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.

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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.

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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).

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Sufi: REDIRECT Sufism...

Muslim: A Muslim (Arabic: ????) is an adherent of Islam. Literally, the word means someone who has submitted him or herself to God....

Ascetic: redirect Asceticism...

Dervish related Images and Photos (experimental)

Beautiful Painting of a Whirling Dervish on Cloth with Arabic Script

Portrait of an Elderly Whirling Dervish in Traditional Clothing Khartoum Sudan Africa