Fakir

Produktbeschreibung

A fakir or faqir is a Sufi, especially one who performs feats of endurance or apparent magic. Derived from faqr (Arabic: , "poverty"). In English, the term is often used to refer to Hindu ascetics (e.g., sadhus, gurus, swamis and yogis) as well as Sufi mystics. It can also be used pejoratively, to refer to a common street beggar who chants holy names, scriptures or verses. These broader idiomatic usages developed primarily in Mughal era India, where the term was injected into local idiom through the Persian-speaking courts of Muslim rulers. It has become a common Urdu, Bengali, and Hindi word for "beggar". Many stereotypes of the great fakir exist, among the more extreme being the picture of a near-naked man effortlessly walking barefoot on burning coals, sitting or sleeping on a bed of nails, levitating during bouts of meditation, or "living on air" (refusing all food).