Yirmi Dokuzuncu Mektup/en

[The Twenty-Ninth Letter consists of nine sections. ]

This, the First Section,

contains nine points.

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise!(17:44)

My Dear, Loyal Brother and True Friend in the Service of the Qur’an!

This time in your letter you want an answer to an important question which neither my time nor my state of mind permit me to answer.

My brother! Praise be to God, this year the numbers of those writing out the treatises have grown considerably. The copies come to me for the second correction and I am busy doing them speedily from morning to evening. Other important jobs remain undone but I consider this duty to be far more important. The heart predominates over the reason in the months of Sha‘ban and Ramadan in particular, and the spirit becomes animated. So I shall postpone this important matter to another time and write to you about it gradually whenever my heart is inspired by Almighty God’s mercy. For now I shall explain three points.(*)

FIRST POINT

The idea expressed as: “The All-Wise Qur’an’s mysteries are not known; the Qur’anic commentators have not understood its reality” has two aspects, and there are two groups of people who say it:

The Firstare the people of truth and the exacting scholars. They say: “The Qur’an is an unending, inexhaustible treasury. Every era both submits to and accepts its established, incontestible matters, and receives its share of its hidden truths as a sort of supplement; it cannot trespass on the shares of other ages which are concealed.”

Yes, that is to say, as time passes the All-Wise Qur’an’s truths are increasingly disclosed. But not, God forbid! so as to cause doubt concerning the self-evident Qur’anic truths that previous generations have expounded. For belief in them is obligatory; they are established, definite, fundamental, and basic.

The verse, “A perspicuous Arabic Qur’an”(16:103) states that its meaning is clear. From beginning to end, the divine address revolves around those meanings, corroborating them and making them clear. Not to accept those authoritative meanings suggests, God forbid!, denying Almighty God and insulting the Messenger’s (UWBP) understanding.

That is to say, those authoritative meanings have been taken successively from the source of Messengership. Ibn Jarir al-Tabari wrote his great commentary relating all the meanings of the Qur’an through chains of authentic transmission to the source of Messengership.

The Second Groupare either foolish friends who cause harm and make matters worse, or they are diabolically cunning enemies who want to oppose the rulings of Islam and truths of belief. They want to find a way into the fortified Suras of the All- Wise Qur’an, which, in your words, are each like steel strongholds. People like that spread about ideas like the above in order, God forbid!, to excite doubts about the truths of belief and the Qur’an.

SECOND POINT

Almighty God swears by many things in the Qur’an. The Qur’anic oaths contain numerous mysteries and significant points.

For example, the oath in “By the Sun and its [glorious] splendour”(91:1) forms the basis of the splendid comparison in the Eleventh Word; it depicts the universe as a palace and a city.

The oath of “Ya. Sin. * By the Qur’an full of wisdom”(36:1-2) calls attention to the sacredness of the Qur’an’s miraculousness, and indicates that it is so worthy of veneration it can be sworn by.

The oaths in “By the star when its goes down,”(53:1) and “Furthermore I call to witness the setting of the stars, * And that is indeed a mighty adjuration if you but knew”(56:75-6) indicate that falling stars are a sign that jinns and devils have been prevented from receiving news from the Unseen so that they cannot cause doubts about revelation. They also point to the vast power and perfect wisdom in the awesomely vast stars being set in their places in perfect order and in the planets being made to revolve in wondrous manner.

With the oaths, “By the [winds] that scatter and broadcast;”(51:1) * “By the [winds] sent forth,”(71:1) it attracts attention to the angels appointed to the winds, in order to call to mind the significant instances of wisdom in the disposal of the air and its movement in waves. For the elements, which are supposed to be governed by chance, perform important duties for most subtle purposes; and so on. All the oaths and their positions contain different points and different purposes.

For now, since the time is inconvenient, I shall indicate briefly only one fine point out of many in the oath, “By the fig and the olive,”(95:1) as follows:

By swearing by the fig and the olive, Almighty God calls to mind the immensit y of His power and the perfection of His mercy and His extensive bounties, in order to redirect those people who are heading for the lowest of the low, showing that they may progress spiritually, through thanks, reflection, belief, and good works as far as the highest of the high.

The reason for specifying the fig and the olive is that as fruits they are most blessed and beneficial, and their creation comprises many notable things and bounties. For the olive is utilized for illumination and food, and is a basic commodity in social and commercial life. The fig is the same; it displays in its creation a miracle of power by encapsulating in its miniscule seed all the members of the huge fig-tree, and is a divine bounty both in its being a food, and its uses, and contrary to other fruits its continuity, and many other advantages. It calls all this to mind with the oath and instructs man to draw lessons from them so as to believe and perform good works, and not to fall to the lowest of the low.

THIRD POINT

The disjointed letters at the start of some Suras are a divine cipher. Almighty God makes allusion to matters of the Unseen with them for His special servant. The key to the cipher is with that servant, and with his heirs. The All-Wise Qur’an addresses all eras and all the groups of mankind. It contains numerous different aspects and meanings that comprise the share of every class in every age. The purest share was that of the righteous first generations of Islam, and they expounded it. The people of sainthood and the verifiers of realit y have found in their writings numerous allusions to the matters of the Unseen pertaining to spiritual journeying. We have discussed them to a small extent from the point of view of the miraculousness of the Qur’an’s eloquence in the commentary called Isharat al-I’jaz (Signs of Miraculousness), at the start of Sura al-Baqara; it may be referred to.

FOURTH POINT

The Twenty-Fifth Word has proved that a true translation of the All-Wise Qur’an is not possible. Also, the elevated style of its miraculousness cannot be translated. It would be extremely difficult to express and make understood the pleasure and reality arising from the elevated style in the miraculousness of its meanings (mânevî i’caz). However, we shall allude to one or two aspects of it in order to show the way, as follows:

And among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variations in your languages and your colours.(30:22) * And the heavens will be rolled up in His right hand.(39:67) * He creates you in the wombs of your mothers in stages, one after another, in three veils of darkness.(39:6) * Who created the heavens and the earth in six days.(7:54, etc.) * Comes in between a man and his heart.(8:24) * From whom is not hidden the least little atom.(34:3) * He merges night into day, and He merges day into night; and He has full knowledge of the secrets of [all] hearts.(57:6)Through verses like these, with a wondrously elevated style and miraculous comprehensiveness, the Qur’an of Miraculous Exposition depicts the reality of creativity for the imagination, indicating the following:

“With whichever hammer the universe’s builder, who is the Maker of the world, fastened the sun and moon in their places, with the same hammer and at the same instant He fixes atoms in their places, for example in the pupils of living creatures’ eyes. And with whichever measure, whichever immaterial instrument, He arranged the heavens and unfolded them, at the same instant and with the same arrangement, He opens up the eye removing its veils; He makes it, orders it, and situates it. And with whichever immaterial hammer of His power, the All-Glorious Maker fastens the stars to the skies, with that same hammer He fastens man’s innumerable distinguishing marks on his countenance and his external and inner senses in their places.”

That is to say, in order to show His works to both the eye and the ear while He is at work, the All-Glorious Maker strikes a hammer on an atom with the verses of the Qur’an, and with another word of the same verse strikes the hammer on the sun; with an elevated style as though striking it right in the centre, He demonstrates His unity within His oneness, and His infinite glory within His infinite beauty, and His infinite tremendousness within His infinite concealedness, and His infinite breadth within His infinite precision, and His infinite majesty within His infinite mercy, and His infinite distance within His infinite proximity. The Qur’an expresses the ultimate degree of the combining of opposites, which is considered to be impossible, in a way that is necessary; it proves this and demonstrates it.

Thus, it is this sort of exposition and style that causes the most wondrous literary genius to prostrate before its eloquence.

And for example, through the verse,And among His signs is this, that heaven and earth stand by His command; then when He calls you, by a single call, from the earth, behold, you [straight away] come forth,(30:25)Almighty God shows the magnificence of the sovereignty of His dominicality in the following elevated manner:

At a single command or a signal like a bugle, the beings in the heavens and earth, which are like two obedient barracks or two orderly army headquarters, will spring up with alacrity and perfect obedience from their sleep in the veils of transience and non- existence. Declaring: “At your service!”, they will assemble on the field of the resurrection and last judgement.

With what miraculous and elevated style it describes the resurrection of the dead and Great Gathering! It points to the following convincing proof contained in its assertion:

observedly, seeds concealed as though dead in the darkness of the earth and drops of water hidden and dispersed, non-existent, in the atmosphere are raised to life swiftly and with perfect order every spring. They emerge onto the field of trial and examination, perpetual examples of resurrection. At the supreme resurrection, beings will emerge with same ease. Since you observe the one here, you cannot deny the other. And so on. You can compare the degree of eloquence in other verses with this one.

Would it be possible to do a true translation of this sort of verse? Surely it would not! At best it would be an abbreviated meaning, or an interpretation, with five or six lines for each phrase.

FIFTH POINT

For example, “All praise be to God” (al-hamdulillah) is a Qur’anic phrase. Its briefest meaning, required by the rules of grammar and rhetoric, is this:

كُلُّ فَر۟دٍ مِن۟ اَف۟رَادِ ال۟حَم۟دِ مِن۟ اَىِّ حَامِدٍ صَدَرَ وَعَلٰى اَىِّ مَح۟مُودٍ وَقَعَ مِنَ ال۟اَزَلِ اِلَى ال۟اَبَدِ خَاصٌّ وَمُس۟تَحِقٌّ لِلذَّاتِ ال۟وَاجِبِ ال۟وُجُودِ ال۟مُسَمّٰى بِاللّٰهِ

“Each individual instance of all the sorts of praise that has been offered by whatever to whatever since pre-eternity and will be offered to post-eternity is particular to and due to the Necessarily Existent One alone, who is named Allah.”

It is as follows: “Each individual instance of all the sorts of praise” is the consequence of the definite article “al” in “al-hamd.” As for the qualification of “that has been offered by whatever,” since “praise” (hamd) is the verbal noun and the active participle has been omitted, it expresses generality in that sense. By omitting the passive participle it again expresses universality and generality, and therefore expresses the qualification “to whatever.” As for the qualification of “from pre-eternity to post-eternity,” it expresses this meaning because the rule of transposing from a verbal clause to a noun clause indicates continuity. The prepositional “lam” in “lillah” [to God], expresses the meaning of sole possession and worthiness. As for the qualification of “the Necessarily Existent One, who is named Allah,” since necessary existence is the necessary requisite of the Godhead and a term signifying the All-Glorious Essence; comprising all the divine names and attributes and being the greatest name, the name of “Allah” necessarily indicates both the necessary existence and the title of “Necessarily Existent One.”

If the shortest apparent meaning of the phrase “All praise be to God” on which all the scholars of Arabic are agreed is thus, how could it be translated into another language with the same miraculousness and power?

Furthermore, among all the languages of the world, there is only one that can compare with Arabic in being the language of grammar, and that can never achieve the comprehensiveness of Arabic. Is it possible for translations into other composite and inflectional languages by people whose understanding is partial, comprehension short, ideas confused, and hearts dark, to take the place of the sacred words of the Qur’an, which have emerged in miraculous fashion in that comprehensive and wondrous grammatical language through an all-encompassing knowledge that knows all its aspects at once and wills them.

I can even say, and perhaps prove, that all the Qur’an’s words are like treasuries of truths, with sometimes a single letter teaching a page of truths.

SIXTH POINT

I shall recount a luminous experience and true vision I had for the purpose of illucidating the above. It was as follows:

One time, I was pondering over the use of the first person plural in the verse “You alone do we worship and from You alone do we seek help,”(1:4) and my heart was seeking the reason for the first person singular being transposed into the first person plural of “we worship”(na‘budu). Suddenly from that “Nun” the mystery and virtues of performing the prayers in congregation were unfolded to me.

I saw that my participating in the congregation in Bayezid Mosque, where I was performing the prayer, made each member of the congregation a sort of intercessor for me who testified to and affirmed each of the statements I pronounced while reciting the prayers. In the midst of the great, multiple worship of the congregation, I felt the courage to offer my deficient worship to the divine court.

Then a further veil was lifted. That is, all the mosques of Istanbul were added. The city became like Beyazid Mosque. Suddenly I felt as though I were receiving their prayers and affirmation.

Then within that, I saw myself in the mosque of the face of the earth, in the circular rows around the Ka‘ba. I declared: “All praise be to God, the Sustainer of All the Worlds! I have intercessors to this great number; they are all reciting exactly the same words as I am saying, confirming me.” As this veil was raised by my imagination, the Noble Ka‘ba appeared to be the mihrab. Seizing the opportunity, I called on the ranks of the congregation to testify and entrusted to the Black Stone the interpreter of faith, that is, “I testify that there is no god but God, and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” While pronouncing this, a further situation was laid open before me: I saw that the congregation of which I was a part was divided into three circles:

The First Circle was the vast congregation of believers and those who affirm divine unity on the face of the earth.

The Second Circle:I looked and saw that I was part of a congregation consisting of all beings, all of which, performing prayers and glorification, were occupied with the benedictions and glorification particular to its group and species. Their worship consists of the activities we observe, called “the functions of things.” Declaring: “God is Most Great!” before this, I bowed my head in wonderment, and looked at myself:

Within a Third Circle I saw an astonishing microcosm which was apparently and qualitatively small, but in reality, number, and duties, great. This, from the particles of my being to my external senses was a congregation in which every group was preoccupied with duties of worship and thanks. In this circle, the dominical inner faculty in my heart was declaring: “You alone do we worship and from You alone do we seek help” in the name of the congregation. Just as in the two former congregations my tongue had said it, having formed the intention to say it in their names.

In Short:The “Nun” of “na‘budu” indicates these three congregations.

While pondering over this, the collective personality of God’s Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), the Interpreter and Herald of the All-Wise Qur’an, was suddenly embodied in all its majesty in his immaterial pulpit in Medina. Like everyone, I as though heard his address of “O you people! Worship your Sustainer,”(2:21) and everyone in those three congregations responded like me, saying, “You alone do we worship.” In accordance with the rule, “If something is established, it is established together with the things that necessitate it,” the following truth was imparted to my mind:

Taking mankind as His addressee, the Sustainer of All the Worlds speaks with all beings, and His Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) conveys that lofty address to mankind, indeed, to all beings with spirits and consciousness. All the past and the future have become like the present; the address is being delivered to mankind, all of which is in a single gathering, in the form of a congregation the rows of which all differ.

I then saw that each Qur’anic verse possesses an elevated power, eloquence, and beauty which it had received from the grandeur and compass of its station, its extremely numerous, various, and significant addressees, from the Pre-Eternal Speaker, the One of infinite glory and grandeur, and from its exalted Interpreter, who is at the rank of God’s beloved; I saw each verse bathed in a brilliant, truly brilliant, light of miraculousness. Then, not the whole Qur’an, or a Sura, or a verse, but all its words seemed to be miracles.

“All praise be to God for the light of belief and the Qur’an,” I declared.

I emerged from my imagining, which was pure reality, the same as I had entered the “Nun” of “na‘budu,” and I understood that not only the Qur’an’s verses and words, but some of its letters, like the “Nun” of “na‘budu,” are luminous keys to important truths.

After my heart and imagination had emerged from the “Nun” of “na‘budu,” my mind came forward and said: I want my share too. I cannot fly like you; my feet are evidences and proofs. The way leading to the Creator, the Worshipped One and One from whom help is sought, has to be pointed out in the same “na‘budu” and “nasta’in” (“You alone do we worship and from You alone do we seek help”), so that I can accompany you.

It then occurred to my heart to say the following to my bewildered mind:

Consider all the beings in the universe; whether living or inanimate, in perfect order and obedience they all have their worship which is in the form of duties. Although some of them lack feelings and intelligence, they perform their duties in conscious, orderly, and worshipful fashion. This means there is a True Object of Worship, an Absolute Commander, who impels them to worship and employs them.

Now consider too the beings and particularly the living ones; while each has extremely numerous and various needs, which have to be met for its continued existence, its hands cannot reach the smallest of them; its power is insufficient. Yet they all receive their innumerable needs regularly, from unexpected places, at the appropriate time; this is clearly to be seen.

Thus, these boundless needs and this boundless want of beings and that extraordinary assistance from the Unseen and merciful succour self-evidently demonstrate that the beings have a Protector and Provider who possesses absolute riches, is Absolutely Generous and Absolutely Powerful; it is from Him that everything and all living beings seek help and await succour, in effect saying: “From You alone do we seek help.”

So then my mind declared: “We believe in this and assent to it!”

SEVENTH POINT

Then, when I said:Guide us to the Straight Path, * The path of those on whom You have bestowed Your bounty,(1:5-6)I saw among the convoys of mankind that were travelling towards the past, was the luminous, radiant caravan of the prophets, the veracious ones, the martyrs, the saints, and the righteous. They were scattering the darkness of the future and travelling the road to post-eternity on a straight way, a direct highway. The phrase was showing me the way to join the caravan, indeed, it was joining me to it.

Suddenly I exclaimed: “Glory be to God! Anyone with an iota of intelligence must know what a loss it is not to join that long, light-scattering caravan which is illuminating the future and travelling in perfect safety. Where can one who deviates from it by creating innovations find a light; which road can he take?”

Our guide, God’s Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) decreed:

كُلُّ بِد۟عَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَكُلُّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِى النَّارِ

“All innovations are misguidance, and all misguidance is in Hell-fire.”(*)What advantage do those wretches worthy of the epithet “corrupt religious scholars” find in the face of this certain statement? What fatwa do they issue so that unnecessarily and harmfully they oppose the clear matters of the marks of Islam (şeâir-i İslâmiye), and deem it possible to change them? It must be that a temporary awakening caused by a fleeting manifestation of meaning deceived those corrupt scholars.

For example, if an animal or fruit is stripped of its skin, it briefly appears to be fresh, but quickly the delicate flesh and delicious fruit go black and rot, with their skins now estranged, withered, thick, and extraneous.

In exactly the same way, the prophetic and divine phrases of the marks of Islam are like a living, meritorious skin. On being stripped away, the luminosity of the meanings is temporarily naked and somewhat visible. But like a fruit that has been peeled of its skin, the spirit of those blessed meanings flies away leaving behind the human skin in darkened hearts and minds. The light flies away; just the smoke lingers. However…

EIGHTH POINT

A principle concerning reality needs to be explained, which is related to this. It is as follows:

Just as there are two sort of rights, personal rights and general rights, which are held to be God’s rights of a sort; so too among the matters of the Shari‘a, some concern individual persons and others, with regard to generality, concern the public. These latter are called “the marks of Islam.” These marks concern everyone and everyone participates in them. To interfere in them without the consent of the public is an infringement of the public’s rights.

The most minor of those marks (one which has the status of Sunna) is equal in importance to the greatest matter. They concern the whole world of Islam directly. Those who are trying to break the luminous chain to which all the great figures of Islam since the Era of the Prophet till now have been bound, and to destroy it and corrupt it, and those who assist them, should dwell on what a ghastly error they are making. If they possess the smallest grain of intelligence, they should tremble!

NINTH POINT

Some matters of the Shari‘a, concerning worship, are not linked to rational thinking; they are performed because they are commanded.

The reason for them is the command.There are others, the reason for which can be understood rationally. That is, they comprise some wisdom or benefit due to which they have been incorporated into the Shari‘a.

But that is not the true reason or cause; the true reason is divine command or prohibition. Instances of wisdom or benefits cannot change the marks of Islam related to worship; the aspect of them related to worship preponderates and they may not be touched. They may not be changed, even for a thousand benefits. Similarly, it is not right to claim that the uses of the marks of Islam are limited to their well-known purposes. It is a false idea. Such purposes are only one out of many.

For instance, someone may say: “The wisdom in and purpose of the call to prayer is to summon Muslims to prayer; in which case, it would be enough just to fire a rifle.” However, the foolish person does not know that the summons is only one purpose out of the thousands. Even if the sound of a rifle shot serves the purpose, how, in the name of mankind, or in the name of the people of the town, can it substitute the call to prayer, which is a means of proclaiming worship before divine dominicality and heralding divine unity, the supreme results of the creation of the universe and of mankind?

In Short:Hell is not unnecessary; there are many things which cry out “Long live Hell!” with all their strength. Paradise is not cheap, either; it demands a high price.

Not equal are the Companions of the Fire and the Companions of the Garden; it is the Companions of the Garden who will achieve felicity… (To the end of the verse.)(59:20)

The Second Section, which is the Second Treatise

On the Month of Ramadan

Since at the end of the First Section brief mention was made of the marks of Islam, this Second Section discusses Ramadan the Noble, the most brilliant and splendid of the marks.

It consists of nine points which explain nine of the numerous instances of wisdom in the month of Ramadan.

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

It was the month of Ramadan in which the Qur’an was bestowed from on high as a guidance unto man and a self-evident proof of that guidance, and as the standard to discern true from false.(2:185)

First Point

The fast of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam; it is also one of the greatest of the marks and observances of Islam.

There are many purposes and instances of wisdom in the fast of Ramadan which look to both God Almighty’s dominicality, and man’s social life, and his personal life, and the training of his instinctual soul, and his gratitude for divine bounties.

One of the many instances of wisdom in fasting in respect of God Almighty’s dominicality is as follows:

God Almighty creates the face of the earth in the form of a table laden with bounties, and arranges on the table every sort of bounty as an expression of “From whence he does not expect.”(65:3) In this way He states the perfection of His dominicality and His mercifulness and compassionateness. People are unable to discern clearly the reality of this situation while in the sphere of causes, under the veil of heedlessness, and they sometimes forget it.

But during the month of Ramadan, the people of faith suddenly appear as a well-disciplined army: as sunset approaches, they display a worshipful attitude as though, having been invited to the Pre-Eternal Monarch’s banquet, they await the command of “Fall to and help yourselves!” They respond to that compassionate, illustrious, and universal mercy with comprehensive, exalted, and orderly worship. Do those people who fail to participate in such elevated worship and noble bounties deserve to be called human beings?

Second Point

One of the many instances of wisdom in the fast of the blessed month of Ramadan with respect to thankfulness for God Almighty’s bounties is as follows:

As is stated in the First Word, a price is required for the foods a tray-bearer brings from the royal kitchen. But to look on those priceless bounties as valueless while tipping the tray-bearer, and not to recognize the one who bestowed them is the greatest foolishness. God Almighty has spread innumerable sorts of bounties over the face of the earth for mankind, in return for which He wishes thanks, as the price of those bounties. The apparent causes and holders of the bounties resemble tray-bearers. We pay a certain price to them and are indebted to them, and even though they do not merit it are over- respectful and grateful to them. Whereas the True Bestower of Bounties is infinitely more deserving of thanks than those causes which are merely the means of the bounty.

To thank Him, then, is to recognize that the bounties come directly from Him; it is to appreciate their worth and to perceive one’s own need for them.

Fasting in Ramadan, then, is the key to true, sincere, extensive, and universal thankfulness. For at other times of the year, most people whose circumstances are not difficult do not realize the value of many bounties since they do not experience real hunger. If their stomachs are full and especially if they are rich, they do not understand the degree of bounty present in a piece of dry bread. But when it is time to break the fast, the sense of taste testifies that the dry bread is a precious divine bounty in the eyes of a believer. During Ramadan, everyone from the monarch to the destitute manifests a sort of gratitude through understanding the value of those bounties. Furthermore, since eating is prohibited during the day, they say: “Those bounties do not belong to me. I am not free to eat them, for they belong to someone else and are his gift. I await his command.” They recognize the bounty to be bounty and so give thanks.

