Kadizadeli

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A 17th century religious movement inspired by Mehmed of Birgi and started by Kadizade Mehmed condemning many of the Ottoman practices that he felt were non-Islamic. Driven by zealous and fiery rhetoric, Kadizade Mehmed was able to inspire many followers to join in his cause and rid themselves of any and all corruption found inside of the Ottoman Empire. Followers of Kadizade called themselves the Kadizadelis and "proved themselves as a great ideological influence as provincial rebellions and political ones"(pg. 119, The Ottoman Empire and Early Modern Europe ). "More than once, between 1630 and 1680, violence confrontations occurred between the Kadizadelis and those they criticized" [1]

Contents

[edit] KADIZADELI CRITICISMS

The Kadizadelis protested against Ottoman expenditures, especially military expenditures, which they felt -financially and morally bankrupted the society itself. The Kadizadelis argued that,

"If the Sufis were not tamed, the entire community would be plunged into unbelief and thus they denounced all innovations as inherently sinful" [2]. Especially "condemning such substances as coffee, tobacco, opium, and other drugs, and such practices as singing, chanting, musical accompaniment, dancing, whirling, and similar rhytmic movement in Sufi ceremonies for the 'recollection' of God. Other damning usages, according to Kadizadelis, included pilgrimages to the tombs of alleged saints; invocations of blessings upon the Prophet and his Companions upon each mention of their names; collective supererogatory prayers and rituals of post-patriarchal origins; vilification of the Umayyad Caliph Yazid; the use of bribery among officeholders; and grasping hands and bowing down before social superiors. According to Kadizadelis, those who refused to renounce such innovations were heretics who must reaffirm their faith or be punished". [3] "Kadizadelis campaigned in the mosques for public support of an activist, interventionist, 'enjoining of right and wrong', and demanded of their congregations not only that they purify their own lives but that they seek out sinners and in effect force them back onto the straight path". Kadizadelis voiced their opinons in Friday sermons, learned treaties, and public confrontations, hammering away at the Sufi movement". [4]. Palace scandals was also another issue the Kadizadelis felt strongly about and felt that it weakened the image of Islam to "others". The Kadizadelis believed that Sufis were an aberration of Islam and thus had no place in Ottoman society. However, "the Sufi side was defended by dignitaries who were not Sufi at all. The Kadizadelis, meanwhile, were directed by a leadership so narrow that it seldom represented the official guardians of sharia orthodoxy, the principal ulema of the realm". [5]

[edit] PROMOTION AND DISOLUTION

In 1631, Kadizade was promoted to Aya Sofya, the imperial mosque. His "rhetoric had infused new life into the centuries old dialectic between innovation and fundamental 'orthodox' Islam" [6] yet his "underlying struggle lay between Kadizadeli puritanism and the pragmatism of ulema decision-makers" [7] and this was something Kadizade fought hard to bridge the gap between. At first, in order to quell resentment and rebellion, as well as to appease the Kadizadelis, Murad IV worked with Kadizade Mehmed and suppressed the most blatant displays of luxury and aberrant behaviour. This though did not stop the Kadizadelis agitation toward the Ottoman Empire and "in 1656, after the appointment of Koprulu Mehmed to the Grand Vezirate, the Kadizadeli wave ended. Even though, Mehmed was not overly fond of the Sufis and their practices, he felt Kadizadeli vigilantism was more threatening to his vision of order. It came at a crucial time as well since an armed Kadizadeli movement had made their way towards the Fatih mosque. Koprulu Mehmed acted swiftly, arresting then banishing off key members to Cyprus" [8]. This was a devasting loss to the Kadizadelis who lost their public voice and at that moment, seemed to have been slowly disappearing into the abyss of obscurity.

[edit] REAPPEARANCE

However, soon afterwards, the Kadizadelis soon regained their voice in the form of Bistam of Van, "Vani", who preached for their cause. This time around though, the Kadizadeli movement did not regain as much steam as in the past with the public as war had gripped the Ottoman Empire. After successful defeats to Vienna, Vani was removed from his posts and banished until he died in 1685.

[edit] CONCLUSION

   "Although the Kadizadelis failed in their overall aims, their campaign underscored the depth of divisions within the religious establishment"
[9].  However, in conclusion, "Kadizadeli efforts to seize the spiritual and moral initiatives in Ottoman society were only temporarily and sporadically successful.  In the end, their austere ethic proved impossible to implement.  Sufi sensibilities were too profoundly a part of society to be easily suppressed, and the empire itself had been founded on confessional diversity" [10].  "In important ways, they constituted a forerunner to Islamic reformers in later centuries who whether Ottoman, Egyptian, Wahhabi, or Iranian, consistently have argued that the West has defeated Islamic states only because their Muslim leaders have forgotten their religious roots.  Bring back the Muhammedean state, they all argue, and Islam will take up its leading rank in the world order" [11] .  Many academics and scholars have argued that the Kadizadelis were self-serving and hypocritical, since most of their criticisms were based around the fact they were on the fringes of society and felt alienated from the rest of society.  Scholars felt due to being alienated from opportunities and power positions inside of the Ottoman Empire, the Kadizadelis took the position they did and were thus cast as reformers instead instigators.

[edit] References

Zilfi, C. Madeline C. The Kadizadelis: Discordant Revialism in Seventeenth Century Istanbul. Journal of Near Eastern Studies. 2008.

[edit] BIBLIOGRAPHY

Goffman, D. The Ottoman Empire and Early Modern Europe. Cambridge. 2002

Zilfi, C. Madeline C. The Kadizadelis: Discordant Revialism in Seventeenth Century Istanbul. Journal of Near Eastern Studies. 2008.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ (pg. 2, The Kadizadelis: Discordant Revialism in Seventeenth Century Istanbul).
  2. ^ (pg.5, The Kadizadelis: Discordant Revialism in Seventeenth Century Istanbul)
  3. ^ (pg. 6, The Kadizadelis: Discordant Revialism in Seventeenth Century Istanbul)
  4. ^ (pg.7, The Kadizadelis: Discordant Revialism in Seventeenth Century Istanbul)
  5. ^ (pg.3, The Kadizadelis: Discordant Revialism in Seventeenth Century Istanbul)
  6. ^ (pg.4, The Kadizadelis: Discordant Revialism in Seventeenth Century Istanbul)
  7. ^ (pg.3, The Kadizadelis: Discordant Revialism in Seventeenth Century Istanbul)
  8. ^ (pg.13, The Kadizadelis: Discordant Revialism in Seventeenth Century Istanbul)
  9. ^ (pg. 16, The Kadizadelis: Discordant Revialism in Seventeenth Century Istanbul)
  10. ^ (pg.20, The Kadizadelis: Discordant Revialism in Seventeenth Century Istanbul)
  11. ^ (pg. 123, The Ottoman Empire and Early Modern Europe)