Chirqa
The Chirqa ( Arabic خِرْقَةٌ(lit. rag ) is a woolen coat, which is mostly sewn from individual pieces of fabric and is presented in Sufism to an adept ( Murīd ) when he is accepted into a Sufi order . Anyone who has received a chirqa remains spiritually connected to their sheikh forever.
The use of a chirqa for admission to a Sufi order has been attested since the 8th century. Since the 11th century, the initiation ceremony by a Sufi Sheikh has consisted of three elements:
- Transmission of the esoteric teaching ( talqīn ) and explanation of the Dhikr
- Oath of loyalty to the Sheikh ( Baiʿa or achdh al-'ahd)
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Investiture by handing over the Chirqa. This consists of two parts:
- Chirqat at-tabarruk ( Chirqa of the Blessing ), with which the blessing power is transferred from the founder of the respective order to the incumbent sheikh.
- Chirqat al-wird ( Chirqa of mystical prayer ), which illustrates the spiritual chain from the prophet to the founder of the order.
According to a legend, the chirqa goes back to the ascension of Muhammad , who is said to have distributed the clothes he had worn at the time to his favorite students after his night trip .
The Andalusian mystic Ibn Arabi describes the essence and meaning of the Chirqa in his work al-Futūḥāt al-Makkīya ("The Meccan Revelations").
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Gardet: Dh ikr. In: The Encyclopaedia of Islam. Volume 2. New Edition. 1965, p. 224.
- ↑ Octave Depont , Xavier Coppolani : Les confréries religieuses musulmanes , Alger: Adolphe Jourdan, 1897 ( digitized version )
- ↑ Stephen Hirtenstein: The Boundlessly Merciful: The Spiritual Life and Thought of Ibn ¡Arab∆
literature
- Annemarie Schimmel : Mystical Dimensions of Islam. The history of Sufism. Insel, Frankfurt am Main / Leipzig 1995 (1985 1 ), ISBN 3-458-33415-7 . ( Online partial view )
- Jean-Louis Michon : Kh irka in: Encyclopaedia of Islam , Volume V, pp 17-18.
- Encyclopedia Iranica (Erik S. Ohlander)
Web links
- Encyclopedia.com (Engl.)
- L'initiation soufie (French)