A Poetic Velāyetnāme of Seher Abdal: Velâyet-Nâme-i Alî Kerrema’llâhu Vechehû Pür-Sûhten-i Cebrâîl Aleyhi’s-Selâm

Known for his limited number of poems in cönk and magazines (mecmua), Seher Abdal is a poet who lived in the second half of the 15th century and the first half of the 16th century, and has works of writing and translation. This study focuses on the new information about Seher Abdal's life and works, as well as his poem called Velâyet-nâme-i Ali Kerrema'llâhu Vechehû Pür-Sûhten-i Cebrâîl Aleyhi’s-salam. In addition to the repetitive information in the sources, it contains concrete information about the century in which he lived, his pseudonyms and his worldview. It is a work of 47 couplets located in the Turkish Manuscripts Department of the İstanbul University Nadir Eserler Library, and it is written in kaside (qaṣīde) form. This Velāyetnāme published in the article is important in terms of revealing the world of belief and worldview of Seher Abdal. Like his poems in circulation, this poem deals with the love of Ahl al-Bayt (the people of the Prophet’s house) and the respect of 12 Imams. It narrates that it is necessary to praise Hazrat Ali and show respect to him, and what kind of punishment those who make mistakes will be punished. It is important in terms of showing the poet's predisposition to ṣūfī culture, Arabic and Persian, and concretely revealing our determinations about the content and style of Seher Abdal's works.
Keywords: Religious-Mystical Literature, Seher Abdal, Velāyetnāme, Hazrat Ali.