Düşkünlük: Excommunication in Alevism – Rite and Penalties

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What is düşkünlük?

The word düşkün means “guilty one”. A talip who has passed through the musahiplik rite (the rite of spiritual kinship), has given his ikrar in the görgü rite, has committed himself to the path as a talip and afterwards commits an offence is called “düşkün”. A person of Alevi faith – whether an Evladı Resul (descendant of the Messenger) of seyyid lineage or any other talip – who has not taken a musahip and given an ikrar, who has not surrendered to a pir and proven himself clean before the community, who has not sworn the tevella-teberra oath (love for the friends of the Ehl-i Beyt and turning away from their enemies) and bound himself by an ikrar, is called in Alevi terminology “ham-evrah” (an unripe soul). Such Alevis are Alevis in name only. Whoever it may be, if he commits an offence he is of course regarded as guilty by the community. If he wishes to take a musahip, surrender to a pir and commit himself to the path as a talip, then, because he is guilty, he will be questioned both in the musahip rite and in the görgü rite, judged, and so cleared.

Until that day, however, such people are not called düşkün. To be able to become düşkün, one must have taken a musahip and passed through the musahip rite. One must have sworn never again to do what one has done, have given one’s ikrar and have proven oneself clean before the pir in the midst of the community one lives with – only then, through an offence committed afterwards, has one fallen from the path and from the erkân. Because they have broken the ikrar and the oath they gave, those to whom such things happen are, according to our faith, called düşkün. Unfortunately, those who do not know this set about accusing one another by saying “he is düşkün” – and this is very wrong. To call anyone and everyone düşkün, knowingly or not, is the lack of knowledge that comes from ignorance.

How is a talip declared düşkün?

A person lives his daily life with those around him. The good and the evil he does, he does to the people he lives with around him. If this talip has a musahip, if he has repented and sworn an oath in the musahip and görgü rites and has given his ikrar, then those around him know of it. If this talip, who has now given his ikrar to the path of Muhammad and Ali, does evil or harm in any area of his life to any one of the people he lives with, those people report this person to his rehber, his pir or his mürşid. This is the most normal complaint procedure we follow in accordance with our faith.

If one of the people around such a talip makes a complaint to that talip’s rehber, pir or mürşid, the pir or mürşid immediately informs the rehber and assigns him the task. If the complaint was made directly to the rehber in the first place, the rehber informs the pir and the mürşid and obtains their approval. He first makes enquiries about the talip who is the subject of the complaint among those around him, and then goes to hear the talip as well. If, having heard both sides, the rehber becomes convinced that the accused talip is in the wrong, he tells the talip that he will be brought before the pir divanı (the pir’s court). After that the rehber explains to the pir – and to the mürşid, if there is one – that the talip is in the wrong. Together they decide to question the talip and the complainant and set a suitable date.

The rehber informs both the complainant and the accused of the date and place set for the questioning. On the appointed date the pir who will question this talip, the rehber and, if he can be found, his mürşid as well must be present. In addition, those who have given the ikrar of musahiplik and passed through the görgü rite may be present at this assembly. Together with them, there should also be ehl-i kâmil (mature, accomplished people) who live in the same area and can help with the decision to be taken. The community of pirs opens an irfan meydanı (a square of wisdom) for the questioning, in their own homes if their homes are suitable. They tell both sides to come with their witnesses. The pirs first bring in the ehl-i kâmil of the area and explain the incident to them. Then they bring the complainant onto the meydan (the ritual floor), place him in the dar (the posture of accountability), make him swear that he will speak the truth and take his statement. If he has witnesses, they bring them in and place them in the dar too. They also make them swear first that they will speak the truth and then hear them. The pir recites verse 68 of Surat at-Tawbah (Tövbe): “God has prepared for the hypocritical men and women and for the deniers the fire of Hell, in which they will abide for ever. That is sufficient for them. May God curse them! For them there is lasting punishment.” After reciting this verse, the pir gives them a prayer in keeping with the meaning of the verse: if they have spoken the truth, may God be their helper; if they have slandered and made false accusations, may what the verse says befall them: “Allah, Allah! If on the path by which you came, in the dar in which you stand, on the path of the Ehl-i Beyt, you have stood upright and spoken the truth, may Hak, Muhammad and Ali be your helpers. May He not separate you from truthfulness and from the right path. May He grant what your tongue asks and what your heart desires. But if in this dar, on this path, you have lied and slandered, may you suffer the punishment named in verse 68 of Surat at-Tawbah. May Ali be the helper and Hızır the guide of the truthful. Gerçeğe hü (to the Truth – Hu),” he says, and releases them from the dar.

