Dhikr and Khalwa

Ottoman Aleppo possessed a rich culture of religious services and rituals that shaped and structured the people’s lives. The ritual prayers (salat) and, since the 19^th century, the communal Friday prayer as well (salat al-jumʿa) [16] were celebrated in the prayer hall of the Zawiya al-Hilaliyya. But it was the particular Sufi rituals that attracted the people. The most significant of these was the regular weekly dhikr. Dhikr literally means ‘remembering’ and consists of reciting and repeating short phrases (like the Muslim creed ‘la illaha illa Allah’ – there is no god but God) or words, (like ‘Allah,’ God). While the community rhythmically repeats these phrases and words, a cantor (munshid) sings religious poems. Sometimes tambourines are employed to set the rhythms but the Hilaliyya only uses hand clapping. The dhikr of the Hilaliyya consists of several parts and starts after the afternoon prayer (salat al-ʿasr) on Friday and terminates shortly before the muezzin calls for the sunset prayer (salat al-maghrib). The dhikr takes place in the prayer room of the Zawiya al-Hilaliyya. The shaykh stands with his back to the mihrab, facing the chief cantor (munshid) and the other singers, who sit in the center of the room under the cupola, while the participating dervishes line walls.

The communication between shaykh and cantors is important. The former leads the dhikr, determines the beginning and end of the different parts, while the chief cantor chooses the poems to chant. In summer, the dhikr is considerably longer than in winter, adjusted to the time between the afternoon and sunset prayers. The lead cantor of the zawiya, Muhammad al-Hakim, together with nine singers, performed the dhikr of the Hilaliyya in March 2001 in Paris at the Maison des Cultures du Monde. A recording of that session was subsequently released [17].

The khalwa is the second ritual. Shaykh Ibrahim al-Hilali introduced it after his return from Cairo, where he became acquainted with it. Even the forty wooden cells he introduced into the prayer hall were inspired by his experience in Cairo [18]. The members of the tariqa would withdraw for forty days to the zawiya, meditate, fast and hear lessons given by the shaykh. The Hilaliyya stopped practicing the khalwa in the early 20^th century [19].

Footnotes

[16] Knost, “Living with Disaster”, 301.

[17] Sufi Chanting from Syria: Dhikr Qâdirî Khalwatî of the Zâwiya Hilaliya, Aleppo. Paris: Maison des Cultures du Monde INEDITTW 260109 (2002). One compact disc, 72’07’’. The enclosed booklet includes the texts chanted in English and French translation.

For a detailed description of the dhikr, see: Pinto, “Creativity and Stability”, 130-132; Knost, Fromme Stiftungen.

[18] Zarcone, “Un cas de métissage”, 449.

[19] Zarcone, “Un cas de métissage”, 451, according to information provided by Shaykh Jamal ad-Din al-Hilali.