Sufi Whirling

Our collection of paintings on Sufis and mystics primarily feature Sufis and their dances.
In order to understand the depth of these paintings, it is vital that one primarily gets acquainted with the concept of Sufism and what it is all about.

Sufism- What is it?

Sufism can be termed as the mystical dimension of Islam. People who practice Sufism are termed as Sufis. These Sufis belong to various orders or congregations and have their spiritual sessions in accordance with these orders.

Usually, all Sufis trace back their original precepts from Muhammad SAW through his cousin and son-in-law Ali. The Naqshbandi order differs in this respect since they trace back from Muhammad through the first Rashid Caliph Abu Bakr.

This was a short introduction of Sufism and Sufis. However, our collection of paintings pertains to asceticism which classical Sufis are noted for .

They have a number of devotional practices, amongst which the notable ones are Dhikr, Muraqba, Visitation and Sufi Whirling.

Sufi Whirling- What is it?

Our paintings portray Sufis in this latter form of physically active meditation. Through this customary dance, dervishes aim to reach the source of ultimate perfection or Kemal.

In this dance, the dervish abandons his ego or nafs and while listening to the music, focuses his attention on God. While he centers his attention on God, the source of Kemal, he spins his body around in repetitive circles which is known as Tanoura dance or Sufi Whirling. This dance is a metaphorical representation of the planets in the solar system orbiting around the Sun.

Check out our gallery on Sufis and Mystics today to revel in this classic art form

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