In accordance with Encyclopedia Brittanica – Sama can be defined broadly as the tradition and “practice of listening to music and chanting to reinforce ecstasy and induce mystical trance.” This is of course a very loose definition with the definition being as diverse as the countries in which it is practised.
The most well-known practitioners of Sama are perhaps the Mevlevi order’s Whirling Dervishes. Each person rotates individually as well as moving in a circle. Sama is “selfless expression”—a “fanaa” experience—while art is “self expression.” In Sufism, fanaa (Arabic: فناء fanāʍ) refers to the “annihilation” or “passing away” of the self. (archive.ph, 2012) In many ways – listening within this tradition is given a place of value among in the senses, breaking down hierarchical natures of the senses.
An installation by Arshia Fatima Haq explores this – inspired by a Sufi shrine, she creates an immersive setting using music, textural layers, and graphics to create a space for interactive spiritual experiences.
Through the use of music, textural layers, and image she re-creates an environment – one of the characteristics of immersion (Chinmay Rajguru, Obrist and Memoli, 2020). She gives an audience a version of the real thing allowing them to use occupy the space in a way the artist would want. I found the use of the turntables interesting – in many ways in breaks the immersion, especially with something trying to portray a traditional setting and I think its important to understand the significance of that – the bringing of the modern into traditional and whether or not it is of significance.
In relation to an old tradition, Sama is a kind of meditation on God that involves attention on melodies and dance. It awakens a person’s love for God, cleanses the soul, and is described as a means of discovering God. This practise, rather than eliciting feelings, is claimed to disclose what is already in one’s heart. All doubt vanishes, and the heart and soul can interact directly with God. Sama’s immediate goal is to achieve wajd, a trance-like state of euphoria Physically, this state may include erratic movements, excitement, and various sorts of dancing.Another state attained by sama’ is khamra, which means “spiritual drunkenness.” People eventually seek to accomplish the revelation of mysteries and spiritual knowledge through wajd. (Nurudeen Lamini, 2023)
