Al-Farabi's Shahrud

Origin
Al-Farabi was a renowned philosopher and jurist who wrote in areas of political philosophy, metaphysics, ethics and logic. He was also a scientist, cosmologist, and a music scholar. Al-Farabi is credited with preserving the original Greek texts during the Middle Ages because of his commentaries and treaties, and influencing many prominent philosophers, like Avicenna and Maimonides. His treatise on the Meanings of the Intellect discussed the calming effects of music therapy upon the soul, which he personally participated in with his shahrud, a stringed instrument. Al-Farabi also thought the soul is made of four parts: the appetitive, the sensitive, the imaginative and the rational; the latter was thought to separate humans from animals and to be the only part of the soul to survive the body’s death. However his theories lacked internal senses such as common sense.

Effects
When heard, the listener’s soul and being will suddenly find a blissful state of peace and awareness, similar to the experiences of Nirvana in many Buddhist scriptures and artifacts. That person will still remain awake yet their body will relax like that of REM sleep. They will be unable to move by themselves and will only move when asked or forced to. Anyone in the trance will lose all logic thinking and common sense, obeying anyone’s orders without protest.