The Contributions of K？se？ Ahmed Dede and Shaykh Ghālib to Mawlawī Manners and Principles

This article examines Mawlawī manners (ādāb) and principles (arkān) by focusing on several subjects, including initiation, remembrance of Allah (dhikr), whirling prayer ceremonies (muqābala), a period of 1001 days of uninterrupted service (？ile), and relations between Sufi masters and their disciples, in order to shed light on the contributions of K？se？ Ahmed Dede (d. 1191/1777) and Shaykh Galib (d. 1213/1799). Current studies on the subject do not focus on the historical developments of Mawlawī manners and principles, nor do they follow a chronological order that would help us to determine the origins of principles. Unlike other studies, this article aims at identifying historical development of Mawlavī manners and principles that evolved over several centuries and highlighting the similarities and differences that appear in the sources. In this line, it employs a wide literature on Mawlawī manners and principles starting with Divane Mehmed ？elebi’s (d. after 951/1544) ？arīqat al-‘ārifīn (The Path of Recognizants to Allah) through Safi Arpagu？’s Mevlevilikte Manevi E？itim (The Spiritual Training in Mawlawi order). Firstly, the article provides a brief overview of the literature on Mawlawī manners and principles. Based on this literature, it identifies the main elements of Mawlawi manners and principles and analyzes them under five headings: initiation practices, dhikr, muqābala, chella and relations between Sufi masters and Sufi disciples. All researchers seem to agree that one needs first to be initiated in order to pledge allegiance to a living Sufi master, however they disagree on the ceremonies of initiation. Chronologically speaking, K？se？ Ahmed Dede is the first author to explain in his work al-Tu？fa al-bahiyya the details of Sufi ceremonies, such as the ceremonies of allegiance, the usage of a special formula to remember Allah (talqīn al-dhikr), and the wearing of hat (sikka) and investiture (khirqa). In addition, Shaykh Galib is the only one who says that a seeker (？ālib) can be accepted to the path through a different pledge of allegiance in respect to the level of his aspiration. According to him, if the seeker has a sincere desire to join the order, the Sufi master might order him into chella. If the seeker has a lower aspiration for joining, the Sufi master might recommend that he invokes a special formula to remember Allah. With regards to the seeker with the lowest motivation, the Sufi master might ask him to repent for his sins, and follow the Masnawī lectures. Therefore, the first will be murīd (the disciple), the second will be munīb