Editing Sufism (section)

==Devotional practices==
[[File:Dhikr Rifa-iyya.jpg|thumb|Sufi gathering engaged in ''[[dhikr]]'']]

The devotional practices of Sufis vary widely. Prerequisites to practice include rigorous adherence to Islamic norms (ritual prayer in its five prescribed times each day, the fast of Ramadan, and so forth). Additionally, the seeker ought to be firmly grounded in supererogatory practices known from the life of Muhammad (such as the "sunnah prayers"). This is in accordance with the words, attributed to God, of the following, a famous ''[[Hadith Qudsi]]'':{{blockquote|My servant draws near to Me through nothing I love more than that which I have made obligatory for him. My servant never ceases drawing near to Me through supererogatory works until I love him. Then, when I love him, I am his hearing through which he hears, his sight through which he sees, his hand through which he grasps, and his foot through which he walks.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sunnah.com/qudsi40:25|title=Hadith 25, 40 Hadith Qudsi - Forty Hadith Qudsi - Sunnah.com - Sayings and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم)|website=sunnah.com}}</ref> }}

It is also necessary for the seeker to have a correct creed (''aqidah''),<ref>For an introduction to the normative creed of Islam as espoused by the consensus of scholars, see Hamza Yusuf, ''The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi'', {{ISBN|978-0-9702843-9-6}}, and Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Maghnisawi, ''Imam Abu Hanifa's Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar Explained'', {{ISBN|978-1-933764-03-0}}.</ref> and to embrace with certainty its tenets.<ref>The meaning of ''certainty'' in this context is emphasized in Muhammad Emin Er, ''The Soul of Islam: Essential Doctrines and Beliefs'', Shifâ Publishers, 2008, {{ISBN|978-0-9815196-0-9}}.</ref> The seeker must also, of necessity, turn away from sins, love of this world, the love of company and renown, obedience to satanic impulse, and the promptings of the lower self. (The way in which this purification of the heart is achieved is outlined in certain books, but must be prescribed in detail by a Sufi master.) The seeker must also be trained to prevent the corruption of those good deeds which have accrued to his or her credit by overcoming the traps of ostentation, pride, arrogance, envy, and long hopes (meaning the hope for a long life allowing us to mend our ways later, rather than immediately, here and now).

Sufi practices, while attractive to some, are not a ''means'' for gaining knowledge. The traditional scholars of Sufism hold it as absolutely axiomatic that knowledge of God is not a psychological state generated through breath control. Thus, practice of "techniques" is not the cause, but instead the ''occasion'' for such knowledge to be obtained (if at all), given proper prerequisites and proper guidance by a master of the way. Furthermore, the emphasis on practices may obscure a far more important fact: The seeker is, in a sense, to become a broken person, stripped of all habits through the practice of (in the words of Imam Al-Ghazali) solitude, silence, sleeplessness, and hunger.<ref>See in particular the introduction by T. J. Winter to Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali, ''Al-Ghazali on Disciplining the Soul and on Breaking the Two Desires: Books XXII and XXIII of the Revival of the Religious Sciences'', {{ISBN|978-0-946621-43-9}}.</ref>

===Dhikr===
{{main|Dhikr}}
[[File:Isma allah zat-new.png|thumb|upright=0.65|The name of Allah as written on the disciple's heart, according to the Sarwari Qadri Order]]

''[[Dhikr]]'' is the remembrance of Allah commanded in the [[Quran]] for all [[Muslims]] through a specific devotional act, such as the repetition of divine names, supplications and aphorisms from ''hadith'' literature and the Quran. More generally, ''dhikr'' takes a wide range and various layers of meaning.<ref>{{cite web|author=Abdullah Jawadi Amuli|url=http://media.basirat.ca/docs/dhikr_and_the_wisdom_behind_it.pdf|title=Dhikr and the Wisdom Behind It|translator=A. Rahmim|access-date=2020-02-08}}</ref> This includes ''dhikr'' as any activity in which the Muslim maintains awareness of Allah. To engage in ''dhikr'' is to practice consciousness of the Divine Presence and [[Love of God#Islam|love]], or "to seek a state of godwariness". The Quran refers to Muhammad as the very embodiment of ''dhikr'' of Allah (65:10–11). Some types of ''dhikr'' are prescribed for all Muslims and do not require Sufi initiation or the prescription of a Sufi master because they are deemed to be good for every seeker under every circumstance.<ref>Hakim Moinuddin Chisti ''The Book of Sufi Healing'', {{ISBN|978-0-89281-043-7}}</ref>

