Life of Hacı Bayram-ı Veli

     Islam made people to clearly understand what god is all about and what was the humankind’s mission on earth. Islam, apart from the spiritual aspect, regulates the daily life of the people as well. Islam, through the Kur’an, offered new spiritual and material alternatives. Islam offered monotheism and the timeless law (shariah), and its main objectives were helping and enriching humankind as the god’s vicegerent on earth.

    Sufis emphasized spirituality as a way of knowing God. In other words, a new emphasis on the love of God brought the transition from asceticism to mysticism. Sufis aspire to realise a condition in which they are in direct communion with Allah (c.c.) individual human personality passes away and the Sufi feels his soul absorbed into God. Thus, although they devoted themselves to teach the religion and their sufi order to the folk masses in the way that they had learnt from their sheikhs and to train new disciples in hospices.

    And the greatest practioner of this doctrine is Hacı Bayram-ı Veli.

    This mosque called as Hacı Bayram-ı Veli Mosque owing to Hacı Bayram-ı Veli tomb owing to placed in front of it.

    Hacı Bayram-ı Veli is prominent person in the Turkish Islamic history; He lived between  1352-1430 years.  His real name was Numan. He was born at small village of Ankara; after completing His education He began to study as a professor at university.  His life changed after having got an invitation by Somuncu Baba who was from Kayseri.  Somuncu Baba told him about Sufism.  Upon this Hacı Bayram-ı Veli decided to study sufism with Him then he became student of Somuncu Baba on sufism. Owing to He and Somuncu Baba met at the day of Kurban Bayramı (Muslim Festival of Sacrificies)  Somuncu Baba called him as Bayram. After that day he used Bayram name in his whole life.

    They lived in Bursa for a while then they went to Hadj together. During  this holy journey Somuncu Baba teach him on sufism. Somuncu Baba died 1412 after he gave the procreation to Hacı Bayram-ı Veli  by the means of supranatural way. Hacı Bayram-ı Veli comes, back to Ankara, now he is the sheikh (leader) of mystic branch  called Bayramilik. In fact this branch includes the applications of prophet Muhammet (p.u.h). He build Dervish Convent (now this convent is his tomb placed in front of the mosque). Dervish convent is a place where spiritual leader teach Sufism; and  use as a place of eating, sleeping. We can call this a kind of school and dormitory as a convent. People adopts this sect easily because of Its smooth training method.

     In this years Aksemseddin (another professor) comes to Ankara and became student of Hacı Bayram-ı Veli). Widespreading of this sect perturbed some local authorities; and they complained that  about  Him and is sect to the  Ottoman Sultan Murad the Second. Sultan Murad II. Called Hacı Bayram-ı Veli to Edirne (Edirne was capital of Ottoman Empire at that era) just to meet, and  test His opinion and  patriotism and learn his doctrine.  At this time in  Anatolia there were many small Turkish principality and no unity were among them.

     Hacı Bayram-ı Veli and his student Aksemseddin went to Edirne to meet with Sultan.

    After the meeting Sultan Murad II, it had understood that  that the rumors was  denunciation. Hacı Bayram-ı Veli and Aksemseddin stayed for a while in Edirne and  lectured to the public and gave sermon. Sultan asked many questions to him about world life and future life of humanity on their meeting in private conversations.

-         One question was so interesting, it was on the conquest about İstanbul. İstanbul was capital of Byzantium and Islamic commanders struggled to conquest She few times but had no success. Sultan asked him;

-         Who will conquest İstanbul?

   Hacı Bayram-ı Veli mediated in spiritual way and said :

 

-         ‘You could not conquer İstanbul. But this baby should conquer it. You and I would not be alive at the time of that  conquest. But my student Aksemseddin would be alive.’

    The baby who he noticed was Sultan’s son Mehmed, who conquest İstanbul in 1453, and got the title Fatih (Fatih  means the conqueror).

 

    In fact he knew this just by the help of Allah (God). Hacı Bayram-ı Veli said that his student Aksemseddin should be the teacher of him. And Sultan Murad II. accepted this. Hacı Bayram-ı Veli had few trips to Edirne at the rest of his life and dead in 1430; after He abdicated His post to  Aksemseddin

               
 
             
Picture-1 : shows the house of Hacı Bayram in Solfasol village of Ankara

               This house had has restoration and open for visitors now. There is not any belongings to Hacı Bayram-ı Veli at this house now. This house has two rooms.

              
 
             
Picture-2 : shows the big room at the house

              

              
           
 Picture-3 : shows the small room where Hacı Bayram-ı Veli borned.

              
          
Picture-4 : shows the small room where Hacı Bayram-ı Veli borned.

            

             
          
   Picture-5 : shows the tomb of Hacı Bayram-ı Veli ‘s mother near Solfasol village in Ankara.