Making dhikr and Chishtiyya tariqat

[ottoman]

Hadrat Abdullah-i Dahlawi, a specialist in 'ilm az-zahir, an owner of high ranks in tasawwuf, a profound alim, a great wali, states in his 74th letter: "Taghanni, sad voice and poetry on the theme of love for Allahu ta'ala and the qasidas telling the life-stories of the Awliya-i kiram, move the related connections and bonds in the heart. Making dhikr with a low voice and listening to poetry not prohibited by the Shariat refines and gives tenderness to the hearts of the followers of the Chishtiyya tariqat." In the 85th letter, he declares: "Tasawwuf masters and leaders listened to beautiful voices. But the voices were not accompanied by instrumental music, and the listeners were not in the company of boys or girls, nor were they in the company of fasiqs. A great leader of the Chishtiyya tariqat, Hadrat Sultan al-Mashayikh Nizam ud-Din-i Awliya, listened to beautiful voices, but never to instrumental music, as written in the books Fawa'id al-fuad and Siyar al-awliya. The Awliya's listening to sima', that is, to beautiful voices, is for the purpose of converting the heart from the state of discomfort to comfort. The ghafils' (those devoid of love for Allahu ta'ala) listening to a beautiful voice gives way to fisq. No instrumental music is halal. Although there were those who, when in a state of sekr (ecstasy), said it was permissible, they are held excusable; one should not say jaiz putting forth their word as an evidence.

[musaafir]

ottoman said:

. No instrumental music is halal. Although there were those who, when in a state of sekr (ecstasy), said it was permissible, they are held excusable;

That maybe the Naqshabandi view but chisti shaikhs have permitted it whilst in normal states of mind too.

Shah naqshaband(head of Nashabandi order) say about instruments,"we do not use them,nor do we stop those that do".
If it wasnt halaal he would have said they were haraam full stop as that would be a duty upon him.Just because nizamuddin Aulya Rehmatullahi ’Alaih did not use them does not mean they are haraam(although some people cite that he said so too),as one of his great khalipha's Amir Khusro Rehmatullahi ’Alaih is known to haver invented the sitar,i think he would know better than the those that came afterwards.

So take lesson.

These hizmet books you quote from are Naqshabandi orientated books,hence one cant get a non biased overview on the matter.

I had these books for over 6 years now,they are good but i would not rely on the fiqh masalas in total as there are many mistakes due to unclarity.

[Hasan Askari]

Below is Pir Mehar Ali Shah's view point on Sama with music. Pir Mehar Ali Shah Radi Allahu anha is Qadri-Chishti-Nizami silsila.

The Chishtia view-point on sama

Ulama and mystics belonging to the Chishtia school of Sufism have sought to prove the permissibility of sama on the basis of about a dozen authentic ahadith of the Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam.

Traditions of the Chishtia indicate that Hazrat Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti Radi Allahu anha of Ajmer, who is historically credited with pioneering the propagation of Islam in the Indo-Pakistan sub-continent, and who is said to have launched his missionary endeavour in this part of the world at the bidding and with the blessings of the Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam, had spiritually obtained the Prophet’s Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam permission for the use of instrumental sama as part of his mission. This was because the people of India were culturally attuned to instrumental music and Hazrat Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti Radi Allahu anha felt that presenting Islam teachings in a manner that responded to their cultural needs would help this great faith being accepted by them with relative ease. This hope turned out to be well placed and Islam spread in the sub-continent with remarkable speed through the efforts of Hazrat Khwaja Radi Allahu anha and his eminent successors.

Hazrat’s view about Sama

Since Hazrat belonged primarily to the Chishtia school (Silsila), he regarded music and sama to be religiously permissible although not indispensable for the “Sufi”. Love of music was indeed part of his nature, and he used to sing mystical verses of eminent poets to warm up his heart and when he found himself alone in deserted places. His life record shows that in his early life he used to listen to qawwali (the Urdu term for sama) with musical instruments, but switched over to qawwali without instruments as he advanced in age and spiritual experience. This may be explained by the fact that artificial “aid” such as musical instruments are apt to become redundant as spiritual elevation matures and stabilizes. Indeed, when the Awlia-Allah attain the highest spiritual station of “Mushahida” (direct perception of the Supreme Being) and “fana-e-kamil” (complete annihilation in Allah), they no longer remain in need of external factors for their advancement. Some Awlia-Allah are known to rely on such factors even after attaining the aforesaid station but they do so for the benefit of their disciples (Murid) and not because they themselves need those.

