The Concept of ‘Musiki’ in the Life and Works of Eigteenth Century Sufi and Poet Ibrahim Hakki of Erzurum

Abstract

A Turkish sufi, scholar and poet who lived in the 18th century, Ibrahim Hakkı of Erzurum was born in Hasankale on May 18, 1903. He is a figure of importance who has survived up till the present through the significant works he wrote, and seemingly his influence will keep alive for long years. The objective of this study is to examine the concept of musiki in the life and works of Ibrahim Hakkı of Erzurum, who was a versatile man of science and sufi. In the study, Ibrahim Hakkı's life and works have been analyzed in terms of his musical aspect, and attempt has been made to reveal what musiki meant to him with reference to the earlier studies on him. While there are a lot of works on this man of science who had a broad range of worldview and culture in the 18th century, there are just few studies on his musical aspect. It is this fact that has brought about the need for this study. Being qualitative, the study has employed the literature review method. For the collection of the data about the study, a comprehensive literature review based on library and archive documents has been conducted as well as internet research. The study is restricted to the books, journals, theses, symposium presentations and internet sources. It has been concluded in the study that Marifetname, one of the most popular of Ibrahim Hakkı's works, and Divan gives place to the concept of musiki and that musiki was important for him. His gazels (ode), ilahis (hymn) and rubais depict the divine law in the best and most impressive way, thus awarding him a significant place in Turkish Mystic Music. It has been reported in a number of studies on Ibrahim Hakkı's life that his son, Ismail Fehim, played the kanun and santur very well. It is understood that his son's interest in musiki was warmly welcomed by him and that he took pleasure in listening to him. The santur and santur cover that belonged to his son are exhibited at the Central Library of Ataturk University.