(Brown's Darvishes, pp. 89–93.)
Every tarik (path) hath its sign; the sign of the Kadiris is a rose which is green, because the word (the Living one) was manifested in green colour to one of the shaikhs. It hath: —
White rings.2
[The following describes a diagram — the mystic rose, divided into concentric rings for shari’at, tarikat, ma’rifat, and hakikat — whose table columns and rows were lost in the source’s OCR digitization. The surviving fragments are preserved below in their original reading order rather than reconstructed into a table, since their precise grid position cannot be verified from the text alone.]
Series of leaves.
Colours.
Petals.
Number.
Signification.
Number.
Signification.
Number.
Signification.
Number.
Signification.
1 shari'at (muslim law).
is my word .
1 five leaves .
five virtues of
muslims.
1 yellow
shari'at .
seven .
the seven
beauteous
outside
inside .
2 tarikat (the
path).
3 ma'rifat (divine
knowledge).
4 hakikat (truth).
„ „ practice
„ the chief of
all things.
„ my condition.
2 six „ .
3 seven „ .
The whole series (18
leaves).
six characteristics of faith.
seven verses of
the kuran .
Muhammad
brought mercy
to eighteen
worlds.
2 white .
3 red .
4 black
tarikat.
ma'rifat.
hakikat.
names of
God.
Shaikh Isma'ilu-r-Rumi, successor to 'Abdu-l-Kadir, adopted this rose as emblematic of the seven names3 of God uttered during the zikr.
[The following table — the seven names of God recited during the zikr, with their significations, colours, and repetition counts — is likewise a diagram whose column structure was lost in OCR digitization; fragments are preserved below in their original reading order.]
Name of God.
Signification.
Colour of
its light.
Number of times the name must
be repeated.
La ilaha illa-l-lah .
Allah
Hu
5 Hay
6 Wahid
'Aziz
Wadud
no god but God
Allah, (the beauteous) name
He
the Living One ....
the One .
Dear One ....
the Loving One .
blue
yellow
red
white
green
black
none
100,000
78,586
44,630
20,092
93,420
74,644
30,202
The seven colours are emblematic of the lights (splendours) of the seven names; its eighteen gores (tark), of the numerical value of the two letters4 in (the Living One).
In the centre of the rose, is the seal of (Sulaiman), the signification whereof is: —
Freedom from defect, gentleness of disposition, power of spiritual vision, familiarity with his companions. Prayers and salutations belong to God (the Kuran i. 4).
The rose is embroidered on felt of camel's hair, emblematic of the felt khirka that Muhammad gave to Uvais Karni, Sultan of faithful lovers.
In the word (gul) the rose, the letters [illegible] and J are the first letters of the two lines of the Kuran, xxxix. 37.
The origin of the rose of the Kadiris is as follows:—
Shaikh 'Abdu-l-Kadir Gilani, under the direction of Khizr (Elias), proceeded to Baghdad. When he arrived, Shaikh 'Aliu-l-Vahidi-al-Kadiri sent him a cup full of water, which meant that Baghdad, being full of holy men, had no room for him. Whereupon 'Abdu-l-Kadir put a rose into the cup, which meant that Baghdad would find a place for him. Then all present exclaimed:— “The shaikh is our rose!”
(Brown's Darvishes, pp. 94, 95; 97–101; 103, 215, 216.)
As appointed by its Pir (founder), the mubayi'at (the pledging) of a murid of the Kadiris is as follows: —
The murid sitteth with his right hand5 in the right hand of the shaikh (the murshid) ; expresseth his repentance, and his readiness to take the 'ahd (the pledge).
The shaikh addresseth him thus: —
The Fakir must be of an active mind, brilliant in thought, of good repute, near in approach to God, of a good heart, of a meek demeanour, of serious deportment, of a mind easy to acquire knowledge, prepared to teach others who are ignorant, disposed to trouble no one. though they trouble him.
