DARVESII, from Dar, a door, and Vihtan, to beg, is the Persian term synonymous with the Arabic and Indian fakir, a Mahomedan religiou.s mendicant. Originally there were twelve orders, viz. Rafai, Sadi, Sahravardi, Shibani, Mulavi, Kadiri, Nakshbandi, Vitisi, Jalwati, Khalwati, Bedawi, Dassuki. There have been many branches added, amongst whom may be mentioned the Ba nawa, Chishti, ICalandar, .Madaria, Rasul-Shahi. The syatem of religious devotees originated anlongst Mahomedans,—according to one tradi tion, with Owais bin Aamir. Ile had never seen Mahomed, but he so loved and revered him, that ho caused two of his front teeth to be extracted, because Mahomed had lost two of his front teeth in the disastrous battle of Ohod, and the example given by Owais was followed by the khalifs Abu bakr and Ali, and the associations of recluses created by them. But most of the existing orders of darvesh which are scattered over Mahomedau countries, trace back their origin to Jalal-ud-Din, Rumi, the author of the Masnavi-i-Sharif, who founded the Mulavi order. In European Turkey, the darvesh have formed somewhat prominent communities, and about sixty different orders, each named after its founder, are supposed to exist there. The Batashi or Bektashi of Con stantinople are said to be quite atheistic, not attached to tho principles of the Koran, nor firm believers in Mahomed as a prophet. They are generally of the sect of Ali, therefore Sufi or Mahomedan spiritualists. They have a takiah on the bank of the Tigris at Baghdad, on the west side of the town. The Rafai darvesh, so common in Turkey, inflict on themselves great self-torture. They are also known ELS the Eesawiya, q.v. Sonic of the wandering Indian fakirs travel so far west as Hungary, to visit the shrine of a santon, Gul-baba, and travel east to Tenasserim and Burma. One whom the editor met near Hingolee, in the Dekhan, was a native of the Panjab, but had been to Ceylon, Mergui, Tavoy, Rangoon, and Moulmein. In British India many fakirs are
low, profligate men, held in great disesteem I by all classes of the community, and some of I them aro utterly degraded in habits and mode of , life. The bulk of them are Be-Sharra, literally without law, i.e. do not act up to the precepts of Mahomed, but are Latitudinarians ; a few are & Shama, or with law, following Mahomedanism. The latter aro styled Salik ; the Be-Sharra are the Majzub. Azad, Hasul-Shahi, Imam Shahi, Kalandar, are of both sects.
No character in the Moslem world is so proper for disguise as that of the darvash. It is assumed by all ranks, ages, and creeds,—by the nobleman who has been disgraced at court, and by the peasant who is too idle to till the ground ; bv Dives who is weary of life, and by Lazarus who begs bread from door to door.
The Madaria order are named after Badi-ud-Din, Shah Madar, called also Zaudah Shah Madar, who is buried at Maltanpur (ob. 1433 A.D.).
The Nakshbandi darvesh illustrate their theology with pictures.
Mevleviyeh, dancing darvesh, are a solemn and, for the most part, learned body of men, revolve like teetotums till they have addled their brain.
Gulshaniyeb, the Howlers of the guide-books, toss their heads backwards and forwards, and howl the name of Allah till they fall back foaming at the mouth in an epileptic fit.
. The Rafaiyeh cut themselves with knives, eat live coals, chew glass, and perform other mad freaks for the same purpose, namely, to lose the idea of self and attain a fancied reabsorption in the Deity. How far the same motives may have actuated the prophets of Samuel's time, when Saul (as casual spectators at a darvesh celebration often do now) stripped himself naked and joined the wild prophetic dance (1 Samuel xix. 24), must be left to biblical scholars to clecide.—Burton's Mecca, p. 21 ; Osborn's Islam, p. 92 ; Ilerklots, Qanoon-i-Islam ; .H. Elliot,