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Faqir


A fakir, or faqir (/fəˈkɪər/; Arabic: فقیر‎‎ (noun of faqr)), derived from faqr (Arabic: فقر‎‎, "poverty") is a person who is self-sufficient and only possesses the spiritual need for God. Faqirs are Muslim ascetics and Sufis who have taken vows of poverty and worship, renouncing all relations and possessions.

Faqirs are characterized by their attachment to dhikr, (a practice of repeating the names of God, often performed after prayers) and asceticism. Sufism gained adherents among a number of Muslims as a reaction against the worldliness of the early Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE). The term may refer to a Muslim Sufi ascetic in the Middle East and South Asia. Though, Sufis have spanned several continents and cultures over a millennium, originally expressing their beliefs in Arabic, before spreading into Persian, Turkish, Indian languages and a dozen other languages.

The term has also been erroneously used to refer to Hindu and Buddhist ascetics (e.g., sadhus, gurus, swamis and yogis). These usages developed primarily in the Mughal era in the Indian subcontinent.


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