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A dervish, darvesh, or darwīsh (from ) is a Muslims who seeks salvation through ascetic practices and meditations.MacDonald, D.B. (2012). Darwīs̲h̲. In P. Bearman (ed.), Encyclopaedia of Islam New Edition Online (EI-2 English). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_1731 It can refer to an individual or to a member of a Sufism Tariqa ( tariqah). Their focus is on the universal values of love and service, deserting the illusions of ego ( nafs) to reach God. This is usually done by performing a lifestyle which decreases bodily function to a minimum in order to attain what would be called "esoteric knowledge" in Western terminology.Laut, Jens Peter. "Vielfalt türkischer Religionen." (1996). Spirita pp. 31-32 In most Sufi orders, a dervish is known to practice dhikr through physical exertions or religious practices to attain the ecstatic trance to reach God. Their most popular practice is Sama, which is associated with the 13th-century mystic Rumi.
For centuries, this was an individual practice, but in the 12th century, it began to be mostly practiced in Fraternity. The oldest historical fraternity is the Qadiriyya, founded by Abdul Qadir Gilani. According to Islamic beliefs, each order derives their history from the Prophet Muhammad and are authorized by God (Allah) and taught by the angel Gabriel. The theology of such fraternities is always based on Sufism and can vary from quietism to Antinomianism. Those adhering to law are called ba-shar and those who do not follow law are called bi-shar. In folklore, dervishes are often credited with the ability to perform and ascribed supernatural powers.Frederick William Hasluck Christianity and Islam Under the Sultans, Band 1 Clarendon Press 1929 p. 281
These proposed meanings belong to folk etymologies, meaning that the term's meaning was ascribed after it had been established.Laut, J. P. (2003). Zur Sicht des Islam in der Türkischen Republik bis zum Tode Atatürks. in "Von Zentralasien bis Anatolien Philologische und religionswissenschaftliche Perspektiven auf die türkische Welt Kleine Schriften von Jens Peter Laut Herausgegeben von Gökhan Shilfeler und Hans Nugteren Harrassowitz Verlag pp. 401-405 Furthermore, there is no essential connection between begging and a dervish, and it is also said that a "true dervish" would abstain from begging.Laut, J. P. (2003). Zur Sicht des Islam in der Türkischen Republik bis zum Tode Atatürks. in "Von Zentralasien bis Anatolien Philologische und religionswissenschaftliche Perspektiven auf die türkische Welt Kleine Schriften von Jens Peter Laut Herausgegeben von Gökhan Shilfeler und Hans Nugteren Harrassowitz Verlag pp. 401-405
Given the obscure etymologies given in Persian dictionaries, it has been suggested that the term may be of Turco-Buddhist origin and derive from the terms dharani and arvis (Old Turkish), referring to a "specialist in magic", as they are credited as , engaged in healing, performance of miracles, protection spells and more.Laut, J. P. (2003). Zur Sicht des Islam in der Türkischen Republik bis zum Tode Atatürks. in "Von Zentralasien bis Anatolien Philologische und religionswissenschaftliche Perspektiven auf die türkische Welt Kleine Schriften von Jens Peter Laut Herausgegeben von Gökhan Shilfeler und Hans Nugteren Harrassowitz Verlag pp. 401-405 Given that the term is mostly used in Central Asian, Turkish, and Persian cultures, the meaning of a dervish may be rooted in Turco-Buddhist beliefs, then transferred to Islam, where the meaning of the term was lost.
A study on dervishes among Bedouin reveals the process of initiation. It is believed that one does not choose to become a dervish, but is chosen to be one by God.Al-Krenawi, Alean, John R. Graham, and Benjamin Maoz. "The healing significance of the Negev's Bedouin Dervish." Social Science & Medicine 43.1 (1996): 13-21. This happens by receiving barakah, which happens during a dream or a conscious encounter with an angel. Barakah is usually received after an encounter with evil forces, supposedly manifesting in a preceding process of mental suffering. After receiving divine blessing, the gift might be forfeited if the dervish betrays God.
Dervishes also work as exorcists and healers. They are believed to be able to detect the presence of evil spirits, such as jinn and Demon, by means of divine gifts. The exorcism can include negotiations or confrontations with the spirit in a spiritual world.
Some classical writers indicate that the poverty of the dervish is not economic. Saadi, for instance, who himself travelled widely as a dervish and wrote extensively about them, says in his Gulistan:
Rumi writes in Book 1 of his Masnavi: The Masnavi: Book One, translated by Jawid Mojaddedi, Oxford World's Classics Series, Oxford University Press, 2004. , p. 63.
Other dervish groups include the Bektashism, who were associated with the Janissary, and the Sanusiyya of the Maghreb, which is comparatively orthodox in theology and otherwise orthoprax. Other fraternities and subgroups chant āyat (Qur'anic verses), play drums, or whirl in groups, all according to their specific traditions. They practice meditation, as is the case with most of the Sufi orders in South Asia, many of whom owe allegiance to, or were influenced by, the Chishti Order. Each tariqa (order) has its own garb and methods of acceptance and initiation, some of which may be rather severe. The form of dervishism practised during the 17th century was centred on esotericism, patience, and pacifism.Erdoan, Nezih. "Star director as symptom: reflections on the reception of Fatih Akn in the Turkish media." New Cinemas: Journal of Contemporary Film 7.1 (2009): 27–38. Dervish from Sudan (1899)]]
"They also criticises various practices including sama, qawwali, whirling etc. Whereas Sufis/ Barelvi consider their beliefs and practices as mystical practices."
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