Mevlana's Sufism and the Whirling Dervishes

[oderman]

Who is Mevlana and Why the dervishes ritually whirl?


Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi

Mawlānā Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī[1] (Turkish: Mevlânâ Celâleddin Mehmed Rumi) , also known as Mawlānā Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī , but known to the English-speaking world simply as Rumi, (1207 — 1273 CE) was a 13th century poet, jurist, and theologian. His name literally means Majesty of Religion, Jalal means majesty and Din means religion.[2]
Rumi was born in Balkh (then Turkish city of Greater Khorasan one of the eastern territories of Seljuk Empire, now part of Afghanistan) and died in Konya (in present-day Turkey). He also wrote his poetry in Persian and his works are widely read in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Turkey. He lived most of his life and produced his works under the Seljuk Empire.[3]
Rumi's importance is considered to transcend national and ethnic borders. He has had a significant influence on both Persian and Turkish literature throughout the centuries. His poems have been translated into many of the world's languages and have appeared in various formats.
After Rumi's death, his followers founded the Mevlevi Order, better known as the "Whirling Dervishes", who believe in performing their worship in the form of dance and music ceremony called the sema.


A representative portrait by an unknown artist of Mawlana Jalal-ad-Din Rumi, founder of the Mawlawi order of Sufism in Islam (d. 1273)


Name: Mawlānā Rūmī Birth: 1207 Death: 1273 School/tradition: Mevlevi Sufi Main interests: Sufism, lyric poetry, music Notable ideas: Middle Eastern music, Sufi poetry, Sufi philosophy, and Sufi dance Influences: Attar, Shams-e Tabrizi Influenced: Muhammad Iqbal


For detailed info visit wikipedia.org pages dedicated on Mevlana.


also:


Sufi whirling

The practice of Sufi whirling (or Sufi spinning), is a twirling meditation that originated among the Turkish Sufis, which is still practiced by the Dervishes of the Mevlevi order.
Following a recommended fast of several hours, Sufi whirlers begin with hands crossed onto shoulders and may return their hands to this position if they feel dizzy. They rotate on their left feet in short twists, using the right foot to drive their bodies around the left foot. The left foot is like an anchor to the ground, so that if the whirler loses his or her balance, he or she can think of their left foot, direct attention towards it and regain balance.

The whirling is done on the spot in an anticlockwise direction, with the right arm held high, palm upwards, and the left arm held low, palm downwards. People who feel discomfort from whirling anti-clockwise can change to clockwise. The body of the whirler is meant to be soft with eyes open, but unfocused so that images become blurred and flowing. A 15 minute period of slow rotation is followed by a gradual build up of speed over the next 30 minutes. Then the whirling takes over.

When the whirler is whirling so fast that he cannot remain upright, his body will fall by itself. The whirler does not consciously make the fall a decision or attempt to arrange the landing in advance; if his body is soft he should land softly - and the earth will absorb the energy. If the idea of letting oneself fall is too much for the practitioner then the whirler should allow himself to slow down very slowly. If the whirler has been whirling for an hour then the process of slowing down might take some time - up to 10 minutes and more.

Once the whirler has fallen, the second part of the meditation starts - the unwhirling. The whirler rolls onto his stomach immediately so that his bare navel is in contact with the earth. If anybody feels strong discomfort lying this way, he should lie on his back. The practitioner feels his body blending into the earth, like a small child pressed to its mother's breasts. Eyes remain closed and the whirler remains passive and silent for at least 15 minutes. After the meditation whirlers try to be as quiet and inactive as possible.
See also Sema.


I have uploaded several whirling dervish images in:
Members & Clubs Gallery > General Topics > Religion & Myth

Click on images:

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Note: Wikipedia erroneously cited Mevlana being a Persian Mystic, but he is not Persian, he wrote his works in Persian because on those days almost all the religious literature was written in Persian/Arabic. He was born in a Turkish disctrict, and died in todays Turkey (Anatolia) borders. He was a Turkish religious leader, still has a distinguished place among Turkish sufis.

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another Mevlana not so famous as above one.

Mevlana Halid-i Bagdadi (1777-1826, born in Baghdad) was an influential Ottoman mystic, who is believed by his followers to be capable of time travel. His best known books are Mecd-i Talid (Big Birth) and Sems'u Sumus (The Sun of All Suns).

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[oderman]

I liked the following image gallery about whirling dervishes alot, I recommend you all...

Hz. Mevlana - [KÜLTÜR] pages of www.wowturkey.com :
Hz. Mevlana - [KÜLTÜR]