In one of his letters, Hazrat has described his stance with respect to sama to be in line with the following verses of the Persian poet and Sufi Shaikh Musleh-Uddin of Shiraz:

Translation: "I will tell you what sama is, O brother, provide I know about him who listens to it"

Translation: "If he, i.e., the listener, takes off in his flight from the tower of the inner “meanings” (i.e., the spirit or the truth), then the range of his flight will surpass even that of the Angels (through sama)"

Translation: "If, on the other hand, he is one that loves fun, sport and meaningless things, these attributes will become stronger through sama"

In a nutshell, these verses imply that while sama can confer sublime benefits onto a person who seeks spiritual ends through it, it can, conversely, further excite the sportive thoughts and feelings of one who looks for his own brand of pleasure from it.

Reproduced below are some incidents in Hazrat’s life pertaining to sama and qawwali:

1. Impact of Sama on an Anglo Indian railway guard

Once when Hazrat was traveling by train at night outside Golra, he asked his qawwals Bakht Jamaal to sing the following Punjabi verses in a tune appropriate to the time of night:

Translation: " Look my friends! What has my beloved done to me? He has snatched away my heart from me and then gone away"

Translation: "How am I to convey to him my message (of love) and make him hear my cries of anguish and suffering?"

Translation: "He has put the noose of love around my neck while I was still playing and laughing; look what my beloved has done to me! "

The Anglo-Indian guard of the train was sitting at that time in Hazrat’s compartment with his permission to benefit from his blissful company. Even though he could not understand the meanings of these verses which were in a language completely alien to him, he did absorb their spiritual impact because of Hazrat’s presence and remained in tears for as long as the recitations of the qawwals lasted. At the end of it, he observed in a highly emotional manner that he wished he could spend all his life in Hazrat’s inspiring company.

2. A Hindu yogi (jogi) embraces Islam

A Hindu yogi, Laddha Ram, belonging to Jalalpur in District Jehlum, once met Hazrat at a place called Sidhpur, and listened to qawwali in his presence. At the end of it, he inquired of Hazrat:

“If all this worldly show constitutes “colour”, what then is the “colourless”? In reply, Hazrat recited following Hindi verse:

Translation:

"He who crosses the “limit” is a Wali, He who crosses the “limitless” is a Pir (spiritual guide); "

"He who crosses the “limit” and the “limitless” qualifies to be called as a Fakir (mendicant in the path of Allah)."

The yogi was deeply moved by this verse full of inner meanings and burst into tears. He then added: If a man crosses both limit and the limitless, he becomes a slave of the Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam. Sometime later, he embraced Islam at Hazrat’s hands along with a number of his disciples. Hazrat prescribed the Darud Sharif (invocation of blessings on the Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam as a regular recitational assignment for him.

[Reason for edit : To include Darood Shareef after the Beloved Messenger of Allah's Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam name and also edited the Holy word as The word Holy is a Christian term.]

[Hasan Askari]

Volume 2, Book 15, Number 70:
Narrated Aisha:

Allah's Apostle Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam came to my house while two girls were singing beside me the songs of Buath (a story about the war between the two tribes of the Ansar, the Khazraj and the Aus, before Islam). The Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam lay down and turned his face to the other side. Then Abu Bakr came and spoke to me harshly saying, "Musical instruments of Satan near the Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam ?" Allah's Apostle Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallamturned his face towards him and said, "Leave them." When Abu Bakr became inattentive, I signalled to those girls to go out and they left. It was the day of 'Id, and the Black people were playing with shields and spears; so either I requested the Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam or he asked me whether I would like to see the display. I replied in the affirmative. Then the Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam made me stand behind him and my cheek was touching his cheek and he was saying, "Carry on! O Bani Arfida," till I got tired. The Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam asked me, "Are you satisfied (Is that sufficient for you)?" I replied in the affirmative and he told me to leave.


If it is someone who can fly in the spiritual world, sama will cause him to fly higher than the angels. But if he is inclined towards play and amusement, the pull of his worldly self will be strengthened in his being.
Hazrat Sheikh Saadi Radi Allahu anhu



For a lover, sama is useful because it takes him to the highest peak of love, in such cases the lover has an angel behind him. But a person who indulges in music and at the same time consumes wine and womanises, music is harmful because the effect of music on this person would arouse carnal desires.
Sheikh Saadi Radi Allahu anhu

People who perform sama derives Allah’s mercy.
Sheikh Shahaabudeen Suhrawardi Radi Allahu anhu

[Reason for edit : To include Darood Shareef after the Beloved Messenger of Allah's Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam name.]

