Turkish Sacred Songs - New, First English Translation,
*[A4] Large Paperback - 54 pages,
Arranged and Translated by Abdal Hakim Murad,
Published by Muslim Academic Trust, UK.




Description :


'' The songs (ilahis) we have gathered here are arranged according to makams (maqams), which are the most characteristic feature of Middle Eastern and Islamic music. There are in theory over four hundred of these, including some which have been devised in the last few years, but in practice most are not used today.


Turkish religious music exists in a variety of genres or forms. An ilahi is a hymn, a musical arrangement of a poem. This is the most common form, represented in an immense literature stretching back to the thirteenth century, and still growing.


The subject matter of this literature is wide ranging. However the most popular, even the determining theme, is that of the soul's nostalgic longing to return to the divine presence after its exile, the source of our selfish and distracted lifestyles.


Like the legendary Majnun, the madman who wandered in search of his Layla in the Arabian wilderness, we are heartstick with this longing, and our healing is to be found in remembering and finding God, which is the 'wine' which intoxicates us with the Beloved's beauty. This intoxication takes place in a 'tavern', a metaphor for any gathering-place of God's lovers, where the cup of love is passed among the brethren, whose souls dance for joy at the very mention of the lost beloved, the 'Him' (Hu) that they seek.


The English translations have sought to remain close to the Turkish originals while remaining in some degree poetical. '' _{---Abdal Hakim Murad}.






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*Dimensions : 25.5 x 18cm.