(a) On their heels, elbows touching, the dervishes sit in a circle; and
simultaneously make slight movements of the head and of the body.
(b) Or they balance themselves slowly right to left, left to right; and
incline the body forwards and rearwards.
(c) Or, seated, they begin these motions in measured cadence with a
staid countenance, eyes closed, or fixed upon the ground; and continue
them on foot.”
After that follows the
daur
(rotating dance) accompanied by cries of
Ya
Allah! Ya Hu
. The
halat
(ecstasy) is achieved by the combination of
dhikr
,
muraqaba
,
daur
and putting red hot irons (called
gul
- the red rose - by the
participating dervishes) in their mouths, which, however, show no wounds
the next day.
Al Hujweri (d. 1077), author of another Sufi manual
Kashf al Mahjub
(“The Revelation of the Mystery”), writing much before Suhrawardi, says:
“When self-will vanishes in this world, contemplation is attained, and when
contemplation is firmly established, there is no difference between this world
and the next.”
In some orders such as the Naqshbandi,
muraqaba
or meditation begins
with the repetition of
Allah-u-Hadiri
(God is present before me),
Allah-u-
Naziri
(God sees me),
Allah-u-Mai
(God is with me). God’s name may be
recited aloud or silently, mentally, as one pleases. Then the worshipper
meditates upon some verses of the Qur’an. The following verses are most
often meditated upon:
“He is First. He is Last. He is Manifest, Hidden, and The One Who
Knows All Things.” (57:3)
