There were three
breaks and four successive sessions (salutes) in the sema ritual
representing shariat, hakikat, tarikat and marifet.
According to a divergent interpretation, the "shariat"
(the canonical law) was bark or outer vision, while
hakikat (truth) signified the truth and core. The tarikat (the order)
was a means, a path leading people from the bark
to the core. The marifet (knowledge) represented the grace to keep
as a secret that dervishes attained till the end of their
path and continue to live like that while respecting the
rules of the convent.
The interpretation of Celaleddin Celebi is
more interesting and more distinct than explanations so
far given: During the first salute, the semazen became conscious
of the existence of God the Creator and himself as one of his
creatures. During the second salute, the semazen looked round and
felt the rhythm and the perfection in the creation. He was in the
state of ecstasy, admiring the Creater of whole universe. In the third part,
he disappeared in an ocean of love, induced by admiration of
God. This state of soul was called fenafillah (similar to the nirvana of the
Buddhists). The last salute represented the return of semazen to
this world with his recognition, his feelings and his love. He assented
his destiny whatsoever had been foreseen for him.
The fourth part of the sema presented
particular features. The semazenbasi permitted the semazens to do
sema merely around the platform. The middle of the platform was left empty
and reserved for the sheyh, who assisted the sema and moved
forward by turning around his own axis. He came to the center of
the sema hall following the invisible line. During the sema of the
Sheyh (post semasi), one heard only the sound of the flute. When
he arrived to the pole, he whirled slowly on the same spot without
taking off his cloak and without opening his arms like the other semazens.
When he came back to his place, the music stopped and all the dervishes remained
motionless. The fatigued and elderly semazens didn't take
part in the fourth round. Young dervishes brought their cloaks and
deposed them on their shoulders. Everyone didn't get necessarily
his own cloak, and they exchanged the cloaks afterwards.
Since the dervishes became
exhausted and they had to change their sweaty garments, last
prayer didn't take long time. The dervishes recited the verses from Holy Koran
and ended the ritual with recitation of a specific verse:
"Wherever you turn your face, there is face of God "
At the end of prayers, everybody prostrated like the sheyh who
saluted the community, advanced towards the middle of the hall,
greeted also the orchestra. He continued to the door and
saluted for the last time the crowd who replied his greetings in
the same manner.
