Re: The Sufi Dance
everyone says that bhai g....... everyone can bring tons of 'evidence' and 'references'
give me one reference, even a weak one, that says Prophet Mohammed or Sahaba danced to show their love to Allah
Re: The Sufi Dance
^ you will not accept their basis of conclusions either 
Re: The Sufi Dance
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The Hadra and the Sacred Law
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A person coming to the Middle East to learn something about the tariqa is likely, at some point in his visit, to see the brethren in the hadra or “public dhikr” as it has been traditionally practiced by generations of Shadhilis in North Africa under such sheikhs as al-‘Arabi al-Darqawi, Muhammad al-Buzidi, and Ahmad al-‘Alawi before being brought to Damascus from Algeria by Muhammad ibn Yallis and Muhammad al-Hashimi at the beginning of this century.
Upon entering the mosque, one will see circles of men making dhikr (women participants are screened from view upstairs) standing and holding hands, now slightly bowing in unison, now moving up and down with their knees in unison, the rows rising and falling, breathing in unison, while certain of them alternate at pacing around their midst, conducting the tempo of the group’s motion and breathing with their arms and step. Singers near the sheikh, in solo or chorus, deliver mystical odes to the rhythm of the group; high, spiritual poetry from masters like Ibn al-Farid, Sheikh Ahmad al-‘Alawi, ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Himsi, and our own sheikh.
Though a very stirring experience, it is meticulously timed and controlled, and as with all group dhikrs, the main adab or “proper behaviour” is harmony. No one should stand out in any way, but rather all subordinate their movement, breathing, and dhikr to that of the group. The purpose is to forget one’s individuality in the collective sea of spirits making dhikr in unison. Individual motives, thoughts, and preoccupations are momentarily put aside by means of the Sacred Dance, of moving together as one, sublimating and transcending the limitary and personal through the timelessness of rhythm, conjoined with the melody of voices singing spiritual meanings.
It is an experience that joins those travelling towards Allah spiritually, socially, and emotionally. Few forget it, and visitors from the West to whom it is unfamiliar sometimes wonder if it is a bid‘a or “reprehensible innovation,” as it was not done in the time of the earliest Muslims, or whether it is unlawful (haram) or offensive (makruh); and why they see the ulama and righteous attending it in Damascus, Jerusalem, Aden, Cairo, Tripoli, Tunis, Fez, and wherever there are people of the path.
I was one of those who asked our sheikh about the relation of the hadra to the shari‘a or “Sacred Law” which is the guiding light of our tariqa. As Muslims, our submission to the law is total, and there are no thoughts or opinions after legally answering the question “Does the hadraagree with orthodox Islam?”
Because it comprises a number of various elements, such as gathering together for the remembrance of Allah (dhikr), singing, and dancing, we should reflect for a moment on some general considerations about the Islamic shari‘a before discussing each of these separately.
First, the Islamic shari‘a furnishes a comprehensive criterion for all possible human actions, whether done before or never done before. It classifies actions into five categories, the obligatory (wajib), whose performance is rewarded by Allah in the next life and whose nonperformance is punished; the recommended (mandub), whose performance is rewarded but whose nonperformance is not punished; the permissible (mubah), whose performance is not rewarded and whose nonperformance is not punished; the offensive (makruh), whose nonperformance is rewarded but whose performance is not punished; and the unlawful *(haram), whose nonperformance is rewarded and whose performance is punished.
Now, Allah in His wisdom has made the vast majority of human actions permissible. He says in surat al-Baqara, “It is He who has created everything on earth for you” (Koran 2:29), which establishes the shari‘a principle that all things are *mubah or permissible for us until Allah indicates to us that they are otherwise. Because of this, the fact that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) did not do this or that particular practice does not prove that it is offensive or unlawful, but only that it is not obligatory. *
This is the reason that when shari‘a scholars speak of bid‘a, they do not merely mean an “innovation” or something that was never done before, which is the *lexical sense of the word, but rather a “blameworthy innovation” or something new that no legal evidence in Sacred Law attests to the validity of, which is the shari‘a sense of the word. The latter is thebid‘a of misguidance mentioned in the hadith “The worst of matters are those that are new, and every innovation (bid‘a) is misguidance” (Sahih Muslim. *5 vols. Cairo 1376/1956. Reprint. Beirut: Dar al-Fikr, 1403/1983, 2.592: 867), which, although general in wording, scholars say refers specifically to new matters that entail something offensive or unlawful. Imam Shafi‘i explains:
New matters are of two kinds: something newly begun that contravenes the Koran, sunna, the position of early Muslims, or consensus of scholars (ijma‘): this innovation is misguidance. And something newly inaugurated of the good in which there is no contravention of any of these, and is therefore something which although new (muhdatha), is not blameworthy. For when ‘Umar (Allah be well pleased with him) saw the [tarawih] prayer being performed [in a group by Muslims at the mosque] in Ramadan, he said, “What a good innovation (bid‘a) this is,” meaning something newly begun that had not been done before. And although in fact it had, this does not negate the legal considerations just advanced n: i.e. that it furnishes an example of something that ‘Umar, who was a scholar of the Sahaba, praised as a “good innovation” despite his belief that it had not been done before, because it did not contravene the broad principles of the Koran or sunna.
