Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• hadi sadeghi
• assadollah vahed

Faculty of Persian Language and Literature, University of Tabriz

Abstract

The Rifa‘i Ṭarīqa, attributed to Abu al-Abbās Aḥmad al-Rifā‘ī (d. 578 AH), is one of the important Sufi movements in the Islamic world, which first spread in Arab regions such as Iraq, Syria, and Egypt. It later found its way to Asia Minor (Anatolia) in the seventh century, gaining many followers during the Seljuk period and the early Ottoman era. Followers of the Rifa‘iyya attracted the attention of the public and rulers alike with astonishing displays such as eating fire and snakes, passionate Samāʿ, and specific Dhikr practices. This order was in interaction with other sects in Anatolia, such as the Ahl-i Futuwwat (People of Chivalry), the Qalandariyya, the Mawlawiyya, the Ḥurūfiyya, and the Bektāshiyya. This research has been conducted with the aim of examining the doctrines, practices, and interactions of the Rifa‘iyya with other mystical sects in Asia Minor (Anatolia). In this study, we intend, after extracting some of the mystical doctrines and practices of the Rifa‘i Ṭarīqa from sources such as Manāqib al-ʿĀrifīn, the travelogue of Ibn Baṭṭūṭa, certain treatises by Rifā‘ī, and the Futuwwat-nāmas, to critique and examine some of these doctrines. We will then conduct a comparative analysis regarding the interaction of this group with other contemporary mystical sects, thereby reaching the truth and essence of this order in Asia Minor. The results and findings of the research indicate that the Rifa‘iyya, despite having Arab roots, could not maintain an independent existence within the cultural environment of Anatolia, which was under the domination of Iranian Sufism, and was absorbed and assimilated into movements such as the Ahl-i Futuwwat and the Bektāshiyya. Nevertheless, it left notable, albeit limited, influences within the fervent crucible of Anatolian Sufism.

Keywords

• Rifāʿiyya Order
• Aḥmad al Rifāʿī
• Asia Minor
• Islamic Mysticism
• Ahl i Futuwwa