THE MONRS OF ISLAM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2437, 28 November 1900, Page 64

THE MONRS OF ISLAM.

■ , (Lucy M. J.. G-abnett, in the Sunday Magazine.) He is a Dervish who forsakes the world; He but a "beggar whom the world forsakes. — Dervish saying. The conventional establishments of the Dervish Orders who constitute the monks and saints of Islam are to be .found wherever the creed of Mohammed has spread, and are very numerous in both the European and Asiatic provinces of the Ottoman Empire. Many of the Orders possess several tekkehs, as their monasteries are - termed, in Constantinople and its suburbs, and at least one in every important provincial town. These tekkehs occupy for the most part picturesque and commanding situatibns, sometimes in the midst of crowded cities, but more frequently on their outskirts. One, for instance, stands outside the mediaeval walls of the ancient city of Salonica — the ' .Thessalonica of the Epistles — commanding a, wide view across the broad, gleaming bay and the Pierian Plain on its farther shore to the Thessalian Olympus towering beyond, its summits lost in snowy cloud. Passing through a great arched gateway in the wall . ;whieh. divides the inner from the outer T.-ourfc, the visitor will "find himself in a wide, rectangular space planted -with shady trees, ..three sides being ocupied by the cells of the brotherhood, the kitchen, refectory, etc., .all of one storey^ only, and "opening on a broad verandah,, formed by the ..extended 'eaves of the" red-tiled roof. In the centre .is' the .chapel,., a plain, square edifice, with "a domed roof ; in f ronf *of it a fountain "for the customary ablutions, on the margin of which the pigeons and other birds .that here find an asylum coo 1 , twitter, and preen themselves perpetually. Without are flower and fruit gardens shaded by Cyprus, mulberry, and plane trees, .with cisterns jfor thciir irrigation, and .terraces .raised to the height of the enclosing walls. And here, when the evening shadows are lengthening, the mystics, in their picturesque and symbolic attire, may be seer pacing tranquilly, to and fro, or seated or the bjroad wooden benches meditatively passing through their- fingers the beads of their tesbeh — the" Moslem rosary — on their faces that expression of perfect repose which, indifference to the world and its "doings alone can give; Although monasticism is not only contrary to the spirit of Islam, .but was expressly forbidden by its prophet, fraternities of ascetics appear at a very early date in the history of that religion. In the i.econd century of the Mohammedan era (a.d. 722-822), which was in the East distinguished by a great religious movement, mysticism acquired ever-increasing power, and tc this period is ascribed by many -■writers the rise of the Sufi system of philosophy, *. which "has been engrafted upon Islam, - and. enters so largely into the doctrines held by its monastic Orders. . The austere- and holy lives led by the generality ctf-^ Dervishes, and the possession of supernatural powers "with which they are credited, have at all times 'given -them great influence, ; and" especially with the ignorant .and' "superstitious populace. - - And though this influence has often excited the hostility of the Ulema— the Legists and representatives of Moslem orthodoxy^ — and occasionally the alarm of the Government, it has in"variably been utilised by the Sultans and liheir generals to stimulate ' the zeal and courage of their troops. Whenever a military has been organised, a num"ber ot the more fanatical Dervishes from all the Orders hasten to join the army, and •.jheir presence in the camp, their prayers and exhortations maintain a religious enthusiasm on the march ; and during vn. action their voices may be heard above the din of war shouting "O Victors!" "O Martyrs !" or the Moslem war cry, "Allah ! Allah"!" The munificence of Sultaru, from Orchan downwards, who have attributed their victories to the presence in .their -armies of these holy men, enabled the Dervish sheikhs to found monasteries and colleges iD all the conquered provinces ; and their subsequent prosperity was so great that the twelve Orders which existed at the time of the foundation of the Ottoman Empire have now increased to 36. Notwithstanding that all the Dervishes, in accordance with their principle of poverty, are nominally mendicant and dependent for ,their subsistence on ,the offerings, of the pious and charitable, begging •as^ strictly forbidden, save among the Bek- ■ tashi „ , and wandering Orders. These, ■vrho ' deeiri " it meritorious- ia live :tippii . alma, . " frequent the • bazaars and public thoroughfares for the purpose of < * recommending- themselves to the charity / jf v the passers-by, their formula of request ibeing generally "Something for the love of ■Allan ! Many Bektashis, however, make it a rule fco, support "themselves by handi- • craft trades, and by making

in - imitation of their learned founder, Hadji Bektash, such small article's of wood and horn as spoons, ladles, bowls, and graters. They also carve out of greenstone, jade, and other substances the fastenings used by Dervishes for their ibelts and the collars of their -garments, besides a variety of symbolk objects used or worn on the person by members of their own order. The monastic brethren belonging to th© well-endowed orders are supplied with food and lodging only at the expense of the tekkeh. Their meals, which are very simple, and consist of two dishes only, are usually eaten in the solitude of their cells'; but on certain occasions the brethren dine together in the common room. Each dervish is required to provide himself with dress and other necessaries, and, though re- : siding in the monastery, to folhrw some ! trade or profession. Those who are cali- ; graphists find employment in copying the ! Koran, which is always used in manuscript, and other religious books. If any -are without resources they seldom fail to receive .either contributions from" relatives, an al"lowance from their sheikh, or a pension from some wealthy individual. For though forbidden to solicit alms, they are allowed to accept gifts when offered by the pious "foi the love of Allah." The rule against mendicancy is also relaxed in the case of Dervishes on their pilgrimage to the Holy Gities, as they then are without their usual j means of support. Many Mohammedans ■ reserve their alms exclusively for the Der- i vishes, and make it their duty to seek out ! those of high reputation for sanctity, visit ! them frequently and supply their wants, j Others, again, lodge and board these holy i men in their houses in the hope of thus I drawing upon themselves, their families, and their fortunes ' the blessing of heaven. The Mevlevi — commonly termed by Europeans "The Dancing" — Dervishes are the most popular, one might almost say the ■most fashionable, of all ; and ever, since the foundation of this order in the thirteenth century by the great mystic poet Jelalu 'd Din, it has included among its members men of high rank and official position. Even Sultans have not disdained to don the kulah, its distinctive head-dress, and, as lay brethren, join in the mystic gyrations of the "Brethren of Love." The Mevlevi fraternity are consequently very prosperous, and their convents and the shrines of their saints surpass those of all the other orders. The possession of wealth has not, however, carised the monks of Islam, as it did those of Christendom, to depart from the original rule of their founders. Their manner of life has remained simple and frugal in the extreme ; the architecture of their tekkehs is of the plainest and most unpretentious ; while the few .ornaments they possess are the gifts of pious ,and grateful souls. Their revenues are ' applied in the first place to the support of the sheikh and the resident Dervishes, and in the second to the relief of -needy monasteries of the same order, any .surplus being either given directly to the poor as alms or employed in the founIdation of imarets — charitable institutions such as almshouses — schools, or baths.