Divine Love

1. Divine Love “The essence of God is love and The Sufi Path is path of love.  Love is to see what is good and beautiful in everything. It is to learn from everything, to see the gifts of God and the generosity of God in everything. It is to be thankful for all all God's bounties.This is the first step on the road to the love of God. This is just a seed of love. In time, the seed will grow and become a tree and bear fruit. Then, whoever tastes of that fruit will know what real love is. It will be differently for those who have tasted to tell of it to those who have not”. Muzaffer Ashki al-Halveti al-Jerrahi (1916-1985)

2. Premordial Covent And when your Lord brought forth from the children of Adam, from their backs, their descendants, and made them bear witness against their own souls: Am I not your Lord? They said: Yes! we bear witness. Lest you should say on the day of resurrection: Surely we were heedless of this”. Quran 7:172,Shakir

3. Hadith Qudsi “I was a Hidden Treasure, and loved to be known intimately, so I created the Heavens and the Earth, so that they may come to intimately know me”.

4. Sufis:Love of God&Mankind • All people are the children of God on earth “ Oh God! I bear witness that all Thy  creatures are brothers”Hadith  “ Why this meaningless talk about the believer, the kafir, the obedient, the sinner, the rightly guided, the misdirected, the Muslim, the pious, the infidel, the fire worshipper? All are like beads in a rosary.” Abdul Quddus of Gangoh

5. Sufis:Love of God&Mankind • Adopt the ways of God • To reflect in one’s own thought and activity the attributes of God. “ Higher spiritual life is nothing but service of humanity, It is not (chanting) the rosary, (remaining on the) prayer carpet or (wearing) coarse garments.”Nizamuddin To identy service of God with the service of man

7. Sufis:Love of God&Mankind • Unity of Divine Revelation. “Say: We make no difference between them (prophets of God)”Quran:3:78 • “All these religions and faiths are branches of the same tree,They have sprouted from one and the same root.”Shah Niaz Ahmad • “Learn from the eyes the way to develop,unity and oneness.The two eyes appear different but their vision is one.”

8. Rabi'a al-'Adawiyya (c.717-801). • One of the most famous Sufi Woman. was born around 717 in Basra(Iraq) and died in 801.  Her biographer,the great Sufi Poet Attar, tells us that she was "on fire with love and longing" and that men accepted her "as a second spotless Mary".  She was, he continues, “an unquestioned authority to her contemporaries"

9. Rabi'a al-'Adawiyya • Rabia a Sufi saint woman, was asked, "Do you love God?"She answered, "Yes.""Do you hate the devils?"She answered, "No, my love of God leaves me no time to hate the devil.“ • “You talk about loving God while you disobey Him;I swear by my life that this is something very strange.If you were truthful in your love, you would obey Him,For a lover obeys whom he loves.”

10. Mansur al-Hallaj858-922 More controversial figures of Sufism.Great Poet-Saint.al-Hallaj means "wool carder," was born in the province of Fars, Persia,later moved to Iraq, where he took up Religious Studies& Sufi way.Orthodox religious authorities took offense to "Ana 'l-Haqq," "I am the Real," translated as "I am the Truth" or "I am God." He was condemned by a council of theologians&was executed for blasphemy and sorcery.

11. Al-Hallaj • Kill me, my faithful friends,For in my being killed is my life.Love is that you remain standingIn front of your BelovedWhen you are stripped of all your attributes;Then His attributes become your qualities.Between me and You, there is only me.Take away the me, so only You remain

12. Abu Said referred to himself as “Nobody, Son of Nobody,” to convey the mystic's sense of having completely merged or disappeared into the Divine, leaving no trace of the ego behind.He died in Mayhana,Turkmenistan, “Piousness and the path of loveare two different roads.Love is the fire that burns both beliefand non-belief.Those who practice Love have neitherreligion nor caste” Abu-Said Abil-Kheir (967 - 1049)

13. Khwajah Abdullah Ansari(1006-1088) • Famous Persian poet and Sufi. • He was born and died in Heart,known as Pious of Heart’"Shaikul Mashayekh" [Master of (Sufi) Masters] and "Shaikhul Islam". He wrote several books on Islamic mysticism and philosophy in Persian and Arabic. His most famous work is "Munajat Namah" (literally 'Litanies or dialogues with God'), which is considered a masterpiece of Persian literature.

