Bektashism


Bektashism is a Sufi order of Islam that evolved in 13th-century western Anatolia and became widespread in the Ottoman Empire. It is named after the walī Haji Bektash Veli, with adherents called Bektashis. Origins of Haji Bektash's teachings can be traced back to the scholar Ahmad Yasawi of Turkestan. The highest title in Bektashi chain of succession is Dedebaba, followed by Halifebaba and Baba.
The Bektashi Order of Tirana is currently led by Baba Mondi, recognized as the eighth Dedebaba, whose seat is at the order’s headquarters in Tirana, Albania. However, Bektashi Order of Tirana is not recognized by Turkish Bektashis, specifying that Bektashi principles require Dedebaba to be in Anatolia, and the Albanian chain of succession never had Dedebabate.
The Bektashis were originally one of many Sufi orders within Sunni Islam. By the 16th century, the order had adopted some tenets of Twelver Shi'ism—including veneration of Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, and the Twelve Imams—as well as a variety of syncretic beliefs.
The Bektashis acquired political importance in the 15th century when the order dominated the Janissary Corps. After the foundation of Turkey, the country's leader, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, banned all Islamic orders to install the Directorate of Religious Affairs as sole governing entity over religion, and the community's headquarters relocated to Albania. Salih Nijazi was the last Dedebaba in Turkey and the first in Albania. The order became involved in Albanian politics, and some of its members, including Ismail Qemali, were major leaders of the Albanian National Awakening.
Bektashis believe in the ismah of the prophets and messengers and the Fourteen Infallibles: the Prophet Muhammad, his daughter Fatima, and the Twelve Imams. In contrast to many Twelver Shia, Bektashis respect all of the Companions of Muhammad, including Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Talha and Mu'awiya, with Ali considered the greatest of the Companions.
In addition to the spiritual teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, the Bektashi Order was later significantly influenced during its formative period by Hurufism, the antinomian dervish order of the qalandars, figures like Ahmad Yasawi, Yunus Emre, the Safavid emperor and head of the Safavid order and Messiah Ismail I, Shaykh Haydar, Nesimi, Pir [Sultan Abdal], Gül Baba, Sarı Saltık and to varying degrees more broadly the Shia belief system circulating in Anatolia during the 14th to 16th centuries. The mystical practices and rituals of the Bektashi Order were systematized and structured by Balım Sultan in the 16th century.
According to a 2005 estimate by Reshat Bardhi, there are over seven million Bektashis worldwide, though more recent studies put the figure as high as 20 million. In Albania, they make up 9% of the Muslim population and 5% of the country's population. An additional 12.5 million Bektashis live in Turkey. Bektashis are mainly found throughout Anatolia, the Balkans and among Ottoman-era Greek Muslim communities. The term Alevi–Bektashi is used frequently in current Turkish religious discourse as an umbrella term for Alevism and Bektashism, despite their distinct origins and separate belief systems. Alevi/Bektashi is officially recognized through Ministry of Culture and Tourism under the 'Presidency of Alevi/Bektashi Culture'.

History

Origins and establishment

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 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. In 1826, the Bektashi order was banned throughout the Ottoman Empire by Sultan Mahmud II for having close ties with the Janissary corps. Many Bektashi dervishes were exiled, and some were executed, while tekkes and shrines|tekkes] were destroyed and their revenues were confiscated. This decision was supported by the Sunni religious elite and the leaders of other, more orthodox, Sufi orders. Bektashis slowly regained freedom with the coming of the Tanzimat. After the foundation of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk shut down the lodges in 1925. Consequently, the Bektashi leadership moved to Albania and established their headquarters in Tirana. Among the most famous followers of Bektashi in the 19th-century Balkans were Ali Pasha of Yanina 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. Its construction was finished in 1941 during the Italian occupation of Albania. Nijazi promoted Bektashi Islam by introducing major ceremonies at popular tekkes. After he was murdered, Ali Riza succeeded him as the Dedebaba.
Despite the negative effect of the ban on lodges on Bektashi culture, most modern Bektashis in Turkey have been generally supportive of secularism, since these reforms have relatively relaxed the religious intolerance that had historically been shown against them by the official Sunni establishment.
In the Balkans, the Bektashi Order had a considerable influence on the Islamization of many areas, primarily Albania and Bulgaria, as well as parts of Macedonia, particularly among Ottoman-era Greek Muslims from western Greek Macedonia such as the Vallahades. By the 18th century, Bektashism began to gain a considerable hold over southern Albania and northwestern Greece. Following the ban on Sufi orders in the Republic of Turkey, the Bektashi community's headquarters was moved from Hacıbektaş in central Anatolia, to Tirana, Albania. In Albania, the Bektashi community declared its separation from the Sunni community and they have since perceived as a distinct Islamic sect rather than a branch of Sunni Islam.
Bektashism continued to flourish until the Second World War. After the communists took power in 1945, several babas and dervishes were executed and a gradual constriction of Bektashi influence began. Ultimately, in 1967 all tekkes were shut down when Enver Hoxha banned all religious practice. When the ban was rescinded in 1990, the Bektashism reestablished itself, although there were few left with any real knowledge of the spiritual path. Nevertheless, many tekkes operate today in Albania. The most recent head of the order in Albania was Hajji Reshat Bardhi Dedebaba and the main tekke has been reopened in Tirana. In June 2011, Baba Edmond Brahimaj was chosen as the head of the Bektashi Order by a council of Albanian babas. Today, sympathy for the Order is generally widespread in Albania where approximately 20% of Muslims self-report as having some connection to Bektashism.
There are also important Bektashi communities among the Albanian communities of North Macedonia and Kosovo, the most important being the Arabati Baba Teḱe in the city of Tetovo, which was until recently under the guidance of Baba Tahir Emini. Following the death of Baba Tahir Emini, the dedelik of Tirana appointed Baba Edmond Brahimaj, formerly head of the Turan Tekke of Korçë, to oversee the baba tekke">Baba (honorific)">baba tekke. A splinter branch of the order has recently sprung up in the town of Kičevo which has ties to the Turkish Bektashi community under Haydar Ercan Dede rather than Tirana. A smaller Bektashi tekke, the Dikmen Baba Tekkesi, is in operation in the Turkish-speaking town of Kanatlarci, North Macedonia that also has stronger ties with Turkish Bektashis. In Kosovo, the relatively small Bektashi community has a tekke in the town of Gjakovë and is under the leadership of Baba Mumin Lama and it recognizes the leadership of Tirana.
In Bulgaria, the türbes of Kıdlemi Baba, Ak Yazılı Baba, Demir Baba, and Otman Baba function as heterodox Islamic pilgrimage sites, and before 1842 were the centers of Bektashi tekkes. 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 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, 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.

