Sufi Music and Poetry

Asslaamualaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatu Hu

The Blessed Summit 2011 on

Sufi Music and Poetry

Hijaz Community invites you join us on a journey of exploring the spiritual expression of poetry, verse and music in Islam at our forthcoming annual Blessed Summit. This event shall take place from 1st- 3rd July 2011 in the serene surroundings of the Hijaz College Islamic University, situated in the heart of the English countryside.

Contemporary culture widely enjoys verse forms, poetics and music to purely satisfy the physical senses. Modern music fails to satisfy the inner self and settles for the superficial gratification of the individual. Art has been commercialised for mass consumption rather than advancing the cause of human enrichment. It relishes the glitz and the celebrity that asserts itself through a self-deluding belief system. The artists themselves fail to find the contentment which they hoped their art would bring to their fans.

Sufi poetry and music in the contemporary context has lost the original spirit for which it was intended. This is partly due to the weakness in translation and the natural dilution of character of the people imitating the original Sufi Masters. In many countries today the serious intentions of the Sufi Masters to enrich their audience has been reduced to ritualistic folklore. These profound Masters of spirituality demonstrated through their great intellect and wisdom how poetry and music can be used to attain proximity with Allah Almighty. The abuse of Sufi poetry and music has always been disapproved by the traditional and contemporary Sufi Masters seeing how their masterpieces are mocked by the superficial embracement of their Divine inspirations.

The poetry of Moulana Jalaluddin Rumi R.A. and other renowned Sufi Masters communicates directly to the soul of man and help shape his inner absolute contentment. This Blessed Summit aims to explore the source of this inspiration and the manner in which poetry and music manifests the inner development of distinguished human characteristics. Some Sufi Masters used music to teach the masses the remembrance of the Creator, like Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti R.A. of Ajmer Sharif.

The core model of the Hijaz Community philosophy comprises of Realisation, Purification and Connection. Some great Sufi Masters such as Hazrat Bullah Shah R.A., Hazrat Sultan Bahu R.A. and Hazrat Amir Khusro R.A. have employed poetry to encode the secrets of Self-Realisation; the process of Purification of the mind, body and soul; and describe the intimate experience of their Connection to the Creator.

Join us in discovering the divinely inspired musical and poetic influences that have enriched the souls of millions of our predecessors. The Blessed Summit 2011 is an opportunity for you to dive into the true depths of Islamic music and divinely inspired poetry. We aim to explore some fundamental questions that underpin the art of language and the use of music as a means of spiritual progression. The topics of the discussions over the three days shall revolve around the following questions:

Poetry in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him)

Music In Islam

Expression of the love for the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him)

Whirling Dervishes and Wajd

The remembrance of the Creator

Love for the Spiritual Guide

Poetry in Islam

Origin of music and Imam Ghizali r.a. on music

Relevance Allama Iqbal r.a. and HC vision

Spiritual journey to the Creator

Self Realisation

The dark side of Music

The danger of music without correct framework

The Blessed Summit is held in the grounds of Hijaz College Islamic University, which is surrounded by 62 acres of beautiful tranquil English countryside, giving you the ideal surroundings for self-reflection in a calm and serene environment. The relaxed informal atmosphere will also allow you to take time out from the stress of modern life, spend time in likeminded company, hear uplifting Nasheeds (Islamic poetry), speeches from various members of Hijaz Community, and group Dhikr (remembrance of the Creator).

The event is FREE of charge and visitors of all backgrounds are welcome to attend.

Food and basic accommodation facilities will be provided throughout the course of your stay.

To avoid disappointment reserve your place free of charge at the ‘Register Now’ page or alternatively if you have any further queries please don’t hesitate to give us a call or drop us an email at info@blessedsummit.com.

We look forward to seeing you at the ‘Sufi Poetry and Music’ Summit this July 2011.

Best Wishes and Wassalaam

The Blessed Summit Project Team 2011