Abstract :
The Wafâ’îyya, one of the most distinctive sects in shaping the idea of Sufism during the Seljuk and early Ottoman era was found by Tâj al-Â’rifîn Sayed Abu’l-Wafâ al-Baghdâdî known to have lived in Iraq in XI. century. The sect, in the subsequent period, was effective in a wide geographic area encompassing Iraq, Syria, and Anatolia. Dede Garkin, who is still a respected man in Alawi tradition, is the person making the Wafâ’îyya a popularsect in Anatolia, especially among the Turkomans living in central and eastern parts. One of his caliphs, Baba İlyas al-Horasânî have also gained great reputation among the nomadic Turkoman and Kurdish tribes as his sheikh and became more known with the notorious Babais Revolt against Seljuk State. While this revolt, leaving Seljuk in a difficult position politically, was put down gorily and Wafâ’î dervishes subjected to a strict prosecution by the state, they fled to the territory of Turkoman begs where the central authority was weak and continued their activities under those regions. The Wafâ’îyya began to be represented in the Ottoman lands from XIV. Century to XVI. Century. Sheikh Edebalı was the first repres entative of the sect in Ottoman lands. As Othman Beg’s father in law, founder of the Ottoman Empire, Sheikh Edebalı was very effective in the foundation of empire. The Wafâ’iyya, in the subsequent years was represented by Geyikli Baba, a famous Ottoman historian Ashik Pashazâda and his son in law Sayed Walayât in Ottoman lands. While the sect originally offered a Sunni character just like Ardabilî order, after especially spread around the nomadic Turkoman tribes, it took a heterodoxe structure. However, as it can be seen with the samples of Ashik Pasha-zâda and Sayed Walayât, it is known that during the Ottoman classical era, there were still sheikhs representing sunni tradition.
NaturalLanguageKeyword :
Sayed Abu’l , Wafâ el , Baghdâdî , Dede Garkin , Babaîs Revolte , Sheikh Edebalı , Sayed Walâyat , Manâkib , i Tâj al , Â’rifîn
