ISLAM GENERAL

Why We Recite the Maulids by M.R.Bawa Muhaiyaddeen

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:50:56 +0000

Why We Recite the Maulids

by M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen

Source: http://www.bmf.org/wisdom/maulids.html

Introduction
Maulid is an Arabic word meaning the celebration of a birthday, especially that of a prophet or saint.

In this discourse, M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (Ral.) is referring to two celebrations: one for the birth of Prophet Muhammad (Sal.) during the month of Rabï-ul-Awwal, and one for Qutb Muhyiddïn ‘Abdul-Qädir al-Jïlänï (Ral.) during the month of Rabï-uth-Thänï. Because Qutb Muhyiddïn (Ral.) was born during Ramadän, the month of fasting, the celebration of his life is commemorated around the anniversary of his death.

The maulids last for eleven or twelve days, beginning after the late afternoon prayers (‘asr) and lasting for about three hours. During that time numerous prayers of remembrance (dhikr), traditional stories (ahädïth), and verses of praise (salawät) are recited.

In the following discourse, M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (Ral.) explains the purpose and benefit of observing these maulids - to honor the wise ones who are our helpers and to praise Allah for sending them to guide us.

Note to the Reader:
The following traditional supplications will be found periodically throughout the text:

(Sal.) following any name used in reference to Prophet Muhammad, stands for Sallallähu ‘alaihi wa sallam - Blessings and peace be upon him.

(Ral.) following the name of a companion of the Prophet, a saint, or khalïf, stands for Radiyallähu ‘anhu/’anhä - May Allah be pleased with him/her.

(A.S.) following the names of angels and prophets, stands for ‘Alaihis-saläm - Peace be upon him.

Bismillahirahmaniraheem.

As-salämu ‘alaikum. May the peace of God be with all of you. May His benevolence and His blessings be with you all.

My very precious children, jeweled lights of my eyes who are born with me, my children who are mingled with the love of my heart and my eyes, it is said that last month was designated as the month of our precious Prophet Muhammad (Sal.), the Chosen Messenger, the Mustafär-Rasül, and this month has been designated as the month of Qutb Muhyiddïn ‘Abdul-Qädir al-Jïlänï (Ral.).1 It has been this way since some time after ‘Umar ibnul-Khattäb (Ral.), when the ancient Arab astrologers, the nujumis, divided the year into twelve months and established the nujum calendar. This method has been passed down from generation to generation over the last 1,400 years.

It is now 1,402 years since the Prophet Muhammad, Mustafär-Rasül (Sal.) appeared. It is said by the Arab astro-logers that he passed away at the age of sixty-three, however, Allah praises Muhammad (Sal.) saying, “O Muhammad, I would not have created anything but for you.” According to this statement, the Rasül (Sal.) was brought into existence before creation began. Allah formed the Rasül (Sal.) within Himself as His Grace, His rahmat. Then, through the Rasul (Sal.), He formed and created all lives; He placed the mïm with the sukün in their embryos. Allah created the mïm and then stood as the alif that supported the mïm.2 Allah is the only one who can support and sustain this.

Everything is contained within that sukün, the eighteen thousand universes and all the creations that appear within those universes. Allah alone is the alif, the straight line, which supports this sukün, this extraordinary treasure (daulat). If there is no alif, there is no sukün; if there is no sukün there is no alif. Each one is connected to the other. That is the mïm which is present in all embryos as the sperm. It is present the moment the embryo takes form. This is Muhammad (Sal.), the sukün connected to the alif. It is clearly evident that Allähu ta’älä Näyan, the Lord, God Almighty, brought creations into existence through the mïm and sukün; we can actually see the sperm or mïm, join with the sukün at the time of conception. Medical science has even conducted experiments in this matter with the use of microscopes and has discovered that the sperm is shaped like a mïm.

Allähu ta’älä caused His power (qudrat), the light known as Muhammad (Sal.), to appear in this manner. He created everything out of His power and the mïm. This light known as Muhammad (Sal.) is the treasure that is connected to both the beginning of creation and the hereafter (al-awwal and al-äkhirah). Allähu ta’älä had this light known as the grace (rahmat) as a most precious treasure that did not belong to anyone. Then He asked all the mountains, the oceans, the lands, and the trees, “Who can accept this most precious light? Can you take this on?”

The power of this treasure caused the mountains, the earth, the oceans, and the trees to tremble. They cried, “O Allah, when You merely mention its name, all of us tremble! We cannot bear the weight of this treasure. We cannot bear it. It is impossible. We cannot accept this treasure. We tremble even at the mention of its name, and we are incapable of bearing it.”

Later Allah summoned the angels, the resplendent beings, the qutbs, and the heavenly beings. “This is My treasure, a most precious treasure. Look at this and tell Me who will accept this light, this treasure of grace (rahmat)?”

Even though they were resplendent beings, when they looked upon this treasure, their own brilliance was swallowed and hidden by its light. Their brilliance was obscured and they spoke to Allah, saying, “O Allah, this light has swallowed all the light that came from us. We cannot sustain this light which is the light of Your power (qudrat). We cannot accept it.”

Then, the Earth spoke up, “Yä Alläh, I will accept it.”

“O Earth,” Allah replied, “This is My treasure of perfect purity. It grew within Me, and it is very precious. If I give it to you, it will be a valuable treasure to everyone. It will benefit everyone and bestow grace upon them. O Earth, it will give you whatever you need. You can derive great benefit from it, but you have to return this treasure to Me. You have to place this most precious treasure in My hand.”

This treasure is known as Muhammad (Sal.). It was made resplendent and complete and was then impressed upon the forehead of Adam (A.S.). This is the light that has been impressed on our foreheads, and it is connected to the time of creation, this world, and the hereafter (al-awwal, ad-dunyä’, and al-äkhirah). This treasure is not the son of Aminah and ‘Abdullah, the son who was born in Mecca and buried in Medina. According to its secret meaning, when it dies, all of everything will die, because all lives contain the mïm. The sukün and its support are present in all lives.

The light of Allah and Muhammad (Sal.) is present in all lives; if this treasure did not exist, all of everything would die. However, for those who think it is dead, it is dead. For those who think it is not dead, it is not dead. It depends upon the inner heart of each person. It is alive to those who say it is alive; it is dead to those who say it is dead; it is a sheikh to those who say it is a sheikh; it is a guru to those who say it is a guru; it is a messenger (rasül) to those who say it is a rasül; it is the Nür (resplendent light) to those who say it is the Nür; it is Muhammad (Sal.) to those who say it is Muhammad (Sal.), and it is the light of the heart, or Ahmad, to those who say it is the heart. It is An’am Muhammad (the Muhammad that supplies nourishment) to those who consider it to be An’am Muhammad. It is the Hayät Muhammad (the Muhammad that gives life) to those who consider him to be Hayät Muhammad. It is Awwal Muhammad (the Muhammad who is responsible for creation) to those who consider it to be that. And to those who think of it as Athi Muhammad (the Manifested), or Anäthi Muhammad (the Unmanifested), it is that.3

This treasure will benefit each person according to what they consider it to be. It will be Nür Muhammad (the Plenitude, the Light that emerged from Allah) to those who consider it to be Nür Muhammad. It will be seen as the sukün supported by Allah to those who consider it to be Alläh Muhammad.

There are reasons why we must understand these inner meanings. It is not sufficient for us to simply know the words of the Qur’an; we cannot benefit sufficiently from merely reciting the Qur’an. There is a specific intention with which the Qur’an should be recited, a certain manner in which it should be read and understood. This is why the Rasül (Sal.) told his followers, “Go even unto China to learn true knowledge, to learn ‘ilm.” He told them this despite the fact that they already had the Qur’an, because the only way to understand the wealth of the Qur’an is through the slaves of Allah who know its explanations. Only if the Qur’an is understood in this manner can we understand the Rasül (Sal.). And if the Rasül (Sal.) is understood, we can understand Allah. If we understand Allah and the Rasül (Sal.), then we can understand the one who exists within as the sukün and the mïm. And only then we can understand our own self.
The treasure that existed as the Final Prophet, (Sal.) the son of Aminah and ‘Abdullah, as the First Prophet, in the beginning of creation (awwal), as the Rasül or Prophet in the hereafter (äkhirah), and as the Rasül in the period before creation (anäthi) - this treasure was revealed as Muhammad (Sal.).

It was this Muhammad (Sal.) that was initially concealed as a mystery within Allah, for a specific reason. Finally, Allah issued forth this mysterious thing from within Him, as a light that then entered and filled Aminah’s womb. This form did not come from semen, neither did it contain earth, fire, water, air, or ether. It was created from light.

When this Muhammad (Sal.) was given birth to by Aminah, there was no sign of blood, placenta, or any of the normal signs of birth. It was not like the usual birth of a child. Aminah, was alone, with no one to assist in the delivery. When the child dawned from within the womb, when this light emerged, the heavenly beings and houris came in the form of white doves and stroked the stomach of Aminah. She lost consciousness and knew nothing of what happened.

Then the sound of Allah came, “When Muhammad emerges, hold him so that he does not touch the earth.” According to that command, the form (sürat) of Muhammad (Sal.) emerged robed in white silk. This light emerged dressed in a long white silk robe saying, “Allähu Akbar! Allah is the Great One! Lä iläha ill-Alläh! There is nothing other than God; only God is! You are the Great One. You are the One who exists forever.” It worshipped in this manner.

The houris supported him and the angels surrounded him and all the while Aminah was unconscious, unaware of anything. Then the sound of Allah came again, “Bring My Muhammad to heaven.” He instructed the heavenly beings to lock up the seven hells and decorate the eight heavens. He told them to take Muhammad (Sal.) around the eight heavens, bathe him in the water of heaven, and adorn him in pure silk. All the celestial beings, houris, angels, archangels, and resplendent beings came, kissed him on the forehead, and bowed down to him. In this state, Muhammad (Sal.) was taken around the eight heavens so that he could survey them. The umbrella of Allah’s grace (rahmat) was given to him, and then he was returned to Aminah once again. Aminah opened her eyes as the child was placed in her arms and exclaimed, “My son.” It was then that the name Muhammad (Sal.) was given to him.

The one who emerged in this way is Muhammad (Sal.). No one has seen his body, his form, his excreta, or his shadow. Did he have any semen? No, he did not. He had no shadow, his feet never touched the ground, and he had no feces or urine. There were no such signs. Some people will see him as a symbol, others will not be able to do so. Some will see him as Muhammad (Sal.), the son of Aminah, others will see him only as light. This is how it will be. Some people will not know him and others will be able to know him. This is the nature of that which exists as Muhammad (Sal.).

Human beings have designated and set aside a particular day for Muhammad (Sal.). However, there is no particular day for Muhammad (Sal.). Every day is his day. Nor is there a particular month for Muhammad (Sal.). Every month is his month. There is no particular week for Muhammad (Sal.). Every week is his week. Every breath is his breath. Every year is his year. As explained in the Qur’an, when the sukün and the alif join together, that is Muhammad (Sal.). When that ceases to be, Muhammad (Sal.) will no longer be.

There may come a time when the Qur’an will not be here; that may be on the Day of Reckoning (Qiyämah), when destruction comes. Until that time, Muhammad (Sal.) will be here. If there is life in your inner heart (qalb), Muhammad (Sal.) will be the life of that life. If there is breath in your body, it will be the breath of Muhammad (Sal.). If there is sound in your body, it will have originated from the sound of Muhammad (Sal.). If this does not occur, then you will be dead according to your limit.

Muhammad (Sal.) came and showed us perfectly pure wisdom, perfectly pure light, and perfectly pure ways of being. It is for this reason that we pay our respects to him. This is our way of demonstrating our respect. We do not place a statue or idol of Muhammad (Sal.) before us and worship it. Ignorant people say that we are comparing Muhammad (Sal.) to Allah, that we are equating him to God. They say that we are worshipping a tomb and so on.

In government buildings, we see statues of famous people who had been leaders of the country or who had helped the country in some way. Statues of these people are erected and every year they are decorated and a cele-bration is held in their honor. In their own country they make these people important, even though they may be sinners or may have destroyed other countries. Even though one group curses such a person, another group wor-ships him saying, “He is a great man. He helped our country.” Like this, many statues have been erected by man.

A child honors his dead father whom he loved by reciting verses and prayers in remembrance of him. He pays respect to his father in this manner. Kings are often praised and honored in a similar way. When people honor other people in these ways, should we not honor one who, as Allah’s Messenger, showed us the right path, taught us to have good conduct, strengthened our faith (ïmän), taught us the peace and equanimity of perfect purity, told us to trust all lives as our own life, and protected all lives as his own? Should we not pay our respects to such a great being, such a Prophet, such a Messenger of Allah who showed us the good path? Is it forbidden (haräm) for us to honor him?

Does this mean that we are comparing him to Allah or placing him as an equal to Allah? When statues of men are being constructed and honored, is it wrong to honor the one who brought us the wealth (daulat) that set us on the right path, the one who helped us in so many ways? Are we making a comparison when we pay our respects to the one who has helped us and when we give praise to the One who created such a helper? When we praise the One who gave us this treasure and pay respect to this treasure for having helped us, are we saying that they are equal? Are we making something equal to Allah? Should we not do what we are doing? Is it wrong to do so? We must reflect on this.

Some people who do not think deeply about these issues say that honoring Muhammad (Sal.) is making him equal to God and to the truth. There is one group of people who deny the existence of God, another group that will not speak about God, another group that does not understand the truth, and yet another that continually creates new groups. Only such groups, who want to perpetuate their own glory, say such things.

On this day (ascribed to the birth of Muhammad (Sal.)), we should praise the immeasurable one of grace, the incomparable one of love, the divine Messenger known as Muhammad Mustafar-Rasül (Sal.) who brought the true faith (dïn) and the Qur’an. We should praise this exalted treasure that has the beauty and bliss which will calm human beings and make them peaceful.

What is this month that has been set aside for Muhammad (Sal.)? It is a month in which we honor Muhammad (Sal.) and give praise to Allah. We thank Muhammad (Sal.) and praise Allah. This is why we ob-serve the maulid, like we did today. This is not wrong. We are not making a comparison, even though some people may claim that this is what is we are doing. But you, children who are true believers (mu’min), if you have absolute faith (ïmän), then it is your right and privilege to honor resplendent beings, the qutbs, the friends of God (auliyä’) and the prophets who came to help us and show us the right path. And it is your right and privilege to give praise to Allah, the One who sent them. It is our duty to do this. This is what we have to do. We should think about this.

Many changes are taking place in the world today. Because of false proclamations, situations are developing in which people are ready to destroy the favorites of God and the prophets. These people want to destroy the name of the Rasül (Sal.), the name of Allah, the names of truth, and the names of those who have trust and faith. They have decided to convert men into satan. They want to convert those with true faith (ïmän), change them into something else, take them off the straight path, and lead them astray.

However, children, you who are true believers (mu’min) must try to behave as true believers. Look at how we take care of the teeth that God has given us. When there is a problem, we either extract them, treat them, or safeguard them in some way, do we not? In the same way, should we not protect the treasure that exists as the Rasül (Sal.), as the faith (ïmän), wisdom, light, and strength within us? We should safeguard this treasure that is so helpful to us, should we not? We should honor it, should we not? We must think about this.

We should understand that the treasure that was with Allah in the beginningless beginning, in the time of creation, and in the hereafter (anäthi, al-awwal, and al-äkhirah). We should understand that this treasure alone is Muhammad (Sal.), and it dwells within Allah at all times. It lives in our soul and wisdom. In the place of truth, this treasure and God reside together.

