Saifuddin's Blog Picks

A Sea Of Humanity

Marina Montanaro — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:08:00 -0500

By Dr. Eugene D’Souza, "Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti – A Saint of the Downtrodden " - Daiji World - Mangalore, India
Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The annual ten days Urs commemorating the death anniversary of one of the most revered Sufi Saints of India, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, who is also referred as the ‘Garib Nawaz’, which means 'the one who shows kindness to the poor', comes to an end on July 15 at his magnificent mausoleum (dargah) at Ajmer.

During these ten days millions of devotees visit and pay respect and offer floral tribute to the saint for the favours that they had received or seeking favours of different kinds.

Eminent political leaders make it a point to present ‘cheddars’ amidst fanfare and media glare to be offered at the tomb of this medieval saint whose spirituality and love of humanity has been attracting thousands of devotees not only during his lifetime but even after his death year after year for the past 772 years.

This shrine is also known as the ‘Dargah Sharif’ (Holy Tomb).

Not only during the ten days Urs, but throughout the year, devotees, pilgrims and tourists throng the mausoleum of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. People of all walks of life and faith from all over the world, irrespective of their caste, creed and belief, visit this great shrine to offer flowers and devotion.

The rich and the poor stand side by side to pay homage and respect to this divine soul.

The mystic saints in Islam known as the Sufis were instrumental in spreading the ethical and spiritual values of Islam. Through spiritual attainment, piety and humanism they won over the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people.

They preferred to live among the masses of people, especially among the poor and downtrodden rather than living aloof from the society in mysticism and penance. Their service and love inspired the people and enabled them to realize the Eternal Truth.

Among the Sufi saints of medieval times, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti not only gained great spiritual and moral power but also manifested through practice his love and dedication to humanity without any worldly resources.

Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti was born in Sajistan, East Persia, in the first half of the twelfth century (around 1139).

Right from his childhood he manifested a spiritual bent of mind. At the age of 16, following the death of his parents, Moinuddin came under the influence of a spiritual leader and gave up his worldly belongings, distributed the money among the poor and took up the life of an ascetic.

He visited great centers of Islamic learning at Samarkand, Bokhara and other places and sought the guidance of a spiritual guide (Pir). Thereafter, he proceeded to Mecca and Medina on religious pilgrimage (Haj).

From Medina Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti proceeded to India and passing through Bokhara, Heart, Lahore and Delhi and meeting a number of Sufi saints arrived at Ajmer in Rajasthan at the age of 52 in 1290. At that time Ajmer was under the rule of Prithviraj Chauhan.

At Ajmer, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti attracted a large number of followers and acquired a great deal of respect amongst the residents of the city. Those who came in touch with him, especially the poor and downtrodden received kindest treatment and blessings from him and many became his disciples.

His simple teaching made great impact on common masses and his message of universal love and peace transcended the entire humanity without the distinction of creed and caste.

His strong faith in the unity of God provided the necessary ideological background to his mission of bringing about an emotional integration of the people amongst whom he lived.

Apart from the common people even the rulers and kings, both Hindu and Muslim used to visit the Khwaja and seek his intervention to solve their problems. However, he neither sought any favour nor any land grant from these rulers.

He lived a simple life relying on cultivation or alms.

Generosity to others, especially through sharing of food and wealth and tolerance and respect for different religions were the cardinal points of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti’s teachings.

Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti interpreted religion in terms of human service and asked his disciples “to develop river-like generosity, sun-like affection and earth-like hospitality.” The highest form of devotion, according to him, was “to redress the misery of those in distress – to fulfill the needs of the helpless and to feed the hungry.”

In order to continue his mission of service to humanity, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti founded the so called Chishti Silsila (Order of Sufis) in India and sent his disciples to different parts of India to carry on his mission.

After living a simple and dedicated life in the service of common people, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti passed into eternity at the ripe age of 97 in 1236. After his death a mausoleum (dargah) was erected on his tomb at Ajmer by Iltutmish, the Sultan of Delhi. It was beautified and enlarged later by the Mughal Emperors Humayun and Akbar.

The tomb is a square white marble structure with a domed roof and two entrances.

The mausoleum of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, popularly known as ‘The Dargah Sharif’ (holy tomb) has been a center of pilgrimage for both Muslims and Hindus. However, the terrorists did not even spare this shrine that represents communal harmony and universal brotherhood.