14. Shaykh Abdullah Ansari(1006 - 1088) • Life in my body pulsates only for Thee,My heart beats in resignation to Thy will.If on my dust a tuft of grass were to growEvery blade would tremble with my devotion for Thee

15. 'Where Are You?' O God,You are the aim of the call of the sincere,          You enlighten the souls of the friends, (and)          You are the comfort of the hearts of the travellers---          because You are present in the very soul. I call out, from emotion:          "Where are you?" You are the life of the soul,          You are the rule (ayin) of speech, (and)          You are Your own interpreter (tarjaman). For the sake of Your obligation to Yourself,          do not enter us into the shade of deception, (but)           make us reach union (wisal) with You. 'Abdullah al-Ansari (1006-1089)

16. Farid ud-Din Attar(1119- 1220) • About thirty works by Attar survive, but his masterpiece is the Mantic at-Tayr (Conference of the Birds).A group of birds (individual human souls) under the leadership of a hoopoe (spiritual master) who determine to search for the legendary Simurgh bird (God). The birds must confront their own individual limitations and fears while journeying through seven valleys before they ultimately find the Simurgh and complete their quest..His tomb is in Nishapur,Iran.

17. From each, Love demands a mystic silence. What do all seek so earnestly? Tis Love. Love is the subject of their inmost thoughts, In Love no longer "Thou" and "I" exist, For self has passed away in the Beloved. Now will I draw aside the veil from Love, And in the temple of mine inmost soul Behold the Friend, Incomparable Love. He who would know the secret of both worlds Will find that the secret of them both is Love Attar (1119 - 1230)

18. Don't speak of your suffering -- He is speaking.Don't look for Him everywhere -- He's looking for you.An ant's foot touches a leaf, He senses it;A pebble shifts in a streambed, He knows it.If there's a worm hidden deep in a rock, He'll know its body, tinier than an atom,The sound of its praise, its secret ecstasy --All this He knows by divine knowing.He has given the tiniest worm its food;He has opened to you the Way of the Holy Ones. Sanai1118-1152

19. Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi (1165 -1240) Mystic, philosopher, poet, sage,one of the world's great spiritual teachers.Muhyiddin (the Revivifier of Religion) Shaykh al-Akbar (the Greatest Master),was born in 1165 AD in Andalusian Spain, the centre of an extraordinary flourishing and cross-fertilization of Jewish, Christian and Islamic thought, through which the major scientific and philosophical works of antiquity were transmitted to Northern Europe. Ibn 'Arabi's spiritual attainments were evident from an early age, and he was renowned for his great visionary capacity as well as being a superlative teacher. He travelled extensively in the Islamic world and died in Damascus in 1240 AD. (The Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi Society)

20. It is He who is revealed in every face, sought in every sign, gazed upon by every eye, worshipped in every object of worship, and pursued in the unseen and the visible. Not a single one of His creatures can fail to find Him in its primordial and original nature The movement which is the existence of the universe is the movement of love. Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi(1165-1240)

21. Fakhruddin Iraqi1213 - 1289 Born in Kamajan near Hamadan. a month before his birth, 'Iraqi's father had a dream vision in which Imam 'Ali handed him the child and said, "Take our 'Iraqi and raise him well, for he will be a world conqueror!"The young 'Iraqi eventually ended up in Multan Pakistan. Initiated in the Sufi way under Shaykh Baha'uddin, the head of the Suhrawardiyya ,'Iraqi lived in Multan for 25 years, composing poetry. As Shaykh Baha'uddin was dying, he named Fakhruddin 'Iraqi to be his successor

22. Fakhruddin Iraqi When it became known that 'Iraqi had been named head of the Suhrawardi Order,Local Sultan sought to have him arrested,fled to Mecca and Medina. Later moved to Konya. 'Iraqi often listened to Rumi teach and recite poetry, and attended Rumi's funeral.Became disciple of Sadruddin Qunawi, step-son of Ibn 'Arabi,was deeply devoted to the teachings of Ibn 'Arabi & was inspired to compose his own masterpiece“Lama'at” Divine Flashes.He is buried near Ibn 'Arabi's tomb.

