Theosopher and poet. Ahmed-i Yesevî was born
in a place called Sayram, which is seven kilometers far from Çimkent, in
Kazakhstan today. His birth date is unknown. He died in 1166-
Father of Ahmed Yesevî
was Şeyh İbrahim, one of the pre-eminent personalities of Sayram, sanctified as
having miracles, and accepted as a descendant of the family of Ali, the fourth
caliph. Ahmed lost his mother and father subsequently in his childhood, and
moved to the town of Yesi together with his elder sister. He was educated there
by famous theosophers such as Arslan Baba and Bahaeddin İsficabî. He became a
disciple of Arslan Baba and served him for 16 years. When his sheikh died,
Ahmed went to Buhara, when he was 23, and was bound to Yusuf Hemedanî. He
became his caliph when he was 30. Five years later, he returned to Yesi with
the permission of his sheikh, and, through his activities of guidance, he
became the Veli* of the Kipchak, Oghuz and Karluk Turks, and therefore, the founder
of the Turkish mysticism. He educated many caliphs. The Hâcegâniyye order of
Ahmed Yesevi was later led by Yusuf-u Hemedânî and Abdülhâlik-ı Gücdevânî,
which then led to the order of Bahâeddîn Nakşıbend.
He had an important role in spreading Islam
among Turks, and thus, made great contributions to provide the unity among the
Turks. He spent his last years in hermitage. It is rumored that he made wooden
spoons and ladles of wood to make a living. Timurlenk built a religious
building with a tomb and a mosque on his grave in Yesi. Timurlenk was given the
precursor of his future victories by Ahmed Yesevî in his dream. Thus, he built
the building to thank Yesevî. In Turkey, the year 1993 was announced the year
of Ahmed Yesevî.
Ahmed Yesevî is one of the most pre-eminent
moral leaders in the history of Islam. His philosophy of morality is based on
the belief and conception of disciplining the self. According to Yesevî, one
should discipline and control his or her self, get rid of moral weaknesses,
strengthen his or her will and keep it under control.
Ahmed Yesevî wrote poems called “hikmet” (wisdom), with syllabic meter, in order to spread Islam and enlighten people in the direction of Sufism. His poems are of didactic characteristic and in pure Turkish, therefore they became very popular among masses. His poems were collected in the book Divân-ı Hikmet (Divan* of Wisdom).
REFERENCE: Vahap Kabahasanoğlu / Ahmed Yesevi - Edip Ahmed (1984), Kemal Eraslan / TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (c. 2, 1989), Esad Coşan / İlim ve Sanat (Temmuz 1992), Mehmet Şeker / Hoca Ahmed Yesevi (1996), Mustafa Tatçı / Yesevîlik Bilgisi (C. Kurnaz, M. İsen ile birlikte, 1998), Behçet Necatigil / Edebiyatımızda İsimler Sözlüğü (18. bas. 1999), Namık Kemal Zeybek / Ahmed Yesevi Yolu (2002), Dosay Kenjetay / Hoca Ahmed Yesevi’nin Ahlak Felsefesi (2003), İhsan Işık / Ünlü Fikir ve Kültür Adamları (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 3, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013) - Resimli ve Metin Örnekli Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve Kültür Adamları Ansiklopedisi (Cilt 12, 2017).