On 11th October 2007, when thousands of Muslim devotees were breaking their day-long Ramzan fast, the terrorists triggered a bomb inside the dargah complex that killed three persons and injured seventeen.

In spite of this the spirit of the pilgrims to this shrine of the most revered Sufi Saint of Medieval India has not dampened and the stream of devotees has become a sea of humanity during these ten days of Urs.

A'ishah

JDsg — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:09:15 -0500

Introducing A'ishah or, as it will probably be written by Milady's side of the family, A'isyah. AKA "Mibaby" (courtesy of Izzy Mo) and "ADsg" (me). A'ishah was born yesterday (July 18th) at 11:41 am at KK Women's & Children's Hospital here in S'pore. She weighed in at 3.745 kg (slightly under 8 lbs., 4 oz.) and is 52 cm (20.5") long. Both she and Milady are doing well. This is the first child for both Milady and I.

Yesterday was a very emotional day for all of us. Milady and I have been trying to have kids for all five years of our marriage. And even though we had gone through IVF for a number of years now, all of our efforts had failed up through this point. Even with A'ishah we had a couple of scares along the way but, thankfully, everything worked out in the end. All praise, credit and honor goes to Allah (swt) who answered our prayers.

BTW, I did recite the adhan/iqamah to the baby yesterday. Now I'm off back to the hospital; needless to say, blogging will be very sporadic in the next few days.

Two-thirds of Egyptian men harass women?

MR — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:15:46 -0500

By Cynthia Johnston

CAIRO (Reuters) - Nearly two-thirds of Egyptian men admit to having sexually harassed women in the most populous Arab country, and a majority say women themselves are to blame for their maltreatment, a survey showed Thursday.

The forms of harassment reported by Egyptian men, whose country attracts millions of foreign tourists each year, include touching or ogling women, shouting sexually explicit remarks, and exposing their genitals to women. “Sexual harassment has become an overwhelming and very real problem experienced by all women in Egyptian society, often on a daily basis,” said the report by the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights.

Egyptian women and female visitors frequently complain of persistent sexual harassment on Egyptian streets, despite the socially conservative nature of this traditional Muslim society.

The behavior could have repercussions on Egypt’s tourism industry, a major foreign income earner, with 98 percent of foreign women saying they had experienced harassment in the country, the survey said.

The survey of more than 2,000 Egyptian men and women and 109 foreign women said the vast majority of Egyptians believed that sexual harassment in Egypt was on the rise, citing a worsening economic situation and a lack of awareness or religious values.

It said 62 percent of Egyptian men reported perpetrating harassment, while 83 percent of Egyptian women reported having been sexually harassed. Nearly half of women said the abuse occurred daily.

Only 2.4 percent of Egyptian women reported it to the police, with most saying they did not believe anyone would help. Some feared reporting harassment would hurt their reputations.

“The vast majority of women did nothing when confronted with sexual harassment,” the survey said, adding that most Egyptian women believed the victim should “remain silent.”

Some 53 percent of men blamed women for bringing on sexual harassment, saying they enjoyed it or were dressed in a way deemed indecent. Some women agreed.

“Out of Egyptian women and men interviewed, most believe that women who wear tight clothes deserve to be harassed,” the survey said. It added most agreed women should be home by 8 p.m.

The survey said most of the Egyptian women who told of being harassed said they were dressed conservatively, with the majority wearing the Islamic headscarf. The harassment took place on the streets or on public transport, as well as in tourist destinations and foreign educational institutions.

(Writing by Cynthia Johnston; Editing by Caroline Drees)

Source

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Count me in Zaytuna Program

Arfan Shah — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:21:01 -0500

Samir Kuntar and the Israeli Government are both Terrorists

MR — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:11:20 -0500

Any person, group, organization or government that supports and orders the murder of innocent children in the name of their own benefit is a terrorist in Islam. The Islamic ruling is very clear on killing children. It is forbidden (haram). You may have read about one of the prisoners that was returned to Hezbullah from Israel by the name of Samir Qantar (or Kuntar). Out of everyone that was returned, his name is the most popular since he was doing his jail time for killing a man and his daughter. Samir denies how the young girl died but he proudly claimed he doesn’t regret doing it.

