Document Type : Scientific-research
Author
Tehran University
Abstract
This article explores the Sufi tradition of rending garments and compares it to similar practices in Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Judaism, as well as some ancient Arab, Egyptian, and Mesopotamian cultures. The first section briefly introduces the Sufi custom and highlights striking similarities between this symbolic gesture in Islamic mysticism and the tradition of stripping in some ancient religions and cultures mostly rooted in the Near East. Broadly, all of the contexts, in which the act of rending garments is performed, indicate deep anxiety and intense emotions. Older instances show that the main triggers include the death of loved ones and the dreadful consequences of cardinal sins such as blasphemy and sacrilege. These meanings are recurrent within Jewish, Christian, and Islamic literature and can be found in Sufism, as well. In addition to these meanings, Sufism has reinterpreted the ancient tradition, giving it new meanings aligned with its fundamental concepts to introduce it as a Sufi tradition. Lastly, the final section of the article explains the formation and evolution of this tradition, presenting two different theories on its origins.
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