Alevi-Bektaşi Geleneğindeki Miraçlamalara Meşrulaştırma Kavramı Odağında Metinle

Throughout human imagination, the sky has been conceived as the dwelling place of God or gods, and the source of cosmic or divine knowledge has consistently been sought in the heavens. Consequently, the motif of ascension to the sky has become one of the most frequently encountered themes in religious narratives. In Islam, this motif finds its most significant expression in the miʿraj event. As a miraculous occurrence, the miʿraj is not merely a religious narrative; it has profoundly influenced Islamic literature and the arts. Furthermore, the miʿraj has been reinterpreted in different contexts, particularly within Sufi communities. Similarly, the Alevi Bektashi tradition has reexamined the miʿraj in a distinct manner, referring to it as miraçlama. This study presents a comparative analysis of the miʿraj narrative based on Qurʾanic and hadith sources and its adaptation within the Alevi-Bektashi tradition. The analysis draws on a miraçlama text compiled by Halil İbrahim Şahin from the Çepni community of Balıkesir, traditionally attributed to Shah Ismail. The comparison is conducted from an intertextual perspective, primarily employing Gérard Genette’s concept of the “palimpsest.” Although intertextuality originally emerged in the twentieth century as a method rooted in modern literary theory, it has since been adapted for the study of folklore. The application of this approach enables the identification not only of formal and semantic transformations within the narratives but also of functional transformations. In this study, functional transformations are analyzed within the framework of Karl Mannheim’s concept of “legitimization.” The findings reveal various transformations, including versification, metrical modification, reduction, expansion, and narrative alteration. These results suggest that oral folklore products also participate in intertextual processes and may even assume the role of a primary text within this framework. Regarding functional transformations, it has been determined that while the essence of worship and ritual remains unchanged, miraçlama primarily serves as a tool of legitimization. Through these narratives, sacred figures of Alevi-Bektashi belief are articulated within the dominant discourse, thereby establishing their legitimacy and expanding their sphere of influence. The inclusion of mystics such as Mevlânâ, Ahmet Yesevî, and Veysel Karanî, as well as historical figures such as Satuk Bugra Khan, in various miʿraj narratives provides further evidence of this phenomenon.