Coke Studio Sufi Singing and the New Age 124 Coke Studio Sufi Singing and the New Age Spirituality: A Study via the Theory of False Signs and the Islamic Ruling on Music Kalsoom Qaisar Dr. Farheen Ahmad Hashmi ABSTRACT This qualitative research seeks to explore Coke Studio (CS) Sufi singing (Pakistan) as a site whereby signs lie in that it consumes fake as spiritual. CS singers admix (semi)romantic and worldly lyrics, tend to accommodate and publicize various singing styles and genres, pivot more on physical signifiers such as visual locale and use female beauty as fetish in their Sufi performance. In all their videos, what stands out as the most visible and eye-catching sign, is the sacred Cola. The study examines how CS singers strategize their singing to dupe viewers into believing a didactic truth (Sufi poetry) within a lie. Selection of 10 songs is made out of a total of 32, rendered by CS singers on various Pakistani TV channels within a span of 9 seasons and 9 years. Drawing on Eco‘s theory of false signs, a method is devised to analyze CS Sufi singing performance as a representational sign- one type of signs as suggested by Dyer. The study demonstrates that CS singers simulate Sufi music, truncate it into a plaything or mere articulation, use it as a cover for profiteering drives and thereby enact theatricality. Via the use of New Age discourses such as spirituality, genre fusion and plurality of style and text, singers portray Sufi music as something that may be secularized, liberalized and adapted for any material end, which is incongruent to what Sufis say. The study has identified 4 main aspects which turn CS Sufi singing into a theatrical demonstration. It encourages (1) passive consumption of spiritual signs than making viewers reflect over the esoteric value of Sufi lyrics (2) represents neo-spirituality and disseminates the viewpoint that every subjective and idiosyncratic interpretation of the esoteric within the ambit of Sufi music is justified and (3) promotes new kind of entertainment culture coming via the Open Happiness recipe as conceived by Coca Cola executives long way back. Lastly, the study examines the validity of music itself via the Quranic lens and attempts to determine whether this turns CS Sufi singing into even a more fake sign. Key Words: Sufi music, physical signifiers, sacred Cola, simulation, neo- spirituality, theatrical, Islamic mysticism. Associate Professor, Department of English, G. P/Graduate C. W. Satellite Town, Rawalpindi. Assistant Professor, Department of English, NUML, Islamabad.
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Coke Studio Sufi Singing and the New Age
124
Coke Studio Sufi Singing and the New Age Spirituality: A
Study via the Theory of False Signs and the Islamic
Ruling on Music Kalsoom Qaisar
Dr. Farheen Ahmad Hashmi
ABSTRACT This qualitative research seeks to explore Coke Studio (CS) Sufi
singing (Pakistan) as a site whereby signs lie in that it consumes fake as
spiritual. CS singers admix (semi)romantic and worldly lyrics, tend to
accommodate and publicize various singing styles and genres, pivot more
on physical signifiers such as visual locale and use female beauty as fetish
in their Sufi performance. In all their videos, what stands out as the most
visible and eye-catching sign, is the sacred Cola. The study examines how
CS singers strategize their singing to dupe viewers into believing a didactic
truth (Sufi poetry) within a lie. Selection of 10 songs is made out of a total
of 32, rendered by CS singers on various Pakistani TV channels within a
span of 9 seasons and 9 years. Drawing on Eco‘s theory of false signs, a
method is devised to analyze CS Sufi singing performance as a
representational sign- one type of signs as suggested by Dyer. The study
demonstrates that CS singers simulate Sufi music, truncate it into a
plaything or mere articulation, use it as a cover for profiteering drives and
thereby enact theatricality. Via the use of New Age discourses such as
spirituality, genre fusion and plurality of style and text, singers portray Sufi
music as something that may be secularized, liberalized and adapted for
any material end, which is incongruent to what Sufis say. The study has
identified 4 main aspects which turn CS Sufi singing into a theatrical
demonstration. It encourages (1) passive consumption of spiritual signs
than making viewers reflect over the esoteric value of Sufi lyrics (2)
represents neo-spirituality and disseminates the viewpoint that every
subjective and idiosyncratic interpretation of the esoteric within the ambit
of Sufi music is justified and (3) promotes new kind of entertainment
culture coming via the Open Happiness recipe as conceived by Coca Cola
executives long way back. Lastly, the study examines the validity of music
itself via the Quranic lens and attempts to determine whether this turns CS
Sufi singing into even a more fake sign.
