Paimona Bideh | Bring me the Chalice

Paimona bedah key khumar astam

Man ashiq e chasm e mast e yaar astam

Bring me the chalice, so I may lose my self,
I'm in love with my Beloved’s intoxicating Gaze.

Chashmat key bagh e khutan memanaat
Royat ba gulab haye chaman memanaat

Your Eyes light up my secret garden
Your Face lights up every rose therein.

Gul roo ba kuneed waraq waraq boyee kaanee
Ba lalazar e be watan me yaraat

Face like a flower, it give petals their fragrance
The land of my Beloved is placeless.

Man ashiq e chasm e mast e yaar astam
Bedeh bedeh kay khumar astam
Paimona bedah key khumar astam

I'm in love with my Beloved’s intoxicating Gaze,
Bring! bring! so I may annihilate my self.
Bring me the chalice, so I may lose my self.

Az O madanet ager khaber me dashtaam
Pesh e qadamat kocha ragul me kashtaam

If I hear of Your sacred arrival,
Under Your feet, I will spread a carpet of flowers.

Gul me kashtam gul e gulab me kashtam
Khak e qadamt padi dam e war dashtaam

Spread flowers, Spread rose flowers,
I will sacrifice myself at the dust of Your feet.

Paimona bedah key khumar astam
Man ashiq e chasm e mast e yaar astam

Bring me the chalice, so I may lose my self,
I'm in love with my Beloved’s intoxicating Gaze.

- Original poetry (in Pashto/Dari language) by Persian polymath, astronomer, poet and mystic Omar Khayyam (1048-1123) | The new translation is based on earlier translation

[>] Click here to watch Zeb and Haniya performing “Paimona Bideh” in Coke Studio Session | [>] download the video | audio


. Symbology of Wine
and Beloved's Intoxicated Gaze

In Sufi poetry and music a much used symbol is Wine and Beloved's Gaze.

The Sufis define their relationship with God through Love and thus their favorite name for God is Beloved (no wonder some medieval european writers thought of Sufis as the lost and hidden Esoteric Christians in disguise since Christ's teaching and that of Sufi doctine of love are so strinkingly similar). Noteworthy of Christ's saying, "Although you may love me with all the love which men have, if you do not love God and do not love all your fellow men equally, you shall be numbered among the idolators."

Beloved's Intoxicating Gaze is an imagery used to mean the special grace that falls upon the heart of the devotee that give rise to God realization or recognition of God and brings bliss of the soul's loving self-surrender.

For some its a surprise that despite intoxication or strong drink is prohibited in the Scripture, yet the imagery of wine is found in the works of many sufis even though they themselves never touched wine as intoxicating drink. This puzzle can be solved through the Scripture, that is the Holy Quran itself.

In certain places the Quran speaks of strong drink to be prohibited because of its role in mindless violence, action of abomination and senseless action issuing from drunkenness. But then again in the description of the paradise special type of Wine, special kind of drink is mentioned. This is the kind of Wine which inspired many sufis to take up the symbology.

About this second type of drink worth mentioning few verses from the Quran:

You will recognize in their faces the beaming brightness of Bliss.
Their thirst will be quenched with Pure Wine sealed: they are given to drink of a pure wine, sealed, whose seal is musk - for this let (all) those strive who strive for bliss. With it will be a mixture of Tasnim: a holy fountain from which drink the Nearmost ones to God.
- The Quran 83:24-28

.. and their Lord will give to them to drink of a Wine Pure and Holy.
It shall be announced, "Verily this is a reward for you, and your endeavour is accepted and recognised." - The Quran, 76:21-22

Thus the very Quran that prohibit strong drinks of intoxication speaks of Pure Wine in the Kingdom. For this inspiration the mystic poets has found imagery such as:
. Tavern - Earth,
. Wine Giver (Saqi) - God. In some cases also points to God's Messenger, Muhammad, upon him be peace who is the bringer of grace
. Wine - Bliss of God Realization, Self Realization, Recognition of God, Holy Grace

Sufi Master Hazrat Inayat Khan writes: "What makes the soul of the poet dance? Music. What makes the painter paint beautiful pictures, the musician sing beautiful songs? It is the inspiration that beauty gives. Therefore the Sufi has called this beauty sāqī , the divine Giver who gives the wine of life to all.

In the imagery of the Sufi poets, this tavern is the world, and the sāqī (wine giver) is God. In whatever form the wine-giver comes and gives a wine, it is God who comes. In this way, by recognizing the sāqī , the wine-giver, in all forms, the Sufi worships God. He recognizes God in friend and foe as the wine-giver."

About losing oneself, about becoming annihilated by the intoxicating divine wine, Rumi said it beautifully, "Dissolve like sugar in water before the Beloved."

Thy light which riseth in my heart,
in the hearts of my mureeds may shine.
The juice that hath made me so drunken,
O Sāqī, give my mureeds that wine.
Surround my mureeds with Thy beauty,
Create in their lives harmony divine.
Give them sympathy for one another
Raise them above life's mine and thine.

