DERVISH ORDERS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Tasawwuf or Sufism is the esoteric or inner dimension of Islam, which has developed a particular methodology of the “inner path”, a distinctive practice of acquiring the knowledge, interpretation and living principles of Islam. It developed out of piety, which was characterized by a certain form of ascetism and extremely modest way of living by a certain number of prominent Muslims in the first two centuries of Islam. Therefore, tasawwuf sees its practical establishment in the persons who stood out by modest dressing, almost ascetic way of living and practicing special methods of piety. As early as in the fourth century of Hijra this spiritual movement recorded a strong development, and together with spreading to various parts of the vast Muslim state and cultural space it became stronger in theory and in practice.

In the classical Islamic literature, as well as in works written beyond Muslim thinking which dealt with the topic of tasawwuf (Sufism), several terms have been established which, at the theoretical and practical level, referred to this distinctive course of Islam and its followers. The prevailing ones are 'tasawwuf', 'Sufism' and 'Irfan'; with slight differences in meaning, they all refer to esoteric discourse within Islamic theory and practice, while terms 'Sufi', 'dervish' and 'arif’' refer to its followers and practitioners.

The term 'tasawwuf' draws its origin from Arabic and is taken from the root word 'sūf'', which means wool, although there are very diverse opinions on its etymology. Besides the term tasawwuf, this Islamic spiritual-mystic movement is referred to by the term 'Sufism'. Both terms derive from the word 'sūf'. From the history of Islamic thinking, we learn that initially the term 'sufi' referred to devout people who lived modestly and wore coarse woolen clothes at the end of the first century of Hijra, i.e. the mid-8th century AD.

The term 'Irfan' is another frequent name, and in Arabic it means 'knowledge', 'awareness', or 'learning', while 'ārif' is one who is knowledgeable, acquainted or shrewd. The term 'dervish' is of Persian origin, and in Persian the word 'darwīsh' refers to a poor man, a pauper, a beggar, as well as to a hermit.

All the listed terms are widely used in literature and are frequently used as synonyms. However, some authors believe that their semantic fields do not completely match and that, in the semantic sense, each of them implies distinctive semantic senses which are not found in another term. Some theoreticians incline to the view that irfan rather refers to the theoretical aspect of Islamic esotery, while Sufism is a practical aspect embodied in the life of its followers; in other words, the term Irfan is more appropriate for theoretical thinking and explanation of esoteric truths, the term Sufism is suitable for the area of practical road and life, while term tasawwuf reconciles or equally encompassed both components (Bāyāt, 1-9). This distinction in literature is not generally accepted.

Besides the theoretical aspect, tasawwuf has a very well-developed practical aspect of daily life, which is defined as the path, method (tarīq, seir wa sulūk) of coming closer to God. The goal is to use instruction and training to traverse certain actual stages (maqāmāt) and acquire psychological predispositions, i.e. spiritual states (’ahwāl), for removing curtains as obstacles for knowing God, so that at the end of the spiritual path the spirit of a Sufi could come near God. As the fruit of experience of many Sufis, tariqahs or Sufi orders are involved exactly in this practical implementation of Sufi principles and in training followers. Although there are different modalities and specificities of certain practical actions used by an order in educating and guiding candidates, their ultimate goal is to liberate human spirit from submission to passions, deficiencies and weaknesses of character and adorn them with virtues.

In brief, an order, a tariqa is a practical method of guiding and training pupils, travelers (murids, saliks) by a teacher (pir, shayk, murshid) as the guide who lays out thoughts, emotions and actions, and guides the pupil through a series of stages (maqāmāt) in the integral connection with psychological experience or states (’ahwāl) – toward the intuitive knowledge of divine reality (Haqīqa). “It can be claimed that the teacher helps his pupil to fall in love with God first by directing the pupil's intellectual acceptance of God into emotional acceptance.” (Sharif, I, 338).

The teacher or the shayk is a medium, i.e. intermediary in the process of spiritual and physical training in the traveler's spiritual ascent and maturing. Indeed, God responds to the traveler's sincere desire and effort, since the instruction is in His hands. “Among Sufis, what guides the man to God is God. His guide is not reason, as ), as believed by Ash'aris. If reason and proof were guides for knowledge, all clever people would have equal knowledge... Consequently, neither reason nor proof is the intermediary between the man and God.” (Zarrīnkūb, 35). In Sufi tradition and literature there are different classifications and sequence of spiritual stages and states which proceed successively, each stage being the result of the previous one, which a Sufi traverses in the process of moral improvement and inner struggle. His travel is not over before he traverses all the stages and achieves these states. By traversing all the envisaged states and stages of spiritual path, the Sufi reaches knowledge (‘irfān), the state where those who are in love, those who are Loved and love are one (Ćehajić, 19).

From the 12th century on, dervish or Sufi orders (tariqas) began to be established and developed. They were related to a single teacher, mostly the founder (pir, shayk), after whom the given order was named. They adopted his way of training, used his mystical experience and followed the rules of Sufi life which he had adhered to and which he had charted. His teaching was transmitted by means of the unbroken chain (silsila), while shayks generated within a given dervish order became spiritual successors of the founder of the order.

Literature typically lists 12 basic dervish orders, out of which many branches have sprung. However, some researchers often list a greater or a smaller number, or accept some branches as basic orders. The most represented orders in Bosnia and Herzegovina are Naqshbandi, Mevlevi, Qadiriyya and Khalwati dervish orders (tariqas). Naqshbandi dervish order, which is believed to be founded by Behā’uddīn Naqshband, died in 1389, is the most represented in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Qadiriyya dervish order (Qadirites), founded by Abdul  Qadir Gilani, died in 1166, is also one of the wide represented dervish fraternities, and the Qadirite Hadži Sinan Tekke in Sarajevo is still a significant institution of Sufi life in Bosnia. The Mevlevi dervish order (Mevlevites), which is believed to be founded by the great poet Jalaluddīn Rūmī, had prominent followers in Bosnia and Herzegovina and has left a significant trace in the spiritual and cultural life. The Khalwati dervish order (Khalwatis) also has an important place among dervish orders in Bosnia. Its founder is Muhammed el-Halvetī el-Hvārizmī, died in 1350. Gazi Husrev-beg is believed to have belonged to this order, as well as the Korkut family from Travnik, and Gazi Husrev-beg Khanqah was a well-known school and tekke of this dervish order. Although they were active in the Balkans, particularly in Kosovo and North Macedonia, the Rifa'i dervish order (Rifais) and Baktashites have not managed to significantly spread in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  

In literature, one can find data and views according to which certain Sufi authorities and groups of dervishes came and spent some time in Bosnia and Herzegovina even before the Ottoman conquest. It is indubitable that some Sufi shayks and dervish orders have had a significant role in intensive spread of Islamic culture and spirituality and in the formation of some urban environments in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

References:

• Bāyāt, Mohammad Hosein (1374/1995), Mabānī-ye ‘erfān wa tasawwof, Dānešgāh-e ‘Allāme Tabātabā’ī, Tehrān.

• Ćehajić, Džemal (1986), Derviški redovi u jugoslavenskim zemljama, Orijentalni institut, Special editions XIV, Sarajevo.

• Hafizović, Rešid (1999), Temeljni tokovi sufizma, Bemust, Sarajevo.

• Sharif, M. M. (1998), Historija islamske filozofije, August Cesarec, Zagreb.

• Zarrīnkūb, ‘Abdolhosein (1377/1998), ’Arzeš-e mīrās-e sūfiye, Mo’assese-ye ’entešārāt-e ’Amīr Kabīr, Tehrān.