The real name of the sage of the Bektashi order, known as Hacı Bektaşi Veli , who was active in the 15th century and is still active today, is Muhammed Bektaş . It is known that Hacı Bektaşi Veli was born in the 13th century in Nişabur, Khorasan. His father was Seyyid İbrahim and his mother was Nişarburlu Hatem Hatun. Bektaş received his first education from Lokman Parende , who is known to have been a disciple of Ahmet Yesevi. He received education in many branches of science such as philosophy, wisdom, mysticism and literature from other well-known scholars of Turkestan in Nişabur, where he spent his childhood and youth. Hacı Bektaş, who matured his knowledge in places such as Turkestan, Iran, Baghdad, Mecca and Syria, went to Anatolia upon the indication of Ahmet Yesevi.
You have forty years of rule. Until now it was ours, from now on it is yours. We sent you to Byzantium, we gave you Sulucakarahöyük as your home. We made you the leader of the Byzantium aristocrats.
He listened to his sheikh and settled in Sulucakarahöyük (today’s name is Hacıbektaş ). He raised disciples here, dealt with the problems of the people, helped and led the revival of social and religious unity among the Turks in Anatolia. He based his thoughts on Islam and Turkish culture.
A picture of the Bektashi Order Lodge drawn in 1882
Muhammed Bektaş, who took the name Hacı Bektaşi Veli after his death, received the title Hacı because of his miracles mentioned in the Velâyetnâme. He was known in Anatolia with names such as “ the patron saint of the Rum ablutions ”, “ the greatest saint of the Land of Rum ”, and titles such as “ Hünkâr ” and “ Pir ”. Some sources state that he passed through the cities of Amasya, Kayseri, Sivas in Anatolia, and some sources state that he visited places such as Gaziantep, Elbistan, Tarsus, Bozhöyük, and Muğla Castle.
Hacı Bektaşi Veli, who had a large community from shepherds to soldiers, also gathered the dervish community around him. So much so that there is also an anecdote about Yunus Emre. The most important feature of the Bektashism order, of which he is considered to be the sage, is the continuation of the old Turkish belief and lifestyle in accordance with Islam. Bektashism, which became a sage long after him, recognizes Hz. Prophet (pbuh) as a mentor, Hz. Ali as a guide, and Hacı Bektaşi Veli as a sage. Bektashism is based on Hacı Bektaşi Veli’s teachings on the relationship between the creator, the universe, and man.
According to Hünkâr Bektaş Veli, the first duty of a person, who is a part of the Creator, is to believe in monotheism and maintain his loyalty. A person should be able to control his ego, protect his hands, tongue and waist, be reliable, be virtuous, have moral values, be someone who does not betray trusts, be modest, be peaceful and sharing, and treat people equally without discrimination.
Hacı Bektaşi Veli has taught the rules of Islam, the ways to be a good person, and tolerance, and has taken a place in people’s hearts. The grave of Hacı Bektaşi Veli, who is thought to have died at the end of the 13th century and the beginning of the 14th century, is located in the Hazret Towel of his lodge. It is known that his tomb was built by Emir Murad bin Adullah approximately two hundred and forty years after his death.
His Literary Figure and Works
Haji Bektashi Veli
When it comes to a Sufi, his thoughts, his order, his dervishness and his disciples are taken into consideration. A Sufi who is a Sufi poet brings people together, tells them about Islam and also excites hearts with the works he writes with beautiful expressions, allowing his thoughts to be passed down to generations.
Hacı Bektaşi Veli has generally been evaluated based on his being the founder of the Bektashi order, and his works and literary aspects have not been given much attention. One of the reasons for this is that his works are confused with those of Bektashi saints or that his works are unknown. Important literary researchers such as Fuat Köprülü and Abdulbaki Gölpınarlı have also conducted research on Hacı Bektaşi Veli. The works said to belong to Hacı Bektaşi Veli are as follows:
- Kitabü’l-Fevâ’idi:Research has shown that the work belongs to Hacı Bektaşi Veli, that it has great similarities with Makalât, but that it has deviated from the original with additions and distortions.
- Surah Fatiha Commentary:Baha Said was the first to mention this work of Hacı Bektaşi. The person who discovered the work and brought it to the world of science was Hüseyin Özcan. The benefits of reading Surah Fatiha are explained in the work along with the word-by-word explanation of Surah Fatiha. In fact, the wisdom behind the absence of letters that do not exist in Surah Fatiha is even explained in the work.
- Şathiyya:Şathiyya is used for humorous verses in Sufi literature. Hacı Bektaşi Veli also has a two-page şathiyya. A Turkish commentary was made under the name Tuhfetü’s-Sâlikîn by an author whose pen name was Enverî.
- Hacı Bektaş’s Advices:There is no definitive evidence that this work, consisting of advices and testaments, belongs to Hacı Bektaşi Veli. However, it is known that there is a copy in the Hacıbektaş District Public Library and an incomplete record in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.
- Commentary on Besmele:In this work, Muhammed Bektaş interprets the meaning and spirit of Besmele by providing evidence from verses, hadiths and some stories. The most important feature of the work, one copy of which is in Manisa Library, is that it was written in Turkish.
- Makalat:It is undoubtedly one of the most important works that is definitely known to belong to Hacı Bektaşi Veli. The most important feature of this work is that it bears the fact that he was not a Shiite-Batinite as described, but a Sufi who was devoted to the sharia. It is said that Said Emre translated the work, which was written in Arabic, into Turkish. The work, which has a very rich copy feature, also has prose and verse types.
The work is written on four gates (sharia-tarikat-ma’rifet-hakikat) and forty maqams. Four gates and forty maqams show the understanding of sülük accepted and followed by Turkish Sufis. This arrangement is almost the same as the arrangement of Ahmet Yesevi’s work called “Fakrname”. This is an indication that Hacı Bektaşi Veli followed Ahmet Yesevi.
There are works that are said to belong to Hacı Bektaş but have little or almost no evidence on this subject, and some of them are: “ Hadith-i Erba’în Şerhi”, “Makalât-ı Gaybiyye and Kelimât-ı Ayniyye”, “Hunda-nâme” and “Üssü’l-Hakikâ”
Tomb of Haji Bektashi Veli
An Example from His Poem
We get wounded and bleed together with our friend
We remember the Creator with love with every breath
Enter the square of the saints with unity and see
Forty of us burn as one on the forty-knotted candlestick.
My wealth, property, fortune, all remained at home
My son, daughter, relative, remained on the road I passed through
Not one of my friends left me
The good things I did for Allah remained with me.
Knowledge and wisdom are guides and banish darkness
Ignorance and heedlessness overwhelm and suffocate people
That sun of happiness that shines in hearts
rises not from the East and the West, but from true belief…
Source
- Mehmet Aça, M.Öcal Oğuz, Tuba Saltık Özkan, Aktan Müge Ercan, Metin Ekici, Mustafa Arslan, Dilaver Düzgün, Gülün Öğüt Eker, Compilation, R.Bahar Akarpınar. (2000). Turkish Folk Literature Handbook.Grafiker Publications.