ABDURRAHİM KARAKOÇ VE MÜNACAT GELENEĞİ
ABDURRAHIM KARAKOC AND THE TRADITION OF MUNAJAT

Summary/Abstract: Munajat is one of the classical genres of Turkish literature that conveys feelings of supplication, entreaty, and seeking refuge in God. With its predominantly religious and Sufi dimensions, this genre occupies a significant place particularly in the works of Classical Turkish literature poets. Among the prominent figures who composed examples of munajat within this tradition are Nizami Ganjavi, Saadi Shirazi, Hafez Shirazi, Abdurrahman Jami, and Jalal al-Din Rumi. In folk poetry, munajat appears especially in the works of Sufi folk poets such as Yunus Emre, Âşık Paşa, and Niyazi-i Mısri. The genre also emerged in Turkish literature under Western influence, though it gradually distanced itself from its classical structure. In the Tanzimat period, Şinasi’s poem “Munajat” marked the first sign of this transformation. During the Republican era, the munajat genre was embraced particularly by poets whose works reflected strong religious and national sensibilities. One of the poets who sustained this tradition is Abdurrahim Karakoç. This study examines the place of munajat in the poetry of Karakoç, a modern poet who pursued artistic excellence without severing ties with tradition and who became especially renowned for his satirical works. Employing the method of document analysis, the research investigates how Karakoç approached the genre of munajat, the stylistic features he employed in his supplications, and illustrates these with examples from his poems. The findings demonstrate that Karakoç blended the munajat form with his own poetic vision, creating an original style; his munajats include benevolent wishes for all segments of society, while for those who cause harm, he first prays for their reform but, upon seeing no change, does not refrain from invoking curses. In Karakoç’s works, the munajat genre assumes a new form both in structure and content.

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