Alevi Views of Ali

The name Alevi can be simply translated into English as "of Ali" or "follower of Ali." It fits a pattern in Turkish for common names of two other major religious groups: Musevi, (follower of Moses (Musa), or Jewish); and isevi, (follower of Jesus (ha), or Christian).There is much debate as to actually when the broad Anatolian population which today call themselves Alevis actually took on that name. For our purposes here, it is enough to simply know that today they do prefer to call themselves AleviIt is visibly obvious that Ali is extremely important to modern Alevis. His picture is prominent in every Alevi worship place and association, and it often appears on the cover of Alevi publications. Many families place pictures of him in their homes. And some, particularly young people, wear small gold replicas of Ali's sword, zulfikar, attached to chains around their necks.

Essential Views

While there is a wide variety of opinions among Alevis about exactly who Ali was or is, almost all Alevis agree on the following:

1. Ali was Muhammed's cousin (amca oglu) and son-in-law (damat), marrying the prophet's daughter, Fatima.

2. Ali was the first to believe in Muhammed's prophethood; therefore he became the first Muslim.

3. Ali was the closest human being to Muhammed.

4. Ali was Muhammed's intended successor, and therefore the first caliph, but competitors stole this right from him. Muhammed intended for leadership of Muslims to perpetually stem from his family line (Ehli Beyt) beginning with Ali, Fatima, and their two sons, Hasan and Hiiseyin. Ali, Hasan, and Hiiseyin are considered the first three imams, and the other nine of the 12 imams (oniki imam) come from Hiiseyin's blood line. The names and approximate dates (A.D.) of the birth and death of the 12 imams are as follows:Imam Ali (599-661) Imam Hasan (624-670) Imam Huseyin (625-680) imam Zeynel Abidin (659-713) Imam Muhammed Bakir (676-734) Imam Cafer-i Sadik (699-766) imam Musa Kazim (745-799) imam Ali Riza (765-818) imam Muhammed Taki (810-835) Imam Ali Naki (827-868) imam Hasan Askeri (846-874) Imam Muhammed Mehdi (869-   )Most Alevis believe that the 12th imam, Muhammed Mehdi, grew up in secret to be saved from those who wanted to wipe out the family of Ali. Many Alevis believe Mehdi is still alive and/or he will come back to earth some day Debated ViewsApart from these basic ideas, there is a wide spectrum of opinion even among Alevis as to the true nature of Ali. The following ideas are all based on a combination of Kuranic verses, hadith, and folklore (rivayet). Here are some of the most common concepts of Ali circulating among today's Alevis.1. Ali is the ultimate example of the perfect human, apart from the prophets. Ali is attributed with nearly supernatural strength and spiritual wisdom, giving him a place almost as high as a prophet. An example of this thought is the saying (sometimes attributed to Muhammed):"Muhammed is the city of spiritual knowledge, Ali is the door."Muhammed ilim Şehridir. Ali kapisidir.2. Ali is equal to Muhammed in enlightenment and authority. Ali and Muhammed are likened to the two sides of a coin, or two halves of one whole apple, as in the following poem:"Ali is Muhammed, Muhammed is Ali; I saw one apple, praise Allah"Ali Muhammed'dir, Muhammed Ali Gördüm bir elmadir, elhamdü-lillah

Again, from a saying attributed to Muhammed:"Before the creation of Adam, we were one glorious light; the light of glory on Adam's forehead was divided into two; one half appeared on my forehead, the other on Ali's."Hz. Adem yaratılmadan once tek nur idik; Hz. Adem'in alnındaki nur ikiye bölünmüş ve birisi benim, birisi de Ali'nin alninda doğmuştur.3. Ali is deity in a trinity with Allah (Hak) and MuhammedMost Alevis recite this phrase in their prayers: "For the love of God, Muhammed, Ali" (Hak-Muhammed-Ali aşkına). When many say this and the phrase, "Allah-Muhammed-Ali" they are intentionally equating the authority of the three.4. Ali is deity by himself.In a poem written by a Bektashi lodge leader named Hilmi Dede Baba and commonly quoted by Alevis, the poet says that wherever he looked - at Adam and Eve, at Noah, at Abraham, or even in the mirror - "Ali appeared before my eyes" (Ali göründü gözüme). I understand the poet to mean that Ali is timeless and present everywhere. The poem also declares:"He is Jesus, the spirit of God, He is king of this world and the next, He is the protector of the believers, Ali appeared before my eyes" Isa-yi ruhullah O'dur iki alemde şah Odur Müminlere penah O'dur Ali göründü göziimeThe poem's final stanza says, "Ali is first, Ali is last, Ali is inner knowledge, Ali is external knowledge, Ali is pure, Ali is glorious"Ali evvel Ali ahir Ali batın Ali zahir Ali tayyib Ali fahirOne more poem cited by Alevis is attributed to Jalaladdin Rumi (Mevlana), who was among the greatest of Turkish mystics, but himself not considered an Alevi."At the coming into existence of the world,Ali was present. While the world was forming, Ali was there. Until the world took its basic form, The one present was Ali."