KHWAJA AHMAD YASAWI AND HIS LEGACY IN PERSIAN SOURCES AND RESEARCHS
Keywords:
Khwaja Ahmad Yasawi, Sufism, Transoxiana, Divan-i Hikmat, Khwaja Yusuf Hamadani, Muhammad al-Tirmidhi, Yasawi order, Islamic mysticismAbstract
Abstract. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of Khwaja Ahmad Yasawi’s historical and spiritual contribution to the development of Sufism in Central Asia. The study demonstrates that Yasawi laid the foundations for the formation of the Yasawi Sufi order by synthesizing Turkic cultural elements with Islamic spirituality, and that his teachings significantly influenced the development of Sufi schools in the Transoxiana region. The article examines the doctrinal traditions of figures recognized as Yasawi’s spiritual masters, such as Muhammad ibn Ali al-Tirmidhi and Khwaja Yusuf Hamadani, and their role in shaping Yasawi’s spiritual worldview. In addition, it analyzes the place of Yasawi’s legacy in Sufi literature, particularly the spiritual, ethical, and pedagogical functions of the work Divan-i Hikmat. The study highlights the importance of poetry, oral culture, and the institution of spiritual mentorship in the formation and dissemination of the Sufi tradition. In conclusion, Yasawi’s teachings are assessed as a universal spiritual phenomenon that had a significant impact not only on the Turkic world but also on the broader development of Islamic mysticism.
References
References
1. (The following dates and dates in text are in the Persian (Hijri Shamsi) calendar.)
Ahmadian Shalchi, Nasrin (1378) The Familiar Land (Geographical Features of Central Asian Countries), First Edition, Mashhad: Islamic Research Foundation, Astan Quds Razavi.
2. Akinar, Shirin (1366) Muslim Ethnic Groups in the Soviet Union, Translated by Ali Khazai Far, First Edition, Mashhad: Islamic Research Foundation, Astan Quds Razavi.
3. Attar Nishaburi, Farid al-Din (1375) Mantiq al-Tayr, Edited by Ahmad Ranjbar, First Edition, Tehran: Asatir Publications.
4. Bartold, Vasily Vladimirovich (1352) Turkestan: Letters from Turkestan in the Age of the Mongol Invasion, Translated by Karim Keshavarz, Vol. 2, First Edition, Tehran: Iranian Cultural Foundation Publications.
5. Bartold, Vasily Vladimirovich (1376) History of the Turks of Central Asia, Translated by Ghafar Hosseini, First Edition, Tehran: Toos Publications.
6. Behnam Far, Mohammad Hassan; Molaei, Mostafa, “Khwaja Ahmad Yasawi and the Growth of the Yasawi Movement in Transoxiana and Turkestan”,Journal: Haft Aseman, Autumn 1391, Issue 55, pages 63 to 78).
7. Bennigsen, Alexander (1378) Sufis and Commissars: Sufism in the Soviet Union, Translated by Afsaneh Monfared, First Edition, Tehran: Cultural Research Office Publications.
8. Darashkoh, Muhammad (1878) Safi-nat al-Awliya, First Edition, Lucknow: Munshee Nal Country Press.
9. Dovlatshah Samarqandi (n.d.) Tazkira al-Shu’ara, Edited by Mohammad Abbasi, First Edition, Tehran: Barani Publications.
10. Fakhruddin Safi (2003), Rushahat al-Hayat, Tashkent: Abu Ali Ibn Sina Publishing.
11. Hashem Pour Subhani, Tawfiq (1377) Ahmad Yasawi in The Great Islamic Encyclopedia, Vol. 7, Tehran: The Great Islamic Encyclopedia Center Publications, pp. 116-118.
12. Hujwiri, Abul Hasan Ali ibn Osman (1350) Kashf al-Mahjub, Edited by Mohammad Hossein Tasbihi, First Edition, Islamabad: Iranian and Pakistani Persian Research Center Publications.
13. Ibn Khalkan, Ahmad ibn Muhammad (1299) Waft al-A’yan wa Anba’ Abna’ al-Zaman, Vol. 2, First Edition, Cairo: [Bina].
14. Jami, Abdulrahman ibn Ahmad (1375) Nafahat al-Uns from the Presence of the Sacred, Edited by Mehdi Toohidi Pour, Third Edition, Tehran: Scientific Publications.
15. Kashfi, Fakhr al-Din Ali ibn Hussein (2536) Rushahat al-Hayat, Edited by Ali Asghar Mo’iniyan, Vol. 1 & 2, First Edition, Tehran: Niko Kari Noorani Foundation.
