Page 135 - The Tale of Drunken Flute in Whirling Dervish

Raqs and Semah

aqs and Semah are the two main components of the whirling ritual of
the Mevlevi Order. It would be essentially important to describe their
R true position in Islamic mysticism to understand the whirling ritual
completely. Raqs and Semah have been associated with unveiling the reality in
different religious orders but in Islamic mysticism they hold much controversy.
Many orthodox Muslims discredited Semah and Raqis as they can evoke an ill
sense to the facile nature of the disciple. It is said, “al raqis naqs” (dancing is a
fault). But the right winged Muslim thinkers hold them plausible and discussed
in detail peculiar terms in which Raqs and Semah can be permissible. Metin Ad
outlined the favouring view of Al Ghazali who in his Ilya Ulum ad Din (Revival of
Religion Sciences) proposed an apologia for divine Raqs under specific conditions
namely time, place, ability, social use and circumstances. Ibn-al-Farid supported
it with these words. “It is an anode to the fever of the soul, its violent movements
calm the agitating reminiscences awakened by music and rock the soul to rest”.

Sultan-ul-Mashaikh (R.A.) elucidated certain conditions that make semah
creditable. If it directs the listener to God, semah is not so debasing but on the
other way round it is of no good, described by Sultan-ul Mashaikh (R.A.).

In specific conditions also included that the person doing audition must be noble
and pious neither a woman nor a boy he should be, the words used in semah
must not be frivolous and the listener must be absorbent in the thought of Allah
and the instruments used in semah must not be exciting.

According to Farid ud Din (R.A.), the great mystic, “Semah is a suitable voice
which moves the hearts of the listeners and kindles the fire in the fonders”.
Hazrat Sultan ul Mashikh used to say, “Semah is neither ‘Halaal’ nor ‘Haram’
but sometimes it is ‘Halal’ and sometimes it is ‘harram’”. Precisely to him the
purpose and presentation of semah if inherent in earthly satisfactions chiseling
the perpetual divine insight, it creates only void and can purify the disciple but if
it exerts an appreciable sacred influence and sparks off pure essence free from
the pursuits of this worldliness, it can be instrumental in muniting the inner of
disciple by removing stone of his understandings, but it is quiet essential to be
away from its tickish erroneous nature.

Hazrat Ali Hujveri (R.A.) enriched our understanding by saying “Those who
prohibit music do so in order to keep the Divine Commandment. The theologians
are unanimous that it is permissible to hear musical instruments if they are not
used for diversion and if mind is not led to wickedness through hearing them.”

He (R.A.) also quoted views of different mystic on semah. Hazrat Dhu-al-Nun
(R.A.) commented “Audition is a Divine influence, which stirs the heart to seek

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