My children, there is another treasure that existed as the Qutb (Ral.)4 as God’s mystery in the time of creation,(al-awwal). Finally, fifty-one generations after Muhammad (Sal.), after fifty-one signs, the Qutb (Ral.) was sent as the son of Fatimah (Ral.). He was sent as a form, as a symbol. The name given to this Qutb was Muhyiddïn ‘Abdul-Qädir (Ral.). The mysterious Qutb (Ral.) was given a name, made into the form of man (insän) and shown as a symbol or representation to mankind, just as Muhammad (Sal.) was sent down in form as a symbol.

When the Qutb (Ral.) was born to Fatimah (Ral.), he, too, was clothed in white silk and the ?nest linen. In the womb, he displayed several miracles and signs. While still in the womb, he settled several conflicts that even kings could not deal with. This treasure spoke when he was only a four-month-old fetus; he settled legal disputes and even had a thief imprisoned. After he emerged from the womb, he continued to speak about justice and right conduct. This is the Qutbiyyat 5 that came bearing the name of Qutb. He came as a representation, a light known as Muhyiddïn ‘Abdul-Qädir al-Jilänï (Ral.). Just as Allah sent His Messenger (Sal.), the Rasul, as a symbol, He also sent His Qutbiyyat in a form.

This form, like Muhammad (Sal.), also emerged from the womb without any signs of blood. That light was Qutb Muhyiddïn ‘Abdul-Qädir al-Jïlänï (Ral.), and this is the month designated for him. He performed several miracles and displayed great wisdom. He emerged from the womb during the month of Ramadän and fasted in his very first month of life, refusing to nurse. In doing so, he showed others the way to perform this obligatory duty. The purpose of fasting is to understand hunger, disease, and old age and to realize the hunger of other lives. The Qutb (Ral.) gave us the means to do this. The Qutbiyyat came as a resplendent light and showed us the five duties (furüd) - faith, prayer, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage. Countless miracles were performed; wonder after wonder was seen.

This light started to speak on the very day it was born. One day when he was two months old, he was crawling around outside, and he saw the sun rising. “Can you catch it for me?” he asked his nurse. She said she could not, so he flew upward into the sky. The sun contracted all its rays and its heat, drawing them within itself. It encircled the baby, held him, and then brought him back to the cradle.

Meanwhile, the nurse had told his mother what had happened, and the mother was running around crying because she could not find her child. “O God,” she pleaded, “I did not have a child for sixty years and now You have given me this child. I asked You for a child and You gave me one. Now I have lost it.” As she was running about in great distress, the baby lay in the cradle, smiling.

The Qutbiyyat (Ral.) was in such a state that the sun and the moon would come, bow down, and worship him. They would contract their rays and speak to him. Such was the state of the Qutbiyyat (Ral.) when he was only two months old.

It is said in the oral traditions (ahädïth) that if the foot of the Qutb (Ral.) does not touch a person, he will not attain wisdom or grace-awakened wisdom (gnänam).” Wise people have spoken about this in their songs. They say, “If the foot of the Qutb (Ral.) does not touch a person in the beginning of creations (al-awwal), he will not attain eternal happiness and grace-awakened wisdom.” The Qutb (Ral.) is known as the sheikh to wisdom, grace-awakened wisdom, and truth. The foot of the Qutbiyyat (Ral.) must either touch a person in the beginning of creation or a person must take the light of absolute faith (ïmän) and with it touch the feet of the Qutbiyyat (Ral.) in this world. Only when this is done can one attain wisdom, true knowledge (‘ilm), grace-awakened wisdom, and divine qualities. This is one explanation.

There is a day designated by the world to honor such a Qutbiyyat (Ral.). However, the Qutbiyyat (Ral.) is present every day in everyone. According to the manner and location in which each person has placed the Qutbiyyat within himself, that treasure will dawn there and reveal its strength and benefits. For those who have not done that, this month will at least make them aware of the Qutbiyyat; this month will at least signify to them that they have a Qutbiyyat within them, which is the strength of their wisdom and the guide to their determined faith (ïmän).

Therefore, if we hold a maulid, or a feast, to honor the Qutb (Ral.), are we setting up a comparison? Because the Qutb (Ral.) is a sheikh to wisdom and a guide to our life, our wisdom, and our body, we honor him and give praise to the One who brought him down to us. This is what the maulid is about. We praise God directly, and we also praise Him by honoring the great ones, the prophets, and the wise ones that He sent down to us as guides. We give praise to God and we honor the ones who are our examples and guides. Is this wrong? No, it is not. We do this in a state of true faith.

People in the world say different things; they deceive one another in many ways and do many things that are wrong. They say, “Do not worship Allah, the Rasül (Sal.), the Qutb (Ral.), and the friends of God (auliyä’). Tear them down, kill them, and throw them out!” In the present time, certain groups are burning books written in the past, Qur’ans from the olden days, the ancient traditions (ahädïth), and the writings of other great men. They burn them, saying, “These are all incorrect. If you know of any such books or people, throw them out!” There are large groups of people with such ideas.

However, children, you who have wisdom and absolute faith (ïmän) should praise Allah with absolute faith and honor the great ones. Even Allah’s Rasül (Sal.) did this. He paid respect to those who had wisdom, to those who were older than him, to those who had attained divine knowledge (‘ilm), and wisdom, and to those who knew the oral traditions (ahädïth).

We should remember this in the present state of the world. We need wisdom to be able to pay our respects, to attain the strength of wisdom, and to realize Allah. We need wisdom to strengthen our faith (ïmän). It is only through the wisdom of the Qutb (Ral.) that we can understand good and bad, right and wrong. As long as we do not have that wisdom, as long as we cannot distinguish good and bad, we are like animals. A dog cannot distinguish between truth and trash, between good food and bad food. It does not have analytic wisdom, and therefore, it will eat filth, as well as plain rice and specially prepared rice dishes. That is its way. It does not distinguish between good and bad, permissible and impermissible, good actions and bad actions, good food and bad food.

Only if we understand the power of wisdom and the divine qualities can we understand what is good and bad in our lives. Then we can know right and wrong, permissible and impermissible, truth and falsehood, heaven and hell. It is to understand these things that we study wisdom, follow those who have wisdom, honor such people, and give praise to Allah. This is why we do these things.

Therefore, my children, we do these things for a purpose. Let us try to do this while we still have life. Each child must think about this, strengthen your faith (ïmän), understand these reasons, and search for the wisdom to understand what is right and what is wrong.

At the appropriate times, we should honor the wise ones who have come - the Qutbiyyat (Ral.), the Rasülulläh (Sal.), and the prophets. Until the time when we commune directly with them and unite as one, we should at least honor them in this way and give praise to Allah. When we finally reside together in the same place, this will not be necessary. Why is this so? Because, at that time, we will be face to face with one another and nothing else is necessary. But, until then, we must pay our respects to the wise ones and give praise to Allah. Establish this in your inner hearts and have certitude. Strengthen your hearts with certitude, despite what others may say. Do not go astray. Let us go to wise people, learn wisdom, and strive to understand what is good and what is bad.

Amïn, may this intention be fulfilled. May Allah help us.

Footnotes

1. Qutb Muhyiddïn ‘Abdul-Qädir al-Jïlänï (Ral.) was a renowned saint who was born in Gïlän, Persia about 1077 A.D. and reportedly died about 1166 A.D. (470-561 A.H.). As a youth he was exceptional in truthfulness, patience, insight, and asceticism. After travelling to Baghdad and mastering the study of the Qur’an religious laws, and the traditions of the Prophet (Sal.), he withdrew into meditation for eleven years, after which in a vision God gave him the name Muhyiddïn (reviver of pure faith). His simple, clear, and subtle discourses on wisdom, conduct and purity, and the compassionate care with which he humbly welcomed all who sought him, combined with the many miracles and visions experienced by those who sought his aid, led to his being called Ghauthul-A’zam (the supreme saintly helper) and Qutbul-Aqtäb (Qutb of all Qutbs).

2. The alif is the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. The sukün is a diacritical mark, and the mïm is the Arabic letter for the consonant ‘m’.

3. These are some of the eleven causal names bestowed upon Muhammad (Sal.) by Allah before the Prophet was manifested.

For further explanations see the book ‘Asmä’ul Husnä: The 99 Beautiful Names of God, by M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen.

4. Divine analytic wisdom, the wisdom which explains; that which measures the length and breadth of the seven oceans of the nafs, or base desires; that which awakens all the truths which have been destroyed and buried in the ocean of maya; that which awakens true ïmän (absolute faith, certitude, and determination); that which explains to the hayät, to life, the state of purity as it existed in awwal, the beginning of creation; the grace of the dhät, the essence of God, which awakens the hayät of purity and transforms it into the divine vibration.

Qutb is also a name which has been given to Allah. He can be addressed as Yä Qutb or Yä Quddüs, the Holy One. Quddüs is His wiläyat, His power or miracle, while Qutb is His action. Wiläyat is the power of that action. Lit.: Axis, axle, pole, pivot. Also, a title used for the great holy men of Islam.

5. Qutbiyyat: The wisdom of the Qutb; the sixth level of consciousness; divine analytic wisdom; the wisdom which explains the truth of God.

MÂ-İ BİLLÛRİ (CRYSTALLINE WATER)by Dr.Munir Derman

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:32:08 +0000

MÂ-İ BİLLÛRİ (CRYSTALLINE WATER)

By Dr.Munir Derman (K.S)

Mâ-i Billûri, a crystallised form of the nonvanishing drop of “WATER”

(the drop which is formed from the command received in it’s disposition, in accordance with the laws,)

(Alternative translation to the sentence above: the drop taking form in accordance with the laws related to the elemental characteristics coming from it’s own disposition )

This does not vanish

It is everywhere.

It is called “billûr-crystalline”.

‘Mütevelidi’l-mai’ (Hydrogen).

Divine thing bringing forth( giving birth to) the Water.

Billûr is the frozen vapor or water.

There is water in the vapor.

There is a droplet of water in everything in the world.

The Ancients knowing that, used to call this “Mâ-i Billûri (Crystalline water)”.

In 1784, René-Just Hauy(who was an abbé) wrote the book of Crystallography.

Everything takes a certain/definite(muayyen) form while changing it’s form.

ALLAH:

Says “ We created every thing from the water”.

He doesn’t say “I created “.

He says “ We created”.

Every thing has been created with form, weight and volume.

It is not “everything has formed”, it is “everything has been created”

Pay attention and understand the difference between!…

From the visible ones to the microscobic atom, this trait exists. A habba [*] of water exists in all. While water vapour is being turned in to the rain, if it is exposed to cold longer, it turns in to snow (because it is bound to the orders commanded).

This is the crystallisation(being Billûr) of the water.

It takes a form(shape).

It gets weight while turning from water vapour to water.

While water turns in to snow, it’s weight decreases and it’s form changes.

This changing takes various forms.

Geometric and beautiful shapes…

[*] Habba: Small, tiny and round seed or drop. Habba has deep meanings in Islam. Term Habib also comes from this word and it means “beloved one, the one who loves, friend”.

In accordance with the whether condition:

Windy. Calm. Sunny. Dark.

It takes important role in crystallisation in respect of shape/form.

All snow flakes are in a hexagonal star form.

“Musaddas” means it is perfected to six.

Honey comb also has six corners.

Number six is a blessed(mubarak) number.

Right.Left.Front.Behind.Upper.Lower.

Moon.Mercury. Venus.Mars. Jupiter. Saturn.

These are also six.

I know why snowflake is like a six cornered star made of water, and why honey comb is six cornered. There is almost no one knowing that they announce a divine duty.

Do not attempt to think of a sarcastic word in your mind by saying “How do you know”

I will not go in for a race with anyone.

I go on foot.

There is a feeling of pudicity in human being.

I would be afraid of influenced shameful nafsanic [*] state which could emerge from commiting an activity that will cause the public to condemn…

[*] Nafsanic: This means it is related to Nafs(Self /Soul). Nafsanic state means the state of the soul. Nafs is an Arabic word. In English translations, it is translated as “ego/ self/ soul”in accordance with where used. This term is one of those mysterious words in Qur’an. It includes three letters ‘Nun’-‘Fe’-‘Sîn’. Nafs is the light(Noor) of humaneness in a person’s identity. Nafs is the light of the secret of ’sin’ within. It is the light(noor) which reflects as our personality and identity. These three letters can be explained in so many ways. There are vast knowledge about Nafs in islamic literature. Allah knows best.

Water is flowing “sharil sharil”[*]

It is snowing “lâpa lâpa” [*]

It is raining “damla damla”[*]

What are these?..

What is water? I don’t know…

It’s Owner says “rivers flow beneath the Garden (Jannah)[*]”…

Is it not enough to know what water is?..

Look at the water and see the Garden(Jannah)…

Drink, and get the taste of the food(Taam) of the Garden(Jannah)…

[*]“sharil sharil”, “lâpa lâpa”, “damla damla”: These sayings are phonetic or visual sayings related to Water, snow and rain respectively. They describe the actions of water, snow and rain while they are moving. We don’t know what Dr.Munir Derman means by using these phrases. However we can give a few commentaries here to describe some of them,“sharil sharil” might be the sound of water while flowing. As well as this, “shar” means “city” so sharil sharil may mean city by city. So the water flowing from city to city. “lâpa lâpa” is perhaps defining the flaky form of the snow. “damla damla” means “drop by drop” . It is to state the way and form of raining. The volume is decreasing from water to snow and snow to rain.

[*] Qur’an [3/15]:

قُلْ أَؤُنَبِّئُكُم بِخَيْرٍ مِّن ذَلِكُمْ لِلَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَأَزْوَاجٌ مُّطَهَّرَةٌ وَرِضْوَانٌ مِّنَ اللّهِ وَاللّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِالْعِبَادِ

Say: Shall I inform you of something better than that? For those who keep from evil, with their Lord are Gardens underneath which rivers flow, and pure companions, and contentment from Allah. Allah is Seer of His bondmen,

(There are so many related verses in Qur’an e.g 3/136, 3/195, 3/198, 4/13, 4/57, 4/121, 5/85, 5/119, 7/43, 8/72….)

What is Jannah ?

It is a place (mekân) from placelessness (lâ mekan) bestowed upon the slaves of ALLAH as a reward.

Mighty and blessed (mübarek) visible element of that place in this world, in this place…

What is it ?..

Water…

Do not drink water while standing.

Show reverence(hürmet) to the one drinking water.

Do not make them talk.

Give water to plants and animals.

Do not harm animals while drinking water.

Do not frighten.

There is a reward (ecir) in giving water.

The reward (ecir) is the pleasure(ridha in arabic) of ALLAH .

What is “Ridha”?

Showing reverence (hürmet) to the creation of ALLAH, every thing, and the Law.

These are the words of Messenger of ALLAH (Rasulullah)…

ALLAH is not unjust/oppressor (Zalim)

(ALLAH) does not like the Zalims.

(ALLAH) is RAHEEM [*] in the world(dunya).

There is a surrendering/submission(inkıyad) in this.

There is a thinking(consideration).

RAHMAN relates to akhira [*].

There is forgiveness and reward hidden in this.

A reward that we are not able to know…

A compliment and a reward befitting to the Glory of ALLAH…

It is so that they would not forget RAHMAN-RAHEEM…

[*] Al-Akhira : Akhira is an arabic term related to Hereafter, afterlife.

[*] AR- RAHIMU (J.J) [Qur’an Ref: 1/3] (dhatī)( الرَّحِيمُ) : the All/Most Beneficient
AR- RAHMANU (J.J) [Qur’an Ref: 1/3] (dhatī)( الرَّحْمَنُ) : the All/Most Merciful

If you have a complaint about illness and pain:

“ Have treatment.”

Have treatment not to rebel against this order!…

If you don’t have a complaint , there is no need for treatment then…

Leave it to it’s owner…

Seeking proof and evidence is for removing the doubt…

Doubt and hesitation can never come near what you believe.

Death is due to the law that ALLAH put in to the creation When ALLAH created the universe. Everything is perishable(mortal/temporal).

They have an end.

