The ilahis

Ilahis can be vocalized anywhere and everywhere

Ilahis being sung at the Roman ruins

Deep in the heart of Anatolia, a cry for connection echoes through the land. A shepherd, a cook, a wanderer, a honey collector, a tractor driver—a university student all lift their hearts to Allah, pleading for a bond with the Divine. This longing for connection is woven into the fabric of everyday life, a melody of the soul seeking its source.

Yunus Emre, the beloved poet and Sufi of Anatolia, captured this cry and shaped it into devotional songs “Ilahis” His words gave voice to the heart's yearning for Allah, transforming simple expressions of faith into profound spiritual hymns.

Every soul that seeks connection with Allah finds its own unique way. Some discover the “ney” the reed flute, as a companion to their devotion. Others are led far from Anatolia, to places like India, where one young Turkish man found his voice through the “ bansuri” . He sat across from me at lunch, sharing how this Indian flute answered his call, offering him a way to express his ilahis.

Another young man, who grew up in modern Istanbul and traveled through Türkiye and Germany, returned home only to find his heart resonating with the “Oudh” Through its strings, he found a means to share his spiritual longing.

One young man, blessed with the voice of a nightingale, left home at 18, feeling like a round peg in a square hole. His journey was not just physical but spiritual, in search of a way to express his ilahi—a search many of us share.

Some hearts are muzzled, silenced by the world, but their craving for connection with Allah remains. Even in their quietude, the whispers of devotion rise to the heavens, carried on the wings of Ilahis.

Eloquent, heartfelt, rhythmic, these sacred songs break the hardened shells around hearts, opening them to the Divine.

How do you express your “ilahi” ?your own call for connection with the Divine?

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