In Xanadu: A Quest, William Dalrymple’s first book, is a work that amassed critical acclaim from the likes of Sir Alex Guinness (“The delightful, and funny, surprise mystery tour of the year”), and the doyen of modern travel literature Patrick Leigh Fermor (“…a most gifted book touched by the spirits of Kinglake, Robert Byron and Evelyn Waugh”), which must have made the twenty-two-year-old author’s head spin. It is by turns a very funny book. He changed his female traveling companion halfway but still managed to produce a work loaded with history and knowledge acquired when the author set off in the footsteps of Marco Polo from Jerusalem to the fabled city court of Kubla Khan in China. But those were early days and William Dalrymple has now become the chronicler of all things pertaining to the subcontinent of India, with doorstopper books to match. His Nine Lives is a personal favorite and amounts to research beyond the call of duty in which the writer sets off in search of the sacred in modern India. Again, marvelous writing as the author attaches himself to some of the adventurers within the life of the soul who have devoted their lives to extremes.

Music

After being made aware of World Music, we have been given a novel approach to Orientalism   through what has been termed “fusion.” Jan Garbarek is a Norwegian jazz musician who has felt an attraction to the music of the Orient. He is a saxophonist of great ability, an ability that that has enabled him to transcend common musical performance for he is able to assimilate the themes and rhythms of the East without seemingly imposing the conventions of the West. Any reader wishing to experience Garbarek’s music is advised to purchase the CD Madar, which has been released on the excellent German ECM label. Given that all musical appreciation is subjective, your correspondent suggests that this is currently the most exciting music on the planet. Grabarek plays tenor- and soprano saxophones on this recording, with Anouar Brahem from Tunis on the lute-like oud, supported admirably by the scintillating tabla of Ustad Shaukat Hussein from India. It is perfectly apparent that despite pessimistic and obviously conflicting academic views, East will meet West as sure as there exists any attraction between the sexes, and above all between musicians. Which medium could bring it about better than music, for some the highest of the arts?

For the general record-purchasing public the music of Asia more or less began with George Harrison who learned to play the sitar (“I started 15 years too late,” he said), and sang My Sweet Lord, his emotionally charged yearn for transcendence, with a brief intro on the instrument that beguiled everyone. The book that documents, in a fascinating way, all of the Asian music that revolutionized and widened the West’s appreciation of it is The Dawn of Indian Music in the West by Peter Lavezzoli, with an introduction by the master, Ravi Shankar. The author, himself a musician, tells of the violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin’s impassioned support of Indian classical music as early as 1955. Lavezzoli’s relentless research is a magnificent tribute and includes some fascinating and extensive in-depth interviews with classical, jazz and rock musicians who had willingly succumbed to the art of the raga. The interviews reveal that the rock musicians of the 1950s and ’60s were endowed with sensibilities that went beyond the norm and showed that they were not always interested in musical excitement based on a series of riffs and little else. David Crosby, who went on be a part of the successful Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young band, and Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, were both intelligent men who were at home with John Coltrane’s jazz and were also intrigued with the intricacies of Indian classical music. The sarod drone, the sitar’s first notes – like tin-foil blossoms cascading down – tinkles seductively to your ears. Then comes the pervasive backwash of delicate, reverberating sound the way an artist gives the foundation to a picture, followed by the pulsating ever-present sheets of sound. John Coltrane would have felt perfectly at home. The tabla player waits, resisting any urge to intrude until, there it is, the sudden opening, the sudden right moment, and with a decisive whack he was a part of it all. His insistent accents, punctuations, and singing taps made everything perfect. The sarod, the sitar and the tabla become instrumental friends. They literally hit a groove.

Lavezzoli’s book is a kaleidoscopic, dense appraisal for anyone with any interest in music of what can only be termed spiritual inspiration. This has to be the definitive work.

The Orientalists

Kristian Davies has produced a book of unsurpassed beauty. The Orientalists – Western Artists in Arabia, The Sahara, Persia & India is utterly irresistible. Published in 2005 and sold at an unbelievably reasonable $70, one will now need to consider spending around $200 for the cheapest on the market, then think in terms of $2,000 for a pristine copy. For anyone wishing to own great books, the outlay is worth it. There are 300 pages of text, and color plates in which to drench your eyes. We are not excused the debate around the theme that has raged for a while.

Orientalism has become the catchword for all that could be seen as negative. It is again, addressed here, that one finds the debate about blame apportioned to the West in respect of attitudes against all that is by definition “other.” On the one hand Mr. Davies rightly defends his position by presenting great works of art that are reason enough in themselves to make pointless all intellectual contention. One sides with Mr. Davies because – what the heck – who gives two figs for politics when one is confronted with such unsurpassed beauty? To be fair, however, one also reads something rather damning in The Brown Sahib (revisited) by Varindra Tarzie Vittachi in which he quotes from Lord Macaulay in 1835: “We must at present do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern, a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect.” The West has looked down on the East, but then humans apparently need something or someone to look down on for reasons best known to their own inner worlds. The argument that an excess of Oriental color and physical voluptuousness is not without reason, however, and one can be startled by what appears to be an exaggeration of physical prowess or physical beauty. Then something otherwise commonplace is seen. The tiles portrayed, quite rightly, in many Oriental pictures are here at a level of gorgeousness beyond comparison. The carpets are sublime, and the camels magnificently haughty. Kristian Davies has given us a dream made apparent with additional essays on Arthur Rimbaud, Jean-Louis Burckhardt, Sir Richard F. Burton, Jean-Léon Gérôme, JamesTissot and Jane Digby el-Mezrab. The color plates, which dazzle and delight are by such painters as Gustav Bauernfeind, and the American James Fairman, together with the British painter David Roberts, Eugène Delacroix, and many, many more.

In the “footnotes of Ibn Battuta”

Tim Mackintosh-Smith gives us Travels with a Tangerine: A Journey in the Footnotes of Ibn Battutah. The title may suggest a less than adept juggler, but a Tangerine meant here is a person from Tangiers. Mr. M-S (he abbreviates his hero throughout to IB) has a way with words and once underway is hardly stoppable when his pen doth riotous flow. His knowledge of all things Oriental will astonish, he is mind-bogglingly informed about God and the world and, of course, Ibn Battuta. Book two within his IB trilogy is The Hall of a Thousand Pillars, and it is here that M-S, faithfully follows IB’s journeys in India, which started in 1332. Book three is Landfalls: On the Edge of Islam from Zanzibar to the Alhambra. There is a free-for-all exposition of IB’s Islamic acquaintances and, again, M-S shows the depth of his own reading and research on the ground (try foot-slogging around India and you will know what that means). This is premier-league travel writing, which also makes Tim Mackintosh-Smith an Orientalist of note.

Istanbul

There have been many books written about the city of Constantine, but probably the most famous in modern times is Strolling Through Istanbul by Hilary Sumner-Boyd and John Freely. These two American expatriate academics produced a book, first published in 1972, that the Times of London reviewed as “the best travel guide to Istanbul.” This book is exhaustive in detail and is meant for people who will be obliged to walk the walk and have little breath remaining to talk. Chapter for chapter, day by day, each city landmark is given an itinerary, with maps, that will appeal to visitors who will definitely wish to go beyond the Grand Bazaar (your correspondent remembers it before the Coca-Cola machines), although it is also described, of course. The Haghia Sophia is given elucidation, as is Topkapi, and an endless series of museums, monuments, palaces, bazaars, markets, mosques, streets and alleys, schools of religion and, quite obviously, the ubiquitous public baths. History is writ large and architecture larger still. One of the wonders is the Şehzade mosque, also known as the Prince’s Palace, which was created by Süleyman the Magnificent to commemorate his son who died at the age of only 22. Determination and well-worn-in shoes are called for because the book urges one to go forth and inspect a further Süleyman edifice, the Süleymaniye mosque complex, considered by the authors to be the most important Ottoman building in Istanbul. The book continues to be a fascinating read and there is little, if anything, of the history of the city that has been left out. This book is highly recommended as a proper guide for visitors with both physical and intellectual stamina that will probably not inform one of a good restaurant, but will get you deeply immersed in the history of one of the world’s most fascinating cities.

Published in 2016 by the American University in Cairo Press, and edited by the Turkish novelist and essayist Kaya Genç, An Istanbul Anthology – Travel Writing through the Centuries comprises a selection of vignettes by famous men and women of letters. Mark Twain remains true to character with his sardonic wit, while André Gide and Gustav Flaubert are dismissive to an extreme. Ernest Hemingway is positively lyrical (“…the Golden Horn with its minarets rising out of it slim and clean towards the sun…”), and also included are brief extracts from the writings of Hans Christian Anderson, Herman Melville, and many more. Lady Hester Stanhope tells of her experiences in the Cağaloğlu hamam, after which she awakens hungry and refreshed. Gérard de Nerval describes a Dervish lodge at Pera. Théophile Gautier offers a knowledgeable introduction to Ramadan in the city. Twenty-four writers are here, some with more than one piece included. This delightful little book contains a number of beautiful illustrations of seemingly antique vintage.

Jerusalem

One of my favorite books is by the now demised but still celebrated author, Amos Oz. In his revealing In the Land of Israel the writer undertook a tour of the Holy Land in the 1980s to interview Jews and Arabs of all kinds. This amounts to worldly wisdom strictly according to the status quo. Amos Oz, however, was a peacenik and he included an interview with an elderly person who was quoted as saying, “This land belongs to nobody but God, when both the Arabs and the Israelis realize that there will be peace.” What is most evident is the view from the ground, of the ordinary people of all political or religious persuasions. We read of the internal worlds of those inhabiting a land in conflict. Israel exists in a state of cause and effect. In an interview that your correspondent had with the now demised Teddy Kollek, the mayor of Jerusalem for 28 years, he said, “I don’t think Jerusalem is worth the loss of a single life.” Amos Oz’s interviews end for the most part in expressions of bitter resolve or a sheer sense of helplessness. Above all else this book is as good as it gets when one wishes to become acquainted with the turmoil that is prevalent in the land of Israel. The writing is superb, pithy, factual, and embarrassingly honest.

