ZIKR AND ZIKR MUSIC
Ritual and prayer are aspects of Muslim spiritual life shared my mystics and non-mystics alike.  But the distinctive worship of the Sufi is the Zikr, the remembrance of the Friend.  Zikr is the first step in the way of love; when somebody loves, one repeats the Friend's name in order to constantly remember this essence in one's heart, and consequently sees the Friend in all living beings.
Turkish zikr music is the primary intermediary to create and sustain such a mood in which participants can experience the unity between themselves and the Truth in a trance atmosphere. "Ilahis", one of the best known Turkish musical and poetic forms, are hymns based on poems written by Sufi saints. By inspiration, they are created to bring those present closer to God. In the Alevi-Bektashi tradition, these songs are called "Nefes". The vast majority of these Turkish zikr songs are based on Yunus Emre's lyrics. His down-to-earth folk style and devotion provides the perfect material for devotional chanting.

The Zenith of Turkish Folk Mysticsm:

YUNUS EMRE
Humanism is an abiding tradition in Turkish culture. Before adopting Islam and settling in Anatolia, the Turks had already acquired highly humanistic attitudes as a result of the difficulties they experienced in long periods of  exodus and during relatively brief sojourns in Asia. The humanistic mysticism of Anatolia in the late 13th century, with its concern for peace, brotherhood and man's intrinsic significance, was the culmination-better still, the perfection-of the incipient humanism which the Turks had brought with them from Asia.

The tradition of Turkish humanism is best represented by Yunus Emre (death 1320). He was the most significant literary figure of Turkish Anatolia to assimilate the teachings of Islam and to forge a synthesis of Islam's primary values and mystic folk poetry.  His verse stressed the importance of the human worth and viewed Islam not in terms of rigid formulas but in terms of freedom of the conscience and fundamental ethos. Yunus Emre, the first great Turkish humanist, stood strongly against Moslem dogmatists in expressing the primary importance of human existence:

I see my moon right here on earth,
What would I do with all the skies?
Rains of mercy pour down on me
From this ground where I fix my gaze.

Seven centuries ago, Yunus Emre attained to the zenith of the intellectual and aesthetic tradition of Turkish humanism. He gave eloquent specimens of humanitarianism and universalism. He made a poetic plea for peace and the brotherhood of mankind-a call for humanism which is still supremely relevant in today's world convulsing with conflict and war:

Come, let us be friends for once,
Let us make life easy on us,
Let us be lovers and loved ones,
The earth shall be left to no one.

The 13 th Century: A Master Saint Arises:

Hadji Bektash-i Veli

Just what was it about the 13 th century? Why was it able to produce some of the greatest mystics in a short span of time and relatively small geographic region? Amazingly, Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi, Yunus Emre, and Haji Bektash Veli all arose out of the social and religious conditions of 13 th century Anatolia . While no comprehensive or scholarly discussion is intended here, a brief introduction to the times and the spiritual figure who established the Bektashi lineage of dervishes in Turkey is in order.

John Kingsley Birge, the eminent scholar on Bektashis whose groundbreaking book remains the most in-depth study of the order, describes the conditions that helped to create the mystical and secret religious fraternities in Turkey . Ordinary people in Anatolia during the Seljuk era endured constant warfare, constantly changing political alignments, and waves of immigration, particularly from Central Asia . This instability created the overall climate in which mystical teachings flourished. Due to the Crusades, Christianity and Islam had been in close contact for over a hundred years. In fact, on the frontiers and among the common people, Christian, Islamic, Greek and shamanistic pagan elements blended with Islam to create a uniquely Turkish synthesis of beliefs and customs.

Many of the rural folk and peasantry were isolated and alienated from the central government and “high” culture that developed around the capital cities. The elite and educated learned Persian, the language of literature and arts, and Arabic, the language of Islam. In the cities the tendency toward orthodoxy increased. Among the masses though, religious expression was growing less orthodox and more heretical as the disillusionment with the central government grew. A tendency toward Shiism grew more pronounced.

