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Read more about the article The Beloved – Paul Abdul Wadud Sutherland

The Beloved – Paul Abdul Wadud Sutherland

from The Beloved - Paul Abdul Wadud Sutherland in A KALEIDOSCOPE OF STORIES Muslim Voices in Contemporary Poetry Coming soon from Lote Tree Press

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Dhu-l Nun al-Misri (d. c 859 CE /245 AH) is said t Dhu-l Nun al-Misri (d. c 859 CE /245 AH) is said to have been of Nubian decent and was the teacher of the well-known Quran exegete Sahl al-Tusturi who in turn was a teacher of Mansur al-Hallaj. Prayers and poems from Dhul Nun have come down through the ages, and his miracles and mystical knowledge are legendary in oral and popular culture. Although he is known for his focus on knowledge of God or gnosis (ma’rifa) more than fear of God (makhafa) or love of God (mahabba), the following poem attributed to him has more of the devotional quality of a love poem.     I die yet my longing for You does not die From the sincerity of my love for You my desires are unobtained My hope of hopes, of all hopes, You are my hope The Possessor of all wealth in my neediness You are the goal of my request, my utmost desire, the locus of my longings and hidden depths of my secret In You my heart has endured what I do not tell No matter how long my plight and love-sickness for You may be drawn out What is evident to You between my sides from You Is not apparent to family or to neighbours From You is a pervading ailment within me So that my strength has crumbled and my confidences have become known Are You not the guide to wayfarers when they are bewildered? Saviour from the brink of a crumbling precipice You illuminate the way for those who are guided When in their hands they do not hold a tenth of a tenth of this light Grant me forgiveness from You that I may live in its closeness Save me through ease from You that drives away my difficulties You can sign up to our course on the poetic traditions of the Muslim world to learn more about early Sufi poets. Link in bio @lotetreepress
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Dhul Nun al-Misri (d. 245/859) was known for his f Dhul Nun al-Misri (d. 245/859) was known for his focus on knowledge of God drawn from direct spiritual experience (ma’rifa). A story is told of a meeting between Dhul Nun al-Misri and Rabia al-Adawiyya in which he said to her: “Expound Love to me”, and she said, “Praise be to God, for you speak with the tongue of knowledge and (yet) you ask me about it”. He said to her, “The asker has a right to an answer”, to which Rabia al-Adawiya then recited her famous verses on the two types of love for God: I love You with two loves – the love of longing and a love because that is Your due As for the love that is of longing Your remembrance preoccupies me from any but You As for that which is Your due Yours is the lifting of veils that I might see You Praise is not mine in this or that But praise is Yours in this and in that
Born to a poor family in Basra around 714, Rabia a Born to a poor family in Basra around 714, Rabia al-Adawiyya first become an orphan and then a slave. Her owner later freed her after one night looking down from a window of the house to see a spiritual light above her head while she was praying illuminating the entire space around her. After being given her freedom she lived the life of an ascetic, and was known for her great love for and devotion to God and renunciation of everything else.   Many stories tell of her refusing marriage proposals. When refusing these proposals she said she didn’t want a husband to distract her from God. The following verses are attributed to her, said to be written by her when refusing a marriage proposal.   My peace, O my brothers, lies in my solitude And my Beloved is always in my presence There is no exchange for my longing for Him And longing for Him is my trial in this world In whatever direction I witness His beauty He is my prayer-niche and my qiblah Should I die of love and not find acceptance How distressed and wretched in creation I would be O heart’s Physician, O You of every hope It is connection to You that heals my soul O my everlasting joy and life From You comes my existence and my elation I have turned away from all creation In hope of union with You for that is my utmost longing You can find out more about the lives and work of early Sufi poets in the on-demand videos “Early Sufi Poets - from Rabia al-Adawiyya to Hallaj” and “Early Sufi Poets - Meditating on the Eternal and the Ephemeral - Poetry Writing Workshop” available in our course “Poetic Traditions of the Islamic World”. Link in bio @lotetreepress.
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Eid Mubarak! Wishing you and all your loved ones a Eid Mubarak! Wishing you and all your loved ones a joyful and blessed Eid celebration.
Catch the replay of the Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore Ec Catch the replay of the Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore Ecstatic Poetry Prize 2025 award ceremony and poetry reading, with judges Baraka Blue and Sukina Noor and hosted by Medina Tenour Whiteman. Listen to the poets reciting their winning and shortlisted poems together with some interesting and uplifting commentary from the judges. Link in our bios @ecstaticexchangepoetry and @lotetreepress
This poem won first prize in the inaugural Daniel This poem won first prize in the inaugural Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore Ecstatic Poetry competition. You can listen to it being recited by the poet in the award ceremony replay (link in bio @ecstaticexchangepoetry) along with other winning entries and shortlisted poems. Also look out for the upcoming chapbook of the long listed, shortlisted and winning entries to be published by Lote Tree Press. You can sign up to our newsletter for poetry in your inbox and publication news and updates. Link in bio @lotetreepress
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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 i 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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