Shaykh Ali Aliki (ks) – A member of this order, he lived in the vicinity of Mecca the Ennobled.

He once said: “If someone is satisfied with this world, he is accursed. If someone is
satisfied with knowledge per se, he is tempted. If someone is satisfied with abstinence for
the sake of praise, he is veiled. If someone is satisfied with the truth for some reason other
than the truth, whatever it may be, he is a rebel.”

With reference to this, Shaikh al-Islam said: “Do you know what this world is?
Whatever occurs to your heart and distracts you from the Lord of Truth, that is this world
for you. Whatever distracts you from Him (Exalted is He), that is a temptation for you.
As for his assertion that those who are satisfied with knowledge per se are tempted,
knowledge is a term for information, and any information that does not lead you to
obedience and worship, that is a temptation for you.”

In his intimate conversation with the Lord, he used to say: “O my God, do not
leave us addicted to information, because all such addiction amounts to preoccupation
with that which is other than You. Do not leave us attached to the well-informed, for if
someone claims to be well-informed, he is trouble from start to finish. As long as the
servant is left to his own devices, he is rubbish and rusty iron. If someone is satisfied with
abstinence for the sake of praise, he is veiled from the Lord of Truth (Exalted is He). Half
of a small silver coin in the Sufi’s possession is a treasure!”

May Allah be well pleased with him!

- Excerpted from Nafahat al-Uns – Maulana Jami (ks)

The slave, Mahmud ibn al-Husayn ibn Muhammad [al-Kash-ghari] states: When I saw that Allah Most High had caused the Sun of Fortune to rise in the Zodiac of the Turks, and set their Kingdom among the spheres of Heaven; that He called them “Turk,” and gave them Rule; making them kings of the Age, and placing in their hands the reins of temporal authority; appointing them over all mankind, and directing them to the Right; that He strengthened those who are affiliated to them, and those who endeavor on their behalf; so that they attain from them the utmost of their desire, and are delivered from the ignominy of the slavish rabble; [then I saw that] every man of reason must attach himself to them, or else expose himself to their falling arrows. And there is no better way to approach them than by speaking their own tongue, thereby bending their ear, and inclining their heart. And when one of their foes comes over to their side, they keep him secure from fear of them; then others may take refuge with him, and all fear of harm be gone.

I heard from one of the trustworthy informants among the Imams of Bukhara, and from another Imam of the people of Nishapur: both of them re-ported the following tradition, and both had a chain of transmission going back to the Apostle of God, may God bless him and grant him peace. When he was speaking about the signs of the Hour and the trials of the end of Time, and he mentioned the emergence of the Oghuz Turks, he said, “Learn the tongue of the Turks, for their reign will be long.” Now if this hadith is sound—and the burden of proof is on those two!—then learning it is a religious duty: and if it is not sound, still Wisdom demands it.

I have traveled throughout their cities and steppes, and have learned their dialects and their rhymes; those of the Turks, the Turkmen-Oghuz, the Chigil, the Yaghma, and the Q’irghiz. Also, I am one of the most elegant among them in language, and the most eloquent in speech; one of the best educated, the most deep-rooted in lineage, and the most penetrating in throwing the lance. Thus have I acquired perfectly the dialect of each one of their groups; and I have set it down in an encompassing book, in a well-ordered system.

Mahmud al-Kashghari – 11th Century Lexicographer – “Diwan Lughat al-Turk” (1072)

Text Translation Excerpted from “Islamic Central Asia – An Anthology of Historical Sources” – Levi, Sela (2010)

The agnostic also has difficulty in understanding that those who are capable of belief and assent to a faith may believe quite different and irreconcilable things at different levels of their personality…

In any case the believer is more often born than made; he calls himself a Christian or a Muslim because he was born into this or that religious environment. he thinks that he shares the beliefs common to the people around him; with a part of himself he believes, and with another part he disbelieves. But, by the same token, those born into a secular agnostic society, and mouthing the slogans imposed by their education and their conditioning, may none the less be closer to faith than they know; in this case the rust which covers their hearts has come from without rather than from within themselves. A few years before his death in 1934 the great Algerian Sheykh, Ahmed al-Alawi became friendly with a Frenchman, Dr Carret, who had been treating him for various minor ailments. One day Carret tried to explain his agnosticism to the Sheykh, adding, however, that what most surprised him was that people who did claim to be religious ‘should be able to go on attaching importance to this earthly life’. After a pause, the Sheykh said to him: “It is a pity that you will not let your Spirit rise above yourself. But whatever you may say and whatever you may imagine, you are nearer to God than you think.’ In this confused age in which we now find ourselves there may be many a believer who is a kafir under the skin, and many a kafir who is closer than he knows to God in whom he thinks he does not believe.

It is important to be aware of these paradoxes because the distrust of religion – or at least of ‘organized religion’ – which is so widespread in the Western world, derives less from intellectual doubts than from a critical judgment of the way in which religious people are seen to behave. The agnostic does not concern himself with the supernatural dimensions of religion, let alone ultimate truth. He sees only that part of the iceberg which is visible among surface, and he judges this to be misshapen. The whole sad story is summed up in the wise child’s prayer: ‘Lord, please make good people religious, and make religious people good.”

-Islam and the Destiny of Man – Eaton

Although several modern legal codes make reference to domestic violence, Islamic Law (Sharia) addresses it through the concept of darar (harm) that encompasses several types of abuse against a spouse. For example, darar can include the failure of a husband to provide obligatory support (nafaqa) for his wife, which includes food, shelter, and clothing … Darar also includes physical abuse against a spouse.  The laws concerning darar maintain that if a woman is harmed in her marriage, she can have it  annulled:

“The most important proof needed was the show that the husband had broken the marriage contract or that the marriage caused the woman harm) Sonbol 1996, 281. Physically assaulting a wife violates the marriage contract and is grounds for immediate divorce.

…

Ottoman law tends to treat cases of darar in accordance with the Sharia; this is reflected in a sixteenth-century fatwa from the Ottoman Seyhulislam (Sheykh of Islam) Ebu su’ud that reads: “Question: Zeyd hurts his wife Hind in many ways. If the qadi (judge) knows about it, is he able to separate Hind from Zeyd? Answer: He is able to prevent his hurting her by whatever means possible. (Imber 1997) [yk: note the Ottoman Shariat, interventionist policy reaffirmed in the 16th century]

Further evidence of Ottoman treatment of darar can be found in studied currently being undertaken using Sharia court records from the Ottoman period. For example Sharia court cases from Aleppo, Syria reflect the ability of women to seek retribution when subjected to abuse. The courts of Aleppo ruled against abusive husbands in several cases of domestic violence. In one court case from May 1687 Fatima bt Hajj Ali filed a lawsuit against her husband testifying that he was abusing her, he had hit her with a stick on her body and on her mouth causing her to bleed. She claimed that he was constantly abusive. In her defense she brought along five witnesses. The court reprimanded the abusive husband, ordering that he be given tazir (discretionary corporal punishment).

…

Both Sonbol and Largueche problematize the connection between obedience and darar in the modern period as the patriarchal state commingles with the Shariah. These pioneering studies question the notion that modernization is a springboard for progress, as several areas of the law drastically limit the legal options afforded women in earlier periods.

Although in the rubric of Western Law, murdering a wife in a crime of passion has been placed in the same legal category as domestic violence, this is not the case in Islamic Law. There is no mention in the juridical texts of condoned or permissible murder of a wife. However, some modern laws, such as Jordan’s Penal Code (1960) contain clauses for “excuse for murder” or offer reduced sentences for men who murder a wife or female relative suspected of sexual misconduct. Authors such as Amira Sonbol and Lama Abu Odeh have argued that there is a legal connection between “excuse for murder” and “crimes of passion” in the European tradition through the focus on circumstance and the criminal intent of the murderer.  Modern legal reforms borrowed from French criminal codes freed the criminal of responsibility so long as the element of surprise was present (Sonbol 2003) In contrast, crimes of passion, prejudicially called “honor crime” in the context of the Islamic world, have mistakenly been associated with Sharia despite their stark connection with tribal law.

ref:  Semerdjian, Elyse (2005). Encyclopedia of Women & Islamic Cultures: Family, law, and politics. pub: BRILL Academic Publishers

Many of the Ottoman sultans were themselves calligraphers, as were their mothers. Durrah Khanum, the mother of Sultan Mahmud Khan, copied a Quran in the year 1172/1758. This Quran was held by the Mahmudiyah Library in Medina. It is said that it was carried away by the Ottoman Turks to Istanbul when they left the Hijaz. The mother of Sultan Abd al Majid Khan, who ascended to the throne in 1255, penned a copy of Dalail al-Khayrat, which was also among the holdings of the Mahdmuiyah Library in Medina.

Amoung the most splendid works of the Turkish women calligraphers is a Quran copied by al-Sharifah and hafizah Zulaykhah Khatimi al-Sadi, the daughter of al-Hajj Abd al Karim Zadah Bisar Yari, in 1276/1859…

The first two pages of this Quran are splendidly illuminated. Within “The Opening” (al-Fatihah) and the beginning of “The Cow” (al-Baqarah), several ayat are decorated with very colorful folial and floral designs on a gilded background. Though I have seen many gilded Qurans, I don’t believe I have seen anything as beautiful as these two pages. The other pages of this Quran have wide, gilded border surrounded by a fine blue line. …

It is believed that there exists a spiritual and mystical bond between women and letters of the alphabet. One writer described a woman calligrapher by her saying: ” Her ink was like the blackness of her hair, her paper was like the tanned skin of her face, her pen was like one of her delicate fingers, and her knife was like the penetrating sword of her sweet looks” The eyebrows of a beautiful woman have been compared to the Arabic letter nun, her eye to an ‘ayn, her temple to a waw, her mouth to a mim, and her braided hair to a shin. For a woman to be considered really beautiful, one of the qualifications was good penmanship. It was said that a lucky woman was one who combined the beauty of body and face with that of character and penmanship.