Depending on the gravity of the offence, the complainant and the accused are, if necessary, not brought together. Next, the rehber brings in the talip accused of the offence and places him in the dar; this talip, too, is first made to swear an oath, and then his statement is taken. If he has witnesses, they are heard as well, and the same Qur’anic verse is recited to them. They are told that it is believed that whoever lies and slanders in this dar will in future suffer great misfortune and calamity. If he is seen to be guilty, no prayer of blessing is given to them.

If the talip bound by ikrar who has been complained about is found guilty, then, depending on the gravity of the offence, he may not enter any cem or gathering of the congregation for one year, three years, five years, seven years or ten years. No one greets him and no one returns his greeting. No one goes to his house and no one lets him into theirs. He is given no material or spiritual help whatsoever. Only if a death occurs in his family is help given with the burial of the deceased.

But even the meal he gives for the deceased is not eaten. This means sentencing him to a prison of conscience outside the community for the period set. This sentence is announced to him there, and it is explained to him that from that hour on he is düşkün. He is asked to leave the place immediately. The pirs who conducted this questioning, together with the jury of ehl-i kâmil, announce to the whole surrounding community that this talip is düşkün.

It is only at such a stage, then, that a talip is called düşkün. Even so, if after serving the sentence imposed this talip comes, surrenders to the pir, repents and swears an oath, a number of deterrent penalties are again imposed. This person is won back to the community. He regains the standing that until then had been damaged and lost.

Just as at the foundation of the Alevi faith it is an unforgivable offence to kill and destroy a human being physically, and just as hunters who kill a living creature for their pleasure are not admitted to the cem and the congregation and their act is counted as an offence, so too it is an equally grave offence to exclude a person from communal life and thereby destroy him spiritually for ever. That is why the penalties imposed are tied to a period of time – in the hope that one day he may regret the evil he has done and come to repent. That door of repentance is therefore always left open. Some Balkan Bektashis, however, sentenced adulterers and those who knowingly killed a person to death.

What does düşkünlük mean and where does it come from?

The word düşkün means “guilty one”. In the Alevi faith, being a talip is the highest station. Whether a person is of seyyid lineage or from other tribes (aşiret), if he has not taken a musahip and given his ikrar, if he has not surrendered to a pir and proven himself clean, if he has not sworn the tevella-teberra oath and bound himself by an ikrar, if he has not proven himself clean before the community, then in Alevi terminology he is called “HAM-EVRAH”. Such Alevis are Alevis in name only.

For Alevis in this situation to accuse one another of being düşkün is not only contrary to the Alevi path and erkân, but an unforgivable offence.

People like these, who hold the Alevi faith but have not given an ikrar, are not called düşkün. Yes, they are guilty. If one day such a person comes, surrenders to a pir and wishes to be freed from being ham-evrah, the pir examines what kind of character he has. If there is no objection to his becoming a talip of the path and he has committed no offence, his ikrar is accepted and the rite is performed. If, however, it is established that he is guilty, the düşkünlük rite prescribed by the Alevi path and erkân is performed, the necessary deterrent penalties are imposed, and once he has served and fulfilled the penalties, if he comes and surrenders to the path, his ikrar is taken and he is accepted as a talip of the path. Unfortunately, however, these existing sacred values of the Ehl-i Beyt faith are unknown to many Alevis of our time. That is why accusing one another of being düşkün at every turn runs completely counter to Alevi teaching.

The soul (can) who believes in the Alevi faith and carries this faith on in his life first takes a musahip. Together with the souls whose musahip he will become, he applies to his pir, passes through the musahiplik rite, gives his ikrar and becomes a talip of the path. A year later he goes to his pir again and makes known that he wishes to be “seen” and cleared. “In the görgü cem conducted by the pir he obtains the consent (razılık) of the community and proves himself clean before the community. In the same cem he swears the tevella-teberra oath, gives his ikrar before the community that from now on he will commit no act harmful to humanity, and enters the door of the tarikat (the mystical order) as a talip of the path.” If an Alevi who has passed through these stages commits an offence again, he has fallen from the path and erkân he entered, because he has broken the ikrar he gave. Such an Alevi is called düşkün.