As it is not comprehended in this way, every human being sees death in his own mirror. Death does not perturb the human being.

What perturbs the human being is the fear of death.

Death is not vanishing(perishing).

It is in a way like disintegrating to the atoms combining it’s essence by changing form.

As we can not understand that we were in dream unless we wake up,

We can not understand that death was a secret too…

Love is almost like the air of the other world.

Neither a living nor a non-living finds annihilation without it.

Nearly like the closeness of the waves to sea, love is…

If there is no sea, no one knows the wave.

If there is no wind, the wave is not seen in sea.

There are pains in the world.

There are troubles.

There are sorrows.

These come and go.

But “loves”, No…

Love does not vanish.

It doesn’t. ( alternative translation: “It does not become”)

If It is, it is not forgotten… (alternative translation: If it becomes, it is not forgotten…)

Loving is not a carnal complex.

Loving is related to dimağ [*]

Love is divine(ilahi) and it is a feeling giving human being his humaneness.

This trait is ornamented with many various emotions and actions..

The mortar unifiying every thing is love.

Head of love is the love of ALLAH(God).

(It is) Ineffable.

It is not understood what a feeling it is.

It is a big thing remained within it’s own shell.

I can’t know(BileMeM)…

[*] Dimağ: Mind .Conscious. Conscience.

Human being loves his spouse

Loves his mother.

Loves his father.

Loves his children(Evlat).

Loves every thing.

But He can not describe this…

People try to fit it in to words, and the relationships in the actions.

And it has remained so.

In the MeaNing ( MâNâ [*]), in that much.

[*] MâNâ: MaNa is the main set up becoming cause for the action and work. It is the inner face of something. E.g “Suffering is to live the MaNa of the questions in the test of life.”

Rasul said : “I was made to love” [*].

This means as much as it can be understood.

If it was said “I loved”, the meaning(the essence and the truth of it) would have been understood.

[*] Hadith : “I was made to love three things from your world: women, and perfume, and the comfort of my eye is in salat.”

There is no logic , mind(akıl) in Love.

I was made to love woman : Intercourse is a worship(ibadat).

I was made to love perfume: It is the perfume of woman.

(Pay attention!) this is to be contended with the other worldly favours(nimet).

I was made to love Salah(prayer/worship): This is to turn towards the love of ALLAH(God).

The path that you will walk on, is to follow the foot prints of Rasul, and to conform to his sayings…

That is all…

In the world: Human, Animal, Plant and Mineral changes in accordance with

The continent.

Region,

And Climate …

There are big differences in the poles, in mild places, and in hot places…

Louse, Flea, Bed bug, Insect, Fly, Ant, Butterfly, Spider, Bee, And Microbe do not exist in poles.

Their animals are different.

There is no Bird, no Plant, no Mine, no Canary, no sparrow, no swallow, no stork, no Crow, no Elephant, no Lion, no Cat, Tiger, no Snake, no Monkey, no Vegetable, no Olive, no Date, no Fig, no Pomegranate, Apple, no pear, no Grape, no Mulberry,

The ones being in hot and mild countries do not exist in cold countries.

There are no black people or black man in poles.

People of diverse areas are different.

Places where they live are different.

White race.

Yellow race.

Black race.

Red race.

They are in separate places.

There are a lot of differences between those as well.

There are even differences in their blood types.

After all: The world is a forest, enter there!

Go around but let there be no axe in your hand!

This is surrendering to destiny(qadar) in the harmony(aheng) of the world.

Harmony in the world is the destiny.

When this harmony is upset, we are calling this ‘coincidence’.

There is no such thing called ‘coincidence’.

There is no such thing called ‘upsetting’ either.

We say qaza [*].

We say foreordination, Destiny(qadar), allotted share(qismat).

We are confirming this harmonical consciousness.

We are not aware of it.

If the adverse happens , we battle physically and mentally against.

[*]Qaza and Qadar:

Qaza is in Arabic qadā’, Farsi/Urdu qazā’: divine decree, predestination; fate, destiny; fatality; death; decree, mandate, judgment. In esoteric usage, qazā is the will of ALLAH (Muradullah).

Qadar is in Arabic qadr: measuring, determining; deciding, choosing, comparing one thing with another; measuring out; portion, part. Qadar is the manifestation of the divine decree.

Qaza and Qadar is like divine will(Iradullah) and free-will (juz-i- irada). There is no choice in Qaza because it is related to the Dhatullah(essence of GOD), but Qadar is based on choices in this test of life. The choices are also based on naseeb and qismat. Qaza can not be known by anyone but ALLAH j.j. Qaza means the Divine, indisputable decree regarding the creation of events and phenomena and Qadar means their measure size of events to happen.

The war is a word covering up the sins of the committed murders.

It is born from the hatred (spite/enmity).

The hatred does not ease the pain.

The revenge increases the pain of another person.

The hatred is born again from that.

This continues like that…

The hatered is like drinking salty water.

More you drink, more your thirst increases

Killing does not bring honour to human.

Killing is not an act of courage.

It is the act of cowards.

‘Killer’(Katil), is the name given to the one killing.

It’s description by religion(Din) is : the one on whom the penalty for the act of removing the spirit from the body was got(assigned) (Cesetten ruhu izale eden fiil-i müessirin müterakibi).

This is a description in Religion(şer’i) and it is very interesting.

This needs to be read again and again.

It’s description by law is : the one who kills whether by arm and poision or by other means.

These descriptions are in accordance with ‘Fiqh’.

‘Fiqh’ means to know.

İt is the knowing of what is in favour and against of Nafs-Insaniyya’s himself by contemplation.

Behaving good towards everything will bring honour(dignity) to human being.

There is a big difference between the expressions ‘bringing honour(causing to earn honour)’ and ‘giving honour’.

Bringing honour(causing to earn honour): it announces that the merit (fazilet) and exalted feelings in human being has begun to function.

Giving honour: it is the warning of using these exalted feelings.

This writing is finishing here.

Tomorrow, you will watch me in my absence.

In my words remaining in your mind(aql).

In the things reminding me.

In my writings, in my voices you will watch.

He/She will perhaps be the only one person showing wafa [*] to me. (Alternative translation to this sentence: Perhaps there will even only be one person showing wafa to me.)

[*] Wafa means to be loyal to his word and oath, to be loyal and connected to someone with love.

I got old.

My eyes don’t see.

My legs don’t support (me).

I can’t breathe.

There is no one close to me…

(I see closenesses, I see concerns, I am getting jealous)

of Who ?

I can’t know…

I am all alone in every way.

I can’t see the ones whom I love.

I can’t see the manifesting beauties of my friends…

The one who seeks for me is in my writings,

let him seek in my books [*]…

I am being burried in them…

Who are my writings written for?…

To Him…

[*] Alternative translation: “the one seeking for me, should seek me in my writings and in my books”.

4.2.1987

Wednesday

We left some Turkish original words in the text by thinking that some readers may want to get more knowledge about these words.We hope that this will enrich the meaning of the text for the readers.

Translated from Dr.Munir Derman(K.S)’s book ,”Allah Dostu 5.Cilt, 26.Konu”

Barbaros Sert

www.muhammedinur.com/En

Basildon-UK

23/02/2010

You can see more writings from Dr.Munir Derman(K.S) on following link:

http://www.muhammedinur.com/En/category/derman

ALONE WITH MY SELF by Dr.Munir Derman(K.S)

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 01:08:02 +0000

…:…:… ALONE WITH MY SELF…:..:…

I had gone to visit my teacher ONE day.

I was 17 years old.

His room had only window on it’s ceiling and it was with large and high ceiling.

His room is naked.

A fur.

A bed on the floor as well…

A jug, a bowl, that is all…

There was a very beautiful fragrance in it’s air…

He was sitting down himself and his long hair was falling over his shoulders like a mane

“Come here!” said he.

I kissed his hand:

“I am going now, the school is finished!” I said.

He made dua (prayed for me), and gave orders in the form of admonition.

“Stay in a room alone with your self occasionally!..”

I accustomed to this, I do this occasionally…

I went to France for education.

5-6 years passed in between…

I entered in to my room to carry out this admonition and order…

I saw two individuals(dhats) in my room.

I was astonished all of a sudden.

Where did they enter from…

They walked away as soon as they saw me, and disappeared in the wall.

I got astonished.

They left a paper on the floor, small…

I still keep that paper…

And my amazement still continues.

Thirty-odd years have passed.

This amazement will continue until my last breath…

I could not tackle it…

A year after this incident, I returned to the country for holiday.

I went directly to my teacher…

He had grown old, I kissed his hand…

He asked me about my spiritual state(hâl) …

He asked about my brother.

“Tell him to come!” he said .

My elder brother was a district treasurer in Sivas at those times.

I sent a telegram and he came after a week.

We sat beside him…

My teacher had got sick.

He gave advises(nasihad) to us, prayed and patted us…

For a moment:

“Is that paper with you?” he asked.

I could not understand it all of a sudden:

As I was saying “Ha!” , he held out his thumb towards my mouth. “Shush!” he said…

“Do it as such(accordingly)…”

He turned towards my elder brother:

“Kâzım, you also know that!..”

After a day we left our teacher and we cried…

I asked my brother:

“ Have you got of that paper?”

“Shush my brother!” he said…

“ My donkey brother!” he said.

“My teacher has still not left us. He reaches to us (his help comes to us)If we get distressed…”

But 15 years a go, my brother went to visit my teacher at his 47…

May he rest in Noor (Divine light)!..

The writing within that paper is this, let me tell it to you and you act accordingly:

“Leave the Waswasah [1]!..

No matter how much work, will and wishes you have, surrender them all to qaza and qadar [2]!.. Leave it to ALLAH who does His duty in However way He Himself wishes!..

And wait!..

Leave the anxiety!

Remove the misery and sadness(worry)!

The path of Murad (will, wish) becomes visible by it’s self, and you go on to that path!

Be hungry, but do not tell anyone!

Do not cast your sorrows , your poverties, your suffering in to words!

May Angels even not hear!..

If you have any affliction, speak to HAQQ [3], He is sufficient for every thing!

If you fall in poverty, be demure (WAKAR) and show patience!

Do not lift your hands up for wishes to HAQQ even!

Lift them up only for HAMD(PRAISING)!

ALLAH knows you better than you!..

To melt in HAQQ in this world is this!..”

1958

Dr.Munir Derman (K.S)

Translated from Dr.Munir Derman(K.S)’s book ,”Allah Dostu 5.Cilt, 2.Konu”

Barbaros Sert

www.muhammedinur.com/En

Basildon-UK

14/02/2010

You can see more writings from Dr.Munir Derman(K.S) on following link:

http://www.muhammedinur.com/En/category/derman

GLOSSARY:

[1] Waswasah: waswas, pl. wasawis; means satanic whispering, obsessions and suggestions giving birth to hesitations, doubts and incertitude in one’s self.

[2] Qaza and Qadar:

Qaza is in Arabic ﻗﻀﺎء qadā’, Farsi/Urdu qazā’: divine decree, predestination; fate, destiny; fatality; death; decree, mandate, judgment. In esoteric usage, qazā is the will of ALLAH (Muradullah).

Qadar is in Arabic ﻗﺪﺮ qadr: measuring, determining; deciding, choosing, comparing one thing with another; measuring out; portion, part. Qadar is the manifestation of the divine decree.

Qaza and Qadar is like divine will(Iradullah) and free-will (juz-i- irada). There is no choice in Qaza because it is related to the Dhatullah(essence of GOD), but Qadar is based on choices in this test of life. The choices are also based on naseeb and qismat. Qaza can not be known by anyone but ALLAH j.j. Qaza means the Divine, indisputable decree regarding the creation of events and phenomena and Qadar means their measure size of events to happen.

[3] Haqq: This is one of the beautiful names of ALLAH j.j.

AL- HAQQU (J.J) [Qur’an Ref: 22/62] (dhatī)( اَلْحَقُّ) : the Truth

EVERYTHING SPINS FROM RIGHT TOWARDS LEFT (by Dr.Munir Derman K.S)

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:18:23 +0000

..:..:…EVERYTHING SPINS FROM RIGHT TOWARDS LEFT…:..:…

Everything spins from right towards left.

There are immense true knowledge and the verse in the Qur’an in many places, pointing to the fact that the Sun is fixed and all stars are orbiting around it and also around their own axis. Today’s knowledge accepts it as a scientific truth that everything spins around it’s own axis since Galileo tapped his foot on the floor in the inquisition court and said “ Even now the world is turning: “Eppur si muove” [1].

This truth was explained by calculations in Keppler’s work, “De revolutionibus orbium coelestium” [2] , “Harmonices Mundi” [3].

In accordance with Leibnitz ‘s Monad [4&5] and from him to today’s Macro Cosmos studies, the solar system is a big atomic system in a way that a mind will not be able to comprehend it.

Smallest particle constituting this system is made of atoms.

Due to it’s disposition, this system, from the biggest to the smallest , is spinning from right to left orderly in a measurable degree by minute, hour, day, months and year.

Unseen atoms of everything included within this system are also participating in this race with hell of a speed.

These small atoms, are the manifestations (tajalli) of the Divine power that is outside the boundary of the mind bringing them in to existence, in a material state.

Every spin emerges as the manifestation of two forces(kuwwat) from right to left.

Spinning from right to left: To the center : Centripet :running to the center.

Spinning from left to right : From the center: Centrifuge : running from the center.

It means the indication of force towards the center.

“Centrifuge”, the spin from left to right, disrupts this system and it’s functioning ,

It brings out(reveals) the force and energy of that system.

This is against the law.

Now after this little knowledge(ilm) and scientific explanation:

The Sound and Colour; while passing through the Air, Land and Water , they are coming to us from Japan, America and even stars and satellites without spoiling each other and without loosing the features of their disposition.

We are seeing them on the Television.

This is not a feature of Television.

All electrons moving around the nucleus of the Atom , spins from right to left in an inconceivable speed.

Electron
Proton
Neutron
Positron
Notrium
Meson

Hiperon

They are inconceivably small.

For instance:

Lets exemplify the diameter of a Hydrogen atom in the following way to put it in to the mind:

Enlarge this until it reaches to 65mts.

It’s height will be equivalent to the height of a 15 floor building.

Same atom’s electron will be approximately in the size of a pin head.

There is nothing that the mind can do against this smallness.

Now:

The spinning of one of the electrons in the opposite direction,

The fission of the “Centrifuge” atom will cause the emergence of the force that we call ‘atom bomb’.

Lets not elongate the word.

What happens when all existing atoms within the Universe spins in opposite direction?

Don’t forget that this reversal is at the speed of electricity and light.

300,000 km per second.

A speed which exhausts the mind..

Qiyamat(Doomsday, end of the world, Resurrection Day, Destruction of the Matter etc.) is that…

In accordance with the news given to us by Rasul(SAW), there are many seen and unseen signs of the Qiyamat.

We are discussing here only the subject of spinning from right to left.

What did Rasul(SAW) say:

“The Sun will rise from the west!”.

What does this mean?

Is the Sun not the center and nucleus of the atom in the Universal System?
That is all We can say.

You, think of it by facing your mind!..

27.9.1986

Dr.Munir Derman(K.S)

(To see some other translations from Dr.Munir Derman, please visit the following link: http://www.muhammedinur.com/En/category/derman )

Translated from Dr.Munir Derman(K.S)’s book ,”Allah Dostu 5.Cilt, 6.Konu”

Barbaros Sert

www.muhammedinur.com/En

Basildon-UK

09/02/2010

SOME REFERENCES FROM QUR’AN :

Qur’an [36/37]:

وَآيَةٌ لَّهُمْ اللَّيْلُ نَسْلَخُ مِنْهُ النَّهَارَ فَإِذَا هُم مُّظْلِمُونَ

And a Sign for them is the Night: We withdraw there from the Day, and behold they are plunged in darkness;

Qur’an [36/38]:

وَالشَّمْسُ تَجْرِي لِمُسْتَقَرٍّ لَّهَا ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ

And the sun runneth on unto a resting-place for him. That is the measuring of the Mighty, the Wise.