Key Words: Sufi music, physical signifiers, sacred Cola, simulation, neo-
spirituality, theatrical, Islamic mysticism.
Associate Professor, Department of English, G. P/Graduate C. W. Satellite Town,
Rawalpindi.
Assistant Professor, Department of English, NUML, Islamabad.
Research Journal Al Baṣīrah (Vol: 9, Issue: 1)
125
Introduction New Age refers to a series of fuzzy forms of popular spiritual beliefs or
a mélange of contemporary religious phenomena that emerged since the
late 1970s. The term is though hard to define but may be understood as a
kind of bag carrying mixed ingredients one is free to choose from across
cultures, religions or mystical traditions such as Hinduism, Taoism,
Sufism, Gnosticism and Western Occultism. Being a composite of spiritualties, New Age religion detaches itself from the existing religions
and insists on fine tuning religious symbols according to the specific needs
of individuals. It draws on aspects which are not too closely associated to
religions and their theologies. The purpose is to give a religious cover over
what is essentially secular or said reversely, to consume fake as spiritual.
New Age is thus the manifestation par excellence of individualism,
materialism and secularization of religion whereby religion becomes just a
matter of individual choice.
Spirituality, for New Agers, is any notion which conveniently fits
within their frame of understanding: any vague, abstract idea, any
consciousness related to healing and the like, a fancy material object or a
fetish to be treated with utmost adoration, care and even religion-like
veneration. Coca Cola, for instance, is possessed with this power so as
people are driven to have this drink with utmost desire rather ―religious
devotion.‖(1)
And the more the desire, the more it is fetishized by media
and celebrity pop culture. Coca Cola as the ―sacred fetish (is) within arm‘s
reach of desire,‖ and ―has been the fetish of a global religion, as a sacred
sign,‖ (p. 744) states Pendergrast. (2)
It is, therefore, a representative sign of
the new taste, modernity and power to transfuse elements coming via
religion, culture and spiritual values belonging to various cultures. This
drive by Coca Cola as well as by other agencies seems to be to create a
kind of Hollywood chic for the upcoming spirituality(s) industry.
New Age spirituality, as it welcomes alternative insights from all
peoples & cultures in contrast to religion which does not, majority of
people tend to fancy it while carefully distancing from religion. Moreover,
it offers plenty of room for doubt and allows individuals to find their own
ways of discerning truth, what to believe in or what to leave out and
thereby become the final arbiter of truth and falsity. By granting
ascendance to an individual self to define anything as spiritual and set
limits even on the very meaning of the divine, neo-spirituality attempts to
secularize religion, sets the stage for fakery and simulation to dominate.
(1) David Chidester, ―The Church of Baseball, the Fetish of Coca Cola …,‖ Journal
of the American Academy of Religion 64, no. 4 (1996): 744, 750.
(2) Mark Pendergrast, For God, Country and Coca Cola (Basic Books, 2000).
Coke Studio Sufi Singing and the New Age
126
The new markets or agencies capitalize upon these notions and Coke
Studio, by using Sufi music as a ploy to dupe viewers into believing a
didactic truth (Sufi poetry) within a lie, does the same in that it simulates
Sufi music and uses it as a cover to consume fake as spiritual. In all their
videos, what stands out as the most visible and eye-catching sign, is the
sacred Cola.
The study, via the semiotic inquiry, examines CS Sufi singing as a site
whereby signs are false, simulated and used as a plaything. Selection of 10
songs is made out of a total of 32, rendered by CS singers on various
Pakistani TV channels within a span of 9 seasons and 9 years. Drawing on
Eco‘s theory of false signs, a method is devised to analyze CS Sufi singing
performance as a representational sign- one type of signs as suggested by
Dyer. It is inquired how and why singers admix (semi)romantic and
worldly lyrics in their Sufi performance pivoting more on physical
signifiers such as visual locale or heavy instrumentation. This is not simply
to uncover how singers make a ludic play of Sufi text or truncate the text in
various ways and rather oversimplify the notion of Sufi singing. What
makes their singing problematic is that in doing so, the singers simulate the
meaning as well as attempt to trivialize the genre, philosophy and
pedagogy underpinning the Sufi music, and thereby disseminate the idea
that every subjective or idiosyncratic interpretation of the esoteric within
the ambit of Sufi music is to be considered adequate.
