Dr. Jai N. Gupta is a longtime business executive and entrepreneur who served as the president of L-3 Communications, a government-services group, and founded EER Systems, a pioneer of voice-recognition and night-vision technologies. Dr. Jai N. Gupta has a passion for Urdu poetry and enjoys listening to Sufi music.
Sufi music is tied to the mystical, philosophical form of Islam developed by Hazrat Inayat Khan, a tradition that focuses on pluralism and tolerance. The lyrics of Sufi songs emphasize a desire to transcend physical existence and unite with the Divine. This ascension to a spiritual realm is accomplished through Sama’a, which encompasses chanting, whirling, and simply feeling the music. Through this process, listeners and participants ultimately attain wajd, or spiritual ecstasy.
With a millennium of tradition behind it, Sufi music spans countries and continents. It is prevalent in the mountains of Iran and Pakistan and thrives in communities ranging from Palestine to Egypt. In Morocco and other North African countries, it takes the form of ma'louf and involves the recitation of qasidah, or classical Arabic poetry, in a chanting circle of “brothers.” In Turkey and Syria, Sufi music is traditionally accompanied by whirling “dervishes,” who dance to delicate instruments such as the oud and the qanun.
Sufi music is tied to the mystical, philosophical form of Islam developed by Hazrat Inayat Khan, a tradition that focuses on pluralism and tolerance. The lyrics of Sufi songs emphasize a desire to transcend physical existence and unite with the Divine. This ascension to a spiritual realm is accomplished through Sama’a, which encompasses chanting, whirling, and simply feeling the music. Through this process, listeners and participants ultimately attain wajd, or spiritual ecstasy.
With a millennium of tradition behind it, Sufi music spans countries and continents. It is prevalent in the mountains of Iran and Pakistan and thrives in communities ranging from Palestine to Egypt. In Morocco and other North African countries, it takes the form of ma'louf and involves the recitation of qasidah, or classical Arabic poetry, in a chanting circle of “brothers.” In Turkey and Syria, Sufi music is traditionally accompanied by whirling “dervishes,” who dance to delicate instruments such as the oud and the qanun.