µþÄ€µþ, a title given to certain Sufi shaikhs of Central Asia. It appears to be a localized variant of ²úÄå²úÄå (father), a much more widely used appellation of Sufi elders, for ²úÄå²ú also is said to have the sense of father (see BorhÄn-e qÄá¹eÊ¿, ed. MoÊ¿Ä«n, I, p. 201). HojvÄ«rÄ« (d. ca. 464/1071) writes of a certain BÄb Ê¿Omar, from the village of SalÄmatak in the region of FarḡÄna, and remarks that “all the dervishes and great shaikhs of that area are called ²úÄå²ú” (Kašf al-maḥjÅ«b, Samarkand, 1330/1912, p. 287). Four centuries later we encounter mention of one BÄb-e MÄÄÄ«n, not identified by personal name, who is said to “have come from MÄÄÄ«n [south China or Indochina—perhaps Cham?] and settled in Tashkent” (Faḵr-al-DÄ«n Ê¿AlÄ« á¹¢afÄ«, ¸é²¹&²õ³¦²¹°ù´Ç²Ô;²¹á¸¥Ät Ê¿ayn al-ḥayÄt, Tashkent, 1329/1911, p. 225). Supposedly four times a centenarian, BÄb-e MÄÄÄ«n was credited with the ability of flying 24 farsangs a day. Made arrogant by his powers, BÄb-e MÄÄÄ«n foolishly and baselessly charged the celebrated Aḥmad YasavÄ« (d. 562/1167) with bringing men and women together in his gatherings. By way of punishment, YasavÄ« had his disciples tie BÄb-e MÄÄÄ«n to a pillar and give him 500 lashes, from the effect of which he was protected by the spirit-beings clustered on his back. Thereafter he became a faithful and even favored disciple of YasavÄ«. He was buried in the village of Farkat (Ahmed-i Yesevi, Divan-i hikmet’ten seçmeler, ed. K. Eraslan, Ankara, 1983, pp. 191, 365; Alî Åžîr Nevâyî, Nesâyimü’l-mahabbe min ÅŸemâyimi’l fütüvve, ed. K. Eraslan, Istanbul, 1979, p. 389—here the name BÄb-e MÄÄÄ«n has been misread as BÄb-e Ḥosayn).
The BorhÄn-al-DÄ«n Ä€brÄ«z described in ¸é²¹&²õ³¦²¹°ù´Ç²Ô;²¹á¸¥Ät (loc. cit.) as a ³¾´Ç°ùÄ«»å of BÄb-e MÄÄÄ«n may be identical with the BorhÄn-al-DÄ«n SÄḡaá¹›ÄÄ« mentioned elsewhere; he too had links with China, and was buried there (see V. V. Bartol’d, Sochineniya, Moscow, 1964, II, 2, pp. 434-35). Mention may be made finally of ArslÄn BÄb (or BÄb ArslÄn), preceptor of YasavÄ« (d. 562/1167). Although numerous legends surround the name of BÄb ArslÄn, notably that he was a companion of the Prophet and lived for 400 or 700 years, it seems certain that he was a historical personality; he may, indeed, have been YasavÄ«’s paternal uncle. BÄb ArslÄn was buried next to YasavÄ« in the city of TorkestÄn, and his son, Manṣūr AtÄ, was YasavÄ«’s principal successor (see Fuad Köprülü, Türk edebiyatında ilk mutasavvıflar, new ed., Ankara, 1966, pp. 14, 22-24, 67, 73). Although BÄb Ê¿Omar, BÄb-e MÄÄÄ«n, and BÄb ArslÄn were all either Turks or the inhabitants of Turkish-influenced regions, their common appellation appears to be Iranian in origin.
Bibliography:
Concerning BÄb Ê¿Omar, see also ḴᵛÄja Ê¿Abd-AllÄh Aná¹£ÄrÄ«, ṬabaqÄt al-ṣūfÄ«ya, ed. Ê¿Abd-al-Ḥayy ḤabÄ«bÄ«, Kabul, 1341 Š./1962, pp. 176, 424, and JÄmÄ«, ±·²¹´Ú²¹á¸¥Ät, p. 282.
(H. Algar)
Originally Published: December 15, 1988
Last Updated: August 18, 2011
This article is available in print.
Vol. III, Fasc. 3, p. 278
H. Algar, “µþÄ€µþ (2),” Encyclopædia Iranica, III/3, p. 278, available online at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/bab (accessed on 30 December 2012).
