The Mawlawi Order of Sufism - Research Paper Example

The Mawlawi Order of Sufism Introduction Known as the way of the heart, Sufism or at-Tasawwuf is considered to be the mystical and the inner path ofIslam.1 By whatever name it is called, Sufism is the way that takes the seeker into the Divine Presence in order to taste the proximity from God. The practitioner of the Sufi rituals is commonly known as a Sufi or a dervish. Sufism is a slippery concept because it is actually hard to define. Realized Sufi masters have defined Sufism as “a science whose objective is the reparation of the heart and turning it away from all else but God”2 Sidi Ahmed Ibn Ajiba, the most famous Darqawi Sufi master argues that Sufism is “A science through which one can know how to travel into the presence of the Divine, purify one’s inner self from filth, and beautify it with a variety of praiseworthy traits.”3 In essence, Sufism is the path through which the Sufi seeker will detach from the gravity of his/her lower self and reach the state wherein the Vision of God is presented to him/her. This is why all Sufis agree that Sufism’s meanings have been derived from the famous Prophetic Tradition, known as the Hadith of Jibril in which the Archangel Gabriel has clarified to the Prophet that Ihssan, literally perfection, is that one should worship God as if one sees Him , knowing that if one doesn’t truly see God, s/he should bear in mind that God sees him or her. It goes then that among human beings, there must always exist some people, whom through Divine Grace, have attained the highest spiritual stations in the worldly life and were thus forced to guide the souls of believers towards God. If they ask of God something, their prayer is accepted, and if they look at mankind, they invariably look with the eye of mercy. Some historians put forward that Sufism arose among an elite of Muslims as a reaction against the worldliness of the early Umayyad Caliphate (661-750 CE).4 Sufi masters who were “ordained” directly by the Prophet Mohammad (May peace and prayer be upon him!) founded their Sufi schools or orders in compliance with the Prophetic teachings. The most basic mystical knowledge was then passed down from each master to a disciple via the bond of Suhba or companionship and the method was grounded on dhikr, literally rememberance. In this research, I am going to focus mainly on the development of the Mawlawi path. The following questions shall constitute the backbone of my research. So, to what extent is the Mawlawi sufi order emblematic of genuine Sufism? Are there any heresies that have been introduced to this path? Also, which roles does Sufism and, more particularly, the Mawlawi order, play in our modern time? Before answering these questions, I deem it necessary to call for the historical method to meticulously analyze the Sufi practices of the Mawlawi Order. My intention therefore is to approach Sufism from the angle of this path that has managed to attract the attention of a large array of people from all the parts of the globe. I. The Development of The Mawlawi Order It is undeniable that all the Sufi orders were particularly so influential in the spread of Islam around the world. They spread south along trade routes between North Africa and the sub-Saharan kingdoms of Ghana and Mali. What is more is that they were brought to China in the 17th century by some Sufis “Who had studied in Mecca and Yemen, and had also been influenced by spiritual descendants of the Kashgarian Sufi master Afaq Khoja. On the Chinese soil the institutions became known as menhuan, and are typically headquartered near the tombs (gongbei) of their founders.”5 Among these Sufi orders, there is the Mawlawi Order that has by no means attracted a lot of dedicated people from all the works of life. This Sufi order saw light in Konya, known today as Turkey. Mawlana Jalal ad-Din Muhammed Balkhi-Rumi, the most celebrated Persian poet of the 13th century, is actually assumed to be the funding father of this Sufi path6 given his strong knowledge and erudition in Sufism. His disciples are widely known as the Whirling Dervishes owing to their frequent practice of whirling as a form of dhikr (remembrance of God). So, the term dervish is itself suggestive of “An initiate of the Sufi path; the whirling is part of the formal Sema ceremony and the participants are properly known as semazens.”7 Other scholars hold the assumption that the Mawlawi brotherhood was founded by Rumi’s followers after his death, namely by his successor Hüsamettin Çelebi who decided to build a mausoleum for Mawlâna Jalal ad-Din, and then Mawlâna’s son, Baha al-Din Muhammad Walad. The Mawlawi Order were especially attractive to the educated elite of the Turkish Ottoman Empire and was widespread in Anatolia where they had close links with the authorities. The Mawlawi disciples had faithfully celebrated the anniversary of Rumi’s death in a wedding-like ceremony and they believed that the soul of their Sufi master reunites with God, a belief that is unacceptable amongst the Scholars of Shari’ah or the Jurists. Currently, the Mawlawi Order can be found in many Turkish communities all over the world. Nevertheless, the most active and the most well-known place for their activity is in Konya and Istanbul. II. The Practical Method of The Mawlawi Order In point of fact, the major form of God’s remembrance in the Mawlawi Order is verily the “dance”, accompanied by a music ceremony. This is known in Sufism as Samâ, literally audition. The