(ref: al-Munajjid, Salah al Din. The Book in the Islamic World, “Women’s Roles in the Art of Arabic Calligraphy” (1995). State University of New York Press, New York.)

Sultan ul Arifin Bayazid al-Bistami’s (ks) tomb

Ibrahim Satnaba said: “I was present at Bayazid’s meeting one day, when the elders were conversing. They were saying: ‘So-and-so has acquired knowledge from So and-so, and So-and-so has acquired knowledge from So-and-so…,” but Bayazid al-Bistami said:

“Those miserable wretches have acquired knowledge from the dead, but we acquired knowledge from Allah, the Ever-Living who never dies!”  – (ref: Nafahat al Uns.  trans: Holland)

While there are those that say whether or not he was a freemason is not relevant to understanding his message, what becomes necessarily relevant is the motivations for his actions and teachings.   The Ottomans judged him to be a dangerous munafiq,  and essentially held him captive, others heralded him and his students as their saviors.

“He belongs to the select band of men who have wielded the greatest influence on the rising Muslim generations in the modern times” – Nadwi, At-Talib Blog

“Dr. Muhammad ‘Emarah, answered these contentions stating:  “Those who question his race and religious orientation would like to, in light of these accusations, establish his dishonesty, for indeed, he has stated about himself that “I am Afghani.” And his words and writings illustrate that he was a sunni. Thus, the objective of behind these accusations is to destroy the man who is cherished by all.” – suhaibwebb.com

“The result was that this school impacted every Islamic reform effort at whose forefront was the Muslim Brotherhood lead by Imam Hassan al-Bana. [May Allah have mercy upon all of them].” – suhaibwebb.com

Whatever his admirers may say, the reality is that questioning his race and religious orientation is a necessary result of reading Afghani’s own words. To understand what he wrote one must first understand the context of the time and audience to which Afghani corresponded.

In the days before mass media and mass literacy in the Middle East, it was generally safe to correspond with high class Europeans and their magazines rather freely. As long as these works were not being translated back to Arabic, there was really no practical chance of one’s words coming back to bite the author. There is also much evidence indicated Jamal ad-Din interrupted numerous translations of his letters back to Arabic in his lifetime.

This was how orientalists such as Johann Ludwig Burckhardt were able to report on Muslim activities while assuming Muslim identities. As time went on and the success of impostors such as Burckhardt and “Ali Bey el Abbasi” gave the West new ways to manipulate and reform the religion.  Hence much of ‘revivalist’ thought from Wahabis to the movements supported by al-Afghani’s thought were backed by the West, particularly, Western intellectuals.

The Prophet (S) said “You will follow the ways of those nations who were before you, span by span and cubit by cubit, so much so that even if they entered a hole of a mastigure (lizard) you would follow them.” We said “O Allah’s messenger (Do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?” He said “Whom else?”

So what did Jamal ad-Din al-Afghani write to the Europeans when he thought no one was ‘listening’?  In a series of debates with Renan, Afghanis viewpoints became clear.

“If it is true that the Muslim religion is an obstacle to the development of sciences, can one affirm that this obstacle will not disappear someday? How does the Muslim religion differ on this point from other religions? All religions are intolerant, each one in its way. The Christian religion, I mean the society that follows its inspirations and its teachings and is formed in its image, has emerged from the first period to which I have just alluded; thenceforth free and independent, it seems to advance rapidly on the road of progress and science, whereas Muslim society has not yet freed itself from the tutelage of religion. Realizing, however, that the Christian religion preceded the Muslim religion in the world by many centuries, I cannot keep from hoping that Muhammadan society will succeed someday in breaking its bonds and marching resolutely in the path of civilization after the manner of Western society…No I cannot admit that this hope be denied to Islam.”

“Wherever it has established itself, this religion has tried to stifle science and it has been marvelously served in its aims by despotism”

(“Answer of Jamal al-Din to Renan Journal des Debats, May 18, 1883 in N. R. Keddie, An Islamic Response to Imperialism, p. 183)

Much of this letter speaks for itself.  I find the last line most interesting. For all the discussions in the excerpt about religion being an obstacle and an impediment to progress, the article concludes with the hope that western style civilization and abandonment of faith not be ‘denied to Islam’.  Through this language, Islam is redefined from a faith to a political movement, just as he redefines Christianity to mean “the society that follows its inspirations and its teachings and is formed in its image”.

And this is how faith began to be separated from the religion.

When Al-Afghani could speak of ‘Islam’ as a society, with a determined focus on rules, laws and ‘advancement’, while being completely separated from matters of spiritual faith itself, the ability to fool Muslims looking for a ’cause’ fell well into his grasp.

However, correspondence with Westerners was not the only means by which Afghani made his intentions clear. Numerous evidences exist of his hostile attitude towards faith and tradition.

Further facts and excerpts:

in 1871 he left Istanbul for Cairo because he was accused of heresy by the Ottomans.

In Egypt, the writer Abbas Mahmud al Aqqad tells us Afghani had a reputation for heresy amongst ‘the divines’.

In Cairo, he mixed with dogma, writes his contemporary Abdull al-Nadim, who was not an enemy

“what gave rise to criticism . . . and some of his disciples became known for their heresy and for their great opposition to religion, either through misunderstanding or perverse teaching, so that many of the believers turned away from him” (ref: Muhammad Ahmad Khalafallah (1956), Abdullah al-Nadim wa mudhakkiratuhu al-siyasiyya (A.N . and his Political Memoirs) p 52, Cairo.

Shaikh Abd al Qadir al-Maghribi recounts a story Afghani used to tell which concerned a believer and an unbeliever.  The believer would exhort the unbeliever to pray by telling him:

“Try to pray regularly for forty days, and see whether you can give up prayer afterwards”  to which the unbeliever retorted “Give up praying for forty days, and see whether you can ever resume the practice afterwards” – (ref Abd al-Qadir Maghribi (1926), al Bayyinat Vol I, pp 48-49. Cairo)

His friend and protege, Adib Ishaq wrote that Afghani

“He became expert in the study of religion, wrote Selim al-Anhuri, “until this led him to atheism and belief in the eternity of the world.  He claimed that vital atoms, found in the atmopshere, formed, by natural evolution the stars which we see and which reolve round one another through magnetism, and that the belief in an all knowing First cause was a natural delusion which arose when man was in a primitive stage of evolution and corresponded with the stage which his intellectual progress had reached”

Sheykh Mustafa Abd al Raziq was to become the head of Al-Azhar in 1945 – 1947. He reported that after his arrival in Paris 1883, Afghani suffered a change in belief:

“(He) Became a rebel against religion, and came to believe it was the enemy of science, reason and civilization so much so that he gladly and deferentially acquiesced in Renan’s attack on Islam” -   ref: Rashid Rida (1923), al-Manar vol XXIV, p 311

Finally in private letters between Afghani and his student Abduh, his student writes

“We regulate our conduct according to your sound rule: we do not cut the head of religion except with the sword of religion (nahnu al-an ala sunnatika al qawima la naqta ra’s al-din illa bi-saif al-din) Therefore, if you were to see us now, you would see ascetics and worshippers [of God] kneeling and genuflecting, never disobeying what God commands and doing all that they are ordered to do.  Ah! how constricted life would be without hope!”  (ref Documents, published: Tehran , Plates 138-140) also (ref: Kedourie (1966), Afghani and Abduh, London).

Now knowing the desire  of such individuals in attacking the faith of Islam, using the pretext of Islam, a universe of questions opens up to us.

At a minimum, ‘modern Muslims’ need to ask themselves: to what extent has this corruption and redefinition of social ‘Islam’ entered their own psyche and thought?

The fact that Jamal ad-Din Afghani, who was at least a heretic if not apostate, is a noted influence of the Muslim Brotherhood, Jamaat e Islami, Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Indian Khilafat Movement, and basically every political Islamic reform movement today requires a major reconsideration of the fundamentals of reform itself.

I passed in front of the Library of Sultan Ahmed VI. A custodian dressed in black ran quickly from the side of the Tulip Garden; the funeral procession was approaching. I went toward Sarayburnu. A small procession was slowly coming up the sandy incline. A large steamboat neared the dock. Smoke rose from its yellow smokestack. The scene was very sad. The Marmara Sea, the coasts, and the hills were basking in the sun. In the distance Hamidiye Mosque’s slender white form, Yildiz Palace’s tree-lined boulevard, and the palace’s continuous roofs among the naked trees appeared silent and bewildered. A white sheet, a dark shawl, and a bier headed the procession in which everyone was dressed in black. Sultan Abdulhamid lay lifeless on the bedding atop the wooden bier. A thick yellow striped sheet hung down from the edges. His body was covered with a precious dark orange and green embroidered shawl. A guard from Beylerbeyi Palace walked in front of the body, and two rows of soldiers were at its side. Officials form the Inner Court and other members of the palace walked slowly beside the bier, which was being carried by hand. Prince Selim Efendi and some pashas followed them, grieving and deeply touched. Silence reigned. One of the custodians carried a fez covered with a white handkerchief. It was the fez of Sultan Abdulhamid II. From a distance, a gardener holding a hoe looked on sadly. Nothing could be heard but the footsteps of the pallbearers on the sand. The sea was calm and flat. An eternal gift from the Byzantines, the high columns in front of the palace gleamed in the sun.

The funeral procession passed the Tulip Garden. The body was brought to the green and gilded door of the Apartments of the Holy Mantle, and the bier was carried through the entryway. The prince and sons-in-law stayed in Mecidiye Kasri, while the others in the procession remained outside. The door closed, and no one but the officials of the Apartments of the Holy Mantle entered.

