Tu Kuja Mann Kuja is a beautiful naatiya kalam penned by late Muzaffar Warsi, whose evergreen Naats are admired and sung for many generations. Tu Kuja Mann Kuja is one his most beautiful Naats, also immortalized via a beautiful composition by Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali.
Below are the lyrics for this beautiful kalam.
Tu Kuja Mann Kuja
Tu Ameer-e-Haram
Main Fakeer-e-Ajam
Tere Gunn Aur Yeh Labb
Main Talab Hee Talab
Tu Ataa, Mein Khataa
Tu Kuja Mann Kuja
Ilhaam Hai Jaama Tera
Quran Imama Hai Tera
Minbar Tera Arsh-e- Bareen
Ya Rehmatulil Alameen [SAW]
Tu Haqeeqat Main Sirf Ehsaas Hoon
Tu Samanadar Main Bhatki Hui Piyaas Hoon
Khushboo Teri Joo-e-Karam
Ankhein Teri Baab-e-Haram
Noor-e-Azal Teri Jabeen
Ya Rehmat Lil Alameen [SAW]
Mera Har Saans Khoon Nachoray Mera
Teri Rehmat Magar Dil Na Toray Mera
Kaasa e Zaat Hoon, Teri Khairaat Hoon
Too Sakhee, Main Gadaa
Tu Kuja Mann Kuja
If you cast yourself into the sea, without any guidance, this is full of clanger, because man mistakes things which arise within himself for thing arising from elsewhere.
l£ on the other hand, you travel on the sea in a ship, this is perilous, because there is die danger of attachment to the vehicle.
In the one case, the end is not known, and there is no guidance.
In die other case, the means becomes an end, and there is no arriving.
Shirazeh Houshiary Round dance ETCHING ON PAPER (PROOF SET), 1992 H7/.0 cm, W 76.0 cm IRAN/UK 1995 11-8 05
One of a set of five colour etchings and poems by the mystic poet Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-73).The shapes refer to the rotation of the earth and the planetary system, while the black drawing consists of chants and prayers. It is not Houshiary’s intention that the script should be read but rather, as the artist herself has said, ‘The word loses its meaning and form is born from this.’The accompanying poems from Rumi such as the following do not specifically refer to the image but complement it: ‘Walk to the well. Turn as the earth and moon turn, circling what they love. Whatever circles come from the centre’ (British Art in Print 1995:116-19).
Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan rose to instant fame with his Ankhon Ke Saagar track. With his upbringing within Patiala Gharana, he is adept at classical as well as fusion singing, which are evident in his amazing compositions as well as exceptional quality of vocals.
Shafqat released a Sufiana Kalam album Tabeerinspired by Kalam of Baba Bulleh Shah. Download his beautiful performance of Kalam Bulleh Shah from this album.
Bulleh Shah was a Noble Syed (descendant of the Prophet Muhammad), while his Mentor Shah Anayat was Arayein, a cast associated with agriculture and considered not as noble in those days. Bulleh Shah family got offended by his love and respect for Shah Anayat. Hence, they sent a group of respected elder sisters and sisters-in-law to convince him. Bulleh Shah wrote a beautiful poem on this:
“Bulleh noo Samjhavan Aiyan, Pehnaan te Parajayan”
Manle Bulleya saada kehnaa, chud de palla Raiyan”
Bulleh Shah’s sisters and sister-in-law come to persuade him
Bulleh, listen to our advice, and forbid the company of Arain (Shah Anayat)!”
Shams was an accomplished mystic, whereas Rumi was renowned as a great religious scholar of his time. Shams immediately won Rumi’s heart via his ability to bend the laws of nature as he destroyed Rumi books on Fiqah and reinstated them. However, Rumi was wise to know that such feats were merely acrobatics in absence of real spiritual knowledge.
Rumi question to Shams was truly exceptional. It was aimed to determine whether Shams was a true guide or not
He asked, “Hazrat Bayazid Bastami , one of the greatest of mystics, proclaimed Subhani Aazam Shanee i.e. how great is my glory (of spiritual station) in Tusawaf. Yet Prophet Muhammad SAW did 70 istaghfars every day. How can we align such statements since by logic these (naozibillah) show superiority of Bistami over Muhammad SAW”.
Shams responded, “Bistami reached a great station but became stationary. He couldn’t see beyond his station and hence praised his glory. Whereas Muhammad SAW elevated 70 stations everyday. When he saw a lower level from a higher level he said istaghfars for considering previous the level an epitome of his stations. Muhammad SAW’s journey to stations of glory is endless.”
