Baba Rexheb

Issue 2Summer 2015

A pearl from the sea of divinity, Manifestation of the secret of cAlī;Emperor of the seven climes you are, O Haji Bektash Velī!

-Ali Resmi Baba

Hunkar Haji Bektash VeliMay God sanctify his secret!

Who are the Bektashis and What is Bektashism?

Spiritual Love in Bektashism

How Bektashism was Organized

The Foundations of Islamic Mysticismby Baba Rexheb

A Bektashi Confession of Faith

Bektashi Teachings: An Early Interview with Baba Reshat Bardhi & Baba Bajram Mahmutaj

Bektashi Vestments

Bektashism in Albania & the Balkans

My Dear Joseph: A look at the trials of a prophet

Silence, Laughter and Dem: A First Visit To The Teqe

This magazine is an independent publication and it is not affiliated with the Commission of the First Alba-nian “Teqe Bektashiane” in America. The purpose of this publication is to provide much-needed religious educational material to the Bektashi community in the United States, Canada and other English-speaking lands where a sizable ethnic-Albanian community is present.

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Bektashism: Seeing the Divine in Humanity

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Great Bektashi Poets: Zehra Baxhi page 41

© The Bektashi Community of America

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Haji Dedebaba Edmond Brahimaj: An indefatigable worker for God & Humanity

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This work is dedicated to the first Bektashi saint Rexheb Ferdi Baba

who brought the Path to Truth to the New World.

Ky mekam kaq i stolisur, i ndërtuarë për Babanë,Ky symbol i bektashizmit, që per jetë e shenjtëron,Tregon dashurinë e madhe që njerëzija për të kanë

Si edhe nderin e shquarë që myrshidi ynë gëzon

Gjithë jetën e kushtoi pa u lodhur; pa kursim,Në shërbim të mëmëdheut, në shërbim të Perëndise

Për popullin fort punoi me gjith zëmër pa dallimU udhëhoq gjithmonë nga ndjenjat e mirësisë

Kjo tyrbe përkujton teqenë; e përjetëson,Brez pas brezi nëpër mote falëtore do qëndrojë

Dashamirët që e ndihmuanë lartësish po nderonEdhe pir Haxhi Bektashi gjithnjë do ti bekojë.

Sa herë që e vizitoni këtë vend të shenjtëruar,Drejtoni mendimin tuajë me adhurim të vërtetë

Mos kurseni Fatihanë për Baba jetë-ndruar,Që edhe Zoti kurdoherë në zëmër për jetë t’ju këtë.

The Hierarchy within the Bektashi Community

Bektashinjtë dhe lëvizja kombëtare page 42

100 Vjet Prane Zotit page 45

Nefezet: Kënge Bektashiane page 48

Si Lindi BEKTASHIZMI? page 49

A Note from the Editor

Bektashism has left unforgettable traces everywhere in our Albania and this is commonly known. It is easy, therefore, to understand the rise in interest about this religious order among the public upon the establishment of the First Albanian Bektashi Tekke here in the United States. There is now a great desire to become acquainted with what exactly Bektashism is, with its philosophical foundations, and with its history around the world, espe-cially in Albania.

Despite our modest budget, we have made the decision to bring forth our periodical The Voice of Bektashism precisely to satisfy these demands. This magazine will endeavor to provide all those so interested with extensive information about everything that is desired to be known about Bektashism, especially in regards to its spiritual philosophy and history.

Given that Bektashism rests within the inner, mystical dimension of Islam our periodical will also cover the topic of mysticism (Sufism) and its history, as well as universal Islamic norms. We will try to employ a straightforward style of language so that our publication can be understood by one and all.

We anticipate with eagerness the collaboration of Albanian thinkers in helping to enrich our magazine with more items. The columns of The Voice of Bektashism are forever open to all works of social, economic and moral matters intended for the general betterment of humankind.

It is our ardent desire that our magazine will present a wholly spiritual position, staying far away from the numerous worldly trends and political currents prevalent in this time. We ceaselessly stand as advocates of union and brotherhood among all Albanians, and therefore we will indefatigably remove any harmful controversies.

For now we plan to release our periodical twice a year. If we find it welcomed and supported, it will be pub-lish more frequently. We expect the support and cooperation of all Albanians in this endeavor. And in the end we seek success from God Almighty and All-Powerful!

The Editors1954

After settling into the Teqe in 1954, Baba Rexheb immediately began the publication of a semiannual journal entitled Zëri i Bektashizmës (TheVoice of Bektashism). Baba Rexheb originally planned to keep the journal going into the near future and suggested that the frequency of publication could be expanded to quarterly depending on the interest and funding. He also solicited writings from talented individuals, stat-ing that the pages of the journal were open to all articles “dealing with moral, social, and economic issues that promote the general good.” It seems, however, that this appeal for community involvement was un-successful in moving people to participate, even financially. Only four issues of Zëri i Bektashizmës were ever published (1954-1955) and, as far as can be discerned, all the articles (barring letters) contained within were written by Baba Rexheb himself. In spite of its fleeting existence, Zëri i Bektashizmës, proved to be a veritable goldmine of information on Bektashi history, doctrine and practice. Each of the four issues is a uniform 32 pages in length and, surprisingly, they contain articles in English. The reason for this may reflect Baba Rexheb’s desire to make Bektashism accessible not only to second-generation English-speaking Albanian-Americans but to the general American public as well.

WHO ARE THE BEKTASHIS AND WHAT IS BEKTASHISM?

The Bektashi Sufi Order is one of the many mystical branches of Islam. Found-ed in the 13th century by the Sufi mystic Hajji Bektash Veli, the ultimate goal of this path is the perfection of the human soul. It is a path which fortifies its wayfarers with ethical and spiritual principles, bringing them closeness to God. Being founded on Islamic principles, Bektashism offers the world a unique and distinctive reading of the Qur’an, the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, the Twelve Imams and the great Sufi saints. In keeping with authentic teachings of Islam, Bektashis respect all faiths and human beings. For as the great Albanian-American Bektashi saint, Baba Rexheb, once stated, this tekke “keeps its doors open to all. And, following faithfully the way of Hajji Bektash, it always preaches peace, love and brotherhood among all Albanians and all people.”

Since its foundation, Bektashi tekkes [lodges] played an important role in Mus-lim religious life in Anatolia and the Balkans. Bektashi babas and dervishes spread their mystical interpretation of Islam throughout Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Kosova, Hungary, Egypt and Iraq. A presence has even been established in North America. In these lands Bektashis quickly earned a reputation for being forward-looking, tolerant and liberal with others, aiding peaceful interaction be-tween peoples of all faiths and ethnicities.

The doors of Bektashi tekkes are forever open to all. To give those who may not be aware a better idea of this point, here is a portion of a description regarding tekkes in Albania that was published in an issue of the literary review Albania from the year 1897, which was produced in Belgium by the Albanian intellectual Faik Konitza:

A person journeying in Albania makes out a tekke from afar. It is situated in picturesque scenery, far away from the homes of people. It is surround-ed by many trees, especially those of apple and apricot, fruits preferred by Bektashis. These trees are so full that they are bent over from their yield. You are now before the tekke, which is a single-floored structure, irregu-lar in shape, simple and cool, and whitewashed with lime. The window shutters are the colour of green grass. You pass through the threshold of a large door, which, in general, is never closed, day or night. You then find yourself in an expansive courtyard where dervishes are sitting, warmed by the sun, engaged in leisurely talk. No one comes to ask you what you want. If you so desire, you can access the garden, collect apricots and apples, rest in the shade and then leave as you came. If you approach any of these dervishes, he will address you with tenderness and sincerity and he will accompany you to the baba, who is their leader.

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May 2015

From the Editors

The great positive feedback we received from last year’s inaugural edition of The Bektashi Voice and its enthusiastic reception by the community, have motivated us to move forward. As it should be known by now, The Bektashi Voice (then known as Zëri Bektashizmës) was started by Baba Rexheb and others in 1954 with the intent to provide religious education to the Albanian Bektashi community residing in the United States and Canada. Regrettably, a lack of consistent funding prevented the continuation of what could have been an outstanding and valuable source of information about Bektashism from the pens of men who were truly masters of it. It is our humble intention to motivate the community to participate and to educate them in the foundations of Bektashism so that their lives may find the great spiritual treasures hidden within this mystic path.

In the two decades since Baba Rexheb’s passing from this fleeting dunya there has been a significant and frightful decline not only in our community’s numbers but also in the activity that takes place in the Teqe. I say “frightful” because unless our tradition and our Teqe has the support and involvement of our young people, there will be no community to carry this great spiritual project forward once the generation of those who personally served Baba Rexheb have passed – and year by year they are!

Assimilation (a process which accompanies social mobility in an open society) has already taken place, whether we like it or not. Case in point: I was recently at the Teqe when a middle-aged lady (who was a first generation Albanian-American) and her teenage son came to discuss some personal issues with our dervish. While the lady could speak a degree of Albanian, her son could barely understand a word. Our children, grandchildren and great-grand children must be taught to understand and cherish their heritage, their ancestral Bektashi ways and their Teqe. Unfortunately, we rarely find, for a great number of reasons, young people gathering in the Teqe. While we love seeing our elder brothers and sisters and the wisdom and connection to the past they bring, our youth must be given a priority. THEY ARE THE FUTURE OF BEKTASHISM!

Our Bektashi way is such a beautiful spiritual path, and its teachings of universal love and brotherhood deserve to be spread beyond the borders of our community. This Teqe, founded with the blood, sweat and tears of a community united in its love for Bektashism and for Baba Rexheb, this holy place, deserves to be maintained and passed to the generations yet to come.

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Spiritual LoveIN BEKTASHISM

-Baba RexhebA central tenet in Bektashi spirituality is mahabbah,

or God-directed love. This concept has been expounded upon so much by Bektashis that it can be considered the power that gives meaning to human existence. The basis for this belief can be found in the many Qur’anic verses which speak about love, as well as the numerous sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. For instance, we have:

Say to them [O Muhammad ]: If you love God follow me; then God will love you and forgive you

your sins. And God is Forgiving and Merciful.(Surah Āl-i Imrān 3:31)

In addition we have this saying of the Prophet: “Who dies in a state of unrequited love and remains chaste, he shall be counted among the holy martyrs and will receive the greatest of rewards.”

These and other proofs from the sacred texts of Islam have compelled Bektashis to cultivate and increase their love of God. Bektashis have, in fact, given so much weight to this that they have described it as being the source of every merit as well as the amender of all failings. Love en-courages the mind to focus on the removal of everything other than God (mā siwā). Bektashis say that it is the vehi-cle by which one approaches God and vanishes into Him.

No other force in the universe is loftier than love of God, for it inspires a true understanding of everything. The foundation of this love is not love for the sake of one-self but rather love for the beloved, whom the wayfarer loves on a scale so grand that it causes lover and beloved to totally unite, becoming a single soul. It is for this that the wayfarer would cheerfully sacrifice everything.

Such love is the very quintessence of what can truly be called life. Real death is not the ending of bodily func-tions; real death is when such love is nowhere to be found in a heart. When there is love there is no death. In the same way that an alchemical elixir turns copper into gold, transcendental love of God can turn a person into a price-less diamond. One has no defenses to stop the arrow of this love from penetrating the heart nor does one have the power to break it once it has taken hold. It is a most ex-pansive arena in spirituality, about which the Qur’an itself speaks:

Say to them (O Muhammad!): “Verily, I am com-manded to serve God with heartfelt devotion.”

(Surah az-Zumar 39:11)

Love can be thought of as being like a poison lying inside a curative bezoar stone; an antidote containing some of the very poison it is meant to cure. Like this, the fire of true love within the heart of the lover is both pain and cure. Love is not like the sun which rises and sets. Love inces-santly spreads its glow, causing the place where it abides to be bathed in its light. Love can make the weak strong and the coward brave. It can melt iron and soften stone into clay. Knowing this, some of the wise have advised:

Take no notice, my dear friend, of your neigh-bor’s daughter; rather look to the everlasting splen-dor of God! It is a beauty which neither grows old nor diminishes. It is continuously vibrant, fresh and everlasting. Why water down your life with the temporal, since a man without love for the divine is like a tree that bears no fruit?Love conceals failings and covers shortcomings. For

a mystic to keep himself from error would be sheer hy-pocrisy without love. For the sake of love God spoke the command: “Be” and the cosmos came into being. Imām cAlī said that if you want to reach everlasting life you must dissolve yourself in love of God. Then you will be forever memorable. This transcendental love is not only realized between lover and beloved, it also exists between the lov-ers of the beloved, in keeping with the words of our exalt-ed cAlī: “He who is a friend of my enemy is likewise my foe, even if he offers me his love.”

We must emphasize again that love is the highest of spiritual traits. God was a hidden treasure wanting to be uncovered by means of love; and this love prompted Him to create. Love is king on the throne of the heart and a heart in which love does not exist is like a throne without a king. Love is like fire without smoke, like a road without end, like a lock without a key – and whosoever manages to enter its door will be locked within, unable to escape!

For these and other reasons Bektashis have been in-spired to pursue mystical love with their utmost being, singing of its enchantments in countless verses and poems over the centuries, down to this day...

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HOW BEKTASHISM WAS ORGANIZED

Haji Bektash Veli - A Summary of His Life

The Bektashi order was organized in 1256 by the saintly Haji Bektash. His Holiness Haji Bektashi was from Persia, were he born in the city of Nishapur in the region of Khorasan, in the year 1220. He hailed from a noble family that descended from the Prophet Muhammad’s grandsons; therefore he was given the title of sayyid. His genealogy is thus: Haji Bektash was the son of Sayyid Ibrahim-i Thani, who was the son of Sayyid Musa, who was the son of Sayy-id Hasan, who was the son of Sayyid Ibrahim, who was the son of Sayyid Mahdi, who was the son of Sayyid Muhammad, who was the son of Sayyid Hasan, who was the son of Ibrahim Mukarram al-Mujab, who was the son of Imam Musa al-Kaz-im who is known by all as one of the Twelve Imams and is a descendant of the Ahl ul-Bayt, the Holy Household.

His father was the ruler and governor of the tribes in Khorasan. His mother was Lady Hatimeh, a daughter of one of the eminent families on Nishapur. Her father, Ahmad Efendi, had been one of the scholars of that region.

Haji Bektash - who from the time of his early days - became distinguishable with qualities rare for children. From that time he began his studies in the schools of Persia. He was distinguished from all students for his intelligence,

wisdom and exemplary conduct. He never displeased his friends. On the contrary, when they did something wrong to him he would pardon and counsel them. He never cast a glance at others shortcomings, rather he got along well with everyone, so much so that he gained the affection of one and all. Everywhere he gained the sympathy of everyone. In this way he continued his studies and, when he grew, graduated from all secular schools of the day.

At the age of maturity Haji Bektash began mystical les-sons from the illustrious Lukman Perende, one of the great mystic teachers of that region. He committed himself whole-heartedly to this branch of knowledge and garnered great moral success. Thus inspired by these spiritual principles he completely withdrew from the world and dedicated himself to his spiritual ideals.

When his father, Ibrahim, passed away all sought with perseverance for him to follow in his footsteps and rule the country. However Haji Bektash did not accept this request in any manner. He always pursued his path, the path to spiritual perfection and served always this ideal.

Finally, in 1250, Haji Bektashi took spiritual initia-tion (nasip) from the famous saint, Khwaja Ahmad Yasawi.

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In 1255 he was inspired and ordered him to go to Anatolia (Rum) as a missionary and spread there his sacred spiritual principles. Haji Bektash did not refuse the command of his spiritual teacher, and immediately was prepared to go.

Before he went to Anatolia, he went first and visited the tomb of the great Ali in the city of Najaf, Iraq, where he stayed for forty days making incessant prayer. At the ap-propriate time he went to Mecca to carryout the obligatory the Islamic pilgrimage and where he took the title “Haji,” by which he was known ever after.

Haji Bektash afterwards visited the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad in Madinah, where he spent forty days making prayer. He then visited Palestine and Syria and many other sacred places, visiting many other prophets in a row.

In the end, in 1255, he arrived at the ordained place in Solucakarahuyuk (in Anatolia), where he met many other mystics. At first he faced many objections from them, but Haji Bektash with his skill, his inspiring language, and his documented spiritual pedigree, astonished them and they all submitted to him without any resistance.

In 1256 he established there the first Bektashi tekke in the world, the greatest Bektashi center, whose picture we shall reproduce below. He organized all the Bektashi cere-monies, and from time to time with hundreds of people he visited and took initiation from him. Day by day multiplied spiritual members to the extent that Bektashism spread and was heard in all parts of Anatolia. After spreading through-out Turkey, Haji Bektash sent missionaries abroad, so that in his lifetime the number of clerics reached 999 thousand while the number of spiritual believers to about 7 million people.

Haji Bektash, having successfully served his ideals by enlightening the whole world with the principles of Bek-

tashism, in 1313, at the age of 93 years, passed from this life and was buried with the highest honors in the land of the tekke, a large beautiful tomb, which today is visited by people from around the world. In his honor all of the land around the tekke took his name and it carries this to this day.

Haji Bektash, besides the light of Bektashism which had made great service to humanity, had also left two manuscripts. One has the title Makalat-i Haji Bektash Veli, which means the “Words of Haji Bektash Veli.” The other is the Fava’id ul-Fukara’, which is “Advice for the Destitute.” These two outstanding works are in foreign languages. Regrettably they are not yet translated into our language so that Albanians could take advantage of their superb spiritual expressions.

