31 October 2005
Monday 31 October 2005 21:30-22:15 (Radio 3)
Night Waves devotes one of the last evenings of Ramadan to looking at the history of Sufism. What is the history and legacy of this form of Islam in both East and West? And why has its role as the way in which one of the world's greatest religions spread been so overlooked? Isabel Hilton investigates.
Programme details
The Sufi is not of 'any religion or cultural system...not from East or the West, not out of the ocean or up from the ground, not natural or ethereal, not composed of elements at all...not an entity of this world or the next.' (Rumi)
The award winning writer William Dalrymple has said when he first moved to Delhi over 20 years ago, his preconceptions about Sufism were turned upside down. Sharing shrines with both the Hindus and the Christians, he came to see this form of Islam as progressively pluralistic and non-exclusive. Thus began a fascination with the Sufism, the subject of his latest documentary - Sufi Soul to be broadcast on Channel 4 on November 6th.
He joins Isabel Hilton and guests on Monday night - one of the last night's in Islam's holiest month of fasting and prayer, Ramadan - to uncover the history and legacy of Sufism. Sometimes described as the mystical form of Islam, Sufism has inspired writers such as Ted Hughes and Doris Lessing, as well as poetry and music throughout both the East and the West.
There are over 204 countries in the world today in which Sufism is practised, but its practice is under threat even within the Islamic world, as well as outside it. Why is this the case? This and other questions, including a look at why 800 years after his death the Sufi poet Rumi is the world's best selling writer; the role music plays in Sufism; will be all discussed by guests who include the Islamic scholars Professor Azim Nanji and Dr Sajaad Rizvi, and the award winning music critics Jameela Siddiqui and Simon Broughton.
Night Waves, presented by Isabel Hilton, this Monday night live at 9.30 here on BBC Radio 3.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Channel 4 documentary presented by William Dalrymple directed by Simon Broughton. Sufi Soul: The Mystic Music of Islam broadcast Channel 4 at 11.30pm on November 6th.
Ramadan Nights, the Barbican festival of Sufi music in London takes place between Friday 4 and Sunday 6 November. Ramadan Nights features a wide range of musical traditions and styles from Syrian Sufi and Pakistani Qawwali to Algerian Rai, Ramadan Nights presents a feast of musical talent from Muslim cultures around the globe.
