madness and uncertainty."

But I say unto you, "Unless you caress the wind with its own essence, which is in yourself, and unless you recognize the taste of honey by quenching the thirst of your own soul, you shall never know what passion is, for it is not a distant haze, but the mist that dances in God's solitude simply because you exist."

Pity the butterfly that knows not the language of the wind's swiftness nor the beauty of its own fragility.

Pity the lover that knows not his Beloved except only in the name that pricks his tongue and crucifies his understanding.

Pity the purposeless evening wind that knows not its destination in the traceless silence of space.

Pity the weak heart that places the blessed words of the Prophet upon a staggering tongue.

But I say unto you, "In passion's own longing is the breath that knows itself, the eye that sees itself, the waves that know their shores, and the beauty that houses itself."

Love,

Dani

The Golden Chain of the Main Authentic (Mu'tabara) Sufi Orders

as-Silsilah ad-Dhahab (The Golden Chain)
	At-Tashawuf (at-Thariqat) proceeds by means of a Teacher-Student relationship. Each Teacher-Student relationship forms a link in a chain which connects any authentic Sufi Order (Thariqat al-Mu'tabara) back to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (shalla Allaahu 'alahi wa sallam). This "chain of initiation" is called a "Silsilah". The Silsilah of the School of Sufi Teaching connects the current Shaykh of a particular Order to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) through the five main Sufi Orders, the Naqshbandi, Mujaddidi, Chishti, Shadhili, and Qadiri. Each of these are named after of a prominent Shaykh of the Order. A Genuine Sufi Shaykh must possess the outer and the inward Knowledge of al-Islaam. He must not separate Shari'at, Thariqat, and Haqiqat from each other. His heart must be an empty tablet for all the verses of the Holy Qur'an, including all their exterior and interior dimensions, and he must be well-versed in the sciences of tafseer and ahadeeth. In reality, many more have branched forth from these five main Sufi Orders, the reality of which has been explained by the Holy Prophet (SAW) in the famous hadith, "At-Thuruq ilalLaah 'Azza wa Jalla 'alaa 'adad anfasil khla'iq," which means, "The Ways to Allaahu are as many (infinite) as the breaths of Man."

