SUFI POETRY IN SOMALI

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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