Sama - May 5th, 2024

Dervishes are those among Sufis who adopt a certain method of progressing through the spiritual path . . . They are dreamers and lovers of God; they worship God in nature, especially in human nature. Among the many ways of spiritual development, they have one way which is called Sama’, which is listening to music. They . . . make themselves as a medium of resonance of the music they hear. Therefore, music touches them differently from any other person, music touches the depth of their being. Moved by music, they manifest different conditions, termed by Sufis hal, which means “condition.” Anyone among them who is moved by spirit may manifest the ecstasy, which is called wajd, in the form of tears, sighs, or in dance . . . the bliss of the dervish is understood by very few. But something that one can learn from this is the theory of the whole process of their spiritual development. By making God their Beloved and by seeing God in the sublimity of nature, they create the presence of God. . . By the help of concentration, poetry, and music, joy and pain both are felt more deeply. Therefore, God becomes living, God’s presence is before the dervish in all moods. In the Sama’, their musical ceremony, when once the dervish’s pain had an outlet in some form or other, the condition that follows is that of deeper insight into life. — Hazrat Inayat Khan, Music

Sama is sacred listening—an ancient practice of the Chishtis—attuning deeply to the divine music and harmony of the spheres. Sometimes this inspires one to whirl; some are trained in this practice, and others may be spontaneously struck by a sense of Vajd, or ecstasy. All are welcome to participate as they feel.

Sama dates this spring will be centered around special occasions, with a few opportunities to gather in person and as always, together on Zoom.

• Sunday, March 17th: 12:00 - 1:00 pm ET / 6:00 - 7:00 pm CET— Sama with special guests Khaja Ehrari, Hossain, Aziza Rekha Bhardwaj and friends
• Sunday, May 5th 12:00 - 1:00 pm ET / 6:00 - 7:00 pm CET —join us live from the Astana with Pandit Srinivas Reddy

All are welcome to attend. A suggested tuition of $10 per session is recommended for this program. Donations of any amount are also welcome, in lieu of tuition. Please see the sidebar to register and more details. Recordings of each class can be found on the Inayatiyya Vimeo page..

If you have questions about Music, or about this series, please email us at music@inayatiyya.org.