Islam and Sufism an introduction

Science and art and metaphysical significance of numbers by  Dr.  Waleed Al Ansary delivered in  2016. A link. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=JIiMUjgS-lg (Islamic Esotercism & Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Science, and At)

O heart, haste thither, for God will shine upon you, And seem to you a sweet garden instead of a terror. He will infuse into your soul a new Soul,... Take up your abode in His Soul! Take up your abode in heaven, O bright full moon! Like the heavenly Scribe, He will open your heart's book That He may reveal mysteries unto you.

Stories of Adam and Eve, Soloman and others have similarities in that they are mentioned in Bible and Quran however, in several cases content are different.. Here is a link to a talk on Soloman by professor Timothy Winters (Abdullh Hakim Murad) of Cambridge University.. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=X8B3dMBpaqo

Ibn Khaladoun (1332-1406) is considered as the founder of  the modern day discipline of social science and history. In his writings he took account of economic, sociological and demographical factors. The golden age of Islam according to some authors started in the 8th century and ended in the 13th century (750-1258) .  In actuality the golden age started with the onset of Islam in the 7th century and ended with the onset of the colonial period and occupation. The Mongol invasion dealt a severe blow to the Muslim regions east of Egypt but they did not slip into dark age. Soon after the death and destruction inflicted by the Mongols, revival took place and scholars like Ibn Khaladoun and others  emerged and  progress in science, architecture, art, and in every other field continued and ended with the the onset of the colonial period and European occupation. The Mongol invasion brought an end to the Abbasid Caliphate in ...

A lecture on animals in the Islamic tradition by Anna Marie Schimmel (1923-2002).  A highly respected scholar who  has written extensively on Islam and Sufism and has taught in many universities of the world including Harvard. Here is a link; https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=QUtx2YeN99w Islam- creation

I wrote a hundred letters, I showed a hundred ways, Perhaps you do not know the way, or do not read a letter.

I asked the heart. ."Do you know, foolish heart, Of whose service you are deprived?" "You read me wrong", the heart replied. I am constant in service. It is you who have gone astray."

Hajj  or pilgrimage to Mecca once in a life time is obligatory for all Muslims . Those  who do not have economic means and those who have health issues are exempt.  one does not borrow money or use up funds that will cause hardship on return to you or your family. Here is a link to a ABC  Night line program on Hajj more than a decade ago. It is in 2 parts of about 10 mutinies each. The part 2 follows part1.  The narrator is Michael Wolf, a writer and a broadcaster. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=7dOlGoiGrSA

  Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) was born in 570 and died in 632. The Hijrat ( migration from Mecca to Madina) took place in 622, the start of the Muslim lunar colander.  Here is a link to a BBC documentary on the life of prophet Mohammed. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=EBx-RYW1FjE

Badshahi Masjid (Mosque) in Lahore, Pakistan was built in 1673 by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

Here is a link to a short video  of a talk on Muslim in contemporary world by professor Timothy Winters (Abdullah Hakim Murad) of Cambridge University. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=Hn99uTfEzq8&t=590s

Omar Khayyam  (1040-1134) a Mathematician, a philosopher, scholar of Islam, a Sufi and a poet was born in Naishapur in Iran. His Rubaiyat e Omar Khayyam were  translated by Edward Fitzgerald in the 1880s. Here is a selection from his Rubaiyat. Whether at Naishapur or Babylon, Whether the Cup with sweet or bitter run, The Wine of Life keeps oozing drop by drop, The Leaves of Life keeps falling one by one.

Al Biruni (973-1048) lived during the golden age of Islam.  He was a polymath, a philosopher , a scientist etc. He  quite accurately calculated the circumference of the earth. He wrote widely on topics including Hindus (their religion, philosophy etc.). Ibn Sina ,Avicenna(980-1037) and several other scholars were his contemporaries. Here is a link to BBC documentary hosted by professor Jim Khalili https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=XepEkMjpt-A

Muslim Monuments. Qutub Minar, a UNESCO designated site in Delhi. Its construction started in 1192 by Qutub Uddin Aiback, who founded the slave dynasty rule in India and was a a former slave. a slave dynasty also ruled from 1240 to 1517.  The slave dynasties are also called Mamluke dynasties. Please see my post "Slaves who became Sultans (kings)" for more derails.  The Qutub Minar is 73m high. I took this picture before it was designated as a  UNESCO site and since then the complex has been restored. Khaliq

Mamlukes or Mameluke were slaves  and became rulers in Egypt. There was also a slave dynasty in in Muslim ruled India founded by Qutubuddin Aibak who was a former slave and rose to became Sultan of Delhi in1206.  Qutub Minar in Delhi bears his name. The Mamluke rule in Egypt started in 1240 and the slave dynasty rule ended in 1517. Here is a link ro Mumlukes on BBC radio 4 on a program Called In Our Time https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=OE4kci8k_FY