Thy light which rieseth in my heart,
may in the hearts of my mureeds shine.
The juice that intoxicated me so,
O Sāqī, give my mureeds that wine.
Surround my mureeds with Thy beauty,
Create in them Thy harmony divine,
Give them sympathy for one another
May they forget world's mine and thine.

- A prayerful poem
from Hazrat Inayat Khan's personal notebook (1922)

. Drink Further:
. Love (Mahab-bat) via Untired with Loving
. Who do you really love?
. Traveling the Path of Love
. Stages of Love

. Connecting:
. Zeb and Haniya on Facebook
. Coke Studio. Episode 1
. Paimona of Coke Studio via YouTube
. Behind the Scene | Paimona
. A slower version of Paimona Bideh with translation
. Girl band from Pakistan

Attentiveness and Awareness of One's State of Mind and Heart

Following are are three Principles on Awareness out of the Eleven Principles of the Naqshbandi Sufi Path. These Principles are passed from Qutubs or Spiritual Axis of their time finally through the transmission of two great Naqshbandi (Pattern Maker) Sufi masters: 'Abd ul-Khaliq Ghujduwani (d. 1220) and Baha ad-din Naqshband (d. 1389), may God sanctify their soul and give us baraka (blessings) with what they carried within.

. Attentiveness ~ Nigah dasht

Struggle with all alien thoughts. Be always mindful of what you are thinking and doing, so that you may put the imprint of your immortality on every passing incident and instance of your daily life.

Be watchful. Be aware of what catches your attention. Learn to withdraw your attention from undesirable objects. This is also expressed as "be vigilant in thought and remember yourself."

Nigah means sight. It means that the seeker must watch his heart and safeguard it by preventing bad thoughts from entering. Bad inclinations keep the heart from joining with the Divine.

It is acknowledged in the Naqshbandiyya that for a seeker to safeguard his heart from bad inclinations for fifteen minutes is a great achievement. For this he would be considered a real Sufi. Sufism is the power to safeguard the heart from bad thoughts and protect it from low inclinations. Whoever accomplishes these two goals will know his heart, and whoever knows his heart will know his Lord. The Holy Prophet, praised is his station, has said, "Whoever knows himself knows His Lord."

Sa'd ud-Din Kashgari said: "The seeker must, for one hour or two or whatever he is capable of, hold onto his mind and prevent thoughts of other [than God] entering." Another description from the Munahej ul-Sair has it that: "[Nigah dasht is the] guarding of the special awareness and presence which have resulted from the noble dhikr, so that remembering of anything other than the Real does not find its way into the heart/mind."

Yet others have written that nigah dasht also applies to the time of the dhikr itself: "Nigah dasht is when the seeker at the time of the dhikr holds his heart/mind upon the meaning of LA ILAHA ILLA 'LLAH so that thoughts do not find entrance into his heart, because if thoughts are in the mind then the result of the dhikr, meaning presence of the heart/mind, will not manifest." It has also been said, "Nigah dasht is an expression meaning the prevention of the occurance of thought at the time one is occupied with [repeating] the fragrant sentence [of LA ILAHA ILLA 'LLAH]."

Abdul Majid Il Khani said that the meaning of preserving the heart/mind from incoming thoughts is that they lose their hold on the mind. In this connection Khwaja Ubaydullah Ahrar said: "The meaning of preserving the mind [from thoughts] is not that the seeker can avoid thoughts at the beginning [of his attempts], but rather that thoughts do not disturb the attendance and presence [required for the dhikr]. [Thoughts] can be likened to straw which has fallen onto moving water and yet the water is not prevented from its course. 'Abd ul-Khaliq Ghujduwani said: "It isn't so that thoughts never enter the heart/mind, but rather that at times they do and at times they do not." His statement seems to be supported by Khwaja 'Ala al-Din al-'Attar who reported: "Succeeding with thoughts is difficult or even impossible. I preserved my heart for twenty years from thoughts, after which they would still appear but they then found no hold there."

. Awareness of One's State of Mind / Time ~ Wuquf-i-Zamani

Baha ad-din Naqshband said that this consciousness is the maker and guide of the disciple. It means to be attentive to one's state of mind at any given moment and to know whether it is a cause for giving thanks or for repenting.

It means: To keep account of one's temporal states. To distinguish presence, huzur, from absence, ghaflat. Baha ad-din described this as "self-possession" or "mindfulness." He added that one should always be grateful when one returns to a state of presence.

In wuquf-i-zaman the seeker remains constantly aware of his changing states. Baha ad-din Naqshband explained: "Wuquf-i-zamani is the work of the traveler on the Way: to be attentive of his state, and to know whether it is a cause for giving thanks or for repenting, to give thanks while feeling spiritual elation, and to repent while in spiritual dryness or contraction."

He also stated: "The foundation of the work of the seeker has been established in the awareness of time [exercise] as seeing at each moment whether the perceiver of breaths is [breathing] with presence or with forgetfulness."

