This piece was composed by a renowned 17th-century Ottoman Polish scholar and musician, Wojciech Bobowski (1610- 1675) who embraced Islam and adopted the name Ali Ufki Bey. Sultan Murad IV (r. 1623-1640) employed Ali Ufki in his court as a language interpreter and musical composer. He assembled hundreds of classical Ottoman songs and applied Western staff notations to them for the first time in a work entitled Majmuah-e Saz u Soz (Anthology of Instrumental and Vocal Music). The lyrics for this particular song, which are ascribed to sultan Murad III (1546-1595), express the poet’s remorse for having slept through the dawn prayer. The first line of the poem reads, “Wake from your heedlessness O my eyes awake!”

This beautiful song comes from the Kurdish Qadiri zawiyas (Sufi centres) of Western Iran. It is a traditional devotional piece expressing love of the Prophet and longing to visit Medina. The original words are in Kurdish but additional verses in Persian, Turkish and Arabic have been added. The traditional khānghāh daf rhythm of “Ḥay Allah, Ḥay Allah” is incorporated into this piece with a time signature of 10/8.

This is the second part of “Ya Rasul Allah”. We split the song over two tracks for easier listening.

Written by the Moroccan poet Sidi Othman ibn Yahya Cherki (known as “Sidi Bahloul Cherki”) in the 17th century, the qaṣidah (ode) ‘Fiyyashiyya’ became a standard classic of the Maghrebi genre of malhoun— a genre of Sufi music popular amongst tradesmen in the urban centres of what is today Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. It has become one of the best-known and loved traditional songs amongst Moroccans from all walks of life. The inclusion of tanbour and daf gives this new arrangement a Persian or Khorasani touch. Sami Yusuf has also added English lyrics to the song (English lyrics and translation provided by Dr. Tim Winter).

This song, written in honour of the great Indian saint and founder of the Chishti order, Mu‘in ad-Din Chishti (d. 1236), was composed by the Sabri Brothers from a compilation of poems and melodies of the Chishti order. The music and lyrics have been modified in this rendition: the words are sung entirely in Arabic about the love for the blessed Prophet (pbuh), his household and companions.

“Ben Yürürüm Yane Yane” is a Sufi song that is popular throughout Türkiye and the Balkans. The poem was written by the poet and Sufi mystic, Yunus Emre, who lived in central Anatolia in the 13th century, and it has been sung in the ceremonies of many different Sufi orders in Turkish-speaking lands for hundreds of years. Yunus Emre’s poetry conveys the human longing and love for the Divine, and it continues to be a source of inspiration for composers of Sufi music today. This English rendition, a direct translation of the original Turkish, has been slightly modified from the original melody (introductory music composition and arrangement only) and is sung partially in the original Turkish. English lyrics and translation provided by Dr. Tim Winter.

This song, which has been popular in the Indian subcontinent for centuries, is based on a poem by the Chisti Sufi and musical genius, Amir Khusro, which was later modified by the great Panjabi Sufi poet Bulleh Shah. The song’s lyrics honour and revere (but do not worship) ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, to whom virtually all Sufi orders trace their lineage, as well as the famous 12th century Sufi saint of Sindh, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.

This most famous poem of the 8th century female Sufi saint of Iraq, Rabi‘a al-‘Adawiyyah, has been set to music many times, but this Andalusian melody fits the tone and rhythm of the poem beautifully. The inclusion of the tanbour and daf add a Persian influence to the piece. English lyrics and translation provided by Dr. Tim Winter.

This beautiful piece comes from the Khanqahs (Sufi centres) of the Qadiriya-Talebani Tariqah in Kirkuk, Iraq. The original poem (“Mosalmanan”) was written in Persian approximately 200 years ago by Shaykh Abdul Rahman Khales (Shaykh of the Qadiriya-Talebani Sufi order). However, the lyrics of this rendition come from Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Balkhi’s (“Rumi”) Divān-i Kabir (Ghazal 34). The daf “Hay Allah” maqām is used in the first half of this piece followed by Maqām Haddādī (both traditional khanghāh rhythms).

‘Ṣalla l-Lāhu ‘alā Ṭāhā”was written by the Sudanese/Egyptian Shaykh Salih al-Ja’fari (d. 1979) who taught and lived at the famous al-Azhar University in Cairo and was also the Imam of the al-Azhar mosque. He was a Sufi shaykh in the lineage of Ahmad ibn Idris of Fez (d. 1837) and a prolific author of works on the Quran, Hadith, Islamic law and Sufism. He also wrote a celebrated collection of poetry, from which this song is taken. The end section incorporates the blessed names of the Prophet (pbuh) taken from the Diwan of the famous Moroccan Sufi saint Imam Mohammed Al-Jazuli’s (d. 1465), Dala’il al-Khayrat.
The sidra is a reference to the “Lote tree of the furthest boundary” (sidrat al-muntahā) mentioned in the Quran (53:14) and described by the Prophet on his night journey to heaven (mi’rāj). The sidra marks the outer boundaries that separate the created world (‘ālam al-khalq) from the spiritual world of the divine command (‘ālam al-amr).
The inspiration behind the melody comes from an old Kurdish folk song heard by Sami Yusuf when he was a child.