as-Sayyid al-Awwalin wa al-Akhirin Muhammad Musthafa Nurin min NurilLaah | | | | | Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi (Khwajagan) | Chishti | Shadhili | Qadiri | Sayyidina Hazrat Abu Bakr as-Shiddiq | Hazrat Salman Farsi | Hazrat Qasim Bin Muhammad Bin Abi Bakr | Hazrat Imam Ja'far as-Shadiq | Hazrat Shaykh Abu-Yazid Tayfur Bistami | Hazrat Abu al-Hasan 'Ali ibn Ahmad Kharaqani | Hazrat Abu 'Ali Farmadi Tusi | Hazrat Abu Ya'qub Yusuf al-Hamadani | Hazrat Khwajah 'Abd al-Khaliq Ghujduwani | Hazrat Mawlana 'Arif Riwgari | Hazrat Khwajah Mahmud Abu al-Khayr Anjir Faghnawi | Hazrat 'Azizan 'Ali Ramitani | Hazrat Mawlana Muhammad Baba Sammasi | Hazrat Sayyid Amir Kulal | Hazrat Khwaja Muhammad Baha'uddin Shah Naqshband | Hazrat Khwajah 'Ala'uddin al-Attar | Hazrat Mawlana Ya'qub al-Charkhi | Hazrat Khwajah 'Ubaydullah Ahrar | Hazrat Khwajah Muhammad az-Zahid Wakhshi | Hazrat Mawlana Darwish Muhammad | Hazrat Mawlana Muhammad Khwajah al-Amkanagi | Hazrat Khwajah Muhammad Baqibillah | Hazrat Imam Rabbani Shaykh Ahmad Faruqi Sirhindi Mujadded | Hazrat Adam Banuri | Hazrat Sayyid Abdullah Akbarabadi | Hazrat Shah 'Abd ar-Rahim | Hazrat Shah Waliullah | Hazrat Shah 'Abd al-Aziz | Hazrat Sayyid Ahmad Shahid | Hazrat Sufi Nur Muhammad | Hazrat Sufi Fatih 'Ali Uwaysi | Hazrat Maulana Ghulam Salmani | | | Sayyidina Hazrat 'Ali al-Murthada | Hazrat Hasan Basri | Hazrat Abu al-Fadl 'Abd al-Wahid ibn Zayd | Hazrat Abu al-Fayd Fudayl Ibn Iyad | Hazrat Ibrahim ibn 'Adham Balkhi | Hazrat Khwajah Sadiuddin Hudhayfa Mar'ashi | Hazrat Khwajah Aminuddin Abu Hubayrah Basri | Hazrat Khwajah Mamshad 'Ulw Dinawri | Hazrat Khwajah Abu-Ishaq Shami Chishti | Hazrat Khwajah Abu Ahmad ibn Farasnafa | Hazrat Khwajah Abu Muhammad ibn Ahmad | Hazrat Khwajah Abu-Yusuf Chishti | Hazrat Muhammad Mawdud Chishti | Hazrat Hajji Sharif Zindani | Hazrat Khwajah 'Uthman Harvani | Hazrat Khwaja Mu'inuddin Chishti | Hazrat Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki | Hazrat Fariduddin Mas'ud Ganj-i Shakar | Hazrat Khwajah Nizamuddin Awliya' | Hazrat Nasiruddin Chiragh-i Delhi | Hazrat Kamaluddin 'Allama | Hazrat Sirajuddin | Hazrat 'Ilmuddin | Hazrat Mahmud | Hazrat Jamaluddin | Hazrat Hasan | Hazrat Muhammad | Hazrat Muhammad Yahya Madani | Hazrat Mawlana Kalimullah Jahanabadi | Hazrat Mawlana Nizamuddin | Hazrat Mawlana Fakhruddin | Hazrat Mawlana Shah Niyaz Ahmad | Hazrat Mawlana Shaykh Miskin | Hazrat Mawlana Nijabet 'Ali Shah | Hazrat Abu-Hamid Karim Baksh | Sayyidina Hazrat 'Ali al-Murthada | Hazrat Imam Husayn | Hazrat Shaykh Muhammad Jarbadi | Hazrat Shaykh Sa'id Qirwani | Hazrat Shaykh Fatih Mas'udi | Hazrat Shaykh Abu al-Qasim Mirwani | Hazrat Shaykh Abu Ishaq Ibrahim Basri | Hazrat Shaykh Qutbuddin Mahmud Qazwini | Hazrat Shaykh Shamdsuddini | Hazrat Shaykh Tajuddin | Hazrat Shaykh Abu al-Hasan 'Ali | Hazrat Shaykh Taqiuddin Sufi | Hazrat Shaykh Sharafuddin Madani | Hazrat Shaykh 'Abd as-Salam ibn Mashish | Hazrat Shaykh Nuruddin Abu al-Hasan Shadhili | | | | | | | Sayyidina Hazrat 'Ali al-Murthada | Hazrat Imam Husayn | Hazrat Imam 'Ali Zayn al-'Abidin | Hazrat Imam Muhammad Baqir | Hazrat Imam Ja'far as-Shadiq | Hazrat Imam Musa al-Kazim | Hazrat Imam 'Ali Musa Rida | Hazrat Ma'ruf Karkhi | Hazrat Sari Saqati | Hazrat Junayd Baghdadi | Hazrat Shaykh Abu Bakr Shibli | Hazrat Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz Tamimi | Hazrat Abu al-Fadl Abu al-Wahid Tamimi | Hazrat Abu al-Farah Tartusi | Hazrat Abu al-Hasan Farshi | Hazrat Abu Sa'id al-Mubarak Mukharrami | Hazrat Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir Jilani | | | | | | | | [The Silsilah continues via the Uwaysi way to:] | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | [The Silsilah continues via the Uwaysi way to:] | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Hazrat Sayyid 'Abd al-Bari Shah | Hazrat Hafiz Hamid Hassan 'Alawi | Hazrat Muhammad Sa'id Khan | Hazrat Azad Rasul al-Dehlavi Notes: Hazrat Sayyid Abdul Bari Shah (r.a.) was a great saint who received permission to initiate and teach students in the Chishtiyya, Qadiriyya, Mujaddidiyya, Naqshbandiyya, Shadhiliyya, and Qarniyya Thuruq, as well as in the Golden Chain (as-Silsilah ad-Dhahab). Uways al-Qarani was a contemporary of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Although the two never physically met, Uways received teachings and transmissions from the Holy Prophet (SAW), who had passed his blessed Khirqa (Cloak) to him. There are various sayings of the Prophet (SAW) that attest to this (Sahih Muslim, c.55). In Tashawuf, the term Uwaysi is used to describe a spiritual connection through which a student receives instructions directly from the Ruh (Spirit) of a deceased Shaykh (or, in some cases, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) himself). The present Grand Shaykh of the Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya, Hazrat Azad Rasul al-Dehlavi (may Allaahu protect him and sanctify his soul) of New Delhi, India, represents the five Authentic Sufi Thuruq at once: Naqshbandiyya ("the Golden Chain"), Qadiriyya, Chishtiyya, Shadiliyya, and Mujaddidiyya.