ABSTRACT
This chapter examines contrasting usages of a core Sufi ritual, 'remembrance' of God using repetitive litanies (dzikr). Dzikr and other Sufi practices have ancient lineages, but of interest here are the places they have found in Indonesia's Islamic revival of the last thirty to forty years, and the different ways in which they work to support religious recommitment. Like Muslims in general, people who join in dzikr groups also are concerned to properly observe syariah, but they appreciate the Sufi prayers for the ways they help a person 'feel closer to God'. Of particular interest in this chapter will be the ways the litanies themselves are incorporated in a larger service or performance, how this shapes emotional states associated with 'closeness to God', and how the value of litany recitation is framed by different kinds of groups that promote its use.
