The Whirling Dervishes Sama Ceremony as a form of Zikr :

The dancing [whirling] and howling dervishes at Constantinople and Cairo have become public sights, and are familiar to those Europeans who have visited those cities. We are indebted to Mr. Brown’s account of The Dervishes (Trubner and Co., Ludgate Hill) for the following graphic description of one of these public recitals of zikr.

The ceremony commences by the recital by the Shaikh of the seven first attributes of the Divinity, called by them the seven mysterious words. “He next chants various passages of the Koran, and at each pause, the Dervishes placed in a circle round the hall, respond in chorus by the word ‘Allah!’ (God) or’Hoo!'(Huwaor Hu, He). In some of the societies, they sit on their heels, the elbows close to those of each other, and all making simultaneously light movements of the head and body. In others, the movement consists in balancing themselves slowly from the right to the left, and from the left to the right, or inclining the body methodically forwards and aft.

There are other societies in which these motions commence seated, in measured cadences with a staid countenance, the eyes closed or fixed upon the ground, and are continued on foot.” These singular exercises are consecrated under the name of Murakebeh (exaltation of the Divine glory) [muraqabah, ‘meditation’], and also under that of the Tevheed (celebration of the Divine unity) [Tawhid], from which come the name Tevheed khaneh given to the whole of the halls devoted to these religious exercises. In some of these institutions, such as the Kadirees [Qadiri’s], the Rufa’ees [Rifai’s], the Khalwettees, the Bairamees, the Gulshenees, and the ‘Ushakees, the exercises are made each holding the other by the hand, putting forward always the right foot, and increasing at every step the strength of the movement of the body. This is called the Devr (Daur), which may be translated the ‘dance or ‘rotation.’ The duration of these dances is arbitrary, – each one is free to leave when he pleases. Every one, however, makes it a point to remain as long as possible. The strongest and most robust of the number, and the most enthusiastic, strive to persevere longer than the others; they uncover their heads, take off their turbans, form a second circle within the other, entwine their arms within those of their brethren, lean their shoulders against each other, gradually raise the voice, and without ceasing, repeat “Ya Allah!’ (O God) or ‘Ya Hu’ (O He), increasing each time the movement of the body, and not stopping until their entire strength is exhausted.

The Rufa’ees [Rifai’s]

“Those of the order of the Rufa’ees excel in these 4 exercises. They are, moreover, the only ones who use fire in their devotions. Their practices embrace nearly all those of the other orders; they are ordinarily divided into five different scenes, which last more than three hours, and which are preceded, accompanied, and followed by certain ceremonies peculiar to this order. The first commences with praises which all the Dervishes offer to their Shaikhs, seated before the altar. Four of the more ancient come forward at first and approach their superior, embrace each other as if to give the kiss of peace, and next place themselves two to his right and two to his left. The remainder of the Dervishes in a body press forward in a procession, all having their arms crossed, and their heads inclined. Each one, at first, salutes by a profound bow the tablet on which the name of his founder is inscribed.

Afterwards, putting his two hands over his face and his beard, he kneels before the Shaikh, kisses his hand respectfully, and then they all go on with a grave step to take their places on the sheep-skins, which are spread in a half-circle around the interior of the hall. As soon as a circle is formed, the Dervishes together chant the Takbir (the exclamation Allahu akbar, ‘God is exalted’ and the Fatihah (the first chapter of the Koran). Immediately afterwards, the Shaikh pronounces the words ”La ilaha ill’ Allah'(There is no deity but God), and repeats them incessantly; to which the Dervishes repeat ‘Allah!’ balancing themselves from side to side, and putting their hands over their faces, on their breasts, and their abdomen and on their knees.

“The second scene is opened by the Hamdee Mohammedee, a hymn in honour of the Prophet, chanted by one of the elders placed on the right of the Shaikh. During this chant, the Dervishes continue to repeat the word ‘Allah!’ moving their bodies forward and aft. A quarter of an hour later they all rise up, approach each other, and press their elbows against each other, balancing from right to left, and afterwards, in a reverse motion – the right foot always firm, and the left in a periodical movement, the reverse of that of the body, all observing great precision of measure and cadence. In the midst of this exercise, they cry out the words ‘Ya Allah!’ followed by that of ‘Ya Hoo!’ Some of the performers sigh, others sob, some shed tears, others perspire greatly and all have their eyes closed, their faces pale, and the eyes languishing.