What a luminous, sublime, and magnificent chamber it was. Here was the most wonderful, elegant, and radiant place of worship constructed by the Ottoman dynasty in the name of the Caliphate. The walls were adorned with blue and green and gilded panels. Sultan Selim I’s successors comforted their souls in this sacred area, prayed for the army’s victory, and wept in front of the Holy Mantle. The bright tiles and precious inscriptions on the walls were striking.

The shade in front of one of the windows had been partially raised. Wide frosted glass obstructed the view of the Golden Horn. A small six-handled cypress casket resting on two green trellies and a small washing bench could be seen in the courtyard where the shades had been raised. Sultan Abdulhamid was laid on the washing bench. Grief-stricken, I stood in front of the gilded bars of the window. As the coffin advanced, the Inner Court officials respectfully folded their hands, waiting to perform their duty. Across the way, a closed door that hid centuries of legends and the blue tiled walls seemed to want to forgo this page of history. Four imams – two wearing green turbans, the other wearing white – piously washed the body with sponges and musk soap. A fresh white winding sheet covered Sultan Abdulhamid’s corpse. The areas above his chest and below his knees were not visible. There was no evidence of long illness on the body. The corpse did not display the appalling yellow color of death. It looked like an inanimate object made of ivory.

On the whole, he was attractive. Become more beautiful as it was washed, the white body was stretched out naturally in the hands of the washers on the bench. Holding silver incense burning, palace officials stood across from the corpse. Everyone was deeply reverent. Trust in God was visible in their faces. The Apartments of the Holy Mantle were witnessing a historic day. The last page of the sultanate would close on that day. Everyone’s gaze was fixed on Sultan Abdulhamid’s closed eyes. As warm water was poured over the body, white steam rose and mixed with the scent of aloe and amber from the incense burner. There was an apprehensive silence. Nothing could be heard but the footsteps of those coming and going to perform services. With their hands folded, eyes on the body, and tears of grief, two of the sultan’s son-in-law stood by his feet.

Nature’s beauty could be felt in all its glory outside the palace. The waters of the Golden Horn shimmered in the unexpected February sun. The boxwood trees were bare and open to the bounty of spring. The washing of the body was still not finished. Sultan Abdulhamid’s closed eyes, gray hair, naked body, and lifelessness awoke a melancholy in the hearts of the onlookers. At times, when his head suddenly slipped and his hands fell to his sides, he resembled an innocent, hopeless person. His neck was bent strangely with his white, disordered beard.

Finally, the washing of the corpse was completed. It was dried with yellow silk-embroidered towels. The coffin was lifted, and the washing bench was brought next to it. A winding sheet was spread inside. Sultan Abdulhamid’s body was respectfully laid in the coffin.

Sultan Abdulhamid had not lost consciousness until the last moment of his life. He requested that a testament prayer be put on his chest and a handkerchief rubbed against the Holy Mantle, as well as a piece of the black Kaba cover, be used cover his face. His request was carried out to the letter. It was truly heartrending sight: Sultan Abdulhamid lying inside the coffin with winding sheets, the testament prayer on his naked chest, the black Ka’ba cover on his face, his white bear, with his eyes forever closed… Sultan Abdulhamid was humbly going to god, leaving his sins behind.

The shroud was tied and the coffin closed. The heavy ticking of a mother-of-pearl clock, which had witnessed centuries, echoed in the grandeur of the Apartments of the Holy Mantle. Arrangement of the coffin began. First a bed sheet and then a silver-embroidered red cover were placed on the coffin. The bottom was wrapped with a navy blue flowered cloth. Ka’ba covers and belts decorated with precious stones were placed on top. Shawls were wrapped around the head and arms of the body. A red fez was put on the green satin wrapped around the head. While the body was being washed, the plain coffin and wooden washing bench had contrasted sharply with the brilliant colors and gilding in the Apartments of the Holy Mantle. Now Sultan Abdulhamid’s coffin adorned with silk, shawls and silver thread and precious stones fit with the Apartments magnificence and splendor.

Everyone departed. Only the coffin, with its head turned towards the harem chamber, could be seen among the decorated columns, colored walls, and polished panels. To the left, in the Apartments’ window the gold and silver-embroidered green curtains, heavy silver tassels, gold grating, priceless wall panels, and the Qur’an were visible as well. Footsteps sounded in front of the Audience Hall. One of the distinguished sons-in-law advanced rapidly and stopped mournfully in the corner in the wall. With his eyes on the coffin, he opened his hands, made a short prayer, and let out a sincere sob. It echoed among the ornamented domes.

It was nine o’clock. Ambassadors and officers dressed in silver-trimmed uniforms and fur headgear and and hats waited in front of the door of the Apartments. Foreigners stared in awe at this magnificent place. Scholars, dressed in green and purple robes with broad sleeves and silver embroidery, were being greeted respectfully. The crowd grew. The Crown Prince and other princes were in full uniform. Medals, silver decorations, and uniforms glittered in the February sun.

Suddenly, the door to the Apartments of the Holy Mantle opened. All eyes turned to the door. IT was crowded on both sides. Hearts throbbing, everyone sought a view of the coffin. Carried by hand and adorned with a diamond belt, silver embroidered Ka’ba covers, red satin, and a red fez, it finally appeared, stately and majestic. Prominent officials and officers stood near the coffin, which was put on a high place in front of the door. The head preacher of the Hamidiye Mosque, dressed in a green, silver embroidered robe with an imperial monogram on his chest, stepped forward and stood on the stone. He looked around and asked:

“How did you know the deceased to be?”

A sad cry echoed among the cypress trees:

“We knew him to be good”.

A short recitation of Surat al-Fatiha ended the ceremony. The coffin was lifted and carried slowly past the Library of Sultan Ahmed VI and the Audience hall to the front of the Door of Felicity. According to custom, the funeral prayer was performed here, and the procession was then organized. Princes, notables, commanders, and palace officials all gathered. Occasionally the procession officials in silver-embroidered dress with white papers in their hands were heard to call out to the procession. Finally it was ready. The soldiers put their guns on their shoulders, and marched in perfect silence. Dedes and Shazeli dervishes walked in front of the coffin. Officers of the imperial Inner Court and other palace officials served as pallbearers.

The cortege moved slowly among the cypress trees from the Gate of Felicity to the Middle Gate. Majestically passing through the Middle Gate, this moving profession of God’s unity made a sweet echo that exuded an aura of pious reverence and consolation to the spirit. It resounded between the Middle Gate’s stone walls and the gate. This echo reflected Sultan Selim III’s sensitive, noble spirit. Was it possible not to remember his pure and blessed spirit with every sound from the imperial Inner Court? The Inner Court officials were reciting prayers. The sound, which echoed from the ruined walls of the Council Hall, was the touching cry of the Ottoman spirit. Everyone walked respectfully behind the coffin. This gate had seen the passage of many sultans’ funerals and the shedding of many tears. In front, the intermittent, sad chants of the dervish elders could be heard. With a moving Arabic melody rising like a slow refrain, the sheikhs of the Shazeli dervish hall chanted the proclamation of God’s unity, the affirmation of His greatness, and eulogies to Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. The area between the Middle Gate and thee Imperial Gate was filled with the automobiles of German officers and various cars. Two elegant women stood up in their coach, watching the procession behind thin veils. A little farther way in front of the Hagia Irine Church of Byzantine-period and the military museum, the members of the military band with huge quilted turbans, baggy red trousers, silver vests, and yellow and red flags had stopped. Living history saluted the coffin with derference and respect.

The funeral procession left the Imperial Gate. The streets were empty. Two rows of soldiers lined the way from Ayasofya Mosque to Sultan Mahmud’s Tomb. The trees, houses, windows, and roofs were filled with women and children. The coffin advanced amidst poignant prayers and proclamations of God’s greatness and unity. Those watching the funeral procession were moved. One woman leaned her head on a wall and sobbed. Some looked on indifferently, but sensitive hearts wept at the sad spectacle, the mournful cries, and religious magnificence. The final ceremony of the Ottoman sultan who had held the Caliphate for thirty-four years was being performed with reverence.

The coffin entered the tomb, the procession chanting the name of God. Sultan Abdulhamid was placed in the grave with deference and respect. A thirty-four-year page of Ottoman history was concluded in sorrow

(Vakit by Ahmet Refik, February 18, 1918)

ref: Aydin, Hilmi (2005). The Sacred Trusts (pg 43). New Jersey: The Light Publishing

Ahmet Refik was born in 1880 in Istanbul. Graduating from Military School, he was enrolled in the army.
Refik taught Geography and French in military schools, and later wrote columns for various papers. After World War I he taught at university as well. Ahmet Refik died in 1937 in Istanbul

Timas Publishing has translated Ahmet Refik’s works into Modern Turkish, as they are deeply resonant studies of Ottoman culture, from its victories to its military officials, from its scholars to its artists

On this account the Prophet said, “I am as the Ship (ark) in
the Flood of Time

I and my Companions are as the Ship of Noah : whoso clings
(to us) will gain (spiritual) graces.”

When you are with the Sheykh you are far removed from
wickedness : day and night you are a traveller and in a ship.

You are under the protection of a life-giving spirit : you are
asleep in the ship, you are going on the way.

Do not break with the prophet of your days (1) : do not rely on
your own skill and footsteps (2).

Lion though you are, you are self-conceited and in error and
contemptible when you go on the way without a guide.

Beware! Do not fly but with the wings of the Sheykh, that
you may see (received) the aid of the armies of the Sheykh.

At one time the wave of his mercy is your pinion, at another
moment the fire of his wrath is your carrier.

Do not reckon his wrath to be the contrary of his mercy : be-
hold the oneness of both (these qualities) in the effect.

At one time he will make you green like the earth, at another
time he will make you full of wind, and big.

He gives the quality of inorganic things to the body of the
knower (of God), in order that gay roses and eglantines may
grow on it ;

But he (the Sheykh) alone sees (them), none sees but he :
Paradise yields no scent but to the purified brain.