Now for all those people who think Samir is a monster for committing his crime. What about Israel? How many rockets, bullets and bombs have killed 1,000s of Palestinian babies and young children? It is very sad to hear that this young Israeli girl had to face such a tragic death but we should not forget the 1,000s of other children on both sides who have suffered this and much worse.

If Samir is a monster then the Israeli government is an even bigger monster. Samir is like a gremlin while Israel is like godzilla.

May God bring peace and stability to all those who are suffering from the evil monstrous oppressors. Ameen!

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Evening of Inspiration Tour - First Stop - New York

noreply@blogger.com (Baba Ali) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:18:37 -0500

I'm on the Evening of Inspiration Tour, which is a series of benefit concerts to raise money for children around the world. This will be the first time I'm touring 786 and Zain Bhikha so it sounds like an interesting event. I'll be sure to pack my camera just in case this tour becomes another adventure.

This weekend, we'll be in Jamaica, New York (Saturday) and Dallas, Texas (Sunday). For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit: http://www.irw.org/inspiration/

The Blessed Mantle - Sacred Trusts

yursil — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:56:19 -0500

The Blessed Mantle, also known as the Holy Mantle, according to tradition was given by the prophet Muhammad to the poet Kâab bin Züheyr. The poets poem Kasida-ı Burda praising the prophet decorate the Room of the Blessed Mantle[1]. Although many legends were spun about the appearance of the mantle, it is almost two yards long and made of black wool lined with a cream-coloured fabric.[2].

The mantle used to be visited by the sultan and his family and court with a traditional ceremony once a year on the fifteenth day of Ramadan.[3]. The kissing of the mantle was not done directly, but a piece of muslin was placed over it. This decorated kerchief was called the Noble Kerchief (destimal-ı şerif) and was provided for each person by the Agha of the Muslin (Tülbent Ağası). The mantle was kept in a golden box, of which only the sultan had the keys. The box was opened while he intoned the besmele. The mantle was actually wrapped in a number of square pieces of cloth called bohças. In it was another small golden box in which forty bohças were wrapped around the mantle itself. The number forty was considered especially auspicious.

The Agha of the Muslin placed the first kerchief on the mantle and the sultan kissed it, followed by the imperial princes, viziers, officials, male attendants and eunuchs. This was done while Koranic chants filled the chamber. Next to kiss the kerchiefs were the women, who were lead by the Queen Mother, followed by the chief consorts, concubines and daughters of the sultan, as well as the wives of all officials present and female attendants. Princess Imperial Ayşe Osmanoğlu, daughter of Sultan Abdul Hamid II, gave a rare eyewitness account in her book. “Babam Abdülhamit” (My Father, Abdülhamit). Istanbul, 1960. Intimate glimpse of Abdülhamit II and of her own life by his daughter, Ayşe Sultan.:

We began to prepare three days before the visit to the Blessed Mantle, on the fifteenth day of Ramazan. We got up early that day, wore our most beautiful long-skirted ceremonial dresses, put on our jewels, and went to Topkapı. My grandmother got into a carriage of the sultanate; the drivers wore the embroidered uniforms of the royal stable, like the drivers of the padishah. Halim Efendi, who was the officer in charge of harem outings, was in front with the guards. The harem ağas, wearing embroidered uniforms, followed the carriage of my grandmother, which was in front. Thus we left Yıldız and went to Topkapı. There we were met by old female attendants who came from Dolmabahçe, and we went to the room assigned to each of us in Topkapı. All those outside the palace to whom the invitation had previously gone, the married sultans [the ruler’s daughters were called sultan] and the wives of the ministers also came. We invited the people we knew personally.

