Ârif Suleyman's Regaibiya (Analysis, Critical Edition and Translation)

Abstract

Although classical Turkish literature is a literature framed by certain rules, it has allowed the emergence of new genres over time. The genre of raġaibiya, which is thought to be inspired by the composition and recitation of miʾrāciye’s and is also related to music; it is not one of the genres about which many products are written. After the first Turkish raġaibiya Matlaʾuʾl-facr written in the 18th century, another example of the genre was written by Arif Suleyman. Arif Suleyman, whose father also served at the state level; he is a poet who worked as a clerk, known for his calligraphy, and included a certain amount of mystical terms in his poems. Arif Suleyman's Regaibiya was written in the same century as Matlaʾuʾl-facr and the language of the work is Persian. Arif Suleyman's Diwan, Hilya-i Nabawī and Raġaibiya are his known works. In addition to Turkish, there are also Persian poems in Arif Suleyman's Diwan. His Hilya-i Nabawī consists of 463 couplets and was written in 1161/1748. It is not known when and why Raġaibiya, the third known work of Arif Suleyman, was written. There are manuscript copies of the work in three places. Raġaibiya is written in masnawi verse and there are 15 chapters in the work. Except for “al-Istiġase” and “al-Istisfā”, the chapters each consist of thirteen couplets. The work is 129 couplets in total. The following topics are covered in Regaibiya: Allah is omnipotent, treasury of Allah is Prophet Mohammad; is the key to the universe. Prophet Mohammad is the first created and existence came into existence through him. In addition, the following events are included: the night of raġaib, when Prophet Mohammad fell into his mother's womb; the birth of him; Ascension miracle and the events witnessed in Ascension, his return from Ascension, the blessed night of Ascension, the death of the prophet. Along with Hz. Muhammad, the first four caliphs and the Prophet's grandchildren Hasan and Hussain are also included in the poem. Arif Süleyman used mystical and philosophical terms and poetic arts in his text. Introducing and translating this raġaibiya of Arif Suleyman to the scientific world will contribute to a better understanding of the content of the raġaibiya’s genre and to reveal the interaction of raġaibiya works. In the introduction part of the study, brief information about the raġaibiya in Classical Turkish literature will be given and their distinctive features will be mentioned. After that, Arif Süleyman's life will be conveyed from classical sources, information will be given about the content of his works and the formal features of raġaibiya will be shown. Arif Süleyman's raġaibiya will be compared with other raġaibiya and the effect of Nūr Mohammed phenomenon in the text will be emphasized. Finally, three copies of the work will be described, a critical text will be created from these copies, and the critical text will be translated into Turkish, preserving its poetic aspect and meaning as much as possible.

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