Halveti
Encyclopedia
The Khalwati order is an Islam
ic Sufi brotherhood (tariqa). Along with the Naqshbandi
, Qadiri and Shadhili
orders, it is among the most famous Sufi orders. The order takes its name from the Arabic word khalwa
, meaning “method of withdrawal or isolation from the world for mystical purposes.”
The order was founded by Umar al-Khalwati in the city of Herat
in medieval Khorasan
(now located in western Afghanistan
). However, it was Umar's disciple, Yahya Shirvani, who founded the “Khalwati Way.” Yahya Shirvani wrote Wird al-Sattar, a devotional text read by the members of nearly all the branches of Khalwatiyya.
The Khalwati order is known for its strict ritual training of its dervishes and its emphasis of individualism. Particularly, the order promoted individual asceticism (zuhd) and retreat (khalwa
), differentiating themselves from other orders at the time. The order is associated as one of the source schools of many other Sufi orders.
, Iraq
, Syria
and Turkey
. The second movement began in the late fifteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century mostly focused in Egypt
, considered the reform period of the Khalwati order. The order lost popularity in 1865, but many of its leaders branched off to form different orders to expand Islam throughout Africa. The order resided mostly in large urban areas.
The origins of the Khalwati order are obscure, but most attribute Umar al-Khalwati as its founder, or the “first pir
”. However, Umar- Khalwati was considered a mysterious man who did very little to spread the order. Shaykh Yahya Shirvani was considered “the second pir” that was responsible for the spread of the Khalwati order. Yahya Shirvani lived during a time of great political instability in the wake of the Mongol invasion. After the Mongol invasions, Turkish nomads began to gather into urban centers of the Islamic world. All these cities had Sufi shaykhs performing miracles for the nomads. Thus, these Turkish nomads were easily converted to mystical Islam when the Sufi shaykhs promised them union with Allah. Yahya Shirvani entered Baku
at this time of religious fervor and political instability, and he was able to start a movement. Yahya Shirvani was able to gather ten thousand people to his movement. Yahya had many popular, charismatic disciples to spread the order, including Pir Ilyas.
The time of greatest popularity for Khalwati order was during the thirty-year reign of “Sufi Bayazid” (1481–1511) in Ottoman
Turkey. During this time, the sultan practiced Sufi rituals, which, without a doubt, brought in many people to the order who wanted to advance their political career. This is the time period where members of the upper class, Ottoman military, and higher ranks of civil services were all involved with the Khalwati order. The Sufi sheikh,Chelebi Khalifa, moved the headquarters of the Khalwati order from Amasya
to Istanbul
. Here, they rebuilt a former church into a tekke
, or Sufi lodge. The tekke became known as the Koca Mustafa Pasha Mosque
. These buildings spread throughout the region as Khalwati's popularity grew. The order spread from its origins in the Middle East
to the Balkans (especially in southern Greece
, Kosovo
and Macedonia
, to Egypt
, Sudan
and almost all corners of the Ottoman Empire
.
After Chelebi Khalifa’s death, the power was passed to his son-in-law, Sunbul Efendi
. He was considered a very spiritual man that saved the Koca Mustafa Pasha Mosque. According to the miraculous account, the new sultan Selim I, was suspicious of the Khalwati order and wanted to destroy its tekke. Selim I sent workers to tear down the tekke, but an angry Sunbul Efendi turned them away. Hearing this, Selim I went down there himself only to see hundreds of silent dervishes gathered around Shaykh Sunbul dressed with his khirqa
. Selim was astonished by Sunbul’s spiritual power and canceled the plans to destroy the tekke.
By this time, members of the Khalwati order broke ties with the common people, who they previously aligned themselves so closely. They attempted to rid the order of folk Islam to a more orthodox order. The Khalwati was very conscious of their public image and wanted the order to become more of an exclusive membership for the upper class. From here, the Khalwati order broke off into many suborders. In 1650s rose one of the most famous Anatolian Khalwati shaykhs, Niyazi al-Misri. Niyazi was famous for his poetry, his spiritual powers, and public opposition to the government. He was a leader that represented the old Khalwati order, one for the masses. Niyazi gave the common people and their spiritual aspirations a voice again in the Khalwati order. Niyazi's poetry demonstrates some of the Khalwati's aspects of retreat. He writes in poem:
. It is said that he saw the prophet nineteen times and al-Khidr
three times. In many cities, people would mob al-Bakri to receive his blessing. After al-Bakri died, Khalwati dome scholars believe that al-Bakri set “a great Sufi renaissance in motion.” He was considered the reformer who renewed the Khalwati order in the Egypt. The Khalwati order still remains strong in Egypt
where the Sufi orders do receive a degree of support from the government. The Khalwati order also remains strong in the Sudan
.
