Ibrahim Niasse Translation: Did lightning flash towards the meadows, gleaming? O grant me a person that when the lightning flashes, he weeps You only glimpse it weakly, woe to you, and you are inflamed with love And glistening tears are stilled in the hour of Life Recalling the days of youth which have passed And nothing remains…
Sindidi
Sindidi, one of the most-recited poems of Shaykh Ahmadu Bamba, is also considered a powerful prayer for protection, and as you can hear below, also makes for a beautiful recitation: Translation: In the name of God the Beneficent, the Merciful 1. Ya Allah! I implore thee by the blessings of Mustapha Ya Allah! And by…
The end of Surah Baqarah
The final two verses of the second, and longest, Surah of the Quran are among its most beautiful and touching, as you can see and hear below http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdrAd5QiPgg (285) The Messenger believeth in that which hath been revealed unto him from his Lord and (so do) believers. Each one believeth in God and His angels…
al-Munfarijah, The Poem of Relief
This remarkable poem/prayer was written in the 11th C by a famous Maghribi scholar/saint Ibn Nahwi, famous for his ability to bless and curse. The recitation of this poem is believed to relieve the difficulties and grant the wishes of the reciter and listener. If you wish to hear some powerfully rhythmic poetry, play some…
TaHa
Wonderful calligraphy and a beautiful recitation of these verses… In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the Compassionate TaHa We have not sent down the Quran unto you that you may be distressed, but as a reminder to him who fears A revelation from He who created the earth and the heavens on high The…
Ramadan with Hafez
Bring a glass of that wine of love which cooks every raw one even though it’s the month of Ramadan زان می عشق کز او پخته شود هر خامی گر چه ماه رمضان است بیاور جامی Give me a few cups of that wine sold in the tavern of love even if it is the…
Near and Far
Ibn al-Fāriḍ لكَ قُرْبٌ مِنّي ببُعدِكَ عنّي وحنوٌّ وجدتهُ في جفاكا … فَتراءيتَ في سِواكَ لِعَينٍ بكَ قَرّتْ، وما رأيتُ سِواكا وكذاكَ الخَليلُ قَلّبَ قَبْلي طرفهُ حينَ راقبَ الأفلاكا You have nearness with me in your distance from me … In other…
The Religion of Love
In addition to Ibn ‘Arabi’s famous poem (see this post), the “religion of love,” the root of all religion and worship beyond all distinctions and differentiations, plays an important role in other Sufi poetry, especially that of Rumi, Hafez, and Ibn al-Fariḍ: Rumi ملت عشق از همه دینها جداست عاشقان را ملت و مذهب خداست…
The Guitar
Rumi We are pain and what cures pain, both. We are the sweet cold water and the jar that pours. I want to hold you close like a lute, so that we can cry out with loving. Would you rather throw stones at a mirror? I am your mirror and here are the stones. In…
The hardest thing in the world…
ahh, who hasn’t felt like this… Translation: The hardest thing in the world is studied and learned well I tried to study your love Because I couldn’t understand it, I suffer and cry like a child Before the image of Christ I saw her crying one day Striking her chest because she was repenting…