The question what Sufi music is in reality or the ambiance on which it is
based as per the views of the Islamic mystic scholars, logically comes up
here. The studies reviewed below answer this question and also focus on
the New Age spirituality and modern tendencies to rebrand Sufi/Islamic
music in various ways. Prior to it, however, a brief review of the term ‗Sufi
music‘ and ‗Music controversy‘ is given.
Sufi Music-A Problematic Term Concerning the word ―music,‖ two terms ―mausiqi‖ and ―ghina‖
with similar connotations are used as various scholars dig out. Rouget, for
instance, writes that the ―word mausiqi denoted the rules or the art of
music but not music itself as a product of that art.‖ In Islamic Peripatetic
philosophy, mausiqi denotes strictly the theory of music which is
recognized to be of Greek origin; defined as the science of the composition
of melodies, it is contrasted to ―ghina‖ which means song or musical
practice(1)
.
(1)
Gilbert Rouget, Music and Trance: A theory of the Relations between Music and
Possession (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1985), 226-57.
Research Journal Al Baṣīrah (Vol: 9, Issue: 1)
127
Değirmenci (1)
elucidates the term ―Sufi music‖ which, he says, is
problematic. ―The practices constituting the term music in Western
literature are called Sama in Islamic literature and are associated with
worship practices.‖ In his view, Sufi music falls in the category of ―non-
music‖ whereas ghina refers to ―secular art music, performance and music-
making that mainly takes place in the urban sphere.‖ Many literary works
also differentiate cantus (ghina) from Sufi music (sema) which is
conceived as ―non-music.‖ Moreover, ghina was typically banished by
most authors as Shiloah (2)
points out. Thus ―music or Sama connote the
use of music in worship practices rather than music itself … Sama involves
listening or hearing God‘s word, as opposed to music with a secular
focus‖(3)
.
Shiloah, (4)
a renowned scholar of Arabic and Jewish, also
explicates the term ―ghina‖ as well as ―lhn‖ another word with similar
meaning, in his famous book. He explains that ghina (art song & music) is
derived from ―gny‖ which signifies ―to sing and also to prolong the voice
in psalmody and chant, to enrich or to romance. The root Ihn derived from
lahn (melody, rhythm and mode), also means ―to chant in a manner
pleasant to listener‘s ear.‖
Since the terms ―mausiqi‖ and ―ghina‖ both connote art song and
music, Rouget(5)
points out referring to (6)
Abu Hamid al-Ghazali and Al-
Hassan al-Tusi that how both of them rarely use the word ―music‖ in their
writings. Al-Tusi, for instance, uses the term only once whereas Ghazali
seems to deliberately avoid using the word mausiqi (7)
. Rouget further
points out that Ghazali was well familiar with the word but being an
advocate of Sama, perhaps he avoided to use the term ―music‖ with the
purpose not to mix up any music or art song with spiritual/religious singing
(Sama).‖ For Ghazali, it was essential to find moral justification for Sama
and the distinction between two kinds of music can be drawn further by the
terms ―light‖ music and ―serious‖ music. Only the latter, he said, is lawful.
It would be aberration to confuse the two kinds or cover both by using the
same term, as we see in the contemporary Sufi music such as CS singing.
(1)
Koray Değirmenci, Creating Global Music in Turkey (New York: Lexington Books,
2013), 83-84. (2)
Amnon Shiloah, ―Music and Religion in Islam‖ Acta Musicologica 69, no. 2
(1997):143-4. (3)
Ibid, 2013 (4)
Amnon Shiloah, Music in the World of Islam: A Socio-cultural Study (Wayne State
University Press, 1995), 22. (5)
Ibid,1985 (6)
Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, ... Abu Ali al-Hassan al-Tusi (1018–1092), (7)
Leonard Lewisohn, ―The sacred music of Islam: Sama' in the Persian Sufi tradition‖
British Journal of Ethnomusicology 6, (1997):1-33.
Coke Studio Sufi Singing and the New Age
128
Lewisohn (1)
elucidates the kind of singing which is lawful: (1)
cantillation of the Quran (2) sung poetry, on the condition that its
sentiments and thoughts are sufficiently elevated, (3) use of instruments
that were never associated with blameworthy musical practices- the aspect
to which many renowned Sufi scholars do not agree. There is yet another
restriction, states Lewisohn, ―It is permissible to hear (Sama) only one is
oneself in a certain state of inner purity. This restriction, i.e. of the
listener‘s disposition or intention is precisely what is conveyed by the word
Sama. This conceptional patterning of reality to which it corresponds is
comparable to no other and certainly not to that of the word ―music.‖
As far as Sufi music is concerned, its legality has been a matter of
controversy, two groups vary in their opinions and defend their case by
citing from Quran and Hadith. The section below briefly deals with this
controversy.