If a talip of the path who has received the erkân commits an offence after having bound himself by ikrar, it means that he has left the path. Unless, after committing the offence, he comes back, surrenders to the path and serves his penalty, he cannot be a talip of that path. “HE IS DÜŞKÜN.” This is a religious order that has no equal in any of the world’s religions. It is a system of justice established in order to create a clean society. This judicial body has been applied continuously from the past to the present day. However, no written source was found as to who introduced düşkünlük into the Alevi erkân and where it comes from. Only in the Buyruk of Imam Jafar (Imam Cafer Buyruğu, the book of precepts) was there sufficient information on the düşkünlük penalties for those who break their ikrar. Unfortunately there was no source at all describing where it comes from and in what way it took shape within the faith of the Ehl-i Beyt. I will show that its source, too, lies in the verses of the Qur’an. Certain people who say the Qur’an does not belong to the Alevis, and who merely play at Alevism, should be ashamed before these verses.

Three months after Hazrat Muhammad had brought Mecca to Islam and returned to Medina, news came that Byzantium was preparing in the north. It would march against the Muslims with a great army. The year was 630 of the Christian era. Hazrat Muhammad, out of necessity, decided to make preparations and go to war against Byzantium. Eighty supporters of Abu Sufyan (Ebu Süfyan), who had become Muslims in Mecca only under compulsion, did not heed Muhammad’s call and did not go to war with him. Seeing this, three old men of Medina – “Kab bin Malik, Murara bin Rabi, Halil bin Ümeyye” – also did not go to war with the army of Hazrat Muhammad.

Nevertheless, Hazrat Muhammad set out with an army of 30,000 men. Near Damascus (Şam), in the region called Tabuk (Tebük), he encountered the Byzantine army. When the Byzantine commanders saw that the Muslim army was far larger than their own, they withdrew without fighting. After resting his army for twenty days in the region of Tabuk, Hazrat Muhammad returned without fighting. After Hazrat Muhammad had come to Medina, the supporters of Abu Sufyan who had not gone to war built a structure they called a mosque (mescit) in the village of Dira near Medina, in order to organise the people against Hazrat Muhammad. Their aim! To gather and organise in this building under the pretext of worship and to do away with Hazrat Muhammad. As soon as Hazrat Muhammad returned to Medina, he learned of everything through the verses that exalted God sent down to him.

Verse 107 of Surat at-Tawbah gives the following command: “Those who have built a mosque to cause harm, to deny, to sow division among the believers, to aid those who are against God and His Prophet, and to spy – even if they swear, ‘We wanted only to do good here’ – God is witness that they are liars.”

Verse 108 of Surat at-Tawbah: “O Muhammad! Never go to that mosque. It is better for you to be in the mosque that was founded from its very first building on guarding against rebellion against God.”

Verse 109 of Surat at-Tawbah: “Is a building better that is built in fear of God and to gain His good pleasure? Or are those better who build their building on the edge of a crumbling cliff and tumble with it into the fire of Hell? God does not guide those who contemplate wrongdoing.”

Verse 110 of Surat at-Tawbah: The building they have erected shows that there is a source of doubt and treachery in their hearts. This will continue until their hearts are torn apart. God is all-knowing and all-wise.

After these verses Hazrat Muhammad gave Talha bin Ubaydullah (Talha bin Übeydullah) a group of people and said, “Go and demolish that mosque.” Hazrat Muhammad, who had the mosque of Dira demolished, did not permit another such mosque to be built during his lifetime. While Hazrat Muhammad was dealing with this matter, the three men of Medina who had not taken part in the campaign also came, apologised to Hazrat Muhammad and explained, without telling any lie, the reason why they had not taken part, as follows:

“O Muhammad, when we fought against Byzantium before, we were defeated; that is why we were afraid. The second reason: Medina and Damascus are very far apart; we were afraid we could not endure the journey. The third reason: it is summer; if we go, we have no one behind us to bring in our harvest, and we would go hungry in the winter. That is why we could not come to war with you. Forgive us,” they said.

At that moment verse 102 of Surat at-Tawbah came down: “Some of those who stayed behind from the fighting have confessed their sins. They mixed a good deed with a bad one. It is to be hoped that God will accept their repentance. For He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.”

