Khalwa

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Khalwah also spelled Khalwa is a Sufi practice similar to the Christian practice of retreat. A Sufi murid will enter khalwa under the direction of a shaykh for a given period, sometimes for as long as 40 days, emerging only to pray and, usually, to discuss dreams, visions and the like with the shaykh.

Once a major element of Sufi practice, khalwa has become less frequent in recent years.

By extension, a religious school is known in the Sudanese dialect of Arabic as "a khalwa." This reflects the former dominance of Sufism in the Sudan.

The name of the Halveti Sufi order is derived from the term "khalwa".