Qur’an [36/39]:

وَالْقَمَرَ قَدَّرْنَاهُ مَنَازِلَ حَتَّى عَادَ كَالْعُرْجُونِ الْقَدِيمِ

And the Moon, we have measured for her mansions (to traverse) till she returns like the old (and withered) lower part of a date stalk.

Qur’an [36/40]:

لَا الشَّمْسُ يَنبَغِي لَهَا أَن تُدْرِكَ الْقَمَرَ وَلَا اللَّيْلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِ وَكُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ

It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor doth the night outstrip the day. They float each in an orbit.

SOME RELATED HADITHS FROM RASULULLAH (SAW):

Abu Hurayra(R.A.) narrated..that the Messenger of ALLAH(SAW) said :

” The day of the hour will not come until the sun rises from the west, if it
rises and the people saw it they will all believe, when a time where nothing will be accepted anymore of believe the truth” [Abu Bukhari, Muslim]

Abu Huraira reported that the Rasulullah (SAW) said, “Hasten to do good deeds before six (things happen): Rising of the sun from the West…” [Mishkat]

Abdullah-bin-Umar said, “I memorized a Hadith from the Messenger of Allah which I have not forgotten. I heard the Messenger of ALLAH (SAW) say, ‘The first of the Signs that will come is the rising of the sun from the place of its setting ……..” [Muslim]

And Abdullah Bin Amro (R.A.) said: “I memorized from the Messenger of ALLAH (SAW) a hadith I will never forget”..I heard the Messenger of Allah (SAW) say:
”The first sign to come the rise of the sun from the west “ [Ahmad]

GLOSSARY:

[1] Eppur si muove: The Italian phrase “Eppur si muove” means ‘And yet it moves (Nonetheless, it moves)’.

Legend has it that the Italian mathematician, physicist and philosopher Galileo Galilei muttered this phrase after being forced to recant in 1633, before the Inquisition, his belief that the Earth moves around the Sun.

It is occasionally used in modern speech to indicate that although publicly someone who is in a knowledgeable position may discount or deny something, that does not stop it from being true.

[2] De revolutionibus orbium celesticum :

De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres), first printed in 1543 in Nuremberg, is the seminal work on the heliocentric theory of astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543). The book offered an alternative model of the universe to Ptolemy’s geocentric system, which had been widely accepted since ancient times.

[3] Harmonices Mundi (Latin: The Harmony of the Worlds, 1619) is a book by Johannes Kepler. In the work Kepler discusses harmony and congruence in geometrical forms and physical phenomena. The final section of the work relates his discovery of the so-called “Third Law” of planetary motion.

Kepler divides The Harmony of the World into five long chapters: the first is on regular polygons; the second is on the congruence of figures; the third is on the origin of harmonic proportions in music; the fourth is on harmonic configurations in astrology; and the fifth on the harmony of the motions of the planets.

[4] Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (sometimes von Leibniz) 1 July 1646 [OS: 21 June] – 14 November 1716) was a German philosopher, polymath and mathematician who wrote primarily in Latin and French.

He occupies a grand place in both the history of philosophy and the history of mathematics. He invented infinitesimal calculus independently of Newton, and his notation has been in general use since then. He also invented the binary system, the foundation of virtually all modern computer architectures. In philosophy, he is mostly remembered for optimism, i.e. his conclusion that our universe is, in a restricted sense, the best possible one God could have made.

[5] Monads: see the following link for a brief explanation about Monads http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gottfried_Leibniz#The_monads

WORDS OR EMBERS - VI

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:55:28 +0000

WORDS OR EMBERS – VI

By KULIHVANI

“Mind(aql) is A LIGHT(Noor), the kernel of kernel, the essence of the essence (Lubbu’l-lub), which is able to understand and explain the qualities and the quantities, and enables them to be lived.” (kulihvani)

“ARIF is the one understanding the TRUTH (HAQQ) and GOOD(HAYR)!.” (kulihvani)

“The one who has found what he was seeking, does not seek(anymore) if He has a mind(aql)..” (kulihvani)

“The one who

gets upset easily,

cannot love,

and does not seek a way to love

is needy of service!..” (kulihvani)

“Loyalty is necessary and obligation

To your self

To the friends of Allah(auliyahullah)

To Rasulullah SAW and

To your Lord(Ar-Rabbu[*])”

(kulihvani)

[*]AR-RABBU (J.J) [Qur’an Ref: 1/2] (dhatī)( اَلْرَبُّ) : the Owner (M‘aliq) who nourishes, sustains, disciplines, raises and nurtures…Allahu Dhu’l-Jalal trains, educates, disciplines, manages(rules), and sustains every world with His Rub‘ubiyyat directly. Ar-Rabbu is translated as “Lord” in English language in texts but the name “Lord” falls short to describe the meaning of Ar-Rabbu.

“And don’t forget that the dream[*] is the cloth of the TRUTH.” (kulihvani)

[*] dream: to build up fanciful hopes

“You cannot attain the wisdom (irfan) related to the world of TRUTH by collecting made up/fabricated knowledge from here and there” (kulihvani)

“There are two ways of going on the path of TASAWWUF. The first one is by being on the back of someone and the second one is by walking..

Both snake and eagle can climb up on the exalted mountain;

By flying or slithering…

But WE follow Rasulullah SAW, WE neither fly nor slither. In fact , WE are the path and everyone can pass by pressing on US(WE).” (kulihvani)

“It seems like my MAWLA[*] is stark naked… The ones dressing and hiding HIM are ASLEEP…” (kulihvani)

[*] AL- MAWLA’ (J.J): [Qur’an Ref: 47/11] (insanī)( اَلْمَوْلَى) : the Friend(Wali) of His servants. He gives existence, governs and protects them and very close to them. Mavla’ is the name of divine closeness(yaqiyn).

“Aql(the Mind) is the mirror of ALLAH j.j. Naql is revived in the mind and revives!..” (kulihvani)

[*] Naql: This term has deep meanings. In Turkish “Naql” is used to transport, transmit or transfer something from one place to another.In it’s noun form , it means the transported, transferred or transmitted. The Word of Allah coming to Rasulullah SAW is a “Naql”. The knowledge transferred between the minds are also naql. In this term, “N-aql” , there is “N” and “Aql”. N refers to Noor: Light and the term, “Aql” means “Mind”. So “Naql” happens when the mind is enlightened with divine knowledge or light.

“ If WE say ‘WE’ on our behalf We will have said ‘I’…’I’ness and ‘WE’ness are same thing, but their pots would be different , if ‘I’ knows himself…

If ‘I’ melts and finds the SEA of Grace(Rahmad), ‘I’ becomes ‘WE’ from then on, and so knows Rasulullah (S.A.W[*])’s name,account and password, and carries them… the drop does not freeze in the SEA again!..” (kulihvani)

[*] S.A.W: Sallallahu Alaihi Wassallam: May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon Him.

“I can never become TWO… but I become INFINITE in the SEA of NUR-U-MIM[*], WE are infinite drops there…”

(kulihvani)

[*] Nur-u-Mim: : Truth of Muhammad (SAW). Noor-u-Mim. Light of Muhammad (SAW). First light created from the Divine Light of Allah(Noorullah). ALLAH creates everything from that light as It is the first manifestation point for the DIVINE LIGHT of ALLAH.That Light upon Light praises ALLAH before and during the creation of heaven and the heavenly and earth and the earthly. The inhabitants of the heavens named that light Ahmad. As his praise of ALLAH is greater than the praise of all that is created, he is called Ahmad al-hamidin- the greatest of givers of praise. The following hadith narrated from Jabir bin Abdullah(r.a) points to Nur-u-Mim(Light of Mim).

Narrated from Jabir bin Abdullah (radiyallahu anhu): “O Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)! May my mother and father be your ransom, shall you tell me of the first thing ALLAH created before all things?” I said.

Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “ O Jabir! Before the material(ashya), from HIS light(Noorullah), He created the Light of your Prophet(NooruNabi).”

And He said that :

“ That light (Noor) used to circulate and get around in the places ALLAH wished by His Power(qudrat). There was not ,at that time, a tablet(Lawh), or a pen(qalam), or a paradise(jannah) , or a hell, or an angel, or a heaven , or a sun, or a moon, or a jinn or a human(ins).”

After that He said : “When ALLAH Taa’la wished to create the creation, HE divided that light(noor) in to four parts:

He created the pen from the first part. He created the tablet(Lawh) from the second part. He created throne(Arsh) from the third part. He split up the fourth part and made it four parts: He created the heavens from the first one. He created the earth from the second one. He created the paradise and hell from the third one. He split up(taqsim)the fourth part and divided in to four parts again : He created the light of the eyes of the believers(mumeens) from the first one. From the second one, He created the light of their hearts and that means ‘to know ALLAH’. From the third one, He created the light of their tounges and that is ‘Kalimah-i-Tawheed(La ilaha illa ALLAH: There is no GOD but ALLAH)’….”
(Imam Ahmad, Musnad IV-127; Hakim, Mustadrak II-600/4175; Ibni Hibban, Al Ihsan XIV-312/64

“Our path is the track of Rasulullah (S.A.W). Being in the middle, his track is the ‘straight path (siratal mustaqiym)’ and the joint heritage of every muslim having mind(aql)!..” (kulihvani)

“Experience is to take a lesson from the misfortunes happening to the others.

Foolishness is not even able to take a lesson from the things happening to one’s self.” (kulihvani)

“The knowledge built up without manners(*), becomes the unfaithful devil(Iblis)’s path!..” (kulihvani)

(*) manners: The term used here in it’s original is an Arabic term , ‘Adab’. Adab is a deeper term in meaning compared to the term ‘manners’ in English within that sentence.

” You - I - Him ; WE are a DROP in ONENESS(WAHDAT) and MUHAMMADI SEA in MULTIPLICITY(KASRAT)!..”
(kulihvani)

“If We can’t transcend ‘I’, We can’t know, find, become and live ‘WE’!..”

(kulihvani)

“The conscious of life is ‘LOVE’. It is not easy to be in LOVE!..” (kulihvani)

“The one who does not have a sincere and serious effort

to know himself(who is within ),

to know who is in his essence( HAQQ who is closer to him than his jugular vein),

to know the TRUTH

but has a mind, is in a deep sleep of heedlessness!..” (kulihvani)

Translated by Barbaros Sert

Basildon-UK-14.01.10

WORDS OR EMBERS - V

admin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:43:00 +0000

WORDS OR EMBERS - V

By KULIHVANI

Be straight like the Sun!

Don’t draw crescent like the Moon!
Neither freeze the drop nor burn,

Know your limit,

Don’t get in to a rage!..
(kulihvani)

If the DROP knew that it was in the SEA, it wouldn’t have any suffering!.. ” (kulihvani)

Bare naked born BABY, and a GRANDDAD dying bare naked.

Then; Why are these BEing(happening)!..

(kulihvani)

We need to BE a REASON by LEARNing and TEACHing, like the NOOR like the LIGHT!.. (kulihvani)

When the glasses get dirty, the EYE and what is SEEN are confused… ” (kulihvani)

Let’s BE a DROP in the OCEAN

In the HONOUR of WITNESSHOOD(SHAHADAT)!

(kulihvani)

DON’T UPSET! DON’T BE UPSET! LOVE! BE LOVED!..
KULİHVANİ

MAKE ZIQR! MAKE FIQR! MAKE SHUKUR! And BE PATIENT!
KULİHVANİ

WE walk completely naked!.. (kulihvani)

The one who gives service(on the Path of ALLAH by being in the service of Rasulullah SAS) finds Enlightenment(K’AMAL). The one who enters in to the heart finds J’AMAL(beauty and perfection of ALLAH)!.. (kulihvani)

ALLAH (J.J)’s Lovers, Muhammadi Lovers, collect the uniting (tawheediy) Honey of wisdom from the scene of object lesson.

(kulihvani)

The Path is the path of Selfless duty of Shariat brought and lived by Muhammad SAS. It is the path of Uniting Perfection (Tawheediy Takammul).

(kulihvani)

The one who respects his mind is a man of wisdom.

(kulihvani)

ZamZam is to look after/advocate the water of Zahir(manifested, outer) and Batin(unmanifested, inner)…

(kulihvani)

Poem is a breeze which is not written for the others…

(kulihvani)

There is no evil human being but there is an evil work. Human is called evil because of his work…

(kulihvani)

The main duty of the mind(aql) is to find it’s essence(N-aql)…

(kulihvani)

The carcas outside is a veil to the LOVE inside!..

(kulihvani)

OUR words are neither a case, nor an invitation but a prayer of the friend to friend…

(kulihvani)

Our call(calling to unity at ‘MiM’) is for those whose mainland is the chest/heart of Muhammad(Sina-i Muhammad) in his future(ahir)…

(kulihvani)

To Melt – To Flow – To Rise – To be a grace(rahmat) and rain in the vineyards of LOVE…

(kulihvani)

When the plug of Unity(Tawheed) is plugged in to the socket of the Light of Muhammad(Nur-u Muhammad), the sun of heart rises, and the night becomes the day…

(kulihvani)

The human MIND(aql) is more fluid than the WATER, and stickier than the tar!.. (kulihvani)

If you move yourself aside from your EYE, you see the thousand and ONE worlds!..

(kulihvani)

When the drop finds the SEA, the work finishes. It talks on behalf of the SEA . It is NONEXISTENT but it EXISTs!..

(kulihvani)

The SOUL is ONE within US(WE), it is thought to be two, AMAZING!..
(kulihvani)

First veil is Human’s him SELF, his arrogancy is covering his EYE!
(kulihvani)

If a person has Divine Knowledge and Muhammadi Manner/Moral(adab), He/She is ‘WE’…

If He/She is reached in Divine Wisdom and Muhammadi Erkan as well, then He/She is ‘ONE’…””””
(KUL İHVANİ)

Shirk(*) is ready waiting in the person who is not loyal. (kulihvani)

(*) Shirk: Shirk is to associate partnership to Allah(God).

The one entering into the Muhammadi Hamam(Muhammadi Bath) as Pharoh, leaves it as Moses. (kulihvani)

It is ESSENTial to learn the right knowledge for the ESSENCE; and it is ESSENTial to have the education of Muhammadi Manner(adap) for the SPEECH…
(kulihvani)

The drop reaching the real Muhammadi Consciousness submits it’s self to the SEA, the direction(istiqamat) is passed to “WE”. Those phases require time, patience and heart(courage).
(kulihvani)

Let the rose of enlightenment(perfection) blossom in the rose garden of Ridha(Allah’s good pleasure with the believers) so that we can find our way!..
(kulihvani)

Read letter by letter your “Book of Love” and see How it is filled drop by drop!..
(kulihvani)

LOVE is the ‘AHH!’ of the Mind(aql) which is in the cross section of the Shadow and the Sun… (kulihvani)

I’ve come-learned-found-become , That is the secret word of HUMAN(INSAN)!..
(kulihvani)

Learn the MUHABBAT and LOVE from the SADRS(*) of Darwishes instead of reading them from the book lines…Practice of ONENESS from alive(Hayy) to alive(Hayy)…
(kulihvani)

(*) SADR: Sadr means the bosom . It is the head quarter of the Nafs(Soul)that is our real and liable identity in the test of servanthood.

Mi’raj is my path in Muhabbat, and What I get on is the Buraq of
Oneness.
(kulihvani)

Translated by Barbaros Sert

Basildon

07/01/2010

WORDS OR EMBERS? -IV

admin — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:37:43 +0000

WORDS OR EMBERS? -IV

By KULIHVANI

In our desert , the fire of suffering turns the steel to Water - Steam - Cloud

(Kul İhvani)

The LOVE has an EYE but there is noTHING to see…

(Kul İhvani)

The Overflowing of the Flood is from the yearning

Calmness of the sea is from the Friend.

