Chirka ( Arabic: خِرْقَةٌ , literally “rag”) is a holey or patched cloak, rags that most often were sewn from separate pieces of fabric. Hirku is usually worn during the rite of initiation of a disciple murid in the Sufi order. A symbol of the complete submission of murid to the laws of the tariqa [1] .
Content
History
The custom of wearing a hirka was borrowed by Muslim ascetics from East Christian ascetics and indicates that the one dressed in it entered the mystical path ( Sufism ). The practice of wearing hirki was recorded in the VIII century. Some Sufis were against this practice, seeing in it "ostentatious immodesty" and "the desire to stand out from other people." Hirk should be worn throughout life [2] . A person who receives a hirk remains forever tied to his mentor by spiritual bonds [3] .
The act of putting on a hirk had two meanings:
- the initiation of a probationary student ( murid ) into the fraternity of mystics ( tarikat ) as a full member [4] ;
- transmission to the disciple of his mentor ( murshid ) the blessings of the Prophet by revealing to him the contents of secret prayers ( wird ) [2] .
Hirka concepts
- al-Hirkat al-Khidriya - spiritual guidance and mentoring by a mysterious character - Khidr ;
- Hirkat al-irada or hirkat al-asl - complete obedience to the rules of the path, awarded after the end of spiritual guidance by the sheikh;
- Hirkat at-tabarruk or hirkat at-tashabbuh - the hirka, which the murida wears immediately after entering the path [2] ;
- Hirkat at-tarbia or hirkat al-hidaya - a hirka that is given to someone who, according to the sheikh, can not only educate students and reveal to them the meaning of what they read, but also constantly prepare neophytes for the difficulties of the Way and "travels around their souls";
- Hirkat as-suhba - hirka for murids who have become full members of the fraternity;
- Hirkat at-ta'lim is the hirka of the “teaching mentor,” who teaches students only on the basis of Sufi books and instructions [3] .
Notes
- ↑ Ali-zade, A.A., 2007 .
- ↑ 1 2 3 Islam: ES, 1991 , p. 278.
- ↑ 1 2 Islam: ES, 1991 , p. 279.
- ↑ The probationary period preceding vestments lasted from forty days to three years and depended on the time, place and traditions of the brotherhood.
Literature
- Akimushkin O. F. Khirka // Islam: Encyclopedic Dictionary / Otv. ed. S. M. Prozorov . - M .: Science ,GDVL , 1991 . - S. 278-279. - ISBN 5-02-016941-2 .
- Ali-zade A. A. Hirha // Islamic Encyclopedic Dictionary . - M .: Ansar , 2007 .-- 400 p. - (The Golden Fund of Islamic Thought). - ISBN 5-98443-025-8 .