Thus, fasting in this way is in many respects a key to gratitude; gratitude being man’s fundamental duty.

Third Point

One of the many instances of wisdom in fasting from the point of view of man’s social life is as follows:

Human beings have been created differently with regard to their livelihoods. In consequence of this, God Almighty invites the rich to assist the poor, so that through the hunger experienced in fasting, they can truly understand the pains and hunger which the poor suffer. If there were no fasting, many self-indulgent rich would be unable to perceive just how grievous are hunger and poverty and how needy of compassion are those who suffer them. Compassion for one’s fellow men is an essential part of true thankfulness. Whoever a person is, there will always be someone poorer than himself in some respect. He is enjoined to be compassionate towards such a person.

If he were not himself compelled to suffer hunger, he would be unable give the person – through compassion – the help and assistance he is obliged to offer. And even if he were able, it would be deficient, for he would not have truly experienced hunger himself.

Fourth Point

One instance of wisdom in fasting in Ramadan with respect to training the instinctual soul is as follows:

The instinctual soul wants to be free and independent, and considers itself to be thus. According to the dictates of its nature, it even desires an imaginary dominicalit y and to act as it pleases. It does not want to admit that it is being sustained and trained through innumerable bounties. Especially if it possesses worldly wealth and power, and if heedlessness also encourages it, it will devour God’s bounties like a usurping, thieving animal.

Thus, in the month of Ramadan, the instinctual soul of everyone, from the richest to the poorest, may understand that it does not own itself but is totally owned; that it is not free, but is a slave. It understands that if it receives no command, it may not do the simplest and easiest thing; it cannot even stretch out its hand for water. Its imaginary dominicalit y is therefore shattered; it performs its worship and begins to offer thanks, its true duty.

Fifth Point

One of the many instances of wisdom in fasting in Ramadan from the point of view of improving the conduct of the instinctual soul and giving up its rebellious habits is as follows:

Due to its heedlessness the human soul forgets itself; it cannot see its utter powerlessness, want, and deficiency and it does not wish to see them. It does not think of just how weak it is, and how subject to transience and to disasters, nor of the fact that it consists merely of flesh and bones, which quickly decay and fall apart. Simply, it assaults the world as though it possessed a body made of steel and imagined itself to be undying and eternal. It hurls itself on the world with intense greed and voracity, and passionate attachment and love. It is captivated by anything that gives it pleasure or that profits it. Moreover, it forgets its Creator, who sustains it with perfect compassion, and does not think of the consequences of its life and its life in the hereafter. Indeed, it wallows in dissipation and misconduct.

However, fasting in the month of Ramadan awakens even the most heedless and obstinate to their weakness, impotence, and want. Hunger makes them think of their stomachs and they understand the need therein. They realize how unsound are their weak bodies, and perceive how needy they are for kindness and compassion. So they abandon the soul’s pharaoh-like despotism and recognizing their utter impotence and want, perceive a desire to take refuge at the divine court. They prepare themselves to knock at the door of mercy with the hands of thankfulness – so long as heedlessness has not destroyed their hearts, that is.

Sixth Point

One of the many instances of wisdom in fasting in Ramadan from the point of view of the revelation of the All-Wise Qur’an, and the month of Ramadan being the most important time in its revelation, is as follows:

Since the All-Wise Qur’an was revealed in the month of Ramadan, to shun the lower demands of the soul and trivialities and to resemble the angelic state by abstaining from food and drink in order to greet that heavenly address in the best manner, is to attain to a holy state. And to read and listen to the Qur’an as though it were just revealed, to listen to the divine address in it as if it were being revealed that very instant, to listen to that address as though hearing it from God’s Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), indeed, from the Angel Gabriel, or from the Pre-Eternal Speaker Himself, is to attain to that same holy state.To act in this way is to act as an interpreter and to cause others to listen to it and in some degree to demonstrate the wisdom in the Qur’an’s revelation.

Indeed, it is as if the world of Islam becomes a mosque during the month of Ramadan in every corner of which millions of those who know the whole Qur’an by heart make the dwellers on the earth hear the heavenly address. Each Ramadan proclaims in luminous shining manner the verse “It was the month of Ramadan in which the Qur’an was bestowed from on high;” it proves that Ramadan is the month of the Qur’an. Some of the members of the vast congregation listen to the reciters with reverence, while others read it themselves.Following the appetites of the base instinctual soul while in that sacred mosque, and quitting that luminous condition through eating and drinking is truly loathsome and makes such a person the target of the aversion and disgust of the congregation in the mosque. People who oppose those fasting during Ramadan are to the same extent the target of the aversion and disgust of the whole world of Islam.

Seventh Point

One of the many instances of wisdom in the fast of Ramadan with respect to man’s gain and profit, who comes to this world to cultivate and trade for the hereafter, is as follows:

The reward for actions in the month of Ramadan is a thousandfold. According to Hadith, each word of the All-Wise Qur’an has ten merits; each is counted as ten merits and will yield ten fruits in Paradise. While during Ramadan, each word bears not ten fruits but a thousand, and verses like Ayat al-Kursi(2:255) thousands for each word, and on Fridays in Ramadan it is even more. And on the Night of Power, each word is counted as thirty thousand merits.

Indeed, the All-Wise Qur’an, each of whose words yield thirty thousand eternal fruits, is like a luminous Tree of Tuba that gains for believers in Ramadan millions of those eternal fruits. So, come and look at this sacred, eternal profitable trade, then consider it and understand the infinite loss of those who do not appreciate the value of its words.

To put it simply, the month of Ramadan is an extremely profitable display and market for the trade of the hereafter. It is an extremely fertile piece of land for the crops of the next world. For the growth and flourishing of actions it is like April showers in the spring. It is a brilliant holy festival for the parade of mankind’s worship in the face of the sovereignt y of divine dominicalit y. Since it is thus, mankind has been charged with fasting in order not to heedlessly indulge the animal needs of the instinctual soul like eating and drinking, nor to indulge the appetites lustfully and in trivialities. For, by temporarily rising above animality and quitting the calls of this world man approaches the angelic state and enters upon the trade of the hereafter. By fasting, he approaches the state of the hereafter and that of a spirit appearing in bodily form. It is as if man then becomes a sort of mirror reflecting the Eternally Besought One.

Indeed, the month of Ramadan comprises and gains a permanent, eternal life in this fleeting world and brief transient life.

Certainly, a single Ramadan can produce fruits equal to that of a lifetime of eighty years. The Qur’an stating that the Night of Power is more auspicious than a thousand months is a decisive proof of this.

Evet, karanlıklı bu hayat-ı dünyeviyenin en nurani Leyle-i Kadri ramazandır.

For example, a monarch may declare certain days to be festivals during his reign, or perhaps once a year, either on his accession to the throne or on some other days that reflect a glittering manifestation of his sovereignty. On those occasions he favours his subjects, not within the compass of his laws generally but with his special bounties and favours through his unveiled presence and his wondrous activities. He favours with his especial regard and attention those of his nation who are completely loyal and worthy .

In the same way, the All-Glorious Monarch of eighteen thousand worlds, who is the Sovereign of Pre-Eternity and Post-Eternity, revealed in Ramadan the illustrious decree of the All-Wise Qur’an, which looks to the eighteen thousand worlds. It is a requirement of wisdom, then, that Ramadan should be like special divine festival, a dominical display, and a spiritual gathering. Since Ramadan is such festival, God has commanded man to fast, in order to disengage him to a degree from base, animal activities.

The most excellent fasting is to make the human senses and organs, such as the eyes, ears, heart, and thoughts, fast together with the stomach. That is, to withdraw them from unlawful things and from trivia, and to urge each of them to their particular worship.

For example, to ban the tongue from lying, back-biting, and obscene language and to make it fast; and to busy it with such activities as reciting the Qur’an, praying, glorifying God’s Names, asking for God’s blessings for the Prophet Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace), and seeking forgiveness for sins;

and for example, to prevent the eyes looking at members of the opposite sex outside the stipulated degrees of kinship, and the ears from hearing harmful things, and to use the eyes to take lessons and the ears to listen to the truth and to the Qur’an, is to make other organs fast too. As a matter of fact, since the stomach is the largest factory, when it has an enforced holiday from work through fasting, the other small workshops are made to follow it easily.

Eighth Point

One of the many instances of wisdom in Ramadan from the point of view of man’s personal life is as follows:

It is a healing physical and spiritual diet of the most important kind. When man’s instinctual soul eats and drinks just as it pleases, it is both harmful for man’s physical life from the medical point of view, and when it hurls itself on everything it encounters whether licit or illicit, it quite simply poisons his spiritual life. Further, it is difficult for such a soul to obey the heart and the spirit; it wilfully takes the reins into its own hands and then man cannot ride it, it rather rides man.

But by means of fasting in Ramadan, it becomes accustomed to a sort of diet. It tries to discipline itself and learns to listen to commands. Furthermore, it will not invite illness to that miserable, weak stomach by cramming it with food before the previous consignment has been digested. And by abandoning even licit actions as it is commanded, it will acquire the ability to listen to the commands of the Shari‘a and the reason, and so to avoid illicit actions. It will try not to destroy his spiritual life.

Moreover, the great majority of mankind frequently suffer from hunger. Man, therefore, needs hunger and discipline, which train him to be patient and forbearing. Fasting in Ramadan is patient endurance of a period of hunger that continues for fifteen hours, or for twenty-four if the pre-dawn meal is not eaten, and it is a discipline and training. That is to say, fasting is also a cure for impatience and lack of endurance, which double man’s afflictions.

Futhermore, the factory of the stomach has many workers, and many of the human organs are connected to it. If the instinctual soul does not take a rest from activity during the day for a month, it makes the factory’s workers and those organs forget their particular duties; it busies them with itself so that they remain under its tyranny. Also, it confuses the rest of the organs in the human body with the clangour and steam of the factory’s machinery. It continuously attracts their attention to itself, making them temporarily forget their exalted duties. It is because of this that for centuries those closest to God have accustomed themselves to discipline and to eating and drinking little in order to be perfected.

Through fasting in Ramadan the factory’s workers understand that they were not created for the factory only. While the rest of the organs, instead of delighting in the lowly amusements of the factory, take pleasure in angelic and spiritual amusements, and fix their gazes on them. It is for this reason that in Ramadan the believers experience enlightenment, fruitfulness, and spiritual joys which differ according to their degrees. Their subtle faculties, such as the heart, spirit, and intellect, make great progress and advancement in that blessed month through fasting. They laugh with innocent joy inspite of the stomach’s weeping.

Ninth Point

One of the instances of wisdom in fasting in Ramadan with regard to shattering the instinctual soul’s imaginary dominicality and making known its worship through pointing out its impotence is as follows:

The instinctual soul does not want to recognize its Sustainer; it wants its own lordship, like Pharaoh. However much torment it suffers, it retains that vein. Hunger, however, destroys it. Hence, fasting in Ramadan strikes direct blows at the soul’s pharaoh-like front, shattering it. It demonstrates its impotence, weakness, and want. It makes it realize that it is a slave.

Among the narrations of Hadith is the following:

“God Almighty said to the instinctual soul: ‘What am I and what are you?’

The soul replied: ‘I am myself and You are Yourself.’ So He punished it and cast it into Hell, then asked it again.

Again it replied: ‘I am myself and You are Yourself.’ However He punished it, it did not give up its egoism. Finally He punished it with hunger; that is, He made it go hungry.

Then again He asked it: ‘Who am I and who are you?’

And the soul replied: اَن۟تَ رَبِّى الرَّحٖيمُ ، وَاَنَا عَب۟دُكَ ال۟عَاجِزُ

‘You are my Compassionate Sustainer and I am your impotent slave!’”

O God! Grant blessings and peace to our master Muhammad that will be pleasing to You and fulfilment of his truth to the number of the merits of the words of the Qur’an in the month of Ramadan, and to his Family and Companions, and grant them peace.

Limitless in His glory is your Sustainer, the Lord of Almightiness, [exalted] above anything that men may devise by way of definition! * And peace be upon all His message-bearers.

And all praise is due to God alone, the Sustainer of All the Worlds!(37:180-2)

APOLOGY: This Second Section was written at speed when both myself and the rough-copy scribe were ill; it is bound therefore to contain disorder and defects. We await from our brothers that they look on it with tolerance. They may correct it as they think fit.

The Third Section, which is the Third Treatise

[I wrote this section in order to present an important intention of mine to my brothers of the hereafter for their consideration. It concerns the writing of a Qur’an in a way that will show one of the two hundred sorts of the Qur’an of Miraculous Exposition’s miraculousness – a sort pertaining to its patterns – with the pages specified in accordance with the style of Hafiz Osman and taking the Mudayana Verse(2:282) as the measure, and taking Sura al-Ikhlas as the standard for the lines. This Third Section, which I wrote to consult them concerning this matter and to learn their ideas, and also as a reminder to myself, consists of nine matters.]

FIRST MATTER

It is established with proofs in the Twenty-Fifth Word, called The Miraculousness of the Qur’an, that the varieties of the Qur’an of Mighty Stature’s miraculousness number forty. Some of these are demonstrated in detail, and some briefly, so as to convince even the obdurate.

Also, the different sorts of miraculousness the Qur’an shows to each of forty of the classes of humanity were explained in the Eighteenth Sign of the Nineteenth Letter, and the shares received by ten of those groups were proved. The remaining thirty classes consist of the followers of all the different ways of sainthood and the scholars of all the various sciences, who demonstrated their certain, verified belief to the degrees of knowledge of certainty, vision of certainty, and absolute certainty that the Qur’an is the true Word of God. That is to say, each of them discerned a different aspect of its miraculousness in a different way.

Yes, just as the miraculousness a saint who seeks knowledge of God understands will not the same as the beauty of the miraculousness a saint who is a lover of God witnesses, so the manifestations of the beauty of its miraculousness var y according to the different ways and paths. And the aspect of miraculousness a profound scholar of the principles of religion sees will not be the same as that seen by an authoritative interpreter of the secondary matters of the Shari‘a sees; and so on.

I am not able to show in detail all these different aspects; my compre hension cannot encompass them; my view falls short of them. For this reason only ten classes were explained and the rest were alluded to briefly. Now, of those, two that were inadequately described in The Miracles of Muhammad although they needed to be elucidated, were the following:

The First Class is the uneducated mass of people, whom we call “the listening class;” they only listen to the Qur’an, understanding its miraculousness by means of their ears. They say: “The Qur’an, which I hear, does not resemble any other books, so it must either be inferior to all of them, or superior. No one could say that it is inferior, nor have they said it, nor could the Devil even say it. So it must be superior to all of them.”

It was written briefly like this in the Eighteenth Sign and is further explained in the First Topic of the Twenty-Sixth Letter, called A Dispute with the Devil, which illustrates and proves that class’s understanding of the miraculousness.

The Second Class is “the seeing class.” That is to say, it is claimed in the Eighteenth Sign that an aspect of the Qur’an’s miraculousness which may be seen with the eyes looks to the uneducated common people or to materialists whose minds see no further than their eyes. This claim needs much explanation in order to elucidate and prove it. It was not explained there due to an important instance of dominical wisdom which only now we understand. Only a few very minor particulars were pointed out.

The wisdom in in this is now understood and we are certain its postponement was preferable. In order to facilitate this class’s understanding, we had a Qur’an written that shows this observable aspect, one of the forty aspects of its miraculousness.

[The remaining matters of this Third Section together with the Fourth Section are about coincidences (tevâfukat). They have been included in the Index and not repeated here. Included here are only a reminder concerning the Fourth Section and its Third Point.]

Reminder:One hundred and sixty verses were written in explanation of the important point concerning the word “Messenger.” In addition to these verses having a glorious quality, they form a Qur’anic supplication for those who want to memorize or recite different verses since they prove and complete one another with regard to the meaning and their meanings are very profound.In degree, eloquence and beauty of the sixty-nine verses in the explanation of the sublime point concerning the word “Qur’an” is also most wondrous and elevated. This may be recommended to our brothers as a second Qur’anic supplication.

In regard to the word “Qur’an,” it was present in the seven lines of the word, which included all of them with the exception of two, and since these latter had the meaning of qira’at, their remaining outside the pattern strengthened the point.

As for the word “Messenger,” since the Suras most connected with the word are Sura Muhammad and Sura al-Fath, and since we limited it to the lines of the word appearing in those two Suras, the instances of the word outside those have not been included. If time permits, the mysteries these hold will be explained, God willing.

The Third Point consists of four points.

First Point The word “Allah” is mentioned two thousand eight hundred and six times. Including in the Bismillah’s (In the Name of God’s), the word “Merciful (Rahman)” one hundred and fifty-nine; “Compassionate (Rahim),” two hundred and twenty; “Forgiving (Ghafur),” sixty-one; “Sustainer (Rabb),” eight hundred and forty-six; “Wise (Hakim),” eighty-six; “Knowing (‘Alim),” one hundred and twenty-six; “Powerful (Qadir),” thirty-one; the “He (Hu)” in “There is no god but He,” twenty-six times.(*)The number of times the word “Allah” is repeated contains many mysteries and subtle points.

For instance, the number of times “Merciful,” “Compassionate,” “Forgiving,” and “Wise,” which are the most mentioned after “Allah” and “Sustainer,” are repeated together with the word “Allah,” is equal to half the number of the Qur’an’s verses. And repetitions of “Allah,” together with “Sustainer,” which is mentioned instead of the word “Allah,” again equal half the number of the Qur’an’s verses. The word “Sustainer” is mentioned eight hundred and forty-six times, but if these are studied carefully, it will be seen that around five hundred of them are mentioned in place of the word “Allah,” while around two hundred are not.

Also, repetitions of “Allah” together with “Merciful,” “Compassionate,” “Knowing,” and the “He” of the phrase “There is no god but He” are again equal in number to half of the verses; the difference is only four. And together with “All- Powerful” instead of “He,” they again equal half the number of verses; the difference here is nine. There are numerous subtle points in the total number of time the word “Allah,” but for now we deem this point to be sufficient.

Second Point This is in respect of the Suras, and it too contains many subtle points. It contains coincidences (tevâfukat) in a way that points to an order, intention, and will.

In Sura al-Baqara, the number of instances of the word “Allah” and the number of the verses is the same. There is a difference of four, but four “He’s” replace the word “Allah,” like the “He” in “There is no god but He” and they correspond exactly.

In Sura Al-i ‘Imran, again the word “Allah” and the number of verses coincide and are equal. Only, “Allah” is mentioned two hundred and nine times and there are two hundred verses, making a difference of nine. But small differences do not mar the fine points of eloquence and literary merits such as these; an approximate coincidence is enough.

The total number of verses of Suras al-Nisa, al-Ma’ida, and al-An‘am coincides with the total number of instances of the word “Allah:” the number of verses is four hundred and sixty-four, and the number of instances of the word “Allah” four hundred and sixt y-one; with the “Allah” of the Bismillahs, it coincides exactly.

And for example, the number of instances of the word “Allah” in the first five Suras is twice the number of the word in Suras al-A‘raf, al-Anfal, al-Tawba, Yunus, and Hud. That is, the second five are half the first five. Then the number of instances of the word in the following suras, Yusuf, al-Ra‘d, Ibrahim, al-Hijr, and al-Nahl, is half that, and in the following Suras, al-Isra, al-Kahf, Maryam, Ta. Ha., al-Anbiya, and al-Hajj, it is again halved.(*)And so it continues to decrease in approximately the same ratio in the following groups of. five Suras. There are, however, some differences and deficiencies but they cause no harm in such stations of address. For example, some are one hundred and twenty-one, others are one hundred and twenty- five, others are one hundred and fifty-four, and yet others are one hundred and fifty- nine.

Then, the five Suras which begin with Sura al-Zukhruf decrease to an eighth. And in the five beginning with Sura al-Najm, it is a sixty-fourth, but this is approximate. Differences arising from small errors do not harm stations of address such as these. The subsequent three groups of five short Suras contain only three instances each of the word “Allah.”

And this shows that chance has not interfered at all in the number of the word; the numbers of it have been specified in accordance with wisdom and order.

The Third Point is about the word “Allah”This concerns its relation to the pages and is as follows:

The number of instances of the word on one page looks to that page’s reverse side, and that page sometimes looks to its facing page, and sometimes to the left-hand facing page and to the reverse face of the facing page. I studied a coincidence in my own copy of the Qur’an and observed what was generally a very fine numerical relationship. I marked them in my copy. Very often they are equal, and sometimes they are a half or a third. Their positioning tells of a wisdom, purpose, and order.

Fourth PointThis concerns coincidences on a single page.

My brothers and I compared three or four different copies and we came to the conclusion that the coincidences were intended in all of them. However, since copyists for printed copies had different aims in view, the coincidences lost their order to a degree. But if they were set in order, coincidences would become apparent to the number of the two thousand eight hundred and six instances of the word Allah in the whole Qur’an with only rare exceptions.

A light of miraculousness shines in this, because the human mind could not encompass a page as extensive as this and interfere in it. And the hand of chance could not reach up to such a situation, so full of meaning and wisdom.

We are having a new Qur’an written in order to demonstrate this Fourth Point to a degree, which together with preserving the pages and lines of the most widely used copies of the Qur’an, will set in order the places that have lost their order due to the slackness of calligraphers, and will display the true order of the coincidences, God willing. Indeed, it was displayed.

O God! O Revealer of the Qur’an! For the sake of the Qur’an, allow us to understand its mysteries so long as the spheres revolve. And grant blessings and peace to the one to whom You revealed the Qur’an, and to all his Family and Companions. Amen.

The Fifth Section, which is the Fifth Treatise

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. God is the Light of the heavens and the earth.(24:35) While in a spiritual state during the month of Ramadan, I perceived one light of the many luminous mysteries of this light-filled verse; I saw it as though from afar. It was like this:

I had a vision of the heart and imagination which afforded me the conviction that, as in the famous supplication of Uways al-Qarani,O God! You are our Sustainer, for we are mere slaves; we are powerless to sustain and raise ourselves. That is to say, the One who sustains us is You! And it is You who is the Creator, for we are creatures, we are being made! And it is You who is the Provider, for we are in need of provision, we have no power!,all living creatures are offering supplications to Almighty God, and that a divine name illuminates each of the eighteen thousand worlds. It was like this:

I saw that within this world are thousands of worlds enwrapped in veil after veil,one within the other like a rose-bud with numerous petals. As each veil was unfolded I saw another world. It was like that depicted by the verse following the Light Verse: Or [the unbelievers’ state] is like the depths of darkness in a vast deep ocean, overwhelmed with billow topped with billow, topped by [dark] clouds; depths of darkness, one above the other; if a man stretches out his hand, he can hardly see it; for any to whom God gives not light, there is no light;(24:40)it appeared to me in darkness, desolation, and terrible blackness. Suddenly, the manifestation of a divine name appeared like a refulgent light, illuminating it. Whichever veil was folded back another world appeared before my mind. But while appearing dark due to heedlessness, a divine name would be manifested like the sun, filling that world with light from top to bottom. And so on. This journey of the heart and imagination continued for a long time. In short:

When I saw the animal world it appeared to me as truly dark and grievous due to the animals’ endless needs and acute hunger, and their weakness and impotence.

Then suddenly the name of Most Merciful rose like the shining sun in the sign of (that is, meaning) Provider, gilding that world from top to bottom with the radiance of its mercy.

