Open Sounds, Hidden Spaces: Listening, Wandering, and Literalism in Sufi Iran

Abstract

AbstractLiteralism is often synonymous with the absence of critical thought, a black hole of interpretation where the word offers not inspiration but command. As one group of Iranian Nimatullahi Sufis demonstrated, however, this is not always the case. Based on ethnographic research, this article will demonstrate how these Iranian Sufis utilized literal interpretations of intentional listening (sama) and wandering (sargardan) to generate their own collective space, one marked by transience, materiality, and play. They did so by devising a unique method of convening their meetings. Rather than circulate an address, the mystics instructed the others to meet at an intersection and then broadcast music from an apartment to alert the members to the location. This in turn allowed them to locate the site by listening for and wandering to locate the sounds. The aesthetic experiences that accompanied the listening and wandering led to a listened-for Sufi soundscape in post-revolutionary Iran.