Song of Bosnian Dervishes | Daj da vidim BejtuLlah

Allah, Allah, Ya Allah!
Grant me to see BaituLlah.

If I'd enter BaituLlah *
I'd fall on sajdah for the Master,
With tears in zikr
Forever I'd stay.

Allah, Allah, Ya Allah!
Grant me to see BaituLlah.

If on Arafat I'd stand
I'd turn to prayer,
An eternal condition
Praying to my Master.

Allah, Allah, Ya Allah!
Grant me to see BaituLlah.

If I'd drink Zemzem water
a burden from my heart would be lifted,
'Labbaik Allah' the heart celebrates
Thanks to the Master who created.

Allah, Allah, Ya Allah!
Grant me to see BaituLlah.

- translation from a traditional Bosnian Ilahije (Ilahi) or Sacred Hymn.

[>] Watch and Listen to this beautiful song in Bosnian language via Youtube.

* Footnotes: BaituLlah - is an Arabic word which means House of Allah or God's House. It traditionally means the Sacred House or Kaaba but esoterically also represent the Holy Presence of God. / Sajdah means prostration before God. / Zikr refers to Divine Remembrance. / Zemzem (also written as ZamZam) is the sacred well near Kaaba. Drinking of ZemZem water symbolizes gnosis of God, spiritual realization. / Arafat is a holy ground connected with the ritual of muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. / 'Labbaik Allah' (meaning, 'Here I am O God!') is the chant the pilgrims repeat during the Hajj.

Thanks to fellow blogger and Bosnian American Samaha, for helping with the beautiful translation. When I first saw the youtube video and heard the song, I so loved the tune and also the imagery used in the video that I probably have heard it now 20 times or more! It has a beautiful quality of zikr.

Samaha also helped with a brief background about the footage used in the video: The outfits that the men wearing are traditional Muslim male dress of Bosnia and the scenery in the video with the large stone canyon is Ajvatovica. It is a sacred site and largest Islamic traditional, religious and cultural place in Europe. It is located near Prusac in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The style used in the song is the traditional style of recitation of Ilahije - and it is considered a distinct style of recitation.

About the Holy Site of Ajvatovica : The holy site is named after Ajvaz-dedo who was a devout Bosnian muslim, imam and holy person. According to legend, before the arrival of Ajvaz-dedo, Prusac had a water supply problem. However, he found a powerful spring of water near Prusac. The spring had been shut off by a rock 74 meters long and 30 meters wide, which obstructed the construction of a running water system. Ajvaz-dedo spent 40 days praying to God to split the rock. On the fortieth morning, following his prayers, Ajvaz-dedo dreamt that two white rams collided and split the rock.

When he awoke, he saw the rock split in half. Wooden pipes were placed along the newly formed canyon to take water into Prusac. Seeing it as a sign of God’s miracle and blessing, people began going on pilgrimages to the place where the rock had split. Until today the site is visited by many.

# Further
+ Musical Chef published a beautiful compilation of Bosnian Music
+ Bosnians embark on ancient pilgrimage via Bosnia News
+ Another Performance of the Song | Daj da vidim BejtuLlah
+ Daj da vidim Bejtullah | lyrics in Bosnian

# Related Posts
. Sufis of Kosovo and Greater Balkan
. Death and the Dervish | tale from a Bosnian Sufi