THE
ARCANE
ARCHIVE

a cache of usenet and other text files pertaining
to occult, mystical, and spiritual subjects.


TOP | RELIGION | ISLAM | SUFISM

Various: Sound and Sufism

To: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.sufi,alt.islam.sufism,alt.religion.gnostic,talk.religion.misc,talk.religion.newage
From: tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com (nagasiva)
Subject: Various: Sound and Sufism
Date: 13 Sep 1997 12:23:57 -0700

====================================
~From: James McCaig 

Friends,

There is no doubt that the sounds of the Koran are taken from a time when
the science of sounds and words was more fully understood than in the
present.  Listening to, or chanting the words is a wonderful Zikar, equal
almost to the sounds of nature, the nightingale for example.

The call of the Azan can be a mighty tonic.

Warm regards,

==========================================================================

~From: YahyaM@aol.com

"The benefits and effects of the Qur'an are like a seed that eventually sends
out twigs, branches, roots, and leaves of sustenance in every direction.  The
Hadith state: 'Whoever reads the Qur'an and acts upon what is contained in
it, his parents will be made to wear a crown on the Day of Judgment, the
brilliance of which will exceed that of the sun, if it were brought down into
your houses.  So if that is the reward for the parents, what do you think is
the reward for the person who acts upon it himself?'

"The most important consideration regarding the Qur'an is that Allah states
in the Book that it is not of human origin; it consists of the actual,
pre-eternal, uncreated speech of Allah Himself.  As such, no other book
exists which carries the degree of perfection and balance in its words.  Even
the most disinterested observer cannot fail to be impressed upon hearing the
Qur'an recited.  It is of surpassing beauty, melody, and majesty. 

"Another important point about the Qur'an is that within the first seven
lines, virtually all of the sounds that occur in Arabic are uttered.  One of
these letters is *ghayn*, which when uttered causes a kind of growling,
guttural sound in the back of the throat.  Each letter sets off a vibratory
pattern that travels in a specific direction, lasts a specific duration, and
produces specific physical, mental, and spiritual effects.  The sound of the
letter *ghayn* (and also *kha'*, *`ayn* and others) is ususally not made in
the English language.  This means that the effects associated with such
letters are not felt unless one recites the Arabic.  It is a bit curious that
most of the sounds that occur in Arabic and not in English are associated
with the sounds of choking in English!

"Even more important, the various combinations of vowels and consonants
combine to stimulate and disperse the divine attributes throughout the body
of the reciter in perfect measure.  One of the attributes is *al-Ghafur* (the
Forgiver), which contains the letter *ghayn*.  One who never recites this
letter is deprived of the full measure of forgiveness in his or her own soul.

"There are three basic vowel sounds in Arabic: the letters *alif*, *waw*, and
*ya'*.

Name of Vowel Sound        Pronunciation
Alif                                    a as in father
Ya'                                    i as in machine
Waw                                 u as in you

All languages utilize these three basic long vowel sounds, and they can be
thought of as universal harmonic constants, uttered not only by humans, but
by every being in Creation.  Once one has become attuned to these sounds, one
can listen in on the conversations of all of nature!

"The vibrations of these sounds have different effects.  The long vowel sound
of *a* travels downward and stimulates the heart, the repository of divine
attributes.  The long *i* travels upward and stimulates the pineal gland,
which is not fully understood by Western science, but is felt to be
responsible for activation of the life forces.  And the long sound of *u*
resonates on the outer rim of the pursed lips, and intermingles with the
*idhn* [permission] of Allah, as His permission for our lives unites with our
inhaled and exhaled breaths.

"These sounds are not particularly sung or spoken, but are expressed in a
special recitation, which is achieved correctly after some time of reading
from the Qur'an.  In time, these sounds resonate their essence in the tone
box of the soul.  This may seem a vague manner of expressing such things, but
until and unless one experiences it, such descriptions must suffice."

