Ordu İlahiyat, sa.3, ss.17-37, 2024 (Hakemli Dergi)
İslâm coğrafyasında Hz. Peygamberin vefatından sonra çeşitli sebeplerden dolayı bölünmeler olmuştur. Bu ayrışmanın
neticesinde ortaya çıkan mezheplerden biri de Şîa’dır. Şîa’nın önemli bir kolu olan Ca‘ferîliğin ülkemizde en yaygın
yaşandığı yerlerin başında Iğdır ve Kars illeri gelmektedir. Doğum ile başlayıp ölüm ile son bulan insan hayatı farklı
evrelerden oluşmaktadır. Geçiş dönemleri adı verilen bu evreler ana hatlarıyla; hayatın başlangıcı olarak kabul edilen
“doğum”, hayata birlikte devam etmek ve zürriyetini sürdürmek için yol arkadaşı olarak seçtiği kimseyle çıkılacak olan
yolun başlangıcı olan “düğün” ve dünya hayatının sonu olarak kabul edilen “ölüm” şeklinde ifade edilebilir. Bireyin
hayata gözünü açtığı anın öncesinden başlayıp son nefesini vereceği zamana kadarki süreçte karşılaşılabileceği her
türlü olumsuzluğu bertaraf etmek, daha kaliteli ve huzurlu bir yaşam sürdürmek için yapılması gerekenlere dair
birtakım inanışlar vardır. Mensubu olunan din veya etnik yapı ne olursa olsun insanlık tarihi boyunca var olmuş olan
bu inanışlar neticesinde çeşitli uygulamalar ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu çalışma ile Ca‘ferîliğin günümüze kadar ki sürecinin
ele alınmasından sonra ana konumuz olan iki yerleşim yeri özelinde buralarda yaşayan Ca‘ferîlere değinilmiştir.
Ardından geçiş dönemlerinden ilki olarak kabul edilebilen doğum olayının öncesinde neler yapılması gerektiği,
çocuğun doğduktan sonra musibetlerden korunması ve daha güzey bir yaşam sürmesi için başta anne ve babası olmak
üzere yakın çevresinin neler yapması gerektiğine dair inançlara değinilmiştir. Geçiş dönemlerinden bir diğeri olan
düğün kısmında ise kişinin hayatını birlikte sürdüreceği eşini seçmesinden başlayıp, daha mutlu ve huzurlu bir aile
kurmak için gelin ve damat başta olmak üzere tarafların ailelerinin nelere inandıklarından bahsedilmiştir. Ölüm
hakkındaki bölümde ise ölüme delalet ettiği düşünülen inançlar, ölüm anı ve ölüm sonrasında yapılması gereken
uygulamalar anlatılmıştır.
The geography of Türkiye has been home to many different cultures throughout its ancient history. In this process,
Anatolian lands, which harbor different ethnic and religious groups, have had a rich cultural heritage. Igdir and Kars,
the two frontier cities of the Eastern Anatolia Region, are among the most remarkable examples of this cultural mosaic.
The tolerant attitudes of people with different ethnic and religious identities residing in these two regions towards each
other are very important in terms of contributing to social peace and tranquility.
The Islamic world, which did not witness many different religious and political discourses until the death of the Prophet
Muhammad, experienced great ruptures and divisions after his death with the discussions on who would be the caliph.
These disagreements, which started during the first three caliphs and increased day by day, were at their most intense
during the caliphate of Ali. This grouping, which started as the Ali and Muʿāwiya faction, led to the emergence of two
major groups in the Islamic world as a result of the debate over who belonged to the caliphate. One of them is Ahl alSunnah, which claims that the caliphate of the rashid caliphs is their right in the order of their caliphate and that there
is no nass (written law) other than this and adopts the jurisprudence of the Companions and their followers, and the
other is Shia, which claims that the caliphate is the right of Ali and his descendants Ahl al-Bayt. Today, Shia, which is
the second largest sect in the Islamic world in terms of geography and followers, is divided into many sub-groups. The
largest of these groups is the Jafariyya sect, also called Imāmiyya and It̲h̲nā ʿAs̲h̲ariyya. A large number of people
belonging to the Jafari sect live in our country, especially in the provinces of Igdir and Kars. The majority of these are
Azerbaijani Turks.
Regardless of religion, language, race and gender, there are important periods in the human life. These milestones, also
called phases of life or transitional periods, have brought along a number of rituals. The birth event, which is accepted
as the beginning of life, is the first one of these periods. There are many beliefs and practices that start from the gestation
period and cover the process until the birth of the baby and afterwards in order to ensure that his/her future life will be
healthier, comfortable, peaceful and successful. This process is even divided into periods as before and after birth.
Another transition period is marriage, which is the beginning of a person's union with the person with whom s/he will
carry out his/her life, establish his/her own home and continue his/her offspring. For young people who think that it is
time to get married, there are issues to be sensitive about how to choose a spouse and what to pay attention to and what
to do in order to ensure a happy union between the spouses after the marriage. Of particular importance are the
prevailing beliefs and consequent practices that if these are not observed, the spouses and their families, and even the
children born from this marriage, will be unhappy and restless. Death, which is accepted as the end of world life, is
the last of the transitional periods. Starting with things that are considered to be signs of death, such as bad dreams,
severe illnesses, certain natural phenomena, there are certain duties that fall on the relatives of the deceased at the
moment of death and afterwards. These duties are accepted as a means of ensuring that the deceased's life in the grave
is better, as a kind of atonement for the sins committed while alive, and as a kind of indicator of the social status of the
funeral owners and whether they have fulfilled their last duties towards the deceased. The transitional phases that begin
with birth and end with death and the practices that emerge as a result of the beliefs regarding them are indispensable
elements of social life, although they are not based on any written source or official sanction.
The people belonging to the Jafariyya sect, which is perhaps the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to Shia,
one of the largest schools of Islam, are present in our country as well as in the world. Although there is no clear figure
for their number, it is estimated that they have a considerable population in Türkiye as it is in the Islamic world. The
provinces of Igdir and Kars, which are among the distinguished settlement centers of the Eastern Anatolia Region, are
among the places where they live intensively. In this study, which we have prepared by focusing on these two provinces,
we will try to express what kind of beliefs our citizens who belong to the Jafari sect have about the events of birth,
marriage and death, which we call the transition periods of life, before and after, and what kind of practices they perform
as a result of these, based on the data we have obtained as a result of the literature review and fieldwork we have done.
With this study, which we have conducted based on the principle of objectivity, which is one of the basic elements of
the history of religions, we aim to contribute to the better recognition of the Ja’faris, who are an important part of the
cultural mosaic of our country, through their beliefs and practices regarding the transition periods, and to reveal their
similarities with other ethnic and belief groups in the same geography.