The whirling dervishes of Omdurman.
Sheikh Hamed al-Nil was a 19th-century Sufi leader of the Qadiriyah order, and his tomb is the weekly focus for Omdurman's most exciting sight - the dancing and chanting dervishes. Each Friday afternoon before sunset, adherents of the Qadrriyah order gather to dance and pray, attracting large crowds of observers and participants.
The purpose is a ritual called "dhikr". The "dhikr" relies on the recitation of God's names to help create a state of ecstatic abandon in which the adherent's heart can communicate directly with God. This personal communication with God is central to Sufi practices. At the end of the ritual, the dervishes break off and enter the mosque to pray in the orthodox Islamic manner. With Sufism so important to Sudanese Islam, "dhikr" rituals play a major role in religious life.
Tags: sudan omdurman africa dhikr sufi travel photo
The whirling dervishes of Omdurman.
Sheikh Hamed al-Nil was a 19th-century Sufi leader of the Qadiriyah order, and his tomb is the weekly focus for Omdurman's most exciting sight - the dancing and chanting dervishes. Each Friday afternoon before sunset, adherents of the Qadrriyah order gather to dance and pray, attracting large crowds of observers and participants.
The purpose is a ritual called "dhikr". The "dhikr" relies on the recitation of God's names to help create a state of ecstatic abandon in which the adherent's heart can communicate directly with God. This personal communication with God is central to Sufi practices. At the end of the ritual, the dervishes break off and enter the mosque to pray in the orthodox Islamic manner. With Sufism so important to Sudanese Islam, "dhikr" rituals play a major role in religious life.
Tags: sudan omdurman africa dhikr sufi travel photo
© All Rights Reserved
The whirling dervishes of Omdurman.
Sheikh Hamed al-Nil was a 19th-century Sufi leader of the Qadiriyah order, and his tomb is the weekly focus for Omdurman's most exciting sight - the dancing and chanting dervishes. Each Friday afternoon before sunset, adherents of the Qadrriyah order gather to dance and pray, attracting large crowds of observers and participants.
The purpose is a ritual called "dhikr". The "dhikr" relies on the recitation of God's names to help create a state of ecstatic abandon in which the adherent's heart can communicate directly with God. This personal communication with God is central to Sufi practices. At the end of the ritual, the dervishes break off and enter the mosque to pray in the orthodox Islamic manner. With Sufism so important to Sudanese Islam, "dhikr" rituals play a major role in religious life.
Tags: sudan omdurman africa dhikr sufi travel photo
© All Rights Reserved
The whirling dervishes of Omdurman.
Sheikh Hamed al-Nil was a 19th-century Sufi leader of the Qadiriyah order, and his tomb is the weekly focus for Omdurman's most exciting sight - the dancing and chanting dervishes. Each Friday afternoon before sunset, adherents of the Qadrriyah order gather to dance and pray, attracting large crowds of observers and participants.
The purpose is a ritual called "dhikr". The "dhikr" relies on the recitation of God's names to help create a state of ecstatic abandon in which the adherent's heart can communicate directly with God. This personal communication with God is central to Sufi practices. At the end of the ritual, the dervishes break off and enter the mosque to pray in the orthodox Islamic manner. With Sufism so important to Sudanese Islam, "dhikr" rituals play a major role in religious life.
Tags: sudan omdurman africa dhikr sufi travel photo
© All Rights Reserved
The whirling dervishes of Omdurman.
Sheikh Hamed al-Nil was a 19th-century Sufi leader of the Qadiriyah order, and his tomb is the weekly focus for Omdurman's most exciting sight - the dancing and chanting dervishes. Each Friday afternoon before sunset, adherents of the Qadrriyah order gather to dance and pray, attracting large crowds of observers and participants.
The purpose is a ritual called "dhikr". The "dhikr" relies on the recitation of God's names to help create a state of ecstatic abandon in which the adherent's heart can communicate directly with God. This personal communication with God is central to Sufi practices. At the end of the ritual, the dervishes break off and enter the mosque to pray in the orthodox Islamic manner. With Sufism so important to Sudanese Islam, "dhikr" rituals play a major role in religious life.
Tags: sudan omdurman africa dhikr sufi travel photo
© All Rights Reserved