DR.MUNIR DERMAN (KS)
There are some big walees(saints) who have emerged from the heart of Anatolia.
They have been a like a sun to the people of this blessed(Mubarak) area, and washed it with their spiritual presence, wisdom and spiritual lights by protecting the existence of Anatolia. Anatolian and islamic culture have been enriched with their legends and beauty.
Dr. Munir Derman(K.S), is one of those spiritual ’suns’ in Anatolia hidden by the vault of heaven.
It is difficult to explain great INSANs(human beings).
He is a ’big’ INSAN…a Big Waliullah…
Big INSAN means the human being who has reached the secret(SIRR) of appearing with the features of âdemiyyat(INSAN-I KAMILS. Human being with capital letters).
Their saddlebags are full of examples exhibiting big merits and HUMANITY.
A circle made of the enthusiasm, envy(hased), hatred appears around the big people who have virtues that are not anybody’s naseeb(the allotted share).
As a matter of fact, the ones who seize an opportunity, have always damaged these spiritual stations, caused wrong knowledge and narrations(rivayats).
Big people like these must not be knocked about.
Protecting them is a big prerogative of the moral virtue(edep) and belief.
The ones who love Derman, and the ones who will love him, should know that we wish him to be known in without attacking him future generations…
That is why, we will mention a little about him and give his short biography here…
Dr. Munir Derman (KS) was born in Trabzon in 1910. His great grandfather from his father’s side is the legendary Sheikh Shamil of Caucassian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imam_Shamil).
From his mother’s side, his great grandfather is Ahmet Ziyâeddin Gümüşhanevî(K.S), known as ”Flying Sheikh”
( http://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9Eeyh_Ahmed_Ziya%C3%BCddin_Efendi).
His great grandmother is a famous woman saint, GUL hatun…
His mother is Şhahvar hatun. His father is Ahmet Rasim Efendi…
He has been educated in Trabzon by his teacher, Omar Inan Efendi of Bukhara since he was four year old, and progressed in deen(religion) under his wisdom and religious outpouring (fayz), and has been a Hafiz (the one who has memorized the Qur’an) by age nine.
He finished primary school in a private French school, and after the high school he was sent to France for the university education by Turkish government. He studied Philosophy and Psychology in France. He skipped classes due to his excessive success and after that he became a Doctor by finishing the faculty of Medicine as well.
During his studies, he registered to Al-Azhar University in Egypt and completed his religious education.
The years of military are the difficult times of his youth.
He joined to the battle of Okinawa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Okinawa) and Korea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War) and served as a doctor.
When he returned to his country(Turkey), he became a university staff in the Faculty of Language, History and Geography, and completed his PHd in Philosophy, after a short time he left this position and went to East Anatolia to serve as a Doctor of Medicine.
Long years of difficulties drove him to Bozöyük.
When he was a government doctor, he got married and he had a daughter from this marriage. He still has a daughter and three grandchildren today.
He continued to his doctoral profession as a general surgeon and then he retired.
When he was in Japan, he learned Judo, Tae Kwon Do and Aikido then he became the first person to bring these martial arts to Eskisehir.
In the history of medicine in Turkey, he did the first operation by joining the split foot of a patient to it’s place and he drew attention in the international medicine world. He got congratulatory telegraphs from the Soviet Union, the USA, Germany and many other countries.
He went to Germany by invitation as his German was very good. He stayed there for 15 years as a professor of anatomy then returned to his country. He gave speeches in the mosques in Germany and was loved by people.
He spoke French, German, Russian and Arabic fluently. He had deep knowledge in the culture and literature of these languages. Besides the foreign languages, he had amazing knowledge particularly in applied science e.g Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Astronomy.
He taught lessons as a member of staff in the academy of Eskisehir.
In terms of religious knowledge, he was the owner of walayat (sainthood) and tasarruf (power to do himmat, to pay tawajjuh to others), sultan of ilm-i ledun and arif-i billah…the last waliullah of his time… a big Sultan…
His works are not compiled from the other books. The main resource is walayat(sainthood)-i Rasulullah and the blessed(mubarak) knowledge(ilm) springing up from the basin of his inner most heart.
He used to prepare his notes meticulously and write with so much care in order to eliminate any error.
Dr. Munir Derman did not have any possessions.
Having returned from the Germany, he lived the last periods of his life in the humble conditions of a hotel room in Ankara…
He had no house.
