Sufis
Whirling divine seekers
Sufis are practitioners of Sufism, the mystical tradition within Islam.
They seek direct experience of the divine through meditation, chanting, poetry, and ascetic practices.
Sufi orders have produced celebrated poets like Rumi and Hafez.
The whirling dervishes are perhaps the most visually recognizable Sufis, their spinning dance a form of moving meditation.
The Sufis gathered for their weekly dhikr ceremony.
Sufi spiritual brotherhood
- HafizQuran-remembering honorific
- AttarPersian mystical poet
- masnaviPersian didactic couplet verse
- verseMetered poetic passage
ecstatic · divine love · beloved · wine · tavern · Khayyam · mystical · allegory
Rotating swiftly in place
- chantingRhythmic repetitive vocalization
- meditationFocused attention practice
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
- retreatSanctuary or withdrawal
asceticism · fasting · seclusion · wird · prayer · devotion · remembrance · invocation
Kinship among men
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- initiationFormal admission ceremony
- masterAuthority or controller
- discipleCommitted follower of teaching
tariqa
Sufi spiritual brotherhood
baqa · shaykh · faqir · silsila · annihilation · gnosis · esoteric
Rumi
verse · ecstatic · divine love · beloved · wine · tavern · Khayyam · mystical · allegory · symbolism
whirling
Rotating swiftly in place
- chantingRhythmic repetitive vocalization
- meditationFocused attention practice
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
retreat · asceticism · fasting · seclusion · wird · prayer · devotion · remembrance · invocation · recitation
brotherhood
Kinship among men
- lineageDescent from progenitors
- initiationFormal admission ceremony
- masterAuthority or controller