Verse 103: “O Muhammad! Take a part of their wealth and distribute it to the poor as alms (sadaka) that will cleanse and purify them. Pray for them. Your prayer is a reassurance for them. God is all-hearing and all-knowing.”

In line with these verses that came down, Hazrat Muhammad took a part of their wealth and distributed it to the poor. On these three people he also imposed the following deterrent penalty: “O Muslims! Even though they speak the truth, because they had previously sworn allegiance (biat) (because they had given their ikrar), their not taking part in the war with us constitutes an offence. For they did not fulfil the oath they swore and the ikrar they gave (they broke it). Therefore we will take a part of their wealth as alms and distribute it to the poor so that they may be forgiven. For fifty days you shall cut off your relations with them. Let no one speak with them, let God’s greeting not be given to them, do not let them into your houses, do not go to their houses and give them no help at all. If after fifty days they come and repent – exalted God, the Most Gracious and Most Merciful, accepts repentance made from the heart.”

At that time verse 111 came down and commanded as follows: “If they repent, worship and give the alms-tax (zekât), they become your brothers in religion once more. For those who know, We explain the verses at length.”

After these three people had served the deterrent penalty imposed on them, they came to Hazrat Muhammad again and asked for forgiveness. They repented and gave their ikrar that they would never again commit offences of this kind.

Then verses 117 and 118 of Surat at-Tawbah came down: “Truly, in a time of hardship, God accepted the prayers of those whose hearts had almost swerved, of the emigrants (muhacir) and helpers (ensar) who followed the Prophet, and of the Prophet, as compassion and mercy for them.”

Verse 118: “Despite all its breadth, the earth became narrow for them. He also accepted the repentance of the three who had stayed behind from the fighting, whose souls oppressed them and who understood that there is no refuge other than God. Because they repented with remorse, He accepted their repentance too. For God is the Accepter of repentance, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”

This system of justice, which Hazrat Muhammad applied by command of the Qur’an, has continued from that day to this only within the Alevi faith. The talip who passes through the görgü rite is made to swear that he will commit no act that would harm humanity, and his ikrar is taken. If after that he commits any offence, he is judged in the düşkünlük rite and his penalty is imposed. The whole aim is to create a clean society – to establish an order in which people live together as brothers and sisters in an atmosphere of friendship. If, after giving this oath and this ikrar, he breaks the ikrar he gave, then he becomes düşkün from the path, and the practice of Hazrat Muhammad comes into force.

If you pay attention, musahiplik and düşkünlük, which are obligatory (farz) in the Qur’an, do not exist today among those who call themselves “Muslim orders (tarikat)”, nor in the Umayyad sharia (Emevi şeriatı), which they will not allow a speck of dust to touch. Without fearing God, they slander brazenly before the eyes of society, saying, “We fulfil the commands of the Qur’an.” Even so, I say: may God forgive everyone their shortcomings.

In the musahiplik rite, the görgü rite and the düşkünlük rite, the preparations, the services, the prayers said when taking the tarikat ablution (tarikat abdesti), the tekbir and prayer over the sacrifice (kurban), the “uniting” of the cem (cemin birlenmesi) and the worship section are carried out in exactly the same way. There is no change whatsoever. What differs are the words spoken when the person is brought before the pir and the pir’s questioning – and the imposition of the penalties deemed appropriate according to the gravity of the offence. Let us now first divide into categories the conduct that is regarded within the community as an offence and as improper, and list in part the deterrent penalties to be imposed accordingly. The deterrent penalties we write here, however, are not definitive. Depending on the setting and the circumstances, the pir and the congregation there are free to examine why and for what reason the offence was committed and to impose deterrent penalties for the benefit of the community. Where possible, material and spiritual penalties from which the community will benefit are applied.

The penalties imposed on those declared düşkün

Minor offences of the first degree

Those who spread gossip between neighbours and families, who eavesdrop at other people’s doors and chimneys, who swear falsely, who inform on others, who say they have seen what they have not seen and heard what they have not heard, and who set neighbours and relatives against each other commit an offence against the community.