When Rumi heard this, he realized he has found the spiritual mentor he has been seeking for long.
I have given my life to you, Oh my beloved cloth-dyer!
You’ve dyed me in yourself, by just a glance of yours.
Amir Khusrow love poem for his Peer-o-Murshid Hazrat Nizamudin Awliah remains as fresh as the day it was written hundreds of years ago. It has been sung by uncountable artists and has inspired generations towards music.
The 713th Urs of His Holiness, Hazrat Khwaja Syed Nizamuddin Aulia R.A will be held at Dargah Hazrat Khwaja Syed Nizamuddin Aulia R.A. Delhi, India from 15.01.2017 till 19.012017. On this auspicious occasion of Urs, Qawali will be held throughout the day.
Urdu has witnessed a huge number of Posts and many a Philosophers, but when it comes to genre of Philosopher-Poet, Allama stands in a league of his own. Unlike classical poets like Ghalib, Iqbal was immensely celebrated and decorated during his own lifetime, something manifested by a Knighthood by British Empire, a doctorate in Germany as well as following by millions of admirers across Indian Subcontinent, Persia and Turkey.
His funeral was a massive public event, attended by tens of thousands. His final resting place was agreed to be agreed to Hazoori Bagh Lahore, unarguably the most central location in Lahorr right in the middle of grand Shahi Qila and Badshahi Mosque Lahore.
Mazar of Allama Iqbal is highlighted on Google Maps below for our international readers.
Allama Iqbal Mazaar Google Map
Iqbal’s biographies writers suggest that British India government offered to pay expenses for construction of mazar, yet Allama Iqbal’s admirers collected such funds themselves. Allama Iqbal was revered by Muslims statesmen across the world including Afghanistan who also donated. Due to security reason, public entry to the mazar is now restricted, hence some photos are shared of my visit in 2014.
Hazrat Sultan Bahoo was a Muslim Sufi and Saint, who founded the Sarwari Qadiri Sufi order. His Punjabi sufi poetry has been very popular in Punjab and has been performed by many artists in form of Kaafi and Qawwali. One of the distinguishing feature of Sultan Bahu’s Kalaam is the word ‘hoo’ or ‘hu’ coming at the end of his verses, which has a strong ecstatic effect on the audience and is considered as a means of spiritual connection to the divinity.
Among all Persian Masnavis, Rumi’s Masnavi stands in a league of its own for its literary elegance and popularity, spreading over 2666 verses in total. Rumi’s Masnavi is called Masnavi Maanvi respectfully since these are verses of the real world, or Aalim-E-Maana, considering our current world is temporary and unreal.
Rumi left the 6th volume unfinished with an interesting story. A dying man asks Qazi to inherit all his belongings to one of his 3 sons, who is the most idle and lazy. The Qazi asks each son to narrate a story and whoever proves he is the laziest is worthy of entire inheritance.
However their stories never begin. In The last verses, Rumi’s son Sultan Walad pleads him to complete the story, but Rumi respond that his time has come and whoever has divine light shining in his heart, the end of Masnavi will enter his heart on its own.
The reader is left mystified as well as amused, since silence can also be interpreted as that ultimate manifestation of sloth of the sons as they cannot be bothered to utter a word. At the same time, silence (khalwat) is pivotal in Tusawaf, since it hides the secrets that cannot be revealed in words.
Maulana Rumi’s such prophecy that his Masnavi will continue after his death led many poets to write Farsi Masnavi in same style as Mevlana. Notable include Mufti Ilahi Bakhsh Kandhlawiand Maulana Shaykh Muhammad Thanvi. However, besides one exception, I feel that all fall short since other Masnavi appear more like sermon, and lack the elegance and mastery of story-telling that was part and parcel of Rumi’s ingenious style.
The one exception aforementioned is Javed Nama, Allama Iqbal’s persian Masnavi. Iqbal was exceptional scholar with his Doctorate over Islamic Philosophy as well exceptional command over Western Philosophy including Dante, Hegel, Nietzsche and more. In Javid Nama, he takes a spiritual journey in guidance of Rumi. Iqbal calls himself by name ‘Zinda Rood’, loosely translated as a ‘live steam of water’.
Allama also ended Javed Nama by acknowledges has has solved many riddles of Self [Khudi], but there is one point that is beyond words. The more he tries to explain it the more it tangles. Iqbal asks his son Javed to find it in the Aah-e-Seher (prayer or ode of morning). Iqbal, like his mentor, also left an open ending, for Secrets of Self are not merely words of book.
