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Program Particulars
*Times indicated refer to web version of audio
 (01:38–02:27) Music:
"The Multiples of One" from Awakening, performed by Joseph Curiale
(02:13) Reference to Qur'an in Arabic and Muhammad
The Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, means "recitation." It is considered to be the verbatim word of God that was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad over a 23-year period during the seventh century CE in Arabia.
The written Qur'an, which is not arranged in chronological order or in a distinct linear narrative, features accounts of Muhammad as well as stories of the earlier prophets including Jesus, Moses, and Abraham. A majority of Muslims learn the Qur'an in Arabic and find beauty in its rhythm, composition, and voice. In the introduction to Approaching the Qur'an, Michael Sells describes the power this text holds over contemporary Muslims:
One afternoon in Cairo, I found myself in an unusual situation. The streets of this noisy, bustling city were suddenly strangely quiet, yet the cafes were crowded with people clustered around televisions. For special events—the death of a great figure, an important soccer game—one might expect to find people in cafes following the event on television. What had drawn people from the streets into the cafes today was the appearance of one of Egypt's popular Qur'an reciters. When I returned to my hotel, the lobby was filled with men, some of them Egyptian Christians, watching and listening to the televised recitation with intense interest.
The written text is commonly identified with its beautiful Arabic calligraphic scripts, which are read from right to left. Not only decorative, the calligraphy itself conveys both a spiritual and secular knowledge of Islam and the Muslim culture at large.
(02:21–03:08) Recitation of the Qur'an
The audio clip of the Surat Al-Qari'a of the Qur'an was recited by Seemi Bushra Ghazi and excerpted from the audio CD packaged with Michael Sells' book, Approaching the Qur'an.
(03:12) About Sufism
Sufism is the mystical tradition of Islam that originated in the seventh century after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. It originated as a spiritual movement against increasing worldliness in the expanding Muslim community. There are many Sufi orders or paths (tariqa) in which a follower pledges his allegiance to a sheikh. Sufis aspire to a special intimacy with God and the eternal in this earthly existence rather than only in the afterlife.
(03:45) Reference to Ayatollahs
The term ayatollah means "sign of God" in Arabic, and often refers to a high-ranking Shiite religious authority regarded as worthy of emulation in matters of religious law and interpretation. In Iran, ayatollah is a title used for the most highly honored members of the ulama, the top class of religious officials and scholars learned in Islamic law, and takes years of scholarship and writing to attain.
(04:30) Mention of Sufi Poet
Hafiz, Arabic for one who has memorized the Qur'an, was a 14th century poet who was known for his lyrical poetry. Hafiz is recognized as enlivening the conventional imagery used in the ghazal, a form of love poetry in which the first two lines rhyme with a corresponding rhyme in the second line of each succeeding couplet. His volume of poems, Divan, remain widely read today.
(07:07) Meaning of "Islam"
The word Islam translates as "surrender or submission to Allah."
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| Shrine dedicated to Rumi in Konya. | (07:59) Conversation on Rumi
Jalalu'ddin Rumi (1207–1273) was a Sufi poet and mystic who was born near Balkh in present-day Afghanistan. With his family, he fled the Mongol invaders of Persia and settled in Konya, Turkey. Eventually becoming a teacher and religious scholar, Rumi met the wandering Muslim ascetic (in Turkish, dervish) Shams of Tabriz.
One version of their initial encounter reads, Shams fainted upon hearing Rumi's response to the question of who was greater: Muhammad or Bestami, because Bestami (a ninth century Sufi mystic) had said, "How great is my glory," whereas Muhammad had acknowledged in his prayer to God, "We do not know You as we should."
Upon falling to the ground, Rumi was finally able to answer that Muhammad was the greater because the way was always revealing itself and unfolding whereas Bestami only took a single drink of the divine and then stopped. As a result, Rumi and Shams developed an inseparable friendship. After Shams' sudden departure, Rumi led a group of disciples that would become the Mevlevi Order of Sufis and began writing poetry.
Rumi left behind two important works of poetry, the collection of ghazals Diwan-i Shams and the six volumes of the instructive poem Mathnawi (pronounced "masnavi" in Persian). Some of his followers, referred to as whirling dervishes, combine music and dance, spinning around to achieve a trance-like state as a way to reach God. In the U.S., translations of Rumi's poetry, especially those by Coleman Barks, have attracted a wide readership and become bestsellers.
 (08:48–11:46) Music:
"Av-e Hayat-e Eshgh (The Water of Life That Is Love)" from On Through Eternity: Persian Devotional Music — Homage to Molavi (Rumi), performed by Dastan Ensemble and Shahram Nazeri
 (11:57–13:31) Music:
"Kushti Tu Mara" from Memories of Herat (Instrumental Music of Afghanistan), performed by Aziz Herawi
(13:07) Reference to Zikr
The story of Leyli and Majnun is one of the most popular legends of the Middle East. It is a classic story of undying love much like the story of Romeo and Juliet dating to Arabic literature in the seventh century CE and was popularized by the famous Persian poet Nezami in Nezami in the 12th century.
 (13:37–14:41) Music:
"Bismillah ar-Rahman" from Ocean of Remembrance: Sufi Improvisations and Zhikrs, performed by Orüj Güvenç and Tümata
(14:17) Reference to Zikr
Zikr connotes remembrance that everything is God. Recitation of the Qur'an helps Muslims to remember their divine origins and brings alive the power of the heart.
(15:30) Discussion of Whirling Dervishes
The Mevlevi Order is an organized Sufi community that traces its lineage back to Rumi, who began the whirling dance by whirling around a column as he recited his poems. Later, it became an orchestrated dance filled with symbolism and known as the Sema. It was interrupted for 25 years during the Kemal Ataturk's attempts to westernize Turkey in the early 20th century.