It is incumbent on him to speak only of those things which belong to his faith; to be generous of his means; to avoid what is forbidden and wrong; to be careful in refraining from what is doubtful; to aid those who are strangers; to be a parent to the fatherless; to be of a pleasant countenance; to be gentle of heart and joyful of spirit; to be agreeable and happy.
Even in poverty, not to expose his secrets to others, nor to divulge them; to be gentle in conduct and in intercourse; to be bountiful of his benefits, kind in language, few in words; to be patient with the ignorant, and to refrain from doing them any wrong; to show respect to great and small; to be faithful to those who confide in him, and to keep aloof from all duplicity; to be strict in his religious duties; to refrain from sloth and slumber; to speak ill of no one; to be sedate, easily satisfied, and thankful for benefits bestowed; to be much in prayer and fasting, truthful of tongue, permanent in abode; to curse no one; to be without calumny, hatred, of a grave heart, and careful of the perfect performance of the religious duties of the Order; and to be as correct in thought as in deed.
Having uttered this counsel, the shaikh, holding the murid's hand in his own, reciteth from the Kuran:—
i. Suratu-l-Fatiha. x. Suratu-l-Yunas. xlviii. Suratu-l-Fath (first 10 verses). xxxiv. Suratu-l-Ahzab (the 56th verse). xxxvii. Suratu-s-Saffat (the 180th—182nd verse).
Then the shaikh offereth the istighfar (prayer for pardon) :—
“O great God, I beseech Thee to pardon me,— Thou, like to whom is none other. To Him, I repent of my sins; Him, I ask to pardon me, to accept my repentance, to lead me in the true path, and to have mercy on all those who repent of their sins. Accept my oath of fealty, the oath which Muhammad administered to the ashabs (companions).”
Then the shaikh addresseth the murid: —
All muslims are bound to offer up their devotions, to give alms and religious advice, to disbelieve any association with God (Father, Son and Holy Ghost), to abjure wine, not to waste their means, not to commit adultery, not to eat forbidden food, not to calumniate any one.
These I command you to observe as implicitly as the dead body is submissive in the hands of the preparers for interment. Rebel not against what you know hath been commanded thee of God; commit not what is forbidden; make no innovations in your prayers; commit no sins, distinguish between the wrong and the true path. Bear your shaikh ever in mind in this world and in the next.
The Prophet is our prophet, and the Shaikh 'Abdu-l-Kadir-i-Gilani is our Pir (founder) ; the oath of fealty is the oath of God; this hand is the hand of Shaikh 'Abdu-l-Kadir-i-Gilani, and the hand of the Director of the True Path is in yours;
I am the Khalifa of 'Abdu-l-Kadir; he accepted this hand; with it, I accept you (as his disciple).
The murid replieth:— I also accept you (as my murshid). The shaikh respondeth:— I therefore do now admit you.
Then the shaikh pronounceth the zikr, which the murid repeateth three times after him; and directeth him to recite with him the Fatiha (Kuran i.) ; and, the salat va salam (the prayer of peace for the Prophet).
The murid kisseth the hand of the shaikh, and of all the darvishes present.
This act is called musafahat (taking by the hand).
The shaikh offereth up the istighfar (the prayer for pardon of the sins of the murid) and addresseth the assembly: —
“The acceptance of this initiation by the murid is a source of future advantage to him. The prayer which we have offered for him is for the submission of his body to his spiritual will, just as when the angels, before addressing the Creator, prostrate themselves humbly before Him,— so hath the murid by his acceptance of this bai'at (giving of the hand) submitted to my rule.”
Our shaikh ('Abdu-l-Kadir) hath said — It is not proper for the shaikh to sit in the post of pillage, nor to gird on the sword of benevolence until he becometh qualified by the following twelve qualities: —
[The phrase "the post of pillage" is preserved as it appears in the source; it is likely an OCR misreading of another word, but the intended term could not be verified with confidence.]