And so to bed, and what better read than The Middle East Bedside Book to help one end the day with a contented smile or two. Edited by Tahir Shah, we find a selection of proverbs by Abdesalam Tunisi, who suggests that “too many captains sink the ship,” which obviously rings a culinary bell. There are extracts from The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan (sic) as well as A Thousand and One Nights. Among The Saying from the Prophet Mohammed is one example that will give pause for thought at the end of Ramadan: “How many who fast who know nothing of fasting except its thirst, and how many pray who know nothing of prayer but its sleeplessness.” Quite understandably Tahir has included some of the writings by his famous father, Idries Shah, who contributes a bantering essay about British expats in Bahrain. The writer on all things pertaining to Sufism actually offers less spiritual wisdom but all the more of his Travel Notes, which can be fully enjoyed in his book Destination Mecca. There are stories galore, each under their own title, such as Chivalry and Teachers, Customs and Social Habits, Rituals and Human Nature, Eating Customs among the Turks and Arabs (including several recipes), Wisdom and Honor, most of which are taken from early manuscripts. Under “behavior” we read from Ibn Amru: the Prophet said “The most beloved of mine among you is whoever has the best manners.” Suffice it to say, this book is a gem.

Addendum

A force to be reckoned with is Alfred Guillaume’s The Life of Muhammad – a translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah. First published in Pakistan by the Oxford University Press in 1955, and now available in an edition of 1983, Guillaume’s work amounts to more than 800 pages of small print, which covers just about every aspect of the Prophet’s life. This work amounts to detail to the ultimate degree and should be on any serious Muslim’s bookshelf.

• The Orientalists – Part 1

The motion of the stars and celestial bodies result in inaudible sounds, reflecting the mathematical harmony of the macrocosm. In the animal kingdom, we see that music emerged long before humans did. Archaeologists have uncovered what they think were ancient flutes as old as 43,000 years and musical notations as old as 4,000 years. Music has always played a part in humankind’s development (Andrews 2018). There is not one place in the world that does not have some kind of musical culture. This scheme of cosmic music suggests that music is a universal language. However, many have questioned why, “as neither the enjoyment nor capacity of producing music notes are faculties of the least use to man… they must be ranked among the most mysterious with which he is endowed (Darwin 1871).”

Why is it that whale and human music have so much in common? How is it that music reaches deeper, past our auditory cortex, to activate our limbic system, which our emotions are connected to? One can thus ponder the biological purpose of music since it does not contribute directly towards our survival. Some people, such as Dr. Steven Pinker, suggest that music is merely “auditory cheesecake,” a by-product of our motivational systems that give us pleasure and release dopamine; “as far as biological cause and effect are concerned, music is useless … it could vanish from our species and the rest of our lifestyle would be virtually unchanged” (Leutwyler 2001).

Looking back at history allows us to see that music was implemented as a healing tool for centuries. Hippocrates played music to treat mental health patients as early as 400 BC. In the Bible, David played the harp to heal King Saul of a bad spirit. Physicians such as Al-Farabi (Alpharabius), Al-Razi (Rhazes), and Ibn Sina (Avicenna) passed on their ideas of music therapy that Ottoman physicians developed further into therapeutic systems. Muslim scientists traced ancient musical theories of the Hellenistic sources (borrowed mainly from Sumerian, Babylonian, and Egyptian concepts and perspectives) as well as the Chinese and Indian sources, and melded western and far eastern ideas to introduce a new and innovative approach. Patients suffering from a certain physical or psychological illness were expected to be influenced by certain makams, or specific musical modes, and were prescribed these makams for therapeutic purposes. These effects were systematically applied as preventative and curative means. For example, sciatica (a type of back pain) was expected to be treated with the neva makam, which also brings a person pleasure and contentment and is most effective in the evening. Hüseyni makam, most effective at dawn, was used to treat fever; zengule and irak were for meningitis (referred to as sersam) (Sari 2009). Native American communities still practice religious healing ceremonies consisting of prayer, dance, and chanting to help members of their tribe heal and find harmony. The earliest proponents of music therapy, whether they be from the East or West, engaged in scientific debate with each other, curious as to why they observed improvements in their patients with music therapy. One theory was that music, humans, and cosmology were in harmony with the physical elements of water, air, fire, and soil. Others approached sound from a physicist’s point of view and discussed the nature of sound, its subdivisions, and the process of perceiving sound. They also debated what these therapies could be used for, some argued they were only suitable for treating mental disorders, whereas others supported its expansion for other physical ailments.

It has long been argued whether or not music therapy is only useful for regulating emotions or if it can also be used to aid the treatment of physical ailments. It has also long been observed in psychology and biology that specific emotions result in well-known physiological responses. For example, when you feel sad, your skin’s conductivity usually decreases and heart’s pulse slows down, while blood pressure and body temperature rise. Fear often results in an increased heart rate, and happiness tends to make us breathe faster. We see that music can directly trigger these emotions: music with a quick tempo and major (wider interval, more open sound) key bring about the physical changes associated with happiness, whereas a slow tempo and minor (narrow interval) key result in those associated with sadness. However, newer research (Jolij & Meurs 2011) suggests that music does not only affect our moods but that it can affect our worldviews and can even change our perceptions of the world. Since emotions elicit physiological responses, music therapy may have the capacity to prevent or treat physical illnesses, in addition to emotional and psychological ones.

These debates still continue, but with the technologies of today and the evidence we record in patients, we see the potential for music therapy more than ever. Maybe the more important question isn’t how, but why this information is important and how we can properly utilize it. If music is so universal and so essential, what effects does it have on what makes us, us: our soul and body? Music therapy tries to answer this question. In western tradition, the Latin phrase “Mens sana in corpore san,” which means “a healthy mind in a healthy body” is supported with the current psychological understanding that there is a clear connection between body and psyche and how both processes react to each other. As functional MRIs allow us to see the living brain dance as individuals listen to, imagine, and even compose music, we are finding many answers and also asking new questions. We see there is no single center within the brain that responds to musical activity and that different parts of the brain light up for different people. Many current studies explore the positive effects of music therapy, meditation, and other holistic treatment options for pain management. In 1944, Michigan State University established the first academic program in music therapy and the Certification Board for Music Therapists was incorporated in 1983 to assure the competency of credentialed music therapists. Currently, in the United States, music therapy is an established profession that uses music as a therapeutic tool to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. Since 1998, the American Music Therapy Association has been the intellectual home of music therapists and has published two research journals that promote music therapy through social media streams in addition to podcasts, scholarships, and newsletters.

Contemporary music therapy comes in two forms: active and receptive. In active therapy the therapist and patient make music together, with their voice, instruments, or other objects, allowing the patient to express his or her creativity. Receptive therapy, on the other hand, is very similar to what we observed with historical musical therapists where a therapist plays music for the patient to listen to. It is used in a variety of fields, for example, individuals with special needs focus on developmental work, such as communication or motor skills. In the physical rehabilitation of stroke victims, practices include processing and relaxing via rhythmic entertainment. Alcohol and drug recovery programs, correctional facilities, medical hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, and cancer centers have also utilized music therapy in various forms. Current music therapists work with older adults to lessen dementia symptoms, children with autism to improve communication capabilities, and with premature infants to improve sleep patterns and increase weight gain.

Neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks has done incredible research on the power of music therapy for the treatment of dementia. His curiosity was sparked in 1966 when he first saw the profound effects music had on long drifted Parkinson’s patients which he described in the book, Awakenings. With music, he saw his patients awaken, their dyskinesias diminishing, and their memories coming back into view. What may seem magical to some is simple neuroscience to others: Parkinson’s is a dysfunction of dopaminergic neurons in the brain, and the memory of music we love gives us a rush of dopamine. He also applied what he observed with his Alzheimer’s patients who couldn’t remember their own names (Sacks 2008). After being immersed in a “brain bath” of music from the patient’s past, they could now have a conversation and talk about their childhood memories. “Even if they can’t recognize loved ones and they’ve stopped speaking, they hear music and they come alive.”

In other neurological conditions such as strokes, aphasias (difficulties with expressive language due to head trauma or brain tumors), autism, and psychiatric illnesses, there is growing evidence of the difference music therapy can have on long-term outcomes. Stroke patients who choose to add music therapy, in addition to other treatments, have an overall better quality of life and are better able to regulate their emotions and communicate with fewer occurrences of depression and anxiety while also having a greater increase in muscle strength. Melodic intonation therapy (MIT) is an active therapy technique that is used to help treat communication disorders (aphasias) that were caused by brain damage (Norton 2009). It encourages patients to sing and hum in order to engage the language-capable regions of their brains. Sometimes this humming can be accompanied by physical movements such as tapping of the hand or drumming. Along with these neural activations, visual stimuli of the word to be relearned will be shown. With many repetitions, patients can eventually remember words without the musical and physical cues. With the connections that have been illustrated between music, emotion, and communication, it’s not difficult to see how music could also help patients who are autistic and having difficulty with social interactions. Research has illustrated the usefulness of music therapy in autism treatment approaches, and how it promotes healthy neurodevelopment along with honing socio-communication, interaction, speech production, language acquisition, attention, and motor skills. There is also much evidence that supports music therapy as supplemental treatment in patients suffering from psychiatric ailments such as schizophrenia, major depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

We are also starting to see the emergence of music therapy research that concerns non-neurological conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune diseases including arthritis or lupus. It is easier to wrap one’s mind around how music therapy may help someone with heart disease, but more difficult to understand how it could have any effect on autoimmune diseases, which are already a mystery for modern medicine to treat. As mentioned above, music and emotions go hand in hand; when we feel happy or relaxed our heart beats in a different way than when we feel angry or stressed. These long-term effects can reduce blood pressure and provide a healthy environment for our hearts.

