If there is a distinguishing feature of Islamic life in Turkey, then we can say that this can be found in the way Turks express their love for the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, especially when they are compared to Arabs in that matter.
In fact, the Turks are more related to the Prophet and his biography than to the Qur'an, as it can be easily observed that the personality of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, has recently become more prominent among Turkish Muslims.
The Arabic language played a major role in shaping the relationship between the Turks and the Qur’an, as it created a barrier to accessing it, and was a reason for the inability to gain a comprehensive knowledge of its meanings and verses.
Nevertheless, many of them strive with clear diligence to master the Arabic language, and their first - and perhaps only - motive is to acquire the ability and skill to read the verses of the Noble Qur’an and understand them correctly.
One of the most important customs that men, women and youth are keen on during the month of Ramadan is the so-called “Muqabala” in which the Holy Qur’an is sealed in Ramadan in mosques through groups that take turns reciting parts of it every day, as the entire Qur’an is sealed daily in mosques.
The Turks - especially the youth - are keen on this tradition generation after generation, and the mosque and school of Sheikh Hamid Al-Wali - nicknamed "Somonji Baba" - in the city of Malatya in eastern Turkey, is one of the most important mosques that gather young people around the Holy Qur'an to recite it, as young men and boys after The dawn and noon prayers are an episode in the mosque, whose construction dates back to the fourteenth century for the recitation of the Qur’an.
Turkish poetry
On the other hand, Turkish poetry that describes the personality of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, played a very strong role in translating Islam to people in the Turkish language and transmitting it to them. At the top of these literatures is the poem of the Turkish poet Suleiman Chalabi “Wasila al-Najat” known as “The Honorable Birthday.” .
In the first spring, the night was
after ten and two of it
The lightning snatched and from my house brightened
, the universe was lit and the universe was shining
She said the light saw the mother of the beloved,
and the sun has a strange bed
So to speak, the poem conveyed the meanings of monotheism and the hereafter and spoke of the Prophet, peace be upon him, to the Turks in their language, where for centuries it performed this task in the lands of Anatolia, by creating a tradition - or even traditions - in its own unique ways.
Undoubtedly, there were works before this poem that told people the principles of Islam in the Turkish language, beginning with the works of Yunus Emre, passing through Ahmed Yesifi, and ending with Haji Bektaş.
However, what is distinctive about the poem "Means of Survival" is that it is a poetic work that can be easily entangled in language, and most importantly that it is read routinely frequently and constantly, which after a while turns into a ritual.
The poem “The Prophet’s Birthday” by Suleiman Chalabi was not limited to the Turkish language, but was translated and read among the Arabs, even if only partially, and this can be considered from the Ottoman Turkish influence on the Arabs
A text that is constantly repeated in a ritual manner and immortalized in people’s memory inevitably acquires sanctity, and leaves an imprint on the minds, as the habit that is repeated in a certain routine, works to standardize some states of thought and feeling when repeated, and religious affiliations are established - although their meaning is not specified. Exactly - by creating these patterns, you put the human mind and the world of emotion into a certain shape.
Perhaps the masses - who could not establish a direct relationship with the Qur'an or even the hadiths because of the language barrier - fed their Islamic beliefs and moral principles with such a text, the content of which is again embellished with translations of verses and hadiths, and it does not only tell us about the birth of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace. He, peace and blessings be upon him, and his biography. Rather, he talks about the belief, principles and moral values to which a Muslim must be subject, and that is why this poem fills the language and digs into the minds.
Birth of the Prophet
Celebrating the Mawlid is uncommon in the Islamic traditions prevalent in Turkey.
In fact, the birth of the Prophet, peace be upon him, is an event of very secondary importance in the history of Islam. The starting point in the history of Islam - unlike Christianity - is not the birth of the Prophet, nor even the revelation of the revelation, but rather his migration to Medina with his companions.
For this reason, even in regions that adopt the tradition of celebrating the Prophet’s birthday, it is seen as more than a mere memorial of the Prophet’s birth, but rather as a day reminding him of his life and emphasizing the work of it.
It is worth noting that Suleiman Chalabi’s Mawlid al-Nabawi poem was not limited to the Turkish language, but was translated and read among the Arabs, even if only partially, and this can be considered from the Ottoman Turkish influence on the Arabs.
