Religion:Rifa'i Ratib

Rifa'i Ratib (also Rifai raatheeb, Hadra rifa'iyya) is a ritual performed by a section of Ahmed ar-Rifa'i . Rifai is a name which originates from sufi saint Shaikh Ahmed ar-Rifai who was born in the Wasit region in Baghdad, Iraq in 1118. Shaikh Rifai committed himself to memorise the Quran at the age of seven years and he is the founder of the Rifai Sufi Order. Rifai Ratib . performed at ritual festivals, and homes. they are done to escape from incurable diseases and to fulfil the aspirations of the people. Byths or Ratheebs are sung during the ritual. (There are more than twenty different byths being used). daf main musical instruments used in Rifai Ratib. During heightened states of Rifa'i Ratib, Rifa'i followers were noted to have eaten live snakes, entered ovens filled with fire and ridden on lions. and thrusting iron spikes and glass into their bodies. . The ritual consists of acts like piercing parts of one's own body like the tongue, the ear, and the stomach with knives and sharp-edged steel tools. The followers and protagonists of the ritual believe, that even though injuries are inflicted on the bodies of the performers by weapons, these do not cause pain or damage to the body. According to many masters of the rifai sufi order, They believe that, since the ritual is performed by devotees who have received "ijazath" (permission) from their "sheikh" (deity), it will not cause injuries. While some scholars attribute is it's allowed in Islam, but other scholars (like salafi Movement) contend sahaba were unaware of these practices and don't have any proof to real teaching of Sahaba, Quran, and hadeeth. that these were introduced after the Mongol invasion.