Then within the animal world I beheld another world in which young and offspring were struggling in their weakness, helplessness, and need within a grievous darkness that would fill anyone with pity.

Suddenly the name of All-Compassionate rose in the sign of clemency, illuminating that world in so beautiful and sweet a fashion that it transformed the complaint, pity, and tears of sorrow into joy, happiness, and tears of pleasurable thanks.

Then a further veil was lifted, as though revealing a cinema screen, and the world of man appeared to me. But it appeared to be so dark, so oppressive, so terrible that in anguish I cried out “Alas!”

For I saw that men had desires and hopes that stretched to eternity, and thoughts and imaginings that encompassed the universe, and a disposition and abilities that most earnestly yearned for eternity and everlasting happiness and Paradise, and wants and needs that were directed towards endless goals and aims. Yet they were weak and impotent, and exposed to the attacks of innumerable calamities and enemies; they lived tumultuous lives for a brief span in the greatest hardship and difficulties. Amid the continuous tribulations of decline and separation, a most grievous state for the heart, they were looking towards the grave, which for the heedless and neglectful is the door to everlasting darkness; singly and in groups, they were being cast into that dark well.

The moment I saw this world in the midst of the darkness, my heart, spirit, and mind, and all my human faculties, indeed, all the particles of my being, were ready to weep and cry out in pain. But suddenly Almighty God’s name of All-Just rose in the sign of All-Wise, the name of Most Merciful rose in the sign of Munificent, the name of All-Compassionate rose in the sign of (that is, meaning) All-Forgiving, the name of Resurrector in the sign of Inheritor, the name of Giver of Life rose in the sign of Bountiful, and the name of Sustainer rose in the sign of Owner. They gilded and filled with light many worlds within the world of humanity. Opening up windows onto the luminous world of the hereafter, they scattered lights over the dark human world.

Then another, vast, veil was folded back and the world of the earth appeared. Philosophy’s dark laws of science showed a terrifying world to the imagination. The situation appeared to me of wretched humankind journeying through infinite space on the aged earth, which covers in one year a distance of twenty-five thousand years moving seventy times faster than a cannon- ball, and whose inside is in a state of upheaval ever ready to split up and disintegrate. My head started spinning and my eyes darkened.

Then suddenly the names of Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, All-Powerful, All-Knowing, Sustainer, Allah, Sustainer of the Heavens and the Earth, and Subduer of the Sun and Moon rose in the signs of Mercy, Tremendousness, and Dominicality. They illuminated that world so that I saw the globe of the earth to be a safe liner, well-ordered, subjugated, perfect, and agreeable, all decked out for voyages of pleasure and trade.

In Short:Each of the thousand and one divine names turned towards the universe appeared like a sun, illuminating a world and the worlds within that world, and with respect to divine oneness (ehadiyet), within the manifestation of each of them the manifestations of the rest of the names appeared to a degree.

Then my heart espied a different light behind all the darknesses and felt an appetite for travel. It wanted to mount the imagination and rise to the heavens. At that point, a further, most extensive, veil was folded back, and my heart entered the world of the heavens.

It saw that the stars larger than the earth, which appeared as twinkling smiles, were spinning and journeying faster than the earth one within the other. If any of them confused its motion it would clash with another causing such a blast the universe would explode causing the whole world to fall apart. They were scattering fire, not light, and were regarding me not with smiles, but with savagery. I saw the heavens within endless, all-enveloping, empty, awesome, terrifying darkness. I was sorry a thousand times over that I had come.

Suddenly the names of Lord of the Heavens and the Earth and Sustainer of the Angels and Spirits appeared with their manifestations in the sign of “He has subjected the sun and the moon,”(13:2, etc.) and, “And We adorned the lower heaven with lights.”(41:12) The stars, which in accordance with the former meaning had collapsed into darkness, each received a flash from that mighty light and lit up that world of the heavens like shining electric lamps. The heavens too, which had seemed empty and uninhabited, filled with angels and spirit beings. I saw that the suns and moons, which were in motion like an army of the Monarch of Pre-Eternit y and Post-Eternity – one of His innumerable armies – were with their lofty manoeuvres displaying the majesty and magnificent dominicality of that All-Glorious Sultan.

I declared with all my strength, and had it been possible with all the particles of my being, and if they had listened to me with the tongues of all creatures:

God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is as if there were a niche and within it a lamp; the lamp enclosed by glass; the glass as it were a brilliant star; lit from a blessed tree, an olive, neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil is well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it; Light upon Light! God guides to His Light whom He will.(24:35) I recited this verse in the name of all creatures. Then I returned, descended to the earth, and awoke. “All praise be to God for the light of belief and the Qur’an,” I exclaimed.

The Sixth Section, which is the Sixth Treatise

[This was written to warn students and servants of the All-Wise Qur’an, so that they should not be deceived.]

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. And incline not towards those who do wrong, or the Fire will seize you.(11:113)

God willing, this Sixth Section will confound six stratagems of satans among jinn and men, and block up six of their ways of attack.

FIRST STRATAGEM

In consequence of the instruction they have received from satans among the jinn, human satans want to deceive, by exciting the desire for rank and position, the self- sacrificing servants of the party of the Qur’an, and to make them give up their sacred service and elevated jihad of the word. It is as follows:

Present in most people is a hypocritical desire to be seen by people and hold a position in the public view, which is ambition for fame and acclaim, and self- advertisement; it is present to a lesser or greater extent in all those who seek this world. The desire to accomplish this ambition will drive a person to sacrifice his life even. Such ambition is exceedingly dangerous for those who seek the hereafter, and even for those who seek this world it is a rough road. It is also the source of many bad morals and is man’s greatest weakness. A person only has to gratify this ambition to gain control over someone and draw him to himself; it ties the man to him, and he is overcome.

My greatest fear for my brothers is that the atheists may take advantage of this weak vein of theirs. It has caused me much thought. For they did attract in this way some unfortunates who were not truly friends, drawing them into a dangerous situation.(*)

My brothers and friends in the service of the Qur’an! Say the following to the secret agents of the cunning ‘worldly,’ or the propagandists of the people of misguidance, or the students of Satan, for they all try to deceive you by exciting the desire for rank:

“Firstly, divine pleasure, the favours of the Merciful One, and dominical acceptance are a position so high that beside them the attention and admiration of men are worth virtually nothing. To receive divine mercy is sufficient. The regard of men is acceptable in that it is the reflection and shadow of the regard of divine mercy; otherwise it is not desirable. For it is extinguished at the door of the grave, so is worth nothing!”

If the desire for rank and position cannot be silenced and eliminated, it should be directed towards something else:

as in the following comparison, the emotion may have a licit side; if it is for reward in the hereafter, or with the intention of being prayed for, or for making one’s work effective.

For example, at a time Aya Sophia Mosque is filled with eminent and blessed people, virtuous and excellent, one or two idle youths and immoral loafers are hanging around the entrance, while next to the windows a few Europeans are watching for amusement. A man enters the mosque and joins the congregation, then recites a passage from the Qur’an beautifully in a fine voice; the gazes of thousands of the people of truth are turned on him and they gain reward for him through their regard and prayers. This does not please the idle youths and heretic loafers and the one or two Europeans.

If when the man had entered the blessed mosque and joined the huge congregation, he had shouted out lewd songs, and danced and jumped around, it would have made the idle youths laugh, have pleased the dissolute loafers since it encouraged immorality, and made the Europeans smile mockingly, since they are gratified at seeing any faults in Islam. But it would have attracted looks of disgust and contempt from the vast and blessed congregation; in its view, the man would have fallen to the very lowest of the low.

Exactly like this example, the World of Islam and Asia is a huge mosque, and the people of belief and truth within it are the respected congregation in the mosque. The idle youths are the childish sycophants. The dissolute loafers are those villains who follow Europe and have no nation or religion. While the European spectators are the journalists who spread the ideas of the Europeans. All Muslims, especially the virtuous and perfected ones, have a place in the mosque according to their degree; they are seen and attention is paid to them.

If they perform actions and works as taught by the injunctions and sacred truths the All-Wise Qur’an in accordance with the sincerity and divine pleasure which are a fundamental of Islam, and if through the tongue of disposition they recite Qur’anic verses, they will then be included in the prayer: “O God, grant forgiveness to all believing men and to all believing women,” which is constantly uttered by everyone in the World of Islam. They will have a share of it and will become connected to all the others in brotherly fashion. However, the value of this will not be apparent to some of the people of misguidance who are like harmful beasts and to some idiots who are like bearded children.

If a man disowns all his forefathers, the source of honour, and all the past, the cause of pride, and abandons in the spirit the luminous highway of his righteous predecessors, which they considered to be their point of support, and if he follows his own whims and passions hypocritically seeking fame and following innovations, he will fall to the very lowest position in the view of all the people of truth and belief.

In accordance with: “Beware the insight of the believer, for he sees with the light of God,”(*)however common and ignorant a believer may be, even if his mind does not realize it, his heart looks coldly and in disgust on such boastful, selfish men.

And so, the man carried away by love of position and rank and obsessed by the desire for fame – the second man, descends to the very lowest of the low in the view of that numberless congregation. And he gains a temporary, inauspicious position in the view of a few insignificant, mocking, raving loafers.

In accordance with the verse,Friends on that Day will be foes, one to another – except the righteous,(43:67) he will find a few false friends who will be harmful in this world, torment in the Intermediate Realm, and enemies in the hereafter.

As for the first man, even if he does not expunge the desire for position from his heart, on condition he takes sincerity and divine pleasure as his guiding principles and does not make rank and position his goal, he will attain a sort of spiritual rank, and a glorious one at that, which will perfectly satisfy that desire of his. The man will lose something insignificant, very insignificant, and find in place of it many, very many, valuable and harmless things. Indeed, he will chase away a few snakes and find numerous blessed creatures; he will become close friends with them. Or he will ward off stinging wild hornets and attract blessed bees, the sherbert-sellers of mercy. He will eat honey at their hand, and through their prayers find friends from all parts of the Islamic world through whom his spirit will receive effulgences like the water of Kawthar, and these will pass to his book of good deeds.

At one time, when through perpetrating a great wrong due to the desire for fame, a little man who was occupying a high worldly position became a laughing-stock in the eyes of the World of Islam, I spoke to him teaching him the meaning of the above comparison; I hit him over the head with it. He was badly shaken, but because I myself had not been saved from the desire for rank and position, my warning did not arouse him.

SECOND STRATAGEM

One of the strongest and most basic emotions in man is the sense of fear. Scheming oppressors profit greatly from the vein of fear. They restrain the pusillanimous with it. The agents of the worldly and propagandists of the people of misguidance take advantage of this vein of the common people and of the religious scholars in particular. They frighten them and excite their groundless fears.

For example, in order to scare a coward who is on a roof and put him in danger, a scheming man shows him something which he supposes is harmful; he excites his fear and draws him gradually towards the edge of the roof; then he makes him fall and break his neck. In exactly the same way, they make people sacrifice most important things due to most unimportant fears. Trying to avoid a mosquito bite, they flee into the dragon’s mouth.

One time, an eminent person – May God have mercy on him – was frightened of climbing into a rowing-boat. One evening, we walked together to the Bridge in Istanbul. We had to board a boat; there was no carriage and we were going to Eyüp Sultan. I insisted. He said: “I’m frightened. Perhaps it’ll sink!” I said to him: “How many boats do you reckon there are, here on the Golden Horn?” He replied: “Perhaps a thousand.” So I asked him: “How many boats sink in a year?” He said: “One or two. Perhaps none at all.” I asked him: “How many days are there in a year?” “Three hundred and sixty,” he replied. So I said to him: “The possibility of sinking, which provokes these groundless fears and makes you anxious, is one in three hundred and sixty thousand. Someone who is frightened at such a possibility is not a human being, he couldn’t even be an animal!”

Then I asked him: “How long do you reckon you will live?” He replied: “I am old; perhaps I’ll live another ten years.” So I said to him: “The appointed hour of death is secret, so we could die any day. In which case, you might die on any day of the three thousand six hundred. You see, there is a one in three thousand possibilit y that you might die today rather than one in three hundred thousand like the boat; so tremble and weep, and write your will!”

He came to his senses, and I got him, trembling, to board the boat. When on board, I told him: “Almighty God gave the sense of fear to preserve life, not to destroy it! He did not give life so that it would be burdensome, difficult, painful, and torment. If fear is caused by a possibility of one in two, three, or four, or even one in five or six, it is a precautionary fear and may be licit. But to fear a possibility of one in twenty, thirty, or forty, is groundless, and makes life torture!”

My brothers! If those who toady to the atheists attack you by frightening you into giving up your sacred jihad of the word, say to them:

“We are the party of the Qur’an. According to the verse,We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it,(15:9)we are in the citadel of the Qur’an. The verse,For us God suffices, and He is the Best Disposer of Affairs(3:173)is a firm bastion surrounding us. Utilizing fear at a one in thousands possibility of some minor harm coming to our fleeting transient lives here, you cannot drive us through our own wills down a way on which there is a hundred per cent possibility of its causing thousandfold harm to our eternal lives!”

And say too: “Is there anyone who has suffered harm due to Said Nursi, our friend in the service of the Qur’an and Master and foreman in running this sacred work, or from people of truth like us who are his companions on the way of truth? Is there anyone who has been caused any trouble at the hand of his close students, that we might be caused it too? So should we be anxious at the possibility of suffering it? This brother of ours has thousands of friends and brothers of the hereafter. Although for twenty to thirty years he played an influential role in the social life of this world, we have not heard that a single of his brothers suffered harm because of him, and at that time he was brandishing the club of politics. Now he holds the light of reality rather than the club. For sure, long ago they mixed him up in the Thirty-First of March Incident and they crushed some of his friends, but it later became clear that others had instigated the affair. His friends suffered misfortune, not because of him but because of his enemies. Moreover, at that time he saved very many of his friends. So satans like you shouldn’t get it into their minds to make us throw away an eternal treasury out of fear at a danger the possibility of which is not one in a thousand but in thousands.” You should say that and hit those toadies of the people of misguidance in the mouth, and drive them away!

And tell them this:“And if the possibility of death is not one in hundreds of thousands but a hundred per cent probability, if we have a jot of sense, we will not be frightened and abandon him and flee!”

For it has been seen through repeated experiences, and it is seen, that the calamity which is visited on those who betray their elder brother or their Master in times of danger, strikes them first. And they are punished mercilessly and they are looked down upon contemptuously. Both physically dead and their spirits abased, they are in effect dead. Those who torment them feel no pity for them, for they say: “Since they betrayed their Master who was loyal and kind to them, they must be completely despicable and deserve contempt, not pity!”

Yes, the reality is this. Also, if a tyrannical, unscrupulous man throws someone to the ground and stands over him certain to crush his head with his foot, and the man on the ground kisses that savage oppressor’s foot, due to his abasement his heart will be crushed before his head, and his spirit will die before his body. He will lose his head, and his self-respect and pride will be destroyed. By displaying weakness before the savage tyrant without conscience, he encourages him to crush him. But if the oppressed man spits in the tyrant’s face, he will save his heart and his spirit, and his body will be a wronged martyr. Yes, spit in the shameless faces of the oppressors!

One time when the British had destroyed the guns on the Bosphorus and occupied Istanbul, the head clergyman of the Anglican Church, the main religious establishment of that country, asked six questions of the Shaikh al-Islam’s Office. I was a member of the Darü’l-Hikmeti’l-Islamiye at the time.

They asked me to answer them, saying that they wanted a six-hundred-word reply to their six questions. But I told them: “I’ll answer them not with six hundred words, or even with six words, or even a single word, but with a mouthful of spit! For you can see that government; the moment it set foot on our Bosphorus, its clergyman arrogantly asked us six questions. Faced with this, we should spit in his face. So spit in the pitiless faces of those tyrants!” And now I say:

My brothers! At a time a tyrannical government like the British had occupied us the protection of the Qur’an was enough for me, although it was a hundred per cent certain that harm would come to me from confronting them in this way through the tongue of the press, so it is definitely a hundred times more sufficient for you in the face of the harm that may come to you at the hand of these insignificant bullies, which is only a one in a hundred possibility.

Furthermore, my brothers! Most of you have done your military service. Any who haven’t, have certainly heard this. And any who haven’t heard it, let them hear it now from me: “The people who receive most wounds are those who abandon their trenches and run away. While the people who receive fewest wounds are those who persevere in their trenches!” The allusive meaning of the verse,

Say: “The death from which you flee will truly overtake you”(62:8) shows that those who run away are more likely to meet death through their flight!

THIRD SATANIC STRATAGEM

They hunt many people through greed.

We have proved in many treatises with certain proofs that have issued forth from the clear verses of the All-Wise Qur’an that licit sustenance comes not in accordance with power and will, but proportionately to powerlessness and want.

There are numerous signs, indications, and evidences demonstrating this truth. For instance:

There are numerous signs, indications, and evidences demonstrating this truth. For instance: Trees, which are animate beings of a sort and in need of sustenance, remain in their places and their sustenance comes hastening to them. While since animals chase after it greedily, they are not nurtured as perfectly as trees.

Also, although fishes are the most stupid and powerless of the animals and are found in sand, their being the best nourished and generally appearing fat while intelligent and capable animals like the monkey and fox are weak and thin from their scanty sustenance, shows that need is the means of sustenance, not power.

Also, the fine sustenance of all young, whether human or animal, and milk, the delicate gift of the treasury of mercy, being bestowed on them in an unexpected way out of compassion for their weakness and impotence, and the difficult circumstances of wild animals, show that impotence and want are the means of licit sustenance rather than intelligence and power.

Also, among the nations of the world there is none that pursues sustenance more than the Jewish nation, which is notorious for its intense greed. But they have suffered more than any from poor livelihoods amid degradation and poverty. Even the rich among them live in lowly fashion. In any event, the possessions they have acquired by such illicit means as usury do not comprise licit sustenance that it might refute our discussion here.

Also, the poverty of many literary figures and scholars, and the wealth and riches of many stupid people show that the means of attracting sustenance is not intelligence and power, but impotence and want; it is submitting to God while relying on Him, and supplication by word, state, and deed.

The verse,For God is He Who gives [all] sustenance, Lord of Power, and Steadfast [for ever],(51:58) proclaims this truth, and is a powerful, firm proof of this assertion of ours, which all plants and animals and young recite. Every group of creature that seeks sustenance recites this verse through the tongue of disposition.

Since sustenance is appointed and bestowed and it is Almighty God who gives it, and since He is both All-Compassionate and Munificent, those who degrade themselves by making illicit gains in such a way as to cast aspersions on His mercy and insult His munificence, and give their consciences and even certain sacred matters as bribes and accept things which are unlawful and inauspicious – they should ponder over just what compounded lunacy this is.

Yes, ‘the worldly’ and especially the people of misguidance do not give away their money cheaply; they sell it at a high price. Sometimes something which may help a little towards a year of worldly life is the means of destroying infinite eternal life. And with that vile greed, the person draws divine wrath on himself and tries to attract the pleasure of the people of misguidance.

Yes, my brothers! If those who toady to ‘the worldly’ and the dissemblers among the misguided lay hold of you due to this weak vein in human nature, think of the above truth and take this poor brother of yours as an example. I assure you with all my strength that contentment and frugality ensure your life and sustenance more than does a salary. As for any unlawful money that is given you, they will want a price a thousand times higher in return. It may also hinder your service of the Qur’an, which may open for you an everlasting treasury, or it may make you slack in that service. And that would be such a loss and emptiness that even if they gave you a thousand salaries every month, they could not fill its place.

Warning: The people of misguidance are not able to defend themselves and reply to the truths of belief and the Qur’an which we take from the All-Wise Qur’an and disseminate, therefore, through intrigue and dissembling they employ snares of deception and wile. They want to deceive my friends through the desire for position, greed, and fear, and to refute me by ascribing certain things to me. We always act positively in our sacred service, but unfortunately, sometimes the duty of removing the obstacles in the way of some good matter impels us to act negatively. It is because of this that I am warning my brothers concerning the above- mentioned three points, in the face of the cunning propaganda of the dissemblers. I am trying to rebuff the attacks that are levelled at them.

The most significant attack now is at my person. They say: “Said is a Kurd. Why do you show him so much respect, and follow him?” So I am forced to mention the fourth satanic stratagem in the language of the Old Said although I do not want to, in order to silence such villains.

FOURTH SATANIC STRATAGEM

In order to deceive my brothers and excite their nationalist feelings, certain irreligious people who occupy high positions attack me with their propaganda. At the promptings of Satan and suggestions of the people of misguidance, they say: “You are Turks. Thanks be to God, among the Turks are religious scholars and people of perfection of every sort. Said is a Kurd. To work along with someone who does not share your nationality is unpatriotic.”

The Answer:You miserable person without religion! All praise be to God, I am a Muslim. At all times there are three hundred and fifty million members of my sacred nation. I seek refuge with God a hundred thousand times from sacrificing for the idea of racialism and negative nationalism three hundred and fifty million brothers who enjoy an eternal brotherhood and who help me with their prayers and among whom are the vast majority of Kurds. And I seek refuge with God from gaining in place of those innumerable blessed brothers a few who have embarked on a way that is without religion or belongs to no school of law, who bear the name of Kurd and are reckoned to belong to the Kurdish people.

O you without religion! There would have to have been some idiots like you who would abandon the everlasting brotherhood of a luminous beneficial community of three hundred and fifty million true brothers, to gain the brotherhood – which even in this world is without benefit – of a handful of Hungarian infidels or Europeanized Turks who have lost their religion.

Since, in the Third Matter of the Twenty-Sixth Letter we have shown together with the evidences the nature of negative nationalism and its harms, we refer you to that, and here only explain a truth which was mentioned briefly at the end of the Third Matter. It is as follows:

I say to those pseudo-patriotic irreligious deviants who hide under the veil of Turkism and in reality are enemies of the Turks: “I am closely and truly connected by means of an eternal, true brotherhood with the nation of Islam, with the believers of this country who are called Turks. On account of Islam, I have a proud and partial love for the sons of this land who for close on a thousand years victoriously carried the banner of the Qur’an to every corner of the world.

As for you, you pseudo-patriotic imposters! You possess in a way that will make you forget the true national pride of the Turks, a metaphorical, racial, temporary, and hateful brotherhood.

I ask you: does the Turkish nation consist only of heedless and lustful youths between the ages of twenty and forty? And is what is beneficial for them and will serve them – as demanded by nationalist patriotism – an European education which will only increase their heedlessness, accustom them to immorality, and encourage them in what is forbidden? Is it to amuse them temporarily and so make them weep in old age? If nationalist patriotism consists of this, and this is progress and the happiness of life, yes, if you are a Turkist and nationalist like that, I flee from such Turkism, and you can flee from me, too!

If you have even a jot of patriotism, intelligence, and fairness, consider the following divisions of society and give me an answer. It is like this:

The sons of this land known as the Turkish nation consist of six parts.

The first part are the righteous and the pious. The second are the sick and those stricken by disaster. The third are the elderly. The fourth are the children. The fifth are the poor and the weak. And the sixth are the young.

Are the first five groups not Turks? Do they have no share of nationalist patriotism? Is it nationalist patriotism to vex those five groups, spoil their pleasure in life, and destroy those things that console them in order to give drunken enjoyment to the sixth group? Or is it enmity towards the nation? According to the rule “The word is with the majority,” that which harms the majority is inimical, not friendly!