Al-Sarraj, Al-Bashir, Al-Nazir,
Imam, Al-Hammam, and Al-Munir
The Generous, the All-Knowing, the Halim, the Intercessor , the
Obedient and the Righteous
And a good-looking face, with a heart of Safa
Mortada, Mojtaba and Mustafa
He is the guide and Mukhtar Khalil. He
singled him out with love and beautiful manners
The Beloved, the Haseeb, the Nessib , the
Muneeb, the Doctor, and the Khatib
He is Yassin, Taha, and Al-Amin
came, but as a mercy to the worlds
The best of the merciful from all the wilderness
was in the Qur ' an eminent advantage
You are the one who was unable to praise him
, praise God and exalt his grace
In this context, the "Suleiman Çelebi Symposium and the Mevlevi Traditions" was jointly organized by the Turkish Academy of Sciences "Tuba", the Turkish Language Association "TDK", the Metropolitan Municipality and Uludag University in Bursa, with exciting focus presentations illustrating how the Mevlevi tradition has become a culture Spread in different geographical areas of Turkey, Bosnia, Albania, the Balkans in general, and the Ottoman Empire in the past.
This culture, which was created based on the famous poem of Suleiman Chalabi, and then developed over time, is an interesting religious, cultural and social event, which has taken different forms according to cultures, and therefore it is an event that sociologists and anthropologists should pay attention to.
Famous anthropologists Nancy and Richard Tapper conducted a field study in the early 1980s of Mevleviate traditions and their divergent practices in Turkey, and the first significant information they recorded was that no study of such an event had been undertaken until then.
The Taber family began their work by expressing their astonishment that such an influential tradition in shaping the religious and spiritual world of Turkish society did not attract the attention of sociologists and anthropologists until that time!
They also noted that this tradition is also very important for creating a space for women in society, for participation and for achieving class equality and solidarity in it compared to other social networking activities.
On the other hand, according to the Tapper family, this primacy can be seen as an area in which male and female roles are reversed.
From this point of view, the Taber family recorded interesting conclusions about the serious differences they discovered between women's and men's performance of the Mawla, as the Mawlid that is recited among women is much longer than the General Mawlid, and focuses more on the birth of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, so he focuses on The lady is safe in terms of being a mother.
His mother, O beloved, who gave birth to
a pearl from the hollow of Yam was taken out
Abdullah’s husband and she is safe,
her pregnancy fulfilled the passage of times
It was seen by those who saw it with their eyes
, and for those who did not see it, tell the story
The relationship of Turkish women with the traditions of celebrating the Prophet's birthday through Mevlevi, is explained simply by its connection to the feelings of motherhood, as the Prophet was born of a newly widowed mother.
Although this moment of birth is necessarily associated with some miraculous event, it departs from the image of the prophet in the biblical traditions.
In a certain sense, the Prophet Muhammad, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, approaches Jesus, peace be upon him, in the event of birth, when Jesus was born without a father, and his miracle was that he spoke - a witness to his mother - while he was still a baby in the cradle, and this meets with the story of the Prophet Muhammad in Mevleah The two stories are similar, but with different details.
However, what prompted Suleiman Chalabi to write “Wasilat al-Najat” was the verse (285) of Surat Al-Baqarah, which talks about that there is no difference between the prophets, and no one is superior to the other: and His Messengers, we do not differentiate between any of His Messengers, and they said, “We hear and we obey.”
But the poet Suleiman Chalabi - on the contrary - tries to show the superiority of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, over other prophets, as he was the last prophet sent.
That is the first in which we say that our
mind is incapable of anything else
The first one really does not offend
another the other has scuffed the foot
His Lord chose him, yes, the beloved
. Whatever sickness he had, he became the doctor
O Saad, who is Saad after him
, who saw, I wish my hair were the same?
By the will of God, the complement has become
, and over all the people, it was preferred
And the Messenger of God, had he not come
, then heaven and earth would not have been
Mustafa is undoubtedly better than the one who was born
. That is what God said on Sunday
However, it is very clear that the poem "The Way of Deliverance" was born out of controversy and discussions with Christianity that was prevalent in Anatolia, a dialogue that had a very important role in the Islam of Christians in Anatolia, or the adaptation of those who converted to Islam quickly with Islamic traditions.
Of course, the poem “Wasila al-Najat” is very important for its poetic and epistemological content, for the way it expresses Islamic knowledge and discourse, and for the extent of its role in the Islamization of society, but there is no doubt that Suleiman Chalabi’s scientific and spiritual personality, which did not receive its right to study, also deserves to be studied. separately.
And from the Fire, if you want salvation
, then say I love prayer
If the remembrance of God is inevitable first
, a servant of his remembrance should not be neglected
The name of the Lord of the worlds, if you mention
it, God will make it difficult if you make it
If it is of everything at the beginning, it
will not disgrace its deficiency in the end
And with love in a tongue, if hesitation is
like wildfire, the guilt in the wind dissipates
His name is pure, whoever remembers it purifies
and realizes what is hoped for in usury while he remembers
There is no doubt that God is One, and
let him say whatever he wants, everyone who denies