However, not all scholars agree with al-Bakri’s influence. Frederick de Jong argues in his collected studies that al Bakri’s influence was limited. He argues that many scholars speaks of his influence, but without much detail about what he actually did. Jong argues that al-Bakri’s influence was limited to adding a prayer litany to the Khalwati rituals. He made his disciples read this litany before sunrise and called it the Wird al-sahar. Al-Bakri wrote this prayer litany himself and thought it necessary to add it to the practices of the Khalwati order. Jong argues al-Bakri should not be attributed with the revival of the Sufi order for his limited effect.
in Egypt. The order helped others oppose British occupation in Egypt. The Khalwati groups in Upper Egypt protested British occupation due to high taxes and unpaid labor, which, in addition to drought, made living very hard in the 1870s. Their protests blended with the large stream nationalist protests that lead up to the Urabi insurrection. It can be said that the Khalwati’s fight to improve living conditions eventually lead to the larger nationalist protests.
, the most famous being the Jerrahi
, Ussaki
, Sunbuli
, Ramazaniyye and Nasuhi
. Although the Sufi orders are now abolished in the Republic of Turkey, the above are almost all now mosques and/or places of visitation by Muslims for prayer.
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic Sufi brotherhood (tariqa). Along with the Naqshbandi
Naqshbandi
Naqshbandi is one of the major Sufi spiritual orders of Sufi Islam. It is considered to be a "Potent" order.The Naqshbandi order is over 1,300 years old, and is active today...
, Qadiri and Shadhili
Shadhili
The Shadhili Tariqa is a Sufi order of Sunni Islam founded by Abul Hasan Ali ash-Shadhili. Followers of the Shadhiliya are known as Shadhilis....
orders, it is among the most famous Sufi orders. The order takes its name from the Arabic word khalwa
Khalwa
Khalwa .-Retreat:In Sufism, a solitary retreat, traditionally for 40 days , during which a disciple does extensive spiritual exercises under the direction of a sufi master...
, meaning “method of withdrawal or isolation from the world for mystical purposes.”
The order was founded by Umar al-Khalwati in the city of Herat
Herat
Herāt is the capital of Herat province in Afghanistan. It is the third largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of about 397,456 as of 2006. It is situated in the valley of the Hari River, which flows from the mountains of central Afghanistan to the Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan...
in medieval Khorasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
(now located in western Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
). However, it was Umar's disciple, Yahya Shirvani, who founded the “Khalwati Way.” Yahya Shirvani wrote Wird al-Sattar, a devotional text read by the members of nearly all the branches of Khalwatiyya.
The Khalwati order is known for its strict ritual training of its dervishes and its emphasis of individualism. Particularly, the order promoted individual asceticism (zuhd) and retreat (khalwa
Khalwa
Khalwa .-Retreat:In Sufism, a solitary retreat, traditionally for 40 days , during which a disciple does extensive spiritual exercises under the direction of a sufi master...
), differentiating themselves from other orders at the time. The order is associated as one of the source schools of many other Sufi orders.
14th-17th Century
There were two major historical movements of the Khalwati order. The first one started in the late fourteenth century and ended in the seventeenth century. The first historical movement marks its origins and spread in vast area, now being part of IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. The second movement began in the late fifteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century mostly focused in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, considered the reform period of the Khalwati order. The order lost popularity in 1865, but many of its leaders branched off to form different orders to expand Islam throughout Africa. The order resided mostly in large urban areas.
The origins of the Khalwati order are obscure, but most attribute Umar al-Khalwati as its founder, or the “first pir
Pir (Sufism)
Pir or Peer is a title for a Sufi master equally used in the nath tradition. They are also referred to as a Hazrat or Shaikh, which is Arabic for Old Man. The title is often translated into English as "saint" and could be interpreted as "Elder". In Sufism a Pir's role is to guide and instruct his...
”. However, Umar- Khalwati was considered a mysterious man who did very little to spread the order. Shaykh Yahya Shirvani was considered “the second pir” that was responsible for the spread of the Khalwati order. Yahya Shirvani lived during a time of great political instability in the wake of the Mongol invasion. After the Mongol invasions, Turkish nomads began to gather into urban centers of the Islamic world. All these cities had Sufi shaykhs performing miracles for the nomads. Thus, these Turkish nomads were easily converted to mystical Islam when the Sufi shaykhs promised them union with Allah. Yahya Shirvani entered Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
at this time of religious fervor and political instability, and he was able to start a movement. Yahya Shirvani was able to gather ten thousand people to his movement. Yahya had many popular, charismatic disciples to spread the order, including Pir Ilyas.
