Dervish

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Biography

A Dervish or Darvesh (from Persian language|Persian ?????, Darvish via Turkish language|Turkish , , ) is someone treading a Sufi Muslim ascetic path or " Tariqah ", known for their extreme poverty and austerity, similar to Mendicant orders|mendicant friar s in Christianity or Hindu/Buddhist/Jain sadhu s.

Etymology

The Persian word darvish (?????) is of ancient origin and descends from a Proto-Iranian word that appears in Avestan as drigu- , "needy, mendicant". http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/darvis The Iranian word is probably further cognate with the Vedic Sanskrit word adhrigu- , an epithet of uncertain meaning applied to several deities. The Vedic word is probably to be analysed as a-dhrigu- , that is "not dhrigu- ," perhaps "not poor", i.e. "rich." The existence of this Vedic cognate suggests that the institution of the holy mendicant was as prominent among the ancient Indo-Iranians|Indo-Iranian people as it has been historically in later Iran in the form of dervish brotherhoods and also in India in the form of the various schools of sannyasi s. However, because the etymology of the word is not apparent from the point of view of the modern Persian language, there have been attempts to make the parts of the word interpretable in terms of contemporary words and with reference to Sufic mystical concepts. Dar in Persian language|Persian means "a door", so Dervish is said to literally mean "one who opens the doors". The Persian word also gives terms for "ascetic" in some languages, as in the Urdu phrase ''darveshaneh tabi'at , "an unflappable or ascetic temperament".

Religious practice

Many Dervishes are mendicant ascetics who have taken a vow of poverty, unlike mullah s. The main reason they beg is to learn humility, but Dervishes are prohibited to beg for their own good. They have to give the collected money to other poor people. Others work in common professions; Egyptian Qadiriyya – known in Turkey as Kadiri – are fishermen, for example.
Some classical writers indicate that the poverty of the Dervish is not merely economic. Saadi (poet)|Saadi , for instance, who himself travelled widely as a dervish, and wrote extensively about them, says in his '' Gulistan of Sa'di|Gulistan ,
::: Of what avail is frock, or rosary,
::: Or clouted garment? Keep thyself but free
::: From evil deeds, it will not need for thee
::: To wear the cap of felt: a darwesh be
::: In heart, and wear the cap of Tartary. chapter 2 story 16: a story later adapted by La Fontaine for his tale 'Le songe d'un habitant du Mogol'
Rumi writes in Book 1 of his Masnavi , The Masnavi: Book One , translated by Jawid Mojaddedi, Oxford World's Classics Series, Oxford University Press, 2004. ISBN 978-0199552313, p63.

:''Water that's poured inside will sink the boat
:: While water underneath keeps it afloat.
: Driving wealth from his heart to keep it pure
::''King Solomon preferred the title 'Poor':
: That sealed jar in the stormy sea out there
::''Floats on the waves because it's full of air,
:''When you've the air of dervishood inside
::''You'll float above the world and there abide...

Orders

There are various orders of Dervishes, almost all of which trace their origins from various Muslim saints and teachers, especially Ali ibn Abi Talib|Ali and Abu Bakr . Various orders and suborders have appeared and disappeared over the centuries. Rifa'iyyah Dervishes spread into North Africa, Turkey , the Balkans , Iran , Pakistan , India , Afghanistan and Tajikistan .
Other groups include the Bektashi s, connected to the Janissary|janissaries , and Senussi , who are rather orthodox in their beliefs. Other fraternities and subgroups chant verses of the Qur'an , play drums or dance vigorously in groups, all according to their specific traditions. Some practice quiet meditation , as is the case with most of the Sufi orders in South Asia , many of whom owe allegiance to, or were influenced by, the Chishti order. Each fraternity uses its own garb and methods of acceptance and initiation, some of which may be rather severe.

Whirling

The whirling dance or Sufi whirling that is proverbially associated with Dervishes is best known in the West by the practices (performances) of the Mevlevi order in Turkey, and is part of a formal ceremony known as the Sama (Sufism)|Sama . It is, however, also practiced by other orders. The Sama is only one of the many Sufi ceremonies performed to try to reach religious ecstasy ( majdhb , fana ). The name Mevlevi comes from the Persian language|Persian poet, Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi|Rumi who was a Dervish himself. This practice, though not intended as entertainment, has become a tourist attraction in Turkey.B. Ghafurov, "Todjikon", 2 vols., Dushanbe 1983-5 Britannica.com

Historical and political use of the term

Begging

While commonly the term dervish is used to describe beggars, a differentiation between mendicant Dervishes and common beggars can be made:

*

"While they walk around praising the Lord, anyone according to his own desire may voluntarily drop some coins in it (a Coco de Mer|kashkul )... a real dervish who wears the proper robe and carries the kashkul does not beg, nor does he make any demands."

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