Oud Appreciation = Close to Fitrah?

mikhalil

Active Member
#1
I was wearing Tigerwood ‘90 today, and got a comment from a guy working at Dairy Queen, you would probably describe him as someone with either learning disabilities or slight developmental issues. He asked me if I was wearing cologne, said it was really different, and when I described it to him, he asked is it expensive? Which made me feel sort of bad and maybe I’ll remember to stop back over and give him a couple samples.

But it made me think once again of something I feel like I’ve noticed, and that obviously oud is something that evokes strong opinion from people, whether positive or negative. And I feel like in my experience, the people who are more likely to appreciate it, seem to be closer to fitrah in their personality. For those of you who are not Arabic speakers, that means the natural state of a created being, children, animals are on fitrah because they they haven’t become polluted by some of the negative influences of the world. But some adults maintain an existence that’s pretty close to it as well; They would tend to be people in a state of obedience to God, not actively engaging in any major sins, who are probably somewhat simple, unlikely to be lured in by the glitz and glamour of worldly life...

Has anyone else noticed this, or is this just a coincidence from my own personal experience?
 

Rasoul S

Well-Known Member
#2
@mikhalil
i am not very good with words today but i do like to chime in. hopefully i can get my feelings and thoughts across.

your post is great food for thought and it stroke a chord with me. i hear what you are saying and i do agree sort of.

first off, 100% yes to oud (most of the time) evoking something in people. you will find very few agnostics and neutrals. people have some sort of a strong reaction to it, either love at first sight, or intrigue or sometimes flat out cant stand it. i am not talking about barny oils either. most oud, save for a few like sultani, or oud royale 04, or some of the gen 3 oils of agar aura, tend to be strong and confident scents that are not for the timid, weak at heart or those who think fresh laundry chemical scents often described as "fresh" or "clean" are the best scents.

while sandal seems to be universally loved and enjoyed (i dont recall a single person not loving the scent of sandal wood), oud on the other hand i find (as you said) tends to be enjoyed more by those who take the slow approach. those who are more present and attentive. seasoned meditators i have introduced to oud have all (without exception) either loved it or at least the intrigue kept them wanting to know more and learn more. on the other hand, busy people, corporate type lawyers (sorry for the generalization) and the likes pretty much unanimously have shrugged their shoulder or say something like i don't get it. whats the big deal? why would you pay x amount of dollars for this? i obviously dont get into it with them and usually say live and let live or value is in the eye of the beholder, but frankly, i am thinking to myself with a some sadness: poor you. only if you were really present with the oil for an extended amount of time to get it, you would have been floored. oud can steal your soul. touch your inner being and shake something up in you, if you give it your attention. to see the horizontal and vertical complexity of an oil requires one to be a attentive nose not a casual bystander. to see the shape-shifting nature of many oud while regional and cultivar telltale aromas present requires a certain something in people which you call fitrah. i am not sure i would call it that, but i do think more or less we are talking about the same thing. are we? did i make sense?
 

mikhalil

Active Member
#3
In a sense yes I think we’re both dancing around some of the same ideas, but when I said fitrah I meant it in the true sense. The people I know that enjoy my scents (even if they’re not passionate about oud themselves) seem to be people who at least appear (God knows best) to be living close to a state of fitrah, whereas the people who have turned up their noses at it, not so.

I didn’t remember this during my original post, but just did right now: I remember Shaykh Hamza Yusuf saying one time that the natural (fitrah) state of humans inclines toward beautiful things. And that as much of human society has moved away from that state, they begin to love ugly things; facial tattoos/excessive piercings, loud cacophonous music with lyrics that focus on the ugliness of life. So maybe somewhere in there the the answer to what I’m talking about. Because the people who find Oud repulsive are likely to say they like perfumes, candles, etc. that really just smell like what they are; carcinogenic chemicals and volatile organic compounds.
 

~A Coburn

Well-Known Member
#4
In a sense yes I think we’re both dancing around some of the same ideas, but when I said fitrah I meant it in the true sense. The people I know that enjoy my scents (even if they’re not passionate about oud themselves) seem to be people who at least appear (God knows best) to be living close to a state of fitrah, whereas the people who have turned up their noses at it, not so.

I didn’t remember this during my original post, but just did right now: I remember Shaykh Hamza Yusuf saying one time that the natural (fitrah) state of humans inclines toward beautiful things. And that as much of human society has moved away from that state, they begin to love ugly things; facial tattoos/excessive piercings, loud cacophonous music with lyrics that focus on the ugliness of life. So maybe somewhere in there the the answer to what I’m talking about. Because the people who find Oud repulsive are likely to say they like perfumes, candles, etc. that really just smell like what they are; carcinogenic chemicals and volatile organic compounds.
I would absolutely love to bring Sheikh @Qays into this conversation to hear the Sunnah perspective on this matter, as he has shared a lot of beautiful information and sentiments with me personally here and there and briefly touched on them in the video with Ensar .

@mikhalil the observation is very real, and in my years of constant correspondences on the subject of oud I would say without doubt those that resonate with Artisanal Oud usually are the 'heart conscious' people, but that is not to say they are not rational. Many who know and appreciation Artisanal Oud are Doctors, Lawyers, and CEO's and most of the connoisseurs whom I refer to as the #oudept, are the most logical and methodological people I have met.

What I postulate is that it returns to intention. The purpose and reason any one individual is approaching not just oud but any fragrance, and the intention of the producer.

Presence is another variable involved, to appreciate the moment you have to be in it, if your mind is elsewhere any fragrance at all is negligible. . .