Empty your brain of disbelief in the Friend, that it may feel
sweet odours from the rose-garden of the Friend;

So that you may feel the scent of Paradise from my Friend,
as Mohammad the scent of the Merciful (God) from heaven.

If you stand in the rank of those who make the spiritual
ascension, not being (self-naughtedness) will bear you aloft, like
Buraaq.

Tis not like the ascension of a piece of earth (an earthly being)
to the moon; nay, but like the ascension of a cane to sugar.

Tis not like the ascension of a vapour to the sky ; nay, but
like the ascension of an embryo to rationality.

The steed of not-being (self-naughtedness) became a goodly
Buraaq : it brings you to (real) existence, if you are non-existent
(self-naughted).

Its hoofs brushes the mountains and seas till it puts the world
of sense-perception behind.

Set your foot into the ship and keep going quickly, like the
soul going towards the soul’s Beloved.

(With) no hands and no feet, go to Eternity in the same fashion
as that in which the spirits sped from non-existence.

IF there had not been somnolence (dullness and inattention)
in the hearer’s hearing, the veil of logical reasoning would have
been torn asunder in the discourse.

O Heaven, shower pearls on his (the Sheykh’s) rede! O
World, have shame of (be abashed by) his world!

If thou wilt shower (pearls), thy substance will become (in-
creased in splendour) hundredfold : thy inorganic (matter) will
become seeing and speaking.

Therefore thou wilt have scattered a largesse for thine own
sake, inasmuch as every stock of thine will be centupled.

1) i.e. the Sufi Sheykhs who are the spiritual heirs and representatives of the PRophet
2) Reading

The Mathnawi of Jallaulddin Rumi Tr Books III and IV pg 308, tr: Nicholson

However again during the reign of Sultan Ahmed III (1703-1750), which is during the Tulip Age, there is strong evidence both in the Surname (chronicle) of Mehmed Hazin and the Surname of Vehbi, as the witnesses of the era, that Ibrahim Effendi, the dockyard architect, had invented the submarine which was called “Tahtelbahir”. Seyyid Vehbi compared this submarine invented by the architect Ibrahim Effendi to an alligator, and tells in his Surname that during the circumcision ceremony that Sultan Ahmed III held for his sons, while the sultan, the viziers, and the sultan’s sons were watching the shows in the coastal palace in Aynali Kavak, the alligator-like submarine slowly emerged on the water and moved slowly to the sultan, and after staying on the sea for half an hour, submerged in the sea again to the great surprise of the public; then emerged one hour later, with five people walking outside the mouth of this alligator-like submarine with trays of rice and zerde (dish of sweetened rice) on their heads. The book Surname-i Humayun of Seyyid Vehbi, which explains the technical information concerning this sub-marine submerging in the sea and the crew being able to breathe through pipes while under the sea, demonstrates to us the first Ottoman trials of submarines were successful. The Surname of Mehmed Hazin, who told of the events of October 1, 1720, during the circumcision ceremony of the sons of Sultan Ahmed III, related that a fish-like submarine was present; however, his secrets were buried with him.

Although it is mentioned by Bahaeddin, the historian, that the first submarine was used during the Seljuk period against the Crusader knights in the siege of Akkah in 1150, it is understood that the submarine built by Ibrahim, the architect, in the Ottoman era during the reign of Ahmed III was more developed and could stay under water for one hour. Considering that the British tried to build a small submarine half a century after Ibrahim and failed, it is obvious that the Ottoman success in this field is most notable. However in 1776, the submarine developed by the American scientist David Bushnell was a success. The sketches of a submarine project in the archives of the Stockholm Military Organization are interesting for the assessment of all the technical developments of the era.

References:
Seyyid Vehbi : Surname. Suleymaniye Library, Hamidiye 952, foliea 171 b
Mehmed Hazin: Surman, Bayezid Library, Nureddin Pasa, 10267, folio 132 b
Saban Dogen, Musulman ilim onculeri ansiklopedisi, Istanbul 1984, s. 205
Flack, N.D. Diving vessel by the Ms. Day London 1775
Fledhaus, F. M.: Die Technik Ein Lexikon der Vorzeit, der geschichtlichen Zeit und der Naturvolker. Munchen 1970 sp. 1122.

The Java Post
Wed 19 September 2007

Following Zikr Activities in Sufi Mosque, New York

A place where thousands meet, where they descend from the mountains every Friday night.

In the center of skyscrapers and amidst the lights of Broadway and Times Square, a tarikat community finds a niche in New York.

Last Friday night, the Java post followed the activities of Masjid Sufi on 39th St, New York City.

Fuad Ariyanto and F Arnaz

It’s not easy to find this mosque. For those who are new and who do not have any inside contact, the masjid will be difficult to find. It differs from the other masjids in Manhattan that have signboards, this Nakshibendi Hakkani masjid does not even have a signboard. It is located in an apartment building. The masjid is on the 3rd floor. The front door is an iron gate and it locks electronically, like a prison. For anyone to access the masjid he has to press the buttons outside the building. Only when it is answered from the inside will the door be opened electronically. This masjid is only used on Friday nights. The daily activities however are conducted in the Catskill Mountains , New York where Sheykh Abdul Kerim el-Kibrisi the deputy of Sheykh Maulana Nazim al-Hakkani al-Kibrisi lives.

The Java post arrived in the masjid [at Sidney center - sic] with Ashari, an Indonesian undergraduate student studying in America. In a space that is not too large the jamaa sits on the floor in front of Sheykh Abdul Kerim who is giving a lecture. There is a triangular flag with a crescent without a star behind him – there are other flags with different symbols on them. That flag is also found in front of the kible. The men wear kufis with green turbans wrapped around them. In the middle of the speech the Sheykh managed to reprimand one of the women Jamaat when her cellphone rang. ” I have told you thousands of times please turn off your cellphone when you enter this masjid. This is a place of worship and the time here is only for Allah. Please leave your business for a while”.

After the speech that touched on democracy and the khilafat, the Sheykh led the zikr that was participated by the jamaat who were sitting on the floor. One of them was accompanying the rhythm of the zikr with a drum. The shaykh also has a drum with him but it was larger. He played it when the rhythm started to speed up. The zikr was long with the melody that went high. Hu hu hu, Haq Haq Haqq that was what was uttered among others. They did not seem influenced or disturbed by the chaos that was happening down in the streets. Their bodies moved from left to right or front to back. Once the jamaat clapped their hands together with the beat.

The only difference was this zikr was not accompanied by whirling which is often the case with the followers of sufism. ” Whether we whirl or not, that entirely depends on the Sheykh. If he gives us the order, if he orders us to, we will follow” says Saifuddin, 30, an undergraduate of New York University, who is one of the followers. The Zikr was closed by a dua by someone from the jamaat. The session continued with Salatul Isha and Salatul Tarawih of 20 rakats. Before the salat the Sheykh said “This is an intensive prayer and it will not take long as we will only read short surahs” The Tarawih was four rakats with salams, with the tahiyyat in the second rekat, like the Isha prayers. Although they perform 20 rakats the salat moved very quickly. It only lasted twenty five minutes because the Sheykh who led the prayer only read short surahs quickly. When he was reading Surah Yasin for example, he would only read the first two ayats. In the second and the fourth rekat in the course of the tarawih prayers he would always read Surah Ikhlas. It was the same with Salatul Witr. In the second rakat the Tahiyyat was read. At the end of the salat one of them recited the selawat once and Suratul Ihlas three times. The selawat was recited once more and the whole jamaat got up together to continue the next cycle. At the end of the Salat the jamaat kissed the Sheykh’s hand and they gave salams to each other, while standing in a circle . The Sheykh then gave a short speech after that was over. The jamaat did not leave immediately after the prayers but stayed to eat together with around 9 women jamaat that were present that night. Sheykh Abdul Kerim also joined in the meal. When the Java Post wanted to leave, the Sheykh who is around 49 years old, stopped us from leaving. “You are already here, come eat with us”, he said. The food that was served that night was a mixture of macaroni, bread, and a spicy dish. “I didn’t count how many Naksibnedid followers there are in New York, probably about 10,000 people” says the Sheykh who is from Cyprus when he was asked how many followers he has. The Sheykh who has been in America for 31 years expressed thanks to Allah because his effort to bring people to the way of Allah has been successful. “In the near future I will be in China; perhaps the mission there will be heavy for me, but I will try to carry it” he says. For the Jamaat the zikr had become a necessity. “Every Friday night I am always here”‘ continues Saifuddin, whose ancestry is from Mali, Africa but who was born in America. “Zikr and the spiritual washing done by Sheykh strengthens our faith”, he says.

The food that was eaten that night was prepared by the Osmanli Dergahi, Sidney Center, the center for the Naksibendi activities in New York. “Every Friday we descend from the mountains to give an opportunity to the city people to worship with us because they are not able to come to our center often”, says Ekrem Kethuda, who lives in Sidney Center. Besides worshiping, the activities there according to Ekrem who is 30 years old, is to prepare us to live life, to be self sufficient and not be dependent on the city. “For example, we make our own yogurt, we do not want to be dependent on the system of this country”, he continues. Until now no less than 15 men like himself live in Sidney Center. The number continues to grow because increasingly more New Yorkers feel that their hearts are empty although they have enough wealth. “This is the reality of life in the city wherever it may be, life that is only for this dunya, but the life that is everlasting is forgotten”, continues Ekrem who has since 5 years fallen in love with this tarikat.

From
Other Matters http://othermatters.wordpress.com/2007/12/17/poached-ottoman-recycling/

Looking at the domed ceiling of the Suleimaniya mosque I marvel at the ingenuity of Ottoman architecture: In the past the interior of the mosque was lit by huge braziers and wicker lamps. The damp, oily black smoke would rise to the ceiling, to be collected as it cooled into hidden ducts that were built within the dome itself. Slowly the liquid smoke would filter down and was collected in tiny pots, to be sifted, mixed with oil and gum, to be made into ink. That ink would then be used to write the Qur’ans that were read by the Ottomans themselves. An economy of resources at work: light to smoke, smoke to ink, ink to books, books that were read in the same light that would produce the ink. Truly, the hermetically sealed world of the Ottomans was a riddle that kept its answer to itself.

