The next morning, Semir did bring us honey from the bees in his field and we all sat down to a big breakfast of freshly baked bread, jam, cheese, coffee and fruit tea. The area surrounding our cottage is picturesque. Several streams run through the fields behind the cottage. The cottage itself is is built of stone and its courtyard grows a few fruit trees.
"The kiwi will be ripe in September," said Semir as he pointed above our heads to a network of vines that resembled those of grapes. We could see lime-colored, oval shaped fruit with little colorful flower blossoms above our heads. "Wow," we gasped; I don't think any of us had really seen kiwi as it grows before.
Before taking off to our next destination, Abosondos promised to take us to a Sufi Tekke next to the big river - Buna River- running in the area. We packed our bags in the van and took off on what was supposed to be a 15 minute walk.
A tekiyya or zawiya refers to a place of isolation and worship used by sufi orders to close themselves off from the demanding world outside and dedicate themselves to worship and meditation. This place is usually a little room or it could be as big as a house. It is usually simply furnished to reflect the value of zuhud practiced by man sufis.
It was more like half an hour before we finally met the large wooden gates of the tekiya, but it was an enjoyable stroll. The river splashed our clothes as we walked on a hilly path. Fruit vendors were everywhere and we picked up some ripened peaches and figs to keep us entertained on the way. Oh and figs here are a bright green, even when they are perfectly ripe :)
The zawiya/tekiya we are visiting belonged to the Khalwati Order and before that to the Bektashi. Today, most pople who go to Blagaj Buna belong to the Naqshbandiyya Order. I've been reading about the Naqshbandi Tariqa in Turkey and Syria and so I was especially excited to see the place. Sufi orders played an important role in spreading and maintaining the Islamic faith across the Islamic world. Especially in Turkic and Caucasian states , Sufism remains one of the strongest spiritual inclinations among practicing Muslims. I am personally impressed by this particular order, specifically in the Ottoman lands during the 17th and 18th centuries. It's very interesting to see the extreme divergence between Sufism during those eras and Sufism today; and the difference between turuq in Turkey or the Caucuses and the Arab world.
I asked to have a look at their thikr booklets which would include all the awrad that are read on a regular basis by the followers of the order, but they told me the booklets were looked up! I didn't really believe what the man said, but I decided I wouldn't push my luck any further.
We took off our shoes and climbed a wooden staircase. The place had this airy feel to it; all the walls were white and the glass windows looked over the placid, blue-green river. As we entered the rooms, we came across the grave of an important wali related to the tariqa. The place was old. I can imagine how strategic the location was. The tekiya was at the mouth of the river, in an extremely isolated yet miraculously beautiful and serene surrounding. Worshipers looking for a quite place to meditate could not have found a better place.
Downstairs there was a busy little bookshop that sold some souvenirs for the tourists. Among prayer rugs, rosary beads (sibhas) and prayer hats, there was an interesting collection of books. Only a few were in Arabic, fewer were in English but of course the rest were all in Bosnian. I could only understand the transliterated titles; al-Risala al-Kusayria, Risal-e Nur for Said Nursi, a book for the Syrian Said Hawwa and most surprisingly, several books translated from Amr Halid's (Amr Khaled) writings!! I picked one up and went to the shopkeeper, who already did not seem to like me much because of my intrusive questions. I said in a mixture of broken languages, "What do you think of Amr Halid from Egypt?"
He answered back with a very positive expression; it was quite interesting that Amr Khaled's books are being read in Bosnia! I began to become slightly convinced of my supervisor's comparisons between Amr Khaled and Fethullah Gulen of Turkey and of his ideas on the supremacy of televangalist sufi spirituality across the Islamic world today. It is ironic to me however that the success of this phenomenon is tied to a commerciality that should be totally isolated from the non-materialistic concepts of spirituality and sufism.
The walls were all decorated with paintings of the Arabic word, 'HUWA', which is used in many Sufi texts to refer to Allah. I once read an old scripture written about a 1000 years ago. It was dedicated to explaining the meanings of "هو". I sat in Al-Azhar's library in the Mashyakha's premises, barely grasping any of the content because I was struggling to read the intricate Arabic script.
I love the scenery here. We are sitting on a flight of stone steps. The river has disappeared into a cave which makes us so keen to swim into it, just for the adventure. I drifted away into thought and contemplation; I could feel my spirit connect to the peaceful worshipers who once tread these footpaths centuries ago.
8/7/2010
8.20 am
Blagaj Buna
Mostar, Bosnia
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