Islam is a fast-growing monotheistic religion known for its diverse sects, and one of the most mystical branches among this group is Sufism. Sufism is defined more as a mystical dimension of Islam than a sect, where the followers involve in extreme situations to sacrifice themselves in union with god. Commonly, Sufis desire to find the divine truth through direct encounters with Allah. Many Muslims believe they are walking towards the pathway to full enlightenment. Though, Sufis intend to draw themselves closer to God and enhance their divinity. Over the past few decades, Sufism has gained popularity around the world due to its variety of devotional practices. Today, Sufism is categorized in structured orders (tariqahs) and, it contains its
In the past few decades, Sufism has explored a wide spectrum in music, dance and other art forms, so the believers find a way to become closer to God. A Sufi individual believes that repeating the name of Allah would make him or her aware of God’s presence. Essentially, the practice of dhikr is believed to make one self-surrender to god’s will. Yse Tardan-Masquelier, Syrian philosopher defines dhikr as the “continuous recitation of the name of God” in which individuals spiritually dance to the rhythm of the Sufi music. For example, Sama (Sufi Whirling) is a popular form of mediation performed as dhikr, which enhances one’s passion for god. During Sama, the follower goes through various emotions like purifying their love and getting rid of their ego. Basically, the Sufi Whirling is viewed as a type of mediation that put the dancers in a stage of harmony while they feel they are spinning along with the universe (Easley). Sufi music embraces spiritual feelings that are inspired by famous Sufi poets. Most often, Sufi orders engage in various forms of worship such as singing, dancing and mediation. Ahmet T. Karamustafa explains that the heart of a Sufi individual is literally the “spiritual organ of God’s presence in the human person, and its chief sustenance was ‘recollection and invocation’ of God (dhikr) and perceiving God’s activity on earth through ‘hearing and vigilant
In popular Sufism, a pilgrimage is the “ritual that orients the cosmos around a holy place and provides a way for participants to integrate themselves around symbols of transcendence” (Ernst). Pilgrimages to holy places is commonly practiced in South Asian countries. Sufis believe when they visit the tombs, they would receive spiritual blessings from the saint, who rests in the shrine. According to Ala’al-Dawla, a Sufi master of Kubrawi order in central Asia, “pilgrimage to tombs increase one’s spiritual concentration through contact with the earthly remains of a saint” (Ernst). Additionally, the individual seeks the path of enlightenment because they realize the importance of the pilgrimage by experiencing its struggles throughout. Once the pilgrims reach the shrine where the saint rests, they “express their love and respect for them by kissing and touching their eyes to the tombs” (Ernst). Whenever an individual travels to cities near a holy place, they often visit the tomb to kiss the saint’s feet. In fact, the essence of the pilgrimage can be felt by the individual at that moment because they have received the spiritual blessings from the saint. In addition, Sufis are usually very eager to receive the saint’s blessing because they believe the “spirits of the faithful are near their tombs” (Ernst). The pilgrimage to the tombs of saints forms an
The first distinguishing factor of a pilgrimage lies in how a pilgrimage searches for truth. While spiritual tourism may involve an individual merely quickly glancing at the surface of spirituality, a spiritual pilgrimage seeks to fully understand the character of God. Chase Falson proves this to be true in the way that his old convictions begin to fall apart. His Laodicean
...o de-essentialize and de-Orientalize religious system of Islam, and instead locate it as part of a historical discursive tradition where practices were contested and in flux. This challenges notions of what authentic religious practices are in Theravada Buddhism, and in doing so expands an understanding of what forms can take. For this reason, the work is useful, and highly recommended for an aspiring religious or anthropological scholar.
Rituals are held as a very important part of any society, including ours. They go back to ancient times, or can be as simple as maintaining one’s hygiene. Non-western societies have rituals that may seem very foreign to us, but they have been engrained in their communities and are essential to their social structure. This interpretation will focus on the Great Pilgrimage, a ritual performed by Quechuan communities. We will be looking specifically at a community in the Sonqo area.
The Cross-Cultural Articulations of War Magic and Warrior Religion by D. S. Farrer, main purpose of this article is to provide a re-evaluated perspective of religion and magic, through the perspective of the practitioners and victims. Farrer uses examples that range from the following: “Chinese exorcists, Javanese spirit siblings, Sumatran black magic, Tamil Tiger suicide bombers, Chamorro spiritual re-enchantment, tantric Buddhist war magic, and Yanomami dark shamans” (1). Throughout the article, he uses these examples to address a few central themes. The central themes for war magic, range from “violence and healing, accomplished through ritual and performance, to unleash and/or control the power of gods, demons, ghosts and the dead” (Farrer 1).
the deities and attempt to explain the psychological necessity of these rituals. An examination will be made of the typical forms of rituals, and cite their effects,
The Hajj or pilgrimage to Makkah is one of the five pillars of Islam "arkan-al-Islam”- Its purpose is essentially to facilitate the act of submission to Allah which is pinnacle to all followers of Islam. "Perform the pilgrimage and the visit [to Mecca] for Allah" Surah 2:196. It has enormous significance, not only for the pilgrim undertaking the Hajj but also for the wider Muslim community, the Umma, as it allows for all individuals to gain unification of faith. Such purpose can be examined through considering various rituals; the stand before Allah "wuquf", the stoning of the pillars at Mina, the commemoration of the festival of sacrifice "Id-ul-Adha", the circling of the Ka'bah and drawing water from the well of Zamzam. Such rituals give example to a profound meaning of the Islamic faith and upon completion, the individual is fulfilling to the ultimate goal of Islam, a more perfect submission to Allah.