His wife and he were contented with his old friends.
He spent his life in heavy self-discipline(riyadat) and big hardships, far away from the people as a servant of Allah with no fame.
He used to eat and sleep very less and drink very less water.
He has fasted with a few mouthful of food and olives for years.
He has not set up any tariqat(Islamic order).
As an attitude and sensibility, he has not showed any inclination towards today’s dargah(dervish lodge), tekke etc. and not gathered any pile of people around him with the name of student, disciple(murid) and sheikh.
However, a limited amount of the people who knew and loved him sincerely from his religious speeches and his medicinal background, approached him and tried to benefit from his knowledge.
He used to feel deeply upset when he saw the scenes of people who were divided amongst themselves with anarchy under the influence of various movements, lost their essence, separated in to tariqat camps, void of love in their essence and separated from oneness. He used to pray for the salvation of the country when he saw these things.
His blessed (mubarak) body carrying the grandeur of Hakk(Truth) used to always smell beautiful and it’s attraction(jazba) used to take the human under it’s effect…
The love of prophet and Ahl-I Bayt had diffused in to his cells and had been a visible morality(ahlaq) within him…
A taintless face having no complaint and tedium…
A taintless face on which peace, calmness and submission were visible…
It hasn’t even been seen a trace of grimness on his face although he was going through a lot of troubles, suffering and difficulties.
He used to cure the patients and help the people with distress and run to the help of people without being fed up. He cured a paralysed child and a blind young person for whom no treatment was available in medicine, by using his himmat.
There have been numerous events like that which have turned in to a tale.
He had a stern, harsh and unapproachable outlook which hid an interior full of love and mercy…He had a righteous anger(Jalal).
When he was speaking he would sometimes roar like a lion, and also continue his speech with tears coming from his eyes.
He didn’t grow a beard, but, he used to take a good care of his white silky hair falling on his shoulders and gather it on his neck.
He was staying in military hospital,
His doctor asked: “Why is your hair long?”
He answered with hot-temper: “Why is yours short?..”
His clothes were a few shirts and trousers chosen pleasurably and worn cleanly, but he didn’t like vanity.
Every one was amazed when in the winter’s freezing cold, he used not to wear any undervest under his shirt and walk around with a few buttons open from his shirt, and wouldn’t wear any overcoat either.
Sometimes, he used to wear a woollen cardigan and take it off very often.
When we told him “It is very cold out there, you will get cold sir!”, He would reply by saying ”I am burning!”.
MEMOIRS ABOUT DR.MUNIR DERMAN EXPLAINED BY SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO KNEW OR MET HIM:
One of his students said:
“I had never seen a karamat before. I was wondering about it’s reality. I was not able to ask about this to my master. One day, I was going to him in order to write his notes. I ran into him on the way. He was walking across the opposite pavement. There were safety rails on the side of the pavement and no gate to pass through. He walked and passed through the rails. It had happened all of a sudden and I was in amazement. The traffic warden had seen it and went near him by running. He kissed his hand and hugged him saying:
“Uncle, please make dua(prayer) for us. How did you pass through here!”
I went near him by passing through a further point.
He turned towards me and smiled at me saying:
“I could not understand what happened either, all of a sudden the rails have disappeared in front of me and a passage appeared then I crossed it”.
That verse(ayat) came to my mind, “ We have given everything to the order of Adam”…
[*] Qur’an [Al-Jathiya- 45/13] “
وَسَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مِّنْهُ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لَّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
And hath made of service unto you whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth; it is all from Him. Lo! herein verily are portents for people who reflect.”
We were walking towards the exit on the floor of command head quarters in Gulhane Military Hospital.
My master was holding my hand.
I felt strangeness within my self all of a sudden.
All my body started vibrating in to my cells.
The sound of “ALLAH! Hu!” was coming from the polished marble stones on the ground and from the walls. They were all doing zikr in reverberation and bawling. This state was beyond bearing. When I was nearly going to bawl and was struggling to hold my self not to do it, he squeezed my hand :
“Calm dawn my child!”…
I pulled my self together immediately.
I realised that my master had taken this zikr within himself and had been Haqq with Haqq.
* He had put his hand on my knee.
Perhaps tonnes of weight had started to crush my knee.
My leg was aching..
Then he removed his hand
We got up. I got a little difficulty to walk.
After a long time, I explained this situation to him.