I ask you, is the greatest benefit of the believers and the pious, the first group, to be found in a European-type civilization? Or is it to be found in thinking of eternal happiness through the truths of belief, in travelling the way of truth, for which they are most desirous, and in finding a true solace?

The way the misguided and bogus patriots like you have taken extinguishes the spiritual lights of the pious people of belief, destroys their true consolation, and shows death to be eternal nothingness and the grave to be the door to everlasting separation.

Are the benefits of the disaster-stricken, the sick, and those who have despaired of life, who form the second group, to be found in the way of a European-type, irreligious civilization? For those unfortunates want a light, a solace. They want a reward in return for the calamities they have suffered. They want to take their revenge on those who have oppressed them. They want to repulse the terrors at the door of the grave, which they are approaching.

Through their false patriotism, people like you plunge a needle into the hearts of those unhappy victims of disaster who are much in need of compassion, soothing, and healing, and deserving of them. You hit them over the head! You mercilessly destroy all their hopes! You cast them into absolute despair! Is this nationalist patriotism? Is that how you provide benefits for the nation?

The elderly, the third group, forms a third. They are approaching the grave, drawing close to death, growing distant from the world, coming close to the hereafter. Are their benefits, lights, and consolation to be found in listening to the cruel adventures of tyrants like Hulagu and Jenghiz? Do they have a place in your modern- type movements which make the hereafter forgotten, bind a person to the world, are without result, and have the meaning of decline while being superficially progress? Is the light of the hereafter to be found in the cinema? Is true solace to be found in the theatre?

If nationalist patriotism is in effect to slaughter them with an immaterial knife, and give them the idea that “you are being impelled towards everlasting nothingness,” and to transform the grave, which they consider to be the gate of mercy, into the dragon’s mouth, and to breathe in their ears: “You too will enter there!” – if, while these unhappy elderly people want respect from patriotism, this is what it consists of, I seek refuge with God a hundred thousand times from such patriotism!

The fourth group are the children. They want kindness from nationalist patriotism; they await compassion. Also, in respect of their weakness, impotence, and powerlessness, their spirits may expand through knowing a compassionate and powerful Creator; their abilities may unfold in a happy manner. If instilled with the reliance on God that springs from belief and with the submission of Islam that may withstand the awesome fears and worldly situations of the future, these innocents may look eagerly to life. Will this be achieved by teaching them things about the progress of civilization, with which they have little connection, and the principles of lightless materialist philosophy, which destroys their morale and extinguishes their spirits?

If man consisted only of an animal body and he had no mind in his head, perhaps these European principles which you fancifully call civilized education and national education could have afforded these innocent children some worldly benefit in the form of temporary childish amusement. Since they will be cast onto the surging tumult of life, and since they are human beings, they will certainly have far-reaching desires in their small hearts and large goals will be born in their little heads.

Since the reality is thus, compassion requires that in the face of their infinite want and impotence an extremely powerful support and inexhaustible place of recourse are placed in their hearts, and these are belief in God and belief in the hereafter. This is kindness and compassion for them. It otherwise means slaughtering those wretched innocents with the drunkenness of nationalist patriotism, like a crazy mother slaughtering her child with a knife. It is a savage cruelty and wrong, like pulling out their brains and hearts and making them eat them to nourish their bodies.

The fifth group are the poor and the weak. The poor, who, because of their poverty, suffer greatly at the heavy burdens of life, and the weak, who are grieved at life’s awesome upheavals – do they receive no share from nationalist patriotism?

Is it to be found in the movements you have instituted under the name of European-style, unveiled, Pharaoh-like civilization, which only increase their despair and suffering? The salve for the wound of indigence may be found in the sacred pharmacy of Islam, not in the idea of racialism. The weak receive no strength and resistance from the philosophy of naturalism, which is dark, lacks consciousness, and is bound to chance; they may receive them from Islamic zeal and the sacred nationhood of Islam!

The sixth group is the youth. If the youth of these young people had been perpetual, the wine you have given them to drink through negative nationalism would have had some temporary benefit and use. But when they painfully come to their senses as they advance in years, when they awaken from that sweet sleep in the morning of old age, their distress at the pleasurable drunkenness of youth will make them weep, and the passing of their pleasant dream will cause them much grief. It will make them exclaim: “Alas! Both my youth has gone and my life has departed, and I am approaching the grave bankrupt; if only I had used my head!” Is the share of nationalist patriotism for this group to enjoy themselves briefly and temporarily, and to be made to weep regretfully for a very long time?

Or is their worldly happiness and pleasure in life to be found in making their fleeting youth permanent through worship and by spending that fine, sweet bounty, not on the way of dissipation but on the straight path in the form of offering thanks so as to gain eternal youth in the Realm of Bliss? You say, if you possess even a grain of intelligence!

In Short:If the Turkish nation consisted only of young people, and if their youth was perpetual, and they had no place other than this world, your European-style movement under the screen of Turkism might have been counted as nationalist patriotism. You might have been able to say about me as someone who attaches little importance to the life of this world, considers racialism to be “the European disease,” tries to prevent young people pursuing illicit amusements and vices, and came into the world in another country: “He is a Kurd. Don’t follow him!” Perhaps you would have been right to say it.

But since, as explained above, the sons of this land, who go under the name of Turks, consist of six groups, to cause harm to five of the groups and spoil their pleasure in life, and to afford a temporary, worldly pleasure the consequences of which are bad, to only one group, rather, to intoxicate them, is scarcely friendship to the Turkish nation; it is enmity.

Yes, according to race, I am not counted as a Turk but I have worked with all my strength, with complete eagerness, in compassionate and brotherly fashion, for the groups among the Turks of the God-fearing, the disaster-stricken, the elderly, the children, and the weak and the poor. I have worked for the young people as well, who are the sixth group; I want them to give up any unlawful acts that will poison their worldly life, destroy their lives in the hereafter, and for one hour’s laughter, produce a year of weeping. The works I have taken from the Qur’an and published in the Turkish language – not only these six or seven years, but for twenty years – are there for everyone to see.

Yes, praise be to God, through these works derived from the All- Wise Qur’an’s mine of lights, the light is shown which the group of the elderly wants more than anything; the most efficacious remedies for the disaster-stricken and the sick are pointed out in the sacred pharmacy of the Qur’an; the door of the grave, which causes more thought to the elderly than anything else, is shown to be the door of mercy, not the door leading to execution. A truly powerful point of support in the face of the calamities and harmful things confronting the sensitive hearts of children, and a place of recourse to meet all their hopes and desires, have been extracted from the mine of the All-Wise Qur’an, and they have been demonstrated and profited from in fact. And the heavy obligations of life, which crush most the poor and weak, have been alleviated by the truths of belief of the All-Wise Qur’an.

Thus, these five groups are five out of the six parts of the Turkish nation, and we are working for their benefit. The sixth group are the young people. We feel a powerful brotherhood with the good ones from among them. But between those like you who have deviated from the straight path, and us, there is no friendship at all! Because we do not recognize as Turks those who embrace misguidance and want to abandon Islamic nationhood, which holds all the true causes of pride of the Turks. We consider them to be Europeans hiding behind the screen of Turkishness! Because even if they claim to be Turkists a hundred thousand times over, they could not deceive the people of truth. For their actions and works would give the lie to what they claim.

O you who follow European ways! And you deviants who with your propaganda try to make my true brothers look coldly on me! How do you benefit this nation? You extinguish the lights of the first group, the pious and the righteous. You scatter poison on the wounds of the second group, who deserve kindness and care. You destroy the solace of the third group, who are most worthy of respect, and you cast them into despair. You destroy completely the morale of the fourth group, who are truly in need of compassion, and you extinguish their true humanity. You make fruitless the hopes and calls for help of the fifth group, who are most needy for assistance, help, and solace, and in their eyes, you turn life into something more ghastly than death. And to the sixth group, who need to be warned and to come to their senses, you give such a heady wine to drink in the sleep of youth that its hangover is truly grievous and terrible.

Is this your nationalist patriotism for the sake of which you sacrifice so many sacred things? Is this what Turkism has to offer the Turks? I seek refuge with God from it a hundred thousand times!

Sirs! I know that when you are defeated in the face of truth, you have recourse to force. In accordance with the fact that power lies in the truth, not in force, you can set fire to the world around my head, but this head, which has been sacrificed for the truth of the Qur’an, will not bow before you. And I tell you this, that not a limited number of people like you who are in effect despised by the nation, but if thousands like you were physically hostile to me, I would pay them no attention, attaching no more value to them than to injurious animals.

Because what can you do to me? All you can do is to either bring my life to an end, or spoil my work and service. I am attached to nothing in the world apart from these.

As for the appointed hour which befalls life, I believe as certainly as witnessing it that it does not change, it is determined. Since this is so, if I die as a martyr on the way of truth, I do not hang back from it, I await it longingly. Moreover, I am old and I find it hard to believe that I shall live for more than another year. To transform one year’s apparent life into everlasting eternal life through martyrdom is an exalted aim for people like me.

As for my work and service, through His mercy, Almighty God has given such brothers in the service of belief and the Qur’an that through my death it will be carried out in numerous centres instead of one. If my tongue is silenced by death, powerful tongues will speak in its place, continuing my work. I can even say that just as a single seed produces the life of a shoot by entering the earth and dying, and a hundred seeds perform their duties in place of one, so I nourish the hope that my death will be the means to service greater than was my life!

FIFTH SATANIC STRATAGEM

Profiting from egotism, the supporters of the people of misguidance want to draw my brothers away from me. Truly, egotism man’s most dangerous vein. It is his weakest vein, too. They can make people do terrible things by encouraging it. My brothers! Beware, do not let them strike you with egotism, do not let them hunt you with it!

You should know that this century the people of misguidance have mounted the ego and are galloping through the valleys of misguidance. The people of truth have to give it up if they are to serve the truth. Even if a person is justified in making use of the ego, since he will resemble the others and they too will suppose he is self- seeking like them, it will be an injustice to the service of the truth. In any event, the service of the Qur’an around which we are gathered does not accept the ‘I’, it requires the ‘we.’ It says: “Don’t say ‘I’, say ‘we.’”

Of course, you have realized that this poor brother of yours did not set out with the ‘I’. And he did not make you serve it. Indeed, he showed himself to you as an ego- free servant of the Qur’an. He does not care for himself and has made it his practice not to take the part of his ego. In any case, he has proved to you with decisive evidence that the works that have been presented for general benefit are common property; that is, they have issued from the All-Wise Qur’an. Nobody can claim ownership of them egotistically. Even if, to suppose the impossible, I did claim them as my own because of my ego, as one of my brothers said: since this door of Qur’anic truth has been opened, the scholars and those seeking perfection should not look at my defects and insignificance and hold back from following me; they should not deem themselves self-sufficient.

For sure, the works of the former righteous and exacting religious scholars are a huge treasury sufficient for every ill, but it sometimes happens that a key holds more importance than the treasury. For the treasury is closed and a key may open lots of treasuries. I reckon that those who are excessively egotistical in regard to their learning have understood that the published Words are each keys to the truths of the Qur’an and diamonds swords smiting those who try to deny those truths. The people of virtue and perfection and those who are strongly egotistical in regard to their learning should know that the students are students not of me but of the All-Wise Qur’an, and that I study along with them.

If, to suppose the impossible, I claimed to be the master, since we have a way of saving all the classes of the people of belief – from the common people to the elite – from the doubts and scepticism to which they are exposed, then let those scholars either find an easier solution, or let them take the part of our solution and teach it and support it.

The corrupt religious scholars are faced with a grave threat; religious scholars have to be especially careful at this time. So suppose, like my enemies, that I perform a service like this for the sake of egotism. Since a large number of people give up their egotism and gather around a Pharaoh- like man with complete loyalty for some worldly and national aim and carry out their work in complete solidarity, does this brother of yours not have the right to ask for your solidarity around the truths of belief and the Qur’an by giving up egotism, like those corporals of that worldly society, so long as he conceals his egotism? If even the greatest of the scholars among you were not to agree, wouldn’t they be in the wrong?

My brothers! The most dangerous aspect of egotism in our work is jealousy. If it is not purely for God’s sake, jealousy interferes and spoils it. Just as one of a person’s hands cannot be jealous of the other, and his eye cannot envy his ear, and his heart cannot compete with his reason, so each of you resembles a sense, a member, of the collective personality of the body we constitute. Your essential duty springing from the conscience is not to compete with one another, but to take pride and pleasure in each other’s good qualities.

One other thing remains and it is the most dangerous: for yourselves and your friends to be jealous this poor brother of yours. There are scholars of standing among you, and some scholars are egotistical when it comes to their learning. In that respect they egotistical even if they themselves are modest. They cannot easily give it up. Whatever their hearts and minds may do, their evil-commanding souls seek pre- eminence and to sell themselves, and even to dispute the treatises that have been written. Although their hearts love the treatises and their minds appreciate them and recognize their worth, out of jealousy arising from the egotism of learning, their souls want to decry the value of the Words, as though nurturing implicit enmity towards them, for then the products of their own thought can compete with them and be sold like them. But I have to tell them this:

Even if the members of this circle of Qur’anic teaching are leading scholars and authorities on the Law, their duties in respect of the sciences of belief are only to make explanations and elucidations of the Words that have been written, or to set them in order. For I have understood through many signs that we have been charged with the duty of issuing fatwas concerning these sciences of belief. If someone within our circle writes anything more than this due to a feeling in his soul arising from the egotism of learning, it will be like a cold dispute or a deficient plagiarism. For it has been established through numerous evidences and signs that the parts of the Risale-i Nur have issued from the Qur’an. In accordance with the rule of the division of labour, each of us has undertaken a duty, and we convey those distillations of the water of life to those who are in need of them!

SIXTH SATANIC STRATAGEM

It is this: they take advantage of the human traits of laziness, the desire for physical comfort, and attachment to other duties. Yes, satans among jinn and men attack from every angle. When they see those of our friends whose hearts are stout, intentions pure, loyalty strong, and enterprise, elevated, they attack from other sides. As follows:

In order to put a stop to our work and discourage from our service, they profit from those friends’ laziness, desire for physical comfort, and attachment to other duties. They keep people from the service of the Qur’an with every kind of trick so that without their being aware of it, more work is found for some of them. Then they cannot find the time to serve the Qur’an. And to others, they show the enticing things of this world so that arousing their desires, they become slack in their service; and so on.

These ways of attack are numerous, so cutting them short, we refer them to your perspicacious understanding.

My brothers, take great care! Your duty is sacred and your service, elevated. Every hour of your time may be as valuable as a day’s worship. Be aware of this and don’t waste any of them!

O you who believe! Persevere in patience and constancy; vie in such perseverance, strengthen each other; and fear God, that you may prosper.(3:200) * And sell not My signs for a miserable price.(5:44)

• Glory to your Sustainer, the Lord of Honour and Power! [He is free] from what they ascribe [to Him]! * And peace be on the prophets! * And praise be to God, the Sustainer of All the Worlds.(37:180-2)

Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed, You are All-Knowing, All-Wise!(2:32)

O God! Grant blessings and peace to our master Muhammad, the Beloved Unlettered Prophet, of Mighty Stature and Exalted Rank, and to his Family and Companions. Amen.

A Sacred Date

The date a significant mystery of the All-Wise Qur’an became clear was again contained in the word “Qur’an.” It was like this:

Kur’an kelimesi, ebced hesabıyla üç yüz elli birdir. İçinde iki elif var, mahfî elif “elfün” okunsa bin manasındaki “elfün”dür. (Hâşiye) Demek 1351 senesine, Sene-i Kur’aniye tabir edilebilir. Çünkü lafz-ı Kur’an’daki tevafukatın sırr-ı acibi, Kur’an’ın tefsiri olan Risale-i Nur eczalarında o sene göründü. Ve Kur’an’daki lafz-ı Celal’in i’cazkârane sırr-ı tevafuku, aynı senede tezahür etti. Ve bir nakş-ı i’cazîyi gösterecek bir Kur’an’ın yeni bir tarzda yazılması, aynı senede oluyor. Ve hatt-ı Kur’an’ın tebdiline karşı, Kur’an şakirdlerinin bütün kuvvetleriyle hatt-ı Kur’anîyi muhafazaya çalışması aynı senededir. Ve Kur’an’ın mühim ezvak-ı i’caziyesi, aynı senede tezahür ediyor. Hem aynı senede Kur’an ile çok münasebettar hâdisat olmuş ve olacak gibi…

Altıncı Risale Olan Altıncı Kısmın Zeyli Es’ile-i Sitte

İstikbalde gelecek nefret ve tahkirden sakınmak için şu mahrem zeyl yazılmıştır. Yani “Tuh o asrın gayretsiz adamlarına!” denildiği zaman, yüzümüze tükürükleri gelmemek için veyahut silmek için yazılmıştır.

Avrupa’nın insaniyet-perver maskesi altında vahşi reislerinin sağır kulakları çınlasın! Ve bu vicdansız gaddarları bize musallat eden o insafsız zalimlerin görmeyen gözlerine sokulsun! Ve bu asırda, yüz bin cihette “Yaşasın cehennem!” dedirten mimsiz medeniyet-perestlerin başlarına vurulmak için yazılmış bir arzuhaldir.

وَمَا لَنَٓا اَلَّا نَتَوَكَّلَ عَلَى اللّٰهِ وَقَد۟ هَدٰينَا سُبُلَنَا وَلَنَص۟بِرَنَّ عَلٰى مَٓا اٰذَي۟تُمُونَا وَعَلَى اللّٰهِ فَل۟يَتَوَكَّلِ ال۟مُتَوَكِّلُونَ

Bu yakınlarda ehl-i ilhadın perde altında tecavüzleri gayet çirkin bir suret aldığından, çok bîçare ehl-i imana ettikleri zalimane ve dinsizcesine tecavüz nevinden bana, hususi ve gayr-ı resmî, kendim tamir ettiğim bir mabedimde, hususi bir iki kardeşimle hususi ibadetimde, gizli ezan ve kametimize müdahale edildi. “Ne için Arapça kamet ediyorsunuz ve gizli ezan okuyorsunuz?” denildi. Sükûtta sabrım tükendi. Kabil-i hitap olmayan öyle vicdansız alçaklara değil; belki milletin mukadderatıyla, keyfî istibdat ile oynayan firavun-meşrep komitenin başlarına derim ki:

Ey ehl-i bid’a ve ilhad! Altı sualime cevap isterim:

Birincisi: Dünyada hükûmet süren, hükmeden her kavmin, hattâ insan eti yiyen yamyamların, hattâ vahşi, canavar bir çete reisinin bir usûlü var, bir düstur ile hükmeder. Siz hangi usûlle bu acib tecavüzü yapıyorsunuz? Kanununuzu ibraz ediniz! Yoksa bazı alçak memurların keyiflerini, kanun mu kabul ediyorsunuz? Çünkü böyle hususi ibadatta kanun yapılmaz ve kanun olamaz!

İkincisi: Nev-i beşerde, hususan bu asr-ı hürriyette ve bilhassa medeniyet dairesinde hemen umumiyetle hüküm-ferma “hürriyet-i vicdan” düsturunu kırmak ve istihfaf etmek ve dolayısıyla nev-i beşeri istihkar etmek ve itirazını hiçe saymak kadar cüretinizle, hangi kuvvete dayanıyorsunuz? Hangi kuvvetiniz var ki siz kendinize “lâdinî” ismi vermekle, ne dine ne dinsizliğe ilişmemeyi ilan ettiğiniz halde; dinsizliği mutaassıbane kendine bir din ittihaz etmek tarzında, dine ve ehl-i dine böyle tecavüz, elbette saklı kalmayacak! Sizden sorulacak! Ne cevap vereceksiniz? Yirmi hükûmetin en küçüğünün itirazına karşı dayanamadığınız halde, nasıl yirmi hükûmetin birden itirazını hiçe sayar gibi hürriyet-i vicdaniyeyi cebrî bir surette bozmaya çalışıyorsunuz?

Üçüncüsü: Mezheb-i Hanefî’nin ulviyetine ve safiyetine münafî bir surette, vicdanını dünyaya satan bir kısım ulemaü’s-sûun yanlış fetvalarıyla, benim gibi Şafiiyyü’l-mezhep adamlara, hangi usûl ile teklif ediyorsunuz? Bu meslekte milyonlar etbaı bulunan Şafiî mezhebini kaldırıp bütün Şafiîleri, Hanefîleştirdikten sonra, bana zulüm suretinde cebren teklif edilse sizin gibi dinsizlerin bir usûlüdür denilebilir. Yoksa keyfî bir alçaklıktır! Öylelerin keyfine tabi değiliz ve tanımayız!

Dördüncüsü: İslâmiyet ile eskiden beri imtizaç ve ittihat eden, ciddi dindar ve dinine samimi hürmetkâr Türklük milliyetine bütün bütün zıt bir surette, Frenklik manasında Türkçülük namıyla, tahriftarane ve bid’akârane bir fetva ile “Türkçe kamet et!” diye benim gibi başka milletten olanlara teklif etmek hangi usûlledir? Evet, hakiki Türklere pek hakiki dostane ve uhuvvetkârane münasebettar olduğum halde, böyle sizin gibi Frenk-meşreplerin Türkçülüğü ile hiçbir cihette münasebetim yoktur. Nasıl bana teklif ediyorsunuz? Hangi kanun ile?

Eğer milyonlarla efradı bulunan ve binler seneden beri milliyetini ve lisanını unutmayan ve Türklerin hakiki bir vatandaşı ve eskiden beri cihad arkadaşı olan Kürtlerin milliyetini kaldırıp onların dilini onlara unutturduktan sonra; belki bizim gibi ayrı unsurdan sayılanlara teklifiniz, bir nevi usûl-ü vahşiyane olur. Yoksa sırf keyfîdir. Eşhasın keyfine tebaiyet edilmez ve etmeyiz!

Beşincisi: Bir hükûmet, kendi raiyetine ve raiyet kabul ettiği adamlara her bir kanununu tatbik etse de raiyet kabul etmediği adamlara, kanununu tatbik edemez. Çünkü onlar diyebilirler ki: “Madem biz raiyetiniz değiliz, siz de bizim hükûmetimiz değilsiniz!”

Hem hiçbir hükûmet, iki cezayı birden vermez. Bir kātili, ya hapse atar veyahut idam eder. Hem hapisle ceza hem idamla ceza bir yerde vermek, hiçbir usûlde yoktur!

İşte madem vatana ve millete hiçbir zararım dokunmadığı halde; beni sekiz senedir, en yabani ve hariç bir milletten cani bir adama dahi yapılmayan bir esaret altına aldınız. Canileri affettiğiniz halde, hürriyetimi selbedip hukuk-u medeniyeden ıskat ederek muamele ettiniz. “Bu da vatan evladıdır.” demediğiniz halde; hangi usûl ile hangi kanun ile bîçare milletinize rızaları hilafına olarak tatbik ettiğiniz bu hürriyet-şiken usûlünüzü, benim gibi her cihetle size yabancı bir adama teklif ediyorsunuz?

Madem Harb-i Umumî’de ordu kumandanlarının şehadetiyle, vasıta olduğumuz çok fedakârlıkları ve vatan uğrunda cansiperane mücahedeleri cinayet saydınız. Ve bîçare milletin hüsn-ü ahlâkını muhafaza ve saadet-i dünyeviye ve uhreviyelerinin teminine pek ciddi ve tesirli çalışmayı hıyanet saydınız. Ve manen menfaatsiz, zararlı, hatarlı, keyfî, küfrî Frenk usûlünü kendinde kabul etmeyen bir adama sekiz sene ceza verdiniz. (Şimdi ceza yirmi sekiz sene oldu.) Ceza bir olur. Tatbikini kabul etmedim, cezayı çektirdiniz. İkinci bir cezayı cebren tatbik etmek, hangi usûl iledir?

