THE BEKTASHEE

The Bektashee is a mystical Islamic path dealing with the perfection of man. It is the path that leads the follower and sends him to the desired objective, in nearness to God. It is that unique mystical line that detaches the follower from all the enjoyments of this world and endows him with the love of God. The root of the Bektashee order (tariqat), in Albania is dated from more than eight centuries, when the missionary Sar Salltik came to Kruja Mountain and set marks of his act in the whole territory of Albania and Ballkan. The Bektashee admires and respects all the Islam commandments and activities. The Qoran and the word of the Prophet Mohammad (a.s.) are its basis, and it does adore The Greatest God and invokes to Him, knowing Him as the Almighty Power, the Creator of everything. It admires the Prophet Mohammed as the worldly illuminant of the Islamic light and its conductor. The Bektashee tariqat has played an important role in spreading the Islamic religion in Anadoll and Balkan. It respects the 12 Imams especially the Greatest Ali and the prophetic family, Ehli-Bejt. It does endow the whole world for the first time with the mystical knowledge and light, as it was called by all the Islamic mystics as “Shahi Evlija”, “the King of the Saints”. The purpose is the education of man and the love toward him, which is realized by passing through four doors: Sheriat (the law of the Faith), Tariqat (the mystical path), hakikat (the spiritual reality) and marifet (the deep knowledge).

Except the general Islamic fasting, the Bektashee inherits also the commemorative fasting of Matem, which is the mourn of  Karbala. It does commemorate during those days all the prophets, the martyrs of Karbala led by the great Husayn, who were martyred in the battle of honour being thirsty and burned for a drop of water. This is not done only by Bektashians, but also the whole Islamic world, the mystical paths that appreciate and commemorate this sacrifice for the honor of the martyrs of Karbala, do not drink water for ten consecutive days.

The Bektashee celebrate the birthday of the Greatest Ali, “Sultan Nowruz”. The Bektashian ceremonies are all hold in front of the public except the ceremonies of the deliveries and except special prayers, in which only the spiritual members meaning myhibs can participate. This is a general rule of mysticism, which does reserves its details from those that do not have the religious maturity and does not consider them capable to understand the details. The word mysticism itself proves it.