Emerging research shows that listening to music can actually alter our genetic material on a molecular level. Scientists at the University of Helsinki found that music directly affects human RNA, which is the very core of one’s biological being (Kanduri 2015). A similar research project is also underway at Kyoto University. Another approach, if we remember our historical physicians’ debates, is high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), which harnesses the actual physical property of sound waves and targets them toward cancer cells, which is already being used as an FDA-approved treatment to cure prostate cancer (FDA 2015).

The sensation of perceiving music is on a spectrum; it changes from anhedonia (almost no dopamine response) to synthesis (increased dopamine response). But even when we take away the dopamine rush and the element of enjoyment, there is still a benefit of music/sound waves from a purely physical point of view, as in the ultrasound treatment of cancer or in the rewriting of our DNA with post-transcriptional regulation.

As can be seen with the historical and current explorations, there is much potential in music therapy. There is still much to be uncovered about the power of sound and music, but this will require a multi-pronged, interdisciplinary approach from budding STEM enthusiasts.

References

• Andrews, Evan. 2018. “What is the oldest known piece of music?” https://www.history.com/news/what-is-the-oldest-known-piece-of-music
• Darwin, Charles. 1871. The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, UK: John Murray.
• Leutwyler, Kristin. 2001. “Exploring the Musical Brain,” Scientific American. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/exploring-the-musical-bra/
• Sacks, Oliver. 2008. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, Vintage.
• “Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory Featurette” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HLEr-zP3fc)
• Sari, Nil. 2009. “Ottoman Music Therapy” http://www.muslimheritage.com/article/ottoman-music-therapy#sec_2
• Norton, Andrea. 2009. Melodic Intonation Therapy: Shared Insights on How it is Done and Why it Might Help
• Kanduri, Chakravarthi, et al. 2015. “The Effect of Listening to Music on Human Transcriptome,” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4362302/
• Jolij, Jacob. 2011. “Music Alters Visual Perception,” https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0018861
• De Novo Classification Request for Sonablate 450. 2015. https://fountainmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/DEN150011-7a9.pdf

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a terminal illness of the nervous system, resulting in the degeneration of neurons. When the motor neurons in the lateral spinal cord degenerate, the muscle cannot be stimulated and gradually atrophies. As the disease progresses, the brain cannot initiate and control muscle movement, so voluntary muscle actions, such as reaching for your phone or typing on a keyboard, are lost. Currently there are no treatments or cures to reverse the effects of ALS and the disease process is still widely unknown. Some noteworthy individuals diagnosed with this disease have included Lou Gehrig, Stephen Hawking, Jon Stone, George Yardley, Henry A. Wallace, and Steve Gleason. These are the facts, but I could have never realized what living with ALS was like until I listened to a retired senior, a teacher, and a musician tell me their stories.

The older couple told us of their past year as the husband wrote on an electronic note pad to fill in the gaps of his spouse’s version of their story. They had first noticed his symptoms when he began choking on his food, and they had to adapt as the disease progression got more and more severe. His wife comically said that she doesn’t know where to look when he’s trying to talk to her – “Should I look at his eyes, his mouth, this pad?” Every day, they had to face a new challenge and overcome it together, as a family.

Another patient was a mother, a teacher, now wheelchair bound and with a respirator to help her breathe. Because of her age, none of her physicians expected ALS and thought she was struggling from carpal tunnel syndrome or an ulnar nerve injury. She told us her husband was her biggest caregiver and supporter; her husband joked, “She makes the list and I carry it out.” He talked about his struggles, working full time as well as being a full-time caregiver for his wife and their 3-year-old daughter, as well as still finding time for self-care. Even with all this juggling, he felt guilty. This guilt was expressed by many of the caregivers: some because they didn’t even notice the symptoms and others because they felt like they couldn’t help their spouses. Guilt was felt by the patients too. The mother was upset because her daughter would only remember her in a wheelchair. Despite the difficulties, family was a major support system for each patient.

When asked about how she felt after getting her diagnosis, the musician said, “I felt like a deer in headlights… I never pictured I was going to go out that way… with a terminal illness… Last year I had no trouble walking, singing, cooking, gardening, and this year…” Despite all of this, she said she felt relieved. Her struggle to find a neurologist who respected her was heartbreaking. She had gone to a physician because she felt helpless; she was having trouble playing guitar, she was losing her identity as a musician. However, the physician assumed from her past medical history of anxiety that she was having mental issues with memory, anxiety, and depression. As she continued to receive hostile treatment, she found a second doctor who listened to her. Unfortunately, even though he took her seriously, he didn’t have the courage to diagnose her with ALS, telling her instead that she had a motor neuron disease and referring her to a specialist. When she finally received the diagnosis of ALS, she was relieved. She no longer felt crazy. She was able to be heard. She was able to communicate with someone who wanted to help her. ALS is already a hard disease to diagnose; not having someone on her side only made her situation more difficult. She says now, as each symptom appears, she isn’t afraid anymore, because she knows it’s ALS. This relief of having a concrete diagnosis, of having a diagnosable disease, even one that is untreatable, was reiterated by several of the other panelists.

Although a diagnosis was a relief for many of the patients, they all saw the importance of taking part in clinical trials. They recognized that ALS affects everyone at different times in different ways and hoped that one day they could explain why this illness is so hard to detect and track. Participating in various studies and trials made them feel like they were helping future patients and physicians to be able to better understand why this terminal disease can strike at any time, with no discernable warning signs, affecting each individual uniquely in initial symptoms and progression.

Getting a concrete diagnosis gave these patients the freedom to seize the day and live in the moment. For the musician, as her ability to play guitar diminished chord by chord, and she started slurring her words, preserving her voice and her identity became very important to her. She is using a message banking app to preserve her voice. The software requires her to read thousands of words and sentences. Although she had to accept the things she could no longer do, she realized that she did not have to give up her identity or love of music because of ALS. Overflowing with her love of music, she told us about how when choirs sings together, their hearts become synchronized; and how music lowers blood pressure and stimulates all areas of the brain. As she interwove details about her symptoms with her favorite song, Fire on the Mountain by the Grateful Dead, the two had become part of the same spiritual transformation. Smiling peacefully, she explained, “Maybe nobody else hears it the way I do. I see death as the final healing, finally being released from your body.” She viewed her diagnosis as graduating early and the symptoms that came attached with it as her disappearing slowly, rather than all at once. The unavoidable indignities were just something she had to accept. What mattered most to her was keeping her individual personality in the face of intense daily struggles.

By the end of our discussion, I felt the weight of my white coat as I never had before and recognized that this would be the first of many times that I would have to carry this symbol of patient advocacy. As these patients spilled all their vulnerabilities to a group of 50 students, I realized the most important thing I will learn in medical school is opening my heart without getting crushed under negativity. I learned that, as doctors, we have the tendency to think the ultimate solution is life, when in truth, mortality is the reality. What matters is being present when there is a fire, realizing that “a pail of water” may not be enough to put it out, but continuing to carry that water for your patient.

Long distance runner, what you standin there for?
Get up, get out, get out of the door

There’s a dragon with matches that’s loose on the town
Takes a whole pail of water just to cool him down
-The Grateful Dead

In our interview with Dr. Charles Townes from California, a Nobel laureate, the core message of the lead article is further developed; Townes notes “the most fundamental and human question is the meaning of life.” According to Townes, religion and science are much more consistent with one another than people think and questions like “why are we here and what should we do? How did life begin, why is the world the way it is?” can be answered by studying both.

In this issue we have two pieces on music. In our interview with Dr. Jeffrey Thompson he notes that sound is used in all cultures on earth “as a prominent technique in healing or religious rites or as a means of attaining a change of consciousness, one way or another.” Starting from being a fetus in our mother’s womb, human beings are first exposed to sound at a younger age and more predominantly than other senses, like sight. Sounds can provide a form of relaxation therapy when the right tones are found and played in a way that connects us to our primordial state, taking us away from the din of our daily activities.

Julie Ann Cunningham discusses the healing power of music in human history and today. She explains how healing was made possible in ancient civilizations from the priest-physicians of Egypt to musicologists and mystics of India to Abu Bakr Razi, who treated patients suffering from depression more than a thousand years ago. For Cunningham, “music is a language that crosses the barriers of human vocal languages.”

We invite you to embark on a journey with us to explore some fascinating perspectives that shed a light on our relationship with sound and music.

Dr. Jeffrey Thompson, the Founder and Director of the Center for Neuroacoustic Research in California (www.neuroacoustic.com), is recognized as a worldwide expert in the field of acoustic pacing frequencies that are incorporated into musical sound tracks. A consummate musician and composer in his own right, he has established a method for using modulated sound-pulses that change states of consciousness for optimal “Mind-Body” healing. Dr. Thompson believes that the sounds in nature resonate with us because they take us back to the beginning of our journey and our primary senses.

Matter&Beyond: Why are sound and music so central for us, both culturally and personally?

I don’t think I’ve found a single culture on earth which at some point hasn’t used sound as a prominent technique in healing, in religious rites, or as a means of attaining a change of consciousness in one way or another. I think the tradition probably dates back to the first use of sound as a soothing or healing means for mothers; that is lullabies for babies.