[The following was originally a two-column table pairing each of six names with a quality; the column structure was lost in OCR digitization, and the exact pairing between name and quality can no longer be recovered with confidence. Both columns are preserved below in their surviving reading order.]
Names: Allah (God), Muhammad, Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Usman, [and a sixth].
Qualities: to cover up and to forgive; to intercede and to accompany; truthfulness and benevolence; to command and to forbid; to feed the poor and to pray when others sleep; to be knowing and brave.
If these qualities be not possessed by the shaikh, he is unworthy of the submission of the murid.
When he doth possess them, follow under his banner. When he doth not, Shaitan hath made him his friend; and he will participate neither in the benefits of this life nor of the next.
The prophet hath said: — When to one of his murids a shaikh giveth spiritual advice; and by it, he refuseth to abide— God abandoneth him.
Shaikh 'Abdu-l-Kadir hath said:— When any one of my murids is oppressed with affliction, let him walk three paces to the eastward and say: —
O Thou, much desired: Thou, the aid of all in the hour of trouble, in the deepest of darkness, as in the dangers of the desert, Thou seest all things. In the hour of shame and confusion, me only Thou canst protect.
When I am overcome with affliction, in the hour of danger, me Thy supreme intelligence will support.
O Thou, ever present, Thee I implore to free me from grief.
The ceremony may be varied as follows:—
When a murid wisheth to enter an Order he is received in an assembly thereof.
The shaikh toucheth his hand, and breatheth three times into his ear — La ilaha illa-l-lah (there is no god but God).
which he commandeth him to repeat daily 101, 151, or 301 times (talkin).
The murid voweth to spend his time in khilvat; and to repeat to the shaikh his mushahida (manifestations).
According to these mushahida, the shaikh knoweth the time when he may breathe into his ear successively —
Ya Allah, O God. Ya Hu, He. Ya Hakk, the Just One. Ya Hayy, the Living One. Ya Kayyum, the Existing One. Ya Kahhar, the Avenging One.
This exercise (chilla) requireth six to ten months according to the murid's capacity.
When he reacheth the last makam he hath acquired takmil-i-suluk (the perfection of travelling in the Path), and is fit for admission. During this novitiate, they call the murid — kuchak.
The murid liveth in the world and gaineth his livelihood. The shaikh attendeth only to his takya convent and trusteth to God for his support.
The shaikh instructeth the murid that there are: —
station
degree
stage
circle
hour
section
[The following table — matching each term above to its Arabic-letter mnemonic key — is likewise a diagram whose column structure was lost in OCR digitization, and whose Arabic-letter keys were already lost together with the source’s diacritics; the surviving English glosses are preserved below in their original reading order.]
Number. clime . globe . world . Quranic verse . letter Kuranic openings Number. 18,000 164 Sufism.
The darvish reacheth kuvvat-i-ruh-i-batini (the power of the inward soul) through: —
tawajjuh, turning the face devoutly in prayer to God. murakiba, fearful contemplation of God. tasarruf, self-abandonment to pious reflection, tasawwuf, mystic spiritualism. (See pages 133—135, 138).
The exercise of this power is called kuwwat-i-iradi (the power of the will) which is traced to divine power, man's soul being connected with the supreme Soul (God).
There are three zikrs: —
zikr-i-khafi (the silent zikr) when in solitude. Zikr-i-jahri (the audible zikr) when in society. Zikr-i-allah, the zikr of God (Kuran, xxiv. 37).
Tarikat is composed of columns, of precepts, and of principles as below: —
[The following table — the columns, precepts, principles, and results of the tarikat — is similarly a diagram whose structure was lost in OCR digitization, and whose Arabic-letter mnemonic keys were already lost together with the source’s diacritics; the surviving English glosses are preserved below in their original reading order.]
Tarikat.
Columns.
Precepts.
Principles.
