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Sufism and Dervishes
The origin and roots of Sufism lie in the
life and practices of the Prophet of Islam and the Qur’an.
Sufism espouses a well-founded and thoroughgoing
interpretation of Islam, which focuses on love, tolerance,
worship of God, community development, and personal
development through self-discipline and responsibility. A
Sufi’s way of life is to love and be of service to people,
deserting the ego or false self and all illusion so that one
can reach maturity and perfection, and finally reach Allah,
the True, the Real.
Through the Whirling Dervishes program we
hope to bring to you a hint of one of the remarkable ways of
achieving this: the way of Rumi, the great Muslim mystic and
poet.
The Order of the Whirling Dervishes is one
branch of the vast Sufi tradition of Islam. The universal
values of love and service shared by all Sufis are very much
relevant to the social and political realities of today, and
this ritual, which is only performed by the Order of the
Whirling Dervishes, has come to symbolize these values in
the hearts and minds of millions throughout the world.
The Fundamental Meaning of Sema
THE SEMA RITUAL began with the inspiration of Mevlâna
Jalâluddîn Rumi (1207-1273) and was influenced by Turkish
customs and culture.
It is scientifically recognized that the
fundamental condition of our existence is to revolve. There
is no being or object which does not revolve, because all
beings are comprised of revolving electrons, protons, and
neutrons in atoms. Everything revolves, and the human being
lives by means of the revolution of these particles, by the
revolution of the blood in his body, and by the revolution
of the stages of his life, by his coming from the earth and
his returning to it.
However, all of these revolutions are natural and
unconscious. But the human being possesses a mind and an
intelligence which distinguishes him from other beings. Thus
the whirling dervish or semazen, intentionally and
consciously participates in the shared revolution of other
beings.
Contrary to popular belief, the semazen's
goal is not to lose consciousness or to fall into a state of
ecstasy. Instead, by revolving in harmony with all things in
nature -- with the smallest cells and with the stars in the
firmament -- the semazen testifies to the existence and the
majesty of the Creator, thinks of Him, gives thanks to Him,
and prays to Him. In so doing, the semazen confirms the
words of the Qur'an (64:1): Whatever is in the skies or on
earth invokes God.
An important characteristic of this seven-centuries-old
ritual is that it unites the three fundamental components of
human nature: the mind (as knowledge and thought), the heart
(through the expression of feelings, poetry and music) and
the body (by activating life, by the turning). These three
elements are thoroughly joined both in theory and in
practice as perhaps in no other ritual or system of thought.
The Sema ceremony represents the human
being's spiritual journey, an ascent by means of
intelligence and love to Perfection (Kemal). Turning toward
the truth, he grows through love, transcends the ego, meets
the truth, and arrives at Perfection. Then he returns from
this spiritual journey as one who has reached maturity and
completion, able to love and serve the whole of creation and
all creatures without discriminating in regard to belief,
class, or race.
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 represents the ego's
shroud. By removing his black cloak, 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!"
The Ritual Dance or Sema
The Mevlevi (also spelled as mawlawi)
Ritual dance or sema consists of several stages with
different meanings:
The first stage,
Naat-i Sherif,
is a eulogy to the Messenger of Islam and the all Prophets
before him, who represent love. To praise them is to
acknowledge and praise God Almighty Who created and sent
them to humanity as a mercy. This eulogy is followed by a
drumbeat (on the kudum) symbolizing the divine
command ‘Be’ for the creation of the entire universe.
The Naat-i Sherif is followed by a
Taksim, an improvisation on the reed flute or ney.
This expresses the
divine breath, which gives life to everything.
Then follows the Sultan Veled procession
or Devr-i Veled, accompanied by peshrev music;
this is a circular, anticlockwise, procession three times
around the turning space. The greetings of the semazen,
or whirling dervishes, during the procession represent
the three stages of knowledge: ilm-al yaqin (received
knowledge, gained from others or through study), ayn-al
yaqin (knowing by seeing or observing for oneself) and
haqq-al yakin (knowledge gained through direct
experience, gnosis).
During the Sema itself
there are four selams, or musical movements, each
with a distinct rhythm. At the beginning, during and close
of each selam, the semazen testify to God's
existence, unity, majesty and power:
The First Selam
represents the human being's birth to truth through feeling
and mind. It represents his complete acceptance of his
condition as a creature created by God.
The
Second Selam expresses the rapture of the human being
witnessing the splendor
of creation in the face of God's greatness and omnipotence.
The Third Selam is the
rapture of dissolving into love and the sacrifice of the
mind to love. It is complete submission, unity, and the
annihilation of self in the Beloved. This is the state that
is known as nirvana in Buddhism and fana fillah
in Islam. The next stage in Islamic belief is the state of
servanthood represented by the Prophet, who is called God's
servant foremost and subsequently His ‘Messenger.’ The aim
of Sema is not uncontrolled ecstasy and loss of
consciousness, but the realization of submission to God.
In the Fourth Selam, just as the Prophet ascends to
the spiritual Throne of Allah and then returns to his task
on earth, the whirling dervish, after the ascent of his
spiritual journey, returns to his task, to his servanthood.
He is a servant of God, of His Books, of His Prophets, of
His whole Creation.
This is followed by a recitation from the
Qur’an, the Sura (Chapter) Mary on the miracle birth
of Jesus and his mission.
At the end, by the
salute, the dervish demonstrates again the number ‘1’ in his
appearance, arms consciously and humbly crossed, and, by
this, the unity of God.
The ceremony ends with a prayer for the
peace of the souls of all the Prophets and believers.
After the
completion of the Sema, all the dervishes retire
silently to their rooms for meditation and further
remembrance of God.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Sema is a spiritual act, so please DO NOT applaud
while watching. You may kindly do so, if you wish, after the
dervishes have left the stage |