If they have previously passed through the musahip rite, given their ikrar and committed themselves to the path as talips, they are considered düşkün. For one year they are not admitted to the erkân. They are barred from neighbourly relations. If after one year they come and surrender to the pir, the düşkünlük rite is performed in exactly the same way. If, however, they are “ham ervah”: if, when they are being judged in the görgü rite, someone complains of such offences, first the wronged party who brought the complaint is asked for forgiveness and their consent is obtained. So that it is announced and proven before the community that he has committed an offence, a weight of 20 or 30 kilos, depending on his physical health, is hung around his neck. He is made to stand before the congregation for half an hour or an hour. In material terms, he is made to carry out some work or make a donation that benefits the community. In addition, he is made to sacrifice an animal and feed it to the community. These decisions, too, are taken by the pir together with the congregation. So that he does not commit these offences again, the pir makes him repent and swear an oath before the congregation. He counsels him not to do it again and takes his ikrar anew.

Offences of the second degree

Those who ravage their neighbours’ vineyards and gardens and steal their fruit, who set fire to trees and forests, who steal the living or non-living property of their neighbours or others, and who unjustly insult or beat another person are guilty. For three years they are not admitted to the cem or the congregation. After three years he must apologise to the people he insulted and beat and obtain their consent. Whoever’s vineyard or garden he ravaged, he must restore it and pay for the damage. He must return the stolen goods intact or pay their value. If, having done these things or being prepared to do them, he comes to the pir and surrenders, he is made to do everything we have listed and to obtain everyone’s consent.

A spiritual penalty that his state of health can bear is also carried out before the congregation. A monetary fine that the pir and the congregation consider appropriate is likewise imposed, to be used for community service. He is made to sacrifice one or more animals to feed the congregation. He is made to repent and swear an oath so that he does not do it again. The judicial procedure used for all offences in the düşkünlük rite is always the same. This is a law of the Alevi faith; it does not change and cannot be changed. The penalties imposed, however, vary according to the offence. The most important point is that the spiritual penalties imposed are carried out before the community, so that they retain their deterrent effect. Material penalties always go to places that will be used for the benefit of the community. The purpose of carrying out these penalties before the community is so that the offender may be forgiven by the community. For the other offences, too, the procedure does not change; only the scale of the penalty changes.

Offences of the third degree

Those who lend money at interest to the needy and the poor, who drive others into debt through interest and take away their house, field, goods and property, who consume the rights of orphans, who turn away from their mürşid, pir, rehber and musahip, and who speak ill of the Ehl-i Beyt are guilty. For five years neighbourly and family relations with them are cut off. No one goes to their house, no one greets them and no help is given. If after five years he comes and surrenders to the pir, he returns all the goods and property he took through the unjust system of usury, apologises to those concerned and obtains their consent. If he has actually consumed the rights of an orphan, then besides returning that property in full he is obliged to pay a separate compensation for the harm the orphan suffered and the hardships the orphan endured. Whether much or little, he must make these payments and obtain the consent of those people. He also apologises to the other authorities he has spiritually offended and obtains their consent. His communal penalty, too, is imposed by the pirs and the congregation exactly as we have described. If he cannot obtain this consent, he continues to remain outside the community.

Offences of the fourth degree

Those who have seduced a virgin by force or by deception and in the end not married her, thereby darkening her future, those who take another man’s wedded wife and destroy a home, those who slander their spouse and thereby break up their own marriage (their home) – in a word, those who turn to adultery – commit a grave offence. For seven years neighbourly and family relations with them are cut off. No one goes to their house, no one greets them and no help is given. If after seven years he repents, comes and surrenders to the pir, the young woman he seduced is found; if she has not married, he is married to her, or a solution is found that will provide for her livelihood for life. Her consent is obtained. Since he cannot put back together the home he destroyed, he must go to those concerned, throw himself at their feet and without fail obtain their consent. If he can obtain their consent, he is admitted to the tarikat. If he cannot, he is left outside the community until such time as he obtains it. If he reaches the point where he can be admitted to the erkân, the pir and the congregation decide together on his other offences against the community as well.