Result.
I. repentance, knowledge, benevolence, divine knowledge, resignation, generosity, repetition (of God's name), meekness, fidelity to the Order, nearness to God, abandoning sin, patience, humility (of limbs and of the heart), faith, abandoning the world6, submission, contentment, meditation, fear of God, manners, retirement, reliance on God, love, sincerity.
(Brown's Darvishes, pp. 215–227.)
Ya Hu, O He. Ya Hakk, the Just One. Ya Hayy, the Living One. Ya Kayyum, the Existing One. Ya Kahhar, the Avenging One.
These names (asma-i-ilahi) refer to:— (a) sab' sama (the seven heavens). (b) anvar-i-ilahi (the seven divine splendours).
The exercises of murakiba (fearful contemplation), and of tauhid (the unity of God) are as follows:—
(a) on their heels, elbows touching, the darvishes sit in a circle; and simultaneously make slight movements of the head and of the body.
(b) or they balance themselves slowly right to left, left to right; and incline the body forwards and rearwards;
(c) or, seated, they begin these motions in measured cadence with a staid countenance, eyes closed, or fixed upon the ground; and continue them on foot.
The convent-hall (wherein these exercises are carried out) is of wood; and is called the tauhid-khana, (the house of unity).
The Darvishes holding each other by the hand put forward the right foot, increasing at every step the strength of the movement of the body.
They uncover their hands, take off their turbans; form a second circle within the first; intertwine their arms; lean their shoulders against each other; raise the voice; and unceasingly utter—
Ya Allah! Ya Hu!
They do not stop till strength is exhausted. Each one leaves when he pleases.
To the Shaikh seated before the kibla, the darvishes offer praise.
The four senior darvishes approach the shaikh; embrace each other; and place themselves, two on his right, two on his left.
The other darvishes, arms crossed, heads inclined, advance. Each one boweth to the tablet whereon the founder's name is inscribed; putteth his hands over his face and beard; kneeling before the shaikh, kisseth his hand; and taketh his place on the pustin (sheep-skin) spread in a half circle in the hall.
The circle being formed, they all chant together— the Takbir (Allahu Akbar), the Fatiha (Kuran, i.).
The shaikh repeatedly pronounceth the words:— La ilaha illa-l-lah! No god but God!
Balancing themselves from side to side and placing their hands on their face,
breast, abdomen, and knee— the darvishes exclaim:—
Allah!
One of the darvishes on the shaikh's right chaunteth the— Hamd-i-Muhammad.
while the other darvishes, moving their body to and fro, continue to exclaim—
Allah!
After a few minutes, they rise, approach each other, press their elbows against each other, balance from right to left and then from left to right — the right foot being firm; the left foot in periodical movement, the reverse of that of the body.
All observe great precision of measure and of cadence. In the midst, they cry Ya Allah! Ya Hu!
Pale of face, languishing of eye,— some sigh, some sob; some weep, some perspire great drops.
In the middle of a hymn, chaunted alternately by the two darvishes on the shaikh's right, they accelerate their movements. One putteth himself in the centre to incite them by example.
During this hymn, the darvishes take off their turbans; bear their shoulders against each other; and compass the hall at a measured pace, striking their feet against the floor, and all at once springing up and exclaiming: — Ya Allah! Ya Hu!
When they would stop from sheer exhaustion, the shaikh, making violent motions, inciteth them anew.
The two senior darvishes take his place, double the quickness of the step and the motion of body, and all dance till entirely exhausted.
Two darvishes take down from niches cutlasses; heat them red hot; and present them to the shaikh.
After breathing over them prayers and invoking the aid of the Pir of the Order, the shaikh raiseth them to his mouth, and then giveth them to the darvishes, who eagerly ask for them.
Transported by frenzy, the darvishes seize upon the glowing irons, gloat upon them, lick them, bite them, hold them between the teeth, and cool them in their mouth! Others stick cutlasses into their sides, arms, and legs.