Maulana Yaqub Charkhi, in his Explanation of the Names of Allah, said: "Khwaja [Naqshband] instructed that in the state of qabz (contraction) one should seek God's forgiveness, whereas in the state of bast (expansion) one should offer thanks. Close observation of these two states constitutes wuquf-i-zamani." Wuquf-i-zamani of the Naqshbandi path is equivalent to the term "mohasseba" (keeping account of/close observation) used by other Sufis.

Jami, in the Resalah-i-nuria, said:"Wuquf-i-zamani is a term meaning the keeping account of the times one passes in [a state of] dispersal (tafriqah) or collectedness (jam'iyyat)."

. Awareness of the Heart ~ Wuquf-i-Qalbi

The heart becomes aware of God. This marks the awakening of divine love. The individual becomes aware that his existence is an obstacle to his final transformation and he no longer fears to sacrifice it because he sees for himself that he will gain infinitely more than he loses.

Wuquf-i-qalbi has been described as having two meanings. One is that the seeker's heart in the midst of the dhikr is conscious and aware of the Real. On this point Khwaja Ubaydullah Ahrar said: "Wuquf-i-qalbi is an expression meaning an awareness and presence of heart toward the Most High Real felt in such a manner that the heart feels no need of anything except the Real." This meaning is similar to that of yad dasht.

Heart consciousness means heart's resting with the Beloved, as if nothing and no one else existed.

The other meaning is that there is awareness of the heart itself. In other words, the seeker during the time of the dhikr is attentive to the cone-shaped heart which is the "seat of subtlety," and prevents it from becoming unaware during the saying of the dhikr.

Baha ad-din Naqshband, according to the Qodsîyyah, considered "the observance of wuquf-i-qalbi the most important and necessary because it is the summary and essence of the intention of the dhikr."

Like an expecting mother-bird,
sit watchfully on the egg of your heart,
Since from this egg will result
your drunkenness, self-abandoned,
uproarious laughter and your final union.

- Credit: The Eleven Principles of the Naqshbandi Path

Photo on top: Mawlana Sheikh Muhummed Nazim, may Allah be pleased with him, Guide of Naqshbandi-Haqqani sufi lineage who recently announced his eldest Son, Sheikh Sayyid Mehmet to be his chief Khalifa.

the impulsive and the witnessing self

1.
wa jaa'at kullu nafsim ma 'aha saa 'iqunw-wa shahida

and every soul shall come with a driver and a witness.
- The Quran 50:21

The concept of 'witnessing self' is found in the psycho-spiritual framework of many major spiritual path / faith traditions. By the term 'witnessing self' a certain reality is described which talks about the essential component of the self which functions as a witness to the self itself.

In one of the mystic verses of the Quran (50:21) we are presented with the concept that all human psyche or every human self is spoken of being present with two components, a driver or impulsive component and the witness component. In Quranic language "nafs" is an enigmatic term that has multi-layered meanings such as self, ego, soul or spirit. Even though Muslim mystics have gone in details to use the term in many levels of its meaning, essentially it points to the reality of self.

In the particular verse the context is drawn about the Day of Final Awakening when every nafs or soul will come with a driver and a witness. But to People of Reality or the Sufis, the Day of Final Awakening is also the moment of death of the body of every self. Its worth mentioning the hadith:

'This life is but a dream like state of a sleeping man.
Only in death his real realities awaken.'
- Saying of the Last Messenger, holy benediction upon him

Again on a deeper level every moment can also be Qiyamah or Moment of Awakening. The one who lives in the Reality of Presence of God, for him or her every moment is a moment of awakening. In that state every moment one takes into account one's doing and one's being. Its said, "Take account of yourself before you are taken account of." The ever present NOW ceaselessly contains the seed of possibility of that real awakening.

For ordinary people like you and me, for people of lesser consciousness the part of witnessing is often not active to the extent of its potential. If we are to look out into the world we will see the rampant condition of people with overflowing impulsive or driving self with very little activation of the witnessing self. In present world people all over mostly are running in all directions like zombies without having the slightest consideration for what they are doing, where they are going, what is it all about. It is the impulsive self that is responsible for making mental condition miserable, for worry, tension, greed and all negative karma whereas the witnessing self give rise to true inner peace and calmness within. The more we activate the witnessing self, become conscious of it, the more we become awakened. And the fundamental of activating the witnessing self is to watch over, is to witness one's own self like one see oneself in the mirror. Witnessing rising and falling thoughts, passing emotions and states (haal).

Ash Shaheed (The Omniscient Witness) is the Divine Name Sufis use in remembrance practice to activate the witnessing part of our self. "Ya Allah, Ya Shaheed" can be repeated silently or loudly as part of this practice.


2.
I can, of mine own self, do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the Will of the Father Which hath sent me.