As for the practice of Muslims gathering together for group *dhikr or the “invocation of Allah,” there is much evidence of its praiseworthiness in the sunna—aside from the many Koranic verses and the hadiths establishing the general merit of dhikr in every state—such as the hadith related by Bukhari:
Truly, Allah has angels going about the ways, looking for people of dhikr, and when they find a group of men invoking Allah, they call to one another, “Come to what you have been looking for!” and they circle around them with their wings up to the sky of this world.
Then their Lord asks them, though He knows better than they, “What do My servants say?” And they reply, “They say, Subhan Allah (“I glorify Allah’s absolute perfection”), Allahu Akbar (“Allah is ever greatest”), and al-Hamdu li Llah (“All praise be to Allah”), and they extoll Your glory.”
He says, “Have they seen Me?” And they answer, “No, by Allah, they have not seen You.” And He says, “How would it be, had they seen Me?” And they say, “If they had seen You, they would have worshipped You even more, glorified You more, and said Subhan Allah the more.”
He asks them, “What do they ask of Me?” And one answers, “They ask You paradise.” He says, “Have they seen it?” And they say, “No, by Allah, My Lord, they have not seen it.” And He says, “How would it be, had they seen it?” And they say, “If they had seen it, they would have been more avid for it, sought it more, and been more desirous of it.”
Then He asks them, “From what do they seek refuge?” And they answer, “From hell.” He says, “Have they seen it?” And they say, “No, by Allah, they have not seen it.” And He says, “How would it be, had they seen it?” And they say, “If they had seen it, they would have fled from it even more, and been more fearful of it.”
He says, “I charge all of you to bear witness that I have forgiven them.” Then one of the angels says, “So-and-so is among them, though he is not one of them but only came for something he needed.” And Allah says, “They are companions through whom no one who keeps their company shall meet perdition” (Sahih al-Bukhari. 9 vols. Cairo 1313/1895. Reprint (9 vols. in 3). Beirut: Dar al-Jil, n.d., 8.107–8: 6408).
The last line of the hadith shows the highest approval for gatherings of dhikr in the religion of Allah. Some other accounts transmit the condemnation of Ibn Mas‘ud (Allah be well please with him) for gathering together to say Subhan Allah (perhaps out of fear of ostentation), but even if we were to grant their authenticity, the above hadith of Bukhari, containing the explicit approval of such gatherings by Allah and His messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) suffices us from needing the permission of Ibn Mas‘ud or any other human being. Further, the explicit mention of the various forms of dhikr in the hadith suffice in reply to certain contemporary “re-formers” of Islam, who attempt to reduce “sessions of dhikr” to educational gatherings alone by quoting the words of ‘Ata' (ibn Abi Rabah, Mufti of Mecca, d. 114/732), who reportedly said,
Sessions of dhikr are the sessions of [teaching people] the lawful and unlawful, how you buy, sell, pray, fast, wed, divorce, make the pilgrimage, and the like (Nawawi: al-Majmu‘: Sharh al-Muhadhdhab. 20 vols. Cairo n.d. Reprint. Medina: al-Maktaba al-Salafiyya, n.d., 1.21).
Perhaps ‘Ata' intended to inform people that teaching and learning shari‘a are also a form of dhikr, but in any case it is clear from the Prophet’s explicit words (Allah bless him and give him peace) in the above hadith that “sessions of dhikr” cannot be limited to teaching and learning Sacred Law alone, but primarily mean gatherings of Muslims to invoke Allah in dhikr.
