REFLECTION OF SUFI IDEAS AND MOTIFS IN ALJAMIADO AND RECENT LITERATURE

Influence of Sufi ideas on the poetry of Bosniaks has not been limited to a single period in history or to a single stream of literary activities of Bosniaks, i.e. to literature in Oriental languages. Influence of these ideas and motifs also encompassed folk literature (Aljamiado) and is visible in recent literature; for instance, it is discerned in some poems by Safvet-bey Bašagić, Musa Ćazim Ćatić, even by our contemporaries. Still, the presence of Sufi material in this literature is considerably different and of unequal intensity.

Aljamiado literature, as well as literature which was written in tekkes and dervish circles in Bosnian, emerged and developed by taking over many elements of topics and motifs from oriental literatures. Nevertheless, as observed, this borrowing and taking over was not at the level of literary power and quality same as in Oriental languages. Difference in quality, wealth of interpretation and the scope of transfer of Sufi heritage and literary inventory are some of important distinguishing features of these two streams of our literature. Indeed, “by its poetic qualities and diversity and level of content, Aljamiado literature considerably lags behind literature in Oriental languages, which it had inherited in the historical development ˮ (Rizvić, Panorama, 90). Although it emerged in the same spiritual and cultural environment, Aljamiado literature took quite a different course and had a different direction, although this poetry abundantly used Oriental language body. “However, since literary shaping of ideas of Sufism required both considerable education and intellectual power and poetic talent, and our literary creators, except for Muhamed Hevai Uskufi, lacked all of it, our entire poetry (Aljamiado) of this genre assumed a feature of didactic, instructive character to make people's lives reduced within frames of god-fearing and godly living ˮ (Nametak, Hrestomatija, 21).

For example, in the poem “Ah, dervišu, otvori oči” (Oh, dervish, open your eyes, shaykh Abdurrahman Sirrija has no classical Sufi images and terms, complex metaphors, although it is clear that the poem completely reflects Sufi atmosphere and worldviews of its author, who was a well-known shaykh and leader of a tekke:

Ah, dervišu, otvor oči

Batiluka ti ne uči,

Tevhid srcem pravo uči,

Sevab hoćeš nefsa muči.

(Oh, dervish, open your eyes,

Do not teach lies

Teach tawhid from your heart,

You want to do good and your soul is troubled.)

Expressions 'dervish', 'teach tawhid from your heart', 'your soul is troubled' are a reflection of Sufi doctrines and worldviews; however, in terms of literary aesthetics, the poem has no word pictures, no subtle emanation of different levels of meaning, building in-depth relations with different levels of the texts. The poet probably even did not have such ambitions, which is proven by other poems of Abdurrahman Sirrija, as well as of other poets of the time. In the poem “Ako hoćeš derviš bit” (If you want to be a dervish), Sirrija writes:

Ćitab ovo govori:

Od hajvana je gori

Ko god aškom ne gori

(This is what the Book says:

Whoever does not burn with love

Is worse than an animal)

Sirrija refers to the Book (Qur'an) rather than to Sufi shaykhs and teachers. It is obvious that he does not write poetry for educated layers of population, who understood complex ideas and symbolism of Sufism. He rather writes for public at large, with the desire to offer them moral support and invite them to lead a chaste life. The love that Sirrija advocates is related to piety, moral virtues and religious orthopraxis. That Sirrija was no exception is clear from the poetry of other poets of this literary stream. Abdulvehab Ilhamija, killed in 1821, bases his messages on the Qur'an, underscoring the value of zikr and cognition through heart. In this poetry, there are no terms which prevail in Sufi poetry, such as drink, wine, inn-keeper, statue, ruin, etc.

Comparison of the presence of Sufi ideas in literature of Bosniaks in Oriental languages and in Aljamiado literature reveals that within a single geographic, linguistic, national and cultural region, reflection of the same idea in two streams of the same national literature is different. Bosniak poems in Oriental languages, particularly in Persian, faithfully took over the language and images from Oriental literatures, while Aljamiado poets, despite the established tradition and stocks of language and motifs, opted for a selective approach focused on transferring moral messages inspired with Sufi teaching and use of Sufi terms and images of low intensity, unburdened with heavy semantic sediments and provoking ambiguities. Furthermore, these examples, among other things, lead to the conclusion that development and popularity of dervish tariqas in some periods of our history particularly brought to light some trends in Sufi teaching; for instance, popularity of one dervish order was accompanied with the preference for and emphasis on the aspect of Sufi teaching and practice which was the basis for establishing the order. Individual tariqas and their followers developed distinctive philosophical and theoretical aspects of Sufism, pantheistic directions, the idea of universal cosmic love and spiritual love tendencies, and therefore these aspects of Sufism were prominent in the literature of their supporters.

However, after domination of literature in Oriental languages in the 17th and the 18th centuries, where Sufi ideas were strongly reflected, development of other forms of literary work in these regions, particularly through dervish orders, ideas of Sufism, which used to be central topics of literature at a time, entered literary trends in a different way. Ability for adaptation contributed to further vitality of Sufi terminology in the literary production of Bosniaks, which ultimately ensured duration and literary presence of Sufi terminology in different courses of literary activity in Bosnian. Presence of Sufi motifs is also visible in the contemporary poetry of Bosniaks. Divan ilahija i kasida (Divan of Nasheeds and Qasidas) by Džemaludin Latić is permeated with many Sufi and dervish motifs; his poetry refers to Hasan Basri, Rabia al-Adawiyya, Junus Emre, Jalaluddin Rumi, Fevzi Mostarac and other Sufi authorities. Many nasheeds and qasidas from Latić's Divan are a reflection of Sufi ideas and motifs which were poetically treated by Persian and Ottoman poets, which he often underscores.  

Sufi ideas also significantly echoed in contemporary popular culture, above all in the area of music production and spiritual music of Islam. For example, popular Bosnian musician Edin Dervišhalidović – Dino Merlin abundantly uses terminological reservoir and symbolic potential in his music repertoire. His albums include elements of permeation with Sufi metaphors, symbols and subtle multifaceted images.

Although soe authors and researchers believed that literature of Bosniaks in Oriental languages, even literary activity in Bosnian of Sufi provenance, have not had an appropriate effect on society and public at large, since its conceptual trend has a pronounced indifference toward the world, highlighting ascetism, which led to passivity and inertia, and such a state had negative effects on the society (Ćehajić, “Vidovi stvaranja...ˮ, 36), nevertheless, from the contemporary perspective, it is clear that Sufi ideas ensured continuity and confirmed the power of duration and inspiring new generations, though in different ways and with different intensity. A broad context of social, political and economic developments always affects artistic and literary production and reception; however, in different periods Sufi heritage has shown vitality and ability to appear in new forms and contents.

Presence of Sufi motifs is also visible in the contemporary poetry of Bosniaks.

References:

• Rizvić, Muhsin (1994), Panorama bošnjačke književnosti, Ljiljan, Sarajevo.

• Nametak, Abdurahman (1981), Hrestomatija bosanske alhamiado književnosti, Svjetlost, Sarajevo.

• Latić, Džemaludin (2003), Divan ilahija i kasida “Ja sam tavus ašikaneˮ, Bosančica print, Sarajevo.

• Ćehajić, Džemal (1975), “Vidovi stvaranja muslimanskih mistika porijeklom iz Bosne i Hercegovine i drugih krajeva Jugoslavije od XV do XIX vijekaˮ, Godišnjak Instituta za jezik i književnost u Sarajevu, III-IV, Sarajevo.