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Read more about the article From The Soft Rope We Are by Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore

From The Soft Rope We Are by Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore

From the soft rope we arefrom the jagged tear in a canvas we arefrom the wrecked and twisted bicycle we arefrom the lengthy shadow of a lost world we arefrom flickers at the edge of a dark wood…

Continue ReadingFrom The Soft Rope We Are by Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore
Read more about the article The Logic of Love in Muhammad Iqbal and Rabindranath Tagore – Talk by Dr. Hina Khalid

The Logic of Love in Muhammad Iqbal and Rabindranath Tagore – Talk by Dr. Hina Khalid

In her talk Dr. Hina Khalid gave us a fascinating comparison of the logic of love in the work of Iqbal and Tagore. Watch the recording for a thought-provoking exploration of their overlapping and spiritually refreshing outlooks on love. You can…

Continue ReadingThe Logic of Love in Muhammad Iqbal and Rabindranath Tagore – Talk by Dr. Hina Khalid
Read more about the article Poetry Book Reading: Peace Be Upon Us by Iljas Baker

Poetry Book Reading: Peace Be Upon Us by Iljas Baker

It was wonderful listening to Iljas Baker reading from his poetry collection Peace Be Upon Us and discussing what inspired his writing and his spiritual journey from Buddhism to Subud and Islam. Watch the replay below for uplifting…

Continue ReadingPoetry Book Reading: Peace Be Upon Us by Iljas Baker
Read more about the article Poetry Book Reading: Scud Missile Blues by Amal Kassir

Poetry Book Reading: Scud Missile Blues by Amal Kassir

It was wonderful talking to Amal Kassir about her new poetry collection Scud Missile Blues. Watch the recording for powerful pieces of poetry and reflections from a Syrian point of view that give a better understanding of the…

Continue ReadingPoetry Book Reading: Scud Missile Blues by Amal Kassir
Read more about the article The Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore Ecstatic Poetry Prize 2025

The Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore Ecstatic Poetry Prize 2025

Entires for the 2025 competition are now closed.The Ecstatic Exchange is delighted to announce the very first Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore Ecstatic Poetry Prize, in collaboration with Lote Tree Press!Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore (1940-2016, rahimahullah) was a pioneering American Beat-turned-Sufi poet. He authored dozens…

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Read more about the article Friends that were… a poem by Amir Khusrau

Friends that were… a poem by Amir Khusrau

Friends that were – I do not know where they areO Lord, what day was it that they were divided from us?If the new spring should come, asking after those friendsSay, ‘O gentle breeze, those roses have all turned to weeds!’O…

Continue ReadingFriends that were… a poem by Amir Khusrau
Read more about the article “I have turned away from all creation” by Rabia al-Adawiyyah

“I have turned away from all creation” by Rabia al-Adawiyyah

My peace, O my brothers, lies in my solitudeAnd my Beloved is always in my presenceThere is no exchange for my longing for HimAnd longing for Him is my trial in this worldIn whatever direction I witness His…

Continue Reading“I have turned away from all creation” by Rabia al-Adawiyyah
Read more about the article My Father’s Tongue by Amal Kassir

My Father’s Tongue by Amal Kassir

I once asked my father  what language he dreams in and he did not know the answer to this question. In fact,  the question startled him. He’s spent more of his life here in America than in his…

Continue ReadingMy Father’s Tongue by Amal Kassir
Read more about the article Sufi Poetry Book Reading: Love is a Traveller and We are its Path

Sufi Poetry Book Reading: Love is a Traveller and We are its Path

We recently hosted poet and writer Medina Tenour Whiteman for a heart-opening and inspiring online reading from her poetry book “Love is a Traveller and We are its Path”. The conversation ranged from motherhood and creativity to the…

Continue ReadingSufi Poetry Book Reading: Love is a Traveller and We are its Path
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Opalescent Soul by Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore in his Opalescent Soul by Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore in his poetry collection The Flame of Transformation Turns to Light
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from the poem “origami lungs” by Soukeyna Osei-Bon from the poem “origami lungs” by Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu in her poetry collection “All the Birds Were Invited to a Feast in the Sky”.
Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu explores themes of African dia Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu explores themes of African diaspora, identity and faith as a Black Muslim through her compelling verse, navigating a poetic course between London and Ghana.