23. Fakhruddin Iraqi1213 - 1289 • Every word of every tongue isLove telling a story to her own ears.Every thought in every mind,She whispers a secret to her own Self. Every vision in every eye,She shows her beauty to her own sight.Every smile on every face,She reveals her own joy for herself to enjoy.Love courses through everything,No, Love is everything.How can you say, there is no love,when nothing but Love exists?All that you see has appeared because of Love.All shines from Love,All pulses with Love,All flows from Love--No, once again, all IS Love!Divine Flashes

24. Lama’at:Divine Flashes La ilaha illa'l-'ishq • There is no god but Love. • Before this there was one heartbut a thousand thoughtsNow all is reduced to"There is no love but Love." Fakhruddin 'Iraqi

25. Saadi(1207-1291) Sheikh Muslihu'd-Din, known as Saadi, was born and died in Shiraz, First twenty-five years he spent studying in various countries, going to university at Baghdad. next thirty years he travelled widely made pilgrimage to Mecca fourteen times. Finally, Sadi returned to Shiraz where he devoted himself to writing and to teaching.Was disciple of Shaykh Shahabud-Din Suhrawardi. Books:Bustan (the Garden), composed entirely in verse Gulistan (the Rose Garden), in both prose and verse.Sadi is probably the first Persian poet to have been translated into European languages. A German version of the Gulistan appeared in 1654.

26. “All Adam's race are members of one frame;Since all, at first, from the same essence came.When by hard fortune one limb is oppressed,The other members lose their wonted rest:If thou feel'st not for others' misery,A son of Adam is no name for thee” Poem is used to grace the entrance to the Hall of Nations of the UN building in New York with this call for breaking all barriers Saadi(1207- 1291)

27. How could I ever thank my Friend?No thanks could ever begin to be worthy.Every hair of my body is a gift from Him;How could I thank Him for each hair?Praise that lavish Lord foreverWho from nothing conjures all living beings!Who could ever describe His goodness? His infinite glory lays all praise waste.Look, He has graced you a robe of splendor>From childhood's first cries to old age!He made you pure in His own image; stay pure.It is horrible to die blackened by sin.Never let dust settle on your mirror's shining;Let it once grow dull and it will never polish. Saadi Shirazi (1215-1292)

28. When you work in the world to earn your livingDo not, for one moment, rely on your own strength.Self-worshiper, don't you understand anything yet?It is God alone that gives your arms their power.If, by your striving, you achieve something good, Don't claim the credit all for yourself;It is fate that decides who wins and who losesAnd all success streams only from the grace of God.In this world you never stand by your own strength;It is the Invisible that sustains you every moment. Saadi

29. Shams-ud-din Muhammad,most beloved poet of Persia. Born in Shiraz,a famous Sufi Master.Has written 5,000 poems, of which 500 to 700 have survived. His Divan (collected poems) is a classic in the literature of Sufism. The work of Hafiz became known to the West largely through the efforts of Goethe, whose enthusiasm rubbed off on Ralph Waldo Emerson, who translated Hafiz in the nineteenth century. Hafiz's poems were also admired by Nietzsche, Pushkin, Turgenev, Carlyle, and Garcia Lorka; even Sherlock Holmes.The Gift: Poems of Hafiz the Great Sufi Master Hafiz(1320 – 1389)

30. We are the guardians of His Beauty We are the protectorsOf the Sun.There is only one reasonWe have followed God into this world:To encourage laughter, freedom, danceAnd love.Let a noble cry inside of you speak to meSaying,"Hafiz,Don't just sit there on the moon tonightDoing nothing - Help unfurl my heart into the Friend's Mind,Help, Old Man, to heal my wounded wings!"We are the companions of His BeautyWe are the guardiansOf Truth.Every man, plant and creature in Existence,Every woman, child, vein and noteIs a servant of our Beloved -A harbinger of joy,The harbinger ofLight. Hafiz of Shiraz (1230-91)

