Sufi Experience

I wanted to write this before I went to sleep since the experience is still fresh in my mind. Tonight a contact took me to a meeting of the Tariqat Naqshbandi, a Sufi order. As today was a Thursday night, they had a special prayer and sermon. I've never before been to a Sufi meeting, and so the customs were a bit (ok, a lot) strange to me.

There were about 20 people who came to this meeting at this Derga. There was praying (the traditional canonical prayers, Salah) and chanting, group recitations, singing, drumming, and a lot of rhythmic swaying. During much of the ceremony, the lights were turned off (which made for a bit of a frightening experience, to be honest). Also, a visiting leader was present tonight and so he delivered a sermon discussing how we must always remember God because everything eventually returns to God. I was very grateful that I had taken Prof. S. Jackson's class last semester, for the background that the class taught me about Sufism came in very handy today in understanding the dogmatic and ritualistic aspects of Sufi practices and beliefs.

Interestingly, of the 20 or so attendees, not a single one was born a Muslim--all had converted, most between two and ten years ago. And a few members told me that they will go to the Mezquita Al Ahmed, the orthodox mosque in San Cristóbal, to pray the Friday prayers tomorrow...very interesting.

As a fairly involved Muslim in Los Angeles, I had never once before been to Sufi meeting, and I can say with a fair amount of certainty that among most Muslims in Los Angeles, Sufis are definitely considered unorthodox Muslims. However, I wonder (and I hope to find out tomorrow) whether this is the same in Buenos Aires.