In the room called the Room of the Armchair my grandmother sat under a canopy in her royal costume, and all of us went and kissed her hand. All together we waited for the opening of the Pavilion of the Blessed Mantle. Sultan Abülmecit’s wives [he was a deceased sultan], Serfiraz and Şayeste, were there too and sat beside my grandmother. Usually the valide paşa [the mother of the khedive of Egypt] was at the ceremony.
The baş musahip [the head harem eunuch in attendance on the sultan] came to the harem when the Blessed Mantle was opened and, with an Oriental salute, gave the news to my grandmother, the valide sultan. The valide sultan rose, and after her walked the wives of Abdülmecit and then the sultans and the kadın efendis, all in order of precedence, and we all went to the Pavilion of the Blessed Mantle. Everyone wore a piece of white muslin on her head. We sensed odours, because incense was burning everywhere, and from behind a curtain came the Noble Koran read in an extremely beautiful voice by the muezzin. The hearts of all of us filled with deep and humble reverence, with slow steps, our skirts sweeping the ground, we walked in ranks until we came in front of the padishah who stood at the foot of the throne. [This is the only mention of a throne in connection with the visit to the Blessed Mantle.] With an Oriental salute from the ground . . . we took the noble kerchief which was given into our hands, kissed it, put it over our heads, withdrew backwards, and went and again stood in our ranks according to precedence. . . .
The young princes, the sons of the padishah, stood in rank in uniform at the foot of the throne.
After us the valide paşa and the wives of the grand vizier, the other ministers and the şeyhülislâm entered. The lady treasurer and the other palace servants also participated in the ceremony. At the end of the ceremony the baş musahip appeared, gave an Oriental salute from the ground, and we left in ranks as we had entered, the valide sultan in front.
Our carriages drew up to the Harem Gate [Carriage Gate] of Topkapi in order of precedence, and we mounted them and returned to Yıldız Palace in the same formation as we had left it. These carriages, which proceeded slowly because of the horses, usually brought us to the palace at the time of the iftar cannon [the cannon that announced the end of the day’s fast during Ramazan].” Davis, pg. 150-151

1 ^ Davis, pg. 146
2 ^ Davis, pg. 149
3 ^ Davis, pg. 149
4 ^ Davis, pg. 151

Bedtime Music: REO Speedwagon - Keep On Loving You

JDsg — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:00:02 -0500

REO Speedwagon is like Loverboy for me: a band whose music I like, but one that I never bought any of their albums (even their greatest hits). Keep on Loving You is your typical '80s power ballad: smooth, slow and schmaltzy. The song peaked at #1 in the U.S. for one week, preceded by (of all things) Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 and succeeded by Blondie's Rapture.

Muslim T-Shirt slogans

(author unknown) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:18:38 -0500

At Juma' [Friday prayers] today I sat/stood behind a bearded young chap wearing a thauwb with a hoodie on top. On the back of the hoodie was emblazoned the slogan "Only Allah to Fear", if that wasn't bad enough the typography [font] used was a "horror" font more associated with ...

Computer Crash

darvish — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:35:40 -0500

Salaam and Greetings of Peace:

My computer hard drive crashed (this is being written on a borrowed computer) so new posts will have to wait until it is fixed, inshallah.

May God bless all who pass this way. Ameen.

Ya Haqq!

Welsh International Islamic Conference

Abdur Rahman — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:01:38 -0500

Peace, one and all… al-Hikma and Cardiff University ISOC are jointly holding an international conference on Saturday 26th July 2008. The event will begin at 2pm and will be held in the Julian Hodge Building. Confirmed speakers include: Dr Israr Ahmed (Pakistan) Shaykh Shady Asuliman (Australia) Shaykh Faraz Rabbani (Canada) Shaykh Uthmaan Lateef (UK) Junaid Jamshed (Pakistan) Further information is available on the [...]

Evicted Milan Muslims pray at stadium 'mosque'

Martin Sullivan — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:23:36 -0500

Italian police were out in force Friday at a Milan stadium converted into a makeshift mosque by Muslims who were forced to abandon their previous place of worship. Organizers of the Friday prayers said they expected some 5,000 Muslims at the Vigorelli velodrome which also contains a disused cycling track.

The decision by Milan's town hall to allow Muslims to use the facility on a temporary basis has triggered protests from local residents, raising concern of possible attempts to disrupt the prayer session. On Friday, several dozen protesters, including far-right political leader, Daniela Santanche, gathered near the stadium. "We are here to prevent a symbol of Milanese sport from being transformed into a mosque," Santanche, who leads the opposition party, The Right, said.

Earlier this month, Italy's centre-right government ordered the closure of the so-called Jenner mosque – the converted garage where for over 20 years, thousands of Muslims in Italy's financial capital attended prayer sessions. Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said the decision was based on public order and health concerns – worshippers often spilled out on the street – and complaints from local residents. Maroni, a member of the anti-immigration Northern League, drew sharp criticism for the move, with one prominent Catholic cleric, Monsignor Gianfranco Bottoni, who deals with inter-faith issues in Milan, describing it as "fascist".

