A dede (also called dedebaba) is a socio-religious leader in the

Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

Alevi Alevism (; ; ) is a syncretic heterodox Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Islamic teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, who taught the teachings of the Twelve Imams, whilst incorporating some traditions from shamanism. Differing ...

and non-Islamic Ishiki community. It is one of the 12 ranks of Imam in Alevism. The institution of dede is the most important of all the institutions integral to the social and religious organization of the Anatolian Alevis. Although much weakened as a result of the socio-economic transformation experienced in

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

towards the end of the nineteenth century, and particularly due to accelerated migration from the rural to the urban areas after the foundation of the

Republic of Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, it played a primary role in the survival of

Alevism Alevism (; ; ) is a syncretic heterodox Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Islamic teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, who taught the teachings of the Twelve Imams, whilst incorporating some traditions from shamanism. Differ ...

until today. A descendant of a Dede is called a

Hearth A hearth () is the place in a home where a fire is or was traditionally kept for home heating and for cooking, usually constituted by a horizontal hearthstone and often enclosed to varying degrees by any combination of reredos (a low, partial ...

. The institution of dedes is based on a three tiered hierarchy: #

Murshid ''Murshid'' () is Arabic for "guide" or "teacher", derived from the root ''r-sh-d'', with the basic meaning of having integrity, being sensible, mature. Particularly in Sufism it refers to a Spiritual director, spiritual guide. The term is freque ...

# Pir # Rehber In some regions this hierarchy is modified in such a way that the Pir and Murshid change places. This is exclusively a functional hierarchy, as all involved come from a dede family. They fulfill functions that are complementary in nature, and would be meaningless in isolation from each other. The dede families, all of them called ''ocakzâdes,'' have distributed these duties among themselves.{{citation needed, date=January 2013 An Alevi dede focuses on the mystical Islamic teachings of

the Twelve Imams The Twelve Imams (, '; , ') are the spiritual and political successors to the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Twelver branch of Shia Islam, including that of the Alawite and Alevi. According to Twelver theology, the Twelve Imams are exemplary ...

, the

Buyruks The Buyruks are a collection of spiritual books providing the basis of the Alevi value system. ''Buyruk'' means “command” or “order” in Turkish language, Turkish. Topics addressed in the Buyruks include müsahiplik ("spiritual brotherhoo ...

(mainly the '' Imam Câfer-i Sadık Buyruğu'') and

Haji Bektash Veli Haji Bektash Veli (; ; ; ) was an Islamic scholar, Mysticism, mystic, Wali, saint, sayyid, and philosopher from Greater Khorasan, Khorasan who lived and taught in Anatolia.C. Olsen: Celibacy and Religious Traditions. Oxford University Press. 1st ...

Qualifications

According to the books of the '' Buyruk'' which include the basic principles of the Alevi faith, and the traditions that survive among the Alevis, a dede must have the following qualifications: * To be a descendant of the Prophet ''(ocakzâde).'' * To operate as an educator and a moral guide ''(mürebbi)'' for the community. * To be knowledgeable and exemplary in his character and manners ''(

Al-Insān al-Kāmil In Islamic theology, ''al-Insān al-Kāmil'' (), also rendered as ''Insān-i Kāmil'' ( Persian/Urdu: ) and ' ( Turkish), is an honorific title to describe Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. The phrase means "the person who has reached perfection ...

).'' * To follow the principles written in the Buyruks, as well as the established traditions of Alevism.

Functions

The main functions of the dedes can be summarized as follows: * To guide and enlighten (irşad) the community in social and religious matters. * To lead the religious rituals. * To punish the criminals, and to serve as an arbiter between conflicting sides. * To lead ceremonies during occasions such as a wedding or a funeral. * To fulfill certain legal and educational functions. * Provide health provisions. * Provide socio-political leadership. * In some exceptional cases, such as in the Tunceli province (formerly Dersim), dedes share the leadership position with the large landowners, the

Ağa Ağa is a Turkish surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Mustapha Aga, Ottoman Empire ambassador to the Swedish Court *Osman Aga of Temesvar, Ottoman army officer *Sedefkar Mehmed Agha, Ottoman architect of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque *Sul ...

Legal functions

For Alevis, the Yol (path) is a very important concept. The pedigrees of the ''dedes'' consistently emphasize this by saying “Yol cümleden uludur” he Path is the most exalted of all What is important is the Yol, not the desires and needs of an individual Alevi Muslim. All the latter are possible only in conformity with the former. Otherwise, the institution of düşkün would be activated. In other words, an Alevi would become a düşkün if he tries to satisfy his desires and needs without regard for the Yol. As Professor Yusuf Ziya Yörükan noted “Dede declares one a "düşkün" by saying to them ''"may your face be darkened (yüzün kararsın)"''. Any more that person is deprived of the law of men." The following are major crimes that lead one to the state of düşkün:Also see, Öztürk, Yaşar Nuri, ibid, pp. 78-81. In the old days, marrying a Sünni ezide kuşak çözmekwas also accepted as an offense that led to the state of "düşkün". See

. * killing a person * committing adultery * divorce * marrying a divorcee * stealing

References

Alevism Islam in Turkey Religious leadership roles Culture of Turkey