Dervish

The word Dervish, especially in European languages, refers to members of Sufi Muslim ascetic religious fraternities, known for their extreme poverty and austerity, similar to mendicant friars.

Related Topics:
Sufi - Muslim - Ascetic - Fraternities - Mendicant - Friar

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The term comes from the Persian word Darvish (درویش), which usually refers to a mendicant ascetic. This latter word is also used to refer to an unflappable or ascetic temperament (as in the Urdu phrase darwaishana thabiyath for an ascetic temperament); that is, for an attitude that is indifferent to material possessions and the like.

Related Topics:
Persian - Ascetic - Urdu

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As Sufi practitioners, dervishes were known as a source of wisdom, medicine, poetry, enlightment, and witticisms. For example, Mollah Nasr-ad-Din (Mulla Nasrudin, Hoja Nasrudin) had become a legend in the Near East and the Indian subcontinent (and not only Muslims).

Related Topics:
Sufi - Mollah Nasr-ad-Din - Near East - Indian subcontinent

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