This is a book which excavates identity and self-knowledge, a journey from the spiritual realm which also attempts to stitch whole the frayed fibres of diasporic belonging. The areas explored range from Africa to spiritual awakening taking the reader on a journey to self.

i share this with you all
because a green boat
has since come to collect me

i saw a ghanaian fisherman
moored on the thames
and i didn’t think twice
as i sailed away

Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu’s verse evokes the beauty of the earthly and spiritual realms of human experience, navigating a poetic course from London to Ghana through themes of belonging and faith.

in the basement of the heart
cartographies of dispossession occupy the rhythm

Her poems dance at the intersection between the mundane and the sacred, weaving the everyday through with perceptions of the eternal, the ancient and the evanescent.

i thumb through each black orb, counting the time
breath and matter, life and death, another human story
with the same rosary that made its way to me
that may outlive my fingers
purchase these nights before they purchase you
rain pouring into the lake at lordship rec
and a hundred and one purple clouds pulsating-
the edge of our galaxy almost visible
through the london smog
“ruins” by Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu in her poetry colle “ruins” by Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu in her poetry collection “All the Birds Were Invited to a Feast in the Sky”
From the poem “equator” by Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu in From the poem “equator” by Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu in her poetry collection “All the Birds Were Invited to a Feast in the Sky”.
“khimar” by Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu in her poetry coll “khimar” by Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu in her poetry collection “All the Birds Were Invited to a Feast in the Sky”.
Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu explores themes of African dia Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu explores themes of African diaspora, identity and faith as a Black Muslim through her compelling verse, navigating a poetic course between London and Ghana.

This is a book which excavates identity and self-knowledge, a journey from the spiritual realm which also attempts to stitch whole the frayed fibres of diasporic belonging. The areas explored range from Africa to spiritual awakening taking the reader on a journey to self.

i share this with you all
because a green boat
has since come to collect me
i saw a ghanaian fisherman
moored on the thames
and i didn’t think twice
as i sailed away

Soukeyna Osei-Bonsu’s verse evokes the beauty of the earthly and spiritual realms of human experience, navigating a poetic course from London to Ghana through themes of belonging and faith.

in the basement of the heart
cartographies of dispossession occupy the rhythm

Her poems dance at the intersection between the mundane and the sacred, weaving the everyday through with perceptions of the eternal, the ancient and the evanescent.

i thumb through each black orb, counting the time
breath and matter, life and death, another human story
with the same rosary that made its way to me
that may outlive my fingers
purchase these nights before they purchase you
rain pouring into the lake at lordship rec
and a hundred and one purple clouds pulsating-
the edge of our galaxy almost visible
through the london smog
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For the sown fields of the soul whose kernels are For the sown fields of the soul 
whose kernels are concealed
the cloud of mercy 
is full of the water of Kawthar

زرع جان را كش جواهر مضمر است
ابر رحمت پر ز آب كوثر است

zar’-e jān rā kesh javāher muzmar ast
abr-e rahmat pur ze āb-e kawsar ast

sown fields of . zar’-e .  زرع
the soul . jān . جان
‎را . rā . for
whose . kesh . كش
kernels/ essences . javāher . جواهر
concealed . muzmar . مضمر 
are . ast. است
the cloud of . abr-e . ابر
mercy . rahmat . رحمت
full . pur . پر
of . ze . ز
water of . āb-e . آب 
Kawthar . kawsar . كوثر
is. ast . است
Wash your hands Because the table and divine banqu Wash your hands
Because the table and divine banquet from the heavens has arrived 
Wash your hands and mouth 
Do not eat or speak
Find those words and mouthfuls
which have arrived for the silent

‎دست بشو کز فلک مایده و خوان رسید
‎دست و دهان را بشو نه بخور و نه بگو
‎آن سخن و لقمه جو کان به خموشان رسید

dast beshu kaz falak māyede va khān rasīd
dast u dahān rā beshū nah bekhūr u nah begū
ān sukhan u lugma jū kān beh khamūshān rasīd

hand . dast . دست
wash . beshu . بشو
because . kaz . کز
the heavens . falak .  فلک
heavenly banquet . māyede . مایده
and . va . و
table . khān . خوان
arrived . rasīd . رسید
hand . dast . دست
mouth . dahān .  دهان
[direct object marker] rā . را
do not . nah . نه 
eat . bekhūr . بخور
speak . begū . بگو
that . ān . آن
word/speech . sukhan . سخن
mouthful . lugma . لقمه
find/seek jū . جو
has . kān . کان
for . beh . به
the silent ones. khamūshān . خموشان
arrived . rasīd . رسید
When the self is in need the soul ascends on a jou When the self is in need
the soul ascends on a journey to heaven
When the gate of the prison is broken
the soul reaches the land of the Beloved 

