Differences & Similarities Between Anatolian Alevis & Arab Alawites: Comparative Study on Beliefs and Practices

Anatolian Alevis and Arab Alawites have similarities and differences because of their historical, cultural, and geographical differences. In this paper, I will try to analyze what kinds of differences they have, especially in their “amentü”s, doctrines of their beliefs and their religious practices. Differences & Similarities Between Anatolian Alevis & Arab Alawites Comparative Study on Beliefs and Practices Ibrahim Enes Aksu Introduction Anatolian Alevis and Arab Alawites have lived in different places. They have different geographical conditions. They had come from different ethnic backgrounds. These differences have shaped their beliefs and rituals without a doubt. In this paper, I will try to analyze what kinds of differences they have, especially in their “amentü”s, doctrines of their beliefs and their religious practices. The differences in doctrines of beliefs and rituals include how they perceive God, Prophet Muhammad, Qur’an, and afterlife, and how they perceive prayers (namaz), fasting (oruç), almsgiving (zekat), and so on. Anatolian Alevis After looking at various sources, any scholar who makes a research on Alevism can say nobody is able to make absolute statements about Alevi beliefs and practices. There is no one common and distinct definition of Alevism and Alevi in people’s mind. Some people say “an Alevi is any Muslim who loves the family of the Prophet Muhammad.” Some others define an Alevi as “simply any democratic, tolerant, human rights-promoting, modernthinking person, whatever his religious background.” (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.2) Definition of Alevism varies also. Some say, “Alevism is the original, true essence of Islam.” Some other define it as “a philosophy, a way of life.” Some simply put it as “Sunni Islam with an extra emphasis on Ali.” Some finds it “so syncretistic that it can't be counted as Islam at all.” (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.2) All of these different definitions discussed by scholars, researchers, and writers reflect the debates on what Alevism is and who the Alevis are. In the very interesting social and political environment of today’s Turkey, “many writers are using Alevis and Alevism as tools to put forth their own ideological agenda.” (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.2) 1 Beliefs In order to learn beliefs and practices of Alevis, comparing them with their Orthodox versions may be useful. Many Alevis think that six beliefs and five pillars are not in true Islam. (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.4) Thus, in terms of beliefs and practices, they have a reactionary relation with Orthodox Sunni Muslims. Six beliefs of Islam are commonly belief in one God (Allah), belief in angels (melekler), belief in holy books (kutsal kitaplar), belief in prophets (peygamberler), belief in final judgment day (ahiret günü), and belief in predestination (kader). Alevis’ interpretations of these beliefs vary significantly. For a description of God, there are different answers for it among Alevis. Some says, “Ali is a manifestation of God.” Some other says, “Perfect human beings are God.” Some thinks about God as “consisting of all humanity.” Some other thinks, “God is inside” them. Some even can claim, “God is truth, love, and knowledge.” (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.4) When you talk with Alevis about the image of God in their mind, they mostly tell you what God is not. That is because they mostly want to differ themselves from other religious groups, especially from the orthodox Sunni Islam. For example, they do not like the image of God who is “an angry master who delights in forcing the slaves he has created to obey strict religious rules or face the penalty of burning for eternity.” (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.4) From the other side, they also deny the image of God who will reward those who follow his rules with infinite pleasure in heaven. Simply, they do not believe in God in terms of reward and punishment. Second, belief in angels is more or less the same with Orthodox Muslims. Alevis often see humankind as the perfect creature, and they say the angels “bowed down to Adam when he was created.” Many of them also admit the Angel Gabriel transmitted the revelation 2 (Quran) from God to Prophet Muhammad. Some Alevis, contrary to orthodox tradition, also believe in good and bad angels, as well as spirits (cinler); and they mostly involve in superstitious activities. However, many Alevis do not believe in these things. Even some say, “Satan is simply the selfish desires (nefis) within you.” (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.5) Third, mostly Alevis believe in holy books “Torah (Tevrat), Psalms (Zebur), Gospel (İncil), and Quran (Kuran).” Mostly Alevis believe Quran consists of all the first three; and the first three predicted that Muhammad would come. They, most importantly, believe