(Kul İhvani)

Beginning of the Servanthood(abdiyyat) is Muhabbat. It’s end is Marhamat( the Mercy /grace). The will of ALLAH(Muradullah) is composed of Muhabbatullah. The Command of ALLAH(Amrullah) is composed of Marhamatullah( grace /mercy of ALLAH [GOD])…

(Kul İhvani)

The LOVE is the fire in a snowy mountain…

(Kul İhvani)

The Mind(Aql) is like a black board. Every thing is being written on it…

(Kul İhvani)

If the drop is within the sea, it doesn’t get frozen and burned…

(Kul İhvani)

If you are indistinct and unknown You are ‘WE’…

(Kul İhvani)

The sword does not cut it’s sheath. It is blind in it’s sheath…

(Kul İhvani)

The one who is needy to fullstop(.) , becomes embarrassed to comma(,)…

(Kul İhvani)

Birds always fly when they develop wings…

(Kul İhvani)

Come!…Wear the glasses of your heart(Tahqiq Tawheed[unity]), lets watch the loom of manifestation (tajalli) together…

(Kul İhvani)

The sun and the night are one for those who have shadowless heart…

(Kul İhvani)

The lovers burn in their love and the fools burn in their tales …

(Kul İhvani)

Jug of the water of LOVE is from the ice…

(Kul İhvani)

The distance between the stomach and the heart is four fingers …

(Kul İhvani)

If the lamp of the heart is not lighting up , what prevents it is the rust of ego…

(Kul İhvani)

Every work returns to Tawheed(Unity) …

(Kul İhvani)

Kulli Shay (Total thing, Every thing, Whole thing) is for the witnesshood(shahadat) of TAWHEED(Unity) …

(Kul İhvani)

There is no gap in the test of Life …

(Kul İhvani)

There is no Mountain made of salt or ice, if there was , it would melt quickly…

(Kul İhvani)

Body is like the ice. It is temporary , it melts away …

(Kul İhvani)

Establishing the friendship is easy but to maintain it is difficult! …

(Kul İhvani)

We are like the water glass, let everyone drink the love from ‘US/WE’ on behalf of SallALLAHU Alaihi Wassallam! …

(Kul İhvani)

The prayer(dua) is not what is on the lips but what is in the inner most Heart (Derun)…

(Kul İhvani)

The capital of the disciple (Darwish) is 4 S, Loyalty (Sadakat)—Sincerity( Samimiyet)—Inner patience( Sabr)—Peace (Selamet)…

(Kul İhvani)

Translated by Barbaros Sert

Basildon UK 04.01.10

WESTERN VIEWS OF MAWLANA RUMI’S MUSLIM IDENTITY

admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:32:16 +0000

WESTERN VIEWS OF MAWLANA RUMI’S MUSLIM IDENTITY

by Ibrahim Gamard (8/06)

www.dar-al-masnavi.org

The popularity of Hazrat-e Mawlânâ Jalâluddîn Muhammad Rûmî’s poetry in America, together with the wide recognition of the name of “Rûmî” is an amazing development. This article examines a key factor that has contributed to this popularization: the false view in many Western books and articles that sufism is something separate from Islam.

Islamic Sufism

Muslims who appreciate sufism, the English word for “tasawwuf” or the spiritual path of the sûfîs, faqîrs and darvîshes, understand that it is firmly based on injunctions of the Qur’ân to be “constant in prayer” (Q.2:3) while aspiring to practice the Traditions [Ahâdîth] about praying with sincerity [al-ihsân] before God Most High with awareness that “He sees you” and “with presence of the heart,” to “recollect your God often” [dhikr-an kathîrâ--Q.33:41) and to "remember your Lord within your soul with humility and in reverence" (Q.7:205), to strive to purify the soul from worldly cravings and lowly passions and to develop virtues pleasing to God ("Truly, the one who purifies himself [in this life] will attain happiness [in the Hereafter]“–Q. 87:14), and to strive and pray to attain to a deep level of surrender [taslîm] to the Will, Blessing, Grace, and Love of God in which ordinary self-centered thoughts and desires are minimized so that one may becomes a true servant of God in speech and actions–following the model of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Another aim of the sufi path is to cultivate humility, selflessnes, and “spiritual poverty” [faqr] by becoming a “poor one” [Arabic, "faqîr"; Persian, "darvîsh"], an interpretation of the verse, “O men, you are poor [fuqarâ] in relation to Allâh, and Allâh is the Rich [al-Ghanî], the All-Praiseworthy” (Q.35:15).

Sufism may also be called “Islamic mysticism,” or the Islamic path of transcendence of the illusion of distinctions and separations maintained by the ordinary mind, and of direct realization of the transcendent Oneness of the Creator: “Whichever way you turn, there is the Face of Allâh” (Q.2:115), “He is the Outward and the Inward [al-Zâhir wa 'l-BâTin]” (Q.57:3).

Sufis follow the Tradition that the Holy Qur’ân has an outward meaning and up to seven inner meanings [ilà sab`ati abTun], with the understanding that these meanings should not contradict the spirit of the outward or plain meaning. As Mawlânâ Rûmî wrote: “In regard to the words of the Qur’ân, know that there is an outward (meaning); underneath the outward (meaning) is a very powerful inward (meaning)” (”Masnavi” III: 4244). In contrast to Muslims who have primarily an externalist approach to Islam, who interpret the Qur’ân in a literal way, and who believe that the relationship to our Creator is nothing more than being obedient servants who follow commands, Muslim mystics focus on the connection to God through love (”He loves them and they love him”–Q.5:57; “Those who believe (in One God) are more strong in (their) love for Allâh”–Q.2:165). They also focus on the possibility of intimacy [uns] and nearness [qurbat] mentioned in the Qur’ân (”those nearest” [to God--al-muqarrabîn, Q.3:45; 56:88; "truly, He is the All-Hearing, the Ever-Near" [Qarîb, Q.34:50; "When My servant comes nearer to Me from doing extra devotions [nawâfil], I come nearer to him; if he comes closer by a span, I come closer by a span; if he comes walking, I come running”–Hadîth al-Qudsî). As Abu Hâmid al-Ghazzâlî (died, 1111 C.E.) said, “Those who think in this way [of being obedient servants of God, and nothing more] do not know the essence of the Religion [aSl-e dîn].”

The Creation by Westerners of “Non-Islamic Sufism”

During most of the past two hundred years, however, Western scholars (sometimes called Orientalists) have not viewed sufism as something largely inspired by the Qur’ân and Traditions [Ahâdîth]. Instead, they have tended to view sufism as imported from other religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Neoplatonism, Gnosticism, Hermeticism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, or Buddhism. Here is an example from an Orientalist who translated some of the poems of Hâfiz from Persian in 1897:

“Hafiz belonged to the great sect from which so many of the most famous among Persian writers have sprung. Like Sa’di and Jami and Jelaleddin Rumi and a score of others, he was a Sufi. The history of Sufiism has yet to be written, the sources from which it arose are uncertain, and that it should have found a home in Mahommadanism, the least mystical of all religions, is still unexplained. Some have supposed that Sufiism was imported from India after the time of Mahommad…. A third theory is that the origins of Sufiism are to be looked for in the philosophy of the Greeks, strangely distorted by the Eastern mind, and in the influence of Christianity…”¹

The founding of the Theosophical Society in New York in 1875 had a great influence in promoting the acceptance of Eastern religions in America. It’s motto was, “There is no Religion higher than Truth.” Like previous forms of European esoteric (or to use an Arabic word, bâTinî”) teachings such as Masonry and Rosicrucianism, Theosophy taught that there is a secret and universal spiritual doctrine that is thousands of years old that is hidden within the major religions of the world–a doctrine known in its entirety by “secret masters” or “Mahatmas” (hidden in Tibet, it was believed at the time). Theosophy borrowed (and altered) teachings and terminology from Hinduism and Buddhism as a way to promote its own esoteric teachings and doctrines.

As a result of the influence of Theosophy, it gradually became acceptable in Christian America to seek spiritual advancement by studying and practicing yoga and Buddhism–without any requirement to change religions or become involved with Hindu or Buddhist temples and priests. Starting in the 1950’s, Americans began to become attracted to the teachings and practice of Zen Buddhism in a similar way.

The popularization of sufism in the West followed this same pattern (first in Europe and then in America) starting in 1910 through a sufi musician and spiritual teacher from India, `Inâyat Khân, who taught that sufism is a form of universal mysticism with no real dependence upon Islam. Westerners were encouraged that they could learn sufi wisdom and do sufi spiritual practices without changing religions or becoming involved with Muslim ritual prayers and Muslim religious authorities. Many popular books on sufism written by non-scholars were published that “authoritatively” stated that sufism is independent of Islam, is a tradition that predated Islam by thousands of years (or was later connected to Islam only by “historical circumstances”), and is a wisdom teaching that transcends any particular religion. One example was a half-English occultist named Idries Shah, who wrote numerous books on sufism and was promoted for many years as “the world’s leading authority on sufism.” Shah taught that sufism is independent of Islam, that most of the occult teachings in Europe (such as Alchemy, Masonry, Rosicrucianism, Tarot, and the modern teachings of G. I. Gurdjieff) had their origins in Middle Eastern sufi groups led by “secret masters”–that were said to be hidden, no longer in Tibet, but in Afghanistan, as had been claimed earlier by Gurdjieff.

The result of the above is that most Americans of European ancestry involved in sufism at the present time belong to non-Islamic organizations, the members of which believe very strongly that sufism is a universal wisdom teaching that is independent of Islam. Many of these groups practice what is called “sufi dancing,” which involves a European folk dance format in which men and women hold hands together in a circle, while singing spiritual songs from Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and Sufi traditions. In some of thesse Western sufi groups, members attend gatherings for a “Universal Worship” service in which passages from different scriptures of the major world religions are read in sequence.

Western Views of Mawlânâ as a “Non-Islamic Sufi”

The name of Mawlânâ Rûmî gradually became more and more familiar among people in these non-Islamic sufi groups as one of the greatest sufi masters who ever lived. The great scholar of Mawlânâ’s works during the last century in the West was a British scholar named R. A. Nicholson. In 1898 he published translations of 48 ghazal poems, all of which he believed were from Mawlânâ’s “Dîvân-e Kabîr.” ² Of these, 7 ghazals are now rejected by scholars as authentic poems by Mawlânâ because these are not found in the earliest manuscripts of his “Dîvân.”

One of these seven ghazals not composed by Mawlânâ eventually became one of the most famous “Rûmî poems” in the West, and also in Turkey. It begins:

“What is to be done, O Moslems? for I do not recognise myself. I am neither Christian nor Jew, nor Gabr, nor Moslem.”³

Nicholson admitted that the Persian text for this ghazal did not occur in any of the editions or manuscripts that he used.⁴ Perhaps he was misled by the final fake line (”O Shams-e Tabriz, I am so drunken…”) that was composed by the anonymous poet to make it seem like an authentic Rumi poem.

This is a poem that has led many people to strongly believe that Mawlânâ had gone “beyond Islam” to become a kind of universal mystic who was tolerant of all religions. The poem seems to be saying that Mawlânâ Rûmî no longer viewed himself as a Muslim. Popular versions based on Nicholson’s translation were later published that seemed to suggest that Mawlânâ denied being a Muslim, such as:

“I am not a Christian, I am not a Jew, I am not a Zoroastrian, and I am not even a Muslim.”⁵ And: “Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu, Buddhist, sufi, or zen. Not any religion or cultural system.”⁶

Another non-authentic poem, a quatrain that was written by a different Persian sufi poet several centuries before his time, also became well-known in America after being translated into English from a Turkish translation: “Come, come, whoever you are, wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving, it doesn’t matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. Come, come, even if you have broken your vow a thousand times, come–come yet again, come!”⁷ This was interpreted by Westerners to mean that it made no difference to Mawlânâ whether people who came to him belonged to other religions.

A third case involves a story from Mawlânâ’s “Masnavi” in which God is represented as saying to the Prophet Moses–upon whom be peace, who had criticized the heartfelt prayer of a simple shepherd: “In the Hindoos the idiom of Hind (India) is praiseworthy; in the Sindians the idiom of Sind is praiseworthy.”⁸ This authentic verse by Mawlânâ has also been interpreted by Westerners to mean that he thought that differences between religions are unimportant–which is not correct.⁹

For many years, the main translation of Mawlânâ’s poetry that was available in English was the complete translation of the “Masnavi” by the British scholar, R. A. Nicholson, published between 1926-1934. This was a highly accurate translation, but was done in a very academic manner, full of many (to Americans) old-fashioned and Victorian-sounding words. Another difficulty for Americans was that Nicholson’s translation contained all the hundreds of Islamic references to the Qur’ân, Traditions [Ahâdîth], Islamic prayers, etc. The other available accurate translations were two small volumes of (a total of 400) odes, or ghazals, from Mawlânâ’s “Dîwân” that were made by another British scholar, A. J. Arberry (”Mystical Poems of Rumi”) in 1968 and 1979.

One can see, looking back in time, that in order for Mawlânâ Rûmî to be accepted on a popular level in America as one of the greatest sufi masters of the past, he needed to be presented as a part of the so-called “universal sufi tradition” that was viewed as independent of Islam–in other words, he needed to be made into a “non-Islamic sufi.” This distortion was not done consciously, but developed as a way for Mawlânâ’s poetry to be rendered in a non-scholarly, poetic, and more “alive” manner.

And this is what happened: a number of authors, who do not know Persian, altered the meanings, to a significant degree, of the translations made by scholars such as Nicholson using a poetic “free-verse” style. They portrayed Mawlânâ in a way that would be more acceptable and popular–that is as a “sufi” who began as a “Muslim theologian” but who became transformed after meeting his spiritual master, Shams-e Tabrîzî, into a universal mystic freed from all religions and whose only creed was Love.

Dozens of popular books were published as “Rumi translations,” although the authors do not know Persian. Some of the books were actual translations made by Iranians living in America who were not scholars; these translations are often highly “versionized,” skip many verses, and eliminate many Islamic terms and references in order to popularize. Some of the most successful authors worked in conjunction with Iranians Americans who gave them literal translations from Persian; the authors then used the literal translations to make their own freely interpreted versions. These are not true collaborations, because there is little evidence that the Iranian partners corrected the (often misunderstood and distorted) interpretations of the (non-Persian-reading) American authors–who seem to have been given complete freedom to interpret and change the meanings however they liked and to choose the final wordings. These books have sold widely in America with the words “translated by” or “Rumi translations” on the book covers, when they are actually interpretive versions, and not translations. This misleads the public who naturally assume that the books are authentic translations made from another language. The most successful of these authors in America is Coleman Barks, who used literal translations given to him by John Moyne (formerly Javad Mo`în) to make his own poetic versions. Here is an example of the second half of one of Mawlânâ’s quatrains that was “versionized” by Barks:

“Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”¹⁰

Here is my own more accurate translation from the original Persian text:

“There are a hundred kinds of prayer [namâz], bowing [rukû`], and prostration [sujûd] For the one whose prayer-niche [mihrâb] is the beauty of the Beloved [jamâl-e Dôst].”¹¹

Barks has admitted that he deliberately eliminates Islamic meanings in his interpretations:

“For example, Barks says he rewrote a Rumi line that originally read in English, ‘out beyond what is holy in Islam and what is not permitted in Islam’ to ‘out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right- doing.’ ‘I took the Islam out of it,’ Barks says in a phone interview from his home in Athens, Georgia. ‘Yeah, the fundamentalists or people who think there is one particular revelation scold me for this.’”¹²

Barks also admitted to avoiding the word “God” in his versions:

“I avoid God-words, not altogether, but wherever I can, because they seem to take away the freshness of experience and put it inside a specific system. Rumi’s poetry belongs to everyone and his impulse was toward experience rather than any language or doctrine about it…”¹³

Other popular version-makers also tend to avoid the word “God” and they tend to skip or change Mawlânâ’s prayers into “spiritual insights.” These books developed a modern mythology about his life that minimizes his connection to Islam. He is portrayed as a learned professor, legal scholar, and a theologian until he met Shams-e Tabrîzî and then became a sufi. This is not correct: he was strongly influenced by his father’s unique mysticism (through personal contact and his father’s book, “Ma`ârif”) and by his first sufi teacher of nine years, Sayyid Burhânuddîn Muhaqqiq Termezî (a disciple of his father). The way Mawlânâ’s life is popularly portrayed implies that Shams “freed” him from being a “Muslim fundamentalist” and made him into a mystic who transcended all religions. Even the story of his funeral in was changed in a number of books, by falsely adding Hindus and Buddhists to Mawlânâ’s funeral procession [janâza]¹⁴–which would seem to suggest that he may have had disciples from all the major religions and that he was therefore knowledgeable about other religions.