As the sunrises over the crisp fall horizon, followers begin to surround the sacred space in anticipation for what is about to take place. The sacred space is soon surrounded by people who are dressed in the sacred colors, some wearing necklaces of their totem, while others wear headdresses that adorn with their sacred symbol. People begin to drink, play music, and prepare a banquet feast for each other, creating a festival atmosphere in hope that today’s ritual will be a success. As the ritual gets set to begin followers begin to crowd into the sacred space, surrounded with pictures and names of those who have reached greatness. As the ritual begins, music is played in order to bring everyone together and prepare for the events that are about to unfold. It is now that the followers have a very simple focus, to aid in the success of the ritual. Those who celebrate the ritual take there places in the middle of the sacred space, with the followers surrounding them; now that the ritual has begun the celebrants begin to perform and focus on certain actions in order connect themselves with the transcendent sacred. The followers who look on begin to aid by chanting, allowing themselves to also transcend. In hopes that the ritual was a success, everyone does their part until the last second of the ritual is completed, it is only then that it can be decided if the ritual was a success and they can either celebrate or grieve by signing in their most sacred song, bonding them once again with each other.
Islam is the second biggest faith in the world. It is a monotheistic, peaceful religion which believes that there is only one god in the whole universe and his name is Allah. In his book, “Islam the Straight Path”, L.Esposito (1998) writes that the main ambition of Islam is to spread into the entire world and every act is based on the words of Qur’an and Muhammad says and deeds. But throughout the years of spreading 12 new orders were created in Islam. They were deviations from the classical Islam. One of these orders was The Bektashi Order of Dervishes. Their religion was also known as the popular Islam or (non-canonical) (L.Esposito, 1998). The aim was to reach Allah in a different way. Dervishes could be driven in the history of Islam in the same role that monks stay in Christianity. Their main difference is that dervishes to don’t stay closed in cloisters but they are close to the people in the everyday life. Now the most significant order that took place in the Balkans and it is still present now days the Bektashi order of Dervishes is very famous in Albania. In order to understand clearly the role of this Sufi order (Tariqat) we need to explain some questions raised. Who created it? When and where was the Bektashi order born? What were the circumstances that leaded to his creation? What are its main features? Why did it spread in the Balkans? What is its role now? What is the place of it in the Islamic world? The world center momentarily speaking is in Tirana, Albania. Bektashism has its own place in the Islamic world but the influence of it and the crucial role it played on Balkans especially in Albania is considerable.
Paganism is a broad group of indigenous and historical polytheistic religious traditions—primarily those of cultures known to the classical world. In a wider sense, Paganism has also been understood to include any non-Abrahamic, folk, ethnic religion. Modern ethnologists often avoid referring to non-classical and non-European, traditional and historical faiths as Pagan in favour of less ambiguous labels such as polytheism, shamanism, pantheism, and animism. [Wikipedia p.1] Paganism is the oldest religion in human history, originating with Vikings and Celts. Monotheism is widely rejected in the followers of Paganism and while the use of magic is a stigma usually tied to Paganism and various other occult religions, not every Pagan practices ritualistic magic. Through the various topics and examples, Pagan culture, different deities, and practices will be explained and shown.
Suter, Keith. “Roadside Memorials: Sacred Places in a Secular Era.” Contemporary Review 292.1692 (Spring 2010): 51+. Psychology Collection. EBSCO: Academic Onefile. Web. 24 Mar. 2011.
The Nacirema are unique followers of the market system, and live in a rich natural habitat. This primitive market system takes up much of the inhabitant’s time. However the people spend a large block of time in daily ritual activity. This tribe does not worship the soul like prominent religions but they worship the body. They believe the body is ugly and prone to injury and sickness. So to alleviate the problem they perform many rituals and ceremonies. In each home there is a ritual center where these actions take place. These centers are so important that all wealthier tribesmen have more than one. The shrines are located in the family home but the performance of ...
Every religion embodies a plethora of recognized rituals that are significant to its teachings. Customs exclusive to each religion can include acts such as: attending a weekly mass, praying five times a day at specified hours, celebrating the transition from childhood to manhood, along with endless others. The similarity shared amongst all religious rituals is that the follower of faith must believe whole-heartedly in what he/she is doing or saying. Dhikr, or the remembrance of God, is a ritual based in Islam that does not receive the attention it deserves from mainstream Muslims, and is highly under appreciated for its value (Robson 238). Its myriad versions allow it to be very personal, whereas other rituals are more structured, which is
Medieval Sufi clerics often described the association between the master and his disciples through using gender imagery.The procreative power of women was the portrayal that delineates the training and the initiation of the disciple. The mysticism and the transcendentalism of the Sufi world were to prolong throughout the conception of Silsila, the chain; in which links and traces all prominent figures of Sufi to the time and teachings of the Prophet. Throughout this chain, pupils were to abid and followed the master's injections and to show piety on all timing. Masters were to use the birth of a new disciple, spiritual existence, as a trope that portrayed him as a recent progeny; Sufi's guides
Among the most beloved traditions and rituals of the Islamic faith is a pilgrimage that unites Muslims around the world. It is known as the Hajj, an Arabic word meaning “to set out for a place” (“Short History of Hajj”). It is one of the five pillars that define the Islamic faith. The Hajj itself is a five day trip into Mecca, the Islamic holy city, as well as surrounding areas. It is a trip that thousands of Muslims undergo each year. It is a staple of Islamic faith, as well as a spiritual and emotional journey that brings Muslims closer to God.
Sowing the Seeds of the Lotus: A Journey to the Great Pilgrimage Sites of Buddhism, Part I" by John C. Huntington. Orientations, November 1985.Print.