Earth Times, 18 July 2008

Jewish example shows there is plenty of room for sharia in English law

Martin Sullivan — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:23:01 -0500

The experience of British Jewry demonstrates that there is plenty of room for aspects of Sharia to be incorporated within English law without in any way compromising the cardinal principle that all British citizens must be "equal under the law". This is the major theme of an address to be given by Professor Geoffrey Alderman to the Islamic Shari'a Council on Sunday 20 July 2008.

Professor Alderman, who teaches politics and history at the University of Buckingham, is the author of The Jewish Community in British Politics and Modern British Jewry (both published by Oxford University Press); he writes a weekly column for the Jewish Chronicle. He and his family are practising Orthodox Jews.

Supporting controversial remarks made earlier this year by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Professor Alderman, in his address, traces the history of the interface between Jews, Judaism and the English legal system. "The Jewish religion has – to some extent – been successfully incorporated with the English legal system," Professor Alderman said: "this has damaged neither the status of British Jews nor the fabric of English law."

Geoffrey Alderman press release, 18 July 2008

Well, that's really going to piss off Melanie Phillips, isn't it? Stand by for fireworks in the JC.

I am the Dust of the Road

Abdur Rahman — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:34:46 -0500

Peace, one and all… ‘I am a slave of the Quran if I have a soul. I am the dust on the road of Muhammad, the Chosen. If anyone quotes from my sayings other than this, I have nothing to do with him and I have nothing to do with his words’ (Mevlana Rumi, Divan-i Kabir)

The Moon Waxes

Abdur Rahman — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:25:47 -0500

Peace, one and all… ‘The moon waxes brighter with rhythmic lauds and shows the road of truth to those astray Morning, noon and night - make it your rosary That old saying - There is no god but God’ (Mevlana Rumi, Divan-i Kabir)

Agency pays damages to Yusuf Islam over sexism slur

Martin Sullivan — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:35:31 -0500

Former hit writer and chart topper Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam, today accepted "substantial" but undisclosed libel damages and a public apology at London's High Court over an entertainment news agency slur.

Adam Tudor, the singer's solicitor told top libel judge, Mr Justice David Eady, the piece at the centre of the complaint was published by World Entertainment News Network's and was later used on Contactmusic.com, a website published by Contactmusic.com Ltd which is said to have 2.2 million page views a month. Contactmusic also apologised today and will pay part of the damages.

Tudor said the item appeared on 26 March last year under the headline: "Yusuf Islam Ignors Bare-Headed Women" and was reproduced on a number of websites including that of Contactmusic.

"The article suggested that Mr Islam, who is a Muslim, was so sexist and bigoted that he refused at an awards ceremony to speak to or even acknowledge any women who were not wearing a veil," said Tudor. "It went on to suggest that Mr Islam's manager had stated 'Mr Islam doesn't speak with women except his wife. Least of all if they don't wear a headscarf. Things like that only happen via an intermediary'."

Tudor continued: "As the defendants now accept, these allegations were entirely false. Mr Islam has never had any difficulties working with women, whether for religious or any other reasons. In his normal life, women feature among some of the most influential people in Mr Islam's team. Furthermore, the statement attributed in the article to Mr Islam's manager was simply never made."

He said that the article had caused the pop star considerable embarrassment and distress particularly given that it had the effect not only of creating an utterly false impression of his attitude to women, but because it also cast serious aspersions, quite wrongly, on his religious faith.

The compensation he is to be paid be donated to charity, Small Kindness. He is also to receive his legal costs. For World Entertainment News and Contactmusic solicitor Marvin Simons said they apologised for the distress and embarrassment that had been caused as a result of the "false allegations."

Press Gazette, 18 July 2008

'You're having a mosque whether you want one or not'

Martin Sullivan — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:23:02 -0500

The BBC reports that the government's Planning Inspectorate has overturned a decision by the local council to reject an application to build a mosque in Dudley.

The proposal had been the subject of a bitter right-wing campaign by the likes of the BNP and UKIP, and the Birmingham Mail quotes Khurshid Ahmed of the Dudley Muslim Association as hailing the Planning Inspectorate's ruling as a "victory for common sense and democracy and a defeat for prejudice and bigotry". Indeed, you might have thought that the decision would be welcomed by anyone with remotely progressive politics.