There is an interesting event related to spiritual link between Iqbal and Rumi. Allama didn’t let mystical events during his life shared. These became evident via narratives of his housekeeper Ali Bakhsh who remained close to his entire life, see Mevlana Rumi visit Allama Iqbal – Story narrated by Dr. Javid Iqbal. It is also said that one night while he was in remembrance of God the spirit of Rumi appeared to him, who asked Iqbal to write Masnavi in Persian. Iqbal replied that he knows little Persian to commit such hefty job. Rumi gave him a cup to drink which liberates Iqbal thoughts and result was Javid Nama.
Islamic Art is considered a genre of its own, comprising Islamic calligraphy, miniatures, ceramic, mixed media etc. Below artifacts focus specially on depicting life of Dervish and Sufi saints.
Lahore Inner City (Androon Shehr) has innumerable sites of tourist interest, including Mughal era Mosques and shrines, gates, and amazing street food to name of few. The real city of Lahore enclosed within 13 Famous Lahori Inner City Gates which still remains testimonial of Lahore’s crown of Pakistan’s capital of arts and culture.
I visited my ancestral house near Lohari Gate first time in 2010 and also paid visit to few key sites, including Masjid Wazir Khan and Fakirkhana Museum.
Below are some photos of what is regarded by architects as the most ornated mosque built by any Mughal Emperor.
Before Sorrow Of Love Of Prophet, Who in World Knew Me?
You Elevated Being Has Made My Life A Story [That Everyone Knows]
Is Karam Ka Karon Shukar Kaise Adaa is a beautiful Naat that Nusrat Sahib used to perform in Faisalabad in reverence of Prophet SAW. These words also truly depict Life of Nusrat Sahib, as Allah raised this Ashiq-e-Rasool from nobody to a celebrity whose voice is heard and loved from Hollywood to Japan [where people saw NFAK as reincarnation of Buddha]. The Naatiya Qawwali also includes the famous beautiful verses below.
Jitna Diya Sarkar Ne Mujh Ko, Utnee Mere Okaat Nahin
Yeh Sab Tumhara Karam, Warna Mujh Mein Koi Baat Nahin.
In Japan, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan rose to great fame, not for his Qawwalis only, but because of his resemblance to ‘The Laughing Buddha’. Laughing Buddha or Budai in folklore is admired for his happiness, plenitude, and wisdom of contentment. One belief popular in folklore maintains that rubbing his belly brings wealth, good luck, and prosperity.
Tonight I’m sending you some qawwalis by Ustad Manzoor Ahmad Khan Niazi, Ustad Munshi Raziuddin Khan and Ustad Bahauddin Khan.
The first three beautiful qawwalis come from an LP that was released by in 1976, with the title “Ya Badi‘ al-Jamal”. On this album, Ustad Manzoor Niazi sings together with his cousin, Ustad Munshi Raziuddin.
The qawwalis are in Arabic and Urdu. These are the titles:
1) “Marhaba, Ya Noor-al-Ayni, Marhaba” – “Welcome, O Light of the Eye, Welcome! Welcome, O Grandfather of al-Hussain, Welcome!”. This song is in praise of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.S.), i.e. a Naat.
2) “Ya Badi‘ al-Jamal” – “O Originator of [All] Beauty”. This qawwali also is a Naat.
3) “Allah Hu, Allah Hu” – This is a Hamd, a song in praise of God.
Then I send you some qawwalis by Ustad Bahauddin Khan. The first two are “qalbanas”:
This is a very old qawwali, entirely in Arabic. It is a “qalbana”. I have never found a satisfactory definition of a “qalbana”. All I’ve been able to find is that it is one of the various forms of qawwali that were introduced by Hazrat Amir Khusrau (R.A.).
Since the text is in Arabic, I’ve transcribed its words the way I learnt it at university. Pakistani and Indian qawwals pronounce the words rather differently, but I’m confident that you’ll have no trouble to follow the transcription.