Shaikh Sadi was a scholar of Islam. He was a teacher and author of two famous books, Bostan and Gulistan. His contemporaries were  Ibn Arabi (1165-1240), jalal uddin Rumi (1207-1273), Farid uddin Attar 1150-1222) and many others. Here  is a quote of Shaikh Sadi. Wash thy hands, o wise one, from a friend, who is sitting together, with thy foe

Shaikh Sadi ( 1184- 1283)  Lived through the golden age of Islam but also witnessed the death and destruction inflicted by the Mongol invasion in the entire region east of Egypt. In Baghdad alone in 1258 close to a million people were killed in a city of less than 2 million. Institutions of higher learning masques were destroyed. Here is a quote from his Bostan. Khaliq Thou, O creature of G-d, wast created of the dust; therefore, be humble as the dust. Be not covetous, nor oppressive, nor headstrong. Thou art from the dust; be not like fire. When the terrible fire raised his head in pride, the dust prostrated itself in humility.

Al Farabi (872-950) was a scholar of the Golden age of Islam. He was a philosopher and wrote extensively. He was born one year after the death of Al-Kindi in 873 who was also a philosophy[her and a polymath. Here is a link to a lecture  from a visiting prophesier from Germany on " Al-Farabi & the Emergence of Philosophy of Language & Islamic Thought" delivered in October 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=9neJXAqt8Tw&t=118s

 Ibn Rushed, in  Europe known as  Averroes (1120-1198) was born in Cordoba, Spain. He was a scholar of Islam and a highly regarded philosopher.  He was a Quazi(a judge)  and wrote many books on wide ranging subjects. Thomas Aquinas   (St. Thomas 1225-1274) an important theologian of the 13th century In his famous book  "Summa Contra Gentiles" quotes   Ibn Rushd many times and refer to him as "commentator". Here are two links; one is from BBC Radio 4 In our times. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=HRO95GjGA6g&t=1039s https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=e4Z5sHJ9G9M

The Silk Road route region is a beautiful part of Pakistan. I took this picture of Phunder lake at dusk during our travels of the mountainous regions of Pakistan. The silk road brought prosperity to Muslim regions and China in the golden age of Islamic period (8th to 13th century). The silk road route existed long before the Islamic era began.

Maulana Jalal-Uddin  was born in 1207 in Balkh, Afghanistan and died in Konia, Turkey in 1273. Maulana  as Rumi came about much later because the seat of the Eastern Roman Empire was in Turkey. The Roman Emperor Constantine (272-337) toward the end of his life had  become a Christian.  It was he who had convened the conference in Nicaea in 325  and where the Nice an Creed was agreed upon. Here is a quote from his Masnavi. Khaliq The worldly sense is a ladder to this world; the religious sense is the ladder to Heaven.

The injunction of Islam to seek knowledge was given a high priority by early Muslims. Quite early in their  history Muslim started to excel in Science, Philosophy, medicine, architecture, governance and vertically in every other field. The rulers valued education and scholarship and contributed heavily in support of education and on  institutions of learning.  Al-Kindi (800-873) a polymath(expert in several fields) was appointed by the by the Abbaside Caliph to lead team of translators to translate Greek  works on science, medicine, philosophy etc, into Arabic. (from Arabic many of these works were translated into Latin and other European languages). Here is a link to a discussion on Al. Kindi on a BBC  rodio 4 a program called "In Our Times". https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=5bPjs8L99Hk&t=147s Another shorter tape on Al Kindi https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=T3tKtuXqUio

Here is link to a lecture " Science in the Islamic tradition " by professor Maria Dakake of George Mason University delivered in March 5, 2017.   https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=8WXCmkm3lqQ

Here is a link to a lecture by Professor Annemarie Schimmel  "The Work of Muhammad Iqbal”. Allama Iqbal was a philosopher, a scholar , a mystic and a renown poet. He was born in 1877 in Sialkot, Pakistan and died in in Lahore in 1938. He Annemarie Schimmel (1923-2003) was a highly respected German scholar who wrote extensively on Islam and Sufism and taught in many universities of the world including Harvard.  A link to her  talk.. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=WqqqXUxzwHc

"Female spirituality in Islam" a lecture by Professor Maria Dakake of George Mason University, delivered on on May 2, 2016 at George  Washington University.  A link: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=6hvzqpRnDAQ&t=1298s