Mawlânâ’s Views About Islam and Other Religions

However, a study of works of Mawlânâ and the earliest Persian sources about his life and teachings indicates that he knew little about other religions except what he would have learned from a traditional Islamic education.

These works show that Mawlânâ Rûmî was a very devout and pious Muslim, as well as a great Muslim mystic and poet. His poetry is filled with references to the Holy Qur’ân and the Traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon him). For example, he wrote about his masterpiece, the “Masnavi,” as “the roots of the roots of the roots of the (Islamic) Religion [uSûlu uSûluSûlu 'd-dîn]… and the explainer of the Qur’ân [kashshâfu 'l-qur'ân].”¹⁵

“I am the servant of the Qur’ân [man banda-yi qur'ân-am] as long as I have life. I am the dust on the path of Muhammad, the Chosen one [muhammad-e mukhtâr]. If anyone quotes anything except this from my sayings, I am quit of him and outraged by these words.”¹⁶

There are stories about his beautiful manners toward monks and his kindness toward some other Christians in Konya, but the focus of the stories is on the ones who converted to Islam. Special attention is given to one man who appears to have been Mawlânâ’s primary Christian convert. He was a Greek named Theryânûs who was about to be executed for murder, but Mawlânâ interceded with the Sultan of Konya to spare his life. “He accepted the Faith at the hand of Mawlânâ and became a Muslim.” He was circumcised, Mawlânâ named him `Alâ’uddîn (”the Lofty Dignity of the Faith”)

Theryânûs, and he became one of Mawlânâ’s disciples.¹⁷

Mawlânâ Rûmî proclaimed the superiority of the Prophet Muhammad–upon whom be peace–and Islam:

“Any seals which the Prophets (of the past) left (in place) have been taken off by the religion of Muhammad.”¹⁸ “A star (of Divine Light) revealed its face in Muhammad, so that the substance (of the religion) of Jews and Zoroastrians passed away.”¹⁹

“…it would be correct that (the Christian) should say, ‘Truly the Lord [rabb] of Jesus honored Jesus and brought him near (to His Presence). For the one who serves Jesus certainly serves the Lord, and the one who follows him certainly follows the Lord. But then Allâh sent a more excellent Prophet than Jesus. He demonstrated by his hand what He demonstrated by the hand of Jesus. And more: it is obligatory that he should follow that Prophet of God Most High–(but) not for his sake. For one should not serve (anything) for itself except God, and one should not love (anything) for itself except God.”²⁰

Western Views of Shams as a “Non-Islamic Sufi”

In order to view Mawlânâ as someone who transcended Islam, Western authors have also depicted his spiritual master, Shams-e Tabrîzî, in a similar way as a kind of radical dervish whose aim was to “rescue” Mawlânâ away from being a “Muslim theologian” and to transform him into a kind of universal mystic. In this regard, they had some backing from scholars. For example, Nicholson wrote in 1898:

“It will be proper to set down here the few facts preserved by tradition concerning this weird figure, wrapped in coarse black felt, who flits across the stage for a moment and disappears tragically enough…. His character was despotic and overbearing; he was extremely bitter in his sermons, and likened his learned auditors to oxen and asses. Perhaps this may be the reason why Dr Sprenger calls him ‘a most disgusting cynic.’ He was comparatively illiterate, but his tremendous spiritual enthusiasm, based on the conviction that he was a chosen organ and mouth-piece of Deity, cast a spell over all who entered the enchanted circle of his power…. Bitterly resenting what they conceived to be an insidious attempt to seduce their beloved Master from the true religion, Jalal’s scholars and disciples assailed the unwelcome visitor with abuse, if not with actual violence. Shams fled to Damascus.”²¹

Another scholar, who wrote in 1956, partly supported the claim made by a Persian author (who wrote 200 years after Mawlânâ died) that Shams was born into the Isma`îlî sect, a heretical offshoot of Shî`ism:

“Curiously enough, Shams-i-Tabriz belonged to the Assassin tribe of Hasan b. Sabbah. His grandfather, Nur-ud-din Muhammad, a lieutenant of Hasan b. Sabbah, succeeded his chief in A.D. 1166…. He died in 1210 and was succeeded by his son Jalal-ud-din, who utterly reversed the policy of his father and grandfather, abolished all antinomianism and declared himself an orthodox Muslim whence he was known as ‘Nau Musalman’. Shams-i-Tabriz is said to be his son, according to Daulat Shah. But Jalal-ud-din Nau Musalman had no other son except ‘Ala-ud-din Muhammad. Besides, according to some statements, Shams was an old man of sixty when he arrived in Konya in 1244. He must have been born, therefore, about the year 1185. Daulat Shah’s statement about Sham’s heredity cannot, therefore, be easily accepted.”²²

Shams-e Tabrîzî’s Views About Islam

Although Shams-e Tabrîzî has been described for more than a century as an illiterate wandering dervish [qalandar] who was charismatic and had antinomian or heretical tendencies, we now have much more information about him for the first time him in the English language, thanks to American scholars such as Franklin Lewis²³ and William Chittick²⁴ that was previously available only in Persian since 1990. These are based on an edition, made by an Iranian scholar (Movahhed) of the “Discourses” of Shams (”Maqâlât-e Shams-e Tabrîzî”), which consists of a large number of quotations that were written down in Persian (with some passages in Arabic) by Shams’ disciples in Konya (among whom was Mawlânâ’s son, Sultân Walad). We now know that he had a solid Islamic education in the Arabic language and that he was a Sunnî Muslim who followed the Shâfi`î school of Islamic law.²⁵ He must have memorized the Qur’ân, since he taught young boys to memorize it.²⁶ According to Aflâkî, Shams arrived in Konya on November 29, 1244.²⁷ Aflâkî called him “Mawlânâ Shamsu ‘l-Haqq wa ‘l-Dîn Muhammad, ibn `Alî, ibn Malîk-dâd al-Tabrîzî.”²⁸ According to early Mawlawî (or Mevlevi) tradition, the spiritual tradition of Mawlânâ’s successors, he was said to be 60 years of age.²⁹

Lewis wrote:

“Shams was a Shâfe`i (Maq 182) and he studied feqh, reading extensively in the standard legal textbooks. He specifically mentions one of the five major Shâfe`i legal texts…. he never completely rejected the scholarly study of religion for he did not like the pretense of many who prided themselves on their spiritual questing (Maq 249)…. Shams was thus very educated, contrary to what the accounts of a common man turned mystic suggest. However, he cloaked his nature from religious scholars as well as from practicing pietists, such that his contemporaries were confused about whether he considered himself a scholar of law (faqih) or a fakir (faqir), a Sufi practicing spiritual poverty (Maq 326).”³⁰

And Chittick wrote:

“The stories and anecdotes told in the later literature often make Shams out to be a spiritual genius, contemptuous of book-learning and ignorant of the Islamic sciences. The Discourses show that there is little basis for this view. In fact, Shams knew the Koran by heart and used to make his living as a teacher. He had studied jurisprudence (fiqh)–the science of the Shariah, the religious law–and even in Konya he spent time in the company of jurists…. He certainly looked with contempt on superficial learning and the pretensions of the ulama, that is, the scholars who taught in the mosques and madrassahs. In his view, they were traitors to their calling because they employed religious learning to make a living rather than to find God.”³¹

“…Shams’s words are surprisingly colloquial, even if he employs a good deal of technical language drawn from the Koran, the Hadith, jurisprudence (fiqh), Sufism, philosophy and theology.”³²

In regard to what is now known about Shamsuddîn, it is very significant that he placed so much importance on “following” [mutâba`at], meaning following the example of the behavior that was modeled by the Prophet Muhammad (called the “Sunnah” of the Prophet).³³ Shams rejected a number of well-known sufi masters (contemporary and past ones) because they did not follow the example of the Prophet sufficiently (and some apparently felt they were so spiritually advanced that they had no such need).³⁴ Based on this understanding, the initial meeting between Shams and Mawlânâ can be seen in a new light: Shams was searching for one of the great hidden saints of God–and one of the proofs of such a person would be a humble veneration and love of the Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be peace) combined with a strong commitment to following the Prophet’s pious way of life. This would be in contrast to other sufis who made claims of receiving extraordinary spiritual favors from God but who had a lack of commitment to following the Prophet’s example.

The earliest account is by Shams-e Tabrîzî himself, as recorded by his disciples:

“…I’m not talking about (Muhammad) Mustafà–(may the) peace (of God) be upon him…. But I’m saying (that) he is more superior in regard to those who (came) after him, and (therefore) how can I equate anyone with him? For that which has come to me beyond the acquisition of the knowledge (of religious learning), the intellect, and the toil and exertion (of the mind)–that (has come) with the blessings of following him [bi-barakâti mutâba`ati-hi]. And the first words I spoke with (Mawlânâ) were these: “But as for Abû Yazîd (al-Bistâmî), why didn’t he adhere to following [mutâba`at] (the Prophet’s example) and (why) didn’t (he) say ‘Glory be to You! We have not worshipped You’ (as You deserve to be worshipped) [subhâna-ka, mâ `abad-nâ-ka...]?” Then Mawlânâ knew to completion and perfection (the meaning of) those words (of the Prophet). But what was the final outcome of these words? Then his inmost consciousness made him drunk from these (words), because his inmost consciousness was cleansed (and) purified, (and) therefore (the meaning of) it became known to him. And with his drunkenness, I (also) knew the pleasure and delight of those words–for I had been neglectfully unaware of the pleasure and delight of these words.”³⁵

In sum, Shams-e Tabrîzî found the hidden saint he had long searched for, one who was advanced on the sufi path who continued to follow the Prophet Muhammad, and who acknowledged that the Prophet journeyed far beyond any of the Muslim sufi masters who came after him in the mystical worship of God. And Shams confirmed that, after their initial conversation, they both entered a state of spiritual ecstasy together.

Changing Views of Western Scholars about Sufism and Mawlânâ as a Muslim

Fortunately, Western scholars have revised their views about the relation of sufism to Islam during the past 50 years. For example, the British scholar A. J. Arberry (a student of Nicholson) wrote a book on sufism in 1950 in which he said that he was not going to restate the arguments during the previous century that much or little of sufism was imported from other religions by the sufis. He went on to say:

“…we shall leave this fact to speak for itself, and confine our attention to presenting Sufism as if it were an isolated manifestation; viewing the movement from within as an aspect of Islam, as though these other factors which certainly determined its growth did not exist. By following this procedure it is hoped to draw a picture recognisable as a unity of itself, a picture of a mysticism developing out of a single creed and ritual, which may then be compared and contrasted with the mysticisms of other faiths and so be seen for what it really is.”³⁶

A major breakthrough was the publication in English in 1975 of a book by a German scholar of Mawlânâ’s works, Annemarie Schimmel, entitled “Mystical Dimensions of Islam”:

“Sufism meant, in the formative period, mainly an interiorization of Islam, a personal experience of the central mystery of Islam, that of tauhîd, ‘to declare that God is one.’ The Sufis always remained inside the fold of Islam, and their mystical attitude was not limited by their adherence to any of the legal or theological schools. They could reach their goal from any starting point–neither the differences between the legal madhhabs nor theological hairsplitting was, basically, of interest to them.”³⁷

John Renard (a student of Schimmel), who wrote a less well-known book (in 1994), stated what most authors of books on Mawlânâ have avoided stating plainly–that he was a Muslim:

“Although it may seem all to obvious to need saying, Rumi was a Muslim. Yet what one sometimes hears about his attitude to formal religious affiliation is that he cared not a fig to what community one belonged–and perhaps even went so far as to deny the importance of his own adherence to Islam. For reasons such as that, or perhaps because of the oddly persistent notion that Sufis have always drifted off toward the fringes of Islamic society, relatively little attention has been given to what one of the world’s most prominent and popular Muslims thought and felt about Islam’s most fundamental notions and principles.”³⁸

Renard’s book gives examples of the treasures which Mawlânâ excavated from the Qur’ânic “mine of precious gems.” He wrote:

“From that mine he brings forth the rough gems of the tradition, cutting and polishing them as only he can, so that they reflect his own insight into, and interiorization of, the central themes of Islamic life. . . ritual prayer, jihad, pilgrimage, fasting, his understanding of the significance of revelation, and his interpretation of the crucial events of early Islamic history as enshrined in the life of Muhammad.”³⁹

The most comprehensive book in English on the life and works of Mawlânâ was written by the Franklin Lewis in 2000 (revised, 2003). It resembles an encyclopedia in scope and comprehensiveness.

“It will simply not do to extract quotations out of context and present Rumi as a prophet of the presumptions of an unchurched and syncretic spirituality. While Rumi does indeed demonstrate a tolerant and inclusive understanding of religion, he also, we must remember trained as a preacher, like his father before him, and as a scholar of Islamic law. Rumi did not come to his theology of tolerance and inclusive spirituality by turning away from traditional Islam or organized religion, but through an immersion in it; his spiritual yearning stemmed from a radical desire to follow the example of the Prophet Mohammad and actualize his potential as a perfect Muslim…. To understand Rumi one must obviously understand something of the beliefs and assumptions he held as a Muslim. Rumi’s beliefs derived from the Koran, the Hadith, Islamic theology and the works of Sunni mystics like Sanâ’i, `Attâr and his own father, Bahâ al-Din Valad.”⁴⁰

“Rumi as Sunni: Though there were Shiite communities scattered throughout Iran, Iranians were predominantly Sunni in the time of Rumi….. It seems to me that Rumi considered each of the first four so-called ‘rightly guided’ caliphs as the spiritual axis of the age. Rumi tells many positive stories about Abu Bakr and `Omar (`Umar) in the Masnavi, as well as one very long passage in which Mu`âwiya (the Syrian governor who opposed `Ali by force of arms and usurped the caliphate from him, thus winning the eternal enmity of Shiites), whose name is followed by the honorific, ‘may God be pleased with him,’ features as a spiritual hero in combating the temptations of Iblis, or Satan (M2:2603-740).”⁴¹

“Rumi as Hanafi: ….In Rumi’s time, Iranian Sunnis mostly followed either the Hanafi or the Shâfe`i school.”⁴²

The present author’s book, “Rumi and Islam” was published in 2004. It consists of three sections of translations with commentary of some of Mawlânâ Rûmî’s stories about the noble virtues of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), of some of his quotations and interpretations of the sayings [Ahâdîth] of the Prophet, and of some of his praises of the excellent qualities of the Prophet. The translations are from all of Mawlânâ’s works (Masnavî, Dîvân-e Kabîr, Fîhi Mâ Fîhi, Majâlis-e Sab`a, Maktûbât). The book did not sell well, probably due to a combination of negative stereotypes and biased representions of Islam in present-day America, as well as resistance to allow Mawlânâ to be a Muslim. Here are some excerpts from the book:

“This book you are now holding is a selection of what I believe are the best of Rumi’s accounts of the compassionate actions, sayings, and qualities of the Prophet, which include Rumi’s own inspired comments and explanations. It is my hope that you will be surprised and uplifted by the profound wisdom that Jalaluddin Rumi conveys through these stories and sayings of the Prophet. I also hope that it will educate Western lovers of Rumi’s poetry about the Islamic foundations of his lover-Beloved mystical poetry. And I hope that it will also educate Muslim readers, who may be skeptical of Islamic mysticism (Sufism) and the poetry of Rumi, about how Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi was one of the greatest Muslim followers of the Prophet Muhammad, and how his Jesus-like teachings about the nature of love for God and God’s Love for us are most suitable for increasing the appreciation of Islamic wisdom in the West.”⁴³

“If you are thinking that the ‘Muslim Rumi’ described here is not the Rumi that you have come to revere and love, the ‘Rumi of Universal Love’–that Rumi, who was filled with pure love for God and all of creation–was real; his soul remains in sanctified nearness to God, and the blessing of his spirit lives through his poetry and words and at his tomb in Turkey. You can read in other books about Rumi’s passionate mystical metaphors–about the reed-flute’s shrill cry of longing for its original home in the reed field, the nightingale’s passionate love songs for the rose, the self-sacrificing love of the moth for the candle flame, the yearning of the water for the thirsty man, and so on. You may have read descriptions and poems about Rumi’s extraordinary mystical love for his Sufi master and friend, Shams-e Tabrîzî. But now read about his reverence and love for the Prophet Muhammad. With this book you are invited to let go, for a time, of whatever attachment you may have to the popularized image of Rumi you have read or heard about, and to allow Rumi to be the Muslim he was. Read here a very different selection of Rumi translations than you have encountered before. Hopefully, the annotations will help you understand and appreciate them more clearly, and drink cup after cup of his extraordinary God-given supply of sublime spiritual wisdom.”⁴⁴

Source: http://www.dar-al-masnavi.org/western_views.html

NOTES

¹Gertrude Bell, p. 50, “Poems from the Divan of Hafiz,” 1897, p. 50.

