Layla and Majnun: A Sufi Allegory of Love

On June 18, 2022 AFSACK welcomed back MTO Zendeh Delan’s ® Sama ensemble for the sixth installment of its Salon Series. The conversation premiered the ensemble’s latest project Majnun, a video adaptation of twelfth-century poet Nizami’s narrative poem Layla and Majnun. Through sama—the Sufi practice of listening with the heart that fuses motion, music, and poetry—the ensemble highlights the key moments in the celebrated story that speak to principles of Sufism. With Nizami’s poem frequently interpreted as a Sufi allegory, this conversation reflects on the unique nature of literary allegory to evoke love within the context of Sufism.

Zendeh Delan ®—literally translating to awakened hearts—is a non-profit group consisting of students of MTO Shahmaghsoudi ® School of Islamic Sufism ® who live, study, and work throughout Europe. The diverse ensemble collaborates to present the inner dimensions and divine attributes of the human being in the forms of poetry, music, and the harmonious motions of zikr and sama. Zendeh Delan has been practicing sama under direct instructions of Professor Nader Angha since 2010.

To learn more about sama and stay connected with the Zendeh Delan ensemble, please visit zendehdelan.org