As for dancing, Imam Ahmad relates from Anas (Allah be well pleased with him), with a chain of transmission all of whose narrators are those of Bukhari except Hammad ibn Salama, who is one of the narrators of Muslim, *that
the Ethiopians danced in front of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace); dancing and saying [in their language], “Muhammad is a righteous servant.” The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “What are they saying?” And they said, “‘Muhammad is a righteous servant’” (*Musnad al-Imam Ahmad. 6 vols. Cairo 1313/1895. Reprint. Beirut: Dar Sadir, n.d., 3.152).
*Other versions of the hadith clarify that this took place in the mosque in Medina, though in any case, the fact that dancing was done before the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) establishes that it is *mubah or “permissible” in the shari‘a, for if it had been otherwise, he would have been obliged to condemn it. For this reason, Imam Nawawi says:
Dancing is not unlawful, unless it is languid, like the movements of the effeminate. And it is permissible to speak and to sing poetry, unless it satirizes someone, is obscene, or alludes to a particular woman” (Minhaj al-talibin wa ‘umdat al-muttaqin. Cairo 1338/1920. Reprint. Cairo: Mustafa al-Babi al-Halabi, n.d., 152).
This is a legal text for the permissibility of both dancing and singing poetry from the Minhaj al-talibin, the central legal work of the entire late Shafi‘i school. Islamic scholars point out that if something which is permissible, such as singing poetry or dancing, is conjoined with something that is recommended, such as dhikr or gatherings to make dhikr, the result of this conjoining will not be offensive (makruh) or unlawful (haram). Imam Jalal al-Din Suyuti was asked for a fatwa or formal legal opinion concerning “a group of Sufis who had gathered for a session of dhikr,” and he replied:
How can one condemn making dhikr while standing, or standing while making dhikr, when Allah Most High says, “. . . those who invoke Allah standing, sitting, and upon their sides” (Koran 3:191). And ‘A'isha (Allah be well pleased with her) said, “The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to invoke Allah at all of his times” Sahih Muslim, 1.282: 373]. And if dancing is added to this standing, it may not be condemned, as it is of the joy of spiritual vision and ecstasy, and the hadith exists [in many sources, such as Musnad al-Imam Ahmad, 1.108, with a sound (hasan) chain of transmission] that Ja‘far ibn Abi Talib danced in front of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) when the Prophet told him, “You resemble me in looks and in character,” dancing from the happiness he felt from being thus addressed, and the Prophet did not condemn him for doing so, this being a basis for the legal acceptability of the Sufis dancing from the joys of the ecstasies they experience (al-Hawi li al-fatawi. 2 vols. Cairo 1352/1933–34. Reprint. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyya, 1403/1983, 2.234).
Now, Suyuti was a hadith master (hafiz, someone with over 100,000 hadiths by memory) and a recognized mujtahid Imam who authored hundreds of works in the shari‘a sciences, and his formal opinion, together with the previously cited ruling of Imam Nawawi in the Minhaj al-talibin, constitutes an authoritative legal text (nass) in the Shafi‘i school establishing that circles of dhikr which comprise the singing of spiritual poetry and dancing are neither offensive (makruh) nor unlawful (haram)—unless associated with other unlawful factors such as listening to musical instruments or the mixing of men and women—but rather are permissible.
To summarize, the hadra of our tariqa, consisting of circles of invocation of Allah (dhikr) conjoined with the singing of permissible poetry and dancing, is compatible with the Sacred Law of orthodox Islam; and when the latter elements facilitate presence of heart with Allah (as they do with most people who possess hearts), they deserve a reward from Allah by those who intend them as such. And this is the aim and importance of the hadra in the tariqa.
I personally myself cannot do this as a form of dhikr. But if the proofs are there, then why put your own two cents and say its wrong? Praying salah and the rest of the 5 pillars is fardh. Having good adab and doing things to please Allah SWT with ikhlas is extremely liked. Remembering Allah is also important. People have different ways to remember Allah - whether they listen to naats/nasheeds, hang Islamic Art around them, going to Lectures, this "sufi dance"...
Re: The Sufi Dance
You make it sound like this thread was started so we can all diss sufism like school girls 
Dude, Baba Bulleh Shah ftw <3 I’m into sufism myself and I find it inspirational how sufis spend their lives only for Allah swt. The prayers, the charity work, the exclusion of all things materialistic from their lives, the isolation from all wordly retardedness… yeah that is my definition of sufism and I don’t think a real sufi could care less if I said umm sufi bhai baith k khamoshi se bhi to dhikr kar sakte hain.
As for all other sects.. the scholar that I am, I only know bits about the Shia sect and I couldn’t tell you a thing about the Ahmadi sect let alone the bazillion other sects. Within the Shia sect, I was reading the thread in R&S about maatam and no I don’t agree with this practise either but how does that mean I am singling them out to mock them?