31. Yunus Emre(1238 - 1320) • One of the most important Turkish poets. Sufi dervish of Anatolia. His poetry expresses a deep personal mysticism and humanism and love for God.He was a contemporary of Rumi, who lived in the same region. A story is told of a meeting between the two great souls: Rumi asked Yunus Emre what he thought of his great work the Mathnawi. Yunus Emre said, "Excellent, excellent! But I would have done it differently." Surprised, Rumi asked how. Yunus replied, "I would have written, 'I came from the eternal, clothed myself in flesh, and took the name Yunus.'" That story perfectly illustrates Yunus Emre's simple, direct approach that has made him so beloved..

32. We entered the house of realization, we witnessed the body.The whirling skies, the many-layered earth,the seventy-thousand veils, we found in the body.The night and the day, the planets, the words inscribed on the Holy Tablets, the hill that Moses climbed, the Temple,and Israfil's trumpet, we observed in the body. Torah, Psalms, Gospel, Quran- what these books have to say, we found in the body. Everybody says these words of Yunus are true. Truth is wherever you want it.We found it all within the body. Yunus Emre1240- 1320

33. 'One Light' What are "I" and "You"?Just latticesIn the niches of a lampThrough which the One Light radiates. "I" and "You" are the veilBetween heaven and earth; Lift this veil and you will see How all sects and religions are one. Lift this veil and you will ask---When "I" and "You" do not existWhat is mosque?What is synagogue?What is fire temple? Sa'd al-din Mahmud Shabistari(1250 - 1320)

34. Baba Farid Gunjshakar R.A(1173 – 1266) Sufi saint who is considered by many to be the first major poet of the Punjabi language. He was born in the Multan district of what is today Pakistan.Later, when the Sikh holy book the Adi Granth Sahib was compiled, many of Baba Sheikh Farid's poems and couplets were included, alongside the poetry of Kabir and Ravidas

35. Baba Farid Gunjshakar R.A(1173 – 1266) • Do not speak a hurtful word,for in everyone lives the true Lord.Do not break anyone's heart,for each heartis a priceless pearl. • Says Farid,Why do you roam the jungles with thorns pricking your feet?Your Lord dwells in your heart.And you wander about in search of Him.

36. Baba Farid Gunjshakar R.A FaridaKalle Mainde KaparreKalle Mainda VesGhunhi Bhariyan MainFiraaLok Kahain Darves FaridMy Clothes Are BlackMy Outfit Is BlackI Am Full of SinAnd Yet People Call Me A Dervish

37. AMIR KHUSRO: (Parrot of Hind) (1253 A.D. to 1325 A.D.) Amir Khusro was a great Sufi, a wealthy merchant who once exchanged all his wealth for a pair of Nizamuddin’s shoes,Liguist,artist,prolific author,musician,inventor(sitar),composer and a true devoted disciple.He was "All-in-One" mixture of Divine gifts.

38. I wonder what was the place where I was last night,All around me were half-slaughtered victims of love,tossing about in agony.There was a nymph-like beloved with cypress-like formand tulip-like face,Ruthlessly playing havoc with the hearts of the lovers.God himself was the master of ceremonies in that heavenly court,oh Khusro, where (the face of) the Prophet too was shedding lightLike a candle. Amir Khusro&Love of Prophet

39. Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi • Great philosopher and mystic of Islam, His doctrine advocates unlimited tolerance, positive reasoning, goodness, charity and awareness through love. • Mevlana was born on 30 September 1207 in Balkh He died on 17 December 1273 in Konya . He was laid to rest beside his father and a splendid shrine was erected. The 13th century Mevlana Mausoleum with its mosque, dance hall, dervish living quarters, school and tombs of some leaders of the Mevlevi Order continues to this day to draw pilgrims from all parts of the Muslim and non-Muslim world.(mevlana.net)

40. Rumi ,The Poet of Love Gamble everything for love,if you’re a true human being.If not, leave this gathering.Half-heartedness doesn’t reach into majesty.You set out to find God,but then you keep stopping for long periodsat mean-spirited roadhouses.