[muzaffar]

Assalamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

This masala about music, sama qawwali etc is not one to go away because people just wont let it drop. If the great Awlia Allah differered centuries ago then who are we to form itjehad today.

I listen to qawwalis which contain music but that doesnt make me a sinner.

Anyway what did Hazrat Nizamuddin Awlia say to his devotee Amir Khusroe when his great freind and murid used to read poetry with music in the royal courts of princes and kings. Isnt Amir Khusroe considered the first exponent of qawwali?

[Faizan]

Subhanallah. An excellent post and replies. Very assuring to read the differences and opinions of the Awliya Allah on furuwi 'minor' issues. In the past the Awliya though had conflicting opinions yet had utmost respect for each other, never would words of spite or anger come from their tongues, today we see amongst the Ulema slandering and abuse over major issues that are clearly deemed as halaal or haraam.

The revered and respected Awliya of the Naqshbandi tariqah were absolutely correct in upholding their opinion and proved this by succeeding in great leaps and bounds in guiding and converting millions to the path of Islam through the faiz benevolence and link of Khalifa e awwal 'the greatest human being' after the Messengers and Prophets Hadrat Sayyiduna Siddeeq e Akbar Radi Allahu Ta'ala anho.

And yet as brother Sunni quotes who can forget the transmission of the subcontinent. Hadrat Sultan ul Hind Khwaja e Khwajgaan was sent by Allah's Noble Messenger to complete a mission and History is witness to the phenomena and the masses of the idol worshippers turning to One diety who is unseen yet present. The sole creator sustainer and maintainer of the entire creation.

We recently visited Konya Shareef in the company of Hadrat Shaykh al Islam w'al Muslimeen and next to the Rawda of Hadrat Mevlana Rume Radi Allahu anhu is a Museum with some of the tabarukat and relics of the Great Mystic Saint. Amongst their relics was a flute!!

Alhamdollillah.

A Turkish Shaykh came to visit and meet Shaykh al Islam at the Hotel where we stayed in Istanbul. During the discourse the topic of dhikhr was the main subject of conversation. Hadrat Shaykh al Islam's words were very striking and touched the Turkish Shaykh as well as the whole group gathered around. Hadrat said that there are 3 types of people who participate in the gathering of dhikr or sama. First group are those who join the gatheiing whose intention is purely for 'dunya' and not deen or akhirah 'hereafter'. Their purpose is to show the people either how religious they are or to gain peoples respect and/or have an agenda to gain financially. Secondly we have those who partake in such gatherings for reward 'thawab'. Their intention is to hope to attain the Lords blessings and wash their sins for heavenly abode. And thirdly we have those who enter such gatherings whose intention is nothing but purely to please their Beloved. They dont seek the dunya nor the akhirah they just want their Beloveds attention. Hadrat continued and said 'unfortunately today we have gatherings mainly of the first kind and seldomly of the second kind but you wont find gatherings of the third type. Hence many folk prevent themselves from even participating in them.

From here we understood why Shaykh al Islam do not sit in the Sama 'qawali' gatherings even in the Urs Celebrations in Kichowcha Shareef. Also in Turkey the sight of the Whirling Dervishers has become a 'tourist attraction' theme rather than a strict religious behind the scenes function.

[treasure]

quote Faizan..

''from here we understood why Shaykh al Islam do not sit in Sama 'qawali' gatherings even in the Urs Celebrations in Kichowcha Shareef'.

We would not expect any thing less from this awesome Shaykh. May The Almighty Lord grant him a long life and exalt his makaam even further.
Ameen.

[Abid Ali Hussain]

Mashallah, the 3 types of people who attend the zikr make complete sense brother faizan. Madani miyan has explained it beautifully.

[ottoman]

Dhikr means to remember Allahu ta'ala. And this may well be done through the heart. When a person makes dhikr, his heart becomes purified. That is, love of the world leaves his heart and love of Allah takes its place. It is not dhikr for many persons to assemble together and to shout "Hay" or "Huy!" or to dance and whirl. Many things have been made up under the name of tariqat for a hundred years . The way of the great men of religion, of the murshids of tasawwuf, of the Ashab-i kiram has been forgotten. The ignorant, and even the sinners have become shaikhs and have committed sins under the names of dhikr and worship.

[ottoman]

faizan said:

We recently visited Konya Shareef in the company of Hadrat Shaykh al Islam w'al Muslimeen and next to the Rawda of Hadrat Mevlana Rume Radi Allahu anhu is a Museum with some of the tabarukat and relics of the Great Mystic Saint. Amongst their relics was a flute!!

Alhamdollillah.

.

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