Hadra (Sufism)

{{short description|Collective supererogatory ritual performed by Sufi orders}} {{More citations needed|date=March 2025}} {{Sufism}} [[File:Dhikr hadrah articulation.PNG|thumb|Dhikr hadrah articulation, upward beams indicating inhalation and downward beams indicating exhalation <ref name="Touma, p.165"/>]] The '''hadra''' ({{langx|ar|حضرة|translit=ḥaḍra}})<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Macdonald|first=D.B.|entry=Ḥaḍra|title=[[Encyclopaedia of Islam]]|doi=10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_2609}}</ref> is a collective [[supererogatory]] ritual performed by [[Sufism|Sufi]] orders. It is often held on Thursday evenings after the night prayer, on Fridays after [[jumu'ah]] prayer or on Sunday evenings, and can also be celebrated on special Islamic festivals and at rites of passage. It may be held at home or in a mosque.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e761?_hi=8&_pos=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517120206/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e761?_hi=8&_pos=1|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 17, 2014|title = Hadrah – Oxford Islamic Studies Online}}</ref> The underlying term in [[Arabic language|Arabic]] literally means "Divine Presence" and the human experience of it is known as "Hudur".<ref>Chittick, William "Presence with God", page 17. The ninth annual symposium of the Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi Society in the USA, University of California, Berkeley, 28-29 October 1995. https://www.themathesontrust.org/papers/islam/Chittick-Presence_with_God.pdf</ref>

The hadra features various forms of [[dhikr]] (remembrance), including sermons, collective study, recitation of [[Qur'an]] and other texts (especially devotional texts particular to the Sufi order ([[tariqa]]) in question, called ''hizb'' and ''wird''), religious poetic chanting, centering on praise and supplication to God, religious exhortations, praise of the Prophet and requests for intercession (''inshad dini'' or ''madih'' – the latter term referring literally to "praise") and rhythmic invocations of [[God in Islam|God]] using one or more divine names, especially ''[[Allah]]'', ''Hayy'', ''Qayyum'' or simply ''[[Hu (Sufism)|Hu]]'' ("He"), as well as the testimony of faith and [[tawhid]], ''[[Shahada|la ilaha illa Allah]]'' (there is no god but God).

Rhythmic recitation of names and chanting of religious poetry are frequently performed together. In conservative Sufi orders no instruments are used, or the [[daf]] (frame drum) only; other orders employ a range of instrumentation.

The collective Sufi ritual is practiced under this name primarily in North Africa, the Middle-East, and Turkey, but also in some non-Arab Muslim countries such as [[Indonesia]] and [[Malaysia]]. The Hadra is feature of the [[Khalwati order|Khalwati]], [[Shadhili]], [[Qadiri]] and [[Rifa'i]] orders throughout Turkey and the Balkans.

For those who perform it, the haḍra marks the [[Climax (narrative)|climax]] of the Sufi's gathering regardless of any teaching or [[musical form|formal]] structure – it often follows a formal teaching session as a way of internalizing the lessons. Musically, the structure of the haḍra includes several secular [[Arabic music|Arab genres]] (each of which expresses a different emotion) and can last for hours.<ref name="Touma, p.165">Touma, p. 165.</ref> It is directed by the [[sheikh]] of the tariqa or one of his representatives; monitoring the intensity, depth and duration of the phases of the haḍra, the sheikh aims to draw the circle into deep awareness of God and away from the participants own individuatedness.

The dhikr ceremonies may have a ritually determined length or may last as long as the Sheikh deems his [[murid]]s require. The haḍra section consists of the [[ostinato]]-like repetition of the name of God over which the soloist performs a richly ornamented song. In many haḍras, this repetition proceeds from the chest and has the effect of a percussion instrument, with the participants bending forward while exhaling and stand straight while inhaling so that both the movement and sound contribute to the overall rhythm. The climax is usually reached through cries of "Allah! Allah!" or "hu hu" (which is either the pronoun "he" or the last vowel on the word "Allah" depending on the method) while the participants are moving up and down. Universally, the haḍra is almost always followed by Quranic recital in the [[tarteel]] style – which according to [[Junayd Baghdadi|al-Junayd al-Baghdadi]], was a prophetic instruction received through a dream.

==See also== {{div col}} * [[Dua]] * [[Hamd]] * [[Durood]] * [[Na`at]] {{div col end}}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [https://archive.org/details/nujum-muhtadin-kettani Nujum al Muhtadin - Abdelkebir Al Kattani]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hadra}} [[Category:Islamic culture]] [[Category:Arab culture]] [[Category:Ritual dances]] [[Category:Arabic words and phrases]] [[Category:Dhikr]] [[Category:Sufism]] [[Category:Islamic terminology]]