that the original Quran clearly stated, “Ali, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, was to be the Prophet's successor, that is, God's vice-regent on earth, or caliph (veli, halife).” In accordance with their belief, Ali’s rival have taken out the parts related to Ali from the original Quran. (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.5) Thus, some of them do not believe in Quran that Sunnis believe in. They claim the Quran that Sunnis have now is incomplete; some parts of it is missing. According to Alevis, Bâtıni (esoteric and mystical) interpretation of Quran is more important than its Zahiri (literal) interpretations. They mostly promote reading Quran in Turkish rather than in Arabic, because they think to understand Quran exactly is more important. However, many Alevis do not read Quran or other holy books. They regard them as ancient books irrelevant today. (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.5) Alevis have also other religious books as sources of beliefs and practices. These religious books are “the hadith (hadisler), the traditions of Muhammad”, “the Nahjul Balagha, (which are) the traditions and sayings of Ali”, “the Buyruks, (which are) the collections of doctrine and practices of several of the 12 imams, especially Cafer”, and other sources. Alevis pay much more attention to human beings rather than written books. They say, “The greatest holy book to be read is a human being.” Except from the books, they have mystical poems and musical ballads made by Alevi-Bektashi poet-musicians (aşıklar, ozanlar) such as Yunus 3 Emre (13th – 14th century), Kaygusuz Abdal (15th century), and Pir Sultan Abdal (16th century). (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.6) Fourth, Alevis believe in prophets mentioned in Quran such as Moses (Hz. Musa), David (Hz. Davud), Jesus (Hz. İsa), Muhammad (Hz.Muhammed), Abraham (Hz. İbrahim), and Noah (Hz. Nuh). They believe all prophets are sinless and they were the representation of God. About Jesus, some Alevis who do not believe in superstitious things do not believe in “the Biblical stories of Jesus’ virgin birth, his working miracles, and his resurrection from the dead.” Some Alevis think he is the same person with Mahdi, the 12th Imam, who will be back to Earth. About Muhammad, Alevis see him as “the seal, the last of the prophets.” For Alevis, because he is the last prophet, receiver of Quran, cousin and father-in-law of Ali, Muhammad is important person. “Many Alevis equate Muhammad and Ali, and use the single name Muhammad Ali for this personality.” (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.6) Fifth, about belief in Judgment day, Alevis do not believe a concept of God who will punish or reward his slaves with regard to their performance on their duties during the life on Earth. Alevis do not like the idea of hell in which the sinner souls will be burned eternally and the idea of heaven with infinite pleasures for the good souls. They give importance to inner love for God. They mostly refer to Yunus Emre who says in his poem, “They say heaven is a mansion and virgins; Give those whoever wants them, what I need is you, you.” (Cennet dedikleri bir kaç köşkle bir kaç huri; İsteyene sen ver onu, bana seni gerek seni.) (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.6) Sixth and last belief is predestination (kader). Alevis reject the idea of God controlling and determining everything, and being the source of good and evil. Some of them think loving God could not be the source of evil. In practice, most Alevis think they can change their life through education, work and cooperation. However, they also admit that they do not have a 4 full control over their lives especially about the issue like accidents, sickness, and death. (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.7) Alevis’ views of Ali deserve to be noted. He is extremely important for modern Alevis. You can see his depiction in every place for Alevis’ worshipping. There some characteristics of Ali on which every Alevi agrees. First, he was Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, and he was married with the prophet’s daughter Fatima. He was the first Muslim who believe in Muhammad’s prophethood before everyone else. He was the closest human being to Muhammad. Muhammad intended to choose Ali as his successor; therefore, he must have been the first caliph, but his competitors stole it from him. Alevis believe Muhammad chose Ali and his family (Ehli Beyt) for the leadership of all Muslims. Thus, Alevis considers Ali and his sons, Hasan and Huseyin, as the first three imams; and they say other nine imams of the 12 imams come from Huseyin’s bloodline. (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.12) Debated views on Ali are mostly about the true nature of him. Alevis consider him as the ultimate example of the perfect human, apart from the prophets. They say he has supernatural strength and spiritual wisdom. One of the sayings states, “Muhammad is the city of spiritual knowledge, Ali