Music Controversy The question whether there is any form of spiritual music or
whether music is permissible even if used for religious purposes as used in
Sufi ritual orders, has been a topic of debate in the Islamic literature as
states Değirmenci(2)
. The topic is wide but it is briefly covered below.
As Gribetz(3)
provides in his article, we find two groups, for and
against the music debate. The prominent among the opponents include: (1)
Al-Jawazi and Ibn Taymiya; and (2) Ahmad al-Ghazali and Abu Nasr al-
Sarraj are the proponents. Both groups seem to hold strong opinions
proving music to be a (un)lawful activity in the light of Quran and Hadith.
However, Hujwiri as well as al-Sarraj choose to abstain from Sama, taking
the middle path.
Nicholson(4)
mentions that Hujwiri fell neither in opposition nor
favor of music. He seemed to believe that music is neither good nor bad, and
must be judged, in effect, by its results. Qushayri(5)
gives the same explanation
explanation with reference to Ibn Jurayi. Al-Shafi(6)
also did not fully
approve of music although he did not prohibit it, taking up a careful middle
path. He cites a number of foundational references to establish the point
(1)
Ibid, 1997. (2)
Koray Değirmenci, Creating Global Music in Turkey (New York: Lexington Books,
2013), 83-84. (3)
Arthur Gribetz, ―The samā' controversy: Sufi vs. Legalist‖. Studia Islamica 74, (1991):
43-62. (4)
Renold, A. Nicholson, The Kashf al-Mahjub (The Revelation of the Veiled) (Gibb
Memorial Trust, 2014), p. 86 (5)
Abu‘l Qasim al-Qushayri, Al-Qushayri's epistle on Sufism (A. D. Knysh, Trans.)
(Labanon, 2007). (6)
Ibid, 2014
Research Journal Al Baṣīrah (Vol: 9, Issue: 1)
129
that many adopted the middle path rather disapproved of it. It seems that
the ancient Sufi scholars approached the subject very carefully and seemed
to be of the view that in case such music assembly (Sama) is conducted,
attention should be paid on the end result or the learning outcome.
Interestingly scholars, both for and against, utilize sources from
Quran and some representative types of traditions that are either connected
to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) or to his Companions.
The opponents, for instance, cite verses from Surah Ash-Shuaraa(1)
, ―the
poets-the perverse follow them; have you not seen how they wander in every
valley.‖ In these verses, music is being equated with poetry and like poetry
which in most of the cases has no purpose, music is largely a form of
amusement and sport and so not a desirable practice. Another reference is
cited from al-Furqan(2)
, ―And [they are] those who do not testify to falsehood
[zooraa], and when they pass near ill speech, they pass by with dignity.‖ Al-
Jawzi(3)
cites Quranic verses which allegedly establish disapproval of
singing such as: ―And there is among the men such a one also, ―who buys
alluring tales so that he may lead the people astray from Allah's Way, without any
knowledge‖; ―wasting your (precious) lifetime in pastime and amusements
(singing, etc.)‖ (wa-antum samidun, i.e. amuse yourselves); ―and excite any of
them whom you can with your voice.‖ The word ―zooraa‖ in Al-Furqan is
equated with ghina (music) and ―Samidun‖ in An-Najm with singing and
music as is cited in Gribetz (4)
.
Al-Ghazzili (5)
, on the other hand, gives a different interpretation to
build his case in favor of Sama/Sufi music. A verse often cited in defense
of music from Surah Al-Zumr(6)
reads as, ―So give good tidings to My
servants who listen to the Word (al qawl) and follow the fairest of it.‖ The word
―al-qawl‖ is thought by some to refer to ghina/music. Also, a verse(7)
from
Al-Anam which states, ―He has distinguished for you that which He has
forbidden you.‖ And hence the legality of music is justified as is cited in
Gribetz(8)
.