The time of greatest popularity for Khalwati order was during the thirty-year reign of “Sufi Bayazid” (1481–1511) in Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Turkey. During this time, the sultan practiced Sufi rituals, which, without a doubt, brought in many people to the order who wanted to advance their political career. This is the time period where members of the upper class, Ottoman military, and higher ranks of civil services were all involved with the Khalwati order. The Sufi sheikh,Chelebi Khalifa, moved the headquarters of the Khalwati order from Amasya
Amasya
- History :Its location in this steep valley makes the city a mountain stronghold, easy to defend, and thus Amasya has had a long and prominent history.-Antiquity:...
to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. Here, they rebuilt a former church into a tekke
Khanqah
A Khanqah, Khaniqah , ribat, zawiya, or tekke is a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood, or tariqa, and is a place for spiritual retreat and character reformation...
, or Sufi lodge. The tekke became known as the Koca Mustafa Pasha Mosque
Koca Mustafa Pasha Mosque
Koca Mustafa Pasha Mosque is a former Eastern Orthodox church converted into a mosque by the Ottomans, located in Istanbul, Turkey. The church, as the adjoining monastery, was dedicated to Saint Andrew of Crete, and was named Saint Andrew in Krisei or by-the-Judgment...
. These buildings spread throughout the region as Khalwati's popularity grew. The order spread from its origins in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
to the Balkans (especially in southern Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
and Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
, to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
and almost all corners of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
After Chelebi Khalifa’s death, the power was passed to his son-in-law, Sunbul Efendi
Sünbül Efendi
Sünbül Efendi was the founder of the Sunbuliyye Sufi order . The Sunbuliyye were a derivative of the Khalwati order....
. He was considered a very spiritual man that saved the Koca Mustafa Pasha Mosque. According to the miraculous account, the new sultan Selim I, was suspicious of the Khalwati order and wanted to destroy its tekke. Selim I sent workers to tear down the tekke, but an angry Sunbul Efendi turned them away. Hearing this, Selim I went down there himself only to see hundreds of silent dervishes gathered around Shaykh Sunbul dressed with his khirqa
Khirqa
The khirqa is the initiatory cloak of the Sufi chain of spirituality, with which esoteric knowledge and barakah is passed from the master to the aspirant . The khirqa initiates an aspirant into the silsilah, the chain or lineage of sheikhs that goes back to the Prophet Muhammad...
. Selim was astonished by Sunbul’s spiritual power and canceled the plans to destroy the tekke.
By this time, members of the Khalwati order broke ties with the common people, who they previously aligned themselves so closely. They attempted to rid the order of folk Islam to a more orthodox order. The Khalwati was very conscious of their public image and wanted the order to become more of an exclusive membership for the upper class. From here, the Khalwati order broke off into many suborders. In 1650s rose one of the most famous Anatolian Khalwati shaykhs, Niyazi al-Misri. Niyazi was famous for his poetry, his spiritual powers, and public opposition to the government. He was a leader that represented the old Khalwati order, one for the masses. Niyazi gave the common people and their spiritual aspirations a voice again in the Khalwati order. Niyazi's poetry demonstrates some of the Khalwati's aspects of retreat. He writes in poem:
- "I thought that in the world no friend was left for me--
- I left myself, and lo, no fiend was left for me"
18th-19th Century: Khalwati Reform
Most scholars believe that the Khalwati went through a revival during the 18th century when Mustafa Kamal al-Din-al-Bakri was in charge. Al-Bakri was considered a great shaykh who wrote many books, invented Sufi techniques, and was very charismatic. He travelled throughout Jerusalem, Aleppo, Istanbul, Baghdad, and Basra. Before he died he wrote 220 books, mostly about adabAdab
Adab or Udab was an ancient Sumerian city between Telloh and Nippur. It was located at the site of modern Bismaya or Bismya in the Wasit Governorate of Iraq.-History:...
. It is said that he saw the prophet nineteen times and al-Khidr
Al-Khidr
Khidr or Al-Khidr is a revered figure in Islam, whom the Qur'an describes as a righteous servant of God, who possessed great wisdom or mystic knowledge, represented iconically by a fish...
three times. In many cities, people would mob al-Bakri to receive his blessing. After al-Bakri died, Khalwati dome scholars believe that al-Bakri set “a great Sufi renaissance in motion.” He was considered the reformer who renewed the Khalwati order in the Egypt. The Khalwati order still remains strong in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
where the Sufi orders do receive a degree of support from the government. The Khalwati order also remains strong in the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
.
However, not all scholars agree with al-Bakri’s influence. Frederick de Jong argues in his collected studies that al Bakri’s influence was limited. He argues that many scholars speaks of his influence, but without much detail about what he actually did. Jong argues that al-Bakri’s influence was limited to adding a prayer litany to the Khalwati rituals. He made his disciples read this litany before sunrise and called it the Wird al-sahar. Al-Bakri wrote this prayer litany himself and thought it necessary to add it to the practices of the Khalwati order. Jong argues al-Bakri should not be attributed with the revival of the Sufi order for his limited effect.
