Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Islamic Realization Society

Sufi Devotion - The Whirling Dervishes

A dervish is a Sufi who has removed himself from the society at large, and lives in blissful isolation, often with other dervishes. They have completely dedicated themselves to loving God and seeing God in human nature and nature in general. Music, to them, is existence itself, and they play and hear it with a different perception than even other Sufis. When they listen to music in an activity called sam'a, they enter an assembly of initiates that is closed to non-initiates.

The most famous and profound dervish ritual is a whirling dance that causes the practitioners to enter an ecstatic state, in which they believe to see God at the climax. This ritual is primarily centered in Turkey, and when hearing about Turkish Sufis or Whirling Dervishes, the terms are usually presented synonymously, although the Whirling Dervish ritual is also performed in Egypt, India, Pakistan and other countries in the region.

The Semazens, or whirlers, wear a camel's-felt cylindrical headdress that symbolizes the tombstone of their ego. The choreography and general order of the ceremony is called sema, and it consists of seven parts. The Semazens, or Semazens, remove a black cloak to show a white one, which symbolizes the shroud of their ego. By uncovering the white cloak, they are revealing themselves to the truth of God. They then cross their arms and stands erect, reflecting the number one that symbolizes God's unity.

The Semazens then begin to turn, passing the sheikh, who stands on a red sheepskin and acts as a channel for the divine. At the onset and stopping of each part of the ceremony, the practitioners turn to each other and bow, acknowledging the soul within. They then open their arms, and the right arm extends towards the sky, showing that they are ready to receive God's love. To the Sufis, love is the supreme act of God. The Semazens focus on the left arm, which is pointed towards the earth, symbolizing the act of bestowing God's love and truth. The feet of the Semazens, touching the earth, provide a point of contact through which the blessing travels. The Semazen acts as a circuit.

The whirling represents two things. Revolution is observed by the Sufis to be a major element in the universe, as are vibration, rhythm, and harmony. Revolution is present in man from the very foundation of the atoms in his body, and man revolves through life the same way the Earth revolves around the Sun. Man revolves around God, as do all things, but since man is conscious he is able to re-enact this relationship through the whirling ritual.

The whirling also represents man's spiritual ascent towards perfection, deserting the ego. After returning from this state, he is able to serve all of creation regardless of species, race, gender, and religion. Although women are generally oppressed in Islam, they are equal to men in the eyes of the Sufis. Women also participate in the whirling ritual.
The Sufis, while being an offshoot of Islam, in some ways have very different perceptions of the world, God, and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. They view the whole universe as harmonious and resonating, and view all things without prejudice. It is for that reason that they do not fight and for that reason that they do not have material wants. Their small societies are egalitarian and outwardly simple, but their ideas and symbols echo thousands of years of refinement and thought. The Sufis, with all their influences, seem to have distilled the religions of the Middle East and Asia down to their essence, and as a result there are many new practitioners of Sufism from all parts of the world and all major religions. They teach peace and humble devotion in a region plagued by violence and extremism, while being devoid of the preaching and self-righteousness of other sects. It is this that might cause one to say that through diversity and acceptance comes the way to peace and equality, rather than through segmentation and nationalist isolationism.
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