ʿ[14th century Kubravi Sufi master] Ali Hamadani’s hagiographer states that in the very beginning of his journey he was unable to derive any benefit from zikr until he was able to prepare himself internally for the journey. Once zikr started to take effect, he got to the point where he would lose himself completely upon hearing vocal zikr, and his master forbade other disciples from performing it in his hearing lest his spirit completely leave the body. His overall reaction to the outside world then changed so drastically that he lost all consciousness of his surroundings and was kept in chains for three months and force-fed in order to keep him alive. Once out of this condition, he began to practice sama’ or audition and would dance in the courtyard of the lodge twice a week. He later told his hagiographer that anyone who does not love audition in the beginning of the path is not going to produce great work later in life.
Shahzad Bashir, “Sufi Bodies: Religion and Society in Medieval Islam,” pg 74.
sufism
thikr