Türkiye’de Aktif Nakşî-Hâlidî Cemaatler

Active Naqshbandi-Khalidi Communities in Türkiye

To understand Turkey’s religious history and its current religious structure in a healthy manner, it is essential to conduct detailed and objective studies on the various orders and their contemporary extensions, such as communities, that have developed in our country. Without thoroughly examining a community’s origins, formation process, stages it has gone through, important figures, rituals and practices, divisions that have occurred over time, geographical distribution, social, economic, and political influences and extensions, relationships with other groups, and especially their stance on religion-politics, accurate analyses of Turkey’s religious structures and communities cannot be made.
This work aims to introduce communities with Nakşî and Hâlidî roots, which are currently active, influential, and decisive, in an impartial manner. In the introduction, important figures of the tradition, such as Şâh-ı Nakşibend, İmam-ı Rabbânî, and Hâlid-i Bağdâdî, are presented; the characteristics of Nakşî and Hâlidî traditions are generally discussed, and the impact of these structures during the Ottoman period is explained. Although the scope is quite broad, seven groups consisting of İsmailağa, Menzil, İskenderpaşa, Nurcular, Süleymanlılar, Işıkçılar, and Erenköy communities are examined here. Each community is studied within a certain framework; how the community is named, the life, scholarly and mystical personality of the founding figure, the development process of the community, and the divisions that emerged over time are discussed. In each section, the community’s understanding of religion, general characteristics, educational institutions and media connections, and religion-economy-politics relationships are addressed, and some criticisms directed at the community are pointed out. The principle of objectivity and impartiality is accepted as the basic principle; in this context, any religious group is avoided from being disparaged or glorified. The aim is to provide accurate and up-to-date information about Turkey’s active Nakşî-Hâlidî communities, adhering to academic standards.

Keywords: Naqshbandiyya, Khalidiyya, Nurcus, Süleymancıs, Işıkçıs, İsmailağa Community, İskenderpaşa Community, Menzil Community, Erenköy Community.