“A pause of some minutes is followed by a third scene. It is performed in the middle of an Ilahee, chanted by the two elders on the right of the Shaikh. The Ilahees are spiritual cantiques, composed almost exclusively in Persian by Shaikhs deceased in the odour of sanctity. The Dervishes then hasten their movements, and, to prevent any realization, one of the first among them puts himself in their centre, and excites them by his example. If in the assembly there be any strange Dervishes, which often happens, they give them through politeness this place of honour; and all fill it successively, the one after the other, shaking themselves as aforesaid. The only exception made is in favour of the Mevlevees; these never perform any other dance than that peculiar to their own order, which consist in turning round on each heel in succession.

“After a new pause commences the fourth scene. Now all the Dervishes take off their turbans, form a circle, bear their arms and shoulders against each other, and thus make the circuit of the hall at a measured pace, striking their feet at intervals against the floor, and all springing up at once. This dance continues during the Ilahees, chanted alternately by the two elders to the left of the Shaikh. In the midst of this chant, the cries of ‘Ya Allah!’ are increased doubly, as also those of ‘Ya Hoo!” with frightful howling, shrieked by the Dervishes together in the dance. At the moment that they would seem to stop from sheer exhaustion, the Shaikh makes a point of exerting them to new efforts by walking through their midst, making also himself most violet movements. He is next replace by the two elders, who double the quickness of the step and the agitation of the body; they even straighten themselves up from time to time, and excite the envy or emulation of the others in their astonishing efforts to continue the dance, until their strength is entirely exhausted.

“The fourth scene leads to the last, which is the most frightful of all, the wholly prostrated condition of the actors becoming converted into a species of ecstasy which they call Halah. It is in the midst of this abandonment of self, or rather of religious delirium that they make use of red hot irons. Several cutlasses and other instruments of sharp-pointed iron are suspended in the niches of the hall, and upon a part of the wall to the right of the Shaikh. Near the close of the fourth scene, two Dervishes take down eight or nine of these instruments, heat them red-hot, and present them to the Shaikh. He, after reciting some prayers over them and invoking the founder of the Order, Ahmed er Rufa’ee, breathes over them, and raising them slightly to the mouth, gives them to the Dervishes, who ask for them with the greatest eagerness. Then it is that these fanat i c s ,(sic) transported by frenzy, seize upon these irons, gloat upon them tenderly, lick them, bite them, hold them between their teeth, and end by cooling them in their mouths!

Those who are unable to procure any, seize upon the cutlasses hanging on the wall with fury, and 5 stick them into their sides, arms, and legs. “Thanks to the fury of their frenzy, and to the amazing boldness which they deem a merit in the eyes of the Divinity, all stoically bear up against the pain which they experience with apparent gaiety. If, however, some of them fall under their sufferings, they throw themselves into the arms of their confreres, but without a complaint or the least sign of pain. Some minutes after this, the Shaikh walks round the hall, visits each one of the performers in turn, breathes upon their wounds, rubs them with saliva, recites prayers over them, and promises them speedy cures. It is said that twenty-four hours afterwards, nothing is to be seen of their wounds.

“It is the common opinion among the Rufa’ees that the origin of these bloody practices can be traced back to the founder of the Order. They pretend(sic)that one day, during the transport of his frenzy, Ahmed Rufa’ee put his legs in a burning basin of coals, and was immediately cured by the breath of saliva and the prayers of ‘Abdul Kadir Gilani; they believe that their founder received this same prerogative from heaven, and that at his death, he transmitted it to all the Shaikhs his successors. It is for this reason that they give to these sharp instruments and to these red-hot irons, and other objects employed by them in their mysterious frenzy, the name of Gul, which signifies ‘rose’, wishing to indicate thereby that the use made of them is as agreeable to the soul of the elect Dervishes as the odour of this flower may be to the voluptuary.

“After the Rufa’ees, the Sa’dees have also the reputation of performing miracles, pretty much of the same sort as the preceding. One reads in the institute of this Order that Sa’d ed Deen Jebawee, its found, when cutting wood in the vicinity of Damascus, found three snakes of an enormous length, and that, after having recited some prayers and blown upon them, he caught them alive, and used them as a rope with which to bind his fagot. To this occurrence they ascribe the pretended virtue of the Shaikhs and the Dervishes of this society, to find out snakes, to handle them, to bit them, and even to eat them without any harm to themselves. Their exercises consist like those of the Rufa’ees and other Orders, at first in seating themselves, and afterwards in rising upright; but in often changing the attitude, and in redoubling their agitation even until they become overcome with fatigue, when they fall upon the floor motionless and without knowledge. Then the Shaikh, added by his vicars, employs no other means to draw them out of this state of unconsciousness than to rub their arms and legs, and to breathes into their ears the words ‘La ilaha ill’ Allah.’