Proposed sovereign state

On 21 September 2024, it was reported that Prime Minister Edi Rama of Albania was planning to create the Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order, a sovereign microstate for the order within the Albanian capital of Tirana. Rama said the aim of the new state would be to promote religious tolerance and a moderate version of Islam.

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.
Bektashis follow the teachings of Haji Bektash, who preached about the Twelve Imams. Bektashis differ from other Muslims by also following the Fourteen Innocents, who either died in infancy or were martyred with Husayn. 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. Bektashism places much emphasis on the concept of Wahdat al-Wujud that was formulated by Ibn Arabi.
Malakat is an important Bektashi text, perhaps written by Haji Bektash. 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. 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.
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.
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, Ṭarīqa, Ma'rifa, and Ḥaqīqa.
There are many other practices and ceremonies that share similarities with other faiths, such as a ritual meal and yearly confession of sins to a baba. Bektashis base their practices and rituals on their non-orthodox and mystical interpretation and understanding of the Quran and the prophetic practice. 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 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 :
There is no official canon of Bektashism as the central tenet of Bektashism is "seeing the 72 nations in one eye" and that "batin is more important than zahir", however there are generally accepted books attributed to the founding of the order. Makalat, where the concept of four gates 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, 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 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.
  1. First-level members are called aşıks عاشق. They are those who, while not having taken initiation into the order, are nevertheless drawn to it.
  2. Following initiation, one becomes a mühip محب.
  3. After some time as a mühip, one can take further vows and become a dervish.
  4. The next level above dervish is that of baba. The baba is considered to be the head of a tekke and qualified to give spiritual guidance.
  5. Above the baba is the rank of halife-baba.
  6. 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 which was located in the shrine of Hajji Bektash Wali in the central Anatolian town of Hacıbektaş, known as the Hajibektash complex.
Traditionally there were twelve of these hierarchical rankings, the most senior being the dedebaba.

Administration

In Albania, the World Headquarters of the Bektashi divides the country into 6 different administrative districts, each of which is called a gjyshata.
During the 1930s, the six gjyshata of Albania set up by Sali Njazi were:
National headquarters in other countries are located in:
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.
No.CongressDateLocationNotes
1First National Congress of the Bektashi14–17 January 1921tekke of Prishta in the Skrapar regionThe name Komuniteti Bektashian was adopted.
2Second National Congress of the Bektashi8–9 July 1924Gjirokastra
3Third National Congress of the Bektashi23 September 1929tekke of Turan near KorçaThe Bektashi declared themselves to be a religious community autonomous from other Islamic communities.
4Fourth National Congress of the Bektashi5 May 1945TiranaXhafer Sadiku Dede was made kryegjysh, and the influential Baba Faja Martaneshi, a communist collaborator, was made secretary general.
5Fifth National Congress of the Bektashi16 April 1950Tirana
6Sixth National Congress of the Bektashi19–20 July 1993Tirana
7Seventh National Congress of the Bektashi23–24 September 2000Tirana
8Eighth National Congress of the Bektashi21 September 2005Tirana
9Ninth National Congress of the Bektashi6 July 2009Tirana

List of Dedebabas

This section lists the Dedebabas of Bektashism.

In Turkey (before 1930)

List of Dedebabas, 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: