In such movement, one may eventually feel elation, a sign of feeling one with God.This kind of ritualized movement is often called “hadrah” in Indonesia. This is a way of describing performance brought from the Middle East. Hadramaut is a region in southern Arabia; this kind of performance seems to be a reference to that land.Nonetheless, the mystical aspects of Sufism—drawing divine energy into oneself, or locating God within one’s own bodily experience, was appealing for many Indonesians, especially Javanese who already had a tradition of summoning and controlling spiritual powers.In most cases, Muslim proselytizers sought to demonstrate that their magical abilities were superior to the older religion, so as to convert the locals.In the Islamic era (16th century onwards) then, magical practices have remained important for many in Javanese society, and more broadly across Indonesia.It is possible to be either a Sunni or a Shia Muslim and also be Sufi, but most Sufis and Shias do not identify with Sufism. Shia is somewhat more conducive to worshiping at graves than Sunni Islam because they revere the graves of saints in the Shia lineage (distinct from Sufism).In Indonesia, Sufis are known for worshiping at graves, but in fact this is also common in the Javanese population as a whole.Generally speaking, one prays at a grave site to wish for the wellbeing of the person’s soul.If the person one is praying for is renowned as a prophet or other pious figure, one can gain spiritual benefits from the soul of the deceased.For this reason, at many such saints’ graves, people may go to wish for the saint’s intercession on their behalf. They may leave of a piece of string or cloth to encapsulate the wish.In non-Islamic Indonesian settings (Hindu-animist), people traditionally make wishes at the graves of ancestors or other spiritually potent people.