Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Islam Tetkikleri Dergisi, cilt.12, sa.2, ss.717-754, 2022 (Scopus)
Copyright © 2022 by the author(s).Sufi letters have maintained their literary importance from the formation of the Sufi writing tradition to the present day. In the 10th century, al-Sarraj drew attention to the importance of letters and recommended reading Sufis’ letters in order to become familiar with their language. Sufis were prompted to write letters for natural reason such as distance and safety. The addressees of the letters were sometimes Sufis and other times the ulama with whom they would correspond for defending or exchanging ideas, and sometimes the statements requested advice or served as a warning. The letters the murshids wrote to their followers on navigating their sülûk [spiritual path] are of great importance in terms of illuminating the history of a tariqa [Sufi school/order], such as in the formation and continuance of a tradition, as well as explaining the intricacies of the science of sülûk. Mehmed Ali Yitik Bey was a follower of Ahmed Amiş Efendi, a sheikh of the Sha’bani-Kushadavi path. He wrote 12 letters to Nuh Nâci Erdem, who was a follower of the order of Muhammed Nuru’l-Arab. Nuru’l-Arab was the founder of Melami tariqa. had a Melami spirit. These letters a continuation of the letters Nasuhi Efendi, Kushadali Ibrahim Efendi, and the followers of this path had written and are especially valuable in terms of shedding light on Sufi life and activities after the founding of the Turkish Republic.