In Ḥāccī Bektāş Velī’s Work Entitled “Maqālāt” the Concept of “The City of The Heart

This study examines the “city of the heart” (madīnat al-qalb) concept within the seventh and eighth chapters of the Maḳālāt by Ḥāccī Bektāş Velī, a preeminent figure of Anatolian spiritual wisdom (ʿirfān). The analysis is situated within taṣawwufī thought, human conception, and moral edification. A Turkmen shaykh and pīr of the Baktāshiyya ṭarīqa, he journeyed from Nīshāpūr through centers like Najaf, Mecca, al-Ḳuds, Damascus, before settling in Sulucakarahöyük. Revered by his adherents (muntasibīn) as “Hünkār” (sovereign), he lived during a tumultuous era. He actively steered the populace away from armed insurrection, guiding them toward a settled, productive existence through agriculture. Refraining from the Bābāʾī and Akhī Awrān uprisings, he emphasized that the greatest striving is the spiritual struggle against one's own carnal soul (nafs). The study focuses on his conceptualization of the heart as a vast city encompassing all existence from the Divine Throne (al-ʿArsh) to the earth (al-Farsh). In this paradigm, the physical body is the city's citadel, the breast its bazaar, and the inner organs its shops. Virtues such as rectitude (ṣidḳ), volition (irāda), love (maḥabba), reverence (khawf), hope (radjāʾ), certitude (yaḳīn), and absolute reliance on God (tawakkul) are the precious wares therein. Faith (īmān) is the core jewel (jawhar), intellect (ʿaḳl) the mosque (masjid), and spiritual knowledge (maʿrifa) the radiant light illuminating the city. Fundamentally, this research elucidates how the Maqālāt constructs the heart not merely as an emotional center, but as a holistic metaphor for the human inner realm, moral orientations, and existence. Employing a qualitative approach via document and descriptive-interpretive textual analysis, the study utilizes analogous metaphors from profound mystics (mutaṣawwifs) like, Ḥāccī Bektāş Velī, Yūnus Emre, Mawlānā, and Ibn al-ʿArabī to provide a comparative foundation. The primary conclusion highlights the profound magnitude of the human heart, revealing a colossal inner struggle between opposing forces. To achieve victory, intellect and will must concertedly mobilize divine (raḥmānī) sentiments and moral virtues against satanic (shayṭānī) forces. Consequently, Ḥāccī Bektāş Velī’s, “city of the heart” transcends a mere literary device; it is a foundational paradigm essential for self-knowledge, the disciplining of the carnal soul, and fostering societal harmony.