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Rifai Sufi Order Web Site

Meshk

Meshk

The Sufis recognize the harmony of the universe as a unifying sound related through music and they recreate it through their chants and ritual songs. This devotional ritual has traditionally been named Meshk, and the devotional songs collectively performed in the Meshk are called Ilahis. The lyrics of the Ilahis are accounts of experiences expressed by sheikhs, sayyids (descendants of Prophet (saws)), seekers and poets such as Hz. Mevlana (Rumi), Yunus Emre and other great figures of Sufism. Each Ilahi is composed in a particular makam (Turkish musical scale), each makam transmitting a unique spiritual station and mood. In Sufism, Meshk is a transmission of love, devotion, spiritual experience and expression.