Dance in Islamic Culture: Between Piety, Mysticism, and Self-Expression

Introduction: A Complex Consensus in Diversity

Dance in Islamic culture represents a complex and ambiguous phenomenon, resistant to a single evaluation. Its attitude is formed in the triangle of religious precepts (sharia), Sufi mystical practice, and local folk traditions. As a result, a wide range of practices arises: from complete rejection in some Salafist circles to elevating dance to the highest form of worship among Sufis. This contradiction is rooted in different interpretations of Islamic law and anthropology, as well as in the historical interaction of Islam with pre-Islamic cultures of the conquered peoples.

Religious-Legal (fiqh) Discourse: Permissibility and Conditions

Within Islamic law (fiqh), there is no direct ban on dance in the Koran. However, scholars derive their evaluations from general principles and hadiths (narrations of the Prophet Muhammad's words and deeds).

Critical Approach (makruh or haram): Based on hadiths that condemn imitating the opposite sex, denounce excessive mixing of genders and entertainment that distract from the remembrance of Allah (zikr). Particularly harshly condemned are dances considered to provoke sexual arousal (fitna), whether performed by women in front of men or vice versa. In this sense, many modern pop dances are often condemned.

Moderate/Permitting Approach (mubah or halal): Allows dances under certain conditions:

Intention (niyat): Dance should not be sinful or idle, but may serve permissible joy (e.g., at a wedding).

Content: Movements should not imitate the opposite sex or be indecent.

Context: Absence of mixing of genders, consumption of haram (alcohol), musical instruments that may be considered forbidden.

Clothing: Should comply with sharia norms (awrat covered).

As a result, in practice, different schools of law (mazhabs) and cultures have formed their own customs. For example, at weddings in Arab countries, dancing is often separate, while in the Caucasus or Turkey, mixed dancing at family celebrations may be the norm.

Sufism: Dance as a Path to God

The most developed and sacralized form of dance was created by Sufism — a mystical direction in Islam. Here, dance (often called sama', meaning "listening") becomes a spiritual practice.

Whirling Dervishes (Mevlüvi tarikat): The founder is considered to be the great Persian poet and mystic Jalal ad-Din Rumi (13th century). According to legend, he began to whirl, raising his hands, after hearing the sound of hammers from goldsmiths, entering a state of mystical ecstasy. The ritual "sema" is not just a dance, but a complex liturgical act.

Symbols: The white skirt (tennure) — the shroud of the ego, the tall hat (sikke) — the gravestone of the ego. The shedding of the black cloak symbolizes liberation from the worldly. The whirling against the clock and around the hall — a reflection of the universe's rotation around its Creator, the unity with the cosmic order. The right hand raised to the sky (for receiving divine grace), the left hand lowered to the earth (for transmitting it to the world).

Goal: Through rhythmic circling, repetition of the name of Allah (zikr), and special music, the dervish strives to achieve the state of fana' — the dissolution of the individual "I" in God.

Zikr with bodily movements in other tarikats: Many Sufi brotherhoods (e.g., Qadiriyya, Nakshbandiya, Chishtiyya) use rhythmic swaying, tilting of the head or whole body, clapping in their practice, which, strictly speaking, are not dance in the artistic sense, but represent a bodily form of worship that helps to concentrate and raise spiritual energy.

Popular and Ethnic Dances: Cultural Heritage

In addition to the religious context, there is an enormous variety of secular and semi-religious dances in the Muslim world, rooted in pre-Islamic times and reflecting national identity.

Near East and Arabic World:

Abdominal Dance (Arabic. Raqs Sharqi — "eastern dance"): Developed in the Ottoman Empire. Initially, it was a solo female dance performed at women's gatherings. In the 19th–20th centuries, it was commercialized and performed in restaurants. Among Muslim theologians, the attitude to it is predominantly negative due to its openness and eroticization, although it remains part of the cultural code in secular society.

Dabka: A collective, energetic dance-dance, widespread in the Levant (Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan). Performed at weddings and celebrations, symbolizing unity and joy.

Iran and Central Asia:

In Iran, there are elegant, smooth folk dances where attention is paid to the movement of hands, head, and facial expressions. After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, public dances (especially solo female) were actually banned as contrary to public morality, but they have survived in the private lives of the diaspora.

In Uzbekistan, Tajikistan — bright, fiery dances with characteristic movements of shoulders, hands (e.g., "Lazgi").

Caucasus:

Lazinka: An energetic, virtuoso pair dance of the peoples of the Caucasus. Demonstrates agility, pride, respect. Although often performed at Muslim weddings, it has pre-Islamic origins.

South and South-East Asia:

In Indonesia and Malaysia, Islam coexists with rich local dance traditions (e.g., dances of the island of Java), which often have narrative or ritual character and are not perceived as contrary to religion in their traditional form.

Modern Challenges and Trends

Globalization and pop culture: Youth in Muslim countries actively consume and create modern dance forms (hip-hop, contemporary), which raises new questions about their permissibility from an Islamic perspective.

Dance as protest: In such countries as Iran, dances posted on social networks become an act of civil disobedience and a struggle for personal freedom.

Rise of conservatism: In some regions, under the influence of Salafist ideas, traditional folk dances are being replaced as "innovations" (bid'a) or "pagan remnants."

Conclusion: A Continuous Dialogue and Reinterpretation

Dance in Islamic culture is not a static category, but a field of continuous negotiations between text, tradition, and living practice. Its status fluctuates from the sinful "play of the devil" to the peak of mystical knowledge.

Sufi sama' proves that within Islam, it is possible to elevate the bodily practice to the level of high theology, where movement becomes prayer. Folk dances demonstrate the remarkable vitality of pre-Islamic cultural layers that have adapted to the Islamic context. And modern debates reflect the dynamics of the search for Muslim identity in the global world.

Thus, Islamic culture does not negate dance per se, but always puts it in the framework of certain meanings and boundaries. Its development continues, and the future of dance in Islam will depend on how Muslim communities respond to the challenges of modernity, managing to maintain a balance between loyalty to tradition, mystical search, and the natural human need for rhythmic, meaningful movement.

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