is the door.” Alevis see Ali equal to Muhammad in enlightenment and authority. Alevis see both as “the two sides of a coin, or as two halves of one whole apple.” (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.13) Some Alevis argue, “Ali is deity in a trinity with Allah (Haqq) and Muhammad.” (Izady, 1992, p.143) However, Alevis claim that this is not like a trinity in Christian belief. Many Alevis during their prayers use the phrase “for the love of Haqq, Muhammad, Ali (HakMuhammed-Ali aşkına).” Some Alevis even go further and claim, “Ali is a deity by himself.” (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.14) 5 Mysticism covers an important part of Alevi belief. We can see the impacts of inner and mystical approach on Alevi belief (Bâtıni interpretation). They do not accept any kind of legal connection with orthodox Shiites like in Iran, even though they love Ali and the family of the prophet. One of the most important mystical concept is “four doors, forty levels (dört kapı kırk makam).” It refers to a process, in which an Alevi commits himself/herself to one spiritual guide or leader (dede, pir, mürşit), and this leader guides the person through a series of four doors and their forty levels. The names of the doors are religious law (şeriat), spiritual path (tarikat), spiritual knowledge/skill (marifet), and spiritual truth (hakikat). (Detlling, 2008, p.530) Another mystical concept is the perfect human being (Insan-ı Kamil). It expresses a spiritual development in which people aim at achieving oneness with truth, a total completeness. Modern Alevis define perfect human being in practical terms. According to them, the perfect human being is the one who “is in full moral control of his or her selfish desires (eline, diline, beline sahip), treats all kinds of people equally (yetmiş iki millete aynı gözle bakar), and serves the interests of others.” (Savaşçı, 2004) Practices It is easy to understand the Alevi practices by comparing with their Orthodox versions. The five pillars of Islamic practice include confession of faith, fasting, ritual praying, offerings, and pilgrimage. First, any person who wants to be a Muslim has to say the creed “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the apostle of God.” Some Alevis will add this statement to the creed: “Ali is the vice-regent (veli) of God and Ali is the trustee (vasi) of Muhammad.” (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.7) Second, almost none of Alevis perform daily prayers (namaz) five times in a day. Most of them even do not go to the mosques for Friday prayer (Cuma namazı). They simply 6 do not see them as Alevi practices. They say, “We don't do ritual prayers, we do supplication.” (Bizde namaz yok, niyaz var.) It means that they are entering into deeper and spiritual connection with God when they perform Alevi prayers. They claim they pay more attention to human beings rather than prayers. There are some saying among Alevis about ritual prayers, “If you hurt another person, the ritual prayers you have done are counted worthless” (Bir insanı incitsen, kıldığın namaz geçerli değil) and “My Kaaba is a human being (Benim Kâbem insandır).” Even though Alevis do not go to mosque, they perform “corporate worship in a service called an assembly meeting (Cem or Ayin-i Cem).” (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.8) Third, Alevis mostly do not observe 30 days of fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. Some of them observe 12 days of fasting during the first 12 days of Muharram month, as well as the three days of Hızır fast (13-14-15 February). (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.8) Fourth, Alevis have no set of formula for almsgiving. They donate food, especially sacrificial animals, to worshippers and guests. Alevis also donate money to help the poor, for providing scholarships to the students, and for contributing to the Alevi centers and organizations. (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.8) Fifth, about pilgrimage (hac), Alevis do not mostly visit Makkah. However, they visit and pray at the tombs of Alevi-Bektashi saints. Their purpose is only spiritual cleansing and blessing. Most frequently visited places are Hacı Bektaş (Kırşehir), Abdal Musa (Elmalı, Antalya), Şahkulu Sultan (Merdivenköy, İstanbul), Karacaahmet Sultan (Üsküdar, İstanbul), and Seyit Gazi (Eskişehir). (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.9) Apart from these practices, “Cem” or “Ayin-i Cem” is in the center of Alevi religious life. People gather in the houses of Cem (Cem Evi) for worshipping. For some it is “zikir ayini.” It shows the tariqa tradition in Alevism. In Ayin-i Cem, Alevis try to deal with some 7 social problems, such as settling disputes among friends. Furthermore, “Dede”s (spiritual leader of Ayin-i Cem) preach on moral issues. Thus, it shows the importance of morality in Alevi belief. (Üçer, 2005, 166-7) Another religious practice of Alevis is “kurban” (sacrifice), which is one of the common practices among Alevis. There