²R. A. Nicholson, “Selected Poems from the Dîvâni Shamsi Tabrîz,” 1898.

³ Nicholson, “Selected Poems,” No. XXXI, p. 125.

⁴Nicholson, “Selected Poems,” p. 281.

⁵Andrew Harvey, “The Way of Passion: A Celebration of Rumi” 1994, p. 151. Following this biased interpretive version, Harvey went so far as to claim that “Mohammed wasn’t a Muslim, Buddha wasn’t a Buddhist, and Christ wasn’t a Christian! So how could Rumi be a Muslim? Religions are a cosmic disaster because immediately when the sacred fire is lit, somebody steals it to illuminate some grim old sanctuary” (p. 151-52). Apparently ignorant of the universal Islamic belief that Muhammad was the final Prophet, he declared, “Rumi is a prophet, talking to us with poetry to inspire our transformation” (p. 158).

⁶An interpretive version, based on Nicholson’s translation, by Coleman Barks, “The Essential Rumi” p. 32, 1995.

⁷This is from a quatrain found among the quatrains of Bâbâ Afzaluddîn Kâshânî (died 1274–Mawlânâ died in 1273) and is related to a similar quatrain attributed to Abu Sa’id ibn Abi ‘l-Khayr (died 1048 C. E.). See the translation from Persian by Vraje Abramian, “Nobody, Son of Nobody: Poems of Shaikh Abu Saeed Abil-Kheir,” 2001, p. 4. Here is an accurate translation of this Persian quatrain: “Return (in repentance), return! Whatever you are, return! Even if you are an unbeliever or a Magian or an idol worshipper, return! This [dervish] court of ours is not a court of despair. Even if you have broken your repentance a hundred times, return!” (Excerpted from Gamard and Farhadi, “The Quatrains of Rumi,” an unpublished manuscript.)

In an interview with the late Mevlevi Shaykh and scholar, Shefik Can, he stated: “This quatrain does not belong to Mevlana, and this is already known by everyone.” He also said that this quatrain is often misunderstood as meaning that people can break their vows of repentance for sins as much as they like and they will still be welcome to join the circles of the sufis. And he added: “In one of his hadiths, our Prophet Mohammed says that if people repent and ask God for forgiveness, but yet commit the same sin again, they would become more sinful. If you deny your oaths a hundred times and this is perceived as insignificant, then is this appropriate in Islamic belief?” And: “He does not say ‘Come, our dergah is available for everything. Do the things that people outside do not accept in our dergah, and will we welcome it.’ Yet, people misinterpret that. Constantly reading this quatrain had negative effects on people.” (”Interview with Mevlevi Sheikh Shefik Can,” May 2, 2005, www.zaman.com.)

⁸A translation by R. A. Nicholson, “The Mathnawi of Jalâluddîn Rûmî,” 1926, Book II: 1757.

⁹Mawlânâ chose the words “Hinduwân” and “Sindiyân” for the sake of the rhyme–not out of acceptance of the Hindu religion, which he would have viewed as involving polytheism and idolatry. Instead, he was referring–for the sake of his Muslim listeners–to Indian Muslims who spoke the language of the people in the countries along the Indus River.

Here is my own translation: “The idiomatic speech (of the country ) of Hind is the (mode of) praise (of God) for the [Muslim] Hindians, (and) the idiomatic speech of Sind is the (mode of) praise (of God) for the [Muslim] Sindians. I do not become pure and holy by their praise, but they become purified and shining (by it). We do not regard the tongue and (outward) speech, (but) We regard the soul and the (inward) state.”

By the time of Mawlânâ, Islam had been established in India for over five hundred years. See Mawlânâ’s story of the elephant brought from India for display (to a people unfamiliar with the animal) and kept in a dark house by “Hindus” (”Masnavi” III: 2839)–clearly a reference to Muslims from India who were earning money by using their elephant; the story does not mean that they were Indian polytheists, who would not have been welcomed in Muslim countries far from India. See also the verse, “(If) you are a man of (intention to go on) the Pilgrimage [hajj], seek (another) pilgrim [hajjî] (as your) companion, whether Hendû, Turk, or `Arab” (”Masnavi” Book I: 2894). Here, Mawlânâ is clearly referring to fellow Muslims from different Muslim countries. It was much later that the word “Hendû” came to mean in Persian someone who was a worshipper of the Hindu religion. (Excerpts from Gamard, “Rumi and Islam: Selections from His Stories, Poems, and Discourses; Annotated and Explained,” 2004, pp. xiv, 187.)

¹⁰Interpretive version by Coleman Barks (based on a literal translation by John Moyne), “Open Secret,” 1984, p. 7; reprinted in “The Essential Rumi” 1995, p. 36.

¹¹Rûmî’s quatrain no. 81 (no. 94 in Shefik Can’s translation, “Hz. Mevlânâ’nin Rubaileri”), translated by Ibrahim Gamard and Ravan Farhadi, from “The Quatrains of Rumi,” an unpublished manuscript consisting of the Persian text, English translations, and commentary of the nearly 2,000 quatrains attributed to Rûmî.

These verses involve a mystical interpretation of the Islamic ritual prayer. The sufis pray, not just five times a day, but pray to God, the Source of Love and Beauty, in hundreds of ways throughout the day. The original Persian does not mention “kissing” or “the ground.” It can be seen that Barks’ often-quoted words, “Let the beauty we love be what we do,” are his words and are not Mawlânâ’s words at all– which in this line depict a spiritual devotion toward the beauty of the Beloved.

¹² Interview with Coleman Barks, “Poet follows his own muse in translating Sufi mystic/ His Rumi books are surprising best-sellers” San Francisco Chronicle, April 4, 2002 .

¹³Coleman Barks, “The Soul of Rumi: A New Collection of Ecstatic Poems,” 2001, p. 9.

¹⁴The source of the funeral story is Aflâkî (”Manâqibu ‘l-`ârifîn,” 3:580), where he stated that “all the nations/religions/sects” [milal] were present–meaning from the communities in the Konya area, not from all over the world. Then Aflâkî wrote more specifically: “…from among the Christians, Jews, Greeks, Arabs, Turks, and others [ghayr] also.”

¹⁵“Masnavi”, Book I, Preface

¹⁶Mawlânâ’s Quatrain No. 1173, translated by Ibrahim Gamard and Ravan Farhadi, from “The Quatrains of Rumi” an unpublished manuscript.

¹⁷Aflâkî, “Manâqib ‘l-`ârifin, 3:185.”

¹⁸Mawlânâ’s “Masnavi” Book VI: 165. From Gamard, “Rumi and Islam,” p. 157. He also said, “Oh, (there are) many unbelievers [kuffâr] (that are) yearning for the (true) Religion [Dîn] but their chain (and barrier) is (concerns about worldly) reputation and pride” (”Masnavi” Book I: 3246).

¹⁹Mawlânâ’s “Masnavi” Book V: 3397. From Gamard, “Rumi and Islam,” p. 162.

²⁰Mawlânâ’s “Fîhi Mâ Fîhi” (Arabic text), Discourse 29. From Gamard, “Rumi and Islam,” p. 163.

²¹Nicholson, “Selected Poems,” pp. xviii-xx, xxiii.

²²Afzal Iqbal, “The Life and Work of Jalâl-ud-dîn Rûmî,” 1956, pp. 107-8. This claim was made by Dawlatshâh Samarqandî in 1487 C. E. (”Tadhkira-yi Dawlatshâh,” p. 195).

²³Franklin Lewis “Rumi–Past and Present, East and West: The Life, Teachings and Poetry of Jalâl al-Din Rûmi,” 2003 (revised paperback edition), 686 pages. This book contains a very informative 68-page chapter on Shams-e Tabrîzî.

²⁴William Chittick, “Me and Rumi: The Autobiography of Shams-e Tabrizi,” 2004. This book (of 400 pages) consists of excerpts from the “Discourses of Shams-e Tabrîzî” (”Maqâlât-e Shams-e Tabrîzî” arranged into thematic chapters.

²⁵“Maqâlât” (Persian text, edited by Movahhed), p. 182-83; pp. 142-43 in Lewis’ trans.; p. 133 in Chittick’s translation, “I am a Shafi`î…”

²⁶See the excerpts translated by Chittick in which Shams-e Tabrîzî is quoted about his years of teaching children to memorize the Qur’an, pp. 7-12.

²⁷Aflâkî, “Manâqibu ‘l-`ârifîn,” p. 84 and 618, Saturday, 26 Jumâdà ‘l-âkhir, A. H. 642. Aflâkî was born after the death of Mawlânâ (1273 C. E.) and was a disciple of Mawlânâ’s grandson, Ulu `ârif Chalabî. Aflâkî collected all the stries about Mawlânâ and wrote his book between 1318-53 C. E. There is a complete translation into English of his book, translated by John O’Kane, “The Feats of the Knowers of God, 2002, 788 pages. Other early Persian accounts that have not yet been translated into English are those of Mawlânâ’s son, Sultan Valad, and Sepahsâlâr, a disciple of Mawlânâ’s. According to Lewis (p. 249), Sultan Valad wrote over a dozen years after Mawlânâ died and Sepahsâlâr wrote almost forty years after.

²⁸Aflâkî (Persian text), p. 614.

²⁹“Maqâlât-e Valad Chalabî,” mentioned in a footnote in Forûzânfar’s “Zindegânî” (p. 50); mentioned by Iqbal (p. 108) as quoted by Forûzânfar in “Khalâsa-yé Masnavî” (p. 542). This age is referred to by Lewis (p. 155). Shams-e Tabrîzî referred to himself as an “old man” [man mard-e pîr] in the “Maqâlât” (Persian text); in Lewis, p. 155.

³⁰Lewis, pp. 142-3.

³¹Chittick, p. xvi.

³²Chittick, pp. xx-xxi.

³³See Chittick’s section, “Following Muhammad,” in his trans. of the “Discourses,” pp. 68-88; see also p. 33. See Lewis, p. 150, 156-58.

³⁴Lewis, p. 150.

³⁵“Maqâlât” (Arabic text), p. 685. This passage, and the paragraphs before and after, are excerpted from Gamard and Farhadi, “The Quatrains of Rumi,” an unpublished manuscript. See the translations of this important Arabic quote from Shams made by Chittick (pp. 209-10) and by Lewis (p. 155).

³⁶A. J. Arberry, “Sufism: An Account of the Mystics of Islam,” 1950, pp. 11-12.

³⁷ Annemarie Schimmel, “Mystical Dimensions of Islam,” 1975, p. 17.

³⁸John Renard, “All the King’s Falcons: Rumi on Prophets and Revelation,” 1994, p. xiv.

³⁹ Renard, p. xiv.

⁴⁰ Franklin Lewis “Rumi–Past and Present, East and West: The Life, Teachings and Poetry of Jalâl al-Din Rûmi,” 2000, revised in 2003 (the revised paperback edition supersedes the 2001 hardback edition), pp. 10-11).

⁴¹Lewis, pp. 12-14.

⁴²Lewis, p. 14.

⁴³ Ibrahim Gamard, “Rumi and Islam: Selections from His Stories, Poems, and Discourses, Annotated and Explained,” 2004, p. xi.

⁴⁴Gamard, “Rumi and Islam,” pp. xvii-xviii.

Prophet Issa (Jesus) a.s

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:56:51 +0000

Prophet Issa (Jesus)

(May Allah’s Peace and Blessings be Upon Him)

A child asks Bawa Muhaiyaddeen: Who or what is Christ?
Bawa: You want to know about who Jesus, the Prophet Jesus is. He is your Soul. There is a ‘Kalima’ in Arabic that says, “La ilaha ill Allahu wa inni Issa Ruhulllah.” That is, “There is no god but ALLAH(God), there is a prophet to follow, and Issa is the Soul of Allah(God).” Now that is not something that you have found recently. Even before the creation of man a Ray (Noor) came from the Plenitude of Allah(God) and Allah(God) named that the Ruh or the Soul, and that is also named Issa.(A.S.)
Now this is not something that was said some thousand nine hundred odd years ago.
It was said, many, many millions of years ago, it was said, two hundred million years ago.
It is that Ray that came from the Nur, the Light of Plenitude. It was not that form that
came out of MaRiuM.(Mary [Ral])

Now I did this research once upon a time.

Now in these four religions I went in search of this Treasure.

Each of these religions bestowed upon me big titles.

And I have lived in many countries.

I have been in Jerusalem.

I have been in Rome.

I was in Tirupa; that is in India.
And I was in Adam’s Peak in Ceylon.

And like this in many many places I have lived.

I have been in the Himalayan Mountains for some time.

They gave me big titles as swami, dervish, Qutub, and Bishop.

This is what I received from those people.
But I did not find the Treasure that I was in search of.

So then I said, “All right. I must now find that Treasure that I am in search of.”
Then as I went along, I got some of His Grace.

And it became necessary for me to speak with all the things I met.

And it became necessary to speak to many, many people.

I had to speak to the earth;

I had to speak to the fire;

I had to speak to the water;

I had to speak to the air’;

I had to speak to my body;

I had to speak to my spirits;

I had to speak to the satans;
I had to speak to life; and many things like that I had to speak to them directly.

And when I started talking to them directly, it became necessary that I had to speak to the Ruh or the Soul.

And when I spoke to that Soul, then it was related to me that the Soul came from
the Kingdom of the Souls. That is the Ruh ‘Alam (Alam-i Arwah) , or the Kingdom of the Souls.

So that Nur, that Light, came from Allah(God),

and from that Light came the Soul,

and from the Soul came the Light,
and from that Light came the Wisdom (Hiqmat-irphan).

And I had to find out these things for myself.
Jesus(Issa)A.S. came as an example, an illustration.