In addition to these works, Haji Bektash also ut-tered may mystical poems, which are sung to the mel-odies during the muhabets held in Bektashi tekkes. We are left as an inheritance many of his wise words and sayings, one of which, in his honor, is reproduced be-low:

“Indeed! If you are connected to me spiritual-ly, you are close at hand, even if you are in far-away Yemen. But if you are not with me spir-itually, you might as well be in Yemen, even though you are standing right next to me.”

May God endow us with His light!

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Islamic mysticism – which is more commonly known throughout the world as Sufism (or tasawwuf) – is a wellspring of life for the human soul, for when the spirituality so stirred by Sufism establishes its throne in the heart, by aid of heavenly directives, all selfishness and materialism begins to fade away. When this occurs its gifts will come into fruition.

Sufism engenders a state of awareness that seeks to guide spiritual wayfarers along the path of perfection by providing them with an all-embracing ethical outlook. Such an outlook purifies the individual from the crass vulgarity of the material world. Its cleansing prepares the wayfarer for the ultimate goal of unifying with the beloved, who is none other than God Almighty. Su-fism is, in fact, a mirror that reflects a person’s spiri-tual wellbeing. This mirror gives those striving along the mystical path the benefit of being able to purify their heart by means of introspection, for introspec-tion allows the shrouds of passion that encircle the heart to be lifted.

By constantly curbing and combating lustful de-sires the spiritual wayfarer will find the strength to abandon all the diseases that afflict the character. When worldly desires begin to weaken, the transcendent ele-ment hidden within all human beings will take bloom in the heart, its seeds having been planted by introspection, contemplation and self-accountability.

Being adherents of the mystical path of Islam, the Sufis can corroborate the statements presented above by way of this hadīth kudsī (divine saying), where God de-clares:

My heavens and My earth cannot contain Me, but I can be contained within the heart of My

faithful servant.God’s infinite light is thus to be found in the hearts of

those who sincerely devote themselves to the spiritual path-way. In fact, the light generated by those traveling this path has the strength to purge every imperfection and desire from the heart. This is much like how a diamond, once extracted from muck and mire, is washed off in order to present its true na-ture. The spiritual wayfarer can likewise attain his or her true and splendid nature through cleansing, thereby discovering countless secret treasures after being obliterated before the very throne of God. This mystical state of obliteration is call bakā’ billah by the Sufis, and it means “Abiding in God.”

THE QUR’ANMysticism has been present among human beings

long before the advent of historical Islam, for it is a phe-nomenon that springs out of the mists of antiquity. Sufis, however, stress that their particular approach to spiritual-ity flows out of the very core of Islam, springing out of the majestic Qur‘an, the Divine Sayings (hadīth kudsī), as well as the sayings and conduct of the Prophet Muhammad as recorded in the hadīth.

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by Baba Rexheb

The Foundations ofIslamic Mysticism

Those Qur’anic verses conveying mystical insights are abundant; among these is one where God addresses the Prophet Muhammad, saying:

And you (O Muhammad) threw not when you threw, but rather it was God who threw…

[Surah al-Anfal 8:17It is important for us to explain the context of this

verse to allow our readers to gain a greater understand-ing of its profound meaning. In the second year after the Hijrah the polytheist Meccans assembled a huge army in order to launch a surprise attack on the illustrious Prophet Muhammad and his followers. To counter this offensive the Muslim army went forth from Madinah and met the Meccans at the wells of Badr on the 17th day of the month of Ramadan. This battle was made all the more perilous by the fact that it was carried out at a time when the Muslim community was in a vulnerable condition.

As the battle raged God commanded the blessed Prophet to grab a handful of sand and throw it towards the enemy ranks. The sand immediately materialized in front of the Meccan army as a powerful dust storm, causing blindness amongst them. Consequently, their assault ground to a halt. The Muslim warriors, seeing the attack of their foes falter, counterattacked and over-came the idolaters.

The victory at Badr presented an opening for the Prophet’s teachings to spread far and wide. The founda-tions of Islam were thus laid, foundations that no adver-sary has been able to shatter ever since.

The saintly mystics of Islam have excavated many meanings from the aforementioned verse of the Qur’an, seeing it is evidence of God’s absolute command over everything. Every act or movement that an individu-al makes originates from God and goes back to God. To give a simple allegory, the Sufis say that human be-ings are to God like pens in the hand of a scribe. The pens may write, but they are moved and directed by the scribe.

In addition to the verse mentioned above, we have this sacred verse which states:

God is the Light of the heavens and the earth.[Sūrah an-Nūr 24:35

We also have verse 115 of Sūrah al-Bakarah, wherein God declares:

Wheresoever you turn, there is the Face of God…[Sūrah al-Bakarah 2:115

The Sufis view this particular verse as being proof for the mystical theories of wahdat ul-wujūd (the unity of existence) and wahdat ush-shuhūd (unity of witness), both of which will be discussed later on in our book. Here God declares that He can be found permeating all of cre-ation. Then we have this verse in which God declares:

O you who believe! If any from among you abscond your Faith, soon will God produce a people whom He will love as they will love Him, gentle with the believers, strong against the immoral, struggling in the way of God, and never afraid of the accusations of the fault-finders. That is the grace of God, which He will bestow on whom He pleases. And God en-

compasses all, and He knows all things.[Sūrah al-Mā’idah 5:54

In this sacred verse Sufis find confirmation of the emphasis they lay on love for God. According to their standpoint, this love is of two kinds: firstly there is the love God has towards spiritually perfected human be-ings; and secondly, there is the love that humans have for God, both of which ‒ as can be seen ‒ are included in this Qur’anic verse. Further on we read God saying in the Qur’an:

Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were of one piece, and We

separated them…[Sūrah al-Anbiyā’ 21:30

As with all the other verses cited thus far, the Sufis have extracted many profound insights from this par-ticular one as well, primarily that it forms a basis for the concept of the primordial “Muhammadan Reality” (Hakīkat-i Muhammadiyya), the underlying and all-en-compassing foundation of everything in the vast expanse of the cosmos. According to this concept the essence of everything in existence was pre-eternally condensed within the “Muhammadan Reality.” At the commence-ment of creation everything subsequently developed out of this single reality into the forms they were destined to possess. This concept is somewhat complex and has been the subject of extensive discussion and debate be-tween Sufi and non-Sufi thinkers. The great 13th century mystic Ibn cArabī wrote an extensive study of this theory in his work Fusūs ul-Hikām (The Bezels of Wisdom), a study of which we hope to provide our readers with if an opportunity opens in the future.

Moreover, Sufis base their understanding of such topics as repentance, forgiveness, patience, reliance on God, prayer, remembrance, forsaking the world etc., on the following verses of the sublime Qur’an:

And seek forgiveness of God. Indeed, God is ever Forgiving and Merciful.[Surat An-Nisā’ 4:106

Be mindful of your duty to God, and seek the way of approach unto Him...[Sūrah Al-Mā’idah 5:35

O you who believe! Persevere in patience and constancy…[Sūrah Āli `Imrān 3:200

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O you who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance...

[Sūrah at-Tahrīm, 66:8

And turn not away those who invoke their Lord, morning and afternoon seeking His Face.

[Sūrah al-’An`ām 6:52

And worship your Lord until the certitude comes up to you.[Sūrah al-Hijr 15:99

Know that this world’s life is only sport and play and gaiety and boasting among yourselves, and a vying in the multiplication of wealth and children, like the rain, whose causing the vegetation to grow, pleases the husbandmen, then it withers away so

that you will see it become yellow, then it becomes dried up and broken down; and in the hereafter is a severe chastisement and (also) forgiveness from Allah and (His) pleasure; and this world’s life is

naught but means of deception.[Sūrah al-Hijr 15:99

And rely on the Ever-living Who dies not, and celebrate His praise…

[Sūrah al-Furkān 25:58

Verily, the promise of God is true: let not, then, this present life deceive you, nor let the chief deceiver

[Satan] deceive you about God.[Sūrah Lukmān 31:33

THE HADĪTH KUDSĪIn addition to the Qur’an the Sufis likewise base

their spiritual perspectives on the hadīth kudsī, the extra-Qur’anic words that God imparted to the blessed Prophet Muhammad. One of the more well-known of these sayings is:

I was a hidden treasure and loved to be known. Therefore I created the Creation that I might be

known.

The mystics of Islam stress that these words reveal God’s primordial love for His creation, and that the en-tire cosmos was brought into existence solely for the sake of recognizing His love. They assert that in pre-eternity God was as He always has been and that nothing else existed save Him. God then desired to behold something other than Himself, and so He brought the universe into existence. Creation is nothing other than a glorious mir-ror of Himself. In another hadīth kudsī, God says:

And the most beloved things with which My slave comes nearer to Me is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps coming closer to Me through performing extra-obligatory worship until I love him, so I become his hearing with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks…

These words illustrate how those who submerge themselves in God’s love are eventually united with the divine presence, much like a lover with the beloved, or as the spirit is to its essence. This hadīth kudsī gives a clear explanation of the concept of ittihād. This is the state when the perfected human (insān-i kāmil) ‒ having been annihilated within the never-ending and limitless divine ‒ merges with God. In the condition ittihād the mystic lover is reduced to ashes. He is dissolved into the ultimate beloved: God Almighty ‒ Who endures without equal. When this feat transpires the lover becomes one, in form and essence, with the beloved. In this transcen-dent state the perfected human finds that every act car-ried out and every word spoken arises not from his or her own ego, but rather that it comes from God. This is in accordance with the Qur’anic verse that addresses the Prophet’s own spiritual rank:

Nor does he speak out of his own desire...[Surat An-Najm 53:3

This sacred verse reveals that the blessed Muhammad no longer existed as an individual. Any notion of self that he may have had was extinguished in the divine. What appeared thereafter was his true reality.

THE HADĪTHS In addition to the hadīth kudsī there exist many

other mystical sayings, or hadīths, that were uttered from sacred mouth of the Prophet Muhammad. Among the more famous is this:

He who knows himself knows his Lord.

Commenting on this particular hadīth the Sufis maintain that those who aspire to traverse the spiritu-

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al path must first come to realize that they are nothing; and having reached this point, they must be prepared to truly recognize that the only genuine existence is the existence of God. We also have this blessed hadīth from the Prophet, where he says:

Your greatest foe is the desire that emanates from between your two sides [i.e. your body].

In accordance with these words the Sufis continu-ally battle to restrain any anger, lust or desire that may arise within; for only by purifying themselves from all vice will they be able to adorn their character with com-mendable conduct.

In addition to the two aforementioned hadīths ‒ using the unassailable words of God’s Messenger to prove their point ‒ the Sufis have demarcated the vari-ous grades that the spiritually perfected possess in the mystical realm in comparison to the martyrs, saints, and prophets. The words of the Prophet regarding this issue are thus: “Among God’s servants are some who are neither prophets, nor martyrs, but their rank with their Lord on the Day of Judgment will be so high that the prophets and martyrs will envy them.”

After the exalted Prophet Muhammad had spoken these words one of his companions asked: “Who are these people, O Messenger of God? Tell us about their characteristics so that we may know of them and per-haps come to love them.” The noble Prophet then an-swered this question: “They are those who are lovers of God. They have forsaken worldly ties and the charm of this life. Their faces are filled with divine light [nūr] and they remain focused on that radiance. When others fear, they are not afraid, and when others are angry and wor-ried, there is neither worry nor anger nor other concern among them.”

When these blessed words came to an end, the Prophet then recited this Qur’anic verse:

Verily, the Friends of God [awliyā’ullah], there is no worry upon them, nor do they grieve…

[Sūrah Yūnus 10:62

Thus these hadīths, these prophetic maxims, are part of the foundation on which our Sufis base their spir-itual endeavors. We should not forget to say that these mystics had as an exemplar the Prophet Muhammad, both in his life and conduct, something that we shall ex-plain in the subsequent section.

THE NOBLE PROPHET MUHAMMAD In keeping with the recommendations of the Sufis

we shall now cast a brief glance at the life and personality of the exalted Prophet Muhammad, for it is in the exam-ple laid out by his life that we can see all of the essentials of Sufism clearly presented.

Prior to the revelation of the Qur’an and his ordi-

nation as a prophet, the noble Muhammad’s habit was to retire to a solitary cave atop Mount Hira, which lay out-side of the city of Mecca. There he would seclude himself day and night, sometimes for months at a time. During this isolation he would extinguish every worldly thought from his mind, ceaselessly polishing his heart and focus-ing on the One who created everything. It should come as no surprise that a man of such lofty caliber would thrust aside the whole world in this way, remaining in solitude, absorbed in the divine. In doing so he con-verged with reality and dissolved into it.

The noble Muhammad would sit serenely in the ab-solute stillness of the cave atop Mount Hira. His mind and heart were forever focused far away from the affairs of the material world and stripped of any consideration for it. Whilst his physical eyes could see nothing within the dark cave, the intuitive vision within his heart grew intoxicated as he contemplated the flawless and masterly creator, Hakk, the Real, beholding both the splendor of existence as well as that of its exalted designer.

Whenever the sacred month of Ramadan came around blessed Muhammad would drop everything and depart to his cave, giving it his full attention. He would totally set aside all worldly concerns in this sanctuary, which allowed him to inhale the spiritual life that Sufis would later speak about. This intense focus on spirituali-ty, furthermore, caused his innermost self to be unveiled, his mind to sharpen, and his heart to be purified. Every-thing now came to be seen through the lens of Reality.

Thus, with the passage of time the door of truth opened, and when he reached the age of forty, the honor-able Muhammad was suitably prepared with worthiness and spiritual capability to embark on his exalted mission.

As Muhammad’s enchantment with the Beloved’s splendor deepened, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to him one night. Drawing near to Muhammad the angel declared:

Read! In the name of your Lord Who created! He created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is

Most Honorable, Who taught with the pen. Taught man that which he knew not…

[Sūrah al-cAlaq 96:1-5

With the command to “read” Gabriel conveyed verses of the Qur’an to the exalted Muhammad for the very first time. However, being bewildered by this super-natural experience, Muhammad told the angel that he could not read, after which the angel repeated the com-mand to “read” twice more. When Gabriel voiced the order for a third time, Muhammad began to articulate these heavenly words with lucidity and a clear tongue, and at that moment he was charged with the burden of prophethood, as well as the enormous responsibility of carrying divine revelation.

We should not imagine that the Prophet Muhammad

only undertook such mystical exercises in the days prior to his prophetic mission. Not in the least! For even af-ter revelation his spiritual state continued to ceaselessly and exponentially expand. In fact, throughout his entire life he demonstrated an upright lifestyle that is so well known to Muslims. He was completely submerged in di-vine love, and he thrust aside all worldly concerns for its sake, thus passing on his life as a venerated model of virtue to his Sufi heirs.

The Prophet’s unequaled moral status can be pow-erfully established through innumerable examples pro-vided in his biography. The most clear and noteworthy proof of his magnificent spiritual rank is the extraordi-nary event called the ‘Isrā’ wa’l-Micrāj, an event men-tioned in the Qur’an and given extensive commentary in major Islamic religious works, works that are still in circulation today.

For those who may not be familiar with this event, the ‘Isrā’ wa’l-Micrāj was the night when the Prophet was escorted by the Angel Gabriel from the Kacbah (Masjid ul-Harām) to the al-Aksa sanctuary, which is located

in modern-day Palestine. While on this supernatural voyage all unfathomable mysteries were revealed to the Prophet, allowing him to finally arrive at the highest of all conceivable spiritual ranks.

In the course of this mystical journey a sacred rit-ual was held during which the Prophet was bequeathed the spiritual prototypes of, among other things, the tāj, khirka and kemer. These vestments were later inherited and adopted by our Bektashi mystics.

Further display of the Prophet’s spiritual character can be observed in his daily habits. Many times he ob-served perhīz (abstinence), eating very little or not at all. He dressed simply at all times, for he disliked showiness. He also did not look favorably upon excessive material wealth. Rather, our Prophet led a modest life, and it is this lifestyle that would be later emulated by the Sufis.

For most of the time the Prophet Muhammad was found night and day engaged in prayer in the corner of his sanctuary. His eyes and mind were continually di-rected to his love for God, who is the Lord of Reality. Indeed, the Prophet was endlessly occupied with prayer, so much so that his feet often became swollen from his standing in devotion. He would often remain prostrat-ing in worship for long hours. One day a companion of his asked: “O Messenger of God! So many verses of the Qur’an have been revealed to you. Why do you under-go all of these hardships despite the fact that God has already forgiven you of any previous or potential short-comings?” The blessed Prophet responded: “Should I not then be a grateful servant to my Lord?” Furthermore, another one of his companions recalled that the Prophet once said: “I swear by God that I seek His pardon and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.”

The guidance and teachings that the Prophet gave to his followers focused on worshiping One God, aban-doning sinful deeds, seeking heavenly forgiveness, shun-ning desire for the transitory things of this world, and continually striving to purify the heart.

At present let us turn to some of the sayings of the exalted Prophet, a man who was at all times true to his word, and who forever made known what was right and good. Whenever any of his followers faced difficulties he advised them to be patient, to thank God and to seek forgiveness. He said:

If God wishes good for one of His slaves He seeks for him to deepen his pious efforts. God then makes him leave the worries of this world and shows all of his shortcomings needed to be improved upon.