If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There is Another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which He witnesseth of me is true. And the Father Himself, Which hath sent me, Hath borne Witness of me.
- Jesus Christ, holy benediction upon him: John, 5

wa Allahu aala kulli shay-in Shaheed

and Allah is the Omniscient Witness over all.
- The Quran 85:9

3.
The self is a complex and core subject in many forms of spirituality. Two types of self are commonly considered - the self that is the ego, also called the learned, superficial self of mind and body, an egoic creation, and the self which is sometimes called the "true self", the "I" (or "I AM"), the "Atman" (as in Hinduism), the "Observing Self", or the "Witness".

Ken Wilber describes the Witnessing (or Observing) Self in the following terms:

"This observing Self is usually called the Self with a capital S, or the Witness, or pure Presence, or pure Awareness, or Consciousness as such, and this Self as transparent Witness is a direct ray of the living Divine. The ultimate "I AM" is Christ (Consciousness), is Buddha, is Emptiness itself: such is the startling testimony of the world's great mystics and sages."

He adds that the Self is not an Emergent, but an aspect present from the start as the basic form of awareness, but which becomes increasingly obvious and self aware "as growth and transcendence matures." As Depth increases, consciousness shines forth more noticeably, until:

"shed[ding] its lesser identification with both the body and the mind ... in each case from matter to body to mind to Spirit... consciousness or the observing Self sheds an exclusive identity with a lesser and shallower dimension, and opens up to deeper and higher and wider occasions, until it opens up to its own ultimate ground in Spirit itself. And the stages of transpersonal growth and development are basically the stages of following this Observing Self to its ultimate abode, which is pure Spirit or pure Emptiness, the ground, path and fruition of the entire display."

4.
Buddha after he was enlightened, was walking down a path and he was completely glowing. He was shining. He was effulgent. A man came up to him and was so taken by the light, he asked, “Are you a celestial being, or a god”? He answered, “No”. And then he said, “Well, then you must be a magician”. “No”.
“Are you a man”? “No”.
“What are you”?
“I am awake. I am pure light.”

5.

Gargya then asked: ‘Master, when a man’s body sleeps, who is it within that sleeps, and who is awake, and who is dreaming? Who then experiences happiness, and with whom are all the sense organs united?’

- Prashna Upanishad 4:1

6.
Truly in that there is a reminder for one
who has a heart
or he who listens attentively
and is a witness.
- The Quran, 50:37

# Further
. The Holy Qur'an and The Psyche
. Psyche | Nafs
. The Mystical Meaning of the Resurrection
. Awareness in the Moment (Hush dar dam)
. Self in Spirituality
. Witness Consciousness
. Witnessing self

Becoming Conscious Through Our Senses | Peter Kingsley

. quest for awareness and reality

You have to find reality, ultimate reality, here, where you are, in this apparent body, surrounded by these apparent colors and movements, and shapes and forms and sounds and noises. And they (the ancient Greek mystics) gave the techniques. They gave the methods for using our senses, to find oneness all around us.

Because Impedocles and Parmedides, they were very, very up front, as most great mystics are, and they say - at the beginning of their teachings they say, everybody is living a totally wasted life. Everybody's life is a sham, everybody is living in a dream. We can think we are driving down the road, we can think we're shopping, we can think we're in a business meeting. We are asleep. We are never actually using our senses.

Sometimes there can be the brief moment when we look out at a tree, or we're driving down the road, and just for a brief moment we can say, "Good Lord, I'm holding a steering wheel. I have my foot on the gas pedal!" Or, "Good Lord, I'm looking at a tree!"

Usually we're just looking at a tree and thinking about something else. Or we're driving down the road and thinking about the argument we just had with our partner. It's very, very rare that we simply look and are aware that we are looking.

And that involves being aware of what we're looking at, and being aware of ourselves looking at the same time. So right now, I can be aware that I'm moving my hand, and that I'm talking, and that you there are in front of me. But it's actually not a very, very common state at all, to be aware like that.

And Impedocles gave very, very specific directions for how to start to become conscious through your senses. How to look and be aware that you're looking. How to feel your tongue inside your mouth, and be aware of it. Not just rub your tongue on the top of your mouth, but actually be aware that it's happening. And how to do this with all of the senses at the same time.

. an extraordinarily elegant way of realizing God

And this last stage, about how to do it with all the senses at the same time, this is very, very powerful, it's very, very esoteric, it is an extraordinarily elegant way of realizing God.

Not by leaving the senses behind, but by consciously using all of your senses at the same time. If you do that, if you actually do that, you start to become aware, there is your sense of sight, there is your sense of hearing, there is the sense of feeling what you feel, your backside on the chair, or you feel your shoes on the floor. The hearing, the seeing, the feeling, the tasting, the touching. And it's difficult enough even to do one of those consciously, but if you do them all consciously, you become aware of this infinite blackness between them.

There is a void that connects the seeing to the hearing, to the tasting, to the touching.

And that's ETERNITY.