Both groups cite references from traditions but often draw opposite
conclusions out of the same source. A tradition related by al-Bukhari and
Muslim about Abu Bakr coming into Ayisha and finding two girls singing
while the Holy Prophet was resting. When Abu Bakr tried to rebuke the
(1)
Surah Ash-Shuaraa, Verses, 224-25 (2)
Al-Furqan, Verse, 72 (3)
Ibid, 1991 (4)
Ibid, 1991 (5)
Ahmad al-Ghazzili, [Persian mystic, writer, and eloquent preacher (1061–1123)]. (6)
Surah Al-Zumr, Verse 18 (7)
Surah Al-Anam, Verse 26 (8)
Arthur Gribetz, ―The samā' controversy: Sufi vs. Legalist‖. Studia Islamica 74, (1991):
43-62.
Coke Studio Sufi Singing and the New Age
130
girls, Muhammad (PBUH) ―intervenes and permits them to continue, since
it is a holiday,‖ as cited in Gribetz. Al-Ghazzali and the group use this
story as proof that singing is permissible.
In contrast, Ibn Taymiya, Ibn al-Jawzi, and Ibn al-Hajj, draw
different conclusions from the same tradition. Ibn Taymiya claims that
listening to music was clearly neither a practice of the Prophet nor of his
Companions. He cites Abu Bakr who called music ―the commotion of the
devil.‖ The second is ascribed to Ibn Mas‘ud as, ―Singing causes hypocrisy
to grow in the heart.‖
What one can gather from the above discussion is that listening to
Quranic recitation in a gathering as used to be the case with earliest Sufis is
beyond any debate and the legitimacy issue arises when it is poetic/any
other text which speaks of the Divine in terms of secular metaphors.
In today‘s scenario, whereby we see the new tendency to rebrand or
secularize Sufi poetry by many singers under the banner of the New Age
spirituality.
Sufi Music & New Age Spirituality Sufi music is underpinned with the notion of the sacred and the
word ―sacred,‖ as Nasr (1)
argues, is rooted in the sacred science whereby
one is able to perceive and understand God as Reality. Sufi music,
therefore, has pedagogical targets for those who seek to experience it in
that way. Qawwali--a distinctly South Asian variety of Sufi music can be
called a ―ritualized performance of ecstatic Sufi poetry accompanied by
music (2)
.‖ It is a unique genre of religious expression nurtured by the
Chishti order in particular since 12th
century in the Indian Subcontinent. To
Qureshi, the ―authentic spiritual song‖-Qawwali- provides a listening
(Sama) experience to the devotees and, therefore, it enacts as a symbolic
sign for them to transcend their conscious striving and be transported to a
state of ecstasy-- a mystical station of union with God. (3)
What makes the Sufi music ritual sacred is due to what they call
Sufi ambience, i.e. the observance of three rules, i.e., place, time and
company. The ambience of Chishti assemblies is regulated by their
spiritual teachers while disciples sit together and contemplate over what
the singers perform out of kalam (poetic verses) usually accompanied by
hand-clapping, tabla (drums), and harmonium. Chishtis believe that kalam
(1)
Nasr, S. H. (2001). The need for a sacrd science. Lahore: Sohail academy. (2)
Rozehnal, R. (October 2007). A ‗proving ground‘ for spiritual mastery: The Chishti
Sabiri musical assembly. The Muslim World, 97, 657-677. (3)
Regula Qureshi, (1986). Sufi Music of India and Pakistan: Sound, context and meaning
meaning in Qawwali (Cambridge University Press, 1986), 10.
Research Journal Al Baṣīrah (Vol: 9, Issue: 1)
131
is inherently powerful. They link the sequence of poetic verses with stages
of the Sufi path known as suluk. (1)
In the contemporary scene, ―Qawwals
are often ignorant of these matters,‖ observes Rozehnal.(2)
They are
perhaps the ―new breed of professional performers of Sufi music and
Qawwali,‖ who use Sufi music for audience ―who neither know the
difference between genres nor care,‖ as state Bhattacharjee and Alam. (3)
A senior Chishti Sabiri disciple offers a critique of popular
Qawwali: ―Qawwali [filmi] is not Sama. With these Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
types . . . there is always lots of talk about wine, and the [drum] beats go
up [in intensity].‖ Most of the pop singers are not trained for ritual
etiquettes and mystical intricacies of the Sufi verses. The reason is that
modern art is free of these essential elements and formal discipline as it
might stifle the artist‘s ―creative genius,‖ says Nasr. He further elaborates
this shift of focus concerning art which, in his view, is a random collection
of diverse ideas with no ground in any specific culture or religion.