Following the Mongolian invasions, Turkmen “Babas” (spiritual fathers) started immigrating into Anatolia from Central Asia . These wandering dervishes and mystics were especially influential among the frontier peoples. They spoke Turkish, not Persian or Arabic. Furthermore, their teachings incorporated and preserved many of the old pre-Islamic shamanistic customs. Followers of the great 12 th century Turkish mystic Ahmet Yesevi, their philosophy was anti-materialist and socially and politically active in character. Birge suggests that their philosophy may have appealed to the masses for several reasons. On the one hand, the lack of political security in the 13 th century may have led to a widespread sense of insecurity and a conviction that life was unsettlingly transitory. Leaders desired conquest, especially in the name of religion, and desired plunder from the conquered. In these bloodthirsty times, people sought meaning and a more spiritual outlook on life. In response two spiritual orders were formed in Turkey which would have a great influence over the entire Ottoman era. The Mevlevis (founded by Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi, were an urban dervish order closely tied to spiritual literature written in Persian. On the other hand the Bektashis were closely related to Turkish village life and the military. The literature of the Bektashis was in the Turkish vernacular of the common people. The founder of the Bektashis, and the order's patron saint, was a wandering Turkmen Baba named Haji Bektash Veli.

Much about the life of Haji Bektash Veli is unknown or shrouded in legend. We know that he came from Khorasan, like many mystics who settled in Anatolia . Khorasan, which is in the region of what is today Eastern Iran and Western Afganistan , was the home of many mystics. Located on the ancient Silk Road , it was at the crossroads of Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Zoroastrian traditions. Haji Bektash was believed to be descended from Ali, and was in the spiritual lineage of Ahmet Yesevi of Turkestan . After journeying for a period of years to Mecca , Damascus and Baghdad , Haji Bektash eventually settled in Turkey . In a century of uncertainty and foment, Haji Bektash Veli gained popularity among the rural and uneducated peoples and gained a reputation, among both Christians and Muslims, of having miraculous powers. The stories of his miracles and feats, as told in the Vilayetname of Haji Bektash (Book of Sainthood) continue as familiar folklore and are a matter of accepted belief to the faithful.

To understand the differences between Haji Bektash Veli and Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi in the Turkish psyche, visiting the tomb of each is instructive. Mevlana's tomb in Konya is one of the highlights of a trip to Turkey for many Westerners. The entire complex around the tomb daily fills with tourists from all over the world. Devout Muslims journey there. So do spiritual seekers of diverse religious backgrounds, impassioned by the intoxicating mystical poetry. Nevertheless, the atmosphere is serious and reverential. Religious artifacts are under glass, museum-like, and the visitor is moved through the rooms in a sea of humanity. The experience is replete with picture taking and loud conversations.

The Haji Bektash Tekke in the Cappadochia region of Turkey , in sharp contrast, feels almost deserted. Stillness pervades the area. On our visit to the tekke, an elderly woman was devoutly praying, sitting on the floor right next to the tomb. Before she left she kissed the tomb and the door frame many times and appeared to be in a state of heightened emotion. If Rumi is an exalted and revered master to most Turks, Haji Bektash is more like a beloved uncle—he's one of the people, an approachable saint. The devoted can show him love and bring their requests and prayers to him. There is no need for formality or ceremoniousness. Devotion to Bektash is simple, straightforward and heartfelt. The Principles of the Bektashi Path, as set forth by Haji Bektash Veli, reflect the same simplicity and love:

Principles of the Bektashi Path

•  Seek and find.

•  Whatever you do, do it for the Truth.

•  There exists in you a “there is” to replace every “there isn't.”

•  He who walks the Path never tires.

•  There is no rank or station higher than the Friend's heart.

•  The one who is wise but doesn't share his wisdom is ignorant.

•  To the ignorant, abandoning what is no longer needed is death; to the wise it is birth.

•  There is no repentance of repentance.

•  Let your heart, your hand, and your table be open to others.

•  Look for the key to all within your deepest being.

•  Whatever you seek, look within.

•  Do not forget your enemy is also a human being.

•  The beauty of human beings is the beauty of their words.

•  If the path appears dark, know that the veil is in your own eyes.

