Ihram – Stripping Away the Self

Ihram – Stripping Away the Self

Ihram is not just two pieces of cloth.
It is the name of shedding existence,
the silent scream of letting go of the self.

With every garment worn, a person gains an identity.
Clothing doesn’t merely cover; it expresses.
But Ihram does not express.
It erases, silences, and makes you forget.
It reminds you of who you are not.

“O child of Adam, welcome to your shroud’s rehearsal.
These two white cloths recognize neither the rich nor the poor.
This state is the zero point of all creation.”

Sufi Depth: Fanā (Annihilation)

In Sufism, Ihram is the first step of Fanā Fillāh—
Losing the self...
Letting go of the ego...
Surrendering the self to the Truth.

Sufis say:

“As long as you remain you, He will not reveal Himself to you.
But as you fade, traces of Him begin to appear.”

To wear Ihram is to consent to disappear,
To become a “Nothing”,
So that you may become a mirror of the Divine.

Being and Nothingness

Ihram is a challenge to the ontological state of man.
The modern world screams:

“Be!”

But Ihram whispers:

“Become nothing, so that you may find true existence.”

Two cloths represent a metaphorical nothingness.
Sartre’s existential philosophy says:

“Existence precedes essence.”

But in Ihram, neither essence nor existence remains—
Only witnessing.

“I am here, but I am no longer ‘me’.”

**To wear Ihram
is to take off your identity
and clothe yourself in your heart.
Not with two pieces of fabric,
but with surrender.

Dr. Özer Akpınar
Researcher – Historian