There is no comprehensive definition for Sama in dictionaries and only certain aspects of it are noticed. Sema can be considered from two perspectives. The one is the official Sema that has its own rituals and many opponents and supporters have discussed about it. The second is related to Suluk and perfection of man. The book of Asrar al-Tawhid fi Maghamat al-Sheikh Abusa’id shows that from the time of Abu-Sa'id Abul-Khayr there have been many differences of opinion about Sama. Some believe that it is food of soul, a spiritual state and a shadow of the ultimate reality; but the others consider it as a satanic instrument. Saadi believes that everyone can not participate in Sama and it takes effect only in a few holy travelers (salek). The present article, by considering the differences of opinion about Sama, tries to examine Saadi’s point of view.

Sama is a kind of trance like state of contemplative ecstasy befallen a mystic and it is identified with Moulana.Moulana Jalal al-Din Mohammad Balkhi has recognized music and understood its hidden reality. He was able to hear the sound rising from every particle calling God and this realization perpetually moved him to practice sama.In this article description of sama both in Abu Said-e Abi al-khayr's and Moulana's time are given and then their connections and differences, and also the quality of sama in Moulana's time are studied.

Gnosisis the salient quality of humanity spirit. The exalted Islamic and Iranian gnosis is including the ceremonies and customs, and "Sama" is the one of them, that has a special place. This article is the brief narration of the "Sama"s" ceremonies and customs in the Islamic and Iranian gnosis.

Sama in Qadiriyya (the Sufi path) and Kathak in Hinduism are the most well-known dances. Both are intertwined with religious beliefs and consider dancing as one of the ways to communicate with spiritual world. In addition to the aesthetic aspects, ritual dances have mystical, religious and narrative meanings that have evolved over time. According to the views of Qadiriyya sect, the mystic tries to communicate with the supernatural world during the Sama. Using the analytical-comparative method, the present article describes the similarities and differences between the two types of dances and shows the influence of Qadiriyya and Hinduism on each other on this issue. The findings show that despite the ritual and religious differences, there are common structures in the two dances. Kathak dance, as performed in Hindu temples, is rooted in the worship of the Creator and in some aspects of form and content is similar to Sama. Kathak seems to have been influenced by the Qadiriyya's Sama and underwent changes during the reigns of the Delhi kings and the Mongol emperors, through cultural ties between Islam and Hinduism.

Almost fewer poet, sage, or philosopher in the history of Islamic and Iranian literature can be found who has not mentioned the subject of music and hearing in his poems and prose works. Shahabuddin Suhrawardi, as one of the philosophers of the Islamic world, has a special view on music and Sama (listening). Like Pythagoras and Plato, he had a sacred and heavenly view of music. He believed that it was the sound of the heavens that was expressed through music. With this difference, Suhrawardi's view is more based on hypothetical questions and his states in the House of Music and Hearing, but part of the thoughts of Pythagoras and Plato are more based on the sounds of music and the content of mathematics. He also saw the hearing as a mystical passion and a means to perfection. He saw the soul as a bird trapped in a cage, jumping up and down to escape the cage, perhaps finding a way to fly and escape. Hearing is unique. For this purpose, with a mystical approach and in the light of the opinions of scholars and philosophers, an attempt is made to examine the position of music and listening from Suhrawardi's point of view from various aspects.

Sufi dance is an exciting Sufi rite, which has been prevailing among the Sufis since the third century and a wide range of gnostic literature has been assigned to it. The gnostic Sufi literature, besides depicting different scenes of Sufi dance, contains several points about ontological, behavioral, epistemological, psychological and aesthetic aspects.Gnostic music and songs, movements, rotating, dancing and stitching of Sufi garment are among the main components of Sufi dance.Given the pivotal role of theology and ontology in mysticism and mystical experiences, the present paper is an attempt to discuss ontological aspects of Sufi dance and its symbols.

Among the paintings and works found in historical places one can get familiarized with the ancient Persian culture and traditions. What catches the eyes among such paintings are ceremonies where one witnesses dances.The purpose of this article is to investigate various aspects of such dances. Then Sama which is regarded as a Sufi dance is dealt with. In the course of history these two styles of dances had some significance and by tracing ceremonies and feasts given by Royalties and the Sufis one can infer subtle points, but in Masnavi also there are some references to this subject. Mowlana had particularly held high regard for Sama in sufi ceremonies.

In this article the writer has discussed the question of samd, mystic audition, based on the poetry of Mowlavi and his disciples and followers as well as the views of those somehow affected by Mowlavi. The writer first defines samd, and explains its origin. Then she certain related discusses questions such as Mowlavis view of samd, the reason why Mowlavi was interested in samd, the religious injunction of samd, and, finally, the good of samd.

Sama is one of the pillars and accepted principles of mysticism and religious acts. In Sufism training adoption of mysticism is without any cause and at least to believe such a basic point it is somehow difficult so that it follows to ponder upon with the disciple beliefs in the field of action. This paper tries to explore the identity of sama (whirling dance), its history, meaning of Sama to Rumi, its relation with dynamic and static provocative sama, the rules of sama movement to Rumi, and his followers, and the relation of motion with the soul and mind of sama dancer.