19th Century Political Influence
Members of the Khwalti order were involved in political movements by playing a huge role in the Urabi insurrectionUrabi Revolt
The Urabi Revolt or Orabi Revolt , also known as the Orabi Revolution, was an uprising in Egypt in 1879-82 against the Khedive and European influence in the country...
in Egypt. The order helped others oppose British occupation in Egypt. The Khalwati groups in Upper Egypt protested British occupation due to high taxes and unpaid labor, which, in addition to drought, made living very hard in the 1870s. Their protests blended with the large stream nationalist protests that lead up to the Urabi insurrection. It can be said that the Khalwati’s fight to improve living conditions eventually lead to the larger nationalist protests.
Khalwati Tekkes
The Khalwati order had many tekkes in IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, the most famous being the Jerrahi
Jerrahi
The Jerrahi are a Sufi tariqah derived from the Halveti order. Their founder was Muhammad Nureddin al-Jerrahi, who died in Istanbul and is buried at the site of his tekke in Karagumruk - Istanbul...
, Ussaki
Ussaki
Sayyid Hasan Husameddin was the founder of the Ussaki branch of the Khalwatiyya order of Islamic mysticism, also known as Tasawwuf. Literal translation of his name, Husameddin means the sharp sword of the religion. He was born in 880 A.H. in Bukhara, Uzbekistan...
, Sunbuli
Sunbuli
The Sunbuliye is a branch of the Halveti order, founded by Sunbul Sinan Efendi, more commonly known in Turkey as 'Sunbul Effendi'. Sunbul Effendi was born in 1464 or between 1475 and 1480 in Merzifon, Turkey....
, Ramazaniyye and Nasuhi
Nasuhi
The Nasuhi are a sub-order of the Khalwati Sufi order. Their founder, Pir Nasuhi, was a prolific author who wrote a number of works including a commentary upon the Qur'an he died and was buried at his tekke in Uskudar in Istanbul...
. Although the Sufi orders are now abolished in the Republic of Turkey, the above are almost all now mosques and/or places of visitation by Muslims for prayer.
Khalwati sub-orders
- GulshaniGulshaniThe Gulshani is a Halvati sub-order founded by Pir Ibrahim Gulshani, a Turkmen sufi sheikh from Eastern Anatolia, who died in Egypt. His family roots reaches to Oguzata shah in Azerbaijan....
- JelvetiJelvetiJelveti is the name of a Sufi order that was founded by the Turkish saint Aziz Mahmud Hudayi.It shares the same spiritual chain as the Khalwati order and thus there are many similarities between them...
- JerrahiJerrahiThe Jerrahi are a Sufi tariqah derived from the Halveti order. Their founder was Muhammad Nureddin al-Jerrahi, who died in Istanbul and is buried at the site of his tekke in Karagumruk - Istanbul...
- NasuhiNasuhiThe Nasuhi are a sub-order of the Khalwati Sufi order. Their founder, Pir Nasuhi, was a prolific author who wrote a number of works including a commentary upon the Qur'an he died and was buried at his tekke in Uskudar in Istanbul...
- Rahmani
- SunbuliSunbuliThe Sunbuliye is a branch of the Halveti order, founded by Sunbul Sinan Efendi, more commonly known in Turkey as 'Sunbul Effendi'. Sunbul Effendi was born in 1464 or between 1475 and 1480 in Merzifon, Turkey....
- UssakiUssakiSayyid Hasan Husameddin was the founder of the Ussaki branch of the Khalwatiyya order of Islamic mysticism, also known as Tasawwuf. Literal translation of his name, Husameddin means the sharp sword of the religion. He was born in 880 A.H. in Bukhara, Uzbekistan...
External links
- Home page of the Halveti-Ussaki order (English/Turkish)
- Sub-order page of the Halveti-Ussaki order (Turkish)
- Home page of the Halveti-Jerrahi order
- Home page of the Halveti-Shabani order
- Home page of the Halveti-Sivasi order
- Halveti branches
- The Unveiling of Love Sufism and the Remembrance of God By Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak
- IRSHAD Wisdom of a Sufi Master By Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak Al-Jerrahi
- Garden of Paradise - Sufi Ceremony of Remembrance - Music CD Sheikh Muzzafer Ozak and the Halveti-Jerrahi Order of Dervishes
- Lifting the Boundaries: Muzaffer Efendi and the Transmission of Sufism to the West by Gregory Blann
- A link to numerous articles on Sufism including the Khalwati order.