And that eternity is totally unchanging, but that eternity is also what gives rise to the physical world. And it's out of that experience of eternity that people like Impedocles or Parmenides, these ancient Greeks, were actually able to bring the germs of a new civilization. Because that eternity, it never changes, but it contains the seeds of all change.

- Quoting Peter Kingsley in his Interview as part of Global Oneness Project

Groundbreaking scholar of pre-Socratic philosophy Peter Kingsley describes the sensory awakening at the root of Empedocles' writings. What would it be like to be fully, continually aware of all of our senses-and what's more, to be aware of that very awareness?

[>] Click here to watch the Interview with Peter Kingsley in full length (19 min) (for slower internet connection, pause for a while to let it load and then play)

About | A prominent mystic of our time and student of sufi path, Peter Kingsley's groundbreaking work on the origin of Western spirituality, philosophy, and culture is recognized throughout the world. Through his writings as well as lectures he speaks straight to the heart, and has helped to transform many people's understanding not only of the past but of who they are. The author of three books, including Reality and In the Dark Places of Wisdom, he currently is an honorary professor at the University of New Mexico and also at Simon Fraser University in Canada. > More about Peter Kingsley via Wikipedia

You may also hear Peter Kingsley's speech at 2008 Sufi Conference (mp3 audio):
> Approaching the Heart | Part A: 38.9 mb | Part B: 32.7 mb
> Awakening to Life | Part A: 50.9 mb | Part B: 35.3 mb

2006 Sufi Conference talk (mp3 audio):
> The End of Silence | Part A: 42.8 mb | Part B: 33.6 mb

# Reference:
. Official Web of Peter Kingsley
. Sufi Conference Talks via Golden Sufi Audio Archive
. Reality by Peter Kingsley
. Global Oneness Project
. Ancient Greek Mysticism

do whatsoever you like, but do it with full awareness | Nagarjuna advices

1.

There was one great master, a Buddhist master, Nagarjuna.

A thief came to him. The thief had fallen in love with the master because he had never seen such a beautiful person, such infinite grace. He asked Nagarjuna, "Is there some possibility of my growth also? But one thing I must make clear to you: I am a thief. And another thing: I cannot leave it, so please don't make it a condition. I will do whatsoever you say, but I cannot stop being a thief. That I have tried many times--it never works, so I have left the whole sport. I have accepted my destiny, that I am going to be a thief and remain a thief, so don't talk about it. From the very beginning let it be clear."

Nagarjuna said, "Why are you afraid? Who is going to talk about your being a thief?

The thief said, "But whenever I go to a monk, to a religious priest, or to a religious saint, they always say, 'First stop stealing.'"

Nagarjuna laughed and said, "Then you must have gone to thieves; otherwise, why? Why should they be concerned? I am not concerned!"

The thief was very happy. He said, "Then it is okay. It seems that now I can become a disciple. You are the right master."

Nagarjuna accepted him and said, "Now you can go and do whatsoever you like. Only one condition has to be followed: be aware! Go, break into houses, enter, take things, steal; do whatsoever you like, that is of no concern to me, I am not a thief--but do it with full awareness." The thief couldn't understand that he was falling into the trap. He said, "Then everything is okay. I will try."

After three weeks he came back and said, "You are tricky--because if I become aware, I cannot steal. If I steal, awareness disappears. I am in a fix."

Nagarjuna said, "No more talk about your being a thief and stealing. I am not concerned; I am not a thief. Now, you decide! If you want awareness, then you decide. If you don't want it, then too you decide."

The man said, "But now it is difficult. I have tasted it a little, and it is so beautiful--I will leave anything, whatsoever you say. Just the other night for the first time I was able to enter the palace of the king. I opened the treasure. I could have become the richest man in the world--but you were following me and I had to be aware. When I became aware, diamonds looked just like stones, ordinary stones. When I lost awareness, the treasure was there. And I waited and did this many times.

I would become aware and I became like a buddha, and I could not even touch it because the whole thing looked foolish, stupid--just stones, what am I doing? Losing myself over stones? But then I would lose awareness; they would become again beautiful, the whole illusion. But finally I decided that they were not worth it."

- from Awareness The Key to Living In Balance by Osho
via Teachings Stories

2.

Underlying all meditation techniques, including martial arts -and in fact underlying all great athletic performances - is a quality of being awake and present to the moment, a quality that Osho calls awareness. Once we can identify and understand what this quality of awareness is, we have the key to self-mastery in virtually every area of our lives. According to great masters like Lao Tzu or Buddha, most of us move through our lives like sleepwalkers. Never really present in what we are doing, never fully alert to our environment, and not even aware of what motivates us to do and say the things we do.

At the same time, all of us have experienced moments of awareness or awakening, to use another- in extraordinary circumstances. On the road, in a sudden and unexpected accident, time seems to stop and one is suddenly aware of every movement, every sound, every thought. Or in moments that touch us deeply-welcoming a new baby into the world for the first time, or being with someone at the moment of death. Awareness, says Osho, is the key to being self-directed, centered, and free in every aspect of our lives.