Altıncısı: Madem sizlerle, itikadınızca ve bana edilen muameleye nazaran, küllî bir muhalefetimiz var. Siz dininizi ve âhiretinizi, dünyanız uğrunda feda ediyorsunuz. Elbette mabeynimizde –tahmininizce– bulunan muhalefet sırrıyla, biz dahi hilafınıza olarak dünyamızı, dinimiz uğrunda ve âhiretimize her vakit feda etmeye hazırız. Sizin zalimane ve vahşiyane hükmünüz altında bir iki sene zelilane geçecek hayatımızı, kudsî bir şehadeti kazanmak için feda etmek; bize âb-ı kevser hükmüne geçer.

Fakat Kur’an-ı Hakîm’in feyzine ve işaratına istinaden, sizi titretmek için size kat’î haber veriyorum ki:

Beni öldürdükten sonra yaşayamayacaksınız! Kahhar bir el ile cennetiniz ve mahbubunuz olan dünyadan tard edilip ebedî zulümata çabuk atılacaksınız! Arkamdan, pek çabuk sizin Nemrutlaşmış reisleriniz gebertilecek, yanıma gönderilecek. Ben de huzur-u İlahîde yakalarını tutacağım. Adalet-i İlahiye, onları esfel-i safilîne atmakla intikamımı alacağım!

Ey din ve âhiretini dünyaya satan bedbahtlar! Yaşamanızı isterseniz bana ilişmeyiniz! İlişseniz, intikamım muzaaf bir surette sizden alınacağını biliniz, titreyiniz! Ben rahmet-i İlahiyeden ümit ederim ki mevtim, hayatımdan ziyade dine hizmet edecek ve ölümüm başınızda bomba gibi patlayıp başınızı dağıtacak! Cesaretiniz varsa ilişiniz! Yapacağınız varsa göreceğiniz de var! Ben bütün tehdidatınıza karşı, bütün kuvvetimle bu âyeti okuyorum:

اَلَّذٖينَ قَالَ لَهُمُ النَّاسُ اِنَّ النَّاسَ قَد۟ جَمَعُوا لَكُم۟ فَاخ۟شَو۟هُم۟ فَزَادَهُم۟ اٖيمَانًا وَ قَالُوا حَس۟بُنَا اللّٰهُ وَنِع۟مَ ال۟وَكٖيلُ

Yedinci Kısım İşarat-ı Seb’a

فَاٰمِنُوا بِاللّٰهِ وَرَسُولِهِ النَّبِىِّ ال۟اُمِّىِّ الَّذٖى يُؤ۟مِنُ بِاللّٰهِ وَكَلِمَاتِهٖ وَاتَّبِعُوهُ لَعَلَّكُم۟ تَه۟تَدُونَ ۝ يُرٖيدُونَ اَن۟ يُط۟فِئُوا نُورَ اللّٰهِ بِاَف۟وَاهِهِم۟ وَيَا۟بَى اللّٰهُ اِلَّٓا اَن۟ يُتِمَّ نُورَهُ وَلَو۟ كَرِهَ ال۟كَافِرُونَ

Üç sualin cevabı olarak yedi işarettir. Birinci sual, dört işarettir.

Birinci İşaret

Şeair-i İslâmiyeyi tağyire teşebbüs edenlerin senetleri ve hüccetleri, yine her fena şeylerde olduğu gibi ecnebileri körü körüne taklitçilik yüzünden geliyor. Diyorlar ki:

“Londra’da ihtida edenler ve ecnebilerden imana gelenler; memleketlerinde ezan ve kamet gibi çok şeyleri kendi lisanlarına tercüme ediyorlar, yapıyorlar. Âlem-i İslâm onlara karşı sükût ediyor, itiraz etmiyor. Demek, bir cevaz-ı şer’î var ki sükût ediliyor?”

Elcevap: Bu kıyasın o kadar zâhir bir farkı var ki hiçbir cihette onlara kıyas etmek ve onları taklit etmek zîşuurun kârı değildir. Çünkü ecnebi diyarına, lisan-ı şeriatta “dâr-ı harp” denilir. Dâr-ı harpte çok şeylere cevaz olabilir ki “diyar-ı İslâm”da mesağ olamaz.

Hem Frengistan diyarı, Hristiyan şevketi dairesidir. Istılahat-ı şer’iyenin maânîsini ve kelimat-ı mukaddesenin mefahimini lisan-ı hal ile telkin edecek ve ihsas edecek bir muhit olmadığından bilmecburiye kudsî maânî, mukaddes elfaza tercih edilmiş; maânî için elfaz terk edilmiş, ehvenü’ş-şer ihtiyar edilmiş.

Diyar-ı İslâm’da ise muhit, o kelimat-ı mukaddesenin meal-i icmalîsini ehl-i İslâm’a lisan-ı hal ile ders veriyor. An’ane-i İslâmiye ve İslâmî tarih ve umum şeair-i İslâmiye ve umum erkân-ı İslâmiyet’e ait muhaverat-ı ehl-i İslâm, o kelimat-ı mukaddesenin mücmel meallerini, mütemadiyen ehl-i imana telkin ediyorlar. Hattâ şu memleketin maâbid ve medaris-i diniyesinden başka makberistanın mezar taşları dahi birer telkin edici, birer muallim hükmündedir ki o maânî-i mukaddeseyi, ehl-i imana ihtar ediyorlar.

Acaba kendine Müslüman diyen bir adam, dünyanın bir menfaati için bir günde elli kelime Frengî lügatından taallüm ettiği halde; elli senede ve her günde elli defa tekrar ettiği Sübhanallah ve Elhamdülillah ve Lâ ilahe İllallah ve Allahu ekber gibi mukaddes kelimeleri öğrenmezse elli defa hayvandan daha aşağı düşmez mi? Böyle hayvanlar için bu kelimat-ı mukaddese, tercüme ve tahrif edilmez ve tehcir edilmezler! Onları tehcir ve tağyir etmek, bütün mezar taşlarını hakketmektir; bu tahkire karşı titreyen, mezaristandaki ehl-i kuburu aleyhlerine döndürmektir.

Ehl-i ilhada kapılan ulemaü’s-sû, milleti aldatmak için diyorlar ki:

İmam-ı A’zam, sair imamlara muhalif olarak demiş ki: “İhtiyaç olsa diyar-ı baîdede, Arabî hiç bilmeyenlere, ihtiyaç derecesine göre Fatiha yerine Farisî tercümesi cevazı var.” Öyle ise biz de muhtacız, Türkçe okuyabiliriz?

Elcevap: İmam-ı A’zam’ın bu fetvasına karşı, başta a’zamî imamların en mühimleri ve sair on iki eimme-i müçtehidîn, o fetvanın aksine fetva veriyorlar. Âlem-i İslâm’ın cadde-i kübrası, o umum eimmenin caddesidir. Mu’zam-ı ümmet, cadde-i kübrada gidebilir. Başka hususi ve dar caddeye sevk edenler, idlâl ediyorlar. İmam-ı A’zam’ın fetvası, beş cihette hususidir:

Birincisi: Merkez-i İslâmiyet’ten uzak diyar-ı âherde bulunanlara aittir.

İkincisi: İhtiyac-ı hakikiye binaendir.

Üçüncüsü: Bir rivayette lisan-ı ehl-i cennetten sayılan Farisî lisanıyla tercümeye mahsustur.

Dördüncüsü: Fatiha’ya mahsus olarak cevaz verilmiş, tâ Fatiha’yı bilmeyen namazı terk etmesin.

Beşincisi: Kuvvet-i imandan gelen bir hamiyet-i İslâmiye ile maânî-i mukaddesenin, avamın tefehhümüne medar olmak için cevaz gösterilmiş. Halbuki zaaf-ı imandan gelen ve menfî fikr-i milliyetten çıkan ve lisan-ı Arabîye karşı nefret ve zaaf-ı imandan tevellüd eden meyl-i tahrip sâikasıyla tercüme edip Arabî aslını terk etmek, dini terk ettirmektir!

İkinci İşaret

Şeair-i İslâmiyeyi tağyir eden ehl-i bid’a, evvela ulemaü’s-sûdan fetva istediler. Sâbıkan beş vecihle hususi olduğunu gösterdiğimiz fetvayı gösterdiler.

Sâniyen: Ehl-i bid’a, ecnebi inkılabcılarından böyle meş’um bir fikir aldılar ki: Avrupa, Katolik mezhebini beğenmeyerek başta ihtilalciler, inkılabcılar ve feylesoflar olarak, Katolik mezhebine göre ehl-i bid’a ve Mutezile telakki edilen Protestanlık mezhebini iltizam edip Fransızların İhtilal-i Kebiri’nden istifade ederek, Katolik mezhebini kısmen tahrip edip Protestanlığı ilan ettiler.

İşte körü körüne taklitçiliğe alışan buradaki hamiyet-füruşlar diyorlar ki:

“Madem Hristiyan dininde böyle bir inkılab oldu; bidayette inkılabcılara mürted denildi, sonra Hristiyan olarak yine kabul edildi. Öyle ise İslâmiyet’te de böyle dinî bir inkılab olabilir?”

Elcevap: Bu kıyasın, Birinci İşaret’teki kıyastan daha ziyade farkı zâhirdir. Çünkü din-i İsevîde yalnız esasat-ı diniye Hazret-i İsa aleyhisselâmdan alındı. Hayat-ı içtimaiyeye ve füruat-ı şer’iyeye dair ekser ahkâmlar, Havariyyun ve sair rüesa-yı ruhaniye tarafından teşkil edildi. Kısm-ı a’zamı, kütüb-ü sâbıka-i mukaddeseden alındı. Hazret-i İsa aleyhisselâm, dünyaca hâkim ve sultan olmadığından ve kavanin-i umumiye-i içtimaiyeye merci olmadığından esasat-ı diniyesi, hariçten bir libas giydirilmiş gibi şeriat-ı Hristiyaniye namına örfî kanunlar, medeni düsturlar alınmış, başka bir suret verilmiş. Bu suret tebdil edilse, o libas değiştirilse yine Hazret-i İsa aleyhisselâmın esas dini bâki kalabilir. Hazret-i İsa aleyhisselâmı inkâr ve tekzip çıkmaz.

Halbuki din ve şeriat-ı İslâmiyenin sahibi olan Fahr-i Âlem aleyhissalâtü vesselâm iki cihanın sultanı, şark ve garp ve Endülüs ve Hint, birer taht-ı saltanatı olduğundan din-i İslâm’ın esasatını bizzat kendisi gösterdiği gibi o dinin teferruatını ve sair ahkâmını, hattâ en cüz’î âdabını dahi bizzat o getiriyor, o haber veriyor, o emir veriyor.

Demek füruat-ı İslâmiye, değişmeye kabil bir libas hükmünde değil ki onlar tebdil edilse esas-ı din bâki kalabilsin. Belki esas-ı dine bir cesettir, lâekall bir cilttir. Onunla imtizaç ve iltiham etmiş, kabil-i tefrik değildir. Onları tebdil etmek, doğrudan doğruya sahib-i şeriatı inkâr ve tekzip etmek çıkar.

Mezahibin ihtilafı ise: Sahib-i şeriatın gösterdiği nazarî düsturların tarz-ı tefehhümünden ileri gelmiştir. “Zaruriyat-ı diniye” denilen ve kabil-i tevil olmayan ve “muhkemat” denilen düsturları ise hiçbir cihette kabil-i tebdil değildir ve medar-ı içtihad olamaz. Onları tebdil eden, başını dinden çıkarıyor يَم۟رُقُونَ مِنَ الدّٖينِ كَمَا يَم۟رُقُ السَّه۟مُ مِنَ ال۟قَو۟سِ kaidesine dâhil oluyor.

Ehl-i bid’a, dinsizliklerine ve ilhadlarına şöyle bir bahane buluyorlar. Diyorlar ki:

“Âlem-i insaniyetin müteselsil hâdisatına sebep olan Fransız İhtilal-i Kebiri’nde, papazlara ve rüesa-yı ruhaniyeye ve onların mezheb-i hâssı olan Katolik mezhebine hücum edildi ve tahrip edildi. Sonra çokları tarafından tasvip edildi. Frenkler dahi ondan sonra daha ziyade terakki ettiler?”

Elcevap: Bu kıyasın dahi evvelki kıyaslar gibi farkı zâhirdir. Çünkü Fransızlarda, havas ve hükûmet adamları elinde çok zaman din-i Hristiyanî, bâhusus Katolik mezhebi; bir vasıta-i tahakküm ve istibdat olmuştu. Havas, o vasıta ile nüfuzlarını avam üzerinde idame ediyorlardı. Ve “serseri” tabir ettikleri avam tabakasında intibaha gelen hamiyet-perverlerini ve havas zalimlerin istibdadına karşı hücum eden hürriyet-perverlerin mütefekkir kısımlarını ezmeye vasıta olduğundan ve dört yüz seneye yakın Frengistanda ihtilaller ile istirahat-i beşeriyeyi bozmaya ve hayat-ı içtimaiyeyi zîr ü zeber etmeye bir sebep telakki edildiğinden o mezhebe, dinsizlik namına değil belki Hristiyanlığın diğer bir mezhebi namına hücum edildi. Ve tabaka-i avamda ve feylesoflarda bir küsmek, bir adâvet hasıl olmuştu ki malûm hâdise-i tarihiye vukua gelmiştir.

Halbuki din-i Muhammedî (asm) ve şeriat-ı İslâmiyeye karşı; hiçbir mazlumun, hiçbir mütefekkirin hakkı yoktur ki ondan şekva etsin. Çünkü onları küstürmüyor, onları himaye ediyor. Tarih-i İslâm meydandadır. İslâmlar içinde bir iki vukuattan başka dâhilî muharebe-i diniye olmamış. Katolik mezhebi ise dört yüz sene ihtilalat-ı dâhiliyeye sebep olmuş.

Hem İslâmiyet, havastan ziyade avamın tahassungâhı olmuştur. Vücub-u zekât ve hurmet-i riba ile havassı, avamın üstünde müstebit yapmak değil, bir cihette hâdim yapıyor. سَيِّدُ ال۟قَو۟مِ خَادِمُهُم۟ ۝ خَي۟رُ النَّاسِ مَن۟ يَن۟فَعُ النَّاسَ diyor.

Hem Kur’an-ı Hakîm lisanıyla اَفَلَا تَع۟قِلُونَ ۝ اَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ ۝ اَفَلَا يَتَفَكَّرُونَ gibi kudsî havaleler ile aklı istişhad ediyor ve ikaz ediyor ve akla havale ediyor, tahkike sevk ediyor. Onun ile ehl-i ilim ve ashab-ı akla din namına makam veriyor, ehemmiyet veriyor. Katolik mezhebi gibi aklı azletmiyor, ehl-i tefekkürü susturmuyor, körü körüne taklit istemiyor.

Hakiki Hristiyanlık değil belki şimdiki Hristiyan dininin esasıyla İslâmiyet’in esası, mühim bir noktadan ayrıldığından sâbık farklar gibi çok cihetlerle ayrı ayrı gidiyorlar. O mühim nokta şudur:

İslâmiyet, tevhid-i hakiki dinidir ki vasıtaları, esbabları ıskat ediyor. Enaniyeti kırıyor, ubudiyet-i hâlisa tesis ediyor. Nefsin rububiyetinden tut, tâ her nevi rububiyet-i bâtılayı katediyor, reddediyor. Bu sır içindir ki havastan bir büyük insan, tam dindar olsa enaniyeti terk etmeye mecbur olur. Enaniyeti terk etmeyen, salabet-i diniyeyi ve kısmen de dinini terk eder.

Şimdiki Hristiyanlık dini ise “velediyet akidesi”ni kabul ettiği için vesait ve esbaba tesir-i hakiki verir. Din namına enaniyeti kırmaz, belki Hazret-i İsa aleyhisselâmın bir mukaddes vekili diye o enaniyete bir kudsiyet verir. Onun için dünyaca en büyük makam işgal eden Hristiyan havasları, tam dindar olabilirler. Hattâ Amerika’nın esbak Reisicumhuru Wilson ve İngilizlerin esbak Reis-i Vükelası Loid George gibi çoklar var ki mutaassıp birer papaz hükmünde dindar oldular.

Müslümanlarda ise öyle makamlara girenler, nadiren tam dindar ve salabetli kalırlar. Çünkü gururu ve enaniyeti bırakamıyorlar. Takva-yı hakiki ise gurur ve enaniyetle içtima edemiyor.

Evet, nasıl ki Hristiyan havassının taassubu, Müslüman havaslarının adem-i salabeti mühim bir farkı gösteriyor; öyle de Hristiyan’dan çıkan feylesoflar, dinlerine karşı lâkayt veya muarız vaziyeti alması ve İslâm’dan çıkan hükemaların kısm-ı a’zamı, hikmetlerini esasat-ı İslâmiyeye bina etmesi; yine mühim bir farkı gösteriyor.

Hem ekseriyetle zindanlara ve musibetlere düşen âmî Hristiyanlar, dinden meded beklemiyorlar. Eskiden çoğu dinsiz oluyordular. Hattâ Fransa’nın İhtilal-i Kebiri’ni çıkaran ve “serseri dinsiz” tabir edilen tarihçe meşhur inkılabcılar, o musibetzede avam kısmıdır. İslâmiyet’te ise ekseriyet-i mutlaka ile hapse ve musibete düşenler, dinden meded beklerler ve dindar oluyorlar. İşte bu hal dahi mühim bir farkı gösteriyor.

Üçüncü İşaret

Ehl-i bid’a diyorlar ki:

“Bu taassub-u dinî, bizi geri bıraktı. Bu asırda yaşamak, taassubu bırakmakla olur. Avrupa, taassubu bıraktıktan sonra terakki etti?”

Elcevap: Yanlışsınız ve aldanmışsınız veya aldatıyorsunuz. Çünkü Avrupa, dininde mutaassıptır. Hattâ bir âdi Bulgar’a veya bir nefer-i İngiliz’e veya bir serseri Fransız’a “Sarık sar. Sarmazsan hapse atılacaksın!” denilse taassupları muktezasınca diyecek: “Hapse değil, öldürseniz bile dinime ve milliyetime bu hakareti yapmayacağım!”

Hem tarih şahittir ki: Ehl-i İslâm ne vakit dinine tam temessük etmiş ise o zamana nisbeten terakki etmiş. Ne vakit salabeti terk etmişse tedenni etmiş. Hristiyanlık ise bilakistir. Bu da mühim bir fark-ı esasîden neş’et etmiş.

Hem İslâmiyet, sair dinlere kıyas edilmez. Bir Müslüman İslâmiyet’ten çıksa ve dinini terk etse daha hiçbir peygamberi kabul edemez; belki Cenab-ı Hakk’ı dahi ikrar edemez ve belki hiçbir mukaddes şeyi tanımaz; belki kendinde kemalâta medar olacak bir vicdan bulunmaz, tefessüh eder. Onun için İslâmiyet nazarında, harbî kâfirin hakk-ı hayatı var. Hariçte olsa musalaha etse, dâhilde olsa cizye verse; İslâmiyetçe hayatı mahfuzdur. Fakat mürtedin hakk-ı hayatı yoktur. Çünkü vicdanı tefessüh eder, hayat-ı içtimaiyeye bir zehir hükmüne geçer.

Halbuki Hristiyan’ın bir dinsizi, yine hayat-ı içtimaiyeye nâfi’ bir vaziyette kalabilir. Bazı mukaddesatı kabul eder ve bazı peygamberlere inanabilir ve Cenab-ı Hakk’ı bir cihette tasdik edebilir.

Acaba bu ehl-i bid’a ve doğrusu ehl-i ilhad, bu dinsizlikte hangi menfaati buluyorlar? Eğer idare ve asayişi düşünüyorlarsa Allah’ı bilmeyen dinsiz on serserinin idaresi ve şerlerini def’etmesi, bin ehl-i diyanetin idaresinden daha müşküldür.

Eğer terakkiyi düşünüyorlarsa öyle dinsizler, idare-i hükûmete muzır oldukları gibi terakkiye dahi manidirler. Terakki ve ticaretin esası olan emniyet ve asayişi kırıyorlar. Doğrusu onlar, meslekçe tahribatçıdırlar. Dünyada en büyük ahmak odur ki böyle dinsiz serserilerden terakki ve saadet-i hayatiyeyi beklesin.

Böyle ahmaklardan mühim bir mevkii işgal eden birisi demiş ki: “Biz, Allah Allah diye diye geri kaldık. Avrupa, top tüfek diye diye ileri gitti.”

“Cevabü’l-ahmaki’s-sükût” kaidesince, böylelere karşı cevap sükûttur. Fakat bazı ahmakların arkasında bedbaht gafiller bulunduğundan deriz ki:

Ey bîçareler! Bu dünya bir misafirhanedir. Her günde otuz bin şahit, cenazeleriyle “El-mevtü hak” hükmünü imza ediyorlar ve o davaya şehadet ediyorlar. Ölümü öldürebilir misiniz? Bu şahitleri tekzip edebilir misiniz? Madem edemiyorsunuz; mevt, Allah Allah dedirtir. Sekeratta Allah Allah yerine; hangi topunuz, hangi tüfeğiniz, zulümat-ı ebedîyi o sekerattakinin önünde ışıklandırır, yeis-i mutlakını ümit-i mutlaka çevirebilir? Madem ölüm var, kabre girilecek; bu hayat gidiyor, bâki bir hayat geliyor. Bir defa top tüfek denilse bin defa Allah Allah demek lâzım gelir. Hem Allah yolunda olsa; tüfek de Allah der, top da Allahu ekber diye bağırır, Allah ile iftar eder, imsak eder.

Dördüncü İşaret

Tahribatçı ehl-i bid’a iki kısımdır:

Bir kısmı –güya din hesabına, İslâmiyet’e sadakat namına– güya dini milliyetle takviye etmek için “Zaafa düşmüş din şecere-i nuraniyesini, milliyet toprağında dikmek, kuvvetleştirmek istiyoruz.” diye dine taraftar vaziyeti gösteriyorlar.

İkinci kısım; millet namına, milliyet hesabına, unsuriyete kuvvet vermek fikrine binaen “Milliyeti, İslâmiyet’le aşılamak istiyoruz.” diye bid’aları icad ediyorlar.

Birinci kısma deriz ki: Ey “sadık ahmak” ıtlakına mâsadak bîçare ulemaü’s-sû veya meczup, akılsız, cahil sofiler! Hakikat-i kâinat içinde kökü yerleşmiş ve hakaik-i kâinata kökler salmış olan Şecere-i Tûba-i İslâmiyet; mevhum, muvakkat, cüz’î, hususi, menfî, belki esassız, garazkâr, zulümkâr, zulmanî unsuriyet toprağına dikilmez! Onu oraya dikmeye çalışmak, ahmakane ve tahripkârane, bid’akârane bir teşebbüstür.

