Coffee and Sufism – the ancient links
Thanks to Zainab, I came across this article on the Superluminal blog that traces the links rather well. Most modern coffee-drinkers are probably unaware…
Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai
If you are seeking Allah If you are seeking Allah, Then keep clear of religious formalities. Those who have seen Allah Are away from…
Ayeda Naqvi on Sufism
Ayeda Naqvi makes some insightful remarks on Sufism in this article: So if Nafs al Amarra is our bossy, controlling self and Nafs al…
Ecstasy and Order – Salman Chishty on Rumi
My young friend, Salman Chishty, from Ajmer (India) wrote this piece for the HT on the eve of Rumi’s birth anniversary.He was quick to…
Miniatures make for a commentary on the Sufi spirit
Nicholas Cranfield considers work that draws deeply on traditional Islamic art FATIMA ZAHRA HASSAN has been teaching in London for more than a decade,…
Violence: targeting the lamp of Chishtiyan
Agar Gaiti Sarasar Bad Girad, Chiragh-e-Chishtiyan Hargiz Namirad If the entire universe is devastated by the storm the lamp of Chishtiyan shall not cease…
The greatest party on earth?
Declan Walsh writing for the Guardian: Pakistan’s tourism ministry designated 2007 as “Destination Pakistan”, the year when tourists were urged to discover the country’s…
Ecstasy and Order
Ecstasy and Order – Mevelana Rumi – The 30th of September this year marks the 800th birth anniversary of one of the greatest Sufi…
Ajmer – my scuttled travel plans
Ajmer Shareef is a spiritual centre-point in South Asia. It is not just another Muslim Saint’s dergah but represents the glorious tradition of inclusiveness…
The Cow – a parable
Amardeep has posted the following Sufi parable related by Idries Shah with a request to respond to his humorous interpretation. I left a comment there. Others might be interested…
On infinite love – from Kashul Mahjub
Found these moving lines from Kashful Mahjub courtesy the seeker. Kashful Mahjub is one of the early treatises on Sufism and has shown light to many Sufis world-wide.…
Women Sufis of Delhi
One of my favourite verses of the Quran is Surah Al Azhab which makes it clear that spiritual blessings are intended for both righteous…
Mian Mir
Yesterday, devotees were lighting lamps at the shrine of Mian Mir in Lahore to commemorate the saint’s 383rd Urs (death anniversary). Hazrat Mian Mir…
The Sultan of Hearts
The Sultan of Hearts Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya Sadia Dehlvi The 6th of this May marked the 682n AD/703 Hijri death anniversary or Urs celebrations…
Sufi Zikr – inspiration for a painting
This is a painting that I revisited and converted its earlier abstract form into a calligraphic experiment. Now the challenge was that in addition…
On Rumi, Iqbal and ‘Dynamic Sufism’
Pakistan celeberates Allama Iqbal’s death anniversary on April 21 with the usual lip-service. The key messages of Iqbal seem to have been lost in…
Husn-e-Haqiqi by Arieb Azhar
I discovered this video courtesy a blog at Naqsh. This is a soulful rendition of powerful lyrics by Khawaja Ghulam Farid; and the images…
Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya-The Sultan of Hearts
The Sultan of Hearts Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya contribution by Sadia Dehlvi The 6th of last May marked the 682n AD/703 Hijri death anniversary or…
Delhi-the threshold of Sufis
By Sadia Dehlvi I Love Delhi, for it is the city of my birth and it is my prayer that I may die here,…