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Dervish
(redirected from Whirling Dervishes)

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.03 sec.
dervish (dûr`vĭsh), see fakir fakir (fäkēr`, fā`kər), [Arab.,=poverty], in Islam, usually an initiate in a Sufi order.
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; Rumi, Jalal ad-Din Rumi, Jalal ad-Din (jäläl` ĕd-dēn` r
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dervish

In Islam, a member of a Sufi fraternity. These mystics stressed emotional aspects of devotion through ecstatic trances, dancing, and whirling. Dervishes can be either resident in the community or lay members; wandering or mendicant dervishes are called fakirs and are often regarded as holy men who possess miraculous powers. Though viewed as unorthodox and extreme by most Muslims, the movement has endured to the present. See also Sufism.


Dervish
(Darwesh) member of ascetic order; frenzied, whirling dancer. [Muslim Rel.: Parrinder, 75; Jobes, 433]
See : Madness


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And we haven't even begun to explore the riches of Sufi Islam, which produced some of the world's most popular poetry along with the prayer-dance of the whirling dervishes.
Dust devils dance like whirling dervishes not far from our camp, driven by rising thermals.
Then we move to more recognizably local Gypsy influences, master strummers of the oud and saz, the trance dance beats used by whirling dervishes, mesmerizing woodwind maestros and both the classic and latest manifestations of the indigenous pop scene.
 
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