Bektashism bifurcates into two principal branches: the Babagān and the Çelebiyān. The genesis of this dichotomy stems from inquiries into the marital status of Ḥacı Bektāş. Babagān adherents assert Ḥacı Bektāş's celibacy, while the Çelebi lineage regards themselves as biological descendants of Ḥacı Bektāş, thereby positioning themselves as sayyids tracing their lineage to the Prophet. These groups coexist together under the Bektashi Order. As widely accepted, while the Babagān faction engages in the affairs about the ṭariqa (Path) within Ḥacı Bektāş lodge, the Çelebi lineage assumes the tekke (dervish lodge) leadership as sheikh, thereby exercising authority over the management of the tekke's waqf assets. Furthermore, the Çelebis represents the official interface between the tekke and the Ottoman state in matters related to tekke, such as appointing the sheiks of other Bektashi lodges, endowment issues, and repairing structures in tekke.
The study aims to revisit the division within Bektashism between Çelebi and Babagān, and subsequently the increased influence of the Çelebi family over Alevi ocaks, with a particular focus on doctrinal aspects and concepts such as spiritual and biological descent, celibacy, charisma, and prestige. This thesis argues the division between the Çelebi and Babagān factions stems from legitimization efforts of two distinct sources of authority: one based on the transmission of knowledge (Babagān) and the other on the transmission of blood (Çelebi) from Ḥacı Bektāş Veli. It asserts that, in contrast to prevailing scholarly discourse, which predominantly emphasizes fiscal matters and the administration of waqf (endowment) revenues as the primary catalyst for the division, this study posits that the division also originates from divergent perspectives regarding the foundation of religious authority. Rather than viewing disagreement exclusively through an economic lens, this research contends that two distinct modes of authority, grounded in genealogical and spiritual legitimacy, played pivotal roles in shaping the trajectory of the Bektashi Order. These disparate approaches were already discernible in the ideologies of various dervish groups that aligned with the Bektashi order in the late medieval and early modern periods. However, the conflicting viewpoints on legitimacy and authority persisted and materialized during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries amidst the conflicts between these factions. Building upon this premise, the thesis examines how the foundational doctrinal and historical claims underpinning the two branches of the Bektashi tradition resurfaced during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, leveraging Bektashi risales (treatise), icāzet-nāmes (authorization certificates), letters, memoirs, missionary reports, and archival materials