latter represents a long mystical journey of the seeker’s longing for communion with the Divine. The origin of Se Samâ dates back to Rumi, who said in reference to it, “For them it is the samâ of this world and the other. Even more for the circle of dancers within the Samâ who turn and have in their midst, their own Ka’aba, and what he is saying is that when, like in Mecca you have come closer to God, likewise when you perform Samâ you are also closer to God.” As a form of God’s remembrance, Samâ within the Mawlawi Sufi path includes spontaneous bodily movements inspired by mystical poetry and music. These bodily movements during Samâ, according to the Mawlawi dervishes were signs of a complete surrender to the will of God done only for the sake of remembering God neither for pleasure nor for excitement. Noteworthy is that Samâ was only permitted for the dervishes with the blessed permission of their sufi guide [murshid/shaykh] and not for the common people because they are most likely to misuse it to excite their senses. Once they listen to Samâ sessions, the dervishes turn attracted only to God, which oftentimes led to a spiritual state known as Jadba, literally attraction or ecstasy. Surprisingly, not only women, but “beardless youths” were forbidden to do Samâ together with old men. This means that Samâ is only for those who have shown much progress in the Mawlawi path. While strict orthodox Muslim scholars frowns on any use of music in religious rituals given its prohibition, the Mawlawi Order has developed a wide variety of ritual observances involving singing, drums and other musical instruments. To them, these practices contradict the Prophetic teachings. Even worse, they do not have any basis in the Shari’ah. References with the context of the Holy Qur’an along with the Prophetic Traditions confirm that that sort of music is not allowed. As such, reliable interpreters of the Qur’an denounced listening to music wherein plenty of musical instruments are used. Unlike the former Sufi practices, Mawlawî practice of whirling has become so corrupted. To set an example, sometimes a single whirling dervish or a group of whirling dervishes would wear Mawlawî garments and spin for money in inappropriate places, such as in restaurants, at parties and concerts. They are even badly exploited in some T.V programmes. Hence, it becomes conspicuous that today’s Mawlawi dervishes lack training and knowledge in the rich Mawlawî legacy. While the Mawlawi music aroused much controversy and a heated debate among Muslim scholars, Nasheed or Amdah Nabawiya is generally acceptable because the two are nothing but hymns that praise the Prophet (May peace and prayer be upon him!), his life, attributes, etc. Some of the other forms of Nasheed talk about God and illustrate this sort of love the servant maintains his Creator. For that alone, Nasheed is appreciated in many other Sufi circles. III. The Master-Disciple Relationship For many years, knowledge and human skills have been handed down from father to son, from teacher to student and from master to disciple. In Sufism, and in the Mawalwi Oder in more specific terms, the master-disciple relationship is verily the noblest and the most sacred relationship wherein the disciple is required to abide by the instructions of the master and blindly carry them out, as the sufi motto goes, “Whoever says No to his master will never succeed.” As it is the case with other orders and brotherhoods, the Mawlawi Order entails that the dervish should show a great love for the master because he is considered the key that can help one gain both God and Prophetic love. Let us examine the sort of relationship which Rumi displayed towards his Sufi master Shams of Tabriz. Confessedly, it is Shams of Tabriz who introduced Mawlana Jalal ad-Din to Islamic mysticism. According to a verbal tradition, it is reported that one day when Mawalana Jalal ad-Dine Rumi was reading adjacent to a large stack of books, Shams of Tabriz, passing by, inquired of him, “What are you doing?” Rumi scoffingly replied, “Something you cannot understand.” On hearing this, Shams threw the stack of books into a nearby pool of water. Rumi hastily rescued the books and to his surprise, they were all dry. Rumi then asked Shams, “What is this?” To which Shams replied, “Mowlana, this is what you cannot understand.”8 This meeting has completely transformed Rumi from a bookish and a sober scholar to an impassioned seeker of Divine truth and love. Rumi spent a couple of years with Shams, but the latter would suddenly leave him and travel to Khoy. His death would bring many misfortunes and afflictions on Rumi. As a sign of love and great reverence to his master, Rumi attributed more and more of his own poetry to this mysterious man, Shams of Tabriz. If we scrutinize deeply Rumi’s own method of Sufism, we shall discover that he does not exclude anyone from the path. He was thus capable of verbalizing the highly personal and often confusing world of both physical and spiritual growth in a very direct and straightforward way. His world is neither exclusively the world of a Sufi nor the world of a Hindu, nor that of a Jew, nor that of a Christian. Not surprising then is that his own poems and odes are chanted today in mosques, churches, synagogues and Zen monasteries. “Come, come, whoever you are, Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving, it doesnt matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. Come, come, even if you have broken your vow a thousand