41. Ahmad Jami(1048 - 1141) • Born 440/1048 in Namaq, settled in Jam, Afghanistan. After a dissolute youth, he underwent a conversion experience and became famous for his austerity and love of seclusion; he spent eighteen years alone in the mountains near Jam studying the Quran and religious sciences. At age forty he began to initiate disciples, write books, and travel around Khorasan. He made the pilgrimage to Mecca late in life, and died on his return in 536/1141. He was buried in his khaneqah in Jam, which is today a center of pilgrimage The Drunken Universe: An Anthology of Persian Sufi Poetry, by Peter Lamborn Wilson and Nasrollah Pourjavady

42. Jami (1414-92) • Whether your destiny is glory or disgrace,Purify yourself of hatred and love of self.Polish your mirror; and that sublime BeautyFrom the regions of mysteryWill flame out in your heartAs it did for the saints and prophets.Then, with your heart on fire with that Splendor, The secret of the Beloved will no longer be hidden.

43. Whether your destiny is glory or disgrace,Purify yourself of hatred and love of self.Polish your mirror; and that sublime BeautyFrom the regions of mysteryWill flame out in your heartAs it did for the saints and prophets.Then, with your heart on fire with that Splendor,  The secret of the Beloved will no longer be hidden. Jami (1414-92)

44. Jami If Love manifests itself within you, it has its origins in beauty. You are nothing but a mirrorin which beauty is reflected . Because beauty and its reflection are both from that One Source,it is both treasure and treasure-house.

45. Sultan Bahu (d. 1691) One of Subcontinent’s most enduringly beloved and influential Sufi poets. A respected scholar from what is today the nation of Pakistan, Bahu became famous worldwide for his eloquent and inspirational Punjabi poetry and prose, which constitute a central pillar of the Sufi religious and literary tradition of northern India. So popular is his poetry in Pakistan and India today that illiterate Punjabis can recite it by heart.Death before Dying: Sufi Poetry of Sultan Bahu, by Jamal Elias

46. Sultan Bahu I knew God well when love flashed before me.It gives me strength by night and day, and shows what lies ahead.In me are flames, in me is fuel, in me is smoke.I only found my Beloved, Bahu, when love made me aware.

47. Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai(1689 - 1752) Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai was a devout Muslim Sufi, but his spirituality was broad and welcoming, making room for Muslim and Hindu alike. He is one of the most revered poets and saints of the Sindh ,Pakistan.

48. If you are seeking Allah,Then keep clear of religious formalities.Those who have seen AllahAre away from all religions!Those who do not see Allah here,How will they see Him beyond?Let us go the land of KakWhere love flows in abundance,There are no entrances, no exits,Every one can see the Lord! There is no light nor dayEvery one can see the Lord!Those who love the LordThe world cannot hold them.Palaces do not attract them,Nor women nor servantsNothing binds them:The renouncers leave everything behind. Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai(1689 - 1752)

49. Great humanist, philosopher, rebel, internationalist, teacher sufi poet of all times,was the disciple of Enayat Shah Lahori, who himself was a great Sufi of his time Masjid dha de, mandir dha de, dha de jo kucch dainda Par kisi da dil na dhain, Rab dilan vich rehnda. “ Tear down the mosque and the temple break everything in sight But do not break a person’s heart it is there that God resides” Baba Bulleh Shah (1680-1758)

50. Bulleh shah • paRh paRh ilm hazaar kitaabaNqaddi apnay aap nou paRhiya naeejaaN jaaN waRhday mandir maseediqaddi mann apnay wich waRhiya naeeaa-vaiN laRda aye shaitan de naal bandeaaqaddi nafss apnay naal laRiya naee • [yes, yes, you have read thousands of booksbut you have never tried to read your own selfyou rush in, into your Mandirs, into your Mosquesbut you have never tried to enter your own heartfutile are all your battles with Satanfor you have never tried to fight your own desires]