Farish Noor, Wonders of Islamic Civilization

InshaAllah the true character of Maulana Rumi (R), whose name was Jalaluddin for a reason, shall indeed be opened up for all to understand. Now on to the passage:

Reference: Masnavi (tran: Nicholson pub: 1994)

————————————-

Comparison of (the behavior of) the heedless man who wastes his life and (only) begins to repent and ask pardon (of God) when he lies in extreme distresses on his death-bed to the yearly mourning of the Shiites of Aleppo at the Antioch Gate (of the city) during the Ashura; and how a poet, who was a stranger arrived (there) on his journey and asked what was the cause of these shrieks of mourning.

On the day of Ashura all the people of Aleppo gather at the Antioch Gate till nightfall.

Men and women, a great multitude, and keep up a constant lamentation for the (Holy) Family.
During the Ashura the Shiites wail and lament with tears and sobs on the account of Karbala.

They recount the oppressions and tribulations which the (Holy) Family suffered at the hands of Yazid and Shimr.

They utter shrieks mingled with cries of woes and grief: the whole plain and desert is filled (with their cries).

A stranger, (who was) a poet, arrived from the road on the Day of Ashura and heard that lamentation.

He let the city and resolved (to go) in that direction : he set out to investigate (the cause of) those shrill cries.

He went along, asking many questions in his search “What is this sorrow? Whose death has occasioned this mourning?

It must be a great personage who has died: such a concourse is no small affair.

Inform me of his name and titles, for I am a stranger and ye belong to the town.

What is his name and profession and character ? (Tell me) in order that I may compose an elegy on his gracious qualities.

I will make an elegy – for I am a poet – that I may carry away from here some provision and morsels of food”

“Eh” said one (of them) ” are you mad? You are not a Shiite, you are an enemy of the Holy Family.

Don’t you know that the Day of Ashura is (a day of) mourning or a single soul that is more excellent than a whole generation?

How should this anguish (tragedy) be lightly esteemed by the true believer? Love for the ear-ring (Huseyn) is in proportion to love for the ear (the Prophet).

In the true believers view the mourning for that pure spirit is more celebrated than a hundred Flood of Noah.”

The poet’s subtle discourse in criticism of the Shiites of Aleppo

“Yes,” said he ; but where (in relation to our time) is the epoch of Yazid? When did this grievous tragedy occur? How late has (the news of it) arrived here!

The eyes of the blind have seen that loss, the ears of the deaf have heard that story

Have ye been asleep till now, that (only) now ye have rent your garments in mourning?

Then O sleepers, mourn for yourselves, or this heavy slumber is an evil death.

A royal spirit escaped from a prison : why should we rend our garments and how should we gnaw our hands?

Since they were monarchs of the (true) religion, twas the hour of joy (or them) when they broke their bonds.

They sped towards the pavilion of empire, they cast off their fetters and chains

Tis the day of (their) kingship and pride and sovereignty if thou hast (even) an atom of knowledge them.

And if thou hast not (this) knowledge, go, weep for thyself, for thou art disbelieving in the removal (From this world to the next) and in the assembly at the Last Judgment.

Mourn for thy corrupt heart and religion, for it (thy heart) sees naught but this old earth.

Or if it is seeing the (spiritual world), why is it not brave and supporting (others) and self-sacrificing and fully contented?

In thy countenance where is the happiness (which is the effect) of the wine of (true) religion? If thou hast beheld the Ocean (of Bounty), where is the bounteous hand?

He that has beheld the River does not grudge water (to the thirsty), especially he that has beheld the Sea and (those) clouds.

-Ashikpashazade (2nd half of 15th century; 1970 edn) p. 36. The historian stresses that Osman I was a genuine leader, not someone who sought riches for himself.

-(Solakzade (d.c. 1658). The public prayer of Sultan Suleyman I before the battle of Mohacs in Hungary (1526), one of the most celebrated Ottoman victories in south-central Europe. The battle led to the establishment of the Ottoman province in Hungary in 1541 within only a few days’ march of Vienna, capital city of Ferdinand, Habsburg king of northeastern Hungary and brother of the Holy Roman Empire, Charles V.

In the name of Allah, the all Compassionate, all Merciful. He sent the prophets to us to guide us from this world back to where we came from. He created us, put us into these physical forms, and sent us to this world. He put divine laws on us for living and getting the benefit of the world, without damaging our selves. Our aim is to go clean from this world, back to our origin.

People are pleasing either the Lord or the self (ego). If we want to please the Lord of the heavens, our creator, then we have to live according to his laws, not according to our own ideas. If we say that we “don’t care,” we are living according to ego. Shaytan (satan) supports the ego.

Intelligence supports the spirit. Through intelligence, we can learn to work with spirituality to reach higher spiritual stations. From the first prophet, Adam (peace be upon him) to the last prophet, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)- 124,000 prophets came to teach one thing: “Turn away from the ego and from this world back to your Lord.”

Holy Prophet Muhammad said, “One who knows himself knows his Lord.” Through spiritual striving to approach the Divine Presence, first you find your identity: who you are and what you are about. Then you realize, “I am nothing. I am no one. Without Him, I have never been and I am never going to be.” Then you will know your Lord. He is the Creator and He is not like us- His creatures.

Only the spirit that He gave us makes us the most perfect of creatures. Without spirit, this body is nothing. As soon as the spirit leaves, the body falls down and doesn’t move. If we are not cleaned in the world, the body slowly disappears until the dirt cleans everything. We prepare ourselves to leave this world, entering the grave clean to be ready for Judgment Day. That is the sufi concept of “Marifat” – to die clean by getting rid of the wrong habits of the ego. We learn how through association with the inheritors of the prophets.

Look at how much difficulty Prophet Ayyub (Job) passed through until Allah cured him. People have lost that faith now. Mankind doesn’t know. The prophets knew; and the Friends of Allah (saints) know. Allah is teaching them. And He is saying: “When you don’t know something, ask from the People of Zikir.” (Zikir is a practice of remembering God by reciting His holy names). Allah doesn’t say, “Ask the scholars, the knowledgeable people.” He says, “Ask the people who are always remembering Me.” They know because one who is in Zikir all the time is with Allah all the time. If you ask them a question, they turn to the Lord for the answer. They don’t need computers and books for knowledge. They take from the Source and they give to people.

Everytime we declare our faith, Allah Almighty dresses the body with more Nur (heavenly light). If a believer’s light becomes apparent in this world, it can hide the sun. We must protect that light. Shaytan runs after it to steal it and to put the person into spiritual darkness.

We try to sit for some time every night in meditation. So many people run all night long; they play; they run after their ego in the night hours. Early in the morning, when the divine provision is raining, they sleep. Then they get up late, running again trying to find something. They cannot find anything.

People go to their jobs; but we are not only for this world. We prepare things in this world to make life easier. We can have good things in our house – couches, a nice bed, better this and that; but if we fall into comfort, it’s going to trick the ego. Then shaytan may fool us. Don’t worry so much for the world. Whatever is prepared for us is going to come to us. Believers are wise people. They look to see from where Allah is sending their daily bread, and then they go that way.

The days are passing. As one day is finished (sundown), the books are closed for this world and for whatever we sent to the hereafter. Anybody who ran for this world all day long collected worldly benefit. But we cannot bring property or money to the grave- only our physical form. The main priority to an individual is Life Hereafter. That life is going to be forever.

The new year begins on Jan. 9 (the first day of the lunar month of Muharram, year 1429). The best intelligence is to take time for our Lord in these holy days. Send something ahead to receive in the afterlife. Otherwise, the days and months come and go. These days are full with blessings. We should make them different, following the advice of the Holy Prophet and the Friends of Allah to win in the world and in eternity.

Sheykh Abdul Kerim al-Kibrisi is a Sunni Muslim and a Nakshibendi sheykh. He leads a sufi community in Sidney Center.

http://www.thedailystar.com/archivesearch/local_story_005041510.html

The Shaikh asked Mawlana: “What is wrongdoing [zulm]?”

“Putting something in a place that is not its proper place.”

“The place in which to remember the Truth is the heart. It is wrongdoing to put anythin gother than the Truth into that place.”

The Shaikh also asked: “What is rememberance [zikr]?”

“It is the affirmation of Oneness [Tawhid].”

“This is not remembrance; it is worship [ibada].”

“What is remembrance, then? You tell me!”

“Remembrance is acknowledging that it is not possible for Him to be truly acknowledged.”

The Sheykh went on to say: “It is necessary to emphasize ignorance, and to formulate the intention to perform the ritual prayer by saying ‘I shall worship Allah, whom I am incapable of truly knowing!’”

-Rashahat Ain al-Hayat

–Kashf Al-Mahjub of Al-Hujwiri: “The Revelation of the Veiled” : An Early Persian Treatise on Sufism

Under Sultan Ahmed (III) visiting the mantle became an elaborate state ceremony that took place annually on the 15th of Ramadan, the full moon on the middle day of the holiest month in the Islamic Calendar. The previous day the Sultan would take part in the ritual cleaning of the chamber and in preparing the mantle for display. Contemporary ‘Books of Ceremonies’ give precise details of the ritual – who was to participate, with their order of precedence sketched in diagrammatic fashion, what they must wear, and the prayers to be performed. [ref: Osman's Dream - Caroline Finkel, source: Necipoglu, Architecture, Ceremonial and Power]

Besides this specific yearly ceremony, the cleaning of the chamber which held the Prophet’s (S) belongings was a routine ritual of the Ottoman Sultans. The Ottoman Sultans are described as getting on their hands and knees and sweeping the floor and belongings.

