Sufi music
Devotional music traditions within Islam that use rhythm, melody, and repetition to facilitate spiritual transcendence.
In Depth
Sufi music encompasses diverse traditions across the Islamic world, united by the goal of achieving spiritual ecstasy (wajd) through musical devotion. Practices include the whirling ceremony of the Mevlevi order (Turkey), qawwali in South Asia, Gnawa music in Morocco, and dhikr chanting across the Arab world. While some Islamic scholars debate the permissibility of music, Sufis regard it as a path to divine connection. The ney, frame drum, and voice are common instruments.
The Mevlevi whirling ceremony is so precisely choreographed that the musicians must maintain an exact tempo for the dervishes' spinning to achieve its meditative state.