According to Fedai
I happen to be raised in an Alevi household. I asked a lot of the questions that is being tossed around in this thread. Due to a lack of substance in the Alevi belief, I resorted to atheism. A crucial point to make here is that when there is no subjective doctrine at hand (i.e a book, compilation of hadith etc) then there is no binding contract. In the case of alevi's/alawis, only verbal accounts of the doctrine and history exists.
I am a firm propagator of categorizing the Alevis of southeast Turkey with the Alawis of the Levant (Lebanon and Syria) in the same group. The reason is because I find the similarities amongst the two sects, in my humble opinion, far greater then the differences.
In trying to tackle the above questions [1], one should keep this in mind; since both sects are highly secretive and they rely on verbal traditions, i) there is no yardstick to keep doctrine in line and ii) no deterrent for the evolution/ change/ alteration of a belief system to match personal agendas.
With the above in mind, I went about questioning learned alevis ('dede', 'baba' or 'pir') or the modern equivalent of a priest of the sect. Contrary to the common belief, these sects have tremendous differences and disagreements between historical accounts of the origins of their faith. Two groups emerged in southeast Turkey; i) those who revere the holy household and ii) those who abide to the pre-Islamic doctrines of Zoroastrian or Solar communities who believe in notions of Haqq (justice).
The first group when confronted with matters regarding salat (prayers) and siyam (fasting) ussually argue in this manner i) The Quran has been tampered or ii) Imam Ali (peace be upon him) died while prayer (so they claim that he died for our sins). This is similar to the doctrine of salvation in Christianity; belief in the crucifixion of Prophet Jesus/Isa son of Mary (may peace be upon him). As such, they argue that the need for prayers is no longer applicable or is redundant and maintaining good intentions is all that is needed.
The second group addresses the Ahlul Bayt and its elevated position in the sect by suggesting that since the Alevis were persecuted by the Seljuk and Ottomans, they (Alevis) mold their beliefs into Shi' like doctrine to avoid being slain. Over a period of time, these concepts became so entrenched in their faith that it became nearly impossible to determine what was added and if it can be separated.
In my opinion, there is some truth in what is being said by both of the subgroups in regards to the history of their faith. The emigration of the Alevis began in the region of Khorasan (a difference of opinion exists about their whereabouts). Let’s assume for the sake of discussion that their migration started from the Pashtun belt in Afghanistan. From there, they moved to Persia to find more fruitful and pasture lands. They picked up some of the Zoroastrian belief (in Persia) and then Shi’ doctrine (in Mesopotamia, Iraq). As they crossed to Levant and southeastern Turkey, they settled where there is an abundant pastureland. Perhaps, they found the native teaching of the local folk (culture), string instruments, Sufi mystics and worshiping the elements of nature (i.e., fire or light).
Under the Ottomans, the Alevis were used as Janissary infantry unit and their presence in places like Albania and Macedonia can be felt. The Janissary infantry units were the frontline fighting in Eastern Europe.
Since the Alevis mostly reside in the rural areas (within their own villages), they have almost no contact with the outsiders (Shias or Sunnis). This might have contributed to the emergence of oral traditions firmly established in their hierarchical systems.
Each pocket had its 'alim' (scholar) who could only pass on his knowledge to his son who had to be a descendant of the holy household. These men keep a firm hold on the social order (power) by introducing social traditions (i.e., preventing marriages to someone outside of their sect or not allowing conversion to their sect). However, some men are bringing in women through marriages. But Alevi women are completely forbidden to marry outside of their sect (e.g., marriages to Sunni men are disallowed).
The hierarchical system in their sect leaves no room for questioning. The common people are subjugated to the will of their alims (scholars), who claims that they are from the descendents of the Holy Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his pure family). Perhaps the uncontrollable proliferation of ideas without any checks or balance can be liken to the snowball effect.
Along with the development of technology and the modern way of life, the Alevis (like the rest of the people in the region) emigrated into towns and cities. The mass emigration of the Alevi community causes disruption to their hierarchical system. Also, the increased contact with Islamic ideas and an overwhelming pressure to identify the origin of the sect has led to scholarly research.
The Ottomans, unfortunately, have not keep any records of the Alevis theology. This is very unusual since they have kept record of other sects. Could this be because the Ottomans did not want to offend or upset the Janissary that were fighting in the Balkans or keeping the Beyliks of the south in line?
In the modern time, we have seen an increase in the dawa activity by the Shia Jafari among the Alawis. Since members of this sect revere and love the Holy Household (prophet family), more dawah and scholarly debates are needed to win them over to the school of Shia Immamiyyah.
Most, if not all of the Alevis in Turkey acknowledged all the twelve Imams. They respect the Holy Quran. Their claim of tampering can be rebutted intellectually. However, they are some who tries to distance themselves from the Islamic principles (i.e., hejab, polygamy). Most of them do not agree to the Islamic Sharia (punishment?) because they have only seen heavy handedness from the Ottomans who were notorious for prosecuting their ancestors.
There are two schools of thought in regards to the origin/name of the sect. The first group claims that the sect name “Alevi” is derived from Zoroastrian roots, “Alev”, which means flame. Alternatively since the Turkish language does not permit the use of the 'W' one can argue that Alevi is a simple equivalent of Alawi from its Arabic cousin. Hence the partisan of 'Ali can also be derived from the term.
All the above is from my own findings, my humble and semi professional research so please don’t take it for granted; keep an eye out for the list of references.
Reference
[1] http://www.shiachat.com/forum/index.php?/topic/234985799-questions-about-alawinusayris-sect/
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