However, Andy Armitage of the Pink Triangle Trust is not happy at all:

"People wrote letters complaining and the local council decided against it. But the politically correct Planning Inspectorate (possibly, but we don't know, bowing to some political pressure) has decided that the good people of Dudley are to have a huge £18 million mosque, whether they want it or not....

"Religion wins out again – and gets to erect an out-of-character building to boot. If Muslims see so much as a mere image they don't like – even on a postcard used for advertising purposes by a police force – they complain, and get their way. Residents complain about what they probably perceive is going to be an eyesore in architectural terms, and one many of them will have to pass each day, and they get nowhere....

"Stick your arse in the air five times and day and develop a disliking for pork and poofs, and who knows what you can achieve?"

Pink Triangle, 18 July 2008

12 percent of Americans think Barack Obama is Muslim

Martin Sullivan — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:09:23 -0500

Despite a large controversy not long ago about Barack Obama sitting in a church listening to Jeremiah Wright preach for 16 years, 12 percent of Americans still believe that Obama is Muslim.

The breakdown shows that 12 percent of Democrats, 12 percent of Republicans and 11 percent of Independents still hold that belief.

The poll also shows that Democrats that share that misconception about Obama are "significantly less likely to support Obama."

Among the 12 percent that still believe that Obama is Muslim, despite evidence to the contrary, 51 percent back McCain and 37 percent back Obama. Among those that believe that Obama is a Christian, those numbers reverse themselves, with 52 percent backing Obama and 32 percent backing McCain.

DigitalJournal.com, 18 July 2008

Turkey Diary: Misrecognition

ANNA — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:03:53 -0500

1. Sanliurfa, July 14 He runs in front of me, dark-haired, wearing red. For half of a moment, I know him. My student, Muhammad, is here. To our right, the pool churns with bodies, wet and black. The ashes from Nimrod’s fire settled here, or so the Turks believe. Each flake became a fish; each fish [...]

Beyond Literal

Marina Montanaro — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:52:43 -0500

By Ramaa Sharma, "Is there room for music in Islam?" - BBC London - London, UK
[Old News] Thursday, December 20, 2007

Some Muslims believe music is "haram," forbidden in Shariah Law, but one East London Sheikh believes Sufi music can be a passage to God

The use of music in Islam is not as obvious as it appears in most other religions. Buoyant choirs, classical instruments and ceremonial processions do not accompany prayers as they do in many eastern faiths for example.

This could be due to the fact many Muslims interpret the use of melody and musical instruments as "haram" or forbidden in Islam. Some believe the Hadeeth scripture (words of the Prophet) states that the sounds of bells, in particular, have the devil behind them.

Other reservations include the belief that there is only one possible way to reach God, and that would be on judgement day. However, Sufis believe it is possible to reach God during ones life and that’s through musical meditation.

Sheikh Alley, a Malaysian priest based in East London says there is room for music in Islam and that you just need to have an understanding of its relevance. He says: - “We are living in an age of confusion, a very complicated age where people have diverted from their own tradition. They may understand the tradition that they have, but not at its core.

People tend to focus on the literal and not beyond literal. They have a shallow understanding of that aspect.”

On Thursday evenings in Leyton, many devout Muslims get together for “Dhikr.” A session whereby the group chant recitations from the Qu’ran and also sing "Naseeds" or praises of the Prophet.

Nazia Abbasi attends the Sheikh's sermons and Dhikr regularly, she says the sessions help her to pray. Nazia Abbasi says:

“The recitation of the Dhikr has helped me to focus more internally. It has allowed me to meditate and think about the state of my heart and mind."

The Sheikh's followers believe his lineage stems back to the Prophet himself. So his appreciation for Sufi Musicians is permeating as a result.

Sufi Musicians
Historically, Hazrat Inayet Khan and poet Jalaluddin Rumi first drew attention to this mystic tradition. The late Ustad Nusret Fateh Ali Khan was and still is considered a highly accomplished Qawalli artist. His passionate renditions were known to engage people of all faiths.

The Sufi Daf
The ‘daf,’ is a deep sounding bass drum, traditionally used by Sufis in the Middle East. Many artists believe the sound of the daf simulates the sound of a heart beat.

[To listen to the full interview with Shaykh Alley, click on the title of this article in order to go to the original article, then click on to the audio links on the right side of the article. Should it require a password, just press the "enter" key on your keyboard, and it should start]