Bektashism

Origins and establishment , Tetovo, North Macedonia. Bektashism originated in Anatolia as the followers of the 13th-century scholar Bektash, who himself studied under the mystic Ahmad Yasawi, who was born in Sayram, now in southern Kazakhstan. The doctrines and rituals of the Bektashis were codified by the mystic Balım Sultan, who is considered the (“the Second Elder”) by Bektashis. It was originally founded as a Sufi movement. The branch became widespread in the Ottoman Empire, with its lodges scattered throughout Anatolia and the Balkans. It became the official order of the Janissaries, the elite infantry corps of the Ottoman military. Therefore, they also became mainly associated with Anatolian and Balkan Muslims of Eastern Orthodox convert origin, mainly Albanians and northern Greeks (although most leading Bektashi babas were of southern Albanian origin). In 1826, the Bektashi order was banned throughout the Ottoman Empire by Sultan Mahmud II for having close ties with the Janissary corps. and Naim Frashëri. Dedebabate After the lodges in Turkey were shut down, the order's headquarters moved to Albania. On 20 March 1930, Salih Nijazi was elected as the Dedebaba of the Bektashi community in Albania. Before Nijazi, the Dedebaba was Haxhi Fejzullah in Turkey. Njazi established the Bektashi World Headquarters in Tirana. Bektashis continue to be active in Turkey and their semi-clandestine organizations can be found in Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir. There are currently two rival claimants to the Dedebabate in Turkey: Mustafa Eke and Haydar Ercan. A large, functioning Bektashi tekke was established in the United States in 1954 by Baba Rexheb in the Detroit suburb of Taylor,and the tomb (türbe) of Baba Rexheb continues to draw pilgrims of all faiths. Arabati Baba Teḱe controversy In 2002, a group of armed members of the Islamic Religious Community of Macedonia (ICM), a Sunni group that is the legally recognized organisation which claims to represent all Muslims in North Macedonia, invaded the Bektashi order's Arabati Baba Teḱe in an attempt to reclaim this tekke as a mosque although the facility has never functioned as such. Subsequently, the Bektashi Order of North Macedonia sued the government for failing to restore the tekke to the Bektashis, pursuant to a law passed in the early 1990s returning properties previously nationalized under the Yugoslav government. The law, however, deals with restitution to private citizens, rather than religious communities. The ICM claim to the tekke is based upon their contention to represent all Muslims in North Macedonia; and indeed, they are one of two Muslim organizations recognized by the government, both Sunni. The Bektashi community filed for recognition as a separate religious community with the Macedonian government in 1993, which has refused to recognize them. == Beliefs ==

