The Rifa'i (also Rufa'i) are a Sufi order most commonly found in the Arab Middle East but also in Turkey and the Balkans. They have sometimes been (somewhat pejoratively) called the 'howling dervishes' due to what some see as their 'excessive' practices during their zikr. Much of this may be due to cultural misunderstanding from 19th century Western travellers to the Middle East who may have viewed their practices as strange or excessive. They have been known to pierce their bodies using skewers and place hot irons in their mouths without injury, practices that, though having caught the imagination of Western travellers such as E.W. Lane in the last century, have also incurred the wrath of both strict theologians such as ibn Taymiyyah and modern reformists alike. Sufism (Arabic تصوف taṣawwuf) is a system of esoteric philosophy commonly associated with Islam. ... Languages Arabic other minority languages Religions Predominantly Sunni Islam, as well as Shia Islam, Greek Orthodoxy, Greek Catholicism, Alawite Islam, Druzism, Ibadi Islam, and Judaism Footnotes a Mainly in Antakya. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Arabic. ... Taqi al-Din Ahmad Ibn Taymiyyah (Arabic: )(January 22, 1263 - 1328), was a Sunni Islamic scholar born in Harran, located in what is now Turkey, close to the Syrian border. ...

It is said that founder Sheikh Ahmed ar-Rifa'i was an extremely pious man of a humble nature who preferred to be amongst the poor and weak of society. Born in 1118 in Basra in southern Iraq he was a descendant of Muhammad and related to Sheikh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani. It is also said that the story of his followers being able to pierce their bodies without injury relates to a time when Sheikh Ahmed ar-Rifa'i went to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca. On arriving at Medina and wishing to visit Muhammad's burial site the guard would not permit him entry due to the fact that he was not wearing the clothes of a 'Sayyid' (descendant of Muhammad) at this he is reported to have said: "As-Salam alaka ya jeddi" (Peace be upon you O my ancestor). At which Muhammad replied: "Alakum salam Ya walidi" (Upon you be peace O my son) and his hand came out from the tomb which Ahmed ar-Rifa'i kissed. On seeing this the people around him fell into ecstasy and began stabbing themselves with knives and swords. When this moment had passed and on seeing the injured people lying around him Sheikh Ahmed ar-Rifa'i went amongst them and healed them, since then the Rifa'i Tariqa has always had this gift to heal. For other uses, see Sheikh (disambiguation). ... Ahmed ar-Rifai was a founder of the Rifai Sufi order. ... Look up Poor in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the city of Basra. ... Muhammad in a new genre of Islamic calligraphy started in the 17th century by Hafiz Osman. ... Sheikh Muhyiddeen Abdul Qadir Gilani , Abdul Qadir al-Gilani or Abdul Qadir el-Gilani (Arabic: عبد القادر الجيلانى ); (1077 – 1166 CE) was a mystic scholar and saint of Islam. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is in need of attention. ...

Sheikh Ahmed ar-Rifa'i also authored a number of works on Sufism which have survived to this day.

He died in 1181 in West in Iraq. Events Jayavarman VII assumes control of the Khmer kingdom. ...

The order has a marked presence in Syria and Egypt and plays a noticeable role in Kosovo and Albania. The Rifa'i Tariqa has a notable tendency to blend worship styles or ideas with those of other orders that predominate in the local area. For example, the group established by Ken'an Rifa'i in Istanbul reflects elements of the Mevlevi Order, while more rural Turkish Rifa'is have sometimes absorbed significant influence from the Alevi/Bektashi tradition. Kosovo (Albanian: or , Serbian: , transliterated ; also , transliterated ) is a region in southern Serbia which has been under United Nations administration since 1999. ...

The order spread into Anatolia during the 14th and 15th Centuries and ibn Battuta makes note of Rifa'i 'tekkes' in central Anatolia. The order however, began to make ground in Turkey during the 17th to 19th centuries when tekkes began to be found in Istanbul the imperial capital of the Ottoman Empire, from here the order spread into the Balkans (especially Bosnia (where they are still present), modern day Albania and Kosovo. During the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II the Rifa'i order gained even more popularity in Istanbul ranking along side the Khalwati, Qadiri and Naqshbandi orders as 'orthodox' Sufi orders. Anatolia and Europe Anatolia (Turkish: from Greek: Ανατολία - Anatolia) is a peninsula of Western Asia which forms the greater part of the Asian portion of Turkey, as opposed to the European portion (Thrace, or traditionally Rumelia). ... It has been suggested that Travelling route of Ibn Batuta be merged into this article or section. ... A Tekke (Turkish: تكيه tekke, tekye; Arabic زاوية zāwiya, pl. ... Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: , historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and financial center. ... Motto دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299–1326) Bursa (1326–65) Edirne (1365–1453) Constantinople (Ä°stanbul, 1453–1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy [[Category:Former monarchies}}|Ottoman Empire, 1299]] Sultans  - 1281–1326... The Province of Bosnia was a key Ottoman province, the westernmost one, based on the territory of the present day state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. ... Sultan (Arabic: سلطان) is an Islamic title, with several historical meanings. ... Abdülhamid II (Ottoman Turkish: عبد الحميد ثانی , Turkish: Ä°kinci Abdülhamid) (September 21, 1842 – February 10, 1918) was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire. ... Halveti (as it is known in Turkey but is more commonly known as Khalwati) is one of the most widespread orders in Sufi Islam and after the Naqshbandi, Qadiri and Shadhili is perhaps the most popular. ... Qadiriyyah, one of the oldest Sufi tariqa, derives its name from Abd al-Qadir al-Djilani (1077-1166), a native of the Iranian province of Gilan. ... Naqshbandi (Naqshbandiyya) is one of the major Sufi orders (tariqa) of Islam. ...

Current manifestations of the order in the United States include the tekkes (lodges) in Staten Island and Toronto that were under the guidance of the late Shaykh Xhemali Shehu (d.2004) of Prizren, Kosovo, and the Rifa'i Marufi Order of America (led by Sherif Baba Catalkaya). Each of these orders is ultimately Turkish in origin. Rifa'i-Marufi is notable for its amalgamation of Sunni, New Age, and Alevi/Bektashi teachings. View of Prizren. ...

Amongst the Rifa'i masters has been the late Shaykh Sirajuddin of Aleppo, a great Hadith master and Sunni scholar. Shaykh `Abdallah Sirajuddin [rh] A Hadith master who memorised over 100,000 Hadiths, died in 2002 AC. He was also a Shaykh of the Rifai tariqa. ...

External links

• Ahmed er Rifai - Rifai Dervishes www.rifai.org
• Website of a Rifai Qadiri group
• Website of the Rifa'i Marufi Order
• http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=7&ID=921&CATE=1 Why do Rifa'is pierce themselves, eat fire, & other such things?]
• Online translation of Al-Burhan Al-Mu'ayyad by Shaykh Ahmad Rifa'i