İkinci kısım milliyetçilere deriz ki: Ey sarhoş hamiyet-füruşlar! Bir asır evvel milliyet asrı olabilirdi. Şu asır unsuriyet asrı değil. Bolşevizm, sosyalizm meseleleri istila ediyor; unsuriyet fikrini kırıyor, unsuriyet asrı geçiyor. Ebedî ve daimî olan İslâmiyet milliyeti; muvakkat, dağdağalı unsuriyetle bağlanmaz ve aşılanmaz. Ve aşılamak olsa da İslâm milliyetini ifsad ettiği gibi unsuriyet milliyetini dahi ıslah edemez, ibka edemez. Evet, muvakkat aşılamakta bir zevk ve bir muvakkat kuvvet görünüyor fakat pek muvakkat ve âkıbeti hatarlıdır.

Hem Türk unsurunda ebedî kabil-i iltiyam olmamak suretinde bir inşikak çıkacak. O vakit milletin kuvveti, bir şık, bir şıkkın kuvvetini kırdığı için hiçe inecek. İki dağ birbirine karşı bir mizanın iki gözünde bulunsa; bir batman kuvvet, o iki kuvvet ile oynayabilir; yukarı kaldırır, aşağı indirir.

İkinci Sual, iki işarettir:

Birinci İşaret ki BEŞİNCİ İŞARET’tir.

Mühim bir sualin gayet muhtasar bir cevabıdır.

Sual: Âhir zamanda Hazret-i Mehdi geleceğine ve fesada girmiş âlemi ıslah edeceğine dair müteaddid rivayat-ı sahiha var. Halbuki şu zaman, cemaat zamanıdır; şahıs zamanı değil. Şahıs ne kadar dâhî ve hattâ yüz dâhî derecesinde olsa bir cemaatin mümessili olmazsa bir cemaatin şahs-ı manevîsini temsil etmezse; muhalif bir cemaatin şahs-ı manevîsine karşı mağluptur. Şu zamanda –kuvvet-i velayeti ne kadar yüksek olursa olsun– böyle bir cemaat-i beşeriyenin ifsadat-ı azîmesi içinde nasıl ıslah eder? Eğer Mehdi’nin bütün işleri hârika olsa şu dünyadaki hikmet-i İlahiyeye ve kavanin-i âdetullaha muhalif düşer. Bu Mehdi meselesinin sırrını anlamak istiyoruz?

Elcevap: Cenab-ı Hak kemal-i rahmetinden, şeriat-ı İslâmiyenin ebediyetine bir eser-i himayet olarak, her bir fesad-ı ümmet zamanında bir muslih veya bir müceddid veya bir halife-i zîşan veya bir kutb-u a’zam veya bir mürşid-i ekmel veyahut bir nevi Mehdi hükmünde mübarek zatları göndermiş; fesadı izale edip milleti ıslah etmiş, din-i Ahmedîyi (asm) muhafaza etmiş.

Madem âdeti öyle cereyan ediyor, âhir zamanın en büyük fesadı zamanında; elbette en büyük bir müçtehid hem en büyük bir müceddid hem hâkim hem mehdi hem mürşid hem kutb-u a’zam olarak bir zat-ı nuraniyi gönderecek ve o zat da Ehl-i Beyt-i Nebevîden olacaktır.

Cenab-ı Hak bir dakika zarfında beyne’s-sema ve’l-arz âlemini bulutlarla doldurup boşalttığı gibi bir saniyede denizin fırtınalarını teskin eder ve bahar içinde bir saatte yaz mevsiminin numunesini ve yazda bir saatte kış fırtınasını icad eden Kadîr-i Zülcelal; Mehdi ile de âlem-i İslâm’ın zulümatını dağıtabilir. Ve vaad etmiştir, vaadini elbette yapacaktır.

Kudret-i İlahiye noktasında bakılsa gayet kolaydır. Eğer daire-i esbab ve hikmet-i Rabbaniye noktasında düşünülse yine o kadar makul ve vukua lâyıktır ki eğer Muhbir-i Sadık’tan rivayet olmazsa dahi herhalde öyle olmak lâzım gelir ve olacaktır, diye ehl-i tefekkür hükmeder. Şöyle ki: Felillahi’l-hamd اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ وَ سَلِّم۟ عَلٰى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلٰى اٰلِ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا صَلَّي۟تَ عَلٰى اِب۟رَاهٖيمَ وَ عَلٰى اٰلِ اِب۟رَاهٖيمَ فِى ال۟عَالَمٖينَ اِنَّكَ حَمٖيدٌ مَجٖيدٌ duası –umum ümmet, umum namazında, günde beş defa tekrar ettikleri bu dua– bilmüşahede makbul olmuştur ki Âl-i Muhammed aleyhissalâtü vesselâm, Âl-i İbrahim aleyhisselâm gibi öyle bir vaziyet almış ki umum mübarek silsilelerin başında, umum aktar ve a’sarın mecmalarında o nurani zatlar kumandanlık ediyorlar. (Hâşiye) Ve öyle bir kesrettedirler ki o kumandanların mecmuu, muazzam bir ordu teşkil ediyorlar.

Eğer maddî şekle girse ve bir tesanüd ile bir fırka vaziyetini alsalar İslâmiyet dinini milliyet-i mukaddese hükmünde rabıta-i ittifak ve intibah yapsalar hiçbir milletin ordusu onlara karşı dayanamaz! İşte o pek kesretli, o muktedir ordu, Âl-i Muhammed aleyhissalâtü vesselâmdır ve Hazret-i Mehdi’nin en has ordusudur.

Evet, bugün tarih-i âlemde hiçbir nesil, şecere ile ve senetlerle ve an’ane ile birbirine muttasıl ve en yüksek şeref ve âlî haseb ve asil neseb ile mümtaz hiçbir nesil yoktur ki Âl-i Beyt’ten gelen seyyidler nesli kadar kuvvetli ve ehemmiyetli bulunsun. Eski zamandan beri bütün ehl-i hakikatin fırkaları başında onlar ve ehl-i kemalin namdar reisleri yine onlardır. Şimdi de kemiyeten milyonları geçen bir nesl-i mübarektir. Mütenebbih ve kalpleri imanlı ve muhabbet-i Nebevî ile dolu ve cihan-değer şeref-i intisabıyla serfirazdırlar.

Böyle bir cemaat-i azîme içindeki mukaddes kuvveti tehyic edecek ve uyandıracak hâdisat-ı azîme vücuda geliyor. Elbette o kuvvet-i azîmedeki bir hamiyet-i âliye feveran edecek ve Hazret-i Mehdi başına geçip tarîk-i hak ve hakikate sevk edecek. Böyle olmak ve böyle olmasını, bu kıştan sonra baharın gelmesi gibi âdetullahtan ve rahmet-i İlahiyeden bekleriz ve beklemekte haklıyız.

İkinci İşaret yani ALTINCI İŞARET

Hazret-i Mehdi’nin cemiyet-i nuraniyesi, Süfyan komitesinin tahribatçı rejim-i bid’akâranesini tamir edecek, sünnet-i seniyeyi ihya edecek; yani âlem-i İslâmiyet’te risalet-i Ahmediyeyi (asm) inkâr niyetiyle şeriat-ı Ahmediyeyi (asm) tahribe çalışan Süfyan komitesi, Hazret-i Mehdi cemiyetinin mu’cizekâr manevî kılıncıyla öldürülecek ve dağıtılacak.

Hem âlem-i insaniyette inkâr-ı uluhiyet niyetiyle medeniyet ve mukaddesat-ı beşeriyeyi zîr ü zeber eden Deccal komitesini, Hazret-i İsa aleyhisselâmın din-i hakikisini İslâmiyet’in hakikatiyle birleştirmeye çalışan hamiyetkâr ve fedakâr bir İsevî cemaati namı altında ve “Müslüman İsevîleri” unvanına lâyık bir cemiyet, o Deccal komitesini, Hazret-i İsa aleyhisselâmın riyaseti altında öldürecek ve dağıtacak; beşeri, inkâr-ı uluhiyetten kurtaracak.

Şu mühim sır pek uzundur. Başka yerlerde bir nebze bahsettiğimizden burada bu kısa işaretle iktifa ediyoruz.

YEDİNCİ İŞARET yani Üçüncü Sual

Diyorlar ki: “Senin eski zamandaki müdafaatın ve İslâmiyet hakkındaki mücahedatın, şimdiki tarzda değil. Hem Avrupa’ya karşı İslâmiyet’i müdafaa eden mütefekkirîn tarzında gitmiyorsun. Neden Eski Said vaziyetini değiştirdin? Neden manevî mücahidîn-i İslâmiye tarzında hareket etmiyorsun?

Elcevap: Eski Said ile mütefekkirîn kısmı, felsefe-i beşeriyenin ve hikmet-i Avrupaiyenin düsturlarını kısmen kabul edip onların silahlarıyla onlarla mübareze ediyorlar; bir derece onları kabul ediyorlar. Bir kısım düsturlarını, fünun-u müsbete suretinde lâyetezelzel teslim ediyorlar, o suretle İslâmiyet’in hakiki kıymetini gösteremiyorlar. Âdeta kökleri çok derin zannettikleri hikmetin dallarıyla İslâmiyet’i aşılıyorlar, güya takviye ediyorlar. Bu tarzda galebe az olduğundan ve İslâmiyet’in kıymetini bir derece tenzil etmek olduğundan o mesleği terk ettim.

Hem bilfiil gösterdim ki: İslâmiyet’in esasları o kadar derindir ki felsefenin en derin esasları onlara yetişmez, belki sathî kalır. Otuzuncu Söz, Yirmi Dördüncü Mektup, Yirmi Dokuzuncu Söz bu hakikati bürhanlarıyla ispat ederek göstermiştir.

Eski meslekte, felsefeyi derin zannedip ahkâm-ı İslâmiyeyi zâhirî telakki edip felsefenin dallarıyla bağlamakla durutmak ve muhafaza edilmek zannediliyordu. Halbuki felsefenin düsturlarının ne haddi var ki onlara yetişsin?

سُب۟حَانَكَ لَا عِل۟مَ لَنَٓا اِلَّا مَا عَلَّم۟تَنَٓا اِنَّكَ اَن۟تَ ال۟عَلٖيمُ ال۟حَكٖيمُ

اَل۟حَم۟دُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذٖى هَدٰينَا لِهٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَه۟تَدِىَ لَو۟لَٓا اَن۟ هَدٰينَا اللّٰهُ لَقَد۟ جَٓاءَت۟ رُسُلُ رَبِّنَا بِال۟حَقِّ

اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ وَ سَلِّم۟ عَلٰى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلٰى اٰلِ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا صَلَّي۟تَ عَلٰى سَيِّدِنَا اِب۟رَاهٖيمَ وَ عَلٰى اٰلِ اِب۟رَاهٖيمَ فِى ال۟عَالَمٖينَ اِنَّكَ حَمٖيدٌ مَجٖيدٌ

Sekizinci Kısım Olan Rumuzat-ı Semaniye

“Sekiz Remiz”dir, yani sekiz küçük risaledir. Şu remizlerin esası, ilm-i cifrin mühim bir düsturu ve ulûm-u hafiyenin mühim bir anahtarı ve bir kısım esrar-ı gaybiye-i Kur’aniyenin mühim bir miftahı olan tevafuktur.

İleride müstakillen neşredileceğinden buraya dercedilmedi.

Dokuzuncu Kısım Telvihat-ı Tis’a

اَلَٓا اِنَّ اَو۟لِيَٓاءَ اللّٰهِ لَا خَو۟فٌ عَلَي۟هِم۟ وَلَاهُم۟ يَح۟زَنُونَ

Şu kısım, turuk-u velayet hakkında olup Dokuz Telvihtir.

Birinci Telvih

“Tasavvuf”, “tarîkat”, “velayet”, “seyr ü sülûk” namları altında şirin, nurani, neşeli, ruhanî bir hakikat-i kudsiye vardır ki o hakikat-i kudsiyeyi ilan eden, ders veren, tavsif eden binler cilt kitap ehl-i zevk ve keşfin muhakkikleri yazmışlar, o hakikati ümmete ve bize söylemişler.

جَزَاهُمُ اللّٰهُ خَي۟رًا كَثٖيرًا Biz, o muhit denizinden birkaç katre hükmünde birkaç reşhalarını şu zamanın bazı ilcaatına binaen göstereceğiz.

Sual: Tarîkat nedir?

Elcevap: Tarîkatın gaye-i maksadı, marifet ve inkişaf-ı hakaik-i imaniye olarak, mi’rac-ı Ahmedînin (asm) gölgesinde ve sayesi altında kalp ayağıyla bir seyr ü sülûk-u ruhanî neticesinde, zevkî, halî ve bir derece şuhudî hakaik-i imaniye ve Kur’aniyeye mazhariyet; “tarîkat”, “tasavvuf” namıyla ulvi bir sırr-ı insanî ve bir kemal-i beşerîdir.

Evet, şu kâinatta insan bir fihriste-i câmia olduğundan, insanın kalbi binler âlemin harita-i maneviyesi hükmündedir. Evet, insanın kafasındaki dimağı, hadsiz telsiz telgraf ve telefonların santral denilen merkezi misillü, kâinatın bir nevi merkez-i manevîsi olduğunu gösteren hadsiz fünun ve ulûm-u beşeriye olduğu gibi; insanın mahiyetindeki kalbi dahi hadsiz hakaik-i kâinatın mazharı, medarı, çekirdeği olduğunu hadd ü hesaba gelmeyen ehl-i velayetin yazdıkları milyonlarla nurani kitaplar gösteriyorlar.

İşte madem kalp ve dimağ-ı insanî bu merkezdedir; çekirdek haletinde bir şecere-i azîmenin cihazatını tazammun eder ve ebedî, uhrevî, haşmetli bir makinenin âletleri ve çarkları, içinde dercedilmiştir. Elbette ve herhalde o kalbin Fâtır’ı, o kalbi işlettirmesini ve bi’l-kuvve tavırdan bilfiil vaziyetine çıkarmasını ve inkişafını ve hareketini irade etmiş ki öyle yapmış. Madem irade etmiş, elbette o kalp dahi akıl gibi işleyecek. Ve kalbi işlettirmek için en büyük vasıta, velayet meratibinde zikr-i İlahî ile tarîkat yolunda hakaik-i imaniyeye teveccüh etmektir.

İkinci Telvih

Bu seyr ü sülûk-u kalbînin ve hareket-i ruhaniyenin miftahları ve vesileleri, zikr-i İlahî ve tefekkürdür. Bu zikir ve fikrin mehasini, ta’dad ile bitmez. Hadsiz fevaid-i uhreviyeden ve kemalât-ı insaniyeden kat’-ı nazar, yalnız şu dağdağalı hayat-ı dünyeviyeye ait cüz’î bir faydası şudur ki:

Her insan, hayatın dağdağasından ve ağır tekâlifinden bir derece kurtulmak ve teneffüs etmek için herhalde bir teselli ister, bir zevki arar ve vahşeti izale edecek bir ünsiyeti taharri eder. Medeniyet-i insaniye neticesindeki içtimaat-ı ünsiyetkârane, on insanda bir ikisine muvakkat olarak, belki gafletkârane ve sarhoşçasına bir ünsiyet ve bir ülfet ve bir teselli verir. Fakat yüzde sekseni ya dağlarda, derelerde münferid yaşıyor ya derd-i maişet onu hücra köşelere sevk ediyor ya musibetler ve ihtiyarlık gibi âhireti düşündüren vasıtalar cihetiyle insanların cemaatlerinden gelen ünsiyetten mahrumdurlar. O hal onlara ünsiyet verip teselli etmez.

İşte böylelerin hakiki tesellisi ve ciddi ünsiyeti ve tatlı zevki; zikir ve fikir vasıtasıyla kalbi işletmek, o hücra köşelerde, o vahşetli dağ ve sıkıntılı derelerde kalbine müteveccih olup “Allah!” diyerek kalbi ile ünsiyet edip o ünsiyet ile etrafında vahşetle ona bakan eşyayı ünsiyetkârane tebessüm vaziyetinde düşünüp “Zikrettiğim Hâlık’ımın hadsiz ibadı her tarafta bulunduğu gibi bu vahşetgâhımda da çokturlar. Ben yalnız değilim, tevahhuş manasızdır.” diyerek imanlı bir hayattan ünsiyetli bir zevk alır. Saadet-i hayatiye manasını anlar, Allah’a şükreder.

Üçüncü Telvih

Velayet, bir hüccet-i risalettir; tarîkat, bir bürhan-ı şeriattır. Çünkü risaletin tebliğ ettiği hakaik-i imaniyeyi, velayet bir nevi şuhud-u kalbî ve zevk-i ruhanî ile aynelyakîn derecesinde görür, tasdik eder. Onun tasdiki, risaletin hakkaniyetine kat’î bir hüccettir. Şeriat ders verdiği ahkâmın hakaikini, tarîkat zevkiyle, keşfiyle ve ondan istifadesiyle ve istifazasıyla o ahkâm-ı şeriatın hak olduğuna ve Hak’tan geldiğine bir bürhan-ı bâhirdir.

Evet, nasıl ki velayet ve tarîkat, risalet ve şeriatın hücceti ve delilidir; öyle de İslâmiyet’in bir sırr-ı kemali ve medar-ı envarı ve insaniyetin İslâmiyet sırrıyla bir maden-i terakkiyatı ve bir menba-ı tefeyyüzatıdır.

İşte bu sırr-ı azîmin bu derece ehemmiyetiyle beraber, bazı fırak-ı dâlle onun inkârı tarafına gitmişler. Kendileri mahrum kaldıkları o envardan, başkalarının mahrumiyetine sebep olmuşlar.

En ziyade medar-ı teessüf şudur ki: Ehl-i Sünnet ve Cemaat’in bir kısım zâhirî uleması ve Ehl-i Sünnet ve Cemaat’e mensup bir kısım ehl-i siyaset gafil insanlar; ehl-i tarîkatın içinde gördükleri bazı sû-i istimalatı ve bir kısım hatîatı bahane ederek o hazine-i uzmayı kapatmak, belki tahrip etmek ve bir nevi âb-ı hayatı dağıtan o kevser menbaını kurutmak için çalışıyorlar.

Halbuki eşyada, kusursuz ve her ciheti hayırlı şeyler, meşrepler, meslekler az bulunur. Alâküllihal bazı kusurlar ve sû-i istimalat olacak. Çünkü ehil olmayanlar bir işe girseler elbette sû-i istimal ederler. Fakat Cenab-ı Hak âhirette muhasebe-i a’mal düsturuyla, adalet-i Rabbaniyesini, hasenat ve seyyiatın muvazenesiyle gösteriyor. Yani hasenat râcih ve ağır gelse mükâfatlandırır, kabul eder; seyyiat râcih gelse cezalandırır, reddeder. Hasenat ve seyyiatın muvazenesi, kemiyete bakmaz, keyfiyete bakar. Bazı olur, bir tek hasene bin seyyiata tereccuh eder, affettirir.

Madem adalet-i İlahiye böyle hükmeder ve hakikat dahi bunu hak görür; tarîkat, yani sünnet-i seniye dairesinde tarîkatın hasenatı, seyyiatına kat’iyen müreccah olduğuna delil; ehl-i tarîkat, ehl-i dalaletin hücumu zamanında imanlarını muhafaza etmesidir. Âdi bir samimi ehl-i tarîkat; surî, zâhirî bir mütefenninden daha ziyade kendini muhafaza eder. O zevk-i tarîkat vasıtasıyla ve o muhabbet-i evliya cihetiyle imanını kurtarır. Kebairle fâsık olur fakat kâfir olmaz, kolaylıkla zındıkaya sokulmaz. Şedit bir muhabbet ve metin bir itikad ile aktab kabul ettiği bir silsile-i meşayihi, onun nazarında hiçbir kuvvet çürütemez. Çürütmediği için onlardan itimadını kesemez. Onlardan itimadı kesilmezse zındıkaya giremez. Tarîkatta hissesi olmayan ve kalbi harekete gelmeyen, bir muhakkik âlim zat da olsa şimdiki zındıkların desiselerine karşı kendini tam muhafaza etmesi müşkülleşmiştir.

Bir şey daha var ki: Daire-i takvadan hariç, belki daire-i İslâmiyet’ten hariç bir suret almış bazı meşreplerin ve tarîkat namını haksız olarak kendine takanların seyyiatıyla, tarîkat mahkûm olamaz.

Tarîkatın dinî ve uhrevî ve ruhanî çok mühim ve ulvi neticelerinden sarf-ı nazar, yalnız âlem-i İslâm içindeki kudsî bir rabıta olan uhuvvetin inkişafına ve inbisatına en birinci, tesirli ve hararetli vasıta tarîkatlar olduğu gibi; âlem-i küfrün ve siyaset-i Hristiyaniyenin, nur-u İslâmiyet’i söndürmek için müthiş hücumlarına karşı dahi üç mühim ve sarsılmaz kale-i İslâmiyeden bir kalesidir.

Merkez-i hilafet olan İstanbul’u beş yüz elli sene bütün âlem-i Hristiyaniyenin karşısında muhafaza ettiren, İstanbul’da beş yüz yerde fışkıran envar-ı tevhid ve o merkez-i İslâmiyedeki ehl-i imanın mühim bir nokta-i istinadı, o büyük camilerin arkalarındaki tekyelerde “Allah Allah!” diyenlerin kuvvet-i imaniyeleri ve marifet-i İlahiyeden gelen bir muhabbet-i ruhanî ile cûş u hurûşlarıdır.

İşte ey akılsız hamiyet-füruşlar ve sahtekâr milliyet-perverler! Tarîkatın, hayat-ı içtimaiyenizde bu hasenesini çürütecek hangi seyyiatlarıdır, söyleyiniz?

Dördüncü Telvih

Meslek-i velayet çok kolay olmakla beraber çok müşkülatlıdır, çok kısa olmakla beraber çok uzundur, çok kıymettar olmakla beraber çok hatarlıdır, çok geniş olmakla beraber çok dardır.

İşte bu sırlar içindir ki o yolda sülûk edenler bazen boğulur, bazen zararlı düşer, bazen döner başkalarını yoldan çıkarır.

Ezcümle: Tarîkatta “seyr-i enfüsî” ve “seyr-i âfakî” tabirleri altında iki meşrep var.

Birinci meşrep, enfüsî meşrebidir; nefisten başlar, hariçten gözünü çeker, kalbe bakar, enaniyeti deler geçer, kalbinden yol açar, hakikati bulur. Sonra âfaka girer. O vakit âfakı nurani görür. Çabuk o seyri bitirir. Enfüsî dairesinde gördüğü hakikati, büyük bir mikyasta onda da görür. Turuk-u hafiyenin çoğu bu yol ile gidiyor. Bunun da en mühim esası; enaniyeti kırmak, hevayı terk etmek, nefsi öldürmektir.

İkinci meşrep; âfaktan başlar, o daire-i kübranın mezâhirinde cilve-i esma ve sıfâtı seyredip sonra daire-i enfüsiyeye girer. Küçük bir mikyasta, daire-i kalbinde o envarı müşahede edip onda en yakın yolu açar. Kalp, âyine-i Samed olduğunu görür, aradığı maksada vâsıl olur.

İşte birinci meşrepte sülûk eden insanlar; nefs-i emmareyi öldürmeye muvaffak olamazsa, hevayı terk edip enaniyeti kırmazsa şükür makamından fahir makamına düşer, fahirden gurura sukut eder. Eğer muhabbetten gelen bir incizab ve incizabdan gelen bir nevi sekir beraber bulunsa “şatahat” namıyla haddinden çok fazla davalar ondan sudûr eder. Hem kendi zarar eder hem başkasının zararına sebep olur.