He further gave this counsel in regards to spiritual matters:

If you see a man who is graced with renunciation in this world, and who has weak rhetorical skills, come close to that man and stick to his side, for indeed he

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A 16th century Persian painting of the Prophet’s ascent into the heavens.

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is inspired with wisdom (hikmah). And he relayed this statement from God Himself:

None of My servants can approach Me, except those who meet Me having performed what I have commanded. Then My servant does not cease to approach Me through voluntary worship until I will love him. When I love him, I will become the ears with which he hears, the eyes with which he sees the hand with which he acts and the tongue with which he speaks.

On another occasion, the Prophet said: Cleanliness is half of faith, while “Praise be to God” fills the other half, and “Glory be to God” and “God is Greater” fills up what is between the heavens and the earth. Prayer is illumination, while charity is a verification of one’s faith; patience is brightness and the Qur’an is evidence (burhān) either on your behalf or against you. All people go out ear-ly in the morning and sell themselves, either setting them-selves free or being ruined.

The Prophet also said: God is nearer to you than you are to your own soul. Men-tion God when you are in a good position, and do not forget that He will give His support in time of misfortune. Wisdom is to know that what is to be has been preordained by God and that it will come in time; and what does not occur was not written to be. But know that the patient will triumph. Joy and sorrow are but sister and brother. Know that along with every difficulty there is certain relief.

Again he said out of his sublime humbleness: O people! Seek forgiveness from God. Seek His mercy; for I myself ask God for pardon a hundred times a day.

We can additionally see examples of the Prophet’s spir-itual state in the supplications he made to his Lord:

O Lord! I turn only to You! It is in You that I place my faith! Only upon You do I rely! For You I have struggled and for You is my remembrance! O my Lord! Before You

I plead, for whom can I implore other than You? Do not place upon me sufferings I cannot bear! You are the Living and Everlasting! All else comes and goes, yet You

remain eternal!

O Lord! Compel me to pray and make me steadfast! Diminish my stature in my own eyes and magnify me in

the eyes of people!

O Lord! Help me to know! Make me satisfied with mer-cifulness! Honor me with Your protection and bestow

upon me wellbeing!

O Lord! Please give me what is good, and protect me! En-dow me with a virtuous character and increase my obedi-

ence to You, so that I may carry out Your commands! Such blessed utterances of the Prophet have been re-

peatedly rehearsed by the Sufis ‒ the mystics of Islam. These prayers clearly reveal the immeasurable spiritual vision that was present in the life and works of the exalted Prophet Muhammad.

A Bektashi Confession of FaithCommunist control over Albania, and its subsequent war against religion, plunged the Bektashi community into a great state of unawareness re-garding the foundations of its faith. Because of this, is very important to know what we - as Bektashis - believe and to know why we believe the things we do. The following is a succinct “confession of faith” taken from a Bektashi manual (erkanāmeh) written during the early part of the 19th century. The original text is in Ottoman Turkish (the devotional language of Albanian Bektashis prior to independence) and the manual was found in the State Archives in Tirana. This poor one’s commentary and clarification follows each point of belief. Of course, Bektashi spirituality is an ocean of infinite depth. While these points have a surface meaning that all can understand, they also have hidden meanings that can only be discovered by progressing on the spiritual path!

In the Name of the Shah, Allah Allah!1. I am a slave of God Almighty.We Bektashis believe in One God, who is the creator and sustainer of the universe. We believe all of creation is a mirror reflecting God, which is why we see the divine in everything. For as the Qur’an says: “And to God belongs the east and the west. So wherever you turn, there is the Face of God.” 2. My origin is from Adam, the choicest of God.We Bektashis believe that all of humanity descends from the first man, Adam, and his wife, Eve. After God created Adam’s form, He breathed into him of His own spirit. This is why we treat every hu-man being with respect: because we are all genetically related at some point, and (more importantly) because God is in Man.3. I am from the nation of Abraham, the friend of God.We Bektashis believe in all of the prophets and messengers sent by God to reveal Truth and to teach righteousness. According to tra-dition, God sent 124,000 of these special human beings to guide humankind, the first being Adam and the last being Muhammad. Abraham is one of the great prophets of God, an uncompromising monotheist from whom descended Moses, David, Jesus and Mu-hammad.4. I am from the community of our master, Muhammad ul-Mustafa.We Bektashis believe in God’s final messenger and prophet, Muham-mad. He is important because it is he who brings revelation (God to Muhammad).5. I am a servant of Ali ul-Murteza, may God ennoble his face.We Bektashis believe that Imam Ali is the rightful successor and in-heritor of the mystic knowledge that was given to the Prophet Mu-hammad by God. If it is Muhammad who brings revelation from God to us, it is Imam Ali who takes us back to God. 6. I am the humble sacrifice of Husain, the martyr of Karbala.We Bektashis take as a sublime example of sacrifice for Truth the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Husain. He was martyred at the Battle of Karbala along with seventy-two of his disciples. We commemorate this sacrifice every year during the first ten days of the month of Muharrem, when we fast, recall the events of his martyr-dom and reflect on its meaning in our own lives.7. I am a poor one of the pillar of the Gnostics, Hunkar Haji Bektash Veli.We Bektashis follow the mystic path laid down by the pillar of saint-hood, Haji Bektash Veli. He is our pīr, or supreme spiritual master. He is the embodiment of all of the hidden teachings of Muhammad and Ali. We refer to ourselves as “poor ones” (or fakīr), because – as Baba Rexheb writes - our hearts should be destitute of all else save the Beloved (i.e. God).8. I am from the holy fools of our master Pir Balım Sultān.We Bektashis are the disciples of the “second pīr,” Balım Sultān. It was

Balım Sultān who codified the organization, rituals and rites that we use to advance toward God. We refer to ourselves as “holy fools” (bu-dala) because, ideally, we should be unconcerned with what others may say of our being madly in love with God.9. I am from the saved sect and a servant of the Family of the Mantle.We Bektashis belong to the saved sect, because we follow and adore the “Family of the Mantle” who are: the Prophet Muhammad, his daughter Fatimah, his son-in-law Ali, and his grandsons, Hasan and Husain.10. My religion is Islam, my book is the Generous Qur’an and my direc-tion of prayer is the Noble Ka’bah.We Bektashis are followers of the true Islam given to Muhammad, taught by Ali and passed to us through the long line of saints down to us. We reject all who oppose these holy people and we accept all who are their friends. We believe that the Qur’an is the word of God and we accept both its outward and inward meanings – not simply the outward. Our direction of prayer is the Ka’bah, the House of God. For us, however, the true House of God is the human heart.11. My school of thought is that of Jafar us-Sadik.We Bektashis belong to the school of thought (mezheb) of the sixth imam, Jafar us-Sadik. He is the great-great-great grandson of the Proph-et Muhammad, and the great-great grandson of the martyr Imam Hu-sain. We follow his rulings in the outward (exoteric) form of Islam.12. My spiritual path is the refined Bektashi Way.Out of all of the great spiritual paths (tarikats) of Sufism, ours is the Bektashi Way. If we heed the advice of a true guide (baba, murshid) and maintain resolve through all of the struggles with our ego, we will obtain God’s presence.13. My guide is Muhammad.Our ultimate guide (murshid) is the Prophet Muhammad, who is sym-bolized by our own guide. Our own guide is our baba, our spiritual father. A baba must be a man of great moral integrity, compassion and wisdom and he must, as Baba Rexheb writes, “have reached a level of unassailable spiritual maturity. He must additionally know all of the regulations and the rituals of the Bektashi path. He must have knowl-edge of the subtleties and mysteries of its philosophy, especially those dealing with spiritual awareness, whose depths are not easily grasped.”14. My director is Ali.Our ultimate director (rehber) is Imam Ali, who is symbolized by our own personal director. During our initiation ceremony we are directed through all of the stations of the meydan by an experienced dervish. Our dervish teaches us the proper etiquette and good manners (adab) that we must always display in front of our baba, other dervishes and all spiritual wayfarers.

Hü dost...

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By Muhammed al-AhariBektashi Teachings

An Early Interview with Baba Reshat Bardhi &

Baba Bajram Mahmutaj

The following interview was made with two of Bektashi leaders, Baba Reshat Bardhi (d. 2011) and Baba Bajram Mahmutaj (d. 1997), during their visit to Baba Rexheb and the Taylor Teqe. Both of these Bektashi holy men suffered greatly during communist rule over Albania. Despite this they held on to the hope of salvation, and remained determined in their Bektashi faith. The following interview was made in March, 1992 – shortly after the re-establishment of the Bektashi community in Albania.

Q: Baba Bajram erenler, could you tell us about the ori-gins of Bektashism?

BABA BAJRAM: Our Bektashi tradition holds it that our origins go back to Imam Husain, who was the son of Imam Ali and the grandson of the Prophet Mu-hammad. He fought a great battle against the wicked Yazid, who tried to destroy our faith from inside.

Q: And the sixth imam, Ja’far as-Sadiq, is he not also important in foundation of Bektashism?

BABA BAJRAM: We count Imam Jafar as-Sadik is the great-grandson of Imam Husain and an ancestor of the founder of the Bektashism, Haji Bektash Veli.

Q: Baba Reshat ereler, how is Imam Jafar as-Sadik important for Bektashis?

BABA RESHAT: He is considered a great philosopher by us. Imam Jafar was also a saint in that he foresaw many future events. His knowledge was vast: he wrote on Jesus, on the Prophet Muhammad and on many oth-ers. He had a famous book called Al-Jifir.

Q: His writings? Where are they?

BABA RESHAT: Surely they exist; but in Albania they were destroyed by the communist regime; they burned religious books. Maybe someone has hidden Imam Jafar’s works, but I have not heard anything so far.

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However, we have the “Book of Hajji Bektash.” In the days in which they imprisoned us, we hid it and it was saved. El-Hamdulillah!

Q: What does this particular book discuss?

BABA BAJRAM: It was not written by Haji Bektashi Veli, but rather it talks about his life and deeds. It also speaks of his ancestors, of the instruction he received from his spiritual masters, of his holy journeys...

Q: Is it true that one of the successors of Hajji Bektash, a certain Balım Sultan, who lived between the 15th and 16th centuries, played an important role in the forma-tion of the Bektashi faith?

BABA RESHAT: In this book it also speaks of Balım Sul-tan. He strengthened the foundation of the Bektashism, organized the hierarchy and standardized our rituals.

Q: Is it true that the ritual use of drink originated with him?

BABA RESHAT: Bektashis are allowed to drink, but not so much as to become inebriated. Drink is only present on our table to sweeten conversation between people and we cannot condemn it, because it is a work of creation. Moreover, it’s a key to thoughtful and kind muhabets [meetings]. Yet it can be the source of many problems and it has to be made sure that its use is limit-ed. It’s use is discouraged in the Qur’an, but the holy text does not explicitly forbid it, like eating pork or blood.

Q: But doesn’t this special meal with drink, bread and cheese derive from Balım Sultan?

BABA RESHAT: To my knowledge there is no specific rite for this; it doesn’t exist.

BABA BAJRAM: We make a commemoration of regu-lar dinners, called sofras. We serve all sorts of foods, not just cheese and bread!

Q: And this celebration is?

BABA BAJRAM: We Bektashis make a soup... a sort of minestrone. Then comes juice, mutton, pilav and des-sert. These are common in our sofras.

Q: Are there prayers made during the sofra?

BABA RESHAT: There is a prayer before starting the meal and one at the end.

Q: Are these prayers very ancient?

BABA BAJRAM: They originate from the Qur’an. We don’t take anything unless it’s found in the Qur’an.

Q: But are the words explicitly written in the Qur’an or have they been modified?

BABA RESHAT: They are mostly adaptations, because the Qur’an doesn’t directly present prayers for such spe-cific rites. We receive these prayers from our oral tra-ditions, but they are not something abnormal. We beg God to increase our food, to bless it, to help us, to main-tain the health all of our friends... it is almost the same thing, both at the beginning and at the end.

Q: Who made these adaptations?

BABA BAJRAM: We ascribe them to Imam Jafar as-Sadiq... or to the prophets... since they have written some prayers in this way... but it is impossible to pin-point with certainty who wrote these, but they come down in reality from the great prophets and saints of the past.

BABA RESHAT: Imam Hasan, Imam Husain, Imam Zain ul-Abidin and the other descendants of the Proph-et Muhammad have said different things and they have added commentaries on the Qur’an; but the root of all of it is really the Qur’an.

Q: And the return of the Twelfth Imam, the “Mahdi,” what do you believe of him? Where is the Twelfth Imam now?

BABA BAJRAM: According to the teachings of our Prophet, we are awaiting his arrival. The Gospel like-wise speaks about the same thing.

Baba Bajram with Baba Arshi, 1992.

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Q: The Jews also wait for the Messiah.

BABA BAJRAM: Many have expressed their thoughts, their opinions on this, however only Eternal God knows the truth on such issues.

Q: But this Twelfth Imam, who must come, is he dead or alive?

BABA RESHAT: This is a secret; it’s up to us to have faith at every moment in case he comes in our lifetime. But there are many deeper meanings to the Mahdi, which I cannot speak of now.

Q: I’ve read that he lives in a mysterious world called Hurkalaya. Have you heard of this world?

BABA RESHAT: It is the undisclosed world, concealed, unknown.

Q: Does this secret world resemble Heaven?

BABA BAJRAM: It is not a normal world... it’s really Heaven, the world in which he is existing... of these thoughts, nothing precise can be said. It’s a thing that concerns the soul, the spirit...God has told the Proph-et Muhammad: “When someone inquires about things that concern the soul, never give an answer, because these things are known only to Me.”

Q: I understand! What was the crime of Satan and what will happen to him at the end of the creation?

BABA RESHAT: He will receive punishment for the wickedness he has carried out against humankind. The devil inspires vice and wickedness in us. Who formu-lates evil? It’s Satan. And good? Angels. Beforehand Sa-tan was with the angels; in fact he was their chief. But after God created Adam, and ordered all the angels to bow in adoration before to him, Satan refused. He said: “You have made that creature out of mud! I am

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fire! Therefore I will not adore him!” Then God cursed Satan, and since that time a battle has been waged in which Satan looks to attract to himself more people. God has said that Satan and all those who embrace his ideas will be punished on the Day of Judgment.

Q: When Satan refused to obey God and bow before Adam, didn’t he believe that God was greater than Adam and that only God should be bowed to? He went against God, however at the same time he appreciated God’s greatness...

BABA BAJRAM: It is not true that Satan did not adore Adam out of respect for God’s majesty, because God manifested Himself in Adam, so there is a likeness be-tween God and humans. In addition, Adam knew more things than Satan, because God, making Adam accord-ing to His own form, had endowed him with superior mental abilities to that of Satan, so that Adam was more advanced than the angels who bent before him.

Q: Why is the use of images allowed by Bektashis? Im-ages are forbidden for standard Sunni Muslims.

BABA BAJRAM: We consent to the use of images. It’s the error of other Islamic sects not to accept them.

BABA RESHAT: In our houses or buildings we may put them. However, in the room where we pray [meydan] we usually do not have images.

Q: But could they also be placed in the places of prayer though?

BABA BAJRAM: It’s not forbidden. However, in the room where we pray we only like to have Arabic calligraphy from the Quran, holy sayings and praises of the proph-ets and saints.

Q: What is your interpretation of the term jihad (or holy war)?

BABA BAJRAM: An information war with words, with debates, with round tables. For us, this form of jihad is sanctioned. However we don’t accept war carried out with weapons. The Quran states that killing even one person is like killing all people. How many are killed in war?

Q: Is it also a jihad to overcome obstacles in the path toward God?

BABA BAJRAM: An internal struggle certainly does exist: man fights with his ego. If he has turns to God in prayer, and his desires are not satisfied, he wonders: “My desires aren’t realized? What did I do wrong that my prayer is not received?” If a man sins he feels pun-

ishment inside, remorse... this is the war of the spirit, this is jihad for us.

Q: What would you like to say about being “dervishes”?

BABA BAJRAM: Being a dervish means to possess all the qualities of a virtuous man, to be without vice, to be far-sighted, calm, honorable, and at the same time having knowledge and wisdom... being highly cultured.

Q: Have you heard of the Sufi mystic Al-Hallaj, who was crucified after they cut off his hand and foot? He was on the cross for a night before dying...and from the cross he spoke and he forgave his enemies. Have you heard of him.

BABA BAJRAM: We know that there has been this saint you speak of... he is mentioned in a book on mys-ticism that I had once... I read of him when I was young. However, I don’t remember the story very well now. You see, the communists confiscated my books... I spent fif-teen years in prison... then other fifteen years in the la-bor camps...

Q: Then these are the first years of freedom in a long time!

BABA BAJRAM: Yes! But we have so many problems. Everything has been destroyed by these people and we don’t have the means to rebuild right now.

Q: I read that you have a nice headquarters building in Tirana.

BABA BAJRAM: When we there, there was no floor, the ceiling had fallen to the ground... we fixed as soon as we could...

Q: Before, Bektashis were persecuted in Turkey. Then they moved their headquarters to Albania, where they were eventually persecuted by the communists!

BABA RESHAT: You are right my son! However, the most terrible persecution has been that of the commu-nist, because they not only destroyed bodies but the bones as well!

Q: And with Shi’i Islam. What is the Bektashi relation-ship to it?

