DEVRAN - CIRCULAR DHİKR CEREMONY

They remember Allah standing, sitting and lying on their sides. (Qur’an: Ali ‘Imran, 191) The word dawran is derived from the Arabic verb “dara”. In the dictionary, it means the constant rotation of something around itself means, circumambulation, turning in an orbit (the movement of the skies), the cycle of blood in the veins. As a type of dhikr, Devran, on the other hand, is called dhikr performed by holding hands at a certain place of the ritual or by placing hands on shoulders and forming a circle standing side by side or standing in front of each other and moving in one direction. The sufi orders which chant in the ceremonies communities in this way are called “devrāni". All the people of Halveti, Mevlevi, Bayrami, Anatolian Kadiri orders performed devrāni dhikr. You will see the angels all around the Throne, glorifying the praises of their Lord. For judgment will have been passed on all with fairness. And it will be said,1 “Praise be to Allah—Lord of all worlds!” (Qur’an: az-Zumar, 75) Various forms of spiritual education have been put forward in Sufi schools for purifying the human soul, learning the love of God and wisdom. While some of these people retreated to a corner and were busy exploring their heart in depth quietly, while some of them turned around chanting for Allah (SWT). Some stood still up like cypress trees, swinging left and right with the wind of divine love for this love. These movements, chanting forms and rituals, which are actually a form of spiritual education, have been put into place for the transfer of spiritual sign or meaning and thought. Ceremonies in Sufi schools are basically organized in three different physical states. In a dhikr assembly, dhikrullah is performed by sitting down(kuud), standing up (kıyam), or with devrān that is, turning around while standing up. These three different attitudes also point to three different geographical areas and cultural differences. With the arrival of our Prophet (PBUH), the teachers who appeared in the Hejaz region first performed dhikr by sitting down, and then schools such as Kadiri, Rifai, Sa'di, which was became prominent Damascus basin, performed dhikr by standing up in their gatherings. When the light of Islam reached the lands of Mawara'un-nahr (Transoxiana) and Anatolia, devrāni sufi orders appeared. These customary differences, which are accepted as religious evidence even from the point of view of Islamic sciences, should be considered as an important factor in the emergence of this diversity. They are those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth and pray, "Our Lord! You have not created all of this without purpose. Glory be to You! Protect us from the torment of the Fire." (Qur’an: Al-Imran, 191) These Muqābala ceremonies are similar to an official march with various symbols in the Ottoman geography and especially in Istanbul. Considering that official marches give fear to the enemy and courage to the public, the joyful and harmonious attitudes of the dervishes also increase the love of the believer, the ignorance of the ignorant person, and the fear of the denier person. Devran and other Sufi ceremonies, which have been performed in lodges for centuries in the history of our civilization, have been preserved until today under the auspices of the Turkish Republic Ministry of Culture and Tourism. They are revived again with the help of Istanbul Sufi Ceremonies Ensemble, and they meet our nation.