Grave offences of the fifth degree

If someone has killed a person unintentionally, by accident, he pays compensation to the first-degree relatives of the person he killed or, if that person had a wife and children, takes on their livelihood and education permanently. He obtains their forgiveness for the mistake he made. But even if he obtains forgiveness from the other side, according to our path he has destroyed a building of God (Hak). That is why his offence is grave. For ten years he is kept outside the community exactly as with the preceding offences. If after ten years he comes and surrenders to the pir and is able to obtain the consent of the first-degree relatives, he is then admitted to the erkân. The pirs, together with the congregation, decide on the heavy penalties prescribed by our faith and our erkân. As long as he cannot obtain consent, he is not admitted into the community, exactly as prescribed for the other offences. As the Qur’an sets out, he is made to give help to the poor equal to the value of a human life (blood money). This help is to be the equivalent of buying a slave. He is made to fast for two months without interruption. In addition, the material and spiritual deterrent penalties to be applied according to our erkân will also be imposed. On this matter verse 92 of Surat an-Nisa (Nisa) gives the following command: “It is never permissible for a person to kill another person, except by accident. If he kills someone by mistake or by accident, nothing can be done unless the family of the one killed forgives. If he is forgiven, he must pay blood money (diyet). For his repentance to be accepted by God, he must buy and free a slave and fast for two months without interruption and worship. God is forgiving, pardoning and all-knowing.”

The gravest offences of the sixth degree

For those who kill a person for their own advantage, following their nefis and their greed, or out of rancour and revenge because the person did not share their views, and for those who help to kill, there is no remedy. In the Holy Qur’an, verse 93 of Surat an-Nisa says: “Whoever kills a person intentionally, his punishment is Hell, in which he will abide for ever. God is angry with him, has cursed him and has prepared for him a great punishment.” This interpretation is the fıkıh (legal) interpretation of the Qur’an. That is, the person is excluded from the community for ever. But when it comes to the Sufi (tasavvuf, bâtıni, i.e. esoteric) interpretation of the Alevi faith, there is no such definitive exclusion (aforoz).

Greetings and all contact with these persons are cut off for at least 30 years; no one goes to their house, no help is given, and they are not admitted into the community in the full sense. Only if a death occurs in their family does one go to bury the deceased. But the meal he gives for the deceased is not eaten, and no one sits on his rug (çul). If after thirty years he repents, comes and surrenders to a pir, the pir assigns a rehber who is knowledgeable in this matter and knows the wronged party. This rehber first goes to the first-degree relatives of the person who was killed, that is, to the wronged party.

He explains to them that this murderer has made such an application. Now, whether the wronged party forgives, or whether, if they forgive, they ask for compensation to be paid – that decision is one for the wronged family to make. Of course the rehber who goes to them also explains to them that, according to our path, our erkân and our faith, it is not right to turn away people who come saying “medet mürvet” (help and mercy), whatever offence they may have committed. If they do not forgive, nothing can be done for that person. If they do forgive, he will obtain consent by paying compensation, in the form they wish, to the wife, the children, the mother, the father and the siblings of the deceased.

Even if this person is forgiven by the wronged family, the offence he committed is grave. The pirs come together, determine the spiritual penalty for this offence and present it to the congregation. If the participants of the cem also find the penalties appropriate, they jointly put the heaviest penalties into effect. In the Alevi faith and in the community bound to this faith there is no “anathema” (aforoz). No one turns away a person who regrets his offence and asks for forgiveness. The doors of repentance are open to all. All these services are performed in order to win back to the community those who have committed an offence, willingly or unwillingly, and to create a clean society. In the Alevi faith, the payments of the düşkün, that is, of the guilty, are in the nature of restitution.

For because these offences are committed against the community, it is held in every case not only that the spiritual feelings of the community are hurt, but also that by breaking a heart the building of God is destroyed. That is why all trials are held before the community, so that those hurt and broken hearts may find peace and friendship and brotherhood may continue. That is why, in every trial, in addition to the payments made to the wronged party, the price of buying a slave is also paid to the poor. A fast of three months without interruption is imposed. A service that will ease the conscience of the community is required. A material contribution for the community is also required. Generally this may be an apple, it may be a sacrificial animal, or it may be a donation of money to the dergâh (the convent) where these rites are performed, to cover the expenses of the place.

That the morals of the Alevis still living in Anatolia today are at least somewhat in order depends on the law of düşkünlük. The finest aspect of the law of düşkünlük is that it requires one to be master of one’s hand, one’s tongue and one’s loins.

If we think about it, all offences are committed through these three organs. Alevism reforms the one who is not master of these three organs by excluding him from the community, leaving him alone and confining him in the prison of his conscience. A person who carries the true Alevi faith does not retaliate against someone who does him evil, so that he himself does not sink to the level of those bad people.