BABA BAJRAM: Shi’i Islam is close to Bektashism. However, we lost our connection to it. The persecutions began when Mahmud II killed many of our Bektashi babas. He wanted to kill a million of us, but his moth-er told him that he was committing a serious crime in the eyes of God. However, he had vowed to kill the a million and then - to keep his word - he cut the stone

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turbans off the tombstones of those already dead. Be-fore the time of Mahmud II, Bektashis were present in Iran, in Iraq, in all that countries of the Middle East... in Hungary... then came the witch-hunt. Here in Albania, the communists destroyed everything. We had seventy, or even more, teqes... it is fortunate for us that some faithful ones in the south of Albania succeeded in less-ening the destruction and preserving some of our im-portant books...

Q: Is there a college in Albania for Bektashis at this time?

BABA RESHAT: There is a school with three or four people who want to learn the Bektashi rites.

Q: Is it true that the women don’t veil and that they can speak during your meetings?

BABA BAJRAM: We believe that many other sects of Muslims are fanatical in this regard and that we are lib-eral in this sense. For us woman has been created by Eternal God with all of her rights. She is wife, mother

and for us, sister. Who can deny their mother her rights to love and respect?

Q: Is the act of creation very important therefore?

BABA BAJRAM: It contains important wisdom, be-cause when the Eternal God wanted to manifest Him-self to the world, He did not come in a single person, as the Christians believe. He simply made human beings as a mirror for Himself. Consequently, for us, the mo-ment of creation is very important. In the world, there are a lot of creatures, but the most important is Man. It’s in our best interests to have plentiful discussions on themes related to God, love, creation, spirituality...

Q: Is there something that you’d like to add before we end?

BABA BAJRAM: Yes, my son! Know that we are Mus-lims, and our way is the correct Islam!

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BektashismSeeing the Divine in Humanity

In addition to providing humankind with an enlightening spiritual path Bektash-ism continues to play a positive role in spreading moral dynamism as well as building bridges between people and communities. In the seven centuries since the foundation of their spiritual order, Bektashis have provided the world with many cultural and social achievements. Among these are:

• The transmission of correct spiritual knowledge devoid of dogma-tism, prejudice, gender discrimination and fanaticism.

• The creation of a vast genre of poetic literature revolving around Bektashism’s spiritual teachings. Bektashi poems are famous world-wide for their profound transcendental insight, unambig-uous praise for humanistic values and frequent witty delivery.

• The role of bridge-builders between different religious commu-nities. In Albania and the Balkans Bektashis have often been in the forefront of conciliation and understanding between Christians and Muslims. This position allowed for Bektashis to receive an honored position in the movement for Albanian independence and cultural expression.

• The spiritual counseling and guidance that Bektashi babas and dervishes provided to not only the order’s members, but to peo-ple of all walks of life. This continues to this day.

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Haji DeDebaba eDmonD braHimajAn indefatigable worker for God & Humanity

When the twenty-three year ban on religion was rescinded Dedebaba Mondi totally dedicated his life to the Bektashi Path. He participated in the organizing Council of the World See of the Bektashi Community that was held in Tirana in 1991. On January 2, 1993 he began his life as a Bektashi clergyman by receiving the blessing of Hajji Dedebaba Reshat Bardhi, his spiritual guide and mentor, as well as that of Baba Bajram Mahmutaj.

On May 16, 1996 Dedebaba Mondi was ordained with the rank of dervish and immediately sent to be the pastor of the newly renovated Turan Tekke, near the city of Korça. After having served the community here he was consecrated with the rank of baba, or spiritual master, on April 13, 1997. In this very same year, he was ap-pointed to be the personal representative of Dedebaba Reshat.

Following the passing of Baba Tahir Emini, Dedebaba Mondi was appointed head of the Bektashi commu-nity in the Republic of Macedonia on February 21, 2006.

After the passing of Dedebaba Reshat on April 2, 2011, the High Council of Dedes – the highest authority in Bektashism – met to select the new dedebaba. Finally, on June 11th of that year the council selected Baba Mondi to take the position of dedebaba and thus become the head of the World Bektashi Community.

Since 1992 Dedebaba Mondi was participated in countless national and international forums, doctrinal courses, symposiums, conferences, and meetings with heads of state. He has traveled throughout the world. He has been as guest of the United States State Department, and enjoyed breaking the Ramadan fast with President Obama. Dedebaba Mondi has met with high ranking members of the Turkish government and with prestigious academics. He has been hailed throughout the Balkans as a herald of peace and an envoy of interfaith and inter-ethnic harmony.

Dedebaba Mondi has displayed tremendous devotion determination and skill in leading the rebuilding of a community that had been terribly injured by forty-five years of communism. He has overseen the restitution of confiscated properties and the rebuilding of ruined and demolished tekkes and shrines. Dedebaba Mondi contin-ues to breathe life into a spiritual community based on tolerance, brotherhood and divine love both at home in Albania and around the world.

Hajji Dedebaba Edmond Brahimaj (affectionately known as “Baba Mondi”) was born into a Bektashi family on May 19th 1959 in the village of Brataj, Vlora district, Albania. His father, Hysen Brahimaj, was an important figure in the Bektashi community, for it was he helped keep alive Bektashi teachings clandestinely during the dark era of communist-en-forced state atheism. In his youth Dedebaba Mondi was able to meet a number of the defrocked cler-gymen of the Bektashi community, including the famed Dedebaba Ahmet Myftar (d. 1980).

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The Hierarchy within the Bektashi Community

from John Kingsley Birge’s The Bektashi Order of Dervishes (1937)

The following has been taken from John K. Birge’s book, The Bektashi Order of Dervishes. Although it was researched throughout the 1930’s and published in 1937, this book is still one of the most accurate works on Bektashism in the English language. What also makes it invaluable is Birge’s record of his meetings with the many great and scholarly babas who lived in Albania in the years before the communist takeover. In this section, Birge gives a succinct presen-tation of the different levels and degrees within the hierarchy of the Bektashi order and community.

There does, however, seem to be general agreement on the use of certain terms to describe what might be called degrees. On the fringe of Bektashism, for example, stands the ashik. Literality meaning, “one who loves,” technically it refers to one who is attracted by and feels a certain loyalty to Bektashi prin-ciples and practice but who has not actually taken the nesīp or initiation. In this sense the word may refer to interested in-quirers who are in the process of being drawn into the order. They visit the tekke, talk with the Baba and regular members, perhaps listen to Bektashi music and the singing of Bektashi nefes’es. They are, in fact, candidates for full membership. The word may also be used to refer to members of the family of Bektashi members. Not themselves actually initiated they are, nevertheless, counted as members of the Bektashi community. Their babies are brought to the Babas for blessing. The Baba or Dede may even choose the name for the new baby. In time of trouble the Baba is consulted. On special days he is visited. The Bektashi Baba is, in fact, the pastor of a flock much larger than the bare limits of actual initiated membership would seem to suggest. In the case, for example, of the Turan tekke just out-side Korçe, Zylfo Baba who is both the head of that tekke and also Halife presiding over a wider area, told me that there were about two hundred actual initiated members in his tekke, and that for each such there were many ashiks. As we left the tekke we passed a family group approaching the tekke and carrying a little baby evidently for a blessing from the Baba.

At almost every tekke there is at least one tomb, often more. These tombs are places of sacred visitation. Not infre-quently, especially among the more ignorant population, the Baba possesses books which aid him in the preparation of charms. Not only does the presence of a holy man buried there give efficacy, therefore, to the prayers of visitors but specific treatment is often given to individuals who consult the Baba

regarding their particular ailment. We have already seen as an example of this, how in the home of one of the leading fami-lies of Albania a grain of wheat supposed to have been blessed by Haji Bektash himself was given to a mother from whom then, in answer to her prayer, a boy baby was born. People go in great crowds to visit sacred tombs. In the yard of one of the tekkes in Albania a drinking fountain had been erected shortly before our visit so that the crowds could quench their thirst from the constantly flowing stream before undertaking the half-hour walk back to the city. The vast majority of such visitors would be ashiks, not formally initiated members. In the family where the writer was visiting the father and uncles had been regular members: but the mother and her two sons and their families, although not initiated, nor even interested as candidates for initiation, were still regarded in the capacity of ashiks as members of the Bektashi community.

The second degree or stage of progress in Bektashism is that of the muhip. With its literal meaning not greatly dif-ferent from the word ashik, meaning “one who loves,” or “an

Ahmet Myftar Dedebaba with female muhips, 1950

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affectionate friend,” its technical use is for one who has ac-tually passed through the initiation rite, taken his nesīp and is therefore qualified to sit in the formal ceremonies of the order. The ceremony by which one is made a muhip called the Ikrar ayını, ceremony of Confession of Faith, or the Aini xhem, ceremony of Assembly, will be later described in full. It is of the very nature of Bektashism that this initiation is open to men and women alike. It is this freedom for social inter-course between the sexes that has always been a distinguishing characteristic of the order. It is perhaps inevitable that Babas eager to have their tekkes grow in membership and influence should at times fall into the temptation of relaxing their stan-dards and admitting as muhips those who come only for the social life which is forbidden by universal custom outside. It is also perfectly easy to see how any basis of this kind for scandal would be magnified by those leaders outside who not only are shocked at the secret taking down of social barriers but also made deeply indignant by the indifference to orthodox ritual and by the obvious theological heresy of the Bektashi order. When the Bektashis, therefore, are attacked for their indiffer-ence to the moral law it is never easy to distinguish between the possible abuse in actual practice, and the malicious gossip of those outside who are naturally in bitter opposition.

The third degree is that of “dervish.” This involves a fur-ther commitment of self to following professionally the reli-gious life. On going through the necessary ceremony, often called the vakfë vuxhut or dedication of body or existence, the dervish may then wear the official tāxh or headpiece of the order, and not infrequently he makes his home in the tekke, serving the Baba. Sometimes it is said a muhip may serve in the tekke for ten or more years before he is admitted as a dervish. It is not a fixed time or a formal standard by which a muhip may qualify as a dervish. It is rather a case of a disciple’s sitting at the feet of his teacher; a murid, making spiritual progress under the authority of his murshid, bound to give obedience to that murshid and patiently awaiting the day when he may be advanced to a more intimate relationship with the order.

Perhaps not a fourth degree, rather a special step some-times accompanying this degree of “dervish,” is the myxherret aini or rite by which one is made into a celibate dervish. We have already seen that Bektashism possesses both a married and a celibate branch. Supposed to have been introduced by Balım Sultan about 1500 this celibate branch has continued down to to-day, and has been particularly strong in Albania. The outstanding characteristic of the ceremony by which one becomes a celibate dervish has been, in the past, the boring of the ear of the candidate on the threshold of the Balım Evi, House of Balım, at the central tekke in Haji Bektash Village. Since the abolition of dervish orders in the progressive Re-public of Turkey, this ceremony is now performed, I am in-formed, at the tekke of the Dede in Tirana, Albania. In token of having taken the vows of a celibate, myxherret, the dervish is entitled afterwards to wear in his ear a horse-shoe-shaped

earring known as a mengysh, said to be so shaped in memory of the horse-shoe of Ali.

The fourth degree is that of Baba. By a special ceremony, a copy of the ritual of which the writer has not found, a dervish deemed worthy is elevated to the position of Baba, in which rank he is the head of a tekke, murshid to the seekers who ask for instruction and initiation, and pastor to the wider flock of those in families and among friends who look to the Bektashi Baba as friend and priest and adviser.

To become a Baba a dervish may be either married or celibate. In the case of the married Babas a son not infre-quently succeeded to the position of the father, and both the tekke building and the grounds round about it often were the property of the hereditary Baba. It is the duty of the Baba, as we have noted, to act as pastor on behalf of the members of his tekke and their families. Legal disputes he was expected to settle, for Bektashis were not supposed to resort to litigation against each other. Marriage and funeral ceremonies were a part also of the Baba’s duties. In case of pecuniary need on the part of any member it was the duty of the Baba to organize among members the necessary relief.

A further rank in Bektashism, not so much comparable to degrees as such are known in an American secret lodge as to the chairs through which an officer goes, is the rank of Hal-ife. Liter ally meaning “successor” the Halife is doubtless in remembrance of those halife’s sent out by Haji Bektash toward the end of the thirteenth century. Both in Turkey, before all such orders were abolished, and in Albania to-day, the Halife performs an office similar to that of Bishop or district super-intendent. He ordains Babas and exercises a supervisory rela-tionship over all the work of the order in his district.

Finally at the top there has been the Dedebaba, formerly residing in the central tekke at Haji Bektash Village, now living in the head tekke of the order at Tirana, Albania and appoint-ed to that position by the King of Albania.

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Dedebaba Mondi during a sofra at the Harabati Teqe, Tetova, Macedonia

The blessed Prophet clothed the noble Ali in these holy vestments, which he left as a trust (emanet) to be used with respect. From the gallant Imam Ali these clothes were inherited by his pure sons - Hasan and Husain - and then all the subsequent Twelve Imams un-til they were eventually handed down they reached our saintly master, Hunkar Haji Bektash Veli. These vest-ments of purity, humbleness, contemplation, and com-passion have been worn by countless Bektashi babas and dervishes ever since.

Bektashi VestmentsMany visitors to the Teqe in Taylor may have wondered about the significance of the clothing worn by Bektashi clergymen (babas and dervishes). As in other religious traditions, Bektashism requires those who have taken their vows to wear sacred garb all of the time or at least during teqe rituals. God willing this presentation should give the reader an introduction to the various elements of our clothing. Much of this information has been found in the

original edition of Zëri Bektashizmës.

According to Bektashi tradition, the clerical dress (kisve) is an outward symbol of many deep spiritu-al realities and an open reminder of God’s presence. This dress has been maintained since ancient times, from the time of the Prophet Adam. In fact, this habit was treasured and made holy by all of God’s prophets throughout the millennia. The blessed Prophet Muham-mad received knowledge of this saintly dress from the Angel Gabriel on the night of his miraculous heavenly journey, the Night of Isra and Mi’raj.

According to BektAshi regulAtions, these hAllowed vestments Are eternAl And exceptionAl. they Are outwArd signs of our serious commitment to the pAth of truth. the mAin components of BektAshi ceremoniAl gArB is composed of the following:

• Teslimi Tash

• Taj (alb. taxh)

• Kemer

• Haidariyye (alb. hajderijje)

• Hirkah

The Teslimi Tash is probably the most recognizable Bektashi symbol. The term Teslimi Tash literally means “Stone of surrender.” This stone has twelve flutings that represent devotion to the Twelve Imams. It is always worn with two small stones above and below, which have a number of symbolic meanings. Teslimi Tash is worn around the next of Bektashi clergymen (and sometimes muhips). It is usually made of white, cream colored alabaster of white, cream or light green color discolored often with reddish-brown stains. In the old days, some wore Teslimi Tash made of crystal. This stone is worn in memory of the act of Prophet Moses, when after he had given manna and quails to the Israelites they demanded water too. Moses struck a stone and twelve springs sprang out, each tribe drinking from its own spring. The stone had shown its complete submission to God by obeying God’s prophet. A variant of the Teslimi Tash is the Pelhenk, a much larger stone worn at the waist. The Pelhenk is a reminder of how the Prophet Muhammad and his disciples would fast so often that they would tie a stone around their abdomen to assuage the hunger pains. The meaning of this is that we too, should practice withdrawal from material pleasures and be content with whatever God gives us.

The Teslimi Tash

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The TajThe term Taj literally means “crown.” It is also called Fahr, which means “honor”, for to wear such headgear is bestows great spiritual honor on the one worthy to wear it. The Taj is made of white-colored felt and the base of the Taj is made of four pieces sewn together. These are the called the “gates,” which represent:

• Shari’at - the gate of outer rituals and rules in religion• Tarikat - the spiritual path to God• Marifat – the mystic knowledge of the Divine• Hakikat – complete Reality and Truth

The upper portion of the Taj is made of twelve pleats radiating from a center at the top, where a button, or knob, stands repre-senting Divine Unity. The twelve pleats, of course, represent the Twelve Imams, but they also represent, according to Baba Rexheb, the twelve abstinences that a Bektashi dervish must make:

1-To abstain from wearing the garb of iniquity and to turn to the garb of perfection.

2-To abstain from sin and to turn to the qualities of the perfected ones.

3-To abstain from carnal desire and to turn from them completely.

4-To abstain from forgetfulness and to turn to the continual remembrance of God.

5-To abstain from ambition and to turn to contentment, which is an endless treasure.

6-To abstain from fear and to turn to complete trust in God.

7-To abstain from the ornaments of this passing world and to turn to cleanliness.

8-To abstain from beastly appetites and to turn to frugality.

9-To abstain from self-aggrandizement and to turn humility.

10-To abstain from revenge and acts against others and to turn to tolerance and compassion.

11-To abstain from undue haste and to turn to patience.

12-To abstain from grief and confusion over misfortune and to turn to surrendering to God’s will, for as the Qur’an says: “We will test you with sadness, hunger, loss of wealth, people and other things. But blessed are the enduring, who when unhappiness occurs say: ‘We are God’s and unto Him we shall return.’”

In addition, a cloth turban (sarik) is usually bound around the base of the Taj. This turban is customarily green for celibate babas, and white for married babas. Dervishes will also wear white turbans, or sometimes none.The Taj also represents the wearer’s tombstone, for once it is placed on his head he has died to the fleeting life, as in-structed by the Prophet Muhammad: “Die [to this world] before you die!”

