Position of “Sama” in the Mystical Texts before the Fifth Century AH

Sama (Spiritual ecstasy) is a term which has been negotiated since the development of mysticism in Iran in works of Sufis. Many canonist theosophists and Sufis did not show significant interest in it or assumed very difficult prerequisites for that. In contrast to these people, many other theosophists have considered it as a means to attract the hearty revelations from the Beloved and have expressed the conditions of Sama. Before the Fifth Century A.H., the theosophical thought and behavior were under development and growth among Iranian people; therefore ideas of authors in Sufi theoretical books had greatly affected mysticism in later periods. In this article, the main authors’ opinions about Sama and its codition in Sufism are studied to find out how and on what conditions and what beliefs Sama was practiced in Sufism of that period. For this purpose, after giving an introduction upon Sama, it is analyzed in Sufi texts before the fifth century AH. This study is based on the opinions of the theoretical books of Sufi authors who have been associated with the basis of Sufism. At the end it is clarified that stomp had no place in the Sama meetings before the fifth century and up to that time, Sufism in Sama meant just listening to the songs and poems and tearing clothes, shouting, moving and ecstasy