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The Counter-Culture, Lawless Muslim Mystics Who Drank Wine? | The Qalandariyya

Let's Talk Religion・24 minutes read

Sufi groups like the Malamati and Kalandar challenge social norms and focus on annihilating the ego to know God, with practices like extreme asceticism and rejection of religious rituals. These mystical movements, emphasizing detachment and selflessness, influenced Sufi poetry and music while transforming into more orthodox orders over time.

Insights

  • The Malamati movement, originating in Nishapur, focused on hiding piety to avoid ego inflation, with Masters invoking blame from others to fight their ego, emphasizing indifference to public judgment.
  • The Kalandar movement, inspired by Prophet Muhammad's saying to "die before you die," sought social non-conformity through extreme asceticism, neglect of Islamic rituals, and detachment from worldly desires, influencing Sufi poetry and music while later transforming into traditional Sufi orders.

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Recent questions

  • What is the concept of "nafs" in Sufism?

    The concept of "nafs" in Sufism refers to the lower self or ego that individuals aim to annihilate in order to attain knowledge of God.

  • How did the Malamati Masters combat their ego?

    The Malamati Masters aimed to invoke blame from others as a means to fight their ego, emphasizing indifference to public judgment and hiding their piety to avoid ego inflation.

  • What were the practices of the Kalandar movement?

    The Kalandar movement included extreme asceticism, neglect of Islamic rituals like prayers and fasting, shocking appearances, and a focus on complete detachment from worldly desires and afterlife rewards.

  • How did the Kalandar movement influence Sufi poetry?

    The Kalandar movement, prevalent in the Persian-speaking region, influenced Sufi poetry and music, challenging norms with themes of wine drinking and taverns symbolizing divine love.

  • What was the evolution of the Bachi Sufi order?

    The Bachi Sufi order, rooted in the Kalandar movement, evolved over time into a more orthodox order from its antinomian origins.

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Summary

00:00

"Sufi Mystics: Ego Annihilation and Controversial Behavior"

  • Abdurahman Jami recounts an event in Herat involving a man with spiritual powers who lost followers due to inappropriate behavior.
  • The Kalandar and Kalaria are groups of controversial mystics known for antinomian behavior and rejection of religious and social norms.
  • Sufism focuses on the concept of "nafs," translating to the lower self or ego, with the goal of annihilating it to know God.
  • Different Sufi orders have varying techniques for subduing the self, with early mysticism in Islam showing diverse approaches.
  • The Malamati in Nishapur hid their piety to avoid ego inflation, contrasting with other Sufis who displayed aesthetic practices.
  • Malamati Masters aimed to invoke blame from others to fight their ego, with the doctrine emphasizing indifference to public judgment.
  • The Malamati movement, originating in Nishapur, included figures like HD Kasar and Abu Ha, rejecting self through hidden spiritual states.
  • The Kalandar, an extreme offshoot of the Malamati movement, sought social non-conformity and rejection of customs through shocking behavior.
  • Kalandar practices included extreme asceticism, neglect of Islamic rituals like prayers and fasting, and shocking appearances.
  • The Kalandar path focused on complete detachment from worldly desires and afterlife rewards, achieved by collapsing all distinctions and benefits.

16:13

"Kalandar Movement: Ego Death and Divine Love"

  • The rejection of common religious practices, self-harm, and not owning anything are manifestations of ego.
  • The Kalandar movement was inspired by Prophet Muhammad's saying to "die before you die," symbolizing the death of the ego.
  • Kalandar groups, originating in Damascus and Egypt, spread across the Islamic world, with a focus on wandering.
  • Persian Sufi poet Fakin Iraqi joined the Kalandar, later transitioning to traditional Sufism.
  • Themes of wine drinking and taverns in Sufi poetry symbolize divine love, challenging norms.
  • The Kalandar movement, prevalent in the Persian-speaking region, influenced Sufi poetry and music.
  • Antinomian dervishes like the Kalandar were widespread in the Ottoman Empire, later transforming into traditional Sufi orders.
  • The Bachi Sufi order, with roots in the Kalandar movement, evolved into a more orthodox order over time.
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