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The Kemer

The Kemer is a girdle of woven woolen cloth tied around the waist. The Kemer was bequeathed to us by the noble Imam Ali. He tied a Kemer for the first time around the waists of his seventeen faith-ful followers during the ceremony of confirmation, from which they received the name the “Kemer-wearers” (kemerbestigān). Those most worthy of mention include Salmān al-Fārsī, Ammār ibn Yāsir, Mālik al-Ashtar, Muhammed ibn Abū Bakr, Uways al-Qarāni, Abu Dhārr al-Ghiffārī, Kamber. These seventeen stood with Imam ‘Ali when the forces of evil came against him. According to Bektashism, the Kemer is a symbol of the bond tied between the spiritual guide (the murshid) and the disciple (murid). It also stands for the binding of the tongue, the hand and the loins – that no evil should come from these three.

The Haidariyye is a woolen vest worn by dervishes and babas. It is commonly white or green. However, Baba Rexheb and the der-vishes of the Taylor tekke wore dark blue to commemorate the sorrow of being exiled from their homeland. The Haidariyye symbolizes the simplicity and humility of the wearer and that he should always keep in mind that he is a servant of Imam Ali. This is why the cut of the arm sleeve is in the shape of the first letter in the Arabic spelling of “Ali”. There are also twelve lines of stitching running down the left and right sides of the front which represent the spiritual presence of the Twelve Imams.

The Haidariyye

The Arakiye

The Arakiye (or Takeh) is a cloth skullcap that is worn by those from the Bektashi community who have taken initiation (nesip) into the Order, in fact, it is during this initiation ceremony that the muhip is presented his Arakiye. Such individuals are known as muhip (alb. myhyp). The Arakiye symbolizes the commitment to principles of the Bektashi Path. It also denotes humility and submission before the spiritual master - the murshid. The Arakiye is worn during the ceremony that takes place in the Meydan and on other sacred occasions, such as the preparing of the Ashura pudding at the end of the Muharram fast.

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The Hirkah is a robe that covers the body from the neck to the ankle. The Bektashi Hirkah is usually white, which stands for moral purity; although they can be of other colors, such as green, black or even brown. It indicates the removal of the deceitful gar-ments of this material world and in a way it resembles the burial shroud, for the true Sufi has died to this world. The Hirkah memo-rializes the first dress given to the father of humankind - Adam. It was presented to the blessed Muhammad during his Night Journey to God’s throne. It was then given to the noble ‘Ali and then down the chain of the Twelve Imams, and the saints of the Bektashi Order. The Hirkah symbolizes the covering and blotting out of sins. The Hirkah is separated into four parts:

• The front • The back • The right • The left The front denotes the guidance of God and our spiritual

masters. The back signifies the Last Day. The right is the work and sacrifice we must make to reach our spiritual objectives. The left, which covers the heart, represent the hope and will of the wearer. Apart from this, the Hirkah has an inner and outer part. The outer, visible, part signifies the humility of the wearer, while the inner, hidden, part symbolizes forgiveness and the covering others’ sins and transgressions.

The Hirkah

Even though the vestments of the most lofty Bektashi Order are endowed with sacredness and sanctity, they are meaningless if the wearer is unauthorized to don them do to serious character flaws. It would be wise to remem-ber the words of Baba Rexheb in this regard:

“…Sacred vestments alone are not proof of piety; rather the person wearing them must be inwardly endowed with good-ness and virtue for them to have meaning. You become a genu-ine dervish when you have the qualities of a dervish within. If you are unable to retain these qualities, you should know that your vestments provide you no inherent worth and you will be, consequently, a dervish in name only. It must be stressed that wearing sacred dress is only an outward manifestation of the spiritual path. To truly be pious, one must be outfitted inwardly with the qualities and merits of godliness.”

(Misticizma Islame dhe Bektashizma, 1970. p. 193)

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Bektashism in alBania & the Balkans

A Historical Overview

By Huseyin Abiva

Outside of Anatolia, the Bektashi Order (tarikat) could have found no better home than in the Balkans. Notwithstanding its near disappearance from the region, its legacy has exerted an imposing influence over Balkan Sufism. It appears that in the century following Hajji Bek-tashi’ death, the dervishes who claimed to trail in his path and their followers held considerable influence over the Muslim peoples of Anatolia.

Concrete historical information regarding the pres-ence of the Bektashi tarikat in the Balkans prior to the 16th century is difficult to acquire. There is, nonetheless, an abundance of legendary accounts that may or may not have a basis in historical fact. According to tradition it was one Hajji Bektashi Veli’s deputies, a personality by the name of Sarı Saltık, who first brought his master’s teaching into the Balkans. According the account contained in the Vilayetname-i Hajji Bektashi Veli, Sarı Saltık was a young shepherd boy who had been raised to the rank of saint through a single meeting with Hajji Bektashi, who com-manded him to proceed to the “Lands of Rum” in the company of two other dervishes. At the outset the holy band traveled to Georgia where they converted its king and then proceed to Kaligra, in the region of Dobrudja. It was here that Sarı Saltık slew a seven-headed dragon

with a wooden sword, a feat that led to the conversion of the local population. His shrines can be found scattered throughout the Balkans to this day in places as distant as Baba Dağ (in Dobrudja), Baba Eski (Thrace), Blagaj (Her-zegovina), Ohrid (Macedonia), Corfu (Greece) and Krujë (Albania).

The first verifiable Bektashi tekke in the Balkans was that established by Seyyid Ali Sultan (d. ca. 1402 CE). His life was contemporaneous with the expansion of the Ottomans into the region. There exist differing accounts of his connection to Hajji Bektashi. After the Ottoman armies had established their grip over Thrace, Seyyid Ali Sultan settled near the town of Dimetoka (Διδνμότειχο) and founded a tekke there that would later bear his name. By opening this tekke, later figures such as Balım Sultan, Vahdeti Dede, Demir Baba, Durbali Sultan, Sersem Ali Baba and other great Bektashi personalities, subsequently energized the expansion of the order on to other regions of the Balkans. In due course the Seyyid Ali Sultan Tekke would become the preeminent Bektashi tekke in the Balkans only to be surpassed in importance by the Pirevi in Anatolia.

Until the late 18th and early 19th centuries the Bek-tashi order remained on the fringes of the religious life of

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The five centuries of Ottoman rule left deep marks upon the cultural and religious landscape of the people of the Balkans, with the Islamization of a sizable portion of the population being the most noticeable. Yet it is widely accepted that this transition from both Catholic and Orthodox Christianity to Islam did not begin in the wake of the Ottoman conquests of the 14th and 15th centuries, but rather it was a lengthy process, at first remarkably enervated, that only gathered momentum in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Within this process of religious transition it is essential to be cognizant of the presence of the Islamic mystic orders, the Sufis, and their activities throughout the Balkans. Looking at the centuries-long record of Sufi activity in the Balkans (and Albania in partic-ular) we notice that the Bektashis and the Halvetis were by far the most widespread and influential of many orders, followed by (in size) the Rifacis, Kadiris, Sacdis, Tijanis, Melamis, Gülshenis, Mevlevis, Jelvetis, Sinanis, and, almost certainly, Naqshibandis. Amid these numerous mystic communities, the Bektashis hold a distinctive position taking into account its conspicuously non-Sunni character which sets it apart from all other Sufi orders. And even though the Bektashi Order has been amid the Albanian people from the early 16th century, it only grew to be markedly influential toward the end of the nineteenth.

Balkan Muslims. In Thrace and Bulgaria a number of Bek-tashi tekkes were mentioned by the famed traveler Evliya Çelebi as being found around the tombs of early Islamic saints, such as Otman Baba (d. 1479), Akyazili Baba (d. ca. 1525 CE) and Demir Baba. Many of these tekkes seemed to have been abandoned by their dervishes with the collapse of Ottoman rule in the late 19th century and the subse-quent reduction of the Muslim population. However, the large Alevi population in Bulgaria served as safeguards of most of the türbes and tekkes. Despite a lack of Bektashi babas and dervishes, the Alevi folk continued to visit these shrines even during the blackest days of communism. In the last 20 years a revival of sorts among Bulgarian Alevis has generated new life into the old Bektashi tekkes. In 2011 the once great Elmali Baba Tekke near Karcali was com-pletely renovated and reopened with much fanfare. The guests at the reopening included a delegation on Albanian Bektashi clergymen.

Dobruca (Romania), with its shrine to Sarı Saltık, and Hungary, where the famed Gül Baba Türbe still stands, were two regions that once had a significant Bektashi pres-ence that has now vanished. Bosnia-Hercegovina is often reputed to have had a significant Bektashi influence over its Muslim population. However there is little evidence of this, outside of hearsay and conjecture. The Ottomans were very keen on maintaining religious conformism in Bosnia, and heavily invested in medreses to ensure hetero-doxy was kept in check. Outside of Albanian immigrants to Bosnia, there were very few in the region that had con-tact with the tarikat. Nevertheless, there were a number of famous Bosnian Bektashis to be found in the larger realm, namely the 19th century Bosnevi Baba.

In lands that now comprise modern-day Greece Bektashism likewise had a significant presence during the long Ottoman period. The important tekke of Durbali Sul-tan once dominated the landscape of Thessaly. There were tekkes scattered throughout Greek Macedonia and Epirus as well. The island of Crete was a stronghold for Bektashis. Here, the bulk of the Muslims (who a one time were over half of the population) were ethnic Greeks and attached to some degree or another to the Bektashi order.

It was among the Albanian people that Bektashis found a solid and lasting home, and it is about this pres-ence that I shall dwell in detail here.

The Early PeriodAccording to legendary accounts the first Bektashi

tekkes in Albania appeared as early as the 15th century. But in reality, the much-celebrated Bektashi presence is a more recent phenomenon, existing only since the early 19th century. Many have been of the opinion that the spread of

Bektashism in Albania at this time was given impetus by the famed Ali Pasha of Janina (d. 1822), although his actu-al connection to the order has now come under scrutiny, given that contemporary documents showing he favored the Halveti and the Sa’di tarikats over Bektashis have now been discovered. A more direct motive for the spread of Bektashism can rather be found in the decree issued by Sultan Mahmud II in 1826 CE that abolished, throughout the empire, the much celebrated Janissary Corps as well as the Bektashi Order, owing to the close interconnection between the two. The official reason given by the state for this prohibition was heresy and moral deviance, but in re-ality it was purely apolitical move, as both the Janissaries and the Bektashis were hotbeds of conservative opposi-tion to the sultan’s reformist programs.

Despite the fact that a handful Bektashi tekkes in Al-bania were demolished in compliance with this decree, several babas from elsewhere in the Balkans found refuge in the sympathetic lands of the southern part of the coun-try. A number of Bektashi tekkes were also spared closure by feigning to belong to other tarikats, particularly the orthodox Nakşibendis. This was the case with the Asim Baba Tekke of Gjirokastër and the Harabati Baba Tekke in Tetova. For at least two decades Bektashis could not display themselves openly in the Ottoman State. Once the prohibition of the order was relaxed in the 1850s and 1860s there was an explosion in the spread of Bektashism throughout Albania, particularly in the Tosk-speaking regions of the south. The reasons for this rapid growth might not have been solely due to the religious appeal of Bektashism. While the common folk may have found spiritual comfort in the tenets of the babas and dervishes, the begs (members of the conservative regional aristocra-cy) were remarkably supportive of this officially censured order since it was a means by which defiance to Istanbul could be demonstrated.

Bitterness towards the Ottoman government had grown considerably in southern Albania following the ex-ecution in 1830 of a large number of begs and their retain-ers who refused to comply with the Sultan’s modernization plans. In the aftermath of the Decree of 1826 Bektashi Is-lam stood in opposition to state-sanctioned Sunni Islam (whose titular head was the Sultan), and adherence to the later was a means of slighting the Porte’s authority.

The late 19th century proved tumultuous for the Albanian people. In the wake of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 large-scale ethnic cleansing programs were car-ried out against Albanian populated regions in the upper Morava valley and throughout Kosova. The Congress of Berlin (1878) threatened to detach large chunks of Alba-nian-populated areas from the Ottoman State and hand

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them over to Serbia, Bulgaria, and Greece. Albanians be-gan to realize that the Ottoman Empire was weakening and thus unable to safeguard their security. If Albania was to be spared invasion and occupation by hostile forces, they would have to save themselves. This was the catalyst for the rise of Albanian nationalism and activists hoped that by aiding the patriotic feelings of their people, they could rally the homeland into resisting subjugation and establishing an independent state encompassing all Alba-nian people.

This state of affairs did not go unnoticed by Bektashi babas and dervishes. Incorporating patriotic ideals into their teachings, they played an exceptional role in the birth (riljinda) of Albanian nationalism. Bektashi tekkes became part of a network of unauthorized schools where children could be taught in Albanian, something which was for-bidden by the Ottoman State and by the Greek-dominat-ed Orthodox Church. One of the most famous nationalist writers of the period, Naim Frashëri, hailed from a Bek-tashi family, as did many others. On the eve of the disso-lution of the Ottoman State, the Bektashi Order was, per-haps, the predominant organization in southern Albania, surpassing in influence both the Orthodox Church and the Sunni Muftiate. Many non-Bektashi Albanians came to see Bektashis as patriots par excellence given that they did not attend to the interests of any external power. The Orthodox Church in Albania was at that time dominated by Greeks; the Catholic Church was, obviously, subservi-ent to Rome and, by extension, Italian expansion in the Balkans; and most Sunni clergymen encouraged loyalty to the Sultan and saw upholding the political status quo as a religious duty. For Bektashis, the interests of the home-land were paramount, plain and simple.

From Independence to the Second World WarAlbania’s declaration of independence on the 28th of

November, 1912 did nothing to bring about political sta-bility. As Serb, Montenegrin and Greek armies quickly oc-cupied most of Albania’s territory, the self-determination of the Albanian people remained an illusion. Countless towns and villages were decimated as invaders sought to clear the land of its indigenous inhabitants in order to jus-tify territorial ambitions. Albanian religious and cultural institutions were particularly targeted, and the Bektashi community suffered tremendously. In the mayhem of the Greek occupation of southern Albania from 1913 to 1922, nearly 80% of Bektashi tekkes were destroyed and scores of babas and dervishes either killed or scattered.

But the devastation of war brought renewed hope to the faithful as the Bektashi Order was honored by the nation for its patriotic endeavors. In 1920 the fledgling Albanian government officially acknowledged the Bektashi Islamic community as being distinct from the larger Sunni one. During the Ottoman period all Muslims lived under the authority of the Sunni clergy, and all tarikats were expect-ed to comply with this reality. But the Lushnjë Constitution appointed four regents who would each represent one of the four religious denominations of the country: Ortho-dox, Catholic, Sunni and Bektashi. The reasons for this recognition can be found both in the demographic real-ities of the day (those affiliated with the Bektashi Order formed roughly 15% of the total population, while Sunnis were 55%) and an in acknowledgment for the role Bektash-is played in the formation of the nation. One of the first moves carried out by Albanian Bektashis in the wake of in-dependence was the reorganization of the order. In1921 a large gathering of babas was held in Tirana to prepare

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the first statutes of a nationwide community. A second congress took place a few years later in Gjirokastër in the summer of 1924 where moves for further structuring and expansion were discussed. Near the end of 1929 Albanian Bektashis agreed on a solid administrative configuration in which the nation was divided into six zones (dedeliks), each headed by a dede (or gjysh in Albanian). The dedeba-ba (alb. kryegjysh) was chosen to be the highest authority of the Bektashi community of Albania, although at that time he still resided in Turkey.

A break with Turkish Bektashism quickly came there-after, but it was a break that was brought about by the po-litical realities of the newly secularized Turkey rather than inter-ethnic conflict. In fact many of the leading Bektashi babas in Turkey were of Albanian origin. In November of 1925 Atatürk’s republican government ordered all dervish tekkes closed and Sufism was effectively outlawed, making contact between Albanian and Turkish Bektashis imprac-tical. The then dedebaba, Salih Nijazi Dede, was compelled by this prohibition to leave the Tekke of Haji Bektash (the Pirevi) and in1930 he moved to Albania. In Tirana he was reinstalled as dedebaba over an order that now had func-tioning tekkes not only throughout Albania, but in Mace-donia, Kosova, Greece and Egypt as well. In the 1930s Bek-tashism in Albania entered its golden age. New tekkes were established and smaller centers (dervishânes) were built, primarily in the lands south of the Shkumbi River. A sem-inary was established in Tirana to train and educate der-vishes and candidate babas in a methodological manner. Many tekkes possessed substantial properties (vakıfs) and these provided income for activities.

In general most Bektashis were ardent nationalists and supported King Zog I. Yet when the Italians occupied the country 1939, the order’s establishment did not respond uniformly. The murder of Salih Niyazi Dede at the end of 1941 was widely blamed on the Italians, although the oc-cupational government denied any complicity. During the Second World War a few babas sided with the communist resistance (most notably Baba Faja Martaneshi) and fought with the partisans. The hard-line Marxist leader of Alba-nia, Enver Hoxha, came from a family that had Bektashi connections. Yet most Bektashi babas and dervishes op-posed the communist partisans and many even took an active role in this opposition by joining the nationalist an-ti-communist Balli Kombëtar militia, as did the venerable Baba Rexheb (d. 1995).