I spoke to the Soul and I asked,

“Well what is your nature, what is your time period, and so on.”

The Soul operates with two other forces.

There are two powers.

One aspect is connected to Allah(God), the Divine Power, and the
other aspect was connected to the Holy Spirit (Ruhul Quddus).

There is the Light of God and this Pure Spirit,
or Holy Spirit (Ruhul Quddus),

and this Soul is situated in the center of these two.

Now the Holy Spirit(Ruhul Quddus) is like a Pure Heat or Pure Vapor.

That was shown to MaRiuM(Mary [Ral]) about 2,000 years ago.

These three states exist in the Kingdom of the Soul.

One is in the form of heat. One is in the form of Light.

One is in the form of Plentitude. That is that Power.

So these three Powers are in that Kingdom of the Soul.

That exists in every human form.

The heat, the vapor, or that Pure Breath is this breath.
And this breath is usually warm.

And that which was ejected through that force of the breath was the Soul.

And the Light of that Soul is God. That Plenitude, that Light of the Soul is God,
and the Power is God. And the thing that pushes this Soul into man is that Holy Spirit(Ruhul Quddus) or that Pure Breath or that warm Spirit.

These three are entirely separate from the spirit world.

And this Soul is also named Issa(A.S.) And it is also called the Nur Muhammad or the Beauty or the Plenitude of the Light.

And the Soul was the Ray that came from that Light.

That Soul has no shadow. You can use whatever instrument you like. You can never photograph That, because It has no form, It has not shape, It has no shadow.

That Soul has none of these things.

And Allah(God) also similarly has no shadow, no form, no shape.

He has no color;

He has no ray.

But all creations have a form and a shape.

And every creation throws a shadow.
The Light of Wisdom and God has no shadow.
God has proven this through MaRiuM. (Mary [Ral])

She was not married. Now Joseph [1] was not her husband, and she still remained a virgin. While she was serving in the temple she never looked at the face of a man.

So therefore, one who never looks at the face of a man, never
looked at the face of Joseph.

Then the commandment of Allah(God) came to Jibreel(Angel Gabriel A.S.) and
Jibreel( Angel Gabriel A.S.) brought it down to MaRiuM(Mary [Ral]).

In that commandment it was related, “I am going to give you a beautiful baby.” [2]

The answer that the virgin MaRiuM(Mary [Ral]) gave to Jibreel was, “I never look at the face of a male. So how can God give me a child if I do not look at the face of a male. I only do the duty by God. How is God going to give me this child?” [3]

So then Jibreel(Angel Gabriel A.S.) said, “God will give you whatever He wants to give you. Now God is neither male nor female. Maybe the child He will give you will be neither male or female.And the one who is speaking to you, is also maybe one who is neither male or female.”
And immediately MaRiuM(Mary [Ral.]) asked, “Who are you? Are you male or female?”
Jibreel(Angel Gabriel A.S.) replied, “I am neither male nor female.”
Then MaRiuM( Mary [Ral.]) replied, “Is that so? If Allah(God) wishes to give me a child, let Him give me a child.”
At the time of the break of dawn Jibreel(Angel Gabriel A.S.) descended. All the heavenly beings and the 124,000 Prophets began to pray.

All the saints began to worship God.

The entire universe and the creation began to worship Allah(God).

It is with this voice Jibreel(Angel Gabriel A.S.) said, “MaRiuM, God has commanded that this Light be given to you. Look towards the Kiblah, and have God before you. When you look in the direction of the Kiblah I shall breath this into your fifth rib. The first is aliph(ا‎), second is lam(ﻝ‎), third is meem(ﻡ‎), fourth is ha(ﺡ), fifth is dal (ﺩ‎), and I will breath through the fifth. These five letters come as Alhamd, and the Surat comes out of Alhamd (الْحَمْد)”

Then as MaRiuM(Mary [Ral.]) was looking at the Kiblah [4],

Jibreel(Angel Gabriel A.S.)sent that Light into MaRiuM(Mary [Ral.]).
When the Light went in, a burning sensation came from inside.

That is the air. That is the heat that went inside and pushed it in, Light.

What came from the mouth of Jibreel(A.S.) is the pure air that is spotlessly pure.

That is the Ruh, that is Jesus or Issa(A.S.)

The moment it went into her body, she shivered.

The heart and back portion of her body shivered.

That is why we too shiver in a moment of fear.
After this they did not allow MaRiuM(Mary [Ral.]) to stay in one place,

she had to go from place to place and undergo great difficulties and hardships.

And when the child was born she did not have the normal impurities of birth.

The child was born near Jerusalem.

Issa(A.S.) was born under a date tree, not in a cow shed.

When she had her labor pains she was sleeping under a date tree [5].

Then Allah(God) sent heavenly beings to attend her.

They came like four doves, gently holding the womb.

And the child was born.

The moment the child was born they did not allow the child to touch the ground.

They caught the child and attended the child upon a cloth they had opened.

But the mother was unconscious.

She did not know anything. And then other heavenly beings came and surrounded her and carried the child and then put the child near the mother.

And then leaving 2 or 3 heavenly beings behind, the rest went away.

They remained and attended her.

Then MaRiuM(Mary [Ral.]) opened her eyes and found the child all clean and dressed.
When she looked up the branch of the date tree came down and the honey from the dates
dripped into her mouth.

For three days the date branch was feeding her with honey.

It was after three or four days that MaRiuM(Mary [Ral.]) got up and took the baby. Joseph was not there.
Then she proceeded towards Mecca walking.

As she was going like this people abandoned her as a prostitute and various allegations and accusations were leveled against her.

MaRiuM(Mary [Ral.]) pointed to the child and even though he was an infant he spoke to the people saying,

” I am the servant of Allah(God). He has made me a Prophet and given me a book. he has made me blessed. He ordered me to pray and give to the poor all my life and to be kind to
my mother. I was blessed on the day that I was born. I will be blessed when I die. May
peace be upon me when I come back again.” [6]

Then she had to leave the country and come out.

What came from God was Light(Noor),

and what came to Jibreel(A.S.) was a sound,

and what came from that sound to the Prophets was an explanation.

And when that comes from within the heart of man, that becomes a preaching a sermon. And when it comes through the book that is an illustration.

When man reads and tries to learn that, it becomes an acting, a stage of drama.

This is not that. This is just knowledge.

So like this, you must go into it and go within the book, find the Voice, and find the Light and the meaning of that and the Grace(Rahmat), and Light which is Complete(TAMM) and Perfect(Kamil) and how that Light descended to that spot.

We must retrace the steps and get in and then retrace the path.
And when you come to that point, then you will understand it…

It is only then we could understand who Issa(Jesus A.S.) is.

Aliph is one. That has come from the beginning (Awwal) That was there
when the creation of the Soul took place.

Allah(God) says, “Oh Muhammad, without You I would
not have created any other being. Without that Light no creation would have taken place” [7].
The entire secret(SIRR) of creation and everything that is God’s Mystery(SIRR) is to be understood within this. And if you go there and see, you will find the Soul, which is formless, which is Perfect, which is Complete, which is Light.

That is neither a religion or a dogma or a philosophy.

It is God’s Trust(Amanat). That is His Trust, the property, His Substance. That has been
given to us in trust and our Duty is to return that back to Him, to Allah(God), what has been given to us in Trust(Amanat), the Soul [8].

That must be returned.

So without understanding this, our devotions, and our prayers and our blind beliefs will be futile. So we must, in Truth learn this.

There is only one substance, and that is Light(Noor), and for the Light so many names have been given.

Muhammad Raheem Bawa Muhaiyaddeen(Ral.) and Quran.

Qur’an, Al-Nisa [4/171]:

يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ لاَ تَغْلُوا فِي دِينِكُمْ وَلاَ تَقُولُوا عَلَى اللّهِ إِلاَّ الْحَقِّ إِنَّمَا الْمَسِيحُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولُ اللّهِ وَكَلِمَتُهُ أَلْقَاهَا إِلَى مَرْيَمَ وَرُوحٌ مِّنْهُ فَآمِنُوا بِاللّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَلاَ تَقُولُوا ثَلاَثَةٌ انتَهُوا خَيْرًا لَّكُمْ إِنَّمَا اللّهُ إِلَـهٌ وَاحِدٌ سُبْحَانَهُ أَن يَكُونَ لَهُ وَلَدٌ لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَات وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ وَكَفَى بِاللّهِ وَكِيلاً

”O People of the Book! commit no excesses in your religion: nor say of Allah aught but the truth. The Mesiah, Jesus son of Mary was (no more than) a Messenger(RaSuL) of Allah, and His Word(KaLiMa), which He bestowed on Mary and a Spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His Messengers(RaSuLs). Say not “Trinity”: desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is one God: glory be to him: (far exalted is He) above having a son. To him belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is Allah as Disposer of affairs…”

REFERENCE AYATS(VERSES) FROM QUR’AN AND GLOSSARY:

[1] Joseph: Saint Joseph, also known as Joseph of the House of David, Joseph the Betrothed, or Joseph the Worker in Christian Literature.

[2] Qur’an, Al-Maryam [19/19]:

قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَنَا رَسُولُ رَبِّكِ لِأَهَبَ لَكِ غُلَامًا زَكِيًّا

«He(Gabriel) said: “Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son.”» dedi.

[3] Qur’an, Al-Maryam [19/20]:

قَالَتْ أَنَّى يَكُونُ لِي غُلَامٌ وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِي بَشَرٌ وَلَمْ أَكُ بَغِيًّا

”She said: «How shall I have a son, seeing that non man has touched me and I am not unchaste?» ”

[4] Kiblah : Qiblah is an Arabic word for the direction that should be faced when a Muslim prays during Salah. Most mosques contain a niche in a wall that indicates the qiblah. Originally, the direction of the Qiblah was toward the Noble Sanctuary (Temple Mount) in Jerusalem (and it is therefore called the First of the Two Qiblahs). At least since Mishnaic times (AD200), Jews face the Temple Mount in Jerusalem while praying. Seventeen months after Muhammad( SAW)’s 622 CE arrival in Medina, the Qiblah became oriented towards the Kaaba in Mecca. According to accounts from the Prophet Muhammad(SAW)’s companions, the change happened very suddenly during the noon prayer in Medina, in a mosque now known as Masjid al-Qiblatain (Mosque of the Two Qiblahs). Prophet Muhammad(SAW) was leading the prayer when he received revelations from Allah(God) instructing him to take the Kaaba as the Qiblah (literally, “turn your face towards the Masjid al Haram”).

According to the historical accounts, Muhammad (SAW), who had been facing Jerusalem, upon receiving this revelation, immediately turned around to face Mecca, and those praying behind him also did so.

The Qiblah, for any point of reference on the Earth, is the direction of the Kaaba.

“It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces to the East and the West; but righteous is he who believeth in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Scripture and the Prophets; and giveth his wealth, for love of Him, to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask, and to set slaves free; and observeth proper worship and payeth the poor-due. And those who keep their treaty when they make one, and the patient in tribulation and adversity and time of stress. Such are they who are sincere. Such are the God-fearing.” Qur’an [2/177]

[5] Qur’an, Al-Maryam [19/23]:

فَأَجَاءهَا الْمَخَاضُ إِلَى جِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ قَالَتْ يَا لَيْتَنِي مِتُّ قَبْلَ هَذَا وَكُنتُ نَسْيًا مَّنسِيًّا

“And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk Of a palm tree: She cried (in her anguish): Ah! would that I had died before this! would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!”

[6] Qur’an, Al-Maryam [19/29-33]:

فَأَشَارَتْ إِلَيْهِ قَالُوا كَيْفَ نُكَلِّمُ مَن كَانَ فِي الْمَهْدِ صَبِيًّا

“But she pointed to the babe. They said: How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?”

قَالَ إِنِّي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ آتَانِيَ الْكِتَابَ وَجَعَلَنِي نَبِيًّا

“He spake: Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture and hath appointed me a Prophet(Nabiyya),”



وَجَعَلَنِي مُبَارَكًا أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُ وَأَوْصَانِي بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ مَا دُمْتُ حَيًّا

“And He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be, And hath enjoined on me prayer and Charity as long As I live;”



وَبَرًّا بِوَالِدَتِي وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْنِي جَبَّارًا شَقِيًّاا

“(He) hath made me kind To my mother, and not overbearing or miserable;”



وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيَّ يَوْمَ وُلِدتُّ وَيَوْمَ أَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ أُبْعَثُ حَيًّاا

“So peace(Salam) is on me The day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)!”

[7] Hadith:

“Lawlaka lawlaka lema halaktu’l aeflaq –If you were not, I would not create the existence.” (Ajluni, Kashfu’l-Haf’a: 2/232)

[8] Qur’an, Al-Muminun [23/8]:

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ

“Those who faithfully observe their trusts and their covenants;”

IMAM-I AZAM ABU HANIFA(r.a) and THE DRUNK MAN

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:49:27 +0000

IMAM-I AZAM ABU HANIFA(r.a) and THE DRUNK MAN

Our Master İmâm-ı Azam(Great Imam) Abu Hanife (radiyallahu anhu) was trying to leave a work behind on his last times, therefore he was working at home at nights, writing without stopping just to give a selfless service for the followers of Prophet Muhammad(SAW)…

However there was a person and this person was going to pub when it gets dark, and drinking heavily then he was coming in front of the window of Abu Hanifa(r.a) and starting to swear off him saying

“Oh Imam, I will do this to you, I will do that to you!”

He was telling whatever comes to his mouth at that moment…

Days were passing, the months were passing and He was neither telling anything to this person by opening his window nor letting anyone to tell him off.

Somehow, one day, the people around Imam acts earlier than him and they get the man taken to the police station…

It becomes evening , the time keeps passing but there is still no one in front of the window. When Imam realizes this, he waits a little more than he gets out of his house when the man does not come. He asks to the children on the street:

“Children, have you seen my nightingale, where has he been?…”

When the children says “ Grandfather, they must be beating him with the stick on the soles(bastinado) in the police station”,

Imam runs in to the police station on his bare feet…

When He arrives there , he finds the police men beating the men, and the man is crying in desperation…

When Imam-i Azam says “ Why are you beating this man, I have not complained about him, what is it to you? Leave my man!…”, They leave him.

Of course He was a great imam so no one objected to him. Imam comes out of the station and the man comes out as well…

The man rushes to the pub as soon as he comes out though.
He fills his jar with wine and goes back to his place, right straight infront of the window of the Imam, and starts swearing off the imam with unheard swearwords...

The old and tired imam comes slowly from his behind, he sees the state of him, he waits there watching the man in a state of qiyam[*]…

[*] Qiyam: it is a posture done during the prayer. The person stands on foot and ties his hands at the level of his waist line just under his belly button. Although it is formally done during the prayer, in the example of Imam-i azam here it is done informally outside the prayer as a stance and posture to express his state.

When the man turns back a few minutes later and sees the Imam behind himself at that state :

“What kind of a man are you, I keep swearing at you but you come and save me then you are at the position of qiyam infront of me!”

Imam-I Azam :

“You are my master, my giver of favor(waliyy-i nimat), I look at you and give thanks to my Rabb(Lord) who renders you like that and renders me like this…

I make hamd to the One, who makes you act in the scene of lesson(ibrat) and makes me act in the scene of wisdom(hiqmat)!…I comb my hair by looking at you!…”

Now that time, the wine within the man turns in to the tears and starts being shed from his eyes. He bows to the feet of Imam and asks forgiveness from him…

Imam-I Azam says: “ Get up son get up, lets give thanks to Allah because you woke up. The door of the forgiveness belongs to ALLAH (j.j)only” …

From the book, “Oz Tasavvuf” of Latif Yildiz Ekrem (Kulihvani)

Translated by Barbaros Sert

Basildon –UK

26.11.09