•  All blessings upon the one who overlooks another's shortcomings.

•  All blessings upon the one who makes a secret of secrets.

•  The Word is Truth.

•  Do not hurt others, even if you are hurt.

•  Hand-in-hand, hand in Truth.

•  One hour of meditation is better than seventy years of piety.

Other sayings attributed to Haji Bektash Veli include: “The best book of all is the human being,” and “Educate your women—a nation that doesn't educate its women cannot progress.” If one visits the small Turkish village of Haçibekta s in August, one will witness the annual international commemoration ceremonies for Haji Bektash Veli and get a sense of the order's living presence and traditions.

Quarelling with God (by Jennifer Ferraro and Latif Bolat): While not all of the dervish poets in this collection are Bektashis, all were influenced by the legacy of this spiritual order. The subject matters, styles and attitudes prevalent in their mystic hymns show the debts owed to Haji Bektash. All the poets here were involved, to some degree, with the Sufi dervish orders that have been on Turkish soil and in the Turkish psyche since the 13 th century. Like branches of the same tree, the beliefs of these dervishes vary slightly. The core spiritual tenets and orientation, and the mystic realization behind those beliefs, however, is the same. There is a remarkable continuity of expression throughout the poems. In the section of this book entitled A Key to the Sacred Universe of the Poems , we discuss some of the common philosophical, Qur'anic, and doctrinal concepts that aid in understanding the poetry's Sufism in general and Bektashism in particular. It is only fitting that we start the journey through eight centuries of Turkish mystic folk wisdom with the root of the tree where it all started, with the father of the “breaths” of centuries, Haji Bektash Veli.

Haji Bektash Veli (13 th c.)

________________

My riches, properties and assets all stayed behind.

My son, my daughter, my relatives, all stayed behind.

But there was one friend who never left my side—

Whatever I did for the Beloved, stayed with me .

Knowledge is the true Master that illuminates the darkness;

Ignorance and heedlessness darken human beings.

The sun of happiness that shines out of the soul

doesn't rise from East or West.

It rises out of pure faith.

I saw the Friend in my dream and I asked,

“Which path will lead me to you?”

He declared, “You'll find me when you

abandon you.”

O You, you're always repenting something.

Tell me, when will you repent of your repenting?

SUGGESTED READINGS ON SUFI MYSTICSM:

•  Annemarie Schimmel: Mystical Dimensions of Islam, The University of NC Press, 1975

•  John Kingsley Birge: The Bektashi Order of Dervishes, Luzac Oriental, 1994

•  Neil Douglas-Clotz: The Sufi Book of Life, Penguin Compass Books, 2005

•  Talat Sait Halman: Yunus Emre and his mystical poetry, Indiana University , 1981

•  James Winston Morris: Orientations, Archetype Press, 2004

•  Llwellyn Vaughan-Lee: Traveling the Path of Love, Golden Sufi Center , 1995

•  Coleman Barks: The Essential Rumi, poetry translations, Harper Collins, 1995

•  Hazrat Inayat Khan: The Mysticism of Sound and Music, Shambala, 1996

•  Geoffrey Parrinder: Mysticism in the World's Religions, Oneworld, 1995

•  Idris Shah: The Pleasantries of Mulla Nasruddin, Penguin Arkana, 1968

•  Kathleen Burrill: The Quatrains of Nesimi, Mouton & Co. Press, 1972

•  Karen Armstrong: Islam, Modern Library Chronicles Publishers, 2000

•  Annemarie Schimmel: And Muhammed is His Messenger, Chapel Hill , 1985

•  Franklin Lewis: Rumi, Past and Present, East and West, Oneworld, 2000

•  Margaret Smith: Studies in Early Mysticism in the Near and the Middle East , Oneworld, 1995

•  Hazrat Inayat Khan: The Heart of Sufism, Shambala, 1999

•  Annemarie Schimmel: The Triumphal Sun: The Study of the Works of Rumi, SUNY, 1993

•  Fuad Koprulu: Islam in Anatolia after the Turkish Invasion, U. of Utah Press, 1993

. Ahmet Yasar Ocak: Kalenderilik (in Turkish)