Mesela, nasıl ki bir mülazım, kendinde bulunan kumandanlık zevkiyle ve neşesiyle gururlansa kendini bir müşir zanneder. Küçücük dairesini, o küllî daire ile iltibas eder. Ve bir küçük âyinede görünen bir güneşi, denizin yüzünde haşmetiyle cilvesi görünen güneşle bir cihet-i müşabehetle iltibasa sebep olur. Öyle de çok ehl-i velayet var ki bir sineğin bir tavus kuşuna nisbeti gibi kendinden o derece büyük olanlardan kendini büyük görür ve öyle de müşahede ediyor, kendini haklı buluyor.

Hattâ ben gördüm ki: Yalnız kalbi intibaha gelmiş, uzaktan uzağa velayetin sırrını kendinde hissetmiş, kendini kutb-u a’zam telakki edip o tavrı takınıyordu. Ben dedim: “Kardeşim! Nasıl ki kanun-u saltanatın, sadrazam dairesinden tâ nahiye müdürü dairesine kadar bir tarzda cüz’î küllî cilveleri var; öyle de velayetin ve kutbiyetin dahi öyle muhtelif daire ve cilveleri var. Her bir makamın çok zılleri ve gölgeleri var. Sen, sadrazam-misal kutbiyetin a’zam cilvesini, bir müdür dairesi hükmünde olan kendi dairende o cilveyi görmüşsün, aldanmışsın. Gördüğün doğrudur fakat hükmün yanlıştır. Bir sineğe bir kap su, bir küçük denizdir.” O zat şu cevabımdan inşâallah ayıldı ve o vartadan kurtuldu.

Hem ben müteaddid insanları gördüm ki bir nevi Mehdi kendilerini biliyorlardı ve “Mehdi olacağım.” diyorlardı. Bu zatlar yalancı ve aldatıcı değiller, belki aldanıyorlar. Gördüklerini, hakikat zannediyorlar. Esma-i İlahînin nasıl ki tecelliyatı, arş-ı a’zam dairesinden tâ bir zerreye kadar cilveleri var ve o esmaya mazhariyet de o nisbette tefavüt eder. Öyle de mazhariyet-i esmadan ibaret olan meratib-i velayet dahi öyle mütefavittir. Şu iltibasın en mühim sebebi şudur:

Makamat-ı evliyadan bazı makamlarda Mehdi vazifesinin hususiyeti bulunduğu ve kutb-u a’zama has bir nisbeti göründüğü ve Hazret-i Hızır’ın bir münasebet-i hâssası olduğu gibi, bazı meşahirle münasebettar bazı makamat var. Hattâ o makamlara “Makam-ı Hızır”, “Makam-ı Üveys”, “Makam-ı Mehdiyet” tabir edilir.

İşte bu sırra binaen, o makama ve o makamın cüz’î bir numunesine veya bir gölgesine girenler, kendilerini o makamla has münasebettar meşhur zatlar zannediyorlar. Kendini Hızır telakki eder veya Mehdi itikad eder veya kutb-u a’zam tahayyül eder.

Eğer hubb-u câha talip enaniyeti yoksa o halde mahkûm olmaz. Onun haddinden fazla davaları, şatahat sayılır. Onunla belki mes’ul olmaz.

Eğer enaniyeti perde ardında hubb-u câha müteveccih ise o zat, enaniyete mağlup olup şükrü bırakıp fahre girse fahirden gitgide gurura sukut eder. Ya divanelik derecesine sukut eder veyahut tarîk-i haktan sapar. Çünkü büyük evliyayı, kendi gibi telakki eder, haklarındaki hüsn-ü zannı kırılır. Zira nefis ne kadar mağrur da olsa kendisi kendi kusurunu derk eder. O büyükleri de kendine kıyas edip kusurlu tevehhüm eder. Hattâ enbiyalar hakkında da hürmeti noksanlaşır.

İşte bu hale giriftar olanlar, mizan-ı şeriatı elde tutmak ve usûlü’d-din ulemasının düsturlarını kendine ölçü ittihaz etmek ve İmam-ı Gazalî ve İmam-ı Rabbanî gibi muhakkikîn-i evliyanın talimatlarını rehber etmek gerektir. Ve daima nefsini ittiham etmektir. Ve kusurdan, acz ve fakrdan başka nefsin eline vermemektir.

Bu meşrepteki şatahat, hubb-u nefisten neş’et ediyor. Çünkü muhabbet gözü, kusuru görmez. Nefsine muhabbeti için o kusurlu ve liyakatsiz bir cam parçası gibi nefsini, bir pırlanta, bir elmas zanneder.

Bu nevi içindeki en tehlikeli bir hata şudur ki kalbine ilhamî bir tarzda gelen cüz’î manaları “kelâmullah” tahayyül edip âyet tabir etmeleridir. Ve onunla, vahyin mertebe-i ulyâ-yı akdesine bir hürmetsizlik gelir. Evet, bal arısının ve hayvanatın ilhamatından tut, tâ avam-ı nâsın ve havass-ı beşeriyenin ilhamatına kadar ve avam-ı melâikenin ilhamatından, tâ havass-ı kerrûbiyyunun ilhamatına kadar bütün ilhamat, bir nevi kelimat-ı Rabbaniyedir. Fakat mazharların ve makamların kabiliyetine göre kelâm-ı Rabbanî, yetmiş bin perdede telemmu eden ayrı ayrı cilve-i hitab-ı Rabbanîdir.

Amma vahiy ve kelâmullahın ism-i hâssı ve onun en bâhir misal-i müşahhası olan Kur’an’ın necimlerine ism-i has olan “âyet” namı öyle ilhamata verilmesi, hata-yı mahzdır. On İkinci ve Yirmi Beşinci ve Otuz Birinci Sözlerde beyan ve ispat edildiği gibi elimizdeki boyalı âyinede görünen küçük ve sönük ve perdeli güneşin misali, semadaki güneşe ne nisbeti varsa; öyle de o müddeîlerin kalbindeki ilham dahi doğrudan doğruya kelâm-ı İlahî olan Kur’an güneşinin âyetlerine nisbeti, o derecededir. Evet, her bir âyinede görünen güneşin misalleri, güneşindir ve onunla münasebettardır denilse haktır fakat o güneşçiklerin âyinesine küre-i arz takılmaz ve onun cazibesiyle bağlanmaz!

Beşinci Telvih

Tarîkatın gayet mühim bir meşrebi olan “vahdetü’l-vücud” namı altındaki vahdetü’ş-şuhud, yani Vâcibü’l-vücud’un vücuduna hasr-ı nazar edip sair mevcudatı, o vücud-u Vâcib’e nisbeten o kadar zayıf ve gölge görür ki vücud ismine lâyık olmadığını hükmedip, hayal perdesine sarıp terk-i mâsiva makamında onları hiç saymak, hattâ ma’dum tasavvur etmek, yalnız cilve-i esma-i İlahiyeye hayalî bir âyine vaziyeti vermek kadar ileri gider.

İşte bu meşrebin ehemmiyetli bir hakikati var ki: Vâcibü’l-vücud’un vücudu, iman kuvvetiyle ve yüksek bir velayetin hakkalyakîn derecesinde inkişafıyla, vücud-u mümkinat o derece aşağıya düşer ki hayal ve ademden başka onun nazarında makamları kalmaz; âdeta Vâcibü’l-vücud’un hesabına kâinatı inkâr eder.

Fakat bu meşrebin tehlikeleri var. En birincisi şudur ki: Erkân-ı imaniye altıdır. İman-ı billahtan başka, iman-ı bi’l-yevmi’l-âhir gibi rükünler var. Bu rükünler ise mümkinatın vücudlarını ister. O muhkem erkân-ı imaniye, hayal üstünde bina edilmez! Onun için o meşrep sahibi, âlem-i istiğrak ve sekirden âlem-i sahve girdiği vakit, o meşrebi beraber almamak gerektir ve o meşrebin muktezasıyla amel etmemek lâzımdır.

Hem kalbî ve halî ve zevkî olan bu meşrebi, aklî ve kavlî ve ilmî suretine çevirmemektir. Çünkü Kitap ve sünnetten gelen desatir-i akliye ve kavanin-i ilmiye ve usûl-ü kelâmiye o meşrebi kaldıramıyor, kabil-i tatbik olamıyor. Onun için Hulefa-yı Raşidîn’den ve Eimme-i Müçtehidîn’den ve selef-i salihînin büyüklerinden, o meşrep sarîhan görünmüyor.

Demek, en âlî bir meşrep değil. Belki yüksek fakat nâkıs. Çok ehemmiyetli fakat çok hatarlı. Çok ağır fakat çok zevklidir. O zevk için ona girenler, ondan çıkmak istemiyorlar, hodgâmlık ile en yüksek mertebe zannediyorlar.

Bu meşrebin esasını ve mahiyetini, Nokta Risalesi’nde ve bir kısım Sözlerde ve Mektubatta bir derece beyan ettiğimizden, onlara iktifaen, şurada o mühim meşrebin ehemmiyetli bir vartasını beyan edeceğiz. Şöyle ki:

O meşrep, daire-i esbabdan geçip terk-i mâsiva sırrıyla mümkinattan alâkasını kesen ehass-ı havassın istiğrak-ı mutlak haletinde mazhar olduğu salih bir meşreptir. Şu meşrebi, esbab içinde boğulanların ve dünyaya âşık olanların ve felsefe-i maddiye ile tabiata saplananların nazarına ilmî bir surette telkin etmek, tabiat ve maddede onları boğdurmaktır ve hakikat-i İslâmiyeden uzaklaştırmaktır.

Çünkü dünyaya âşık ve daire-i esbaba bağlı bir nazar, bu fâni dünyaya bir nevi beka vermek ister. O dünya mahbubunu elinden kaçırmak istemiyor; vahdetü’l-vücud bahanesiyle ona bir bâki vücud tevehhüm eder, o mahbubu olan dünya hesabına ve beka ve ebediyeti ona tam mal etmesine binaen, bir mabudiyet derecesine çıkarır –neûzübillah– Allah’ı inkâr etmek vartasına yol açar.

Şu asırda maddiyyunluk fikri o derece istila etmiş ki maddiyatı her şeye merci biliyorlar. Böyle bir asırda has ehl-i iman, maddiyatı idam eder derecesinde ehemmiyetsiz gördüklerinden; vahdetü’l-vücud meşrebi ortaya atılsa belki maddiyyunlar sahip çıkacaklar “Biz de böyle diyoruz.” diyecekler. Halbuki dünyada meşarib içinde, maddiyyunların ve tabiat-perestlerin mesleğinden en uzak meşrep, vahdetü’l-vücud meşrebidir. Çünkü ehl-i vahdetü’l-vücud, o kadar vücud-u İlahîye kuvvet-i iman ile ehemmiyet veriyorlar ki kâinatı ve mevcudatı inkâr ediyorlar. Maddiyyunlar ise o kadar mevcudata ehemmiyet veriyorlar ki kâinat hesabına, Allah’ı inkâr ediyorlar. İşte bunlar nerede? Ötekiler nerede?

Altıncı Telvih

Üç noktadır.

Birinci Nokta:

Velayet yolları içinde en güzeli en müstakimi en parlağı en zengini, sünnet-i seniyeye ittibadır. Yani a’mal ve harekâtında sünnet-i seniyeyi düşünüp ona tabi olmak ve taklit etmek ve muamelat ve ef’alinde ahkâm-ı şer’iyeyi düşünüp rehber ittihaz etmektir.

İşte bu ittiba ve iktida vasıtasıyla, âdi ahvali ve örfî muameleleri ve fıtrî hareketleri ibadet şekline girmekle beraber; her bir ameli, sünneti ve şer’i o ittiba noktasında düşündürmekle, bir tahattur-u hükm-ü şer’î veriyor. O tahattur ise sahib-i şeriatı düşündürüyor. O düşünmek ise Cenab-ı Hakk’ı hatıra getiriyor. O hatıra, bir nevi huzur veriyor. O halde mütemadiyen ömür dakikaları, huzur içinde bir ibadet hükmüne getirilebilir. İşte bu cadde-i kübra, velayet-i kübra olan ehl-i veraset-i nübüvvet olan sahabe ve selef-i salihînin caddesidir.

İkinci Nokta:

Velayet yollarının ve tarîkat şubelerinin en mühim esası, ihlastır. Çünkü ihlas ile hafî şirklerden halâs olur. İhlası kazanmayan, o yollarda gezemez. Ve o yolların en keskin kuvveti, muhabbettir. Evet muhabbet, mahbubunda bahaneler aramaz ve kusurlarını görmek istemez. Ve kemaline delâlet eden zayıf emareleri, kavî hüccetler hükmünde görür. Daima mahbubuna taraftardır.

İşte bu sırra binaendir ki muhabbet ayağıyla marifetullaha teveccüh eden zatlar; şübehata ve itirazata kulak vermezler, ucuz kurtulurlar. Binler şeytan toplansa onların mahbub-u hakikisinin kemaline işaret eden bir emareyi, onların nazarında iptal edemez. Eğer muhabbet olmazsa o vakit kendi nefsi ve şeytanı ve haricî şeytanların ettikleri itirazat içinde çok çırpınacak. Kahramancasına bir metanet ve kuvvet-i iman ve dikkat-i nazar lâzımdır ki kendisini kurtarsın.

İşte bu sırra binaendir ki umum meratib-i velayette marifetullahtan gelen muhabbet, en mühim mâye ve iksirdir. Fakat muhabbetin bir vartası var ki ubudiyetin sırrı olan niyazdan, mahviyetten naza ve davaya atlar, mizansız hareket eder. Mâsiva-yı İlahiyeye teveccühü hengâmında, mana-yı harfîden mana-yı ismîye geçmesiyle tiryak iken zehir olur. Yani gayrullahı sevdiği vakit, Cenab-ı Hak hesabına ve onun namına, onun bir âyine-i esması olmak cihetiyle rabt-ı kalp etmek lâzımken; bazen o zatı, o zat hesabına, kendi kemalât-ı şahsiyesi ve cemal-i zatîsi namına düşünüp mana-yı ismiyle sever. Allah’ı ve peygamberi düşünmeden yine onları sevebilir. Bu muhabbet, muhabbetullaha vesile değil, perde oluyor. Mana-yı harfî ile olsa muhabbetullaha vesile olur, belki cilvesidir denilebilir.

Üçüncü Nokta:

Bu dünya dârü’l-hikmettir, dârü’l-hizmettir; dârü’l-ücret ve mükâfat değil. Buradaki a’mal ve hizmetlerin ücretleri berzahta ve âhirettedir. Buradaki a’mal, berzahta ve âhirette meyve verir. Madem hakikat budur, a’mal-i uhreviyeye ait neticeleri dünyada istememek gerektir. Verilse de memnunane değil, mahzunane kabul etmek lâzımdır. Çünkü cennetin meyveleri gibi kopardıkça yerine aynı gelmek sırrıyla, bâki hükmünde olan amel-i uhrevî meyvesini, bu dünyada fâni bir surette yemek, kâr-ı akıl değildir. Bâki bir lambayı, bir dakika yaşayacak ve sönecek bir lamba ile mübadele etmek gibidir.

İşte bu sırra binaen ehl-i velayet, hizmet ve meşakkat ve musibet ve külfeti hoş görüyorlar, nazlanmıyorlar, şekva etmiyorlar.

اَل۟حَم۟دُ لِلّٰهِ عَلٰى كُلِّ حَالٍ diyorlar. Keşif ve keramet, ezvak ve envar verildiği vakit, bir iltifat-ı İlahî nevinden kabul edip setrine çalışıyorlar. Fahre değil belki şükre, ubudiyete daha ziyade giriyorlar. Çokları o ahvalin istitar ve inkıtaını istemişler, tâ ki amellerindeki ihlas zedelenmesin.

Evet, makbul bir insan hakkında en mühim bir ihsan-ı İlahî, ihsanını ona ihsas etmemektir; tâ niyazdan naza ve şükürden fahre girmesin.

İşte bu hakikate binaendir ki velayeti ve tarîkatı isteyenler; eğer velayetin bazı tereşşuhatı olan ezvak ve keramatı isterlerse ve onlara müteveccih ise ve onlardan hoşlansa; bâki, uhrevî meyveleri, fâni dünyada, fâni bir surette yemek kabîlinden olmakla beraber; velayetin mâyesi olan ihlası kaybedip velayetin kaçmasına meydan açar.

Yedinci Telvih

Dört nüktedir.

Birinci Nükte:

Şeriat; doğrudan doğruya, gölgesiz, perdesiz, sırr-ı ehadiyet ile rububiyet-i mutlaka noktasında hitab-ı İlahînin neticesidir. Tarîkatın ve hakikatin en yüksek mertebeleri, şeriatın cüzleri hükmüne geçer. Yoksa daima vesile ve mukaddime ve hâdim hükmündedirler. Neticeleri, şeriatın muhkematıdır.

Yani hakaik-i şeriata yetişmek için tarîkat ve hakikat meslekleri, vesile ve hâdim ve basamaklar hükmündedir. Gitgide en yüksek mertebede, nefs-i şeriatta bulunan mana-yı hakikat ve sırr-ı tarîkata inkılab ederler. O vakit, şeriat-ı kübranın cüzleri oluyorlar.

Yoksa bazı ehl-i tasavvufun zannettikleri gibi şeriatı zâhirî bir kışır, hakikati onun içi ve neticesi ve gayesi tasavvur etmek doğru değildir.

Evet şeriatın, tabakat-ı nâsa göre inkişafatı ayrı ayrıdır. Avam-ı nâsa göre zâhir-i şeriatı, hakikat-i şeriat zannedip havassa münkeşif olan şeriatın mertebesine “hakikat ve tarîkat” namı vermek yanlıştır. Şeriatın umum tabakata bakacak meratibi var.

İşte bu sırra binaendir ki ehl-i tarîkat ve ashab-ı hakikat ileri gittikçe hakaik-i şeriata karşı incizabları, iştiyakları, ittibaları ziyadeleşiyor. En küçük bir sünnet-i seniyeyi, en büyük bir maksat gibi telakki edip onun ittibaına çalışıyorlar, onu taklit ediyorlar. Çünkü vahiy ne kadar ilhamdan yüksek ise semere-i vahiy olan âdab-ı şer’iye, o derece semere-i ilham olan âdab-ı tarîkattan yüksek ve ehemmiyetlidir. Onun için tarîkatın en mühim esası, sünnet-i seniyeye ittiba etmektir.

İkinci Nükte:

Tarîkat ve hakikat, vesilelikten çıkmamak gerektir. Eğer maksud-u bizzat hükmüne geçseler o vakit şeriatın muhkematı ve ameliyatı ve sünnet-i seniyeye ittiba, resmî hükmünde kalır; kalp öteki tarafa müteveccih olur. Yani namazdan ziyade halka-i zikri düşünür; feraizden ziyade, evradına müncezib olur; kebairden kaçmaktan ziyade, âdab-ı tarîkatın muhalefetinden kaçar. Halbuki muhkemat-ı şeriat olan farzların bir tanesine, evrad-ı tarîkat mukabil gelemez; yerini dolduramaz.

Âdab-ı tarîkat ve evrad-ı tasavvuf, o feraizin içindeki hakiki zevke medar-ı teselli olmalı, menşe olmamalı. Yani tekyesi, camideki namazın zevkine ve ta’dil-i erkânına vesile olmalı; yoksa camideki namazı çabuk resmî kılıp hakiki zevkini ve kemalini tekyede bulmayı düşünen, hakikatten uzaklaşıyor.

Üçüncü Nükte:

“Sünnet-i seniye ve ahkâm-ı şeriat haricinde tarîkat olabilir mi?” diye sual ediliyor.

Elcevap: Hem var hem yok. Vardır, çünkü bazı evliya-yı kâmilîn, şeriat kılıncıyla idam edilmişler. Hem yoktur, çünkü muhakkikîn-i evliya, Sa’dî-i Şirazî’nin bu düsturunda ittifak etmişler:

مُحَالَس۟ت۟ سَع۟دٖى بَرَاهِ صَفَا ظَفَر۟ بُر۟دَن۟ جُز۟ دَر۟ پَىِ مُص۟طَفٰى

Yani “Resul-i Ekrem aleyhissalâtü vesselâmın caddesinden hariç ve onun arkasından gitmeyen muhaldir ki hakiki envar-ı hakikate vâsıl olabilsin.” Bu meselenin sırrı şudur ki:

Madem Resul-i Ekrem aleyhissalâtü vesselâm Hâtemü’l-enbiya’dır ve umum nev-i beşer namına muhatab-ı İlahîdir; elbette nev-i beşer, onun caddesi haricinde gidemez ve bayrağı altında bulunmak zarurîdir.

Ve madem ehl-i cezbe ve ehl-i istiğrak, muhalefetlerinden mes’ul olamazlar. Ve madem insanda bazı letaif var ki teklif altına giremez; o latîfe hâkim olduğu vakit, tekâlif-i şer’iyeye muhalefetiyle mes’ul tutulmaz. Ve madem insanda bazı letaif var ki teklif altına girmediği gibi ihtiyar altına da girmez, hattâ aklın tedbiri altına da girmez; o latîfe, kalbi ve aklı dinlemez. Elbette o latîfe bir insanda hâkim olduğu zaman –fakat o zamana mahsus olarak– o zat, şeriata muhalefette velayet derecesinden sukut etmez, mazur sayılır. Fakat bir şartla ki hakaik-i şeriata ve kavaid-i imaniyeye karşı bir inkâr, bir tezyif, bir istihfaf olmasın. Ahkâmı yapmasa da ahkâmı hak bilmek gerektir. Yoksa o hale mağlup olup neûzübillah, o hakaik-i muhkemeye karşı inkâr ve tekzibi işmam edecek bir vaziyet, alâmet-i sukuttur!

Elhasıl: Daire-i şeriatın haricinde bulunan ehl-i tarîkat iki kısımdır:

Bir kısmı: –Sâbıkan geçtiği gibi– ya hale, istiğraka, cezbeye ve sekre mağlup olup veya teklifi dinlemeyen veya ihtiyarı işitmeyen latîfelerin mahkûmu olup daire-i şeriatın haricine çıkıyor. Fakat o çıkmak, ahkâm-ı şeriatı beğenmemekten veya istememekten değil; belki mecburiyetle ihtiyarsız terk ediyor.

Bu kısım ehl-i velayet var. Hem mühim veliler, bunların içinde muvakkaten bulunmuş. Hattâ bu neviden; değil yalnız daire-i şeriattan, belki daire-i İslâmiyet haricinde bulunduğunu bazı muhakkikîn-i evliya hükmetmişler. Fakat bir şartla: Muhammed aleyhissalâtü vesselâmın getirdiği ahkâmın hiçbirini tekzip etmemektir. Belki ya düşünmüyor veya müteveccih olamıyor veyahut bilemiyor ve bilmiyor. Bilse kabul etmese olmaz!

İkinci kısım ise: Tarîkat ve hakikatin parlak ezvaklarına kapılıp mezâkından çok yüksek olan hakaik-i şeriatın derece-i zevkine yetişemediği için zevksiz, resmî bir şey telakki edip ona karşı lâkayt kalır. Gitgide, şeriatı zâhirî bir kışır zanneder. Bulduğu hakikati, esas ve maksud telakki eder. “Ben onu buldum, o bana yeter.” der, ahkâm-ı şeriata muhalif hareket eder. Bu kısımdan aklı başında olanlar mes’uldürler, sukut ediyorlar, belki kısmen şeytana maskara oluyorlar.