The ''dhikr'' may slightly vary among each order. Some Sufi orders<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.naqshbandi.org/dhikr/difference.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970529081521/http://naqshbandi.org/dhikr/difference.htm |archive-date=1997-05-29 |url-status=dead |title=The Naqshbandi Way of Dhikr |access-date=26 August 2015}}</ref> engage in ritualized ''dhikr'' ceremonies, or ''[[sema]]''. ''Sema'' includes various forms of worship such as [[recitation]], [[singing]] (the most well known being the [[Qawwali]] music of the Indian subcontinent), [[instrumental music]], [[dance]] (most famously the [[Sufi whirling]] of the [[Mevlevi order]]), [[incense]], [[meditation]], [[religious ecstasy|ecstasy]], and [[altered state of consciousness|trance]].<ref>Touma 1996, p.162.{{full citation needed|date=February 2020}}</ref>

Some Sufi orders stress and place extensive reliance upon ''dhikr''. This practice of ''dhikr'' is called ''[[Dhikr-e-Qulb]]'' (invocation of Allah within the heartbeats). The basic idea in this practice is to visualize the Allah as having been written on the disciple's heart.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://goharshahi.net/images/books_files/menar-e-noor_files/What%20is%20Remembrance%20and%20what%20is%20Contemplation.htm|title=What is Remembrance and what is Contemplation?|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415182616/http://www.goharshahi.net/images/books_files/menar-e-noor_files/What%20is%20Remembrance%20and%20what%20is%20Contemplation.htm|archive-date=2008-04-15}}</ref>

===Muraqaba===
{{main|Muraqaba}}
[[File:Eugène Girardet - La Prière.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|An Algerian Sufi in [[Muraqabah|Murāqabah]]. ''La prière'' ('The Prayer') by [[Eugène Girardet]].]]

The practice of ''muraqaba'' can be likened to the practices of [[meditation]] attested in many faith communities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sultan-bahoo.com/tafakkur-muraqbah-meditation-concentration/#Tafakkur-Muraqbah|title=Muraqaba|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150609000104/http://www.sultan-bahoo.com/en/tafakkur-and-muraqbah-meditation-and-concentration.html#Tafakkur-Muraqbah|archive-date=2015-06-09}}</ref> While variation exists, one description of the practice within a Naqshbandi lineage reads as follows:
{{blockquote|He is to collect all of his bodily senses in concentration, and to cut himself off from all preoccupation and notions that inflict themselves upon the heart. And thus he is to turn his full consciousness towards God Most High while saying three times: "''Ilahî anta maqsûdî wa-ridâka matlûbî''—my God, you are my Goal and Your good pleasure is what I seek". Then he brings to his heart the Name of the Essence—Allâh—and as it courses through his heart he remains attentive to its meaning, which is "Essence without likeness". The seeker remains aware that He is Present, Watchful, Encompassing of all, thereby exemplifying the meaning of his saying (may God bless him and grant him peace): "Worship God as though you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He sees you". And likewise the prophetic tradition: "The most favored level of faith is to know that God is witness over you, wherever you may be".<ref>Muhammad Emin Er, ''Laws of the Heart: A Practical Introduction to the Sufi Path'', {{ISBN|978-0-9815196-1-6}}, p. 77.</ref>}}

===Sufi whirling===
{{Main|Sufi whirling}}
[[File:Whirling dervishes, Rumi Fest 2007.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.8|[[Whirling Dervishes]], at Rumi Fest 2007]]

Sufi whirling (or Sufi spinning) is a form of ''[[Sama (Sufism)|Sama]]'' or physically active [[meditation]] which originated among some Sufis, and practised by the Sufi [[Dervish]]es of the [[Mevlevi Order|Mevlevi order]]. It is a customary dance performed within the ''sema'', through which dervishes (also called ''semazens'', from  Persian {{lang|fa|سماعزن}}) aim to reach the source of all perfection, or ''kemal''. This is sought through abandoning one's ''[[nafs]]'', [[Ego (spirituality)|egos]] or personal desires, by listening to the music, focusing on [[God]], and spinning one's body in repetitive circles, which has been seen as a symbolic imitation of planets in the [[Solar System]] orbiting the Sun.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hayatidede.org/popups/about_sema.htm|title=The Sema of the Mevlevi|publisher=Mevlevi Order of America|access-date=2009-03-26|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-12-21|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121221021339/http://www.hayatidede.org/popups/about_sema.htm}}</ref>

