SUFI POETRY IN SOMALI

(Chris Devlin) #1

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Textual Notes

ASH-SI-IAHADAH, 'There is no god but God.


Muhammad is the Prophet of God.' This pro-
fession of faith is made by a person who embraces

Islam or a Muslim who is on the death-bed, but


it is also repeated by Muslims in public and


private prayers.


KHALAWAH, a Sufi term for retreat .i •. e. a


temporary retirement into solitude for prayer


and meditation.
Muslims believe that Islam is the last religion
of all the revealed religions and hence assumes

the name FURQAN. This Arabic term, which is


related to the root f-r-q 'to separate', conveys


the meaning: 'The one which distinguishes between


good and evil, and between lawfulness and unlaw-
fulnes·s. '

The word $IRAT occurs many times in the Quran,


but often in the phrase of $IRAT- 'L-MUSTAQIM


(The Right Path) of religioi. In Muslim
tradition, however, it is commonly used for the
bridge across Hell which is described as finer

than a hair and sharper than the edge of a


knite. In the Day of Judgement all will cross
this bridge and the righteous will pass over it

with the swiftness of lightning while the wicked


will find difficulties in crossing it and will
finally fall into the fire of Hell. In this
line the poet invokes the saints, who are
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