Ahmed Ibn Ibrahim Ibn Ilyas Yasawi | |
|---|---|
خواجه احمد یسوی | |
 A modern illustration of Ahmad Yasawi withArystan Bab Mausoleum behind | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 1093 CE |
| Died | 1166 CE (aged 72–73) Turkistan, Kara-Khanid Khanate |
| Parent |
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| Era | Islamic Golden Age |
| Notable work(s) | Book of Wisdom |
| Known for | Poetry,Sufism,Diwan inMiddle Turkic |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Jurisprudence | Hanafi |
| Senior posting | |
| Period in office | 12th century |
Influenced by
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Ahmad Yasawi (Kazakh:Қожа Ахмет Ясауи,romanized: Qoja Ahmet Iasaui,قوجا احمەت ياساۋى;Persian:خواجه احمد یسوی,romanized: Khwāje Ahmad-e Yasavī; 1093–1166) was aTurkic[1][2] poet andSufi, an early mystic who exerted a powerful influence on the development ofSufi orders throughout theTurkic-speaking world.[3] Yasawi is the earliest known Turkic poet who composed poetry inMiddle Turkic.[4][5] He was a pioneer of popular mysticism, founded the first Turkic Sufi order, theYasawiyya orYeseviye, which very quickly spread over Turkic-speaking areas.[6] He was aHanafi scholar like hismurshid (spiritual guide),Yusuf Hamadani.[7]
Ahmed Yesevi was born to Ibrahim inSayram at the end of the 11th century. His father was Sheikh Ibrahim ibn Ilyas ibn Mahmed. Ahmed lost his father at the age of seven and was then raised byArslan Baba [tr].[8] By then, Yasawi had already advanced through a series of high spiritual stages and, under the direction of Arslan Baba, the young Ahmad reached a high level of maturity and slowly began to win fame from every quarter. His father Ibrahim had already been renowned in that region for performing countless feats and many legends were told of him. Consequently, it was recognized that, with respect to his lineage as well, this quiet and unassuming young boy, who always listened to his elder sister, held a spiritually important position.
Yesevi later moved toBukhara and followed his studies with Yusuf Hamadani.[9] Upon the demise of Yusuf Hamdani, first ʻAbdullah Barki and then Hassan-i Andākī became the head of Hamadani'skhanqah.[7] Yasawi became the headmurshid of theNaqshbandi order when Hassan-i Andākī died in 1160. He then turned this position toAbdul Khaliq Ghijduwani under Hamadani's advice and moved to Turkistan City in order to spreadIslam inTurkestan.[7]
According to traditions, his father, Sheikh Ibrahim Ibn Ilyas Ibn Mahmed, was a notedHanafi scholar ofIsfijab and was likewise considered to be a descendant ofAli.
Genealogical traditions preserved in theNasabnama state that Ahmad Yassawi was the thirteenth generation descendant of Ishaq Bab, a prominent early Islamic figure who is said to have arrived inTurkestan during the early eight century to promote Islam. The term Bab refers to a guide or master.[10][11]
Ahmad Yasawi made considerable efforts to spread Islam throughoutCentral Asia and had numerous students in the region. Yasawi's poems created a new genre of religiousfolk poetry in Central Asian Turkic literature and influenced many religious poets in the following countries.[12] Yasawi turned the city of Iasy into the major centre of learning for theKazakh Steppe, then retired to a life of contemplation at the age of 63. He dug himself an underground cell where he spent the rest of his life.
Turkish scholar Hasan Basri Çantay noted: "It was aSeljuk king who broughtRumi, the great Sufi poet, toKonya; and it was in Seljuq times that Ahmed Yasawi, another great Sufi, lived and taught. The influence of those two remarkable teachers has continued to the present."[13] Yasawi is also mentioned byEdward Campbell (writing as Ernest Scott)[14] as a member of theKhwajagan. Yasawi also influenced Turkish poetYahya Kemal Beyatlı, he said: "Who is this Ahmad Yasawi? If you study him, you will find our nationality in Him."[15]
Yasawi's most famous poetic work is undoubtedly hisDīwān-i Hikmat (Compendium of Wisdom), which was handed down from generation to generation. In his compendium, Yasawi denounces social injustice, violence and calls for patience and humility, as well as reliance on the will of Allah.[16]
The following example is an excerpt from Yasawi'sDīwān-i Hikmat, transliterated into Latin script and translated into English.[17]
Endi adoshdim dostlar, kelgan yolimdan. | Now I have lost my way, oh friends!
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Legend has it that a religious mystic,Arystan-Bab (also known as Arslan Baba), was the teacher and spiritual mentor of Khoja Ahmad Yasawi. It was Arystan-Bab who transmitted the amanat (trustworthiness, noble quality), which was contained in a pip ofdate palm. According to the legend, Arystan-Bab was an associate of theIslamic prophetMuhammad. One day, Muhammad and his companions were resting and eating dates when suddenly one of the fruits fell out of the dish. Simultaneously, Muhammad heard the revelation: "This date is for the Muslim Ahmad, who will be born 400 years later than You." Muhammad asked his companions who would pass this persimmon to its future owner, but no one volunteered. Muhammad then repeated his question, and finally Arystan-Bab replied: "If you beg Allah to give me 400 years of life, then I will pass this date."[18]
According tolegend, Ahmad Yasawi predictedTimur in his dream (who lived two centuries after him) glad tidings of the forthcoming conquest ofBukhara. Taking this as a sign, Timur went on a campaign that would indeed be successful. After his victory, he decided to visit the grave of Yasawi and ordered to build there a majestic mausoleum.[19]
Yasawi is celebrated as a spiritual teacher all throughoutCentral Asia,Turkey, &Greater Persia. The people ofKazakhstan, a secular country that was also the birthplace of Yasawi, have built numerous monuments and have honored him in many other ways as well, including:
In addition to the Fakhr-nāma, two shortPersian treatises are attributed to Ahmad Yasawi. The content of these treatises closely resembles Yasawi’s Turkic works and was likely either written by him or compiled by his disciples from his teachings.[25]
Although these two Persian treatises do not always display the precision of hadith scholars in their references to prophetic traditions, they remain significant sources for understanding Ahmad Yasawi’s intellectual world.[25]
The Turkish seriesMavera (2021) is based on Ahmad Yasawi's life. In the series, he was portrayed by the Turkish actorKorel Cezayirli [tr].[citation needed]
{{cite book}}:|website= ignored (help){{cite encyclopedia}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)Manuscript sources show that Ahmad b. Ibrahim's ancestry is traced to Hazrat Ali b. AbiTalib. Ahmad Yassawi's natural father was Sheikh Ibrahim b. Ilyas b. Mahmud, a Hanafi scholar who became famous in Isfījāb, a descendant of Hazrat Ali
In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the most famous and noble lineages of Khoja in the Turkistan region of Kazakhstan consisted of many groups: Sayyid Ata, Qilishti khoja, descendants of the third son of Caliph Ali, Muhammad Khanafiya, descendants of Khoja Ahmad Yassavi etc.
