Dear friends!
As today, five decades ago, the prominent Albanian patriot, Ottoman scholar and erudite Ferid Vokopola left this world. He was and remains among the mentors of the nation, in the ranks of men who revealed all their knowledge to generations.
Through his unique erudition, Ferid Vokopola would do a remarkable service not only to the Albanian culture, but also to the developments of the major national movement in the great year 1912. He would wonderfully awaken our pure feelings, through inspirations and writings in the press of time.
Of course, in terms of research, studies and brilliant translations in Islamic theology, he will also be remembered for a series of publications on the Bektashi order, where he knew how to highlight our outstanding values. Among these rare Albanians, I would mention the book of the author Sejid Ahmet Rifat entitled "Mirror of Goals", which in terms of doctrinal importance has its deserved place in the memory of generations of Bektashi clerics and believers.
But even the lyrics felt in the book "The Mountin of Tomorri" will be long remembered in the memory of attentive readers of the 30s of the last century, reminding us that our Ferid, was and remains a profound observer of divine feelings and human.
Thank you for your literary heritage, our friend!
Bektashi World Leader,
His Grace,
Haxhi Dede Edmond Brahimaj
Ferid VOKOPOLA
(18 August 1887 - 28 June 1969)
Representative of Islamic Mysticism
In the Albanian press of the '20s and' 30s, the powerful pen of Ferid Vokopola, one of the polyhedral figures of the time, shines. He was a politician, economist, theologian, poet, philosopher and essayist.
Ferid Vokopola was born in Vokopola of Berat on August 18, 1887. Patriot and one of the participants of the National Assembly of Vlora. In 1920 he was among the organizers of Lushnja Congress. He also devoted himself to religion. He translated the Qur'an and left the Ottoman Calendar in manuscript.
On November 28, 1912, Ferid Vokopola signed the document of the Declaration of Independence, as the delegate of Vlora. In 1914 he joined the team of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Government of Durrës. It was at this time that he developed the criteria for translating and commenting on the Qur'an.
The document of the Declaration of Independence was published in the newspaper "Reborn of the eagle", a body of the Provisional Government of Vlora, also under the auspices of the youngest signer of the Act of Independence (only 25 years old) Ferid Bej Vokopola.
From October 26, 1927 to May 10, 1928, Ferid Vokopola covered the post of Minister of Agriculture in the Albanian Government. At the Congress of Lushnja (january 21.1920) he gave the opening speech and was elected Secretary. Inspired by this historical event, he wrote the anthem of the Lushnja Congress.
His style is attractive, the language full of figures, the metrics respected. The figures used in his poetry have the character of symbols, always within the vast world of emotions.
He is the most prominent representative of Islamic mysticism in Albania, in the first half of the 20th century!
The poetry of the poet Ferid Vokopola is entirely guided by mysticism and rests on the three main components, man, nature and God, where above all stands God. To illustrate the above three components, we are giving a verse from the poem "The Breeding of the Universe" published in his book, "Flight of the Soul".
Do not remember humanity As a small thing, inside it there is a world!
The rays of the universe come from a point .... And then they return to the great God ..... ”
The spirit of Islamic mysticism was brought to the Albanian poetic verse by Naim Frashëri, and continued by Ferid Vokopola. After Naim Frashëri, Ferid Vokopola was the author who represented Islamic mysticism in Albania. He expressed himself in poetic verses:
"Begin with the name of the great God Who is Blessing and Merciful."
With the invasion of Albania by Italy in 1939, Ferid Vokopola withdrew from political life and state administration, devoting himself entirely to religious activity. At this time, he founded in Tirana the religious organization "Divine light", which had as its organ the magazine "human being", which was published regularly from July 1942 to June 1944. In this magazine he published some of his writings, where his symbolic poems with a philosophical accent stand out in a special way. Being a good connoisseur of Islamic mysticism, he conveys this spirit in almost all of his poems.
Ferid Vokopola reflected in his writings the most respected human rights. The right of cultural pluralism, where different cultures develop together and the right of cultural independence, where a culture develops alone in its space. So the culture of the east (Persian) and the western were conceived in the Albanian culture, through the creative intelligence of Ferid Vokopola. He made the approach of Islamic culture and science in Albanian culture and science.
It is here that Ferid Vokopola's intellectual contribution is important, irreplaceable and emancipatory in the culture and development of Albanian society. This wise and cultured man, erudite and with pure justice, devoted his enlightened mind and fiery heart, his word and deed to the prosperity and triumph of the homeland and the nation.
In the content of Ferid Vokopola's writings we find a combination of theory with practice, with mysticism as its epicenter. Ferid Vokopola's policy defined this theory as “Mysticism with all its similar characteristics, is the usual way of knowing the truth, and it is the axis, which has involved all that struggle and effort in meaning, influence , persevering and spreading the shining work of charity. Only with the purity and self-denial of man, his greatness and pride can be achieved, and all this through the conception of all ideals, which agree with the lofty goal of enrichment and development of human life. The human being is regarded as the mystery of all mysteries, chosen among all the creatures of God, how small and great at the same time, only he, man, has the right to penetrate within the laws of nature, which he has gained perfection and imperfection in himself.
Even in the field of translations from Ottoman, he stood out above others, bringing to Albanian treasures of Persian literature and culture in particular and Islamic in general.
The communist government imprisoned him. In the prison he fell neither into despair nor pessimism. At this time he often said, "I am neither pessimistic nor optimistic, but opportunistic." And he was right, since opportunity comes only with the work and dedication of creative intelligence in creating the values of society and the nation.
Convinced of his Islamic views, he devoted himself to the translation of the Qur'an, a work which he continued and completed for ten years. When he was released from prison, he found other environments around him, far from freedom of speech and thought, opponents to the point of hostility to religion. In these circumstances, mastering the Oriental languages, he offered himself to the Institute of History as a collaborator, spending his old age until his death, on June 28, 1969, as a translator of historical documents from Ottoman.
In the entirety of his translations, we can mention:
"Overview of Goals 1" - Sejid Ahmet Rifat
"Overview of Goals 2" - Sejid Ahmet Rifat
"Depths of Fantasy" - Shehbenderzade Ahmet Hilmiu
Divani Ali, "The Qur'an" and many others, for the translation of which with great devotion, the Bektashi World Headquarters has the opportunity to express its appreciation for the valuable contribution of this translator of Islamic mysticism, as well as to unquestionably appreciate the energy of the mind and the strength of Vokopola's soul in every message given by him in the writings or translations of Today, 50 years since the separation of Ferid Vokopola from this life, his work speaks volumes! What we can assert with conviction is that his translations, his valuable contribution to the pure transmission of mysticism, will always remain a useful reminder for future generations!