Sufi Dervish doing ablution before prayer
Zaynip enjoying the rugs!
Ice Mint Lemonade
Mmmm Fresh veggies!
Indian chay tea?
Fried Icecream!
Fresh!! OJ!
Cidneee, Ron, Rachel
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Devoted to his religion
Devoted and committed to his religion. That’s what I think
a Sufi dervish is like here. We had our firsthand experience with a Sufi dervish, who was
friends with Ali, preparing for Salah, which is a prescribed liturgy/prayer performed by Muslims five times a day. Walking into the quiet courtyard, which was enclosed by walls
and benches aligned along the walls, a reverent ambiance surrounded the area. We
walked towards a fountain area with at least 6 faucets attached to the cubed
wall. There we watched the Sufi dervish sitting on a marble stool and practicing
ablution, which is the cleansing of the body; the process can be found in the Quran
5:6. He first rinsed his mouth, and then splashed his face with water 3 times.
Next, he splashes more water to his arms, top of his head, and then his
feet up to the ankles. He had to take
off his socks, and then put them back on even though his feet were still wet.
What shocked me was that he had to do this each time before Salah. So he had to do this 5 times a day! That’s committed. I don’t know if I’d be able to this. The Sufi dervish’s
washing of feet reminded me of Foot Washing in the Adventist religion. However,
we wash each other’s feet as an act of serving one another. The imam explains
that he must do ablution before entering to do his prayer ritual. We take off
our shoes and follow him into the mosque building with soft carpet patterned with
dark and vibrant green, brown, and red colors. There are no paintings of humans
or animals inside, as they would not want to idolatrize them. As we listen to
Ali translate the imam’s words, the room seemed so peaceful, I could fall
asleep. The preparation to pray and the repetition of movements is qutie
interesting to watch, because it is not as simple as how I pray. If there was
anything I learned today, I would say that Muslims must be truly dedicated to do
the same thing every day, each month, each year. We topped our day by eating at
Doy Doy, and indulging in their delicious food and desserts! Their chicken
wings and Turkish Dessert are amazing! Time to read, iyi geceler!
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One comment on this post: The man who did the presentation on Islam at the mosque isn't actually an imam (an imam is like an Islamic pastor or priest). He's a Sufi dervish. Sufism is a mystical sect of Islam, and in Turkey there is a tradition of the whirling dervish. Whirling dervishes spin as an expression of their devotion to God. Dervish Erol is a member of a monastic community called the Naqshibandis. When he was younger, he was a whirling dervish. Now he is still a respected member of the community but has, in essence, retired from being an active whirling dervish. Probably the easiest way to think of him is like a holy man or monk who lives and works in the community. He is respected by the people here as a devoted Muslim, and he knows a lot about Islam, so he is able to provide a lot of information.
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