Fire dances of Ḥaydariyya Sufi Order

The author witnesses the fire dances of dervishes from the Ḥaydariyya Sufi Order, who according to some sources consumed cannabis in their rituals. Cannabis was even called "The wine of Ḥaydar" (see Ḥaydariyya, EI-3 online).

كنت مررت بموضع يقال له أفقانبور من عمالة هزار أمروها وبينهما وبين دهلي حضرة الهند مسيرة خمس، وقد نزلنا بها على نهر يُعْرَف بنهر السرور وذلك في أوان الشكال، والشكال عندهم هو المطر وينزل في إبان القيظ، وكان السيل ينحدر في هذا النهر من جبال قراجيل، فكلُّ مَنْ يَشْرَب منه من إنسان أو بهيمة يموت لنزول المطر على الحشائش المسمومة، فأقمنا على النهر أربعة أيام لا يقربه أحد، ووصل إلى هنالك جماعة من الفقراء في أعناقهم أطواق الحديد وفي أيديهم، وكبيرهم رجل أسود حالك اللون وهم من الطائفة المعروفة بالحيدرية، فباتوا عندنا ليلة، وطَلَبَ مني كبيرهم أن آتيه بالحطب ليوقدوه عند رَقْصهم، فكَلّفْت والي تلك الجهة وهو عزيز المعروف بالخمار (وسيأتي ذِكْره) أن يأتي بالحطب، فوجه منه نحو عشرة أحمال فأضرموا فيه النار بعد صلاة العشاء الآخرة حتى صارت جمرًا وأخذوا في السماع، ثم دخلوا في تلك النار فما زالوا يرقصون ويتمرغون فيها، وطلب مني كبيرهم قميصًا فأعطيته قميصًا في النهاية من الرقة فلبسه وجعل يتمرغ به في النار ويضربها بأكمامه حتى طُفِئَتْ تلك النار وخمدت، وجاء إلي بالقميص والنار لم تؤثر فيه شيّا البتة فطال عجبي منه [ص. ١٣٠-١٣١]

I was on one occasion at a place called Afqānbūr in the district of Hazār Amrūhā, which is at a distance of five nights' journey from Dihlī, the capital of India. We had encamped there on a river called the river of al-Sarw. This was in the season of the shakāl (shakāl in their language meaning rain), which falls at the time of the summer heats. The river was coming down in flood from the mountains of Qarājīl. Now everyone who drinks from it, whether man or beast, dies because of the falling of the rain on poisonous grasses. We stayed by this river for four days without anyone going near it. There came to me there a company of poor brethren who had iron rings on their necks and arms, and whose chief was a coal-black negro. They belonged to the corporation known as the Ḥaidarīya and they spent one night with us. Their chief asked me to supply him with fire-wood that they might light it for their dance, so I charged the governor of that district, who was ʿAzīz known as al-Khammār (an account of him will be given later), to furnish it. He sent about ten loads of it, and after the night prayer they kindled it, and at length, when it was a mass of glowing coals, they began their musical recital [samāʿ, lit. 'audition'] and went into that fire, still dancing and rolling about in it. Their chief asked me for a shirt and I gave him one of the finest texture; he put it on and he began to roll about in the fire with it on and to beat the fire with his sleeves until it was extinguished and dead. He then brought me the shirt showing not a single trace of burning on it, at which I was greatly astonished.

274-275

1332 circa