He smiled at me, and said to my ear by whispering:
“In this case I was in journey with my self”…
*We have been sitting together with his friends and a stranger man entered. When he saw my master: “Welcome sir. You must have come before me. I too came back from Germany two days a go. I had listened to your Friday sermon in Munich Mosque. It was very crowded, wasn’t it?..” My master changed the word after a short silence. I was amazed. In fact, I have been with him every day for months. He had not gone to Germany.
*We have been sitting in his presence.
He was explaining the hand. I found an opportunity to ask:
“My master, when you are walking, you are walking by holding your hand a little in front , on your side and opening out your fingers as if scanning around, does this have anything to do with the hand?”
He explained his memory to do with this.
“I was young. I woke up for the morning prayer in the village. You know that the toilettes in the villages are different(than in cities). You can see the excrement below in piles. A spider which had fallen in to the excrement was struggling to get out of it but it was not able to do. I went immediately, extended my arm and plunged my hand in to the excrement, took the animal and left it somewhere clean. It was saved.,, After that, I soaped my hands, washed them, had ablution and completed morning prayer. I was resting a little then I was asleep. They gave light to my right hand in my dream. My right hand is a projector, it radiates light. When I get difficulty to see, that is why I do like this while walking on the road!” he had said.
My master used to open his right hand and watch the universe from his palm.
He had said that he will leave his spiritual trusts to someone serving him closely, someone who had approached him and loved by him, but he had not explained any name. He spent his last periods in the hospital for two and a half years. In his last testament:
He said,“I came to world as Garib [*]”,and I need to go as garib. Garib’s place is in a solitary place” he wanted to be buried in a quiet village cemetery.
[*] Garib: 1.The one who is living far from his homeland. 2.Solitary 3.Desolate
He walked to Haqq(passed away) on Saturday, 2nd of December 1989.
We gave his body to the earth in a village while snowing and coarse snow flakes falling on him who loved so much.
We could not make much of Him…
We are bowing with respect before his precious memory…
May his blessed(mubarak) soul rejoice.
Even thinking, feeling and loving of him is taking us to the top of divine love…
How happy to the ones who can see him and love him…
May our salaam be upon them!..
28.03.1990 Wednesday
HIS LITERARY WORKS:
A friend of ALLAH says that –Volume I, ”Allah dostu derki I”
A friend of ALLAH says that –Volume II, ”Allah dostu derki II”
A friend of ALLAH says that –Volume III, ”Allah dostu derki III”
A friend of ALLAH says that –Volume IV, ”Allah dostu derki IV”
A friend of ALLAH says that –Volume V, ”Allah dostu derki V”
WATER- Volume I, “SU Cilt I”
WATER- Volume II, “SU Cilt II”
WATER- Volume III, “SU Cilt III”
Admonitions from Muhyiddeen Ibn Arabi
First of the unwritten secrets, Last of the secrets that will be written-I
(There are many more unpublished literary works.)
I would like to attach the following words of Dr.Munir Derman(K.S) which I find very effecting.
DR. MUNIR DERMAN’s LAST WORDS ON HIS TOMB STONE
I owe only a body to the earth
I paid my debt.
My Spirit does not owe to the earth
Do not seek for me in the earth, I am somewhere else.
My earth was pure, I submit my debt cleanly
This grave is the place of separation for my spirit and body
Do not seek (for me) here, I am not here.
I am neither in the tormet, nor in the fire(naar).
I don’t have any hardship, I am not hungry and poor.
I lived in friendship with unfairness, poverty, hunger,
hardship and troubles in the world.
I have not complained about my Rabb(Lord), saying “what is this?”.
I was friends with forties, sevens, fours and threes.
I met, talked and shared my troubles with Hidir on the world…
I have not complained about my own state.
Do not hassle your nafs, this is not a war.
That is the essence of the torment in the grave.
Leave your nafs to it’s own device
Do not hassle it, this does not suit you
Body, nafs, spirit are different one by one.
Do not hook them up by mixing them with each other
Nafs remain in the world, and the body is in the earth
The spirit(rooh) goes to it’s Rabb who is it’s origin(asl),
Do not seek here, I am not here.
I am neither in the tormet, nor in the fire.
I don’t have any hardship , I am not hungry and poor.
I gave my body to the earth, I am not a debtor
The trouble of my nafs has also remained in the world.
Do not upset your self, I am like you too .
I am as if flying beside my Rabb(Lord)
Dr. Munir Derman