“A secret turning in us
Makes the universe turn.
Head unaware of feet,
And feet head. Neither cares.
They keep turning.”
-Rumi
Curiosity must be an initial respond to this article's title. As there are no dance that lead you to heaven. But for this Ramadhan, let us know and learn something that we doesn't know before. As there are many ways people devoted themselves to the Lord. I shall update this post soon!
Updated!
What I mean of it is actually this once dance called the Whirling Dervishes or in Malay ‘Putaran Sufi’. The practice of Sufi whirling (or Sufi spinning) is a twirling meditation that originated among Sufis, which is still practiced by the Dervishes of the Mevlevi order. It is a symbolic ritual through which dervishes (also called semazens) aim to reach the "Perfect". They try to desert their nafs, egos or personal (bad) desires by listening (to their master and sufi music), thinking (about God) and whirling which resembles the rotation of other beings such as electrons and planets of the micro and macrocosmos.
The Mevlevi Order or the Mevleviye are a Sufi order founded by the followers of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi-Rumi, a 13th century Persian poet, Islamic jurist, and theologian, in Konya (now known as Turkey). They are also known as the Whirling Dervishes due to their famous practice of whirling as a form of dhikr (remembrance of Allah). Dervish is a common term for an initiate of the Sufi Path. The Mevlevi, or "The Whirling Dervishes", believe in performing their dhikr in the form of a "dance" and music ceremony called the Sema.
The Sema represents a mystical journey of man's spiritual ascent through mind and love to "Perfect." Turning towards the truth, the follower grows through love, deserts his ego, finds the truth and arrives at the "Perfect." He then returns from this spiritual journey as a man who has reached maturity and a greater perfection, so as to love and to be of service to the whole of creation. The Sema was practised in the semahane (ritual hall) according to a precisely prescribed symbolic ritual with the dervished whirling in a circle around their sheikh, who is the only one circling around his axis. The dervishes wear a white gown (symbol of death), a wide black cloak (hirka) (symbol of the grave) and a high brown cap (kûlah), symbol of the tombstone.
The long, white skirts represent the shroud. The Dervishes extend their arms, the right palm faces up and the left palm faces down. Energy from above enters through the right palm, passes through the body and passes through the left palm and into the Earth. The Sheikh represents the sun and the Dervishes represent the planets turning around him in the solar system of Mevlana.
And how colourful they can be!
This is what I mean the dance that bring you to heaven. And I hope it didn't stop here. Rumi's popularity has not dimmed with his age his work is read more widely today than ever before, inspiring readers of all faiths and creeds at the same time guiding the reader along the path of spiritual growth with passion, patience and unflinching clarity!
~Salam Lailatul Qadar~
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