They would then ask to be buried with that dust which had touched the Prophet’s (S) belongings.

“I, the Sultan Khan the Conqueror,

hereby declare the whole world that,

The Bosnian Franciscans granted with this sultanate firman are under my protection. And I command that:

No one shall disturb or give harm to these people and their churches! They shall live in peace in my state. These people who have become emigrants, shall have security and liberty. They may return to their monasteries which are located in the borders of my state.

No one from my empire notable, viziers, clerks or my maids will break their honour or give any harm to them!

No one shall insult, put in danger or attack these lives, properties, and churches of these people!

Also, what and those these people have brought from their own countries have the same rights…

By declaring this firman, I swear on my sword by the holy name of Allah who has created the ground and sky, Allah’s prophet Mohammed, and 124.000 former prophets that; no one from my citizens will react or behave the opposite of this firman!”

The original edict is still kept in the Franciscan Catholic Monastery in Fojnica. It is one of the oldest documents on religious freedoms. Mehmed II’s oath was entered into force in the Ottoman Empire on May 28, 1463. In 1971, the United Nations published a translation of the document in all the official U.N. languages. -wikipedia

Alms. The Turkish proverb, ” All that you give you
will carry with you,” beautifully expresses their belief in
lhe importance and efficacy of alms. The giving of alms
is frequently impressed as one of the highest duties of the
believer ; and we are told that at one time the practice was
carried to such an extent as to produce a decree from the
ulemah that not more than a fifth should be given to the
poor. At present we are informed that it is upon an
average about two and a half per cent. In no country in
the world are beggars treated with more kindness and consideration
than in Turkey, or their wants more speedily
relieved. Poverty, in fact, appears to be a passport under
which a beggar will not only thrust himself into the
highest public offices, but even into the council chamber of
the divan, with the certainty of having his wants relieved.

From Charles White’s Travelogue, “Three Years in Constantinople, or Domestic Manners of the Turks in 1844″

As regards the Turks, it may be affirmed that there
exists no city in Europe where fewer beggars are to be
found than in Constantinople. In no country either is
charity more extensive or more constant. This virtue
forms one of the five fundamental articles of Moslem
faith, and is enforced with rigorous exactitude, not only by
canonical law, but by social regulations.* Charity is, in
fact, a matter of strict religious duty, and is regarded
by all classes as the surest means of securing good fortune
in this world, and of contributing to salvation in
the next.

Versus Today:

The child slaves of Saudi Arabia
On the wealthy streets of Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia, thousands of young child-beggars, under the auspices of ruthless gangmasters, are simply trying to survive

Works such as these are, unfortunately, also the ultimate source for much of the history available today within English regarding the Ottomans. Of course, these statements have been filtered in modern day history books, however the biased opinion on various events and inclination to a negative character remains.

Some of these comments echo what we hear from today’s neo-cons. Interestingly enough, the criticisms against the Ottomans are largely against their faith and their strong hold of it. Not only does this help eliminate the myth of irreligious leaders, these comments describe the foundation for the European movement away from the Ottomans and Islam by some Turkish parties influenced by the Western lifestyle. Eventually this party became known as the nationalist ‘Young Turks’ which led to the abolishment of the Caliphate.

A small collection of these comments from authoritative works and sources of ‘history’ are presented below.

As always I am interested in your thoughts and comments.

Such a religion, so inwrought in every political, social,
and moral relation of every Moslem believer, cannot
but have a powerful influence upon the character, and
capacity of a nation, composed of such believers, for
progress and advancement in civilization; and facts
justify the position of some of our ablest historians, that
any real civilization is impossible for the Turk, until he
abandons the Koran and the faith of Mahomet. Of
course, in’the light and knowledge which forces itself
upon nations surrounded by a higher civilization in this
nineteenth century, the continued existence of such a
nation is a struggle, which can have but one of two terminations ;
either it must abandon Islamism, or it must
go to the wall. Unhappily, while all that was vital in
the Mahometan faith has been gradually eaten out in
the larger cities, the empty shell remains, and is strong
enough to bring about their destruction as a nation. In
the country and the provinces, the old bigotry yet remains.
As long as the Turks entertained no doubt of the superiority
of their religion, they zealously practised its
tenets, and only revealed the natural deformities of a
system, which, while it enforces and exaggerates the
Value of certain specific social virtues, more than makes
up for it, by giving the reins to all the worst passions
inherent in human nature.
-The Conquest of Turkey, Or, The Decline and Fall of the Ottoman Empire, 1877 …
By Linus Pierpont Brockett, Porter (1878)

“But your Turk is a Mahometan, it seems, and therefore an
ally not fit for a Christian !—I do not know, sir, but an alliance
with a Mahometan may be as good as a peace with an atheist; /
the sanction of its engagements may, perhaps, be as sacred, and
its stipulations as likely to be fulfilled. ”
-Memoirs of the Life of the Right Honourable George Canning
By John Styles (pg 99) Published 1829

“We have heard much of the
reforms introduced into Turkey during the last twenty or
thirty years, and the progress she is making in civilization,
or in approximating the civilization of the West, and we are
willing to admit that some progress has been made at Constantinople
in rejecting the least objectionable portions of
Mahometanism, and in adopting the vices and frivolity of
our Western civilization. But we see in this nothing to
encourage us. Western civilization is at bottom a Christian
civilization, and can be adopted in its essential and
living principles by no nation that rejects, or does not adopt,
the Christian religion. No nation can adhere to the Koran
and enter into the civilized order of Europe or America.
Even if a Mussulman people were to reject the Koran,
without accepting the Bible, it could not enter that order.
Jt could adopt only what is anomalous in it, accidental
to it, or exists along with it, in spite of it; for what constitutes
its life, its soul, its vigor, is Christianity, and not an
abstract or disembodied Christianity, but the Church.”
– Brownson’s Quarterly Review
By Orestes Augustus Brownson (Published 1860)

The man who has risen from a low estate to a great
one by vile means,’ the man who has bought his
place by bribes, the slave who has risen by craft
and cringing, the wretch who has risen by that viler
path which Christian tongues are forbidden to speak
of, but which is the Turk’s surest path to power,
in such men as these the lowest and basest form of
human nature is reached. And such men as these
rule at pleasure over South-eastern Europe. Barbarians
at heart, false, cruel, foul, as any of the old
Turks, but without any of the higher qualities of the
old Turks, these men have picked up just enough of
the outward show of civilization to deceive those who
do not look below the surface. They meet the
Ministers of civilized powers on equal terms; they
wear European clothes; they talk an European
tongue, and are spoken of as ” Excellency” and ”
Highness.” The wretched beings called Sultans are
thrust aside as may be thought good at the moment;
but the relations between the Sultan and his subjects,
the relations with which at the treaty of Paris the
Christian powers bound themselves not to interfere,
go on everywhere in full force. There is no barbarian
so dangerous as the barbarian who is cunning enough
to pass himself off for a civilized man. pg 202-203

“The Ottoman Power in Europe: Its Nature, Its Power, Its Decline” : pub: 1877

And when, as a result of this soul searching you begin to read from books of Sufi knowledge, of the Prophet (S), of Abu Bakr (R) and Ali (R), of Rumi, of Attar, you only feel your longing more strongly and feel that you are even thirstier. Through all this reading you have tasted only a trickle, just enough to know how sweet a spring this is. By now you must realize that books are not the best vessel for wisdom of the heart, for the heart itself is the vessel, and the precious draught is passed from heart to heart. Where may such heart springs be found in a time that has turned verdant fields into desert wastes? Wandering through huge desert wastes, how many of us may just happen to stumble upon an oasis? First you may stumble upon one hundred mirages! But you must keep on, don’t turn back saying, “I have found only illusions.” No, no one said you have embarked on an easy journey, so you must be perseverant.

- Sheykh Maulana Nazim al-Hakkani

Whoever was witness to this scene could not contain themselves, they
burst out howling with laughter, clapping their hands. The King was
bound by the law. He could not stop someone who of his own free will
entered the bout. The elderly man was given the permission to enter
the ring. He was about sixty-five years old. When Junaid Baghdadi
entered the ring, he was dumbfounded as was the King and all the
spectators of the Kingdom who were present. The single thought that
occupied their minds was, “How will this old man be able to fight?”

The old man addressed Junaid with these words, “Lend me your ears.” He
then whispered, “I know it is not possible for me to win this bout
against you, but I am a Sayyid, a descendant of Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him). My children are starving at home. Are you
prepared to sacrifice your name, your honour and position for the love
of Allah’s Prophet and lose this bout to me? If you do this I will be
able to collect the prize money and thereby have the means to feed my
children and myself for an entire year. I will be able to settle all
my debts and above all, the master of both the worlds will be pleased
with you. Are you, Oh Junaid, not willing to sacrifice your honour for
the sake of the children of Rasulullah (peace be upon him)?”

Junaid Baghdadi thought to himself, “Today, I have an excellent
opportunity.”

In a display of fervour Junaid Baghdadi executed a couple of
maneuvers, demonstrating his finesse so that the King does not suspect
any conspiracy. Junaid with a great display of antics did not use his
strength and allowed himself to be dropped. The elderly man mounted
his chest thus entitling him to the prize.

That night, Junaid Baghdadi had a dream of Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) who said, “Oh Junaid, you have sacrificed your honour, your
nationally acclaimed fame, your name and position which was heralded
throughout Baghdad in the expression of your love for my children who
were starving. As of today, your name is recorded in the register of
the Auliya (friends of Allah).”

Thereafter, this great wrestler learnt to defeat his nafs (desires)
and became one of the most eminent Auliya of his time!”

[source: via Yeni Osmanli, islamjan.com]

Shaikh Hamadani, who is considered largely responsible for the conversion of Kashmir to Islam, wrote Zakhirat ul-Muluk (The Treasuries of Kings) in the second half of the fourteenth century. It contains a clear statement on the origin and necessity of rulers.