M&B: Is this our earliest experience with sound? Is this what you call primordial sounds?

If you go back to before the lullabies, we’re talking about womb experiences and it’s one of the primal things we all share; this is what I call primordial sounds. Certain type of sounds have the same influence on anyone who hears it, no matter what age you are, what sex you are, what culture you were brought up in, what language you speak; womb sounds fit that criteria.

M&B: Why is it sound, but not the vision?

Because at 16 weeks, when the fetus is very small, the nervous system is developed enough that all the senses are functioning; however it is dark, so the eyes aren’t working, no information is being received and the nose and the mouth are filled with fluids, so there is no tasting or smelling, but sound travels through water five times better than it does through air; therefore the ears are working but amplified by five times, and the largest sense organ we have, the skin, is a huge sense organ for vibrations. Thus, we’re experiencing vibration and sound for nine months in the womb and that sound environment is a very specific type of environment; the amniotic fluid sounds, the watery bubbly sounds, the mother’s heartbeat through the placental artery, respiratory sounds from the diaphragm, noises of the internal organ; it’s a rich complex, three-dimensional sound environment that is exactly the same for everyone of us; we all experienced this in the same way.

M&B: How does the fetus perceive this sound?

Remember the fetus is small and the ear is small; the eardrum is extremely small. If the eardrum was blown up to the size of my eardrum and the mother’s heart was blown up in proportion it would fill this room. So what kind of sound would such a heart make? It wouldn’t be the sound that you would expect it to be listening to the adult’s heart with a stethoscope from the outside; it would be a very large, slow sound, a large thumping sound.

M&B: How is this related to the use of sound in therapy or for relaxation?

Most of us who have gone on vacations and have explored nature feel a peaceful, beautiful return to nature; why?

Because if you take the sounds of the amniotic fluid and you slow those sounds down, they sound a lot like the ocean. The size of the sound waves compared to the eardrum would make these watery sounds sound like they have also slowed down. So many of the watery sounds in the womb sound like other sounds that we can hear later in nature. This can spark a similar kind of primordial recognition which is beyond the control of the rational thinking mind.

So when we build up these kinds of sounds on a soundtrack you can then push the button and the body will automatically go back to what it felt like to have a natural experience; when we combine the sounds of nature with music this makes a relaxation tape. So I would say that the sounds of nature provide secondary primordial sounds, as not all of us would have heard the same natural sounds in our lives.

The idea is to extend the power of the primordial recognizable components of sound in order to create a physical response. The technique is to connect with a primal recognition at a subconscious level; this will tap into experiences that you have had in the womb and at other times.

M&B: You not only use sound for relaxation, but also in order to combat stress. Could you please talk about this?

When a person has a fight-or-flight response, a stress response, we know very precisely what happens physiologically. The very first thing, the most sensitive organ, to respond to stress is the heart and thus when we look at the heart waves we can gain important information.

M&B: Why the heart and not the brain?

The reason for this is that the heart is the perfect system in the nervous system; it is called the autonomic nervous system or the automatic functioning nervous system; it knows how to organize and control my organs and glands and body chemistry and perform biomechanics that I’m not aware of and can’t control.

My rational-thinking brain can control physical body movements and thinking processes, but there’s another section that controls the automatic functioning of how my body runs. There is another control of this autonomic nervous system, which has two large branches of nerves that innervate all the organs and glands; these two branches of the nerves are the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous system.

While the sympathetic nervous system switches on, the parasympathetic switches off and mobilizes energy from the higher brain centers, from my digestive system, from my elimination system and from my immune system, it pulls that energy into my muscles to fight for my life.

This is when the brain freezes when you take an exam. You’re frightened about the exam; it is your final exam and you’re frightened that you’re not going to pass it or that you’re not going to do well. That fright causes the sympathetic system to switch on and drain the energy out of your brain; this is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You don’t have a brain left, because all the energy has gone to your muscles. At the moment the sympathetic system switches on, it mobilizes the pituitary which signals the adrenal glands; these fires adrenaline, the adrenaline starts the heart and the respiration and a number of other things. At the same time it suppresses the pancreas and lets loose extra glucose so you can fight for your life more and so what you end up with is the very first thing that happens.

M&B: What is the normal stress response and how do we return to a normal state?

When a person is required to carry out special tasks, like running or fighting for one’s life, then the sympathetic nervous system has to switch on, mobilize the energy from various places and send it to my muscles. If I am injured, but I survive and win, then the parasympathetic system is going to switch on and build up; that energy will be sent to my immune system, healing centers and recuperation areas for my muscles; when this is finished these are basically switched off, because we don’t need this energy anymore. This is certainly the normal way of functioning.

Thus, there are certain normal ways in which the body should function when a person is okay and normal. When the patient comes in and lies down on their back we hook them up and look at what’s happening in the autonomic nervous system. Normally when you lay down for three to five minutes your system should relax. Gravity isn’t affecting you, your heart doesn’t have to do extra work to pump the blood up to your brain; as a result the muscles relax and the sympathetic system and parasympathetic nervous systems should be at a level playing field. Now they can conserve their energy and this state of balance in the autonomic nervous system is known as homeostasis. The best state of health you can have is in homeostasis, where you’re not using energy in an unnecessary way. Homeo means unity, one, within my body, while stasis is a perfect state of rest.

M&B: What are the results of your studies to date? How many of us return back to homeostasis in three to five minutes?

Clinically what I see is maybe two patients with a normal response; I’ve been checking every patient with the real time heart rate variability system now for 7 years. This means thousands of patients; in all of that time I have seen one, maybe two patients with a normal response. I hook the patient up, and see what the response is. Most people’s response is abnormal; what this abnormality says is that after five minutes they have not attained a balance, and they have a good strong, healthy, dominant sympathetic stress response which never stops.

M&B: What do you think is the reason for this?

This state is constant because of the artificial, extremely stressful world that we have artificially created for ourselves. It wasn’t supposed to be like this; you are supposed to wake up in the morning and grab your spear and go catch a rabbit and that’s your workday; when you get there and you see that rabbit the sympathetic system turns on and the heart rates increase, the same thing happens with the rabbit, and it’s all going to be over in a couple of minutes. You’re going to catch the rabbit or he’s going to get away and then everything goes back, the clutch pushes in. Let’s say you get the rabbit, and the clutch pushes in; everything is fine and you are going to go home. Now you hear a growl behind you and there’s a saber tooth tiger looking at you, thinking about dinner; now the sympathetic system switches on, the heart rate is up, and you are running and he is running. It is all going to be over in a couple of minutes and either you are going to get away or you’re not.

But what I’m talking about here is that the nervous system, at its core, and its stress response are both designed for a sprint and not a marathon; but what we have had in the twenty-first century and throughout the twentieth century is a marathon of stress; but these are the kind of stresses that we can’t see, i.e. invisible stresses. They’re electromagnetic frequencies; the walls in this room, television channel frequencies, military frequencies, microwave frequencies, air pollution, food pollution and traffic jams when going to work to a job that doesn’t pay enough money for a boss who has the emotional development of a three-year old are all problems for us. The stress goes and then it’s back again; it’s time to get dinner for the kids and watching 7:00 news. This doesn’t stop; the nervous system’s solution to surviving this is to invent a mechanism of merely stepping on the gas, switching on the emergency sympathetic system on and bulldozing your way through the stress for the rest of your life with great momentum; but at nighttime, when it’s time to go to bed the nervous system doesn’t want to let go of this momentum that it has built up to get through the day.

M&B: And this has devastating effects on our health?

You can’t keep running in high gear for the rest of your life without some horrible consequences; the body’s not designed for it. You can only do this for a few decades before your heart or your brain blows up, the two biggest killers in Western society are heart attacks and strokes – there is also high blood pressure and diabetes. But what can we expect if our sympathetic nervous system is all the time working, which means by definition that our heart pressure is up and the pancreas is suppressed, so there is extra glucose being sent out? So people who don’t have the constitution to handle the stress blow a fuse; they have no way to handle the stress and as a result they have immune system problems, digestive problems, and problems that come from that colon cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, autoimmune diseases, allergies.

M&B: You are using sound in order to help people return to their normal healthy state. How does this work?

I’ve come up with a way to use sound to force the autonomic nervous system to push in the clutch, removing us from a place of high stress from which you can leave by using sound; we do this by using the heart-rate variability to see how bad the heart rate is and then explore various precisely tuned sound frequencies which will actually force the nervous system to push in the clutch. There will be a very specific tone for every person; this is like a glass vibrating if I sing the right note. An opera singer can sing the right note to make the glass vibrate. Well, now let’s imagine that your autonomic nervous system is the glass and we’re going to explore various sound frequencies that are very precisely tuned to find out which one affects your autonomic nervous system function; when we find it the response will be like pushing in the clutch and sending it into a state of relaxation. So we hit the right note and we get the response; this is what I’ve been looking for. Now we can see this phenomenon clinically. Once we’ve got the tone that’s associated with the pushing in of the clutch of the autonomic nervous system we can use that therapeutically through a specially designed sound table that I have made; this consists of low-frequency sound components which drive the low frequencies right into your cells via headphones. This relaxation mode is introduced to your nervous system over an extended period of time. We can burn this sound onto a CD and you can take it home and work with it at home on your stereo; it is like an internal training program. Every time your nervous system pushes in the clutch, the ability to push in the clutch grows, just like working a muscle in a gym.

This is a kind of high-tech stress reduction training program for the nervous system with sound. This is one of the three components I mentioned earlier; there are three parallel processes using sound for healing. This one is the idea of using the physical resonance to cause an effect on the nervous system to relax people.

M&B: This is what is called a sound table, right?

