Mysticism and Muslims: Meeting the Sufis

On a recent visit to Istanbul, I was granted the rare opportunity to join in a ritual in a Sufi lodge. The powerful midnight ritual took about two hours and was packed with people. Below, I want to share a bit about the experience and about Sufism, a spiritual path in Islam that is not well known in the West.

Image: Historic Sufi Lodge Exterior in Istanbul, Source: Canva.com

Origins

Sufism is the mystical tradition within Islam. Sufis trace their origins to the Qur’an and to Muhammad, pointing to the Prophet’s night vigils and his retreats in the cave of Hira, where he received his first revelation. But as a movement, it took time to emerge. Within about a century of Muhammad, certain pious figures became attracted to ascetic values and turning away from the world, partly in reaction to the growing wealth and opulence of Muslim dynasties. By the 9th and 10th centuries, these early stirrings developed into a recognizable movement with theological underpinnings. 

Over time, Sufism grew and flourished while also at times coming under attack from stricter, orthodox voices who thought adherents were violating central tenets of Islam.

Image: A historical illustration shows a group of whirling dervishes and companions seated in a circle, engaged in a peaceful devotional gathering. The scene conveys spirituality, ritual, community, and contemplation.  Source: Canva.com

What is Sufism?

Sufism focuses on the love of God and the desire to draw near to God. A central practice – called dhikr meaning remembrance – involves devotees calling God to mind by reciting his name or through short, repeated phrases. The goal here is not just to accept something intellectually but to experience a heightened emotional, spiritual experience that ideally changes you. To enhance the emotional intensity, Sufis have used poetry, music, and bodily movements (more on this below).

Practitioners typically work with a guide or leader called a shaykh or pir who belongs to a lineage of teachers. This guide helps the person train the mind and discipline the ego. Humility is important and is taught via serving others, fasting, late night rituals, and using self-examination to root out ego. At its peak, one hopes to experience fana, the negation of the self so one is filled only with God. 

Image: Sufism rituals often include dancing, singing, playing instruments and more. Source: Canva.com

Cultivating Love

Drawing near to God is supposed to be an emotional experience of overwhelming love. Sufi poets for centuries have tried to capture this in words:

From Hafez, the famous 14th century poet:

“Even after all this time
The Sun never says to the Earth,
‘You owe me.’
Look what happens
With a love like that,
It lights the whole sky.”

The female poet Rabia emphasized that loving God was not about gaining heaven or avoiding hell, but simply a natural response because God is so wonderful:

“O My Lord, the stars are shining,
and the eyes of men are closed.
Kings have shut their doors,
and every lover is alone with his beloved.
And here I am, alone with You.”

In India, a Sufi tradition of musical devotion called qawwali developed centuries ago that puts poetry to music. While visiting India a few years ago, I had the good fortune to witness a qawwali one evening. You can see a small clip here:

You’ll notice in the video that there are Sikhs and Hindus in attendance. Much Sufi poetry dismisses the divisions between religions (at least verbally, emphasizing God is beyond such things). In the West, some Sufi groups are very inclusive of other faiths but globally Sufism is a Muslim movement and the lodges in Muslim countries are essentially completely Muslim. 

There are different orders within Sufism whose practices can differ. The most famous are the Mevlevi order, often known as the whirling dervishes (visuals and description here). I have seen the dervishes before and in Istanbul there are many opportunities to see them (some are quite touristy, some less so). But I was looking for something different on this trip.

A Night in Istanbul

I have attended Sufi rituals in Toronto. The groups are typically quite small and meet late on a Saturday night. The most memorable involved a ritual in the basement of a residential home maybe 20 years ago in a packed room. I hoped to find something similar and indeed, I did, but on a grander scale.

The ritual I attended in Istanbul was at a Sufi lodge of the Jerrahi order. I was advised to be there by 11pm and even as an outsider they welcomed me without hesitation. 

It is genuinely difficult to describe the evening with just words. I will try below but it may help if you watch even a minute of this video or this one. 

The ritual started closer to 11:30pm and ended after 1:00am. Sufis tend to use the night for rituals as nighttime quiets the world and our busy mind and the dark opens us up to our inward selves – many Canadians might encounter something similar around campfires at night and the deep conversations that sometimes occur. 

The building had some tombs of prior leaders of the movement which some stopped and prayed at (some Muslims criticize Sufis’ devotion to their saints, seeing it as idolatrous). The main room had wood panelling, but the walls were covered with approximately 150 framed images of Arabic calligraphy.  Dozens of rugs covered the floor, chandeliers provided soft light and a few windows let in much needed air during the ritual.

