The ceremony begins with the Naat, a recitation in praise of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him. This is followed by a short drumbeat which symbolises the creative force of the Divine, expressed in the Holy Qur'an as 'Kun Fayakuun’, ‘Be and it is!’

There is then a taksim, a solo usually played on the ney, the reed flute. This symbolises the soul separated from its divine origin, mourning its loss and yearning for reunion with its Beloved. Musically, it sets the tone for the Sema.

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