Hadra
The Arabic word ḥaḍra means presence and refers to the central spiritual ceremony of Sufi orders. In the Ḥaḍra, the immediate presence and love of God are sought and sometimes experienced in an ecstatic way.
The Ḥaḍra begins with the invocation of the angels, prophets, and saints, rising through the recitation of “lā ilāha illa‑llāh” (the first part of the Islamic testimony of faith, the shahāda: “there is no god but God”), and reaching one or several peaks through the repeated remembrance of the Divine Name “Allāh.”
All chanting of the Qaṣāʾid flows from the heart in order to touch other hearts. The “quality” of the singing is therefore not a matter of technical perfection, but of the depth of devotion.
Built on a steady (heart)beat—carried by the vocalization of “Allāh,” handclaps, or percussion — African rhythms set the tone. Often the tempo increases with growing spiritual tension and devotion. For this reason, during the Ḥaḍra the singers sometimes halve the tempo or begin a new Qaṣīda to adjust to the rhythm.
Most melodies are based on a pentatonic scale, with the verse melodies (middle and upper registers) always referring back to the chosen refrain (lower to middle register). Typically, a solo singer introduces a refrain of their choice, which the chorus then repeats after each verse.
During the Ḥaḍra, between phases of intense rhythm and physical movement, samāʿī are also performed—so‑called “silent” Qaṣāʾid: solo chants based on traditional melodies without additional accompaniment, allowing the singer greater freedom to follow their inner inspiration.