The true joy of every soul is in the realization of the Divine Spirit, and the absence of realization keeps the soul in despair.
Hazrat Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan
Related Material by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan
Compiled by Wahiduddin Richard Shelquist – wahiduddin.net
The true joy of every soul is the realization of the Divine Spirit. Absence of realization keeps the soul in despair. In the life of every poet, thinker, artist or scientist there come moments when ideas or words are given to them; they are given at that moment and at no other. This is the moment when unconsciously the soul has an opportunity to breathe. People do not usually allow their soul to breathe; the portal is closed up in the life of the earth. They close it by ignorance, they are absorbed in things of much less importance. So when the door opens and the soul is able to breathe even one breath, it becomes alive in that one single moment, and what comes out is beauty and joy making one express oneself in song or dance. So heavenly beauty comes on earth.
The things that catch people’s mind are always living things. The poems of Rumi which are called Masnavi, have lived for eight hundred years, they are living, they bring joy and ecstasy whenever they are sung or recited. They are ever-living life, expressing an everlasting beauty. It is the power of God, and for people ever to presume it possible to produce that by study is a mistake. It is impossible. It is the power of God above, which brings out the perfection of beauty. One can never make the soul dance, but one can make self a fit instrument for the expression of the soul.
Commentary by Murshid S.A.M. (Sufi Ahmed Murad)
Samuel L. Lewis
Joy of body comes chiefly from purely physical pleasures, yet in them there is almost always satisfaction of mind. Satisfaction of mind is dependent upon time and space and is not separate from dissatisfaction of mind. That is to say, there are moments when one condition predominates; there are other moments when there is the other condition. Besides that, satisfaction of mind and body depend considerably upon what is outside of body and mind.
Inner satisfaction is not based upon any such flimsy foundation. Soul is either awake or asleep, and its wakefulness is joy and nothing but joy. The states of the heart wherein it feels presence or absence affect the whole personality. Sufis practice Zikr and contemplation whereby consciousness enters into union with the Supreme. This is the joy, the intoxication of soul, the drinking of the Divine Wine.