3.

The sufis are taught to bring this awareness using a simple formula and that formula is "Bismillah". The word Bismillah is combination of three words, Bi - which means by, for, with the aid of; Ism means name, vibration, pointing towards the very essence and Allah - the arabic word for the One, God without partner. Thus Bismillah is commonly translated as "In the Name of Allah" although it also means by extension of its inner reality:

- By means of the very essence of God
- With the light of the One
- With the guidance of The Divine
- As an instrument of the One
- In harmony with Divine Presence

The use of Bismillah is a timeless practice not only of the Muslims but was practiced by all sages and prophets of all ages in many languages. The essence being, bringing in the highest awareness, the divine awareness before engaging into anything.

So the sufis begin every action by reciting Bismillah over it (be it the action of eating or starting a journey or starting writing or reciting) and make every action sanctified by this simple practice of awareness and thus transform that which is ordinary into extra-ordinary.

Bismillah Babuna - "In the Name of Allah" is our Door - as it goes in the circle of Shadhili Sufis.

Saieen Zahoor | an Enigmatic Sufi Musician

1.

For many seekers of the Sufi path, powerful and recurring dreams sent from the realm of unknown sets off their journey. For Saieen Zahoor, the youngest son born in a rural peasant family of Punjab, Pakistan who later to become a legend of our time - the involvement with music was also inspired by a series of mystic incidents. He started singing at the age of five, and from that early age, he had dreamt of a hand. As Saieen would recall, 'it was a call that was made to him' to take up singing.

According to Saieen Zahoor in his youth he had had a dream in which a hand beckoned him towards a shrine (tomb of sufi saints). Saieen interpreted the dream as an invitation to the world of spirituality. On the advice of a Sufi, he set off, aged 13, to look for that shrine. "My parents didn't stop me - they were fed up with the dreams!" he says. He searched for nine years, living in shrines, singing and performing where he was given food, until he found the place of his dreams at Uch Sharif in Pakistan's southern Sindh province.

'For many years I kept traveling up and down the country. I have been to almost every corner of Pakistan,' Sain would recall.

From Kashmir in the north down to Sindh province in the south, Sain kept visiting any shrine he could come across but could not find the one he saw in his dream.

Finally after years of roving Sain chanced upon a small shrine in the south of Punjab in a town called Uchch. 'As I was passing by this shrine someone waved at me with his hand, inviting me in and I suddenly realised that it was this hand which I saw in my dream.' It is a mysterious coincidence that Saieen eventually found his shrine in Uchch, as this is the town which historically had been home to some of the most revered Sufi Saints of the region.

Sain decided to adopt this town as his home and it was here that as a disciple of Ustad Ronaq Ali and the legendary Sain Marna, he became an exponent of the ancient instrument, Ek Tara. The sufi kalams are verses of poetry redolent with devotional love, which are sung with the passion and power needed to give listeners a chance of actually knowing the mystery of God. With his robes, beads, tightly bound turban and one string ektara lute, Saeen Zahoor delivers sufi music with focused and flamboyant joy.

2.

From an interview with Sonya Rehman, "Beti," he says, "it’s a long story," as I ask him how his path led him down that of the ek tara (the traditional instrument that Saieen plays) and the dervish way of life.

"I was seven years old when I started seeing a hand which would emerge from a grave in my dreams. Afterwards, I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep. My parents would scold and ask me what kept bothering me night after night, but I never told them about my dream. Every night for seven continuous years I had the same dream."

During this time, Saieen met a dervaish who lived in a graveyard, played the ek tara and sang. “He had magic in his voice,” remembers Saieen. The young Saieen began sitting with the dervaish and contended himself by learning the ek tara from him.

“He would sing songs about pain and loss. They were folk tales which I would sing only in Seraiki (a dialect spoken in the region Saieen was brought up in).” Saieen told the dervaish about his recurring dream who advised him to look for a darbar and when he found it, only then would he understand the significance of his dream."

3.

Saieen Zahoor is one of Pakistan’s most enigmatic musicians whose mystical music is steeped in Sufi spirituality and devotion. Revered equally for his haunting voice and for his renditions of kalams by saintly poets Baba Bulleh Shah and Mian Muahmmad Buksh - Saieen Zahoor has been a definitive part of Pakistani music for over five decades.

Sain cannot read or write but has the most innovative and unique way of memorising songs. 'When I have to memorise some lyrics, I sketch them on a paper as an image and then I never forget.' According to a renowned Punjabi poet and writer Najam Hussein Sayed, Sain Zahoor has a 'treasure of a memory,' as he remembers some of the most rare songs from the ancient tradition of Punjabi Sufi literature.

Known for his "Magical" voice that put his listeners to trance, Sain Zahoor or Saeen Zahur Ahmad was born around 1945. He was nominated for the BBC World Music awards based on word of mouth and emerged as the "best BBC voice of the year 2006", an award that had earlier recognized other prominent Sufi singers such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Abida Parveen.