-

Know ye that among the great ones of the learned, those possessed of intelligence and wisdom, it is established and proved that, at the very moment of creation, by reason of the different qualities and admixture of ability that are bestowed by the bounty of God like a lustrous and bejeweled costume, the souls and natures of men have fallen out differently. Hence, the inclinations, motives, and purposes of men have become different and the difference is manifested in all their words, deeds, and fundamental articles of faith.

The qualities of beastliness and of base morals – tyranny and injustice, hatred and rancor and avarice are implanted in the dispositions of men. Then, in the perfect of His great wisdom, God has decreed that there be a just and competent ruler of mankind so that, by the power of judicial process, the affairs of the progeny of Adam and the rules for managing the affairs of mankind may be kept and preserved on the right path; also a ruler has been ordained by God so that he may endeavor, as far as possible, to put into operation the mandates of the Sharia and to be on guard to preserve the prescriptions of rules of Islam among the people of all classes and, with the prohibitions of punishment and the curb of command, to prevent tyranny over and oppression of the weak by the strong. Thus the physical world may be assured of stability, the bound of the Sharia not invaded by the disorder of oppression and innovation, and the characteristics of brute beasts and camels may not be manifested among people of classes.

Friday 19 Rajab, 1428
August 3, 2007
Osmanli Naks-i’bendi Hakkani Dergahi, Siddiki Center, New York.

[After the Juma prayer someone asked Sheykh Abdul Kerim Efendi:
"Sheykh, please pray for the Ummat."]

Sheykh Efendi: Auzu billahi min ash-sheytanir rajim.
BismillahirRahmanirRahim. Medet Ya Seyyidi Sultanul Awliya, Medet.

There are hadiths for Ahir Zaman, for this time. Holy Prophet (sws) is
saying, “You have to know what you are asking and for whom you are
asking, on whose behalf you are asking.” Today’s Muslims, mashaAllah.
No prayer will help them unless they help themselves. Today’s Muslims
left the main safe road and they entered into the jungle road. And
warning is coming day and night but they are still going in the jungle
world. No prayer can reach. Prayer is only going to reach when they
are making a sincere intention to understand what the mistake they did
and turn back. That is the only time the forgiveness is given to this
nation.

Holy Prophet (sws) is saying, “When you reach to those times in Ahir
Zaman, there is going to be curse coming everywhere”, and the signs of
curse we are seeing now. It is not a blessing of course when the
planes are running over countries and dropping bombs, huh? It’s a
curse. Or everywhere when something is blowing up. You can say
whatever you want. It’s happening there. Why is it happening? What is
the reason and purpose, we have to know. Are we living on the road
that the Holy Prophet (sws) left to us or have we deviated from that
road? We have deviated from the road. The first thing, for the help to
reach to us, we have to turn back to that road again. It is easy for
Allah but it is not easy for us. Allah is looking at our sincerity.
Allah is looking at us and saying to us, “When you turn yourself to
me, your way back to me sincerely, I make the long distances very
short. I can turn all this upside down again the other way.”

NO REVENGE IN ISLAM AND NO JIHAD WITHOUT KHALIFAH

So now the Muslim nations first have to know, “What is our mistake?
Where have we fallen?” The problem is that the Muslim nations and the
Muslim Ummat are not looking to understand to say, “Where have we
fallen?” They are only running to get revenge, nothing else. And that
is not accepted in Islam. The Sahaba-e Kiram fought, they pulled the
sword and they fought for the sake of Allah. They didn’t fight to get
revenge. They fought because they were tyrannizing them and they were
not even letting them to continue with that Shahadat. And order came
to them to fight only then. When power reached to the hands of the
Muslims and the Muslims came back to Mekkah with a big army, what did
the Prophet (sws) do? He took revenge from them? Or did he forgive
every one of them?

This is what happened to us. Today’s Muslims, today’s Ummat that we
are talking about, the ones who are taking the gun and fighting
saying, “We are making Jihad”, their mind is not with them. That mind
is not controlling them. They lost their mind. Without a Khalifah you
cannot declare Jihad. Where in Islam are you finding that Jihad is
being declared without a Khalifah? Who are you to declare Jihad? You
are just another individual. Are you heavenly supported? No. Because
you are not heavenly supported, you are under the tyranny of tyrants.
They are also the servants of Allah subahana wa ta’ala. There are good
servants and there are bad servants. It doesn’t matter. Sheytan is a
servant of Allah also. We cannot say in our prayers, “Remove this
Sheytan from this world.” Can we make that prayer? No. He put the
Sheytan. So Sheytan is coming and whispering. Sheytan is not
committing the wrongdoing, the man is the one who is doing it. Sheytan
is doing his duty. Sheytan’s job is to come and whisper wrong things
to man and if man follows that wrong thing, he will become the tool of
Sheytan. And if he does the wrong thing, it is not Sheytan but the man
is doing it. If the man is doing right and he is following the order
of his Lord and his Prophet (sws), he becomes a tool of the Lord Allah
subhana wa ta’ala and Allah does good through his hands.

So there are two kinds of people now. Now leave Ummat. Now, especially
now because Holy Prophet (sws) is saying, “Ahir Zaman is completely
going to be different. You are going to have nations that will declare
that they have faith but when you search them you are not going to
find a drop of faith in them.” And there are going to be nations who
are going to be called unbelievers, kafirs, but so many of them are
going to be faithful ones. This is it now.

So now if a person comes to you as an individual asking for prayers,
for that one’s behalf you may ask saying, “Ya Rabbi, You are the one
who sent this person to me to ask on his behalf.”

[The questioner says: "I am asking your prayer for myself."]

Sheykh Efendi: Ah, for yourself. That we pray. For the Ummat we pray
differently. We pray differently for this Ummat to turn back, to ask
forgiveness and to say, “Ya Rabbi, we did wrong. Now we realize it. We
are turning back to Your door.” Then as Ali (ra) is saying in his
prayer, “If You close your door to me, I have no place to go but come
back to You again because there is no other door.” He said, “I am not
a perfect one.” He was a perfect one, he was a Murshid, he was
perfect. But he said, “I am not a perfect one but I am not the worst
one also from the ones that are doing the wrong things. I am not the
worst one among them. I am a weak servant, I have my weaknesses and I
am asking for Your forgiveness.” Any person today in this world
sincerely taking this prayer, sincerely believing on it and asking,
instantly the message is coming back to them saying, “I accept your
prayer.”

HOW DID THE UMMAT SEPARATE INTO NATIONS?

Muslims don’t do prayer. Muslims don’t do worship anymore. They don’t
pray. Pray means they don’t make Salat. But Salat is a worship that
you are doing. Asking prayers, asking du’a on your behalf and for the
nations, Muslims don’t do that anymore. They know how to scream and
cry going to doctors, going here, going there and I say, “How many
times a day do you sit somewhere, you open your hand and you ask your
Lord saying, “I am a weak servant. You are giving this to me but I
cannot carry it. Please help me.” How many minutes a day the Muslims
are doing this? If they do it sincerely then we are going to see that
the help is going to reach because Allah is nearer to you than your
own self. But man is not asking today. They only know how to ask from
doctors. The doctor needs a doctor. The doctor needs another doctor.

So we have fallen because our faith has fallen. So we have to turn
back to that faith again, to strong faith. We have to make our faith
to grow first. And the only way to do that is, we have to take the
examples of our role-models the Sahaba-e Kiram. We have to look at
them, we have to see how they lived, what was their behavior and how
did they act in every situation. Then we may turn back to our own origin.

Once upon a time, it’s not centuries ago, it’s not even a century ago.
Up till 1923, hmm? The Muslim nations, the Muslim Ummat was under one
ruling. Now how many rulings? How many nations of Muslims? We say,
“Muslim Ummat.” How many nations this Ummat became? Who put them in
separation like that? Who made that separation? Islam or the Christian
world? They say, “We are following the footsteps of the Christian
world.” Then we turn around and instead of running to the masjids of
Allah to ask forgiveness, we run in front of the United Nations or the
embassies saying, “Help us! Our rights are taken away!” Or going to
Europe, to European countries complaining saying, “We want our
rights!” Your rights? You are running to a wolf saying, “We want our
rights”? (Sheykh Efendi smiles). They are prepared to finish these
nations. That’s what their aim is. You are running to ask help from
them? How heedless these Muslims are becoming. They became real
heedless because they left the way, the traditions of the prophets.

NO GENERAL PRAYER ON BEHALF OF NATIONS

Holy Prophet (sws) is saying, “When those nations leave the ways of
the prophets and they leave according to their ego again, don’t ask
general prayer for their behalf. Ask for yourself and for those who
are running to become obedient to their Lord. Ask for their behalf.
Otherwise, you will be responsible for interfering in the work of
Allah then.” These are dangerous times. When we check all traditions
and Islam, we are seeing that we are coming almost to the end. Still
these nations are sleeping. They are finding some heedless ways and
running. Supermarkets and markets are full, keeping people busy that
way. That’s not the way that the Muslims should do. Muslims are under
this curse because they left their faith. Islam is a lifestyle. Islam
is not only a couple of words. Islam teaches man how to live, how to
eat, how to sleep, how to work, where to work, when to work, where is
woman’s right, where is mAn’s right, where is children’s right, where
is adult’s right, where is olderly’s right, Islam is teaching all this
to us. We lost all this and because we lost, warnings are coming back
and forth to us. We are still not waking up. We are picking up this
wrong lifestyle and continuing to go on that lifestyle. We say,
“Enough! It’s enough! Are you waiting until you are going to fall down
from the cliff? Stop! At least stop on that road. Sit and think a
little bit. When you sit and think you are going to come back to your
own senses saying, `Oh, I am doing wrong.”