Sema dancing represents a mystical journey. In this journey the seeker symbolically turns towards the truth, grows through love, abandons the ego, finds the truth, and arrives at a state of perfection. The seeker then returns from this spiritual journey with greater maturity, so as to love and to be of service to the whole of creation without discrimination.
 (18:34–20:26) Music:
"Tales from the Ney" from Sufi Music of Turkey, performed by Kudsi and Suleyman Erguner
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| Man playing a ney inside a mosque. |
(18:53) Rumi's Tale of the Ney
A ney is one of the oldest forms of a flute, dating back to 2500 BCE. Traditional neys are made from a plant reed and are often used to accompany readings of Rumi's poetry such as "The Reed Flute's Song," as translated by Coleman Barks.
(22:35) Recitation of Poem by Baba Taher
Baba Taher Uryan Hamadani was an 11th century Persian poet from Hamadan in present-day Iran. His nickname "Uryan" (the Naked) suggests that he was a wandering mystic. He is best known for his Persian poems dobayti, having melodious and flowing language with a spiritual sincerity:
God, tend to this lament of my heart.
You are the one who is all alone because God is one.
Everyone says that Taher has no one.
God is my friend. What need do I have of anyone?
(20:19–21:41) Music:
"Semai" from Sufi Music of Turkey, performed by Kudsi and Suleyman Erguner
(23:40–25:58) Music:
"Del Meeravad Ze Dastam (My Heart is Slipping from My Grasp)" from On Through Eternity: Persian Devotional Music — Homage to Molavi (Rumi), performed by Dastan Ensemble and Shahram Nazeri
(29:01) Reference to of Wahabbism
The Wahhabi movement is an ultra-conservative, puritanical movement of Islam. The reform movement originated in the Arabian peninsula in the 18th century and was founded by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahab. A proponent of al-Wahab's teachings, the tribal leader Muhammad ibn Saud championed the movement and from then on Saudis have become the movement's main supporters; it's the dominant school of Islam in Saudi Arabia today.
Devout Wahhabis believe that other Muslims, particularly the Shiites, have abandoned their faith in one God, tawhid, and have distorted Islam. The Wahhabis accept only the Qur'an and the authentic Sunna, customary practices of living modeled on the life and teachings of the prophet Muhammad, and reject 1,400 years of the development and interpretation of Islamic theology and mysticism. They oppose veneration of saints and relics, prohibit decorating of mosques, and ban luxury. Anyone who does not accept these tenets is considered a heretic.
In the Speaking of Faith program Violence and Crisis in Islam," Dr. Vincent Cornell discusses the origins and history of the Wahabbi movement and its role in today's turbulent landscape. The "program particulars" section provides an illustrated map and details the composition of Sunnis and Shiites in the world.
(34:00) The Path of Tasawwuf
Tasawwuf, or Sufism, means a process of transformation in which the mind, heart, and soul achieve purity so that one can be lead along a path of salvation and to God Himself. Read more about the place of Sufism in the traditional forms of Islam.
 (34:57–35:20) Music:
Song excerpted from The Life of the Last Prophet, performed by Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens)
(35:17–35:37) Actuality of Qur'an Recitation
The audio clip of the Surat Al-Qari'a of the Qur'an was recited by Seemi Bushra Ghazi and excerpted from the audio disc packaged with Michael Sells' book, Approaching the Qur'an.
(35:39) The Urdu Language
The Urdu language has been described as the written or literary variant of Hindustani that is used by Muslims. It is written in a modified form of the Arabic alphabet, and its vocabulary has borrowed from the Arabic and Persian lexicons. There are approximately 60 million Urdu speakers worldwide.
(42:00) Reference to Suras
Each of the 114 suras—sections or chapters—comprising the Qur'an are preceded by the phrase, bi smi Allah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim, this meaning "In the name of God the Compassionate the Caring." The etymology of the terms Rahman and Rahim are based upon the Arabic word for womb, rahm.
(45:26–45:46) Actuality of Qur'an Recitation
The audio clip of the Surat Al-Qadr of the Qur'an was recited by Seemi Bushra Ghazi and excerpted from the audio disc packaged with Michael Sells' book, Approaching the Qur'an.
(45:38) Reading of Sura al-Qadr
The following passage of the Sura al-Qadr, or The Night of Destiny, is a pivotal chapter in the Qur'an that describes how the eternal suffused the temporal on the night in which revelation first came to the Prophet Muhammad:
We sent him [Gabriel] down on the night of destiny
And what can tell you of the night of destiny?
The night of destiny is better than a thousand months.
The angels come down—the spirit upon her—
by permission of their lord from every order
Peace she is until the rise of dawn
(46:58) Reading of Urdu Poet
Ghazi reads a translated version of a mystical Islamic poem by the 18th century Urdu poet and master of the ghazal Mir Taqi Mir:
Our existence as if it were a bubble.
Our existence as if it were a bubble.
This splendor as if a mirage.
How to describe the delicacy of her lip
As if it were the petal of a certain rose.
I return again and again to her door,
My state now as if in tumult.
When I spoke, she spoke up,
That voice, as if it were that ruined, ruinous man.
Mir, in those hardly half-opened eyes, all abandoned as if it were of wine.
(50:36–50:59) Actuality of Qur'an Recitation
The audio clip of the Surat Al-Qadr of the Qur'an was recited by Seemi Bushra Ghazi and excerpted from the audio disc packaged with Michael Sells' book, Approaching the Qur'an.
(51:08–52:55) Music:
"Del Meeravad Ze Dastam (My Heart is Slipping from My Grasp)" from On Through Eternity: Persian Devotional Music — Homage to Molavi (Rumi), performed by Dastan Ensemble and Shahram Nazeri
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