Subhāna Dhī l-Mulki wa l-Malakūt [1]
Glory be to the One to whom belong the Kingdom of the Cosmos and the Angelic Realm
Subhāna Dhi l-‘Izzati wa l-‘Azmati wa l-Haybati wa l-Qudrati wa l-Kibriyā’
Glory be to the One to whom belong Power, Greatness, Awe-Inspiring Dignity and Grandeur
Dhū l-Jalāl wa l-Jamāl wa l-Kamāl wa l-Jabarūt [1]
The One to whom belong Majesty, Beauty and Perfection [2] and the Realm of Divine Power
Subhāna l-Maliki l-Maqsūd
Glory be to the King who is the Purpose [of all actions and beings]
Subhāna l-Maliki l-Mawjūd
Glory be to the King who is Present [i.e. Omnipresent – He is everywhere and in all things and beings; no other is Present but He]
Subhāna l-Maliki l-Ma‘būd
Glory be to the King who is worshipped [with loving desire and devotion]
Subhāna l-Maliki l-Hayyi l-Ladhī lā yanāmu wa lā yamūtu wa lā yafūtu
Glory be to the Ever-Living King Who never sleeps, never dies and never ends
Abadan abada, Subbūhun, Quddūsun, Rabbunā wa Rabbu l-Malā’ikati wa r-Rūh
He endures forever, forever and always Glorified, Holy, our Lord and Cherisher and the Lord and Cherisher of the Angels and ar-Ruh [3]
Hayyun, Hayyun, Qayyūm, Qayyūm [4]
Tanōm, tanōm, tanōm, tanōm, tā-nā-nā-nā… [5]
[1] See the text on the below about “Mulk, Malakūt and Jabarūt”.
[2] Jalāl or “Majesty” is also interpreted as the masculine or active and giving principle (comparable to “Yang” in Taoism); Jamāl or “Beauty” is also interpreted as the feminine, passive and receptive aspect (comparable to “Yin” in Taoism); when Jalāl and Jamāl are in balance, there is Perfection or Kamāl.
[3] Ar-Rūh = ar-Rūh al-Qudus (“the Holy Spirit”) or ar-Rūh al-Amīn (“the Trustworthy Spirit”). Both are names for Hazrat Jibrā’īl (A.S.) (i.e. Gabriel), the Archangel who revealed the Holy Qur’ān to Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W.S.).
[4] Al-Hayy (Hayyun, without the definite article and with the nominative case ending) means “the Living”, “the Ever-Living”. It is often combined with the name al-Qayyūm, a Divine name that means “the Self-Subsisting” or “the Self-Existing One Who is the foundation upon which all things exist.”
[5] These seemingly abstract and meaningless syllables are also sung in the Tarāna genre, created by Hazrat Amir Khusrau (R.A.). Certain Sufi mystics have said that the syllables of a Tarāna do have meaning; the famous Indian classical vocalist Ustad Amir Khan (1912-1974), who was very familiar with Sufism, said the same. See http://qaul.blogspot.be/2008/05/tarana-singing-ustad-amir-khan.html if you want to read more about it.
Mulk, Malakūt and Jabarūt
Mulk = “Kingdom” (Mulk is derived from the same Arabic verbal root as al-Malik, “The King”, “The Ruler”, and Mālik al-Mulk, “The Master of the Kingdom”, “The Owner of All Sovereignty”,“ The Lord of Absolute Ruling Power”).
Mulk = “The corporeal cosmos”.
The corporeal, observable universe that we understand as “here” and “the cosmos”.
Malakūt= “The Angelic Realm”. (malak = angel)
The spiritual and intellectual realm.
The spiritual/intellectual realm where the souls/intellects and all the spiritual faculties reside.
Jabarūt = “The World of Power” (Jabarūt is derived from the same Arabic verbal root as al-Jabbār, “The All-Compelling”, “The Irresistible”).
Jabarūt = The Innermost or Essence (Dhāt) of Mulk and Malakūt.
Jabarūt is the “root” of Mulk and Malakūt.
Mulk and Malakūt are two aspects of Jabarūt. Jabarūt is the seed and the root of all realms. Also see the picture about Mulk, Malakūt and Jabarūt; one picture often says more than a thousand words!
Qalbana 2: Allāhumma, Anta s-Salām wa Minka s-Salām
This qalbana in another one of Hazrat Amir Khusrau’s creations. It was sung live, and Ustad Bahauddin Khan Sahib first gives a brief introduction in English.
The first part of this qalbana, which is in Arabic, is linked to a hadīth:
It was narrated that ‘Aisha (R.A.) said:
“When the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.S) said the Salām, he would sit only for as long as it took to say: ‘Allāhumma, Anta s-Salām wa Minka s-salām. Tabārakta, yā Dhā l-Jalāli wa l-Ikrām. (O Allāh, You are As-Salām [Perfect Peace], from You is all peace, You are full of Blessing, O Possessor of Majesty and Honour).’”
The second part is in what I assume to be Hindevi (or Hindavi), the form of Hindustani spoken in the Delhi area in Hazrat Amir Khusrau’s time, and the precursor of Urdu (correct me if I’m wrong, because Hazrat Amir Khusrau (R.A.) also wrote in Braj Bhasha).