Yes, the sound table I needed had to have specific requirements, which is why I had to make my own to attain the exact clinical results I wanted. The power in the table actually delivered more power to your body than I wanted to be delivered. Therefore, I had to be able to have the sound that was coming from the table split into the right and left speakers, but none of those that were available on the market could do that. So I had to have it specially designed. As a composer, musician and audio engineer I was able to design the sounding board of that table and the transducers so that a lot of free sound could be delivered and spread out, therefore it is much more effective and delivers the sound to your body via headphones. Thus there is a lot going on in that table that you cannot see and this is what makes it work properly.

Interview conducted by Mustafa Tabanli for Ebru TV for the Emmy Award winning television series Matter and Beyond.

Music is a moral law. It gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, gaiety and life to everything. It is the essence of order, and leads to all that is good, just and beautiful.
–Plato

Music surrounds us. We may not always be attuned to hear it, but it is there, whether it is recorded music, the music of nature, or sounds inaudible to human ears. The ancients believed that even the stars in the heavens sang. They called it the “music of the spheres.” Pythagoras (sixth century BC) said, “there is music in the spacing of the spheres.” The Bible speaks of the heavens praising God: “Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light!” (Psalm 148:3–4). And the Quran says, “All that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth glorifies God, the Absolute Sovereign, the All-Holy and All-Pure, the All-Glorious with irresistible might, the All-Wise” (Al-Jumuah 62:1).

Music has the power to heal or destroy. The nature of music is such that it can lift us into the heavens, or drag us down to the pit of hell, depending on what kind of music we listen to. Music can make us weep or dance with joy; it can bring us sanity or drive us mad. Music can bestow peace upon our souls and minds, or stir us up for battle. In short, music has power. Few other things touch us so deeply. We hear it with our physical ears, yet it is in our soul that it resonates.

All life resonates with and responds to sounds and rhythmic motions. Musical sounds, when combined in a certain way, can have a powerful effect upon the mind, body and emotions. The human body itself is like an instrument, humming with rhythm, vibrations and tonal frequencies. The very center of the human body, the heart, is a rhythmic instrument.

Music is a universal language. It speaks to everyone and everything. By feeling the vibrations through their hands, even the deaf can “hear” the music and feel the rhythm. It is a language that crosses the barriers of human vocal languages.

Plants and animals also respond to music. In various experiments, plants grew better when certain kinds of Western classical music and traditional Indian music were played. Dairy cows were found to prefer slow music, and produced more milk when it was played.

Because music has such power to affect us on such a deep level, it has been used for centuries to heal man’s body and soul. Many ancient civilizations, such as Greece, India, Israel, and Mesopotamia knew about and used music in their healing practices.

Ancient Greeks used music to help bring beauty and harmony, which they believed would then help the body to heal. Democritus believed that many diseases could be cured by the sound of a flute. Hippocrates used music to cure diseases. Plato, Aristotle, and Pythagoras all recognized the healing power of music, and Homer recommended music to counter negative emotions.

The priest-physicians of Egypt called music “the physic of the soul,” and used it to heal physical illnesses, nervous disorders and to lessen childbirth pain. The Ebers Papyrus (1550 BC) is the oldest preserved medical document in existence. Recorded in it are incantations that were chanted to heal the sick.

In ancient India, musicologists and mystics believed that health “is the balanced flow of energy through all the energy circuits of the mind and body.” When that flow was interrupted or hindered, the body got sick. They used sound therapy to restore harmony and rhythm to the body and mind.

The core study of Indian music/sound therapy was learning how to arrange different tones for different times of day and night, and for different seasons. In order to bring balance back to the body, therapists also had to know how all the tones affected body chemistry. In other words, they chose which melody, or raga, they played based on which particular disease they wanted to heal.

In the Middle East, during the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1257), the healing arts blossomed. Hospitals and medical schools based on Greek-Arab medicine were built throughout the Muslim world. A holistic approach was used in medicine, and included various types of therapy such as music therapy, aromatherapy, water therapy, and reading the Quran. The recitation of the Quran has been used for healing since the time of the Prophet Muhammad, and it has been referred to as a “book of healing.” Doctors found that music therapy worked especially well with patients who were depressed, or had other mental illnesses.

During this period, three brilliant men emerged who contributed much to the field of learning, including music as medicine. Abu Bakr Razi (834–932) worked with melancholy patients, most likely suffering from depression. Included in his list of beneficial activities to ease depression was listening “to songs which are sung by beautiful voices.”

Abu Nasr al-Farabi (870–950) was a man gifted with many talents. He invented and skillfully played a number of musical instruments. He also developed an Arabian tone system that is still used today. Farabi wrote in his book, Kitab al-Musiqa, “Music promotes good mood, moral education, emotional steadiness and spiritual development. It is useful for physical health. When the soul is not healthy, the body is also ill. Good music, which cures the soul, restores the body to good health.”

Ibn Sina (980–1037), who was known in the West as Avicenna, was greatly influenced by Farabi’s works. He said, “One of the best and most effective of treatments is to strengthen the mental and spiritual strengths of the patient, to give him more courage to fight illness, create a loving, pleasant environment for the patient, play the best music for him and surround him with people that he loves.”

During the Ottoman period (1299–1923), Dr. Musa bin Hamun, who was a palace doctor during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent (1491–1566), used music therapy in treating dental problems and childhood mental disorders. Sultan Giyasaddin wrote in his book, Kitab as-Sinaat, that, “scholars of India recommend that physicians study melodies and the theory of music. This science is necessary for the doctor, just like his search to understand the subtleties of diagnosing the pulse. In addition, some illnesses may be cured when the patient listens to certain melodies.”

For centuries, in various cultures and religions, music and dance have been combined to worship God. According to the Old Testament, King David of Israel danced with all his might before the Lord as an act of worship (2 Samuel 6:14). Likewise, in the Islamic tradition Prophet David’s worship and glorification of God was so powerful that even mountains, plants and animals joined his praise and responded to his voice: “And We subdued the mountains, as well as birds, to glorify Us along with David” (Al-Anbiya 21:79.

The Sufis were well aware of the power of dance and music together, and have used both in their religious practices, as well as in healing mental and nervous disorders. Even the musical instruments they used were believed to have different healing properties. The ney, a cane or reed flute, was an important instrument. Neys have been found in excavations at Ur, and in tomb paintings in Egypt. It was believed to help relieve stress and promote healthy sleeping patterns. The oud, or ud, is similar to a lute, and was supposed to be good for relieving headaches and melancholy. The naghara is a drum that was used to ease melancholy, as well as physical and mental exhaustion.

The harp is an instrument that has long been associated with angels and heaven, as well as being a symbol of relief and comfort. The ethereal sound of the harp is indeed “heavenly.” It is one of the oldest instruments in the world. Many ancient civilizations used the harp in their healing practices. Pythagoras saw the harp strings as symbols of the nervous system. In ancient Israel, David, when he was only a shepherd boy, played his harp to ease the mental suffering of King Saul when he was afflicted with an evil spirit (1 Samuel 16:14–17, 21–23).

Europeans, before the Enlightenment, or Age of Reason, also used music in healing. The great medieval abbey of Cluny, in southern France, used chant and hymns, as well as the harp, to bring healing to the sick and comfort to the dying. In The Anatomy of Melancholy, written in the seventeenth century, Robert Burton wrote, “. . . beside that excellent power music (sic) hath to expel many other diseases, it is a sovereign remedy against despair and melancholy, and will drive away the devil himself.”

As science advanced and the belief in reason and rationality took hold in Europe, the idea of using music as medicine was cast aside. The new analytical approach to medicine meant that few physicians would use, or at least admit to using, music to treat a patient. The connection between the health of the soul and the body’s health was also largely dismissed. Music simply became a form of art or entertainment, unless it was used in the Church. The healing power of music was forgotten in the West, and would not re-emerge until after World War I.

Today, we are rediscovering what al-Farabi knew over a thousand years ago: when our body is sick, something is wrong in our soul. Music as therapy began to emerge in the United States after World Wars I and II. Local musicians, both amateur and professional, went to Veteran’s Hospitals around the country to play music for the recovering soldiers. Dr. Mehmet Oz, a world-renowned cardio-thoracic surgeon, began playing tapes of Sufi music before, during, and after surgery. He found that, as a result of listening to the music, patients were less depressed and less stressed. They healed faster, and left the hospital sooner. Dr. Oz wrote in Healing from the Heart, about the results of using Turkish makams with coma patients in his clinic. He found that 29% of the patients came out of their comas after listening to the makams.

One study found that students who played in the school orchestra had higher than average SAT scores. Learning to play an instrument has been shown to help develop the bridge (corpus callosum) between the left and right sides of the brain. Campbell says, “. . . the corpus callosum of musicians is thicker and more fully developed than in other people, reinforcing the idea that music enlarges existing neural pathways and stimulates learning and creativity.” Another study showed that “music majors and music education majors had the highest reading scores of any students on campus, including those in English, biology, chemistry, and mathematics.”

Just as an instrument out of tune in an orchestra causes disharmony, negative thoughts, events, or actions can result in a body and mind in disharmony. Ill-health – physical or mental – is the result. More research has to be done to explore music as a potential catalyst that can unlock and release buried emotions which may be making us ill.

The essence of music is an intangible thing. It can be measured by vibrations, sound waves, and resonances, yet those factors alone cannot explain music or why it affects us the way it does. Perhaps the best way is to say that music is a gift from God, meant to ease our suffering in this world, to remind us of His goodness, His mercy, and most of all, to help us connect with Him at a deeper level. It is a way for us to catch a glimpse of heaven.

