Dervish

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/dervish

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the founding era of orders?Organized Sufi fraternities (tariqah) became prominent around the 12th century
2. What is the core philosophical aim?Transcendence of the ego (nafs) to achieve direct experiential knowledge of God
3. Why do Dervishes do the whirling dance?They spin in a ceremony called Sama to calm their mind and feel the presence of God. The spinning helps them forget themselves and focus on love for everyone.
4. Where do Dervishes learn their practices?Many Dervishes join Sufi orders called tariqah. These groups teach each other the right ways, tracing their guidance back to the Prophet Muhammad.

Asceticism: A lifestyle characterized by severe self-discipline and abstinence from worldly pleasures for spiritual gain.
Tariqah: A Sufi order or fraternity, representing a specific path or method for spiritual realization.
Nafs: The ego, psyche, or lower self in Islamic mysticism, which is seen as an obstacle to spiritual progress.
Fana: The Sufi concept of annihilation of the self in God, a state of mystical union.