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7/1/2025, 11:55:45 AM
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One of the tropes of Anatolian literature is the denigration of the "zahid", the moralizing ascetic for whom asceticism is an end in itself. From a spiritual point of view, the zahid is in fact barely superior to ordinary believers; he practices asceticism always for a purpose that is not fundamentally very spiritual: to feel superior to others, to "surpass" himself, or even to hope for the houris of Paradise... One trait of the zahid is that his asceticism does not really have any visible benefits; on the contrary, asceticism tends to deteriorate his character and make him unbearable.
Edip Harabi:
(Zāhidin her biri bir yāre fedā)
> Each pious ascetic is devoted to some beloved;
> I, for my part, have sacrificed all I have to the one true Beloved.
> I once had an inclination for ablutions, fasting, and prayer;
> I have sacrificed all of them to the presence of the All-Veiling Lord.
> My sect and my nation, my religion and my faith—all of them
> I have abandoned and pledged as a sacrifice to Ahmad-i Mukhtar (The Prophet Muhammad).
> For the sake of the King of Martyrs (Imam Hussein), I have grown to detest it;
> I desire not the River of Kevser, for it is sacrificed to Haydar-i Karrar (Imam Ali).
> Not an atom of desire for the pleasures of Paradise remains;
> I have sacrificed its houris and youths for the sake of the Divine Vision.
> Since becoming a Kızılbaş (Alevi), I have sacrificed the "white-headed" faction
> To Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli, the Sovereign Saint.
> O Harabi! Before they became a burden to us,
> We sacrificed Zamzam, the Hajj, and the Zakat to the wine of the tavern-keeper.
(another poem)
>Don’t be deceived by the pious ascetic whose words are false
>By the bastard son in the form of some preacher
>All his words are false and contrary to the Quran
>So don’t strive in vain for profitless gain
>This one who speaks lies and rubbish for the ignorant
>As if he were the heir of the prophet’s path
>God curse him, this purveyor of filth
>For us from God comes the benevolence of wine
>Would that this crude preacher a more mature soul
>Would that religion been more agreeable to Harabi
>Would that he had become a Muslim
>For a prayer mat washed with wine
One of the tropes of Anatolian literature is the denigration of the "zahid", the moralizing ascetic for whom asceticism is an end in itself. From a spiritual point of view, the zahid is in fact barely superior to ordinary believers; he practices asceticism always for a purpose that is not fundamentally very spiritual: to feel superior to others, to "surpass" himself, or even to hope for the houris of Paradise... One trait of the zahid is that his asceticism does not really have any visible benefits; on the contrary, asceticism tends to deteriorate his character and make him unbearable.
Edip Harabi:
(Zāhidin her biri bir yāre fedā)
> Each pious ascetic is devoted to some beloved;
> I, for my part, have sacrificed all I have to the one true Beloved.
> I once had an inclination for ablutions, fasting, and prayer;
> I have sacrificed all of them to the presence of the All-Veiling Lord.
> My sect and my nation, my religion and my faith—all of them
> I have abandoned and pledged as a sacrifice to Ahmad-i Mukhtar (The Prophet Muhammad).
> For the sake of the King of Martyrs (Imam Hussein), I have grown to detest it;
> I desire not the River of Kevser, for it is sacrificed to Haydar-i Karrar (Imam Ali).
> Not an atom of desire for the pleasures of Paradise remains;
> I have sacrificed its houris and youths for the sake of the Divine Vision.
> Since becoming a Kızılbaş (Alevi), I have sacrificed the "white-headed" faction
> To Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli, the Sovereign Saint.
> O Harabi! Before they became a burden to us,
> We sacrificed Zamzam, the Hajj, and the Zakat to the wine of the tavern-keeper.
(another poem)
>Don’t be deceived by the pious ascetic whose words are false
>By the bastard son in the form of some preacher
>All his words are false and contrary to the Quran
>So don’t strive in vain for profitless gain
>This one who speaks lies and rubbish for the ignorant
>As if he were the heir of the prophet’s path
>God curse him, this purveyor of filth
>For us from God comes the benevolence of wine
>Would that this crude preacher a more mature soul
>Would that religion been more agreeable to Harabi
>Would that he had become a Muslim
>For a prayer mat washed with wine
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