Sufism: A Realm Beyond Our World
By Owranoos Suljuki
(Photo appeared in Anne Fremantle’s text
“Whirling Dervishes”, cited below)
The Sufi tradition of Islam is known to be one
of the most mystical and spiritual practices. It
combines the philosophical wisdom of
ancient times and with spiritual devotion to
God, to produce an ecstatic worship of
Divine Love. Sufis are known for their
ecstatic worship of the Divine through many
different rituals that incorporate the physical
and psychological aspects of the body. One
of the ways they practice their worship is
through musical ceremonies, also known as alSama’.
“Sama', which literally means
‘audition’, connotes in the Sufi tradition a
hearing with the "ear of the heart", an attitude
of reverently listening to music and/or the
singing of mystical poetry with the intent of
increasing awareness and understanding of the
divine object described; it is a type of
meditation focusing on musical melody, by
use of instruments, mystical songs or
combining both” (Lewisohn 1997:4). The
entire dervish performance is better known as
muquabala, with the Sama being known as the
literal whirling of the Sufis and dervishes
(Fremantle
1976:330).
These
musical
ceremonies increase the spiritual aspect by
bringing the Sufis closer to God through
acoustic melodies that send one into a divine
trance of devotion. The body is essentially a
means to travel from the material world, to a
place of no attachments. “To be near God
simultaneously means to be at a distance with
yourself (nafs), the components of the human
personality” (Geels 1996:230). Music, as well
as chanting, is a way to achieve that bodily
detachment. Through this purge from life,
Sufis experience peace and mediation and
become closer to the Divine.
One of the key elements to Sufism is
the concept of dhikr, or repetitive prayer. In
addition to the daily ritual prayer that takes
place five times a day, dhikr adds to the
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