Ibn Arabi (1165- 1240) was a philosopher and a renown scholar of Islam. He lived during the golden age period of Islam(8th to 13th century). Some of his contemporaries were Shaikh Sadi (1184-1283), Farid Uddin Attar ( 1150-1222), Maulana Jalal-Uddin Ruimi (1207-1273), and others. Here is a link to a lecture of Professor William Chitick youtube.com/watch?v=Bt9VyctYI_ 4 m Chitic

 A vista in the Silk Road route region. It goes through a most beautiful part of Pakistan before it crosses over to Kashghar in China. The silk road was there long before the Islamic period began. It brought prosperity to Muslim regions and China during the golden age of Islam (8th to 13th century). This picture was taken at dawn in the Phander Lake area. I took this and the other posted pictures during our travels of the northern areas of Pakistan.

A link to a short video on the Golden age of Islam which ended when Mongols inflicted death and destruction On the Muslim region east of Egypt in the 13th century. Mongols later converted to Islam and recreated cities like Samarkand and Bukhara. After destruction revival did take place and Progress continued in art, literature, architecture, irrigation, Governance and other fields until the on set of the colonial period.The colonial occupation sniffled out all creative energies and since then a revival has not taken place in Muslim countries and the progress is spotty.  Investment on education, sanitation, public health and in supply of clean water is dismal in most.. Here is the link; https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=FFfXDZvvmrg

Sources that I have found  useful in preparing material for my blog. I hope it will assist others to access information. It is a good practice to consult more than one reliable source.The sources are; Oxford encyclopedia of Islamic world. at , http://www.oxfordreference.com /view/10.1093/acref/9780195305 135.001.0001/acref-97801953051 35 .. It is an excellent but it costs $199 a year. University  of Georgia. www.uga.edu/islam by Dr Alan Godlas. It is a  comprehensive site on Islam and Sufism. All material on Islam is in one place and it us free. Princeton University. https://www.princeton.edu/~hum comp/scholars.html . It has all Muslim scholars of the Golden age of Islam in one place. Fordham University.  internet Islamic  history  source book at; https://sourcebooks.fordham.ed u/islam/islamsbook.asp Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy at; www.plato.stanford.edu/entries /omar-khayyam . Ibn Sina, Ibn Arabi , Al Kindi a...

When the lamps are lit and the tables are laid, after the evening prayer, I am engrossed with the thought of my Beloved(God), with grief, sorrow and lamentation. My prayer is fiery for I perform the ablution with my tears. When the call for prayer comes, the gate of my mosque is set on fire. Strange is the prayer of mad; tell me, is it correct to say prayers like this in complete disregard of time and space? Strange are the two rak’ats and stranger still the fourth one. How strange, I recited a Sura without a tongue! How can I knock at the door of God, since I have neither heart nor hand. Since you have taken away my heart and hand, give me protection, O Lord. By God, I know not as I pray weather somebody has stood up to lead the prayer or a Ruku has ended.

 The Prophet Mohamed (SAWS) was born in 570 and died in 632. The Hijrat (the migration from Mecca to Madina) took place in 622, the start of the Muslim calendar.  As early as 710, Muslims started to reach Al Andaluse (Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar etc.)   An era of Muslim rule began in Cordoba in 756  and ended in 1492 when Granada surrendered.   Blood shed and a wholesale expulsion of Muslims from Andalusia took place. Those who remained were forced to convert.  Jews also met the same fate and they settled in several Muslim Countries.    The Muslim rule in Spain was a period of learning and enlightenment. Advances were made in science, medicine, governance, architecture and other fields. The introduction of paper making in 751 from China led to an explosion in the number of books written and collected. It reinforced the  culture of books   in t...

The Prophet  Mohammed (SAWS) was born in 570 and died in 632.   As early as 710. Muslims started to reach Al Andaluse (Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar etc.)  Muslim rule started in Cordoba in 756 and ended in 1492 when Granada surrendered .   Blood shed and a wholesale expulsion of Muslims from Andalusia took place. Those who remained were forced to convert.  Jews also met the same fate and they settled in several Muslim Countries.  Here is a link to a discussion Muslim in Spain on BBC radio 4 Called "In our Times". https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=EhvAdfVlF_Y https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=yxdzoprVQ48

Omar Khayyam a polymath is best known for his Rubaiyats translated by Edward Fitzgerald in the 1880s. Sufi poetry has lot of references  to wine and love, more so in Hafiz(1325–1389) and Omar Khayyam. However their wine did not come from a bottle but a mystical experience.  Love is Love of God (Ishque Allah).  Come, fill the Cup, and in the fire of Spring Your Winter-garment of Repentance fling: The Bird of Time has but a little way To flutter---and the Bird is on the Wing.