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Qalandariyya

The Qalandariyya (Arabic: قلندرية), Qalandaris or Kalandaris are wandering Sufi dervishes. The writings of Qalandaris are not merely celebrations of libertinism, but affirmations of antinomial beliefs.

The first references are found in the 11th-century prose text Qalandarname (The Tale of the Qalandaris) attributed to Ansari Harawi. The term Qalandariyya appears to be first applied by Sanai Ghaznavi in seminal poetic works where diverse practices are described. Particular to the Qalandari genre of poetry are items that refer to their practices of gambling, games, consuming intoxicants, syncreticism, libertinism, antinomialism, violating societal norms and Nazar ila'l-murd, things commonly referred to as Kufr or Khurafat by orthodox Muslims.

The order was often viewed with scrutiny by Islamic authorities.


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