16. Khonji, Fadlullah ibn Ruzbihan (1341) Guestbook of Bukhara, Edited by Manoochehr Sotoudeh, First Edition, Tehran: Book Translation and Publishing Company.
17. Khwandamir, Ghiyath al-Din ibn Hamam al-Din al-Husseini (1362) History of Habib al-Sirfi in the News of Individuals of Mankind, Edited by Mohammad Dabir, Siyaqi, Vol. 3, Third Edition, Tehran: Kheyam Bookstore Publications.
18. Koprulu, F.M. (1940), “Ahmed Yesevi,” in: Maddesi, Islam Ansiklopedisi, Vol. 1, Istanbul, pp. 76-79.
19. Le Strange, Guy (1364) Historical Geography of the Eastern Caliphate’s Lands, Translated by Mahmoud Erfan, First Edition, Tehran: Scientific and Cultural Publications.
20. Life, Works, and Traditions of Khwaja Ahmad Yasawi (2001), Collection of Scientific Articles, Tashkent: Literary Foundation, Union of Writers of Uzbekistan.
21. Monfared, Afsaneh (1382) Sufism in Central Asia and the Caucasus in the Encyclopedia of Islam, Vol. 7, Tehran: Islamic Encyclopedia Foundation, pp. 398-404.
22. Muhammad Shakur (2001), Humanity and Social Life in the Divan Hikmat, Collection of Articles, “Khwaja Ahmad Yasawi,” Tashkent: Literary Foundation, Union of Writers of Uzbekistan.
23. Nafisi, Saeed (1344) History of Prose and Poetry in Iran and the Persian Language Until the End of the Tenth Hijri Century, Vol. 1 & 2, First Edition, Tehran: Foroughi Bookstore Publications.
24. Pakatchi, Ahmad (1385) Islam in Transoxiana and Turkestan in the Great Islamic Encyclopedia, Vol. 8, First Edition, Tehran: The Great Islamic Encyclopedia Center Publications, pp. 512-517.
25. Pakatchi, Ahmad (1387) Central Asia in the Great Islamic Encyclopedia, Vol. 15, First Edition, Tehran: The Great Islamic Encyclopedia Center Publications, pp. 437-441.
26. Safa, Zabiullah (1374) History of Literature in Iran, Vol. 4, First Edition, Tehran: Ferdows Publications.
27. Samarqandi, Abutahir ibn Abusa’id (1331) Samriya, Edited by Iraj Afshar, First Edition, Tehran: Iranian Cultural Foundation Publications.
28. Samarqandi, Muhammad ibn Abduljalil (1334) Qandiya in the Description of Samarkand’s Monuments, Edited by Iraj Afshar, First Edition, Tehran: Tahouri Library Publications.
29. Sarwari Lahori, Ghulam Sarwar ibn Ghulam Muhammad (1320) Khazinat al-Asfiyā, Vol. 1, First Edition, India: Munshee Nal Country Press.
30. Sefarzadeh, Habib, “The Position of Khwaja Ahmad Yasawi in Islamic Mysticism and Sufism”, Journal: Historical Research, Summer 1402 - Issue 71, A (Islamic Azad University/ISC), pages 47 to 63.
31. Shirvani, Zain al-Abidin ibn Iskandar (1339) Riyad al-Sayaha, Edited by Asghar Hamed Rabi, First Edition, Tehran: Saadi Bookstore Publications.
32. Tirmidhi, Muhammad ibn Ali (1379) The Concept of Wilayah in the Early Period of Islamic Mysticism, Edited by Majd al-Din Kayvani, First Edition, Tehran: Markaz Publishing.
33. Wali Wahab (1376) Yasawiya: A Sufi Order from Central Asia, Iranian Studies Magazine, pp. 158-193.
34. Wamberry, Arminius (1337) Journey of a False Dervish in the Khans of Central Asia, Translated by Fathali Khajeh Nourian, First Edition, Tehran: Book Translation and Publishing Company.
35. Wamberry, Arminius (1380) History of Bukhara from the Oldest Times to the Present, Translated by Mohammad Rouhani, First Edition, Tehran: Soroush Publications.
36. Yazdi, Sharaf al-Din Ali (1387) Zafar Nama, Edited by Seyed Saeed Mir Mohammad, Sadegh Abdulhossein Navai, Vol. 1, First Edition, Tehran: Parliamentary Library and Archives Publications.
Zarrinkoub, Abdulhossein (1357) Searching in Sufism, First Edition, Tehran: Amir Kabir Publications.
