Week Eight Blog – An Islamic Quandary
Many of the readings in Week Eight had to do with questions about Sufi music,singing, and dancing as a means of praise within the Islamic faith. We read about the whirling dervishes of Turkey and about the Sufi power of the voice. In viewing the videos of the dervishes and the hypnotic trance states rendered by their dancing, it seemed very clear that the dervishes were no longer in this earthly world. I was particular intrigued by the Sufi idea of Wajd – ecstasy – and that within this state you no longer find yourself – you find God.
As Professor Asani had noted in class, there does not seem to be any direct statement in the Qur’an that forbids singing and dancing – and yet the prohibition of music and dance within some communities of Islam is prevalent. Carl Ernst spoke about the exclusivity of music and noted in his article, Sufi Music and Dance, “It is commonly stated in Sufi texts that music is never permissible for all, and in this way it is acknowledged that music is to be approached in terms of Islamic law; it must be evaluated like anything else for its ethical content” (Ernst, pg. 181).
In the two readings for the discussion during week eight the questions of “purity of intent” were discussed and who can be the judge of this intent. Carl Ernst spoke about “purity of intent” as it related to Sama in Sufi Music and Dance, and stated, “Since the criterion for participation in the musical session is purity of intention, hypocrisy is the greatest danger” (Ernst, pg. 182). Leonard Lewisohn discussed Sama in his article The sacred music of Islam: Sama in the Persian Sufi tradition and gave great insight to it’s meaning in Sufi Islam, “Sama, which literally means “audition”, connotes in the Sufi tradition a hearing with the “ear of the heart”, an attitude of reverently listening to music and/or the singing of mystical poetry with the intent of increasing awareness and understanding of the divine object described; it is a type of meditation focusing on musical melody, by use of instruments, mystical songs or combining both” (Lewisohn, pg. 4). This idea of the “ear of the heart” I found to be particularly beautiful.
In my cartoon, An Islamic Quandary, I wanted to explore several questions from the eyes of an innocent bird, goat, or child – Why is there a prohibition on music and dance and who can be the judge of “purity of intent”. I chose to use the medium of a cartoon because I had just started reading Persepolis by Marjane Sartrapi and I was intrigued by the graphic novel as an art form and it’s ability to very simply portray human emotions and questions of religion and politics. As in all questions regarding religion – and in this particular situation music, singing, and dance – I was left with only one answer – only God knows the answer but hopefully he hears with the “ear of the heart”. An Islamic Quandary 2