Re: The Sufi Dance
But the Mevlevi or “Whirling Dervish” sama‘s have another aspect to them that must be discussed before reaching a complete conclusion; namely, the use of musical instruments. This is something of a difficulty, for the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
There shall be groups of people from my community who shall consider fornication, silk, wine, and musical instruments to be lawful: groups shall camp beside a high mountain, whom a shepherd returning to in the evening with one of their herds shall approach for something he needs, and they shall tell him, “Come back tomorrow.” Allah shall destroy them in the night, bringing down the mountain upon them, and transforming others into apes and swine until the Day of Judgement (Sahih al-Bukhari, 7.138: 5590).
Hadith commentaries mention that the transforming (maskh) may mean either “their forms, literally, as happened to some previous mations; or else figuratively, alluding to the metamorphosis of their character” (al-Qastalani, Irshad al-sari li sharh Sahih al-Bukhari. 10 vols. Bulaq 1306/1888. Reprint. Beirut: Dar al-Fikr, 1410/1989, 8.317–18), but in either case, the punishment named in the hadith is a clear proof of the unlawfulness of each of the things mentioned in it.
This hadith is not part of the main text of Sahih al-Bukhari, but is rather of those appended to the Sahih by al-Bukhari ta‘liqan or “in commentary,” meaning hadiths (generally given together with the chapter headings) that are not always at the same level as the rigorously authenticated (sahih) ones, but may include the hasan or “well authenticated” as well, and which al-Bukhari mentioned to clarify or expand on the hadiths of the main corpus. But this particularly hadith is fully authenticated. The hadith master (hafiz) Ibn al-Salah states:
Ibn Hazm claimed that its chain of transmission was dissevered between al-Bukhari and Hisham ibn Ammar [al-Sulami, d. 245/868, whom al-Bukhari quoted it from], and considered this a rebuttal of the hadith as evidence that musical instruments were unlawful. He was wrong about this, in a number of ways. The hadith is rigorously authenticated (sahih), and known to have a contiguous chain of transmission meeting the requirements of the rigorously authenticated (al-sahih) (al-‘Asqalani, Fath al-Bari bi sharh Sahih al-Bukhari. 14 vols. Cairo: al-Maktaba all-Salafiyya, 1390/1970, 10.52: 5590).
The hadith is thus a fully authenticated proof of the unlawfulness of instrumental music. This is also the recorded position of all four madhhabs of Sunni jurisprudence, the Hanafi school (Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-muhtar ‘ala al-durr al-mukhtar. 5 vols. Bulaq 1272/1855. Reprint. Beirut: Dar Ihya’ al-Turath al-‘Arabi, 1407/1987, 5.253), the Maliki school (al-Dardir, al-Sharh al-saghir ‘ala Aqrab al-masalik ila madhhab al-Imam Malik. 4 vols. Cairo: Dar al-Ma‘arif, 1394/1974, 2.502), the Shafi‘i school (al-Nawawi, Minhaj al-talibin, 152), and the Hanbali school (al-Bahuti, Kashshaf al-qina‘ ‘an matn al-Iqna‘. 6 vols. Beirut: Dar al-Fikr, 1402/1982, 5.170). Readers who know fiqh literature will observe that each of these works is the top fatwa resource in its school. While it is true that certain Ottoman muftis made exceptions from this general rule, it was only under special circumstances of necessity considered pressing enough to warrant making an exception, such as with military bands, which they argued should be excepted from the prohibition because of the need to rouse the army to fight harder in jihad.
Certain muftis also gave fatwa*s that the exceptionalness of the spiritual states of the Sufis in their sessions of dhikr made it lawful for them to listen to musical instruments. This, they said, was because the reason for Allah’s prohibiting musical instruments was that they distract the heart from Allah, while in sessions of dhikr, they *remind the heart of Him. This argument fails in my opinion not only because the shari‘a should apply to all Muslims equally, but also (and most importantly) because we cannot establish beyond a reasonable doubt that distracting from Allah is the only reason for music’s prohibition, in order to negate the prohibition in situations where it does not. There may be other reasons for its prohibition, or no “reason” at all, except as a test of our obedience to Allah.
