Ilahis at the Presbyterian Church

The Presbyterian Church in downtown Nashville has invited the local Sufis to share some of our rituals at an interfaith event next Sunday (March 5). I have been a Sufi for more than 10 years and strange enough it will be the first time that I am participating in sharing our beautiful and sacred practices in this manner. This is something to look forward to. It is always a blessing when one is able to contribute to an event that celebrates the many paths leading to Oneness.

Before meeting with my fellow dervishes this evening, I had the opportunity to enjoy a quiet, meditative walk in Shelby Park. Thankfully, there were hardly any people out. I usually spend this time doing the purification breaths. The purification breaths, also called the Purification of the Elements, are a basic teaching of the Sufi Order. Of all the elemental breaths, I most often gravitate towards water. The water breath always seems to help me most when I need to get centered or change my rhythm. In Sufi teaching, water symbolizes purity and vitality. It points us in the direction of the archetypes that set our creative vision free so that we are able to go beyond the boundaries of our conditioning.

Tonight, the dervishes focused on selecting and rehearsing Ilahis (sacred songs/poems) for the upcoming event. There will probably be 10 of us presenting and because of time constraints we will not do a full Zikr. Most of what will be offered will be from the Halveti-Jerrahi Order. Though many of these hymns originated in Turkey and the Middle East, we will be presenting them in English (except for a couple of songs). Thankfully, the late Shaykh Nur al Jerrahi left us with magnificent interpretations of the original Turkish/Arabic.

The Ilahis are very special to me. They have been a very powerful way to keep in a state of remembrance. It is amazing how an Ilahi can stay with one for days, keeping a dervish in constant meditation. Many Ilahis are deep and mystical at the onset, making them difficult for the uninitiated to understand. Some carry a simple message, though the message deepens as the heart of the dervish expands. In essence, they are helpful at peeling away the layers of the ego (nafs), so that the veils that keep one from one’s Beloved are gently pulled away.

Our offering will start with the drone of the Shruti Box, which is not traditionally used by the Jerrahi Sufis. It is, however, an instrument close to the hearts of several dervishes here in the Nashville community. We will sing several sacred hymns building to a short, but powerful chant and end with a salawat to the Prophet Muhammad.