The Long Night of Communism (1945 to 1990)The communist takeover of Albania at the end of the

Second World War had an extremely detrimental effect on religion in the country. The new government quick-

ly sought to impose its will over the four national faiths and in both 1945 and 1950 Bektashi congresses were held to bring the community’s statutes in line with the state’s Stalinist policies. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the communist regime slowly deprived Bektashis (and all other faiths) of their religious rights as it sought to grad-ually eradicate religion altogether. Many babas and der-vishes who refused to bend to the communists’ mandates were executed or sent to hard labor camps. The agrarian reforms implemented by the “people’s” state caused the expropriation of much of the community’s vakıf proper-ties, rendering the order economically inviable.

In March of 1947 a clash opened up between those babas who saw collaboration with the communists as pos-itive and those who sought to stay true to time-honored ideals. The then head of the community, Abbas Hilmi Dedebaba, shot to death two pro-communist babas, Faja Martaneshi and Fejzo Dervishi, in a meeting, after which (as communist authorities alleged) he committed suicide.

The enforced social revolution of 1967 was the last stage in the communist regime’s draconian war against religion. In that year religion in Albania was categorical-ly outlawed and any open expression of pious sentiment became a criminal offence. All religious structures were closed down. Bektashi tekkes were no exception, and they were either demolished or put to other use, as was the seat of the dedebaba in Tirana when it was converted into an old folks’ home. Other surviving tekkes, which frequently stood on mountains or hills, were transformed into army barracks or factories.

Notwithstanding the rigorous monitoring of reli-gious sentiment by the communist government over the next two decades, Albanian Bektashis continued to pre-serve their sacred traditions. Time and again they met in

Salih Niyazi Dede at a gathering of Muslim and Orthodox clergymen, Tirana 1940.

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private homes, and secretly visited the now closed türbes, lighting candles in their windows during the dead of night. Communist attempts to eradicate religion caused serious damage to the spirit of the Albanian people. During these trying decades the light of Haji Bektashi was upheld by those few remaining Bektashi establishments that existed outside of Red Albania. After the death of Abbas Hilmi Dede, the Albanian Bektashi community in the diaspo-ra met at the Kaygusuz Tekke in Cairo and selected its baba, the revered Ahmed Sirri Dede (who was originally from southern Albania) to assume the rank of dedebaba in a move intended to counter the communist-controlled dedebaba, Ahmet Myftar Dede. Regrettably the pro-Soviet Egyptian revolution of 1952 closed the Kaygusuz Tekke, ending any effective counteraction to Enver Hoxha’s stran-glehold over Bektashism. Two years later in1954 Baba Rexheb opened The First Albanian-American Bektashian Monastery in Taylor, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. To-gether with a tekke in Kosova that was under the direction of Baba Kazim Bakalli (d.1983), the American tekke, with its community of ardent believers, was one of the few re-maining centers of the Bektashi Order in the world.

The renewal of Bektashism after 1990With the collapse of the communist regime in 1990,

religious freedom was restored to Albania. Not unlike oth-er faith communities, the Bektashi Order was forced to reconstruct itself virtually from scratch. Two decades of imposed atheism meant that tekkes had to be reclaimed and renovated, türbes restored, a new generation of babas and dervishes instructed in doctrine and ritual and, more importantly, the spirituality of the Albanian people re-vived. For Bektashis this initially proved more difficult to carryout than it did for the other three Albanian religions.

Catholics could rely on the financial power of Rome, the Orthodox from a well-established global church and Sunnis from the help of Arab countries and even Turkey. Bektashis, however, had no foreign benefactors. The slow return of confiscated vakıf properties brought some fi-nancial relief and the donations of individuals, especially those in the diaspora community in America, Australia, Turkey, Macedonia and Kosovo, aided considerably.

Since the mid-1990s the situation for the Bektashi community has progressed considerably. The number of tekkes renovated and reopened throughout the country (especially in the south) continues to grow yearly. The main problem continues, nonetheless, to be the recruit-ment of individuals willing to take up the life of a dervish and head these tekkes. In 1991 there were four babas and two dervishes, all of whom were advanced in age. As of this writing there are many more babas and dervishes, in-cluding those in Kosova and Macedonia. Number of these babas are quite young, providing expectations for an opti-mistic future. In 1993 it was announced that the Bektashi community of Albania had selected Baba Reshat Bardhi (1936-2011) to be their head. The country was again di-vided into six dedeliks: Krujë, Elbasan, Berat, Korçë, Gji-rokastër, and Vlorë. To the number were added the Bek-tashi tekkes of Gjakovë (Kosova), Tetova (Macedonia)and Detroit (USA). New statutes were worked out as well an organizational structure. A bi-monthly magazine, Urtësija (Wisdom) has been in circulation nationwide, providing readers with spiritual as well as cultural knowledge. Fol-lowing the passing of Dede Reshat in 2011, the Albanian Bektashi community selected the indefatigable Haji Baba Edmond Brahimaj to lead it. Baba Edmond continues to advance the cause of Bektashism not only in Albania, but throughout the world.

My Dear JosephA look at the trials of a prophet

Şebnem Unlu, PhD

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“My dear Joseph …” These were the words of Ja-cob as he wept for his beloved, trustful and humble son Joseph, whom his brothers alleged was eaten by a wolf. They showed him a shirt soiled with some blood. How-ever, with great foresight, perception and insight, deep down he knew that Joseph was still alive and that one day they would be re-united. Yet, he felt great anguish and pain of separation from his loved one.

This story has been related in all the major mono-theistic faiths, indicating a deeper allegorical meaning of a universal example transcending all times and cultures. It is well worth analyzing the psychological, social and moral aspects of such stories to shed light on events in our lives and times.

In this story, Joseph represents the human con-science that enables us to be sincere, responsible and ac-countable, as well as altruistic and generous. The brothers of Joseph represent the carnal self which deafens, blinds, and silences the human soul in the face of spiritual and material oppression. The carnal self suppresses the sen-sitivity to overcome oppression and injustice as well as appreciating beauty and benefaction.

Joseph’s brothers threw him into a well in their jealousy towards him. This is allegorical to an ineffec-tive human conscience that has been made to fall prey to passing whims and desires. It is like falling down into a pit that has only one way for escape, as opposed to rising up to overcome the challenges of humanity. In a similar perspective, Joseph represents the characteristics of the noblest men in history. These include dedication, devo-tion, love, responsibility, and generosity.

Joseph is then rescued from the well by people from a passing-by caravan, coming from a long distance, where otherwise there is no one that stops at this well. This brings to mind the thought that, at a certain point in history, human conscience and good-will will be lost and forgotten to such a degree that it will be ignored and left on its own. It will be like a piece of jewel deep in the earth or a small amount of water in the vast dessert, extremely precious yet inaccessible and undiscovered by the masses.

The entrapment of Joseph in the well represents the downturns of human history, where darkness and a

kind of hopelessness rule over societies, in a similar vein as it is manifested in our own personal lives. There are points in our lives when we seem lost in the dark and most often in some sort of depression and despair. How-ever, these dark points in our lives are constantly followed by some sort of guidance and enlightenment. The wis-dom behind this dark-light principle clarifies to us that we are under constant trial in our lives. They call for us to learn who we are and where we are heading to in life.

The rescue of Joseph from the well represents the bright and enlightened times of human history, as well as in our personal lives. In these times there is a relief from hardship, suffering or depression for some. A sense of expansion, understanding and enlightenment surrounds us and increases our appreciation for the endless num-bers of provisions we are given. In our lives and in the lives of societies, this principle points to a time of justice, peace, understanding and great spiritual development.

Joseph cast into the well by his brothers

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The crying Jacob, soft-hearted, compassionate yet dominant, and enduring in the face of adversity, rep-resents the great spiritual and material mentors of human-ity. For years they persevered patiently and consistently, while sipping the anguish of separation until humanity re-unites with the long-lost Joseph. People who represent Jacob will learn to live under conditions where they will not be understood or appreciated, possibly even by their own children. Hence, the greatest prayer of Jacob is “I only disclose my anguish and sorrow to God” (Qur’an 12:86).

After being rescued by the caravan and taken to Egypt, Joseph was sold as a slave, where he later became a King. Although a ruler with great power in his hands, he does not forget his father Jacob or his brothers. Wealth and power does not change him, nor does it make him oblivious of his responsibilities or degrade his character. In fact his prayer “Take my soul to You as one who submit-ted unto You, and join me with the righteous” (Qur’an 12:101) shows us very clearly how concerned he was about the state in which he would die, since the one who does not fear the consequences of his/her actions is someone who cannot be trusted.

This story also brings to mind the recurring pres-ence of certain principles in our lives.

Joseph was thrown into a well, then later was given the opportunity (as a King) to call to account the oppression of his brothers towards him, who ultimately asked him to forgive them. This indicates that events re-volve in a circular manner; while it is daylight for some it is nighttime for others. Likewise, today many suffer in ag-ony and their identities are smeared and blotched, while others live in oblivion and recklessness. A time will come when those who are oppressed will call to account those who thought they are not accountable to anyone.

It is not known how long Joseph remained in the well and how he survived there; however, from this sto-ry we can see that the Creator, closer to all more than they are to themselves, enabled the caravan to be a means to rescue Joseph from a situation in which there was no hope for escape. This is a poignant reminder that we are

never alone, or constantly at a loss, and although we are in essence fragile and powerless, the Most Gracious Creator creates a way of exit from the harshest of situations.

As a young man, Joseph was not only physically attractive but, more essentially, he had a strong spiritual magnetism and aura. His immense loyalty, sincerity and faith were the pillars of his character and the reason why his father loved him so dearly. Jacob also knew through his gifted foresight that Joseph was a beloved of the Cre-ator; hence, this would mean that the trials and tribula-tions he would face would be much stronger than those most others faced.

The modesty and chastity of Joseph was equally as great as his captivating aura. This was manifested when he was working as a servant in Egypt after he was sold as a slave there. The wife of the King was powerful, young and attractive and wanted to abuse the good looks of Joseph and seduce him. At this point, we see the great will-power and chastity of Joseph, where he is protected and saved from committing a great mistake, as he says, “God forbid!” (Qur’an 12:23). Thus, the protection and help of the Creator becomes manifest under the direst conditions. The other reason why Jacob cried and was so worried and concerned for Joseph was maybe that he knew he would face great trials in his life and therefore constantly asked the Lord to protect, guide and help him under these conditions.

A final lesson to be learned from Joseph’s strong personality and unique character is that he did not punish his brothers when they came to request from him some provisions after he became King. If he had wanted to take revenge, he could have easily done so, but he chose not to. On the contrary, he demonstrated how generous and forgiving he was. After the hypocrisy, the deception and the treachery of his brothers towards him, he final-ly says to them, “No reproach this day shall be on you. May God forgive you; indeed He is the Most Merciful of the Merciful” (Qur’an 12:92). Hence, Joseph teaches a lesson by for-giving his brothers who wanted him to be forgotten, lost and even dead.

Originally published in Fountain Magazine, Issue 79 / January - February 2011

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Silence, Laughter, & DemA First Visit To The Teqe

-David Jones

For a moment I forget where I am. A voice booms beneath me, in a language I’m unfamiliar with; but I feel as I can understand every word. Now I’m awake, and I lay there for a moment listening as Baba Arshi’s words are carried up to me from downstairs, where he sits with guests in the great hall of the teqe. On my last day at this sacred place I do all I can to take it all in, but how can you absorb sixty years of a legacy in a few hours, or an entire weekend for that matter.

It is the legacy of Baba Rexheb, the founder of the Taylor Teqe (the first and so far only in North America) and harbinger of the Bektashi order to the western world. It is his life’s work that is honored this weekend by the community who stood by his side as he struggled to found a place where the Bektashi could survive, and a diaspora could continue to remember. I was invited to this event honoring the sixty years of Baba’s work and his tekke. I had the privilege of staying within the teqe itself, and within three days I experienced what I’ve sought for ten years after having embraced Islam.

I was nervous, paranoid, and in awe from the moment I first set eyes on the giant Bektashi crown (taxh) sitting atop of the old farmhouse, and the copper plated roof of Baba Rexheb’s türbe, his holy mausoleum. This must have been obvious since the first words Baba Arshi spoke to me were, “are you OK?” Truthfully, that mo-ment was the happiest I had been in many years. I sat feet away from the oldest living member of the Bektashi order, and in his face I saw over a century of love and wayfaring upon the path of God. Despite being one hun-dred and eight years old, the Baba speaks with a passion and fire most youth lack.

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As you walk into the türbe of Baba Rexheb you will notice to your right a small grave and decorated coffin, it is empty and waiting for Baba Arshi. I asked one of the others there with me of what the Baba must think when he walks by it each day, his reply was simple yet profound. “Happy”, was his answer. I can only believe he is right, Baba Arshi’s devotion to Baba Rexheb and his tekke are evident. A place at his side eternally no doubt brings him joy. Twice I walked behind the old Baba as we went to visit the türbe, and behind Baba Arshi I learned to walk slowly, to be at ease, and to take my time on the path.

Within the türbe there is an indescribable solitude. Nothing can be heard, not the sound of cars passing by, not even birds singing. There’s just you, and the Baba, and silence. Seeing that I was in Michigan and not far from Detroit, we had visited and prayed within the Islamic Center of America, the largest mosque in North America. Yet with all of it’s beauty and size, for myself it did not begin to compare to the serenity found within the small türbe, wherein the walls seemed nonexistent and itself was a plane of the eternal. The presence of the saint buried within was evident, and at times overwhelming. Inside, whether I was alone or with others, I was one.

With the Bektashi you’re never alone, the community is the foundation of each individual. As well, there are times where the individual can become the foundation, such was the case of Baba Rexheb. During my short stay I finally had

the honor to experience this principle by being welcomed warmly by fellow Bektashis. Whether we were sitting under-neath the gazebo laughing or making pilgrimage inside the türbe, something spiritual was happening. Souls attached to the path have no other choice when they come together.

Such was proven true to myself that night when we were joined by Dedebaba Mondi, who had flown all the way from Albania to attend the festivities marking the anniversary of the teqe. In noticed right away that his presence commanded respect, yet offered comfort. We sat with him and Baba Arshi in the main hall for a time, before we were brought outside to sit underneath the gazebo where Baba Rexheb use to sit. Soon enough, the dem was brought out, and the bottle was raised. To (roughly) quote my own murshid, “the dem is the doorkeeper to the order”. Dem is the beverage drank during the ritual meal and other Bektashi gatherings. Often, there is a specifically appointed initiate, the saki, in charge of admin-istering the dem. That night things were less formal, yet there was a ritualistic aspect of it that immediately moved me. When Dedebaba was offered the bottle, he touched it with his forehead and kissed it, such was repeated by all within the circle as the bottle was passed around, each of us taking three sips before passing it. Everything begins and ends in the same place with the Bektashi. Whether it is the passing of the salt at dinner, wherein each individual at the table takes a pinch before passing it to the person on their right, or the dem as we partook that night.

Once the bottle was empty, and Dedebaba retired for the night, we headed inside ourselves and down to the base-ment. For half of the night stories were shared, as were our experiences and struggles as Muslims and individuals. Many of the stories were sad, but there was a bitter sweetness, be-cause these were things of the past and here we all sat. Ev-ery step taken was one leading to where we were, and more importantly who we had become by God’s guidance through the work of Baba Rexheb. As more bottles were opened, and more dem was poured, I felt something I either never had or at the very least hadn’t in a long time. In that moment I was the happiest I had ever been as a Muslim, with other Muslims, and sharing in a Muslim experience. It’s understandably strange to many that sitting around a table drinking and telling jokes is what could be considered a “Muslim experience”, but it is a tradition of the Bektashi to defy the predispositions of closed minds. “Üçler aşkına!” (for the love of the three) my broth-er says, signifying it is a moment to lift our cups and drink. Technically, the Bektashi have no formulated communal dhikr. That night, laughter was our dhikr, the raising of the dem was our circle of divine remembrance. Silence followed, and all was as it began.

The author with Haxhi Dedebaba Mondi

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Great Bektashi Poets

Zehra BaxhiZahra Bāxhī originated from imperial city of Istanbul, be-ing born there in 1870. She took initiation into the Bektashi order at the hand of the great Mehmet ‘Alī Dede, head of Istanbul’s Merdivenköy tekke. The date of her passing from the world, as well as further details of her biography, is un-known to us at this time. However, we do know that Zahra Bāxhī was a poetess of considerable talent. Here is one of her poems, a poem in which she upholds the virtues of woman-hood, lambasting any man who considers possessing these to be a shortcoming:

O Muhammad! We’re lacking they say!From where did they get such drivel?Are they standing against the Ahl ul-Bayt’s way?In the light their claims will assuredly shrivel.

Our mother is Eve; do you say she’s not a sister?Khadījat ul-Kubra; do you say she’s not a sister?Fātimah uz-Zahra; do you say she’s not a sister?There is praise for them found in the Qur’an!

The purified wives; are such women deficient?Those who believe such a thing can never know the OmniscientSuch words from men! Should we expect them to be beneficent?Who was it, pray tell, that gave birth to all these prophets?

God didn’t bring into existence something that was not meant.We will never accept to be mere embellishment.Our sisters raised all the saints that to this world were sent.Go ahead! Prove me otherwise!

