Marife Dini Araştırmalar Dergisi

Öz

The way of the spiritual perfection can be described as one’s struggle against himself, that is to say, his excessive desires. This struggle is called "çile", suffering or staying away from people and abandonment of wordly desire at least forty days. But in Mawlawiyya, the process of suffering continues for 1001 days and is performed slightly different from other sufi orders. That is performed by various homily services such as working at the kitchen, washing dishes and clothes, etc. The disciple does everything in the process under the guidance of mürşid-i kamil (the enlightened person). It is generally accepted that observation and imitation of a model person is the best way of learning. This way is followed in the period of suffering to teach the disciple the rules, basic principles and the forms of behavior. Introduction to the process begins with working in the kitchen. Kitchen is not a place that meals are cooked, but also a place that Mawlawi dervishes are passing the period of suffering, preparation, training, and reaching to maturity and perfection. The disciple, at the outset, follows and imitates the manner of elder dervishes. He services there as a servant, washerman, waiter, supervisor of the whirling dervishes during a ritual ceremony. Meanwhile he whirls and trains in the lands of fine arts like poetry, literature, music and caligraphy. It is admired to men who completed this journey. A lot of famous figure like Sheikh Galib, Ismail Dede Efendi and Tahiru’l-Mevlevi had entered the suffering in Yenikapi Mawlawihane. They had started from the basic services, at finally reached to perfection.