Bektashis believe in God and follow all Islamic prophets. Bektashis claim the heritage of Haji Bektash Veli, who was a descendant of Ali, Husayn ibn Ali, Ali al-Sajjad and other Imams. In contrast to many Twelver Shia, Bektashis respect all companions of Muhammad, including Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Talha, Mu'awiya, and Ali who is considered the greatest of them. Abbas ibn Ali is also an important figure in Bektashism, and Bektashis visit Mount Tomorr to honor him in an annual pilgrimage to the Abbas Ali Türbe on August 20–25. In addition to the Muslim five daily prayers, Bektashis have two specific prayers, one at dawn and another at dusk for the welfare of all humanity. Some scholars question whether the Malakat was actually authored by Haji Bektash. Resultingly, those scholars question whether the presentation of Haji Bektash and Bektashism as orthoprax in Islam (practicing orthodox Islam). There remains dispute as to whether Bektashis have historically followed the shariah law of Islam. For example, they are known to use both wine and raki in their ceremonial meetings, and were not known, in earlier times, to have observed the fast of Ramadan or the obligation of five daily prayer times. (ref: "Conforming Haji Bektash: A Saint and His Followers between Orthopraxy and Heteropraxy"; Mark Soileau, Die Welt des Islams 54 (2014) 423-459) Bektashis follow the modern-day Bektashi Dedebabate, currently headed by Baba Mondi. Bektashis consider the Dedebaba as leader over the entire branch. Bektashism is also heavily permeated with Shiite concepts, such as the marked reverence of Ali, the Twelve Imams, and the ritual commemoration of Ashura marking the Battle of Karbala. The old Persian holiday of Nowruz is celebrated by Bektashis as Ali's birthday (see also Nevruz in Albania). The Bektashi order is a Sufi order and shares much in common with other Islamic mystical movements, such as the need for an experienced spiritual guide—called a baba in Bektashi parlance — as well as the Sufi doctrine of "the four gates that must be traversed": ''Sharī'a (religious law), Ṭarīqa (the spiritual path), Ma'rifa (true knowledge), and Ḥaqīqa'' (truth). There are many other practices and ceremonies that share similarities with other faiths, such as a ritual meal (muhabbet) and yearly confession of sins to a baba (magfirat-i zunub مغفرة الذنوب). Bektashis base their practices and rituals on their non-orthodox and mystical interpretation and understanding of the Quran and the prophetic practice (Sunnah). They have no written doctrine specific to them, so rules and rituals may vary from one baba to another. Bektashis generally revere non-Bektashi Sufi mystics, such as ibn Arabi, al-Ghazali and Rumi, who are close to Bektashism in spirit though many are from more mainstream Islamic backgrounds. Like other Muslims, Bektashis consider pork haram (prohibited) and do not consume it, though, unlike other Muslims, they also avoid eating rabbit. Rakia, a fruit brandy, is used sacramentally in Bektashism, where it is not considered alcoholic and is referred to as Dem. == Poetry and literature ==

Poetry plays an important role in the transmission of Bektashi spirituality. Several important Ottoman-era poets were Bektashis, and Yunus Emre, the most acclaimed poet of the Turkish language, is generally recognized as a subscriber to the Bektashi order. The Bektashis were quite lax in observing daily Muslim laws, and women as well as men took part in ritual wine drinking and dancing during devotional ceremonies. The Bektashis in the Balkans adapted such Christian practices as the ritual sharing of bread and the confession of sins. Bektashi mystical writings made a rich contribution to Sufi poetry. A poem from Bektashi poet Balım Sultan (died c. 1517/1519): There is no official canon of Bektashism as the central tenet of Bektashism is "seeing the 72 nations in one eye" (which means all nations and religions are inherently same) and that "batin is more important than zahir", however there are generally accepted books attributed to the founding of the order. Makalat (The Articles), where the concept of four gates (sharia, tariqa, marifa, haqiqa) originate from, is according to Bektashis it was written by Haji Bektash Veli himself and by his order translated into local languages from Arabic in oral form and therefore in this form it is considered a central scripture. Another important book of Bektashism is Velayetname (The Book of Walayah), also attributed to Haji Bektash Veli himself, which gives a poetic account of the origin of the sect and the brief history of the faith as it spread through Anatolia. Other important writings are poetry of anonymous poet "Virani", the books of Kaygusuz Abdal, the Erkannames (Guiding Principles) and the poetry attributed to Shah Ismail. However, despite having a historically developed non-fixed mystical and developing canon, Bektashism officially upholds the Four Holy Books - Torah, Psalms, Gospel and Quran - as central book of the faith and insist they cannot be removed, they are not corrupted in inner meaning even if in zahir they may contradict, and all contain important esoteric meanings beyond their literal textual understanding so there is no rejection of the scriptures instead there is centralisation of scriptures. Bektashis made effort to translate Quran verses into local languages, since scripture is not just in on paper but actions these translations are not direct but in poetic form to show esoteric meaning behind the verses. ==Community hierarchy==