Underpinning this view is the modern belief in an individual‘s expression
that is free of any restraint or limit. To him, the nature of this art is that
people go to the ―junkyard and pick up a few pieces …Well, this is art.‖
The New Age modernization has relegated the traditional sacred music to
the margins of society, to museums and to concert halls. Further damage is
done via recorded and electronically amplified sounds resulting in a
―musical idiom that conveys to its listeners functionally composite and
portable experience of entertainment,‖ as states Babb
(4). The new forms of
(1)
Newell, 2007, pp. 668-69 (2)
Ibid, 2007 (3)
Anuradha Bhattacharjee and Shadab Alam, ―The Origin and Journey of Qawwali: From
Sacred Ritual to Entertainment,‖ Journal of Creative Communications 7, no. 3 (2012):
221.
(1) Regula Qureshi, (1986). Sufi Music of India and Pakistan: Sound, context and
meaning in Qawwali (Cambridge University Press, 1986), 10.
(2) D. G. Mattichak Jr. ―Spirituality- The New Religion for the New Age,‖ (2011) 2.
Retrieved from https://www.scribd.com/document/149120549/Spirituality-The-
New-Religion-for-the-New-Age
(3) Amira El-Zein, ―Spiritual consumption in the United States: The Rumi
phenomenon,‖ [Published online]. Journal of Islam and Christian–Muslim
Relations11, no. 1 (2010, July 14): 71-85.
(4) Yaprak Melike uyar and S. Sehvar Besiroglu, (fall 2012). ―Recent
representations of the music of the Mevlevi order of Sufism,‖ Journal of
Interdisciplinary Music Studies 6, no. 2 (2012), 146.
(5) Nirupama Kotru, ―Bollywood‘s been dishing out faux ‗sufiyana‘ songs to us.
Here‘s what‘s wrong,‖ (2017, April 02). Retrieved from
are recited unto them and turn away in pride, as if they heard them not or
as if there were deafness in their ears. Moreover, the word يشتسي
/purchasing, as Qatadah(1)
says, means the buyer likes it, namely, ―Lahw-
al-Hadith‖ and the more they like it, the more they prefer falsehood to the
truth. The Ayah basically focuses on specifically to address the question as
to why after all should a person be deaf to the word of God. The Quran
answers, as noted in the verse above, by making us see the difference
between two types of people: (1) those who choose to benefit from Allah‘s
verses and (2) those (the miserable ones) who prefer falsehood over truth,
choosing to avidly indulge in idle, false deeds & empty
amusements/singing whose purposes are to also turn others away from
Allah‘s path. The former, who choose to benefit from Allah‘s verses, the
Quran, in Surah al-Furqan, Verse 72, specifies their characteristic as those
who keep away from irreal, false or purposeless things. The verse reads as, وا كساما― وا بٲللغى مس وز وإذا مس And [they are] those who do not testify وٱلريه ل يشهدون ٱلز
to falsehood [zooraa], and when they pass near ill speech, they pass by with
dignity.‖ The word ―zooraa‖ is equated with ghina (music) as ―samidoon‖
with singing and music, as cited in Gribetz. (2)
Having briefly said how the Quranic exegetes interpret
‗music/singing‘ and its role as a medium of digression (in most cases) from
Allah‘s path-- Allah who is the ultimate Reality, it also seems relevant to
say a few words on how Sufis view reality. That can also be put in contrast
to the confused state of reality to which the title ‗Sufi music‘ is attached in
today‘s scenario. The discussion in section two above elucidates that the
term ‗music‘ is based on Zikr to which all Sufis agree and their opinions
differ only when it comes to the matter of singing/reciting poetry. This
latter aspect is something which in a way gives leverage to people to
construct false & fetish things and use them under the cover of ‗Sufi
music‘ such as CS singers enact. Whatever claims these singers make, their
musical demonstration of Sufi lyrics (intermixed with semi/romantic stuff)
is something which is against what Sufi poets are mainly concerned with,
i.e., using language as a tool to express their love for the Real signified.
Moreover, their demonstration is something that can easily be interpreted
under the Quranic term ―Lahw-al-Hadith.‖ As a matter of fact, what these
singers demonstrate is a representation of fake, false and a confused state
of the reality of ‗Sufi music‘ which can better be understood in the light of
(1)
Tafseer Ibn Kathir Retrieved from: http://www.fiqhulhadith.com/ibn-e-
kaseer/list.htm (2)
Arthur Gribetz, ―The samā' controversy: Sufi vs. Legalist‖. Studia Islamica 74, (1991):