Julie is a writer and musician who lives in Morgantown, WV, with her husband, Daniel, also a musician. She has grown twin sons who are also writers and musicians.

References

1. http://www.brainyquote.com

2. Roop Verma. “Nada Yoga: Sacred Music and Consciousness.” http://www.roopverma.com.

3. Rahmi Oruc Guvenc, “Music Therapy in Turkey,” Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, (March, 2006). http://www.voices.no.

4. Farid Alakbarov, “Music Therapy: What Doctors Knew Centuries Ago,” Azerbaijan International, 11.3 (Autumn 2003) 58-59, http://www.azer.com.

5. Pinar Somakci, “Music Therapy in Islamic Culture,” http://www.turkishmusicportal.org.

6. Alakbarov (2003), 58-59.

7. Unal, Ali, The Qur ’an with Annotated Interpretation in Modern English, NJ: Tughra Books, 2008, pp. 670–671.

8. Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, Wikipedia. http://www.answers.com/topic/music-therapy.

9. Don Campbell, The Mozart Effect: Tapping the Power of Music to Heal the Body, Strengthen the Mind, and Unlock the Creative Spirit (New York: Avon Books, 1997), 192.

10. Ibid, 177.

As is the case in many scientific arenas, the first studies in the field of algorithms were conducted by Muslim scientists. The concept of algorithm was used for the first time by the worldwide renowned Muslim scientist Al-Khwarizmi, who lived between 780–850 AD in Baghdad. Al Khwarizmi put his name to historic studies in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, and geography. His work entitled Hisāb al-jabr wa-l-muqābala (Calculation by Completion and Balancing) constitutes the first collection of algorithms. The Latin translation attracted great attention in Europe. The Europeans used the term algoritmi, rendered from “Khwarizmi,” to refer to rules for solving arithmetical problems by using Arabic numerals.

Having first developed as a branch of mathematics, algorithms have been described as a sequence of instructions that is used to solve a certain problem. These finite number of steps,begin at a certain point and come to an end with a result. But, today when we talk about algorithms, what comes to mind are the methods pursued in the operations of sequencing in computer programming; though algorithms are used in many fields, including physics, chemistry, biology, and music.

When different algorithms are used for solving the same problem, this enables us to reach the same solution through different means. There are, for instance, a great number of sorting algorithms (selection sorting, merge sorting, quick sorting) that have been developed for the purpose of incrementally sorting a given set of numbers. The same also applies to the search algorithms which find a given number in a set of numbers. What does this imply for us? Different people can attempt to solve the same problem with different algorithms or approaches that are better, truer or more “beautiful”. Thus, it is always important not to reject an idea without a prior examination or understanding, to welcome proposals of different opinions and to try to benefit from better alternatives or solutions. Thus, we can understand from an algorithmic approach that establishing dialogue and showing mutual respect are essential moral virtues in transforming differences into wealth.

Computer algorithms solve certain problems according to pre-defined parameters. Thus, we should never forget that computers cannot carry out a spontaneous operation, but can only carry out functions that have previously been programmed into them by human beings. Although some researchers, by relying too much on recent developments in computer sciences, and particularly in fields like artificial intelligence, attribute human characteristics to computers. They even estimate that they can produce human-like things in the near future, which seems rather unfeasible when we consider countless physical and spiritual features of humans. What does this imply for us? Pursuing a systematic method when solving problems in both computer sciences and daily life would considerably increase one’s success rate in solving any problems encountered. The most critical stages in problem solving are obviously a correct diagnosis and full description of the problem. The algorithms are developed and the most coherent and suitable are then chosen.

After an algorithm is designed in a flowchart, it is translated into software and tested against verifiable data prior to its usage in real operations. This test is necessary to prevent probable flaws in the software. What does this imply for us? By utilizing all the talents and especially the intelligence granted to us, human beings are always able to find what is better or truer. Research has been conducted in scientific studies by keeping in mind that there is always a next step in any development that has been achieved; the experience of the history of mankind demonstrates that a method that has been developed today might prove to be inadequate tomorrow.

When analyzing a number of different algorithms that are used to solve the same problem, the cost is assessed, with the least costly and most suitable one being selected. The cost of an algorithm is determined according to the number of operations carried out in solving any problem. An algorithm which solves the same problem with a greater number of steps has a lesser efficiency and a lesser performance.

Sorting algorithm by insertion

Sorting algorithms are one of the most frequently used algorithms in computers. As sorted data is more easily processed and used, data are usually sorted first with a sorting algorithm before it is processed within more costly operations.

In insertion sort (i.e., sorting by insertion), numbers to be sorted are inserted into a new “sorted” set. The new sorted set is empty at the beginning, and the numbers are inserted one by one into the right position of this set. During each insertion, the number at hand is compared to the numbers of the new set from the smallest to the largest. During a comparison, if the term (number) at hand is smaller than the term in the new sorted set, then the term is inserted right before the term in the sorted set. As each term is generally compared with all the terms which precede it, sorting of n numbers is done by about n2 comparisons. Thus, the cost of such a sorting algorithm is O(n2).

The quick-sort algorithm

This algorithm is used to find the shortest way between two points. Let us suppose that we have a limited number of points, some of which are inter-related. During this type of calculation, the shortest way is systematically found by checking all the combinations that have been able to be established among given points. The web sources that are provided for planning routes and mapping services with PNDs (Portable Navigation Devices) for travelers can be given as examples; here the minutest details of every highway and road have been recorded to the virtual media. In accordance with certain criteria, by taking into consideration all the probable routes between the two addresses provided by the user, the optimum driving route, including road and street names, is suggested.

Use of algorithm in medicine

Any research or inquiry used in the diagnosis and treatment/curing of a disease is defined as a medical algorithm. The logic of a decision tree is used in diagnosing, curing and following up diseases with these algorithms. Guiding algorithms, for example, “if symptoms A, B, C are observed in patient, then, the patient is probably suffering from the disease D, so, use the treatment E” are used in medical expert systems. The purpose of such algorithms is to standardize the medical services provided and thus minimize potential uncertainties and errors that likely to arise. Moreover, such algorithms are also used for educational and training purposes and as a guide to approaching the patients, diagnosing and curing diseases and towards solving their problems with greater ease. A great number of medical information that has been published has been transformed into numerous algorithms, ranging from those that use simple calculations to those that make highly complicated decisions. For instance, in the algorithm that was developed to measure the Body Mass Index (BMI), age, sex, height and weight are among the questions that are asked of the patient. The data obtained from the patient is later applied to a formula developed from the experiences of medical science, and the said index can thus be calculated. However, doctors should compare the results obtained from such algorithms with their existing knowledge, for even such simple algorithms as BMI become undependable in different cases, for example an athlete or an expectant mother. Algorithms only provide guidance for physicians, but the final decision should be taken by the physician after having individually assessed the status of each and every patient.

Algorithms and music

The algorithmic composition has been used in music for centuries to produce music with a methodological approach. Canon, for example, is a form of music produced with an algorithm in which a melody is replicated by one or more imitations of it played after a given duration.

Human brain, nature, and algorithms

Although the secrets of brain have not yet been fully explained, vital information has been compiled about its biological structure and functioning, thus proving that different sections of the brain fulfill different roles. Such sophisticated tasks as controlling the bodily organs, mental discernment, functions corresponding to the use of tongue and other sensory activities, the perception of colors, calculation of actions and the perception of physical conditions, are all carried out by use of brain mechanisms and faculties. All these tasks are accomplished by algorithmic processes which have not yet been fully explained. The issue of the unification of the data or images received by the eyes is, for instance, one of the matters that scientists do not yet fully understand. Although many have tried to imitate the human brain, such simple cerebral functions as walking and communicating have, to date, not been convincingly imitated.

What algorithms imply for us

As science and technology develop more and more, new inventions are being made, algorithms are being proposed for unsolved problems, while algorithms of already solved problems are being further developed. For example, many ciphers, which in the 1970s were believed to be unsolvable within an acceptable span of time, are being easily solved today thanks to the algorithms that have been developed and the ever-increasing operational power of computers. Consequently, developments in algorithms suggest to us that we should always search for that which is better and more effective; also we should remember that there are a number of different ways that lead to the very same target. Thus, we should always be open to the ideas of others and willing to consult with them before making a decision about any subject.

Ahmet Isik has a PhD in mathematics and is a freelance writer.

References

• Cormen, T. H., C. E. Leiserson, R. L. Rivest, Clifford Stein. Introduction to Algorithms, MIT Press, 24th Edition, 2000.
• http://www.nist.gov/dads/termsType.html#P

This is what Osman Sahin does to relax. Dance. But he is no choreographer, he is a calligrapher-one who has mastered the art of Classical Turkish-Islamic calligraphy for over twenty-five years. He calls his calligraphy style “the dancing of the pen.”

His eyes, eagerly glued to the paper, anticipate his next move. His hands lift with each pen stroke, gliding to the rhythm of his breath, rising with every new thought and slowing to the pace of his heartbeat.

To many of us, calligraphy is merely fancy handwriting used to record information, but to a Turk calligraphy is much more. It is an art-a grand form of art-with its origins dating back many centuries. The Turks refer to calligraphy as Hat (pronounced like “hut”). In its literal sense, Hat means beautiful writing practiced and perfected throughout time as a way to combine spiritual and functional writing with the medium of art.

It is however the spiritual element of Hat that is most striking to viewers. Because the drawing of human figures is not favored in Islam, Muslim artists throughout time have channeled their talents toward the art of calligraphy.

“Hat is all about symmetry, harmony and measurements,” explains Osman Sahin. “It is the dance of the pen and paper. It’s music to the eyes. Hat is like composed music that soothes and refreshes the spirit and brings peace and harmony to the soul. It enables the person to reach inner tranquility.”

