There is an expression called “Faqir”, used widely in Tasawwuf  to describe dervishes. Some sheikhs call themselves as “Faqir” by putting this expression in front of their names. There are two types of Faqir in the language of Turkish public and they are confused by the public . First type of faqir is the person who is poor and  destitute. This is not the type which is mentioned in Tasawwuf.

 

Faqirs mentioned in Tasawwuf are the people who don’t have the desire for world(Masiwa) in their heart. Their hearts are poor from Dunya(world) and materialistic desires. That is the type of Faqir whose qualities and character we will mention in this translation work.

 

 

 

Faqir should be afraid of  loosing his poority more than what a rich person is afraid of loosing his richness. He should not reveal his poorness to anybody. If it is obvious , he should cover it. Faqir should get on well with public, neither he should show poorness nor richness, he should be an ordinary person. Only he should know his own status. He should crush his Nafs-i Ammara(evil commanding spirit-ego) to prevent the public from being affected.

 

He should appear to the public physically but he should be away from the public spiritually. He should neither be happy for his material gains nor he should feel upset for his material loss. If a help arrives from the power of ALLAH(Kudratullah), he should accept it and know that it is from ALLAH by reasoning it with the conditions of the islamic laws. He should not go after his desires nor he should have wishes.

 

Faqir does not wear different clothes than the public, not to draw attention. He works and earns his life and shows tawakkul from his heart. If He speaks, he speaks with knowledge(wisdom-hiqmat). If He eats , he prefers the others to his own nafs(self). If He gets silent, he gets with his thoughtfullness. If He orders , he orders good. If He bans , he bans evil. He does not lose his time by searching for his friend’s mistakes. He always lowers himself in front of the public. He shows the same respect and good attitude to everybody. He shows respect to Shaikhs(Spritual Guide, wise man who has the authority to teach wisdom), feels sympathy to the disciples of Shaikhs. If He helps , he helps to everybody equally with justice.

 

If He gives  knowledge to his friends, he does it  by means of advise. He covers and ignores their mistakes. He does not blame his friends and blames himself and seeks for the mistakes within himself. He trains and forces his nafs to adjust him self to the laws of Sharia.

 

He only asks to ALLAH for his wish and his wish would be tawba(Repentence), magfirat and gufran(Forgiveness of Allah). He distributes his own sustenance(rizk) to the others all the time. He does not hurt the poor people and he does not look down on the rich, but he does not bow down to them(rich people) just because they have the rizk. Because he knows that Only ALLAH gives to and takes the mulk(possession) from people. He shows mercy on people.He asks health from his Rab, never backbites(giybat) or blacks anybody’s name, does not hate muslims, does not say bad words to muslims, keeps his word, does not break his promise.

 

Nobody would know his poorness except the ones who are like him.  He does not go on a journey for any specific reason, unless he goes for Hajj, Jihad, finding a shiekh, speaking with a friend, seeking for knowledge or visiting a brother. He learns the necessary knowledge(ilm) and Qur’an to perform his fardh ibadats(necessary worship). He never complains about his material gains(rizk). Most important thing is his time. He fills his time with important things e.g. by performing the orders of Allah and asking for His consent/will(riza).

 

If his friends make a mistake, he repents on their behalf to support them. If they commits sin , he apologises on behalf of his friends. He shows respect to the ones who shows respect to his friends. He leaves the things which don’t interest him and deals with the things which interest him. He gets the same attitude as shaikhs.

 

He disciplines his friends, does not speak with the young , budding trainees. He embraces the patience and does Jihad against his nafs and avoids lust(Shahwat).  He makes friends only with his type of people. He learns the manners from a leader(shaikh, ulema, an insan al Kameel etc.), adjusts him self to sunnah, avoids the bid’at and the ones who does bid’at. He does not speak to the people to boost himself or to show off. He does not collect something.

 

Three things protects the Faqirs:

 

Using the time efficiently, staying in the borders of sunnah(Hududullah), leaving the show off(Riya) to get help.

 

A story related to islamic manners from Kusheyri:

 

Junayd said that : ”A saleeh came to me and said to me that send a Faqir to me, so that I will offer him food and this will make me happy.

 

 

 

I said:

 

-You must have said something to hurt him.

-        No, I have not said anything to him, He said.

 

 

 

 

 

He requested him to send the same Faqir(poor) to make him happy.