DERVISH (Pers. darvish, poor. Avesta dri-o, poor: the Persian equivalent of Ar. plyir, poor, ascetic.). In Mohammedan countries a class of persons who :tre supposed to lead a peenliarly religious life, resembling in some re spects the monks of Christendom. There arc many different brotherhoods or orders. D'Ohsson.in his work on the Ottoman Empire. enumerates thirty two, but the list is from being complete. The period of establishment extends front A.D. 7 GS down to the last century, in which several new ones were established. They live mostly in convents, well endowed. both in land and money, called Tekkije, and are under a chief with the title of 'Sheik,' i.e. 'elder.' Some of the monk. are married and allowed to live out of the monastery, but most sleep there some nights each week. Their devotional exer cises consi-t in meetings for worship, frequent prayers, religious dames, and mo•tifications. The main devotional exercise, however, is the zikr, which is conducted differently in the different orders. It consists in the repetition of certain formulas, accompanied by violent mo tions until the dervish falls into a cataleptie state. As the convent does not provide them with cloth ing, they are obliged to work more or less. Three of the orders. the Bastamiyah. the Nakshbandi yah. and the Baklitashiyah, claim to be descended from the original order established by the first caliph Alm-Bekr. Of these, the Nakshbandiyah are the most numerous. In their convents at Cairo and Constantinople and elsewhere, they have services on Wednesdays and Sundays, when about twenty performers take part in the zikr ceremony. The orders are spread throughout the Mohammedan world and in India. The most popular one is that of the Muradiyah„ to which most of the fakirs belong who crowd the bazaars of India. The Rufaiyah (founded I1S2) in India, Turkey, and Egypt, are known for their severe discipline and the castigations of their bodies. They are commonly known as the 'Bowl
ing Dervishes.' Another popular order is that of the Kalandariyah. known also as the 'Wander ing Dervishes.' among whom constant traveling i- Ann obligation. The .7\ laulawiyah constitute the order familiarly known as the 'Dancing, Der vishes.' At their zikr they follow one another about the th.or in regular order, each with eyes closed and arms extended. turning around in a sort of waltz and intoning a monotonous chant. Eaelt order has it, own rules and prineiples. extending to the dress and the nu•hod of wearing the hair and beard. In many of the orders the initiation rites are most elaborate.
Tradition refers the origin of these orders to the earliest time- of Islam, making the ealiphs Alm-Bekr and Ali found such brotherhoods. While it is certain that Mohammed advocated poverty, it is more probable dervishes arose later, when Mohammedanism came into contnet with other religion A. suet a; Persian and Hindu. Many Mohammedan primes ha co !WM dervishes in high respect and bestowed rich endowments on their establishments, and they are still held in high veneration by the people. for a time, however, they were regarded with suspicion by the Government, since they decline to obey any authority except the religious head of the order. Hence Mahmud II. in 1826 attempted to de stroy the order., actually putting to death sonic of the leaders. His attempt, however. failed.
Besides those dervishes regularly affiliated with an order, there are individuals who travel from place to place, and by feats of strength or sleight-of-hand manage to earn a livelihoods Con sult: Lane, The Modern. Egyptians (London, 1836) ; _Brown. The Dervishes ( Philadelphia, ISGQ0 ; History of Persia (London, 1S29) : D'ohsson, History of the Ottoman Em pire (Paris, 1787-90).