The whirling dervishes in Aleppo and Damascus, I am told by Syrians, did not use musical instruments, but only the tambourine (daff), which is permissible in the Shafi‘i school of jurisprudence and others. I have heard that some Turkish sheikhs say that the Mevlevis’ use of musical instruments was begun only after the death of Jalal al-Din al-Rumi, the founder of the whirling dervishes. The opening lines of his Mathnawi *are:
Listen to the reed how it tells a tale, complaining of separations—
Saying, “Ever since I was parted from the reed-bed, my lament hath caused man and woman to moan.
I want a bosom torn by severance, that I may unfold (to such a one) the pain of love-desire.
Every one who is left far from his source wishes back the time when he was united with it.
(*The Mathnawi of Jalal al-Din al-Rumi. Trans. R. A. Nicholson. 3 vols. London 1926. Reprint. London: Luzac and Company, 1977, 5)
—From these lines, they understand the “song of a reed-pipe” as a metaphor for the longing of the spirit for its original knowledge of the Divine.
To summarize, circles of invocation of Allah (dhikr) conjoined with singing of permissible poetry and even dancing are compatible with the shari‘a of orthodox Islam, as we have reported above from the works of Imams al-Suyuti and al-Nawawi in the Shafi‘i school of jurisprudence. Music produced by instruments, in view of the Prophet’s condemnation of them (Allah bless him and give him peace) in Sahih al-Bukhari, is not lawful in Islam. The Mevlevis or whirling dervishes seem to have used musical instruments in their sama‘*s at some times and places, but not used them at others. The latter, according to the evidence we have examined, is permissible (mubah), but the former, *sama‘ with musical instruments, is not permissible, as the reasoning behind the *fatwa*s that permit it is not strong enough, in my view, to modify the unlawfulness established by the hadith, which is also the position of the four schools of jurisprudence. And Allah knows best.
[Note: Someone writing to the editor in a subsequent issue of Q-News objected to the article’s saying that “Islamic scholars point out that if something which is permissible, such as the singing of poetry or dancing, is conjoined with something which is recommended, such as dhikr or gatherings to make dhikr, the result of this conjoining will not be offensive (makruh) or unlawful (haram).” This, the reader said, was wrong because the prayer (salat), for example, is something that is either obligatory or sunna, while eating and drinking are mubah or “permissible,” despite the fact that doing either in prayer is unlawful, showing that my reasoning here (on which Imam Suyuti’s fatwa above also turns) is mistaken.
The argument fails because its analogy is delusive. Eating, drinking, extraneous movement, everyday speech, and so forth are unlawful in prayer because of specific interdictions of them that have reached us in hadith from the Prophet himself (Allah bless him and give him peace), which is why the opening Allahu Akbar of the prayer is known in books of fiqh as the takbirat al-ihram, or simply the tahrima: It makes a whole range of permissible things haram or “unlawful” until one finishes. The analogy between the prayer, on the one hand, regarding which there are hadiths forbidding such permissible things in it, and dhikr, on the other, for which no such hadiths exist, is a false analogy, insufficient to build any ruling upon. The sole exceptions in Sacred Law to the praiseworthiness of dhikr in every state are lovemaking and going to the bathroom, when one’s dhikr must be confined to the heart, and neither relates to our question here.]
[RIGHT]MMII © N. Keller[/RIGHT][Note: Someone writing to the editor in a subsequent issue of Q-News objected to the article’s saying that “Islamic scholars point out that if something which is permissible, such as the singing of poetry or dancing, is conjoined with something which is recommended, such as dhikr or gatherings to make dhikr, the result of this conjoining will not be offensive (makruh) or unlawful (haram).” This, the reader said, was wrong because the prayer (salat), for example, is something that is either obligatory or sunna, while eating and drinking are mubah or “permissible,” despite the fact that doing either in prayer is unlawful, showing that my reasoning here (on which Imam Suyuti’s fatwa above also turns) is mistaken.
The argument fails because its analogy is delusive. Eating, drinking, extraneous movement, everyday speech, and so forth are unlawful in prayer because of specific interdictions of them that have reached us in hadith from the Prophet himself (Allah bless him and give him peace), which is why the opening Allahu Akbar of the prayer is known in books of fiqh as the takbirat al-ihram, or simply the tahrima: It makes a whole range of permissible things haram or “unlawful” until one finishes. The analogy between the prayer, on the one hand, regarding which there are hadiths forbidding such permissible things in it, and dhikr, on the other, for which no such hadiths exist, is a false analogy, insufficient to build any ruling upon. The sole exceptions in Sacred Law to the praiseworthiness of dhikr in every state are lovemaking and going to the bathroom, when one’s dhikr must be confined to the heart, and neither relates to our question here.]