Like most other Sufi orders, Bektashism is initiatic, and members must traverse various levels or ranks as they progress along the spiritual path to the Reality. The Turkish names are given below, followed by their Arabic and Albanian equivalents. • First-level members are called aşıks عاشق (). They are those who, while not having taken initiation into the order, are nevertheless drawn to it. • Following initiation (called nasip), one becomes a mühip محب (). • After some time as a mühip, one can take further vows and become a dervish. • The next level above dervish is that of baba. The baba (lit. father) () is considered to be the head of a tekke and qualified to give spiritual guidance (irshad إرشاد). • Above the baba () is the rank of halife-baba (or dede, grandfather). • The dedebaba () is traditionally considered to be the highest ranking authority in the Bektashi order. Traditionally the residence of the dedebaba was the Pir Evi (The Saint's Home) which was located in the shrine of Hajji Bektash Wali in the central Anatolian town of Hacıbektaş (aka Solucakarahüyük), known as the Hajibektash complex. Traditionally there were twelve of these hierarchical rankings, the most senior being the dedebaba (great-grandfather). == Administration ==

In Albania, the World Headquarters of the Bektashi () divides the country into 6 different administrative districts (similar to Christian parishes and patriarchates), each of which is called a gjyshata. • The Gjyshata of Gjirokastra (headquarters: tekke of Asim Bab): the regions of Gjirokastra, Saranda and Tepelena. • The Gjyshata of Korça (headquarters: tekke of Turan): the regions of Korça, Devoll, Pogradec and Kolonja, including Leskovik. • The Gjyshata of Kruja (headquarters: tekke of Fushë Kruj): the regions of Kruja, Kurbin, Bulqiza, Dibra, Mat, Shkodra and Durrës. • The Gjyshata of Elbasan (headquarters: tekke of Baba Xhefai): the regions of Elbasan, Gramsh, Peqin, Lushnja, Kavaja, and Librazhd, including Përrenjas. • The Gjyshata of Vlora (headquarters: tekke of Kusum Bab): the regions of Vlora, Mallakastra, Fier, including Patos and Roskovec. • The Gjyshata of Berat (headquarters: tekke of Prisht): the regions of Berat, Skrapar and Përmet. During the 1930s, the six gjyshata of Albania set up by Sali Njazi were: • Gjakova, Kosovo • Tetovo, North Macedonia • Taylor, Michigan, United States There is also a Bektashi office in Brussels, Belgium. == World Bektashi Congress ==

The World Bektashi Congress, also called the National Congress of the Bektashi, a conference during which members of the Bektashi Community make important decisions, has been held in Albania several times. Since 1945, it has been held exclusively in Tirana. The longest gap between two congresses lasted from 1950 to 1993, when congresses could not be held during Communist rule in Albania. A list of congresses is given below. == List of Dedebabas ==

This section lists the Dedebabas (Supreme Leaders) of Bektashism. In Turkey (before 1930) List of Dedebabas (mostly based in Hacıbektaş, Anatolia), prior to the 1925 exodus of the Bektashi order from Turkey to Albania: In Albania (1930–present) List of Bektashi Dedebabas following the 1925 exodus of the Bektashi order from Turkey to Albania: }'' ==Religious figures==

File:Arabati Baba Tekke, svatyne radu Bektasi na okraji Tetova.jpg|Arabati Baba Tekke, in Tetovo File:Bektashi Tekke.jpg|Bektashi tekke of Gjakova, Kosovo, established in 1790 File:20120519 east view Kutuklu Baba Tekkesi Selino Rhodope West Thrace Greece.jpg|Kutuklu Baba Tekke in Greece File:Tempulli i bektashinjve ne vlore.jpg|Bektashi tekke on the Kuz-Baba Hill in Vlorë, Albania File:Демир Баба Теке.jpg|Demir Baba Teke near Sveshtari, Bulgaria (16th century) File:Qendra Botërore Bektashiane.jpg|World Headquarters of the Bektashi Community in Tirana, Albania ==References==