Dervish

Lore & Background

For centuries, dervish practice was individual, but in the 12th century it began to be mostly practiced in fraternities. The oldest historical fraternity is the Qadiriyya order, founded by Abdul Qadir Gilani. According to Islamic beliefs, each order derives their history from the Islamic prophet Muhammad and are authorized by God (Allah) and taught by the angel Gabriel. The theology of such fraternities is always based on Sufism and can vary from quietism to anti-nomianism. Those adhering to law are called ba-shar and those who do not follow law are called bi-shar. In folklore, dervishes are often credited with the ability to perform miracles and ascribed supernatural powers.

Many dervishes are mendicant ascetics who have taken a vow of poverty, unlike mullahs. The main reason they beg is to learn humility, but dervishes are prohibited from begging 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. A study on dervishes among Bedouins reveals the process of initiation: it is believed that one does not choose to become a dervish, but is chosen to be one by God, through receiving barakah during a dream or conscious encounter with an angel. Dervishes also work as exorcists and healers, believed able to detect evil spirits such as jinn and devils.

The whirling dance or Sufi whirling proverbially associated with dervishes is best known in the West by the practices of the Turkish-origin Mevlevi Order and is part of a formal ceremony known as the sama. It is also practiced by other orders. The name Mevlevi comes from the Persian-language poet Rumi, who was a dervish himself. This practice, though not intended as entertainment, has become a tourist attraction in Turkey.

Reader's Guide

Dervishes represent a distinctive strand of Islamic spirituality, emphasizing direct personal experience of God over formal scholarship. Their significance lies in the institutionalization of Sufi mysticism through fraternities (tariqas) that began in the 12th century, creating enduring orders such as the Qadiriyya, Mevlevi, Bektashi, and Sanusiyya. These orders spread across North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Turkey, Anatolia, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Iran, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. The dervish ideal of poverty—not economic but spiritual—is captured in writings by Saadi and Rumi, who emphasized inner purity over outward garb. The whirling sama ceremony, though now a tourist attraction, remains a profound method for attaining religious ecstasy (jadhb or fana). Dervishes also function as folk healers and exorcists, credited with supernatural powers in folklore. Their practices are accepted by traditional Sunni Muslims but regarded as un-Islamic by groups such as Deobandis and Salafis. The legacy of dervishism includes a rich literary tradition, with works like Death and the Dervish and The Dervish, and visual art such as Mahmoud Sa'id's painting The Whirling Dervishes.

Did You Know?

• The oldest historical dervish fraternity is the Qadiriyya order, founded by Abdul Qadir Gilani.
• Dervishes are prohibited from begging for their own good; they must give collected money to other poor people.
• The whirling dance (sama) is associated with the 13th-century mystic Rumi and the Mevlevi Order.
• The term 'dervish' may derive from Middle Persian drayōš 'poor, needy', but its etymology is uncertain and may be of Turco-Buddhist origin.