Epistle of Haci Bayram Veli on the Perfect Man

Abstract

This paper aims to present the Epistle on the Perfect Man, a work by the renowned Ottoman Sufi and Sheikh Haji Bayram Veli. The first part contains biographical information about the author and an overview of the influence of the Bajrami–Melami dervish order, with a focus on its development in Anatolia and the Balkans, as well as the contribution of Bosnian representatives of the order. In the second part, we offer a translation of the Epistle and highlight previous research and preserved manuscripts. Finally, we address the question of authenticity and examine the influence of Ibn ‘Arabī’s teachings on the content of the Epistle. The appendix includes a facsimile of the original manuscript (Ali Emiri Şeriyye, no. 1386/2) from the Millet Kütüphanesi collection in Istanbul.