times, Come-come yet again, come!”9 As we mentioned somewhere above, the one who aspires to get into the Mawlawi Order has to strictly stick to the rigid tenets of the Mawlawi Order. The pact with the master is the most fundamental stage in this Sufi journey of the dervish. Put simply, the dervish, seeker or mureed should submit to the spiritual master who represents the Prophet (May peace and prayer be upon him!). The pact in Sufism, and in the Mawlwai Order, implies perfect submission of the disciple to the master in all that concerns spiritual life. In The Key to Salvation, Ibn Ata Allah al-Sakandari, the most faithful disciple of the great Sufi Master Abul Hassan as-Shadhili, said in this respect, “Know that God’s path if far from discord and from manifestations of the ego’s inclinations. There is no excuse, pardon, or peace of mind in whatever causes one to leave the path. Among themselves, the initiates censure verbally and do not pardon whatever the sacred law does not permit; but they are tolerant of the rights of others and give them their due.”10 Furthermore, the dervishes should be dressed in a white robe that symbolizes a shroud and a cone-shaped hat in reference to a tomb stone while listening to the Samâ ritual. They should turn slowly in circles, their arms raised, one palm turned toward the sky, the other toward the ground to represent their connection to heaven and the earth. As Rumi pointed out hundred years ago, the Mawalwi Order is open for all the people regardless of their religious, cultural and racial backgrounds. Such spiritual education is mandatory in so far as al-Ghazali and other Orthodox scholars are concerned, for all believers are imperfect except the Prophets (May peace and prayer be upon them!) VI. The (In)visibility of the Mawlawi Order in the World Along with the Ottoman expansion, the Mawlawi Order spreaded through the Islamic world with lots of Mawlawi schools strongly attached to the mother school in Konya. Special of this order is that it has moved from Konya to Aleppo and from Syria to Damscus. In 1929, the Mawlawi Order moved to Cairo and settled near Sultan Hassan Mosque. Interestingly enough, one can note that the Mawlawi followers held many celebrations to impart some ethical values of love, tolerance and peace amidst people. They participated in some cosmopolitan events like Fes Festival of International Sufi music and they did revive many concerts in the most magnificent European cities, like Paris, Frankfurt and Rome, to name but a few. The aim is to expose the world public to the great Sufi heritage of the Mawlawi Order and, even most importantly, to attract many other followers. Thanks to Mawlana Jalal ad-Dine Rumi, the Mawlawi Order managed to provoke a considerable interest in the West. But, despite this palpable reality, no volume has so far been written on this esoteric aspect of the Islamic religion in terms of how it is practiced in Western societies. Although the Mawlawi Order was confined to Persia in the first phase of its emergence, its importance is considered to transcend national and ethnic borders. The Mawlawi dervishes are watched in many channels worldwide. Also, many people in the West have known Islam and tasted from the substance of Sufism thanks to the Mawlawi Order. Yet, as one may notice, this confraternity has deviated a little owing to the great importance it gives to music-listening. Accordingly, Orthodox scholars have accused the Mawlawi Order of heresy for new other rituals have been subsumed into their path. The excessive love of the master and music are just instances and they may hamper any kind of spiritual advancement in the path. Besides, the use of magic and witchcraft in some Mawlawi branches has really spoiled the beauty of the Sufi practice. Conclusion To crown it all, the Mawlawi Order, at a particular lapse of time, has in fact instructed people to constantly remember God via dhikr and mediation and it has reached its zenith, simply because its Sufi master could fascinate the West by his timeless and eternal poetry. Now, it is the duty of the seeker to search for an alive Sufi Master that can take one to the highest spiritual stations. Briefly, this research is a basic overview of the Mawlawi Order, its development and practical method, as I have understood it, through study and through practice. But one should keep in mind that real learning comes through direct experience, and reading will never be a substitute for real knowledge of the heart. The following couplet may expound this more: Sufism is not gained by reading pages But by accompanying realized Sufi sages.11 Bibliography Ahmed Zarruq, Zaineb Istrabadi, Hamza Yusuf Hanson – “The Principles of Sufism.” Amal Press. 2008. Franklin Lewis, Rumi, Past and Present, East and West. Golpinarli, A. Mevlanadan Sonra Mevlevilik (Mawlawi Order After Mawlana). İnkilap Yayinlari, Istanbul 1934. Hawting, Gerald R. (2000). The first dynasty of Islam: The Umayyad Caliphate AD 661-750. Routledge. ISBN 0415240735.  The title of the book establishes this fact. Koury Danner, Mary Ann. Ibn Ata Allah al-Sakandari: The Key to Salvation and The Lamp of Souls. The Islamic Texts Society. 1996. Michael Dillon (1999). China’s Muslim Hui community: migration, settlement and sects. Routledge. The Sema of the Mevlevi”. Mevlevi Order of America. http://www.hayatidede.org/popups/about_sema.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-26. Zubair Fattani, The meaning of Tasawwuf, Islamic Academy. Islamicacademy.org. Read More