The Bektashi Order, Sufism, and Shī’īsm in the Work of Baba Rexheb, a Bektashi Sufi of 20th Century

Abstract

The Bektashi order is known for its Shī’ī roots. However, there are contradictory interpretations in determining the origins or teachings of the Bektashi order. This paper studies the Bektashi order focusing on Mysticizma Islame dhe Bektashizma by Baba Rexheb (1901-1995). I argue that his work plays a vital role in explaining traditional Bektashithought and its transition to the modern era. This paper attempts to illustrate the Bektashi order’s pertinence to Sufism and Shī’ī Islam through his work. Albert Doja (2006) and Yuri Stoyanov (2012) have criticized Mysticizma Islame dhe Bektashizma for attempting to “drastically change the Bektashi Order” or “what they can manage to do with theirideological schemes when their prestige is at stake”. This paper will access those claims by considering Baba Rexheb’s works, and the account of his life portrayed in The Sufi Journey of Baba Rexheb (2009) and other resources. In what continues, it tries to explain that those modern claims in discrediting Baba Rexheb’s work are historically unlikely.