If they fall under their sufferings they cast themselves, without a complaint, or a murmur or a sign of pain, into the arms of their Brothers.
Some minutes after this, the shaikh visiteth each; breatheth upon his wounds, rubbeth them with saliva, reciteth prayers, and promiseth speedy cure.
It is said that twenty-four hours afterwards, nothing is to be seen of their wounds.
They call the red hot irons gul (the red rose), because the use of them is as agreeable to the soul of the darvish as the perfume of the rose is to the voluptuary.
The darvishes (nine to thirteen) sit on sheep-skins on the floor at equal distances from each other. Thus for half an hour,— arms folded, eyes closed, head bowed, — they remain in profound meditation.
The shaikh on a seat, on a small carpet, breaketh silence by a hymn in honour of God. Then he inviteth the assembly (majlis) to chaunt with him the fatiha7: —
“Let us chaunt the fatiha, in glorifying the holy name of God; in honour of the blessed religion of the Prophets, especially of Muhammad Mustafa, the greatest, most august, magnificent of all heavenly envoys; in memory of the first four Khulafa; of the sainted Fatima; of chaste Khadija; of the Imams Hasan and Husain; of all the martyrs of the memorable day, (battle of Karbala, 680 A.D.) ; of the ten evangelical disciples, the virtuous sponsors of our Prophet; of all his zealous and faithful disciples; of all the imams, mujtahids, of all the 'ulama, of all the auliya, of all the holy women of Islam.
“Let us chaunt in honour of Hazrat-i-Maulana, the founder of our Order, of Hazrat-i-Sultanu-l-'Ulama (his father), of Sayyid Burhanu-d-Din (his teacher), of Shaikh Shamsu-d-Din (his consecrator), of Valida Sultan (his mother), of Muhammad 'Aliu-d-Din (his son and vicar), of all the successors, of all the shaikhs, of all the darvishes, and all the protectors of our Order, to whom the Omnipotent designeth to give peace and mercy.
“Let us pray for the constant prosperity of our society; for the preservation of the very learned and venerable General of our Order, for the preservation of the reigning Sultan, the very majestic and clement sovereign of the Islam Faith, for the prosperity of the Grand Vazir and of the Shaikhu-l-Islam, and of all the Muhammadan soldiery and of all the hujjaj to Makka.
“Let us pray for the repose of the soul of all the pirs, of all the shaikhs, and of all the darvishes of all other Orders; for all good people.
“Let us pray for all muslims of one and of the other sex, of the east and of the west, for the maintenance of all prosperity, for preventing all adversity, for the accomplishment of vows, and for the success of praiseworthy enterprise.
“Finally, let us ask God to deign to preserve in us the gift of His grace, and the fire of His love.”
After this, all chaunt together; the shaikh reciteth the fatiha and the salawat.
This being ended, the darvishes, standing in line to the shaikh's left, arms folded, head bowed, slowly approach.
The first darvish having arrived nearly opposite to the shaikh profoundly saluteth the tablet, wherein is inscribed the founder's name; advancing by two leaps to the shaikh's right side he turneth to him, saluteth him, and beginneth to dance.
The dance consisteth in turning on the left heel, in advancing slowly, and in making the turn of the hall with closed eyes and opened arms.
This, in succession, all the darvishes do.
Interrupted by two short pauses, during which the shaikh reciteth prayers, the dance lasteth for two hours.
Towards the close, the shaikh joineth in the dance; then returning to his seat, he reciteth Persian verses for the prosperity of religion and of the state; and saith: — Let us pray for the Sovereign of the muslim and most august of Monarchs of the house of 'Usman, Sultan, son of a Sultan, grandson of a Sultan … and for the darvishes, present and absent; for all friends of our Order; for all the faithful, dead and quick, in the east and in the west.
The fatiha is chaunted; the sama, concluded.
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