are different styles and names for this practice, such as “alive sacrifices”, “dead sacrifices”, “inside sacrifices”, “outside sacrifices”, and so on. People prepare foods at their home and bring them to Ayin-i Cem, which Alevis call dead sacrifices. Apart from them, Alevis also sacrifice (slaughter) animals, which they call alive sacrifices. Alive sacrifices divides into two. If they sacrifice the animal during Ayin-i Cem, it is inside sacrifice. If not, it is outside sacrifice. Alevis have very different kinds of sacrifices. They slaughter sacrificial animals for almost every important event. (Üçer, 2005, 168) Additionally, Alevis have some folk practices. These mostly include “lighting candles at the tombs of saints, kissing door frames of holy rooms, not stepping on the threshold of holy buildings, seeking prayers from reputed healers, and writing wishes on strips of cloth and tying them to trees that are considered to be spiritually powerful.” (Shindeldecker, 1996, p.16) Arab Alawites The Alawites, mostly centered in Syria, follow a branch of the Twelver school of Shia Islam but with syncretistic elements. In order to differentiate them from Anatolian Alevis, some people call them Arab Alawites. Alawite doctrine has "Gnostic, neo-Platonic, Islamic, Christian and other elements"; and thus, these elements formed syncretistic character of Alawites' belief. (Friedman, 2010, p.67) The founder of this sect is Abu Shu'ayb Muhammad ibn Nusayr (873). The holy book of Alawites “Kitab al Majmu” mentions the views of ibn Nusayr in its introduction. [Sunni 8 scholars mostly claim that Kitab al Majmu is a holy book of Alawites. (Glassé, 2008, p.37)] Furthermore, Nusayri people mostly define themselves Alawite and admit that they are coming from Arab origin. (Arpa & Ertaş, 2012, p.295) Beliefs Alawites, in their holy books, gave place to the verse of Quran “True Religion, in God’s eyes, is Islam” (Quran 3: 19, Oxford World's Classics edition); and, for this reason, they define themselves as Muslims. Even though they respect Quran, they shape their understanding of religious practices in accordance with their traditions. (Üzüm, 2007, p.272) Thus, because of their different interpretations, they see Ali as a deity. However, they have concealed their Alawite identity throughout history. For this reason, the amount of sources of information about Alawites is extremely scarce. Even though some Alawite scholars have written some books about Alawite belief, they keep these books with themselves and only share with other Alawite scholars; even they do not share any information with ordinary Alawites. (Arpa & Ertaş, 2012, p.296) Basic titles of Alawite beliefs are confession of faith, belief in angels, revelation & prophethood, and reincarnation & hereafter. The confession of faith is in the 11th sura “Shahada” of Kitab al Majmu. The phrase of confession of faith is “I declare that I am from the religion of Nusayri, the view of Cundubi, the path of Cumbulani, the sect of Hasibi, the view of Cilli, the jurisprudence of Meymuni.”1 From the same sura, there is also a phrase “I believe there is no god but Ali ibn Abu Talip, no veil but Muhammad Mahmud, no door but Salman the Persian.”2 1 For Turkish translation: “Ben Nusayrî dininden, Cündübî görüşünden, Cünbülânî tarikatından, Hasibî mezhebinden, Cillî görüşünden, Meymûnî fıkhından olduğuma şehâdet ederim.” 2 For Turkish translation: “Ben şehâdet ederim ki Ali b. Ebû Tâlib’den başka ilâh, Muhammed Mahmûd’dan başka hicâb, Selmân‐ı Fârisî’den başka bâb yoktur.” 9 Alawites do not directly idolize Ali; rather they believe God is manifested on Ali. In accordance with Alawite beliefs, God is manifested on earth six times through six different persons; and the seventh time was realized through Ali. (Üzüm, 2007, p.272) They claim, “Ali is seen with Muhammad in appearance (zahir), but in essence he is God himself.” They also claim, “Ali is seen a light to the people of light (nur ehline nur), and he is seen as a person to the ordinary people (beşer ehline beşer).” Furhtermore, they claim, “Ali is Imam on Earth, a light in the sky.” Therefore, they express their belief of Ali. (Arpa & Ertaş, 2012, p.297) Second, Alawites believe that God has countless number of angels. In accordance with their belief, the sky and above belong to God, and eight different holy angels hold them. They believe angels are shining creatures who wear green dresses made of silk. For example, they believe the star of “Zuhal” stands for Angel Michael, and its equivalent on Earth is Miqdad ibn Aswad. Furthermore, they believe that sons of Ali, Hasan and Huseyin are angels. (Üzüm, 2007, p.272) Third, about revelation and prophethood, Alawites admit that Psalm was sent to David, Tora to Moses, Bible to Jesus, and Quran to Muhammad. Alawites have a great respect towards Quran and they recite some verses during their rituals. They claim Quran has Bâtıni meanings, and they understand these meanings clearly. In accordance with Alawite beliefs, either the prophets are the human forms of God; or