WE HAVE SEPARATED AND WE HAVE FALLEN

So when the Muslims and Muslims nations sit and think what they are
doing wrong, they are going to see and they are going to understand,
“Where have we fallen?” That we have to understand first. Now we are
weak. One and a half billions Muslims are weak. But they have
everything. They have all the money in the world and they can get
anything they want too. But they are weak again because we have been
separated. (Sheykh Efendi holds up the palm of his right hand with his
fingers spread out). It is easy to break this finger now. When you are
separated into small nations then it’s easy. They are attacking one,
they are finishing that one. They are attacking the other one and they
are finishing that one, slowly. When they come together, it becomes
strong. (Sheykh Efendi puts his fingers together into a fist). A fist
is not that easy to bring down.

Muslims left Islam. The name of Islam (only remains). Holy Prophet
(sws) is saying, “In Ahir Zaman, their masjids are going to be very
beautifully designed but you are not going to find believers among
them inside the masjids.” The name of Islam is going to stay (only).
People they are going to recite the Quran but the Quran that they are
reciting is not going to enter into their hearts. The masjids that are
going to be so beautiful are going to be empty.” Is that the time we
are in? Tell me. Tell me. Of course we are. Go everywhere and look.
They are building, they are running saying, “Help the masjid brother,
help the masjid.” At every Juma, “Help the masjid. Money, money,
money, help the masjid.” They are building masjids. What are you using
the masjids for? Not even a social gathering anymore. At least if it
was a social gathering and some activities happened, people would at
least be praying there too. They say, “No, you cannot do this, you
cannot do that.” No social gathering too and so the masjids turned
into empty places. No life inside. In the masjids there aren’t any
people with authority to speak to people because people are now
saying, “You cannot tell me this. I paid this much money for the
masjid.” (Sheykh Efendi smiles).

So everyone is thinking. It became like Christian ways now. Christians
go to churches once every Sunday now. Other than that it’s empty.
Muslims, eh, so many are not even going to Juma now. No Juma. Allah is
saying, “This is a holy day for you. The holiest day! Leave
everything. It will become haram to you.” They say, “I am busy. I am
working.” So now I don’t think that at that time we can pray. We can
pray for the Savior, for those who are going to change the way, to
come quickly inshaAllah. Otherwise, the way that it is going, the
patent that the Western countries put into our countries, the way that
they are doing it in Pakistan now, twenty years from now, the way that
it’s going, you will be finding Pakistan like another European
country. Shutting down so many places, this is what Musharraf is doing
too, running and shutting down the Quran recitations and everything
because Western countries are ordering, western countries are saying,
“Don’t teach them Quran now. No need for them to learn.” So they are
going and they are burning the masjids, those squarehead Imams are
fighting with the government, the masjids are burned, people are
burned and everything is burned. This is not Islam. Who are you
fighting for? (Sheykh Efendi smiles).

WE HAVE LOST THE GUIDES, NOT THE QURAN

So, all this happened because we left, not the Quran, they claim that
they have the Quran but they don’t have a guide to show them the
Quran. People they lost the guide and they think that they are going
to find ways. It’s impossible. Allah is giving us to understand saying
to us, “Read and understand.” But reading and understanding is not for
everybody. There are fifty people here for instance. If you read
something, from that fifty people maybe three of them are going to put
it together to summarize. The rest are going to forget the beginning,
middle and they cannot put it together. So reading is something else,
reading and understanding is something else, reading, understanding
and living according to that understanding is something else. So Allah
subhana wa ta’ala is putting guides to us saying, “Those ones read,
they understand and they live according to that, they apply it to
their lives. So they turn around and they bring it down for you, for
you to easily understand.

Opening the Quran is the Surah Fatiha. You make the opening. Right
after the opening, “BismillahirRahmanirRahim. Alif, Lam, Mim.” How
many Muslims are sitting to think, “As soon as we are opening, Allah
locked us with these alphabets. Why is He putting these alphabets to
us? What is the meaning of these alphabets now?” They are not
considering that and they are diving inside thinking they are going to
take something. You are going to take something according to your ego,
according to your ego means according to your level of understanding.
Your level of understanding! You cannot give explanation of the Quran
according to your level of understanding. Quran is speaking the past,
the present and the future. Now what is for you there you may take it
to yourself. But there are so many ayats there that are not applying
to you. It’s applying to these nations, it’s applying to these leaders
and it’s applying to these people that are saying they are the nation,
the Ummat. So then when you take that according to your understanding
and you have power in your hand, like some figures in Islam, they have
money-power and they have gun-power in their hand, they read the Quran
and they say, “Oh, this is the meaning.” That is your meaning, for
you. You cannot take that meaning and apply to whole nations to say,
“Follow me, we are making Jihad.” Huh? This is what happened today.

DON’T ASK PRAYERS FOR THE TYRANTS

Now Holy Prophet (sws) is saying, “If the Nation, Muslims nations,
this Ummat, stays without a Khalifah for three days, Islam is no
longer ruling.” These nations are without a Khalifah for almost a
century now. And never mind about them even to think, “How we can fix
this?” They are standing in front of it. They are standing and saying,
“What you are doing doesn’t fit to Western ideas. We must get rid of
it.” And this is what’s happening in Muslim nations. And if we pray
for the Ummat then we will be praying for all wrongdoers too. Then we
will be sharing their wrongdoings too. We are asking safety from that.
Ask for yourself and for your family members. If they are tyrants then
don’t ask. Check it out. If they are tyrants then don’t ask because if
you are asking safety on behalf of a tyrant then the fire of that
tyrant is going to reach to you too. And tyrants come in so many
different categories.

InshaAllah this Nation will wake up before it’s too late. But we are
reaching to those last days that the Holy Prophet (sws) promised us
and we have very heavy, loaded, painful and difficult days waiting in
front of us. We did not finish it yet, we are just entering into that
era, the time of Dajjal, when the confusion is everywhere. Nobody is
listening to anybody anymore. Everyone is very happy with their mind,
with what they know only, but with what they know they cannot even
move from here to short places. Kids know, adults know, men know,
males know, females know, everyone is knowing. If you say something
saying, “This is from the Prophet (sws)”, they say, “It doesn’t fit
for this time.” (Sheykh Efendi laughs). It doesn’t fit?

Wa min Allahu tawfiq

Bihurmatil Habib

Bihurmatil Fatiha.

Peter Houghton is grateful for his artificial heart. After all, it has saved his life.

He’s just a little wistful about emotions.

He wishes he could feel them like he used to.

Houghton is the first permanent lifetime recipient of a Jarvik 2000 left ventricular assist device. Seven years ago, it took over for the heart he was born with. Since then, it has unquestionably improved his physical well-being. He has walked long distances, traveled internationally and kept a daunting work schedule.

At the same time, he reports, he’s become more “coldhearted” — “less sympathetic in some ways.” He just doesn’t feel like he can connect with those close to him. He wishes he could bond with his twin grandsons, for example. “They’re 8, and I don’t want to be bothered to have a reasonable relationship with them and I don’t know why,” he says.

He can only feel enough to regret that he doesn’t feel enough.

Could the poets have been right all these millennia? Could emotions be matters of the heart?

–
Hatim al-Asamm said: ” I have chosen four things to know and have discarded all the knowledge in the world besides.” He was asked: ” What are they ?” ” One,” he answered, “is this: I know that my daily bread is apportioned to me , and will neither be increased nor diminished ; consequently I have ceased to seek to augment it. Secondly, I know that I owe to God a debt which no other person can pay instead of me; therefore I am occupied with paying it. Thirdly, I know that there is one pursuing me (i.e. Death) from whom I cannot escape accordingly I have prepared myself to meet him. Fourthly, I know that God is observing me ; therefore I am ashamed to do what I ought not”

The object of human knowledge should be to know God and His Commandments. Knowledge of “time” (ilm-i waqt) and of all outward and inward circumstances of which the due effect depends on “time”, is incumbent upon everyone. This is of two sorts: primary and secondary. The external division of the primary class consists in making the Muslims profession of faith, the internal division consists in the attainment of true cognition. The external division of the secondary class consists in the practice of devotion, the internal division consists in rendering one’s intention sincere The outward and inward aspects cannot be divorced. The exoteric aspect of Truth without the esoteric is hypocrisy, and the esoteric without the exoteric is heresy. So with regard to the Law, mere formality is defective, while mere spirituality is vain.

–Kashf Al-Mahjub of Al-Hujwiri: “The Revelation of the Veiled” : An Early Persian Treatise on Sufism

I will be providing some excerpts from his work Maktubat as provided through translations. Sheykh Effendi also explains this same concept in the best ways, often speaking of how our earthly forms are only one ray of light representing our reality. How many secrets are within this understanding (if we can really understand it)?

==

This letter, written to Hajji Abdullatif Harazmi, informs of the mystery of why beautiful appearances are sweet:

Beauty, no matter where it is, is from the wujud, that is, from the real existence. Wujud, that is, existence, is the source of every goodness, every beauty. Only Allahu ta’ala exists. The existence of creatures has originated from Allahu ta’ala by way of shades. The beauty of creatures, also have come from the Divine Being by way of shades. The essence, the origin of creatures is ‘adam (nonexistence). ‘Adam is vice. Nonexistence is the source of all evil. For this reason, the essence of creatures is ugliness, deficiency. The beauty seen on creatures has come from the real existence, yet since it is seen on the mirror of ‘adam, it has become like ‘adam and has got a share from ugliness and deficiency. Because the creature is ugly in actual fact, a creature’s seeming beautiful to another creature is not from the true beauty of the real existence that causes the beauty in the creature. For, he has little relation with true beauty. Having an extensive relationship with the beauty which has been reflected on ‘adam and which has for this reason become ugly, he gets flavor from it. A man who cleans or repairs sewers does not enjoy fragrance as much as he enjoys the noxious smells he is used to. As we have heard, while a man of the sewerage was passing the perfumery market, odorous scents affected him and made him faint. They made him smell some najasat. The noxious scent smelling sweet to him, he recovered.