A Different Way of Life
Among the various religious groups and dervish orders in the Ottoman Empire, some became known for unusual habits and extreme behavior. Unlike stricter religious communities that avoided intoxicating substances, these dervishes openly used wine, strong alcoholic drinks, and opium.
They believed that such substances could help free the mind from ordinary thoughts and create a state of spiritual excitement or emotional release. Over time, they trained their bodies to endure astonishing amounts of these intoxicants Istanbul Tour Guide.
According to observers, these men could consume quantities of alcohol and opium far greater than ordinary people without immediately collapsing. Their tolerance became so remarkable that the author compares them to famous figures such as Mithridates, the ancient king who was said to protect himself from poison by gradually taking small doses throughout his life.
The Effects of Intoxication
After consuming wine, spirits, or opium, these dervishes often entered strange emotional and physical states. At first, the intoxicants created feelings of excitement, wild joy, laughter, and uncontrolled energy. In this condition, they behaved like men who were drunk, mad, or overwhelmed by emotion.
The dervishes believed that this excitement lifted the spirit beyond ordinary human experience. Music, dancing, loud expressions, and emotional behavior were sometimes encouraged because they helped increase this state of excitement and distraction from everyday life.
However, after the powerful effects of the substances began to fade, the body and mind entered a very different condition. Exhaustion, heaviness, and deep dullness replaced the earlier excitement. Instead of seeing this as weakness or illness, the dervishes interpreted it as a sacred spiritual experience.
The Idea of Ecstasy
The dervishes called this condition an “ecstasy.” They believed it was holy and divine because it removed ordinary thoughts and allowed the soul to approach spiritual truth. According to their tradition, their first founder often entered similar states himself, and therefore they considered the practice acceptable and even admirable.
Anything that could create joy, emotional excitement, or spiritual distraction was permitted within this order. Music, dancing, intoxication, and emotional gatherings all became part of their spiritual culture.
To outsiders and more orthodox religious scholars, however, these practices appeared dangerous and improper. Many believed that intoxication led only to confusion and loss of reason rather than genuine spirituality.
Criticism from Religious Authorities
Many Islamic scholars strongly criticized these customs because Islam traditionally forbids wine and intoxicating substances. Religious authorities argued that true devotion should come from prayer, discipline, self-control, and clear understanding rather than from drunkenness or emotional excitement.
Critics believed that these dervishes confused physical sensations with genuine spiritual experience. They warned that intoxication could easily deceive people into believing they had reached divine knowledge when they were simply under the influence of powerful substances.
Despite this criticism, some dervish groups continued these practices because they believed emotional ecstasy brought them closer to God.