The origins of Hat date back to the early Islamic era when manuscripts of the Qur’an were being recorded and handwritten. However, at that time there was little emphasis on the style of writing but greater emphasis on the message being revealed. It was centuries later, during the Ottoman Era, that Turks focused on the style of writing.

It is a common saying among Muslims that “the Qur’an was revealed in Mecca, recited in Egypt and written in Istanbul.” The Ottoman Turks produced and perfected various styles of script that were passed on throughout the Muslim world.

They loved and respected the art of Hat as it flourished in the great city of Istanbul, which was at the time the focal point of the Ottoman State, and it was there that history’s finest works were produced.

Hat has been used throughout Turkey in enchanting ways to decorate palaces, mosques, museums and fountains for many centuries. The renowned Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, referring to the art produced by Muslim calligraphers during the Andalusian period, said, “Muslim calligraphers five hundred years ago reached where I want to reach today.” In present-day Turkey, there are over twenty million artwork treasures that bear witness to this history.

The beauty present in Islamic-Turkish calligraphy is said to be a direct reflection of the inner soul of the calligrapher. As Osman Sahin himself says, “Whenever I am stressed, I pick up my pen and draw. This is because the art of Hat has a therapeutic aspect to it. During the Ottoman era, some of the sick were treated by using fine arts like Hat together with soothing Sufi music and the art of Ebru (water marbling) drawing.”

This extraordinary art form can only be executed with the use of pens made of bamboo cuttings, preferably Balinese bamboo. “The bamboo is cut at a thirty-degree angle and split in half from top to bottom,” demonstrates Osman Sahin. “Even with the technology present today, it is not possible to write better or more beautifully using anything other than bamboo. The squeaking sound you hear when using the bamboo pen is said to be the weeping of the pen. It is said that the pen weeps so as to not fall into the hands of the ignorant.”

It is no surprise that there is wonder and magic in Turkish-Islamic calligraphy. It is almost as if the art moves and comes alive. Sweet appearance follows a slow, inner flow. There is silence, yet harmonious and metaphysical music echoes. However, this music cannot be heard by the ears but must be heard within.

He breathed in and leaned back comfortably in his chair, looking deep into his finished calligraphy as it stared back at him. The dance was over, the rhythm ceased, and the music was muffled. The bamboo pen lay there on the table, weeping with heartache, unaware of when the next dance will be.

…

I love my daughter, I really do. When my daughter laughs with me right now, it’s as if that is the definition of happiness. But I came home from work at midnight yesterday and had to run errands this morning. I really wanted to stay home this afternoon and get some rest, but my wife wanted to meet her friends. God, I feel so tired, and I haven’t even been able to read the newspapers today; I wonder what the repercussions of yesterday’s market crisis are. I hope the day I will retire comes soon…

…

My days in this house are rather routine and lonely. I watch the news, eat, walk, read, and once in a while get together with friends in the neighborhood. My wife left me after I retired, which I understand happens often in neglected marriages. My daughter visits me in the summers and stays with me for a few weeks at least, for which I feel blessed. An interesting development has occurred in my psyche: Recently, I have been feeling this growing envy for people who do physical work. All my life, my job entitled making abstract decisions about abstract situations. Not once did I do something that I could step back from and take a look at the outcome of my effort. Just today I was watching a construction worker building a wall. What a great feeling it must be to start in the morning where there is no wall and in the evening to see the result of your daily work, a wall that you have built with your own hands.

…

Being a worker is no great feat. Sure the pay is not bad, I can’t complain about that, but everybody knows it can’t last. I mean, first off, you don’t get much contracts in the winter, then the big companies take up most of the stuff and let’s face it, I can’t earn my money on this when I’m fifty, then you lift boxes in a supermarket, what else? You may find this funny coming from me, but I always wanted to be a musician, a cello player; that’s what I wanted to do. I wish I could be in the shoes of that cello kid in the poster in front of the concert hall.

…

I am a cellist. I have loved the sound of cello for as long as I can remember, I do not know why, and now when people ask me I tell them I love the cello because it is the instrument that most resembles the human voice. That is not why but it sounds better. I have practiced hard for more than fifteen years now, on average four hours a day. This practice may have its rewarding moments, but most of the time it feels like you are trying to achieve something that is in no way achievable. My parents never approved of my choice and I think they never will, unless I reach the level of a Rostropovich, which for me is clearly impossible. Everything set aside, the upsetting thing is that my real passion is composing music, although I am not very good at it. I have been taking classes with an instructor in my college on music composition, and I am in awe at his achievements. I would give up everything I have at any moment to be able to compose like he does.

…

Some may say that I have contributed some pieces to our musical library. I would say that they are either too kind or they do not know music. I teach music composition in a mediocre music school and until now I have been able to convince my students and colleagues that my compositions are important. Fortunately, I myself do not share that delusion. I say fortunately because I know that I have in me something waiting to be written on score sheets, something sublime, something… that I haven’t been able to get out of me in the last couple of years. I do love the process, even though many nights the candle on my piano burns down and I haven’t been able to write a single note. Am I burned out too? Is my hope for a sublime finale the real delusion? Why cannot I be like the great master Beethoven?

…

I am Beethoven. My music has been hailed as the work of a genius, which still gives me great satisfaction. However, there are two substantial catches with my present situation. First, I am deaf; I went deaf in the last thirteen years of my life. As an ironical twist of fate, I, the great Beethoven, was never able to hear any of my greatest work, my 9th symphony. Second, I am dead; I do not know how long I have been dead, a year or hundreds of years; I have been waiting in this grave in complete silence and in complete darkness. Often, I find myself imagining a scene from my life. No, not the time when the Archduke celebrated my work, not the time when the Eroica was first performed either. It is a much simpler and at the same time, a much more handsome memory. There was a time when I was strolling in the park one afternoon and I was enjoying the gentle touch of sunrays coming through the trees. A flute was playing Bach’s Badinerie in the distance. It was a beautiful day…

Firat Kocol is a freelance writer. He lives in Boston. He can be contacted at firatkocol@gmail.com

Introduction

The human being is equipped in the best possible way, both materially and spiritually. The human is able to achieve the level of “the best of creation,” which is dependent on the ability to use and develop these given spiritual aspects. Hence, those people of faith who have achieved closeness to God Almighty are always careful in their worship, and they are always extremely cautious not to lose their sensitivity to maintain this level.

Those who can escape from the material world and escalate toward the ranks of the heart and soul will feel this world in a different way, and will be conscious of the secrets of Creation. When they look, they see things that others cannot; everywhere they look, they see the attributes of the beautiful names of God Almighty. During worship they taste the unspeakable flavors of spiritualism, and they will not trade those moments for anything. They are nothing but the Friends of the Truth (God).

Meanwhile it should be noted that these beloved Friends of the Truth are the people of will who have succeeded in acting against Satan and the carnal desires; they have stopped their low and vulgar feelings, and made God’s intentions for them come about. These people lead on the ways toward the Truth with the enlightenment of the Qur’an and the Prophet, and they spend all the bounties given to them for the sake of God with the intention of reaching Him.

Mevlana Jalaladdin al-Rumi was one of these Friends. Like the other devotees, he was a person of self-discipline, will and ambition, and he walked on the path of Sufism which is “The Spiritual life of Islam.” He traveled through the ranks of maturity without leaving the path of the Prophet, and spent his whole life teaching and advising people about the ultimate destination, that is, God; this was his whole purpose in life.

The theoretical aspect of this path is Sufism, while the practical aspect is Dervishood. Jalaladdin al-Rumi led the theoretical path, a leader for his time and all times to come after him, while, on the other hand, with his mature dervishood, taken from this world, decorated with angelic qualities, setting a good example of devotion to God with his passion and love he inspired millions.

His Life

A great man of heart, Rumi was born on September 30th, 1207 in Balkh, Horasan, within the borders of present-day Afghanistan. His mother, Mumina Hatun, was of the Harzam Turks, and his father was a renowned scholar called Bahauddin Walad. The sultans listened to his sermons and talks, therefore he was also known as the Sultan al-Ulama (The Sultan of the Wise). Rumi was about six years old when his father left Balkh because of the Mongol occupation; another reason for leaving was that he was involved in a conflict with another scholar, Sultan Muhammad Takish Harzamshah. On their journey, they visited Makka. After residing for about 3 years in Erzincan (in eastern Turkey) the family then moved to a more secure city, Karaman (central Anatolia, Turkey), which was then called Larende.

Rumi married Gevher Hatun when he was 18. Shortly after this marriage he lost his mother, Mumina Hatun, and his elder brother, Muhammad Aladdin. Following these sad events, his first son Sultan Walad was born, and following him, Aladdin Celebi was born. He had two other children later on, a son named Amir Alim, and a daughter, Malika Hatun.

After living for 7 years in Konya, upon the invitation of the Seljuk sultan, Aladdin Kaykubat, Bahauddin Walad took his family and moved to Konya in 1229. In the third year of their life in Konya, when Rumi was in his mid-twenties, Bahauddin Walad died.

After his father’s death, Mawlana Jalaladdin al-Rumi, who had immensely benefited from many sources of knowledge and inspiration, dedicated himself more to learning. For this purpose he took Muhakkik Tirmizi, one of his father’s disciples, as a teacher, and also traveled to Aleppo and Damascus where he stayed for 7 years in order to meet with the famous scholars of the day and to train himself further.

In 1244 he returned to Konya, and started to teach many disciplines; the main subject of instruction was Fiqh (Islamic Law). Two years later, the arrival of a man called Shams al-Tabrizi into the city caused major changes in Rumi’s life. With this meeting, two talented spirits came together. From that point on Rumi and Shams, who were both like two deep seas, started to pour into each other, and they started to climb toward the summits that no one else could achieve. They started to travel along the Emerald Hills of the Heart.

