Abstract
One of the important concepts in Sufi literature is Sema. It can be described as a magazine that includes sciences and arts such as music, poetry and dance. Due to this nature, it has been the subject of discussion in many fields. In addition, since sama' is practiced as a religious ceremony in dhikr by Sufis and members of the sect, it has been a subject of study and discussion, attracting the attention of Sufi connoisseurs, sharia and fiqh scholars, commentators and masters of music. As a matter of fact, while the first writers explained their views in a sentence or two on the subject of sama, it was observed that after the development and spread of sama, individual works were written.
In the history of Islam, whether it is mysticism or religious scholars, there are two approaches to samâ', compatible and oppositional, as explained in the works of Rasâil al-Junayd and 'Avârif al-ma'ârif, written by Jueyd-i Bağdâî and Shihab al-Din al-Suhrawardi has been followed. Like those who are opposed to Sema, those who agree have tried to prove their views based on verses of the Qur'an and hadiths: 6th of Luqman Surah and 59-61 of Necm Surah. There are also scholars and sufis who think that sama is permissible based on verses such as the 18th verse of Zumer Surah and the 83rd verse of Mâide Sûra.The Sufis who judge the permissibility of Sema are also divided into two parts. While some of them, like the famous Iranian sufi, scholar and poet Ruzbehan Baqli Shîrazî, who lived in the 12th century, were in favor of sema itself being permissible, some, like Dhūl-Nūn al-Miṣrī, accepted that sama was permissible only through conditions. In this article, after explaining the approaches of the great Sufis who had an opinion about sema', Hazîn Lâhîjî (d. 1180/1766), who was among the great scholars with his tafsir, literature and mysticism studies, wrote a small book called Favâid al-samâ' about sama'. His voluminous treatise will be analyzed and translated, and his views on this subject will be evaluated.