I will give just one example of this: one of the erenler (those who have attained the truth) is walking along the road lost in thought when a ruffian catches up with him from behind and slaps him on the back of the neck. The eren says, “Eyvallah, erenler” (So be it, O erenler), puts his hand on his chest, turns round and looks into the face of the man who struck him. The ruffian says, “O eren! You said ‘eyvallah’, and yet you have turned round and are looking closely at my face.” The eren replies: “My child, I know: whatever comes to me comes from God (Hak). I am just looking to see which Yezid (villain, after the caliph Yazid) He has used this time.”

Conducting the düşkünlük rite

Even if the offence of the musahip who committed it has been forgiven by the wronged parties and their consent obtained, a cem is organised so that he may also obtain the forgiveness of the community. In that cem the pirs judge them again before the congregation. The consent of the participants of the cem is also requested. If the congregation as a whole gives its consent, saying, “We are content; may God also be content with him,” then the pir, together with the congregation, decides on his communal penalty and they carry it out. This is called the “düşkünlük rite”. Exactly the same procedures are carried out as in the görgü rite. Now, after what I have explained so far, I will try to describe the provisions of the düşkünlük rite that differ from the other rites.

There is a difference only in the sentences spoken when the rehber has given the tarikat ablution, has placed the tığbent (the ritual neck-scarf) around their necks and comes with them to the door.

The rehber says to the kapıcı (doorkeeper): “Hüü erenler! I have brought a pair of musahips to the path of Muhammad and Ali, before the pir divanı, to ask for medet-mürvet (help and mercy). Is there permission (destur) to enter?” and waits.

The kapıcı tells the gözcü (watchman). The gözcü comes before the pir and conveys the news, saying: “Hayır, himmet, my pir (goodness and blessing, my pir), musahip pairs who have come to ask for medet-mürvet are waiting at the door; they wish to come before you.” The pir invites the congregation to sit in a respectful posture (kıyam), saying, “Hüü erenler! Marifete, edep erkân mümine nişan” (Hu, O erenler! To gnosis – good manners and erkân are the mark of the believer). Hearing this, the rehber bows in reverence (niyaz) to the right side of the threshold, saying “Allah, Muhammed ya Ali”. Saying “Destur ya Allah!” (With permission, O God!), he steps inside with his right foot. The musahip pairs enter in the same way. As in the görgü rite, they all stand behind the door in a respectful posture in the dar of Fatima.

The rehber says: “Hüü erenler! I have brought a pair of musahips – hand on the ground, face to the earth, innermost self in the dar, on the path of Hak, Muhammad and Ali, in the square of the erenler, before the pir divanı – who gave an ikrar and broke their ikrar, and who now wish to ask for medet-mürvet. Is there permission to bring them before you?”

The pir says: “This path is the path of Hak, Muhammad and Ali. This path is the path of the upright. The crooked and those without ikrar cannot enter this path.” He recites verse 77 of Surat at-Tawbah: “Because they broke the word they gave to God and because they are liars, they are guilty” – they cannot enter this square of God (Hak meydanı).

The rehber, together with the musahip pairs, goes back out of the door backwards, without turning round. The rehber enters again in the same manner and asks the pir for permission using the same sentences. The pir again refuses permission using the same sentences.

The rehber goes back out of the door backwards a second time in exactly the same way. This time, however, he enters in the same manner, takes up the dar posture behind the door and says: “Hüü erenler! Hand on the ground, face to the earth, innermost self in the dar, on the path of Hak, Muhammad and Ali. In the square of the erenler, before the pir divanı, the soul as sacrifice, the body as interpreter, bareheaded and barefoot. Crawling on their faces, with their goods and possessions, with their sacrifice of ram and lamb. They say, ‘Take my life, give me my faith,’ and ask for medet-mürvet in order to surrender to God (Hak). Is there permission to beg the blessing (himmet) of the pir for these sinful servants who have come to be hanged like Mansur, to be flayed like Nesimi and to fall into prostration (secde) like Fazlı?”

The pir recites verses 112 and 119 of Surat at-Tawbah.

Verse 112 of Surat at-Tawbah: “O Muhammad! Give good tidings to the believers who turn to God in repentance, who wish to serve Him, who praise Him, who travel in His cause, who bow and prostrate, who turn to what is right, who guard against evil and who keep the laws of God.”

Verse 119 of Surat at-Tawbah: “O you who believe! Fear God and be with the truthful.”