Re: The Sufi Dance
aur mujhay log sexist kehtay hain 
Re: The Sufi Dance
it’s called **whirling **and still practiced by Melvi order of Turkey. They are one of the SUFI order bases in Konya, Turkey, founded by the followers of Rumi. People have two opinions about them Muslim or not. So lets not get into that debate.
i just love them.
Re: The Sufi Dance
ok ok. Yaaaaa.
Re: The Sufi Dance
can women dance in public to show their love for Allah or sufism is a male only religion?
Re: The Sufi Dance
Homies, if you'd stop linking "dancing" to the bollywood thumkay and gyrations that you're so used to seeing and realize this is a form of (I hope you all understand what form means because the comprehension skills in this thread are SORELY lacking) of worship. Just like there are specific duas that are to be said during namaz and then there are personal prayers where you can say whatever you want in whichever language you want, that is what sama is. This is their form of spiritual communication. No thumkay, no lustily grinding with each other, but twirling around fully clothed until they reach a trance-like state in which they focus on finding God, and there is a strong emphasis on mental purity. Unless twirling around is a sin I fail to understand the backlash.
Apparently mockery of a practice is totally okay as long as it's unorthodox and goes against one's own beliefs. "I'm not making a mockery out of sufis, just what they practice" is like i'm not making fun of you as a muslim, i'm just making fun of your religious beliefs.
Re: The Sufi Dance
The comprehension skills thus far were sorely lacking cuz no one explained it as nicely as you did BF. I understand now. Even though I still don't know why one would wanna go round and round and round to remember Allah swt when you could just really sit down quietly and do so, I do understand that it isn't real dancin' we're talking about here.
Re: The Sufi Dance
Its not going against my self generated belief, its going against anything and everything I learnt from Quran or Sunnah. I apologize (or maybe not) that my belief system stems not from Rumi’s practices but sunnat of Prophet Mohammad 
Rumi and his followers can dance all they want on the name of religion. I care less.
Re: The Sufi Dance
With the logic that the Prophet p.b.u.h didn’t do it himself thus making it unacceptable, he did not sit in an airplane or browse the internet either, but those are found acceptable. Everyone has their own ways of finding God, meditation works for sufis and the basic practices of islam were enough for our Prophet. Variation of practices don’t make the varied evil or wrong.
Re: The Sufi Dance
wah g wah… ab rola khatam
lets all do a 5 minute dance
Re: The Sufi Dance
I guess unorthodoxy is weird to that individual or completely normal for ones who practice their own way.
Personally, I would find dancing really offensive in a mosque. However, I'm not qualified to say what is right and what is not. Just do what you truly believe is best and for most is the conventional way of praying. Certainly is in my case.
Allah knows best
Re: The Sufi Dance
good discussion, while I don't follow any sect, school of thought, sisila, interpretation excessively, I have been involved in and with the naqshbandi sufi school of thought for a big part of the last decade. Pleasantly surprised to see the level of knowledge and open perspectives among members.
Re: The Sufi Dance
ok then, lock kiya jaye?
Re: The Sufi Dance
yes lock this, as long as ppl understand that only thing they should follow are established principles and not this whirling biddah
namaz, rozay, zakat, hajj, and faith etc.
and before i forget, other established practices like shab e baraat kay patakhay, eid milaad un nabi ki natein loud speakers par, air eid milad un nabi ki mithaiaaan, koonday, manat, some books compiled a few centuries after the fact. urs, mazaar, qabr par chahdar charhana, unless you are in KSA then qabron par bulldozer chalana..and last but not the least, not allowing women to drive
as long as we got that covered, you get the monopoly chance card version of after life,
go to heaven, go directly to heaven, do not pass pul-e-saraat, do not collect any hardship :)
PS: i forgot about taking full advantage of muttah and misyaaar, its a naimaat, don't refuse it.
PS2: i kid, I kid...
Re: The Sufi Dance
I have not read through all the posts in this thread, but seeing the topic, “Khawja Mere Khawja” from Jodha Akbar came to mind…Soothing song, good melody, nice cinematography, but has absolutely nothing to with Islam, IMO
(and I come from a family that has a some members that heavily follow Sufism, i’ve seen some pretty, umm, alarming devotional practices at fatihas and such :bummer:)
Re: The Sufi Dance
WHy would you need to dance to connect to God?
I guess one can look at it from an opposite poit of view - "why does connection to God have to follow a strict protocol"?
Or a short answer, Why not?