Do you think there’d be no world here without you?Ponder on Mother Mary for a moment or two.Without a father she brought forth Jesus; but that you knew.There are no dissimulators among the sisters.

O men! We are braver than you excessivelyBecause we show respect to you willingly.Since as one we go down this road progressivelyDon’t make such empty claims!

Just because we don’t reside in your clothesBehind you we’re not, so don’t presupposeWe don’t regard as brave, as anyone knows,Those who maintain we are idiots!

Did Ahmad-i Mukhtār come from a faulty one?Was Haydar-i Karār a dimwit’s son?Would you dare say your mother’s outdone?Her supplications surely do affect you!

Listen well, O men, to Zahra’s oration!The saints attest to our high station.Did our bodies not provide gestationTo the spiritual masters who guide you?

Bektashinjtë dhe lëvizja kombëtare

Nga Shyqyri HYSI

Jashmë është i njohur dhe i pranuar fakti se lëvizja kombëtare shqiptare, në rrugën e luftës për liri e pavarësi pati përkrahjen dhe

mbështetjen e plotë të bektashinjve shqiptarë. Kjo është vënë në dukje nga historiografia shqiptare nga studiues vendas dhe të huaj.

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Roli, kontributet dhe pjesmarrja e bektashinjve shqiptarë në lëvizjen kombëtare u përcaktua, në radhë të parë nga konceptet dhe parimet e sistemit të tyre mis-tikë në themel të të cilit qëndrojnë idetë e drejtësisë e të barazisë, të tolerancës, harmonisë e bashkëveprimit më të gjitha besimet fetare, parimi i dashurisë për at-dheun, i mirësisë, i vëllazërimit universal, i paqes etj. Në parimet e fesë bektashiane shqiptarët gjenin ide e parime që përputheshin me aspiratat e tyre kombëtare. Një nga ato është parimi se “Pa atdhe nuk ka fe” parim që ne thelb pranon përpasinë e ndenjës kombëtare për-ballë ndenjës fetare. Kjo është arësyeja që spjegon sh-kakun pse tek bektashinjtë shqiptarë ndërgega fetare nuk e errësoi dhe nuk e mbuloi asnjëhere vetëdijen e kombësisë. Prandaj si ata pjestarë të kombit shqiptar e vunë në shërbim të idealeve kombëtare, të luftës për çlirim, morën pjesë dhe dhanë ndihmesat e tyre të gji-thanshme në rrugën e zhvillimeve të proçeseve historike e politike shqiptare, sidomos gjatë periudhës të Rilindjes Kombëtare Shqiptare.

Një faktor tjetër me ndikime të fuqishme në afrim-in, në lidhjen dhe në bashkëpunimin e bektashinjve me lëvizjet përparimtare e çlirimtare të popujve të perando-risë otomane dhe veçmas me lëvizjen kombëtare shqip-tare ishte gjendja e tyre e vështirë pas vitit 1826, kur Sul-ltanati ndërmori një fushatë raprezaljesh e përndjekjesh mbi repartet jeniçere me përkatësi fetare bektashiane dhe

kunder gjithë bektashinjve. Ato ngjarje shënuan një kthesë politike e sociale në raportet e bektashinjëve me portën e lartë. U përmbysën marrëdhëniet e mëparshme miqësore midis tyre dhe lindën mardhënie të reja, armiqësore. Pas 1826 pozita dhe statusi i jeniçerëve në perandori ndry-shoi, ata cilësoheshin armiq. Me shpërbërjen e korpusit të jeniçerëve me 1826 bektashizmi kishte hyrë në konfliktë të hapur me portën e lartë. Pozita e njëjtë shoqërore e politike e nacinalizmit shqiptar dhe e bektashinjve shqip-tarë përballë portes së lartë ishte faktor konvergues që i bashkonte dhe i lidhte ata në luftën kundër armikut të përbashkët. Parimet liberale e demokratike të doktrinës bektashiane dhe sidomos parimit barazisë dhe kundër shtypjes kombëtare, kërkonin mënjanimin e të pushtimit të huaj dhe krijimin e shtetit të pavarur shqiptar.

Mbi këtë shtrat historik dhe politiko-social kom-bëtar u zhvillua ndenja kombëtare e cila ndihmoi fuqi-misht në bashkimin e shqiptarëve pa dallim feje, krahine e ideje rreth idesë kombëtare.

Nga ana tjetër edhe vetë lëvizja Kombëtare Shqip-tare synonte të përfshinte në girin e saj tëe gjithë patri-otët, të gjithë popullin. Ajo jo vetëm nuk përjashtonte, por e kërkonte edhe pjesmarrjen e klerikëve ne lëvizje. Drejtuesit e Lëvizjes Kombëtare, i trajtuan problemet e fese si në rrafshin teorik ashtu edhe në atë praktik... dhe i lidhën drejtëpërdrejtë me problemet e kohës, me detyrat e luftës për çlirimin kombëtar, me detyrat e plotesimit të nevojave historike e politike të kombit.

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Për këto arësye, lëvizja kombëtare shqiptare në rrugën e vet të zhvillimit historik u mbështet nga bek-tashinjtë shqiptarë. Shumë prej baballarëve bektashianë u bënë figura të shquara të patriotizmit dhe të nacional-izmit shqiptar, me dimesione kombëtare dhe me kontrib-ute të rëndësishme si udhëheqës popullorë e shpirtëror të lëvizjeve politike, kulturore dhe të armatosura. Edhe in-stitucionet fetare bektashiane, teqetë të drejtuara prej tyre u shdërruan në vatra të propagandës se ideve kombëtare, në shkolla të përhapjes se gjuhës, të shkrimit e të aresi-mit shqip, në çerdhe ku strehoheshin çetat e luftëtarëve që luftonin për liri e pavarësi. Teqetë bektashiane shpesh herë luanin rolin e vatrave e të qendrave nacionalizmit shqiptar, ku organizoheshin mbledhj e në të cilat sht-roheshin e diskutoheshin programe politike të Lëvizjes Kombëtare dhe merreshin vendime historike për fatin e kombit.

Gjatë shek. XIX - XX në teqetë bektashiane u zhvil-luan një varg kuvendesh patriotike. Ndër to shquhet ku-vendi ndërkrahinor që u mblodh në maj 1878 në teqenë e Frashërit nën krysine e Avdyl Frashërit dhe që vendosi të çonte në takimin e Prizrenit “...vullnetin krahinor të Shqipërisë se Jugut për të formuar Lidhjen Shqiptare me

karakter kombëtare, për të mbrojtur me armë tërësinë tokësore të atdheut dhe për të kërkuar në të njëjtën kohë krijimin e vilajetit autonom shqipatar.” Kuvende të tilla me karakter patriotik e politik kombëtare u mblodhën me vonë edhe në teqetë e Melçanit, Melanit,Turanit, Qatromit, Fushë-Krujës, Gjirokastrës, Frashërit, Shëm-bërdhenjit, Tetovës, Rrafshit të Dugagjinit, Backës, Pr-ishtës, Gllavës, etj. Duke vërejtur këtë fenomen udhëtari francez Gabriel Lui Zharej në atë kohë vinte në dukje se në Shqipëri: “Teqetë u bënë qendra kombëtare, sa fetare, aq edhe vatra të kombësisë që luftonte për liri e pavarësi.”

Në shumë rastë shërbesat fetare që zhvillohesh-in në to shoqëroheshin me propogandë dhe veprim-tari kulturore e patriotike në shërbim të interesave të lëvizjes kombëtare. Bektashinjte jo vetëm mbështetën por shpesh herë u bënë organizatorë dhe veprimtarë të përpjekjeve për përhapjen e gjuhës shqipe, për shkollën, për shkronjat dhe për mësimin shqip. Kleri bektashi për-dori edhe gjuhën shqipe për një letersi me frymë fetare. Ata ishin të vetëdijshëm se me këtë veprimtari i bënin shërbime të çmuara, jo vetëm kulturës kombëtare, por mbi të gjitha ruajtjes dhe lartësimit të indentitetit dhe individualitetit të kombit. Duke vënë ne dukie rolin dhe

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kontributet e ndjeshme td teqeve të Rrafshit te Dukag-jinit, ne zhvillimin e kulturës kombëtare shqiptare dhe sidomos në proçesin e përhapjes të gjuhes e të shkrimit shqip zëvëndës konsulli austro-hungarez Prohasaka thek-sonte se “në teqetë e atjeshme të shumta, mblidheshin të rinjtë dhe nga dervishët mësonin shkrim e këndim të gjuhës shqipe. Atje lexonin gazetën ‘Drita’ si edhe libra në gjuhën shqipe. » Me rëndësi të veçante historiko-politike ka qënë roli i teqesë Arabatinë Tetovë kontributi i se cilës veçmas gjatë rilindjes Kombëtare ishte i shumëanshëm. Ajo ishte një nga qendrat më aktive të kulturës dhe atd-hetarisë shqiptare.

Aty sherbëu Baba Qazim Bakalli i Gjakoves, njeri me kulturë të gjerë per kohen dhe pishtar i shkolles shqipe. Ajo i dha impuls të fuqishëm jetës intelektuale të qytetit të Tetovës dhe thithi elementin kombëtare, i cili luajti rol të rëndësishëm në gjarjet historike të kësaj ane, sidomos në kryengritjen e Dervish Cares të viteve 1843-1844 etj. Rol të madh luajti edhe Teqeja e Baba Shabanit, në Dibër gjatë mbledhjes së kongresit të Dibrës më 1909, kur një pjesë e delegateve shqiptarë, të cilët ishin kundër platformës dhe përpjekjeve të xhonturqve, u mblodhën në një seancë të fshehtë në teqen e Baba Shabanit dhe në përputhje të plotë me platformën politike të lëvizjes

Kombëtare Shqiptare përpunuan kërkesa që i shërbenin interesave të çeshtjes shqiptare. Kështu “Kongresi i Di-brës, ka theksuar Mit’hat Frashëri, mori fizionomi krejtë-sisht shqiptarë.”

Shumë dede, baballarë e dervishë ishin jo vetëm ud-hëheqës shpirtëror e lider fetarë, por edhe drejtues poli-tikë, që organizuan e udhëhoqën me shqiptarizëm lëvizje politike e shoqërore antiotomane. Kur shfaqej nevoja e interesave kombëtare, babanë fetar e shdërronin nga një atë të përgjithshem shpirtëror në një udhëheqës politik ata doktrinën fetarë e predikonin jo vetëm si mjet vëllazërimi të përgjithshëm, si rrugë drejt qetësisë shpirtërore e bara-zisë por nbi të giitha si rrugë për kultivimin e ndenjës se dashurisë për atdheun e kombin.

Baballarët e shehlerët jo vetëm u vunë edhe në krye të lëvizjes së armatosur atiosmane por ranë edhe desh-morë për çështjen e çlirimit kombëtar si Sheh Fejza në Dibër, i cili udhëhoqi kryengritjen antiosmane më 1860. Kontribute të ndjeshme dhanë Ymer Prizreni, Musta-fa Tetova, Mustafa Zerqani, Sabri Preveza, Baba Alush Frashëri, Baba Hysen Kukeli në vitet e lidhjes së Prizrenrt, Baba Zeneli dhe kryengritjet antiosmane të viteve 1910-1912 etj. Baba Ramadan Qatromi, Baba Hysen Melçani, Baba Medin Gllava, Baba Abedin Frashëri, Haxhi Hysen Babaj, Dervish Ali Dedej, babai i teqesë së Tetovës, Baba Xhaferi, Baba Fetahu, Dervish Iljazi, Baba Shaban Prish-ta dhe shumë të tëe tjerë në hapsirën e trojeve shqiptarë, ishin jo vetëm klerikë të shquar por edhe prijës popullorë aktivë e personalitete politike të lëvizjes kombëtare. Në proçesin e luftës politike dhe të armatosur për liri dhe pa-varësi ata bashkëpunuan ngushtësisht me drejtuesit krye-sore të lëvizjes kombëtare.

Baba Qazim Bakalli i Gjakoves

100 VJET PRANE ZOTITBaba Arshi Bazaj mban të ndezur në Amerikë, çiragun e Haxhi Bektash Veliut

nga Syrja XhelajUrtësia, nr. 94 / Prill 2013

Ka qënë vetëm 7 vjeç, kur i jati e mori “kalipeç” dhe e çoi në teqen e famshme të Golimbasit, në jug të Vlorës, andej nga paqen e erërave detare, e zenë pamjet e egra të Laberisë. Përkundër idesë se peisazhet e trishtë lënë gjurmë në vetëdijen njerëzore, Baba Arshi Bazaj ka ende sot, gjurmë të një shpirti të butë dhe mahnitës. Mahnitës me kuptimin e dritës që i buron prej fjalëve, prej syve, prej lëvizjeve. Edhe pak javë dhe shkon tek 107 vjetët. E pa bujë, disi e heshtur, jeta e tij, sikundër jeta e qindra baballarëve bektashianë, ka kaluar përmes fallgësh të fatit dhe të besimit. Unikale në stoicizmin e vet, jeta e Baba Ar-shiut, ka dëshmuar mbi të gjitha shpresën e pafikur ndaj Kri-juesit. Po çfarë i ushqen dhe mbajti gjallë këto shpresa në 100 vjet me radhë? Ç‘substanca shpirtërore ka mbrujtur qendresa emblematike e tij?

Të shikon drejt e në beben e syrit. Nëse bindet se e dëgjon me vëmendje atëhere të flet. Më thotë: “Dëgjo këtu, t’u hapte dera! I thoshin teqe e Golimbasit asaj. Donje lisin, e kishe. Donje rrapin, e kishe. Donje ujin e ftohtë, s’të mungonte. Donje njerëz-inë atye e kishe. E di si vinin njerëzir kur ish baba Bektashi? Mu si miza e lisit. I thoshin teqeja e Haxhi Mehmet Aliut! Kanë shërbyer baballarë atje, jo kështu hyrë e dil sipas qejfit. A jo, të lutem. As unë se njojta baba Zenel Krujën. Po kish lënë gjurmë ama. E kërkonte Esat Pasha ta vrise, la Krujën erdhi nëbesë të vlonjatëve. I thanë këta se kur të digjemi dhe shkretohemi ne të tër, do vdeç edhe ti. Po spiunët e Esatit e zunë në Vlorë. Nuk e vranë se kishin frikë nga djemtë e Vlorës. E dërguan syrgjyn në Misir. Edhe atje çeli teqe baba Zeneli. Po çapu edhe sot në Go-

limbas. Atje tek çezma në të hyrë të teqesë, i thonë çezma e Baba Zejnelit. Edhe lisave poshtë varreve, u thonë lisat e baba Ze-jnelit. I rriti dhe verseliti vet. E di pse na çonin neve baballarët “kalipiç” në teqe hejvalla? Sepse kush porositur me gojë të tij baba Zejnel Kruja, se qysh do t’i mbani djetë në vegjëli. do t’ju mbajnë juve në pleqëri.”

Ka qënë 13 vjeç kur u sëmur. Nuk hëngri e piu tri ditë dhe zuri shtratin. E jëma. Fatimeja zuri të qante. Merkua, i jati, e hipi në kalë të bardhë dhe shkoi në Vlorë në spitalin e ushtrisë Italiane. Nxorri një qese me florinj dhe u tha doktorëve ta shëro-nin. Por edhe këta u thyen. Shkuan në shtëpi në Shkozë dhe të nesërmen, Merkua e hipi sërish “kalipiç” duke e çuar në teqen e Golimbasit tek Baba Bektashi. Ky bëri punët e veta. Duaja e tij u pranua dhe pas tri ditësh djali nisi të hante nga qumështi i dhive të teqesë. Prindërit e lanë aty disa javë, se kish qëlluar behar dhe shkolla ish mbyllur. Por tanimë në shpirtin e tij kish ndodhur një ndryshim madh. Një dashuri e heshtur, e pagojë derdhej pa kursim brenda universit fëınijëror duke i dhënë një kum-bim ndryshe zërit të tij. Tashmë shpirti i tij i ngjante një shtëpie të madhe me dyer e dritare të hapura. Brenda tyre vërshtronte dritë. Dritë dashurie ndaj erenlerëve që e mbajtën në këtë botë.

