Care in selecting Spiritual Associates
-Baba Rexheb-
An additional ‒ and crucial ‒ guideline inherited from
Ḥajjī Bektash Velī is the great care with which individuals
are selected for initiation into the order. We mentioned above
how in centuries past Bektashism spread like lightning far and
wide. Nonetheless, Bektashi spiritual guides (at least those
in bygone days) have been very guarded and selective when
accepting new members into the Order. They do not simply
grab people off the street and initiate them. These masters
have to choose well, and only at the right time will a candidate
be brought forward for initiation.
As a rule, anyone lacking the proper qualities will not be
accepted into the Bektashi Order. In former times the murshid
of the person seeking initiation had to be convinced of the aspi-
rant’s moral and spiritual aptitude. Before formal initiation was
even considered the aspirant’s behavior and integrity would be
observed over an extended period of time, during which he or
she would be given subtle tests of character. The aspirant would
be continually examined to determine if he (or she) was truly
driven by sincerity and not mere curiosity or opportunism.
However, this initial observation was not the end of the
screening process. After the spiritual guide was assured of
the candidate’s wholehearted attraction to the path, he would
be permitted to attend the tekke’s more intimate gatherings ‒
the muhabets ‒ where he could develop increased spiritual
awareness by absorbing the accounts of the life, sacrifices,
character and exalted rank of the Prophet Muḥammad discussed
during these gatherings. The virtues and merits of the illustrious
Imām cAlī would also be imparted, accompanied by mention
of his distinguished mystical rank and the notable services he
adroitly and devotedly performed for the sake of Islam. The
aspirant would likewise be introduced to the biographies of
the Ahl ul-Bayt and the Twelve Imāms in complete detail,
taking note of their counsels and merits, and the transcendent
stations they enjoy before God. In this way the aspirant’s zeal
for Bektashism would increase, strengthening his longing to
enter the path. This method of instruction served to implant
unconstrained love in the heart and set it ablaze.
If the aspirant was genuinely moved by all of this –
propelling him to deepen his study of the path – he would be
given the title of ṭālib, or student-seeker. Ideally, passion for the
Bektashi Path would then so fill the ṭālib that he would come to
await initiation with great eagerness, an eagerness similar to the
anticipation of a splendid wedding night, wherein all the secrets
and mysteries of the beloved are unveiled.
 In due course the fire of love would increase so much
that the aspirant would be willing to carry out any sacrifice to
reach the path’s deep truths. When such a feeling was at length
attained, the aspirant could be called an cāshiḳ, or lover. At this
point he was steadfastly determined to enter the path.
Yet despite all of his efforts so far, the testing did not
end here. The ṭālib had to demonstrate that he could safeguard
the legendary “Bektashi Secret.” The ṭālib had to be tight-
lipped, possess eyes that gawked not at the opposite sex, have
no pattern of telling lies, and be ready to make any sacrifice to
implement the principles of Bektashi Way. In short, the ṭālib
had to strive to display the highest of human qualities.
When such enthusiasm permeated his soul, the aspirant
would not only be admitted to special Bektashi gatherings, he
would frequently be called to the tekke. And while he could
converse with the baba and the dervishes, he would not yet be
introduced to the secret ritual ceremony held in the maydān.
The candidate’s more intensive conversations with the baba
and the dervishes basically formed the preliminary stage of
entering the maydān.
Once again all of this depended on the candidate’s
aptitude; if he could firmly prove the upright nature of his
character he would be accepted into the ranks of the Bektashis.
An assigned day would then be set for the “rite of surrender,”
that is to say the initiation. After the performance of the
initiation ceremony the aspirant would be granted the title of
spiritual sibling, or jān.
If the jān desired to make greater personal sacrifice in
the service of the tekke and he rendered a solemn vow to do
so, a prolonged provisional period of at least a thousand and
one days allowed the jān to be taken through another ceremony
whereby the rank of dervish would be attained.
After the person’s devotion to dervishood was
demonstrated for another three years he could undergo an
additional rite, if he so desired, one called the “rite of celibacy”
(mujarrad āyini). This rite traditionally took place at the shrine
complex of Ḥajjī Bektash Velī in central Anatolia. On the day
following the rite of celibacy a mangūsh (earring) would be
inserted in the right earlobe of the dervish in front of the turbah
of Balım Sultan. This mangūsh served to set him apart from
other dervishes.
If a dervish showed the needed propensity and maturity
he could be promoted to the rank of baba at the hand of a
dede or the dedebaba. If he gained the pōst of baba, it would
be possible to go through another “rite of surrender,” one that
would raise him to the rank of dede. This ceremony had to
be overseen by the dedebaba, or by two or three other dedes.
After this the baba would be bestowed with the elevated title
of dede. Moreover, if a dede receives the nomination of all
other dedes to head the entire Bektashi Order, this dede would
assume the highest rank in this path, which is that of dedebaba.
To be given the rank baba meant that one became a
spiritual guide. This was a position that required ‒ among other
things ‒ complete knowledge of all of the regulations and rituals
of the Bektashi Path, as well as extensive wisdom and spiritual
insight. In the old days a candidate-baba would be sent out for
three years to visit the shrines of Imām Ḥusayn in Karbalā’ and
Imām cAlī in Najaf before his elevation to the rank of baba.
This journey allowed him to better prepare himself for his
impending mission. He would also visit the holy tombs of other
Imāms and saints in Khorāsān and Baghdad, the sepulcher of
the Prophet Muḥammad in Madinah, and finally Mecca, where
he would carry out the Hajj. He would then travel all about,
to lands such as Palestine, visiting the shrines of the blessed
prophets and saints.
Such a sacred journey was intended to teach the candidate-
baba how to endure hardship as well as test the strengths and
weaknesses of his character. He would magnify whatever good
traits he found within and remove whatever shortcomings he
saw in himself. He was to acquire an ever-expanding outlook
from whomever and wherever he visited, allowing his wisdom
to continually advance.
We should add here that it was customary in bygone days
to discipline any dervish who committed a serious transgression
while serving in the tekke by obliging him to set out at once for
distant sacred sites; and the more far-off the better, since he could
benefit from extended reflection, privation and perseverance.
The penitent dervish could greatly improve his character in this
way, doing away with shortcomings and becoming whole in
every sense of the word.
We must reiterate in closing that to become a baba or
dede, a dervish must have reached a level of unassailable
spiritual maturity. He must know all of the regulations and the
rituals of the Bektashi Path. He must know how to help and
guide the many different people who may see him out. He must
definitely have knowledge of the subtleties and mysteries of its
philosophy, especially those dealing with spiritual awareness,
whose depths are not easily grasped.
Taken from Baba Rexheb’s Misticizmi Islam dhe Bektashizmi.
Translated to English by Huseyin Abiba