Immediately afterwards he says: “May your coming be blessed, may Hak, Muhammad and Ali be your helpers; may your efforts on the path by which you came and in the dar in which you stand not be in vain.” This answer means that permission has been given.

Having received this answer, the rehber, exactly as in the görgü rite, gives the tarikat greetings, recites the same prayers and hands over to the pir the talips he has brought. The pir, too, recites the same Qur’anic verses that are recited in the görgü rite and gives the same prayers and counsel. They are made to repent and swear an oath so that they do not do it again. What differs from the görgü rite is that he is questioned about the offence he has committed, judged together with the congregation and punished. The talips who pass through this rite and serve their penalty also have their standing restored.

In the Alevi faith, if one of the musahips has committed an offence, the other musahip is also a partner in that offence. They become “düşkün” together and serve the penalty together. It is useful for you to know this as well.

Because he previously gave his ikrar and swore an oath in the musahip rite and the görgü rite, then – whether the offence committed is light or grave – he has fallen from the path and from the erkân, because he did not keep his oath, because he broke his ikrar, because, although he had given his word, he did not keep his word. The one to whom this happens is called “düşkün”. In the düşkünlük rite, whether the offence is light or grave, the ritual provisions carried out by the pir and the rehber do not change; they are the same. Only the investigations, the trials and the deterrent penalties to be imposed differ according to the offence.

It is plain to see what a sacred duty for humanity has been performed by the dedes who have kept these görgü rites alive to this day in order to create a clean society, and who have served the community for this purpose. When one considers these sacred services of the dedes, no conscience can accept the insults directed at the dedes over the last 30 or 40 years. Yet despite suffering insults of every kind, they have continued their services, continue them and will continue them, so that the most sacred faith that Muhammad and Ali left to humanity is not lost. For this is the only sacred value that the dedes’ forefathers left to them as a legacy.

The reason why I, too, as Derviş Tur Dede, have not bowed to the insults I have suffered during the 25 years in which I have performed this service is so that this sacred erkân, which our dedes have carried down to the present day, is not lost. I have worked and striven without seeking any personal gain. If God grants me leave, I will try to carry on this service for humanity for as long as I live.

Muhammed Ali’ye gönül vermeyen
İblistir şeytandır özü çürüktür
Ehlibeyt nurundan Hakk’ı görmeyen
Gönlü mühürlüdür özü çürüktür

Whoever does not give his heart to Muhammad and Ali
is Iblis, is Satan, his core is rotten.
Whoever does not see God (Hak) in the light of the Ehl-i Beyt,
his heart is sealed, his core is rotten.

İnancımı merak ettiysen madem
Ehlibeyt lütfuyla var oldu Âdem
Gadir Hum’u inkâr etse bir adam
Takılma peşine izi çürüktür

Since you are curious about my faith:
by the grace of the Ehl-i Beyt Adam came into being.
If a man denies Ghadir Khumm,
do not follow after him – his trail is rotten.

Erenlerin daim Hak ile işi
Hak yoluna korlar can ile başı
Falanı filanı metheden kişi
Kanmayın lafına özü çürüktür

The erenler are ever occupied with God (Hak),
on God’s path they lay down their life and their head.
The one who sings the praises of this man and that,
do not be taken in by his words – his core is rotten.

Kulak verilmez gelen her sese
Aldanıp inanmak olmaz kalleşe
Tevellası teberrası yok ise
Gözü kör gittiği yol çürüktür

One does not lend an ear to every voice that comes,
one must not be deceived into believing a traitor.
If he has neither tevella nor teberra,
his eye is blind, the road he walks is rotten.

Muhammed Ali’den gayrısın anma
Bağlan Şahı Velayete sahteye kanma
Hak aşkıyla yandım dese inanma
Ateşi sahtedir, közü çürüktür

Call upon none but Muhammad and Ali,
bind yourself to the Shah of Velayet (Ali), do not be fooled by the false.
If one says he burns with the love of God, do not believe him:
his fire is false, his embers are rotten.

Source: Seyit Derviş Tur, Erkânname – Aleviliğin İslam Yorumu ve Alevi Erkânları (The Islamic Interpretation of Alevism and the Alevi Rites), expanded 3rd edition (ISBN 975-6791-52-7).

Translated from the Turkish original by Seyit Derviş Tur.