Taweez is a common form of Islamic amulet found across the Muslim world. This type of amulets is usually worn as bracelets, necklaces and rings. Many people believe that these talismans help them with solving their personal and relational problems. The Muslim population in Sudan make up 47.5% of the total community in the country and 13% of them use taweez for everyday concerns, such as love, protection and holly jane healing. Some types of Taweez include those that are believed to protect against leprosy and the evil eye.
Sufism is the mystical soul of the Islamic faith practised by Muslims in the Sahara region of North Africa, covering Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Morocco, parts of Mali, Niger and Mauritania. Sufis believe that God is present in all things, including people and the natural world. They seek to enter into a personal relationship with God through spiritual practices like prayer, meditation, taweez creation and tawahhud. Sufi practices vary across the region, but they share a focus on the love of Allah (God) and self-purification.
This part of Islam may go as far back as the 6th century when it was taught by Hassan Sabbah to his followers in Iran. In most cases, Sufi taweez are used to help alleviate grief and grief-stricken feelings. They also help promote mental health: they boast intense positivity and have as their currency purity of intention. In other words, they carry properties similar to sacred healing practices like chanting and prayer, which are renowned for their healing potential. The concept of Sufism is often confused with Islam.
Taweez is written with special ink, and Muslims believe that it’ll keep away bad spirits and provide spiritual and divine protection. This custom dates back to half a century ago when the Sudanese economy was confronted with rapid declines. These days, taweez are also used to attract customers and business success.
“The pieces of material that I keep around the house to give it protection has been [held] in great veneration and often regarded as sacred relics which possesses the ability, potentiality attributes that enable certain blessings when worn.”- An old man living in the capital Khartoum tells us explanations on how these relics work
Khalid bin Sulayman, the father of Sudanmuslims, is often reimagined as a man with magical powers. Whether he truly existed or not does matter – what is important to consider was the wondrous changes in attitudes towards talismans after his leadership. Talismans were seen as holy objects that could be just as important to lead your life, no matter how poor you are.
The myths surrounding Sudanese talismans created a new way people could look at them and bonded them even more so with their religious values and beliefs. With that said, there are also some negative connotations associated with them.
There are many ways that taweez helped people in Sudan specifically: through battle victories, during the civil war and the struggle between north and south Sudan to acquire independence. In hard times, taweez has been effective in finding financial means to provide for basic needs, like food and water.
According to Islamic scholars in Sudan, taweez are acceptable and recommended as a way of coping with difficult circumstances. A recent case in which a woman made use of this was when she was given a debt collection order for her husband, who had died leaving behind a debt of $1,000. She used taweez to settle the matter.
Technology has made a massive leap in this current era which has put traditional, religious practices at risk. Taweez is still one of the popular traditions among Sudanese Muslims as it helps in preserving tradition. It’s one of the popular Islamic things that you can find in South Sudan, a country where even sociopolitical problems can be deadly . When it comes to ambiguity, nobody can predict what the future for taweez would be, because thousands of people use these tools during religious ceremonies every day.
Read also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future