In conclusion I send you two digitalised Pakistani audio tapes. The first is is called “Ya Habibi, Ya Muhammad” “O my Beloved, O Muhammad” and for the most part consists of Urdu Na‘ts. I don’t know when this tape was released, but it must have been a few decades ago, since you can still hear the voice of Ustad Qutbuddin Khan, Ustad Bahaduddin Khan’s brother.
The second digitalised tape, simply entitled “Bahauddin Qawal”, is less old. It contains a number of traditional qawwalis, some of them by Hazrat Amir Khusrau.
Dear Brother, I hope that all these qawwalis will move your kind heart!
Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya also known by the titles of ‘Mahbub-i-llahi’, the beloved of God, and “Sultan ul Aulia” or King of Saints, is one of the prominent saints of Islam.
He was born in Badaun in India in 1236 AD. His father died when he was a child of five. At an early age he became a disciple of Baba Farid Gan] Shakkar of Pakpattan. On the death of Baba Farid, Nizamuddin became his successor as a Chisti saint. In due course he rose to prominence as a great saint.
Alauddin Khilji the emperor of India was devoted to the saint but the saint refused to have any dealings with the court. When the emperor sent him a message that he would be coming to see him the saint said “There are two doors of my house. If you come by one door, I will go out by the other”.
Later Mubarik Khilji wanted that the saint should attend his court, but Nizam-ud-Din refused to wait on the King. The emperor issued orders that unless the saint attended the court on the appearance of the new moon, he would be brought to the court by force. On the day the order was to be enforced, the emperor was murdered.
After the Khiljis, Ghiasuddin Tughluk came to the throne. The saint refused to have any dealings with the new King as well. Ghiasuddin went to Bengal, and when he was returning to Delhij he sent an order that before he reached Delhi, the saint should quit the city. On receiving the royal command the saint said “Hunnuz Delhi Dur Ust” (Delhi is still far off). Before the emperor could reach Delhi, he met unexpected death at Tughlakabad a few miles from Delhi,
The saint died in 1327 AD at the age of 91. His mausoleum at Delhi is one of the most sacred shrines of the indo-Pakistan sub-continent.
Iqbal had great regard for the saint. In 1905 while on the way to England for higher studies, Iqbal visited the shrine of the saint at Delhi, and addressed a poem to the saint entitled “The Plea of a Traveller”:
“The angels take your name with great respect,
You hold a high station; you command great bounties,
The stars of Love move in their orbits because of your attraction Your spiritual order Has the dimensions of the solar system;
A visit to your shrine gives new life to the heart.
Your status is indeed higher than that of iesus or Khizr.
You are indeed the Beloved of God.
You are superb and splendid; you command great honour, if I am a sinner, I have the consolation that I am your slave,
If there is any good in me that I owe to you.
Like the fragrance of a flower I am leaving the garden of my homeland,
My power of patience is going to be put to test.
The urge for Knowledge is taking me away from my home, t am a tree of the desert depending on the cloud and independent of the gardener,
I pray that with your bleassings I may shine like the sun.
May I be ahead of my fellow travellers;
That the caravan may regard me their destination.
May my pen never hurt any one; may I have no complaint against any one,
May I be blessed wit,h such power of expression That impresses and moves the hearts.
I pray that when I return I may find my home safe and prosperous
May I return to place my forehead again at the feet of my parents. From whom I have learnt the secrets of Love
May God protect my teacher, whose house is sacred to me
The man whose teachings evoked new urges in me And made me aware of great secrets,
I pray that may God of earth and heaven confer on me The pleasure to see him again.
And my brother, my Joseph the Second, the embodiment of brotherly love
To whom I owe an everlasting love of gratitude
Whose affection knows no I and Thou
And because of whom I have grown up in luxury
May he bloom in the world like a flower
Indeed I hold him dearer than my own life
May the bud of the heart blossom into flower.**
Urdu Text of Iltija e Musafir below:
Ilteja e Musafir Allama Iqbal at Nizamudin Auliya
Ilteja e Musafir Allama Iqbal at Nizamudin Auliya 2
Knowing these people (perfect adepts) is more difficult then knowing God. It is possible to know God by reasoning. Have you seen a wood carving? There must have been a carver. It certainly did not carve itself. But these people, who look like you outwardly, are different within. To know a wood carver is easy, but what about that carver [perfect adept] ? What about his glory? What about his being infinite? Only these people know all that, but never do they speak of it.
We infer God ’s existence through his creation, but only Sheikhs (MURSHID) can truly know Sheikhs.
![Dervish in Chilla [seclusion usually 40 days]](http://www.thesufi.com/wp-content/uploads/mevlevis_in_chilla_gallery-150x150.jpg)