Dhe pikërisht për këtë fakt baba Arshiu në rrëfen: “Dëgjo këtu, t’u haptë dera! Jetëgjati nuk bëhet jetëshkurtër. Të gjithë ne e kemi të shkruar në ballë, qysh në ditën e parë që pijmë sisën e nënës. Ke parë fonjën ti se si e.pi sisën e nëırës? Ja e vendos ballin në sisë dhe pi me buzë. Aty shkruan Perëndija e madhe, ditët e tua. Bëj ç’të duash ti kur të vjen xhebrahili. Ja bie fiala je në Vlorë

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ti? Kalo detin po të duash. Ai vjen të gjen, nuk i fihihesh dot, asgjëkundi. Do thuaç ti, po pse s’të shëroi spitali italian po teqeja e Golimbasit. A, të lutem! Do më dëgjoç njera në fund nashti. Udhëtonin bashkë edhe Hizri edhe Hazreti Musa. Se ishin miq për kokë. Hizri kish vënë sevda në punë të Zotit dhe tregonte disa çudite që kish parë me sytë e tij. Ai tregonte dhe priste ndonjë llaf nga Hazreti Musa. Si e qysh. Ky « kajmeno » rrinte i mejtuar. Mejtimi i hazreti Musait, ejvallah, ishte më i thellë nga deti. Duke u llafosur me anijen që ata udhëtonin, erdhi një zog. Ky rrinte sa rrinte dhe pinte ujë deti me sqep. Hazreti Musa i tha Hizrit: E sheh o vëllai im i vogël zogun që pi ujë me sqep? Dija ime, dija jote, dija e të gjitha krijesave në këtë botë, eshtë sa ato pika uji që mori zogu. Dija e Allahut nuk matet dot. »

E dëgjoj me vëmendje. Në këta 100 vite të jetës së tij në këtë botë, kushedis se sa njerëz i kanë bërë pyetjen sesi iu largua sëmundja në teqe. Ai askurrë nuk u mërzit. Me një thjeshtësi dhe natyrë karakteristike ka mundur të zbulojë në pak çaste, të vërteta të përjetshme të atributeve hyjnorë. Baba Bektashi i Go-limasit, sigurisht që i është lutur Zotit dhe erenlerëve, për jetën e Arshiut 13 vjeçar. Por e pati mësuar edhe këtë, se si njeriu duhet t‘i drejtohet Krijuesit, për ta parë veten kurdoherë pranë vëmendjes së Tij. Ndjesi te tilla nuk përballojnë aspak çudi në vetëdijen e besimtarëve. Trazimet shpirtërore dhe ato fizike, shpeshkanë si melhem lutjet e dala prej pastërtisë së zemrës, duke depërtuar si rreze dite deri në qiellin e mbramë. I fashmi Mevlana Rumiu, do t’i këndonte kësaj gjëndjeje me thellësinë e filozofisë: “Ne të vërtetë puna e fesë nuk është gjë tjetër veç habitjes, mahnitjes dhe admirimit. Por kjo mahnitje nukë është t’i kthesh shpinën kibles, të së vërtetës, për shkak se mendja nuk arrin dot deri atje. Përkundrazi është të biesh në mahnitje pas ashkut. Po ramë në gjumë. Do të thotë të kemi rënë në dritë me ashkun për Zotin, jemi bërë të dehurit e Tij. Po të ndodhemi zgjuar, përjetojmë mijra të fshetanë eposin e shkruar prej Tij.“

Herë-herë në rrëfenjat e tij për vitet e largët, duket se bie muzgu. Një muzg i çuditshëm që plekset me ngjarje e njerëz gjithmonë në zgrip të fatit. Befas në sytë etij shfaqet një dritë dhe muzgu i trishtë largohet ndërkaq. Unë i kujtoj Baba Shevqet Koshtanin, me të cilin kanë ndarë së bashku vitete vështirë 1940-1944. Kumton: „Aha, Baba Shefua? Dëgjomë mua. Të flas xhanërisht. Baba Shefua ishte gur qosheje. I peshonte fjala me okë. E di ku e kish vënë taçin në kokë ejvallah? Në Haxhi Bektash të Turqisë. Kur mollosite me mullanë e Gjirokastrës në turqisht, dukej sikur ja kish marrë këngës aq bukur. Mollisnin nefese nga të Jonus Emresë. Një drekë gushti te vitit 1944, më tha mua të merrja dyfekun dhe ta shoqëroja në teqen e Zallit në Gjirokastër, tek Baba Selimi. Dervish Muharrem Zhapokika që shërbente në teqe, na u qep nga pas. Donte të vinte me ne. Po ishte kohë me rreziqe ejvallah. E di si ju hakërrye Baba Shefua? Rri aty, s’jepër pushkë ti je për dua. Për pushkë kam djemtë e Vlorës unë! Të flas xhanërisht. Të nesërmen në saba kurpo sho-qëroja me dyfek në krah Baba Shefon për në Koshtan, ky më tha: Mos më xhuqit evladi im. Eshtë keq puna. Komunistëve po s’u vate pas të vrasin me bukë në gojë. Po i shkohet pas mortjes? Haxhi Bektashi ba marrtë hakën!”

Në vitet që rodhën më pas, dervish Arshi Bazaj jetoi kalvarin makabër, sikundër qindra e mijra nacionalistë të tjerë. Intuita e dervishëve dhe baballarëve bektashianë, të cilët përqa-fuan nacionalizmin, nuk mund të gabonte. Ata parandjenë brenda sizmikës të shpirtit, se komunizmi veç të tjerave do të rrekej të rrënon te besimin në Zot. Pikërisht përkëtë klerikët bektashian bashkuan gjokset dhe udhëhoqën armatën e madhe të besimtarëve në rrugën e shenjtë, në shtigjet e lisë së vatanit, të treguara nga Pir Haxhi Bektash Veliu. Erozionet e ideologjive gjithfarësh, nuk mund të gërryenin dhe shqyenin atë ndjenjë të devotshme ndaj Krijuesit. E para ishte fjala. Ajo e ngrohta , drithëruesja e vërteta. Fjalët e baballarëve buruan nga dhimb-shuria dhe butësia emblematike e shpirtrave të tyre. Ato fjalë ishin dhe mbetën ura për të lidhur zemra dhe fate njerëzorë në rrebeshet ideologikë që kërcënuan fatine kombit tonë. Por pikërisht, edhe për këto fjalë të thënë fshehtas e të mbrujtura me dashuri për vatanin, dervishët dhe baballarët bektashianë do të përndiqeshin do të futeshin burgjeve, do të pushkatoheshin nga pushtetarë të pafe dhe të pashpirt. Dervish Arshi Bazaj merr udhët e mundishme me plagën e madhe në shpirt për teqetë që i kërcënonte rrënimi komunist. Provon brengat në kampet e refugjatëve në Greqi dhe Itali. Më pas i buzëqesh fati kure dër-gojnë në teqenë bektashiane të Kajros dhe kur mëson, se vetë Baba Rexhebi i teqesë së Zallit interesohet për të. Ka ardhur në Shtetet e Bashkuara të Amerikës qysh në vitin 1953 dhe sot e kësaj dite, shpërndan atë frymë shënjterie në mijrat e shqip-tarëve këtu te çdo besimi qofshin, të çdo treve të ilirës.

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Më shumë se dyzet vjet ka jetuar pranë Baba Rexhebit. Një rrugëtim i gjatë i tyre, një sagë dhimbjejeje e devotshmërie paskaj është mbushur plot ngjarje e njerëz. Teqeja e Baba Rex-hebit në Detroit të Miçiganit, qysh prej ditës së parë të saj, në muajin e Vitit 1954 dhe deri më sot, ka mbetur një fole shprese për çdo besimtar, një vend prehjeje gati mahnitëse. Baba Arshiu sjell ndërmend bisedat e gjata të Baba Rexhebit me Fan Nolin, Nelo Dizarin, Hasan Dostin, Abas Ermenjin. Xhevat Kallajxhi-un, Abas Mërtinjin, Njazi Bardhën, Talat Omarin, Novruz Sel-fon dhe një plejad burrash të tjerë të shkëlqyer, të cilët ndanë me shënjtorin bektashian brengat dhe gëzimet e tyre. Kuvendimet e tyre shpesh bëheshin në mejdan të teqesë, me ç’rast, çdo fjalë merrte peshën e rendë të besës bektashiane. Pas këtyre kuven-deve me zemër në dorë merrnin udhë e humbisnin si shkëndijat e zjarrit në qiellin e natës, meritë e verbëra, cmira dhe të tjera vese të kësaj bote vdekatare. Një natë prilli e këtij viti, kur ora po shënonte mesnatën, Baba Arshiu e mbylli bisedën jo pu tr-ishtim: “S’ka më Baba Rexheb!”

“Kur drita ime të fiket në Lindje do të ndiqet në Perën-dim.” Kjo është një sentencë e Haxhi Bektash Veliut e kumtuar

750 vjet më parë. A nuk i pushtoi me dhunë komunizmi terri-toret shpirtërorë të besimtarëve të Lindjes në Evropë? A nuk u rrënuan mënxyrshëm teqetë në Shqipëri, në vitet 60 të shekullit që lamë pas? Po jo rastësisht një misionar si Baba Rexhebi mer-rte udhën nga teqeja e Zallit në Gjirokastër për të ngritur një të tillë në Amerikë. Profecia e Haxhi Bektash Veliut ka ardhur disi fluide, por e sigurtë në këtë realitet plot vëllazëri bektashiane. Sendërtimi i asaj profecie ka në themelet e saj shpirtin e Baba Rexhebit dhe devocionin e Baba Arshiut. Këta të dy ende sot, japin e marri me njeri-tjetrin, përmes kumtesh që neve as që mund t’i kuptojmë. Sepse në vetëdijen tonë nuk mund të për-ceptojnë gjithçka që flet e mendon një baba bektashian. Për më tepër kur ka 100 vite pranë Zotit. Për të vazhduar më pas, në jetën e përtejme edhe mijra vite të tjera drite, pranë myrshidit të vet. Nëpër këta shtigje të ashkut, ecën sot edhe dervishi i teqesë, Eliton Pashaj. Përkundruall dëshirave të kësaj bote, ai ka zgjed-hur udhët e besimit tonë të mrekullueshëm. Udhët e mbushura me dritë nga Baba Rexhebi dhe Baba Arshiu.

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NefezetKënga Bektashiane

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nga rahmetli Pëllumb KATROSHI

Kënga bektashiane e ka prejardhjen nga poezia mistike shpirtërore bektashiane. Bëhet fjalë për një kënge të gjallë, lidhur drejtpërdrejt me ritualet e besimit, të quajtura “nefeze.” Këto nefeze recitoheshin ose këndoheshin kur ishin të shoqëruara me melodi përgjatë muha-beteve, por edhe gjatë mbledhjeve të tjera të besimit bektashiane; gjë e cila mbetet edhe sot në traditë. Poezia e këngës shpreh dhimbjen e zemrës se poetit mistik, ajo është një klithmë e papërmbajtur, e cila del me tinguj melodiozë, kushtrues, me afsh dashurine, duke prekur me ëmbëlsinë e saj brigjet dhe thellesite e shpirtit njerëzor, dhe duke ushqyer

ate me shpresë e dashuri për të madhin Zot. Të shumta janë nefezet bektashiane, të cilat, duke u bashkuar me melodinë, i kendojnë dhe i thurin laved Profetit Muhammed, familjes profetike, Imam Aliut, Hazretit Fatime, Haxhi Bektash Veliut, dedelereve, baballarëve dhe dervishëve bektashiane, te cilët e shkrinë jetën e tyre në udhën e përkushtimit. Një vend të veçantë në këto nefeze zë dashuria për atdheun, përpjekjet e pop-ullit në luftën për liri e pavarësi, si dhe për gjuhen kombëtare. Pena dhe mendimi i poetit të madh bektashian Naim Frashëri, janë me shumë se çdo gje tjeter burim i urtësisë, i përkushtimit dhe frymëzimit në këngën bektashiane, duke u bërë forcë dhe arsye në besnikëri, besim, dhe atdhedashuri deri në vdekje. Ndikimi i fortë poezisë shpirtërore bektashiane ndjehet tek krijimtaria e Baba Meleq Shembërdhenjit, Ali Tyrabiut, Isuf Myzyrit, Zenel Bastarit, Ibrahim Hasanajit etj. Nuk mund të lëmë pa përmendur dhe nefezet që mbajnë firmën e klerikëve, besimtarëve dhe dashamirësve bektashiane, të cilët mbeten pjesë e edukatës, përkush-timit dhe moralit bektashian që janë të kuptueshme prej masës dhe kontribut në propagandimin e besimit bektashian. Është detyrë për të gjithë që këto nefeze dhe gazele që këndohen ndër teqetë tona bektashiane të merren ashtu siç këndohen nga njerëz të ndryshëm, klerikë, besimtarë e dashamirës, të incizohen të shkruhen në partitura dhe aty ku paraqitet e nevojshme të vihet dorë në melodi dhe poezi duke e bërë atë sa me të kapshme dhe më të pëlqyeshme pëer besimtarin. Në këtë kontekst duhet të organizohen edhe eksped-ita për mbledhjen e këtyre materialeve në të gjitha trevat dhe trojet shqiptarë pasi shumë nga kjëto nefeze po shkrojnë drejt harresës. Vetëm kështu mundësojmë, ne, ruajtjen dhe pasurimin e këtyre vlerave të pasura artistike, shpirtërore dhe kombëtare.

Si Lindi BEKTASHIZMI?

nga Xhevat Kallajxhi

Bektashizmi (sekt mistik i fesë Islame) u themelua nga Hynqar Haxhi Bektash Veliu. Haxhi Veli Bektashi bazat e këtij sekti i morri nga Misticizmi islam, të adaptuara nga i Madhi Ali, i cili u frymëzua nga Profeti Muhammed. Hax-hi Bektashi lindi në Nishapur të Horasanit në Persi, në vitin 1248 pas Krishtit. Haxhi Veli Bektashi rridhte nga një familje e madhe persiane, e cila në kohën e tij qeveriste një pjesë të gjerë të vendit.

Që në moshën e njomë, Haxhi Bektashi u shqua për cilësi të rralla. I vinte keq për çdo gjë, ndihmonte çdo njeri, falte çdo faj. U pajis me një kulturë të gjerë dhe thelloi dijet sidomos në filozofi dhe misticizëm. Në moshën madhore, kur i ati i tij ndërroi jetë, Haxhi Bektashi nuk pranoi të zinte vendin e tij, atë të guvernatorit, i cili mbeti i zbrazët dhe i takonte atij si trashëgim. Popullit, që i u lut ta pranonte atë post, Haxhi Bektashi iu përgjigj me këto fjalë: “Dashuria ndaj Zotit është për mua froni më i lartë.”

Mendimet dhe këshillat e Haxhi Bektashit u përhapën në shumë vende të ndryshme. Të gjithë ato që e vizitonin atë, mbeteshin të habitur nga zotësia e mrekullueshme e tij dhe i përuleshin me respekt. Ai u largua nga të gjitha dhuntitë e kësaj bote dhe secilit i predikonte pastrimin e vetes nga çdo e keqe. Qëndroi i izoluar disa vjet në një faltore, ku i lutej Zotit për mbarësinë e gjithë njerëzimit, si edhe për faljen e gabimeve dhe të metave të njerëzve anembanë botës. I lutej Zotit gjithashtu qe t’i ndriçonte njerëzit, t’i frymëzonte me ndjenjat e dashurisë e të mirësisë dhe t’i zhvishte nga çdo ves, që kështu të fitonin me të vërtetë emrin njeri.

Më në fund u këshillua nga udhëheqësi shpirtëror i tij, Hoxhë Ahmet Jeseviu, të shkonte në Anatoli që asoko-he, quhej Biladi Rum, për të drejtuar njerëzimin në rrugën e mbarësisë e të përsosmërisë. Para se të merrte rrugën për në Anatoli, Haxhi Bektashi vizitoi tyrben e të Madhit Ali në Nexhef të Irakut, mauzoleun e Profetit Muhammed në Medi-ne, varret e Profetëve Ibrahim, Davud e të tjerë në Palestinë, Damask dhe Alep. Shkoi gjithashtu në Mekë për të plotësuar urdhrin e Haxhillëkut Islam, pas të cilit mori titullin Haxhi.

Kur mbërriti në Anatoli, fama e tij ishte përhapur mjaft. Gjatë udhëtimit nëpër Turqi, me mijëra njerëz i dolën përpa-ra, për ta përshëndetur me përulje dhe për të dëgjuar këshil-lat e tij morale. Më në fund u vendos në vendin e caktuar, në Suluxhe Karahujuk, i cili më vonë morri emrin Haxhi Bek-tash, dhe edhe sot e kësaj dite kjo qytezë e mban këtë emër.

Atje arriti në vitin 1281, ku u takua edhe me shumë mis-tikë të tjerë. Në fillim gjeti disa kundërshtime, por me zotësi, urtësi dhe predikime morale mundi t’i kapërcejë pengesat dhe, më në fund, iu përulën të gjithë me respekt. Pas dym-bëdhjetë muajsh, në vitin 1282, Haxhi Bektashi themeloi të parën teqe bektashiane në botë. Në të njëjtën kohë organizoi ceremonitë e shërbesave fetare dhe vuri në zbatim rregullat bektashiane, të cilat vazhdojnë edhe sot në të gjitha teqetë. Brenda pak kohësh, numri i besimtarëve bektashianë u shtua në mijëra e mijëra vetë.

Bektashizmi u përhap në gjithë Turqinë. Bashkë me bektashizmin u përhap edhe fama për Haxhi Bektashin si shenjtor i madh. Prandaj shumë veta dëshironin ta vizitonin. Edhe mbreti i asaj kohe, Sulltan Orhani, që u informua për këtë njeri të madh, vendosi të shkojë e ta vizitojë e të marrë bekim prej tij. Sulltan Orhani mbeti aq i prekur nga Haxhi Bektashi saqë i tha:

Burrë i vërtetë, fjala juaj më bëri aq përshtypje sa nuk më vjen mirë të largohem.

Haxhi Bektashi, me buzëqeshje dashamirësie, iu përgjigj:

Po të jesh shpirtërisht me mua, edhe në Jemen të jesh, je pranë meje. Po të mos jesh shpirtërisht me mua, edhe pranë meje të jesh, je në Jemen.

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The Twelve Imams

President Obama’s congratulatory letter to the Teqe in honor of the 60th anniversary of its founding by Baba Rexheb and the Albanian commu-nity of the United States and Canada.