There was a small, elevated platform at the front with small furs or carpets that the leaders would later sit on. There were handheld drums on the platform. There was also a beautiful mihrab or niche that indicates the direction of prayer. In contrast to a simple and plain room, the mihrab was beautiful with blue inlaid tile (something like this one below though not quite as elaborate).

Image: Mihrab (Prayer Niche) dated 755 AH (1354–55 CE) at Metropolitan Museum of Art. (left, right) Source: Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0 (left) Wikimedia Commons CC0 1.0, (right)

The main area was for men only. There was a small balcony area above for women which housed perhaps 60 women. The main area became packed with men – I would estimate 200 or more, ranging in age from 20s to 60s with a few perhaps older. There were no chairs, everyone sat on the floor (rare bench seats for a few who needed them). The men wore street clothes although a majority had Muslim head coverings (prayer caps). Beforehand, there were some folks alone like me who I suspect were somewhat new but there was much conversation and it was clear this was a close community or brotherhood. The room to me felt unpretentious, pious, humble and connected.

Here’s what happened:

• It began with prayers (performing rakas or cycles of bowing, prostrating and standing that make up the five daily prayers of Islam); 
• Then, the group stood and rapidly organized themselves as a few men in traditional Islamic dress appeared and gestured what to do. Newcomers followed the lead of frequent attenders and the group quickly parted to allow the shaykh (the leader of the lodge) and others close to him to enter the room. He said a few words and went to the slightly raised platform at the front, while helpers appeared who quickly removed all the rugs beneath our feet, revealing a beautiful wood floor. Others close to the shaykh picked up the handheld drums;
• From this point, the energy in the room rose. What began were chants and rhythmical movements with men sitting or standing in close proximity moving their torsos while chanting. For example, swirling left, forward, then right while chanting la ilaha il allah (there is no god but God). The specific chant and series of movements changed periodically. At one point, we were jumping and chanting and it felt quite spiritually moving;
• As the group chanted, a sole male chanter with a majestic voice sometimes chanted different words in a different key. Combined with the drums, it was aesthetically beautiful;
• Some chants used strong exhalations with chant so we were breathing out a hard exhalation as we said la (with breath forced out), illa (again), ha il allah (again). Holotropic breathing (breathing heavily for a few minutes) is known to have a similar impact to using psychedelics. This was not at that level but perhaps draws on a softened version of the same;
• Towards the end, there was another rapid reorganization. The leaders came to the middle of the floor. The men that could fit formed tight rings around them, arms around each other’s shoulders, about six people deep. These human rings rotated around the leaders and the chant intensified. Others who could not fit into these tight rings stood and engaged in other synchronized movements. At the end, the circle collapsed toward the centre. The ritual then ended.

Afterwards, dates and fruit slices were served. Some were chatting but many left soon after as it was now about 1:30am. 

The women in the balcony could observe the ritual through a lattice screen. Some moved their bodies in harmony with the men but there was no standing up or moving as a group (nor room to do so). Other women really just observed it.

It was a very male oriented space, which felt very supportive and connected for those participating. I suspect it fills those men spiritually. But I feel less able to speak about the experience of those few women in attendance.

Image: Sufi Dervish figurine model. Source: Canva.com

Sufism Today

Sufism was more influential a century ago and has undergone much change. It was often village based and sometimes centred around a shrine (a grave of a famous local Sufi where individuals would come and pray). Some strict Muslims think Sufis engage in idolatry and there have been legal crackdowns (e.g. Iran), state suppression (Saudi Arabia), and in some cases, prominent Sufis have been killed or shrines bombed. 

It remains quite popular in West Africa and South Asia and there has been a partial renaissance in Turkey where a pro-secular government had outlawed it in 1925.

Image: Sufi Dervish figurine models, Source: Canva.com

Conclusion

Sufis seek union with the divine. Their rituals are one version of the mystical impulse which shows up again and again in the human story. Religions need and use structures and rituals to embed religious principles in our days and in our lives but they struggle to not allow those rituals to become too rote, like something performed on autopilot. 

Mystical practices use movement, music, and chant to break through the mundane, a heightening of the senses that can create an epiphany of the presence of the divine. This Sufi practice is often misunderstood or maligned but for endless centuries, Sufis have been aiding people in their search to experience the transformative power of losing oneself in love of God.