Hadhra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hadra (Arabic:حضرة) is the term given to the collective supererogatory rituals performed by Sufi orders. The regular hadra is most often held on Thursday evenings after night prayer, Fridays after Jum`a prayer, or Sunday evenings. The hadra features various forms of dhikr (remembrance), including sermons, collective study, recitation of Qur'an and other texts (especially devotional texts particular to the Sufi order (tariqa), called hizb and wird), religious poetic chanting, centering on praise and supplication to God, religious exhortations, praise of the Prophet, and requests for intercession (inshad dini or madih - the latter term referring literally to "praise") and rhythmic invocations of Allah, using one or more of His Names (especially "Allah", "Hayy", "Qayyum", "Hu") or the testimony of faith and tawhid: "la ilaha illa Allah" (there is nothing worthy of worship but God). Rhythmic recitation of names and chanting of religious poetry are frequently performed together. In conservative Sufi orders no instruments are used, or the duff (frame drum) only; other orders employ a range of instrumentation. The term in Arabic literally means "presence". The collective Sufi ritual is practiced under this name primarily in the Arab world, but also in some non-Arab Muslim countries such as Indonesia.
