Bektashism

Bektashism (Turkish: Bektaşîlik, Albanian: Bektashi) is a Sufi order of Islam that evolved in 13th-century western Anatolia and became widespread in the Ottoman Empire. It is named after the walī (saint) Haji Bektash Veli, with adherents called Bektashis. Origins of Haji Bektash’s teachings can be traced back to the scholar Ahmad Yasawi of Turkestan. Highest title in Bektashi chain of succession is Dedebab, followed by Halifebaba and Baba.

The Bektashi Order of Tirana is currently led by Baba Mondi, recognized as the eighth Dedebab, whose seat is at the order’s headquarters in Tirana, Albania. However, Bektashi Order of Tirana is not recognized by Turkish Bektashis, specifying that Bektashi principles require Dedebab to be in Anatolia, and the Albanian chain of succession never had Dedebabate.

The Bektashis were originally one of many Sufi orders within Sunni Islam. By the 16th century, the order had adopted some tenets of Twelver Shi’ism—including veneration of Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, and the Twelve Imams—as well as a variety of syncretic beliefs.

The Bektashis acquired political importance in the 15th century when the order dominated the Janissary Corps. After the foundation of Turkey, the country’s leader, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, banned religious institutions that were not part of the Directorate of Religious Affairs, and the community’s headquarters relocated to Albania. Salih Nijazi was the last Dedebab in Turkey and the first in Albania. The order became involved in Albanian politics, and some of its members, including Ismail Qemali, were major leaders of the Albanian National Awakening.

Bektashis believe in the ismah of the prophets and messengers and the Fourteen Infallibles: the Prophet Muhammad, his daughter Fatima, and the Twelve Imams. In contrast to many Twelver Shia, Bektashis respect all of the Companions of Muhammad, including Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Talha and Mu’awiya, with Ali considered the greatest of the Companions.

In addition to the spiritual teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, the Bektashi Order was later significantly influenced during its formative period by Hurufism (in the early 15th century), the antinomian dervish order of the qalandars, figures like Ahmad Yasawi, Yunus Emre, the Safavid emperor and head of the Safavid order and Messiah Ismail I, Shaykh Haydar, Nesimi, Pir Sultan Abdal, Gül Baba, Sarı Saltık and to varying degrees more broadly the Shia belief system circulating in Anatolia during the 14th to 16th centuries. The mystical practices and rituals of the Bektashi Order were systematized and structured by Balım Sultan in the 16th century.

According to a 2005 estimate by Reshat Bardhi, there are over seven million Bektashis worldwide, though more recent studies put the figure as high as 20 million. In Albania, they make up 9% of the Muslim population and 5% of the country’s population. An additional 12.5 million Bektashis live in Turkey. Bektashis are mainly found throughout Anatolia, the Balkans and among Ottoman-era Greek Muslim communities. The term Alevi–Bektashi is used frequently in current Turkish religious discourse as an umbrella term for Alevism and Bektashism, despite their distinct origins and separate belief systems.

wikipedia/en/Bektashism