they are the ones who inform us about the human forms of God. They are made of light and fall on Earth without a body, and then they are shaped in flesh and bones. In addition, they believe God had sent one hundred thousand prophet to Earth. (Arpa & Ertaş, 2012, p.298) Fourth, Alawites have a little bit different understanding of afterlife than orthodox Muslims. They believe in reincarnation (tenasüh). They believe the soul can transcend from one body to another with death. This new body is the result of the deeds of that body in the entire earthly life. They believe in reincarnation because they see it as the necessity for the 10 justice of God. In accordance with their belief, the hell and heaven is about people’s inner life. If a person is good, then this person lives well; or vice versa. A soul, after transcending from one body to another, complete its time on Earth; then, God will put this person into hell or heaven. (Arpa & Ertaş, 2012, p.298) Practices Alawite belief, in parallel with its Bâtıni characters, develops a specific understanding of religious practices, which were performed individually or in a society. The most prominent one among individual religious practices is " Bâtıni prayer" (Bâtıni namaz). Because Alawites see prayer as a supplication of a heart that will reach Ali, prayer does not need any special place or mosque; even prayers do not need to turn to any specific place such as Kaaba (Kabe). (Üzüm, 2007, p.273) Like a prayer (namaz) and all other basic religious practices, Alawites misinterpret intentionally (tevil etmek) "fasting" (oruç). According to Alawite belief, fasting refers to the silence of Abdullah who is the father of Prophet Muhammad. It also refers to "hiding the secrets from others" as in other Bâtıni sects. Almsgiving refers to Salman the Persian, and it means, "Learning the religion and narrating it to others." Additionally, almsgiving is money given to sheiks who organize the events for a variety of reasons in the internal affairs of this sect. (Üzüm, 2007, p.273) Comparison When comparing both, it seems they both are reactionary. They define their beliefs and practices by comparing with orthodox Sunni Islamic beliefs and practices mostly. Both of them differently interpret the primary sources (hadith and Quran, for example) and go out of 11 the frame of mainstream interpretation of orthodox tradition. In short, both favor Bâtıni interpretation, and disfavor Zahiri one. About the belief in God, both have a kind of trinity that is not like the one in Christianity. However, not all Alevis see Ali as a deity not like Alawites; Alevi conception of God varies significantly. On the contrary, almost all Alawites consider Ali as a deity, rather than having different views in the conception of God. Alevis differ among themselves also in belief in angels. Some of them accept the concept of angel as in the Sunni doctrine. Some says angels are parts of people's inner self. However, Alawites are mostly inclined towards embodying angels to the stars and human beings. For example, they claim Angel Michael is the star of Zuhal; and, Ali's two sons, Hasan and Huseyin are angels. Their regards on holy books do not differ a lot. Both pay less attention to Quran, even though they have no doubt in the sacredness of all holy books (Tora, Psalm, and Bible). Furthermore, both have other kinds of resources. For example, Alevis have the Najhul Balagha (sayings of Ali), buyruks, and other poems, while Alawites have Kitab al Majmu including ibn Nusayri's sayings. The understandings of afterlife are similar in some respects. Both of them do not believe the afterlife in terms of reward and punishment. One important difference between Alevis and Alawites about afterlife, Alawites believe in reincarnation. They believe souls transcend from one body to another in accordance with the souls' deeds. About their religious practices of both, the Bâtıni interpretation seems dominant. They interpret the basic Islamic practices very differently from the mainstream. Both religious sects name practices as orthodox Muslims name them; for example, both have religious practices with the names such as prayers (namaz), fasting (oruç), pilgrimage (hac), and so on. However, 12 both interpret them very differently from the orthodox Sunni understanding. Thus, the rituals become non-Islamic in the eyes of orthodox Muslims. Conclusion Overall, anybody who make a research about Alevis and Alawites can see many similarities and differences between these two. Because both follow the Twelver Shia branch of Islam, it is normal to see the similarities. For instance, the most remarkable one is that Bâtıni interpretation is dominant in beliefs and practices of both. Differences between these two sects are mostly the result of the differences in geographical conditions and ethnic backgrounds. These two sects differ mostly in their views of Ali (as well as God) and belief in angels, for example. 13 References Arpa, Abdulmuttalip & Ertaş, Kasım (2012). 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