At one point Shams disappeared, and after learning that he had gone to Damascus for personal reasons, Rumi sent his son Sultan Walad to invite him back to Konya. Shams could not turn down this invitation and returned to Konya, but he still felt restless there. He disappeared for a second time and nobody heard from him again. His disappearance upset Rumi very much, and he always felt this pain in his heart for the rest of his life.

Rumi, a true devotee of God, a follower of the Prophet, died when he was 66, on December 17th, 1273. He saw life as a corridor to meet with God, and defined death as being the meeting time, as he described in this poem:

On the day of death, when my coffin is on the move,

Do not suppose I have any pain at leaving this world.

When you see my hearse, say not

“Leaving! He’s Leaving!”

That time will be for me union and encounter.

When you commit me to the grave,

Say not “Farewell! Farewell,”

For the grave is a veil over the reunion of Paradise.

It is also narrated that he had requested his funeral prayer to be lead by Sheikh Sadreddin of Konya. When the Sheikh came to the front for the prayer, Tabib Akmaladdin warned the people by saying “Mind your manners and be respectful. He was the Sultan of the true sheikhs; that is who has passed away.” Sheikh Sadreddin, after hearing this, was moved to tears and could not continue with the prayer; instead it was Qadi Sirajaddin led the prayer. (Asaf Celebi, Hayat Mecmuasi, 1960)

His Works

Apart from the Mathnawi, Rumi has four other major works, written in Persian. One of them is lyrical and the other three are prose. With more than forty thousand couplets, Divan al-Kabir is full of an enthusiasm and awe that reflects the inner spiritual world of Rumi.

The works in prose are: Fihi ma Fih that contains Rumi’s teachings to his students and the public on various topics, Majalis al-Sab’a which contains his sermons, and Maktubat, which contains his letters to various people.

Rumi’s love and awe for God, combined with his poetic character, blossom in Mathnawi which was written down by his student Husamaddin Celebi. Rumi was in his fifties when he started Mathnawi and took 8 years to complete it.

The following are some important pieces of advice from Mathnawi:

“Oh son! Untie the knot, and be free! How long will you be enslaved by gold and silver?”,

“If you want to receive mercy, be merciful to the weak,”

“The nafs (carnal soul) inside you that is waiting to ambush you is worse than anything else in terms of pride and resentment,”

“Before you say anything, first listen,”

“The wars of men are like the quarrels of children; both are meaningless and stupid,”

“Hard work and earning are not obstacles to finding a treasure! Continue to work hard, if it is God’s will, the treasure will find you,”

“There is nothing superior to a good temper in this world of struggle,”

“Thoughtless friends are themselves the enemy,”

“Look where you step. You will avoid a wrong step and you will be saved from stumbling,”

“The essence of all wisdom is to know the answers to ‘who am I?’ and ‘what will become of me?’ on the Day of Judgment.”

II – The Sema Ceremonies

The roots of Sema

It is narrated that one day Rumi was passing in front of his friend’s jewelry shop. In the shop the assistants were shaping gold by hammering it in rhythm. Having heard this rhythmic sound, he raised his hands toward the sky and started to whirl in a state of awe. Inspired by this rhythm, his excitement was great. Rumi, whose spirit was already full of love and awe of God, started performing the Sema, overflowing with emotions.

It is believed that Rumi heard the word Allah (God) in this rhythmic sound, and this had inspired him; his inspiration put him into a state of ecstasy, which resulted in his whirling.

The form of Sema

Sema was not performed in an orderly format during Rumi”s lifetime. It started with Rumi”s son Sultan Walad, and Ulu Arif Celebi, and evolved slowly until the time of Pir Adil Celebi. It was then that the form started to be taught and learned. It took on its final form in the 15th century, with the Naat al-Sharif (eulogies that praise the prophet) being added to the Sema in the 17th century. The Sema symbolizes the creation of the universe, the creation of the human being and our birth into this world, the progress of the human being after the realization of servanthood, which is supported with a love for God, and our escalation toward the ranks of Insan al-Kamil (Perfected Human). The Sema starts with the Naat written by Rumi, with music composed by Bahurizade Mustafa Efendi, which is known as the Itri. This Naat is sung by the Naathan without any musical instruments in a standing position. Naat al-Sharif is followed by a drumbeat (on the kudum) symbolizing the Divine command: —Kun!— (Be). The Naat is followed by an improvisation on the ney (reed flute). This expresses the Divine breath, which gives life to everything, and perfects them. During the Sema, other traditional instruments like the tambur, the ud, the kemençe, the kanun, and the bendir are also used along with the kudum and the ney. The Sultan Walad Walk, which is accompanied by the peshrev music, is a circular procession that consists of three turns around the middle space. The greetings of the semazens during the procession represent the salutation of soul to soul concealed by shapes and bodies. A virtual line that stretches between the entrance point and the red fleece divides the Sema platform into two. This sacred line is called Hatt al-Istiwa and it is never stepped on. During this circular procession, the semazens greet each other three times. This visual greeting symbolizes the salutation of the spirits. The semazens come from the right side of the platform up to the red fleece, without stepping on the Hatt al-Istiwa and without turning their backs to the red fleece, then step to the other side, and face the semazen behind them. The two semazens face each other, bow and greet each other at the same time; this is called Muqabala. At the end of the third procession, after the Sheikh sits down on the red fleece, the Sultan Walad Walk, which symbolizes reaching the Truth (God), finishes. Standing and leaning into one another, the semazens, after a short ney improvisation, straighten their sikke (long woolen hats that resemble an Ottoman tomb stone in shape), and take off the black coats. They then become separated from this world, symbolized by their pure white gowns, and become spiritual, opening their eyes to the truth. By holding their left shoulder with their right hand and their right shoulder with the left hand they symbolize the number one, which reflects and witnesses the unity of God. After kissing the Sheikh”s hand and attaining permission to proceed, the semazens start the Sema.

The Sema consists of four greetings: —Being conscious of one”s servanthood,— —Being awed before the greatness and power of the Lord,— —The transformation of this awe into love,— —Return to the highest rank possible for the human which is servanthood.— These are symbolized by the first, second, third and fourth greetings, respectively. When the recitation from the Qur’an starts the semazens finish the Sema and they take their places and sit. The Sema ritual finishes with the greetings of the Sheikh, the semazens and the musicians toward the red fleece. Rumi”s understanding of the Sema The following poem of Rumi expresses how he understood the Sema: What is Sema, do you know? It is hearing the sound of —yes— of separating one from himself and reaching the Lord Seeing and knowing the state of the Friend and hearing, through the divine veils, the secrets of the Lord What is Sema, do you know? Being ignorant of existence and tasting eternity in the ultimate mortality What is Sema, do you know? Struggling with the carnal soul; fluttering on the ground like a half-slain hen What is Sema, do you know? Feeling the cure of Prophet Jacob, and sensing the arrival of Prophet Joseph from the scent of the shirt. What is Sema, do you know? Like the staff of Prophet Moses, it is swallowing all the tricks of the Pharaoh”s magicians What is Sema, do you know? Opening the heart like Shams al-Tabrizi, and seeing the Divine light.

Sema and Contemplation

Sema is contemplation in action. Contemplation was initially carried out silently in the inner self. Under the enlightenment of the hadiths that warn not to contemplate on the essence of God Himself, meditation was focused on the manifestations and actions of God. While thinking about the actions and manifestations, hallucinations can interfere with contemplation. In order to avoid any interference, sounds were used as an aid to meditation. At first, only natural sounds were used, but with time the sounds of different musical instruments that have spiritual essences were also used. This is how music was introduced into the Sema. In the early days, usually the ney, the rebab, the def, and the zurna were used, but over time, only the ney and the rebab survived. Music is defined by Rumi in the following couplet: —Music is the nutrition of the souls of the Servants of the Lord, since in music, there is the hope of reaching God.— Therefore, music, when combined with mediation and contemplation, is seen as being a faster way to reach God. On the other hand, music brings out physical movement, as it addresses the bodily emotions and desires. At first, these bodily motions were restricted to the swinging of the body while seated. However, with time people started to accompany the musical harmony with the motion of their bodies, which in time evolved into the Sema. In this way, contemplation became the union of the heart, sound, and motion. Both the heart and the body came to be in a state of meditation, which avoids any bodily or intellectual interference. The Sema symbolizes the escalation of the human spirit: the servant”s turning of their face toward the Truth, and being exalted with Divine love, the abandonment of one”s own identity and self and becoming lost in God, and the final return to servanthood, mature and purified. The semazen, with the sikke on his head, with the Tennure (his gown which is like the shroud) on his body, is born to the truth by the removal of his jacket, and he evolves on that path. During the Sema, his arms are wide open, with his right hand turned toward the sky as if praying, ready to receive the honor from the Divine One, with his left hand turned down, transferring the bounties that come from the Lord to the public. The semazen whirls from right to left, circling around his heart, embracing all the nations on the Earth, and all the creation with love and respect. Humanity was created to love and to be loved. According to Rumi, all types of love are a bridge to Divine love.

III – Conclusion

Rumi spent his whole life dedicated to God Almighty. He did not only try to reach the Lord himself, but helped others to do the same. He was a traveler on this journey of love, describing this love as one that —did not leave anything of me, or on me.— He made his feelings and emotions be heard by others and inspired many different souls. The following quote from him summarizes this: —As long as I am alive, I am a servant of the Qur’an, and a grain of sand on the path of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. If anyone narrates anything from me but this, I am absolved of those words, and of him.—