Body and Soul

Liner notes

Sufism, Islamic mysticism, is in essence a message of love. The metaphor of love, lover and the beloved was developed so intensely by Sufism that its metaphoric significance was and is sometimes mistaken for wanton sexuality.

Key to sufism is the concept of disciple and master, the master being belover. However, it is important to note that the beloved is an embodiment of a spirtitual beloved entirely beyond physical form.

Of all the Sufi orders that played a part in popularising the message of love in the Indian sub-continent, the most significant was the Chisti order which had its origins in the village of Chist in North Eastern Iran.

At the end of the 12th century Moinuddin Hasan Chisti established the order in India. His Tomb in Ajmeer, today in India, is a famous centre of pilgrimage for muslims, Hindu, Sikhs and Christians. Moinuddin’s disciple was Outbuddin Bakhtiyar, who in turn was the master of farid Uddin Masud, known as Baba Farid Ganj-I-Shakar. Through his many disciples Baba Farid was responsible for the spread of the order of different parts of India.

A central motif in Sufi songs is the image of the seperated beloved. Of the four songs on this rcording only one is a devotional praise song. ‘Mayey Nee Main Dhak Farid Dey Jana (Mother, I have to go to Farid)’, dedicated to Baba Farid; the others take the form of love songs. Usually evening is the time for lovers’ trysts. It is not uncommon practise that the writer of a song signs it by mentioning his own name in a lyric. Often the singer takes on the persona of a young woman who yearns to be united with her male beloved.

Undoubtedly in recent times, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan through his music was the most significant bearer of the Sufi message of love.