Bektashis Between Fajr and Maghrib : The Neoplatonic Concept of Light in the Religious Practices of Bektashi Islam

Abstract

The mid-13th century was a time of significant change in the context of Islamic civilization, and from a historical distance, it is easy to unfold and discover the different layers of this great cultural and religious creation.With the conquest of Baghdad by the Mongols (1258), the social, political, cultural, and religious differences of other constitutive elements (mainly Persian and Turkic) of the Abbasid Caliphate stepped into the limelight of Islamic civilization and assumed the role of protectors of Islam after centuries of formal Arab domination.The historical emergence of Bektashism can be placed somewhere between the beginning of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century, as there are no primary sources about the birth of its founder, Haji Bektash Veli.Considering the approximate lifetime of Haji Bektash and knowing the full historical background of the geographical area in which Bektashism emerged, it is easy to conclude that the ideas and beliefs of the Bektashis were influenced by a variety of elements at the time of its emergence.This article examines the influence of Ishrq philosophy and mysticism on Bektashism and its connection with the Neoplatonic concept of light.It also reflects on the various Qurnic chapters and verses (surahs and ayats) that were most commonly used in Sufism in this context.It also compares the practice of prayer in Bektashism and mainstream Islam and the origin of the duality of sunrise and sunset.