Talk:Dervish

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[edit] Dervish and Fakir

what is the difference with a fakir ? Andries 08:56, 15 Feb 2004 (UTC)

The fact that Darwaish is something a Sufi would never call himself--would consider it pretentious; most would refer to themselves as faqeers (meaning a person that is a seeker of truth, and as a sign of humility) or saaliks (which means seeker). In traditional South Asian culture, darwaish was a compliment; calling oneself a faqeer was a way of showing humility--or a mild pejorative.--67.118.240.18 23:36, 22 Sep 2004 (UTC)
Forgive me for adding a title to your part, I just felt that it would facilitate further responses, as this is a subject I'm quite interested in, and I don't want to have to scroll past all that wikiproject stuff to get to it. Peter Deer (talk) 11:29, 3 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Isolated part

I isolated the following part; it is definitely interesting, but would need references and form of third person (no "we" but "them". Otherwise it is a great addition - Skysmith 18:50, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

We have 3 levels, and Darvish is the one who has reached the first level. The second is Qalifeh, and the third is Moulavi or sheikh. In fact all these names are titles - from anon 194.225.80.156 (talk · contribs) probably from Iran

According to the writer and Sufi Idries Shah, dervishes are those who are still on the path and still learning, whereas the Sufi is one who has already walked the path or "arrived".
Shah maintains that Sufis do not refer to themselves as such, in this context because to do so would be pretentious, and also because the Sufis themselves recognize others like them as "people like us" or "we friends" -- whatever their creed, colour; etc -- and consider the word "Sufi" a peel-off label.
EricT 16:09, 20 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Cutting Themselves with Swords without Bloodshed

We definitely need to include pictures of dervishes piercing themselves with skewers and cutting themselves with swords.Patchouli 23:40, 24 April 2006 (UTC) Image:Dervish.jpg

It's strange how everyone thinks dervishes cut themselves up. they don't. In Quran it says (english translation): "do not harm the body god gave you, not even a strand of hair".
This is exactly why I like dervishes: they ignore the Quran. This is why dervishes don't get along with mullahs.--Patchouli 04:11, 18 December 2006 (UTC)
To say that dervishes ignore the Quran is like saying mullahs obey it; it's a broad generalization that perpetuates an ignorant stigma. Furthermore, to assume that the practices of either group are clearly defined is far fetched by my reckoning, as we can see clear differentiation in behaviors of members of both. Peter Deer (talk) 11:17, 3 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Idiomatic usage

I am putting in a bit about the idiomatic expression "like a whirling dervish" David G Brault 02:45, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Begging not encouraged in Islam

Unlike the principles or social ettiquette in Islam, begging is not encouraged because practising Muslims believe that a hand that gives is better than the hand that receives. This means that it is better if we look for work to earn our living and donate some of our wealth to the needy or just simply offering to help others to make things better.

A common misconception is that of the aggressive begger being synonymous with the ascetic dervish. To live as a dervish in a state of mendicancy is not to beg, but to accept what is offered. To travel the land in utmost poverty glorifying the Word of God subsisting off of little more than the offerings of the kind is a more accurate portrayal than the unwillingly impoverished who accost individuals and beg for money to alleviate their distress. Peter Deer (talk) —Preceding comment was added at 11:11, 3 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Guild Wars

In this game the Dervish is a playable proffesion, maybe adding that into a Popular Culture section or something? See http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Dervish for more info. -84.68.39.237 (talk) 15:06, 6 December 2007 (UTC)

I don't think adding that is prudent. Egads, imagine how long Priest, Barbarian, Wizard etc. would be! Peter Deer (talk) 11:13, 3 January 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, but you know what, how many games have Dervish as a class? I think it fits, there are many articles that have very, very long lists concerning Popular Culture references, and Dervish at the moment has, let's see... hmm... Carry the three... Divide by... Oh, wait, it doesn't have any at all. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.105.181.61 (talk) 18:13, 11 May 2008 (UTC)