Department of History and Civilisation of Islamic Nations, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Ḥāǧ Bektāš WalīḪurāsānī was one of the Sufī Sheikhs, who left his homeland Ḫurāsān after the Mongol invasion to Iran, and finally settled down in Anatolia. The written sources of his time considered him as a mystic(ʻārif)and one of the wāṣilāns ofḪurāsān. Despite Ḥāǧ Bektāš’ relationship with the leaders of the sociopolitical uprising of Bābā’is, and the murder of his brother in that movement, he stayed away from them and focused on training and teaching his followers, who were called Abdāls. With the rise of the Ottomans, the Bektāšī order was organized and dominated in Anatolia. The anti-Seljuk nature of the Bābā’is uprising, leads the Seljuks historians tounderestimate them. The historians have not tried to find the causes of Bābā’is uprising or address their thoughts. The Bektāšī order stablished after Ḥāǧ Bektaš’ death, and he was at the center of attention and interest of Bektāšīs; therefore, many miracles and unbelievable stories have been created about him, so that his true character could hardly be recognized. This article deals with the historical sources in which the formation of Bektāšis are mentioned, as well as mystical sources related to the Sufī Sheikhs in Anatolia, and compares them to the mystical sources of Alevi-Bektāšīs, to shed light on the historical character of Ḥāǧ Bektāši Walī.
