Saints in Islamic Ritual Music: Grief for İmam Hüseyin in Alevi Tradition

Abstract

This study aims to explore the significance of saints in Islam based on the music used in rituals. The religious group Alevi, which this paper focuses on, has religious beliefs and practices that are a mixture of Shi’i Islam and Sufism. Alevi rituals are known to include song and dance as important elements. The music of the Alevis expresses not only their beliefs, philosophy, and religious customs, but also their social-political situation. Among the saints venerated in Alevi tradition, Imam Hüseyin (Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, 626-680), who is the third Imam in Shi’i Islam and Prophet Muhammed’s grandson and Imam Ali and Fatma’s son, is one of the most important, after Muhammed and Ali. The song mersiye performed in Alevi ritual is dedicated to Imam Hüseyin. These songs are always incorporated in the Alevi cem ritual. How is he portrayed in the cem and music? This study examines the role of Alevi ritual singing by comparing how saints are represented by different types of ritual songs, with a focus on the mersiye.

Keywords

• Alevi
• music
• Mersiye
• cem
• Karbala
• Imam Hüseyin.
• Alevi, music, Mersiye, cem, Karbala, Imam Hüseyin.

References

1. Shankland, David. The Alevis in Turkey: The Emergence of a Secular Islamic Tradition. London: Routledge, 2003.