--Shaykh Hakim Ghulam Moinuddin Chishti, "The Universe of the Breath" from
*The Book of Sufi Healing* (New York: Inner Traditions International, 1985),
p. 125-126.
-- 
(emailed replies may be posted);join the AMT syncretism!!;call: 408/2-666-SLUG!
see http://www.abyss.com/tokus; "Clement of Rome taught that God rules the world
with a right and a left hand, the right being Christ, the left Satan." - CGJung

The Arcane Archive is copyright by the authors cited.
Send comments to the Arcane Archivist: tyaginator@arcane-archive.org.

Did you like what you read here? Find it useful?
Then please click on the Paypal Secure Server logo and make a small
donation to the site maintainer for the creation and upkeep of this site.

The ARCANE ARCHIVE is a large domain,
organized into a number of sub-directories,
each dealing with a different branch of
religion, mysticism, occultism, or esoteric knowledge.
Here are the major ARCANE ARCHIVE directories you can visit:
interdisciplinary: geometry, natural proportion, ratio, archaeoastronomy
mysticism: enlightenment, self-realization, trance, meditation, consciousness
occultism: divination, hermeticism, amulets, sigils, magick, witchcraft, spells
religion: buddhism, christianity, hinduism, islam, judaism, taoism, wicca, voodoo
societies and fraternal orders: freemasonry, golden dawn, rosicrucians, etc.

SEARCH THE ARCANE ARCHIVE

There are thousands of web pages at the ARCANE ARCHIVE. You can use ATOMZ.COM
to search for a single word (like witchcraft, hoodoo, pagan, or magic) or an
exact phrase (like Kwan Yin, golden ratio, or book of shadows):

Search For:
Match:  Any word All words Exact phrase

OTHER ESOTERIC AND OCCULT SITES OF INTEREST

Southern Spirits: 19th and 20th century accounts of hoodoo, including slave narratives & interviews
Hoodoo in Theory and Practice by cat yronwode: an introduction to African-American rootwork
Lucky W Amulet Archive by cat yronwode: an online museum of worldwide talismans and charms
Sacred Sex: essays and articles on tantra yoga, neo-tantra, karezza, sex magic, and sex worship
Sacred Landscape: essays and articles on archaeoastronomy, sacred architecture, and sacred geometry
Lucky Mojo Forum: practitioners answer queries on conjure; sponsored by the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
Herb Magic: illustrated descriptions of magic herbs with free spells, recipes, and an ordering option
Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers: ethical diviners and hoodoo spell-casters
Freemasonry for Women by cat yronwode: a history of mixed-gender Freemasonic lodges
Missionary Independent Spiritual Church: spirit-led, inter-faith, the Smallest Church in the World
Satan Service Org: an archive presenting the theory, practice, and history of Satanism and Satanists
Gospel of Satan: the story of Jesus and the angels, from the perspective of the God of this World
Lucky Mojo Usenet FAQ Archive: FAQs and REFs for occult and magical usenet newsgroups
Candles and Curios: essays and articles on traditional African American conjure and folk magic
Aleister Crowley Text Archive: a multitude of texts by an early 20th century ceremonial occultist
Spiritual Spells: lessons in folk magic and spell casting from an eclectic Wiccan perspective
The Mystic Tea Room: divination by reading tea-leaves, with a museum of antique fortune telling cups
Yronwode Institution for the Preservation and Popularization of Indigenous Ethnomagicology
Yronwode Home: personal pages of catherine yronwode and nagasiva yronwode, magical archivists
Lucky Mojo Magic Spells Archives: love spells, money spells, luck spells, protection spells, etc.
      Free Love Spell Archive: love spells, attraction spells, sex magick, romance spells, and lust spells
      Free Money Spell Archive: money spells, prosperity spells, and wealth spells for job and business
      Free Protection Spell Archive: protection spells against witchcraft, jinxes, hexes, and the evil eye
      Free Gambling Luck Spell Archive: lucky gambling spells for the lottery, casinos, and races