Dördüncü Nükte:

Ehl-i dalalet ve bid’at fırkalarından bir kısım zatlar, ümmet nazarında makbul oluyorlar. Aynen onlar gibi zatlar var, zâhirî hiçbir fark yokken ümmet reddediyor. Bunda hayret ediyordum.

Mesela, Mutezile mezhebinde Zemahşerî gibi İtizal’de en mutaassıp bir fert olduğu halde, muhakkikîn-i Ehl-i Sünnet, onun o şedit itirazatına karşı onu tekfir ve tadlil etmiyorlar, belki bir râh-ı necat onun için arıyorlar. Zemahşerî’nin derece-i şiddetinden çok aşağı Ebu Ali Cübbaî gibi Mutezile imamlarını, merdud ve matrud sayıyorlar.

Çok zaman bu sır benim merakıma dokunuyordu. Sonra lütf-u İlahî ile anladım ki: Zemahşerî’nin Ehl-i Sünnet’e itirazatı, hak zannettiği mesleğindeki muhabbet-i haktan ileri geliyordu. Yani mesela, tenzih-i hakiki; onun nazarında, hayvanlar kendi ef’aline hâlık olmasıyla oluyor. Onun için Cenab-ı Hakk’ı tenzih muhabbetinden, Ehl-i Sünnet’in halk-ı ef’al meselesinde düsturunu kabul etmiyor. Merdud olan sair Mutezile imamları muhabbet-i haktan ziyade, Ehl-i Sünnet’in yüksek düsturlarına kısa akılları yetişemediğinden ve geniş kavanin-i Ehl-i Sünnet, onların dar fikirlerine yerleşmediğinden, inkâr ettiklerinden merduddurlar.

Aynen bu ilm-i kelâmdaki Ehl-i İtizal’in Ehl-i Sünnet ve Cemaat’e muhalefeti olduğu gibi sünnet-i seniye haricindeki bir kısım ehl-i tarîkatın muhalefeti dahi iki cihetledir:

Biri: Zemahşerî gibi; haline, meşrebine meftuniyet cihetinde daha derece-i zevkine yetişemediği âdab-ı şeriata karşı bir derece lâkayt kalır.

Diğer kısmı ise: Hâşâ âdab-ı şeriata, desatir-i tarîkata nisbeten ehemmiyetsiz bakar. Çünkü dar havsalası, o geniş ezvakı ihata edemiyor ve kısa makamı, o yüksek âdaba yetişemiyor.

Sekizinci Telvih

Sekiz vartayı beyan eder:

Birincisi:

Sünnet-i seniyeye tamam ittibaı riayet etmeyen bir kısım ehl-i sülûk; velayeti, nübüvvete tercih etmekle vartaya düşer.

Yirmi Dördüncü ve Otuz Birinci Sözlerde, nübüvvet ne kadar yüksek olduğu ve velayet ona nisbeten ne kadar sönük olduğu ispat edilmiştir.

İkincisi:

Ehl-i tarîkatın müfrit bir kısmı evliyayı sahabeye tercih, hattâ enbiya derecesinde görmekle vartaya düşer.

On İkinci ve Yirmi Yedinci Sözlerde ve sahabeler hakkındaki zeylinde kat’î ispat edilmiştir ki sahabelerde öyle bir hâssa-i sohbet var ki velayet ile yetişilmez ve sahabelere tefevvuk edilmez ve enbiyaya hiçbir vakit evliya yetişmez.

Üçüncüsü:

İfrat ile tarîkat taassubu taşıyanların bir kısmı, âdab ve evrad-ı tarîkatı sünnet-i seniyeye tercih etmekle sünnete muhalefet edip sünneti terk eder fakat virdini bırakmaz. O suretle âdab-ı şer’iyeye bir lâkaytlık vaziyeti gelir, vartaya düşer.

Çok Sözlerde ispat edildiği gibi ve İmam-ı Gazalî, İmam-ı Rabbanî gibi muhakkikîn-i ehl-i tarîkat derler ki: “Bir tek sünnet-i seniyeye ittiba noktasında hasıl olan makbuliyet, yüz âdab ve nevafil-i hususiyeden gelemez. Bir farz, bin sünnete müreccah olduğu gibi; bir sünnet-i seniye dahi bin âdab-ı tasavvufa müreccahtır.” demişler.

Dördüncüsü:

Müfrit bir kısım ehl-i tasavvuf; ilhamı vahiy gibi zanneder ve ilhamı vahiy nevinden telakki eder, vartaya düşer.

Vahyin derecesi ne kadar yüksek ve küllî ve kudsî olduğu ve ilhamat ona nisbeten ne derece cüz’î ve sönük olduğu, On İkinci Söz’de ve i’caz-ı Kur’an’a dair Yirmi Beşinci Söz’de ve sair risalelerde gayet kat’î ispat edilmiştir.

Beşincisi:

Sırr-ı tarîkatı anlamayan bir kısım mutasavvıfe, zayıfları takviye etmek ve gevşekleri teşci etmek ve şiddet-i hizmetten gelen usanç ve meşakkati tahfif etmek için istenilmeyerek verilen ezvak ve envar ve keramatı hoş görüp meftun olur; ibadata, hidemata ve evrada tercih etmekle vartaya düşer.

Şu risalenin Altıncı Telvih’inin Üçüncü Nokta’sında icmalen beyan olunduğu ve sair Sözlerde kat’iyen ispat edilmiştir ki: Bu dâr-ı dünya dârü’l-hizmettir, dârü’l-ücret değil! Burada ücretini isteyenler; bâki, daimî meyveleri, fâni ve muvakkat bir surete çevirmekle beraber, dünyadaki beka hoşuna geliyor, müştakane berzaha bakamıyor. Âdeta bir cihette dünya hayatını sever, çünkü içinde bir nevi âhireti bulur.

Altıncısı:

Ehl-i hakikat olmayan bir kısım ehl-i sülûk, makamat-ı velayetin gölgelerini ve zıllerini ve cüz’î numunelerini, makamat-ı asliye-i külliye ile iltibas etmekle vartaya düşer.

Yirmi Dördüncü Söz’ün İkinci Dal’ında ve sair Sözlerde kat’iyen ispat edilmiştir ki: Nasıl güneş, âyineler vasıtasıyla taaddüd ediyor; binler misalî güneş, aynı güneş gibi ziya ve hararet sahibi olur. Fakat o misalî güneşler, hakiki güneşe nisbeten çok zayıftırlar. Aynen onun gibi makamat-ı enbiya ve eâzım-ı evliyanın makamatının bazı gölgeleri ve zılleri var. Ehl-i sülûk onlara girer; kendini, o evliya-yı azîmeden daha azîm görür; belki enbiyadan ileri geçtiğini zanneder, vartaya düşer.

Fakat bu geçmiş umum vartalardan zarar görmemek için usûl-ü imaniyeyi ve esasat-ı şeriatı daima rehber ve esas tutmak ve meşhudunu ve zevkini onlara karşı muhalefetinde ittiham etmekledir.

Yedincisi:

Bir kısım ehl-i zevk ve şevk, sülûkunda fahri, nazı, şatahatı, teveccüh-ü nâsı ve merciiyeti; şükre, niyaza, tazarruata ve nâstan istiğnaya tercih etmekle vartaya düşer.

Halbuki en yüksek mertebe ise ubudiyet-i Muhammediyedir ki “mahbubiyet” unvanıyla tabir edilir. Ubudiyetin ise sırr-ı esası; niyaz, şükür, tazarru, huşû, acz, fakr, halktan istiğna cihetiyle o hakikatin kemaline mazhar olur. Bazı evliya-yı azîme, fahir ve naz ve şatahata muvakkaten, ihtiyarsız girmişler fakat o noktada, ihtiyaren onlara iktida edilmez; hâdîdirler, mühdî değillerdir; arkalarından gidilmez!

Sekizinci Varta:

Hodgâm, aceleci bir kısım ehl-i sülûk; âhirette alınacak ve koparılacak velayet meyvelerini, dünyada yemesini ister ve sülûkunda onları istemekle vartaya düşer.

Halbuki وَمَا ال۟حَيٰوةُ الدُّن۟يَٓا اِلَّا مَتَاعُ ال۟غُرُورِ gibi âyetlerle ilan edildiği gibi çok Sözlerde kat’iyen ispat edilmiştir ki âlem-i bekada bir tek meyve, fâni dünyanın bin bahçesine müreccahtır. Onun için o mübarek meyveleri burada yememeli. Eğer istenilmeyerek yedirilse şükredilmeli, mükâfat için değil belki teşvik için bir ihsan-ı İlahî olarak telakki edilmeli.

Dokuzuncu Telvih

Tarîkatın pek çok semeratından ve faydalarından yalnız burada dokuz adedini icmalen beyan edeceğiz:

Birincisi:

İstikametli tarîkat vasıtasıyla, saadet-i ebediyedeki ebedî hazinelerin anahtarları ve menşeleri ve madenleri olan hakaik-i imaniyenin inkişafı ve vuzuhu ve aynelyakîn derecesinde zuhurlarıdır.

İkincisi:

Makine-i insaniyenin merkezi ve zembereği olan kalbi, tarîkat vasıta olup işletmesiyle ve o işletmekle, sair letaif-i insaniyeyi harekete getirip, netice-i fıtratlarına sevk ederek hakiki insan olmaktır.

Üçüncüsü:

Âlem-i berzah ve âhiret seferinde, tarîkat silsilelerinden bir silsileye iltihak edip ve o kafile-i nuraniye ile ebedü’l-âbâd yolunda arkadaş olmak ve yalnızlık vahşetinden kurtulmak ve onlarla, dünyada ve berzahta manen ünsiyet etmek ve evham ve şübehatın hücumlarına karşı, onların icmaına ve ittifakına istinad edip her bir üstadını kavî bir senet ve kuvvetli bir bürhan derecesinde görüp onlarla o hatıra gelen dalalet ve şübehatı def’etmektir.

Dördüncüsü:

İmandaki marifetullah ve o marifetteki muhabbetullahın zevkini, safi tarîkat vasıtasıyla anlamak ve o anlamakla dünyanın vahşet-i mutlakasından ve insanın kâinattaki gurbet-i mutlakasından kurtulmaktır.

Çok Sözlerde ispat etmişiz ki saadet-i dâreyn ve elemsiz lezzet ve vahşetsiz ünsiyet ve hakiki zevk ve ciddi saadet, iman ve İslâmiyet’in hakikatindedir. İkinci Söz’de beyan edildiği gibi iman, şecere-i tûba-i cennetin bir çekirdeğini taşıyor. İşte tarîkatın terbiyesiyle, o çekirdek neşv ü nema bulur, inkişaf eder.

Beşincisi:

Tekâlif-i şer’iyedeki hakaik-i latîfeyi, tarîkattan ve zikr-i İlahîden gelen bir intibah-ı kalbî vasıtasıyla hissetmek, takdir etmek… O vakit taate, suhre gibi değil belki iştiyakla itaat edip ubudiyeti îfa eder.

Altıncısı:

Hakiki zevke ve ciddi teselliye ve kedersiz lezzete ve vahşetsiz ünsiyete, hakiki medar ve vasıta olan tevekkül makamını ve teslim rütbesini ve rıza derecesini kazanmaktır.

Yedincisi:

Sülûk-u tarîkatın en mühim şartı, en ehemmiyetli neticesi olan ihlas vasıtasıyla, şirk-i hafîden ve riya ve tasannu gibi rezailden halâs olmak ve tarîkatın mahiyet-i ameliyesi olan tezkiye-i nefis vasıtasıyla, nefs-i emmarenin ve enaniyetin tehlikelerinden kurtulmaktır.

Sekizincisi:

Tarîkatta, zikr-i kalbî ile ve tefekkür-ü aklî ile kazandığı teveccüh ve huzur ve kuvvetli niyetler vasıtasıyla, âdetlerini ibadet hükmüne çevirmek ve muamelat-ı dünyeviyesini, a’mal-i uhreviye hükmüne getirip sermaye-i ömrünü hüsn-ü istimal etmek cihetiyle, ömrünün dakikalarını hayat-ı ebediyenin sümbüllerini verecek çekirdekler hükmüne getirmektir.

Dokuzuncusu:

Seyr ü sülûk-u kalbî ile ve mücahede-i ruhî ile ve terakkiyat-ı maneviye ile insan-ı kâmil olmak için çalışmak, yani hakiki mü’min ve tam bir Müslüman olmak, yani yalnız surî değil belki hakikat-i imanı ve hakikat-i İslâm’ı kazanmak, yani şu kâinat içinde ve bir cihette kâinat mümessili olarak, doğrudan doğruya kâinatın Hâlık-ı Zülcelal’ine abd olmak ve muhatap olmak ve dost olmak ve halil olmak ve âyine olmak ve ahsen-i takvimde olduğunu göstermekle, benî-Âdem’in melâikeye rüçhaniyetini ispat etmek ve şeriatın imanî ve amelî cenahlarıyla makamat-ı âliyede uçmak ve bu dünyada saadet-i ebediyeye bakmak, belki de o saadete girmektir.

سُب۟حَانَكَ لَا عِل۟مَ لَنَٓا اِلَّا مَا عَلَّم۟تَنَٓا اِنَّكَ اَن۟تَ ال۟عَلٖيمُ ال۟حَكٖيمُ

اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ وَ سَلِّم۟ عَلَى ال۟غَو۟ثِ ال۟اَك۟بَرِ فٖى كُلِّ ال۟عُصُورِ وَ ال۟قُط۟بِ ال۟اَع۟ظَمِ فٖى كُلِّ الدُّهُورِ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ نِ الَّذٖى تَظَاهَرَت۟ حِش۟مَةُ وَلَايَتِهٖ وَ مَقَامُ مَح۟بُوبِيَّتِهٖ فٖى مِع۟رَاجِهٖ وَ اِن۟دَرَجَ كُلُّ ال۟وَلَايَاتِ فٖى ظِلِّ مِع۟رَاجِهٖ وَ عَلٰى اٰلِهٖ وَ صَح۟بِهٖ اَج۟مَعٖينَ اٰمٖينَ وَ ال۟حَم۟دُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ ال۟عَالَمٖينَ

Zeyl

Bu küçücük zeylin büyük bir ehemmiyeti var.

Herkese menfaatlidir.

Cenab-ı Hakk’a vâsıl olacak tarîkler pek çoktur. Bütün hak tarîkler Kur’an’dan alınmıştır. Fakat tarîkatların bazısı, bazısından daha kısa, daha selâmetli, daha umumiyetli oluyor. O tarîkler içinde, kāsır fehmimle Kur’an’dan istifade ettiğim acz ve fakr ve şefkat ve tefekkür tarîkıdır.

Evet, acz dahi aşk gibi belki daha eslem bir tarîktir ki ubudiyet tarîkıyla mahbubiyete kadar gider.

Fakr dahi Rahman ismine îsal eder.

Hem şefkat dahi aşk gibi belki daha keskin ve daha geniş bir tarîktir ki Rahîm ismine îsal eder.

Hem tefekkür dahi aşk gibi belki daha zengin, daha parlak, daha geniş bir tarîktir ki Hakîm ismine îsal eder.

Şu tarîk, hafî tarîkler misillü “Letaif-i Aşere” gibi on hatve değil ve tarîk-i cehriye gibi “Nüfus-u Seb’a” yedi mertebeye atılan adımlar değil belki dört hatveden ibarettir. Tarîkattan ziyade hakikattir, şeriattır. Yanlış anlaşılmasın, acz ve fakr ve kusurunu Cenab-ı Hakk’a karşı görmek demektir. Yoksa onları yapmak veya halka göstermek demek değildir.

Şu kısa tarîkın evradı: İttiba-ı sünnettir, feraizi işlemek, kebairi terk etmektir. Ve bilhassa namazı ta’dil-i erkân ile kılmak, namazın arkasındaki tesbihatı yapmaktır.

Birinci hatveye فَلَا تُزَكُّٓوا اَن۟فُسَكُم۟ âyeti işaret ediyor.

İkinci hatveye وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذٖينَ نَسُوا اللّٰهَ فَاَن۟سٰيهُم۟ اَن۟فُسَهُم۟ âyeti işaret ediyor.

Üçüncü hatveye مَٓا اَصَابَكَ مِن۟ حَسَنَةٍ فَمِنَ اللّٰهِ وَمَٓا اَصَابَكَ مِن۟ سَيِّئَةٍ فَمِن۟ نَف۟سِكَ âyeti işaret ediyor.

Dördüncü hatveye كُلُّ شَى۟ءٍ هَالِكٌ اِلَّا وَج۟هَهُ âyeti işaret ediyor.

Şu dört hatvenin kısa bir izahı şudur ki:

Birinci hatvede

فَلَا تُزَكُّٓوا اَن۟فُسَكُم۟ âyeti işaret ettiği gibi: Tezkiye-i nefis etmemek. Zira insan, cibilliyeti ve fıtratı hasebiyle nefsini sever. Belki evvela ve bizzat yalnız zatını sever, başka her şeyi nefsine feda eder. Mabuda lâyık bir tarzda nefsini medheder. Mabuda lâyık bir tenzih ile nefsini meayibden tenzih ve tebrie eder. Elden geldiği kadar kusurları kendine lâyık görmez ve kabul etmez. Nefsine perestiş eder tarzında şiddetle müdafaa eder. Hattâ fıtratında tevdi edilen ve Mabud-u Hakiki’nin hamd ve tesbihi için ona verilen cihazat ve istidadı, kendi nefsine sarf ederek مَنِ اتَّخَذَ اِلٰهَهُ هَوٰيهُ sırrına mazhar olur. Kendini görür, kendine güvenir, kendini beğenir.

İşte şu mertebede, şu hatvede tezkiyesi, tathiri: Onu tezkiye etmemek, tebrie etmemektir.

İkinci hatvede

وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذٖينَ نَسُوا اللّٰهَ فَاَن۟سٰيهُم۟ اَن۟فُسَهُم۟ dersini verdiği gibi: Kendini unutmuş, kendinden haberi yok. Mevti düşünse başkasına verir. Fena ve zevali görse kendine almaz. Ve külfet ve hizmet makamında nefsini unutmak fakat ahz-ı ücret ve istifade-i huzuzat makamında nefsini düşünmek, şiddetle iltizam etmek, nefs-i emmarenin muktezasıdır.

Şu makamda tezkiyesi, tathiri, terbiyesi şu halin aksidir. Yani nisyan-ı nefis içinde nisyan etmemek. Yani huzuzat ve ihtirasatta unutmak ve mevtte ve hizmette düşünmek.

Üçüncü hatvede

مَٓا اَصَابَكَ مِن۟ حَسَنَةٍ فَمِنَ اللّٰهِ وَمَٓا اَصَابَكَ مِن۟ سَيِّئَةٍ فَمِن۟ نَف۟سِكَ dersini verdiği gibi: Nefsin muktezası, daima iyiliği kendinden bilip fahir ve ucbe girer. Bu hatvede nefsinde yalnız kusuru ve naksı ve aczi ve fakrı görüp bütün mehasin ve kemalâtını, Fâtır-ı Zülcelal tarafından ona ihsan edilmiş nimetler olduğunu anlayıp, fahir yerinde şükür ve temeddüh yerinde hamdetmektir.

Şu mertebede tezkiyesi قَد۟ اَف۟لَحَ مَن۟ زَكّٰيهَا sırrıyla şudur ki: Kemalini kemalsizlikte, kudretini aczde, gınasını fakrda bilmektir.

Dördüncü hatvede

كُلُّ شَى۟ءٍ هَالِكٌ اِلَّا وَج۟هَهُ dersini verdiği gibi: Nefis, kendini serbest ve müstakil ve bizzat mevcud bilir. Ondan bir nevi rububiyet dava eder. Mabud’una karşı adâvetkârane bir isyanı taşır. İşte gelecek şu hakikati derk etmekle ondan kurtulur.

Hakikat şudur ki: Her şey nefsinde mana-yı ismiyle fânidir, mefkuddur, hâdistir, ma’dumdur. Fakat mana-yı harfiyle ve Sâni’-i Zülcelal’in esmasına âyinedarlık cihetiyle ve vazifedarlık itibarıyla şahittir, meşhuddur, vâciddir, mevcuddur.

Şu makamda tezkiyesi ve tathiri şudur ki: Vücudunda adem, ademinde vücudu vardır. Yani kendini bilse, vücud verse kâinat kadar bir zulümat-ı adem içindedir. Yani vücud-u şahsîsine güvenip Mûcid-i Hakiki’den gaflet etse yıldız böceği gibi bir şahsî ziya-yı vücudu, nihayetsiz zulümat-ı adem ve firaklar içinde bulunur, boğulur. Fakat enaniyeti bırakıp, bizzat nefsi hiç olduğunu ve Mûcid-i Hakiki’nin bir âyine-i tecellisi bulunduğunu gördüğü vakit, bütün mevcudatı ve nihayetsiz bir vücudu kazanır. Zira bütün mevcudat, esmasının cilvelerine mazhar olan Zat-ı Vâcibü’l-vücud’u bulan bir kalp, her şeyi bulur.

Hâtime

Şu acz, fakr, şefkat, tefekkür tarîkındaki dört hatvenin izahatı; hakikatin ilmine, şeriatın hakikatine, Kur’an’ın hikmetine dair olan yirmi altı adet Sözlerde geçmiştir. Yalnız şurada bir iki noktaya kısa bir işaret edeceğiz. Şöyle ki:

Evet, şu tarîk daha kısadır. Çünkü dört hatvedir. Acz, elini nefisten çekse doğrudan doğruya Kadîr-i Zülcelal’e verir. Halbuki en keskin tarîk olan aşk, nefisten elini çeker fakat maşuk-u mecazîye yapışır. Onun zevalini bulduktan sonra Mahbub-u Hakiki’ye gider.

Hem şu tarîk daha eslemdir. Çünkü nefsin şatahat ve bâlâ-pervazane davaları bulunmaz. Çünkü acz ve fakr ve kusurdan başka nefsinde bulmuyor ki haddinden fazla geçsin.

Hem bu tarîk daha umumî ve cadde-i kübradır. Çünkü kâinatı ehl-i vahdetü’l-vücud gibi huzur-u daimî kazanmak için idama mahkûm zannedip لَا مَو۟جُودَ اِلَّا هُوَ hükmetmeye veyahut ehl-i vahdetü’ş-şuhud gibi huzur-u daimî için kâinatı nisyan-ı mutlak hapsinde hapse mahkûm tahayyül edip لَا مَش۟هُودَ اِلَّا هُوَ demeye mecbur olmuyor. Belki idamdan ve hapisten gayet zâhir olarak Kur’an affettiğinden, o da sarf-ı nazar edip ve mevcudatı kendileri hesabına hizmetten azlederek Fâtır-ı Zülcelal hesabına istihdam edip, esma-i hüsnasının mazhariyet ve âyinedarlık vazifesinde istimal ederek mana-yı harfî nazarıyla onlara bakıp, mutlak gafletten kurtulup huzur-u daimîye girmektir; her şeyde Cenab-ı Hakk’a bir yol bulmaktır.

Elhasıl, mevcudatı mevcudat hesabına hizmetten azlederek, mana-yı ismiyle bakmamaktır.

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