All his life, Sain Zahoor has performed mainly in dargahs (Sufi tombs/shrines) and festivals, and in the streets. He adopted the folk instrument Ektara (ek= one, tar = string), in its three-stringed version, as his main instrument. Like some traditions of Sufi music, he has a passionate, high-energy style of singing, often dancing in a frenzied style with the tassels on his instrument whirling around him.

4.

Quoting from Muniba Kamal's article: Saeen Zahoor, one had seen before at the Sufi Festival organized by the Peerzadas in Karachi, where he was hypnotic swirling on stage while striking just the right notes in that mellifluous voice that tugs at the chords of the heart. At Coke Studio, up close and personal, he is even more iconic. With that weather beaten, chiselled face, the kindest eyes and a dignity to his demeanour, wearing his robes and turban with grace, an ektara in hand, Saeen Zahoor is enigmatic. He talks in dulcet Punjabi and though he cannot read or write, he is a philosopher as all dervishes are. His speech is punctuated by Sufic kalam of the great saints particularly Baba Bulleh Shah. He has been around and learned from life.

Perhaps the most surprising thing seeing Saeen Zahoor at the high tech Coke Studio was how savvy the man is. Calling backing vocalists Saba and Natasha as Beti (daughter) at times and Bachi (child) at others, he told them exactly what he wanted them to sing and where. Comfortable with the mike, with headphones in his ear and looking every inch at home in the studio, Saeen was nevertheless not of this world, that is to say he was other-worldly.

What sets him apart from the stereotypical pop star is that while he may go and perform all over the world, which he has, but nothing holds him back from playing at the shrine circuit. He does not speak English or Urdu, and he has no desire to do so. He will never modernize his image let alone his lifestyle. He is who he is and he is incredibly sophisticated, even though he doesn't know how to read or write. And he has made it, beyond the dreams of most pop stars and rockers of our time.

5.

"I love and appreciate music about Allah. But for me music about people or worldly things denotes greed which I don’t like, to be honest. But any song which carries with it the name of the Almighty and His praise, I love."

"In this Sufi line of work your love, passion and devotion are all-consuming."

"Music is nutrition for the soul. I can perform all night. Once you start reciting Sufiana Kalam you forget your physical being." - Saieen Zahoor

When asked what about the dream that he once had as a child - has it stopped? "Yes, it has. But the blessings of that dream continue to this day,” says Saieen, his eyes lighting up like fireflies in the dark. (credit)

. Saieen Zahoor Performs @ Coke Studio
1. Aik Alif
2. Toomba

# Resources:
. Music by Sain Zahoor
. Sufi's Choice via Guardian
. Bulleh Shah: The Mystic Voice of Punjab
. A voice, like a call
. The other side of Pakistani Islam

. Music from the Sufi Shrines of Pakistan
. The town of Uchch in 1878
. Hazrat Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari
. The Saints and Shrines of Multan
. Interview: Saeen Zahoor - Man behind Khuda Ke Liye's 'Allah Hoo'
. Aik Alif - Saieen Zahoor Sings Bulleh Shah
. Music of Saieen Zahoor

Aik Alif | Bulleh Shah

1.
Parh parh ilm te faazil hoya
Te kaday apnay aap nu parhya ee na

(You read to become
all knowledgeable
But you never read yourself)

You read so many books
to know it all,
yet fail to ever read your
heart at all.

Bhaj bhaj warna ay mandir maseeti
Te kaday mann apnay wich warya ee na

(You run to enter temples and mosques
But you never entered your own heart)

You rush to holy shrines to play a part,
Would you dare enter the shrine of your heart

Larna ay roz shaitaan de naal
Te kadi nafs apnay naal larya ee na

(Everyday you fight Satan
But you never fight your own Ego)

You are quick to attack the evil one,
yet pride is a battle you have not won.

Bulleh Shah asmaani ud-deya pharonda ay
Te jera ghar betha unoon pharya ee na

(Bulleh Shah you try grabbing that which is in the sky
But you never get hold of What sits inside you)

You grab for a star you can control,
yet fail to grasp the light in your soul.

Bas kareen o yaar
(Stop it all my friend)

Let the race end, my friend

Ilm-oun bas kareen o yaar
Ik Alif teray darkaar

(Stop seeking all this knowledge my friend
Only an Alif is what you need)

Stop trying to be the one who knows,
for 'God is One' you need to know.

Bas kareen o yaar
(Stop it all my friend)

End the race, my friend

Allah Sayyaan Allah Sayyaan
(God is the Master, God is All)

God is All we need! God is All!

Nee main jaanaa Jogi de naal

(I shall follow the Yogi {ascetic/sufi})

Follow the wandering dervish!

Jo naa jaane, Haqq ki taaqat
Rabb naa devey us ko Himmat

(Those who deny the Strength of Truth
Lord does not give them courage)

If you deny the power of all that's true,
God will not grant strength to you.