Although the exact origins of this qawwali are unknown, it is sometimes sung to revere the 12th century Sufi saint, Fariduddin Masud Ganjshakar (or Baba Farid) of the Indian subcontinent. A direct descendant of the second caliph of Islam, ‘Umar ibn Khattab, his poetry is also included in the Guru Granth Sahib — the most sacred scripture of Sikhism. Not only are the verses of this qawwali based on his teachings, but the opening verse of the qawwali, “Ya Hayyu Ya Qayyum” were the last words Baba Farid uttered. It is related that on the 5th of Muharram, in the year 1266 (according to the Gregorian calendar), Baba Farid became unconscious after the ‘Isha (evening) prayer. When he regained his consciousness, he inquired of those present, “Have I offered my ‘Isha prayer?” Although those present answered in the affirmative, Baba Farid replied, “Let me offer it once more for I may not get another chance.” So, he performed ablution again and offered the ‘Isha prayer a second time. Then he fell unconscious once again. On regaining consciousness, he once more performed his ablution and said the ‘Isha prayer for a third time. Whilst still in prostration, he uttered, “Ya Hayyu Ya Qayyum”, and his soul left his body. That is why, for hundreds of years, this qawwali has been sung at the death anniversary of Baba Farid.

The lyrics of this song come from portions of the thousand-verse Hamziyya (poem rhyming in hamza) of the renowned Palestinian scholar Yusuf Nabahani (d. 1932). It describes the Prophet’s life and character and is frequently recited during Mawlid celebrations to commemorate the Prophet’s (pbuh) birthday. The melody sung here is inspired by group chants of the Shadhili-Darqawi-‘Alawi Sufi Order in Mostaghanem, Algeria. The melody has been slightly modified to fit the English lyrics (which are a translation of the original Arabic). English lyrics and translation provided by Dr. Tim Winter.

This is a beautiful love song in praise of the blessed family of the Prophet (Ahl al-Bayt). The four principal rivers of paradise (water, date wine, honey, and milk) go back to Prophetic descriptions of paradise. The poem is inspired by these early traditions. It is of unknown provenance, though it may originate from Morocco or Andalusia. The earliest known reference to this piece dates back to the 17th century, though it may have been composed earlier. Although this piece is traditionally performed a cappella and without harmony, it has been rearranged and modified with minor vocal harmonies for this recording.

This piece, the only original composition on the album, takes as its structure the traditional maqam and dastgah musical systems. Within this framework, the music evokes both power in its dynamic rhythms and beauty in its interwoven melodies. An echo of the Sufi samā’, the ceremony of listening and remembrance, can be heard in the resonant “Allah Hu”.

This song, which has been popular in the Indian subcontinent for centuries, is based on a poem by the Chisti Sufi and musical genius, Amir Khusro, which was later modified by the great Panjabi Sufi poet Bulleh Shah. The song’s lyrics honour and revere (but do not worship) ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, to whom virtually all Sufi orders trace their lineage, as well as the famous 12th century Sufi saint of Sindh, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.

A Qalandar is a type of wandering Sufi or dervish who would often live in the wilderness and wear tattered clothes. Lal Shahbaz Qalandar was one such Sufi.
Drunkenness here refers not to intoxication from alcohol, but to the ecstatic state of remembrance of God. As the famous verse of the Egyptian Sufi poet Ibn al-Farid says:
“In remembrance of the beloved, we drank wine; we were drunk with it even before the creation of the vine.”

This piece was composed by a renowned 17th century Ottoman Polish scholar and musician, Wojciech Bobowski (1610- 1675) who embraced Islam and adopted the name Ali Ufki Bey. Sultan Murad IV (r. 1623-1640) employed Ali Ufki in his court as a language interpreter and musical composer. He assembled hundreds of classical Ottoman songs and applied Western staff notations to them for the first time in a work entitled Majmuah-e Saz u Soz (Anthology of Instrumental and Vocal Music). The lyrics for this particular song, which are ascribed to sultan Murad III (1546-1595), express the poet’s remorse for having slept through the dawn prayer. The first line of the poem reads, “Wake from your heedlessness O my eyes awake!”