‎نفس چو محتاج شد روح به معراج شد
‎چون در زندان شکست جان بر جانان رسید

nafs chu mohtāj shod rūh beh mi’rāj shod
chun dar-e zendān shekast jān bar-e jānān rasīd

the ego/self . nafs . نفس
when . chu . چو
in need . mohtāj . محتاج
is . shod . شد
soul/ spirit . rūh . روح
on . beh . به 
ascension/ journey to heaven . mi’rāj . معراج
goes. shod . شد
when . chun . چون
the gate of . dar-e . در 
the prison . zendān . زندان
is broken . shekast . شکست 
the soul . jān . جان
the land of . bar-e . بر
the Beloved . jānān . جانان
arrives at/ reaches . rasīd . رسید
Patience is like a gentle cloud, wisdom raining d Patience is like a gentle cloud, 
wisdom raining down from it
Thus it was in such a month of patience
that the Qur’an came down 

‎صبر چو ابریست خوش حکمت بارد از او
‎زانک چنین ماه صبر بود که قرآن رسید

sabr chu abrīst khosh hikmat bārad az u
zānke chonīn māh-e sabr būd ke qurān rasīd

patience . sabr . صبر
like . chu . چو 
is a cloud . abrīst . ابریست
good/gentle . khosh . خوش
wisdom . hikmat . حکمت
rains . bārad .  بارد
from . az . از
it . u . او
thus . zānke . زانک
such . chonīn . چنین
a month of . māh-e . ماه
patience . sabr . صبر
it was . būd . بود
that . keh . که
the Quran .  qurān . قرآن
came/arrived . rasīd . رسید
Don’t strike the drum for sahur too much, that is Don’t strike the drum for sahur too much, that is to say, speak little and fall silent
They will come to understand fasting 
from fasting itself 

سحوری کم زن ای نطق و خمش کن
ز روزه خود شوند آگاه روزه

‏sahūrī kam zan ay nutq u khamush kon
ze rūze khod shavand āgāh-e rūze 

سحوری . sahūrī . 
‏sahur drum (to wake people up) 
کم . little . kam
زن . strike . zan
ای . meaning / that is . ay
نطق . speaking . nutq 
و . and . u 
خمش کن . be silent . khamush kon
ز . from . ze
روزه . fasting . rūze
خود . itself . khod 
شوند . they will become . shavand 
آگاه . aware of . āgāh-e
روزه . fasting . rūze
Like Yusuf, the one who endures patiently in the Like Yusuf, 
the one who endures patiently 
in the well of fasting
attains the kingdom of the Egypt of love

‎چو یوسف ملک مصر عشق گیرد
‎کسی کو صبر کرد در چاه روزه

chū yūsuf mulk-e misr-e`ishq gīrad 
kasī kū sabr kard dar chāh-e rūze 

like . chū . چو
Joseph . yūsuf . یوسف
kingdom of . mulk-e . ملک
Egypt of . misr-e . مصر
‘ishq . love . عشق
attains . gīrad . گیرد
the one . kasī . کسی
who . kū . کو
patience . sabr . صبر 
practices . kard . کرد
in . dar . در 
the well of . chāh-e . چاه 
fasting . rūze - روزه
Gazing up (to see the moon) my hat fell from my he Gazing up (to see the moon) my hat fell from my head
Intoxicated as my head was by the Sovereign of fasting

‎نظر کردم کلاه از سر بیفتاد
‎سرم را مست کرد آن شاه روزه

nazar kardam, kolāh az sar beyoftād
saram ra mast kard ān shāh-e rūze

I gazed . nazar kardam . نظر کردم
hat . kolāh . کلاه
from . az . از
head . sar . سر
fell . beyoftād . بیفتاد
my head . saram . سرم
direct object marker . rā. را 
intoxicated . mast kard . مست کرد
that . ān . آن 
Sovereign of . shāh-e . شاه
fasting . rūze - روزه
How wonderful the felicity, good fortune and sple How wonderful the felicity, 
good fortune and splendour of fasting is!

زهی اقبال و بخت و جاه روزه

‏
zehī iqbāl o bakht o jāh-e rūze

 
how excellent/wonderful is . zehī . زهی
the felicity . iqbāl. اقبال
and . o . و
good fortune . bakht . بخت
splendour/rank of . jāh-e . جاه
fasting . rūze . روزه
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