Hum Mann ke darya mein doobey
Kaisi nayya? Kya manjhdhaar?

(We have drowned in the river of Self
the boat and the flowing waters do not matter)

We are lost in this river of self,
no boat or streams are of any help.

Bas kareen o yaar
(Stop it all my friend)

End the race, my friend

Ilm-oun bas kareen o yaar
(Stop seeking all this knowledge my friend)

Stop trying to know it all, my friend.

Allah Sayyaan Allah Sayyaan
(God is the Master, God is All)

God is All we need! God is All!


- English Translation and Lyrics originally in Punjabi | English in bracket is approximate literal translation. A more poetic rendering in bold by Naomi.

Performaned @ Coke Studio | Internationally celebrated Pakistani folk musician Sain Zahoor performs this sufi kalam (verse) in Coke Studio with Noori and other musicians.

> Watch him perform (Video) : a great mix of folk and modern musical traditions

> Download the audio as mp3. | Video as Quicktime video.


2.

In the life of Bullah Shah, the great saint of Panjab, one reads a most instructive account of his early training when he was sent to school with boys of his own age. The teacher taught him Alif, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. The other boys in his class finished the whole alphabet set while he was mastering the same letter. When weeks had passed, and the teacher saw that the child did not advance any further than the first letter Alif, he thought that he must be deficient and sent him home to his parents, saying, 'Your boy is deficient, I cannot teach him.'

The parents did all in their power for him, placing him under the tuition of various teachers, but he made no progress. They were disappointed, and the boy in the end escaped from home, so that he should no longer be a burden to his own people. He then lived in the forest and saw the manifestation of Alif which has taken form in the forest as the grass, the leaf, the tree, branch, fruit, and flower; and the same Alif was manifested as the mountain and hill, the stones and rocks; and he witnessed the same as a germ, insect, bird and beast, and the same Alif in himself and others. He thought of one, saw one, felt one, realized one, and none else besides.

After mastering this lesson thoroughly he returned to pay his respects to his old teacher who had expelled him from school. The teacher, absorbed in the vision of variety, had long ago forgotten him; but Bullah Shah could not forget his old teacher who had taught him his first and most inspiring lesson which had occupied almost all his life. He bowed most humbly before the teacher and said, 'I have prepared the lesson you so kindly taught me; will you teach me anything more there may be to learn?' The teacher laughed at him and thought to himself, 'After all this time this simpleton has remembered me.' Bullah Shah asked permission to write the lesson, and the teacher replied in jest, 'Write on this wall.' He then made the sign of Alif on the wall, and it divided into two parts. The teacher was astounded at this wonderful miracle and said, 'Thou art my teacher! That which thou hast learnt in the one letter Alif, I have not been able to master with all my learning,' and Bullah Shah sang this song:

Oh! friend now quit thy learning,
One Alif is all thou dost need.
By learning thou hast loaded my mind,
With books thou hast filled up thy room.
But the true knowledge was lost by pursuing the false, So quit now, O friend, the pursuit of thy learning.

Every form seems to be derived from another, all figures being derived from Alif, which is originally derived from a dot and represents zero, nothingness. It is that nothingness which creates the first form Alif. It is natural for everyone when writing to make a dot as soon as the pen touches the paper, and the letters forming the words hide the origin. In like manner the origin of the One Being is hidden in His manifestation. That is why Allah, whose name comes from Alif, is hidden under His own manifestation. The same form of Alif is the figure one in English, and in both aspects this form reveals its meaning. This meaning in its various forms is seen in all aspects of nature. As Omar Khayyam says:

My soul said, 'I desire the mystic knowledge:
Teach me if it be in thy power.'

I said, 'Alif.'

She answered, 'Say no more; If one is at home,
a single letter is enough.'

- Alif, Inayat Khan: The Way of Illumination

3.
Symbology of Alif

In Arabic numerology or Abjad, the Alif represents the number one and belongs to the element of fire, therefore illumination.

It symbolizes the selfness of God as well as His unity. The Arabic letter Alif is equivalent to the letter 'A' in the English alphabet or Alpha in Latin. It is the first letter in the Arabic character set. The letter also takes on the archetypal value of the whole alphabet, which it begins and is thus also identified with Adam, the archetypal man or father of humankind.

Alif is the first letter in the Name ALLAH.

If we take away the first letter which is Alif we arrive at: Lillah. If we now take away the first letter Laam from Lillah we arrive at: Lahu. If we now take away the next Laam from Lahu we arrive at: Hu - the Divine Pronoun, pointing to the Real Being - the Real Alone.

La ilaha illa Hu - there is no other reality but Hu

# Reference:
. Alif | The Way of Illumination by Hazrat Inayat Khan
. Sufi Symbols
. Alif the Alphabet
. Aik Alif lyrics and translation
. Coke Studio
. Bulleh Shah | Sade Vere Aay Kare
. Zen Sufi Koan from Alice in Wonderland
. Ibn Arabi | Paradox of One
. Aik Alif via Youtube