Sound of Sama

The Use of Poetical Imagery in South Asian Sufi Music

Abstract

In the cultural space of the subcontinent Sufi rituals constitute an important area of research, stirring academic and non-academic inquisitiveness. And in this regard no aspect of Sufi ritualism has been more contentious than the practice of Sama (Sufi musical assemblies). Frowned upon by orders such as the Qadiris and Naqshbandis; regulated by the State in the name of Shariah (Islamic Law), Sama assemblies have been, for centuries, the defining spiritual exercise of many a leading Sufi silsila.

But what constitutes the sama? How does the content(s) of such a ritual arouse spiritual sensibilities? Is there any definite structure for conducting such assemblies? These are some of the questions this paper will try to answer. While analyzing the ritual content of Sufi music the vast range of mystical poetry of both classical and south Asian Sufism needs to be taken into consideration. Indeed the music of sama is not normally conceived as apart from Sufi poetry that constitute the text. These texts create a poetic idiom, rich in image and metaphor together with a discernable degree of symbolic interpretation. What sort of an image, and of whom, do these texts portray? Who constitutes the central focus of these poetical imageries? Is there any dominant ideology working behind these textual interpretations? Such questions tend to arise, an answer to which will be sought in the course of my discussion.