As explained by Mevlevi practitioners:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.whirlingdervishes.org/whirlingdervishes.htm|title=None}}</ref>
<blockquote>In the symbolism of the Sema ritual, the semazen's camel's hair hat (sikke) represents the tombstone of the ego; his wide, white skirt (''tennure'') represents the ego's shroud. By removing his black cloak (''hırka''), he is spiritually reborn to the truth. At the beginning of the Sema, by holding his arms crosswise, the semazen appears to represent the number one, thus testifying to God's unity. While whirling, his arms are open: his right arm is directed to the sky, ready to receive God's beneficence; his left hand, upon which his eyes are fastened, is turned toward the earth. The semazen conveys God's spiritual gift to those who are witnessing the Sema. Revolving from right to left around the heart, the semazen embraces all humanity with love. The human being has been created with love in order to love. Mevlâna Jalâluddîn Rumi says, "All loves are a bridge to Divine love. Yet, those who have not had a taste of it do not know!"</blockquote>The traditional view of most orthodox Sunni Sufi orders, such as the [[Qadiriyya]] and the [[Chishti Order|Chisti]], as well as Sunni Muslim scholars in general, is that dancing with intent during dhikr or whilst listening to [[Sema]] is prohibited.<ref name="qadiri">{{cite web |last1=Hussain |first1=Zahid |date=22 April 2012 |title=Is it permissible to listen to Qawwali? |url=https://www.thesunniway.com/articles/item/71-is-it-permissible-to-listen-to-qawwali |access-date=12 June 2020 |website=TheSunniWay |quote=Unfortunately, the name "Qawwali" is now only used if there is an addition of musical instruments and at times with the "add on" of dancing and whirling depending on the mood of those present. Musical instruments are forbidden. And so is dancing if it is with intent.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Desai |first1=Siraj |date=13 January 2011 |title=Moulana Rumi and Whirling Zikr |url=https://askmufti.co.za/moulana-rumi-and-whirling-zikr/ |access-date=12 June 2020 |website=askmufti |quote=However, later on this Simaa’ was modernized to include dancing and music, thus giving rise to the concept of "whirling dervishes". This is a Bid’ah and is not the creation of orthodox Sufism.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Abidin |first=Ibn |title=Radd al-Muhtar |publisher=Darul Ma'rifa |volume=6 |page=396}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Hashiyah at-Tahtaawi|page=319|publisher=Al-Ilmiyya}}</ref>

===Singing===
[[File:Kurdish Dervishes practice sufism (Dhikr).ogv|thumb|Kurdish Dervishes practice Sufism with playing ''[[Daf]]'' in [[Sulaymaniyah]], [[Iraqi Kurdistan]].]]

Musical instruments (except the ''[[Daf]]'') have traditionally been considered as prohibited by the four orthodox Sunni schools,<ref name="qadiri" /><ref>Murad, Abdul Hakim. "Music in the Islamic Tradition." ''Cambridge Muslim College Retreat.'' May 18, 2017.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Listening to Islamic Songs with Musical Instruments|last=Rabbani|first=Faraz|url=https://seekersguidance.org/answers/general-counsel/listening-to-islamic-songs-with-musical-instruments/|website=Seekers Guidance|date=25 December 2012|access-date=12 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Is Music Prohibited in Islam?|url=http://www.myreligionislam.com/detail.asp?Aid=6192|website=My Religion Islam|access-date=12 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Music and Singing – A Detailed Article|author=Muhammad Ibn Adam|url=https://daruliftaa.com/miscellaneous/music-and-singing-a-detailed-article/|website=Darul Ifta |location=Leicester|date=14 April 2004}}</ref> and the more orthodox Sufi tariqas also continued to prohibit their use. Throughout history most Sufi saints have stressed that musical instruments are forbidden.<ref name="qadiri" /><ref name="Siyar">{{cite book|title=Siyar-ul-Auliya: History of Chishti Silsila|author=Muhammad bin Mubarak Kirmani|translator=Ghulam Ahmed Biryan|language=ur|publisher=Mushtaq Book Corner|location=Lahore}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Fawa'id al-Fu'aad: Spiritual and Literal Discourses|first=Nizamuddin|last=Auliya|translator=Z. H. Faruqi|date=31 December 1996|isbn=9788124600429|publisher=D.K. Print World Ltd}}</ref> However some Sufi Saints permitted and encouraged it, whilst maintaining that musical instruments and female voices should not be introduced, although these are common practice today.<ref name="qadiri" /><ref name="Siyar" />

For example ''[[Qawwali]]'' was originally a form of Sufi devotional singing popular in the [[Indian subcontinent]], and is now usually performed at ''[[dargah]]s''. Sufi saint [[Amir Khusrau]] is said to have infused Persian, Arabic Turkish and [[Indian classical music|Indian classical]] melodic styles to create the genre in the 13th century. The songs are classified into [[hamd]], [[Na`at|na'at]], manqabat, [[marsiya]] or [[ghazal]], among others.

Nowadays, the songs last for about 15 to 30 minutes, are performed by a group of singers, and instruments including the [[Pump organ|harmonium]], [[tabla]] and [[dholak]] are used. Pakistani singing maestro [[Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan]] is credited with popularizing [[qawwali]] all over the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/view/page.basic/artist/content.artist/nusrat_fateh_ali_khan_28502/en_US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320015139/http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/view/page.basic/artist/content.artist/nusrat_fateh_ali_khan_28502/en_US|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-03-20|title=Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan : National Geographic World Music|date=2013-03-20|access-date=2018-10-09}}</ref>