May I Attend and Watch a Whirling Dervish Sema in Konya?

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Question

I am visiting the Turkish city of Konya soon, in sha’ Allah. Konya is known for whirling dervish (Sema) performances by practitioners of the Mevlevi order. Is it permissible to attend and observe such a performance?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate.

This is a matter on which the scholars differed. Many later Hanafi scholars, including Imam Abd al-Ghani al-Nablusi, permitted the Mevlevi samaʿ as a form of remembrance when performed in accordance with its conditions. Based on that view, you may attend and watch respectfully. Go as a guest at a gathering of remembrance, not as a spectator at a show.

Those Who Permitted It

Imam Abd al-Ghani al-Nablusi of Damascus, a leading Hanafi jurist and Sufi, wrote a treatise defending the Mevlevi way, The Pearl Necklaces on the Path of the Mevlevi Masters (al-Uqud al-Luʾluʾiyya fi Tariq al-Sada al-Mawlawiyya). He saw it as remembrance with its proper conditions, not as entertainment.

Shaykh Nuh Keller notes that the Hanafi Imam Khayr al-Din al-Ramli wrote an extensive fatwa in support of the gathering of dhikr with movement in his al-Fatawa al-Khayriyya, and that Imam Nablusi, whom Ibn Abidin always cites as “my master” (Sayyidi), wrote a book in favor of the hadra. [Keller, Sea Without Shore]

Ibn Abidin, the final reference for fatwa in the school, condemns gatherings of dancing, musical modes, and corrupt company. Then he exempts the sincere and upright: “We have no dispute with the truthful among our masters, the Sufis, those free of every base trait.” He relates that Imam Junayd was told of people who were moved in ecstasy and swayed, and he said, “Leave them with Allah.” [Ibn Abidin, Shifa al-Alil]

The Stricter View

Other Hanafis were firm against it. Imam Birgivi and his commentator Khadimi reject swaying or “dancing” in dhikr. [Khadimi, al-Bariqa al-Mahmudiyya] This view deserves respect. It guards the sacred law from being turned into a spectacle.

The Question of the Ney

The Sema is accompanied by the reed flute (ney) and drum. Most jurists prohibit wind and string instruments. Some Sufi scholars permitted them in samaʿ for those whose hearts are wholly turned to Allah.

The Hanafi mufti of Damascus, Abd al-Rahman al-Imadi, was asked about instruments and gave a balanced answer: “Those whose truthfulness cannot be questioned forbade it, and those whose spiritual state cannot be denied permitted it. Whoever finds in his heart some light of gnosis may go forward. Otherwise, stopping at the limits the sacred law has set is safer.” [Muradi, Silk al-Durar; also quoted by Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

Shaykh Nuh Keller is clear on this point. He records that fatwas permitting instruments in sessions of dhikr were adopted by the Mevlevis, and he judges that “the argument behind such fatwas is unconvincing not only because the shari’a should apply to all Muslims equally, but also and most importantly because we cannot establish beyond a reasonable doubt that ‘distracting from Allah’ is the only reason for music’s prohibition.” [Keller, Sea Without Shore]

So if you attend, do not seek out the music for its own sake. Keep your attention on the remembrance of Allah.

Practical Counsel

One. Choose a sincere setting, such as a sema held in a lodge or mosque, opened with a recitation of the Quran and closed with prayer.

Two. Avoid venues where the Sema is mere entertainment: restaurants, hotel shows, places with alcohol or free mixing.

Three. Dress modestly and sit with adab, as you would at a dhikr gathering.

Four. Remember Allah in your heart throughout. Allah Most High says, “Those who believe and whose hearts are at utter peace with the revealed Remindance of Allah: Verily by the remembrance of Allah do hearts find peace.” [Quran 13:28; Keller, The Quran Beheld]

Five. Visit Mawlana Rumi, send salam on the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), and ask Allah for what the dervishes turn toward: presence with Allah Most High.

The principle: a “samaʿ” of sincere remembrance, with its conditions kept, is permitted in the view of many later Hanafi scholars, and the caution of others is a reason for adab, not alarm. Go with a remembering heart, and Konya may give you more than a performance.

May Allah open your heart to His remembrance.

And Allah knows best.

Faraz Rabbani

Related Answers

• Is Group Dhikr With Swaying Permissible? — Group dhikr with poetry and swaying is permitted by major Hanafi scholars, and the reported prohibition from Ibn Masʿud is answered.
• The Hadra: Is the Group Dhikr With Singing and Swaying Permitted? — The hadra is permitted according to major Hanafi authorities, as one form of the established practice of collective remembrance.
• Listening to Islamic Songs with Musical Instruments — Most scholars of the four schools prohibit musical instruments except the duff, while a minority permit them under strict conditions.
• Is the Duff or Any Other Instrument (to Accompany Dhikr and Nasheed) Allowed in the Masjid? — The duff is generally permissible in the mosque, outside prayer times and with decorum, while song with other instruments is unlawful in all four schools.