THE FORTY’S CEM IS A VERY IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN ALEWITE-BEKTASHI DOCTRINE.THE DATE OF OCCURRENCE OF THE FORTY’S CEM IS NOT KNOWN FOR CERTAIN.SOME SOURCES SUGGESTS THAT THE EVENT GOES BACK TO THE EARLY AGES OF ISLAM RELIGION WHEN HOLY MOHAMMAD AND HIS ARMY WAS SURROUNDED BY ENEMIES FOR OVER 1,000 DAYS .REGARDLESS OF ITS SOURCE,THE FORTY’S CEM IS INDICATING AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF ALEWITE-BEKTASHI BELIEF,ACCORDING TO WHICH PEOPLE SHOULD FIRST OBTAIN SOME QUALIFICATIONS THAT MAKE THEM HUMAN BEINGS AND THESE QUALITIES ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN POST AND SOCIAL POSITION OF THAT PERSON.THIS IS ALSO AN INSTANCE OF A TRADITION OF PEOPLE’S SHARING EVERYTHING THEY HAVE IN SOLIDARITY WITH OTHER FELLOW BELIEVERS. THIS CEM WAS EXPLAINED IN THE OLD SAYING AS FOLLOWS: RETURNING FROM HIS ASCENSION TO HEAVEN,PROPHET MUHAMMAD STOPS BY THE FORTY’S WHO WERE AT AHIGH PRECIPICE REGION IN A CAVE WITH ONE DOOR.THE PROPHET KNOCKS ON THE CAVE’S DOOR AND AND VOICE FROM INSIDE ASKS,”WHO ARE YOU”PROPHET MUHAMMAD REPLIES,”I AM THE LAST PROPHET”,BUT THE PEOPLE INSIDE SAYS,”OUR PROPHET IS INSIDE US,WE DO NOT NEED ANY MORE”,AND DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR.THE PROPHET TRIES THIS AGAIN AND IN HIS THIRD ATTEMPT ARCHANGEL GABRIEL COMES AND ASVISES PROPHET MOHAMMAD NOT TO INTRODUCE HIMSELF AS THE LAST PROPHET BUT TO INTRODUCE HIM AS A POOR GUEST.THE DOOR OPENS AS THE PROPHET DOES WHAT GABRIEL SAYS.PROPHET MOHAMMADENTERS INTO CAVE AND SEES JUST ONE PERSON STANDS TO GREET HIM.THR PROPHET ASKS,”WHY JUST ONE PERSON STOOD?”THE FORTY’S REPLIES,”IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE FOR US,ONE OF US STANDS FOR ALL OF US.”THEN,PROPHET MOHAMMAD STARTS COUNTING THE PEOPLE IN THE CAVE AND HE REALIZES THAT THERE ARE 17 FEMALE AND 22 MALE INDIVIDUAL.”WHERE IS THE LAST PERSON,WHY ONE OF YOU IS ABSENT?”ASKS PROPHET MOHAMMAD.THE GROUP SAYS THAT THE MISSING PERSON,SALMAN-I FARIS IS AT SHEYDULLAH.THE LAST PROPHET THEN ASKS,”HOW CAN I KNOW THAT ONE OF YOU CAN REPRESENT ALL OF THE FORTY.”SEE IT FOR YOURSELF,”SAYS GROUP AND BRINGS A KNIFE AND A WASHTUB.AS THE PROPHET MAKE SOMEONE’FINGER BLEED WITH THE KNIFE.HE NOTICES THAT THE FINGERS OF ALL STARTS BREEDING.HE ALSO SEES THAT THE MISSING MEMBER’S BLOOD COMES FROM THE WALL OF THE CAVE.SUBSEQUENTLY,THE MISSING MEMBER SALMAN ENTERS INTO CAVE AND SAYS “I COULD ONLY FIND A SINGLE GRAPE”,ADDING,”PLEASE,MAKE US EAT FULL WITH THIS SINGLE GRAPE.”THE PROPHET PUTS THE GRAPE INTO WATER AND DISTRIBUTES THE WATER WITH A BOWL.HE FIRST GIVES TO CALIPH ALI,WHO IS COUSIN AND SIN-IN-LAW OF MOHAMMAAND NOTICES THAT HE DROPS THE RING,WHICH THE PROPHET HIMSELF PUT INTO MOUTH OF THE LION WAITING IN HEAVEN.MUHAMMAD THEN CONFUSES AND SAYS,”RING IS THAT I PUT AT THE MOUTH OF THE LION IN HEAVE.ALI,I KNOW YOU BUT I COULDN2T GRASP YOUR MYSTERY.”PROPHET MUHAMMAD FEEDS EVERYONE IN THE CAVE AND STARTS A WHIRLING DANCE WITH BEING ENCHANTED.HIS TURBAN CLOTHE,WHICH IS WRAPPED AROUND HIS HEAD,FLY AWAY FROM HIS HEAD.THE PROPHET GETS AND DIVIDES THE TURBAN CLOTH INTO 40 PEACES AND MAKES THE PIECES BELTS FOR THEM.