SUFISM, SHAFAK AND SHAMS.

 

 
Sufism , as it is called in Arabic, is generally understood to be the inner, mystical, psycho-spiritual dimension of Islam.


I sought a soul in the sea
And found a coral there;
Beneath the foam for me
An ocean was all laid bare.
Into my heart’s night
Along a narrow way
I groped; and lo! the light,
An infinite land of day.

 Rumi 

I chanced upon Rumi when I started exploring poetry and its forms. Was I smitten? Rumi's Rubaiyat adorns my blog as a testimony. His poems/couplets/ ghazals touch me at a very deeper level. I find solace in them.
 
"No matter who we are or where we live, deep inside we all feel incomplete. It's like we have something and need to get it back. Just what that something is, most of us never find out. And those of who do, even fewer manage to go out and look for it."

 A while back I chanced upon a book review from a fellow blogger of the book "The Forty Rules of Love"
This book is written by Elif Shafak, a Turkish writer. As they say, 'You don't choose a book to read, the book comes to you,' couldn't be truer. This book is a treat for people who love Sufism and it is also about finding your true self. 

This book also introduced me to Shams Tabrizi.
He was the guide/mentor/spiritual guru for Rumi. It is he who actually sought Rumi as his disciple.

"A life without love is of no account. Don't ask yourself what kind of love you should seek, spiritual or material, divine or mundane, Eastern or Western.....Divisions only lead to more divisions. Love has no labels, no definitions. It is what it is, pure and simple. Love is the water of life. And a lover is a soul of fire! The Universe turns differently when fire loves water."

Leaving you all with this beautiful and soulful Sufi song...get immersed in divine love.